Naperville Central compete at Dual State
Season Ends at Elite Eight
The Redhawks fell to Oak Park River Forrest 22-42 at the IHSA Dual State Wrestling Tournament held at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, IL on February 28th, 2009. The Redhawks finish the year with a record of 15-8 as one of the final eight teams in the state. OPRF went on to win the state title later in the day.
Junior Joe Savina defeated Chris Wilson of OPRF to start the dual at 160 pounds. Joe won by major decision 9-1 to give Central an early 4-0 team lead. Steve Bus lost to John Wilson 6-9 but the Redhawks maintain the team lead 4-3. Matt Burns battled state qualifier Ben Brooks but lost 9-15. Nick Weithman was pinned by Matt Monson at 215 pounds. Oak Park River Forest forfeited to Senior Joe Widman at 285 to bring the team score to 10-12.
John Williamson lost to Joey Brown 5-13 and Connor Marr lost to Kendall Hutchinson 4-8 at 112, but Nick Santos won with a second period fall to Liam Pegg to bring the team score to 16-19 with six matches to go. OPRF brings the heart of their line up in the middle weight classes. Kirk Cherep lost to Jake Vernerable 0-8. Josh Tardy lost by fall to 4th place state finisher Chris Dardanes by fall in the second period. The score after the first period was 0-0 as the sophomore briefly gave the all-stater early fits. Andy Kovalsky lost by fall to state champion Nick Dardanes at 135 pounds in another good battle. Cam Needham scored two takedowns but lost to Aaron Minnis at 140 and Kalen Petty lost to the state runner-up Dan Martin 3-12 at 145 pounds. That was enough for the team win for Oak Park River Forest as they held an insurmountable 16-42 lead. OPRF forfeited to Adam Gebner for a final score of 22-42.
The Redhawks will celebrate a fantastic season at their awards banquet on Monday, March 2nd at the cafeteria at NCHS.
GO REDHAWKS
Naperville Central wins Dual Sectionals
NCHS qualifies for Dual State for the first time in school history
The Redhawks defeated Franklin Park East Leyden 35-27 at Willowbrook High School on Tuesday, February 24 to win the IHSA Dual Sectional for the first time in school history. Central, now 15-7 on the year, is now in the Elite Eight and will travel to Bloomington on Saturday, February 28 to compete in dual state.
The unforgettable night started at 103 pound were Leyden's Jake McCabe defeated Jon Williamson 0-11 to take a 0-4 team score lead. Senior Captain Connor Marr answered with perhaps the biggest win of the night for the Redhawks scoring a second period fall against Payan giving the Birds the lead 6-4. At 119 pounds, Kirk Cherep held off Jesse McCabe to a 5-17 loss and Leyden took the lead back 8-6. Nick Santos bumped up a weight class and scored with a third period throw and held on to win 6-4. That win gave the team lead back to Central 9-8. Josh Tardy extended the team lead with a solid 10-4 victory at 130 pounds. With the team score at 12-8, Lewis of Leyden surprised Kovalsky with a quick cradle and pin at 135 pounds and suddenly Leyden was back in the lead 14-12. Cam Needham edged Foley at 140 pounds with a score of 5-4 and the Redhawks took the lead back for the third time 15-14. Kalen Petty held Andronic to a regular decision 7-13, but that gave Leyden the team lead back 15-17.
State qualifier Adam Gebner answered with a major decision 13-0 and now the Redhawks came from behind for a forth time leading 19-17 in the team score. Joe Savina took advantage of a switch by Leyden and defeated Lugo 12-2 at 160 pounds. The win extended the Redhawk team lead to 23-17. Steve Bus scored a first period takedown and battled Schammert closely until he was caught and pinned in the second period and then the team score was tied 23-23 with three matches left.
Captain Matt Burns dominated at 189 pounds and scored a important fall to give the Redhawks a 29-23 lead going into the final two matches. Nick Weithman battled Keibler of Leyden who just finished taking 4th at state last weekend. Nick threw Keibler on his back with a headlock but couldn't hold on and eventually lost 0-11 to bring the team score to 29-27. Heavyweight would decide the dual.
Joe Widman, who qualified for state last week faced Max Schammert at 285. Both traded shots in the first period with Schammert almost getting in on Joe, but Joe was able to hold him off. In the second period, Widman chose down and scored a reversal. Once on top, Joe caught Schammert on his side and half-nelsoned him to his back for the fall. Pandemonium followed as the Redhawks punched their ticket to dual state for the first time ever.
IHSA Dual State will be held in Bloomington at US Cellular Coliseum on Saturday, February 27th. Quarterfinal dual matches will begin at 9:00 and 11:00. Naperville Central will face top-ranked Oak Park River Forest at 11:00. The winner of that dual will advance to the state semifinals, the losers will be eliminated.
GO REDHAWKS!
