Richmond-Burton snares Berman crown
By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA
Class 1A Richmond-Burton lifted its third championship trophy of the season when the Rockets outlasted a trio of 3A programs to earn the title at Palatine’s 69th annual Al Berman Holiday Classic.
The No. 7 team in 1A was chased all day by Grant (197.0), Stevenson (188.5) and Mundelein (122) but none of them were able to overtake Tony Nelson’s club, which amassed 218.5 overall points.
“This is a great bunch of young men who are fun to be around, and who have made the commitment to each other and the team, so our hope is the competition we’re getting against so many 2A and 3A teams will help us when the post-season arrives,” Nelson said.
The Berman crown will find itself alongside trophies won at Glenbrook South and at the Rockets’ own tournament this year. Next on the Rockets schedule is a stop at the 61st Lyle King Invite at Princeton beginning on January 10.
“It’s been good for all of us, particularly our younger guys, to compete in tournaments filled with 2A and 3A teams,” Richmond-Burton senior Emmett Nelson said. “But Princeton will be loaded with so many great 1A teams and we’ll be able to see where we stand with them.”
The field at the Berman Holiday Classic, the second oldest tournament in the state of Illinois, saw York crowned as last year’s champion. But this year the Dukes went south to the Granite City Tournament.
This year’s Berman still featured a highly-competitive field that put on a quality show before an appreciative audience.
Al Berman became a fixture in Palatine wrestling beginning in 1969 when he served as a freshman coach before taking charge of the junior varsity team in 1977. During his time as head coach at both levels, Al Berman’s record was 328-78-6.
In 1993, the Palatine Holiday Tournament changed its name to the Berman Holiday Classic in honor of Berman and his wife Sally, who devoted much of their time to the sport and program. Al Berman served in a variety of capacities at the IHSA State tournament, with his lovely wife Sally working there as well.
Berman was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2001, and both Al and Sally were named into the Palatine High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.
Al Berman Holiday Classic individual champions:
106- Lelan Nelson, Richmond-Burton
Richmond-Burton freshman Lelan Nelson (19-1) has been the perfect lead-off man for the No. 7 (1A) Rockets from his spot at 106 pounds.
With his championship run at the 69th Berman Holiday Classic, Nelson has now collected three major titles in brackets filled with plenty of 3A rivals who have not been able to solve the No. 5 man in the state.
“At the start of his first season in high school wrestling, I really feel as if Lelan wasn’t quite sure of things,” brother Emmett Nelson said. “But he has really turned the corner. He has a lot of confidence in himself and what he’s doing out there, and it’s shown in his results.”
Lelan Nelson recorded a pair of pins against 3A opponents to advance to his final with Stevenson freshmen Daniel Berdich (19-7) and once there it quickly became
a 7-0 advantage with a late near-fall as time ran out in the first period of an eventual 16-8 major decision victory.
Lake Park’s Liam Lovelace won a 13-5 major decision over Stevenson’s Daniel Berdich for third place at 106, and Zion-Benton’s Brayden Stroka won an 18-7 major decision for fifth place over Grant’s Brady Myatt.
113- Oleksandr (Sasha) Havrylkiv, Buffalo Grove
The appearance of two freshmen in the lower half of the Buffalo Grove lineup has provided an instant boost in the Bison attack. Both Oleksandr (Sasha) Havrylkiv and Mykola Shamray (120) have become quite a dynamic duo in the first half of their rookie seasons.
“(Sasha) is so solid on his feet,” Bison coach George Beres said. “He’s strong on both top and bottom, and his progression in how to run tilts, and legs has become a strength. Both he and Mykola are like sponges when it comes to how hard they work in the room.
“Both of the guys are so coachable, and the extra time they spent at Brunson has really helped them come along so much quicker than we could have expected.”
Havrylkiv (14-1) said his tactical plan before each of his three matches was to ‘just pin’ his opponents. That proved to be a sound tactic as he came close with two of his three bouts.
Havrylkiv, who moved here with his family from Ivano Frankivsk, Ukraine during the offseason, would sandwich a pair of tech-falls around his semi-final pin to set up his 17-2 tech-fall triumph over Evan Mishels (11-4) of Stevenson, paving the way to being named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler.
