Posts by Mick Torres

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Seven girls’ IHSA state champions went unbeaten this year, five of whom won state titles last season. Three more state champs only lost once all year. By class, two freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors and eight seniors were state champions. 

Seven girls became their school’s first-ever state champion in girls wrestling while one state champ, Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi, became the sport’s first four-time state champion in Illinois.

Cassioppi, Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller, Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson, Burlington Central’s Victoria Macias and Highland’s August Rottmann all became four-time medalists this year. 

But numbers and career accomplishments never tell the whole story of the individual state finals, because the journey is always the thing.

Case in point: Hoffman Estates senior Sophia Ball. Ball became the first girl to win a wrestling state title in her school’s history this year, and was a three-time state medal-winner. Ball was also one of six state champions who placed second at last year’s state tournament. 

The group who journeyed all the way back to this year’s state title mat and won included Loyola’s Harlee Hiller, Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson, Cumberland’s Natalie Beaumont, Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker, and Lakes’ Josie Larson.

Some journeys happened quickly, as Rockford East’s Saya Hongmoungkhoune and Roxana’s Chloe Skiles dominated their way to state titles as mere freshmen this year.

Lakes’ Larson embarked on one of the most dominant journeys this season, going 29-0 with 29 pins. The journey for Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis included the grit she showed in a semifinal comeback win, while coming back from multiple surgeries was just a part of Vandalia senior Sophie Bowers’ unique journey.

The journey for Lockport’s two-time state champion, junior Claudia Heeney, has her on the path to becoming one of Illinois’ all-time greats in girls wrestling. Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr became her program’s first girl to journey to the top of the awards stand in Bloomington, while Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker and Prairie Central’s Chloe Hoselton each capped the end of their high school journeys by winning the second state titles of their careers.

The state finals tournament certainly celebrates state champions but whatever the journey — from this year’s crop of state champions and place-medal winners, to sectional qualifiers or girls brand new to the sport — the state of girls’ wrestling remains on a meteoric rise in Illinois.

Here’s a look at the best of the best of them this year.

100 – Saya Hongmoungkhoune, Rockford East

Rockford East freshman Saya Hongmoungkhoune won an IKWF state title as an eighth-grader, so the potential was already there for her to make some noise in the 100-pound weight class in high school.

She had a deafening roar of a season.

Hongmoungkhoune (28-0) was the first of seven girls to finish as unbeaten state champions when she won by fall on the title mat against Montini Catholic’s Katelyn Bell (39-6). 

Hongmoungkhoune finished with three falls and a major decision win in her first state finals and became her school’s first state champion in girls wrestling.

She’s hoping her win helps bolster the program at Rockford East.

“It feels really good. It still hasn’t really clicked that I won state,” Hongmoungkhoune said. “But it means a lot and I’m hoping it inspires other girls to join the sport and see what they can do, because it’s a lot of fun. This year we only had three girls so I’m hoping next year we can build a team.

“I knew that I had worked hard and this is something that I’ve been working for not only this year, but for years before. It’s something I wanted. I wanted to be a champion.”

E-Rabs coach Madelynn Hongmoungkhoune wrestled at Rockford East with the boys’ team before girls wrestling became an IHSA sport, and is Saya’s sister. She saw the writing on the wall for Saya before she entered high school.

“I’m not at all surprised at how well she’s done this season,” she said. “She has worked extremely hard to get where she is today. Even as an eighth-grader last year she had been bumping up to the high school division to see where she contested with most of those girls, and was dominating them there as well.”

Saya’s title match began with a bit of a scare. Bell drove her off the mat early in the first period and Hongmoungkhoune landed hard on her shoulder. She stayed down while a trainer tended to her for roughly 30 seconds.

“These mats are super hard and I didn’t really prepare for it when I rolled off,” Hongmoungkhoune said. “I hit my shoulder super-hard. I knew she’d try to keep using that little push-out to take advantage of me so I just had to focus on pushing (the injury) away and just think about this match and winning this championship.”

Like it is for all the best wrestlers in the sport, her celebration period for winning a state title won’t be extended.

“I’ll take a week off,” Hongmoungkhoune said, “but then I’m back at it.”

District 230 freshman Jade Hardee (37-5) won a sudden victory match for third place over Round Lake’s fourth-place junior Riley Kongkaeow (45-5), and Batavia’s Lily Enos (45-7) took fifth by major decision over sixth-place Emma Rogers (41-7) of Edwardsville.

Hardee became the fifth girl from District 230 to place downstate, and Kongkaeow joined Ireland McCain to become the second state medalist for Round Lake. Enos now has three state finals medals to her name, while Rogers became the sixth wrestler from Edwardsville to finish in the state’s top six in girls wrestling.

105 – Chloe Skiles, Roxana

It may be a tired sports cliche but Roxana’s Chloe Skiles followed the old trope that says ‘to be the best, you have to beat the best’.

On paper, the freshman Skiles (42-5) seemed to be up against it heading into her state semifinal match against West Aurora’s Kameyah Young (42-4).

The senior Young has been one of the best around for multiple seasons in Illinois. She is a four-time state qualifier, three-time state medal winner, and placed second downstate last year. 

But while the veteran Young was poised to reach the finals again, Skiles had other ideas. After all, she didn’t win two IKWF state titles prior to high school by accident.

The talented freshman won a major decision over Young to cruise into the state title match, where another tall order awaited her in yet another heralded upperclassman: Glenbard East junior Nadiia Shymkiv (35-2), who placed third at 105 last season.

Skiles followed the script. Her 10-5 win against Shymkiv earned her a state title, the first in Roxana girls wrestling history.

“It feels good,” Skiles said. “I was definitely nervous and I just trained hard. I couldn’t have done this without my parents and my coaches. A shout out to Tommy Hill and Ryan King and PSF Wrestling for getting me here. (PSF Wrestling) I think it’s just getting there, wrestling live and rolling on the mats and pushing yourself to the limit against the best wrestlers in the area.”

Roxana coach Tom Blaha knew early on that he had a good one on his hands.

“Chloe won the prestigious Wonder Woman tournament at Battle High School in Missouri, and she beat the returning state champion 7-0 in the finals,” Blaha said. “I knew then we had a very special wrestler.

“Chloe had an amazing season. She was 32-0 versus girls only this year. She works hard and is very dedicated. She also studies her opponents. Winning a state championship is a very difficult feat at any age, but to do it as a freshman is almost unheard of. She had to beat three returning medalists to win that state championship. And she already has her sights set on winning next year.”

Skiles embraced the challenge at the Wonder Woman tournament, and intends to stay on a path to reach the top of the podium in Bloomington again.

And again. And again.

“They called me the unseeded freshman (at the Wonder Woman),” Skiles said. “I thought that I was going to prove everyone wrong there, and I defeated a defending state champion. I’ve been saying since my eighth grade year that I wanted to win (an Illinois state title) four times, and I knew that this was the most important one.”

Roxana wrestling has produced two other state champions, Tom Riggins in 1996 and 1997 and Rob Warren in 1982.

West Aurora’s Young (42-4) capped a fine career in Bloomington, placing third in a 6-1 decision over fourth-place Zoe Sadler (46-12) of Anna-Jonesboro. Another quality newcomer to the finals in Leyden’s Zoey Dodgers (26-3) won by fall for fifth-place over DeKalb’s sixth-place medalist Alex Gregrorio-Perez (49-6).

Young and Sadler both graduate with three state medals to their names; Dodgers won the first state medal in Leyden history, and Gregorio-Perez now has two place medals to her name.

110 – Angelina Gochis, Kaneland

Everyone who follows girls wrestling in Illinois knows that Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi became the state’s first four-time state champion this year.

Are there any other girls in position to chase that record? Well, a pair of state champs in Rockford East freshmen Saya Hongmoungkhoune and Roxana’s Chloe Skiles each took that first baby step towards becoming four-timers. 

The only other girl in Illinois with a chance at matching Cassioppi wrestles at Kaneland. 

Sophomore Angelina Gochis (36-0) won her second state title in Bloomington this year, after winning the title at 105 last season. But where becoming a four-timer is concerned, Gochis isn’t about to put the cart ahead of the horse.

“No,” Gochis said. “It’s one match at a time to get to where I want to be.”

Her state semifinal match against Glenbard West’s previously unbeaten freshman Khloe Perez (39-2) this year nearly derailed Gochis’ quest for a second state title but instead showed what she’s made of. Gochis went for a headlock early, Perez scored off it, and Gochis found herself in a hole against one of Illinois’ best wrestlers. 

“I was down six points and knew I had to come back and get the win,” Gochis said. “I had to realize what I was doing and finish the job, so I could get to the finals.”

Kaneland coach Josh West saw his sophomore show composure against Perez.

“She hasn’t had to battle back much over these last two years, so for her to stay calm and chip away was great to see,” Kaneland coach Josh West said. “She kept applying pressure, picked her spots, and really wrestled a good second and third period.”

Gochis fought back to win a 7-6 decision over Perez and earn another state title shot. 

Once there, Gochis won her second state title by posting her third tech-fall win of the day, against Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth (17-3).

“It feels really good, working hard to get to where I want to be,” Gochis said. “I was definitely more composed this year. Last year I was a lot more nervous. It was my first time down and I had to get used to what it was.”

After a close call in the semifinals, West was glad to see Gochis get back in the saddle.

“Angelina looked great in the finals, more like her usual self. She got back to her attacks,” West said. “I’m really blessed to have a wrestler like Angelina in our program.  Winning is fun but the thing about her is how she carries herself when she wins. Nothing flashy, no backflips.  She’s humble. She goes and shakes the opposing coaches hands and comes back to her coaches.” 

West also believes that Gochis now knows fully what it will take to make a run at a third state title.

“We’re all very proud of Angelina and her accomplishment,” West said. “It’s very hard to stay at the top of the mountain. Once you get there, you are the target. Everyone looks at you, studies you, wants to beat you. Angelina can’t let up. She needs to train even harder if she wants to stay at the top and I think she understands that a little bit more now.”

In placing third, Lincoln-Way junior Zoe Dempsey (47-4) became the second wrestler to win a downstate medal for her program, joining former teammate Gracie Guarino. Fourth-place freshman Perez of Glenbard West joins former Hilltopper Khatija Ahmed and Perez’s sister Alicia to become Glenbard West’s third all-state wrestler. Alicia Perez won the state title at 110 last year.

Litchfield sophomore Rilynn Younker (43-12) won the second state medal of her young career in placing fifth by fall over sixth-place junior London Gandy (43-10) of Homewood-Flossmoor, who became the fifth girl in program history to become an all-stater.

115 – Harlee Hiller, Loyola Academy

Senior Harlee Hiller is now the lone two-time state champion in wrestling history at Loyola Academy — one state title win ahead of boys’ single-state title winners Massey Odiotti and Kai Calcutt.

Hiller (27-1) is also the lone girls state medal winner thus far for Loyola in the brief history of the girls’ sport in Illinois.

“She finishes as a two-time state champ, three-time state finalist, and four-time state medalist,” Loyola coach Matt Collum said. “She did everything right this year and her performances proved that.”

Hiller was over the moon after winning her second title.

“It was really great and I’m so excited,” Hiller said. “And I’m so grateful for all of my coaches and teammates who have helped me get here. It’s just so amazing and I’m so happy.

“It’s been great. I started my freshman year (at Loyola) and it’s just been amazing. I’ve had amazing coaches, great training partners and I’m just so lucky.”

Hiller won by fall, a disqualification, and then a major decision in her semifinal to reach the title mat, where she won a 12-0 major against Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon (13-1). The junior Cannon has now won three state medals, having finished third at 110, fourth at 115, and second this year.

Hiller (27-1) placed third in Illinois as a freshman, and won a state title at 105 as a sophomore before an injury-plagued junior year that still saw her finish second at state to three-time state champion Gabby Gomez of Glenbard North.

Returning to the top of the podium in Bloomington capped a fine high school career.

“She battled through injuries last season just to have a shot at winning another state title,” Collum said. “Harlee is an extremely hard worker, doesn’t take days off, and is very deserving of another state title.”

Hiller was happy to put last year’s runner-up finish behind her.

“I was disappointed in last year and I feel like this year I had no regrets and I put everything out there. I feel like I did a lot better and I wrestled really hard,” Hiller said.

“It’s so amazing how many girls are here and all of the opportunities that we get now and it’s just really great how fast it’s growing. I’m definitely getting a lot of good matches and there’s just so many more girls at all of these tournaments, it’s so cool.”

Hampshire sophomore Amelia Nidelea-Polanin (37-3) finished third over fourth-place junior Alejandra Flores (33-6) of Bolingbrook, while LaSalle-Peru junior Kiely Domyancich (33-4) won 6-3 for fifth place against Burlington Central senior Tori Macias (34-9).

Nidelea-Polanin joined 2025 teammates Samantha Diehl and Anneliese Tavira as Hampshire’s first three state medal winners in program history. Domyancich is LaSalle-Peru’s first state medal-winner, and Macias became a four-time all-stater in her senior year.

120 – Angelina Cassioppi, Hononegah

The Cassioppi family is arguably the First Family of Illinois high school wrestling, with five brothers and sisters who have all won individual state medals, and four of whom have been state champions. But twenty years from now, when the Cassioppis gather together for the holidays, one of them will have bragging rights that no other can match.

Angelina Cassioppi’s journey was one for the ages where Illinois high school wrestling is concerned. Her 32-0 rampage through the 120-pound weight class this year ended with a fall on the title mat against Glenbrook North’s Ariela Dobin, making her the first four-time state champion in Illinois girls’ wrestling history.

“It feels amazing,” she said. “I’m super happy. I just worked on my mentality, and tried not to get too nervous because I was going for a fourth (state title).”

Cassioppi departs Illinois high school wrestling with a career record of 99-13. She went 23-6 and won the title at 100 pounds in 2022. She went 27-6 in winning the title at 120 in 2023 and went 17-1 in winning the title at 120 last year.

She has now won by fall twice on the title mat in Bloomington. As a freshman, she won a 6-2 decision to win the title in 2022 against Thornton-Fractional South’s Dutchess King. This year’s champion at 130, Hoffman Estates’ Sophia Ball, gave Cassioppi her toughest downstate test last year in the finals, with Cassioppi winning a 4-3 decision. 

That didn’t exactly sit well with Cassioppi.

“She was upset last year how close the finals match was and really wanted to prove a point this year,” Hononegah coach Tyler DeMoss said.

Point taken. Cassioppi didn’t give up a single takedown in 32 matches this season. 

“I got more confident on my feet since last year,” Cassioppi said. (DeMoss) has been with me pretty much since I started wrestling, helping me to develop year-round. Definitely my parents and the coaches we’ve had have helped me get here.”

Older brother Tony Cassioppi was a two-time heavyweight state champion in Illinois, sister Rose won a girls state title in 2022, brother Rocco won a state title this year, and brother Bruno placed third in Champaign last year.

Angelina held out for a while before her wrestling genes got the better of her.

“I started when I was eleven,” Cassioppi said. “I was the last sibling to start wrestling in my family.”

Cassioppi won a prestigious Ironman Tournament title in December in Ohio, and proved untouchable in Illinois all season.

“I was very proud of how Gina wrestled, she trained this season to dominate and thats exactly what she did,” DeMoss said. “She won the Ironman in December and kept it rolling all season. We couldn’t be more proud of her.”

With her second-place finish, Dobin (45-2) became the first state finalist and first state-place medal winner in Glenbrook North history.

Bartlett senior Emma Engels (44-4) placed third by decision over fourth-place medalist Lydia King (50-8) of Geneseo, and Leyden’s Sabrina Bono (30-7) won by fall four fifth place over fifth-place medalist Mary Minogue (15-5) of Libertyville.

The senior Engels won the third state medal of her Bartlett career, having won a state title at 100 in 2023 and placed sixth at 110 last year. King became Geneseo’s first all-state wrestler in girls’ program history, while Bono became the second medalist in Leyden history after Zoey Dodgers medaled at 105 earlier in the day. Minogue also became Libertyville’s first-ever all-state girl in program history.

125 – Sophie Bowers, Vandalia

Sophie Bowers’ history in Illinois wrestling is unique among this year’s crop of girls state champions.

After winning her second individual state title in girls’ wrestling in the afternoon in Bloomington, Bowers was part of the 1A dual team state title that Vandalia’s boys’ team competed for that night.

Bowers is thus the first state champion to also be a member of a dual team that competed for a state title later in the day. Vandalia had three champions this season, and only won four IHSA titles before this year, including her first title from last season.

“About everyone on the team probably started when they were seven, if not even younger,” Bowers said. “When you’re with the sport for eight, ten years, you get pretty good at it, and I think that’s how Vandalia has become such a good program. We have a good youth program and we have amazing high school coaches and it just leads up to the same thing.”

As a freshman, Bowers became only the fifth girl in IHSA history to qualify for the boys’ state tournament, and only the second to win a match in Champaign. Bowers high school path was derailed by ACL surgery in her sophomore year, plus surgery on both of her shoulders.

She returned to form last year, going 27-7 to win her first girls state title. This year, she showed wire-to-wire dominance.

Bowers capped a perfect 42-0 season with her second state championship. She had a unique backdrop during her final match, with an entire row of shirtless male classmates in the stands, with a single letter painted on each of their chests to spell out her name.

Bowers gave her fans what they wanted, winning by major decision for the title against Wheeling’s Elise Burkut (38-4).

The junior Burkut (38-4) became the first state finalist and second state medalist in Wheeling program history, joining two-time medalist and teammate Jasmine Rene.

Grayslake Central junior Gianna Arzer (46-5) placed third by major decision over fourth-place senior Brooklyn Sheaffer (44-4) of Kaneland. Jacksonville senior Alexis Seymour (29-6) took fifth by fall over Naperville Central sophomore Dezi Azar (39-9).

Arzer is Grayslake Central’s first state medalist while Sheaffer won the second state medal of her career. The senior Seymour departs the Jacksonville program as a three-time state medalist, and Azar became the first state medalist in Naperville Central girls program history.

But it was Bowers who stood on the podium above them all.

“It was awesome to see Sophie win her second state title last weekend,” Vandalia coach Jason Clay said. “She has been a great wrestler for a long time. I’m proud of her perseverance battling through (injuries) to achieve what she has. She is a great kid that loves the sport and has already started giving back as an official at the youth level. She’s a special kid that we will truly miss.”

Bowers sees good things ahead for the continued growth of girls wrestling in Illinois.

“It’s definitely an amazing thing,” she said. “I bet in the next five years that we’re going to have classes and I just can’t wait to see how the sport progresses, especially when I’m an adult and my kids are hopefully wrestling.”

