Wrestling: Indians Send Three to State

Lemont wrestling coach John St. Clair had mixed emotions following competition on Saturday at the Class 2A Lincoln-Way West Sectional. He was disappointed. And he was excited.

While Lemont will  be sending three of the 12 wrestlers that entered the tournament on to the state finals, St. Clair hoped for more. But he was happy with how the Indians fared in the final round of wrestling.

“We brought 12 guys here and we’re only bringing three down state, so disappointed in the total number, but not disappointed with how we finished the weekend,” St. Clair said. “We won all three of our finals matches. That was really exciting to see. But, overall, we finished well. We didn’t start well.”

Lemont’s Derek Nagel won the championship at 160 pounds by defeating Dmitri Willis of Montini in his final bout. Nagel is ranked third in the state. Willis was ranked second. The two have wrestled in the state finals the past two years, and Willis defeated Nagel in both matches.

“I was nervous,” Nagel said. “He beat me twice in the state tournament, two years in a row, so I was very nervous going into the match, but I was kind of confident. I thought I could beat him this year because I did in overtime over the summer, so I had more confidence than I had the last couple years. I went out there and wrestled hard.”

Glen Malecki (125) and Chris Giatras (189) both place third for Lemont and also will advance to the state finals in Champaign. St. Clair thinks all of his qualifying individuals have a chance to win medals downstate.

His reasoning? The competition won't get any tougher. The sectional featured the second, third and fourth-ranked teams in Class 2A--Montini, Marmion and Lincoln-Way West--as well as five other teams ranked in the top 25.

“Anybody who comes out of this sectional has the ability to place down state,” St. Clair said. “This was a meat-grinder. It was unbelievably hard. Everybody who makes it out of here has a chance. I give my kids every chance they get.”