IHSA Class 1A Individual State Finals story
By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA
Vandalia led the way at the IHSA Class 1A Individual State Finals in Champaign with a school-record three champions, with two of them winning titles for the second time. Junior Max Philpot (132) repeated as a champion and junior Preston Waughtel (126) finished first for the second time in three years. Also, senior Dillon Hinton (157) captured his initial championship.
Chicago Hope Academy also turned in an historic performance as senior Chance Woods (138) and junior Arkail Griffin (175) became their school’s first state champions.
Also repeating as IHSA champions were Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op senior Eli Larson (190) and Althoff Catholic senior Pierre Walton (165), who won a Class 2A title at East St. Louis Senior last season.
Other champions who made history for the school by becoming their first title winners were Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op senior Garrett VerHeecke (144), Freeburg junior Dane Olmstead (215) and Marquette Academy freshman Wesley Janick (120).
The additional four state champions were Canton senior Connor Williams (285), Sandwich junior Cooper Corder (150), Newman Central Catholic sophomore Landon Near (113) and Olympia freshman Connor Collins (106).
Coal City had three seniors who took second place, Aidan Kenney (157), Brock Finch (175) and Cade Poyner (215).
Chicago Hope Academy also had two individuals who finished second, senior Jeremiah Lawrence (132) and freshman Obadiah Willis (126).
Princeton got second-place finishes from seniors Augustus Swanson (113) and Casey Etheridge (165) and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op also had two individuals who took second place, sophomore Landen Lage (138) and freshman Bentley Fields (106).
Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op senior Jeremiah Luke (285) took second place for the second year in row. The other second-place finishers were Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op senior Clinton VerHeecke (150), Wilmington senior Logan VanDuyne (190), Dixon sophomore Charlie Connors (144) and Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op sophomore Weston Frazier (120).
Riverdale senior Dean Wainwright (132), who won state championships in 2025 and 2023, wound up claiming sixth place.
Coal City senior Brody Widlowski (150), who took second place in both 2025 and 2024, settled for third place. Another second-place finisher from last year who was unable to get back to the Grand March was Roxana senior Lyndon Thies (175), who also finished third.
Two second-place finishers from 2025 who fell short of winning a medal were Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op junior Steven Uden (113) and Coal City junior Cooper Morris (132).
Additional seniors who took third place were Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr. (144), Cumberland’s Owen McGinnis (157), PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op’s Justin Zimmerman (165), Vandalia’s Ross Miller (190) and Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op’s Oliver McPeek (215).
Juniors who finished in third place were Coal City’s Owen Petersen (126), Althoff Catholic’s Dawson Hawthorne (132) and Erie/ Prophetstown co-op’s Caleb Reymer (285).
Sophomores who placed third were Morrison’s Cael Wright (120) and Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op’s Devin Ehler (138). And freshmen who claimed third place were Farmington/ Cuba co-op’s Isaac Showalter (100) and Murphysboro’s Drevan Bramlett (113).
Coal City had the most medalists in 1A with seven while Chicago Hope Academy and Vandalia ranked second with five apiece. Althoff Catholic and Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op both had four medalists while Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op, Murphysboro, Olympia, PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op and Roxana all finished with three medal winners.
Beside the emphasis on the champions and the second-place finishers, there were also plenty of great stories of those who finished from third- through sixth-place. Many of them also made history for their programs and just missed appearing on the championship mat. The author feels blessed to have had the great opportunity to report on and interview so many of these all-state athletes during the 2025-2026 season as well as throughout the careers of the senior qualifiers.
Note: This story begins where the championship matches started, which was at 215. And the records that appear in this story do not include results from the Class 1A Dual Team Finals.
Here are the champions and their weights from the 2026 IHSA Class 1A individual State Finals:
215 – Dane Olmstead, Freeburg
Dane Olmstead definitely turned in a memorable performance as he made history for Freeburg at the IHSA Class 1A Finals. Competing in the first title match of the Finals at 215, the junior got one takedown in the first period and two more in the second period over Coal City’s Cade Poyner to build a 10-2 advantage with just over one minute remaining. That’s when the Coalers senior received a point for a stalling penalty and followed that with a takedown and nearfall to tie things at 10-10 and that’s how it stayed as regulation time wound down. However, just before the buzzer sounded, Poyner could no longer sustain his nearfall and Olmstead got an escape with about one second left to wrap up a dramatic 11-10 decision to claim the 215 championship.
In the process, Olmstead (39-4) became Freeburg’s first state champion and its second medalist and finalist, 10 years after Cooper Secker took second place at 126 in 1A. The Midgets’ program, coached by Dan Quartz, is only in its third season with its previous highlight of the season being the title of the small-school division of the Marion Dual Team Tournament. Olmstead, who plans to play football and be a punter at the University of Missouri, also won titles at the Vandalia Sectional, the East Alton-Wood River Regional and Carbondale, took second at Litchfield and was third at Mascoutah. He followed a 16-5 major decision over Richmond-Burton’s Shane Falasca with a pin in 3:04 over Heyworth’s Jarrod Fulcher before getting two takedowns to help him claim a 6-4 decision over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op’s Oliver McPeek in the semifinals. He was joined by junior Jack Amann (285) as a qualifier.
“It was fun,” Olmstead said. “He caught me off-guard with the cradle, for sure, but I wasn’t nervous because I knew it was only four points, so it was tied. And I felt his cradle wasn’t tight so I knew that I needed to get up and get out of here. I just trusted in myself and didn’t get scared and just went out there and wrestled. I grew up kicking, it’s my one true love. And I’ve also done this my whole life, so I’m excited to wrestle again next year. (Benefits of wrestling for a punter) I would say staying in shape all year, keeping the flexibility up and mental toughness that keeps building throughout the year. (The first state champion at Freeburg) I’m very happy with how it’s been going and we have some really good coaches. There’s a lot of heart on the wrestling team and I really wanted to do this and bring this title back home to Freeburg.”
“Dane really locked in these last three weeks of the season,” Quartz said. “You could see it in the practice room that his work ethic really improved. He ended up first at regionals, first at sectionals and first at IHSA State. He ended his junior year season with a record of 39-4. During the State tournament he seemed to be on another level on his offensive. He seemed to be taking down kids with ease. We had game plans for the kids he was wrestling and he executed them perfectly. I told him in the tunnel before the Grand March, ‘hey bud it’s just another match’, and he responded ‘I’m good, coach’ without any hesitation. That’s when I knew he was ready. He got to start off the State Championship Finals since they started at 215 pounds and he really gave the crowd a match to watch. Dane is our first state qualifier for the boys since we started our program three years ago and not only did he qualify but he won the whole thing. He set the bar high and hopefully that gets contagious in our practice room.”
Poyner (46-4), a senior was one of three second-place finishers and seven medalists of the 14 qualifiers for the Coalers, who are coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Mark Masters. A three-time state qualifier who also took fifth place at 190 in 2025 and was a title winner at four tournaments this season, got falls in his other three matches, tying five others for third place, including two in 1A, who had three pins. He won in 0:35 over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op’s Graham Blackwell, needed 49 seconds to get a win over Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer and then got a victory over Yorkville Christian’s Jackson Allen in 1:14 in the semifinals. One week later, he and his Coalers teammates were able to repeat as Class 1A champions and win their third state title in four seasons when they defeated Vandalia 43-23 in the title dual meet, the second year in a row that the two teams met for the championship.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Poyner said. “I was really trying to get that pin in the last 10 seconds, but it was a bad angle and it is what it is now. Without a doubt, our team’s going to roll to team state. We’re coming for that title, and we’re going to get it. (What’s special about Coal City’s team) We’re like brothers. We’ve got heart and we always work for each other, no matter what.”
For third place, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op senior Oliver McPeek (48-3), a two-time qualifier who placed fourth at 190 last season, won a 13-1 major decision over Murphysboro junior Caybren Hubbard (47-10), who qualified for the first time. In the fifth-place match, Marquette Academy junior Alex Schaefer (35-5) won a 10-5 decision over Yorkville Christian senior Jackson Allen (46-10) in a meeting of two-time qualifiers who both won their first medals. Falling one victory shy of state medals were Mt. Zion senior Keller Stocks (46-4), a three-time qualifier who was fourth at 215 in 2025 and Richmond-Burton sophomore Shane Falasca (31-12). Others who lost in the quarterfinals and then fell in the wrestlebacks were Reed-Custer senior Dominic Alaimo (39-12) and Marengo senior Owen Bills (21-8).
“I had a fever this morning and I thought I was maybe going to forfeit out, but I powered through it and got third,” McPeek said. “We’re all like brothers and there’s such a great bond with everybody and it’s been a lot of fun.”
285 – Connor Williams, Canton
Connor Williams became the fourth individual from Canton to win an IHSA title and also the fourth to be a two-time state medalist after winning 2-1 on a tiebreaker over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op’s Jeremiah Luke in the Class 1A 285 title match. The Little Giants senior joined Joseph Norton (2023), Zach Weideman (2010) and 2024 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Phil Johns (1987) as IHSA champions and also two-time medal winners. Williams took the early advantage with an escape to open the middle period and Luke answered with an escape early in the third period. Williams finally wrapped up the championship with one last escape with 24 seconds left in overtime to cap his career with a big celebration while Luke walked off dejected after falling just short to a once-beaten senior in a title match for the second-straight year.
Williams completed a 40-1 season where his lone loss was by a 3-2 score by ultimate tiebreaker against Murphysboro’s Julien Tanner at ABE’s Rumble to close out the 2025 portion of his schedule. He won five other championships, at Seneca, Palatine’s Berman and the Mid-Illini Conference and also the Camp Point Central Regional and the Olympia Sectional. He took fifth at 285 last season and also qualified for state in 2024. He was one of four qualifiers and two medalists for coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants, with classmate Dyllan Steele finishing fourth at 120. Williams opened with a fall in 2:39 over Effingham’s Jeremiah Lorton. Then he captured back-to-back 4-1 decisions, defeating Dixon’s Dylan Bopes in the quarterfinals and avenging his only setback in the semifinals by advancing to the finals over Tanner, who took sixth place.
“It’s amazing, of course,” Williams said. “It’s just surreal and it’s the best I’ve felt in my entire life. We have four state champions and two in three years, so it means a lot for the town and the sport. (Last year at state). I was still hungry, I wanted first, and I got it and I needed it. (The title match) It was tough and I gave it everything. It just means everything to me that I was able to compete, and also win.”