Naperville Central compete at State
Three Redhawk wrestlers competed at the IHSA State Wrestling Tournament this Friday and Saturday, February 20-21 at the Assembly Hall Champaign. All three were defeated in the first round by the eventual state champions. Adam Gebner was defeated by Barnhisel of Fenwick in the first round but came back in the consolation round and defeated Carney of Granite City 7-2. Adam fell behind 2-0 on Carney's takedown but scored a key reversal just before the first period ended to tie the score 2-2. Adam then rode Carney out the entire second period, scoring a huge two-point near-fall close to the end of the second period to go up 4-2. Adam fought several attempts at being turned in the third period before scoring an escape in about one minute into the third period and iced the match with a late takedown to finally win 7-2. With the win, Adam became one of the final eight wrestlers in the tournament. Adam lost to Warczynski or Minooka in the consolation semifinals 3-6.
Andy Kovalsky lost in the opening round to eventual champion Fanta of Lake Zurich 9-16. In the consolations, Andy scored a late takedown to pull the score to 3-4, but just missed at the end and lost 3-6.
Joe Widman was also defeated in the opening round by the eventual champ Blaydes of De La Salle. Joe was defeated by Tetlow of Lockport in his second match.
In all, the Redhawks wrestled 7 matches on the floor of the Assembly Hall. In the previous 5 years, Central had only wrestled one match there. Three state qualifiers is the most for NCHS since 1992. It was a great effort enjoyed by most of the Redhawk varsity wrestlers who made the trip to cheer on their teammates.
The Redhawks will return to dual team competition on Tuesday, February 24th in the IHSA Dual Sectionals. Central will compete against Leyden for a chance to qualify for Dual State. The match will begin at 6:00 and will be held at Willowbrook High School. Hope to see you there.
GO REDHAWKS!
Naperville Central to Send 3 to State
Naperville Central High School placed three wrestlers at the IHSA 3A Sectional Wrestling Tournament held at Franklin Park Leyden High School on February 13th and 14th, 2009. Each of the three have advanced to the State Wrestling Tournament to be held at the Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign next week. That's the most state qualifiers since 1992 in a single year for the Redhawks. All three place 4th in the tournament.
Andy Kovalsky lost in the first round to Schneider of Lane Tech 6-2 then came back with two wins in a row. Andy defeated Boland of Glenbard North and then Lewis of Leyden 13-11 to become a state qualifier. Andy lost to Brewster of Maine South in the bronze medal match. The junior competed at the 135 pound weight class.
Adam Gebner lost to Wenmouth of Downers Grove South in his first match 3-2 but then defeated Lamanna of Schaumberg 3-1 in the wrestle backs. Adam came back from a 9-2 deficit to beat Strocchia of Hinsdale Central 12-11 in the final seconds to become a state qualifier. Adam scored 9 points in the final period to complete the comeback. Adam lost 2-3 in the 3rd place match to finish 4th.
Senior Joe Widman defeated Martinez 8-4 in the first round but then lost to Clegg of Hinsdale Central in the quarterfinals. Widman used an exciting headlock for a pin in the second period against O'Shea of Wheaton Warrenville South to qualify for state. Widman lost to Smith of Lake Park in his third place effort.
Senior Captain Matt Burns went 1-1 in the tournament. Burns defeated Wahman of Glenbard North by fall in the first round but then lost to Rau of St. Patrick 4-6 in the quarterfinals. Rau eventually took 3rd in the tournament. Nick Santos also went 1-1 on the day. Santos pinned Akram of Schaumburg in the second period but lost in the quarterfinals to Finnegan 0-3 of Lane Tech.
Three other Sectional qualifiers competed in the tournament for the Redhawks. Jon Williamson was defeated by Routuso of Lake Park 1-9, Kalen Petty was defeated by Thurman of Proviso West 6-11 and Nick Weithman lost to Lopez of Addison Trail 3-7.
Next up for the Redhawks is the IHSA State Tournament on Friday and Saturday, February 20-21 at Champaign. After the tournament, the Redhawks will return to dual team competition on Tuesday, February 24th in the IHSA Dual Sectionals. Central will compete against Leyden for a chance to qualify for Dual State. The match will begin at 6:00 and will be held at Willowbrook High School. Hope to see you there.
GO REDHAWKS!
Naperville Central Wins Regional Championship
Eight Redhawks Advance to Sectionals
Naperville Central High School won the Class AAA IHSA Regional Championship on Saturday, February 7th held at Wheaton North High School. The Redhawks advance eight wrestlers to the IHSA Sectional tournament next week at Leyden. It took a team effort to win as 10 of the 14 wrestlers made the place round in the ten team tournament. Due to the tournament win, the Redhawks advance as a team to dual sectionals.
Adam Gebner continued his fantastic season by bringing home the gold at 152 pounds. Adam won three matches including a 7-3 victory in the finals against Gemmell of WN. Adam will get a first round bye in the sectional bracket.
Four other Redhawks were finalists including Nick Santos who defeated Pierce of WC in the semifinals. Nick went 2-1 on the day losing a close match in the finals. At 152 pounds, Kalen Petty scored a fall in the semifinals against Hane of WN. The second place finish was Kalen's best finish this year. Matt Burns also advanced to the finals with a pin over Ward of Geneva. Burns pinned both of his opponents before losing a tight match against Olp of WWS in the finals. Nick Weithman continued his late season surge with wins of 7-5 and 5-2 as he made the finals for the second week in a row. Nick defeated Fissinger of NN in the semifinals, a wrestler whom he has lost to earlier this year.
