Minooka wrestling defeats defending state champ
CAROL STREAM - Wednesday's Minooka-Glenbard North matchup had the makings of a great wrestling dual.
You had the two teams in last year's Class 3A Dual Team State Finals, which was won by the Panthers down in Bloomington.
On paper, it didn't look like a normal season opener. There were two defending state finalists who could be just as competitive this season.
Of course, there was the football factor. The Panthers made it all the way to last weekend's Class 8A semifinals, losing to Loyola. That meant that Glenbard North was without many of its top wrestlers.
The Indians ended up making easy work of the Panthers, winning 42-21.
"We really wanted to go against them because they beat us at state last year," Minooka 170-pounder Jake Residori said. "We wanted to get a little revenge, you know. But, it doesn't count really because they just got done with football and they're missing all their heavyweights and stuff."
The Indians also took on Batavia, another school that was a football semifinalist, up in Carol Stream. Minooka took that one 72-6.
The matchup against Glenbard North was something the Indians had been looking forward to. Minooka (2-0) 132-pounder Bob Zabel said he wished the Panthers were at full strength for the meet.
"It would be good so we know how strong we are for team state," Zabel said. "Either way, we were going to come out as strong as we can, do what we can against them."
Jake DeKlerk (138 pounds), Jeff Klank (160), Josh Pullara (182) and Jake Potts (195) each won by decision for the Indians.
Residori, Zabel, Mitch Morris (195 pounds) and Corbett Oughton (145) each won by fall for Minooka. Christian Salese received a forfeit at 285 pounds.
"I thought Bobby Zabel wrestled real well. I thought Jake DeKlerk and Jake Residori both wrestled well. Corbett Oughton. A lot of guys wrestled well," said Minooka coach Paige Schoolman, who earned his first two wins as Indians coach Wednesday. "I thought Mike McNalty, even though he lost is match (a 6-2 decision to Jon Marmolejo at 126 pounds), I thought Mike McNalty wrestled a really good kid really tough. ... He was right there in that match.
Potts wasn't expected to go a 195 pounds. He ended up with an 8-4 decision over Kurt Layman.
"I was happy with Jake Potts. ... We threw him in there at [195 pounds] and he comes out and just out hustles the kid," Schoolman said. "That was huge for us. That match flip flops or whatever, you never know what's going to happen there. Jake Potts stepping in for us was huge. He wasn't expected to start. He came in there and had a real huge win for us."
The Indians have made en effort to go up to Glenbard North for over five years, in order to get tough competition. Schoolman knows that while the Panthers weren't fully ready Wednesday, they'll make a big impact when it really matters.
"They're going to be right there with everybody else in the state of Illinois," Schoolman said. "They have one of the best coaching staffs in the state. Their kids, from top to bottom, from freshman level to varsity level, wrestle really, really tough.
"Give them four months in the room, they're going to be tough."
