Libertyville's Bystol ready for action
What: Class 3A individual state wrestling tournament
Where: Assembly Hall, Champaign
When: Today, 8:30 a.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. semifinals, 6:30 p.m. grand march, followed by championship matches
The switch from two to three classes this year will give wrestling-hungry fans almost too much to watch down on the big floor of Assembly Hall.
Gone are the 24-man brackets, which told their own story as wrestlers wove and turned their way in and out of the championship and back-draw brackets. The new 16-man bracket is seeded for the first time by a complex IHSA formula that includes wins, previous state champions and medalists and number of losses.
The jury is and will still be out on all of the new protocol, but give the IHSA credit for finally taking care in the placement of the top 4 in each division to, at the very least, erase potential matches in the quarterfinals between Nos. 1 and 2.
Here's a look at some who are in Champaign today:
Main Matt-man
Libertyville's 112-pounder Matt Bystol (40-5) is the Wildcats' premier player this year and has been running rampant ever since the state series began. After helping the Wildcats close out the regular season with a victory over Lake Zurich to help seal yet another North Suburban Lake Division title, the junior drove a stake into the hearts of three others in his run to a conference title at 119. A week later, a trio went down at the Zion-Benton regional, including Eduardo Dominguez (8-7 final) in a much-anticipated bout between Nos. 2 and 3 in the state.
Bystol surely is a favorite to come back home from the tournament with extra large silverware off a terrific effort at the Barrington sectional, where he earned a championship belt after defeating Ben Schwartz of Highland Park by a fall in 3:49.
"Matt came into the season ready," said Wildcats coach Dale Eggert. "He had a successful off-season as he made both the National Freestyle and Greco-Roman national teams, and he improved his strength significantly with extra time in the weight room."
Eggert figures a virtuoso performance at both the Dvorak and Granite City tournaments might have been the turning point for his two-time state qualifier.
Bystol defeated a pair of state-ranked players (Austin Waliulah and Adrian Laskero) to help him reach the final, where he fell to No. 1 Edwin Cooper (Providence). Bystol later took on a Missouri State medalist, a pair of Illinois state qualifiers, a returning Missouri State champion and a national Greco-Roman and Freestyle champion.
"Those two weekends might have put Matt over the top," Eggert said.
"Our schedule at Libertyville prepares us for just about everything," said Bystol, who went 42-7 last season, including 3 victories at the state dual-team championships, where the Wildcats finished fourth.
"We get a chance to see the best from all over the state during the season, and it gets us ready both mentally and physically for what's ahead for us during the last couple of weeks of the season."
Eggert says where Bystol excels is in his mental approach to his game.
"He can figure things out during a match and before he (meets) that guy again, he has another tactical plan in effect," Eggert said. "He is patient, never puts pressure on himself, and a very well-conditioned athlete."
Entering the weekend, the No. 2 rated Bystol finds himself on the same side as Cooper, but at the bottom half of the bracket, and with No. 5 Brandon Rubino (St. Charles East, 33-4) standing in the way of a semifinal bout with the top-rated sophomore.
"A draw is a draw," Bystol said. "To me, you're going to have to beat the best to be the best, so wherever I'm at in the bracket is (it). I feel prepared and ready for this weekend, and I am looking forward to getting started Friday."
Weight watching
119
Cast: Patrick Scully (Hoffman Estates, 37-6, No. 5), Louis Mazzetta (Libertyville, 36-10, No. 11), Connor Drew (Warren, 35-5), Mike DeSario (Lake Park, 34-0, No. 4), Keith Surber (O'Fallon, 40-1, No. 1), Jameson Oster (Lockport, 37-6, No. 2), Al Juarez (Joilet Township, 24-4, No. 3).
Story line: 2008 third-place state medalist (112) Surber entered Lincoln-Way Central sectional as No. 1 rated, but left that tourney only in third after Oster won a 10-6 decision. So what does this all mean? If triple-crown winner Scully (MSL, regional and sectional champ) can get past Juarez in his state opener, then the natural climb up the top half of this bracket leads the 2007 state qualifier straight into Oster (he is 1-1 with this season) in Saturday morning semifinals. Mazzetta opens with the three-time state qualifier Surber, while Drew with Ambrose.
