Strobel's clutch loss sends Prospect downstate

The beauty of the dual-team sectional format is how clearly illustrates the degree to which wrestling can truly be a team sport.

Plenty of tactical maneuvering and gamemanship and bonus points from unexpected contestants comes into play, as does the rare case when a loss is really a win.

Prospect junior Tanner Strobel knows exactly what that means.

With the Prospect-Grant dual down to its last bout in Deerfield on Tuesday night and a trip to the Class 4A Elite Eight on the line, Strobel kept Bulldogs sensation Mike Kouvelis from recording a major decision or better. That preventive step allowed the Knights to emerge with a 30-29 victory and their first-ever trip to the dual-team state tournament Saturday in Bloomington.

Prospect will meet Glenbard North in a 9 a.m. quarterfinal matchup at U.S. Cellular Coliseum. The Panthers eliminated Mid-Suburban League champ Conant with a 39-22 decision Tuesday at Niles West.

Sectional host Deerfield will also make its first state appearance after eliminating Jacobs 48-12 at Deerfield. The Warriors next meet Lockport in an 11 a.m. state quarterfinal.

With Prospect (19-4-0) holding a 4-point advantage at 30-26, Strobel somehow weathered a valiant effort from Kouvelis (42-13), even turning the 160-pounder during the final moments of regulation as well as overtime in a match that ended 12-10 in favor of Grant.

"I think a lot of people thought I was upset when I pounded the mat at the end of the match," said Strobel, who was mobbed by his teammates after the final whistle. "I was just thrilled that I kept (Kouvelis) from getting that major, or worse to get 4 points or more."

"I can't tell you how proud I am of these guys, but I have to admit my heart rate and blood pressure were all over the place during those last couple of matches when Grant (22-7-0) began to close the gap and make a game of it," said Knights coach Tom Whalen.

Prospect started well, using back-to-back technical falls from Matt and Adrian Wroblewski, who both bumped up a weight to 182 and 190, respectively, to give the MSL East champs a 16-0 lead.

Joe Siragusa got the club off to a flying start with a pin to begin the proceedings at 170 pounds.

Following a hard-fought 5-1 decision in favor of Prospect's James Ford (39-8) at 220, the Knights stretched their lead to 19-0. But it didn't get any larger as the Bulldogs steadily chipped away.

"It's not easy when you're chasing (19) points at the start, but we never gave up, it's just that we ran out of time at the end," said Grant senior Noah Drabek, who with his pin at 132 pounds finishes with 45 wins this season and 128 during his four years with coach Ryan Geist.

Grant heavyweight Jake Resnick (36-9) stopped the bleeding with a 5-0 shutout, followed by a major decision triumph from teammate Spencer Welter (106) and a 7-5 victory from Gage Datlovsky (40-8) at 120.

Three victories were key for Prospect, according to Whalen.

"Vince (Lobono) at 103, Chris Rivera (126) and Bobby (Jarosz) at 152 got us big points when we needed them - because we knew sooner or later, Grant would come at us as hard as they could," said Whalen.

Datlovsky's decision came against Knights state qualifier Alex Preissing (41-11), who'd eliminated Datlovsky from the individual sectional with a pin.

Drabek, Cristian Coronado (138, 40-5) and 145-pounder Alex Rodriguez fueled the Bulldogs' ferocious comeback. That trio generated 16 unanswered points to pull Grant within 27-26 before Jarosz's 10-3 victory helped set up the most important match of the night.

Everyone who remained from the Deerfield-Jacobs dual joined in as spectators for the drama that followed.

The see-saw affair saw each wrestler take turns with the lead, until a last second 1-pointer by Kouvelis sent it into overtime.

A pair of penalty points by Strobel (35-12) gave Grant's senior the lead for good, but it wasn't enough to tilt the final outcome.

"I am so proud of Mike Kouvelis - he's been a great member of this team and our program, and he gave it everything he could, with a dozen types of moves to turn their state qualifier, but it wasn't enough," said Geist. "It's the way it goes sometimes. A win here, a major there, bonus points you give up. It was a great dual, but it wasn't meant to be. But we had a terrific year, and this was a great group of guys to be around all season long.

"Best of luck to Prospect."

Prospect standout Adrian Wroblewski (38-7) appreciated the test provided by Grant.

"We got that big lead, but we couldn't hold them off long enough," he said. "My brother and I should have pinned our opponents, which would have made it easier for us. But Grant is a great team, and we knew it wouldn't be easy. It's amazing to know we made it downstate."

• Jacobs coach Gary Conrad said his club had no reason to hang its head after a loss to Central Suburban League champion Deerfield (25-5-0), which finally makes the trip to central Illinois this weekend after being unbable to solve the likes of Barrington and others the past few seasons.

"We had a couple of guys who didn't make weight, and we were without our 182-pounder (Michael Bujacz), who is injured," said Conrad. "So going in, you know it's going to be a tough road when your a little short-handed, and you've got a well coached team like Deerfield on the other sides of the mats as your opponent.

"But there's a lot to be proud of this year, and we hope to continue building our program, much like Marc Pechter (of Deerfield) has. He has great talent, and something else we need to keep improving on - team and program depth. When we do that, we'll be right up there with the best of them in and around our area."

Deerfield gave its big crowd plenty to cheer about when it went on a pin-happy frenzy, recording a trio of falls in the first five bouts to race out to a 21-3 lead. It grew to 30-3 before senior Cody Ferencz slowed the Warriors down for a moment with a 7-3 victory in his final match of his career.

"The night didn't go the way we wanted, but this has been a memorable and historic year for all of us as we became the first team every to win the FVC and a regional championship," said Ferencz, who with his 37th win this season ends his career with nearly 120 wins. "I can't begin to tell how fantastic the atmosphere was in our room all season long, and the team unity was the best it's been in my four years here. I have to credit coach Conrad and the rest of our staff for all of that."

Ferencz will attend NIU next fall, with the hope of continuing his wrestling career there.

Senior Jacob Orth (152), who along with Ferencz has been a varsity wrestler all four years at Jacobs, ended his career on a high note with a 11-7 decision over Patrick Saldi to register the Golden Eagles' final win of the night.

"I agree with Cody, everything about our team and program has been unbelievable this year," said Orth. "But it's too bad we won't be around for another year because I really feel Jacobs wrestling will be even better next year."

Pechter was quick to compliment Jacobs on its season, saying the Golden Eagles seem to be on the same course his own club was traveling several years ago - before turning into one of the best in this half of the state.

"We were not very good when I took over, and it took some time to sort things out, and get headed on the right path," Pechter said. "We've been close to getting downstate, but to finally get there after our win tonight helps make all of the hard work worthwhile. Regardless of what happens this weekend in Bloomington, we feel fortunate to have a great group of kids, who have bought into what we have here, and who have done the work in order to succeed."