Wrestling: Sectional scouting, Northwest

Scouting sectional wrestling

Act II of the wrestling postseason is about to begin, but it might as well be the third and final act when considered what's at stake. It's sectional wrestling time, so it's now or never for state tournament hopefuls. The top four individuals will advance into next weekend's state tournament in Champaign.

The margin for error is ever so slight, and the stress and drama that goes with competing late on Saturday to ensure a downstate berth is as much as the families, friends and coaches of the participants can tolerate.

"This week will be extremely competitive for everyone who is here, and I really feel each weight class is tough," said coach Tom Whalen, who last weekend guided his Prospect club to a second straight regional title after outscoring Mid-Suburban East rival Wheeling at Glenbrook South. "It's always interesting to see who gets hot at this time of the year, and who doesn't want to see their season end this weekend."

"Records really don't matter right now," said Wheeling coach Neal Winer. "It's all about strength of schedule, training and attitude, and the hope of my coaching staff and I is that have we done our job properly to prepare these young men."

Here's a look at the contenders at the two sectional venues wrestlers from the area will be at this weekend.

Class 3A at Barrington When: Friday: 4:30

Saturday: 9:30 a.m.; 1:30 p.m. finals.

The big picture: Wrestlers from around the MSL qualified impressively last weekend from three regional locations, with five clubs from the conference dominating the proceedings at Glenbrook South while MSL West champion Barrington fell just short of its sixth consecutive regional title at Grant.

All of that great competion now gathers at Barrington's fieldhouse, home of the one of the best sectionals of all.

Up and down the 14 weight classes are highly ranked wrestlers.

Following is a thumbnail sketch of a few divisions of interest:

120 - Alex Preissing (Prospect, 35-5), Johnny Carvajal (Wheeling, 26-11), Mitch MacTavish (Hersey, 30-10): Let's be clear. With all due respect to the trio of stars from the MSL, this weight class belongs to Cary-Grove senior Michael Cullen (33-1), who is driving toward a fourth state medal and hopefully his best Champaign finish. The Wisconsin-bound Cullen is on top of his game - but so is Preissing, who is fresh off a regional title, along with Jacobs' Cody Ferencz (33-6). Meanwhile, MacTavish is in his third straight regional tournament, Carvajal his second.

145 - Connor Boundy (Barrington, 30-5), Jalen Shaw (Wheeling, 30-10), Stu Isteefanos (Prospect, 10-14): The Broncos' captain is raring to go on his home floor after falling short here one year ago in what then was one of the top two or three weight classes. "Top to bottom, there were so many good guys at (145), and me not getting out really helped motivate me for this year," said Boundy, who turned to former Palatine star Ross Grande to fine-tune his offense and all-around game, which has led to the two-year starter earning the No. 9 spot in the state polls. Shaw, who came over from Hersey, jumped on his chance to compete at this weight when Cats standout Tulga Zuunbayan moved up to 152 to compete.

152 - Zuunbayan (34-1), Miklos Jackson (Palatine, 14-8): The Wildcats' convincing run through the field at Glenbrook South gives the junior his third straight appearance here, and puts him just 2 wins away from a third consecutive trip downstate. "Tulga and Jalen are both great kids, and we're all glad each of them did so well at regionals to get them here this weekend," said Wheeling coach Neal Weiner. The performance of regional champs Mike Kouvelis (Grant, 35-8), DJ Penick (Highland Park, 32-2) and Tanner Anthony (Hononegah, 14-2) were most convincing one week ago as they kept wrestlers such as Bobby Jarosz (Prospect, 34-8), Brandon Meyer (Huntley, 37-5) and Brae Cruz (Mundelein, 31-5) from adding to their win total in their respective regional final. The division will end up leaving behind a handful of 30-match winners come Saturday night.

170 - Julius Smith (Barrington, 30-5), Matt Wroblewski (Prospect, 31-2), Steve Montesinos (Wheeling, 22-22): Those who are fans of both Barrington and Prospect would like nothing more than to see Smith-Wroblewski IV in a match that would decide the champion of this exceptional class. Of course, the dynamic MSL duo will have to find their way through some risky bouts in order to get that opportunity. "This is the sectionals, and you'll always have to beat someone good to get out. So I always tell the guys there are four going downstate - one of every three in the bracket will go down - so why not them?" says Broncos coach Dave Udchik. Wroblewski holds a 2-1 advantage, the last win coming in the finals of the MSL.

