Crystal Lake South rallies past Cary-Grove in unique setting
Crystal Lake South and Cary-Grove 'staged' a major production Thursday night inside the sparkling Fine Arts Center.
The third annual 'Anguish in the Auditorium' was a big show with a big cast - and the two wrestling clubs did not let down the big crowd on hand for this wonderful dual-meet match.
There was magic and suspense in the air for everyone - particularly if you were a Crystal Lake South (7-2-0, 3-1-0) fan who watched their heroes come back late in this contest to defeat the host Trojans under the spotlight of the theatre stage.
"What an awesome night it was," said Jimmy Moore, whose pin at 195 pounds in the closing moments of his bout sent the Gators up and over their FVC rivals for good in a 36-31 win.
"This was such an unreal atmosphere to be a part of. Wrestling on this big stage in front of a big crowd (and) to come away with a victory made the night even more special than it already was."
This third Anguish in the Auditorium began when coaches Ross Ryan (CLS) and Will Peterson took an idea that former Cary-Grove head coach Mike Buhr (now at Wauconda) and Ross initially tossed around (and) made it come true two years ago.
The Trojans won the first on the South theatre stage, before Ryan and his men drew back level last year.
"What a fantastic theatre Cary-Grove built, and to see two conference rivals step upon it and wrestle in front of a crowd so appreciative of us being here was a thrill to be a part of," said Ryan.
"From the cool video that Will put together at the start, and right on through all of the great matches, it was a night where all of the passion for this sport would shine through."
The Gators would build a 24-12 lead after seven bouts - led by quick pins from its two best: Christian Olsen (11-0) and Payton Timmons (9-1) with help from Zander Kitchen, who fell behind in his 138-pound bout - only to record a pin at 2:36.
However, that's when the Trojans would treat its fans to a dramatic fight back that saw the home side take the lead for the first time.
On the strength of an impressive effort during a 14-1 major decision win by Wade Abrams (145) and back-to-back pins from Conor McCratic (170) and Isaac Rands (182), the Trojans outscored their guests 16-3 to grab a 31-27 lead - much to the delight of its fans.
"I knew when it was my turn that I had to do something - and it had to be six points or nothing in order to give Jason (Burburia) a chance to close things out," said Moore, whose pin at 5:43 followed by Burburia's hard-fought 8-3 decision insured victory.
"This dual gets better and better with each year, and it's something all of us at South look forward to on our schedule," said Ryan, whose club will compete at the two-day Dvorak mega-tournament this weekend.
"It was an awesome night of wrestling on the big stage. I just wish it had ended in our favor before this great crowd we had," said Cary-Grove coach Will Peterson.
"An event like this is tremendous for the sport, and its fans, and all of us our proud to be a part of it."