Geneseo captures title at Rockford East E-Rab Giardini Invitational

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

With three of the top eight teams in Class 2A and a total of five top-25 teams on hand,  Rockford East’s E-Rab Giardini Invitational figured to be a good early measuring stick for teams like Geneseo, Rochelle and Mahomet-Seymour that have competed in the IHSA Class 2A Dual team Finals in recent years and for St. Patrick, Rockford East and Class 1A Richmond-Burton who haven’t been to the state duals for a while but would like to be in the mix this season.

Not surprisingly, things were very competitive throughout and Geneseo led Rochelle 165-162 for top honors with Richmond-Burton third at 158.5 heading into the place matches. But that’s when coach Jon Murray’s Maple Leafs began to pull away from coach Alphonso Vruno’s Hubs as Geneseo built up a 205-184 cushion over Rochelle heading into the championship matches.

In response to coaches’ suggestions, E-Rabs coach Gene Lee and his staff moved the championship matches from the fieldhouse to the classic 1940 gymnasium where the tournament had been contested in its entirety throughout much of its nearly 40-year history. And the finals on adjacent mats featuring half of the weight classes going up from 106 and half coming down from 285 didn’t disappoint. 

When the competition was complete, longtime entrant Geneseo won the title with 215 points while Rochelle was second with 192 points and Richmond-Burton took third with 171.5 points. Mahomet-Seymour (150.5), St. Patrick (150), Belmont/Platteville, Wisconsin (136) and Rockford East (135) rounded up the top seven teams of the competition, which featured 29 schools.

The first-place Maple Leafs had two title winners, Zachary Montez (165) and Izaac Gaines (150). Montez made history by becoming one of the few individuals to capture four-straight championships in the invitational. Other top finishers for Geneseo were Devan Hornback (second at 138), Landen Vincent (third at 120), Grady Hull (third at 157), Kye Weinzierl (third at 175), Tim Sebastian (fourth at 132), Colten Mooney (fifth at 215) and Brycen Fahnestock (sixth at 106).

“It was our first tournament for the season, so it was a good start,” said Murray, a 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame Inductee. “There was good competition and we exposed some weaknesses which is what we need to go back to the drawing board and get ready for the more important things toward the end of the season. They’ve up the competition at this tournament, as well, so that was great and we were happy to see that. We’ve been here quite a while and we  were coming here before the fieldhouse existed and everything was in this gym, so it was kind of nostalgic to come back to this gym, it reminded me of the good old days. We had a double win today for Geneseo for the boys and girls, so it was a good day for Geneseo wrestling. We have decent leadership out of these seniors and they’re stepping up and being there for each other, so that makes a big difference.”

The runner-up Hubs received title wins from Kaiden Morris (215) and Brenden Voight (157). Other teams with two champions were Mahomet-Seymour and St. Patrick. Title winners for the Bulldogs were Marco Casillas (175) and Brock VanDeveer (190) and first-place finishers for the Shamrocks were Jack Koenig (106) and Danny Goodwin (113).

Others who won titles were Prairie Ridge’s Jake Lowitzki (120), North Boone’s Gavin Ekberg (126), Crystal Lake South’s Nathan Randle (132), Rockford East’s Donald Cannon (138), Belmont/Platteville, WI’s Dylan Weigel (144) and Zion-Benton’s Isaiah Tellado (285).

Tellado led all competitors with 32 team points while Lowitzki was next with 31.5 points and Goodwin ranked third with 31 points. Cannon scored 30.5 points, Richmond-Burton’s Shane Falasca, a third-place finisher at 215, and Gaines both scored 30 points, VanDeveer, Voight and Weigel each had 29 team points, Ekberg collected 28.5 points and Morris finished with 28 team points.

The tournament is named for the Giardini family. Gary, a 2008 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, spent his entire 36-year educational career at the school as teacher, head wrestling coach, assistant football coach and athletic director. Perry coached the E-Rabs football team to a 1985 IHSA Class 5A title with Gary assisting him and also led the wrestling program to a third-place finish in Class AA in 1998. And Terry has been a wrestling official for nearly 50 years, with most of that time in the NCAA and he also evaluates officials. 

106 – Jack Koenig, St. Patrick

Jack Koenig has big hopes as he begins his sophomore season after going 24-14 in 2023-2024 and falling one win shy of advancing to the sectional. He’d like to do what his teammate Daniel Goodwin achieved last season, which was qualifying for the IHSA 2A Finals and placing there. 

The sophomore is off to a good start after finishing third at Marmion Academy and second at Antioch in the opening week and then preceding Goodwin as a champion at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational. Koenig (12-2), who took second in this tournament a year ago, kicked off the lower weights in the finals with an 11-2 major decision over Richmond-Burton’s Lelan Nelson at 106. After opening with a win by technical fall in the quarterfinals, he became one of two of coach Dominic Angelo’s Shamrocks to reach the finals after winning a 23-9 major decision over Freeport’s Treyden Diduch in the semifinals.

“I knew going into it what I had to do for me to win the tournament,” Koenig said. “I knew that I was well-prepared so I just had to be physical with him, and it paid off. The brotherhood here is like no other. We all come in ready to work and that creates a good environment for good practice and in the end it all pays off because everyone wants to get better and that’s the most important thing.”

