5/23/11 - Schedule Announced for Batavia Bulldog Wrestling Camp
All high school and middle school wrestlers are encouraged to attend the 2011 Bulldog Wrestling Camp. The camp will be held from June 20-24, 2011 with daily sessions from 4-6 P.M. in the Batavia High School Wrestling Room. Head Coach Ben Morris and a top flight group of clinicians including college coaches, former NCAA National Champions and U.S World Team members who will be working with the wrestlers, so regardless of you age or ability, you will gain valuable hands on instruction in both technique and the mental aspects of the the sport.
The cost for the camp is $65 and you must also have a USA Wrestling Card. If you need to obtain a card, you can register by clicking on the following link >>> USA Wrestling Membership
We are trying to get an accurate estimate of the number of wrestlers who will be attending this year's camp. If you will be participating, please contact either Coach Morris of Coach Jordan by phone or e-mail. Their contact information is listed below:
Ben Morris - bennett.morris@bps101.net - 630-329-1145
Steve Jordan - sjordan362@comcast.net - 630-709-9497
2/25/11 - Augie Watson Name TribLocal Athlete of the Month
Congratulations to Augie Watson for being named the March Athlete of the Month by TribLocal, and thanks to all of you who went on line to register your support. It's great recognition for Augie and Batavia Wrestling.
2/19/11 - Watson Clinches All-State Honors
Batavia Senior and Co-Captain Augie Watson finished of a stellar career by earning a 6th place finish and All-State honors at the IHSA State Championship. Watson knew that his first trip to Champaign would also be his last, but quickly shook off any nerves he had with a 3rd period pin in his preliminary round match. In his quarter final match he faced #10 ranked Nate Jackson of Chicago Heights (Marian) and struggled to get his offense going against his lanky and athletic opponent, dropping him into the wrestlebacks. He did not have much time to dwell on the loss as he was back on the mat in a do or die situation late Friday against Hunter Rollins of Hersey. Trailing 6-2 midway through the 3rd period with his opponent riding him hard, Augie summoned a last surge of energy to reverse and pin Rollins with less than a minute left to keep his hopes of a medal alive. Having made it to Saturday he needed one more win to medal, and pulled an upset of #6 ranked Ricky Robertson of Mt. Carmel with a hard fought 5-3 victory to secure himself All-State honors. Despite a couple of losses later in the day in the medal rounds, Augie Watson became only the 9th Bulldog to place at state with his 6th place finish. Congratulations to Augie on a great finish to his career.
2/12/11 - Watson Punches Ticket to Champaign
After coming within a single match of reaching the State Tournament as a sophomore, and being forced out of the competition with a serious infection as a Junior, Augie Watson had one last shot as a senior to make it to Champaign and he took full advantage. A win by fall on Friday night put him in the semi-finals, and after a decisive 12-3 win he had punched his ticket, joining his brother Danny, who along with Clint and Logan Arlis, and Gary and Gregg Farnsworth, are the only brothers to have ever represented Batavia at the State Tournament. His loss in the final to his old nemesis Spartacus Chino of Wheaton Warrenville South, the number 1 ranked 152lber in the state, was disappointing, but I am sure this year feels a whole lot better than 2009 and 2010!! One other side note, with Augie advancing, it now marks 10 straight years where the Bulldogs have had at least one state qualifier.
Batavia's other Sectional Qualifier Joey Shump, won both matches on Friday night, including one over a Regional Champion and rolled into the semi-finals with a lot of confidence. Leading late in the 3rd period, he was hit with a questionable stalling call that tied up the match and ended with a heartbreaking 6-5 loss in overtime. With one more shot at making it to State he was upset by Brandon Walz of West Aurora, a wrestler he had majored earlier in the year. If there is any silver lining for Joey, he finished the year with 34 wins and still has two more years of wrestling ahead him. He only has to look at Augie Watson as an example of how to use the disappointment suffered as a sophomore of coming within one match of State to motivate himself for even bigger and better things down the road.
2/5/11 - Watson and Shump Advance to Sectionals
Augie Watson claimed his first Regional Championship as one of two Bulldogs to advance to next week's Sectional. Joey Shump also got one step closer to State with a 2nd place finish at the Naperville Central Regional.
