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opprairie.com Sports
the orland park prairie | February 8, 2018 | 47
fastbreak
Wrestling
Eagles win two individual titles, claim regional championship
Julie McMann/22nd Century
Media
1st and 3
Kendall Coyne’s
biggest upcoming
games
1. Rematch with
Canada
Sandburg alumna
Kendall Coyne was
on the 2014 U.S.
women’s hockey
team that lost the
gold-medal overtime
game to Canada.
This will be the
Americans’ first
chance to show
dominance over
their rivals Thursday,
Feb. 15, at 9:10 p.m.
CST.
2. Russia prelims
In the Americans’
second game of the
Olympics, they play
athletes from Russia
at 6:10 a.m. CST
Tuesday, Feb. 13.
3. Finishing the Finns
The U.S. women’s
hockey team opens
the Winter Games
with a matchup
against Finland at
1:40 a.m. CST Sunday,
Feb. 11.
Jason Maholy
Freelance Reporter
Two Sandburg wrestlers
won titles and nine others
finished in the Top 3 in their
respective weight classes at
the Illinois High School Association
Class 3A Marist
Regional to help the Eagles
edge Consolidated High
School District 230 rival
Andrew for the team tournament
championship.
Sandburg finished the
tournament, held Feb. 2 and
3, with 184.5 points, while
Andrew concluded a strong
season with 177.5 points.
Marist placed fourth with
105.5 points.
Individual qualifiers are
to wrestle this weekend in
the IHSA Class 3A Hinsdale
Central Sectional.
The Eagles, by virtue of
their team title, advanced to
the Class 3A Downers Grove
South Dual Team Sectional.
Pat Nolan (132 pounds)
and Alex Hirschfield (182),
both juniors, won titles for
the Eagles.
Nolan (30-5) made quick
work of his two opponents,
pinning both Mustafa Rushdi
of Stagg in 56 seconds in the
semifinals and Luke Gardner
of Andrew in 2:59 in the
title match. Hirschfield (35-4)
slipped by Zvontae McNeal
of Thornton, 5-3, in the semifinals
before pinning Alexander
Hansen of Andrew in 1:24
to win the championship.
Both Nolan and
Hirschfield advanced to
sectionals for the second
Sandburg’s Mike Bosco (left) gets ready to grapple Feb. 3 with Caleb Witherspoon of TF
South in the third-place match at 170 pounds during the Illinois High School Association
Class 3A Marist Regional. Jason Maholy/22nd Century Media
consecutive season. Also
advancing to the Hinsdale
Central Sectional are Sam
Wojcik (126), Tyler Villa
(145), Tim Houston (152),
Nate Goodman (195) and
Mike Amedeo (220), who all
placed second; and Dominic
Iannantone (106), Jimmy
Ferguson (120), Mike Bosco
(170) and Joe Boyce (285),
who all finished third.
Eagles coach Clinton
Polz said his squad had its
ups and downs during the
tournament, particularly the
semifinal round, when four
Eagles lost — two by fall,
one by technical fall and
one by injury default. Each
of those four grapplers rebounded,
though, to win
third-place medals. He was
especially proud of Bosco,
who overcame an illness that
had sidelined him all week
prior to the tournament beginning
Friday night.
Polz may have been exaggerating
to say Bosco was
“deathly ill,” but the sophomore’s
status for the tournament
was certainly in serious
doubt.
“I didn’t know if he was
going to show up, because he
was so sick he couldn’t get out
of bed the last couple days,
but he sucked it up and came
— I’d like to think for himself
but probably even more for
his teammates,” Polz said.
Bosco looked lethargic,
as he fell behind 5-0 to TF
South’s Caleb Witherspoon
in the third-place match, but
he turned the tables in the
third period, scoring a takedown
and back points before
pinning Witherspoon with
17 seconds remaining. In
doing so, he earned his first
sectional berth.
“He didn’t look like Mike
Bosco; he was struggling but
came back and found way to
get it done,” Polz said. “We
really saw a lot of character
in Mike Bosco, and I think
his teammates appreciate it.
I know I do; I respect the kid
a lot.”
Bosco said he definitely
did not feel like himself on
the mat, and a week away
from practice made the sport
seem “like it was something
new,” but he was confident
his conditioning was superior
to Witherspoon’s and that
he could outlast his opponent
over 6 minutes. Bosco
had defeated Witherspoon,
10-9, in the quarterfinals.
“I knew he was going to
get tired really quick, so I
almost kind of drew him out
and waited for it, and I knew
I was just going to hopefully
lock up a cradle in the
third,” he said. “I just waited
for that moment, and I hit it.
And it was crazy.”
Polz was also thrilled to
watch Amedeo, a senior,
have the tournament of his
life and give himself a shot to
advance to the state tournament.
Amedeo, who wrestled
at 170 on junior varsity most
of the season, had to gain
weight to be heavy enough
to wrestle at 220. He topped
state-ranked Ameer Aqel of
Andrew, 3-1, in the semifinals
and by advancing to the
title match helped Sandburg
top Andrew for the team title.
“That was a great win for
him, as a senior, to give himself
a chance to compete [at
sectional],” Polz said.
Hirschfield has, along
with Nolan, been one of the
Eagles’ top wrestlers all season,
and is hopeful the regional
title will be a springboard
to qualifying for the
state tournament for what
would be the first time.
“It feels great to repeat
[as regional champion],”
Hirschfield said. “I’m just
going out there, giving it all.
I have to trust in myself, go
offensive, and if I do that it
should work out itself.”
LISTEN UP
“We really saw a lot of character in Mike Bosco, and
I think his teammates appreciate it. I know I do; I
respect the kid a lot”
Clinton Polz— Sandburg wrestling coach, on one of his wrestlers performing
will after being sick leading up to the regional tournament
What 2 Watch
Women’s hockey — 1:40 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11
• Sandburg alumna Kendall Coyne and her
teammates on the U.S. women’s hockey
team open the 2018 Winter Games with a
preliminary match against Finland.
INDEX
44 - This Week In ...
42 - Athlete of the Week
Compiled by Sports Editor Tim Carroll,
t.carroll@22ndcm.com