Downers South Wrestler Anaya Keeps Alive His Hopes of Winning State

NAPERVILLE–Downers Grove South junior Willie Anaya has visions of winning a state championship at 160 pounds this season.

Anaya, who has been one of the top-ranked wrestlers in Class 3A at 160 pounds all season, took his first step toward that goal Saturday at the Class 3A Naperville Central Regional.

Anaya earned a takedown against Naperville North standout Steve Gutka in the finals and rode that out to a 3-2 decision and a regional title. He figures to be one of the favorites at next Saturday’s Class 3A Downers Grove North Sectional.

“My goal was just to wrestle my match, move him around, if there were any openings, get a quick takedown,” Anaya said. “In the first period, I got a takedown, which really helped a lot. That was my game plan throughout, not to let him get his set-up and do my thing.”

Anaya (39-2) is smack in the middle of the heart of the Mustangs’ lineup, which helps all of them improve by beating up on each other all week. It paid off as Sam Apland followed up Anaya’s title with one of his own at 171 and Anaya’s younger brother, Alex, placed third at 145 to advance. Mike Monaghan added a second-place finish at 215 to advance.

“It’s not technically that I’m stronger, it’s just that I have such good practice partners that I know how to move people with my technique,” Willie Anaya said.

Downers Grove North junior Jimmy Nehls (35-3) suffered a scare that nearly ended his stellar career far earlier than he wanted. The three-time state qualifier lost an 8-1 decision to West Aurora’s Miguel Venecia in the semifinals, forcing him to fight for his season in the third-place match against Hinsdale Central sophomore Ernest Battaglia.

Working in Nehls’ favor is the fact that he beat Battaglia (30-9) twice in the regular season. He made it three wins with a 3-1 decision to escape the meet’s toughest weight class to the sectional meet. With the win, his goal of becoming the first four-time state qualifier in program history remains intact for another week.

“I know it’s my senior year and I kind of tightened up with Miguel a little bit,” Nehls said. “After I lost that match, I said that I wasn’t going to lose. I was going to get out of regionals. I wasn’t going to end my career at that point.”

Joining Nehls at the Trojans’ home sectional are a trio of second-place finishers, sophomore Cullen Cummings (125), senior Dave Tessiatore (140), and senior Zach Lommatczh, as well as third-place finisher Cody Pooler (152).

With a record like 37-1, one would think that Hinsdale South sophomore 112-pounder Sebastian Pique has been getting everyone’s best shot all season. That certainly didn’t happen Saturday, as he cruised to the regional crown with an 8-2 decision over Batavia’s Joel Schump.

“I’ve been kind of disappointed,” Pique admitted. “I wish kids were coming at me. I have to wrestle smart because everybody is just trying to throw me. I haven’t really gotten to open up and really wrestle. I hope it happens at sectionals.”

Pique was Hornets’ lone sectional qualifier.

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