Glenbard N. comes up big at Feutz Classic

The smallest men that came up the biggest for Glenbard North on Saturday as the Panthers dominated the 31st annual C.O. Feutz Wrestling Classic at Conant High School.

Glenbard North won five of the six championship matches in which it had wrestlers, including wins in four of the five lowest weight classes, en route to a tournament-high 270.5 points, 59 more than second place Crystal Lake Central.

“It's a great start,” Glenbard North coach Mark Hahn said. “It's much better being 3-0 and winning a tournament than the other way around.”

Jon Marmolejo started the championship round off with a 13-0 decision over Rolling Meadows' Aaron Kohlberg in the 103-pound weight class, and it was followed by fall victories for Johnny Gosinski and Brayan Gonzalez in the 112- and 119-pound classes, respectively.

The next win came in the 130-pound class for last year's class 3A 125-pound individual state champion Joey Gosinski, who won by fall over Crystal Lake Central's Clayton Lutzow in the final seconds of the match's first round.

“I love at the end of the first period, on my feet, last five-second takedowns,” Gosinski said. “Most kids relax for a minute, and that gives you an opportunity in the last couple seconds.”

Gosinski went 52-0 last year on his way to the state championship, and his coach says that success has led to even greater expectations.

“Last year he was really tough, but I think this year he's just super confident,” Hahn said. “He just goes out there expecting to win and expecting to dominate.”

St. Charles East was in fourth place headed into the championship matches but used four top-three finishes, including a victory by Isaiah Vela in the 125-pound class, to jump Rolling Meadows for third place with a final score of 131.50.

Rolling Meadows was the highest finisher of the three Mid-Suburban League schools in the competition. The Mustangs rode a first-place finish by Joe Caprio in the 215-pound class to a final score of 126, which edged out Oak Park-River Forest (124.5) and host school Conant (111) for fourth place.

Glenbard North finished third in last year's Class 3A team state tournament thanks in large part to its success in the lower weight classes, but Hahn said he thinks that experience and effectiveness throughout classes makes this group even more complete.

“We've got a veteran team,” Hahn said. “We've got a lot of guys that have been there and wrestled varsity last year. We're not a bunch of rookies like we were the last couple years.”

Joey Gosinski agrees.

“I want a second state title and a team state title,” Gosinski said. “That's our goals, and they're within reach, I believe.”