1/29/11 - Strong Showing from Freshmen at Conference Tournament
Both Brandon Dean and Connor McKeehan took the top spot in their respective weight classes at the Upstate 8 Conference Tournament, in each case pinning their way through the the field. Trevor Kilgallen and Lennon Scariano, dropped their semi-final matches, but regrouped to take 3rd place. Also competing were Kevin Green who went 2-2 on the day and Nick Offut. Coach Gleixner was very proud of the improvement he saw in the team in the course of the season and sees a bright future for these young wrestlers if they continue to dedicate themselves to the sport.
1/28/11 - Tough Luck Bulldogs Doomed from the Start
A very untimely round of illness and injuries wiped out any chance of a conference championship before the Bulldogs even hit the mat at Geneva on Friday. Batavia was forced to forfeit nine weight classes, but gave us a glimpse of what could have been by winning four of the five contested matches, several of which would have been considered to be key swing matches in the dual going in. The only hope now is that they can recover in time for next weeks Regional and make some noise at Naperville Central.
1/25/11 - Shump and Eustace Crowned Conference Champions
Joey Shump (112) used a late reversal and back points to earn his first conference championship in dramatic fashion, one of two the Bulldogs would claim on the day. While Shump's victory was well deserved, as the top seed it was not unexpected. Freshman Laren Eustace, however, was flying under the radar, and after a pin in his first match and a 13-11 OT win in the semi-finals he was matched up with the top seeded senior from South Elgin in the final. Showing maturity beyond his years, Eustace dismantled his opponent with a 15-0 tech fall to finish a dominating weekend of wrestling in style.
Augie Watson (152) also reached the championship match in what was easily the toughest weight class in the tournament. In the final he was matched against Luke Piggott (ranked #9 in the State) from Neuqua Valley and the pair of highly ranked wrestlers gave the crowd the moneys worth, with Watson eventually falling 11-8. This matchup will likely be renewed at Regionals and Sectionals, so I am sure Watson will be out to turn the tables next time they face each other. Charlie Smorczewski lost his first match, but regrouped with four straight wins to earn 3rd place the hard way.
Other placewinners were Anthony Scaccia who took 4th at 140lbs. Seniors Steve Cherry (135) and Matt Goodin (145) took 5th place, Cullin Rokos was 6th at 189lbs and Ricky DeSimone was 8th at 103.
1/19/11 - Bulldogs Face off in Senior Night Clash
On Senior Night it was Freshman Anthony Scaccia (130) who was first up against the Falcons from Wheaton North and fired up the big crowd with a first period fall. Steve Cherry (135) made it a memorable Senior Night for himself with a dominating 17-2 tech fall. By the time seniors Matt Goodin (145) and Augie Watson (152) had notched their own wins by decision, the Bulldogs had a 17-4 lead. Unfortunately the tide was about to turn and with three pins, two forfeits and a major decision in the next six matches the Falcons built a 21 point lead. Joey Shump (112) stopped the bleeding with a second period fall, but it was not enough to turn things around and Wheaton North went on with the help of another forfeit to a 47-24 victory.
1/15/11 - Augie Watson Named Outstanding Wrestler at Batavia Tournament
Two the items on 152 pounder Augie Watson's long list of goals for his senior year were to win an individual title at the Batavia Tournament, something that has eluded him in years past, and to set a new mark for career pins at Batavia. On Saturday he accomplished the former, and moved closer to the latter with pins in his semi-final and final matches, not only taking the title, but also earning outstanding wrestler honors.
It turned out to be an impressive day for the Watson family as a whole, as Augie's brother Mickey (171) knocked off the #1 seed in a 1-0 nail-biter in the quarter finals and then posted an impressive 8-2 semi-final victory to put himself in position for a championship of his own. Unfortunately, an injury late in the semi-final match ended his day and he had to forfeit the final. With any luck, as a sophomore, he will get another shot down the road to take the top spot. The other Batavia finalist was Joey Shump (119), who knocked off the #7 ranked wrestler in the state in the semi-finals, only to fall in OT in the final.
Other Batavia medalists were Jake Schulz (125) who went 3-1 and took 3rd, 5th place winner Laren Eustace (140), and 6th place winners Charlie Smorczewski (119) and Cullin Rokos (189).
Overall the team finished in a tie for 6th, wrestling with three open weight classes.