Luke (44-4) took second place for the second year in a row, with his 7-3 title match loss in 2025 coming against East Alton-Wood River senior Drake Champlin in the 215 finals, to conclude a 45-6 season. This was the first Illinois loss for the three-time state qualifier, who had two defeats to individuals from Wisconsin and one to an athlete from Iowa, with two of those being decisions settled by two points or less. He won all three of the Illinois tournaments that he competed in, at Erie/ Prophetstown, the Stillman Valley Regional and the Byron Sectional. One of seven qualifiers, four medalists and two finalists for the PantherHawks, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Milder, he opened with a 13-1 major decision over Bishop McNamara’s Kian Bramer and followed with a fall in 4:58 over East Alton-Wood River’s Michael Soto before pulling out a 4-3 decision over Richmond-Burton’s Breckin Campbell in the semifinals. He and the PantherHawks qualified for the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2023 and for the fifth time overall and they lost in the final match to suffer a 39-35 defeat to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op to just miss out on claiming a fifth state trophy. Comments from Luke about being a state runner-up will appear in the 1A Dual Team story.
In the third-place match between first-time state qualifiers, Erie/ Prophetstown co-op junior Caleb Reymer (42-9) captured an 11-0 major decision over Olympia senior Darian Holloway (45-7). Reymer and Deerfield’s Adrian Cohen were the only two individuals in the Finals who recorded four falls while Holloway tied five other individuals for third place, including two in 1A, who finished with three pins. And for fifth place, Richmond-Burton junior Breckin Campbell (34-11) won by fall in 4:33 over Murphysboro senior Julien Tanner (48-6) in a meeting between a pair of two-time qualifiers and first-time medalists. Falling one win shy of medals in their first trips to state were Dixon senior Dylan Bopes (33-8) and Effingham senior Jeremiah Lorton (40-10), with the latter just missing out on becoming his school’s initial IHSA medalist.
“I have to practice every day, even though I’m sick or my body’s just not feeling the greatest and battling through injuries and making sure that I get my quality time with my coaches,” Reymer said. (Competing for a co-op team) It expands us more and fills out more zones of our team that would be empty if we weren’t a co-op. I’ve been here to watch before, but never competed. If you would have told me before the season that I’d be the state’s third-place finisher, I would not have believed you.”
106 – Connor Collins, Olympia
Connor Collins followed in the footsteps of his father and coach, Josh Collins, by becoming an IHSA champion when the Olympia freshman won a 7-3 decision over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op freshman Bentley Fields in the Class 1A 106 championship match. Connor became the first Spartan freshman to win an IHSA title and joins his dad, who took first in Class A at 112 in 2000 and in A at 125 in 2001 after taking second at 103 in 1999, as one of five to win titles, including the second to do so in the last three years, with Bentley Wise taking first at 150 in 2024. Connor’s ultimate goal is to not only join his father as the program’s lone two-time champions, but to surpass that achievement, which is recognized on the gym wall in Stanford.
Collins (40-6), who only lost on one occasion by more than three points, won titles in three other tournaments, at Civic Memorial, Unity and the Deer Creek-Mackinaw Regional. He took second at his own sectional and was third at both Princeton’s Lyle King PIT and Reed-Custer. One of seven qualifiers and three medalists for Olympia, he was the lone finalist for a Spartans team that qualified for the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row and the 11th time overall and fell 46-27 to eventual champion Coal City. Collins kicked off his run to a title by capturing an 11-3 major decision over Yorkville Christian’s Davin Torza and then won by fall in 2:33 over Benton’s Braxton Tittle. He earned his spot in the 106 title match by recording a fall in 1:11 over Winnebago’s Cam Whitehead in the semifinals. He moved in front for good in the title match with a takedown 24 seconds in and still only owned a 4-2 lead late in the third period before finally sealing the deal with another takedown, this one with 19 seconds remaining.
“It feels so amazing,” Connor Collins said. “I’ve worked so hard this year to get to this moment and to accomplish this goal in my freshman year, it means so much to me. (Competing for his dad) It’s so awesome. Having him in my corner and him being able to be there for practice and motivating me every day is awesome. I’m the first freshman champ at Olympia. My goal is to get more state titles than my dad had, so I’ve got to get at least three. I had goals at the beginning of the season to be this successful, and I knew it was possible from the beginning of the season. I wanted that state title so bad and it feels so incredible. There’s so much pressure relief. I’ve been thinking about it the last three days and how I’m going to be a state champ, and I finally got that goal.”
“It was an incredible honor to coach my son to a state championship in his very first high school season,” Josh Collins said. “Seeing him achieve that goal while wearing the same singlet I wore when I won in 2001 made the moment even more incredible. It’s a memory we’ll always share, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for him.”
Fields (41-11), one of nine qualifiers, three medalists and two second-place finishers for coach Josh Carter’s Falcons, won titles at Plano and the Ridgeview Regional this season. He won his initial match in Champaign with an 11-1 major decision over Coal City’s Jake Munsterman and followed with an 11-3 major decision over Dixon’s Riley Paredes before earning his spot on the 106 title mat by handing Farmington/ Cuba co-op freshman Isaac Showalter his first defeat in 43 matches when got an escape in the second period to account for the only scoring in a 1-0 decision in the semifinals, which avenged a 15-6 setback to Showalter in the semifinals of the Olympia Sectional, where he wound up finishing in fourth place. Fields and his Falcons also participated in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for the fourth time and first since 2015 and won in the final match to edge Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op 39-35 to claim their fourth trophy and after falling to 54-21 to Vandalia in the semifinals, they wound up finishing in third place after claiming a 63-16 victory over Dixon. His comments about being a runner-up and also a member of a third-place team will appear in the Class 1A Dual Team story.
In the third-place match, Farmington/ Cuba co-op freshman Isaac Showalter capped his 44-1 freshman season by claiming a 2-1 decision over Winnebago sophomore Cam Whitehead (37-6). Showalter, a winner of five tournaments, won his first 43 matches before falling 1-0 to runner-up Bentley Fields in the semifinals. Whitehead, who also won five tournaments, made his initial state appearance. For fifth place, PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op sophomore Coyt Rademaker (43-9) won a 4-1 decision over Rockridge sophomore Nate Lower (42-6). It was the second trip to state and the first medal for Rademaker and the first appearance for Lower. Missing out on medals by one win in their initial trips to Champaign were Dixon junior Riley Paredes (38-4) and Coal City sophomore Jake Munsterman (46-5).
“It’s a tough lesson,” Showalter said. “I’m pretty proud. So I’ll come back next year and see if I can win it. I learned a lot from my coaches, put in a lot of hard work and just tried my best.”
113 – Landon Near, Newman Central Catholic
Landon Near went 1-2 against Augustus Swanson prior to the two squaring off in the ultimate showdown, the IHSA Class 1A title match at 113. And when it mattered the most, the Newman Central Catholic sophomore used a takedown late in the opening period and then another takedown early in the final period to help him capture a 7-0 decision over the Princeton senior to wrap up a 44-3 season. He became the 27th state champion from the Sterling school and its first IHSA title winner since 2020, when Kyle Tunink claimed first place at 152 in 1A and then in 2021, Will Rude captured the 138 title at the IWCOA’s 1A Open State Championship. He’s also a two-time medalist in his first two seasons after also finishing in fourth place at 106 in 2025.
Near won four other tournaments this season, at Sterling, Erie/ Prophetstown, the Riverdale Regional and the Byron Sectional while taking second at Princeton’s Lyle King PIT and third at Clinton, Iowa. He fell 7-5 to Swanson for the 113 title at the PIT and 4-1 in a dual meet and beat him 7-4 for the title at the Byron Sectional while his other defeat was 4-1 to an Iowan in the semifinals at Clinton, Iowa. He was one of four qualifiers, two medalists and the lone finalist for the Comets, who are coached by an alumni of the school, Brody Ivey, a three-time medalist and 1A champion at 152 in 2019. Near opened with a fall in 1:30 over Bishop McNamara’s Evan Johnson, then he won a 5-1 decision in the quarterfinals over Murphysboro’s Drevan Bramlett before earning his spot on the 113 title mat with a 7-4 decision over Olympia’s Brandon Gaither in the semifinals. All of the scoring in the quarterfinal win was in the second period on a reversal and takedown while yielding an escape. And in the semifinals, Near got a takedown in both the first and second periods to build a 6-0 lead and he held off Gaither following a takedown.
“It feels absolutely amazing,” Near said. “It’s everything that I’ve ever dreamed of. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment, especially for a lot of people and I want to keep Newman’s legacy going. I have a lot of great partners in the room and they’ve helped me and they’ve pushed me and I’ve pushed them. State can be anybody’s game and our sectional is definitely the hardest sectional in the state. Now I know what it feels like to get one, and I want to get another one.”
Swanson, who finished with a 47-3 record, also won titles at LeRoy/ Tri-Valley and his own regional and placed second at Clinton, Iowa, where he fell in the finals to an Iowan, and to Near for top honors at the Byron Sectional. The four-time IHSA qualifier also finished fifth at 106 in his sophomore season. He joined Casey Etheridge (165) as a runner-up and Kane Dauber (fourth at 138) as medalists for the Tigers, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Amy. He won a 10-1 major decision over Yorkville Christian’s Phoenix Senodenos in his opener and then followed that with two falls, winning in 1:38 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op’s Ian Rotramel in the quarterfinals and the second of those pins came in 0:42 over Mercer County’s Boston Morford in the semifinals. He joined Dauber and Etheridge as one of nine individuals from their school who’ve captured two or more medals in Champaign.
For third place, Murphysboro freshman Drevan Bramlett (43-8) claimed a 14-10 decision over Althoff Catholic junior Jacobi Cobbs (42-4). Bramlett, who was the top finisher among three Red Devils medalists, avenged a 14-0 loss in the 113 title match at Carbondale’s Murdale to Cobbs, who earned his first medal in his second state appearance and was one of four who placed in the top-four for the Crusaders. And for fifth place, Olympia sophomore Brandon Gaither (39-10) captured a 14-4 major decision over Mercer County freshman Boston Morford (35-14). Gaither, who along with Cobbs both competed with their teams at the IHSA Dual Team Finals, made his second trip and earned his second medal, after placing sixth at 106 in 2025, to become one of eight from his school to win two or more medals. Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op junior Steven Uden (41-8), a three-time qualifier who took second at 106 last season, fell one win shy of a medal, as did Reed-Custer sophomore Colton Drinkwine (35-6), who was at state for the second time.
