Leyden impresses at Meadows
Leyden got off to a rip-roaring start to the wrestling season with a 61-12 victory over Rolling Meadows Tuesday night in an annual nonconference dual.
The Eagles won the first three matches of the night, then reeled off eight straight after reigning Mid-Suburban League champ Aaron Kohlberg recorded a pin at 113 pounds to break things open.
Leyden cruised to victory in advance of its trip to the 32nd annual Chris Hruska Classic at Conant this weekend, where perennial powers Glenbard North and Oak Park-River Forest look to flex their muscle amid 18 teams over two days of competition.
“Leyden looked like they were in midseason form tonight,” said Meadows coach Dave Froehlich, who was a third-place medalist for Leyden in 1971 under famed coach Chuck Farina. “We lost pretty good to them last year and didn’t expect to get beat so badly tonight. But after a big loss to them a year ago, we came back to get 21 victories. So we know with a lot of hard work, we can be a very good team by the end of the season.”
“I always get worried when we wrestle Dave,” said Leyden coach Jason Potter, “because he’s such a great coach, and his guys are so good with their shots (and) on the legs. And tactically he’s just a genius.
“But we got off to a good start with Henry (Holguin) at 220, and we got on a nice little run to build a big lead, so for our first night, it was very good.”
Holguin ushered in the new season with a fall at 3:22 over Luke Perkins, and after Javier Rhodes decisioned Jordan Diaz, in a battle of big men with big expectations, sophomore Nate Colindres added 6 points to the scoreboard with a forfeit at 106 pounds to push the Eagles’ lead to 15-0.
Kohlberg, who was a first-time state qualifier last season, wasted little time going to work on Dante Fries, and after building an 8-2 lead midway through the first period, the Mustangs’ captain pinned his opponent at 1:45.
The momentum earned from Kohlberg, who won 35 matches last year, was short-lived. Dom Fries (120) outlasted Casey Jauch 9-6, and Nate Carrasco, Jake McCabe and Jesse McCabe racked up 17 points for their club with a pair of falls as the Eagles led 35-6.
“We didn’t match up well with a few of their guys, particularly the McCabe boys, but it was one of those nights, and as I said before (Leyden) looked ready to go and in peak form,” said Froehlich.
Andy Cocozza was dominant in his 13-3 major over Dardan Kardui at 145 pounds. So was Luis Pacheco, who quickly recorded a pin at 1:54 to make it 46-6.
After Andrew Vernola got himself a hard-earned 7-0 win over Quinn Hume at 160 and teammate John Rivera followed with a fall at 1:36, Mustangs senior Joe Caprio stopped Leyden’s eight-match run with a superb effort to pin John Dyer at 4:51.
“Both of their top guys, Kohlberg and Caprio, looked awesome tonight,” said Potter. “Joe looks to appear to be a 60- or 70-pounder as the season goes on, and easily one of the best in the state this year. The same goes for Kohlberg, who looked just great.
“I am glad Dante and Dyer had a chance to wrestle two of the best in the state at their weight, so they can see what the best is all about, and how high the bar is.”
Steve Alfaro, a transfer from Fenton during the off-season, ended the evening with a 8-0 shutout over Mario Luchetto at 195, finishing strong with a pair of takedowns in the third period to seal his first victory as an Eagle.
“We had a bunch of guys who wrestled their first varsity match of their career tonight, so now they can say they have that match behind them, and now can go forward from here,” said Froehlich, whose team will join Leyden at Conant on Friday morning.