CHAMPAIGN — About 24 hours before they met for a Class 1A 106-pound state championship, Oakwood/Salt Fork sophomore Steven Uden and Hoopeston Area junior Charlie Flores were preparing for their respective semifinal matches. They were on opposite sides of the bracket, and the offseason training partners made a pact to put on a show if they each made the final.
“Charlie and I go back and forth in the room all the time,” Uden said. “I was telling him to get it done so we could get back after it because I beat him earlier in the season.”
Uden’s win in the regular season evened their head-to-head series at one win apiece, but Flores was the one who came out on top when the lights were brightest, winning by a 4-0 decision on Saturday night to claim a state title.
106 pounds1A 1st: Charlie Flores (Hoopeston)1A 2nd: Steven Uden (O/SF) pic.twitter.com/wu2ecuu5HR
— Zach Piatt (@zachpiatt13) February 23, 2025
“It feels amazing,” Flores said. “I’m so glad I’m here and so glad I won. It’s everything I wished for.”
It was one of the more suspenseful matches of the evening, as the score remained deadlocked at zeros through the first two periods. Flores earned an escape to start the third, and his takedown in the final 30 seconds all but sealed the win.
Flores took a lap around the mat after the final buzzer sounded, holding his hands in the air as he took in all the cheers from the Cornjerker fans in attendance. He shook hands with Uden and ran over to assistant coach Felipe Martinez to continue the state-winning tradition of flipping your coach onto the mat.
“I’m a little sore right now. That was all on my shoulder,” Martinez said with a laugh. “I’m just so happy for that kid, man. He’s worked so hard. It’s been an unbelievable year, and he’s turned it up to a whole other level. We’ve worked all offseason, and he’s believed in himself. The biggest thing this week was to be himself, trust in his hard work and just have fun and enjoy it.”
Coming into this season, Flores’ goal was just to get to the state tournament. He’s had the dream of winning a state title since he first got into youth wrestling, but he didn’t necessarily expect it to come to fruition so soon.
“I honestly didn’t imagine this, but I’m here,” Flores said. “Once I started to get it rolling in the first match, I knew I could do anything.”
His teammates knew it, too. Senior Angel Zamora also had state title aspirations after placing fourth at 175 pounds last year. He wasn’t able to climb that mountain this year, falling in the semifinals, but he did wrestle his way to third place to become one of just three in his weight class to end the season on a win. As a bonus, he was able to watch his teammate accomplish that ultimate goal.
“I knew at least one of us was going to make it,” Zamora said of Flores and himself. “We both had the potential, and I knew one of us would get it. We both prepared for the moment, and it just so happened to be Charlie. He worked hard for it, and I’m happy for him.”
On the other side, Uden’s expectation was to “do as best as I could,” and he believed his best could win him a state title.
Uden led a charge that saw four O/SF wrestlers make the semifinals — himself at 106 pounds, Mason Swartz at 120, Devin Ehler at 126 and Pedro Rangel at 138 — two more than any other area team.
“We started with Steven, and he set the tone for us,” Rangel said. “We just went off from there and fed off each other’s energy.”
They all made the podium as All-State honorees, but Uden was the only one to advance to the finals. While he didn’t reach the top of the podium, he set himself up for a big last two years with O/SF.
“It means a lot,” Uden said of making the finals. “I came here last year and didn’t achieve what I wanted to. I didn’t achieve what I wanted in the finals this year, but I’ll be back.”
Speaking of next year, Flores and Co. are already excited about the potential. They’re going to make sure they celebrate properly, but they’re ready to get going again to prepare for a possible rematch with Uden in a year’s time.
“We’re going to enjoy this weekend and just embrace it all and take it all in,” Martinez said. “Maybe take a week or two off, but after that, we’ll get right back to it because next year will bring new challenges, and we’re ready for it.”
And Flores already has his sights set on a repeat.
“Of course,” Flores said. “I’m not stopping.”
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