Out-of-state tournament roundup

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Kaneland’s Gochis receives OWA at Girls Dan Gable Donnybrook

Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis not only was the lone Illinois champion at the prestigious Girls Dan Gable Donnybrook in Coralville, Iowa but she was also selected as the recipient of the event’s Outstanding Wrestler Award after recording four wins by technical fall as well as a pin to capture the title at 110 with a win by technical fall in 3:50 over Lincoln-Way co-op’s Zoe Dempsey in a matchup of the only two individuals from Illinois who advanced to the title mat.

Gochis (8-0), a sophomore who went 47-5 last season and won the IHSA championship at 105, tied two others for second place for the most team points with 48, which was just one point behind the leader, Fort Dodge, Iowa’s Mariaha Benedict  and she also the second-highest total of match points with 84, which was four behind the leader, Raccoon River-Northwest Iowa’s Cassidy McCallister. Her four wins by technical far were twice as many as the next-best mark of two, which was achieved by five competitors.

Gochis opened with a win by technical fall, followed with a first-minute pin and then won two more times by technical fall to reach the 110 title match. Herfirst three wins by technical fall were all completed in the opening period, with her win in 1:13 over Basehor-Linwood’s Delaney Locke in the semifinals assured her of her matchup with Dempsey for the championship.

Kaneland, coached by Josh West, had five placewinners to help it tie for 13th place with 150 points and Lincoln-Way co-op, coached by Joshua Napier, placed six individuals to finish 15th with 145.5 points. 

Other top finishers for Kaneland were Brooklyn Sheaffer (third at 130), Sadie Kinsella (fourth at 190), Dyani Torres (eighth at 145) and Carly Duffing (11th at 235). Sheaffer (9-1) advanced to the semifinals while Kinsella (5-2), Torres (6-4) and Duffing (6-4) all lost in the quarterfinals. Sheaffer finished sixth at 120 in the 2023 IHSA Finals.

“We brought six girls out of 14 weight classes and finished in 13th place,” Kaneland coach Josh West said. “I am very proud of our girls and their effort. We have a solid team. They are a great group of girls. I believe we were a top 10 team with our full lineup at Donnybrook. We placed five of our six wrestlers. 

“Angelina has taken her wrestling to another level this year. She did not give up a single offensive point the entire tournament. She was named tournament outstanding wrestler voted on by the 45 coaches in attendance. I know I’ve said this before, but she really is something special on the wrestling mat. I love that the girls sport of wrestling is growing so much here in Illinois. I hope some of our young lady wrestlers look at her or emulate her style. She works hard, does all the little things. Angelina is a good teammate, a good student and really just a great person.  

“Dyani wrestled really well finishing seventh and Sadie lost a close one for third place. We will fix a few positions moving forward with both Dyani and Sadie and I think they both can make the IHSA State Tournament. Brooklyn finished third and she had a good tournament. Our goal is to get her to wrestle her match, be on the offense and attack more,  I believe this tournament is the start of that mindset. Carly stepped in at 235 giving up over 50 pounds and placed 11th, she was one win away from making the podium. I’m very proud of her tournament.”  

Dempsey (11-1), a junior who went 20-7 last season and placed fifth at 105 in the IHSA Finals, won her first three matches by fall and then captured a 10-3 decision over Mount Vernon, IA’s Kiersten Swart in the semifinals.  

Additional top performers for Lincoln-Way co-op were Riley DePolo (7th at 235, 9-4), Riley Cooney (10th at 125, 10-6), Ella Giertuga (10th at 140, 10-6), Emily Peyton (11th at 105, 8-6) and Aubrey Barnes (12th at 115, 8-7).

DeKalb had three finishers in the top 10. The Barbs were led by Alex Gregorio-Perez (fourth at 105, 9-2), Reese Zimmer (sixth at 125, 7-3) and Aarianna Bloyd (ninth at 235, 7-2). Zimmer advanced to the semifinals while Gregorio-Perez and Bloyd lost in the quarterfinals. At last year’s IHSA Finals, Gregoria-Perez went 33-9 last season and took sixth at 105 in the IHSA while Zimmer was 35-3 last season and placed sixth at state at 115.

Lockport Township also had three individuals who placed in the top 10. The Porters top finishers were Rebekah Ramirez (sixth at 235, 7-5), Veronica Skibicki (ninth at 110, 9-3) and  Sophie Kelner (ninth at 190, 7-4). 

Huntley had two medalists, Aubrie Rohrbacher (fourth at 135, 11-3) and Natalie Aguirre (eighth at 170, 9-5). Rohrbacher, who went 45-5 last season and placed third at 130 in the IHSA Finals, lost in the semifinals while Aguirre fell in the quarterfinals

The other top two finishers from Illinois schools were Montini Catholic’s Katelyn Bell (third at 100, 9-1) and Joliet Catholic Academy’s Grace Laird (fifth at 130, 5-2). Bell, who went 25-9 last season and placed sixth at 100 in the IHSA Finals, lost in the semifinals while Laird fell in the quarterfinals.

