Featured Articles - 2008-2009 Season

Huskies nip Indians for AAA crown - Mar 01

The Iditarod is a long grueling race held in Alaska every year covering over 1500 miles. Much like a wrestling season it is a long and difficult journey filled with hardships, starvation, taxing both the mind and the body. At the end lies the finish line. This year the Oak Park - River Forest High School Huskies' sled towed by 14 "dogs", a dedicated musher, and a huge support group managed to cross that line first. Looking at the OPRF line-up, one could easily mistake them for a MASH unit, bruised, bandaged, bleeding, knees with ice and wrapping and a whole lot of limping...a stark testament to the brutality of this sport.

It was a hectic Saturday with the IHSA debuting it's first ever 3 class team championship, 6 mats and plenty of action. The Huskies came in to their quarter final match as huge favorites over Naperville Central and managed to wrap up the victory early 42-22 and rest some starters.

Next up was Edwardsville in the semi-finals, winners over Mt Carmel. Once Again the Huskies had the match wrapped up early and forfeited the final 5 matches securing a 38-36 victory. At this point OPRF's Matt Monson (215) had gone 2-0 winning both matches by fall. Minooka defeated Glenbard North in a tight semifinal to set up IHSA ranked #1 vs #2.

The finals match began amidst a sea of orange, black and blue. Both teams had large cheering sections, turned out for the marquee match-up of two great, young, well-coached public school programs. The match began at 189 lbs, and the Huskies jumped out to an 8-0 lead featuring a TF by Ben Brooks (189), and another big win by Matt Monson at 215, 11-5 over Brandon Haase. Minooka then went on the warpath, winning the next 4 matches including a pin by Bobby Zabel at 112 and a 19-7 major decision by Joeie Ruettiger 119 for the Indians. With Minooka out in front 16-8 and gathering momentum two of the states' best 125lbers stepped out on the mat in an individual tournament rematch. Brian Bokoski came out strong, taking an early lead, but Chris Dardanes battled back and regained the lead in the 3rd period and with a quick half off of a take down caught Bokoski for the fall with seconds to spare. At 130lbs Nick Dardanes faced one of the most underrated wrestlers in the state, Blake Montella. OPRF was able to get a hard fought major decision, 19-8 to go up 18-16. Here, Minooka caught an advantage. Because of the coin-toss (odds and evens), OPRF had to put their 135lber out first, allowing Minooka to move Rangel to 140 to face Aaron Minnis instead of Ellis Coleman. The strategy worked; Coleman got the pin at 135, but Rangel got a 10-1 major decision at 140 to break the Huskies' string of 3 straight wins. The score was now 24-20 in OPRF's favor. Dan Martin won 12-5 but was unable to score any bonus points to give the Huskies some breathing room. At 152lbs Minooka put Ryan Warczynski out and he followed with an 11-0 major decision, closing the team score to 27-24, with two matches to go. At 160lbs, Minooka had sophomore Mitch Brozovich, hero of the team sectional victory over Providence.

The Huskies put out freshman Sam Brooks; ironically Sam hadn't wrestled a match at team sectionals or in the team state meet, yet here he was about to wrestle in the pivotal match of the night. Even before the OPRF faithful were on their feet chanting "SAMMY, SAMMY, SAMMY", you could sense something. Sam Brooks was not your typical freshman; a former kids state and national champ, winner at Conant and a state qualifier at 152lbs is a resume that states one is ready for "the big match". And so it went...after getting a take down, scoring some near fall points on a tilt, and finally locking-up OPRF's first ever team title with a wicked cradle, the slap of the referees hand on the mat signaled the fall and the championship. The crowds chant continued after the raised hand and team celebration, like a homage not just to the wrestler, but to the embodiment of the success of a young hard-working team that came out of nowhere in just the last 6 years to claim it's glory. The final match was forfeited; the Huskies ended an undefeated dual meet season with a close 33-30 victory over a well-deserving, hard working, Minooka team with some of the best fans you will ever see. In the end, Coach Powell was in the center, doused in water, surrounded by his kids, both arms skyward with extended fingers...we are #1. 

For a couple of minutes a state title and an undefeated season for the Oak Park-River Forest wrestling team was in peril.

The Huskies were down by eight points to Minooka going into the 125-pound bout on Saturday in the Class 3A dual-team state title match in Bloomington.

Confidence remained high despite the deficit because the Huskies were sending out their best individuals for the next three bouts.

OPRF junior Chris Dardanes at 125 went against Brian Bokoski, who he beat a week earlier at the individual state tournament in the quarterfinal round with a three-point decision.

A second victory, however, was in doubt with Bokoski leading by a point late in the third period.

Dardanes finally found an opening and stuck Bokoski with 19 seconds left in the bout.

The victory ignited the rally, as OPRF (24-0) won its first state title with a 33-30 win over Minooka.

"He was tying me up and taking me out of my game," Dardanes said. "It was hard to be offensive. By the third period he got a little tired and I took advantage of it. I just found a way to turn him. I had an underhook in and put him on his back. It might have been over if I lost.

"We've talked about winning the state championship all year. We had so much confidence. We knew we could win it the entire time."

Dardanes was taken down twice in the bout by Bokoski.

The only other wrestlers with a pair of takedowns in a bout against Dardanes this season was three-time state champion Tony Ramos (Glenbard North) and Jon Morrison (Carl Sandburg).

"That was definitely the turning point," said OPRF coach Mike Powell about the Dardanes win. "We were biting our nails at that point. It was pretty somber out there. I knew he would somehow win."

The Huskies went ahead 24-16 after Ellis Coleman at 135 pinned Sean Kenny and Nick Dardanes won 19-8 over Blake Montella at 130.

Minooka still had a chance at the upset going into the next-to-last bout at 160 pounds with OPRF ahead by only three points on the scoreboard.

OPRF freshman Sammy Brooks clinched the title with a pin in 65 seconds over Mitch Brozovich.

"I felt like I was in a zone," Brooks said. "Everything was working. I used a ball-and-chain stack. I tilted him and ran him over. It seemed like the longest match of my life. It was the best match of my life. It's hard to describe the feeling right now. This is the best feeling ever."

"Sam is a stud," said Powell, who immediately forfeited at 171, triggering the title celebration. "He really went out there and took it to that kid. Once Sam feels it, it's over with."

The Huskies jumped out to an 8-0 lead with a technical fall from Ben Brooks at 189 and a decision from Matt Monson at 215.

Minooka won the next four bouts to build a 16-8 lead.

The other win for OPRF was picked up by Dan Martin with a decision at 145.

The Huskies advanced to the finals with a 38-36 win over Edwardsville.

The match wasn't nearly as close as the final score with OPRF forfeiting the five bouts.

Ben Brooks (189), Monson (215), Laquan Hightower (285), Joey Brown (103), Frank Picchiotti (119), Chris Dardanes (125) and Nick Dardanes (130) each had a win for OPRF.

The Huskies also won easily in the quarterfinals 42-22 over Naperville Central.

The individual winners were Jon Wilson (171), Ben Brooks (189), Monson (215), Brown (103), Kendall Hutchinson (112), Jake Venerable (125), Chris Dardanes (130), Nick Dardanes (135), Aaron Minnis (140) and Martin (145).

