189-pounders headline strong field at Naperville N. sectional

There can little doubt as to the feature weight class at the Class AA Naperville North individual wrestling sectional this weekend.

The 189-pound division is a mini-state tournament in itself as the final preliminary for the state tournament next week at the University of Illinois' Assembly Hall kicks off tonight.

"You cannot make a mistake if you are wrestling at 189 pounds this year," Batavia coach Tom Arlis said. "They are all so talented. I just see it being pretty close."

Forty-four area wrestlers are on the cusp of gaining entrance to the state tournament after advancing from three local regionals last weekend.

Seventeen athletes were crowned regional champions, and two of them -- St. Charles East senior Adam Schaefer and West Aurora junior Mario Gonzalez -- are in the mix at 189 pounds at Naperville North.

The field at 189 also includes Lemont senior Gordie Kickels, Dundee-Crown senior Mike Lukowski and Rolling Meadows junior Tom Davidson.

Kickels is ranked No. 1 in the state, and Lukowski, whom Schaefer defeated in the South Elgin regional final, is second.

Davidson, the only wrestler to defeat Schaefer this season, and Gonzalez are rated in the top-six, according to Illinois Matmen.com.

Regional champions have first-round byes, and if they are both victorious Gonzalez and Schaefer would meet in the semifinals.

"Hopefully, I can upset (Gonzalez)," Schaefer said.

"If not, then it's going to be a dogfight for third place. I think we're both pretty talented."

"We haven't wrestled St. Charles East, so I haven't seen (Schaefer) wrestle," said Gonzalez, the only local sectional champion last year who was fourth in state at 171 pounds. "The 189-pound guys aren't as fast (as 171-pounders), so I guess I have an advantage there. But 189-pounders are a lot stronger, too, so I guess it works both ways."

The field at 189 pounds bears striking similarities, said Arlis.

"They all have their strong points," he said. "They are all powerful and strong. Watching Schaefer at the regional, he is just ripped. I think Gonzalez is the only one out of that mold. He is more of a technician, more fluid. (The 189-pound class) is going to be a great spectator sport."

Gonzalez is seeking his third consecutive trip to state, and he has nine teammates competing this weekend; West Aurora captured its third straight regional title last Saturday.

"The depth of the teams in the sectional makes it tough (to advance)," West Aurora coach Mike DiNovo said. "The champions at this time of the year are the ones who spend the least amount of time on the mat. Psychologically, I think (the first-round bye) is important."

Six other West Aurora wrestlers -- Sam McKinney (112 pounds), Tanner Andrews (119), Josh Zinzer (125), Vince Morris (130), Sam Pealstrom (140) and Dan Carey (215) -- earned regional crowns and the attendant first-round bye as well.

"We have an opportunity to get as many guys downstate as we ever have," said Zinzer, who was sixth in state at 119 last year. "We can't make any mistakes now. We have worked so hard this season that we have to give it our all."

West Aurora leads the area programs with 10 sectional qualifiers, but St. Charles East and Batavia are right behind with nine and seven, respectively.

"I think (Naperville North) is going to be one of the toughest sectionals in the state," St. Charles East coach Steve Smerz said. "But it's supposed to be tough to get downstate. Guys are going to have to be wrestling their best to get down."

"This is a traditional sectional," added Arlis, who had four regional champions in his son Logan (103 pounds), Charlie Ryan (125), Rocco Wade (135) and Matt McCarter (215). "At least we are more geographical than we were last year (at Downers Grove North)."

One hundred and forty-five pounds could very well offer a glimpse of the state finals: Glenbard North senior Vince Ramos and St. Charles North senior Eric Justice are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the latest Matmen rankings.

"I know for Eric that he wants to win state," St. Charles North coach Scott Trizzino said. "Eric is just going to have to keep wrestling the way he has been wrestling."

The North Stars' Dave Trizzino was the other regional champion for St. Charles North at South Elgin, while the best bet for Geneva is heavyweight Frank Boenzi.

The Vikings' sophomore was one of five Geneva wrestlers to advance as the team gained a measure of redemption after a disastrous Western Sun Conference tournament.

The final area regional champion in the field at Naperville North is St. Charles East 171-pounder Billy Diamond.

Marmion has five competitors searching for the ever-elusive first state qualifier in program history.

St. Charles resident Pat Greco is arguably the Cadets' best hope as the sophomore is 36-3 and state ranked at 130 pounds.

At Rock Island:ŒKaneland is the lone area representative at Rock Island, and the Knights have five competitors heading to the Quad Cities seeking to extend the coaching career of Gary Baum.

After two decades as a head coach, including the past 11 years in Maple Park, Baum is retiring from the sport at the conclusion of the state tournament.

"It's not so much for me as it is the kids," Baum said. "The apex for anyone's career is qualifying for the state championships. It's something they will never forget. To me, that's what it should be all about."

Sean Szatkowski is a returning state qualifier for the Knights at 112 pounds, and Jeff Stralka is poised to extend his year after having his season-long unbeaten streak end in the regional finals at 119.

Jay Levita is a first-time qualifier for Kaneland at 145 pounds, while freshman Jimmy Boyle earned a last-minute invitation due to an injury at 189.

Senior heavyweight Ben Fabrizius has been on a roll since vanquishing all comers at both the Western Sun tournament and LaSalle-Peru regional.

Two decades in the sectional trenches have taught Baum a simple lesson.

"The state championship is supposed to be the premier wrestlers," Baum said. "No one is going to hand it to you."