Joliet Catholic Academy rolls to 2nd straight Mudge-McMorrow title
By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA
All IWCOA rankings courtesy of Rob Sherrill’s Illinois Best Weekly
MT. PROSPECT – It wasn’t too long ago that the Joliet Catholic Academy featured a star-studded upperclass lineup to fuel its near-run to a Class 2A Dual Team IHSA title, one year after the Hilltoppers defeated Deerfield in the 2A Finals to win their only state championship.
On that 2023 Hilltoppers club, state champions Gylon Sims (The Citadel), Mason Alessio (Central Michigan) and Dillan Johnson (Wisconsin) would all lift the big trophy in Champaign, with future and current stars, Jason Hampton and Nolan Vogel making big contributions for the eventual state runners-up, who fell 28-27 to Washington.
Hampton and Vogel are the senior anchors on a Hilltoppers club that is super young and talented, and with the two veterans from last season’s third-place finisher in the Class 3A Dual Team Finals leading the way, it would be another lopsided championship inside the Jean Walker Fieldhouse at Prospect’s 65th Mudge-McMorrow Invite.
The Hilltoppers had five champions, Lukas Foster (126), Hampton (132), Adante Washington (138), Vogel (157) and Ryker Czubak (215) while Kane Robles (106), Adonis Washington (126) and Lincoln Mack (132) all took second place. Finishing third were Colton Schultz (113), Finn McDermott (120), Aidan Bishop (190) and Daniel Dalach (285) while Matthew Laird (144) claimed fourth and Dawson Mack (150) was fifth as all 14 individuals placed fifth or better.
“Jason and Nolan are the seniors we are leaning on for their leadership, both on, and off of the mats, and they are providing exactly what we need in order to give our really young roster the guidance moving forward,” began Hilltoppers head coach Ryan Cumbee.
“Things are slowly coming together, and as we get a couple of other guys back and into our lineup, I feel like the second half of the season could provide some terrific results for the team, and individually, as well.”
“You saw today some of our younger guys come through to either win in their weight class, or get themselves into a final, which will give them some great experience.”
There was a reason for the Hilltoppers’ 264.0 point total as they collected tourney-highs with 19 pins and 13 tech falls and had 460 total match points, which was 16 points behind second-place Naperville Central (186.0), which totaled 476 on the day.
After the top two teams, it would be class 1A state power Dixon (157.0), followed by Libertyville (124.5) and fifth place Prospect (123.5).
Here are the champions and a look at each weight class:
106 – Riley Paredes, Dixon
The final round got off to a roaring start with the 37-point thriller between Dixon’s Riley Paredes and Joliet Catholic Academy’s Kane Robles.
This see-saw, rollercoaster affair looked as if the No. 8 in 3A Robles (9-2) would run away and hide from the No. 5 in 1A Paredes (14-0), who was chasing a 7-0 early deficit, until a late reversal and then a takedown drew the junior closer at 7-5.
Dixon head coach Micah Hey best describes what he saw from his corner.
“Our match with Robles was just awesome,” began Hey. “Riley gave up a takedown, then some back points to go down, but he found his way back to set up a second period in which Robles took control early to make it 11-5 heading into the third period.”
“That’s when the fireworks started, and to be honest, something I’ve never seen happen. Riley chose down, got a reversal to Robles’ back. The referee looks at the shoulders of (Robles) blows the whistle, slaps the mat, and Riley gets up, takes his ankle band off, and goes to the center to shake hands. Simultaneously, that same ref calls off his own pin, says it was not a pin, then tells Paredes to put his ankle band back on.”
Once back in action, Paredes exploded with a 19-2 run to eventually end this final at 24-13.
Hampshire’s Luthor Rajcevich gave his club its first top-five medal after claiming third place over Evergreen Park’s Brayden Mateja-Bates and Naperville Central’s Alexi Aguinaldo beat Batavia’s Joey Calvillo for fifth.
113 – Vince DeMarco, Grayslake Central
Vince DeMarco has made quite a few headlines from the minute he stepped into the Grayslake Central room two years ago.
The Rams junior, who was runner-up in 2A at 106 to Notre Dame College Prep’s Ray Long last season after placing fourth at 106 in 2024, has been at or near the No. 1 spot in the polls from long stretches of time during two remarkable seasons for head coach Matt Joseph, and this year is no different as he sits just behind the No. 1 in 2A at 113, IC Catholic Prep’s Drew Murante, who beat DeMarco at Barrington’s Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Tournament.