Three 'Hawk wrestlers took third, thereby advancing to sectionals. Jon Williamson scored a 12-4 victory against San Juan of GE and finished the day 3-1. Andy Kovalsky scored three pins on the day including a huge pin against Patton of Batavia for the bronze. Senior Joe Widman automatically advanced to sectionals because he defeated George of GE in the first round of the tournament. Widman was down by 1 late in the match when he threw George for the fall. Turns out that win was the overall difference between the first and second place teams.
Josh Tardy was taken down late in his 3rd place effort and will be an alternate to sectionals at 130 pounds. Cam Needham avenged a loss to Pevitts of WN to advance to the 3rd place match, but he takes 4th automatically to Watson of Batavia by previous decision. Connor Marr, Kirk Cherep, Joe Savina, and Steve Bus also wrestled for the Redhawks.
Final Team Scores: 1st Naperville Central 141, 2nd Glenbard East 130.5, 3rd Batavia 118, 4th Wheaton Warrenville South 116.5, 5th Aurora Marmion Academy 103.5, 6th Wheaton North 102, 7th Naperville North 101, 8th Glenbard West 56.5, 9th Geneva 47, 10th West Chicago 35.
The IHSA Sectionals will be held at Leyden High School on Friday and Saturday, February 13-14. Action starts at 6:00 on Friday and 11:00 on Saturday. Finals are scheduled for 3:00. The top 4 finishers at Sectionals advance to State
All 16 regional champion teams advance to the IHSA Dual Sectionals. Central will compete against Leyden on February 24th at Willowbrook High School at 6:00. The eight teams winning the dual sectional advance to dual state in Bloomington February 28th.
Naperville Central 3rd in DVC Tournament
Adam Gebner Crowned Conference Champion
Naperville Central High School took 3rd at the DuPage Valley Conference championships on Saturday, January 31st at West Chicago High School. The Redhawks fell one point short of upsetting West Aurora for 2nd place. Of the 14 'Hawks, 11 exceeded their predetermined seeds, an outstanding accomplishment.
Final team scores: 1st: Glenbard North 238, 2nd: West Aurora 190, 3rd: Naperville Central 189, 4th: Wheaton North 170, 5th: Glenbard East 146.5, 6th: Wheaton Warrenville South 133, 7th: Naperville North 129.5, 8th West Chicago 59.
Adam Gebner won all three of his matches to become DVC Conference Champion at 152 pounds. Adam gave up only one offensive score (a reversal) combined in his three matches, winning by scores of 10-0, 5-2, and 16-4 in the finals. Adam scored three takedowns in the opening period in the finals on his way to a dominating performance. Adam wins the team's I'm Somebody award for his outstanding accomplishment.
Two other Redhawk wrestlers made the finals. Senior Nick Weithman scored a 11-10 victory in the semifinals to advance the championship after receiving a forfeit in the opening round. This was the first time that Nick made the finals of a tournament in his high school career. Sophomore Josh Tardy won by fall in the quarterfinals and followed that up with a semifinal win 6-3 against the number 2 seed Morris from West Aurora.
Naperville Central wrestle-back efforts help tremendously in the team competition. Seven Redhawk wrestlers advanced to the third place matches with four winning. Jon Williamson, 4th seed, took third by winning 10-7 against Gonzalez of Glenbard North. Unseeded Nick Santos won 11-3 against Pierce of West Chicago to take the bronze. Andy Kovalsky, the 4th seed, took third in perhaps the strongest weight class of the tournament, and Matt Burns matched his 3rd seed by winning 15-2 against McCrary of Wheaton North. Kalen Petty, unseeded, just fell short of taking 3rd when he lost in triple overtime to Ferraro of Glenbard North. Petty defeated Ferraro in the first round. Steve Bus defeated Hall of Wheaton Warrenville South to advance to the third place match. Steve avenged a loss to Hall from last week. Joe Widman also avenged a loss when he defeated O'Shea to qualify for the third place match.
Central won all of their 5th place matches in the day. Senior Connor Marr defeated Bankapur in his last match to take 5th in the conference. Cam Needham beat Mitchell 7-5 to take fifth, and Joe Savina won 13-2 against Schroeder from Glenbard North to take 5th. Kirk Cherep just fell short in his 7th place match against Anderson from Wheaton Warrenville South.
Next up for Naperville Central is the IHSA Regional Tournament next Saturday, February 7 at Wheaton North High School. Schools competing are Naperville Central, Wheaton North, Glenbard East, Wheaton Warrenville South, Naperville North, West Chicago, Batavia, Marmion, Glenbard West and Geneva. Action will begin at 10:00 and finals are scheduled to begin at 3:00. The top 3 finishers at the Regionals will qualify for the IHSA Sectional tournament and the Regional championship team will qualify for the IHSA Sectional dual team championship.
GO REDHAWKS!
