Naperville Central opens the 2013-2014 wrestling season 2-1 at home
November 30, 2013
NC 47 – Batavia 9
NC 28 – Downers Grove South 35
NC 63 – Lane Tech 18
The Naperville Central wrestling team opens the 2013-14 season by winning two of three at home. Central defeated Batavia in the first dual by a score of 47-9. Of the twelve matches contested, Naperville won ten. Freshman Jake Keating won by fall in 15 seconds to start season. Shuji Mizoguchi scored the first takedown by lost to Doranski by a score of 2-7. Then the Redhawks reeled of nine wins in a row. Veteran starter Derek Wilke won 17-4. Connor Cesaretti won 6-3 and Cam Hayes won 8-0. Ben Williamson scored a 15-0 technical fall at 138 and Matt Chobak followed with a 22-7 technical fall of his own. Rick Marciniak won by fall. Riley Guttosch and Robby Martins both won by major decisions 13-3 and 15-5 respectively. Kyle Hildebrand won by fall. Alex Hunter lost by fall at the end of the dual.
Downers Grove South won a closely contested dual in the second contest of the day. Both teams gave up two forfeits. Central had four wins. Derek Wilke came from behind to win 4-2. Connor Cesaretti won his second match of the day 10-2. Ben Williamson scored two sets of nearfalls in the third period to win 6-2 against Nugent in the match of the night. Rick Marciniak scored a last second fall in the second period.
NCHS won nine of ten matches in the last dual against Chicago Lane Tech. Pins were scored by Mizoguchi, Wilke, Cesaretti, Williamson, Chobak, Guttosch, Hildebrand, and Hunter. Derek Wilke won his match 6-2.
The Redhawk JV1 team finished 3-0 on the day beating Batavia 56-9, Stagg 42-33, and Downers Grove South 40-30. JV2 team beat DGS 65-12 and lost to Stagg 30-50. The freshman competed at the Hinsdale Central tournament. Christian Nussbaum was the champion at 220 pounds.
Naperville Central falls to Lake Park
NCHS 20 - LP 45
December 6, 2013
The Redhawks fell to Lake Park by a score of 20-45 at Lake Park. The dual started at 126 where Connor Cesaretti lost by fall in the final second. Cam Hayes was pinned at 132. Nick Nunziato added some excitement to the dual when he scored five point in the waning seconds with a headlock to win 8-5. Nick won the team’s “I’m Somebody”award for his victory. Ben Williamson added a win at 145 pounds by a score of 11-0. Rick Marciniak lost a hard fought match 3-9 at 152 pounds.
Riley Guttosch battled to a 6-3 win, scoring four points in the last period. Lake Park then ran off six wins in a row. Robby Martins lost 6-10 at 170, Kyle Hildebrand lost by fall at 182. The Redhawks forfeited 195. Alex Hunter lost at 220 by a score of 4-9. Hayden Saldivar entered the line-up at heavyweight and was pinned. Jake Keating lost by fall in a match that saw 17 points scored in three minutes.
Shuji Mizoguchi and Derek Wilke both got the Redhawks on the board with consecutive pins at 113 and 120 respectively.
The Hawks defeated Lake Park at JV1 by a score of 36-30. They won the JV2 dual 48-18 and the freshman won 66-24.
Naperville Central finishes 2-1 at the Megaduals
NCHS 50 - NV 24
NCHS 12 - St. C E 63
NCHS 42 - Oswego 28
December 7, 2013
Naperville Central Wrestling is now 4-3 in the young season (0-1 in DVC) after winning two of three at the Mega-Duals held at Wheaton Warrenville South High School.
In the opening dual, the Redhawks defeated Neuqua Valley by a score of 50-24. The Hawks scored the first takedown in 8 of the 11 contested matches. Rick Marciniak started the dual with a close 2-1 win. Riley Guttosch followed that up with a pin and Robby Martins won by major decision 13-4. Kyle Hildebrand lost to top ranked Swier of NV. Alex Hunter was pinned at 220.
