Class 2A, 1A Wrestling: Hamiti, Baldridge, Keane capture state titles

CHAMPAIGN – The long drought is finally over.

After going over half a century without a state champion, Joliet Catholic Academy’s wrestling program finally broke through Saturday at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center.

Hilltoppers freshman DJ Hamiti dominated from the outset and went on to record a win by technical fall in 5:10 over Washington’s Abraham Hinrichsen to capture the Class 2A title at 106 pounds and cap a 42-4 season.

Hamiti becomes only the second Hilltoppers state champ and the first since Pat Mudron in 1967 to win a title for the school. As a bonus, freshman Jack Finnegan finished fifth at 113 to give coach Ryan Cumbee’s revitalized program its first multiple placers since 1966.

“This means a lot,” Hamiti said. “I came here wanting to tell everybody that I was going to win that weight class and I think I showed that I could dominate it. The next few years should be exciting and hopefully we get more kids in the room to practice with.”

The third time proved to be the charm for Morris’ Cody Baldridge, who made the most of his third-straight trip to the Class 2A title mat by capturing the 182 title with a 9-3 victory over Urbana’s Arnold Fox to cap a 42-0 season.

He joined his brother Kenny as a three-time medalist who capped his career with a title.

“This is probably the most exciting time of my life,” Baldridge said. “It’s hard to explain how I feel right now with all of the excitement, it’s just crazy. I went out there and put my heart on the line and wrestled as hard as I could and got what I wanted at the end of the day.

“Falling short two years in a row and then, being afraid that you might do it again and then, walking away with the state championship is a big relief off my shoulders. Once I got the first takedown is a relief and then, when you start racking up the points on the board, then you start feeling really good. Then it’s just about wrestling smart and don’t make a mistake.”

After making state history by becoming the first five-time champion in the Illinois Elementary School Association tournament, Paul Keane took second in his first try at the IHSA finals.

The Peotone sophomore made it clear this season that he was not going to be denied and he put an exclamation point on that Saturday when he captured an 8-2 victory over Heyworth’s Levi Neuleib to win the Class 1A 113 title and cap a 38-1 campaign.

“I would like to thank my coaches since they kept on reminding me of how it feels to be a runner-up and how it feels to fall short,” Keane said. “So when I was tired in practice, I’d think about that and it inspires me to go harder. I was tired in this match, but I kept on going since I remember what it felt like when I lost that match.

“I know that I can get titles down here. Last year I couldn’t prove it, but this year I worked hard and did what I had to do. In my loss this season, I was gassed and it made me think that if I can’t make it three periods against a tough kid, how I am I going to do it at state? I lost, 7-0, so that was a good way to see where I was at and made me go harder.”

Also in Class 2A, Lemont sophomore Kyle Schickel dropped his second straight title match after falling, 4-2, in overtime when Brother Rice’s Hassan Johnson got a takedown 15 seconds into the extra session. He finished the season with a 40-5 record.

Coal City’s Alex Friddle also fell in a heartbreaker in the Class 1A 120 title match as Aurora Christian’s Cameron Johnson got a reversal as time expired to claim a 4-2 victory. Friddle, who took third place a year ago, finished with a 45-2 record.

Another Coaler also reached the 1A title mat at 160, Daniel Jezik (42-7), but he met unbeaten defending state champion Danny Braunagel, who won by technical fall.

In Class 2A place matches, two other freshmen also collected medals. JCA’s Jack Finnegan (35-9) defeated Antioch’s Alex Barbarise, 5-3, to take fifth place at 113 and Lemont’s Apollo Gothard (38-8) beat Rochester’s Nicholas Capriotti, 10-2, to finish fifth at 195.

Lemont’s Drew Nash (43-6) also took fifth after winning, 15-1, over Antioch’s Danny McPherson at 126. And teammate Grant LaDuke (29-10) took sixth place at 132 after dropping a 6-2 decision to Cahokia’s Rodney Evans. It was the first medal for both.

Two freshman medal winners in Class 1A were Wilmington’s Jack Narine (43-10), who won a 5-4 overtime decision over Vandalia’s Jarek Wehrle to claim fifth at 106, and Coal City’s Connor Huston (38-13), who took sixth at 113 after falling 6-2 to Aurora Christian’s Tyler Eby.