Despite team loss, Shinhoster shines for Barrington
BLOOMINGTON - Dayven Shinhoster downplayed his accomplishment.
The Barrington junior showed nary an expression of happiness following his 11-0 major decision over Montini's Colin Baker at 220 pounds in the Class 3A state dual-team tournament on Saturday at Grossinger Arena.
Shinhoster (35-4) was one of the few bright spots for Barrington. Montini, which went on to win the state championship, rolled to a 58-10 win in the state quarterfinals to spoil Barrington's quest for the program's third top-four finish.
At 170 pounds, Luke Rasmussen claimed Barrington's only other win via a forfeit.
"Going in, nobody expected us to get a win, for sure," Shinhoster said. "My win was nothing to be excited for, just another match. It was a good experience. We just wanted to keep our heads high."
Shinhoster's rise from unknown wrestler to state individual qualifier ended on a high note at dual-team state. Although football remains his primary sport, Shinhoster is rapidly becoming a standout wrestler.
" (Dayven) acts like he doesn't really like wrestling, but he does like it," Barrington coach Dave Udchik said. "He enjoys being around the team. He's our rah-rah guy, always getting everybody into it. He's been a huge asset to our team,"
Shinhoster said he has never wrestled in the offseason, but currently plans to work with Rasmussen this summer to set himself up for a big senior season. He's also trying to top his older brother's accomplishments. Jaritt Shinhoster, a freshman wrestler at Wisconsin-Whitewater, earned third and fifth place state medals at Barrington.
" (Dayven) is just following in the footsteps of his brother," Udchik said, "but he also wants to beat his brother."
Shinhoster admitted it's been a wild ride this season in wrestling. He won regional and sectional titles and placed fifth at the individual state meet last weekend, losing to two-time state champion Peter Christensen of Montini in the 195-pound semifinals.
"Coming into the season, I never expected to be even placing (at state), so this whole wrestling year has been exciting and definitely more than I expected," Shinhoster said.
Brian Beers nearly ended a strong freshman season on a high note, but dropped a 7-5 decision to Montini's Joe Fernau at 106. Beers (37-12) said the experience of wrestling at the state individual meet, dual sectionals and team state will help him next year.
"It was a little bit of a mixed bag for me today," Beers said. "Of course, I wanted to win and maybe should've pushed it harder in certain areas. I just needed to push through it. I have to get better inside the ties and I need to be a bit more diverse. But I learned a lot. I have to be extra committed."
Beating Libertyville in the dual-meet sectionals on Tuesday was a big highlight, Udchik said. The Broncos, despite having a young lineup, advanced to team state for the second season in a row en route to winning 24 of their 28 dual matches.
"This team achieved more than last year because we didn't win conference last year," Udchik said. "Montini was a tough draw, but we did the best we could. Nobody predicted us to make state at the beginning of the year."