Wrestling: Nagel Places Second in 2A State Tourney

Lemont's Derek Nagel knew he had tough competition in the Class 2A state wrestling finals Saturday.

As the third-ranked wrestler at 160 pounds in 2A, Nagel was hoping for a first-place finish in a bid to prove he deserved to be No. 1. He ended up placing second after dropping a 10-4 decision to Montini's Dimitri Willis.

“It’s all right,” Nagel said. “I was hoping for better.”

After defeating Willis at the Lincoln-Way West Sectional last weekend, Nagel was confident he could beat top-ranked Dylan Reel from Washington. Nagel had lost to Willis in his last two attempts in the state tournament and felt better prepared this year.

Nagel defeated eighth-ranked Pete Kootstra of Wauconda in the quarterfinals and 10th-rated Frank Abitua from Crystal Lake Central in the semifinals. Willis beat Reel in overtime in the semifinals, setting up a rematch with Nagel.

The two were tied 4-4 for the majority of the bout, but then Nagel was taken down by Willis with 40 seconds left in the third period. Desperate to quickly tie the score against Willis, Nagel dove for a takedown that allowed Willis to get on top of him for a takedown and near-fall.

“He got in on a few shots and I did a bad job of defending him,” Nagel said. “Next thing I knew I was down. I tried to come back, but he ended up getting around the back at the end.”

Lemont also sent two other wrestlers to the state tournament, Glen Malecki (125) and Chris Giatras (189). Malecki was knocked out of the tournament in the quarterfinals after losing to fifth-ranked Kyle Carstens of Rock Island. Giatras lost his preliminary match to Archie Williams from Champaign Centennial.