Cassioppi champion, Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op fifth at the Women’s Ironman 

Two individuals from Illinois schools reached the title mat in the Women’s Ironman, which was held at Walsh Jesuit in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Hononegah’s  Angelina Cassioppi won the championship at 120 while Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller took second place at 115.

Cassioppi won a 7-0 decision over Olentangy Orange, OH’s Mackenzie Carder in the 120 title match. She also won a pair of close decisions, including by a 2-1 score in the semifinals over Tulsa Union, Oklahoma’s McKenna Wilson after recording a pin in the quarterfinals.

The Hononegah senior who went 17-1 last season and won the IHSA title at 120 and placed first at 120 in 2023 and first at 100 in 2022, is one of the four girls who have won three-straight IHSA titles. The others are Batavia’s Sydney Perry and Freeport’s Cadence Diduch, who are now in college, and Glenbard North’s Gabby Gomez, who’s not competing this season.  

Hiller lost a 12-3 major decision to Blair Academy, NJ’s Marie Sharp in the 115 finals. She won her first three matches by fall, including one in 5:33 over Canon-McMillan, PA’s Marlee Solomon in the semifinals. The Ramblers senior is a three-time IHSA medalist, going 24-9 and taking second at 115 in 2024, winning the title at 105 in 2023 and placing third at 105 in 2022.

Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op scored 80 points to claim fifth place. Four competitors for coach Liz Short’s team finished in the top seven, Emma Akpan (third at 190), Alyssa Keane (fifth at 135), Nola Obon (sixth at 155) and Jade Hardee (seventh at 100).

Akpan is a two-time IHSA medalist, went 34-8 and took fourth at 190 in 2024 and sixth at 235 in 2023 while Keane finished third at state at 135 in 2023. Akpan, Obon and Hardee all fell in the quarterfinals while Keane lost her opener and then won four of her next five matches.

Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney also competed in the event, but lost in the quarterfinals at 135 and then fell to Keane in her next match. The Porters junior went 21-1 and won the IHSA title at 130 last season after placing second at 125 in 2023.

Wardlow wins title, Joliet Catholic Academy fourth at Dan Gable Donnybrook

Lockport Township’s Justin Wardlow won the 150 championship while Joliet Catholic Academy’s Kane Robles placed second at 106 and Luke Hamiti took second place at 165 and Marmion Academy’s Mateusz Nycz was the runner-up at 285 in the Dan Gable Donnybrook, which was held at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.

Joliet Catholic Academy placed eight individuals in the top 10 to help it claim fourth place at the 38-team competition. The Hilltoppers finished with 326.5 points, which was six behind third place Don Bosco, IA. Bettendorf, IA won the title with 366.5 points while Staley, MO took second place with 352.

Top finishers for coach Ryan Cumbee’s fourth-place Hilltoppers were runners-up Robles (106) and Hamiti (165) while Nicholas Ronchetti (190) took third and Jason Hampton (126) finished fourth. JCA also received seventh-place finishes from Elias Gonzalez (144), Nolan Vogel (150) and Vince Tindal (157) while Issac Clauson (175) took 10th and Aiden Bishop (215) was 12th.

Robles lost by fall in 3:14 in the 106 finals to Waukee Northwest, IA’s Carew Christensen and Hamiti dropped a 5-4 decision to Don Bosco, IA’s Kyler Knaack in the 165 title match.

Last season, Hamiti went 36-20 and finished fifth at 157 in the Class 3A Finals. Ronchetti went 36-12 and placed sixth at 190 after taking second at 182 in 2A in 2023. And Hampton had a 35-16 record last season and finished second at 120 in 3A after taking fourth at 113 in 2A in 2023.

“Great start to the year at our first tournament!” Cumbee said. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but I’m really proud of the effort from the entire team and how they supported each other along the way.”

Marmion Academy finished 13th with 185.5 points, Lincoln-Way West took 16th with 173.5 points and Lockport Township was 18th with 162 points. DeKalb placed 22nd with 152 points, Montini Catholic took 23rd with 138 points and Huntley placed 25th with 136 points. Other Illinois teams that scored were Mount Carmel (31st, 107), Antioch (32nd, 91) and Marian Central Catholic (36th, 67).

The top performer for Marmion was runner-up Nycz, who lost by fall in 0:25 to Freedom, WI’s Hunter Vander Heiden in the 285 finals. Others in the top-12 were Demetrios Carrera (5th, 126), Preston Morrison (9th, 106), Colton Wyller (10th at 106), Andrew Haritos (10th, 157), Vincenzo Testa (11th, 175), Grayson Garcia (12th, 132) and Luke Boersma (12th, 190).

Lincoln-Way West was led by a seventh-place finish from Jimmy Talley (190) and ninth-place showings from Max Munn (120) and Nate Elstner (215) while Shane Stream (10th, 126), Jakob Siwinski (11th, 138) and DJ Freeman (11th, 165) were next in line.

Leading the way for Lockport Township was champion Wardlow (150) and Liam Zimmerman (5th, 132). Wardlow won the 150 title match 4-1 in sudden victory over Iowa City West, IA’s Justin Avila. He also had three wins by technical fall as well as a decision to give him a total of 50.5 team points. Wardlow went 42-7 last season and took second at 138 in Class 3A after also placing second at state at 120 in 2023.

