Tournament roundup for Rockford East, Evanston, Hinsdale South

By Dave Surico for the IWCOA

Giardini Invitational at Rockford East

Geneseo pushed past Rochelle for the tourney title in the 24-team event, named for IWCOA hall of famer Gary Giardini, head coach at Rockford East from 1967-79 and a long-time wrestling official.

Giardini attended Rockford East and was a coach, athletic director, and teacher there for 36 years.

Both of the top two teams at this year’s invitational featured three titleists. Tim Sebastian (113), Zachary Montez (150) and Kye Weinzierl (165) got to the top step for champion Geneseo (232.5 points).

Xavier Villalobos (126), Brock Metzger (190) and Kaiden Morris (215) excelled for runner-up Rochelle (223).

“It went back and forth all day between the top four or so teams,” said Geneseo coach Jon Murray. “A good high school competition where several key matches throughout the day made the difference in the long run, and a great effort from most of our guys.”

Geneseo was further powered to the top trophy by: second place finishes from Grady Hull (132) and Izaac Gaines (138); third place medals from Devan Hornback (126), Malaki Jackson (157) and Brayden Franzen (285); a fifth place win from Logan Palmer; and a seventh-place result from Aaron Betcher (215)

Rochelle received: a runner-up finish from Grant Gensler (165); third place finishes from Freddie Hernandez (106), Thomas Tourdot (120) and Brenden Voight (144); a fourth place result from Keagan Albers (113); a sixth place placing for Frank Nasca (132) and a seventh-place win from Roman Villalobos (175).

St. Patrick (199) finished third behind lower-weight titles from sophomores Daniel Goodwin (106), Calvin Stahl (120) and senior Olin Walker (132).

Gage Decker took first at 157 for fourth place Mahomet-Seymour (172). Emmett Nelson took 144-pound honors for fifth place Richmond-Burton (153.5). Host and seventh place finisher Rockford East (136.5) saw Donald Cannon take the top spot at 138.

Eighth-place Crystal Lake South (131) received titles from Caden Casimino (175) and Andy Burburija (285). Casimino was also notable at the meet for several other accomplishments. The senior posted the most individual team points of the meet with 32, and far surpassed his 19th seed with the bracket title.

Hampshire finished sixth with 140.5 points.

Goodwin (10-0), Sebastian (7-0), Villalobos (7-0), Cannon (5-0), Nelson (6-0), Montez (7-0), Decker (7-0), Weinzieri (7-0), Casimino (5-0), Metzger (8-0), Morris (8-0) and Burburija (5-0) exited the tournament with their perfect season-records intact.

Northridge Prep’s Jon Suter (third, 165), and St. Patrick’s Aiden Gomez (fifth, 215) and Devin Nichol (fourth, 175) topped the tournament with five pins each. Suter posted his pins in a meet-leading 7 minutes, 3 seconds.

Tournament runner-up finishes were achieved from: Eric Bush, Johnsburg (106); Jack Koenig, St. Patrick (113); Clay Maduala, Richmond-Burton (120); Lincoln Hoger, Wheaton Academy (126); Nickolas Karamaniolas, St. Patrick, (144); Chasen Kazmierczak, Wheaton Academy (150); Kayden Marolf, United (157); Kaden Combs, Woodstock North (175); Zack Canaday, Woodstock, (190); Andrew Ryan, Woodstock (215); and Lee Smith, Rockford East (285).

Third place match winners included: Zach Bumeter, Metamora (113); Reegan Kellett, LaSalle-Peru (132); Dylan Weigel Belmont/Platteville, WI (138); Isaac Jones, Richmond-Burton (150); Malachi Cannon, Rockford East (175); Carter Hintz, Hampshire (190); and Dom Ariola, Crystal Lake South (215).

Fourth place medalists included: Blake Trickey, United (106); Joseph Young, Rockford East (120); Justus Vrona, Mahomet-Seymour (126); Xavier Marolf, United (132); Talon Decker, Mahomet-Seymour (138); Grady Neil, Metamora (144); Aric Abott, Hampshire (150); Van Grasser, St. Patrick (157); A.J. Demos, Mahomet-Seymour (165); Kadyn Davis, Belmont/Platteville, WI (190); Mason Mandurano, Belmont/Platteville, WI (215); Lionel Senior, Thornton (285).

