03/16 – 03/17/13
sports | 45
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
Rising Stars
Penick takes runner-up honors at state wrestling ■ by kevin reiterman D.J. Penick is a PR machine — for the Northwood Junior High wrestling team. The eighth-grader came up with some great publicity for the Highland Park school last weekend, when he claimed runner-up honors in the 135-pound weight class at the IESA state tournament in DeKalb. “He’s an amazing kid. An amazing athlete,” said Northwood coach Tony Ohlwein. “He’s respected. All of our kids look up to him. “And, all of the kids in the area know him,” the coach added. Penick, who also stars in football and soccer, finished the campaign with a 32-2 record after being edged 7-6 by Vernon Hills’ Dylan Geick in the championship match. “It was a great wrestling match,” said Ohlwein. “One of those matches that can change in a blink of an eye.” Penick, who went 3-1 in DeKalb, met Geick four times this winter. He had wins against the Hawthorn North foe at regional and sectional. Ohlwein, who is assisted by Jeremy Perlow, also praised the work of Alex Rosenbloom. The Northwood seventhgrader was one of state standouts at 105 pounds. Rosenbloom, who finished the season 31-3, defeated Bloomington’s Savion Haywood 5-3 in the third-place match. He finished the tourney 4-1 with his lone setback coming against the state champ: Canton’s Josh McKinney. “He’s an up and comer,” said Ohlwein. “The high school (HPHS) is waiting for him.” Ohlwein was thrilled with his team’s outcome at state. “It’s been a fun journey,” Ohlwein said. Northwood isn’t going solo these days. The team is now
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a co-op, which welcomes in wrestlers from Elm Place and Edgewood. Lake Forest Deer Path The Braves came up with a best-ever team finish at the IESA state meet. But there will be no resting on laurels. The best possibly is yet to come. Deer Path advanced nine wrestlers to the showcase meet in DeKalb. Two of the eighth-graders — Marko Tupanjac and Cory Barth — came home with medals. “That was a great number to go there with,” said Braves coach Jim Troemel, who watched his team score 43 points
possible state champ. “Tupanjac is dedicated to the sport,” said Troemel. “He’ll wrestle in the offseason. He’ll train all summer.” Barth (34-3), a two-time state qualifier, capped off his season with a decisive 7-0 decision over Kewanee’s Dalton Clague in the 215-pound fifth-place match. He finished the tourney 4-1 with two pins. “The first couple of years he got beat up a little,” said Troemel. “But I remember telling him, “Stay with it and you might be chasing a state medal some day.’ ” The other eighth-grade qualifiers were Andrew Tuttle (90 pounds), Liam Pooler (112) and Alex Svigos (155). Tuttle was a three-time state qualifier. Pooler finished the season 33-7. His losses at state came against the first-
“He’s an amazing kid. An amazing athlete. He’s respected. All of our kids look up to him. And, all of the kids in the area know him,” | Northwood coach Tony Ohlwein for 18th place. “I am happy as can be that two of our guys placed. Two of our captains.” Tupanjac (29-2) took fifth at 119 pounds, pinning Cole Watkins of Illini Bluffs in his final match in 36 seconds. All told, he had three pins in the consolation bracket. “He ripped through the wrestlebacks,” said Troemel. “He just dominated. He beat some quality kids.” Watkins, a returning state medalist, was projected as
and third-place finishers. The seventh-grade qualifiers were Quinn Daley (80), Caleb Durbin (90), Chris Wasser (100) and Peter Kennedy (126). “Kennedy had a very respectable performance for his first time at state,” said Troemel. “He told me that his goal is to win state next year.” ■
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