Wrestling: 'Fight for the Fox' features top senior wrestling talent
The first-ever Fight for the Fox All-Star Dual Meet will take place this Saturday at Huntley, beginning at 6 p.m.
This inaugural event is the brainchild of Fox Valley Conference coaches B.J. Bertelsman and Justen Lehr of Crystal Lake Central, and it will feature many of the top senior wrestlers in the northern half of the state. Participants include Class 3A state champion Christian Brunner (48-0) of Dundee-Crown and 2A state champ Travis Piotrowski (40-0) of Prairie Ridge. They'll be seeing plenty of one another over the next four years, as Brunner will compete at Purdue and Piotrowski at Illinois starting next fall.
"Coach (Lehr) brought this idea to my attention, so I cannot take any credit for it, but I agreed that an event is a great opportunity to showcase our local talented wrestlers, much like they do in the sport of basketball all around here," said Bertelsman, who will have one of his own in state qualifier Dominick Swanson in the lineup.
Bertelsman and Lehr divided the athletes into a McHenry County (West team) versus a Lake County (East team) for a traditional dual-meet format.
"There were really loaded weight classes in both areas, so at a few weights, there will be multiple participants," said Bertelsman. "Jason and I looked at the top seniors in all three classes to form our lists, and when a guy was unable to compete, we went to the next in line. And I think for our first effort, the two lineups are really something special."
The FVC will be well represented on the McHenry team, led by Brunner in addition to state 2A medalists Wylie Allen (Hampshire), Michael Petersen (Crystal Lake Central), Kevin Zange (Woodstock), Austin Parks (Crystal Lake Central) and Dereck Pearson of Prairie Ridge. Also on the roster are three-time state qualifier John Cullen of Cary-Grove plus Jacobs state qualifier Dean Lane and his teammate, Chris Dranka.
Over on the Lake County side, Elite Eight finalist Grant sends three into action: 2016 state medalist Christian Kanzler along with Dylan Mannes and Kobe Lear.
Antioch, which joined Grant in Bloomington at the dual-team state tournament in Class 2A, will have state medalist Nathan Dlugopolski and Jake Gross in the lineup, while the quartet of Kenny Barber and Nathan Morris of Carmel, Max Guhde (Barrington) and Michael Kordek (Stevenson), all state qualifiers, are among the star-studded 30-man guest list.
State runner-up Sage Heller of Deerfield rounds out a terrific Lake County team which will be led by Grant coach Len Grodoski. Bertelsman wil be in charge of McHenry.
Mid-Suburban postseason honors:
The MSL recently named Schaumburg senior Logan Gruszka and Prospect junior Matt Wroblewski as its wrestlers of the year for the 2015-2016 season, while also honoring as coaches of the year Dave Udchik of Barrington and Tom Whalen of Prospect.
The SIU-Edwardsville bound Gruszka enjoyed a brilliant four-year career under coach Mike Levanti. During those four seasons, Gruszka won 127 matches, including 41 this winter on his way to a fifth-place medal in the 170-pound weight class at the state tournament in Champaign.
Gruzska was a four-time MSL champion, who during this past season recorded a dazzling 32 pins, three of which came in Champaign. The last of them clinched Gruszka's first-ever state medal.
Wroblewski figures to be one of the state's best next season when he returns for his final year with the hope of leading the Knights to a third consecutive appearance in the dual-team state tournament.
The 182-pound standout won over 80 matches in his last two seasons. That total includes 43 win this winter and MSL, regional and sectional bout triumphs. The two-time state qualifier earned a state medal as a sophomore and has three straight regional titles to his credit.
Whalen led the Knights to their second consecutive state dual-team appearance this past season, while Udchik took an young and inexperienced Barrington team and helped guide them to an MSL championship.