For Red Devils Wrestling, Experience Is Key

There’s a lot of familiar faces in the wrestling room this season.

The Red Devils wrestling roster for its 46-9 opening dual-meet victory Nov. 23 against Naperville North featured 11 returning varsity wrestlers from the 2010-11 season. The 14-man lineup included three seniors, eight juniors, two sophomores and one freshman.

“Last year we had a couple holes in the lineup,” sophomore Brian Allen said. “This year we’re pretty solid.”

Allen is the only returning Red Devil who qualified for the state meet last season. He finished third at 215 pounds as a freshman. He’s wrestling at 285 this season.

The team graduated Allen’s older brother Jack, who now plays football at Michigan State, and Terry Ward, who both qualified for state in 2010-11 and were the team’s leaders. Jack Allen was state champion at 285 and Ward finished fifth at 145.

“It’s a little different not having them in the room,” Brian Allen said. “We’re still trying to find a guy who’s going to lead.”

The team finished sixth of out 30 at the Moore/Prettyman Memorial Wrestling Invitational in Barrington Nov. 25-26. Allen took first at 285 and eight other Red Devils finished in the top eight of their weight.

Senior captain Jimmy Grimm said a lot of the team was bumped up a weight class over the weekend.

“Getting down to our regular weights, I know we can dominate this year,” said Grimm, who normally wrestles at 145 but competed at 152 in Barrington.

Grimm is among those 11 returning varsity wrestlers from 2010-11. The others include Allen, juniors Marco Del Rosario Rivera (106 lbs.), George Tolbert (120 lbs.), Tommy Ward (132 lbs.), Louis Skibicki (138 lbs.), Tim Glavin (152 lbs.), Andrew Pyle (195 lbs.), and senior Justin Katzovitz (220 lbs.).

Ward and junior Ernest Battaglia, who has wrestled at the junior varsity level so far this season, were state quarterfinalists two seasons ago in 2009-10.

New to the varsity roster this season are senior Joey Tosello (182 lbs.), juniors Pat Eaton (113 lbs.) and Chris Miller (170 lbs.), sophomore Keith Schmidt (160 lbs.), and freshman Juwan Edmonds (126 lbs.).

Grimm said being a senior and returning varsity wrestler means sharing your experiences with those who are inexperienced in an effort to bring them along.

“It’s individual when you’re out there,” Grimm said, “but you’re carrying and supporting your team, as well.”

Notable meets on the regular season schedule include Friday’s dual at York, a dual at Oak Park River Forest on Dec. 15, the Rex Whitlach Tournament at Hinsdale Central Dec. 16-17, and the Berman Classic at Palatine Dec. 27-28.

Allen said he wants to win an individual title this season, and the goal for the team is to compete at state in the dual competition. Grimm echoed the latter.

“We want to win some type of trophy; we’re one of those underdog teams right now.”