BLOOMINGTON — Mount Carmel bumped junior Sergio Lemley up two weights for the dual team state finals, from 126 pounds, where he won an individual state title, to 138.
The Caravan had one thing in mind for that strategic move: the Class 3A state championship coming down to the final match Saturday night at that weight.
They wanted Lemley to be the closer.
“The biggest thing with wrestling up is mental,” Lemley said. “I have to think that, just because they’re bigger than me, it doesn’t mean they’re better. It doesn’t mean they’re going to get the job done.
“No matter what, wrestling is wrestling and you’ll win the match if you’re better at wrestling. I’m always up for a challenge, and if it’s for a team state title, I’m doing it every time.”
Lemley rewarded the Caravan for their confidence in him by pinning DeKalb’s Austin Martin to lift Mount Carmel to a 32-27 win in the 3A dual team state championship match at Grossinger Motors Arena.
It’s the fourth team wrestling state championship for Mount Carmel and the first since 1993-94.
Lemley, who became a three-time individual state champion last week — twice at Mount Carmel and once in Indiana — lost for just the second time this season in Saturday morning’s semifinals.
He wrestled at 132 and fell 5-2 to Prospect’s Will Baysingar, who was an individual state runner-up.
Mount Carmel (19-4) still rolled to a 48-21 win, but Lemley was not happy about his match.
“When things didn’t go my way earlier in the day, I wasn’t ready,” Lemley said. “I had to be ready for this one.
“It means a lot that they see me as their leader in the room and on the mat and want me in that last match. It feels good to get the job done. That’s what I’m here for.”
Mount Carmel coach Alex Tsirtsis knew Lemley would deliver if the Caravan were still in it going into that last match.
“I would not rather have anyone else in that position,” Tsirtsis said.
Ryan Boersma (heavyweight) and Seth Mendoza (106) also had pins for Mount Carmel.
Colin Kelly (160), Michael Kelly (182), Elliott Lewis (220) and Damian Resendez (113) each had wins.
Michael Kelly’s victory was equal parts unexpected and vital.
The senior had not wrestled all season until this week, when he returned for the team sectional.
Kelly, who’s a pitcher for Mount Carmel in baseball, had been resting a right shoulder injury to prepare for the spring.
He watched his younger brother Colin, a sophomore, win an individual championship last week and wanted back in the lineup.
“That motivated me even more to come back after seeing him win an individual state title as a sophomore,” Kelly said. “That was awesome. I really wanted to come back and give the team a feel of confidence that I could bring.
“I wanted to help my team win a state title.”
Michael Kelly came up with an overtime takedown for a 3-1 win over Luke Schmerbach, a state qualifier who had 36 wins entering the match compared to Kelly’s two.
“It was almost better knowing I had nothing to lose,” Kelly said. “I’ve been wrestling my whole life, so I was ready for it. I knew he wasn’t better than me.”
Lockport (19-6) beat Prospect 46-19 to take third place. It’s the fourth state trophy for the Porters, all since 2014-15.
Logan Swaw (152), Brayden Thompson (182), Cody Silzer (heavyweight) and David Vukobratovich (120) had pins for Lockport, while Andrew Blackburn-Forst (220) won by injury default.
Paul Kadlec (160), Paul Rasp (170), Aidan Nolting (195), Nore Turner (113) and Jad Alwawi (126) also had wins.
Rasp, who missed the individual state series because of a concussion, was happy to contribute again.
“I think we had four guys who had serious injuries this season,” Rasp said. “It’s been a little bit rough, but we had other guys come up big. We’ve got a lot of good guys to fill in those spots.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
