Naperville Central captures first DVC championship
Saturday was a special day for the Naperville Central wrestling team.
Naperville Central crowned five champions to win its first DuPage Valley Conference tournament with a 217.5-172.5 victory over Neuqua Valley. The Redhawks had 12 finalists.
Naperville North (148.5 points), Metea Valley (113.5) and Waubonsie Valley (92) were third, fourth and fifth.
"We have never won DVC in 43 years," former Naperville Central coach and current assistant Rob Porter said.
"This is the culmination of the last four years," Naperville Central senior 138-pound champion Kyle Guttosch added. "It's great to win with this group of guys."
Like Guttosch, Naperville Central conference champion Ben Cianchetti needed less than a period to earn a league title at 195 pounds.
"I would love to be the team champion, but at the same time there's something special about being the individual champion," Cianchetti said. "We have high hopes for the (Class 3A Marmion individual regional) next week."
Naperville Central's Noah Fitzenreider will coach against his brother Nate, the Marmion coach, at the regional.
"No matter what happens, we will be having fun," Noah Fitzenreider said.
The Redhawks' first DVC championship was made much easier when Tommy Porter, Tyler Driessens and Colin Baumgartner stormed out of the gates to win titles between 106 and 120 pounds.
There was more than one DVC championship match with state implications. At 170 pounds Jacob Boumans and Jackson Punzel are two of the best in the land.
Boumans, a Neuqua Valley senior, fell behind early against the Redhawks' only college-recruited senior wrestler.
But the match changed entirely when Boumans turned Punzel to score a 3-point near-fall in the eventual 9-5 triumph.
"I just had to stick to my game plan," Boumans said. "I felt like he was dictating the match. I turned him and got the points."
Metea Valley 145-pounder Phillip Sims will continue wrestling at the University of Illinois for good reasons. Sims captured his third league championship with an 8-6 victory over Naperville Central junior Ryan Silva (25-10).
"I had to keep moving and wrestle my match," said Sims, who improved to 24-2 on the season. "I am very confident going into the state series. I am hoping all the hard work will pay off."
Garrett St. Clair is another local athlete with lofty expectations in Champaign next month. The Waubonsie Valley senior 220-pounder had a 6-0 whitewash in securing his first conference championship.
"I felt like I did really well," St. Clair said. "I am where I want to be right now. I have had a couple of losses I wouldn't want to have, but it has made me a better wrestler."
Boumans and teammate Denis Murphy, the 126-pound champion, won the MVP awards between the lower and upper weights.
Antonio Torres is a name to remember on the local wrestling scene after the Waubonsie Valley freshman improved to 28-3 with a sterling performance at 152 pounds.
Metea Valley junior Josh LaBarbera is a dangerous contender at 182 pounds. The reigning state qualifier is 27-3 after winning his first conference championship.
Neuqua Valley heavyweight Roberto Pena commands attention after improving to 29-6 with his championship at 285 pounds.
Drake McIntyre was the only champion for Naperville North.
"I have been working in all different positions," the Huskies' 160-pound champion said after a first-period fall. "When I got there, I knew what I was doing."