Scouting Northwest state wrestling
By Mike Garofola
Where: Assembly Hall, Champaign
When: Friday: first-round matches, 8:30 a.m.; quarterfinals, 6 p.m.; Saturday: semifinals, 9:30 a.m.; third- and fifth-place matches, 4:30 p.m.; finals, 6:30 p.m.
Can’t (weight) to watch:
140 pounds — Luke Smith (Wheeling, 40-0), Andy Nguyen (Leyden, 31-12), Tom Gerszewski (Crystal Lake South, 38-7), Blaise Butler (Rockford Boylan, 39-1), Brian Murphy (Glenbard North, 39-2), Dan Argueta (Sandburg, 39-7), Greg Jacquez (West Aurora, 37-5), Tim Corse (St. Rita, 27-8). Smith vs. Butler II — at least that’s what most of the big crowd inside Assembly Hall will be clamoring for, following a brilliant six-minute performance last weekend in which Smith would stop the Boylan senior in the finals 7-2 to win his third sectional crown, while validating his No. 1 ranking in the state.
“Last weekend doesn’t mean a thing if I don’t follow up with a state title this weekend,” said the three-time state qualifiier and two-time state medalist, who fell just short of bringing home a championship last February at 135. “To me, none of this is complete without a state title, and that’s what it’s all about during the next two days.”
Smith would clinch the No. 1 seed with his sectional crown, while helping send Butler, and four other state ranked opponents to the bottom half of the bracket to fight among themselves for a place in Saturday evening’s Grand March.
“It’s a tough road wherever you are in this field, and the bottom half might be a little better than the side that I am on, but in the end, I only have to wrestle one of them for the championship,” offered Smith, who opens against an unknown, Jim Spangler (31-7) of Joilet West, before taking on the winner of No. 7 vs. No. 8 (Jacquez-Corse), then Argueta in the semifinals.
Butler will have his hands full with No. 5 Kevin Moylan (Stagg, 41-3) in his opening bout, and one of two returning state qualifiers, Argue (No. 4) or the long and lean Dave Tessiatore (Downers Grove North, 38-7). Smith beat Argue early on here last year, before he would go to defeat Butler for fourth place. There are many who are picking the sophomore (Murphy) to navigate through the bracket and eventually meet the favorite in the finals, something Smith is well aware of.
“Murphy has kind of a funky scrambler, with the same kind of long body like mine, but again, he has to come through his side, and I will have to take it one match at a time in order to make it through and into the finals.”
145 — Mike Smith (Wheeling, 34-8), Zach Ullman (Lake Zurich, 34-7), Kevin Tavakoli (Libertyville, 35-13), Edwin Cooper (Providence, 34-1), Mark Savenok (Wheaton Warrenville South, 20-2), Tim Noverini (St. Charles North, 33-5), Nick Fishback (Sandburg, 41-5). While the presence of the nation’s No. 2 rated (according to Intermat Magazine) Cooper may strike fear in the hearts of some of the first-time qualifiers this weekend, the three-time veteran Smith has reason to believe he can be right there when the time comes near the end of the weekend.
“For the first time in my high school career, I feel more confident than ever, and like I can make a serious run over the next two days,” says Smith, who is coming off back-to-back-to-back championship weekends for the first time in his four seasons at Wheeling.
The title he won at Barrington helped him solidify his No. 5 spot in the state polls, and moved him away from Cooper, who is at the very top of the bracket, but still on the side where No. 6 Noverini awaits in his opener. No. 3 Fishback follows in the quarters — he beat Smith 6-3 in the finals of the Wheeling tourney in early December.
Savenok, who missed his entire sophomore season to a knee inury, is rated No. 2 this season, and the 2010 fifth-place medalist at 130 pounds sits atop this half of the bracket, and could be the semifinal opponent for Smith is all goes true to form.
160 — Jeff Koepke (Hersey, 44-2), TJ Parker (Warren, 37-6), Cody Pych (South Elgin, 38-4), Stephen Kunca (Leyden, 32-9), Kean Loupee (Crystal Lake South, 36-5), Willie Anaya (Downers Grove South, 42-3), Kalvin Hill (Minooka, 22-1), Josh Anthony (Harlem, 31-3). The Hersey faithful are hoping for a replay of the sectional final last weekend at Barrington which saw Koepke defeat a terrific opponent (Anthony) in a battle of the top two wrestlers in their respective weight class.
“Winning that title meant a lot because it helped push both (Josh) and Malik Taylor (No. 3) to the other side of the bracket from me, where I wouldn’t see either one until the finals,” said Koepke, who still has Nos. 4 and 5 (Anaya, Hill) on his side, while Anthony must go through Gross, and either Loupee or Taylor to reach the Hersey senior, who will be searching for the Huskies first title since 1995 (Dave Stoltz) and fifth in school history. “None of that stuff matters right now, it’s all about taking one opponent and match at a time, and to just keep doing what I do best for six hard minutes of wrestling.”
Taylor has beaten Anaya 5-4 and Hill 3-1 in overtime while Anaya defeated the Dvorak champ, Anthony 7-4.
