Swider ends Marchok’s 79-match streak
There were early whispers of the titanic struggle looming at 220 pounds at the Class 3A Glenbard North individual wrestling sectional on Saturday night in Carol Stream.
When the dust settled Mike Swider had pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent state history: the Wheaton North senior ended the 79-match winning streak of defending state champion Josh Marchok of Schaumburg.
Ranked the No. 1 athlete in the nation at his weight class, Marchok suffered his first defeat since a semifinal loss to former Rockton Hononegah standout Matt Dwyer at the 2010 state tournament.
Swider, who extended his season-long winning streak to 41 matches with the stunning 4-3 victory, had a takedown in the final four seconds to deprive the Stanford-bound Marchok of a second consecutive unblemished season.
“(Marchok) is a phenomenal wrestler,” Swider said. “I saw that there were 19 seconds left on the clock (trailing 3-2). I knew I had to take a shot. We both battled out there.”
Marchok had a second-period takedown to reverse his 1-point deficit before Swider secured a second escape late in the period to forge a 2-2 tie after four minutes.
Swider intentionally let Marchok (39-1) escape in the opening seconds of the third period to set the stage for the climatic finish.
“Mike is a competitor,” Wheaton North coach Steve Holland said.
“It’s kind of like a blessing in disguise,” Marchok said. “(Swider) was more prepared than I was. I just didn’t show my best out there.”
“It’s only going to make (Marchok) that much tougher next week (at the state finals in Champaign),” Holland said.
“(Marchok) wants revenge (at the state meet) now,” Swider said.
The Swider verdict served as a metaphorical cornerstone to the hegemony of the DuPage Valley Conference.
Host Glenbard North, the reigning dual-team state champion, crowned four champions and had an equal number of other qualifiers.
West Aurora set a new benchmark for state qualifiers with five; the other six DVC programs combined to send 15 athletes to the University of Illinois’ Assembly Hall this Thursday for the three-day state tournament.
The 106-pound championship would be routinely repeated on the day as Glenbard North senior Richard Browne reversed his league championship verdict against West Aurora freshman Carlos Jacquez with a 5-2 victory.
“I think in the conference championship that I was too tentative,” Browne said.
At 113 pounds, Angelo San Juan, the Glenbard East senior standout, defeated Glenbard North senior Chris Gonzalez for the third straight time.
But the Panthers’ Jered Cortez, undefeated at 43-0, and Jon Marmolejo had consecutive victories at 120 and 126 pounds to regain the Glenbard North momentum.
Brian Murphy has also yet to lose this season; the Glenbard North junior 152-pounder is 27-0 after a technical fall in the finals.
“I don’t want t that feeling (losing in the state-championship match) ever again,” Murphy said. “I ended up doing a lot better (offensively) than I thought was going to do (in the semifinal victory over St. Charles North senior Tim Noverini).”
In addition to the Swider triumph, the San Juan win and the four Glenbard North champions, Wheaton Warrenville South 182-pounder Evan Walsh and Naperville Central 195-pounder Ryan Berg emerged victorious for the DVC.
“This is my last time wrestling,” said Walsh, once-beaten on the season. “I want to get as far as possible (at the state meet).”
The 160-pound division was a nefarious minefield of seasoned warriors, but Lake Park senior Farai Sewera was crowned the champion after outlasting Downers South senior Willie Anaya in triple overtime.
Anaya had defeated highly regarded Willowbrook junior Danny Rowland to reach the finals.
“I just wanted to not quit,” Sewera said after his marathon 3-2 win. “I knew I could do it.”
Austin Graham became the first state qualifier in program history for Metea Valley with his fourth-place finish at 132 pounds.
West Aurora trailed only conference rival Glenbard North for most state qualifiers after five of its seven sectional qualifiers made the state grade.
After the younger Jacquez dropped the opening championship at 106 pounds, his older brother Greg more than made amends for the family.
Pitted against Lake Park senior Blake Santi — ranked second in the state at 138 pounds — Greg Jacquez was facing a 7-4 deficit as the final half-minute approached.
With the two in neutral position, Jacquez seized his opportunity with a dart-like takedown and subsequent 3-point near fall to win 9-7.
