2019-2020 Naperville Central Wrestling Year in Review
Awards
Naperville Central Wrestling Looks forward to 2019-2020 Season
Naperville Central is gearing up for the start of the 2019-2020 wrestling season. There are plenty of returning starters from a successful 2019 campaign. Tyler Driessens leads the way for the Redhawks as a returning state qualifier and DVC Champions. Returning sectional qualifiers include Tommy Porter, Leo Keating, and Ryan Silva. Porter is a returning DVC champion as well. Both Porter and Driessens wrestled at the Junior National Championships this summer. Elrin Esporlas, Sean King, and Angelo Eklou are two year starters and both return for their senior years. Senior Carson Enfield and junior Shane Roth round off the returners. Several wrestlers look to compete at the varsity level this year including seniors Bryce Cooperkawa, Tariq Sikander.
The season includes home duals against DVC foes Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley (senior night). The Redhawks will also play host to Wheaton North as well. Tournaments include Hoffman Estates, DeKalb Dual Tournament, Mahomet-Seymour and the DVC championships. The Hawks open with Batavia, Downers Grove South, and Blue Island Eisenhower on November 30th. The first practice is November 11.
Naperville Central Kicks-Off the 2019-2020 Season 3-0
11/30/2019
NCHS 72 – Blue Island Eisenhower 0
NCHS 67 – Batavia 12
NCHS 44 – Downers Grove South 27
Naperville Central swept all three duals at home to kick off the 2019-2020 wrestling season. Central began by running the table against Blue Island Eisenhower, winning all ten contested matches. In the second contest, the Hawks won six of eight matches against the Batavia Bulldogs.
That set up the matchup of the day as the Redhawks battled Downers Grove South. Tyler Driessens started the match with a fall. DGS followed with two wins, both by major decision to take a 6-8 team-score lead. Elrin Esporlas scored a fall at 138 but the Redhawks gave up a pin at 145. With the team score at 12-14 (DGS), Ryan Silva locked down a technical fall at 152 and Sean King captured a fall at 160. Those wins put NCHS up 23-14. Downers Grove responded with three straight wins at 170, 182, and 195 adding up to 13 team points and retaking the team-score lead 23-27. But it was the Redhawks that prevailed winning the final four bouts. Angelo Eklou and Carson Enfield both won by fall and freshman Ethan Olson won the match with the most points scored, 20-13.
Top performers include Tyler Driessens (120) and Sean King (160) who both managed three wins by pin. Angelo Eklou (220), Carson Enfield (285), and Elrin Esporlas (138) all came away with three wins each, two by fall. Freshman Ethan Olson was impressive winning all three matches as well.
Winning two matches were Ehan Jones, Alex Knusel, Anthony Pendolino, Ryan Silva, Shane Roth, Manny Rivera, Austin Longmire, and Tommy Porter. Jones and Knusel earned two pins each. Silva was the only wrestler with a win by technical fall. August Kukis got a varsity match at 113.
The NCHS JV1 team finished 2-1 at home defeating Stagg and Batavia before falling to DGS. The Freshman-sophomore team travel to Plainfield South for a Super-Quad and won all three matchups against Joliet West, Plainfield South, Oak Lawn and Oswego. Central put together a JV2 team to compete at West Aurora and they won all three duals as well, defeating West Aurora, Glenbard West and Addison Trail.
In all, Central won 12 of 13 duals to start the season.
Naperville Central (4-0, DVC 1-0) Defeats Metea Valley
December 6, 2019
NCHS 70 – MV 6
The Redhawks traveled to face DuPage Valley Conference foe Metea Valley and came away with their fourth dual win by score of 70-6. Of the eleven contested matches, Central won ten, seven of those by fall.
The contest started at 106 pounds. Ethan Olson and August Kukis picked up forfeits. Tommy Porter and Tyler Driessens both won by fall at 120 and 126 respectively. Alex Knusel gutted out a decision at 132 pounds. He was winning by 1 in the final seconds and scored a takedown to secure the 12-9 win.
Elrin Esporlas won by fall. He was followed by Anthony Pendolino at 145 pounds. Pendolino put on a takedown clinic to win by major decision 14-3. Unfortunately, Pendolino suffered an injury in the match. Ryan Silva accepted a forfeit at 152 pounds. Sean King looked impressive at 160 with a win by pin.
In perhaps the most exciting match of the night, Manny Rivera looked to hold on for a win at 182 pounds. Rivera was taken down in the waning seconds to fall behind 2-3, but his opponent was called for illegal locked-hands just before the final buzzer. The one point penalty tied the score at 3-3 and set the match into overtime. Rivera attacked in the extra period causing his opponent to back out of the mat, stalling. That penalty point ended up being the difference in the match: 4-3.
Angelo Eklou and Carson Enfield closed the dual out with two consecutive pins at 220 and 285. Austin Longmire was defeated at 195 pounds.
Central defeated Metea at the JV1 and freshman levels as well. Metea Valley did not field a JV2 team.
Naperville Central (7-0, DVC 1-0) Sweeps the Mega Duals
December 7, 2019
NCHS 59 – Oswego East 15
NCHS 50 – West Aurora 10
NCHS 51 – Oswego 22
The Naperville Central Redhawk wrestling team remains unbeaten on the year after sweeping all three duals at the annual Mega-Duals. The dual was hosted by West Aurora High School.
First up was Oswego East. The Redhawks added plenty of bonus points as they came away with ten wins in the match, 7 fall, 1 technical fall, and 2 forfeits. In the second contest, Central took 11 matches, 5 by fall. In the final dual of the night, NCHS won 9 matches against Oswego high school, 6 by fall.
Finishing 3-0 on the day were Ethan Olson (106), Tommy Porter (113), Tyler Driessens (120), Ethan Jones (126), Ryan Silva (152), and Sean King (160). Sean King lead the day with three wins all by fall. He is a perfect 7-0 on the season with all seven wins by fall. Freshman Ethan Olson looked impressive at 106 pounds with two wins by fall and anther win by major decision. Olson leads the team with 18 takedowns. His record is 7-0. Porter earned two pins and improves to 6-0 on the year. Driessens earned 18 team points with a fall and two wins by forfeit. He is also a perfect 7-0 on the 2019-20 campaign. Ethan Jones has earned a home at 126 pounds for the Redhawks. Jones improves to 5-1 on the season with pins on the day. Ryan Silva won a pair of matches by pin as well at 152 pounds.
Also finishing undefeated on the day were Bryce Cooperkawa and Tariq Sikander both finishing 2-0. Cooperkawa scored an overtime takedown against West Aurora that brought the Redhawks fans to their feet. Sikander earned a varsity pin.
Shane Roth (170) battled through an injury to win two matches, one by technical fall and anther by pin. Angelo Eklou dropped his first match of the year but still finished with pair of wins by fall at 220. Ayden Lutes finished 2-1 on the day wrestling at 145 pounds. Austin Longmire and Carson Enfield each came away with a win. Elrin Esporlas lost in his only match of the day, a tough 8-11 decision. Esporlas rested his back for the remainder of the event. Alex Knusel and Manny Rivera also competed at the Mega Duals.