Nelson (4-1), a freshman, became the first of the four finalists for coach Tony Nelson’s Rockets. He opened with two falls, with the second coming in 1:01 in the semifinals over Geneseo freshman Brycen Fahnestock. Diduch (5-1), a freshman whose sister Cadence is one of four three-time IHSA champions, claimed third place with a win by technical fall in 2:00 over Crystal Lake South sophomore Christopher Talbot (8-4). For fifth place, Winnebago freshman Cam Whitehead won by technical fall in 4:29 over Fahnestock (4-4). And in the seventh place, Johnsburg freshman Kai Surdick (8-5) won by fall in 5:23 over Rockford East junior Tyler Gentry.

285 – Isaiah Tellado, Zion-Benton

Isaiah Tellado obviously has bigger plans for his senior year after going 19-14 and being unable to advance from the Class 3A Libertyville Regional last season. And while he might not have had the kind of start that he would have liked after finishing seventh at Antioch last weekend, he definitely had a different perspective on things after winning by fall in 5:36 over Hampshire’s Knox Homola in the 285 championship at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational.

Tellado, the lone finalist and one of three medal winners in the tournament for coach Hal Lunsford’s Zee-Bees, competed in five matches over the two days. He opened with three-straight falls, with the quickest of those coming in 1:17 in the quarterfinals. The senior earned his spot on the title mat with a 7-1 decision over Sun Prairie West, WI senior Corbin Smith.

“The competition, they really put me through a loop, these are some good wrestlers,” Tellado said. “We wrestled in one (tournament), and I didn’t do so well. It feels really good but like my coach told me, that even though I won, there’s still things that I have to change and that I have to work on. I’m excited just to showcase my skills. I’ve been hitting the weight room hard and I played football and play defensive line and that’s helped me.”

Homola (6-4), a freshman who only won one match a week earlier at Barrington, became one of two finalists for coach Matthew Todd’s Whip-Purs when he won by fall in 4:32 over Harlem junior Chandler Jack in the semifinals. He opened with a win by technical fall before getting another pin in the quarterfinals. Dakota junior Randy McPeek (6-1) won by forfeit over Smith (4-1) for third place. Jack (7-3) claimed fifth place with a fall in 1:23 over Winnebago senior Josh Cowman (4-3). And for seventh place, Belmont/Platteville, WI’s Rusty Wruck (4-2) won with a pin in 4:19 over Rockford East senior Eddy Esguerra (8-3).

113 – Danny Goodwin, St. Patrick

Danny Goodwin capped a successful sophomore year by being one three individuals from St. Patrick to medal at the IHSA Class 2A Finals when he took fifth place at 106 to cap a 40-11 season. Now he hopes to join fellow 2024 medalist Van Grasser to become the fourth and fifth Shamrocks to win two or more medals and also the third and fourth to reach the state title mat. 

After opening this season with a fifth-place effort at Marmion Academy, Goodwin (10-2) added to a title at Antioch by winning the 113 championship at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational when he followed teammate Jack Koenig’s title at 106 with one of his own at 113 as he captured a win by technical fall in 3:36 over Rochelle junior Freddie Hernandez in the finals to claim top honors in the invite for the second-straight year. One of two champions and three finalists for coach Dominic Angelo’s Shamrocks, he followed a fall and then a win by technical fall with a pin in 1:58 over Richmond-Burton senior Kristian Gersch in the semifinals.

“Marmion was definitely a tough tournament to start the year and I ended up taking fifth there but I really turned it around at Antioch and I won the tournament there,” Goodwin said. “We’ve really turned it around. We had about five seniors leave from last year, so our junior core, with me as a team captain and our 120-pounder Calvin Stahl and Van Grasser, who’s also in the finals, we decided that we wanted to change the culture around the place and we really want people to know St. Pat’s for wrestling. Our head coach, Dom Angelo, when he came in last year, we were really able to turn it around. We have a great coaching staff. I think I’m a natural shooter, so I just need to keep shooting and get to my attacks and just have fun out there.”

Hernandez (4-2), became one of four finalists for coach Alphonso Vruno’s second-place Hubs when he captured an 11-9 decision over Dakota junior Brandon White in the semifinals. That followed another decision in his first match and a major decision in the quarterfinals. White (4-1) claimed third place with a fall in 0:43 over Hampshire junior Deegan Kirschke (9-5). Gersch (5-2) took fifth after winning a 6-4 decision over Mahomet-Seymour sophomore Gideon Hayter (6-4). And for seventh, Johnsburg freshman Chase Vogel (10-3) won by forfeit over Rochelle junior Colten Manning.

215 – Kaiden Morris, Rochelle

Kaiden Morris became one of six individuals from Rochelle to compete in a title match at the IHSA Finals last season and settled for second at 215 after getting pinned in 2:12 by IC Catholic Prep’s Michael Calcagno to finish with a 41-4 record. Now the senior hopes that he can become the second to win a state championship, joining Pat Brownson, who won Class AA titles at 189 in both 2002 and 2003.  

