BLOOMINGTON — Kaneland freshman Angelina Gochis moved to the front of the family line.
Her older brothers, Apollo and Alex, gave her a straightforward piece of advice.
“They told me to just go out there and win,” she said. “We have to keep the family going.”
Soft-spoken and quiet, Angelina made history in the process.
She defeated Huntley sophomore Janiah Slaughter 8-2 in the 105-pound championship match Saturday in the girls wrestling state meet at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
Goochis (47-5) became just the seventh wrestler from Kaneland to win a state championship and the first since Dan Goress won the Class 2A 145-pound title in 2013.
“Typically, you are looking up to your brothers, but the brothers are now looking up to the sister,” Kaneland coach Joshua West said. “Her title is a testament to her family.”
Her older brothers were both sectional qualifiers.
Alex, a sophomore, went 43-8 at 126 and finished one match away from qualifying for state. Apollo, a junior, went 33-12 at 170.
Angelina started competitive wrestling at age 8.
“We all started at the same time, and we had great coaches and support,” she said.
Wiry, flexible and highly skilled, Goochis impresses with her speed, skill and composure.
“She works really hard, has a positive mindset,” West said. “She has wrestled for so long that she never puts herself in a bad position.”
Goochis took control in the championship match with two takedowns in the first period.
“My style is really fast,” she said. “I have a lot of offense out there, and I just kept pushing. I had the lead and I felt very confident. I knew I had to keep moving and doing the right things.”
Asked how she was going to celebrate, she was succinct.
“Eat well, I guess,” she said.
Charming third time
Batavia senior Sydney Perry captured her third straight 145-pound state championship.
Perry (41-0) dismantled previously unbeaten Alivia Ming of Goreville by technical fall.
“I still get the same amount of joy, but it’s not for the same reason,” Perry said. “My first season was just to win it, to get noticed.
“Now, it’s turned into creating visibility for the sport and making myself known.”
Perry won three matches by technical fall. She beat her semifinal opponent by major decision.
“It’s important to remember why you’re wrestling and just enjoy the sport,” she said.
Team standings also were maintained for the first time in the third season of girls wrestling as an officially sanctioned state series. Batavia finished third with 46.5 points.
Looking ahead
Batavia sophomore Lily Enos finished third at 100 pounds.
After losing to West Aurora sophomore Kameyah Young in the semifinals, Enos (42-11) finished strong with a fall over Sterling Newman’s Blair Grennan.
“I was really looking forward to being a state champion, but I kept my head in it,” Enos said. “I know this is just a stepping stone, and I’m looking to place higher in future years.”
A transfer from East Aurora who finished fourth last season at 100 pounds, Kameyah Young (32-4) lost 1-0 to Glenbard West’s Alycia Perez of Glenbard West in the championship match.
Promising future
Burlington Central freshman Ryann Miller finished fifth at 170. Junior Victoria Macias (36-6), her teammate, took fifth at 115.
“It really means a lot to be here,” Miller said. “I had a really strong support system. It was the third or fourth year for a lot of the girls I was up against, and I am really proud of how I did.”
Burlington Central ended up taking eighth in team standings. Kaneland, meanwhile, took 12th.
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
