The Antioch Community High School wrestling team competed in the IHSA Sectional meet on Feb. 9 and 10 at Grayslake Central High School. Hopes were high heading into the meet, anticipating coming home with a state qualification. Competition was tough, as they were going to be going up against other wrestlers who had beaten them earlier in the season, however the wrestlers knew what they were in for.
“My biggest highlight was definitely the match with the kid that beat me at the beginning of the year,” junior Ben Vaquez said. “Me and him went all 6 minutes at each other and we both knew it was a good match and we both deserved [to win].”
All of the wrestlers were prepared for a tough match and put up a good fight for their opponent. The team went into the meet with the mindset of having fun and trusting in their own ability to make their state qualification happen. For some of the wrestlers, it was a challenge to make sure that their nerves did not overtake them and that they kept a level head throughout the match. However, for other wrestlers, nerves were not much of a concern because the main focus was just putting forth their best effort.
“I’m not putting as much pressure on myself and just trusting in my ability more,” senior Edgar Albino Jr. said.
While not all of the wrestlers qualified for State, Antioch will be proudly represented by 3 amazing athletes from the team. Junior Gavin Hanrahan and sophomore Owen Shea were both runners-up in their weight class, qualifying them for state. Albino Jr. was the Sectional champion and secured his spot for State as well.
“I didn’t feel my best physically the first day of sectionals and had a really close match but I still pulled the win off,” Albino Jr. said.
The boys are excited to take on state in the upcoming weekend and will have the support of their team behind them. The team will take the bus down to State with the three qualifiers and watch the boys take on the toughest competition of the season. Make sure to keep an eye out for how the boys do at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill., Feb. 15- 17.
