2011-2012 NCHS Wrestling Season
2011-2012 NCHS Wrestling Preview
The Redhawks are looking forward to another successful wrestling season this year. NCHS will host many DVC duals at home this year as well as welcoming Portland, Michigan coached by Scott Sandborn - father of NCHS wrestling coach Jake Sandborn. The varsity will have 21 duals and four tournaments (Hoffman Estates, Whitlatch, Mahomet-Seymour, and DVC Conference. The 'hawks are coached by Rob Porter, Noah Fitzenreider, Jake Sandborn, and Josh Falk. Dr. Falk just finished his PH. D. in Education this fall and we welcome him back on the coaching staff. Volunteer coaches include Luke Cherep, Ryan Burns, Jim Caudill, and Dr. Quoc Gaing
New weight classes approved by the IHSA are included in this preview:
NCHS opens 1-2 against Batavia, Chicago Lane Tech, and Downers Grove South
Saturday, November 26, 2011
The Naperville Central Redhawk wrestling team (1-2, 0-0) kicks off the 2011-2012 season at home defeating Batavia 41-25, while losing to Chicago Lane Tech 22-46 and losing to Downers Grove South 28-57. Several NCHS wrestlers finished the day 3-0 including 160 pounder Tom Mitrenga. Mitrenga (Sr.) wrestled at 160 pounds and defeated three tough opponents with wins of 9-0, 15-8, and 4-2. Mitrenga won the team's "I'm Somebody" award for his great effort. Also winning three matches impressively was Kyle Klass. Klass (Sr.) wrestled in three matches winning with scores of 12-3, 15-7, and by fall in 5:40. Klass's fall was a come-from behind win in the third period. Senior Kirk Cherep started the year impressivly who won 15-2, 7-3, and 11-0. Also finishing 3-0 was 113 veteran Mitch Lee (Jr.) who won a match by fall and picked up two forfeits.
Going 2-1 on the day were Trace Murray who scored two wins by scores of 17-2 and 11-8, newcomer Ben Williamson (Fr.) picked up his first varsity win with a fall at 1:31 and picked up a forfeit. Andrew Meder scored a fall at 145 and also picked up a forfeit.
Justin Tardy scored a fall in 1:59 for his first ever varsity win.
The NCHS JV1 team finished 2-0 on the day, defeating Stagg and Downers Grove South.
NCHS Wrestles at Glenbard East High School
NCHS loses to GH 23 - 45
Friday, December 2, 2011
Naperville Central 1-4 (0-1) lost at Glenbard East by a score of 23-45. The dual started at 120 where Stephen Splan lost to Olson 3-9. Freshman Ben Williamson battled but lost to Martin 4-12. Kirk Cherep got the Redhawks on the board with a pin in the second period to make the team score 6-7. Andrew Meder and Hunter Stephens both were pinned in their matches. Meder came storming back from a 0-5 deficit to briefly take the lead 8-7 before the fall. Trace Murray scored three takedown in the third period but could not catch up and lost 7-12.
Tom Mitrenga started a winning run for NCHS with a big 14-1 win at 160. Kyle Klass remained undefeated at 170 with a third period pin. Luke Roth returned to the line-up and gutted out a hard fought 9-8 win at 182. Luke came from behind in the thrird period with three takedowns to get the win. Ryan Berg, followed Roth's effort with a solid 19-9 major decision at 195. Ryan scored 8 takedowns and his performance earned the "I'm Somebody" award for the night. With his win, the Redhawks took a 23-22 team score lead at the time.
Cody Caputo and Vince Piazza both scored the first takedown in their matches but both were pinned in the second period. Greg Perez lost to Drew at 106 pounds by fall and Mitch Lee lost 9-25 against San Juan, a state qualfier from last year.
NCHS defeated GE in all three of the underlevels. NCHS won 46-30 at JV1, 46-34 at JV2 and 43-42 at the freshman level
Redhawks compete at Mega-Duals
Naperville Central loses to St. Charles East 31-32, Lockport 10-55, and Neuqua Valley 26-51
December 3, 2011
Naperville Central 1-6, (0-1) dropped three duals at the Mega-Duals held at St. Charles East. Stephen Splan scored two wins by pin at 120 to get his season on track. Splan pinned Weber of St. Charles East and Ratz of Neuqua Valley. Kirk Cherep turned in a couple of wins at 132 defeating Dietz of Lockport 6-1 and Kendryna by technical fall 18-1. Cherep was awarded the "I'm Somebody" award for this efforts.
Tom Mitrenga turned in a good performance with a pair of wins at 160. Tom defeated Carlson of St. Charles East 11-1 and pinned Pitter of Neuqua 11-1. Cody Caputo won his first varsity match when he defeated Moles of Lockport 2-0 at 220 pounds.
The Redhawks JV1 team went 3-0 in their Mega-Duals defeating Oswego 64-9, Lockport 65-3 and Neuqua Valley 39-24. The JV2 team finished 1-2 defeating Oswego 54-30 while losing to St. Charles East and Lockport.
The Redhawks freshman team took 5th in the 8 team Lyons Tournament. Derek Wilke and Bobby McMillen won the tournament at 113 and 182 pounds respectively. Evin Kilicarslan and Joe Schweikart took second at 97 and 152 respectively.
Redhawks lose to Wheaton North
Naperville Central 18 - Wheaton North 53
December 8, 2011
Naperville Central 1-7 (0-2) lost to Wheaton North at NCHS. The Redhawks were lead by their newly crowned captains who both came away with pins. Kirk Cherep started the dual at 132 with a fall in the second period. Kirk improves to 7-1 on the year. Tom Mitrenga, wrestling at 160, scored a fall in the first period in his match. Junior Ryan Berg fought to a tough 12-6 win at 195 pounds. Ryan scored a takedown with backpoints in the first period and followed that up with a throw for five more points in the third period. Senior Steven Splan came from a 1-4 deficit to win his match 10-4 at 120 pounds. Steven scored four points on near-falls. Steven was the winner of the "I'm Somebody" award for the night.
The Redhawks were outscored 13-19 in takedowns.
The Naperville Central Redhawk junior varsity teams faired better. The JV1 team defeated Wheaton North 54-23 and the JV2 team won 61-15. NCHS freshman lost 30-51.
