Summary
On Saturday, Lockport ran through the field at the Joliet Central Class 3A Regional, putting 10 wrestlers through to next week's Individual Sectional down in Alton. Led by seven champions, Lockport scored 226 points as a team, well above the 139.5 points scored by the runner-up team, Neuqua Valley High School. This is the Porters' fourth consecutive IHSA Regional Championship, and marks the fifth under head coach Josh Oster's tutelage.
Lockport's champions include Mike Kaminski (106), Matt Ramos (113), Anthony Molton (120), James Pierandozzi (138), Baylor Fernandes (145), Zach Reese (152), and Yousif Salah (182). Coming up just short and taking second place for the Porters was Matt Kronsbein (132) and Austin Kolada (160). Jake D'Angelo (126) finished in third place, and will also be competing next week in Alton, while Malik Daghash (170) came in fourth and will serve as our regional alternate at that weight class.
Three Porters saw their individual season come to a close at Joliet; John Tomas (195), Parker Pavlacka-Piel (220), and Brendan Shin (285). All three wrestlers fought hard, and each scored a victory on the day, but were unable to pick up any further victories. Each of these wrestlers may have had their individual season come to an end on Saturday, but look to be an integral part of the team effort to return to Dual Team State for the fourth straight season, and come back home with a team trophy for the fourth straight season.
Full regional brackets and scoring is available on TrackWrestling. You can find the link here. (Note: If you look at team scores and notice a difference, it's because Track has Matt Ramos winning his first match by technical fall. He won by pinfall. Track's numbers are the official numbers, but I corrected it here anyway)
Individual Sectionals are being held at Alton High School this year. Session I starts on Friday evening at 4:30pm. Rounds II and III will be held on Saturday, beginning at 9:00am and 2:00pm, respectively. Brackets for the Alton Individual Sectional are already posted and can be found here.
Alton High School is located at 4200 Humbert Rd, Alton, IL 62002, and is about a 4 hour drive from East Campus. Please plan accordingly, especially for the weather!
Way Too In-Depth Details
Although not all of our wrestlers made it through to this week's Individual Sectional, every wrestler picked up at least one win on the day. As a team, we went 30-11 in contested matches. Nearly half of our wins - 14, to be exact, came by way of a fall. One-third of our wins (10) came via decision, while we had three wins by major decision and three wins by technical fall. The only wrestler to earn bonus points in three matches was Baylor Fernandes, who notched two pins and a technical fall to earn a team-leading 27 team points on the day. James Pierandozzi also picked up bonus points in all of his matches - but due to a first round bye, Pierandozzi only had two bouts on the day.
When the initial brackets were composed, 106 pounds looked to be the most entertaining and best for the fans, as it featured three wrestlers who were ranked or honorable mentions, depending on which rankings you prefer. On Saturday, however, only two were entered into the tournament - Kaminski and Plainfield North's Dylan Amico. Originally slated to be a semifinal match-up, after re-seeding the brackets, this became the final, and was a 7-4 win for Kaminski, with two of Amico's points coming late in the third period.
At 113, Matt Ramos had no trouble with his first two opponents, racking up a pin and a technical fall, before a finals matchup against Nick Minnito of Plainfield Central. The two have not met since last year's regional semifinals, which Ramos won by a small margin. This time, Ramos came out firing, scoring almost at will for the first half of the match, before slowing things down a bit towards the end. Then, Minnito was able to score a few offensive points, but Ramos's lead was too well established for it to matter, and Ramos came away with a 10-6 win.
Anthony Molton had a great day at 120 pounds, coming away with his second career regional championship. Molton picked up a quick fall in his first match, and, while already holding a solid lead, hit a whipover for the fall in his semifinal over Neuqua Valley's Bryce Boumans. In the finals, Molton impressed with a 9-3 win over two-time state qualifier Anthony Zamora of Plainfield East, in a match that looked sure to be headed to bonus points at the halfway point. Zamora did a solid job adjusting to Molton's pace, but couldn't break through Molton's defense, and Molton came away with a comfortable win.
At 126, Jake D'Angelo had a hard-earned third place finish. D'Angelo beat Romeoville's River Kowal 4-0 to punch his ticket to sectionals, after previously defeating Kowal by technical fall in the quarterfinals of the tournament. That bout was a close bout for most of it as well, until D'Angelo was able to pick up multiple turns and get a lot of nearfall points. D'Angelo's 3rd place finish was especially solid to see, after he lost a tough 7-5 overtime decision in his semifinal bout, scoring a takedown in the last five seconds of the bout just to put it into overtime.
