Mick Porter saw his chance and he took it.

The Mattoon senior countered a move by his Mt. Vernon opponent with a reversal to capture the 138-pound IHSA Regional Class 2A championship Saturday.

Porter was among six Green Wave wrestlers earning titles at the tournament held in Mt. Vernon, and among nine moving on to next week’s sectional in Mahomet.

“It’s tough to win with 10 guys,” Mick Porter said, “but we gave it a shot.”

Mattoon’s Mick Porter scores on a reversal in the final seconds to win the regional title at 138 pounds Saturday.

Mattoon finished second overall, trailing only Marion, despite bringing four fewer wrestlers to the tournament. But the Green Wave still made a strong run on the Tigers by winning all six of their title matches and winning three of four consolation finals.

“I couldn’t be happier,” MHS coach Brett Porter said. “I thought everybody did a great job. They went above and beyond what I expected.”

Senior Brady Foster (33-1) pinned his semifinal and final opponents in a combined 48 seconds to win the 116-pound title, sophomore Korbin Bateman (32-4) needed just 66 seconds in his two matches to win at 126 pounds, and senior Kiefer Duncan (38-2) needed 1 minute, 32 seconds to pin his Carbondale opponent in the finals after requiring only 28 seconds for a fall in the semifinals at 145 pounds.

Senior Aidan Spurgeon (195, 23-2) and junior Leo Meyer (220, 33-7), meanwhile, took their championship matches by decisions, 7-5 and 7-1, respectively.

“The guys we had in the room worked real hard,” said Brett Porter.

Mick Porter rallied late in both of his two matches Saturday. Porter said starting out with the first takedown helped set him up for his last-second successes. In the semifinals, he maneuvered a reversal in the final seconds for a 4-3 victory.

Senior Mick Porter addresses his two matches.

“Those were really exciting matches with Mick,” said coach Brett Porter. “He’s never won a high school tournament before. And that was kind of his goal. So for him to come here and wrestle some really quality competition and win at the last second like that, he did a fantastic job.”

Three other MHS wrestlers captured consolation finals to earn state berths – senior Isaiah Woolcot (106), freshman Ben Capitosti (132) and sophomore Aidan Blackburn (152).

Charleston senior Josh Wiley (20-8) also fought through the consolation round, pinning Mattoon freshman Kael Alexander in 4:41 to earn a state berth at 170 pounds.

Charleston’s Stormy Hughes wrestles Centralia’s Kyle Stimke in their 280-pound Class 2A regional match SAturday afternoon at Mt. Vernon High School. Hughes won by fall.
Mattoon’s Korbin Bateman pins Mt. Vernon’s Ethan Verdeyen in 28 seconds to capture the 126-pound Class 2A regional championship Saturday at Mt. Vernon High School.
Mattoon’s Aidan Blackburn and Charleston’s Chet Shrader wrestle in the 152-pound third place Class 2A regional match at Mt. Vernon Saturday afternoon. Blackburn won by technical fall, 16-0, at 4:10 of the third period.
Mattoon’s Ben Capitosti pushes the head of Decatur Eisenhower’s Brayden Sanders-Hall into the mat during their 132-pound Class 2A regional third place match at Mt. Vernon Saturday afternoon. Capitosti won, 14-3.
Mattoon’s Kiefer Duncan wrestles Decatur MacArthur’s Shaundel Watson in their 145-pound Class 2A regional championship Saturday at Mt. Vernon High School. Duncan pinned Watson at 1:45 of the first period.
Mattoon’s Brady Foster rolls over Decatur MacArthur’s Kaden Roberts during their the 113-pound Class 2A regional championship match Saturday at Mt. Vernon High School. Foster pinned Roberts in 34 seconds.
Mattoon’s Leo Meyer puts Mt. Vernon’s Ethan Rivera in an arm bar in their 220-pound Class 2A regional championship match Saturday at Mt. Vernon High School. Meyer won 7-1.
Mt. Vernon’s Bradden Harris puts Mattoon’s Mick Porter into an arm bar Saurday afternoon during the Class 2A Mt. Vernon Regional 138-pound championship match. Porter, tripoded then reversed out, rolling over Davisand scored a near fall winning the match in the last seconds, 7-3.
Charleston’s Alec Sellers wrestles Centralia’s Noah Morris in their 160-pound Class 2A regional match Saturday at Mt. Vernon High School. Morris won by fall.
Mattoon’s Aidan Spurgeon tosses Carbondale’s Aiden Taylor their 195-pound Class 2A regional championship match Saturday at Mt. Vernon High School. Spurgeon won 7-5.
Mattoon’s Kael Alexander and Charleston’s Josh Wiley wrestle in the 170-pound third place Class 2A regional match at Mt. Vernon Saturday afternoon. Wiley won by pin. The two faced off in their opening match with Wiley winning that one as well.
Mattoon’s Isaiah Woolcot pins Centralia’s Cameron Haake in their 106-pound Class 2A regional third place match Saturday at Mt. Vernon High School.
Photos by Chet Piotrowski

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

MATTOON

106 – 3rd place: Isaiah Woolcot won consolation final by pin, :15

113 – 1st place: Brady Foster won by pin in final, :34

120 – no wrestler entered

126 – 1st place: Korbin Bateman won by pin in final, :28 

132 – 3rd place: Ben Capitosti won consolation final, 14-3 

138 – 1st place: Mick Porter won final by decision, 7-3

145 – 1st place: Kiefer Duncan won final by pin, 1:32

152 – 3rd place: Aidan Blackburn won consolation final by technical fall, 16-0

160 – no wrestler entered 

170 – 4th place: Korbin Alexander lost consolation final by pin, 4:41

182 – no wrestler entered

195 – 1st place: Aidan Spurgeon won final by decision, 7-5

220 – 1st place: Leo Meyer won final by decision, 7-1

285 – no wrestler entered 

CHARLESTON 

106 – Isaiah Lutrell lost in consolation semifinals by pin, 2:18

113 – no wrestler entered

120 – no wrestler entered

126 – no wrestler entered

132 – no wrestler entered

138 – no wrestler entered 

145 – Ben Coffey lost in consolation semifinals by pin, 3:34 

152 – 4th place: Chet Shrader lost in consolation final by technical fall, 16-0 

160 – Alec Sellers lost in consolation semifinals by pin, 4:45

170 – 3rd place: Josh Wiley won consolation final by pin, 4:41

182 – Bonaventure Kabasele lost in consolation semifinals by pin, 3:06

195 – Josiah Vingara lost in consolation quarterfinals by pin, :14

220 – Marcellx Boling lost in consolation final by pin, 1:24

285 – Stormy Hughes lost in consolation semifinals by pin, :51 

TEAM SCORES

  1. Marion 212, 2. Mattoon 185, 3. Mt. Vernon 144.5, 4. Carbondale 125, 5. Centralia 67, 6. Decatur MacArthur 64, 7. Charleston 37, 8. Decatur Eisenhower, 19.