DEKALB • DeKalb will host the 25th Don Flavin Dual Team Invitational that has become the dual team tournament of all dual team tournaments in Illinois. It is better than the Dual Team State Championships from any perspective as there are no classifications and, more oft than not, the heaviest hitters in Illinois come out to wrestle in this one because, as this is the midpoint of the season, it shows where a team needs to improve.
This preview will look at the second of two eight-team brackets in the morning session that begins at 9:00 a.m. this Friday. Each team will wrestle three duals throughout their bracket. And, wherever they place in their bracket, that will determine which pool they compete in come Saturday. All consolation teams will wrestle in the morning session at 9:00 a.m., with the championship round team wrestling in the afternoon session at 3:00 p.m.
Here is a look at bracket number two.
Dan Cliffe Bracket
Dan Cliffe was a two-time state champion for DeKalb while wrestling under Hall of Fame coach Wayne Miller. In high school, Cliffe finished his three-year career with a varsity record of 79-7-2, two state titles, was a First Team High School All-American, and he won the Junior Freestyle and Greco-Roman national championship.
After high school, Cliffe would stay home and wrestle at Northern Illinois University under another Hall of Famer in DeKalb’s Don Flavin.
Cliffe came back to DeKalb High School in 1982 as an assistant coach, and then took over as the head coach in 1983. By the time Cliffe retired in 1995, he had coached 45 state qualifiers, nine placewinners, and three state champions. His overall dual meet record was 233-48-2, and his teams won seven Upstate Eight Conference championships, 11 IHSA Regional championships, and he had seven teams qualify for the IHSA Dual Team State Championships—their best finishes were third in 1988 and second in 1989.
Inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 1993, he was also a Grand Marshall in 2000.
In this bracket, here are the seeds and state rankings for each dual:
01 • Marmion Academy (#2, 3A)
08 • Libertyville (HM, 3A)
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05 • Glenbard North (#23, 3A)
04 • Hersey (#14, 3A)
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03 • Naperville Central (#11, 3A)
06 • Glenbard West (#25, 3A)
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07 • Sycamore (#12, 2A)
02 • Yorkville (#3, 3A)
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Marmion Academy (#2, 3A) / versus / Libertyville (HM, 3A)
Marmion Academy comes in as the number one seed in this bracket, and deservingly so. The Cadets have eight wrestlers ranked in the top ten of their weight. Add three Honorable Mentions in there, and this quite the squad. Now, the key for Marmion is their health. When healthy, they look like they might just be the team to beat this year; however, it does not look as if they have been at full strength yet. In that, if there is a healthy team in this bracket come the finals, could they be the ones to push the Cadets out of the Champions pool, or do the Cadets have enough depth to stay strong?
Until the finals, however, Marmion should be able move past Libertyville and either Hersey or Glenbard North rather gracefully. It is the finals where they will be tested.
Again, a healthy Marmion is a dangerous Marmion, so it will be interesting to see where their wrestlers are at in the lineup and how they are used or spared or if they are able to go. This is midseason, and even though The Flavin is an exceptional tournament to win, that ever-allusive Dual Team State championship for Marmion is still out there and that is where Marmion will play its full hand if this weekend does not work out for guys who still need some more time.
As for Libertyville, there is probably not a more respected program and head coach in Illinois than the Panthers and Dale Eggert. As is custom in Libertyville, their upper weights have some talent and some fight, but do not count out their lightweights. A Dale Eggert team will come in disciplined, prepared, and ready to wrestle.
Now, defeating Marmion may be a tall task, but in the consolation rounds, Libertyville will be able to give a better indication of their team and their strengths and where they are headed. Look for Libertyville to wrestle hard and battle strong throughout.
Illinois Matmen ranked wrestlers in the dual:
Marmion Academy
106 • Colton Wyller (#8, 3A)
106 • Preston Morrison (HM, 3A)
113 • Logan Conover (#9, 3A)
126 • Nicholas Garcia (#2, 3A)
132 • Demetrios Carrera (#1, 3A)
138 • Zach Stewart (#2, 138)
144 • Ashton Hobson (#3, 3A)
150 • Andrew Haritos (#HM, 3A)
175 • Vincenzo Testa (HM, 3A)
215 • Joey Favia (#2, 3A)
285 • Mateusz Nycz (#4, 3A)
Libertyville
165 • Steven Strelow (HM, 3A)
175 • James Scanio (HM, 3A)
215 • Caleb Baczek (#5, 3A)
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Hersey (#14, 3A) / versus / Glenbard North (#23, 3A)
Hersey has been fighting to be at the top of the hill for some time now, and they continue to fight in search of the ultimate prize, an IHSA Dual Team State championship. They have had some strong teams as of late, and they continue to push forward making their program known and working their wrestlers into title contenders.
