Hampshire holds off Prairie Ridge rally to win Fox Valley Conference opener

HAMPSHIRE – Hampshire entered the 2024 wrestling season poised to break through to the top of the Fox Valley Conference after climbing toward the top in coach Matt Todd’s first two seasons at the helm.

The Whip-Purs got a good reminder Thursday how hard taking that final step will be.

Hampshire showed off its depth and held off a late Prairie Ridge rally to win its FVC opener, 46-34.

“[We’ve been] pretty much putting the work in to get there,” junior Deegan Kischke said. “We all got to be on that grind.”

Kischke kept up that grind late in his match at 113 pounds to help secure Hampshire (2-2, 1-0) a needed FVC win. With the Whips holding a 34-28 lead with three matches left in the dual, Kischke ran out to a 3-0 lead in the first period.

He kept pushing and built his lead to 7-0 before eventually making a nice move on PR’s Johnny Cabano to win by fall. The Whips and Wolves exchanged forfeits in the final two matches.

“[It] took me a while to finish him, but ended up getting the pin,” Kischke said. “It was a pretty good match, but I came out on top.”

Kischke secured a tighter win after the Whips built a 28-10 lead midway through the match. Senior Austin Savoia got Hampshire’s first win at 138 by pin, then senior Chris Napriokowski started a stretch of four straight wins when he took 150 by pin. Junior Aric Abbott (157) won 11-0, sophomore Jasper Hintz earned a win by forfeit, and junior Gio Marino (175) won by pin.

Freshman Knox Homola earned the Whips’ fifth pin at 285, and junior Lou Jensen won by forfeit.

The Whips picked up the win without some starters out with injuries. Seniors Aidan Rowells and Sam Beamon, junior Mike Brannigan and sophomore Andrew Salmieri were all out, while sophomore Carter Hintz left his match at 215 with an injury.

Depth can be the key to win a tough conference like the FVC. That came through for the Whips on night one.

“They knew what was at stake and what we had,” Todd said. “They stepped up and did their job, and that’s something we’ve been kind of preaching all week.”

Senior Mikey Meade started the dual by winning at 132 by pin for PR (0-3, 0-1). Sophomore Frank Matviychuk (190) won by fall, junior Kingston Marinakis (144) took his match 20-9, while seniors Jake Lowitzki (120) and Walter Pollack (215) and freshman Tymen Robinson (106) each won by forfeit.

“[We’ve been] pretty much putting the work in to get there. We all got to be on that grind.”

—  Deegan Kischke, Hampshire junior

First-year coach Ross Ryan said the Wolves were still trying to make their weight, which prevented them from filling out a full lineup. But Ryan liked the buy-in he’s seen since he took over.

“There’s an excitement and a buy-in to the messaging we’re telling. It’s not about the outcome,” Ryan said. “If we can focus on the process and improve our process, outcomes will start to take care of themselves.”

Both teams will continue their growth this weekend at the Rockford East Tournament. The Wolves resume FVC action at Crystal Lake Central on Thursday, Dec. 12, while the Whips host Cary-Grove the same night.

The Whips got a good reminder of what it’ll take to ultimately achieve their dream of winning the FVC.

“We always have to keep working,” Kischke said, “and putting forth toward what we want.”