Stevenson’s Sabatello chases perfection
When your typical wrestler wins a match, he usually catches his breath off the mat for a few minutes, has a drink of Gatorade, puts on his warmup suit, and goes and sits down next to his teammates.
This is not the story of your typical wrestler.
Stevenson 125-pound senior Danny Sabatello is a different breed, as witnessed by his running of wind sprints after winning a match very early this season at Barrington’s Thanksgiving tournament.
After winning the third of three matches in a triple-dual meet at Grant the following weekend, Sabatello chose to start jumping rope rather than call it a day like many of his competitors would probably do.
This is the type of dedication and drive that has led the Purdue-bound Sabatello to where he is today: undefeated with a 33-0 record, coming off a state championship with a 40-4 record as a 119-pound junior.
He’s zeroing in on state title No. 2 Feb. 19 at the Assembly Hall in Champaign.
Sabatello’s wrestling road to 2011 started with his humble beginnings as a 6-year-old learning the basics at the Arlington Cardinals Wrestling Club, to eventually attending St. Viator High School, where he played football and wrestled as a freshman.
After wrestling on varsity at 112 pounds as a freshman and winning the fresh-soph state title at 108 pounds, Sabatello dropped football to focus exclusively on his “true love” of wrestling and to begin his quest to become a state champion.
“I went to Izzy Style Wrestling Club in the summer and all off-season with Israel Martinez and that really got me to the next level and helped me place at state,” said Sabatello, who took fourth in the state as a 112-pound sophomore. “I was happy that I placed because it was my first time there (at state), but by no means was I happy with not taking first.”
Sabatello was happy with his coach Jeff Kramarczyk and his first two seasons at St. Viator, but when enrollment dropped the Lions’ program into Class 2A, Long Grove-resident Sabatello transferred to Stevenson his junior year.
“He (Kramarczyk) was a really good coach for me and I was really happy with him, but I really wanted to be at a 3A school and compete with the best,” said Sabatello, who will wear the black and gold of the Boilermakers after signing his letter of intent just before the 2010-11 season started.
Earning a scholarship to a Big 10 school alone is a longtime goal realized for Sabatello, who was also recruited by Maryland and Old Dominion, to mention a few.
“I always knew I wanted to wrestle at any school in the Big 10, and Purdue seemed to be the perfect fit for me,” Sabatello said. “The competition is great, and their schedule is really brutal to get you ready for the NCAAs.”
Sabatello’s young career took off his junior year at Stevenson as he met his new coach Shane Cook, who wrestled at perennial power Waukegan (Class of 1996) before being a letterman wrestler at the University of Illinois.
Counting his nearly unblemished junior season, Sabatello has a sparkling 73-4 record with the Patriots. He is the only state wrestling champion in Stevenson history and one of five overall state medalists.
“Right away, we clicked and we basically had the same philosophy of beating kids down, staying mentally and physically tough, and always believing I can win,” Sabatello said of relationship with Cook.
Sabatello exudes confidence from the moment you meet him.
“Everything is going good,” he said. “I feel good in all three positions — top, bottom and neutral — and I have 260 takedowns right now.”
Sabatello’s senior season has been nothing short of spectacular as he has a total of 30 pins or technical falls, two major decisions, and one minor decision to account for his 33-0 record.
He did have one close call against longtime rival, 130-pound junior Matt Ornoff of Mundelein, as Ornoff jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in a dual meet only to see Sabatello rally for a 6-5 decision.
“I did not wrestle my style at all, but other than that match I have either majored, teched, or pinned all of my other opponents,” said Sabatello, who is ranked second in the state behind Providence junior Eddie Klimara. “I know these last three weeks will be a grind because I know I will face tough competition and I just have to show how much I want it.”
Sabatello defeated the top-ranked Klimara 3-2 to win the 119-pound Class 3A crown last winter. But Klimara is ranked No. 1 in the IHSA reportedly based on his winning the junior national freestyle tournament last summer in Fargo, ND.
Cook cannot say enough positive things about his elite wrestler, as Sabatello has pumped life into the Patriots’ program during his two-year stay.
“He’s extremely focused, he’s very goal-oriented, and in our very first conversation he told me he wanted to be a two-time state champion,” said Cook. “He puts in the time, he has fully committed himself to the sport, he’s driven, he’s intense, and he really wants it.”
But there is obviously so much more to Sabatello than just “Danny the wrestler. ” There is also “Danny the person.”
“He is an outstanding individual outside of wrestling,” Cook said. “He is truly a good person, and all of the kids not only respect him as a wrestler, but as a person. He is very well-liked by the team. ... His parents (Nancy and Greg) are great. They are truly amazing people, and it is an honor to know the Sabatello family and get close to them.”
Besides noting the huge influence the legendary three-time champion Martinez (118-1 at West Aurora) has had in his athletic development and life, Sabatello has always looked to his family for strength and moral support to get him through the tough times.
Both of his older brothers, Vince and Joe, were wrestlers at St. Viator. Vince was a senior with the Lions during Danny’s freshman year. Danny will also be following in his brothers’ footsteps when he gets to the West Lafayette campus. Joe is a Purdue graduate and Vince is a junior there.
Wrestling runs in the Sabatello family, as cousin Mike Sabatello placed fifth in the state during his days at Hersey.
“My parents have been a great deal of help in supporting me and both of my brother,” said Sabatello, who’s preparing for Saturday’s Deerfield regional. “They’ve always supported me. They’re always in my corner, and if I need support I always know I can go to them.”
Senior teammates Max Nolan (130), Mark Futterman (152) and Brandon Weber (215) have the best shot of joining Sabatello downstate.
They’re part of his new “Stevenson family,” and Sabatello is appreciative of how all of his teammates have welcomed him with open arms.
“I’m very thankful for all the Stevenson wrestlers and coaches taking me in like this and helping me in the room,” Sabatello said.
Now the final road to the state tournament begins and, while nothing short of a state title will satisfy Sabatello, he has already put together a career that 99 percent of the other wrestlers would love to have.
“With Danny’s character and his personality, he came in and he made a couple thousand friends at the school and he had no problem adjusting and making the transition to the new environment,” said Cook. “He’s a pretty special kid, and we definitely feel fortunate to have him a part of the program.”