Stevenson snares sixth straight Conrad title
By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA
During its five previous successful races to the finish line at tourney host Leyden, Stevenson has had enough to stop the advances of Conant on four occasions, and Notre Dame last season.
There have been some close calls along the way: seven points (184-177) in 2023 over Conant; and last year when ten points (208-198) separated the Patriots from Notre Dame.
Saturday afternoon inside historic Chuck Farina Field House, the Patriots saw Notre Dame within 19 points of their lead, halfway through the final round before putting the Dons out of reach for good.
Individual champions Shawn Kogan (132) and Mikey Polyakov (138), plus 15 team pins, 6 team t-falls and a whopping 394 total match points proved too much, as the Patriots earned 200.0 total points to win its sixth consecutive Randy Conrad championship, 200-174 over Notre Dame.
Conant (155.5) placed third, Burlington Central (119.5) was fourth, and host Leyden (115.5) finished fifth.
“We have a great room, with great coaches, and all of us are ready for the second half of the season,” Kogan said. “If we stay healthy we can produce some really good individual and team results.”
Kogan is having a magnificent season, and he and Polyakov are battling in the room.
“I have the best partner with Shawn,” Polyakov said. “We push each other every day, and that’s the way our room is. We have really good depth, which is so important in tournaments.”
The Patriots claimed seven top-three medals, Notre Dame and Conant had six each, and Stevenson had 11 total medalists.
Randy Conrad Invite individual champions:
106: Ray Long, Notre Dame
One year ago, after claiming the first regional title of his young career, Notre Dame’s Ray Long found himself in the ultimate 106-pound group of granite at the Grayslake Central sectional. Long’s season ended there, with a sparkling 37-10 overall record.
From that sectional, Montini’s Allen Woo, Wauconda’s Gavin Rockey, Grayslake Central’s Vince DeMarco and St. Patrick’s Daniel Goodwin advanced to Champaign and finished first, second, fourth and fifth in state, respectively, with over 150 combined victories.
“I learned a lot last year,” Long said. “I was close to the top four, but I knew t was so much extra work that I needed to put in, to help me have a great chance to get onto the podium at state.”
Long improved to 29-3 Saturday, after his 19-7 major decision triumph in the finals over Daniel Berdich (21-8) from Stevenson.
“I am fortunate to have a great partner like John (Sheehy) in our room, who brings so much intensity, and toughness (to him) that helps me prepare for each opponent that I take on,” Long said.
Long, the No. 5 man (2A) in the state, was third at the Dvorak, and sixth overall at nationals in Greco.
Charles Dominguez (Vernon Hills) was third at Leyden, Duncan Tenezaca (Maine East) fourth, Ryu Yamazaki (Conant) fifth and Ryne Sauberlich (Harlem) sixth overall.
113: Eduardo Vences, Burlington Central
Burlington Central’s Eduardo Vences (17-9) could not have been more pleased with his first major title of the season, following a marvelous performance in his 113-pound final with Conant’s Damian Ramos (17-9).
Vences sits just outside the top 10 in the most recent 2A state poll, and he cruised to victory with a 16-4 major decision.
Vences opened the third period with a 9-2 advantage, and with a stealthy move he extended his lead to 16-2 on his way to the title.
“It feels really good to finally win a tournament championship,” admitted the Burlington Central sophomore. “I’ve been working hard in the room to get better each time I go out there, so winning means that extra work is beginning to pay off.”
Vences, who was second at the Rus Erb in late December, opened with a pin and then followed with back-to-back majors.
“I’ve tried to be more aggressive in my attacks, and in that third period, I just went for it and really didn’t let up until the final whistle.
Stevenson junior Evan Mishels was third, Tony Lopez (Vernon Hills) fourth, Justin Forbes (De La Salle) fifth and Alex Gudgeon (Highland Park) sixth.
120: Jeremiah Lawrence, De La Salle
De La Salle head coach Jason Davidson is blessed with a terrific triple threat on his Meteors club, in Jeremiah Lawrence, Marquis Mays and David McCarthy, all of whom brought home championship trophies from Leyden.
