2012 - 2013 Season Notes

Naperville Central 2012-2013 Preview

The Redhawks are looking forward to another successful wrestling season this year. The varsity will have 22 duals and four tournaments (Hoffman Estates, Whitlatch, Mahomet-Seymour, and DVC Conference. The 'hawks are coached by Rob Porter, Noah Fitzenreider, Jake Sandborn, and Chris Nutt.

• 106: Derek Wilke hopes to continue his efforts hear at 113.

• 113: Senior Yuki Mizoguchi has the upper hand at this weight class. He might see a challenge form Greg Perez. Derek Wilke might move up to 113

• 120: Senior Mitch Lee will find his way to varsity action after wrestling at 113 pounds last year.

• 126: Senior Aidan Kehrli looks to make a splash at 126 this year.

• 132: Sophomore Matt Chobak has a great chance to compete at the varsity level.

• 138: Sophomore Ben Williamson finished 31-15 as a freshman last year.

• 145: John Needham and Andrew Cassioppi will compete for the varsity position at 145 and 152 this year.

• 152: Hunter Stephens wrestled varsity at 145 all year last year and could end up at 152 or 160. John Needham might move up a weight class. Sophomore Rick Marciniak will look to push for a spot as well.

• 160: Eric Reents completed all summer and looks to fight for a varsity spot this year.

• 170: Justin Tardy will compete at 170 or 182 this year and hopes to continue his winning ways. Adam Jankowski might make a splash here as well.

• 182: Louie Giovannetti competed at the F/S state tournament last year and will battle for a varsity position here.

• 195: Ryan Berg will return after just missing a place at state last year. He won 36 matches last year. Junior Matt Alber will wrestle here as well.

• 220: Luke Roth competed at 220 this summer successfully. Look for this two-time state qualifier to return.

• 285: Joe Saleh wrestled at 285 this summer. Nate Teske might see action at heavyweight as well.

NCHS Starts Season at Home

Naperville Central start season 1-2

NCHS 52 - Lane Tech 27, NCHS 32 - Downers Grove South 40, NCHS 19 - Batavia 34

November 24, 2012

Naperville Central starts the year 1-2 by defeating Chicago Lane Tech 52-27, then losing to Downers Grove South 32-40 and Batavia 19-34. Against Lane Tech, the Redhawks scored seven falls in eleven contested matches. Joe Saleh won his first varsity match with a fall late in the third period. Freshman Shuji Mizoguchi scored a major decision to chalk up his first win as a Redhawk and his brother Yuki Mizoguchi nailed down a fall at 120 pounds.

NCHS lost to Downers Grove South 32-40. Andrew Cassioppi scored a 10-4 victory at 145 pounds and Justin Tardy scored his second fall of the day. In perhaps the most exciting match of the day, John Needham won 7-6 in double overtime. Needham scored a key takedown in the second overtime and held on for the win.

In the final dual of the day, NCHS lost to Batavia 19-34. Triple winners in the event include Derek Wilke wrestling at 113 pounds and Ben Williamson wrestling at 138 pounds. Wilke was the lead team point getter with three falls on the day. He wins the "I'm Somebody" Award for his efforts. Williamson scored a match winning escape in the final seconds of his match against Batavia to win 6-5. Also noteworthy: Eric Reents wrestled well in a 9-1 victory at 170 pounds.

NCHS JV1 team finished 1-1 defeating Stagg and losing to DGS.

NCHS JV2 team finished 1-2 at Ottawa

NCHS freshman took 1st place in the 9 team Hinsdale South Freshman tournament with three champions: Marchello Barbarotta, Tony Biondo, and Alex Hunter. Congrats Freshman.

NCHS drops dual to Glenbard East

Naperville Central dropped the DVC opening dual to Glenbard East by a score of 26-32 at home. Glenbard East won eight of the fourteen matches contested.

Eric Reents and Louie Giovannetti were both pinned to start the dual, putting the Redhawks down by 12. Ryan Berg opened his 2012 season with a technical fall at 195 pounds. He won 19-3. Luke Roth also opened the season with a win. Luke scored a major decision 13-5 to pull the Redhawks to within 3 in the team score. Joe Saleh battled but lost an exciting 7-8 decision at heavyweight.

Circling back to 106 pounds, freshman Shuji Mizoguchi started down by four after getting cradled. Shuji fought back to take a 5-4 match lead, but was cradled again in the third period to fall behind 5-9. The wrestlers traded reversals to make the score 7-11. Then in the final seconds, Shuji reversed and scored three nearfall to win in dramatic fashion. Shuji earns "I'm Somebody" honors for his match.

Glenbard East then ran off five decisions in a roll. Derek Wilke was defeated 10-15, Yuki Mizoguchi fell 8-14, Aidan Kehrli lost 0-8, Matt Chobak got beat 7-12, and Ben Williamson was upended 2-10. Those wins iced the dual for the Rams, but the Redhawks ended the contest with three straight wins. Andrew Cassioppi scored a fall at 145 pounds and Hunter Stephens also locked down a pin at 152 pounds. John Needham finish with a hard fought 2-0 decision.

Central won the JV1 contest 47-22, Glenbard East won the JV2 contest 36-49. The Redhawks freshman won 48-27.

