Arlis finds plenty of family support

CHAMPAIGN - There was a mini family reunion for the Arlis family at the state wrestling finals last weekend at the University of Illinois' Assembly Hall.

Logan Arlis had his attempt for a perfect season fall short in the Class 3A championship match at 112 pounds against Providence sophomore Edwin Cooper, but the Batavia junior had no shortage of interested spectators.

Arlis not only had his father, Batavia coach Tom Arlis, tutoring him but his two older siblings, brother Clint and sister Taylor, are both Illinois students.

"I get so nervous (watching him)," said Taylor, a freshman animal science major. "I want him to win so bad. He deserves it."

Clint, on the other hand, has been through the ringer of the state tournament. The junior is a reserve on the Illini wrestling team.

"You don't have any easy matches (at the state tournament)," Clint said. "(Logan) hasn't made any mistakes (through the semifinals). This is his tournament. He has not't made any mistakes."

Logan Arlis was only the second wrestler in school history to finish runner-up at the state tournament.

"There were some great scrambles," coach Arlis said of the championship encounter. "I thought (Logan) wrestled pretty well on his feet."

The younger Arlis would like nothing more than to join his brother and sister in Champaign in two years.

"(Illinois) is my dream school," he said. "I want to get stronger (for next year)."

Great Grecos: The theme of family togetherness was taken to a new level when Pat and Eddie Greco became the first state qualifiers in Marmion program history.

The brothers were merely following in the footsteps of their older sister Gina.

Overcoming a knee injury last fall, Gina Greco, a senior at St. Charles East who will attend DePaul next fall, was a key member of the Saints' Class AA fifth-place girls golf team.

"I was so happy that (my brothers) went down there," Gina said. "Making it (to Champaign) is a huge accomplishment in itself. None of us expect (Eddie to finish fifth at 103 pounds), but he did awesome."

Batavia makes history: Before the last weekend, Batavia only had six place-winners in its program history, which dates back more than a half-century.

But Arlis, Danny Watson (third at 171 pounds) and Andrew Rudd (sixth at 160) added an illustrious chapter to Bulldogs wrestling lore.

Rudd was fourth at the Leyden sectional, only to strike back in the consolation bracket after a opening-round loss to eventual runner-up Nick Proctor of Neuqua Valley.

"It was my goal to take a place at state, and I did it," Rudd said. "I feel great."

Rudd has displayed a penchant throughout his two-year varsity career to register pins at key moments, and the senior earned his final prep win via a fall in the fifth-place semifinals.

"(My opponent) was coming into me, and I caught him on his back," Rudd said.

Irreplaceable Webb: The pending graduation of the Watson, Rudd and fellow state qualifier Charlie Ryan is not the only loss Batavia must fill for next season.

Allie Webb has been the Bulldogs' indispensable statistician and team manager the last three seasons.

"She is an MVP in my book," coach Arlis said. "We take care of Allie because she takes care of us. A statistician can actually win a dual match for you. The thing I like most about Allie is that she never looks at the scoreboard; she only goes by the referee. She is very methodical and one of the top students in her class."

Israel Martinez was a household name in prep wrestling circles a decade ago.

Gonzalez impresses Martinez: The West Aurora product had one of the most distinguished careers in state history.

"Israel was an icon in Illinois wrestling," West Aurora assistant coach Dave Hejtmanek said.

Martinez was disqualified in his first high school match as a 112-pound freshman.

He never lost again in high school, winning three consecutive Class AA state titles at 112, 130 and 145 pounds, respectively, between 1998 and 2000.

Martinez won 116 consecutive matches, the fourth longest streak in state history.

Martinez and his older brother Nathan, who won back-to-back state titles, were the last two West Aurora state champions until Mario Gonzalez captured the Class 3A crown at 189 pounds last weekend.

"It's exciting to see someone from West Aurora in the state finals again," said Israel Martinez, an assistant coach at Montini. "(My brother and I) know exactly what (Gonzalez) is going through (in the period between the semifinals and finals). Hopefully, (Gonzalez) will inspire more wrestlers in Aurora."

"That was a great journey (for Gonzalez)," West Aurora coach Mike DiNovo said. "It felt so good to see Mario control that (final) match (against De La Salle senior Clayton Kendall)."

Gonzalez and fellow senior Josh Zinzer will continue their academic and athletic careers at Illinois.

Zinzer earned his second career medal by placing sixth at 125 pounds over the weekend.

While Gonzalez figures prominently in the Illini wrestling program, Zinzer plans to walk on the track and field team.

"Josh Zinzer has been a pleasure to coach," DiNovo said. "He's kind of a throwback, in the sense he's a three-sport athlete. Josh is a tremendous competitor."