CHAMPAIGN — Man-up or go home. That’s the message Dundee-Crown coach Matt Wahl had for junior Christian Brunner.
A state runner-up last year at 182 pounds, the Chargers’ junior lost his Class 3A state semifinal match on Friday in Champaign, thus ending his dream of a state title at 195.
Wahl gave Brunner a few hours to clear his head after the loss before giving him a choice.
“We talked about how there are two ways to respond to that loss,” Wahl said. “You can pack it in or you can win the consolation bracket. It’s not what he came here to do but it still makes for an extremely solid season.”
Brunner took Wahl’s message to heart, shaking off Friday’s 10-4 semifinal loss to East Aurora’s Tim Young by winning two matches Saturday to place third in state, becoming a two-time All-State wrestler with one more high school season to go.
Brunner won 6-4 over Waubonsie Valley’s Max Ihry in his third-place consolation match and then won 8-2 for third over Lockport’s Tyler Johnson.
“Friday was a tough night,” Brunner said. “My goal was ripped away. But I had to bounce back. It wouldn’t have been fun if I came here and went from second to sixth.”
Young won a national title in Greco-Roman wrestling during the offseason and had too much in his arsenal in his semifinal against Brunner.
“He is a phenomenal athlete and he wrestled Christian perfectly,” Wahl said. “You just have to tip your hat to him. We knew he was explosive but we didn’t know he was that good a scrambler.”
Brunner (47-3) was ranked second at 195 by Illinois Matmen all season. Johnson went into Champaign ranked No. 1 but was also upset in his semifinal match.
Last season, Brunner was a largely unknown quantity in Champaign, and made a surprising run to the state title mat. This year, he carried more of a target on his back.
“I didn’t like it as much being (ranked) up there. There was a lot of pressure in the semifinals this year, but it is what it is,” Brunner said. “You can’t let the pressure get to you and just keep wrestling. All I can do is wrestle my hardest. And now I have more motivation for next year.”
Other Elgin-area wrestlers competing in Champaign in 3A were Huntley’s Zach Spencer (36-11 at 106), Josh Stenger (42-11 at 113), Ricky Vigil (31-6 at 132), and Brandon Meyer (40-11 at 152). Josh Stenger finished one win away from the place-medal round.
Hampshire had three wrestlers compete in 2A in Jake Szlenk (33-8 at 106), Kyle Szlenk (31-13 at 113), and Anton Krocko (41-7). Krocko finished one win shy of the medal round.
Gary Larsen is a freelance writer.
