State tournament scouting, Northwest
Scouting the 81st wrestling state tournament
Where: State Farm Arena, Champaign
Thursday: 1 p.m (1A first round), 3 p.m. (2A first round), 5 p.m. (3A first round)
Friday: 8:30 a.m. (1A quarterfinals), 11:30 a.m. (2A quarterfinals), 1:30 p.m. 1:30 (3A quarterfinals), 7 p.m. (semifinals, all classes)
Saturday: 9 a.m. (wrestleback quarterfinals, all classes), 11 a.m. (wrestleback semifinals, all classes), 1 p.m. (third- and fifth-place matches), 5:30 p.m. (Grand March, followed immediatley by championship matches)
Gold Club memberMarkus Hartman (Barrington, Sr., 152, 43-0): The 2017 state runner-up has world-class talent. It's that skill combined with unmatched mental strength which make him unique, according to coach Dave Udchik. "The bigger the stage, the better Markus wrestles," Udhick says. "It's like he has icewater in his veins. He's so composed, always under control and focused on that one goal of getting back into the state final on Saturday night." Hartman has 158 career victories, breaking the program record of (148) set back in 2006 by John Sesso. The West Point-bound Hartman opens with Courtney Wilson (41-12) from Alton.
Frequent flyersNicky Amato (Conant, Jr., 138): This two-time state qualifier did captured a sectional title at Larkin, elevating the Mid-Suburban League and regional champ into one of the top four seeds in his bracket. "Nicky wrestled just a great tournament," said Conant coach Chad Hay. "He beat the second-, third- and fourth-place medal winners along the way to get himself a well deserved individual title." Amato won 26 time in 2017, and has 14 pins this year. Garrettt Bass (28-8) from Belleville West is his first-round opponent.
Jake Bellizzi (Maine West, Jr., 195, 30-5): Denied by rival James Bertell of Maine South at both the CSL and regional championships, guess who stood in the way of Bellizzi's second trip to Champaign? Correct - Bertell. But this time, Bellizzi played the role of spoiler with a 3-1 OT win to secure a berth in the state field. "That qualifying match was a heated one, but Jake stayed on his attacks to earn the biggest win of his season," said coach Chris Brassell. Belizzi will take 16 pins and 60 takedowns into his opener with Sergio Villalobos (40-1) from Downers Grove South.
Alex Giuliano (Conant, Jr., 120, 32-4): This two-time qualifier has the composure to grind out hard-fought six-minute contests as needed. Last weekend was a case in point for the MSL champ, who got two key victories in wrestleback matches to advance. "Alex had a tremendous sectional, beating to solid kids after a heart-breaking loss in the semifinal, and he's been stronger and more confident with each week," says Conant coach Chad Hay. Giuliano's first-round opponent: Anthony Molton (Lockport, 42-7).
Cormac Kane (Conant, Jr., 170, 29-2): The state's No. 3-rated '70-pounder has been building a head of steam after spending some time on the injury list. "Cormac has slowly closed the gap between himself and No. 1 Abe Assad (of Glenbard North) since his 9-3 loss in the Hruska final back in November," says Conant coach Chad Hay. "He's training at a very high level, and the potential for him to get on the podium Saturday night is growing with each day." Kane has 12 pins and 37 near-falls for the two-time regional champs and opens against Jacob Boumans (30-7) of Neuqua Valley.
Adam Kemp (Fremd, Sr., 160, 33-8): The Vikings senior earned his second trip downstate after surviving a first-rate weight class at sectionals which featured four top ten-rated '60 pounders. "Adam continues to grow by leaps and bounds. He's so much further ahead than where he was last year at this time. His best wrestling is ahead, wherever he ends up going to college," says Fremd coach Dan Ruettiger. Kemp's first round foe: Brad Gross (Marmion Academy, 8-1)
Jack Lingle (Schaumburg, Jr., 132, 32-8): Lingle suffered a severe sprain of his MCL last year, forcing him to miss over half of the season. But coach Mike Levanti says his fierce competitive nature and a tremendous core group of workout and trainingg partners have been the primary reason for his success, and ultimately a second trip downstate. Lingle's first-round opponent: Kai Conway (Barrington, 32-8).