Overall, Hersey has put itself in the conversation as one of the top 3A public school programs in Illinois, now they are looking to collect those individual medals and team trophies to solidify it.
On the other side of that hill is the once mighty and feared Glenbard North. Although the Gold Dot and the traditional black and gold singlets remain, the product is not as polished as it once was under the former head coach and Hall of Famer Mark Hahn. However, as would be expected within the North community, there are some wrestlers with some of that traditional North fight, and a few seniors who have some goals they are looking to accomplish.
In that, this one could either be a passing of the guard or another grind it out dual where it comes down to the end with some possible criteria in play. This matchup is fairly even across the board, so it will come down to the unknowns, and they will make the difference here. Hersey is wrestling to move its program forward and Glenbard North is not looking to fall back anymore, so there is a great deal of pride at stake in the opening round, as well as the opportunity to stay on the championship side of the bracket.
Illinois Matmen ranked wrestlers in the dual:
Hersey
120 • Anthony Orozco-Diaz (HM, 3A)
120 • Daniel Lehman (HM, 3A)
126 • Riddick Variano (HM, 3A)
132 • Elijah Garza (HM, 3A)
144 • Maxsim Mukhamedaliyev (#2, 3A)
150 • Rodrigo Arceo (HM, 3A)
157 • Frank Tagoe (HM, 3A)
Glenbard North
106 • Vannak Khiev (HM, 3A)
126 • Kalani Khiev (#5, 3A)
150 • Treshon Williams (HM, 3A)
157 • Rylan Kradle (HM, 3A)
190 • Julian Holland (HM, 3A)
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Naperville Central (#11, 3A) / versus / Glenbard West (#25, 3A)
In what may be the dual of two of the better programs in the past few years that may not be as recognized as some of the others due to who they ultimately match up with within their Regional or in the first round of the Dual Team Sectional, this should prove to be a good one.
Naperville Central has been good for some time; however, they continue to collide with some of the more traditional powerhouses. However, through it all, they have endured and continually looked to improve and wrestle hard as they look to punch past those teams and be one of them.
On the other side is Glenbard West who comes in as a program that had a strong team last season with a great deal of experience and talent, but they came in second to Marmion at the Regional. Because of this, look for West to continue to build and, like Naperville Central, look for them to continue their run at being recognized and earning a spot as one of the top programs in the state.
Illinois Matmen ranked wrestlers in the dual:
Naperville Central
120 • Austin Aguinaldo (HM, 3A)
126 • Jacob Cochran (HM, 3A)
175 • Henry Rydwelski (#8, 3A)
285 • William Erbeck (#10, 3A)
Glenbard West
106 • Aidan Ortega (HM, 3A)
126 • Carson Prunty (HM, 3A)
132 • Ulises Rosas (#7, 3A)
138 • Alejandro Aranda (#7, 3A)
150 • Vincent Tortoriello (HM, 3A)
157 • Brandon Watson (HM, 3A)
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Yorkville (#3, 3A) / versus / Sycamore (#12, 2A)
Yorkville is coming out of a 3A Dual Team State Runner-up finish last season, and they show no signs of slowing down as they have been a formidable opponent. Currently, they are ranked number three in 3A, behind number one Marist and number two Marmion, and they are undefeated in duals.
As the matches go up in weight, Yorkville only gets stronger and stronger. Look for their upper weights to carry to load for the team, but also look for their lighter weights to contribute and keep them in duals. Yorkville believes they are one of the best teams out there, and they have every right to believe this. Their wrestlers are tough, their style is aggressive and in their opponents’ faces, and they can stack points quickly.
As for Sycamore, ranked number twelve in 2A, they are solid, but Yorkville may be too much for the Spartans in this matchup. Like a few of the lower seeds, look for Sycamore to make themselves known on the backside of the bracket.
Illinois Matmen ranked wrestlers in the dual:
Yorkville
144 • Dominic Recchia (HM, 3A)
150 • Donovan Rosauer (#9, 3A)
157 • Jack Ferguson (#2, 3A)
165 • Caleb Viscogliosi (#10, 3A)
175 • Luke Zook (#2, 3A)
190 • Ryder Janeczko (#6, 3A)
215 • Luke Chrisse (#5, 3A)
Sycamore
106 • Carson West (#10, 2A)
126 • Tyler Lockhart (HM, 2A)
138 • Jayden Dohogne (#7, 2A)
175 • Cooper Bode (#9, 2A)
• TC LIFONTI / LEAD WRITER FOR ILLINOIS MATMEN / tclifonti.com
