C-G's Rands leads area contingent downstate

Cary-Grove senior wrestler Paul Rands is ready for action.

"My wrestling has gotten, better and better and better and it all came together at the sectional," said Rands. "I'm at the top of my game, I guess you could say. I'm ready to go. I'm going for it all."

Rands is one of 7 area wrestlers who will compete in today's Class AA state finals at Assembly Hall in Champaign.

Rands joins the Dundee-Crown duo of Ryan Horcher and Mike Lukowski, along with Elgin senior Terrell Walker as repeat state qualifiers. Horcher is making his third state finals trip.

Rands will bring a 37-3 mark into his 215-pound division match today against the winner of the Deandre Mosley (Hubbard)-Ryan Lee (Glenwood) bout. Mosley is 25-3, while Lee is 29-8.

Rands' only losses this year have come to either state or nationally ranked wrestlers.

"I have three losses and they've benefited me," said Rands, ranked fourth in Class AA at 215 by Illinois Matmen (www.illinoismatmen.com). "I look at each one of them and I've learned from them. I'm not saying it's good to have 3 loses, but I've wrestled some stiff competition. A tough schedule prepares you for the state tournament."

Conditioning has played a role in Rands' success this season.

"I've got my conditioning to the point from working out and in practice and on my own that I can outwork anybody in the third period," said Rands. "If it's close and it's in the third I feel I can mentally break an opponent and turn it up when he's slowing down."

"Paul has tremendous confidence in his shape," said longtime Cary-Grove coach Dan Cysewski. "He feels he can go 9-10 minutes in a match if he has to. His technique and his foot speed have improved tremendously. He's finishing moves a lot quicker. He wrestles the whole six minutes. He doesn't take time off and is constantly putting pressure on his opponents. It all adds up to a guy who feels he can compete with anybody."

Rands, an all-state linebacker, who is leaning toward wrestling in college but hasn't ruled out football at the next level, also learned plenty from his state experience as a junior.

"I learned how to embrace the atmosphere," said Rands. "A bunch of people go down there and see all the people in the stands and they get nervous. You have to learn to love the atmosphere and compete in it. You have to realize it's just another wrestling match. You are still on the mat and you still have an opponent in front of you. You have to keep it simple."

Rands, who has two conference, regional and sectional championships to his credit, has seen his overall repertoire on the mat blossom this season.

"My wrestling overall has improved a ton," said Rands, who sports a 3.93 grade-point average at Cary-Grove and would like to study biology and go to medical school in the future. "Last year I was beating kids with athletic ability and strength. I still have those tools, but I am a much better wrestler."

Fellow Fox Valley Conference state qualifier Sam Campbell is 32-4 this season and will face Normal U-High junior Max Hayden (36-6) in opening round action. The winner faces St. Rita senior Taylor Osborn (32-11) in the second round. Campbell, who will continue his football career at Concordia-St. Paul, finished second at last weekend's Barrington sectional.

"I'm going to go out there and dictate the way I want to do it and not be intimidated by anybody," said Campbell, also a star running back for the Prairie Ridge football team. "I've been working this week on riding people. I fell like if I can ride guys out, it's going to help me in the long run. I don't want to give up any cheap points."

Campbell, ranked 10th in the state at 160, feels he's at his strongest standing up in a match.

"I've been real successful taking guys down," said Campbell. "If it comes down to a close match, I feel I have the edge on my feet."

D-C's Lukowski is the most decorated of the area state qualifiers. He finished fifth in the state at 189 pounds last year.

Lukowski's path to the state finals was not easy by any means. He finished third at the rugged Naperville North sectional. Lukowski (37-5) faces Edwardsville's Zac Gaudreault (28-14) in the first round. The winner gets unbeaten Normal Community senior Austin Kull (36-0) in the second round.

"I've had a hard road to get there," said Lukowski. "The regional wasn't easy and the sectional was the hardest one in the state. With all those ranked kids there, to get through it, I'm proud of myself. I've seen all the tough competition all year. That's what it takes to get to state. I'm prepared for this. There's been no easy ride this year. I think that's one of the things I have over other people. Just me making it has been a big accomplishment."

And Lukowski is expecting another battle in Champaign.

"You do what you do and you wrestle your best," said Lukowski, ranked fifth in the state at 189. "At state, everybody is good. There are no terrible kids. You win matches at state on kids making mistakes or on technique. You have to wrestle your best."

Last year's fifth-place finish is still firmly entrenched in Lukowski's mind.

"I know what it's like to make the semis and I know what it's like to be defeated in the semis. I know what it's like when someone takes your dream from you," said Lukowski. "This is what this is all about this weekend, people taking away each other's dreams and goals. I'm not in an easy weight class. It's going to tough. I have the goal of being a state champion. I'm going to go after it as best as I can. This is what I love to do."

Lukowski also knows this weekend will close the curtain on his D-C career.

"Every day at practice I've been busting my butt knowing these are my last weeks of wrestling here," said Lukowski. "Being up in that room for 4 years, with the way Dundee-Crown practices, wasn't fun. But it is not going to be fun leaving that atmosphere and leaving all of that hard work."

Horcher, Lukowski's teammate, also remembers his last match at state last season.

"I have that picture from the paper last year of me pouring tears and taking a knee because I let it slip away," said Horcher. "In overtime I got taken down. It's motivation to get to the podium this year. I could not bring myself to believe I let that match slip through my fingers in overtime. I was devastated. I've put that experience into a lot of big matches this year. I'm not going to let it slip away. I have a definite goal to place and would love to get on that podium."

Horcher (34-5) takes on Kelly's Juan Ortiz (40-5) today with the winner getting Downers Grove South junior Trevor Wenmouth (34-6) in the second round.

Elgin's Walker is arguably the area's hottest wrestler heading into Champaign. Walker is fresh off a sectional championship victory at Naperville North where he improved his record to an area-best 37-1.

Walker earned a first-round bye and will take on the winner of the Jimmy Cradic (Harvard)-Khari Washington (Proviso West) bout. Cradic is 37-8, while Washington is 22-1.

"I have just as good of a chance as everybody else. That's how I see it," said Walker. "I'm going to do the same thing I've been doing all year and that's wrestle my match. It helps to know that the Naperville North sectional was one of the hardest in the state."

Walker, ranked eighth in the state at 160, isn't taking this year's trip lightly, to say the least.

"There are guys out there who made it last year who aren't there this year," said Walker. "I'm not taking this for granted. There's guys who don't have second chances. I have to give it everything I have. This is it. This is everything I've been waiting for, for four years. It's time to leave it out there and have no regret. On any given day, anything can happen. The defending state champion is there. His chance of winning is as good as everybody else's. I would say everybody has a shot. It's whoever wants it the best."

Jacobs senior Dan Olsen (29-11) and sophomore teammate Aaron Ryan (34-8) are also in the state finals. Olsen meets Glenbard East senior Jason Callahan (33-10) in the first round, while Ryan drew Glenbard North freshman Joe Gosinski (33-7).

This weekend does not mark the end of the area wrestling season, however. Both Dundee-Crown and Burlington Central will compete in dual-team sectionals Tuesday. Dundee-Crown faces host Glenbard North in one semifinal there, while Burlington Central tangles with Rockton Hononegah in semifinal action in Rochelle.