Sisauri ties for horse title; Feltman-Frank second on high bar

The pressure was on Saturday night at the 64th Annual boys gymnastics state finals at Hinsdale Central.

And while he is only a freshman, Cary-Grove's Luka Sisauri did not seem to mind the scrutiny of the extra judges as he tied for first place in the state on pommel horse with a 9.15.

Sisauri's outstanding routine was matched by all-around state champion Nomondalai Jamiyankhuu of Niles West with a 9.15 as they edged third-place finisher Ryan Durkin of Naperville Central (9.05).

"I made a few mistakes, but overall I did pretty well," said Sisauri, who reached the finals with a stellar 9.2 routine in the preliminary round. "I thought it was really cool, and it was my first time with everybody supporting me and it was way different than club (gymnastics)."

Sisauri plans to compete in both high school and club gymnastics next year, and Cary-Grove coach Levan Sisauri has high hopes and expectations for his son following his outstanding freshman campaign. Sisauri placed 20th in the all-around Friday.

"I couldn't ask for any better, and being a freshman this is a good way to start competing in high school because he's the first boy from Cary-Grove to take first place and get the gold," said Levan Sisauri. "He's going to improve on all of the events, and these past two days he showed me the best confidence I've ever seen from him."

After capturing its fifth state championship Friday night, Stevenson had three individuals reach the state finals Saturday. The Pats were led by senior Arie Feltman-Frank, who took the second-place medal on high bar with an 8.55.

Stevenson senior Elijah Klaber tied for sixth on parallel bars while sophomore teammate Matt Krames tied for eighth on parallel bars. Krames also tied for 10th on high bar after coming through with a career-high 50.75 points for sixth in the all-around Friday.

"It was a great way to end the weekend (for Feltman-Frank), and only us and Willowbrook had three kids from one team to make the finals," said Stevenson coach Eric Liva. "Elijah (Klaber) missed getting a medal by on place on parallel bars and Krames was absolutely the difference-maker on Friday."

Mundelein's future looks pretty bright after junior Brandon Swanson took fourth on vault with a 9.05. Swanson also added a tenth-place tie on high bar while sophomore teammate Greg Godellas gained valuable state meet experience with a 10th on pommel horse.

"I think I did well today, I definitely could have done better, but there's always next year," said Swanson. "I took ninth in the state all-around, so next year I'm definitely going to be more confident and I'll probably have more requirements to boost my score."

Fremd junior Cole Patton is definitely another gymnast to keep an eye on next year after Patton soared to the fifth-place medal on floor exercise with a 9.15.

"It was great, I felt pretty good, and I was pretty nervous leading up to the finals," said Patton, whose team placed seventh in the state Friday. "I just told myself to relax and have fun and I just really focused on keeping it clean and hitting the landings."

Hersey's twin duo of juniors Jon and Matt Phelps both reached the finals on vault, with Jon tying for sixth place with an 8.9. After placing eighth in the state last year, Matt had to settle for an 11th-place tie Saturday.

"They tied each other at sectionals to get here, then they tied to qualify for the finals (with a 9.2) which is pretty incredible itself," said Hersey coach Dustin Berman. "It wasn't the outcome we were looking for, but we are fortunate that they are back next year and they can make finals in some more events."

After placing in third in the state all-around Friday, Dundee-Crown junior Satchel Hudson placed ninth on still rings. Hudson placed sixth in the state on vault as a freshman. But he missed the finals on vault by a tenth of a point Saturday due to a rough landing on his dismount.

"He was trying so hard to stick his landing on vault that he took two extra steps," said Dundee-Crown coach Steve Gertz. "We just had a little swinging issue on still rings and that's what got us tonight. We just want to be competing for the top spot next year (in all-around), and he just has to be confident on pommel horse and clean up his still rings routine."

Palatine sophomore Prakash Nigam tied for sixth on still rings and tied for eighth on parallel bars.

"For him to get to the finals on two events will be a big motivator for next year," said Palatine coach Scott Hagel, whose team placed 11th in the state. "I think state is definitely within our reach, and the guys are already talking about some tricks they can use next year."

Buffalo Grove senior Sasha Varvaruk placed ninth on floor.

"He's a state finalist and he worked hard to get himself to be a quality gymnast from his freshman year to now," said Buffalo Grove coach Zack Crandall. "The fact that he made the state finals shows his level of hard work."

Schaumburg coach Erik Bostrom was named IHSGCA coach of the year after guiding the Saxons to their first Elite Eight appearance in 16 years.