“I’ve worked so hard this season,” Bramlett said. “And I even lost to him before, 14-0. (Coach Shea Baker) He’s amazing, he’s teached me a lot of things throughout the season.”
120 – Wesley Janick, Marquette Academy
Wesley Janick lost his first match at the Byron Sectional in the quarterfinals to Johnsburg’s Chase Vogel and had to win three-straight matches in the consolation bracket to qualify for state, needing to beat a senior who was 40-1 and a state medalist in 2025, Oregon’s Josiah Perez, in order to reach the third-place match, which he lost. But being able to advance to Champaign was the key for the Marquette Academy freshman who came very close to not even qualifying. One week later, he made the most of his opportunity with two one-point wins and a major decision to reach the Class 1A 120 title match, where he won a 10-0 major decision over Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op sophomore Weston Frazier to capture the title and in the process, became the first individual from his school to be an IHSA champion and also was one his program’s initial two medalists.
Janick (35-4) had second-place finishes at Plano and Reed-Custer before winning his first title at Orion in the final week of the regular season. He followed up on that by taking first place at the Princeton Regional before battling for fourth to qualify at the sectional. He opened with a 5-4 decision over Murphysboro’s Paxton Pyatt, followed with a 15-3 major decision over PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op’s Kainin Fillbright in the quarterfinals and then used a second-period takedown to help him capture a 4-3 decision in the semifinals over Chicago Hope Academy’s Nolan Callahan to become the first individual from his program to reach the Grand March. He moved in front for good at 4-0 with an escape and takedown in the middle period and wrapped up his title win with a takedown and nearfall in the third period. He was one of two qualifiers for coach Trent Lyons’ Crusaders, with junior Alex Schaefer securing his medal in Saturday’s wrestlebacks and finishing fifth at 215, The state championship and two medalists are a major milestone for the Ottawa school, which has had a program for only three seasons.
“We had two state placers and one of us won,” Janick said. “(Being a state champion) It’s huge. The program started three years back when (Alex) Schaefer was freshman, so having a state champ this early is pretty uncommon. I won one IK(WF) one, and I was a runner-up. This is a lot different. It was such an adrenaline rush like, ‘I did it’, and I really don’t know how to explain it. It feels good to know that I’m the one that’s setting the foundation kind of for winning for this program. With the support from my teammates and the support from my coaching staff and past teammates and past coaches, it helps a lot to know that you have a lot of people on your side. It was a big dream of mine, actually.”
Frazier (38-5), the lone finalist and one of two medal winners and six qualifiers for coach Mike Glosser’s Comets, turned in an impressive state debut by opening with a major decision and then he got wins by sudden victory in both the quarterfinals and semifinals to reach the 120 title match. After winning 10-1 over Morrison’s Cael Wright in his first match, he got a takedown in overtime to win 7-4 by sudden victory over Canton’s Dyllan Steele, who hadn’t lost before that, in the quarterfinals. Then he won 4-1 over Vogel in the semifinals, after also getting a takedown in overtime. Frazier won tournament titles at Cumberland and the Robinson Regional and took second place at Princeton’s Lyle King PIT and the Vandalia Sectional. Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op has now advanced an individual to the state title match in each season since 2019.
In the third-place match, Morrison sophomore Cael Wright (47-9) won a 3-1 decision over Canton senior Dyllan Steele (32-2). Wright, making his second state appearance, lost his opener to Frazier and then won five-consecutive matches in the wrestlebacks, including a 4-3 decision over Vogel, to assure his first medal and he was also his team’s lone medalist. Steele, who won five tournaments and entered his third Finals with a 28-0 record, picked up his first medal and joined 285 champion Connor Williams as one of two medalists for the Little Giants. Chicago Hope Academy sophomore Nolan Callahan (23-7) received fifth place by medical forfeit over Johnsburg sophomore Chase Vogel (36-9). It was the first medal and second state trip for Callahan, who was one of five medalists for the Eagles, who lost 44-26 to eventual runner-up Vandalia in the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals. Vogel also won his first medal in his second appearance and was of two medalists for his school. Falling one win shy of a first medal while competing in their second trips to state were Murphysboro junior Paxton Pyatt (49-6) and PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op sophomore Kainin Fillbright (40-11). Others who advanced to the quarterfinals and then lost in the consolation bracket were Dixon junior Jack Ragan (40-7) and Seneca junior Raiden Terry (39-5).
“I knew that I had to make up a lot of ground, especially to come back to get third,” Wright said. “I try to give all of it to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (What he likes about Morrison) We have a lot of guys putting in offseason work and a lot of guys working hard during the season. And we have good coaching and parents and the community supporting us.”
126 – Preston Waughtel, Vandalia
Preston Waughtel beat Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers 7-0 in the IHSA Class 1A 113 title match in 2024 to cap a perfect 50-0 season as a freshman competing for Carlyle. But he fell just short of repeating as a title winner in 2025 in his first season at Vandalia when he lost a 2-1 decision in the 120 title match to Marian Central Catholic’s Brayden Teunissen for his second loss in 53 matches. Entering the 2026 1A Finals in Champaign with a 25-0 record, the Vandals junior was determined to capture his second title, and that’s just what he achieved after using a victory by technical fall, a pin and two narrow decisions to take first place at 126 with a 7-4 decision over Chicago Hope Academy freshman Obadiah Willis in the title match. That moved him closer to also doing what his brother Tyson accomplished from 2021 to 2025, when he won two titles and placed second at Carlyle and capped his career with his third title in his only season at Vandalia.
Waughtel (29-0) also played a key role in an historic day for Vandalia as he was joined as a champion by junior Max Philpot, who took first at 132 for his second championship in three trips to the title mat, and senior Dillon Hinton, who won a title at 157 to become a four-time medalist who finished fifth, second, third and first. They were three of the five medal winners for coach Patrick Myers’ Vandals, who had 10 qualifiers. Waughtel opened with a victory by technical fall in 2:12 over Oregon’s Isaiah Perez, got an escape in the third period to claim a 1-0 decision over Coal City’s Owen Petersen and then earned his third-consecutive trip to the Grand March with a fall in 5:24 over Lisle Senior’s Alexander Ferari in the semifinals. He got the first points in the title match with a takedown but Willis responded with a reversal to make it 3-2 after one period. He got an escape and takedown to go up 7-2 after two periods and Willis could only add single points for an escape and for stalling after that. He also won tournament titles at Civic Memorial, Princeton’s Lyle King PIT, the Auburn Regional and the Vandalia Sectional. Waughtel improved to 134-2 during his career and he and his teammates competed in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row. After winning 44-26 over Chicago Hope Academy and 54-21 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op, Vandalia fell to Coal City 43-23 in the title dual meet, the second year in a row that it finished second to the Coalers.
“Last year I thought I had what it takes, but I didn’t keep my composure and that’s what happens, it bites you in the butt some days,” Waughtel said. (What he likes about his team) “Yeah, we know what it takes to win, and Vandalia just helps build us all to be accountable to winning. (Coming to Vandalia) It taught me what I need to be, what I need to do to be a better person and put me around the right people. (Coach Patrick Myers) He wrestled at the DI level at SIU-E, so he knows what it takes to win and how to build his team the best. (Competing with two-time champion Max Philpot) We’re always fighting every day, being proud of each other, because we know what it takes to win, and we want to win. Sometimes I think he’s just bullying me around because he’s bigger, but it just helps me, and then when he’s down, I pick him up. We’re just perfect for each other. He knows what it takes to win.”
Willis (43-4) was one of five medalists, four finalists and two second-place finishers for the Eagles, who are coached by his father, Dan. Chicago Hope Academy got titles from Chance Woods (138) and Arkail Griffin (175) while Jeremiah Lawrence (132) joined him as a runner-up and Nolan Callahan (120) took fifth place. A winner of the other five tournaments that he was in, Willis recorded a win by technical fall in 2:11 over Olympia’s Tucker Garey in his state debut and then got another victory by technical fall in 3:23 over Richmond-Burton’s Lelan Nelson before winning a 10-2 major decision over Hoopeston Area/ Milford co-op’s Aiden Bell in the semifinals. He and his teammates competed in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for the second-straight year and the fourth time overall and lost 44-26 to the eventual runner-up, Vandalia.
“It’s super exciting,” Willis said. “We work hard in the room every day, just growing better for this tournament. My dad’s the head coach and we’ve had five brothers go through this program. (Competing for his dad) I love it, it’s unreal. Yeah, he’s done a great job with me and all my teammates. (Likes about Chicago Hope Academy) It’s something I really love, it’s a Christian school. So not only are we working hard on the mat, but we’re also working hard off the mat, whether it’s our spiritual life or anything else. I love that Christian aspect there. I’m excited to come back the next three years and just raise the intensity every year.”
In the third-place match, Coal City junior Owen Petersen (45-6) won a 5-2 decision over Lisle Senior senior Alexander Ferari (34-5). Petersen won a state medal for the third time, adding to a sixth at 106 in 2024 and a fifth at 113 in 2025. He joined senior Brody Widlowski as one of the 11 Coalers who have won three or more state medals. Petersen also got to compete in his third IHSA Dual Team Finals and helped the Coalers to their third-straight trip to the title dual meet and won their second-straight championship with a 43-23 victory over Vandalia. Ferari, who won four tournament titles, claimed his first medal in his third state trip to become the Lions’ only top-six finisher. For fifth, Hoopeston Area/ Milford co-op senior Aiden Bell (41-3) won a 15-2 major decision over Oregon sophomore Isaiah Perez (39-12). Bell, who won five tournaments, earned a medal in his first appearance while Perez got his initial medal in his second state trip. Coming up one win shy of medals were Richmond-Burton sophomore Lelan Nelson (33-8), who placed fifth at 106 in his debut in 2025, and Morrison freshman Eli Modglin (45-5). Litchfield/ Mt. Olive co-op senior Vincent Moore (37-6), a four-time qualifier, also fell short of a first medal. Also reaching the quarterfinals but then falling in the wrestlebacks was Newman Central Catholic senior Zhyler Hansen (35-9).
