Pep Talk Pushes Fajimolu to State

The signs told Antonio Martinez that Omowonuola Fajimolu might have been a trifle intimidated in the first couple of rounds of competition at the Chicago Phillips Sectional wrestling tournament Friday.

So the Evanston coach pulled out his best pep talk to get the sophomore back on track.

Fajimolu bounced back on Saturday to claim a spot in the Illinois High School Association state finals in her first year of competition in the sport, placing 4th overall. She became just the fifth girl from ETHS to represent the program at State since the state series started back in 2023 --- joining current assistant coach Arianna Flores (2-time qualifier), Alize Ramirez, Ashland Henson and Kennedy Murray --- and is the first heavyweight qualifier for the Wildkits.

Fajimolu lost twice to Shepard’s Karrine Jenkins, but her unexpected push to join the state’s elite in a sport she never thought about trying until emigrating from Nigeria to Evanston just a year ago has even captured the imagination of her rivals.

Grapplers from schools like Waukegan and Maine South were in her corner cheering her on at Phillips with her season on the line, and Fajimolu came through. She scored wins over Angie Hernandez of Chicago Noble (fall in 1 minute, 49 seconds), Jessica Ahn of Niles North (fall in 5:30) and Amaria Thomas of Chicago Hope (fall in 1:37) and will take a 23-8 overall record into the state finals Feb. 27-28 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

A hard-fought battle with Thomas in the so-called “blood round” (where advancement is at stake) resulted in a top four finish and automatic advancement. Teammate Oyetola Rachael Jacobs will be a state alternate at 120 pounds and Evanston’s other sectional qualifier, senior Fatima Gomez, was eliminated after losing both of her matches via falls.

Known as “Ola” to her teammates, the ETHS sophomore didn’t seem to be her usual self after splitting her two matches on Friday to open the 2-day postseason test. She lost an 11-4 decision to Jenkins in the second round and was on the verge of elimination.

So Martinez stepped in to try to relieve the pressure on his talented rookie.

“That girl from Shepard was bigger and stronger, and I think Ola was a little intimidated. And after that match I thought the pressure was getting to her,” said the Evanston coach. “So when I sat down to talk to her the next day I knew I couldn’t put any more pressure on her.

“I just told her that everything that happens going forward for you is a win. You’re defying the odds just by being her, and you’re kicking butt, so just enjoy yourself. And she really went on a tear. That’s the best I’ve ever seen her wrestle. She fought really hard against that Hope girl in the blood round. She knew that if she fell, and fell wrong, that could be the end of the season, but she was determined not to fall against someone else who was bigger and stronger. She would not give up, and she finally got that girl on her back.

“We just went nuts in our corner when she won. Ola is always smiling, but usually it’s below the surface and she was super happy, too. She jumped up and down, she couldn’t hold it in. And the young lady from Waukegan and her friends came up behind her and they were all yelling and screaming for her. Then the rest of our girls came over cheering and screaming, too. That was a really nice moment.”

The nice moments have just begun for the rising soph.

“I am so, so surprised. This just feels like a dream,” Fajimolu said. “I was really annoyed with myself for losing a match (the first time versus Jenkins) that I could have won. But coach told me to forget all that stuff that happened, and I did. Now I’m still annoyed that I lost to her again (fall in 43 seconds), but as long as I made it to State, that’s what really matters.

“A lot of the girls I’ve wrestled against this year are bigger and stronger. I consider myself, at 197 pounds, the lightest heavyweight around. So I was a little intimidated Friday. When I’m not out on the mat, I’m having fun, but on the mat everything gets tense. Sometimes I become too nervous, too stimulated. I just have to remember that coach keeps telling me to have fun out there.”

The stakes were high when Fajimolu collided with Thomas in the consolation semifinals. But backed by support from unexpected sources, she was able to rise to the occasion.

“Girls from our regional were giving me pointers on how to beat her, telling me what she’s good at,” Fajimolu noted. “They really helped me. On a normal day, they’re my opponents, but here they were telling me how she fights. They were really encouraging me. With their help, and with help from my coaches, I was able to beat her. She kept hitting me --- but I hit back.”

Jacobs, also a sophomore, couldn’t quite navigate a strong field at 120 pounds and lost to top-seeded Nina Nesci of St. Laurence (17-2 technical fall) and Stevenson’s Nastasia Kobets (16-10), who beat her in the regional finals.

On the plus side, Jacobs pinned Paige Finnegan of Rickover Naval Academy (33 seconds) and Victoria Serment of De La Salle (1:56), then defeated Hannah Chong of Crane 7-3 before being eliminated by Kobets.

At 190, Gomez ended her ETHS career by bowing in falls versus Lucia Terrazas of Thornton Fractional South (0:12) and Julissa Az of Mather (3:06).

Now the spotlight will shine on Fajimolu alone.

“When I was talking with our coaches (David Sanchez and Flores), we all thought Ola was a darkhorse coming into the sectional,” Martinez noted. “She’s strong, she’s smart, she’s athletic, she has a good head on her shoulders, and she knows how to listen.

“I care about what happens at State --- but not about the wins and losses. She’s not supposed to be there and again it’s a win either way for her. I want her to see what it’s like, and I want her to have fun down there and get something from it that she can aspire to next year.”

“It’s my first year down there and I just hope to leave a mark,” added Fajimolu. “Even if I don’t place in the top four, and I want everyone there (foes) to know I’m worthy enough to be there. I want them to say yeah, she was a worthy opponent.”