Conant's Stiles savors state championship
CHAMPAIGN - Ethan Stiles is a state champion for a second time after the Conant 152-pounder kept the explosive Damari Reed (Shepard, 35-1) from putting any kind of attack together, winning the championship match 1-0 before a big crowd at the 84th annual state wrestling tournament Saturday at State Farm Arena on the campus of the University of Illinois.
Reed, a returning state champion and ranked No 1 failed to find any rhythm to his game, thanks in part to the tactically and technically skilled Stiles (30-1), who took advantage of Reed's choice to start down in the second period, then rode his fierce rival to break the spirit of Reed for the next four minutes.,
"One of the things that I take great pride in is being able to ride my opponents hard, so when I get on top I feel like I am both physically and mentally strong enough to do that each time out," said the junior Stiles, who began his prep career at Montini Catholic before his transfer to Conant.
"Ethan is a real joy to have in the room. He leads by example and does all the right things to be the best that he can be, including eating right, training intelligently and working on all the little things that have made him a two-time state champion," said Conanr coach Andrew Guilde.
The highly anticipated 132-pound final, featuring No. 1 Nasic Bailey (Rich Township, 41-0) versus No. 2 Will Baysingar 47-2) from Prospect ended on the wrong side of a 6-2 decision for Baysingar.
"I didn't come in doing anything different from what I always do. I think if I could have made it 2-1 after his takedown in the first period, I could have pushed the pace, maybe forced him to stall, then get to my ties and go to work on him," said Baysingar, who was looking to claim his second state title of his career.
"It's disappointing for sure, but I know in 365 days, I'll be back in the finals and coming back with a state title," said the Knights' junior.
Fremd's Wiley Jessup, who rebounded from a less than dazzling finish at the Barrington sectional one week ago ran through the 106 bracket and into the final, where No. 1 Seth Mendoza (Mount Carmel, 32-9) unleashed a wicked attack on the Fremd senior during an impressive technical fall triumph.
" I knew Seth was very good, but I really never expected him to overwhelm me the way he did. He was clearly the better man in our final," said Jessup, (42-6). "It doesn't feel real good right now, but I know in a day or two I'll look back and say that this was a great weekend and a fantastic achievement."
Evan Gosz (113, 42-9) and Charlie Fifield (145, 45-6) gave regional champion Fremd three state medal winners, when the freshman Gosz went home with third-place honors and Vikings captain Fifield finished fourth.
"Ever since seventh grade I would dream of coming downstate and winning a state title. When that was not going to happen, I had to quickly turn my attention toward third place, which I fell just short of," said Fifield, who will attend the University of Illinois in the fall, and wrestle for former Illini star Michael Poeta.
"It was disappointing to lose in my semifinal to Noah (Tapia, Moline) but he's a great wrestler, and returning state champion. He was a little better than me in our match," said Fifield of his 4-1 loss to Tapia.
Gosz, who will anchor the Vikings' lineup next season along with fellow state qualifiers Maddox Khalimsky (132, 32-9) and Casey Bending (220, 38-14) dazzled in wrestleback action after a heartbreaking loss in overtime in the semifinals to eventual state runner-up Damian Recendez (30-9) from Mt. Carmel.
"I could have done things a little differently against Recendez, but to come back to beat a great wrestler like Trevor (Silzer, Andrew, 34-4) is something I am very proud of," said Gosz, who won six majors in his rookie season.
A key figure in the rags-to-riches tale of the revival of wrestling at Hersey, Manny Mejia (46-7), brought home the first state medal for the program since 2013 when assistant coach Hunter Rollins was runner-up at 160.
"For a guy who really began in this sport in eighth grade he's come a long, long way and I really feel like he's one of those guys who is a diamond in the rough when he goes on to wrestle at Harper College, then somewhere afterward," said Rollins, whose 44-win season in 2013 has been eclipsed by two by Mejia.
Barrington senior Brian Beers (43-8) closed out a wonderful four-year career for the Broncos' three-time state qualifier, who claimed his first state medal at 126 pounds.
"Our weight class was just loaded from top-to-bottom, so it feels really good to come out of here with a fourth-place finish," said Beers, who went 37-10 in his first trip to state in 2019, then 38-10 in 2020.
Henry Chang gave it all he had during the last month of the season and the Conant senior was rewarded for his effort with a sixth-place finish at 195 pounds.
"Just a great tournament for Henry and for that matter, it was a great last month of the season for I guy who I am really proud of," said Guilde.
Brady Phelps conquered a handful of opponents in his first trip downstate and the Schaumburg freshman knows the next three seasons could produce bigger and better results.
Phelps (30-6) claimed sixth-place honors from a very deep 106-pound weight class, highlighted by his 4-3 victory over sectional champion Dominic Ducato (Jacobs) in his second round wrestleback contest to keep him alive in the medal hunt.
"I had high expectations at the start of the season, one of which was getting onto the medal stand this weekend and I really believe if I continue to do the work I can be competing for a state title one day," said Phelps, who claimed a regional title last month.