Naperville Central loses to West Aurora
Naperville Central 21 - West Aurora 47
December 9, 2011
The Redhawks, 1-8, (0-3), lost to West Aurora at home by a score of 21 to 47. West Aurora began the dual with four straight wins before the Redhawks picked up a forfeit at 160. Kyle Klass then scored an escape with just seconds left on the clock to win 6-5 in his match at 170. Kyle had to come from behind twice in his match and was the "I'm Somebody" winnner for the night.
Steven Splan scored another conference win at 120 punds with a pin at 120 pounds.
Naperville Central defeated West Aurora at all three underlevel duals. The JV1 team pulled out a 39-37 dual win while the JV2 team iced down a 43-33 victory. The freshman team also secured a solid 47-33 win.
Naperville Central takes 5th at Hoffman Estates Tournament
Tom Mitrenga crowned champion at 160 pounds
December 10, 2011
Naperville Central took 5th at the eleven team Hoffman Estates Tournament. Lincoln-Way Central won the tournament. The Redhawks had eleven wrestlers place in the event. Taking top honors was Tom Mitrenga. The NCHS wrestling captain won all three of his matches to bring home the gold. Mitrenga pinned Psonak of Hoffman Estates. In the semifinals, Mitrenga scored a last second reversal to win 3-2 against Alaya of Libertyville. In the championship match, Mitrenga scored a second period fall to win in style against Ditchman of Lincoln Way Central. For his performance, Tom was named the "I'm Somebody" winner for the day.
The other NCHS captain, Kirk Cherep, took second at 132 pounds. Kirk won by fall in his first match and won 6-4 in the semifinals against Meyer of Libertyville before falling in overtime in the finals against Mikenis of Lincoln Way Central. Two other Redhawks advanced to the semifinals and finished fourth, seniors Andrew Meder and Kyle Klass.
Central had four wrestlers take fifth place. Steven Splan finished 2-1 on the day at 120 pounds and scored a fall. Freshman Ben Williamson lost a close 5-7 match in the first round but reeled off three wins in a row and not giving up a single offensive point the rest of the way. Luke Roth followed a first round loss with three wins of his own. He scored ten takedowns and also did not give up another offensive point in his wins. Ryan Berg, 195 finished fifth also, going 2-1 on the day with a pin.
Derek Wilke, freshman 106 scored his first ever varsity win at 106 with a come-from-behind 9-6 win against Harris of LWC. Hunter Stephens and Vince Piazza also finished sixth, both winning two matches in the tournament. All point scorers in the tournament came away with a win.
NCHS won all three of their Saturday duals to bring home a trophy in the Streamwood Duals The Redhawks defeated South Elgin, Bartlett, and Downers Grove South. Central also won all three duals at the freshman level at the Lyon's Quad. They defeated Lyon's Township, Glenbard South and Fenwick.
Naperville Central takes 7th at Whitlatch
Five Redhawks Place at the 27 Team Invitational
Friday and Saturday, December 16-17, 2011
Naperville Central took 7th place in the 27 team Whitlatch Invitational held at Hinsdale Central High School. The Redhawks outscored both West Aurora and Downers Grove South, two teams whom they have lost to earlier in the season. The Redhawks won 33 matches and lost 25.
Central had five placers in the tournament including two thirds, a fourth, fifth, and eighth place.
Taking a bronze for the Redhawks were Tom Mitrenga and Ryan Berg. Mitrenga advanced to the semifinals in the 160 weight class after scoring 11-1 and 7-4 wins in the championship bracket. Mitrenga lost to Washington from Proviso West but came back with two wins. Tom defeated Papoutsis of New Trier 6-2 and Kirkman of Lemont 4-3. Mitrenga finished with a record of 4-1.
Ryan Berg, 195, lost his opening match with Ferraro of Montini, but then rattled off five wins in a row in the wrestle-backs. In the consolation semifinals, Berg faced off once again with Ferraro of Montini, but this time scored a takedown in the final seconds of overtime to avenge his lost with a 3-1 victory. Berg defeated Newton of Geneso by a score of 7-4 for third place and was the team’s “I’m Somebody” winner.
Luke Roth at 182 won two of his opening matches to advance to the semifinals in the tournament, defeating Diedrick of Montini 9-1 and Brantley of Homewood Flossmoor 13-5. After a loss to Giatras of Lemont, Luke defeated Westfall of Downers Grove South to advance to the bronze medal match. Luke dropped that match to Thurman of Proviso West 1-3 to take fourth.
Steven Splan had a very successful tournament and finished 4-2 at 120 pounds to take fifth place. Steven scored two falls in the tournament including pinning Wenmouth of DGS in his final match.
Captain Kirk Cherep made the podium with an eighth place finish. Kirk finished 3-3 over the two days including a 11-3 major decision over McKenna of New Trier to get into the place rounds.
Eleven of the 13 Redhawks finished with at least two wins. Derek Wilke turned in a successful tournament with three wins, two by fall and one by technical fall. The freshman wrestled at 106 pounds. Trace Murray, 152 pounds, also ended 3-2 on the day scoring a pin and a major decision. Mitch Lee, 112, Ben Williamson, 125, Andrew Meder, 138, and Kyle Klass, 170 all completed the tournament 2-2 and all four had a win by fall. Hunter Stephens and Vince Piazza finished 0-2.
Naperville Central Hosts Portland Michigan
Central wins 14 of 18 matches
December 23, 2011
Naperville Central High School hosted Portland Michigan in a dual in which no team scores were kept. The dual included 18 matches at various levels, The Redhawks winning 14 of them.
Portland Michigan is coached by Scott Sandborn, father of NCHS Assistant Wrestling Coach Jake Sandborn. The Naperville Central treated the Portland wrestlers and coaches to a buffett meal after the dual and NCHS hosted the wrestlers at their houses overnight. A good time was had by all.
