Scouting Northwest Class 3A wrestling regionals

By Mike Garofola

Barrington sectional

When: first session at 4 p.m. Friday; second session 9 a.m. Saturday with finals at 4 p.m.

Storyline: Always a marvelous venue for an event of this magnitude, this year promises to provide plenty of high drama for those seeking the ultimate prize of a top-four finish and to become one of the few to join the field of 16 in their respected weight class at the state tournament inside Assembly Hall in Champaign.

Must-see weights:

160 — Jeff Koepke (Hersey, 41-2), Joe Caprio (Rolling Meadows, 34-6), Cameron Thomson (Barrington, 35-8), Kean Loupee (Crystal Lake South, 33-4), TJ Parker (Warren, 34-4), Josh Anthony (Machesney Park Harlem, 29-2), Tyler Pohn (Deerfield, 28-11). When you mapquest where to find a group of granite, it will likely direct you to this weight class at this sectional. With four in the field of 12 listed among the top 10 in the state (Koepke and Anthony at Nos. 1 and 2) — and eight contestants state-ranked — there’s far too much talent here for just 4 to advance downstate. Friday’s quarterfinal bout between the duo of Loupee and Caprio (No 6 vs. No. 9) clearly can’t be missed, with the winner then meeting Dvorak champ Anthony on Saturday morning. Koepke, a 2010 state medalist, has a slightly easier route to the finals from the bottom of the bracket, where a match with Anthony could be a preview of the state final next weekend.

140 — Luke Smith (Wheeling, 37-0) and Blaise Butler (Rockford Boylan, 37-0). Nos. 1 vs 2, nearly 300 career victories, a rematch of last year’s final here, and potentially the championship bout in Champaign in a week. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for,” said Smith, just before lifting his fourth straight regional crown last weekend.

119 — Stephfon Scales (Hersey, 41-2) and Derek Elmore (Harlem, 38-1). See above. Barring an upset along the way, fans will be treated to another marquee bout — this one featuring the No. 1 rated Elmore against No. 5 Scales, who would like to avenge a loss here last season to force the Huskies junior to wrestle-back in order to advance downstate — and another one week later which prevented Scales from gaining a state medal at 112. “This is the third of four important weekends of competition for me, and I am not going to overlook any of my opponents, but I really would like to wrestle Elmore in the finals Saturday night,” said Scales.

Bonus footage:

130 — Jordan Rathje (Buffalo Grove, 24-6), Josh Boggess (Prospect, 24-9), Matt Ornoff (Mundelein, 29-5), Luke Gaeth (Libertyville, 33-10), Sean Lynch (Lake Zurich, 19-4), Cory Meyer (Cary-Grove, 26-8), Wade Lardy (McHenry, 28-5), Tim Donnelly (Notre Dame, 33-8), Spencer Zimmerman (Deerfield, 27-10), Danny Khouri (Niles North, 26-5). Too close to call in this deep and talented group of 12, which has but one state qualifier in the bunch (Ornoff, 2009), but countless others who have a long list of accomplishments, which promises an exciting race for a top-four finish. “There isn’t anyone like a Luke Smith in the brackets that nobody wants to face, but there are so many guys so close to each other, which should make for an interesting weekend,” offered Rathje, who has (Gaeth and Ornoff) ahead of him on the back end of the bracket, while FVC rivals (Meyer and Lardy) occupy the top half with the sophomore (Boggess) and LZ freshman Lynch, who showed well last weekend at the Deerfield regional.

135 — Kory Jauch (Rolling Meadows, 33-4), Ronnie Hauser (Fremd, 29-7), Payton Cruz (Mundelein, 36-4), Cullen Smith (Crystal Lake South, 28-8), Lucas Rogers (Huntley, 31-3), Alex Nigro (Lake Zurich, 24-9), Garrett Glueck (Cary-Grove, 31-14), Elliot Hilgert (St. Viator, 27-13), Lenny Bloom (Deerfield, 37-1), Manny Silva (Hononegah, 32-5). Much like 130, this one has a remarkable cast, and one that will treat the fans Friday with three potential quarterfinal thrillers. “A lot of us have wrestled each other (somewhere) this season, and if you hope to stay ahead of everyone else, then winning your first match will go a long way towards getting a top four finish,” says Jauch, who lost to Hauser 4-3 in the finals of the MSL, and fell in the last 10 seconds of his match with Rogers early in the season. The Mustangs’ captain has a pair of state qualifiers (Silva and Hauser) on his side of the bracket, while two other state qualifiers (Rogers and Cruz) find themselves headed toward Bloom, who solidified his No. 6 spot in the state polls with an impressive regional effort.

145 — Mike Smith (Wheeling, 31-8), Dakota Wapotish (Barrington, 33-7), Marc Herff (Rolling Meadows, 35-10), Kevin Tavakoli (Libertyville, 33-11), Alonzo Fuller (Dundee-Crown, 22-9), Bobby Dandino (Carmel, 35-8), Zach Ullman (Lake Zurich, 31-6), Jim Wallenberg (Notre Dame, 39-4). Seven of the top eight arrive here with 30-plus victories and are all state-ranked, to all but guarantee a difficult journey for those hoping to wrestle into the final week of the season. A terrific quarterfinal match between ESCC champ Wallenberg and Tavakoli awaits the masses, as does a Wapotish-Fuller bout on the top half of the bracket, or even the Dandino-Ullman opener Friday. Wheeling senior Mike Smith goes for his third trip downstate, with the battle-tested Tavakoli or 2010 state qualifier Wallenberg standing in his way of reaching the finals.