125
Cast: Luke Smith (Wheeling, 32-2, No. 4), Chaz Alex (Grant, 26-13), Jermaine Lee (Dundee-Crown, 33-12), Tony Ramos (Glenbard North, 44-2, No. 1), Jon Morrison (Sandburg, 40-1, No. 2), Chris Dardanes (OPRF, 31-5, No. 3)
Story line: Something has to give here with one of the returning state champs (Ramos, 125) and Morrison (119) not walking to the top of the podium Saturday night when all is said and done.
Two-time MSL, regional and sectional champ Smith makes a return visit and is on a collision course with Morrison in Saturday semifinals. Ramos has defeated Morrison and Dardanes, while Smith lost to Morrison at own tournament final. Loads of three-time state qualifiers in this bunch.
160
Cast: Kyle Czarnecki (Buffalo Grove, 37-1, No. 4), Josh Ronne (Libertyville, 39-9), Jeff Koepke (Hersey, 38-13), Andrew Petit (Hoffman Estates, 36-12), Adam Schammert (Leyden, 35-6), Jahwon Akui (St. Rita, 34-2, No. 1), Nick Proctor (Neuqua Valley, 37-3, No. 2), Juan Soliz (Sandburg, 38-3, No. 4), Andrew Rudd (Batavia, 33-7, No. 6).
Story line: What does it tell you about this class when No. 11 (Gary Walliser, Granite City) has an amazing 46-6 record and is ranked No. 11? With that said, it wasn't safe at any of the four sectional venues at this weight last weekend, with Nos. 1 (Akui) upset and Nos. 5 and 9 (Dominic Schmit, Wheaton North and Grant Millette, Willowbrook) eliminated. Czarnecki, one match away from the medal round a year ago, appears to have a good draw on the bottom half, where he is away from most of the power and on course to meet Argue in the semifinals, whom he beat last year. Roone will get Soliz in his opener, while Schammert, who after three previous sectional appearances finally made it downstate. The sectional champ meets Ryan Guffey (33-15) of Hononegah.
171
Cast: Lee Munster (Grant, 41-0, No. 1), Dan Santoro (Barrington, 37-8, No. 8), Jamey Zabrin (Buffalo Grove, 36-4, No. 11), Mark Stenberg (Lockport, 36-3, No. 2), Sterling Hecox (Machesney Park, 34-4, No. 3), Matt Dwyer (Hononegah, 40-6, No. 4), Danny Watson (Batavia, 39-1, No. 5).
Story line: This year's group of granite is a who's who of starpower at 171 pounds. Munster, a state champ in 2007 as a freshman, has beaten both Stenberg (major decision) and Dwyer at Sycamore, one of three tournaments in which the Grant junior was named outstanding wrestler, and has squashed many others who have stood in his way to help make him the favorite here despite having Dwyer (quarters) and Hecox (semifinals standing in his way).
Lake Zurich four
Not to be confused with a documentary or prizewinning book, the Lake Zurich Four is a terrific quartet that became part of the Bears' wrestling history last Saturday in Barrington. Seniors Kevin Fanta (38-2, 135) and Wade Self (31-6, 215) and juniors Cameron Schaffer (38-4, 130) and Anthony Pace (34-5, 145) each advanced to the state tournament, the first time ever the club has sent four downstate.
While it's obvious that both talent and hard work helped set them all apart, Fanta believes there's another reason for their success.
"It's the mustaches," said a straight-faced Fanta after collecting his sectional crown.
"All of those guys decided to grow a little something over their lip as a way of bonding in advance of the sectionals," said Bears coach Dan Strickler, himself the owner of a first-class mustache. "The great thing about all of (it) was that one day our principal and athletic director, in a show of unity and support for our guys, walked in to wish everyone good-luck while wearing a couple of fake mustaches they got from the Drama Department."
Strickler says his wrestling room has the feel of a mini-tournament when the four are training along with teammates John Harkness and Andy Lynch because of the intensity of the training session. That's gone a long way toward their success.
The foursome has combined for 120 victories.
Rookie of the year
Matt Ornoff (Mundelein, 37-4): After taking home North Suburban Conference and regional championships, the freshman made his coming out party official when he captured a sectional title with an impressive six-minute effort against No. 3 Tommy Laskowske (Palatine, 39-4) in the final. A major upset in his sectional quarterfinal of No. 1 Eddie Klimara (Providence, 29-1) sent shock waves throughout this division and hope to all.
"We're now seeing how all of the extra training and camps during the offseason and support from his family is making the difference," Mundelein coach Tom Buenik said of Ornoff, who opens against No. 10 Bob Gavrick (Lyons) this morning.