Scouting Class 3A dual-team state wrestling
Scouting Class 3A dual-team state wrestling
Where: U.S. Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington.
When: Saturday, quarterfinals at 9 and 11 a.m.; semifinals at 2 p.m.; third-place and championship at 5:30 p.m.
Marmion Academy (15-2) vs. Lockport (26-0), 9 a.m.: Since this tournament isn't seeded, this is what you tend to get: No. 1 vs. 3 in a quarterfinal. Lockport has been at the top of the polls from the very beginning, and why not? The Porters have gone to three high-profile out-of-state tournaments and fared well, including the a fifth-place finish at the Cheesehead. Head coach Josh Oster had seven medalists last weekend, including 160-pound state champ Trevell Timmons. Marmion's program continued to shine this season despite losing five state medal-winners and two state champs from a year ago. Three-time state medalist Anthony Cheloni and teammate Nate Jimenez, a two-time state medalist, lead the way for coach Donny Reynolds, who has assembled a quality starting lineup which is capable of upending the No. 1 Porters.
Lincoln-Way West (18-3) vs. Wheeling (24-4), 9 a.m.Who to watch from Wheeling: Manny Ramirez (113), Brian Madrigal (120, 34-13), Mason Skloot (126, 35-13), Tristan Guaman (145, 30-10), Carlos Montiel (152, 42-11), Jaylen Shaw (160, 35-6), Andrew Lara (170, 25-11), Zach Yfantis (220, 41-11).
Outlook: Wildcats coach Neal Weiner says his long, and memorable head coaching career is coming to a close soon - and if it were to end after this weekend, this past season has been a thing of beauty. Weiner collected his 500th career victory during the first half of the season and recently got his first MSL title since 2009, eventually topping that achievement with the second dual-team state appearance in program history.
"With six returning regional champs, I figured we would have a pretty good team," said Weiner, whose club went on a five-match win streak fueled by a Tristan Guaman 8-0 win over recent state medalist David Ferrante to defeat Huntley 40-27 on Tuesday at Rockford East. Guaman was one of nine Wheeling regional champions, but Weiner says the success of this team is a collective effort.
"There is not any one guy that I would consider our best - this entire season was a team effort from start-to-finish, without one wrestler dominating," said Weiner, who kept his team back home to make weight and train while Ramirez and Yfantis competed in Champaign. It was that steady lineup which proved to be the difference for MSL foes and for New Trier at the regional. The last time the Wildcats were here was in 2009, when Luke Smith, now an assistant, won his first of three state medals before going on to star at Central Michigan.
The Wildcats will have their hands full with No. 6 Lincoln-Way West, which had been a Class 2A state power the past few seasons before moving up to 3A this year, not skipping a beat despite it all. West found itself in the best sectional in the state two weeks ago, so tough that the top-ten ranked duo of Gehrig Simon and Joey Schloegel found themselves unable to advance into the state tourney, along with three of their teammates.
Conant vs. Deerfield, 11 a.m.Who to watch from Conant: Alex Giuliano (113, 29-10), Tyler Futris (126, 33-8), Nicky Amato (132, 26-10), Dan Wozniak (152, 35-13), Cormac Kane (160, 22-8), Eric Hominac (170, 33-8), Lee Fuller (182, 21-5).
Coach Chad Hay called it the circle of wrestling life after his Conant Cougars defeated Notre Dame on Tuesday in Hoffman Estates to secure a spot in this year's Elite Eight.
Let's see if we can explain what the head coach meant.
Sophomore Cormac Kane is the son of Conant athletic director John Kane, who assist Jim Cartwright for several years before taking over when Cartwright retired. Kane later stepped down to become athletic director as Chad Hay took over wrestling. And young Cormac Kane proved to be the hero against Notre Dame and one of its assistants, Cartwright.
"Yeah, kind of strange, isn't it? That's why I call it the wrestling circle of life," said Hay after Kane overpowered his ND opponent with a technical fall in the last match in Tuesday's sectional. "We've been on the onside looking in during these past two seasons with Prospect beating us in regionals, then going on to the dual-team state tournament, so it's good to get back there again."
That the No. 14 Cougars will compete in the final weekend of the campaign is a tribute to Hay and his staff, who have had to sort things out after losing four state qualifiers and another five sectional qualifiers from the previous year.
"We had several first-time varsity guys in our lineup this season, but this is a very close, tight bunch of guys, and everyone supports each other and is all-in when it comes to working to get better," said Conant senior Lee Fuller, who missed nearly five weeks with a dislocated elbow, but has come back to help solidify the upper weights for the Cougars, along with Eric Hominac and Artis Hudson.
Conant has a formidable opponent with Deerfield, a program which doesn't shy away from quality opponents during the regular season and is always in the running for the top prize during weekend tournaments. Coach Marc Pechter and his staff have found a lineup that can go a hard six minutes, making them a tough club to wrestle, particularly in this dual-meet scenario. Junior Holden Heller (132, 41-5) was Deerfield's lone state medal-winner a week ago in a group of five that qualified, including junior Kenny Kerstein (138, 37-11), who helps anchor the midsection of the Warriors' lineup.
Montini Catholic (15-2) vs. Oak Park and River Forest (20-3-0), 11 a.m.Here's the second of two quarterfinals which features top-rated programs. This one has No. 2 OPRF against No. 5 Montini Catholic, which will rely on the strength in its lineup from 106-170 to hold off the Huskies. The Broncos boast three individual champs Joey Melendez (113), Real Woods (126) and Will Lewan (145) from a week ago in Champaign, OPRF had just one champ - but he's in a class all his own. Senior Jason Renteria collected his second consecutive title with ease to further validate a No. 8 national ranking for the Nebraska-bound senior.
- Mike Garofola