Matt Kronsbein picked up one of the only upsets of the day, as far as it looks on paper. After winning his first match by fall, Kronsbein took on top-seed Tyler Krause of Plainfield East in the semifinals. The two had a scoreless first period, though each of them almost earned a takedown at some point. In the second, Krause went down and Kronsbein rode him out the entire period, almost putting Krause on his back multiple times, but coming up just short. The pair went into the third tied 0-0, and Kronsbein on bottom. Kronsbein ended up in a reversal situation that was not called, but literally had Coach Oster jumping out of his seat. Kronsbein did, however, manage to earn an escape, and fend off late takedown attempts, pulling off the 1-0 decision The win made 132 the only weight class with a championship match NOT to include the number one seeded wrestler at that weight. Kronsbein would lose 7-4 in the finals, however, in large part due to an ill-advised throw attempt early in the bout.
At 138, Lockport's only undefeated wrestler, James Pierandozzi, pushed his record up to 8-0 on the season. Pierandozzi had a bye in the first round, and a fall in the second. In the finals, Pierandozzi controlled the entire bout against Plainfield East's Barry Stevenson, earning an 8-0 major decision victory for his efforts.
The opening paragraph of this section covered basically all you need to hear about Fernandes' day at 145.
In the second set of back-to-back-to-back champions of the day, Zach Reese was the anchor of the trio. Reese opened his day with a bye, then picked up a second period fall in the semifinals. In the finals, Reese defeated Joliet West's Jeremy Pullen by a 5-3 decision, though, at least from my biased perspective, he was in control for the whole match.
Austin Kolada had a good day at 160, wrestling true to his seed. The former top-seed, Kolada started the day seeded second at 160 after a change to his bracket at weigh-ins. Austin started the day strong, picking up a fall and a major decision in his first two bouts. In the finals, Kolada took on Plainfield Central's Jamel Sheppard. Kolada lost by a 22-7 technical fall at the end of the third period, but - and this will sound weird - it was the most competitive tech fall I've seen in a while. Most of Sheppard's 22 points came via four different scoring opportunities - ones on which he capitalized, to his credit. Kolada pushed the pace and fought hard throughout, much to his credit.
At 170, Malik Daghash came up just short - finishing in 4th place on the day. As the 4th place finisher, Malik is our regional alternate at 170 pounds. In other words, should someone at sectionals not be able to or allowed to wrestle, be it from injury, illness, skin checks, blowing weight, etc., Malik will be given the first opportunity to take their spot, provided that they are from our regional. If the wrestler is from another regional, that regional's 4th place finisher has first priority. That said, if the other regional alternate is not there, there are scenarios that Malik would get the nod instead. Daghash's finish is not indicative of the way he wrestled. After scoring a win by fall in his first match, Daghash took on Jacob Boumans of Neuqua Valley in the semifinals. In a back and forth matchup, Boumans came out on top, 9-6, and Daghash left that match a bit banged up as well. Malik bounced back in the semifinal wrestlebacks, picking up a hard fought 6-4 decision. In the 3rd place bout, Daghash was on the attack, but his opponent countered one of his shots with a whipover, putting Malik on his back and picking up the fall.
At 182, however, Yousif Salah picked up the Porters' 7th individual championship of the tournament. Salah won his first match by way of a first period fall, before defeating Jake Aharrah of Joliet West by a 6-2 margin in the semifinals, avenging a loss at the Lahey Invite two weeks ago. Salah kept the momentum going, picking up a solid 5-3 decision victory in the finals over Oswego East's Jackson O'Reilly.
John Tomas wrestled well at 195, but a distinct size difference that has put him at a disadvantage all year was tough to overcome. Tomas won his first round bout 6-4, before taking a loss by major decision to the top seed in his bracket and eventual champion, Devontae Davis of Plainfield North. In the semifinal wrestlebacks, Tomas was in the match, but Neuqua's Alec Castillo was able to put Tomas on his back and pickup the fall. Castillo would go on to finish in 3rd place.
At 220, Parker Pavlacka-Piel had a similar day. Pavlacka-Piel was unseeded, and the random draw put him into one of three pigtail round bouts for the tournament. Parker won that bout, pinning his opponent in 1:15. In the quarterfinals, however, he went up against the undefeated top-seed, Matt Hennessy of Plainfield North. Hennessy, ranked first in the state as well, won by fall over Pavlacka-Piel in 1:23 (but, that being said, it was Hennessy's longest match of the day). Parker dropped into the wrestlebacks, where he lost a tough 5-3 decision to Joliet Central's Damaris Stanley, unable to complete a valiant comeback effort.
