Tardy overcomes McKeown in 2 OT
There was a powerful sense of foreboding that the Saturday showdown between the two Naperville combatants would not be their final standoff this wrestling season.
Meeting for the third time this season, Naperville Central senior Josh Tardy once again outlasted his 135-pound counterpart from Naperville North, senior Frank McKeown, to capture the Class 3A Naperville Central regional title.
After dropping his regular-season dual meet to McKeown, Tardy repeated his championship verdict from a week ago at the DuPage Valley Conference tournament. The two seniors, along with 28 local competitors, advanced to the Downers Grove North individual sectional next weekend.
West Aurora knocked off Hinsdale Central, which led the area programs with three champions and six total qualifiers, for the team bid to the Hinsdale South team sectional.
The two Naperville high schools and Downers Grove North advanced five athletes to the individual sectional; Downers Grove South had four make the sectional cut, while Waubonsie Valley and Metea Valley had two apiece. Hinsdale South sophomore 112-pounder Sebastian Pique was the lone qualifier for the Hornets; he put on a virtuous performance to win his 37th straight match in the finals.
But it was the Tardy-McKeown epic encounter that stole the thunder. The two were deadlocked after regulation at 4-4, but Tardy had a pivotal reversal in double overtime to clinch the 6-5 win.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to beat anyone else but him,” Tardy said. “I try to go in with a definite game plan. I knew I had to do something big (in overtime).”
“I had a plan — but I made some mistakes at the end of the match,” McKeown said. “I didn’t really execute.”
“They’re so darn even right now,” said Naperville Central coach Rob Porter.
The other major development for the host Redhawks was the turnaround of sophomore Luke Roth, who upset 35-match winner Zach Lommatzch of Downers North in the 189-pound final. Roth was coming off a disappointing fourth-place result at the DVC tournament.
“That was my motivator,” Roth said after his 8-6 victory. “Finishing fourth feels horrible. I didn’t want that feeling again.”
Sophomore Wayne Yuan could not have delivered a better finals start for Naperville North. The 103-pounder barely needed a minute to earn his 38th win of the season with a first-period fall.
“I try to work hard every day in practice,” Yuan said. “I really didn’t care about winning the regional. My main goal is to make it to state. I haven’t achieved that yet.”
Metea Valley sophomore Conrad Zaucha became the first sectional qualifier in program history when he advanced to meet Yuan in the championship. The Mustangs’ Breon Hoosier became the second qualifier with his third-place verdict at 160 pounds.
“Last year when I took fourth, it was kind of disappointing,” Hoosier said. “But I came back this year to make the sectional.”