Scouting Northwest wrestling
MID-SUBURBAN EAST
Buffalo Grove
Coach: Dave Durlacher (fifth year)
Last year: 11-10-2
Graduation losses: Jamey Zabrin (2-time state qualifier, two-time top 8 finish, Dubuque University), Ben Lake (26 wins, ISU), Leo Haro (14 wins, Harper JC), Ryan Sparks (18 wins)
Key returnees: Seniors Eugene Blackmon (sectional qualifier, 31 wins); juniors Jordan Rathje (sectional qualifier, 29 wins), Matt Zabrin (sectional qualifier, 26 wins), Joey Madio, Brian Busch (9 wins), Brian Wellbank; sophomores Brian Egan (16 wins), Hunter Ori (29 wins).
New faces: Seniors Chirstian Ocampo, Ozzy Picaso, Eric Thornholm, Jake Maddox; juniors Andrew Stein, Fernando Martinez, David Dugo, Freddy Cardianes, Eddie Haro; sophomores Jamie Coyoc, Eric Veverka; freshman Chasi Ori.
Outlook: Bison will be without state qualifier in starting lineup for first time in years after departure of the four-year veteran Zabrin, who was the heart and soul of the club despite his injury filled final season with Durlacher. But a terrific trio of sectional qualifiers, led by another four-year starter (Blackmon) gives the former star alum hope for a bright season ahead. “Last year we were very young, with plenty of underclassmen in our lineup, but we have some talented guys who will be knocking on the door when the postseason comes around,” says Durlacher, who was a medal winner in 1986.
Elk Grove
Coach: Craig Johnson (third year)
Last year: 7-11-0
Graduation losses: Matt Evans (119, 11 wins), Brett Lesniak (152, 16 wins), Dan Clausen (189), Keith Hernandez (285).
Key returnees: Seniors Tony Szplit (140, 10 wins); juniors Alex Mertes (sectional qualifier, 119), Greg Johnson (sectional qualifier, 189, 17 wins), Joe Hauser (125), Bart Broda (130, 14 wins), Vince Greco (145, 9 wins), Tom Jansen (152)
New faces: Senior Christian Cruz (135); juniors Eric Vinyard (103), Robert Fox (112), Kohji Horibe (285); sophomores Jon Ebert (160), Andrew Noonan (171), Dan Egan (215)
Outlook: Grens appear ready to finally turn the corner after a long dry spell where lack of depth alone would doom their chances to compete on a nightly basis. “The good news is we have the largest group of wrestlers in years, and our numbers in our Junior Grens program are growing just as quickly,” says a hopeful Johnson. Although still young, there’s just two senior starters, there’s plenty of skilled juniors back this season, including sectional qualifiers Mertes and Johnson, which helped bring Elk Grove its closest to a .500 record in years.
Hersey
Coach: Jim Wormsley (eight year)
Last year: 28-3-0 (MSL East champs), 3rd in MSL tournament
Graduation losses: Demetrios Mitchell (2009 state runner-up, two-time state medalist, MSL, regional, sectional champ, 51 wins, Montana State Northern), Sean Bonner (state qualifier, 45 wins), Joe Castellanos (sectional qualifier, 35 wins), Kevin Snodgrass (32 wins) Mike Dragovich.
Key returnees: Seniors Jeff Koepke (6th-place state, two-time state qualifier, MSL, regional, sectional champ, 160, 171, 50 wins), Zach Whitehead (140, 145, 36 wins), Fred Scales (189, 31 wins), Jason Olson (215, 21 wins), Josh Simmons (130, 26 wins), Jose Serna (112, 20 wins); juniors Stephfon Scales (state qualifier, 119, 125, 42 wins), Conrad Bugay (119, 125, 35 wins)
New faces to watch: Senior Richard Kim (135, 140); juniors Matt Gianneschi (103), Tim Koepke (285); sophomore Hunter Rollins (145, 152, 3rd at frosh-soph state).