The Rehawks gave up a forfeit at 195 and Neuqua Valley gave up forfeits at 285 and 106. Derek Wilke scored a fall at 113 to put the Hawks up 31-18 in the team score. Evin Kilicarslan lost by fall at 120. Connor Cesaretti won the most exciting match of the dual when he scored on a shuck in overtime to win 3-1. Nick Nunziato won 10-1 with a major decision. Ben Williamson chalked up a first period fall at 138. Matt Chobak finished the dual with a pin of his own.
The Redhawks lost to St. Charles East in the second dual of the night by a score of 12-63. Nothing seemed to go right for NCHS in the dual. Ben Williamson defaulted by injury late in his match due to a shoulder injury.
Naperville Central came back to win the final match of the day against Oswego by a score of 42-28. Matt Chobak scored his second pin of the day. Nick Nunziato also won by fall. Shuji Mizoguchi and Derek Wilke and Riley Guttosch all won by technical fall. Mizoguchi finished the day 3-0. Robby Martins won 4-1 to finish 3-0 on the day. Martins did not have an offensive point scored on him and was awarded with the team’s “I’m Somebody”for his efforts.
The JV1 team finished 3-0 in their Mega-dual efforts. They defeated Neuqua Valley 50-12, Oswego 48-30, and St. Charles East 36-27. The JV2 team finished 1-2 on the day. They lost to Rockton Hononegah 36-60 and Oswego 36-54 and they beat St. Charles East 33-30. The Freshman finished 5thin the tough 8 team tournament at Lyons Township High School. Jake Keating, Laddie Skarecky, Alex Raulicks, and Christian Nussbaum were all crowned champions of the tournament. Brayden Templeton took 2nd, and Gabe Villa took 3rd.
Naperville Central loses to Glenbard North
December 12, 2013
Naperville Central was downed by Glenbard North at the DVC dual held at GNHS. The Panthers racked up six pins and three technical falls against the Redhawks. Central gave up forfeits at 170 pounds and 195 pounds. Ben Williamson did not wrestle due to a shoulder injury and Robby Martins was out of the line-up at 170.
Central Upended by Glenbard East
December 13, 2013
Naperville Central lost to DVC foe Glenbard East at GEHS. The Rams found a way to win four matches decided by two points or less. Derek Wilke scored five points in the final frame but was unable to close the gap losing 8-10. Nick Nunziato was edged by a score of 8-9 at 138 pounds. Rick Marciniak scored eight points in the final period but lost his bid to come from behind losing 8-9. Kyle Hildebrand lost in triple overtime by a score of 3-5.
Riley Guttosch scored three takedowns to win at 160 pounds. He earned the team’s “I’m Somebody” award for his victory.
Ben Williamson and Robby Martins both sat out the dual due to injury.
NCHS takes 6th at 12 team Hoffman Estates Tournament
December 14, 2013
Naperville Central reported to the mat for the third day in a row. In this, the first tournament of the season, the Redhawks took 6th place in the 12 team Hoffman Estates Tournament. Ben Williamson and Derek Wilke made the finals, each taking second place. Rick Marciniak battled to a third place finish. Shuji Mizoguchi and Riley Guttosch both took 4th place, Kyle Hildebrand took 5th place and Evin Kilicarslan took 6th place.
At 138, Williamson’s route to the finals included a technical fall followed by a tough 6-0 win in the semifinals against Brooks from Libertyville. Williamson returned to the line-up after sitting out this week due to a shoulder injury. Derek Wilke, wrestling at 113 pounds, won by fall in the first round and secured a 2-0 win in the semifinals against Veer from Willowbrook.
Rick Marciniak won 11-1 in the first round. After losing in the semifinals, Rick defeated Millsap of Lincoln-Way Central 8-4. Rick came back from a 0-4 deficit to win in come-from-behind fashion. Rick was recognized as the team’s “I’m Somebody” winner for his efforts. Riley Guttosch and Shuji Mizoguchi both finished fourth after both won by fall in the first round.
Kyle Hildebrand earned three victories in the tournament with a win by fall, by decision (6-0) and by injury default to take 5thplace.
Connor Cesaretti, Nick Nunziato, Matt Chobak, and Alex Hunter all came out with a victory in the tournament as well.
