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01-14-2007, 09:23 AM
BY ALAN FERGUSON
Special to the Beacon News
BATAVIA -- Jon Escamilla stuck to his opponent like 10-year-old gum on the underside of a desk.
In the marquee matchup of Saturday's Batavia Tournament at 119 pounds, the Bulldogs senior dealt with Argo state medalist Josh Thompson, who tried to flip, twist and turn his way out of his hold in the second period.
Escamilla, however, wasn't going anywhere. He latched on Thompson for the full two minutes, got a reversal in the third period then stayed on him for more than a minute to close out a 2-0 victory.
"I'm pretty comfortable riding on top," said Escamilla, who moved to 23-1 on the season. "I know I'm pretty tough on top. Toward the end, I knew he was going to try some fun stuff to try to just get away. I was trying to be prepared for anything."
Escamilla was one of two champions for the Bulldogs, who finished fourth behind Wheaton North, Lemont and Maine South after winning the team title last year.
Senior heavyweight Kevin McFarland took a 10-4 victory over McHenry's Jordan Walsh. To reach the championship match, McFarland dominated his half of the bracket with two pins and a technical fall.
Against Walsh, the Bulldogs senior trailed 2-1 to start the match but used a bear hug with an inside trip to put the McHenry wrestler to his back.
That four-point move allowed McFarland enough distance for the win, which improved his sterling record to 27-1.
"I had a good view of the clock, and I waited for the time to run down a little so I wouldn't be in a bad position," McFarland said. "I'm not used to throwing. I'm not used to throwing the bigger guys because I'm only a 225-pound heavyweight. I just waited then I hit it."
East Aurora's Jesus Rivera won in overtime to advance to the 171-pound championship match where he lost by technical fall to Rockford Boylan's Zach Smith.
The Tomcats, who finished 15th, also got a third-place showing from Julian Ramirez.
Batavia put 10 of its wrestlers in the quarterfinals but lost seven of those matches, putting a second straight title all but out of reach for the Bulldogs.
Logan Arlis also finished third for Batavia, and the Bulldogs had seven other wrestlers come in the top seven.
East Aurora had two wrestlers come in the top eight. Wheaton North won the team title at Batavia for the first time since 2002.
"The quarterfinals were a nightmare," Batavia coach Tom Arlis said. "We were flat, but we're a young team. That happens once in a while. Unfortunately, it happened in the quarterfinals. If it happened in the semifinals, a lot of those kids might have come back for third."
Escamilla came off the mat bleeding after his battle with Thompson, who came into the match with a 20-2 record and finished fourth in Class AA last season.
Both wrestlers probably didn't expect to see the other at 119. The Batavia coach said they thought the Argo senior might go 125, but the championship matchup was a big step for his senior, who wants a medal like Thompson got in Champaign last season.
"It just sets another plateau for me," Escamilla said. "It's another stepping stone for me on the way to state. It's just one more achievement that I could get before state comes. I'll probably see him down at state. Knowing I beat him now gives me confidence down at state."
Special to the Beacon News
BATAVIA -- Jon Escamilla stuck to his opponent like 10-year-old gum on the underside of a desk.
In the marquee matchup of Saturday's Batavia Tournament at 119 pounds, the Bulldogs senior dealt with Argo state medalist Josh Thompson, who tried to flip, twist and turn his way out of his hold in the second period.
Escamilla, however, wasn't going anywhere. He latched on Thompson for the full two minutes, got a reversal in the third period then stayed on him for more than a minute to close out a 2-0 victory.
"I'm pretty comfortable riding on top," said Escamilla, who moved to 23-1 on the season. "I know I'm pretty tough on top. Toward the end, I knew he was going to try some fun stuff to try to just get away. I was trying to be prepared for anything."
Escamilla was one of two champions for the Bulldogs, who finished fourth behind Wheaton North, Lemont and Maine South after winning the team title last year.
Senior heavyweight Kevin McFarland took a 10-4 victory over McHenry's Jordan Walsh. To reach the championship match, McFarland dominated his half of the bracket with two pins and a technical fall.
Against Walsh, the Bulldogs senior trailed 2-1 to start the match but used a bear hug with an inside trip to put the McHenry wrestler to his back.
That four-point move allowed McFarland enough distance for the win, which improved his sterling record to 27-1.
"I had a good view of the clock, and I waited for the time to run down a little so I wouldn't be in a bad position," McFarland said. "I'm not used to throwing. I'm not used to throwing the bigger guys because I'm only a 225-pound heavyweight. I just waited then I hit it."
East Aurora's Jesus Rivera won in overtime to advance to the 171-pound championship match where he lost by technical fall to Rockford Boylan's Zach Smith.
The Tomcats, who finished 15th, also got a third-place showing from Julian Ramirez.
Batavia put 10 of its wrestlers in the quarterfinals but lost seven of those matches, putting a second straight title all but out of reach for the Bulldogs.
Logan Arlis also finished third for Batavia, and the Bulldogs had seven other wrestlers come in the top seven.
East Aurora had two wrestlers come in the top eight. Wheaton North won the team title at Batavia for the first time since 2002.
"The quarterfinals were a nightmare," Batavia coach Tom Arlis said. "We were flat, but we're a young team. That happens once in a while. Unfortunately, it happened in the quarterfinals. If it happened in the semifinals, a lot of those kids might have come back for third."
Escamilla came off the mat bleeding after his battle with Thompson, who came into the match with a 20-2 record and finished fourth in Class AA last season.
Both wrestlers probably didn't expect to see the other at 119. The Batavia coach said they thought the Argo senior might go 125, but the championship matchup was a big step for his senior, who wants a medal like Thompson got in Champaign last season.
"It just sets another plateau for me," Escamilla said. "It's another stepping stone for me on the way to state. It's just one more achievement that I could get before state comes. I'll probably see him down at state. Knowing I beat him now gives me confidence down at state."