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IMPORTANT LINKS**
Spring Tournament Entry Forms
- 2013 Brian Kelly Memorial Classic - Sunday, April 21st
- 2013 Cougar Classic - Sunday, May 5th
Sol Rappaport's 2012-13 Cougar Wrestling Photo Gallery
Reminder to Wrestlers: If you're planning to attend the Malecek Team Camp on June 24-27th, your $100 deposit is due May 7th. Make check payable to Vernon Hills H.S. Wrestling.
Jordan Reich finishes 3rd in State!
Reich ready for another shot at state
By George Wilcox | Vernon Hills Review
CHAMPAIGN — After finishing third in his state wrestling meet debut, Vernon Hills’ Jordan Reich feels he can do even better next season.
The junior’s only loss came in Friday night’s Class 2A semifinals at Assembly Hall, when eventual state champion Danny Swan of Oak Forest beat Reich 4-3 at 106 pounds. Reich (46-6) claimed third by pinning Montini’s Jimmy Pawelski (32-20) at 1:53.
“After that loss you have to let it go. You have to move on,” Reich said. “I thought I wrestled pretty well. Obviously, I did not wrestle my best. I beat that kid before. It is what it is.”
Reich met Swan earlier this season and defeated him 3-1 in overtime.
“I knew I had the potential to place. My goal was to win it,” Reich said. “I didn’t reach my goal, but I still wrestled pretty good.”
Reich became Vernon Hills’ third different state medalist in the last three years. He follows 2012 state champion Jeremy Brazil and Gideon Yim, a state runner-up in 2011.
Teammate David Pierce came within one win of earning a medal at 145 pounds, but lost 5-2 to Springfield’s Haratio Austin in the wrestlebacks. Joe Blitstein lost his only match at 285.
Cougars finish 6th at Leyden
Vernon Hills’ Reich no longer a pushover
by Gary Larsen | Vernon Hills Review
VERNON HILLS — When Vernon Hills junior Jordan Reich was an 84-pound freshman wrestling at 106 pounds — and getting manhandled by bigger, stronger wrestlers — the sport wasn’t particularly fun for him.
“I got pushed around a lot,” Reich said. “I couldn’t finish my shots and I was just getting overpowered.”
Knowing that the key for any wrestler lies in the space between his ears, Vernon Hills wrestling coach Jerry Miceli stayed in psychologist’s mode that season.
“He was giving up 20 pounds to the guys he was wrestling, which at the time was about a quarter of his body weight,” Miceli said. “I didn’t want him to get discouraged, and we just kept telling him not to worry about wins and losses that year.”
Reich ballooned all the way up to 95 pounds his sophomore season. He was a sectional qualifier, and he finished the season with a 29-19 record.
“All I did was eat last year, so that was fun,” Reich said. “I just had to keep on fighting during my freshman year, even when I felt like giving up. I knew I’d get bigger the next year, and I did.”
During the past two offseasons, Reich attended Fargo’s national high school tournament, and he also trained at the Overtime School of Wrestling, one of Illinois’ top training venues for high school wrestlers. He continued to fill out physically, and is now cutting weight in order to wrestle at 106. The additional weight has made all the difference.
Reich improved to 26-3 en route to winning the title at 106 during Saturday’s Leyden Invitational. Heading into the tournament, Reich was ranked third in Class 2A by Illinois Matmen, behind Oak Forest’s Danny Swan (No. 2).
After Reich won a 5-2 semifinal decision against Conant’s Danny Madonia at Leyden, Swan was waiting for him on the title mat. The match was tied 1-1 after three periods, before Reich earned a takedown in overtime to nab the crown.
“(Swan) was tough,” Reich said. “It was a tough match and I hit a fireman’s (carry) for the takedown. I felt really good. I controlled my matches, didn’t do more than I had to, and did enough to win. That’s what I wanted to do.”
All three of his losses this season came at 113.
“I learned more from those matches than from any others I wrestled this season,” Reich said. “Those losses made me better and got me more prepared.”
And where he was once pushed around as a freshman, the junior Reich is now doing the pushing.