NCHS Competes at Mega Duals

NCHS goes 0-3 at West Aurora's Mega Duals

NCHS 24 - Neuqua Valley 47 / NCHS 9 - St. Charles East 60 / NCHS 28 - Oswego 41

December 1, 2012

Naperville Central (1-6, 0-1 DVC) lost all three contests at the Mega Duals held at West Aurora High School. Central was without the services of 120 pounder Yuki Mizoguchi, 138 pounder Ben Williamson, and 220 pounder Luke Roth who were all injured in the Friday battle against Glenbard East. All three are expected to recover quickly

NCHS began the day matching up with Neuqua Valley. Central won 5 of the 11 matches contested. Shuji Mizoguchi won by major decision, Derek Wilke scored a technical fall at 113 and Louie Giovannetti earned a 10-5 decision. Hunter Stephens and John Needham each locked down second period falls.

NCHS then faced St. Charles East. Central winners in the dual were Louie Giovannetti and Ryan Berg. The pair scored 15 takedowns in their two matches.

The day ended against Oswego. Hunter Stephens and Ryan Berg both won by forfeit. Shuji Mizoguchi and Joe Saleh nailed down a fall in the first period of their matches. Louie Giovannetti earned three more takedowns in route to a 12-0 decision for his third win of the day. In all, Louie scored 13 takedowns in three matches and was recognized as "I'm Somebody" for the day.

The Redhawk JV1 team finished 1-2 in their Megaduals defeating St. Charles East. The Redhawk JV2 team also finished 1-2 beating Lockport. The Redhawk freshman took 4th place at the 8 team Lyon's Freshman Tournament. Kyle Hildebrand scored three pins in route to a gold medal.

NCHS drops dual to Wheaton North

NCHS 17 - Wheaton North 55

December 6, 2012

Naperville Central lost to Wheaton North at North by a score of 17-55. Wheaton North took advantage of two forfeits that Central gave up at 120 and 220 pounds.

Wheaton North came started the dual with two straight pins at 170 and 182 pounds. Ryan Berg got central on the board with a solid effort at 195 pounds. Ryan scored 8 takedowns in his match to win by technical faill 23-5. After the forfeit at 220, Wheaton North scored a fall at heavyweight. Joe Saleh was up by one late in his match when he was he was reversed to his back.

Shuji Mizoguchi battled but lost at 106 pounds by a score of 7-12. Shuji was up by one midway through the third period. Derek Wilke then won a heart-stopper at 113 pounds. Wilke was awarded a penalty point that tied the score late in the match and then scored the winning escape with less than 10 seconds to win by one. Wilke earned the team's "I'm Somebody" award for his performance.

Aidan Kehrli lost by fall at 126. Ben Williamson got the six points back with a fall in the second period of his match at 132 pounds. Wheaton North then rattled off three big wins in a row. Chobak was pinned at 138 pounds, Andrew Cassioppi and Hunter Stephens were both defeated by technical fall at 145 and 152 pounds. John Needham ended the dual on the positive side with a tough 7-2 decision at 160 pounds.

Naperville Central JV1 team won 47-22 and the freshman squeaked out a 36-35 victory.

Wheaton North won the JV2 dual 21-48.

Naperville Central defeats West Aurora

NCHS 37 - West Aurora 30

December 7, 2012

Naperville Central won a tough battle with West Aurora at WA High School by a score of 37-30. Central won eight of the 14 matches contested.

Starting at 182 pounds, West Aurora scored a pin against Louie Giovannetti. The Redhawks answered with a fall from Ryan Berg. Berg scored seven takedowns before getting the pin in the third period. Luke Roth returned to the Redhawk line-up with an impressive 10-1 major decision at 220 pounds to build the team score to 10-6 in favor of NCHS.

Joe Saleh provided some fireworks at the heavyweight division. Both wrestlers locked and threw each other several times in the contest, but Saleh ended up with a third period fall after scoring on a single leg takedown. Saleh fall earned him the team's "I'm Somebody" award for his exciting win.

Not to be outdone, Shuji Mizoguchi provided some edge-of-your-seat excitement of his own. Shuji scored four points in the final period to tie the score of his match 4-4, then shot and scored the winning takedown right away in overtime. His win brought the team score to 19-6. After Derek Wilke was pinned at 113 pounds, Senior Mitch Lee made his 2012 wrestling debut with an 8-6 decision at 120 pounds.

Aidan Kerli just missed getting a victory at 126 pounds, losing 3-4. West Aurora was within 7 points on the team score. The Redhawks and Blackhawks then traded pins. Ben Williamson scored a last first period pin at 132 pounds. Matt Chobak was pinned at 138 pounds. With just four matches left, Junior Andrew Cassioppi won a key match at 145 pounds. Andrew scored a key takedown with nearfall in the second period and coasted to an 8-3 decision. Hunter Stephens then iced the dual with a great performance at the 152 weight class. Stephens scored a fall in 1:45 seconds. John Needham lost his match by decision 3-7 and Eric Reents was pinned late in his match at 170 pounds.

NCHS swept all four duals on this night. The JV1 team won 39-30, the JV2 team fought to a tight 38-37 win and the freshman continued to impress with a great 40-24 victory.

NCHS takes 5th at the Hoffman Estates "Hawk" Tournament

Berg, Roth Crowned Champions

December 8, 2012

Twelve Redhawks placed in the 11 team "Hawk" tournament held at Hoffman Estates Tournament. Naperville Central took 5th place, just 3.5 points outside third place.

Luke Roth won his first high school tournament with a solid performance at 220 pounds. Luke won his three matches by scored of 12-2, 12-4, and 7-2. Luke scored 11 takedowns in the three matches combined and did not give up a single offensive point. In the finals match, Luke scored five points in the final period to win 7-2. For his efforts, he was awarded the team's "I'm Somebody" Award.