130 – Sophia Ball, Hoffman Estates

Five minutes after she won her state title, the adrenaline was still coarsing through Sophia Ball. She shifted her weight quickly from one foot to the other and simply couldn’t stand still as the realization of what she’d just accomplished sank in.

What Ball (43-1) accomplished was four-fold, so there was a lot to take in. First, the four-time state medal winner won the first state title of her career; second, she became the first girls wrestling state champion in Hoffman Estates history; and third, she avenged her only loss this season on the state title mat.

But the day of firsts didn’t stop there for Ball.

“There are no girls state champions (in any sport) on the wall of state champions at school,” Ball said. “There are only boys.”

Ball’s photo will soon hang on that wall, finally giving it a female touch. “Sophia is an outstanding young lady,” Hoffman Estates coach Leo Clark said. “Her work ethic is unmatched and reminds you of those old school wrestlers who just grind, inside and outside the wrestling room.”

The last coaching instruction Clark gave Ball in her career came when Ball got Canton’s Kinnley Smith on her back near the edge, with plenty of time remaining in the second period on the title mat. Clark urged her from the corner to take her time towards getting the fall but Ball had other ideas.

“I just caught it and squeezed it,” Ball said. “I was not taking my time.”

Ball’s fall at 3:29 gave her the title. She was asked how she intended to celebrate becoming a state champion.

“I have no idea. It’s never happened before,” she said. “I’ll find out later.”

And any girls aiming for the top spot on the podium in Bloomington next year better listen up, because Ball offers up the best of advice.

“You have to have confidence,” Ball said. “If you doubt yourself at all, you’re not going to win here.”

Smith leaves the Canton program as its most-decorated girls wrestler, a three-time state medalist who reached the state title mat three times in a fantastic career.

Joliet Catholic Academy senior Grace Laird (24-6) placed third in state by major decision over fourth-place senior Nyah Lovis (46-7) of Lane. Erie junior Michelle Naftzger (33-14) placed fifth and Huntley junior Aubrie Rohrbacher (45-10) finished sixth.

With her third-place finish, Laird became the first state medalist in Joliet Catholic history. Lovis joined Lane graduate Noemi Marchan as only the second medalist thus far in program history, and Naftzger is Erie’s first-ever state medalist. Rohrbacher won the second state medal of her Huntley career, having placed third at 130 last season, joining Janiah Slaughter as a two-time all-stater for the Red Raiders.

135 – Claudia Heeney, Lockport

Prospect senior Viola Pianetto became her program’s first-ever all-stater in girls wrestling this year, going 39-2 in the process.

Unfortunately for Pianetto — and everyone else in the 135-pound weight class — Lockport’s Claudia Heeney is still around. Heeney was queen of the hill at 135 this year and won her second consecutive state title.

And she’s not done yet.

The junior Heeney finished a 46-2 season with a 6-0 decision in this year’s finals over Pianetto, handing the Prospect senior both of her losses this year.

Heeney is now a two-time state champ and three-time state finalist for Lockport. She opened with a fall and a major decision before punching her ticket to the title mat with a fall in the semifinals against Hononegah’s Bella Castelli. Heeney won her first state title last year at 130 pounds and placed second at 125 as a freshman.

Her impact on the girls’ program at Lockport is unprecedented.

“Claudia has elevated this program beyond any expectations that I had when it started four years ago,” Lockport coach Nate Roth said. “It has been amazing to have an athlete as talented and dedicated as Claudia on the team. She has been great to have as an athlete, obviously, but she has also helped everyone around her. She works with other girls and helps them take their skill to the next level. She has even helped me be a better coach. Her wealth of knowledge is expansive and I am humbled to be lucky enough to have an athlete like her be on the team.”

Winning a second consecutive state title for Heeney brought a different dynamic than winning the first one did.

“I’d say it’s kind of a surreal feeling,” Heeney said. “Last year, it was super cool and I wanted it to happen but I didn’t know if it was going to. This year, it was kind of the same thing but there was a little bit more pressure because I won it last year. I’m so excited about this and It’s super fun to be out here and to do it with your friends.

“Now I feel like when people wrestle me, there’s a lot more nerves going into it. I don’t think I’m much different from the rest of the competition because anything can happen in a match. So I think that people come out there and want to beat me and I think it’s fun and it’s challenging.”

District 230 senior Alyssa Keane (42-4) placed third via 11-4 decision over Dwight’s fourth-place freshman medalist Avery Crouch (11-3), and finishes her career as a two-time all-stater. Hononegah freshman Bella Castelli (26-5) won by fall for fifth against Edwardsville senior Holly Zugmaier (40-8), who also departs her program as a two-time all-stater in Illinois.

Heeney is one of seven individuals who have won two or more titles and been in three finals. Beside four-time champion Angelina Cassioppi and three-time title winners Cadence Diduch, Gabby Gomez and Sydney Perry the only others to do that are Boylan Catholic’s Netavia Wickson, Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker and Heeney.

She’s already thinking about chasing a third state title next year.

“I’m just going to put in the work in the offseason and I go to practice every day, sometimes three hours a day, just keep pushing and keep grinding,” Heeney said. “I love Freestyle, too, so I’m pushing toward that and placing at Fargo maybe this year, that’s kind of one of my goals and that’s kind of what’s keeping me going.”

Her coach is glad to be along for the ride as Heeney chases a third state title and Lockport history. Brad Johnson is the only other Lockport wrestler with two state titles, having won in 2011 and 2012.

“This year when she won her state championship, it was very exciting,” Roth said. “To have any state champion on a team is surreal enough, but to have a two-time champion and a three-time finalist that is still only a junior is beyond awesome. and I can’t wait to see her and the rest of the team dominate the mats in the future.”

140 – Taylor Dawson, Collinsville

45 seconds — that was all the time Collinsville senior Taylor Dawson needed on the state title mat at 140, but those 45 seconds represented much more time than that.

Dawson’s journey to her first state title spanned four years, during which she placed second twice and third once for the Kahoks’ girls program.

Her quick takedown off the opening whistle of her title match against Mother McAuley’s Maggie Zuber (30-5) was an exclamation point for Dawson (36-3) in Bloomington.

“That’s what I told my coaches,” Dawson said. “Right off the whistle, that was the plan. A lot of time I go into a match with an idea of what I want to do, and I’ve usually been able to do them. This feels great.”

Dawson went 47-1 last year and finished second at 130. She placed third at 130 as a sophomore and went 34-5. She leaves Collinsville with a career record of 136-32, with 23 of those losses coming in her freshman season when she went 19-23 but still managed to reach the state title mat, placing second.

Collinsville coach Jordan May has watched Collins go from that upstart freshman to a dominant senior state champion, who will wrestle at Missouri’s Lindenwood University next year.

“She is definitely one of the most talented wrestlers I’ve ever seen,” May said. “She’s been through a crazy journey. She injured her ankle three days ago so she had to overcome some adversity, but she came out and made a statement.

“She came in as a freshman and only had a few moves, but she’s so tough and as time has gone on, her technique got so much better, and she lives wrestling. Her skill level and her confidence have really grown.”

The ingredients Dawson mixed together to win her state title are part of an ancient recipe for success. “I lifted weights, wrestled, and competed all summer,” Dawson said. “And I went to the best tournaments I can. That’s the only way to get better.”

Dawson pinned all four of her downstate opponents to win her title and on her way out of the Illinois high school wrestling scene, she offered solid advice on how to approach the high-pressure event of the state finals.

“Not to be nervous, wrestle your match, and that anything can happen,” Dawson said.
Zuber became Mother McAuley’s first-ever state medalist in girls wrestling in her senior year.
Morton’s Karen Conchola (31-3) became a two-time state medalist with her win by fall for third-place against Sycamore sophomore Ema Durst (140). Conchola and Durst are their programs’ lone all-state wrestlers thus far in the four-year history of IHSA girls wrestling.

New Trier senior Jillian Giller (48-4) placed fifth with a fall against sixth-place senior Christiara Finley (30-30) of Hillcrest. Both became their respective programs’ first-ever all-staters.

145 – Natalie Beaumont, Cumberland

One year after placing second last year to Freeport’s three-time state champion Cadence Diduch, Cumberland junior Natalie Beaumont reached the summit of the podium in Bloomington this year. 

Beaumont (30-3) won a 5-0 decision over Schaumburg senior Hope Zerafa-Lazarevic (47-3) in the finals at 145 to claim her first individual state title.

“I’ve always been told for state, just take it all in, and don’t take it for granted, and I definitely tried, but the nerves get the best of you sometimes,” Beaumont said. “So I think this year, I just focused on wrestling like I can wrestle, get into my moves and doing my stuff, and in the end, it definitely worked out. I’m where I want to be right now, and I’m just ecstatic to be there.”

Cumberland coach Ashley Edmonds likes the path her junior is walking for the Pirates.

“Natalie is now a two-time finalist for us, and next year could become our first three-time medalist, girls or boys,” Edmonds said. “She works a ton in the off-season with her clubs that she attends and she was very motivated after losing the title last year. She had a good tournament and did a lot of stuff that we had worked on throughout the past few weeks.”

Beaumont credits her training all season with the boys’ team at Cumberland for helping her this year. Staying committed to the sport year-round has also been key.

“I’ve put in a ton of work over the offseason, extra practices, extra meets, just doing everything I can,” Beaumont said. “It’s been a long season with a lot of ups and downs, definitely, but I came out on top and I got what I wanted.”

With her title win, Beaumont became Cumberland’s first state champion in wrestling. Two boys from Cumberland competed for state titles, but both took second. Jess McMechan was second at 112 in Class A in 1998 and 1999 and Nathan Day was second at 113 in 1A in 2012.

Glenwood junior Jenna Tuxhorn (35-3) placed third in Bloomington in a 5-3 decision over fourth-place freshman Allison Garbacz (33-2) from South Elgin, and Phoenix Military Academy senior AJ Grant (45-5) placed fifth via tech fall over Rochelle senior Dempsey Atkinson (24-3).

Tuxhorn became Glenwood’s first two-time all-stater, while Garbacz became South Elgin’s first all-state wrestler. As their respective programs’ lone all-staters, Grant and Atkinson both became two-time medal winners in Bloomington. 

155 – Callie Carr, Hinsdale South

Sometimes a wrestler is the last to know.

Junior Callie Carr etched her name in the Hinsdale South record book, finishing a perfect 39-0 season by becoming the first state champion and the first state medalist in her program’s history.

After failing to place downstate last year, Carr was one of the clear favorites to win a state title this year. But it took some convincing for Carr to think of herself in that way.

Carr became even more dedicated to the sport since last year, training with the boys’ team, putting in extra sessions, staying late after practice — but still, a state championship?

“I honestly didn’t see it coming,” she said. “I would have been happy just to place. But all my practice partners in the room — like the boys would be like ‘I’m taking down the state champ’. But I’m like ‘guys, I’m not there yet’.”

She got there. Carr won 6-0 on a state title mat against someone she wrestled four times this season, Oswego senior Kiyah Chavez (41-10). Carr went into the final with a few butterflies.

“I was so nervous and my brother (former South wrestler Griffin Carr) just said, ‘why are you nervous? You’ve trained so hard.’ But I wrestled her four times and I knew she was going to come out hard, and she did.”

Chavez made Carr earn it. At one point in the second period, Chavez had one of Carr’s legs and was in hot pursuit of a takedown. But it was a brief pursuit, as Carr fought it off.

“That was my closest match,” Carr said. “Props to her but I just didn’t want to get taken down. I really, really wanted more this year and I went and got it. And I still want more.”
Hinsdale South coach Andy Mangiaguerra watched Carr embrace the habits of a state champion this year.

“We made a pact at the beginning of the year that we’d get extra workouts in, stay after practice, and just do everything extra we could do,” Mangiaguerra said. “Callie’s got dedication. When her mind is set on something she just goes with it. She’ so driven and she just knows how to keep working, harder and harder.

“This is amazing for our program — a 39-0, undefeated season. You can’t beat that. And now more girls are going to come out. She’s been a great role model for the girls and the boys in our program.”

Chavez also became the first medalist in her program’s history. In the process, she beat previously unbeaten senior Teagan Aurich (40-1) of Plainfield South by sudden victory in a state semifinal match.

Aurich went on to place third via 7-4 decision over fourth-place senior medalist Nola Oben (41-6) of District 230. Oak Lawn senior Charvelle Mclain (36-10) placed fifth by fall over Rock Falls freshman Akira Schick (18-6).

Their state medals were the first won by Aurich, Oben, McLain, and Schick. Aurich became the third girl in Plainfield South history to place downstate, while Mclain and Schick are their programs’ first all-staters.

Oben is now one of five District 230 all-staters in program history.

170 – Alicia Tucker, Plainfield Central

Senior Alicia Tucker (29-1) became a two-time state champion and a three-time state-placer for Plainfield Central this year, and on her way out the door she took some time to smell the roses.

“It’s really so much fun being able to do this every day,” Tucker said. “I love this sport so much and I appreciate everybody who’s helped me get here. At my school, I’m the first-ever two-time state champion, boys and girls.

“I think that this is super important. It shows that really anybody can get here, no matter where they came from. They just need to work hard, and maybe they’ll be able to do what I can do, too.”

Plainfield Central coach Kyle Hildebrandt has watched Tucker travel a great distance for his program.

“Her state championship title was a great way to put an end to her fantastic high school wrestling career,” Hildebrandt said. “We are very proud of her and all of her accomplishments. She has done an excellent job representing our program and school.”

Tucker opened with a pair of falls in Bloomington before winning an 8-4 semifinal decision over Hampshire’s Annaliese Tavira (36-7). Waiting for Tucker in the finals was one of Illinois’ best in Highland senior August Rottman (35-2). Rottman was a state champion two years ago at 170.

Tucker was spotless in the final, winning a 5-0 decision to claim her second state crown. She hopes her two state titles don’t stand as the program standard for long.

“It’s a record I made to be broken,” Tucker said. “I really hope that I don’t stay as the only two-time state champion at that school. I hope somebody else, maybe another girl, comes along and breaks every single record that I set there.”

Tucker went 34-2 as a sophomore two years ago to win her first state title, and placed second in state last season, going 36-2. She went 3-2 as a freshman, putting her career record for Plainfield Central at an impressive 102-7.

At one point along the way this year, Hildebrandt saw a light switch go on for his senior stud.

“After the Oswego East tournament, we saw a shift in Alicia’s mentality,” he said. “After she won the Hawk Tournament in Hoffman Estates, we talked with her about never being satisfied, and if you want to be successful, you can not be satisfied, there is always more you can do. Her training began to reflect this. She dominated the regional and sectional tournaments, in each tournament, we had close finals matches, but we maintained control. Her finals match demonstrated the dominant mentality she had going into the last match.

Tucker leaves as the first Wildcat girls athlete to be a state champion in two seasons and only the fourth athlete at the school to achieve that feat. The others were Ben Bates in boys swimming  (1984-1985), Luke Winder in boys track and field (2013-2014) and Kahmari Montgomery in boys track and field (2014-2015).

She’s only the second girl, the third wrestler and one of six total athletes who earned all-state honors at a state tournament three straight years. The other wrestlers were Ryan Prater (2005-2007) and Nick Nasenbeny (2011-2013). 

Peoria Notre Dame senior Autumne Williams (18-4) won by fall to place third at 170 in Bloomington, against fourth-place medalist and sophomore Sara Martinez-Lopera (32-2) of Kelly. Maine West senior Lillian Garrett (34-7) and Hampshire senior Tavira (36-7) locked horns in a doozy for fifth-place, with Garrett ekeing out the 1-0 decision win.

As the lone state medal-winner in Highland history, Rottman will graduate as a four-time all-stater, having placed third, first, sixth and second in Bloomington.

Williams placed third at twice at 170 and leaves as her program’s only state medal-winner in the short history of Illinois girls wrestling. Martinez-Lopera became Kelly’s first all-stater this year, Garrett was Maine West’s first all-stater, and Tavira was one of three Hampshire wrestlers this season to become the program’s first-ever medal winners.

190 – Josie Larson, Lakes

This was Josie Larson’s year.

After placing second in state at 190 last season, the Lakes senior went on a rampage through the division this year. She finished 29-0 with 29 pins, won a state title, and until Saturday no girl in Illinois survived into the second period with Larson.

That’s about as dominant a season’s performance as Illinois has ever seen, on the boys’ or girls’ side of the sport.

“I remember about ten matches into the season I asked her to look at her long-term goal of being a state champ and going undefeated,” Lakes coach Mark Stave said. “I asked her if I could add a goal… her original goal, but all pins. She said ‘yep I can do that, coach. No problem’.”

Larson’s first-period pin of Clifton Central sophomore Payton Temple (27-2) earned her the state crown and added to her fifth- and second-place finishes downstate. Temple earned her second state medal after placing sixth at 155 last season.

It was Larson’s semifinal match that got her ready for the state title mat. Schaumburg’s Nadia Razzak (47-5) battled Larson well for nearly three periods, before Larson won by fall with only three seconds remaining in the match.

“That was my most difficult match and that really, really helped me to prepare for (the final),” Larson said.

That final lasted 41 seconds, when Larson stuck Temple to complete her state title journey in her senior year. Was she as nervous as she was heading into last year’s state title match?

“A little bit more just because it’s my final run, so I was really nervous,” Larson said. 

“We watched a little bit of film and this morning we went over a few of the things that (Temple) does. My goal was just to get everything over and done with. Logically, I knew that I could beat her. But I also don’t really like crowds. They kind of freak me out. So I was nervous. I’m still a little bit in shock because I can’t believe I did it.”

Stave is just happy she did.

“I am so proud of the work this young lady put in to achieve her goal of going undefeated and winning the state championship,” Stave said. “She is such a natural leader on and off the  mat.”

Larson will wrestle for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut next year.

Hampshire freshman Samantha Diehl (31-6) placed third with a 4-0 decision against Streamwood’s Jasmine Rene (25-4), and Schaumburg junior Razzak finished fifth in state with her 8-3 decision against the sixth-place medalist, Oak Forest senior Isabel Peralta (40-10).

Diehl was one of three girls from Hampshire at this year’s finals to become their program’s first state medalists, and helped Hampshire to a third-place IHSA team finish. 

Rene is now a two-time state medalist, while Razzak won her first medal and became Schaumburg’s fourth all-state wrestler in program history. Peralta placed downstate for her first time and became Oak Lawn’s third all-stater.

235 — Chloe Hoselton, Prairie Central

Now a two-time state champion, Prairie Central senior Chloe Hoselton went a perfect 27-0 this year and leaves as a pioneer for Prairie Central in girls wrestling in Illinois.

What she’s leaving behind for coach Scott Ziller is unquantifiable.

