Scouting DuPage County wrestling
Top area teams: Montini, Neuqua Valley, Glenbard North, Naperville Central, Hinsdale Central, Lake Park, Wheaton North, Wheaton Warrenville South, Addison Trail, Waubonsie Valley, Naperville North.
Top athletes: Addison Trail: Luis DeLacruz, jr., 112; Johnny Delmedico, jr., 130; Andy Heredia, jr., 285; Kerin Ramirez, sr., 140. Downers Grove North: Danny Balderas, sr., 171; Connor Cummings, jr., 215; Josh Longmire, sr., 112; Max Lozano, jr., 135; Jimmy Niels, jr., 119. Downers Grove South: Willie Anaya, soph., 160; Sam Apland, jr., 152; Matt Felsecker, sr., 285; Adam Oakes, sr., 171; Ed Wermouth, soph., 112. Fenton: Chris Butz, jr., 152; Joe DiBenedetto, sr., 215; Alan Geneva, soph., 130; Ed Havlovic, jr., 189; Ryan Joy, sr., 125. Glenbard East: Spencer George, sr., 285; Stefan Ivanov, sr., 160; Sam Pennisi, sr., 171; Ryan Pokrywka, sr., 140; Parker Settecase, sr., 215; Glenbard North: Bryan Gonzalez, jr., 112; Joe Gosinski, jr., 125; John Gosinski, fr., 103; Tyler Knudsen, jr., 215; Chris Wahman, sr., 189. Glenbard South: Andrew Hiller, sr., 140; Austin Teitsma, sr., 285. Glenbard West: Mitch Andersen, jr., 152; Joe Sackett, soph., 125; D.J. Terdy, jr., 145. Hinsdale Central: Jack Allen, sr., 215; David Lutz, sr., 112; Joe Strocchia, sr., 160; Terry Ward, jr., 130. Lake Park: Mat Asltacio, sr., 119; Robert Babej, sr., 130; Chris Kowalski, jr., 140; Joey Kubica, jr., 152; Devon Smith, sr., 285. Lisle: Brad Blechschmidt, soph., 112; Peter Ferguson, sr., 171; Adam Gleason, sr., 140; Jake Kretman, sr., 160; Nick Nigro, sr., 189. Montini: Dan Aguado, jr., 119; Frank Baer, jr., 152; Christ DiVito, sr., 125; Ross Ferraro, sr., 285; Brandon McBride, soph., 160; Eric Powell, sr., 135; Kevon Powell, soph., 103; Colton Rasche, sr., 130; Steve Robertson, jr., 140; Dimitri Willis, jr., 171. Naperville Central: Adam Gebner, sr., 152; Andy Kovalsky, sr., 140; Cameron Neeham, sr., 145; Nick Santos, sr., Jon Williamson, jr., 112. Naperville North: Adam Hankin, sr., 140; Steve Gutka, jr., 152; Sam Gutnecht, sr., 160; Nick McDonnell, soph., 119; Frank McKeown, jr., 125. Neuqua Valley: Matt Cavallaris, sr., 112; Alex Cizek, sr., 145; Nick Proctor, sr., 171; Jackson Robinson, sr., 125; Andy Spangler, sr., 160. Waubonsie Valley: David Scarano, sr., 130. Wheaton North: Mikey Fredrichs, sr., 145; J.J. Gibbs, sr., 215; Cutler Hane, jr., 152; Tyler Simmons, jr., 103; Zach Striplin, jr., 135. Wheaton Warrenville South: Spartak Chino, jr., 140; Brad Erickson, sr., 160. Willowbrook: Steven Congenie, soph., 152. York: Rudy Guthrie-Mueller, jr., 125; Marcus Loffredo, jr., 140; Pat McHugh, sr., 285; Alex Mortimer, jr., 130; Erik Westerberg, sr., 215.
