The Waterloo High School wrestling team won the Mississippi Valley Conference Meet on Saturday at Triad, capturing the first conference title in program history.

“When Coach (Rodney) Newbury and I first got here, we took the kids into the gym and looked at all of the sports banners hanging up. Wrestling was one of the only banners with no conference champions, and it has been a goal of ours to put a number on that banner since we started coaching,” Waterloo wrestling coach Chase Guercio said.” 

Jackson Deutch was the MVC champion at 175 pounds, and six Bulldogs earned second place showings. 

Also on Saturday, Waterloo set the school record for most dual wins in a season with a record of 20-6.

“We actually entered the conference tournament in the midst of a five-match losing streak,” Guercio explained. “We had been hit pretty hard by injuries and illnesses to some of our most talented kids, but we were still competitive, and the kids never lost sight of their goals.”

Waterloo wrestled all five other MVC squads on Saturday at Triad. 

The Bulldogs opened with a 42-39 win against Civic Memorial. 

“They had some kids dealing with injury as well, but anytime you can beat a program like that, you’ll take it,” Guercio said. 

After that, Waterloo easily toppled Jerseyville, 60-22, and Highland, 53-26.

“Our kids were super aggressive all day and showed a lot of grit,” Guercio said. 

The Bulldogs dropped a close 36-33 match against Triad, but the Knights had lost to Civic Memorial the round prior. 

After Waterloo downed Mascoutah, 59-23, there were three teams tied with a 4-1 record. 

“MVC rules state that if multiple teams have the same record, there are co-champions, but it was nice to know that we would have been true first if dual criteria was used,” Guercio said.

As a team, Waterloo scored the most team points and had the most pins throughout the day at the MVC meet.

Deutch, a junior captain, went 5-0 with  five pins, earning first team All-MVC honors. He’s now closing in on the school record for pins in a season. 

“His record is 36-7, and I can’t say enough about how much he has improved,” Guercio said. 

Ty Kinzinger, also a junior, went 4-0 on the day at 125 pounds.

Brady Rose (165 pounds), Konnor Stephens (120 pounds)  and Bladen Sease (157 pounds) all went 4-1 at the MVC meet.

“The guys we really count on to win tough matches showed out this weekend, and I think we are getting hot at the perfect time with regionals coming up this week in Marion,” Guercio said.

While the focus now turns to regional competition, Guercio reflected briefly on the magnitude of his team’s accomplishments this past weekend. 

“The kids who were a part of this will be remembered for as long as this program is around,” he said. “When the season started, the team set goals of breaking the dual wins record, winning conference, and ultimately winning our regional as a team. There will be tough competition this weekend, but I think these kids can accomplish anything they set their minds to.”