It didn't take long for the top-ranked Oak Park-River Forest wrestling team to receive a huge lift on Tuesday night at the Class 3A Marist Sectional.

OPRF's Benny Brooks started the match at 189 pounds with a decision over Carl Sandburg's Joe Schneider, who placed sixth at the Class 3A state individual meet Saturday in Champaign.

That was the first of eight wins, as the Huskies defeated Sandburg 35-26 to advance to the Elite Eight in the Class 3A Dual Team state tournament.

"I thought I was going to win it going in," Brooks said. "I definitely thought I should have been all-state. It was a revenge match for me."

The Huskies face Naperville Central in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. Saturday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington.

Naperville Central advanced with a 35-27 win over Leyden at the Willowbrook Sectional.

The winner moves into the semifinals to face either Mount Carmel or Edwardsville at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The title and third place matches are slated for 6 p.m.

The first round match-ups in the other bracket has Wheeling facing Minooka, while Glenbard North takes on Grant.

"There's going to be pressure," Brooks said about the Huskies living up to their No. 1 ranking. "We're going to use that to our advantage."

"I think we're the best team in the state," OPRF coach Mike Powell said. "We will win state if we give our best effort."

The other winners for the Huskies were Chris Dardanes (135), Nick Dardanes (140), Ellis Coleman (145), Dan Martin (152), Laquan Hightower (285), Matt Munson (215) and Joey Brown (103).

No. 1 OPRF Huskies ground Sandburg Eagles - Feb 25
By Mack Bolen
Posted on Illinois Matmen

National power Sandburg fought hard but could not stop the depth of top ranked Oak Park – River Forest, falling 35-26 in the Marist IHSA dual team sectional.

Oak Park – River Forest came in as the favorite and ranked #1 in the state, but the Huskies knew this would be a tough match. Carl Sandburg beat a very talented Marian Catholic team in the regional and possessed a well coached, balanced line-up, which included Oklahoma State bound All American Jon Morrison.

The Eagles are also the holders of three straight recent AA Dual Team championships. Along with success and tradition comes a LOT of pride.

“They have great tradition and one of the best coaching staffs in the nation,” Oak Park coach Mike Powell said. “We have a lot of respect for them and we have tried to model our program after theirs. It is an honor to be on the mat with them and it is an honor to beat them.”

“You have got to hand it to Oak Park, they have some outstanding individuals and we knew what we were getting into the dual,” Sandburg coach Eric Siebert said. “They are well coached and wrestle very hard. 189, 215 and 285 are all bouts that we felt like we could win. It could not of worked out worse for us and we really put ourselves in a very deep hole against the number one ranked team in the state.”

The match began at 189lbs and the Huskies got a key victory when Ben Brooks defeated All-Stater, Joe Schneider 3-2.

Matt Monson (215) followed with a big bonus-point win, scoring a fall with 9 seconds remaining after being behind most of the match to Saed Al-Azaam.

The Huskies got another win from Heavyweight LaQuan Hightower and Joey Brown (103) followed with a major decision to put Oak Park up 16-0.

At this point it looked like the match might be a blow-out, but the Eagles swooped back in with 4 straight wins of their own, getting a major decision from Nick Fishback (112), a decision from Dan Argueta (119), a decision from Manny Ozoa (125) and a technical fall by Morrison, which made the score 16-15 OPRF.

“They won the coin flip, we wanted odds which would of forced them to put a guy on the mat at 130,” said Siebert. “We wanted a Dardanes – Morrison match up. We wanted to beat a good guy or at least neutralize their guy. We wanted to match up our best kid against one of their best kids. They made a smart call.”

The Huskies "murders row" responded with four straight wins by Chris and Nick Dardanes tech falls at 135 and 140 pounds and a fall by Ellis Coleman (145).

“I did not have to say anything to Coleman to get him ready for tonight,” Powell said. “He is a special kid. I love him unconditionally. I have already told my boss that I am taking off a year because I am going to London in 2012 to see him in the Olympics.”

Carl Sandburg lost a team point for a violation in the 135lbs match bringing the score to 32-14 OPRF.

Dan Martin scored a decision at 152 lbs 6-4 over Jake Fishback to seal the victory for the Huskies.

Juan Soliz (160) and Chris Frostman (171) scored falls to close out the meet, OPRF winning 35-26.

Both teams had great crowd support, rocking the Marist gym with the echoes following to Bloomington this Saturday.

A few minutes elapsed before Oak Park-River Forest junior Nick Dardanes showed any outward sign of having just won a state title.

Dardanes (45-1) kept his businesslike approach even after winning the 130-pound Class 3A state title with a 7-2 decision over Danny Fisher (42-1) of Highland Park in the finals on Saturday night at the University of Illinois.

"I'm not the type of guy who's going to jump around and do back flips," Dardanes said. "I have another year and hope to accomplish a lot more. I worked the entire season for this one tournament. It feels great to be the first state champion (for OPRF coach Mike Powell)."

"I had to force him to hug me for my own sake," said Powell, who was the last state champion for the Huskies in 1994 at 171 pounds. "He walked off the mat and said, 'I'm a state champion.' I think it says a lot about his inner confidence. He walks on the mat knowing he's going to win."

Nobody was able to score a point in the first period of the title bout.

"I was working, pushing," Dardanes said. "I just didn't get an opening. It favored him (to have the bout scoreless). I wanted to dominate from the start. It just did not work out in the first period."

Bout turnaround

The bout started to go in Dardanes' favor in the second period with a takedown and an escape to go up 3-0.

Dardanes was impressive in the semifinal round earlier on Saturday, posting a 7-0 win over Jacob Wojcik (43-5) of Providence Catholic, who ended up in fifth place.

"He's known for stalling," Dardanes said. "I needed to keep moving to score. I knew he could not score on me. He almost caught me off-balance at the beginning. After that I was on my game."

Dardanes won his two bouts on Friday, defeating Cameron Shaffer of Lake Zurich 8-5 in the quarterfinals and Andrew Haney of Plainfield South 13-5 in the opening round.

"Nick kicked everyone's butt and dominated the state tournament," Powell said. "He worked like a champion."

The other state champions for OPRF are John Giura (1981), Terry Isaacson (1959, '60), Pete Schulte (1988) and Tim Obrochta (1983, '84).

Martin 2nd

OPRF senior Dan Martin (40-3) wasn't as fortunate in the title bout, losing 5-1 to top-seeded Elias Larson of Marian Catholic, who finished the season 42-0.

"He just got beat by a better wrestler," Powell said.

Top-seeded OPRF senior Ellis Coleman (49-1) rebounded from his one and only loss of the season to finish in third place at 135 pounds.

Coleman was pinned in 5 minutes, 55 seconds in the quarterfinal round by freshman Max Schneider (41-4) of Lane Tech, who went on to finish in second place.

Coleman, who went into the tournament ranked No. 7 in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News, pinned Adam Stine of Neuqua Valley in 4:27 in the third-place bout.

Coleman also pinned Pat Callan of Libertyville, Jason Montemayor of Grant and Spartak Chino of Wheaton-Warrenville South in the consolation bracket.

