Wrestling: Dual team sectional preview

Class 3A dual-team state tournament

Where: U.S. Celluar Coliseum, Bloomington

When: Saturday, Feb. 27

Tonight's dual-team sectionals

AT FREMD

It will be wrestling's version of theatre in the round as dual-team sectional host Fremd unveils three mats for a trio of Class 3A matches between some of the best teams in the state, each vying for a spot in the final eight this Saturday in Bloomington.

Expect tickets to be at a premium with the inclusion of perennial state power Glenbard North on the guest list, which always brings its vocal and loyal fans.

Along with Rockton Hononegah, a storied program from Libertyville and Mid-Suburban League clubs Barrington and Schaumburg as well as New Trier, and for sure the noise level should help inspire those looking for an edge.

With the finish line is sight, here's what to watch for:

No. 14 Barrington (19-2) vs. No. 21 Rockton Hononegah (21-6).

After falling just short at the MSL tourney, the Broncos came back seven days later with their lineup at full strength and collected a regional trophy over an superb field at Fremd to earn its place here against a talented Hononegah club, which won its title at Machesney Park Harlem after collecting its sixth NIC-10 conference crown in a row.

Major players: Barrington: Luke Miller (152, 37-9, second-place state medalist), Dan Santoro (171, 41-7, fourth-place state medalist), Adrian Gonzalez (103, 41-5, fourth-place state medalist), Kalvin Argueta (189, 37-15 state qualifier), Aaron Castagna (285, 28-15), Dakota Wapotish (140, 28-10), Ryan McQueen (160, 27-13), Troy Morrison (215, 19-14), Nick Shealy (145, 24-18), Jared Parvinmehr (112, 25-14), Connor Mannina (119, 22-15), Joe Adreani (130, 26-12). Hononegah: Matt Dwyer (215, 38-2, state champion), Colin Dodd (119, 42-9, sixth-place state medalist), Manny Silva (125, 38-9, state qualifier), Thomas Hunt (103, 32-15), Kevin Westrom (135, 32-13), Chad Wolfgram (152, 28-12), Max Geyer (285, 33-13).

The nitty-gritty: Barrington will lean heavily on its quartet of state qualifiers, but in order to advance, the middle of its lineup will need to give the Broncos enough points along the way to neutralize some of its opponent's strength. "The hardest thing is to make sure those who have been idle for a couple of weeks stay focused, train hard and to continue to make weight," said Barrington coach Al Strobl, who expects his veterans to provide the leadership needed for the Broncos to succeed.

FYI: Miller eliminated Wolfgram in state qualifier match (3-0) to help fuel his run into the 152-pound state final, while Geyer decisioned Castagna 5-4 in the sectional quarterfinals.

Looking ahead: The winner advances into the 9 a.m. quarterfinals to face Libertyville or New Trier.

No. 12 Libertyville (18-3) vs. New Trier

Libertyville ran away from the competition to win its regional crown, outscoring North Suburban Conference rival Grant by 27 to win its 10th straight regional title and 26th in school history while sending nine wrestling into the Barrington individual sectional. A victory tonight gives the 'Cats their fifth trip to the state tournament The Trevians have a mini-streak of their own after capturing the team trophy at Glenbrook South. The title gives them their third straight, and second for coach Marc Tadelman, who took over for Augie Fontanetta, now athletic director at Fremd.

Major players: Libertyville: Matt Bystol (125, 41-5, two-time state medalist, Josh Ronne (160, 44-9, fouth-place state medalist), Luke Miller (215, 33-12, state qualifier), Pat Fitzgerald (103, 31-16, state qualifier), Nick McDowell (152, 26-14), Ryan Mertz (171, 18-6), Luke Gaeth (119, 32-12), Sam Shay (135, 25-15), Sayed Banifazi (145, 26-17). New Trier: Stephen Bora (285, 32-15, state qualifier), Tim Stringer (189, 30-14), Ben Frelka (125, 28-15), Tim McCrary (171, 28-16), Matt Yan (145, 32-18), Mitchell Coplan (119, 20, 17).

The nitty gritty: The Wildcats' core group is a fantastic bunch, headed by Bystol and Ronne, and a supporting cast which is match-tested and trained to wrestle and win tournaments as a team under respected long-time coach Dale Eggert. "Despite appearing like an individual sport, wrestling is also a team sport. And a wrestler's (individual) success is greatly aided by a team concept around him, and its definitely a point of emphasis in and around our room." The Wildcats sent nine into the Barrington sectional, with Gaeth, Banifazl and Mertz just 1 victory away from heading downstate.

FYI: Bystol beat Frelka by tech-fall in the sectional quarters at 125, while Gaeth eliminated Coplan from the postseason after a 6-0 victory in wrestlebacks.

Looking ahead: The winner advances into a 9 a.m. quarterfinal against either Barrington or Hononegah.

No. 13 Schaumburg (19-2) vs. No. 10 Glenbard North (21-6))

The Saxons won their first MSL crown one week prior to claiming a regional title, albeit not without some plenty of heroics late in the day to help the club overcome a big deficit to MSL rival Rolling Meadows. The Panthers have had so much postseason success since 2001, that it likely lists the dual-team state tourney as part of its regular season schedule. The Panthers have advanced in eight of the last nine seasons.

Major players: Schaumburg: Josh Marchok (215, 41-3, third-place state medalist), Danny Malik (171, 34-6, state qualifier, 35-6), Joe LaManna (189, 35-6, state qualifier), Patrick Scully (119, 35-6), Pat Felde (160, 31-8), John Lombardo (135, 27-14), Hamza Akim (125, 29-12), Shane Hafner (130, 24-16), Sean Pottow (285, 20-18). Glenbard North: Joey Gosinski (125, 48-0, state champion), Brian Murphy (130, 45-9, third-place state medalist), Johnny Gozinski (103, 43-4), Bryan Gonzalez (112, 40-10), Chris Wahrman (171, 25-16).

The nitty gritty: All season long the Saxons have counted on their upper weight strength to carry them through when the heat was on, and they'll look to their big three to do so again tonight with bonus points from majors, tech-falls and pins. This dual, however, could be decided by others (Scully, Felde, Lombardo, Akim) who, with a blink of an eye, saw their individual postseason come to a sudden end. "(North) is used to wrestling in the team sectionals nearly every year. This is our first, but one thing is for sure, our (kids) are ready to wrestle, especially some of the guys who want to make up for coming up short in the postseason," said Saxons coach Matt Gruszka. The Panthers arrive with not one of its tradionally star-studded cast, however, it is one which is battle tested, as witnessed by a high-end tourney schedule which includes the Feutz, Dvorak and Clash (Minnesota).

Looking ahead: The winner advances into an 11 a.m. quarterfinal against Leyden or Mt. Carmel.