Uppinghouse, Newbold end first day of state wrestling tourney alive in winner’s bracket

February 16, 2024 | By Muddy River Sports

February 15, 2024 - Champaign, Illinois - Quincy's Bryor Newbold wrestles Stevenson's Themba Sitshela in their Class 3A 175-pound preliminary-round match at the Illinois High School Association Individual Wrestling State Finals. Newbold won the bout advancing to the next round.

(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Quincy High School's Bryor Newbold sets up a move during his 175-pound opening-round match in the Class 3A state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. | Photo courtesy Clark Brooks, PhotoNews Media

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Owen Uppinghouse’s title pursuit started with a flourish.

Bryor Newbold’s began with a tussle.

Both still have a shot at glory.

The Quincy High School wrestlers opened the Class 3A state tournament at State Farm Center with first-round victories and will grapple in the quarterfinals Friday morning. Meanwhile, Quincy Notre Dame wrestlers Bradi Lahr and Taylin Scott also opened with victories in the Class 1A tourney, but they suffered quarterfinal losses Thursday night.

Lahr and Scott will wrestle in the backdraw Friday, needing two wins apiece to earn a spot on the podium.

Uppinghouse, the senior ranked No. 1 at 165 pounds, took down Highland Park’s Dmitry Derbedyenyev 21 seconds into their match, earned a two-point nearfall and eventually recorded a first-period pin in 1 minute, 58 seconds.

Uppinghouse (52-0) will face Lyons’ Gunnar Garelli (45-2) in the quarterfinals.

Newbold, the senior ranked seventh at 175 pounds, used a reversal to take a 3-2 lead over Lincolnshire Stevenson’s Themba Sithela into the third period. Sitshela chose to start the final period on the bottom, and Newbold rode him the entire two minutes to earn the victory.

Newbold (45-6) will face Chicago Mount Carmel’s Colin Kelly (40-1) in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, in the Class 1A tourney, Lahr opened with a 9-3 decision over Fairfield’s Scotty Cuff at 144 pounds. Lahr scored a takedown in each period and used a three-point nearfall in the third period to cement his victory.

Lahr, a sophomore, suffered a 6-0 loss in the quarterfinals to Sterling Newman Central Catholic’s Carter Rude, ranked second in the state with a 44-1 record. Lahr is 39-6 overall.

Scott, a junior ranked seventh at 215 pounds, opened with a 5-4 decision over Chicago Military Institute-Bronzeville’s Sean Brown as he scored takedowns in the second and third period to build a 5-2 lead. He suffered a 5-1 loss to Johnson City’s Jude Beers in the quarterfinals and takes a 44-5 record into Friday.

Illini West junior Shawn Watkins was pinned by Manteno’s Carter Watkins in 4:49 in his opening match. Shawn Watkins (35-10) will be in the wrestlebacks Friday.