Memories from a fantastic 2018-2019 wrestling season
Naperville Central begins 2018-2019 Season Successfully
11/24/2018
Naperville Central 75 – Blue Island (Eisenhower) 3
Naperville Central 50 – Batavia 26
Naperville Central 43 – Downers Grove (South) 27
The Redhawks kicked off the 2018-2019 varsity wrestling season with three dual meet victories at home. Several Hawk wrestlers finished the day undefeated including: Tyler Driessens (113), Colin Baumgartner (120), Leo Keating (126), Cameron Palmer (170), Jackson Punzel (182), and Angelo Eklou (220).
Central won the first dual by a large margin, 75-3. After Porter started the dual with a forfeit, the next five Redhawks won by fall. Central cruised to a victory winning eleven of twelve contested matches.
Next up, Central beat Batavia 50-26. Batavia was depleted in the upper weight classes due to their school’s recent participation deep in the IHSA football playoffs. Central won four of nine contested matches and picked up five forfeits. Baumgartner and Keating started the dual with a bang - both gaining pins. Batavia answered, winning the next four matches in a row, including a rare defensive pin. Ange Eklou got the Hawks back on the board with an 8-4 decision. Tommy Porter finished the dual with a win by technical fall for his first win as a Redhawk.
In the final dual of the day, NCHS defeated Downers Grove South 43-27. The Redhawks came out of the gate fast, taking a 29-0 team score lead. Led by Baumgartner, the Hawks scored a TF, forfeit, and three falls in a row. After DGS took a couple of matches, Seniors Palmer and Punzel scored a couple more falls to take the team score to 41-9. Eklou and Driessens rounded out the wins for the Hawks.
Finishing 2-1 were Tommy Porter (106), Elrin Esporlas (132), Kyle Guttosch (138), Ryan Silva (145), Ben Cianchetti (195), and Carson Enfield (285)
Shane Roth wrestled well, finish 1-1 at 160. Matt Kaszuba dropped a pair of matches, losing by injury default in his final match. He left with an injured shoulder. Ben Mota took over in his place in the final dual. Manny Rivera lost the only match in which he participated.
Colin Baumgartner led the way for Central with two pins and a technical fall. Other wrestlers with two pins were Keating, Esporlas, Guttosch, and Palmer.
The NCHS JV team won all three duals as well at home, defeating Stagg 56-24, Batavia 48-18 and DGS 43-26. The freshman traveled to Plainfield South and competed in the freshman-sophomore super quad and split duals 2-2. They defeated Oak Lawn and Plainfield South.
Naperville Central (4-0, 1-0 in DVC) defeats Metea Valley 63-12
11/30/2018
Naperville Central chalked up a DuPage Conference win by defeating Metea Valley by a score of 63-12 at home. The Redhawks won 11 of 13 contested matches.
The dual started with the 145 pound contestants where MV wrestler Sims scored a first period fall over Ryan Silva. The Redhawks answered with six straight wins. Sean King scored a fall in just 42 seconds at 152 pounds. Shane Roth scored a late takedown to win a hard fought match at 160 pounds by a score of 7-5. Senior Cameron Palmer added a first period fall at 170 pounds.
In very likely the marquee matchup of the night, Jackson Punzel defeated Josh LaBarbera by a major decision of 8-0 at 182 pounds. Jackson scored three takedowns in the match. Ben Cianchetti quickly finished his match with pin in 54 seconds. Angelo Eklou win by forfeit at 220. Carson Enfield lost by fall over Henry Hartl at heavyweight.
The Redhawks were able to win the remaining six matches. Tommy Porter scored a 5-0 decision at 106 pounds. Tyler Driessens finished his opponent in the second period with a fall at 113. Colin Baumgartner looked impressive with a win by technical fall (22-6) at 120 pounds. Leo Keating, Elrin Esporlas, and Kyle Guttosch all sealed their wins by fall at 126, 132, and 138 respectively.
The NCHS JV1 team defeated Metea Valley 54-18. The NCHS freshman team also won 60-13. Metea Valley did not field a JV2 team. Several Central wrestlers received matches against each other during the dual.
Naperville Central Sweeps the Mega Duals
12/1/2018
NCHS 56 – West Aurora 9
NCHS 49 – St. Charles East 13
NCHS 57 – Wheaton Warrenville South 7
Naperville Central improves to 7-0 in duals early in the 2018-19 season after taking all three duals at the Mega-Duals held at Wheaton Warrenville South High School.
Central won 11 of 14 contested matches in the opening dual against West Aurora. Six of the wins were by fall and two more by technical fall. In the second dual, NCHS won the battle between to ranked teams, defeating St. Charles East by 36 team points. St. Charles East had several participants missing from the line-up, but it was still an impressive win for the Redhawks. Central won 9 of 12 contested matches, including three by fall. In the final dual, Central lost only two of twelve matches against Wheaton Warrenville South.
Naperville Central had nine wrestlers complete the mega-duals winning all three matches. Ben Cianchetti was a perfect 3-0 with three falls in the event. Ben improves to 6-1 on the year wrestling at 195 pounds. Angelo Eklou remains perfect on the year and scored a couple of fall at the duals wrestling at 220 pounds. Not to be outdone, Tyler Driessens, 113, also is a perfect 7-0 this season and locked down two pins himself. Leo Keating has looked impressive all year at 126 pounds. He is still undefeated at 7-0 with five of his win by fall – two coming at the duals. Elrin Esporlas turned in a two pin performance as well at 132 pounds. He is 6-1 on the season.
Senior captain Kyle Guttosch won all three of his matches at the Mega duals including a very impressive win over Justin Benjamin of St. Charles East by a score of 14-11. Guttosch’s other two wins were both by technical fall. He improves to 6-1 on the year. Kyle’s co-captain Jackson Punzel is undefeated this year as wrestling at 182 pounds. Cameron Palmer (170) is also 7-0 this season. Palmer earned a fall against WWS. Ryan Silva had an excellent day at the event, winning two matches and picking up a forfeit. Silva is 5-2 this season.
