Cary-Grove’s Cullen, CL South prevail at FVC tourney
Cary-Grove freshman Mike Cullen received a lot of advice before Saturday’s Fox Valley Conference wrestling meet.
Cullen (106) got pointers from the upperclassmen on his team as well as some tips from his brother, who placed second at the IHSA state meet.
The advice all paid off as Cullen (34-1) pinned Johnsburg’s Brandon Peshek (10-1) in 2:37 to claim a conference title.
“It’s going really well for me,” Cullen said. “Right now, I’m taking it one match at a time.”
Cary-Grove (169 points) finished fourth with Crystal Lake Central (255) edging out Crystal Lake South (217.5) to win its fourth straight Fox Valley championship. McHenry (195) placed third and Huntley (153) had its best team showing as a Fox Valley Conference member, taking fifth place.
The Tigers were able to win with championship showings from Drexel-bound Clayton Lutzow (138), Jason Fugiel (160) and defending state champ Gage Harrah (195).
The Gators brought 11 wrestlers to the meet and all 11 competed in the finals rounds. Nick Fontanetta (120), Tom Gersziewski (152), and Mike Romanelli (220) all took home conference titles for the Gators.
“When these kids’ backs are against the wall, they come to compete,” South coach Ross Ryan said. “We need to build on it.”
Romanelli (30-8) had one of the day’s more entertaining matches of the afternoon with a 2-1 overtime decision over Dundee-Crown’s Raymond Griggel (20-4). Romanelli scored off an escape during second overtime to score the victory.
“He had pretty good defense,” Griggel said. “I was trying to get takedowns. He did a really good job of moving me around.”
Gersziewski (35-1) jumped out to an early lead before taking a 7-1 decision over McHenry’s Jake Pait (26-9). The senior improved his record to 35-1 with an forward-thinking approach against Pait.
“I was going out and being aggressive,” Gersziewski said. “I wish I could have opened up more in the first match.”
Eric Barone (24-12) placed second after the Trojans’ Mike Underwood (28-9) came back from a 1-0 deficit entering the third period. The duo eventually tied at 2 before Underwood escaped from Barone’s hold with 3 seconds left in the third period to claim the conference title.
Huntley’s Josh Symbal (32-2) had a much more decisive victory getting a 15-0 major decision over the Chargers’ Jimmy Kuczynski (29-6) at 182 pounds. The win was the first conference crown for Symbal, who placed second last year.
“It was a tough competition from both guys,” Symbal said. “I needed to make smart shots.”
The Red Raiders had 6 wrestlers earn all-conference honors, which led to the strongest conference showing from Huntley. The Red Raiders finished in ninth place at last year’s meet.
“This has been a good year,” Huntley coach B.J. Bertelsman said. “We want to peak at regionals. We want to get six or more guys to sectionals.”
Grayslake Central senior Dylan Hay (30-6) peaked at the right time Saturday, earning a 4-1 decision over CL Central’s Mike Zelasco (15-5) at 145 pounds. The marked the first conference title for the senior, who wanted to jump out on top during the finals match.
Zelasco had defeated Hay earlier in the season, in the Rams’ home opener.
“I was grinding on top,” Hay said. “I was able to dominate when I was on top. I wasn’t as conditioned the first time.”
Grayslake North’s Kasen Christiansen (27-70 closed out the meet at 285 pounds with a 7-1 decision over McHenry’s Angel Hernandez (23-9).