Broncos sending 10 to Champaign

Elation and heartbreak lie in wait every year on a sectional's third-place wrestling mat, where the winner goes downstate and the loser goes home.

Glenbard East's Jason Callahan suffered that heartbreak last year, but at Fenton's Class AA individual sectional Saturday, he went out and kicked its backside.

"There was no way I was going to feel like that again," Callahan said, after winning a 10-0 decision at 152 pounds to advance to next week's state finals in Champaign. "This feels awesome."

Montini led the field by advancing 10 wrestlers downstate, including six sectional title-winners and a second-place finisher.

"We're all wrestling tough, and we're coming on at the end of the year," said Montini's Dan Grimes (189 pounds), who won 9-6 over Addison Trail's Arber Bebo to secure his first sectional title. "And going into team state, we'll need every weapon we have."

Montini's other titles came from Jake Gregerson (130), Isaiah Gonzalez (145), Dan Stelter (160), Carl Foreside (171) and heavyweight Garrett Goebel. Frank Baer (135) placed second, while Sam Brody (103), Colton Rasche (112) and Benny Marti (125) placed third.

Foreside registered the only pin posted all night on the title mat and dominated the field at 171 pounds.

"Carl's wrestling really well," said Montini coach Mike Bukovsky. "But it's a team effort, and a lot of our guys wrestled well today."

Fenton's Josh Castellano (135) won his second sectional title, earning a late takedown and back points to win 6-2 over Baer.

"He was a great kid, and it was a good match," Castellano said. "There was 12 seconds left, and I had to go for the win."

Downers Grove South's Trevor Wenmouth (152) won a sectional title in advancing downstate for his first time, and teammate Ben Apland (215) won his second sectional title with a 6-1 decision over Glenbard East's Pat Walker, advanced downstate for his third time.

Earning their first downstate berths and placing second were Bebo, Downers Grove North's Jimmy Nehls (112), Glenbard South's Mark Griffin (140) and Hinsdale South's Ryan Garringer.

"I'm excited," the freshman Nehls said. "I knew this would be a tough sectional, but I thought I could get through it."

Garringer won 6-0 over St. Patrick's Joe Rau before losing a hard-fought 3-1 decision to Stelter, who won his first sectional title.

"I've been working three years for it, and it's a relief to make it downstate," said Garringer, who wrestled for a regional title against Stelter last week.

"It was a real similar match," Stelter said. "I had a gut feeling I'd see (Garringer) again, and I wanted that match."

York's Dustin Bles (215) also placed third, advancing for his first time with a 5-1 decision over Notre Dame's Bo Cisek to the raucous cheers of the Dukes' faithful.

"That really helped," Bles said of his fan support. "It motivates you to really push yourself."

A pair of Leyden wrestlers guaranteed themselves advancement when seniors Bhavik Patel (103) and Matt Soch (152) won their sectional semifinal matches.

Patel used a 5-point move in the third period against Montini's Sam Brody to win a 5-3 decision, before taking second to Proviso East's Terry Murphy. Soch won 4-2 over Callahan to reach the title mat, where he placed second to Wenmouth.

"I was down 3-0 (to Brody), and I couldn't hit any of my shots," Patel said. "I was on bottom, I did a roll to get the reversal, and somehow got him on his back."