Marian Catholic steps up at Warren triple dual
With the No. 5-ranked Class 2A wrestling team in the state competing, the host Blue Devils and Lakes knew they were going to have to step up their game in the Warren triple-dual meet Saturday.
With top-tier individuals up and down its lineup, Marian Catholic (15-4) posted a 3-0 record. The Spartans started off with a 71-6 nonconference victory over short-handed Lakes (14-13), before adding a 44-28 win over Warren (17-3) in a competitive second-round match.
Marian Catholic added an impressive 52-18 triumph over McHenry (15-9). Warren captured a 52-25 decision over McHenry to start off the morning round.
Warren finished with a 69-12 victory over Lakes, which fell to McHenry 48-24 in round two.
The meet capped a busy three-day stretch for Warren, as the Blue Devils lost their North Suburban Lake Division showdown at Stevenson on Thursday night, before toppling Lake Zurich on senior night Friday.
State-ranked 195-pounder senior Zach Khoury continues to be the driving force for Warren, as he went 3-0. His pin in 4:18 gave the Blue Devils a 45-12 lead over Lakes with four matches remaining. Warren junior Grant Zamin went 2-1 at 138 pounds, giving him four wins in his last five matches. He had one of the Blue Devils' just four victories against Stevenson.
Warren junior Andrew Demos (170 pounds) hiked his record to 26-7, as he recorded a pin in 1:43 against Lakes. Jariston Clarke (145) went 2-0 for the Blue Devils, while Jared Pompilus (220), J.T. VanderVere (113), Xavier Flowers (182) and Zamin all recorded pins against the Eagles.
"Conference is coming up so we've got a lot of stuff to do and hopefully we can get some guys all-conference," said Zamin, whose team will be at the NSC meet next weekend at Wauconda. "I've just got to get ready for conference, regionals, sectionals, and hopefully state."
Brandon Escamilla did not compete for Warren at 182, but teammates Richard Howard (120), Sergio Sosa (285), Keyante Howard (106), Nick Burke (152), and Chris Love (160) all picked up wins against Lakes.
"I think we're wrestling tough," Warren coach Jake Jobst said. "We've got some guys banged up so we're filling in with some of our backup guys to get ready for conference and regionals. Everyone on Marian Catholic's team is a stud. They're the real deal, and they have a lot of top-notch, quality guys."
The Spartans' lineup boasts undefeated 170-pounder Kordell Norfleet (25-0), who placed second in the state as a sophomore, along with undefeated Jose Champagne (24-0 at 160) and Travis Ford-Melton (28-0 at 106). Carlos Champagne is 29-1 at 126.
Lakes hopes to get back injured 2015 state qualifiers Jared Smith (12-6 at 170) and Max Hill (2-2 at 182) in time for the Antioch regional in two weeks. Xavian Girona (14-3 at 152) also missed Saturday's meet due to injury.
Lakes junior Ishmael Velasquez (126 pounds, 19-8) notched an early pin against Warren, while Mickey Kane's pin at 132 hiked the Eagles' lead to 12-3 lead.
"We should have everybody back for regionals. I'm not sure about conference next week," Lakes coach Mark Stave said. "We'll compete against Antioch for the (regional) title. We have to get our top four healthy and get mentally tough for regionals."
McHenry's Derek Niecese (20-10) went 2-0 at 132, while his teammates Jake Leske (23-8 at 170), Lucas Busse (19-4 at 120) and Matt Nagel (20-5 at 182) all missed the meet due to injury. Dominic Rossier (145) and Billy Swan (152) had back-to-back pins for the Warriors against Marian Catholic. Matt Guttierez (106) went 3-0 for McHenry.
"We went 1-2 today, but I'm really happy with how we wrestled because we wrestled both (Marian Catholic and Warren) tough," Warriors coach Will Gaddy said. "A lot of our top kids are out, but we still put points on the board. I'm proud of the heart we showed."