The Redhawks finished 2-1 at the JV level at the Streamwood Duals, ending in 3rd place. The Hawks were narrowly defeated by DeKalb in the semifinals 34-40. They defeated Streamwood 74-6 and Downers Grove South 63-12. The freshman team won all three duals competing at Lyons Township. They beat Glenbard South 54-30, Fenwick 52-30 and Lyons 46-45. The win against Lyons was decided by the 9th tiebreaker criteria, most nearfalls scored.
Naperville Central competes at the Whitlatch Tournament
Derek Wilke Places 7th
December 20-21, 2013
Naperville Central wrestling team competed at the Whitlatch tournament this weekend held at Hinsdale Central High School. The tournament includes some of the top ranked teams in Illinois. The top performer for the Redhawks: and “I’m Somebody” winner was Derek Wilke wrestling at 113 pounds. Derek finished with three wins and took 7th place. Derek drew a bye the first round and advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Martinez of Moline by fall. Wilke was defeated by top-ranked Yates of Brother Rice then upended McGee 5-2 to qualify for a place. Wilke pinned Sterns of Sandberg in the second period in the place match to finish in 7th place.
Sophomore Connor Cesaretti won three matches on the day at 126 pounds and just missed placing. Cesaretti defeated Lara of Downers Grove South at Nguyen of Brother Rice by fall and won 5-2 against Johnson of Glenbard West. Rick Marciniak won two matches at 152 pounds He defeated Zimbrich of DGS by fall and Ventris of Moline by a score of 7-2.
Wrestlers who also won matches in the tournament were Shuji Mizoguchi at 106 pounds, Nick Nunziato at 132 pounds, Ben Williamson at 138 pounds, Matt Chobak at 145 pounds, and Riley Guttosch at 160 pounds. Evin Kilicarslan, Kyle Hildebrand, and Hayden Saldivar also competed for the Redhawks.
NCHS underlevel teams competed at Glenbard West on Friday. The JV1 and JV2 team lost while the freshman team won.
On Saturday, the Redhawk Sophomore team took 1stplace at the ten team Maine South Tournament. There were five tournament champions: Jake Keating, Luc Jandt, Cam Hayes, Laddie Skarecky, and Alex Hunter. The JV1 team competed well at Oak Forest, though a bit depleted due to wrestlers competing at Maine South. They lost by 7 to Joliet Central and by 7 to Bolingbrook and also lost to Oak Forest. The freshman gave up five forfeits at their quad at Hinsdale South. Still they only lost by 6 to Hinsdale South and by 5 to Downers Grove South. They were also defeated by Wheaton North.
Naperville Central is defeated by Sandburg
December 28, 2013
Naperville Central fell to the two time defending state champs by a score of 14-52 at home. Four Redhawks managed wins against the Eagles. Derek Wilke scored four takedowns and a pair of nearfalls to win by major decision against Glascott. Cam Hayes entered the line-up at 132 pounds and defeated Hirsch by a score of 9-1. Hayes scored four takedowns in his match including two in the third period to secure a major decision. The effort was rewarded with the team’s “I’m Somebody” Award.
Tony Biondo followed Hayes’s win with a win of his own. The sophomore came from behind with a nearfall in the second period and an escape and takedown in the third to win 8-2. The last victory for NCHS was produced by heavyweight Hayden Saldivar. Saldivar scored takedowns in the first and second period to win 4-0.
The NCHS JV1 team defeated Sandburg 42-28. Pins were posted by Luc Jandt, Sean Piggott, Nick Nunziato, Jimmy Kaeppel, and Christian Nussbaum. Marcello Barbarotta and Mustafa Ahmed earned decisions.
Naperville Central Wrestles at Home
Central finishes 1-2
January 3, 2014
Naperville Central defeated St. Charles North by a score of 49-9 and lost to Plainfield East and Stevenson by scores of 21-46 and 23-49 respectively. Derek Wilke, 113, lead the way for the Redhawks with three wins by scores of 9-1, 21-4, and 12-2. Wilke racked up 14 takedowns on the day and did not give up an offensive point. He was named the team’s “I’m Somebody” Award winner. Ben Williamson, 138, reentered the line-up and locked up three wins of his own. Williamson won 11-0, 9-0, and by fall in 1:52. Williamson also did not give up a single point (including escapes) on the day.
