Boys Wrestling: Wheaton North’s Elijah Cook, with eye on state, has strong showing at Dvorak

MACHESNEY PARK – Elijah Cook’s lone goal in his ‘last hurrah’ as a senior is to make it to Champaign in February.

Cook, a Wheaton North senior, has endured a long road to hopefully make it there.

As a sophomore in his first varsity campaign, he won just two matches. The following season, Cook endured a right shoulder injury midway through the season and missed a number of weeks. Appearing at sectionals, Cook battled to a tough loss in the second round of the consolation bracket to a competitor he’d previously beaten in regionals.

“I don’t try to set my sights too high. I try to take things one step at a time,” Cook said on Saturday during the first day of the 34th annual Dvorak tournament at Harlem High School. “But, just to have a frame of mind, my goal was to make it to Champaign first – just to go to state – and qualify. Then worry about the rest when I get there.”

Cook won his first two decisions in the 182-pound championship bracket before falling in the quarterfinals to Mount Carmel’s William Jacobson in a 8-5 decision. In the second round, Cook bested Conant’s AJ Hernandez in a 9-3 decision.

That particularly victory was arguably a bit savory, as Hernandez defeated Cook in the first round at last year’s Dvorak tournament.

“He cradled me twice in the second period and pinned me,” Cook recalled. “So to come back and beat him 9-3 is a really good feeling because he’s a higher-level wrestler. I’m starting to get comfortable wrestling at the higher level because sometimes, my self-esteem is not what it should be. Winning matches like those gives me a lot of confidence.”

“I’m not ashamed to admit that,” Cook continued. “I try not to think about myself too much and just focus on what I need to do. Just going through things like that, that helps my esteem and builds me courage for the future, too.”

Cook and the Falcons sit 19th out of 39 schools entering Sunday.

Sam Lemp (138) won his quarterfinal over Aurora Christian’s Patrick Mullen by technical fall. Devin Medina (160) lost his quarterfinal to Marist’s Ricky Ericksen in a 5-3 decision. Mikey Rosch (170) also lost his quarterfinal to Lincoln-Way East’s Ari Zaeske by fall.

Falcons freshman and 138-pounder, Ryan Rosch, has impressed Cook so far this season.

“I would say he’s impressed me the most because he’s the brother of our 170-pounder, Mikey, who is a state qualifier,” Cook said. “The people [Ryan] has faced, he’s wrestled [St. Charles East junior and two time state champ] Ben Davino and stuff. He’s been holding his own pretty well. The people he’s beaten, he’s saved a lot of our dual meets and he’s beat a lot of guys, when he went into the match, [it appeared uncertain how it’d go] and he’s come back and pinned a guy in the third period or he’ll score bonus points.”

“As a freshman, he’s really doing a lot and it’s impressive to me,” Cook continued.

Montini junior and 152-pounder David Mayora, who placed third at the IHSA state meet last season, won in a 7-3 decision over Hersey’s Parker Sena in his quarterfinal match.

“[That state loss] showed me where I was at,” Mayora said. “Obviously, I had a little way to work, but I wasn’t far off. So, it kept me driving:That hunger to be a state champ.”

Mayora was injured at the time of Dvorak last season, so this year was his first time competing.

“I see every other tournament as just another way to get practice in,” Mayora said. “It just takes a lot of stress off. For me, this is just another tournament; another opportunity to show people what I can do. More importantly, just show myself what I can do.”

Conant’s Ethan Stiles (160) defeated Montini’s Will Prater in the quarterfinal by technical fall as the other championship bracket quarterfinal competitor.

“Montini, we’re not re-building. We’re just re-shaping,” Prater said. “The heart is still there. The team is all there and I think that’s all pushing me to be an example, encourage the guys and keep everybody going. Bring more people in.”