LAKE HUNTINGTON — In their first home match of the season, the Sullivan West wrestling team hosted John S. Burke Catholic on Wednesday, December 20 in Lake Huntington. The Bulldogs would fall to the Eagles, but coach Scott Haberli was proud of his boys for hard fought matches. Sullivan West has begun this year with their own program, separating from the duel team with Eldred. 

“We are getting used to doing our own thing and being our own program,” Haberli said. “We wrestled them [Burke] very tough and even in the matches we lost we fought hard.”

Haberli noted how Rally Cruz had a tough match in a losing effort against Frank Shaw of Burke. The coach also said Alec Hubert battled hard against Justin Hanson and came out on top. He also talked about how Brandon Tellen had a really good match in a winning effort over Burke’s Kevin Bennett. 

Haberli also talked about a couple of the exhibition matches that he is equally proud of.

“Todd Walter got his first win on the mat,” he said. “He is hooked on the sport as well as the rest of the boys. I am very proud of the work they put in today.”

There were a total of five forfeits, as well as three no contests, in the full lineup, with the whole event being completed in under an hour. 

Yellowjackets win matches

Although no longer a dual program, the Eldred wrestling team still shares the same schedule with Sullivan West. The Yellowjackets had three wrestlers compete against Burke Catholic last Wednesday evening – Cohen McGill, Luke Potter and Josh Warming. All three of them won their respective matches against their Burke counterparts.