Wrestling
Athlete of the Week
Crystal Lake South’s Nick Fontanetta enters the IHSA wrestling state series after a season that saw significant time off with an injury and his first regular-season loss in three years.
HUNTLEY – Crystal Lake Central senior Justin Bernero was in uncharted waters entering the championship match at 170 pounds at the Fox Valley Conference Meet on Saturday.
HARVARD – In a dual meet pitting two storied wrestling programs Friday, Harvard came away with a decisive 42-28 win against Granite City.
Athlete of the week
NORTHWEST HERALD
Something special is happening on the local high school wrestling scene.
GURNEE – Jack Dechow went after a tough challenge at the Warren Quadrangular on Saturday.
McHENRY – McHenry clinched the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division championship with a 43-18 win against Huntley on Thursday.
Athlete of the Week
ALGONQUIN – In a girls basketball game that was much closer than the Fox Valley Conference standings, Dundee-Crown held on to defeat Jacobs, 42-40, on Tuesday.
HIGHLAND PARK – Zach Synon became Prairie Ridge’s career wrestling wins leader Saturday with his 125th victory, and the Wolves went 3-0 at the Highland Park Quadrangular.
HAMPSHIRE – Grayslake Central guard Jordan Taylor dumped in 27 points to lead the Rams past Hampshire in their Fox Valley Conference Fox Division game Friday night.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake South jumped out to an early lead and then held on to defeat Jacobs, 38-32, in a Fox Valley Conference Valley Division wrestling dual meet Thursday.
Athlete of the Week
WOODSTOCK – The right adjustments at the right time made all the difference for the Johnsburg boys basketball team Saturday night.
McHENRY – With everything on the line, McHenry freshman wrestler Cam Pait displayed the poise of a veteran in the final match of the night.
WOODSTOCK – Four years after the opening of Woodstock North, both Woodstock wrestling programs still are dealing with splitting the town’s talent pool between two schools.
CARY – McHenry flexed its wrestling muscles in defeating Cary-Grove on Thursday and is looking like the team to beat in the Fox Valley Conference this season.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Tom Gerszewski quickly moved to erase his lone loss of the wrestling season from his memory.
Athlete of the Week
The bygone year saw a lot of “firsts” in McHenry County athletics. There were first state champions for schools around the area, record-setting performances, and some athletes who proved they were not only the best in the area, but best in the entire state.
CARPENTERSVILLE – Ali Sanders had a productive week.
Athlete of the Week
MARENGO – Woodstock North clamped down on Westminster Christian, holding the Warriors to 10 points in the second half to take fifth place in the Marengo E.C. Nichols Boys Basketball Tournament Wednesday with a 42-32 victory.
MACHESNEY PARK – Crystal Lake Central’s Clay Lutzow wasn’t exactly on a roll heading into the Al Dvorak Memorial Wrestling Invitational at Harlem on Thursday and Friday.
ELGIN – Dundee-Crown’s Kyle Bernhard put on a long-distance shooting clinic Wednesday afternoon.
Athlete of the Week
ROCKFORD – Woodstock’s Paige Busch posted a 878 series – including a 235 high game – to win the Rockford East Holiday Invitational title by 57 pins over runner-up Krystal Alt of Marengo Saturday.
HARVARD – Jack Dechow can feel that he’s not where he wants to be yet, but to the casual observer, Richmond-Burton’s 182-pound wrestler has picked up right where he left off last season.
RICHMOND – Sara Mickow scored 12 points on 5 of 9 shooting to lead Crystal Lake South to a 46-30 win against North Chicago Friday in the first round of the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic.
WOODSTOCK – Jon Grell couldn’t have asked for much more from his more inexperienced Woodstock wrestlers Thursday.
CARPENTERSVILLE – Crystal Lake South’s Mike Romanelli was coming off being sick to wrestle Thursday, so it figured his match nearly went the maximum time.
Athlete of the Week
CRYSTAL LAKE – Twenty seconds into the second period, it didn’t look like Prairie Ridge wrestler Luke Zegers had any chance of coming out on top in his 182-pound match.
WOODSTOCK – Six wrestlers won by pin for Crystal Lake South on Wednesday in a 60-18 non-conference victory against Marian Central.
STERLING – Zach Synon became a repeat champion Saturday when the senior Prairie Ridge wrestler pinned two of his five opponents en route to a first-place finish at the Carson DeJarnatt Wrestling Invitational.
WOODSTOCK – Harvard needed every point it could muster against Grant and Zion-Benton on Saturday at the Woodstock Wrestling Quadrangular.
CARY – Cary-Grove senior Olivia Jakubicek was better than good Friday night.
JOHNSBURG – Cary-Grove wrestled tough in the middle of its lineup and benefited from forfeits to defeat Johnsburg, 58-9, in a Fox Valley Conference crossover dual meet Friday.
Athlete of the Week
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake Central’s Chase Cane wasted little time finding his rhythm against Prairie Ridge on Tuesday.
RICHMOND – Marian Central had only one wrestler in a championship match but capitalized in the back draw to finish third at the Tom DuBois Wrestling Classic at Richmond-Burton on Saturday.
McHENRY – The McHenry girls basketball team outscored Woodstock North in every quarter Friday to pick up a 69-35 win in Fox Valley Conference crossover action.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake Central recorded six pins to defeat Dundee-Crown, 48-27, in a Fox Valley Conference crossover meet Friday night.
Fox Valley Conference
If the first tournament was any indication of the upcoming wrestling season for Crystal Lake Central’s Gage Harrah, watch out.
NORTHWEST HERALD
WOODSTOCK – Erin Thomas opened the new season in style at the Marian Central Thanksgiving Tournament. Thomas poured in a game-high 15 points to lead Richmond-Burton past Wauconda, 44-28, in the final game of the tournament Tuesday night. The 5-foot-6 senior guard also took home tourney MVP honors.
Bob Skillman has seen a lot of great years in almost 30 seasons with Dundee-Crown’s wrestling program.
