Czarnecki beats the odds

Just before the state tournament began, many thought the 160-pound champion would come from a short list, beginning with then top-rated Jahwon Akui of St. Rita and the talented duo of Nick Proctor (Neuqua Valley) and junior Charles Argue (Mount Carmel).

Buffalo Grove senior Kyle Czarnecki always was the fourth or fifth choice to grab the gold.

Fast forward to Saturday night in Champaign, and it was Czarnecki who rose above all others to capture the championship belt after a dominant performance against Proctor in the final.

The victory was met with great pride and admiration at the school, where on the following Monday morning Czarnecki was honored by the staff and students during a 'Breakfast with the Champion' ceremony.

"It was pretty overwhelming," said Czarnecki, who watched the school band perform while shaking hands with many of his friends and peers who wanted to offer their congratulations.

"My family had made up 'Team Czarnecki' t-shirts and all day long I saw kids wearing them around school, and that made me feel real proud to be a student at Buffalo Grove High School," said Czarnecki.

Shortly after accepting his first-place medal and oversized bracket plaque, Czarnecki reflected on his achievement one more time before leaving Assembly Hall: "To think that winning a state title, and knowing that it will be something that I will always have to share with others, my family and one day my children makes all of the hard work that much more special to me."

The future is next year: A quick glance at the 16-man field in which Matt Bystol and Edwin Cooper resided in likely offers little hope for those who look to make a major breakthrough in a class that was filled with young talent.

No doubt a few in the 2009 class could make weight to stay at 112, while those remaining may all move up together to form a spectacular 119-pound class one to watch.

The top six all return, including state champion Cooper of Providence and Batavia runner-up Logan Arlis, as well as Libertyville's Matt Bystol, Danny Sabatello (St. Viator), Sean Raddatz (Marist) and Matt Cavallaris (Neuqua Valley), who helped round out the field from Nos. 3-6.

Sabatello (40-7) was a most pleasant surprise in this group as the sophomore came all the way through the back-draw to win three straight and capture a state medal in his first tournament appearance.

"Danny really began to rise up after defeating (Raddatz) in his ESCC championship match and just got better and better after that," said Lions coach Jeff Kramarczyk.

"To see him rebound after his first round loss to (Cooper) and come back to win his medal really said something about the character that he possesses."

Cooper, Arlis, Bystol and Sabatello went a combined 163-15.

This and that: Kevin Fanta not only heard the cheers of the Lake Zurich faithful and the fans inside Assembly Hall after the senior captured his 135-pound state title, but also an additional cheer or two from his coach Dan Strickler long after the two-year star returned home.

"Kevin didn't want to leave Assembly Hall to begin preparation for his final against (Max Schneider) in favor of staying to watch and support Wade (Self) during his run toward his sixth-place medal," said Strickler.

"There was always a very supportive nature of each other with our team this year, which would help drive each one of them to get better."

Fanta finished 42-2 and fell just 5 short of the school record for takedowns in the season (239) set by John Ugaste in 2001.

• Dave Pena took over the helm at Conant after 13 years as an assistant, and made an immediate impression on both Joe Patricelli and Vince Gottardo, who in turn responded with each advancing to their first state tournament appearance.

Patricelli (30-8) was an exceptional athlete who made himself better through hard work and dedication, which did not go unnoticed by Pena and his staff.

"Joe was a workhorse in and out of the room and it showed in his conditioning and ever improving technique," said Pena. "He put a lot of time in during the off-season (50+ matches) and was the perfect example to other of what determination and hard work could do for an athlete."

Patricelli finished in the top eight, just 1 win shy of a medal at 215 pounds.

Gottardo was another to watch in the 112-pound division. The sophomore was thisclose to upending then-No. 6 Cavallaris in his state opener when the Neuqua Valley junior shot, was stopped but still was able to lift Gottardo to record a late takedown and win 10-8.

"Vince showed he could go with anyone at the end of the year," said Pena.

"He competed at 119 most of the season, and that's where the majority of his losses came, but he wrestled more conistent when the state series began and it would show in his results."

Gottardo defeated Sabatello in the third-place match at the Barrington sectional.

Back to the drawing board: While the new IHSA-invoked three-class system is here to stay, Pena admits he is not a member of any fan club supporting the new look.

No stranger to the pomp and circumstance which surrounds the circus like atmosphere in Champaign, Pena, who was a state medalist for Lockport in 1992, feels much of that much of that was missing this year due.

"Friday nights were always filled with so much anticipation," he said, "with everyone knowing if you win you're still alive heading into Saturday morning and the semifinals.

"This year, because of having to go through three classes, and after sitting through an excruciating long day, some of the (quarters) were so late on Saturday that there wasn't any excitement or fanfare because the stadium was half full."

Pena said the Saturday morning semifinals were poorly attended, which led to a less than enthusiatic crowd.

"The fans want to see wrestling," he said. "Because of (prior) decisions, there were so many walk-overs for third and fifth place, and that's not good.

"If we stay with three classes, let's move to another venue that has enough floor space to hold 8-10 mats and really give the fans something to watch for two days!"

The numbers don't lie: Sometimes in the crazy world of stats and numbers, actual talent, technique and tactical prowess is overlooked in favor of gaudy records for fantasy league participants.

When all else is equal, the difference between climbing one step higher than all others atop the victory stand in Champaign might just be mental fortitude, and nothing else.

With all that said, take a look at the numbers state champions Matt Boggess, Scott Carlson and Kyle Czarnecki put up in four years.

Carlson became the first in Wauconda history to win 30-plus matches in all four seasons, including 42 this season to help him eclipse 1984 state champ Tony Piotrowski's record of 134 career victories.

Carlson finished with a 142-33 record overall and a staggering 455 takedowns to put him in the top 35 in the state.

The Bulldogs captain also set a school record for most takedowns in a single season (188) last year, while adding 116 near-falls and 129 escapes to his four-year resume.

When Boggess grabbed his championship crown at 140 pounds, it was the first-ever in the sport at Prospect and capped a superb four-year run which includeed four MSL and Dick Mudge tournament championships, three regional titles and three trips downstate.

Boggess' 46 victories last season is also a school record, as were his back-to-back 40-plus wins in 2008 and 2009.

When the four-time sectional qualifier won his fourth MSL title in late January, he became only the second in MSL history to do so, along with former Conant star and 1996 state champion Dan Weber.

Czarnecki smashed the career pin record of 52 at BG (set by Nick Blackshaw) with 65 after setting the single season record in when he recorded his 30th of the year in the state quarterfinal round over Alex Ortiz (St. Patrick) at 2:42.

When Czarnecki defeated Charles Argue (Mt. Carmel) 4-2 in the semifinals, he became just the fourth wrestler in school history to win 40 matches in a single season, joining current coach Dave Durlacher (44), Jared Wendel (43) and Lindsay Durlacher (40).

Czarnecki became just the third in school history to win a state wrestling title (Lindsay Durlacher, 1992, and Blackshaw, 2002) following a two-year run which saw him become a two-time MSL, regional and sectional champ while not allowing himself to be taken down, and only 2 sets of back points allowed during that time.

Czarnecki's 2-year record was 80-5.