Morris (6-0) started his season off on a good note as he won the 215 title at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational when he captured a 12-5 decision over Sun Prairie West, WI senior Jaxon Johnson to become one of two champions for Rochelle, with Brenden Voight the other at 157. After opening the competition with two falls, Morris, who also took first in this invite a year ago, won another decision in the semifinals, this time 4-2 over Geneseo sophomore Colten Mooney, to become one of the four finalists for coach Alphonso Vruno’s Hubs, who took second place in the invite and advanced to quarterfinals of the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals last season.

“(Jaxon Johnson) He was on a team that this was their first year first coming here so I haven’t seen him in the past,” Morris said. “He’s a Wisconsin guy and it’s great to see other competition and it’s also great competition early in the year and I really like that. We came in here with a goal of 200, and we ended up at 192, so we’re really close, we’re right there. Coach has been preaching to us that we’re a great team and we can bang with these guys and we showed it. We’re just like a family and I think with this close-knit group, we push everybody to be better, and that just makes the team better as a whole. It’s a mindset thing. I know that I have to believe in myself and that I can win this and I can beat anybody in the state and I can be a champion. When it comes down to that, you win the match even before you step out there if you have that mindset.” 

Johnson, who placed fourth last season in the WIAA Finals and competes for a program that had a co-op with Sun Prairie West for two years, was one of two individuals from Wisconsin to advance to the finals. He recorded first-period falls in his other three matches, pinning another competitor from north of the border, Belmont/Platteville, WI’s Mason Mandurano, in 27 seconds in the semifinals. Richmond-Burton freshman Shane Falasca (8-2) won by fall in 0:59 over Prairie Ridge senior Walter Pollack (6-2) to claim third place while Mooney (7-2) took fifth place by forfeit over Mandurano. For seventh, Mahomet-Seymour senior Hayden Hart (8-3) won a 13-7 decision over North Boone sophomore Nick Davis (3-3).

120 – Jake Lowitzki, Prairie Ridge

Jake Lowitzki qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Finals last season as a junior but came up a bit shy of a medal to finish with a 35-10 record. He’s looking forward to bigger and better things in 2024-2025 and is off to a good start after winning a title in his initial tournament, the E-Rab Giardini Invitational, capturing the 120 championship by injury forfeit in 1:30 over Richmond-Burton’s Adam Glauser.

Lowitzki, the lone finalist and one of four medal winners for coach Ross Ryan’s Wolves, followed a fall with a win by technical fall in the quarterfinals before earning his spot on the title mat with another first-period pin, this time in 0:46, over Geneseo freshman Landen Vincent in the semifinals.

“It’s super exciting with all of the hard work that I’ve put in leading up to this tournament,” Lowitzki said. “I’m a senior and it’s exciting since it’s one last run and I’m preparing for a state run. I worked out every single day and I lifted and I had two practices working on technique. I have great coaches who are pushing me to be my best. I want my mindset to be as strong as it possibly can be. This feels great.”

Glauser (5-2), a freshman who was one of four second-place finishers for coach Tony Nelson’s third-place Rockets, got a fall in his first match, followed that with a win by technical fall and a pin in the quarterfinals before winning a 6-2 decision in the semifinals over St. Patrick junior Calvin Stahl. Vincent (8-1) claimed third place with a fall in 1:36 over Stahl (8-5). Rochelle freshman Aidan Lopez (6-2) took fifth with an 11-5 decision over North Boone freshman Gabe Marella (6-3) and Hampshire junior Lou Jensen (6-5) won by fall in 4:37 over Woodstock North senior Anthony Motejzik (9-5) to finish in seventh place.

190 – Brock VanDeveer, Mahomet-Seymour

Brock VanDeveer had a successful junior year by going 36-16 in 2023-2024 but fell a bit shy of qualifying for the IHSA Class 2A Finals from his own sectional, Mahomet-Seymour, before competing with his team in the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals. With his sights set on making a trip to Champaign to cap off his senior season, he’s off to a good start after opening with a third-place showing at Antioch’s DeRousse Invite in week one with a championship at 190 at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational. 

He’s off to an 8-1 start after being one of two champions and finalists for the Bulldogs, who are coached by 2011 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Rob Ledin, with Marco Casillas the other. VanDeveer opened with a win by technical fall and then recorded a pin in the quarterfinals before advancing to the 190 title mat with a 4-2 decision over Rochelle junior Roman Villalobos in the semifinals. He got another win by technical fall in the finals, needing just 2:21 to defeat Elgin senior Fabian Ramirez.

“It was a great tournament,” VanDeveer said. “I had a good semifinals match and I like getting those good matches to get some experience. Obviously the title match could have gone either way, but it went my way, and that’s great. Marco is a freshman and he’s going to be great. I’ve practiced with the Casillas, Marco and Mateo, and being able to practice with them is a privilege. Coach Ledin is a great coach and he treated me like family the day I got here. Dan Casillas and coach (Craig) Acree have been great to me and they’ve helped me to become such a better wrestler.”

Ramirez (7-1), a Class 3A state qualifier last season who finished with a 20-6 record, was the lone medalist for coach Brandon Massey’s Maroons. He advanced to the title mat with three first-period falls, recording a pin in 2:00 over Prairie Ridge sophomore Frank Matviychuk in the semifinals. Villalobos (6-1) claimed third place with an 8-0 major decision over Zion-Benton senior Tyson Poyer (10-4). For fifth place, Matviychuk (3-2) won by fall in 0:45 over Richmond-Burton sophomore Breckin Campbell. In the seventh-place match, Woodstock North junior David Randecker (4-2) won by fall in 1:07 over Woodstock sophomore Jaxson Hansen.

