Maine South wrestling coach Kevin Hansen said junior Jon Halvorsen is mentally tough and Halvorsen demonstrated just that en route to a third-place finish at the Class 3A state tournament at 182 pounds.
His matches were not for the faint of heart.
The Park Ridge resident, who finished second at the Larkin Sectional, had one tough match after another at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
After pulling away toward the end of his first match for a 5-1 decision over Oswego East senior Jackson O’Reilly, Halvorsen scored the only takedown in his quarterfinal match against Montini sophomore Trevor Swier to win a 3-2 decision.
In the semifinals though, with the scored tied 2-2, Yorkville sophomore Nick Stemmet scored a takedown with just 20 seconds on the clock for a 4-2 decision.
“Jon recovered in time to shine in his next match,” Hansen said. “You could see his heart after a tough loss.”
Halvorsen (35-3) had a nail-biter in the consolation semifinals and avoided a takedown in the final seconds for the 4-3 decision over Mount Carmel junior Danny Benoit and a berth in the third-place match Saturday.
“I didn’t feel the pressure anymore (in the third-place match) and just let my offense go,” Halvorsen said.
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Halvorsen, who is a two-year starter along the defensive line for the Hawks football team, had three takedowns, while only allowing escapes for a 6-2 decision over Mundelein junior Logan Kvien.
“It was definitely my goal to get up on the podium,” Halvorsen said. “It gives me something to work towards next year.”
Mark Perlman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press