Naperville Central Junior Varsity competes in DVC Tournaments
JV 1 takes 4th, JV 2 takes 3rd
Naperville Central junior varsity teams competed in there respective DVC tournaments on Saturday, January 24th, 2009. The JV 1 team competed at Wheaton North at took 4th place, just 4 pounds out of 3rd place. The JV 2 team competed at Wheaton Warrenville South and took 3rd place, just 3 pound shy of 2nd.
Sophomore John Graeber took 1st at Conference at 140 pounds. The champ defeated Quagliano from Glenbard North in the semifinals 13-6 before advancing to the finals against Swanson from West Aurora. John won soundly in the finals 9-5. Freshman Steven Splan took 2nd at 103 pounds just falling short of a championship 3-2 in the finals.
A pair of seniors ended their careers on this day. Senior Colin Strauf took 3rd at 171 pounds and Senior Rob Neitert took 3rd at 215 pounds. Also taking 3rd were Mike Gorbach at 130 and Mike Ryan at 135
Central had a slew of 4th place finishers including Connor Lee at 112, Steve Watson at 125, Alex Sokolowski at 152 pounds, Nate Delisle at 189 pounds and James Mitchell at 285 pounds. John Mixen took 5th at 145 pounds and Tim Urbas took 6th at 160
In the JV 2 tournament, NCHS crowned two conference champs. Kyle Miller came out of the 4th seed to win all 3 of his matches by fall at 135 pounds. Ryan Reyes also dominated by taking first by winning two matches by fall and one by technical fall at 140 pounds.
The Redhawks had three other finalists in the conference tournament. Colin Guttosch took 2nd at 171 pounds, Matt Schefke took 2nd at 215 pounds, and John Gustin took 2nd at 285 pounds. Taking 3rd for Central were Chris Prebil at 119, Matt Spaccapanicia at 145, and Alex Hook at 152 pounds. Scott Sterchi took 4th at 160 as an alternate. Taking 5th were David Ediger at 125, Kyle Jachinski at 130, and Will Damron at 189. Andrew Pestrick took 6th at 112, Ausin Smith took 7th at 103 and Billy Michael took 7th at 160.
Naperville Central Defeats Wheaton North
Naperville Central defeated Wheaton North 30-25 to improve to 14-7 on the year (5-2 in DVC) on Friday, January 23, 2009 at home on Senior Night. The dual was decided by 10 matches that were all won by regular decisions. Nick Santos started the dual with a victory at 119 pounds 12-7. Kirk Cherep nearly pulled off the upset of the night when he threw his opponent to his back in the final seconds, but he fell just short 4-8. Josh Tardy fought to a solid 5-2 win at 130 and Andy Kovalsky followed up with a second period fall at 135 pounds. Wheaton North answered with two wins at 140 and 145, both decisions to close the team score to 12-9 Redhawks. Adam Gebner scored a 6-1 victory at 152 but WN came back with two more decisions at 160 and 171 to knot the team score at 15-15. Junior Joe Savina almost defeated the #10 ranked kid at 160, losing 2-1. Senior Matt Burns battled to a huge pin at 189 pounds. His second period victory put the team ahead by six points. Then Senior Nick Weithman won the match of the night at 215 pounds. In a tight battle, the two wrestlers entered the third period tied 0-0. Nick chose down and with time running out scored a reversal at the edge of the match and held on to a 2-1 victory. Nick's win, with forfeit points at 103 pounds, mathematically assured a Redhawk victory. Wheaton North won at 285 and 112, but with their forfeit at 103, it wasn't enough.
With the regular season dual matches now over for the year, the Redhawks finish in a tie for second in the DVC with a 5-2 record. Next up for the varsity is the DuPage Valley Conference Tournament at West Chicago High School on Saturday, January 31. The JV teams are wrestling today at their conference tournaments at Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South. The freshman team is wrestling at Glenbard West. These matches will conclude the competition season for the underlevels.
GO REDHAWKS!
Naperville Central Defeats Wheaton Warrenville South
Naperville Central defeated WWS 31-24 to improve to 13-7 on the year (4-2 in DVC) on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at Wheaton. The Redhawks won 8 matches on the night in a dual that was decided in the final two matches. Freshman Kirk Cherep started the dual with a key victory at 125 pounds winning 6-4 and Josh Tardy followed by picking up a forfeit at 130. Andy Kovalsky dropped a decision at 135 but Cam Needham picked him up with a 11-7 decision at 140. Kalen Petty lost by major decision at 145 but Adam Gebner answered with a fall late in the third period of his match at 152 pounds. WWS then reeled off three wins in a row at 160, 171, and 189 to tie the team score at 18-18. Senior Matt Burns scored a 3-1 decision at 215 pounds but then WWS took the team score lead with a fall at heavyweight, 21-24. At 103 pounds, Jon Williamson held on to a 2-0 victory which knotted the team score 24-24 with two matches left. Senior Connor Marr returned to the line-up at 112 pounds and it turns out his efforts were needed by the Redhawks. With the score tied 3-3 in the final seconds of the match, Connor scored on a hip toss and held his opponent down to win 5-3. Connor wins the teams, "I'm Somebody" award for his accomplishment. Nick Santos cruised to an 8-0 win at 119 to secure the team victory for NCHS.
In underlevel competition, JV1 won 47-12, JV2 won 66-10, and the freshman lost 30-39.