In the dual, the Redhawks started off with six consecutive pins. Derek Wilke, Greg Perez, Dominic Delgrosso, Anthony Coluzzi, Steven Splan, and Ben Williamson all recorded falls, the most impressive of which came from senior Steven Splan who knocked off John Miller, and all-state wrestler from Michigan. Aiden Kehrli followed with a 11-6 decision. Portland came back with two wins against Cory Burkwald and Kirk Cherep. Cherep provided some excitement in the night when he scored two sets of near-fall points in the third period to erase a 3-8 deficit. Cherep was taken down in overtime to lose 8-10. Ryley Guttosch won his match by injury default.
Trace Murray and John Needham scored a pair of pins in their matches and Tom Mitrenga battled to an 8-4 decision. Kyle Klass was pinned by Seth Manshum who is ranked number one in the state of Michigan. Luke Roth and Louie Giovannetti picked up a couple of more falls for the Redhawks. Luke scored 7 takedowns in his match. Ryan Berg fought to a tough 2-1 victory. Vince Piazza was pinned in the second period in his match to end the night's competition.
Redhawks finish 3-0 at Naperville Quad
Naperville Central defeat St. Charles North, Stevenson, and Plainfield East
December 28, 2011
Naperville Central 4-8, (0-3 in DVC), defeated all three opponents at home in the Naperville Quad. NCHS defeated St. Charles North 60-18 in the first dual, defeated Stevenson 51-18 in the second dual and capped off the day defeating Plainfield East 53-12. In all, Central won 32 matches and lost 10 and outscored all opponents 77-22 in takedowns.
Mitch Lee scored 16 of those takedowns wrestling at 113 and winning all three of his matches. Lee scored two technical falls and a pin on the day. Freshman Ben Williamson had a great day as well winning all three of his bouts, two of them by fall and one by major decision.
Captains Kirk Cherep and Tom Mitrenga both swept their matches with three falls. All of Mitrenga's falls came in the first period of his matches.
Hunter Stephens scored two falls and picked up another win by forfeit. Hunter looked impressive in his matches and won the team's I'm Somebody award for his efforts at 145 pounds.
In the upper weight classes, Naperville Central had three undefeated wrestlers on the night. Kyle Klass, wrestling at 170 battled to three wins with one of those wins coming by fall. Ryan Berg scored two pins and a technical fall to continue his successful season. Luke Roth scored a fall and picked up two wins by forfeit.
Derek Wilke won both matches he competed in at 106. Andrew Meder finished 2-1 on the day. Trace Murray scored a win and wrestled in the toughest weight class with two of his opponents ranked in the state. Vince Piazza scored a major decision in his match against Plainfield East.
The Redhawk JV team defeated St. Charles North 78-0 winning every match but one by either pin or forfeit. The JV team gave up only one takedown in seven contested matches.
Naperville Central defeats Wheaton Warrenville South
Redhawks 42 - Tigers 23
January 5th, 2012
Naperville Central 5-8, (1-3 in DVC), defeated Wheaton Warrenville South at home by a score of 42-23. The dual started at 113 where Mitch Lee broke a 3-3 tie coming out of the second period to post a major decision 13-4. Lee scored ten points in the final period for the win. Stephen Splan scored a late reversal to win 5-4 at 120 pounds. Ben Williamson picked up a forfeit at 126, then Kirk Cherep locked down a fall in the second period at 132 pounds. The pin put the Redhawks up 19-0 in team points early in the dual.
The Tigers came back with two wins at 138 and 145. Andrew Meder lost a major decision 1-12 and Hunter Stephens was pinned early in his match. Trace Murray got the Redhawks back on track with a 18-2 technical fall. The 152 pounder scored four takedowns and four sets of nearfall for the second period technical fall. Tom Mitrenga posted a solid 12-0 major decision at 160 pounds. Kyle Klass was out-dualed by Franke at 170 by a score of 3-15. Luke Roth and Welsh, two returning state qualifiers battled at 182 pounds. Welsh scored early in the match and held for a 2-7 win. That win brought the team score to 28-17.
Ryan Berg broke a 0-0 first period tie with a takedown and turn in the second period and then cruised to a 12-3 technical fall at 195 pounds. Berg scored four takedowns in the bout. Wheaton Warrenville South gave up a forfeit to Vince Piazza and Naperville Central gave up a forfeit at heavyweight.
In the final match of the night, Derek Wilke scored five takedowns and added two sets of nearfall points to win 15-5 at 106 pounds. Derek's solid effort was rewarded as he earns the team's "I'm Somebody" Award for the night.
The Redhawks won 63-17 at the JV1 level and also won 50-18 at the JV2 level. WWS won the freshman dual 27-50.
Glenbard North upends Naperville Central
Mitrenga and Klass win their matches
January 6, 2012
Naperville Central 5-9, (1-4 in DVC), lost to highly ranked Glenbard North at home by a score of 64-7. The dual started right with the Redhawks as senior Tom Mitrenga posted a solid 15-4 major decision at 160 pounds. Mitrenga scored a takedown with backpoints to begin the match and added another set of five in the second period. Kyle Klass followed with an outstanding performance at 170 pounds. Kyle scored two takedowns in the first period to take a 4-1 lead, then added takedowns in the second and third period to hold on to the victory. Kyle won the team's "I'm Somebody" for his performance.
After those matches, it was all Glenbard North the rest of the way. Luke Roth dropped a 4-12 decision to Fierro at 182 pounds and Ryan Berg lost to Elderage by a score of 3-7. Vince Piazza and Derek Wilke were pinned in the first period. Mitch Lee ran up a 7-1 lead in the first period against Gonzalez of his match at 113 pounds and added a big takedown in the third period to extend his lead to 9-3, but he was reversed and pinned late in the match. Stephen Splan was defeated 5-22 by Cortez. Ben Williamson was pinned in the first period by Marmolejo at 126. Kirk Cherep lost 1-11 at 132 pounds.
Glenbard then rattled off three pins in a row to end the dual. Andrew Meder was pinned by Brandle, Hunter Stephens lost by fall to Johnson, and Trace Murray fell to Murphy.
The NCHS JV1 team won 6 of 13 contested matches against Glenbard North but lost 31-45 in their dual. At JV2, NCHS lost 12-66. The Redhawk freshman team won 7 of 13 contested matches, five of which came by fall. Glenbard North won the dual 39-45.
