After falling one match shy of championship dual, Stillman Valley takes third over
Wilmington 42-22. Erie-Prophetstown and Sycamore bow out early ...
Wilmington 42-22. Erie-Prophetstown and Sycamore bow out early ...
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
Another Year, Another Trophy For
Stillman
Stillman
By Cody Cutter
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
BLOOMINGTON (Feb. 27) – Both Stillman Valley and Wilmington fell one match shy of
meeting for the Class 1A State Championship for the second time in three years.
Instead, they fought each other in the Third Place match. The situation in which the
best team is that least dejected from the past saw the Cardinals regroup well and take
the third place trophy over Wilmington 42-22.
Stillman Valley (17-5) took third place for the second straight year after finishing in
second place in 2008. Wilmington saw their four-peat championship hopes end in the
semifinals against eventual Class 1A champion Petersburg PORTA.
“Once it was time to go back out there, our guys just flipped that switch, refocused, and
went out and took care of business,” said Stillman Valley coach Ben Morris. “Any winner
wants to finish out on top, whether it’s the championship match or you’re in there going
for the bronze.”
The Cardinals' Ted Hawley faced Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher's Elliot McClure at
145 pounds in the final match of the semifinal round. Hawley led 2-1 after one period
before McClure took him down to go up 3-2. The next neutral start saw a flurry of points
being scored by both men. When the dust settled, Hawley had near fall and went up 9-6
with seven seconds left in the second period.
Leading 10-8 near the end, all Hawley had to do was fend off McClure, but the Falcon
junior scored a takedown at the boundary ring at the buzzer to force overtime. With the
momentum going McClure's way, it took him just 15 seconds to take down Hawley to win
the bout and the match for the Falcons.
“I knew my match was it. It all came down to that one,” said Hawley. “I just didn’t finish
the way I know I can.”
Stillman Valley 42 – Wilmington 22
The Cardinals rebounded from semifinal disappointment well against the three-time
defending champions. A close contest after the first six bouts, the Cardinals took a 16-
12 deficit and turned it into a 31-16 lead in the next four.
After Cardinal 103-pounder Clay Duffy was pinned in 48 seconds, Jeremiah Shearer
went up against Alex Jones. For the fifth time in the past six matches Wilmington scored
the first takedown as Jones took little time to control Shearer onto the mat for a 2-0
lead. Shearer regained his composure in the following period, getting Jones tangled in
a stretch hold with 1:22 left. Shearer kept holding him down and secured the pin after 3:
11.
Jose Abitua followed with a 11-5 decision over Mike Wolfe to give the Cardinals a 21-16
lead with six matches left. Wolfe also scored the first takedown of the bout for
Wilmington. Nick Harrison the Class 1A State Champion at 119, had little trouble with
Jake Long at 125 pounds, pinning him at 3:44. J.J. Whaley followed with a 12-0 major
decision over Sean Liaromatis to go up 31-16.
A wins by Talon Paul at 135 and Travis Hagemann at 140 could have sealed the win for
the Cardinals, but both fell in their matches. Paul fell in a 6-4 decision to Blake Olsen.
Hagemann and Ty Kane fought hard and didn't score over each other until just
seconds left in regulation. Kane tangled up Hagemann near the boundary circle and
dropped him while in control for the two points, even after it looked as if Kane had one
foot out out.
“I should have beat him,” said Hagemann. “The ref called me out of bounds, but oh
well.”
Hagemann's loss meant Hawley had to go out a second time to secure a win for his
team while up 31-22. This time it was much easier to handle, as he scored an early
takedown and pinned Zach Skoyri in 1:33.
“During that break we had between the matches, I found a corner and got myself
refocused on the matches again,” said Hawley. “I just used that performance in the last
ten seconds to finish this one off strong.”
Zach Patterson capped the dual with a technical fall in 2:13 over Jayson Conlin at 152
pounds. Jake Wold, Derrick Watson and A.J. Dobson had early wins for the Cardinals,
Wold's coming by pin. Watson, one of three seniors on the roster, went 2-1 on the day.
The final match of his career came where he wasn't at a year ago at this time due to
frustration at the end of last season.
“I'm excited that I got the opportunity to do all of this,” said Watson. “It's wonderful.”
He was a captain of the football team that won the State Championship in Class 3A last
season, having played with Wold and fellow senior Chris Saunders on the varsity team.
“It was very emotional for me that we couldn't get first,” added Watson. “Coming from
being a state champion in football, and not making it is very heartbreaking.”
“I was thrilled that he came back out and had such a good year,” said Morris.
Wilmington also had wins from Jeremy Bailey at 189 and Dino Saracco at 285. Jones
and Saracco came close to earning a fourth state title, and would have been the fifth
group of athletes to be a part of Championship teams all four years of school.
