The Saint Patrick Shamrock wrestlers swept their final two East Suburban Catholic Conference dual meets, defeating Saint Joseph and Joliet Catholic at Saint Joseph on January 13. The Shamrocks finished the dual meet portion of the conference schedule with a record of 6-1.

Against Joliet Catholic the Shamrocks got a late pin from Brian Rategan at 130 lbs. in the first match for a 6-0 lead, then combined pins by Jimmy Coduti at 140 lbs. and Matt Ortega at 152 lbs. with a pair of forfeits to build a 30-9 edge midway through the meet. Following a loss at 189 lbs, the Shamrocks went back to work as Joe Fagiano (215 lbs), George Vitzileos (275 lbs), and Tony Okal (119 lbs) all pinned their opponents, and Trent Koenig scored a 22-5 technical fall at 103 lbs. The Shamrocks cruised to a 59-15 victory over the Hillmen.

In the nightcap, the Shamrocks took on an undermanned Saint Joseph and jumped out to a 48-0 lead after eight matches on pins by Brian Rategan (171 lbs), and Marty LaBelle (189 lbs), a disqualification at 160 pounds, and five forfeits. Ridley won a decision at 130 lbs to close out the scoring at 68-12.

On Saturday the Shamrocks faced stiff competition in the Hinsdale South Quadrangular Meet, taking on Mt. Carmel and De LaSalle as well as Hinsdale South. In the opening meet, they faced the host Hornets of Hinsdale South. The Hornets took a 22-7 lead after seven matches with Coduti (140 lbs) winning a 7-1 decision, and Rategan (171 lbs) scoring a 13-1 major decision to account for the seven Shamrock points. Fagiano (215 lbs) started the Shamrock comeback with a pin at 55 seconds, and Vitzileos (275 lbs) followed with a pin at 3:08. Koenig’s 7-3 decision at 103 lbs tied the match at 22 apiece, and then Jimmy DiNino (112) put the Shamrocks ahead with a pin at 1:41. Tony Okal earned a 6-4 decision at 119 lbs. to make it 31-22 Shamrocks with only two matches left. The Hornets scored pins in the final two matches for a 34-31 victory.

Following that disappointing loss, the Shamrocks needed to regroup fast, as they faced the seventh ranked team in the state in the Golden Aces of Mt. Carmel. Starting at 140 lbs the Golden Aces built a 24-0 lead after five matches. The Shamrocks rallied with three straight wins as LaBelle scored a pin at 189 lbs, Fagiano earned an 11-4 decision at 215 lbs, and Vitzileos pinned his opponent at 275 lbs, making the score 24-15. Unfortunately, that was as close as the Shamrocks would get. Okal (119 lbs) scored the Shamrocks’ final three points with a 4-2 decision as Mt. Carmel pulled away for a 45-18 win. The meet was closer than the final score would indicate as the Shamrocks lost five matches by close decisions.

The Shamrocks’ final match on Saturday followed a similar path as the first two. The Shamrocks fell behind De LaSalle 13-0 before four consecutive pins by Rategan (171 lbs), LaBelle (189 lbs.), Fagiano (215 lbs), and Vitzileos (275 lbs) put them ahead 24-13. In the next four matches, Jimmy DiNino’s 9-0 decision was the only Shamrock victory, and Saint Patrick held a 28-26 advantage with three matches left. At 130 lbs, Ridley went to overtime tied at one with his opponent, only to lose on a takedown in OT, and then Steve DiNino dropped a 6-2 decision to make it 32-28 De LaSalle. Coduti lost the final match by a score of 4-2 in overtime to make the final 35-28 De LaSalle.

The Shamrocks face Grant High School on January 19 in their final tune-up for the E.S.C.C. Championships on January 27 at Marist.