Wrestling: Scouting the Fox Valley Conference tournament
Fox Valley Conference tournamentWhere: Hampshire
When: Friday, 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. (finals at 2 p.m.)
2015 Champion: Jacobs.
Overview: The wrestling wasn't actually easy on the eyes for then new head coach Gary Conrad when he took over the Jacobs program four years ago. When Chris Dranka and Dean Lane and three others were freshmen during Conrad's first year in charge, the ride from the ground floor up made a few tough stops along the way, which included a near 160-point finish off the pace of 2013 FVC champion McHenry.
Since then, the journey to the top has become so much more fun to watch - not so for the Golden Eagles' opponents as much, and when the FVC tourney begins Friday in Hampshire Dranka, Lane and the rest of their teammates will hit the ground running as they go after a second consecutive conference crown.
"It wasn't easy to watch us in that first year we were all together," admits Conrad. "But look at us now, four years later, my first class through (Dranka, Lane, Michael Bujacz, 195, Jake Golnick, 220 and David Schillmeoller, 285) have been the leaders, a core group from which we built around, and the past two seasons have been so much more fun to watch than I think any of us would have expected."
After coming up just short in the division last season to McHenry, the Golden Eagles grabbed hold of their first regional crown, and subsequent first trip to the dual-team sectionals and this year, despite the loss of a handful of key veterans including Cody Ferencz, the club claimed its first outright FVC title in program history.
"It was great to win the division, especially during our senior year," Dranka said. "We all grew up together in club, and we've worked hard from the very beginning, and for a group that's so close in and out of the room, it's an amazing feeling to have this success so far."
Dranka has had plenty of that for sure, back-to-back 40-win seasons, and a 24-4 record this season during a scaled down schedule, filled more with quality opponents, than quantity of matches.
"Chris has been clutch for us right from the start, and his terrific balance and ability to be composed in high stress matches has been the key in his success," says Conrad. "He's a superb student in the classroom (4.5 GPA) and is ready to break Cody's record for wins, so when a guy has that in addition to the type of person he is, it's just great for the entire program."
"Coach Conrad and our staff are great," Lane said. "They stress a lot of different things to help make us better, we work together on everything and our conditioning is fantastic and it's helped all of us to come together as a team, which has shown in our tournaments this season, and big wins against Huntley, and last weekend with Conant (32-27) one of the best in the state."
The win over No. 8 Conant raised the Golden Eagles' record to a perfect 17-0.
Before a packed house at Huntley two weeks ago, the Golden Eagles won a tense, tightly contested dual (32-28) to clinch a tie for the division, before closing out the rest of the field with a victory over Dundee-Crown on Senior Night.
"That was the way wrestling should be that night at Huntley. Going against a great opponent, and coach, with a full house cheering each and every match ... I know I was nervous, and really sweating it out at times, but it was great for the boys to be a part of that night," said Conrad.
Lane, who last season saw his season end abruptly to a shoulder injury, has bounced back in sensational fashion with a remarkable 24-1 overall record, including championship belts at the Lake Park and Urbana tournaments, in which the club earned first-place honors as well.
"Dean has always had the potential, so when he put in a ton of work in the weight room, and gave up baseball for wrestling it quickly paid off for him with a 30-win season last year before that injury. He continued to lift and train, and compete at a bunch of offseason tournaments, and a couple of national tourneys, and now we're seeing all of that pay off for him," says Conrad.
"Both of these guys, along with Bujacz, Golnick and Schillmoeller, plus juniors Beau Harrier and David Dudych have been the beating heart of the program, and with me being fortunate enough to have assistants like Don Wallace and Jim Harrier by my side, the ability to build a program is so much easier to do."
Conrad knows his club will need to be in peak form this weekend, as the likes of Huntley, Crystal Lake Central, and others have their own ideas about achieving a successful weekend for themselves.
Who can beat them?: The super group of Josh Stenger (Huntley, 34-4), Travis Piotrowski (Prairie Ridge, 28-0), Christian Brunner (Dundee-Crown, 35-0) and Dominic Swanson (Huntley, 33-5) are an imposing quartet who already have one foot atop the podium when the final session rolls around Saturday afternoon.
The No. 1 rated Piotrowski could tie former Cary-Grove and 2015 state champion Michael Cullen (Wisconsin) with four FVC titles, while another No. 1, Brunner, is clearly on another level compared to anyone here this weekend at 195.
The Huntley duo of Stenger-Swanson have made a giant step forward this winter, particularly Swanson, who has risen nearly to the top of the polls trailing only Brian Allen of Hinsdale Central, who many figured would be crowned state champion late next month.
Weight watching: Coaches around the league seem to agree that 113, 138, 145 and 195 might be the deepest and best of the bunch. Although Brunner is the man at 195 pounds, his rivals include Bujacz (21-2) and Huntley senior Petros Mihalopoulos (24-11), who want to make a strong impression in advance of regionals next weekend. Throw in Class 2A star, Austin Parks (Crystal Lake Central) plus Cadin Koeppel (Cary-Grove, 21-7) and you suddenly have the makings of some interesting early round bouts.
113: Includes: Zach Spencer (Huntley, 29-9), Harrier (23-4), Joe Arroyo (Grayslake North, 22-5). Spencer has a win over Arroyo (pin) while Harrier decisioned Spencer (4-1) in a recent dual.
138: Dranka, Casey Allen (Hampshire, 16-7), Alex Cramer (Grayslake Central, 25-6), John Cullen (Cary-Grove, 5-0), Lenny Petersen (Crystal Lake Central), Trey Piotrowski (Prairie Ridge, 20-8). Petersen is No. 1 in the 2A polls, and has been there for most of the season, so the Tigers' junior is the one to beat. Although he's missed most of the season to an injury, Cary-Grove's Cullen might be considered a darkhouse in the race, with a spot in the state tournament last year under his belt.
145: Larry Augustin (Grayslake Central, 29-6), Josh Bybee (Hampshire, 18-3), Juan Quiroz (Huntley, 24-4), Jacob Sabella (Jacobs, 25-6), Jake Wright (Grayslake North, 29-6), Mike Petersen (Crystal Lake Central). The other Petersen at Central is No. 3 in the polls, while Augustin is No. 12. Results from this weekend will have an impact on seeds at regionals.
Team race: Several new faces in the league are in their first conference tournament as head coaches, one of them being Brian Lossi of Hampshire, who has this to say about his Whip-Purs club, plus the favorite: "Even though we've only seen Crystal Lake Central first hand, we did get a look at Huntley at the Sycamore tournament, and it appears they are a very tough tournament team. We finished eighth here last year, and I would expect us to finish in the middle of the pack, especially if some our guys step up this weekend.
"I really believe my big four of Casey Allen (138), Bybee, Wylie Allen (152) and Max McGowan (160) should all be pushing to be in the finals, and although both Casey and Josh are in very difficult weight classes, they will have the opportunity to avenge a loss or two during the season to achieve their goals for the season."
And, says Huntley head coach, BJ Bertelsman: "It's all about being healthy at this time of the year, and if we are, we'll be just fine. Up and down our lineup, we will have the opportunity to succeed, but there are some guys we will need to count on to win matches in order for us to compete for the top spot."