182 - Adrian Wroblewski (Prospect, 35-5), Max Guhde (Barrington, 24-13), Jason Lopez (Palatine, 22-9): The No. 4 seed at Glenbrook South, Lopez, stunned Wroblewski with a 4-3 OT win in the semifinals, sending the top seed back a few squares. Once there, he responded quickly with a pin, then tech-fall to qualify. Guhde, like his MSL counterpart, did a wonderful job of riding out a difficult situation last weekend at Grant to fight back through wrestlebacks and reach this final knock-out stage of the season. "This weight class is loaded, but Max never ceases to amaze me - he's competing against guys who totally outweigh him, yet he always rises to the occasion," said Udchik. Tyler Demoss (Hononegah, 31-0) and Tyler Harrington (Stevenson, 33-2) lead the way in this impressive division.

195 - Alex Jacobs (Fremd, 30-3), Dema Govalla (Prospect, 26-16), Yoni Medina (Wheeling, 24-11): This MSL trio, led by Jacobs, went 1-2-3 last weekend at Glenbrook South, with the Vikings junior dazzling en route to his 6-1 victory in the final to send him to his second straight sectional appearance. "I am extremely proud of my team, and I look forward to watching them compete this weekend," said Fremd coach Dan Ruettiger, who has six wrestlers competing at Barrington. "Anything can happen at this time of the season, so we'll see who shows up to wrestle on Friday, but there's no doubt with the way Alex is wrestling right now, he can be in the final on Saturday." Jacobs, who Christian Brunner (Dundee-Crown, 37-1) calls one of the strongest he's faced this year, would need to upend the Brunner in the semifinals in order to compete for the title.

285 - Alex Zentner (Barrington, 29-7), Juan Hernandez (Wheeling, 32-6), Tyler Cooke (Hersey, 31-7), Zack Nemec, Fremd, 26-7): It doesn't get any bigger and better than this. Always a curiosity among longtime fans as well as novices, this heavyweight class is sure to thrill and surprise the big crowd from the first bout to the last. If it goes to form, Michael Gomez (Cary-Grove, 28-3) should come out of the top of the bracket, with any one of 3-4 others from the other side of the bracket opposing him. The Broncos' Zentner continues to dazzle in these closing weeks, winning at the MSL tourney, then taking Gomez to OT before the Trojans senior prevailed. Hernandez rebounded from his OT loss to Zentner in that MSL final to pin his way to the regional final, where he decisioned Cooke 5-3. NSC champ Jack Resnick (Grant, 33-7) and regional champ Nick Grujanac (26-7) of Stevenson are in the way of both Hernandez and Zentner on their half of the bracket, while Nemec is in line to meet Gomez tonight in the second round.

Class 3A at Glenbard North When: 4:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (finals) on Saturday.

The big picture: The MSL enjoyed a banner day last Saturday as regional champion Conant and its conference peers Schaumburg and Rolling Meadows dominated the field at Lake Park, advancing nearly 30 individuals to what may be the toughest sectional in the state, with top teams Oak Park-River Forest and Glenbard North competing.

Glenbard North easily won the West Chicago regional with 290 points, outscoring second-place finisher St. Charles East by 132. OPRF was without a defending state champ in its lineup yet still squashed the competition at Leyden by 145 points.

The talent level signficantly rises here, and with that, the odds of escaping the group stage and going through to Champaign decreases with the addition of so many quality players all throughout the weight classes.

"We were able to get 12 into the sectionals, so our goal is always to get all 12 downstate," said Conant coach Chad Hay. "This is a very special group that always finds a way to rise to the occasion at hand, so that's how we will go into this weekend, then just see how it works out come Saturday."

It's the same approach for Leyden coach Mike Fumagalli, who will have two wrestlers competing.

"This is an incredible sectional, but as we all know anything can happen, and that's why we wrestle the matches, not our opponent's record, fancy shoes or school they represent. You wrestle the man, and you'll be alright."

With that said, let's take a quick glance around a few of the divisions which feature standouts.

106 - Hazen Rice (Schaumburg, 35-3), Jackson Kohlberg (Rolling Meadows, 31-8), Tyler Futris (Conant, 31-8): Things opened up here when OPRF's Tony Madrigal didn't make weight last weekend, ensuring that Kirk Johansen (Glenbard North, 38-1) and Rice will be the top entrants. "Hazen will have his hands full should he meet Johansen in the semifinals, but if he can weather the storm, he'll have a chance against him in the final," says Schaumburg coach Mike Levanti. Both Kohlberg and Futris will be in the mix, with Futris on course to meet Hermez Abraham (31-5), the Central Suburban League runner-up, in a second-rounder.

