The Waterloo High School wrestling team is experiencing a youth movement of sorts this winter, with multiple underclassmen leading the way.

The Bulldogs are currently 11-5 in dual competitions. 

The top wrestler in terms of wins for Waterloo is sophomore Ty Kinzinger at 20-8. He placed eighth at the Mascoutah Invitational Tournament on Dec. 17, and head coach Chase Guercio said Kinzinger has “improved a ton” since last season when he was a sectional qualifier. 

Guercio added that freshman Konnor Stephens “has been tremendous” this season. He is 17-8 at the 106-pound weight class and recently placed eighth at the Red Schmitt Holiday Tournament in Granite City. 

“Anyone who knows wrestling can watch Konnor and see that he is destined for great things in the future,” Guercio said. “I think he has a great opportunity in front of him to make a run at state.”

Another sophomore,  Bladen Sease, is 17-5 in what Guercio labeled as a breakout season at the 138-pound weight class. 

“He shows flashes of incredible potential and he is looking to build off last year when he qualified for sectionals,” Guercio said. “He has the potential to be a state qualifier if he continues to improve at this rate.” 

Yet another sophomore, Jackson Deutch is 18-11 on the season. 

“He is doing a great job stepping up in a leadership role after we graduated so many seniors last year,” Guercio said. “He is like an extra coach of sorts at practices and matches.”

Waterloo hosted its second annual Girls Wrestling Night on Monday,  featuring female wrestling from Alton, Edwardsville, Jerseyville, Highland, Mt. Vernon, Goreville, Marion and Red Bud. 

“There were over 50 girls present, and it is the biggest girls event on the Illinois side of the river in our area that I know of,” Guercio said. “We hope to keep building it up in the future, adding more teams and making it a competitive tournament that other schools want to be a part of.”

This year’s event included four state placers and one state champion. 

Waterloo has three female wrestlers on its team this season: senior McKenzie Youngman, sophomore  Samantha Eaton and freshman Ashtyn Seifert.

“We hope that as wrestling continues to grow in the state, we will have more girls come out for the team in the future,” Guercio said.