Personal pizza party
By KEVIN DRULEY
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kdruley@kcchronicle.com
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| (Jeff Krage – For the Chronicle) |
WHEATON – Eddie Greco decided he deserved a treat on Saturday night, so there he was, lounging in the bleachers. A wrestler scarfing a slice of sausage pizza.
It’s the time of the season for IHSA regionals – hardly the cause to break training – but Greco figured why not. For one, the Marmion freshman weighs 103 pounds. For another, he’s 30-2 and bound for next week’s sectional meet at Leyden.
“I’m enjoying this,” Greco said. “Once I won my first few high school matches, I just started going from there.”
His successful season continued at the IHSA Class 3A Wheaton North Regional with three victories over a span of about eight hours. The long day proved to be worth it for three other Cadets, including Greco’s older brother, Pat, Marmion’s 140-pound champion.
Angelo Silvestro (first at 119) and Eddie Breen (second at 125) are headed to sectionals, as well.
“You bust your butt every day in practice, and it’s grueling,” Pat Greco said. “You look forward to days like this, you come out and compete, and that’s what you work so hard for.”
Five Batavia wrestlers advanced to sectionals, headed by undefeated junior 112-pounder Logan Arlis, who improved to 36-0.
At 171 pounds, senior Danny Watson moved to 36-1 by holding off Wheaton Warrenville South’s Jim Franke in the finals. Watson led, 6-3, after one period before playing the remainder of his match conservatively for a 9-5 decision.
“I didn’t want to try and run up the score and risk something happening,” Watson said. “In wrestling, you can always get pinned.”
Batavia boasted one other champion. Charlie Ryan defeated Geneva’s Collin Callahan – the lone Viking to move on to sectionals – at 130 pounds. Bulldog Andrew Rudd took second at 160 pounds while 140-pound sophomore Augie Watson placed third.
Hoping for a team regional title entering the weekend, Batavia coach Tom Arlis was disappointed in a third-place finish. The Bulldogs (118 points) finished 23 behind leader Naperville Central, which had five wrestlers in the finals and five more in wrestlebacks.
“We’ll have to focus now more on the individuals than the team,” Arlis said, “but we’ll move on. You live to see another week and hopefully beat some new people.”
While also waiting around. The sectional tournament begins with the opening session at 6 p.m. Friday. Two rounds are scheduled for Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m.
