Kordell Norfleet has heard his fill about the difference between the top two classes in IHSA wrestling.
And in the Marian Catholic senior’s mind, the discussion is now closed.
A year after winning the 170-pound state championship in Class 2A, Norfleet capped a 43-0 senior season with a 13-3 major decision over previously unbeaten Jack Jessen of Willowbrook in the 3A 182 final at State Farm Center.
"We’re all wrestlers, we’re all athletes," Norfleet said. "We go to practice, we wrestle the same way. Just because there’s a different number in front of the letter, it means nothing.
"It’s about how hard you train and how hard you work, what you put into it."
Norfleet and Jessen (50-1) are familiar foes dating back to their kids wrestling days.
"We (go) back and forth," Norfleet said. "But as long as I can get it when it counts, I’ll be happy with that.
"I’ll wait for him in college," said Norfleet, who will attend Arizona State while Jessen will wrestle for Northwestern. "I know he’s not done."
Staying power: Oak Park-River Forest’s Jason Renteria is a study in perseverance. After finishing second in 3A as both a freshman (106) and sophomore (113), he now has a pair of titles.
St. Rita’s Austin O’Connor completes title four-peat at state wrestling Mike Clark
The good ones, they say, always think about the ones that got away.
For Austin O’Connor, that requires an especially long memory.
The St. Rita senior won 10 state titles at various divisions before he arrived at St. Rita, and he can describe in great detail the two losses that kept him from earning…
The good ones, they say, always think about the ones that got away.
For Austin O’Connor, that requires an especially long memory.
The St. Rita senior won 10 state titles at various divisions before he arrived at St. Rita, and he can describe in great detail the two losses that kept him from earning…
(Mike Clark)
The 2016 champ at 120 won the 132 title on Saturday, 16-10 over Lockport’s Abdullah Assaf.
"Being in this final four times and failing twice, it was hard to recuperate my freshman and sophomore year," said Renteria (40-2), the Huskies’ first four-time finalist. "After winning it last year, I knew what it felt like. It was like, let’s do it again, but in more dominant fashion."
No deja vu: Real Woods of Montini had been there before, clinging to a 1-0 lead late in a Class 3A final. Last year, he lost 2-1 to Sandburg’s Louie Hayes in the 113 championship on a late takedown.
On Saturday, Woods (36-2) held on to beat Oak Park’s Anthony Madrigal 1-0 in the 126 final for his second state championship.
"I got a little scared," Woods said. "From last year’s loss, had a little bit of a flashback. But I fought just because I remembered that. Those experiences remind you and make you a different man."
Also ascending to the top of the awards stand after finishing second last year was Plainfield East senior Michael McGee.
A winner at 106 in 2015 and runner-up at 120 last season, McGee (43-0) won a 19-3 technical fall over DeKalb’s Fabian Lopez in the 120 final.
"I wish I could have been a three-timer," McGee said. "That loss was humbling and it just made me work harder."
Odds and ends: Montini junior Joey Melendez (45-4) won his second title in 3A, beating Stagg’s Domenic Zaccone 11-2 in the 113 final. … Washington junior We Rachal (34-1) became the seventh Public Leaguer to win two titles, beating Marian Central’s Anthony Randazzo 11-5 in 132 in 2A. … Aurora Christian, a first-year program, also had its first champ in freshman Cameron Johnson (35-0) at 106 in 1A. … Downstate Washington’s Jacob Warner (41-0) won his third 2A title with a technical fall at 195.
mclark@tribpub.com
Twitter @mikeclarkpreps
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