Top-ranked wrestlers help Althoff advance five to state tournament

Althoff wrestlers Chase Bittle and Danny Braunagel continued to dominate their respective weight classes, while Anthony Federico and Zac Braunagel also won titles to lead the way for the Crusaders on Saturday at the Class 1A Vandalia Sectional.

Top-ranked in the 152-pound weight class, Danny Braunagel improved to 43-0 with a 17-7 win over second-ranked Matt Fritz, of Mount Olive. Bittle, the 2016 state champion at 120 pounds, defeated Litchfield’s Collin Davidson 6-2 in the 126-pound final.

Bittle is now 42-1 for the season.

Frederico, a freshman, won the 120-pound final, while Zac Braunagel won the 170-pound championship. The Crusaders also got a solid effort from sophomore Max Kristoff, who placed third in the 132-pound weight class.

All five Althoff wrestlers advance to the Illinois High School Association State Wrestling Tournament, which begins Thursday at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

Also advancing were Clayton Sheldon, of Sparta, who won the 220-pound title, and Jacob Muench, of Carlyle, who was third in the 182-pound weight class.

At the Class 3A Normal Community Sectional

Edwardsville freshman Luke Odom, the top-ranked Class 3A 106-pound wrestler in the state, showed no signs of slowing down Saturday at the Normal Community Sectional.

Odom improved to 39-4 for the season as he defeated Lockport’s Matt Ramos 7-0 and was one of four Edwardsville wrestlers to earn a trip to the state finals.

Teammate Noah Surtin was second in the 113-pound division, while Rafael Roman (145 pounds) and Baylor Montgomery (152) were third in their respective weight classes. The top four in each weight class advance to the state finals.

The O’Fallon Panthers didn’t have any champions, but they will have five wrestlers competing at the State Farm Center next weekend.

The Panthers received third-place finishes from Alek Ziegler (120), Jack Bond (160) and Kobey Bosworth (195) and fourth-place finishes from Mason Hewitt (182) and Brian Ahle (220).

Granite City has a sectional champion in Kyle Thompson (195), while Collinsville senior Jevon Pargo (126) placed fourth to move on.

This story was originally published February 11, 2017 at 9:58 PM with the headline "Top-ranked wrestlers help Althoff advance five to state tournament."