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Prospect produces regional title at Lake Park

What a difference a week makes.

Just seven days after slipping on the proverbial banana peel and allowing to Barrington to win the Mid-Suburban League wrestling tournament, Prospect enjoyed a much more fruitful outcome on Saturday.

This time the Knights stayed firmly on track down the stretch to outscore league rival Conant and capture the Lake Park regional title Saturday in Roselle.

Bobby Jarosz (160 pounds, 26-8) and Alex Koczwara (195, 34-6) bounced back from heartbreaking defeats in their MSL finals to win regional titles, and Matt Wroblewski won a controversial OT thriller at 182 pounds to give the Knights three big titles in helping them pull away from Conant in the team race.

"We lost some matches last week we shouldn't have, and also left plenty of points out there," said Prospect coach Tom Whalen. "But today we were able to turn around some results from last weekend, and the guys came together to get those all-important bonus points to help us get by a great opponent like Conant."

Prospect will meet Notre Dame later this month in a dual-team sectional.

"Nobody had to tell me my match would ultimately decide the team race, but I knew inside before my final that there was a lot riding on my match," said Koczwara. "So unlike last week, I went out and was mentally and physically ready to go. And it felt real good to not only win a regional title, but also help my team do the same."

Koczwara, ran out to quick lead on Nolan Warner (of Schaumburg, 30-11) and never looked back in a 9-4 decision to officially close out Conant.

"Unlike last weekend, we had a strong start today, but we lost a few matches here and there and could never really seperate ourselves far enough away from Prospect, who, in the end, had a little too much for us," said Conant coach Chad Hay, whose team led the Knights a handful of times, including midway through the final session (179.5-178.5) before falling short by 7.5 points at the final whistle, 196-189.5.

Schaumburg earned third-place honors with 141 points, while tourney host Lake Park enjoyed a nice day with 122.5 points. The Lancers had a trio of champions, including senior Jackson Schoen (145, 36-2) who won the third regional crown in his career.

Conant senior Dan Madonia (132, 32-1) made history of sorts with a fourth consecutive regional championship.

The Cougars' Kyle Peisker (138, 35-1) and the dynamic duo from Schaumburg - Hazen Rice (120, 35-2) and Logan Gruszka (170, 36-1) - each won for a third time at the regional level.

"Winning a fourth is a very nice accomplishment, but a team title here would make it all perfect for me," said Madonia, who once again turned in a commanding performance, highlighted by a pin in his final over Sunny You (Streamwood, 29-3), who will be the lone Sabres representative in the Conant sectional next weekend.

"Hazen and I would have liked to have been challenged a bit more than we were today," said Gruszka, who won by pin twice to give him 27 this season, "but you still have to go out and respect your opponent, and stay with your game plan to get ready for sectionals next week."

Prospect was bolstered by the return of both Alex Preissing (10-3) and Andrew Baysinger (106, 30-5), both out last week for the MSL tournament. In the case of Preissing, a 2015 state qualifier, it ended a stretch of nearly eight weeks out of competition as he nursed an injured shoulder.

"It feels good to finally be able to help my team win a regional, as well as getting back into sectionals," said Preissing, a senior who pinned his way to the 126-pound title.

Prospect's Andrew Baysingar overcame a disappointing 3-1 OT loss in the semifnals to Alex Giuliano (Conant, 25-11) to roar back with consecutive wins via fall, giving the Knights bonus points and yet another in a medal situation.

Giuliano, his brother Jason (120, 20-8) got Conant off to a good start just before the lunch break with key victories, forming a bridge to both Madonia, Peisker and Nick Catalano (145, 35-3), who all booked their place in the finals.

The good news continued afterward for the reigning regional champs when A.J. Herrmann (160), Eric Hominac (170) and later Steven Hanks (220) marched into the semifinals to keep some distance between the Cougars and Prospect.

"We talked all week about coming out stronger, and with plenty of up tempo in our game, which many of us lacked last weekend at the conference tournament, and today we did just that at the start," said Hanks, who fell in his final to Lake Park sophomore Anthony Gulyk, who'd entered the tournament unseeded, an with a 20-20 record.

"Anthony had a rough start to the season, but he's worked so hard, and with him winning 8 of his last 11 matches and now 11 of 14, we felt he could come in here an win the whole thing," said Lake Park coach Anthony Cirrincione.

The Lancers coach was also thrilled earlier when junior Luke Badger (106, 33-5) beat Giuliano 6-4 for the 106-pound crown, and later, when two more Lake Park wrestler earned sectional appearances.

"We've had a great group at the lower weights lately, including Luke's older brother (Mark), so he's had to wait his turn," said Cirrincione. "But we are so happy he's in our starting lineup now, and enjoying so much success."

Schoen continues to shine in his quest to get downstate for a second consecutive year. The four-year veteran picked up two more pins (giving him 24 this season) before reaching the finals and Catalano. Earlier, Schoen had beaten Catalano in the championship match of the Krupke Invite hosted by Lake Park.

"Nick is a tough opponent," said Schoen. "He's strong, and very good on his feet. But I knew if I got the lead and held it going into the third period, I could ride him out the entire period," said Schoen, who did just that during the final 30 seconds of regulation to secure a regional title.

The duo of Tulga Zuunbayan (152, 29-2) and heavyweight Maciej Pogorzelski (36-5) gave Rolling Meadows two champions on the day, with sophomore Michael Womeldorf (36-10) coming all the way back through the consolation bracket to nab a third-place medal and a spot in sectionals.

"I have to admit I was in a little bit of trouble in my sectional qualifying match with (Jake) Vershoor (of Prospect, 32-16)," said Womeldorf, who was chasing deficitis of 4-1, 6-4, and later, 10-7 in the second period. "There wasn't much time left in the match, or my season, so I had to do something - or else."

Womeldorf uncorked a takedown at the edge with one second to go, then pinned his opponent at 6:23.

Zuunbayan won his fourth regional title with a superb effort in a 14-7 victory over Tanner Strobel (25-13) of Prospect.

Pogorzelski finished off Hoffman Estates' big man, Nathan Edwards (27-13), with a fall at 3:02.

"Nathan has come such a long way just this season, so we're all happy for him, and now he's in the sectionals for the first time," said Hoffman Estates coach Tony Ganos.

Maine West junior Sam Kindle (160, 28-16) will represent the Warriors at Conant next weekend following his 5-4 triumph in his sectional qualifying bout with Manny Luna (21-16) of Rolling Meadows.

"It wasn't easy, and Sam had to use every last bit of energy, but he's still alive," said Maine West coach Chris Brassell.

The big crowd inside the Lancers' fieldhouse sure got their money's worth from the final featuring Prospect's Matt Wroblewski (37-0) and Schaumburg's Tony Vezzetti (30-5).

For the third time this season, the two state stars faced off, and much like last week at the MSL tourney when Wroblewski edged the Saxons senior in OT, this one was opened with plenty of caution by both.

Vezzetti went ahead first with a second-period escape. Wroblewski drew even early in the third. Midway through the period, Wroblewski was on the attack, earning a takedown with a nicely played single, but after an escape made it 3-2, Vezzetti went ahead with 19 seconds with a low ankle pick, and takedown.

A penalty point for stalling tied it at 4-4 to begin a frenzied final few seconds of regulation.

Finally, in the third extra session, Wroblewski emerged with a 5-4 win.

The two will are likely to be on course for a fourth meeting next weekend, as the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds at Conant.

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