NCHS goes 2-1 at Downers Grove North
NCHS 30 - DGN 29, NCHS 21 - Bartlett 32, NCHS 48 - Champaign Central 24
January 7, 2012
The Redhawks 7-10, (1-4 in DVC) won two of three duals at Downers Grove North High School.
In the first dual, NCHS battled Downers Grove North with the starting weight class at 195. Ryan Berg started the dual with a 7-3 win. Vince Piazza lost by technical fall at 220 and the Redhawks gave up a forfeit at 285.
With DGN up 3-11 in the team score, Central came back with four wins in a row. Derek Wilke won by injury default. Derek was up 10-0 in the first period at the time. Mitch Lee won by a major decision 15-6 and Stephen Splan also won by major decision 12-2. Ben Williamson followed with a tight 10-9 win to put the Hawks up 20-11 in the team score.
Downers rattled off four wins of their own. Cherep lost 3-9 at 132, Andrew Meder and Hunter Stephens were both pinned and Trace Murray was defeated 2-7. Suddenly the Redhawks were down 20-29.
Senior Tom Mitrenga locked down a major decision winning 19-6 getting the Hawks within 5 team points. In the key match of the dual, senior Kyle Klass wrestled Izewski to a 1-1 tie in regulation. Nobody scored in the first overtime sending the match to double overtime. Each wrestler got :30 seconds in the down position. Klass picked down first and scored an escape and takedown in his half, then rode his opponent out for :25 seconds in the second half to win 4-2 and send the deciding match to Luke Roth. With the dual score 27-29, Roth wasted little time scoring two quick takedowns in the first period and cruising to a 8-3 decision. Redhawks 30 - Downers Grove North 29.
The Redhawks went on to lose to Bartlett and defeat Champaign Central. Five wrestlers finished 3-0 on the day for the Hawks. Stephen Splan won 5-2 and another by fall. Ben Williamson continued to improve winning 6-0 and 20-4. He scored 9 takedowns on the day and won the team's I'm Somebody Award for his performances.
Tom Mitrenga, Kyle Klass, and Ryan Berg also finished 3-0. Kyle won 6-1 and 7-3 in his remaining matches. Tom Mitrenga went on to win 17-0 and another by fall. Ryan Berg did not allow an offensive point scored against him on the day. He won 16-3 and another by fall.
Wilke, Lee, and Roth all went 2-1 in the duals.
The Redhawk JV1 team took 4th at the 12 team Bolingbrook tournament. Dominic Delgrosso, Yuki Mizoguchi, and Dan Henkel were tournament champs.
The JV2 team took 4th place at the 8 team 45th annual NCHS Invitational. Jackson Moore won the tournament.
The Redhawk freshman team had a banner day taking 2nd at the 12 team Hinsdale South Freshman Tournament. Bobby McMillen and Hayden Saldivar both won the event.
Naperville Central defeats Cross-Town North
Naperville Central 34 - Naperville North 21
January 12, 2012
Naperville Central, 8-10, (2-4 in DVC), defeated their cross-town rivals Naperville North at home in front of a large crowd by a score of 34-21.
Starting at 145, Hunter Stephens lost to McDonnel by a major decision 2-15. Trace Muray scored the first takedown at 152, but couldn't hold on and lost 2-6 at 152. With the team score at 0-7, the Redhawks clicked off four wins in a row. Tom Mitrenga started the winning with a 6-1 decision at 160 against Gilligan. Kyle Klass came from behind and scored two takedowns in the final seconds to win by a major decision 15-6 against Gallegos. With the team score knotted at 7, Luke Roth fired off 6 takedowns to win by major decision 16-7 against Brancaleon. Luke's exciting match earned him the "I'm Somebody" Award for the night. Ryan Berg battled to a 7-4 decision against Walker at 195 pounds pushing the team score lead to 14-7 for the Hawks.
The Huskies came firing back. Vince Piazza took Obriecht to double overtime before succumbing 1-2 at 220 pounds. Central forfeited to Goebel at heavyweight and Yuan, a state qualifier from last year pinned Derek Wilke at 106 pounds. The three wins in a row put North ahead 14-22 in the team score.
Mitch Lee started the Redhawks come back with a solid 19-4 technical fall at 113 pounds against Abe. Lee scored three takedowns and three sets of nearfall in his victory. Steven Splan locked down a takedown and nearfall in the first period and held on for a 5-2 victory against Ramirez. His win tied the team score at 22-22 with three matches remaining.
Ben Williamson clawed out five takedowns to Bougadis in his match at 126 to win by major decision 11-3. With that win, the Redhawks only needed another victory for the dual win. Kirk Cherep delivered with a 18-3 technical fall at 132 pounds to Lians. Kirk's victory came in the second period of his match. With the dual victory assured, Andrew Meder wrestled Engblom at 132 pounds. Andrew gave up a takedown and nearfall in the first period to fall behind 0-5 but came back with a takedown and nearfall of his own in the second period to close to 5-6. In the third period, Andrew added another takedown and back points to win 9-7 and end the dual. Final score: 34-21.
The Naperville Central JV1 team defeated North by a score of 45-24. In one of the more exciting matches of the night, Jake Hajakian scored a first period pin for the Redhawks to win the JV2 dual 38-37. The freshman lost to Naperville North 26-51
Redhawks take 4th at 19 team Williams Invitational
Berg Crowned Champion at 195 pounds
January 14, 2012
Naperville Central took 4th place at the 19 team Marty Williams Invitational at Mahomet. Yorkville won the tournament, Belleville West and York took 2nd and 3rd respectively. The top three teams were within three team points of each other.
Ryan Berg led the way for the Redhawks winning four matches in route to a championship at 195 pounds. Berg was seeded third in the tournament. Ryan Berg did not have an offensive point scored against him. He pinned his first two opponents and won in the semifinals by technical fall. In the finals, Berg scored the first takedown and added another takedown in the third period for insurance, defeating Fleckenstein of York 5-3. Ryan Berg won the team's I'm Somebody Award for the day.
Luke Roth qualified for the finals with two wins. After a first round bye, Roth won 8-2 and then won in the semifinals when Rivera of Champaign Central injury defaulted. Luke was up 4-0 to Rivera at the time. In the finals, Luke fell just short of a championship when he lost 2-3 to Rudicil of Bloomington.
