For additional information, visit Coach Morris' Website listed in his bio on the High School site by clicking here >>>
2011-12 Conference Champions
Team News
1/21/12 - Upstate 8 Conference Tournament
Batavia had seven place winners in the twelve weight classes they contested at this weekend's Upstate 8 Conference Tournament. Every placer fought to the end, winning their last match of the tournament, and all but one finished at or above their seeding in the tournament.
Dropping down a weight class to 106lbs must have agreed with freshman Mehran Khamissi, who after losing to the eventual champion in the first round, rattled off three straight wins to take 3rd place. At 138lbs, arguably the toughest weight class in the tournament, Anthony Scaccia lost a 3-2 decision in his semi-final match, but came back with two more wins in the wrestlebacks to also take 3rd place. Scaccia also joined the exclusive 30 win club in the process. At 152lbs, Laren Eustace went 5-1 on the day to pick up another 3rd place for the Bulldogs and increased his season win total to 25. Mickey Watson (195lbs) was the last of the 3rd place winners, who like Scaccia lost a tough 1 point semi-final match before finishing the day with a pair of wins. Jon Wagner (170lbs), Connor McKeehan (220lbs) and Alec Lyons (285lbs) all took 5th place, with Wagner going 3-2, and both McKeehan and Lyons going 4-2.
We are sad to report that Team Captain Joey Shump suffered a broken hand in the championship match at the Batavia Tournament. Early reports are that he is unable to return this year, denying him the opportunity for a repeat conference championship and a possible return trip to the State Tournament. Joey's season record of 28-4 brings his career record to 94-23 as a Bulldog. We wish Joey a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him finish his career on a high note next year.
1/14/12 - Batavia Tournament Results
The Bulldogs returned to the mat after an emotional win on Friday night as tournament hosts of their annual invite. The team placed 6th, with Joey Shump (120lbs) and Mickey Watson (195lbs) making it to the championship mat and ending the day with 2nd place finishes. Anthony Scaccia (138lbs) overcame a close semi-final loss to take 3rd place, and Jon Wagner (170lbs) was the final placer with a 6th place finish.
1/13/12 - Batavia Stages Dramatic Comeback Win Over Rival Geneva
With the Dogs local rival Geneva in the house, a very large and supportive crowd from both schools in attendance, and conference supremacy on the line, the stage was set for an exciting evening of wrestling and the teams did not disappoint. Geneva got off to a fast start winning four straight matches and extending their lead to 17-0. Joey Shump (120lbs) got the Dogs on the board with a pin, but it was the next match that proved to be the real turning point of the night. Sophomore Kamran Khamissi had all he could handle with his opponent from Geneva, fighting off a couple of pins in the first two periods and entering the third down 14-5. Starting on top in the, he took advantage of a small opening to take his opponent to his back, and he took full advantage of his one shot to win the match with a dramatic pin. He not only in effect secured a 10 point swing in the team score, but no doubt a memory that will last a lifetime. Charlie Smorczewski (132lbs) followed with a major decision, and after Anthony Scaccia's pin at 138lbs, Batavia had its first lead of the night at 22-17. Geneva regained some momentum and the lead with a fall at 145lbs, but Laren Eustace (152lbs), returning from injury, won an 8-5 decision to put Batavia on top by two. In the see-saw battle, another Geneva pin at 160lbs gave them the lead with three matches remaining. Jon Wagner (170lbs) led the Bulldogs last push with a 8-4 decision, and then a third period takedown by Freshman Noah Frazier at 182lbs gave him a victory by the closest of margins. With the Batavia lead back to two points, the outcome of the dual was in the hands of Mickey Watson (195lbs) who wore down his opponent in the first two periods and then used two takedowns in the third period to win 5-1, securing the dual match victory and an undefeated and outright conference championship.
Congratulations to all the coaches and wrestlers on returning the Bulldogs to the top of the conference standings after a two year hiatus and for the sixth time in the past nine years. A recent record of success unmatched by any other sport at Batavia!!
To read local newspaper coverage, click on the links below:
1/5/12 - Bulldogs Clinch Conference Crown in Dramatic Fashion
For the second time in a week, the Bulldogs won a dual meet on criteria, denying St. Charles East the outright conference championship and securing at least a share of the title for themselves. The dual already looked to be a tough test for Batavia facing the undefeated Saints, and with Laren Eustace and Alec Lyons late injury scratches, and with a lineup featuring 10 freshman and sophomores, the odds were stacked against them. Good thing for the Dogs that matches aren't decided on paper!!