“Our guys weren't as pumped up and motivated as they were. I really didn't notice it, but
afterwards my assistants were talking to me about it,” said Wilmington coach Rob
Murphy. “That's always hard. I don't care if its the semis at State as an individual or
Team State. You're expected to get to the State Championship match. When things
don't happen that way, you get beat. You got to get refocused.”
With their careers coming to a close, it was the start of what could be more trips for the
younger guys of both Stillman Valley and Wilmington.
“Every kid on the team probably would have loved to get first,” said Hagemann, a
freshman. “I think it's cool coming down here and placing as a freshman. It's a really
good experience.
“It's been amazing. Nothing I would have ever imagined. It's a lot of fun being here with
the team and getting stuff done.”
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher 37 – Stillman Valley 36
Before Hawley's concluding match, the Cardinals had a few key matches go their way in
an effort to void a Falcon team lead.
Down 28-6, the Cardinals pinned down three of the next five opponents. Shearer
pinned Chet McClure in 4:57 and Abitua pinned Ryan Olivero in 3:46 to bring the
Falcon deficit to 10. Harrison took a forfeit in the next match and Whaley caught a
break when his opponent, Dion Unzicker, was disqualified for too many violations. The
Whaley win gave the Cardinals a 30-28 lead.
Talon Paul further boosted the team's confidence with a come-from-behind pinning of
Justin Coy at 135. Coy had a takedown a minute into the match and got near fall to end
the first period up 5-0. Paul stepped it up in the second match, taking Coy down nine
seconds into it and holding on for a quick pin after 2:48.
“What a great dual,” said Morris. “I think I'll replay that in my head a few times to learn
some lessons. I think we found a way to win it, and then all of a sudden we found a way
to lose it. We kind of handed it away in the very end.”
The Falcons came right back with a come-from-behind win of their own from Ross
Brucker. He pinned Hagemann after 3:15 after trailing 4-2 halfway through the period.
Brucker's win made Hawley's match the winner-take-all with the score at 36-34 in the
Cardinals' favor.
“I lost it in the last ten seconds of the match,” said Hawley. “Everyone's been telling me
it's not my fault, but again I feel like it is. Just to give away the last match, we could have
won it and been in the finals match again.”
Stillman Valley 59 – Herrin 13
The Cardinals began their day with a large win over Herrin.
Hawley started things off with a pin on Drake Holland in 4:56. Hawley was leading 1-0
before putting a half-nelson on Holland and holding him down for eight seconds.
Dobson, Duffy, Abitua and Harrison also scored pins for the Cardinals, Abitua's coming
in just 36 seconds.
Hagemann had an upset win over Zacj Lindsey by a 9-0 major decision to cap the dual
for the Cardinals. Senior Dolan Maxwell and Patterson also had majors, while Whaley
won his match by technical fall.
Maxwell went 1-2 on the day, while Saunders went winless.
“I'm gonna miss these guys,” said Watson.
Sycamore, Erie-P'Town Bow Out Early
The first time that Erie-Prophetstown and Sycamore made it to Team State was a short
one for both.
Sycamore lost a close 39-32 match to Crystal Lake Central in the Class 2A quarterfinal
round. The Tigers led only by one at 33-32 before the final match. Sycamore's Austin
Culton scored a 23-10 major decision against Brandon Solarte at 135 pounds to set up
the final match, between Shane Lay and Christian Malouf. Lay couldn't get it done as
he was pinned in 1:44.
The teams were tied at nine points after four bouts. A couple of quick pins by Austin
Marsen (189) and Gage Harrah (215) gave the Tigers a 12-point advantage.
The Spartans (19-3) won the next four matches to gain a 28-21 lead after decisions
from Brenden McGehee (103) and Alex Zimmer (112) and pins from Zach Fraedrich
(285) and Chris Kerwin (119).
Erie-Prophetstown kept it close early before falling to eventual 1A champion PORTA 47-
12. PORTA won five matches in a row after a 6-6 tie.
The Panthers (18-4) received wins from Mitch Mallory (112), Jakob Jepson (145) and
Derek Stoddard (160). Mallory pinned PORTA's Nathan Mitchell in 3:33 while leading 8-
0. Jepson won a 2-1 decision from Stormy Hild and Stoddard won 1-0 over Jake Brue.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message
Boards!
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
BLOOMINGTON (Feb. 27) – Both Stillman Valley and Wilmington fell one match shy of
meeting for the Class 1A State Championship for the second time in three years.
Instead, they fought each other in the Third Place match. The situation in which the
best team is that least dejected from the past saw the Cardinals regroup well and take
the third place trophy over Wilmington 42-22.
