February 10, 2025
Sports

High school wrestling: Westmont's Zach Muller finishes as a state champ

Downers South’s Villalobos, Downers North’s Cummings bring home state medals

By CHRIS CASEY
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Westmont's Zach Muller starts his celebration Feb. 18 after pinning his opponent to win the Class 1A 285-pound wrestling state title. Muller went 37-0 and won by pin in three of his four state tournament matches. (Douglas Cottle)

CHAMPAIGN – Zach Muller got a small taste of success as a junior at the state wrestling tournament.

After finishing sixth at the 2015 Class 3A state tournament while wrestling for Downers Grove South, the Westmont senior wanted to come back this year and reach the peak.

As the referee’s whistle blew in his Class 1A 285-pound state championship match after his pin at 1:09, Muller threw his hands up in the air and let out a thunderous scream. He finally could call himself the best.

Muller finished his final high school season with a 37-0 record, and found it hard to explain his emotions.

“It feels amazing. It was a crazy season, a long season,” Muller said. “There have been a lot of ups and downs, but I had the confidence because I’ve been in big matches before. I just went out there and did what I knew I was capable of doing.”

His pin of Fulton’s Taylor Fleetwood was Muller’s third win by pin in his four matches at the state tournament.

Muller’s coach, Joe Helton, knew his senior was going to do just about whatever it took to be able to call himself a state champion, and the two shared a big hug after the final match.

“Zach Muller is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen,” Helton said. “Everything that he has put in during the offseason and during the regular season paid off on the mat tonight. We came in with a little bit of a game plan, but at that point, you just have to wrestle. He trusted all of that work he put in over the past four years and he laid it all out on the line in that last match.”

Downers Grove South’s Sergio Villalobos ended his junior season with a third-place finish in Class 3A at 195 pounds.

After falling in the semifinals, Villalobos responded by winning his next two matches, including the third-place match by a 4-1 decision over New Trier’s Jake Lowell.

“It wasn’t easy after losing. I wanted to be in the championship,” said Villalobos, who finished the season with a 39-6 record. “I knew I had to get back into it, though, and try to get third. I know I can’t wrestle good if I’m not completely focused. I’m glad I got to end the season with a win.”

After losing his opening match of the state tournament, Downers Grove North’s Nate Cummings rallied to get into the fifth-place match before falling to Lockport’s Matt Ramos by major decision 14-3 at 106 pounds in Class 3A. Cummings finished the season with a 39-6 record.

Downers North coach Chris McGrath knew it would be hard to see a silver lining after that loss for Cummings, but said placing at the state meet is something the junior should be proud of.

“Anytime you get a chance to be on the podium in the state of Illinois is a [heck] of a honor,” McGrath said. “Nate was a .500 [record] wrestler two years ago and continued to work and got himself on the podium. He had a [heck] of a tournament and a [heck] of a season.”