Wrestling: Drennan putting it together for Carmel

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Updated: March 3, 2012 8:11AM

On the first day of wrestling practice this season, it was a coin flip as to whether Carmel Catholic sophomore Jake Drennan would make varsity or spend another year at the lower levels.

As a freshman, Drennan won about half of his matches.

“It was a question of, if he would be able to put some things together and learn how to win,” said Corsairs coach Bob Kuykendall.

Drennan responded to the challenge.

Not only did he win a spot on varsity and fight his way to a .500 record, he made a major impact during Friday’s East Suburban Catholic Conference league tournament. Drennan advanced to the finals at 120 pounds before falling to Marist’s Mario Leveille.

Marist went on to win the title with 214 points. Carmel (70.5) finished fourth, a half-point ahead of Nazareth Academy (70).

“He really put together a nice semifinal match,” Kuykendall said. “Even though he’s had a good season, this was a nice surprise. He did a really good job in the tournament.”

Drennan said he showed patience as he probed for the right opportunity.

“When I saw his head was close to his knee, I went for a cradle and was able to pin him,” Drennan said.

Part of Drennan’s ascent this season can be traced to the competition he faces in practice each day. Each week, he has to battle Pat Kotek for a spot in a varsity match. Kotek placed first in the JV conference tournament.

“They push each other; each guy has to raise his game,” Kuykendall said.

Teammates enjoy the way in which the two compete in practice.

“(Drennan) had a challenge match to fight for his spot each week,” said junior Jake Cochrane. “He’s really becoming a good wrestler.”

Kuykendall wants Drennan’s performance at the conference meet to serve as a catalyst in his development.

“His technique has really improved, and he’s done a nice job of getting better every day,” he said. “I hope he us this as a springboard.”

So does Drennan.

“I’m happy with how I did, but I know I need to wrestle throughout the off season and get stronger,” he said.

‘Heartbreaker’: Cochrane (285) put himself in position to be a conference champion for most of the championship match, before being pinned by Marist’s Josh Hickey.

“That was a heartbreaker for us because he was wrestling almost a perfect match,” Kuykendall said. “He was really dominating; he just made one tactical error, and the kid took advantage.”

Cochrane lost to Hickey earlier in the season.

“I was moving well side to side so he couldn’t attack my legs,” Cochrane said. “He’s really good at the cradle, and he got me in the third period.”

Still, this has been quite a season for Cochrane (30-5). Last year, he was a frosh-soph state champion.

“We have high expectations for him in the postseason,” Kuykendall said. “He’s just has to be on and ready to go.”

Recap: Carmel, hoping to finish third, was not disappointed with its fourth-place finish.

“We had four empty weight classes, so I thought we wrestled about as well as we could have,” Kuykendall said. “We’re a really young team, and we finished ahead of the teams that we had beaten in conference duals.”

Marty Schwartz (132) also finished third, picking up his 20th victory of the season in the process.

“He works to take advantage of every opportunity to score a point,” Kuykendall said. “He always hustles and is a joy to coach.”

Brodie Palm (106) and Jimmy Dandino (152) also finished third, while Joe Salvi (126), who’d never wrestled prior to high school, placed fourth.

“They’re just starting to put things together,” Kuykendall said.

On the schedule: The Corsairs will compete in the Antioch Regional on Saturday.

“We tell the kids that everybody’s record is now 0-0,” Kuykendall said. “It’s a brand new start.”

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East Suburban Catholic Conference

Tournament standings: 1. Marist (214), 2. Notre Dame (172.5), 3. St. Patrick (108), 4. Carmel (70.5), 5. Nazareth (70). 6. Marian Catholic (65), 7. Joliet Catholic (43), 8. St. Viator (11)