Sabatello-Klimara is a classic
CHAMPAIGN — The most highly anticipated and hype-worthy state final bout Saturday night proved to be more than the big crowd inside Assembly Hall in Champaign could handle.
In a much-awaited rematch from a year ago between Stevenson senior Danny Sabatello and fellow star Eddie Klimara of Providence Catholic, Sabatello won in breathtaking fashion 4-3 to capture his second consecutive title and send a revved-up crowd airborne with delight.
Sabatello’s takedown near the edge of the mat with 26 seconds remaining in regulation put him up on a stubborn and gritty opponent who was looking to become the only undefeated 125-pounder in a superb field, which included a quartet of players who arrived here with spotless records as the top 4 seeds.
“It was an unbelievable battle out there between two gladiators,” said an exhausted Stevenson coach Shane Cook, who looked as if he had just gone a grueling 6 minutes as well.
Klimara, who entered the tournament last season as the favorite to win it all before Sabatello crushed that dream, did well on the defensive side from the onset, stopping a trio of shots from his opponent, while staying composed, despite some fierce hand-fighting between the two rivals.
The Providence junior took a 1-0 lead with a second-period escape, and that held up until Sabatello, starting from the down position at the beginning of the third, easily slipped free from Klimara’s grasp. The escape set in motion a riveting final 90 seconds, which saw the Providence faithful try to out-cheer a big throng of Patriots fans who were easily seen from the highest row of the Hall, as they donned florescent yellow T-shirts.
Klimara went up 3-1, but an ever patient, yet hard-charging Sabatello scored an escape and continued to push the pace so much so that the referee gave a warning for stalling at 38 seconds.
That eventually led to a well-conceived takedown by the Patriots star 12 seconds later, bringing fans on the one side of Assembly Hall out of their seats, as it proved to be the match-winner.
“I never felt any need to panic, or (to) try a desperate move when he went up 3-1,” Sabatello said. “In fact, I really felt like he was beginning to wear down, and that’s when I went to work — keeping the pressure up — especially when I was on top during that second period.
“It was great having so many fans cheering for me during that match. It really meant a lot to me.”
“ ‘Wow’ is about all I can say after that match,” Cook said. “It was everything you would want in a final, and (more) because Danny got his second state title.”
The North Suburban Conference had plenty more to celebrate Saturday night, including a trio of Class 2A second-place medals: two from Vernon Hills, which earned the first two medals in the program’s history.
The Cougars’ duo of 125-pounder Gideon Yim (40-2) and junior heavyweight Jeremy Brazil (40-7) earned runner-up honors, as did Wauconda 215-pound senior Brian Kent.
Kent fell to No. 1 seed Austin Marsden of Crystal Lake Central. Marsden finished 43-0.
Kent gave Wauconda coach Tom Nance his 10th medal and first since Scott Carlson won it all in 2009 at 152 pounds.
“Brian deserves everything he was able to achieve this season,” Nance said.
Wauconda senior Pete Koostra (160, 38-9) came back through the consolation bracket to finish fourth.