Martin clinches Glenbard East win at Downers Grove North
Cole Martin knew the situation, and there was only one option: Victory.
Martin, a senior 160-pound Glenbard East wrestler, entered his match against Downers Grove North senior Alex Whiteman on Thursday with the teams tied 24-24.
The Rams had 6 points coming to them thanks to an upcoming Trojans' forfeit in the last match of the night, at 182. But Martin wasn't taking any chances.
He pinned Whiteman in 2:49, which propelled the Rams to a 39-24 victory and improved their season record to 20-6. All this, on a night when coach Kevin Carlson was pinned by illness and couldn't make the trip.
"I knew I had to get the team points to get the win," Martin said. "All my coaches were hyping me up, do my stuff, just wrestle smart and wrestle out your position like you know how, and I knew I could get the fall."
Did the guaranteed 6 forfeit points play into his team's mindset late in the match?
"We were taking it into consideration, but we knew anything could happen in that last match, so I needed to get the fall to secure it, for sure," he said.
Martin's win gave the Rams a 30-24 lead and made junior Jake Netchin's 7-5 win at 170 over Downers North junior Teo Pelbliuskes academic. Senior Alex Wolff earned the forfeit victory at 182 to set the final score.
"We knew if Cole won that we'd win the meet," said Glenbard East assistant coach Don Pool, who took over for Carlson. "He just does what he always does. He goes after the guy and finds the fall."
The Trojans, who fell to 9-11 on a night when it hosted its annual Beat the Streets Chicago wrestling program fundraiser, proved they were no pushover coming out the gate. They seized an 18-9 lead by winning four of the first six matches.
That included a 47-second pin by senior Nate Cummings at 113 over Glenbard East sophomore Miguel Garcia. Cummings is ranked third in state at that weight class, according to Illinois Matmen.
But the tide began to turn at 126, when Glenbard East junior Tyler Salvino beat senior Will Economo 5-3, which was followed by victories by senior Nick Guthrie at 132 (10-0 over sophomore Parker Matthew) and sophomore Emiliano Garcia at 138 (8-1 over junior Nikita Lukhanin).
That gave the Rams a slim 19-18 lead, which set the table for junior Alex Posada, against Trojans senior Gonzalo Alvarado at 145. Posada jumped out to a 9-1 lead after one period en route to a 19-4 technical fall victory in 4:23.
Downers North wasn't done, as senior Evan Japlan pinned Rams sophomore Doug Pham in 3:12 at 152. But Martin canceled any chances for a Trojans' upset.
"They're a good team," said Downers North coach Chris McGrath of the Rams. "Props to Kevin Carlson and his team, their staff does a great job. Our kids wrestled really hard today, and truthfully, we're getting better."