Willowbrook's Jessen claims his title
CHAMPAIGN - Fifty wins weren't enough for Jack Jessen this season.
For the second straight year at the Class 3A individual state wrestling tournament at 182 pounds, the Willowbrook senior and Northwestern recruit entered the championship match with 50 consecutive victories.
Unlike his freshman and junior campaigns, however, Jessen did not have to settle for runner-up status.
Pitted against Yorkville sophomore Nick Stemmet, Jessen reversed his lone deficit with a late first-period takedown and added the remainder of the points in the match with an 8-3 victory.
In becoming the fourth undefeated individual champion in program history, Jessen also tied the all-time wins record with 201, held by former Montini greats Garrett Goebel and Stephen Robertson.
"It was on my mind the whole time," Jessen said of the record. "Being down, I wasn't worried at all. I trained for that one moment the whole year. The feeling of success was just overwhelming."
The Jessen triumph marked a second consecutive unblemished season for a local wrestler.
One weight class earlier, Abe Assad perhaps had history against him as his opponent, Marmion senior Nathan Jimenez, was looking to become the third member of his family to win a state championship.
But Assad, a Glenbard North junior, had the only offensive points of the 170-pound championship with three takedowns to win 7-4.
He also credited Austin Gomez, the Panthers' undefeated state champion last year.
"He not only helped me in wrestling practice but also mentally," said Assad, who improved to 47-0 with four potential team dual meets still remaining. "(Jimenez) likes to wrestle on the edge. I knew I was going to have to finish my shots in the circle. I kept my composure and finished the takedowns."
Of the four Montini state champions at the University of Illinois' State Farm Center on Saturday night, Peter Christensen secured his county leadership in the process.
Meeting for a third consecutive postseason tournament against Downers South 195-pounder Sergio Villalobos, Christensen had a reversal to trump the same move by the Mustangs' senior seconds earlier en route to a 5-4 victory.
"Whatever I could get, I tried shooting," said Christensen (44-5). "There were a couple of times he almost got me. I just kept moving my feet."
"It is what it is," said Villalobos (43-2), whose only defeats came at the hands of the Broncos' junior.
Real Woods' third state title for Montini was realized with a technical fall at the buzzer at 132 pounds.
"The state tournament is where it's at," the Stanford-bound Woods said.
Jake Stiles' 50th win on the year for Montini proved to be a 4-3 victory over Mt. Carmel senior Kendall Coleman at 145.
In another Hinsdale Central sectional rematch, the Broncos' Matt Ortiz upended Marmion junior Brad Gross in overtime with the 4-2 triumph at 160 pounds.
The Ortiz win came three weight classes after Marmion junior Trevor Chumbley shut out Fidel Mayora, the Montini 138-pounder.
Dylan Ragusin and Will Lewan also fell in title matches for Montini at 113 and 152 pounds, respectively.
Joey Bianchini was the lone area small-class state champion for the second straight year.
The IC Catholic Prep senior turned back Chicago Leo senior James Foy 6-3 in the Class 1A 138-pound finals to augment his program-precedent-setting moment from last season.
"I have prepared for this," Bianchini said. "(Foy) was wearing me out. I looked at the clock and just went for it."