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the new lenox patriot | January 9, 2020 | 35
Wrestling
4 Roundup
4
Boersma continues dominance
as Celtics rally to beat Moline
RANDY WHALEN
Freelance Reporter
Perhaps the Providence
wrestling team’s record
isn't where it wants it to
be.
But the Celtics know
they have the talent to turn
that around in the second
half of the season.
With some guys now
getting healthy and others
hitting their stride,
Providence staged a
comeback and defeated
Moline 41-33 to kick off
the new calendar year on
Friday, Jan. 3, in New
Lenox.
In the dual, recently
No.1 ranked heavyweight
Ryan Boersma continued
to impress with a tech fall
to clinch the victory.
Boersma (23-1), a
sophomore who recently
vaulted to No. 1 in Illinois
Wrestling Coaches
and Officials Association
rankings, has only lost 1-0
to senior Steven Kolcheff
out of Michigan.
While many heavyweights
are obviously
big, at 6-foot-6 and 260
pounds, Boersma is more
agile and just towers over
his opponents.
"Usually my leverage
is awesome, and I
can do moves a lot easier
and reach around guys,"
Boersma said of using his
size. "I just want to keep
winning. I got in the top
eight at state last year and
this year I want to win it."
Providence coach Donnie
Reynolds believes
Boersma can do it.
"He's trending in the
right direction," Reynolds
said of his heavyweight.
"You can't teach size and
he's one of the taller kids
in the state. He's got a lot
of different ways to score.
He just needs to keep
learning new things so
someone can't focus on all
his moves."
The Celtics have taken
on a very challenging
schedule this season.
"We've gone up against
a who's who of Illinois
wrestling," Reynolds
said. "But [the victory
over Moline] was a good
win."
It was as the Celtics (8-
12) rallied for some nice
win after a slow start.
Starting at 106 pounds,
Moline (13-9) won the
first three bouts, two of
them by fall, to take an
early 15-0 lead.
But Billy Lindsey
fought off a challenge
and the freshman emerged
with a 4-2 overtime win
at 126 to start the Celtics
comeback.
"Billy Lindsey is a
tough kid and he stopped
the bleeding," Reynolds
said. "He was wrestling
down a weight and this is
his first meet back after
being out the first semester.
It's good to have him
back."
Unfortunately for Providence,
senior Nick Matthias
suffered a knee injury
early on in his match
at 132 and had to injury
default. That gave the Maroons
their largest lead at
21-3.
Sophomore Sean
O'Connor started the Celtics
on a five-match win
streak with a 6-2 win at
138 pounds.
Kevin Countryman
continued it with the first
of four straight pins at 145
to close the Celtics within
21-12.
"Kevin is getting back
in shape," Reynolds said.
"He's getting back in form
now after helping the
football team to the quarterfinals."
Countryman, who took
fourth at the individual
state finals at 145 in Class
3A last season, is ready to
help Providence prevail
in the second half of the
season.
"It's good," he said of
getting the victory over
Moline. "We're a young
team and if we win the regional
or get some people
to the sectional, we will
probably see [Moline]
again."
Frankfort resident Jack
Bruno at 152, fellow junior
and New Lenox resident
Kaden Bray at 160,
and sophomore Aidan
O'Connor at 170 continued
on with three straight
pins for a 30-21 lead. The
Maroons came back with
a pair of pins at 182 and
195 to retake the lead at
33-30.
But a forfeit win at
220 and 19-4 tech fall by
Boersma at 285 capped
the comeback off for
Providence.
Going forward, Providence
is focused on improving
as a team.
"We've gone against
good teams," Countryman
said. "I think our wrestling
shows we are more
than our record. We will
peak at the right time of
the season."
LW Central wrestlers
beat H-F, fall to LW East
STEVE MILLAR, Sports Editor
It was an up-and-down
night for Lincoln-Way
Central’s wrestling team
Friday, Jan. 3.
The Knights beat Homewood-Flossmoor
41-24,
but struggled in a lopsided
50-13 loss to Lincoln-Way
East.
Central continued
its success at the lower
weights as sophomore
Joey Malito and freshman
Nathan Knowlton shined
throughout the night.
Against East, Malito
won a 10-1 major decision
over Connor Koehler at
113 pounds. Knowlton, a
two-time IESA state champion
at Martino Junior
High, pinned the Griffins’
Blake Fries at 106.
Central’s only other win
came from senior Ron Jancaric,
who picked up a 7-1
victory over John Ingram
at 220.
West wrestlers go 2-1 at
Ruettiger Cup
Lincoln-Way West’s
wrestling team finished
second at Minooka’s Ruettiger
Cup on Saturday,
Jan. 4.
The Warriors beat
Lincoln-Way East 40-30
and Moline 47-25, and
dropped a tight 31-28 dual
to the host Indians, who
are ranked No. 8 in Class
3A by the Illinois Wrestling
Coaches and Officials
Association.
Brock Pfeifer, Javen Estrada,
Garret Geigner and
Payton Geigner all went
3-0 on the day.
Huge night for Curran in
Lincoln-Way Central’s Nathan Knowlton controls
Lincoln-Way East’s Blake Fries on his way to a pin in
the 106-pound match Friday, Jan. 3. The Griffins won
the dual 50-13. JULIE MCMANN/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
win over Bloomington
Lincoln-Way Central’s
boys basketball team improved
to 9-4 with a 70-64
win over Bloomington on
Saturday, Jan. 4, in New
Lenox.
Junior guard Sean Curran
rang in the new year
with a huge performance,
pouring in 32 points. Fellow
junior guard Nick
Tingley added 14 points,
while senior guard Sean
Michalak also chipped in
14 points.
The Knights were set
to take on Chicago Ag
Science on Monday, Jan.
6, and Glenbard West on
Wednesday, Jan. 8, before
a SouthWest Suburban
crossover at Lockport on
Friday, Jan. 10.
Knight stars in Providence
victory over Proviso East
Senior guard Lauren
Knight poured in 27 points
to lead Providence’s girls
basketball team to a 59-49
win over Proviso East on
Saturday, Jan. 4, in New
Lenox.
Claire McGrath chipped
in eight points.
Providence improved to
12-4 and was set to play at
St. Laurence on Tuesday,
Jan. 7.
The Celtics are scheduled
to host De La Salle
at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday,
Jan. 9, and play at Lockport
at 2:30 p.m. Saturday,
Jan. 11.