1/14/11 - Bulldogs Drop Upstate 8 Dual to St. Charles East
Sometimes the final score does not tell the whole story and the result of tonight's dual is an excellent example. The Bulldogs lost their conference dual by a final score of 43-25 to St. Charles East, but the match could have easily been a lot closer. With and extra forfeit and three losses by 3 points or less, Batavia was very competitive against a far more experienced team and gave the fans further optimism about a bright future for the team. To read more, click the links below for local media coverage of the dual.
1/8/11 - Batavia Takes 2 of 3 in Home Quad
Fresh off an impressive win against Streamwood, the Bulldogs took to the mat to face Burlington Central, Schaumburg and West Aurora in a home quad. Starting the day against Burlington Central, the Bulldogs got off to a slow start with 3 straight losses by decision to fall behind 9-0. Freshman Connor McKeehan (215) gave the Dogs a big boost with a second period fall to bring the team within 3 points, and then after swapping forfeits in the next two weight classes, Joey Shump's 12-0 major decision at 112 gave Batavia its first lead of the day. Pins by Jake Schulz (125) and Anthony Scaccia (130) gave the team a lead it would not relinquish, and after receiving a couple more forfeit victories, Augie Watson (152) put an exclamation mark on the 46-21 victory with the team's fourth pin of the dual.
Up next were the Schaumburg Saxons who got to send two top 10 ranked wrestlers to the mat to start the meet earning a pair of tech falls at 171 and 189. The Saxons followed this up with a pin at 215 to take an early 16-0 win. Moving back to the lightweights, Joey Sump (112) set the tone for a Bulldog comeback with a tech fall of his own, and Charlie Smorczewski (119) and Jake Schulz (125) earned back to back pins, to put the Bulldogs ahead for the first time. Freshman Anthony Scaccia (130) added 3 team points with an 8-4 decision, but then three straight Schaumburg victories, including a Schaumburg pin, put the Bulldogs down by 5 points with two matches left. The Saxons then rolled the dice by forfeiting to Augie Watson at 152 and bumping up their 152 pounder to face Dylan Findlay at 160. This move gave Findlay all the incentive he needed to put on one of his best performances of the season, dispatching his opponent with a 3rd period tech fall and securing a 37-31 victory for the Bulldogs.
In the last match of the day, the Dogs squared off against a resurgent West Aurora squad in what continues to be a great local rivalry. Cullin Rokos (189) got things off on the right foot with a 2nd period pin for an early Bulldog lead. The Blackhawks evened things up in the next match, and took a lead with a forfeit at 285 and a decision in a back and forth match at 103. Joey Shump (112) completed a perfect day with a 14-6 major decision over a fellow ranked wrestler, but the Blackhawks responded with four consecutive wins to take a commanding lead. Despite facing a 27 point deficit, the Bulldogs refused to roll over, rallying with four consecutive pins from Laren Eustace (140), Matt Goodin (145) and Augie Watson (152) and Dylan Findlay (160) to cut the lead to 3 with one match remaining. In that match, Mickey Watson battled for the full six minutes, but could not secure the vital takedown he needed to overcome a 3-2 deficit, and Batavia ending up falling to West Aurora by a 40-34 margin.
1/7/11 - Bulldogs Dominate Streamwood in Upstate 8 Matchup
Batavia remained perfect in conference action with an impressive 66-12 win over Streamwood. The Bulldogs won all but one contested match including 7 wins by fall and a tech fall. Both Jake Schulz (125) and Steve Cherry (135) ended their matches in the 1st period, with Cherry needing only 32 seconds to dispatch his opponent. With Batavia now sitting at 5-0 in conference dual meets, and with Geneva's win against St. Charles East, we are now guaranteed that when Batavia and Geneva face off on January 28th, that the Bulldogs will have a chance for a share of, or an outright conference championship with a win.
12/23/10 - Freshman and JV Compete at Glenbard North Tournament
The Freshman and JV teams headed to Glenbard North and came away with some more individual hardware. At the Freshman level, Ricky DeSimone (103) moved up a spot from his last tournament to take runner-up honors. Also taking 2nd place were Trevor Kilgallen (140) and Brandon Dean (152), and in the process, improved their season records to 18-6 and 11-3 respectively. At the heavier weights, first year wrestler Kevin Greene continues to show great promise earning a 3rd place finish and maintaining a winning record for the season, and Connor McKeehan (215) also earned 3rd place and has now placed in each tournament this season. JV results are unavailable at this time, but will be updated upon receipt.
