Cooper Corder didn’t have a stereotypical reaction to winning his first state title.

After taking down Unity Christian’s Clinton VerHeecke in a 10-9 decision in the Class 1A 150-pound title match on Saturday at Champaign’s State Farm Center, the Sandwich junior decided to take a moment and embrace his opponent for a few moments before getting his hand raised as a state champion.

For Corder, it was a sign of respect for the only wrestler that was able to beat him this season.

“I know he’s been at the state tournament many times and that we were both first-time finalists,” Corder said. “I knew this meant a lot to him, and how much this win means to me. So I sat there, prayed with him and told him he’s got his college career to look forward to. He’s a great kid, and it was nice to go out there to be able to go battle him again.”

Corder lost to VerHeecke earlier in the season via fall, the only blemish to an otherwise spotless record on the season. And VerHeecke looked more than ready to put another on it, getting the first takedown in the first period.

But it was a situation Corder was more than prepared for.

“I’ve had faith in my coaches, and I really worked everyday to replicate what a state finals match would be like,” Corder said. “I played every scenario in my head going into this. I just wanted to have fun out there and continue to score to get the points to win.”

Corder would go on to respond with a reversal, one of two he implemented in the match. His second one came with just 44 seconds remaining in the final period to give Corder a 10-8 lead, one he would not let go of until the end.

“I felt that title there,” Corder said. “I could have easily pushed him away and just gotten the one point, but I felt the reversal and I thought I could keep my toe in and get some more time off the clock.”

It’s the first individual state title for the Indians since 2012, when Alphonso Vruno won the Class A 138-pound title. And after taking fourth place as a freshman and fifth as a sophomore, Corder was more than excited to take the top spot on the podium.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of stuff, from injuries as a freshman to dealing with pneumonia and stuff last year,” Corder said. “I left last season thinking that those losses as state were going to be my last in high school. Obviously I lost this year but won when it mattered. It’s just super to cool to be able to wrestle.”

Earlier on Saturday, three other Kendall County wrestlers secured All-State honors in the medal rounds. One of them was Yorkville junior Van Rosauer, who took third place in the Class 3A 150-pound bracket.

“I really had my sights set on the final, but things didn’t go my way in the semifinals,” Rosauer said. “So I just had to come back and win my last two matches to take third and end it on a high note.”

Rosauer, who lost a 1-0 decision to Marmion’s Ashton Hobson in the semifinals, came back with a vengeance, getting a 2-0 victory over Marist’s Tommy Fidler before taking down Joliet West’s Coehn Weber in a 7-1 decision. The third-place finish was an improvement from Rosauer’s sophomore year, where he placed fourth in the 144-pound weight class.

“Last night was not very fun, but I got my mind right this morning and came back to win the next two,” Rosauer said. “I ended up doing better than I did last year, and I got it done.

“I know I can get there next year. I was so close this season, so I’m just going to work really hard so I can end up on top.”

Yorkville Christian senior Jackson Allen finished out his high school career with a sixth-place finish. And after going winless at state as a junior, he was happy to make it on the podium.

“I made a dedicated commitment to work my hardest this offseason to make it back here,” Allen said. “I made it to the semifinals, studied the guy that I faced. He just got me on a bad single, jacked me up with under hooks and got me on my back, and I think that just threw me off my mojo.

“I was shooting for the stars, so honestly it’s disappointing. I know I deserve to be on the podium. I just got caught in an unlucky throw and caught me off guard.”

Also taking sixth place and securing All-State honors was Sandwich sophomore Joshua Kotalik. Kotalik won his wrestle back match with a 4-1 decision before falling by decision in his final two matches.