Wrestling: As he honors his late father, Marmion's Brad Gross earns his fourth state medal

CHAMPAIGN – Brad Gross stepped off the podium in Champaign after receiving his state medal, and was immediately embraced by members of his immediate and extended family.

Gross, a Marmion senior, won his fourth medal in his final individual state meet.

"I'd give up every one of my state medals to have my dad back," Gross said.

Gross has wrestled amid excruciatingly difficult circumstances this season. His father passed away over Thanksgiving this past year.

"The wrestling aspect [of this season] is one thing," Gross said. "The more so personal things that went on this year were leaps and bounds harder than the wrestling part."

Gross took sixth at 145 pounds as a freshman, third at 152 pounds as a sophomore and second at 160 pounds last year.

On Saturday he dropped a 5-1 decision to St. Charles East senior Tommy Schroeder in the Class 3A 160-pound third-place match.

It was a rematch of a regular-season match that Gross won by a 2-1 decision. Schroeder ensured the second time would be different.

Schroeder motored to a 5-0 lead, and nearly pinned Gross before the Marmion senior earned an escape.

Schroeder ended his senior season 40-12. He wrestled with a nagging shoulder injury from last week's sectionals and sported a bloody ear in postmatch interviews.

"I thought I was going to be done in the blood rounds," Schroeder said. "I pulled [Barrington's Luke Rasmussen] and he was so good. I ended up pinning him right away. I didn't think I'd be here...third place, It's crazy."

St. Charles East's Peyton Schroeder lost in the first round of the consolation bracket to Huntley's Andrew Lira in a 10-7 decision, rounding out the Saints' representatives at state.

Marmion's Michael Jaffe won a 5-2 decision over Montini's Nain Vasquez for third at 120 pounds. Teammate Nathan Callaway 132s) staved off DeKalb's Fabian Lopez in a 4-3 tiebreaker to earn fifth place. Jack Bazukas (220) lost in the second round of the consolation bracket to Glenbrook North's Trent Williams by pin.

For Batavia, sophomore Mike Caliendo took fourth, losing a tough 4-3 decision to Libertyville's Michael Gunther in the third-place match.

Caliendo led 3-1 with 1:17 left in the third period, but Gunther earned an escape. In the last 15 seconds of the match Gunther fipped Caliendo to earn the decisive two points after not allowing Caliendo the opportunity to escape.

Caliendo previously faced Gunther in the quarterfinals, a triple overtime thriller that Caliendo lost 5-3.

"I made a couple mistakes in the first match," Caliendo said. "Obviously, I made a big mistake at the end of this match, but I know I'm better than him; he got lucky this last one."

While wishing he placed higher, Caliendo had a positive perspective on his season.

"I wrestled what I could [to] get my best," he said.

Batavia's other state representative, Justin Major, lost to Moline's Jayden Terronez during the second round of the consolation bracket in a 6-3 decision.

Geneva's lone state qualifier, Ian Huck, competed through the first round of the consolation bracket. Huck was pinned by Lincoln-Way West's Javen Estrada.

In his first match at state, Huck was beaten by Montini's Dylan Ragusin. Ragusin was later crowned the 3A 126 champion.