Summary
This past Saturday, the Lockport Porters wrestling team returned home from Bloomington with it’s best trophy to date – a third-place trophy from IHSA Dual Team State Tournament, following a 42-25 victory over Providence Catholic High School in the third-place dual. This is the wrestling program’s second trophy in as many years, after taking home a fourth-place trophy last season.
Prepare for a long recap… just an FYI.
Quarterfinals
When the matchups for the quarterfinals were set, and we knew we had a dual with Prospect, the general consensus was that the dual had the potential to be very similar to the Moline sectional dual. We preached the importance of bonus points – getting a pin when you can, pushing to pickup a major decision instead of a decision – and limiting that opportunity for the opponent. Our wrestlers heeded this advice, and in combination with a great starting weight, we were able to take a big lead early on that Prospect was unable to overcome. It was not without its close matches, however.
Dan Stojsavljevic started the dual with a 4-2 loss, coming close to several tying takedowns but coming up just short. The loss added a bit more pressure to Ronald Tucker to get a fall at 285 pounds, which was complicated by the fact that the Prospect wrestler was well coached to not be on bottom against Tucker’s dangerous top game. They had a scoreless first period from neutral, and again in the second, as Prospect picked neutral again. In the third, Tucker chose bottom, knowing an escape would likely win, but he managed to get on top and turn Jose Ramos, getting a fall just in the knick of time – at 5:59.
The first real big match-up question mark of the day came at 106 pounds, where Prospect’s Andrew Baysinger, a state qualifier took the mat for Prospect. Lockport hoped to get two wins, including one with bonus points, between 106 and 113, so they sent out Matt Ramos – the backup 106 pounder most of the season that would have started nearly anywhere else. Ramos, coming in with a 9-0 varsity record, came in clutch scoring a 6-5 win over Baysinger. Specifically, Ramos, on top with short time left and trailing 5-3, locked up a cradle and scored three near fall points to close the match out and get the win.
Anthony Molton followed up with his part of the job and picked up a major decision at 113, short of the tech fall or fall that he wanted, but still picking up vital bonus points. At 120, Garrett Golob came up either 2 seconds or 2 feet short, hitting an arm drag at the buzzer that would have given him a 5-4 victory, but not being able to gain control for the takedown.
Lockport went on an impressive streak over the next several matches - not just picking up wins, but notable wins, either by who they defeated or how they won. Brandon Ramos picked up a major decision over Alex Preissing, a 2015 state qualifier, at 126. Abdullah Assaf, wrestling at 132 when he had just competed at 120 at the Individual State Tournament, took on another state qualifier from Prospect, Miguel Romero, coming up just short of a major decision with an 11-4 decision. Baylor Fernandes picked up a decision, Shayne Oster picked up a fall, and Lockport found itself up 29-6 with 5 matches to go. With a win at 152, Lockport sealed a team victory. With a loss, the door stayed open.
Trevell Timmons came in and shut that door on Prospect, picking up an 11-9 win over multiple-time state qualifier Tanner Strobel at 152 pounds. That match, too, was not without its drama – Timmons, up 4-0 in the first, was reversed to his back, tying the score at 4-4 before being able to pull away. With the win, Lockport took a 32-6 lead with only four matches remaining, sealing the dual for Lockport, as even with four pins, Prospect would only be able to close the gap to 32-30.
Prospect’s strongest part of the lineup closed the dual against us, rendering Lockport winless in the final four matches.
Chandler Proszek lost a respectable 5-0 decision to Bobby Jarosz, another of Prospect’s state qualifiers this year, while Peyton Fernandes lost a 13-6 decision, intelligently preventing a major decision. Nick Dado, again wrestling far up from his actual weight at 182, took on Matt Wroblewski, a multiple time qualifier who took 4th in 2015 and was an overtime loss away from placing this year, lost by fall in the second, while Austin Atwood was pinned late in the third at 195 pounds by state qualifier Alex Koczwara.
Despite the rough end, Lockport had the win, 32-24, and its next team trophy locked up. The only problem: the semifinal dual was against Oak Park River Forest, the top-ranked team in the state, and 8th in the country.
