Yorkville remains unbeaten with dual win over Oswego

YORKVILLE – “Hammer time” is not a good time for Yorkville’s opponents.

That time is arriving at 150 pounds during duals this season and concluding at the end of the 215-pound match while the Foxes are simultaneously wrapping up victories.

It happened again during Thursday’s Southwest Prairie Conference dual against Oswego as the Foxes got a pin, three technical falls, a major decision and a forfeit from their hammers during a 49-19 victory.

Yorkville improved to 12-0.

“When we get to the meat of the lineup at 150, it’s hammer time,” Foxes coach Jake Oster said. “We score a lot of points from 150 to 215. Looking at results recently, I think from 150 to 215 we’ve lost two matches total in our 12 duals. And that’s the heart of the lineup and where we have four state place winners.”

Sophomore Van Rosauer earned a 13-2 major decision over Dillon Griffin at 150 before Jack Ferguson won by tech fall at 157 after his sixth takedown of the match earned him the 19-4 victory with 1:04 remaining in the second period.

“I always try to get to my stuff,” Ferguson said. “If you have a kid and you know you’re better than them, then you want to work on your stuff, work on takedowns, perfect your craft, try new things. That’s always the goal, and to put up points, too. Bonus points can be a game changer in a state dual.”

Ryder Janeczko piled up the points via his attack in a 21-5 tech fall win over Cooper Wynn at 190.

“We work hard in the room, and everything we do, we do with a purpose,” Janeczko said. “We all go out there expecting to dominate and that’s what we do. (Wynn) was a pretty strong kid. I’m focused more on my neutral takedowns this year and becoming more offensive than defensive. So I went out with that game plan and it worked for me.”

Landon Jenkins got the Foxes started with a 15-9 decision over fellow sophomore Nolan O’Grady at 113.

Yorkville freshman Vince Konecki won by 18-5 major decision against junior Lazar Krstic.

“It helps with the (Yorkville Wrestling Club) that kind of breeds the kids so they always step up,” Ferguson said. “We can always expect good kids coming in. Landon Jenkins made a big jump in the offseason. He’s a name to look for. And (freshmen) Julius Cole and Vince (Konecki) are doing good. And Julius wrestled up a weight to 138 and is about 132. He’s an exciting wrestler to watch too. They’re all solid and should be state placers, qualifiers coming up in the next few years.”

Liam Fenoglio earned a 16-0 tech fall early in the third period to finish off Raynen Ruffin at 120 for the Foxes.

“We focus on scoring a lot of points and getting out there and ending the match quickly,” Oster said. “When we take control of matches and start pouring the points on, the other guy is going to quit and that’s what we focus on.”

Oswego junior Aiden Ortiz got the Panthers first of four wins with a hard fought 18-9 major decision against Nathan Craft.

“He wasn’t an easy guy to fight,” Ortiz said. “I had to scramble and stuff like that. The hard work paid off.”

For the first time this season Oswego senior Vince Manfre had to go the distance to prevail. He won 15-9 against Cole at 138.

“First period I was pretty much in control,” Manfre said. “This was my first match I’ve wrestled the full length this season. I could’ve finished him off, but kind of ran out of gas. I kept my energy and kept the lead and got the win.”

Oswego senior Brayden Swanson pinned Dominic Recchia in 2:08 to take the 144-pound match.

“This was another match at the end of day,” Swanson said. “I looked at the scoreboard and knew what was best for the team was a pin so I put all my effort into that one move. It could’ve gone both ways with a little scramble there. It was just about staying positive in tough positions. It’s a mentality thing.”

Recchia had previously got the best of Swanson twice a couple years ago.

“I lost to him two times sophomore year so I feel this shows how I’ve improved since sophomore year and just grown as a wrestler in general,” he said. “It gives you a boost of confidence at the end of the day. I’ve seen what it takes to improve and at the end of the day it’s back to the drawing board for tomorrow.”

Oswego’s Isaiah Ratliff pinned Drevon White in 1:51 to win the final match of the night at 285.

Both teams have tournaments coming up this weekend.

Oswego is going to Hinsdale Central’s Rex Whitlatch Invitational for the first time after wrestling in Glenbrook South’s Rus Erb Tournament for years.

“That should be a great test,” Panthers coach Andrew Cook said. “We’ve had a good start and we’ve had some tough duals against some tough teams. We’re continuing to learn and grow and that’s one thing we talk about a lot - the steps to get yourself better for the second half of the season.”

Yorkville is heading to Harlem in Machesney Park for the Dvorak. It’ll be the Foxes' first tournament of the season.

“It’ll be a good test to see where we’re at,” Oster said. “We’ll see some top-level competition this weekend, which should give us an opportunity to see where we are at. We’ve wrestled some good teams in duals but want to see what we can do with two or three matches like that in a weekend.”