League tourney win a stepping stone for Fenton
Fenton hosted the inaugural Metro Suburban Conference wrestling tournament over the weekend in Bensenville.
The Bison, ranked No. 13 in Class 2A, crowned six of the 14 champions to win the tournament with 279 points.
Riverside-Brookfield finished a distant second; Glenbard South was sixth, with Wheaton Academy eighth and IC Catholic Prep finishing ninth in the 11-team field.
Cory Muniz, a senior transfer from Plainfield East, is the fifth-ranked 106-pounder in Class 2A for the Bison.
Muniz had two falls to advance to the finals, where he defeated Elmwood Park junior Marco Padilla 5-4 in the championship match.
"(The key) was staying confident throughout the day," Muniz said. "I know (Padilla) was ranked ahead of me in the preseason. The whole season I was prepping for that match."
The Bison (14-4) can claim an undefeated conference-championship run with wins over Elmwood Park, ICCP and Glenbard South this week.
Antoine Bess' triumph at 120 pounds earned the senior his 25th win - against 4 losses - for the Fenton senior.
Ryan Mencini and Angel Nava - both sophomores - captured titles at 126 and 138 pounds for the Bison.
Grayson Kaspar and Juan Alfaro are ranked eighth and fourth, respectively, after their championships at 152 and 182 pounds.
"I think everyone contributed pretty well," Fenton coach Brian Hastings said of the tournament championship. "We have a number of guys who are ranked."
The Bison will host a Class 2A regional the following week.
"We hope to get a handful of guys downstate and win a bunch of matches downstate," Hastings said.
Rowland going strong:
Willowbrook has two of the top area contenders in Class 3A for elite finishes at the individual state tournament at the University of Illinois' State Farm Center next month.
Dan Rowland has yet to taste defeat this season.
The 152-pound junior is undefeated after 38 matches with tournament victories at Hoffman Estates, Dvorak and Sycamore.
But the Silver Division of the West Suburban Conference boasts the two top-ranked athletes in the state in Oak Park-River Forest junior Isaiah White and Hinsdale Central senior Juwan Edmond.
White is the top-ranked wrestler in the nation in his class and handed Edmond, a three-time all-stater, his lone loss
"Being able to compete with (White) would put (Rowland) on a national scene," said first-year Willowbrook coach Brandon Murphy.
Jack Jessen also has 38 wins for the Warriors this season as the freshman 170-pounder is ranked No. 2, behind yet another Oak Park standout.
The ninth-grader entered the season as the No. 1 freshman in the nation at the weight.
"From everyone I have talked to (Jessen) is the real deal," Glenbard West coach Nick Posegay said.
"Both kids (Jessen) lost to (at Dvorak and Sycamore) were state finalists last year," Murphy said.
A tough draw:
Posegay and his colleagues in the Silver have the unenviable task of competing against Oak Park, not only the defending Class 3A champion but also anointed the top team in the nation.
Glenbard West 106-pounder Nate Orrison was the lone athlete to defeat a Huskies wrestler in the teams' dual meet.
The Hilltoppers will see Oak Park again at the Leyden regional.
"It's going to be a tough battle for the teams to get those other two spots (to the Glenbard North sectional)," Posegay said.
Glenbard West and Lyons Twp. meet on Friday night to determine the runner-up in the league.
"We've had a pretty decent season for the number of fresh faces we have," Posegay said.
In addition to Faber, Nate Orrison, Darien Kaufmann and Jack Vesevick have been the other stalwarts for the Hilltoppers at 182, 285 and 170 pounds.
Mustangs going for Valley title:
Metea Valley was bettered by only St. Charles East at the Upstate Eight Conference tournament over the weekend in Geneva.
The Mustangs can clinch an undisputed Valley Division championship with a win over Bartlett on the road Friday.
"There are some things we need to improve upon," Metea Valley coach Claudio Torres said after Jake Toepfer, Kenan Carter and Dylan Ervin won conference championships at 126, 145 and 182 pounds.
"We're going in the right direction. St. Charles East had a phenomenal medal round. Their kids rose to the occasion when they had to. That's what got them the first-place plaque."