Barrington earns Moore-Prettyman crown
It was a fight to the finish Saturday at the 29th Annual Moore-Prettyman Invitational at Barrington as the host Broncos and Lockport went toe-to-toe in the powerful 29-team wrestling tournament.
But when all was said and done, it was indeed Barrington that captured the championship for the first time in nine years as the Broncos edged the Porters 181 to 180.5 for the first-place trophy.
Joliet Catholic held off Libertyville 156.5 to 153 for third place while Marmion Academy was a close fifth with 149.5 points.
Barrington used a balanced effort from the top of its lineup to the bottom as senior Luke Rasmussen rolled to the 170-pound title with a 15-4 major decision over Waubonsie Valley's Antonio Torres.
The Broncos also got third-place finishes from sophomore Brian Beers at 113, and Kai Conway at 160.
"This is the toughest the tournament has ever been since we added a top (Class) 2A school in Joliet Catholic fielding a full lineup for the first time," said Barrington coach Dave Udchik. "We've got a lot of work to do, but the heart and the fight is there, and everybody is ready to get better."
Libertyville had a great weekend overall. But No. 1-ranked Danny Pucino was upset by Jacobs senior Jake Harrier as the Old Dominion-bound Harrier recorded an 8-6 overtime victory after forcing the extra session with a takedown with only four seconds left in the third period.
"I look for what I always look for (against Pucino), my singles, and I'll take any shot I can take," said Harrier, who trailed 6-3 after two periods. "Danny is a very good wrestler, he's beaten me both times (before Saturday), he's an awesome wrestler, and I just had to keep on pushing the pace."
Libertyville transfer student E'lan Heard led his 152-pound finals bout 3-0 after two periods. But two-time state champion Dean Hamiti of Joliet Catholic wound up recording a fall with 32 seconds left in the third period.
The Wildcats also got a second-place medal effort from Caelan Riley at 106, and a third from Chase Baczek at 170.
"We had some tough losses against some good people, and we'll learn some great lessons from it," said Libertyville coach Dale Eggert. "He (Pucino) almost had that takedown in overtime, he didn't get it, and that guy (Harrier) finished on him which not a lot of people can't do."
Besides Harrier, the Golden Eagles (11th place) also got a title from 145-pounder Alex Epstein, and a third from 220-pounder Ryan Golnick.
"Jake beating Pucino after losing to him twice was really nice, that was a great match, and we'll see him again," said Jacobs coach Gary Conrad. "It was nice to see (Epstein) get to the finals and win a big tournament. He was losing 4-2 so it was a great comeback."
Prospect also had two champions as freshman Will Baysingar posted an impressive 9-1 major decision at 106 before junior teammate Jack Milos won a 10-3 decision at 132.
"They both wrestled really well today, obviously it gives us something to build on, and they're good role models for our other guys," said Prospect coach Tom Whalen. "Especially Will. It was his first high school tournament, he was in control every time, and he was tough to score on."
Another freshman to explode onto the scene Saturday was Stevenson's unseeded Lorenzo Frezza, who won the 113-pound crown for the Patriots.
"For such a young wrestler he's got a lot of confidence, and that confidence comes from how hard he works," said Stevenson coach Shane Cook. "We knew he was a high-level kid. This tournament proves he is able to be a high-level kid in high school, and it's a great start to his career."
Stevenson also got a second-place finish from Cole Rhemrev at 120 while Fremd's Charlie Fifield (126), Cary-Grove's Isaac Rands (182), Grant's Justin Brown (195), Cary-Grove's Joey Swanson (220), and Fremd's Justin Lilliebridge (285) also took runner-up honors.
Hersey's Austin Korba placed third at 285 while Cary-Grove's Charlie Gruen (132) placed fourth. Barrington teammates Trey Cysewski (145), Marko Hennin (152), Jack Hartman (182), and Farouk Shaaban (285) also placed fourth.