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The fact that Spartacus Chino even wrestled this season defied the odds.
The fact that he brought home a state medal was more or less miraculous.
The Wheaton Warrenville South junior broke his pelvis over the summer and was told he probably wouldn’t wrestle this season. But less than eight months later, he claimed fifth place at 140 pounds in Saturday’s Class 3A state finals tournament.
“Finishing all-state for the second year in a row, I’m proud of myself,” Chino said.
Not only did Chino recover from the broken pelvis for a stellar wrestling season, he came back to help the Tigers’ football team claim a state title. The success in his fall sport carried over to his winter sport.
“The success I’ve had this year definitely motivated me,” he said.
After a 6-1 loss in a backdraw semifinal, Chino was especially motivated to leave state on the right foot in the fifth-place match.
“I told my dad before the match, ‘This kid is not scoring,’” Chino told his father before facing Minooka’s Jake Residori
That’s exactly what happened as Chino controlled the match from the onset and won 7-0. He bolstered a first-period takedown with a reversal and two near-fall points in the second. He was also awarded one point on an illegal hold.
“He’s a pretty solid kid, but I wanted to leave state on the right foot,” Chino said. “You always want to end the season on a positive note.”
That’s the same thing fellow junior Mark Savenok did by winning the fifth-place match at 130. He had two first-period takedowns, plus an escape and takedown in the second. He allowed just three escapes for a 7-3 win over Lyons Township junior Drew Bates.
“It’s a great thing to end on a win,” Savenok said.
Savenok gave eventual champion Keith Surber his toughest test of the tournament, a 3-0 decision in a quarterfinal match. He gave eventual fourth-place finisher Jason Montemayor all he could handle in a 5-4 match in a backdraw semifinal.
Savenok was thinking state title until his loss to Surber and third place until his loss to Montemayor, but there was no way he was leaving Champaign on a loss.
“My mindset was, I’m here to place,” Savenok said.
Saturday yielded Savenok’s first state medal in his second trip (he lost his only match downstate as a freshman), and what he learned from his stellar run over the weekend will only help him as he goes for the state title next winter.
“It’s great to be down here watching and wrestling the best kids in the state. I got to wrestle a lot of great kids, and I learned something from it,” he said. “I think I could have taken third, but I’ll settle for fifth.
“I’ll come back strong and work harder to take the state championship next year.”
The fact that Spartacus Chino even wrestled this season defied the odds.
The fact that he brought home a state medal was more or less miraculous.
The Wheaton Warrenville South junior broke his pelvis over the summer and was told he probably wouldn’t wrestle this season. But less than eight months later, he claimed fifth place at 140 pounds in Saturday’s Class 3A state finals tournament.
“Finishing all-state for the second year in a row, I’m proud of myself,” Chino said.
Not only did Chino recover from the broken pelvis for a stellar wrestling season, he came back to help the Tigers’ football team claim a state title. The success in his fall sport carried over to his winter sport.
“The success I’ve had this year definitely motivated me,” he said.
After a 6-1 loss in a backdraw semifinal, Chino was especially motivated to leave state on the right foot in the fifth-place match.
“I told my dad before the match, ‘This kid is not scoring,’” Chino told his father before facing Minooka’s Jake Residori
That’s exactly what happened as Chino controlled the match from the onset and won 7-0. He bolstered a first-period takedown with a reversal and two near-fall points in the second. He was also awarded one point on an illegal hold.
“He’s a pretty solid kid, but I wanted to leave state on the right foot,” Chino said. “You always want to end the season on a positive note.”
That’s the same thing fellow junior Mark Savenok did by winning the fifth-place match at 130. He had two first-period takedowns, plus an escape and takedown in the second. He allowed just three escapes for a 7-3 win over Lyons Township junior Drew Bates.
“It’s a great thing to end on a win,” Savenok said.
Savenok gave eventual champion Keith Surber his toughest test of the tournament, a 3-0 decision in a quarterfinal match. He gave eventual fourth-place finisher Jason Montemayor all he could handle in a 5-4 match in a backdraw semifinal.
Savenok was thinking state title until his loss to Surber and third place until his loss to Montemayor, but there was no way he was leaving Champaign on a loss.
“My mindset was, I’m here to place,” Savenok said.
Saturday yielded Savenok’s first state medal in his second trip (he lost his only match downstate as a freshman), and what he learned from his stellar run over the weekend will only help him as he goes for the state title next winter.
“It’s great to be down here watching and wrestling the best kids in the state. I got to wrestle a lot of great kids, and I learned something from it,” he said. “I think I could have taken third, but I’ll settle for fifth.
“I’ll come back strong and work harder to take the state championship next year.”