Grant’s Larry Quirk posted a tech fall over Stevenson’s Evan Mishels for third place, and Jacobs’ Anthony Martinez won a 14-11 sudden victory match for fifth place against Lake Zurich’s Collin Miltz.
120- Mykola Shamray, Buffalo Grove
The other half of the potent new Bison duo – Mykola Shamray – is beginning to make a name for himself now that he has settled into being a 120-pounder, after starting the season at 126.
“The adjustment from middle school wrestling was a little tough at the start because of the pace, and different styles of my opponents, but I feel a lot more comfortable than earlier in the season,” said Shamray, now 18-4 on the season.
“(Mykola) is another guy who has benefited greatly from being in the room at Brunson, and you can see it in the way he does his set-ups, his positioning, and defending,” Beres said.
In his final with Stevenson’s Ayush Bajaj (16-11), Shamray took a 3-0 advantage into the second period and rode the Patriots senior for nearly the entire period before putting the finishing touches on a 6-0 victory one minute from time.
Richmond-Burton’s Adam Glauser won by tech fall for third place over Mundelein’s Neftali Cernas, and Hinsdale South’s Alex Schuetz won 10-2 for fifth against Grant’s Breidyn Hoffman.
126- Vince Jasinski, Grant
The 126-pound weight class in the state is loaded at the top with the likes of Nicholas Garcia, Michael Esteban and Jason Hampton, all to be found in the top three in the state polls.
There’s plenty of talent spread across the top ten, including Grant’s No. 8 junior Vince Jasinski (22-0), who feels he’s ready to make his way onto the podium in Champaign in late February.
“The experience of making it downstate last year made me realize just what needs to be done in order to compete at a higher level,” Jasinski said. “So after a real solid offseason, I feel like it’s a reasonable expectation to get myself on the podium.”
Jasinski went 4-2 at Fargo over the summer.
Jasinski, who went 33-15 last season at 113, pinned his way to his title in Palatine. He nearly did the same one week earlier at Glenbrook South’s Rus Erb with a trio of pins to advance into his final with 2A star Adrian Cohen, whom he beat by technical fall.
Jacobs’ Ben Arbotante won by tech fall for third place against Bremen’s Malachi Turner, and Lake Park’s Luca Rutilli placed fifth via major decision against Lake Zurich’s Kellen Oxborrow.
132- Shawn Kogan, Stevenson
Stevenson’s No. 5 Shawn Kogan came back in sensational fashion following his third-place finish at the high-profile 58th Rex Whitlatch Invite at Hinsdale Central one week prior.
The Stevenson junior finished third in Hinsdale behind No. 6 Griff Powell (Lyons) and No. 7 Ulises Rosas (Glenbard West) in a deep 132-pound division.
“I’m not looking back to that sudden-victory loss (4-1) to Rosas because I’ve shown that I’m right there with the rest of the guys in our weight class,” said Kogan, now 22-1 following his tech fall victory over Sergio Hernandez from Lake Park.
“I have a win over Powell (15-14) in the final at Barrington, and two wins over No. 8 Madden Parker (Sandburg), so it’s ‘so far so good’ for me.
“I feel like I am more aggressive this year, my pace is so much better, and I am a much bigger 32-pounder compared to last year. Our room at Stevenson, plus the time I spend at Relentless with (Ryan) Prater and (Jordan) Blanton have been invaluable. So I feel really good about getting onto the podium in Champaign next month.
Kogan was a state qualifier last season with a 24-10 record.
Grant’s Ben Ramos placed third via 17-5 major decision over Lake Zurich’s Evan Honegger, and Hinsdale South’s Jason Jude won by fall for fifth place against Rolling Meadows’ Damien Ortega.
138- Erik Rodriguez, Grant
Grant junior Erik Rodriguez went out to a 4-0 advantage after four minutes in his final with Stevenson sophomore Mikey Polyakov (17-8) and would only concede an escape on his way to a 7-1 decision.
Rodriguez makes for the perfect partner in the Grant room with teammate Vince Jasinski — the other half of the Bulldogs’ lethal duo. Both are on course to make their marks in their respective weight divisions in the month of February.
