Plano’s Richie Amakiri, after banner senior year, set for state debut

Richie Amakiri recalls his first introduction to wrestling at 12 years old, on a suggestion from a friend to try an open mat.

State?

When the Plano senior first started, the thought of it was far from his mind.

“I started falling in love with the sport more my sophomore year,” Amakiri said. “We all wanted the team to succeed.”

Those aspirations have been realized this season.

Plano posted a 29-4 dual meet record. Now the Reapers have three of their best – seniors Caidan Ronning, Luis Ballesteros and Amakiri – competing in the season’s penultimate weekend at the Class 2A individual state tournament in Champaign.

Wrestling on the campus of the University of Illinois starts Thursday and concludes Saturday.

“This season has been like a magic ride for us,” Plano coach Dwayne Love said. “These guys have worked hard. We knew three years ago what this year would be, and they brought it to life for us. To go to the state tournament with this group, it’s truly awesome.”

For Amakiri, who is 40-1 in the 190-pound class, the season started where last year ended.

He came up a match short of state, losing in the blood round at sectionals.

“I realized how close I was. It made me realize that I wasn’t working as hard as I should have in practice,” Amakiri said. “I started going to camps and lots of clubs.”

His coach has taken notice.

“Richie has really stepped up his game this year, been a leader along with Caidan Ronning, our team captain,” Love said. “He has taken on a role of being a leader with the younger group, and a force on the mat. He has learned from his mistakes and become the wrestler he knows he can be.

“He has great perseverance. He has worked hard in the room every day, he did all the summer stuff for us. He fell a little short last year. I think that was also a big push for us.”

Amakiri’s only loss of this season came in the 170-pound championship match at the Kaneland Regional, to Yorkville Christian junior Jackson Allen.

But Amakiri avenged that loss last weekend with a pin in 1 minute, 19 seconds in the first period of the sectional final.

“I wrestled him at regionals, was up 11-2 and did something dumb,” Amakiri said. “I learned from that.”

“He had that determination in his eyes,” Love said. “You could see it. He knew that he had to go down there and get it done. No time for trying anything extra, just get the win.”

Amakiri wrestles at one of the heavier weights, but brings his own style to the mat with a lanky frame.

“I feel like I move like a lighter weight,” he said. “I try to work at my own pace. I try to wrestle kids at my pace instead of the other kid’s pace.”

Unranked by the website Illinois Matmen despite his gaudy record, Amakiri now sets his sights on becoming Plano’s first state medalist in nine years.

His initial match at state is against Fenwick’s seventh-ranked Jack Paris, an Illinois football recruit. No. 1-ranked Cayden Parks of Crystal Lake Central could potentially be a semifinal opponent should Amakiri win his first two matches.

“I think it will be a little stressful, never been there,” Amakiri said. “I’m just going to try to wrestle my match.”

Ronning (38-4), ranked No. 6 at 157 pounds, also drew a Fenwick opponent, Aiden Burns. Ballesteros, 38-4 at 174 pounds, opens with Brother Rice’s Dan Cosello.

Yorkville has five individuals at state in the 3A bracket, Oswego one, Yorkville Christian four at 2A and Sandwich two at 1A.

“I like our draws where we are at, feeling really good, and I like our chances,” Love said. “We had a good week of practice. I think we will do well.”