Wrestling: Lane captures Public League title; Bowen’s Ronzel Darling earns historic win

Updated: January 29, 2012 8:54PM

The magnitude of Ronzel Darling’s win wasn’t matched by the amount of celebrating he did.

Darling, a Bowen senior, became just the second wrestler to win four Public League titles when he beat Lane’s Danny Carlson on an injury default in the 113-pound final Sunday at Chicago State’s Jones Convocation Center.

“I didn’t show a lot of emotion because it wasn’t the way I wanted to win it,” Darling said. “I’m just glad I did.”

After a scoreless first period, Darling got an escape in the second to go ahead 1-0. That was still the score when McCarthy suffered a high right ankle sprain in the third period and couldn’t continue.

That made Darling (22-0) the Public League’s first four-time champ since Tilden’s Doy Harrison, who won his titles between 1975 and ‘78 and was on hand Sunday. “It put a lot of pressure on me,” Darling said of the build-up to the historic win. “People were saying they were going to be there when I win it. ... I’m glad it has passed because my ultimate goal is to win state.”

Ditto for Lane’s Max Schneider, who made short work of three opponents en route to winning the 145-pound title. Schneider (31-0), who had three first-period falls totaling 2 minutes, 6 seconds, has three city titles and might have won four had he not missed last year’s Public League tournament with a shoulder injury.

Like Darling, he has bigger dreams. Specifically, Schneider, who won state in 2010, wants to become the Public League’s first two-time IHSA champ in almost 60 years. “It’s one more stepping stone,” he said of Sunday’s title. “I always try to work it up progressively to my season goals, which are being undefeated and [winning] another state title.”

Schneider was one of three winners for Lane, which beat runner-up Bowen 256-153.5 to earn its third consecutive Public League title. Johnny McCarthy (30-5) also had three falls en route to winning at 120, while Nick Jankowski (32-3) took first at 132.

The Indians, who had a narrow loss in the Class 3A state quarterfinals last season, have some bigger team goals than city as well. “Right now, it’s a playoff team [atmosphere] in the practice room,” Schneider said. “We all know what the team needs to do. ... We can’t quite celebrate yet.”

Bowen also had three champs in Darling, 126-pounder Rudy Johnson (25-1) and 220-pounder DeQuence Goodman (29-0). “I’m not wrestling up to my capabilities,” Goodman said. “I’m injured, banged up. Hope by the time state comes around, I’ll be good.”

Two more undefeated wrestlers won titles: Taft’s Gerardo Bucio (17-0) at 138 and Clemente’s Pedro Martinez (22-0) at 152. Other champs were Taft’s Melvin Kurian (15-2 at 103), Ag. Science’s Jatum Jeffries (29-3 at 160), Mather’s Vinny Liotta (170), Fenger’s Darius Flowers (21-1 at 182), Julian’s Ladell Fleming (21-2 at 195) and King’s Lamontay Cobb (32-1 at 285).

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