Marmion Academy qualifies 11 from Hinsdale Central Sectional
By Chris Walker – for The IWCOA
Marmion Academy’s James Morrison (106), Nicholas Garcia (126), Zach Stewart (144), Ashton Hobson (150) and Joseph Favia (215) were crowned sectional champions early Saturday evening at the IHSA Class 3A Hinsdale Central Individual Sectional.
The Cadets dominated a strong, competitive field, which included familiar foes such as Marist and Mount Carmel, as they had four second-place finishes along with a third place and a fourth-place finish and will send 11 individuals to the IHSA Individual Finals, which begins on Thursday at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
Morrison (33-11) had a win by technical fall over Glenbard East’s Lorenz Rios Loud in the quarterfinals, followed by a pin of Marist’s Elio Gil (26-13) in 5:57 in the semifinal and another win by technical fall in 5:26 in the 106 championship over Glenbard West’s Aidan Ortega (36-6).
Garcia (21-1), who won a Class 3A title at 113 pounds last year, got a quick pin in the quarterfinals against Mount Carmel’s Francis Burke and a 9-3 decision over Glenbard West’s Carson Prunty (32-7) in the semifinals before defeating Marist’s Michael Esteban (32-7) in the 126 final on a tiebreaker, 2-1.
Stewart (30-2), who won the Class 3A title at 138 in 2024, got a win by technical fall win over Downers Grove North’s Aidan Cummings in the quarterfinals before surviving Marist’s Donavon Allen (27-6) on an ultimate tie breaker, 3-2, to advance in the finals. Stewart pinned Carl Sandburg’s Ryan Hinger (40-4), who took fourth in the state at 138 last year, in 1:27.
“(On Friday) I wrestled (Aidan) Cummings, a tough kid and then I wrestled Donavon Allen and he’s a really tough kid and I’m bumping up some weight,” Stewart said. “I think he’s ranked 23rd in the country and he’s got that style where he’s going to be tough to score on, so it’s kind of like I know it’s going to be tough and you got to go out there and win so that’s what I did against Allen. I found something in me to get that win, bigger, stronger, faster. And then in the finals there, (Hinger) got me into his positions but I kind of ended it pretty quick.”
Going head-to-head against fellow studs like Allen as well as seeing other high-caliber matches continues to drive Stewart’s love of the sport.
“I love the tournaments,” he said. “Tournaments are my favorite. I love practices, but tournaments, just the feeling with everybody, and I see everybody, like (Mount Carmel’s) Seth (Mendoza). I practice with him in the offseason so I get to see what’s up with him. I just love being here. Yeah, you could be somewhere else on a Saturday night, but instead you’re here wrestling with some of your best friends.”
It certainly helps when some of those best friends are your teammates and they’re finding great success, too.
“Honestly, the work we’ve put in, especially the past few weeks leading up to this and getting healthy helped us get 11 guys in,” Stewart said. “It’s nice to finally be back to full health so it’s really fun to see what these guys can do because we haven’t seen much of it all. Nobody has been wrestling the whole year. A lot of the guys are back now. There are mental blocks, but physically we’re all kind of back into wrestling. Mentally we’re all there, but there are just a few things, you know, we need to get past to get into that groove that we have. Minor little adjustments to specific kids, but other than that, we’re wrestling really solid, but when we get to that team state like we’ll have a plan.”
Hobson (25-5), who placed sixth in the state at 144 last season, pinned Argo’s Skylar Arellano-Phipps in under a minute during the quarterfinals and earned a 6-3 decision against Naperville North’s Tyler Sternstein (34-9) in the semifinals. Mount Carmel’s Jairo Acuna (17-7) was his final roadblock in pursuit of the sectional title at 150 and Hobson controlled the match, earning a 7-0 win.
Hobson and Acuna know each other well. They met in the blood round at state last year with Hobson prevailing, 9-3, in Champaign.
“It gets hard wrestling guys two or three times a year,” Hobson said. “The guy I had in the final I had last year in the blood round so it’s a familiar foe.”
