Stars shine at 3A Barrington sectional
By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA
The Barrington sectional may have not had the depth of Edwardsville or Hinsdale Central, but there’s no denying how many men of its state qualifiers will be candidates to fill the guest list on the floor Saturday night at State Farm Arena.
Hinsdale Central, thanks to the presence of state powers Marmion Academy and Montini Catholic, would lead the four sectionals with 100 state ranked men; Edwardsville was next with 99, followed by Barrington and its 88, including an impressive murderers’ row that would stretch from 106-215.
Four regional team champions: Barrington, Grant, Hononegah, and Loyola Academy advanced 40 into this sectional, and will send 22 wrestlers downstate, with a multitude of potential state finalists.
For the tournament, Barrington, Grant, and Loyola Academy would all sent six each downstate, Stevenson and Warren were next with five.
The six that Grant will bring to Champaign ties the program record set but IWCOA Hall-of-Fame head coach Ryan Geist, according to head coach Mark Jolcover, whose terrific coaching staff includes former Bulldogs Anthony Johnson and John Dineen. Before going on to Illinois to continue wrestling, Dineen was a two-time state place winner for Geist.
Five teams would dominate the top of the podium with Hononegah leading the way with a trio of individual champions, while Barrington, Grant, Loyola Academy and Warren all earned two first place trophies.
At the dual team state finals in Bloomington, No. 17 Barrington (15-8-0) will face No. 8 Oak Park-River Forest (10-2-0) in quarterfinal play at the 3A dual-team state tournament on Friday, February 27 at 5:00, followed by the No. 4 St. Charles East (17-5-0) versus No. 5 Hononegah (13-6-0) contest at 7:00.
106- Niko Odiotti (Loyola Academy)
For a team that stands a chance at success, it is important to have a strong presence at the start of its lineup, and in Niko Odiotti, Loyola Academy has the best there is.
The No. 1 man at 106-pound easily won his second consecutive sectional crown here with a pair of pins, and a superb effort in his final with Brady Myatt (Grant, 34-10) that would end with a 18-3 tech-fall for the Ramblers sophomore.
“My second place finish at state last year put everything into perspective, and although it was disappointing, it did provide me with the extra motivation you need to work harder, and push yourself to be the best,” said Odiotti, now 31-2 on the season.
The super-soph was thrilled to be a part of the Ramblers first regional title, and appearance in a dual-team sectional since 1997.
“I am really happy for my teammates, and our coaching staff that have been part of making this such a great season,” added Odiotti.
Myatt is on his way to his first state appearance, as is Stevenson freshman Stefan Vihrov (38-9) and another freshman, Luthor Rajcevich (Hampshire, 29-14) who finished third and fourth.
113- Caleb Noble (Warren)
It did not take long for Caleb Noble to establish himself as the best at his weight since entering the prep scene three years ago, while at the same time, working his way into national polls as well.
The junior from Warren, ranked No. 1 in the state once again and found in the top 10 nationally — most recently No. 6 by Sports Illustrated — now has three straight sectional crowns after his fall at 2:33 over No. 8 Lucas Crandall (34-11) of Fremd.
“One of my biggest developments since last year at this time is that I am making my game to be more (college-like), including improving my riding skills, which will be so important at the next level,” says Noble.
The Arizona State-bound Noble, now 42-1, and 121-6 on his way to Champaign, where he’ll chase a third state title.
No. 7 Daniel Berdich (Stevenson, 34-5) who has enjoyed a marvelous season thus far, finished third over Larry Quirk (Grant, 30-17) to earn his second trip downstate.
“Watching Larry punch his ticket to Champaign was truly one of the most exciting moments in program history. His dad has coached the Fox Lake Wrestling Club for 15 years, and Larry has done everything right during the four years that he has been with us,” said Jolcover.
120- Kaleb Pratt (Barrington)
After striking early and quick in order to build insurmountable leads in his first two matches, both ending with tech-fall victories, No. 2 Kaleb Pratt, needed a little more time to dash the hopes of No. 7 Jayce Glauser.
The two finalist in the 120-pound contest played to a 0-0 draw after two minutes, before Pratt (44-5) grabbed a 3-0, then 3-1 advantage midway through the second period. A near fall at the end of the period increased his lead that would eventually end in a 10-1 major decision.
“It was all about just being patient, letting things come to me, defending, and hitting my shots, and wrestling error-free and smart the rest of the way,” said Pratt, now a two-time sectional champion, whose methodical approach would stand out during his six minutes on the mat.
