Marmion falls to No. 1 Lockport in state quarters
BLOOMINGTON - It was a contest in which many would have preferred to it being, at the very least, a state semifinal - and not a quarterfinal, but, instead, an unlucky draw would find Marmion facing No. 1 Lockport Saturday morning in Bloomington.
Marmion would take the top-rated Porters as far as it could, until it ran out of firepower to match that of Lockport, who would end the season for the Cadets with a 33-22 victory.
"We got ourselves a very tough draw in the tournament, but we came in with a lot of hope, and desire that we could beat Lockport, and even tough we fell a little short today, I am really proud of each and everyone of my teammates," said senior Anthony Chelonia, who won his final match of a brilliant career, giving him a remarkable 50 on the season.
"We came in as the underdog, but for awhile we stayed with the No. 1 team in the state - and there was no giving in from any of us - and that's something all of us be proud of."
Cheloni and the rest of his mates took plenty of time to find a spot in the upper regions of U.S. Cellular Coliseum to shake hands and give an extra hug or two to each other and the coaching staff before heading home following another terrific wrestling season. It was a season that still managed to produce plenty of memories and trophies along the way, despite losing a star-studded cast from a year ago.
"You couldn't ask any more of this team (today) and during the regular season," added junior Nate Jimenez, who last weekend was the state runner-up at 160 pounds - then moved up three weights Saturday to wrestle (and win) at 195.
"Yeah, it was kind of crazy moving up to 195 - but I'm doing it for our team, and that's something I know any guy would do in order to help each other out, that's what made this year's team so special."
It was clear early on that Cheloni, Jimenez and their mates still had plans to reach the trophy stand on Saturday night as the score went back-and-forth with each weight going into the scorebook.
Cheloni's major at 138, along with wins from Brad Gross (152, 39-7), Peter Ferraro (182, 37-13, Jimenez (41-7) and Tyler Surges (24-18) at 220 pulled The Cadets (19-3-0) ahead one last time at 19-14.
After that, it was clear the Cadets would not earn a fourth state trophy when the Porters (27-0) went on a four-match sweep, which included falls from recent state medal winners: Ronald Tucker (285, 30-4) and Matt Ramos (106, 46-7).
Anthony Molton (113) and Jimmy Pierandozzi (120) would finish things off for Lockport with a decision and major.
"We're just one big family, who would all step-up for every single dual and tournament we took part in - just doing what we could for the team and each other, and with so many of us back next year, we should be back here again to compete for a team trophy," said Jimenez.