James “Tony” Valentino worked harder and longer for his 30th victory than for any of his previous 29.
The St. Viator senior heavyweight needed nearly eight minutes to put away Marist’s Elijah Teague to win the East Suburban Catholic Conference title on Friday in Mundelein.
Valentino (30-0), an Elk Grove resident, was the clear favorite against Teague (17-15) but conceded a take-down off the opening whistle before methodically working his way back to 2-2 by the end of the second period. Neither wrestler tallied a point until Valentino recorded an escape to open the second overtime and held on for the win.
“It was a long time coming,” Valentino said of his hard-fought first ESCC crown.
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“I felt strong all throughout the match, and I knew I could go as long as I had to because of all my extra work conditioning.”
The audience inside Carmel’s Salvi Gym was on its feet, with fans of other schools picking a side as the match went along.
Lions junior Jake Wolf’s title-winning performance at 170 pounds did not require much drama. Wolf (25-7) bult a strong lead against Notre Dame junior Sam Grillo in the final and won 7-3.
“I didn’t get a chance to see (Grillo) in his earlier match, so I tried to look up some video, or his rankings online, but found nothing,” said Wolf, a Lake Zurich resident. “So I tried to stay clear of any tie-ups and to get that early take-down, and once I did, I got stronger as the match went on.”
Matt Dziubyk (160) and John Finnegan (195) earned fourth-place medals for St. Viator.
Michael Garofola is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press