Eisenhower Jr. High School Takes 2nd Place at IESA State Meet

This past weekend nine Eisenhower Jr. High School wrestlers represented the city of Darien in the 32^nd annual IESA State Tournament in DeKalb. Throughout the weekend the Generals saw themselves bounce back and forth in either first or second as a team, holding steady with the eventual champions DeKalb Clinton Rosette.  In the end, the team fell just eight points short in the second closest IESA state wrestling tournament point race in the past 18 seasons.  EJH finished with 152 team points in their highest finish in team history, marking the team’s fourth Top-4 finish in the past five years.

Individually, Coach Phil Esposito moved five of his individuals into State Title matches.  Ahmir Hooks at 70lbs., Nick Carlson at 100 lbs., Joe Nugent at 105 lbs., Rob Regan at 119 lbs. and 135 lb. wrestler Ramarro Lamar looked to take championships for the Generals by executing dominating performances throughout the brackets. The fantastic five won thirteen matches by pin and only allowed a combined total of ten points scored against them in 15 matches.

 Joe Nugent, in true storybook fashion, emerged as the individual 105 lb. state champion by defeating two undefeated opponents on the way to capping the tournament off with a come back victory in the championship match. Joe began the tournament on Friday evening with his 100^th career pin, a notable milestone at any school level of the sport.  On Saturday Joe faced two undefeated opponents in a row defeating his Sterling opponent 4-2, before dismantling the state’s top ranked wrestler from Mt. Zion by a score of 6-2.  In the finals Joe found himself down 5-0 after being taken down to his back 15 seconds into the match, but held strong and fought off the pin.  During the second period Joe caught his Normal Kingsley opponent in a headlock, squeezing for 40 seconds before finally gaining a PIN to become the 2011 State Champion.  Joe finished with an Eisenhower Jr. High School team record of 131 wins and 101 career pins. Joe finished with 32 pins this season, only one pin short of his older brother John’s record of 33.

Rob Regan, who placed 2^nd at 119 lbs., entered the State Tournament undefeated. Rob, who was making his third straight State appearance, lost in a thrilling 6-5 match in the finals to the States top ranked wrestler. Rob dominated the tournament with a pin, 7-1 win against an undefeated wrestler, and 2-0 win against his arch nemesis from Homer Glen.  Rob put together an amazing season, finishing 39-1 this season with 20 pins.  Rob finished his EJH career with a record of 105-27 and 66 pins.

Nick Carlson, who was making his 2nd straight State appearance. wrestled an amazing tournament.  Nick started the tournament off with a pin and a 10-5 win in his second match.  Nick advanced to the finals by defeating a Wilmington opponent 3-0. 

In the finals Nick lost a tough match 6-2, against an undefeated Barrington Prairie wrestler.  Nick closed the season at 36-7, and 23 pins.

 7^th Grade State Favorite, Ahmir Hooks, started the tournament out with a 18-1 pounding against last year’s state runner-up. He won his second match, 3-0 before earning a birth into the finals with a 50 second semi-final pin.  Unfortunately, Ahmir fell just short of the title, losing 3-1 against an 8^th Grade opponent he defeated in an overtime Sectional championship match.  He finishes the season 30-4 with 19 pins.  Ahmir will look to become EJH’s first three-time State Placer in School history next season.

Eisenhower’s fifth State finalist was second-year wrestler Ramarro Lamar.  Ramarro was the only underclassman competing in the 135 lb. weight class.  Ramarro pinned his way into the state finals with three falls, before eventually being pinned by an undefeated, top-ranked Antioch opponent.  On the season Ramarro finished with a team high 40 wins and 29 pins. 

7^th Grade wrestlers, Brendan Caccavale (65 lbs) and Patrick Wilson (215 lbs), missed All-State honors by one match.  Brendan began with a 11-1 win and 6-2 victory before losing 8-1 against the eventual 5^th place wrestler.  Brendan returned strong by wining 14-2 before being defeated in his final match to the eventual 3^rd Place finisher.  Brendan finishes at 32-7 and 13 pins.  Brendan looks to earn his third straight State appearance next year.

Patrick won his first match of the tournament by pin before losing the following match to the eventual state champion by fall.  Patrick then secured another pin, and valuable team points, before losing by pin to the 6^th place finisher.  Patrick finishes season 25-10 with 17 pins.

8^th Grader, Nick Rich, pinned his first opponent before losing by pin to be eliminated. Nick finished with a record of 27 wins and 14 pins in his first Varsity season. 8^th Grader Christian Lopez earned his first trip to State this season.  Christian finished with 26 wins and 14 pins on the year. 

The 2010-2011 will be remembered as another remarkable campaign, some illustrious careers, and approximately 300 hours of hard work and dedication that the top wrestlers put in to achieve their ultimate goals.  Coach Esposito thanks the strong support that the wrestling parents (current and former) gave along the way. “We look forward to representing Darien with another state trophy in 2012 as we continue our tradition of showing Eisenhower PRIDE!!!” exclaimed Coach Esposito.