Showcasing heart and talent: QHS wrestlers dominate own invitational, win team title for third straight year

QUINCY — Imperfect weather couldn’t deter the Quincy High School wrestling team from having a perfect weekend.

Truly, that’s all Bryor Newbold wanted.

In search of his first Quincy Invitational championship in his final try, the senior dominated the 175-pound weight class with four pins and a technical fall in his five matches, finishing his title by sticking Cahokia’s Jramuel Holman in 2 minutes, 59 seconds.

After getting his hand raised, Newbold turned to the Blue Devil faithful and made a heart sign with his hands.

“I did it in front of my hometown my senior year,” Newbold said. “I threw up the heart because I love this town. I love representing it. I love wrestling for this town.”

That made securing the team title for a third straight year just as meaningful.

The Blue Devils saw four individuals win championships, four others place second and three take third in totaling 274 team points. Roxana was second with 227.5 points and Jacksonville took third with 161.5 points.

“In my opinion, we hosted a hell of a tournament,” QHS senior Owen Uppinghouse said.

The field was thinned by the weather as nine teams opted not to make the trip because of the cold, snowy conditions. What it didn’t do was keep the fans away, and by the end, when the 285-pound championship match between Quincy’s Todd Smith and Roxana’s James Herring took place, the crowd circled the mat.

The battle went to sudden victory with Smith recording a takedown for a 3-1 triumph.

“To end the tournament with Todd Smith winning a big one, a close one, that’s a big deal,” Uppinghouse said. “You could definitely tell the atmosphere of the place changed when he was wrestling that match.”

The atmosphere was electric when Uppinghouse wrestled as well, although the outcomes seemed inevitable.

The 165-pounder won his first three matches by pinfall and delivered a 15-0 technical fall of Roxana’s Lyndon Thies in the title match. It was Uppinghouse’s only match to last beyond the first period.

“I wrestled aggressive,” Uppinghouse said. “I was really stingy about not letting my opponent score on me.”

Uppinghouse did not allow a point in any match and was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler. He also was honored before the finals for recently notching his 100th career victory, although the accolades and milestones aren’t what drive him.

Wrestling for a state championship does.

“There was a lot to reflect on this week,” said Uppinghouse, who is ranked No. 2 in Class 3A with a 34-0 record. “It’s nice to have the celebratory moment, but I have my eyes on the prize. I’m not going to focus on this or any of the other things that come along. My focus is where it needs to be.”

Same can be said for Newbold, who is 30-3 and ranked ninth.

“I had to take it match by match,” Newbold said. “I had to be ready for who I was wrestling, not who I was wrestling next.”

In doing so, he didn’t give a single opponent a chance.

“I love how I bonus-pointed everyone,” Newbold said. “That felt really good to do.”

Junior Hugh Sharrow was Quincy’s fourth titleist, winning the 113-pound class with a 7-0 victory over Palmyra’s Luke Lawson. Sharrow has won his weight class each of his three appearances in the Quincy Invitational and will have a shot at history next year.

In the meantime, he joins his teammates in preparing for the postseason, which is just three weeks away.

The Blue Devils will host the Class 3A regional on Feb. 3 and the Class 3A sectional on Feb. 9-10.

“We just have to keep grinding and working and putting in the effort,” Newbold said. “Getting through those weekends and getting to state is the goal. It’s the most important goal.”

Championship matches

Here are the results of the championship matches from the Quincy Invitational, held Friday and Saturday at the QHS gym:

106 — Will Kelly (Triad) p. Jayce Evans (Jacksonville), 1:15

113 — Hugh Sharrow (QHS) d. Luke Lawson (Palmyra), 7-0

120 — Deshawn Armstrong (Jacksonville) d. Wyatt Boeing (QHS), 7-5

126 — Colby Crouch (Triad) p. Evan Wakefield (QHS), :38

132 — Logan Riggs (Roxana) d. Ben Baumgartner (Triad), 5-4

138 — Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) p. Cale Mixer (QHS), 1:20

144 — RaMez Watson (Pekin) p. Bradi Lahr (QND), 1:54

150 — Joe Reif (Jacksonville) p. Eli Roberts (QHS), 1:14

157 — Braden Johnson (Roxana) p. Brayden Pillars (Palmyra), 3:17

165 — Owen Uppinghouse (QHS) technical fall over Lyndon Thies (Roxana), 15-0

175 — Bryor Newbold (QHS) p. Jramuel Holman (Cahokia), 2:59

190 — Robert Watt (Roxana) d. Ryan Darnell (QND), 8-1

215 — Oliver Cooley (Jacksonville) d. Taylin Scott (QND), 7-2

285 — Todd Smith (QHS) d. James Herring (Roxana), 3-1 (SV)