Warren gets right back on the winning track
It didn't take long for the Warren wrestling team to get back on the winning track Saturday at Round Lake.
The Blue Devils lost at Libertyville in a North Suburban Conference dual meet Friday night, but they bounced back with an impressive NSC crossover victory against the host Panthers Saturday.
The dual meet started at 160 pounds, and Warren (11-2) built a commanding 29-0 lead over Round Lake after just six matches en route to a 49-16 vwin over the Panthers.
Round Lake (14-4) came back to win it's a nonconference match, 62-12 over South Elgin.
"It's the time of year where you have a lot of guys injured, but everyone does right now," said Round Lake coach John Jobst. "I'm glad we bounced back against South Elgin and the kids came out a little more intense. We showed a little more character after taking a beating from Warren."
Warren got on the scoreboard quickly against the Panthers, with 160-pounder Bryce Howard recording a pin in 1:31 for a 6-0 advantage.
Teammate Chandler Sperry posted a 3-2 decision over Corey Weber at 171 before pins by 189-pounder Tyreese Woodard and 215-pounder Houston Neals made the score 21-0.
Cody Hoag moved up from 215 to the heavyweight division to earn a 3-1 decision over Round Lake's Joe Medina. Then 103-pounder Robby Schultheis posted a technical fall for the Blue Devils.
Jose Jimenez broke up the Warren shutout with an 11-3 major decision at 112, but the Blue Devils' Connor Drew won by default at 119.
With 3 more wins Saturday, Drew (20-2) reached the 20-win plateau.
Jimenez, had 2 wins, as did teammates Erich Ramirez (125), and Dillon Pousson (135).
T.J. Parker (140), Justin Santiago (145), and Jake Dietmeyer (152) closed out the meet with victories for the Blue Devils to account for the final score.
Warren continued to roll with a 49-12 nonconference victory over Buffalo Grove after defeating the Panthers.
"We seem to wrestle well on Saturday morning for some reason, and Round Lake had some kids out of their lineup," said Warren coach Mark Tiffany, whose team also beat Grayslake North. "(Connor) Drew continues to do well, and I expect that losing to that kid from Leyden last week (at Palatine) has motivated him even more."
Ray Bryant (152), a state qualifier last year, and Brandon Cartwright (285) did not compete for the Panthers.
Grayslake North's dual meet against Buffalo Grove went down to the wire, but the Knights were able to pull out a 42-38 non-conference victory in their first match.
Sophomore D.J. Mendoza (135) continues to be a standout for Grayslake North's young squad heading into the second half of the campaign.
"They've really done a nice job improving throughout the year and they have been consistent," said Grayslake North coach Steve Wood, whose team is 7-7. "We'll see where Mendoza goes (weight class) and right now we're just trying to get him as much experience as we can."