Huntley tops Prospect to reach state finals
After winning its first regional title in program history last year then falling short in its bid to reach the Class 3A dual-team state tournament after its 40-27 loss to Wheeling, No. 8 Huntley set out with an objective of winning another regional championship, then having another go at it once again.
Tuesday night, the Red Raiders treated a big home crowd by running out to a 26-point lead (35-9) then cruising to a 41-27 victory over Prospect to book their spot state tournament for the first time.
In the other dual at Huntley, it was Barrington advancing to the state tourney following its 44-23 victory over Libertyville.
Huntley (23-3-0) will face the storied program of Glenbard North (26-4-0) Saturday morning at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
"We brought the team the other day into our gym and had them take a look at the wall, and the one for wrestling which only had listed last year's regional championship," began Huntley head coach BJ Bertelsman.
"Of course, we have to add another regional title up there, but on another wall we'll have something that says we're Elite 8 finalist - and that's the one we've all been after for awhile."
There's been plenty of stories all season long for this successful Red Raider club - wins over the likes of state- ranked rivals such as Barrington, Marmion Academy, Stevenson and Yorkville, to name a few.
Plus, the Red Raiders' high powered attack has put 50 or more points on several of its victims, including 2A state power Crystal Lake Central, on the night Bertelsmans' men clinched a second consecutive Fox Valley Conference title.
After the wondrous start to this contest with Mid-Suburban League champion Prospect (20-6-0) the home side looked as if it might put 50 on the scoreboard when all was said and done, but if not for a strong finish by the Knights, who recorded three falls in the last five bouts to make the final score more respectable.
"I thought we had a chance of winning here tonight but we had to do a lot of things very well in order to beat a quality opponent such as Huntley," began Knights head coach Tom Whalen.
"But when we failed to get an early win or two, and they turned those matches around with wins, and bonus wins at that, we were in trouble for the rest of the night."
The Red Raiders put their guests under pressure with six straight victories to open up a 29-0 advantage, fueled by a pair of falls from two of their seven state qualifiers from last weekend - Gannon Kosowski (138, 36-17) and David Ferrante (160, 34-5) - sandwiched around quality wins from senior Luke Loprieno (32-15) and Rukkus Hunkins at 152.
"Sammy and Zach (Spencer) each got themselves close hard-fought wins for us with Sammy having to work hard after having to cut weight after coming home from state with a few extra pounds on him," laughed Bertelsman.
"But a real key win for us was the pin that Nik Wise (22-10) got at 220 to extend our lead to 35-9, and all but closed them out."
That was actually done one match later when senior Jimmy Pellegrino (106, 31-16) beat Markos Santos, 11-5.
The two-time state qualifying heavyweight from Prospect, Jose Ramos (38-6), along with Anthony Silva (120, 17-12) and Andrew Baysingar (126, 39-5) finished the evening on a bright note with their three pins.
"It's a tough loss to take, but Huntley was the better team tonight," admitted Whalen. "However, for this group of guys, they have come such a long way from the very beginning of the season.
"In fact, in my nine years, this is the furthest a team of mine has come over the course of one season, and that's something for all of them to be proud of."
Of the 14 in the Knights' starting lineup on this night, six were seniors, including Ryan Vedner, who won a team-high 42, while capturing an MSL and regional title along the way.