State Wrestling: Vernon Hills’ Brazil wins title in overtime
By Mike Clark mclark@suntimes.com February 19, 2012 12:56AM
Carmel's Jake Cochrane (right) knocks heads with Vernon Hills' Jeremy Brazil during the 285-pound semifinals. | Rob Dicker~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 22, 2012 12:10PM
CHAMPAIGN — Mission accomplished for Vernon Hills’ Jeremy Brazil, even if it took a while.
Brazil beat Yorkville’s Seth Gonzalez 4-2 in overtime on Saturday night to win the Class 2A state heavyweight title title at the Assembly Hall.
“That was my longest match of the season by far,” said Brazil (45-1), whose only loss came against DeLaSalle’s James Buss, the unbeaten Class 3A winner.
Brazil was impressed by Gonzalez, a senior who finished 39-7 and was coming off another overtime match in Friday’s semifinals.
“I give it to him,” Brazil said. “He had really good defense.”
Brazil, who was second at state last season, is Vernon Hills’ first state champ.
The area’s other Class 2A finalist, Grayslake Central’s Joey Valdivia (21-7), finished second at 195.
Valdivia, who was third at 189 a year ago, lost 6-2 to unbeaten repeat champ Gage Harrah of Crystal Lake Central.
Warren’s Shakhiem Chapman and Deerfield’s Artie Bess — whose fans chanted, “Artie! Artie! Artie!” every time he took the mat — both earned thirds in Class 3A.
Chapman beat Marist’s Josh Pruitt 6-4 at 195 to go 5-1 in the tourney and finish 43-3.
Bess (40-2) won 3-1 over Mount Carmel’s David Denne to wrap up a 4-1 weekend.
Carmel’s Jake Cochrane (37-9) took fourth in 2A at heavyweight after getting pinned by Gage Park’s Chris Ballard in 3:32. He was 3-2 in the tourney.
Buffalo Grove’s Jordan Rathje capped off his season by downing Barrington’s Coord Wiseman 6-2 in the 145-pound fifth-place match.
Two more area wrestlers finished sixth. Mundelein’s Matt Ornoff, who suffered a hip injury in his semifinal loss to St. Rita’s Tim Corse on Friday, had to default in his two Saturday matches at 138 in Class 3A. Lake Zurich 160-pounder Scott Hoff (39-10) fell 9-0 to Hersey’s Hunter Rollins in the Class 3A 160-pound fifth-place match.
It’s been a long road, but Jeremy Brazil is finally back where he was last year: wrestling for a state championship.
The Vernon Hills senior earned a second straight berth in the Class 2A heavyweight title bout by beating Carmel’s Jake Cochrane 5-0 in Friday’s semifinals at Assembly Hall.
Brazil (44-1) will wrestle Yorkville’s Seth Gonzalez (39-6), a 3-2 overtime winner over Sterling’s Curtis Lilly, in Saturday night’s final.
Brazil is hoping for a happier ending this year than last, when he lost 4-3 to Montini’s Ross Ferraro in the state final.
“I was just trying to get back here,” Brazil said. “I tried to finish what I didn’t finish last year, finish off with a title.”
All the scoring Friday came in the second period, when Brazil had a takedown and a near fall.
“I had to go out, I had to be as brutal as I can be,” he said. “I had to push the pace. I could tell in the second period I was starting to get to him, pounding on his head.”
The two had met previously in the frosh-soph state series years ago, with Brazil winning both of those matches as well. But he didn’t take this one for granted.
“He’s improved a lot,” Brazil said of Cochrane (34-9), who is assured of becoming Carmel’s first state placer since fellow heavyweight Dan Clinton was fourth in Class AA in 2007.
Brazil is one of two area wrestlers who will be aiming for a title Saturday.
Grayslake Central’s Joey Valdivia (21-6) beat Sycamore’s Jake Davis 5-3 in the Class 2A 195-pound finals to earn a berth in the finals opposite Crystal Lake Central’s Gage Harrah (40-1), who is going for his second consecutive championship.
Three more local wrestlers lost their semifinal bouts. Mundelein’s Matt Ornoff (41-1) suffered an apparent hip injury in his 9-4 loss to St. Rita’s Tim Corse at 138 in Class 3A, while Deerfield’s Artie Bess (38-2) fell 7-3 to Schaumburg’s Josh Marchok (42-1), a defending state champ, at 220 in 3A.
Grayslake Central’s Dylan Hay (37-9) fell 12-6 to Mascoutah’s Lavion Mayes in the Class 2A 145 semifinals., Bess and Hay all are guaranteed to pace. Other Lake County wrestlers still alive in 2A are Wauconda’s Devin Tortorice (34-3) at 120 and Nate Magiera (41-8) at 195, Antioch’s Mike Gussarson (39-6) at 126 and George Gonzalez (34-5) at 145 and Grayslake Central’s Jimmy Molitor (36-6) at 220. Still alive in 3A are Zion-Benton’s Abel Rios (33-2) at 132, Deerfield’s Lenny Bloom (40-2) at 145, Stevenson’s Justin Weber (38-6) at 152, Lake Zurich’s Scott Hoff (38-8) at 160, Warren’s Shakhiem Chapman (40-3) at 195 and Grant’s Quinton Quarles (38-5 at 220.
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