“The best things about Chloe are wrapped up in the example she sets on and off of the mat,” Ziller said. “She’s a leader, a good teammate, a successful student, and a kind human. What Chloe leaves behind for our program is as much to be proud of as her individual accomplishments.”

Those accomplishments are unprecedented for the Hawks’ program. Hoselton won two state titles and is the only state medal winner thus far in the brief history of IHSA girls wrestling in Illinois.

Hoselton’s 8-0 major decision win on this year’s title mat against Rickover Academy’s Jasmine Mejia gave her a second state crown, to go with the one she won in an ultimate tie-break match over Unity’s Phoenix Molina in last year’s finals.

“Being able to win a championship again is amazing and I can’t put it into words,” Hoselton said. “Knowing that I won it with my Prairie Central team and having my teammates and the support of my family and my club all means so much to me.

“The Prairie Central community is very supportive. There’s so many people that wanted to see me succeed and do what I do best. And I had some people from Prairie Central who came out to support me.”

Hoselton’s 4-0 weekend in Bloomington this year featured two falls, a tech fall, and a major decision win.

“She trains like a champion, but more than that she has a great mentality on the mat,” Ziller said. “She doesn’t get rattled and stays on the hunt to score no matter what.”

Hoselton is hoping that more Prairie Central girls scale the state finals podium, sooner than later.

“We had new girls this year and I was the captain and I was kind of their leader,” Hoselton said. “I wanted to let them know after winning this championship that if you keep training in the offseason and trying hard during the season that anything is possible. One of our girls, Yuri Vilchis, went from not even qualifying from regionals to being a state qualifier. She put in the work in the offseason and she trained and lifted, so it meant so much for her to be here.”

Hoselton is only the third wrestler at Prairie Central to be a two-time champion. Her brother Brandon (2018-2019) and Logan Deacetis (2019-2020) were the others. Her brother Drew was a champion in 2018 and her cousin Andy was a champion in 2011. Brandon was a three-time finalist and Drew and Andy were two-time finalists.

“We have six state titles in the Hoselton family and hopefully more to come soon,” Hoselton said.

Like Hoselton at Prairie Central, Mejia is the poster child for girls wrestling at Rickover. Mejia followed last year’s fifth-place downstate finish by going 38-3 and reaching the state title mat in her senior season. Also like Hoselton, she is the first and only wrestler to medal thus far for her girls’ wrestling program.

Unity’s Phoenix Molina (33-6), last year’s state runner-up at 235, finished third via 6-0 decision against Urbana junior Lillian DiSanto (38-11). Moline senior Kirsten Kpoto (8-3) placed fifth while Ottawa junior Juliana Thrush (35-7) placed sixth.

Molina joins former state champion Lexi Ritchie as a two-time all-stater for Unity, DiSanto became Urbana’s second all-stater, Kpoto joins former state champ Maryam Ndiaye as a two-time medal-winner for Moline, and Thrush is one of two all-staters for Ottawa and its first two-time state placer.

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

You can think about winning a team state title, set a goal to win a team state title, and dream about seeing it happen, but putting yourself in position to actually do it — well, that’s where the work comes in.

The girls from the IHSA state champion District 230 co-op team were happy to work for coach Liz Short this year.

“They had all the other components, but it’s hard to coach grit and teach that,” Short said. “The wrestling part is easier, but it’s the grit and the heart… they were just invested in wrestling and in the sport.

“It’s very cool and for the program it means a lot, just the hard work. We just kept telling them all year to just trust in your training and the rest will kind of come into play. So it was just controlling what we can and the rest will figure itself out.”

Girls from Carl Sandburg, Andrew and Stagg make up the District 230 team, and their grit earned them a team state title in Bloomington.

District 230’s seven state qualifiers earned 66 team points to lead the field. Hampshire’s three state qualifiers earned the second-place team trophy with 51 points scored among them, and Kaneland’s four qualifiers posted 45.5 points to finish third.

Collinsville placed fourth with 40.5 points, Lockport (40) and Hononegah (40) tied for fifth, Schaumburg (35) placed seventh, Hoffman Estates (34.5) was eighth, Roxana (31.5) was ninth and last year’s team champion, Lakes (30) rounded out the top 10 team finishes.

District 230 got third-place individual finishes from freshman Jade Hardee (100) and senior Alyssa Keane (135), and a fourth from senior Nola Oben (155) to lead the way. Also scoring team points were Tatum De La Vega (105), Sophia Figueroa (115) and Saja Bader (120), with Adrianna Vela (170) also competing.

Hardee (37-5) won a 9-6 sudden victory decision on the third-place mat against Round Lake’s Riley Kongkaeow (45-5), while Keane (42-4) took third with an 11-4 decision against Dwight’s Avery Crouch (11-3). Keane went 5-1 while Hardee went 4-1 in this year’s state tournament. Oben (41-6) went 3-2 in Bloomington and placed fourth in a 7-4 decision to Plainfield South’s Teagan Aurich (40-1).

Short will bid farewell to senior state qualifiers Keane, Oben, Figueroa, Bader and Vela from this year’s state qualifiers.

“They really like the sport and were great role models for our younger athletes, too, and really helped set the tone for the room and really made it a competitive room,” Short said.

“There was a great foundation that (Andrew boys coach) Pete Kowalczuk had built. We went to college together at Northern Michigan, and we wrestled at the US OTC, and it was a great opportunity. And I had some awesome help, some really accomplished wrestlers and coaches.”

Now that the District 230 team has a well-established program after four seasons of IHSA girls wrestling in Illinois, Short wants to see her girls take another incremental step forward.

“We are focusing on the quality of girls wrestling instead of just the quantity,” Short said. “We were so focused on building, building, building, but now, we have to focus on the quality. It’s just improved dramatically in the past couple of years, and at Fargo our numbers are great and building Team Illinois.

“It’s about getting them invested enough that they want to keep wrestling and they’ll keep liking it. I love wrestling and I try to help them love wrestling.” 

For state runner-up Hampshire, coach Matthew Todd got third-place individual finishes from sophomore Amelia Nidelea-Polanin (115) and freshman Samantha Diehl (190), and a sixth-place finish from senior Anneliese Tavira (170).

With all three of Hampshire’s state qualifiers fighting their way to the podium steps, the Whip-Purs won the first team trophy in their program’s history.

“I am incredibly proud of our wrestlers and all the hard work they put in this year to achieve their goals,” Todd said. “Bringing home a trophy for the first time in our wrestling program’s history is a monumental achievement for our school and one that will be remembered for a very long time.”

Nidelea-Polanin (37-3) won by tech fall on the third-place mat, against Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores (33-6). Nidelea-Polanin went 4-1 in Bloomington, with her lone loss coming in a state semifinal match to eventual state champion Harlee Hiller of Loyola Academy.

Diehl (31-6) also went 4-1 and took third with a 4-0 decision over Streamwood’s Jasmine Rene (25-4), and Tavira (36-7) lost a hard-fought 1-0 decision on the fifth-place mat to Maine West’s Lillian Garrett (34-7).

“On the way home, it truly hit the girls just how much support we have from our community, and it’s clear they are hungry for more,” Todd said. “They are eager to see the growth of the sport and are excited about what the future holds.

“I would also like to highlight the exceptional leadership of our senior wrestler, Anneliese Tavira. Her guidance has been instrumental in helping her teammates perform at their best, and we are very proud of what they have accomplished together. As a coaching staff, we are thrilled about this achievement and can’t wait to see what the future brings for our program.”

Kaneland’s third-place team finish featured a two-time state champion in Angelina Gochis (110), and a fourth-place finish from Brooklyn Sheaffer (125). State qualifiers Caitlyn Manier (155) and Sadie Kinsella (190) also competed for the Knights.

“We knew with our hammers Brooklyn Sheaffer and Angelina Gochis, we would be right in the thick of things for a team trophy,” coach Josh West said. “Caitlyn lost a close match and then lost in the wrestle backs. Sadie won her first match and then dropped the next two.  But great seasons for both of them, they both will be back next year and the expectations will be high.”

Sophomore Gochis went a perfect 36-0 in winning back-to-back state titles, going 4-0 in Bloomington and winning by tech fall on the state title mat over Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth (17-3). The senior Sheaffer (44-4) went 3-2, winning by major decision over Naperville Central’s Dezi Azar in her consolation semifinal match before losing on the fourth-place mat to Grayslake Central’s Gianna Arzer.

“When our season ended last year we wrote some goals down,” West said. “It’s not often that a team checks off all or most of those goals. We had conference title, regional title, sectional title, and state top 3 as goals for this year. We did not win the sectional as we got 2nd place, but we won our conference, took first in our regional, and finished third in the state. So it was a heck of a year for the Kaneland Knights.

“What can I say except I am fortunate to be in the situation I am. The girls work hard and support one another.  They earned this and I am happy for them. It’s going to be tough to replace Brooklyn and our other seniors.  Brooklyn is a three-time qualifier and two-time place winner. 

“But if there is one thing I have learned it’s never count out the Knights.”

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

IC Catholic Prep had 10 all-staters and three champions, Montini Catholic finished with eight medal winners and two first-place finishers and Washington captured four state championships to lead the way at the IHSA Class 2A Individual Tournament in Champaign.

Those also were the top three teams in the IHSA 2A Dual Team Finals with IC Catholic Prep winning its first championship with a 46-17 victory over Washington, who competed in the title dual meet for the ninth time in the last 10 tournaments and was seeking a third-straight title but took second place for the third time during that run. Montini Catholic was edged by the Knights 29-27 in the semifinals and then beat Mahomet-Seymour 50-24 to finish third.

Washington established a new record for its program by having four state champions. Winning titles for coach Nick Miller’s Panthers were Noah Woods (120), Peyton Cox (144), Wyatt Medlin (157) and Josh Hoffer (215). Medlin won his second title while the other three became first-time champions and Cox proved to be one of the top stories of the tournament since he had finished in second place in his three previous appearances at the IHSA Finals.

“Washington wrestling had a banner weekend with four state champions and a sixth-place finisher,” Miller said. “While it was not the most medalists we have had in a season, it was the most state champions we have had in a single year. 

“Josh Hoffer got us kicked off with a very controlled 5-0 win over Jaxson Mathenia from Waterloo. Josh did a great job of keeping pressure on and finding his way to his attacks on his feet. We then waited to the 120 pound finals where Noah Woods had a nail-biter type of match going into two overtimes and finding a reversal to the back. Michael Malizzio of Montini did a great job keeping Noah off his attacks on their feet and then both wrestlers had tough rides on top to keep it scoreless into overtime. Noah got to a legitimate attack right at the end of the first overtime on the edge, but ran out of time and space to finish it there. Coin flip went to Woods who deferred the choice and got another 30 second rideout, putting him on bottom with a chance to win with an escape. He got to a half stand situation and created a roll which led to a reversal to the back and secured an overtime fall for a State Title. 

“Peyton Cox was next and in a very low scoring and controlled match he earned his much alluded State Championship after three-straight runner-up finishes with a 1-0 victory over Aiden Arnett from IC Catholic. It was a moment filled with lots of emotions and a long-awaited dream come true for Cox. The night finished with a very dominant 20-5 technical fall for Wyatt Medlin in his second-straight State Championship. The match started with a couple early period takedowns, and then securing some nearfall in the second period along with another takedown or two. Wyatt displayed his dominance throughout the tournament winning every match with a technical fall.”

IC Catholic Prep’s title winners were Max Cumbee (126), Deven Casey (132) and Brody Kelly (175). Casey captured his second-straight title and was a four-time medalist while Kelly moved up one spot from last year and Cumbee won his first title in his initial season with the Knights. 

Montini Catholic’s champions were Allen Woo (113) and Kam Luif (138) with Woo repeating as a title winner while Luif claimed his first state championship.

The other five state champions were from East St. Louis Senior, Glenwood, Lemont, Notre Dame College Prep and Providence Catholic. 

Two brothers, Judah Heeg (190) and Justus Heeg (150), won titles representing different schools with Judah at Lemont and Justus at Providence Catholic. The brothers competed in Minnesota last season and Justus was a champion for Simley as an eighth grader.

Pierre Walton (165) became East St. Louis Senior’s first title winner since 1943 and Ray Long (106) was Notre Dame College Prep’s second champion and its first since 1994.

Cody Moss (285) was the second individual from Glenwood to become a champion, with Drew Davis the other in 2022 and 2023, so the program has now won three titles in four seasons. 

Four of the champions won titles in their first appearances in the IHSA Finals, Long, Walton and the Heeg brothers while Moss captured a state championship for his first medal in Champaign.

While there was a concentration of titles with three teams capturing nine of the championships, only one team had more than one second-place finisher, and that was Montini Catholic with two, Mikey Malizzio (120) and Santino Tenuta (165).

Rochelle’s Xavier Villalobos (126) finished second as a senior and also was a runner-up as a freshman in 2022 and Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks (190) finished in second place for the second year in a row.

Others who claimed second-place finishes were Grayslake Central’s Vince DeMarco (106), St. Patrick’s Daniel Goodwin (113), Civic Memorial’s Bradley Ruckman (132), Rockford East’s Donald Cannon (138), IC Catholic Prep’s Aiden Arnett (144), Mascoutah’s Brock Ross (150), Highland’s Tyson Rakers (157), Geneseo’s Kye Weinzierl (175), Waterloo’s Jaxson Mathenia (215) and East Peoria’s Jose Del Toro (285).

In some of the closest title matches, Woo edged Goodwin 4-1 by sudden victory at 113, Judah Heeg got past Parks 4-1 by sudden victory at 190, Woods pulled out a 2-0 win on a tiebreaker over Malizzio at 120, Cumbee got past Villalobos 1-0 at 126, Cox edged Arnett 1-0 at 144, Moss prevailed over Del Toro 9-7 at 285 and Long outscored over DeMarco 15-12 at 106.

Justus Heeg and Medlin were the only 2A individuals who had four wins by technical fall and only five others pulled off that feat in the other two classes. Plano’s Richie Amakiri had the most match points of anyone with 89 while Richards’ Mike Taheny (78) ranked third behind St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto (79) and Medlin and Justus Heeg tied for fourth with 77 points. While six individuals collected three or more pins, no one in Class 2A had more than two falls.

Antioch, Brother Rice and Providence Catholic all had four medal winners while Civic Memorial, Rochelle and Rockford East each had three medalists.

Beside champions Casey and Cox, there were two other individuals in Class 2A who won medals for four-straight years, Genseseo’s Zachary Montez (fourth at 165) and Yorkville Christian’s Aiden Larsen (fifth at 120).

Other seniors who finished their careers as three-time all-staters were Rochelle’s Xavier Villalobos (second at 126), Civic Memorial’s Bradley Ruckman (second at 132), Rockford East’s Donald Cannon (second at 138), Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks (second at 190), Wauconda’s Gavin Rockey (third at 120) and Deerfield’s Jordan Rasof (third at 138).

DePaul College Prep’s Hunter Wahtola became the first medalist for his school. Saint Ignatius College Prep’s Nate Sanchez was his school’s second medal winner and first since 2001 when he claimed third place at 157. Waterloo’s Jaxson Mathenia (second at 215) also became his school’s second medalist. And Evergreen Park’s Genesis Ward (fourth at 215) was the first all-stater for his school since 1996. 

Here’s a look at the 2025 IHSA Class 2A state champions and the other Class 2A medalists, beginning at the start of the Individual State Finals, which was at 175:

175 – Brody Kelly, IC Catholic Prep

Brody Kelly began the last chapter of a special day for IC Catholic Prep at the IHSA Class 2A Finals when he became the first of its three champions who led the way among the 10 state medalists that it had in the competition for coach Danny Alcocer’s Knights, who one week later capped their memorable season at the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals by winning their first team title when they defeated two-time defending champion Washington 46-17 in the championship meet. The junior, who finished with a 50-5 record, wrapped up his tournament run with victory by technical fall in 5:13 over Geneseo junior Kye Weinzierl in the 175 title match.

Kelly, a three-time state qualifier who was a state runner-up at 150 in 2024 after dropping a 3-2 decision to Montini Catholic’s David Mayora in the finals, opened with a fall in 3:00 over East St. Louis’ Corey Robinson before getting his first victory by technical fall in 4:16 over Sycamore’s Cooper Bode and then he earned his spot on the state title mat for the second year in a row after capturing an 8-2 decision over Mahomet-Seymour’s Marco Casillas in the semifinals. 

“Losing last year, I didn’t want to feel that again so I worked really hard all summer and the whole year I was working for that state title this year and I finally accomplished it,” Kelly said. “Everyone in our room is going hard and we all have really high goals and we want to achieve, and the best we can do is be state champions, and we all want to be champs. We had nine in the semis and then we got four into the finals. So we were all doing pretty good and we just wanted to keep it rolling. I lost close in the finals my sophomore year, and it was terrible because I was right there for what I wanted to get for my whole life. This year it was like the best thing ever to accomplish, it was so much different.”

Weinzierl (45-3) is a three-time state qualifier who earned his first medal and was the top finisher and one of two all-staters for coach Jon Murray’s Maple Leafs, who also qualified for the IHSA Dual Team Finals. Murray, a 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, is retiring after leading the program since 2002-2003 and he also served as an assistant coach at Geneseo. Weinzierl followed a win by technical with a 15-5 major decision over Glenwood’s Elijah Smith and then captured a 10-5 decision over Brother Rice’s Dan Costello to advance to the 175 finals. 

“It all relies on trusting in your training and working hard, getting in the room any time you can, transferring what you do and just believing in yourself,” Weinzierl said following the semifinals. “This is my first time placing and It feels awesome. After last year, I was devastated, I came up short on my goal of placing. So this year to kind of punch my ticket, it feels amazing. I am so excited. Growing up coming to the state tournament and watching, it just feels amazing. I’ve always loved the environment since Illinois does it nice, it does it the good way. I love these guys and I love the coaches. We all work so hard together, it just feels great.”

In the third-place match between individuals who lost in the semifinals, Mahomet-Seymour freshman Marco Casillas (55-4) won an 8-0 major decision over Brother Rice sophomore Dan Costello (28-11), who placed sixth at 175 last season. For fifth place, Antioch senior Ben Vazquez (41-9) won a 6-5 decision over Sycamore  junior Cooper Bode (41-13). Sterling’s Gage Tate and Montini Catholic’s AJ Tack finished one win shy of claiming medals.

“I’m excited to see that hard work has paid off,” Casillas said. “All glory to God. And I thank my parents and my brother (Mateo), my whole family. They just helped me to focus and worry about the next-best thing, which was third, so that was good. (Mahomet-Seymour) It’s just the culture there, everyone comes in there wanting to get better and our teammates are just pushing everybody and it just pays off.”