OPRF junior Chris Dardanes (34-7) at 125 pounds lost the third-place bout 10-3 to Luke Smith of Wheeling.

Dardanes ran into Tony Ramos of Glenbard North in the semifinal round and lost 10-1. Ramos went on to win his third state title.

OPRF freshman Sammy Brooks (42-9) at 152 pounds finished the tournament with a 1-2 record. His lone win was a 9-7 decision over Tom Gross of Lincoln-Way Central in the consolation bracket.

Benny Brooks (38-6) at 189 pounds, as well as LaQuan Hightower (21-12) at heavyweight, were both ousted after losing in the first round.

Oak Park-River Forest junior Laquan Hightower has had a good deal of success as a heavyweight this season despite an obvious disadvantage in size.

Hightower weighs only 205 pounds, which on average is about 40 pounds lighter than most opponents he faced this season.

Hightower could have continued to wrestle-off for the 215-pound spot in the lineup, but opted instead to be a team player and fill a need at heavyweight.

"I did it for the program," Hightower said. "There was nobody else to do it."

"He conceded the spot," OPRF coach Mike Powell said. "He was happy to play his role. When the pressure was on, he stepped up. We knew Laquan was good. We just didn't know he would be this good. We've been trying to bulk him up all season. I can't tell you how many times coaches have come up to me and asked if our real heavyweight was hurt."

As it turned out, Hightower was more than just a wrestler filling a need.

Hightower (21-11) qualified for the state meet after placing fourth on Saturday at the Class 4A De La Salle Sectional. He defaulted the third-place bout to Eddie Castillo (Bloom) due to asthma. The top four sectional finishers at each weight class advanced.

Hightower will wrestle West Suburban Conference Silver Division rival Pat Clegg of Hinsdale Central in the Round of 16 on Friday at the University of Illinois.

Clegg (40-2) was ranked No. 8 in the state before defeating top-ranked Chris Brassell of Maine South in the Leyden Sectional championship bout.

Hightower was one of seven Huskies to advance Downstate.

Top-ranked Ellis Coleman (44-0) won the 135 pound sectional title with a technical fall over Shepard's Mike Grice.

Coleman, the top seed in the weight class, will open against Granite City's Thomas Hubert (37-19).

Nick Dardanes (41-1), who's also ranked No. 1 at 130, was the other champion for the Huskies, winning 11-4 over St. Laurence's Joe Wood.

Dardanes and No. 2-ranked Jimmy Chase of Glenbard North are on opposite sides of the bracket and would not meet until the finals. One of Chase's four losses this season came against Dardanes.

Dardanes will likely have to get past No. 3-ranked Jacob Wojcik of Providence Catholic in the semifinal round.

Chris Dardanes (31-5) lost 7-4 in the 125-pound sectional finals to No. 2-ranked Jon Morrison of Carl Sandburg. Dardanes could face top-ranked and two-time state champion Tony Ramos of Glenbard North in the semifinals.

Dan Martin (145), Sammy Brooks (152) and Benny Brooks (189) each advanced to state with third-place sectional finishes.

The Huskies face Sandburg at 6 p.m. Tuesday, in the team dual meet competition at the Marist Class 3A Sectional, with a state berth on the line.

Huskies' Coleman gets workout in regional final - Feb 12

One small-sized towel wasn't going to be nearly enough to wipe off all the perspiration covering the body of Ellis Coleman after the 135-pound title bout on Saturday at the Class 3A Morton Regional.

The Oak Park-River Forest senior, along with coach Mike Powell, both wanted the title bout to be a six-minute workout for the state's top-ranked individual in the weight class.

Coleman was on and off the mat quickly in the opening two rounds with pins in a combined 61 seconds against Rick Santillan (Morton) and Jimmy Dorsey (Fenwick).

Coleman (41-0) passed on any chances to pin Rutledge and settled for a convincing 18-7 decision.

"Coach Powell told me not to pin him," Coleman said. "He wanted me to put in a full match. I'm working on some new moves. Every kid knows what my best moves are. I thought about pinning him a bunch of times. Coach Powell said to keep cutting him."

"I wanted him to have a hard six minutes," Powell said. "Darius gave him a good match. He got in a couple deep shots. Ellis is just the best."

That opinion wasn't challenged by Proviso East coach Bill Cartwright.

"Ellis is the real deal," Cartwright said.

Coleman was one-of-12 individuals for the Huskies to qualify for the De La Salle Sectional on Friday and Saturday.

The top-four finishers in each weight class advance to the state meet (Feb. 20-21) at the University of Illinois.

The third-place and championship bouts will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday.

"I'm just worried about myself," Coleman said. "Not losing focus and my mental state are my biggest concerns. That's definitely hurt me every year downstate."

The other individual champions for the Huskies were Chris Dardanes (125), Nick Dardanes (130), Danny Martin (135), Benny Brooks (189) and Matt Monson (215).

Joey Brown (103) and LaQuan Hightower (285) finished second, while Kendall Hutchinson (112), Sammy Brooks (152), Brock Friesen (160) and John Wilson (171) each placed third to advance.

The Huskies won the regional title with 233 points to advance in the dual-meet competition.

OPRF will battle Carl Sandburg in a semifinal-round match at the Marist Sectional on Feb. 24.

The other semifinal-round match will pit Mount Carmel against St. Rita.

OPRF ended the dual meet season with a 20-0 dual meet record, but seemed to struggle at the end of the regular season with a 3rd place in their own tournament, finishing behind Lyons who they had beaten in a dual meet to win the WSC Silver Conference title. As the Huskies limped into the post season it seemed they would be ripe for an upset, right? Uh...not so much. At the end of the day on Saturday at Morton, OPRF scored 233 points to Lyons Township's 155 to win the regional title. Argo finished 3rd with 123 and Fenwick was 4th scoring 113.5. The Huskies advanced 12 to the sectionals with 6 titles, 2 second places, and 4 third places.

Key matches:

The powerful middle of OPRF's line-up managed 4 first places by C. Dardanes at 125, N. Dardanes 130, Coleman 135, and Martin 145. Sam Brooks, first place in any other regional, had to settle for 3rd behind Bobby Barnhisel who defeated Mike Ryan 7-1 in the 152lbs final. Big brother Ben Brooks took the 189lbs crown with a fall over Dennis Beauregard from Reavis. The match of the tournament took place at 215lbs with #3 and #4 ranked IHSA wrestlers colliding in the finals. OPRF's Matt Monson spotted Argo's Fred Moses to a quick 7-1 lead in the first period off of two TD's and 3-near fall points. The next two periods were an all-out war but Monson managed to come back and pull out a hard fought 12-11 win. At 285lbs, Argo's John Grubisch dominated the field and WBF over OPRF's Hightower in the final.

