Boys gymnastics: Fremd's Classon top-class in final home meet
Dan Classon remembers his younger days when he competed in gymnastics for the Palatine Park District.
In his final home meet at Fremd on Wednesday night, Classon showed the dozen young gymnasts in the stands just how far he has come since that time.
Classon scored a 43.80 in the all-around to help Fremd score 139.70 and win a triangular meet with Palatine and Elk Grove.
Palatine scored a 136.70 while Elk Grove finished at 107.50.
Classon was pleased that his Palatine Park District coach, Tom Ference, brought some of his current young gymnasts to the meet.
"It was nice to see all those kids tonight," Classon said. "It was very sweet. I am sure they enjoyed watching guys from both Fremd and Palatine."
Classon's performance helped pick up some of the void due to the absence of Cole Patton, who is out for the next few weeks with back issues.
"It has been a nice four years," Classon said. "I am always ready to do what I can to help the team."
Classon, who scored a 36 on his ACT and will attend Stanford next year, showed his versatility in the gym. Fremd coach Tim Hamman said Classon's ability to step into any role makes him so valuable to the Vikings.
"He is a great kid," Hamman said. "He always steps in no matter where he is needed. He sets us up on a lot of events. He does a wonderful job for us."
Fremd also got strong performances from Ryan Roth and Eric Barnd.
Roth had the top score on the floor with a 9.10 while Barnd won the pommel horse with an 8.70 and tied for the vault with a 9.00.
"It was a pretty good meet for me," Barnd said. "It went well until I slipped on the high bar. But I will be able to come back from that."
Teammate Nick Oyasu had the top score on the rings with a 7.40. Chase Jauch and Kevin Leah also came up big for Fremd.
"It wasn't our best meet," Hamman said. "There were bright spots. But there are still some things we need to clean up."
Palatine got a lift with the return of Prakash Nigam from a dislocated finger.
Nigam, the defending MSL all-around champion, competed in two events. He tied for the vault with his 9.00 and was second on the floor with an 8.60.
"We are getting back on track," Palatine coach Scott Hagel said. "We are slowly inching our way back to where we belong.
"It was nice to have Prakash back in the lineup. We are going to bring him along slow. But we wanted to get him some work tonight."
Matt Wang, who was injured in a meet last week, came back Wednesday with a vengeance. The senior won the all-around with 45.60 and the vault with a 9.00.
Christian Lunsford also came on strong for the Pirates. He had top scores in the parallel bars (8.30) and high bar (7.80) on his way to taking second in the all-around with a 44.80.
Elk Grove got a nice performance from Ivan Rodriguez, who scored a 35.50 in the all-around.
"Everybody is trying and working hard," said Elk Grove coach Bill Watts said. "We are trying to add some skills."