Meet the Class of 2008

2007 All Off-Season Commitment Team

2008 Off-Season Wrestling Summary

Libertyville Wildcats Wrestling Club

Libertyville Wrestling has never had a better week of competition in the 53 years of our program. The Dual Team State Series brought out the best in our guys. We opened the week with a very convincing win over an upstart Stevenson team, 44-14 after beating them just 33-23 in the regular season dual. That put us in the Sectional final against Grant, the State's #7 ranked team. Every team would cherish a win over this always strong team. We did so well in this meet that we were able to win forfeiting the final two bouts.

In the Dual Team State Meet Quarterfinals, we met Granite City, a team that has reached the Dual Team State 11 out of the last 16 years. They had 7 wrestlers that have qualified for the Individual State Tournament. But we beat 4 of the Individual State Qualifiers en route to our 35-23 win.

We didn't fare well against a much stronger Montini team, the team that went on to win the State Title. We lost the 3rd place meet 31-25 to Lincoln-Way Central, another team with plenty of individual power (8 State Qualifiers, 3 All-Staters, one a 4 time State Finalist). But we rose to the occasion and beat 3 of their State Qualifiers which put us one match away from taking 3rd in the State.

At the start of the season, it didn't appear like we had the kind of firepower to reach the Final Four. We had just one returning State Qualifier. But we did have a lot of seniors and some hungry underclassmen who were thrilled when called on for the varsity lineup. It has been amazing how much this team progressed through the season and how much they elevated their game even more under the bright lights of the Dual Team State Tournament.

The Wildcat wrestlers finished the season with a 22-4 record winning the NSC Lake Division title, the Individual Regionals, the Dual Team Sectional, along with the Lake Park Invitational.

- Coach Eggert
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Saving our best for Moline...notes from the Dual State Meet

vs. Granite City

• Joey Callen majors a state qualifier (Rozell) 11-2
• Tom Nield majors a state qualifier (Gushleff) 10-1
• Kyle Manolovic beats a state qualifier (Orozco) 13-8
• Trey Ayala beats a 2x state qualifier (Presswood) 3-2
• Bonus Points: Eric Klein with a major; Jake Hogan with a fall; Louis Mazzetta with a win; Everett Indhart seals the team victory by a 7-5 decision

vs. Montini

• Logan Miller takes the 171 lb. State-Runner Up (Foreside) into OT, coming up short 6-4
• On the plus side... Matt Bystol beats a ranked wrestler for 2nd time; Shane Michelsen and Everett Indhart with wins
  

vs. Lincoln-Way Central

• Joey Callen beats another state qualifier (Bochenek) 7-4
• Louis Mazzetta beats a state qualifier (Reuttiger) 9-2
• Jake Hogan pins a state qualifier (Mahy) in 1:57
• Trey Ayala wrestles a 4X State Finalist, losing a close 7-4 decision - Ayala finishes his career as a 2X State Qualifier, 41-8 his senior year, 142 career wins (4th highest in the 52 years of Libertyville wrestling)
  
• Matt Bystol finishes the day 3-0, (fall, tech fall, and dec.) completing a team high 42-7 season
• Bonus Points: Tom Nield with a major; Josh Ronne with a win
  

By Gary Larsen | Daily Herald Correspondent

MOLINE -- In coach Dale Eggert's 22nd year as the leader of Libertyville's wrestling program, he and his boys will enjoy the coming Monday in a big way.

They'll be delivering a fourth-place Class AA trophy to the school.

"It's a great accomplishment," said Wildcats senior Trey Ayala. "It's really exciting. We've had a good team all year, and I'm proud of all the guys."

"It's an unbelievable feeling, and so many things have to fall just right," Eggert said. "We had to get by Wheeling and Grant to get here, the kids wrestled a great (quarterfinal) dual against Granite City, and another against Lincoln-Way Central."

The Wildcats guaranteed themselves the program's first state finals trophy in wrestling by winning 35-23 in a quarterfinal dual over Granite City, in Moline's historic Wharton Fieldhouse. Final IHSA Dual Team State Bracket

Let history show that senior Everett Indart's 7-5 decision at 135 pounds clinched the team win that advanced Libertyville to a state semi-final and the assurance of downstate hardware.

"We knew if we wrestled tough, we'd be able to get past them," said Wildcats senior Jake Hogan. "We went every match, one at a time, and got it done."

Joey Callen (152), Tom Nield (285), and Kyle Manolovic (125) all beat state qualifiers in the win over the Warriors, while Matt Bystol (103), Hogan (215) and Ayala (140) all posted wins.

The Wildcats earned a 9-5 edge in matches won against Granite City.

"(Louis) Mazzetta also won a great match, and Eric Klein has been out of the lineup for five weeks, but he won his match for us," Eggert said.

Libertyville lost 39-15 to eventual state champion Montini in the semis, before battling Lincoln-Way Central throughout a 31-25 loss on the third-place mat.

"They were favored, but we knew we could wrestle them tough," said Hogan. "We had a lot of good matches against them."