Starting at 145lbs, Anthony Scaccia drew first blood for Batavia with a 5-1 decision, but after back to back St. Charles pins the Dogs were in an early 12-3 hole. Quickly rebounding, Jon Wagner (170lbs), freshman Noah Frazier (182lbs) and co-captain Mickey Watson (195lbs) all won by decisions to tie the team score at 12. Then, in one of the pivotal sequences of the night, Connor McKeehan (220lbs) turned a close match into six points with a third period pin with forty ticks left on the clock. He was followed to the mat by freshman Mitchell Krusz (285lbs), filling in for Alec Lyons, and in a mere 88 seconds he brought the Bulldog bench to their feet with a pin of his own to open up a 12 point lead. St. Charles had their backs to the wall, but with the heart of their lineup, including two highly ranked wrestlers coming up, they were far from done. The Saints responded with 5 wins in the next six matches to tie the match at 30-30, with Joey Shump's pin at 120lbs the only Bulldog victory win in this stretch. As important as Shump's pin was in securing the win on criteria, equally important was the heart of a number of young wrestlers on full display as they fought and scrapped to avoid giving up extra bonus points in this stretch.
So with a share of the conference title secured, the Bulldogs can secure an undefeated conference season and sole claim to the title with a win at home over Geneva next week.
To read more about the meet click on the links to local newspaper coverage below:
12/30/11 - Batavia Finishes the Year on a High Note
All the hard work in the practice room is starting to pay real dividends for the young Bulldogs as evidenced by their strong showing at the Don Flavin Invitational Tournament held in DeKalb over the past two days. It is the first time that the team as entered this dual team tournament and they provided their supporters a lot to cheer about. On Thursday, the sixteen teams were divided into four pools and wrestled a round robin to determine seedings for Friday. After falling to state ranked Hononegah by a score of 44-25 in their first match, the Dogs faced former conference foe DeKalb, The dual was close throughout, and coming into the last match the teams were tied at 32 points a piece. With the outcome hinging on the heavyweight match, Alec Lyons came up big with a 6-2 decision to clinch the victory. The Bulldogs carried this momentum into their last dual of the night securing a 42-21 win over Stillman Valley, 2nd place in their pool, and the chance to wrestle for the 5th-8th spots on Friday.
Friday had its own share of drama as the Bulldogs avenged their early season loss to Naperville North, winning on criteria after the team score was tied at 31. This moved the team into the 5th place match against AA 8th ranked Bloomington. The Dogs kept the match close early on, but a late surge by Bloomington was too much to overcome. Batavia finished the tournament with an impressive 3-2 record and 6th place finish.
Individually, Joey Shump (120lbs), Anthony Scaccia (138lbs) and Mickey Watson (195lbs) went a perfect 5-0 during the tournament. Scaccia put on a dominant performance with 4 pins and a tech fall. Laren Eustace (152lbs) and Alec Lyons (285lbs) picked up 4 wins a piece, and Jon Wagner (170lbs) and Trevor Kilgallen (145lbs) also had winning records of 3-2 and 2-1 respectively.
