IC Catholic leads the pack at Antioch
By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA
Wherever No. 1 IC Catholic goes it takes home plenty of hardware, as well as countless individual trophies.
The Knights (16-2-0), favored to win a second consecutive class 2A team title at the end of the month, claimed six individual titles and advanced 12 into the state tournament.
The Knights, who, along with Antioch had 13 pins in the tournament, will face No. 4 Geneseo (14-6-0) in its dual-team quarterfinal on Friday, February 27 (7:00) in Bloomington at the Grossinger Motors Arena.
Grayslake Central would celebrate a program best six to Champaign, including its terrific DeMarco brothers (Dominic and Vince) who would enjoy a memorable weekend of wrestling
Deerfield, with a tourney-best 18 pins recorded over the two days, will have seven in Champaign. Antioch (6), Wauconda (4) and Wheeling (12-4-0) who is on its way to Bloomington later this month all had three state qualifiers.
106- Dominic DeMarco (Grayslake Central, 31-2)
An early season appendectomy might have slowed Dominic DeMarco for a short while, but the Grayslake Central freshman, No. 2, has been on fire of late, including during his well deserved 7-1 victory over No. 3 Mike Bird (IC Catholic, 31-14) to thrill the crowd during the opening match of the final session.
The 106-pound title is the third major title for DeMarco (31-2), who begins his training day early in the morning, and never slows down, much like his older brother Vince, who is a two-time state medal winner, and the No. 3 man at 113-pounds.
“It’s great having Vince in the room, we’re great friends, and he’s a great partner, and someone that I always look forward to training with,” said DeMarco.
DeMarco opened his tournament with his 11th pin of the season, went past Thomas Emery, 12-5, then prepared for a second meeting of the year with Bird.
“(Bird) is very good, he’s got a strong attack, and shot, so it was important for me to stay in good position, and just be ready for whatever he throws at me,” opined DeMarco, who earned a 10-8 decision over Bird earlier.
“Dominic wrestled a hard fought match with Bird, who he caught with a six point throw with ten seconds remaining in the second period to go up 6-1,” recounted head coach Matt Joseph.
An escape would extend his lead to the eventual 7-1 result.
Thomas Emery (40-9), who transferred from nearby Hersey during the offseason, and Fargo top 12 guy in Greco, is on his way to his first state tournament with a third place medal, while Antioch senior Haydren Gomez (28-19) is making his first trip to Champaign as well.
113- Vince DeMarco (Grayslake Central)
Two previous top-four state medals only made Vince DeMarco put the extra work in during the offseason to fine tune technically, while keeping it all in perspective as to the trials and tribulations of the sport.
“You just go and do the best that you can, and, for me, I don’t look back, and say I should have done something different,” DeMarco would say just before he won his regional crown two weeks ago.
DeMarco (37-7) would finish second a year ago at state, fourth two years ago, but after his magnificent two days here that would end with his 11-3 major decision victory over No. 2 Drew Murante (IC Catholic, 32-12) it appears the Rams junior is ready for the final weekend of the season.
“Vince was dominating today, avenging an early season loss (11-5) to Murante, and he set the tone with three first period take-downs, then would just control the rest of the way,” said a proud Matt Joseph.
DeMarco, a 2025 Junior Greco-Roman National champion at 106 pounds during the summer in Fargo, has successfully averted three early season losses to Murante, Daniel Berdich (Stevenson) and Lucas Crandall from Fremd.
No. 6 Jayme Cohen (Deerfield, 37-11) came back from his quarterfinal loss to Murante to earn his first trip downstate with a third place medal, while No. 10 Frankie Katz (Wheeling, 25-14) joins Cohen after his fourth place medal.
120- Kannon Judycki (IC Catholic)
Kannon Judycki would start a four-match championship run for his club when he finished off his third opponent of the weekend with a third consecutive pin, this one at the expense of Deerfield junior Jorey Becker (37-11) at 1:50.
The Knights junior, now 26-8, has come long way fast since his rookie season when he was a state qualifier with 25 wins, one of which came in Champaign at 113 pounds.
Last season, Judycki won his first two state matches, before a heart-breaking sudden death loss to eventual state runner-up Mikey Malizzio from Montini Catholic ended his time in the front draw.
Judycki would fight his way back to earn a sixth place state medal.
