With a state championship at stake, Orion's Thorian Twyner worked over his opponent for a 10-2 major decision.
Twyner dominated Braidwood Reed-Custer's Billy Chancey throughout the match.
In his third season of high school wrestling, Twyner's gold rises above the bronze medals he earned in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Twyner's evening began with his father, L.J. Twyner, accompanying him in the grand march of finalists onto the Assembly Hall floor.
"It was really cool," Twyner said. "He's never been in the grand march. It's always been coach (Dan) Diamond."
Before the final match, the Charger through about how hard he had worked over the summer and how badly he wanted a championship.
Twyner dominated all three of his opponents at state.
"I got the right mindset before each match, and it worked," he said.
The Charger focused on one opponent at a time.
Twyner could be the first four-time state medalist in Orion's proud wrestling history.
"It would be something else," he said.
When the gold-medal match began, Twyner and Chancey tested each other for about a minute. Then the Charger put the Comet on the mat for a takedown worth two points.
Seconds later, Twyner cut him loose but did not have a chance to score again before the buzzer.
Twyner began the second period in the down position. He needed only 10 seconds to reverse Chancey, a move that gave him a 4-1 lead.
Midway through the period, Chancey escaped. At that point, Twyner's lead was only two points, but he got another takedown just as the clock hit zeroes.
"Two more minutes," Diamond yelled at Twyner. "Dreams come true."
Chancey's coach was telling him, "Two more minutes," but Twyner made more of his time than his opponent did.
The wrestlers began the third period in the neutral position. Twyner notched another takedown and added a near fall for a 10-2 lead.
That proved to be the final score, although the Charger continued to work hard.
"Wrestle to win," Diamond yelled. "Dominate him."
Orion's previous state champions are Tyler Clark, 103 lbs., 2005; Tim Hogren, 126 lbs., 1985; Bob Hoskins, 98 lbs., 1984, and 105 lbs., 1985; and Steve Rusk, 189 lbs., 1990.