Hogan pinned the Knights' Joe Mahy, while Callen, Nield, Bystol, and Mazzetta all won matches against the Knights.

Bystol, Ayala, Indart, and Shane Michelsen all posted wins against Montini.

Libertyville had a young squad last year, but gained momentum as the season wore on and came into this year ready to fight.

"A lot of guys came a long way in the off-season, and thought we could have a pretty good club," Eggert said. "I think we were better than a lot of people figured."

"We were confident coming into the season," Ayala said. "We had a lot of guys work hard in the off-season, and that's what it takes to improve.

"We've got a lot of underclassmen, and we get a lot of support for the program."

Seniors Indart, Ayala, Callen, Hogan, Nield, and Logan Miller all posted 30-plus wins this year, as did junior Mazzetta. Senior Klein posted 20-plus wins.

The sophomore Bystol led all Wildcats with 40-plus wins, and was an individual state qualifier along with Ayala this season.

"Just being a part of the first Libertyville team to win a trophy downstate - that's awesome," Hogan said. "You always want to do better, but I can be satisfied with this."

LHS 35, Granite City 23
Lombard (Montini) 39, LHS 15
New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central) 31, LHS 25 (3rd Place Match)

Sectional Champs!

Wildcats top Grant, make state

By John Bumbales | Daily Herald Correspondent

Getting a big early lead proved to be the winning formula for the Libertyville wrestling team Tuesday night.

The Wildcats stormed ahead of Stevenson 28-0 in their Class AA team sectional semifinal before posting an impressive 44-14 victory over the Patriots.

Grant (21-3) toppled Wheeling (21-3) 33-30 in its semifinal match, but the Bulldogs fell behind Libertyville (21-2) 18-0 after five bouts in the finals.

Grant was able to rally back to within 18-13, but the Wildcats would close the door with a 14-5 major decision by 152-pounder Joey Callen clinching the sectional title.

Libertyville forfeited the final two matches to post a 33-30 victory over the Bulldogs to advance to the Elite Eight team tournament Saturday at Wharton Field House in Moline.

The Wildcats will face the Granite City sectional champ in a quarterfinal match at 9 a.m.

Libertyville has a great chance to make its first Final Four appearance in school history.

Starting the finals at 189 pounds, Libertyville's Logan Miller posted a 2-1 decision over Jake Brown for a 3-0 lead.

Then a 5-2 overtime decision by Libertyville's Jake Hogan and a 2-1 decision by heavyweight Tom Nield made the score 9-0.

At 103 pounds Matt Bystol pinned his opponent in 2:53 before 112-pound teammate Louis Mazzetta's 11-4 major decision put Grant behind 18-0.

"Every match went as well as it possibly could and no one wound up getting pinned," said Libertyville coach Dale Eggert, who has 398 career wins. "We won three close matches right away and that helped a lot because each one of those matches could have gone either way."

A major decision by Jason Montemayor (119), a technical fall by Izzy Montemayor (125), and a major decision by Shelby Temple (130) started the Bulldogs' comeback.

But Libertyville 135-pounder Everett Indart stopped the momentum with a pin in 3:20 to give the Cats some breathing room with a 24-13 lead. Then Libertyville's Trey Ayala posted a technical fall at 140 for a 29-13 lead with four bouts left.

"Our guys came in here knowing Grant is a tough team and we did a great job," said Ayala. "All of our guys were unselfish and they were able to keep it close to save some team points."

A technical fall by Grant's Tyler Becker (145) cut the gap to 29-18, but Callen's major decision would put the Bulldogs away with a 33-18 advantage and two bouts to go.

Grant sophomore state qualifier Lee Munster (140) did not wrestle for the Bulldogs in either round.

"We lost some tight matches there, but each and every kid battled their hearts out," said Grant coach Ryan Geist. "I wouldn't trade them in for anything, we were competitive, and we gave ourselves a chance."

The semifinals started at 171 with the Wildcats winning the first six bouts to build their commanding 28-point lead over Stevenson (14-9).

The Patriots never made a serious push after that point as a major decision by Ayala at 140 made the score 38-7.

"They just got some pins at some weight classes where we couldn't afford to get pinned and we just couldn't get back on track," said Stevenson coach Shane Cook. "He (Eggert) made some good moves with his lineup and our kids did not respond like we hoped they would have."

Ayala, Bystol qualify for State!

By John Bumbales | Daily Herald Correspondent

Libertyville's Trey Ayala finished second to Prospect's undefeated Matt Boggess (41-0) at 135, while teammate Matt Bystol cruised to third place at 103 with a 9-0 major decision.

Libertyville's Joey Callen fell 10-7 to Warren's Bryce Howard in a real dogfight for third place at 160.

Libertyville's Logan Miller dropped a 7-5 decision to Carmel's two-time state qualifier Ryan Williams for third at 171, while Libertyville's Tom Nield lost a tough 1-0 decision for third at 285.