This season Judycki will enter the tournament as the No. 1 man at 120-pounds, with a CCL, regional, and now sectional title to his claim
Alex Gudgeon (23-8) from Highland Park qualifies after his third place victory over Harrison Brown (30-16) of Fenwick.
126- Sam Murante (IC Catholic)
No. 2 Sam Murante will begin his chase towards a state championship with a sectional title to inspire his quest following an impressive second day of work that would include his pin over Danny Martinez (Deerfield, 40-12) who is making his first state appearance of his career.
“My goal all along was to get downstate, and on the top of the podium, and the extra work I put in during the offseason to improve my work on (legs) and being better prepared for each opponent is the reason that I feel like I have a good chance of getting in the state final next weekend,” said Murante.
The Knights senior, who is now 27-10, is planning on wrestling next season at a D-1 college, where he will pursue a degree in business.
Murante will be chasing No. 1 Max Mandac (Providence Catholic) and the two are 1-1 against each other, with Murante owning a 15-3 major to his credit.
Krish Sahu (Grayslake Central, 39-8) turned in a valiant six minute effort with Murante in their semifinal, that eventually ended in a 7-1 decision.
“Krish won a crazy blood round match (2-0) with a reversal with 27 seconds remaining, then beat Mason Porten (Wauconda, 33-17) for the third time this season to earn a third place medal,” said Matt Joseph.
132- Max Cumbee (IC Catholic)
No. 1 Max Cumbee, the reigning 126-pound state champion, is on his way to a third straight state appearance, and the Knights junior appears primed and ready to add another piece of hardware to the family trophy case.
Cumbee tech-falled his way to his 132-pound title, needing just a tick under 5 1/2 minutes to dispatch his opponents, including junior Rene Reyna (35-7) from Fenton, who was a regional champ two weeks ago.
“It’s been all about just fine tuning things, staying sharp, and being a lot more aggressive in my shots and attack compared to last year,” says Cumbee, who lost four matches in out-of-state competition, and another to No. 1 (class 3A) Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy) in a 2-1 tie-breaker at the CCL finals.
Josh Kubicki (23-21) gave the home town fans something to cheer with his third place finish over Jack Jensen (32-16) from Deerfield.
138- Adrian Cohen (Deerfield)
No. 5 Adrian Cohen (Deerfield) makes it sound so simple when
asked about his latest exploits, which would include his sixth major title of the season – his latest, of course, a sectional title.
“I just go out there and do my thing and just let it happen, and when I am feeling it like I did today, everything comes together for me,” said Cohen, now 44-2 after he pinned his way to the 138-pound crown over No. 8 Jack Hanrahan (IC Prep, 31-15).
Cohen, twice a state qualifier, needed just three minutes on the dot to finish off his three opponents over the two days here.
St. Ignatius junior Colton Huff (33-5) will make his second straight trip to Champaign, while Cary-Grove junior Jacob Turner (37-10) makes his maiden voyage.
144- Frank Nitti (IC Catholic)
Frank Nitti was none too pleased with his semifinal contest with Trevor Hengle (Grayslake Central, 40-13) – but he put that match behind quickly in order to defeat No. 3 Chase Nobiling (Antioch, 30-6) in the 144-pound final by a 8-5 decision.
“The effort wasn’t where it needed to be in my semifinal, I should have attacked more, and just open things up right from the start,” said Nitti (38-9) now a three-time state qualifier, the first two coming when he starred at nearby York High School.
“My move to IC has gotten me closer to God, and that has been important to me as a person, and has helped me with all parts of my life, including the sport that I love so much,” added Nitti, now with four major titles on the season.
The aforementioned Nobiling has been on a terrific run of late, fueled by his pin over the No. 1 man in 3A, Vince Jasinski in the finals of the Lake County Invite.
“Vince is an amazing wrestler, so that pin really would help boost my confidence, and help me realize that I can compete with the best,” said Nobiling, who was fourth a year ago at state.
No. 6 Alex Shvarstman (Deerfield, 39-9) is on his way to a second consecutive state appearance, while for Hengl, it will be his first ever.
“Trevor was a state alternate last year, and today, he got it done with a really tough second round wrestle-back match, before beating a scrappy opponent from St. Ignatius in the blood round,” said Grayslake Central head coach, Matt Joseph.