126 – Gavin Ekberg, North Boone

Gavin Ekberg made history last season at North Boone after he became just the fourth individual from his program to place at state and the first to do so since four-time IHSA Class 1A finalist and two-time champion Brandon Briggs wrapped up his career in 2015. Now he hopes that he can follow up on his 39-9 junior year where he finished sixth at 126 in Class 1A to join Briggs as the lone individuals from the Poplar Grove school to win more than one state medal.

Ekberg (6-0), who did not place in this tournament a year ago, was the lone finalist for coach Jason Mamer-Cox’s Vikings. He won the E-Rab Giardini championship at 126 with a 7-0 decision over Richmond-Burton’s Clay Madula. After opening with a fall, he added a major decision and earned his spot on the title mat with a win by technical fall in 4:00 over Harlem sophomore Jaydee Doke.

“I’m going for the title this year, that’s the plan,” Ekberg said of his state goals. “I practiced a little with Dalton Bullard and we ironed a lot of things out. I don’t think that a lot of people were expecting me to go down to state so that definitely changed a lot of things. I need to be wrestling smarter than a lot of people, minimizing mistakes and trying to be faster and just taking it one match at a time. This was the championship, but I treated every match through this tournament like it was the last one.”

Madula (5-1), a senior who took second in this tournament a year ago, was one of four finalists for coach Tony Nelson’s Rockets. He opened with a win by technical fall before recording two pins, with the second of those in 3:53 over Belvidere North junior Bryson Tuenissen in the semifinals. Woodstock junior Taqi Baker (10-3) took third place with an 11-8 win by sudden victory over Tuenissen (7-2). Rockford East sophomore Victor Onofre (8-4) claimed fifth place after winning by technical fall in 5:58 over Doke (7-3). And for seventh place, Freeport sophomore Thomas Olson (6-3) won by fall in 1:04 over St. Patrick sophomore Dean Angelo.

175 – Marco Casillas, Mahomet-Seymour

Marco Casillas hopes to follow in his brother Mateo’s footsteps, and for good reason. Mateo won the IHSA Class 2A title at 195 after placing third at that weight in 2022 and took second at 195 in the IWCOA Open Finals in 2021. His title in 2023 was the first for Mahomet-Seymour since Andrew Brewer took top honors in Class 2A at 171 in 2009. His brother also was a standout athlete in football and baseball, and is now competing in baseball in college. 

Casillas (8-1) is off to a good start in his freshman season, bouncing back from a second-place finish at Antioch’s DeRousse Invite one week earlier with a title at 175 in the E-Rab Giardini Invitational when he captured a 7-5 decision over Richmond-Burton’s Blake Livdahl. He claimed wins by technical fall in his first two matches before joining 190 title winner Brock VanDeveer as one of two champs and finalists for the Bulldogs, who are coached by 2011 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Rob Ledin.

“It motivates me to be better because I want to be better than he was,” Marco said of his brother Mateo. “Brock and I are always pushing each other and we’re just trying to get better. (His teammates) They’re really fun to hang out with, I have a great time. I want to get experience by wrestling tougher guys and always keep working.”

Livdahl (5-1), a sophomore who was one of four finalists for coach Tony Nelson’s Rockets, opened with a win by technical fall and then won a pair of two-point decisions, prevailing 6-4 over Rockford East junior Malachi Cannon in the semifinals. Geneseo junior Kye Weinzierl (8-1) took third place with a 13-3 major decision over Sun Prairie West, WI sophomore Niko DeZiel (6-2). Belmont/Platteville, WI senior Kadyn Davis (5-2) captured a 16-8 major decision over Cannon (4-3) to finish fifth and Belvidere junior Juan Cervantes (6-2) claimed seventh place when he won 7-6 by ultimate tiebreaker over Harlem sophomore Charles Faulkner (5-5).

132 – Nathan Randle, Crystal Lake South

Nathan Randle went 35-11 and qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Finals at 126 and was a member of a Wauconda team that qualified for the Dual Team Finals in 2024. The previous season, he took second place in 2A at 113 in 2023 after falling 3-2 to Glenwood’s Drew Davis in the title match and he also was a member of a Bulldogs team that finished third at Dual Team State. After enjoying success for two seasons under coach Trevor Jauch, the junior decided to move to a new setting, Crystal Lake South, which is where Jauch, a three-time IHSA Class 2A champion from 2009-2011 at Crystal Lake Central, is the new head coach of the Gators’ program.

So far, so good for Randle (9-0) as he followed up on a title at Vernon Hills with one at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational after rallying from an early 7-0 deficit to capture a 9-8 decision over Rochelle’s Xavier Villalobos in the 132 championship match. The Gator’s lone finalist, he won his opener by technical fall, claimed a 9-3 decision in the quarterfinals and earned his spot on the title mat with another win by technical fall, in 5:52, over Geneseo senior Tim Sebastian.