Next up for the Redhawks is tonight against Wheaton North at home for senior night. Action starts at 6:00 for underlevel competition. We will recognize seniors and their families after those duals and then the varsity will start at around 7:45. Hope to see you there.
Naperville Central finish 4th at Mahomet-Seymour
Naperville Central took 4th at the 19 team Mahomet-Seymour Bulldog Invitational on Saturday, January 17th, 2009. Eight of the 13 Central Wrestlers placed in the top six in the tournament including Junior Andy Kovalsky who took first at 135 pounds. Andy scored two quick falls heading into the semifinals. After a solid 6-1 victory, Andy advanced to the finals against Ernst of Mahomet. Down by one in the final period, Andy use a bar to score a nearfall and take a two point lead but Ernst scored a penalty and escape to send it to overtime. Andy won the championship with a double leg takedown in the extra period. Andy won the team's "I'm Somebody" Award for his victory.
Advancing to the finals for Central were 152 pounder Adam Gebner and 189 pounder Matt Burns. Gebner won two matches in overtime just to get to the finals, the second one in double overtime. Burns made the finals by scoring two falls and a major decision. Both Gebner and Burns took 2nd place. Jon Williamson took 4th place at 103 pounds and Steve Bus also took 4th place going 2-2 on the day.
Two 'Hawks went 4-1 in the tournament to take 5th place. Sophomore Josh Tardy scored 57 points in five matches including two technical falls and a major decision. Nick Weithman won two of his four matches by fall. Joe Widman went 3-2 on the day and took 6th place.
Naperville Central won all three duals in JV2 competition at Oswego.
The Redhawks return to DVC competition next week with duals at Wheaton Warrenville South (on Thursday, Jan. 22) and at home against Wheaton North (on Friday, Jan 23). We will recognize our seniors and their parents on Friday against Wheaton North on Senior Night
Naperville Central finish 1-2 at Sandburg
Naperville Central defeated Mahomet-Seymour, one of the top Illinois AA teams 30-28 at Sandburg on Saturday, January 10th, 2009. Central lost to Sandburg in the second dual 22-37 and lost to Hinsdale South 27-45 in the final dual on the day. The Redhawks are now 12-7 on the year.
Outstanding performances for Central include junior Nick Santos who went 3-0 on the day at 119 pounds. Nick won 7-2 against M-S, 7-3 against Sandburg, and by fall against Hinsdale South. Nick did not give up an offensive point on the night and wins the "I'm Somebody" award for his efforts. Also outstanding was Junior Adam Gebner at 152 pounds. Adam also went 3-0 on the day winning 13-1 against M-S and 9-1 against Sandburg. Adam won by forfeit against H-S. Adam also did not give up an offensive point on the day.
Going 2-1 for the Redhawks was Jon Williamson at 103, Andy Kovalsky at 135 / 140 pounds, Kalen Petty at 145 pounds, and senior Joe Widman at heavyweight.
In the underlevels, the JV1 team took 4th at the 16 team Maine South JV invitational while the JV2 team won the Redhawks JV2 tournament. The freshman squad took 8th at the Hinsdale South freshman tournament.
Next up the varsity will travel to the Mahomet-Seymour Bulldog Invitational on Saturday while the JV2 team will go to Oswego.
Naperville Central falls to Glenbard North
Naperville Central was defeated by Glenbard North 19-44 on Friday, January 9th, 2009. Central is now 11-5 on the year (3-2 in the DVC). The Redhawks won at four weight classes on the night. Senior Matt Burns started the day with a :26 fall at 189 pounds. Andy Kovalsky won by decision 6-2 at 140 pounds. Adam Gebner won by major decision at 152 pounds 11-3 and Joe Savina continued to show improvement at 160 with a dominating pin. Joe won the "I'm Somebody" team award for his efforts for the second day in a row. Joe outscored his opponent 11-4 before recording his fall.
The Redhawk freshman team defeated Glenbard North while the Panthers won at the JV1 and JV2 levels.
Naperville Central defeats West Chicago
Naperville Central defeated West Chicago 62-9 on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 to improve to 11-4 on the year and 3-1 in the DVC. The Redhawks won 9 of 11 contested matches. At 119, Nick Santos started the dual with a 21-3 technical fall. Kirk Cherep lost a close match 6-9 at 125. Josh Tardy came back from a 1-4 deficit to win 13-7 at 130 pounds. John Graeber lost by fall but Adam Gebner answered with a fall at 1:16. Joe Savina scored three takedowns and 4 nearfalls to dominate at 160 pounds and win the team's "I'm Somebody" award for the night at 160 pounds. Steve Bus battled to a 5-1 victory at 171. Matt Burns scored a first period pin at 189. Nick Weithman also came from behind to win an exciting match 19-9 at 215 pounds and Joe Widman ended the night with a fall at 1:54.
Central won 77-0 at the JV level and won 78-9 at the freshman level.
Next up the Redhawks will travel to Glenbard North for another DVC dual today (Friday, Jan. 9) with JV2 and freshman starting at 6:00 and varsity and JV1 starting at around 7:45. Then the varsity will travel to Sandburg on Saturday to wrestle Sandburg, Hinsdale South and Mahomet-Seymour.