"It's always disappointing when a senior comes up short, but the two guys who made it did really well," said Libertyville coach Dale Eggert. "When you get down 2-0 to Boggess after one period, he's going to be tough to come back on. But (Ayala) will do fine next week."
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Other Barrington Sectional Notes:

• Bystol (36-5) is currently ranked #4 in the state. His loss in the semis to #1 ranked Max Nowry of Wheeling was by only 10-3 and his 2nd of the year to him.
• Ayala (37-6) is currently ranked #5 and earns his 2nd trip to Assembly Hall.
• Tom Nield (32-9) came the closest of any other Cat to qualifying when he lost 1-0 in the 3rd place match to #5 ranked John LaPointe of Fremd. In the semi-finals, Nield lost on an overtime takedown 6-4 to Andrew Rixon of Deerfield.
• Logan Miller wrestled five matches at Sectionals, going 3-2 over the two days. His loss in the 3rd place match to 2X state qualifier Ryan Williams of Carmel was only 7-5.
• Joey Callen (34-10) went 2-2 over the weekend and finally got to meet Bryce Howard of Warren in the 3rd place match at 160 after Howard had defaulted to Callen in the finals of NSC and Regionals. Howard prevailed in a nail-biter 10-7. Callen had lost 11-7 in the semis to Prairie Ridge's Sam Campbell (32-4) to send him to the 3rd place match.
• Junior Louis Mazzetta (31-11) lost in the quarterfinals to state qualifier Joe Schwartz (38-2) by an overtime takedown 6-4. Schwartz lost in the semis to eventual champ Luke Smith of Wheeling to keep Louis out of the wrestlebacks.
  

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Libertyville thrives on the mat

By John Bumbales | Daily Herald Correspondent February 8, 2008

The season still has at least two weekends left, but you can already chalk this up as another great season for the Libertyville wrestling program.

The Wildcats will be battling through individual sectional and state meet competition the next two weeks before they face Stevenson in their own team sectional semifinal Feb. 19.

Libertyville has a long and illustrious history with its wrestling program, which is in its 53rd season of competition dating back to 1956.

The program and coach Dale Eggert are closing in on two major milestones as the Wildcats have compiled an all-time record of 698-291 in dual meets for a 71 percent winning percentage.

While the program closes in on 700 victories, Eggert is approaching the 400-win plateau with a record of 396-89-2 for an 82 percent winning percentage in 21 years as head coach.

The Wildcats have reached the Elite Eight dual team tournament four times in school history while they placed fourth in the state under the old scoring format in 1976.

Many of the current Libertyville wrestlers hope to join the long list of individuals who have reached the state meet previously with 135-pound senior Trey Ayala almost certain to make a return trip to the Assembly Hall next weekend.

"We've got a lot of talented guys, it's a senior-led team, our underclassmen have stepped up, and making state as a team is definitely a goal," said Ayala. "I've trained like never before, and my goal is to be on the top of the podium in the end of February."

If Ayala does reach the top of the mountain, he would join Dan Holm (1971), Greg Gulsvig (1976), and Mike Baumann (1991) as the only champions in school history.

Senior Eric Klein (145) is out with an injury, but seniors Ayala, Everett Indart (130), Joey Callen (160), Logan Miller (171), Jake Hogan (215), and Tom Nield (285) have been instrumental in leading the Wildcats this winter.

"I know there are a number of good guys (at sectionals)," Nield said. "I'll definitely have to beat (Steve) Hwang (of Vernon Hills), and he is one of the better guys there along with a guy from McHenry and a guy from Fremd."

Not only are Ayala, Callen, and Nield strong contenders for state, but 103-pound sophomore Matt Bystol is also in the fold at the Barrington sectional.

"I would love to make state, but our sectional is pretty tough so it will be a good challenge to reach state," said Bystol. "As long as we keep our focus and not look ahead I think we can definitely make it to state as a team."

Junior Louis Mazzetta has put together an outstanding season at 112 while junior teammate Shane Michelsen placed fourth in regionals.

Junior Kyle Manolovic was another regional champ for the Cats at 125 while sophomore teammate Nick McDowell reached sectionals at 145. Sophomore Josh Ronne (152) also rose to the occasion to round out the sectional roster.

"I don't recall a year where we've had a really good 103 and 112 in one year and at the top we haven't had a good 215 and 285 in one year," said Eggert, who has coached 15 all-staters and 64 state qualifiers. "We've always had scrappy guys in the middle weights, but it's been the bottom and the top that have made us better than people expected this year."

The Wildcats were not able to add to their 16 North Suburban Conference titles with Grant winning its sixth straight NSC crown two weeks ago.

But Libertyville (19-2) has put together a great campaign starting with a third-place finish in the 32-team Barrington tourney to start the season, a title at the 16-team Lake Park Invite, and a ninth in the powerful Dvorak tourney at Harlem.

The Cats had impressive wins over ranked squads Yorkville and St. Rita, but they could ultimately have to get past seventh-ranked Grant in the team sectional to make a push for their first Final Four appearance ever.

"They have to stay intense and not expect anything handed to them because you can only control your own effort and your competitiveness," said Eggert, who placed second in the state for Libertyville in 1974. "You just want seniors bad because they know the ropes, they can hold their own physically, and you want them on the roster."

