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player ready...Lincoln-Way West’s Noah Keefe was looking forward to another go-around with Oak Forest’s two-time state champion, Danny Swan.
It won’t happen.
Despite both wrestlers winning regional titles on Saturday, Swan dropped down a class to 126 pounds for the state series.
“That was kind of our plan for the majority of the year,” Oak Forest coach Shawn Forst said. “It worked out a lot better for us to have him go at 132 during the year. He basically did it for the team and for the other guys.”
Mousa Jodeh (138), Patrick Kristin (170) and Nick Graziano (220) added titles for the Bengals, who topped the field in one of the most competitive Class 2A regionals in the state.
One reason it was rugged was at 113, where Rich Central’s Jabari Moody defeated Oak Forest’s Francis Edelen 9-8 in a rematch of last season’s state finals.
“The place was exploding,” Forst said. “Moody controlled the whole first period, but we stepped it up and Francis took him down at the end of third to make it 9-8. We got a one-count and almost ended up winning it.”
Tinley Park finished second behind three pins from unbeaten Eric Schultz (195). Marian Catholic took third, Crete-Monee fourth and Rich East fifth.
Marian and Rich East both notched three titles. Josh Jones (120), Jose Champagne (152) and Kendell Norfleet (160) won for the Spartans. Rich East was paced by Kevin Radcliffe (106), Kendall Miller (145) and heavyweight Tywaun Molex.
Soto earns redemption
Bremen’s Javier Soto topped Oak Forest’s Ahmad Ashkar in a battle of state podium hopefuls at 182. Soto rebounded from an early-season loss to Ashkar and a third-place showing at the South Suburban tournament, which Ashkar won.
“Last week, our coaches brought a lot of alumni and former champions back to come beat on me so I could get better,” Soto said. “I’ve been working harder than usual. Losing is a good motivator.”
Losing isn’t something Soto does often. The regional title win was the third of his career. He was a state-placer at 182 last season.
L-Way West moves on
It didn’t take long for Keefe and Lincoln-Way West to run away from the competition in the 2A LaSalle-Peru Regional.
Six championship bouts in and the Warriors had five titles: Tom Buell (113), Joey Schloegal (120), Amier Khamis (126), Keefe (132) and Kyle Ruettiger (138).
“It feels like all our work during the season is paying off, and this is the perfect time for it to happen,” Keefe said. “We have great coaches that help get us ready every year for state.”
Keefe’s been a dominant force all season. The SouthWest Suburban champion used a tech-fall and pin to win the second regional title of his career after receiving a first-round bye.
“If it’s a guy I know I can handle, I try keep the match going the full six minutes so I can work on my moves and technique,” Keefe said. “I want to feel the burn in my lungs to help prepare me for bigger matches.”
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Logan Malloy is a freelance writer.