Outlook: A staggering 261 victories return this season for defending MSL East champs. That will somehow make it easier to absorb the tremendous void left in the middle of the lineup following the end to a sensational four-year career from the ultra-talented Mitchell, who was nearly perfect over the past two seasons, recording a dazzling 100 victories during that time. “What can you say about Demetrios that hasn’t already been said, but I still like our team this season. It’s going to be a good division this year, with no easy victories along the way,” says Wormsley. With that said, on most nights, there will simply far too much firepower for the Huskies opponents. Hersey will be led by the one of the best in Koepke, who enters his final season with 109 wins. The high-energy Scales, who was one match away from placing at 112 in Champaign, like many on the club, enjoyed a breakthrough season thanks in part to a demanding nonconference schedule.
Prospect
Coach: Tom Whalen (second year)
Last year: 14-13-0
Graduation losses: Tim Schweigel (sectional champ, 37 wins, Harper), Jon Eliopoulos (sectional qualifier, 25 wins, Elmhurst College), Leo Clark (19 wins), Chris Kozlowski (20 wins), Joe Maigler
Key returnees: Seniors Brandon Thompson (sectional qualifier, 152, 32 wins), Terry Thomas (285, 19 wins), Emilio Alvarado (sectional qualifier, 135, 7 wins), Mike Geweniger (215, 18 wins), Joe Randazzo (140); juniors Yousef Abu-Baker (sectional qualifier, 125, 22 wins), Tom Mensing (130); sophomores Josh Boggess (sectional qualifier, MSL, regional champ, 37 wins), Harry Hamilton (145)
New faces to watch: Juniors Mike Etchingham (171), Jon Bilancia (189), Max Triveline; sophomore Dan Fiumetto (160); freshmen Sam Lobono.
Outlook: Once lineup is intact, Knights should be ready on a nightly level to compete with MSL rivals on a regular basis, according to Whalen. “Where we are at our best is from around 119-125 and up, and if we can fill a few spots here and there, we’ll be in better shape when the conference tournament comes around,” Whalen said. Thompson, who had a breakout season as a junior, gives the club automatic wins and extra points in the middle. It all begins with the sophomore (Boggess), who made a big splash in his rookie season to give promise to the future and with Abu-Baker makes for a strong 1-2 punch at the lower weights.
Rolling Meadows
Coach: Dave Froehlich (33rd year)
Last year: 19-6-0
Graduation losses: Frank Adame (sectional qualifier, 26 wins), Shawn Meyer (sectional qualifier, 19 wins), Jared Diaz (sectional qualifier, 19 wins), Jordan Farnum (21 wins).
Key returnees: Seniors Kory Jauch (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 135, 140, 33 wins), Nick Calandra (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 135, 140, 30 wins), Dennis Caravello (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 152, 160, 32 wins), Chris Sanchez (sectional qualifier, 103, 112, 24 wins), Mark Herff (152, 160, 21 wins), Tom Devona (171, 189, 9 wins), Livingston Amemate (130); juniors Joey Caprio (state qualifier, MSL, regional champ, 40 wins), Aaron Kohlberg (103, 112, 16 wins)
New faces to watch: Senior Martin Markowski (285), Zurabi Khomali (130); juniors Jordan Diaz (215, missed 2009 season with injury), Bobby Rundlett (189, 215), Carl Beranek (140, 145), Frankie Luquis (119,125)
Outlook: Are the Mustangs capable of winning all the big hardware in the MSL this winter? Yes, indeed. Holding perhaps the most potent attack in the area, along with division rival Hersey, the two MSL East clubs should stage an exciting fight to the finish which likely will be decided when the two sides meet in dual-meet action. “We, like many others have one to two holes to fill in our lineup, but after that, we are strong everywhere else, with at least (eight) very good wrestlers who can compete at a high level,” said Froehlich, a brilliant dual-meet tactician, who this season has his club built for success during the weekends. Caprio and Jauch lead an exciting array of talent, which has plenty of experience in the ranks and includes five sectional qualifiers, many of whom put in endless hours during the off-season to fine tune their game. That includes Jauch, who Froehlich believes is ready to join the elite among the area in his weight division.
