Scouting area wrestling sectionals
Because the IHSA implemented a three-class system during the off-season, the postseason rules of advancement from sectional meets to the state tournament in Champaign have changed. This season, the top four athletes in each weight class will receive downstate berths to comprise a 16-wrestler bracket that begins competition Feb. 20. In previous years, the top three sectional finishers in each weight advanced to the Assembly Hall.
Class 3A at Barrington
When: Friday, 5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m., finals at 4 p.m.
The skinny: Always highly competitive thanks to Mid-Suburban League and North Suburban Conference star power, this year's qualifiers also include the top Central Suburban and Fox Valley wrestlers. Highlighting the field are No. 9-ranked Libertville and No. 14 Grant, who along with Wheeling and New Trier were crowned regional champions a week ago. The powerful quartet will meet in two weeks at the Libertyville dual-team sectional.
Here's a look at some weight classes that offer plenty of firepower.
103: No. 3 Tom Laskowske (Palatine, 37-3), No. 6 Robby Schultheis (Warren, 28-3), No. 8 Adrian Gonzalez (Barrington, 33-5), No. 9 Miko Villanueva (Dundee-Crown, 30-5) and Matt Ornoff (Mundelein, 34-5). The senior Laskowske has defeated Schultheis, Gonzalez and Villanueva and owns a 15-0 record since late December, running roughshod over his competition. "Tom is all business right now," said Palatine coach Dan Collins. "Since the Berman, he has gotten bigger, stronger, quicker and we're even seeing a little bit of a mean streak in him now."
112: No. 2 Matt Bystol (Libertyville, 37-5), No. 3 Eduardo Dominguez (Mundelein, 35-2), No. 8 Danny Sabatello (St. Viator, 35-3), No. 12 Ben Schwartz (Highland Park, 26-3) and Aaron Ryan (Jacobs, 28-6). Bystol beat Dominguez 8-7 for the McHenry regional title. Although eager to meet his NSC rival once again, Dominguez, a 2008 state qualifier, will be careful not to look past Sabatello in the second round of the top half of a bracket that includes Schwartz. Ryan, a junior who was a state qualifier last season at 103, is in peak form after his McHenry regional title. "Eduardo's match with Matt was a very good one, but if I had (the) choice, I'd rather he lose a regional final than a sectional," said Mundelein coach Tom Buenik.
145: No. 4 Tommy Wadas (Hoffman Estates, 26-2), No. 6 Demetrios Mitchell (Hersey, 43-5), Charlie DeYoung (Lake Forest, 32-6), Anthony Pace (Lake Zurich, 27-9), Nathan Millman (Stevenson, 32-5) and Tyler Dempsey (Grant, 31-9). Too much talent stuffed into this weight class aptly describes this group. Millman defeated Dempsey in NSC final, Wadas posted back-to-back victories over Mitchell at the MSL and regional finals, Pace beat Dempsey for a regional crown and DeYoung prevailed over Millman to nab the Zion-Benton regional title. On and on it goes, with several more potentially scintillating head-to-head bouts.
171: No. 1 Lee Munster (Grant, 38-0), No. 7 Jeremy Fahler (Deerfield, 38-0), No. 8 Dan Santoro (Barrington, 34-7), No. 11 Jamey Zabrin (Buffalo Grove, 34-2), Pat Kenny (Libertyville, 30-13) and Jake Prestia (Conant, 27-7). Some actually suggest the judo-throwing specialist Fahler can toss Munster in the quarters. Expect a Munster vs. Santoro, Zabrin or Kenny in the final instead.
189: No. 7 Dan Vargas (Wheeling, 35-2), Thomas Davidson (Rolling Meadows, 36-5), No. 11 Andrew Rixon (Deerfield, 38-0), Tyreese Woodard (Warren, 28-5), Ryan Kline (Woodstock, 37-5). The power-packed MSL duo of Vargas vs. Davidson appear to be on a collision course for a fourth time this season. But not so fast, say Woodard and Rixon, who stand in the way of both during the quarterfinals. By the way, Rixon was a state qualifier at 215 last season.
Class 3A at Leyden
When: Friday, 6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m., finals at 3 p.m.
The skinny: When compared to the depth at the Barrington, DeLaSalle and Lincoln-Way Central sectionals, this venue probably trails the other three. But when you have perennial state power Glenbard North and top-20 teams like Hinsdale South, Central, York, Wheaton North and the host Eagles filling the brackets, you're sure to get plenty of superb bouts.
Here's a look at the weights to watch.
103: Jake McCabe (Leyden, 25-12), Jake Schramm (Hinsdale South, 37-1), Jack Cooney (York, 30-9), Joe Rovituso (Lake Park, 31-6) and Anthony Sciacotta (St. Patrick, 38-4). No. 5 Schramm has defeated both No. 9 Sciaccotta and No. 12 Cooney twice, including a convincing victory in the York regional final over the senior Cooney.
145: Brian Andronic (Leyden, 31-3), Daniel Mercadente (St. Charles East, 37-3), Pat Hamil (York, 35-4) and Colin Baer (Maine South, 34-4). Competing most of the season at 152, Mercadente was rated No. 8 before dropping down to 145 for the state series. Andronic, who won a regional title last weekend, has gone 12-3 since the first of the year.
152: Chris Pack (Maine West, 32-4), Joe LaManna (Schaumburg, 28-8), Dan Cocozza (Leyden, 11-21), Adam Gebner (Naperville Central, 33-6), Trevor Wenmouth (Downers Grove South, 31-8) and Joe Foreman (Downers Grove North, 29-3). No. 2-ranked Foreman appears unstoppable, with the remaining three spots open season for the others. Pack lost to Foreman in a regional final and has a tough opener with LaManna for the right to meet Gebner.
160: Adam Schammert (Leyden, 32-6), Danny Malik (Schaumburg, 26-7), Dominick Schmidt (Wheaton North, 33-6), Dale Lewis (York, 36-5, No. 6), Andrew Rudd (Batavia, 30-5, No. 5) and Alex Ortiz (St. Patrick, 37-7). Most figure this top-heavy group of Nos. 5-8 - Lewis, Rudd, Ortiz and Schmit - will grab the four state berths. But three-time sectional qualifier Schammert, who owns 110-plus career wins, is capable of breaking through.
"It is an interesting year in that those semifinal wrestlebacks will be really tense with four going to state and not three," says Schaumburg coach Matt Gruszka.