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CHAMPAIGN — Rudy Yates and Kris Williams kept up their end of the bargain, and now the state tournament is in store for one of the more awaited title matches in recent history.

Yates, a junior at Sandburg, and Williams, a senior from Thornwood, are set to meet for the 126-pound Class 3A championship after picking up semifinal victories Friday night.

Fans at the State Farm Center won’t wait long to see the bout, either. The 126-pound division was randomly selected to be the first championship tilt after the Grand March 7 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s a premier matchup,” Yates said. “It’s crazy that they picked that weight (to start). I’ll be ready at 5 p.m. Go out there fresh right after a good warmup and see who wrestles better.”

Yates (39-0) is looking to keep Williams (41-2) from becoming the 15th wrestler in Illinois history to win four state titles. Yates, a 2013 state champion, placed fourth at 113 last year at Brother Rice. He defeated Williams 3-1 in a regional finals match two weeks ago.

“I’ve been thinking about this match a lot — ever since I lost to him at regionals,” Williams said. “I didn’t attack at regionals. I’m going to go out here and take it to him.”

Williams avenged his only other defeat, a sectional loss to Brother Rice’s Juan Blanco, in a tight 6-5 semifinal victory.

For Yates, a wardrobe issue was the most dramatic moment on Friday night. The junior forgot his socks but cruised to a 14-2 win over Harlem’s Dylan Elmore.

“My dad told me 50 times to remember all my stuff,” Yates said. “I thought I left my head gear, too, but I left my socks at the hotel.”

State finalists

Marian Catholic’s Jose Champagne (36-1) dropped his first match of the season in a heartbreaking semifinal — he lost to Montini’s Luke Fortuna (35-6) by way of a 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker — but Marian didn’t go without a finalist.

Kordell Norfleet (36-5) punched his ticket to the Class 2A 160-pound finals in the very next match with a 6-4 win over Pontiac’s Jake Lanning. Norfleet advances to face Washington’s Randy Meneweather, a returning state champion.

“When one of us goes down, the other steps up,” Norfleet said. “I was out there wrestling for me and everyone behind me.”

While Norfleet was one of the bigger surprises from the Southland to make the finals, St. Rita’s Austin O’Connor (44-1) was not.

O’Connor, a returning state champ, was deemed a tournament favorite and is now set to face New Trier’s Alec McKenna in 3A’s 132-pound finals.

“I’m looking to use more speed,” said O’Connor, noting he’s watched some film on McKenna. “Hopefully I get a couple takedowns in the first and get the kid moving. He likes to keep the matches close.”

Sandburg’s Louie Hayes (106), Lockport’s Shayne Oster (138) and Marist heavyweight Jake Ford also advanced to the 3A finals.

In 2A, three title hopefuls emerged from the South Suburban Conference: Oak Forest’s Danny Swan (126), Bremen’s Javier Soto (182) and Tinley Park’s Eric Schultz (195).

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Swan, a Lindenwood recruit, is aiming for his third state title. Meanwhile, Schultz (40-0) is set to tangle with Crystal Lake Central’s Andrew Marsden (44-0) in a battle of unblemished records.

Lockport’s Tyler Johnson (195) and Lincoln-Way Central’s Bryan Ditchman (285) lost closely contested semifinal bouts. Both will look for redemption in the consolation bracket, where two wins would place them third in state.

Logan Malloy is a freelance writer.