Red Devils Knock Off Carthage, Fontbonne on Senior Day
EUREKA – The Eureka wrestling team made the first Senior Night in program history a memorable one on Sunday.
On the men's side, the Red Devils took down Carthage and Fontbonne in a home triangular at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center and improved to 6-1 on the season.
Eureka took down the Firebirds 31-15 to start the day and closed it with a 33-18 win over the Griffins.
"It was definitely a good day for us," EC coach Eric Biehl said. "We had some injuries here and there and (had) some guys not make weight, so came in a little nervous about what might happen, but the guys who were able to wrestle came out and attacked like we should, and we came away with two dominant wins.
"I'm happy for that. I thought everyone competed well, and it was good to have a good crowd on Senior Night."
The Red Devils got off to a great start in the first dual of the day, winning the first five matches that took place on the mat.
Thomas Culp (Quincy, Ill./Quincy/Lincoln) opened with a 10-1 major decision over Carthage's Devin Rogers at 184.
After forfeiting at 197, Eureka's Robert Castellano (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg/Lincoln) was dominant against Diego Fuentes, winning 20-2 by technical fall.
At 133, Gaige Owens (Marion, Ill./Marion/Iowa Wesleyan) followed that with a 20-0 tech fall over Loren Semler, then Nathan Berta (Channahon, Ill./Minooka/Calumet-St. Joseph) and Dominic Tenayuca (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs/Lincoln) picked up back-to-back first-period pins.
Berta's came in just 37 seconds, while Tenayuca got his first of two pins on the day in 1:15.
"I knew I had to put a show for everyone out here," Tenayuca said. "The crowd was pretty into it, and I knew I wanted to have some fun.
Coach is always telling me, 'go out there and impose your own will; you'll get it done,' and that's what I did."
Carthage's Zaren Anderson defeated Anthony Sartori (Channahon, Ill./Minooka/Lincoln) by 8-5 decision to stop the streak, but Andrew Sims (Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth/Lincoln) responded with a 12-3 major decision over Max Schmitt.
Eureka forfeited at 174, conceding six free points and sealing a 16-point win overall.
Before Eureka took on Fontbonne, the team honored its quartet of seniors: Tenayuca, Sims, Robert Muhammad (Palos Heights, Ill./Shepard/Lincoln) and Seth Padavic (Benton, Ill./Benton/Lincoln).
Sims, a fifth-year senior who previously wrestled at Campbellsville University in Kentucky for a season and wrestled under Biehl at Lincoln for two, said it was an "unreal" experience.
"I still haven't fully wrapped my head around it," Sims said. "I've been wrestling for so long. It's hard to believe that this is the last home dual. I'm three colleges deep now, and I never knew where I would end up."
The Red Devils led the last dual of the day after every match save the first one. Owens scored a pin over Fontbonne's Daniel Bauer in the first match on the mat, and after a Griffins forfeit, Tenayuca seized his second pin of the day.
Fontbonne's Joe Beck stuck Sartori in the next round, then Sims earned one of the tensest wins of the day. At 165, he went right down to the wire before pulling out a 3-1 decision over Fontbonne's Micah Dennis to make it 21-12.
"I wrestled him last year," Sim said of Beck. "I know he's fast and strong and he stays in good position. I knew I just had to wait for my opening."
Fontbonne's Connor Morin defeated Muhammad by fall at 174, then Culp came up big with another pin at 184 to extend the lead to nine. The dual ended with a double forfeit and a Fontbonne forfeit.
Sim said that it's been difficult for Eureka to get back on track after the long holiday break, but on Saturday, everyone in maroon and gold singlets wrestled hard and performed well for an enthusiastic crowd.
"It was pretty exciting having a Senior Night for wrestling in The Reagan," Tenayuca added.
"The atmosphere was awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better day to have my guys on the mat. Everyone took it to them.
"You could see by our bench that we really get into our matches, and when everyone goes out there and does their job, it's awesome to see."
On the women's side, Eureka fell 28-10 to Carthage and lost both of its matches on the mat.
Carthage's Nadia Flores defeated Claire Schaffner (Delavan, Ill./Delavan) with a 12-0 technical fall and Fontbonne's Adele Senzig bested Audrey Driskell (Pekin, Ill./Pekin/Lincoln) by 8-2 decision.
Against Fontbonne, the Red Devils lost the only match on the mat, with Abby Love scoring a pin over EC's Vannah Berry (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North/Lincoln), but the home team finished with more points in the dual, winning 15-10.
The Eureka women will next compete in the Indiana Tech Open on Saturday at 9 a.m. The Eureka men will be back in action at the Dubuque Open on Feb. 4.
