IC Prep leads the pack at 2A Crystal Lake Central Sectional

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

With a long list of top 20-ranked teams at the 2A Crystal Lake Central Sectional, the promise of thrilling, edge-of-the-seat action for two days came through with a terrific final session on Saturday afternoon.

It would be No. 3 IC Prep who left the historic Central gym with six individual championship brackets, while sending 12 downstate.

Antioch was next with six state qualifiers, followed closely by Deerfield and St. Patrick with five, while host Central and Fenwick booked four of their men to Champaign.

There were an astounding 65 state-ranked competitors here, 43 of whom were in the top 10 and four of whom were ranked No. 1 in their respective weight divisions.

Regional champions Crystal Lake Central, IC Prep, Notre Dame and Wheeling

earned 19 state qualifiers, eight of whom are sectional champions.

CRYSTAL LAKE CENTRAL SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

106- Ray Long (Notre Dame)

Six of the 18 in this terrific weight class were state-ranked in advance of the opening whistle, including No. 1 Vince DeMarco (Grayslake Central) and No. 3 Ray Long (Notre Dame) who were on a semifinal collision course early Saturday morning in Crystal Lake.

With all eyes directed on mat No. 1, Long would give the fans a treat when he opened with the wind in his sails and built a 7-0 second-period lead. Long conceded four points to DeMarco (44-2) before extending his advantage to 11-4, before recording a pin at 5:11 to the delight of Notre Dame fans.

“I just came out aggressive, looking to use my high singles, angle shots, quickness and constant pace to keep Vince on the defensive right from the very start of the match,” said Long, now 42-4, with 23 pins, and eight tech-falls on the season.

Long completed his sectional title journey with a fall at 5:11 in the finals against IC Prep’s Dominic Pasquale.

Dons coach Anthony Genovesi sees great things ahead for his sophomore.

“Ray is extremely athletic and he’s just starting to scratch the surface of just how good he can become,” Genovesi said. “(DeMarco) is an extremely talented wrestler and they could see each other again this weekend, in what would be another very tough match.

“There are still many things Ray needs to do wrestling-wise, but he wrestles a lot throughout the year, which has helped him grow and get better.”

DeMarco, fourth a year ago at state, would go on to defeat St. Patrick sophomore Jack Koenig (42-8) for third place.

113- Sam Murante (IC Prep)

Last year at this time, IC Prep junior Sam Murante had just suffered a blood-round defeat at the Hinsdale Central sectional to end his sophomore season with a 21-5 overall record at 113 pounds.

Murante (6-0) won the first of two regional titles as a freshman at Hinsdale Central, going 17-9 at 113 pounds.

Murante, who made his season debut last weekend when he tech-falled his way to a regional title at DePaul Prep, continued his climb up the charts when he stunned No. 2 Daniel Goodwin (42-4) with a 3-1 decision.

“Danny and (Murante) were well aware of each other because they both train at Izzy (Style), so (Danny) knew what was coming,” St. Patrick coach Dominic Angelo said. “But today Danny wrestled an uncharacteristically ‘off’ match, which will happen from time-to-time to the best of them.”

No. 3 Jackson Marlett (Crystal Lake Central, 41-6) came back from his semi-final defeat to Murante to defeat CJ Brown (Fenwick) for third place.

120- Kannon Judycki (IC Prep)

No. 7 Kannon Judycki (27-17) made it two straight championship trophies for IC Catholic when the sophomore recorded a pin at 2:27 over No. 10 Jake Lowitzki (37-4) from Prairie Ridge.

Judycki, who last season was a state qualifier with a record of 25-18, booked his spot in the 120-pound final after he pinned No. 10 Hunter Lenz (Cary-Grove), who was also a 2024 state qualifier.

On the opposite end of this high-profile bracket, Lowitzki needed extra time to defeat No. 5 and two-time state runner-up Gavin Rockey (41-9) to stay alive.

“We’ve always felt that Jake was capable of getting a result like this to defeat a great wrestler like (Rockey),” Prairie Ridge coach Ross Ryan said. “When he chose top in overtime, we all knew he was quite capable of riding out Rockey for the win.”

Ryan would move over from Crystal Lake South this season after he would enjoy a memorable career at South that would include leading: Eric Barone (2015), Christian Olsen (2019) and Shane Moran (2022) to state titles, in addition to several state place winners as well.

Judycki, who was second at the CCL conference tournament recently, pinned his way to the DePaul Prep regional crown last weekend.

Calvin Stahl (St. Patrick) would grab third place honors after his victory over Rockey to earn his second straight trip downstate.

