Wrestling: Downers Grove South's Villalobos does his part

LA GRANGE – Sergio Villalobos looked the part and played the part on Feb. 3.

The Downers Grove South senior wrestler, with his black hair and dark-colored glasses with a tape holding together one side, resembled a well-known superhero who dons a red cape with a big “S” on his chest.

On the mat, Villalobos did his part by defeating Montini’s Peter Christensen in the 195-pound title match at the Class 3A Lyons Regional in LaGrange. Villalobos won the highly-anticipated matchup of potential state-bound wrestlers 12-7, thanks to a late takedown and scoring three more points – all in the final 28 seconds.

Villalobos (36-0) and Christensen (25-10), the top two wrestlers in the state in their class, according to Illinoismatmen.com, faced off for the first time this season.

Villalobos said he was motivated to finally battle Christensen.

“It was a good match, especially since he did good with getting his shots and he’s very strong,” he said. “It was crazy. He got in deep late in the match. All I was trying to do was get his head down and break his grip. I spun but I ended up going back to his leg.

“I’ve been waiting for this since October, actually since June. I knew he was going to go up to 195, and I knew it was going to be a good battle. That’s why I was excited.”

Christensen’s loss was one of the few blemishes for Montini, which won 11 individual titles en route to scoring 312 points to win the regional title. Downers Grove South placed second (171), Lyons took third (117.5) and Downers Grove North finished fourth (111.5) in the nine-team meet.

Downers Grove South coach Sean Lovelace said Villalobos’ win was the highlight of the day. The Mustangs qualified seven wrestlers for the Hinsdale Central Sectional Feb. 10.

“It was a great match between two great kids, like two gladiators going out in a tight match,” Lovelace said. “That’s probably not the last time they will see each other. But putting seven in the finals was nice and getting one through in the third place. I’m always disappointed when the season ends for some guys. We had some seniors that was their last match and acouple of others who came in dinged up. If they were 100 percent healthy, they probably could’ve gotten through, but getting seven through a tough regional is something to build upon.”

Villalobos moved a step closer to his ultimate goal of winning a state title. After finishing third last season at 195 pounds, Villalobos has a daily reminder in his room about his main goal.

“I’ve been having this thing on my ceiling that I see every night that says 'state champ' and it’s a big goal for me,” he said. “One of my goals is to be undefeated but that doesn’t matter as much as state. If next week, I lose, then I lose, but all that matters is to get ready for the state tournament.”