Rochelle Lady Hub wrestler Dempsey Atkinson was eager to earn her rematch against Minooka’s Bella Cyrkiel during the IHSA Geneseo Sectional on Saturday afternoon.
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GENESEO — Rochelle Lady Hub wrestler Dempsey Atkinson was eager to earn her rematch against Minooka’s Bella Cyrkiel during the IHSA Geneseo Sectional on Saturday afternoon.
Atkinson and Cyrkiel faced off in the finals of the IHSA Minooka Regional last weekend, with Atkinson taking a 4-0 lead in the first period before Cyrkiel answered with a second-period fall to win the regional crown. The two wrestlers met again on Saturday, with Atkinson needing a win in order to clinch an IHSA State Championship berth for the second consecutive season.
A scoreless first period set the stage for an all-important coin toss, with Cyrkiel (36-6) winning the toss and electing for the down position. Atkinson (17-5) immediately went to work from the top position, overcoming a stalling warning to lock up a second-period fall at the 2:28 mark of the match and punch her ticket to the state tournament. Atkinson ultimately finished fourth in the 145-pound division, earning a fourth-place sectional medal for the second straight postseason.
“It feels really great and I was super excited because I worked really hard during the sectional,” Atkinson said. “I was so relieved after I beat the Minooka girl. I'm so excited to be going back to the state meet. I wanted to wrestle smart and I knew I needed to stay off of the bottom as much as I could. I was able to take the top position and get the pin. I’m really excited to see how much I’ve improved from last year’s state tournament and I’m hoping that I can get on the podium.”
Atkinson won two bouts during the sectional tournament. Atkinson received a first-round bye after finishing second in the regional tournament at Minooka. The junior then moved into the semifinal round after two takedowns led to a first-period fall over Rock Island’s Sanaa Hampton.
A loss against Canton’s Katelyn Marvel, who won the 145-pound weight class, moved Atkinson into the consolation semifinals, where she needed a win over Cyrkiel to be a top-4 sectional finisher and receive a bid to the state tournament. Atkinson successfully exacted her revenge, defeating Cyrkiel before falling in a rematch against Hampton in the third-place bout.
The IHSA State Championships will be held at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington from Feb. 23-24. With her top-4 sectional finish over the weekend, Atkinson made history as the first female wrestler in Rochelle Township High School history to be a two-time state qualifier. Atkinson also became the first female wrestler at RTHS to make state in back-to-back years.
