Six MSL wrestlers make state semifinals
CHAMPAIGN - Area wrestlers walked the perilous tightrope between success and failure during Friday's first day of competition in Champaign at the 3A state tournament.
And when the long day came to an end - many outwrestled their opponents to advance into today's semifinals and a victory away from the state championship match.
Barrington and Wheeling each sent two wrestlers to the 9:30 a.m. semifinals. Hersey senior Demetrios Mitchell and Schaumburg sophomore Josh Marchok advanced through to set up their most important matches of the season.
The Wheeling duo of Luke Smith (41-1) and Chris Johnson (41-3) dazzled during both bouts on the day, with the junior Smith earning a fall and major decision to book a meeting with Mike Avelar (Brother Rice, 40-1) on the bottom side of the 135-pound bracket.
"All week long I worked on situational (wrestling) which included training for matches in which I am down (2 points) or (ahead) by two .. or working from the bottom (late) in a match," began Smith, "so I really feel prepared for what Avelar will throw at me tomorrow morning."
Avelar would stun No. 2 Chris Dardanes (Oak Park, 43-2).
Smith's teammate Johnson, perhaps considered an underdog in a star-filled 189-pound field, advanced after defeating sectional champion Jon White (West Chicago) with a fall (5:05) in his tourney opener. He followed with another pin over Taylor McGiffen (Alton, 43-2).
"I was a little nervous during the first period of my first match, but after (that) first take-down, I began to settle in and then went to work on my opponent," said Johnson, who now gets No. 1 Lee Munster (33-1) of Grant, who was near-flawless in his two bouts as the senior goes after his second consecutive championship and third in his career.
In one of the more attractive first-round matches, No. 3 Mitchell (50-0) would dismiss No. 7 Kalvin Hill (Minooka, 32-9) 3-2 at 145 before unloading on a helpless Jack Sears (Brother Rice) 13-2 to guarantee his spot in the semifinals against No. 2 Donny Simpson (30-1) of Bolingbrook.
"It was good for me to have such a tough first-round opponent, because I think it really prepared me for that second-round match today," offered Mitchell, who watched teammate Jeff Koepke (48-6) get knocked into wrestlebacks after dropping a thrilling 6-4 overtime quarterfinal match to Eric Moreno, Bartlett's terrific senior.
The dynamic duo of Luke Miller and Dan Santoro brought plenty of pride and joy to the Barrington faithful as they methodically went through their opponents and pulled within one match of the Grand March tonight.
Miller, whose time on the injured reserve from the summer and at times through this regular season is as long as a grocery list for a family of seven, remains in the championship bracket at 152 after recording a fall over Mid-Suburban League rival Joey Caprio of Rolling Meadows and then coming from behind to defeat Mike Glenn (Marian Catholic) 8-7 in his quarterfinal.
"I might have been a little (too) amped up at the beginning against Glenn, but when he took that injury (timeout) in the third period, I knew he was gassed, and I also knew that I was more fit than him, and that's when I took over the match," said Miller, who faces No. 2 Malik Taylor (Brother Rice, 35-1) this morning.
Santoro (40-5) was superb at 171 against Khari Washington (Proviso West) and No. 6 Marty Ercoline (O'Fallon, 44-7) and will now look to prove that the third time is the charm when he meets No. 3 Andy Spangler (46-2) of Neuqua Valley in the semifinals.
"When you're one victory away from top-six status at the state tournament, it's all about wrestling and competing for your team, the program, family and yourself, and all of that made me work that much harder to get (my) win over Ercoline," said Santoro.
Marchok (39-2) took a late lead in his 215 quarterfinal with a 5-point move, and finally got past Collinsville big man Daniel Mueller (42-3) 12-10, after opening the tourney with a 4-0 shutout over junior Luke Miller of Libertyville.
"That guy (Mueller) was so big, in fact I think he dropped down from heavyweight at the start of the postseason, so his size and strength presented some problems (for) me, but that 5-point swing seemed to take a lot out of him," said Marchok, here for the second-straight season.
Leyden senior Dan Kiebler (35-1) had little trouble with his side of the bracket at 215 as he used a relentless pace and impressive takedown strength to mash both Mitch Cochran (Alton) and No. 9 Parker Settecase (39-5) of Glenbard East.
The No. 1 Kiebler takes on No. 5 Steve Miller (Stagg, 35-4) this morning.
St. Viator senior Eric Abrahamian (33-14), here for the first time in Class 2A at 152, lost to No. 7 Darnell Thomas (Cahokia, 23-4) 15-8 and awaits the Thomas-AJ Messenger (Yorkville, 36-7) match tonight. With the hope of a Thomas victory to help keep him alive in the consolation bracket.
The 3A third- and fifth-place matches start at 4:30 p.m. with title bouts following the traditional Grand March at 6:30.