190 – Judah Heeg, Lemont

Judah Heeg was certainly not as well known throughout the season as was his brother, Justus, but that was understandable since the Lemont junior went 0-1 for Simley in the Minnesota state tournament last season while Providence Catholic freshman Justus won a title as an eighth grader, also for Simley. But while Judah’s quest for a state title at 190 didn’t garner the same attention as Justus’ title pursuit, at the the conclusion of the IHSA Class 2A Finals, both were state champions with Judah winning 4-1 by sudden victory over Crystal Lake Central senior Cayden Parks in the 190 title match while Justus followed in his footsteps to claim first at 150. 

Heeg (41-3), the lone all-stater for coach Egan Berta’s Lemont team, opened with a victory by technical fall in 4:36 over Southeast’s Chris Hull. He followed up on that with another win by technical fall, this time in 5:13 over East Peoria’s Dalton Oakman. Heeg earned his trip to the finals with a 15-3 major decision over IC Catholic Prep’s Isaac Barrientos. He became the sixth individual from Lemont to win a state championship and the first one to pull off the achievement since 2020, when Drew Nash, Apollo Gothard and Mo Jarad all claimed IHSA titles.

“It feels great,” Judah Heeg said. “I definitely put the work in this year and I feel like my coaches have helped me out a lot. It just feels so amazing. That dude beat me earlier in the year and I came back and it was a hard-fought victory. Whenever I’m in a spot like that, I have to open up and give it all here, there’s no holding back any more. Last year, I never even scored a point and went 0-1 at the Minnesota state tournament. I definitely was a little bit nervous and I definitely overcame that. I just got my mindset in the right spot and just went out there and gave it everything that I’ve got. I give most of the credit to my coaches, who really put me to work this season. Also my teammate, Vincent DelliColli, he’s been with me the whole way, just working me every single day in the room, making me better.”

Parks (46-2), a three-time medalist who took second at 190 last season to Rock Island’s Andrew Marquez and placed fourth at 170 in 2023, was the lone finalist and one of two all-staters for coach Justen Lehr’s Tigers, who advanced to the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2017. He opened with a fall, claimed a 10-1 major decision over Richards’ Mike Taheny and then earned his way to his second trip to the Class 2A title mat in two years by getting a fall in 1:04 over Montini Catholic’s Jaxon Lane. He became the sixth individual from his school to win three or more state medals.

Richards senior Mike Taheny (43-3) won the third place match by technical fall in 3:42 over Plano senior Richie Amakiri (44-3). The Bulldogs senior claimed his first medal in his third appearance at state. He was his program’s first medal winner since 1996, when Vance Kirar took fifth at 152. And it was the best showing for an individual from the Oak Lawn school since 1992 when heavyweight Bob O’Connor also placed third. Amakiri, who was making his initial state appearance, was the first medalist for the Reapers since 2016, when three individuals placed at state in Class 1A and he had to win four matches in the wrestlebacks after losing a close decision in his first match to Fenwick’s Jack Paris. Amakiri also led all qualifiers with 89 match points while Taheny ranked third in that category with 78 points.

“I’m super proud to be from there,” Taheny said of Richards. “It’s difficult some times because of how it’s arranged and our schedule isn’t nearly as tough so I don’t get the best matches during the year, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s all about preparation. Since my freshman year, I haven’t stopped wrestling. All year around for like four years, that’s what it’s been. It’s kind of tough when I don’t get the ultimate goal that I wanted, and that is winning state. But it’s still moments like these that are still rewarding and being able to experience it with my team. And just having success at this tournament, something I failed to do the last two years.”

“Richie Amakiri wrapped up a phenomenal season with a 44-3 record,” Plano coach Dwayne Love said. “Richie had only one loss coming into the State Championship. He lost the first round first match 9-7 to Jack Paris of Fenwick. He then wrestled the gauntlet on the consolation side of the bracket. He is the first place finisher for Plano since 2016. It has been awesome to watch Richie grow and mature as a wrestler. There are big things in the future for Richie, he plans on wrestling in college and is undecided on where he is going to.”

IC Catholic Prep freshman Isaac Barrientos (38-17), a freshman, reached the semifinals and wound up claiming fifth place with a 13-4 major decision over Montini Catholic senior Jaxson Lane (40-23), a senior who was making his second-straight trip to state. Falling one win shy of state medals were Rochelle’s Roman Villalobos and Wauconda’s Mike Merevick.

215 – Josh Hoffer, Washington

Josh Hoffer began a run of success for four competitors from Washington who all won state championship matches when the junior captured a 5-0 decision over Waterloo sophomore Jaxson Mathenia in the 215 finals. Hoffer was joined on top of the awards stand by Noah Woods (120), Peyton Cox (144) and Wyatt Medlin (157) and it was the first title for each of them but Medlin, who took first at 138 last season while Cox had placed second on three occasions. The four state championships is also a new record for the program.

Hoffer (53-3), who took fourth at 190 last season and placed sixth at 195 in 2023, was also one of five medal winners for coach Nick Miller’s Panthers, who lost 46-17 to IC Catholic Prep in the title meet at the IHSA Dual Team Finals, thus missing out on a third-straight title but it also is the sixth time in the last nine seasons that the program has finished either first or second. He opened with two victories by technical fall,  winning in 3:12 over Oak Forest’s Andrius Vasilevskas to start his title run and Crystal Lake Central’s Tommy McNeil in 5:27 in the quarterfinals. He had his toughest match in the semifinals, going extra time to win 4-1 by sudden victory over Evergreen Park’s Genesis Ward. His brother, Justin, was also an IHSA Class 2A champion for the Panthers in 2023 when he took first place at 220.

“It’s just kind of what I’ve worked for year-around, so having it finally pay off feels good,” Hoffer said. “I feel pretty good, but maybe it hasn’t hit me yet. I don’t think I performed real well last year, I did better than the year before, so finally coming in here and getting it done feels pretty good. (Winning a state title) It’s been on my mind all year around and having a good offseason and wrestling in the summer definitely helps with that.”

Mathenia (43-3), who qualified for state but did not place in 2024, was the lone medalist for coach Chase Guercio’s Bulldogs. He ecame Waterloo’s second medal winner, with the first being Jordan Sommers, who took second at 220 in 2022 and fifth at 195 in 2020. After opening with a pin, Mathenia claimed a 14-4 major decision over last year’s runner-up at 215, Rochelle’s Kaiden Morris, in the quarterfinals. He became the second Bulldog to advance to a title match with a win by technical fall in 1:45 over St. Laurence’s Xavier Bitner.

“It feels great,” Mathenia said following his win in the semifinals. “Coming here not placing last year was one of the hardest times of my life. So coming back this year and tech falling in my semifinals feels great. This is what you work year-round for. I put my heart on this mat and leave it all on the mat, that’s all that you’ve got to do. Our coaches are definitely some of the best around. They really connect with us and you have to build a team bond to be great. It feels amazing to be fighting for the best.”

IC Catholic Prep junior Foley Calcagno (42-15) was a winner by fall in 5:08 over Evergreen Park senior Genesis Ward (34-7) in the third-place match. Calcagno became his school’s second three-time medalist, with Joey Bianchini (2016-2018) the first. Calcagno, who also took third at 190 last season after finishing sixth at 182 in 2023, avenged his 4-2 defeat to Ward in the quarterfinals by winning his last four matches, with Ward his final opponent. Ward, who only  began competing in the sport as a sophomore, became his program’s first medal winner since 1996, when Dan McNulty placed fourth at 160. 

For fifth place, Rochelle senior Kaiden Morris (49-5) won by fall in 2:30 over St. Laurence junior Xavier Bitner (27-14). Morris became the fifth Hub to win two or more state medals with senior Xavier Villalobos becoming the school’s first three-time all-stater after getting edged by IC Catholic Prep’s Max Cumbee in the 126 finals. Bitner, who lost in the semifinals, became St. Laurence’s first medalist since 2015 when Frank Tomaskovic took sixth at 285. Bloomington’s Kenner Bye and Crystal Lake Central’s Tommy McNeil fell one win shy of a state medal.  

285 – Cody Moss, Glenwood

Cody Moss accomplished something that only one other individual from Glenwood has been able to achieve, and that is winning an IHSA championship. The Titans junior used two falls and two decisions to claim the title at 285 by claiming a 9-7 decision over East Peoria senior Jose Del Toro in the finals. The only other athlete from Glenwood that won a state title was Drew Davis, who captured championships in 2022 and 2023 and claimed second place in 2024. 

Moss (40-6), who was a state qualifier in 2024 and placed for the first time this season, was the lone medal winner among six qualifiers for coach Jerod Bruner’s Titans, who again qualified for the IHSA Dual Team Finals after taking third last season. He opened with a fall in 1:16 over Wheeling’s Pablo Morales and followed with an 8-0 major decision over Washington’s Sean Thornton in the quarterfinals. He became the sixth individual from his school to advance to an IHSA championship match when he recorded a fall in 4:42 over Cary-Grove’s Lucas Burton.

“It’s an incredible feeling, there’s not many in Glenwood history, so it’s just great to be a part of it, it’s an unreal feeling,” Moss said. “I just tried to remain calm and not get my nerves too high. We get a lot of tough tournaments and I just started beating tough opponents, and then I was like, ‘I can do this.’ I knew that my coaches had belief in me and they were willing to push me as hard as they could. It felt unbelievable at first. I always dreamt of this experience as a kid and being able to walk in the walk of champions, it was such a surreal moment and I was just happy that I was able to experience it.”

“Cody Moss is a champion in life,” Glenwood coach Jerod Bruner said. “He goes to school, eats a clean diet, then wrestling practice and finally the gym after that to lift. I am not sure he ever takes a day off from training. I’ll say it again, it is no mystery why he is the state champion and certainly will be the favorite to repeat next year.”

Del Toro (48-3) was the lone state medal winner for the Raiders, who are coached by 2024 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Phil Johns. He won his second state medal after taking fourth last year at 285 to become the fifth Raider to win two state medals. He opened with two first-period falls, with the second of those in 1:05 over DePaul College Prep’s Hunter Wahtola in the quarterfinals. Then he captured the first of two decisions that he was in that were both decided by two points, winning 4-2 in the semifinals over IC Catholic’s Anthony Sebastian.

For third place, DePaul College Prep sophomore Hunter Wahtola (36-11) claimed a 4-0 decision over IC Catholic Prep sophomore Anthony Sebastian (31-16). Wahtola lost in the quarterfinals and won his next four matches to become his program’s first medalist in his second state trip while Sebastian was one of 10 all-staters for IC Catholic Prep was able to advance to the semifinals in state debut.

“Hunter had a lot of ups and downs this season after moving up from 215 last year where he qualified for state as a freshman,” DePaul College Prep coach Patrick Heffernan said. “He put it all together at the right time and had a great state tournament. Hunter is the first wrestling state placer in DePaul Prep’s 11-year existence.”

In the fifth-place match, Montini Catholic sophomore Gavin Ericson (36-20), a first-time qualifier, won 4-1 by sudden victory over Cary-Grove senior Lucas Burton (30-5), who was making his second trip to state, as both earned all-state honors for the first time. Falling one victory shy of state medals were Jacksonville’s Aiden Surratt and Bloomington’s David Williams. 

106 – Ray Long, Notre Dame College Prep

Ray Long became the second state champion from Notre Dame College Prep and its first since 1994, when Mike Rosengrant claimed the Class AA title at 130, when the Dons sophomore won a 15-12 decision in the Class 2A 106 championship match over Grayslake Central sophomore Vince DeMarco. Long was also only the fourth individual from his program to advance to an IHSA state title match, and again that hadn’t been done since Rosengrant’s championship.

Long (46-4), the lone finalist and one of two medal winners for coach Anthony Genovesi’s Dons, claimed a victory by technical fall in 4:35 over Jersey Community’s Maddox Williams in his opening match and then won a 9-1 major decision over Washington’s Symon Woods in the quarterfinals. He registered another win by technical fall in 5:21 over Providence Catholic’s Christian Corcoran to end a 31-year drought his program had with no one reaching the title mat.

“I knew that (Vince) DeMarco would be motivated in our final after I beat him last weekend at sectionals, but I’ve always felt that if I just go out and wrestle the way I know, there isn’t anyone that can stay with me,” Long said. “Winning at state is great, and was one of my goals, but I have a lot of work ahead of me if I want to accomplish the goals I’ve made for myself.”

DeMarco (47-3) became the ninth individual from Grayslake Central or Grayslake High to reach the title mat and also those schools’ ninth to win two or more state medals. The lone medal winner for coach Matthew Joseph’s Rams, he also placed at 106 last season, taking fourth place. DeMarco got a win by technical fall in his initial match and then won a 4-1 decision over Montini Catholic’s Erik Klichurov before earning his spot opposite of Long in the 106 finals with a pin in 1:35 over IC Catholic Prep’s Dominic Pasquale in the semifinals.

In the third-place match, Montini Catholic freshman Erik Klichurov (53-5) won by technical fall in 5:50 over IC Catholic Prep sophomore Dominic Pasquale (23-10) as Klichurov won four matches in the wrestlebacks to become one of eight all-staters for the Broncos and Pasquale reached the semifinals and collected a medal in his state debut. 

“This was not my goal, I wanted to take first, but things happen,” Klichurov said. “To wrestle, to go for the action, to continue moving, continue putting in the pace and leave it all on the mat.”

For fifth place, Providence Catholic freshman Christian Corcoran (38-17), who advanced to the semifinals, got a win by technical fall in 3:30 over Washington junior Symon Woods (44-10), who also made his debut at state. St. Patrick sophomore Jack Koenig and Sycamore freshman Carson West both fell one win shy of getting medals.

113- Allen Woo, Montini Catholic

Allen Woo made it two championships in his first two seasons at Montini Catholic when the sophomore claimed a 4-1 win by sudden victory over St. Patrick junior Daniel Goodwin in the 113 title match. Woo, one of two champions, four finalists and eight all-staters for the Broncos, who are coached by 2008 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Mike Bukovsky, also claimed first place at 106 last season. He concluded his season in the IHSA Dual Team Finals where Montini Catholic finished in third after falling 29-27 to eventual champ IC Catholic Prep in the semifinals.

Woo (53-5), who defeated Wauconda’s Gavin Rockey 7-4 to win the 106 title in 2024, claimed wins by technical fall in his three matches leading up to the 113 finals. In his opener, he needed 3:00 to defeat Fenwick’s CJ Brown. Then he went 4:00 to get a win over Mahomet-Seymour’s Gideon Hayter. And he required a little bit longer to reach the championship match, going 4:25 before he defeated IC Catholic Prep’s Sam Murante in the semifinals. He joins a very exclusive club of Broncos who won state championships in both their freshman and sophomore seasons.

“First and foremost, I just want to thank God, my family, my coaches and my partners, I couldn’t do it without them,” Woo said. “It’s hard to plan for the finals since you never know what’s going to happen. I was a little frustrated in the match because I could have scored more points. It’s hard to keep a match that close when you train so hard, you expect more. (Kam Luif winning a title) He’s been training really hard this year and he deserved it.”

Goodwin (45-5) was the lone finalist and one of two medal winners for coach Dominic Angelo’s Shamrocks. He also finished in fifth place at 106 last season in his state debut and he’s just the third individual from St. Patrick who has competed in an IHSA title match, with Joe Fagiano (2006 and 2007) and Mike Mroczek (1985) the others, and he’s also one of five from his program who have collected two or more state medals, with classmate Van Grasser also winning his second medal this year. Goodwin opened with a victory by technical fall before winning a 7-0 decision over Normal West’s Dylan McGrew and then captured a 4-0 decision over Oak Forest’s Jacob Sebek in the semifinals to advance to the 113 title match.

In the third-place match, IC Catholic Prep junior Sam Murante (12-2) was a winner by fall in 2:00 over Oak Forest sophomore Jacob Sebek (42-6). Both individuals won their first IHSA medals with Murante doing so in his initial state trip and Sebek achieving that in his second visit. For fifth place, Morris sophomore Paxton Valentine (43-8) won a 5-4 decision over Crystal Lake Central sophomore Jackson Marlett (46-9). It was the first state tournament appearance for the two sophomores. Falling one victory shy of earning all-state honors were two other sophomores, Morton’s Noah Harris and Mahomet-Seymour’s Gideon Hayter. 

120 – Noah Woods, Washington

Noah Woods made the big jump from finishing sixth at 120 last season to being one of Washington’s tournament-best and school-best four IHSA champions when the senior followed two victories by technical fall with two close decisions to improve to 45-2 and he finished 48-3 as the Panthers were unable to win a third-straight 2A title when they lost 46-17 to IC Catholic Prep in the championship meet at the IHSA 2A Dual Team Finals. The three-time state qualifier and two-time medalist became his team’s second champion in the Finals when he claimed a 2-0 victory on a tiebreaker over Montini Catholic sophomore Mikey Malizzio in the 120 finals.

Woods opened with a win by technical fall in 3:26 over Charleston’s Trotter Titus and then won again by technical fall, this time in 1:44 over Prairie Ridge’s Jake Lowitzki. He earned his spot as one of the Panthers’ four finalists who eventually all won championships by capturing a 4-1 decision over Riverside-Brookfield’s Edgar Mosquera in the semifinals. Of the four title winners, Woods’ match was the only one that needed extra time. Four-time finalist junior Peyton Cox won his first title at 144 by a 1-0 score, junior Josh Hoffer captured his first title by a 5-0 score at 215 and junior Wyatt Medlin won his second-straight title with a victory by technical fall at 157.

“I think I performed to the best of my ability before this and that’s what probably gave me the mental edge over him,” Woods said. “I felt not nervous because he hadn’t really experienced this. To have my family and my coaches behind me and supporting me, that was a big part of my performance, because of them.” 

Malizzio (43-10), one of the four finalists and eight medal winners for coach Mike Bukovsky’s Broncos, improved one spot from a year ago when he took third at 113. He was involved in three tight matches, winning his opener 1-0 over Wauconda’s Gavin Rockey, a three-time medalist and two-time finalist who wrestled back to finish third. His quarterfinal win was his largest as he captured a 9-0 major decision over Triad’s Will Kelly. And there was more drama in the semifinals as he prevailed 7-1 by sudden victory over IC Catholic Prep’s Kannon Judycki.

