Wrestling: Gage Harrah, Crystal Lake Central continue Fox Valley dominance
| Andrew A. Nelles~For Sun-Times Media |
Updated: January 28, 2012 8:40PM
Crystal Lake Central continued its dominance of the Fox Valley Conference, winning its fifth wrestling championship in a row Saturday at Huntley with 255 points.
The Tigers had four wrestlers win their weight class and had 11 wrestlers finish fourth or better.
Gage Harrah (34-1) continued his dominating wrestling career, winning his fourth conference championship. This year Harrah won at 195. The future Drexel Dragon won all three of his matches this weekend in 54 seconds or less.
Crystal Lake South finished second with 217.5 points, and McHenry earned a third-place finish with 195.5 points.
The surprise wrestler for Crystal Lake Central was senior Justin Bernero (13-10). Bernero entered the FVC tournament with a 10-10 record and wasn’t even seeded. The Tiger’s 170 pound senior won all three of his matches to earn a conference championship.
“I came in knowing this was my last opportunity to do well in the conference tournament,” Bernero said. “I had never made the finals of a tournament and just came in with a lot of confidence and was able to get the job done.”
Crystal Lake Central also earned championships from Clayton Lutzow (31-4) at 138 and Jason Fugiel (21-2) at 160.
Saturday’s tournament was dominated by freshman and seniors.
Cary-Grove freshman Mike Cullen (34-1) continued his dominating season with a win at 106.
“I’m happy to win conference, but still not satisfied,” said Cullen. “My teammates have helped me prepare a lot for what to expect at regionals. I have a lot of confidence going forward.”
Grayslake-Central senior Dylan Hay (30-6) picked the perfect time to win his first FVC title at 145.
“I felt like I was able to dominate the match when I was on top,” Hay said. “Winning a tough conference like this gives me so much confidence heading in to regionals.”
Rounding out the tournament were Cary-Grove (169), Huntley (153), Johnsburg (128), Grayslake Central (119.5), Prairie Ridge (106), Dundee-Crown (97), Grayslake North (96), Jacobs (94.5), Woodstock (73), Hampshire (70) and Woodstock North (25).
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