Lawrence was clearly the best in his weight class, witnessed by his second straight title. He used three lightning-quick tech-falls, including a 19-3 (3:03) match winner in his final against Ayush Bajaj (18-12) from Stevenson.
“Last year I left a lot of points out there, so I worked incredibly hard during the offseason at perfecting my craft to make a serious run at a state title,” said Lawrence, who was third a year ago at 106 in Class 1A, finishing with a 27-5 overall record.
The two-time state qualifier, and current No. 5 man in the state, said his 3-2 win over second-ranked Aiden Larsen (Yorkville Christian) as his best match of the season, following his claiming his second major title of the year at Plano.
Emmett Arens (Conant) was third, Jaydee Doke (Harlem) fourth, Alex Rodriguez (Leyden) fifth, and James Cohen from Vernon Hills sixth.
126: John Sheehy, Notre Dame
It was clear from the start that the rest of the field at 126-pounds would be chasing No. 3 John Sheehy (29-3), as the Notre Dame senior had the wind in his sails from the onset en route to his second Leyden title and second tournament title of the season.
After his marvelous three-match effort, which ended with a 15-7 major decision victory over Conant’s 2024 3A state qualifier Luis Flores. It was the third time Sheehy has beaten Flores this year.
“Ray (Long) is a great partner to have in the room,” Sheehy said. “We have contrasting styles so we attack and defend each other in so many different ways.”
Sheehy is a two-time state qualifier who finished fourth in state last year at 113, and the circumstances surrounding that state medal last is a story in itself: Sheehy suffered a case of appendicitis at 4 a.m. on the morning of first day in Champaign.
“I was overweight, and obviously feeling really uncomfortable,” Sheehy said. “I found a way to make weight, and went out and won my first two matches on Thursday, then lost my semifinal (to state runner-up Edgar Mosquera of Riverside-Brookfield) after being up six. I won my next match in consolation before losing my third-place match.”
Josh Vazquez (Montini Catholic) and Xavier Villabos (Rochelle) are just ahead of Sheehy in the most recent state polls.
“My confidence is so much better this year,” Sheehy said. “I feel that I can get back downstate and reach my goal of getting into the state final.”
Nathan Corder (Harlem) was third, Gabriel Quintana (Harvard) fourth, Marcelo Cantu (Stevenson) and Sabir Aliev (Vernon Hills) were fifth and sixth respectively.
132: Shawn Kogan, Stevenson
Stevenson’s No. 5 Shawn Kogan (26-1)continues to roll on after the Stevenson star smashed three opponents at Leyden, including Maine East’s Dulguun Nyamdavaa (17-8) in his 132-pound final with a 17-1 tech-fall (2:27) victory.
His Randy Conrad crown marks Kogan’s third major title of the season. The junior recently won at Palatine’s Berman Holiday Classic, and claimed the top spot on the first weekend of the season at Barrington.
“After a little down time from our tournament schedule, we were back at it this week,” Kogan said. “Mikey (Polyakov) and I have been hard at work in preparation for the last half of the season.
“With the regular season winding down, I’m really looking forward to the Illini Classic next weekend, where I’m hoping to face (Lyons’ No. 6) Griff Powell and (Marist’s No. 2) George Marinopoulos. That will be my biggest test of the year.”
Kogan earned 27.5 team points for the Patriots’ cause, second-best in the tournament along with Conant senior Victor Chevganov, and just 0.5 behind tourney leader Ilia Dvoryannikov from Vernon Hills.
Austin Lee (Burlington Central) finished third, Izayah Oleniczak (Harlem) fourth, Brady Krueger (Notre Dame) fifth, and Melvin Cannon (De La Salle) sixth.
138: Mikey Polyakov, Stevenson
It was his old NSC rival from Grant, Erik Rodriguez who dashed the hopes of Mikey Polyakov for an individual title recently at the 69th Berman Holiday Classic, but the Stevenson sophomore feels his odds of changing his luck against Rodriguez are growing.
Polyakov improved his record to 21-8 after two quick pins sent him into the finals against Conant’s Matt Goolish (16-7), where his 9-0 major decision victory over the Cougars’ senior gave him his first major title of the season.