Having lost only two regionals since 1986, there have not been many of ups and downs for the Wildcats' program.

The addition of Vernon Hills High School to the district sent key Hawthorne Jr. High graduates away in 2001. But with Highland and Oak Grove's schools joining the IESA, Libertyville's numbers and experience have been more than enough to keep the program rolling along with plenty of success.

It may be tough to match the five individuals the Wildcats sent to state on four occasions, but Eggert can be very proud of his current group of matmen.

"Ayala is definitely thinking all-state and he has to get through sectionals first, but he does have big plans," Eggert said. "Joey Callen has been having a great year and a lot of our guys never wrestled until freshman year but they have made themselves into something."

2008 IHSA Regional Champs!

Libertyville dominates

By John Bumbales | Daily Herald Correspondent

Area wrestlers took step one on the road to Champaign and the 2008 individual state meet in two weeks with regional competition Saturday.

Host Libertyville was the big winner in its own nine-team regional.

The Wildcats led Warren 168.5-161.5 headed into the first- and third-place matches before pulling away from the Blue Devils by a 205.5-170.5 margin to capture the championship.

The Wildcats advanced to their own team sectional Feb. 19 to face Stevenson, the Glenbrook South regional champion, in a semifinal match.

Libertyville had a field day, advancing 11 individuals to this week's Barrington individual sectional.

The Wildcats featured five champions, three runners-up and three third-place finishers.

Warren advanced seven individuals to Barrington, as did third-place Mundelein (164 points). Carmel (123) was a distant fourth, but the Corsairs had two champions.

Libertyville 135-pounder Trey Ayala (35-5) defeated fellow 2007 state qualifier Ryan Lund of Grayslake Central 9-0 for one of the Wildcats' titles.

At 103 pounds, Matt Bystol (33-4) beat Round Lake's Jose Jimenez 7-3 for another Libertyville crown.

Other Wildcats champions were Kyle Manolovic (125), Joey Callen (160) and Tom Nield (285).

"We just couldn't shake (Warren) until the last rounds, but we had some huge wins in the finals," said Libertyville coach Dale Eggert. "Trey (Ayala) beat a returning state qualifier, and (Jake) Hogan just made my day when he came back and pinned that guy."

In a back-and-forth match, Hogan pinned Carmel sophomore Steve Lester in 5:16 to take third at 215.

The Wildcats had a second-place showing from 112-pounder Louis Mazzetta, who dropped an 8-1 decision to Mundelein's Eduardo Dominguez in one of many North Suburban Conference rematches from last weekend.

Libertyville 130-pounder Everett Indart placed second to Dillon Pousson of Round Lake. Libertyville's Logan Miller fell to Carmel's Ryan Williams in the 171-pound finals.

Click HERE for Regional Brackets

Grant takes sixth straight title

By John Bumbales | Daily Herald Correspondent

The North Suburban Conference wrestling meet was a real dogfight between five-time defending champion Grant and state-ranked Libertyville on Saturday at Antioch.

The Wildcats led by 1 point after the semifinal round, but Grant came back to capture its sixth straight crown.

Grant, which featured 13 all-conference (top five) wrestlers, posted a total of 239.5 points to topple Libertyville (219.5).

The Wildcats boasted nine all-conference competitors, as did Mundelein -- which took third place with 189.5 points.

Stevenson held off Warren 135.5 to 128.5 for fourth place in the 14-team meet. Round Lake outdistanced Wauconda 101-88 for sixth place.

Grant's four champions all recorded pins in the finals -- including Izzy Montemayor (31-3) at 125, Lee Munster (20-0) at 140, Tyler Becker (32-6) at 145, and Josh Delulca (32-5) at 171.

"Our four champs all had pins against quality opponents and we had 13 all-conference kids which is just a crazy number for wrestling," said Grant coach Ryan Geist. "Libertyville has a great team, but in the last couple of rounds the Prairie Division teams helped us out and our kids started wrestling well."

Libertyville 103-pounder Matt Bystol (30-4) held on for a 6-5 decision over Round Lake's Jose Jimenez to start the finals.

But the Wilcats' 285-pounder Tom Nield was not as fortunate on the opposite mat, as Vernon Hills' Steve Hwang recorded a pin in 5:12 for the championship.

"I knew he (Nield) was stronger than me so I wanted to keep my weight against him and try to tire him out," Hwang said. "He was holding my waist really tight and I was able to roll him and get the pin."

The Wildcats' 112-pounder Louis Mazzetta got a late reversal for a 7-6 decision over Mundelein's Eduardo Dominguez in the finals.

Libertyville 135-pounder Trey Ayala (32-5) continued to roll with a major decision over Lake Zurich's Andy Lynch in the finals.

Joey Callen won by injury default over Warren's Bryce Howard at 160 for the Wildcats' other crown.

"I thought we gave them (Grant) a good battle and after the semifinals we were up by a point, but we didn't win any third- or fifth-place matches," said Libertyville coach Dale Eggert. "Obviously we have some guys who are clicking pretty good, but we have some weight classes that didn't score which we need to get going."

