Redhawks win Bulldog Invitational
Naperville Central had 11 place winners at the 18 team Mahomet-Seymour Bulldog Invitational and came from behind to win the tournament. The Redhawks won nine of 11 matches in the final round to pull ahead from being down by 12 team points to York High School to win the tournament by 5.5 points.
The exciting last round of place matches started at 119 pounds for the Hawks. Steven Splan scored a fall with just three second left in the first period against York High School. The pin added 4 team points and completed a banner day for the junior. Splan scored four pins on the day in route to his 5th place finish.
At 125 pounds, Jon Williamson lost by a major decision to highly ranked Viglasky of Bellville West in the finals. Jon’s second place finish included three wins on the day, two major decisions and a fall.
In the 130 pound weight class, Kirk Cherep won a topsy-turvy third place match by a score of 12-9. Kirk was wining 5-0 in the first period, but gave up nine points in the second period to fall behind 6-9. Choosing top in the third period, Cherep scored two sets of near-fall points to come back and win. On the day, Kirk scored 27 points in near-falls and finished with three wins.
Josh Tardy made the finals with two wins at 135 pounds and faced Higgins of Bellville West. Tardy scored takedowns in the first and second periods and cruised to a solid 5-2 win for the tournament championship. The win accounted for another four team points for the Redhawks and put the team in championship contention.
Kyle Miller was the cardiac kid in the tournament. Wrestling at 140 pounds, Kyle made the fifth place match by winning decisions of 5-4, 3-2, and 3-2 (in double overtime). Kyle was winning 3-2 going into the third period when his opponent scored three points on an escape and takedown. But, in the fashion of the day, Miller fought back with an escape and a take-down with nearfall to win 9-5.
John Graeber made the finals at 145 pounds with three wins including a pin and major decision. John’s day ended when he injury defaulted prior to the third period in the championship match. John made the most of a tough draw in his bracket and gutted out a 1-0 victory in the semifinals.
Still in second place in the tournament, the Redhawks needed a big team effort to win the tournament. John Mixen started the effort with a solid 13-4 major victory at 152 pounds. John scored four takedowns in his third place match and completed a 3-1 day. His win added another three team points to the total.
Tom Mitrenga ended a great day with a crazy 16-11 decision for fifth place. Tom’s win added another two team points and ended his day with another four varsity wins, three by fall.
At 171 pounds, Colin Guttosch broke out with four wins of his own. Colin entered the second period of his fifth place match with a score of 2-2. Colin picked the neutral position and scored a takedown and fall 42 seconds into the period. The win added another 4 team points and catapulted the Redhawks into first place for the first time in the whole tournament.
Luke Roth, 189, entered his fifth place match with three wins, one by fall. His place match was decided in the second period when Luke escaped and scored a takedown to go up 3-0 into the third period. Luke added five more points to win 8-2 and keep the Hawks in first place heading into the heavyweight class.
Senior James Mitchell controlled the destiny of the Redhawks. A win would secure the tournament victory, a loss would still give York High School a chance to come back and tie or win the tournament. The Redhawk heavyweight did not disappoint. Mitchell scored a reversal and nearfall in the second period and then battled to a 7-4 for a gold medal and a team championship.
At 112, Mitch Lee won two matches for the Redhawks, one by fall. Will Damron went 1-2 on the day, but he scored a fall in his win. Ryan Porter fell short of a win at 103 pounds.
Wrestling at home, the NCHS JV1 team defeated Palatine 59-24, Grayslake North 70-12, and Metea Valley 61-18. The Freshman defeated Palatine 78-6 and Grayslake North 51-18. Wrestling at Oswego, the JV2 team went 2-1. They defeated Oswego 40-31 and Minooka 59-18 while losing to Lockport 23-39.
Naperville Central will travel to Glenbard North for the final DVC dual of the year on Friday, January 21. Action starts at 6:00.
GO REDHAWKS!