113 - Jacob Holm (Rolling Meadows, 25-2), Rafael Garcia (Schaumburg, 19-17): Unlike the 106-pound division, all the big names are on the guest list here, including two of the best in the state, Jason Renteria (OPRF, 29-2) and Austin Gomez (Glenbard North, 39-0). They happen to be on the same side of the bracket, making the semifinal a likely breakfast special on Saturday morning. "Jacob had a great regional to win it all at Lake Park, so we're hoping that will continue this weekend," said Rolling Meadows coach John Bassler.

120 - Danny Madonia (Conant, 32-2), Liam Collins (Rolling Meadows, 20-15): The postseason continued to get better for the Cougars' Madonia, who worked tirelessly to earn a third straight regional title and first-round bye here before taking aim at Central Suburban League champ David Rivera-Kohr (Evanston, 44-1) in a likely semifinal matchup. Both Alex Madrigal (OPRF, 31-4) and Patrick Augustyn (Glenbard North, 37-4) are stationed in the bottom half of the bracket.

138 - Bobby Alexander (Conant, 38-0), Jeremich Recenos (Leyden, 33-9): Alexander has sailed through with the only perfect record in the group and has been rarely extended while capturing his fourth consecutive MSL crown. "Winning my fourth straight was great, as it also helped my team with the conference tournament. But it's all about winning a state title, and that's my only focus from here on out," said the two-time state medalist. The Leyden junior Recenos thrilled Fumagalli during his semifinal with Michael Ordonez last weekend inside Farina Fieldhouse. "That match was maybe the most exciting match in my three years as head coach - maybe even in my eight years here at Leyden," Fumagalli said. Recendez hit an inside trip as time ran out to get the game-winner and earn a second straight sectional appearance.

145 - Logan Gruszka (Schaumburg, 34-6), Nick Catalano (Conant, 29-8): The Saxons junior seemed to be on his way to a regional title and first-round bye before Lake Park junior Jackson Schoen (33-6) stunned the MSL champ in the regional final. As a result, Gruszka is just one match away from defending state champion Larry Early III (OPRF, 19-0) tonight. "Logan didn't do himself a lot of favors with that loss to Schoen, and being this close to Early," said Levanti. "But if he commits to and finishes his shots, he'll advance into the state tournament."

152 - Griff Rose (Conant, 32-4), Daniel Stubing (Rolling Meadows, 21-10), Olijah Sally (Schaumburg): This is the all-world bracket, with a who's who of 152-pounders such as Isaiah White (OPRF, 29-0), Matt Rowland (Willowbrook, 41-1) and Keone Derain (St. Charles, 32-3). Conant's captain Rose is now a two-time MSL and regional champ, and one win away from meeting Rowland, while Stubing gets Early in the second round should he win his opener, leaving Sally with Derain if he's successful against Maurice Rihani (13-7) of Maine East.

160 - Dan Andress (Conant, 34-2), Kasey Jauch (Rolling Meadows, 31-7), Tony Vezzetti (Schaumburg, 27-10: It all begins with Matt Rundell (OPRF, 27-3) at this weight, but any of the MSL trio here is quite capable of advancing. "Andress is a hammer and could easily be facing Rundell in the final, but if Vezzetti is feeling it, he can be a threat in the end as well," said Levanti. Jauch overcame a scary injury near his eye last month to become a force during the postseason, and the four-year veteran is primed to make his move, even if it's from the consolation bracket. "Kasey will have to get himself two big wins in wrestlebacks, but I know he's very capable of doing so," said Bassler. Jauch could face Rundell in his second-round match on Friday.

182 - Joey Vogeney (Maine West, 43-1), Eric Chalupa (Rolling Meadows, 22-13), Kevin Smith (Conant, 20-16): In a year when not much has gone right for Maine West wrestling, its senior has certainly been the exception. Vogeney, the team's captain, secured another CSL and regional championship. "If he continues to wrestle at the level he's at, he can stick with anybody from here on out," said Vogeney's coach, Lance Weber

220 - Michael Meier (Conant, 31-7), Daniel Jamieson (Elk Grove, 17-9): It's been a remarkable season for Meier, who went from 21 wins a year ago to 31 in his season season, including a win over 2014 heavyweight state qualifier Tyler Cooke of Hersey. "Michael was one of our six regional champions last weekend, so he is very capable of winning his first two matches to qualify to go downstate," said Hay. Meier defeated Central Suburban League champ Andy Kopplin (Maine South) in the final at Lake Park. Jamieson is one of two Grens to still be alive for first-year head coach Dan Vargas, who celebrated his first regional champion at 170 with Sean Oldenburg.