Wheeling
Coach: Neal Weiner (25th year)
Last year: 17-6-0 (4th MSL tournament)
Graduation losses: Rob Desio (sectional qualifier, 27 wins, Wisconsin), Tim Schalz (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 26 wins, Ripon College), Joel Rangel (30 wins, Illinois), Israel Gonzalez (13 wins, Marines), Joe Zacarias (11 wins), Mark Katrich (Harper)
Key returnees: Seniors Luke Smith (state runner-up, three-time state qualifier, two-time state medalist, MSL, regional, sectional champ, 140, 42 wins), Chris Johnson (state qualifier, MSL, regional champ, 189, 42 wins), Mike Smith (two-time state qualifier, regional champ, 145, 36 wins); juniors Eddie Scanlon (160, 22 wins), Brandon Jagielski (sectional qualifier, 215, 15 wins), Scott Steffens (130, 11 wins)
New faces to watch: Seniors Josue Albavera (130), Arturo Escobedo (215), Rafael Zaccarias (135); juniors Leo Giordano (140) Igor Romanowski (285), Joe Zimmerman (112), Tim Sennett (145), Sam Rosengarden (171), Tal Vardy (171); sophomores Derrick Waise (189), Alex Gonzalez (119), David Rodriguez (103), Jacob Del Toro (103), Sal Dominguez (171), Adam Rude (160), Luis Marin (285), Brandon Harris (160), Joe Hurley (140), Jesus Rodriguez (189).
Outlook: The Wildcats can boast of having perhaps one of the most dangerous trios in and around the area this season with the Smith cousins and 189-pounder Johnson. But graduation robbed this club of plenty of depth, which has always kept them in the hunt for tournament hardware wherever they went. “Clearly Hersey and Rolling Meadows are the two best in our division, and maybe the MSL this season, and it will be our inexperience that will cost us early on until some of those guys get more matches under the belt, and to find out what it takes to compete on the varsity level,” said Weiner. Senior Luke Smith is on a mission this season, which has to strike fear into his opponents after he went 42-2 last year en route to another state medal, but the heavily recruited four-year star says it’s championship ring or bust come late February.
MID-SUBURBAN WEST
Barrington
Coach: Al Strobl (fourth year)
Last year: 21-4-0 (regional champions), fourth place in dual-team state tournament.
Graduation losses: Dan Santoro (fourth place state, MSL champ, 41 wins, wrestling at Princeton), Luke Miller (state runner-up, 152, 37 wins, Harper), Kalvin Argueta (state qualifier, 37 wins, Harper), Ryan McQueen (27 wins, University of Colorado), Troy Morrison (19 wins).
Key returnees: Seniors Dakota Wapotish (145, 28 wins), Aaron Castagna (sectional qualifier, 285, 28 wins), Connor Mannina (125, 20 wins), Joe Adriani (140, 26 wins), Steve Polasik (17 wins), Erwin Delarosa (171); juniors Adrian Gonzalez (fourth place state, two-time state qualifier, MSL, regional champ, 103, 112, 41 wins), Nick Shealy (sectional qualifier, 145, 152, 23 wins), Jared Parvinmehr (112, 25 wins); sophomore Coord Wiseman (130, 12 wins).
New faces to watch: Juniors Michael Lurz (171), Ryan Wilt (189), Daniel Davidson (215); sophomores Matt Sheehy (103), Kevin Conrad (119).
Outlook: After falling just short of an MSL title, the Broncos went on a memorable ride through the postseason, which ended with their first team state trophy in school history as Barrington brought home fourth place. However, those who carried the pride of wearing the black and red singlet are now off to college, taking with them hundreds of victories and endless accomplishments, but perhaps more importantly the leadership every championship club needs to be successful. “We’re obviously going to miss the guys who would lead in the room and on the mats when we needed it the most,” says Strobl, “but when we see the new leaders step forward to take on that role, it will go a long way toward the success of a team that can be even better than last year’s team.” While the Broncos do not have the star power of the past few years, there is still plenty of superb talent starting with the top-ranked Gonzalez, and seniors Wapotish and Castagna, who are primed for breakout seasons.