Ryan Berg won the tournament as well with a great performance of his own. Ryan won 13-3, 5-2 and battled to a 3-2 victory in the finals against Santana from Elgin. Berg scored the key takedown midway through the second period.

Ben Williamson scored two decisions to make the finals of the tournament at 132 pounds. Ben won 8-2 in the second round and a 7-2 decision in the semifinals. In the finals against Alcock of New Trier, Ben scored a big takedown in the first period and held on for a 2-0 lead after the first period. Ben was taken down to his back in the second period and ended up losing 4-10.

Shuji Mizoguchi, Derek Wilke, Mitch Lee, Hunter Stephens, and Louie Giovennetti all took fourth place for the Redhawks. Louie was unseeded in the tournament and defeated the second seed to make the semifinals. Hunter Stephens defeated the (then unbeaten) third seed Heneghan of Niles Notre Dame to make the semifinals. Mizoguchi defeated the third seed by technical fall to advance to the semis.

John Needham finished 4-1 on the day to take 5th place. Andrew Cassioppi chalked up two victories to take 5th place as well. Joe Saleh lost in double overtime to the eventual champion and went on to take 6th place. Matt Chobak wrestled as a non-scorer at 132 pounds and also took 6th place. Chobak and Aiden Kehril both won a match in the event.

The NCHS JV1 tournament won all three duals at the Streamwood dual tournament to take first place. Central defeated Highland Park 84-0, then Downers Grove South 45-25 and finally beat Dekalb in the finals 39-24.

The NCHS freshman also won all three of their duals at Lyons Township high school. They defeated Lyons 54-27, Fenwick 79-0, and Glenbard South 71-12.

Naperville Central Defeats Wheaton Warrenville South

NCHS 42 - WWS 25

December 13, 2012

Naperville Central improved to 2-2 on the year in the DVC after defeating WWS at Wheaton on Thursday. The injury bug hit the Tiger as they forfeited four of the 14 weight classes to the Redhawks.

The starting weight class was 182. Justin Tardy and Ryan Berg both picked up forfeits. Luke Roth scored two takedowns then cradled and pinned his opponent at 220. Joe Saleh won one of the more exciting matches of the night. After a 0-0 draw in the first period, Joe escaped and locked up a body lock that resulted in a pin. The heavyweight won in the second period.

Shuji Mizoguchi and Derek Wilke each picked up forfeits at 106 and 113 respectively. Senior Mitch Lee scored two takedowns in the first period and cruised to an 8-2 decision at 120. With the team score at 39-0, the Tigers came back with three wins of their own. Aidan Kehrili was defeated 3-13 and Matt Chobak was pinned. Ben Williamson battled to a 0-0 tie until late in the third period when his opponent scored an escape to win 0-1.

Andrew Cassioppi scored a reversal late in the first period to tie his score 2-2. After giving up an escape in the second period, he chose down and escaped to tie the score again in the third. Andrew battled for the key takedown midway through the third period on a high crotch - double and held on to win 5-4. Andrews efforts earned him the team's "I'm Somebody" award for the evening. Wheaton scored a pin against Hunter Stephens at 152. John Needham was defeated 2-6 at 160 and Eric Reents lost at 170 to bring the final team score to 42-25.

The NCHS JV1 team won 57-15. Wheaton-Warrenville South won the JV2 contest 21-33. The Redhawks won at the freshman level 55-19.

Redhawks Take 7th at 25 Team Whitlatch

Luke Roth crowned Champion / Berg, Wilke, and Williamson Place

December 15, 2012

Naperville Central placed 7th at the 25 team Whitlatch Tournament held at Hinsdale Central High School. The two day event was won by Oak Park River Forest. Sandburg took second.

Luke Roth receive the second seed. On Friday, after receiving a bye in the first round, Luke pinned Roach from Dekalb and went home. Return Saturday, Luke pinned Allen of Hinsdale Central to qualify for the semifinals. There he faced Hecox of Harlem. Luke scored the key takedown in the second period had battled to a 3-2 victory. In the finals Luke scored the first takedown against Pyle of Hinsdale midway through the first period. An escape by Pyle made the score 2-1. Pyle escaped again early in the second period and took the lead with a takedown early in the second. Roth took little time coming off the bottom for an escape to close within one, then battled for a huge double leg takedown late in the second period. With the score 5-4, Luke chose bottom to start the third period and quickly escaped to make the score 6-4. The two wrestlers battled for position for the reminder of the time and Luke held on for the championship. Luke is two for two in championship matches this year. The senior earns the team's "I'm Somebody" with his gold medal performance.

Ryan Berg defeated Patula of DGS 13-4 and then pinned Akre of Geneseo to advance to the semifinals in the tournament. There he faced Thurman of Proviso West. Thurman scored the match winning takedown late in the third period to win 3-1. Berg prevailed in the consolation semifinals with a 74 decision against Johnson of Bellville West. Ryan faced Lee of Oak Park River Forest in the third place match. The match also extended late into the third period 1-1 before Lee scored in the final seconds to win 1-5. Ryan Berg finished 4th in the tournament.

Derek Wilke finished 3-3 in the tournament and ended up in 6th place. Wilke chalked up a fall against Schnell of Moline and an 8-0 major decision against Noverini of St. Charles North to qualify for a place. Derek defeated McGee of DeKalb to get into the top six. Wilke scored eight takedowns in the tournament.

Ben Williamson turned in the most workman-like effort, finishing the tournament with a 5-2 record. Williamson won 16-0 in the first round, then won by scores of 16-1, 7-1, and 5-0 in the wrestlebacks to qualify for a place. Ben won by injury default to finish in 7th place.

