Batavia defends tournament title

The Batavia wrestling team was on a mission, and the squad left its invited guests in unwelcome territory.

By doubling any of the other 15 programs at its tournament at Batavia on Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs easily defended their championship with 218.5 points. Downers Grove North was a distant second, edging Buffalo Grove for runner-up status by half a point (152.5-152).

Logan Arlis extended his season-opening winning streak to 28 matches for Batavia in defending his individual crown at 112 pounds. The Bulldogs' senior advanced to the championship match with a fall and 10-3 semifinal decision, only to see his day end abruptly.

Wheaton North senior Adrian Laskero could not answer the bell after incurring a first-round injury he later aggravated.

"I was looking forward to wrestling in the finals," Arlis said. "I'm taking every match one match at a time."

Danny Watson also continued his winning ways for the Bulldogs; the 171-pound senior also repeated, securing takedowns in each period for a 7-3 win over Buffalo Grove senior Jamey Zabrin.

"I didn't know it would happen, but that's what I had planned," Watson said of his brilliant 27-1 campaign in which his lone loss was to third-ranked 189-pounder Clayton Kendall of De LaSalle. "I was wrestling like I always do, smart on my feet. With the state tournament coming up, I want to work on my riding time on top."

Andrew Rudd also had grand designs on the day for Batavia. The 160-pound senior continued his knack for pinning his opponents, easily advancing to the championship match with a pair of pins. But Rudd encountered an imposing physical specimen in Buffalo Grove senior Kyle Czarnecki, who only made weight on Friday night. In one of the featured matches of the afternoon, Czarnecki blazed out of the gate and terminated the showdown with a second-period fall.

"He's a beast at 160 - definitely one of the top kids in the area," Buffalo Grove coach Dave Durlacher said. "We brought him down to 160 specially for the state series."

Charlie Ryan, Tyler Patton and Luis Campos reached the championship match as well for the Bulldogs. Campos was pitted against Morris' Tim Sereno at 189 pounds, and the match appeared to be a classic feeling-out-of-each-other-tactical battle. But Sereno had a third-period reversal that ultimately resulted in a fall to end the match with 44 seconds remaining.

"Conditioning was the difference," said Sereno. "I run every day at 6 o'clock in the morning."

Ryan and Patton also had formidable opponents at 130 and 135 pounds, respectively. In a rematch of their title bout from last year, Lemont senior Matt Leibforth secured the same verdict with an 8-0 victory. Julian Brooks' first-period fall left Patton in a similar position.