With his teammates also rolling, Hobson is thrilled to be along for the ride while doing his part to help them drive downstate.
“It’s awesome seeing your friends win and it just motivates you to work harder,” he said. “We’re right there. We’re ready to show the state what we could do.”
After taking second in the state at 215 last year to Loyola Academy’s Kai Calcutt, there’s no doubt that Favia wants a chance to compete for a state title again.
“Our team looks really good,” he said. “We’ve been putting in all the work, you know, pushing the pace these last couple weeks when people are toning it down we’re turning into machines. We’re not men anymore, we’re machines. The team is looking good and is ready to push, even after individual state.”
Favia got another step closer to returning to the state final match after outlasting Batavia’s Asher Sheldon (30-5) with a 1-0 decision for the 215 sectional title.
“Asher is a great wrestler, good kid, I talk to him quite a bit,” Favia said. “He’s a great athlete. We wrestled two times prior. He’s a hell of an athlete. I just got to get to my offense more and the coaches are already talking to me so I know what I got to work on so we’ll be ready.”
Favia pinned Downers Grove North’s Nate Olona to get started before earning an 8-1 decision over Carl Sandburg’s Malic Breish (31-18) to get into the finals.
“All of our guys are kind of peaking at the right moment so it’s looking really good,” Favia said. “Obviously there are some things that everybody has to touch up, but I mean, we’re all on the right pace to do some big things. I’m really excited for our team. We’ve never won a team state title in Marmion history so we’re coming for that.”
Falling in their respective title matches were Aidan McClure (26-8 at 113), Demetrios Carrera (41-6 at 132), Vincenzo Testa (10-5 at 175) and Mateusz Nycz (40-5 at 285).
Also advancing for the Cadets were Colton Wyller (41-8 at 120), who earned a 10-1 major decision against Downers Grove North’s Tyler Tiancgo (40-12) to take third, and Luke Boersma (36-17 at 190), who dropped a 6-4 decision to Glenbard East’s Orlando Hoye (33-12), to place fourth.
All told, Marmion qualified 11 individuals to state. When you’re reaching double digits in a sectional, you’re doing something really special.
“I really truly believe we have the best coaching staff in the country,” Favia said. “They’re always there for us. Win or lose, those guys love us and put in so much time so that really does it for the mindset. Just knowing you have a group of teammates and coaches that win or lose you’re loved and that’s the school that we have, that’s the brotherhood that we have, and it’s something special we have, you won’t find it anywhere else.”
Mount Carmel and Marist didn’t get as many wrestlers into sectional championship matches as the Cadets, but both programs had strong performances and each qualified nine individuals for state after sending four apiece into sectional title bouts.
Marist’s George Marinopoulos (36-6) got wins by technical fall over Waubonsie Valley’s Nathan Duffield and Carl Sandburg’s Madden Parker (35-10) to set the stage for the 132 final against Marmion’s Carrera, where Marinopoulos pulled away in the final for a 13-6 decision.
“I had a good opponent (in the final) who I’ve wrestled twice earlier in the year and wanted to get that one back,” Marinopoulos said. “I was just ready. I’ve been kind of looking forward to this one for a couple weeks now. I’ve been wanting to wrestle him again so I was just ready for that one.”
Last year Marinopoulos took third place at 120 pounds at the Hinsdale Central sectional to qualify for state where he split his four matches and did not place.
“I’m super excited,” he said. “I’m feeling more confident than ever and just trying to get that championship.”
Over the summer, Marinpoulous committed himself to returning to state and also to the award stand.
“Summer wrestling and getting in the room is a key factor to how we’ll perform later on,” he said. “A big shoutout to coach Ryan Egan and teammates Will Denny, Michael Esteban and Tommy Fidler. We were in the room every day with each other having fun with it, not just wrestling. Sometimes we’d play around and do some MMA stuff. It’s just having fun in the room. We’re just a brotherhood. We all love each other and push each other every day.”