“He’s beating guys that may have beaten him before, just because he’s filling out the weight,” Miceli said. “He’s having a great year.”
Other award winners at Leyden included: Brae Cruz - (2nd, 126 lbs.), Joe Blitstein - (2nd, 285), David Pierce (3rd, 145), Zach Eckstrom (3rd, 182), Ben Rappaport (4th, 152), Max Rickard (5th, 106).
Results from the 37th Annual Leyden Wrestling Invitational
Wrestling Spirit Wear
Order your 2012-13 Cougar Wrestling Spirit Wear before November 30th for delivery by Christmas! Click HERE for images and order form.
2011-12 Season News
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Jeremy Brazil is STATE CHAMPION!
Brazil earns State Crown
By Mike Clark | Vernon Hills Review; February 25, 2012
CHAMPAIGN — Mission accomplished for Vernon Hills’ Jeremy Brazil, even if it took a while.
Brazil beat Yorkville’s Seth Gonzalez 4-2 in overtime on Saturday night to win the Class 2A state heavyweight title title at the Assembly Hall.
“That was my longest match of the season by far,” said Brazil (45-1), whose only loss came against DeLaSalle’s James Buss, the unbeaten Class 3A winner. Brazil was impressed by Gonzalez, a senior who finished 39-7 and was coming off another overtime match in Friday’s semifinals.
“I give it to him,” Brazil said. “He had really good defense.”
Brazil, who was second at state last season, is Vernon Hills’ first state champ.
Meanwhile, on Friday night, Brazil advanced to the final by downing Carmel Catholic’s Jake Cochrane 5-0.
“I was just trying to get back here (title bout),” Brazil said. “I tried to finish what I didn’t finish last year, finish off with a title.”
All the scoring Friday came in the second period, when Brazil had a takedown and a near fall.
“I had to go out, I had to be as brutal as I can be,” he said. “I had to push the pace. I could tell in the second period I was starting to get to him, pounding on his head.”
The two had met previously in the frosh-soph state series years ago, with Brazil winning both of those matches as well. But he didn’t take this one for granted.
“He’s improved a lot,” Brazil said of Cochrane (37-9).
Vernon Hills' Brazil starts, finishes on top
By Mike Garofola | Daily Herald | February 19, 2012
CHAMPAIGN — There isn't a lot of flash or bling in Jeremy Brazil's wrestling approach — but the big man from Vernon Hills knows how to win.
Atop the Class 2A state polls from the beginning to end, Brazil put an exclamation point on his season with a thriling 4-2 win in OT over Seth Gonzalez of Yorkville to not only win a state championship, but also the first individual crown in school history.
In the final match of a long day of wrestling, the senior provided the killer blow with a cat-like move for a reversal to send coach Jerry Miceli airborne. Miceli went aloft once more — when Brazil picked him and gave him a ride moments after the referee had raised his hand.
“You should have seen (Jeremy) when he was a freshman,” said an out-of-breath Miceli, who still couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. But his success came to him because he worked so hard to become the wrestler that he is — and the best part about him is that he is such a great kid.”
Brazil, who went 40-7 last season on his way to a second-place finish, was as relaxed as anyone could be considering the enormity of the moment, taking a look at the match next to him between 3A heavyweights James Buss and Rob Bain when that match drew a big roar from the crowd.
“Yeah I had to look,” said Brazil, “because let's face it, when the fans cheer heavyweights, something good must have been going on.”
“That's Jeremy,” quipped Miceli. “He's so cool, calm and composed, and it showed in that final.
“We were a little nervous because it was so close, but I knew his opponent couldn't deal with his size and strength, and that was the difference.”
Brazil's lone defeat of the year was to Buss in the finals of the Leyden Invite, but even then it didn't faze the state champion. Brazil accepted plenty of handshakes and congratulations on a mini-victory tour down the big floor at the Assembly Hall. Included were Libertyville coach Dale Eggert and many of his athletes; then Brazil met an eager press crew.
“I had to work and wait four years for all of this,” said Brazil, “but the wait was sure worth it.”
