Sports
Batavia Wrestling's Augie Watson Headed To State
Bulldogs senior Augie Watson places second at sectional to advance to Assembly Hall in Champaign.
Losing to the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class was only slightly easier for Augie Watson to take for one good reason.
The Batavia senior is going downstate, one season after missing the postseason due to a staph infection.
“It’s such a good feeling,” Watson (36-4) said, after placing second at 152 lbs. on Saturday, at a Class 3A sectional hosted by Downers Grove North.
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Watson began his day with a pin of Brother Rice senior Albert Lagunas (25-13), and then punched his ticket downstate with a 16-3 major decision win in his semifinal against Oswego sophomore Max Larsen (24-13).
“I wrestled hard because I knew if I beat him I’d advance,” Watson said. “I wanted to go downstate so badly, I just wrestled my hardest in that match.”
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That win sent Watson to a sectional title mat against Spartak Chino (35-1) of Wheaton-Warrenville South, Illinois’ top-ranked 152-pounder according to Illinois Best Weekly. Chino won a 12-3 decision over eighth-ranked Watson to win a sectional title.
“The last time I wrestled Chino was in middle school and he’s just a tough kid,” Watson said. “If I wrestle him again in Champaign I’ve got to push the pace. I came out slow and he took advantage of it.”
Watson will wrestle Friday inside Assembly Hall, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for the first time in his career. He doesn’t see any reason to be intimidated by the atmosphere he’ll see downstate.
"It’s the big stage but I’m not really nervous about it,” Watson said. “I’m just excited for it. It’s my senior year and I’ve got nothing to lose.
“It’ll be a week of drilling and technique, and little adjustments. I’ll go downstate and turn it loose. I just have to go for it.”
Batavia sophomore Joey Shump (112) fell just shy of downstate advancement on Saturday. Shump opened with a 15-2 win against Geneva’s Brad Martens (32-9) and then won 6-5 over Oswego’s Frank Yattoni (23-12).
Shump lost a 6-5 semifinal decision in overtime to eventual runner-up Angelo San Juan (36-7) of Glenbard East, but the real heartbreak hit in his consolation semifinal match.
Shump lost by fall to West Aurora’s Brandon Walz (34-14), ending a fine season in which the sophomore posted a 34-5 record.