Jos Saleh won three matches in the tournament and just missed placing at heavyweight. Saleh recorded three falls. Senior Mitch Lee won two matches at 120 pounds. Hunter Stephens battled to two victories at 152, both of them falls. John Needham also won two matches at 160. Justin Tardy earned a hard fought victory at 182, winning 4-3 in double overtime in the first round. Tardy added a second victory in the wrestle-backs. Shuji Mizoguchi and Andrew Cassioppi both earned a pin in the event. Kehrli and Reents both battled gallantly but were unable to pick up a win.

The JV1 team won all three of their duals at Joliet Central High School, winning by scores of 55-16, 55-18, and 64-12. The freshman team also added three dual victories by scores of 48-24, 70-6, and 69-21. The JV2 team competed at the Maine South F/S tournament taking 8th place. Matt Chobak took 3rd place at 132. Szczap, Schwiekart and O'Connor each took 4th.

Glenbard North tops Naperville Central

NCHS 22 - GNHS 55

December 21, 2012

Glenbard North defeated Naperville Central 22-55 in a dual held at Naperville. Louie Giovannetti last by decision at 170 pounds and Justin Tardy was defeated by fall at 182. The Redhawks responded with three wins in a row. Senior Ryan Berg won by fall in the first period and his partner Luke Roth added a major decision at 220, winning 13-4. Roth scored five takedowns in his match. Joe Saleh scored a pin at heavyweight in a match that brought the home crowd to their feet.

The Panthers answered with six wins in a row. Mizoguchi and Wilke were defeated by fall. Mitch Lee was defeated by decision at 120 pounds. Kehrli, Williamson, and Chobak were all defeated by fall. Senior Hunter Stephens got the Redhawks back on the board with an exciting match at 145. Hunter scored a couple of takedowns in the first period and locked down a pin in the second period. Hunter was recognized as the "I'm Somebody" winner for his performance. Needham lost by fall and Reents was defeated by technical fall to end the dual.

GN also won at the JV1, JV2 and freshman levels.

Central defeats Niles West, loses to Hinsdale Central and Sandburg

NCHS 46 - Niles West 12, NCHS 28 - Hinsdale Central 45, NCHS 13 - Sandburg 54

December 22, 2012

Naperville Central finished 1-2 in a quadrangular at home against top opponents. Luke Roth and Ben Williamson led the Redhawks, each with three wins on the day. Williamson scored two falls and a decision at 132 pounds including a fall in just 12 seconds. Williamson earns the "I'm Somebody" award for his performance. Luke Roth won by forfeit, then won 5-1 in a rematch of the championship match at the Whitlatch tournament. Luke closed out the day with a solid 7-1 decision against Sandburg.

Several Redhawk wrestlers finished 2-1 on the day. Shuji Mizoguchi won two matches at 106 pounds. He won by fall against Hinsdale Central and won 7-6 against Niles West. Derek Wilke added two pins in his efforts at 113 pounds. Hunter Stephens came from behind twice to chalk up two wins at 145 pounds, scoring decisions of 12-7 and 18-12. Ryan Berg added two more wins to his total at 195 pounds. Ryan won 4-1 and 12-3 and contributed five more takedowns to his stats. Joe Saleh scored four points in the final seconds of his match against Niles West to pull out a 4-3 decision and won 7-3 against Sandburg.

Senior Aidan Kehrli won 10-8 in an exciting match at 120 pounds against Niles West. Down 4-5 entering the final period, Kehrli scored a reversal and two takedowns in the final frame to win 10-8. John Needham scored a late takedown in his match against NW to win 7-6. Mitch Lee and Justin Tardy also earned wins.

The Redhawk JV1 team also competed in the event and finished 2-1 on the day. NCHS defeated Niles West 80-0 and Hinsdale Central 69-12 before losing to Sandburg 28-44.

The Redhawk freshman won all three duals at Plainfield North on Saturday.

Redhawks sweep duals at Naperville Quad

NCHS win all three duals at home

NCHS 41 - Plainfield East 21, NCHS 41 - Stevenson 27, NCHS 59 - St. Charles North 6

December 28, 2012

The Redhawks close out the 2012 calendar with three victories at home. Naperville Central is now 7-10 on year in duals. Central defeated Plainfield East in the first dual by 20 points, then defeated Stevenson by 14 and closed out with a win against St. Charles East in a landslide.

Shuji Mizoguchi won three decisions, two by major decision on the day. Shuji added seven more takedowns to his total. Senior Mitch Lee earned three wins, one by pin and two more by major. Ben Williamson seems to be heating up. Ben scored two wins by pin and a third by major. Hunter Stephens was the big winner on the day with thee falls, two of which in come-from-behind fashion. Ryan Berg was undefeated on the day with two decisions and a forfeit. Luke Roth also won all three of his bouts including a hard fought 2-1 victory against Posholk of St. Charles North.

Derek Wilke added two to the win column on the day with a fall and an 12-0 major decision shut-out. Senior Aidan Kehrli looked very impressive, scoring a total of 13 takedowns and two victories by major decision. Aidan seemed to be shooting first, and asking questions later. Aidan earned team honors, bringing home the "I'm Somebody" Award for his efforts.

Senior John Needham earned a couple of wins, both by fall. Eric Reents scored a fall and a hard fought 6-2 victory at 160 pounds. Eric nailed down two sets of near-fall in his decision. Justin Tardy was also a two match winner with two victories by fall. The heavyweight, Joe Saleh, scored two wins as well, one by fall and one by major decision. Matt Chobak, sophomore, also competed at 138 pounds.

