Title at Mitton Invitational a signature achievement for Galesburg wrestling team
GALESBURG — The 2021-22 edition of Galesburg High School's wrestling team is feeling pretty good about the way the season has gone so far.
With a 15-2 dual meet record, the Silver Streaks are a win away from the school record, and Galesburg has a pair of duals left on the schedule. They're both against Western Big 6 Conference foes and on the road.
The Streaks will face the Quincy Blue Devils on Tuesday, and then grapple against the Moline Maroons on Wednesday. The WB6 tourney will take place Saturday at Moline.
Galesburg heads into the week after winning the annual Bob Mitton Invitational, which took place Friday and Saturday at Orion High School.
The Streaks finished with 210.5 points. Rockridge took second (167.5), and Riverdale was third (154.5). Orion ended up in fourth place (136) and Kewanee (131) rounded out the Top 5 at the 17-team event. Monmouth-Roseville (37), and United (25) finished in 15th and 16th place, respectively.
“We were excited because this was the first tournament this season we were able to put our full strength lineup out there," Galesburg coach Greg Leibach said early Sunday evening of the victory at Orion. "We knew we had the opportunity to do something special and we wrestled well. We’re really proud of that team accomplishment. It’s an all team exclamation point on what’s been a really special season for us. We’ve put together a dual meet record that we’re proud of, and we hope the tournament championship further validates that — everyone had a contribution.
“There were certain matches that we wish we could have back but on the whole we wrestled a clean two days," added Leibach, who is in his sixth season. "I thought we showed some nice improvements going into the final week of the regular season.”
The Streaks have depth and that's been a key.
“There were some years that we’d have maybe one person at a weight class, and a few blanks in our lineup but over time we’re filling the lineup consistently, and we have a second or third person at each class," Leibach said. "That kind of depth is important to the team's success."
11 Streaks in Top 5 at Mitton
Eleven of the Streaks who took the mat in the Mitton Invite finished in the Top 5 in their respective weight classes.
First place
120: The Streaks' Gauge Shipp was the Mitton champion at 120 pounds with an 8-3 decision over Mercer County's Ethan Monson. Shipp's overall record is 29-3.
“In the previous two tournaments, he’s had some tough luck losses in the finals so it was really cool to see him get the job done," Leibach said of Shipp. "I just hope that propels him going into the postseason stuff. Those are the kind of tight matches that require you to bring your best wrestling so you can advance and put yourself in the best seeding position possible."
126: Galesburg sophomore Rocky Almendarez took the 126-pound title with an 11-3 major decision over Rockridge's Jude Finch. Almendarez now holds a 25-2 overall mark after the win.
220: Galesburg senior Jeremiah Morris was the 220-pound champion with a 9-3 decision over U-High's Isaiah Im, and Morris also holds a 29-3 mark.
Rockridge's Connor Shaffer took third place at 220 with a 4-1 decision over the Streaks' Dishon Nolen, a junior. Galesburg senior Ryne Straker finished fifth in 220 action with a default win over United's Quentin Hayburn.
"We were able to submit three 220 pounders and all three of them placed in the Top 5, so that’s pretty cool," Leibach said.
Second place
132: Riverdale's Brock Smith grabbed a 17-2 technical fall win over Galesburg senior Santana Castellano (20-6 overall) and was the Mitton Invite's champ at 132 pounds.
Third place
106: The Streaks' Angelo Abdallah, a sophomore, pinned Orion's Kaleb Sovey in 2:56, and he took third in 106 pound action. Fifth place at 106 went to Mon-Rose's Caleb Dillard, who pinned United Township's Logan Stone in 1:34
145: Galesburg senior Alex Baughman ended up in third at 145 with a 12-6 decision over Camp Point Central's Konnor Bush.
195: The Streaks' Austin Torres, a junior, took third at 195 pounds with a 14-6 major decision over Mercer County's Ian Willits.
285: Galesburg senior Tyler Kemp finished third at 285 after a 2-0 overtime decision over Orion's Seth Gardner.
Fifth place
182: The Streaks' Jashon Parks, a senior, took fifth at 182. Parks pinned Mon-Rose's Andrew Gunn in 1:08.
Matthew Wheaton can be reached at (309) 315-6073 or at mwheaton@register-mail.com. Follow him on Twitter @matthewlwheaton
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: IHSA Wrestling: Galesburg takes Mitton title
