Wrestling: Deerfield sends seven to Barrington Sectional
by jon kerr Contributor February 7, 2012 5:40PM
Deerfield's Lenny Bloom claims the 145-pound championship at Saturday's regional at Stevenson. | Brian O'Mahoney~for Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: March 10, 2012 8:24AM
Deerfield’s Christian Hoogheem was waiting for his next wrestling match, much like he’s done countless times.
Only this time, he was pacing.
The situation? Saturday’s Stevenson Regional. But before the Warrior could begin his 120-pound championship bout against’s Lake Zurich’s Gresh Henderson, the third-place match had to end.
The challenge for Hoogheem? His twin brother, Keven, was battling — in overtime — on the mat right in front of him. And there was quite a bit at stake. If Keven won, he’d advance to sectionals. If he lost, his season was over.
“I had a lot of stuff going through my mind,” said Christian Hoogheem. “Of course, when your brother is that close in overtime, my heart was racing. It was, ‘Come on, come on, come on.’ ”
Keven Hoogheem prevailed, ousting Palatine’s Javier Rivera 3-1. The victory also served as a catalyst for Christian, who dominated his first-place match with Henderson, winning 11-4.
Any brotherly rub-off effect?
“I was, like, ‘Yes, time to go,’ ” said Christian Hoogheem. “It really fired me up for my next match, really pumped me up.”
Although never tested to prove they are identical, it’s difficult to believe the brothers are not, down to their exact hair cuts (short and light colored) and body types (tall and lean). A couple of distinctions: Christian is older by eight minutes and prefers a particular salad dressing.
“He loves blue cheese. He eats it with everything,” said Keven Hoogheem. “I hate it, it’s terrible.”
While Keven won’t be sharing blue cheese with his brother, he will be sharing a mat with him as they both prepare for sectionals. Their regional performances ensure another week of wrestling for the brothers — and a week of harmony at home.
“There won’t be any arguments. One of us would be sad and mopey while the other would be happy,” said Keven Hoogheem. “It will be a good experience.”
Recap: The Warriors came up short in their quest for an overall regional championship, finishing in second place at Stevenson. Deerfield had 155.50 total points to Barrington’s 233.50.
But Deerfield still qualified seven wrestlers for sectionals: three champions and two runners-up. Those advancing are Keven Hoogheem (30-7) at 113; Christian Hoogheem (29-7) at 120; Lenny Bloom (35-1), who won the title at 145; Tyler Pohn (20-7), the runner-up at 170; Jim Kirby (30-7) at 195; Artie Bess (33-1), the champion at 220; and JJ Nawrot (20-13), the second-place finisher at 285.
Bloom dominated his bracket early, pinning Palatine’s Deon Bell in 1:42 and beating Cary-Grove’s Garrett Glueck by a major decision (11-2). The title bout was a tough one — but Bloom came out victorious over Buffalo Grove standout Jordan Rathje (31-3) by a 6-3 score.
Pohn certainly had it rolling in the early going. He pinned BG’s Kyle Wisnewski (4:31) and Cary-Grove’s Patrick O’Malley (2:22). He then was defeated 9-3 by Barrington star Cameron Thomson, who upped his record to 34-1.
Kirby kept his season alive by pinning Cary-Grove’s Greer Bozeman in quick fashion (:49) in the third-place match. He was defeated 5-3 in the semifinal round by the eventual champion: Barrington’s Ryan Wilt (28-7).
Best was the best at 220. After pinning Stevenson’s Corey Edidin in the semifinal round, he edged Barrington’s Daniel Davidson 3-0.
Navrot joined the 20-win club with a semifinal win over Buffalo Grove’s Eddie Haro 3-2. He then was pinned in the title bout by Barrington’s Ben Calamari in 5:20.
Deerfield coach Marc Pechter was quick to praise his team, yet disappointed in the overall finish.
“There‘s going to be difficult, stressful matches — both physically and mentally — and you have to tough your way through it,” Pechter said. “If you have a let-up in a tournament like this, it’s going to cost you. There were some matches in the wrestlebacks I felt we should have won (and) we didn’t get it done. We want to win. We’re right there, and I want to get over the hump.”
On the schedule: Deerfield’s qualifiers compete in the Barrington Sectional on Friday and Satu
Comments Click here to view or make a comment