Emotions run high at state wrestling

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The individual state wrestling championships in Champaign is one of my favorite events of the year.

But the one problem with covering state is the amount of stories that could be told that there just isn't enough room for in the paper. Plus, with all the running around and hustling to get the story done, sometimes things fall through the cracks.

So I just want to clear out the notebook from state wrestling and put a bow on what was an incredible season for area wrestlers.

• For reporters, the adage is "no cheering in the press box." That is usually not a problem.

But after covering West Aurora senior 189-pounder Mario Gonzalez for four years and getting to know him, it was hard not to be excited when the clock struck 0:00 of his state championship match against Clayton Kendall of De La Salle.

The 7-2 win was the culmination of a remarkable career for Gonzalez, who will spend the next four years on the very floor he won his state championship, Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois.

The look of relief on Gonzalez's face when his arm was lifted in victory is something I will never forget.

• Although it was not a state championship performance, West senior Josh Zinzer capped his career with a sixth-place finish at 125 pounds.

Zinzer won a state medal as a sophomore but failed to reach state last year. The fact that he worked his way back to the medal stand is a testament to his talent.

"It shows the younger kids that if it doesn't work out one year, you can still do it next year," he said. "Just work hard and your work will pay off in the end."

Zinzer is one of the most unique athletes I've covered in 10 years of working on high school sports. At a school as large as West, three-sport stars are hard to come by. Zinzer is a true throwback, playing football in the rugged DuPage Valley Conference, winning two state medals in wrestling despite not wrestling in the offseason, and becoming one of the state's fastest track and field athletes -- the sport Zinzer figures to compete in while in college.

"It's been a pleasure to coach him," Blackhawks coach Mike DiNovo said. "He has the heart of a warrior. He is an amazing competitor. An amazing athlete. An amazing young man."

• In Class 2A, Oswego junior Dan Howell (215 pounds) and Yorkville junior Jed Lightfoot (125) both finished second at state, and Batavia junior Logan Arlis (112) took second in Class 3A.

And each is looking forward to next season already. Many times, after a wrestler loses his last match of the season, no matter how successful the season was, it's hard to look positively at the season in the heat of the moment.

But to the credit of Arlis, Howell and Lightfoot, their focus after losing the title match was squarely on returning to the Grand March next year and climbing the medal stand one more step.