Aurora schools ready for mat showdown

The heart and soul of the wrestling season is rapidly approaching.

The conference tournaments this weekend for the Western Sun and Upstate Eight are the prime appetizers for the forthcoming state series.

The three Aurora programs -- West High, Central Catholic and Marmion -- have their league showdowns next weekend. All the local teams are preparing for their respective Class AA regionals in two weeks.

Streamwood welcomes its league counterparts from the Upstate Eight Saturday, and Neuqua Valley is the odds-on choice to capture its fifth consecutive conference title.

But there is no shortage of intriguing storylines, as the combatants must confront a tournament that is mentally and physically exacting.

St. Charles East is red hot after sweeping the Hinsdale Central quadrangular last week, and the Saints have a stable of weapons in their arsenal in search of conference crowns.

"We always talk about not taking our opponents too lightly," St. Charles East coach Steve Smerz said of the Saints' central philosophical approach.

"I would think Neuqua Valley is the team to beat. I think you have four quality schools in Neuqua, Waubonsie, Lake Park and us. Plus, the other schools all have good individuals. The tournament is going to be a good test overall."

Billy Diamond and Adam Schaefer are defending conference champions at 171 and 189 pounds, respectively, but the duo can expect notable competition.

The upper weights in the Upstate Eight are filled with outstanding athletes, and there will be no cakewalks for the eventual champions.

Neuqua Valley senior Chris Spangler is not only a former state champion but also undefeated on the season at 171 pounds with a 29-0 record.

Barring an upset, Diamond and Spangler would be one of several blockbuster matchups in the finals.

If Schaefer makes a return trip to the finals, Waubonsie Valley senior Jeremiah Myers is a likely opponent for the Saints' senior at 189.

The Saints' Steve Schenck and Blake Griffiths are legitimate threats at 215 and heavyweight, respectively, and the lower and middle weights have been consistently solid all season for St. Charles East.

Alex Maynard, Brandon Rubino and Billy Rawson have designs between 103 and 119 pounds; Cody Crawford (125) and Danny Mercadante (130) are three-year starting juniors for St. Charles East.

Between 140 and 152 pounds, the two St. Charles schools are poised to make their presence felt.

At St. Charles North, Dave Trizzino, Eric Justice and Lin Stacey are the core of the North Stars' attack; St. Charles East will counter with Pat Matthews, Harry Vyhnanek and Nick Scimeca.

Dan McSweeney, the North Stars' 215-pounder, offers the final best hope for St. Charles North.

"That's kind of it in a nutshell," St. Charles North coach Scott Trizzino said of his quartet of top contenders. "I would like to be pleasantly surprised. Other than those four guys, we're going to have a hard time placing anywhere else."

Justice is the defending champion at 140 pounds, but the North Stars' first state qualifier in program history has moved up a class this season.

Neuqua Valley has formidable athletes in Brian Epp, Nick Proctor and Jimmy Duffy in the three featured classes.

Not to be overlooked is Lake Park senior Don Kowalski, who is sporting a 33-1 record at 152.

Western Sun: The Western Sun Conference is more ceremonial than the Upstate Eight as the league coaches voted to give the overall title to the team with the best regular-season dual-meet record.

By virtue of its victory over Batavia on the fourth criteria of a deadlocked match, Yorkville unseated Kaneland as the conference champion with its 7-0 league record.

But Batavia, Geneva and the Knights still have important goals for Saturday in Rochelle.

Batavia is on a roll after capturing its multi-team invitational last week for the second time in three years.

Batavia coach Tom Arlis cited a one-sided loss to St. Charles East at home as the impetus for the Bulldogs' run in recent weeks.

"We came out flat that night," Arlis said. "We're starting to wrestle well at the same time. That's every coach's dream. We want to win the conference tournament trophy."

The opposite ends of the wrestling spectrum offer two of the most noteworthy aspects of the tournament.

At 103 pounds, Batavia junior Logan Arlis is on the cusp of state worthiness after winning MVP of the lower weights last weekend at home.

The heavyweight division figures to garner its significance as Sycamore senior Jason Schepler awaits Kaneland senior Ben Fabrizius and Geneva sophomore Frank Boenzi.

Schepler, the No. 3 heavyweight in the state, defeated both wrestlers in overtime during the regular season.

"Chances are (Fabrizius and Boenzi) are going to wrestle each other in the semis," Geneva coach Tom Chernich said. "It should be a great match. We have really stepped up the intensity level in the practice room this week. (The conference meet) is coming at the right time for us."

Grange makes history:ŒMarmion senior Matt Grange achieved a program first last week in a dual meet against Oswego East.

With his first-period fall, the 130-pounder eclipsed triple digits in career victories for the Cadets.

"We had a kid, David Longwell, who came close with 97 (career wins)," Marmion coach Dean Branstetter said.

"Any time you start a program, you are going to have firsts. We're still looking for our first state-qualifier."

The Cadets' Pat Greco is a leading contender for that honor.

The 135-pounder is approaching 30 victories against a lone loss.