“All I knew is I needed one takedown, one takedown to seal the match,” Petersen said. (Finishing third) It feels great. Last year I took fifth and I wasn’t really happy with that. (Losing to Max Philpot) It definitely gave me confidence. (Coal City’s success this season) I’m so excited and I’m happy for everybody.”
132 – Max Philpot, Vandalia
Max Philpot got the opportunity to compete for a state title at 132 right after his teammate Preston Waughtel did so at 126 and both were attempting to capture a second championship in their third appearance on the title mat and had to go against opponents from the same school, Chicago Hope Academy. The similarities didn’t stop there as they both had close matches with Philpot claiming a 5-4 decision over senior Jeremiah Lawrence and Waughtel winning a 7-4 decision over freshman Obadiah Willis. The only difference between the two champions is that Philpot repeated after taking first place at 113 last season with a 10-3 decision over Marian Central Catholic’s Austin Hagevold and second at 106 as a freshman when he lost a 3-1 decision to Johnsburg’s Eric Bush while Waughtel took first at 113 as a freshman competing for Carlyle and lost 2-1 in the finals at 120 in his only season together with his senior brother Tyson with the Vandals, in which the latter finished his career with three titles in four trips to the state title mat. That’s an achievement that the two Vandals juniors hope to duplicate next season. As a bonus, Vandalia also got a championship from senior Dillon Hinton at 157, who placed all four years and won a title in his final attempt. This is the first time the program has had three champions at one Finals, after having two with Philpot and Tyson Waughtel last season. And Philpot also joins Hinton as two of the five Vandals who have won three or more state medals.
Philpot (36-2) was one of 10 qualifiers and five medalists for coach Patrick Myers’ Vandals. He opened with a victory by technical fall in 2:28 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op’s Camden Brucker and then got a pin in 5:27 over Richmond-Burton’s Wyatt Franckowiak. He advanced to the IHSA 1A title mat for the third time with a fall in 5:24 over Newman Central Catholic’s Landon Blanton in the semifinals. In the championship match, Philpot got a takedown in the first period to take a 3-1 lead. He went up 4-1 with an escape early in the second period but Lawrence got a takedown with time running down and Philpot used a late escape to make it 5-4 after two periods and Lawrence was unable to score any points after that. Philpot won three other titles this season, Princeton’s Lyle King PIT, the Auburn Regional and Vandalia Sectional and took third place in a tournament in Pennsylvania where he suffered one of his two defeats. He and his teammates concluded their season in the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals, which they competed in for the third year in a row. They beat Chicago Hope Academy 44-26 and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op 54-21 before falling to Coal City 43-23 for the title, the second year in a row that two met for top honors and the Vandals again finished in second place.
“I knew going up to 132 pounds was going to be a challenge, but that’s what I wanted,” Philpot said. “I knew that I could do it. I have confidence in my training, my coaches and myself and I got it done. (Support in Vandalia) I’m blessed and grateful that I have what I have. They’re everything that I need and I couldn’t do it without them. I couldn’t do it without my partners and my coaches, my support system, my mom and dad, everyone together. (Appearing on the video before the title matches) It was pretty cool and I thought it was pretty funny. I know one day it’s going to be over with and all said and done. I’m just grateful once again.”
Lawrence (30-3) was one of two second-place finishers, four finalists and five medalists for coach Dan Willis’ Eagles. He was making his fourth trip to state and won a medal for the third time after finishing third at 120 last season and third at 106 in 2024 while competing for De La Salle Institute. He won by fall in 2:27 over Rockridge’s Clayton Blumenstein in his opener and then claimed a 12-6 decision over Althoff Catholic’s Dawson Hawthorne. He advanced to the Grand March for the first time after getting a takedown with 24 seconds left to help him capture a 4-3 decision in the semifinals over Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright, an IHSA champion in 2025 and 2023 and third-place finisher in 2024 who was unable to compete again and wound up taking sixth. Lawrence also won tournament titles this season at Reed-Custer, the Chicagoland Christian Conference, the Sullivan Regional and the Coal City Sectional and was second at Rich Township. He and his teammates lost 44-26 to runner-up Vandalia in the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals. His comments about taking second place will be in the 1A Dual Team story.
For third place, Althoff Catholic junior Dawson Hawthorne (42-3) won a 10-1 major decision over Richmond-Burton freshman Wyatt Franckowiak (42-12). Hawthorne, who won five tournaments and made his second trip to state, took sixth at 126 last year. Newman Central Catholic senior Landon Blanton (42-7) placed fifth by medical forfeit over Riverdale senior Dean Wainwright (46-4). Blanton, a three-time qualifier, was fifth at 132 last season. Wainwright was the IHSA champion at 132 over Unity Christian’s Garrett VerHeecke last year and at 106 over Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins in 2023 and lost to Tyson Waughtel and then placed third at 120 in 2024. He finished with a 192-10 record, a win total that ranks in the top-10 in IHSA history, and he joins 2026 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Joel Stockwell and 2017 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Tyler Hurry as the lone four-time medalists at the Port Byron school. Falling one win shy of medals were Illini Bluffs sophomore Barret Speck (43-5), who took fifth at 120 in 2025, and Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op sophomore Mason Swartz (41-8), who was fourth at 120 last year. Coal City junior Cooper Morris (43-6), who took second place at 126 last year and fifth at 113 in 2024, was unable to claim a third medal. Shelbyville senior Bodee Fathauer (24-9) also wasn’t able to get his first medal in his third state appearance.
“It just all starts in the room,” Hawthorne said. “We have four placers and one in the finals, that’s all that matters. We all compete with each other and don’t want anybody to do better than us.”
“I don’t think it’s fully quite set in yet, but this is my last high school tournament,” Wainwright said. “I know in a couple of years, I’m going to look back and hopefully be proud of what I’ve done. There’s no telling what might have happened, you know. Life comes at you and you’ve just kind of got to roll with the punches. I’m looking to get healed and keep training over the summer and hopefully get my college season off to a good start. I think I’ll look back in a couple of years or even when I’m older, and I’ll be pretty proud of my career.”
138 – Chance Woods, Chicago Hope Academy
Chance Woods qualified for the IHSA Finals in his first three seasons while competing for Evergreen Park, but he was unable to win a state medal there. So as a senior, he finished his career at Chicago Hope Academy and that move not only paid off for him making a fourth visit to Champaign but the senior finally was not only able to get on the awards stand but captured the Class 1A title at 138 in dramatic fashion by winning 5-3 on an overtime tiebreaker over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op sophomore Landen Lage. He opened with two victories by technical fall, taking the first in 2:43 over Johnston City’s Jace Weaver and the second in 2:26 over Unity’s AJ Daly. He earned his spot in the Grand March when he got a takedown with 14 seconds left to win a 6-4 decision in the semifinals over Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op’s Devin Ehler, who led 3-0 after one period and only was still up 4-3 going into the third period. And then in the 138 title match, Woods got a takedown in the first period to go up 3-0 and stayed that way until Lage tied it with a takedown with seven seconds left in regulation. Woods was able to clinch his championship with a reversal with nine seconds remaining in the second overtime.
It was a special day for coach Dan Willis’ Eagles as Woods and senior Arkail Griffin (175) captured championships, senior Jeremiah Lawrence (132) and his freshman son Obadiah Willis (126) took second place and Nolan Callahan (120) finished fifth to give them a program-best five medals, which was four less than they had heading into the competition and it easily surpassed last year’s record of three medal winners, including Roy Phelps becoming their first finalist by taking second at 285 and Griffin placed fifth at 165. Woods won titles in the other five tournaments that he took part in, Rich Township, Reed-Custer, the Chicagoland Christian Conference, the Sullivan Regional and the Coal City Sectional. Chicago Hope Academy competed in the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row and fourth time overall and it lost 44-26 in the quarterfinals to Vandalia, who finished second to Coal City.
“Really, it gives me the opportunity to compete for God and the glory to God and that’s what we care about the most at Hope,” Woods said. “Even though we care about our wrestling and our academics, we care about God first and the most. Without my faith, I don’t think I would have won. There was a different type of room atmosphere. People are disciplined and cared about it more at Hope, so it made me care about it more. I think this is our best team to come to the state tournament. We might not be the best team dual-wise, but individual-wise, we had five guys in the semis and four guys in the finals, and not a lot of teams can say they did that. Years down the line, I’m not going to remember these matches as much. What I’m going to remember the most is just the feeling of winning the state championship.”
Lage (44-3), who finished fifth at 126 last season, joined freshman Bentley Fields (106) as second-place finishers and top medalists for coach Josh Carter’s Falcons, who had three individuals who placed in the top six. He opened with a win by technical fall in 5:32 over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op’s Mauricio Glass and then won a 14-3 major decision over Vandalia’s Brody Matthews. Lage earned his spot in the 138 title match with a 7-0 decision over Coal City’s Luke Munsterman in the semifinals. The sophomore already joins eight other Falcons who have won two or more state medals. He won three tournament titles this season, Mahomet-Seymour, the Ridgeview Regional and the Olympia Sectional, took second at Lincoln and was third at Plano. He and his teammates concluded their seasons at the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals, which the Falcons competed in for the first time since 2015 and they won their fourth trophy in their fourth appearance by winning the last match for a 39-35 victory over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op, before falling 54-21 to Vandalia in the semifinals. They turned in their school’s second-best showing and best since finishing second in 2010 when they beat Dixon 63-16 to finish in third place. Lage’s comments about being a state runner-up and his team’s strong showing one week later will be included in the 1A Dual Team story.
In the third-place match, Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op sophomore Devin Ehler (46-2) captured a 7-1 decision over Princeton sophomore Kane Dauber (29-5). Ehler, who won five tournament titles this season and only had one loss entering the tournament, took fourth at 126 last year and as a sophomore joined Reef Pacot, Gage Reed and Joe Lashuay as the only Comets to claim two or more medals at a state tournament. Dauber also won a medal last season, taking fifth place at 132 in 2025 and joins teammates Augustus Swanson and Casey Etheridge as among the nine Tigers who’ve two or more medals at state. For fifth place, Oregon junior Nelson Benesh (45-6) won an 8-1 decision over Coal City senior Luke Munsterman (43-9). Benesh, who won four tournament titles, placed for the first time in three state appearances while Munsterman earned his first medal in his second trip to Champaign. Falling one win shy of a medal were Vandalia junior Brody Matthews (37-12), who also qualified in 2024, and Unity freshman AJ Daly (40-15).