In other Mega Duals competitions, the Junior Varsity 1 team finished 1-2 at Wheaton Warrenville South while the JV2 team won all three contests wrestling at St. Charles East High School. The NCHS freshman team finished 4th out of 8 teams at the Lyons Freshman Tournament, 1 point out of 3rd place. They came back after a tough first round. Gavin Bohan, Alexander Kelsey, and John Penny all earned gold while Chase Enfield took home a silver and Benjamin Wang, Joe Thomas and Zide Yan earned bronze. Abel Hull, Jack Honeycutt, Sami Zanika, and Santiago Perez-Gomaz finished in 4th Place.
DeKalb defeats Naperville Central
December 12, 2019
NCHS 24 – DeKalb 38
Host DeKalb won the battle of two DVC powerhouses by a final score of 24-38. DeKalb, ranked 3rd in the state by IWCOA ranking at the time of the contest, was able to take 9 matches in the convincing win. The Redhawks did come away with some outstanding efforts however.
Senior Tyler Driessens remained unbeaten, earning a pin in the second period of his match. Elrin Esporlas, competing at 138 pounds, scored takedowns in the first and third period to win by decision 5-0. Shane Roth, found a way to place his opponents shoulders to the mat for a third period fall at 170 pounds, and Senior Angelo Eklou looked impressive at 220 to win by fall in the second period of his contest.
DeKalb won the JV1 dual 40-36 and the freshman dual 38-24. Naperville Central’s JV2 squad was able to win 51-10.
Naperville Central Defeats Naperville North
December 13, 2019
NCHS 53 – NNHS 15
The Naperville Central Redhawks won the crosstown matchup by a score of 53-15 against Naperville North. The dual was held at NNHS. Central won 10 matches of 13 contested and picked up one more by forfeit.
The Huskies came out firing winning the first two matches by fall. At 182, Tariq Sikander was pinned in the final seconds of his match and Austin Longmire fall at 195 in the first period. North grabbed a 0-12 team score lead. But, Naperville Central answered quickly. Senior Angelo Eklou locked down a pin in the first period of his match at 220 and Carson Enfield battled to a 2-0 decision. Then, after Ethan Olson accepted a forfeit at 106 pound, the Redhawks found themselves ahead in the team score lead 15-12.
Central then piled on the wins, capturing eight of the next nine matches. Tommy Porter, 113 came back after giving up the first takedown to win by fall and Tyler Driessens, 120 showed his grit with a second period fall. Ethan Jones grabbed a quick 28 second fall at 126 pounds. Bryce Cooperkawa was defeated by a 4-8 score at 132 pounds.
Sophomore Ayden Lutes continued Central’s good fortune scoring a 9-4 decision at 145 and Ryan Silva fought to a 3-1 decision at 152. Sean King earned another first period fall at 160. Junior Shane Roth closed the dual out with a hard-fought 9-6 decision.
Naperville Central was able to win all four levels. Central won the JV1 dual 33-27. That match-up came down to the final contest, won by Nick Antonietti. NCHS won the JV2 dual 47-18 and the freshman dual 45-27.
Naperville Central Hoffman Estates Tournament Champions
December 14, 2019
For the fourth time in a row, Naperville Central took the top spot at the 12 team Mickey Marchese Memorial Wrestling Tournament hosted by Hoffman Estates High School. Naperville Central competed at all 14 weight classes, finishing with 28 wins against 14 losses. Tournament champions were Tommy Porter (113), Tyler Driessens (120), Elrin Esporlas (138), and Angelo Eklou (220). Making the finals and taking second place were Ryan Silva (152) and Sean King (160). The Redhawks brought four alternate non-scorers as well and they finished with a record of 4-7.
Tyler Driessens and Elrin Esporlas were both perfect on the day with three wins apiece, all by fall. Driessens remains unbeaten and dominated the competition. He defeated Russi of Joliet West in the finals. Elrin was not to be outdone as he looked outstanding. He pinned Miller of Lane Tech in the finals. Angelo Eklou won two matches by fall, with his semifinal bout being a come-from-behind effort. Eklou, seeded 4th, defeated Roath of South Elgin 5-3 to take the gold. Sophomore Tommy Porter looked dominate. He advanced won both of his matches by fall, defeating Yu of Willowbrook in the gold medal match.
Ryan Silva and Sean King both took home silver. Silva won his semifinal bout against Mabutas of Willowbrook by major decision 9-1 while King used his cradle to put away Bolger of Niles Notre Dame in the semifinals.
Ethan Jones (126), Bryce Cooperkawa (132), and Carson Enfield (285) all won their final bouts to finish in third place. Ethan Olson (106), and Tariq Sikander both qualified for the semifinals and both took 4th place.
Wrestlers taking 5th place were able to work their way through the consolation bracket unbeaten. Alex Knusel, wrestling at 132 pounds, won three matches, two by fall and Austin Longmire won 10-4 in his last bout at 195 pounds. Sophomore Ayden Lutes had the most matches, winning three of five contests.
The Naperville Central JV team won the JV Streamwood Dual Team Tournament winning all three duals. NCHS defeated Jacobs 51-21 in the opening round and defeated Gilford 45-30 in the semifinals. The Redhawks won the title dual against Bartlett 59-14.
All other wrestlers competed at home against Glenbard West at home in an exhibition contest.
Naperville Central Shows Grit against Waubonsie Valley
December 20, 2019
NCHS 70 – WV 4
Wrestling under the spotlight at home, Naperville Central defeated Waubonsie Valley by a score of 70-4. Central won 10 of the 11 contested matches, 7 of which were by fall and took three more wins by forfeit. Naperville Central improves to 9-1 on the season, 3-1 in the DVC.
The dual started at 170 pounds were Manny Rivera matched up with highly touted Antonio Torres of WV. Torres showed off why he is highly regarded, winning 17-5, but Rivera battled throughout the match. After that, Central never looked back. Tariq Sikander chalked up a varsity win at 182, scoring a reversal in the final second to ice down a 10-7 decision. Austin Longmire, 195, scored several early takedowns and held on for a 10-4 decision.
Next up was perhaps the match of the night as two ranked wrestlers squared off at 220 pounds. Angelo Eklou had the upper hand as he scored two takedowns early. In the second period, Eklou nearly scored a fall on an inside ankle pick. Eklou cruised to a 10-2 decision.
From there Naperville showed its muscle by winning by fall in all reminding match-ups. Carson Enfield was able to lock down a fall in the second period of his match at 285. Then, after NCHS was awarded two forfeits to Ethan Olson and August Kukis at 106 and 113 respectively, Tommy Porter (120) took to the mat and scored a fall in period two. Tyler Driessens added a first period fall at 126. Bryce Cooperkawa (132) scored a quick takedown and used a cradle to finish his opponent in period one. Elrin Esporlas (138) used a standing cradle to score early in his match and later locked down a pin. After Ayden Lutes won by forfeit at 145, Ryan Silva (152) joined the fun with a pin too. Finally, Sean King scored several sets of nearfall points and earned a fall in the third period at 160.
