Polo, Forreston programs make noise

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Let’s head to the western side of the county to see what’s up in winter sports. Two things stand out – Polo co-op wrestler Lucas Nelson and the Forreston boys basketball team.

Nelson was recently recognized for being a 100-match winner, which is a notable achievement. For Nelson, it is even more notable in that he has accomplished this with only one arm.

There have been four wrestlers in Illinois with 200 wins, but all had the use of two arms. I wonder if anyone else with one arm has 100 wins in their career?

Nelson, from Forreston, is also a few pins away from the school record for pins.

“I’m not sure how Lucas does it,” Polo wrestling coach Jesse Culbertson said. “When I try to explain a technique (based upon using both arms), he somehow is able to figure it out on his own. Once he gets you down on the mat, it’s a problem for you.”

It was a treat to watch Nelson wrestle in the championship match at Polo against the son of someone I used to cover 25 years ago. Nelson Benesh, son of Jeremy Benesh, defeated Lucas Nelson to claim the 132-pound title.

Another unexpected treat was seeing an old high school classmate from Rochelle honored for officiating his last meet after 44 years of service. After a couple of knee replacements, Kevin Barringer has decided to step away from the mats after the Polo tournament. He will still continue to work football games with his son Cole, Roy Snyder and Matt Martin.

“Doing wrestling meets has been a great way to give back,” said Barringer, who looks forward to watching his grandsons wrestle for Oregon.

In looking over IHSA individual records, the one mark locally that stands out is 182 consecutive wins by Josh Alber of Dakota, a four-time state champ. The next best mark is 132 straight wins.

Naysayers could claim that Alber benefitted from being in less-competitive 1A. True, but he took on all comers, including the top 132-pounder in the nation in Glenbard North’s Jered Cortez, also a four-time champ.

At the elite Dvorak tournament, Cortez took an early 2-0 lead, but Alber rallied for a 5-3 overtime win in front of a jam-packed Harlem gym. Any questions about Alber’s validity as one of the all-time bests in Illinois, regardless of class, was answered.

Though it is preferable to have a three-class system in wrestling for fairness and statewide participation, I miss the old days of one class where truly the King-of-the-Hill was crowned.

Looking for its first winning season in six years, the Forreston boys basketball team (11-7) under coach Jake Groom is well on its way to attaining that goal. And, they are a young team with Brendan Greenfield the only senior that regularly plays. The rest of the line-up is filled with freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

As impressive as its wins are, the losses to ranked teams even more so. They were down by double digits in the first half against Eastland and then cut it to four in the second half. Against No. 1 Pecatonica, they trailed by 16 in the early second quarter and made it to a four-point game in the fourth quarter. Mixed in was a narrow 63-57 loss to Le-Win, another team near the top of the conference standings.

The Cardinals came back from a 12-point deficit in the first half and beat a decent Kewanee squad. A bit of a surprise was a 71-37 blitzkrieg over Polo, as Kendall Erdman tallied 32 points and Greenfield adding 18 points and 12 rebounds.

“We emphasize the break and board battle more than anything else and are showing a lot of grit,” Groom said. “When good teams go on runs, we limit their runs and don't let it bother us. Our guys have taken on a next man up and just play mentality. Their level of coachability has been excellent through this stretch and it shows in our ability to run an efficient half court offense and be successful on the defensive end playing multiple defenses and holding teams under 50 a game.”

The longer the season progresses, the more team bonding occurs, creating a culture where players care for one another and rally around each other when injuries occur or other factors. That’s an important facet.

Just ask someone like the Chicago Bears, whose dysfunctional culture was a factor in many close defeats. Good coaches insist on discipline and unselfishness from their players.

One final note on the Polo wrestling tournament, which is one of the longest running in Illinois at 61 years:

Besides watching the action, there is something reassuring about being in a gym with coaches, wrestlers and fans that you have known for generations. Additionally, the meet still retains a home-style, but efficient approach to it.

The same faces that have been working it for years and years and are always present. You don’t get that kind of familiarity at bigger schools.

Losing my spouse five years ago leads to occasional loneliness and though that void will never be filled, it sure is nice to be welcomed with open arms at a wrestling meet in Polo. Indeed, a comforting place to be on a winter day.

Andy Colbert is a longtime Ogle County resident with years of experience covering sports and more for multiple area publications.