“It’s been a long season and everyone started the same day, November 10, so it’s a grind,” Ehler said. “All you gotta do is have faith in God, and He’s going to get you through it. And you train as hard as you possibly can every single day. I’ve wrestled with Vince Chambliss since I was eight years old. Huge blessing in my life, and Michael Glosser. Both of those have been able to contrast my style and helped me to win some really big and important matches like this one right here. Everybody works their butt off and everything is earned on our team.”
144 – Garrett VerHeecke, Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op
Garrett VerHeecke and his twin brother Clinton had the special goal of both being able to cap their careers at Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op as unbeaten IHSA champions in their senior seasons. They got ever so close to being able to do just that when Garrett won the 144 championship by recording a fall in 5:09 over Dixon sophomore Charlie Connors to cap a 49-0 season. However, in the next title match at 150, Clinton’s hopes of doing the same thing got dashed in heartbreaking fashion when he lost a 10-9 decision to Sandwich junior Cooper Corder to finish with a 45-1 record. The pair helped to start the program at Lutheran School Association of Decatur, which was renamed as Unity Christian in 2023-2024 and they both won medals in each of their four years with the program that’s coached by Zach Whitsel. Garrett took sixth at 120 as a freshman, third at 126 in 2024 and second at 132 last season before completing his move up the award stand to the top this season. He’s the first champion from a school in Decatur since Stephen Decatur’s Mark Malley claimed titles at 145 in both 1968 and 1969. He was also the first champion from Macon County since 2001 and the 13th individual from that county to win a title. He finished with a 180-10 career record, going 43-7 as a freshman, 44-1 as a sophomore and 44-2 as a junior, losing just three matches in his final three seasons.
Garrett opened with a fall in 0:41 over Lisle Senior’s Johnny Consuegra-Lopez and then won an 11-4 decision over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op’s Arrison Bauer. He had a battle on his hands in the semifinals against Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger, grabbing a 4-2 lead in the first period and added an escape early in the third period before claiming a 5-3 decision. In the championship match, he got a takedown in the first period to take a 3-0 lead. He increased his lead to 5-0 late in the second period with a nearfall but Connors responded with a reversal and nearfall to take a 6-5 advantage into the third period. However, Garrett got a reversal and subsequent fall with 51 seconds remaining to cap his career as an unbeaten state champion, joining Preston Waughtel as the only ones in 1A to achieve that feat and St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto, Belleville East’s Jonathan Rulo and Washington Community’s Wyatt Medlin as one of the unbeaten five title winners. He won six other tournaments this season, at Pontiac, Springfield, Prairie Central, Mahomet-Seymour, the PORTA Regional and the Olympia Sectional.
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity and grateful to be able to go out there and compete and wrestle at the highest level and I’m grateful for the coaches,” Garrett VerHeecke said. (Clinton) “He wrestled that kid earlier in the season and he beat him, but today just wasn’t his day but that’s okay. (Unity Christian) I’m grateful to them. I can’t wait to give back to the program and I want to see it continue to grow. It’s been awesome.”
“Some seasons are remembered for records, others are remembered for moments,” Whitsel said. “Clinton and Garrett’s season will be remembered for both, because what they accomplished went far beyond the mat and etched their names into the history of this program, this city, and this county. Garrett’s career and championship season told a powerful story, one of perseverance, growth and breaking barriers that had stood for generations. Garrett finished his high school career with a remarkable 180-10 record, wrestling in one of the toughest weight classes year after year. His steady climb at the state tournament reflected both resilience and belief. Freshman year, sixth place at state (43–7), sophomore year, third place at state (44–1); junior year, State runner-up (44–2); senior year, State Champion. That senior season didn’t just end with a title, it ended with history. Garrett became the first state champion from Decatur since the 1960s, the first state champion in Macon County since 2001 and the 13th overall state champion in county history. Those numbers represent decades of wrestlers who came close, carried the torch, and passed it on. Garrett was the one who finished the job.
“Clinton’s career and final season were the definition of sustained excellence. A four-time state placer, Clinton finished his high school career with an incredible 178 wins and just seven losses, never dropping a match during the regular season across four years. His postseason résumé speaks for itself. Freshman year, third place at state (48–2); sophomore year, fifth place at state (42–2); junior year, fifth place at state (43–2); senior year, State finalist, runner-up finish (45–1). Clinton’s senior season also produced a moment that will live forever. At the state tournament, he recorded an Illinois High School Association record-setting pin in just 16 seconds, a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that stunned the arena and instantly became part of IHSA history. It wasn’t luck. It was preparation and meeting opportunity at the highest level. Clinton didn’t just compete, he set a standard for consistency, composure, and excellence over four years. As a coach, you hope to win championships, but what you really hope for is athletes who leave the program better than they found it. Clinton and Garrett did that and more. They showed up every day, pushed their teammates, held themselves to a higher standard, and represented this program with humility and class. One etched his name into the state record books in 16 seconds. The other rewrote history that had stood for over half a century. Their legacies aren’t just in banners or record boards, they live in the expectations they set for the next generation. This season will be remembered, but the standard they left behind will last even longer.”
Connors (44-5) was the lone finalist and joined Preston Richards (fourth at 150) as one of two medal winners for coach Micah Hey’s Dukes. This was his first medal in his second state appearance. He got a pin in 3:29 in his first match with Benton’s Kaden Blades and then won a 12-4 major decision over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op’s Nolan Lowe. He was involved in a thriller in the semifinals, winning a 6-5 decision over Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr., who got a takedown to claim a 3-1 lead after one period. Following a reversal by Green, Connors responded with an escape and takedown to tie it at 5-5 with one period left and he moved in front for good with an escape and held off Green, Jr. the rest of the way. He won four tournament titles this season, at Sterling, West Chicago, the Princeton Regional and Byron Sectional. He and his teammates concluded their seasons by competing in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for for the first time since the program’s initial visit in 2017 and they won 44-27 over Althoff Catholic and fell 75-5 to eventual champion Coal City and also 63-16 to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op to take fourth place, which gave the Dukes their second trophy.
“It was definitely good getting to the finals,” Connors said. “I obviously didn’t get what I wanted, but I’m coming for it next year. The season’s not over yet, we’ve got Team State next week. The team’s really excited and I’m excited and hopefully we go down there and place as a team. I think really the team bonding that we had, it’s different than really any other team I’ve been on. I think we’ve just come together so good and that’s really what makes us as good as we are.”
For third place, Roxana senior Brandon Green, Jr. (32-2) captured a 4-1 decision over Wheaton Academy senior Lincoln Hoger (45-8). This was the third medal and fourth state trip for Green, Jr., who had only lost once prior to state. He also took third at 132 last season and was fifth at 132 in 2024 to join senior teammate Lyndon Thies (third at 175) and assistant coach Tommy Hill (2003-2006) as three-time medalists for Roxana. Hoger, who won five tournaments this season, also was a four-time qualifier and won a medal in 2024, when he took fifth at 126, as a result, he becomes the first two-time medalist for his school. For fifth place, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op senior Arrison Bauer (48-6) won a 15-4 major decision over PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op senior Zach Bryant (43-10). Bauer was a three-time qualifier and he won his second medal after taking third at 144 in 2025. Bryant was also a three-time qualifier and two-time medalist, taking sixth at 132 last season and he and classmate Justin Zimmerman (third at 165) join five others who have won two or more medals for PORTA. Coming up one win short of claiming a first medal were Benton senior Kaden Blades (47-9), a two-time qualifier, and Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op senior Tyler Huchel (38-8), a three-time qualifier. Advancing to the quarterfinals and then falling in his next match was Eureka sophomore Finn Hoffman (37-10).
“A lot of memories,” Green, Jr. said. “I’ve had a lot of mean teammates that would beat me up, so that’s what made me tough. Out here, you have to be smart because if you make one mistake, you can lose a match. I am proud, but I am upset. (Semifinals match with Dixon’s Charlie Connors) I threw him with 11 seconds, if I’d thrown him with maybe 12, I could have had three and maybe been in the finals. But I lost 6-5, and that’s okay, I can come back at Fargo-time. (Competing for Roxana) I’ve grown up with all these people and I’ve been at Roxana since I’ve been in third grade, so it’s just like my habitat.”
150 – Cooper Corder, Sandwich
Cooper Corder was able to reach the semifinals of the IHSA 1A Finals as both a freshman and a sophomore, but each time ran into the eventual champion in that match, falling to Benton’s Mason Tieffel at 138 in 2024 and to Richmond-Burton’s Emmett Nelson at 144 last year, settling for fourth place as a freshman and fifth place as a sophomore. So the Sandwich junior was determined to not only get past the semifinal match but also to capture a title in his third state appearance, but that was easier said than done. After reaching his first Grand March with a win in the semifinals by technical fall in 2:16 over Vandalia’s Dade Kleinik, he met Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op senior Clinton VerHeecke, who was attempting to do what his twin brother Garrett had just achieved at 144, which was capping his career as a four-time medalist and an unbeaten champion. In the 150 title match, VerHeecke got a takedown and escape to counter a reversal to go up 4-2 after one period, but Corder responded with two takedowns in the middle period to even it at 8-8 and got a reversal with 29 seconds left and held off VerHeecke after an escape to win a 10-9 decision that wrapped up a 43-1 season and handed his opponent his first loss in 46 matches, and avenged his only defeat of the season, by fall in 5:09, for the title at the Prairie Central Invite.
Corder, who was able to qualify for state as a freshman along with his brother Miles, who fell one victory shy of also getting a medal there, was the first champion for Sandwich since Alphonso Vruno won his second title in 2012, and is one of seven individuals who won three or medals for the program. He and sophomore Joshua Kotalik (sixth at 175), the lone qualifiers for their team, were both medal winners for the Indians, who are coached by Derek Jones. Corder began his run to the championship with a fall in 1:26 over Auburn’s Trey Boston and then won by medical forfeit over Chicago Hope Academy’s Santori Knight in the quarterfinals. He also won tournament titles at Plano, Reed-Custer, the Princeton Regional and the Byron Sectional.
“Clinton’s tough and it was just a blessing for us to go there and compete,” Corder said. “I’m a real big fan of putting points on the board and just wrestling tough, and I know that he is, too. You could see in that score that there was a lot of back-and-forth. Just having such a match like that for everyone to watch was really fun. Obviously, I’ve been thinking about this since I was a freshman and it’s exciting. But this isn’t the goal, I want to get back to work. I’m just constantly trying to better myself and go to these hard tournaments. (His brother Miles) It was super fun to wrestle with him. He’s super unorthodox and fun to watch and I try and replicate some of the stuff, but I can’t do what he does.”
