When all the medals had been awarded and all the mats rolled up, two thoughts stuck with you from last weekend's Catholic League meet ...

The buzz around Providence's gym on that brutally cold day was that the overall talent level was possibly a bit down from past Catholic League meets ... but as the matches unfolded, there weren't too many people complaining about not getting their money's worth ...

A different -- and fairer -- way of putting it was that this tournament was a preview of coming attractions ... while upperclassmen have taken center stage more often in previous Catholic League tournaments, this was more a chance for the kids to show what they had ...

And when it was all over, there was no denying the conference's young talent has a tremendous up side ... you can start with St. Rita freshman Jawon Akui, who came in with a 10-1 record and went home with the 152 title and the meet's Outstanding Wrestler award ... moving up a spot to fill in for Class AA top-ranked Steve Zimmerman (out with an injury), Akui beat three seniors en route to the title and put himself in the conversation for the postseason ...

The other freshman champ was Providence 103-pounder Edwin Cooper, who says he feels no pressure whatsoever about being unbeaten (33-0) ... from the poise he shows on the mat, it certainly looks like he's telling the truth ...

In all, there were seven freshmen, 13 sophomores (including champs Nick and Chris Dardanes of Fenwick) and 11 juniors placing in the top four ... so there should be a lot of familiar faces on the awards stand at next year's Catholic League meet and the one after that ...

The other noteworthy development was the return of Mount Carmel, which won its first conference title in 10 years ... not to say the Caravan ever really went away, because it was always a state power, but Carmel had seen its star decline in recent years as Providence and St. Rita took center stage in the league and -- until Sandburg's current three-year title run -- in Class AA as well ...

But now under alum and second-year coach Jason Erwinski, the Caravan has demonstrated that you better talk about the big three and not just the big two when it comes to Catholic League wrestling ...

Erwinski is an easy-going guy off the mat, but don't let that calm exterior fool you ... he's definitely got the fire inside ...

There are a couple of vignettes that may shed some light on the Carmel renaissance he's engineered ...

Last season, the Caravan returned to state for the first time since 2002 and, as luck would have it, drew Sandburg in the quarterfinals ... the Eagles won easily over a young Caravan squad, to no one's surprise, 43-25 ... but even though his team was done and a storm was bearing down on DeKalb, Erwinski had no intention of heading home after the loss ... he wanted his wrestlers to soak up the atmosphere of the state tournament, to see the prize that was out there waiting for them and to make them hungry enough to work hard enough to make the leap from good to great ...

The second moment came after Saturday's meet, when I suggested to Erwinski that it was a good thing he was a wrestling coach and not a football coach, which would have won him a Gatorade shower after the win ... his response was to the effect that his wrestlers better not think of trying something like that ... it showed there should be no doubt who's in charge of this program ... while some young coaches struggle to get respect from athletes just a few years younger than them, Erwinski commands it now ... and that will only grow as his resume becomes more impressive ...

Posted by Mike Clark at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Another Catholic League meet is in the books ... here's how it unfolded ...

6:01 p.m.

And finally, the awards: 112 champ B.J. Futrell is the unanimous Lawless winner as the Catholic League's top senior wrestler, Mount Carmel's Jason Erwinski is the coach of the year and St. Rita freshman 152-pounder Jawon Akui is the meet's outstanding wrestler ...

5:49 p.m.

It's over, and Mount Carmel has come away with its first Catholic League title in 10 years, beating Providence 207.5-197.5 ... the teams will meet again on Friday in a dual at Mount Carmel ...

Bishop Mac won the last two individual titles in dramatic fashion: Mario Zinnani beat St. Rita's Mike Nolan 5-4 in OT at 215 and Mike Letton defended his heavyweight title, winning by the same score over St. Rita's Kevin Galeher ...

Here are the final team scores ...

Mount Carmel 207.5

Providence 197.5

St. Rita 155

Brother Rice 137

Fenwick 95.5

Bishop McNamara 84

Loyola 77.5

St. Laurence 63

St. Ignatius 39.5

De La Salle 27

Gordon Tech 7

Guerin 3

St. Francis deSales 3

5:26 p.m.

