Upset win propels Montini to 2nd at state
BLOOMINGTON - There had been much talk before this week of what kind of state dual team wrestling final it would be between No. 1-ranked Lockport and No. 2 Oak Park and River Forest.
Would Lockport prevent OPRF from winning its fourth consecutive Class 3A title Saturday? Or would the Huskies prevail and keep the big trophy for themselves?
All during these conversations, hardly a few considered where Montini fit into the equation. After all, the Broncos, without a senior in their starting lineup and with OPRF standing in their way in the quarterfinals, likely would mean an early end to the day.
But the Broncos dashed the hopes of No. 2 OPRF with a comprehensive win in the quarterfinals and smashed Deerfield in the semifinals, setting up a final with the top-ranked Porters. Lockport completed its perfect season with a 33-20 victory to win its first state wrestling title.
"Our better guys were better than those from Oak Park in our quarterfinal, but Lockport was a little better than us in the final," said Montini coach Israel Martinez, whose club won its 17th state trophy, all with just three juniors in its lineup.
"Yes, we should be pretty good around here for the next couple of years," said Will Lewan, who last weekend won a state title at 145 pounds, then went out and collected three more victories at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington.
Lewan, a junior who finished his season with a 44-2 record, helped lead the charge in the Broncos' 29-26 victory over OPRF. He bumped up to 152 pounds to record a 14-5 major decision to set the table for a stunning pin from Matt Ortiz (43-7,) who also jumped up a weight to 160.
The two wins, good for 10 points for Montini (22-3) put them ahead 13-9, until the Huskies (22-4) fought back to take a narrow 16-13 lead.
The two sides exchanged leads until the Broncos' lower-weight strength came through: 106-pounder Dylan Ragusin (47-4), Joey Melendez (49-4) at 113 and Real Woods (40-2) at 120.
This trio outlasted their OPRF opponents with hard-fought victories, Melendez in an ultimate tiebreaker to give the Broncos the lead for good at 29-20.
"We bumped up here and there in our first and last matches. It worked really well in our opener, but we just do not have enough depth or experience at the upper weights, and that's were Lockport was able to run away from us," Lewan said.
Starting at 145 pounds in the final, Lewan and sophomore Jacob Stiles (37-10) got the Broncos off to a flying start against Lockport, but state champ Travel Timmons began a slow but effective comeback by the Porters, which turned into a 21-0 run - fueled by consecutive pins from Yousik Salah and Ronald Tucker at 220 pounds and 285 to take the air out of the Montini championship balloon.
Leading 27-10, the Porters withstood whatever Ragusin, Melendez and Woods could manufacture.
"I'm proud of our boys. They competed with a lot of heart, fought hard, all in the name of Montini Catholic wrestling and the high school. You can't ask for much more than that," Martinez said.