MAHOMET – Their paths required different courses, but the result was the same for five of the area's top underclassman wrestlers.

Champaign Central's Nate Volk (152 pounds) and Mahomet-Seymour's Austin Armetta (160) advanced to the individual state tournament by capturing three matches at the M-S Class 2A sectional and winning their respective weight classes.

Urbana's Cameron Mammen (160) successfully survived four elimination matches in wrestlebacks to secure his berth. Mahomet-Seymour's Tyler Moxley (103) regrouped after a semifinal loss to join Mammen as a third-place finisher.

Centennial's Archie Williams (189) lost in the finals after giving up four points in his first two sectional bouts.

Regardless of their placings in the two-day tournament, which ended Saturday, the five area standouts will be among the 12 finalists at their weights when the state meet begins Friday at the Assembly Hall.

"Overwhelming," Moxley said. "Exciting," Mammen said.

Those two sophomores, along with Williams, are first-time high school state qualifiers. Armetta, a junior, qualified for the third successive year and Volk, also a junior, for the second time.

Armetta staged one of the day's top comebacks in championship matches. He trailed Chatham Glenwood's Alex Bee 5-1 after two periods and was down 6-3 in the final minute. He parlayed two takedowns – the latter with 12 seconds left – and one escape allowed into a 7-7 tie, carrying the momentum into overtime when he scored the decisive takedown in a 9-7 triumph 15 seconds into the extra session.

"I'm put in that situation a lot," Armetta said. "When you wrestle guys, you adjust to their styles. His gas ran out before mine."

M-S coach Rob Ledin said Armetta showed "great heart" against an opponent he had lost to previously by two points.

Volk's title-match opponent was the same person he lost to one week earlier in the regional finals, Pontiac's Jason Locker. Volk won the rematch, scoring the only points in a 2-0 triumph on a second-period reversal.

Volk thrived in a weight class where the three opponents he wrestled finished second, third and fourth. No other sectional champion faced such a tough path.

Central coach Dan Warner predicts the best is yet to come for Volk.

"He hasn't opened up a third of what he is capable of doing," Warner said. "When he gets to the point he lets it all go, you'll see some spectacular stuff."

Just to reach the third-place match, Mammen had to eliminate a 2010 state placer, Troy's Trevor Buhrman, whom he handled 6-1. He followed up with a pin in the third-place match, the third time at sectional he won by pin or technical fall.

"I went into the matches aggressive and using my moves, not letting them use their moves on me," Mammen said.

After being thrust into the consolation bracket, where any loss would have ended his season, Mammen said the key was "clear your mind, forget about the (previous) loss and give it everything you have."

Moxley had pinned his way to the semifinals, where he dropped a 3-1 decision. He refused to let the one setback turn into a greater disappointment.

"You have to bounce back and have heart," he said. "All the hard work all year is paying off. I've had good partners in the room."

Ledin said Moxley has developed a resolve that enabled him to pull through.

"He has shown a mental toughness," Ledin said, "and has really done an excellent job."

Williams fell short of his state quest a year ago but credits the addition of assistant coach John Wise, an ex-Illini, with his advancement.

"He has helped me pull everything together," Williams said. "I'm not a one-dimensional wrestler."

Wise said he has enjoyed working with Williams.

"He listens well and works hard," Wise said. "I couldn't ask for a better coach-athlete relationship. He has done a great job with the little tweaks and the fundamentals of wrestling that make a state-caliber wrestler."

One area athlete, M-S' Brandon Ireland (112), placed fourth, finishing one win away from advancing to state. Ireland wrestled six times at sectional and posted three pins.