Kaneland sends 2 to state
ROCK ISLAND -- Get to sectionals, get a steak.
The celebratory sectional steak dinner is becoming a tradition for the Jacobs wrestling program, and two of those steaks tasted extra sweet Saturday night for a pair of state-qualifying Golden Eagles.
In the final day of the Class AA Rock Island Sectional, both Aaron Ryan (103 pounds) and Dan Olsen (152) stepped onto the sectional podium -- Olsen placing second and Ryan third. They'll wrestle in the individual state tournament Feb. 15 and 16 at the University of Illinois' Assembly Hall in Champaign.
Kaneland's Sean Szatkowski (112) and Jeff Stralka (119) will also join them. All four wrestlers started the tournament as a No. 3 seed.
For Szatkowski (31-7), the sectional didn't end the way he envisioned. He'll be wrestling in Champaign, but his hope of winning a sectional crown was hindered by a dislocated right elbow suffered in his final match on Friday.
In Saturday's 112-pound title bout with Yorkville standout Jed Lightfoot, Szatkowski led 4-1 going after one period. In the second frame, he started on top of Lightfoot, and chose give up the escape for another takedown chance.
Instead it was Lightfoot scoring the takedown and eventually a pin in 5:06.
"When I got on the bottom, I couldn't push up with my right arm,'' Szatkowski said. "I'm not going to blame the injury, and even though I got pinned in my last match, I still think I'm peaking at the right time.''
At 119 pounds, one match after losing to the state's top-ranked Adam Sheley of Geneseo, Stralka (32-2) quickly rebounded for a 6-1 decision in a third-place battle with Sycamore's Kyle Culton.
Stralka has high hopes for his first trip to Champaign.
"I think I can place,'' he said. "If I don't place, I'll be kind of disappointed.''
Ryan's state tournament trip was put in jeopardy Friday after he lost to Rockton Hononegah's Austin Waliullah. However, since Waliullah made it to the finals, Ryan was awarded a chance at wrestling back. The Jacobs sophomore defeated East Moline United's Billy Christensen (11-3 major decision) and DeKalb's Tyler Larson (6-3 decision) to take third place and improve to 34-8 on the season.
The trip to state will be Ryan's first.
"I went to state in kids club wrestling, but this will be nothing compared to that,'' Ryan said. "You just have to go out there with nothing to lose -- don't be intimidated at all.''
Olsen is also making his first trip to state. He fought for a sectional-title chance on Saturday, but came up on the short end of a 4-0 decision by Nick Finkenbinder of Belvidere.
Despite ending the tourney on a loss, Olsen (29-11) said his best wrestling is still to come.
"It's hard to peak at the right time, but that's exactly what I'm doing. I feel like I'm putting everything together right on time.
"Hopefully we can stay on top of that podium at state. It's a long shot, but I believe anything can happen.''