Montini, Crystal Lake Central exert themselves at Lakes
There were few surprises during the Class 2A Lakes dual team wrestling sectional in Lake Villa.
Top-ranked Montini proved Tuesday night why it is ranked No. 1 in the state, while Crystal Lake Central showed why it has become a consistent qualifier in the Elite Eight team tournament.
Starting at 120 pounds, Montini (16-2) rolled to a 56-18 victory over St. Patrick (23-8) in one of the Super Sixteen dual meets. The Broncos coasted, despite not using their full lineup.
Montini will face Taylorville sectional winner Carbondale in the state quarterfinals at 11 a.m. Saturday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington. The Terriers defeated Mahomet-Seymour 36-33 to advance downstate.
Crystal Lake Central (19-9) fell behind Antioch (12-21) 4-0, but the Tigers turned the tables quickly on the Sequoits by building a commanding 37-7 advantage after nine matches.
From there, CLC cruised to a 46-25 win to advance to the Elite Eight quarterfinals at 11 a.m. Saturday against Lemont.
With eight state medalists last weekend in the individual state tournament, including six champions, Montini continued its dominance Tuesday. The Broncos will be going for their 12th state title overall and eighth in a row when they descend on Bloomington Saturday morning.
Will Lewan's technical fall at 120 got Montini rolling against St. Patrick, before two-time state champion Dylan Duncan notched a pin at 132 to give the Broncos an 11-6 lead.
James Pawelski moved from 126 up to 138 to earn a 15-4 major decision, before teammate Caleb Fortuna's 11-5 decision at 145 increased the Broncos' lead to 18-6.
"Pawelski showed he can wrestle up a weight class this weekend," Montini coach Israel Martinez said.
Edward Laviste added a 7-5 decision for Montini at 152, before the teams traded forfeits at 160 (Montini state champ Luke Fortuna) and 170. Then three-time state champ Xavier Montalvo (40-3) picked up a forfeit win at 182 and the Broncos led 33-12.
After a pin by St. Patrick at 195, Montini got pins from Robert Gannon (220) and state champ Michael Johnson (18-0 at 285) to boost the lead to 45-18.
Then a technical fall by 106-pounder Joey Melendez and pin by Holden Heller accounted for the final score. Two-time state champ Vince Turk (138) and state champ Real Woods (106) did not wrestle for Montini.
"It was a great day for us," Martinez said. "We were just gearing up for this weekend, and it was great to see our guys so motivated. ... This team is special because we have an equal amount of freshmen as we do seniors, so they are ready to take their place next year."
Martinez is anticipating a potential showdown against No. 2-ranked Washington in the finals. Montini beat Washington by four points earlier this season, but Washington 120-pound state champ Elijah Oliver did not wrestle in that meet.
"We know we have a tough Washington team ahead of us, and we know the dual can go either way," Martinez said.
An 11-3 major decision by 120-pound state qualifier Nathan Dlugopolski staked Antioch to a 4-0 lead over Crystal Lake Central.
But the Tigers took control of the meet after that point with three pins and a decision, making the score 21-4.
Antioch sophomore Pat Schoenfelder (46-5, fourth in Class 2A) posted a 7-4 decision at 152. But that was the end of the road for the Sequoits, as the Tigers responded with pins at 160 and 170 and a major decision at 182, giving them a 30-point lead with five bouts left.
A forfeit win by Antioch's Koby Gaul (195) was followed by a forfeit win by CLC state champ Andrew Marsden (45-0) at 220. Then CLC state champ Romeo McKnight (41-1) posted a 5-2 decision over Antioch sophomore state qualifier George Bessette at 285.
The Sequoits got forfeit wins from Angelo Passarelli (106) and Jake Gross (113) to make the final score much closer.
"They're a tough team. I thought we had a chance at certain weight classes and it just didn't happen," Antioch coach Wilbur Borrero said. "But nobody ever expected us to get this far and win the regional. So overall it was a good season, and we have a lot of these guys coming back next year."