Downers Grove North sectional

When: First session 4:30 p.m. Friday; finals 2 p.m. Saturday

Storyline: If the Naperville regional, where many of these participants advanced from, provided plenty of thrills to its participants last weekend, imagine what will happen here with the addition of dozens more from the talent laden regional venues of Bolingbrook, Glenbard North and Schaumburg?

Must-see weights:

215 — Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, 31-0), Joe Hall (Wheaton Warrenville South, 28-1), Brian Allen (Hinsdale Central, 33-6), Andy Chvellone (Richards, 33-4). There are some suggesting that the senior (Hall) is the guy who will eventually stand alone atop the podium in Champaign next weekend, and not the state’s No. 1-rated Marchok, who also happens to be No. 9 in the nation. We shall see in Saturday morning’s semifinals.

Bonus footage:

135 — Vince Gottardo (Conant, 31-8), Mike Avelar (Brother Rice, 20-1), Josh Tardy (Naperville Central, 32-6), Frank McKeown (Naperville North, 32-8), Hector Ruiz (East Aurora, 28-7). The experience of making it downstate two years ago as a sophomore could be the difference of joining the field of 16 next weekend for Conant senior Gottardo, who looks to start fast against either Ruiz or Tom Collum (Glenbard North) on Friday, setting up his biggest challenge of the season on Saturday against the No. 2-rated Avelar, a three-time state qualifier and third-place medalist in 2010 at 135.

140 — Bryan Peterson (Schaumburg, 28-6), Travis Sylvester (Conant, 30-10), Brian Murphy (Glenbard North, 36-2), Dave Tessiatore (Downers Grove North, 35-5), Greg Jacquez (West Aurora, 34-4), Nick DiNardo (Plainfield North, 24-6). MSL stars Peterson and Sylvester have come on strong down the home stretch, and will need to be sharp, as each will face intense competition in order to stay alive in the championship bracket Saturday morning. MSL runner-up Peterson is on tap to see No. 12 Tessiatore while Conant junior Sylvester likely meets No. 10 Jacquez on Friday, where a victory sends him against No. 3 Murphy, who hopes to tangle with top dogs Luke Smith and Blaise Butler at the state tournament.

171 — Pat Felde (Schaumburg, 32-6), Gino Prestia (Conant, 29-13), Steve Congenie (Willowbrook, 27-1), Sam Apland (Downers Grove South, 38-4), Malik Snapp (Bolingbrook, 19-6). Congenie, the reigning state champ at 152, is 131-29 during his first three seasons, and there’s no reason to think he won’t run the table here, despite the presence of No. 6 Apland and Felde, who both reside on the other side of the bracket. “This time of the season is a two-day emotional roller coaster, and if (Pat) can stay composed and be consistent this weekend, he’ll be in good shape at the end of the day on Saturday,” offered Saxons coach Matt Gruszka.

Leyden sectional

Where: Farina Field House, East Campus, Franklin Park

When: First session 4:30 p.m. Friday; finals 2 p.m. Saturday

Storyline: Elk Grove, Maine West and Leyden found the going rough at the York regional last Saturday, where high-profile clubs Lyons, Oak Park-River Forest and the host Dukes took most of the 42 available spots, leaving the area trio just eight qualifiers into this sectional.

Must-see weights:

171 — Sam Brooks (Oak Park-River Forest, 23-2) vs. Jahwon Akui (St. Rita, 23-0). State champion at 160 (Brooks) versus the defending state champion at 171 — what else is there to say?

Bonus footage:

119 — Alex Mertes (Elk Grove, 30-8), Edward Rivera (Evanston, 23-10), Tom Angsten (Lane Tech, 19-5), Mike O’Connor (St. Rita, 15-6). There isn’t a single top-10 rated wrestler in this group, making the chances for Mertes to advance even greater. First up for the Grens junior is Rivera, the sixth-place medalist at the CSL tourney, then Angsten in the quarters, with the hope of facing Chicago Catholic League champ O’Connor on Saturday morning in an all-important semifinal.

160 — Stephan Kunca (Leyden, 30-8), Angelo Rivera (DeLaSalle, 32-4), Malik Thurman (Proviso East, 26-4), Jack Sears (St. Rita, 10-3). The Leyden senior was one of three champions for the Eagles (Jake McCabe and Andy Nguyen) — and with that result, drew a favorable spot in the bracket, and away from Rivera and Thurman, who he has an unpleasant history with. It was Thurman who would eliminate Kunca at the DeLaSalle sectional last February in wrestlebacks, while Rivera delivered a 7-5 decision in OT at the Leyden Invite in early January. However, the Eagles’ star will have his chance for revenge if he makes it out of the bottom half of the bracket and into the finals.

125 — Colin Gratz (Maine West, 24-12), Jake McCabe (Leyden, 30-8), Matt Finegan (Lane Tech, 35-3), John Anderson (St. Rita, 32-7), Steve Galliardo (St. Patrick, 40-0), Mike Mazur (Mt. Carmel, 21-4). Gratz was the only survivor for the Warriors from the York regional, and the junior will have his hands full on his side with Anderson and Finnegan awaiting, and then Galliardo — perhaps the best in the ESCC this past season.