By ROSS BROWNbluehavanaross@gmail.com PAXTON -- Eight years after establishing its high school wrestling program, Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School is disbanding it. School board members voted unanimously Wednesday night on a reduction-in-force measure for PBL’s wrestling coach, Jacob Meyer, and s

DeKALB -- A trio of Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Middle School wrestlers competed in the IESA Class A state meet last weekend. At 90 points, Carson Maxey won via 4-3 decision over Nick Cheshier of Island Lake Matthews in the first round before losing via 6-0 decision to Hunter Robbins of…

COAL CITY -- Three Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Middle School wrestlers earned a trip to the IESA Class A state meet. Carson Maxey finished third in the 90-pound bracket at Saturday's Coal City Sectional while Aiden Sancken (135 pounds) and Shawn Schlickman (75 pounds) each placed third …

GIBSON CITY -- Three Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Middle School wrestlers won individual championships at Saturday's IESA Class A GCMS Regional. GCMS/Fisher teammates Shawn Schlickman and Blake Booth each wrestled for the title at 75 pounds.

PETERSBURG -- Cole Maxey, Dakota Matthews, Garrett Wright and Hayden Workman of the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher wrestling team each earned a top-four finish at the IHSA Class 1A Petersburg PORTA Sectional, thereby earning a spot in the state meet. Garrett Wright pinned Macomb's Hunter T…

MAHOMET -- Nolan Roseman and Peter McCusker each earned a place in the semifinals on the first day of the IHSA Class 2A Mahomet-Seymour Sectional on Friday. Roseman won via 17-1 technical fall in a time of 4:47 in the 152-pound quarterfinals over Jacksonville's Tyger Vanlter.

PETERSBURG -- Cole Maxey, Dakota Matthews, Garrett Wright and Hayden Workman each advanced to the semifinals through the first day of the IHSA Class 1A Petersburg PORTA Sectional on Friday. Garrett Wright pinned Macomb's Hunter Thompson in a time of 1:56 in the quarterfinals of the 220-pound…

URBANA -- Nolan Roseman of the Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda wrestling team won the regional title in the 152-pound bracket of Saturday's IHSA Class 2A Urbana Regional. Roseman won via 10-4 decision over Mahomet-Seymour's Gage Granadino in the title match after pinning Champaign Central's Alle…

GIBSON CITY -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher High School wrestling team defeated Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda 60-21 in a dual meet on Thursday. GCMS/Fisher's Hayden Workman pinned Seth Forbes in a time of 30 seconds in the 285-pound match.

HEYWORTH -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher High School wrestling team went 1-2 during Tuesday's Heart of Illinois Conference East Quad meet. In a 57-24 win over Ridgeview, Hayden Workman pinned his 285-pound opponent in a time of 45 seconds.

TOLONO -- The Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda wrestling team lost 60-18 to Prairie Central on Monday in the Illini Prairie Conference Meet. Nolan Roseman pinned Connor Casner in a time of 30 seconds in the 152-pound match for the Eagles. Teammates Rashon Allen (132), Keddrick Terhune (138) and P…

Aidan Laughery -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School freshman finished first in the boys' age 15-16 60-meter dash with a time of 7.16 seconds for Vipers Track Club -- based in Champaign -- in the Dorothy Dawson Invitational in Champaign held Saturday, Jan. 5.

TOLONO -- Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda went down 42-27 against Olympia in the first day of the Illini Prairie Conference meet on Friday, despite Rashon Allen (132) and Nolan Roseman (152) each pinning their opponents. Allen pinned Matthew Bagby in a time of 2:40 while Roseman won via 1:35 pin…

CLINTON -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher wrestling team won 41-35 Friday over Clinton. Garrett Wright won via 54-second pinfall in the 220-pound match while Braylen Kean won via 1:22 pinfall in the 160-pound match.  Dakota Matthews won his 132-pound match via 18-2 technical fall while…

GIBSON CITY -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Middle School wrestling team defeated Bloomington Evans 59-42 and Ridgeview 40-38 at a home meet on Tuesday, Jan. 8. The Falcons will wrestle Ridgeview against on Thursday, Jan. 17, in a triangular meet at Ridgeview with Eureka.

Nick Schultz -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley track and field standout finished first in the high jump with a leap of 1.98 meters for Indiana State in the Indiana State Early Bird meet on Dec.

PRINCETON -- Payton Kean placed third at 182 pounds and Hayden Workman placed fifth at 285 pounds for Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher High School's wrestling team at the Princeton Invitational held last Friday and Saturday. Kean won via 7-4 decision in the 182-pound third-place match over A…

MORTON -- Peter McCusker of the Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda wrestling team pinned all three of his opponents en route to a first-place finish in the 145-pound bracket of Saturday's Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational. McCusker pinned Peoria's Aquantis Ward in 33 seconds in the quarterfinals, De…

ARGENTA -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher High School wrestling team placed third at the Bomber Classic held Saturday at Argenta-Oreana High School. Benton and Rochester took first and second place, respectively, in the 13-team invitational. Hayden Workman (285 pounds), Payton Kean (18…

Lane Timmons -- The former Gibson City resident has a .933 save percentage, with 14 saves, through six games played for the  Western States Hockey League's El Paso Rhinos, which has the lead in the Junior A Mid-Western Division with a record of 20-6-2 through 30 games played. Liberty Jamison…

DWIGHT -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher wrestling team won 40-24 over Ottawa Marquette in a triangular meet held Tuesday, Dec.

