Scouting: Tri-Cities regional wrestling
The road back to the highest reaches of the individual state wrestling tournament begins anew for Johnny Jimenez and George Fisher Saturday at the Class 2A LaSalle-Peru regional.
The Marmion duo was among five state champions for the ascendant program last year at the University of Illinois’ Assembly Hall.
But the following campaign has been anything but ordinary for Jimenez and Fisher.
The former missed five weeks of the regular season following surgery to remove his appendix, and Fisher has had to make the adjustment to wresting two weight classes higher than his championship season at 119 pounds.
“I’m starting to get back into it,” Jimenez said of his unexpected time off during the regular season. “(Coming back after the layoff wrestling) felt like it was a little new to me.”
Jimenez, who has lost only once this year, will vie for top honors at 113 pounds 12 months removed from winning the state championship at 103 pounds.
Marmion will be seeking its second regional title in the last three years; the Cadets fell a mere point shy of eventual state champion Montini last year at Yorkville.
“We might see Montini again,” Marmion coach Dean Branstetter said of the two perennial league powers being placed in opposite brackets for the Class 2A state team title, to be conducted in Bloomington the week after the individual state tournament in Champaign.
Fisher, the Cadets’ junior who hails from St. Charles, looks to secure another state championship at 132 pounds, 13 pounds higher than his 119-pound title last year.
“As time has gone on, I have adjusted to (wrestling two classes up),” Fisher said. “In any match, anything can happen. I go in there thinking everyone is ranked. You have to think like that to make the (state) finals.”
The Cadets’ hopefuls for reaching the Sterling sectional the following weekend include state-seasoned veterans Eddie Greco, Angelo Silvestro and Alex Fritz.
After making the state field at heavyweight last season, Fritz, a Geneva native, is a top contender at the newly-formed 220-pound class this year.
“I have always been a smaller heavyweight,” Fritz said. “I feel like I’m stronger than most of the guys I wrestle (at 220).”
The other local Class 2A participant, Kaneland, will send its junior-dominated program to DeKalb, with the sectional qualifiers advancing to Sycamore.
The Knights are led by Northern Illinois Big XII champions Stephen Gust and Danny Goress at 106 and 132 pounds, respectively.
Esai Ponce and Ben Kovalick also have state aspirations after dropping championship matches at the conference tournament two weeks ago at Ottawa.
The five area Class 3A programs will be at three different regionals, all of which feed into the Glenbard North sectional.
The four regional champions advance to the West Aurora team sectional the Tuesday after the individual state meet.
St. Charles North senior Tim Noverini, earmarked for the South Elgin regional, has already stamped his name in program history by becoming the first two-time state qualifier in school history.
“He’s in a good place mentally,” St. Charles North coach Ken Moromi said of his prized pupil at 152 pounds, 30-1 on the season. “He just has to wrestle his stuff. He is very confident.”
At the West Chicago regional, where defending state champion Glenbard North is the prohibitive team favorite, Geneva and St. Charles East have several quality performers in the mix.
Isaiah Vela and Nick Ruffino, as well as junior Upstate Eight Conference champion Ryan Rubino, are the St. Charles East standouts.
Brad Martens, the top 113-pound competitor among the local large programs, is the best bet to end the Vikings’ state drought.
West Aurora, which advanced to the team state tournament after its victory at Naperville Central last year, and Batavia are at Naperville North.
“I just hope for a good performance,” Batavia coach Ben Morris said. “You always hope that the guys who have struggled have their best tournament (at the regional).”
With star junior Joey Shump out with a broken hand, the Bulldogs will look to 195-pound junior Mickey Watson to anchor their postseason hopes.
“I expect (Watson) to wrestle well,” Morris said.
West Aurora, meanwhile, has brothers and DuPage Valley Conference champions Carlos and Greg Jacquez (106 and 138 pounds) as its prime contenders.
Former sectional champion Nate Pealstrom (145 pounds) claimed the Blackhawks’ third league title last weekend; Brandon Warren (182) and heavyweight Austin Beebe also have state goals for West Aurora.