Another title for Van Duyne

Wilmington's John Van Duyne (top) won the 135-pound title.
larry kane/ for the herald news

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CHAMPAIGN -- Everybody knows what comes after 3-2-1 ... blast off.

And that's exactly what Wilmington High School senior standout John Van Duyne did in the first period of his 135-pound championship match in the 1A state wrestling tournament Saturday night at Assembly Hall.

Van Duyne rocketed out of the gates like he was shot from a NASA launching pad and went on to notch a 2-0 victory over Gibson City's Guy Kirby.

Van Duyne (39-1) scored the match's only points on a takedown in the opening seconds. An instant later, he nearly turned Kirby to his back.

And the threat of Van Duyne scoring nearfall points sent a message to Kirby that he needed to slow the match down. He spent the next four minutes riding on top of Van Duyne -- but was unable to find a way to crack the scoreboard.

The title for Van Duyne was his second straight and concluded a scintillating four-year medal run that started with his third-place finish in Class A in 2006 and included a second-place finish in '07. He celebrated afterward with hugs all around in a family reunion type setting that included his mother and grandmother, who flew in from California.

"It's indescribable," Van Duyne said. "It's a great feeling. I'm just so overwhelmed with emotion right now; I don't really know what to think. I'm sure tomorrow it will set in because that's how it was last year.

"But right now it's almost unreal. But tomorrow when I wake up and I think about what happened I'm going to think about this and that's when it really hits you."

Coal City's Chase Odeen also was bidding to win his second straight state title and finish off an undefeated season but ran into a buzz saw named Colten Unzicker.

Unzicker, a senior from Gibson City, scored a takedown with about 1 minute remaining to snap a 1-1 deadlock. He went on to post a 3-1 victory over Odeen in their 160-pound title match.

"I knew it was going to be a tough match going in," Odeen said. "I just wasn't mentally prepared. I wasn't ready to go. I don't know why. I just wasn't my day. It was his and he took it."

Odeen (39-1) was a fourth-place finisher in the Class A state tournament in 2007 and won the 152-pound crown in 2008. He won 78 matches during his junior and senior years with the Coalers and hopes to turn the experience he gained wrestling in high school into a college scholarship.

"I was getting in on his legs, but he's a real strong guy," Odeen said. "He's got a lot of pure strength. And I was just having trouble taking him to the mat. I was using a lot of energy. I kept getting tired, worn down. And he got the takedown at the end of the third period."

Five other area individuals won medals in the 1A tournament. The list was topped by Wilmington's Alex Jones, the runner-up at 103. Coal City's David Hanley (125), Wilmington's Jake Murphy (152) and Jeremy Bailey (171) and Dwight's Ryan Struppa (171) also won medals.

Jones (31-7) dropped an 11-2 title-match decision to Josh Bennett of East Alton.

"Everything I tried he countered," Jones said. "I couldn't really get anything started. It's disappointing to loss. But, since last year I didn't place and this year I came in second, I'm pleased. It was an amazing atmosphere to be out there in the finals."

Hanley (36-12) clinched a medal with a 7-5 overtime victory over Kory Woodkirk of Canton, then dropped a 6-2 decision to Mark McDonnell of Morrison and settled for a fourth-place finish.

"Well, after I won in the medal round, I went out there with a care-free feeling," Hanley said. "I was happy I had my medal. I just wanted to go out there and do my best and have some fun no matter what happened."

The Coaler junior set a goal to return next season and climb to the top of the heap.

"Next year, the state championship is my goal," Hanley said. "This was a big learning experience for me. All the pressure -- with everyone watching you -- it's just another match when you step out there on that floor. I'll remember that."

Murphy (37-3) was bidding to win his second straight state title but dropped a 5-3 decision to Ryan Gilbert of Sterling Newman in the semifinals and eventually settled for a fourth-place finish. Murphy couldn't catch Aledo's Ethan Ball in an 8-6 setback despite a last-second takedown.

Bailey (40-3) bounced back from his 13-4 semifinal loss to Devon Johnson of Pittsfield to capture third place. Bailey beat Struppa 7-3 in all Interstate Eight battle. The win was Bailey's fourth this season over his chief rival and was highlighted by a theatrical third-period takedown.

Bailey hoisted Struppa up over his shoulders and, for instant, the crowd held its collective breath for fear of disaster. Struppa was wriggling like a fish and in danger of crashing to the mat and banging his head.

"I shot in and he kind of jumped up -- so I picked him up and I was going to try to walk out of bounds so I didn't hurt him," Bailey said. "But he just kept flipping and he fell. My coaches were trying to tell me to get out of bounds so I didn't hurt him."

Struppa (37-7) earlier beat Barry Glaudel of Stillman Valley 11-3 to clinch a medal. Bailey beat the memory of his loss to Johnson out of his mind.

"It's pretty tough because you're thinking about that loss, but you've just got to get over that loss and keep fighting your hardest," Bailey said. "My coaches came up to me and talked to me and made me forget all about it. I realized third place isn't bad, either."