Seniors set winning tone for Knights

Kaneland's Josh Kuefler gets thrown down by Geneva's Erik Hansen in the 119-pound match.
(Heather Eidson/Beacon News)

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MAPLE PARK - Kaneland senior A.J. Wagner wrestled his last match on his home mat on senior night Thursday, and it did not last very long.

The 215-pounder scored the Knights first victory, notching a pin in twenty seconds in the third match of the contest and propelled Kaneland to a 39-34 victory over Geneva in a Western Sun Conference dual.

Five more falls were recorded for the night, but only one went to the Knights.

Heavyweight Jimmy Boyle followed Wagner and he earned a pin in 3:07. Boyle led 7-0 after his third takedown and he maneuvered into position for the fall.

"I'm glad I went early to give us a spark," Boyle said. "(Jake Mills) was on his back and was trying to get his arm through, but I knew we needed the six points. I squeezed and ended up sticking him."

"I think A.J. set the tone," said Kaneland coach Monty Jahns. "He's wrestled really well the last few weeks. The seniors all came through tonight. They set the tone prior to the meet and got the team ready."

Wagner was certainly ready. He grabbed Josh Miller, swept out his legs and then muscled Miller's shoulders to the mat. Nearly as quick as the referee's slap of the mat, the match was over.

"That's definitely the quickest match I've had," Wagner said. "I had all my confidence as it was senior night, and you've got to win on senior night. I didn't want to waste any time."

Geneva forfeited three matches, but the Vikings (4-11 overall, 1-4 WSC) claimed seven wins. Will Duerr (171 pounds) opened the meet with a 15-2 major decision. He led just 2-0 after two minutes but tallied 10 points in the middle period. Ryan Ward put the Vikings ahead 10-0 with a pin 1:22 into the first period.

Ward scored three takedowns before putting his opponent on his back and getting the three count. Giving away 18 points, the Vikings were aggressive from the start.

"We knew had some guys out and I knew I had to get a pin if we wanted a chance at winning the meet," Ward said. "I wanted to get a quick pin, but I also wanted to work on a couple of things."

"In the practice room we've worked on getting tougher as a team, and tonight we were aggressive," Ward added.

Boyle's win by fall put the Knights (10-16, 2-4) in front 12-10, but the Vikings answered with three straight wins. Mike Hendrikson (103 pounds) recorded a fall at the 5:39 mark after a grueling match with Ryan Goodenough. Hendrikson led 5-0 entering the final period and garnered a three-point near fall before using everything he could muster for the pin.

"I just put the legs in and tried a bunch of different stuff," Hendrikson said.

Sean Canfield (112) earned a technical fall when he scored a 17-0 win with 35 ticks left in the third period and Erik Hansen added to the Vikings lead with a 13-1 major decision.

Senior Matt Weaver (135) regained the lead for the Knights when he scored a reversal and pin after nearly being pinned. Weaver broke free from Derek Larsen and caught him on his back with 23 seconds remaining in the second period.

Senior Jay Levita (145) scored a 6-1 decision for Kaneland while Keith Reilly (140) tallied a 3-1 win for the Vikings.

Jeff Martens (161) ended the meet with a fall for Geneva. Leading 2-0, Martens pinned his opponent with 43 seconds left in the first period.

Wrestling: Kaneland 39, Geneva 34