Brendan Shin was unable to qualify for the individual sectional at 285 pounds, but the freshman did have a career milestone - his first varsity win. Shin's first round match against Romeoville ended with Shin picking up the fall in 5:55. In his next bout, however, Shin drew the number one seed from Plainfield East, who scored a win by fall. Shin had a heck of a consolation semifinal, but came up just short, losing to Joliet West's Sebastian Soto by a narrow 3-2 margin. Soto did a good job of neutralizing Shin's offense, as Shin was held to only earning two points via escape, while Soto scored the match's only takedown.
IHSA 3A Regional @ Joliet (Central) Results for Lockport Township High School
106
Mike Kaminski (26-9) placed 1st and scored 22.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Mike Kaminski (Lockport (Twp.)) 26-9 received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Mike Kaminski (Lockport (Twp.)) 26-9 won by fall over Jayden Ruiz (Romeoville (H.S.)) 14-11 (Fall 1:40)
1st Place Match - Mike Kaminski (Lockport (Twp.)) 26-9 won by decision over Dylan Amico (Plainfield (North)) 32-4 (Dec 7-4)
113
Matt Ramos (40-4) placed 1st and scored 21.50 team points.
Quarterfinal - Matt Ramos (Lockport (Twp.)) 40-4 won by fall over Carter Skalicky (Oswego (East)) 19-19 (Fall 5:30)
Semifinal - Matt Ramos (Lockport (Twp.)) 40-4 won by tech fall over Kaleb Zeffield (Romeoville (H.S.)) 16-9 (TF-1.5 3:46 (20-3))
1st Place Match - Matt Ramos (Lockport (Twp.)) 40-4 won by decision over Nick Minnito (Plainfield (Central)) 30-9 (Dec 11-6)
120
Anthony Molton (40-6) placed 1st and scored 22.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Anthony Molton (Lockport (Twp.)) 40-6 won by fall over Eli Metzger (Romeoville (H.S.)) 6-19 (Fall 1:08)
Semifinal - Anthony Molton (Lockport (Twp.)) 40-6 won by fall over Bryce Boumans (Naperville (Neuqua Valley)) 31-13 (Fall 1:29)
1st Place Match - Anthony Molton (Lockport (Twp.)) 40-6 won by decision over Anthony Zamora (Plainfield (East)) 31-6 (Dec 9-3)
126
Jake D`Angelo (9-9) placed 3rd and scored 12.50 team points.
Quarterfinal - Jake D`Angelo (Lockport (Twp.)) 9-9 won by tech fall over River Kowal (Romeoville (H.S.)) 17-13 (TF-1.5 6:00 (19-3))
Semifinal - Eric Davis-Smith (Joliet (West)) 28-9 won in sudden victory - 1 over Jake D`Angelo (Lockport (Twp.)) 9-9 (SV-1 7-5)
Cons. Semi - Jake D`Angelo (Lockport (Twp.)) 9-9 won by major decision over Noah Jerzak (Plainfield (North)) 13-19 (MD 13-3)
3rd Place Match - Jake D`Angelo (Lockport (Twp.)) 9-9 won by decision over River Kowal (Romeoville (H.S.)) 17-13 (Dec 4-0)
132
Matt Kronsbein (6-3) placed 2nd and scored 16.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Matt Kronsbein (Lockport (Twp.)) 6-3 won by fall over Jacob Killacky (Naperville (Neuqua Valley)) 4-16 (Fall 0:50)
Semifinal - Matt Kronsbein (Lockport (Twp.)) 6-3 won by decision over Tyler Krause (Plainfield (East)) 32-9 (Dec 1-0)
1st Place Match - Mario Leon (Joliet (Central)) 20-7 won by decision over Matt Kronsbein (Lockport (Twp.)) 6-3 (Dec 7-4)
138
James Pierandozzi (8-0) placed 1st and scored 23.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - James Pierandozzi (Lockport (Twp.)) 8-0 received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - James Pierandozzi (Lockport (Twp.)) 8-0 won by fall over Azael Martinez (Romeoville (H.S.)) 13-5 (Fall 3:32)
1st Place Match - James Pierandozzi (Lockport (Twp.)) 8-0 won by major decision over Barry Stevenson (Plainfield (East)) 22-11 (MD 8-0)
145
Baylor Fernandes (35-5) placed 1st and scored 27.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Baylor Fernandes (Lockport (Twp.)) 35-5 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Baylor Fernandes (Lockport (Twp.)) 35-5 won by tech fall over David Caceres (Plainfield (North)) 8-12 (TF-1.5 2:00 (15-0))