“(Jasinski) and I compliment each other in the room,” Rodriguez said. “We challenge and push the other every day. We want to be the best we can. Plus, he’s a great guy and teammate.”
Rodriguez is hungry to get back to Champaign, after going 36-15 last season.
“I went 2-2 last year at state, and I wasn’t happy with that. But it gave me the edge needed to work even harder so I don’t have that feeling again this year,” Rodriguez said.
Lake Park’s Nick Merola won by 16-7 decision for third place against Oswego East’s Braeden Grisham, and South Elgin’s Aamir Nieves Allen won 11-5 against Zion-Benton’s Dylan Solesky for fifth place.
144 – Emmett Nelson, Richmond-Burton
Emmett Nelson was cruising along with a perfect record and in the stratosphere when the Richmond-Burton star slipped on the proverbial banana peel with a defeat in his Glenbrook South Rus Erb final against Antioch’s Chase Nobiling.
“Sometimes I just go at one speed, but I learned a lot with that loss, it was a real eye opener, and it definitely was a good loss as it helped get me back on track and motivated for the second half of the season,” Nelson said.
The No. 2 man at 144 in Class 1A behind Unity’s Kaden Inman and a three-time state medal winner and 1A finalist in 2022 and 2023, Nelson (17-1) used the Rus Erb experience as an inspiration, as witnessed by his thrashing of the competition at the Berman.
Two first-period falls sent the Rockets senior into his final with Buffalo Grove’s Bohdan Malaksianov (15-6) where he unleashed an array of weapons on his way to a 19-3 victory by technical fall in 2:00.
“Every weekend we’re in a tournament that is loaded with 2A and 3A teams and quality opponents, and all of us will be better prepared for the postseason because of it,” Nelson said.
Stevenson’s Devitt Narens won by medical forfeit over Mundelein’s Gael Diaz for third and Lake Zurich’s Blake Henning took fifth with a 12-10 decision over Hinsdale South’s Al Amir Almannai.
150 – Kiaven Sullivan, Hillcrest
Hillcrest senior Kiaven Sullivan continues to impress his rivals at 150 as well as head coach Keith Franklin as his season moves along in fine fashion.
Sullivan (15-2), a 2024 state qualifier who went 25-6 last season, collected his second major trophy of the season after cruising into his final with Stevenson junior Val Vihrov (14-6), who was forced out of action after suffering an unfortunate injury at 3:58. Sullivan recorded the most team points on the day with 29.5.
“(You) always want to finish matches outright, but we’re in late December, and nobody wants to unnecessarily aggravate injuries at this point in the season, so I understood completely the decision by the Stevenson bench to call the match,” Franklin said.
“(Vihrov) was very good on his feet, and KJ (Kiaven) knew he needed to stay away from his headlocks before the match, however I believe he thought he could body lock the kid, but he found out quickly that would not be the case.
“KJ can get away with that stuff against lesser competition, but that’s why we make long drives to tournaments like this to get a good look at great opponents to help him learn to make adjustments on the fly. He found out when you try a blast double with bad technique the good guys will not allow you to finish a move like that.”
Grant’s Nate Flores won 10-4 over Grayslake North’s Owen Anderson for third and Richmond-Burton’s Dalton Youngs took fifth place with a major decision over Palatine’s Donovan Acosta.
157- Kevin Hernandez, Mundelein
Kevin Hernandez had the look of a champion from his very first match inside the Palatine gym.
The Mundelein senior, who is 20-2, came out of the blocks with a pin in 89 seconds, then followed up with impressive wins by technical fall in his next two contests, including a 19-2 final at 5:20 over Grayslake North senior Jacob Ronsman (17-3), who’s ranked tenth at 157 in 2A.
“I thought today went really well for me, I was able to push the pace in a way that I wanted to, plus I felt strong on top which is an important part of my game,” said Hernandez, who was a sectional qualifier a year ago with 35 wins.
“My focus, and attention to details last year was not where it needed to be, but this year is different. (Things) are different this year. I’ve been scoring early, and looking to continue to add points as often as I can, and my confidence is so much better than a year ago.”