Naperville Central managed to win all three underlevel contests. The JV1 team won 51-28. The JV2 team won throughout with a 78-0 victory and the freshman won 45-27.
On Saturday, December 21 the Redhawk JV1 team won three duals at home, capturing wins against Bolingbrook 45-25, Joliet Central 66-12 and Oak Forest 60-12. Meanwhile the Freshman-Sophomore Team took third place at the Maine South Tournament behind host Maine South and Libertyville. Tournament champions were Tristen Hall (152), David Pirozhnik (160), and Chase Enfield (195). Taking a silver was Yiguang Zhu (132). Coming in third were Larry Stubitsch (106), Gavin Bohan (126), Michael Parker (145), Justin Schroeder (182) and Quinn Hurley (285).
Naperville Central Takes 6th at the 32-Team Flavin
December 27 and 28, 2019
Day 1
NCHS 70 – Chicago St. Rita 8
NCHS 63 – Wheaton North 6
NCHS 8 – Brownsburg (Indiana) 45
Day 2
NCHS 36 – Deerfield 21
NCHS 47 – Prospect 22
NCHS 27 – Lemont 33
Team: 6th place / 32 teams
On day one of the completion, Naperville Central competed in an eight team bracketed Wayne Miller Pool. In the preliminary round, Central faced Chicago St. Rita and won by a team score of 70-8. Naperville Central won 12 of 14 matches, four of which were forfeits. Of the eight contested wins, the Redhawks won seven of them by fall. Central bettered St. Rita 15-6 in takedowns. Big wins were recorded by Tariq Sikander and Angelo Eklou.
In the semifinals of day 1 pool play, the Redhawks defeated former DVC foe Wheaton North by a score of 63-6. Central again won 12-14 matches with five wins by forfeit and four by fall and looked good on their feet, scoring 14 takedowns with only 3 against.
Highlights include Sean King outlasting his opponent and taking advantage of the top position. He scored a second period fall at 160. Tariq Sikander scored four takedowns and held on for a 9-7 decision. Angelo Eklou (220) won a second hard fought battle at 220, pulling out a 4-0 decision. Elrin Esporlas closed out the dual with a tough 12-8 decision at 138 pounds.
In the finals of day 1 pool play NCHS faced off with Brownsburg Indiana. Brownsburg is a top ranked team in the state and showed their muscle defeating the Redhawks 8-45. There were no forfeits in the dual and Brownsburg was able to take 11 of the matches. Central did not go quietly though, giving up only three falls and taking three wins. The dual started with a big win at 152 pounds with Ryan Silva taking a 5-2 decision. Silva finished day 1 undefeated. Brownsburg rattled off seven wins in row before 113 pounder Tommy Porter battled to a 3-0 decision. Bryce Cooperkawa finished with a strong day, scoring a 11-7 decision.
Since Naperville Central finished in 2nd place in the Wayne Miller Bracket, they qualify for the Gold pool on day two against the other three teams that placed 2nd place in their respective pools. That guaranties a placing between 5th and 8th place in the 32 team event.
So, day 2 started with a contest against Deerfield. Central won 36-12, taking 9 of the 14 matches. Deerfield won the takedown contest 15-21. Scoring falls for the Redhawks were Shane Roth and Elrin Esporlas. Tariq Sikander added a technical fall and Tyler Driessens added a major decision. King, Longmire, Enfield, Porter and Silva all recorded decisions. Longmire drew a stalling call to break a 1-1 tie to win 2-1. Porter scored a three-point nearfall tilt on top and held on to win 8-6.
Next up Central faced Prospect, a team they were defeated by last year. Central showed improvement, winning by a team score of 47-22 and taking 10 of 14 matches. NCHS also lead in takedowns 18-8. Recording falls were Roth, Sikander, Eklou, and Enfield. Tommy Porter and Ryan Silva both won by technical falls. Driessens, Jones, Lutes and King all scored wins by decisions with Sean King’s win being a major decision. Ayden Lutes looked particularly good, scoring three takedowns in a hard fought 7-3 decision.
With both Naperville Central and Lemont at 2-0 in the pool, they faced each other for Gold Poll championship: 5th place. Lemont is a top ranked team in Class AA Illinois and they came away victorious 27-33. Lemont won 9 matches. But Central did not give in easily, allowing only one fall and one technical fall. Tommy Porter, Tyler Driessens and Bryce Cooperkawa all scored wins by fall. Shane Roth battled to a 7-2 decision and Austin Longmire won by forfeit. Naperville Central finished 6th place in the 32 team event.
Finishing 6-0 in the two day tournament was Tommy Porter, 113 pounds. Porter had one fall, one technical fall, two decisions, and two wins by forfeit. Finishing 5-1 were Ryan Silva, Sean Roth and Tyler Driessens. Driessens and Roth lead the team with three falls while Silva had two falls and a technical fall. Wrestlers with a 4-2 record were Bryce Cooperkawa, Tariq Sikander, Austin Longmire and Carson Enfield.
Naperville Central Finishes 2-1 in Duals at Grant High School
January 2, 2020
NCHS 31 – Prospect 35
NCHS 44 – Cary Grove 24
NCHS 45 – Fox Lake Grant 20
Naperville Central, 15-4, (3-1 in DVC) won two of three duals competed at Grant High School. Five NCHS wrestlers finished the day at 3-0 including Tommy Porter (113), Tyler Driessens (120), Elrin Esporlas (138), Sean King (160), and Shane Roth (170).
NCHS faced Prospect to start the morning, a team they defeated last week in the Gold Pool of the DeKalb dual tournament. This time the Redhawks fell short by a score of 31-35. Still, Central defeated Prospect 7-5 in actual competed matches. Elrin Esporlas, 138, got the first victory for Central posting a 3-1 decision. Ryan Silva, 152, added to his team leading total of technical falls with a 15-0 effort. Sean King added to his pin total locking his opponent down early in the second period. Shane Roth used 4 takedowns to win with a major decision 13-5 at 170 pounds. After a quick 55 second fall by Angelo Eklou at 220, Tommy Porter and Tyler Driessens posted decisions at 113 and 120 pounds respectively. Porter won by major decision 13-2 and Driessens by a score of 9-2.
Central won five of eight contested matches against Cary Grove in route to a 44-24 dual team win. Central forfeited two weight classes while Cary Grove forfeit four weight classes. Esporlas again lead the way with the first of five straight wins. The 138 pounder won by fall in the second period. Ayden Lutes followed with an 8-2 decision and, after Ryan Silva earned a forfeit, Sean King and Shane Roth won by decision 4-2 and 2-1 respectively.
In the final contest of the day, the Redhawks defeated Fox Lake Grant 45-20. Central won nine out of eleven contested matches. Once again, Elrin Esporlas, 138, started the winning with a quick, first period fall. Ayden Lutes won 9-8, Sean King won 5-0, and Shane Roth earned a major decision at 15-4. Angelo Eklou got his second fall at 220 pounds. At the lighter weight classes, Tommy Porter got a pin at 113 pounds, Tyler Driessens used takedowns and nearfalls to win by technical fall 19-2. Jones, 126 and Cooperkawa both earned first period pins at 126 and 132.
