3/10/09 - JV AND FRESHMAN CONFERENCE RECAP
With the Bulldogs graduating four seniors from this year's squad, including three state qualifiers, it is time to consider the future for the team. If the results of the JV Conference Tournament are anything to go by, there should be a lot of healthy competition for varsity spots next year, and every reason to believe that the team will continue to maintain its standard of excellence.
Like the varsity team, the JV squad also claimed a conference championship, securing victory by a comfortable 37 point margin over 2nd place DeKalb. The team demonstrated its depth, placing wrestlers in 10 of the 14 championship matches, splitting these matches evenly. The five Bulldog champions were Sophomores Dylan Beach (103), Mike Bonifas (130) and Charlie Kost (135), and Juniors Mike Hoefler (171) and Nate Wieske (189). Runners up were Sophomores Mike Drummond (112), Ryan Jones (119) and Nick Pohorsky (152), and Juniors Doug Faber (145) and Todd VanNoord (171). Dylan Findlay placed 3rd at 135lbs and other place winners were Will Huggins, David Sarver and Jack Grimse. Congratulations to the entire team on an outstanding tournament.
On the same weekend as the JV Tournament, the Freshman were also battling it out. With a couple of freshman filling varsity spots, the team had to forfeit five weights contributing to a 4th place finish, but they did get a championship from Evan Christianson at 103lbs. Jordan Loughran (112), Matt Kopala (119) and Alec Lyons (285) also made it to the championship mat, finishing with runner-up honors. Kevin Kost took 3rd place at 103lbs and other placewinners were Chris Zeyen (125), Eric Kopitke (130), Carlos Cervantes (135), Matt Baker (140) and Bennett Hartmann (145). Thanks to Coach Rossetti under whose tutelage the team has made big strides this year, and we look forward to seeing their continued development over time.
3/10/09 - WATSON ADVANCES TO FRESH/SOPH STATE FINALS
After winning his Regional, Augie Watson won another championship at the Hinsdale South Fresh/Soph State Sectional. Augie advances to this weekend's State Championship, and we wish him well and hope he brings home some more hardware for the Bulldogs.
2/28/09 - BATAVIA WELL REPRESENTED ON KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE ALL-AREA TEAM
The Kane County Chronicle named four Batavia wrestlers, Logan Arlis, Charlie Ryan, Andrew Rudd and Danny Watson to the All-Area Wrestling Team, and honored Logan Arlis as its Wrestler of the Year. Second team honors were given to Augie Watson and Luis Campos, and Tyler Patton was named Honorable Mention. Congratulation to each of them on a truly outstanding year and the well deserved recognition. To read more click the links below:
Kane County Chronicle - All-Area Wrestling Team
Kane County Chronicle - KCC Wrestler of the Year: No Rest for Arlis
2/28/09 - TOM ARLIS REPEATS AS CHRONICLE'S COACH OF THE YEAR
Head Coach Tom Arlis was named the Kane County Chronicle's Wrestling Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year and the third time in the last four years. Highlights of the season include both conference dual meet and tournament championships, a successful defense of the Batavia Invitational title and a record four state qualifiers and three place winners. Congratualtions and thanks to Coach Arlis on a truly historic season. To read the full article click the link below:
Kane County Chronicle - Batavia Enjoys Record Setting Year
2/29/09 - FRESH/SOPH STATE RESULTS
Four Bulldogs advanced from the Glenbard West Regional of the Fresh/Soph State Tournament. This tournament is held annually and is open to any freshman and sophomore with the exception of IHSA State Qualifiers. Advancing to the Hinsdale South Sectional are Augie Watson (1st), Shaquille Smith (2nd), Evan Christianson (4th) and Dylan Findley (4th). Good luck to each of them next weekend.