Click HERE for NSC Brackets

By Rob Sherrill | Prep Sports Writer for W.I.N. Magazine and Illinois Best Weekly

Columns like this one have their good and bad points.

On the good side, it’s an opportunity to pass along some well-deserved compliments to teams that, once again, have done more with less.

Unfortunately, it also brings the fans of teams not mentioned out of the shadows as well. You know, the “What about us?” line. I understand. Every team has many things to be happy about.

Fortunately, the good always outweighs the bad, so I’ll move on.

The elite of Illinois wrestling is always easy to spot. Outstanding individuals, sexy schedules, high profiles. Teams like Montini, Glenbard North, Providence, Carl Sandburg and Chicago Mount Carmel fit this description every year.

Then there are the programs that don’t depend on big names…or maybe some of the big names have deserted them. Yet they still win big every year and still find themselves squarely in the heart of the rankings in spite of it all.

Two programs that fit that description this year - and every year, it seems - are Libertyville and Lockport.

The Wildcats are one of those teams that never look good on paper entering a season. But by season’s end, coach Dale Eggert always puts a team on the mat that works well together. Maybe none better, from a team standpoint, than this year.

Libertyville does have two state-ranked individuals, Cadet All-American Matt Bystol (103) and state qualifier Trey Ayala (135). But a look at the team’s box scores over the course of the season shows that many wrestlers are making contributions against solid competition.

Take the Wildcats’ Jan. 5 weekend slate, when they faced fellow North Suburban Conference powerhouse Warren on Friday and a pair of ranked teams, St. Rita and Oak Park-River Forest, on Saturday.

Ayala, the team’s leader in every sense of the word, went 0-3 that weekend, losing on a slam against Warren and taking losses against two other state-ranked wrestlers, St. Rita’s John Majka and Oak Park’s Ellis Coleman, on Saturday. Even Bystol took a loss, 7-2 to St. Rita’s Cody Zimmerman.

So Libertyville was in trouble, right? Wrong. With victories of 35-23 over Warren, 43-18 over Oak Park and 37-19 over St. Rita, the Wildcats pounded three upper-tier teams by an average of 18 points – with their biggest name going winless.

That’s because every one of the Wildcats’ 14 lineup spots won at least once over the weekend, with Louis Mazzetta (112), Eric Klein (145), Joey Callen (152) and Jake Hogan (215) all going 3-0.

All four have 20 or more wins this season. So have Everett Indart (130), Logan Miller (171) and heavyweight Tom Nield.

That balance helped Libertyville finish ninth (122.5 points) – matching their state ranking – at the Al Dvorak Memorial Invitational despite just four placewinners, the fewest of any team in the top 11.

Meanwhile, Lockport coach Joe Williams has had a different problem – keeping any kind of a lineup together.

Before the season, Williams lost his team leader, two-time state placewinner Lucas Roth, for the season due to an athletic code violation. Another top returnee, junior Kevin Bialka (152), has been slowed by a knee injury and has wrestled just once. He also lost standout 103-pounder Billy Kendall to injury after the Hinsdale Central Tournament.

But every time we challenge Williams to a game of “Who can we take out of your lineup this week?” Williams always wins.

While it’s virtually impossible to replace a star like Roth, the Porters have done it with senior Nick Golob. Lance Hosman has stepped in and done a remarkable job replacing Kendall and Matt Andre has 13 wins as the new man at 152.

Standout freshman Jameson Oster (112) and Cadet National finalist Mark Stenberg (160) have been big scorers, but Hosman, Tony Tonelli (119), Abe Omar (125), Andre, Alex Rodriguez (215) and Mike Tetlow (285) aren’t names that will scare many opponents. In fact, eight members of the 14-man lineup Lockport entered at the Dvorak had never wrestled a match prior to high school – a pretty stunning number for a front-line Chicago-area program.

But Lockport still finished 13th, scoring 92.5 points. Despite all the attrition, Williams has pieced together a lineup that’s 15-5 in duals and has scored at least 20 points in every dual meet this season, including losses to four Top 10 teams – Minooka, Carl Sandburg, Neuqua Valley and Lincoln-Way Central.

So you can laugh at the list of 14 names Libertyville and Lockport put on the mat all you want. Just try beating either team eight times in a dual meet. Most likely, you won’t succeed.

Two big wins for Libertyville

Wildcats roll over #12 Oak Park-River Forest, #10 St. Rita

All hands were on deck as host Libertyville beat Oak Park 46-18 and St. Rita 37-19 on Saturday in a triangular meet.

In the second match, Matt Bystol (103 pounds), Eric Klein (145) and Jake Hogan (215) had pins, and Joey Callen (152), Josh Ronne (160) and Logan Miller (171) added technical falls as Libertyville pulled away from Oak Park.

Against St. Rita, the Wildcats (12-1) trailed 15-11 after 103. But Louis Mazzetta (112) got a decision, Shane Michelsen (119) and Manolovic (125) pinned their opponents and Everett Indart (130) added a tech to make it 31-15 Libertyville.