“Cooper is an excellent person, I think that showed at the end of his match,” Jones said. “The coaching staff at Sandwich is incredibly proud of what he has accomplished this season. He represents Sandwich High School and Sandwich Wrestling with honor. We are excited to see him continue his training into the offseason and keep this momentum going all the way through next year. Our message to him and the team is always the same. This is just a moment in time, a percentage of our journey. Cooper has loftier goals than a single State Championship. We will celebrate and enjoy his tournament, but we are ready to get back to work.”
Clinton VerHeecke (45-1) finished with a career record of 178-7 and never lost a match during the regular season. He placed third at 113 in 2023, fifth at 120 in 2024 and fifth at 138 last season. He and his brother Garrett were the first individuals from a Decatur school to be four-time all-staters in the sport, and no one had ever won more than two medals at state. He opened with two falls that totalled 40 seconds, with the first in 0:24 over Seneca’s Chase Rod and the second in a Class 1A tournament record 0:16 over Morrison’s Caleb Modglin in the quarterfinals. His fourth state semifinal match was a memorable one as he won a 2-0 decision over Coal City’s Brody Widlowski, a four-time medalist who finished second in both 2025 and 2024, in a rematch of their 2025 semifinal match at 138 when Widlowski won a 3-2 decision. In this meeting, all of the scoring was in the final period on an escape and a penalty. He won five tournaments, at Pontiac, Springfield, Prairie Central, the PORTA Regional and the Olympia Sectional. The brothers have the rare distinction of starting a new program and they were coached by Zach Whitsel and also by 2003 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Gary Cook since Unity Christian had a co-op arrangement with Argenta-Oreana, where Cook had coached.
“I’m grateful for all of it,” Clinton VerHeecke said. “These past four years have been absolutely amazing wrestling for Unity (Christian) and doing what I love every single day and representing the school, it means a lot, obviously. I didn’t accomplish what I wanted to accomplish. I fell short, but it happens. (Garrett winning the title) Being able to see that was awesome. (Both being all-staters all four years for their ) That’s just a testament to our school and the coaches that we have, the atmosphere that coach Whitsel has built is awesome.”
In the third-place match, Coal City senior Brody Widlowski (38-2) won a 10-2 major decision over Dixon sophomore Preston Richards (45-9). Widlowski, whose only regular season loss was to a 3A opponent at Downers Grove South’s Gassen Duals, won four tournaments. The four-time medalist finished second to Unity’s Taylor Finley at 138 last season and was also a runner-up to Auburn’s Joey Ruzic at 126 in 2024 after taking fourth place at 113 as a freshman. He became just the fifth Coaler to win four medals in Champaign while Richards earned a medal in his first state appearance. For fifth place, Roxana senior Logan Riggs (42-10) captured a win by technical fall in 5:04 over Vandalia junior Dade Kleinik (32-9). Riggs, a four-time qualifier, also took sixth at 144 last season while Kleinik claimed a medal in his first trip to state. Riggs finished with three victories by technical fall, which tied him with six others, including one in 1A, for third in that category. Widlowski, Richards and Kleinik all got the opportunity to conclude their seasons at the IHSA Dual Team Finals and all three were on teams that won trophies with Coal City claiming first, Vandalia placing second and Dixon finishing fourth. Coming up one victory short of medals were two juniors who were making their first state appearances, Olympia’s Austin Kisner (33-13) and Morrison’s Caleb Modglin (43-7). Also falling in the quarterfinals and in the wrestlebacks was Quincy Notre Dame junior Cale Hilbing (36-8).
“Obviously, I came here for first,” Widlowski “I lost in the semis, so I just wanted to work back and get back to the next thing. We’ve gone back-and-forth and he came out on top. I got third, which is the next best thing. (Coal City’s success) It definitely helps in the practice room when you have really good partners all around. And we’re all close, too. This is the first group we had when my dad started Lil Coalers. Without Lil Coalers, we wouldn’t be at where we are today.”
157 – Dillon Hinton, Vandalia
Dillon Hinton has been able to do a lot of special things during his first three seasons at Vandalia, which included winning a medal each year at the IHSA Individual Finals, being in the Grand Match in Champaign in 2024 and also getting to compete on two-straight top-four teams at the IHSA Dual Team Finals, taking fourth in 2024 and being a runner-up to Coal City a year ago. But something that had eluded the senior was being a state champion and in his fourth try, he finally achieved that goal when he won a 4-0 decision over Coal City senior Aidan Kenney in the 157 title match. As a result, he joined juniors Preston Waughtel (126) and Max Philpot (132) as champions for coach Patrick Myers’ Vandals, which marked the first time that the Vandalia had three title winners at one state finals. Beside becoming one of the eight individuals to win a title for the school, he also is its first four-time IHSA medalist and joins Jarek Wehrle as the only two individuals who have won medals all four years in state finals competition for their program.
Hinton (43-3) opened with a fall in 2:44 over Olympia’s Kaden Collins and then got victory by technical fall in 3:10 over St. Francis’ Chase Siguenza. He earned his second trip to a state title match when he got a nearfall in the second period to account for the only scoring in a 3-0 decision over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op’s Hudson Babb in his fourth appearance in the state semifinals. Then in the title match, Hinton followed an escape with a takedown in the middle period to grab a 4-0 lead and Kenney was unable to close the gap. He took third at 150 last year, was the runner-up to Benton’s Mason Tieffel at 138 as a sophomore and placed fifth at 132 in 2023. He also won titles at the Auburn Regional and his own sectional after suffering his only losses in title matches at Civic Memorial, a tournament in Cresson, Pennsylvania and at Princeton’s Lyle King PIT. He closed out his career as his team made its third-straight trip to the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals, where they defeated Chicago Hope Academy 44-26 and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op 54-21 before falling to Coal City in the title meet for the second year in a row, this time 43-23. He finished with a 198-18 career record to not only make him his school’s all-time wins leader but it also ranks him in the top-10 in IHSA history for victories.
“Like I’ve said so many times, it feels like a dream almost,” Hinton said. “It was incredible to be able to accomplish something that I put so many years into. And I’m glad that I could have everybody help me along the way, my parents, coaches, teammates. Just everybody supporting me, and I really appreciate it. Like I said, it’s just really amazing. I’ve been a four-time placer and I’m really glad to get it done my last year, I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. It’s really amazing just the amount of competition I get in the room, and it helps build us as teammates, not just in practice in competition getting better, but also becoming like brothers, it’s something to fight for. I’m really thankful to be a captain on this team, it’s something that’s truly special.”
Kenney (47-2) joined Brock Finch (175) and Cade Poyner (215) as second-place finishers to lead the way for the eventual 1A champion Coalers, who are coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Mark Masters. Coal City had the most qualifiers of any school in any class with 14 and half of those claimed state medals. After kicking off his third visit to Champaign with a 10-0 major decision over Byron’s Dylan Dach, Kenney won a 4-1 decision over Cumberland’s Owen McGinnis and then captured an 11-5 decision over Althoff Catholic’s Landon Weidler in the semifinals to earn his spot in the Grand March for the first time. The senior captured his second medal after placing fourth at 144 last year. He won tournament titles at the Illinois Central Eight Conference and the Coal City Regional and Sectional and his lone defeat in the regular season was to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op’s Hudson Babb, who finished fifth at 157, by a 6-3 score in the title match at Princeton’s Lyle King PIT. He also got to compete in a state title dual meet for the fourth time and be on his third team title after Coal City capped a 42-0 season with a 43-23 victory over Vandalia, who they also beat in the 2025 title dual meet.
For third place, Cumberland senior Owen McGinnis (41-9) got a win by technical fall in 5:00 over Althoff Catholic sophomore Landon Weidler (39-5). McGinnis, who had lost to Weidler twice before the third-place match, bounced back from his close quarterfinal loss to Kenney by winning four in a row in the consolation bracket to earn his first state medal in his fourth visit to state while Weidler, who won five titles this season, was making his debut in the competition.
In the fifth-place match, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op junior Hudson Babb (47-3) won a 15-8 decision over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op senior Charlie Wittmer (45-8). Babb, who won six tournaments this season, only lost once prior to state, and that was to an individual from Missouri. This was his first medal in his second state appearance. Wittmer, who won four tournaments, also claimed his first medal in his second trip to state. West Carroll senior Connor Knop (31-2) was unbeaten and had won four tournaments before the weekend but lost his first and last matches to miss a medal in his first state appearance. The last of those losses was 5-4 to Wittmer and the first was to Chicago Hope Academy junior Dylan Galvez (39-10), who also fell one win shy of a first medal while making his second trip to state. Pontiac sophomore Brayden Quas (34-9) also reached the quarterfinals and then lost his next match. Weidler, Babb and Galvez all ended their seasons along with their teams at the Dual Team Finals with Babb the only one on a team that won a trophy as his Falcons took third place.
“I’m real proud,” McGinnis said. “We came up here for four years and I haven’t had any luck but this year, I tried to pull through. I lost in the quarters, but fought back from that. You’ve just got to keep moving. You can lose, but you’ve got to keep the same mentality. You’re going to go out there and destroy this kid and you just can’t get too down on yourself because you’ve still got a whole tournament to go. (About Cumberland) The coaches are there for you. You’re going to have hard practices, but when it comes to stuff like this and you’re in the third-place match and you go out and tech the kid, it’s all worth it. It feels great, it’s something I always wanted to do.”
165 – Pierre Walton, Althoff Catholic
Pierre Walton definitely made a name for himself in last year’s IHSA Class 2A Finals, where he won the 165 title with a fall over Montini Catholic’s Santino Tenuta to cap a 42-4 season and in the process became East St. Louis Senior’s first champion since 1943, which ended one of the longest title droughts in state history. But as a senior, he looked to conclude his education and career in a different setting, at Althoff Catholic, and that move certainly paid off in a big way since he was not only able to repeat as a state champion, he he also got to compete in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for the first time for coach Emanuel Brooks’ Crusaders. He won a 12-2 major decision over Princeton senior Casey Etheridge to capture the 165 title and following that victory, he owned a 44-1 record and was unbeaten against Illinois opponents. In his semifinal victory in 6:00 over Wheaton Academy’s Tyler Jones, he set a new IHSA record for the most wins by technical fall in a season with 40, which broke the old record of 39, which had been held by an Althoff Catholic alumni, Danny Braunagel, who also was a two-time IHSA 1A champion in 2017 and 2018. His first three victories in Champaign were by technical fall, which tied him with six other individuals, including one in 1A, for third place in that category.