Championship matches

106: Daniel Goodwin, St. Patrick, d. Eric Bush, Johnsburg, 4-2

113: Tim Sebastian, Geneseo, p. Jack Koenig, St. Patrick, 2:53

120: Calvin Stahl, St. Patrick, d. Clay Maduala, Richmond-Burton, 7-2

126: Xavier Villalobos, Rochelle, md. Lincoln Hoger, Wheaton Academy, 10-1

132: Olin Walker, St. Patrick, d. Grady Hull, Geneseo, 10-8

138: Donald Cannon, Rockford East, d. Izaac Gaines, Geneseo, 10-7

144: Emmett Nelson, Richmond-Burton, d. Nikolas Karamaniolas, St. Patrick, 3-1

150: Zachary Montez, Geneseo, tf. Chasen Kazmierczak, Wheaton Academy, 5:37, 26-8)

157: Gage Decker, Mahomet-Seymour, p. Kayden Marolf, United, 2:24

165: Kye Weinzierl, Geneseo, d. Grant Gensler, Rochelle, 5-4

175: Caden Casimino, Crystal Lake South, p. Kaden Combs, Woodstock North, 4:52

190: Brock Metzger, Rochelle, d. Zach Canaday, Woodstock, 3-2

215: Kaiden Morris, Rochelle, md. Andrew Ryan, Woodstock, 12-0

285: Andy Burburija, Crystal Lake South, d. Lee Smith, Rockford East, 3-0

Elias George Tournament at Evanston

The Wildkits proved to be rude hosts and took the title with 241 points. Chicago Public League representatives Amundsen (178) and Mather (171) rounded out the top three teams.

The annual tournament is named for Elias George, an IWCOA hall-of-famer who coached the Wildkits from 1958-2000 and amassed a career coaching record of 614-158-25. 

Marco Terrizzi (132), Eren Atac (138), Bryan Lemus (144), Rodrigo Salinas (157), Xavier Starks (165), and Jeremy Marshall (285) claimed titles for Evanston, which also received third place finishes from Nicholas Biglari (106), Manny Holloway (150) and Rijad Dizdarevic (190).

Matthew Nguyen (106), Omar Polsky (120), Adrian Zepeda (190) and Willian Cano (215) climbed to the top step for Amundsen. Biafra Bartlett (106) and John Norton (165) achieved second place results. Jaxon Aiello-Zittnan (120) and James Reshoft (165) recorded third place wins. Ian Uting (132) and Mohammed Osman (157) added fourth place team points.

Jacob Scott (175) was the lone titleist for Mather. Charles-evi Seri (113), Tommy Lam (120), John Lopez (144) and Julian Lopez (150) finished as the runner-up in their weight classes. Omobobola Bankole (144), Danny Tinoco (175) and Jaxien Jervis-Orr (215) took home third place medals. Cameron Murdock (138) and Urijah Haycock (150) secured fourth place finishes.

Luis Fernandez (126) collected the top medal for Tilden. Sarah Goode’s Xavier Woods conquered the 150-pound bracket. Ridgewood’s Islam Khater led his team with the 113-pound title.

Amundsen’s Cano led the meet with four pins and 30 team points.

Evanston’s JV and girls teams combined for a fourth place finish at 129 points. Mather’s girls team competed and finished last in the 11-team competition.

Fifth-place Goode (125.5 points) saw Isaiah Poole (126), Isaiah Diaz (138), Dylan Wilborn (190) and Thomas Davis (215) get to the second step. Evanston JV & girls got runnerup finishes from Nate Guftason (132), Andy Ciriaco (175) and Iam Sims (285). Tyler Saylor was second best for Tilden at 157 pounds.

The third place medals winners were rounded out by: Dyllan Ornelas, Speer (113); Leo Reyes, Niles West (126); Zach Weston, Evanston JV & girls (132); Kalvin Moore, Phillips (138); Aiden Flores, Evanston JV & girls (157); and Jorge Miranda, Speer (285).

Additional wrestlers gaining the fourth spot on the medal stand were: Andrew Price, Phillips (120); Fayyaz Munshi, Niles West (126); Miguel Morales, Evanston JV & girls (144); Andrew Stevens, Evanston JV & girls (165); David Khamoo, Niles West (175); Antonio Casas, Speer (190); Christian Okechukwu, Evanston JV & girls (285).

Championship matches

106: Matthew Nguyen, Amundsen, p. Biafra Bartlett, Amundsen, 0:34

113: Islam Khater, Ridgewood, p. Charles-evi Seri, Mather, 0:27

120: Omar Polsky, Amundsen, d. Tommy Lam, Mather, 17-10

126: Luis Fernandez, Tilden, p. Isaiah Poole, Sarah Goode, 0:31

132: Marco Terrizzi, Evanston, p. Nate Guftason, Evanston JV & girls, 0:44

138: Eren Atac, Evanston, p. Isaiah Diaz, Sarah Goode, 1:25

144: Bryan Lemus, Evanston, p. John Lopez, Mather, 1:53

150: Xavier Woods, Goode, tf. Julian Lopez, Mather, 22-6

157: Rodrigo Salinas, Evanston, p. Tyler Saylor, Tilden, 2:42

165: Xavier Starks, Evanston, p. John Norton, Amundsen, 1:37

175: Jacob Scott, Mather, p. Andy Ciriaco, Evanston JV & girls, 2:50

190: Adrian Zepeda, Amundsen, p. Dylan Wilborn, Sarah Goode, 3:23

215: Willian Cano, Amundsen, p. Thomas Davis, Sarah Goode, 0:36

285: Jeremy Marshall, Evanston, d. Ian Sims, Evanston JV & girls, 4-0

Matozzi Invitational at Hinsdale South

The host Hornets rolled to the win in the tournament named after their long-time former coach, Mike Matozzi.