“Vince had a little bit of a rough start to the season while dealing with an injury, but he never uses (that) as an excuse – but what you’re seeing with him now is vintage Vince,” began Joseph.
“To have his younger brother Dominic in the room, and watching their intense work is just beautiful to watch, and for Vince, it’s all business from here on out.”
“Vince has always had a target on his back from the first time he came to Central, but for him, it’s just the way it is, and it makes him be at his best all of the time.”
DeMarco (11-3) who was first at nationals in Greco, and seventh at Freestyle, recorded a little bit of everything in his three matches, beginning with a tech fall in his tourney opener, then a major decision and ending with a fall at 1:55 over Prospect sophomore Carlo Difalco.
Joliet Catholic Academy’s Colton Schultz got a tech fall to take home third place over Moline’s Matthew Hoss while Addison Trail’s William Gray beat York’s Gabe Olasa to finish fifth.
120 – Nikolas Duarte, Addison Trail
Things could not have gone better for Nikolas Duarte during his rookie season at Addison Trail, and for head coach Mike Rosengrant.
The Blazers faithful watched their best man win a regional title at home, then finish second at sectionals to the eventual 3A champion, Oak Park and River Forest’s MJ Rundell, before bringing home a fourth-place state medal at 106 pounds.
That honor would give the Blazers program its best state finish since 1983 when Don Lullo collected a third-place medal at 155 pounds.
“(He) had quite a year for us, and it would continue a lot of hard work at Cory Clark, and seven wins at Fargo, but most of all, we’ve seen him develop into a first-class leader, who, in and out of the room, sets the tone for the entire program,” said a proud Rosengrant.
Duarte, who was 37-8 last season, moved his record to perfect 7-0 after his pin of Batavia’s Kai Enos (10-2), who is currently ranked No. 2 in 2A at 120, in the title match.
Duarte, No. 10 in 3A at 120, that’s led by the nationally-ranked and two-time state champion Dom Munaretto, has won two major titles thus far, his first coming at his Addison Trail Invite.
Joliet Catholic Academy’s Finn McDermott, who stretched Duarte to the limit during a 3-0 semifinal decision, took third with a pin over Dixon’s Jack Ragan while Naperville Central’s Dalton Meluch beat Hampshire’s Andrew Salmieri for fifth place.
126 – Lukas Foster, Joliet Catholic Academy
Lukas Foster would start a long-line of individual champions collected by the tournament champions, Joliet Catholic Academy, that would reach five, when he grabbed his first tech fall of the day over teammate Adonis Washington in the 126 title match.
The Hilltoppers junior, a state qualifier in 2024, would exhibit far too much scoring power over his four opponents, including a trio of pins to send him into the final with Washington.
“Lukas and Adonis are good for each other in the room, but Lukas is working as hard as he can to put together a long run in the postseason,” said Hilltoppers head coach Ryan Cumbee.
Foster, fifth recently at the Donnybrook, reeled off three straight pins in just under eight minutes before needing all of 4:17 minutes to finish off Washington.
Evergreen Park’s Jayden Cervantes took third after a hard-fought 4-1 decision over Libertyville’s Tyler Wuh. And Naperville Central’s Jake Moore beat Batavia’s Ricardo Alfaro for fifth place.
132 – Jason Hampton, Joliet Catholic Academy
A long-time staple in the Hilltoppers lineup since his first year with the big season in 2022-2023, Jason Hampton, the No. 2 man at 132 in 3A behind Marmion Academy’s Nicholas Garcia, looks to be on course for a fourth-consecutive state medal as witnessed by his dominating performance on the way to the 132-pound title.
“It’s all about working hard, dedication to our sport, and trusting in our coaching staff, which I feel is the best around,” said Hampton, following his technical fall victory over teammate Lincoln Mack in the 132 title match to run his record to 10-1 on the season.
“Lincoln is one of several young guys we have on our roster, so the future is looking bright here at JCA,” continued Hampton, who will wrestle next fall at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, where the staff, atmosphere, and campus all felt right for Hampton, who has a second-, third-, and fourth-place state medal in his trophy case.
Libertyville’s Alexander Osborne claimed third place after his pin of Naperville Central’s Austin Schiltz while Grayslake Central’s Krish Sahu defeated Addison Trail’s George Espinoza for fifth.
138 – Adante Washington, Joliet Catholic Academy
Adante Washington was a state qualifier for the Hilltoppers in 2024, the same year Ryan Cumbee’s club made its third consecutive appearance at the IHSA Dual Team Finals.
