Hinsdale South wrestling coach Bobby O’Brien told his Hornets that if they had any hope to win a Class 2A team regional title, they had to do more than just win individual matches.
Senior captain Julian Kinsey and his teammates knew exactly what their coach wanted.
“Winning was important but we had to get pins,” Kinsey said. “We all knew what was needed and that if we wanted a regional title, we had to come together as a team and get bonus points.”
Kinsey posted two pins in winning an individual title at 160 pounds as the Hornets earned bonus points in 16 of the 25 matches they wrestled Saturday. Every pin, tech fall, and major decision was vital to the Hornets, who edged second-place Nazareth 177-174 for the Solorio Regional title and advanced to the team dual sectional.
Both teams were under-manned and entered only 10 wrestlers across 14 weight classes. Nazareth had seven regional champions to the Hornets’ four, but Hinsdale South’s bonus points made the difference.
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“I knew we had tough enough kids to win it,” O’Brien said. “They did an awesome job. They got after it. They knew that if they wanted the regional title, they had to finish, and they did it.”
The Hornets got individual regional titles from Kinsey (160), Aiden McGivney (106), Derrick Singleton (113) and Keenan Stewart (132), and second-place finishes from Elijah Banks (138), Easa Aristizabal (145), Tyler Sally (170), and Alex Diaz (285).
“(McGivney) wrestled well all year and really settled in at 106. He wrestled his tail off at the regional,” O’Brien said. “And Singleton has been really, really tough at 113. He’s probably been our most consistent wrestler all year and he really dominated his way through the regional. And despite losing in the final, (Diaz) wrestled very tough.”
Kinsey and Singleton both pinned their way to regional titles.
“I’ve always been comfortable in situations to get pins,” Kinsey said. “Early in the season I was facing injuries and stuff so I wasn’t as good on the mat. But as the season got going I got healthier and started pinning kids.”
Nick Bortman (195) also placed third on Saturday, giving the Hornets nine wrestlers at the individual sectional at Hindsdale South on Saturday.
Bortman’s performance was as important as any for the Hornets.
“He’s a first-year guy for us, he got a pin in his third-place match, and that’s what really sealed up the team score for us,” O’Brien said.
The individual state finals in Champaign take place Feb. 15-17, and the team dual sectionals will take place Feb. 20. Which means there is a lot more wrestling left to be done for the Hornets.
O’Brien expects to get at least two wrestlers back from injury for the team sectional. The Hornets’ immediate future will be focused on preparing nine wrestlers for Saturday’s individual sectional, where the competition is always fierce in pursuit of a trip to the state media.
Social media allows wrestlers to easily find in-depth information and video of potential opponents, but Kinsey plans to keep his approach simple.
“I looked at my bracket and it’s nice to know who you have to wrestle, but I’m not Googling names or anything,” Kinsey said. “There are a lot of guys I’ve already seen and I’ll just go out and wrestle.”
That’s just the way the Hornets approached their quest for a team regional crown at Solorio.
“We were never not confident in winning it,” Kinsey said. “With the group of guys we have, nothing had to be said. They all knew what the goal was and what was needed to get to that goal.
“We won’t have a full lineup at the (team) sectional, either, so we’ll have to go for pins again. But we’re ready for it.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press