Collinsville High School senior Dylan Johnson won his first match of the Normal West Sectional this past weekend, but could not get the final win he needed to qualify for the State Tournament.

Image by Roger Starkey

Johnson lost his second match 2-1in overtime to Dontrell Bryant, of Plainfield, in the 160-pound class. Johnson lost on a penalty point when his finger got caught in Bryant’s singlet, Collinsville Head Coach Tom Blaha said.

Next up for Johnson was Tyler Wilkinson, of Yorkville, for a chance to wrestle for third place. Wilkinson jumped on top 5-0 and went on to a 12-5 decision. Both Bryant and Wilkinson qualified for the State Tournament.

Blaha said Johnson did his best, but came up just short. “He picked a bad weekend to have a bad couple of matches,” Blaha said.

The win in the first match ran Johnson’s career total to 105, good for eight-best in school history. Johnson has drawn some interest from colleges, Blaha said, but has yet to commit to a school.

Cody Pope qualified for Sectionals in the 106-pound class, but did not think he would make weight, so did not travel to the tournament. Seniors Brandon Fisher and Alex Stowers traveled to the Sectional as alternates, but did not get into the tournament.