Stillman Valley (17-5) took third place for the second straight year after finishing in
second place in 2008. Wilmington saw their four-peat championship hopes end in the
semifinals against eventual Class 1A champion Petersburg PORTA.
“Once it was time to go back out there, our guys just flipped that switch, refocused, and
went out and took care of business,” said Stillman Valley coach Ben Morris. “Any winner
wants to finish out on top, whether it’s the championship match or you’re in there going
for the bronze.”
The Cardinals' Ted Hawley faced Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher's Elliot McClure at
145 pounds in the final match of the semifinal round. Hawley led 2-1 after one period
before McClure took him down to go up 3-2. The next neutral start saw a flurry of points
being scored by both men. When the dust settled, Hawley had near fall and went up 9-6
with seven seconds left in the second period.
Leading 10-8 near the end, all Hawley had to do was fend off McClure, but the Falcon
junior scored a takedown at the boundary ring at the buzzer to force overtime. With the
momentum going McClure's way, it took him just 15 seconds to take down Hawley to win
the bout and the match for the Falcons.
“I knew my match was it. It all came down to that one,” said Hawley. “I just didn’t finish
the way I know I can.”
Stillman Valley 42 – Wilmington 22
The Cardinals rebounded from semifinal disappointment well against the three-time
defending champions. A close contest after the first six bouts, the Cardinals took a 16-
12 deficit and turned it into a 31-16 lead in the next four.
After Cardinal 103-pounder Clay Duffy was pinned in 48 seconds, Jeremiah Shearer
went up against Alex Jones. For the fifth time in the past six matches Wilmington scored
the first takedown as Jones took little time to control Shearer onto the mat for a 2-0
lead. Shearer regained his composure in the following period, getting Jones tangled in
a stretch hold with 1:22 left. Shearer kept holding him down and secured the pin after 3:
11.
Jose Abitua followed with a 11-5 decision over Mike Wolfe to give the Cardinals a 21-16
lead with six matches left. Wolfe also scored the first takedown of the bout for
Wilmington. Nick Harrison the Class 1A State Champion at 119, had little trouble with
Jake Long at 125 pounds, pinning him at 3:44. J.J. Whaley followed with a 12-0 major
decision over Sean Liaromatis to go up 31-16.
A wins by Talon Paul at 135 and Travis Hagemann at 140 could have sealed the win for
the Cardinals, but both fell in their matches. Paul fell in a 6-4 decision to Blake Olsen.
Hagemann and Ty Kane fought hard and didn't score over each other until just
seconds left in regulation. Kane tangled up Hagemann near the boundary circle and
dropped him while in control for the two points, even after it looked as if Kane had one
foot out out.
“I should have beat him,” said Hagemann. “The ref called me out of bounds, but oh
well.”
Hagemann's loss meant Hawley had to go out a second time to secure a win for his
team while up 31-22. This time it was much easier to handle, as he scored an early
takedown and pinned Zach Skoyri in 1:33.
“During that break we had between the matches, I found a corner and got myself
refocused on the matches again,” said Hawley. “I just used that performance in the last
ten seconds to finish this one off strong.”
Zach Patterson capped the dual with a technical fall in 2:13 over Jayson Conlin at 152
pounds. Jake Wold, Derrick Watson and A.J. Dobson had early wins for the Cardinals,
Wold's coming by pin. Watson, one of three seniors on the roster, went 2-1 on the day.
The final match of his career came where he wasn't at a year ago at this time due to
frustration at the end of last season.
“I'm excited that I got the opportunity to do all of this,” said Watson. “It's wonderful.”
He was a captain of the football team that won the State Championship in Class 3A last
season, having played with Wold and fellow senior Chris Saunders on the varsity team.
“It was very emotional for me that we couldn't get first,” added Watson. “Coming from
being a state champion in football, and not making it is very heartbreaking.”
“I was thrilled that he came back out and had such a good year,” said Morris.
Wilmington also had wins from Jeremy Bailey at 189 and Dino Saracco at 285. Jones
and Saracco came close to earning a fourth state title, and would have been the fifth
group of athletes to be a part of Championship teams all four years of school.
“Our guys weren't as pumped up and motivated as they were. I really didn't notice it, but
afterwards my assistants were talking to me about it,” said Wilmington coach Rob
Murphy. “That's always hard. I don't care if its the semis at State as an individual or
Team State. You're expected to get to the State Championship match. When things
don't happen that way, you get beat. You got to get refocused.”
With their careers coming to a close, it was the start of what could be more trips for the
younger guys of both Stillman Valley and Wilmington.
