Montini gears up for road trip
After the Montini wrestling team downed visiting T.F. South 75-3 and Loyola Academy 73-6 on Thursday night in the Broncos' home finale, coaches and wrestlers worked quickly to put away the mats and chairs used in the competition and get home.
And who can blame them? Montini has a big trip Friday for a big meet.
The Broncos, the top-ranked team in Class 3A, according to illinoismatmen.com travel to northeastern Pennsylvania and the town of Kingston to take part Saturday in a triangular meet at Wyoming Seminary. It's no ordinary meet.
Montini coach Israel Martinez said that Wyoming Seminary is ranked No. 1 in the nation and Burgen Catholic, which is also competing, is ranked third in the nation. Montini is fourth or vice versa, depending on what poll you look at it.
Martinez said that media outlets and websites that cover high school wrestling on a national level consider this meet the deciding one for a national championship.
It's the first time Montini is competing at Wyoming Seminary.
"This is for our program. We want to bring a national title back to Illinois," Martinez said.
The Montini coach, though, also wants his team to keep its focus on what awaits it when it returns home, the Feb. 3 Class 3A individual regional at Lyons Township.
"We'll get some quality matches there (in Pennsylvania) and there are some things we need to work on," Martinez said.
As soon as Thursday's meet finished, thoughts turned to Saturday's competition.
"I'm definitely very excited and very nervous. You just have to treat is as another meet and go at it," said Mike McNicholas, Montini's entry at 285 pounds.
The Broncos faced the Rebels of T.F. South first and won seven of the eight matches that took place.
Those seven victors were Nicholas Gonzalez at 106 pounds (technical fall), Kade Fortuna at 145 (major decision), Jake Stiles at 152 (fall), Nicholas Lopez at 160 (fall), Anthony Geraci at 170 (fall), Peter Christensen at 195 (fall) and Colin Baker at 220 (fall).
Montini won six of the seven matches against the Ramblers.
Dylan Burnoski won by major decision at 132 and Stiles (fall), Lopez (fall), Geraci (fall), Christensen (fall) and Baker (decision) followed him.
"I'm proud of the guys. There's a lot of pressure and the standard is very high," Martinez said.