Lemont Wrestling Team Wins 2020 IHSA Class 2A State Championship

LEMONT, IL — Led by head coach John St. Clair, Lemont High School’s wrestling program knocked off a four-time defending state champion to win its first state title, the school said. Lemont outlasted Washington, 30-26, to capture the 2020 IHSA Class 2A Dual Team State Championship at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. The LHS team closed the year with a 32-2 record and set a school record for wins.

The school said the wrestling team joins the school’s baseball and cheerleading squads as the only programs in school history to win team state titles.

The title match was close throughout as expected. Lemont jumped out to a 9-0 lead thanks to wins by seniors Grant LaDuke (152) and Kyle Zator (160) and sophomore Alex Tagler (170), according to LHS. Washington got on the board with a win at 182 pounds, but sophomore Tyler Wilms (195) won by decision, junior Apollo Gothard (220) posted a first period pin, and junior Mo Jarad (285) earned a victory by decision, which pushed Lemont’s lead to 21-3.

The school said Washington tightened the match to 21-17, posting a forfeit win at 106 pounds, a win by decision at 113, and a technical fall at 120 pounds. Senior Drew Nash (126) put an end to the momentum, pinning his opponent in just 10 seconds to push Lemont’s lead to 27-17. Washington stayed alive with a victory at 132 pounds, but freshman AJ Heeg (138) clinched the state title with a 10-5 win.

Lemont’s victory not only put a halt to Washington’s run of four IHSA Class 2A State Championships, but also avenged a 40-31 loss in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 IHSA Dual Team State Finals, the school said. Lemont had previously reached the dual team state finals in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2018, winning trophies in 2010 (3rd) and 2011 (4th).

Lemont advanced to the championship match with a pair of convincing wins in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, the school said. In the opener, Lemont rattled off the match’s first 49 points on its way to a 58-7 win over Mattoon. Tagler, Wilms and senior Kyle Schickel (145) all posted victories by fall, while Nash scored a technical fall. LaDuke and sophomore Evan Schiffman (120) added wins by major decision, while Heeg, Zator and junior Tyler Bentley (106) won by decision.

Lemont started quickly again in the semifinal against Aurora Christian, scoring the first 22 points of the match before coasting to a 46-19 victory. The school said Jarad, Nash, Schickel, Tagler and Zator all were victorious by fall, and LaDuke won by major decision. Bentley and Gothard each posted victories by decision.

Five wrestlers finished the season with 40 or more wins, including Gothard, who closed the season with a spotless 49-0 record and broke his own single-season school for wins in a season, the school said. Jarad’s 47 victories rank second on the school’s all-time single-season wins list. Kyle Zator added 42 wins, while LaDuke and Schickel each posted 41. Schickel is the first in program history to record 40 or more wins four straight years. He closed his career with a school record 169 victories.