The Fort Zumwalt North (FZN) boys wrestling team captured the Gateway Athletic Conference (GAC) Tournament championship on Saturday, January 10th. The Panther grapplers dominated the mats, scoring 200 points to outpace runner-up Fort Zumwalt South by 49.5 points. Defending champion Francis Howell Central finished third.
Individual Standouts
The Panthers advanced six individuals to the finals, securing three individual titles:
Patrick Provost (144 lbs) – 1st Place
Cole Aguirre (165 lbs) – 1st Place
Deacon Moran (190 lbs) – 1st Place
Taking home second-place silver medals were Jack Bals (113), Mason Maier (138), and Drake Weston (150). Other Panthers reaching the podium included Carsten Burkemper (3rd, 132), Dominick Ferranto (5th, 106), and Jude Miller (6th, 215).
A Milestone Victory
This victory marks the Panthers' first GAC tournament title since 2010 (when they won the GAC North). Even more impressively, it is the program's first combined GAC title since 1985.
Adding to the historic weekend, highly regarded seniors Cole Aguirre and Deacon Moran both notched their 150th career wins last week. The pair is now on pace to challenge the school record of 168 wins, currently held by 2012 graduate Zach Nelson, before the season concludes.
Girls Wrestling and Upcoming Action
The Panther girls wrestling team also found success at the GAC Tournament, with three individuals placing:
Reaghan Jones (2nd, 105)
Blanca Partida (3rd, 110)
Allyah Lorenson (5th, 145)
Next Up: The boys team returns to the mat on Tuesday, January 13th, as they host SLUH and DeSmet in a home tri-meet. On Saturday, both the boys and girls squads will travel to Mahomet, Illinois, to compete in the “Marty Williams” Invitational.