Scouts are at their best at Lisle Tournament

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Richard Daniels (top), seen here winning a JV match at Lake Zurich on Friday, has shown a lot of promise this winter. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: February 20, 2012 8:18AM

Lake Forest High School sophomore wrestler Regis Durbin had varsity-level talent all along.

The key was for Durbin to believe he could wrestle consistently at the top rung. Durbin took a significant step in that direction with an impressive performance at the Lisle Tournament on Saturday. He finished second in the 160-pound weight class.

“A big part of wrestling is experience and confidence, and I think he’s starting to believe in himself,” said Scouts coach Matt Fiordirosa.

Durbin has rotated this season between JV and varsity.

“We wanted to keep him on the junior varsity and get him some wins, and develop that confidence,” Fiordirosa said.

Saturday’s performance could be just the first step in what might be a rapid emergence. Durbin is able to quickly process instructions from the Lake Forest coaching staff and implement that into his attack. His varsity record now stands at 8-3.

“He buys into everything we teach,” Fiordirosa said. “When we show him something, he takes it to the mat. He’s very easy to coach.”

Breaking through: The Scouts put together their best performance of the season, finishing sixth in the 12-team field.

Not surprisingly, senior Chance Shea (170) led the Scouts. He ran his record to 18-4 after pinning all three of his opponents. Shea imposed his will quickly and never let a foe entertain any ideas of springing an upset.

“He broke all three of his opponents by the middle of the first period,” Fiordirosa said. “He scored quick takedowns and kept bringing them back down. He keeps the pressure on, and when the other kid makes a mistake, he capitalizes. He’s really starting to peak, and he’s doing so at the right time. He’s (experienced) and really understands his strengths.”

Erik Wasser placed third at 132. Like Durbin, Wasser has logged time on both varsity and JV.

“He doesn’t always have the best technique, but his drive and aggressiveness helps him a lot of matches,” Fiordirosa said. “As he improved his technique and becomes a more skilled wrestler, he can be really tough.”

George Karkazis (138) finished in fourth place. Fiordirosa said he could, literally, see Karkazis improve with each match at the tournament.

“He doesn’t have a lot of experience, but he’s probably one of the most skilled wrestlers on the team,” Fiordirosa said.

Ryan Wang also helped the cause, winning three matches at the tourney.

Staying the course: As frustrating as it can be for Lake Forest, the Scouts continue to forfeit the majority of the weight classes when they face well-established conference opponents. That was again the case against Lake Zurich High School on Friday.

“We have such quality teams in our conference, and we don’t want our (young wrestlers) to get demoralized and beat up all the time,” Fiordirosa said.

That’s why Thursday night’s home dual against Lake Forest Academy and North Chicago High School is so important for LF. The Scouts have invited youth wrestlers from the area to attend in the hope of raising the program’s profile.

“The more kids we can interest in wrestling, the better,” Fiordirosa said.

Although the Scouts need to beef up their numbers, Fiordirosa is encouraged with the progress being made by the promising freshman and sophomore classes.

“They’re coming along,” he said. “They have a lot on their backs, and they’ll be a big (catalyst) for our program.”