171 — Pat Felde (Schaumburg, 34-7), Eddie Scanlon (Wheeling, 29-11), Josh Symbal (Huntley, 34-10), Pablo Mata (Mundelein, 24-9), Jahwon Akui (St. Rita, 26-0), Sam Brooks (Oak Park-River Forest, 25-3), Steve Congenie (Willowbrook, 30-1), Brandon Lopez (Sandburg, 41-4), Blake Novak (Alton, 36-5). Under normal circumstances, the field of 16 in this weight class will usually feature a returning champ, a handful of state qualifiers to round out, and a group of highly experienced players who are all capable of finding their way into the top six.
This year is different. Akui, Brooks and Congenie all captured state titles last season, the sixth state medals combined for this dynamic trio, which collectively is approaching 300 career victories. Felde is smack-dab in the middle of the bracket, but far enough away from No. 1 Akui — which would come Saturday morning in the semifinals. The senior Scanlon and the Wheeling coaching staff made a brilliant tactical change in bumping the former 160-pounder up for the postseason, leading to his first tournament appearance in his career.
“Eddie has worked really hard, and was rewarded for that hard work, and all of us are very happy for him and his family,” said Wheeling coach Neal Weiner.
189 — Chris Johnson (Wheeling, 37-2), Joe LaManna (Schaumburg, 39-1), Ryan Wilt (Barrington, 30-14), Mike Swider (Wheaton North, 37-3), Brad Johnson (Lockport, 36-3), Jim Nudera (York, 39-3), Taylor McGiffen (Alton, 37-2), Sage Hecox (Machesney Park Harlem, 37-6), Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central, 41-8), Rasheen Lemon (Proviso West, 20-4). The emergence of both LaManna and Chris Johnson into the stratosphere of the upper weights makes this particular group one of the toughest to call this weekend, and one that could provide some memorable bouts, beginning in the first-round when No. 7 Swider meets No. 8 Ellingwood and a battle of the speed and quickness of No. 6 Lemon against the rookie Hecox, a freshman head-lock specialist.
“I like my spot in our bracket, and I anticipate seeing (Brad) Johnson in the semifinals on Saturday morning,” says LaManna, whose only loss of the season came at the hands of 2A stud Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central) when the nation’s No. 2 rated junior beat the Saxons two-time state qualifier in the finals at the Feutz Invite. “Last year I was just happy to make it downstate, this year I am going there expecting to be right there fighting for a state title.”
Brad Johnson, who has already beaten 6 of the 14 here in this field, was fourth last season, and is one of 3 returning state medalists from this group, including Wheeling senior Chris Johnson, who garnered the top seed this weekend with 45 points in the IHSA protocol system used to seed this tournament, and will meet the Swider-Ellingwood winner.
215 — Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, 34-0), Luke Miller (Libertyville, 32-10), Brandon Weber (Stevenson, 37-7), Joe Hall (Wheaton Warrenville South, 31-2), Brian Allen (Hinsdale Central, 35-7), Joe Gonzalez (Lyons, 37-5), Artie Bess (Deerfield, 35-4). Marchok, the No. 1-rated junior from Schaumburg, squashed the competition last weekend at Downers Grove North to capture a second consecutive sectional crown and further validate his status as the man to beat this weekend.
“There’s always a little extra added pressure when you’ve been on top all season, and you’re the guy everyone is after this weekend,” says Marchok, who has pinned 30 of his 34 opponents, and was this close to reaching the finals last season at 215 after losing to eventual state champ Matt Dwyer of Hononegah 7-6 in the semifinals. “There were a lot of ‘what-ifs’ from that match with Dwyer and the last 20 seconds of regulation, but you can’t replay any of that stuff because it’s over, and this is the weekend that I’ve been waiting for — for a long time.”
Marchok’s dominant performance at DGN included victories over the Nos. 2 and 3 rated (Hall and Allen) — Allen in the final, which pushed the duo far away from the favorite and on the other side of the bracket, along with No. 4 Gonzalez and No. 5 Bess.
Bonus viewing:
125 — Danny Sabatello (Stevenson, 38-0), Eddie Klimara (Providence, 37-0), Nicholas Drendel (West Aurora, 38-0), Steve Galliardo (St. Patrick, 43-0), Dylan Viglasky (Belleville West, 41-3). There isn’t a shortage of awesome talent in what might be the best of the best groups down here this weekend. Take a glance at the records of the top 4 seeds alone, and you will see an eye-popping 156-0, with the No. 5 rated Viglasky not too far behind the sensational quartet. Plenty of sidebar stories are worthy of extra space from this field, including a potential rematch of last year’s final at 119 (Sabatello vs. Klimara), which many long for, except Drendel, a big-time thrower, who was the state runner-up at 112.
“I don’t look at who I might wrestle, or care which guy it will be — I only focus on what I do, and when, and on just one opponent at a time,” says Sabatello, who began his prep career at St. Viator, and would compete against Luke and Mike Smith and others while growing up in club wrestling.