Jake Meyer (Barrington, Sr., 195, 43-2): The Broncos three-sport standout (football, baseball) erased the memory of heartbreaking loss in his state qualifier last season with a brilliant bounce-back year which includes both MSL and regional titles. He's also reached 100 career victories, becoming one of just 13 in 62 years of the program's history to do so. "Not getting back downstate last year after doing so the year before was not fun, and it was something that helped motivate me ever since," said Meyer, still undecided on his college destination next fall. His first-round opponent: Ben Stemmet (Yorkville, 34-11).
Daniel Rasmussen (Barrington, Sr., 170, 38-8): One of the handful of elder statesmen on the team, Rasmussen for a second straight year showed his capacity to raise his level of play as required. He advanced to state this time by fighting his way through wrestlebacks. "I was a little nervous before my state qualifier, but when you're in the room training with guys like Hartman, Shinhoster and Meyer, you're ready for anything," said Rasmussen, whose takedown 38 seconds into OT sent him downstate. Rasmussen's first-round opponent: Ahmad Suleiman (Stagg, 31-8).
Jose Ramos (Prospect, Jr., 285, 37-5): By now, those in the know can recall the late-season addition of Ramos to the Knights' starting lineup. He took over for Alex Palczewski (now playing football at Illinois) and never looked back on his way to the state tourney last season. "Jose has wrestled most of the best in the state, and has found a way to place or win at every tournament," said Knights coach Tom Whalen of the No. 6-rated heavyweight. Ramos' first-round opponent: Nick Skentzos (Lincoln-Way West, 35-14).
Cole Riemer (Fremd, Sr., 145, 32-4): This two-time state qualifier impressed the masses last weekend, especially with a hard-fought 7-5 loss in his sectional with fourth-ranked and undefeated Patrick Ryan (44-0) of New Trier. "I'm not surprised at all with the way Cole is wrestling right now," said Fremd coach Dan Ruettiger. "He's so good on top and on his feet, which this year is the game-changer for him." Riemer qualified last year, only to see the chance to compete denied by the flu. His first-round opponent: Josh Ramos (Plainfield Central, 40-6).
Jarrit Shinhoster (Barrington, Sr., 160, 33-1): Since his return from a stint on the injured list early in the season, it's been one masterpiece after another for this four-year veteran. "People ask me if (Shinhoster) is in the mix for a state medal, and I reply that he's been in the mix all year long," says Udchik, of the state's fifth-rated '60-pounder. A quick glance at the final scores against most of his state-ranked opponents are lopsided, including four pins and two tech-falls in his eight postseason bouts. Shinhoster's first-round opponent: Luke Skokna (Hinsdale Central, 31-9).
Maiden voyagesArsalan Afshar (Maine West, Sr., 132, 35-4): When asked about his captain and four-year veteran, coach Chris Brassell finds it nearly impossible to stop talking about a young man who's proven to be more than just a terrific wrestler. "As a person, Arsalan is the absolute best," said Brassell. "He's an outstanding student, a great teammate and leader of our program, and he's turned into a wonderful wrestler who, through hard work and dedication, reached his goal of making it downstate." The team leader in takedowns (77) and near-falls (39) makes his state debut against Dontrell Johnson (39-5) of Rockford East.
Elijah Black (St. Viator, Jr., 170, 10-2): Injury woes dogged the Lions standout for almost the entirety of his sophomore season, and he was only back at full health in early January of 2018. "I've always said if we could get Elijah healthy, he could surprise at the state tournament, so now is the time to see if that can happen," said St. Viator coach Jason Churak. Black's first-round opponent: Ryan Raddatz (St. Rita, 32-16):
Kai Conway (Barrington, So., 132, 36-10): MSL and regional titles plus 31 wins highlighted a terrific rookie season for Conway. But it took some more adjusting this season before he hit his stride. "Kai had to kind of grow into a bigger body, and a bigger, stronger weight class from the one he was in last year (106)," said coach Dave Udchik. "But once he did, he's avenged all of his early season defeats and has been on fire of late." The sectional runner-up opens with Jack Lingle (32-8) of Schaumburg.