Naperville Wrestling finishes 2-1 at Downers Grove North

NCHS 63 - Champaign Central 6, NCHS 74 - Hillcrest -1, NCHS 30 - DGN 33

January 5, 2012

Naperville Central (9-11) defeated Champaign Central and Hillcrest, but lost to Downers Grove North at DGN. Naperville Central started with Champaign Central first. NCHS won nine of ten contested matches and picked up four forfeits in the first contest. Derek Wilke, Ben Williamson and Andrew Cassioppi each scored wins by fall. Mitch Lee won by technical fall by a score of 17-2. Aidan Kehrli won his match in double overtime 9-7. Aidan scored when his opponent locked his hands on top, then scored a key reversal in the first half of double overtime. Other winners were Shuji Mizoguchi, John Needham, Eric Reents, and Ryan Berg. Giovannetti, Tardy, Roth, and Saleh all won by forfeit.

Next up the Redhawks faced Hillcrest. Naperville Central won all eight contested matches. Wilke, Lee, Williamson and Matt Chobak each recorded falls. Matt Chobak, down by five points, scored a late third period reversal and tightened down his pin with only :28 seconds remaining his match. Matt was honored as the team's "I'm Somebody Award" for his outstanding effort. Giovannetti and Tardy each one by a major decision, Reents and Kerhli both recorded wins as well. The Redhawks picked up five wins by forfeit. Hillcrest had a point deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct.

In the marquee match of the night, Naperville Central faced host Downers Grove North. Mitch Lee started the dual and scored a 7-3 decision at 120 pounds. Aidan Kehrli scored a key takedown in the third period and rode his opponent out for a 4-2 decision at 126 pounds. Ben Williamson added a technical fall, winning 23-8 at 132 pounds. The win put the Redhawks up 11-0 in the team score. Lee, Kehrli, and Williamson each finished the day 3-0. Williamson racked up 20 takedowns.

The Trojans responded with four wins in a row. Chobak, Cassioppi and Reents were all defeated by fall. Needham nearly pulled off an upset at 152 pounds, but fell short, losing 2-3. Downers took a 11-21 team lead.

The two teams traded punches from that point. Louie Giovannetti scored 6-2 win at 170 pounds. Justin Tardy was defeated 2-9 at 182 pounds. Ryan Berg got four takedowns followed by a fall at 195 pounds and Luke Roth added 8 takedowns himself to win by a major decision 18-5. The two wins knotted up the team score at 24 with three matches left. Joe Saleh lost a heart breaker at 285 by a score of 3-4 and Shuji Mizoguchi was pinned at 106 to give the dual to DGN. Derek Wilke ended the dual on a good note for the Redhawks, scoring a first period fall, his third pin of the day.

Naperville Central Defeats Cross Town Rival North

Naperville Central 43 - Naperville North 19

January 10, 2013

Naperville Central (10-11, 3-3 in DVC) defeated DVC foe Naperville North 43-19 in a cross-town classic held at North.

The starting weight class was 195 and featured to stars. Ryan Berg (NC) scored a takedown in the opening period but Walker returned the favor scoring midway through the third period to tie the score 3-3. Berg escaped and scored a second takedown and held on to win 6-5. Luke Roth followed Berg's win with a second period fall to make the team score 9-0 in favor of the 'Hawks.

Joe Saleh lost 6-8 in a very exciting overtime match at heavyweight. The Huskie win put North on the team score board 9-3. Shuji Mizoguchi, up by four in the third period, scored a takedown and a fall midway through the third period at 106 pounds. NNHS answered when Derek Wilke was pinned at 113 pounds making the team score 15-9.

Central scored a couple of wins by their seniors in the next two weight classes. Mitch Lee and Aidan Kehrli each scored three takedowns in their matches. Lee won by major decision 11-3 at 120 pounds and Kehrli won 10-6 at 126 pounds. Naperville North pulled to within 7 team points after they pinned Matt Chobak at 132 pound. Team score 22-15.

The Redhawks pulled away for good by winning the next three matches. Ben Williamson made the jump to 138 pounds and won his match 6-5. Hunter Stephens came from behind and scored an exciting first period pin at 145 pounds, and senior John Needham battled to a very exciting 3-2 nail-bitter. The three wins put Naperville Central up for good 34-15. Eric Reents was defeated by a score of 4-17 at 160 pounds.

Louie Giovannetti scored on a hip toss early in his match and coasted to an 8-4 decision. Justin Tardy fell behind by one after being taken down in the first period, but scored an escape and takedown in the second period that resulted in a fall. Tardy was the final match of the evening and put the icing on the cake. Justin Tardy was awarded the team's "I'm Somebody Award" for his match.

NCHS defeated NNHS 51-19 in the JV1 dual. North won the JV2 dual 15-55, and Central came from behind with three straight falls in the final three bouts to defeat North 41-36.

Naperville Central takes 2nd at M-S Bulldog Invitational

Naperville Central takes 2nd at the 22 team M-S Williams Bulldog Invitational

Berg, Roth crowned champs, 10 Redhawks place

January 12, 2013

Naperville Central took second place at the 22-team M-S Williams Invitational held at Mahomet-Seymour. Ten Redhawks placed in the top 8 including champions Ryan Berg (195) and Luke Roth (220). The Redhawks won 37 matches to just 19 losses. Bellville West bettered NCHS by just 13.5 team points. Yorkville came in third place.

