BLOOMINGTON — From the opening draw to determine which weight would start the IHSA State Finals, it looked as though fate was against the Minooka Indians. The meet started at the 120-pound class, and though the bouts are ultimately determined in the circle, sometimes a slow start can dictate what happens between a wrestler's ears.

Minooka got two of Marmion's state champions in the first four weights, watched the Cadets bolt to a 14-0 lead and then cruise past the Indians by a 39-14 score in the quarterfinals.

"Starting at 20 obviously put them in a better position than us," Minooka coach Jeff Charlebois said. "But I tell the kids that they are only supposed to focus on themselves and the six minutes they are out there. Still, you're talking about 15-18 year old kids, and when they come out and see a couple of their buddies going down like that, they start thinking 'oh boy'."