QND Invitational: Triplett wins with toughness, Belshaw likes challenge and Central could be regional threat

QUINCY — Luke Triplett questioned the toughness of his Illinois counterparts Saturday.

“I didn’t know they were softer on this side of the river,” the Palmyra wrestler said with a smile after his semifinal match in the Quincy Notre Dame Invitational at the Pit.

It turns out no one was as tough as him, certainly not in the 220-pound weight class. Triplett rolled to the championship with three first-period pins, arguably the most dominant run of any wrestler in Saturday’s field.

In the quarterfinals, Triplett stuck St. Joseph-Ogden’s Quincy Jones in 58 seconds. In the semifinals, it took 1:12 for Triplett to pin Riverton’s Garrett Johnson. In the championship, the Panthers senior needed only 1:16 to finish off Chatham Glenwood’s Jaidyn Lee.

Triplett was one of four top-three finishers for the Panthers as Collin Arch won the title at 138, Nolyn Richards finished second at 285 and Brayden Pillars took third at 132.

Richards muscled his way to the title match with a 5-2 decision over Macomb’s Tegan Perry and a 4-1 decision over Jacksonville’s Aiden Surratt. In the title match, Richards was pinned in 1:03 by Chatham Glenwood’s Alex Hamrick. Pillars won the third-place match at 132 with a 9-0 major decision over Quincy High School’s Dylan Becker.

Chargers’ Belshaw in postseason shape

In a field with several Class 2A and 3A programs, Illini West senior Lance Belshaw relished the challenge.

“It’s mostly about getting good competition,” Belshaw said. “It’s competition we haven’t seen. It’s about getting good matches.”

Belshaw proved himself postseason ready with his third-place finish at 152. He pinned Quincy High School’s Ty Moore in 1:59 to cap a solid day. Belshaw won his first two matches by pin, beating Pittsfield’s Aiden Baxter in 41 seconds and QHS’s Payton Eddy in 5:25. He was pinned by Jacksonville’s Trey Elliott in 4:54 in the semifinals.

“Getting matches in and getting in shape is important right now,” Belshaw said.

Staying in shape for the next week will have him ready for the regionals.

“If I just run on the treadmill and get more conditioning in, I’ll do better,” Belshaw said. “Just keep my eye on my weight and stay in shape.”

Panthers could be regional warriors

The depth the Central wrestling team showed Saturday — along with the Panthers’ talent — could make it a viable Class 1A regional championship contender.

The Panthers had six wrestlers place in the top four in their respective weight classes and took fifth as a team with 121 points. Chatham Glenwood won the team championship with 238 points, followed by Jacksonville (202), Kirkwood, Mo., (144) and Palmyra (142.5).

Central had two wrestlers in the championship round as Kanye Mitchell was pinned in the first period by St. Joseph-Odgen’s Holden Brazelton at 120 pounds and Conner Griffin was pinned in the first period at 152 pounds by Jacksonville’s Trey Elliott.

Jack Thompson took third at 113, Konnor Bush took third at 145, Paul Schenck was fourth at 106 and Joseph Friday was fourth at 138.