Results:

103: Gavrick LT WBF vs Brown OPRF; 3rd - Garelli Fenwick
112: Ciaolini Argo 9-5 vs Torres Morton; 3rd - Hutchinson OPRF
119: Macedo Morton 17-9 vs Windmoeller LT; 3rd - Rzechula Oak Lawn
125: C. Dardanes OPRF 15-5 vs Nora LT; 3rd - Rabah Oak Lawn
130: N. Dardanes OPRF 18-6 vs Bates LT; 3rd - Pedigo Oak Lawn
135: Coleman OPRF 18-6 vs Rutledge PE; 3rd - Polka LT
140: Heredia Fenwick 3-2 OT vs Kowal Argo; 3rd - Cammon PE
145: Martin OPRF 14-4 vs Dilcher LT; 3rd - Chittick Morton
152: Barnhisel Fenwick 7-1 vs Ryan LT; 3rd - S. Brooks OPRF
160: Sampey Fenwick TF vs Doleh Oak Lawn; 3rd - Friesen OPRF
171: Menendez Morton 7-4 vs Pizano Reavis; 3rd - Wilson OPRF
189: B. Brooks OPRF WBF vs Beauregard Reavis; 3rd - Solis Morton
215: Monson OPRF 12-11 vs Moses Argo; 3rd - Alcantara Reavis
285: Grubisch Argo WBF vs Hightower OPRF; 3rd - Ott LT

The team rankings have no value at this point with the start of the state tournament two days away.

The Oak Park-River Forest wrestling team must prove on the mat it's the best team in Class 3A, according to Illinois Mat Men, starting with the 10-team Morton (East) Regional on Saturday.

The Huskies earned the top spot in the rankings during the regular season, finishing 20-0 overall and 6-0 in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division.

OPRF, which is ranked No. 36 nationally by Amateur Wrestling News, must win the regional title to advance in the team dual meet competition to the Marist Sectional (Feb. 24).

A team to keep an eye on is WSC Silver Division rival Lyons Township, which is ranked No. 15 in the state.

The rest of the field includes Morton, Reavis, Farragut, Prosser, Argo, Proviso East, Oak Lawn and Fenwick.

"We've trained harder than any team in the state," OPRF coach Mike Powell said. "I'm 100 percent sure we will give 100 percent. After that, what happens happens. I think it's one of the toughest regionals in the state."

The top three individuals in each weight class at the regional advance to the De La Salle Sectional (Feb. 13-14).

OPRF senior Ellis Coleman, who holds the program record for career wins (152), is ranked No. 5 nationally and No. 1 in Illinois at 135 pounds. He was hampered at the end of the regular season with an ankle injury.

"He lies when I ask him how he feels," Powell said. "We just held him out. All he's done is ride a (stationary) bike and lift weights."

The Huskies also have the top-ranked individual in the state at 130 pounds in junior Nick Dardanes.

Both Coleman and Dardanes are not expected to be challenged en route to regional titles.

One weight class to watch is 215 where OPRF senior and No. 3-ranked Matt Monson will be looking for a first-place finish. He will likely see No. 4-ranked Fred Moses (Argo) in the title bout.

OPRF freshman Sam Brooks, who is ranked fourth, could face top-ranked Bobby Barnhisel in the title bout at 152 pounds.

OPRF heavyweight LaQuan Hightower could move into the rankings with a title. The favorite in the weight class is No. 6-ranked John Grubisich (Argo).

The other individuals ranked at the end of the regular season are Chris Dardanes at 125 (3rd), Dan Martin at 145 (2nd) and Ben Brooks at 189 (8th). Joey Brown (103) and Kendall Hutchinson (112) both received honorable mention recognition.

The third-place and championship bouts at the regional will begin at 1 p.m.

At some point Oak Park-River Forest senior Ellis Coleman and junior Drake Houdashelt (Fort Zumwalt West, Mo.) figured to match up on the mat.

The two nationally ranked individuals were together in two tournaments this season (Granite City and Toshiba Midwest Classic), but never faced each other.

Coleman and Houdashelt were in different weight classes at the Midwest Classic in Kansas City (Mo.) in December.

Houdashelt was out sick and didn't compete at Granite City over Christmas break.

The much-anticipated showdown finally took place in the title bout at 140 pounds on Saturday at the OPRF Invitational.

Coleman, who was less than 100 percent due to an ankle injury, had enough to post a 3-1 decision over Houdashelt, who finished second in the Class 4 Missouri state tournament a year ago.

Coleman was one of three individual champions for the Huskies in their final regular-season meet.

Kendall Hutchinson won a 19-9 decision over Matt Hoffman (Arrowhead, Wis.) in the finals at 112 pounds.

Hutchinson, who won the 103-pound title in 2008, had 19 takedowns in three bouts.

The other champion for the Huskies was Ben Brooks at 189 pounds with a pin in 3 minutes, 16 seconds over Anthony Solis (Morton).

Brooks came from behind in the semifinal round for a 6-4 win in overtime against Billy Weiss (Arrowhead).

Brooks scored two points on a reversal with one second left in the third period to tie the bout at 4-4. He scored a takedown in the overtime to win.

Danny Martin placed second for the Huskies at 152 pounds, losing in the finals on a 6-3 decision to Mike Ryan (Lyons Township).

Another second place was picked up by Sam Brooks, who was pinned in 1:51 by Al Yde (Arrowhead) in the finals at 160 pounds.

Charlie Johnson (130), Nick Dardanes (135) and Aaron Minnis (145) each finished in third place for the Huskies.

OPRF finished third in the team standings with 165.50 points. The top two teams were Arrowhead (172.50) and LT (166).

The Huskies were without Chris Dardanes, LaQuan Hightower and Matt Monson who were all out sick.

"I didn't pay much attention to the team scores with three studs out of the lineup," OPRF coach Mike Powell said.

OPRF (20-0, 6-0) won the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title on Friday night with a 37-28 win over LT.

Frank Picchiotti (130), Nick Dardanes (135), Coleman (145), Minnis (152), Sam Brooks (160), John Wilson (171), Ben Brooks (189) and Hutchinson (112) each won for the Huskies.

The Oak Park-River Forest wrestling team finished third on Saturday at its own tournament with 165.50 points.

Arrowhead (Wis.) walked out the door with the first-place trophy after scoring 172.50 points and West Suburban Conference Silver Division rival Lyons Township was second with 166.

OPRF defeated LT in a dual meet on Friday night to wrap up the WSC Silver Division title.

The individual tournament champions for OPRF were Ellis Coleman (140), Ben Brooks (189) and Kendall Hutchinson (112). Sam Brooks (160) and Danny Martin (152) both finished in second place for the Huskies, while Nick Dardanes (135), Charlie Johnson (130) and Aaron Minnis (145) each placed third.

One more step needs to be taken for the Oak Park-River Forest wrestling team to capture its second straight West Suburban Conference Silver Division title.

The Huskies (19-0, 5-0) will travel to Lyons Township for a 6:45 p.m. match on Friday night.

The two teams head into the showdown with unbeaten records in the WSC Silver Division. LT still has one other match left on its schedule against Hinsdale Central six days later.

"LT has a well-rounded team," OPRF coach Mike Powell said. "Their top guys match up against ours. If LT tries to bounce somebody up or down they will run into somebody just as tough. That's what makes us a tough team to beat."

The Huskies handed Hinsdale Central its first loss in the WSC Silver Division with a convincing 46-12 win on Thursday night.

Any hope Hinsdale Central had of upsetting the top-ranked team in Class 3A evaporated quickly after OPRF won the first eight bouts.

