Lilly beats Gonzealez with same counter, makes semifinals

STERLING – Curtis Lilly read the bulletin-board material Seth Gonzealez gave him. He did his best to shrug it off.

But you’d better believe he felt the roar of the crowd at Musgrove Fieldhouse when the Sterling junior wrestler foiled his heavyweight counterpart again at the Class 2A Sterling Sectional.

Gonzealez (33-5) called the move Lilly (29-8) beat him with in their title matchup at the Northern Illinios Big 12 Conference meet on Saturday, Jan. 21, a “first-year move” and predicted he’d get the better of him, should they collide in sectionals. But, once again, the Yorkville grappler locked up high. Lilly went low with a headlock and slung Gonzealez over his shoulder and right into the kill position.

“He’s so much taller than me that if I bring him down enough and come back with a headlock, he’s gonna go over,” Lilly said. “I wasn’t expecting to throw him in a headlock again to beat him. I thought it would be closer, but he came in aggressive again. You can’t really do that in heavyweights.

“It was slow-motion, because I’ve seen him hit it so many times in the practice room – I know how it’s going to end up,” Sterling coach Charlie Bishop said. “I knew when he got him down it was just a matter of time. He’s deadly once he gets a guy on his back.”

It took about 20 seconds for Lilly to squeeze his prey. He sealed the deal 1:14 into the opening period, sprung to his feet and pumped his fists emphatically. Another textbook victory for Lilly, no surprise to Bishop.

“He’s been wrestling heavyweight since junior high,” he said. “He’s got his body position down, and one thing you can’t really teach is mat awareness. He knows where he’s at at all times. He waited for that guy to slip up – which he has in the past – we know if we can get that headlock, it’s over.”

Lilly was the only Warrior to advance to the semifinals, as freshman Isaac Anderson (106 pounds) and senior Trever Zinke (220) lost quarterfinal bouts. Joining them in Saturday’s wrestlebacks will be freshman Austin Olade (120) and junior Josh Villarreal (182), who lost first-round matches.