New Trier’s Jack DeBlasio (top) contends with Wheeling’s Tristen Guaman in the 138-pound final at the GBS Sectional. DeBlasio lost 6-5. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Jack Alcantara of the Trevians (top) battles Wheeling’s Jaylen Shaw in the 152-pound finals at the GBS Invite. Shaw won 10-3. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Class 3A Glenbrook South Regional
— Three New Trier wrestlers — sophomore Patrick Ryan, senior Andrew Papoutsis and junior Jake Lowell — captured titles at the Class 3A Glenbrook South Regional on Feb. 6. The Trevians, who took third in the team standings (175 1/2 points) behind Wheeling (208) and Fremd (186), also advanced junior Nick Elias, sophomore Jack Tangen, senior Jack DeBlasio, senior Jack Alcantara and senior Joe Modica to next weekend’s Barrington Sectional.
Ryan left little doubt who ruled the 132-pound class. He improved his record to 35-7 by scoring a major decision (13-2) over Fremd’s Grant Barwacz in the final. His other wins were by pin and major decision.
Papoutsis is putting his best work together when it counts. The senior (9-5) pinned Glenbrook South’s Mason Slan in the 170-pound final. He needed only 30 seconds. He also pinned Loyola’s Tom Lyons in the semifinals (2:58).
Lowell is another red-hot wrestler for the Trevians. He came up with a technical fall (15-0) against Loyola’s Andrew Gonzalez in the 182-pound final. He also pinned his semifinal opponent: Fremd’s Doug Sheehan. He will take a shiny 30-4 record to Barrington.
Elias (29-12) will be looking for win No. 30 at the sectional after taking runner-up honors to Hersey standout Mitch MacTavish at 120.
Tangen (18-21) just missed winning a regional crown at 126. He was edged in the final by Fremd’s Cole Riemer 5-4.
In the title bout at 138, DeBlasio lost a heart-breaker to Wheeling’s Tristen Guaman 5-4. He’ll head to Barrington with 25 wins and 17 losses.
Alcantara joined the 30-win club (30-13) but was unable to claim a regional title, when he was defeated by Wheeling powerhouse Jaylen Shaw 10-3 in the 152-pound final.
Modica kept his season going, when he pinned Glenbrook South’s Edgar Borun in 2:32 in the third-place match at 195. Modica (33-12) also pinned Borun in the finals of the Central Suburban League.
Meanwhile, NT senior Willem Kupets (29-15) just missed qualifying to the sectional, when lost a 9-6 decision to Fremd’s Quinn Burgles in the 160-pound third-place match. Sophomore Andrew Moy, at 106, also placed fourth in the tourney.
LA’s Sean Cloherty (top) takes on GBN’s Gio Kollias in the third-place match at 132 pounds at the GBS Regional. Cloherty won by pin in 1:58. He had two pins in the tourney to break the school’s record for most pins in a season (24). PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Loyola finished the meet in fourth place with 77 points. The Ramblers will send four wrestlers to the sectional meet: senior Drew Johnson, freshman Aidan McKeag, sophomore Sean Cloherty and junior Andrew Gonzalez.
Johnson punched his ticket to the Barrington Sectional by pinning Moy in 1:51 in the third-place match at 106. He had three pins in the tourney. He is now 28-12 on the season.
McKeag followed up Johnson’s win by downing Buffalo Grove’s Jake Greenberg 10-8 in the third-place match at 113. He’ll go to Barrington with a 28-10 record.
There was no denying a sectional berth to Cloherty (34-9). In the 132-pound third-place match, he pinned Glenbrook North junior Gio Kollias in 1:58. He had two pins in the tournament to set the school’s all-time record for pins in a season with 24. The old record was 23.
Gonzalez (19-12) made it the the 182-pound final after earning a 4-2 overtime win over Wheeling’s Robert Torres. He then lost to Lowell in the title bout.
