Shorthanded Gators struggle in four matches
By Danny Carlino Contributor January 23, 2012 4:20PM
Alex Sulllivan of Guerin takes control of his match at 182 pounds Jan. 19. | Joe Cyganowski~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 27, 2012 8:34AM
Guerin was still working through some injuries and illness last week as the Gators had to forfeit eight weight classes on Jan. 18, against Walther Lutheran and Montini before losing to Illiana Christian and Elmwood Park the following night.
Undefeated Alex Sullivan was held out of the lineup against Walther and Montini as he is still trying to navigate through some knee pain and was dealing with a cold, but he came back to post two more wins against Illiana and Elmwood Park.
Nik Doherty, Mike Altman, and Sam Loconti also sat out that night with the flu.
The Gators were shut out against Montini, but were able to split the six bouts they actually wrestled against Walther, winning 18-15 in that span. Freshman Juan Reyes won his bout at 113 pounds as did junior Jaime Santana at 132 pounds and senior David Connelly at 220.
“Santana has been a key spark plug for this program,” said Guerin head coach Earl Danan. “He is the key ‘Family Man’ who keeps everything in perspective by motivating and encouraging his teammates.”
The Gators then lost two Illiana 42-36 and Elmwood Park 73-3 Jan. 19 at Elmwood Park. Reyes won against Illiana while Sullivan improved his record to 24-0 on the season with a pair of victories on the night. Sullivan faced a lighter but motivated opponent in Elmwood Park’s Jim Accettura, who went up from his 170-pound weight class to challenge the 182-pound Sullivan as the pair had battled in football for four years, but never wrestled against each other. Sullivan came away a 9-2 victor and with the Gators’ only points of the match against the Tigers.
“I’m almost better,” Sullivan said of his cold. “I still have a little cough and sore throat. (Accettura) beat a ranked kid from Illiana, so he was no pushover. It was 0-0 after the first period and made it a pretty tough match.”
Santana and Connelly took their Elmwood Park rivals the distance. Santana lost on a late reversal while Connelly dropped a 10-2 decisions in his affair at 285 pounds. Reyes lost a heart-breaker at 113 pounds when his two-point lead was erased with a reversal in the third period before getting pinned with four seconds left in the bout.
The Gators round out the regular season with a pair of outings this week. After hosting Aurora Central Catholic on Tuesday, Guerin travel to Woodstock to go against more Suburban Christian Conference rivals as hosts Marian Central Catholic, Wheaton Academy, and Marmion will all be there.
“There are a lot of guys still missing, and that hurts our numbers,” Danan said of the injuries. “We do have a lot of heart, passion, and determination. We just need some consistency week-to-week, but will work with what we have. We’ve had to move people around the lineup and gotten more exposure to our junior-varsity guys. It’s great that a lot of them have stepped up into the role for a varsity wrestler. It’s been a rocky road, but we’re still becoming a solid team.”
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