It's over at LW Central, where Sandburg has won another SouthWest Suburban title, 221.5-168 over the hosts ... the final four individual champs: LW Central's Pete Damiani (171), Bolingbrook's Senuwell Smith (189), Bolingbrook's Kwame Harris (215) and LW East's Chris Narel (heavyweight) ... thanks to Curt Herron for providing updates ...

5:23 p.m.

De La Salle's Clayton Kendall beats Mount Carmel's Robert Barbour 7-3 in the 171 title match, winning his second Catholic League championship and avenging a 5-1 loss to Barbour last week ... ir's still 202.5-193.5 Carmel over Providence in the team race ...

5:05 p.m.

Providence pulls within 202.5-193.5, thanks to Brian Reynolds' 3-2 decision over Mount Carmel's Charles Argue in the 160 final ...

4:56 p.m.

St. Rita's Jawon Akui is the second freshman champ of the day, beating Mount Carmel's John Ford 12-3 in the 152 final ... Providence gets a pin from Dam Steed in the third-place match, so Mount Carmel's lead is now 202.5-189.5 ...

4:48 p.m.

Over at LW Central, Sandburg is looking every bit like the three-time defending state champ it is ... the Eagles have now won five titles, with Tyler LaPretre (135), Jake Holler (145), Juan Soliz (152) and Conrad Polz (160) joining John Morrison (119) ... other champs: LW Central's Adam Heimer (130) and LW East's A.J. Knoll (140) ...

4:44 p.m.

A clarification: Mount Carmel already had been credited with Strenk's points because McNamara coaches told meet officials before the finals that Young would be defaulting ...

At 145, St. Laurence's Dave Aparicio wins on a tech fall at 4:18 over Mount Carmel's Nick Gelsosomo ... team scores: Mount Carmel 202.5, Providence 146, Rice 129 ...

4:32 p.m.

Bobby Barnhisel gives Fenwick its third title of the day, beating Rice's Luke Nelson 4-1 at 140 ... it's the second Catholic League championship for Barnhisel, who won in 2006 and lost to St. Rita's John Majka in OT in last year's

4:25 p.m.

Mount Carmel continues to maintain its lead ... it's 202.5-184.5 over Providence through 135, and the Caravan just picked up extra points at 140 when McNamara's Jon Young had to default to Brian Strenk for third because of an injury ... Mount Carmel hasn't won the Catholic League since 1997 ...

4:18 p.m.

We have the first four champs from the SouthWest Suburban: Bolingbrook's Frankie Campos at 103, Joliet's A.J. Juarez on criteria in overtime vs. Lockport's Jameson Oster at 112, Sandburg's John Morrison at 119 and H-F's John Dewey at 125 ...

4:09 p.m.

Providence's Jake Wojcik wins 3-2 over Rice's Tim Lullo in the 119 final ...

3:58 p.m.

Fenwick's Chris Dardanes joins his brother atop the awards stand with a 7-5 OT win over Providence's Mark Augle in a matchup that could be repeated down the road (Dardanes is No. 2 in AA, Augle is No. 4) ... Dardanes went up 5-3 with a takedown with 27.6 seconds left in regulation, but Augle tied it with an escape and a penalty point for fleeing the mat ... Dardanes then got the winning takedown at 40 seconds of the first OT period ... team scores: Mount Carmel 202.5, Providence 180.5 ...

3:47 p.m.

At 119, Fenwick's Nick Dardanes beats Brother Rice's Ryan March 20-9 for the title ... Rice loses a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct because March throws his headgear after the match ...

In another development, Futrell is continuing his policy of not doing interviews ... he smiled and ducked away from reporters after picking up his medal, which he then gave to his mom in the stands ... last year, Futrell pretty much maintained a media silence till he won state ...

3:38 p.m.