“Me and him kind of have the same back story,” Randle said. “Freshman year we both placed pretty high, sophomore year we both DNP. He’s a senior and in his junior year, he came back and placed so I’m trying to be back up there again junior year. I’m super fired-up. Last year was really mental for me and I just wasn’t there. So this year, I’ve been working on my mental game since I feel like I have all of the physicals to be there. I just transferred from Wauconda and my coaches came here, so we moved and I decided to come to Crystal Lake South to be with them because they’re the greatest coaches out there.”

Villalobos (5-1), a senior who went 44-4 a year ago and claimed fifth place at 126 in the IHSA 2A Finals and also was on a team that competed in the Dual Team Finals after finishing second at 113 in 2022 as a freshman, was one of four finalists for coach Alphonso Vruno’s runner-up Hubs. A defending champion in this tournament, Villalobos had falls in his first two matches before capturing a 7-2 decision in the semifinals over Prairie Ridge senior Mikey Meade (6-1), who took third place with a 10-9 decision over Sebastian (7-2), who also was a state qualifier last season. Belmont/Platteville, WI freshman Briggs Weigel won by fall in 3:12 over Harlem junior Izayah Olejniczak (6-3) to finish fifth and Zion-Benton senior Luis Medina (9-4) claimed seventh place with a pin in 1:33 over Johnsburg junior Jared Lopez (7-7).

165 – Zachary Montez, Geneseo

Zachary Montez accomplished something that few have achieved at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational, and that is winning the tournament championship for the fourth year in a row. Now the Geneseo senior, who went 42-3 and placed third in the 2024 IHSA Class 2A Finals at 150 a year ago, hopes to become the first Maple Leaf to be a four-time state medalist and also join the program’s other three-time medalists, 

Hunter Grau and Adam Sheley, as state champions. He also took third place at 132 in 2023 and finished fourth at 113 in 2022.

Montez (8-0) won his fourth championship in the competition by claiming a 12-3 major decision over St. Patrick’s Van Grasser in the 165 title match. He followed a fall with a 5-3 decision in the quarterfinals before becoming one of four finalists for the champion Maple Leafs when he captured a 7-1 decision over Rochelle’s Grant Gensler. He joined Izaac Gaines, the 150 champion, as one of two title winners for Geneseo, who’s coached by 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Murray.

“It’s special getting that four times,” Montez said. “That was a pretty tough bracket. (Being a state champion) That’s the goal and that’s what I’ve been looking forward to. My goals are not just to get that individual title but it’s also to get that team title. We want to get top two and hopefully get that championship. Every day we’re in the room trying to get better. Everyone is trying to get better and we’re helping each other and we’re doing all of the extra stuff that we’re supposed to be doing to be a top team.”

Grasser (8-4), a junior who went 39-17 last season and claimed sixth in the Class 2A Finals at 157, was one of three finalists for coach Dominic Angelo’s Shamrocks. He opened the season with a second-place finish at Marmion Academy before finishing fourth at Antioch’s DeRousse Invite. Grasser recorded falls in his first three matches, earning his spot on the 165 finals with a pin in 2:42 over Rockford East juniorTy Smart. Gensler (6-1), a senior, took third with a 4-0 decision over Northridge Prep senior Adam Haddad (4-2). In the fifth-place match, Mahomet-Seymour  junior AJ Demos (7-4) won by forfeit over Smart (7-3). And for seventh, Belvidere North junior Andrew Bucci (6-3) won by fall in 2:37 over Freeport senior Maddox Olson (4-4).

138 – Donald Cannon, Rockford East

Donald Cannon has two big opportunities to make history at Rockford East as he concludes his career this season. One is to become the second E-Rab to be a three-time IHSA medalist, which has only been done by Jordan Kolinski from 2002-2004. The other is to become a state champion, which only four other E-Rabs have been able to accomplish, including just one since 2000, which was Aydin Guttridge, who claimed first place at 285 in Class 3A in 2019. 

A year ago, he capped a 37-3 season by finishing fourth in Class 2A at 132 and in 2022 as a freshman, he took fifth at 126 in 2A. A runner-up in the E-Rab Giardini Invitational a year ago, he’s off to a good start this season with a 6-0 record after recording a fall in 2:40 over Geneseo’s Devan Hornback in the 138 title match to be the only champion and one of two finalists for coach Gene Lee’s E-Rabs. Cannon opened his title run with a fall, followed with a major decision and won by technical fall in 4:07 over United Township junior Xavier Marolf in the semifinals.

“I really think that I can finish off on a good note,” Cannon said. “I want to thank my mom and dad because they really help me out and my dad is always there for me and trying to encourage me to do better. We’re all working as a team to improve each other and everybody wants to improve on the team.”

Hornback (7-2), a senior who won 26 matches last season but fell a bit short of a state trip, opened the tournament with two falls and earned his spot on the 138 title match by claiming a 5-4 decision over Belmont/Platteville, WI senior Cam Spensley in the semifinals. Johnsburg senior Landon Johnson (10-2) captured third place with a 12-1 major decision over Mahomet-Seymour junior Justus Vrona (7-4). In the fifth-place match, Marolf (7-2) won by fall in 3:30 over Spensley and for seventh place, Harlem senior Owen Recoy (5-2) recorded a pin in 3:19 over Woodstock sophomore Landyn White (6-6).