Walton, the lone finalist and one of four top-four medalists for the Crusaders, got his initial win by technical fall in 4:08 over West Carroll’s Jonner Smith in his opening match of his second appearance at state, followed with a victory in 5:39 over Unity’s Abraham Davidson and earned his spot in the Grand March for the second year in a row with a triumph in 6:00 over Wheaton Academy’s Tyler Jones in the semifinals. He won titles at Parkway West, Missouri, Cumberland, Carbondale, Reed-Custer, the East Alton-Wood River Regional and the Vandalia Sectional and took second place in the Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day, MO tournament, where he suffered his lone defeat, a 4-1 decision in overtime to a Missourian. He and his Crusaders teammates participated in the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2018 and they suffered their initial defeat in 19 dual meets with a 44-27 setback to Dixon in the quarterfinals.
“Being able to compete for coach Brooks has been a blessing,” Walton said. “He obviously reached out to a lot of coaches and made a lot of connections that I really needed to be able to wrestle and take my game to the next level. And he’s also taught me a lot of life lessons. We’ve got a lot of young guys who are clawing to make their way in the wrestling world. We brought five guys up here, and out of those five guys, we had four placers. This is an historic victory because I set the IHSA tech record this year, at 40 techs, and that beat out Danny Braunagel’s record, also at Althoff. That 40th tech fall happened in the semifinals and I grinded it out, it was a very hard win, but we got it done. It felt amazing knowing that I had coach E.J. Brooks in my corner. And my coach Corey Ford, who walked me out here, I’m very grateful to him, as well.”
“Pierre has had an historic season,” Brooks said. “Pierre has been a great team leader, along with other all-state wrestlers, Dawson Hawthorne and Jacobi Cobbs, and senior captain Stephen Ache. Pierre helped lead our Crusaders wrestling team to back-to-back regional titles. While chasing his second consecutive Individual State title, Pierre broke the Illinois state single-season tech fall record. The record was formerly held by Althoff wrestling alum Danny Braunagel at 39. Pierre gained his 40th tech fall in the State semifinals. Pierre dominated his State Finals match to secure back-to- back Individual State championships.”
Etheridge (46-7) is a senior who joined classmate Augustus Swanson (113) as a runner-up and sophomore Kane Dauber (fourth at 138) as medalists for the Tigers, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Amy. He was a three-time qualifier who took fourth place at 165 last year and won three tournament titles at Central DeWitt, Iowa and LeRoy/ Tri-Valley and the Princeton Regional and took second place at his own Lyle King PIT and in the Byron Sectional. He got a victory by technical fall in 2:14 over Vandalia’s Zayne Zinkgraf in his opener, and then he got a takedown with 32 remaining to move in front for good in a 9-7 decision over PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op’s Justin Zimmerman in the quarterfinals to avenge two earlier defeats, including one in the PIT finals. Etheridge earned a spot in the Grand March for the first time with a 16-9 decision over Coal City’s Mason Garner in the semifinals.
For third place, PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op senior Justin Zimmerman (40-3) was a winner by technical fall in 4:00 over Coal City senior Mason Garner (41-6). Zimmerman, a winner of five tournaments this season who also was the top finisher of three medalists for his team, also took fifth place at 157 when he made his state debut last year. He and classmate Zach Bryant (sixth at 144) joined five others who’ve won two or more medals for the Bluejays, who are coached by Jeff Hill, the IHSA’s all-time leader in dual meet wins and a 2025 recipient of a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter. Garner, one of seven medalists for the eventual 1A champion Coalers, earned his first medal in his third state trip. In the fifth-place match between two seniors who both claimed their first medals in their second trips to state, Wheaton Academy’s Tyler Jones (45-4), who won six tournaments, claimed a 4-2 decision over Unity’s Abram Davidson (47-10). Falling one win shy of earning a first state medal were Mercer County senior Eli Burns (46-8), a three-time qualifier, and Rochester junior James Escobar (40-7), who was making his initial state appearance.
“In wrestling there’s not many breaks and there’s never an easy practice and I love it that way,” Zimmerman said. “(Competing for PORTA) That’s why they produce champions. It is your choice if you want to expend all of your energy in practice and really absorb the experience. If you don’t take advantage of it, it’s on you. I just like that it’s your choice. It was amazing.”
175 – Arkail Griffin, Chicago Hope Academy
Arkail Griffin capped an historic IHSA Class 1A Individual Finals for Chicago Hope Academy when the junior captured a 12-2 major decision over Coal City senior Brock Finch in the 175 title match to give coach Dan Willis’ Eagles not only their first title winner but two champions, with senior Chance Woods also taking first place at 138. And with senior Jeremiah Lawrence (132) and freshman Obadiah Willis (126) both finishing in second place, they had a record four finalists and sophomore Nolan Callahan claimed fifth place to give the program five medal winners for the first time, which was two more than it had last year and four less than it had in its history. Then one week later, the Eagles competed in the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row and fourth time in their history and put up a good fight in a 44-26 loss to eventual runner-up Vandalia. And to cap off the two weekends of history, Arkail’s cousin, freshman Demetria Griffin, not only became the program’s first medalist in the Girls Individual Finals, but also their initial champion when she capped a 23-0 season by winning the 115 title.
Griffin (46-1) claimed victories by technical fall in his first two matches, opening with a win in 4:49 over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op’s John Mensendike and following that with a triumph in just 0:58 over Macomb’s Jeshua McPheeters, which was the quickest victory by technical fall of any competitor in Champaign. He earned his spot as the fourth Eagle to reach the Grand March when he claimed a 16-8 major decision over Byron’s Brody Stien in the semifinals. In the title match against Coal City’s Brock Finch, he took control with a takedown in both the first and second periods to grab a 6-0 lead and then wrapped up his victory with two more takedowns in the third period. He also was a title winner at Rich Township, Reed-Custer, the Chicagoland Christian Conference, the Sullivan Regional and the Coal City Sectional. His lone defeat was against Finch by an 11-10 score and he also defeated the Coalers senior 15-4 in the Coal City Sectional finals. Griffin is a three-time qualifier who also finished in fifth place at 165 last season.
“It feels good to go from three placers to five, and especially to have four in the finals,” Griffin said. “It feels good to be a part of this team and to help it grow and to set a foundation for the next people who are coming in. And to wrestle under God’s glory and to wrestle under Hope. This has always been at the top of my goals list. A long-term goal, especially since last year after my loss in the semis. I used that to push me when things got hard and I wanted to be the best guy in the state. I’d also like to thank my teammates Santori Knight and Chance Woods for pushing me in those hard moments.”
Finch (39-3) joined Aidan Kenney (157) and Cade Poyner (215) as seniors who finished in second place for the Coalers, who also had seven medalists and a state-high 14 qualifiers. He also recorded victories by technical fall in his initial two matches, getting a win in 3:31 over Johnsburg’s Duke Mays and then needing 1:47 to defeat Beardstown’s Gunner Looker. He earned his spot in the championship match by capturing a 4-3 decision over Roxana’s Lyndon Thies in the semifinals, where he received a penalty point with 22 seconds left to secure the win, avenging an earlier 8-5 defeat and his other losses were to Griffin. Finch was a four-time qualifier who captured his first state medal. One week later, he got to compete in the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals for the fourth time and the Coalers, coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame Mark Masters, were in the title dual meet for the fourth time and won their third title by beating Vandalia in the finals for the second year in a row, capping a 42-0 season with a 43-23 victory. His comments on being a runner-up and another team title will appear in the Dual Team story.
For third place, Roxana senior Lyndon Thies (45-2) won by fall in 0:40 over Byron junior Brody Stien (47-3). Thies, who won five tournament titles this season, earned his third medal in three state appearances. He also was a runner-up at 165 to Tremont’s Bowden Delaney last season and took fourth at 157 in 2024. Thies joined senior teammate Brandon Green, Jr., who took third at 144, and assistant coach Tommy Hill, as the only Shells to be three-time medalists and earlier this season, he passed Hill to become Roxana’s all-time wins leader. Stein also made his third state trip and won his first medal. In the fifth-place match, Johnsburg junior Duke Mays (41-9) claimed a 1-0 decision over Sandwich sophomore Joshua Kotalik (46-9). Mays won a medal in his second state appearance while Kotalik competed at state for the first time. Falling one win shy of a medal were Pinckneyville/ Trico/ Elverado co-op senior Jonathan Ramaker (37-4) and Pontiac sophomore Lucas Maier (42-6). Ramaker made his initial state appearance while Maier took part in the competition for the second time. Heyworth sophomore Tristan Stamp (44-7) lost in the quarterfinals and then right after that in the consolation bracket.
“For me, it really started my sixth-grade year when we had a wonderful junior high team,” Thies said. “That’s when the brotherhood really started for me with the wrestling team and everything. And then in eighth grade, especially with (Brandon) Jr. Green and Logan (Riggs), we’ve been real tight, especially around the sport of wrestling, and other sports, as well. One of our coaches, Tommy Hill, said that if he could trade in his individual medals for team state medal, he would. Back then, I thought that was dumb, but then when we did it sophomore year (Roxana placed third at state in 2024), I understood, because of the team’s camaraderie. I really am proud. I much rather would have come home with a state championship, but not everything’s going to happen the way it’s supposed to.”
190 – Eli Larson, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op
Eli Larson concluded the 2026 IHSA Class 1A Individual Finals in dramatic fashion by capturing an exciting 13-12 decision over Wilmington senior Logan VanDuyne in the 190 championship match. As a result, the senior joined Ty Harmston (2012 to 2014) as a two-time champion and a three-time finalist and Trey Griffin (2010 and 2011), Quincy Kalkbrenner (2013 and 2014) and Harmston (2013 and 2014) as individuals who won two IHSA titles for Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op, which is coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Milder. Last season in the 175 title match, Larson won a 14-7 decision over Richmond-Burton’s Blake Livdahl and in 2024, he lost a 7-2 decision to Manteno’s Carter Watkins in the 175 title match. In this year’s 190 championship match, the PantherHawks senior got a takedown in the first period and a reversal and escape to counter an escape and takedown by VanDuyne, who only trailed 6-4 going into the third period. In that final period, Larson got two reversals but VanDuyne used two takedowns and two escapes to move in front at 12-10 with 22 seconds remaining. However, Larson clinched his second-straight state championship with a takedown with 10 seconds left.
