Barrington duo leads strong Day 1
CHAMPAIGN — The dynamic Barrington duo of Adrian Gonzalez and Jared Parvinmehr, sensational all season for the Mid-Suburban League and regional champion Broncos, both got off to a rip-roaring start at the Class 3A wrestling state tournament Thursday evening.
And strong overall results at the 132- and 145-pound weight classes bodes well for the area as the action resumes with today’s 8:30 a.m. quarterfinals.
Gonzalez (34-3) began with an impressive effort which led to a quick pin at 1:43 over Jake Drew of Glenbard East.
Parvinmehr (34-3) methodically handled Brad Martens (38-7) of Geneva with a major decision to book his place in the quarterfinals against Joliet Central’s Trayvon Zabala (32-2).
Gonzalez, competing at the Assembly Hall for the third time in four seasons, faces Lockport sophomore Brian Rossi (41-4).
“This is my last time here, and if you lose, there’s always that chance that you’re done — so I had to get out quick and just go as hard as I could until it was over,” said Parvinmehr, who, like Gonzalez, failed to advance last season after a painful finish at the Barrington sectional.
Steph’fon Scales (Hersey, 37-5) continued his recent success with a hard-fought decision over Terry Svetska (West Chicago) and will now take on freshman phenon from Oak Park-River Forest, Larry Early (38-7). He scored a 7-1 victory in the first state tournament match of his career.
Fremd senior Ronnie Hauser (34-7) and junior Brian Egan (23-9) took another step closer to tonight’s semifinal round as each frustrated and controlled their 132-pound opponents in impressive victories for the Mid-Suburban Leaguers.
Hauser was all over state-ranked senior from Oak Park-River Forest, Cameron Harris (31-11), in a 15-5 major decision romp. Egan, on his first trip here, outlasted Troy Valdez of York 5-1. Just before the postseason, Valdez (33-6) was rated in the top five in the weight class.
The next round gets tougher with Hauser facing No. 2 Sal Annoreno (Bartlett, 36-3) who in the last three weeks has defeated everyone rated in front of him, including Johnny Gosinski (35-7) of Glenbard North twice.
Egan gets another state-ranked opponent in Robbie Mikenis (28-5) of Lincoln-Way Central.
Nearly half an hour after the Hauser-Egan joy ride, area wrestlers enjoyed more success as Coord Wiseman (Barrington, 35-9), Jordan Rathje (Buffalo Grove, 35-4) and Maine West senior Rico Zayas (34-6) went 3-for-3, allowing just 2 points amongst them to clean out the north side of the 145-pound bracket.
Wiseman may have the toughest task as he faces No. 1 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel, 43-1), with Rathje and Zayas facing off in the other quarterfinal.
Rathjes’ long-time friend and teammate, Matt Zabrin (37-2), came oh-so-close to springing a big first-round stunner as the four-year star fell 6-5 to Dan Rowland of Willowbrook (36-4). Rowland is considered one of the favorites in the 160-pound class behind Shaun’Que McMurtry (42-1) of Lockport.
Mid-Suburban League, regional and sectional champion Hunter Rollins (Hersey, 38-3), eager to erase a 0-2 record here last year, sent those 2011 ghosts away for good with a covincing 6-1 victory in his opener. Next up is Notay Jackson (Mt. Carmel) at 26-3.
As good as the news was at the lower part of the 3A bracket for the area, it was tougher sledding on the other end with the MSL losing all three of its heavyweights to wrestle-backs after Igor Romanowski (Wheeling, 31-4), Ben Calamari (Barrington, 33-7) and Shola George (Prospect, 37-11) fell short.