Bystol, Munster power ahead
CHAMPAIGN - Matt Bystol has it ... Lee Munster really has it.
But the dynamic duo couldn't match the wow factor of Lane Tech freshman, Max Schneider, who sent shock waves through the 135-pound bracket on an upset-filled Friday afternoon on day No. 1 at the Class 3A state tournament in Champaign.
Schneider (40-3) dashed the dreams of No. 1 seed Ellis Coleman (Oak Park) when he pinned the nationally ranked pretournament favorite, bringing the big crowd out of its seats in disbelief at 5:55.
"With all due respect to (Ellis) I am not surprised that Max pulled off the upset," said Munster, who has gotten to know and watch Schneider during the off-season. "I've seen how strong (he) is and he took the opportunity, and that was it in that match."
Munster (43-0) didn't want to be any part of any upset-related acts as the Grant junior validated his No. 1 stop high atop the 171 bracket after a high-octane performance in his opening techical fall victory over Jose Piazno (Reavis), which was followed up with an impressive 5-1 victory against No. 5 Matt Dwyer (Hononegah) to advance into today's 9:30 a.m. semifinal round.
Munster will face No. 3 Sterling Hecox (Machesney Park, 36-3). One more victory will put him into the final Saturday night.
"There's a lot for me to prove after (last) year when I was unable to even come home with a medal," said Munster, who earlier in this season had Dwyer for the title at the Sycamore tournament.
Munster leads a small contigent from the area well-positioned to bring home some of the more glamourous hardware Saturday night, including Bystol (112, 42-5) and NSC compatriots Kevin Fanta (Lake Zurich, 135) as well as Class 2A titans Matt Holmes (Lakes) and Scott Carlson (Wauconda), in addition to Antioch senior Tom Gerstner (36-7) and Gideon Yim (34-9) of Vernon Hills.
Bystol, who will meet No. 1 Edwin Cooper (Providence, 36-1), looked nearly perfect in his opening round bout which resulted in a fall, but then had to dig down a little deeper to get past a terrific opponent in Brandon Rubino of St. Charles East 5-2.
"Getting that first takedown to go ahead felt real good and it gave me a big boost in confidence," said the Libertyville junior.
Fanta (40-2) rose up for his first-round bout and with a blistering attack and defeated Andrew Kovalsky (Naperville Central).
The LZ senior had a much more difficult time against a quality opponent in Brendan Murphy (Marian) and was pushed to the brink until scoring with 12 seconds remaining in OT to gain a 5-4 victory 5-4 and a shot at No. 3 Spartak Chino (37-4) of Wheaton Warrenville South in the semis.
"I knew, despite the tight match, that Kevin was in that match (mentally) long before the final outcome," said LZ coach Dan Strickler, "so I had a lot of faith in the final outcome."
Holmes (41-4) and Carlson (40-3), believed to be the class of their respective divisions, showed why by convincingly going past their opponents to ensure spots in the semifinals.
Holmes, here for the second straight season, wiped away the cobwebs of a long day of waiting and watching by ambushing Greg Jacquez (Aurora Central Catholic) with a technical fall at 4:44.
"Waiting almost 12 hours before wrestling in my first match of the day was really taxing on my mind and body," said Holmes, who nonetheless opened up early and often against Jacquez.
Carlson, the top-seed at 152 all season long, was superb in his lone bout sending Andy Ifft (Pontiac) into the consolation bracket after a 14-5 major decision. The two-time state qualifier next meets Reggie Hunt of Bremen.
Gerstner enjoyed his first state appearance with a pair of victories and a place in the semis against No. 1 T.J. Wuellner (Civic Memorial, 42-2).
"I cannot believe how nervous I was before my first match, but scoring first really helped settle me down," said the Antioch senior.
Yim narrowly advanced after a 4-3 thriller against Eric Meyer (Morton) but found the gas pedal in his quarterfinal and didn't let up until posting a technical fall at 5:50.
"I've got to give a lot of credit to my teammate (Oscar Ramirez) who has been a great training partner during my preparation for this weekend," said Yim, who now faces No. 2 Kent Williams of Mascoutah.
Following the semifinals, another round of wrestlebacks will take place, leading up to the third- and fifth-place bouts set to begin at 3 p.m. Championship matches at both 2A and 3A are scheduled for 6:30 p.m.