Seven state medals for the Coalers

The Coal City boys wrestling team delivered a strong showing at the IHSA Class 1A Individual State Finals, held Thursday through Saturday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, IL.
With 11 wrestlers competing on the state's biggest stage, Cooper Morris (126 lbs) and Brody Widlowski (138) led the way, each earning a second place medal.
Morris fought his way to the state championship match, winning by fall in the opening round and securing two narrow decision victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
In the title match, the Coal City sophomore faced undefeated Tyson Waughtel (Vandalia), ultimately falling by technical fall (18-1) to claim 2nd place. He finishes the season with an impressive 40-6 record.
Widlowski, who won second last year as a sophomore, recorded a first-period pin in his opening match and earned a hard-fought 5-4 decision in the quarterfinals and 3-2 battle against Unity Christian’s Clinton VerHeecke in the semifinals.
In the championship match, Widlowski challenged Taylor Finley (Tolono Unity, 51-5) but came up short in an 8-4 decision, finishing as state runner-up. The Coaler closes out a dominant season at 27-1.
Aidan Kenney (144) battled through the bracket to earn a 4th-place finish, winning three matches before falling in the 3rd-place match by major decision. The Coaler junior went 39-12 for the season.
Owen Petersen (113) rebounded from a first-round sudden victory loss to win four straight matches in the consolation bracket, including two falls and a major decision.
He ultimately placed 5th, avenging his opening-round loss with a pin over Josiah Perez (Oregon) in the medal match. Petersen concludes his sophomore season at 44-4.
Landin Benson (175) put together a strong tournament run, advancing deep into the wrestle-backs. He finished 5th after winning the 165 state title a year ago, getting back-to-back pins of 1:42 and :28 in the wrestlebacks before suffering a ultimate tie breaker loss 3-2 in the consolation semi-final. He ended with a 9-4 decision over Ross Miller (Vandalia, 42-13) to end his senior season at 42-4.
Cade Poyner (190) placed 5th, picking up key wins in the consolation bracket, including a fall in just 1:24 over Hunter Eastin (Tolono Unity) in the 5th-place match. Poyner started with a 9-1 major decision, lost 17-1 before staying alive with a 11-6 win. That paired him up against Wilmington’s Logan VanDuyne, a rival he lost to twice before, but this time won 4-2. He finishes his junior year at 37-9.
Senior John Keigher (215) rounded out Coal City's medalists with a 5th-place finish, closing out his tournament with a 9-5 decision over Dominic Alaimo (Reed-Custer). Keigher wraps up the season at 35-3 after going 3-2 at state.
Other Coal City State qualifiers included Jason Piatak (106), Culan Lindemuth (120), Luke Munsterman (132), Noah Houston (150), Mason Garner (157), and Brock Finch (165). Each competed but did not place in the tournament. All showed resilience in a tough field.
With seven state medalists Coal City's wrestling program once again proved to be among Illinois' best in Class 1A. The team's depth was on full display throughout the three-day tournament and they’re not done yet.
The Coalers had 13 qualifiers for state, the most among 1A teams, followed by Vandalia who had 11 qualifiers, a team they will likely face in the Dual Team state tourney on Friday and Saturday at Grossinger Auto Arena in Bloomington.
Coal City has competed in the Dual Team finals five of the six times, walking away with one third (2018), three seconds (2019, 2020 and 2024) and one first (2023).
But they have to win their sectional first, held last night at home, against Chicago King. A random draw determines the state final pairings. Visit IHSA.org for pairings and times.