Polyakov enjoyed a 6-0 advantage into the second period against Goolish. He chose down to start the period and never conceded a point along the way.
“Erik is a great opponent, but I feel like I’m closing the gap on him each time we meet, despite being 0-3 against him so far,” said Polyakov, who was a sectional qualifier a year ago in his rookie season, finishing with a 26-17 overall record.
“Shawn (Kogan) has been a tremendous help to me in my training. I’ve doubled up my workout each day, I did a lot of lifting in the offseason, trained at Brunson, and really worked hard on my slide-bys, tilts, positioning and ‘re-attacks’ that have made a big difference in the way I’ve wrestled this year.”
Mike Miranda (Leyden) was third, Jonathan Kruse (Burlington Central) fourth, Owen Recoy (Harlem) fifth, and Telmen Bayanbileg (Maine East) sixth overall.
144: Victor Chevganov, Conant
Conant’s Victor Chevganov figures that ‘flying under the radar’ is his best approach to his final season at Conant.
After a 13-21 record a year ago, the Cougars senior has done a complete 180 with his first tournament title of the campaign, to go along with an impressive 22-6 record following his pin at 3:01 over Stevenson senior Devitt Narens, now 18-11.
“I just wasn’t very good last year,” Chevganov said. “I wasn’t engaged at all both physically or mentally, but I did not want to end things the same way as last year, so I set out to make my senior year a great one.
“I was up (five points) in the final at Niles West and ended up losing in overtime, so I promised myself since then to do even more in the room because I feel like I can be one of those guys everyone overlooks in the postseason.
“It’s kind of like my teammate from last year, Tanner Cosgrove. He came out of nowhere to get downstate. That’s my plan this season, and to go after a medal.”
Brennan Peters (Harvard) was third, Andrew Diaz (Vernon Hills) fourth, followed by Cole McGuire (Burlington Central) and John Carr from Notre Dame.
150: Preston Fadness, Harlem
While his teammates from Harlem were chasing state power and NIC-10 rival Hononegah at the Huntley regional a year ago, Preston Fadness (19-8) was on the sidelines with a broken ankle.
But the Huskies senior persevered. Following his season-ending injury, he put in plenty of offseason training and extra work, which would include time in both Greco and Freestyle action.
“It (the broken ankle) was a big setback, but at least it happened during my junior year, so it gave me one more year of wrestling.”
Since his fifth-place finish in early December at the Mickey Marchese tournament put his record at 4-2, Fadness has gone 15-6. He opened Saturday’s action with a decision win, then won by major decision to reach the finals.
Fadness then won a hard-fought 5-3 decision over Notre Dame’s Joseph McCarthy (10-9) to win his Conrad title.
“We have a very good room and I have good partners, so I feel like I can improve with each week leading up to regionals,” Fadness said. “The plan is to advance into sectionals.”
Andrew Garcia (Maine East) third, Aidan Elliott (Stevenson) fourth, Leo Flores (Richards) fifth, Skaba Kokumbaev (Conant) sixth.
157: Deniz Ozturk, Notre Dame
No, it’s not an illusion that Notre Dame senior Deniz Ozturk was a 2023 sectional qualifier at 215, and then a sectional qualifier at 165 last season.
“Nope, it’s true,” Ozturk said. “I really was a 215-pounder as a sophomore. But I made a huge commitment to get fit and in shape for my senior year. I’m doing all the right things in my diet and training, and this year I feel really great. I’m ready to compete at a high level.”
Ozturk is now 21-2 after his 13-1 major decision victory over Jayden Corchado from Highland Park.
“I obviously lost a lot of weight, but I did it in a healthy way,” Ozturk said. “I think that wrestling at 215 actually made me more prepared to compete at 157.
“The adjustment was a little difficult at the start, but I believe my pace has helped me a lot at this weight. It’s something that has really not allowed my opponents to rest during our matches.”
Ozturk would like to continue to wrestle at the next level, perhaps at nearby Triton College.
Giorgi Solorio-Alvarez (Vernon Hills) was third, Jeremy Castro (Leyden) fourth, Kosuke Hirata (Stevenson) fifth and Jaewon White of Conant sixth.