12/23/11 - Bulldog Profile
The Chronicle featured Coach Morris and the Bulldogs in their Prep Wrestling News. Click the link below to read the full article:
The Bulldogs made short work of Streamwood and East Aurora, winning a pair of conference duals by scores of 67-12 and 62-16 respectively. The triangular started with a dual against Streamwood in which the Dogs registered 8 pins including Alec Lyons' (285lbs) win in under 30 seconds. Bonus points were also the story in the East Aurora dual with another 8 pins including a second pin of the day in under a minute for sophomore 138lber Marc Goodin. Also going 2 for 2 were Matt Patton (106lbs), Joey Shump (120lbs), Anthony Scaccia (145lbs), Laren Eustace (152lbs), Jake Birkhaug (160lbs), Jon Wagner (170lbs) and Mickey Watson (195lbs / 220lbs). Noah Frazier and and Kamran Khamissi also contributed with wins, and Coach Morris was also able to mix in JV wrestlers Kevin Greene (195lbs) and Mehran Khamissi (113lbs) who took full advantage of the opportunity with wins of their own. For local newspaper coverage click on the link below:
12/17/11 - Shump Crowned Champion at Glenbrook South Tournament
6 of the 10 Batavia wrestlers competing in this year's Glenbrook South Tournament finished on the medal stand, good for a 6th place finish in this rugged 19 team tournament. Leading the way was Joey Shump who earned the top spot at 120lbs, beating the #6 ranked wrestler in the state in the semi-finals, and then dominating the championship match with a major decision. Anthony Scaccia (138lbs) saw his unbeaten season come to an end in the quarter-finals, but this only seemed to fuel his fire as he tore through the wrestlebacks with two major decisions, followed by two pins, to take 3rd place and move his season record to 13-1. Mickey Watson (195lbs) earned two wins on the first day of competition to reach the semi-finals, only to fall to the eventual champion. He then split his wrestleback matches to take 4th place. Laren Eustace (152lbs) and Jon Wagner (170lbs) followed a similar path to the medal stand going 4-2 to take 5th place. Charlie Smorczewski (132lbs) split his matches 3-3 to finish in 6th place. Also contributing to the team cause with first round wins were Connor McKeehan (220lbs) and Alec Lyons (285lbs). Connor later lost a heartbreaker to the #1 seed in overtime, and Alec, seeing his first action since returning from football, had his own chances to win against the eventual champion at heavyweight. Both wrestlers show tremendous promise, and along with Mickey Watson, have solidified the heavier weights in the line-up. Kamran Khamissi (126lbs) also picked up a win for the Dogs. The impressive showing in the wrestlebacks shows the "never say die" attitude of the team and was crucial in placing 6th as a team with four open weight classes.
The Bulldogs continued their winning ways in Conference, improving their record to 3-0 with a 42-28 win over Elgin. Joey Shump (120), Anthony Scaccia (138), Jake Birkhaug (160) and Connor McKeehan all recorded pins in the victory.
12/9/11 - Bulldogs Stay Undefeated in Conference
Batavia improved its conference record to 2-0 with an exciting win against a much improved Elgin Larkin team. After a series of forfeits at the lighter weights gave the Royals an early 12-6 lead, the live action started at 126lbs where Joey Shump quickly evened things up with a pin midway through the first period. The Dogs quickly built on this momentum with a fall and tech fall delivered by Charlie Smorczewski (132lbs) and Anthony Scaccia (138lbs) respectively. The teams traded pins at 145lbs and 152lb, with Laren Eustace doing the honors for Batavia, bringing the team score to 29-18. Larkin then won back to back matches, including a 7-5 OT decision at 170lbs, to pull within 3 points. At 182lbs, with the outcome of the match very much in the balance, freshman Noah Frazier took his match to OT, and then pinned his opponent for a crucial win and 6 points. Mickey Watson finished the scoring for the Dogs with a 1st period pin at 194lbs in a dual that ended with a 41-32 victory for Batavia.
12/3/11 - Entire Team Finds the Win Column in Naperville North Quad
Choosing to send the majority of Freshman and Sophomores on the squad to the Geneva Invite, a contingent of 8 wrestlers headed to Naperville North for a quad with the host, as well as with state powers Sandburg and Lyons Township. While the short-handed group could not contend for team wins in the duals, they all left the quad with at least 1 individual win. Leading the way going 3-0 were Sophomores Anthony Scaccia (138lbs) who notched 2 tech falls, and Connor McKeehan (220lbs) who had two first period pins. Joey Shump (120lbs) went 2-1, with the only blemish on his record being a loss to a returning All-Stater. fellow Junior Mickey Watson (195lbs) also went 2-1 with a pin. Matt Patton (106lbs), Charlie Smorczewski (132lbs), Laren Eustace (160lbs) and Jon Wagner (170lbs) all walked away with a win a piece.