Semifinals
Realistically speaking, hopes were not high heading into the Oak Park dual – Oak Park would need to wrestle a truly poor dual while Lockport wrestled an absolutely fantastic 14 matches in order for Lockport to have a chance at an upset. Unfortunately, this did not happen in any way, as Lockport picked up only three victories and a forfeit in a lopsided loss.
Starting at 285 pounds, Ronald Tucker lost a close match to OPRF’s Chris Middlebrooks, a Greco-Roman All-American this summer, by a final score of 2-1. The wrestlers traded escapes, but two stalling calls on Tucker gave Middlebrooks the decision. Matt Ramos again took the mat at 106 against OPRF’s Peter Ogunsanya, where Ramos lost his first match of the season, on any level, by fall in 5:37. Up until being put on his back for the fall, Ramos kept it close and winnable with Ogunsanya, a 2015 Freestyle All-American, 2015 Greco-Roman National Champion, and a 2016 IHSA State Qualifier.
Jake Cook was sent out to wrestle at 113 pounds, coming up on the short end of a fall in 1:27. At 120, Garrett Golob lost by technical fall to this year’s third place finisher at 113, Robert Campos. 120 pound state champion Jason Renteria, ranked 6th nationally by InterMat, bumped up to 126 for OPRF, where he scored a 3-1 victory over Lockport’s Brandon Ramos. For what it’s worth, Ramos wrestled an excellent match – it appears to be Renteria’s closest margin of victory and fewest points scored this entire season, in which he was undefeated.
Abdullah Assaf got Lockport on the board for the first time at 132, where he picked up a fall over Eddie Ordonez. Baylor Fernandes followed suit at 138 with a major decision over Jack Fisher, in a match featuring more almost-throws than I’ve seen in some time. OPRF forfeited at 145, which Zach Reese went out to accept, and Lockport sent Shayne Oster to the table at 152, hoping for a matchup against OPRF’s Michael Ordonez, a state placer at 145 this year. Instead, OPRF sent Drew Matticks, who Shayne Oster majored, 9-0. It was the last win the Porters would have in the dual.
At 160, state champion, national champion, and number-one nationally ranked Isaiah White pinned Lockport’s Chandler Proszek in 0:39. 3rd place finisher Roliann Sturkey scored a technical fall over Mike Scurlock, taking the mat for the Porters at 170. Nick Dado lost by an 11-5 decision to Dre Garner, while Austin Atwood lost by fall in the second period to state qualifier Kendale McCoy at 195. To close the dual, Dan Stojsavljevic lost by fall in 0:50 to another OPRF state champion, Allen Stallings, at 220 pounds.
Lockport may have lost the dual, but still had a trophy guaranteed, and a chance to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish. And they would be facing local rival Providence Catholic for their chance to make it happen.
Third Place Match
Starting at 106, this dual seemed to have an extra air of importance about it. Not only was it for third place, not only did it feature a handful of big name rematches from individual sectionals, but the close proximity of the schools had both teams more invested. Many of these wrestlers grew up wrestling each other at local tournaments on weekends. Handfuls were teammates on the same clubs growing up. And there’s the ever-present issue that over the years, there have been some great Lockport district wrestlers that chose to go to Providence instead. This was, for all intents and purposes, a statement dual. It was not business as usual for many wrestlers, it was quite personal.
That said, it did not start out with the statement that Lockport was trying to make. The first match of the dual featured Anthony Molton against Providence’s 5th place finisher Jake Lindsey. Molton, who was one match shy of qualifying for state, wrestled hard, but fell by a 5-4 decision to open the dual. Matt Ramos bounced back from his first loss to pick up a win at 113 by pinfall – his 11th varsity win of the season and 10th by fall. At 120, Garret Golob took the mat against Providence’s Josh Ramos, a state qualifier this season and cousin to our brothers Ramos, but Golob dropped a 12-4 major decision, allowing Providence to regain their team lead at 7-6.