Tom Mitrenga took a first round bye and then won 7-2 to get into the semifinals. Mitrenga won his bronze when his opponent injury defaulted. Andrew Meder also made the semifinals, winning in the quarterfinals in overtime. Meder took 4th place.
Ben Williamson and Kirk Cherep both took 5th at the event. Williamson finished 4-1 on the day with two pins and a major decision. Cherep also ended the day 4-1 chalking up two falls himself. Kyle Klass and Derek Wilke both took 6th place. Klass finished 3-2 with two falls. Wilke earned two wins including an exciting 12-10 win in overtime.
Mitch Lee and Steven Splan both went 2-2 in the tournament. Hunter Stephens and Trace Murray also got a win. Vince Piazza competed at 220 pounds.
NCHS Defeats Thornton Fractional South, JV DVC Tournament Results
Varsity Wins 52-22, JV1 takes 2nd in DVC Tournament, JV2 takes 3rd in DVC Tournament
January 21, 2012
Naperville Central varsity 9-10 (2-4 in DVC) defeated Thornton Fractional South 52-22 at home. Kirk Cherep won by technical fall 18-3. Hunter Stephens won by fall in the second period. Kyle Klass also scored a second period fall. Ryan Berg won by fall in the third period and Stephen Splan scored a technical fall, 16-1. TFS forfeited four weight classes to the Redhawks while Central forfeited two.
The big action of the day was had by the junior varsity teams. The NCHS JV1 team finished second in the DuPage Valley Conference Tournament. Seven of the 14 wrestlers advanced to the finals with Central crowning four champions. Yuki Mizoguchi won the gold impressively at 113 pounds. Aiden Kehri won the 120 weight division. Andrew Cassioppi upset both the number 1 and number 2 seeds to win the tournament at 145 pounds and Justin Tardy battled to a championship at 170 pounds. Dominic Delgrosso, Louie Giovennatti, and Nate Teske all made the finals and took second. Joe Saleh took 3rd at heavyweight.
The NCHS JV2 team finished third in their DVC Conference Tournament held at at Naperville Central High School. In that tournament, Central advanced three wrestlers in the finals with Rick Marciniak winning the 145 weight division. Eric Reents dominated the 170 pound weight class. Freshman Bobby McMillen finished second. Jake Moran, Matt Alber and Greg Perez all took third place.
The Redhawk freshman team split two duals at Libertyville. They defeated Libertyville when Luke Minter scored a pin at 160 pounds. They lost to Lyden by 10 points. Many of the freshman were competing in the JV tournaments.
Redhawks defeat West Chicago
Naperville Central 46 - West Chicago 27
January 24, 2012
The Naperville Central Redhawk wrestling team, 10-10, (3-4 in DVC) ended the dual meet season in style by defeating the West Chicago Wildcats at home 46-27 on Senior Night. With the starting weight class at 152, senior Trace Murray started the meet with a hard fought 4-3 decision. Senior Dan Henkel replaced Tom Mitrenga at 160 and earned a first period fall. Dan got the team's I'm Somebody Award for his efforts. Senior Kyle Klass recorded five takedowns in his 14-7 win at 170 pounds. Luke Roth, Ryan Berg and Vince Piazza all won by forfeit.
Derek Wilke was pinned at 106 but Mitch Lee answered with a technical fall at 113 pounds. Senior Stephen Splan battled by lost at 120 by a 5-12 score. Ben Williamson brought the home crowd to their feet with an impressive 15-0 technical fall recorded in the first period. Ben scored 6 sets of near-fall points in that period. Senior Kirk Cherep won by forfeit. Senior Andrew Meder lost by fall at 138 and Hunter Stephens lost by fall at 145.
The JV1 team won 54-15. West Chicago did not field a JV2 team. The freshman also won 54-15.
That concludes competitions for our JV and freshman teams.
Redhawks finish 2nd at DVC Tournament
Ten 'Hawks Finish On Podium
January 28, 2012
Naperville Central finished 2nd place in the DuPage Valley Conference Tournament held at Glenbard East High School. The Redhawks entered the tournament in the 5th place position based on their 3-4 DVC dual meet record. It is being reported that 2nd place is the highest finish for Central in the DVC Tournament since 1991 (last 21 years).
NCHS was in second place by 8.5 points to West Aurora and by 11.5 pounds to Wheaton North going into the final round. Four wrestles from Central scored points in the last round to help the Redhawks maintain their position. Naperverville Central finished just 3.5 points ahead of Wheaton North and 5.5 pounds ahead of West Aurora. The Redhawks avenged dual losses to Wheaton North, West Aurora, and Glenbard East.
Five Redhawks advance to the finals. Senior Kirk Cherep scored a fall and a 2-0 decision to advance to the finals against Gosinski of Glenbard North. Cherep pushed the highly ranked Panther to double overtime before losing 3-5. Kirk's efforts earned the teams "I'm Somebody" Award. Tom Mitrenga advanced to the finals by scoring two falls before dropping a 1-10 decision to Davis of Glenbard North.
Luke Roth avenged a loss from earlier in the season to Warren of West Aurora by a score of 7-4 to qualify for the finals. Roth lost to Welsh of Wheaton Warrenville South to take second. Ryan Berg scored a fall and then a 5-4 victory to Walker of Naperville North to get into the finals where he lost to Elderidge of Glenbard North 3-7. Freshman Ben Williamson surprised the field at 126 pounds by making the finals with a 3-2 win over top-seeded Martin of Glenbard East. Ben lost in the finals to Marmolejo 5-18.
Both Mitch Lee and Steven Splan defeated opponents whom they lost to during the season. Lee scored a 12-2 victory against Bretz of Wheaton North for third place. Steven Splan won 9-4 against Olsen Glenbard East for third place. Kyle Klass earned two wins in the tournament to place fourth place at 170 pounds.
Hunter Stephens locked down a fall in his fifth place match at 145 pounds and Andrew Meder won when McFadden of Wheaton Warrenville South injury defaulted at 138 pounds. Meder took 5th place as well. Derek Wilke finished in 6th place scoring a technical fall in the tournament against Conner of WWS. Vince Piazza ended in 6th place. Trace Murray won 7-1 against Quintana of West Chicago to take 7th.