The junior looks to be ready to make a big contribution to the cause after his sensational four-match effort that would produce tourney-best four tech falls in just under eight minutes, plus 76 total match points amassed, which also a tournament-best.
“We are thrilled and happy to have Adante wrestling the way he has, if he keeps (it) up, he will do some terrific things in February,” said Ryan Cumbee, just after his man registered a 17-1 tech fall at 2:28 over Grayslake Central’s Owen Floral in the 138 title match.
Washington (10-2), who’s on the cusp of a place in the top 10 at 138 in 3A, was fifth at the Dan Gable Donnybrook.
Batavia’s Elias Chaney won by fall over New Trier’s Matthew Miralles in the third-place match and Moline’s Housseyn Ndiyae beat Libertyville’s Jake Shafer to finish in fifth place.
144 – Jacob Cochran, Naperville Central
Top-seed Jacob Cochran would give Naperville Central the first of two individual champions when he rolled into the 144-pound final on the heels of three straight pins before taking control of a tight contest with Dixon’s Charlie Connors.
The Redhawks senior would execute a well-played near fall at five minutes, then ride out the Dixon sophomore for a 4-2 victory in the 144 finals. The loss was the first of the year for No. 10 in 1A Connors, who was a state qualifier last season.
“I always thought the best part of my game has been on top, I worked in the offseason on (neutral), but in my final, when I took the lead with that nearfall, I was able to ride, and be as tough as I could on top,” said Cochran, No. 8 in 3A, and now 14-1 overall.
Grayslake Central’s Trevor Hengl was third after a medical forfeit ended the day of Joliet Catholic Academy’s Matthew Laird prematurely. McHenry’s Ryan Johnston (14-1) took fifth with a win over Evergreen Park’s Lucas Landry.
150- Warren Nash, Grayslake Central
Grayslake Central senior Warren Nash, a state qualifier a year ago, looked to be in fine form after claiming his second major of the season, following his impressive 11-1 major decision triumph over Preston Richards (11-2) from Dixon.
“I learned a lot from going to state for the first time last year, I know if I get back I’ll be mentally and physically ready to go for a state medal,” said Nash, now 13-2 after going 30-17 last year.
“Warren is an extremely hard worker, he’s a great senior leader, and just a tremendous young man, and one that we are fortunate to have in our room,” Central head coach Matt Joseph said.
Dixon coach Micah Hey saw nothing but benefits for Richards on Saturday.
“Like Charlie Connors at 144, Preston had a strong tournament, and those tough matches they had will only help them get to where they want to be at the end of the year,” Hey said.
Nate Eiduk (Niles North, 20-4) recorded a pin (1:14) over Aric Abbott (Hampshire) in the third place contest, while Dawson Mack (Joliet Catholic Academy) earned a fifth place medal with a win by fall over New Trier’s Tyler Anderson.
157- Nolan Vogel, Joliet Catholic Academy
Nolan Vogel, one of the few senior veterans in the Joliet Catholic Academy starting lineup, pinned his way to the 157-pound crown in just over seven minutes to add another 35 points to the leaderboard for the team champion Hilltoppers.
Vogel would pin Michael Brannigan (Hampshire, 13-6) at 3:31 in their final.
“We have a great staff at JCA, and one that takes a great interest in all of us, and not just in the sport of wrestling,” began Vogel, fifth a year ago at state (150) after reaching his first appearance in Champaign the year before.
“Like everyone else, the work to be better on the mat is what we all work towards, but for me, sometimes I would let a case of nerves get to me at times. But I feel like I’ve got that under control now, which will help me reach my goal of winning a state title.”
The only loss Vogel (11-1) has suffered thus far came at the Donnybrook in early December, where he would finish fifth overall.
Reid Balis (Naperville Central) placed third in an 11-3 major decision over Callum O’Connell (Libertyville) fourth, and Owen Brady from Evergreen Park placed fifth by fall against Niles North’s Evan Lazik.
165- Jacob Hanselman, York
York senior Jacob Hanselman would enjoy a magnificent day here in Mt. Prospect with a sensational point-scoring effort as the No. 10-rated man at 165-pounds unloaded four pins, recorded 30 total team points and later would be anointed outstanding wrestler along with Joliet Catholic Academy senior Jason Hampton.
“I did a lot of offseason work on my game, mostly with my attack and overall offense,” Hanselman said. “That blood-round loss at sectionals last year provided all the motivation I needed.”
The No. 10 rated man in the state who was 40-10 a year ago, is on his way to Johns Hopkins University next fall, where he will pursue a degree in economics.
Hanselman would need just over four minutes to register his four pins, the last at 1:33 over Gavin Payne (14-4) from Prospect.