Class 2A at AntiochWhen: 4:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (finals) Saturday.

The big picture: St. Viator big men Shaun Falbo and James Valentino continue to shine during the postseason. Valentino, a sophomore, pulled a stunner last weekend in the Vernon Hills regional final by shocking the favorite Joe Blitstein to earn an all-important first-round sectional bye. Falbo, fresh off his second-place finish at the ESCC tournament, booked his place here after a solid performance in third place.

Senior Brandon Suchyta begins his drive for a second straight trip downstate, while Shamon Johnson and Joe McIntyre look to make their first sectional appearance a memorable one.

"It's exciting to get these five guys through," said St. Viator coach Jason Churak. "We had hoped for another two or three, but it's been a long, long time since we've gotten this many into the sectionals, and we're very proud of them.

"Brandon has been Brandon, so he's back, and the group we've called our Murderer's Row (160 through 285) did it once again last weekend. Now we see how we'll match up with the rest of the field in what I feel is a very tough sectional, especially with the addition of Montini, the No. 1 team and defending state champion, here."

Here's how Churak sees each weight class unfolding for his group:

132 - Brandon Suchyta (28-7): "Brandon got the No. 4 seed because of an earlier loss to (Kenny) Barber of Carmel and was forced to come back through wrestlebacks after Barber (32-5) beat him (11-6) in the semifinals," said Churak. "But when he got into that win-or-go-home situation, he showed what he's all about by rebounding with a tech-fall, then a major to sew up a third-place finish." The top-two targets in this division will be Dylan Duncan (Montini, 33-5) and Grant Sutton (37-0) Richmond-Burton.

170 - Shamon Johnson (32-9): "Shamon had a big case of nerves before his regional opener," said Churak, "but once he got that behind him, he was fun to watch, because he's a guy who wrestles to the level of his competition - and the competition was very good last weekend." The senior leads the Lions in victories and will need to add to that total in order to squeeze his way into the top four, where Juan Alfaro (Fenton, 28-4) and Anton Krocko (Hampshire, 35-2) appear to have a strong grip on at least two of the two spots available. ESCC rival Anthony Jarvis of St. Patrick figures to be in the mix as well.

195 - Joe McIntyre (26-10): Churak says McIntyre has come a long way in just a year and won't be bothered by the task ahead, which includes navigating his way through a field which includes the nationally ranked Andrew Marsden (Crystal Lake Central) as well as George Bessette (Antioch), who in his first year last season finished fourth at the state tourney. In addition to this dynamic duo, both Cody Sawyer (Grayslake North, 32-6) and No. 4 Patrick Mulkerin (St. Ignatius) will offer plenty of resistence for the Lions junior, who was runner-up at the ESCC tourney.

220 - Shaun Falbo (20-13): Churak isn't surprised his junior has enjoyed the success he has during the later stages of the campaign. "Shaun and (Valentino) are really good for each other - they just pound each other every day in the room, and now your seeing that work hard payoff for both of them," Churak said. The one to watch in this division is the athletic and gifted junior from Crystal Lake Central, Romeo McKnight (30-1), who was sixth last season at state and has already grabbed top honors at the FVC and regional tourneys. Ahead of Falbo at the Vernon Hills regional were champ Alex Girona (Lakes) and Richard Nourouzov of Grayslake Central.

285 - James Valentino (25-9): Valentino's big win over Blitstein at the regional began a chain of events which could send the Lions sophomore onto the floor of Assembly Hall next weekend. "We really felt James could go with just about anyone last year as a freshman," said Churak. "And we felt that way this year also, of course. So his win over Blitstein may have surprised others, but not us." The state's best big man clearly is 2014 state runner-up Michael Johnson (Montini, 10-0), who continues to sail along. The next three places are up for grabs between Cole Cunningham (St. Francis, 15-2), Valentino, Blitstein (33-6) and Edgar Salgado (St. Patrick).

- Mike Garofola