Three Montini wrestlers win sectional titles

Real Woods' storybook wrestling season continued without a hitch Saturday afternoon in Batavia.

The Montini sophomore entered the Class 3A Batavia individual sectional ranked No. 2 in the nation after memorable triumphs at such prestigious tournaments as Dvorak, Cheesehead and Ironman.

The Broncos' defending Class 2A champion at 106 pounds extended his season-long winning streak to 37 matches by defeating Sandburg senior Louis Hayes for the second time this year.

Woods had the only offensive points in not only garnering a 5-2 victory but also spearheading Montini crowning more champions - three - than any other program in the star-studded field.

"The first takedown is very key," said the Wheaton resident, the only athlete to defeat 40-match winner Hayes this season. "It's what makes the match from then on. Once you get that first takedown, you have your confidence."

Montini will be represented by seven athletes at the three-day state tournament next week at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Joey Melendez and Will Lewan also won titles for the Broncos at 106 and 138 pounds.

Jimmy Pawelski and freshman surprise Matt Ortiz also reached the finals for Montini, only to be vanquished at 126 and 152 pounds.

Illinois recruit and two-time state champion Dylan Duncan lost for only the second time this season in placing third at 132 pounds for Montini.

The Broncos' Caleb Fortuna also captured the major-consolation title at 145 pounds for the Broncos' final state qualifier.

Willowbrook has as formidable a 1-2 punch as any program in recent memory behind Matt Rowland and Jack Jessen.

The Warriors' duo once again performed to expectations.

Rowland had a late-second-period takedown to tie his 170-pound championship match against Sandburg senior Brian Krasowski.

The reigning state runner-up and North Carolina recruit improved to 48-1 on the season with a decisive third-period takedown that resulted in a 7-5 win.

"I had to get that takedown (with eight seconds left in the second)," said Rowland, ranked No. 1 in the state at his class. "My conditioning (in the third period) is the best. I knew it would help me."

"When you get an unanswered takedown, that's critical," Willowbrook coach Brandon Murphy said. "Matt has been in those positions before. He's not the type of kid who is going to get rattled by getting taken down."

Jessen, however, had to settle for runner-up to defending Marmion state champion Nathan Traxler at 182 pounds.

The Warriors' sophomore is 47-2 this year and apparently avoided a possibly serious knee injury late in the match.

"He said he will be fine," Murphy said of Jessen.

For the third time in as many Saturdays, Dylan Ervin and Max Ihry met in the championship match of a major tournament.

Ervin, the Metea Valley senior, and Northern Illinois University-bound Waubonsie Valley 195-pounder Max Ihry needed overtime their last two meetings.

But Ervin scored all his points with a reversal, 2-point near-fall and takedown in the third period to win 6-3.

"I want to say 100 percent," Ervin said of the likelihood of facing Ihry once again. "I came into the weekend thinking, 'Man, I am going to see (Ihry) again, just like last weekend and the weekend before that.' Most likely, I am going to see him again (at state). I had to learn a different style (after the DuPage Valley Conference and Naperville North regional tournaments)."

Top-rated Hinsdale Central heavyweight Matt Allen earned the final local championship with the lone fall of the finals.

Naperville Central advanced Jake Keating and Cam Hayes at 120 and 160 pounds, respectively.

Wheaton Warrenville South junior Andrew Leonard made the state cut at 195.

Marmion was an anomaly to the typical attrition rate of a sectional.

The Cadets had a 75 percent success rate after sending nine of its 12 qualifiers to the championship or third-place matches.

Eight of the nine Marmion state qualifiers came in succession following Jake Polka winning third place at 126 pounds for the Cadets.

Trace Carello and Nathan Traxler put their dazzling talents on display in making statements for potential state championships next weekend.

Carello, bound for the Air Force Academy, and Traxler, the Cadets' defending state champion and Stanford recruit, were the two local competitors to win championships at the brutally deep tournament.

Carello had the last of his four takedowns in the final 15 seconds to put the finishing touches on his 10-4 triumph at 152 pounds.

It was the second straight sectional championship for the returning all-stater.

"I was focusing on what I needed to do to win," Carello said. "We're trying to make those little gains (as individuals)."

Traxler had a pair of takedowns and a reversal in handling returning state runner-up Jack Jessen of Willowbrook at 182 pounds.

"To be honest, reversals aren't as important to me as takedowns," Traxler said. "I am pretty confident wrestling on my feet."

The Traxler victory was the conclusion of Marmion sending a wrestler to state in eight consecutive weight classes.

Marmion junior Anthony Cheloni gave undefeated Sandburg senior Rudy Yates all he could handle in a 5-4 championship loss at 132 pounds.

"I did everything I could," Cheloni said.

Harvard-bound AJ Jaffe suffered the same fate for Marmion at 138 pounds.

Brad Gross was fourth at 145, Nate Jimenez claimed the third-place medal at 160 and Matt Ferraro earned his ticket at 170.

Trevor Chumbley was the final Marmion qualifier at 113 pounds with his third-place result.

"Our guys competed hard in all of our matches, even the matches we lost," Marmion coach Donny Reynolds said. "It's really a family atmosphere with our team, so that's good."

Marmion and Sandburg, ranked behind only two-time defending state champion Oak Park-River Forest, will meet at the Argo team sectional the Tuesday after the individual state finals.

"There are little mind games we are doing with (Sandburg) to see what we have to do for the sectional," Carello said.

West Aurora returning state medal-winner Isaac Jacquez became a three-time state qualifier with his runner-up finish to Sandburg senior Kevin Stearns.

Steans also bested Jacquez for the title at Hinsdale Central over Christmas.

"I had a lot of hard matches," Jacquez said. "I knew it was going to be tough. I was more prepared (for Stearns), but he is still better than me."

Batavia 220-pounder Dylan Uzumecki will conclude his senior year with a second straight state trip next week.

The Bulldogs' lone qualifier had a fall to reach the third-place match and a late near-pin for a come-from-behind win over Simeon senior Brandon Purnell.

"I really didn't even know I was losing at that point of the match," Uzumecki said of his 5-3 third-place victory.