Rolling Meadows' Kohlberg shows mettle in downstate medal pursuit
CHAMPAIGN - With his 4-1 win on day No. 1 of the high school state tournament, Jackson Kohlberg came closer to tying generations of the Kohlberg wrestling family all back together one last time.
Should the Rolling Meadows senior collect a state medal from the 80th individual state tournament this weekend, it would be the fourth medal earned by his family, dating back to 1986.
It was then that his uncle Neil won the first of his two medals at Wheeling. Eldest son James later grabbed a third-place finish in 2005.
A Kohlberg state medal would also be the first for the Mustangs program since 2008 by Mikal Johnson.
Those who managed to stay in the championship bracket earned a place in Friday quarterfinals, which begin at 11:30 a.m. for Class 2A and 1:30 p.m. for 3A.
Third-ranked James Valentino (St. Viator, 36-0) has a quarterfinal date with No. 2 John Ridgeway (34-7) of Bloomington in a 2A heavyweight contest to decide who moves ahead into Friday's 7 p.m. semifinals.
"I felt really good and strong, and I am looking forward to tomorrow for sure," said the Lions senior and three-time state qualifier, who pinned his first-round opponent.
No. 2-ranked Markus Hartman (Barrington, 43-1) got one step closer to a rematch with No. 1 Will Lewan (Montini Catholic, 38-2) following his 7-0 victory at 145 pounds over Austin Hoffman (35-14) of York. Next up for the Broncos junior will be No. 3 Yahya Thomas (Mt. Carmel, 33-4), who edged Juan Bazaldua (22-11) of Providence Catholic.
Hartman's teammate Jarit Shinhoster wore down No. 8 Carlos Champagne (40-4) of Marian Catholic during the third period to record a 6-4 victory and a chance at top-ranked and defending champion Jason Renteria from Oak Park-Rive Forest.
"I've come back to win matches against from (Frankie) Indelli (Wheaton North) and Gannon Hughes (Oswego), so there was no doubt in my mind that I could do it again," said Shinhoster, the No. 5-rated 132-pounder after outlasting the two-time 2A state medalist. "And with all of the work we do on conditioning, I also knew if it was close, I could outwork him - and I could tell he was gassed at the end," Michael Womeldorf (Rolling Meadows, 152, 26-3) stayed alive following his 3-2 thriller over Jared Ellingwood (Plainfield Central, 39-8) and next meets No. 4 Brad Gross (36-6) of Marmion Academy.
"We have a few coaching friends who gave us a report on Ellingwood, so we were ready for whatever he would do," said Meadows coach John Bassler.
Speaking of the Mustangs, back to Kohlberg.
The success he's enjoyed this season didn't come without some heartache and disappointment, most of which he suffered last season when he ran out to a 16-5 record before a season-ending torn ligament in his thumb.
"It was a tough lesson for Jackson in a year when it appeared he was on his way to his first state tournament appearance," said Bassler.
But instead of wallowing in despair, the four-year veteran went to work lifting, fine-tuning his game and just as important, his nutrition. The results have been stunning, including championships at both the MSL and regional tournaments recently.
A pair of Kohlberg's Mid-Suburban League compatriots - Matt Wroblewski (Prospect, 220, 32-0) and Fremd heavyweight Zach Nemec (38-2), crushed their competition to move on in the championship bracket.