150- Aiden Arnett (IC Catholic)
When talking about the overall look of their starting lineup, both Max Cumbee and Brody Kelly go right to the man who impresses both IC Catholic stars.
“(Aiden) Arnett is an absolute beast, someone who takes a lot of pride in what he does, and has an incredible work ethic,” began Cumbee.
“Arnett is at another level when it comes to intensity, and the desire to dominate people in his matches,” adds Kelly.
The No. 1 man at 150 (Arnett) might have ten losses on his season, however six have been to all-world stars Justus Heeg and Wyatt Medlin when he moved up, and the other four to out-of-state competition at the Doc Buchanan.
“I’ve stepped up my training from a year ago (Arnett was state runner-up at 144) and if I am up by five points, I want it to be ten points, and if it’s ten then I’ll got after a 15-point lead. It’s all about never allowing my opponents to feel like they have any type of advantage in our matches,” opined Arnett, now 37-10 after his tech-fall (17-2) victory over No. 7 Antonio Hinojosa (Carmel Catholic, 34-3).
The Corsairs senior, twice a state qualifier, has dealt with far too many injuries during his time under long head coach Bob Kuykendall.
“(Tony) has had his share of injuries, but he’s healthy for the first time ever, and there is no doubt in my mind that he has a great chance to come home with a state medal,” says Corsairs assistant, Riley Palm, who is a two-time state champion wearing the Corsairs singlet.
No. 8 Dominic Garcia (Antioch, 33-5) was third after his pin of Nino Capuano (28-9) from St. Ignatius.
157- Brian Hart (Wauconda)
It’s easy to get overlooked in a weight class that has at the top the No. 4 rated guy in the nation in Justus Heeg from Providence Catholic, who, no doubt is the prohibitive favorite to claim his third consecutive state title.
No. 2 Ty Smart (Rockford East) and No. 3 Brock Ross (Mascoutah) are just ahead of No. 4 Brian Hart, who in all three of his post-season tournaments has needed just under 11 minutes to claim the top prize at each stop.
Saturday afternoon, the junior from Wauconda would pin No. 7 Joey Pontrelli (IC Catholic, 28-18) at 4:48 to advance to his first state appearance of his career.
“The big thing for me, both physically and mentally is to not having to cut weight this year,” admitted Hart, who weighed in at 154.
“There’s less stress on your body when you’re not cutting weight, and for the first time, I’ve felt just great in my training, and preparation for my matches, and I’am really in sync with our coaching staff as well.”
Hart (41-6) would defeat the talented senior from Grayslake Central, Warren Nash (37-10) in his semifinal to advance.
“Warren got caught in a lat-drop in the first period of his match with Hart, but fought his way back as he has all year with a strong effort to earn third place overall, and a second straight trip downstate,” said Central head coach Matt Joseph of Nash, who leads his club with 21 pins.
Fenwick junior Burke Burns (27-8) finished fourth.
165- Nicholas Montesinos (Wheeling, 32-8)
Nicholas Montesinos (32-8), who wears the captains armband proudly for coach Charlie Curran and the Wheeling program, claimed the 165-pound crown with his impressive 11-0 major decision victory over Jonathan Weissmueller (33-15) from Deerfield.
“Nicholas has been wrestling really well over the last few weeks – he’s now won a regional and sectional title in back-to-back weekends, and he truly has earned all the success he’s enjoyed,” begins Curran.
“He’s hard working, shows strong character, he’s coachable, he adapts, is a good student, great leader, and overall, just a great young man.”
Montesinos had previously won his first two bouts with Weissmueller, but it always difficult to be successful a third time.
“The (Deerfield) kid is a tough opponent, so we expected a tough match in their final,” recounted Curran.
“But Nicholas was able to score early, be really tough on top – which drew three stalling calls from the top position.”
Vernon Hills junior Jacob Becker (34-7) is on his way to Champaign for the first time after securing a third place medal over Michael Flatley (Lakes Community, 19-10).
175- Brody Kelly (IC Catholic)
North Carolina University-bound Brody Kelly, the No. 1 man at 175-pounds ever since he lifted the trophy last February in Champaign, cruised to his sixth major title of the season, which includes a Dvorak and CCL title.