Denny (38-1) is pursuing his second-straight state title for Marist after winning at 150 pounds last season. Denny took down all three of his opponents at 165 via technical fall, earning victories over Carl Sandburg’s Wyatt Hochgraber and Mount Carmel’s Daniel Lynch (16-13) before he handed West Aurora’s Dayne Serio (45-2) just his second loss of the season with a win by technical fall in 1:24.
The RedHawks’ third sectional champion, Ricky Ericksen at 190, has been shooting for a return to state after placing second to Mount Carmel’s Colin Kelly at 175 a year ago.
“I don’t know, it’s kind of hard to explain, but the feeling I felt after the state finals match even though going into it (I knew) this kid has beaten me a couple times already, it was not the performance I wanted to have in the state finals,” Ericksen said. “So it really fueled my fire in the off-season and over the summer. I took a break from football and came back and was still dialed in like I never left.”
Ericksen pinned Carl Sandburg’s Chris Davis to begin his sectional title run. Ericksen won by technical fall over Glenbard East’s Orlando Hoye (33-12) before making quick work of Hinsdale Central’s Zachary Kruse, getting a fall in 0:56 in the 190 title bout.
“The goal next week is to dominate,” he said. “Just go out there and dominate. Not really focusing on getting that state championship because we know that will come. Just putting on a show for the fans.”
There’s no doubt Ericksen finds joy when he wrestles. For as little time a wrestler spends actually wrestling over the course of a two-day tournament, like this sectional, finding a way to stay occupied, focused and have fun isn’t necessarily easy. Ericksen is flourishing throughout. The Ohio- recruit even sent a wink in teammate Ethan Sonne’s direction after he cruised to a quick Kruse pin in the final.
“(Sonne) was looking at me and kind of laughing and we made eye contact,” Eriksen said. “I decided to throw him a wink. We share a special bond as a team. We are such a tight-knit group of kids who all love each other to death. These are special moments and being my last year I’m making memories.”
Esteban, who took second in the state at 126 last February, took second place after a tough loss to Marmion’s Nicholas Garcia. He’ll be joining his three sectional champion teammates at state along with Donavon Allen (27-6 at 144), Tommy Fidler (22-10 at 150) and Ethan Sonne (33-10 at 157), who all won third-place matches, and Elio Gil (26-13 at 106) and Joe Bronske (21-10 at 113), who took fourth.
Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza (32-1), who is wrestling at 138 after winning the 126-pound state title last year, pinned West Aurora’s Evan Matkovich in 1:21 to capture the sectional crown.
Also winning for the Caravan was Kavel Moore (25-11), who pinned Glenbard East’s Ismael Chaidez (42-3)in 2:34 for the title at 120.
Moore scored a major decision over Downers Grove North’s Tyler Tiancgo and a win by technical fall over Marmion’s Wyller to earn his shot against Chaidez.
Mendoza, who will be trying to make history by becoming a four-time IHSA champion this weekend, got started with a first-period win by technical fall win over Lyons Township’s Jack Kutchek before pinning Sandburg’s Brady Ritter (35-11) in 2:18 during the semifinals.
“I didn’t change anything going into this tournament,” Mendoza said. “It’s the same as any other tournament. The same mindset, the same goal. But, I mean, I think no matter what tournament it is, the first dual meet of the year or a big national tournament, I’m going in there with the same mindset. Just trying to dominate, win the positions I’m in and I think that just has always worked for me and will always work for me.”
Watching Moore dominate provided outstanding theater for Mendoza.
“He’s having a little more fun with it and not worrying about wins and losses, but just worrying about having fun and focusing, and that gets the job done,” Mendoza said. “That’s what I did and I think it works out pretty well.”
Having already won state titles at 106, 113 and 126, Mendoza is shooting for his fourth state title this season.
