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Scouting state wrestling / Lake County

Scouting state wrestling

77th annual IHSA individual state wrestling meet

Where: State Farm Center, Champaign

When: today, 3 p.m. Class 2A preliminaries, 5 p.m. Class 3A preliminaries; Friday, 11 a.m. Class 2A quarterfinals, 1:30 p.m. Class 3A quarterfinals, 7 p.m. Class 1A, 2A and 3A semifinals; Saturday, 1 p.m. third and fifth-place matches (1A/2A/3A), 5:30 p.m. Grand March followed by championship matches in all three classes starting at 195 pounds.

CLASS 3A

Area qualifiers:

106 - Grant sophomore Christian Kanzler (39-5)

113 - Grant senior Nick Koch (38-5, two-time qualifier)

120 - Libertyville senior Steve Polakowski (39-1, three-time qualifier)

126 - Grant junior Noah Drabek (24-4)

132 - Grant senior Troy Parent (30-9)

145 - Lake Zurich senior Brandon Arteaga (34-5), Grant junior Mike Kouvelis (36-9)

152 - Libertyville junior Joey Gunther (36-6), Lake Zurich senior Sean Lynch (8-1, three-time qualifier)

160- Warren senior Emery Parker (36-2)

170 - Libertyville senior Kayne MacCallum (39-1, three-time qualifier), Stevenson junior Tyler Harrington (35-6)

182 - Libertyville senior Austin Koziol (29-6, two-time qualifier)

195 - Lake Zurich senior Alex Zurawski (20-10)

220 - Libertyville senior Kevin Barbian (35-4, two-time qualifier)

285 - Libertyville senior Chris McDermand (37-3, two-time qualifier)

Outlook: Libertyville has four sectional champions in Polakowski, Gunther, MacCallum and McDermand. The Wildcats led all Lake County area squads with six individuals advancing to the state meet, while North Suburban Conference rival Grant will have five individuals competing. The Bulldogs had a sectional champ in Parent last weekend while, senior teammate Koch placed sixth in the state last year at 106. Warren also has a serious medal contender in 160-pounder Parker, who was also a sectional champion for the Blue Devils. Saturday's final day of the tournament will be even more special than usual for Libertyville coach Dale Eggert, who will be one of four Grand Marshals leading the annual grand march of finalists into the arena before the championship bouts. This has been a banner season for Eggert, as he became only the eighth coach in IHSA history to reach the 500-career win plateau in early January. Libertyville also won its 27th regional crown in school history two weeks ago, and the Wildcats are poised to reach the Elite Eight team tournament if they can beat Barrington in the team sectional on Feb. 25. Eggert graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1978 with 13 Prairie State Games gold medals. He is a member of the IWCOA, Prairie State Games and Lake County Halls of Fame, and he is about to complete his 27th season as the Wildcats' head coach.

CLASS 2A

Area qualifiers:

106 - Antioch senior Briley Schultz (33-4, three-time qualifier), Hampshire sophomore Kyle Szlenk (36-8)

113 - Grayslake Central senior Kurtis Radke (34-13), Wauconda freshman Jose Munoz (36-17)

120 - Vernon Hills senior Jordan Reich (38-4, two-time qualifier), Grayslake Central senior Jeff Morrow (32-7)

126 - Carmel sophomore Kenny Barber (35-5), Vernon Hills junior Peter Vanderbloomer (36-18)

132 - Antioch freshman Patrick Schoenfelder (34-15)

138 - Carmel senior Anthony Swindell (34-9)

145 - St. Viator junior Brandon Suchyta (26-9)

152 - Lakes senior Kavan Mulloy (33-6), Grayslake Central junior Jonathon Makey (39-9, two-time qualifier)

160 - Carmel senior Joe Salvi (37-9)

182 - Wauconda senior Alex Schwickrath (34-8), Hampshire junior Anton Krocko (36-9, two-time qualifier)

195 - Antioch freshman George Bessette (37-5)

220 - Wauconda senior Nate Magiera (44-1, four-time qualifier)

285 - Vernon Hills junior Joe Blitstein (22-10)

Outlook: With perennial power Montini dominating the Lakes individual sectional, 106-pound Antioch senior Briley Schultz was the only Lake County area wrestler to capture first place in Class 2A last weekend. Making his third appearance at state, Schultz should be ready to go when the action gets started Thursday evening and he is poised to get one of the premier spots on the podium if all goes well downstate. "It's not like it's new to him," said Antioch coach Wilbur Borrero. "The setting hasn't changed, it's just different kids so he has to be ready to wrestle." You can bet that 220-pound Wauconda senior Nate Magiera (44-1) will be ready to wrestle after the senior settled for second place at sectionals to Montini senior Edgar Ruano. But after taking fifth place in the state as a junior, Magiera has his sights set on an individual state title and he has proven in the past that he can beat Ruano should they meet up again on the way to the championship. "He has to use the same formula he's used all year long - stay aggressive and stay away from the big mistakes," Wauconda coach Tom Nance of Magiera. "He doesn't know how to quit and nothing is new to him. He's already been in the big matches so he is battle tested. He knows what he wants to do, and he knows how to do it." Vernon Hills senior Jordan Reich also settled for second place at the sectional, losing to Montini's Dylan Duncan. But Reich should be ready to rumble when the chips are down after taking third place in the state last year at 106. The Cougars have really shined at state recently with a first (Jeremy Brazil in 2012) and two seconds (Brazil and Gideon Yim) in 2011.

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