Mount Carmel's B.J. Futrell wins a 25-10 tech fall at 5:50 over Providence's Tom Ambrose, allowing the Caravan to pull ahead of the Celtics by 17 (197.5-180.5) ... Futrell, a defending state champ, looks primed to repeat in Champaign ... he's 31-0 this season ...

3:26 p.m.

Providence freshman Edwin Cooper is dominant in the 103 final, beating St. Rita's Cody Zimmerman 17-6 to improve to 33-0 ... Mount Carmel's Kevin Skryzpiec gets a 34-second pin in the third-place match, so the Caravan is up 192-180.5 over the Celtics ...

3:01 p.m.

Here are the updated team scores heading into the finals ...

Mount Carmel 187

Providence 175.5

St. Rita 139

Brother Rice 117

Fenwick 88.5

Bishop McNamara 76

Loyola 72.5

St. Laurence 50.5

St. Ignatius 36.5

De La Salle 23

Gordon Tech 7

Guerin 3

St. Francis de Sales 3

2:46 p.m.

We're down to the last wrestleback match, so the finals should start soon ...

Here's more from the SouthWest Suburban ... LW Central's Josh Kratovil, top-ranked in AA at 135 and a three-time conference champ, is sitting out today with an injury ...

Sandburg has eight in the finals: John Morrison (119), Dom Polito (125), Kevin White (130), Tyler LePretre (135), Jake Holler (145), Juan Soliz (152), Conrad Polz (160) and Frank Tereiro (215) ...

2:26 p.m.

For today at least, New Lenox is the prep wrestling capital of Illinois ... just down the road from here at Lincoln-Way Central, the Knights are hosting the SouthWest Suburban Conference meet ...

Curt Herron will be providing updates from LW Central ... through the semis, Class AA No. 4 Sandburg is comfortably ahead with 171.5 points ... Class AA No. 6 LW Central (123), Bolingbrook (91), Lincoln-Way East (89) and Joliet (86) round out the top five ...

1:56 p.m.

Steve Zimmerman isn't the only big name sitting out today ... Also out with injuries are returning state placer Mike Migawa (140) of St. Rita and Mount Carmel's Mike Maggi (130) ... St. Rita coach Dan Carroll says Migawa may return to action on Thursday, but Mount Carmel coach Jason Erwinski said Maggi may not be back till the regional in two weeks ...

1:30 p.m.

The wrestlebacks are scheduled to start at 1:40, with the finals tentatively set for 2:30 ...

Here are the team scores through the semis:

Class AA No. 13 Mount Carmel 155

Class AA No. 3 Providence 144.5

Class AA No. 14 St. Rita 132

Brother Rice 96

Fenwick 83.5

Bishop McNamara 66

Loyola 48.5

St. Laurence 38

St. Ignatius 29.5

De La Salle 23

Gordon Tech 7

Guerin 3

St. Francis de Sales 3

And here are the championship matchups:

103 -- Edwin Cooper (Providence, 32-0) vs. Cody Zimmerman (St. Rita, 23-9)

112 -- B.J. Futrell (Mount Carmel, 30-0) vs. Tom Ambrose (Providence, 25-7)

119 -- Nick Dardanes (Fenwick, 29-3) vs. Ryan March (Brother Rice, 28-3)

125 -- Chris Dardanes (Fenwick, 30-3) vs. Mark Augle (Providence, 30-5)

130 -- Jacob Wojcik (Providence, 31-2) vs. Tim Lullo (Brother Rice, 24-5)

135 -- John Majka (St. Rita, 26-2) vs. David Skryzpiec (Mount Carmel, 21-3)

140 -- Bobby Barnhisel (Fenwick, 34-1) vs. Luke Nelson (Brother Rice, 25-4)

145 -- Nick Gelsosomo (Mount Carmel, 21-10) vs. Dave Aparicio (St. Laurence, 17-5)

152 -- John Ford (Mount Carmel, 27-11) vs. Jawon Akui (St. Rita, 12-1)

