Rich Township’s Nasir Bailey, who last lost in finals when he was 10, becomes four-time state champ. ‘It’s all surreal.’

CHAMPAIGN — Nasir Bailey will never forget the one time he lost in a state wrestling tournament. It was when he was 10 years old.

The Rich Township senior made sure it would not happen again.

“That day when I was 10 haunts me to this day still,” Bailey said. “Coming into high school, four state titles was always the goal. Losing was never an option.

“It never seemed like it could really be true, but I guess it happened.”

Indeed, the dream came true Saturday night.

Bailey, a Little Rock recruit, became a four-time state champion with a 5-2 win over St. Charles East’s Tyler Guerra in the Class 3A 138-pound championship match at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center.

Mount Carmel’s Sergio Lemley joined Bailey as a four-time champ with his win at 132. Lemley’s sophomore teammate, Seth Mendoza, is halfway to joining them after making it back-to-back championships with his title at 113.

Bailey (43-1) began his career making history as a freshman at T.F. North, when he and his older brothers, Bilal and Sincere, became the first trio of brothers to win state titles in the same season.

Nasir then moved to Texas and won a title there as a sophomore when the season in Illinois was altered due to the pandemic. He returned to win two championships at Rich Township.

After Saturday night’s match, Bailey did a cartwheel and a back flip. As if he hadn’t already provided wrestling fans with enough entertainment.

“I was just taking it all in,” Bailey said. “It was my last official (Illinois High School Association) match ever.

“It’s all surreal. I just wanted to take it all in and enjoy myself. My last hurrah.”

While Bailey always held himself to a high standard and expected to win every championship, he celebrated his wins with pure joy rather than relief.

“That’s me,” he said. “I’m always smiling, always talking. I’m always very affable and able to talk to other people. I’m always able to have fun doing whatever I’m doing.”

Lemley’s story has mirrored Bailey’s in many ways. He won championships at Mount Carmel as a freshman, junior and senior in addition to an Indiana state title as a sophomore at Chesterton.

Lemley (35-1), a Michigan recruit, held on for a 3-2 win over Prospect’s Will Baysingar, who won 50 matches and was awarded the top seed in the bracket.

“The first day of practice freshman year, coach (Alex Tsirtsis) must have seen something in me,” Lemley said. “I was just expecting to go in and have fun, but he looked me dead straight in the eyes and said, ‘You can win state this year.’

“At the time, I wasn’t nationally ranked and I hadn’t won any big tournaments. But I was just like, ‘If my coach believes me, I can believe in myself.’ After I won that year, it was just one after the other.”

Lemley wanted to set a standard for future Caravan wrestlers to chase.

“I just hope I can inspire other kids,” he said. “Joe Williams was a four-timer at Mount Carmel. At practice, I’d always look up at his name and be like, ‘I want to be like him.’”

Mendoza (37-2) beat Homewood-Flossmoor’s Deion Johnson by a 23-8 technical fall in the finals.

Johnson joined Lockport’s Justin Wardlow (120) and Logan Swaw (160), Mount Carmel’s Eddie Enright (152) and Colin Kelly (170) and Marist’s Peter Marinopoulos (195) as area runners-up.

Mendoza, meanwhile, is 2-for-2.

“I have to take this into the next year,” Mendoza said. “I have to take it one at a time. A lot of people are like, ‘Hey, Seth, are you going to be a four-timer?’ But I had to focus on this year and not thinking too far ahead.

“If I think too far ahead, maybe I’ll screw up somewhere and ruin that entire dream.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.