157 – Brenden Voight, Rochelle

Brenden Voight fell a bit short of qualifying from the Class 2A Sycamore Sectional a year ago, but he went 32-10 and got the chance to compete for Rochelle in the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals as the program made its second appearance the competition and first since 2018, when it took fourth place in Class 2A. The Hubs junior is hoping for another appearance at team state as well as earning a trip to Champaign prior to that and he’s off to a good start with a 7-0 record after claiming a 9-7 decision over Hampshire’s Aric Abbott in the 157 championship match of the E-Rab Giardini Invitational, where Rochelle finished second to champion Geneseo.

Voight, one of four finalists and two champions for coach Alphonso Vruno’s Hubs, competed in five matches during the two-day event, opening with two wins by technical fall before recording a pin in the quarterfinals and earning his spot on the 157 title mat with a 7-4 win by sudden victory over Geneseo junior Grady Hull.

“We only really lost two of our guys from last year and we had a lot of people fill in for them so we have a lot of the guys that have been in the lineup for the past three years,” Voight said. “Coach Vruno has been running the program great and we do the same things every year and we get a lot of help from our other coaches. The coaches’ focus on us is good and they get a lot of 1-on-1 time with us. Our coaching staff is great and I think our team is going to be great this year, too. We have a great bond with all of us guys being on the team together for the past three years. And we have a great bond with the coaching staff, too, we’re all a family out there. I have a good partner in Grant (Gensler), he helps me a lot. The big thing for me is my partner and my coaches. I definitely love the competition here, there’s a lot of good schools. I thought it was a great tournament and it’s been a tough tournament every year.”

Abbott (8-4), a junior who went 16-10 last season and fell one win shy of Class 3A sectional trip, joined 285-pounder Knox Homola as the two finalists for coach Matthew Todd’s Whip-Purs. He got his first win by technical fall in his opener and followed with two pins before earning his spot on the 157 title mat with a victory by technical fall in 4:17 over Freeport junior Sajjad Abdulrazzaq in the semifinals. Hull (8-1) took third place with a fall in 3:00 over United Township junior Brody Oppendike (8-2). For fifth place, Woodstock junior Logan Wisner (10-4) recorded a pin in 5:11 over Abdulrazzaq (6-3). And in the seventh-place march, North Boone senior Maysen Smith (6-2) captured a 10-7 decision over LaSalle-Peru senior Zach Pocivasek (7-4).

144 – Dylan Weigel, Belmont/Platteville, Wisconsin

Dylan Weigel qualified for the WIAA D2 Individual Finals in each of the last two seasons and is looking to have a breakthrough season by placing there this time. The junior from Belmont/Platteville, WI was the lone champion from the three out-of-state teams at the E-Rab Giardini invitational with another being from Wisconsin and the other from Mississippi.  Weigel (4-0) captured the title at 144 with an 11-3 major decision over Belvidere North’s Dominick Girardin. The lone finalist for his team, he also had two wins by technical fall and a major decision, winning by technical fall in 5:30 over Belvidere junior Landon VanAcker in the semifinals.

Girardin (8-1), a senior who went 25-8 last season but was unable to advance from the Class 3A Barrington Sectional, was the lone finalist for coach Ronald Hamilton’s Blue Thunder. He opened with two wins by technical fall before capturing a 9-7 decision over Metamora junior Connor Graham in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Crystal Lake South sophomore Aiden Marrello (11-2) won a 10-3 decision over VanAcker (5-2). St. Patrick sophomore Pat Hulne (12-3) claimed an 11-9 decision over Graham (7-3) for fifth. For seventh place, Rochelle sophomore Joshua Lassiter (5-3) won by fall in 4:49 over United Township freshman Caleb Flint (6-3). 

150 – Izaac Gaines, Geneseo

Izaac Gaines made an impressive debut last season as he finished his freshman season with a 21-6 record and was one five state qualifiers for Geneseo and got a victory in his first match in Champaign. He’d obviously like to build on that success and not only get back to the IHSA Finals but also place there. And a bonus would be helping to get the Maple Leafs back to the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals for the second time in three years and hopefully get a trophy, as they did in 2023 when they claimed fourth place. 

Gaines (8-0) was one of three finalists and joined four-time E-Rab Giardini champion Zachary Montez as one of the two title winners for the Maple Leafs, who captured top honors in the 29-team competition and are coached by 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Murray. Gaines secured one of the last titles of the tournament when he won a 10-0 major decision over Rockford East’s Dana Wickson for the 150 championship. The sophomore got wins by technical fall in his first and third matches and also had a first-minute pin in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals he won by technical fall in 4:49 over Metamora sophomore Grady Neal.

“I just really wanted to go out there and put up a lot of points and just wrestle my best,” Gaines said. “We wrestled really good and a lot of our guys competed very well. A couple of guys didn’t make it to the finals but they came back and wrestled hard. We all get along well and it’s like a family. I’ve been putting a lot of work in and I’m excited to see what happens this year.”

Wickson (8-1), a junior who was one of two finalists for coach Gene Lee’s E-Rabs, also was a state qualifier last season who won his first match in Champaign to cap a 38-12 season. He opened his run to the finals with two wins by technical fall before capturing a 10-0 major decision over Freeport freshman Blake Slusser in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Belmont/Platteville, WI junior Tyler Kisamore (7-1) was a winner by technical fall in 4:55 over Mahomet-Seymour sophomore Talon Decker (5-2). Neal (7-3) recorded a fall in 1:29 over Slusser (5-3) to claim fifth place and Hampshire senior Chris Napiorkowski (9-5) was a winner by fall in 1:24 over Johnsburg junior Kainoa Ancog (8-5) to take seventh place. 