The three-time state qualifier now has four major titles for the season, and one state medal earned in 2024.
Glauser has been fantastic since his transfer from Richmond-Burton, where he was sixth at state a year ago at 106 pounds.
No. 8 Daniel Myint (Loyola Academy, 32-12) is now a first time state qualifier after his third place victory over Colin Abordo (Huntley, 40-8) who is making his second visit downstate.
126- Oleksandr (Sasha) Havrylkiv (Hersey)
There’s little doubt as to who was the biggest surprise last season in the 113-pound weight class in Champaign.
Although many knew of the talents of rookie Oleksandr (Sasha) Havrylkiv, it was from far away as his club from Buffalo Grove did not travel to high-profile tournaments.
Once on the floor of State Farm Arena, Havrylkiv would stun No. 2 Rocco Hayes (6-5) in his quarterfinal, push-then undefeated, and No. 2 Caden Correll (Normal) during a hard fought semifinal defeat.
Havrylkiv would come back later to earn a well deserved fourth place state medal, and, after his transfer to Hersey over the summer, found himself as the No. 2 man at 126-pounds behind Bobby Ruscitti from Montini Catholic.
“I am still the person who never stops working out – lifting, running, and pushing myself in the room all of the time,” said Havrylkiv, now 38-4 after his tech-fall victory (19-4) over No. 9 Gavin Pardilla (33-8) from Loyola Academy.
“Sasha is a tremendous leader, and just a great teammate, who we sometimes have to chase out of the room, and send him home because his work rate, and work ethic is off the charts,” added Hersey coach Chris Riley.
Pardilla is now a three-time state qualifier, third place medal winner, Saul Ramirez (Barrington, 31-14) earned his second trip downstate, and did Jackson Olson (Hononegah, 29-10) who was fourth a year ago.
132- Ryan Dorn (Barrington)
The connection between No. 3 Ryan Dorn (Barrington, 38-5) and No. 5 Shawn Kogan (Stevenson, 33-6) this season brought these two long-time friends together for a third time this season when the 132-pound final was called to mat
No. 1.
The ‘third time is a charm’ was not in favor of Kogan, who would concede a first period take-down that would lead to a 4-0 victory for Dorn, now a two-time sectional champ, and three-time state qualifier.
“We know each other so well from the regular season, and as training partners at Relentless (operated by Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater), so there’s little we don’t know about each other. It kind of explains why our match was played so conservatively,” admitted Dorn.
The first time these two met, the Barrington junior recorded a 5-4 victory, and in the regional final at Harper Community College, Dorn earned a 12-4 triumph.
Alexander Osborne (Libertyville, 30-13), and Ayden Shuey (DeKalb, 27-10) are first time state qualifiers.
138- Erik Rodriguez (Grant)
No. 4 Erik Rodriguez has done nothing but improve with each season that he’s spent under head coach Mark Jolcover and this year has been his best thus far.
Rodriguez has a 37-6 record, with four of those defeats to out-of-state opponents. He has won three straight major titles, including the first sectional title of his career, sending him to Champaign for the third straight season.
“I got off to a little bit of a slow start in my final, but (Dylan) Solesky (Zion-Benton) is a good wrestler, and someone that I didn’t take lightly even though I beat him before,” began Rodriguez.
Rodriguez would open up a 8-1 first period with a nicely played single, extend to a 11-2 advantage as the period came to an end – however Solesky (29-8) drew closer at 12-5 at three minutes.
The Bulldogs’ captain would explode in the third period en route to a 24-10 major decision victory.
“I feel great right now, and I am excited about heading to state, and look forward to putting some extra time in before we head downstate,” said Rodriguez, third last year at state, and headed to Central Michigan University in the fall.
Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson, 23-5) who missed some time earlier in the season with an injury, garnered a well deserved third place medal, and first trip downstate, as did fourth place Colin Huminsky (35-16) from Huntley.
144- Vince Jasinski (Grant, 42-5)
The rise to the top for Vince Jasinski has been nothing short of astonishing from his rookie season at 106 pounds, right on up to his current spot at 144 pounds, where the Grant star is currently the No. 1 man in the state polls.
Jasinski (42-5) and Bulldog teammate Erik Rodriguez have combined for nearly 320 victories. Jasinski, fourth a year ago at state, also holds the program record for pins in one season, and for a career with 105.
“Vince, and Erik lead the charge for us, and have changed the culture and standard of our program ever since they stepped into the room,” says Jolcover.