Connor Cesaretti had an excellent day wrestling at 126 pounds. Connor won two matches by scores of 1-0 and 4-2 and lost to highly regarded Krause by a score of 0-1. Matt Chobak, 145, won twice with a 4-3 win and a fall. Rick Marciniak, 152, won two matches by scores of 12-2 and 14-4. Riley Guttosch, 160, picked up two wins, a pin and a forfeit.
Shuji Mizoguchi, Evin Kilicarslan, Cam Hayes, Laddie Skarecky, and Kyle Hildebrand also picked up wins for the Hawks.
The junior varsity team took 4th place at the 12 team Libertyville Invitational. Joe Graf was the top finisher, taking 2nd. Jake Keating, Luc Jandt, Robby Martins, and Christian Nussbaum finished in third place.
Naperville Central at Schaumburg
Wilke and Hayes finish 3-0
January 4, 2014
Naperville Central was defeated by Schaumburg 26-49, by Libertyville 18-59, and by Crystal Lake South 20-45. Derek Wilke completed an undefeated weekend by winning all three of his matches. All three of Wilke’s wins were by fall, including a come from behind victory against Potts from Libertyville. Cameron Hayes also locked down three victories. Hayes defeated Johnson from Libertyville 4-2 and Fetherike from Crystal Lake South by fall. Hayes was recognized with the “I’m Somebody” Award.
Shuji Mizoguchi finished 2-1 including an exciting 10-9 victory against Locascio from Libertyville. Mizoguchi scored three takedowns in the frame with his last takedown in the final seconds to win by one. Ben Williamson finished 2-1 win two wins by fall. Williamson was defeated by Gil of CLS who is currently ranked 2ndin the state. Connor Cesaretti continues his impressive season with two more wins. Cesaretti scored two wins by scores of 7-3 and 5-1 before losing to Polakowski who is also ranked 2nd in Illinois. Matt Chobak earned a fall against Garcia of Schaumburg.
The Naperville Central JV team defeated Schaumburg 48-22 and beat Libertyville 54-21. The Freshman team took 3rd place at the 12 team Hinsdale South Tournament. Laddie Skarecky and Brad Catalano took first while Joe Lopez took 2nd and Michael Norwood took 3rdplace.
Naperville Central lose to Wheaton Warrenville
January 10, 2014
Naperville Central dropped a DVC dual at home to Wheaton Warrenville South by a score of 38-19. After a double forfeit at the 195 pound weight class, Alex Hunter lost to Beck by a score of 4-7. NCHS forfeited at heavyweight as Saldivar continues to nurse a shoulder injury. Mizoguchi got the Redhawks on the winning track with a third period fall at 106. Junior Derek Wilke followed that match with a pin of his own at 1:45. The Tigers then ran off six wins in a row. Evin Kilcarslan was pinned at 120 pounds. Connor Cesaretti was edged by Drummond 3-4. Cam Hayes was defeated by a score of 5-15 at 132 pounds. Ben Williamson lost to Johnic by a score of 2-6 at 138. Matt Chobak was upended by a 3-11 major decision. Rick Marciniak just missed at 152, losing 10-11.
Riley Guttosch scored a 13-4 major decision at 160 pounds. He racked up two takedowns and three sets of nearfall in his victory and was named “I’m Somebody” for his performance. Robby Martins scored a last second escape to pull a 3-2 victory. Kyle Hildebrand was pinned at 182 pounds.
The Redhawk JV1 team won 33-28. The JV2 team won 59-18. The freshman were defeated 31-54.
Naperville Central finishes 1-2 at Downers Grove North
January 11, 2014
NCHS 26 – South Elgin 36
NCHS 39 – Champaign 30
NCHS 17 – DGN 54
Naperville Central wrestled in three duals at Downers Grove North, winning one. Ben Williamson won three matches, 5-2, by fall, and by technical fall 19-4. Ben won the team’s “I’m Somebody” award for his performance. Derek Wilke also finished with three wins, one by forfeit and two pins.
Matt Chobak racked up 11 takedowns in his two wins at 145 pounds. Shuji Mizoguchi got two wins at 106. He won by scored of 4-2 and 16-2. Cameron Hayes added two wins on the day at 132 pounds.
