Wheaton’s PIN KING enjoys wrestling reunion
Along with the eight individual state wrestling champions DuPage County produced last weekend and the Fenton, Montini and Glenbard North teams competing Saturday in the Dual Team State Tournament in Bloomington, there is another source of local pride on the mat.
Al Sears, a third-place state heavyweight at Wheaton Central High School in 1981, produced three state medalists for the first time in the long history of Belleville West, where Sears is in his 10th year as the Maroons’ coach.
He’s known as the PIN KING for the NCAA record 110 falls he recorded at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville from 1982-85. (That is not a typographical error. The nickname is in all caps. Just ask Al.)
Sears also has a tie-in with Hinsdale Central heavyweight Jack Allen, who just won the school’s first wrestling title in history while setting a program wins record with 143.
More precisely, Sears’ tie-in is with Allen’s father. Through the wonders of Internet communication Sears revealed that as a junior at Wheaton Central he wrestled John Allen, a top-ranked senior at Hinsdale Central, and lost 6-5 at the 1979 Hinsdale Holiday Tournament.
Sears added that in college he twice faced John Allen, a four-year heavyweight for Purdue. Sears recalled pinning Allen both times, the first at a dual meet at Purdue, the second at The Midlands at Northwestern.
“We are now friends and love seeing each other at events such as this past weekend,” Sears said.
Earlier this season it hit closer to home, literally. Sears accepted an invitation from Hinsdale Central assistant coach Jim Zajicek for Belleville West to compete at Hinsdale Central’s holiday tourney, now known as the Rex Whitlatch Holiday Wrestling Invite.
“We placed fifth,” Sears said. “It was nice to be near my old stomping grounds.”
Sears once set an NCAA record by pinning his opponent in 18 seconds. When he says “stomping grounds,” he means it.
Top Drawer
Top Drawer Soccer recently released its lists of top club players in the country.
Out of the Class of 2011, UCLA-bound Megan Oyster, a four-time all-state defender out of Neuqua Valley, pulls in No. 21 nationally, No. 1 in the Midwest. Muriel Battaglia, a center-midfielder headed to play at Yale, pulls in at an even No. 100.
In the Class of 2012 Wheaton Academy forward Crystal Thomas is ranked No. 52. Shortly behind, No. 56 nationally, is Waubonsie Valley goalkeeper Kylie Morgan. Both play with the Sockers Football Club.
Ryan Dodson, a North Carolina-bound forward from Waubonsie Valley, makes the boys list at No. 57 in the Class of 2011. York forward David Selvaggi, a senior who out of a bevy of choices picked DePaul, came in at No. 65.
Wind gets in
The man who started both the boys and girls soccer programs at Benet Academy, Henry Wind, will be inducted into the East Suburban Catholic Conference Hall of Fame on March 10.
Wind led the Redwings boys onto the pitch in the fall of 1990 and the girls the following spring. Wind stopped coaching the boys after the 2009 season but continues with the girls, whom he led to a conference co-championship in 2010.
The ESCC website lists Wind’s boys teams as having won or shared eight conference titles, his girls teams five.
His girls were Class A state qualifiers in 2003 and 2005, while Wind’s boys won state titles in 2000 and 2001 with the Aguilar brothers, Nick and Ben. The 2000 squad went 22-0-4. Wind’s 2001 state champion squad will also be honored at the ESCC banquet.
Wind becomes the sixth Redwing to earn induction into the ESCC Hall, following Kate Enoch, Sue Vodrazka, Joe Fedinec, Denise Boylan-Egner and Ron Baumgartner. The sixth induction class will be honored March 10 in McCook. For details call Notre Dame High School athletic director Mike Hennessey at (847) 779-8652.
Once were Warriors
A little tardy on the announcement of Willowbrook’s second Hall of Fame class, which was rolled out Feb. 11 before the Warriors’ boys basketball game against Leyden.
It is a good group, headed by longtime coaches Al Loew, Clint Evans and Jim Tyree, men who each put in at least 30 years coaching at Willowbrook.
A fourth, more contemporary coach was also installed, 1968 Willowbrook graduate Chuck Tassio. He coached football from 1990 only through 2003, then sent quality athletes Jordan and Tyler Tassio through Naperville North.
Willowbrook also celebrated the induction of basketball player Jean Fitzpatrick-Waldron, gymnasts Sheila Roelle-Haarstad and Rob Janata, and the punishing two-time state wrestling champion, Mike Behnke.
Football Hall of Famers
From the desk of Illinois High School Football Coaches Association secretary/treasurer Phil Salzer comes news of several local coaches who will be inducted into the IHSFCA Hall of Fame on April 2 in Champaign.
Former Downers Grove South coach Tim Mash, who preceded current Mustangs coach John Belskis (who served as Mash’s defensive coordinator) is among the Class of 2011, as is York’s Terry Grider.
Grider spent five years as the Dukes’ head coach, out of his 35 years in the program, and counting. Grider followed fellow Hall of Famer Gary Grouwinkel as head of the Dukes, and now is coaching York’s freshmen thanks to the invitation of current coach Bill Lech. Grouwinkel nominated Grider, who lives in Lombard with his wife, Danette, for the Hall.
Other familiar faces going in this year include Batavia’s retiring Mike Gaspari, and Buck Drach, who retired as West Aurora’s coach after last season but earned most of his fame at St. Charles High School.
Hal Chiodo, a veteran who coached at West Chicago in 2008 and 2009, will be honored with the IHSFCA’s Ray Eliot Award for service to Illinois football.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com