Bison start season 6-0; Team has won 37 regular-season duals in a row.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
The Fenton wrestling team had a banner 2016-2017 season, going 26-0 during the regular season before losing to second-ranked Crystal Lake Central in the dual-team sectional portion of the state tournament.
“We lost an outstanding group of seniors,” said Fenton coach Brian Hastings.
And despite that graduation loss, the Bison keep rolling.
Fenton was off to a 6-0 start through late last week. The Bison scored victories over Niles West, Glenbrook South, Hoffman Estates, Chicago Mather, Chicago Foreman and Elk Grove.
Through late last week, Fenton was the owner of a 37-match regular-season winning streak that dates back to the 2015-2016 season.
Senior 182-pounder Dylan Butts leads a cast of returning wrestlers. Butts is a returning captain and state qualifier and is a two-time Fargo nationals qualifier. He got off to a 3-0 start with all three of his victories coming via pinfall.
Senior 145-pounder and fellow captain Carlos Mercado was off to a 3-1 start, while sophomore 132-pounder Danny Ramirez was 4-0.
Junior Ramiro Bracamontes (160 pounds) was 4-1 with four wins via pinfall. Sophomore Jeremy Piskorz was off to a 3-0 start at 126 pounds.
Four-year starter Isaiah Brock was 1-1 in the heavyweight division. Senior Jack Butts (195 pounds) was 3-1, while senior Jordan Carrasquillo was 3-0 at 220 pounds. Senior 138-pounder Brandon Koskiewicz was 2-1 at 138, while freshman David Burch was 3-1 at 120 pounds. Senior Mateo Valadez was 2-1 at 220. Senior Miguel Gonzales was 3-2 at 145, while freshman Jonah Koskiewicz was 3-2 at 106 pounds.
Senior Anthony Park was expected to make his return this past weekend at 170 pounds.
Other key seniors include Danny Sotelo at 145, Jose Lopez at 138 and Alex Trevino at heavyweight.
Juniors Brandon Lopez (170), Fabian Calvillo (132), Jacob Jarmolinski (170) and Tony Galeana (170), along with sophomores Julian Giles (220), Marcel Rusiecki (285), Kevin Guevara (160), Filip Reduta (170) and Ricky Saucedo (182), plus freshmen Manny Lozada (113), Danny Saucedo (126) and Zach Gonzales (126), “are continuing to improve and will play a huge role with the success of the team,” said Hastings. “We’re led by an outstanding group of leaders mixed with a talented group of inexperienced wrestlers.”
Fenton has won the Metro Suburban Conference title eight of the last 10 years and have garnered the last five MSC titles in a row.
“As a team we anticipate competing well and being tough, while expecting to improve as much as any team we’ve had here in the last 11 years,” said Hastings.