Hernandez looks to continue to wrestle in college where he will plan on a degree in criminology and psychology with the hope of a career in law enforcement.
Grant’s Grayson Lennon won by technical fall over Palatine’s Alan Allende for third place and Jacobs’ Connor Zacarias captured a major decision over Zion-Benton’s Demar Dixon for fifth.
165 – Josh Rappa, Rolling Meadows
The Rappa wrestling family of Rolling Meadows doubled its pleasure when the fraternal twins of Josh and Jack each lifted a championship trophy for the first time this season.
“It feels good to win a tournament championship after having such a slow start to the season due to an injury,” Josh Rappa said.
“I lost two-plus weeks to a concussion, it really set me back in my training, the room and even my fitness, but you really have to be careful coming back from being concussed, especially since it is the second concussion I’ve suffered.
“Last year didn’t end very well for me at regionals (blood-round loss), so I wanted to make sure that wouldn’t happen again this year, so I’ve been putting in the extra work.”
Rappa (15-5), a junior, built a 5-0 advantage midway through the third period against Grayslake North junior Kacper Nalezny, then rode him hard while protecting an 8-3 lead en route to an 8-4 decision.
The Rappa brothers are that rare breed of three-sport stars (also football and baseball) that continues to impress Mustangs head coach Gary Parciak.
“I am convinced the dedication and discipline needed to be in three sports has led to both of these guys being such terrific young men,” Parciak said.
Hinsdale South’s Darrion Glover won by fall over Lake Zurich’s Kade Abrantes for third place while Richmond-Burton’s Dylan Falasca won 10-7 over Palatine’s Mejed Jabri to finish fifth.
175 – Blake Livdahl, Richmond-Burton
Another super soph came through for the tourney champions when Blake Livdahl dashed the hopes of a second-straight Berman title for hometown hero Trey Widlowski.
Trailing 3-2 after the first period, Palatine senior Widlowski (18-5) was unable to get the turn he wanted while riding Livdahl (20-2), who with under 30 seconds remaining in the second period increased his advantage with an escape.
It would soon be Livdahl’s match to lose when he put Widlowski to his back with a swift move to make it 9-2 in what was eventually became a 9-5 victory. Livdahl collected a tourney-high 36 match points for his club on the day.
“Like a lot of our younger guys, Blake has really adapted well to competing at the varsity level and at a tough weight as well,” Rockets head coach Tony Nelson said.
Livdahl’s lone defeats of the season have come at the hands of the Nos. 5 and 6 men in 2A: Antioch’s Ben Vazquez and Mahomet-Seymour’s Marco Casillas, with the loss to Vazquez coming in the final of the Rus Erb last weekend. The Berman crown gives Livdahl a second major trophy for the season, with the other coming at Rockford East.
190- John (Jack) Rappa, Rolling Meadows
John Rappa, or as he prefers, Jack, could not be happier for his brother Josh than he was for his first championship bracket of the season.
“Josh has had to overcome time away with an injury, so it was great to see the hard work he’s put in to get back with us pay off, and for me, it feels great to finally win a tournament after losing to the same twice in my tournament finals,” Jack Rappa said.
The Mustangs junior won the 190 championship with an 8-1 decision over Grant junior Casey Gipson. He dropped finals matches in other tournaments to Richards’ Mike Taheny, a two-time state qualifier who is third-ranked at 190 in Class 2A.
Rappa says of his No. 8 spot in the state 3A rankings that it is nothing more than just a number, and only something that really matters in the postseason.
“To be honest, I really do not pay much attention to the polls because my focus is only my next opponent that I’ll face in order to get downstate where I’ll do whatever I need to do to get on the podium.”
Rappa was a sectional qualifier a year ago with a 25-13 record. He was an inside linebacker and is a catcher for the Mustangs varsity squads.
“Jack is an important and key figure on our football team and a great leader just as he is in our room,” Rolling Meadows coach Gary Parciak said.
For third place, Richmond-Burton’s Breckin Campbell won by medical forfeit over South Elgin’s Karl Pretzer. And in the fifth-place match, Zion-Benton’s Tyson Poyer captured a major decision over Stevenson’s Everett Ciezak.