“These four years, everyone has been telling me, especially my parents, that it’s going to go quick,” he said. “I didn’t really believe them and now that it’s almost over it’s like ‘Wow, I remember being in this building three years ago and it didn’t feel like three years ago.’ I’m just trying to enjoy every moment of it, every practice. We’re close with a lot of these teams, Marist and Marmion and it’s good seeing them here. They have top-level guys just like us and are battling it out. It’s always fun to watch. It never gets old watching us compete.”
The Caravan also received second-place finishes from Jairo Acuna (17-7 at 150) and Liam Kelly (30-5 at 157) while Sebastian Gracia (25-11 at 106) and Leonard Siegal (21-14 at 215) took third place and Justin Williamson (15-7 at 132), Daniel Lynch (16-13 at 165) and Kevin Kalchbrenner (24-10 at 175) placed fourth to all advance to state.
West Aurora matched the Caravan and RedHawks with four individuals who also were in the finals. The RedHawks produced three champions while the Caravan and Blackhawks each had a pair of title winners.
Dominic Serio started out in fine fashion for West Aurora, pinning Lyons Township’s Mickey Ahrens in 1:30 in the 157 quarterfinals. Serio won by technical tech fall in his seminal match against Glenbard West’s Brandon Watson (33-15) before earning a 7-3 decision over Mount Carmel’s Kelly for the title.
Serio took fourth in the state at 150 last year.
“It feels pretty good, but I’m still not done yet, so I’m not satisfied,” Serio said. “I’ve got to win the state title at the end of the season. Honestly, I feel like all this stuff before state is just practice to help you get ready for the state tournament. And I’ll be ready.”
His teammate, Alfonso Aguilar, was certainly ready on Saturday afternoon.
Wrestling in the 285 final as the sectional was coming to an end, Aguilar (37-11) pinned Marmion’s Mateusz Nycz (40-5) in 1:52. The two just squared off in the Class 3A Marmion Regional title match a week earlier with Nycz disposing of Aguilar in the opening 30 seconds in Aurora.
“It was on my mind,” Aguilar explained. I was nervous. He pinned me in like the first 15 seconds (officially 21 seconds). I was just nervous, scared.”
What a turnaround.
“Honestly it’s just practice and getting after it every day and coach pushing me and getting me to be my best,” Aguilar said. “That’s the mindset you have to have in order to win. There’s no backing down. Honestly, I was excited. I was confident about my wrestling and I think honestly that’s what got me the win.”
It was a solid day for the Blackhawks as Serio and Aguilar were just two of the five wrestlers to advance to state from West Aurora. Dayne Serio (45-2 at 165) and Evan Matkovich (41-6 at 138) took second and Marcus Quintana (40-8 at 144) took fourth to also qualify for state.
“It’s honestly like a family here,” Dominic Serio said. “I mean, we all work as hard as we can be and I love those guys. We all get along great and we all train hard together. It’s seeing each other work really hard that really just boosts everybody up and we all get better together.”
And they’re enjoying the journey toward this weekend’s final destination for 2025.
“I feel like better than ever this season,” Dominic Serio said. “A lot of it is mental, too. I used to be my own worst critic. Now I’m in my last year and not worried about it and having fun. Doing the work in the offseason and stuff and getting extra workouts in have really helped.”
No other programs other than Marmion, Marist, Mount Carmel and West Aurora had multiple champions. Carl Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes (113) and Naperville Central’s Henry Rydwelski (175) won sectional titles for their respective schools to account for the remaining championships.
Hayes (42-1), who took third at state at 106 in 2024, earned a 6-4 decision over Marmion’s McClure in his title match. Hayes pinned West Aurora’s Jeremiah Hayes and Batavia’s Kai Enos enroute there.
Ryan Hinger (40-4 at 144), who took fourth in the state at 138 last year, was second and Brady Ritter (35-11 at 138) and Malic Breish (31-18 at 215) were fourth to join Hayes in qualifying for state.
Henry Rydwelski (43-3) punched his ticket to state in his final attempt after beating Downers Grove South’s Noah Greene (31-8), 7-2, in his semifinals match. Rydwelski fell short of qualifying for state out of the Hinsdale Central Sectional a year ago.