Ryan Berg, 195, got the number one seed and drew a bye into the quarterfinals. There, Ryan defeated Lawrence of Rock Island by a score of 12-3. In the semifinals, Ryan defeated Weltha of Bloomington 7-3. In the championship match, Berg scored three more takedowns for a 9-3 victory against Sebby of Sandwich. Berg scored 10 takedowns in the tournament and was recognized by the team with the "I'm Somebody Award."

Luke Roth, 220, also got the number one seed and also drew a bye into the quarterfinals. Roth won by fall against Stehl of Normal West in the first period. In the semifinals, Luke edged Davis of Bellville West by a 2-1 margin. Luke scored four takedowns in route to a 9-3 victory in the championship match against Landin of Andrew. Landin entered the match with a record of 23-0.

Ben Williamson, 132 pounds, finished in fourth place after winning 15-0 and then 7-4 in the quarterfinals. Ben lost in overtime to Wiggins of Rock Island 1-6 and then lost in his third place match also in overtime by a score of 6-8.

Four Redhawks finished in fifth place, each finishing with a record of 4-1. In the sixteen wins, eleven were by fall. At the 106 pounds, freshman Shuji Mizoguchi scored two falls and won 6-0 against Collins of Mattoon in the place match. At 113, sophomore Derek Wilke added three pins of his four wins and won 8-3 in his place match verses Emma of Sandwich. Junior Louie Giovannetti had three pins of his own including a pin in his place match against Cajina of Yorkville. Finally, senior Joe Saleh locked down three pins, the last to Brann of Tinley Park Andrew in his fifth place match.

Seniors Mitch Lee and Hunter Stephens ended the day with a 3-2 record and in 6th place. Lee had a decision, technical fall and fall in his three wins. Stephens won all three of his matches by fall.

Matt Chobak finished the day 2-1 for 7th place. Aidan Kehrli finished 2-2 with a pin, John Needham, Eric Reents, and Justin Tardy all got a win in the tournament.

The Naperville Central JV2 team lost all three of their duals in a quad at Oswego, losing to Oswego, Lockport, and Minooka. The Naperville Central freshman team swept their quad at Neuqua Valley, defeating Neuqua 69-4, Leyden 61-15 and Glenbard East 54-10.

Naperville Central defeats West Chicago

NCHS 71 - West Chicago 3

December 18, 2013

Naperville Central (11-11, 4-3 DVC) completed their dual meet schedule with a win at home on senior night against West Chicago by a score of 71-3. Seniors recognized were: Nick Pratt (videographer and technician), Emily Weithman, Sara Snyder, Lauren Michael, and Connie Harrington (wrestling managers), Ryan Berg, Aidan Kehrli, Nathan Klass, Mitch Lee, Yuki Mizoguchi, John Needham, Eric Reents, Luke Roth, Joe Saleh, Hunter Stephens, Justin Tardy, and Joey Wheeler.

The NCHS Wrestling team recognized honorary captain Connor Hunt, also the team's "I'm Somebody Award Winner."

The Hawks won 9 of the 10 matches contested. Scoring pins were Shuji Mizoguchi, Yuki Mizoguchi, Nathan Klass, Louie Giovannetti, Ryan Berg, and Luke Roth. Eric Reents and Justin Tardy won by major decision by scores of 13-0 and 16-8 respectively. John Needham recorded a 7-2 decision. Aidan Kehrli lost 11-18. Mitch Lee, Matt Chobak, Ben Williamson, and Joe Saleh all received forfeits.

JV and freshman scored were not kept. The Redhawks won 14 of 16 contested matches within the underlevels.

Naperville competes in JV DuPage Valley Conference

NCHS takes 3rd in JV1 and 3rd in JV2 tournaments

January 19, 2013

The Naperville Central junior varsity teams competed in the DVC tournaments this weekend. Central hosted the JV1 tournament and travelled to Naperville North for the JV2 tournament. The Redhawks took third at both events. Glenbard North won the JV1 tournament and Naperville North won the JV2 tournament.

At the JV1 tournament, the Redhawks sent four wrestlers into the finals. Greg Perez, Yuki Mizoguchi, and Nathan Klass all finished 2nd and sophomore Nick Nunziato took first at 132 pounds. Nick won by fall in the first period and won in overtime 7-5 in the semifinals. Nick controlled Anthony Deprima of GN for a 11-6 victory in the finals.

At the JV2 tournament, Cam Hayes was crowned champion at 132 pounds and Robby Martins was crowned champion at 160. Luc Jandt, Cory Burkwald, and Alex Hunter all made the finals and finished second.

The NCHS sent all other wrestlers at Libertyville for a quad where wrestlers were matched up by weight class. No team scores were kept.

Central Crowns Two DVC Champions

Naperville Central takes 4th place at DVC Championships. Luke Roth and Ryan Berg bring home gold

January 26, 2013

Naperville Central finished in 4th place at the Dupage Valley Conference Championships this weekend held at Glenbard North High School. Glenbard North won the tournament, Glenbard East took 2nd and Wheaton North took third.

Two Redhawk wrestlers were crowned conference champions, Ryan Berg (195) and Luke Roth (220). Ryan Berg defeated Garcia of West Chicago 15-6 in round one. In the semifinals, Berg battled to a 3-2 victory over Walker of Naperville North. The championship match was won with a double leg takedown in the third period that resulted in a 4-3 victory. Ryan did not allow an offensive point in his three matches and earned the team's "I'm Somebody" award for his achievement.

