Badger, Ranieri pull upsets on first day at state
CHAMPAIGN - Of course there was an upset on Day 1 of the state tournament.
Just six minutes into the opening round of the Class 3A schedule inside State Farm Center in Champaign, Lake Park's Luke Badger bumped No. 5 seed Alex Mitchell out of the race for a state title with his sensational 14-8 victory over the Libertyville senior.
"I had to just put my performance at sectionals last weekend behind me for the start of the state tournament, and after a really good start, I knew I could get the surprise upset," said Badger, who was first at the DuPage Valley Conference and regional tournaments.
If the Badger stunner wasn't enough, there was a second later on.
In the shadows of plenty of the big stars at 132 pounds, Dominic Ranieri pulled one of them out of the sky to record a stunning win to keep his hopes alive for a state medal.
The Willowbrook senior upended 10th-seeded Frankie Indelli of Wheaton North in overtime 10-8 to send him into Friday's quarterfinals against No. 2 Abdullah Assaf from Lockport.
"I'm not anywhere near anyone in the rankings - not even an honorable-mention guy, but my coaches have been telling me I've been capable of beating anyone, and after that first takedown, I felt like I could right then," said Ranieri, after pushing his record to a dazzling 42-11 following his 10-8 thriller.
Another DuPage County wrestler who, like Ranieri, has been in the shadows yet could care less is Naperville Central senior Jake Keating, who took a giant step forward after a quality six-minute performance over Rafael Roman of Edwardsville. That set up his quarterfinal with Abe Assad of Glenbard North, whom he defeated earlier in the year.
"I'd rather all the attention be put on the top-rated guys in my weight class - I don't really even look at the rankings to be honest," said Keating, the No. 5-rated 145-pounder.
The three-time state qualifier arrived here with little fanfare compared to the top two, Montini's Will Lewan and Barrington's Markus Hartman as well as No. 3, Yas well as No. 3 Yahya Thomas of Mt. Carmel, who is also in the conversation.
That's OK with Keating (37-2), who has won 112 matches the last three seasons.
"Nick dedicated a lot of his life to get to the position he is right now. His goal since he was a freshmen was to win a state title, and he works incredibly hard each day to reach that goal," said Redhawks coach Noah Fitzenreider.
"He works out 2-3 times per day and has put a lot of time into taking care of his body and has become a great role model for the underclassmen on our team."
Waubonsie Valley coach Brad Caldwell can't say enough about his two big men, 195-pounder Mason Kroening and 220-pounder Nick Sondag.
Kroening advanced after a pin at 1:15, to give the four-year veteran victory No. 109, which includes 23 pins, second in program history - while Sontag moved on after a hard-fought 8-6 decision, his 96th win.
"Mason is a four-year guy who has been at a high level at the upper weights ever since coming aboard, and that's no small task to do," Caldwell said.
"He's a great leader and has truly dedicated himself to the sport."
"Nick really got after it in the weight room during the offseason and has really shined this year because he's wrestled at weight while keeping his strength. He is someone that cannot be counted out."
Other highlights from around the area included first round victories from: Dylan Butts (Fenton) at Class 2A, impressive work from No. 7 Charles Faber of Glenbard West, in addition to Wheaton North's Duncan Nelson at 145.
Montini was near perfect after going six for seven in the opening round, while top-ranked Austin Gomez's domination of his first-round opponent sets up a highly anticipated quarterfinal with No. 3, Anthony Cheloni from Marmion.
Undefeated Willowbrook junior Jack Jessen is on a collision course with No. 1 seed Kordell Norfleet in the state final after each battered their helpless opponents on yesterday evening.
Wrestleback quarterfinals will begin immediately following the championship quarterfinal rounds at all three classes, with semifinals set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday.