Montini salvages triumph vs. Metea Valley
Joey Melendez knew he had to be ready no matter what transpired in the 13 dual-meet wrestling matches proceeding his finale Thursday in Lombard.
"I thought about it a couple times," the Montini sophomore 106-pounder said.
The Broncos were reeling from a serious of haymakers Metea Valley delivered in the closing stretches.
Metea Valley scored 27 unanswered points to trim a 30-point deficit to 3.
But Melendez ended the Mustangs' bid for a remarkable comeback with a first-period fall to secure the 39-30 victory for Montini in the schools' nonconference wrestling match.
"I brought it all out on the mat," Melendez said. "It's a good feeling to get the team the win."
The Melendez fall ended a dramatic turn of events after the Broncos' stable of seasoned state veterans - Real Woods, Jimmy Pawelski, Dylan Duncan and Caleb Fortuna - had one-sided wins to give Montini (1-0) a 33-3 lead after eight matches.
"We're a young team," Montini coach Israel Martinez said. "We tried to create the best matchups."
Woods and Duncan, defending Class 2A champions, had a third-period technical fall and first-period pin in the Broncos' early run.
Montini was so dominant that Metea Valley failed to score any offensive points during the stretch.
But Allen Sims' narrow win at 170 pounds gave the Mustangs a much-needed spark.
Brody Burns then needed less than half the second period to extend the run to 9 points with a pin.
"I was really nervous because this is my first time wrestling varsity," the sophomore said. "I knew we were behind big. I just figured it was my time for my individual time to shine."
Metea Valley then received a forfeit at 195 pounds, and David Rojas' quick fall at 220 pounds made it 33-24.
Bobby Papternik had perfect timing to create an all-or-nothing final match.
The Mustangs' heavyweight had few issues in securing another fall.
Martinez said heavier football players who are undecided about competing have complicated the Broncos' plans.
"They're all seniors and playing Division I or Division II football," Martinez said. "We have some holes in our upper weights."
Metea Valley coach Claudio Torres, meanwhile, said slim wins by the Broncos' Matt Ortiz and Peter Christensen at 145 and 160 pounds were pivotal.
"No, I'm not happy," Torres said about the Mustangs' compelling comeback. "I came here to win. Everybody knows about Montini in the state and nationally."
Montini has been elevated to Class 3A status this year due to the sustained success factor affecting private schools.
"We're up for the challenge," Martinez said. "We wrestle (national) tournaments that are tougher than 3A state. The only thing that threw us for a loop was the timing."