By Bob Narang
Aurora Christian High School’s Cam Johnson became an unexpected bystander during the Class 2A State individual wrestling tournament in Champaign February 22.
Johnson missed an opportunity for a third State championship because of an illness which forced him to wait to be cleared to return to the mat for the Eagles’ 2A sectional dual meet against Rock Island.
The Eagles managed to pull out a convincing 52-24 victory to advance to Saturday’s 2A dual team State meet at Grossinger Arena in Bloomington. The Eagles welcomed Johnson back to the mat, but fell short of their ultimate goal and ended with a third-place State trophy.
The Eagles showed they were up to the task in a bump in class level, especially after placing second last season and first place in the previous two seasons in Class 1A in their first three years in their program.
“It was great to be back, because I had to fight with my doctors to wrestle again,” Johnson said. “They didn’t want to release me to wrestle. It was tough sitting out.”
Aurora Christian, 23-6, has raised the bar for its program during the three-year State run. Johnson, who will attend West Point, was a key factor at 132 pounds in the Eagles’ defeating Antioch, 33-26, in the third-place match.
Earlier in the State meet, the Eagles defeated Marian Central, 32-25, but had their goal of a State championship end with a 46-19 loss to Lemont in the semifinals. Lemont went on to beat Washington to capture the dual team State championship in 2A.
“I was just happy to be wrestling and competing to help us win,” Johnson said.
Johnson and Noah Villarreal, a three-time State champion and University of Virginia recruit, formed an unbeatable pair for the Eagles through the years. Villarreal had momentum on his side after earning a major decision over Bloomington’s Ryan Gardner in the 2A final at 138 pounds in Champaign.
Meanwhile, Antioch, 22-2, earned its first trophy since 2013.
“Overall, what a great season,” Antioch head wrestling coach Wilbur Borrero said. “We won the Lake County Invite, qualified nine kids to State, had three place at State and brought home a State trophy. This graduating class is special.
“For the kids, it was a lifelong memory that you can’t take away. You would love to come back with a better placement, but only four trophies are given on every level. We brought one home.”