Colin Baumgartner won two matches at the Mega duals. He was nearily defeated by Guerrero of St. Charles East by a score of 3-5. He is 6-1 on the year. Freshman Tommy Porter scored a fall and major decision before losing his final match against WWS. Porter is 5-2 this season at 106 pounds. At the other end of the line-up, Carson Enfield won a couple of matches at the duals wrestling at 285 pounds. Sophomore Shane Roth won a match and is now 3-3 wrestling at 160 pounds.
The NCHS JV1 team won all three matches hosting the mega-duals. The Redhawks defeated Wheaton Warrenville South, Hononegah, and West Aurora. Naperville Central sent two full teams to West Aurora to compete at the JV2 mega-duals.
The NCHS freshman competed at Lyons Township High School at the Lyon’s freshman tournament. The team took third place against tough competition. Lyons won with 199 points, Conant 2nd with 187 points and Central scored 176 points. Central edged out Naperville North who took 4th with 175 points. Nick Ball and Nick Antonetti both won the event, Collins, Lutes, and Damge all took 2nd place and Halverson, Premanand, Hamilton and Hurly took 3rd. Quinn Hurly had three pins and won the fastest pin total time award.
Naperville Central (8-0, 2-0 in DVC) Wins Crosstown Dual
12/7/2018
The annual rivalry continued as the Redhawks hosted their sister school from the north the Huskies and the Redhawks prevailed 71-3 to improve to 8-0 on the season. Central won 12 of the 13 contested matches with eight wins by fall and two more by technical fall.
The starting weight call was 195 where Ben Cianchetti locked down a fall in the first period of his match. Angelo Eklou followed up with a fall at 220 pounds. After Carson Enfield picked up a forfeit at heavyweight, Tommy Porter scored a fall at 106 pounds. That put the team score at 24-0.
Tyler Driessens was next up and battled to a tough 8-6 victory at 113 pounds. Colin Baumgartner racked up 21 points in his match to win by technical fall 21-6. Leo Keating and Elrin Esporlas both excited the fans with consecutive wins by fall at 126 and 132 respectively.
Senior Captain Kyle Guttosch continued the Redhawks good fortune with a win by technical fall at 138 pounds, score 17-2. Ryan Silva and Sean King both looked impressive with two more pin falls at 145 and 152 respectively. Shane Roth battled by lost his match to McIntire at 160 pounds. Ranked 170 pounder Cameron Palmer scored a major decision 8-0 and Captain Jackson Punzel won by fall to complete the dual at 182 pounds.
The NCHS JV1 team prevailed over North by a score of 36-30. Naperville North won both the JV2 and freshman duals by scores of 30-33 and 40-43 respectively.
Naperville Central Wins the Mickey Marchese Memorial Wrestling Tournament at Hoffman Estates
12/9/2018
Naperville Central dominated the Marchese Memorial Wrestling Tournament at Hoffman Estates scoring 293 team points. Second place went to Notre Dame (Niles) 152.5 points who edged Crystal Lake South 152 points. Cary Grove took 4th. The Redhawks sent 11 of their 14 point-scorers to the finals with seven coming away as champions. Two more Hawks took third and one more fourth.
Opening the championship round was freshman Tommy Porter who came away with an exciting come-from-behind 5-4 victory over McDermott from Bolingbrook at 106 pounds. Porter comes away with his first varsity tournament gold in his young career. Junior Tyler Driessens finished in second place at 113 pounds, losing to top ranked Olsen from Crystal Lake South in the finals. Driessens advanced with a fall in the semifinals over Mendoza of Maine West. Colin Baumgartner, now 9-1 at 120 pounds, battled from behind to overtake Seymore of Willowbrook for his gold medal. Leo Keating scored two decisions in route to his appearance in the finals. He fell to Timmons of CLS by a score of 5-1 and earned a silver at 126. Elrin Esporlas locked down two pins in the tournament before succumbing to Green of Cary Grove. Esporlas is now 8-2 on the year wrestling at 132 pounds.
Kyle Guttosch finished the tournament on top of the podium after securing three wins at the event. He scored two pins and won 4-0 in the finals. Ryan Silva was a scoring machine with wins by scores of 15-0, 10-4, and 12-3 in three matches. He gets the blue ribbon at 145 pounds and is now 8-2 this year. Sean King got two falls in the tournament to finish with a bronze medal at 152 pounds. Shane Roth also completed the tournament with two falls, both in the second period. His finished in fourth place.
Cameron Palmer remains undefeated on the season with a record of 10-0. The senior won two matches by fall sandwiched around a decision of 8-1. His victory in the finals over Aguirre of South Elgin lasted only 40 seconds. Palmer is wrestling at 170 pounds. Jackson Punzel experienced some bad luck in the finals. Punzel was working his way to a technical fall when he was thrown and pinned in the finals. Punzel scored to pins on his way to the finals at 182 pounds. His record is now 9-1 this season.
Central brought home gold at the 195 and 220 pound weight classes. At 195, Ben Cianchetti was able to come away with three more pins. He is now 10-1 this season with 9 of those wins by fall. Angelo Eklou remains perfect this season (10-0) after securing three more victories. At heavyweight, Carson Enfield battle for two victories on his way to third place. He pinned Sema of Bolingbrook in the place match in just 1:45.
The Naperville Central JV1 team won the Streamwood JV Dual tournament with three dual meet wins. Many of the Redhawk freshman wrestlers competed at home in a friendly exhibition jamboree with Glenbard East.
Naperville Central (9-0, 3-0 in DVC) Defeats Neuqua Valley 50-18.
12/14/2018
The Redhawks traveled to Neuqua Valley and came away with another DVC win, overtaking their opponents by a score of 50-18. Central won nine of the 13 contested matches and remain undefeated on the season.