Next up is the IHSA Regional Tournament on Saturday, February 4th at Naperville North High School. The top three finishers at each weight class will advance to the IHSA Sectional tournament on the following weekend to be held at Glenbard North High School. Also, the team champion will enter the IHSA dual team state tournament series. All 16 regional team winners are bracket into a tournament that begins after the individual state tournament later in February. Participating schools at the Regional Tournament are Naperville Central, East Aurora, West Aurora, Batavia, Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South, Metea Valley, Naperville North, and Wheaton Warrenville South. Action starts at 9:00am and finals are scheduled to begin at 5:00.
Naperville Central Wins Regional Tournament
Eight Redhawks Advance to IHSA Sectionals
February 4, 2012
The Naperville Central Redhawk wrestling team won the nine team IHSA Regional tournament at Naperville North High School by one team point. Eight Central wrestlers placed in the top three and will advance to the IHSA Individual Sectional Tournament next weekend.
The final round proved to be an exciting team race between NCHS and Downers Grove South. Going into the first and third place matches Central lead DGS by four team points. Central had six wrestlers in the finals and three going for third place; South had five in the finals and four going for third.
At 106 pounds, Derek Wilke lost his third place match to Ochoa from East Aurora. Wilke had defeated Ochoa earlier in the tournament. Wilke had scored a fall in the semi-final wrestle-back. At 113, Mitch Lee lost a hard fought match in the finals to Anthony of West Aurora by a score of 7-8. Lee earned a major decision and a fall to get to the finals. DGN's 113 pounder won in the third place match to slice into Central's team score lead to one.
Steven Splan, the number one seed at 120, defeated Rameriz of Naperville North in the finals to win a Regional Championship. Splan scored a fall and technical fall in the tournament as well. Ben Williamson lost a head-to-head match up with DGS's Nugent in the finals to take second place. Williamson got a major decision and a pin to get into the championship match. After 126, Naperville Central still held on to the slim one point lead.
Kirk Cherep got a pin in the first round and won 4-3 in the semifinals to advance to the finals. Cherep lost in the finals to Cummins of DGN by a score of 0-7 to take second place.
Downer's Grove South lost their matches at 138 and 145 but the DGS's Anaya bothers both won their matches at 152 and 160 in the finals scoring 10 team points between them. Meanwhile Tom Mitrenga won his third place bout against Gonzalez of Metea Valley by a score of 8-2. Mitrenga's win qualifies him for the sectional tournament. Mitrenga scored a technical fall in the first round and won 9-5 in the semifinal wrestle-back. After the 160 pound matches, Downer's Grove South held a six point lead in the team score.
Kyle Klass wrestled in the third place match at 170 pounds after winning by major decision 21-8 in the first round and a hard-fought 5-3 in the semifinal wrestleback. Klass faced Duran of East Aurora in the bronze medal match. After a 1-1 tie in the first overtime, Klass chose down to begin the second overtime and earn an escape half way through the 30 second period. Now leading 2-1, Klass broke his opponent down and rode him out the second entire 30 second period to take third. That win put Central down only three points in the team score race.
At 182, Luke Roth lost to Welsh of Wheaton Warrenville South 0-10 in the finals to take second place. Luke won 14-4 against Arreola of Metea Valley and scored a 3-1 overtime decision against Warren of West Aurora. At 182, Downer's Grove South also lost in the third place bout so neither school scored team points.
In a huge head-to-head match up with the top two teams, Ryan Berg faced Clark of DGS in the finals at 195. Neither wrestler was able to score a takedown in the match, but Berg earned a point when Clark was called for stalling early in the third period. That was enough for the 2-1 victory and the Regional Championship for Berg and also earned Central four team points to put them in the team score lead by one point.
Naperville Central did not have a competitor in the finals at 220 or 285. Downers Grove South had a finalist at 220 but none at 285. So, a victory at 220 by Allen of DGS would win the tournament for them - otherwise Central gets the trophy. Allen jumped out to a commanding 9-2 lead but his opponent, Urbanski of Downers Grove North staged an exciting comeback. With just 25 seconds to go in the match, Urbanski scored a takedown to get within one. Then Allen was penalized for stalling with very short time left in the match which tied the score and sent the match to overtime. Urbanski was able to score the deciding takedown in overtime that secured the team victory for the Redhawks.
Lee, Splan, Williamson, Cherep, Mitrenga, Klass, Roth and Berg will compete in the IHSA Sectionals at Glenbard North High School on Friday and Saturday, February 10-11. The top four finishers in each weight class (12 wrestlers in bracket) will advance to the IHSA State Tournament in Champaign on Feb. 16-18.
By winning the team championship, Naperville Central punched its ticket to the Dual Team Sectional where they will face Maine West. The competition will be held at West Aurora High School on Tuesday, Feb. 21st. Naperville Central is in the sweet sixteen. A win against Maine West will send NCHS to the State Dual meet tournament held at Bloomington.
Naperville Central Sends 3 to State
Ryan Berg, Luke Roth and Tom Mitrenga advance to Champaign
February 11
Naperville Central High School will send three individuals to the IHSA State Tournament in Champaign. Ryan Berg, Luke Roth, and Tom Mitrenga all placed in the top four of their weight classes in the IHSA Sectional Tournament to qualify. The tournament was held at Glenbard North High School on Friday and Saturday, February 10-11. NCHS had eight wrestlers compete in the sectionals. Seven of the eight advanced to the state-qualifying round and seven of the eight won at least two matches.
Ryan Berg, 195, defeated Boser of Geneva and Cleveland of Wheaton North to advance to the finals and punch his ticket to state. In the championship match, Berg used three takedowns to defeat Zavalla of Elgin by a score of 7-6. Berg avenged a loss to Zavalla from earlier in the season. This will be Berg's first trip to state.
Luke Roth, 182, defeated Drozd of Evanston and Santana of Elgin before losing in overtime to Fierro of Glenbard North in the semifinals. In the state-qualifying match, Roth came from behind to pin Monreal-Berner of Niles West. The fall came late in the third period and qualified Roth to state for the second time in his career. In the third place match, Roth defeated Warren of West Aurora. It was the fourth time the two wrestlers have met this season with Roth winning three.