Evin Kilicarslan scored three takedowns in route to a 10-5 victory against Beckemeyer from Champaign Central. Connor Cesaretti, Rick Marciniak, Riley Guttosch, and Alex Hunter also scored wins for the Redhawks.
The Redhawk JV team took 4th place at the 16 team Bolingbrook Tournament. Cam Baumgartner took first place at 100 pounds. Jake Keating took second place at 106 pounds. Luc Jandt took 2nd place at 120 pounds. Nick Nunziato took third place at 132 pounds. Cory Burkwald took third at 145.
The Redhawk JV2 team took 5th place at the JV2 NCHS Tournament. Laddie Skarecky took 1stplace at 170 pounds. Joe Lopez took 2ndat 113. Steven Bumpus took 2ndplace at 160. Cade Wilke took 3rdat 106 pounds. Nick Prater took 3rdplace at 170.
Wheaton North defeats Naperville Central
NCHS wins 6 of 13 contested matches
January 16, 2014
Naperville Central won six matches against Wheaton North at home in a DVC contest. Wheaton North won the dual 27-45. After Matt Chobak and Rick Marciniak were defeated at 145 and 152 pounds, Riley Guttosch scored a first period pin on a headlock. Robby Martins dropped a tough loss at 170 pounds – losing 3-6. Kyle Hildebrand found off several takedown attempts to escape the first period scoreless. He lost in the second period. Alex Hunter was pinned at 220.
Naperville Central then ran off three wins in a row. Hayden Saldivar began with a victory at heavyweight. He scored a key takedown with just seconds remaining in the first period. A quick escape to start the second period put Saldivar in the driver’s seat and he then coasted to a 7-2 win. Saldivar earned the team’s “I’m Somebody” for his accomplishment. Shuji Mizoguchi came out aggressively earning a fall at 106 pounds and Derek Wilke captured a third period fall at 113 pounds. Evin Kilicarslan and Connor Ceseratti both lost by pin at 120 and 126 pounds.
The Redhawks ended the dual with two wins by decisions. Nick Nunziato scored an exciting 12-9 victory wrestling at 132 pounds. Nick scored the first two takedowns in the match to take a lead. His opponent came back with scores of his own and pulled within two point midway through the third period. Nick scored a takedown to help secure the victory. Ben Williamson locked down the key takedown in the first period and held on for a big 2-1 win at 138 pounds.
At the JV1 level, Wheaton North nicked Naperville Central 34-39. The Redhawk JV2 team won 39-33. Wheaton North won at the freshman level 30-50.
Mahomet has four place-winners at Mahomet-Seymour Tournament
Derek Wilke 3rd at113
Shuji Mizoguchi 5th at 106
Ben Williamson 5th at 138
Matt Chobak 7th at 145
January 18, 2014
Naperville Central swept its four place matches at the Mahomet-Seymour “Marty Williams” Invitational at Mahomet. Top finisher was Derek Wilke at 113 pounds. Wilke scored two wins by pin and another by technical fall to finish in third place. Shuji Mizoguchi won three matches to finish in fifth place at 106 pounds. Mizoguchi avenged his first round loss to Vester of Yorkville in the fifth place match win a fall. Mizoguchi was the team’s“I’m Somebody” Award winner. Ben Williamson earned four wins in route to his 5th place finish. Matt Chobak rounded out the place winners ending with a 7th place finish at 138 pounds. Matt ended with a record of 2-1.
Several wrestlers ended with a record of 2-2. Evin Kilicarslan scored a 9-5 win in the preliminary round and later a win by fall in the wrestle-backs. Connor Cesaretti battled out two decisions at 126 pounds. Nick Nunziato won in the preliminary round by a score 14-6 and advanced with another win by injury default. Rick Marciniak also locked down two decision. Marciniak wrestled at 152 pounds.
Riley Guttosch, Robby Martins, Kyle Hildebrand and Alex Hunter also won at the tournament. Naperville Central finished in 14th place at the 21 team tournament. The Redhawks enjoyed some practice mat time at the University of Illinois Huff Hall on Friday night, then watched the Fighting Illini take on Michigan. On Saturday night, the team enjoyed a pizza party before heading back to Naperville.
