Wrestling: Evanston goes 6-for-8 at conference meet

• Reprints

Evanston's Simon Gratch knocks Maine West's Jake Korbecki into the air in the 138 lb. weight class at the Central Suburban League conference tournament on Jan. 21, 2012, at Maine East High School in Park Ridge. | Rob Hart~Sun-Times Media

Updated: February 27, 2012 8:48AM

With six weight classes vacated, the Evanston wrestling team was never going to be among the top teams during Friday and Saturday’s CSL tournament at Maine East.

Yet the Wildkits still produced some solid performances, as five wrestlers placed in the top six of their respective weight classes to earn points. Evanston (50 points) finished 10th in the 12-team event, which combined teams from the CSL North and South.

“I thought we did fair,” said Evanston head coach Rudy Salinas, who allowed some of his younger varsity wrestlers to compete at the JV conference meet. “We only had eight entries, and five of them were in the places. We had some letdowns, but I think we can adjust and improve.”

Evanston’s top finisher was junior Simon Gratch, who finished third at 138 pounds. Gratch lost in the semifinal to Maine West’s Jake Korbecki, but rebounded to defeat Deerfield’s Brian McCann 7-6 in the third-place match.

“Simon was the No. 2 seed from the South, and finished true (to his seed),” Salinas said. “Those decisions against him could go his way once he is a little more seasoned. I’m pleased with his tournament. He had some close decisions. There were no ‘gimme’ matches. He earned every victory.”

Two other Evanston juniors, Kyle Buchanan and Karl Foster, also had strong tournaments, finishing fifth at 170 and 182, respectively.

Evanston senior captain Gabriel Brieva overcame losses to Maine West’s Jordan Pessah and Highland Park’s Danny Cohen to take fifth at 152. Expectations are still high for Brieva (26-9) in the postseason. As a junior, he was a regional champion and fell a match short of qualifying for the IHSA state meet.

“Brieva had a couple of tough losses (at conference). But I expect him to bounce back with a good showing at regional,” Salinas said. “If I had to put money on any guy who could put together a good (postseason) tournament and come through (to qualify for state), it would be Brieva. He is our captain and our rock. He’s placed at every tournament we’ve been to. He’s been a consistent wrestler for us.”

Senior David Dubose came in sixth at 160, and Salinas said he has high hopes for the Loyola Academy transfer during the postseason.

“(At conference), he had higher expectations for himself, as did we,” Salinas said. “He’s got some really fine tools, and he’s dangerous. This won’t set him back, and he’ll be ready for regionals.”

The Wildkits will face Highland Park and Niles North in a CSL double-dual crossover meet at Highland Park, starting at 6 p.m. Friday.

A week later, Evanston competes in the Niles West Regional, which will include the host Wolves, Niles North, Maine South, Maine East, Maine West, Rolling Meadows and Elk Grove.

Salinas said his team will back off its training in the week leading up to the regional.

“We’ll taper off a little bit in the duration, but the intensity will still be there,” he said. “We’ll focus on finishing technique, individual style and strategy.”