''We went against two tough teams who take the sport seriously,'' Libertyville coach Dale Eggert said. ''We were able to cinch our belt up tight and rose to the occasion.''

Cats deliver special effort on alumni night

By John Bumbales | Daily Herald Correspondent

It was another successful outing for the Libertyville wrestling team Friday night as the Wildcats performed in front of a special crowd of spectators.

The program's second alumni meet saw the host Wildcats post a 35-23 North Suburban Conference victory over Warren in a Lake Division dual meet.

Libertyville (10-1, 5-0) took an early 3-0 lead behind 130-pounder Sam Shay's 9-4 decision before teammate Everett Indart posted a 16-3 major decision at 135 for a 7-0 advantage.

Senior Trey Ayala appeared to be headed for a victory at 140 with a comfortable lead, but Ayala illegally slammed Warren's Tom Bixler five seconds into the second period, resulting in Ayala being disqualified and the Blue Devils being awarded 6 team points.

"We actually did really well early, but that slam was a turnover of at least 10 points against us and the score started to get close," said Libertyville coach Dale Eggert. "(Matt) Bystol had a great match at 103 and our alumni voted him the most valuable wrestler because he just went after that guy."

Decisions by Libertyville teammates Eric Klein (145) and Joey Callen (152) boosted the lead to 13-6 before Warren (8-2, 2-2) cut the gap to 13-9 when 160-pounder Bryce Howard defeated Josh Ronne 4-1.

The Wildcats went ahead 17-9 on 171-pounder Logan Miller's 12-3 major decision, but Warren junior Tyreese Woodard pinned his opponent in 3:35 to make the score 17-15.

"Woodard is getting better and better, he has a lot of physical talent, and he just needs more mat time," said Warren coach Mark Tiffany. "We're young and we didn't have all of our guys in there, but they're tough and we wrestled hard tonight."

The Wildcats began to pull away with a pin in 2:29 by 215-pounder Jake Hogan and a 7-1 decision by 285-pounder Tom Nield.

Then Bystol posted a 16-8 major decision over Robby Schulteis at 103 before teammate Louis Mazzetta added a 10-0 major decision at 112 for a 35-15 lead.

Warren 119-pounder Connor Drew improved to 17-2 on the season with a 22-6 technical fall in the final seconds of his match against Shane Michelsen.

Warren's Leon Megerdichian pulled out a 10-6 decision over Kyle Manolivic to close out the meet in one of the wildest matches of the night. Trailing the whole way, Manolovic nearly pinned Megerdichian in the final 30 seconds only to have Megerdichian record a near pin of his own in the closing seconds to seal the hard-fought decision.

Among the distinguished Libertyville alumni in attendance were 1956 team members Dick Fischer and Ron Quentin plus Dave Eggert (1972), Margaret LeGates (1994), Dan Cysewski (1998), Mandy Thompson (1998), and Jeff Keske (2005).

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Click HERE for a printable copy of Coach Eggert's Alumni Night Program Notes

For more photos of Alumni Night, check out the LHS Wrestling Photo Album. Hint: click on "Newest" to re-sort the album order to move the most recent pictures to the front.

Strong effort from Wildcats at Dvorak

By Bill Swick | Daily Herald Staff

MACHESNEY PARK -- Libertyville had quite a weekend here at the 20th annual Al Dvorak Memorial wrestling tournament hosted by Harlem.

The 32-team, two-day tournament attracts teams from all over Illinois and from as far away as Iowa, Colorado, Texas and California.

If you think the competition it tough, you'd be right.

To many this is tournament ranks with the state meet in terms of toughness.

Iowa City West scored 197.5 points and had four champs to win the tournament title. Montini (189.5), Neuqua Valley (161.5), Sandburg (154), Providence (153) and Bishop Lynch, Texas (142) rounded out the top six.

But Libertyville's ninth-place finish with 122 points was no small feat.

The Wildcats sent two wrestlers to the title match and when all was said and done, four of their athletes had placed.

"Getting one guy in a championship would be a thrill," said Wildcats coach Dale Eggert. "Overall, it was a great day for our team and a real accomplishment for all the guys that made it to the final day.

"(We wanted) to get tougher. Last year we finished 26th, so we finished a lot better (as a team)."

At 103 pounds, Matt Bystol (19-3) lost a major decision 12-4 to Edwin Cooper of Providence.

"I think I had a pretty good place in the bracket -- it all worked out for me in the end," Bystol said. "I'm pretty happy. Sure, I would've liked to have had first, but second is good, too."

A late reversal by Trey Ayala at 135 forced his match with John Majka of St. Rita to go into overtime. There, Majka managed to score late in the bonus to win the 135-pound title.

"You get to that match, (you want to win)," said Ayala, who is now 21-2. "It was a battle and he came out on top this time. I'm going to keep working hard.

"Our slogan is 'addicted to scoring,' and that's finally starting to sink into my head. That's how I wrestle. I preach it to our team -- I just have to make sure I do it myself."

Two more Wildcats placed after wrestling in fifth-place matches.