126- Max Cumbee (IC Prep)

IC Prep sophomore Max Cumbee would finish atop this star-studded field when he beat No. 9, and now four-time state qualifier, Gavin Hanrahan, 7-2 to claim his second straight major title.

The No. 5 man in the state cruised into the final after an impressive 15-7 major decision over No. 2 John Sheehy (Notre Dame, 41-7) who would go on to defeat No. 10 Adrian Cohen (Deerfield, 40-10) in the third place match.

“I am feeling really good right now, having a partner in the room like Deven Casey pushing me each and every day. That has helped me go hard for six minutes whenever I need to,” said Cumbee, who was fifth a year ago while at Joliet Catholic Academy.

“I worked harder than I ever have during the offseason. I was actually was up to close to 150 pounds but after slowly taking the weight off, I feel just great, and I’m looking forward to this weekend in Champaign.”

Sheehy is now a three-time state qualifier, and fourth place medal winner last season, with Hanrahan arriving in Champaign with a 2024 third place medal already in his possession.

132- Deven Casey (IC Prep)

It’s no coincidence the move to IC Prep by both Deven Casey and Brody Kelly has provided the two key figures in the Knights’ lineup to make them the 2A state power they have become.

Casey (43-6) brought with him a pair of third-place state medals from his stay at Aurora Christian, then became a state champion a year ago at 120 pounds. Kelly came over from 3A state power Marmion Academy to become an instant star, and leader in the Knights room along with Casey.

“Our room is second to none,” Casey said. “The coaching staff is amazing, my teammates are committed to doing all of the right things every day, which makes coming to school and practice really fantastic.

“Right now for me it’s all about fine tuning things, staying healthy, eating smart, and just getting myself ready for the state tournament this weekend.

The No. 1 man in the state would deal No. 6 Nathan Randle (Crystal Lake South, 41-1) his first loss of the season with his 19-4 tech-fall semifinal victory to advance against No. 5 Jackson Palzet (45-2) who is having a marvelous senior year at Deerfield.

Palzet, who recently earned his 100th career win, while at the same time breaking the season tech-fall program record, gave Casey a battle, before conceding a 9-6 decision.

Randle would go on to defeat Nabiel Rosario (DePaul Prep) for third place.

138-  Jordan Rasof (Deerfield)

After two previous trips to Champaign that would end with a pair of state medals, the Deerfield senior Jordan Rasof has the look of a state champion in his eyes.

“Jordan is the ultimate leader, he commands respect with the way he carries himself, in and out of the room, and right now, he is all business with his focus on winning a state title,” says Deerfield head coach Marc Pechter, who later watched his four-year veteran register a 10-2 major decision victory in the finals over Patrick Hulne (38-12), the talented sophomore from St. Patrick.

Hulne, second on the club in take-downs, is in just his second year in the sport.

“He’s a terrific young man, and we are fortunate to have him in our room,” Pechter said of Rasof.

“(Coach) Pechter has been the best thing to happen to me, he’s obviously a great head coach, but an even better person because he treats us all as young men. He’s always there for us regardless of the situation,” said Rasof.

With his sectional final victory, Rasof is now 47-2, pushing his career win total of 159 close to the program record of 164.

IC Prep freshman Jacob Alvarez (31-17) finished third ahead of Colton Huff (St. Ignatius, 15-4).

144- Aidan Arnett (IC Prep)

IC Prep has received outstanding work from a trio of freshmen this season to enrich an already terrific lineup that appears ready to challenge for a 2A dual-team state title in a couple of weeks.

There’s no doubt that Aidan Arnett is the Knights top rookie, while also one of the best men at 144 pounds.

Arnett would tech-fall his way into the finals where he would meet No. 8 Chase Nobiling (Antioch, 40-8) who came away with a well deserved 7-2 victory over senior Max Rosen (30-9) of DePaul Prep.

Arnett would defeat Nobiling for the second time this season, this time in a 7-5 decision, to earn one of the top four seeds in his first trip downstate.

“I’m a 24-7 wrestling guy, who never takes a day off,” Arnett said. “I get three to four hours of time on the mats, and I really enjoy being part of a room that is so disciplined, both with wrestling and academics.

“My day begins at 3:45 in the morning, then I am off to school to begin a long day that I’ve really enjoyed,” said Arnett, who if he stayed close to home would have attended Providence Catholic.

The aforementioned Nobiling, who is making his first trip downstate, would defeat Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton, 41-1) in the Glen Erb final at Glenbrook South, who at the time was No. 1 in 1A.

Rosen would come back to defeat Alexander Shvartsman (Deerfield, 37-16) for third place.

Shvartsman’s older brother (Ben) was a 2022 state champion for Deerfield, and is now wrestling at Cornell.