At 126, Brandon Ramos was given an opportunity to avenge a 9-2 sectional loss to another of Providence’s state qualifiers, Ben Emery, but came up just shy. Ramos, down 2-0 late in the third, was on bottom and managed to lock up a cradle out of a scramble. Without having the reversal (it was a weird position), Ramos’ only option to try to get the reversal and points was to go for a suicide cradle and roll over his own back, where Emery caught him and managed to pick up his own nearfall points, carrying him to a 5-0 victory over Ramos in a match that was far closer than the score indicated. Abdullah Assaf also fell victim to a close loss to state qualifier, Juan Bazaldua, losing a frustrating 4-1 decision, giving Providence a 13-6 lead.
At 138, in yet another sectional rematch between two state qualifiers – Lockport’s Baylor Fernandes and Providence’s Dominick Ambrose, Lockport turned the tides in its favor. At sectionals, Fernandes beat Ambrose for 3rd place by an 8-5 decision, a match that he felt was too close. Fernandes came out firing, leading 5-0 at the end of the first period. Starting the second period on bottom, Fernandes stood up and hit a throw to Ambrose’s back for a reversal, nearly getting the fall, but Ambrose got back to his belly, and Fernandes found himself leading 10-0. Fernandes threw in a mills, ran Ambrose over, and got the fall in 2:56. At 145, Zach Reese stepped up again for the Porters, and absolutely controlled Providence’s Josh Lambert, leading 10-2 before hitting a throw on the edge of the mat to pick up a pin of his own, giving Lockport a 17-13 lead – a lead they would never give up.
At 152, Shayne Oster took the mat for the last time in his high school career. His opponent was Providence’s Mason Heimlich. In a match that was really, quite representative of his entire career, Oster came out, wrestled controlled, took his opportunities when they presented themselves, getting the fall in 1:41. Perhaps the only thing that was out of place was that Oster got the fall off of a takedown, rather than his patented roll-through half-nelson on top.
The 160 pound match featuring Trevell Timmons and Providence’s Cole Smith was also of note for both teams – Smith took 5th place at the Individual State Tournament last weekend, owing to Timmons’ medically forfeiting out of the tournament. Timmons ended his season on a high note, picking up a very controlling 7-1 victory over Smith, extending Lockport’s lead to 26-13. At 170, Chandler Proszek picked up an assertive 12-4 major decision over Providence’s Antonio Tuminello, giving Lockport a 30-13 lead. The win meant that if Lockport won any one of the four remaining matches, they would win the dual.
The Porters didn’t have to wait long, however, as Peyton Fernandes came through in a huge way for Lockport, picking up a fall in 1:58 over Providence’s John Nowak. Nowak’s propensity for big moves has been well noted, and Fernandes was on the lookout, intelligently escaping Nowak’s attempts to go upper-body ties in the first 20 seconds of the match. Instead, Fernandes countered and re-shot for a takedown at the edge about 30 seconds in the match. When they restarted in bounds, Fernandes was in complete control, nearly turning Nowak in the first 10 seconds before Nowak slipped his arm free. Fernandes kept the pressure heavy, switching between various arm bars, eventually turning Nowak with a double-wing and picking up a fall at 1:58 to seal the dual, and third place, giving Lockport a 36-13 lead with three matches to go. (Side note: Fernandes had no idea until after the dual meet.)
At 195, Yousif Salah took the mat against Providence’s Logan Anderson, but lost by fall in 2:23 in his only action on the day, being restricted by a significant shoulder injury. Dan Stojsavljevic also lost by fall at 220 to a very active Dominic Ferraro of Providence, right at the 4:00 mark. To close out the dual, however, Ronald Tucker came out and dominated Providence’s Tom Yonker, picking up a 3:52 fall and giving the dual a final score of 42-25.