Kendall Hutchinson (112) started the ball rolling in the right direction for the Huskies with a technical fall.

That was followed by wins from Liam Pegg (119), Chris Dardanes (125), Charlie Johnson (130), Nick Dardanes (135), Ellis Coleman (140), Dan Martin (145) and Sam Brooks (152).

The eight wins enabled the Huskies to build a very comfortable 36-0 lead over the Red Devils.

Ben Brooks (189), Joey Brown (103) and Matt Monson (215) also picked up wins for the Huskies.

OPRF had an even easier time 24 hours later with a 57-9 win over WSC Silver Division rival Proviso West.

Chris Dardanes (130), Nick Dardanes (135), Aaron Minnis (140), Martin (145), Sam Brooks (152), Chris Wilson (160) and Monson (215) won for the Huskies, who received four forfeits from the Panthers.

OPRF picked up three nonconference wins on Saturday over No. 19 ranked Dundee-Crown (36-26), Rockford Boylan (62-9) and Lane Tech (47-9).

Chris Dardanes (125) needed overtime to defeat top 15 ranked Blaise Butler of Rockford Boylan.

Another bout of note was Nick Dardanes (135) defeating Lane Tech freshman and No. 6 ranked Max Schneider with a 16-12 decision. Both individuals came in with perfect records.

The Huskies, who are looking to win the title for the third time in the last five years, are currently ranked No. 1 in the state, while Hinsdale Central is No. 11.

There's plenty of talent on both sides with nine OPRF individuals, and eight from Hinsdale Central, ranked among the state's best.

The title was also decided a year ago between the two schools with OPRF winning the dual meet 42-15.

"We should win if we wrestle well," OPRF coach Mike Powell said.

The Huskies continued to dominate on Saturday in a nonconference quad meet with a win over No. 10-ranked Libertyville (46-22).

OPRF also crushed St. Rita (50-20) and Wheaton North (47-17) to keep its record perfect.

"We always think we could have won more (bouts)," Powell said.

Charlie Johnson (130) and Aaron Minnis (135) made the most of their only chance to compete with wins against Wheaton North.

Those two spots in the lineup are normally filled by state-ranked Chris Dardanes (130) and Nick Dardanes (135).

"Those two (Johnson and Minnis) would be top dogs on any other team," Powell said.

The three bout winners in the meet for OPRF were Joey Brown (103), Ellis Coleman (140), Dan Martin (145), Sam Brooks (152), Benny Brooks (189) and Matt Monson (215).

Jake Venerable (125), Chris Dardanes (130) and Nick Dardanes (135) each picked up two wins, while Liam Pegg (119) and LaQuan Hightower (285) each had one.

The Huskies also picked up a win on Friday night with a 52-15 crushing of 15th-ranked Grant, winning 11 of the 14 bouts.

The individual winners for the Huskies were Brown (103), Kendall Hutchinson (112), Martin (145), Sam Brooks (152), Venerable (125), Chris Dardanes (130), Nick Dardanes (135), Coleman (140), Ben Brooks (189), Monson (215) and Hightower (285).

Two of the wins for Grant were picked up by No. 2-ranked Lee Munster (171) and No. 7 Tyler Becker (160).

The championship bout at 125 pounds on Saturday at the Granite City Holiday Tournament could not have started soon enough for Oak Park-River Forest junior Chris Dardanes.

Dardanes was very much looking forward to a rematch against Taylor Bolin of Fort Zumwalt West (Mo.).

The rivals had squared off two weeks earlier at the Toshiba Midwest Classic in Kansas City, Mo., where Bolin won a decision.

Dardanes was not 100 percent healthy in the first meeting due to an ankle injury.

There was no injury to be concerned about the second time around and Dardanes gained a measure of revenge with a 13-7 decision over Bolin.

"I don't think I can repeat what he said when I asked him if he was ready," OPRF coach Mike Powell said.

Dardanes was one of six individual champions, as the top-ranked Huskies won the tournament title with 265.50 points. Libertyville, who OPRF will wrestle in a home quad meet on Saturday, was a distant second with 202.

Other winners were Nick Dardanes (130), Ellis Coleman (140), Dan Martin (145), Sammy Brooks (152) and Matt Monson (215).

The national stock of Ellis Coleman went up sharply after his first-place performance at the Toshiba Midwest Wrestling Classic on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.

The Oak Park-River Forest senior won the 135-pound title with a narrow 7-6 decision over Mac Bailey (Oak Park, Mo.). It was the first loss for Bailey in his high school career.

"That kid is widely thought of as a phenom," OPRF coach Mike Powell said.

Coleman, who improved to 20-0, was down early in the title bout 4-0. He slowly climbed back and scored a takedown with 20 seconds left to pull out the victory.

"Ellis just started taking it to him after the first period," Powell said.

Coleman reached the finals with three pins, two technical falls and one decision.

The other champion for the Huskies was Nick Dardanes at 130 pounds. Dardanes, who is also 20-0 this season, posted a 6-1 decision over Zach Bintliff (Oak Park, Mo.) in the finals.

The route to the finals for Dardanes included four decisions, one pin and a major decision.

Matt Monson ended up in fourth place after a 12-4 setback against Dillon Brink (Kearney, Mo.) at 215 pounds. Jake Venerable at 119 pounds was pinned in two minutes in the consolation finals by Tim Mannino (Fort Zumwalt, Mo.). Venerable won four straight bouts in the tournament after starting off 0-2. Aaron Minnis also reached the consolation finals for the Huskies and lost 7-5 to Brian Haynes (Oak Park, Mo.) at 140 pounds.

Chris Wilson at 160 pounds came up short in the consolation finals after being pinned by Thomas Conner (Fort Zumwalt West, Mo).

Joey Brown finished third in the consolation bracket for the Huskies after a pin in 23 seconds over Nick Walsh (Klein Oak, Texas). Ben Brooks had an injury and defaulted the fifth-place match to Hayden Bock (Park Hill, Mo.) at 189 pounds.

A seventh-place finish was picked up at 125 pounds by Chris Dardanes after a pin in 4:56 against Drew Angle (Ponca City, Okla.).

"I think he could have won it if his ankle wasn't still bothering him," Powell said.

Seventh-place points were also earned by Sam Brooks at 152 pounds after a pin in 3:02 against Maccese Dickson (Ponca City).

The Huskies finished eighth in the team standings with 255 points.

A spot or two higher was likely if the Huskies had Dan Martin (kidney stones) and LaQuan Hightower (family obligation) in the lineup for the tournament. Park Hill won the title with 352 points.

OPRF to show mettle outside state - Dec 17

It didn't even take a month for Oak Park-River Forest to firmly establish itself as the top-ranked wrestling team in Illinois this season.

The Huskies will find out on Friday and Saturday how they compare to some of the top teams in the nation at the Kansas City Wrestling Classic.

OPRF finished 17th out of 21 teams a year ago with 275.50 points.

The 2008 field includes teams from nine states. Fourteen of the competing schools finished either first or second in their respective state tournaments a year ago.

The individual talent pool is very deep with 151 state qualifiers, 95 state place winners and 30 state champions.

