Boys wrestling regional: Mihalopoulos earns 100th win, many advance
HUNtLEY – A senior who gained his 100th career victory and a determined junior will lead the way for Huntley’s boys wrestling sectional qualifiers.
Led by champions senior Markos Mihalopoulos at 285 pounds who secured his 100th career win and junior Vlad Maluhin, 144, almost the entire Red Raiders varsity boys wrestling team moved on from the IHSA Regional Feb. 3 to the two-day Class 3A Sectional at Barrington Feb. 9-10.
A total of 10 HHS wrestlers, finishing in the top three of their weight class, move on with a chance at the IHSA Individual State Tournament Feb. 15-17 in Champaign.
Sectional qualifiers, in addition to Mihalopoulos and Malhuin also include: second place, Alex Gutierrez, 126 pounds; Gavin Nitschke, 132 and Radic Dvorak, 157.
Qualifying with third places were: Colin Abordo, 106; Cameron Abordo, 113; Shane McGuine, 150; Alex Napientek, 165 and Wyatt Theobald, 190.
Mihalopoulos achieved his 100th career victory in his second triumph of the day. He won all three matches by second period pins. He goes to Barrington at 37-8 for the season. He secured the achievement despite a COVID-19 shortened freshman season.
“I didn’t really start to think about it until mid-January,” Mihalopoulos said of 100 career victories. “It was a weight lifted off my shoulders to get it, and here in my final home meet. Next week I’ve got to work extra hard and maintain my health. It was nice Maluhin won his weight class, too. The whole team did real good.”
Mihalopoulos began his wrestling career in middle school, and his talents have led to a college scholarship next fall at Campbell University in North Carolina.
“Mihalopoulos did good and it was nice to see him get the 100th win,” Huntley coach BJ Bertelsman said.
Mihalopoulos started the regional with a win by pin over Colton Vancura of Rockford Guilford in 2:37. He beat Ayden Goodwin of Machesney Park Harlem by pin at 2:38 for his 100th win.
Mihalopoulos and his teammates cheered as Jacobs’ Rocco Sauer upset rival Joey Ochoa of Hampshire (who finished third, so he may square off against Mihalopoulos at sectional), before Mihalopoulos beat Sauer by pin in 3:01.
Maluhin wrestled in 25 matches for a 13-12 record this season at 144. His lower match total was due to a hand injury. He picked up three victories at regional, two by pin and one via decision, to move on to sectional.
“I was really determined, and I just believed in myself,” Maluhin said.
In the final, Maluhin said he was going up against a stronger opponent than he in Max Aranki of Rockton Hononegah, which was a 7-1 win. “But the coaches had me ready for that and I took a 5-0 lead,” he said.
“Overall, I thought we wrestled pretty good today,” Bertelsman said.
HHS finished in second place in team standings to Rockton Hononegah, 249.5 to 193.
Qualifiers’ records
Alex Gutierrez at 126 pounds, who has a 18-14 record; freshman Dvorak won twice by pin before a tech fall defeat and is 32-12. Fellow frosh Nitschke took second at 132 for a 26-10 mark as he won in a last-second 9-7 decision but lost by technical fall in the final.
McGuine, a senior, was third at 150, 34-11 record, and was 5-1 on the day, ending in a victory by decision. Napientek, a senior, was 3-1 at 165, gaining a 9-4 win for third and is 26-9.
Theobald, 28-18, recovered from a second round loss to end third at 190, with a win by pin in the third place match.
Colin Aborodo, 106, has a 28-13 record while Cameron Abordo is 25-14 at 113.
