Scouting DuPage County wrestling
By Kevin McGavin
Daily Herald Correspondent
Top area teams: Glenbard North, Montini, Neuqua Valley, Hinsdale Central, Naperville North, York, Glenbard East, Glenbard West, West Chicago, Naperville Central.
Top athletes: Addison Trail: Alex Saucedo, sr., 132. Downers Grove North: Nick Bonomo, soph., 138; Cullen Cummings, jr., 132; Mike Gastaldallo, soph., 160; Mario Lozano, sr., 145; Downers Grove South: Alex Anaya, jr., 152-160; Willie Anaya, sr., 160-170; Travis Hill, sr., 145; Frank Wenmouth, sr., 113; Glenbard East: Eriberto Carreon, sr., 220; Jake Drew, fr., 106; Angelo San Juan, sr., 113; Andy Smajic, sr., 152; Glenbard North: Jered Cortez, soph., 120; Dan Eldridge, sr., 195-220; Dan Fierro, sr., 182; Chris Gonzalez, sr., 120; Johnny Gosinski, jr., 132; Dan McHale, sr., 285; Brian Murphy, jr., 152; Glenbard South: John Aloff, sr., 126; Frank Fagaino, sr., 152; Ethan Hill, sr., 195; Glenbard West: Brendan Gilligan, sr., 285; Zak Hassan, jr., 132; Collin Knowlton, soph., 140; Hinsdale Central: Brian Allen, soph., 285; Ernest Battaglia, jr., 138-145; Jimmy Grimm, sr., 145; George Tolbert, jr., 120; Tom Ward, jr., 132; T.J. Sally, sr., 170; Hinsdale South: Brett Kerstein, sr., 220; Marc Kosiek, jr., 126; Justin Maslow, soph., 138; Lake Park: Matt Adcock, sr., 132; Blake Santi, sr., 138; Austin Schoen, jr., 126; Farai Sewera, sr., 160; Jon Verlotta, sr., 120; Lisle: Brad Blechschmidt, sr., 145; Brian Czyl, jr., 138; Ryan Kilroy, jr., 120; Greg Osborn, sr., 152; A.J. Pascente, jr., 106; Metea Valley: Eddie Gonzalez, soph., 145; Conrad Zaucha, jr., 106; Montini: Chris Garcia, soph., 126; Mike Gibson, sr., 120; Tommy Pawelski, jr., 106; KeVon Powell, sr., 113; Michael Sepke, sr., 138; Naperville Central: Kirk Cherup, sr., 132; Mitch Lee, jr., 113; Tom Mitrenga, sr., 160; Luke Roth, jr., 182; Stephan Splan, sr., 120; Naperville North: Colin Goebel, jr., 285; Erick Kreiger, sr., 170; Nick McDonnell, sr., 145; KiJuan Walker, soph., 195; Wayne Yuan, jr., 106; Neuqua Valley: Andrew Geers, jr., 285; Casey Greenberg, sr., 220; Drelyn Hunt, sr., 160; Justin Killacky, soph., 113; Justin Klein, jr., 126; Chris Koulianos, sr., 145; Matt Slavik, sr., 152; Connor Swier, soph., 182; Waubonsie Valley: Luis Cisneros, sr., 220; Elton Manuel, sr., 160; Sam Sarkauskas, jr., 145; Adam Szott, sr., 285; Anthony Touchstone, jr., 195; West Chicago: Franky Correa, sr., 132; Dan King, sr., 170; Robert Svestka, jr., 126; Tommy Svestka, fr., 106; Tyler Svestka, soph., 113; Wheaton North: Kaelen Bradford, jr., 183; Kellen Cleveland, jr., 195; Keagan Culkin, soph., 113; Ruslan Mamedov, sr., 120; Elan Ramos, sr., 132; Mike Swider, sr., 195; Wheaton Warrenville South: Steve Franke, sr., 182; Evan Welsh, sr., 170; Willowbrook: Steve Congenie, sr., 195; Tony Cortez, sr, 113; Angelo Gnadt, sr., 285; Danny Rowland, sr., 160; York: Ryan Bowman, jr., 120; Denzel King, sr., 113; Brandon Kupczyk, jr., 132; Troy Valdez, sr., 138.