Tom Mitrenga, 160, forfeited to Carlson of St. Charles East on Friday by injury default setting him up for a difficult route to state having to win three matches in a row in the wrestle-backs. There, Mitrenga defeated Stephens of Schaumburg and Gastaldello of Downers Grove North to set up a state qualifying match with Kindle of Maine West. Mitrenga scored a takedown in the first period and added nearfall points in the second period and cruised to a 8-2 win. The victory put Mitrenga to state for the first time in his career. Mitrenga injury defaulted to Rowland of Willowbrook to finish in fourth place.
Naperville Central wrestlers had seven wrestlers advance to the state-qualifying round in the tournament, an outstanding performance for the Redhawks. Central lost four of those matches. Individuals losing in this round are alternates to the state tournament. They were Mitch Lee, Steven Splan, Ben Williamson, and Kirk Cherep.
Mitch Lee, 113, defeated Wolf of Lake Park and then Afshar of Maine West to advance to the semifinals. Lee lost to San Juan of Glenbard East. In the consolation semifinals Lee lost to Martens of Geneva by a score of 0-7.
As a regional champion, Steven Splan, 120, had a first round bye and then defeated Davis of Conent to make the semifinals. Splan lost to Cortez of Glenbard North, then in the wrestle-backs lost to Calkins of Maine South by a score of 5-7
Ben Williamson, 126, dropped his first match to Sheppard of Glenbard West, but won two matches in the wrestle-backs to make the state qualifying round. Williamson upended Rose of Conent 12-2 then Garduno of South Elgin 15-0 (in the first period). Williamson was pinned by Shoen of Lake Park in his bid for state.
Kirk Cherep, 132, also lost his first match, his to Gosinski of Glenbard North. Cherep then pinned Gratz of Maine West and followed that up with an emotional win to Hassan of Glenbard West by a score of 4-2. Cherep was narrowly defeated by Graham of Metea Valley by a score of 1-2.
Kyle Klass, 170, also won two matches in the sectional tournament. Klass scored a 9-7 come-from-behind win against Rosemon of Elgin. Klass avenged a loss to Rosemon from earlier in the year. Klass lost to Caprio of Rolling Meadows, then defeated Ebert of Elk Grove. Klass nearly defeated Cleveland of Wheaton North, but lost 4-5.
Naperville Central's three qualifiers will compete at in the Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois starting Thursday night. The preliminary round is set to begin at 6:30pm. Wrestling will continue into Friday and Saturday. Hope you can cheer on the Redhawks.
Reminder, by virtue of winning the Regional Tournament, Naperville Central will be competing at the IHSA Sectional Dual against Maine West on Tuesday, February 21 at 6:30pm. The winner of the dual will advance to the (elite eight) IHSA Dual State Tournament to be held in Bloomington on Saturday, February 25.
Central Wrestlers Compete at State
Berg, Mitrenga, and Roth battle in Champaign
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Ryan Berg and Tom Mitrenga advanced to the final 8 in their brackets at the IHSA State Wrestling Tournament at Champaign. Both fell one match short of placing in the top six. Luke Roth also competed in state for the second year.
Ryan Berg, 195, advanced to the quarterfinals when he pinned Jon Bilancia of Mt. Prospect. Berg was winning 2-1 in the second period when he headlocked his opponent and locked down the pin late in the second period. In the quarterfinals, Ryan lost to Blake Blair of Edwardsville by fall. Blair finished second in state. In the wrestle-backs, Berg defeated Noah Fleckenstein of York by a score of 4-2. Berg had defeated Fleckenstein earlier in the season. Ran scored takedowns in both the first and second periods of the match. The win advanced Berg to the quarterfinal wrestle-backs with a chance to place in state. There he lost to the bracket's second seed, Shekhiem Chapman of Gurnee 3-1 in overtime. Berg looked to be the aggressive wrestler, taking multiple shots throughout the match. Yet, both wrestlers traded escapes to send the match to the extra period. Chapman scored a takedown off of Berg's missed shot half way through overtime. Chapman finished third in the tournament.
Tom Mitrenga lost his opening match to Hunter Rollins of Arlington Heights Hersey by a score of 6-1. Rollins finished the tournament in 5th place. In the first round of the wrestle-backs, Mitrenga pinned Notay Jackson of Mt. Carmel in the second period. Tom scored a first period takedown and held on for a 2-0 lead out of the frame, then scored a reversal in the second period, putting Jackson on his back and eventually locking down the fall. The win also put Tom in the final 8 with a chance to place. In that match, Mitrenga faced Scott Hoff of Lake Zurich. Mitrenga jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a takedown and later a two-point nearfall tilt. In the second period, Hoff chose neutral and scored a takedown but Mitrenga was able to escape to make the score 5-2. In the final period, Tom got an escape to grab a 6-2 lead, but was taken down to his back for two and two. After an escape by Mitrenga made the score 7-6, Hoff scored a late takedown and held on to win 8-7. Hoff finished in 6th place.
Luke Roth opened the tournament against Jordan Ellingwood of Plainfield Central. After a scoreless first period, Roth was reversed in the second period which put him down 2-0. In the third period, Roth chose neutral, but was unable to score the tying takedown, losing 2-0. Ellingwood finished in 3rd place. In the first round wrestle-backs, Roth was taken down and pinned by Joshua Symbal of Huntley in the first period. Huntley finished in sixth place.
The effort now turns to the IHSA Sectional Dual. Naperville Central will face Maine West for a chance to qualify for the State Dual Tournament (final 8). The Sectional dual will be held at West Aurora High School on Tuesday, February 21 at 6:00. Glenbard North and South Elgin will square off at the same time and place. Winning teams will compete in Bloomington on Saturday, February 25.
Naperville Central wins IHSA Dual Sectional: Qualifies for State
Naperville Central defeats Maine West 40-24
February 21, 2012
The Naperville Central, 11-10, wrestling team has qualified for the IHSA Dual State Tournament by defeating Maine West 40-24. The dual was held at West Aurora. The top eight teams in the state will meet in Bloomington on Saturday, February 25. This is only the second time in school history that NCHS has qualified for state, the last time being 2009.
