Marmion’s looking better than ever
By virtually any standard of measurement, Marmion was an unqualified success last season.
The Cadets defeated Class 3A state champion Minooka in a dual meet as part of their 22-win campaign and produced a pair of individual state champions in Ben Whitford and Nico Jimenez. The Cadets also won their first regional championship in program history while advancing to the Class 2A team dual-meet state finals.
Only one problem: the two Marmion dual-meet losses were delivered by Suburban Christian Conference rival and national power Montini. The second defeat came at the quarterfinals of the team state tournament in Bloomington.
“We just felt like it was an empty season at the end,” Marmion coach Dean Branstetter said. “We go to state and we don’t get to bring home any hardware.”
But as a new wrestling season commences, the breakthrough year Marmion forged last winter has produced unequaled opportunities for the squad: invitations to three of the top tournaments in the Midwest. The Cadets, who return five state qualifiers and a sixth Eddie Greco who qualified two years ago, are slated to appear at Dvorak near Rockford, the Ironman in Ohio and the Cheesehead in Wisconsin this month.
“December is going to be (brutal),” Branstetter said.
Whitford is the face of the Marmion program after going undefeated in 44 matches last winter.
“We want him to grow and get bigger,” Branstetter said.
Whitford defended his national championship in Fargo, N.D. over the summer, and the sophomore will compete at 130 pounds after vanquishing all foes at 119 last year.
“It’s not my goal to be a four-time undefeated state champion,” Whitford said. “I just want to be a four-time state champion. Our schedule is going to be a lot tougher.”
But Whitford is hardly the only Marmion wrestler capable of achieving grand achievements this season. George Fisher, Angelo Silvestro, Dan Rowland and Alex Fritz are all coming off state-qualifying campaigns. Ten of the Cadets’ 14 weight classes are expected to be occupied by underclassmen, including six freshmen headlined by Ohio transplant Bryce Brill.
“They all come in with good credentials,” Branstetter said of his much-hyped ninth-grade class. “We have three or four freshmen who are going to be in the starting lineup the next three or four years.”
West Aurora is also full of grand expectations this winter as the vanguard of the Class 3A local programs. After winning three consecutive regional championships behind a balanced attack led by former state champion Mario Gonzalez (currently starting at Illinois), West Aurora became mired in quicksand the last two years to sustain its habitually state-ranked program.
“We’ve struggled the last couple of years in the upper weights,” West Aurora coach Mike DiNovo said.
But the Blackhawks open the season with renewed hope, sustained not only by a preseason lofty state status but also by a quality and experienced team.
West Aurora, which opened the year with a championship tournament at Wheaton Warrenville South, has three returning state qualifiers in Nicholas Drendel, Miguel Venecia and Nate Pealstrom. Drendel will start the season at 125, but the senior, who lost an all-Tri-Cities Class 3A state championship match to Brandon Rubino of St. Charles East (Nebraska) last February, will once again vie for the crown at 119 in the postseason.
“I want to help the team get as high as possible,” Drendel said. “We’re ranked 12th in the state (in the Illinoismatmen.com Class 3A poll). I definitely want to see myself at the top of the medal stand (in Champaign for the individual state tournament).”
DiNovo is confident the injury and weight issues that have dogged his upper-weight wrestlers are no longer present.
“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s a great time of the year.”
The Blackhawks are potentially murderous in their lower and middle weights behind the likes of its three state qualifiers, not to mention blossoming stars in Brandon Warren, Greg Jacquez and Nate Zinzer. In addition, DiNovo expects the all-senior quintet of Alex Confini, Derek Lehmann, Joseph Decarlo, Alberto Tijerina and David Pequeno to deliver.
“They are guys who have been very loyal to the program,” DiNovo said.
The new-look Upstate Eight Conference welcomes Batavia and Geneva with the dissolution of the Western Sun last spring. St. Charles East rates a slight edge over Geneva in the Valley division this winter.
“I think St. Charles East is probably the best team in our division,” Geneva coach Tom Chernich said.
But the Vikings have started the season off like gangbusters, winning their first nine dual meets.
The Saints will reload this year behind returning state qualifier Joe Dede as well as Nick Ruffino, who made the state field two years ago. Mike Caddy is another legitimate threat for the Saints at 171 pounds.
Geneva will attack its opponents this year with a mixture of youth and veterans. Mike Henriksen, Nick Bradberry, Derek Larsen and Eric Timko are the Vikings’ senior leaders; Brad Martens and fellow sophomore Tony Castelvecchi have started the year a combined 17-1.
“We’re going to see what is going to happen,” Chernich said of the division race. “I have never beat Batavia. That’s always a goal for me. It’s probably been a long time since Geneva has beaten Batavia (in a wrestling dual meet).”
For Batavia and St. Charles North, respective coaches Ben Morris and Ken Moromi have the shared distinction of promoting individual accomplishments beyond the team. The schools’ dual-meet viability will be severely tested due to four forfeits as a result of declining numbers.
“It’s going to be very difficult for us to win any of our dual meets,” said Morris, who takes over the program from Tom Arlis after a successful run at Stillmen Valley. “We’re going to put a lot of emphasis on getting kids to come out at the elementary and middle school levels build for the future.”
But the Bulldogs will have strong individual contenders this season with Schump, who received a state berth last year as an alternate, and Augie Watson. St. Charles North junior Tim Noverini became only the second North Star in school history to make the state grade last year. The 145-pounder will anchor the North program this season.
“I expect (Noverini) at the very minimum to be all-state,” North coach Moromi said. “He has improved immensely.”
Much like Batavia, however, St. Charles North has been decimated at the higher weight classes.
“It has a big affect on our team,” Moromi said. “We are an above-average team in the lower to middle weights.”
In addition to Noverini, St. Charles North will seek legitimacy behind Sam Gustafson, second at the prestigious Conant tournament over Thanksgiving, Mike Sherry and freshman Jordan Scalice.
Kaneland has several notable competitors in Class 2A in the Big 12 Conference East division, which is essentially a reconstituted configuration of the famed Little Seven.
“Sycamore is probably going to be the toughest team in the conference,” Kaneland coach Monte Jahns said.
The Knights have two returning state qualifiers in Kyle Davidson and Jimmy Boyle. Should the two senior football players have difficulty acclimating themselves from the Knights’ extended playoff run, classmates Chris Sabal, Tyler Esposito and Josh Kuefler provide insurance.
“We have a strong senior class this year,” Jahns said.
The Knights also have two dynamite sophomores in Dan Goress and Esai Ponce at the lower weights.
“We’ll be as tough as we were last year,” Jahns predicted.