Conant
Coach: Chad Hay (second year)
Last year: 9-10-0 (4-2-0)
Graduation losses: Nate Benedetti (state qualifier, MSL champ, 34 wins), Gino Castiglione (state qualifier, regional champ, 28 wins), Josh Yoo (17 wins), Ben Clifford (state qualifier, regional champ, 31 wins, not wrestling his sophomore season)
Key returnees: Seniors Vince Gottardo (sectional qualifier, 2009 state qualifier, 130, 135, 25 wins), Joe Gonzalez (160); juniors Travis Sylvester (sectional qualifier, 135, 140, 26 wins), Gino Prestia (171, 13 wins), Kevin Lejman (125), Trevor Baxter (215); sophomore Mitch Alexander (sectional qualifier, 130, 24 wins)
New faces to watch: Zack Davis (112), Nico Gottardo (119)
Outlook: For a team with a new coach, and plenty of question marks heading into the season, the Cougars surprised many an opponent along the way. Particularly in the final part of the year when the club finished third overall at regionals and when Hay successfully guided three downstate after taking a half-dozen into battle at the rugged Glenbard North sectional. Gone are ario of state qualifiers, but 75 wins are back from the three who advanced into sectional action, including Gottardo, who will look to recapture the magic of his sophomore season when he made the trip downstate. “We have a great group of guys this season in our room, and our strength should be in the middle of our lineup with Vince, Alexander and Sylvester, but we still have a lot of inexperience here and there, so it’s going to take us some time to put all the pieces together,” says Hay.
Fremd
Coach: Ralph Cortez (19th year)
Last year: 8-11-0 (4-5-0)
Graduation losses: Travis LaSchiava (state qualifier, MSL champ, 32 wins, wrestling at Harper), Adam Piesecki (19 wins), John Hotchkins, Brandon Klen (14 wins), George Balkas (8 wins)
Key returnees: Seniors Chris Suchomski (160, 171, 24 wins), Vince Lorig (145, 11 wins), Dan Muehfelt (215, 19 wins); junior Ronnie Hauser (state qualifier, MSL champ, 135, 26 wins)
New faces to watch: Seniors Jeff Nanni (119), Nate Hanks (285); juniors Greg Klen (112), Tim Divizio (130); sophomore Brad Evangelista (152, 8 wins)
Outlook: A ride through the postseason from LaSchiava and Hauser gave the Vikings’ faithful plenty to cheer about during the last few weeks of last season as both made the trek downstate to help end the season on a high note for the program. Hauser returns to help give the club a strong chance to send a wrestler to Champaign for a 12th consecutive year, while seven seniors in the lineup are a considerable threat when the final standings are put to rest. “We feel that we can contend in the MSL West, and the kids themselves are working hard in the room and believe they can be (there) when the conference tournament rolls around later on,” says Cortez, the dean of all coaches in his division.
Hoffman Estates
Coach: Tony Ganas (second year)
Last year: 12th, MSL tournament
Graduation losses: Brian Kempf (two-time sectional qualifier, 22 wins), Justin Lovrich (sectional qualifier, 22 wins), Nick Zielinski.
Key returnees: Senoirs Paul Albani (189, 15 wins), Brad Willis (130, 9 wins), James Mathena (135, 7 wins); sophomore Jeremy Halverson (119)
New faces to watch: Senior David Gutierrez (152), juniors Oscar Salas (145), Paul Hendle (285); sophomores Danny Lyons (112), Blend Fetahi (125)
Outlook: The youth movement is in full swing for the former Maine West two-time state medalist. Hoffman opened with six new faces at the mega Moore-Prettyman tournament in Barrington spread throughout the lineup, with just a trio of returning veterans starting. A solid performance by Albani at Barrington shows the Hawks’ senior may be ready to make the step up on the circuit this winter, but this is a team slowly building for the future, with the hope of being a player in another year or two.
