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tinleyjunction.com Sports
the tinley junction | February 22, 2018 | 47
fastbreak
VJA’s Precin drops heartbreaker in finals
22nd Century Media FILE
PHOTO
1st and 3
T-Bolts Boys sharp
shooters
1. Troy Murphy (above)
The Thunderbolts
senior was in double
digits twice last
week as Andrew
picked up two key
wins to stay on top
of the conference
lead.
2. Evan Yerkes
A buzzer-beating
three-pointer
against Thornridge
gave this senior
the all-time lead at
Andrew with 176
threes made in his
career.
3. Dan Gierhahn
Last but not least,
this senior guard
led the away against
Bradley on Feb. 10
scoring 23 points to
continue the T-Bolts
winning streak.
Steve Millar
Freelance Reporter
Andrew senior
126-pounder Robbie Precin
advanced to his first state
championship match, but
dropped a 7-2 heartbreaker
to DeKalb’s Fabian Lopez
and settled for being the
state runner-up.
In a battle of the state’s
top two ranked wrestlers
at 126, Lopez got an early
takedown to put Precin (42-
2) in an early hole.
The Andrew star was
down just 3-2 in the third
period, though, and was
confident he could rally.
“I felt like I had a good
chance,” Precin said. “I just
missed an opportunity. (Lopez)
was defending well. He
was able to lock in my body.
He did a good job stopping
me.”
Precin was unable to get
a go-ahead takedown and
gave up four late points
while pressing for a score,
resulting in a 7-2 final that
wasn’t indicative of how
close the match was.
Prior to the loss, Precin
was able to soak in the atmosphere
of wrestling in a
state championship match.
He participated in the
Grand March into the arena
before the finals, when each
wrestler competing in championship
matches parades
onto the floor in a presentation
similar to the Opening
Ceremony at the Olympics.
“Besides the result, it was
exciting to be in the finals,”
he said. “I was able to enjoy
myself all day. I just had one
slip in the championship
match. It was just one bad
slip that cost me.”
Precin finished third last
season, and put together an
impressive senior year that
included championships at
the Oshkosh Tournament
and Batavia Tournament,
plus SouthWest Suburban,
regional and sectional titles.
Saturday, he became the
first Andrew athlete to wrestle
for a state championship
since Eric Novak won the
title in 2000.
“It might not seem like it
right now, but my dad told
me that if I gave it all I’ve
got, when I get older I’ll be
able to look back on this and
can hold my head up high,”
Precin said.
Precin pinned Addison
Trail’s Jake Matthews in
Thursday’s opening round
before pulling off a pair of
tight matches Friday to advance
to the championship.
He beat Huntley’s Zach
Spencer 5-4 in the quarterfinals
and Wheaton North’s
Jamie Suarez 8-5 in the
semifinals.
“Robbie has worked so
hard all season,” Andrew
coach Mike Pila said. “He
sets a high standard for everyone
else in our program
with his work ethic and
we’re really proud of him.”
Tinley Park sophomore
Ezekiel Childs, meanwhile,
went 0-2 in the Class 2A
220-pound bracket and finished
his season with a 19-
17 record.
After finishing fifth as
a sophomore last season,
Sandburg’s Pat Nolan
climbed one spot up the podium
with his fourth-place
showing at 132 pounds.
Nolan (37-8) couldn’t
quite figure out Libertyville’s
Danny Pucino,
dropping two close matches
to him, but was dominant
against his four other opponents.
Nolan needed just 70 seconds
to pin Rock Island’s
Victor Guzman in his opening
round match Thursday
before falling 5-3 to Pucino
in Friday’s quarterfinals.
With his state title dreams
dashed, the junior had to refocus
for wrestlebacks.
“I just wanted to wrestle
smarter and harder than I did
(in the quarterfinal loss),”
Nolan said. “My goal was to
make it to the finals, but after
that I loss, I just wanted
to finish as high as I could.”
Nolan rebounded for
three straight comfortable
wins. He had back-to-back
major decisions, 16-8 over
Wheaton North’s Tyler Podnar
and 10-2 over Belleville
West’s Justin Koderhandt,
then pinned Marian Catholic’s
Reece Heller.
In the third-place match,
he again fell to Pucino, this
time by a 7-3 score.
“I know Pat is a little disappointed
to finish fourth,
but I think he had a good
tournament,” Sandburg
coach Clinton Polz said. “It
was a good stepping stone
from last year, a good learning
experience, and I’m excited
to see where this takes
him next year.
“I think he’s right there
and if he can make a few little
adjustments, maybe he’s
in the finals next year.”
Sandburg senior
220-pounder Mike Amedeo
went 0-2, falling to eventual
runner-up Tom Gustafson of
Plainfield Central by technical
fall and getting pinned
by sixth-place finisher Quintin
Terry of Glenbard North.
Amadeo, who became one
of the tournament’s most
surprising state qualifiers
after spending much of the
season on the junior varsity
team, nonetheless soaked in
the experience.
“It was really fun,” he
said. “It was great to be
here. It stinks that I kind
of got my butt kicked, but
it meant a lot to get down
here. Hopefully, this’ll motivate
other kids at Sandburg
to keep pushing to get down
here.”
Polz said Amadeo set a
standard for future Eagles
wrestlers.
“He had a tough draw,
running into two state placers,
but I can’t say enough
good things about Mike,”
Polz said. “I teared up talking
to him after his last
match.
“I don’t think he fully
understands what this is going
to mean for him later in
life and what this is going
to do for our program. He’s
earned his place in Sandburg
history and he’s giving
people something to look up
to. They can look and see
that Mike didn’t crack the
lineup until his senior year
and made it to state, so they
know to keep working hard
like he did.”
Lincoln-Way East senior
Devin O’Rourke made the
final match of his wrestling
career a memorable one,
pinning Plainfield East’s Artese
Gregory to finish fifth at
heavyweight.
While most people know
O’Rourke as a football player
– he’ll continue his football
career at Northwestern
– he’s wrestled since he was
5 years old and was in tears
following the fifth-place
match.
“I’ve been wrestling for a
long time, so this was emotional,”
he said. “It wasn’t a
perfect tournament, but I’m
glad I finished it the right
way. That meant a lot to
me.”
East coach Tyrone Byrd
said O’Rourke’s passion for
wrestling is apparent.
“He’s sad that he’s going
to be done with the sport,
but he should also be happy
and proud with all he’s been
able to accomplish,” Byrd
said. “He’s a warrior. He
dislocated a finger in two
places at regionals and has
Please see Wrestling, 44
Listen Up
“He was really sick, but he still came out and tried. He
wanted to help the team out. That was gutsy.”
Bob Westberg — TPHS boys swimming coach on underclassman James
Ochoa competing through illness at sectional.
WHAT 2 WATCH
Track and Field — 9 a.m., Sat., Feb. 24
• Andrew’s boys and girls track teams
will be in action this weekend at
the Joliet and Lockport Invitational,
respectively, kicking off their seasons.
Index
44 - Youth Sports
43 - Athlete of the Week
Compiled by Editor Cody Mroczka,, cody@tinleyjunction.com