Northwest/ Scouting wrestling
By Mike Garofola
Daily Herald Correspondent
Mid-Suburban East
Buffalo Grove
Coach: Dave Durlacher (sixth year)
Last year: 14-7-0 (5-2-0)
Graduation losses: Eugene Blackmon (sectional qualifier, second MSL, 28 wins, Harper), Jake Maddox (Harper), Christian O’Campo (Harper)
Key returnees: Jordan Rathje (state qualifier, 152, 26 wins), Matt Zabrin (160, 26 wins), Hunter Ori (113), Joe Madio (126, 16 wins), Bryan Wellbank (138, 16 wins), Eddie Haro (285, 15 wins), Andrew Stein (120); juniors Brian Egan (132, 19 wins); sophomore Chase Ori (120, 22 wins).
New faces to watch: Juniors Rob Mowery, Joe Reibolt, Mike Remke, Jamie Coyic, Kyle Wisnewsk; sophomores Sam Johnson, Jake Siebert, Kris Yambo, Alex Yabarra; freshmen Anthony Coyic, Jeremy Lin.
Outlook: On paper, the Bison appear to be the favorites to win the division on the strength of a long list of returning starters, as well as more depth than ever since the arrival of former BG star Durlacher. “We’ll actually start the season with a handful of starters on the bench, something we’ve never had, and the return to good health from (Brian) Egan and (Hunter) Ori is key to our hopes of winning the MSL East and more,” said the Bison head coach. It all begins with Rathje, whose postseason tourney ended in Champaign last February, as well as Zabrin, who not only give the Bison middle-of-the-lineup star power, but also the first tandem in school history to start all four years with the varsity. Egan, who went through a variety of injuries, yet still managed to garner 19 wins, is a gritty, hard-nosed warrior, while Ori, who missed most of the season with mono, looks to regain his 2009 form where he won 29 as a sophomore.
Elk Grove
Coach: Craig Johnson (fourth year)
Last year: 14-10-0 (2-6-0).
Graduation losses: Tony Szplit (sectional qualifier, 25 wins, Harper), Christian Cruz (12 wins, Harper).
Top returnees: Senior Alex Mertes (sectional qualifier, 126, 132, 34 wins), Eric Vinyard (17 wins), Joe Hauser (120, 22 wins), Bart Broda (126, 17 wins), Vince Greco (145, 13 wins), Tom Jansen (152, 22 wins), Greg Johnsen (195, 4-year starter, 22 wins), Kohji Horibe (285, 15 wins); junior Jon Ebert (170, 21 wins).
New faces to watch: Juniors Mike Maize (220), Adam Kramer (182), Dereck Leon (120); sophomore Ethan Hartowicz (160); freshmen Gerald Wilson (106), Franco Greco (120), Bryce Herring (138).
Outlook: With a string of impressive results all throughout the year, the Grens continue to make another big step forward as witnessed by its first winning dual meet year in 16 seasons, highlighted by first- or second-place trophies at all of the tournaments it attended. “For the first time in years, we’ll have a senior dominated lineup, with plenty of experience, and if we can get some of younger guys to step in to fill a few holes, we should once again make even more strides forward,” said Craig Johnson, who welcomed his biggest freshman class in ages. Mertes is hunting for a second consecutive trip downstate, while Johnsen at 195 looks to become the first athlete in school history to earn an all-state berth, to go along with the one he garnered this fall in football.
Hersey
Coach: Jim Wormsley (ninth year)
Last year: 24-5-0 (6-1-0, T1st MSL East)
Graduation losses: Jeff Koepke (3-time state qualifier, 2-time state medalist, MSL, regional, sectional champ, 47 wins, Illinois), Zach Whitehead (sectional qualifier, 32 wins), Josh Simmons (27 wins, Bowling Green), Jason Olson (sectional qualifier, 36 wins, Robert Morris), Fred Scales (2010 sectional qualifier, 27 wins, SIU), Jose Serna.
Key returnees: Seniors Stephfon Scales (2-time state qualifier, MSL, regional champ, 126, 44 wins), Conrad Bugay (sectional qualifier, 132, 36 wins), Tim Koepke (285, 9 wins), Keith Pedersen (170, 182, 10 wins); junior Hunter Rollins (state qualifier, regional champ, 160, 41 wins), Alex Baratta (138).