LA sophomore Quinn McCarthy (24-15) was blocked from qualifying, when he was pinned in the third-place match at 120 pounds by Wheeling’s Brian Madrigal.
Glenbrook South’s Daniel Pravich (bottom) wrestles in the third-place match at 145 pounds against Fremd’s RJ Cortez. Pravich lost 9-5. He finished the season 21-7. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Glenbrook South qualified two wrestlers to the sectional — junior Mason Slan and senior Majdi Khatib — while Glenbrook North’s lone qualifier was junior Brandon Friedman. Slan (16-15) earned runner-up honors at 170, while Khatib (23-6) won his third-place match at 285 by a 6-1 score. Friedman (15-7) heads to Barrington after recording a pin in 4:45 in the third-place match at 220.
GBS’s near misses were junior Daniel Pavich (21-7), who took fourth at 145, and Borun (22-8), who placed fourth at 195.
GBN had three wrestlers finish fourth in Kollias, senior Toby Gardner at 138 and junior Jacob Park at 152.
Class 3A Deerfield Regional
— Lake Forest advanced five wrestlers out of the Class 3A Deerfield Regional on Feb. 6. Junior Cory Barth led the way by earning runner-up honors at 220 pounds. Barth will head to the Barrington Sectional with a 31-9 record.
The Scouts, who finished sixth in the team standings with 79 points, went home with four third-place finishers in sophomore Quinn Dailey, senior Gage Griffin, sophomore Caleb Durbin and senior Devin Reich. Dailey (24-11) pinned Libertyville’s Will Bertaud in 5:28 in the 113-pound third-place match. At 126, Griffin improved to 33-6 by edging Stevenson’s Brandon Zisman 5-3 for third place. Durbin (28-13) kept his season alive by downing Zion-Benton’s Julian Albarran 4-3 in the 132-pound third-place bout. And, at 182, Reich scored a major decison (9-0) in his third-place match against Zion-Benton’s Isaiah Vance. He will take a 24-6 mark to Barrington.
In the near-miss category, LF senior star John Frauenheim (33-5) was eliminated in the 170-pound wrestleback semifinals. Teammate Marty Kalebic (25-16) made it to the third-place match at 160 pounds but lost by fall to Stevenson’s Roberts Pavlovics.
Highland Park qualified three wrestlers to the Barrington Sectional, which is set for Feb. 12-13. Sophomore Alex Rosenbloom (15-2) was denied a regional title, when he dropped a 5-3 decision to Warren’s Grant Zamin in the 138-pound final. Senior Andrew Cohen (30-4) kept his fine season going by claiming runner-up honors at 145. He was pinned in the final by Deerfield sensation Andrew Mehrholz in 2:37. HP’s third sectional qualifier was junior D.J. Penick, who survived a loaded field at 170. Penick (20-8) edged Warren’s Andrew Demos 7-6 in the third-place match. Demos came into the match with a 31-9 record.
In the just-missed category, HP senior Gabe Guzman lost 1-0 in the 285-pound third-place match. Guzman closes his season with a 20-16 ledger.
In the team competition, Deerfield beat Stevenson by one point, 164-163.
Lake Forest High School’s Devin Reich (right) takes on Stevenson’s Michael Kordek during the 182-pound final at the NSC Meet. Kordik won 10-1. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
North Suburban Conference Meet
— Lake Forest ended up with five place-winners at the NSC Meet in Wauconda High School on Jan. 30. The Scouts finished eighth in the team standings with 78 points. Stevenson claimed the top spot with 192 1/2 points.
Devin Reich was LF’s top finisher. The senior took runner-up honors at 182 pounds. After winning his first three bouts, he fell to Stevenson’s Michael Kordek 10-1 in the final. Reich will head to this weekend’s Deerfield Regional with a 21-5 record.
Two Scouts, Gage Griffin and John Frauenheim, came up with third-place finishes. Griffin, a junior, picked up his 30th win of the season, when he edged Zion-Benton’s Justin Williams 7-6 in the 126-pound third-place match. He’ll head to the regional with a 30-5 ledger.
