Metea Valley rising to challenges

A newcomer to the DuPage Valley Conference, Metea Valley knows it won't be easy to claim a wrestling crown in its new league.

But the Mustangs are a confident bunch, and the program has made great strides in recent years. So a tough nonconference loss to nationally ranked Montini Catholic on Thursday followed by a 35-31 win in Friday's DVC opener at Neuqua Valley has the team feeling pretty good.

"I think we're doing OK for now and I hope that we can get better. I feel we can do great in the DVC. We have a challenge, but I think we can go a long way," said Mustangs 220-pounder David Rojas, who improved to 6-0 on the year with a pin.

Rojas was one of four Mustangs to pick up pins, and the points came in handy as Neuqua rallied late in the meet. Uri Ariza (120 pounds), Jake Toepfer (145) and Dylan Ervin (195) all won by fall against their rivals.

Rojas credits Ervin for making him a better wrestler.

"I'm feeling great," he said after his team evened its dual meet record to 1-1. "We have a great team. My partner, Dylan Ervin, he is one of the main reasons why I've gotten better myself. And he's really great himself. Our team has come a long way since last year. When we faced Montini yesterday we came pretty close, and that shows how much our team has progressed over the years. I hope we have a great year."

The host Wildcats (1-2) forfeited at two weight classes and trailed 36-18 following the pin by Toepfer. But Neuqua battled to the end, and when Jackson Modaff won by fall at 160 and 170-pounder Zach Greenberg recorded an 11-3 win over Allen Sims in the final bout of the night, the final margin was just 4 points.

"I just went out there and worked on what we work on in the room," said Greenberg, who had four takedowns. "I just kept going. My shots were working and I just kept hitting them. It's nice that the team is working hard and again, we're practicing what we do in room. I feel like that's the best we've wrestled since I've been here and I'm a senior, so we're getting there and we're working."

Last winter the Wildcats lineup was filled with underclassmen, but this year's team has plenty experience and some higher expectations. "Last year wasn't the best season," said Neuqua 106-pounder Anand Shah, who had a pin. "We had a lot of freshmen and sophomores, but now we have a lot of upperclassmen and it's looking a lot better."

"You've got to feel good about our kids competing," Wildcats coach Mick Ruettiger said. "There were some dogfights out there in about 5-6 matches. I knew they had some strong kids. We just can't give up pins when we're giving up 12 (forfeit) points also."

Metea Valley heavyweight Bobby Papiernik pulled out a tight 4-1 defeat of Anthony Schoedel, while it was the Wildcats' Danny Sanderson at 138 and the Moe Mitchell at 126 who prevailed in close battles.