Grant's Munster breezes through monster performance
Tilt. Tilt. Arm bar. Pin.
If you've been an opponent of Lee Munster, that's probably what you have experienced while competing against the top-rated wrestler not only in the state, but the nation.
With one of his many trademark moves, Munster almost effortlessly put down a pair of opponents on Friday to advance into today's Class 3A semifinals, moving one match closer to the 189-pound championship match
Just one week after the Grant senior was stunned just 70 seconds into his sectional quarterfinal by Sterling Hecox (Machesney Park) the defending state champ looked none the worse for wear after a technical fall victory over Joe LaManna of Schaumburg and a major decision over Ben Brooks (Oak Park, 35-4) in the quarterfinals.
Munster will be in today's semifinals with teammates Jason Montemayor (130) and freshman Cameron Kennedy (103), as well as Libertyville senior Matt Bystol (125) and Danny Sabatello (119) of Stevenson, giving North Suburban Conference fans plenty to cheer about beginning with Saturday's action at 9:30 a.m.
"I guess I could have gone for more points, and maybe a tech-fall in my second match of the day, but it was more important to be smart and to get a quality six-minute match (in) advance of my semifinal," said Munster, who side-stepped questions from others with class when asked about a potential rematch with Hecox, which would come in the finals if both stars continue to shine brightly.
"Would I like to wrestle (Hecox) again? Of course," began Munster, "but right now I am going to wrestle intelligently and not look ahead to anything."
Munster meets upstart Wheeling junior Chris Johnson (41-3), who gave Hecox a ride for his money last weekend in the finals of the Barrington sectional.
Montemayor (41-1) and Kennedy (30-8) confirmed their reservations in the semifinals after impressive victories at both 130 and 103- Montemayor, especially, as the senior recorded back-to-back falls to set-up his match with defending state champ Edwin Cooper (28-3) of Providence.
"I came here with the goal of winning a state title, and I am not going to let (Cooper) stand in the way of that," said Montemayor, who is here for the second time in his career.
Kennedy celebrated his first trip downstate with a pair of hard-earned decisions on the day, his second coming against Tyler Price (28-9, Lincoln-Way Central) after building an 8-3 second period lead and holding on for a 9-8 triumph.
"Things began to come together for me halfway through the season, and I've been improving with each week since then," said Kennedy, younger brother of former Bulldogs standout Jimmy Kennedy.
Neither Nick Dinardo (Plainfield North) or Kyle Langenderfer (Lincoln-Way East) could contain 2009 third-place medalist Bystol (41-3), who enjoyed an early lead on both victims before grinding out 6-2 and 8-5 victories to advance into the semifinals against Joey Gosinski of Glenbard North (46-0).
"Just another slick effort from Matt today," said Libertyville coach Dale Eggert.
Wildcats senior Josh Ronne (42-9) is still alive in the consolation bracket after pushing No. 1 Nick Proctor (39-2) to the max in a 3-1 loss in his quarterfinal bout with the Neuqua Valley senior.
Sabatello (37-4), fourth here last year behind Bystol, gave Stevenson fans some nervous moments during his quarterfinal bout with Emmanuel Macedo (32-5) before a third-period explosion ended the hopes of an upset by the Morton senior.
The Patriots junior appeared to have too much for Macedo in the early stages. But his lead disappeared in the blink of an eye and it suddenly became a 8-6 match in favor of Macedo heading into the third period.
"I probably started (too) quickly and got a little careless, but halfway through that third period, I could sense that he was getting tired, and that's when my conditioning came into play," said Sabatello after his 12-8 victory sent him into today's semifinals against Colin Dodd (Hononegah, 42-5).
Robby Schultheis (Warren, 112, 40-6), Anthony Pace (Lake Zurich, 152, 37-4) and Shane Siefert (Carmel, 33-5) shook off early losses and are still alive in the medal hunt, a-poundeit, in the consolation bracket, while 2A star, Kevin Hein (Grayslake Central, 34-5) is the only area competitor still standing in the championship bracket after recording a fall over No. 3 Connor Nagel (Lemont) to move into the 189-pound semifinals today against No. 2 Austin Marsden (Crystal Lake Central, 43-2).
Antioch's Zach Epker (37-12) had the unfortunate task of taking on defending state champ Dylan Reel (Washington, 44-1) in the quarterfinals, but the sophomore showed well despite his 17-7 loss.
"I was a little nervous out there, considering it's my first trip downstate, but my confidence was always there, thanks to back-to-back good effforts at the regionals and sectionals," said Epker.