Glenbard South ends drought by defeating ICCP

After facing such top-notch Class 2A wrestling programs as Yorkville and Plano to start the season, Glenbard South was seeking its first dual-meet win at home Thursday night.

Of the 10 contested matches in the Metro Suburban West opener between the Raiders and IC Catholic Prep, the 113-pound collision between the Knights' Joe Biacinni and the Raiders' Younis Dhaher was the lone bout not to end in a fall.

The Raiders used the maximum 6-point wins in their seven victories to end a season-opening six-match losing streak with the 42-28 triumph in Glen Ellyn.

"We are very raw," longtime Glenbard South coach Derrick Crenshaw said. "Out of the regional team (from last February), I have only two (starters) back."

There were two double forfeits - at the match-starting 126-pound class as well as at 106 pounds, and the Knights (0-4, 0-1) drew even with a Frank Soto third-period fall at 138 pounds.

Crenshaw said filling all 14 weight classes would be a major concern for many of the teams in the new-look Metro Suburban.

The Raiders (1-6, 1-0) took the early lead with a Mike Bertone forfeit at 132 pounds.

"Glenbard South is pretty good," Soto said. "They have been doing this a long time (compared to ICCP being in only its fourth year as a program). I just got to finish better."

The teams exchanged pins at 145 and 152 pounds to forge the third tie of the match.

Brendin O'Brien gave ICCP its only lead of the night with his fall at 145, but Dan Zawislak launched five straight pins - and a 30-0 run in the process - for the Raiders at 152.

Ernesto Galvan, Jordan Drake, Frank Stramaglia and Keenan Caldwell all stopped their matches for Glenbard South between 160 and 195 pounds with first-period falls.

"We expected to come out and wrestle our hardest and win the close matches," Stramaglia said. "We knew it would come down to a couple of matches. We wanted to win the close matches."

ICCP stopped the bleeding with a forfeit at 220 pounds, and heavyweight Jack Lambourne needed less than a minute to bring the Knights closer to a single-figure deficit.

"We're getting better every day," Lambourne said.

Biacinni extended the Knights' unanswered run to 16 points with the only non-maximum win of the night at 113 pounds, but another crippling forfeit at 120 pounds ended the match.

The Raiders' Hanna Johnson was credited with the win at 120 pounds.

"I'm looking to be the first four-year girl wrestler at South," the junior said.