Sophomore call-up helps Neuqua top Waubonsie
Just before Neuqua Valley took the mat against Waubonsie Valley, Wildcats wrestling coach Mick Ruettiger broke some big news to one of his junior varsity wrestlers, sophomore Austin Barton.
"We found out today that (Matt) Walters wasn't ready to go," Ruettiger said. "I took him aside and said, 'Austin, I'm going to need you at the varsity level tonight.' "
Barton came through with a come-from-behind, 7-5 decision in overtime at 140 pounds that helped seal a 37-21 Wildcats win in Aurora.
One week after the Wildcats (7-1) lost a few matches by giving up late points against Glenbard North, Wildcats 103-pounder Jackson Robinson joined Barton in coming back to win by pin after falling behind.
"Those are two big matches, right there," said the Wildcats' Nick Proctor, who won a 10-3 decision at 152 pounds. "We were talking about that all week, just turning our matches around, and obviously we did that here."
With the night starting at 189 pounds, Waubonsie Valley coach Brad Caldwell knew that the Wildcats' two biggest guns -- Jimmy Duffy at 160 and Chris Spangler at 171 -- would have the last words on the dual.
The Warriors (3-2) needed to build a lead heading into those two final matches, which ended with a pin by Duffy and a technical fall from Spangler.
"We were battling to keep it tight and be as many points away from them at the end," Caldwell said. "We just didn't get it done."
The Warriors won the night's first three matches, with Jeremiah Myers winning an 11-3 major decision at 189, Nate Lorance gutting out an 8-7 decision at 215 in four overtimes over Patrick St. Clair, and heavyweight Nick Capristo edging Chinedu Mbamalu by 2-0 decision.
The Warriors' roll hit a roadblock in the person of Robinson, who trailed Doug Moravec 5-0 after one period, before pinning him in the second.
"That was huge for Jackson. He's a fighter out there," Ruettiger said.
An Andy Spangler pin at 112 gave the Wildcats an 11-10 team lead. Teammate Matt Cavallaris followed with a decision at 119, before Waubonsie's Kevin Roth put his team up 16-14 with a pin at 125.
The Warriors got decisions at 130 and 135 from Frank Trubiano and Kyle Rasmussen, respectively, before Barton used a takedown with five seconds left in his match at 140 to send it into overtime, then scored another takedown for the win.
Brian Epp's pin at 145 put the Wildcats back up 23-21, and Proctor made it 26-21 with his win before Duffy and Spangler slammed the door shut. The Wildcats earned an 8-6 edge in matches won and posted three pins and a pair of technical falls along the way.
"All our guys went for those extra points, and that's what did it," Proctor said.
"I can't fault any of the kids. They wrestled hard," Caldwell said. "They did exactly what we were talking about, and just had a couple lapses."