“Every kid on the team probably would have loved to get first,” said Hagemann, a
freshman. “I think it's cool coming down here and placing as a freshman. It's a really
good experience.
“It's been amazing. Nothing I would have ever imagined. It's a lot of fun being here with
the team and getting stuff done.”
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher 37 – Stillman Valley 36
Before Hawley's concluding match, the Cardinals had a few key matches go their way in
an effort to void a Falcon team lead.
Down 28-6, the Cardinals pinned down three of the next five opponents. Shearer
pinned Chet McClure in 4:57 and Abitua pinned Ryan Olivero in 3:46 to bring the
Falcon deficit to 10. Harrison took a forfeit in the next match and Whaley caught a
break when his opponent, Dion Unzicker, was disqualified for too many violations. The
Whaley win gave the Cardinals a 30-28 lead.
Talon Paul further boosted the team's confidence with a come-from-behind pinning of
Justin Coy at 135. Coy had a takedown a minute into the match and got near fall to end
the first period up 5-0. Paul stepped it up in the second match, taking Coy down nine
seconds into it and holding on for a quick pin after 2:48.
“What a great dual,” said Morris. “I think I'll replay that in my head a few times to learn
some lessons. I think we found a way to win it, and then all of a sudden we found a way
to lose it. We kind of handed it away in the very end.”
The Falcons came right back with a come-from-behind win of their own from Ross
Brucker. He pinned Hagemann after 3:15 after trailing 4-2 halfway through the period.
Brucker's win made Hawley's match the winner-take-all with the score at 36-34 in the
Cardinals' favor.
“I lost it in the last ten seconds of the match,” said Hawley. “Everyone's been telling me
it's not my fault, but again I feel like it is. Just to give away the last match, we could have
won it and been in the finals match again.”
Stillman Valley 59 – Herrin 13
The Cardinals began their day with a large win over Herrin.
Hawley started things off with a pin on Drake Holland in 4:56. Hawley was leading 1-0
before putting a half-nelson on Holland and holding him down for eight seconds.
Dobson, Duffy, Abitua and Harrison also scored pins for the Cardinals, Abitua's coming
in just 36 seconds.
Hagemann had an upset win over Zacj Lindsey by a 9-0 major decision to cap the dual
for the Cardinals. Senior Dolan Maxwell and Patterson also had majors, while Whaley
won his match by technical fall.
Maxwell went 1-2 on the day, while Saunders went winless.
“I'm gonna miss these guys,” said Watson.
Sycamore, Erie-P'Town Bow Out Early
The first time that Erie-Prophetstown and Sycamore made it to Team State was a short
one for both.
Sycamore lost a close 39-32 match to Crystal Lake Central in the Class 2A quarterfinal
round. The Tigers led only by one at 33-32 before the final match. Sycamore's Austin
Culton scored a 23-10 major decision against Brandon Solarte at 135 pounds to set up
the final match, between Shane Lay and Christian Malouf. Lay couldn't get it done as
he was pinned in 1:44.
The teams were tied at nine points after four bouts. A couple of quick pins by Austin
Marsen (189) and Gage Harrah (215) gave the Tigers a 12-point advantage.
The Spartans (19-3) won the next four matches to gain a 28-21 lead after decisions
from Brenden McGehee (103) and Alex Zimmer (112) and pins from Zach Fraedrich
(285) and Chris Kerwin (119).
Erie-Prophetstown kept it close early before falling to eventual 1A champion PORTA 47-
12. PORTA won five matches in a row after a 6-6 tie.
The Panthers (18-4) received wins from Mitch Mallory (112), Jakob Jepson (145) and
Derek Stoddard (160). Mallory pinned PORTA's Nathan Mitchell in 3:33 while leading 8-
0. Jepson won a 2-1 decision from Stormy Hild and Stoddard won 1-0 over Jake Brue.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message
Boards!
Photo by Cody Cutter
Stillman Valley's Zach Patterson makes a move on Herrin's Trey Wilcox in the Class 1A State
quarterfinal round. Patterson won the match 12-5 and Stillman took third as a team.
Stillman Valley's Zach Patterson makes a move on Herrin's Trey Wilcox in the Class 1A State
quarterfinal round. Patterson won the match 12-5 and Stillman took third as a team.
LEFT: Stillman Valley's
Jose Abitua is in control of
Wilmington's Mike Wolfe in
the Class 1A Third Place
match. Abitua won the bout
11-5 as the Cardinals won
the match.
Photo by Cody Cutter
Jose Abitua is in control of
Wilmington's Mike Wolfe in
the Class 1A Third Place
match. Abitua won the bout
11-5 as the Cardinals won
the match.
Photo by Cody Cutter
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