Frauenheim (32-5) topped Lakes’ Jared Smith 3-2 in the 170-pound third-place match. The senior lost to the eventual champ, Stevenson’s Nikita Nepomnyashchiy, 5-1 in the semifinals.
Sophomore Caleb Durbin (25-12) placed fourth at 132 pounds. Junior teammate Cory Barth (29-8) took fifth at 195 pounds.
Lake Forest Quad
— It was a record-setting day for Lake Forest.
The host Scouts broke a 20-year-old school record for most dual-meet wins in a season, when they went 3-0 in their home quad on Jan. 23. They finished their dual-meet campaign with 16-8 mark. The old record (15 wins) was held by the 1996 LF squad.
LF was dominated the action in this quad. The Scouts defeated Grayslake North 40-29, Marian Central 65-12 and Elk Grove 71-9.
LF’s winners against GL North were Terk Klavsons at 145, John Frauenheim at 170, Devin Reich at 182, Cory Barth at 195, Matthieu Damidot at 106, T.J. Cottam at 132, Gage Griffin at 132 and Caleb Durbin at 138.
Against Marian Catholic, Klavsons, Frauenheim, Reich, Barth, Damidot, Griffen and Durbin recorded wins as did Marko Tupanjac at 152, Marty Kalebic at 160, Quinn Dailey at 113, Bridger Gunderson at 120 and Ivan Ramirez at 220.
Andrew Tuttle, at 132, and Christian Kroeger, at 220, got into the win column against Elk Grove. The team’s other winners were Durbin, Tupanjac, Kalebic, Frauenheim, Reich, Barth, Damidot, Dailey, Gunderson and Griffin.
New Trier’s Jake Lowell (right) battles Evanston’s Jaalen Banner at 182 at the CSL Meet. Lowell won 3-1 in overtime. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Central Suburban League Tournament
— Highlighted by three individual champions — Jack Alcantara, Jake Lowell and Joe Modica — New Trier took second (214 1/2 points) in the Central Suburban League Tournament at Deerfield High School on Jan. 23. The host Warriors scored 255 points to capture top honors. Evanston was third (187). Highland Park finished sixth (134), while Glenbrook South was seventh (91 1/2).
Alcantara defeated Maine East’s Mario Rihani 3-0 in the 152-pound final. At 182, Lowell edged Evanston’s Jaalen Banner 3-1 in overtime. And at 195, Modica pinned Glenbrook South’s Edgar Borun in 1:42.
Four Trevians earned runner-up honors: Nick Elias at 120, Jack Tangen at 126, Patrick Ryan at 132 and Willem Kupets at 160.
NT’s other placers were Jack DeBlasio (5th at 138), Andrew Papoutsis (5th at 170) and Andrew Moy (5th at 106).
Highland Park finished the tourney with two champs. Alex Rosenbloom captured the 138-pound crown by downing Deerfield’s Kenny Kerstein 5-1 in the final. Teammate Andrew Cohen topped Deerfield’s Andrew Grossman 4-0 in the 145-pound title.
HP’s D.J. Penick Jr. advanced to the 170-pound final but lost by fall to Deerfield’s Sage Heller in 48 seconds.
HP’s other place-winners were Eddie Castellanos (4th at 182), Steven Weathers (4th at 152), Gabe Guzman (at 285) and Dylan Weiskirch (5th at 126).
Glenbrook South had six placers: Edgar Borun (2nd at 195), Majdi Khatib (3rd at 285), Daniel Pravich (4th at 145), Ethan Bond (5th at 132), Danny Suhadolnik (6th at 138) and Mason Slan (6th at 170).
Glenbrook North’s top finishers were Brandon Friedman (3rd at 220) and Nathan Rosenberg (6th at 160).