Junior standout Angelo Eklou got the dual started well for the Redhawks with a major decision at 220 pounds. After Carson Enfield was upended at heavyweight, the Hawks ran off three matches in a row. Freshman Tommy Porter scored three takedowns and held on to a 6-4 decision at 106 pounds. Tyler Driessens used a cradle to pin his opponent at 113 in the first period. Colin Baumgartner was able to take the decision 7-2 at 120 pounds. Leo Keating fell to Dennis Murphy at 126.
The Redhawks got back on track with wins at 132, 138, 145, and 152. Elrin Esporlas continues to look impressive. He came away quick, first period fall to start the run. Kyle Guttosch was up next and he dominated from the top position, raking up near-fall points for a 18-2 technical fall. Ryan Silva got the job done on his feet. He used take-em-down, let-em-up strategy to wear down his opponent before locking down a fall in the third period. Sean King battled to a first period stalemate but took advantage of his opportunity on top to lock down a fall in the second period.
Neuqua Valley answered with a win at 160 where Roth fell short of his come-from behind effort, losing 5-6 to Mohler and at 170 where top ranked Boumans won by fall over Palmer. Senior Captain Jackson Punzel scored a fall at 182 to close out the contest. Ben Cianchetti pick up a forfeit at 195 pounds.
The NCHS JV1 team won all but one of their contested matches, putting away their rivals by a team score of 61-18. The NCHS freshman team also came out ahead with a dual victory by a score of 57-18. Neuqua Valley did not field a JV2 team.
Saturday, 12/15/18 Notes:
NCHS JV1 team competed at Joliet Central and finished 2-1 in duals beating Joliet Central and Bolingbrook and just missed defeating Oak Forest, losing by just one team point. Frank Saporano won all three of his matches, all by fall.
Naperville Central put together a freshman-sophomore team that competed at the competitive Maine South F/S tournament and came home with the first place trophy. The Redhawks were in 2nd place going into the final round.
Central took first place in 5 of the 15 weight classes contested. Ethan Jones won his first ever tourney. Jonah Boykin, Aiden Lutes, Anthony Pendolino, and Nick Antonietti were crowned first place. Alex Knusel took 2nd place. Quinn Hurley and Austin Longmire 3rd. Charlie Morgan, Ian Collins, Sean Bakos, and Mason Cooperkawa took 4th.
NCHS freshman hosted Grant High School at home in a friendly wrestling jamboree. All wrestlers received matches.
Naperville Central Sweeps Home Quadrangular
12/22/2018
NCHS 63 – Palatine Fremd 9
NCHS 33 – Lockport 26
NCHS 33 – DeKalb 28
The Naperville Central wrestling team has improved to 12-0 on the season after sweeping the highly contested home quadrangular against Palatine Fremd, Lockport, and DeKalb. Central, Lockport and DeKalb are currently recognized ranked in the top 10 in the state.
The day started with Central taking on Fremd in the opening round. Ryan Silva got the event with a bang, earning a victory in overtime by a score of 11-9. The cardiac kid had more excitement ahead of him. Sean King continued to impress his coaches locking down a major decision 12-2 at 152. Shane Roth looked much improved in his efforts at 160, scoring a 13-7 decision. Jackson Punzel made the drop to 170 and flexed his muscles with a first period fall. Cameron Palmer lost at 182 pound despite gaining an early lead.
Ben Cianchetti started his undefeated day with the first of three straight pins. His fall against Fremd came in the first period. Angelo was defeated for the first time this season, dropping a heartbreaker decision 3-1 at 220 pounds. Carson Enfield had perhaps the best day of the season scoring a fall for the first of three straight wins at heavyweight. Tyler Driessens completed the dual with a technical fall 19.3. Baumgartner, Keating, Esporlas, Guttosch, and Porter all picked up wins by forfeit.
In the second dual of the day Naperville Central faced challenge of the year in highly rated Lockport. The Hawks fell behind early in the team score after losing the first two matches at 126 and 132. Keating was pinned by Molton and Esporlas fell by decision to Kaminski 6-4 despite an excellent effort. Down 0-9 in the team score, senior captain Kyle Guttosh got the Redhawks on the board with a hard-fought 7-4 decision over D’Angelo at 138. Ryan Silva came from behind once again to overtake Grapia by a score of 12-11. Silva had a team best 8 takedowns in the three matches of the day. The win closed the team score game deficit to 6-9. Lockport showed why they are so highly ranked, winning the next to matches, both by fall. Mahalik pinned King at 152 and Fernandez pinned Roth at 160.
With Lockport ahead 21-9, Naperville Central rattled off six wins in a row. Cameron Palmer started the run with a very tough 9-3 battle at 170 against Dagash. Punzel, Cianchetti and Eklou all scored falls at 182, 195, and 220 respectively. In just 5 minutes and eight second of composite time, the three pins gave the Redhawks a 30-21 lead in the team score. But it was the fifth and sixth wins in the run that sealed the victory for Central. Heavyweight Carson Enfield scored a very tough overtime victory 3-1 against Shin. Tommy Porter came from behind, scoring a 5 point throw in route to a 10-7 decision at 106 pounds verses Bentley. The win, tied with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to Lockport, mathematically assured the victory for NCHS. Driessens was defeated by Roberson at 113 pounds by a score of 5-2 and Colin Baumgartner lost by major decision to Ramos 22-9.
The emotional win and celebration for the Redhawks was short lived however as they were asked to turn around and wrestle DeKalb, another highly ranked team. Elrin Esporlas battled to a 6-2 decision at 132 to begin the dual positively for the Hawks. Then DeKalb tried to crash the party by scoring four straight wins. Kyle Guttosch lost to Lopez at 138 by a major decision 20-10. Ryan Silva lost to Gilum by a score of 13-4 at 145. Sean King gave a tough effort but fell short at 152, losing to Clayton 7-4. Shane Roth lost his match at 160 over Johnson by a score of 11-0. The four losses included three bonus points for Lockport, but none of the Redhawks lost by fall. The team score was 3-15 at that point.