The NCHS JV2 team finished 1-2 at the Oswego Quad. All duals were very close. The NCHS freshman won all three of their duals at Neuqua Valley. Both the JV2 and freshman teams won duals by tie-breaker criteria.
Naperville Central Defeats West Aurora
Central wins DVC dual
January 23, 2014
Naperville Central defeated West Aurora by a score of 34-32 wrestling at NCHS. The dual started at 152 pounds. Rick Marciniak lost 1-7. Riley Guttosch was defeated by fall in the third period. Robby Martins lost by a major decision at 170 pounds. The three matches put WA up by a team score of 0-13. NCHS got on the board when Kyle Hildebrand scored a 7-6 victory at 182 pounds. Kyle earned an escape and a takedown in the final minute of his match to overcome a two point deficit. Central forfeited at 195 pounds
Alex Hunter scored a takedown in the third period with a back-heal trip to win 4-2. Alex battled throughout the match and gutted out a tough victory. Alex was presented with the “I’m Somebody”Award for his win. Hayden Saldivar was defeated by fall at heavyweight making the team score 6-25 in favor of West Aurora.
Jake Keating won by forfeit at 106 pounds. Shuji Mizoguchi moved up to 113 pounds, but was defeated by a major decision 9-17. The Redhawks were still down by 17 team points when they got two big pins. The first came from Derek Wilke. Wilke moved up to 120 pounds and secured his fall in the second period. Connor Cesaretti scored five takedowns, the fifth turned into the fall. The two pins pull the Redhawks to within five points. Cameron Hayes was defeated by a score of 0-4 at 132 pounds.
Ben Williamson scored three takedowns in route to a 9-0 major decision. West Aurora then forfeited the final match at 145 pounds. The ten team points were enough for the dual victory.
Central won the JV1 dual by a score of 49-22. Central wan the JV2 dual by a score of 36-33. West Aurora won the freshman dual 31-48.
Naperville North Defeats Naperville Central
January 24, 2014
Naperville North won the crosstown clash at Central by a score of 13-42. In 13 contested matches, 11 were decided by decision. The meet started at 145 pounds. Matt Chobak started the dual with a big win 6-4. Matt scored takedowns in the first and second periods and was able to get away from the bottom position in the second and third period to hold on to the victory. Matt earned the team’s “I’m Somebody” for his victory. Rick Marciniak lost at 152 pounds by a major decision.
Riley Guttosch scored two sets of reversal with back points in the first and second periods and that was the difference in a 11-8 win at 160 pounds. North then ran off six wins in a row. Robby Martins was defeated by a score of 4-10. Kyle Hildebrand lost by fall at 182. After Central gave up a forfeit at 195 pounds, Alex Hunter was defeated by a score of 2-14 and Hayden Saldivar was pinned at heavyweight. Jake Keating stepped into the line-up at 106 pounds for the second day in a row. Keating lost by a score of 1-10.
Shuji Mizoguchi won at 113 pounds in what was one of the more exciting matches of the night. The match featured a combined total of 37 points scored with Mizoguchi winning 24-13. Derek Wilke won 7-4 moving up to 120 pounds. Connor Cesaretti lost on a last second takedown 5-6 at 126 pounds. Cameron Hayes was defeated by a score of 3-9. Ben Williamson lost the final match of the night 1-2.
The dual featured senior night. Naperville Central dedicated the night to two outstanding seniors. Four year wrestler Cory Burkwald wrestled under the lights for the final match of the JV dual and didn’t disappoint. Cory locked down a pin in the second period to secure the win in the JV dual against North – final team score 42-33. First year wrestler Dan Delgrosso was also honored tonight. North one the JV2 dual by a score of 25-36 and North won the freshman dual by a score of 22-60.
Naperville Central Competes the Junior Varsity Conference Tournaments
January 25, 2014
Naperville Central took third place at the JV1 DuPage Valley Conference tournament. Jake Keating lead the way winning the tournament at 106 pounds. Laddie Skarecky and Nick Nunziato both took second place. Central took fourth place at the JV2 DVC tournament. Cameron Baumgartner, Joe Lopez, and Steven Bumpus all took second for the Redhawks.
