Montini pins Wauconda, earns state berth
Tom Nance guided Wauconda to its first regional wrestling title in program history, but the Bulldogs faced a stern test Tuesday night at the Class 2A Burlington Central sectional - defending Class AA champion Montini and its four reigning individual champions.
"We have a fairly young team," Nance said. "We were looking at this as an educational opportunity to see where we go next."
With the Broncos experimenting with lineup changes and welcoming back old faces, Montini was as powerful as ever. Behind eight falls and a pair of forfeits, Montini cruised into the state quarterfinals with a 67-9 thrashing of Wauconda.
The top-ranked Broncos improved to 28-2 on the season and will face Mahomet-Seymour, the third-ranked program in Class 2A, on Saturday morning at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington.
Wauconda closed its year at 17-5. Elliott Hudson and Dimitri Willis had match-opening falls at 145 and 152 pounds, respectively, to give the Broncos a cushion never to be relinquished.
Scott Carlson won the Bulldogs' first state title in a quarter-century last Saturday in Champaign, and the senior moved up a weight class for a showdown with Montini state champion Isaiah Gonzalez. But Montini coach Mike Bukovsky rested Gonzalez to give Brandon Hensley a shot at the Bulldogs' only state qualifier.
The action was fast and furious in the first period, which ended with Carlson nursing a 6-5 lead. The second period was scoreless, and Hensley tied the match with an opening escape in the third. With overtime looming, however, Carlson had a takedown in the waning seconds to give Wauconda its first win of the night 8-6.
Hensley had missed most of the last two seasons with a knee injury.
"Brandon is a big part of our team," Bukovsky said. "He wasn't healthy enough to go at the (individual) regional. (He) gives us more flexibility in our lineup. He almost beat the state champ."
The inspirational effort by Hensley had a definitive carryover effect on the remaining Montini wrestlers. The Broncos captured the next 10 matches in a variety of manners, combining efficiency and skill.
Alex Saunders and state champion Carl Foreside had back-to-back falls at 171 and 189 pounds. Grant Goebel, another state champion at 215 pounds, extended the Broncos' run to 18 points with a forfeit, and Mike Size, spelling state runner-up Ross Ferraro, eked out a 3-2 win at heavyweight. Kevon Powell needed only 32 seconds at 103 pounds for Montini.
"I prepared for my match," said Powell, third over the weekend in Champaign. "I just do what I have to do."
After another Wauconda forfeit at 112 pounds, Christ DiVito (119 pounds), Eric Powell (125), Stephen Robertson (130) and Colton Rasche (135) all won in convincing fashion.
"It would be great to win as a team," said Robertson, the Broncos' 125-pound state champion who improved to 48-6 on the year. "That would be the final icing on the year. I love the dual setting."
"Every year we talk about how hard it is to come back and wrestle the Tuesday night after the (individual) state tournament," Bukovsky said. "Our guys were ready."