12/2/11 - Bulldogs Clinch Conference Opener
The Bulldogs responded to a raucous and supportive home crowd to secure a dual meet victory in their conference opener against St. Charles North. The North Stars opened the scoring with a quick 6 points from returning state qualifier Tim Noverini, but just ask quickly, Laren Eustace (160lbs) evened things up for the Dogs with a pin in under a minute of the first period. Jon Wagner (170lbs) followed suit with a pin, and Freshman Noah Frazier's (182lbs) 10-3 decision gave the Bulldogs a 15-6 lead after 4 matches. Not to be outdone, Mickey Watson (195lbs) added 6 points of his own before Connor McKeehan (220lbs), in probably the most exciting match of the night, won a 6-5 decision, reversing his opponent with a few ticks left on the clock. Things began to swing back St. Charles North's way with a forfeit at 285lbs and a pair of decisions at the lighter weights bringing them back within 6 points. Joey Shump (120lbs) got the Dogs back on track with a tech fall, and then Charlie Smorczewski (132lbs) barely broke a sweat with a pin in 26 seconds of his match. Anthony Scaccia (138lbs) added the last of 5 pins on the night for Batavia, and Marc Goodin (145lbs) wrapped up the meet with a 15-10 decision bringing the final team score to 44-21.
12/1/11 - Pre-Season Previews
Click on the links below for local media coverage of the upcoming high school wrestling season:
11/27/11 - Freshman Demonstrate Potential in Early Results
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, a small but tough squad of freshman wrestlers entered into their first high school season and posted a collective 19-9 individual match record against freshmen wrestlers from some of the finest programs in the state. Through six duals with Minooka, Glenbard North, Lincoln Way Central, Palatine, West Aurora and St. Lawrence, three standout freshmen are now battle-tested and have emerged with undefeated records: Jack Schroeder (132 lbs.) moved to 6-0 with a stellar six pins, Jake Birkhaug (160 lbs.) also improved his record to 6-0 this Saturday with wins over several high-quality freshmen opponents and Mitchell Krusz (3-0) made his debut after a successful football season with the sophomore team and playing offensive line for the varsity scout team during their post-season run. Other notable freshmen talents include Matt Patton (106 lbs.) and Noah Frazier (182 lbs.) both of whom have been called up to wrestle on the varsity mat. Luke Schulz (106 lbs.), Howie Morgano (120 lbs.) and Shane Moczynski (126 lbs.) have also made solid contributions to the Bulldog Freshman squad.
11/26/11 - Bulldogs Battle at Naperville Central Quad
Batavia faced off against Naperville Central, Downers Grove South and Lane Tech in their annual quad and while the team took a step forward, returning several regulars to the lineup, having three open weight classes proved to be their downfall. Despite failing to register their first victory of the season, a number of Bulldogs made their mark. Leading the way were Joey Shump and Anthony Scaccia who went a perfect 3-0 on the day. 220lber Mickey Watson and Heavyweight Connor McKeehan earned a pair of wins and freshman Matt Patton picked up his first varsity win at 106lbs. Also registering wins were Charlie Smorczewski and Laren Eustace.
11/24/11 - Team Names 2011-12 Team Captains
Congratulations to Joey Shump, Mickey Watson and Charlie Smorczewski on being named Team Captains for the upcoming season. With no Seniors on the team, these members of a strong Junior Class will be asked to step up and provide the leadership the young and talented Bulldogs will need this year. All three exhibit a strong work ethic and the benefit of 2-3 years of varsity experience, and will no doubt set a positive tone for the team.
11/23/11 - Glenbard North Quad
The Bulldogs kicked off the season facing last year's 3A State Champion Glenbard North, runner-up Minooka and an always tough Lincoln Way Central team. Combine this with the absence of a half dozen likely starters who are just returning from a successful season as part of the football team and were not in the lineup, and it turned into a predictably tough night for the Dogs as they dropped all three duals.
10/30/11 - Jersey Mike's Fundraiser
Jersey Mike's will be donating a portion of its sales on November 1st and November 3rd to Batavia Wrestling. It's easy, take your family and friends to Jersey Mike's on these dates, buy your meal and put your receipt in the handy container and we will receive 15% of the meal price. Jersey Mike's is located at 1770 S. Randall Road in Geneva close to Best Buy.
6/9/11 - Two Bulldogs Qualify for Nationals
Congratulations to Joey Shump and Jon Wagner on earning spots on Team Illinois. They will be representing the state at Cadet/Junior Nationals to be held in Fargo, ND in July. This is the most important off season tournament in the country and we wish them and the rest of the team the best of luck.
