D-C in search of 8th straight FVC crown

There's no need to fear, underdog is here.

That familiar refrain from an old television cartoon, seems to fit the Dundee-Crown wrestling team nicely.

For the second year in a row, the Chargers will head into the meet they virtually own -- the Fox Valley Conference tournament -- as the underdog.

This year's FVC tournament will take place today and Saturday at Woodstock.

Just like in 2007, D-C goes into the tournament with 1 dual-meet loss. In each of the last 2 years, D-C has lost to Crystal Lake Central during the regular season. Central comes into this year's meet unbeaten at 9-0. D-C is 8-1, while Crystal Lake South is 7-2.

Last year, D-C went on to win the FVC tournament en route to its record seventh straight league crown. And they Chargers will have to play from behind again in order to secure title No. 8 in a row.

"We are the underdogs," said D-C coach Al Zinke, whose squad is 22-3 overall in duals this season. "Central has all the pressure. Central is undefeated in duals the last 2 years. I think they are the ones who have to look at it like, 'Geez, all the pressure is on us.' Hopefully we can be the better team for 2 days."

Zinke said he'll be able to field a full-strength lineup at the tournament for virtually the first time this season.

"Central is a good team," said Zinke. "They beat us soundly. But we didn't have guys like Frank (Abitua) and Tommy (Newman) in there and some of the guys we did have are no longer on the team. We pride ourselves on being ready at tournament time. I think we will be ready. I always feel good about us going into tournament time. We are getting healthy and we are getting everybody back. Our lineup is pretty solid. We've finally got the pieces in place."

Both Newman and Abitua had been injured. Newman returned several weeks ago at 215, while Abitua is 12-4 since stepping in at 103.

"We knew Frank was good," said Zinke. "We have some 103 pounders so during most of the duals he wasn't really missed. But his tournament experience is what is going to help us. He's wrestled for so long."

Sophomore Mike Rust has also solidified D-C's 125-pound slot. He's 8-0 since moving up to the varsity.

"Mike said he could go at 125. He said he could get down and do it and he's done it," said Zinke. "He made weight and he's there. He worked hard al spring and summer."

Rust's addition further solidifies the lighter weights for D-C. In addition to Abituia (12-4), Jeremy Lee is 21-6, while Jermaine Lee is 23-9. Jack Lewis and Cody Muscat also have 50 victories between them. Austin Tanner, Chris Rust, veteran Ryan Horcher and returning state medalist Mike Lukowski follow in the lineup.

Youthful Crystal Lake South lost just twice during the dual-meet portion of the conference schedule.

"We definitely have the potential and the talent," said first-year South coach Ross Ryan. "We've got a lot of young kids. One thing we are looking to improve on is going deep into tournaments."

Ryan said he will not field a full lineup at the conference meet.

"We will be looking to go deep into the tournament with many individuals and use it as a stepping stone for what we plan to accomplish next year," said Ryan.

Ryan has been especially impressed with the recent performances of Justin Thrailkill, Joe Fontanetta and Kean Loupee.

Thrailkill will bring an 18-4 mark into the 215-pound division. He's beaten 3 wrestlers who have been ranked in the most recent Illinois Matmen Class AA rankings at 215.

"Justin has really picked it up in the second half of the season," said Ryan. "We are looking for big things out of him."

Fontanetta is 18-5 at 160 and leads the team with 82 points scored.

"If Joe practices hard and prepares mentally he will make a good run for a state berth," said Ryan.

Loupee is one of 3 freshmen on the varsity. He's 18-5 at 145.

"Kean has turned it around since the Harvard tournament and has a lot of potential not only for the future, but for making a run at state this year," said Ryan. "He is by far one of the most underrated wrestlers in the area."

Ryan said the team's improvement has gone beyond simply a dual-meet record.

"We have improved in the win-loss category. That is minimal to what has changed as to the view and expectations of Crystal Lake South Gator wrestling," said Ryan. "The kids know they will have to work hard, but they also know that the sacrifices they make are well worth it. These kids have become more than a team. We are now a family."

Jacobs, Huntley, Cary-Grove and Prairie Ridge round out the local contingent in the tournament.