12/19/10 - Freshman Shine at Weekend Quad
The Freshman team continues to develop under the leadership of coaches Adam Gleixner and Travis Anderson. This past weekend they competed in a quad with West Aurora, Lockport and Waubonsie Valley. Five Bulldogs went undefeated, namely, Marc Goodin (135), Trevor Kilgallen (140), Brandon Dean (152), Nick Offut (160), Iovanny Campos (171) and Connor McKeehan (275). In addition, Nick Whitman went 2-1 at 215lbs. Congratulations and keep up the hard work.
12/18/10 - Batavia Wrestlers Place 6th at Glenbrook South
The Bulldogs finished 6th in the 18 team Glenbrook South Tournament, and without an individual champion, and with three open weights, their success was clearly a result of important contributions from the entire lineup. Most telling is the fact that every wrestler won at least two matches in the tournament, and in a number of cases, had to fight their way through the wrestlebacks to end up on the medal stand.
Leading the way were Augie Watson (152), Joey Shump (112) and Jake Schulz (125) who all took 3rd place, in each case with a single loss to the eventual champion. Watson made it to the semis before losing to phenom and defending state champion Max Schnieder of Lane Tech. After a major decision in his first wrestleback, he took 3rd with a close fought 2-1 decision. Shump finished with a 3-1 record for the tournament after a pin and default victory in his wrestleback sequence. Jake Schulz did it the hard way, losing in the first round on Friday and coming all the way back with four consecutive wrestleback wins to finish 3rd, showing his best form of the year according to Coach Morris, and certainly a lot of heart and desire. Steve Cherry (135) and Mickey Watson (171) both made it to the semis with two wins on Friday night, and despite some close losses on Saturday, still finished on the medal stand with 6th place finishes.
While they did not medal, the efforts of the remaining wrestlers had a lot to do with the team's 6th place finish. Matt Goodin (145) finished with a 3-2 record, while Charlie Smorczewski (119), Laren Eustace (140), Dylan Findley (160) and Cullin Rokos (189) all finished with 2-2 records.
12/16/10 - Bulldogs Stay Unbeaten In Upstate Eight Action
The Bulldogs got off to a slow start in the Upstate 8 dual meet with Elgin, digging themselves into an 18-0 hole by virtue of two losses by fall and a forfeit in the first three matches of the night. Things started to turn around with Joey Shump’s pin late in the first period at 112lbs. The Maroon extended their lead back to 15 points with some tough riding time in the last two periods of a 2-1 decision at 119lbs. The tide then started to shift to Batavia with Jake Schulz’s pin at 1:24 of the first period and a dominating 13-1 major from Anthony Scaccia at 130lbs. Senior co-captain Steve Cherry then recorded the fastest pin of the night needing only 34 seconds to earn six points, and in the process, securing a lead the team would not relinquish. After Laren Eustace’s pin at 140, and a pair of Elgin forfeits, the match was put out of reach for Elgin, but they kept fighting hard. Dylan Findley earned a major decision 11-1 at 160lbs to pad the margin of victory, leading to the tensest battle of the night at 171lbs. In this match, Mickey Watson gave up a second period reversal, but was able to earn a vital point with an escape at the buzzer. He went down to start the third and took the match to overtime with another escape. In the first overtime period the match remained tied, and in the second he hung on tenaciously to ride his opponent for the full 30 seconds. In the next overtime period he got his third and final escape of the night and walked away a 3-2 victor. The final team score was 47-24 in favor of the Bulldogs.
12/12/10 - JV and Freshman Recap
The JV and Freshman squads have also seen their fair share of tournament action over the past couple of weeks with some notable success. This past weekend at the Kaneland JV tournament, Dylan Beach (119), Jordan Loughran (130) and Jon Wagner (140) all took home top honors. Darnell Jenkins-Johnson (125) was a runner up and Meysham Chastari (135) took 6th. Meanwhile, down in Ottawa, the Freshman placed three wrestlers. Connor McKeehan (285) used his recent varsity experience to notch a 3rd place finish, while Brandon Dean (152) took 4th and Trevor Kilgallen finished 6th at 140. A week prior at the Geneva Fresh/Soph Tournament, the Bulldogs brought home even more hardware including a 3rd place finish for Connor McKeehan (285) and Ricky DeSimone (103). Marc Goodin (135) and Iovanny Campos (171) took 5th, Kevin Greene finished 6th and Trevor Kilgallen (140) was 8th. Congratulations to the place winners and all those who competed.
