Geneva makes history

The odds definitely favored Lake Zurich heading into the championship matches Saturday afternoon in Geneva.

Lake Zurich had four wrestlers in the finals of the 17-team Newbil Invitational and led host Geneva by 6.5 points in the race for the team title.

Unfortunately for the Bears, though, none of its quartet of finalists was able to prevail in its respective matches.

Geneva, on the other hand, had two of its three champion contenders, led by Most Outstanding Wrestler Brad Martens, claim titles.

Junior Jake Boser put the Vikings over the top with a triumphant 15-5 win over Jacobs’ Gabe Difecchio at 195 pounds to give Geneva a 172-169.5 victory over the Bears.

Fenton, which led the field with three individual champions was 12 points behind Oswego East for third.

Wheaton Warrenville South crowned two champions to place fifth; West Chicago was seventh behind two runners-up.

Jacobs edged Larkin, which had the 152-pound victor in Brett Barry, for ninth; St. Edward rounded out the field for the three Fox participants.

It was the first team title in the 33-year history of the tournament for Geneva.

“This is the first time we’ve had this (full) lineup,” Geneva coach Tom Chernich said. “The kids wrestled great.”

Martens’ 3-2 win over West Chicago junior Tyler Svestka at 113 pounds was accomplished in the waning seconds.

Svestka had a third-period takedown to reverse a 1-0 deficit, but Martens’ tied the match on a penalty point and withstood the Wildcats’ reigning state qualifier’s bid for a second takedown when the latter intentionally allowed Martens to escape in the last 18 seconds.

“I didn’t expect that,” Martens said of the final point.

“Credit to Svestka, he was going for the win,” said Chernich.

Boser had few problems in securing one of the few major decisions in a final match with his win at 195 pounds.

“I didn’t think I would win by that much,” Boser said. “(Difecchio) was wrestling very aggressively, and I usually wrestle much more defensively. I caught him a couple of times and threw him to his back.”

Injured for almost the entire season, Geneva senior Henry Zupke had back-to-back falls to secure a place in the 220-pound championship.

But the reigning Upstate Eight Conference champion fell 8-3 to Oswego East senior Brandon Rivera in the finals.

“He was definitely very skilled,” Zupke said of his foe.

Alex Cowan ushered in the Fenton parade to the awards’ stand with a 5-2 victory over Lake Zurich sophomore Emilio Nava at 120 pounds.

“I just wrestled him hard and knew I could control him on top,” the Bison sophomore said. “I’m a lot better wrestler than I was last year.”

Two divisions later, Fenton senior Ray Bunker doubled the Bison championship totals with an 8-5 victory over West Chicago sophomore Robert Svestka at 132 pounds.

“Strategy (was the difference),” said Bunker. “Like knowing how much time was left on the clock. Being smart (was also key) — shooting and trying to score at the right time.”

Sean Havlovic made it consecutive Bison championships with a whitewash win over Lake Zurich sophomore Sean Lynch at 138.

“The first two matches I was a little sloppy,” Havlovic said. “I cleaned it up in the final. Overall, a pretty good day of wrestling.”

The twin WW South wins came simultaneously.

For the third time this year Steven Franke emerged with a major invitational title after claiming the top prize at 170 pounds with a 9-3 win over Stillman Valley senior Jake Wold.

“You have to dominate the neutrals — that is the key,” Franke said of his first-period successes. “I haven’t always done that in the past.”

One mat over, Evan Welsh had the lone fall of the championship finals, an early third-period pin, to stamp his signature triumph in the 182-pound division.

“It’s just about having fun for me,” Welsh said. “This is my last year of high school, and I want to enjoy it.”

The collision between Barry and Lincoln-Way North senior Alex Vargas ultimately proved to be the match of the finals.

Vargas was nursing a precarious 1-0 third-period lead, only to have the Larkin senior take a 2-1 lead with a reversal.

But Vargas returned the favor with a reversal of his own, seemingly wrapping up the victory in the final nine seconds.

Barry simply would not quit, though, and stunned the Phoenix senior with the third reversal of the period as time expired to win 4-3.

“I knew I had to do something,” Barry said. “I didn’t want to lose that match. I am so used to getting second (at tournaments), this is nice to get a final-period win.”

Jacobs’ Austin Ryan dropped a 9-5 verdict to Oswego East senior Reuben Reyes to finish in second at 106 pounds.

The sophomore said a left hamstring injury sustained in the Eagles’ dual against Cary-Grove on Friday night limited him.

“I couldn’t shoot to my left,” Ryan said.

Chicago Gage Park heavyweight Chris Ballard denied the final local entrant — Carmel senior Jake Cochrane — a title by earning the only offensive points in a 3-1 win.

Lake Zurich had 11 of its 14 wrestlers place on the day, but the Bears’ inability to score any points in the final round proved costly.

“I’m not really disappointed with second,” Lake Zurich coach Dan Strickler said. “That’s the best we’ve ever done at that tournament. We really weren’t at full strength as a team today.”