Publications & Sites 
Hinsdale Central’s Allen, Edmond both advance to Class 3A state final
12/15/12 Hinsdale-Hinsdale Centrals Brian Allen wrestles Molines Adarios Jones at the Hinsdale Central Invitational. Stacia Timonere/for Sun Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: February 18, 2013 4:35PM
CHAMPAIGN — It took three years, but Hinsdale Central’s Brian Allen finally won a Class 3A state semifinal match Friday night.
The undefeated junior shook his previous struggles in the semifinals with a pin in 32 seconds of T.F. South’s Corinthian McBridge. Allen (47-0) will face Neuqua Valley senior Andrew Geers (40-0) in the 285-pound championship at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Assembly Hall. Geers beat Marmion’s Alex Fritz (37-14) 3-1 in his semifinal match.
Allen and Geers also squared off in last year’s state third-place match, with Allen securing the 6-0 decision.
Brian Allen hopes to follow his older brother Jack’s path as state champion. Jack, a starting offensive lineman at Michigan State last fall, won a title in 2011. He is in Champaign to support his younger brother.
The battle between undefeated heavyweights is one of the marquee matches of the state finals.
“That doesn’t happen a lot,” Allen said. “It will be a nice event. Somebody will leave with a state title and walk out with a bracket board.”
Allen, who has eight football scholarship offers as a center, for the first time watched video earlier this week of his two previous losses in the state semifinals. He fell in overtime to Bolingbrook’s Rob Bain last season and suffered a 1-0 defeat to Lyons’ Joe Gonzalez in 2011 as a freshman.
“Last year I thought I had a chance (to win state),” Allen said. “This year, I felt there was no way I was going to lose. You can call me cocky, but I feel like I’m ready.”
Two of Hinsdale Central’s three state qualifiers advanced to the state finals. Allen will be joined in the title round by sophomore Juwan Edmond (41-9), who hammered Sandburg’s John Pellegrino 8-1 to advance. Edmond will face Belleville West’s Mech Spraggins (48-1) in the 138 final after Spraggins dropped Downers Grove North’s Cullen Cummings 8-4.
“It’s really a good feeling,” Edmond said. “My shots (are working). I’m staying in my stance, getting good position and standing on the attack.”
Edmond finished fifth in the state at 126 pounds last season when Jon Marmolejo of Glenbard North defaulted. Edmond fell 10-6 to Spraggins in the semifinal wrestlebacks.
For the second time in four years Hinsdale Central is sending two wrestlers to the state finals. In 2010, Jack Allen (285) and Joe Strocchia (160) each reached the championship, but both lost.