 Hinsdale South posted an impressive 245 points to easily outpace Fenwick (141) in the 11-team tournament.

Highland Park was the only other team to eclipse the 100-point barrier. The Giants finished third with 107.

Hinsdale South emerged with eight champions, two runners-up and a fourth place finisher.

 The Hornets titlelist crew included: Jamarion Moffett (106); Alexander Schuetz (120); Toqir Mir (126); Andrew Musil (150); Benjamin Miller (157); Jovani Piazza (175); Alec Miller (190); and Gavin Slaughter (285). The hosts saw half of their champions outperform their seeds: Miller (fourth); Schuetz (fourth); Slaughter (fourth): and Moffett (third).

Second place finishes were delivered by Mikey Wallace (113), Noah Ririe (144) and Nathanial Fundator, who was seeded ninth at 190. Apollo Cobb (132) and Al Amir Almannai (138) earned fourth place points.

Fenwick finished second without a champion. Solanus Daley (132), Aiden Burns (165) and Patrick Gilboy (175) led the way with second place finishes. Harrison Brown (106), C.J. Brown (120), Elam Staple (150) and Gianni Bertacchi (285) won third place matches. Max Kenny (144), Luke D’Alise (190) and Myles Moriarity (215) took fourth place prizes.

Landen Dmitry Derbedyenyev led Highland Park with the title at 165.  Alexander Gudgeon (106) posted a second place result. Elijah Moore (175) and Luis Ramirez-Huicochea (215) finished third. Gerardo Gutierrez-Lopez (120), Angel Riano (150) and Daniel Derbedyenyev (285) concluded the meet in fourth place. 

Fifth place Argo was the only other team with multiple champions: Kevin Bustillos (138) and eighth-seeded Aldo Gutierrez (144). Diego Myers won at 132 for fourth place Glenbard South. Xavier Bitner took the 215-pound bracket for seventh place St. Laurence. Jayden Scott, whose four pins led the tournament, won at 113 for eighth place T.F. South. Back of the Yards finished sixth.

Additional second place medalists included: Henry Manning, St. Laurence (120); Adonis Wilson, T.F. South (126); Jordan Quaid-Bowman, Glenbard South (132); Grant Rabanus, St. Francis (138); Nicolas Mara, Back of the Yards (150); Reid Sebahar, Glenbard South (157); Dan Langner, GS (215); and Jesus Ibarra, Argo (285).

Ranking as third place match-winners were: Nathan Martinez, St. Laurence (113); Carter Leshock, Tinley Park (126); Jin Tai, Glenbard South (138); Chase Siguenza, St. Francis (144); Saeed Ullah, Back of the Yards (157); Ben Conte, St. Francis (165); E’Mon Arnold, T.F. South (190);

The invitational’s fourth place finishers included: Yazmin Mendoza-Valdez, Back of the Yards (106); Tyler Gray, Tinley Park (113); Aidan Romo, Argo (126); Darell Ortiz, Argo (157); Logan Price, Glenbard South (165); Axel Correa, Back of the Yards (175).

Moffett, Schuetz, Mir, Bustillos, Gutierrez, Musil, Miller, Dmitry Derbedyenyev, Piazza; Bitner and Slaughter exited the tournament with their perfect season records intact.

Championship matches

106: Jamarion Moffett, Hinsdale S., p. Alexander Gudgeon, Highland Park 2:51

113: Jayden Scott, T.F. South, p. Mikey Wallace, Hinsdale S. 3:59

120: Alexander Schuetz, Hinsdale S. p. Henry Manning, St. Laurence, 1:36

126: Toqir Mir, Hinsdale South, p. Adonis Wilson, T.F. South, 0:30

132: Diego Myers, Glenbard S., d. Jordan Quaid, Glenbard S., 10-8

138: Kevin Bustillos, Argo, p. Grant Rabanus, St. Francis, 2:10

144: Aldo Gutierrez, Argo, d. Noah Ririe, Hinsdale South, 8-

150: Andrew Musil, Hinsdale South, p. Nicolas Mata, Back of the Yards, 4:20

157: Benjamin Miller, Hinsdale South, d. Reid Sebahar, Glenbard South, 7-6

165: Landen Dmitry Derbedyenyev, Highland Park, p. Aiden Burns, Fenwick, 1:08

175: Jovani Piazza, Hinsdale South, p. Patrick Gilboy, Fenwick, 1:08

190: Alec Miller, Hinsdale South, p. Nathaniel Fundator, Hinsdale South, 0:31

215: Xavier Bitner, St. Laurence, d. Dan Langner, Glenbard South, 1-0

285: Andy Burburija, Crystal Lake South, d. Lee Smith, Rockford East, 3-0