Then it was the Redhawks turn to have winning streak. Theirs was five wins in a row, three of them by fall. Cameron Palmer won his second match of the day, scoring a fall over Kelly in the first period of his 170 pound match. Jackson Punzel won by decision 3-0 at 182 pounds over Roach. Ben Cianchetti scored his third pin of the day, this one over Wilkerson in the second period. Angelo Eklou needed just 29 seconds to get his win by fall at 220 pounds. And Carson Enfield finished his successful day, winning a tough match at heavyweight by a score of 3-2. The five wins allowed the Redhawks to enjoy a 27-15 lead with just four matches left.
DeKalb began their efforts to retake the lead. Tommy Porter lost by fall to Aranda at 106 pounds: team score 27-21. Driessens was defeated by major decision by Curran at 113: team score 27-25. Baumgartner lost 10-7 at 120 pounds: team score 27-28 – DeKalb ahead by one with one match to go.
Leo Keating played the role of hero at 126 pounds – the final match. It took just 29 seconds for Keating to get the fall and the dual win for the Redhawks.
Naperville Central also won all three junior varsity dual, defeating Fremd 69-12, Lockport 45-30, and DeKalb 66-9. Wrestlers who finished undefeated (3-0) were Anthony Pendolino, Ethan Jones, Austin Longmire, Rashad Dabney, and Ian Collins. Alex Knusel, Aiden Lutes, Mason Cooperkawa, Ben Mota, and Jonah Boykin all came away with wins against no losses as well.
Naperville Central finishes in 4th place at 32 team DeKalb Dual Invitational
12/28/2018 – 12/29/2018
NCHS 69 – New Trier 6
NCHS 36 – Oswego 25
NCHS 48 – Deerfield 23
NCHS 31 – St. Charles East 32
NCHS 16 – Lincoln Way West 38
NCHS 24 – DeKalb 37
Naperville Central (15-3, 3-0 in DVC) finished 3-3 competing at “The Flavin” at DeKalb High School. The Redhawks swept all three duals on day one, Friday, to qualify for the top bracket on day two. On Saturday, Central was defeated by all three opponents, two of which Central had defeated earlier this season.
In the first dual, Central defeated New Trier 69-6, winning all nine contested matches. The Redhawks won six of the nine matches by fall. In round two, Oswego proved to be a stingy opponent. Still, the Hawks won 9 of the 13 matches. Ben Cianchetti earned a fall while Tommy Porter and Colin Baumgartner were able to earn technical falls. In the final matchup on day one, NCHS took 10 of 13 matches from Deerfield. Porter, Tyler Driessens, Leo Keating, Jackson Punzel, and Angelo Eklou all won by fall while Kyle Guttosch was able to win by technical fall.
Day two prove to be a tough one for the Redhawks. Central opened against St. Charles East, a team they defeated at the Megaduals. Central had three wrestlers win and two more won by forfeit. Cameron Palmer scored a fall in the third period of his match, while Eklou was able to get another fall himself. Tommy Porter battled to a 7-5 decision. But, St. Charles East was able to win 7 matches and one more by forfeit which was enough to sink the Hawks. In round two, Lincoln Way West won 8 of 13 contested matches to easily overtake Central. Porter, Baumgartner, Esporlas, Cianchetti, and Eklou all got wins with Baumgartner the only wrestler to get a bonus point. In the final match of the tournament, DeKalb avenged their earlier loss to Naperville Central, winning 8 of 13 matches. Keating, Palmer, and Cianchetti all won by fall while Esporlas and Punzel earned decisions.
Tommy Porter, Cameron Palmer, Jackson Punzel, Ben Cianchetti, and Angelo Eklou all finished with a 5-1 record for the tournament.
On Friday the Naperville Central junior varsity team travelled to Libertyville and took 2nd place in the very competitive JV Invitational. The host team won the event. Anthony Pendolino dominated his 145 pound weight class with three pins and a 9-0 decision for the gold. Austin Longmire scored two falls and a 3-1 decision in the finals to take first place. His 3-1 win avenged a loss from the same opponent earlier in the season. Frank Saponaro took 2nd place. A plethora of Redhawks took 3rd including Ethan Jones, Alex Knusel, Bryce Cooperkawa, Alek Van Eeuwen, and Manny Rivera (who edged Mason Cooperkawa, 4th). Philip Marrero, Ben Mota, and Tariq Sikander all won their final matches to finish in 5th place. Mota finished with a record of 4-1 in the event.
On Saturday the Naperville Central freshman wrestling team traveled to Hinsdale South and won the 12 team freshman tournament. The Redhawks sent 6 wrestlers out of 14 weight classes to the finals. Champions were Brayden Halverson at 132, Aidan Lutes at 138, and Prathmesh Premanand at 145. Charlie Morgan (106), Ian Collins (113), and Tristan Hall (126) took second place. Cole Paulson, Nick Ball, Justin McCoy, Nick Antonetti, and Quinn Hurley all took 3rd place. August Kukis and Connor McHugh both took 4th.
Naperville Central Defeats Wheaton North
1/3/2019
Naperville Central 36 – Wheaton North 29
Naperville Central improved to 16-3 by defeating former DVC foe Wheaton North to ring in the new year. Central won the first four contested matches to take a 22-6 lead to begin the dual. Tyler Driessens scored a fall in the second period. Wheaton North won the next two matches to close the team score to 22-13. Elrin Esporlas answered with a 15-0 technical fall at 132 pounds. North counter-punched with two more wins, adding 10 points to their team score to make it 33-23 with two matches left. It was sophomore Shane Roth that iced the dual for the Redhawks, battling to a 7-3 decision at 152 pounds. Roth scored a five-point takedown and nearfall early in the match that carried him to the victory. Wheaton North won the last match of the night. Naperville Central JV2 and Freshman teams both won their duals against the Falcons. Wheaton North won the JV1 dual.