150- David Farjado (Carmel Catholic)

After two years away from the sport of wrestling, senior David Fajardo (20-1) had enjoyed the type of season that inspires stories that will go on forever inside the Carmel Catholic room.

The Corsairs senior continues his memorable postseason run following his terrific three-match success that led him to the 150-pound title, and his first ever spot in the 16-man state field next weekend.

Farjado won Saturday’s title by fall against Notre Dame’s Joseph McCarthy.

“It’s always been boxing for me, and after my hip injury ended my freshman season, I finally got myself healthy and went all in on boxing until I decided to give wrestling one last try, and get myself downstate,” said Fajardo after he won at the Deerfield regional a week ago.

“Boxing is what his family is all about,” begins assistant Riley Palm, who was a two-time state champion for the Corsairs.

“(Boxing) is a sport that has enhanced David’s abilities in wrestling as it combines great fitness, footwork, dedication, commitment and that tough, hard-nosed personality that it takes to succeed in this sport,” Palm said. “And nobody works as hard as him. It’s a blessing to have someone like him in our room.”

Fajardo would miss the first month of the season, but has now won three consecutive major titles, beginning with his Lake County Invite crown.

Dominic Garcia (Antioch) won by tech fall over Joey Pontarelli (IC Prep) on the third-place mat at 150.

157- Nate Sanchez (St. Ignatius)

Everything would play out according to plan at 157 pounds.

No. 7 Nate Sanchez (35-4) was on the opposite side of the bracket of No. 8 Aiden Burns (41-4) from Fenwick, with the two seniors on a collision course to meet in the final Saturday afternoon.

Sanchez, a two-time state qualifier looking to make it three straight, cruised into the final after a 14-6 major decision victory, followed by a pin at 2:31 over eventual fourth place Charlie Cross (39-11) from perennial wrestling power Deerfield.

On the opposite side was Burns, a state qualifier at 152 two seasons ago with a 20-11 overall record.

Burns, runner-up recently at the Chicago Catholic League (CCL) tournament, would tech-fall his way into his final with Sanchez, who pinned the Fenwick star earlier this season.

Once there, the two CCL rivals went to work with Sanchez claiming his first sectional title in thrilling fashion with an 8-7 decision.

Sanchez, who was a blood-round victim a year ago at the Grayslake Central sectional, is the all-time match winner in program history with 132 on January 10 of this year.

The senior will attend the University of Chicago in the fall where he will continue to wrestle, and play baseball as well.

Warren Nash (30-15) from Grayslake North came back through wrestle-backs to defeat Cross in their third place contest by major decision.

165- Van Grasser (St. Patrick)

The 165-pound bracket was perfectly set up for a potential final between No. 2 Ilia Dvoryannikov (Vernon Hills, 39-5) and No. 3 Van Grasser (St. Patrick, 33-9). Grasser lost to the Vernon Hills star by 2-1 decision in the final of the Rex Lewis Invite this year at Buffalo Grove.

Both would waste little time in reaching the final, with Dvoryannikov having a more difficult route as he faced No. 6 Noah Pechotta (Cary-Grove, 37-3) who was a 2024 state qualifier.

Dvoryannikov won 8-0 over Pechotta to reach the finals. Grasser won a 10-0 major decision victory over No. 8 Marcus Macias (Antioch), and then dashed the hopes of Nate Brown (IC Prep) with yet another major decision triumph in their semifinal match.

Grasser avenged his loss to Dvoryannikov with a hard fought 5-3 decision in an intense six-minute contest.

“Our state qualifiers are all self motivated young men, and the type of kids who have the type of work ethic and drive to succeed,” Shamrocks coach Dominic Angelo said.

“This was a great win for Van. His focus on an all-out hustle and fight has shown that good things will happen to those who work hard.”

Grasser, sixth a year ago at 157 pounds, recently won the 175-pound ESCC title, as did Dvoryannikov at the CSL tournament.

2024 state runner-up Dvoriannikov competed at 175 pounds during the regular season for head coach Jesse Wolter at Vernon Hills.

Crystal Lake Central senior Tommy Tomasello won his third place match by fall against Antioch’s Macias.

175- Brody Kelly (IC Prep)

Brody Kelly has helped take the lead in an IC Prep room that is loaded with underclassmen, making the junior one of the old men on the Knights’ roster.

“It’s just a great room to have at IC,” begins Kelly, now 42-5 after his 22-6 tech-fall at 5:20 over Dominic Esposito (38-12) from Fenwick, whom Kelly pinned in his CCL semi-final.