Brazil and Klema qualify for State
By Bob Gosman | Vernon Hills Review
Vernon Hills High School senior wrestler Jeremy Brazil prepared diligently for the Grayslake Central Sectional, held Friday and Saturday.
He left nothing to chance, and was as ready as he could be. Then, Murphy’s Law reared its ugly head. Brazil (285 pounds) woke up in the middle of the night — about 2:30 a.m. Friday — with a fever and stomach flu. He slept throughout his lunch hour, and on the bus ride to sectionals.
“I was trying to get as much of my energy back as possible,” Brazil said. Brazil (41-1) proceeded to easily win his match Friday, and then dominated two more opponents Saturday en route to a sectional championship — and his second consecutive trip to the IHSA state tournament. Last year, he was the Class 2A runner-up. After gutting it out Friday, Brazil said he was about 90 percent recovered on Saturday.
“As the day went on, I slowly got more fatigued,” he said. “I kept some strength in reserve and tried to wrestle strategically. I wrestled a lot smarter and set up my shots more than I usually do.” In the sectional final, Brazil pinned Hampshire High School’s Zach Oranger at the 1:08 mark of the opening period. Perhaps as a way to avoid dwelling too much on how he was feeling, Brazil was much chattier than normal before he wrestled, particularly on Friday.
“He was light-hearted, and talked to other wrestlers and coaches,” said Vernon Hills coach Jerry Miceli. “This was his last sectional, and he was kind of an ambassador of wrestling.” By Sunday, Brazil was starting to feel like himself again. “He’s a better wrestler than he was at this time last year,” Miceli said. “He worked really hard in the offseason; he has more matches under his belt. He’s improved his technique in all three phases of the game.” Brazil said he likes the fact that he will not take an undefeated record into the state tournament. His lone loss came to Class 3A wrestler James Buss of De La Salle at the Leyden Invitational on Jan. 7.
“People come after you even more if you are undefeated,” he said. “It also helps me to know that if I don’t wrestle like I should, I will get beat.” Added Miceli: “He’s mentally prepared and has all the tools he’ll need. He’s in a good place.”
Choice company: Senior Dan Klema became just the second wrestler in VH program history to qualify three times for the state tournament. Klema (152) finished in second place and ran his record to 37-10.
“I don’t know if there’s anyone that works harder than he does,” Miceli said. Klema finished third in a loaded regional, and managed to move up one spot at sectionals. He defeated highly regarded Damon Cloe of Marengo in the semifinals to secure a trip to State. Cloe topped Klema at regionals.
“(Klema) could have lost in the semis, and had to wrestle back for his life,” Miceli said. “We had a really good plan, and I’m proud of him.”
Nice run: Senior Tim Claussen (195) advanced to the quarterfinals before losing there. He finished the season with a 25-15 record. Junior Jake Hallendorff (138) ended the year at 16-12. Brae Cruz (113) came close to being the Vernon Hills’ first freshman to qualify for State. His final record was 26-15. “He beat two kids who beat him previously,” Miceli said. “That shows how much he is improving.”
On the schedule: At State, which will be held at Champaign’s Assembly Hall, will be a three-day event, beginning Thursday. Brazil will open against Gage Park’s Chris Ballard (26-2). He will not face Buss, who will take his undefeated record (38-0) to Class 3A. Meanwile, Klema will don his Vernon Hills uniform and go up against a wrestler from downstate Mt. Vernon — Blake Stricklin (36-4) — in the opening round.
Cougars enjoy big day at Leyden Invite
By Bob Gosman | Vernon Hills Review
Very few wrestling fans exited their seats early during Saturday’s 36th annual Leyden Invitational.
“One guy who left even came back to see it,” said Vernon Hills High School coach Jerry Miceli. Miceli was referring to the much-anticipated showdown at the 285-pound weight class between Cougars senior Jeremy Brazil and De La Salle’s James Buss. The two undefeated wrestlers were on a collision course all day, and sure enough they met in the championship match. Buss prevailed 7-2, but it was still quite a performance for Brazil and Vernon Hills. In fact, the Cougars finished fourth with 139.50 points, edging fifth-place Stevenson (138) in the 14-team invite. Conant (182.5) enjoyed an almost 10-point cushion over its closest competitor, second-place Leyden (173.50). Buss ran his record to 22-0 while Brazil took his first loss and fell to 24-1.
