Lemon looks to rebound at Whitlatch

Updated: March 22, 2011 4:46PM

It has been hard for Rasheen Lemon to forget the last two Whitlatch

Invitationals at Hinsdale Central.

Lemon, Proviso West's top wrestler last season, has entered each of

the last two tournaments with undefeated records only to pick up his

first two losses each time.

Lemon finished seventh in 2009 and sixth in 2008. But this year Lemon

already has two losses. He suffered his most recent loss Friday night

in a dual meet against visiting York. In a battle between seniors and

returning Class 3A state qualifiers, York's Jim Nudera defeated Lemon

5-3 at 189 pounds.

The win was York's first in the dual meet. The meet started at 160

pounds and the Panthers won the first two matches before Nudera put

the Dukes on the scoreboard. York won 41-19. Proviso West had only

four winners.

This weekend's 45th annual Whitlatch Invitational features 26 teams.

The meet starts at 4:30 p.m. Friday and continues at 9 a.m. Saturday.

The finals will be held around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The favorite is

Sandburg, which is ranked No. 4 by YourSeason.com.

"Weird things happen," Lemon said. "I always struggle at Hinsdale

Central, but this year I think I'll do pretty good."

The Panthers hope to improve on last year's 12th place finish at the

Whitlatch. Proviso West was sixth in 2009.

"The team is looking forward to it," Lemon said. "(York) was a

learning experience. We'll see them in the regionals next."

Proviso West scored 87 points, but did not have any top three

finishers at Whitlatch last season. Lemon (12-2) is one of three

returning place finishers, including Christian Harris and Malik

Thurman, who also appeared in last year's state meet. Thurman was

sixth at 152 last year and Harris was seventh at 112.

Lemon's struggles at the Whitlatch have come in the quarterfinals each

year. He entered last year's tournament with a 15-0 record and then

lost to Sandburg's Saed Al-Azzam 5-3 in the quarterfinals. Lemon went

3-2 in the tournament. In 2008, Lemon was 13-0 at 160 heading into

Hinsdale Central, but lost 3-2 to DeKalb's Devon Walker. Lemon's final

loss at that tournament was 5-3 to Hinsdale South's Tim Miller.

After the York dual, Lemon conceded that he does not yet feel 100

percent. Lemon was a wide receiver-defensive back for the Panthers'

playoff football team in the fall.

"I'm still working on conditioning," Lemon said. "I have to get back

in the (wrestling) room and work harder."

After Whitlatch, Proviso West has only one remaining meet until the

end of the year. The Panthers host a quadrangular at 9 a.m. Dec. 28.

"We get a little break, but we still practice," Lemon said. "The

Whitlatch tournament can be real tough. It will help you a lot to get

to the next level of the season."

Senior Malik Thurman opened the York dual meet with a 21-9 win over

John Marino at 160. Junior Shaquille Pittman beat R.J. Kleinhans 8-5

at 171 to pick up a second consecutive win for Proviso West.

Derrick Curry picked up a win for the Panthers at 125 over A.J.

Weiger, 11-5, and sophomore Jameer Thurman ended the dual meet with a

7-1 victory over Sergio Lopez at 152.

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