165: Ilia Dvoriannikov, Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills’ Ilia Dvoriannikov (23-1) has enjoyed plenty of success at 175 pounds this season, and could very well enjoy more before the postseason begins.
The Vernon Hills junior won at his home tournament, then won a title at Buffalo Grove at 175, and was fifth overall at the prestigious Dvorak – again at 175.
However it’s at 165 where the 2024 (2A) state runner-up will do most of his damage from here on out, with the hopes of another Grand March in Champaign come February.
“I still might compete at (175) before regionals, but I feel like I am most dangerous at 165, where I will have the best chance of winning a state title,” said the soft-spoken Dvoriannikov.
He lets his work on the mats do his talking for him. He did so Saturday, winning a Conrad title with a pin at 0:58 against Notre Dame’s Dean Lazaris (18-12).
A state qualifier as a freshman with a 31-11 record, Dvoriannikov won three straight hard-fought, one-point victories at state last season to advance into the 165-pound final against Dunlap star Nick Mueller (43-3) now wrestling at Upper Iowa University.
Mueller’s 4-2 victory would give Dunlap its first state title in program history, while providing the motivation for Dvoriannikov to reach for the stars this time around.
Dvoriannikov would like nothing more than to become the first state champion for the Vernon Hills program since 2011, when heavyweight Jeremy Brazil won it all. That same year, Vernon Hills’ Gideon Yim was second at 125.
Jackson Spizzirri (Conant) was third overall, Jake Rhymes (Burlington Central) fourth, Dominic Ganir (Leyden) fifth and Josh Olex (Stevenson) sixth.
175: Marquis Mays, De La Salle
Affable De La Salle senior Marquis Mays just laughs when he recounts at what weight he competed at a year ago.
“I was in our lineup at 215 last season – can you believe it?” the three-year varsity veteran said with a wide smile.
“It’s where I was needed last year, and I felt really good about helping our team win our own regional team title,” Mays said. “But now that I’m at the weight I should be, I feel like I have a great chance of getting downstate.”
Last season Mays had state medalist Josue Hernandez (third) at 175, and current teammate, Terrelle Jackson holding down the 215 spot in the lineup.
“Having both David (McCarthy) and Terrelle in the room pushing me each day has made me so much better,” added Mays, after his 15-5 major decision victory over Holden Wiegel (11-5) from Burlington Central earned him a Conrad title.
Mays plans to attend Michigan State University where he’ll major in finance.
Chris Quizphi (Leyden) finished third, Peter Escamilla (Notre Dame) fourth, Philip Boyko (Stevenson) fifth and Timur Arzumanov (Vernon Hills) sixth.
190: Mike Taheny, Richards
A bigger, stronger, and more focused Mike Taheny is back from back-to-back appearances in Champaign, and the Richards senior is ready to make the third trip downstate a memorable one.
“There’s no doubt my desire to get past that barrier of not earning a state medal motivated me,” Taheny said. “And the extra work that I’ve put in has raised my level of confidence to where it needs to be to help me get on top of the podium.
Taheny improved to 23-1 overall after recording his second straight tech-fall victory Saturday, the second one coming over Stevenson’s Everett Ciezak (21-10) on the title mat at 5:30.
The No. 3 man in 2A now has four major titles to his credit (Antioch, Fenton, Glenbrook South) one season after going 2-2 at state to end his season at 31-5.
Cayden Parks (Crystal Lake Central) and Jack Paris from Fenwick currently sit just ahead of the 2024 regional and sectional champ Taheny, who has applied to the Naval Academy where he wants to continue to wrestle, while earning a degree in either computer science, cyber-security or high level mathematics.
Notre Dame senior Michael Keany was third, Terrelle Jackson (De La Salle) fourth, Michael Junitz (Burlington Central) fifth, and Jaiden Thorney (Conant) sixth.
215: Erick Worwa, Leyden
Make it two-straight Randy Conrad titles for Leyden star Erick Worwa, who advanced into the Conant sectional last season as a sophomore, and used that experience to provide the type of motivation needed to go even further in 2025.