New faces to watch: Seniors Brian Reese (145, 152), Will Campbell (120, 126), Ismael Najera (182), Emil Navrotil (182); juniors Dave Jackowski (145, 152), Matt Korff (152, 160), Nate Fakhouri (195, 220), Deon Rice (195), Ed Beyer (220); sophomores Dan Gramer (113, 120), Anthony O’Brien (106), Tom Somenek (145, 152).
Outlook: Just as division rival co-champ Rolling Meadows, the Huskies were hit hard by graduation throughout their lineup, which took turns making headlines nearly every time out, especially 4-year star, and two-time state medalist Jeff Koepke, who not only took with him to Illinois countless championships and over 120 victories, but leadership in and out of the room second to none. “Jeff’s approach each day was special, and he’s the ultimate role model for everyone to follow, and that’s going to be a difficult thing for us to try to replace,” says Wormsley, who welcomes his former prep head coach, Al Zinke, as an assistant after the long-time boss at Dundee-Crown retired following the 2011 campaign. Huskies’ fans can take comfort in knowing they might have a pair of potential state medalists back in Scales and Rollins, with the talented Bugay looking to join his mates downstate. Scales, who begins the season as the No. 4 rated 126-pounder, twice has been one match away from placing at the tournament, and brings a stunning 122-31 career record with him as well.
Prospect
Coach: Tom Whalen (third year)
Last year: 14-12 (1-4-0)
Graduation losses: Joe Randazzo (sectional qualifier, 32 wins, Indiana), Brandon Thompson (2-time sectional qualifier, 31 wins, Harper), Terry Thomas (state qualifier, 32 wins), Josh Boggess (2-time sectional qualifier, 25 wins, transfer to Notre Dame), Mike Geweniger (22 wins), Emilio Alvarez.
Top returnees: Seniors Joe Abu-Baker (132, 28 wins), Max Triveline (220, 24 wins), Mike Etchingham (170, 14 wins), Harry Hamilton (145, 12 wins); junior Dan Fiumetto (182, 17 wins): sophomore Sam Lobono (106, 13 wins), Joe Benway (113).
New faces to watch: Seniors Jon Bilancia (195), Tom Mensing (152); juniors Shola George (285), Joe Zalewski (182), Jason Schwiefert (160); sophomore Kyler LeComte (120); freshmen Adrian Wroblewski (138).
Outlook: Beefed up schedule includes trip to national and state power Glenbard North in mid-December, one week after the Knights welcome Moore-Prettyman and MSL champion Barrington, as well as new entrants Mt. Carmel, Crystal Lake Central and Prairie Ridge to their invite, with the hope it will provide the inspiration needed to finally get Tom Whalen’s club up and over the hump and in the thick of things in the division and league race later on. “I’ve really felt we’ve been on the brink the past two seasons, but because of injuries, and some of our own doing, we just haven’t been able to get to that (next) level,” Whalen said. “We’ll be better prepared for the stretch run with (our) tougher schedule, but it will be interesting to see how the guys respond nonetheless.” The healthy return of Abu-Baker is key for the club and the skillful senior, who looked to be nearing peak form until a broken collarbone robbed him of what looked like a clear shot at a top-two finish at MSL and regional tournaments and possibly more.
Rolling Meadows
Coach: Dave Froehlich (34th year)
Last year: 21-3-0 (4-1-0, T1st MSL East); 2nd Notre Dame regional
Graduation losses: Kory Jauch (2-time sectional qualifier, regional champ, 35 wins, wrestling at Wisconsin-Parkside), Nick Calandra (2-time sectional qualifier, 24 wins, Harper), Dennis Caravello (sectional qualifier, 22 wins, Columbia College, Chicago), Marc Herff (regional champ, sectional qualifier, 35 wins, Harper), Chris Sanchez (sectional qualifier, 32 wins, Iowa), Zurabi Khomauli (MSL champ, sectional qualifier, 30 wins), Martin Markovsky (sectional qualifier, 29 wins, Loyola), Tom Devona (Harper).
Key returnees: Senior Aaron Kohlberg (state qualifier, MSL, regional champ, 113, 36 wins), Joe Carpio (2010 state qualifier, 3-time sectional qualifier, regional champ, 160, 170, 36 wins), Jordan Diaz (sectional qualifier, 285, 18 wins), Carl Beranek (132).