DeKalb’s best showings were turned in by Hudson Ikens (6th, 150), Sean Kolkebeck (7th, 165) and Kaden Klapprodt (8th, 120). Top performers for Montini Catholic were Eric Klichurov (3rd, 106), Jack Bell (6th, 106), Jeremy Huf (6th, 132) and Isaac Mayora (12th, 126).

Huntley was paced by Radic Dvorak (6th, 157), Colin Abordo (7th, 113) and Jesse Lovell (11th, 190). Leading the way for Mount Carmel were Justin Williamson (4th, 132), who placed sixth at 113 in Class 3A last season and Sebastian Gracia (5th, 106). The top performers for Antioch were Owen Shea (5th, 285) and Ben Vazquez (9th, 175). Marian Central Catholic was led by Austin Hagevold (6th, 113), who took fourth place at 106 in Class 1A last season.

Noble claims championship, Mendoza, Denny runners-up at Ironman

Three individuals from Illinois advanced to the title mat at Walsh Jesuit’s Ironman in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio with Warren Township’s Caleb Noble winning the title at 106 while Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza finished second at 138 and Marist’s Will Denny was the runner-up at 157.

Noble won the 106 championship 4-1 by sudden victory over Malvern Prep, PA’s Justin Farnsworth. However, that wasn’t his only close call in his title run. He won 16-13 in sudden victory in his second match, prevailed 11-10 in the quarterfinals and earned his spot on the title mat with a 6-2 win over Edmond North, OK’s Turner Ross in the semifinals. Noble went 42-3 last season and won the IHSA 3A title at 106.

Mendoza dropped a 4-1 decision to Perrysburg, OH’s Marcus Blaze in the 138 title match. He opened with three-straight wins by technical fall before capturing a 4-0 decision in the semifinals over Sunnyside, AZ’s Sergio Vega. Mendoza, a three-time defending IHSA 3A champion, won at 126 last season when he went 46-2, took first at 113 in 2023 and was first at 106 in 2022.

Denny lost a 12-4 major decision to Edmond North, OK’s Kody Routledge in the 157 title match. After opening with a win by technical fall and a major decision, he won 4-1 in the quarterfinals and captured a 5-4 decision over Bishop McCort, PA’s Devon Magro in the semifinals. Denny won the IHSA 3A title last season at 150 when he went 42-4 after placing fourth at 145 in 2023.

Eight others from Illinois also finished in the top eight in the competition which featured competitors from more than 120 schools . 

St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto finished third at 120 and Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny took third at 190. Munaretto took second at 113 in Class 3A last season after winning the title at 106 in 2023.Mastny was the Class 1A champion at 157 last season.

IC Catholic Prep’s Deven Casey placed fifth at 132, Fremd’s Evan Gosz finished fifth at 144 and Washington’s Wyatt Medlin took fifth at 150. Casey was the Class 2A champion at 120 last season after taking third at 113 in 2023 and third at 106 in 2022. Medlin took first at 138 in the IHSA 2A Finals last season after placing third at 126 in 2023. And Gosz was second at 144 in 3A last season after taking third at 126 in 2023 and third at 113 in 2022.

Warren Township’s Aaron Stewart placed sixth at 175, Marmion Academy’s Zach Stewart was seventh at 132 and Washington’s Josh Hoffer took eighth at 215. Aaron Stewart won the 3A title at 157 last season after taking third at 152 in 2023. Zach Stewart was the IHSA Class 3A champion at 138 last season. Hoffer placed fourth at 190 in 2A last season after taking sixth at 195 in 2023.

Edwardsville wins Francis Howell North Tournament

Edwardsville had five champions and nine finalists to help it score 81.5 points and win the title of the 10-team Francis Howell North Tournament by 38 points over the hosts in Saint Charles, Missouri. 

Title winners for coach Eric Pretto’s champion Tigers were Bryson Nuttall (113), Ryan Richie (138), Blake Mink (150), Roman Janek (215) and Riley Steinkuehler (285).

Michael McNamara (106), Levi Wilkinson (126), Tyler Perry (132) and Simon Schulte (190) took second place. Claiming third place were Logan Hiller (144), KJ Jamison (157), and Brendan Landau (175) while Colin Waddington (120) and Jack Cloud (165) took fourth. Edwardsville also won the junior-varsity invite with 222 points to finish four points ahead of Jackson, Missouri. 

Granite City also took part in the competition and took seventh with 19.5 points. Leading the Warriors was champion Eli Miller (175) and third-place finisher Braxton Tolley (138).

Erie/Prophetstown has two champs at Willard Howell Invite

Erie/Prophetstown co-op was the lone Illinois team in the 60th Willard Howell Invitational in Wapello, Iowa. The Panthers had two champions and three finalists to take fifth in the 13-team tournament with 104.5 points.

Champions for Erie/Prophetstown were Wyatt Goossens (157) and Caleb Reymer (285) while Jordae Crow (175) took second and Noah Wetzell (144) and Tristan Hovey (150) were fourth.