Scouting report: After an extraordinary wrestling season last winter for the area programs, the new campaign has been fundamentally altered by significant graduation losses, high-profile transfers and season-threatening injuries. Of the seven individual state champions the area produced last year, five had their prep careers come to a close. Congenie, the Cornell-bound two-time victor from Willowbrook, is not expected back until late in the regular season after suffering a knee injury. The other local champion, Hinsdale South 112-pounder Sebastian Pique, moved to Sandburg.
The two local cornerstone programs, Glenbard North and Montini, look to regain their magical form from a season ago. The reigning 13-time DuPage Valley Conference champion Panthers won the team state title last year after qualifying for the large-school, dual-meet Elite Eight for the ninth time in the last 10 years.
Montini, meanwhile, edged fellow Suburban Christian Conference juggernaut Marmion by a point at the Class 2A Yorkville individual regional en route to its eighth state title in the last decade. To add further intrigue to the commencement of the new season, 10 of the 14 weight classes have been altered. The reconfigured weights have been met with a widespread lack of enthusiasm by local coaches. “I don’t know why you would remove a weight from a middle class,” Naperville Central coach Rob Porter said. “I think most of my colleagues would agree that the best wrestling happens between 120 and 170 pounds.”
“It bothers me that you have a larger number of weight classes where you have less wrestlers,” Naperville North coach Tom Champion said.
“I’m not a fan,” Glenbard North coach Mark Hahn said. “I don’t think it fits any team real well.”
Glenbard North is poised once again to play a determining factor in the road to the team state championship in Bloomington. Murphy is a returning individual state runner-up, and Gosinski was fourth at 112 pounds last season. Cortez, one of five Class 2A champions for Marmion last winter, has transferred into the Panthers’ program. “That’s our goal all year in the team (state series),” Hahn said. Glenbard North will be a prohibitive favorite to win the DVC again, but the league may be as balanced as ever.
Nowhere is the depth more apparent than at West Chicago; the Wildcats won their first seven dual meets this year behind the Svestka siblings, who were collectively 21-0 to start the season. The two older brothers are both returning state qualifiers. “I don’t remember the last time we ever started 7-0,” West Chicago coach Humberto Ayala said. “West Chicago will be greatly improved,” Wheaton North coach Steve Holland added. “Every week (in the league duals) is going to be a battle.”
“It’s going to be a very interesting year in the conference,” Hahn said.
“I don’t think there’s a weak link in the bunch,” Porter said. “It’s a great conference. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
The Class 3A heavyweight championship could very well have a similar feel from a year ago. Hinsdale Central sophomore Allen, the younger brother of defending state champion Jack Allen, is one of the top-ranked contenders.
But Neuqua Valley junior Geers is primed for another state semifinal appearance as well. Downers South Willie Anaya is the last of the returning Class 3A medal-winners; the senior was third at 160 pounds last season. In the other conference races involving local Class 3A programs, Neuqua Valley rates a slight edge over Lake Park and St. Charles East in the Upstate Eight.
Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, York and Downers North have a daunting task against a formidable Oak Park-River Forest program in the West Suburban Silver. Downers South is a viable candidate in the West Suburban Gold for divisional supremacy.
Montini lost all three of its individual state champions to graduation, but the Broncos have three returning state medal-winners to bolster their cause: Powell, Garcia and Pawelski. Montini and Marmion, which also lost significant point-earners Rowland (Willowbrook) and Gonzalez (Metea Valley) to transfer, figure to be prominently featured in both the individual and team state series in the middle-class tier.
Key dates: Dec. 3, St. Charles East Mega Duals; Dec. 9-10, Iron Man Invitational; Dec. 16-17, Hinsdale Central Rex Whitlatch Invitational; Dec. 22-23, Dvorak Tournament; Dec. 28-29, Palatine Berman Invite; Dec. 28-29, DeKalb Team Dual Tournament; Dec. 28-30, Granite City; Jan. 6-7, Cheesehead Invitational; Jan. 7, Geneva Tournament; Jan. 7, Glenbard West Tournament; Jan. 20-21, Upstate Eight Conference meet; Jan. 28, DuPage Valley Conference meet.
Predicted state champions: Class 1A, Stillman Valley; Class 2A, Montini; Class 3A, Oak Park-River Forest.
— Kevin McGavin