QHS wrestlers continue building postseason momentum, win 29-team Murdale Invitational

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The depth of the Quincy High School wrestling team is leading to some historic results.

Saturday, that trend continued.

The Blue Devils had three individual champions and three runners-up as they won the team championship of the 61st Murdale Invitational, topping the 29-team field by more than 50 points. Quincy finished with 226.5 total points, while Mount Vernon was second with 176 points.

Leading the charge the way he has all season was junior Owen Uppinghouse, who won the title at 160 pounds. Uppinghouse scored a 16-0 technical fall of Carbondale’s Isaiah Duckworth. The Blue Devils’ Bryor Newbold won the 182-pound title with a 7-4 decision over Mount Vernon’s Ethan Rivera.

Hugh Sharrow was the Blue Devils’ other champion, capturing the 106-pound crown with an 8-0 decision over Anna-Jonesboro’s Zoee Sadler.

Three Blue Devils suffered tough losses in the title match. At 152 pounds, Quincy’s Gunner Derhake lost 7-6 to McCracken County’s James Barragan. At 220, the Blue Devils’ Gavin Schumacher was pinned in 57 seconds by Carterville’s Riley Bradford. At 285, the Blue Devils’ Todd Smith took a 5-2 loss to Fairfield’s Payton Allen.

Quincy’s Eli Roberts finished third, while Brody Baker and Max Miller both finished fourth.