Boys wrestling: Huntley uses neutral skills to build FVC victory against Jacobs
Huntley senior Matt Keaty highlighted success in the neutral position as a key strength of the Red Raiders wrestling team.
Those neutral skills were on display Thursday night when Huntley recorded four pins and wrangled a plethora of takedowns to erase an early deficit and beat a scrappy Jacobs squad 48-24 in a Fox Valley Conference dual matchup.
Led by returning state medalist Radic Dvorak, Huntley won eight of the final nine bouts.
“Once we got our first win, we really took off,” Keaty said. “Our first few wrestlers are freshmen and they’re new to our school. They wrestled some tough kids, but I thought we bounced back really well. … Our neutral is probably the best, but we need to work on getting up from the bottom and keeping a positive mentality.”
Despite entering with just one dual win, Jacobs (1-6, 1-1) came ready to battle against a Huntley team that won 22 dual matches a season ago. Travis Wilgosiewicz delivered the first pin of the evening for the Golden Eagles, topping Noah Gutierrez at 106 before Nathan Flaskamp scored an 18-6 major decision against Anthony Pharis at 113 to give Jacobs a 10-point lead.
Huntley (4-1, 2-0) picked up a pivotal win at 120 pounds, where Logan Drews conceded an early takedown but quickly flipped the script for a takedown and pin against Anthony Martinez. At 126, Jacobs senior Ben Arbotante edged returning state medalist Colin Abordo, notching a 3-0 decision in a hard-fought match.
“I’ve been focusing a lot over the last few weeks about scoring points, not worrying about the results and enjoying the moment,” Arbotante said. “I’ve put a lot of hard work in over the last four years and I’m out here making memories, putting a smile on my face and supporting my team in all the ways I possibly can.”
Arbotante and Abordo went scoreless until the second period, when a brief opening led to a tilt and two back points for the Jacobs senior. Arbotante, one of five Eagles to earn a win, stayed tough on defense to seal the win. Enrique Garcia followed with a 15-0 tech fall over Julian Gutierrez at 132.
“This week I spent a lot of hours working on my tilts and making sure my top game is nice and strong,” Arbotante said. “I saw the opening on that wrist and I told myself that I had to go and take it. Once I saw those swipes, I had to keep putting the pressure on.”
Garcia’s win put the Eagles ahead 18-6, their largest lead of the evening. With Huntley needing a victory, Griffin Gunther stepped up for the Raiders, snatching a trio of takedowns in his 9-0 major decision over Andrew Vormittag at 138. Colin Huminsky then scored a 17-0 tech fall over Adam Piazza at 144.
Gunther and Huminsky ignited a run of seven consecutive wins for the Raiders, who surged ahead 21-18 after Gavin Nisckhe pinned Asher Bonilla at 150. Keaty, battling an illness, displayed dominance from the neutral position, stringing together six takedowns in his 19-3 tech fall against Daniel Delbosque at 157.
“I wasn’t getting those back swipes, but I knew my takedowns could get the win because I felt my conditioning was better than his,” Keaty said. “I could feel his weight in my hands, so I felt like I could get around him and move him around how I wanted to.”
Alex Vega continued flexing Huntley’s muscles at the middle weights, grabbing four takedowns in a 14-3 major decision over Vassil Vesselinov at 165. Dvorak, who placed fourth at the state tournament last season, made quick work of Jesus Reyes at 175 pounds, turning two quick takedowns into a first-period win by fall.
“Jacobs has some tough kids at the lower weights,” Dvorak said. “I knew they would be tough at the lower weights and I’m glad that we pulled it out at the upper weights. … After that first win, it gave us a spark and the energy goes up when we see that in each other.”
Waylon Theobald clinched the dual victory for the Raiders, building a nine-point advantage before pinning Brian Ayala at 190. Jacobs and Huntley exchanged wins over the final two bouts, with Lucas Retzler pinning Max Dziamidau at 215 for and Huntley’s Ryan Trejo receiving a win by forfeit from the Eagles at 285.