160 -- Brian Reynolds (Providence, 28-3) vs. Charles Argue (Mount Carmel, 28-4)

171 -- Robert Barbour (Mount Carmel, 30-3) vs. Clayton Kendall (De La Salle, 27-6)

189 -- Tyler Osborn (St. Rita, 25-9) vs. Dave Togher (Providence, 18-2)

215 -- Mario Zinnani (Bishop McNamara, 27-1) vs. Mike Nolan (St. Rita, 21-4)

Hwt. -- Mike Letton (Bishop McNamara, 20-0) vs. Kevin Galeher (St. Rita, 17-5)

1 p.m.

The semis went pretty much as expected, but it wouldn't be the Catholic League without a few surprises ...

The biggest news is at 152 pounds, where St. Rita senior Steve Zimmerman -- ranked No. 1 in Class AA by Illinois Best Weekly -- is out with an injury ... Mustangs coach Dan Carroll says Zimmerman could also miss Thursday's triangular with Fenwick and Neuqua Valley, but should be back for the regional on Feb. 2 ...

Zimmerman would have been one of two wrestlers going for his third Catholic League title today ... now, just Mount Carmel's B.J. Futrell (112) will be able to achieve that feat ...

Posted by Mike Clark at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The temps may head below zero this weekend, but the wrestling action's definitely heating up with the start of the conference tournaments ...

As usual, the Catholic League is beating most other conferences to the punch by a week, and as usual, the CL meet (hosted this year by Providence) will be the toughest in the state ...

Illinois Best Weekly's most recent Class AA rankings (new ones are due Tuesday) have three Catholic League teams in the top 15 (No. 4 Providence, No. 12 Mount Carmel and No. 13 St. Rita) ... the list of talented squads doesn't end there, with Fenwick having three ranked individuals and De La Salle also boasting some quality wrestlers ...

Depending on who goes up, stays put or moves down, there could be a couple of matchups of state-ranked individuals: Fenwick's Chris Chris Dardanes/Providence's Mark Augle at 125 and Providence's Brian Reynolds/St. Rita's Taylor Osborn at 160) ...

Check out Weighing In on Saturday for live coverage of the Catholic League meet, from the big individual matchups to the team chase and the inevitable controversies ...

Among the other big events on tap on Saturday is the SouthWest Suburban at Lincoln-Way Central, where No. 3 Sandburg and the No. 7 hosts should square off for the title ...

Posted by Mike Clark at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The holiday tournaments are over and the first conference meets are barely two weeks away, so it's not too early to start thinking about the postseason ...

And that means we'll be hearing more and more about the injustice of the IHSA's assignments ... especially from the fans of the ranked teams (and there are more than a few) that don't make it past the regional ...

The epicenter of unhappiness will no doubt be in the southwest suburbs, where three-time defending Class AA champ Sandburg and Lincoln-Way Central will be battling for one team sectional berth at the Andrew Regional ... both teams are ranked near the top in Class AA by the Illinois Best Weekly (Sandburg's No. 4, LW Central No. 6) and have the horses to make a deep playoff run ...

And some hearts will also be broken at a couple of other nearby regionals: Minooka (No. 4 Providence and the No. 16 hosts battle) and Romeoville (No. 5 Neuqua Valley and No. 17 Lockport square off) ...

The problem, if you can call it that, is the concentration of talent in the southern and western suburbs ... that, combined with the IHSA's commitment to geographic balance at state tournaments, is a recipe for controversy ...

That's good for the traffic numbers on message boards ... whether it's good for the sport depends on your take on the state finals: Should they bring together the state's best teams, regardless of location, or should all corners of Illinois be represented?

It's a debate that plays out in almost every sport; the only difference is where the loudest squawks come from ... if we're talking golf or tennis, it's probably the North Shore ... for track and wrestling, the South Side and southern suburbs ... and that's the way it'll remain until the IHSA decides to change its criteria for picking state finalists (if that ever happens) ...

Posted by Mike Clark at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)