Saturday’s success undoubtedly was the direct result of the senior’s unwavering commitment to getting better in order to make the dream of getting to state a reality. Inspiring.
“Going in the mornings and after school every day in the offseason, and in the summer, and everyday in the winter and Sundays,” Rydwelski said. “Everything just seems to be paying off now and it’s just the best feeling in the world, really.”
Rydwelski defeated Marmion’s Vincenzo Testa in a down-to-the-wire championship match as the two were knotted at 1-1 late until Rydwelski pulled out the win, 4-1.
“I knew if I just pushed the pace the whole match and once he took that injury timeout I was (feeling) like he (was) getting tired,” he said. “If I just keep pushing the pace eventually something is going to open up and it did so.”
Knowing he had already earned his trip this weekend to state eased the stress of wrestling for a sectional title. What an emotional rollercoaster.
“I found it a little easier, I was worrying a lot and was nervous in my semifinal bout,” he said. “Once I made it to the finals I was like I might as well go and win the whole thing now, know what I’m saying? I already have a spot in state, so I’m just going to let it fly.”
Just a few years ago, Rydwelski was a freshman and setting goals. Getting to state was the big one.
“Freshman year I was like, ‘This is my goal, I want to win a state medal and I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen.’ Seeing it pay off is the best feeling in the world.”
William Erbeck (38-3 at 285) and Jacob Cochran (38-11 at 126) both took fourth place and will join Rydwelski in Champaign representing Naperville Central.
It’s a return trip for Erbeck and the first for Cochran.
“I’ve drilled with Erbeck before, but not as much lately since he’s heavyweight,” Rydwelski said. “Seeing him go to state a second year in a row is amazing. And then Jacob Cochran. He is like one of the hardest workers in the room. He consistently shows up to every event in the offseason and goes to club. He’s definitely one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen, so seeing that pay off is so nice.”
Glenbard West’s Aidan Ortega (36-6 at 106) took second, Carson Prunty (32-7 at 126) was third and Vince Tortoriello (36-11 at 150) and Brandon Watson (33-15 at 157) were fourth for the Hilltoppers and all qualified to state.
Glenbard East’s Ismael Chaidez (42-3 at 120) and Orland Hoye (33-12 at 190) took second and third, respectively, to qualify to state for the Rams.
Batavia’s Asher Sheldon (30-5 at 215) took second and Kai Enos (37-8 at 113) placed third to lead the Bulldogs and extend their seasons.
Lyons Township received third-place finishes from Griff Powell (33-4 at 132) and Jack Kutchek (27-14 at 138) to also advance to state.
Downers Grove South’s Noah Greene (31-8 at 175) and Jack=obi Spraggins (28-5 at 285) also both took third place to earn state berths.
Hinsdale Central’s Zachary Kruse (40-5 at 190) claimed second place, Bolingbrook’s Tommy McDermott (35-7 at 165) placed third and Downers Grove North’s Tyler Tinacgo (40-12 at 106) took fourth as all three earned the opportunity to represent their school at state.
