Trying to follow in the footsteps of the two winningest wrestlers in the history of the Evanston program --- who just happen to be your older brothers --- would be a daunting task for anyone.
But Rodrigo Salinas has already accomplished something that siblings Ricardo and Rafael never did.
The youngest Salinas brother became the first freshman in ETHS history to capture first place at the Central Suburban League tournament, ruling the 157-pound class and joining senior teammate Josh Marty (190 pounds) as the only champions the Wildkits crowned Saturday at Highland Park High School.
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Evanston earned 6th place as a team in the tournament that combines both the North and South division grapplers in a final test before Illinois High School Association regional competition takes place. Maine South edged Deerfield 240-239 for the team title, followed in order by Glenbrook South (152), Glenbrook North (134), New Trier (132.5), ETHS (122), Niles North (105), Vernon Hills (81.5), Maine East (77), Maine West (57), Highland Park (34) and Niles West (27.5).
The Wildkits also counted a third place finish from Jeremy Marshall at 285, while Xavier Starks (165), Bryan Lemus (138), Eren Atac (132) and Evan Potijinda (126) contributed fifths.
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The youngest son of Evanston head coach Rudy Salinas dominated what his father called the “man’s bracket” at 157, a way of pointing out that most incoming freshmen compete in lower weight classes, usually against grapplers their own age or no more than a year older than them.
In Salinas’ case, he excelled while ruling a bracket that featured six seniors. He improved to 34-8 on the season after pinning Louis Avalos of Maine West in 1 minute, 43 seconds and clipping Tim Kato of Maine East 8-4 before burying Dylan Moncayo of Vernon Hills 10-1 in the title bout.
The Evanston freshman admitted after his biggest career win that he’s got his sights set on the school record for victories of 166 amassed by Ricardo, now competing at Northern Illinois University. Rafael Salinas, a 2019 graduate who helps out in the program as an assistant coach, stands second on the career list with 159 wins.
And there’s no sibling rivalry involved here, according to Rodrigo --- and his father/coach.
“There’s no (dinner) table talk about it, although I’m sure they think about it,” said Rudy Salinas. “Every kid has a different journey. The best road map for Rodrigo is how the other two were able to deal with any adversity they encountered. I think he’s a good blend of both their (wrestling) styles and that’s because they’ve helped him so much. They love him and they want him to do well. He just has to take it one day at a time, one year at a time.
“Rodrigo was really in a flow out there today and right after he came off (the mat) he had some great reflections about how he could see moves playing out. That shows me his evolution and his maturity, that he was able to process all of that himself, and that made me feel good as a coach.
“He had a hiccup in the semifinals (against Kato) when he lost that 4-0 lead. He made an error, but he gritted it out against a returning sectional qualifier. He took some lumps early on this season, but he’s learning about tenacity at the varsity level and how to weather it when an older, more physical person comes up against him. I like his progress. He’s on a good learning curve.”
“It’s really a big motivator for me, that goal to try and surpass what my brothers did,” said Rodrigo Salinas. “My goal is definitely to surpass them, but I’m taking it one match at a time. Today I felt like everything was really clicking, I felt good from move to move. And it feels amazing --- really good --- to win a conference championship.
“I’ve been watching a lot of film, working on a lot of little things both during and after practices every day. I got my takedowns going really well and I was able to shoot first a lot. I’ve been able to commit more (to taking risks) on my takedowns now. When I shoot now, I score, and I’ve gotten a lot more confident about taking my shots.”
That confidence was developed partly in the practice room where Rafael --- and sometimes Ricardo --- take on the role of opponents and mentors.
But the brothers don’t really compete even when they’re practicing moves.
“We only drill against each other. Otherwise, it could get personal really quick,” Rodrigo explained. “Whenever Ricardo’s home from college, we drill against each other, and it’s the same thing with Rafael. If I want to get in a late night workout sometimes, he’s been a huge help to me.
“My main goal this year, though, is to qualify for State. That’s the big one that I’m working toward every day.”
His teammate, Marty, was a profile in courage while playing through the pain like many of his counterparts by this stage of the mat season.
But in Marty’s case, he missed his entire junior season with a torn labrum suffered during football. And he tore the meniscus in his knee at the start of this year in wrestling practice, a mishap that may require surgery sooner rather than later for the gutsy ETHS senior.
Marty, put simply, refused to lose Saturday. His drive and determination produced falls against Kevin Sabau of Deerfield (5:49) and Quintin Newbury of Maine West (1:45) before used an escape with 39 seconds left in the match to edge Glenbrook South’s Nathan Crecan 2-0 for the 190-pound crown.
His delighted teammates lined up to hug the irrepressible senior who wore the widest grin in the Highland Park gym.
“This is just kinda surreal to me,” Marty confessed. “To be able to do this, for myself and for my team, is pretty impressive. I’ve never even been able to compete in a tournament before today, but it all worked out.
“After my first match today I had to take a lot of Advil and a lot of ice for my knee. It started locking up on me, but my coaches got me through it, got me to stay mentally tough. I just tried to go as hard as I can and push myself so I don’t have any regrets about all the work that I’ve put in.
“I started for the JV team when I was a sophomore (at 170 pounds) and now I’m up to 177.5,” he added after improving to 15-4 on the season. “I’ve been beating guys all season who are 10 pounds heavier than I am. But even against that size, I think I have the advantage because my speed and my technique have gotten a lot better this year.”
Marty had pinned Crecan during the regular season, just after coming off the injured list, but didn’t take a victory in the finals Saturday for granted.
“I knew it would be hard, but I stuck to my plan of not taking stupid shots, and keeping my composure,” he said. “And I tried to protect my knee at the same time, too.”
“I am just super proud of Josh and the trust he had in our staff today,” said Coach Salinas. “He saw it through and made the most of his opportunities. I know there were a few times today where he wondered whether he should go back out there, and all the credit goes to him because he’s the one who had to make the decisions.
“Josh was slated to start for us last year until he got hurt. He really did a great job today.”
Marshall, who owned one of the top seeds in the heavyweight division, blew a big lead in the third period against Glenbrook North’s Cray Paich and lost 10-8 in overtime in the semifinals. He bounced back with a first period pin against Deerfield’s Alex Berry and outscored Victor Nitchev of Maine East 12-8 in the third place match.
The conference also hosted a girls competition for the first time in CSL history. Only 54 girls competed from the 12 schools in the 14 weight classes, including five from Evanston --- Coco Herro and Priscilla Hartwell at 135, Samantha Albaugh at 115, and Fatima Gomez and Samora Lainee, both at 190.
The Wildkits likely would have challenged New Trier for team honors, but the anticipated starting lineup has been injury-plagued all year and several starters are still questionable for next week’s regional tournament at Round Lake.
Saturday, the Kits settled for 10th place with 39 points, while New Trier claimed the team title with 142 points.
For the record, freshman Albaugh became the first ETHS female to score a win at the conference tourney when she pinned Maya Silverwood of Niles West in 50 seconds. She was subsequently pinned by the eventual champ, Maine East’s Guadalupe Montesinos, in the second period and was also pinned by Lora Kashidova of Vernon Hills in the third place bout.
At 190, sophomore Gomez actually hooked up head-to-head with freshman teammate Lainee in the consolation draw and pinned her in 1:25. Gomez then claimed third place by trimming Jathziry Valencia of Maine West 7-4.
