Wrestling: Huntley rallies by CL Central, stays unbeaten
Huntley's Alex Gutierrez wanted to redeem himself against Crystal Lake Central on Friday night.
Gutierrez lost to Central last season, something stuck with him for almost an entire year. He wanted to find a way to help the Red Raiders win after he felt like he let his time down.
He couldn't have picked a better time.
Gutierrez won his match at 132 pounds by fall to seal the Red Raiders' 39-26 comeback Fox Valley Conference win.
"It's very rewarding because I know all the hard work these boys put in," Gutierrez said. "Coming up short last year hurt but coming back and earning that win really felt good."
Huntley (5-0, 2-0) had just picked up a 27-26 lead with two matches to go when Gutierrez took the mat. The Red Raiders could seal a dual with a win by fall by Gutierrez, so he understood what he needed to do before stepping out.
Gutierrez picked up a quick 8-0 lead in the first period and thought he could've pinned Central's Juan Vivemos. But he kept pushing and ultimately flipped Vivemos on his back to secure his match and the dual.
"We knew this was going to be one of our toughest duals," Gutierrez said. "I think we came out and surprised everybody."
The win sealed a dual where the Red Raiders started slow. Central ran out to a quick 10-0 lead but the Red Raiders kept chipping away. Lucas Bittman gave Huntley its first lead at 12-10 when he won by fall at 175, Markos Mihalopolus made it 18-17 when he won 11-0 at 285 and Colin Abordo made it 24-17 with a pin at 106.
Aidan Lira won his match 12-10 at 126 to give Huntley a 27-26 lead before Gutierrez won the dual. Radic Dvorak (157), Alex Napientek (165) and Gavin Niscke (138) also won their matches to help the Red Raiders win.
Huntley coach BJ Bertelsman was not only proud of the way his experienced upperclassmen battled, but also the underclassmen who took some points off the board with close losses.
"The big guys pulled it through tonight," Bertelsman said.
Central (3-4, 2-2) ran out to a quick 10-0 lead with a pin from Brett Campagna at 144 and a win by Alessio Pezzella against his former team at 150.
Cayden Parks (190), Tommy McNiel (215) and Dylan Ramsey (113) all won their matches by a decision or major decision while Payton Ramsey (120) won by fall.
Central coach Justen Lehr thought his team battled hard but ultimately could've changed some things for the score to turn out differently.
"They did a good job of dual wrestling," Lehr said. "We left some points out there,"
Both teams will travel to the Downers Grove South Invitational on Saturday.
The Red Raiders have quickly picked up some strong wins to start the season. Key moments like the one from Gutierrez will help Huntley continue its run toward a FVC title.
"It just really feels great getting a win against a good win in the conference," Gutierrez said. "I know this is a big deal for the conference championship."