Naperville Central Hosts DVC Wrestling Tournament
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Naperville Central hosted the postponed DVC Wrestling Tournament on Sunday, February 2. The tournament was scheduled for Saturday but was postponed due to poor weather. Glenbard North won the tournament, Naperville Central took 7th place.
The top performer for the Redhawks was Derek Wilke. Wilke, wrestling at 113 pounds, won three matches in impressive style taking third place. He compiled 44 points in his three wins will giving up only 2 points –both on intentional escapes. His scores were 16-0, 15-0, and 13-2. Wilke lost to top ranked Johanson of Glenbard North 3-5 in overtime.
Also taking third for the Hawks was junior Ben Williamson. Williamson, 138, won 8-1 in the first round before losing to Donovan of Wheaton North in the semifinals. Williamson avenged an earlier lost to Llanes of Naperville North, winning by fall in the consolation round. Williamson captured third place with a 7-6 win against Partipilo of Glenbard North.
Four NCHS wrestlers took fourth place. Shuji Mizoguchi, 106, won a big match in the first round against Kruk of Naperville North 3-2. Mizoguchi finished 2-2 on the day. Unseeded Rick Marciniak, 152, won two matches as well to take 4th. Marciniak defeated Morris of Glenbard East and the number one seed Lingle of WWS 6-4 in overtime. Riley Guttosch, 160, scored two pins in the tournament to finish 2-2 and heavyweight Hayden Saldivar scored a 6-2 victory against Goetz of Wheaton North to take fourth.
Alex Hunter battled to a 3-1 win verses Penington of Glenbard North to finish in fifth place at 220 pounds. Connor Cesaretti avenged an earlier lost to Kruk of Naperville North, winning 4-1. Cesaretti finished in sixth place at 126. Cameron Hayes also upended Burkhart of Naperville North, a wrestler who beat him earlier in the year. Hayes won 9-7 on a cut-back move (defending a single leg takedown). Hayes finished sixth at 132. Kyle Hildebrand pinned Harvey of Wheaton North to finish in sixth as well.
Robby Martins won a big match at 170, defeating Leahy of Lake Park by a score of 7-6. Leahy defeated Martins earlier this year. Matt Chobak pinned Balines of West Aurora at 145 pounds. Evin Kilicarslan wrestled at 120 for the Redhawks at 120 pounds. Martins, Chobak and Kilicarslan all took seventh for the Redhawks.
Ben Williamson qualifies for IHSA Sectionals
February 8, 2014
Ben Williamson took 2nd place at the IHSA Regional tournament this weekend at Waubonsie Valley High School thereby qualifying for the Sectional tournament to be held at Hinsdale Central HS February 14-15. Williamson won two matches to advance to the finals at 138 pounds. In his first match he defeated Beyer of West Aurora by a score of 11-0. In the semifinals he avenged an earlier lost to Johnnic of Wheaton Warrenville South. Williamson scored the first takedown and a quick tilt for two near-fall points to take a 4-0 lead. Williamson was ridden, but not turned in the second period for no score. In the third period, Williamson allowed an escape with just seconds left to win the match 4-1. In the finals, Williamson was defeated by Davis of Waubonsie Valley by a score of 0-8. Ben Williamson was the “I’m Somebody” award winner.
Shuji Mizoguchi just missed qualifying for sectionals by taking 4th place in the tournament at 106 pounds. Shuji beat Jones of WWS and pinned Trevino of WV to advance to the third place match. He was defeated by Riordan of Metea Valley by a score of 3-4.
Riley Guttosch had a good tournament pinning Delrio of East Aurora and Griffin of West Aurora. Griffin was the DVC champion last weekend and Guttosch avenged an earlier loss to him. Riley, 160 pounds, lost the next two matches. Nick Nunziato won a big match at 132 pounds against Burkhart of Naperville North by a score of 4-2.
Cam Hayes stepped in for an injured Matt Chobak at 145 pounds and won two matches in the tournament. Hayes defeated Rivera of Aurora East 18-1 and Kilgallen of Batavia by a score of 16-6. Kyle Hildebrand scored a pin against Munday of Metea Valley at 182 pounds.