Dual Results, Match-by-Match
Quarterfinal: Lockport 32, Prospect 24
220: Lucas Reinhardt PROS dec Dan Stojsavljevic LTHS (4-2) / 0-3
285: Ronald Tucker Jr. LTHS fall Jose Ramos PROS (5:59) / 6-3
106: Matt Ramos LTHS dec Andrew Baysinger PROS (6-5) / 9-3
113: Anthony Molton LTHS maj. dec. Dexter Straczek PROS (18-6) / 13-3
120: Anthony Silva PROS dec Garrett Golob LTHS (4-3) / 13-6
126: Brandon Ramos LTHS maj. dec. Alex Preissing PROS (11-0) / 17-6
132: Abdullah Assaf LTHS dec. Miguel Romero PROS (11-4) / 20-6
138: Baylor Ferndandes LTHS dec. Vince Lobono PROS (7-2) / 23-6
145: Shayne Oster LTHS fall Jake Verschoor PROS (1:50) / 29-6
152: Trevell Timmons LTHS dec Tanner Strobel PROS (11-9) / 32-6
160: Bobby Jarosz PROS dec Chandler Proszek LTHS (5-0) / 32-9
170: Joe Siracusa PROS dec Payton Fernandes LTHS (13-6) / 32-12
182: Matt Wroblewski PROS fall Nicholas Dado LTHS (3:08) / 32-18
195: Alex Koczwara PROS fall Austin Atwood LTHS (5:37) / 32-24
Semifinal: Oak Park River Forest 49, Lockport 20
285: Chris Middlebrooks OPRF dec Ronald Tucker Jr. LTHS (2-1) / 0-3
106: Peter Ogunsanya OPRF fall Matt Ramos LTHS (5:37) / 0-9
113: Eddie Bolivar OPRF fall Jake Cook LTHS (1:27) / 0-15
120: Robert Campos OPRF tech. fall Garrett Golob LTHS (23-8; 3:46) / 0-20
126: Jason Renteria OPRF dec Brandon Ramos LTHS (3-1) / 0-23
132: Abdullah Assaf LTHS fall Eddie Ordonez OPRF (2:46) / 6-23
138: Baylor Ferndandes LTHS maj. dec Jack Fisher OPRF (12-4) / 10-23
145: Zach Reese LTHS forfeit OPRF / 16-23
152: Shayne Oster LTHS maj. dec Drew Matticks OPRF (9-0) / 20-23
160: Isaiah White OPRF fall Chandler Proszek LTHS (0:39) / 20-29
170: Rolliann Sturkey OPRF tech. fall Mike Scurlock LTHS (23-8; 3:23) / 20-34
182: Dre Garner OPRF dec Nicholas Dado LTHS (11-5) / 20-37
195: Kendale McCoy OPRF fall Austin Atwood LTHS (2:44) / 20-43
220: Allen Stallings OPRF fall Dan Stojsavljevic LTHS (0:50) / 20-49
3rd Place Match: Lockport 42, Providence Catholic 25
106: Jake Lindsey PC dec Anthony Molton LTHS Dec 5-4) / 0-3
113: Matt Ramos LTHS fall Jim Cannon PC Fall 1:49) / 6-3
120: Josh Ramos PC maj. dec Garrett Golob LTHS (12-4) / 6-7
126: Ben Emery PC dec Brandon Ramos LTHS (5-0) / 6-10
132: Juan Bazaldua PC dec Abdullah Assaf LTHS (4-1) / 6-13
138: Baylor Ferndandes LTHS fall Dominick Ambrose PC (2:56) / 11-13
145: Zach Reese LTHS fall Josh Lambert PC (3:40) / 17-13
152: Shayne Oster LTHS fall Mason Heimlich PC (1:41) / 23-13
160: Trevell Timmons LTHS dec Cole Smith PC (7-1) / 26-13
170: Chandler Proszek LTHS maj. dec Antonio Tuminello PC (12-4) / 30-13
182: Payton Fernandes LTHS fall John Nowak PC (1:58) / 36-13
195: Logan Anderson PC fall Yousif Salah LTHS (2:23) / 36-19
220: Dominic Ferraro PC fall Dan Stojsavljevic LTHS (4:00) / 36-25
285: Ronald Tucker Jr. LTHS fall Tom Yonker PC (3:52) / 42-25
Lockport's team score was adjusted by -1.000 for unsportsmanlike during the 138 pound match (wrestler walked in front of table, rather than behind and around it, when going to the locker room)
Photos
Alright, so I took a lot of photos this weekend. As a result, I'm only putting a few on here, because picking and choosing is actually kind of hard, especially with something of this magnitude. So instead, you can just go to the photo page and check out anything and everything... Click here to see them all.
While saving pictures is usually disabled on SmugMug, I decided to open it up from Dual Team State. So, download away on the pics from Saturday!