“There’s always room for improvement in your game, and for me, it was fine tuning the right grips in ties, and to get to my attack a little quicker, and to be more aggressive when doing so,” said Kelly, second in state at 152 in 2024, and a state qualifier in 3A his rookie year while at Marmion Academy.
Kelly (45-4) who is approaching 150 career victories, recorded a tech-fall (23-5) at 2:40 over No. 3 Brody McKenna (Wauconda, 39-11) in their final.
William Lyle (Grayslake Central, 17-6) who tore his ACL at team camp in the Wisconsin Dells in late June, had surgery in the middle of July, and only began to compete in early January finished third overall after his 11th pin of the season over Dereck Mazariegos (Fenton, 22-9) to send both to their first state appearance ever.
190- Jaxon Penovich (St. Viator)
During his first two seasons at Prospect, Jaxon Penovich turned in some very impressive results – third in the state during his rookie season, then earning a state title one year later.
After one year away from the prep scene, the Mt. Prospect resident has landed at St. Viator, with the dream of another state title to add to his collection, while at the same time, ending a 40-year draught for a Lions program that has welcomed the University of Illinois-bound star with open arms.
“I am thrilled to be at St. Viator, we have a great coaching staff, some really good young guys in our room that I can mentor, and be the kind of captain and leader to help turn the program around,” said Penovich.
Prior to his semifinal with No. 2 Foley Calcagno (38-9) the three-time state medal winner from IC Catholic, Penovich had gone six minutes with only two others: No. 1 (215) Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) and No. 3 (class 3A) Lucas Nance of Fremd.
Penovichs’ five losses are to out-of-state nationally ranked opponents, plus a 2-1 defeat to Mastny.
Penovich (44-5) would defeat Calcagno 3-1 in a dicey, intense contest, before recording a pin at (42) seconds over Colin Arquilla (26-7) from host Antioch.
“My goal each time I go out is to dominate each and every opponent. If it goes six minutes that’s fine – if not, then the match is over earlier,” said Penovich, No. 16 in the latest national poll.
Calcagno would easily earn third place following his 18-3 tech-fall victory over Highland Park junior Daniel Derbedyenyev (17-8) who despite missing time with an injury, was named the outstanding CSL North wrestler after the conference tournament.
215- Melson Ngassa (St. Ignatius)
No stranger to the rigors of this sport, and his academics, St. Ignatius senior Melson Ngassa (36-7) will arrive in Champaign for the second consecutive season, this time as a sectional champion following his pin (2:26) of Lake Forest star Yaree Sandifer, now 39-6.
“It’s a nice achievement to win a sectional title – it’s why you do all the hard work in order to prepare for a day like this,” said Ngassa, who is just as proud of his individual effort as the effort from his teammates who won its first ever regional title in program history inside its historic near-west gymnasium.
“(That) team regional championship was quite an accomplishment for all of us, and our coaching staff, I was proud to be a part of that as well,” added Ngassa, No. 10 in the most recent state poll.
“I’ve done a lot of work on all parts of my game, but maybe the most important is my fitness, which I feel is at a level where I can go six hard minutes if I need to,” continued Ngassa (36-7) who has an eye on either Marquette University, or John Carroll University (Ohio) where he will major in global studies.
Wauconda sophomore, and regional champion, Finn Loomis (38-12) was third, Eddie Juarez (Wheeling, 31-11) fourth, both of whom are first time state qualifiers.
285- Hunter Wahtola (De Paul College Prep)
Hunter Wahtola would enjoy plenty of success in the fall for the DePaul College Prep football program, and has continued right into the wrestling season where the junior collected his sixth major title of the campaign to solidify his place as the No. 2 heavyweight behind top-rated Cody Moss of Glenwood.
The 6-3 Wahtola, who is considered a ‘light-weight in his class at just under 240 pounds, was named CCL Purple Division defensive player of the year this past fall for his work along the defensive line.
Now, a three-time state qualifier, Wahtola (32-2) will look to better his third place state finish in 2025 will use his hard-fought 2-1 decision over No. 3 Anthony Sebastian (IC Catholic, 35-10) in the final to provide the inspiration to navigate through an always difficult 285-pound bracket.
St. Viator senior Wyatt Philippi (37-13) a two-time state champion in Nevada at 190, and 215 will make his inaugural trip to Champaign, while Antioch senior, No. 5 Owen Shea (31-5) is now a three-time state qualifier.