Marmion senior Vincenzo Testa picked the perfect swan song to his wrestling career.
The Concordia Wisconsin football recruit was ideally positioned to spark the Cadets’ quest for a repeat state championship on the mats. And he wasn’t going to take that responsibility lightly.
“I’m in my own little world before the match and I didn’t want to think about the score,” Testa said afterward. “I had complete faith, so I just went out there and wrestled.”
Did he ever.
Testa pinned Montini’s Kevin May at 190 pounds Saturday, sparking the Cadets to a 36-22 win in the Class 3A dual team state championship match at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
Marmion (16-3) won the final five matches to capture its second straight state title.
Senior Zach Stewart, who won his second individual state championship last week at 138, clinched the victory with a technical fall at 150. Senior Ashton Hobson, the state runner-up at 150, punctuated things with a technical fall at 157.
Senior 120-pounder Dom Munaretto (52-0), a three-time state champ, came through with a pin as St. Charles East (19-6) defeated Oak Park-River Forest 34-30 for third place. The Ohio State recruit finished with a career record of 204-6.
The dual team state final began at 165, with Marmion trailing 9-0 when Testa was summoned. That Testa’s pin sparked the turnaround didn’t surprise senior heavyweight Joey Favia.
“That’s just what he does,” Favia said of Testa. “He’s very reliable and someone that we can always count on. I’ve known him since the fourth grade. He’s one of my best friends.
“We train together, and I just feel how strong he is every day.”
Zach Stewart confirmed that Testa’s narrow state semifinal loss against three-time state champion Aaron Stewart from Warren showed how capable he can be.
“He sparked us and got us going,” Zach Stewart said of Testa. “He’s just so motivated. Vinnie’s one of the hardest workers in the room. He was the one who really started us up (Saturday).”
Testa put away May in just 1:25.
“I wrestled him at the conference meet and didn’t have my best match but I still got the technical fall,” Testa said. “I’m a very reactive wrestler and very good with hand fights.
“I just knew I had to go out there and show something.”
After a bittersweet and competitive loss in the third-place match at 190 in the Class 3A individual state meet, Testa was determined to end his high school career on a high note.
“I’m a very competitive guy and nobody likes to lose,” he said. “I knew I had to bounce back this week. The whole mentality was to get 18 team points by pinning guys.”
A two-time individual state qualifier, Testa (29-6) ended up with three falls in less than nine minutes of wrestling time in the three state duals. He also won regional and sectional championships.
The family bond isn’t just a figure of speech, either. His brother Dominic, who’s eight years older, is one of Marmion’s assistant coaches. He influenced Vincenzo to begin wrestling at age 4.
“I looked up to my brother so much and it was just natural to spend time with him,” Vincenzo said. “I got involved with youth football a couple of years after that.
“It’s been such a blast and a privilege to play these two sports.”
Testa, who has an outgoing, friendly and personable nature, loves to work out and be with his friends. A torn labrum as a freshman prevented him from competing as the Cadets took second in the state.
Football is his future, but wrestling has been a crowning achievement for Testa with his all-state status while being a key figure on back-to-back state champions.
“I sprained my ankle at the beginning of the year and I was out,” he said. “I really wanted to finish strong because it means so much more doing it for the whole team.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
