Four-time defending state champion Providence found a couple of unlikely heroes in defeating Sandburg 36-27 to win the Class AA Sandburg sectional.
Freshman Matt Collum didn’t make weight and didn’t figure to see any action, and junior Dan Kunzer thought the meet would be over by the time they got to him at 140. Instead, Collum’s pin at 125 pounds and Kunzer’s major decision at 140 gave the Celtics their 25th victory in 26 matches.
“It’s all matchups,” said Providence coach Keith Healy, whose team will face St. Charles East in Saturday’s Class AA quarterfinals at Augustana College in Rock Island. “You’ve got to put the best kids on the mat.”
The Celtics found themselves trailing host Sandburg 21-20 after sophomore standout Zach Berman had to default because of a neck injury. But Collum came through. Collum, a state qualifier at 119 pounds, pinned Raj Vasnani in 2:24 at 125 and Kunzer defeated Ken Schaffer 11-1 in the final match at 140 pounds to keep the Celtics’ hopes alive for an unprecedented fifth state title.
Berman, who was second last weekend at 103 in the Class AA state meet, was trailing 1-0 in the third period when the injury occurred. He appeared to hit his head on the mat during a scramble and complained of neck pain. He was able to move his arms but was taken to Palos Hospital.
“I definitely expect him to wrestle [by Saturday],” said Healy. “I think he will be ready to go. He was upset he couldn’t finish the match. I’m more worried the kid health-wise than about the match.”
Sandburg finished the year with a 20-3 record, with two of those losses to Providence. The Eagles, hurt by injuries and a defection when one wrestler quit the team, had to juggle their lineup to try to pull off the upset.
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“My guys wrestled hard,” said Sandburg coach Mike Polz. “That’s all you can ask. We were definitely the underdogs.”
Providence jumped to an 8-0 lead after major decisions by Don Reynolds and Mike Klimek, who both moved up a weight to 140 and 145 pounds, respectively.
Providence put itself in good position when freshman DeAndre Nunn gave up only an 18-12 decision to Sandburg state placer Joe Wassong at 160 pounds. Nunn threw Wassong three times in the match and was tied 12-12 late in the third period. He went for the throw one too many times as Wassong countered and got back points as the clock ran out.
Sandburg’s changes in the upper weights yielded mixed results. State champion Pete Friedl went up a weight to 189 and got a fall, while state 215 qualifier B.J. Haddad moved up to heavyweight and also got a fall. Providence’s Charles Sharp countered with a pin of his own at 215 and Chris Markez got a decision for the Celtics at 171.
Providence got to the finals with a 34-15 victory over Marist. Sharp got a fall at 215 for Providence while Ray Blake had a pin for Marist at 119. Marist got an upset at 103 when Matt Meany defeated Berman 5-2.
Marist wrestled without Andy Betancourt, a state placer a year ago. Betancourt, who had a 30-9 record at 125 pounds, did not qualify as an individual and was absent from school Monday and Tuesday.
“You can only score points with the guys who show up,” said Marist coach Mark Gervais, whose team finished with a 20-3 record. “The guys we had did a great job. They did the best they could.”
Sandburg advanced to the finals with a 57-22 victory over Bloom. The Eagles got falls from Wassong, Friedl, Haddad (215), Gerard Laud (heavyweight), Eric Kruger (112) and Neil Pavela (119).
Reid Hanley.
Barrington: Waukegan won a highly charged match at 145 pounds, the final match of the night, to advance to the state dual meet quarterfinals by defeating Hersey 31-29. Hersey was previously unbeaten in dual matches at 18-0 going into the final.
Ryan Lane won the final match, an 11-5 decision over Dave Franz, to pull Waukegan out of a 29-28 deficit going into the match.
“I knew I was faster,” said Lane, a senior who has compiled a 36-7 record this year. “I tried to use my feet against him.”
Franz had an opportunity to get the pin, but time ran out in the final period.
The last-minute win for Lane was nothing new on the day. He won a 7-1 decision in the sectional semifinal match against Libertyville that broke a 26-26 tie en route to a 29-26 win.
“I had confidence–especially the way he went into the last match [in the semifinals],” Waukegan coach Sam Taylor said of Lane. “He was ready for the challenge.”
Lyons Township: St. Rita rallied from a deficit after four matches to win five straight and blow past Maine South 38-13 in the sectional championship. Two of the five matches came by pins: Jake Vaci at 112 pounds and Jay O’Malley at 135.
“We’ve definitely improved as we have gone along this season,” said St. Rita coach Dan Carrol. “All we can do is keep wrestling and we’ll try to keep the guys focused over the weekend.”
In the semifinals, Maine South blew out Gordon Tech 55-13 while St. Rita beat Catholic League rival Fenwick 43-33.
Bolingbrook: Glenbard North captured eight of 14 bouts on the way to a 43-16 dual team sectional victory over Wheaton North.
Leading 19-12 after nine bouts, the Panthers (23-3) collected pins in four of their last five matches, including heavyweight Ralph Sampson in overtime, 103-pounder Justin Sagil, 119-pounder Joe Gomez and 125-pounder Danny Mancuso.
“I thought we wrestled pretty tough,” said Glenbard North coach Mark Hahn. “Wheaton North we knew would give us everything they had.”
Rockford East: St. Charles East moved to 22-2 in dual meets this year by rolling past Woodstock 53-24 for the sectional title. The reward is a matchup with defending state champion Providence in Friday’s quarterfinal.
The finalists both won close semifinals. The Saints edged past the hosts 36-33, while Woodstock upset Moline, which finished third last year, 40-33.
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“Our approach is to be aggressive, put pressure on and attack,” said St. Charles coach Steve Smerz. “That’s when we wrestle the best.”