New faces to watch: Seniors Luke Perkins (220), Brian Rooney (120); juniors Richard Stubing (126), Zach Schultz (138), Quinn Hume (152), Mario Luchetto (192), Griffin Huck (145), Sean Fitzpatrick (126); sophomores Bo Sokolov (160), Nico Chiodo (152), Dardan Kardiu (145).
Outlook: Graduation losses were high for the Mustangs, but those in the know have watched the long-time head coach Froehlich prove himself time-after-time to be a master at dealing with change all throughout his wonderful coaching career, which he undoubtedly will be asked to do after losing seven starters from his division championship club. “After our top three (Kohlberg, Caprio, Diaz) we lost a lot of experience and wins (223) — but we’ve got some good young wrestlers, who are untested on the varsity level, but should get better when the second-half of the season comes around,” says Froehlich, who traditionally has his team in peak form for the stretch run. Two superstars return (Kohlberg and Caprio) with realistic state medal expectations, while another (Diaz) has the potential to make a statement of his own as the Mustangs heavyweight.
Wheeling
Coach: Neal Weiner (26th year)
Last year: 13-7-0 (2nd, MSL tournament)
Graduation losses: Luke Smith (state champion, 4-time state qualifier, 3-time state medalist, MSL, regional, sectional champ, 44-0, wrestling at Central Michigan), Chris Johnson (2011 state runner-up, 2-time state qualifier, regional, sectional champ, 40 wins, wrestling at SIU-Edwardsville), Mike Smith (3-time state qualifier, MSL champ, 2-time regional champ, 34 wins, Kansas), Rafael Vargas, Josue Albavera (Illinois).
Key returnees: Seniors Eddie Scanlon (state qualifier, 170, 29 wins), Igor Romanowski (sectional qualifier, 285, 25 wins), Brandon Jagielski (195, 28 wins), Scott Steffens (138, 14 wins), Leo Giordano (152, 12 wins), Sam Rosengarden (170, 15 wins), Tim Sennett (160); juniors Jacob DelToro (106), David Rodriguez (113), Alex Gonzalez (132).
New faces to watch: Juniors Brandon Harris (160), Derek Wise (220), Jesus Rodriguez (220); sophomores Joe Brezniak (126), Miguel Alcazar (126), Sam Blair (160); freshmen Ricky Muro (119), Ricky Gonzalez (119).
Outlook: Another perennial MSL power watched the best of its best leave to signal the end of an era which produced enough highlights to make a 3-part movie marathon after the sensational Luke Smith left for Central Michigan University, and his cousin, and another 4-year star Mike Smith and state medalist, Chris Johnson followed his mates out the door, taking with them more medals, victories, leadership, and memories than just about any other trio in the state. “It’s the dawn of a new era at Wheeling to be sure, and there’s not a whole lot more you can say about all three that hasn’t been said, except that we will all miss them, on and off the mats,” says coach Neal Weiner, who now begins the rebuilding program in earnest. The job will be a little easier by Scanlon at the lead, a terrific wrestler who burst onto the scene last season to record a marvelous 29-win season en route to his first state appearance. The senior is one of the best at his weight in the area, and if the trio at the top of the Wildcats lineup (Rosengarden, Jagielski, Romanowski) can continue to improve, each is capable of 30-plus wins and a bus ride to the Barrington sectionals in mid-February.
Mid-Suburban West
Barrington
Coach: Ken Hoving (first year)
Last year: 20-1-0 (7-0-0, 1st MSL West), conference, regional champs, Elite Eight state dual-team tournament.
Graduation losses: Aaron Castagna (fifth in state, medalist, MSL, regional, sectional champ, 41 wins, Illinois), Dakoka Wapotish (sectional qualifier, 34 wins, Harper), Joe Adreani (sectional qualifier, 29 wins, Harper), Connor Mannina (28 wins), Michael Weisshappel (21 wins), Steven Polasik, Irwin DeLarosa.
Key returnees: Seniors Adrian Gonzalez (2-time state qualifier, 2010 state medalist, regional champ, 106, 26 wins), Jared Parvinmehr (sectional qualifier, MSL champ, 113, 34 wins), Cameron Thomson (sectional qualifier, 170, 40 wins), Ryan Wilt (state qualifier, 195, 33 wins), Daniel Davidson (220, 29 wins), Nick Shealy (2-time sectional qualifier, 152, 22 wins), Michael Lurz (sectional qualifier, 160, 15 wins); juniors Coord Wiseman (145, 20 wins), Matt Sheehy (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 103, 30 wins), Kevin Conrad (126), Mark Shealy (182).
