The Waterloo High School wrestling team didn’t know if it would even have a 2021 season until just a couple of months ago due to state COVID restrictions. 

Now, it is taking the region by storm.

The Bulldogs, featuring three wrestlers who qualified for state last season, are off to a 5-0 start.

Waterloo won its opening match over Red Bud, then topped Belleville East, East St. Louis, Cahokia and Sparta. 

“We had not yet defeated Cahokia or Belleville East since I have been head coach, so it was a pretty fun weekend,” WHS wrestling coach Chase Guercio said.

Six of Waterloo’s 14 starters returned last week from the football team’s COVID quarantine, and it was just in time for some tough matches, Guercio said. 

“The team we have right now is special and has been working incredibly hard,” he said.

The Bulldogs return three state qualifiers from last year’s team: Brett Howard  (senior, 285-pound weight class), Brandon Lloyd (junior, 170-pound weight class) and Jordan Sommers (junior, 195-pound weight class).

Sommers, who went 32-6 last year and placed fifth at the IHSA Class 2A meet after winning regional and sectional titles, is ranked first in the state this year for his weight class. Howard and Lloyd are each ranked fifth in the state for their weight classes.

Two sectional qualifiers from last year also return for the ‘Dogs: Gavin Hearren (junior, 120 pounds) and Adron Winget (junior, 138 pounds). 

In addition to Howard, Waterloo is led by fellow seniors Damian Becker and Jacob Newbury. 

“This season, there will be no IHSA state series for wrestling, but there will still be a conference championship as usual,” Guercio said. “The conference tournament will take place May 24. The MVC always boasts tough competition, and we are looking forward to competing and seeing where we stack up.”

The Bulldogs wrestle Belleville West on Wednesday, and compete in a triangular match with Granite City and Mascoutah on Friday