“The whole time I was staying mentally tough,” the three-time state-qualifying Jacquez said. “I knew if I lost it wouldn’t be by that much. I wanted to go all out. This is a lot better than I pictured.”
Nate Pealstrom had already secured state inclusion for the second time in the last three years at 145 pounds for West Aurora.
But the senior, who missed significant time this season with a pair of concussions, had a first-period takedown and 3-point near fall of his own as the centerpiece of his third-place 6-0 win at 145 pounds.
“After I beat the Conant kid (Travis Sylvester 9-3 in the third-place semifinal), I think that was the happiest I have ever been,” Pealstrom said.
But the Blackhawks were far from finished.
Brandon Warren also secured a first trip to state with a successful third-place semifinal at 182 pounds.
It was only fitting that Austin Beebe would anchor the Blackhawks’ record-setting day.
The senior heavyweight had all the points in his championship showdown with Larkin senior Devontae Joshua at 285 pounds.
“It gave me a goal for me to set,” Beebe said of the Blackhawks’ participation at the dual-team state quarterfinals last year in Bloomington.
The Blackhawks’ senior, who improved to 32-7 on the year, will make his first individual state appearance this week.
“There was not a doubt in my mind that I could not beat anybody (in the sectional field),” Beebe said.
West Aurora coach Mike DiNovo said the Blackhawks’ sub-. 500 dual-meet record during the regular season was the guiding influence in surpassing their previous record of four individual state qualifiers, set several times.
“We talked about winning the (Naperville North) regional and we just came up short,” DiNovo said. “We lost more dual meets than we won. I told them we could get the most state qualifiers for West (ever).”
There will be eight total local state qualifiers in the largest-class division after Noverini had the lone pin of the championship rounds to finish third for St. Charles North.
Batavia sophomore Anthony Scaccia also fought his way through the back draw to deny West Chicago junior Robert Svestaka 9-3 for third place at 138 pounds.
Geneva junior Brad Martens is thankful the IHSA has eliminated the walkover in the state tournament.
One day after an agonizing loss to South Elgin 113-pounder Cory Pych, Martens met the Storm junior with dramatically different results in taking the top consolation prize.
“I couldn’t fall asleep (Friday night),” Martens said of his surrendering 3 points in an equal number of seconds to lose by one. “I ended up putting him on his back (during a critical stretch of the 9-1 win).”
But Pych still made the state field along for South Elgin.
The elder Pych, 170-pound senior Cody, also made the state cut for South Elgin by placing fourth in his weight division.
The lone representative for Bartlett, Sal Annoreno, carried the day for the Hawks.
The junior had a takedown and a reversal to circumvent 2 escapes and a penalty point by Glenbard North junior Johnny Gosinski to win his first sectional title, 4-3.
“I feel like I’m dreaming right now,” Annoreno said of his first state berth. “It makes me feel great. The first-round bye (at state) is fantastic.”
Jorge Zavala was in eighth grade the last time Elgin produced an individual state qualifier.
But the Maroons’ senior abruptly ended the four-year program drought by advancing to the championship match at 195 pounds.
Zavala dropped a 7-6 verdict to place runner-up.
“There was a lot of pressure,” Zavala said. “Elgin hasn’t had a state qualifier in four years. It’s time to show that U-46 has something to do down there.”
By also making the finals at heavyweight, the Royals’ Joshua earned automatic inclusion to the three-day day state tournament, which begins Thursday.
The stunning Marchok development in the finals at 220 pounds overshadowed two local champions for Cook County.
Rolling Meadows’ Joe Caprio was never headed in winning for the 40th time in 41 attempts this year in claiming top honors at 170 pounds.
“I wanted to go into the finals relaxed,” Caprio said after vanquishing Wheaton Warrenville South senior Steven Franke 9-5 to earn his second berth in the last three years. “I was confident in the semis (a razor-thin 8-7 win). I just went in there relaxed.”
Rico Zayas’ day also ended in triumph.
The Maine West senior dispatched Naperville North senior Nick McDonnell 6-2 for his first sectional crown at 145 pounds.
“My goal was to make it down,” Zayas said. “Once I got the finals I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I wanted to have a good round.”
Jordan Pessah made the state field at 152 pounds for Maine West with his runner-up showing, and Conant freshman Bobby Alexander earned the final area state appearance with his fourth-place showing at 106 pounds.