Jake Hogan's 8-5 decision got him past Frank Pereiro of Sandburg to win fifth and improve to 21-5.

At heavyweight, Tom Nield (17-3) lost a 3-2 decision to Sycamore's Jason Schepler to finish sixth.

Final brackets from the 20th Annual Dvorak Memorial Tournament

What a great weekend for Libertyville wrestling! The Wildcat varsity wrapped up their 2nd consecutive Ralph Krupke Wrestling Classic team title at Lake Park on Saturday, December 15th with 229 points...a full 74 point advantage over 2nd place Lake Park. 12 of the 14 Cat wrestlers brought home medals. Tournament champs were Trey Ayala (140), Logan Miller (171) and Tom Nield (285.) Runner-up finalists were Matt Bystol (103), Everett Indhart (130), Eric Klein (145), and Joey Callen (152.) Finishing 3rd were Louis Mazzetta (112), Kyle Manolovic (125) and Jake Hogan (215.) Shane Michalsen (119) and Josh Ronne (160) both had to win 3 matches in the consolation to take 5th.

Keys to winning the title...

• Shane Michelsen giving up 15 pounds to go 4-1 in taking his 5th at 119
• Louis Mazzetta knocking off 2 returning Sectional Qualifiers in taking his 3rd at 112
• Eric Klein, being unseeded, knocking off the 2nd and 3rd seed in reaching the final
• Tom Nield knocking a Naperville North wrestler from the unbeaten ranks in winning his 285 final
• Kyle Manolovic scoring 14 unanswered 3rd period points to erase a 6-5 deficit in his 3rd place 125 match
• Matt Bystol pinning 3 opponents in reaching the 103 final
• Logan Miller repeating as champion after winning the 171 title two years in a row
• Trey Ayala earning the 4th top 3 finish in 4 years. He took 3rd the last 3 years while winning it this year
• Josh Ronne going 4-1 to take 5th at 160 including a double overtime win over a returning Sectional Qualifier

Wildcats take control early against Lake Zurich

By John Bumbales | Daily Herald Correspondent

Visiting Libertyville headed into Lake Zurich prepared for a real battle Friday night in North Suburban Conference wrestling action.

But when all was said and done, the task at hand probably turned out to be much easier that expected as the Wildcats posted a 56-10 NSC Lake Division victory over the Bears' injury-plagued lineup.

Libertyville (9-1, 4-0) was the recipient of 6 forfeit victories as Lake Zurich (3-7, 1-3) was never in the match from the outset.

The meet began at 119 pounds with Libertyville's Louis Mazzetta earning a forfeit victory for the 6-1 lead.

The Bears did get an early 12-1 major decision from 125-pounder Cameron Shaffer (17-3) to cut the Wildcats' lead to 6-4, but a forfeit victory by Libertyville 130-pounder Alex Kobitter was the beginning of Lake Zurich's downfall.

"I'm glad we got Lake Zurich early because I know tough they can be when they have everybody in their lineup," said Libertyville coach Dale Eggert. "The 145-pound match was very competitive and it was a huge win for (Eric) Klein because he reversed the guy back at the buzzer to win by 1 point. That's about as exciting as it gets."

Libertyville's Everett Indart posted a 6-4 decision over John Harkness at 135 before senior Trey Ayala added a quick injury default win over Lake Zurich's Andy Lynch at 140.

Klein pulled off a 6-5 decision over Lake Zurich's Anthony Pace (17-4) with his last-second reversal at 145 before forfeit wins by teammates Joey Callen (152) and Josh Ronne (160) capped a streak of six straight victories by the Wildcats.

"We have football guys who are gone who will be getting back and (Mike) Tursi should be back in action next week," said Lake Zurich coach Dan Strickler. "Kevin Fanta (14-4) was out of the lineup tonight because he was sick but hopefully he will be back next week."

At 171 pounds, Sam Wrobel (4-0) continues to round back into shape for the Bears with a 9-3 decision over Logan Miller. Wrobel placed fourth in the state at 152 last winter.

Pat Kenny at 189 pounds added a 6-1 decision for Libertyville before a forfeit win by Jake Hogan at 215, a pin by Tom Nield at 289 and a forfeit victory by Matt Bystol at 1-3.

"Nield is doing well and he has not lost, but he did not wrestle at Barrington," Eggert said. "We've got some pretty good guys in our lineup who are doing well and some other guys are working hard and trying to fill in the pieces."

Lake Zurich 112-pounder Joe Carfagnini closed out the meet with a 9-3 decision. He's got his heart set on a return trip to the state meet in February.

"I don't think we wrestled our best tonight at all, but I do expect my individuals to be impressive and unfortunately tonight it didn't happen that way," Strickler said. "I'm expecting to have Fanta and Tursi back in the lineup next week, and Wade Self should be in our lineup at 189 or 215 pretty soon with John Brewer back at 215 or heavyweight."

Cats turn back Pats

By John Bumbales | Daily Herald Correspondent

The early season showdown between host Libertyville and Stevenson lived up to its billing Friday night in North Suburban Conference wrestling action.