Anthony Greco (Elk Grove, Sr., 285, 27-6): The Grens celebrated the program's first state qualifier in 10 years when Greco recorded his 13th pin of the season in his state-qualifying bout. "After losing in that same match a year ago, he told me before this one there was no way that would happen again," said Elk Grove coach Dan Vargas. "He was motivated and laser-focused, and I could tell he wasn't going to let his season end that way again. (Him) getting to state is just the thing our young guys needed to see, plus it's proof our program is moving in the right direction." Greco's first-round opponent: Mike McNicholas (Montini, 36-12).
Eric Le (Wheeling, Sr., 106, 34-12): Twice a regional champion, Le used his most recent regional triumph to earn his first trip downstate. "Winning my sectional opener was big, because it helped set up the rest of my weekend," said Le, who said his effort in his semifinal loss wasn't his best - but he came back to finish in style with a technical fall victory in his third-place match. The Wildcats' team leader in takedowns meets Josh Koderhandt (Belleville West, 39-7) in a first-rounder.
Jack Milos (Prospect, Fr., 113, 37-4): The Knights freshman burst onto the scene the season, providing the MSL champions with some needed firepower in the lower end of the lineup while showing an aggresive, all-out attack that has overwhelmed opponents. "For me, it's all about scoring first, and looking to continue to score and keep the pressure on," said Milos, who recorded three pins, and two majors in the postseason thus far. His first round opponent: Matt Ramos (Lockport, 43-5)
Tucker Priola (Barrington, Sr., 113, 35-12): This two-year starter quietly came out of nowhere to earn his first appearance downstate following a strong second-day performance at sectionals, which included a long-sought victory against an MSL rival. "Tucker picked a great time to avenge (8) losses to Manny Ramirez (Wheeling) - it helped him go 3-1 on the weekend, and his best tournament of the year," said coach Dave Udchik. Priola's first-round opponent: No. 7 Enzo Silva (Plainfield South, 40-7).
John Smith (Wheeling, Jr., 145, 45-9): The third time proved to be the charm for this junior, whose injury-filled season a year ago limited him to just 20 matches. The Cats standout is the last in a long family line of Smiths in the program, and the most recent among them is his brother Luke, the 2011 state champ who is an assistant to coach Charlie Curran. "Comng back through wrestlebacks isn't the ideal way, but I still qualified, and that's what matters if you want to medal" said the MSL champ, who opens against Gannon Hughes (42-2) of Oswego.
Ryan Vedner (Prospect, Sr., 170, 39-4): "Consistent, that's what Vedner's been for us," said Knights coach Tom Whalen. "He's a grinder and doesn't always win big, but he just finds a way to win - all the while being a tremendous leader in the room and on the mat." After a modest first year (with 25 wins in 2016-17), the state's fifth-rated '70-pounder has enjoyed a breakout season by winning at the MSL and regional tournaments. His ability to get bonues points has been key in helping the Knights' run to the dual-team sectionals later this month. Vedner's first-round opponent: Josh LaBarbera (Metea Valley, 37-13).
Jake Wolf (St. Viator, Sr., 182, 29-5): It's been an impressive career arc for Wolf. He came into the sport as a freshman and went from way under .500 two years ago to becoming a two-time ESCC champ, and a first-time state qualifier for coach Jason Churak. "Jake is a product of nothing but hard work and determination, and to be honest, he hasn't come close to his full potential," Churak said. "He's as much dedicated off the mat as on, as he runs a pads program every Thursday in Palatine, is in the top 5 percent of his class and finds time to help our underclassmen with their school work." Wolf leads St. Viator in pins (15) and takedowns (47). His first-round opponent: Gavin Smith (Jacksonville, 35-9).
- Mike Garofola