State wrestling scouting / Northwest
By Mike Garofola
Daily Herald Correspondent
Wrestling
State tournament scouting
It’s that time again, when the wrestling world descends onto Champaign-Urbana and inside Assembly Hall for the drama of the individual state tournament. Expect area competitors to be in the Class 3A state championship mix. There are several first-timers here this weekend, and some marvelous returning hopesful who hope to make this trip their finest ever. Mid-Suburban League champion Barrington leads the way with a half-dozen qualifiers. Hersey’s next with four, and all eyes will be on the superb individual talent of Schaumburg’s Josh Marchok to see if the Stanford-bound senior will carry away a second straight state title. Here’s a look at each of the 25 area competitors who have a spot in today’s preliminary matches:
Gold Club travelers
Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, 220, 39-1): Just when it seemed safe to go in the water, Wheaton North senior Mike Swider (41-0) took a bite of the Saxons senior’s 78-match winning streak by defeating the state champ 4-3 in the Glenbard North sectional final. Did Swider awaken a sleeping giant, and can Marchok win a second straight championship trophy? “If there is such a thing as a good loss, then I suppose you could characterize what happened last Saturday as just that, but you have to give Mike and his coach, Steve Holland, a lot of credit for the game plan they put together, then executing it to perfection,” said Saxons coach Mike LeVanti. “Josh is an extremely mature young man, and he handled the defeat well, but he’ll be looking forward to competing in an outstanding 220-pound field this weekend.”
Thursday opponent: Ben Threloff (St. Rita, 27-8) - Look for a fast end to the hopes of the Rita junior, before Vince Ambrose (Providence, 34-8) shakes hands with Marchok on Friday morning.
Adrian Gonzalez (Barrington, 106, 33-3): Ever since stepping onto the mats for the Broncos, this three-time state qualifier made an immediate imprint on the wrestling landscape, not only in the MSL, but in the state. And the senior should end up being a key figure at 106 this weekend. A fourth-place medalist two seasons ago, his stunning in-match vision, ability to scramble with the best of the them and veteran presence make him one of the favorites this weekend, despite falling short in his final match at home at the Barrington sectional.
Thursday opponent: Jake Drew (Glenbard East, 39-6) - A quality first-round opponent awaits Gonzalez, who would meet fifth-ranked Brian Rossi (Lockport, 40-4) in the morning, with a date with No. 1 Matt Rundell (Oak Park-River Forest) on the horizon in the semifinals.
Steph’fon Scales (Hersey, 120, 36-5): The senior silenced the critics after struggling to find his form while at 126 before dropping down to 120, where he squashed the competition for two straight weeks and looked as commanding as he ever has during four brilliant years with the Huskies. The 158 career victories says it all for this three-time state qualifier, who twice has been one match away from placing, a record he is eager to finally put behind him this weekend.
Thursday opponent: Terry Svestka (West Chicago, 36-7), The top half of Scales’ bracket is a nasty one, with freshman star (Larry Early, Oak Park, 37-7) and No. 1 Jared Cortez (Glenbrook North, 43-0) standing in the way of a run at a title.
Frequent fliers
Ronnie Hauser (Fremd, 132, 33-7): Anyone who survived the brutal attack from all sides at 132 during the last three weeks and lived to tell about it deserved to be among the few still standing, but things do not get any easier down here, even when it was learned No. 1 Bobby Zabel of Minooka had withdrawn from the tourney. “The group I have been in from the conference tournament forward was filled with warriors, so I know I’ll be ready for this weekend,” said Hauser, whose trophy case is filled with silverware from the MSL, and various other postseason stopovers.
Thursday opponent: Cameron Harris (Oak Park, 31-10). A win over the 2011 state qualifier means a date with No. 2 Sal Annoreno (Bartlett, 35-3) Friday morning.
Jordan Rathje (Buffalo Grove, 145, 34-4): Without No. 2 Lenny Bloom (Deerfield, 34-4) in his way the past two weeks, the four-year standout, who began as a 103-pounder, would have likely lifted the regional and sectional championship belt, and taken the place of his talented nemesis in the bracket. “Jordan has dedicated this year to becoming the best wrestler than he can, and he truly believes he can win it all this weekend,” says coach Dave Durlacher of his co-captain, who comes into his the last weekend of his career with 112 victories, third in program history.
