Strong showing for Waubonsie

The Waubonsie Valley wrestling team will participate at the Class 3A Naperville North regional on Saturday.

The Warriors are loaded in the upper weight classes behind recent DuPage Valley Conference champions Mason Kroening, Max Ihry and Tyler Caldwell at 182, 195 and 285 pounds, respectively.

"I am really proud of all three kids, being the first DVC champions in school history," Waubonsie Valley coach Brad Caldwell said. "Our upper weights are really starting to get their seasons started. They are all going to be getting the best of all of their opportunities."

Ihry, a Northern Illinois University recruit, defeated Metea Valley senior Dylan Ervin, the second-ranked wrestler in the state, in sudden-death overtime last Saturday at Glenbard North to win the league championship at 195 pounds.

His senior teammate, Kroening, had three pins to dominate his division, but Ihry earned the distinction of winning the Most Outstanding Wrestler among DuPage Valley Conference upper-weight competitors.

"(Ihry) had the toughest road," Caldwell said. "He had to get through Leonard just to get to the finals. (Kroening) had all pins, but you have to look at the competition."

Wheaton Warrenville South junior Andrew Leonard is ranked seventh in the state, according to the authoritative wrestling website illinoismatmen.com.

The three Waubonsie Valley DuPage Valley Conference champions all had late starts to the season due to the Warriors' playoff football run.

"I like those big boys with two different sports, football and wrestling," Naperville North coach Tom Champion said. "I think that's great."

There were also injuries involved as well.

But the triumvirate shares something else in common as they enter the postseason: one loss apiece.

The trio is a combined 56-3 on the season.

The Naperville North regional on Saturday is among the toughest in the state.

"It's definitely a very tough regional, with a lot of great individuals and strong teams," Caldwell said.

Wide open at Naperville North:

The area teams competing at Naperville North on Saturday are Metea Valley, Waubonsie Valley, Naperville Central, Wheaton Warrenville South and the host school.

The field also includes state powerhouse Marmion.

The top-three competitors in each weight class will advance to the Batavia individual sectional.

Wrestling is the only sport with both an individual and team state tournament.

"I think the regional is a team format," Champion said. "I think (the regional) is wide open."

Panthers streaks:

Glenbard North is among the standard-bearers of state wrestling powers.

The Carol Stream high school captured its 18th consecutive DuPage Valley Conference championship last Saturday.

Neuqua Valley coach Mick Ruettiger experienced an extended run of championships during the Wildcats' Upstate Eight Conference tenure a decade ago.

"The consistency of the (the Glenbard North) program is one of the best," Ruettiger said. "Those (Glenbard North wrestlers) are outstanding athletes."

The Panthers also have won 15 straight largest-class regionals during the period.

"We haven't won our 16th straight yet," Glenbard North coach Mark Hahn said after the Panthers' latest conference championship.

Joe Gomez won two state championships for the Panthers and never finished worse than third.

Gomez, a longtime coach in the Panthers' program, has a little brother, Austin, 13 years his junior.

Austin Gomez is a defending state champion.

Glenbard North will host a regional this weekend.

The competitors who advance will continue on at Conant the following Saturday.

Hinsdale connection:

The heavyweight competition during the upcoming state series features a pair of dominant local athletes.

Hinsdale Central senior Matt Allen and Hinsdale South senior Josh King will be prohibitive favorites to win state titles.

Allen, the reigning state runner-up in Class 3A, and King, the defending Class 3A 220-pound state champion, have knocked off each this season.

It is their only losses on the year.

The two will be football teammates at Michigan State next fall.

"They're really good friends," Hinsdale Central coach Jason Hayes said. "They won't see each other in the tournament season."

Hinsdale South has been reclassified to Class 2A this postseason.

Allen has two older brothers, Jack and Brian, who are also not only highly regarded Michigan State offensive lineman but former heavyweight state champions.

"It's pretty remarkable what this family has done," Hinsdale Central coach Jason Hayes said of the Allen family. "It's going to be a lot of tough battles (for Matt) to get to (the championship match).

Tough crowd:

The heavyweight division is particularly loaded this season.

At the Glenbard West Class 3A regional on Saturday, there will be four ranked heavyweights.

"Someone is going home," Glenbard West coach Nick Posegay said.

Willowbrook's top two:

Willowbrook boasts two of the finest athletes in the state in Matt Rowland and Jack Jesson at consecutive weight classes, 170 and 182 pounds.

Rowland is ranked No. 1 in the state at his class; Jesson, anointed the No. 1 freshman in the nation last year, is undefeated and the reining state runner-up at 182.

Glenbard West had a storybook season, breaking the three-year-old school record for dual-meet wins while tying state powers Oak Park-River Forest and Lyons Twp. for the West Suburban Conference Silver Division championship.

The Hilltoppers concluded their season with a crossover dual match against Willowbrook.

"They are an outstanding 1-2 punch," Posegay said of Rowland and Jessen. "I have a lot of respect for those two guys. We couldn't hang with them."

Moving on:

It was a most peculiar Saturday for Wheaton North at the DuPage Valley Conference championship last weekend in Carol Stream.

The Falcons finished second to host Glenbard North; they did not crown a single champion among their four finalists.

"That doesn't bother me," Wheaton North coach Travis Cherry said of the Falcons' conference results. "Our guys didn't finish matches."

Wheaton North will participate at the Glenbard North regional this weekend.

"I expect all 14 kids to get out to the sectional," Cherry said. "That's what we're going to work on: to get 14 guys to the sectional."

State favorites:

There is a widespread conviction among area coaches that the three best dual-meet teams in Class 3A are two-time defending state champion Oak Park-River Forest and fellow nationally ranked teams Sandburg and Marmion.

"I can't give you a list of favorites," Cherry said. "They're all pretty tough. Marmion is the best I have seen this year."

"Sandburg has such a deep team," Posegay said. "Oak Park is a solid team."

That was then:

In the annals of DuPage Valley Conference wrestling history, there are few who could compare to Naperville North alum Eric Tannenbaum and current Montini wrestling coach Martinez, the West Aurora great.

The two immortals shared six combined state championships and more than 300 victories.

They lost a grand total of one match each.

Tannenbaum and Martinez, former training partners, never faced each other in high school due to their difference in age.

"People (in the wrestling community) have talked about that forever," Champion said of the potential outcome between the two.