“I was a little too defensive last season, so a lot of my training was focused on being more aggressive, and getting to my offense more in order to dictate how the match should go,” added Kelly, who recently commited to wrestle in the fall of 2016 at North Carolina.

“After the Doc Buchanan in California, the coaching staff at North Carolina contacted me about a visit, and when I did it was clear from the start the facilities, coaching staff, team, and of course the university and its academics were the perfect fit for me.”

Once in Chapel Hill, the No. 1 man at 175 will see a few familiar faces from the area with Colin Carrigan (Marmion Academy, Glenbard West) and assistant head coach Tony Ramos, the former star at Glenbard North and later Iowa.

No. 6 Ben Vazquez (Antioch, 37-7) is on his way to his third appearance at state with a third place medal in his possession after a defeat over league rival Christian Cendajez from Wauconda.

190- Cayden Parks (Crystal Lake Central)

Host Central will send four downstate this weekend, with its top man, No. 1 Cayden Parks heading there with a near perfect 41-1 overall record after the Tigers senior beat No. 7 Mike Merevick (40-9) from Wauconda with a hard fought major decision victory.

Parks, second a year ago at state with a 41-7 record at 190, and fourth in 2023 at 170 finds himself on the top of the 16-man state bracket, opposite of No. 2 Judah Heeg (37-3), the junior from Lemont.

Parks, who two weeks ago won his fourth regional crown to help the Tigers claim a 2A dual-team sectional spot in two weeks after lifting the regional team title at Antioch.

The No. 1 man at 190, who was runner-up at the prestigious Dvorak back in late December, took a 13-3 advantage into the second period against Merevick, thanks to plenty of physical play and hand fighting en route to his 15-7 triumph, his second major over Merevick, who will be a dangerous foe for many in Champaign.

Parks would defeat No. 6 Jack Paris (Fenwick, 40-11) in a semifinal contest, with Paris later falling to No. 10 Isaac Barrientos (IC Prep, 31-15) in their third place match.

215- Owen Shea (Antioch)

Owen Shea, despite competing in a big mans’ weight class, has proven to be a giant killer of sorts this season.

After the Wauconda junior stunned-then No. 1 Ashton Sheldon of Batavia in the final of the 59th Rus Erb at Glenbrook South with a first period pin, it was another Shea stunner when he beat No. 3 Foley Calcagno (IC Prep) in the 215-pound final.

Perhaps unfairly cast as the No. 7 man in his weight class, Shea, now 40-8, pinned his way into the final against the two-time state medal winner, where he recorded a hard fought 7-5 victory.

Shea, now with 31 pins on the season, earns his second appearance downstate in as many seasons.

“Owen will continue to do what he does, and that’s beating individuals that he is not expected to beat,” says Antioch head coach Wilbur Borrero. “But in doing so, it will mean nothing to him without getting on the podium next weekend in Champaign.

“He has the drive and expectation of himself not to lose, and the experience he gained from making it to state last year will help him prepare for what is ahead.”

Calcagno (36-13) was victorious in a splendid semifinal with No. 4 Tommy McNeil (39-6) that went extra long before the IC Prep junior recorded a 3-2 ultimate tie-breaker triumph to advance.

“I beat McNeil (11-8) earlier, but today I should have opened things up a little more, because he’s a big, strong wrestler, and someone I needed to score on to keep the pressure on him,” admitted Calcagno.

McNeil would defeat Melson Nagassa from St. Ignatius, 10-3 in the third place match.

285- Lucas Burton (Cary-Grove)

Cary-Grove senior Lucas Burton was part of a 2023 football team that won the 6A state title, and last year lost in the semifinals to eventual state runner-up Geneva.

Can the Trojans star find a way into the spotlight of the 2A state championship match this weekend in State Farm Arena?

“Lucas had a late start due to football, but he came back really strong and with so much more confidence than a year ago,” Cary-Grove coach Will Peterson said. “I really believe that blood round loss at state showed he has what it takes to compete with the best in the state. Now he just has to go out and get the job done in Champaign.”

After Burton recorded his No’s. 16 and 17 pins on the season, he won the sectional title when the two-time state qualifier from Fenton, Thomas Klos (32-4) took an injury default at 1:28.

“I’m a football player first, but I realized from last year that if I wanted to have the chance to win a state wrestling title, it would be important for me to improve my fitness and conditioning, which is way different from football,” said Burton, No. 2 in the state behind Joel Del Toro (45-2) from East Peoria.

Burton, who is still sorting out his collegiate plans for next fall, plays lacrosse, and also throws shot put for the Trojans track team.

DePaul Prep sophomore Hunter Wahtola would pin Anthony Sebastian (IC Prep) for third place.