The Lincoln Way West Warriors maintained their winning streak by defeating Downers Grove North 46-24 in a wrestling matchup ahead of the Regional tournament.
According to head coach Brian Glynn, the Warriors entered the contest after securing a 10-1 victory against Homewood-Flossmoor. The Trojans, coached by Chris McGrath, held a 19-5 record. Both teams were in strong form as they approached Regionals. "This was a great tune-up before regionals," Glynn said. "They’re a good program and had a great year, so this was a good test. I thought we wrestled some of our best wrestling of the year, which is great moving into Regionals." Glynn also noted the positive momentum as players returned from injuries.
Glynn further commented on the return of key players: "It was good to have a couple of guys back, like Jacob Zwinski and DJ Freeman," he said. "Our schedule was tough early in the year, but we’ve gotten better each week. If we keep it up, we’ve got a lot of guys who can make a deep run in Regionals."
Initially trailing with Downers Grove North winning the 106-pound match 5-2 for a 6-0 lead, Lincoln Way West responded by winning the next match at 113 pounds with a score of 21-5 to take a 6-5 lead. The Warriors then won six consecutive matches, including victories at 120 pounds where junior Max Mountain defeated his opponent 11-3. Mountain reflected on his improvement since losing to the same wrestler earlier in the season.
"The first loss was early in the year, and he beat me pretty handily, 14-3," Mountain said. "That stuck with me all year, and I worked toward getting better for this matchup. Today, I just stuck to my game, stayed in my zone, and it paid off."
Lincoln Way West continued their dominance with wins at 126, 132, 138, 145, and 152 pounds for a commanding lead of 30-6. Despite strong performances from Downers Grove North in later bouts, Lincoln Way West held firm. Junior Hayden spoke about his match at 145 pounds and shared thoughts on Regionals.
"It was a good match. I had some good scrambles, and I managed to come out on top," Hayden said. "We’ve been practicing hard, and our season has been solid. We just need to keep pushing and make it to sectionals and beyond."
The Trojans managed victories in the 160-pound match and earned a pin in the 182-pound match but ultimately fell short as Lincoln Way West secured wins at both 190 and 220 pounds for an overall score of 46-18.
Despite their defeat, McGrath praised Lincoln Way West's performance: "Coach Glynn does a great job," he said. "We knew they were a top ten team in the state, and we scheduled this match to prepare for the state tournament. They won the key swing matches."
Looking ahead to Regionals preparation continues for Downers Grove North with senior Samuel Castro emphasizing resilience: "The plan is to wrestle hard for all six minutes regardless of injuries," Castro said. "We want to make each other better and keep pushing toward our goals."
As both teams focus on success at Regionals this match served as an important test before entering into further competition phases.