New faces to watch: Seniors Ben Calamari (285), Joe Thorn (138); junior Miguel Camarena (120).
Outlook: Will Barrington win a trophy this year? In a word, yes. The signs from last weekend do not bode well for its MSL rivals after the Broncos’ dominating championship at the Moore-Prettyman, where they outscored their closest challenger by more than 100 points. The Broncos are deep, so much so that regional champ Matt Sheehy cannot break into the lineup because two of the best in the state (Gonzalez-Parvinmehr) both start at 106 and 113. “There’s a lot of terrific individual talent on this team, but the best thing about (them) is they work so hard, and take nothing for granted, and it’s all about team first with these guys,” said Hoving, a former assistant who takes over for Al Strobl, who led the Broncos to consecutive dual team Elite Eight appearances. The new head coach has a terrific core of returnees that includes a sparkling group at the top with Thomson, Wilt, Davidson and Lurz among a group of eight returning starters who averaged 30 wins last year.
Conant
Coach: Chad Hay (third year)
Last year: 9-11-0 (4-3-0)
Graduation losses: Vince Gottardo (2-time state qualifier, regional champ, 32 wins, Harper), Kevin Lejman (sectional qualifier, 24 wins), Joe Gonzalez (sectional champ, 25 wins, United States Marines)
Key returnees: Seniors Travis Sylvester (145, sectional qualifier, state alternate, 33 wins), Gino Prestia (170, 182, sectional qualifier, 29 wins), Brendan Penny (152, 160, sectional qualifier, 13 wins), Danny Schram (220), Trevor Baxter (285); juniors Mitch Alexander (138, sectional qualifier, 20 wins), Nico Gottardo (126, 132, 20 wins); sophomore Tyler LaBarbera (195).
New faces to watch: Bobby Alexander (106), Zach Davis (126), Ricky Stanton (152), Anthony Patricelli (170)
Outlook: Led by an outstanding quartet of sectional qualifiers, including Alexander and Sylvester, who were each one away from advancing downstate, the Cougars likely will be the only club in the division to challenge Barrington for the MSL West crown. “We’re still young in some spots, but we’ve got a solid team all the way around, and if we continue to put the time in, we should be in a good spot to compete in the MSL, and postseason when it comes around,” offered Hay, who was a two-time state champion at Sandwich High School in 1996-97. The loss of four-year starter, and two-time state qualifier Gottardo will tax the lower end of the lineup, but his younger brother Nico and newcomer Bobby Alexander look ready to provide scoring punch. Off his second-place finish last weekend at the always highly competitive Hruska Memorial (formerly Feutz Classic), it appears Sylvester is ready to make a big step forward this year.
Fremd
Coach: Ralph Cortez
Last year: 10-11-0 (2-3-0).
Graduation losses: Chris Suchomski (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 34 wins, Arizona State University), Nate Hanks (25 wins, Dan Muehlfeld (20 wins), Vince Lorig (20 wins, Harper), Jeff Nananni (10 wins), Brandon Klen (13 wins, ISU), Levi Jorgensen (19 wins), Ryan Dincher (Iowa State).
Key returnees: Seniors Ronnie Hauser (132, 2010 state qualifier, MSL champ, 26 wins), K.C. Raap (285), Tommy Ignoffo (160, 11 wins).
New faces to watch: Juniors Addison Narter (182), Josh Schroeder (195); sophomores Cody Hauser (152), Chad Mirabelli (106), Sean Lemme (113), Djameno N’towe (195), Ed Rebacz (220), Jake Ellin (132).
Outlook: Vikings nearly had their second consecutive memorable late-season individual run to the state tournament when 2011 regional champ (Suchomski) got himself close to booking his ticket to Champaign before seeing his dream end at the Barrington sectional last February. If he had done so, the talented two-year starter would have shared in what current Fremd star Hauser accomplished in 2010, who appears to be set to become one of the top players at his weight this season after winning his first MSL crown a year ago. “We’re really young, but the guys had a strong offseason, and are really team oriented, and we feel we’ll be capable of surprising teams before it’s all said and done,” said Cortez, who will need to figure a way to replace almost 80 victories from the three big men he lost to graduation.
Hoffman Estates
Coach: Tony Ganas (third year)
Last year: 2-18-0 (0-5-0).
