Seniors carry Glenbard North to regional championship
Glenbard North wrestling coach Mark Hahn wanted nothing more than for his team to be able to practice and compete as one for another week.
His seniors ensured that would happen.
Five seniors won their Class 3A regional championship semifinal matches, which allowed the host Panthers to slip past Wheaton North and St. Charles East and win the regional team title with 188.5 points. The Falcons were second at 177.5 and the Saints third with 171.
"We didn't wrestle as well as we would have liked to today," Hahn said. "But the seniors really came through in the semifinal round, and that really set the stage for the finals. Our seniors really wrestled well today."
Senior George Marre started things off for the Panthers, pinning Lake Park sophomore Shane Piper in 1:16 in the semifinals. He then posted a 6-2 win over top seed Jett Dowell of Wheaton North in the title match.
"Last week at conference, he beat me 5-4 and I knew I could beat him," Marre said. "My whole goal that time was to stay on my feet the whole time."
Fellow seniors Ryan Wharman (160 pounds) and Anthony Pennington (170) won their respective semifinal matches, though they lost in the finals. The top three advance to individual sectional action next weekend.
Senior Abe Assad pinned Lake Park junior Victor Rodriguez in 1:14 in the semifinals at 182, then pinned Wheaton North senior Cory Goetz in 3:14 in the final.
But perhaps the most impressive semifinal showing was from senior Mershad Bashang at 195. He upset the top seed, Glenbard East senior Ben Pham, in the semifinals, pinning him in a 6:59 marathon. Bashang lost the title match, though, to Wheaton North senior Antowon Tolbert 10-2.
The Panthers, which advanced seven wrestlers to the individual sectional, also got a victory at 106 from junior Ronan Schuelke, who won a 15-4 major decision over Glenbard East junior Miguel Garcia.
Wheaton North advanced nine wrestlers to the individual sectional and got three winners: Tolbert at 195; second-seeded senior Ben Lemp at 145; and top-seeded senior Quinlan Nelson at 170.
Lemp's title match was particularly interesting. Facing the top seed, Glenbard East senior Alex Posada, Lemp managed to win 7-5 by getting a 2-point takedown with 58 seconds left in the third period.
"All week at practice, I've been studying him, getting ready for him," Lemp said. "I knew if I wrestled as hard as I could, I could beat him. Alex is a great guy, a great opponent. Second period, he started gassing a bit, so I amped up my pace a little more."
As usual, St. Charles East was solid, getting five regional champions: sophomore Jake Penzato (113 pounds), junior Peyton Schroeder (132), senior Justin Benjamin (138), senior Tommy Schroeder (160) and senior Justin Hull (285). In all the Saints sent seven onto the sectional.
Benjamin, sporting a three-week-old mustache, said the facial hair was a team bonding activity.
"I convinced the other kids on the team to grow theirs out for the state series, so with the power of the mustache, we're going to be wrestling hard," he said.
Glenbard East was fourth with 138 points and was led by senior Tyler Salvino, a three seed that won the regional title by beating top-seed Ian Huck from Geneva in a 5-4 thriller.
"I've been training my conditioning, because it's been bad, but I brought it back up," Salvino said. "Once I was up by 1, I knew how to stall it out smartly."
Demarco Lee, Lake Park's senior 220-pounder, improved to 25-1 by virtue of a pin in 4:28 of Glenbard East senior Jesus Lopez. Post-match, though, he was rather reserved. What was his strategy?
"Wrestle," he said. "That's always the game plan. I never really come in with one. If I try to, then I usually end up thinking, but all I have to do is wrestle."
Glenbard West sent two on to the sectional, including freshman Brennan Skoda, third at 132 after a 10-6 win in the consolation match final over Lake Park freshman Joseph Olaide, the eighth seed.