EDWARDSVILLE — A run at a 10th consecutive regional championship is on hold for the Edwardsville Tigers, but their quest for a Southwestern Conference remains in a non-traditional summer season.
The Tigers will open the new season at Collinsville at 5 p.m. Thursday. It is the first of nine dates for Edwardsville.
“We have about 45 kids that have been working hard for this. We’re pleased that the kids are still wanting to bang in the spring,” EHS coach Jon Wagner said.
In October, the IHSA officially pushed back the high school wrestling season from winter to summer with practices starting as early as April 19. The season will run through June 26 without a postseason.
The IHSA Wrestling Advisory Committee recommended the move to summer back in September. a
Since wrestling is deemed a higher-risk sport by the Illinois Department of Public Health, teams are only allowed to compete within the conference and COVID Region. There will be a limit on fans, as well.
Despite the move and lack of postseason, Edwardsville is using the season as a chance to get better for the long run.
EHS Wrestling Schedule
April 29 at Collinsville
May 6 vs. Granite City/Sparta
May 7 at Belleville West
May 11 vs. Roxana/Waterloo
May 20 at East St. Louis/Triad
May 22 at Alton/Waterloo
May 25 vs. Mascoutah/Civic Memorial
June 4 at Jersey/Chatham
June 11 vs. Belleville East/O'Fallon
“Everybody knows the IHSA is trying to put eight sports into four weeks,” Wagner said. “A lot of my guys are football guys and the seasons overlapped and ran on top of each other. It’s so different and new. Kids are used to a routine and we’ve thrown them out of routine, but this will make us stronger.”
This will be Wagner’s 25th season in charge of the Tigers. He is 511-95-1 and ranked 10th in Illinois for most victories at one school.
Edwardsville must replace state champion Luke Odom and state runner-up Lloyd Reynolds from last year’s squad that finished 26-3 and won ninth straight regional and Southwestern Conference championships.
Now a freshman at Illinois, Odom won the Class 3A state title at 160 pounds. He finished his career with a program-record 191 victories, including 51-1 last season.
Reynolds went 50-3 at 285 pounds last season. He became the first Tiger to earn two state medals at heavyweight after taking second in 2020 and sixth in 2019. Reynolds is now wrestling at Wisconsin-Parkside.
EHS does return state tournament qualifiers in junior Dylan Gvillo (38-15, 126 pounds), junior Austin Bauer (25-10, 132 pounds) and senior Drew Gvillo (40-12, 170 pounds). They are three of the seven EHS sent to state — the most by Edwardsville in the three-class system, which was adopted in 2009, and most by the program since it sent eight in 2006.
Bauer and Drew Gvillo each won regional championships at Granite City last year and were All-SWC first-team selections.
Sophomore Zeke Rhodes (28-21, 113 pounds), junior Jackson Summers (23-15 at 106 pounds) and seniors Connor Surtin (31-17 at 120 pounds), Grant Schmid (22-22 at 138 pounds) and Drew Mink (10-7 at 145 pounds) also return.
Rhodes and Drew Gvillo were All-SWC second-team selections and Summers, Surtin, Schmid and Mink were third-team selections.
Rhodes and Summers will both bump up in weight this season, giving the Tigers plenty of depth in the middle of their lineup.
Potential heavyweights include seniors Mason Taylor (13-12) and Lino Gramaglia (5-1) and sophomores Carter Schmith (4-3 at junior varsity), Patrick Sepanski (9-3 at junior varsity) and Dawson Rull (9-2 at junior varsity), among others.
“We’re pretty strong in the mid-weights and we have several heavyweights — young and old. We have quite a few big guys,” Wagner said.
With Rhodes and Summers moving up in the lineup, Wagner said the team is “light at the lower weight classes.”
Wagner did say Olivia Coll is a “really talented” freshman that could get some time at 106 pounds. She competed on the girls cross country team in the fall.
Junior Abby Rhodes (13-5 at junior varsity) is an option at 113 pounds. She is the sister of Zeke Rhodes.
The lineup will be changing throughout the season, though, as Wagner expects there to be plenty of competition within his team as they try to make the most of a non-traditional season.
“We have two goals,” Wagner said. “First, we have 10 seniors and we want these kids to enjoy the competition and enjoy their last year here.
“Second, we want to develop the younger kids. Next year, I’m hoping everything is back to normal. We can’t take a step backward.”
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EHS hits the mat for non-traditional season - The Edwardsville Intelligencer
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