BYRON — The Rochelle Middle School wrestling team finished eighth out of 11 schools with 92.5 points at the Byron Middle School Invitational on Saturday. Eleven RMS student-athletes recorded at least a top-6 placement in their respective weight classes at the tournament.

Angel Argueta won the 126-pound B division with a 3-0 record, notching consecutive falls over Harlem’s Matthew Fletcher and Oregon’s Hunter Skoli before defeating Freeport’s Mathias Rada with a 6-5 decision for the title. Angel Hernandez finished second in the 135-pound division with a 3-1 record, scoring a 10-2 major decision over Byron’s Case Behn, a 6-3 decision over Le-Win’s Morgan Haas and a fall over Oregon’s Landon Batten-Harrier in the semifinals.

Benjamin Morris placed third in the 135-pound B division, finishing 2-1 with falls over Le-Win’s Braxton Reed and Byron’s Jaxson Mayborne. Bentley Svela took fourth in the 80-pound division going 1-2 with a 10-5 decision over West Carroll’s Nathan Moore. Wilson Nay took fourth in the 119-pound B division, finishing 1-3 with an 11-10 decision over Morrison’s Ethan Farrand.

Brandin Kirk took fourth in the 145-pound division with a 2-2 record, notching falls over Byron’s Cooper Gerdes and Winnebago’s Aiden McGlinn. Rafael Herrera finished fourth in the 185-pound division, going 1-2 with a first-round bye and a fall over Le-Win’s Jonafen Schoger. 

Joshua Lassiter placed fifth in the 126-pound division with a 4-1 record, opening with a 10-2 major decision over Freeport’s Blake Slusser and closing with consecutive wins over Belvidere Central’s Finegan Waite (fall), Le-Win’s Carter Blair (16-1 technical fall) and Slusser (fall).

Tyson Pavlak took sixth in the 105-pound division, finishing 3-2 with a fall over Freeport’s Evan McKillip as well as an 8-6 decision over Harlem’s Collin Rux and a fall over Le-Win’s Eli Henderson. Eliud Lombardia took sixth in the 119-pound division with a 3-2 record, earning falls over Oregon’s Jasper Messenger, Morrison’s Jace Eads and Winnebago’s Noah Pearcy.

Aaron Hernandez placed sixth in the 185-pound division with a 2-2 record, defeating Harlem’s Andre Jones by 3-2 decision and Le-Win’s Jonafen Schroger by fall. Rochelle student-athletes who participated but did not place include Joshua Hernandez, Blake Shelby, Sebastian Alvarado-Juarez, Tyler Gensler, Zander Griner, Tyler Etes, Dylan Melvin and Christopher O’Neil.