The Naperville Central JV1 team took 2nd place at the 12 team Libertyville JV tournament. Libertyville won the event with 250 team points, Central got 173.5 points and Deerfield was third with 154.5 points. Alex Knusel earned gold at 132 pounds winning all four of his matches (3 pins and a major decision). Austin Nesci took the blue ribbon at 138 pounds winning all three of his matches by technical fall. He scored a total of 50 match points while only giving up 3. Manny Rivera took 2nd place and August Kukis, Ian Collins, Philip Marrero and Mason Cooperkawa all took 3rd place.
Redhawks Sweep Schaumburg Quad
January 3, 2020
NCHS 39 – Schaumburg 31
NCHS 36 – Libertyville 29
NCHS 42 – Bolingbrook 24
Naperville Central added three more dual meet victories competing at Schaumburg High School. Central improves to 18-4 on the season with just five dual meets remaining on the season. On the day, Tyler Driessens (120) and Angelo Eklou (220) were the only Redhawk wrestlers to finish 3-0 on the day.
Central opened with wrestling the host school Schaumburg in what turned out to be a very close contest. NCHS won six match while losing five. Tommy Porter won by fall at 113 and Tyler Driessens matched the result with a pin of his own. Bryce Cooperkawa battled for a pin at 132 pounds. Esporlas picked up a forfeit win. Ryan Silva got a second period fall at 145 and Sean King shown grit by getting a 3rd period pin. Schaumburg won the next three matches in a row, but Angelo Eklou locked down the dual win with a late takedown to win 9-8 in the deciding match.
In dual two, Central battled state ranked Libertyville in what was to be the top contest of the night. Central forfeited 106 to go down 0-6 in the team score, but exploded with four consecutive pins. Porter, Driessens, Jones, and Cooperkawa earned 6 team points each and all did it in the first period save Jones (3rd). Libertyville earned a major and decision at 138 and 145 to make the team score 24-13. NCHS and Libertyville traded punches with Ryan Silva scoring a 5-2 decision before King losing a very close 0-2 decision. Shane Roth fought for a 5-3 win while Tariq Sikander fall 1-9. That made the team score 30-20. Then after losing a close 3-4 decision at 195, Angelo Eklou shut the door on the Wildcat. His first period fall made the team score 36-23. Central forfeited 285.
In the last scuffle the Redhawks defeated Bolingbrook 42-24. NCHS won seven matches and lost four. In the first match, McDermott nearily beat Tommy Porter 4-5 in a matchup of ranked wrestlers. Tyler Driessens scored a 6-0 decision at 120. Esporlas and Lutes were winners by fall. Starting with 160 pounds, Central won the final five matches. King (160) won by fall in what was a close match, Roth (170), picked up a forfeit, Sikander (170) scored a very important first period fall with a cradle, Longmire (195) toughed out a 5-1 decision and Eklou (220) took the curtain call with a first period pin.
Not to be outdone, the JV1 team also won all three of their duals at Schaumburg. NCHS defeated host Schaumburg 39-27, defeated Libertyville 57-18, and beat Bolingbrook 57-24.
The NCHS freshman team took 3rd at the 10 team Hinsdale South Freshman Tournament. Hinsdale South won with 194 team points, Hersey took 2nd with 157 and Central had 152 points. Reaching the top of the podium for the Redhawks were Dominic Hautzinger (113), Patrick Geiger (120) and John Penny (220). Taking 3rd: Larry Stubitsch (106), Joseph Thomas (160), and Chase Enfield (195).
Naperville Central Defeats Wheaton North at Home
January 9, 2020
NCHS 55 – Wheaton North 7
Naperville Central is now 19-4 this year in duals after defeating former DVC foe Wheaton North 55-7 at home. NCHS defeated Wheaton North 63-3 earlier this season at the DeKalb Dual Tournament. This time the contest took place under the lights with an enthusiastic crowd.
Wheaton North forfeited to Ethan Jones at 106 and Austin Longmire at 195 leaving 12 contested matches. In the end, Central won ten of those and three of those ten by fall.
Tommy Porter started the battle wrestling at 113 pounds. Porter added five more takedowns to add to his team leading total to win by a score of 13-3. Tyler Driessens followed and earned a fall in the second period of his match. Wheaton North answered with two wins at 126 and 132 respectively, both decisions, to pull the team score to 16-7. But the Redhawks took the remaining nine matches to close out the contest.
Elrin Esporlas scored a late takedown to secure a hard-fought 6-2 decision at 138. Sophomore Ayden Lutes, down by one entering the third period, exploded for 12 points in the third period to win by major decision 13-3. Ryan Silva look dominant at 152 pounds, winning 7-1. Shane Roth wrestled perhaps the best he has all season, scoring three late takedowns to earn a major decision 13-5.
Senior Tariq Sikander shot early and scored, then went to work in the top position, earning the slap of the mat at the 1:55 mark. After Austin Longmire got his hand raised due to a forfeit, Angelo Eklou and CamRon Harper resumed their long time rivalry with Eklou holding on to a 3-2 decision. Senior mainstay Carson Enfield closed out the day earning a 13-2 major decision.
Wheaton North won the JV1 dual 39-27 but Naperville Central was able to win the J2 dual 54-21 and the freshman competition 37-31.
Redhawks Close Out DVC Dual Competition On Top
January 10, 2020
NCHS 62 – NV 10
Naperville Central closed out its season DVC dual competition by defeating Neuqua Valley at home by a score of 62-10. Central finishes the year 20-4 and 4-1 in the DVC. Should NCHS win the IHSA Individual Regionals, they will qualify for post season dual competition with the Dual Sectionals.
The night included a recognition of senior wrestlers, managers and their parents.
There were only nine contested matches in the contest and the Redhawks came away with eight wins. In all but one, NCHS came away with bonus points. Central was forced to scratch Olson at 106 late due to injury. Neuqua Valley chose to forfeit four weight classes.
The Redhawks won all four levels: Varsity, JV1, JV2 and Freshman, losing only 5 total matches.
Up first for the Hawks was Senior Sean King at 160. King has been on a role lately and didn’t disappoint again. He pinned his opponent early in the second period. Shane Roth is wrestling the best he has all year. He used four takedowns and added three sets of nearfall points to cruise to a 17-2 win by technical fall. Neuqua Valley then bumped up their 182 pound to 195: forfeiting to Senior Tariq Sakander to face Austin Longmire instead. Longmire scored an early takedown and added a nearfall for 2, then held on till the end. Longmire defended a headlock for the final takedown in a 7-4 decision.
Senior Angelo Eklou scored six takedowns in a major decision 14-3. The match was witnessed by former Redhawk 220 greats Luke Roth, Christian Nussbaum and Ben Cianchetti. Senior Carson Enfield improved to 15-6 after forcing a pin of his opponent late in the first period of his match. After Central gave up their forfeit at 106, Tommy Porter chalked up another five takedowns in his route of his opponent. His improves to 23-2 on the season, second on the team. The team leader in wins is Senior Tyler Driessens (120). He was up next and use his cradle to get a pin in 45 of his match. Neuqua Valley was able to pick up their only win at 126 pounds. Then the stage was set for Senior 132 pounder Bryce Cooperkawa. Cooperkawa scored an early takedown and added a couple of back points to take an early 7-0 lead, but his opponent was able to reverse and score nearfall points of his own to close to 7-5. Cooperkawa added an escape and takedown in the second period to extend his lead to 10-5. In the third period, the Central wrestler gave up another takedown, but then, leading only by 3, forced his opponent to lock his hands, then scored a reversal, and nearfall points. Stalling calls added additional points and Cooperkawa walked away with a major decision 16-7.
