Antioch sweeps Maine South quad
With its star-studded lineup that features loads of experience, many of whom are multiple state qualifiers, it's no wonder Antioch was anointed the No. 4 rating in the state Class 2A preseason wrestling polls.
Despite this lofty status thrust upon his club, none of it matters to longtime head coach Wilbur Borrero, instead where the Sequiots land in late February of 2020 is what remains most important.
"My staff and I constantly remind the guys what's written about us is just ink. It means nothing really at all but what is important is to work hard and to keep our focus, because none of our goals are about staying undefeated or winning every tournament we compete in," said Borrero after his team went 3-0 in Park Ridge at the Maine South quad Saturday.
"This is a terrific group, one with focus and purpose, who continue to work hard, but they still need to be reminded the only real goal we have is to bring home state medals and a team state trophy - nothing else."
The Sequoits (6-0-0) would defeat the host Hawk, 39-31 in between cruising past an undermanned St. Patrick 57-17 before ending their day with a 58-18 victory over Lake County rival Mundelein.
The Sequoits, who boast three returning state medal winners, Alex Barbarise, Danny McPherson and Elijah Reyes, and 10 starters altogether, hope to return to the 2A dual-team state tournament after falling short last season at the hands of Marian Central Catholic, which enters this season atop the state 2A polls.
"This is easily the best varsity lineup we've had in my four years here so if we stay healthy and continue to work hard in the room, there's no reason why we cannot get ourselves downstate with the chance of winning it all," said Barbarise, twice a sixth-place state medal winner, three times a state qualifier and currently the No. 2 rated 120-pounder in the state.
Host Maine South (8-1-0) dropped its first dual of the season in its 8-point loss to Antioch, but would bounce back to overwhelm both Mundelein (48-22) and St. Patrick (67-5).
"The biggest challenge for us this year is the loss of so many three and four-year varsity guys and replacing them with newcomers to varsity wrestling who have to somewhat learn on the fly as they get their feet wet at this level," said Hawks head coach Kevin Hansen.
The Hawks would advance 10 into sectionals after lifting the regional trophy at Maine East last season, advancing four into the state tournament including eventual 182-pound state runner-up Jon Halvorsen (37-2), who has continued his career at Northwestern.
"Our strength last year was at the upper weights, and that's a tough spot to replace guys at so it's a steep learning curve all throughout our lineup especially with so much youth and inexperience, but we'll get better in time," Hansen said.
Hansen will lean heavily on his junior tri-captains, Noah Beltran (120), Aidan Hansen (138) and Clay Cichowski (195), who all performed well on Saturday for the home side.
"Our room is very different from a year ago. We had so many seniors and we were so strong at the upper weights so there's some big shoes to fill but I see us getting better as the year goes on," said Hansen, a sectional qualifier a year ago with a 27-17 overall record.
Craig Stocker endured heavy graduation losses once again, but the Mundelein head coach can see a light at the end of the tunnel despite it all.
"We lost a lot of talented tough kids but the numbers in our program are the best ever and with a lineup made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores we all feel things are looking up for us," said Stocker, whose Mustangs earned their lone victory on the day with a 59-11 triumph over St. Patrick.
The Mustangs' dynamic duo of Jason Guadarrama and Rudy Osnornio (182) combined for nearly 70 victories a year ago and with Guadarrama nearing certification at 220, the senior should be in line for big things come the postseason.
Bartlett, one of the favorites in the Upstate Eight this season, opened league play with a 56-18 victory over Glenbard South on Friday, then came back to go 1-2 on Saturday at the Glenbard West Invite.
"We did a lot of good things over the weekend, but the guys know we have plenty to clean up on the mat as well," said Hawks head coach John Glorioso after his team beat Hersey then fell to a pair of quality 3A opponents, Joilet West and the host Hilltoppers.
Gavin Moretti (152-160), Jack Kanshiro (120) and Joey Vinson (220), who as a sophomore last year went 30-9, all were a perfect 4-0 over the two days of action.
"I am proud of the young guys in our lineup. They're battling and the effort is there, they just need more experience," added Glorioso.