Semifinal - Baylor Fernandes (Lockport (Twp.)) 35-5 won by fall over Gianni Ruiz (Romeoville (H.S.)) 18-11 (Fall 1:13)
1st Place Match - Baylor Fernandes (Lockport (Twp.)) 35-5 won by fall over Nico Patch (Oswego (East)) 32-12 (Fall 3:16)
152
Zach Reese (27-10) placed 1st and scored 22.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Zach Reese (Lockport (Twp.)) 27-10 received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Zach Reese (Lockport (Twp.)) 27-10 won by fall over Scott Eisenberg (Oswego (East)) 11-18 (Fall 2:48)
1st Place Match - Zach Reese (Lockport (Twp.)) 27-10 won by decision over Jeremy Pullen (Joliet (West)) 30-7 (Dec 5-3)
160
Austin Kolada (15-14) placed 2nd and scored 17.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Austin Kolada (Lockport (Twp.)) 15-14 won by fall over Cristian Dondiego (Romeoville (H.S.)) 15-12 (Fall 5:08)
Semifinal - Austin Kolada (Lockport (Twp.)) 15-14 won by major decision over Isaiah Johnson (Joliet (Central)) 10-12 (MD 16-6)
1st Place Match - Jamel Sheppard (Plainfield (Central)) 9-1 won by tech fall over Austin Kolada (Lockport (Twp.)) 15-14 (TF-1.5 6:00 (22-7))
170
Malik Daghash (23-18) placed 4th and scored 9.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Malik Daghash (Lockport (Twp.)) 23-18 won by fall over Anthony Mark (Romeoville (H.S.)) 13-12 (Fall 1:37)
Semifinal - Jacob Boumans (Naperville (Neuqua Valley)) 37-6 won by decision over Malik Daghash (Lockport (Twp.)) 23-18 (Dec 9-6)
Cons. Semi - Malik Daghash (Lockport (Twp.)) 23-18 won by decision over Jarvis Wardlow (Plainfield (East)) 15-22 (Dec 6-4)
3rd Place Match - Jayden Perez (Joliet (Central)) 23-12 won by fall over Malik Daghash (Lockport (Twp.)) 23-18 (Fall 2:26)
182
Yousif Salah (13-7) placed 1st and scored 20.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Yousif Salah (Lockport (Twp.)) 13-7 won by fall over Mason Ryan (Plainfield (North)) 3-18 (Fall 1:31)
Semifinal - Yousif Salah (Lockport (Twp.)) 13-7 won by decision over Jake Aharrah (Joliet (West)) 23-13 (Dec 6-2)
1st Place Match - Yousif Salah (Lockport (Twp.)) 13-7 won by decision over Jackson O`Reilly (Oswego (East)) 22-4 (Dec 5-3)
195
John Tomas (10-20) place is unknown and scored 2.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - John Tomas (Lockport (Twp.)) 10-20 won by decision over Steve Fallon (Joliet (West)) 16-12 (Dec 6-4)
Semifinal - Devontae Davis (Plainfield (North)) 26-5 won by major decision over John Tomas (Lockport (Twp.)) 10-20 (MD 10-0)
Cons. Semi - Alec Castillo (Naperville (Neuqua Valley)) 23-18 won by fall over John Tomas (Lockport (Twp.)) 10-20 (Fall 3:47)
220
Parker Pavlacka-Piel (14-20) place is unknown and scored 4.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Parker Pavlacka-Piel (Lockport (Twp.)) 14-20 won by fall over Zach Smith (Oswego (East)) 6-19 (Fall 1:15)
Quarterfinal - Matthew Hennessey (Plainfield (North)) 37-0 won by fall over Parker Pavlacka-Piel (Lockport (Twp.)) 14-20 (Fall 1:23)
Cons. Round 2 - Parker Pavlacka-Piel (Lockport (Twp.)) 14-20 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Damaris Stanley (Joliet (Central)) 20-12 won by decision over Parker Pavlacka-Piel (Lockport (Twp.)) 14-20 (Dec 5-3)
285
Brendan Shin (1-4) place is unknown and scored 8.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Brendan Shin (Lockport (Twp.)) 1-4 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Brendan Shin (Lockport (Twp.)) 1-4 won by fall over Tommy Przybylski (Romeoville (H.S.)) 10-8 (Fall 5:55)
Semifinal - Artese Gregory (Plainfield (East)) 30-5 won by decision over Brendan Shin (Lockport (Twp.)) 1-4 (Dec 7-1)
Cons. Semi - Sebastian Soto (Joliet (West)) 24-13 won by decision over Brendan Shin (Lockport (Twp.)) 1-4 (Dec 3-2)