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Powerful Glenbard North prevails whatever the weather

The latest conference coronation for the Glenbard North wrestling team simply had to wait a day.

“We almost didn’t have a conference tournament,” Glenbard North coach Mark Hahn joked after the Panthers crowned six champions and placed five other competitors in the top three. “We had that really, really bad blizzard — two inches.”

Glenbard North added to its storied legacy with its 16th consecutive DuPage Valley Conference championship Sunday afternoon in Naperville.

The Panthers’ 269 tournament points — augmented by its flawless regular-season dual record — easily outdistanced Glenbard East and Wheaton North, who were tied with 178.5 points.

Lake Park, Naperville North and Wheaton Warrenville South had a champion each in placing fourth through sixth.

Host Naperville Central was seventh, and West Aurora had two champions in rounding out the field.

Jered Cortez, the Panthers’ two-time defending state champion, had three technical falls en route to the title at 132 pounds.

But Jon Marmolejo can one-up his senior teammate as the 126-pounder became the fifth Glenbard North wrestler in program history — and seventh overall — to become a four-time conference champion.

Cortez won the first of his three state championships as a Marmion freshman.

“My goal wasn’t to be undefeated (this season),” said Cortez, who suffered his first loss in three years over the holidays. “You can’t let 1 loss (to three-time state champion Josh Alber) define you. High school is (almost) over. I have signed my national letter of intent (to attend Illinois).”

Marmoleo improved to 35-1 with his 8-3 verdict over Glenbard East state-ranked senior Dayton Olson.

“It was one of my goals ... coming into high school,” Marmolejo said. “I’m trying to get my (state champion) poster (at school). Some of those guys (previous Glenbard North state champions) can’t say they’re a four-time DVC champ.”

Austin Gomez, Pat Augustyn, Colton Wegner and Luke Greenberg captured the Panthers’ other championships at the respective weights of 106, 120, 170 and 195 pounds.

Glenbard East heavyweight D’Andre Jordan had the distinction of being the only champion by fall.

“I was able to get the reverse, put (Glenbard North junior Chris Edwards) to his back, and that was it,” said Jordan, who had nothing but falls to break his own school record for pins in a season (27).

Glenbard East also had the 145-pound champion in senior Josh Martin.

Wheaton North 220-pounder Anthony Yanan capped an undefeated league run with a takedown at the first-overtime buzzer to deny Naperville North junior Chris Zhang 3-1.

Zach Wolf earned the first DVC championship in history for Lake Park at 152 pounds.

Qarin Johnnic is 33-3 after a hard-fought championship at 138 pounds for WW South, and Naperville North 182-pounder Brandon Gilligan also exceeded 30 wins with his triumph.

West Aurora sophomore Joe Griffin had takedowns in the third and fourth overtimes to take the title at 160 pounds.

Earlier, Carlos “Chachie” Jacquez won his second career conference championship at 113 pounds as the Blackhawks standout junior improved to 37-3 on the season with his 14-8 win over Glenbard North junior Kirk Johanson.

“(This) is good practice for the state series,” Jacquez said. “A lot of kids can’t handle (my) pace for the whole six minutes.”

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