Tigers miss goal of team title, take 2nd

Crystal Lake Central’s Joey Kielbasa is declared the winner after pinning Mount Zion’s Brock Elliott during their 152-pound quarterfinal match Saturday at the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Wrestling State Tournament in Bloomington. The Tigers finished second in 2A. (Clark Brooks – For the Northwest Herald)

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BLOOMINGTON – Crystal Lake Central didn’t accomplish its ultimate goal of winning a state title, but it did achieve some smaller victories Saturday at the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Wrestling State Tournament.

The Tigers advanced to the finals for the second consecutive year, where they met an old nemesis in Montini. Central lost to the Broncos, 39-29, to finish second. Montini defeated the Tigers, 47-19, last year to win the state team title.

Austin Mars-
den started Central with a pin at 215 pounds, but Montini reeled off 22 points to take a 22-6 lead. Marsden finished his senior season undefeated at 48-0 and said he didn’t think he had been taken down all year.

However, individual accolades did not satisfy Marsden in the team tournament.

“I didn’t really think about individual [accomplishments],” Marsden said. “Our team wanted to win. We were here to win.”

The Tigers managed only six wins against Montini but kept the score close with three pins and a technical fall.

But the 160-pound match involving Central’s Frank Abitua got more attention than any other matchup in the finals.

Montini’s Stephen Robertson (53-4), a two-time state champion who also has two second-place state finishes, entered his matchup with Abitua looking for the 200th victory of his career.

Abitua, however, kept Robertson stuck on career win No. 199 with a 9-6 decision. Abitua said he was happy to help the team with a victory against Robertson, who lost the 152-pound championship to Crystal Lake Central’s Joey Kielbasa a week earlier at the IHSA Class 2A Individual Wrestling State Tournament.

“That’s indescribable,” Abitua said of his upset win.

Abitua said he benefited from Kielbasa’s experience against Robertson, but his success was more related to working with wrestling partner Kielbasa in extra morning sessions. As a senior, Abitua was thrilled to end his career on a high note, but the team loss still lingered.

“Advice had been handed out way before this match started,” Abitua said. “It’s a great way to end the season. I just wish my team would have [won].”

Lehr said that Robertson bumping up a weight class to 160 might have been an attempt to get him an easier match by facing Abitua instead of Kielbasa.

“[Abitua’s] a good wrestler, and if you’re not prepared ...,” Lehr said. “If you’re one of [Robertson’s] four losses, you’re doing some things right.”

In a season in which he won his third state title, Kielbasa had few regrets other than missing out on a team championship. Seeing Abitua win added to the positives he could take away from the season.

“To see my partner beat Robertson was amazing,” Kielbasa said. “It was an amazing senior year. I’m happy, but I really wanted to win that team state title.”

Gage Harrah wrapped up the dual with a pin at 189, but the match already was decided. Harrah said that he believed the Tigers left everything on the mat and didn’t have any regrets. He credited Montini with doing the things necessary to win as a team.

“[Montini’s] got kids doing the right things – not getting pinned and giving up the bonus points,” Harrah said. “Every kid was competitive [for Crystal Lake Central]. I wasn’t disappointed with anyone.”

With his three wins Saturday, Harrah finished the season at 45-0 and won his first state title.

Lehr said he knew going up against Montini that they needed some breaks to win.

“We battled hard. We had some great matches,” Lehr said. “We knew we had to have some things go our way.”