Wrestling: Mundelein’s Long, Ornoff, Winberg advance to sectional

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libertyville- Wrestling.Libertyville Regional. | Joe Cyganowski~For Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 10, 2012 8:25AM

As a sophomore, Mundelein High School wrestler Jake Long came within one victory of advancing from regionals to sectionals.

But he then competed in the frosh-soph state tournament, and finished second at 140 pounds.

“I got to go Downstate and face intense competition,” Long said. “It was an awesome experience.”

That experience set the stage for a productive junior season at 152. This time around, Long took the next step during Saturday’s Libertyville Regional. He defeated Grant senior Ryan Volpe in the consolation finals to qualify for the Barrington Sectional.

“I think I’ve been able to improve all season,” said Long, who has more than 30 victories to his credit. “I’m better at holding guys down and getting more pins.”

Long overcame an early setback, and advanced through the backdraw to the consolation final.

“We tell the guys that if you lose in the tournament early, the goal is still to survive and advance,” said Mustangs coach Tom Buenik. “He did a great job of coming back and taking third. He wasn’t scared or nervous. He attacked on offense and was aggressive.”

Although it will be Long’s first sectional appearance, Buenik believes the ace Mustang will be well-prepared.

“He showed last year that he was among the best sophomores in the state,” Buenik said. “Hopefully, that will continue to pay off for him in big tournaments now.”

The Mustangs finished in sixth place overall with 86 points. Grant (180) edged Libertyville (174.50) for the title.

More qualifiers: Senior Matt Ornoff (138) entered the regional undefeated, and was not seriously challenged on his way to a title. In the final, Ornoff claimed a 7-0 decision over rival Wade Lardy of McHenry.

“He went out there and wrestled his match,” Buenik said.

It was the rematch of a sectional title bout last season.

Ornoff always has been a great technician. This season, strength has been just as big of an asset.

“That was the missing piece,” Buenik said.

Senior Dan Winberg (132) dropped a decision early in the regional to the eventual champion, Abel Rios of Zion-Benton. Winberg plowed his way through the backdraw and defeated Warren’s Blake Howard 8-5 in the third-place match.

“It tests your character to come through the wrestlebacks,” Buenik said.

What was the key for Winberg?

“He stuck to what he does best,” Buenik said. “He keeps the match simple for himself and wrestled effectively. He had to wrestle some really tough guys, and he executed all the things that we’ve been working on. He’s a kid who wants success and has worked really hard. It’s nice to see.”

Close calls: The Mustangs saw four wrestlers finish in fourth place, just one victory short of advancing to sectionals. Sophomore Ray Ceniceros (106), fell to Zion-Benton’s Anthony Munoz 3-1.

“It was a close match and a great experience for him to be in that situation,” Buenik said.

Sophomore Matt Hutchison (113), who missed his entire freshman season with a shoulder injury, made major strides this season.

“He had a good shot of finishing third, but he gained a lot of experience,” Buenik said.

Senior Spence Ward (160), who had one of his best performances of the season, won three consecutive matches.

“A lot of people overlooked him,” Buenik said. “He beat some kids with some really good records.”

Junior Javier Dominguez (170) came close, but lost to Libertyville’s Austin Koziol 6-5.

“(Dominguez) had beaten that kid earlier in the year, so that will motivate him throughout the offseason,” Buenik said. “He’s a 160-pounder and he wrestled up throughout the year. He never complained and showed a lot of toughness.”

On the schedule: The Barrington Sectional is set for Friday and Saturday.

“We’ll focus on getting better at what we do, and get mentally prepared to go out and compete,” Buenik said.