2/21/09 - BULLDOGS MAKE HISTORY AT STATE TOURNAMENT
Entering this year only five Batavia Wrestlers had ever placed in the state tournament, starting with Steve DuVall in 1981, and followed by Ruben Cooper, Matt Weight (2X), Matt Sauter and most recently Greg Schroeder in 2006. With four wrestlers qualifying this year, hopes were high among the Bulldog faithful headed to Champaign that we would add to the list this year, and the team did not disappoint. Their individual stories are as follows:
Logan Arlis - 2nd Place @ 112lbs
Logan entered as one of the pre-tournament favorites, sporting a 39-0 record and fresh off his second consecutive sectional title. Looking to erase the disappointment of not placing at last year's tournament, Logan made it to Saturday's semi-final match without much difficulty. There he faced Sean Raddatz of Marist, a wrestler he beat 6-5 with a late third period takedown earlier in the year, so he knew it would be a dog fight. Having studied his previous match extensively, Logan made some subtle adjustments for the re-match, and was able to take the early advantage with a first period takedown and controlled the remainder of the match for a 3-2 victory and a spot in the championship match. It's hard to know who was more nervous, but the chance to participate in the Grand March as father and son, is something I am sure that Logan and Coach Arlis will never forget. In the championship match, Logan faced the top-ranked 112 pounder Edwin Cooper of Providence Catholic, and the pair gave the many thousands of fans in attendance one of the most exciting matches of the night. After a scoreless 1st period, Cooper escaped early in the second period, but Logan responded with a takedown to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Cooper regained the lead with a reversal and two quick back points and went on to a 6-3 victory. Logan's 2nd place finish ties Matt Weight for the highest spot earned by a Batavia Wrestler, and I am sure gives him an added incentive as a senior to return and capture the top spot. His 42-1 record puts him second all-time in Batavia history, and gives him bragging rights at home, having topped his brother Clint's total of 41 victories he earned in 2004 & 2005. Logan also joined his brother as the only wrestlers to surpass the 100 career win mark by the end of their junior year, finishing the season at 101 wins and counting.
Danny Watson - 3rd Place @ 171lbs
The 171lb weight class was viewed as one of the toughest at this year's tournament, with Northwestern bound and former state champion Lee Munster positioned as the pre-tournament favorite, followed by a pack of 4-5 other very talented wrestlers including Danny. In the preliminary and quarter-final matches on Friday, Danny continued to rely on his signature move, the single-leg takedown, to pile up the points in two convincing victories. These wins set up the anticipated semi-final showdown with nemesis Mark Stenburg of Lockport. Stenburg ended Danny's run at state last year, and his strength advantage proved the difference again in his tactical 7-4 victory. Danny shook off the disappointment to beat Matt Dwyer of Rockton Honenegah and Sterling Hecox of Machesney Harlem, earning a measure of redemption against two wrestlers consistently ranked ahead of Danny over the course of the season. This not only gave Danny a 3rd place finish, but also a record of 43-1 for the season, tying Steve DuVall's single season victory record set back in 1981, to go along with the single-season takedown mark he broke earlier in the season. Danny finished his high school career with a three year varsity record of 109-25.
Andrew Rudd - 6th Place @ 160lbs
In Andrew's first trip to the state tournament, he drew in the first round the top seeded and eventual 160lbs runner-up, Nick Proctor of Neuqua Valley. Whatever nerves he was feeling seemed to evaporate once he hit the mat, and he gave Proctor a real run for his money before falling 7-3. The confidence gained in this match carried over into the wrestle-backs as he beat Josh Ronne of Libertyville 4-3 in the evening session to move on to the second day. Andrew then turned around early Saturday morning to pin Jeff Koepke of Hersey and guarantee himself a spot on the medal stand. In the wrestle-back semi-final he faced sectional champ Charles Argue of Mt. Carmel, and holding nothing back the two wrestlers brought the fans to their feet with a series of takedowns and throws. With the match still in the balance in the waning minutes of the second period, Andrew threw his opponent to his back, but could not stick him as Argue rolled through the move to get the takedown and back points. This margin proved too much to make up as Andrew lost by a final score of 16-7. In the 5th place match Andrew lost 9-4, but in the process became the 3rd Bulldog to make the medal stand and finished his season with a record of 35-10. Andrew finished his two year varsity career with a record of 59-18, with 41 of the wins coming by way of a pin.