Naperville Central Sweeps Home Triangular
1/4/2019
NCHS 67 – West Chicago 0
NCHS 39 – Deerfield 31
The Redhawks good fortune continued with another pair of dual victories at home against West Chicago and Deerfield. Central’s record improves to 18-3 on the season. The dual was wrestled in round-robin format on two mats with the light guys wrestling West Chicago in round one, the light guys wrestling Deerfield and the heavy guys wrestling West Chicago in round two and the heavy guys competing against Deerfield in round three. When all was said and done, the Redhawks swept West Chicago winning all 12 contested matches and picking up two more wins by forfeit. Sean King, Jackson Punzel, Tyler Driessens, Elrin Esporlas and Kyle Guttosch all won by fall while Colin Baumgartner won by technical fall. Deerfield proved to be a very stingy team. Both Deerfield and NCHS fielded full teams and both won seven matches. Central was able to secure more bonus points in the contest and that was the difference. Driessens, Esporlas, Guttosch, Punzel, Angelo Eklou and Carson Enfield all provided falls. Cameron Palmer battled to a hard fought overtime win at 170 pounds. The Redhawks defeated Deerfield for the second time this season.
Naperville Central Streaks Continues with Three More Victories
1/5/2019
NCHS 59 – Metamora 6
NCHS 75 – South Elgin 3
NCHS 53 – Downers Grove North 23
Naperville Central added another three dual meet wins after sweeping all duals at the Downers Grove North quad. Central lost two matches against Metamora in the opening dual and only one match against South Elgin in dual two. NCHS won 8 of 12 contested matches against Downers Grove North. Nine Redhawks left the gym winning all of their matches: Tommy Porter, Tyler Driessens, Colin Baumgartner, Elrin Esporlas, Kyle Guttosch, Ryan Silva, Shane Roth, Jackson Punzel, and Angelo Eklou.
The Naperville Central junior varsity team traveled to Bolingbrook for the competitive 15 team JV Invitational. NCHS brought only 9 wrestlers for 15 weight classes but still finished in 4th place. Ethan Jones battled to three tough victories to take first place at 120 pounds. He won by fall in the finals. Anthony Pendolino continues to impress his coaches, winning the 145 pound weight class. Pendolino scored two falls and added a technical fall in route to his blue ribbon. Veteran Tariq Sikander scored a 7-2 decision in the championship match to get the gold medal at 160 pounds. His other two wins were by fall. Manny Riveria lost in the finals and finished in 2nd place. Charlie Morgan and Alex Knusel both ended up in 4th place. Knusel won his first two matches by fall. Senior Frank Saponaro earned three victories for a 5th place finish and Alek Van Eeuwen was 3-2: 6th place.
The NCHS JV2 / Freshman fielded two teams at the 51st Annual Naperville JV2 Wrestling Tournament. Central had three champions and three runner-ups. Ian Collins, Phillip Marrero, and Jonah Boykin were the champs while Kumaran Gandhi, Tristen Hall, and Christopher Ramirez took 2nd.
Naperville Central defeats Geneva on Senior Night.
January 17, 2019
NCHS 58 – Geneva 24
Naperville Central, 22-3, (3-0 in DVC) hosted its last dual of the season against Geneva and won 58-24. Seniors and their parents were recognized prior to the dual. Central loaded its line-up with its senior class.
Senior Colin Baumgartner started the match with a technical fall at 120 pounds. Geneva answered with falls against Leo Keating and senior Alek Van Eeuwen at 126 and 132 respectively. Senior Captain Kyle Guttosch won by fall at 138. Senior Max Sibley picked up a forfeit at 145 pounds. Senior Ben Mota lost by fall at 152 pounds. Shane Roth won by forfeit at 160.
Central ran four pins in a row, all by seniors. Jackson Punzel in 1:28 at 170 pounds, Cameron Palmer in 43 seconds at 182, Ben Cianchetti in 1:50 at 195 pounds and Frank Saporano in just 34 seconds at 220. Carson Enfield was caught in a headlock and pinned at 285. Tommy Porter scored a technical fall at 106 pounds. Tyler Driessens won by forfeit at 113.
Seniors and their parents recognized were managers Jenneh Fatorma, Gabriella Ruiz, Maddie Simms and Brooke Irwin and wrestlers Colin Baumgartner, Ben Cianchetti, Kyle Guttosch, Nicholas Hajakian, Cesar Medina, Ben Mota, Cameron Palmer, Jackson Punzel, Frank Saponaro, Max Sibley, Alek Van Eeuwen and Jaylin Wright
Naperville Central Wins Regular Season DuPage Valley Crown
Central defeat Waubonsie Valley to finish 4-0 in DVC dual meets
January 18, 2019
NCHS 66 – Waubonsie Valley 10
Naperville Central 23-3, (4-0 in DVC) defeated Waubonsie Valley at WVHS to finish the dual portion of the schedule. Waubonsie Valley forfeited seven of the 14 weight classes. The Redhawks won four of those seven with all four victories by fall.
Kyle Guttosch, Ryan Silva, Shane Roth and Ben Cianchetti won at 138, 145, 160, and 195 respectively. Shane Roth’s match was a come-from-behind fall in the final 14 seconds of his match. Ben Cianchetti provided the night’s fireworks with a counter thrown early in his match. All three losses suffered by the Redhawks were by decisions. Sean King lost 5-16 at 152, Angelo Eklou lost 2-7 at 220 and Carson Enfield lost 1-5 285. Porter, Driessens, Baumgartner, Keating, Esporlas, Punzel, and Palmer all got their forfeits.
The JV1 team defeated Waubonsie Valley 56-18. The freshman team won 48-25. Waubonsie Valley did not field a JV2 team.
Naperville Central Shows Muscle at JV DVC Tournaments
January 19, 2019
Naperville Central won both the junior varsity 1 and junior varsity 2 DuPage Valley Conference wrestling tournaments. The two tournaments were held simultaneously at Naperville Central High School. Wrestling was competed on six mats, three for the JV1 tournament and three for the JV2 tournament.
