Palatine pleased with mega-dual wins
The Palatine mega-dual proved to be a real marathon for area wrestlers Saturday.
The host Pirates struggled but were able to finish 3-0 overall. They were able to stay perfect for the day thanks to a 37-31 nonconference victory over Notre Dame to close out the day of competition.
Palatine (12-8) opened the day with an impressive 55-18 victory over Plainfield North before the Pirates toppled Cary-Grove 46-30 in their second dual meet.
Cary-Grove (9-5) went 2-1 on the day as the Trojans started the triple-dual meet with a 35-28 victory over Lake Zurich before closing with a 45-36 victory over Carmel in a quick meet that featured 10 pins overall.
Carmel (11-7) went 1-2. The Corsairs lost to Notre Dame 42-22 before beating Plainfield North 49-31 in the second round.
With injuries still forcing Lake Zurich to forfeit five matches, the Bears went 0-3 with losses to Notre Dame (48-22), and Plainfield North (41-27) to close out the day.
Starting at 140 pounds, Palatine trailed Notre Dame 9-0 after two bouts, but 152-pound senior Ross Grande started Palatine's comeback with an 18-6 major decision. Grande added 3 wins Saturday to improve his record to 30-2.
"I think we've been doing a good job competing and that is why we are winning," Grande said. "I've just got to keep working hard, and the same thing that applies in the practice room applies in the matches."
After Grande's win, 160-pounder Dan Sutton and 171-pounder Ryan Cortez recorded pins for the Pirates, but Notre Dame responded with pins at 189 and 215 before a major decision at 285 gave the Dons a 25-16 advantage.
Palatine continued its comeback with a pin by 103-pounder Tom Laskowske before decisions by teammates Eddie Lopez (112), Leshon Mejias (119), and Chris Dimeo (125) gave the Pirates a 31-25 lead.
Palatine 130-pound senior Dale Jarosz (27-2) clinched the victory with a pin in 2:21 before a Notre Dame forfeit win at 135 accounted for the final score.
Jarosz, Grande, Lopez, and Dimeo all went 3-0 for the day while Cortez went 2-0.
"They were well-contested matches today, but we got all of the bonus points and that was the difference for us winning all three meets," said former long-time Palatine coach Jerry O'Brien, who filled in for coach Dan Collins Saturday. "We really competed well as a team today and Notre Dame is always well coached, so any time we can beat them we feel we've competed well."
Cary-Grove 285-pounder Paul Rands (25-3) went 3-0. He seems to be on track to make a return trip to the state meet this winter. Alec Hargrove (119) and Josh Nelson (135) also went 3-0 for the Trojans while teammate Cody Heche (189) went 2-0.
"I thought we got better as the day went on, but we have to get a lot more physical with our opponents and I think that is what our guys learned today," said Cary-Grove coach Dan Cysewski. "The matches that Palatine won they were much more physical. We seemed to be a step behind them with their technique, and that is a sign of good coaching."
Carmel 125-pounder Shane Siefert (16-5), 152-pounder Ryan Unrein (15-3), and 171-pounder Ryan Williams (16-2) all won three matches Saturday for the Corsairs.
"We had a ton of people out of our lineup today and it really hurt the team," said Carmel coach Joe Scordino. "We had five freshmen wrestling today and they're doing fantastic, but we're putting a lot of pressure on young kids."
The Bears are waiting for the return of 2007 state placewinner Sam Wrobel to their lineup from a knee injury, but they have been unable to compete effectively in meets this season with so many holes in their lineup.
Anthony Pace (29-5 at 140) went 2-0 for Lake Zurich while 119-pound teammate Cameron Shaffer (28-5) was 2-1 on the day.
"We're forfeiting five matches so we're going into every meet down by 30 points, but we've been focusing on how our individuals are doing," said Lake Zurich coach Dan Strickler. "Wrobel has the experience that will hopefully carry him through to state, and I just want him to rest until the conference meet."