Antioch moves past Fenton to reach state quarterfinals

Fenton's Dylan Butts tacked on one more victory to an already mighty impressive campaign, but it wasn't enough to extend his senior season into next week's Class 2A dual team wrestling quarterfinals.

At Tuesday's sectional in Bensenville, Dylan Butts picked up a major decision at 195 pounds for his 41st win of the year, but Antioch claimed a 44-25 win to move on to a Saturday morning matchup with St. Rita, a 78-6 winner over Hinsdale South at Lemont.

Butts, who just placed fourth at the individual state tournament, tallied 10 second-period points on his way to a 15-6 victory. His win was preceded by a pin from his brother Jack at 182 pounds, but the Sequoits, who had won the first six bouts, still led 28-10 after the Bison brothers picked up wins.

"It was a fun season," said Dylan Butts, who is still looking at colleges with the hopes of continuing on the mats. "We knew they were going to be good. We wanted to wrestle hard and win as many matches as we can and get our young guys ready for next year."

The meet started at 132 pounds, and Antioch's Elijah Reyes started things off with a tight win that was followed by a 13-9 win by team leader R.J. Vazquez for a 6-0 Sequoits lead. They are looking to claim their first team trophy since back-to-back fourth-place finishes in 2011 and 2012.

Four more wins followed, including pins from Jackie Sistrunk at 145 pounds, Michael Volkmar at 160 and Nicholas Garcia at 170, and Antioch was off and running with a 28-0 lead.

"We started at a nice weight class for us," Antioch coach Wilbur Borrero said. "We're pretty strong at the lighter weights and things like that. We're real happy with the end result."

Vazquez, hungry for a shot at a team trophy in his final season, said the Sequoits were ready to go.

"I think we all were mentally prepared and physically prepared," the team captain said. "We've been conditioning for this all year. I just think we were all ready for this. We all knew what we had to do today and we came out with the win."

After the great start Antioch worked in some reserves, including Kolton Powers, who won by major decision at 113 pounds. Fenton's Dave Burch followed that up with a pin of his own, but the Bison close out their solid season at 23-5 as the Sequoits advanced.

"Being my senior year, I want to get as many wins as I can for my team," Vazquez said. "I want to be the leader and the captain I am for my team. Of course winning feels good, but I do it all for my team. We're hoping to take a trophy home this year."