215- Erick Worwa, Leyden
Erick Worwa got a taste of the postseason when he advanced into the Conant Sectional in 2024. This season, the bar is set higher for the Leyden senior, according to coach John Kading.
Worwa (17-2), who went 22-9 last season, has won two big trophies, one at Conant’s Hruska,
and now, the Berman, after getting three-straight pins to set up his final with Richmond-Burton’s Shane Falasca (20-6) that he led from start to finish en route to a hard-fought 11-5 decision.
“It was a good learning experience for Erick to qualify for sectionals, I really feel it was there that he found out what it takes to compete at a higher level in order to go further,” Kading said.
“He has made the commitment needed to get downstate, his work ethic and work rate is so much better than last season, and the extra effort he is putting in this year has turned into some very good results thus far.”
Oswego East’s Josh Edwards took third with a fall over Grayslake North;s David Williams. And Jacobs’ Lucas Retzler recorded a fall over Grant’s Matthew Longabaugh to claim fifth place.
285- Abisai Hernandez, Mundelein
Abisai Hernandez has come a long way since his sophomore season when made a brief appearance in Champaign to end his year with a very respectable 35-16 record.
The Mundelein big man came back with the wind in his sails last season with a dazzling 40-10 record and sixth place finish in 3A in an all-world heavyweight division to give the Mustangs program its first-ever state heavyweight medal and 21st overall medal in its history.
In the 285 championship match against Richmond-Burton senior Colin Kraus (14-6), an escape to start the second period broke a scoreless opening period, before a nifty takedown at the edge late in the period sent senior Hernandez (16-2) on his way to a 4-0 victory.
“You have to remember in a weight class that is typically filled with big, giant wrestlers, Abisai was always among the lightest, if not the lightest last year with him usually weighing in at 230,” Mustangs head coach Craig Stocker said.
“(That) would show just how much his speed and quickness helped him survive against those giants, but this year he’s coming in around 255-260, and he hasn’t lost anything at that weight.
The extra work he’s been putting in tells me he’s ready to make a serious run in the postseason.”
Stevenson’s Andrew Timmons pinned Zion-Benton’s Isaiah Tellado to take third place. And Jacobs’ Max Garcia won by fall over Palatine’s Jaylen Maiden in the fifth-place match.
Berman Holiday Classic results:
106
1st: Lelan Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 19-1, d. Daniel Berdich (Stevenson) 19-7, (MD 16-8)
3rd: Liam Lovelace (Lake Park) 15-5, d. Christian Saucedo (Mundelein) 15-9, (MD 13-5)
5th: Brayden Sroka (Zion-Benton) 12-5, d. Brady Myatt (Grant) 4-6, (MD 18-7)
113
1st: Oleksandr Havrylkiv (Buffalo Grove) 14-1, d. Evan Mishels (Stevenson) 11-4, (TF-1.5 4:00 (17-2)
3rd: Larry Quirk (Grant) 5-7, d. Kristian Gersch (Richmond-Burton) 11-8, (TF-1.5 4:40 (20-2)
5th: Anthony Martinez (Jacobs) 6-11, d. Collin Miltz (Lake Zurich) 10-9, (SV-1 14-11)
120