There will be a dozen individuals who earned All-American honors over the summer at the Junior Nationals.

OPRF is one of several teams ranked among the top 40 in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News. The Huskies are No. 31.

"I think we can win it," OPRF coach Mike Powell said. "I think it's going to be an even tougher tournament this year. It's going to be awesome."

The Huskies picked up three wins over highly ranked opponents in a nonconference quad meet on Saturday.

OPRF knocked off No. 4-ranked Neuqua Valley (38-21), No. 8 Glenbard North (37-27) and No. 9 West Aurora (46-19).

Those wins should secure a top-four seed for the Huskies if they advance to the quarterfinals in the Class 3A team dual-meet tournament.

"It was a big day for us," Powell said. "I think we can go undefeated the rest of the (regular) season."

The Huskies started off strongly against Glenbard North with pins from Matt Munson (215) and LaQuan Hightower (285).

Glenbard North won the next five bouts to take an 24-12 lead.

The lead was wiped out thanks to the Huskies winning six of the next seven bouts by Nick Dardanes (135), Aaron Minnis (140), Ellis Coleman (145), Danny Martin (152), Sam Brooks (160) and Ben Brooks (171).

The match against West Aurora was also close at the outset with the two teams splitting the first six bouts. Ben Brooks (189), Monson (215) and Hightower (285) provided the Huskies with an early 15-13 lead.

The middle of the lineup again dominated for the Huskies with wins from Chris Dardanes (125), Nick Dardanes (135), Minnis (140), Coleman (145), Martin (152), Sam Brooks (160) and John Wilson (171).

The individual winners for the Huskies against Neuqua Valley were Hightower (285), Jake Venerable (119), Chris Dardanes (125), Nick Dardanes (140), Coleman (145), Martin (152), Sam Brooks (171), Ben Brooks (189) and Monson (215).

OPRF jumped out to a quick lead vs WA getting a fall from Ben Brooks at 189lbs, a major decision from Matt Monson at 215lbs, and a TF at 285 from LaQuan Hightower. West Aurora came back with 3 wins getting a fall at 103lbs from Drendel, major decision at 112lbs, and a decision at 119lbs. Both Chris and Nick Dardanes scored majors for OPRF with Zinzer getting a fall for WA in between at 130lbs. Aaron Minnis scored a tough decision at 140lbs to put OPRF up 26-19. Ellis Coleman and Dan Martin followed with TFs, and and freshman Sam Brooks pinned #9 ranked Jesse Pena at 160lbs. John Wilson won by decision at 171lbs ending the dual with an impressive 46-19 win for the Huskies. Mario Gonzalez was not in the line up for WA at 189lbs.

The last dual pitted Neuqua Valley vs OPRF. The 285lbs match went to OT, with LaQuan Hightower winning 2-1. Neuqua won the next two matches on a fall by Robinson and a decision by #2 ranked Matt Cavallaris. The Huskies racked up 12 points with falls at 119 and 125lbs to go up 15-9, but Neuqua came right back with two wins including one by #10 ranked Adam Stine at 135lbs. This set up a great match between #1 ranked Nick Dardanes (135) who bumped up to 140 to face #2 ranked Andrew Spangler. It was a wild one, with Dardanes scoring a takedown in the final seconds to pull out a 4-3 victory. Ellis Coleman, ranked #1 at 140, pinned #12 ranked Alex Cizek at 145lbs and #3 ranked Dan Martin followed with a TF. Nick Proctor, #2 ranked at 160lbs scored a fall to pull Neuqua Valley to within 8 points of OPRF, 29-21, but Sam Brooks (bumped to 171lbs), Ben Brooks, and Matt Monson won 3 straight decisions for the Huskies, closing out the victory 38-21 and giving OPRF a sweep for the day. Neuqua Valley won both it's other duals, downing GBN 37-27, and WA 38-26. It was a great day for Illinois wrestling, featuring top individual and team talent and a big confidence boost for Huskies who are finally "running with the BIG DOGS".

Nobody can accuse the Oak Park-River Forest wrestling team of avoiding the top teams in the state.

The top-ranked Huskies face a major challenge on Saturday in a nonconference quad at Glenbard North.

OPRF will wrestle No. 4-ranked Glenbard North, No. 5 West Aurora and No. 9 Neuqua Valley in one day.

The Huskies will also be competing on Thursday (Glenbard West) and Friday (Downers Grove North) in a pair of West Suburban Conference Silver Division meets.

"If we win all of those matches we have a good chance to go undefeated in duals," OPRF coach Mike Powell said. "It's going to be a blood bath."

The chances of pulling it off will greatly improve if Chris Dardanes is in the lineup.

Dardanes suffered an ankle injury in the championship round at the Conant Invitational (Nov. 29).

"It's going to be tough if we don't have Chris Dardanes back," Powell said. "It's going to be tough even with him in the lineup against three very good teams. He told me he would be ready."

The Huskies had no trouble winning a quad on Saturday over Addison Trail (54-10), Notre Dame (60-3) and Conant (62-6).

OPRF won 38 of the 42 bouts against the three nonconference opponents.

Ben Brooks at 189 pounds had a pair of impressive wins, defeating No. 8-ranked Joe Patricelli (Conant) and Arber Bebo (Addison Trail), who is ranked No. 10 at 215 pounds.

It was also a good day for Matt Monson (215), who put all three of his opponents away with pins, including one at heavyweight.

Senior Joey Brown made his season debut at 103 pounds for the Huskies and won all three bouts.

Frank Picchiotti at 130 pounds, who was also in the lineup for the first time, won 2-of-3 bouts.

Jake Venerable (125), Charlie Johnson (135), Ellis Coleman (145), Nick Dardanes (140), Dan Martin (152), LaQuan Hightower (215/heavyweight) and Kendall Hutchinson (112) all finished with 3-0 records.

Two wins were picked up by Liam Pegg (119), Chris Wilson (160) and Johnathan Wilson (171).

The Huskies opened their West Suburban Conference Silver Division schedule on Friday night with a 33-25 win over York.

The individual winners for the Huskies were Venerable (125), Nick Dardanes (135), Aaron Minnis (140), Coleman (145), Martin (152), Brooks (189), Monson (215) and Hightower (heavyweight).

Huskies sweep through quad - Dec 09

By BRAD SPENCER
Sports Editor
Photos by JOSH HAWKINS
Staff Photographer
Wednesday Journal

The OPRF wrestling team's early season dominance continued last week as the Huskies swept through their own quad with victories on Saturday and defeated York in conference action on Friday.

OPRF crushed Addison Trail, 54-10, Notre Dame, 60-3, and Conant, 62-6, by winning 38 of 42 matches at its own quad.

"I was glad to see we came out ready to go in the quad," said OPRF head coach Mike Powell. "Against York, we didn't seem as focused."

Winners on Saturday included Jake Venerable (125-weight class), Charlie Johnson (135), Danny Martin (152), Ben Brooks (189) and Matt Monson (heavyweight). Brooks defeated Addison Trail's Arber Bebo 7-5. Bebo beat Brooks in the semifinals of last year's sectional.

