Wrestling: Plainfield North capitalized on pin advantage over Plainfield East

Updated: December 8, 2011 9:09PM

Nick Curby and Clinton Polz share the distinction of having wrestled for the University of Illinois and being from families with rich legacies in the sport.

The two coaches at Plainfield high schools also are hard at work trying to make the most of their own experiences in order to build solid programs.

While things are still very much a work in progress for both North’s Polz and East’s Curby, their squads have shown signs of progress this season.

However, one thing that both the Tigers and Bengals need to do a better job of is keeping off of their backs, as was seen when they met on Thursday.

Ten matches were determined by falls and thanks to a forfeit, only three bouts went the distance, with a pair being decided in overtime.

The Tigers capitalized on a 6-4 advantage in pins to help them claim a 39-35 Southwest Prairie Conference victory over the host Bengals.

East (3-5) took a 17-12 lead six matches into the meet but North (4-2) responded by winning five of the next seven to establish control.

“It was too sloppy and there were way too many falls,” said Polz, who is in his first year at North. “I like when we get them but I don’t like when we get pinned. There were too many matches where kids didn’t fight hard enough to avoid giving up more bonus points.

“Where we’re at right now is kind of where I’d like to be, but not everyone is there. We have a few guys who are way up high and a few guys who are too down low but not enough guys in the middle who can hold their own.”

The Tigers got pins from Mark DiNardo (170), Jake Drewry (182), Grant Smiley (113), Justin Smiley (126), Steve Myers (145) and Nick DiNardo (152).

Getting falls for the Bengals were Tracy Westerfield (195), Zach Costello (120), Jake Mayon (138) and Nick Laboy (160) while Cody Hughes (106) won by forfeit.

East’s Tim O’Sullivan (220) won a decision and Matt Yates (285) added a 4-2 overtime win over Nick Wolf. North’s Alex Smith (132) beat Jaquawn Davis 8-6 in overtime.

“One thing that we talked about is if want a chance to beat teams like this, we have to stay off of our back,” Curby said. “We’re getting better at it and guys are fighting  a lot harder than we used to. If we eliminate the bonus points, then we win the dual.

“But we’re getting there and the kids really believe in what’s going on and are working their butts off. It’s just a matter of continuing to gain experience so that we can move in the direction we want to head in.”

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