Neuqua valley then scratched their 138 pounder and forfeited to Senior Elrin Esporlas. Ayden Lutes and Senior Ryan Silva were also sacrificed to pushing the final team score to 62-10.
The Redhawks won the JV1 dual 68-6. They won the JV2 dual 78-6 and came out on top in the freshman dual 66-12. In all, Central scored 212 team points to 24 for Neuqua Valley.
Prior to the varsity dual, the following seniors and their families were recognized:
Bryce Cooperkawa
Tyler Driessens
Angelo Eklou
Carson Enfield
Elrin Esporlas
Adam Hayes
Sean King
Dixant Patel
Emanuelle Rivera
Tariq Sikander
Ryan Silva
Leo Keating
Matt Kaszuba
Sophia Gonzalez
Mimi Roberts
Spike Tomaszkiewicz
Naperville Central Finishes Dual Season 22-4
January 11, 2020
NCHS 69 – South Elgin 9
NCHS 50 – Downers Grove North 20
The Naperville Central Redhawk wrestling team finishes the dual meet portion of their regular season with a final record of 22-4. The Hawks added a final two dual meet wins at Downers Grove North against the host school and South Elgin. Metamora was scheduled to compete, but cancelled due to poor weather downstate.
Central faced off against South Elgin first and won 11 of 12 matches. Central forfeited 106. Sean King nearly defeated highly ranked Lopez at 160 pounds, losing in the ultimate tie breaker (3OT) by a score of 1-0. In the other eleven matches, the Redhawks recorded 9 fall, 1 technical fall, and 1 major decision, received 1 win by forfeit. Naperville Central did not give up a takedown in the entire dual.
Downers Grove North proved to be a more formidable opponent. Ryan Silva started the contest with a major decision 14-3 at 152. Sean King got back on the winning track with a fall at 160. Shane Roth earned a major at 170. Tariq Sikander’s attempt at a third period comeback fell short and he lost a 4-8 decision at 182. Austin Longmire lost by fall in the 195 pound weight class. Suddenly, the team score was 14-9 in favor of the Hawks. Senior Angelo Eklou, 220, surrendered a takedown in the third period, but his two escapes pushed the match to overtime, tied at 2-2. An unusual stalling call in the overtime frame gave Eklou the win 3-2. Carson Enfield was pinned in the third period of his match. Central was forced to forfeit the 106 pound weight class, allowing DGN to take a 17-21 lead in the team score.
Upstart sophomore Tommy Porter, 113, faced off against Roberto Lara in perhaps the marquee match of the night with two ranked opponents getting after each other. Lara stared the scoring with a takedown in the first period. Porter countered by scoring a two-point reversal in the second period to tie the score. Lara was penalized twice due to stalling on the bottom position and Porter took a 4-2 lead into the third period. Starting on their feet, Porter scored on a go-behind takedown to take a 6-2 lead. Lara was penalized two more times for stalling to push the final score to 9-2.
The Redhawks did not look back. Tyler Driessens accepted a forfeit at 120, Jones and Esporlas both recorded falls at 126 and 132 respectively. Bryce Cooperkawa grabbed a forfeit at 138 and Ayden Lutes scored 10 match points before winning by fall late in the second period. The final team score was 50-20.
The NCHS JV1 team took 4th place at the competitive Bolingbrook JV tournament. Manny Rivera fell just short of a championship, losing in 2OT in the gold medal match. Patrick Geiger took 3rd place.
The NCHS JV2 team took 1st and 4th place at the 52nd Annual NCHS JV2 Tournament (fielding two teams).
Taking 1st place: Gavin Bohan (120), Yiguang Zhu (132), Chris Ramirez (138), Sean Bakos (152)
Taking 2nd place: Dominic Hautzinger (113), Joe Flessner (132), Brayden Halverson (145), Michael Salvo (160), Connor McHugh (170)
Taking 3rd place: Ethan Pytlak (152), Nick Ball (160), Justin Schroeder (182), Chase Enfield (195)
Great Day for Naperville Central Redhawk Wrestling at Mahomet-Seymour
January 18, 2020
NCHS Varsity 1st place / 22 Teams at Marty Williams Invitational
NCHS Freshman-Sophomore 1st Place / 8 Teams at Oswego F-S Dual Tournament
Naperville Central Wrestling showed its grit at two events this Saturday. The varsity team won the 40th Annual Marty Williams Invitational for the 6th year in a row. Central scored 473.5 team points. LaSalle-Peru was second with 372, host Mahomet-Seymour third with 362 and Normal West fourth with 361.
Naperville fielded a team of 19 wrestlers for the overnight trip, six competing as additional non-scoring wrestlers. In all, Central finished with a record of 54 wins against just 27 losses and 30 of the wins were by fall.
Three Redhawks took first place, led by senior captain, Tyler Driessens at 120. Driessens finished virtually perfect, scoring all four victories by fall. He made quick work of his opponent in the finals, locking down a fall using his outside cradle. Not to be outdone, senior Elrin Esporlas, 126 won three of four matches by fall (one by injury default). All of Esporlas’ matches ended by fall coming in the first period. Esporlas needed just three takedowns to finish his opponents and stand on the top of the podium. Sophomore Tommy Porter brought home gold at the 113 pound weight class. He improved to 29-2 on the season. Porter scored a late fall in the final match for his fourth win of the day, the three others coming by fall (2) and technical fall.
Two Redhawks made the finals and finished as runner-ups. Senior Captain Ryan Silva (152) had four wins leading into the finals including a hard fought 2-0 victory in pool competition. Sean King (160) continues to impress not just his coaches, but the state of Illinois as well. Recently getting mentioned in state rankings, King pinned Dalton Hall from Champaign Central. Hall is currently the number two ranked wrestler in Illinois (class AA) by IWCOA rankings.
Shane Roth (170) lost a nail bitter in semifinals but came back to take 3rd place in the tournament. All four of Roth’s wins came by fall as he continues to improve. Angelo Eklou (220) scored a 10-5 win in his bronze medal match. He ended with a 4-1 record. Bryce Cooperkawa showed off his seemingly never ending endurance. The senior battled to four wins in route to the podium’s third step.
The Central underclassman also showed some toughness. Sophomore Ayden Lutes continues to get better and better. He won four hard fought matches to finish third place including an exciting 14-11 place match. Last, but not least, freshman Ethan Olson (106) earned three victories with scores of 14-0, 11-3, and 18-3 to take 3rd. He scored the most takedowns for the team in the tournament (tied with Porter, 10).
