Dunbar, Lane ready for sectional

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Dunbar rebuilt rapidly.

The Mightymen weren’t on anybody's radar when the season began, but they made their mark two weeks ago when they won the first regional title in school history.

The celebration at the Old Country Buffet in Chicago Ridge might as well have been hosted by the Pump Room.

"We ate like kings [that night]," said John Price, who qualified for the state tournament.

"Coach worked us hard and it seemed about midseason everyone started catching on," Price said. "Coming in we thought there was a good chance we could win ... but you just never know what can happen. It was an incredible feeling winning the regional. We just went crazy."

z"Our guys just wouldn’t be denied," Dunbar coach Lloyd Jimenez said. "Having the plaque to show at the school was great. We had a lot of kids with their chest puffed out the next day."

With no previous wrestling experience, the Dunbar kids were anxious to learn.

"We just drilled the basics hard," said assistant coach Mike Buss. "We got beat up by Montini and some other programs, but it gave our guys a chance to see how the top teams wrestle and how hard they have to work.

"Our guys are always raring to go. If we had an optional practice we’d always have everyone there; we practically have to throw them out."

Ameer Bogan (171), John Hill (215) and Price all won regional titles.

Tuesday night at St. Rita in the dual-team sectional, they’ll have a difficult battle against Lane.

"I think our guys will come out strong and want to make a statement,” said Lane Tech assistant Quinton Smith, who was a member of the Indians' team that placed fourth at state in 2000.

"We have some young guys who have a chance to compete at the State level in a couple of years. There’s a lot of pride with this group. They understand the tradition we’ve had at Lane. It’ll be a great atmosphere."

Tsogt Ganbold (125) and Justin Cobb (130) were state qualifiers for Lane. Raymond Baranda (135), freshman Chase Wilson (140) and Yuriy Koverko (160) give Lane Tech ample muscle.

The Indians qualified for the dual-team sectional in 2005 and last year, but didn’t win a match.