E-Rab Giardini Invitational place matches 

106

1st Place Match

Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) 12-2, So. over Lelan Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 4-1, Fr. (MD 11-2)

3rd Place Match

Treyden Diduch (Freeport) 5-1, Fr. over Christopher Talbert (Crystal Lake South) 8-4, So. (TF-1.5 2:00 (18-2))

5th Place Match

Cam Whitehead (Winnebago) 4-2, Fr. over Brycen Fahnestock (Geneseo) 4-4, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:29 (15-0))

7th Place Match

Kai Surdick (Johnsburg) 8-5, Fr. over Tyler Gentry (Rockford East) 3-5, Jr. (Fall 5:23)

113

1st Place Match

Danny Goodwin (St. Patrick) 10-2, Jr. over Freddie Hernandez (Rochelle) 4-2, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:36 (19-3))

3rd Place Match

Brandon White (Dakota) 4-1, Jr. over Deegan Kirschke (Hampshire) 9-5, Jr. (Fall 0:43)

5th Place Match

Kristian Gersch (Richmond-Burton) 5-2, Sr. over Gideon Hayter (Mahomet-Seymour) 6-4, So. (Dec 6-4)

7th Place Match

Chase Vogel (Johnsburg) 10-3, Fr. over Colten Manning (Rochelle) 2-3, Jr. (For.)

120

1st Place Match

Jake Lowitzki (Prairie Ridge) 6-0, Sr. over Adam Glauser (Richmond-Burton) 5-2, Fr. (Inj. 1:30)

3rd Place Match

Landen Vincent (Geneseo) 8-1, Fr. over Calvin Stahl (St. Patrick) 8-5, Jr. (Fall 1:36)

5th Place Match

Aidan Lopez (Rochelle) 6-2, Fr. over Gabe Marella (North Boone) 6-3, Fr. (Dec 11-5)

7th Place Match

Lou Jensen (Hampshire) 6-5, Jr. over Anthony Motejzik (Woodstock North) 9-5, Sr. (Fall 4:37)

126

1st Place Match

Gavin Ekberg (North Boone) 6-0, Sr. over Clay Madula (Richmond-Burton) 5-1, Sr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Taqi Baker (Woodstock) 10-3, Jr. over Bryson Tuenissen (Belvidere North) 7-2, Jr. (SV-1 11-8)

5th Place Match

Victor Onofre (Rockford East) 8-4, So. over Jaydee Doke (Harlem) 7-3, So. (TF-1.5 5:58 (27-11))

7th Place Match

Thomas Olson (Freeport) 6-3, So. over Dean Angelo (St. Patrick) 3-8, So. (Fall 1:04)

132

1st Place Match

Nathan Randle (Crystal Lake South) 9-0, Jr. over Xavier Villalobos (Rochelle) 5-1, Sr. (Dec 9-8)

3rd Place Match

Mikey Meade (Prairie Ridge) 6-1, Sr. over Tim Sebastian (Geneseo) 7-2, Sr. (Dec 10-9)

5th Place Match

Briggs Weigel (Belmont/Platteville, WI) 5-2, Fr. over Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem) 6-3, Jr. (Fall 3:12)

7th Place Match

Luis Medina (Zion-Benton) 9-4, Sr. over Jared Lopez (Johnsburg) 7-7, Jr. (Fall 1:33)

138

1st Place Match

Donald Cannon (Rockford East) 6-0, Sr. over Devan Hornback (Geneseo) 7-2, Sr. (Fall 2:40)

3rd Place Match

Landon Johnson (Johnsburg) 10-2, Sr. over Justus Vrona (Mahomet-Seymour) 7-4, Jr. (MD 12-1)

5th Place Match

Xavier Marolf (United Township) 7-2, Jr. over Cam Spensley (Belmont/Platteville, WI) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 3:30)

7th Place Match

OWEN RECOY (Harlem) 5-2, Sr. over Landyn White (Woodstock) 6-6, So. (Fall 3:19)

144

1st Place Match

Dylan Weigel (Belmont/Platteville, WI) 4-0, Jr. over Dominick Girardin (Belvidere North) 8-1, Sr. (MD 11-3)

3rd Place Match

Aiden Marrello (Crystal Lake South) 11-2, So. over Landon VanAcker (Belvidere) 5-2, Jr. (Dec 10-3)

5th Place Match

Pat Hulne (St. Patrick) 12-3, So. over Connor Graham (Metamora) 7-3, Jr. (Dec 11-9)

7th Place Match

Joshua Lassiter (Rochelle) 5-3, So. over Caleb Flint (United Township) 6-3, Fr. (Fall 4:49)

150

1st Place Match

Izaac Gaines (Geneseo) 8-0, So. over Dana Wickson (Rockford East) 8-1, Jr. (MD 10-0)

3rd Place Match

Tyler Kisamore (Belmont/Platteville, WI) 7-1, Jr. over Talon Decker (Mahomet-Seymour) 5-2, So. (TF-1.5 4:55 (18-3))