Evin Kilicarslan, Connor Cesaretti, Rick Marciniak, Laddie Skarecky, Alex Hunter, and Hayden Saldivar all competed in the tournament as well. Connor Cesaretti injury defaulted at 126 pounds. He was winning his match at the time of the default.
Derek Wilke, Matt Chobak and Robby Martins were all unable to participate due to injury.
Ben Williamson Qualifies for State
February 15, 2014
Ben Williamson, 138 pounder, qualified for IHSA State for the second time by placing 4th place at the IHSA Sectional Wrestling Tournament. The tournament was held at Hinsdale Central High School.
Williamson finished the tournament with a record of 4-2. He opened the tournament with an 11-2 major decision over O’Brien of Oak Lawn. He scored three takedowns and a pair of near-fall points in the match. In the quarterfinals, Williamson lost a 4-6 decision to Leveille of Marist. Williamson scored the first takedown but was down 2-4 going into the 3rdperiod. Williamson scored an escape to pull within one, but was taken down. A late escape got him back to within two, but that’s as close as he would come.
Needing three consecutive wins to be a state qualifier, Williamson defeated Maldonado of Lyons Township. Ben scored another two takedowns and two more sets of near-falls in the victory. Next up, Williamson defeated Almousa of Revis. Williamson took a 2-1 lead out of the first period. In the second period, the Redhawk added a two point near-fall before giving up an escape to lead 4-2. Almousa let Williamson up to start the third period, and then took him down to pull to within one point. Another escape for Williamson made the score 6-4. Then a big takedown for Williamson iced the victory; 8-4.
In the consolation semifinal – and state qualifying match, Williamson faced Falco of St. Rita. Falco entered the tournament ranked 5th in the state by Illinois Best Weekly. Williamson scored a late, first period takedown to take a 2-0 lead. Williamson took the down position and defended himself the entire period against Falco’s turn attempts. Up by two going into the third period, Falco took down and Williamson held on and rode Falco out for the victory.
In the third place match, Williamson lost to rival Johnnic of Wheaton Warrenville South by a score of 3-4. Johnnic scored the opening takedown and Williamson was able to escape in the first period. Johnnic scored a reversal in the second period to lead 1-4. Williamson made a come-back attempt by earning a point for stalling and another point for an escape, but he was unable to score the winning takedown.
Williamson scored nine takedowns and five sets of near-falls in his tournament effort. His four wins put him at 31 victories this year – the third year the junior has won at least 30 matches.
Ben Williamson finishes in top 8 at State
Ben Williamson finishes 1-2 in Champaign
February 22, 2014
Naperville Central junior Ben Williamson advanced to the final eight competitors in the 138 pound bracket at the IHSA State Tournament before being eliminated. The tournament was held at the State Farm Arena (formally Assembly Hall) in Champaign on the campus of the University of Illinois. Williamson finished with a 1-2 record in the three day event.
In the opening round, Williamson faced Walter White of Oak Park River Forest High School. White scored an opening takedown but Williamson was able to escape for a first period score of 1-2. Williamson was unable to escape in the second period. In the third, White scored an escape to make the score 1-3. White added two more takedowns in the final frame to defeat Williamson 3-7. White would go on to win the tournament.
When White won his second match, it pulled Williamson back into the tournament in the wrestle-backs. Williamson faced Aquirre of Oswego. Williamson and Aquirre finished scoreless in the first period. Williamson was able to ride Aquirre out the entire second period. In the final period, Aquirre let Williamson up to work for a takedown. With Williamson up 1-0, Aquirre attempted a takedown but Williamson was able to get under Aquirre's arms and the Redhawk threw Aquirre to his back and won by fall.
In the match to place at state, Williamson faced Sheppard of Glenbard West. With only five seconds remaining in the first period, Williamson scored a takedown to lead 2-0. Sheppard chose neutral and scored a takedown of his own midway through the second period on Williamson's missed shot. Williamson earned a point for an escape early in the third period to lead 3-2. Sheppard scored a last second takedown for the win 3-4. The takedown was controversial due to the official time not starting on the restart. Nevertheless, Williamson day was over. The junior hopes to return to state for a third time next year.