Grant's Munster, Stevenson's Sabatello take titles
CHAMPAIGN - Lee Munster's return to all-conquering form came Saturday night before a packed Assembly Hall house, which seemed to have its wish answered when the four-year star met Machesney Park's Sterling Hecox, who last week ended a 77-match win streak on the first day of sectional action at Barrington.
Munster (35-1), the Grant standout, got his revenge against Hecox (37-2) in an epic tug of war Saturday night in Champaign, defeating the senior 5-2 to win the 189-pound championship trophy - his second straight and third overall in a standout prep career.
The Northwestern-bound Munster shared center stage for the area with Stevenson junior Danny Sabatello, who stunned top-ranked Eddie Klimara of Providence 3-2 to earn top honors at 119 and to give the Patriots' program its first individual wrestling championship.
"Three titles is nice, but four would be greater," deadpanned Munster, who said one of the first things that came to mind was his failure to win two years ago as sophomore before rebounding in grand style last year.
"Sometimes the pressure and expectations are too much," said Munster, who finished his career under coach Ryan Geist with a dazzling 151-7 overall record.
"It's not always fair what people and fans expect of Lee, and a different kind of kid and athlete might not handle it as well as he has, especially this season when everyone thought he would just go through every opponent with ease," said Geist. "But that loss last weekend helped him stand back for a moment, then get back to getting a little sharper, tweak a few things, and get him ready for this weekend."
Munster proved just that, unleashing an attack that all have come to appreciate, including a tech-fall and major decision on Friday, and another Saturday morning over Chris Johnson of Wheeling to set up the title bout with Hecox.
"Yes, I wanted a rematch, but it wasn't the most important thing that I focused on leading up to this weekend," Munster said.
The crowd, wanting to see one throw after another from these two, were not given much of a chance to cheer any type of memorable thumping, only a well-orchestrated win by Munster.
"Half of me wanted to really open up, and the other half wanted to be smart and conservative, and to come out with a victory," said Munster.
Sabatello's work in his final with Klimara (42-2) was nothing short of brilliant, as the former St. Viator star, who transfered before this school year, controlled his bout from start to finish against the heavily favored Celtics sophomore, who'd won a state title last season.
"This is just amazing, to be a state champion," said the Patriots star, who pointed to a large contingent of fans who came down for the day in full Stevenson school colors to cheer on their hero. "I really felt that it was my heart, and a full tank in the third period that made the difference in that final."
It became quite clear in the early stages that the powerfully built Klimara was going to have trouble getting in on his long and lanky opponent, and when he attempted to do so, Sabatello tied up his frustrated rival, who struggled to get anything going in the final two minutes of regulation.
"Danny wrestled a near flawless match, he was just amazing all throughout that match, and he did himself real proud with that title," said his coach Shane Cook, who nearly touched the rafters of Assembly Hall with his jump for joy after the final buzzer sounded. "(Sabatello) instantly made a difference in our room because of his work ethic, intensity and desire to improve and win all at a high level form the first minute here - sat down when arrived, and first thing he said was his goal is to win a state title. Well, I guess he did!"
The North Suburban Conference managed to haul in several state medals by the end of the tournament, with the Libertyville's Matt Bystol (41-5) grabbing his second in two years after falling this-short of upending eventual state champ Joey Gosinski in his semifinal OT bout and teammate Josh Ronne finishing up with a fourth-place medal at 160.
Jason Montemayor (42-3) was fourth overall at 130 pounds, while Lake Zurich senior Anthony Pace (38-6) joined the celebration with a sixth-place finish at 152 pounds.
The lone Class 2A success story came from Grayslake Central junior Kevin Hein (35-7), who rattled more than a few feathers in and around a talented, veteran group at 189 to earn a fourth-place medal in his first trip downstate.
"The most amazing thing about Kevin is that last year he was someone who didn't even make our regional starting lineup, yet he comes (here) this season and has a fantastic tournament for himself," said Central coach Dan Catanzaro.