QND Invitational: Pins and third-place finish give Blue Devils’ Newbold boost before regionals

QUINCY — A weekend of travel, multiple matches and relentless effort could have left Quincy High School wrestler Bryor Newbold a little weary.

It actually has him energized.

Newbold, a sophomore wrestling at 182 pounds, finished third in both Friday’s Western Big 6 Conference championships and Saturday’s Quincy Notre Dame Invitational, providing the jolt of confidence necessary to drive him toward next weekend’s Class 3A regional.

“I have to work really hard in the wrestling room for the next week,” Newbold said. “I have to work hard on my takedowns. I have to work hard on my takedown defense. I really have to work on everything. Wrestling is a non-stop grind. There’s a lot to be done, and there’s still room for improvement.”

Three pins in four matches Saturday show Newbold is trending the right direction.

He opened the invitational by pinning Monmouth United’s Tanner Rogers in 29 seconds, then stuck Pittsfield’s Tucker Cook in 2:34. After suffering an 8-3 loss to Macomb’s Max Ryner in the semifinals, Newbold rebounded by pinning Kirkwood’s Ethan Gjelvik in 1:22.

“I like that I got a lot of pins this weekend,” Newbold said.

He may need more next weekend. The Blue Devils are playing host to the regional and the 182-pound field includes Belleville East’s Dominic Thebeau, ranked second in Class 3A by the Illinois Wrestling Officials and Coaches Association, and O’Fallon’s Jason Alf.

Newbold lost to Alf in the fifth-place match at the Mascoutah Tournament earlier this season.

“I’ve watched film on him,” Newbold said. “I feel like I can beat him.”

His third-place finish Saturday gives him inspiration.

“Of course, I wanted to bring home a gold today,” Newbold said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do. It means a lot to me to get to wrestle here in Quincy. It might not be at QHS, but it’s still at home. So it’s lovely.”