Class 3A Hinsdale Sectional Place Matches
106
1st Place Match
James Morrison (Marmion Academy) 33-11, So. over Aidan Ortega (Glenbard West) 36-6, So. (TF-1.5 5:26 (16-0))
3rd Place Match
Sebastian Gracia (Mount Carmel) 25-11, Fr. over Elio Gil (Marist) 26-13, So. (Dec 4-1)
113
1st Place Match
Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg) 42-1, Sr. over Aidan McClure (Marmion Academy) 26-8, Fr. (Dec 6-4)
3rd Place Match
Kai Enos (Batavia) 37-8, Fr. over Joe Bronske (Marist) 21-20, Jr. (Fall 5:52)
120
1st Place Match
Kavel Moore (Mount Carmel) 25-11, Sr. over Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard East) 42-3, Jr. (Fall 2:34)
3rd Place Match
Colton Wyller (Marmion Academy) 41-8, So. over Tyler Tiancgo (Downers Grove North) 40-12, Sr. (MD 10-1)
126
1st Place Match
Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy) 21-1, Jr. over Michael Esteban (Marist) 32-7, Sr. (TB-1 2-1)
3rd Place Match
Carson Prunty (Glenbard West) 32-7, Sr. over Jacob Cochran (Naperville Central) 38-11, Jr. (Dec 4-3)
132
1st Place Match
George Marinopoulos (Marist) 36-6, Sr. over Demetrios Carrera (Marmion Academy) 41-6, Jr. (Dec 13-6)
3rd Place Match
Griff Powell (Lyons Township) 33-4, Jr. over Justin Williamson (Mount Carmel) 15-7, So. (Dec 3-0)
138
1st Place Match
Seth Mendoza (Mount Carmel) 32-1, Sr. over Evan Matkovich (West Aurora) 41-6, Jr. (Fall 1:21)
3rd Place Match
Jack Kutchek (Lyons Township) 27-14, Sr. over Brady Ritter (Carl Sandburg) 35-11, So. (Dec 6-2)
144
1st Place Match
Zach Stewart (Marmion Academy) 30-2, Jr. over Ryan Hinger (Carl Sandburg) 40-4, Sr. (Fall 1:27)
3rd Place Match
Donavon Allen (Marist) 27-6, Sr. over Marcus Quintana (West Aurora) 40-8, So. (TF-1.5 3:18 (20-5))
150
1st Place Match
Ashton Hobson (Marmion Academy) 25-5, Jr. over Jairo Acuna (Mount Carmel) 17-7, Sr. (Dec 7-0)
3rd Place Match
Tommy Fidler (Marist) 22-10, Jr. over Vince Tortoriello (Glenbard West) 36-11, Jr. (MD 11-2)
157
1st Place Match
Dominic Serio (West Aurora) 33-4, Sr. over Liam Kelly (Mount Carmel) 30-5, Jr. (Dec 7-3)
3rd Place Match
Ethan Sonne (Marist) 33-10, So. over Brandon Watson (Glenbard West) 33-15, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:46 (20-3))
165
1st Place Match
Will Denny (Marist) 38-1, Sr. over Dayne Serio (West Aurora) 45-2, Jr. (TF-1.5 1:24 (21-6))
3rd Place Match
Tommy McDermott (Bolingbrook) 35-7, Jr. over Daniel Lynch (Mount Carmel) 16-13, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:03 (15-0))
175
1st Place Match
Henry Rydwelski (Naperville Central) 43-3, Sr. over Vincenzo Testa (Marmion Academy) 10-5, Jr. (Dec 4-1)
3rd Place Match
Noah Greene (Downers Grove South) 31-8, So. over Kevin Kalchbrenner (Mount Carmel) 24-10, Sr. (Dec 19-18)
190
1st Place Match
Ricky Ericksen (Marist) 33-7, Sr. over Zachary Kruse (Hinsdale Central) 40-5, Sr. (Fall 0:56)
3rd Place Match
Orlando Hoye (Glenbard East) 33-12, Jr. over Luke Boersma (Marmion Academy) 36-17, So. (Dec 6-4)
215
1st Place Match
Joseph Favia (Marmion Academy) 18-6, Jr. over Asher Sheldon (Batavia) 30-5, Jr. (Dec 1-0)
3rd Place Match
Leonard Siegal (Mount Carmel) 21-14, Sr. over Malic Breish (Carl Sandburg) 31-18, Sr. (Dec 3-2)
285
1st Place Match
Alfonso Aguilar (West Aurora) 37-11, Jr. over Mateusz Nycz (Marmion Academy) 40-5, Sr. (Fall 1:52)
3rd Place Match
Jacobi Spraggins (Downers Grove South) 28-5, Sr. over William Erbeck (Naperville Central) 38-3, Sr. (Dec 9-2)