Chargers claim Wildcat Relays
The Dundee-Crown boys track team won the championship of the Wildcat Relays at Wheeling on Saturday, scoring 129 points, outdistancing the host school which had 111. Jacobs was fourth with 70 points.
D-C took first place in seven events, including running an 8:41.70 in the 4 x 800 relay and a 3:49.9 in the 4 x 400 relay.
Other firsts for the Chargers came from Tyler Jones in both hurdles events, Dan Magnant in the 800, Connor Kustief in the 1,600 and Garrett Mimaglia in the high jump.
Jacobs got firsts from its 4 x 150 relay team and Mike Wallace in the 200 dash.
In the girls meet, D-C finished fourth with 62 points and Jacobs fifth with 43. Maine South won the girls meet with a score of 137.
Jacobs' Sarah Ross won the pole vault competition while Dundee-Crown got firsts from its 4 x 800 relay team as well as Kelsey Sieler in the 1,600 run.
Women's basketball
Elgin Community College 64, Oakton 51:ŒThe Spartans finished the regular-season with a 64-51 victory against Oakton in the ISCC regular-season finale for both teams.
The Spartans (15-14, 7-7) were led to victory by sophomore power forward Ariana Topps, who scored 35 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Freshman center Jessica Turnade added 13 points and 6 boards for ECC.
"It was just an overall team effort," said Spartans assistant coach DeAnglela Lewis. "We came in very focused and ready to play."
Indiana-South Bend 84, Judson 65: After being tied at 15 in the first half, Indiana-South Bend (18-10) went on an 11-2 run for a 9-point lead it never gave and defeated Judson (11-16).
For the fifth game in a row Alicia Rovertoni led Judson in scoring with 17 points along with recording her ninth double-double of the year by grabbing 11 rebounds. Kelly Friestad added 14 points while Kirstin Johns had 12 for Judson.
Wrestling
Montini wins state: The grin on Montini senior Dan Stelter's face was a mile wide on Saturday night.
"This is awesome. It's what we've been working for, for three years," Stelter said. We were ranked number one all year, and we wanted it to end that way."
"We came here and did what we needed to do."
When the Broncos' Alex Saunders pinned Providence Catholic's Jeremy Crnich at 145 pounds, 5-time Class A title-winning Montini clinched its first Class AA IHSA state team wrestling title in program history, inside Moline's Wharton Field House.
The Broncos' 37-25 win capped a 34-1 season in which they were tagged as the state's top-ranked team from wire-to-wire, one season after reaching the Class AA title match before losing to Carl Sandburg.
"That left a horrible taste, and we worked hard every day to get back here," said Montini senior Dan Grimes. It feels great. I can't describe it."
Broncos' senior heavyweight Garrett Goebel ended a historic career, completing a 57-1 senior year by setting a new career record for wins in Illinois with 201. Goebel also set an IHSA record with 129 career pins.
The final high school match of Goebel's career lasted 37 seconds, with a pin of the Celtics' Steve Laski. Goebel will give up wrestling for football at Ohio State next year, but he knows he'll miss the sport.
"I'll miss it. I guess I don't how I'm going to take my anger out next year," Goebel joked.
"You just take him for granted," said Montini coach Mike Bukovsky. "He gets up to warm up and right away you just add six (team points) in your head. He's a great kid, and we'll miss him."
Montini's first obstacle on Saturday was a major one -- second-ranked Glenbard North (25-5). The Broncos and Panthers split 7-7 in matches won, but Montini's 8-6 edge in bonus points added up to a 29-27 quarterfinal victory.
"You've got to hand it to them," Goebel said of the Panthers. "It's just too bad we matched up in the first round."
"That match was one for the ages," Bukovsky said. "Glenbard North set the bar in DuPage County, and we've been focused on them all year. But all week long we also said we're coming down here to win three duals."
Montini next beat Libertyville (22-4) 39-15 in a semifinal dual, setting up a title appearance against Illinois' third-ranked team in Providence (24-2).
The Broncos got a tech fall win from Carl Foreside (171), pins from Saunders, Grimes (189) and Garrett Goebel, a technical fall win from Jake Gregerson at 125, decisions from Colton Rasche (112), Benny Marti (119), and Grant Goebel (215).
Grant Goebel has been one of Montini's unsung heroes all year, as a 175-pound junior wrestling at 215 most of the year. Goebel went 36-9 this year and posted three wins on Saturday, including a pin against Glenbard North and a takedown for a win with seconds remaining in his match against Providence.
"I don't how he does it," Bukovsky said. He's got an attitude, and that's what we had this year. We didn't have a lot of superstars this year, but we had a lot of guys that just really wanted to do the job."
-- Gary Larsen