Boys gymnastics: State meet scouting, Northwest
54th Annual boys gymnastics finals
Where: Hinsdale Central High School
When: Friday, 6 p.m. (team and all-around final). Saturday: 11:30 a.m. (individual prelims); 6:30 p.m. (individual finals)
Flooring the competitionAfter a year without a team from the Mid-Suburban League, the state finale will have two representatives from the conference. Fremd is making its first appearance at the state meet since 2007 while Schaumburg is returning for only the second time in school history, and its first time back since 1999. Fremd, which won the MSL, will be an at-large team thanks to its score of 143.00. The Vikings are led by Eric Barnd, Cole Patton, Ryan Rothm, Daniel Classon, Nick Oyasu, Sam Yim, Vance Lehman and Chase Jauch. Schaumburg needed a big performance on the pommel horse at the Hoffman Estates sectional to punch its ticket to state as the final at-large team qualifier with a score of 142.80. The Saxons will be led by Anthony Hardin, Hazen Rice, Marco Abundiz, Alejandro Hernandez, Dylan Mitchell, Shane Donovan, Kody Scott, Vincent Salinas, James Conley and Michael Szal. While both teams will be in the team finals competition, neither team will most likely be in contention for a trophy. Stevenson is the favorite, followed by defending champion Wheaton co-op, Glenbard West, Willowbrook, Niles West and Deerfield.
Vaulting to the topThe all-around title for the state's best gymnast will be competed for on Friday as well. This year's group of all-arounders has not quite reached the same level as all-arounders of recent seasons. Wheaton's Ben Szot had the highest score in sectional competition this year with a 53.85. That score would have got him only a third-place finish a year ago. Don't count out Palatine's Prakash Nigam, who had the third-highest score posted at sectionals this year with a 51.75. The sophomore has been getting steadily better each week. And after going head to head with Niles West all-arounder Nomondalai Jamiyanhuu, who scored a 51.80, Nigam knows what it takes to compete at even a higher level. "I was watching him compete," said Nigam, who was 16th in the state last year as a freshman. "It was good to see him compete, because I can see what I need to do to try to get even better." Barnd, who was third in the Fremd sectional, and Hersey's Matt Phelps will be among the other area competitors in the event.
Raising the barOn Saturday, the six individual events will be contested. There will preliminary competition in the afternoon, with the top 10 scores in each event advancing to the finals in the evening. The area has two opportunities to come away with state titles. Nigam led all competitors in the still rings with his sectional score of 9.20. Patton had the second-highest vault score with a 9.40. Top area qualifiers on the floor are Patton, Hardin, Phelps, Sasha Varvaruk of Buffalo Grove, Jorynn Meahan of Rolling Meadows and Anthony Halbisch and Brendan Gorvett of Hoffman Estates. Nigam is the area's top qualifier on the pommel horse. He will be joined by Sam Minarik of Conant, Mark Larock of Prospect, Hernnadez, Classon and Oyasu. After Nigam on the rings, the area's best are Leyden's Alex Vilchez, Hersey's Dylan Vo, Gonzalez and Mitchell. Patton will look to bring another individual state title to his home to join the one his brother C.J won two years ago. Patton, who has a terrific vault, will be heading an area pack of Hardin, Phelps, Scott, Barnd, and Nigam. On the parallel bars, Bufflao Grove's Tyler Cho leads all the area competitors. Other area top qualifiers are Nigam, Phelps, Vilchez, Hardin, Hersey's Will Nicholson and Hoffman Estates' Bartosz Widelak. The high bar's top area qualifiers are Nigam, Barnd, Halbisch and Nicholson.
- Dick Quagliano