Jasinski pinned his way to regional, and sectional titles to take a firm hold on that No. 1 spot in the polls.
“Being ranked No. 1 at any time of the year doesn’t mean a thing to me, it’s all about being there at the end of the season,” said Jasinski, who will wrestle next fall at Northern Iowa University.
Jasinski’s top-8 finish at Fargo in freestyle helped the four-year star earn All-American honors.
Jasinski would need just 1:38 minutes to pin Valentin Vihrov (36-8), who has enjoyed a wonderful senior year at Stevenson, helping the Patriots capture the Lake County Invite title.
Vihrov, along with Barrington senior Jimmy Whitaker (42-8) who finished third here, are now both two-time state qualifiers.
McHenry junior Ryan Johnston (41-10) will be making his first visit to Champaign.
150- Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah)
No. 1 Rocco Cassioppi has just one loss in the state of Illinois this season, with his two losses coming at the prestigious Ironman to Joe Bachmann in a 2-1 tie-breaker, and class 2A star Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic) when the Hononegah junior bumped to 157.
Bachmann and Cassioppi (42-2) are No.’s 5 and 6 in national polls, and on Saturday afternoon here in Barrington, the affable Hononegah junior appeared ready to add another state championship trophy to his resume.
Two pins in his first two matches in just 3 1/2 minutes sent Cassioppi into his final with No. 6 Daniel Blanke (40-10) from Barrington, who despite already enjoying a marvelous junior season, was unable to keep up with a non-stop attack that would end at 3:50 (17-2) and tech-fall victory.
“I feel really good right now, working hard, keeping things sharp, fine-tuning every part of my game in order to be ready when things start for all of us this Thursday in Champaign,” said Cassioppi, a state champion a year ago at 132, and runner-up at 106 in his rookie season.
No. 7 James Hemmila (Loyola Academy, 25-5) is now a two-time state qualifier following his pin of Cam Matthews (DeKalb, 31-12) who is making his first appearance of his career.
157- Ethan Banda (Mundelein)
The perseverance displayed by Ethan Banda is what stands out most for the Mundelein star, who endured a double ‘whammy’ of sorts last season when he somehow found a way to his first state appearance after a major injury nearly ended his season for good.
The then-junior would suffer a vertebrae fracture at the Mustangs’ opening tournament, but returned six weeks later to earn a trip downstate at 144-pounds, only to be diagnosed with bronchitis the week of the state tournament.
“I guess I didn’t have a lot of luck on my side last year,” deadpanned Banda with the obvious.
“The (C7) fracture was a big injury. Fortunately it was right at the start of the year, which gave me a lot of time to get healthy, rehab, and get myself ready for the postseason,” continued Banda, who lost to eventual state champion Evan Gosz (Fremd) in his sectional final here.
“I didn’t have a lot of energy at state, so I was done really quick, but I feel great this season, and really excited with this sectional title, and another chance at the tournament this weekend,” continued Banda, now 36-5 after his 12-9 decision over No. 7 Daniel Malan (Loyola Academy, 27-5). Malan will be making his first trip downstate, as is third-place Michael Brannigan (Hampshire, 33-9) and Buffalo Grove junior Anthony Klikas (26-8) who won three major title this season.
165- Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah, 38-4)
The pendulum swung during an intense rivalry between No. 2 Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah, 38-4) and No. 3 Royce Lopez (Warren, 38-3) in the highly anticipated 165-pound final.
In the first meeting between these two giants, Lopez was victorious in a 2-1 tie-breaker in late November at the Marmion Academy Cadet Classic.
With considerably more at stake one week in advance of the state tournament, it would be Cassioppi coming out ahead with a hard fought 4-1 victory in extra time with the Hononegah junior recording a well designed takedown with 16 seconds remaining in the first extra period.
“I always felt in our match that I would be able to score more than I did, but Royce is really athletic, and a tough opponent. But when I saw that opening in overtime, I was confident I could get in and get the take-down,” said Cassioppi after claiming his fourth major title of the season.
Cassioppi, now a three-time state qualifier, and 2023 state place winner (third place) would trade an escape with the Northwestern-bound Lopez, before his game-winning take-down.
Lopez is a four-time state qualifier, fifth a year ago at 165.
No. 4 Frank Tagoe (Hersey, 36-5) is on his way to a second consecutive trip downstate after his 15-1 major decision over Michael Vincic (Mundelein,37-7) who will making his first ever state appearance.
