OP_021518

opprairie.com Sports
the orland park prairie | February 15, 2018 | 47
fastbreak
Julie McMann/22nd Century
Media
1st and 3
Standout Student-
Athletes
1. Maddie Giglio
The Sandburg/Stagg
co-op girls gymnast
took first on the
balance beam, and
second in both vault
and the floor exercise
(earning second
all-around), at the
Sandburg Sectional
to punch her ticket
to the Illinois High
School Association
State Final Meet.
2. Mike Amedeo
The 220-pounder
shocked his competition
once again at
the Class 3A Hinsdale
Central Sectional,
taking second
place and earning a
trip to the IHSA Individual
State Tournament
for wrestling.
3. Emily Schrader
The Sandburg senior
finished second
individually in the
tough Bolingbrook
Sectional to return to
the IHSA State Final
Tournament.
Wrestling
Andrew’s Robbie Precin wins title, as Sandburg advances two to state
Steve Millar
Freelane Reporter
With the postseason in
full swing and his quest for
a state championship underway,
Andrew senior Robbie
Precin is not going to wait to
see how matches develop.
Precin takes the mat ready
to attack, with a plan to be
aggressive from the start.
“I’ve been moving forward
a lot,” he said. “I’ve
been getting into my offense
early and just going after
it. I’m doing what I’m supposed
to be doing, getting
these wins and moving on.
My main focus is on winning
a state title.”
Precin got a quick firstperiod
takedown in the
126-pound championship
match Saturday, Feb. 10, at
the Class 3A Hinsdale Central
Sectional for individuals
and never looked back, topping
Montini’s Dylan Burnoski
5-3 for the title.
After improving to 39-1,
Precin was to be the favorite
when the state meet was set
to begin Thursday, Feb. 15,
at the State Farm Center in
Champaign.
He finished third last season
at 120 pounds.
“I just have to go to state
and focus on myself,” he
said. “I can’t worry about
anyone else. I just have to
wrestle my style, and I know
it’ll pay off.
“I’ve got a lot confidence.
I’m excited and ready to do
something great.”
Precin pinned Naperville
“I couldn’t be happier for Mike.
He’s put in so much work over the
years, and it’s paying off now. He’s
a great kid.”
Clinton Polz — Sandburg wrestling coach, on
Mike Amedeo qualifying for the state finals
North’s Lucas Van Poucke
in the quarterfinals and beat
Mount Carmel’s Connor
Gaynor 3-0 in the semifinals.
Andrew coach Mike Pila
has seen Precin’s desire to
win a state championship all
season.
“After having that taste of
success last season and getting
close, you can see how
bad he wants that state title,”
Pila said. “He’s been working
toward it all year. He’s
focused and ready to go.”
Precin will be Andrew’s
lone representative at state.
Sandburg is to send two
wrestlers to state in seniors
Pat Nolan (132) and Mike
Amedeo (220).
While Nolan was expected
to get back to state after a
fifth-place finish last season,
Amedeo was one of the sectional’s
biggest surprises.
The senior spent much of
the season on the junior varsity
team, coming into Feb.
10 with a varsity record of
just 6-3.
Amedeo finished second
at the sectional. After pinning
West Aurora’s Michael
Hunger in the first round and
topping Mount Carmel’s Nic
Mishka in the quarterfinals,
Amedeo trailed Downers
Grove North’s Jim Flavin
late in the semifinals.
Flavin was a big favorite
against Amedeo, but the
Sandburg veteran got Flavin
in a headlock and scored a lastminute
takedown for a 5-4 win
that sealed his trip to state.
“I don’t know where that
I’ve come from,” Amedeo
said. “I’ve never hit a headlock
in my life. I heard my
coaches say, ‘Maybe try a
headlock’ and I was like, ‘I
don’t know to do this, but
I’m going to try.’ It worked.
It felt really good.”
Amedeo said he got a boost
from beating Andrew’s Ameer
Aqel last week at regional.
“He’s a really good wrestler,
and that gave me a lot of
confidence,” he said. “I felt
like I could tire any of these
guys out and win the matches
in the third period.
“This is a great feeling. I
haven’t even been on varsity
all year, and now I’m going to
state with [Nolan], one of my
Sandburg’s Mike Amedeo wrestles Saturday, Feb. 10,
during the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional.
Adam Jomant/22nd Century Media
best friends. It means a lot.”
Amedeo lost by technical
fall to Eisenhower’s Jason
Nako in the championship
match but gave Sandburg
coach Clinton Polz plenty of
which to be proud.
“I couldn’t be happier for
Mike,” Polz said. “He’s put
in so much work over the
years, and it’s paying off
now. He’s a great kid. He
got his chance to get into the
lineup as a really undersized
220, and he’s taking advantage
of every minute.”
Nolan (33-6), meanwhile,
had to deal with some tough
competition at 132 pounds to
earn his second straight trip
to state.
After pinning Reavis’ Dan
Palka in the quarterfinals,
Nolan was pinned by Real
Woods of Montini in the
semifinals.
That left the Sandburg senior
to take on Robert Major of
Downers Grove South in a door-die
semifinal wrestleback.
“I was in the match with
Woods, and then I got caught
and pinned,” Nolan said. “It
was frustrating, but I had to
get ready for the next one.
I knew it could be my last
match if I messed up.”
Nolan dominated Major,
scoring early and often and
rolling to an 18-6 major decision
to seal his trip to state.
Because of a rule that
wrestlers can compete in no
more than five matches in a
day, the third-place match at
132 was not contested. Nolan
was awarded third over
Batavia’s Andy Posledni because
of advancing further in
the championship bracket.
“If there’s one person I’m
ever not too nervous about
it’s Pat Nolan,” Polz said.
“He’s not someone I’d want
to wrestle coming off a loss.
He’s got ice in his veins.”
LISTEN UP
“I’m really happy about it. It makes me want to get
back into the gym and work even harder to be ready
to do great next week.”
Maddie Giglio — Sandburg/Stagg co-op girls gymnast, on qualifying for the
IHSA State Final Meet
What 2 Watch
Boys Swimming & Diving — 8 a.m. Saturday,
Feb. 17
• After winning a conference title, Sandburg
will have the privilege of hosting its own
sectional.
INDEX
44 - This Week In ...
41 - Athlete of the Week
Compiled by Editor Bill Jones, bill@opprairie.com.