The tournament format allowed for wrestlers to compete in a three-man round robin pool with the top finisher in the pool advancing to the Gold bracket, top 8. A loss in the pool relegated a wrestler to a Silver bracket of 8. Two Redhawk wrestlers lost in the pool competition, but came back to win the Silver bracket. Anthony Pendolino finished 3-1 scoring a 6-3 win in his final bout and senior Manny Rivera put up four wins in his efforts at 170 including an exciting 11-10 win in the finals. August Kukis earned two varsity wins wrestling at 106 pounds. He battled to a pair of decisions 6-4 and 5-3. Ethan Jones scored a 14-1 decision to make the finals of the silver bracket. Austin Nesci finish 2-1 in competition winning two decisions of 17-2 and 11-0.
Tariq Sikander made the gold bracket by way of a fall in pool competition. He won another match by fall. Philip Marrero scored a come from behind win to qualify for the gold bracket as well. Austin Longmire lost a couple of tight matches, but did come away with a fall in the silver bracket. Alex Knusel competed, but had to withdraw due to injury.
The Naperville Central freshman-sophomore team won the 8-team Oswego dual team tournament, defeating Joliet West 44-27, Oswego East 63-12, and Wheaton North 75-6 in pool competition and St. Charles East 60-21 in the championship dual. Gavin Bohan, Patrick Geiger, Adrian Alvarado, Chase Enfield and Quinn Hurley all finish 4-0 on the day while Brayden Halverson, Chris Ramirez, Michael Parker all went undefeated at 3-0 and Ethan Pytlak had 2 wins against no losses. In total, the Hawks won 45 matches to just 12 losses and 23 of the wins were by fall.
Naperville Central Finishes 2nd at DuPage Valley Conference Tournament
January 25, 2020
DeKalb 261.5
Naperville Central 246
Naperville North 160
Neuqua Valley
Waubonsie Valley
Metea Valley
Naperville Central crowned five champions at the 2020 DuPage Valley Conference Tournament held at Naperville North High School. The team took second place to DeKalb by 15.5 team points. DeKalb is currently ranked 3rd in the state by IWCOA rankings. The Redhawks won 24 matches in the event while losing only 10. All 14 Hawks won at least one match. Central had nine wrestlers reach the finals, winning five and the remaining five wrestlers competed for 3rd place with four taking the bronze. DeKalb and NCHS won 12 of the 14 weight classes.
Senior Captain Tyler Driessens (120) led the way for the Redhawks, winning both of his matches by fall. He becomes a conference champion for the second time. Driessens pinned Clark of NN in the finals. Driessens win in the finals was his 100th varsity win in a Redhawk singlet. Quite a milestone for the captain. Senior Angelo Eklou brought home gold at 220. He won 11-5 in the semifinals and defeated LeBreck of NV by fall for gold. Senior Captain Ryan Silva (145) did not give up an offensive point in route to his championship. Silva won 16-3 in the semifinals and defeated Takana of NN for the blue ribbon in the finals. Newly ranked junior Shane Roth (170) wrestled impressively winning by fall in the semis before upending Yu of NN in the finals by a score of 13-5. Freshman Ethan Olson, wrestling at 106 pounds, received a free pass to the finals where he pinned Lopez of DeKalb for his trip to the top of the podium.
For additional Redhawks won in the semifinals and competed for a championship, taking 2nd place. Senior Elrin Esporlas (138) advanced to the finals with a 6-2 victory before losing to Boumans of NV 0-5. Senior Sean King (160) came from behind with a fall in the semifinals before dropping to Gillum of DeKalb 0-8. A pair of Redhawk sophomores, Tommy Porter and Ayden Lutes, both earned a silver medal wrestling at 113 and 145 respectively. Both Porter and Lutes competed against highly ranked wrestlers and both scored the opening takedown. Porter defeated Spatafora, NV 7-3 in the semifinals before losing to Arranda of DeKalb for the second time this year. Porter reached the 30-win mark with his victory, his second time reaching that achievement in as many years. Lutes scored a quick double leg takedown against the state champ before losing 12-27 to Lopez of DeKalb. Lutes defeated Newton, NN 8-5 in the semifinals.
Senior Tariq Sikander and junior Austin Longmire both took 3rd place, both with falls at 182 and 195 respectively. Sikander won two matches by fall in the consolation bracket, the 3rd place match to Zirin, NN. Longmire also won two matches by pin. His 3rd place stick was against Zdenovec, WV. Senior Bryce Cooperkawa was one of only two Redhawks to wrestle four matches in the conference tournament. The 132 pounder won three including a 17-1 technical fall in the place match against Murphy, NV. Junior Ethan Jones, 126, finished 2-2 on the day, taking 4th place. Jones won 7-2 in the preliminaries and won by fall against Sullivan, WV in the consolation semifinals.
Naperville Central Hosts DuPage Conference JV1 and JV2 Tournaments
February 1, 2020
JV1 Team Results
1st Naperville North 241, 2nd Naperville Central 222, 3rd DeKalb 173, 4th Metea Valley 88, 5th Waubonsie Valley 71, 6th Neuqua Valley 49.
JV2 Team Results
1st Naperville Central 266, 2nd Naperville North 156, 3rd Waubonsie Valley 107, 4th Neuqua Valley 99, 5th Metea Valley 96, 6th DeKalb 37.
JV1 DVC Champions: 132 Philip Marrero, 138 Austin Nesci, 145 Anthony Pendolino, and 170 Manny Rivera
JV2 DVC Champions: 120 Patrick Geiger 126, Yiguang Zhu 132, Chris Ramirez 138, Sean Bakos 152, Michael Salvo 160, Nick Antonietti 170, and Jeremiah Christen 185.
Naperville Central hosted the combined DuPage Valley Conference JV1 and JV2 Tournaments held in the Central Fieldhouse. In the JV1 tournament, the Redhawk scorers finished with a record of 23-13. NCHS won nine place matches and lost five. Central sent nine wrestlers to the championship match, seven scorers and two non-scorers. The DVC champions were led senior Manny Riveria, 170. Other finalists include August Kukis, 113, Ian Collins 126, Zach Kotecki 132, Adrian Alvarado 182, and senior Adam Hayes 195. Three Redhawks won their final match and took third in the tournament: Larry Sutbitch 106, Charlie Morgan 120, Tristen Hall, 152, and Chase Enfield 195.
Naperville Central dominated the JV2 tournament where 37 Redhawk wrestlers competed. NC won the tournament by 110 points second place Naperville North. The Hawk wrestlers had more team points than second and third place combined. Central won the event in eight of the fourteen weight classes competed. The 14 wrestlers designated as scorers in the event did especially well, finishing with a record of 46-7. Those wrestlers include eight DVC Champions, five third place finishers and one 5th place finisher. NCHS wrestlers did particularly well in the place round, finishing with a record of 22-7 and with 6 of those losses coming against other Central wrestlers. In matches of the place round against opponents from other school, Central finished incredibly 16-1. The other finalists were Ethan Sentman 126, Elijah Trannon 152, and Connor McHugh 170. Finishing in third place for the Redhawks were Dominic Hautzinger 113, Joe Flessner, 132, Harris Khan 138, Michael Parker 145, Justin Schroeder 182, Nikola Epps 220, and Quinn Hurley 285.