JV1
NCHS 254
NNHS 237.5
MV 154.5
NV 115.0
WV 93.5
JV2
NCHS 251.5
NN 193
NV 139
MV 116
WV 96
Central crowned a total of 13 individual conference champions, seven in the JV1 tournament and six in the JV2 tournament.
In the junior varsity 1 tournament in addition to the seven champions in 14 weight classes, central also had three runner-ups, three bronze medalists, and three 4th place finishers. At 120 pounds, Ethan Jones earned gold by pinning his way through the tournament. At 126, Bryce Cooperkawa won 10-6 for his gold. Freshman Ayden Lutes won by a score of 16-6 in the finals at 132 for his blue ribbon. Anthony Pendolino continues to show his dominance, taking 1st in the tough 145 bracket and pinning his way through the event. Tariq Sikander won by fall at 160 for his championship at 160 pounds. Austin Longmire pinned his opponent in the finals at 182 for 1st place and senior Frank Saporano avenged a loss just 15 hours earlier with a fall in the finals at 220 pounds for his championship.
Senior Ben Mota, freshman Nick Antonietti and junior Adam Hayes all took 2nd place. Charlie Morgan, Alek Van Eeuwen, and Max Sibley all won their final matches to take 3rd place. Van Eeuwen and Sibley are both seniors. Ian Collins, Yiguang Zhu, Jaylin Wright, and Justin Lefkowitz all took 4th place. Jaylin Wright is a senior. Matt Kaszuba defaulted by injury in the first round. Zach Kotecki competed at 120 pounds.
In the junior varsity 2 tournament, Phillip Marrero won 10-4 in the finals at 120 pounds over teammate Haaris Khan. Likewise, Alex Knusel won by fall over teammate Tristen Hall at 120 pounds in the championship bout. Brayden Halverson won three matches by fall to take the gold at 132 pounds. Sean Bakos won two of three matches by fall including one in the finals at 145 for first place. Freshman Nick Ball defeated teammate Justen McCoy in the finals at 160 for the crown. Last, but not least, freshman Andrew Baker won all three matches by fall to stand at the top of the podium at 170 pounds. He defeated fellow teammate Broderick Whitaker in the finals.
Also taking second was Josiah Williams (106), Joshua Teeter (132), Mason Cooperkawa (152), Ryan Hamilton (182), and Nikola Epps (220). Finishing in third place was Michael Parker (132) and Kevin Rardin (195). Fourth place finishers were Josh Olson (126), and Christopher Ramirez (138). Fifth place finishers were August Kukis (106), Allen Whitaker (113) and Prathmesh Premanand (145). Taking sixth: Neil Rao (152) and Adrian Alvarado (182). Gavin Montgomery competed at 138 pounds.
Naperville Central Wins 22-Team Marty Williams Invitational
1/21/2019
Naperville Central travelled to Mahomet-Seymour on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and dominated the Marty Williams Invitational, winning the event by an astonishing 212 points. The event was a make-up event, postponed from last weekend due to poor weather.
The top five teams were:
1st: Naperville Central 510.0
2nd: Mattoon 298
3rd: Belleville West 284
4th: Olney 259
5th: Mahomet-Seymour 252.2
Naperville Central finish with a record of 53-14 with three of those losses due to injury default (Carson Enfield injury defaulted after winning his first match). All other Redhawks won at least three matches each.
Six Hawks made the finals and three were crowned champions. Jackson Punzel continues to look impressive in his new weight class, 170 – winning all five matches, three by fall. The senior lead the team in takedowns with 15. Ben Cianchetti, 195, won all five of his matches by fall. In fact, he scored the most fall in the least amount of time for the entire tournament. Angelo Eklou, 220 scored a takedown in the final seconds of the first overtime period to take gold. Angelo’s other four matches were won by fall.
Tommy Porter, 106 took second place, losing 2-5 in the finals to Mattoon. Mattoon is coached by Brett Porter, Tommy’s uncle. Tommy had a very good day winning his other four matches by fall and raking up 12 takedowns in the tournament. Elrin Esporlas, 132, showed perhaps the most improvement taking 2nd place and getting 3 falls and a technical fall. Ryan Silva, 145 looked very tough with three pins and 10 total takedowns.
All Redhawk wrestlers going for 3rd place won their matches. Colin Baumgartner (120) finished 4-1 and had the second most takedowns (14). Cameron Palmer (182) earned four wins, three by fall. Kyle Guttosch (138) battled for four wins and a bronze medal. Tyler Driessens (113) had a great day finishing 3-1 for 3rd place.
Leo Keating (126) lost in the opening pool against the eventual champion. The lost, unfortunately, dropped to a lower bracket where he dominated for the best possible finish, 7th. Keating finished with a 4-1 record on the day. Shane Roth (160) matched Keating’s efforts with a 4-1 record, all hard-fought decisions. Sean King (152) finished the day with a 3-2 record and a 9th place finish. Carson Enfield (285) won his opening pool, but was unable to continue in the tournament after suffering a knee injury. The pool win still place him 6th in the event.
Naperville Central DuPage Valley Conference Champions
1/26/2019
1. Naperville Central 217.5
2. Neuqua Valley 172.5
3. Naperville North 148.5
4. Metea Valley 113.5
5. Waubonsie Valley 92
Naperville Central won the DuPage Valley Conference wrestling tournament overtaking Neuqua Valley, Naperville North, Metea Valley and Waubonsie Valley. The tournament was held at Waubonsie Valley high school. This is the first time in the history of the tournament (established 1976, 43 years ago) that Naperville Central won the tournament. The best previous finish was 2nd place (1983, 1991, 2012).
The Redhawks sent twelve wrestles out of 14 weight classes to the finals. Five individuals came away DVC Champions.
Senior and team caption Kyle Guttosch is now a two time DVC Champion. Guttosch, 138, needed only one minute and 49 seconds of total wrestling time to find himself on the top of the podium. He pinned Hing, MV in just 29 seconds and Killacky, NV in 1:21. Guttosch has a record of 28-6.