175- Brody Sendele (Hononegah, 40-3)
Brody Sendele (40-3) will join teammates Rocco and Bruno Cassioppi as strong favorites to come home with the big prize from Champaign, after his brilliant three-match effort on Saturday, culminating with his sensational tech-fall (17-2) victory over No. 8 Sam Cushman (34-11) from host Barrington.
“Brody is at a whole other level right now at every level of his game,” began Hononegah head coach Tyler Demoss.
“He was injured (ACL) last season, and even when he returned, he wasn’t close to being a hundred percent . He worked really hard to get himself back to finish second at state, which was an incredible accomplishment, but he’s healthy this year and we’re getting to see just how dangerous he can be.”
The No. 1 junior unloaded on No. 2 Ilya Dvoriannikov (Warren) in their semifinal (16-3 major) to advance.
Dvoriannikov (23-9) is a three-time state qualifier in class 2A while at Vernon Hills, finishing second last year at 165.
Prospect senior Joe Quirk (32-8) is now a two-time state qualifier.
190- Aaron Stewart (Warren)
No. 1 Aaron Stewart (35-4) has the look of a state champion once again.
The Warren senior appears to be on his way to a third consecutive state title this weekend after he destroyed the competition at 190-pounds with a lethal, devastating attack that produced two super quick pins, and an impressive tech-fall victory over No. 2 Lucas Nance (Fremd, 36-6) in his semifinal match.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot right now. I’ve been staying with my training to get myself ready for this weekend,” said Stewart, who is on his way to the University of Illinois in the fall where he will play football, before turning in his pads for an Illini singlet.
Always around the top 10 in national polls since stepping into the Blue Devils room, Stewart was the No. 1 guy in preseason polls at 175, until moving up a weight that has been his from the start.
Stewart will arrive in Champaign with a 169-10 record in his career.
The aforementioned Nance would come back wrestle-backs to easily qualify for his second trip downstate after his decision over James Scanio (Libertyville, 33-10) in the third place match.
Three-sport star (football, baseball), No. 7, John Rappa (31-2) from Rolling Meadows earned a well deserved second state appearance despite his pin at the hands of Stewart in 18 seconds.
215- Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy, 34-2)
Kai Calcutt claimed a rare fourth sectional crown Saturday afternoon following his third pin of the tournament – this one coming at the expense of Lake Zurich sophomore Rocco DiCanio, who heads to his first state tournament with an impressive 39-5 overall record.
“I give a lot of credit for what I’ve been able to accomplish to (coach) Matt Collum, who has turned the culture around at Loyola Academy, and has made it one for all of us to be proud of,” began Calcutt (34-2) – twice a state runner-up, and state champion in 2024.
“I’ve been so fortunate to have a person like (Collum) as well as Jordan Blanton at Relentless, whose technical expertise and ‘chill’ personality has taught me a lot also.”
The North Carolina State-bound Calcutt will arrive in Champaign with a stunning 144-16 overall record.
After back-to-back blood round sectional defeats, Dundee-Crown senior Teigen Moreno (40-3) roared into his first, and well deserved state appearance after blood-round pin, and 9-2 decision to capture third place.
Caleb VanLeer (Warren, 14-8) was fourth.
285- Knox Homota (Hampshire)
The personality of No. 9 Knox Homota is worth the price of admission, and so is the way in which the Hampshire sophomore can navigate his way through a weight class in which he gives away so many pounds to his opponents.
Weighing in at just 205, and standing at 6-1, Homota combines terrific speed, and quickness, along with ability to put plenty of points on the board to offset the extra girth he gives away each time he goes out.
Homota (36-4) would use a six-point explosion to break open a close match with Prospect senior James Brouilette (39-7) in the third period to go from a four-point advantage (9-5) to a near insurmountable 12-6 lead en route to a 15-7 triumph.
“Yeah, I’m just a ‘few’ pounds less than the rest of the guys here,” said Homola with a wry smile. “But I feel like the weight that I give away is made up for with the type of quickness a lot of heavyweights might not have, which I use to my advantage as often that I can.”
Homola, who lost in the blood round here a year ago, and would finish with a 29-9 overall record, opened tournament play with a pin (2:48) and followed up with a 9-0 major decision victory over No. 10 Jeremy Marshall (45-3) from Evanston, who placed third and is now a two-time state qualifier.
Homola is a middle-linebacker, running back, and tight end for the Whip-Purrs football team.
Regional champion Ajani Williams (Grant, 29-16) only in his second year in the sport was fourth overall.