Buffalo Grove savors big finish in MSL East finale vs. Hersey
Buffalo Grove ended its regular season on a high note with a resounding 48-22 win over shorthanded Hersey on Friday night in the final Mid-Suburban East wrestling dual for both clubs.
The Bison (2-3 in the East) took advantage of their guests, who came to town without five usual starters in its lineup. Buffalo Grove used those advantage plus bonus points from Jordan Brown (182) and Sam Haro (195) to cruise to an easy win.
"It's nice to finish up with a win heading into the conference tournament next week, and especially for our seniors," said Bison coach Jeff Vlk, who saw his team get off to a good start when Tom Gerling (145) opened the night with a 8-2 decision.
"Gerling is a sophomore and he's come a long way for us this year," Vlk said. "And it was great to see our freshman at 120 (Isaac Gutierrez) overcome a case of nerves to win his first varsity match. And of course, Jake (Greenberg) and Sam Haro are two of our go-to guys (along with John Toriumi) and they gave us a real nice lift tonight."
Haro (20-6 at 195), who along with 113-pounder Greenberg are the team leaders in wins, has already eclipsed his win total from a year ago. After an impressive 9-0 major decision over James Joyce, it appears more wins are on the way for the Bison veteran.
"Coach Vlk was new last year, and I know for many of us, it took awhile to get comfortable with a new head coach," Haros said. "But this year, all of us have bought in, and understand it's a process in order to be successful. And that has proved to be a huge difference, especially for me."
Greenberg, who won 27 times a year ago, gave BG a 38-10 lead. He led 7-0 after two periods before holding off a valiant effort from Sean Paton en route to a 8-2 triumph.
Victories were few and far between for the visitors, who were without Jordan Davis (145, 12w) and Spencer Kruger (220, 20-7) among others. But when coach Jeff Kramarczyk's athletes found success, they did it in a big way.
The most dominant competitor under the spotlight was Hersey senior Mitch MacTavish (31-2), who recorded a pin a 2:45 to send the 2015 state qualifier and current No. 8-rated 120-pounder into Saturday's tournament at Oak Park-River Forest with plenty of motivation against several first-rate opponents.
"Mac has been really something this season, and his desire, work rate and will to win has been second to none," said Kramarczyk.
"My focus has been all about attacking and just going after take-downs," said MacTavish, "and spending my time last summer around Mike Poeta at his camp has taught me so much more about the sport, and how to approach each match."
Poeta, a former Highland Park and University of Illinois standout, has helped turn around several prep wrestlers since the inception of his camp. MacTavish has made his mark this season with a handful of impressive performances, including a 9-2 win over 2015 state medalist Hazen Rice of Schaumburg.
Today, Hersey's four-year veteran could face a stern test at OPRF when he bumps up to 126, where he'll likely meet Lyons Township standout Zach Villareal, among others.
"Mac is a great leader in and out of our room, and you can see the influence he's had on a young guy like our sophomore at 106 (Matt Joyce), who has become a very good wrestler and one who has learned well from watching Mac every day."
Matt Joyce ran his record to 26-5 with a major, while Joe Samperi (138) pinned his opponent from BG. Luke Schmiederer (160) finished with a big third-period kick to record a 16-5 major over Toriumi.
"John had a tough opponent tonight, but he deserves a lot of credit when you consider that two years ago he had a torn ACL that kept him from playing football and wrestling," Vlk said. "But he's worked hard to come back to become a terrific guy for us in our lineup."