Lake Zurich powers up at Palatine
The Lake Zurich wrestling team started strong Saturday and kept rolling in the Palatine mega-duals.
The Bears (17-5) got their engine started with a 63-12 victory over short-handed St. Charles North, before posting an 84-0 shutout, which included 11 pins and 3 forfeits, of Chicago Farragut.
Starting at 160 pounds in its finale, Lake Zurich fell behind Grayslake North (10-13) early. But the Bears bounced back strongly to hand the Knights a 50-24 defeat, capping a 3-0 day.
Grayslake North had 66-6 victory over Farragut in the opening round, before adding a 54-12 win over Carmel Catholic (11-7).
Carmel also went 2-1, capturing a 52-22 decision over Palatine (7-9) in round one and toppling St. Charles North 39-24 in the third round.
The host Pirates were also 2-1, edging St. Charles North 48-34 and dispatching Farragut 72-6.
Farragut was a late replacement for West Chicago, while St. Charles North had only six wrestlers due to injuries and illness.
After losing at Libertyville in North Suburban Conference action Friday night, Lake Zurich was led by 220-pounder Josh Dyer (18-4), 106-pounder Justin Wollard, 126-pounder Maxx Wayne and 182-pounder Billy Busse (4-0), all of whom posted 3 wins.
Senior Mike Bertoia (285) and Derrick Juarez (152) went 2-0 for the Bears, while 132-pounder Nick Swanson was 2-1.
"I feel pretty good because Grayslake North dominated its other two duals and we did well against them," said Lake Zurich coach Dan Strickler. "It was a good way to end our weekend, and overall we're looking very good."
Grayslake North 113-pound senior Joe Arroyo, who's ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, improved to 30-1 with three more wins.
"I think I've been wrestling really well and I've been beating a lot of tough guys," said Arroyo, who qualified for state in both Class 2A (2015) and Class 3A (2016). "I think I'm in a pretty good position to win (state). I just have to get my offense going and wrestle the whole six minutes, and things will go well for me."
No. 3-ranked senior Alex Moran (31-5 at 160) also notched three victories for Grayslake North, as did teammates Adam Blonski (138) and Angel Flores (195). Grayslake North senior Miguel Carrera went 2-0 at 132.
"I thought we wrestled well (Friday) night (in a loss to Grant) and that carried into today," said Knights coach Collin McKillip, whose team went from Class 3A back to Class 2A this season based on school enrollment. "Joe (Arroyo) is really confident. Alex (Moran) has the ability to place at state, and he knows what it takes to win close matches."
Carmel was led by 2016 state qualifier Bobby Pryhocki (25-7) with three wins at 145. But 126-pound sophomore teammate Riley Palm (sixth in Class 2A last year) remains sidelined due to injury. Sophomore Tommy Hoy went 2-0 at 152 for the Corsairs.
"We are really young," Carmel coach Bob Kukendall said. "I have two seniors in the lineup and one has wrestled only three years, but we're holding our own. "(Pryhocki) has been a little inconsistent. He just needs to put together some wins, keep his confidence and stay focused."
Palatine got three wins each from the senior trio of Jonathan Alanis (14-6 at 220), Sam Cercas (285) and Billy Ilkka. Junior Jason Saravia (16-4) went 2-1 for the Pirates at 113.
"I think we could have been a little more aggressive with our technique, and the opening round was disappointing," said Palatine coach Dan Collins. "Those guys (Alanis, Cercas and Ilkka) have shown tremendous growth, and Jonathan is 6-1 in his last seven matches. (Alanis) is putting his whole match together with feet, top and bottom."