Huntley senior Josh Stenger already has a fourth-place medal from last year’s state meet.
So Stenger’s enthusiasm after an upset loss in Saturday’s 120-pound regional finals wasn’t surprising because the Red Raiders’ newfound team success has become his rallying point.
“At the beginning of the year, we were kind of optimistic about what the team would be like, but we weren’t really sure because we’d lost key seniors,” Stenger said. “And then the first few weeks we were really scrambling at some weight classes.”
It has all come together for Huntley in coach B.J. Bertelsman’s sixth season, resulting in the wrestling program’s first conference and regional titles.
“I remember what it was like as a freshman and we’ve come so far as a program,” Stenger said. “The attitude was nothing like this.
“A lot of us are so fired up going into (individual) sectional this weekend after doing what hadn’t been done before. I see legitimate opportunity where we could even make it downstate as a team.”
Huntley will face Wheeling on Feb. 21 in the Class 3A Rockford East Team Sectional. The Red Raiders will have 10 wrestlers vying for individual state berths in Friday’s Barrington Sectional.
“Our program is only 17 years old,” Bertelsman said. “So it’s not like we have tradition to fall back on like a Glenbard North, where you might have 100 kids trying out.
“The first couple years here were really rough. We were celebrating a season once when we’d get above 30 kids out. It’s not easy to convince kids to do the toughest sport in the world.”
Stenger (36-7), a Wisconsin-La Crosse recruit, will be seeking his third straight trip to state.
Huntley’s sectional contingent includes regional champions Zach Spencer (126), Sammy Spencer (106), Luke Loprieno (138), David Ferrante (152) and Juan Quiroz (160). Teammates Joey Armijo (132), Justin Allen (182), Jimmy Pellegrino (113) and Christian Benitez (285) also qualified for sectionals.
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The success of Sammy Spencer (38-9) and Ferrante (25-2) as freshmen have provided a major spark. Stenger saw Ferrante’s abilities from the outset.
“He’s tough mentally, and physically just a beast,” Stenger said.
Third-seeded Loprieno (35-14) became an inspiration in the regional when he captured first place. Zach Spencer (38-10), who won the regional title for the first time, will be looking for his third straight trip to state.
“Spencer goes out there and goes head-to-head against everyone,” Bertelsman said. “He wins some, loses some, but whatever he does, he keeps getting better
“He’s like a lot of our guys. They’ve wrestled a lot and against the best.”
Bertelsman points to Stenger’s year-round leadership for elevating the program.
“I remember back when we had one kid involved in offseason wrestling, but we had six at Fargo nationals and he was one of those with Team Illinois,” Bertelsman said. “If Ferrante hadn’t been hurt in spring, it would have been seven.
“Those 30 or 40 spring wrestling matches are so important.”
In what shapes up as a difficult 120-pound bracket, Stenger will try to shrug off his surprising 14-9 loss in the regional finals to DeKalb freshman Jose Fabian.
“He was a good wrestler and I think mentally I wasn’t ready,” Stenger said. “I froze up once that first takedown occurred, and eventually he broke me.
“Honestly, I think it showed me what I need to work on and it humbled me.”
Veteran leaders with state medals aren’t beyond refresher courses.
“You can’t relax out there and expect to win everything,” Stenger said.
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