Glenbard East catches Naperville North
The DuPage Valley Conference contest had more of a look of a basketball game than a wrestling dual meet.
Glenbard East spotted host Naperville North a 19-point lead, but the Rams had yet to trot out any of their six returning Class 3A state qualifiers.
The Glenbard East sextet all posted decisive wins as the last of them to wrestle — senior 145-pounder Josh Martin — beat the first-period buzzer by 16 seconds to complete a 34-6 run.
The Huskies’ Stevie Schmult had a pin in the final match to shrink the Rams’ 34-31 victory Wednesday night in Naperville.
Glenbard East heavyweight D’Andre Johnson began the Rams’ rally with a third-period fall.
The pin followed five consecutive wins by Naperville North, which staked the squad to a 19-0 lead.
“Everybody who came back (from the state tournament) is working harder to get back there,” Johnson said. “We’re all in it to win it. I always do what is best for the team.”
Carlos Fuentez was the lone state veteran not to wrestle for Glenbard East (8-1, 2-0), but the senior 106-pounder still earned 6 team points with a forfeit.
One match later, Anfarnee Rodgers needed all of 40 seconds to polish off his Naperville North foe at 120 pounds.
The Rams then tied the meet at 22-22 with Dayton Olson securing an 11-1 triumph; the Rams’ senior was the only state returnee not to earn the maximum 6 points.
Jake Drew gave Glenbard East the lead for good; the 132-pound state qualifier had a third-period pin.
Chase Llanes’ shutout victory at 138 brought Naperville North (1-5, 0-2) to within three, but Martin earned the fourth fall among the Rams’ state crew to mathematically clinch the match.
“My mindset was definitely to in there and get the pin,” said Martin, who caught his opponent in a cradle move. “The harder he held onto my leg, the easier it was.”
The Naperville North side was unanimous in its judgment.
“We didn’t get the bonus points when we needed to,” said Naperville North 220-pounder Chris Zang, who had a major decision to conclude the Huskies’ match-opening run.
“I think wrestling is evolving as a sport where they aren’t rewarding aggressiveness,” Naperville North coach Tom Champion said of three consecutive simple-decision wins by Ray DeJesus, Brandon Gilligan and Ben Brancaleon early in the match.
“We just didn’t get the bonus points. I have no shame at all in losing to Glenbard East by three. They’re going to be coming at Glenbard North’s heels for the DVC title.”
Naperville North, which received a first-period fall from Che Woodson in the opening match at 160 pounds, won the night in matches 8-6.
“I wasn’t happy with the way we started,” said Glenbard East coach Kevin Carlson, who was missing three starters. “We will have a different look at the end of the year.”