The host Wildcats fell behind 7-0 early, built a 22-10 lead late, and then they held off Stevenson for a 33-23 NSC Lake Division victory on senior night.

With the dual meet beginning at 160 pounds, Stevenson (6-4, 1-1) took a quick 4-0 lead when Bobby Vagun (9-1) recorded a 14-4 major decision.

Then Libertyville fell behind 7-0 after Stevenson's Paul Zuradzki posted a hard-fought 7-0 decision over Jon Isaac at 171.

No. 14-ranked Libertyville (5-1, 3-0) began its early comeback when Logan Miller moved up to 189 to capture a 12-2 major decision before teammate Jake Hogan posted a 3-1 decision over Stevenson's Stefan Melnyk at 215 to tie the score at 7-7.

Then Tom Nield (6-0) built a big lead at 285 before his opponent was disqualified for stalling late in the third period to give the Wildcats their first lead at 13-7.

Libertyville 103-pounder Matt Bystol added a pin for a 19-7 lead, but the Patriots bounced back at 112 behind a 6-2 decision by Michael Mireles. The Wildcats then took a 22-10 lead when 119-pounder Louis Mazzetta posted a 4-2 decision over Jordan Sherman.

"Libertyville is obviously one of the stronger teams in our conference and they have been for a long time, but our kids have worked extremely hard," said Stevenson coach Shane Cook. "In a few close matches we fell short and things did not go our way, but I have faith in these kids."

A pin in 5:33 by 125-pounder David Lamberti cut the Wildcats' lead to 22-16 before 130-pound teammate Nick Pagano added a 12-4 major decision to cut the gap to 22-20.

But that was as close as the Pats got. Libertyville's Everett Indart earned a 2-0 decision over Scott Feldman at 135 to boost the Wildcats' lead to 25-20. Senior Trey Ayala (10-1) moved up to 140 and posted a technical fall in 3:43 to put the Wildcats in control with a 30-20 lead with two matches remaining.

"Our guys wrestled hard and as a team everybody was supportive, so that gets you pumped up," said Ayala, who is ranked fifth in the state at 135. "I was definitely disappointed that I didn't get the fall, but it was just one that got away from me."

Stevenson's Nathan Millman won a 4-2 decision over Eric Klein to make the score 30-23 before Libertyville's Joey Callen defeated Taraf Martyniouk 4-1 at 152 to account for the final team score.

"It was a good battle and they (Stevenson) sure made a good meet out of it," said Libertyville coach Dale Eggert. "The 2-0 decision (by Indart) was huge, and even though the meet was decided, Callen beat a tough kid at 152."

3rd Place Team - 17th Moore/Prettyman Tournament

Big semi-finals wins by the 1-2 punch of Matt Bystol (103) and Louis Mazzetta (112) helped propel the Wildcats to a strong 3rd place finish in their inaugural year in the huge 30-team Moore/Prettyman Wrestling Tournament held at Barrington High School on November 23-24, 2007. In the semis, Bystol rode out Aaron Ryan of Jacobs the entire 3rd period to hold on for the 1-0 win and advance to the finals where he fell to Wheeling's Max Nowry, ranked #1 in the nation for the 2nd place finish. At 112, Louis Mazzetta followed suit with a solid 7-2 win over Mike Smith of Prairie Ridge in the semis before falling to eventual champ Joe Schwartz of Highland Park. Other place winners for the Cats were Trey Ayala (3rd, 135), Joey Callen (4th, 152), Logan Miller (4th, 171), Kyle Manolovic (6th, 125), and Eric Klein (6th, 145.) Perhaps the best performance on Saturday was turned in by 215 pounder Jake Hogan. After losing in the first round, Hogan stormed through the wrestlebacks with five straight falls to win the tournament's "Most Pins" award. In his 7th match of the tournament, he majored Pat St. Clair of Neuqua Valley for 3rd place, which sealed the team's 3rd place finish by 8 points over NSC rival and #10 ranked Grant and #22 Wheeling 173-165. Chicago St. Rita (#2 state, #22 nation) edged out #5 Neuqua Valley for the tournament championship 235-228.5.

Cats in 4th Place after Day 1 at Barrington

from Mike Garofola | Daily Herald Correspondent

Libertyville's Trey Ayala is part of a group of granite at 135 pounds. The No. 3 seed finds himself in the middle of things today as he faces No. 2 Matt Boggess (Prospect) while top-seeded John Majka (St. Rita) meets Gus Green (Highland Park) in the other semi.

Ayala was part of perhaps the best quarterfinal matches of the day against Neuqua's Matt Stine, which saw Ayala prevail 19-10.

"That match was closer than the final says it was," said Ayala. "(Stine) got me a couple of times early on with a few slide-bys, but I was able to overcome a shaky start with a good finish."

Ayala used a near-fall and another 2 points to extend his lead to 17-9 early in the third period.

Teammate Kyle Manolivic stunned No. 3 Tyler Rossdeutcher (Prospect) with a fall at 3:06 to earn a spot opposite Chris Dardanes (Oak Park) at 125 pounds.

Click HERE for Brackets from Barrington

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