Work isn’t over after Fontanetta wrestles

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After the final buzzer sounded Saturday, Crystal Lake South 103-pound wrestler Nick Fontanetta had his hand raised as the winner, just like he has in every other match this season.

The Gators’ sophomore then shook the hand of Hononegah’s Thomas Hunt, whom he had just defeated, 12-0, for the IHSA Class 3A Harlem Regional championship. Fontanetta then hustled off the mat, shook the Hononegah coaches’ hands, and bolted for the gym door.

If it looked like Fontanetta had somewhere to go, there was good reason – he did. After every match, Fontanetta has a ritual he follows religiously.

“I do five to 10 sprints [in a hallway], then I jump rope for 5 or 10 minutes,” said Fontanetta, who is 34-0 going into the Barrington Sectional on Friday and Saturday. “I like to get an extra workout in after the match. It gets rid of the lactic acid, and I get some extra cardio.”

Most wrestlers, after 6 minutes of intense physical exertion, are looking for a drink and some rest. Fontanetta jogs out of the gym before the next match has even started.

“It gives me chills watching [Fontanetta] do it,” South coach Ross Ryan said. “He’s a really hard worker in the [wrestling] room. We started doing it three years ago, they’re all supposed to do it, but [Fontanetta] does it more than anyone. It’s definitely one of the coolest things to see. All this is a steppingstone to get to what he wants.”

Fontanetta is the No. 2-ranked wrestler at 103 pounds in Class 3A by IllinoisMatmen.com behind Stagg’s Kevin Malarick.

“I just get away from everything after every match,” Fontanetta said. “The cardio workout helps me get ready for the next match.”

Sectional time: Prairie Ridge’s girls gymnastics team will compete in its biggest meet of the season at 6:30 p.m. today in the IHSA Stevenson Sectional.

The Wolves, led by defending all-around state champion Jenny Covers, have an opportunity to qualify for one of the eight spots in the state meet in Palatine on Feb. 19 and 20. They won the Deerfield Regional last week with a score of 145.175, although coach Lee Battaglia felt like the team could have scored much higher. Several falls on balance beam cost the Wolves points.

Prairie Ridge’s score was the seventh-best out of regionals last week. The top five finishers in each event and the all-around, along with the top team, qualify for the state meet. After the four sectionals are completed Thursday, the top four teams and top 12 individuals in each event will receive at-large berths.

Central fights cancer: Crystal Lake Central students will have Leukemia Education Week from Feb. 22-26 in partnership with KIC Leukemia. KIC Leukemia was founded on behalf of 1991 Central graduate Kari Imhoff-Crewe.

T-shirts and bracelets will be sold to raise money for KIC Leukemia. Central students will be asked to wear those T-shirts to the final boys basketball home game of the season Feb. 26 against Crystal Lake South. At that game, KIC Leukemia and LifeSource will host a free bone marrow registration drive.

• Joe Stevenson covers high school sports for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at 815-526-4513. He also can be reached by fax at 815-459-5640 or by e-mail at jstevenson@nwherald.com.