Fremd a solid second at Berman Holiday Classic
Minooka was clearly the best in the field at the 60th annual Berman Holiday Classic wrestling tournament but magnificent performances from Michael Mondus and Isiah Pettigrew would give fans of Fremd plenty to celebrate at the end of the day.
No. 8 Minooka would lift the team trophy for the second consecutive year, using its 11 medals to outscore runner-up Fremd 234.5 to 155 and third-place Leyden (147) at the longest running tournament in Illinois at host Palatine on Friday.
The Mondus-Pettigrew duo was unstoppable in their respective divisions to lead a Vikings club which captured 11 overall medals, including five fourth-place medals to help them edge Leyden for second place.
"We knew coming in that Minooka was the favorite, so we set our goals to finish top three, and with some balance throughout our lineup and great work from both Michael and Isiah we were able to reach our goal," said Fremd coach Jeff Keske.
Mondus (20-4 at 160 pounds) and Pettigrew (18-0 at 195) each fell short in their bid to go downstate a year ago, results that fueled an inspired offseason of extra training that each believes has led to a strong first half of the season for the dynamic duo.
"It was heartbreaking to not advance out of sectionals last year, so the focus was on the small details of my game and to be more aggressive with my offense, always looking to score points and add to my lead," said Mondus, who did just that in his 10-3 victory over 2019 state qualifier Elijah Lopez (South Elgin, 13-3) in his final.
Pettigrew recorded a pair of tech-falls en route to his title at 195 pounds and the affable Vikings senior says he's become a sponge in the sport in which he began just two seasons ago.
"I admit that I'm addicted to wrestling, so I'll do whatever it takes to get better, whether in the room or when I go to the Poeta Training Center in Lake Forest," he said.
Pettigrew, No. 6 in the most recent state polls, took a giant step forward in his game during the offseason when he finished second at preseason nationals to the No. 1 rated Rocky Elam from Missouri.
Fremd's Charlie Fifield (23-2) lost in overtime (8-6) to Lake Park sophomore Dominick Mallinder (15-1) in the 126-pound final Friday. Mallinder, who recently won at the Glen Erb Invite, broke a 6-6 deadlock with a takedown with 19.2 seconds remaining in the first extra session. His win helped the Lancers earn fourth place honors over Maine South 122 to 116.5.
"I spent a lot of time in the offseason lifting and working on my fitness and conditioning, and it's been a big difference for me since last season," said Mallinder.
Daniel and Ben Uribe each claimed championship trophies for Leyden. For the senior Daniel (17-1, 138) it was his second straight at the Berman.
"My fitness and strength wasn't what it should have been late in the season last year because I was cutting weight so that was my focus of my offseason training and now I feel like I'll be ready to go for the postseason," said Daniel Uribe, who was 35-5 a year ago, and one win from going downstate.
Jake Jozwiak (Grayslake North) won his second tournament title of the season after he recorded a pin at 3:44 over Grant Hansen (17-3) of Maine South, while another Lake County star, Rudy Osornio of Mundelein, won it all at 182.
"Even though I was wrestling two weight classes up last year at sectionals, it was still disappointing to not get downstate, so I've pushed myself, and worked harder so I'm ready when I get there again," said Osornio, who raised his record to 21-2 after his 3-2 victory over Dalton Wood of Richmond-Burton.
Jozwiak pinned his way to his 132-pound crown to cap what the North senior felt was his best effort in recent outings.
"I was really happy with my overall performance. I attacked from the opening whistle, finished off my shots for points, was physical, and felt the best that I have in awhile," said Jozwiak, who was 35-11 last season, and one win away from advancing into the Class 2A state tournament.