The dual started at 182 pounds. Luke Roth scored 6 takedowns including three in the final period to win by a major decision 13-4. Ryan Berg followed at 195 pounds and put up 6 takedowns of his own to win by a major decision 13-4.
Maine West countered with wins at 220 and 285. Vince Piazza battled six minutes by lost by a major decision 5-15 and Joe Saleh stepped into the line-up but was pinned in the first period. Maine West held a 8-10 dual team lead.
Central fired back with five straight wins. Derek Wilke won a key match at 106 pounds defeating Sunny of MW by a score of 12-4. Mitch Lee won a rematch from sectional with a 8-2 win at 113. Steven Splan scored a fall at 120 pounds and Ben Williamson locked down a fall at 126 pounds. The freshman won his 30th match for the season. At 132 pounds, Kirk Cherep battled Gratz to a 3-3 tie through regulation. Neither wrestler scored a takedown in overtime and both wrestlers rode out in the 30 second double overtime periods. Choosing top, Cherep held on in sudden victory and won by not allowing an escape. The 4-3 decision saw the team score bump up to 30-13 with Maine West's top wrestlers coming up.
At 138 Andrew Meder scored a takedown in the third period. The score helped to hold Korbecki of Maine West to only a decision 3-9. Hunter Stephens faced state qualifier Zayas and lost by a technical fall 2-18. Trace Murry was pinned in the second period at 152 pounds. The three win by Maine South closed the team score gap to 30-24. Naperville Central needed just a win in the final two bouts to ice the dual.
That win was delivered by captain Tom Mitrenga at 160 pounds. Mitrenga sxored a takedown early in the match and used a bar-arm to turn Vogal to his back. Just 1:03 into the match, the official slapped the mat signaling the fall and sending the Redhawks to state.
After a short celebration, Kyle Klass fought for five takedowns and won by major decision 12-4. The five takedowns put Kyle at 95 total for the year. The win gave the Redhawks four more team points to make the final score 40-24. Central scored nine wins out of the 14 weight classes.
Naperville Central will face Barrington in the elite eight on Saturday, February 25 at Bloomington. The dual will begin at 9:00 am. The winning team will advance to the state semifinals and will earn a state trophy. Semifinals, third and championship duals will be held later in the day on Saturday. No wrestling team from NCHS has advanced to the semifinals.
Naperville Central Ends Season in State Quarterfinals
Dual State Quarterfinals: NCHS 16 - Barrington 44
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Naperville Central (11-11) was defeated by Barrington in the IHSA Dual State Quarterfinals by a score of 16-44. The Dual State Tournament was held at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington. Barrington advanced to the state semifinals and finished in fourth place. Sandburg won the state title over Oak Park River Forest and Glenbard North finished third.
The loss ends the 2011-2012 season for the Redhawks.
The Redhawks won five of the fourteen matches contested in the quarterfinals. The dual started at 138 pounds. Andrew Meder was defeated by a score of 2-6. Hunter Stephens lost by a major decision 1-9. John Needham was pinned at 152 pounds in the second period.
Tom Mitrenga got the Hawks on the board with a 9-6 decision at 160 pounds. Barrington answered with a major decision against Kyle Klass by a score of 3-11. Luke Roth battled for a 4-2 victory at 182 pounds. Luke scored a late takedown to seal his win.
Barrington rattled off five straight wins to seal their victory. Ryan Berg was defeated 9-10 at 195 pounds. Nate Teske, Joe Saleh, Derek Wilke and Mitch Lee all lost by fall.
Despite being mathematically defeated, Central finished the dual with three straight wins. Steven Splan won 8-2 at 120 pounds. Ben Williamson fought for a 2-1 victory. Kirk Cherep won by major decision at 132 pounds with a 14-2 victory.
The Redhawks will celebrate the season with an awards banquet on Monday, February 27. Besides celebrating our individual wrestlers, seniors, wrestling managers, and parent helpers, special awards such as most valuable, most improved, most inspirational, hardest worker, JV and freshman wrestler of the year, and iron man. Food and fun to be had. Hope to see you there.
Naperville Wrestlers Making News
News and Notes from Naperville Wrestling this week
Saturday, March 10th, 2012
On Monday, Feb 26 NCHS Wrestling had their wrestling awards banquet. Special thanks to Dr. Quoc Gaing for the pizza's and the parents for providing some good pasta. A snow cone machine was also there to celebrate our victory against Naperville North.
The following special awards were given:
Coach Rob Porter was voted DVC co-coach of the year
Coach Noah Fitzenreider has been nominated for IWCOA Assistant Coach of the Year. Coach Rob Porter has been nominated for IWCOA Head Coach of the Year
In other news:
Three wrestlers from NCHS competed in the IWCOA Freshman-Sophomore State held at the Prairie Convention Center in Springfield. Ben Williamson competed at 126 pounds. Louie Giovannetti went 2-2 at 182 pounds. Derek Wilke finished 4-2 in the tournament got on the state podium with a 7th place finished.
Alex Hunter, an 8th grader in the Naperville Wrestling Club finished in 8th place at the IKWF State Tournament this weekend.
Former Naperville wrestler Matt Burns won a match at the Division 3 Nationals this weekend. Matt wrestles for Augustana.
Nathan Fitzenreider, brother of NCHS Assistant Coach Noah Fitzenreider, took 2nd place at JC Nationals these weekend. Nathan lost 2-6 in the finals. He wrestles for North Central College here in Naperville.
Naperville Central Wrestling wins Sportsmanship Award
Marty Bee, Athletic Director of Naperville Central High School, has informed the coach staff of a commendation letter received from the IHSA. The Naperville Central High School Wrestling team, participants, coaches, and fans earned a "Do What's Right" Banner.
Please see a copy of the letter below. Thanks and GO REDHAWKS!
March 28, 2012
Dear Marty:
At this time the IHSA Board of Directors, the Sportsmanship Advisory Committee and the IHSA Staff would like to congratulate you, Naperville Central High School, and your community for earning a Do What’s Right! State Final Sportsmanship Banner at the 2012 Wrestling State Finals.
Your school has set a high standard for other schools to follow during regular season and post season play. Please share this accomplishment and honor with your school and community members
Congratulations! And please continue to remind your teams, fans, and community to Do What’s Right!