Marmion runs regional streak to seven

Trevor Chumbley turned the highly anticipated showdown between future Big Ten athletes into an anti-climactic rout Saturday afternoon in Aurora.

A defending state champion, Chumbley, headed to Northwestern, did not allow the Illinois-bound Phillip Sims of Metea Valley a single point in securing a third-period technical fall.

The Chumbley prowess was emblematic of yet another dominant Marmion performance as the Cadets crowned half of the 14 champions at their Class 3A wrestling regional to hand DuPage Valley Conference champion Naperville Central a 225-169.5 setback.

It was the seventh consecutive largest-class regional title for Marmion, which will seek to extend its same streak of team state-qualifying berths against Catholic League rival Mt. Carmel in 16 days at the Sandburg sectional final.

Marmion and Naperville Central, which had three champions, advanced 11 and 8 competitors, respectively, to the Bolingbrook sectional on Saturday for a berth to the individual state championship in Champaign the following week.

"It prepares us for everything," Chumbley said of the Cadets' national schedule during the regular season. "Our coaches challenge us to compete against the best wrestlers in the nation. It brings out your flaws."

Waubonsie Valley had back-to-back champions at 220 pounds and heavyweight in placing fifth; Batavia, third, and sixth-place Metea Valley had one champion apiece.

Like Chumbley, Marmion boasts the No. 1 wrestler in his division in 106-pounder Diego Sotelo.

A reigning state runner-up at the starting weight, Sotelo also had a technical fall to start the Marmion run.

"I am not satisfied with a couple point lead," Sotelo said. "I like to score as many points as possible."

The Chumbley triumph at 145 pounds culminated an unblemished Marmion run of five successive championships beginning with Harvard recruit AJ Jaffe storming to the title at 120 pounds.

Walter Green (126), Nathan Callaway (132) and Ryan Fleck (138) sandwiched the two one-sided wins for Marmion.

"I had my team firmly behind me," Callaway said.

"It clearly wasn't an upset," Fleck said of defeating Batavia top-seed Mikey Caliendo 8-2. "I controlled the entire match."

The Cadets' Brad Gross earned the final regional title with a fall only 45 seconds into the 160-pound final.

But it has been a trying season for the Cadets' reigning state runner-up after losing his father suddenly over the Thanksgiving weekend.

"(Winning a fourth straight regional championship) helps the frustration, anger and all that emotion out," Gross said.

David Jaffe (113) and Pat Daum (170) were the only Marmion finalists not to ascend to the top of the podium.

Justin Major headlined the six qualifiers for Batavia.

Narrowly denied a state berth last year, Major pinned prized Waubonsie Valley freshman Antonio Torres midway through the second period of the 152-pound final.

"I saw his head was down," Major said. "It was a near-side cradle. That's my bread-and-butter move. I used it to win (the DuKane) Conference (title) last week."

Caliendo earned an automatic berth to Bolingbrook for Batavia by making the final at 138 pounds; the Bulldogs also have Alex Cruz (second, 132), Andy Posledni (third, 145), Adan Mendoza (third, 195) and 220-pound runner-up Alex Richards in the field at Bolingbrook.

West Aurora has three sectional qualifiers in Anthony Malcyzk (160), Dzhabrail Khurshidov (195) and heavyweight Abbas Abdulkadhim.

Jackson Punzel is 12 pounds lighter for his senior year at Naperville Central.

But the weight loss did not deny the Wheaton College recruit a first regional title on Saturday.

The Redhawks' standout improved to 38-3 with a hard-fought 6-3 decision over Marmion senior Patrick Daum in the 170 final.

"I am naturally a 182-pounder," Punzel said. "I was getting to my (positions) as best as I can (in the final). I was staying really focused."

Tyler Driessens and Ben Chianchetti had much easier routes to their regional titles for the Redhawks.

The former, a senior 113-pounder, took an early lead never to be lost in a decisive 15-7 victory over Marmion freshman Michael Jaffe.

"I just had a lot more confidence (against a freshman)," Driessen said. "I had the mindset to go out and win the regional and then go downstate and place."

Cianchetti had a first-round bye at 195 pounds and moved into the finals with a first-period fall.

The Redhawks' senior is 33-2 after West Aurora sophomore Dzhabrail Khurshidov could not answer the bell in the championship match due to a semifinal injury.

Waubonsie Valley senior Garrett St. Clair, ranked among the top 220-pounders all season, won his second consecutive major championship in as many weeks.

The DVC champion last week at home, St. Clair scored the first 8 points in his eventual 10-4 win over Batavia junior Alex Richards.

"It's a great feeling," St. Clair said of his first postseason championship. "But the goal is to go to state and place. That's always my main goal."

Waubonsie Valley heavyweight Charles Millington had the ultimate payback against East Aurora counterpart Ulises Apantenco.

"He pinned me last year (at the regional)," Millington said.

But Millington returned the favor in the third period against the Tomcats' 285-pounder in the final.

"This year I was able to take him down pretty quickly (in the third)," Millington said.

The lone finalists for Wheaton Warrenville South, Dominic Duve, and Naperville North, Drake McIntyre, had to settle for runner-up finishes at 126 and 160 pounds.