In the third-place match, Wauconda senior Gavin Rockey (46-10) closed out his record-setting career for the Bulldogs by winning a 3-1 decision over Riverside-Brookfield senior Edgar Mosquera (40-7), his fifth-straight win in the wrestlebacks after losing 1-0 in his opener to Malizzio. Rockey became the first individual from his school to be a three-time medalist and he also is the only one to compete in two title matches, and unfortunately for him, settling for second at 106 both times, in 2024 to Montini Catholic’s Allen Woo and in 2023 to Grayslake Central’s Anthony Alanis. Mosquera, who took second place to Rock Island’s Truth Vesey at 113 in 2024, became the sixth Bulldog to win two or more medals and the first to pull off that feat since two-time champion Dave Vohaska captured his third medal in 1983. 

“I treated it like it was blood round every match,” Rockey said. “It’s my senior year, so I told myself every time to just wrestle as hard as I can and I’ll make it back. It sucks losing in the first round, especially in a close match. (Competing at Wauconda) It was absolutely amazing. I love every single one of my coaches, they treat me like family. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”

In the fifth-place match, Yorkville Christian senior Aiden Larsen (43-6) closed out his historic career by being one of the 11 four-time medalists in the tournament when he won 6-3 in sudden victory over IC Catholic Prep sophomore Kannon Judycki (31-21). Larsen, who also took fifth in 2022 and was sixth in both 2023 and 2024, is one of four Mustangs that have won at least two medals and the only one to win more than two and he also was  a member of coach Mike Vester’s 2022 Class 1A championship team that beat Tremont and his 2023 tea, that was Class 1A runner-up to Coal City. Judycki won his first state medal in his second trip and was one of a tournament-high 10 all-staters for coach Danny Alcocer’s Knights, who won their first-ever IHSA team title at the Class 2A Dual Team Finals. St. Rita’s Jack Hogan, who took third place at 106 in 2024, and Sycamore’s Michael Olson, both fell one win shy of earning all-state honors.

“Aiden Larsen was able to complete something that very few wrestlers ever do, and that was to become a four-time state medalist,” Yorkville Christian coach Mike Vester said. “By placing fifth at 120 this year he capped off a career of 140-plus wins, four individual state medals, two team medals and has committed to the University of Central Missouri where he will continue wrestling and continue his education through the ROTC program. Though his place on the podium was not where he wanted it to be, there were mere seconds or a point separating him from the top of the podium versus fifth place. And knowing that he has been battle-tested against the best, injured or healthy, good day or bad day, he has continued from day one to help guide this program (which is only in its seventh year now) to the success it has had and hopes to leave it with a legacy that can carry on that success after he is in college and beyond.”

126 – Max Cumbee, IC Catholic Prep

Max Cumbee believed that a new setting benefitted him to go from placing fifth at 113 in Class 3A for Joliet Catholic Academy to becoming an IHSA champion at 126 in Class 2A for IC Catholic Prep after the sophomore became one of three title winners, four finalists and 10 medalists for coach Danny Alcocer’s Knights. He became his team’s second champion in the Finals when he prevailed 1-0 over Rochelle senior Xavier Villalobos in the 126 title match.

Cumbee (23-5) opened with two victories by technical fall, winning in  2:53 over Mattoon’s Tristan Porter and in 2:44 over Geneseo’s Tim Sebastian, a three-time state qualifier, in the quarterfinals. He earned his spot on the 126 title mat by capturing a 7-0 decision over Morton’s Harrison Dea in the semifinals. An equally important upside of his move to his new school came one week later when IC Catholic Prep captured its first state team title after defeating two-time defending champion Washington 46-17 in the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

“I had no doubt that I was going to be champion this year,” Cumbee said. “(Being a state champ) It’s great, it’s so much better than last year and not really getting what I wanted. (IC Catholic Prep) It’s great. Our coaching staff is really great, they push us, they’re great people and they’re just as happy as us when we win. Our team bonding and our team energy is great, we’re all great with each other and we’re friends who push each other.”

Villalobos (42-6), a four-time qualifier who also took fifth place at 126 last season and was the runner-up at 113 to Joliet Catholic Academy’s Gylon Sims in 2022, was the lone finalist and joined senior fifth-place finishers Kaiden Morris (215) and Grant Gensler (165) as medalists for coach Alphonso Vruno’s Hubs. He made his mark on the record book for Rochelle by becoming the program’s first three-time medalist, its second two-time finalist and one of six who won two or more state medals. He opened his second trek to the state title mat a major decision. Then he captured a 5-2 decision over Notre Dame College Prep’s John Sheehy in the quarterfinals and prevailed 2-1 on a tiebreaker over Antioch’s Gavin Hanrahan in the semifinals.

“Just to be in this great environment in one of the toughest states for wrestling feels great and amazing,” Villalobos said following his win in the semifinals. “I was in this spot freshman year and it didn’t go my way so you have to battle back and win.”

In the third-place match, Antioch senior Gavin Hanrahan (28-8) won an 8-3 decision over Notre Dame College Prep senior John Sheehy (45-9). Hanrahan, a four-time state qualifier who advanced to the semifinals, also took third at 120 last year after falling just short of all-state honors in his first two trips to Champaign, became one of 11 Sequoits to win two or more state medals. Sheehy, a three-time qualifier who also placed fourth at 113 in 2024, became the third Don to win two state medals, following up on his former teammate, Karl Schmalz, who took thirds at 285 in 2022 and 2023. And he was one of two medal winners this year along with Ray Long, who became the second individual from the program to win a title when he took first at 106, the Dons’ first champion in 31 years, when Mike Rosengrant won at 130 in 1994.

“It was hard losing in the semis in ultimate tiebreaker by one, but I just came back with a positive mindset and wrestled aggressively,” Hanrahan said. “(Competing at Antioch) It was a great experience. I’ve had good coaches and they’ve been pushing me ever since I was a freshman at 106. I’ve been down here four times and freshman and sophomore years, I lost in the blood round. Last year, I came back strong and took third. And this year, I took third again.”

For fifth place, Morton junior Harrison Dea (36-6) won a 16-11 decision over Civic Memorial sophomore  Avery Jaime (39-13) in a rematch from the quarterfinals, where Dea captured a 12-0 major decision. Dea, who advanced to the semifinals in his second state appearance, also placed fifth at 106 in 2023 and became the sixth Potter to win two or more state medals. Jaime claimed his first medal in his second trip to state. Coming up one victory shy of earning all-state honors were Champaign Central’s Talin Baker and Deerfield’s Adrian Cohen.

132 – Deven Casey, IC Catholic Prep

Deven Casey became the third individual from IC Catholic Prep to win two state titles and was one of 11 individuals in the IHSA Finals who earned all-state honors for a fourth time when the senior captured a 10-1 major decision over Civic Memorial senior Bradley Ruckman in the 132 title match. Casey, who denied Glenwood’s Drew Davis of a third title in last year’s Class 2A 120 finals, joins Michael Calcagno (2022 and 2024) and Joey Bianchini (2017 and 2018) as two-time champions for the Knights, with Casey achieving that feat in two seasons after claiming third at 106 in 2022 and third place at 113 in 2023 while competing for Aurora Christian.

Casey (51-6), was the third of three champions and one of four finalists and a tournament-best 10 medalists for coach Danny Alcocer’s Knights, who also captured their program’s first state title one week later in the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals when they captured a 46-17 victory over Washington. He won his first two matches by fall, needing 1:32 over East Peoria’s Cooper Chester and then in just 40 seconds to get past Lemont’s Cory Zator in the quarterfinals. He joined junior teammate Brody Kelly, the champion at 175, as the fourth and fifth individuals from their school to advance to two or more title matches when he got a win by technical fall in 3:12 over Brother Rice’s Bobby Conway. Sophomore Max Cumbee took first at 126 before him.

“The second title was great, it definitely secured my spot at the top, even if it was 2A, I love to wrestle the 3A guys in other tournaments,” Casey said. “It was great being able to lead the team, more importantly, and kind of just set the example and set the standard. I set the standard high trying to achieve my goals. (IC Catholic Prep) It’s a great community, It’s a team of guys who have high goals, high standards. Everyone is focused on the same and we’re all motivated to work hard.”

Ruckman (43-4), who also made his fourth appearance in the IHSA Finals, collected the best of his three medals after missing out on placing a year ago. He also took fourth place at 106 in 2023 and sixth place at 106 in 2022 to become the fifth individual from Civic Memorial to earn IHSA all-state honors three or more times, with former teammate Bryce Griffin pulling off the same feat last season, and the eighth to win three or more medals if you include the 2021 IWCOA Open Championships. The lone finalist and one of three medalists for coach Jeremy Christeson’s Eagles, he won a 5-0 decision over Montini Catholic’s Isaac Mayora in his opener, followed with a win by technical fall in 4:45 over Deerfield’s Jackson Palzet and earned his first trip to the title mat by capturing a 4-3 decision over Providence Catholic’s Tommy Banas.

“I felt like I was more offensive than normal, which is what my goal was, so I thought it was a pretty good match and I’m happy about it,” Ruckman said following his semifinals victory. “In my freshman and sophomore years I placed and sophomore year I was in the semis, and I lost and that really hurt me. And in my junior year, I didn’t even place so this whole offseason just has been focused on these type of matches so I knew that I was prepared for it. It feels great. It’s what I’ve dreamed about my whole life.”

In the third-place match, Deerfield senior Jackson Palzet (50-3) won a 4-0 decision over Montini Catholic sophomore Isaac Mayora (36-18). Palzet earned a medal in his first state visit while Mayora was making his second appearance at state. 

“Third, I’ll take it, but I wanted first,” Palzet said. “I was training with my coach, Jake Reicin, year-around, doing doubles and always working on what we needed so that we were ready for moments like this. You could see him in my corner, I do everything that he says. It’s been a long ride at Deerfield up until this time, but it didn’t always go how I wanted it to go, but at the end, we got it done.”

For fifth place, Providence Catholic sophomore Tommy Banas (31-14) claimed a 4-1 decision over Brother Rice senior Bobby Conway (20-8). Banas took sixth place at 126 last season while Conway won the 2023 126 2A title over Triad’s Colby Crouch and was making his third state trip. Falling one win shy of claiming state medals were Geneseo senior Devan Hornback and Crystal Lake South junior Nathan Randle, a three-time qualifier who took second place to Glenwood’s Drew Davis in 2A at 113 in 2023 as a freshman competing for Wauconda.

138  – Kam Luif, Montini Catholic

Kam Luif set the stage for being a state champion with a sixth-place finish at 120 as a freshman in 2023 and then a third-place effort at 132 last season. The junior joined two-time title winner Allen Woo, who took first place at 113, to become Montini Catholic’s second champion of the event when he captured a 15-5 major decision over Rockford East senior Donald Cannon in the 138 title match. He joins over 20 other Broncos who won a title and three or more state medals.

Luif (53-4) was one of four finalists and eight medal winners for coach Mike Bukovsky’s Broncos, who closed their season by claiming a third-place showing in the IHSA 2A Dual Team Finals. He recorded victories by technical fall in his other three matches. He needed just 48 seconds to win his opener with Mascoutah’s Desi Wade and then got the job done in 3:30 in the quarterfinals over Kaneland’s Alex Gochis before earning his first appearance in a state title match when he defeated Champaign Central’s Ronald Baker III in 5:50 in the semifinals. 

“I felt very confident just because I know that I trust in the training and I knew that I did everything I possibly could to lead up to that state championship,” Luif said. “I’m always trying to get better and always being pushed to get better there, so it’s a great place. Coach Bu is amazing, he’s the best. He’s one of a kind, for sure. Honestly, it’s bringing everybody together as a family. It’s not just the way he coaches, because that’s amazing, and he pushes us, too, it’s how he brings people together but also gets people to better each other. And also all of our coaching staff. Our team, it’s honestly not a team, it’s a family. Those are my brothers and I would do anything for this team. We’re all very close and we hang outside of high school together. And we just go and battle together as brothers and I think that’s what makes it special, being a part of that.” 

Cannon (32-5), who placed fifth at 126 as a freshman and fourth at 132 last year, became the second individual from Rockford East to be a three-time medalist, with Jordan Kolinski the other one to achieve that, which he did from 2002 to 2004. He opened with a decision, followed with a 9-3 triumph over Evergreen Park’s Chance Woods and earned his first trip to the state title mat with a 5-2 win by sudden victory over Deerfield’s Jordan Rasof. Cannon was his team’s lone finalist and was joined by fifth-place finishers Dana Wickson and Ty Smart to give coach Gene Lee’s E-Rabs three all-staters, tying their best total for medalists, which was set 50 years ago.

“That was a match,” Cannon said following his semifinals win. “I was expecting it to be a close one but I was also expecting him  to get the edge over me, to be honest. I just wrestled smart and wrestled hard and was not giving up on positions. I think that I wrestled pretty well staying in a good position the whole time. It’s really exciting. I really wasn’t expecting this. This is just crazy.”

In the third-place match, Deerfield senior Jordan Rasof (51-3) won a 13-4 major decision over Champaign Central senior Ronald Baker III (42-3). Rasof turned in his best showing at state after taking fifth last year at 138 and sixth at 126 in 2023. The semifinalist joins two-time IHSA champion Ted Parker (1961-1964) as the second Warrior to be a three-time medal winner and coach Marc Pechter’s Warriors also received a third-place finish from senior Jackson Palzet right before that at 132 while sophomore Adrian Cohen fell a win shy of a medal at 126. Baker III, who made the semifinals in his third trip to state, was the Maroons’ first medalist since 2020. 

“I was bummed about not making the finals,” Rasof said. “I knew that I could wake up this morning and just quit, but I wanted third, I didn’t want to go out like that, that’s not who I am. I think I had to prove something. It sucks that I wasn’t in the finals, but I’m glad I could prove it. My coaches care for me, so it means the world to wrestle for Deerfield.”

For fifth place, Brother Rice junior Oliver Davis (40-7) won his first medal in his second trip to  state when he got a win by technical fall in 4:51 over Sycamore sophomore Jayden Dohogne (47-11), who also won his first medal in his second state trip. Individuals who fell one win shy of a medal were Evergreen Park’s Chance Woods and Saint Ignatius College Prep’s Colton Huff.

144 – Peyton Cox, Washington

Peyton Cox faced the frustration of falling in four-straight IHSA championship matches but the Washington senior was determined that he was not going to be denied in his fourth attempt at winning a title and he finally was able to finish on top of the awards stand in Champaign after winning a 1-0 decision over IC Catholic Prep freshman Aiden Arnett in the 144 2A championship match. He joined junior Josh Hoffer (215) and senior Noah Woods (120) as title winners and junior Wyatt Medlin (157) followed him to be the fourth champ for coach Nick Miller’s Panthers, who had five all-staters with junior Symon Woods (106) taking sixth. Washington not only set a school record with four title winners but also had the most champions of any team in the Finals.

Cox (44-4) opened with a 7-0 victory over St. Rita’s Enzo Canali and then captured a 5-0 decision over Antioch’s Chase Nobling in the quarterfinals. He earned a spot in the finals for a fourth time with a pin in 25 seconds over Oak Forest’s Austin Perez. He joins Jacob Warner (2014-2017) as the program’s second four-time finalist and becomes the fifth four-time medalist along with Dylan Reel (2009-2012), Dack Punke (2014-2017), Jace Punke (2016-2019) and Warner for the Panthers, who settled for second place to IC Catholic Prep at the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals, marking the ninth time since 2015 that the program placed first or second.

“It’s indescribable,” Cox said. “The last three years, coming just short and this year finally being able to get it done, it’s a dream come true. We did our homework and we had a game plan and I didn’t execute actually what I wanted to because I didn’t get any takedowns, but I was able to get the job done and do what I needed to do. My coaching staff, practice partners, all of those people, those are the people that made me. Yeah, I put the work in, but those were the guys that pushed me and got me in the right direction. I wouldn’t be here without them. (Winning his title with teammates who won titles) It’s awesome and we’ve got another one who’s winning right now and hopefully we’re going to end up going 4-for-4. It always sucks going back on the bus when you got a guy losing, and I’m used to that guy being me. But it looks like, thankfully, we’re going to be able to take home four champs this year, and that’s something special.”

Arnett (41-11) was one of two freshmen who advanced to the title mat in Class 2A, along with Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg, who won the title in the following match at 150, being the other. He was one of four finalists and program-best 10 medalists for coach Danny Alcocer’s Knights, who followed up on their strong showing in Champaign by winning the IHSA 2A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington to win their state championship. Arnett got a pin in his first match at state before claiming a 1-0 decision over Geneseo’s Izaac Gaines in the quarterfinals. Then he handed Mt. Vernon’s Dillon White his first defeat by claiming a 3-0 decision in the semifinals.

Oak Forest junior Austin Perez (30-2) won the third-place match 14-9 in a tiebreaker over Antioch junior Chase Nobiling (44-10) after falling to Cox in the semifinals. Perez took sixth at 138 in 2024 in his state debut while Nobiling earned all-state honors in his first visit to state. 

“In the overtime finish, I wanted a hard six minutes and I got more than six minutes and I love that,” Perez said. “That’s what the sport is about, battling hard, and I was glad to get the victory there. It feels great, I know I wanted that win and I got it. (His dad, Angel) My dad has been there throughout my whole career and coach (Shawn) Forst is a great coach, I love him, he never gives up on us and he takes good care of us. And I’m glad we’re part of the team.” 

In the fifth-place match, Morris junior Carter Skoff (51-5) claimed his first medal in his initial state appearance and won the fifth-place match by medical forfeit over Mt. Vernon senior Dillon White (42-1), who lost 3-0 in the semifinals to Arnett and was unable to compete again. The three-time qualifier for the Rams was the runner-up at 138 in 2024 to Washington’s Wyatt Medlin. White was the third individual from Mt. Vernon to win two or medals at state and the first to pull off that feat since Chase Vosburgh claimed his second of a school-best three medals in 2014. Falling one win shy of medals were DePaul College Prep’s Max Rosen and Geneseo’s Izaac Gaines.

150 – Justus Heeg, Providence Catholic

Justus Heeg pulled off the rare feat of a freshman winning his second state title when the Providence Catholic athlete capped a 45-3 debut season in Illinois by getting four wins by technical fall to win the Class 2A 150 title match in 4:36 over Mascoutah junior Brock Ross. Heeg, who took first in AA at 133 at the Minnesota State High School League Championships last season while competing for Simley, was joined on the awards stand in Champaign by his brother Judah, a junior who capped his initial season for Lemont with a 41-3 record after winning the 190 title 4-1 by sudden victory over Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks.

Heeg was the lone finalist and one of three freshman medalists as well as a sophomore who won his second state medal for the Celtics, who are coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Donald Reynolds. He was one of seven individuals in the entire tournament and two in Class 2A who had four wins by technical fall, with Washington’s Wyatt Medlin the other. He was the first Celtic to win a championship since Jake Lindsey in 2017. He opened with a victory in 1:54 over Springfield High’s Bryce Bryant, claimed a win in 3:04 over Antioch’s Dominic Garcia and earned his spot in the title match with a triumph in 3:47 over Civic Memorial’s Knox Verbais.

