Outside of a closet, there aren’t many places Walther Lutheran wrestler Christian Winston can feel constricted.
A year ago, Illinois’ Assembly Hall seemed especially spacious to the 5-foot-5-inch sophomore. But a second-place finish at 112 pounds made the confines seem a bit more cozy.
The diminutive Winston continued to post big victories at state Friday, when he won a pair of matches by a combined score of 25-8 to earn a semifinal berth in the Class A state tournament.
“Last year, when I first came here, this place was huge to me,” said Winston, now a junior wrestling at 119. “I came in here [Thursday], and I didn’t think it was as big this time.”
Winston moves on to face Sandwich’s Brent Skorup in Saturday’s semifinals. Skorup, one of six Sandwich wrestlers in the semifinals, defeated Winston by one point at each of the last two Plano sectional meets.
Montini, too, moved six wrestlers into the semis, including two-time state champ Conor Beebe. Bishop McNamara’s Mike Ryan, last year’s champ at 103, shrugged off a shoulder stinger to advance at 112.
Wilmington’s Tony Vercelli (215) and Sandwich’s Bobby White (275) both won their quarterfinal matches to remain undefeated this season.
Beebe defeated Winston in the 112 title match a year ago. Based on that loss, Winston adopted a more aggressive style.
“He was always pushing the moves, and I had to defend that,” said Winston, who runs in four track events and led the football team in tackles as a defensive back. “I plan to be more aggressive here than a year ago.”
Beebe, the state champion at 103 as a freshman and 112 as a sophomore, jumped to 125 for his junior year. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Brian Lange of Gibson City/Melvin-Sibley, third at 119 a year ago, and took a 37-1 record in the quarters.
“The guys at [125] are a little stronger,” Beebe said. “They’re more in your face, so you’ve got to return the favor.”