5th Place Match

Grady Neal (Metamora) 7-3, So. over Blake Slusser (Freeport) 5-3, Fr. (Fall 1:29)

7th Place Match

Chris Napiorkowski (Hampshire) 9-5, Sr. over Kainoa Ancog (Johnsburg) 8-5, Jr. (Fall 1:24)

157

1st Place Match

Brenden Voight (Rochelle) 7-0, Jr. over Aric Abbott (Hampshire) 8-4, Jr. (Dec 9-7)

3rd Place Match

Grady Hull (Geneseo) 8-1, Jr. over Brody Oppendike (United Township) 8-2, Jr. (Fall 3:00)

5th Place Match

Logan Wisner (Woodstock) 10-4, Jr. over Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (Freeport) 6-3, Jr. (Fall 5:11)

7th Place Match

Maysen Smith (North Boone) 6-2, Sr. over Zach Pocivasek (LaSalle-Peru) 7-4, Sr. (Dec 10-7)

165

1st Place Match

Zachary Montez (Geneseo) 8-0, Sr. over Van Grasser (St. Patrick) 8-4, Jr. (MD 12-3)

3rd Place Match

Grant Gensler (Rochelle) 6-1, Sr. over Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep) 4-2, Sr. (Dec 4-0)

5th Place Match

AJ Demos (Mahomet-Seymour) 7-4, Jr. over Ty Smart (Rockford East) 7-3, Jr. (For.)

7th Place Match

Andrew Bucci (Belvidere North) 6-3, Jr. over Maddox Olson (Freeport) 4-4, Sr. (Fall 2:37)

175

1st Place Match

Marco Casillas (Mahomet-Seymour) 8-1, Fr. over Blake Livdahl (Richmond-Burton) 5-1, So. (Dec 7-5)

3rd Place Match

Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo) 8-1, Jr. over Niko DeZiel (Sun Prairie West, WI) 6-2, So. (MD 13-3)

5th Place Match

Kadyn Davis (Belmont/Platteville, WI) 5-2, Sr. over Malachi Cannon (Rockford East) 4-3, Jr. (MD 16-8)

7th Place Match

Juan Cervantes (Belvidere) 6-2, Jr. over Charles Faulkner (Harlem) 5-5, So. (TB-1 7-6)

190

1st Place Match

Brock VanDeveer (Mahomet-Seymour) 8-1, Sr. over Fabian Ramirez (Elgin) 7-1, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:21 (17-2))

3rd Place Match

Roman Villalobos (Rochelle) 6-1, Jr. over Tyson Poyer (Zion-Benton) 10-4, Sr. (MD 8-0)

5th Place Match

Frank Matviychuk (Prairie Ridge) 3-2, So. over Breckin Campbell (Richmond-Burton) 6-3, So. (Fall 0:45)

7th Place Match

David Randecker (Woodstock North) 4-2, Jr. over Jaxson Hansen (Woodstock) 6-5, So. (Fall 1:07)

215

1st Place Match

Kaiden Morris (Rochelle) 6-0, Sr. over Jaxon Johnson (Sun Prairie West, WI) 3-1, Sr. (Dec 12-5)

3rd Place Match

Shane Falasca (Richmond-Burton) 8-2, Fr. over Walter Pollack (Prairie Ridge) 6-2, Sr. (Fall 0:59)

5th Place Match

Colten Mooney (Geneseo) 7-2, So. over Mason Mandurano (Belmont/Platteville, WI) 3-2, Sr. (For.)

7th Place Match

Hayden Hart (Mahomet-Seymour) 8-3, Sr. over Nick Davis (North Boone) 3-3, So. (Dec 13-7)

285

1st Place Match

Isaiah Tellado (Zion-Benton) 10-3, Sr. over Knox Homola (Hampshire) 6-4, Fr. (Fall 5:36)

3rd Place Match

Randy McPeek (Dakota) 6-1, Jr. over Corbin Smith (Sun Prairie West, WI) 4-1, Sr. (M. For.)

5th Place Match

Chandler Jack (Harlem) 7-3, Jr. over Josh Cowman (Winnebago) 4-3, Sr. (Fall 1:23)

7th Place Match

Rusty Wruck (Belmont/Platteville, WI) 4-2, Sr. over Eddy Esguerra (Rockford East) 8-3, Sr. (Fall 4:19)

Team scores

1. Geneseo 215, 2. Rochelle 192, 3. Richmond-Burton 171.5, 4. Mahomet-Seymour 150.5, St. Patrick 150, 6. Belmont/Platteville, WI 136, 7. Rockford East 135, 8. Hampshire 116, 9. Prairie Ridge 104.5, 10. Harlem 97, 11. Zion-Benton 95.5, 12. Johnsburg 90, 13. Crystal Lake South 81, 14. Sun Prairie West, WI 80.5, 15. United Township 80, 16. Freeport 78, 17. Belvidere North 73.5, 18. Woodstock 69, 19, Dakota 66, 20. North Boone 64.5, 21. Winnebago 47.5, 22. LaSalle-Peru 37, 23. Metamora 34, 23, Oak Grove, MS 34, 25. Elgin 32, 26. Belvidere 28, 27. Northridge Prep 27, 28. Woodstock North 27, 29. Metea Valley 6.