Monson (10-1) finished the day with three falls in three matches. "He's a machine that doesn't stop," said Powell of his heavyweight.

On Friday, the Huskies downed York 33-25 in their first West Suburban (Silver) Conference match of the season. OPRF won eight of the 14 weight divisions. Venerable, Nick Dardanes (8-0), Aaron Minnis, Ellis Coleman (9-0), Danny Martin, Brooks, Monson and LaQuan Hightower (7-3) all won their weight divisions for the Huskies, who take on Glenbard West on Thursday (Dec. 11, 6:45 p.m.).

The schedule heats up this week as the No. 1-ranked OPRF travels to Downers Grove North on Friday for a duel meet, and Glenbard North on Saturday for a quad.

It didn't take very long for the Oak Park-River Forest wrestling team to establish itself as a legitimate contender to win the Class 3A state title this season.

The Huskies squared off against two other contenders, Providence Catholic and Glenbard North, on Saturday at the Conant Invitational.

When the dust had settled the Huskies were on top with 245 points.

The other teams in the top five were Providence (229.50), Crystal Lake Central (213.50), Glenbard North (177.50) and St. Charles East (148.50).

"I definitely thought we would beat Glenbard North," OPRF coach Mike Powell said. "Providence is a savvy team that's won 10 state championships. They definitely have an edge in the experience category. My team has a lot of tenacity and that goes a long way in the state tournament."

Powell didn't need to be reminded that the state tournament is still months away.

"This is a big lift psychologically," Powell said. "We knew we were capable of doing this. The rankings are nice, but we went out and proved we belonged. We had strong performances from a lot of people."

OPRF junior Nick Dardanes was named the meet's outstanding wrestler.

That was an easy selection after Dardanes won the 135-pound title with an 8-5 decision over Jimmy Chase (Glenbard North). Dardanes was ranked second in the preseason behind Jon Morrison (Carl Sandburg) at 125 pounds.

Chase, the No. 2-ranked individual at 135 in the preseason, won the 130-pound title a year ago at the Class AA state meet.

"(Chase) could not walk at the end he was so tired," Powell said. "That was our strategy, to wear him out. Nick was in great position to set up his shots."

Dardanes advanced to the finals with pins over Joey Zambrano (Bremen), Blake Sanderson (Crystal Lake Central) and Ryan Burton (Oak Forest).

OPRF's Ellis Coleman lived up to his preseason No. 1-ranking by winning the title at 140 pounds with a pin in 4 minutes, 58 seconds over Pat Greco (Marmion Academy).

Coleman, who was ranked first at 135 pounds, advanced to the title bout with pins over Joe Gonzalez (Conant), Brian Andronic (Leyden) and Xavier Davis (Schaumburg).

A third title for the Huskies was picked up by Dan Martin at 152 pounds with an 11-4 decision over Brian Walsh (Prospect) in the finals. Two of Martin's wins en route to the title tilt came on two-point decisions.

The final champion for OPRF was freshman Sam Brooks, who pinned Danny Malik (Schaumburg) in 3:37 in the title bout at 160 pounds.

A second place was picked up for the Huskies by Chris Dardanes at 130 pounds. He had to default in the finals to Tony Ramos (Glenbard North), who won a state title at 125 a year ago, due to an ankle injury.

Ben Brooks (189) and Matt Monson (215) both finished third for the Huskies; Kendall Hutchinson (112) and Jake Venerable (125) were fourth; and John Wilson (171) and LaQuan Hightower (heavyweight) were seventh.

OPRF Huskies Top Dog in Fuetz Fight - Dec 01
By Mack Bolen
Posted on Illinois Matmen

It was another great tournament, well run, officiated (for the most part-unless you get penalized for "overly aggressive cutting" or a body slam on a routine blast double leg), and as usual featured some great match-ups of some of the states' best talent.

In the team race, Leyden had a great first round but faded in the quarter finals. Glenbard North was in the mix until the semi finals but still managed to finish 4th in a "rebuilding" year; a true testament to the depth of that program. Surprising St Charles East managed to finish 5th. It came down to a 3 team race between top ranked Providence, OPRF, and CLC. OPRF advanced 7 to the semi finals and 5 to the finals to jump into 1st place by a slim 8.5 point margin over Providence. The Celtics won the first 3 finals matches with the "Two Eds" Klimara and Cooper and Tom Ambrose 103-119lbs. Providence also picked up two 3rd place finishes from Wojick and Togher. The Huskies lost their first finals match at 130lbs when Chris Dardanes had to injury default to Tony Ramos (Ramos was ahead 7-2 and in command of the match) at 2:10. Nick Dardanes pulled off the upset over Jimmy Chase in an impressive hard fought 8-5 victory. The Huskies then reeled off 3 more wins in the finals with Ellis Coleman getting a TF at 140, Dan Martin winning a head to head vs PRO's Brian Walsh 11-4 at 152, and then a HUGE pin by freshman (yes, freshman) Sam Brooks at 160lbs. Two more 3rd place finishes by Ben Brooks at 189 and Matt Monson 215, and a key 7th place finish and pin by John Wilson gave the Huskies the win at 245pts to 229.5 for the Celtics. CLC was 3rd with 213.5, getting wins in the finals from Joey Kielbasa at 145lbs, Trevor Parlberg 171, and a 2nd place from freshman (yes, ANOTHER freshman) Gage Harrah at 215lbs.

The individual finals had some great matches and featured some awesome wrestling so I won't go into detail on all of them. Freshman sensation Ed Klimara had a brawl with Bloomington Sr and IL Greco standout Jake Bellis in the 103lbs final. Klimara jumped out to a 5-2 lead scoring with that excellent firemans and great hustle. Down 7-2 in the 2nd period, Bellis scored a 5-point move off of a Klimara shot. It almost looked like he had Klimara pinned; almost. Klimara battled back and almost pinned Bellis, winning the match 14-8 in a wild scramble fest. At 112lbs Cooper was in control the entire way, winning by major dec 11-3. Ambrose followed with a 6-3 win over Dan Rios from GBN. One of the pleasant surprises of the tournament was freshman 125lbs Nick Ruffino from SCE who displayed some of the best riding technique I witnessed in the entire tournament. He faced Sr IL Greco standout and two-time SQ Thomas Cole from Bloomington in the finals. Ruffino scored a quick TD on an outside single, but was eventually overmatched, with Cole winning by maj dec 10-2. At 130lbs Tony Ramos scored a couple of quick TDs vs Chris Dardanes, going up 4-2 early and was in control. Dardanes suffered an ankle twist off of a shot by Ramos that drove him backwards. He tried to continue but had to Inj Def at 2:10, Ramos leading 7-2. One the matches of the night featured Jimmy Chase vs Nick Dardanes at 135. Chase was up 2-1 at the end of the first period. That changed quickly in the 2nd period when Dardanes unleashed a barrage of relentless attacks and pulled ahead 6-4 and held on to an 8-4 victory. Nick Dardanes went on to be named the OW. Ellis Coleman suffered a nasty cut over the eye but went on to score a TF in a match that had more blood than an MMA fight at 140lbs. The 145lbs finals was another scramble fest, featuring Joey Kielbasa (CLC)vs Terrell Webster (DLS). Webster scored a TD to go up 2-0 and then Kielbasa reversed for a 2-2 score at the end of the first period. Kielbasa managed to ride out Webster leaving the score tied going into the 3rd period. In a wild 3rd period, Kielbasa got the escape to win 3-2. Wow. The 152lbs weight class featured a key match-up of two SQs and the only head to head final between OPRF and Providence. With no score at the end of the first period, and little happening in the 2nd period, Dan Martin finally put on a burst of offense against a tiring Brian Walsh, finishing the match with a convincing 11-4 victory. Then came the OPRF "secret weapon" at 160lbs....only a secret if you don't know the kid's wrestling. Freshman Sam Brooks fell behind 2-0 to Malik from Schaumburg but in the second period, took control of the match, scoring two TDs and then locking up a tight cradle for the fall at 3:37. Trevor Parlberg from CLC went at it with Adam Schammert (LEY) featuring two of the best 171lbers in the state. It was a closely contested match, featuring a controversial TD call at the edge of the mat. Parlberg came out with a hard fought 6-3 win. Clayton Kendall, All-Stater from DLS had little trouble scoring a maj dec 13-3 over Joe Patricelli from Conant. Kendall was quick, smooth, and in control the whole match. At 215lbs freshman Gage Harrah from CLC had a great tournament and was in a close match vs Dan Kiebler from LEY until he made a mistake and got caught on his back in the 3rd period, losing by fall at 5:02. The last final of the day featured two of the best heavyweights in the state, Albanese from NN and Blaydes from DLS. The match was also a wild one, featuring 4 lead changes until Blaydes pulled away scoring TDs and back points, 18-7.