Charlie Ryan - 130lbs
Charlie Ryan faced Cameron Shaffer of Lake Zurich in a 1st round match on Friday and in true Charlie fashion he went all out for the pin and the win. On a couple of occasions he came close to hitting his signature head lock, but it was not his day, eventually falling 15-6. Unfortunately his bout fed into eventual state champion Nick Dardanes of Oak Park and Charlie did not get the chance to wrestle back. He did however leave us with many lasting memories and added his name to the Batavia record book by tying Tom Miller's 27 year old record for career pins as well as joining the 30 Win Club this year. Charlie finished his four year varsity career with a record of 90-47.
The collective success of the team placed Batavia 9th among all teams at the state tournament in terms of team points and and increased the number of state placers from 5 to 8. Congratulations to all the wrestlers who made it to state and to the entire team a historic season.
Click below for local newspaper accounts of the event and check the photo section for some pictures from the State Tournament.
Beacon News - Super Mario
Kane County Chronicle - Arlis Misses Perfection
Daily Herald - West Aurora's Gonzalez Joins Elite Company
2/14/09 - BATAVIA TIES TEAM RECORD FOR NUMBER OF STATE QUALIFIERS
Congratulations to Sectional Champions Logan Arlis (112lb) and Danny Watson (171lb) and fellow state qualifiers Charlie Ryan (130lbs) and Andrew Rudd (160lbs) for making team history at the Leyden Sectional. Arlis and Watson will be returning to Champaign for the second consecutive year, and Ryan and Rudd become the 27th and 28th state qualifiers in the history of Batavia Wrestling. The four team captains also tied the school record for number of qualifiers in a single year, matching the 1980 squad. One other historical note, Charlie Ryan tied the school career record for pins with his 52nd in the quarter finals. He now shares the title set in 1980 by Tom Miller and has a chance to eclipse this mark in Champaign. To read more about their performances, click on the links to local newspaper coverage below:
Daily Herald - Big Day for St. Charles East and Batavia
Beacon News - Leyden Sectional Wrap Up
Kane County Chronicle - Leyden Sectional Wrap Up
2/7/09 - BULLDOGS TAKE THIRD AT REGIONALS
Logan Arlis (112), Charlie Ryan (130) and Danny Watson (171) all walked away from the Wheaton North Regional as champions. For Arlis and Ryan it was their second consecutive year as regional champions. For Watson, who after taking third as sophomore and second as a junior at regionals, he made it to the top of the podium as a senior. In the process, Watson also became one of only seven wrestlers in the history of Batavia to surpass 100 career victories. They will be joined at next week's Leyden Sectional by Andrew Rudd (160) and Augie Watson (140) who took runner-up and 3rd place honors respectively.
As a team the Bulldogs placed third in the ten team regional, trailing eventual champions Naperville Central and second place team Glenbard East. Click below to local newspaper reports on the regional.
Daily Herald - A Great Day for Naperville Central
Daily Chronicle - Personal Pizza Party
2/6/09 - BULLDOGS IN THE NEWS
Click the links below to catch up on the latest news coverage on the Bulldogs
Daily Herald - Regional Preview
Kane County Chronicle - Mental Makeover
1/30/09 - BATAVIA EDGES ST. CHARLES EAST IN REGIONALS TUNE-UP
The Bulldogs closed out their regular season with an exciting 36-35 dual meet victory over local rivals St. Charles East. Each team has a handful of state ranked wrestlers who won their matches in predictable fashion, so as is often the case in a meet such as this, the outcome hinges on the contribution of some of the less heralded wrestlers on both teams. In the case of Batavia, pins delivered by Freshman Evan Christianson (103) and Augie Watson (140) came at crucial times in the meet, and in the case of Watson, guaranteed victory for the Dogs with two matches to go. The other critical match in this sequence pitted Charlie Ryan (130) against Cody Crawford of St. Charles in the only matchup of ranked wrestlers on the night. The pair of seniors have battled each other repeatedly over the year with both having their share of wins, and with both wrestlers having legendary pinning ability you knew that the bodies would be flying around. On this night, however, it was Ryan's night to shine, taking Crawford to his back in the 1st and 2nd periods to take control of the match, and ultimately wrapping up a 10-7 decision.