Graduation losses: Paul Albani (3rd, MSL, sectional qualifier, 27 wins), Brad Willis, James Mathena (10 wins).
Key returnees: Senior Oscar Salas (145, 152, 10 wins); juniors Alex Tooren (182, 14 wins), Jared Bruemmer (152, 160); sophomore Roberto Alvardo (113).
New faces to watch: Sophomore David Witzcak (145, 152).
Outlook: When a team already in the throes of a major rebuilding project loses the heart and soul of its program (Albani) to graduation, from the outside, it looks like it’s back to the drawing board for the architect on the job, in this case, head coach Tony Ganas. But the affable young coach doesn’t see it that way. “We’ve got a terrific group of kids in our room, who are beginning to understand what it takes to succeed at the varsity level, and appear willing to do the work in order to achieve some success. We’ve still got a long way to go, but our numbers are up, and I continue to be encouraged by our work ethic, and ability to stay in matches (and duals) longer than we have before. We showed early on that we can be competitive with our opponents, and if we can get ourselves mentally and physically to the next level, I know that good things will happen for our guys,” said Ganas, who was a two-time state medalist at Maine West, and a teammate of current Warriors head coach Lance Weber.
Palatine
Coach: Dan Collins (ninth year)
Last year: 10th MSL tournament.
Graduation losses: John Hogan (Iowa State, 16 wins), Nick Hoover (4th, MSL, 22 wins), Mike Koeune (14 wins), Roberto Barajas (8 wins).
Key returnees: Seniors Javier Rivera (113, 24 wins), Omar Perales (132); junior Austin Hoenning (138, 14 wins); sophomores EJ Miller (120, 23 wins), Juan Guajardo (120, 126, transfer from Sycamore).
New faces to watch: Deon Bell (145), Nick Dorsen (152), Sergio Hernandez (220), Connor McDonough (170), Frank Portera (160).
Outlook: Like their MSL West counterparts from Hoffman Estates, the Pirates continue to go through a slow, sometime painful set of growing pains, while others in the division flourish at the same time. “We still are very young, probably one of the youngest in the MSL, but the thing that impresses is the effort, and work rate, which is always at 110 percent in the room,” said Collins, who has two budding stars at the lower weights in Rivera and Miller to go along with an unexpected addition in the transfer of Guajardo, who wrestled in 30 matches for the 2A third-place Sycamore.
Schaumburg
Coach: Mike LeVanti (first year).
Last year: 14-7-0 (3-2-0).
Graduation losses: Joe LaManna (2-time state qualifier, 2011 state sixth place, MSL, regional, sectional champ, 41 wins, Illinois), Pat Felde (state qualifier, state fifth place, regional champ, 37 wins, wrestling at Harper), Bryan Peterson (sectional qualifier, regional champ, 30 wins, Iowa), Will Lang, Jordan Bradley, Neil Patel, Mike Pinones.
Key returnees: Senior Josh Marchok (2011 state champion, 3-time state qualifier, 2-time MSL, regional, sectional champ, 220, 38 wins, committed to Stanford), Tim Ferguson (2010 regional champion, 138, 18 wins), Ivan Gomez (sectional qualifier, 113, 13 wins), Mike Stephens (160).
New faces to watch: Senior Mike Baumhardt (195); junior Tom Palacheck (126); sophomores Eric Race (106), Stacy Smith (132), Sadaris Patterson (152), Matt Stopka (182), Matt Zolper (285).
Outlook: It’s going to take time for the Saxons to settle under their new head coach LeVanti, who will go about sorting out his starting lineup after losing two-thirds of a superb trio which included state qualifiers and 3-year stars, Joe LaManna and Pat Felde. But it will all be a little easier for the former assistant to Matt Gruszka thanks to the return of the nation’s No. 1 rated 220-pounder in Marchok. While the rest of his mates work to catch up to the Stanford-bound reigning state champ, there will be little doubt as to who all eyes will be on during duals and tournaments after Marchok’s glorious run and magnificent achievements he produced week-after-week, while together, with his aforementioned mates, combined for an astounding 116 victories. “We’re fortunate to have Josh around for the obvious reasons, but what he does in the room as a leader cannot be overstated,” says LeVanti. “It’s going to take some time because we’re so young, but hopefully we’ll be at full strength and going forward for the second half of the season.”