“He sees me thriving in the sport, and I start thriving. If he’s thriving, I see him thriving and I’m going to start thriving,” Justus Heeg said about his brother Judah. (Being at different schools) It’s a little weird but it kind of gives us our own spotlight at both of our schools. He was definitely flying under the radar at the beginning of the season. (Being at Providence Catholic) It’s real fun and it’s kind of nice to bring this program back to where it was a couple of years ago.”

Ross (47-5), who earned his first state medal in his second appearance in Champaign, was the only all-stater for coach Chris Lindsay’s Indians. He is the fourth individual from Mascoutah to advance to a title match with Santino Robinson, a two-time finalist and the 132 2A champion in 2023, was the last to do that. After opening with a 6-0 decision, he defeated Rockford East’s Dana Wickson with an 11-0 major decision in the quarterfinals and then earned his spot in the 150 title match with an 8-3 decision over Carmel Catholic’s David Farjado in the semifinals.

“It’s my first time being in the finals,” Ross said following his victory in the semifinals. “Obviously it was scary wrestling in the semis. But when I won, it felt pretty good, it was like a relief off of my shoulders. (Santino Robinson) He comes into practice with us sometimes, mainly with me, because he knows that I’m pretty decent. He’s a big help because he’s already been here and through all of this. (Russ Witzig) He retired at Triad a year ago and then apparently he found his spirit and saw some potential in our team and came to coach us. I’m glad he chose our community to be along with.”

Civic Memorial freshman Knox Verbais (44-7), who lost to Heeg in the semifinals and was one of three medal winners for the Eagles, captured third place with a 6-1 decision over Antioch sophomore Dominic Garcia (35-7), who made his first state appearance and was one of four all-staters for the Sequoits. 

“The best coaches in the world, the best team in the world, the environment is amazing,” Verbais said. “I’m just happy to be here and making it. I had a rough summer, I tore both of my meniscus, so I’m coming back from that. I was out for about seven months. We’ve got three placers today and just a lot of tough guys throughout the lineup who are keeping me humble. They’re taking me down and beating me and I’m getting back up.”

For fifth place, Rockford East junior Dana Wickson (36-7), a state qualifier last season, won by medical forfeit over Carmel Catholic senior David Farjado (22-2), who fell to Ross in the semifinals, earned his first state medal. Coming up one victory short of medals were Geneseo’s Malaki Jackson, a three-time qualifier, and Metamora’s Grady Neal, who qualified last year.

157 – Wyatt Medlin, Washington

Wyatt Medlin entered the 157 championship match on a roll after having won his three previous matches with victories by technical fall. But while there was plenty of drama in the title wins by his teammates, junior Josh Hoffer (215) and seniors Noah Woods (120) and Peyton Cox (144), with all three of those decided by five points or less, with Cox prevailing 1-0 and Woods getting a 2-0 triumph on a tiebreaker. But the Panthers junior not only made sure that the outcome of his title match with Highland senior Tyson Rakers would not be close, he became one of of seven individuals in the tournament and two in Class 2A who finished with four wins by technical fall after ending matters in 4:54 to assure Washington of a school-record four titles at a state finals and also give it one more championship than IC Catholic finished with, which was three, as coach Nick Miller’s Panthers led all teams in Champaign with their four-title performance.

Medlin (52-3) repeated as a champion after taking first place at 138 last season with a 10-3 decision over Mt. Vernon’s Dillon White and he also placed third at 126 in 2023. His initial win was in 1:35 over Deerfield’s Charlie Cross and he followed that up with a victory in 2:14 over Mascoutah’s Jordan Sonon-Hale and then assured himself of a second-straight trip to a state title match with a triumph in 5:00 over Saint Ignatius College Preps’s Nate Sanchez in the semifinals.The only other individual in Class 2A to record four wins by technical fall was Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg, who pulled off that feat just before Medlin began his match with Rakers. Medlin, who finished unbeaten Illinois competitors, became the seventh individual from his program to win two or more IHSA titles. The Panthers, who finished with five medal winners, advanced to the IHSA 2A Dual Team championship meet for the ninth time since 2015, but their hopes for a three-peat were dashed by IC Catholic Prep, who beat them 46-17 for its first state championship. Washington has six titles and three seconds in the last 10 seasons.

“There’s definitely always something to prove,” Medlin said. “Being dominant all through high school is something to be known as. I want guys to say Wyatt Medlin, and they say, wow, ‘that kid kicked some butt in high school.’” Medlin said. “My coaching staff is awesome. Matt Webster, Nick Miller, Max Nowry, the newest addition, and Danny Thornton, all of those guys, they’re just super supportive and always constantly wanting to get us kids better and sometimes they put us before themselves and their families. They make sacrifices, and it’s just awesome. In between sessions (in Champaign), we get to train in the Illinois wrestling room. I can pick their brains a little bit. They’re excellent coaches and that’s why I’m going to Illinois. I’m super excited.” 

Rakers (46-3), a three-time qualifier, became his school’s third two-time medalist along with his brother Trent Rakers (2016-2017) and Tanner Farmer (2013-2014). He also moved past Trent to become the school’s all-time wins leader. Tyson, who was the fourth Bulldog to advance to a state title match, took fourth at 150 last season. He was the lone medal winner for Highland, which is coached by Terry Ohren. He also opened with a victory by technical fall before winning a 13-3 major decision over Fenwick’s Aiden Burns and he earned his spot in the 157 finals with another major decision, this time 10-1, over Brother Rice’s Frank Miceli in the semifinals.

Saint Ignatius College Prep senior Nate Sanchez (39-5) claimed third place by capturing a 13-7 decision over Providence Catholic freshman Jasper Harper (40-17). Sanchez, a three-time qualifier who advanced to the semifinals and is coached by his father, Ben, became the Wolfpack’s second medalist, with the other being Pat Lukanich, who took second at 140 in Class AA in 2001. Harper, who also lost to Sanchez 14-2 in the quarterfinals, was one of four medal winners for coach Donald Reynolds’ Celtics, including one of three freshmen all-staters.

“It’s been a long time since Saint Ignatius got a medalist, so this is showing the program that if you keep putting that work in and trust in your coaches that it’s going to happen,” Nate Sanchez said. “In the first two years the lights got to me and I had that pressure of wanting to get those wins but I couldn’t. I got one win my sophomore year and that kind of pushed me to think that next year I’m placing, but injuries happen. Coming back senior year, I’m a veteran here and I’m showing that I’m the veteran and getting it done.”

“Nate is the first medalist for Saint Ignatius since 2001,” Saint Ignatius College Prep coach and Nate’s father, Ben Sanchez said. “Pat Lukanich, our only other medalist, actually called Nate to congratulate him on his third place finish. Nate has surrounded himself by great coaches, and a huge shout out to our staff and Beat the Streets for all the work with Nate. Nate now has 149 career varsity wins, most all time. Nate will be wrestling at The University of Chicago next year.”

Rockford East junior Ty Smart (40-14) took fifth place with a 16-6 major decision over Brother Rice sophomore Frank Miceli (38-10). Smart, who advanced to state for the second time and won his first medal, was one of three medalists for coach Gene Lee’s E-Rabs, who tied their program’s record for most all-staters with three that was set in 1975. Miceli, who also qualified for state last season, advanced to the semifinals and was one of four medal winners for coach Jan Murzyn’s Crusaders, who made their third-straight appearance in the IHSA 2A Dual Team Finals, where they fell 42-26 to eventual runner-up Washington. Falling one win shy of earning all-state honors were Fenwick’s Aiden Burns and Plano’s Caiden Ronning.

165 – Pierre Walton, East St. Louis Senior

Pierre Walton ended one of the longest droughts between champions at the IHSA Class 2A Finals when the junior from East St. Louis Senior won by fall in 3:47 over Montini Catholic junior Santino Tenuta in the 165 finals to give the Flyers their first state championship since 1943. Walton (42-4), one of two state qualifiers for coach Stephen Doty’s Flyers, began his surprising run to the 165 championship with a fall in 1:57 over Galesburg’s Anthony Makwala and then he captured an 8-4 decision over Vernon Hills’ Ilia Dvoriannikov in the quarterfinals before earning his spot as the first person from his school to advance to the title mat at the IHSA Finals in 11 years when he shocked Geneseo’s Zachary Montez, a four-time medalist, 6-5 in the semifinals. The last Flyer to compete in a championship match was SirRomeo Howard, who took second at 145 in 2014 to another individual from Montini Catholic, Chris Garcia, who won a 6-4 decision. Walton, who won titles at major tournaments at Mascoutah and Carbondale, wasn’t ranked in the final poll, however each of his last three opponents were ranked at second, first and fourth.   

Walton is likely to hold the record for ending the long championship drought for some time since it appears that there’s only two other schools that won titles earlier than the Flyers’ previous champion. The last time an athlete at East St. Louis Senior captured an IHSA title was 82 years ago, when sophomore Gene Couch won a 3-0 decision over Rock Island freshman Glenn McCarty for top honors at 95, in the seventh IHSA Tournament, which took place at the Men’s Old Gym Annex on the University of Illinois campus. The title was a big deal for a program that had only won eight medals since the IHSA split the event into two classes in 1974, with the last of those coming in 2018 when Anthony King claimed third place in Class 2A at 106.

“As I keep saying in these interviews, it’s been 80-plus years since we had had a state champion, back in like 1940,” Walton said. “So for it to happen in the modern era right now when wrestling isn’t like a big thing in East St. Louis is incredible. I’ve been working so hard since I started wrestling when I was 12 years old, until now when I’m 17 and a junior, I’ve been working really, really hard. This just shows that hard work pays off, it’s undisputable. I think I’m going to absolutely inspire a bunch of other guys to come out. Now that they see that I’m from East St. Louis and it’s possible, everybody else is going to want to do what I’m doing. This means that we’re going to keep growing as a program and you’re going to hear way more from East St. Louis in upcoming years. When I got that fall, the arena exploded. I definitely made a name for myself here today.” 

Tenuta (44-8) was one of four finalists and eight all-staters for coach Mike Bukovsky’s Broncos, who finished in third place at the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals to conclude their season. After opening with a pin, he prevailed 4-1 by sudden victory over Rochelle’s Grant Gensler before earning his spot in the 165 finals with a fall in 0:32 over St. Patrick’s Van Grasser. This was the third appearance in Champaign for Tenuta and he earned his first medal.

The final two individuals that Walton defeated to reach the title match met up for third place and Vernon Hills junior Ilia Dvooriannikov won a 4-3 decision over Geneseo senior Zachary Montez (45-2). This was the third state trip for Dvoriannikov and he became just the third Cougar to be a two-time all-stater, with his first state trip in 2024 being highlighted by him taking second place at 165 after he lost 4-2 to Dunlap’s Nick Mueller in the finals. Montez is the first four-time medal winner for the Maple Leafs, whose head coach, 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Murray, is retiring from a position that he’s held since 2002-2003. Montez took third place at 150 last year and third at 132 in 2023 and also placed fourth at 113 in 2022. He and 175 runner-up Kye Weinzierl were the lone medal winners for Geneseo, who advanced to the IHSA Dual Team Finals where it fell 47-22 to eventual champion IC Catholic Prep in the quarterfinals.

For fifth place, Rochelle senior Grant Gensler (49-7) won by fall in 4:40 over St. Patrick junior Van Grasser (35-12). Gensler earned his first state medal in his third appearance in Champaign while Grassler, who advanced to the semifinals, took sixth place at 157 in 2024, giving him two medals in two visits to state. Grassler and classmate Daniel Goodwin, who took second at 113, became the fourth and fifth Shamrocks to win two or more state medals. Falling one victory shy of earning all-state honors were Mahomet-Seymour senior AJ Demos (39-13) and St. Rita junior Micah Spinazzola (29-9), who qualified in 1A the last two years while competing for Peotone.  

IHSA Class 2A Individual Tournament Final Results

2A 106

1st Place Match

Ray Long (Notre Dame College Prep) 46-4, So. over Vince DeMarco (Grayslake Central) 47-3, So. (Dec 15-12)

3rd Place Match

Erik Klichurov (Montini Catholic) 49-5, Fr. over Dominic Pasquale (IC Catholic Prep) 21-9, So. (TF-1.5 5:50 (19-3))

5th Place Match

Christian Corcoran (Providence Catholic) 38-17, Fr. over Symon Woods (Washington) 42-9, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:30 (20-3))

2A 113

1st Place Match

Allen Woo (Montini Catholic) 49-5, So. over Daniel Goodwin (St. Patrick) 45-5, Jr. (SV-1 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Sam Murante (IC Catholic Prep) 10-1, Jr. over Jacob Sebek (Oak Forest) 42-6, So. (Fall 2:00)

5th Place Match

Paxton Valentine (Morris) 43-8, So. over Jackson Marlett (Crystal Lake Central) 44-9, So. (Dec 5-4)

2A 120

1st Place Match

Noah Woods (Washington) 45-2, Sr. over Mikey Malizzio (Montini Catholic) 40-9, So. (TB-1 2-0)

3rd Place Match

Gavin Rockey (Wauconda) 46-10, Sr. over Edgar Mosquera (Riverside-Brookfield) 40-7, Sr. (Dec 3-1)

5th Place Match

Aiden Larsen (Yorkville Christian) 43-6, Sr. over Kannon Judycki (IC Catholic Prep) 29-20, So. (SV-1 6-3)

2A 126

1st Place Match

Max Cumbee (IC Catholic Prep) 20-5, So. over Xavier Villalobos (Rochelle) 42-6, Sr. (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

Gavin Hanrahan (Antioch) 28-8, Sr. over John Sheehy (Notre Dame College Prep) 45-9, Sr. (Dec 8-3)

5th Place Match

Harrison Dea (Morton) 36-6, Jr. over Avery Jaime (Civic Memorial) 39-13, So. (Dec 16-11)

2A 132

1st Place Match

Deven Casey (IC Catholic Prep) 47-6, Sr. over Bradley Ruckman (Civic Memorial) 43-4, Sr. (MD 10-1)

3rd Place Match

Jackson Palzet (Deerfield) 50-3, Sr. over Isaac Mayora (Montini Catholic) 34-17, So. (Dec 4-0)

5th Place Match

Tommy Banas (Providence Catholic) 31-14, So. over Bobby Conway (Brother Rice) 19-8, Sr. (Dec 4-1)

2A 138

1st Place Match

Kam Luif (Montini Catholic) 50-4, Jr. over Donald Cannon (Rockford East) 32-5, Sr. (MD 15-5)

3rd Place Match

Jordan Rasof (Deerfield) 51-3, Sr. over Ronald Baker III (Champaign Central) 42-3, Sr. (MD 13-4)

5th Place Match

Oliver Davis (Brother Rice) 40-7, Jr. over Jayden Dohogne (Sycamore) 46-11, So. (TF-1.5 4:51 (21-3))

2A 144

1st Place Match

Peyton Cox (Washington) 40-4, Sr. over Aiden Arnett (IC Catholic Prep) 37-11, Fr. (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

Austin Perez (Oak Forest) 29-2, Jr. over Chase Nobiling (Antioch) 44-10, Jr. (TB-1 14-9)

5th Place Match

Carter Skoff (Morris) 51-5, Jr. over Dillon White (Mt. Vernon) 42-1, Sr. (M. For.)

2A 150

1st Place Match

Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic) 45-3, Fr. over Brock Ross (Mascoutah) 47-5, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:36 (20-5))

3rd Place Match

Knox Verbais (Civic Memorial) 44-7, Fr. over Dominic Garcia (Antioch) 35-7, So. (Dec 6-1)

5th Place Match

Dana Wickson (Rockford East) 36-7, Jr. over David Farjado (Carmel Catholic) 22-2, Sr. (M. For.)

2A 157

1st Place Match

Wyatt Medlin (Washington) 48-3, Jr. over Tyson Rakers (Highland) 46-3, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:54 (20-5))

3rd Place Match

Nate Sanchez (Saint Ignatius College Prep) 39-5, Sr. over Jasper Harper (Providence Catholic) 40-17, Fr. (Dec 13-7)

5th Place Match

Ty Smart (Rockford East) 40-14, Jr. over Frank Miceli (Brother Rice) 37-10, So. (MD 16-6)

2A 165

1st Place Match

Pierre Walton (East St. Louis Senior) 42-4, Jr. over Santino Tenuta (Montini Catholic) 40-8, Jr. (Fall 3:47)

3rd Place Match

Ilia Dvoriannikov (Vernon Hills) 44-6, Jr. over Zachary Montez (Geneseo) 43-2, Sr. (Dec 4-3)

5th Place Match

Grant Gensler (Rochelle) 49-7, Sr. over Van Grasser (St. Patrick) 35-12, Jr. (Fall 4:40)

2A 175

1st Place Match

Brody Kelly (IC Catholic Prep) 46-5, Jr. over Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo) 44-3, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:13 (21-6))

3rd Place Match

Marco Casillas (Mahomet-Seymour) 51-4, Fr. over Dan Costello (Brother Rice) 27-11, So. (MD 8-0)

5th Place Match

Ben Vazquez (Antioch) 41-9, Sr. over Cooper Bode (Sycamore) 40-13, Jr. (Dec 6-5)

2A 190

1st Place Match

Judah Heeg (Lemont) 41-3, Jr. over Cayden Parks (Crystal Lake Central) 44-2, Sr. (SV-1 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Mike Taheny (Richards) 43-3, Sr. over Richie Amakiri (Plano) 44-3, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:42 (25-7))

5th Place Match

Isaac Barrientos (IC Catholic Prep) 34-17, Fr. over Jaxon Lane (Montini Catholic) 38-21, Sr. (MD 13-4)

2A 215

1st Place Match

Josh Hoffer (Washington) 49-3, Jr. over Jaxson Mathenia (Waterloo) 43-3, So. (Dec 5-0)

3rd Place Match

Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic Prep) 41-14, Jr. over Genesis Ward (Evergreen Park) 34-7, Sr. (Fall 5:08)

5th Place Match

Kaiden Morris (Rochelle) 49-5, Sr. over Xavier Bitner (St. Laurence) 27-14, Jr. (Fall 2:30)

2A 285

1st Place Match

Cody Moss (Glenwood) 39-5, Jr. over Jose Del Toro (East Peoria) 48-3, Sr. (Dec 9-7)

3rd Place Match

Hunter Wahtola (DePaul College Prep) 36-11, So. over Anthony Sebastian (IC Catholic Prep) 31-16, So. (Dec 4-0)

5th Place Match

Gavin Ericson (Montini Catholic) 36-20, So. over Lucas Burton (Cary-Grove) 30-5, Sr. (SV-1 4-1)

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

BLOOMINGTON — It was a weekend full of surprises.