Luke Roth cruised to a DVC championship. Roth scored four takedowns before pinning Beck of Wheaton Warrenville South in round one. Roth scored four more takedowns in the semifinals to defeat Ward of West Aurora by a score of 9-3. In the championship match, Luke added six more takedowns to major Vincent 13-5.

Senior Justin Tardy advanced to the finals after upsetting number one seed Williams of West Aurora in the semifinals. Tardy scored on a pass-by single in the third period of the match for the deciding takedown. Tardy finished in second place after losing in the finals to Bradford of Wheaton North.

Ben Williamson won three matches in the tournament to finish in third place. Williamson won 2-1 over Wilson of Wheaton North. After losing to Svestka in the semifinals, Williamson pinned Wehde of Glenbard East and defeated Johnnic of Wheaton Warrenville South 9-0.

Four Redhawks finished in fourth place in the tournament. Mitch Lee, Hunter Stephens, and Joe Saleh all ended with a record of 2-2 and Shuji Mizoguchi finished 1-2. In the semifinal wrestle-backs, Mizoguchi defeated Garcia of West Chicago, Lee defeated Thurston of Wheaton North, Stephens pinned Wright of Glenbard East, and Saleh scored a 15 second pin against Edwards of Glenbard North.

Eric Reents scored a 5-1 victory against Wesolek of West Chicago to finish fifth. Likewise, Louie Giovannetti won 5-3 against Hausman of Naperville North to finish fifth. Giovannetti avenged an earlier loss to Hausman. Both Reent and Giovannetti went 2-2 in the tournament.

Aiden Kehrli pinned Woods of Naperville North to finish in 6th place. John Needham battled illness but found a way to defeat Junior of Naperville North for 7th place. Derek Wilke also ended in 7th place.

Five Redhawks Advance to Sectionals Roth 1st, Mizoguchi, Williamson, Stephens, and Berg 3rd

February 2, 2013

At the IHSA Regional Tournament, five Redhawks placed in the top three and advanced to the IHSA Sectional tournament. The Regional Tournament was held at Naperville Central High School.

Senior Luke Roth was crowned Regional Champion at 220 pounds. Roth, the number one seed, advanced to the semifinals with a bye. There, he defeated Zheng of Naperville North by a first period fall. In the finals, Roth controlled Freelund of Metea Valley by a score of 5-0. Roth qualifies for Sectionals for the third time.

Four more Redhawks qualified for the 3rd place match and had to win to advance to Sectionals. All four Redhawks won. Shuji Mizoguchi finished the day 3-1 for third place. The freshman came from behind to defeat Zinzer of West Aurora. Down 3-8 after the first period, Mizoguchi scored a takedown in the second period to cut the deficit to 3, then scored an escape and two takedowns in the final frame to win 10-9. Mizoguchi lost 2-5 in the semifinals, but won 14-2 against MacDonald of Geneva and 11-3 against Oskvarek of Downers Grove South for his bronze.

Ben Williamson defeated Lettieri of Metea Valley by a score of 4-2. In the semifinals, Williamson lost 7-9 in the semifinals, but won two matches in the wrestle-backs to take third. Williamson pinned Rivera of West Aurora, then held on to beat Johnnic of Wheaton Warrenville South 6-4 for his medal.

Hunter Stephens provided the most excitement in the tournament. Stephens lost to the number one seed Hickok of DGS to start the tournament to drop into the wrestle-backs. Stephens scored a fall against Goodin in just 19 seconds. In the wrestle-back semifinals, Stephens faced number 2 seed Graham of Metea Valley. Graham, a state qualifier from last year, took the lead with a takedown in the first period. In the second period, Stephens escaped from the bottom and then headlocked Graham for a fall. A rematch with Engblom of Naperville North followed for third place. The two wrestlers had split a pair of matches earlier in the season. Engblom took a 2-4 lead out of the first period and extended his lead to 3-11 after the second period. In the third period, Stephens scored a reversal and, after letting his opponent escape, scored another headlock and fall late in the third period. Stephens becomes a sectional qualifier for the first time. Stephens gets “I’m Somebody” for his thrilling effort.

Ryan Berg logged the most wrestling minutes in the tournament. Berg opened the tournament with a 10-5 decision against Barry of Downers Grove South. In the semifinals, Berg lost in sudden-death overtime to Watson of Batavia by a score of 9-10. In the wrestle-backs, Berg defeated Adams of Wheaton Warrenville South 3-2 setting up a rematch against Walker of Naperville North for third place. Berg and Walker have met twice before this season and several times in previous seasons. With the score 1-1 in the third period, Berg scored a takedown to take a 3-1 lead. Walker escaped to make the score 3-2. The match went into overtime when Berg was penalized for stalling with just three seconds left in the match. In just 20 seconds into overtime, Berg scored the deciding takedown to win 5-3. Ryan Berg qualifies for Sectionals for the second time.

Six seniors saw their seasons end at the Regional Tournament. Mitch Lee finished the day 1-2. Lee avenged a loss to Drummond by a score of 5-4 in the wrestle-backs. Justin Tardy opened the tournament with a 14-4 win, then he just missed a semifinal victory when he lost 5-6 against Williams of West Aurora. Joe Saleh won 9-5 verses Anderson of Geneva in the wrestle backs. Tardy and Saleh also finished 1-2. Aidan Kehrli, John Needham, and Eric Reents failed to win a match in the tournament.

Junior Louie Giovannetti and Sophomores Derek Wilke and Matt Chobak also failed to win a match in the tournament.

Luke Roth, Ben Williamson State Qualifiers

Luke Roth finishes in 3rd place, Ben Williamson finishes in 4th place at IHSA Sectionals

February 9, 2013

The Redhawk Wrestling Team sent five individuals to the IHSA Sectional Tournament held at Shepard High School and two came away with a birth to the state tournament.

