Glenbard East wins 1st regional championship
A long wait and some near misses made Saturday night's accomplishment all the more sweet for Glenbard East.
The Rams had six finalists and 10 wrestlers place in the top four while scoring 189 points to claim the school's first regional crown at the Class 3A Hinsdale South regional.
Downers Grove North (150), Naperville Central (145) and Wheaton Warrenville South (129) finished 2-3-4, respectively, at the 10-team meet.
"The school's been open 50 years this year and this is our first one," Glenbard East coach Kevin Carlson said after 215-pounder Parker Settecase (36-3) and heavyweight Spencer George (37-2) closed out the meet with championships that secured the team's crown.
"(The regional title) has been avoiding us and we've been second six or seven times. It's about time and I'm proud of my boys."
After finishing third at the DuPage Valley Conference meet last week, the Rams came up big Saturday, as Sam Pennisi (36-2) won the crown at 171 pounds to give the team three titles, while Angelo San Juan (112 pounds), Steve Hilliard (145) and Stefan Ivanov (160) added second-place finishes. Settecase dominated the 215 field with a fall at the 39-second mark in the first round and then an injury default win that moved him to the finals where he pinned WW South's Tom Olp.
"I beat (Olp) 7-3 last week and I wasn't real happy with the way I wrestled," the senior said. "I wanted to pin him today and this feels great. I can't wait for next week."
Neither can Tigers' 140-pounder Spartak Chino, who improved to 30-1 on the year but who wasn't thrilled with his 3-2 win over Naperville Central senior Andy Kovalsky (33-5).
"I'm kind of upset with my performance," said Chino, who was fifth in the state as a sophomore. "I didn't feel like I was in danger at any point of the match, but if I want to win a state championship I can't have matches like that. I was uncharacteristically taking it easy today. That won't be the case next week."
Kovalsky, who lost to Chino 3-1 in the conference meet last week, is gaining confidence with the way he's battled his rival the last two weeks.
"Today was definitely the closest match we've had," he said. "I can see my growth and this is a boost to my confidence. He's one of the best wrestlers in the state, and to know I can compete with that type of competition helps a lot."
Kovalsky's teammate Steve Bus (30-13) claimed the Redhawks' lone title when he won 2-1 in overtime in the 189 semis and then followed that up with a 4-3 overtime win over Downers Grove North's Connor Cummings.
Naperville North, tied for seventh in the team standings with Willowbrook at 89 points, was led by Adam Hankin, who recorded three pins to improve to 38-2 while topping the 145 field. Fellow Huskies Max Obreicht (130) and Eric Kreiger (171) each pulled out 1-point victories to place third.
Hinsdale South freshman Sebastian Pique (35-5) took first at 103 and fellow Hornet Jake Schramm (35-2) won at 112. Cullen Cummings (119) and Jimmy Nehls (125) claimed titles for Downers North, while WW South's Mark Savenok (35-0) stayed unbeaten on the year after defeating Naperville Central's Josh Tardy 6-3 in the final at 130.
Other regional titles went to Addison Trail's Kerin Ramirez (135), Willowbrook's 41-0 Steve Congenie (152) and Downers South's Willie Anaya (160).