GO REDHAWKS!
Naperville Central defeats Downers Grove North
Naperville Central defeated Downers Grove North 30-28 on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 to improve to 10-4 on the year. The Redhawks had to come from behind to win the dual after falling behind 10-21 half way through the matches.
Matt Burns started the contest at 189 pounds with a fall and Jon Williamson won by a major decision at 103 pounds, but DGN won five of the first seven matches. Sophomore Josh Tardy got the Redhawks back on track with a 5-3 victory at 130 pounds. Josh scored 3 points in the final period to come from behind and win his first varsity match. Josh won the "I'm Somebody" Award for his efforts. Andy Kovalsky scored a fall at 135 pounds, John Graeber won by major decision 10-1 at 140 pounds, and Kalen Petty majored at 145 pounds with a 19-9 victory. Kalen's win brought the team score to 27-21, NCHS, with three matches to go. DGN won at 152 to pull to within two team points 27-25, but Joe Savina won at 160 pounds 12-8 to bring the score to 30-25. Steve Bus fought hard but lost by decision at 171, however he only gave up three team points to secure the victory at 30-28.
Central won at the JV1 level 64-9 and remained undefeated at the JV2 level with a 72-9 victory and the freshman competed the sweep with a 53-16 win.
The Redhawks will be busy next week as the varsity travels to West Chicago on Thursday, Glenbard North on Friday, and Sandburg for a quad against Sandburg, Hinsdale South, and Mahomet-Seymour on Saturday. Action for the varsity will start at approximately 7:30 on Thursday and Friday and 10:00 on Saturday. JV1 will travel to Bolingbrook for a quad on Saturday, Freshman will travel to Hinsdale South for a tournament on Saturday, and Naperville Central will host a JV2 tournament on Saturday. Hope to see you at matside.
GO REDHAWKS!
Naperville Central wins 9th dual
Naperville Central defeated Oswego East 67-6 and lost to Brother Rice 23-40 at home on December 27th, 2008. The Redhawks are now 9-4 on the year. Against Brother Rice Nick Santos and Joe Widman scored falls for Central. Kirk Cherep fired away 4 takedowns in the final period to come from behind and win 10-9 in his match at 125. Steve Bus also scored in the final period to win his match 3-1. Steve's winning takedown came in the final seconds and his efforts won him the teams "I'm Somebody" Award for his efforts.
Against Oswego East Jon Williamson, Mike Gorbach, John Graeber, Kalen Petty, Adam Gebner, and Matt Burns all scored falls for the Redhawks. Jon Williamson and Mike Gorbach each came from behind in their matches. John Graeber's pin came in 12 seconds, the fastest fall this year. Also winning for Central is Andy Kovalsky and Nick Weithman. Connor Marr, Nick Santos, Steve Bus, and Joe Widman all won by forfeit.
Next up for the Redhawks is Downers Grove North at home on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009, all levels. Hope to see you there.
GO REDHAWKS!
Naperville Central finishes 14th place at Whitlatch
Naperville Central finished in 14th place at the 24 team Hinsdale Central Whitlatch tournament held on Saturday, December 20th. The first day of the tournament was cancelled due to inclement weather, therefore the wrestle backs were limited to quarterfinalists only.
The highest placer for the Redhawks was 119 pounder Nick Santos. Nick scored 2 takedowns in the final period of his quarterfinal match to come from behind to win 9-8. Nick finished 4th place with a 2-2 record. The most wins for NCHS was recorded by Adam Gebner. Adam went 4-1 on the day to take 5th place and win the "I'm Somebody" Award for the day. Also taking 5th for Central was 103 pounder John Williamson. Jon went 2-1 on the day and won his final match 7-0. Connor Marr and Andy Kovalsky each went 2-2 in the tournament and took 7th place. The Redhawks won four out of five place matches to finish strong.
In JV action, the Naperville Central JV1 team went 2-1 on the day at Bolingbrook. The Sophomores took 4th place at the Maine South Sophomore Tournament. NCHS had three champs in the tournament, Josh Tardy, Alex Sokolowski, and Colin Guttosch. The Freshman finished a perfect day 3-0 at the Hinsdale South Duals.
Next up for the Redhawks is a home double dual with Brother Rice and Oswego East at home on Saturday, December 27th. Action starts at 10:00 in the aux. gym. Hope to see you there.
GO REDHAWKS!
Naperville Central finishes 2nd at Hoffman Estates
Naperville Central finished in second place in their first individual tournament of the year. The Hoffman Estates "Hawk" Tournament was held at HEHS on Saturday, December 13th. It was the third competition day in a row for the Hawks. Second place is the best finish in the history of the tournament for the Redhawks. Central had three champions in the tournament, Andy Kovalsky (135), Adam Gebner (152) and Matt Burns (189) and one runner-up, Jon Williamson (103).
Matt Burns won three matches on the day, two by fall. He pinned his opponent in the finals to move Central up from third place. Adam Gebner won four matches on the day, the first one by fall. Andy Kovalsky won three matches with one pin.