1st: Mykola Shamray (Buffalo Grove) 18-4, d. Ayush Bajaj (Stevenson) 16-11, (D 6-0)
3rd: Adam Glauser (Richmond-Burton) 19-4, d. Neftali Cernas (Mundelein) 16-6, (TF-1.5 2:28 (17-1)
5th: Alex Schuetz (Hinsdale South) 15-6, d. Breidyn Hoffman (Grant) 2-2, (MD 10-2)
126
1st: Vince Jasinski (Grant) 22-2, d. Clayton Madula (Richmond-Burton) 20-5, (F 5:09)
3rd: Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) 14-6, d. Malachi Turner (Bremen) 11-5, (TF-1.5 2:00 (15-0)
5th: Luca Rutili (Lake Park) 15-9, d. Kellen Oxborrow (Lake Zurich) 9-7, (MD 15-2)
132
1st: Shawn Kogan (Stevenson) 22-1, d. Sergio Hernandez (Lake Park) 17-4, (TF-1.5 3:23 (19-4)
3rd: Ben Ramos (Grant) 11-7, d. Evan Honegger (Lake Zurich) 9-8, (MD 17-5)
5th: Jason Jude (Hinsdale South) 9-5, d. Damien Ortega (Rolling Meadows) 5-11, (F 5:45)
138
1st: Erik Rodriguez (Grant) 23-2, d. Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson) 17-8, (D 7-1)
3rd: Nick Merola (Lake Park) 14-6, d. BRAEDEN GRISHAM (Oswego East) 15-7, (MD 16-7)
5th: Aamir Nieves Allen (South Elgin) 4-1, d. Dylan Solesky (Zion-Benton) 22-9, (D 11-5)
144
1st: Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 17-1, d. Bohdan Malaksianov (Buffalo Grove) 15-6, (TF-1.5 2:00 (19-3)
3rd: Devitt Narens (Stevenson) 16-9, d. Gael Diaz (Mundelein) 11-7, (Inj. 0:00)
5th: Blaze Henning (Lake Zurich) 12-9, d. Al Amir Almannai (Hinsdale South) 14-8, (D 12-10)
150
1st: Kiaven Sullivan (Hillcrest) 15-2, d. Val Vihrov (Stevenson) 14-6, (Inj. 3:58)
3rd: Nate Flores (Grant) 13-9, d. Owen Anderson (Grayslake North) 19-2, (D 10-4)
5th: Dalton Youngs (Richmond-Burton) 12-10, d. Donovan Acosta (Palatine) 8-6, (MD 10-0)
157
1st: Kevin Hernandez (Mundelein) 20-2, d. Jacob Ronsman (Grayslake North) 17-3, (TF-1.5 5:20 (19-2)
3rd: Grayson Lennon (Grant) 15-12, d. Alan Allende (Palatine) 14-8, (TF-1.5 4:36 (16-0)
5th: Connor Zacarias (Jacobs) 14-7, d. Demar Dixon (Zion-Benton) 10-10, (MD 12-3)
165
1st: Josh Rappa (Rolling Meadows) 15-5, d. Kacper Nalezny (Grayslake North) 10-4, (D 8-1)
3rd: Darrion Glover (Hinsdale South) 13-8, d. Kade Abrantes (Lake Zurich) 7-6, (F 3:59)
5th: Dylan Falasca (Richmond-Burton) 15-10, d. Mejed Jabri (Palatine) 7-13, (D 10-7)
175
1st: Blake Livdahl (Richmond-Burton) 20-2, d. Trey Widlowski (Palatine) 18-5, (D 9-5)
3rd: Xavier Arroyo (Grant) 4-3, d. Sonny Tugs (Buffalo Grove) 9-10, (D 9-7)
5th: Ben Miller (Hinsdale South) 14-7, d. Danny Hernandez (Mundelein) 16-9, (MD 15-1)
190
1st: John Rappa (Rolling Meadows) 19-2, d. Casey Gipson (Grant) 22-6, (D 8-1)
3rd: Breckin Campbell (Richmond-Burton) 18-7, d. Karl Pretzer (South Elgin) 2-2, (Inj. 0:00)
5th: Tyson Poyer (Zion-Benton) 22-6, d. Everett Ciezak (Stevenson) 17-8, (MD 11-0)
215
1st: Erick Worwa (Leyden) 17-2 d. Shane Falasca (Richmond B) 20-6 (D 11-5)
3rd: Josh Edwards (Oswego E) 14-9 d. David Williams (Grayslake N) 10-8(F 0:24)
5th: Lucas Retzler (Jacobs) 14-7 d. Matthew Longabaugh (Grant) 9-7 (F 1:23)
285
1st: Abisai Hernandez (Mundelein) 16-2 d. Colin Kraus (Richmond B) 14-6(Dec 4-0)
3rd: Andrew Timmons (Stevenson) 6-3 d. Isaiah Tellado (Z-Benton) 18-7 (F 0:52)
5th:Max Garcia (Jacobs) 13-7 d.Jaylen Maiden (Palatine) 11-8 (F 4:23)