West Suburban Gold
Leyden
Coach: Jason Potter (seventh year)
Last year: 15-5-0 (5-1)
Graduation losses: Andy Nguyen (2-time state qualifier, 32 wins), Stephan Kunca (state qualifier, regional champ, 33 wins), Tramon Thomas (sectional qualifier, 27 wins), Jesus Payan, Alex Garcia.
Top returnees: Seniors Jesse McCabe (132, state qualifier, 2-time sectional qualifier, 33 wins), Jake McCabe (126, 2-time sectional qualifier, regional champ, 32 wins), Andy Cocozza (138, 25 wins), Luis Pacheo (145, 21 wins), Alex Franco (120); junior Javier Rhoades (285, 220, 15 wins); sophomores Nate Colindres (106, 113), Dom Miro (113).
New faces to watch: Seniors Joe Cassanave (145), Jorge Landa (285); juniors Tod Cruz (132), Steve Alfaro (160, transfer from Fenton), Andrew Vernola (160); freshmen Ryan Soch (106), Matt Wenek (106).
Outlook: Leyden head coach, and former St. Charles star and 2-time state champ Jason Potter, who will soon celebrate his 100th career victory, has been absolutely fantastic for the Eagles, taking a program at the bottom of the conference when he took over, to the upper echelon, including a WSC division title and spot in the 3A Elite Eight in 2010 and 15 wins last year, despite losing 4 state qualifiers to graduation. This year, despite lacking the elite competitor he enjoyed from in 2010, Potter believes there might be a big trophy or two ahead for his team. “We’ve got a solid group of returning seniors, who will be helped by a handful of newcomers who will need to make the transition onto the varsity scene. But we’ll grind things out in the first-half, and see how it goes after the new year, but I feel like we have a lot of potential here to be highly competitive when the postseason comes around.” The twin power of Jesse and Jake McCabe, both four-year starters, with over 200 career victories set the pace for the Eagles, who will be strong in the middle, as well as up top, where the big junior Rhoades is due to have a breakout year as a heavyweight.
Central Suburban North
Maine West
Coach: Lance Weber
Last year: 12-8-0 (4-1).
Graduation losses: Angelo Giannos.
Top returnees: Seniors Colin Gratz (sectional qualifier, 132, 24 wins), Rico Zayas (145, CSL champ, 33 wins), Max Hanak (182, 21 wins), Robbie Jones (285, 27 wins), Ben Kindle (160, 28 wins), Jack Korbecki (138, 23 wins), Jordan Pessah (152, 26 wins).
New faces to watch: Juniors Ryan Lowe (138), Jason Selby (138); sophomores Adeel Afshar (113), Ian Hilliard (126), Kevin Mendoza (132).
Outlook: With seven back from his starting lineup at the CSL championship tournament, and over 180 victories between them all, Warriors head coach Lance Weber has to be optimistic of his club’s chances in the league and beyond. “There’s a lot of guys who return with plenty of experience, with the desire to do better, and improve on what they did last season,” says Weber, who despite saying goodbye to a quartet of sectional qualifiers last year, still managed to piece together a highly competitive bunch to finish third overall in the CSL, fueled by a conference title from Zayas, and four second-place finishes, 3 coming from returnees Korbecki, Kindle and Jones to help establish the Warriors as one of the teams to beat in their division.
East Suburban Catholic
St. Viator
Coach: Jeff Kazmarek (fourth year).
Last year: 3-21-0 (0-7)
Graduation losses: Mike Licari (12 wins), Nick Fedyna (15 wins), Robert Bansfield.
Top returnees: Seniors Elliot Hilgert (sectional qualifier, 3rd ESCC, 145, 29 wins), Joseph Bansfield (195).
New faces to watch: Juniors Colin Bailey (132), Ethan Jedzeniak (132), Jonathan Timmerhause (160), Will Beiersdorf (170), David Kujawa (182); sophomore Ethan Wolf (113, 120)
Outlook: It’s still a numbers game for the Lions, who once again enter the season having some trouble filling out their lineup here and there, except for the senior Hilgert, who performed at a high level all season long en route to his first-ever sectional appearance following a second-place finish at the Notre Dame regional. “Elliot worked extremely hard during the offseason to get better, and he’s become a really tough kid to compete against,” said Kazmarek, who says the three-year starter might drop down a weight before the postseason to enhance his chances to advance further. Lions fielded six newcomers in the lineup for the Moore-Prettyman last weekend, hopefully a sign of better times ahead for the program.