Thursday opponent: Colin Griffin (Oswego East, 37-6) - On the side of the bracket where No. 1 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel, 42-1) stands atop the field, and would be his semifinal opponent on Saturday.
Hunter Rollins (Hersey, 160, 37-3): Perhaps no other middleweight in the area has been as dominant as this junior, who despite being the prime target of many in his weight class was a sectional champ. His three consecutive postseason titles include a second straight sectional crown at Barrington, where many of the best in the state competed. The Hersey junior is eager to erase his 2011 performance here, which saw him go 0-2, and taking a little something out of his 41-win season he recorded. “I wasn’t nervous at state last year, but I was just (way) too happy to just be there,” said Rollins, who possesses extraordinary speed, quickness and strength for his size and stature. “I was pinned in something like 40 seconds in my opener, and ahead (6-2) in my wrestle-back match, then made a mistake, lost, and went home without a victory. That won’t happen ever again here.”
Thursday opponent: Tom Mitrenga (Naperville Central, 34-7). In the upper half of the bottom bracket, Rollins would like nothing better for a rematch with No. 2 Farai Sewar (Lake Park, 38-1), who beat him in the finals of the Berman Holiday Classic — that’s the last time he’s lost.
Eddie Scanlon (Wheeling, 170, 34-7): In the shadows of the star-studded cast of Luke and Mike Smith and Chris Johnson in seasons past, this three-year standout has carved out a superb career for the Wildcats, working hard to earn his second trip to Champaign despite some anxious moments for the Wildcats’ faithful and coach Neal Weiner. “Eddie is a slow starter, has always been. He’ll usually give up the first takedown, but most of his matches end with him pinning his opponent,” Weiner said. Capable of pulling off the upset because of his work rate, pace, resiliency, and intensity.
Thursday opponent: Ricky Robertson (Sandburg) - For the second consecutive time, the Wildcats’ captain opens against the No. 1 seed, one year after meeting eventual state champ (Steve Congenie) is his tourney opener.
Joe Caprio (Rolling Meadows, 170, 40-1): The four-year star, and two-time state qualifier appears to be running on high octane fuel during the second half of the season, running roughshod over the competition, including 9 straight victims in the postseason. “Losing in the sectionals last year was very disappointing for Joe, especially since he medaled as a sophomore, but it was also a learning experience, for him,” said coach Dave Froehlich. “I think staying healthy, getting the career wins record (for our program) and advancing to the state tournament are all very important to him, but he wants to be on that podium Saturday night.”
Thursday opponent: Bryce Gorman (Lincoln-Way Central, 33-10). No. 2 seed (Jake Residori, Minooka, 41-2) is just 2 victories away on the bottom half of this bracket, and attainable, if the Mustangs co-captain can win his opener, and then get back his likely second-round opponent, Cameron Thomson from Barrington.
Maiden voyages
Bobby Alexander (Conant, 106, 35-8): Flying along with a good wind at his back after back-to-back championship rings at the MSL and regional tourneys until early loss in the sectionals forced the young Cougar to fight his way back in wrestlebacks by winning three straight.
Thursday opponent: Mike Cullen (Cary-Grove, 40-1). In a strange twist, it was Alexander who stunned the wrestling world when he upset then No. 1 (Gonzalez) in the MSL final. Last week, it was another fantastic freshman (Cullen) who defeated the Barrington star in the sectional final, one week after dropping a 4-3 decision in his regional final.
Jared Parvinmehr (Barrington, 113, 33-3): This two-year star had accomplished just about everything since penciled into the starting lineup for good at the beginning of his junior season. If not for No. 1 Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem) he would have hit the postseason trifecta after collecting championship belts at both the MSL and regional tourneys.
Thursday opponent: Brad Mertens (Geneva, 38-6). The Barrington senior is two victories away from facing either Chris Gonzalez (Glenbard North, 42-8), whom he is 1-1 with this season, or No. 1 Mark Duda (Marist, 33-7), who was third at the Dvorak.
Kevin Conrad (Barrington, 126, 31-10): Wrestling isn’t always a fair game, but when many of the Broncos’ high profile athlethes were eliminated in the consolation bracket, this unheralded two-year starter, who won just 10 last season, stepped up to win his qualifying bout against 2011 state qualifier, Izzy Santiago of Warren to earn his ticket to Champaign.
Thursday opponent: Juwan Howard (Hinsdale South, 23-10). The junior is in a favorable first-round match, but one victory away from No. 1 Eddie Klimara (Providence, 39-1) who was back-to-back runner-up to former Stevenson star and two-time state champion Danny Sabatello.
