POPLAR GROVE, Ill.—Gavin Ekberg recalls listening to a few different podcasts on Illinois high school wrestling before he was to compete at sectionals and noticing one common variable.
When it came time for the hosts to make predictions about which wrestlers would win which matches, not a single one had the North Boone junior making it to the IHSA Class 1A State Championships.
“They were saying that I was going to get knocked out in the blood round,” Ekberg said.
The 126-pounder never even had to wrestle in the blood round, also known as the second round of the consolation matches. Instead, he rattled off three-straight wins to secure a spot at the state meet.
“It still hasn't even clicked in yet,” Ekberg said. “I think I'll get more of the experience when I'm there and it'll set in a little bit more.”
While Ekberg fell to the Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger in a 7-0 decision in the sectional finals at Byron High School, his second-place spot guaranteed he would wrestle in the state tournament.
Of course, Ekberg is used to being somewhat of an underdog. The Vikings only have about six or so guys on the wrestling team, and the Big Northern isn’t known for being a wrestling powerhouse. Heck, it doesn’t even hold a conference tournament.
“My practice partner weighs 40 more pounds than me,” Ekberg said.
But Ekberg has become a force on the squad. He broke the program record as a sophomore for pins in a season with 25. He also finished 31-14 and was a regional champion last year.
This season, Ekberg is 36-6 with 23 pins and three major decisions. He went undefeated through the conference dual season and took home a championship from the Polo Tournament.
“Gavin is great at knowing what he’s good at and when to exploit it,” head coach Jason Mamer-Cox said. “He's worked a lot on having a really strong lock down cradle that he can pull off from a few different positions. Continuing to work on that and adding some different moves to the repertoire has made him stronger on top. And he’s starting to get really explosive on bottom.”
“I’ve based my wrestling around my strength because I feel like I’m pretty strong compared to other people at my weight,” Ekberg said. “But I've been working more on agility, getting in on shots and stuff like that.”
Ekberg had a 2:25 pin over St. Edward’s Axell Magana in the opening round of the Johnsburg regional before losing a 3-0 decision in the semifinals. He bounced back for a 2:22 pin over Jared Lopez (Johnsburg) and a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Josiah Perez (Marian) to finish in third.
At sectionals, the Viking jumped out to a sizable lead and beat lengthy Cole Perkins (Orion) 15-9 to start the day. He then pinned Marquette’s Beau Thompson, an honorable mention in the Illinois Matmen rankings, in 2:58 before pinfalling Oregon’s Preston LaBay in 1:51.
“I had wrestled (LaBay) already this year, so I already knew what to expect in that match and just stuck to the game plan,” Ekberg said.
Ekberg added that despite the loss in the championship, he was proud of how hard he fought Hoger in the 7-0 decision.
“Everybody else in that tournament, he had either attacked or pinned — he won his last match 12-0. It felt good to give him at least a little bit of competition.”
And now Ekberg will finish the season at the State Farm Center in Champaign. He will open against Ridgeview senior Danny Tay (38-4) on Thursday.
“Gavin has committed more than anyone else has,” Mamer-Cox said. “It's great to see him accomplish those goals that he wants.”
“The first match at state is the most crucial. If you lose that first match, then it's like every single match is on the line,” Ekberg said. “Hopefully I can make it to the placement matches and put my name up there.”
• IHSA 3A State Tournament: The Hononegah wrestling team is hoping to cap off an outstanding season with a few state champions.
The Indians, who also qualified for the team sectional to be held on Tuesday in Joliet, are sending eight boys to Champaign while 120-pounder Gina Cassioppi will wrestle in the IHSA Girls State Championships in Bloomington.
Cassioppi (13-1) won the girls sectional in Geneseo after going undefeated and pinning Grace Laid (Catholic Academy) in 1:52 for the championship. Her younger brothers Bruno and Rocco will also wrestle in the state championship as freshmen. 106-pounder Rocco (40-3) finished second at the Barrington Sectional while 113-pounder Bruno (34-4) took first.
Thomas Silva (132, 25-4) and Robert Darling (138, 29-16) will also look for state titles after winning sectional championships. Freshman Brody Sendel (157, 43-2) will compete after finishing second while Connor Diemel (165, 43-5) and Kurt Smith (175, 38-9) advanced with third-place finishes. Max Haskins (150, 34-8) placed fourth to have a shot at a state title, as well.
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