The 40th dual-team state tournament would provide a shocking result on the opening day with Hononegah, perhaps overlooked in advance of this final weekend of the season, providing a stunning victory over the reigning state champion to get the proceedings off to a rip-roaring start.

Reigning state champion Mount Carmel would headline the top half of the bracket here in Bloomington at the Grossinger Motors Arena, and with its headline star Seth Mendoza at the forefront, it looked as though the Caravan would find its way into the state final come Saturday night.

It appeared the stars were aligned for the Caravan who earlier in the week would avenge a mid-January loss to No. 1 Marist (43-26) with a 35-34 victory in its dual-team sectional at Yorkville.

Hononegah stood in the way of the Caravan, along with No. 4 Joliet Catholic Academy, and Oak Park-River Forest, which was making its 13th trip to the dual team finals.

On the bottom half of this bracket stood No. 3 Marmion Academy, still in search of its first-ever state title, plus No. 10 Edwardsville, MSL champion Hersey and its league rival Schaumburg, here on its maiden voyage.

Quality teams for sure, and an incredible array of individual talent for an appreciative audience to admire.

This eight-team field delivered five state champions, 26 state medal winners, and 58 overall state qualifiers from the individual state tournament in Champaign.

Here’s a closer look at both days of of the dual team state tournament:

Day One action:

Long before the Mount Carmel-Hononegah quarterfinal drew to a close, Marmion Academy rolled past Schaumburg, 63-10 to advance into the Saturday morning semifinal.

“We knew what our chances were once we beat Lane on Tuesday to make it down here for the first time,” Schaumburg coach Mike Levanti said. “Marmion Academy is a great program, and one that we have a lot of respect for.” 

Schaumburg (22-5) won its third consecutive regional title to reach a dual-team sectional in its home gym.

“We had a monumental task ahead of us today,” Levanti said. “But I’d rather that we have it (downstate) after we achieved something our program, prior to this year, had never done.”

Levanti and his staff will stay goodbye to six seniors, five of which were starters, including the four-time state medal winner Brady Phelps, and four-year star Callen Kirchner, who earned his first state medal in three tries in Champaign.

“This is a great way to end our high school career, and it’s something that I will remember forever,” said Phelps, second to Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) at 120 pounds.

AJ Quevedo, Justin Cortes-Apolinar, Tommy Baisler and Sean Christoffel will graduate this May also after claiming over 80 combined victories on the season.

“This is the best group that I’ve had during my time as head coach, what they did was special, and it’s something they should all be proud of,” said Levanti.

The spotlight dual of the day in the top half of the bracket featured Mount Carmel vs. Hononegah; the tournament favorites against the No. 12 Indians, who dealt with injuries all season long, but came together in the nick of time.

“This is a family we have at Hononegah, a real close family that wrestles for each other, our coaches, program, and then ourselves,” said Hononegah’s Rocco Cassioppi, who last weekend won a state title at 132 pounds.

Hononegah would state its intent from the very start when a tech-fall from Thomas Silva at 138, followed by a pin from Bruno Cassioppi, gave the NIC-10 champs an early 11-0 lead.

Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza, who was coming off a fourth state championship, showed his awesome talent and versatility by bumping all the way up from 138 to 150, where he recorded a tech-fall.

Hononegah sophomore Brody Sendele, out for close to six weeks with a knee injury that will require surgery at season’s end, gave the Indians an all-important bonus-point victory with a tech fall to increase the Indians advantage to 16-10.

The dual then went back-and-forth until the very last match.

State champion Liam Kelly (175) and Sergio Calleros (190) pushed Mount Carmel ahead 18-16 with their eight points earned.

Hononegah senior Kurt Smith countered with a 13-4 major, answered quickly by a forfeit given to Mount Carmel heavyweight Landin Carter.

Freshman Sebastian Gracia gave Mount Carmel its final lead of the day at 28-20 with a 12-2 major decision win.

It would then be the heroics of Hononegah’s Isaiah Martinez (113), Jackson Olson (120) and Rocco Cassioppi (126) coming through in sensational fashion.

Martinez was the key to the Indians 14-0 late run, holding onto a 6-5 advantage for the final 70 seconds of his match with Mount Carmel’s William Grafton-Hodgetts.

The one-point decision drew the Indians within five (28-23) with an Olson pin at 42 seconds putting his club ahead for good (29-28) and the Hononegah fans tasting success.

“There was never a doubt in my mind we could come in here and give Mount Carmel a strong enough effort to put ourselves in position to win,” Hononegah coach Tyler DeMoss said. “It was as close as I figured it would be. But that win from Martinez was so big, and with Olson and then Rocco up next, we knew this dual would be ours.”

Cassioppi put on the finishing touches for the underdogs with a tech-fall, making the major decision victory from Mount Carmel’s Justin Williamson meaningless in a 34-32 final.

“There were so many big wins from the guys, many with bonus points attached to them. It was a great win for the guys and our program against a great team,” said DeMoss.

DeMoss’ club would face Joliet Catholic Academy in the semifinals after the Hilltoppers held off a valiant Oak Park-River Forest club, 38-29. OPRF reached Bloomington by surprising St. Charles East it the sectional dual to earn his spot here in the final eight.

OPRF (15-4-0) stars Zev Koransky (138) and Joseph Knackstedt (144) gave the Huskies its first lead of the day (7-0) and would hold it until the Hilltoppers went ahead at (18-13) on a fall from Isaac Clauson at 175.

Three-time state medal winner Nico Ronchetti would add to Hilltoppers lead (23-13) with a tech-fall at 190.

It was at this point the Huskies would give the Hilltoppers faithful plenty of nervous moments when they reeled off three consecutive victories.

Eric Harris who won a hard fought match to help the Huskies defeat St. Charles East – was at it again when he registered a major decision at 215, before his teammate Terrence Garner (285) followed with 4-2 win to draw the Huskies closer (23-20) until 106-pound state champion MJ Rundell gave his side its last lead (26-23) of the evening with his 24th pin of the season.

“The guys showed a lot of heart throughout this match. A couple of decisions or bonus points either way, and maybe the result is in our favor,” said OPRF head coach Paul Collins.

Joliet Catholic’s Lukas Foster pinned his rival at 113, and OPRF’s Jamiel Castleberry (120) answered with a 7-1 victory to draw the Huskies level at 29-29.

That’s when Matthew Laird put the Hilltoppers ahead for good (33-29) with an 8-0 major decision. That win gave way to a tech-fall win from Mount Carmel’s three-time state medalist Jason Hampton, ending the dream for Collins’ club and giving the Caravan a 38-29 win.

“It was a great team win for us tonight, we had to work hard against a very good opponent to guarantee ourselves a team state trophy,” said Hampton.

“I could not be more proud of this team,” began Paul Collins. “Our seniors really led the way for us. They were tough, mentally and physically, and showed the younger guys what it takes to get to the state tournament.

“We have a lot of guys returning next year, so to get down here this season, and to have those younger guys be in this environment – that will go a long way towards the team earning another trip here and coming away with a better result. After enjoying a great run for 5-6 years, we’ve had several lean years, but this group has helped bring our program back.”

Collins led back-to-back state championships in 2015 and 2016, and twice earned second-place honors in 2018 and 2019.

In the fourth 3A quarterfinal dual, Hersey would secure its first state trophy since the very first years of the existence of the school, with a hard fought, well-deserved 40-27 victory over Edwardsville.

The Huskies’ program would enjoy extraordinary success when it won back-to-back state titles in 1971 and 1972 under head coach Tom Porter on the strength of individual titles from Jim Battaglia and Brad Smith, plus a quartet of top four state placers.

Both sides in the quarterfinal would take turns dominating the proceedings. The Huskies went out to a 17-5 advantage only to see Edwardsville (16-4-0) roar back to score the next 22 points in building a 27-17 lead.

But from that point it was all Hersey, which scored the last 23 points to earn a historic victory for the program.

“This has been a real hard-working, gritty team all season long, so I wasn’t surprised that we stayed under control when (Edwardsville) went on their run,” Hersey senior Riddick Variano said. “We finished strong to get this huge victory.” 

Variano closed out the Tigers with a pin at 126 in advance of a tech-fall win by teammate Elijah Garza in the final bout of the dual.

Garza earned a fourth-place state medal in Champaign, joining senior Max Mukhamedaliyev, now a three-time state placer after his fifth-place finish in Champaign.

“It was a real emotional win for me,” said a proud Huskies head coach, Joe Rupslauk.

“When I look back to where this program was when I came here five or six years ago, and see where it’s at right now, it proves that all of the hard work, dedication, offseason training, and the total commitment from the guys paid off.”

Edwardsville saw a marvelous season end abruptly, after Eric Pretto’s’ men defeated Lincoln-Way East in a dual-team sectional Tuesday to earn the program’s fifth trip to Bloomington, and first since 2019.

Pretto will say goodbye to just six from this year’s roster, while returning eight from his starting 14, including all four of his state qualifiers in Michael McNamara, Ryan Ritchie, Simon Schulte and Roman Janek.

Schulte (190, 34-14) finished sixth at state at 190.

Day Two action:

Marmion Academy would continue on its winning ways after a comfortable 55-15 win over Hersey to advance into the final, while Hononegah once again found itself in another fierce battle with its quality opponent from Joliet Catholic Academy.

The Hononegah-Joliet Catholic Academy semifinal was what one would expect, with each side playing to its strengths. In the end, it would be a key pin from Hononegah’s Kristian DeClerq that would level this contest at at 20-20, setting up a big finish from the Indians’ hammers.

Before that occurred, it took gritty performances from Max Haskins (157), Connor Diemel (190) and Ethan Ballard (285) to stay away from bonus points defeats — always a major key in dual-team competition.

Also key to the eventual Hononegah victory was a 13-3 major decision from Jackson Olson (120) to cancel a major from Lukas Foster (13-1) at 113.

Rocco Cassioppi delivered a pin at 1:14 to give Hononegah a 30-24 advantage that Joliet Catholic’s Jason Hampton could only draw even via a win by fall.

The junior would tech fall his opponent to make it 30-29, followed by a pin from Hononegah’s Thomas Silva (45-4) to end things at 36-29 and send the four-time state medalist and his teammate into its first ever dual-team state final.

“We had a lot of guys come through in a big way, even if it wasn’t with a win,” Silva said. “They were still able to stay away from getting pinned, teched, or majored, and that pin from (Kristian) DeClercq, in my opinion was the biggest of all wins for us. 

“Throughout this year we dealt with injuries. (Brody) Sendele and Bruno (Cassioppi) were out for a long time. But we picked each other up and wrestled hard, which is something we did against Mt. Carmel and today with Joliet.”

The stage was now set for a Marmion Academy-Hononegah final, with Hersey and Joliet Catholic Academy vying for third-place honors.

Once there, and after a raucous crowd settled in to watch three finals across all three classes, Marmion Academy broke out on top with a tech-fall from Zach Stewart at 150, and a pin by Ashton Hobson to the delight of the Cadets’ faithful.

It was then that Hononegah’s upper weights would flex their collective muscle, with a pair of majors from Max Haskins and Brody Sendele, and then a tech fall from Connor Diemel at 190 to give Hononegah a 13-11 lead.

The Kurt Smith-Joe Favia 215-pound contest, expected to be a furious match – ended quicker than expected when a throw from Marmion’s Favia was deemed to be a slam.

After a long discussion between the two officials, Smith was given a six-point DQ victory.

“That was a big moment in this match, but we all stayed composed and under control, because there still was a lot of wrestling remaining,” Marmion’s Zach Stewart said.

Stewart’s words rang true. Teammates Mateusz Nycz (285), Colton Wyller (106) and Preston Morrison (113) posted three consecutive pins to lift Marmion to a 29-19 advantage.

“Wyller had a great year,” Marmion coach Anthony Cirrincione said. “He qualified for state at 120 while weighing just under 110 pounds. And Preston went from a jayvee wrestler a year ago to finishing third at state last weekend at 106.

“(Nycz) has had an incredible year at heavyweight, just an anchor to the end of our lineup, while becoming one of the most dependable and consistent guys I have ever coached.”

Nycz (49-6) will play football in the fall at Dartmouth.

“We never looked past any opponent this year,” Nycz said. “Especially down here, it was one team at a time and nothing else,” said Nycz.

After the Marmion trio forced Hononegah to chase a 10-point lead, Hononegah’s Jackson Olson closed the gap to 29-25 with a pin at 120 pounds. 

But Marmion state champ Nicholas Garcia (126) recorded a pin, and Demetrios Carrera earned a hard-fought 6-3 decision over Rocco Cassioppi (132) to start the celebration for Marmion’s fans.

Marmion’s Grayson Gracia won by a pin at 138, before Hononegah’s Thomas Silva ended the night with a forfeit to bring the final total to 42-31.

“I’ve been very fortunate to come to Marmion after two great years at South Elgin,” said Carrera, who placed third at 132 in Champaign. “My coaches and teammates there were all fantastic.

“Our room at Marmion is filled with some tremendous guys, who train like nothing I’ve ever seen, our coaching staff is so competitive, and the support from everyone involved in wrestling and in the school has been amazing.”

Stewart believed in this year’s squad at Marmion from the season’s start.

“Both Nick (Garcia) and I felt strongly at the start of the year that if we stayed healthy, we could make our way into the final and win it all,” Stewart said.

“The emotions involved with finally winning a state title is something that I can’t describe,” Garcia said. “There really are no words to say right now.”

Marmion’s skipper loved what he got from his side in the finals.

“Every guy did their job against Hononegah. It’s what makes wrestling so special, and the ultimate team sport, because you’re doing it for your teammates,” said Cirrincione.

“We are losing three terrific seniors in Andrew Harritos, Anthony Haddad and (Mateusz) Nycz, but we return a lot of firepower and I know those kids will all get better between now and then.”

Hononegah will take a bigger graduation hit than the Cadets (21-2-0). Starters Thomas Silva, Maxx Aranki, Max Haskins, Connor Diemel, Kurt Smith and Ethan Ballard are leaving behind close to 250 victories combined.

“We had an amazing weekend, and to get three wins in a row against tremendous opponents was something we felt we could do when we got down here,” DeMoss said. “But Marmion is a great team and credit to them for winning the state title.

“This team dealt with injuries but never let it affect the way we trained and competed. When it all came together in the final weekend of the season, we were able to show just how good of a team we were.”

Of the four losses on the season for Hononegah (27-4) three came against out-of-state opponents at The Clash in Wisconsin.

Not to be forgotten was the result from the third-place match. Joliet Catholic won 46-22 over Hersey to give the Hilltoppers their second state trophy in three seasons.

The Hilltoppers were 2A state runners-up in 2023, and were eliminated last year when they lost to eventual state champion Mount Carmel 33-26 in a state quarterfinal dual.

“It’s been an incredible four-year run for me,” Joliet Catholic’s Nico Ronchetti said. “It’s something that I will never forget, and something that I appreciate.

“We’ve lost a lot of great wrestlers and teammates since our second place finish down here three years ago, but our program has always remained together and very strong. Much of that is due to an amazing coaching staff, and their commitment to all of us.”

With over 130 career victories, Ronchetti moves on with five other seniors. Joliet Catholic started the season at 3-7 before turning things around with victories over Carl Sandburg, Yorkville, Lincoln-Way West, and 1A state champ Coal City.

Joliet Catholic won 43-27 in its dual-team sectional over Yorkville to advance downstate.

Hersey head coach Joe Rupslauk praised Hilltoppers head coach Ryan Cumbee for his sportsmanship during their dual, and then quickly turn his attention one last time to his club.

“Ryan is a first class guy all the way around,” began Rupslauk. “We obviously were getting beat pretty badly with just a few matches to go, so I went to Ryan and said I was hoping to get my two seniors Elijah (Garza) and (Max) Munkhamedaliyev a chance to wrestle one more time. He agreed right away, and it’s something that I’ll always appreciate.”

Garza and Munkhamedaliyev both went out victorious, with Munkhamedaliyev falling just short of 50 wins on the season and 170 victories in his career.

“It’s been a great four-year career at Hersey and with Rup. He’s been an amazing coach, person and leader of a program that has accomplished so much since he took over,” said Munkhamedaliyev, who will wrestle in the fall at the University of Chicago.

By Mike Garofola – for the IWCOA

The fields are set for Sunday’s eight sectional tournaments that will determine the individuals who will be competing in the 29th annual Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Championships that includes Freshman/Sophomore State and the Girls Championship, which will be held at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield on March 15 and 16.

Five individuals will qualify from each of the sectional tournaments so there will be a 40-person bracket at the Championships, which is a new feature for this year’s event. While the frosh/soph boys began last weekend at the regionals, the girls tournament kicks off at the sectionals.

Qualifiers from the Belleville West and Springfield Southeast regionals will compete in the Granite City Sectional while qualifiers from the Normal and Clinton regionals will participate in the Heyworth Sectional.  

Individuals qualifying from the Morrison and Huntley regionals will take part in the Sterling Sectional while those who advanced from the Lake Zurich and Lakes regionals will be meeting up at the Lake Zurich Sectional.

Qualifiers who advanced from the Joliet West and Joliet Central regionals will participate in the Thornton Township Sectional in Harvey. And qualifiers who moved on from the Richards and Sarah E. Goode STEM regionals will compete in the Shepard Sectional in Palos Heights.

And individuals who qualified from the Oswego East and Glenbard South regionals will be facing off in the Naperville Central Sectional while qualifiers from the Notre Dame College Prep and Glenbrook South regionals will take part in the Evanston Township Sectional.

Since they were unable to compete at the regionals, freshmen and sophomores from teams that were in the IHSA Dual Team Finals may also enter the sectional tournaments.