“When you’re around so much talent in your weight class at sectionals, you realize how good they are, and how much more you have to work in every area to get back there and qualify downstate,” Worwa (25-2) said.
Worwa put forth a terrific effort against Highland Park sophomore Daniel Derbedyenyev (10-10) that led to a 19-2 (2:00) tech-fall victory on Saturday’s title mat.
“I put so much into my offseason training, and came out this year so much more focused on the sport,” Worwa said. “It’s just coming out in each match ready to battle, and to do whatever it takes to win.”
Worwa has now won three tournament titles this year.
Cully Nelson (Harlem) was third, Bo Branum (Harvard) fourth, Enrique Benitez (Conant) fifth, and Jonathan Keats (Vernon Hills) sixth.
285: David McCarthy, De La Salle
De La Salle’s No. 2 David McCarthy squashed his heavyweight rivals on Saturday, posting three pins in just over five minutes to claim his third major title of the season. He also won title at Conant and Plano this year.
He won a Conrad title Saturday with a fall at 0:42 against Harlem’s Chandler Jack (24-8).
“I worked extensively during the offseason on my movement, hand-fighting, and looking more for openings for me to attack,” McCarthy said. “The improvement in those areas has been a big part of my success thus far.”
The three-year Meteors veteran won a sectional title last season at Hope Academy before going on to earn a fifth-place 1A state medal, the 26th in program history.
The chances of a bigger, better finish this season in Champaign for McCarthy comes from some magnificent results on the season over high-profile heavyweight stars.
McCarthy has beaten No. 3 (1A) Jaylen Torres, the state runner-up from Wheaton St. Francis, No. 6 (1A) Ray Phelps (Hope Academy) in addition to a pin over the No. 2 man at 3A, William Cole from Round Lake.
“I just have to stay healthy, and stay mentally and physically strong from here on out,” McCarthy said.
Aidan Jaffray from Leyden finished third, Connor Moynihan (Notre Dame) fourth, Reece Parinello (Burlington Central) fifth, and Justin Lopez (Highland Park) sixth.
Final Team Standings: Stevenson 200.0, Notre Dame 174.0, Conant 155.5, Burlington Central 119.5, Leyden 115.5, Vernon Hills 113.0, Harlem 112.5, De La Salle 99.5, Highland Park 58.5, Maine East 53.0, Harvard 42.0, Richards 37.0, Lakes Community 0.0
Randy Conrad Invite results:
106
1st: Ray Long (Notre Dame) 29-3, d. Daniel Berdich (Stevenson) 21-8, (MD 19-7)
3rd: Charles Dominguez (Vernon Hills) 15-7, d. Duncan Tenezaca (Maine East) 15-8, (MD 13-2)
5th: Ryu Yamazaki (Conant) 7-18, d. Ryne Sauberlich (Harlem) 9-7, (TF-1.5 3:11 (16-1)
113
1st: Eduardo Vences (Central) 17-9, d. Damian Ramos (Conant) 17-9, (MD 16-4)
3rd: Evan Mishels (Stevenson) 18-12, d. Tony lopez (Vernon Hills) 11-12, (MD 12-2)
5th: Justin Forbes (De La Salle) 2-1, d. Alex Gudgeon (Highland Park) 7-4, (F 1:01)
120
1st: Jeremiah Lawrence (De La Salle) 3-0, d. Ayush Bajaj (Stevenson) 18-12, (TF-1.5 3:03 (19-3)
