Barrington impresses against Stevenson, Grant
Two of the top 15 ranked Class 3A wrestling teams in the state were in attendance Saturday at the Grant triple dual meet.
The No. 10-ranked host Bulldogs defeated Wauconda on Friday night, but they struggled Saturday as No. 15 Barrington posted a 35-23 nonconference victory over Grant in the first round of competition.
The Broncos (7-0) were very impressive throughout the day Saturday as they clobbered Waukegan 79-0 in the second round before going a perfect 3-0 on the day with a 45-16 victory over Stevenson to close out the day.
Stevenson (7-2) started off its day with a lopsided 67-9 victory over Waukegan before holding off Grant for a 31-24 victory in round II.
The host Bulldogs (2-3) struggled overall Saturday, but they did close out the day with a 63-10 win over Waukegan.
With three state qualifiers back this season, Barrington has been very consistent with Adrian Gonzalez (103), Jared Parvinmihr (112), Dakota Wapotish (140), Luke Miller (152), Ryne McQueen (160), Dan Santoro (171), and Troy Morrison (215) all picking up three wins Saturday.
"The kids were really excited coming in, they've been working really hard, and they have gelled as a team," said Barrington coach Alex Strobl. "Grant is one of those teams up here that has set the tone for other programs, but we had a good day."
No. 1-ranked Grant 189-pounder Lee Munster (8-0) did win by technical fall in his match against Barrington, but he was held out of the final two meets of the day due to a neck injury he sustained last weekend at the Barrington tourney.
Starting at 135, the Bulldogs trailed Stevenson 28-12 before a pin by Jack Kramer cut the lead to 28-18 with two matches to go.
But Stevenson 125-pound junior Danny Sabatello (9-0) posted a 5-0 decision over Jose Jimenez and the Patriots held on for a 31-24 victory. Grant 130-pounder Jason Montemayor (10-0) recorded three pins on the day.
After placing fourth in the state last year as a sophomore at St. Viator, Sabatello has been very happy this season since transferring to Stevenson.
"The last match (against Barrington) I didn't wrestle too well, but this season I expect to be on the top of the podium," said Sabatello, who will move down to 119 for the rest of the season. "If I just focus on myself and not worry about anybody else nobody can beat me."
Besides Sabatello, the Patriots got three victories from 285-pounder David Woodstein while 140-pound teammate Jordan Sherman (7-1) suffered his first loss of the young season with a 1-1 record Saturday.
"Obviously the teams that are here are very competitive so for us to get the win against Grant was a big step for our program," said Stevenson coach Shane Cook. "Barrington has some very strong kids, they got on a roll, and we couldn't stop it."
Starting at 140 against the Pats, the Broncos won the first seven bouts to take a commanding 24-0 advantage en route to the 45-16 victory.
Starting at 130, Grant held an early 9-0 lead against Barrington. But the Broncos won every match between 152 and 112 with the exception of Munster's victory at 189.
"We're not wrestling very well right now, but hopefully we'll get better by the end of the year," said Grant coach Ryan Geist. "We'll find out the extent of Munster's injury this week. He's going to go to the doctor to find out what it is."
Chaz Alex, a state qualifier last year at 135, won three matches for the Bulldogs with the benefit of a forfeit win against Stevenson.