Scouting report: With seven state titles to its credit this decade, Montini coach Mike Bukovsky has a scary message for his opponents. "Between 103 (pounds) and 171 we have the potential to have maybe the best lineup we've ever had," Bukovsky said. "I think we're ranked sixth in the country, which is, I think, the highest we've ever been in the preseason (national) rankings. We have the potential to have a very good year." Ten state-ranked wrestlers power the Broncos, who did not lose to an Illinois school in storming to the team dual title over Yorkville. Montini also received help from an unlikely source: former archrival Driscoll, where Zech Tredenick and Sam Lichounas transferred from after the Addison school closed its doors at the end of the last school year. McBride is the Broncos' most notable newcomer; the sophomore was a state champion in Idaho before relocating last summer. The Broncos' main obstacle in both the Suburban Christian Conference and state is undoubtedly Marmion, which was reclassified to Class 2A and boasts a formidable lineup that dominated the season-opening Conant tournament.
The only other local middle-tier school in the three-class wrestling state series is Fenton, which returns three ranked athletes in Butz, Havlovic and DiBenedetto. The Bison are a prohibitive favorite to capture the Metro Suburban Conference title.
Among the large-school programs, Neuqua Valley and Glenbard North are once again the model programs, not to mention the focus of their respective foes in the Upstate Eight and DuPage Valley conferences. The Wildcats have designs on a seventh consecutive league title in the final year of a single-division Upstate Eight. Coach Mick Ruettiger has a fearsome quintet in Cavallaris, Robinson, Cizek, Spangler and Proctor. "It's definitely a good core lineup," Ruettiger said. "Those guys help our dual meet and tournament hopes tremendously."
Lake Park and St. Charles East are the Wildcats' chief rivals for conference supremacy; the Lancers' Babej, Kubica and Smith are all state ranked entering the season. Scarano is the one known commodity at Waubonsie Valley. First-year program Metea Valley will compete with underclassmen only in the state series.
Glenbard North has had a stranglehold on the DuPage Valley for more than a decade. But the Panthers' league members are collectively primed to capitalize on their heavy graduation losses. "I don't think there is one team that is going to run away with it," said Glenbard East coach Kevin Carlson, whose team has two ranked athletes in Pennisi and Settecase and began its year in impressive fashion with the team title at WW South over Thanksgiving. Glenbard North has three ranked wrestlers with Gonzalez and the Gosinski brothers.
Naperville Central advanced to the team Elite Eight last year, and the Redhawks return potential all-state athletes Kovalsky and Gebner. "I think Naperville Central is going to surprise some people," Naperville North coach Tom Champion said. "Wrestling is an interesting sport. You get a new outlook every week. (The DVC) is going to be fun."
For the first time in years Wheaton North did not have any individual state qualifiers last year. "We had a nice run," Falcons coach Steve Holland said. "Injuries and inexperience (cost us) last year. The team (I have) at the beginning is not necessarily the team we'll see at the end. I think there is going to be more parity (in the DVC) than we have seen in the past."
WW South 140-pound junior Chino is at the top of the state rankings after playing a key role on the Tigers' state-championship Class 7A football team. It is once again a numbers game for first-year West Chicago coach Humberto Ayala to combat in order to lend credibility to the Wildcats' dual-meet legitimacy.
The two West Suburban divisions have several notable individuals, and the Silver boasts the defending large-school state champion in Oak Park-River Forest. In the Gold, Leyden and Hinsdale South have dominated the proceedings in recent years. But Addison Trail and Willowbrook have designs of their own. Congenie is a returning all-state athlete for the latter. "I think the league is wide open for all of us," Willowbrook coach Brian Murphy said. "There is a lot of parity; Addison Trail is vastly improved."
Glenbard South senior Teitsma had his unbeaten streak snapped at the state tournament last year. The relatively undersized heavyweight combines brute strength and technical precision to vanquish his opponents. "Austin is going to be our main guy," Glenbard South coach Derrick Crenshaw said. "He's the big gun for us. We're about a year away." The one Class 1A team, Lisle, has three downstate aspirants in Blechschmidt, Kretman and Nigro. "We have some very good kids," Lisle coach John Davies said. "We need to mold some of our underclassmen."
Key dates: Downers Grove South, Dec. 12; Glenbrook South, Dec. 18-19; Rex Whitlach at Hinsdale Central, Dec. 18-19; Dvorak Invitational, Dec. 28-29; Palatine Classic, Dec. 28-29; Geneva, Jan. 9; Clash Tournament, Jan. 8-9; Batavia Tournament, Jan. 16; Conference tournaments: Jan. 23, Jan. 30.