CHAMPAIGN — It’s not often that a two-time state champion is an underdog, but that’s what Mount Carmel junior Sergio Lemley was Saturday night heading into the Class 3A 132-pound championship match.
“There was definitely extra motivation because he was my only loss this year,” Lemley said of top-ranked Vincent Robinson of Homewood-Flossmoor. “I knew what I was going to get in this match.
“Coach Alex (Tsirtsis) has been leading me every day in practice, telling me what he’s going to do — telling me if I do my best, no one can hang with me. Obviously, it translated.”
After Robinson took an early lead, Lemley turned the tables in a big way to pull off a 10-5 victory and become one of four state champions for Mount Carmel at the State Farm Center.
Lemley (40-1) won a state title for the Caravan as a freshman in 2020, transferred to his hometown school of Chesterton and won an Indiana state title last season, then returned to the top of the podium with Mount Carmel.
“With COVID, my family thought it was best to go back home,” Lemley said. “I wanted to come back. I wanted to be at Mount Carmel. That year made me miss it.”
Nasir Bailey’s saga is similar to Lemley’s story. Bailey, a junior, is now a three-time state champion with titles in two states.
Bailey (41-0), a North Carolina recruit, won state as a freshman at T.F. North, moved to Texas and won last season, then Saturday became the first in the new Rich Township athletic program to win a state championship when he beat Prospect’s Will Baysingar 6-2 at 132.
“It was fun being back home and being back in this arena,” Bailey said. “I love the crowd. I love being on the center mat. That’s all you can ask for.
“It means a lot to win this for Rich Township. I’ve been working for this all season and over the summer. This was the end goal, and I thank God, my family and my coaches we’re here.”
Bailey and Lockport’s Brayden Thompson were the only 3A wrestlers to finish undefeated.
Thompson (45-0), a junior who transferred from Montini, capped his run with a 7-2 win over Marmion’s Tyler Perry at 170.
“Two years ago, I lost in the quarterfinals and I told myself that was the only loss I was ever going to take here,” Thompson said. “I was a little nervous, but I’ve been doing this for a while now. I’ve been going to every tournament since I was itty bitty.
“I’ve been telling myself I’m the best kid in the country. If you want to be that guy, you have to get the job done here when everyone is watching.”
Senior Andrew Blackburn-Forst (35-5), a Northern Colorado recruit, also was a champion for Lockport, edging Marist’s Ghee Rachal 3-2 at 220 to complete an eight-month run in which he also won a championship at the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association state meet last June and a football state title in November with the Porters.
Mount Carmel senior Ryan Boersma, who also was an IWCOA champ last summer, made it atop the IHSA podium for the first time as well.
Boersma (40-2), a Missouri recruit, beat Sandburg’s Kevin Zimmer 6-2 at heavyweight.
“This one just means more,” Boersma said. “It’s more official. It’s more recognized. It’s more tradition.”
Zimmer was one of six runners-up from the Southland, including Robinson, Rachal, Mount Carmel’s Damian Resendez (113), Shepard’s Damari Reed (152) and Marist’s Peter Marinopoulos (195).
Mount Carmel sophomore Colin Kelly (37-4) pulled off a 3-1 overtime upset over McHenry’s previously unbeaten Chris Moore to win the championship at 160.
Seth Mendoza (39-2), a Caravan freshman, completed a dominant run through the 106-pound bracket with three wins by technical fall and one by injury default.
He got a 17-2 tech fall over Fremd’s Wiley Jessup in the finals.
“I came in wanting to dominate the tournament,” Mendoza said. “I’m not trying to keep matches close. It’s the mindset going into the match.
“It doesn’t matter if the guy is bigger, smaller, stronger or taller than you. I always go in thinking I’m going to set the pace.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