To read the local press coverage of the meet, click the links below:
Kane County Chronicle - Bulldogs on High with Big Win
Daily Herald - Watson Clinches Batavia's Win Over Saints
Batavia finished the regular season with a 15-7 dual meet record and heads into next weekend's Regional with hopes of advancing to the team state tournament.
1/24/09 - BULLDOGS FIGHT TO THE FINISH TO WIN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The Western Sun Conference Tournament was expected to be a hotly contested event with dual meet co-champions Batavia, Sycamore and Dekalb, as well as perennial power Yorkville, all vying for the top spot, and it was every bit as exciting and dramatic as advertised. Entering the Championship and 3rd Place matches, Batavia trailed Sycamore and Yorkville, and with two less wrestlers in the final matches than Sycamore, the Bulldogs needed to pull out all the stops and get some help. The Dogs got an immediate spark from Steve Cherry with a pin in his 3rd place match at 103, and Max Christianson followed up with a decision over his opponent from Sycamore at 119 to also take 3rd, both wrestlers earning All-Conference honors in the process. On the championship mat, Logan Arlis was in complete control of his match against Derek Larson of DeKalb leading up to an injury default from Larson early in the 3rd period. The next Batavia wrestler to hit the mat was Charlie Ryan at 130lbs, who in a rematch of last year's 125lb final, defended his title with a 14-6 decison over Tyler Walt of DeKalb. Tyler Patton followed Ryan on the championship mat and wrestled an excellent match, only to come up a little short against a highly ranked Yorkville wrestler. With the tournament still very much in the balance, the last hope for the Bulldogs were three consecutive championship matches at 160, 171 and 189, and the Dogs needed to run the table to give themselves a chance of victory. First up in this stretch was Andrew Rudd, facing CJ Navarro from Rochelle, the #4 ranked 160lber in Class AA. Rudd took early control of the match with a 14-3 2nd period lead, only to get taken to his back for a heart-stopping near fall. After fighting through the pin, Rudd regained his composure and went on to a decisive 22-12 major decision. Danny Watson then made short work of Russ Diedrich of DeKalb in the 171lb final, not only earning invaluable bonus points with a pin, but also wrapping up Outstanding Wrestler honors. In the last Batavia match of the day, Luis Campos used a 3rd period takedown of Ryan Ward of Geneva to seal a crucial victory and bring to five the total of Conference Champions. Campos' win gave Batavia a slim lead over Sycamore, but they still had wrestlers in the 215lb and Heavyweight matches, with various options in terms of wins and bonus points to take home with the trophy. Things looked good for Sycamore early in the 215lb match as their wrestler almost pinned his opponent, but Jake Bannister from DeKalb recovered and in a dramatic turn of events won the match by pin himself. While the Sycamore heavyweight won his 3rd place match with a pin, it was too little, too late, and Batavia walked away with a three point margin of victory and successfully defended their conference tournament title.
I for one think that we should treat Jake Bannister of DeKalb to steak dinner as he not only shut the door on Sycamore's tournament hopes, but also won the last (and decisive) match in their dual meet with Sycamore on Thursday, giving Batavia and DeKalb a share of the dual meet conference title with Sycamore.
For more on the tournament, check out the links to the local press coverage below:
Beacon News - Batavia Makes it Out as Lead Dog
Kane County Chronicle - Batavia Rises Up to Win Crown
Daily Herald - Batavia Wins WSC Tourney Title
For reports on earlier meets click here >>>
For pictures from recent meets, check out the Photos section of the website
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