Montini routs SCC field
It was yet another dominating performance for Montini at the Suburban Catholic Conference wrestling tournament.
The reigning Class AA team state champion, with 13 of its 14 athletes earning all-conference accolades, swept through the competition at home in Lombard on Saturday afternoon. Marmion, which also had four one-sided victories, was the only program to win more than one match against the Broncos, who outscored their five foes 357-27 on the day.
Carl Foreside epitomized the Broncos' day with falls in all five matches; the senior 189-pounder is the top-ranked Class 2A wrestler in the state.
"I already came into the tournament knowing I was the best guy (at my weight), but I didn't underestimate anyone," Foreside said.
"I wanted to get the outstanding wrestler of the conference, which I had never had before."
Foreside did earn the distinction of MVP with his five pins.
Isaiah Gonzelez and Grant Goebel also hold the distinction of being the top-rated wrestlers at 160 and 215 pounds, respectively; the duo was also flawless on the day as Montini captured 65 of its 70 matches.
Colton Rasche, another top state threat for the Broncos at 130 pounds, had a pair of pins and three forfeits to continue the unblemished hit parade. Kevon Powell, Christ Divito, Eric Powell and Steven Robertson earned all-conference between 103 and 125 pounds for Montini, and Frankie Baer wrestled up a weight at 145 to return from an injury with yet another perfect morning and afternoon.
Dimitri Willis, ranked No. 5 at 152, was 5-0 for Montini, and sophomore heavyweight Ross Ferraro persevered in a pair of close matches to close out the Broncos' flawless performances. Geneva resident Alex Saunders was one of three combatants who was 4-1 on the day at 171 pounds.
"This is what we do every year to get ready for the regional," Montini coach Mike Bukovsky said. "We don't have a lot of superstars, but we take a lot of pride in being tough from top to bottom in our lineup. We're still trying to get our lineup set for next week (at the Fenton regional)."
Brothers Tom and Jake Randich were all-conference for Driscoll, which also had Zach TreDenick turn the trick at 152 pounds for the Highlanders.
"We did fairly well for only having eight wrestlers in some matches and nine in another," Driscoll coach Mark TreDenick said.
"We're giving up 30 points (with forfeits), and that's pretty tough to overcome."
Montini ended the regular season 27-2 with its five conference wins; the team has not lost to an Illinois squad all year. Driscoll and St. Edward both failed to score against Montini, which had its most competitive match with the Cadets.
"Marmion is a real solid team," Bukovsky said. "They are getting better every year. They have some outstanding kids."
St. Charles' Greco brothers once again anchored the Cadets' efforts as the team improved to 18-4 overall and 4-1 with their runner-up performance. The Grecos' combined 10-0 record included pins against Montini as Eddie, a freshman 103-pounder, and Pat, a 140-pound junior, headlined eight all-league wrestlers from Marmion.
"(The pin against Montini) was big," Eddie Greco said. "It gave the team a lot of confidence. I had the itch to wrestle all day. I was tired of waiting around waiting to wrestle."
The elder Greco overcame the disappointment of not facing the Broncos' Baer at 140, but compensated with his own dominating day.
"The match of the day was going to be between us," Pat Greco said. "It was a good day today for the team. We're getting more conference champions every year."
Nico Jimenez had the Cadets' third and final win against Montini, but Ryan Riggs (112 pounds), Angelo Silvestre (119), Eddie Breen (125), Tim Benoit (145) and Connor English (215) also had banner days to propel Marmion. Marmion began its day with a 52-17 win over Driscoll and eased past Marian Central 57-21 in the third round.
The Cadets then captured 28 of their last 30 matches against Aurora Central Catholic and St. Edward in combining to outscore their two foes 156-9.
"We're trying to close the gap with Montini," Marmion coach Dean Branstetter said. "We used to come in here and get beat 75-3. We're not good enough to beat them yet."
Aurora Central and St. Edward did not field full teams, and their collective 1-9 day was brightened by individual efforts. The Chargers' Greg Jacquez improved to 21-5 on the year after sweeping the field at 135 pounds. The freshman had the Chargers' lone victories against both Montini, a fall, and Marmion, an 8-7 decision.
"We're a very young program," Aurora Central coach Eric Fulara said.
"We're going to get better, but we're going to take our lumps. (Jacquez) is a very talented wrestler."
St. Edward turned back the Chargers 42-30 for its sole win of the five-round-robin tournament. The best bet for the Green Wave to advance in the Class 1A postseason is heavyweight Shane Finnane. The senior incurred tough losses against Marian Central senior Cody O'Neill - for the third time this year--and a 3-2 verdict against Montini. But he rebounded with a pair of pins, including the only points the Wave earned against Marmion.
"I was hoping to possibly get all-conference," Finnane said. "I kind of underestimated Montini. I'm not looking past (a back injury for next week), but (I am) a little bit worried. (Against O'Neill) he turned into me, and I made one mistake and he pinned me."
St. Edward coach Shane Kottkamp was also pleased with the resilience of 171-pounder Price Davis.
"No complaints," Kottkamp said. "There are a lot of good wrestlers here, and you have to wrestle five matches in a short time. (Our kids) had to wrestle some of the best kids in the state."