Matthew Rundell walked away from wrestling two years ago and did not compete in the summer after his sophomore year.
The Oak Park-River Forest senior capped a remarkable comeback Saturday by climbing the top step of the awards stand at the Class 3A state meet.
Rundell became OPRF’s second state champion Saturday after beating Libertyville senior Joey Gunther 3-2 to win at 160 pounds at the State Farm Center in Champaign. Rundell’s title followed junior teammate Isaiah White’s championship at 152.
Rundell (34-3) beat Gunther (36-2) after taking a 3-0 lead in the third period. It was the closest match of the state meet for Rundell, who earned a pin and technical fall in his first two matches and beat Mount Carmel’s David Riojas 7-2 in the semifinals.
He won his third state medal to join current teammate Isaiah White and former Huskies stars Sam Brooks, Ellis Coleman and Davonte Mahomes
Rundell was the state runner-up at 106 in 2012 as a freshman, losing in the final to Thornton’s Kris Williams 4-3. He quit wrestling after dropping both his 120-pound matches at the state meet in 2013 as a sophomore.
He returned to place third at 152 in 2014.
“The interesting thing is he took a step back (in 2013),” OPRF coach Paul Collins said. “There were some incredible things he was going through. He needed his freshman and sophomore year to figure things out. He was able to find his love of the sport again.”
In an interview with Pioneer Press over the summer, Rundell described his battle with bulimia and thought it was related to cutting weight for the wrestling season as a sophomore. He spent six weeks in the hospital while receiving treatment.
“I was not going to quit. I wasn’t going to let my eating disorder ruin my life. I realized I wasn’t going to cut weight. I didn’t want to have to go through that. I was going to get bigger and just refine my technique,” Rundell said in August.
Last month, Rundell verbally committed to North Carolina. Former OPRF wrestler Ben Brooks wrestled one year at North Carolina after placing third at state at 189 in 2009.
Rundell chose North Carolina after considering American University, Northern Illinois and Purdue.
“North Carolina seemed like an obvious choice,” Rundell said. “It has great academics and I felt it gave support for its athletics.”
Rundell grew up with the Little Huskies program before moving to California for four years. He returned to the area just before middle school.
“At a young age, I learned to persevere,” Rundell said.
Five Huskies reached the state finals and six wrestled in the semifinals Friday after OPRF traveled to the state meet with 3A-best 12 qualifiers.
Other medalists for OPRF were: Jason Renteria (2nd, 113); Alex Madrigal (2nd, 120), Gabe Townsell (3rd, 126); Jamie Hernandez (4th, 132); and Larry Early III (2nd, 145).
@geomwilcox