Moline senior Jaxson Soliz was third after his pin of Niles North sophomore Nicholas Marcus, now 20-4. Pierce Adams (Libertyville) would finish fifth with a 13-1 major decision against Round Lake’s Narciso Gonzalez.
175- DeAnthony Simpson, Moline
Moline senior DeAnthony Simpson had the wind at his back at the start of his run towards the 175-pound title, with a pair of falls in his opening two contests, before his exciting 16-11 semifinal victory sent him into his final with Blake Dingley of Dixon.
Once there, it took all of 41 seconds to secure the lone title of the day for Moline.
“I did well at setting up my shots, and defending my opponent’s attacks, while also learning what I’m strong at, and what I need to continue to work on,” said Simpson (11-2), who was a sectional qualifier a year ago with a record of 33-14.
“My improvement during the offseason came from lifting and having a good wrestling partner in the room,” added Simpson, who plays football, and is looking to play in college at either sport, with a degree in business in his plan right now.
Nicolas Olvera (Naperville, 12-3) was third after his tech-fall over Alen Bautista (Addison Trail), while Joseph Quirk from Prospect won by tech fall for fifth place against Prospect’s Patrick Zdanowski.
190- Paul Peradotti, Naperville Central
No. 5 Paul Peradotti (13-1) put a firm grip on his top five spot in the polls with an impressive three-match performance that would include his 13-1 major decision victory in his final with Libertyville junior James Scanio.
The Redhawks’ two-sport star (football) who was fifth at the high-profile Marmion Academy Cadet Invite earlier in the season, was a sectional qualifier a year ago with a dazzling 35-6 record, but was unable to advance out of a tough 190-bracket at Hinsdale Central.
“My expectations and goal is to get downstate, and onto the podium, and I feel if I continue to work hard and keep my focus, I can meet that goal,” said Peradotti, who plans on pursuing a degree in animal sciences.
Peradotti would reach the final with a 18-2 tech-fall at 4:54 in his semifinal.
Aidan Bishop (Joliet Catholic Academy) earned a third place medal over Tommy Tures from New Trier, and Beau Walker (York) placed fifth by fall against Libertyville’s Mason Roe.
215- Ryker Czubak, Joliet Catholic Academy
Ryker Czubak has already made his presence felt during his first year with the big club for Hilltoppers head coach Ryan Cumbee.
The sophomore was nearly untouchable during his three matches on the day, which began with a 10-1 decision, and would end with back-to-back pins – the last at just 44 seconds over runner-up Owen Dewey from host Prospect.
“I’ve known and coached Ryker since grade school, and you can see that it’s all there for the young man, who continues to work hard in the room and in my opinion, will be a real force in the next couple of years,” said Cumbee.
Caelon Young (Naperville Central) grabbed third with his pin of Jaden Lehman (Batavia) while Dawson Kemp (Dixon) won by fall for fifth against Naperville Central’s Sebastian Mitchell.
285- Knox Homola, Hampshire
Hampshire sophomore Knox Homola has a great sports name, and even greater results thus far for someone who barely tips the scales at just over 200 pounds in this big-man’s weight division.
“What I lack in weight, I make up for it with my speed and quickness, which has allowed me to have the success I’ve had, against much heavier guys than me,” said the affable Homola, who is now 16-2 overall after his pin at 1:37 with Prospect senior James Brouilette, whose late pin (5:33) in his semifinal sent him into the final.
“Knox is a very entertaining young man who has been working hard on his technique in order to compete in the heavyweight division. He’s quite comfortable wrestling against the larger wrestlers,” began head coach Matt Todd.
“He is a very hard worker, and he takes coaching really well from all of us, and the other thing about him is he is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team.”
Homola, who is a middle linebacker for the Hampshire football team, lost in the blood round at the Barrington sectional, finishing with an impressive 29-9 record in his rookie season.
Daniel Dalach (Joliet Catholic Academy) used a 10-5 decision over Marc Walsh (McHenry) to collect third place, and New Trier junior Cooper Kemnitz finished fifth overall with a fall against Moline’s Alijah Martin.
Final team standings:
Joliet Catholic Academy 264.0, Naperville Central 186.0, Dixon 157.0, Libertyville 124.5, Prospect 123.5, Moline 117.0, Grayslake Central 115.5, Hampshire 107.0, York 88.5, Batavia 78.5, Evergreen Park 76.5, Addison Trail 70.0, Niles North 66.5, New Trier 54.5, McHenry 38.0, Round Lake 20.5