“Both kids were looking forward to that final match,” Miceli said. “It was two warriors going at it.” The entire six minutes was not typical of what you normally see when two heavyweights square off.
“It was all action; there was no stalling going on,” Miceli said. Added Brazil: “It was a good match. I made a couple of mistakes and he capitalized on them, as he should. He wrestled really well and showed me what I need to work on for the state tournament.”
Collective success: It was the best finish for the Cougars ever in the prestigious invitational. Vernon Hills took particular pride in finishing ahead of Stevenson. The Patriots defeated the Cougars on Dec. 9. “Our goal going in was to beat Stevenson,” Brazil said. Depth helped the Cougars finish fourth.
“We had two kids in the finals last year ,and this year we had three,” Miceli said. “Some of our younger kids stepped up.” In addition to Brazil, David Pierce (145) and Dan Klema (152) reached the finals. Pierce (18-6) wrestled a smart match in the semifinals, pinning Maine East’s Pablo Lopez. “He’s stingy with points,” Miceli said. “He knows it’s a six-minute match, and he just grinds on people and rides them hard.” Klema was impressive in reaching the finals, where he lost a 7-2 decision. He improved his record to 22-4.
“That could have been the toughest weight class in the whole tournament,” Miceli said. Miceli said Klema deserves the success he’s enjoying as a senior. “He’s not the most talented kid but he works so hard in the room,” Miceli said. “He’s relentless and I think the other kids feed off that.”
Freshman Brae Cruz continued to impress. He lost in the semifinals, in overtime, and placed third. “When we show him something, he’s not afraid to go out there and try it,” Miceli said. “He’s learned a lot. He’s a sponge.” Zach Eckstrom (182) and Jeremy Sullivan (160) each claimed fourth place. “Zach will keep it close and take it to six minutes,” Miceli said. Jordan Reich (106) finished sixth.
Click HERE for final brackets from the 36th Annual Leyden Invitational
Vernon Hill's Brazil mentoring young Cougars
By Bob Gosman | Vernon Hills Review
Vernon Hills High School senior Jeremy Brazil now has a better appreciation for the fundamentals of wrestling. The catalyst? His role as a mentor/unofficial assistant coach to some of the Cougars’ wrestlers at the lower levels.
“Coaching is totally different,” he said. “You look at things a different way. When you’re forced to break something down for someone, you pick up on all the little things. You see what might be open to use in your matches.”
Cougars coach Jerry Miceli said Brazil is a natural coach and leader. “He’s like a big brother to some of our younger kids,” Miceli said. On the mat, no one seems to want to wrestle Brazil of late. At Vernon Hills’ own quad Saturday, three of his four opponents forfeited (one by injury). Through Monday, Brazil had a perfect 12-0 record. So Brazil spent Sunday with his club coach, working on technique squaring off against one of the state’s best wrestlers, Byron’s Reid Sealby.
“It was frustrating Saturday,” Brazil said. “It was nice to make up for it on Sunday by getting in a really good workout and going live for a bit with Reid. We’ve been wrestling each other since eighth grade.”
Brazil prepared for his senior year by tweaking his weightlifting routine. He introduced clean and jerks and other exercises to best mimic the strength he needs in matches.
“In wrestling, we work muscles that other people don’t even know they have,” he said. “I feel stronger. I’m confident that I’ve improved pretty substantially since last year.” He will get no argument from his coach. “His technique has improved and he’s wrestling with a lot of confidence,” Miceli said. Brazil never takes a day off and that approach rubs off on the team. “No matter what, he’s always ready for a tough workout,” senior Dan Klema said. “He had a huge drive for wrestling and never takes the easy way out. He loves to wrestle.”