Lake Forest vs. Zion-Benton
— Keyed by Cory Barth’s major decision (8-0) over Zion-Benton’s Jesse Johnson at 195 pounds, the Scouts edged the host Zee-Bees 43-31 on Jan. 22. LF’s other winners included Matthieu Damidot at 106, Quinn Dailey at 113, Gage Griffin at 126, Marty Kalebic at 160, John Frauenheim at 170 and Devin Reich at 182. Frauenheim pinned Eric Ospina in 2:22, while Kalebic recorded a fall against Ismael Castrejon in 4:00. Griffin beat Justin Williams 7-3, while Reich topped Isaiah Vance 5-2.
Lake Forest vs. Waukegan
— The Scouts improved their dual-meet record to 12-8 with a 48-24 victory over Waukegan on Jan. 19.
Marko Tupanjac came up with the meet highlight for LF by pinning his 152 opponent, Jaylon Sanders, in 43 seconds. LF’s other wins came via the forfeit.
Lisle Tournament
— Highlighted by the first-place showings of Quinn Dailey, Gage Griffin, Caleb Durbin, Marko Tupanjac, John Frauenheim and Devin Reich, Lake Forest took first place in the Melichar Invite at Lisle High School on Jan. 16.
Bridger Gunderson (132 pounds) and Cory Barth (195) earned runner-up honors, while Matthew Damidot 106), Andrew Tuttle (132), Marty Kalebic (160) and Christian Kroeger (220) came up with third-place efforts.
Tupanjac’s title match at 152 was impressive. He defeated Lisle’s Mark Pivek 9-3. Pivek entered the match with an undefeated record.
Dailey had an exciting finals match at 113. He claimed a 4-3 double overtime win over Walther Christian’s Luis Dieguez.
Griffin recorded a 50-second pin against St. Rita’s Frank Doyle in the 126-pound championship, while Frauenheim pinned Nazareth Academy’s Brian Kavanaugh in 1:21 in the 170-pound championship.
Durbin capped off the competition at 138 by downing St. Rita’s Nate Bennett in a 3-minute technical fall (16-1), while Reich edged Walther Lutheran’s Malik Jenkins 5-4 in the 182-pound final.
Lake Forest vs. Lake Zurich
— The visiting Scouts came oh so close in a dual meet at Lake Zurich on Jan. 15. They won seven individual bouts but came up one point short, 27-26.
Caleb Durbin had LF’s lone pin. The 132-pounder put Nick Swanson down in 4:41.
John Frauenheim, at 170, and Quinn Dailey, at 113, picked up wins with major decision. Frauenheim topped Pete Baldaccini 11-3. Dailey took care of Dean Rachufuss 8-0.
LF’s other winners were Cory Barth at 195, Gage Griffin at 126, Marko Tupanjac at 152 and Marty Kalebic at 160.
Leyden Invite
— Highland Park’s Andrew Cohen and D.J. Penick Jr. earned runner-up honors at the Leyden Invite on Jan. 9.
Cohen advanced to the 138-pound title match after downing Vernon Hills’s Max Richard 6-1 in the semis. In the championship, the senior lost a 13-5 decision to Conant’s Kyle Peisker.
At 170, Penick was edged in the final by Stevenson’s Nikita Nepomnyashchiy 8-5. Penick advanced to the championship after securing a 7-5 semifinal victory over Lakes’ Jared Smith.
The Giants finished 10th (71 points) in a field of 14 teams.
Round Lake Quad: Lake Forest claimed three victories at this meet on Jan. 9.
In a 54-15 victory over St. Viator, John Frauenheim, Marko Tupanjac and Cory Barth led the way. At 170, Frauenheim pinned Kyle Wemstrome in 1:25. At 195, Barth needed only two minutes to win by a fall over John Finnegan. And Tupanic pinned his 152-pound foe, Mike Dziedzel, in 20 seconds.
LF’s other winners were Gage Griffin at 126, Andrew Tuttle at 132, Caleb Durbin at 138, Nico Kovanda at 145, Marty Kalebic at 160 and Ivan Ramirez at 220.