Naperville Central Regional Champions
February 9, 2020
12 NCHS Wrestlers Advance to Sectionals
1st: Naperville Central 214
2nd: Marmion Academy 173.5
3rd: West Aurora 127.5
4th: Naperville North 125.5
5th: Wheaton Warrenville South 85
6th: East Aurora 76
7th: Waubonsie Valley 62
8th: Metea Valley 23
Regional Champions: Tyler Driessens (120), Ryan Silva (152), Angelo Eklou (220).
Regional Finalists: Tommy Porter (113), Elrin Esporlas (132), Ayden Lutes (145), Sean King (160), Shane Roth (170)
Regional Bronze Medalists: Ethan Olson (106), Bryce Cooperkawa (138), Tariq Sikander (182), Carson Enfield (285).
Naperville Central won the eight team IHSA Regional Tournament held at Marmion High School by 40.5 points. It was the first Regional title for the Redhawks since 2012. Marmion had won the event for the past seven years in a row. Wrestlers placing in the top three qualify for the IHSA Individual Sectional Tournament to be held next weekend (Friday and Saturday) at Hinsdale Central High School. The Redhawks had a school record 12 out of 14 qualify for the Sectionals. Central has never qualified more than 9 in a given year for at least the past 20 years. This marked the 4th time in the last 36 years that NCHS has won a Regional. Every entrant for the Hawks won a match and 13 placed.
Naperville Central has qualified for the IHSA Dual Sectional to be held Tuesday, February 25th against Chicago Mt. Carmel. That make NCHS one of the top 16 teams in the state of Illinois. The winner of the dual will compete at the IHSA Dual State Tournament in the state quarterfinals.
Leading the way were Tyler Driessens (120) and Angelo Eklou (220). The pair of seniors started with the number one seed and did not disappoint. Driessens pinned all three opponents and Eklou pinned both of his challengers. Driessens put away Tijerina of Marmion in just 1 minute 25 seconds in the title match while Eklou needed 1 minute 49 seconds to put Byran of Marmion’s back to the mat. Fellow Senior Ryan Silva earned gold at 152 pounds. Seeded first, Silva pinned his semifinal opponent before facing Takano of Naperville North in the finals. Silva scored a key takedown in the second period and rode aggressively to lock down a 5-2 decision.
NCHS advanced eight wrestlers to the finals. Five came away with silver. Sophomore Tommy Porter (113) becomes a two-time sectional qualifier after pinning DeMari (NN) in the semifinals. Elrin Esporlas dropped to 132 pounds for the state series and just missed defeating Door (WWS) in the finals. Esporlas scored two falls on his way to the championship bout. Newcomer Ayden Lutes (145) showed his grit and determination defeating Newton (NN) in the semifinals by a score of 7-3. Sean King (160) proved himself sectional-qualifier material with a hard fought 5-1 semifinal decision over Dorando of Marmion. Shane Roth (170) continues to look impressive in his wrestling efforts. Roth scored a major decision by a score of 13-3 in a semifinal win over O’Connor of Marmion.
Often called the “blood round” the third place matches offer excitement to fans as the winner moves on to the Sectionals. Naperville Central had five individuals compete in the blood round and won four of them. Freshman Ethan Olson (106) started the Hawks off with a win over Wyland of West Aurora. Senior Bryce Cooperkawa (132) locked down his third win by fall in the tournament, upending Quintana of West Aurora for the place on the podium. Tariq Sikander (182) provided the most excitement in the tournament as his matches went back and forth all day. Sikander jumped out to a big lead in the bronze medal match and kept his foot on the gas throughout. He defeated Morales of West Aurora 16-10. Sikander won three out of four matches. Senior heavyweight Carson Enfield punched his ticket to sectionals after defeating Abrica of East Aurora in his blood round match. The match was the final one contested at the tournament and left fans and teammates smiling.
Junior Ethan Jones was unseeded at 126 pounds but battled his way to the blood round. Jones defeated Siwicki of Metea Valley in the consolation semifinals by a score of 2-0. Siwicki had defeated Jones in overtime just two weeks ago at the DVC tournament. Jones finished 2-2 having been defeated by the same opponent twice in the event. Junior Austin Longmire (195) won his first match against Chavez of East Aurora and finish 1-2 on the day.
Naperville Central Qualifies 3 to IHSA Individual State
February 14 – 15, 2020
Twelve NCHS Wrestlers Battle at Sectionals
Angelo Eklou, 220 2nd Place
Tyler Driessens, 120 3rd Place
Ryan Silva, 152 4th Place
Naperville Central competed with a record twelve participants at the IHSA Sectional Wrestling Tournament held at Hinsdale Central High School. Top four finishers qualify for the IHSA State Tournament in Champaign next weekend and three Redhawks were able to qualify, all seniors. NCHS won 21 matches out of 43 competed.
Angelo Eklou (220) entered the tournament as a Regional Champion and made good use of his spot in the sectional bracket. In the quarterfinals, Eklou pinned Liberatore of Marist and then punched his ticket to state by pinning Anderson of St. Rita in the semifinals. In the sectional, Elkou lost a decision to Zimmer of Sandburg.
Tyler Driessens (120) scored a 9-1 decision against Nugent of Downers Grove South to push his way to the semifinals. There he battled #1 ranked Colton Drousias of Mt. Carmel. Driessens suffered a 4-13 loss, but then won in the blood round (consolation semifinals) against Perez of Hinsdale Central to become a two-time state qualifier. Driessens finish the tournament defeating Dunlap of Marist to bring home the bronze medal.
Ryan Silva accomplished his goal of becoming state qualifier after defeating Bettiga of Lyons Township in the blood round by a score of 4-1. The senior find his name on the state qualifier board. Silva won on day one of the competition, scoring a 8-4 decision to Boland of Marist to make the semifinals. Silva lost the rematch to Boland in the third place match.
Four Redhawks competed up to the blood round but fell just one match short of a state qualifying birth. Sophomore Tommy Porter (113) finished the tournament 3-2 defeating Dunson of Oak Park-River Forest, Weber of Marist and Castro of Downers Grove North. Porter lost to McDermott of Bolingbrook who went on to take third making Porter the first alternate to State. Fellow Sophomore Ayden Lutes (145) made an impact at the Sectionals winning his first two matches to qualify for the semifinals. Those wins were against Cozzi of Lyons Township by 3-1 in overtime and Muhammad of Shepard by a score of 10-7. Junior Shane Roth (170) won his opening match by fall over McDonald of Stagg before losing a heartbreaker 2-3 decision in the quarterfinals. Roth battled back with two wins in the wrestle-backs, a fall verses Pohl of Lyons and a 5-2 decision to Rogers of Morton. Roth’s state bid fell short to Gaylord of Marist in the blood round.
