In hindsight, St. Charles East junior Anthony Gutierrez survived the gauntlet.
That was the takeaway for Gutierrez, who faced some of the best wrestlers in the country last weekend in the Class 3A individual state meet at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
“I wasn’t too happy with my results,” said Gutierrez, who’s a team-first type of guy. “But I went out there and went up against some top Division I athletes and I showed what I could do.
“Now, I’m ready to move on and go to the next stage.”
The next stage is set after Gutierrez helped power the Saints to a 49-21 victory over Maine South in Tuesday night’s Class 3A Addison Trail Dual Team Sectional in Addison.
Gutierrez’s pin in the first period of junior Aidan Swenson punctuated a wave of six straight wins by fall as St. Charles East (21-0) ended up building an insurmountable 36-3 lead.
Gutierrez (39-12) is a crucial cog at 165 pounds for the Saints, who will be looking to repeat as state champions beginning at 5 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals against Rockton Hononegah at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
At the individual state meet, Gutierrez finished fourth at 165. His only losses came against wrestlers who finished second and third, respectively, with a combined record of 113-4.
“It was great wrestling against them,” he said. “And seeing where I am right now.”
Gutierrez also improved on his place from a year ago. As a sophomore, he took sixth at 160. According to sophomore 113-pound Dom Munaretto, it’s his pace that earned that place.
“He’s really competitive,” Munaretto said of Gutierrez. “He goes hard all the time — the kind of guy who’s always putting in 100%. He’s a fighter and a big part of our team’s success.”
A closer examination of the results from the state finals shows how close Gutierrez was to the top.
He took Lyons’ Gunnar Garelli, the runner-up, to overtime of a one-point semifinal loss. Gutierrez then battled in a tough 7-4 setback to Quincy’s Owen Uppinghouse in the third-place match.
“He was in both of those matches to win them until the very end,” St. Charles East coach Jason Potter said. “Even if he can up a little bit short, I think he gained a lot of respect.
“I think he put his name in the conversation, and people realized he is the real deal.”
The 6-foot-2 Gutierrez combines size, reach, length and power.
“He has made tremendous strides since his freshman year,” Potter said.
An outside linebacker for the Saints in football, Gutierrez has a blend of athleticism, toughness, quickness and strength. And that’s not all.
“I think my style is unpredictable,” he said. “With my upper body, I like to use that size to snatch ankles when I’m on my feet or just fake and step forward. I love to snatch and reach on top.”
Football was the original pathway to wrestling. Beginning at age 6, he followed the path of some friends who also wrestled.
“I just decided to try it out and loved it,” he said. “There were different parts I really fell in love with. It was easy to score, but it was also very hard.
“I train really hard, but I also know there’s no insurance in this sport. Everything is on you. I am always making sure nobody is trying harder than me.”
Outside of the sport, Gutierrez is more contemplative, underscored by his love of fishing. He’s outgoing, personable and driven to succeed.
Being part of a national powerhouse program featuring three Big Ten recruits is part of the thrill.
“My dad was a good athlete and that’s my favorite part about the sport,” Gutierrez said. “I’m making my family proud of me.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