LF’s match against Johnsburg was a tight one. Thanks to wins by Griffin, Tuttle, Durbin, Kalebic, Frauenheim, Barth and Quinn Dailey, the Scouts won 39-33. Dailey capped off the win by pinning Jackson Deehre in 1:18 at 113 pounds. Durbin, Frauenheim and Barth also walked away with falls.
The Scouts had no trouble taking down the host Panthers, 60-21. LF’s winners were Dailey, Griffin, Tuttle, Kovanda, Tupanjac, Kalebic, Frauenheim, Barth, Devin Reich and Christian Kroeger. Dailey’s win was by pin.
Carmel Triangular
Lake Forest ended up splitting its two matches at Carmel Catholic on Jan. 8.
The Scouts defeated Carmel 40-32. The winners were Nico Kovanda at 145, Marko Tupanjac at 152, John Frauenheim at 170, Devin Reich at 182, Cory Barth at 195 and Gage Griffin at 126. Frauenheim, Reich and Griffin won by pins, while Barth claimed a major decision.
Meanwhile, LF came up short against Prairie Ridge 43-34. LF’s highlights included a 25-second fall by Tupanjac, a 1:26 pin by Barth, a 1:51 pin by Quinn Dailey at 113 pounds, and a 12-0 major decision by Frauenheim. Reich and Ivan Ramirez at 220 won by forfeit.
Lake Forest vs. Warren
— Gage Griffin, Andrew Tuttle, Devin Reich and Marty Kalebic came up with wins for Lake Forest in its 42-19 loss to visiting Warren on Jan. 7.
Griffin improved to 16-3 when he pinned Fabian Martinez (2:00) at 126 pounds. It was Griffin’s team-high eighth pin of the season.
Tuttle (5-3) also won by fall. He pinned Ryan Thomas in 5:32 at 132.
Reich took care of Jeff May with a major decision (14-4) at 182. Reich is now 9-1 on the season.
At 160, Kalebic (12-8) edged Warren’s Chris Love 4-3.
Lake Forest vs. Loyola
— The Scouts defeated host Loyola 48-20 on Jan. 2.
LF’s winners were Ivan Ramirez at 285, Quinn Dailey at 113, Gage Griffin at 126, Caleb Durbin at 138, Marko Tupanjac at 152, John Frauenheim at 170, Devin Reich at 182, Cory Barth at 195 and Christian Kroeger at 220.
LA’s winners were Drew Johnson at 106, Quin McCarthy at 120, Sean Cloherty at 132, Nick Troiano at 145 and Peter Kennedy at 160.
Lake Forest vs. Glenbrook North
— LF also took on GBN at Loyola on Jan. 2. And Scouts earned a 61-9 victory.
LF’s winners included Christian Kroeger at 285, Quinn Dailey at 113, Bridger Gunderson at 120, Gage Griffin at 126, Caleb Durbin at 138, Nico Kovanda at 145, Marko Tupanjac at 152, Marty Kalebic at 160, John Frauenheim at 170, Devin Reich at 182 and Cory Barth at 195.
GBN’s winners were Brandon Friedman at 220 and Gio Kallias at 132.
Lakes Quad
— Lake Forest went 4-0 at the Lakes Quad on Dec. 31. The Scouts beat Lakes 46-21, Richmond-Burton 60-24, Bremen 63-6 and Grayslake Central 46-27.
LF’s winners against Lakes include Quinn Dailey at 113, Gage Griffin at 126, Andrew Tuttle at 132, Caleb Durbin at 138, Seamus Tuohy at 145, Mark Tupanjac at 152, Marty Kalebic at 160, John Frauenheim at 170, Cory Barth at 195 and Christian Kroeger at 220.
Against Richmond-Burton, the Scouts got wins from Dailey, Griffin, Tuttle, Durbin, Tuohy, Tupanjac, Kalebic, Frauenheim, Barth and Bridger Gunderson (120).
