Wrestling: Neuqua’s Andrew Geers advances to title bout
BY CURT HERRON For Sun-Times Media February 16, 2013 12:18AM
Marmion's Alex Fritz (left) battles Neuqua Valley's Andrew Geers (right) during state wrestling. | Matthew Grotto~Sun-Times Media
After Brian Allen beat Andrew Geers in the third place match at 285 pounds in last year’s Class 3A finals, the anticipation began for a rematch between the two this season.
The unbeaten big men hadn’t met yet in 2012-13, but that situation will change on Saturday when the pair meet up for the ultimate prize.
Neuqua Valley’s Geers improved to 40-0 and Hinsdale Central’s Allen moved to 47-0 after they each claimed semifinal wins at the Assembly Hall in Champaign.
Geers moved on after claiming a 3-1 victory over Marmion’s Alex Fritz. He also beat Downers Grove South’s Mike Hobbs 12-0 in the quarterfinals.
“Andrew’s where he wants to be,” Wildcat coach Mick Ruettiger said. “He’s wrestled a great tournament and took it one match at a time and he’s ready to go after it in the next match. He’s relaxed and ready to step on the mat and perform. This is a matchup that he’s been looking forward to.”
Naperville Central’s Luke Roth bounced back from a 4-1 overtime loss on a tiebreaker to Providence Catholic’s Vince Ambrose with a win in the wrestlebacks.
The Redhawk senior needs to win his first match on Saturday in order to assure himself of a medal for a top-six finish.
In his wrestleback match on Friday, Roth captured a 3-1 overtime win over St. Charles North’s Wes Pasholk.
“When you’re thinking about being a state champion and when that effort is done, it’s time to get refocused and to get the next best thing,” Redhawks coach Rob Porter said. “It’s a testament to Luke’s character that he was able to put those feelings aside and stat concentrating on the next effort.
Metea Valley’s Breon Hoosier (170) also won his first wrestleback as he stayed alive in a bid to become the program’s first medal winner.
In the wrestleback, Hoosier captured a 3-2 victory over Harlem’s Sean Jones.
“I want to be the first to be a medalist at Metea Valley,” Hoosier said. “I’m going to get something to eat and relax the rest of the day and then get ready to wrestle tomorrow. So far, all of my hard work has been paying off.”
Naperville North’s Wayne Yuan (113) and Naperville Central’s Ben Williamson (132) both lost their first wrestleback matches.
