26 | sports
Built for success
Emmerich, aka Avatar, is an action figure in Deerfield’s wrestling lineup ■ by kevin reiterman
sports@northshoreweekend.com The scary part — for his opponents — is the weigh-in. Colton Emmerich is Avatar in the flesh. The Deerfield High School senior is the beast without a leash. He’s the master of disaster. Most of Emmerich’s foes, at first sight, find him extremely unsettling. “He’s not trying to psych others out,” said Warriors head wrestling coach Marc Pechter. “But when guys see him at the weigh-in, some of them have a hard time dealing with it. They see how strong he is … ” Later on, they find out this: Emmerich is even more than he seems. The kid with the chiseled body can really wrestle. He’s a non-stop competitor with an arsenal of wrestling moves. He’s always on the attack. It’s no wonder that his teammates have pegged him with an ultimate warrior nickname: “Avatar.” The moniker, which is based on a 2009 James Cameron film depicting a hybrid human-alien called Avatar, is perfectly fine with Emmerich. And epically fitting. “Being called Avatar is a confidence booster for me,” said Emmerich, who loved the movie and its title character. “They also call me, ‘Beast,’ ” he added. “They come up with random names for me all the time.” According to Pechter, Emmerich is the transformative wrestler in the Deerfield wrestling program. “The light came on for him this year,” said Pechter. “It’s been lit. Now he just has to keep it lit.” Emmerich, who competes at 182 pounds, has ripped through the competition this winter. He won his first 31 matches — a majority of them by pins and technical falls — before being solved by a Crystal Lake Central wrestler on Jan. 11
Joltin’ Colton: Deerfield High School’s Colton Emmerich has won 31 of 32 matches this season.
photography by joel lerner in a mega dual at Waubonsie Valley. “That loss actually is OK,” said Emmerich, who lost the bout 11-9. “I’d rather have it happen now than later at the state meet.” Emmerich is on a mission — which doesn’t look to be impossible. He wants to come up big at Assembly Hall in Champaign. He fell frustratingly short at a sectional meet (fifth place) 11 months ago. “It fuels me,” said Emmerich, who finished 35-10 at 170 pounds in 2013, after going 18-12 at 160 in 2012. “It’s the reason why I worked so hard in the
offseason. I want to end up on that state podium.” June, July and August is when Emmerich turned into Avatar — minus the blue veneer. “I like to joke around with him,” said Pechter. “If I could have a body like his, I’d throw mine away. I’ve told him that. “He’s a specimen,” the coach added. “It didn’t come by accident. He put in the time.” And that mental toughness thing? That’s also been amped up and revamped. Emmerich, who was the team’s lone champion at the prestigious Palatine
Tournament in late December, is ranked No. 2 in his weight class by Illinoismatmen.com. “Colton believes in himself,” said Pechter. “You couldn’t always say that about him. But you can say it now.” “He was good last year,” said Deerfield assistant Florin Mitran. “But not this good.” Emmerich, who spent a big chunk of the offseason at the Poeta Training Center in Lake Forest, not only is a confident wrestler, but he’s also a good technician. “He’s a chain wrestler,” said Pechter. “He’ll come at you with one move after another. He can do a series of things.” His athletic prowess is not exclusive to the mats. Emmerich, who has been accepted to the engineering school at the University of Iowa, was a standout on the Deerfield football team in the fall. He moved from linebacker to defensive end with whirlwind success. He completed the nine-game schedule with 10.5 quarterback sacks and nine tackles for loss. “It was a big switch. I didn’t know what to expect,” said Emmerich. “But the more I got used to the position, the more I liked it and the more I excelled at it.” Thus, the 6-foot-3 Emmerich has options for the future. Wrestling? Football? Wrestling and football? “I’m haven’t decided yet,” he said. “I’m going to wait until after the state meet. I’ll see how things develop.” Notable: Emmerich is not the only Deerfield wrestler who has reached the 30-win plateau. Sophomore Andrew Mehrholz has a 31-2 record at 120 pounds, while fellow sophomore Sage Heller is 29-5 at 138 pounds. Senior Brian Spinello has netted 28 wins at 126. The other Warriors with 20 or more wins include senior Jack Powen (2310) at 160, junior Christo Moran (21-14) at 195 and junior Brady Glantz (20-7) at 145. Senior Joey Bloom is 19-1 at 113, while senior Jeff Spinello has 17 wins at 132. ■
Here’s a hint: GBS swimmers are super solid ■ by bill mclean
sports@northshoreweekend.com Near the halfway point of the Evanston swim invite last weekend, Glenbrook South coach Keith MacDonald cracked a brief smile. It had a hint of playfulness. He had just assessed his Titans on Jan. 11, saying, “I think we’re pretty good.” In his world, then, Peyton Manning must be a pretty good quarterback and Meryl Streep is a pretty good actress. Glenbrook South finished a strong runner-up (252.5) to reigning state champion New Trier (298.5), getting a first-place swim from Titans junior Jon Salomon in the 100-yard freestyle (46.89) and a championship effort from the team’s 200 free relay (1:28.37). “We hadn’t faced a lot of good competition before today,” MacDonald added. “Today, our lineup was solid, about as strong as it will be this season. “We’re deep. I’m excited.” Salomon anchored the victorious relay, after legs from senior Seamus Heneghan, sophomore Sam Salganik
and senior Kevin Benson. Saloman also touched second in the 200 IM (1:55.34) and joined senior Jake Nelson, Salganik and Heneghan for a runner-up time of 1:38.88 in the 200 medley relay. Titans freshman Sam Iida took fourth in the 200 free (1:47.7), just ahead of Benson (fifth, 1:47.72). South’s other top-six finishes: Salganik (fifth, 100 butterfly, 53.87); Nelson (sixth, 100 backstroke, 54.64); and sophomore Tommy Hagerty (sixth, 500 free, 4:53.42). Meanwhile, Glenbrook South divers Aaron Ach, Patrick Tener and Trevor Burke combined for a thirdplace showing (809.55 points) at the New Trier Dive Classic on Jan. 11. Ach paced the Titans’ trio with 369.75 points (sixth place).
Loyola Academy Three years ago, on Loyola’s JV swim team, Michael Zahorik was a lot like the first letter of his surname: Buried, at the bottom of a group. But Zahorik is racing as a member of the Ramblers’ A-team these days, anchoring a pair of varsity relays and battling as a sprint freestyler.
“Every year since his freshman year he took a major step,” Ramblers coach Mike Hengelmann marveled. “He works hard, and he has a great attitude. Michael is a great team guy.” Zahorik anchored the runner-up 200 free relay (1:28.98) at the Evanston Invite on Jan. 11, following legs from senior George Finn, sophomore Christopher Kearney and senior Cameron Shewchuck. He also capped LA’s fourth-place 200 medley relay (1:41.18, with senior Matthew Kearney, Finn and senior Thomas Haracz). Finn sped to second in the 50 free (22.33) and served as the lead-off leg of the fourth-place 400 free relay (3:17.81, with senior Brian Hulseman, Shewchuck and Christopher Kearney). Loyola, sixth at state last winter, finished sixth (167 points) at last weekend’s 18-team invite. LA’s divers, meanwhile, combined plunges worth 1,047.2 points to top the field at the New Trier Dive Classic on Jan. 11. Ramblers freshman Chris Canning (402.9) and junior Ryan Nash (390.9) went 4-5, and freshman teammate Michael McGregor placed 16th (253.4). ■