By Bobby Narang
The smirk of Aurora Christian High School’s Noah Villarreal told the story of a satisfied journey.
The senior wrestler capped a dominating showing at the Class 2A State wrestling tournament with a 10-1 victory over a Bloomington’s Ryan Gardner in Saturday’s Class 2A 138-pound division to claim his third consecutive State championship at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
Villarreal, 41-4, notched his third championship in his third class after winning State championships at 126 and 132 pounds. The University of Virginia recruit endured an illness to roll past his four competitors.
“I just felt I couldn’t lose,” Villarreal said. “It was a long weekend, but a great way to finish it.”
Villarreal comes from a long line of champions that includes his uncle, Ruben, and father, Joe, each of whom won State championships at Plano High School. His uncle captured three championships and his father won one.
Villarreal wasn’t the only bright spot for Aurora Christian. Freshman Chris Moore entered the tournament unranked, but claimed the 113-pound championship with a 4-3 decision over Freeport’s Markel Baker. Alex Knauf, 37-11, took second place at 182 pounds and Joel Mylin added a third-place medal at 120 for Aurora Christian.
• Meanwhile, in Class 3A, West Aurora junior Dzhabrail Khurshidov had a memorable showing by recording three straight pins to reach the 195-pound finals Saturday night.
But Khurshidov, 38-4, ran into a buzzsaw, with Yorkville senior Nick Stemmet who added another milestone to his immense resume with a pinfall victory. Stemmet, 45-0, is on his way to Stanford University in California and ranked No. 1 in the Nation in his class.
“I didn’t feel any pressure at all,” Stemmet said. “My preparation allowed me to wrestle all the way to my potential.”
Montini set a new standard for its program by recording a perfect five-for-five in championship matches, headlined by Dylan Ragusin who cruised to the 126 pound championship. The University of Michigan recruit won his second straight championship. In addition, Joe Fernau, 106; Joe Roberts, 152; Trevor Swier, 182; and Josh LaBarbera, 220, all won championships for the Broncos.
Marmion Academy’s Diego Sotelo led his team with a second-place performance at 113 pounds.