The fourth Redhawk to make the blood round was senior Sean King (160). King, a yearlong wrestler, saw his individual career come to a close with a gutty performance at sectionals. After a win by fall against Koeppen of Stagg in the preliminary round, King lost to Larkin of St. Rita in the quarterfinals. King advance to the second round of the wrestle-backs with a bye due to a previous injury default. That set him up once again against Bartikevic of Naperville North. King, down by five late in the match, found a way to score a reversal and nearfall followed by a pin to make the blood round. There he lost the rematch against Gonzalez of East Aurora from the Regional finals a week ago.
Four other seniors wrestled their final bouts as individuals in a Redhawk uniform at the sectionals, but they wrestled tough and represented their school well. Elrin Esporlas (132) won his first match by fall verses Dado of Marist before dropping his next two to bow out of the tournament. Bryce Cooperkawa (138) looked tough earning two wins by fall against Gorz of Argo and Harris of Thornton. Cooperkawa was one match away from making the blood round. Tariq Sikander (182) defeated Howard of Marist 13-4 in the opening round. Carson Enfield (285) lost both of his matches, but pushed both opponents to the very end of the match. Both matches came down to a single point.
Freshman standout Ethan Olson (106) lost both of his matches
The four private schools took home 23 of the 56 qualifying spots at the Hinsdale Central Sectional with Chicago Mt. Carmel leading the way with 12.
Naperville Central Competes at IHSA Individual State
February 20-22, 2020
Tyler Driessens entered the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois as a two time state qualifier. Driessens battled Ronon Schuelke of Glenbard North in the opening round of the Class AAA tournament at 120 pounds and lost by decision 2-1. In the wrestle-backs, Driessens faced off against Nuerater of Lake Zurich. Nuerater opened the scoring with a takedown but, with just four seconds left in the first period, Driessens scored a reversal to tie the score 2-2. In period two, Driessens picked the down position and scored an escape in just 16 seconds. A Nuerater takedown attempt was countered by Driessens and the Redhawk rolled through with a cut-back to score a takedown and three point nearfall to take a 8-2 lead out of the second period. Driessens then turned the Lake Zurich wrestler and locked down the fall at 3:33. It was the 41st win for the senior captain. In round two of the wrestle-backs, Driessens had a rematch with Colton Drousias of Mt. Carmel. Drousias, a returning state champion was able to defeat Driessens by major decision 12-3, ending the tournament for Driessens. Colton Drousias finished in third place.
Senior Angelo Eklou, a first time state qualifier, entered the 220 pound weight class against the number one ranked wrestler in the tournament, Ryan Golnick of Jacobs. The opening period saw no scoring. In period two, Eklou scored an escape and drew a stalling call against Golnick. Then Eklou scored a takedown midway through the period. Golnick countered with an escape and takedown to tie the score 3-3 out of the second period. The third period proved to be the deciding frame as Golnick scored an escape and takedown make the score 6-3. Eklou attempted a shoulder roll to escape, but was caught temporarily on his back, giving up a two point nearfall for the deciding score of 8-3. In the wrestle-backs, Eklou squared off against Gus Salah of Tinley Park Andrew. Eklou scored on a single leg takedown in the first period. The Eklou capitalized on the top position and locked down the fall with 10 second left in the opening frame for the win. The victory moved the senior’s record to 34-9 on the year. In the second wrestle-back round Eklou faced #2 ranked Gio Jackson of Buffalo Grove. Most of the scoring happened in the second period as Jackson scored an escape and two takedowns to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Eklou scored an escape in the third period, but was unable to score further, losing 5-2. Gio Jackson ended up as the 5th place finisher in state.
Ryan Silva earned time on the floor of the State Farm Center at 152 pounds. The senior was paired with Jimmy Pierendozzi of Plainfield South in the preliminary round. Pierendozzi won the match by technical fall 18-3. The Plainfield wrestler ended up in the championship match of the tournament. In the wrestle-back match, Silva fought Jake Matthews of Addison Trail. Matthews scored a fall at 2:56, ending the day for Silva.
Naperville Central defeated at IHSA Dual Sectional
February 25, 2020
Naperville Central 28 - Chicago Mt. Carmel 47
Naperville Central’s 2019-2020 season came to a close after being defeated by Chicago Mt. Carmel at the IHSA Dual Sectional. The dual was contested at Sandburg High School. Mt. Carmel was ranked 2nd by IWCOA state rankings and 21 nationally by Intermat. Naperville Central was ranked 12th in the state. NCHS won 5 of the 14 matches. Central finished with a dual meet record of 22-5. Host Sandburg defeated Oak Park and River Forest in the adjoining dual. Mt. Carmel and Sandburg advance to Dual State (State Quarterfinals) to be competed in Bloomington this Saturday, February 29th. They will wrestle Minooka.
With the matches starting with the 195 pound weight class, Central’s Austin Longmire lost by fall in the second period to Mt. Carmel’s Bowman after some good scrambles. Senior and state qualifier Angelo Eklou put the Redhawks on the board with a decisive second period fall against Elliott Lewis at 220 pounds. Eklou finishes his season with 35 wins, second on the team. The Caravan answered with two to pins at 285 and 106. State placer Jalen Grant overtook Central’s Carson Enfield and Noel Rosales defeated Ethan Olson. Both matches were decided by fall in the first period.
Sophomore Tommy Porter scored a quick takedown and added two sets of nearfall points before pinning Caleb Drousias at 113 pounds. The fall came in the second period. Porter finishes with a record of 35-6. NCHS sent upstart freshman Patrick Geiger against state champion Sergio Lemley. Geiger battled into the second period before succumbing by fall at 120. Junior Redhawk Ethan Jones was put to work against former state champion Colton Drousias at 126. Drousias was able to win by technical fall 4-20.
Senior captain and two-time state qualifier Tyler Driessens put on the Redhawk singlet for the final time and made his last match count. Driessens took a 7 point lead into the third period and late into the match went upper-body. The gamble paid off as Driessens was able to lock down a fall with just three seconds left on the clock. Driessens competed at 132, two weight classes above his season weight class. He completes a 42-4 season, leading the team with 30 falls. Chicago Mt. Carmel won the following four matches in a row, enough to mathematically ice the dual win. State Champion Noah Mis defeated senior Elrin Esporlas at 138, but not without a fight. The final score was 4-14. Sophomore and rising star Ayden Lutes was defeated by a 4-10 decision at 145 pounds. State runner-up Connor Gaynor won by technical fall over the Redhawk senior captain Ryan Silva at 152. Silva’s final record is 34-11 with 11 wins by fall. Finally, Ashton Breen, a 5th place finisher at state, won by fall over senior Sean King at 160 with a fall coming in the second period. King end the season 30-13 and second on the team for number of falls with 24.
The dual win out of reach, the Redhawks sent out their final two wrestlers. At 170 pounds, junior Shane Roth scored early with a takedown and earned nearfall points right out of the gate. Roth then coasted to a 11-2 major decision over Owen Jacobson. Roth complete a 33-10 season, leading the team in total takedowns with 83. In the event’s final match at 182 pounds, senior Tariq Sikander scored three takedowns quickly and, after giving up a reversal, caught Patrick Navarre from the bottom position with a reversal of his own. The maneuver put Sikander in position for a fall and he didn’t let the opportunity slip away locking down the pin at the 1:13 mark.