3rd: Emmett Arens (Conant) 2-1, d. Jaydee Doke (Harlem) 18-12, (D 10-3)
5th: Alex Rodriguez (Leyden) 5-7, .d. James Cohen (Vernon Hills) 5-11, (F 5:32)
126
1st: John Sheehy (Notre Dame) 29-3, d. Luis Flores (Conant) 2-1, (MD 15-7)
3rd: Nathan Corder (Harlem) 14-8, d. Gabriel Quintana (Harvard) 4-6, (F 4:28)
5th: Marcelo Cantu (Stevenson) 14-6, d. Sabir Aliev (Vernon Hills) 10-11, (F 0:57)
132
1st: Shawn Kogan (Stevenson) 26-1, d. Dulguun Nyamdavaa (Maine East) 17-8, (TF-1.5 2:27 (17-1)
3rd: Austin Lee (Central) 20-7, d. Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem) 16-10, (D 13-7)
5th: Brady Krueger (Notre Dame) 23-11, d. Melvin Cannon (De La Salle) 1-2, (F 2:39)
138
1st: Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson) 21-8, d. Matt Goolish (Conant) 16-7, (MD 9-0)
3rd: Mike Miranda (Leyden) 3-1, .d. Jonathan Kruse (Central) 1-3, (TF-1.5 2:29 (18-0)
5th: Owen Recoy (Harlem) 15-7, d. Telmen Bayanbileg (Maine East) 3-10, (MD 13-2)
144
1st: Vic Chebganov (Conant) 22-6, d. Devitt Narens (Stevenson) 18-11, (F 3:01)
3rd: Brennan Peters (Harvard) 8-9, d. Andrew Diaz (Vernon Hills) 11-13, (D 7-1)
5th: Cole McGuire (Central) 9-7, d. John Carr (Notre Dame) 4-3, (D 10-4)
150
1st: Preston Fadness (Harlem) 19-8, d. Joseph McCarthy (Notre Dame) 10-9, (D 5-3)
3rd: Andrew Garcia (Maine East) 9-6, d. Aidan Elliott (Stevenson) 1-3, (D 16-12)
5th: Leo Flores (Oak Lawn Richards) 14-7, .d. Shaba Kokumbaev (Conant) 2-4, . (F 2:31)
157
1st: Deniz Ozturk (Notre Dame) 21-12, d. Jayden Corchado (Highland Park) 4-6, (MD 13-1)
3rd: Giorgi Solorio-Alvarez (Vernon Hills) 9-6, d. Jeremy Castro (Leyden) 1-2, . (MD 14-6)
5th: Kosuke Hirata (Stevenson) 9-15, d. Jaewon Willhite (Conant) 6-6, (F 4:16)
165
1st: Ilia Dvoriannikov (Vernon Hills) 23-1, d. Dean Lazaris (Notre Dame) 18-12, (F 0:58)
3rd: Jackson Spizzirri (Conant) 16-13, d. Jake Rhymes (Central) 4-7, (MD 15-4)
5th: Dominic Ganir (Leyden) 13-13, .d. Josh Olex (Stevenson) 2-6, (F 4:50)
175
1st: Marquis Mays (De La Salle) 3-0, d. Holden Wiegel (Central) 11-6, (MD 15-5)
3rd: Chris Quizphi (Leyden) 16-7, .d. Peter Escamilla (Notre Dame) 8-11, (TF-1.5 4:00 (16-1)
5th: Philip Boyko (Stevenson) 11-4, d. Timur Arzumanov (Vernon Hills) 11-8, (F 1:47)
190
1st: Mike Taheny (Oak Lawn Richards) 23-1, .d. Everett Ciezak (Stevenson) 21-10, (TF-1.5 5:30 (23-7)
3rd: Michael Keany (Notre Dame) 17-9, d. Terrelle Jackson (De La Salle) 1-2, (SV-1 7-4)
5th: Michael Junitz (Central) 22-9, d. Jaiden Thorney (Conant) 11-18, (TF-1.5 4:16 (16-0)
215
1st: Erick Worwa (Leyden) 25-2, .d. Daniel Derbedyenyev (Highland Park) 10-10, (TF-1.5 2:00 (19-2)
3rd: Cully Nelson (Harlem) 15-11, d. Bo Branum (Harvard) 6-9, (F 1:53)
5th: Enrique Benitez (Conant) 4-1, d. Jonathan Keats (Vernon Hills) 7-10, (F 1:57)
285
1st: David McCarthy (De La Salle) 3-0, d. Chandler Jack (Harlem) 24-8, (F 0:42)
3rd: Aidan Jaffray (Leyden) 10-14, .d. Connor Moynihan (Notre Dame) 1-4, (F 4:44)
5th: Reece Parinello (Central) 3-10, d. Justin Lopez (Highland Park) 7-8, (F 0:52)