Taking fourth place for the Hawks was Nick Santos, Joe Savina, and Joe Widman. Senior Nick Weithman won four matches on the day including two pins and a major decision to take fifth place. Nick's efforts won him the team's "I'm Somebody" award for the tournament.
Cam Needham won three matches, two by fall to take 6th place. Junior Mike Gorbach won two matches to take 6th place as well.
In underlevel competition, NCHS JV1 team took 2nd in the Streamwood duals by winning two duals.
Next up for NCHS is the Whitlatch Tournament next Friday and Saturday, December 19th and 20th at Hinsdale Central High School. Competition on Friday starts at 4:30. The junior varsity and freshman teams will wrestle at home against Glenbard West in the wrestling room. Then on Saturday JV1 will wrestle at Bolingbrook, Sophomores will wrestle at Maine South, and the freshman will wrestle at Hinsdale South.
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Redhawks defeat Glenbard East
Naperville Central defeated Glenbard East 34-23 to improve to 8-3 (2-1 in DVC) in the season. The home dual was held on December 12th. Each team won seven matches in the dual but the Redhawks racked up 13 bonus points to East's 2. Central won four matches by fall and one by a major decision for the victory.
Scoring pins were Seniors Captains Connor Marr (112) and Matt Burns (189), Junior Nick Santos (119), and Sophomore John Graeber (140). John's victory won him the I'm Somebody Award. Jon Williamson won by major decision at 103. Andy Kovalsky and Adam Gebner also scored victories for the Redhawks.
NCHS won at all levels on the night. The JV1 team won 55-19. JV2 won 72-9 to remain undefeated on the season, and the freshman won 48-27.
Redhawks defeat Naperville North
Naperville Central improve to 7-3 by defeating their rivals Naperville North 33-25 at NNHS on Thursday, December 11th. The Hawks are now 1-1 in DVC competition. The Redhawks jumped out to a huge lead in the dual and that was enough for the win. Starting at 130 pounds, Mike Gorbach got Central off to a good start with a hard fought 8-6 victory. Josh Tardy received a forfeit at 135 pounds allowing Junior Andy Kovolasky to move to up to 140 pounds. Andy recovered after giving up the first takedown and rolled to a 13-3 victory. Andy's efforts won him the team's I'm Somebody award. Cam Needham scored seven points in the final period to allow him to come back from a 2-8 deficit and send his match into overtime. Cam quickly scored an overtime takedown to win 11-9 and keep the ball rolling for the Redhawks. Adam Gebner sealed off a solid 15-6 major decision at 152 to put Central up 20-3. North won a tight match at 160 against Joe Savina but Junior Steve Bus picked up the Redhawks with a big pin at 171 pounds. Matt Burns scored a big major decision push the team score to 30-3 and that was enough points to win the dual as it turned out. Naperville North won an overtime victory at 215 pounds against Nick Weithman and then won four more matches in a row to cut the deficit to 30-25. Nick Santos battled to a 5-4 win bumped up to 125 to seal the win for the Hawks.
NCHS won at the JV1 level 42-30 and at the JV2 level 48-21. Naperville North won at the freshman level 28-48.
Redhawks go 2-1 at Mega-Duals
Naperville Central improve to 6-3 on the young season after winning two out of three duals at the Mega-Duals held at St. Charles East High School on Saturday, December 6th. Central won a hard fought battle to begin the day against host school St. Charles East 34-29. The dual was decided by bonus points as the two teams split their matches 7-7. Tyler Haines made his varsity debut a memorable one as the freshman scored a first period fall at 103 pounds. Tyler won the "I'm Somebody" for his hard work in replacing Jon Williamson for the day. Tyler went 1-2 on the day but lost two hard fought contests. Andy Kovalsky, John Graeber, and Matt Burns also each won by fall in the dual and junior Cam Needham added a bonus point at 145 pounds with his major decision. Junior Steve Bus also won at 171 pounds by racking up 6 takedowns.
The Redhawks were defeated by Lockport 12-53 in the day's second dual. Winners against Lockport were Connor Marr, Mike Gorbach, and Adam Gebner. Connor Marr scored a quick first period win at 112 pounds. Lockport defeated West Aurora in the first dual on the day.
NCHS defeated Oswego 55-21 in the final dual of the day. Connor Marr, Kirk Cherep, John Graeber, and Cam Needham each picked up forfeits. Adam Gebner, Matt Burns, and Joe Widman each earned falls in the dual while Nick Santos picked up a major decision at 119 pounds for his second win on the day. Mike Gorbach fought for a big 4-3 win at 130 pounds.
In the underlevels, the JV1 team went 2-1 on the day while the JV2 team remained undefeated by going 3-0 in the Mega Duals. The freshman team took 4th at the Lyon's Freshman tournament. Stephan Haney and Mike Keller each brought home gold from the tournament.
Next up the Redhawks are in DVC action at Naperville North High School against the Huskies on Thursday, December 11th with freshman action starting at 6:00 and varsity action starting at approximately 7:30. Then Central returns home for a dual against Glenbard East on Friday, December 12th. Again freshman and JV action starts at 6:00 and varsity at about 7:30. The varsity will go to Hoffman Estates on Saturday for their first tournament of the year while the JV team will travel to Streamwood.
