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By Andre’ MorganIllinois Matmen
The 36th Chicago Catholic League championships provided no surprises leading up to the finals. However, once the championships began the fireworks were not far behind. The last two years the team championship has come down to national powers Providence and Mt. Carmel with each team splitting titles. The Caravan won in 2008 and the Celtics were champs last year. Arguably the best conference in Illinois, in the years since 1974, the CCL title has run through basically these two schools. Mt. Carmel has 13 titles overall and Providence, which joined the league in 1997, has nine including the 2010 title.
Each team had seven finalists with Providence making the most of the opportunity crowning four to Mt. Carmel’s two. Brother Rice joined the party with three champions on the podium. St. Rita had two champions, while host Loyola, Fenwick and De LaSalle had one a piece.
The biggest upset of the night happened when Mike Avelar (Brother Rice) upended Providence’s two-time state finalist and defending state champion Edwin Cooper 5-3. For his efforts, Avelar was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. Brother Rice’s Like Nelson was awarded the Tony Lawless Award for the conference’s top senior wrestler. Providence coach Keith Healy won his eighth Tony Lawless Award as the top coach to add to his one as a wrestler (1983).
Providence came from behind in the championship round to over take Mt. Carmel 227 to 221. St. Rita finished third (140), followed by Brother Rice (130) and Fenwick (93).
“We are starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together,” noted Healy.
The premier match at 171 pounds featured St. Rita All American Jahwon Akui and Mt. Carmel’s Ironman champ Charles Argue, both nationally ranked.
Akui, who got a late start on the season due to an ankle injury, only had 13 matches to date. In fact, Akui re-injured the same ankle in his first round match, a 16-8 major decision warm up of things to come against Brother Rice’s Alberto Lagunas. Meanwhile Argue was on the bottom of the bracket and wasting little time with a 1:20 fall of Gordon Tech’s Hyeck-Joo Hwang. Next up for Argue was avenging an earlier loss to Loyola’s Pat Dougherty with a semi-final 10-0 major decision. Akui showed he meant business in his semi final with a: 36 fall of Providence’s Sean Downs.
With great anticipation, a buzz was heard through the packed Rambler Gym as both removed their respective team shirts. The first period was scoreless, with several attempted shots and lots of hand fighting but most of the action on their feet finished out of bounds.
Argue started the second period down and escaped for the first score of the match, 1-0. More tie-ups and hand fighting followed with neither wrestler taking risky moves at this point of the match.
Both wrestlers are friends off the mat but when it comes time to compete in wrestling it’s all business.
“We exchanged a few words at the end of the second period,” Akui pointed out. “He was like, dog I’m tired. And I was like I am tired too, I know what you mean. Then we just went back to work. We are just two good friends going at it. We want the same thing. When the CCL is on the line, we want to go at it. I wouldn’t want it any other way then he do his best and I do my best.”
The third period started with Akui down and trailing 1-0 but he gets out quickly and at the same time scoops up Argue’s leg in a failed tree top trip. With 20 seconds left in the match and the score 2-1 in Argue’s favor, Akui hits a perfect power double to win 3-2.
“I thought it was a great bout,” Akui said. “This match was scheduled on my calendar if he made it to the finals. I felt like he was on the defense, and if he was on defense the whole match, I thought that sooner or later I would find an opening or that he might slip up on a couple of shots. He battled tough and he has really good hips so I got to be accurate when I get in on a shot. That’s why it was a slow paced match because I needed to be 100 percent.”
A jubilant Akui held up three fingers signaling each one of his Chicago Catholic titles and indicating that he will try to be the 11th four-time champion at the 2011 meet.
“Today I proved that I can go with the best,” said Akui. “ I know he won Ironman, which most people say is the best tournament in the country for folkstyle. He took second at Dvorak, that match could of went either way. I just wanted to test myself against the best and show my skills. I wanted Illinois to know that I am back and ready to rock and roll, ready to contend for a state title. I am a junior national champion and I have the skills. I just have to do my best downstate."
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