Freshman Tommy Porter improved to 29-6 by winning the 106 pound weight class. The newly crowned DVC champ defeated Broccardo, WV by fall and Shah, NV by a score of 7-3. Junior Tyler Driessens, 27-7, scored a fall against Urgena, MV and then defeated Allgood, NN by a score of 10-3 to win his first DVC championship. Senior Colin Baumgartner, 28-8 at 120 pounds won by fall against Johnson, NN then defeated Masie, NV 10-5 to earn gold. Baumgartner continues to lead the team with 119 takedowns. And last, but certainly not least, Ben Cianchetti defeated both Chen, NN and Burke, MV by falls in 29 and 45 seconds respectively. The DVC gold medalist is now 28-2 on the year with 24 of those wins coming by fall (and 3 others by forfeit).
Seven Redhawks finished in second place at the DVC championships. In the marquee matchup of the night, Jackson Punzel, 33-3, lost to Boumans, NV by a score of 5-9. The two ranked wrestlers battled at 170 pounds with both wrestlers scoring two takedowns each. Leo Keating, 126 defeated Champion, NN by fall to qualify for the finals before losing to Murphy, NV. Elrin Esporlas, 132 earned a win over Smart, MV in the semifinals. Esporlas lost to Boumans, NV by a score of 8-11. Ryan Silva, 145, earned a second place finish, defeating Summers, NN by fall. Silva lost to Sims, MV 6-8. Shane Roth, 160 earned a silver medal, defeated Foster, WV by fall in the semifinals. McIntyre, NN defeated Roth in the finals. Cameron Palmer, 182, pinned Pollit, NN before losing to LaBarbera, MV by a score of 1-4. Angelo Eklou, 220 made the finals by defeating Tsao, NN 8-1. Elkou was defeated in the championship match by St. Clair, WV, 0-6. Sean King, 152 and Frank Saponaro, 285 both competed in the tournament, taking 5th place.
Naperville Central Finishes 2nd Place at IHSA Regionals
Eight Redhawks Advance to Sectionals
2/2/2019
Naperville Central finished in second place at the IHSA Regional Tournament held at Aurora Marmion Academy. The host team won the event and thereby qualified for the State Dual Tournament. The top three at each weight class qualify for the IHSA Individual Sectional Tournament. The Redhawks qualified eight wrestlers.
1. Marmion Academy 225
2. Naperville Central 169.5
3. Batavia 135
4. Naperville North 89
5. Waubonsie Valley 81
6. Wheaton Warrenville South 75
7. Metea Valley 73
8. West Aurora 68
9. Aurora East 21.5
Top seeded Tyler Driessens (113) advanced to the semifinals with a bye where he won by fall. Driessens defeated Jaffe (Marmion) by a score of 10-2 to win the tournament. Driessens is now a two-time sectional qualifier. Jackson Punzel (170) finished with a record of 3-0 to run his overall record to 36-3 on the season. Punzel defeated ranked Daum (Marmion) by a score of 6-3 in the finals to qualify for sectionals second time. In perhaps the easiest road to the top of the podium, Ben Cianchetti (195) won the event by receiving a bye in the first round and a medical forfeit in the finals. Cianchetti pinned Carmody (WV) in his only match. Incredibly, 25 of Cianchetti’s 30 wins this year are by fall and he has over 100 varsity wins over his career and will make his second trip to sectionals.
Three Redhawks reached the finals and took second place. Freshman Tommy Porter (106) was the only Hawk to better his seed at the event. After receiving the third seed, Porter avenged a loss from earlier this season by defeating Woo (WWS) in the semifinals. Porter lost to state #1 ranked Sotelo (MA) in the finals. Porter reached the 30 win plateau with his semifinal win. Colin Baumgartner (120) posted two wins to make the finals including a 7-5 victory over Waszek (WWS) in the semifinals. Baumgartner earned his 30th win of the season and extended his team leading takedown total to 125. He will advance to the sectionals for the second time. Cameron Palmer (182) battled for two wins including an 8-3 decision over Gonzalez (WWS) in the semifinals. Palmer’s two wins were his 30th and 31st wins of the season and he is now a two-time sectional qualifier.
Two Central wrestlers won their matches for third to qualify. Senior Kyle Guttosch (138) won by technical fall over Janiec (WWS) to advance to the sectionals for the third time in his stellar career. Guttosch also joins the 30-win club this year with his record now at 31-7. Guttosch leads the team with 47 sets of near-fall. Leo Keating (126) defeated Champion (NN) by fall in the third place match. Keating is now 23-10 on the season with 15 of those wins coming by fall.
Two Hawks finished in fourth place and are alternates for the sectional tournament. Ryan Silva finished 2-2 in the toughest weight class in the event, 145 pounds. Angelo Eklou (220) also finished 2-2 on the day. Eklou’s record is at 33-6.
Special thanks to Jenneh Fatorma and Brook Irwin for keeping the records at this event (and all year) and to Carson Enfield for helping with the video.
Naperville Central Qualifies Four To State
February 8-9, 2019
Bolingbrook High School
Naperville Central will be well represented at the IHSA State Tournament. Four Redhawks placed in the top four of their weight class at the IHSA Sectional to punch their ticket to the big dance. Naperville Central will be sending more state qualifiers than any other public school coming out of the Bolingbrook Sectional.
Two Central wrestlers have become two-time state qualifiers. Jackson Punzel will return to the Hall after winning the Sectionals at 170 pounds. Punzel defeated Terrell (Chicago, Mt. Carmel) 8-4 in the quarterfinals and Geraci of (Montini) in the semifinals to advance to the finals. There, Punzel defeated Viliria (Chicago St. Rita) by a score of 5-0. As a sectional champion, Punzel will receive a top four seed at state. Jackson Punzel was one of only two wrestlers from a public school to win the tournament.
