SYCAMORE – The Sycamore wrestling team was able to squeak out a 38-31 victory on senior night over Rochelle.
The Spartans trailed, 31-14, headed into the 280-pound match. From there, the Spartans started a rally when Joey Beaudoin defeated Charlie Jandak, pinning him after scoring some back points.
“I was just working my moves,” Beaudoin said. “As soon as I got that snap, he was leaning too far forward. I snapped him down and then saw the opportunity to get a cradle in and got some back points out of it. When I didn’t get it, I just switched it and got the pin.”
After Rochelle forfeited matches at the 106 and 113 levels, its lead was cut to 32-31. The team that won the final match of the night at 120 would win the dual. That was when Spartans coach Alex Nelson called on senior Justin Montani to wrestle one weight class above his normal one to seal the deal for Sycamore.
“The way that we were looking and seeing where they had and didn’t have guys ... It’s senior night,” Nelson said of the decision to bump up Montani. “I asked him, ‘Do you want to wrestle a match on your senior night or do you want to take a forfeit?’ His answer was that he wanted to wrestle.”
Montani was in control of the match from the first whistle. He scored points on top throughout the first period before using a cradle to pin Grant Thompson in the second, salting away a dual victory for the Spartans.
“I just knew that I had to wrestle my style,” Montani said. “Staying after it the whole time is just the way I wrestle: keep trying to score points in all positions at all times.”
The win came on the eve of the Sycamore Invitational, which will host 24 other programs from all around the area. A one night turnaround from a dual to a five match, all day affair against some of the area’s stiffest competition can be taxing on the body.
“We tell them to eat right and get plenty of sleep,” Nelson said. “Obviously, you gotta be ready for a battle. ... Sometimes it just comes down to who is tougher by the end of these meets.”
With the Hubs getting ready to host a quad of their own tomorrow, coach Rich Harvey had some tough decisions to make coming down to the wire.
“We got some really young kids at those weights,” Harvey said. “We didn’t want to put them out there. Sycamore has some really solid kids at the lower weights. ... It doesn’t do them any good to go out there and get pinned quick.”
By the numbers: Sycamore completed their 24-point comeback by sweeping the final six matches of the night: two by forfeit, one by a decision, one tech fall and one fall.
Beyond the stats: Each coach had to make tough decisions about where they had to take forfeits. Rochelle took forfeits at 106 and 113, while Sycamore took them at 160 and 182.
They said it: “Deep down in a dual, different styles of wrestlers match up better against other styles,” Nelson said on strategy. “At times, that leads to moving wrestlers around and possible bumping them up a class. Whatever gives us the best chance at winning the dual. Sometimes it works out, other times it comes backfires on you. It’s like a play call in a football game.”
Up next: Sycamore will host their annual invitational at 9 a.m. Saturday. Rochelle will host a quad meet at 9 a.m. Saturday.