12/11/10 - Batavia Shines at Downers Grove South Tournament
The young Bulldog team under the leadership of Coach Ben Morris continues to show improvement with each passing week and this has never been more evident than at the Downers Grove S. tournament this weekend. Still wrestling with three open weights, the team was able to take third place overall, and had all but one wrestler place in the top 4. Top honors went to Augie Watson (152) who pinned his way through the tournament and continues to close in on Batavia's career pin record of 52. Like Watson, Joey Shump also moved his record to 14-1 on the season winning the championship at 112lbs. Freshman Laren Eustace (140) made an appearance on the championship mat in his first varsity tournament taking 2nd place. Third place winners were Anthony Scaccia (130), Dylan Findley (160) and Mickey Watson (171), and fourth place winners were Charlie Smorczewski (119), Jake Schulz (125), Steve Cherry (135), and Cullin Rokos (189). Congratulations to the entire team on a great showing this weekend.
12/9/10 - Bulldogs Win Back to Back Duals
Batavia faced off against East Aurora and Elgin Larkin on consecutive nights and dominated both opponents to preserve a perfect 3-0 conference record. The team only lost a single contested match in each dual, and won by a margin of 64-12 and 66-12 respectively. Against East Aurora, the team sandwiched five pins around four forfeit victories, highlighted by Cullin Rokos' first varsity win with a first period fall at 189. Freshman Connor McKeehan (215) picked a win in the closest and final match of the night by a 1-0 margin. The next night in Elgin it was a similar story, with freshman Ricky DeSimone finding his way into the win column for the first time with a 16-11 decision at 103. Dylan Findley (160) picked up a win by fall for the second night in a row, joining a long list of Bulldogs who were perfect over the two matches.
12/4/10 - Batavia Faces Uphill Battle in Naperville North Quad
After the conclusion of the Naperville North Quad, Batavia has now faced each of the top 4 ranked teams in the state in its first ten duals. A tall order for any team, the young and undermanned Bulldogs have fought hard, but wins have been hard to come by. Against #3 ranked Sandburg, #4 Lyons Township and host Naperville North, the trend continued, but there were a number of individual highlights. Joey Shump (112) continued his strong start to the season with a 3-0 day, Augie Watson (152) recorded a pair of pins, and Jake Schulz (125), Charlie Smorczewski (119) and Anthony Scaccia (130) also picked up six points as they registered a win on the day. The team returns to conference action later this week, and look to stay perfect in the Upstate Eight in back to back duals at East Aurora and Elgin Larkin.
12/3/10 - Young Bulldogs Triumph in First Upstate Eight Dual
In an effort to fill out a depleted lineup, Coach Morris moved up several Freshman to the varsity lineup for the Bulldogs first Upstate Eight dual against St. Charles North. The move paid big dividends, with two of the four first time varsity starters earning bonus points on the way to a 53-25 victory, punctuated by eight pins and a tech fall. With a lineup on this night including a total of nine Freshman and Sophomores, dual meet wins may be harder to come by this year, that the future looks bright for Coach Morris and his team.
11/28/10 - Week 1 Recap
They say that numbers don't lie, but I beg to differ. Yes it is true that the Bulldogs have yet to record a victory in their first six dual meets, but having to forfeit 4-5 weights in each match due to holes in the lineup, this can hardly come as a surprise, particularly considering that two of the duals were against Minooka and Glenbard North, the pre-season #1 and #2 ranked teams in Class AAA. So focusing just on the final scores can easily obscure a number of bright spots for the team and demands a closer look at the results so far. Specifically, in looking at contested matches, Batavia recorded a 6-3 mark in wins and losses against Downers Grove South and Lane Tech, a 5-5 mark against Minooka and 4-5 and 4-6 records against Naperville Central and Lincoln Way Central respectively.