Dan Olsen (152), Ed Crosby (160) and Aaron Ryan (103) lead the way for Jacobs. Returning state qualifier Paul Rands headlines a list of strong wrestlers for Cary-Grove, while Huntley veterans Tony Benning and Jordan Bakely are 47-4 between them. Benning is 33-3 and is unbeaten against FVC opponents at 189. Pat Patterson sports an 8-2 mark against FVC competition at 145.

Brendan Barrett (27-6 at 152), Sam Campbell (24-3 at 160), Toby MacDonald (21-10 at 135), Mike Smith (24-8 at 112) and Eddie Smith (28-8 at 285) all have surpassed the 20-win barrier for Prairie Ridge this season.

Action starts today at Woodstock at 6 p.m. and continues Saturday at 10 a.m. The finals are slated for 3:30 p.m.

Burlington Central update: The Rockets finished fifth at the Big Northern Conference tournament recently. That field included state-ranked teams in Harvard (Class AA), Stillman Valley (Class A) and Oregon (Class A).

"Half the teams are A and half are double-AA," said Central coach Tony Rigitano. "People don't realize how good it really is. It's a competitive conference. We could have wrestled better there and hopefully we'll do that (next week at regionals)."

Central standout Curt Mastio ran his mark to an area-best 30-0 by winning a conference title. He's won 4 tournament titles this season for the Rockets.

"Curt running the table in 4 tournaments, he makes it look easy, but it really isn't," said Rigitano. "He's done a tremendous job."

Taylor Schuck finished second at conference, while Shane Burke, Tim Maroder and Zach Kein also placed.

"Zach Kein is a senior who has done a great job for us," said Rigitano. "He was seeded fourth and he took fourth. He's got 20 or 21 wins and has 17 or 18 pins. He's done a tremendous job. He does what we ask him to do and wrestles like a senior should wrestle."

Burke, who took third, defeated a Harvard wrestler he had lost to last year at the tournament.

"Shane lost to that kid in the finals last year and then beats him 7-2 this year," said Rigitano. "He had a great off-season. He's made a lot of strides."

Central is 13-7 in duals heading into Saturday's regular-season finale with Elgin, East Aurora and Geneva. The Rockets went 12-8 last year.

"I always say we are making strides, but we really are," said Rigitano.

Elgin update: Elgin finished seventh at the recent Upstate Eight Conference tournament.

The Maroons enjoyed a number of strong individual finishes, led by Terrell Walker, who won the conference title at 160 and improved to 28-1 (he trails only Central's Mastio for the area's best record).

Robert Hayes (21-5 at 189) also continues to impress.

"Robert had a tough match in the semis and lost, 5-2," said Elgin coach Anthony Genovesi. "Robert is right there. He can go with these kids."

Ivan Ceballos took fourth at 152 and now has a 12-6 mark.

"Ivan wrestled a lot of tough kids," said Genovesi. "It's good for him to see that kind of competition."

Elgin concludes the regular season with a quad against Geneva, Burlington Central and East Aurora. The Maroons will also dispatch younger wrestlers to the UEC freshman and JV tournaments at East Aurora and South Elgin, respectively.

"We want to let the other guys get some time at the lower levels and get some matches," said Genovesi. "We'll field a full lineup at regionals. That's important to represent Elgin High School with a full lineup. We'll see what everybody can do."

Larkin update: Senior Jacobs Truax and juniors Tony Feliciano and Cameron Tanner all took fifth at the recent Upstate Eight Conference meet. However, the Royals best place finish came from senior 145-pounder Jeff Satterlee, who took fourth in the league. He scored a pair of come-from-behind victories to get into the third-place match. He now has 10 wins this season. Feliciano, Tanner and Truax each are over the 20-win barrier.

Rankings: D-C's Lukowski was ranked No. 2 in Class AA at 189 pounds by Illinois Matmen. Lukowski had 6 key victories listed in the ranking. He's finished in the top 4 in 3 different tournaments, including the prestigious Dvorak tournament. Cary-Grove's Rands was ranked fourth at 215 in Class AA. He had 5 key wins listed and has finished in the top 3 of three different tournaments. Elgin's Walker was ranked ninth at 160, while Prairie Ridge's Campbell was 11th at 160.

Dundee-Crown was listed in the honorable mention team rankings. FVC foe Crystal Lake Central was ranked 21st in Class AA.