Also returning to state will be Ben Cianchetti. Cianchetti finish in second place in the tournament competing at 195 pounds. The senior won both his quarterfinal (Bielawski, DGN) and semifinal (Zimmer, Sandberg) matches by fall before losing to top ranked Christenson (Montini) by fall in the finals. Cianchetti has 27 falls on the year.
Tyler Driessens will be getting his name on the state qualifying board due to his third place finish at sectionals. Driessens (113) led the team with four wins at the event. The junior lost his first match to Reed (Shepard) and worked his way through the wrestle backs. Driessens pinned McDonald (Reavis) and Perez (Hinsdale Central) to qualify for the blood round. The “blood round” is a common term for the match that determines a trip to state. Driessens scored a takedown and a cradle for back points and held on for a 7-2 victory against Fernau (Montini). Driessens then avenged his first round loss to Reed (Shepard), winning 7-5.
Colin Baumgartner earned a trip to the Hall by taking fourth place at sectionals. The senior 120 pounder defeated Duffin (St. Rita) by fall and then regional champion Milani (Sandburg) to qualify for the quarterfinals. Baumgartner lost to Vasquez (Montini) by a score of 7-18, sending him to the blood round against Straus of Downers Grove South. The match will certainly be remembered as one of the most exciting in central history. Baumgartner opened the first period with two takedown for a 4-2 lead. After a reversal to start the second period for a 6-2 lead, but Straus answered with an escape and a fireman’s carry for takedown and three-point nearfall. The maneuver put Straus ahead 6-8 going into the third period. Baumgartner released Staus for an escape to fall behind 6-9 but came storming back picking up a penalty point (for stalling) and a takedown to tie the score 9-9. An intentional release and another takedown put the Redhawk in the lead 11-10. With just 25 seconds remaining, Baumgartner decided on another intentional escape and scored the winning final takedown just as time expired to win 13-11. Baumgartner was unable to win his third place match, losing to Uribe (Mt. Carmel).
Two Redhawk wrestlers made the Blood Round and are alternates to the state tournament. Senior Cameron Palmer gave a fantastic effort, winning three matches in the event. Palmer opened with a fall against Ball (Hubbard) then lost to highly ranked Swier (Montini) by fall. Palmer worked his way through the wrestle backs defeating Garza (DGS) by a score of 9-3 and Bosco (Sandberg) by a score of 7-6. Unfortunately, the senior 182 pounder lost by fall to returning state placer Benoit (Mt. Carmel). Palmer is an alternate for the state tournament. Joining him as an alternate to state is Leo Keating. Keating had a fantastic first day of completion defeating Rosen (DGN) by a score of 17-5 and then Ferguson (Sandberg) 10-0 to qualify for the semifinals. Keating lost to Mis (Mt. Carmel) 0-15 to drop into the Blood Round. Keating met Rosen (DGN) once again but lost by fall.
Senior Kyle Guttosch (138) finished his season with a record of 32-9. Guttosch lost to 3rd ranked Dado (Marist) by a score of 4-6 in the opening round. He then defeated Hargrove (Bolingbrook) by a score of 13-10. Guttosch lost to Roberts (Shepard) 0-8. Guttosch’s victory in the tournament was his 100th varsity win in a Redhawk singlet. His career total record: 100-34.
Freshman Tommy Porter (106) defeated Jurado (Blue Island Eisenhower) by a score of 4-3 before losing to Gonzalez (Montini) by fall and then Nugent (DGS) by decision 0-13. Porter finishes the season with a record of 31-9.
Naperville Central was a winner even before the first whistle. When a 145 pounder failed to show up for weigh-ins, three potential alternates showed up to fill the spot in the tournament. Central’s Ryan Silva won the blind draw to qualify. Silva was defeated in both his matches.
Central Wrestlers Complete Season at State
Jackson Punzel finishes in 5th place
2/14-16/2019
Four Naperville Central wrestlers competed at the IHSA Individual State Tournament at the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. That would tie for the most state qualifiers in school history and the most since 1982 (four in 1962, 1975, and 1982).
The top performer was Jackson Punzel. Punzel, competing in the 170 pound weight class entered the tournament as the overall third seed after winning the Sectional tournament the weekend before. Punzel, now a two-time qualifier, defeated Migawa (Andrew) 1-5 on day one of the competition and Pennington (Glendard North) 17-10 Friday morning to qualify for the semifinals. The second win punched his ticket onto the podium as a state place winner. Punzel was defeated by Boumans (Neuqua Valley) by a score of 1-8, ending his dream of participating in the championship match. Coming back on day three, Punzel was defeated by Dixon (Shepard) by a score of 3-10. The loss sent Punzel to the 5th place match where he faced Chisum (Zion). Punzel scored the opening takedown late in the first period and maintained a 2-0 lead heading into the second period. Punzel picked the bottom position and escaped early. Chisum got into a deep shot, but Punzel was able to defend and score to take a 5-0 lead. An escape by Chisum allowed Punzel to defend another shot and counter for his third takedown of the match. The third period began with Punzel on top with a 7-1 lead. Chisum attempted an escape that was countered by Punzel. Punzel then wrapped up his opponent’s arms and turn him for the fall at 4:33 in the match. Punzel finishes on top for his 42 win of the year against 5 losses.
Tyler Driessens (113) was defeated in round one by Valtierrez of Chicago Taft 0-7. But, Driessens pinned Doke (Harlem) in just 27 seconds to get a state win. In round two of wrestle-back competition, Driessens was defeated by Valdez (Andrew) 2-9. Valdez ended the tournament in 6th place. Driessens competes the season with a record of 34-10. Tyler Driessens is a junior.
Colin Baumgartner (120) lost both of his matches at state. He was defeated by Domke (Warrren) by fall and then by Bolivar (OPRF) by a score of 2-13. Baumgartner completes his senior year with a record of 33-13.
Ben Cianchetti (195) also lost both of his matches. Cianchetti wrestled the distance against Gomez (Stevenson), coming up short by a score of 0-6. In match two, Cianchetti last to Tolbert (Wheaton North) by fall. Cianchetti finished his final year with a 32-5 record.