Palatine
Coach: Dan Collins (eighth year)
Last year: 5-13-0
Graduation losses: Leshon Mejias (sectional qualifier, MSL champ, 26 wins, wrestling at Illinois), Kevin Curto (11 wins), Brian Colby, Ryan Gebis, Chris Bradley Simmons.
Key returnees: Seniors John Hogan (152, 28 wins), Nick Hoover (215, 285, 18 wins); juniors Javier Rivera (112, 8 wins), Omar Perales (135), Andrew LaVeau (171); sophomore Austin Hoenning (125)
New faces to watch: Senior Roberto Barajas (145, transfer student from Dubai); freshman EJ Miller (103)
Outlook: A youth movement is in full swing for the Pirates. Despite being a year or two away from a rise up the divisional ladder, they will provide a dangerous night or two for its opponents with their youthful vigor and heart just alone, says coach Dan Collins. “We have so much inexperience just about everywhere, except for two talented seniors (Hogan and Hoover), but there is a tremendous amount of heart and a willingness to work hard and improve each time the kids get into the room,” said the former two-time state champ. Collins has seen junior club numbers explode, witnessed by over 60 freshmen in the system, including his 103-pounder (Miller), for whom he sees a bright future ahead.
Schaumburg
Coach: Matt Gruszka (fourth year)
Last year: 19-3-0 (4-0-1, MSL), regional champion
Graduation losses: Danny Malik (state qualifier, regional champ, 34 wins), Patrick Scully (sectional qualifier, MSL, regional champ, 36 wins, DePaul), Hamza Akram (sectional qualifier, 29 wins), Jon Lombardo (sectional qualifier, 27 wins, Harper), Sean Pottow (20 wins)
Key returnees: Seniors Joe LaManna (state qualifier, regional champ, 189, 36 wins), Pat Felde (171, 32 wins), Shane Hafner (130, 135, 24 wins), Will Lang (152, 24 wins), Jordan Bradley (160, 18 wins), Nick Rud (12 wins); juniors Josh Marchok (third place state, MSL, regional, sectional champ, 215, 44 wins), Tim Ferguson (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 140, 20 wins), Igor Zinyak (10 wins).
New faces to watch: Senior Mike Pinones (130, 135); sophomore Ivan Gomez (112, 119)
Outlook: The defending MSL West champs will need some time to find their form after saying goodbye to five key players from its championship club from a year ago, four sectional qualifiers and nearly 150 victories. “Last year we hit the ground running at the start this year we might be walking,” suggests Gruszka, who despite his cautious statement still has enough to be considered the co-favorite in the division with Barrington, and the choice of many to have yet another successful season. It all starts with a superb competitor in Marchok, a serious contender to win it all at 215, and the Nebraska-bound LaManna, who enters his final year with 137 career victories. Even with many losses from its regional championship lineup, Gruszka still has available to him terrific balance and a 1-2-3 punch at the upper weights, with Felde starting it off in front of LaManna and Marchok at 171.
WEST SUBURBAN GOLD
Leyden
Coach: Jason Potter (sixth year)
Last year: 19-5-0 (WSC Gold champs), advanced to 3A dual-team Elite Eight.
Graduation losses: Dan Kiebler (215 state runner-up, sectional, regional champ, 39 wins, playing football at Bemidji State), Kevin Lewis (state qualifier, regional champ, 40 wins), Hector Garcia (state qualifier, 22 wins), Dan Cocozza (sectional qualifier, 20 wins), Angel Maldonado (state qualifier, regional champ, 19 wins).
