Six Antioch competitors earn trips to Champaign
It was a great weekend for Antioch.
Hosting an IHSA Class 2A sectional, the Sequoits took seven individuals into the final day of competition Saturday — and six advanced to the 2011 state meet that begins Friday in Champaign.
Antioch was unable to come away with any champions, but 145-pounder George Gonzalez (41-5), 189-pounder Zach Epker (37-3), 125-pounder Mike Gussarson and 171-pounder Zach Freundt all took runner-up honors.
In the pressure-packed third-place matches, Brandon Schultz (112) and Hunter Moseley (160) were winners.
“I’m happy for the kids who took third and it was good to see them make it,” said Antioch coach Wilbur Borrero. “We didn’t wrestle well enough in some of our first-place matches and they just didn’t wrestle to their potential.”
Wauconda featured five of six finalists advance downstate.
After trailing early to Grayslake Central’s Kevin Hein, Wauconda 215-pounder Brian Kent (33-1) bounced back to post a 13-9 decision for the title.
Bulldogs 160-pounder Pete Kootstra led his finals match 3-1 late, but he dropped a tough 5-3 decision to Richmond-Burton’s Conner Graves.
Wauconda 103-pounder Devin Tortorice (35-6) fell 4-2 to Richmond-Burton’s Cameron Kennedy (17-0) in the finals.
Sophomore Bruce Pearl (140) took second for the Bulldogs after placing fourth in regionals, as a disqualification kept Pearl’s magical season alive. Wauconda freshman Nate Magiera pinned Fenton’s Steve Alfaro to take third place.
Grayslake North had four of its five finalists reach state, including 119-pound champ Angel Cabrera (37-6).
Nick Klein took second for the Knights at 112, while senior teammate Rich Downes will be returning to state after a pin for third place at 135.
The Knights’ runner-up Stone Dax (152) will also head to the Assembly Hall, but 215-pound teammate Jimmy Prince will not be making a return trip after dropping a brutal 7-5 decision to Fenton’s Ed Havlovic in triple overtime.
“I’m proud of the way we competed, and this has been like a record-setting year for us in terms of the heart we’ve displayed and the courage we’ve shown,” said Grayslake North coach Tom Frye. “We had kids step up even when you thought they might not show up.”
Vernon Hills also had four of its five finalists advance to state, led by third-ranked 125-pounder Gideon Yim (38-2) — who toppled Gussarson 6-1 in the finals.
“This week I just came in ready to wrestle and my goal is to win state this year,” said Yim, a three-time state qualifier. “I’ve been practicing hard since the week before regionals and I just need to stay focused.”
Cougars senior Dan Klema will be making back-to-back trips to state after holding off Wauconda’s Tim Alvarado 2-1 for third place at 145.
Vernon Hills junior 285-pounder Jeremy Brazil (38-6) took first place with a 5-0 decision over Johnsburg’s Zach Didriksen.
Vernon Hills will also be represented by sophomore David Pierce, who placed third at 140.
“Brazil can beat anybody right now, he’s wrestling that well,” said Vernon Hills coach Jerry Miceli. “I was really happy the way Dan Klema came back to take third place after losing to the Gordon Tech kid.”
Grayslake Central has three repeat state qualifiersm as Hein, 103-pounder Bobby Raines (third) and 189-pounder Joey Valdivia (third) are going back to Champaign.
“All three of them wrestled great and that was probably the best Bobby (Raines) has wrestled all year,” said Grayslake Central coach Dan Catanzaro. “Joey (Valdivia) lost a tough one in the semifinals, but he bounced back and he had four pins this weekend.”
Lakes will also have three wrestlers heading south, including senior Kyle Gibson (35-9), who pinned Pearl for the 140-pound crown.
The Eagles got a second-place finish from 135-pounder Tyler Booth, and a third from 130-pounder Jose Collado.
“Gibson put in his time in the off-season, he did all the right things, and he put himself in a position where he was in control of what he did,” said Lakes coach Curt Onstad. “Tyler (Booth) has always just been really tough, he did really well last year, and he wrestled a lot in the off-season.”
Besides Ed Havlovic, younger brother Sean Havlovic advanced to state for Fenton by winning the 135-pound crown.
But the Bison struggled overall Saturday with only one of their seven individuals winning their third-place bouts.
“We’re obviously disappointed, and we gave away points throughout this round,” said Fenton coach Brian Hastings. “Ed (Havlovic) wrestled tough, and Sean (Havlovic) fights for every point so he did an outstanding job of doing what he does.”