LHS Defeated By Defending State Champ In Wrestling State Finals

LEMONT, IL — Lemont High School's wrestling program was defeated by three-time defending state champion Washington in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 IHSA Class 2A Wrestling Team State Finals. The schools battled to the final match, but head coach John St. Clair’s team dropped a 40-31 decision to Washington.

After falling behind early, the school said Lemont won three straight matches to take a 13-12 lead. Sophomore Apollo Gothard (220 pounds) won by default, sophomore Muhamad Jarad (285 pounds) captured a 4-2 decision, and freshman Evan Schiffman (106 pounds) earned a 17-3 major decision.

Washington responded with wins in three consecutive weight classes, but Lemont roared back with four consecutive wins to move ahead, 31-30. According to LHS, junior Drew Nash (132 pounds) won a 6-1 decision, junior Kyle Schickel (138 pounds) won by fall, junior Grant LaDuke (145 pounds) earned a 9-4 victory, and junior Kyle Zator (152 pounds) won by fall. Washington closed with two victories to seal the match.

The school said Washington’s match against Lemont was its toughest of the state finals; it went on to defeat Triad (45-24) in the state semifinals and then Coal City (45-21) to win its fourth straight state title.

With his victory in the quarterfinals, Gothard set a school record for victories in a season; he closed the campaign with a 46-3 mark. The school said Schickel closed with a 45-5 record, matching Matt Leibforth ‘10 for second place on the single-season list wins. Schickel is the first wrestler in school history to reach 40 wins in each of his first three seasons. Nash (42-8) also reached the 40-win mark for the second straight season.