Key returnees: Seniors Jesus Payan (state qualifier, regional champ, 119, 29 wins), Andy Nguyen (state qualifier, regional champ, 145, 18 wins), Stephan Kunca (sectional qualifier, 160, 13 wins), Alex Garcia (sectional qualifier), Tramon Thomas (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 20 wins, 215); juniors Jake McCabe (sectional qualifier, 130, 29 wins), Jesse McCabe (sectional qualifier, 135, 30 wins), Andy Cocozza (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 140, 11 wins), Nelson Lugo (sectional qualifier).
New faces to watch: Senior David Ramirez (285); junior Luis Pacheo (152); sophomore Javier Rhodes (285); freshman Nate Colindres (103).
Outlook: Expectations have rarely been higher since Potter took over, and after a few near-misses in the postseason the Eagles finally broke through in grand style last season with a divisional title. Then they ran away from the field to earn an impressive regional crown, and later, its first appearance in the dual-team state tournament since 1986 under the legendary Chuck Farina. “We should be in pretty good shape this year,” says Potter, who despite the loss of the sensational duo of Lewis and Kiebler, now a 250-pound defensive lineman at Bemidji State, returns nine sectional qualifiers, two state qualifiers (Payan, Nguyen) and a mix of up-and-coming talent to provide the pieces to make another serious run when the state tournament series begins in mid-February.
CENTRAL SUBURBAN NORTH
Maine West
Coach: Lance Weber (fourth year)
Last year: 10-13-0 (3-2 CSL North)
Graduation losses: Chris Pack (state qualifier, CSL, regional champ, Western Illinois), Jeff Vernola (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 38 wins, wrestling at Harper), Christian Nunez (26 wins, wrestling at Triton), Charlie Vana (sectional qualifier, 30 wins, St. Ambrose), Richard Montelbano (17 wins, Trinity), Eiseen Punnose (14 wins, Oakton), Tony Manicke (Illinois College)
Key returnees: Senior Angelo Giannos (119, 25 wins); juniors Jake Korbecki (sectional qualifier, 135, 23 wins), Rico Zavas (all-CSL, 130, 26 wins), Colin Gratz (125, 24 wins)
New faces to watch: Senior Anthony Zourkas (171); juniors Shevin Ellikal (112), Robbie Jones (285), Tom Sunny (103), Ben Kindle (145), Jordan Pessah (140); sophomore Jason Selby (125)
Outlook: Weber, the former Warriors star and state champion in the late ‘90s, will look to work some magic this season for a club which lost two giants (Pack and Vernola) plus nearly 90 victories from four others who moved on to the collegiate level. “We had a lot of seniors last year, but (also) a terrific group of sophomores who competed all-season long in the CSL and on the weekend at tournaments, so we have a lot to work with despite all of our graduation losses, and the best thing (is) the guys really want to be in the room working,” says Weber, who welcomes back a solid core with an impressive resume that includes almost 100 wins between them.
EAST SUBURAN CATHOLIC
St. Viator
Coach: Jeff Kramarczyk (third year)
Last year: 6th, ESCC tournament
Graduation losses: Eric Aberhamian (state qualifier, 33 wins), T.J. Hohenadel (sectional qualifier, 39 wins), William Rittmeyer (sectional qualifier, ESCC champ, 25 wins), Brendan Zieker
Key returnees: Seniors Robert Bansfield (189), Joseph Bansfield (215); juniors Joe LaMantia (145, 20 wins), Eliot Hilgert (135, 18 wins)
New faces to watch: Seniors Michael Licari (152), Nick Fedyna (171); junior Stephano Izzi (160); sophomore Colin Bailey (119)
Outlook: Not enough depth in Lions program (yet) to overcome the transfer last season of 2010 state champion Sabatello to Stevenson, or the loss of the terrific trio of Aberhamian, Hohenadel and Rittmeyer, which accounted for 97 victories and plenty of excitement for the St. Viator faithful as each proved to be a force in the ESCC and during the postseason. Better nonconference schedule should help in the progress of those who are back, but the club remains a fair distance behind state-ranked Marist, which appears to be the class of the ESCC after loosening its stranglehold on its dominance for two short seasons to Marian Catholic.