Hub mat men reach state finals

BY: Russell Hodges
Posted 2/13/17

It's been eight years since RTHS sent more than one wrestler to the state tournament in the same season.

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Hub mat men reach state finals

Posted

STERLING — It’s been seven years since Rochelle Township High School qualified a varsity wrestler for the IHSA State Championships, and it’s been eight years since RTHS sent more than one wrestler to the state tournament in the same season.
Both of those streaks came to an end this past weekend.
Sophomore Eddie Villalobos (32-9 at 132 pounds) and junior Alex Harvey (29-3 at 182 pounds) each earned a place on the podium at the IHSA Individual Sectional in Sterling this past Friday and Saturday, with Villalobos finishing fourth in his weight class and Harvey taking third in his. The two captains each received medals for their performances, and they will both compete in the state championships at the State Farm Center in Champaign this coming Thursday through Saturday.
“It felt good to make it,” Harvey said. “I know my dad was really excited and I’m excited to go down there with him. It’ll be a very good experience no matter what the outcome is, and I’m just looking for more success down there.”
“It was an awesome feeling,” Villalobos added. “My family is always pushing for me and they love to see me win and wrestle to my capabilities… They’re all happy for me and they’re all staying down in Champaign this weekend so hopefully we can bring back some medals.”
Competition
The sectional competition began Friday evening with the first two rounds of championship action. Three Hubs earned victories in the opening round including Villalobos, Harvey and junior Justin Hernandez (34-9 at 126 pounds). Hernandez won by 10-4 decision over Plano’s Jake Krotz (27-9), while Villalobos won by 8-4 decision over Streator’s TJ Moran (26-11) and Harvey pinned Bloomington’s Josiah Heinz (14-5) in just 39 seconds.

Things tightened up for Rochelle in the second round, though, as Hernandez suffered a defeat by technical fall to Washington’s Tyler Delaware (30-6) and Harvey wrestled an extremely close match with Morris junior Cody Baldridge (36-1) before being taken down by sudden victory in overtime.
“I just wanted to be aggressive and not wrestle into his hands,” Harvey said. “It wasn’t the result I wanted but it was good match to wrestle and it showed how close I am to him… I was a little upset afterward but I had to bounce back and get after it the next day.”
That’s exactly what Harvey did, rallying off four consecutive wins in consolation play on Saturday to claim his spot in the state tournament. The junior Hub flexed his muscles early on, winning by fall over Streator’s Kyle Guenard (27-11) in 50 seconds and pinning Sycamore’s Matthew Hunter (25-17) in 51 seconds. He then earned a 12-4 major decision over Peoria’s James Richardson (30-7) in the consolation semifinals before defeating Dixon’s Andrew Wolber (36-6) to finish in third place.
“Hard practice really helped me prepare for that,” Harvey said. “It was a really long and exhausting day… Knowing what I was able to do and wrestling solid was what allowed me to win those matches and advance.”
Hernandez also performed well in the consolation rounds, defeating Geneseo’s Charlie Schlindwein (14-18) and Manteno’s Caleb Boudreau (26-6) before falling to a tough opponent in Ottawa’s Ethan Harsted (33-3) in the semifinal round.
As for Villalobos, the sophomore Hub took down Freeport’s Darron Sims (33-9) by sudden victory in his final match Friday night, setting up a championship semifinal bout with Bloomington’s Savion Haywood (41-1), an opponent Villalobos lost to in last year’s semifinals as well as the finals of the Mahomet-Seymour Invitational earlier this season.
Unfortunately the third time wasn’t the charm for the Rochelle wrestler, as he fell by 9-3 decision to Haywood, the eventual sectional champion, and moved into the consolation bracket still one victory away from a spot in the state tournament.

“The first two periods went really well,” Villalobos said. “I was gassed going into the third period and I just wasn’t right. I wasn’t too happy about my performance.”
Looking to avenge his loss, Villalobos took the mat to face Washington’s Jared Head (17-7) for a spot in the state championships. The sophomore held a 4-2 lead after the second period, but Head scored off an escape to cut the deficit to one point.
But with his family cheering in the background, Villalobos made the final takedown of the match to increase his lead to 6-3, and even though Head would cut the lead down to one a second time, it wouldn’t be enough to overthrow the 132-pounder from Rochelle.
Harvey and Villalobos will begin the state tournament on Thursday, with Harvey scheduled to face Elmwood Park junior Olsi Rama (34-5) and Villalobos slotted to battle Anthony Randazzo (33-6) of Marian Central.