BLOOMINGTON — Sandburg used a youth movement, Oak Forest wielded a veteran crew and Lockport found an even balance somewhere in between at Saturday’s dual-team wrestling state tournament.
The common denominator? All three Southland programs left U.S. Cellular Coliseum with a state trophy.
“It just goes to show how good our area is at the sport and how tough these kids are,” Sandburg senior Tom Slattery said.
With 12 of 14 starters set to return next season, Sandburg captured the best finish of the bunch. The Eagles punched their ticket to the Class 3A state finals with a 55-12 quarterfinal victory over Lincoln-Way Central and a 34-24 semifinal win against Glenbard North, which defeated the Eagles by 20 earlier in the year.
“Sandburg, just unbelievable,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Jason DePolo said. “They’re so good, and it’s all on them. Those coaches just know how to do it.”
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Sandburg’s reward was a championship battle with Oak Park-River Forest, widely viewed as the No. 1 team in the country. Sandburg picked up four victories but fell to the reigning state champions 39-16.
Third-place individual finisher Patrick Brucki (195), runner-up Louie Hayes (106), state champion Rudy Yates (126) and Slattery, a state medalist at 160, earned victories in their final bouts.
“They’re a powerhouse, but I think we competed,” Slattery said. “It felt really good being in the finals as a senior with the team. It made it that much more of a good memory. I’m really happy with the way the season ended.”
The runner-up showing marks the eighth time since 2005 that Sandburg finished among the state’s top three.
Meanwhile in 2A, Oak Forest was one match away from facing Montini in the state finals, but the Bengals fell to Washington 33-28 in a back-and-forth semifinal. Oak Forest rebounded with a 32-23 win against Crystal Lake Central for the program’s second straight third-place finish.
“We weren’t going to walk out losing with a fourth place,” Patrick Kristin said. “We were going to walk out with our heads up, finishing strong as the last time suiting up as Bengals.”
Kristin (170 pounds) was one off five state medalists to earn victories for the Bengals on Saturday along with Francis Edelen (113), three-time state champion Danny Swan (126), Mousa Jodeh (138) and Nick Graziano. All but Graziano are set for graduation.
“It was a special year for us,” Kristin said. “We’ve been best friends growing up whole lives, the whole lineup. Even though we didn’t achieve all our goals, we’ll never forget the year we had.”
Lockport finished fourth in 3A for the first state trophy in the program’s storied history. The Porters defeated Deerfield in the quarterfinals but lost to Oak Park-River Forest and Glenbard North in their final two duals.
“It’s great to make history,” Lockport senior Tyler Johnson said. “It’s a good start to a new beginning. I feel like we’re going to have many more in the future.”
Johnson, a North Carolina State recruit who returned from a torn ACL in January, finished his career strong. He pinned Glenbard North’s Luke Greenberg in his final bout. Greenberg topped Johnson in the state semifinals last weekend.
Lockport’s state champion, Shayne Oster (138), and medalists Abdullah Assaf (113) and Trevell Timmons (152) are all slated to return. Senior state qualifier Chris Murino (220) was also strong.
Lemont — alongside Lincoln-Way Central — was ousted in the state quarterfinals. The Indians fell to 2A foe Crystal Lake Central.
Logan Malloy is a freelance writer.