GO REDHAWKS!
Redhawks lose to West Aurora
Naperville Central lost to West Aurora on Friday, December 5th at West Aurora High School. Central won four varsity matches in the dual including a come from behind hip toss in the final seconds by junior Nick Santos at 119 pounds. Nick won the "I'm Somebody" award for the night for his efforts. Adam Gebner fought off a late surge by his opponent to win his 152 pound match 10-9. Andy Kovalsky won his match by fall at 135 pounds and Senior Matt Burns won by injury default at 189 pounds. Three other matches were decided by 2 points or less.
The dual drops the Redhawks to 4-2 on the year and 0-1 in the DVC.
The JV1 team lost 31-34 to West Aurora while Naperville Central won at the JV2 and Freshman levels on the night.
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Redhawks go 3-0 at Home
Naperville Central won all three duals at home to improve to 4-1 on the young season on Saturday, November 28th. The dual was held in the aux. gym in the morning. Central started the day by defeating Downers Grove South 38-9. Connor Marr scored a fall and Andy Kovalsky recorded a forfeit in the only matches that ended early. All other matches went the distance. NCHS scored bonus points with Nick Santos and Matt Burns as both scored major decisions. The Redhawks won six matches by 3 points or less.
Naperville Central defeated Batavia for the first time in several years by a scored of 35-34. The dual ended in a tie but Naperville Central was awarded an additional team point when they won by dual meet tie-breaker criteria A. Joe Widman recorded a win by forfeit, Jon Williamson scored a major decision at 103 and Connor Marr won by fall begin the dual 16-0 for the Redhawks. Batavia answered with a major decision at 119, but freshman Kirk Cherep gave the team a key win at 125 pounds with his 10-7 decision. Batavia won by forfeit at 130 by Andy Kovalsky got those team points back with a win at 135 to bring the team score to 25-10. Batavia fought back with wins at 140 and 145 to close the gap to 25-20 but Adam Gebner scored a technical fall at 152 to bring the score to 30-20. Batavia took the team score lead with pins at 160 and 171 pounds 30-32 setting up the heroics for senior Matt Burns. Matt scored two late takedowns to win by major decision and bring the team score to 34-32. Nick Weithman fell short of a victory at 215 but lost only by decision bringing the team score to 34-35 Batavia. However, Batavia lost a team point earlier in the dual so the final team score was 34-34. After a look at the rule book, it was determined that NCHS won by criteria A. The rules require that Central receive an additional team point for the 35-34 victory.
In the afternoon, the Redhawks defeated Chicago Lane tech 49-16. The Redhawks won 9 matches in the final dual. Triple winners on the day include 103 pounder Jon Williamson, 112 pounder Connor Marr, 135 pounder Andy Kovalsky, and 189 pounder Matt Burns.
The Redhawk freshman wrestling team took 3rd at the Freshman wrestling tournament at Lyons Township. Luke Hannenberg and Stephen Haney were champions at the tournament.
Naperville Central next competes at West Aurora on Friday at 6:00. Then Central travels to St. Charles East for the Mega Duals. Hope to see you there.
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Redhawks start 2008-2009 Season
Naperville Central started the 08-09 campaign by going 1-1 at the Naperville Quad held at Neuqua Valley High School on Wednesday, Nov. 26. The Redhawks defeated Wabaunsee Valley High School 41-30 in the first dual and lost to Neuqua Valley 14-53. Double winners include junior Nick Santos who won matches by fall and technical fall in the night and junior Adam Gebner who racked up 13 takedowns.
NCHS avenged a loss to WV from last year in an exciting contest. Central jumped out to a 19-0 lead with wins by Andy Kovalsky, John Graeber, Cam Needham, and Adam Gebner. Wabaunsee responded with wins at 160 and 171 but senior Matt Burns responded with a pin at 189. Joe Widman gave a good battle at heavyweight but lost. WV forfeited 103 and NC forfeited 125. Central lost at 112 but Nick Santos locked the victory with his fall. Junior Mike Gorbach added 4 team points with a major decision at 130.
Central lost to Neuqua Valley but the dual still had some bright spots for the Redhawks. Senior heavyweight Joe Widman battled in a close match before scoring a big pin at heavyweight. Nick Santos and Adam Gebner both scored victories in the dual as well.
Naperville Central won all four duals against WV and NV at the junior varsity duals and split the duals at the freshman level. Those duals were on Tuesday, November 25th. JV1 is 2-0, JV2 is 2-0, Freshman are 1-1.
Naperville Central next competes at home on Saturday at 9:00 against Downers Grove South, Batavia, and Chicago Lane Tech. The dual will be held in the aux gym. Hope to see you there.
GO REDHAWKS!
Varsity Line-up to begin the year.
103 Jon Williamson
112 Connor Marr
119 Nick Santos
125 Josh Tardy
130 Mike Gorbach
135 Andy Kovalsky
140 John Graeber
145 Cam Needham
152 Adam Gebner
160 Joe Savina
171 Steve Bus
189 Matt Burns
215 Nick Weithman
285 Joe Widman