Aurora Christian truly breaks through
CHAMPAIGN - Justin Pearch was deeply divided when approached to establish a wrestling program at Aurora Christian less than a year ago.
"I was kind of on the hurdles (on whether to accept the position)," Pearch said. "I loved my time at Montini (as an assistant)."
But on Friday night at the Class 1A state wrestling tournament, Aurora Christian freshmen Cameron Johnson and Noah Villarreal continued their stunning success at the smallest-class division at the University of Illinois' State Farm Center.
Johnson extended his season-long winning streak to 34 matches with a third-period technical fall in the 106-pound semifinals, and Villarreal - one weight class after the Eagles' Zeke Marshall dropped a semifinal decision - also advanced to the state-championship match with a 8-0 win at 120.
"I kept going at it," Johnson said. "I didn't let up at all. I knew that training with tough guys in the (practice) room that (a finals berth) was a possibility."
Both Aurora Christian athletes entered the program with extensive experience in youth wrestling tournaments.
"I really worked hard in IK (Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation)," said Villarreal, who will face top-seeded Tyler Fleetwood of Fulton in the championship. "I got it in my mind that I was going to be in the finals at state."
"If you would have told me that we would have two guys in the finals, I would have said, 'Let's go,'" Pearch said of his decision-making process.
There will be one wrestler apiece from the area competing for a state title in the two largest classes.
Nate Jimenez will seek to extend a program and family milestone for Marmion in the Class 3A 160-pound finals against Lockport senior Trevell Timmons.
After a razor-thin overtime victory in the morning quarterfinals, Jimenez needed a minute-plus of the second period to advance to his first finals with a fall.
One year after Nico Jimenez captured a state title in 2010, Johnny Jimenez became a four-time state champion at Marmion.
"They always tell me to create my own legacy," Jimenez said of his two older brothers. "They are a huge part of my life. It would mean the world to me (to join them as state champions)."
Like Aurora Christian, Burlington Central had multiple semifinalists in succession.
Austin Macias, the Rockets' 126-pounder, stunned Harvard 43-match winner and second-seeded Joshua Fiegel 10-2 to earn a finals date with Washington junior Tyler Delaware.
But Nick Termini did not fare nearly as well for Central at 132 pounds.
The Rockets' sophomore was also defeated by a top-seeded Washington athlete in a first-period fall.
For the first time since 2009, Marmion will not have more than one participant in a championship match.
In their bids to join Jimenez, bookend teammates Brad Gross (152 pounds) and Peter Ferraro (170) suffered one-sided defeats.
Huntley freshman David Ferrante had an even worse draw at 152 pounds.
The 28-match winner was manhandled by three-time defending state champion Austin O'Connor of St. Rita.
Kaneland senior Riley Vanik had a similar matchup experience in his Class 2A 182-pound final, dropping a 3-point match to Carbondale undefeated senior Cameron Caffey.