Batavia's 3 qualifiers head 5 area teams represented in Champaign

Kaneland senior Sean Szatkowski was in noticeable discomfort as he gingerly protected his left arm Tuesday afternoon after concluding his final preparations for the Class AA individual state wrestling finals this weekend.

"I dislocated my (left) elbow (last Friday night in the Rock Island sectional quarterfinals)," Szatkowski explained.

To most mortals, it would seem a crushing blow, an injury prematurely ending his high school career on the cusp of the most important tournament of the season.

"There's no way I'm missing it," Szatkowski, the Knights' 112-pounder who was runner-up at Rock Island to secure his second consecutive trip to the University of Illinois' Assembly Hall in Champaign.

"It's my senior year."

The two preliminaries to reach a coveted slot to Champaign have ended, and nine local athletes will compete this weekend for a chance at wrestling glory.

There will be added significance to the two-day finals this weekend as well; the IHSA announced earlier this week that this will be the last year of a two-class system in wrestling.

The sport will expand to three classes next season.

One-third of the area qualifiers hail from the Batavia.

It has been a season of pageantry underscored by excellence for the Bulldogs.

The season-long celebration of 50 years since the program was founded has seen a number of tournament accomplishments.

Logan Arlis makes his first appearance at state, and the Bulldogs' sophomore is riding a crest of momentum after waltzing to the Naperville North sectional crown last weekend at 103 pounds.

Arlis surrendered a mere point in three matches to earn the only local sectional championship.

Tenacious and a student of the sport, Arlis avenged one of his two regular-season losses in the finals at Naperville North and earned a first-round bye with his sectional triumph.

The only other blemish on the season for Arlis came at the hands of Wheeling junior Max Nowry in the finals of the Glenbrook South tournament, and the two are on a collision course for a rematch in the quarterfinals tonight.

"I'm glad I wrestled him early, so I know what he does," Arlis said. "I'm going to watch the film (of their previous match) and hopefully upset him."

In order to receive another shot at Nowry, undefeated on the season and top-ranked in the Illinois Matmen rankings, Arlis must get past his second-round opponent: the winner between Mt. Carmel freshman Kevin Skrsypiec (21-9) and Bloomington sophomore Jake Bellis (27-3).

Arlis, 34-2 on the season, credits his off-season conditioning and wrestling regimen as critical to his progression this year.

"Of course, the experience of going to Fargo, North Dakota was huge," Arlis said of his first foray into the national scene. "It's one of the biggest high school tournaments in the nation, and to place there was huge for my confidence."

Rocco Wade (130 pounds) and Danny Watson (160) earned their place to state by making the sectional championship in their respective classes.

Like Arlis, the two will be making their maiden appearances in Champaign today.

"Making it to state was one of my main goals when the season started," said Watson (35-6), who faces Bethalto junior T. J. Wellner (40-6) in his first-round match. "(Reaching the sectional finals) took a lot of the pressure off. You know if you lose it's not the end of the world. It's hard not to look at the bracket to see the tough kids you're going to have (at state)."

Wade overcame a 6-point deficit in his semifinal match at Naperville North, ultimately winning in triple overtime to earn an automatic berth with his sectional-finals appearance.

Ironically, Wade (31-9) drew a conference foe in Yorkville senior Derek Jones for his opening match.

But familiarity is not expected to play a factor.

"I probably have wrestled him in the past, but not this year," Wade said. "I have matured a lot. I did a lot of off-season wrestling. Realistically, I would like to place down there. I want to wrestle hard and have a good time."

Batavia coach Tom Arlis mentored a dozen state champions during his tenure at Naperville North, and the formula for success is universal.

"(State) champions find a way to win," Arlis said.

"There are also a lot of intangibles involved. Every state champion (I coached), the one thing was they wrestled to win, not to lose. That's very important at the state meet. You have to find a way to win."

West Aurora junior Mario Gonzalez is a three-time state qualifier, and the Blackhawks' standout, fourth last year at 171 pounds, is a legitimate state contender at 189 this weekend.

But Gonzalez received no favors in his early matches; the fourth-ranked wrestler on the Matmen charts must get past Montini senior Dan Grimes, ranked sixth, simply to reach the quarterfinals.

West Aurora had grand designs on establishing a new program record for individual state qualifiers, but Dan Carey was the only other athlete to advance out of Naperville North.

The senior 215-pounder, ranked No. 11 on Matmen with 33 wins to his credit, faces (Chicago) Corliss' Kenneth Clady (31-4) this morning.

The winner earns a date with Downers Grove South senior Ben Apland, the consensus top-ranked wrestler in the state with a 40-0 record.

The upper weights were well represented among area competitors at the Naperville North finals, and St. Charles East senior Billy Diamond was one of the local qualifiers from the five heaviest weight classes.

Diamond (33-5) combats (Machesney Park) Harlem sophomore Sterling Hecox (35-5) in the 171-pound opener, with Mahomet-Seymour junior Andrew Brewer waiting in the wings.

"I was just wrestling as hard as I could," Diamond said after his runner-up performance at Naperville North.

In a heavyweight battle between 23-match winners, Geneva sophomore Frank Boenzi tangles with De La Salle junior Curtis Blades.

But the victor has the unenviable task of facing defending state champion Garrett Goebel of Montini in the second round.

Szatkowski and senior classmate Jeff Stralka have mutually supporting goals this weekend.

The Knights' twin qualifiers have dedicated themselves to not only achieving a program first but also sending retiring coach Gary Baum out on a high note.

"I haven't had the greatest year," Szatkowski said.

"I've had a number of untimely injuries. Jeff and I want to give Baum the first (Class) AA state-placer in program history."

"I've placed in state before," said Stralka, who must get past Mt. Carmel sophomore Natron Jackson to advance at 119. "It just wasn't in high school. I've got a lot of support, a lot of family and friends going down to support me."