At an individual level we have seen our senior leaders step up, and several younger members of the team live up to their middle school and IKWF credentials. Co-Captain Augie Watson (152) leads the team with a perfect 6-0 record including 3 pins. Fellow seniors Steve Cherry (135) and Matt Goodin (145) have 3-3 and 2-4 records respectively. Leading the way for the underclassmen is Sophomore Joey Shump (112), a state qualifier as an alternate last year, he has picked up where he left off with a 5-1 record and 4 pins. Classmate Charlie Smorczewski (119) missed the first quad due to illness, but picked up a couple of wins in Saturday's quad to start the year with a winning record. Equally impressive are the results of the two freshman in the lineup. Anthony Scaccia (130) has made an immediate contribution with a 4-2 record including 3 pins, and Laren Eustace (140) has recorded 3 pins in his three wins.
10/20/10 - Adam Gleixner Joins Bulldogs as Assistant Coach
Coach Ben Morris is pleased to announce the selection of Adam Gleixner as an Assistant Coach for the upcoming season. Adam is new to the Bulldogs, but has been part of wrestling in Illinois for the past 16 years. Starting as a youth wrestler he enjoyed great success in the IKWF, and went on to standout career at Schaumburg High School, winning almost 100 varsity matches in his career and qualifying for the State Tournament as a Senior. He was also part of two national dual teams and represented Illinois in Greco-Roman and Freestyle in Fargo, ND. His college career at Millikin University was cut short when the sport was dropped his Sophomore year, but he has continued to work in off-season tournaments while completing his education, and is very excited to begin his high school coaching career at Batavia.
In addition to Adam, former Batavia wrestler Travis Anderson, a 2008 graduate and three sport athlete at Batavia, will be serving as a volunteer assistant. Travis always exemplified the work ethic needed to be successful in life and sport, as was a great teammate, and will be an excellent role model for the this year's team.
We are very pleased to announce Ben Morris as the new head coach of the Batavia Bulldogs, becoming just the 8th head coach in the 52 year history of the program. While it is his 1st year with the Bulldogs, Coach Morris is no stranger to wrestling in Illinois, and brings with him a track record as a wrestler and coach that is truly impressive. He has spent the past six years as the head coach of Stillman Valley, leading the Cardinals to a dual meet record of 123-25. The team also earned three Regional titles on the way to a 2nd place and two 3rd place finishes at the state tournament. During the past 18 years he has coached at both the high school and collegiate level with stops at Elmhurst College and Northern Illinois University, as well as Lake Park, Elgin and Fenton high schools. As a high school wrestler at Fenton High School he was a four time all-state wrestler, never placing lower than 3rd, and winning a state title as a senior. He was also a four-time freestyle All-American and went on to compete for the University of Minnesota, where despite an injury plagued career he still earned All Big 10 honors and was a NCAA qualifier. Coach Morris is finishing his Masters of Education in Kinesiology and Physical Education at Northern Illinois University, and will be teaching Health at Batavia High School. He and his wife Sarah have two children; Cora (3) and Ivan (1) and plan to relocate to Batavia in the near future.
6/20/10 - Coach Arlis Announces Retirement
Head Coach Tom Arlis has decided after completing his 7th year as the Bulldogs' head coach to retire from coaching. He leaves Batavia as one of only three coaches in the history of the program with over 100 dual meet wins, and when combined with his career at Naperville North, has an extraordinary overall dual meet record of 343-98. A member of the IWCOA and Montini High School Halls of Fame, he has been a fixture at the highest levels of Illinois wrestling for 35 years. As a wrestler he was a two-time state placer and went on to become a three-time national qualifier during his collegiate career at Western Illinois. He has coached his teams to a total of 10 conference championships and a runner-up state finish at Naperville North in 1992. He has coached 12 individual state champions and a total of 16 individual state place winners, including five at Batavia. He counts Batavia’s 2004-05 victory in the Hastert Cup, 2005-06 Regional Championship and three state placers in 2009 as team highlights from his time as head coach of the Bulldogs. He also has very special memories of coaching both his sons, Clint and Logan, who combined for six appearances in the state tournament and to finish 1-2 in career wins at Batavia. He was able to cap his career by walking in the Grand March with Logan in 2009, and be mat side to see Logan take 3rd place this past season in the last high school match of his coaching career. We wish Coach Arlis the very best and thank he and his wife Jamie for all they have done for the sport of wrestling in Batavia.
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