By virtue of winning the Regional Tournament, Luke Roth drew a bye in the opening round of Sectionals. In round two, Roth was pinned by Gore of Sandburg. It was the first time this year that Roth was defeated. Roth's path to state would have to come through the wrestle-backs. Roth defeated Allen of Hinsdale Central by a score of 8-3. In the quarter-final wrestle-back Roth defeated Ocequerra of Downers Grove South. That win set up a match against McGee from St. Rita for a birth to state. Roth scored a takedown in the first period to take a 2-0 lead and added an escape and penalty point in the second period to extend his lead to 4-0. Roth added another takedown in the third period after giving up an escape to win 6-1. The victory makes Roth a three time state qualifier, the most in NCHS history. Luke Roth capped off the tournament with a 4-3 victory against King of Hinsdale Central to finish in third place. Roth's record in the tournament was 4-1 and he wins the team's "I'm Somebody" award.

Ben Williamson began with tournament with a solid 8-0 victory over Marc Kosiek of Hinsdale South. The win put Williamson in the quarterfinals where he lost to Michael O'Connor of St. Rita 2-8. To qualify for state, Willliamson would need to win three matches in a row. That effort began with a win against Balich of Brother Rice by a score of 4-0. In the quarter-final wrestle-backs, Williamson gave up the first takedown to Bianco of Morton, but came back with a takedown of his own in the second period. The takedown proved decisive because Williamson took his opponent to this back and got the fall.

In the semi-final wrestle-back, Ben faced Sanders of Lyons Township. The winner gets the birth to state. Williamson left no doubt - coming out with a takedown and a pair of near-falls to gain an early 7-0 lead. Williamson extended the lead to 12-0 after the second period earning an escape, takedown, and another set of near-falls. Williamson held on for the victory in the third period, winning 13-2 for his 35th win of the year. The newly crowned state-qualifier lost 4-6 against Leveille of Marist and finished the tournament in 4th place with a 4-2 record.

Ryan Berg finished his tournament 2-2 and failed to qualify for state a second time. The 195 pounder began with a 3-1 overtime thriller win against D'Wayne Franklin of Thornton. Berg lost his overtime effort in the quarter-finals verses Threloff of St. Rita by a score of 2-1. On day two of the tournament, Berg scored five takedowns against Sierzega of Brother Rice to win 11-4 and advance to the quarter-final wrestle-backs. Berg lost to Pruitt of Marist in that match by a score of 3-7. Ryan Berg completes the season with a record of 34-7, scoring 111 takedowns and finishing first in three tournaments including DVC Conference.

Senior Hunter Stephens competed aggressively, throwing both of his opponents for takedown and near-fall, but neither throw resulted in a win. Hunter fell behind against Bates of Lyons Township but came back with a big headlock to take the lead. Bates scored later in the tournament and completed a fall. In match two, Hunter scored on another throw verses Threloff of St. Rita to take a 4-0 lead, but was reversed and pinned later in the period. Hunter finishes with a record of 24-17 with an amazing 21 of those wins by fall.

Shuji Mizoguchi was pinned by Silzer of St. Rita and by Lukanich of Marist. The freshman becomes a sectional qualifier.

Luke Roth and Ben Williamson Compete at State

Luke Roth finishes 2-2, Ben Williamson gets two matches

February 14-15, 2013

Luke Roth and Ben Williamson displayed their wrestling talents on the floor of the Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois this weekend. Senior Luke Roth finished with a record of 2-2 and in the top eight of his weigh class. Ben Williamson competed in two matches.

Luke Roth completes his high school wrestling resume in impressive fashion. A three-time state qualifier, Luke just missed getting on the podium. Luke defeated John Benson of New Trier by a score of 8-5 in the opening round of the tournament. Luke was taken down in the first period but scored a takedown in period two to even the match. Luke then scored two takedowns in the final frame to pull away 8-5.

In the quarterfinals, Luke faced Vince Ambrose of New Lenox Providence. After a scoreless first period, Ambrose scored first with an escape in the second period. Roth answered with an escape in the third and the two wrestlers went into overtime tied at 1-1. A minute of sudden-death in neutral position did not decide the match, so each wrestler begins a 30 second period in the down position. Luke Roth looked to gain a reversal in his 30 seconds, but just missed as the period ended with no score. Ambrose escaped with just 10 seconds in his half and added a takedown as Roth lunged for a takedown as the time expired.

Roth took on Wes Pasholk of St. Charles North in the first round of the wrestle-backs. Again both wrestlers scored escapes with Luke scoring in the second period and Pasholk scoring in the third period. In overtime, Roth scored the winning takedown in the final ten second to come away with a 3-1 win.

In round two of wrestle-backs, Luke Roth met Tremont Davis of Bellville West. Davis scored a takedown in the first and second period s to take a 2-4 lead. After an escape by Roth and an escape by Davis (to start the third period), Roth scored a big takedown on the edge of the mat to tie the score at 5-5. Luke Roth allowed an escape to try to get the winning takedown, but Davis scored late. Roth escaped and attempted a takedown to tie, but just missed as time expired.

Ben Williamson saw action in the first round against the number two seeded Doug Johnson of DeKalb. Ben was pinned at 4:55. Ben received a wrestle-back match after Johnson won in round two. Ben’s opponent was Johnny Gosinski of Glenbard North. Gosinski scored a takedown in each period to defeat Williamson 0-7.