Early impressions: Featuring a blend of experience and youth, the Cougars have impressed in the early part of the season. Vernon Hills’ best performance was a second-place finish in the 10-team Maine East Invitational on Dec. 2.
“(The title) came down to the last match against Maine West,” Miceli said. “I was really happy with the way we wrestled. We looked really strong. I feel really comfortable with where we’re at. The guys work hard and don’t screw around. It’s a good group of kids.”
The Cougars defeated Highland Park 60-24 in their own quad on Saturday and dispatched Palatine 44-27. Warren defeated Vernon Hills 43-19. For the first time this season, Klema wrestled at 152 pounds. By Klema moving down to that weight class, it allows rapidly improving Jeremy Sullivan the chance to compete at 160. “That fits our lineup perfectly,” Miceli said. Klema was undefeated coming into the quad, and went 2-1 on Saturday. “Now that I’m locked in at that weight, I’m feeling really good,” he said.
Cougars finish 2nd at Maine East
The Cougar wrestling team started strong over the holiday weekend by placing 2nd at the always tough Maine East Dual Meet Tournament. The Cougars finished the event by beating St. Ignatius 70-6, Glenbrook South 55-15, Proviso West 57-23, Hoffman Estates 48-17. After going 4-0, the Cougars then faced Maine West, who also was 4-0 going into the championship match. Heading into the last bout of match, the score was 33-34 Maine West. Maine West came out on top by winning the last bout and defeated the Cougars in the final by a score of 40-33.
More to follow...
Cougars ranked 21st in State to start season
from Rob Sherrill, Illinois Best Weekly
21. VERNON HILLS (N/A) – another north suburban team that shined in February, the Cougars were well represented at state last year, with senior state runnerup Jeremy Brazil (40-7 at 285) and two other state qualifiers, junior David Pierce (31-15 at 140) and senior Dan Klema (44-10 at 145), leading 10 returning starters. Coach Jerry Miceli also returns seniors Patrick Conrad (14-23 at 130) and Wayne Dider (20-14 at 215), juniors Tyler Nagle (12-19 at 103), Israel Montelongo (10-10 at 112), Ben Turley (9-23 at 152) and Roger Ramirez (4-2 at 160) and sophomore Jonathan Ramirez (15-9 at 135).
Jordan Reich places 6th at USAW Cadet Nationals -
Jeremy Brazil helps Team Illinois win a National Dual Title
VHHS Sophomore Jordan Reich competed for Team Illinois at the 2011 USAW Cadet Freestyle National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota on July 20-22, 2011. Reich competed in the 84 lb. division and went 5-2 over the two days earning All-American status and a 6th place medal. Reich got by Brandon Staley of Florida and Shane Ross of Texas to earn himself a spot in the 5th place bout. In that match, he lost a close 1-0, 2-0 decision to Christopher Cuccolo of New York. You can watch that match by clicking HERE.
Senior Jeremy Brazil meanwhile had another outstanding summer competing for Team Illinois. Competing at 285 lbs., Brazil represented Illinois in both the 2011 Individual USAW Junior Freestyle & Greco-Roman Championships in Fargo, ND over the weekend of July 17-23, 2011 and as a key member of Team Illinois that won a National Title in the 2011 USAW National Freestyle Duals held June 23-27, 2011 in Oklahoma City, OK. At Fargo, Brazil went 1-2 in Freestyle and 3-2 in Greco, just missing a chance at the medal round. In freestyle, Jeremy won an exciting first round match over Alex Henry of Virginia 7-1, 3-0 that you can watch by clicking HERE.
At the Junior Freestyle Duals, Jeremy went 6-3 as Team Illinois defeated Michigan, Tennessee, Washington, Minnesota 1, Oklahoma 2, Georgia and Pennsylvania in pool competition to earn their top seed in the medal round. In the medal round, Illinois beat Wisconsin, Minnesota 2, Iowa and faced Oklahoma for the National Title. Illinois defeated Oklahoma 1 47-12 in the championship dual with Jeremy defeating Evan McGee 2-1, 3-0 in the final bout of the competition. Click HERE to watch that match.
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