By Bobby Narang
A year after watching teammate Ben Davino take centerstage at the Class 3A state individual wrestling tournament, St. Charles East junior Dom Munaretto had his turn in the spotlight Saturday.
And he took full advantage of the moment.
Munaretto added his name to an illustrious list of state champions at St. Charles East, capturing the 3A State championship in the 120-pound class at the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois.
Munaretto defeated Schaumburg’s Brady Phelps 19-3 to notch his second state championship in three seasons. Munaretto (51-1) also won a state title at 106 in his freshman season, while losing in the 113-final last season.
“This wasn’t just a win physically, but this was a win mentally too,” Munaretto said. “It showed myself that I can do it. I believed in myself that I could do it, and I was just happy to go out there and prove it.”
Munaretto said his lost in the final last season, to Marmion Academy’s Nicholas Garcia, pushed him all offseason to win the State championship.
“I matured a bit and took a glass half-full approach to wrestling,” he said. “I was just always feeling positive and just looking to score the next point, and that’s what kept me going through all these matches.”
Just like last season, Garcia capped off another sterling run by make it two in a row, defeating Marist’s Michael Esteban in a 14-1 major-decision in the 126-pound final.
Garcia dominated the match from the outset, building an 11-0 advantage after six minutes to ease into his second state title in a row.
“I didn’t think I was going to get him down in the first period because he’s usually defensive, but I did and that’s when I knew he didn’t really have it in him,” Garcia said. “I was able to push in the second period and after I made that turn, I knew I had him.”
Marmion teammate Zach Stewart fell just short of his second straight championship, losing to Fremd star Evan Gosz, a Purdue recruit, in the 144-pound final. The junior was pinned in the second period by Gosz.
“He got, but I’m happy he got it,” Stewart said. “I’ve got stuff to improve on.”
West Aurora senior Dominic Serio almost made program history by winning the first state title in school history, but he dropped a 4-3 decision to Mt. Carmel’s Liam Kelly in the 157-pound title match. Serio (36-5), an Ohio University recruit, credited Kelly for a strong match.
“It was a tough match, and stuff happens in these types of matches and you have to deal with it,” Serio said.