Dominant Gerszewski propels Gators past Wolves

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CRYSTAL LAKE – Tom Gerszewski quickly moved to erase his lone loss of the wrestling season from his memory.

But that doesn’t mean Crystal Lake South’s fierce senior leader hasn’t learned from the experience.

Gerszewski has bounced back in impressive fashion after losing to Glenbard North’s Brian Murphy in the finals at the prestigious Dvorak Invitational at Harlem last month.

“I definitely know what I have to shoot for,” Gerszewski said. “I just have to get back and keep working in the [wrestling] room.”

Gerszewski, who worked his way to a big win at the Schaumburg Quad on Saturday, put together another stellar performance Thursday night. He stormed to a 16-0 technical fall win at 152 pounds win to help the Gators slip past rival Prairie Ridge, 42-24, in a Fox Valley Conference Valley Division dual meet.

“He looked excellent out there,” South coach Ross Ryan said. “He’s just so tough on top. He’s just having an excellent season.”

Gerszewski (19-1), a state qualifier a year ago and a state alternate as a sophomore, has set his sights even higher this season.

“I want to get as high up on that podium as I can,” he said. “I think I’ve done a pretty good job so far, but I definitely have some areas to improve.”

Behind its steady veteran, South (12-3 overall, 4-0 FVC Valley) remained undefeated in conference competition. The Gators are expecting to get two-time state qualifier Nick Fontanetta (shoulder injury) back in the lineup sometime this month.

The visiting Wolves jumped out to a 7-3 advantage in the dual meet after three matches behind victories by Eric English at 120 pounds and Zach Synon at 132.

Synon, a two-time state qualifier, kept his record unblemished on the season by outlasting the Gators’ Nick Gill by a tight 4-0 decision.

“Those are two studs,” Prairie Ridge coach Mark Jayne said. “It’s always an interesting match. Synon came out on top in this one, but I’m sure they’ll meet again a couple more times this year.”

South roared back into the meet with three consecutive wins by Eric Barone (138), Nick Peters (145) and Gerszewski to take an 18-7 lead.

Barone (16-7), an up-and-coming freshman for the Gators, fired out to a 21-6 advantage before getting the pin with 26.9 seconds remaining in the third period.

“At first, it was tough,” Barone said of his first season. “But then, I just started believing that I’m supposed to be here and that I’ve earned my way to get here.”

The Wolves responded with four consecutive victories of their own, from John Ferbrache (160 pounds), Alex Diaz (170), Mike Lung (182) and Kyle Barber (195), to reclaim a 24-18 edge.

Lung returned to the mat for the first time since suffering a concussion early in the season and looked to be in midseason form in a 14-3 decision win.

However, South’s Mike Romanelli came through with a big pin at 220 pounds and the host Gators added to the final margin with forfeit wins at the 285, 106 and 113-weight classes.

“There are some things we still need to work on,” Ryan said. “We’re not where we need to be, but it’s definitely something to build on.”