Lane Timmons -- The former Gibson City resident has a .933 save percentage, with one goal allowed on 15 shots on goal, through four games played for the Western States Hockey League's El Paso Rhinos. Liberty Jamison -- Through 11 games played for Lake Land, the former Paxton-Buckley-Loda gir…

GIBSON CITY -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher wrestling team gained two dual victories in a triangular meet on Tuesday, defeating Oakwood/Salt Fork 51-21 and St.

PONTIAC -- Peter McCusker and Nolan Roseman of the Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda wrestling team won the championship of the 145-pound and 152-pound brackets, respectively, of Saturday's Pontiac "The Munch" Invitational. McCusker won via 13-1 technical fall in a time of 3:41 over Normal Communi…

PLANO -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher wrestling team finished third in the Reaper Classic tournament on Saturday. The Falcons scored a 138 while Erie-Prophetstown (205 1/2) and Sandwich (165) placed first and second, respectively. Payton Kean earned a first-place medal in the 195-pou…

FAIRBURY — The Fisher/Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley wrestling team lost 38-35 to Prairie Central in a dual meet held Thursday.Michaela Dykes pinned her 106-pound opponent in a time of 2:58 while Anthony Nash won via 2:44 pinfall in the 113-pound match.Cale Horsch pinned his 120-pound opponent in…

RANTOUL — With a 45-33 win in Thursday’s dual meet over Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, the Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda wrestling team is on a two-meet winning streak.The Eagles are 2-0 in home meets as well, including a victory in a dual held on Tuesday, Nov. 27, against Danville.

FAIRBURY -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher High School wrestling team went 3-1 in Saturday's Prairie Central North/South Multi Duals. In a 46-36 victory over Monticello, GCMS/Fisher's Michaela Dykes pinned Ethan Wallace in a time of 1:23 in the 106-pound match.

GIBSON CITY -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher wrestling team won 46-34 Thursday in a triangular meet over Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin. Cale Horsch pinned his 120-pound opponent in 55 seconds while Dakota Matthews won via 49-second pinfall in the 132-pound match.

GIBSON CITY -- The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher High School wrestling team lost both matches in its season-opening triangular meet on Tuesday, Nov.

GIBSON CITY -- Cale Horsch could not wait for wrestling season to start. The sophomore played for Fisher High School's football team this past fall.

PAXTON -- The resignation of Erik Ronney as high school wrestling coach, as well as driver's education and health teacher, was affirmed by the Paxton-Buckley-Loda's school board at Wednesday's meeting. Last May, the PBL and Rantoul Townshiop High School boards each approved an agreement to f…

RANTOUL —  The Rantoul Township High School board approved an agreement at its meeting on Monday to form a wrestling co-op with Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School. “We have some very talented wrestlers who do well individually, but we lose so many team points because of a lack of numbers.

PAXTON -- The Paxton-Buckley-Loda school board approved a wrestling coop with Rantoul at Wednesday's meet. The coop was approved by the school board by a vote of 6-0. The Rantoul Township High School board meets on this upcoming Monday.

RANTOUL -- At a meeting held Monday, April 9, the Rantoul Township High School board discussed the possibility of a cooperation with Paxton-Buckley-Loda in wrestling. "The numbers in wrestling for both schools have been of concern for a number of years, and we have started some preliminary d…

DeKALB -- Braylen Kean of the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Middle School wrestling team earned a second-place medal in the IESA state meet's 135-pound bracket. Kean pinned Glen Ellyn Hadley's Pat Shadid in a time of 3:15 in the quarterfinals on Saturday before winning via 1:32 pinfall ov…

DeKALB -- Braylen Kean of the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Middle School wrestling team advanced to the championship round of the IESA state meet's 135-pound bracket. Kean pinned Glen Ellyn Hadley's Pat Shadid in a time of 3:15 in the quarterfinals on Saturday before winning via 1:32 pin…

DeKALB -- Braylen Kean of the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Middle School wrestling team advanced to the semifinals of the IESA state meet's 135-pound bracket. Kean pinned Glen Ellyn Hadley's Pat Shadid in a time of 3:15 in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

DeKALB -- Braylen Kean of the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Middle School wrestling team advanced through the first round of the IESA state meet's 135-pound bracket on Friday. Kean won via 11-0 major decision over Prairie Central's Logan Spray.

NORMAL -- Four wrestlers from the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Middle School team qualified for sectionals after placing in the top four at IESA regionals in Normal Parkside on Saturday. Eighth-grade Braylen Kean took first place in the 135-pound bracket, moving up to 32 wins for the sea…

CHAMPAIGN -- In just his freshman year, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher's Cale Horsch is already making a name for himself in IHSA wrestling. With his second-place finish in the 106-pound bracket of the IHSA Class 1A state meet, Horsch became just the ninth wrestler in Gibson City, Gibson C…