The best wrestlers in Illinois are tough, smart and skilled. They also possess a trait that Hampshire’s Wylie Allen is happy to have.
“Being stubborn helps. You have to refuse to accept losing,” Allen said. “If you refuse to lose in any situation on the mat, you can’t lose the period and you can’t lose the match. It’s an attitude that you won’t let that happen.”
Of course, losing is a part of the sport, and most state champions suffer a loss here and there during the course of the regular season. And with a 32-3 record at 152 pounds, Allen is poised to ride his stubbornness as far as it will take him.
After placing second at Saturday’s Class 2A Rochelle Regional, the Whip-Purs senior is aiming to make a little history in the process.
“He wants to be the first Hampshire High School wrestler to place in the state of Illinois,” Hampshire coach Brian Iossi said. “Wylie has an edge to him, and he’s very hungry right now.”
Allen, his brother Casey (132), and teammates Max McGowan (160) and Pawel Barnas (285) will compete at one of the state’s toughest individual sectionals hosted by Washington on Friday and Saturday.
Wrestling at 132 last season, Wylie Allen failed to qualify for the sectional. That makes this year’s opportunity particularly special.
According to Illinois Matmen’s rankings, five of the state’s top seven wrestlers at 152 will be present at Washington, so finishing in the top four and advancing downstate would be especially gratifying for Allen.
“I know if I get out of that sectional — and honestly, I expect myself to win it — then I’m in a very good place to reach my goal of getting on that podium at the end of the year. And that’s all that matters,” Allen said.
Allen shines in the top position, where he can impose his stubbornness on an opponent.
“Guys can prepare for it to try to beat it, but riding is what I do well,” Allen said. “I know I can put people on their backs or at least ride them out for a long period of time, where they’re just wasting energy down there.”
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Allen’s only losses have come to two ranked opponents that will also compete at Washington’s sectional meet. Iossi has no doubt that his senior can avenge those losses and advance to Champaign.
“He just needs to take out those small nuances in his game that can cost him a match,” Iossi said. “But Wylie is at a level now where he can compete with the best of them.”
Jacquez returns: West Aurora junior Isaac Jacquez missed the Upstate Eight Conference meet due to injury, but last year’s fifth-place state medalist at 113 gutted out a comeback 6-5 decision Saturday at 120 pounds against Naperville Central’s Jake Keating to win a 3A regional title at Naperville North.
“He’s a really good kid, he was on the attack a lot, and he knew what my weaknesses were,” Jacquez said. “I haven’t been a hundred percent these last few weeks so I just had to come out and wrestle the best I could.”
The hard way: With only three wrestlers from each weight advancing through Saturday’s 3A regional, the third-place mat at Naperville North was heartbreaking for one wrestler from each of 14 weight classes.
North’s Quinn McKenna was one of the fortunate 14 wrestlers to advance to Friday’s sectional meet at Batavia, thanks to a 3-2 decision at 145 over West Aurora’s Cory Bunnetto.
“You wrestle more conservative on the third-place mat because one bad decision can end your season,” McKenna said. “It’s a lot of pressure. I’m just happy to be moving on to the sectional.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.