Conrad Bugay (Hersey, 132, 33-7): The Dvorak runner-up wasn’t able to find his pace afterward until late in the year when it counted, first at the MSL tourney, where he defeated (Brian Egan) in the final, and a week later against (Hauser) in the regional championship. Although the 3-year starter fell short of a trifecta he took solace in the fact that assistant Nick Blackshaw finished third at sectionals the same year he went on to win a state title for Buffalo Grove.
Thursday opponent: Mike Mizaur (Mt. Carmel, 32-5). The wrestling gods did Bugay no favors with his placement against (Mizaur), who has been near the top of the state polls from the very beginning, but anyone who competed against the opponents he did at the Dvorak is quite capable of bumping off this first-round opponent.
Brian Egan (Buffalo Grove, 132, 31-9): The Bison junior admits he didn’t even think about competing during the final week of the season, but this gritty two-year starter put himself on the radar with a string of strong performances in the postseason, including a regional title, to get himself in the last 16. “Brian has always been a very good wrestler, and tactically strong, but when there was a shift in his confidence, then you saw him really saw things change for him,” says coach Dave Durlacher.
Thursday opponent: Troy Valdez (York, 33-5) - Tough state ranked veteran for Bison junior in his opener, with the winner feeding into Robbie Mikenis (Lincoln-Way Central, 27-5) another state-ranked opponent who dealt Annoreno one of his three defeats on the year.
Jesse McCabe (Leyden, 138, 32-10): The lone state qualifier from a very good Leyden club which had the unfortunate luck to host a regional with No. 1 Oak Park-River Forest and York as house guests, and then a trip to De La Salle’s sectional, where there was far too much talent in the divisions in which the Eagles were able to qualify in. The four-year star is back for the second straight year, and brings with him hundreds of matches under his belt, and the hope for a terrific run in his final prep tournament of his career.
Thursday opponent: Matt Ornoff (Mundelein, 39-0). McCabe will need to turn his finest performance of the season against the No. 1 man down here in order to stay in the championship bracket to face Blake Santi (Lake Park, 38-4), who had been as high as No. 2 in the state polls during the regular season.
Coord Wiseman (Barrington, 145, 33-9): Broncos first-year head coach Ken Hoving says this junior has been one of the top stories of the season for the MSL and regional champs after winning 20 in his first full season with the big club in 2011. Opened a few eyes following third-place finish at Dvorak, while finishing second behind best in the state (Brill) at Dick Mudge, and (Rathje) at MSL tourney.
Thursday opponent: Javie Hopson (Joilet West, 26-11). Next up is Brill.
Rico Zayas (Maine West, 145, 33-6): The senior lost to one of the favorites here (Lenny Bloom, Deerfield) for the second time this season in the CSL final, but rebounded to win at the Niles West regional, before surprising the field one week later at Glenbard North to carry off the big prize there. “To be honest, I was more excited about qualifying for state than winning a sectional championship, but I also know how important it was to win (that) title for state seeding, and after (that) and wrestling (Bloom) so tough, I now know I can compete with the best here,” said Zayas, who will enlist in the Navy following graduation.
Thursday opponent: Nuntrae Jackson (Brother Rice, 18-6).
Jordan Pessah (Maine West, 152, 27-6): Another unknown who quickly became known when he collected one of five individual champsionships to help fuel the Warriors first regional title since 1999. “Jordan is one of those guys who will surprise you if you don’t really follow Maine West closely, but I can tell you his confidence is sky high, and he has an interesting style of wrestling which can (also) surprise his opponents,” says Warriors coach Lance Weber.
Thursday opponent: Tyler Schneider (Lincoln-Way Central, 32-10) - Warriors sectional runner-up is on the deepest side of a nasty bracket, including No. 2 (Tom Gerszewski (Crystal Lake South, 40-1, who has added 3 individual titles to his resume during the postseason, and his next opponent, should he win this evening.
Matt Zabrin (Buffalo Grove, 160, 37-2): Finally rewarded for his superb four-year career with his first state appearance, alongside his teammate, and long-time friend (Jordan Rathje), who together, are the first tandem in school history to start all four years. “Both Matt and Jordan are workout warriors who arrive at school before 6 in the morning to lift and condition, and are always the last ones out after 6 at night,” says Durlacher. Injured at the MSL tournament last season, Zabrin’s only 2 defeats of the season are to Rollins.
