Villanueva not happy with 3rd

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CHAMPAIGN – Dundee-Crown’s Miko Villanueva got the matchup he wanted Saturday at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Tournament but not the result he hoped for.

Villanueva finished third at 112 pounds in Class 3A after losing in the semifinals to West Aurora’s Nicholas Drendel at Assembly Hall.

The match Villanueva wanted was against top-seeded Harlem’s Derek Elmore, thinking it would be for a state championship – a rematch of the Barrington Sectional championship, which Elmore won, 10-5.

Villanueva got the match and beat Elmore, 3-2 – the only problem was that it was a consolation semifinal.

“No, not at all,” Villanueva said when asked if beating Elmore softened the blow of losing in the semifinals. “I was here to win it.”

Villanueva, a senior, was awarded third place based on a prior decision against Joliet’s A.J. Juarez.

Learning on the job: Crystal Lake South sophomore Nick Fontanetta was not happy getting knocked out of the championship bracket in the quarterfinals, but he said his first state tournament was a good learning experience.

And taking home third place in Class 3A made it a little easier to take.

“I feel pretty good placing top three,” Fontanetta said. “I’m looking forward to next year.”

In his third-place match, Fontanetta beat Barrington’s Adrian Gonzalez, 6-0. In the consolation semifinals, Fontanetta defeated Grant’s Cameron Kennedy, 5-2.

Stott bounces back: In Class 1A, Harvard sophomore Dan Stott won his 160-pound third-place match with a 6-0 decision against Kankakee MacNamara’s Colby Dolliger.

Stott was pleased with his finish but had an eye on the future.

“I didn’t reach my goal to win it, so I’ll be back next year,” Stott said. “I’m pretty happy with third, though.

That he could even compete for third was a testament to his toughness. In the championship quarterfinal Friday evening against Camp Point Central’s Jacob Smith, Stott injured his neck and lower back after getting slammed to the mat by Smith.

Hornets coach Tim Haak said the move was legal, but seeing Stott land on his chin was one of the worst injuries he had seen on a wrestling mat.

“For him to fight through that and then to place” was remarkable, Haak said.

Medalists: Taking home Class 2A fourth-place medals were Marian Central junior Jared Koch at 171 pounds and Crystal Lake Central sophomore Gage Harrah at 215.