Arnold Walker is back in his natural element as a senior for East Aurora.
With the graduation of teammate Bryan Romero, Walker has dropped down from heavyweight to a more doable 215 pounds.
”At most last season, I weighed 225 or 230,” Walker said. “And I was going up against guys 40 or 50 pounds heavier than me. Now, everything feels free and open.
“I get to be more about finesse, taking shots and using my athleticism.”
Walker used that to reach the championship round for the host Tomcats in Saturday’s Class 3A East Aurora Regional. He lost a tough 7-4 decision to Naperville Central’s Nicolas Besteiro.
Walker (15-3) and senior Gabriel Hernandez (13-5), who finished third at 175, were the only Tomcats to qualify for the Hinsdale Central Sectional that starts Friday.
Despite the weight disadvantage he had to contend with last season, Walker qualified for the state meet at 285 and finished with a 27-11 record.
”Having that experience and knowing what I went through last year of going through Hinsdale Central, the toughest sectional in the state, and then Champaign, showed me how hard you have to work,” he said.
Wrestling at the lower weight optimizes every aspect of Walker’s style, according to East Aurora coach Frank Davison.
“Heavyweights tend to wrestle at a slower pace,” Davison said. “And Arnold is a really athletic guy. Being back down at 215, he is able to use that athletic ability much better. He gets into his shots.
“He is a tough kid and a very hard worker.”
A standout tight end and defensive end who powered East Aurora’s football team to the Class 8A state playoffs, Walker started wrestling relatively late.
His blend of speed, power, conditioning and balance transcend his lack of technique.
“I was in youth football,” he said. “The coaches just said it would be good as part of my training and development to try wrestling.”
And Walker knows the process going forward.
”Playing football, I’m used to going up against one guy,” he said. “Now, with wrestling, it’s the same attitude and mentality.
”It’s nothing personal, but I’m going to go through people and take care of business.”
Back to more
St. Charles East, the reigning Class 3A state champion, had seven individual winners and 10 qualifiers in capturing the regional at DeKalb.
The Saints’ triumvirate of defending state champions — sophomore Dom Munaretto (113), senior Ben Davino (132) and senior Jayden Colon (144) — powered Saturday’s dominant run.
Juniors Sam Sikorsky (106) and Andrew Wendt (132) and seniors Peyton Marzen (157) and Joe Pettit (215) also qualified for Geneva.
Mighty Cadets
Marmion had six individual champions in dominating the regional at Glenbard West.
Sophomore standouts Nicholas Garcia (113), Zach Stewart (138) and Joey Favia (215) keyed the attack for the Cadets, who qualified 10 individuals for the Hinsdale Central Sectional.
Batavia qualified six individuals, with seniors Ino Garcia (120), Aidan Huck (144) and undefeated Ben Brown (190) capturing championships. Junior Jack Duraski (132) also won for the Bulldogs.
Second to none
At East Aurora, West Aurora finished second to Naperville Central in the team standings. The Blackhawks had five individual champions, encompassing the old and new.
Senior Noah Quintana (157) and junior Dominic Serio (157) won their second career titles.
“My past experience allowed me to better understand what to expect,” Quintana said. “Everything went more smoothly.”
Sophomores Dayne Serio (165) and Evan Matkovich (126) joined senior Adrian Ortiz as first-time champions for the Blackhawks.
“I went in knowing I’d have to perform at my best in order to win,” said Matkovich, who boosted his record to 31-8. ”Winning means so much because I didn’t even make it out of regionals last year.
“It shows how much I have improved.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