Great tournament, and a good early season take on some of the top individual talent and teams, along with a few surprises. When I asked Coach Powell how it felt to FINALLY win Conant, all he did was grin and pump his fist.

Any poll at the end of last season of wrestling teams to watch in 2009 mentioned Oak Park-River Forest.

That wasn't unexpected with the Huskies returning the core of last year's team led by senior Class AA All-Stater Ellis Coleman.

The Huskies inched very close to the top of the rankings in the summer when juniors Chris Dardanes and Nick Dardanes transferred from Fenwick to OPRF.

Chris Dardanes (125/130) placed fourth at 125 pounds at last year's Class AA state meet, while Nick Dardanes (130/135) was fifth at 119 pounds. Chris Dardanes was also a state qualifier in 2007 at 112.

Nick Dardanes was ranked 11th in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News at 125 pounds and Chris Dardanes No. 6 at 130 pounds.

"I think they are both underrated," OPRF coach Mike Powell said.

The Huskies as a team were noticed beyond the state borders with Amateur Wrestling News ranking them 38th in the nation in its preseason poll.

The other teams from Illinois to be mentioned were Montini (10th) and Providence Catholic (22nd).

Providence and OPRF are the top-two-ranked teams in Class 3A this season.

The best finish for OPRF in the team dual meet state tournament was a second place in 1988 under former coach Norm Parker. The Huskies lost 40-12 to Providence in the title match that season.

"I think we're far better than 38th," Powell said. "We just haven't been on the national scene for a long time. This team is a coach's dream. They come to practice early and stay late. That's true of the entire lineup from top to bottom. These kids don't have to be pushed."

Coleman is looking to capture that elusive individual state title after placing fifth in 2007 (112) and third a year ago (125).

Powell said Coleman would fall anywhere in the lineup between 135 and 145 pounds.

Amateur Wrestling News ranked Coleman eighth in the nation at 135 pounds.

"I think he's the best in the country," Powell.

The Huskies return two other sectional qualifiers in senior Dan Martin (145/152) and junior Ben Brooks (189). Both were regional champions a year ago.

Seniors Aaron Minnis (140/145), Chris Wilson (152/160), John Wilson (160/171), Brenden Rogers (171), Liam Pegg (119/125), Kendal Hutchinson (103/112), Matt Monson (215) and Joey Brown (103) should be regulars in the lineup.

Powell also expects major contributions from juniors Wendell Venerable (119/125), LaQuan Hightower (215) and Charlie Johnson (135/140/145).

A freshman to keep an eye on is Sam Brooks, a two-team Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation state champion.

"He's one of the best skilled freshman in the state," Powell said.

Huskies have it all - Nov 24
Twin wrestling stars transfer from rival Fenwick

By BRAD SPENCER
Sports Editor
Photos by JOSH HAWKINS
Staff Photographer
Wednesday Journal

It's not a writing error or a publishing mishap. You're reading about the OPRF wrestling team, despite the names Nick Dardanes and Chris Dardanes being in the story.

The identical twin brothers, who starred at Fenwick last year as sophomores and finished fourth and fifth in their respective weight classes at the IHSA Class AA State Meet, have relocated up the street to OPRF. The usually unprecedented move has bolstered OPRF's already strong varsity program, garnering the Huskies No. 2 recognition in many preseason rankings.

"The arrival of these guys from a private school as highly regarded as Fenwick really shows the strength and the growth of this program over the years," said OPRF head coach Mike Powell, who added that the brothers also decided to make the switch for personal reasons.

Nick is expected to wrestle at 135 pounds, while Chris will go to the mat at 130 this season. Ellis Coleman, who actually defeated Chris in the 125-pound weight class at state last year, returns to grapple at either 140-145 for the Huskies. Coleman, now a senior, finished fourth overall at state last year and was recently selected to the U.S. Olympic Education Center.

"We're really expecting Ellis to roll over the competition this season," said Powell, who is now entering his fifth year as head coach at OPRF. "It really doesn't matter what weight-group he ends up at, he's going to do well regardless."

Along with Coleman, OPRF also returns Kendall Hutchinson (112-pound weight class), Aaron Minnis (140-145), Charlie Johnson (140-145), Dan Martin (152), Ben Brooks (189), Matt Monson (215-heavyweight) and Laqan Hightower (215-heavyweight). Martin was a state qualifier last season, while Minnis, Johnson, Hutchinson and Ben Brooks were all sectional qualifiers.

Added to the fray this year is seniors Joey Brown (103) and Jake Venerable (125). Brown and Venerable took a year off but Powell said they have come back strong and have already proved their commitment.

Seniors John Wilson and Brendan Rogers are in contention for the 171-pound weight class. Two-time junior varsity champion Liam Pegg (119) will also wrestle on varsity this season, while freshman Sam Brooks is expected to find a spot at 160 pounds.

"With the arrival of the Dardanes brothers, this is certainly the best team I've been the head coach of here at OPRF," said Powell. "From top to bottom it's a real solid group. Our only flaw may be our depth, so staying healthy is certainly a priority."

The Huskies, who hope to improve on last year's impressive 17-2 overall record, will test their mettle to start the season. The team will face No. 1-ranked Providence and No. 3-ranked Glenbard North at the Conant Invitational this weekend. The Huskies return home on Dec. 5 to begin West Suburban (Silver) Conference action against York. OPRF won the Silver Division last year by wrestling to an undefeated streak of 6-0. Hinsdale Central and Lyons Township look to be OPRF's main threat this season.

"It should be a very exciting year for Huskie wrestling," said Powell.

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