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the Lockport Legend | November 23, 2016 | 39
fastbreak
Wrestling
Talented LTHS squad eyes state title
1st and 3
Julie McMann/
22nd Century Media
Lockport girls
basketball
succumbs to defeat
in difficult first
game
1. Hitting the hardwood
The LTHS girls
basketball team
started its campaign
with a 65-46 loss to
Lincoln-Way West
Nov. 15 in New Lenox.
The Warriors had a
12-0 fourth-quarter
run to put the contest
out of reach.
2. Missing a key youth
The Porters played
their first game
without heralded
freshman Treasure
Thompson. Lockport
coach Dan Kelly said
he expects her to play
soon.
3. Leading ladies
Junior Taylor Hopkins
took charge for
Lockport with 12 points,
while senior Elena Wolfe
scored 11 points. Junior
Destiny Davis tallied 9
points in the opener.
Randy Whalen
Freelance Reporter
When Lockport Township
senior Abdullah
Assaf wakes up in the morning,
he is greeted by a message.
“I wake up everyday to a
poster that says ‘state champion,’”
Assaf said. “We’re
going for it all this year.
We’re working for the state
title.”
The Porters squad that
is working toward a state
title is the wrestling team
With nearly everyone back
from last season’s Class 3A
third-place team which went
24-5, it is an achievable
goal.
“Every year, we are trying
to win a state title,”
Lockport coach Josh Oster
said. “But knowing what
we have coming back, this
is the year that we’ve been
looking forward to for
quite awhile. We only lost
one person from last year
[Oster’s younger brother,
Shayne, who placed second
at 145 pounds and is now
wrestling at Northwestern
University], so we have 20-
plus guys that have varsity
wins back.
“The work ethic is there,
the talent is there. We’re
just looking for everything
to fall into place. We’re in
that position. We have to do
everything we can to prepare
for it.”
A key component to
“The work ethic is there, the talent is there. We’re
just looking for everything to fall into place. We’re
in that position. We have to do everything we can to
prepare for it.”
Josh Oster — Lockport wrestling coach, on his team’s chances of winning state
this season
the season will be to
stay healthy. There were
situations with that last
season, but the Porters
regrouped the take third
in the state. That was their
second straight team trophy,
as they placed fourth in
Class 3A in the 2014-2015
season.
There is already a health
setback, however. That is
Assaf, who suffered a partial
tare in the ligament of
his right thumb on the opening
day of practice Nov. 7.
But Assaf, who placed third
at 113 pounds in 2015 and
fifth at 120 last season, does
not expect to miss much
time in his quest to also win
an individual title this season.
“I’ll only miss a few
meets,” said Assaf, who
will wrestle at 126 or 132
this season. “I should be
back by Dec. 1. I’d rather
get healthy for the rest of
the season. We’re ready to
make a deep run this season.”
Trevell Timmons was one
of the Porters who battled
injuries last season. He
fractured his left elbow and
missed about half the season.
He came back to make
it to state in the individual
tournament. But there he
suffered a dislocated left
shoulder in the semifinals
at 152 pounds and placed
sixth. The year before, he
finished fifth at the same
weight.
“It’s the same thing as last
year; we just have to make
sure we’re not injured,” said
Timmons, who is expected
to wrestle at 160 pounds as
a senior this season. “But I
don’t get nervous anymore.
I just wrestle.
“This should be the best
team we’ve had, and we
want to go for the title. We
just have to keep our minds
focused, and we could have
it.”
In all, the Porters return
20 of 21 from their dual
team state roster. Assaf
and Timmons were the two
individual state placers,
but the group had five state
Class 3A state qualifiers and
also five individuals that
placed in Akron or Fargo
National Tournaments this
past summer.
The other top individuals
that will be looked to this
season are sophomore Matt
Ramos (106), sophomore
Anthony Molton (113/120),
senior Brandon Ramos
(126), who is a three-time
state qualifier, sophomore
Baylor Fernandes (145), a
state qualifier last season,
and sophomore heavyweight
Ronald Tucker, who
had a 47-7 record and was
a also a state qualifier last
season.
A senior who did not
qualify for state last season
is Brendan Ramsey,
who will be at 132 pounds
this season. He hopes
to be one of the senior leaders
on the team this campaign.
“I’ve got lofty goals
for myself and the team,”
Ramsey said. “We want to
win it all as a team, and I
want to make it to state as
an individual. We just have
to keep going, work hard
and give it our all. We’re
just looking to do damage
and show that our team is
good.”
Brandon transferred to
Lockport from St. Laurence
before last season. He qualified
for state his first two
years at St. Laurence and
also last season for the Porters,
and he came to Lockport
for the opportunity to
win a title.
“I’m here to win a state
championship,” he said.
“I’m hungry for more this
year. We need to be more of
a unit, one brotherhood for
each other. We just want to
work everyday to get better.
We want to go out with a
bang.”
The Porters held their
annual Maroon and White
Night Nov. 16. They
hoped to open with a
bang when the dual meet
schedule opened on Tuesday,
Nov. 22, with a home
meet against Yorkville. The
next day was scheduled to
bring a trip to West Aurora
for another 5:30 p.m. dual
meet.
This Saturday, Nov. 26
is slated to bring an early
season test starting at 9
a.m. at the Minooka Quad.
The SouthWest Suburban
Conference schedule is
set to open Thursday, Dec.
1, starting at 5:30 p.m. at
Bolingbrook.
LISTEN UP
“I wake up everyday to a poster that says ‘state
champion.’ We’re going for it all this year. We’re
working for the state title.”
Abdullah Assaf — Lockport Township senior wrestler, on the lofty expectations
his team has for the season
Tune In
Wrestling
Meeting the mats — 5:30 p.m. Wednesday,
Nov. 23, at West Aurora
• The Porters hit the road for their second
dual meet of the season, looking to get off
to a fast start.
Index
38 - This Week In
34 - Athlete of the Week
FASTBREAK is compiled by Contributing Editor Thomas
Czaja, tom@homerhorizon.com.