Wrestling Update
The wrestlers returned from winter break last week and went right into action against Evanston Township High School last Wednesday night. While the Wildkits had little trouble beating their much smaller neighbor in the team scoring, a number of Aces emerged victorious from the fray.
Senior Max Gorenstein (170) wrestled up a weight class, but pinned his opponent with five seconds to go in the first period. Max erased a 6-1 deficit in doing so. Senior Ethan Lewis (113) defeated his opponent, 9-4, while Freshman Nathan Shapiro (113) pinned his man in 1:16. Just back from Africa, Senior Akiva Goldberger showed no jet lag as he pinned his opponent in the second period. Senior Raphi Chernoff (138) won his match with a second period fall, after racking up a 10-0 lead.
The following night, the Aces traveled much further than Evanston to wrestle in a quad meet at Walther Christian in Melrose Park. The first match of the evening was against Class 3A powerhouse Riverside-Brookfield H.S. While they lost, 63-10, Chernoff prevented a shutout as he cruised to a 16-6 major decision. Senior Joey Silverstein (170) capped the match off in fine fashion, as he pinned his opponent in the second period. On the JV mat, Shapiro, Freshman Ray Goltz (132), Senior Tuvia Sokoloff (145), and Sophomore Binyamin Krohn (138) all had impressive victories.
ICJA next squared off against host and regional rival Walther Christian. In a match critical for tournament seedings, the Mustangs defeated the Aces decisively. Nevertheless, Chernoff pinned his opponent in the second period, as did Junior Yosef Marcucci (152). ICJA fared better on the JV mat, as Goltz, Freshman Jake Gordon (138), and Sophomore E.J. Halpert (160) all earned victories.
Ida Crown closed out the evening with a 63-0 shutout of Guerin H.S. Lewis and Shapiro led the way by pinning their opponents in the first period. Senior Sam Bellows (145) had the most exciting bout of the match, as he dispatched his opponent with a 12-10 decision. The ICJA wrestlers return to action on Thursday against Deerfield H.S., currently ranked #8 in the Illinois Class 3A rankings.