Larson (49-1) led the way for the PantherHawks, who had four senior medal winners with Jeremiah Luke placing second at 285, Oliver McPeek was third at 215 and Arrison Bauer took fifth at 144. Larson opened with a win by technical fall in 2:24 over El Paso-Gridley’s Braden Gibson and then had his closest match prior to the finals, a 4-1 decision over Red Bud’s Daniel Jackson. He advanced to a state title match for the third time when he claimed a 10-1 major decision over Sacred Heart-Griffin’s Casen Lyons in the semifinals. Larson also won tournament titles at Erie/ Prophetstown, River Valley, Wisconsin, the Stillman Valley Regional and the Byron Sectional while suffering his lone loss, a 4-2 decision, to an Iowan at an invite in Clinton, Iowa. He and his teammates took part in the IHSA Dial Team Finals for the first time since 2023 but their quest for a fifth trophy were dashed when Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op rallied and got a pin in the last match to claim a 39-35 win and wound up finishing in third place.
“It’s one of the best feelings ever,” Larson said of being a two-time state champion. “I give a lot of credit to Logan, who’s an incredible wrestler, for pushing me. I bumped up a weight class and it was something that I had to adjust to, but by the end of the season, I think that I really got there. Jeremiah Luke, Oliver McPeek and John Mensendike, I’m so blessed to have the room that I have. We’ve wrestled each other since we were six years old. We’ve all stuck around and I’m super thankful for the guys that I have. It was like a deja vu feeling. When we were little, going to the wrestling meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays was the best part of the week. And then having it come full swing, wrestling one of my last matches for the program, it’s been awesome wrestling under coach Milder, Jered Staver, Jared Hermann, Josh Oates and Seth Milks, a four-time state champ. Our coaching staff is unbelievable.”
VanDuyne (41-4) was the lone qualifier for Wilmington, whose coach, Nick Dziuban, an athlete and 2007 graduate of the school, passed away at age 37 on February 2 following a battle with cancer. The senior opened with two narrow decisions, claiming a 4-2 win over Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm co-op’s Ethan Miller when he got a takedown with 42 seconds left and then he rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the final period and got a takedown with 55 seconds left to claim a 5-4 victory over Byron’s Will Julian. In the semifinals, he needed to win in overtime to advance to the 190 title match by recording a fall in 6:30 over Vandalia’s Ross Miller. The match was tied at 1-1 heading into overtime and VanDuyne got a takedown with 11 seconds left and then a fall as the overtime ended. This was the first medal for the three-time qualifier. He won titles at Pontiac, the Illinois Central Eight Conference, the Coal City Regional and the Coal City Sectional and finished second at Reed-Custer and placed third at Princeton’s Lyle King PIT.
In the third-place match, Vandalia senior Ross Miller (41-8) claimed a 7-0 decision over Byron junior Will Julian (41-9). Miller won his second medal after taking sixth at 175 last year in his first trip to state while Julian was making his state debut. Miller concluded his career with him and his teammates taking second place to Coal City for the second year in a row in the IHSA Dual Team Finals. For fifth place, Red Bud sophomore Daniel Jackson (44-4) won a 7-3 decision over Sacred Heart-Griffin junior Casen Lyons (42-5). Jackson, who won five tournament titles, also took third at 190 as a freshman and became his school’s first two-time medalist. Lyons claimed his first medal in his second state appearance and is his school’s second medalist. Coming up one victory shy of medals were Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm senior Ethan Miller (38-8), who made his second trip to state, and Seneca senior Landen Venecia (36-10), who advanced to Champaign for the first time. Morrison sophomore Noah Stout (44-10) lost in the quarterfinals and then lost his next match in the wrestlebacks.
“My goal coming into the season was to be a state champ,” Miller said. “I lost to a kid that I beat earlier in the season, it hurt me a little bit, it hurt my pride, but that’s the past so there was nothing I could change about it. The only thing I could change was the future, so I just kept grinding. (Competing for Vandalia) Great coaches and great teammates. They all have the same mindset as me and they all want to get better every single day, continue to get better. So surrounding myself with people like that makes you want to strive for your goals even more.”
IHSA Class 1A championship matches
215 – Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) 39-4, Jr. over Cade Poyner (Coal City) 46-4, Sr. (Dec 11-10)
285 – Connor Williams (Canton) 40-1, Sr. over Jeremiah Luke (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 44-4, Sr. (TB 2-1)
106 – Connor Collins (Olympia) 40-6, Fr. over Bentley Fields (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 41-11, Fr. (Dec 7-3)
113 – Landon Near (Newman Central Catholic) 44-3, So. over Augustus Swanson (Princeton) 47-3, Sr. (Dec 7-0)
120 – Wesley Janick (Marquette Academy) 35-4, Fr. over Weston Frazier (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 38-5, So. (MD 10-0)
126 – Preston Waughtel (Vandalia) 29-0, Jr. over Obadiah Willis (Chicago Hope Academy) 43-4, Fr. (Dec 7-4)
132 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) 36-2, Jr. over Jeremiah Lawrence (Chicago Hope Academy) 30-3, Sr. (Dec 5-4)
138 – Chance Woods (Chicago Hope Academy) 46-2, Sr. over Landen Lage (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 44-3, So. (TB 5-3)
144 – Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana) 49-0, Sr. over Charlie Connors (Dixon) 44-5, So. (Fall 5:09)
150 – Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 43-1, Jr. over Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana) 45-1, Sr. (Dec 10-9)
157 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) 43-3, Sr. over Aidan Kenney (Coal City) 47-2, Sr. (Dec 4-0)
165 – Pierre Walton (Althoff Catholic) 44-1, Sr. over Casey Etheridge (Princeton) 46-7, Sr. (MD 12-2)
175 – Arkail Griffin (Chicago Hope Academy) 46-1, Jr. over Brock Finch (Coal City) 39-3, Sr. (MD 12-2)
190 – Eli Larson (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 49-1, Sr. over Logan VanDuyne (Wilmington) 41-4, Sr. (Dec 13-12)
IHSA Class 1A third-place matches
215 – Oliver McPeek (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 48-3, Sr. over Caybren Hubbard (Murphysboro) 47-10, Jr. (MD 13-1)
285 – Caleb Reymer (Erie/ Prophetstown) 42-9, Jr. over Darian Holloway (Olympia) 45-7, Sr. (MD 11-0)
106 – Isaac Showalter (Farmington/ Cuba) 44-1, Fr. over Cam Whitehead (Winnebago) 37-6, So. (Dec 2-1)
113 – Drevan Bramlett (Murphysboro) 43-8, Fr. over Jacobi Cobbs (Althoff Catholic) 42-4, Jr. (Dec 14-10)
120 – Cael Wright (Morrison) 47-9, So. over Dyllan Steele (Canton) 32-2, Sr. (Dec 3-1)
126 – Owen Petersen (Coal City) 45-6, Jr. over Alexander Ferari (Lisle Senior) 34-5, Sr. (Dec 5-2)
132 – Dawson Hawthorne (Althoff Catholic) 42-3, Jr. over Wyatt Franckowiak (Richmond-Burton) 42-12, Fr. (MD 10-1)
138 – Devin Ehler (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 46-2, So. over Kane Dauber (Princeton) 29-5, So. (Dec 7-1)
144 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) 32-2, Sr. over Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) 45-8, Sr. (Dec 4-1)
150 – Brody Widlowski (Coal City) 38-2, Sr. over Preston Richards (Dixon) 45-9, So. (MD 10-2)
157 – Owen McGinnis (Cumberland) 41-9, Sr. over Landon Weidler (Althoff Catholic) 39-5, So. (TF 5:00 18-3)
165 – Justin Zimmerman (PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana) 40-3, Sr. over Mason Garner (Coal City) 41-6, Sr. (TF 4:00 21-5)
175 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 45-2, Sr. over Brody Stien (Byron) 47-3, Jr. (Fall 0:40)
190 – Ross Miller (Vandalia) 41-8, Sr. over Will Julian (Byron) 41-9, Jr. (Dec 7-0)
IHSA Class 1A fifth-place matches
215 – Alex Schaefer (Marquette Academy) 35-5, Jr. over Jackson Allen (Yorkville Christian) 46-10, Sr. (Dec 10-5)
285 – Breckin Campbell (Richmond-Burton) 34-11, Jr. over Julien Tanner (Murphysboro) 48-6, Sr. (Fall 4:33)
106 – Coyt Rademaker (PORTA/A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana) 43-9, So. over Nate Lower (Rockridge) 42-6, So. (Dec 4-1)
113 – Brandon Gaither (Olympia) 39-10, So. over Boston Morford (Mercer County) 35-14, Fr. (MD 14-4)
120 – Nolan Callahan (Chicago Hope Academy) 23-7, So. over Chase Vogel (Johnsburg) 36-9, So. (M. For.)
126 – Aiden Bell (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 41-3, Sr. over Isaiah Perez (Oregon) 39-12, So. (MD 15-2)
132 – Landon Blanton (Newman Central Catholic) 42-7, Sr. over Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) 46-4, Sr. (M. For.)
138 – Nelson Benesh (Oregon) 45-6, Jr. over Luke Munsterman (Coal City) 43-9, Sr. (Dec 8-1)
144 – Arrison Bauer (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 48-6, Sr. over Zach Bryant (PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana) 43-10, Sr. (MD 15-4)
150 – Logan Riggs (Roxana) 42-10, Sr. over Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) 32-9, Jr. (TF 5:04 16-0)
157 – Hudson Babb (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 47-3, Jr. over Charlie Wittmer (Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth) 45-8, Sr. (Dec 15-8)
165 – Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) 45-4, Sr. over Abram Davidson (Unity) 47-10, Sr. (Dec 4-2)
175 – Duke Mays (Johnsburg) 41-9, Jr. over Joshua Kotalik (Sandwich) 46-9, So. (Dec 1-0)
190 – Daniel Jackson (Red Bud) 44-4, So. over Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin) 42-5, Jr. (Dec 7-3)