Every once in a while Assembly Hall rocks with a roar that only a wrestling crowd can make. Saturday’s Class AA state tournament was one of those times.
Providence senior 125-pounder Matt Kucala brought the crowd of 9,938 to its feet with a pin of returning state champion Eric Tannenbaum of Naperville North in 5 minutes 3 seconds. Kucala’s 106th career fall ended Tannenbaum’s streak of 86 straight victories and avenged a 12-6 defeat earlier in the season.
“Right now, I’m just living part of my dream,” said Kucala, who finished the season 42-2. “It’s great.”
The two wrestlers have distinctively different styles. Tannenbaum, who won at 112 last season, is a takedown artist, while Kucala–a lanky 125-pounder standing 5 feet 10 inches, is a mat wrestler with a lethal series of pinning combinations. Kucala fended off four early takedown shots in the first period and then took the top position to start the third period with a 7-6 lead and put Tannenbaum to his back with his familiar Mills/Crusher hold.
Tannenbaum trailed 4-0 after the first period but took Kucala down three times in the second period. He nearly broke free of Kucala’s ride early in the third but found himself in the unenviable position of being trapped by Kucala’s pinning combination.
“He beat me 12-6, but the whole time [since then] I have been working with [former Celtics state champion] Sean Bormet, all of our coaches, viewing the tapes, learning what he does,” Kucala said. “He’s got an unbelievable shot. If I could stop that and score myself … I knew once I got on top that I could do it.”
Most wrestlers choose the bottom position so they have the opportunity to score on an escape. When they met in the Conant Invitational, Kucala took the down position. This time he took top because he thought he could turn Tannenbaum. He scored two near-fall points in the first period, but Tannenbaum got out. He didn’t get out in the third period.
“I knew he had it, but I didn’t really think about it,” said Tannenbaum, whose teammate, Brian Dyer, won the 112 title. “I was almost out there. It’s not the end of the world.”
“[Afterward] I just sat down and relaxed. There is nothing you can do about it. Some kids cry, some kids make a fit, but it’s just a match.”
Kucala was one of three finalists for the four-time defending state dual-meet champion Celtics. Junior Don Reynolds won the 140-pound title with a 3-2 victory over St. Ignatius’ Pat Lukanich. Zach Berman lost to Lincoln-Way’s unbeaten Tony Pretto in the 103-pound championship.
Although the state team title is determined by the dual-meet format, Providence and Glenbard North each scored 104 points in unofficial scoring this weekend. Glenbard North also had three finalists. The Panthers got titles from two-time champion Chad Isacson, who defeated DeKalb’s Mike Pelikan 10-5 at 135 pounds, and freshman Joe Gomez, who defeated Moline’s A.J. Lavender 10-6 at 119. Panther sophomore Tyler Williams lost to two-time champion Andy Hiatt of DeKalb 3-1.
Glenbard North and Providence are at opposite ends of the bracket in the dual series, which starts with sectionals on Tuesday.
Isacson and Hiatt were the only champions to repeat. In addition to Tannenbaum, Marist’s Ray Blake and Bloomington’s Seth Livingston were defending titlists who lost on Saturday. Blake lost to Dyer 5-3 in overtime in the 112 semifinals. Livingston lost the heavyweight title to Willowbrook’s Matt Roth 7-4.
Several Class AA champions finished with unbeaten records. Pretto was 39-0, while St. Rita’s Mike Boyd finished at 45-0 with the 145 title. Bremen’s Tom Springs won the 152 title improve to 38-0, and Mt. Zion’s Nate McMillian finished 44-0 after winning at 160. Sandburg’s Pete Friedl won the 171 title and was 44-0. Mike Behnke of Willowbrook won the 215 title to finish 37-0, while teammate Roth was 31-0.
