GL_020917

glenviewlantern.com sports
the glenview lantern | February 9, 2017 | 29
wrestling
Five Titans qualify for sectional
Bond places
second at 132
NEIL MILBERT
Freelance Reporter
While Glenbrook South,
Glenbrook North and
Loyola Academy didn’t
have the strength in numbers
flaunted by Wheeling
and New Trier in the
3A Wheeling Regional,
all three had wrestlers
advance to the sectional
round of competition.
The top three finishers
in each of the 14 weight
classes in the regional on
Saturday, Feb. 4, will compete
on Friday-Saturday,
Feb. 10-11, in the sectional
at Barrington.
GBS qualified five seniors:
Ethan Bond, the
second-place finisher in
the 132-pound class, and
third-place finishers Ben
Schonken (120), Daniel
Pravich (152), Branko Andelkovic
(195) and Alex
Balabanos (285).
Bond (30-8) came close
to emerging as the king of
the 132-pound class, losing
a 3-2 decision to New
Trier senior Nick Elias
for the championship. In
his semi-final match, the
Titans star overwhelmed
the eventual third-place
finisher, Wheeling sophomore
Andy Madrigal, 9-2
and in the quarterfinals he
eliminated Buffalo Grove
senior Lucas Ramirez on a
fall at 1:20.
It took Pravich (32-7)
only 44 seconds to topple
New Trier junior Bayne
Kiser in their third-place
match. He also won his
consolation quarter-final
match on a fall, putting
down Palatine senior Jose
Aragon at 1:42.
“It was nice finishing
third but I wish I would
have been in the finals,”
Pravich said. “Last year I
was the second seed in the
regionals but I lost in the
semis and then lost in the
third-place match. I had
the adrenaline pumping
(in the third-place match)
because I didn’t want the
same thing to happen this
time. I knew he was successful
and I didn’t want
him to get a fluke pin so
I decided to do what I do
best — I came out fast and
pinned him.”
Balabanos (28-10) was
a 4-0 winner by decision
over Palatine senior Sammy
Cercas in their thirdplace
encounter.
“I was able to use my
speed to get around him
and get two takedowns,”
said Balabanos, who was
a starting guard on the offensive
line for the GBS
football team. “Coming
out of the football season I
weighed 255 pounds and I
tried to get back down to
220, which was my weight
last year. I only drank water
and I wasn’t eating
very much and I felt weak
so after the Russ Erb tournament
I made the decision
to bump up in class.
Now I weigh 239 but
I’m an undersized heavyweight
compared to everybody
else — the average
(weight) is around 265.”
The Spartans qualifiers
were senior Jacob Weingardt,
the 285-pound
runner-up, and third-place
contestants freshman Kazden
Orshoski (106), sophomore
Cam Casey (182)
and senior Brandon Friedman
(220).
Weingardt (27-10) won
two decisions — besting
Wheeling junior Matt
Killian 3-1 in the quarterfinals
and Cercas 3-0 in
the semis — before Fremd
senior Zachery Nemec
pinned him 45 seconds
into their 285-pound
championship match.
“I was the last seed in
the bracket and in my first
match I felt nervous,” said
the underdog from GBN.
“I wound up winning because
I put out everything
I had. In the semis, my opponent
was fresh out of
the gate because he had a
bye in the quarters, but my
theme going in was just
how bad I wanted it and I
got it.”
Teammate Friedman
(25-9) said a little bit of
luck contributed to his
pinning of Fremd senior
Connor McMillin at 1:47
in their 220-pound, thirdplace
match: “He was trying
to turn me and I got
lucky and I wound up on
top.”
Casey (15-16) also finished
third thanks to a fall.
The 182-pound Spartan
sophomore upended Palatine
senior Billy Ilkka at
3:17.
“I thought my first takedown
was the key,” Casey
said.
Orshoski (17-15) made
an impressive regional debut
in finishing third in the
106-pound class.
The GBN freshman
pinned Buffalo Grove
freshman Alec Dishchuk
at 2:49 in consolation
semifinal action, then did
it to Hersey freshman Zac
Joyce at 3:29 of the thirdplace
match.
Qualifying for the Ramblers
were senior Andrew
Gonzalez, who lost by
fall to New Trier senior
Jake Lowell at 1:53 in the
title match after winning a
Glenbrook South’s Ethan Bond competes in the 132-pound weight class on Saturday,
Feb. 4, in the 3A Wheeling Regional. Photos by Carlos Alvarez/22nd Century Media
Paul Jo (182) grapples with an opponent.
7-4 decision over Andelkovic
in the semi-finals,
and 126-pound sophomore
Aidan McKeag,
who pinned Fremd freshman
Jack Riemer at 1:50
in their third-place match.
Gonzalez will take a 27-9
record to the sectional,
while McKeag has a 26-16
record.
In the team competition,
Wheeling was first with 259
points, followed by New
Trier with 177. The Warriors
had five champions
and the Trevians had four.
GBS was fifth with 86
points; GBN was sixth
with 83.50; and Loyola
was seventh with 50.