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WRESTLING: National acclaim at stake in Dvorak

December 21, 2007
BY SETH SCHWARTZ
The 33rd Dvorak Tournament is a chance for wrestling fans and competitors to get a midseason evaluation of which teams and individuals are at the top of their games.

Montini's Garrett Goebel (15-0, 13 pins), ranked No. 3 by Amateur Wrestling News, might be the nation's premier heavyweight. It's hard to gauge how he would stack up vs. the top five in his class who have earned college scholarships. Goebel will play football at Ohio State.

Goebel's father, Greg, the Broncos' defensive line and heavyweight coach, understood that the skills learned on the mat transfer effectively to the gridiron. He got his son wrestling at age 8.

''When Garrett said he wanted to go out for football [in junior high],'' Greg Goebel said, ''I said, 'You'll go out when you get to high school. I'll teach you everything you need to know about blocking and tackling the night before practice.'''

There's a good reason Goebel has dominated since he was a freshman 215-pounder. At Martinez Elite Kids Program, he absorbed Jose Martinez's lessons and developed an adroit, offensive style. Goebel went 55-1 last season with 34 pins en route to a state title.

''You just don't find a guy with Garrett's size [6-5, 275], speed, strength and skill,'' Montini assistant coach John Dziewiatkowski said. ''He doesn't wrestle like a heavyweight. He moves like a 171-pounder.''

WRESTLING: National acclaim at stake in Dvorak :: High School Sports ::

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"We know it's a really tough tournament," said the Broncos' defending state and Dvorak heavyweight champ, Garrett Goebel. "We're a younger team, but we've got a lot more depth. I think we're just as good as last year's team. We've just got to have a lot of younger guys step up."

Dvorak draws top out-of-state talent on ChicagoSports.com