CHAMPAIGN — A friend and fellow journalist recently reminded me about a conversation we had nearly 3 1/2 years ago.
We had both heard good things about a freshman wrestler at Mount Carmel named Seth Mendoza, and I had just seen him compete for the first time. My colleague asked for my thoughts.
“He’s going to be a four-time state champion,” I replied.
I’m no genius, and this was no bold prediction. When it comes to the greatest of the great high school wrestlers, you just know. And everyone pretty much knew where things were going with Mendoza.
The Missouri recruit completed the journey Saturday night, needing just one period to finish off Rockton Hononegah’s Thomas Silva with a 17-1 technical fall in the Class 3A 138-pound state championship match at the State Farm Center.
Mendoza (36-1) was one of the most dominant performers in the history of the state finals. In 16 matches over four years at the event, he won 15 by technical fall.
“I don’t want to say I have trouble pinning people because I don’t, but there’s more fun and more enjoyment when you have a technical fall,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza is the 16th four-time Illinois High School Association wrestling champion and first since St. Rita’s Austin O’Connor, who won his fourth in 2017.
Let’s not exclude some recent wrestlers who also won four state titles, but not all in the IHSA.
Sergio Lemley, Mendoza’s former teammate, won three titles for Mount Carmel and one in Indiana. Nasir Bailey won four times over stints at T.F. North, Rich Township and a school in Texas.
Joliet Catholic’s Dillan Johnson also won four championships, and that included an Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association title in the 2020-21 season, when the IHSA tournament was canceled during the pandemic.
But any way you slice it, it’s a rare feat. And Mendoza certainly knows the history.
“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s something that since I was younger, I was looking up to those people. I remember seeing Austin O’Connor win his fourth here and (St. Charles East’s) Ben Davino. In the ring of honor at Mount Carmel, seeing T.J. and Joe Williams up there.
“Being in that group, it’s awesome.”
Back to my prediction from 2021. The only thing I felt could derail Mendoza was the weight of expectations. Not everyone can handle being ordained as the next four-time champ when they are a freshman.
But that’s before I got to know Seth. This is one kid who does not get rattled.
“There’s pressure, but I just try not think of it like pressure,” Mendoza said. “I try to think of it as an opportunity. Everyone is expecting this from me, why not try to fulfill it?”
Mendoza will wrestle at least one more time for Mount Carmel, which takes on Marist in Tuesday night’s Yorkville Dual Team Sectional.
And as a Mizzou alum, I can’t wait to see Mendoza do even bigger things with the Tigers.
Drought breakers
With a fourth-place finish in Class 2A at 215 pounds, senior Genesis Ward became Evergreen Park’s first boys wrestling state medalist since 1996.
Richards senior Mike Taheny snapped an even longer streak, winning the program’s first medal since 1992.
Taheny took third in 2A at 190. After losing in the second round to Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks, the top seed who ended up placing second, Taheny battled back to win three straight matches.
“I came here to win the thing and it’s hard to come back from losing, especially on the first day,” Taheny said. “But I did it, and that’s what I’m most proud of. Wrestlebacks are tough, but I did it, man.”
Podium pride
Joining Taheny as third-place finishers from the Southland were Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes (113) and Ryan Hinger (144), Homewood-Flossmoor’s Chazz Robinson (120), Joliet Catholic’s Jason Hampton (126) and Luke Hamiti (165) and Lincoln-Way West’s Nate Elstner (215) in 3A, plus Oak Forest’s Austin Perez (144) in 2A and De La Salle’s Jeremiah Lawrence (120) in 1A.
Taking fourth along with Ward were Marist’s Donavon Allen (144) in 3A, and Oak Forest’s Jacob Sebek (113), Providence’s Jasper Harper (157) and Brother Rice’s Dan Costello (175) in 2A.
Fifth-place finishers included Mount Carmel’s Sebastian Garcia (106) and Justin Williamson (132), Joliet Catholic’s Nolan Vogel (150) and Lockport’s Jaedon Calderon (157) in 3A, along with Providence’s Christian Corcoran (106) and Tommy Banas (132) and Brother Rice’s Oliver Davis (138) in 2A.
Placing sixth were Andrew’s Nadeem Haleem (120) and H-F’s Jovan Vukajlovic (157) in 3A, plus Brother Rice’s Bobby Conway (132) and Frank Miceli (157) and St. Laurence’s Xavier Bitner (215) in 2A.
As usual, the area represented well.
And stay tuned. My next prediction is that I will be writing about another team state champion next week.