Scouting: FVC wrestling tournament
Fox Valley Conference Tournament
At Grayslake Central
Time schedule: Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.; finals 1:30 p.m.
2010 champion: Crystal Lake Central
Outstanding wrestler candidates: Joey Kielbasa, Gage Harrah, Austin Marsden (Crystal Lake Central), Nick Fontanetta, Kean Loupee (Crystal Lake South), Cody Churkey (Dundee-Crown)
Weight Watching: 125- Trent Atkins (Cary-Grove, 20-3), Zach Synon (Prairie Ridge), Nick Peters (Crystal Lake South), Nick Collins (McHenry): Synon is the favorite as the No. 6 rated junior was second at the Moore-Prettyman to defending state champ Danny Sabatello of Stevenson, while Peters lost a 2-1 OT decision to Atkins, who is coming on strong in the final weeks of the season.
130- Corey Meyer (Cary-Grove, 20-7), Rich Downes (Grayslake North, 30-2), Wade Lardy (McHenry), Clayton Lutzow (Crystal Lake Central): Trojans captain Meyer was second overall at both the Moore-Prettyman and Sycamore, but will have his hands full with No. 3 Lutzow, who beat Cullen Smith last week (3-2) and Lardy, who upended another 135-pound star (Rogers) 4-2 in OT.
135- Lucas Rogers (Huntley, 27-2), Rich Downes (Grayslake North, 30-2), Cullen Smith (Prairie Ridge, 32-2), Garrett Glueck (Cary-Grove, 27-10): Fans will pay plenty of attention to this trio, all capable of winning it all Saturday night, all returning state qualifiers, with another Cary-Grove sophomore (Glueck) ready and willing to make his mark in this group. Rogers appears to be reaching peak form, and has beaten Downes (3-1) who otherwise has been nearly perfect after dropping 10 matches last season.
215- Churkey (30-3), Jimmy Prince (Grayslake North 28-5), Matt Zeis (Huntley, 28-8), Marsden (Crystal Lake Central, 22-0): Marsden possesses the brand of skills and finishing power which set him apart from all others, but the senior Churkey is on a mission to win his second straight title here, despite the presence of the top-rated star Tigers’ star, who in the regular season defeated the Chargers’ veteran 17-5, and pinned Prince, who was a 4-1 winner over Zeis.
They said it:
Al Zinke (Dundee-Crown head coach): “We’re finally getting everyone back, and healthy, and I think we’re in a position to surprise a few people at the FVC tournament.”
Lucas Rogers (Huntley): “Each weight class is tough in the FVC, and at 135 pounds, anyone can be beat on any day. I feel like I’ve picked my game up of late, and I will be ready to compete at a high level for this weekend.”
Tom Frye (Grayslake North head coach): “I really believe it’s going to be a battle for the top 4 spots, and it’s been our goal all season long to be in that race. We have the team to do it, and if we go in expecting to win, we will be able to accomplish that goal.”
Outlook: With 3 nationally ranked wrestlers in its starting lineup, Crystal Lake Central is the prohibitive favorite to win its third straight conference title as the No. 2 rated team looks to jump-start its run to a 2A team dual-team state title in 4 weeks in Bloomington.
This will leave the race for the second-place trophy here an exciting one with Crystal Lake South, Dundee-Crown, Grayslake North and McHenry all anxious to put their claim in for runner-up honors.
Despite its 25-point loss to No. 1 Central, Grayslake North enters the tournament with 26 victories in dual-meet action, with 8 players having 20 wins or more on the season thus far. The Gators aren’t far off the Knights with a sparkling 18-4 overall record, and have shown it can do well within a tournament format.
The aforementioned Fontanetta (31-0) and Kielbasa (20-1) look to make a some history as the top-rated Gators’ junior goes for his second consecutive FVC title, while Kielbasa appears to be on course for his 4th straight as he approaches 150 career victories, as will 2-time state champion, and Missouri-bound Trevor Jauch (Crystal Lake Central), who is favored to win his 4th conference championship.
Freshmen phenom Austin Ryan (25-5) gives Jacobs its best chance for a championship belt at 103 pounds, but the Golden Eagles’ rookie will have plenty competition, beginning with fellow freshmen Kyle Fugiel (Crystal Lake South, 20-3) and senior Bobby Raines from Grayslake Central having plenty to say before its all over.
The 160-pound division may not have the depth of others, however an anticipated final between returning state qualifier, and the No. 7 rated Kean Loupee (Crystal Lake South, 29-3) and crosstown rival Frank Abitua, a transfer from Dundee-Crown should make for good theater.