St. Charles East's Ben Davino won the Class 3A 120-pound state title Saturday at State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
CHAMPAIGN - Jameson Garcia and Ben Davino made sure there were no doubters Saturday night at the University of Illinois' venerable State Farm Center.
Less than a year removed from winning individual wrestling state championships at the IWCOA-sponsored alternative to the pandemic-shortened season, Garcia and Davino justified their season-long Class 3A top rankings by the IWCOA, the coaches' association, in back-to-back weight classes.
Davino, the St. Charles East 120-pounder who improved his record to 73-1 over his initial two seasons, accrued 19 points in terminating his match with Loyola senior Massey Odiotti on a technical fall.
Moments earlier, Garcia turned back Catholic League rival Damian Resendez of Mt. Carmel with an 11-4 victory at 113 pounds.
Both are sophomores.
"My coaches believed in me," Davino said. "I was the baddest man in the building. There was never a thought of losing. I wanted to dominate the whole time."
Garcia took his latest state triumph in stride.
"I just realized that if I could get those attacks, my stuff would come," Garcia said.
Like the coaches' association substitute state tournament last spring in Springfield, Garcia won a title one class before Davino.
"I would say they're equal and pretty cool in the same way," Garcia said of wins at the two stadiums the last two seasons.
The other two area Class 3A state finalists - Batavia junior Kaden Fetterholf and Marmion senior Tyler Perry - faced monumental tasks against Cole Brower and Braden Thompson from Moline and Lockport, respectively, at 138 and 170 pounds.
Neither area athlete was able to score any offensive points in their losses.
"We wanted to keep (Brower) on his feet," Batavia coach Scott Bayer said of the Fetterholf game plan. "We wanted to keep (Fetterholf) on top, where he is at his most dangerous. We couldn't make it happen."
Brower improved to 46-1 in handing Fetterholf (41-6) the 13-3 defeat.
Thompson ended the storybook Perry season - and hence his prep career - with the 7-2 win and complete a 45-0 season.
"It was my first time making the state tournament," Perry said.
Three Aurora Christian athletes reached the finals.
Joe Fernau, Braden Stauffenberg and Nate Wemstrom were all at 2020 Class 3A team state champion Montini two years ago.
The latter two both won Class 2A titles for the Eagles.
Shane Moran also had a last-ditch effort to win the Class 2A 182-pound effort in his final appearance for Crystal Lake South.
Ino Garcia, of Batavia, wrestles with Deion Johnson of Homewood-Flossmoor in the Class 3A 106-pound third place match at the Individual state finals wrestling tournament in State Farm Arena at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
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Crystal Lake South's Josh Glover celebrates his third-place finish in the Class 2A 113-pound third place match at the Individual state finals wrestling tournament in State Farm Arena at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
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St. Charles East's Tyler Guerra wrestles Providence Catholic's Billy Meiszner in the Class 3A 132-pound third place match at the Individual state finals wrestling tournament in State Farm Arena at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Aurora Christian's Braden Hunter and Niles Notre Dame's Karl Schmalz compete in the Class 2A 285-pound third-place match at the Individual state finals wrestling tournament in State Farm Arena at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Mooseheart's Joshua Gaye struggles in the Class 1A 285-pound third-place match at the Individual state finals wrestling tournament in State Farm Arena at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Aurora Christian's Braden Stauffenberg won the Class 2A 152-pound title.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Marmion Academy's Tyler Perry gets caught by Lockport's Brayden Thompson in the championship bout of the Class 3A 170-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Grayslake Central's Matty Jens battles with Crystal Lake South's Shane Moran in the championship bout of the Class 2A 182-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Crystal Lake South's Shane Moran won the Class 2A 182-pound state title.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Aurora Christians' Nate Wemstrom, right, battles Washington's Donnie Hidden in the championship bout of the Class 2A 195-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
IC Catholic Prep's Isaiah Gonzalez, top, battles Alleman's Charles Jagusah in the championship bout of the Class 1A 285-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Marmion's Jameson Garcia celebrates his Class 3A 113-pound state championship.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Aurora Christian's Joe Fern works against Freeport's Markel Baker in the championship bout of the Class 2A 126-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
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Batavia's Kaden Fetterolf works against Moline's Kole Brower in the championship bout of the Class 3A 138-pound bracket.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
St. Charles East's Ben Davino, right, and Loyola's Massey Odiotti battle in the championship bout of the Class 3A 120-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Grayslake Central's Matty Jens holds the foot of Crystal Lake South's Shane Moran in the championship bout of the Class 2A 182-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Aurora Christian's Nate Wemstrom reacts to beating Washington's Donnie Hidden in the championship bout of the Class 2A 195-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Marmion Academy's Jameson Garcia waits out the last seconds of his victory over Damian Resendez of Chicago Mount Carmel in the championship bout of the Class 3A 113-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Loyola's Massey Odiotti, left, and St. Charles East's Ben Davino battle in the championship bout of the Class 3A 120-pound Individual Wrestling state finals tournament in State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com