Wrestling: Naperville Central takes title at Glenbard East
This time of the year, the main goal for wrestlers is to stay alive for at least another week. But that's not to say winning a championship along the way is not pretty cool.
Several area wrestlers advanced out of Saturday's Class 3A regional at Glenbard East, and some did so with impressive titles, while others prevailed in some intense, do-or-die third-place bouts. Naperville Central claimed the team title, topping the eight-team field with 213.5 points while advancing 10 individuals to next week's Hinsdale Central sectional.
The Redhawks came away with five regional champions, but also had a trio of survivors from the third-place matches, none more impressive than freshman Vince Bern, who trailed late in the second period before turning Naperville North's Aiden Hinkle and recording a pin in the critical bout.
"It was tough there but I got him off me and turned him on his back, so ... that was crazy. I needed that too," said Bern, whose older brother Christopher Bern claimed the crown at 152 pounds on Saturday. "We had a slow start but we finished our season real strong. We like the way we're wrestling. Going into regional we had a lot of strong practices that helped us out.
"I bet coach is excited about all 10 of us going to sectionals."
Redhawks coach Noah Fitzenreider is indeed a happy camper, having watched a young team develop into a force this year. The older Bern is now 25-14 on the year after pinning Wheaton Warrenville South's Tim Francisco in the championship bout at 152. Also claiming titles on Saturday for the Redhawks were Ty Martin at 113, Hagan Taylor at 145, Gavin Bohan at 160 and Nicolas Besteiro at 220, who recorded pins in the semis and the finals to improve to 32-9 on the season.
"I think our freshmen wrestled up to competition which is good," Fitzenreider said, referring to the younger Bern as well as 106-pounder Jacob Cochran, who placed fourth. "For freshmen, first time at regionals, they wrestled tough. But up and down as a team we wrestled pretty tough today."
We've been talking a lot about staying hungry, making sure we wrestle through positions and don't give up any situation. We were young and at the beginning of the year and we had to learn how to be varsity and to win and they're starting to click now."
Naperville North was second in the team standings at 144 with Wheaton Warrenville South third (125) and Bolingbrook fourth (115). The Huskies advanced nine wrestlers plus one alternate to the sectional round. Sanath Benjamin (106), Ben Messier (113), Kai Goodrick (160), Kyle Gatlin (182) and Steve Harvey (195) all reached the finals before coming up short, while another highlight came at 132 pounds where sophomore Mally Zach rebounded from an opening loss to record three wins - two by fall - to earn a sectional berth.
"In the beginning of this year we were a little choppy but we came together as a team. Last year we only had three people moving on to sectionals and this year we have nine plus alternates," said Mally, who pinned Glenbard East's Jesus Chaidez in the third-place bout. "This tournament was just fun for the team. We're all growing and we're a super young team."
The Tigers' Aarav Ledvora won the title at 106 after defeating Benjamin 6-0, and teammate Sedeeq Al Obaido was impressive in topping the 170 field with a technical fall in the semis before winning by fall over Neuqua Valley runner-up Silvano Spatafora. WW South's Cooper Hollis edged Willowbrook's Isaiah Smith 5-3 in the finals at 132 to win his first championship.
"This is my first high school tournament that I've won," said Hollis, who will take a 26-12 mark into the sectionals. "I came in confident. That's my main thing, just having confidence. I knew I had to get to my leg attacks, my setups. Once I got the first takedown, I was riding him [Smith] out and I knew the match was mine."
Glenbard East's Blake Salvino added two more pins to his school record total while winning at 182 pounds. The Rams junior followed a bye with pins in the semis and the finals and is now 43-4 on the year, with his 35 pins three better than the school's previous record mark.
"I felt like I dominated pretty much the whole way through. I was a little sloppy the first match but I ended up with a pin. The last match, I did what I've been doing, I pinned the guy," Salvino said after recording a fall against Harvey at the 1:17 mark of the finals. "Once I got on top I'm in control. I had a good takedown at the start and I kind of knew it was over from there."
Salvino knows the Hinsdale Central sectional includes some of the top talent in the state, including a pair of wrestlers who have beaten him this season. But the Glenbard East standout is planning to earn his first trip to state next weekend.
"Now that I have a bye it should be a little easier," he said. "I feel like I have a good chance at state."
The Rams also claimed a title at 120 after freshman Ismael Chaidez defeated Glenbard West's Alejandro Aranda 7-1 in the title bout. The Hilltoppers' top-seeded Jacob Lachs improved to 34-11 on the year after winning at 138 pounds.
Bolingbrook came away with a champion at 126 pounds after Aaron Camacho beat Naperville Central's Ethan Olson 8-2, and the Raiders also claimed crowns at 195, where Dominick Hargrove recorded three pins, and at heavyweight, where Isaac Amoh matched that feat with a trio of wins by fall. In the finals, Amoh pinned Redhawks senior Chase Enfield (25-16) as the third period expired.