Gunderson, Griffin, Tuttle, Durbin, Touhy, Tupanjac, Kalebic, Frauenheim, Barth, Dailey, Kroeger and Ivan Ramirez (285) picked up wins against Breman.
And, against Grayslake Central, wins were notched by Griffin, Tupanjac, Kalebic, Frauenheim, Barth, Ramirez, Kroeger and Dailey.
Harvard Invite
— Gage Griffin and John Frauenheim claimed titles at the 49th Annual Sciacca-Holtfreter Invite at Harvard High School on Dec. 19.
Griffin defeated Grayslake Central’s Joe Tarnowski by a major decision (15-4) in the title match of the 132-pound weight class. He is now 8-3 on the season.
Frauenheim improved to 9-1 after capturing top honors at 170. He took care of Woodstock North’s Randy Kline 9-4 in the final. Kline entered the match with a 15-3 record.
Two Scouts finished in third place: Caleb Durbin and Cory Barth. Durbin (9-3) downed Grayslake Central’s Collin Pogue 3-1 in the 138-pound third-place bout. Barth (8-4) edged Woodstock’s Martin Halilaj 3-2 in the match for third place at 195.
LF’s other placers were Quinn Dailey (6th at 113 and Marty Kalebic (6th at 160).
Lake Forest vs. Grant
— Quinn Dailey, Gage Griffin, John Frauenheim, Devin Reich and Cory Barth earned victories in LF’s 49-24 loss to Grant on Dec. 17.
Griffin and Reich won with falls. Griffin pinned his 132-pound foe in 1:52. At 182, Reich overpowered his opponent in 3:17.
Dailey was a 5-0 victor at 113. Barth beat his 195 challenger 11-4. Frauenheim picked up a win at 170.
Lake Forest vs. Mundelein
— The Scouts earned five wins in their 50-18 loss to visiting Mundelein on Dec. 11.
LF winners were Marty Kalebic at 160, Devin Reich at 182, Andrew Tuttle at 132, Caleb Durbin at 138 and Marko Tupanjac at 152.
Reich’s victory came via a pin over Jake Goeke in 2:58.
Kalebic squeezed out a 7-6 victory over Kevin Olechno. Durbin took care of Junior Hernandez 9-4. Tuttle beat Zach MiCraw 7-3. And Tupanic edged Logan Kvien 2-0.
Lake Forest vs. Libertyville
— Cory Barth, Gage Griffin, John Frauenheim and Devin Reich earned wins in Lake Forest’s 54-17 loss to host Libertyville on Dec. 4.
Griffin’s match at 132 was a highlight for the Scouts. He pinned Libertyville’s Gabe Castillo in 3:39.
Frauenheim dominated things at 182, when he gained a technical fall in 4:41 (24-9) over Izaiah Hernandez of the Wildcats.
At 220, Barth edged Libertyville’s Mike Beck 8-6, while Reich topped Libertyville’s Ryan Cleary 10-3 in the 195-pound match.
Lake Forest vs. Stevenson
— The Scouts won seven matches in their 42-25 setback to visiting Stevenson on Dec. 3.
Cory Barth had the team’s lone pin. At 220 pounds, he made short work of Stevenson’s Charles Longsworth with a fall in 1:34.
LF other victories came at 132, 138, 152, 160, 182 and 195.
Gage Griffin beat Stevenson’s Brandon Zisman 3-2 at 132.
At 138, LF’s Caleb Durbin topped Jared Bukowski 12-2.
Marko Tupanjac of the Scouts got the best of Nathan Treysman 6-2 at 152.
At 160, LF’s Marty Kalebic edged Jake Simon 3-1.
John Frauenheim held the upper hand over Stevenson’s Nikita Nepomnyaschly 3-1 at 182 pounds.
And in the 195-pound battle, Devin Reich of the Scouts walked away with a 3-1 victory.
Lake Forest had to forfeit five weight classes.