Thursday opponent: Dan Rowland (Willowbrook, 36-3) - A top 3 guy in the polls all season long awaits, as does No. 1 Shaun’Que McMurtry (Lockport, 41-1) should he win.
Cameron Thomson (Barrington, 170, 37-2): Two years ago, the Broncos’ co-captain was buried behind a bevy of senior talent, but took full advantage of his opportunity to start last season, recording 40 wins, then followed up this year by winning the Dvorak to send him skyrocketing in the state polls, where he reached as high as No. 3, until Wheeling star Eddie Scanlon sent him out of the unbeaten ranks in the semifinals of the MSL tournament. “I feel I can stay positive regardless of what happens (win or lose, or if I am taken down) and that’s something I’ve always been able to do,” said Thomson.
Thursday opponent: TJ Sally (Hinsdale Central, 27-7) - A Caprio-Thomson breakfast special bout could be the highlight of the morning for MSL fans if both are victorious this evening.
Deon Rice (Hersey, 18-13, 195): Surprise entrant in 16-man field at 195 after putting the finishes touches on a strong postseason with three consecutive victories in wrestlebacks last Saturday, including wins over CSL champ JJ BaMung (GBS) and Barrington’s Ryan Wilt, who was forced to retire early during the match due to injury.
Thursday opponent: Jorge Zavalla (Elgin, 23-7) - Opener with another first-time, with the winner getting No. 1 Brad Johnson (Lockport, 33-0), the defending champion and two-time state medalist.
Joe Bilancia (Prospect, 30-15, 195): Former Knights coach, now assistant, Gary McMorrow tells the story that upon first look, he figured Bilancia to one of those freshmen who would be here today, gone tomorrow, giving him just two weeks before saying good-bye to the sport for good. Not so — the senior is your classic hard work equals success story — going from JV to regional champ, and 30-match winner.
Thursday opponent: Ryan Berg (Naperville Central, 33-6).
qualifier, who enters the weekend 112-7 overall.
Max Triveline (Prospect, 220, 36-7): Knights’ senior distinguished himself as one of the best in the area in his class one year after a short stay at the Barrington sectional. Thought to be the Knights’ heavyweight in 2011 until Terry Thomas decided to stay, Triveline still was able to win 20 as a junior, despite missing the first three weeks of the season. “Max is a great team leader, who worked hard in the off-season to improve his technique and mental toughness,” says his coach, Tom Whalen. Lost only one match in duals.
Thursday opponent: Isaac Jensen (Bolingbrook, 23-8). Has the advantage of being tossed around in the room by heavyweight star, and potential state champion (Rob Bain) everyday.
Igor Romanowski (Wheeling, 285, 31-3): Wildcats coach Neal Weiner thought for sure his big man was headed to crosstown rival Buffalo Grove after his arrival from Poland in sixth grade sent him to Cooper Junior High. However, much to his surprise, the sectional champ found his way into the Wheeling hallways, and slowly climbed the ladder to become yet another impact player in a long-line of successful heavyweights under Weiner and his staff. Won 25 last year as a sectional qualifier.
Thursday opponent: Dion Wells (Blue Island Eisenhower, 34-9).
Ben Calamari (Barrington, 285, 33-6): Undersized junior patiently waited his turn as the partner in the room with 2011 state medalist Aaron Campagna, before seizing the opportunity with a vengeance this year with MSL, and regional titles, followed up by his third-place finish in a talented heavyweight group at the Barrington sectional.
Thursday opponent: Brian Allen (Hinsdale Central, 41-1). The Broncos’ big man will look to make his mark late tonight when he opens up against one of the preseason favorites to win it all against 2011 third-place medalist at 215 as freshman.
Shola George (Prospect, 37-10): Just as with his MSL rival Calamari, the Knights junior toiled in the shadow of state qualifier Terry Thomas before taking over his spot in the lineup, and delivering a breakout year, leading the team in wins and pins (23). “Shola had a language barrier early on (he’s from Nigeria) which made it interesting for us to communicate with him on most things, but he’s taught us all alot because of (it) and has had a terrific first year on the varisty,” says Knights coach Tom Whalen.
Thursday opponent: James Buss (DeLaSalle, 38-0) - Knights senior opens with a bang, facing the favorite, and 3-time state qualifier, who enters the weekend 112-7 overall.