Wrestling: Deerfield’s Bloom, Bess, Nawrot claim CSL crowns
By jon kerr Contributor January 24, 2012 6:02PM
Deerfield's Jordan Lieberman (right) wrestles Highland Park's Irvin Perez in the second round of the 106 bracket in Saturday's CSL Tournament. He won 3-2 and later took runner-up honors. | Rob Hart~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 27, 2012 8:13AM
One characteristic of a successful team is the ability to win when not performing at its best.
For example, Deerfield High School wrestlers earned three titles during Friday and Saturday’s Central Suburban League conference meet. The Warriors placed a total of 14 wrestlers among the top six in their respective weight classes.
By most accounts, that’s a pretty good day.
Deerfield finished second overall behind league champion New Trier. Arguably, that constitutes an underachievement for the Warriors, who have won four consecutive CSL North crowns.
Cause for concern?
“It’s like any team — you can’t wrestle your best every weekend the entire year,” said Deerfield assistant coach Aaron Cohen. “It’s a long season. I don’t think we wrestled our best.”
Deerfield (20-2) received first-place trophies from the usual suspects. Lenny Bloom (145 pounds) took down Maine West’s Rico Zayas for his second straight CSL title. It was a come-from-behind win for Bloom (28-1), who won with a 6-2 decision.
Competing at 220, Artie Bess (27-1) easily won his third straight conference title, posting a 11-2 decision over Glenbrook North’s Jacob Suter. Then, at 285, JJ Nawrot (16-11) defeated Maine West’s Robbie Jones (3-1) in a rematch of the CSL North championship bout earlier this season.
For Nawrot, who finished fifth a year ago, the win was significant for his team, but also for his growth as a wrestler.
“It shows how hard I’ve worked and that I can compete at a high level, not only in the conference, but with others in the state,” said Nawrot, a junior. “I hope to place at State. (The CSL meet) was a good marking in my development.”
Nawrot isn’t the only Warrior with high expectations. Consider the CSL meet a minor speed bump on a road paved with individual goals, which — if reached collectively — will take Deerfield’s program to unprecedented heights.
“Coach (Marc Pechtel) says the season is a rollercoaster — going up and down, up and down,” Cohen said. “Our goal is to peak and be the best the last three weeks of February.”
Solid showing: When you have a deep tradition such as Deerfield’s, competition within the roster can elevate a young wrestler’s skill level.
Take Jordan Lieberman. A junior wrestling at 106 pounds, this is his first year on varsity. Long, hard practice bouts with program veterans such as Sam Tortorella and Christian Hooghem serve as apprenticeships for a grander stage.
“We’ve always had strong lightweights on our team,” said Lieberman, who is now 20-8 on the season. “They’ve really helped me to become the wrestler that I am.”
The league meet was Lieberman’s time. He won two matches, earning a spot in the finals against New Trier’s Colin Kenyon. After a slow start, Lieberman never let the moment overtake him, gaining an escape in the final seconds. Despite losing the match, it was a resilient performance, providing fuel for the Warriors’ charge to regionals.
“Our first test is the regional,” Lieberman said. “If we wrestle tough and don’t give up pins, we can definitely win.”
Recap: Keven Hoogheem just missed earning a title, losing to New Trier’s MJ Pritchard 4-3 in the 113 championship. Hoogheem (26-4) had two pins in the meet.
Christian Hoogheem placed third in the 120 bracket. He pinned Glenbrook South’s Amra Otgonbaatar in his final bout to improve his overall record to 26-5.
Jack Eisman helped the Warriors with a fifth-place finish at 126.
Eisman, a senior, has been slowed this season due to illness. He’s working his way back.
“He’s definitely not where he needs to be, but every day he’s getting stronger and stronger,” Cohen said. “I’m hoping his time will come, and he’ll fit back into his own self at regionals.”
At 132, Sam Tortorella defeated Niles West’s Isaac Reinemann 11-6 in the third-place match.
Brian McCann lost a heartbreaker at 138, falling to Simon Gratch of Evanston 7-6 in the third-place bout.
Doran Zimmerman managed a sixth-place showing at 152 pounds.
Brett Madison (160) took fifth place.
At 170, Colton Emmerich was a fourth-place finisher.
Oh so close. That’s how it came out for Deerfield’s Zach Perbohner. He was edged 2-1 by Niles West’s Vaughn Monreal-Berner in the 182 title bout.
Jim Kirby, who recorded two pins in the tourney, ended up with a 1-point loss to Maine West’s Zach Watson, 5-4, in the 195-pound third-place match. He’s now 23-6.
On the schedule: The Warriors host Maine South and New Trier Friday night, and then hit the road for a dual meet against South Elgin and Glenbard West on Saturday.
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