Here’s a look at the results of the 16 regional tournaments that were held this past weekend: 

GRANITE CITY SECTIONAL

Belleville West Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Austin Jones (Alton) won by fall over Karson Fowler (Althoff Catholic) (Fall 1:27)

3rd Place Match

Zander Johnson (Granite City) won by decision over Brendan Stewart (Effingham) (Dec 6-2)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Isaac Wood (Carterville) won by decision over Wyatt Dahm (Belleville West) (Dec 16-13)

3rd Place Match

Connor Castens (Collinsville) won by decision over Ethan Clark (East St. Louis Senior) (Dec 9-7)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Nathan Fisher (Cahokia) won by decision over Jack Clark (Mt. Vernon) (Dec 11-9)

3rd Place Match

Tre Skelton (Roxana) won by major decision over Liam Cardwell (O`Fallon) (Maj 10-2)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Jace Brown (Granite City) won by fall over Ronin Schmidt (Triad) (Fall 2:51)

3rd Place Match

Rylan Moore (Salem) won by major decision over Bradley O`dell (Carbondale) (Maj 13-1)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Lukas Quartz (Freeburg) won by fall over Isaac Perez-Lopez (Collinsville) (Fall 2:01)

3rd Place Match

Shane Seip (Triad) won by fall over Bodey Waltz (Jersey) (Fall 1:24)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Omar Mendez (Granite City) won by fall over Bryce Cast (Triad) (Fall 0:30)

3rd Place Match

Jase Holshouser (Anna-Jonesboro) won by fall over John Taylor (Althoff Catholic) (Fall 0:48)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Braxton Tolley (Granite City) won by fall over Mason Bushe (Effingham) (Fall 0:49)

3rd Place Match

Adrian Mendez (Granite City) won by fall over Joseph Newell (Waterloo) (Fall 2:34)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Jude Wirey (Oblong) won by decision over Kevan Moore (Salem) (Dec 11-4)

3rd Place Match

Jaxon Mifflin (Waterloo) won by decision over Andrew McElroy (Granite City) (Dec 9-4)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Landon Weidler (Belleville East) won by fall over Tyler Nolan (Granite City) (Fall 3:47)

3rd Place Match

Gavin Watson (Sparta) won by decision over Derek Wilkey (Benton) (Dec 16-14)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Trevor Tucker (Jersey) won by fall over Hudson Maddox (Waterloo) (Fall 2:26)

3rd Place Match

Austin Wilkinson (Althoff Catholic) won by decision over Cohen Albatt (Triad) (Dec 7-0)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Rylee McClellan (Roxana) won by decision over Preston Camp (Salem) (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Branden Buecherie (Oblong) won by fall over Jarrett Kye Jr. (East St. Louis Senior) (Fall 1:25)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Eli Miller (Granite City) won by fall over Dakari Chaison (Belleville East) (Fall 0:43)

3rd Place Match

Harrison Redenius (Mascoutah) won by fall over Peyton Grindstaff (Jersey) (Fall 4:17)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Payton Chanerl (O`Fallon) won by fall over Alec Gilomen (Triad) (Fall 0:49)

3rd Place Match

Terry Mick (Carterville) won by major decision over William Woosley (Alton) (Maj 8-0)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Tristian Ward (Civic Memorial) won by major decision over Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) (Maj 14-3)

3rd Place Match

Darrell Bibbs (Belleville East) won by fall over Chris Kellum (Belleville East) (Fall 0:26)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Jack Amann (Freeburg) won by fall over Martin Xoxotla (Carbondale) (Fall 4:32)

3rd Place Match

Dartaneon Green (Belleville East) won by fall over Dylan Heinen (Sparta) (Fall 3:28)

Springfield Southeast Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Harrison Kolba (Rochester) won by decision over Griffin Finch (Quincy Senior) (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

Eli Hill (Auburn) won by tech fall over Camden Dodd (Riverton) (TF 16-1)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Paxton Buehler (Camp Point Central) won by fall over Bosco Hyde (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (Fall 1:41)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Caidge Smith (Lanphier) won by tech fall over Robert White (Jacksonville) (TF 25-10)

3rd Place Match

Alex Woudenberg (Springfield High) won by medical forfeit over Jayce McMillion (Taylorville) (MFF)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Miles Carroll (Rochester) won by tech fall over Ryan McCoy (PORTA) (TF 21-6)

3rd Place Match

Charlie Welch (Camp Point Central) won by fall over Gary Fitzjarrell (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (Fall 0:23)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Harrison Lott (Riverton) won by tech fall over Case Hughes (Camp Point Central) (TF 18-0)

3rd Place Match

Noah Duncan (Auburn) won by fall over Max King (PORTA) (Fall 2:53)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Trey Boston (Auburn) won by tech fall over Lincoln Coffey (Taylorville) (TF 17-2)

3rd Place Match

Ethan Paul (Quincy Senior) won by decision over Josh Collins (Camp Point Central) (Dec 9-5)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Kyndell Johnson (Lanphier) won by decision over Francisco Lopez Banderas (Warrensburg-Latham) (Dec 8-6)

3rd Place Match

Kenyon Matthews (Jacksonville) won by tech fall over Zyan Stoeff (Southeast) (TF 20-2)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Cale Hilbing (Quincy Notre Dame) won by major decision over Jaxen Feagans (PORTA) (Maj 9-0)

3rd Place Match

Roman Lilo (Quincy Senior) won by decision over Jeremy Judd (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (Dec 7-0)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Jovonis Lundford (Sacred Heart-Griffin) won by decision over Tahj Morens (Lanphier) (Dec 8-4)

3rd Place Match

Abram Zanger (Quincy Notre Dame) won by fall over Colby Madri (Auburn) (Fall 0:57)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Rennie Lilo (Quincy Senior) won by tech fall over Keaton Jones (Camp Point Central) (TF 15-0)

3rd Place Match

Azriel Cale (Quincy Senior) won by major decision over Cayden Smith (Lanphier) (Maj 10-1)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

James Escobar (Rochester) won by tech fall over Parker Henry (Jacksonville) (TF 19-2)

3rd Place Match

Grayling Johnson (Southeast) won by fall over Jimmy Hill (PORTA) (Fall 1:42)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Brock Meyer (Jacksonville) won by tech fall over Destry Bergman (Quincy Senior) (TF 16-0)

3rd Place Match

Kenton Rule (Warrensburg-Latham) won by fall over Brody Dukes (Warrensburg-Latham) (Fall 3:42)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Graham Blackwell (Warrensburg-Latham) won by fall over Hayden Greenia (Jacksonville) (Fall 0:40)

3rd Place Match

Dylan Leonard (Pittsfield) won by fall over Logan Haverback (Beardstown) (Fall 2:16)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Lamarian Rainey (Lanphier) won by decision over Jowan Davis (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (Dec 5-0)

3rd Place Match

Kevin Gaines (Southeast) won by injury default over Liam Heise (Jacksonville) (Inj. 0:42)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Ayden Williams (Auburn) won by major decision over Josh Eyer (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (Maj 10-1)

3rd Place Match

Gary Wesley (Southeast) won by fall over Colton Tertocha (Warrensburg-Latham) (Fall 2:34) 

HEYWORTH SECTIONAL

Normal Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Kole Petta (El Paso) won by decision over Bryce Kuhlman (Normal) (Dec 13-8)

3rd Place Match

Donovan Lowery (Normal West) won by decision over Wensley Rahn (Richwoods) (Dec 4-3)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Ben Marshall (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) won by fall over Conner Knapp (Eureka) (Fall 1:45)

3rd Place Match

Diego Batista (Normal) won by fall over Liam Zimmerman (Midwest Central) (Fall 0:25)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Mason Soney (Normal) won by fall over Mauricio Collins (Normal West) (Fall 0:38)

3rd Place Match

Nicky Weber (Tremont) won by fall over Kaiden Capranica (Limestone) (Fall 1:46)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Jack Schweitzer (Bloomington) won by decision over Christian Johnson (Limestone) (Dec 5-4)

3rd Place Match

Johnny Thomas (Normal) won by fall over Gavin Stoker (Tremont) (Fall 2:40)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Koby Clark (Marquette Academy) won by fall over Brady Rickey (ROWVA) (Fall 4:36)

3rd Place Match

Griffen McGrew (Normal West) won by tech fall over Ayden Stewart (Canton) (TF 17-1)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Beau Thompson (Marquette Academy) won by fall over Dakoda Hentz (Limestone) (Fall 1:55)

3rd Place Match

Lincoln Yerby (Morton) won by medical forfeit over Gael Racey (Normal West) (MFF)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Orlando Castellano (Galesburg) won by decision over Chase Frye (Farmington) (Dec 8-1)

3rd Place Match

Brody Watson (Morton) won by major decision over Elijah Bailey (Galesburg) (Maj 11-3)

F

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Cam Bell (Lincoln) won by fall over Emery Pearce (Morton) (Fall 1:38)

3rd Place Match

Austin Brewer (Farmington) won by fall over Elijah Raymer (East Peoria) (Fall 1:49)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Chris Rose (Bloomington) won by decision over Will Vicary (Tremont) (Dec 7-2)

3rd Place Match

Brody Cabrera (Bloomington) won by decision over Antonio Toliver (Illinois Valley Central) (Dec 9-5)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Ashten Finch (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) won by decision over Jack Bernardi (Galesburg) (Dec 8-3)

3rd Place Match

Ben Eichorn (Morton) won by fall over Griffin Crow (Limestone) (Fall 2:42)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Reily Leifheit (Marquette Academy) won by decision over Mark Aeschliman (Metamora) (Dec 6-0)

3rd Place Match

Braiden Tucker (Galesburg) won by fall over Tyler Gardner (Bloomington) (Fall 2:33)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Colton Mckee (Morton) won by medical forfeit over Alex Welch (Dunlap) (MFF)

3rd Place Match

Wes Weatherford (Ottawa Township) won by major decision over Cale Johnson (Galesburg) (Maj 9-1)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Daniel Bourbalas (Normal) won by fall over Michael Kimbrough (Richwoods) (Fall 2:01)

3rd Place Match

Gabe DelToro (East Peoria) won by fall over Preston Ifft (Bloomington) (Fall 1:56)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Dario Agustin Castro (Bloomington) won in sudden victory – 1 over Jayden Cantu (Knoxville) (SV-1 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Ben Buis (El Paso) won by fall over Brandon Mercer (Peoria Heights) (Fall 0:26)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Jaylen Raab (Bloomington) won by decision over Riley Davies (Richwoods) (Dec 2-1)

3rd Place Match

Crew Shaver (Peoria Heights) won by fall over Ethan Curtis (Pekin) (Fall 1:25)

Clinton Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match (round robin)

Cayden Bostic (Clinton) won by decision over Gracen Elliott (Robinson) (Dec 7-2)

Third Place Match (round robin)

Creed Cole (Mattoon) won by tech fall over Jackson Bough (Mt. Zion) (TF 18-2)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place match (round robin)

Kyler Guercio (Lawrenceville) won by fall over Jake Baughman (LeRoy) (Fall 0:58)

3rd Place Match (round robin)

Hayden Hazel (Richland County) won by fall over Andrew Patino (Prairie Central) (Fall 1:49)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Emmett Roeder (Unattached) won by fall over Brayden Dalton (Clinton) (Fall 2:16)

3rd Place Match

Ayden Chunn (Champaign Central)) won in sudden victory – 1 over Austin Pacha (LeRoy) (SV-1 6-3)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Colin Wells (Shelbyville) won by decision over Johnathan Kirkbride (Shelbyville) (Dec 45-45)

3rd Place Match

Camden Brucker (Gibson City) won by fall over Grayson Allender (Lawrenceville) (Fall 0:49)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Kooper Wiles (Pontiac) won by fall over Noah Davis (Pontiac) (Fall 0:20)

3rd Place Match

Kaeden Davis (Richland County) won by fall over Eli Rockey (Mt. Zion) (Fall 1:00)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Malachi Hutchison (Champaign Central) won by fall over Will Osborne (Monticello) (Fall 2:31)

3rd Place Match

Martavious Johnson (Eisenhower) won by medical forfeit over Brenner Hayes (Mt. Zion) (MFF)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Luke Andruczyk (Monticello) won by decision over Liam Hughes (Westville) (Dec 10-7)

3rd Place Match

Damian Salinas (Hoopeston) won by decision over Aiden Hundley (St. Joseph-Ogden) (Dec 8-5)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Brayden Quas (Pontiac) won by fall over Reydon Montez (Hoopeston) (Fall 2:01)

3rd Place Match

Dakari Brown (Matoon) won by fall over Logan Wagoner (Ridgeview) (Fall 4:33)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Ben Mullins (Robinson) won by fall over Isreal Ramirez (Clinton) (Fall 0:53)

3rd Place Match

Cohen Eubanks (Mt. Zion) won by fall over Camden Schoolcraft (Westville) (Fall 2:31)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Riley Dalluge (Mt. Zion) won by decision over Caleb Berg (Unity Christian) (Dec 7-1)

3rd Place Match

Alex Vaughn (St. Joseph-Ogden) won by major decision over Michael Young (Eisenhower) (Maj 12-4)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place match (round robin)

Tristian Stamp (Heyworth) won by fall over Sam Alvarado (Champaign Central) (Fall 2:00)

3rd Place Match (round robin)

Blake Edge (Ridgeview) won by major decision over Alex Mager (Rantoul) (Maj 10-1)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Sergio Baity (Centennial) won by fall over Brody Simons (Heyworth) (Fall 2:49)

3rd Place Match

Earl Kelnhofer (Hoopeston) won by fall over Oliver Reed (Clinton) (Fall 1:29)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match (round robin)

Hayden Mudgette (Shelbyville) won by fall over Van Angel (Clinton) (Fall 3:28)

3rd Place Match

Dominic Simpson (Hoopeston) received a bye

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Gentry Michels (Richland County) won by fall over Nathan Bristow (Clinton) (Fall 0:48)

3rd Place Match

Liam Carter (St. Joseph-Ogden) won by fall over Reese Baker (Robinson) (Fall 4:23)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Hunter McCullough (Pontiac) won by fall over Anthony Escobedo (Robinson) (Fall 5:00)

3rd Place Match

Carson Sexton (Gibson City) won by fall over Remi Bryant (Charleston) (Fall 3:26)

STERLING SECTIONAL

Morrison Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Aden Spinelli (Amboy) won by tech fall over Joseph Owens (Rock Island) (TF 16-1)

3rd Place Match

Nate Lower (Rockridge) won by major decision over Coltin Hartman (Fulton) (Maj 13-2)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Tyquez Hudson (Rock Island) won by fall over Scottie Hampton (Rock Falls) (Fall 0:38)

3rd Place Match

Brady Peach (Princeton) won by fall over Gabriel Tahcrell (Galena) (Fall 0:23)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Riley Paredes (Dixon) won by fall over Michael Benge (St. Bede) (Fall 1:52)

3rd Place Match

Tennyson Hampton (Rock Island) won by fall over Benjamin Porter (Riverdale) (Fall 4:48)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Collin Ledbetter (Moline) won in sudden victory – 1 over Max Moreno (St. Bede) (SV-1 14-8)

3rd Place Match

Doolan Long (Dixon) won by fall over Allister Swanson (Princeton) (Fall 2:24)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Maricio Parker (Rock Island) won by major decision over Thomas Olson (Freeport) (Maj 11-1)

3rd Place Match

Triton Pulfrey (Riverdale) won by decision over Allijah Siby (Moline) (Dec 11-9)

Fresh Soph – 132

Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline) won by tech fall over Corbin Brown (Princeton) (TF 17-2)

3rd Place Match

Evan Catour (Moline) won by decision over Caleb Flint (United Township) (Dec 7-4)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Caiden Heath (Amboy) won by fall over Jermain McKnight Jr (Kewanee) (Fall 1:24)

3rd Place Match

Hadley Losoya (Rochelle) won by decision over Elijah King (Rock Island) (Dec 4-1)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Parker Stannke (Rock Island) won by fall over Marc Cary (Moline) (Fall 2:27)

3rd Place Match

Noah Wetzell (Erie) won by fall over Guillermo Ortiz (Freeport) (Fall 4:20)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Andrew Knox (Sherrard) won by fall over Mathias Rada (Freeport) (Fall 3:53)

3rd Place Match

Daniel Htoo (Rock Island) won by decision over Kingston Sanders (Galena) (Dec 9-5)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Jayden Allison (Rock Island) won by major decision over Neomiah Holloway (Dixon) (Maj 13-2)

3rd Place Match

Connor Morel (Moline) won by fall over Cameron Foley (Rock Island) (Fall 3:42)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Ayden Gutierrez (Newman Central Catholic) won by fall over Billy Mills (Sterling) (Fall 2:03)

3rd Place Match

Emarion Harris (Rock Island) won by decision over Gideon Heist (Sherrard) (Dec 7-6)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Seth Shaffer (Dixon) won by fall over Blake Dingley (Dixon) (Fall 1:57)

3rd Place Match

Brady Mccray (Sterling) won by decision over Gavin Gillan (St. Bede) (Dec 14-8)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Mason Henderson (Lena-Winslow) won by fall over Rowan Stockwell (Rock Island) (Fall 1:42)

3rd Place Match

Aiden Larson (Lena-Winslow) won by tech fall over Kohthalu Htoo (Rock Island) (TF 15-0)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Zachary Walker (Rock Falls) won by fall over Vann Olcott (Monmouth United) (Fall 2:34)

3rd Place Match

Payton White (Rock Island) won by major decision over Kendall Brown (Rock Island) (Maj 13-3)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Alijah Martin (Moline) won by decision over Kareem Odeh (Freeport) (Dec 13-9)

3rd Place Match

Juan Zepeda (Kewanee) won by fall over Sergio Vargas Garcia (Sterling) (Fall 0:20)

Huntley Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Noah Simonson (DeKalb) won by decision over Cam Whitehead (Winnebago) (Dec 2-0)

3rd Place Match

Matthew Frykman (DeKalb) won by decision over Logan Harris (Hononegah) (Dec 3-0)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Julian Hartwig (DeKalb) won by tech fall over Daniel Sandoval (DeKalb) (TF 17-1)

3rd Place Match

Oscar Nelson (Burlington Central) won by fall over Landon Chambers (Belvidere North) (Fall 4:25)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Jaden Bradley (DeKalb) won by tech fall over Drew Patel (North Boone) (TF 15-0)

3rd Place Match

Xander Bell (Stillman Valley) won by fall over Moises Moronez (Belvidere North) (Fall 4:15)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Gabe Marella (North Boone) won by fall over Owen Burgess (DeKalb) (Fall 2:38)

3rd Place Match

Jaydee Doke (Harlem) won by fall over Henry Vanderbleek (DeKalb) (Fall 0:34)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Nathan Corder (Harlem) won by decision over Brodin Slabaugh (Boylan Catholic) (Dec 3-2)

3rd Place Match

Hunter King (Byron) won by decision over Tyler Daub (DeKalb) (Dec 9-4)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Hayden Beebe (Marengo) won in sudden victory – 1 over Adam Ramirez (Belvidere North) (SV-1 3-0)

3rd Place Match

Gabriel Flores (DeKalb) won by fall over Tyler Moshure (Polo) (Fall 0:19)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

James Brown (DeKalb) won by fall over Kennison Sims (DeKalb) (Fall 4:03)

3rd Place Match

Landyn White (Woodstock) won by tech fall over Axel Harson (Polo) (TF 16-0)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Midaris Chappelle (DeKalb) won by decision over Collin Rux (Harlem) (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Jaxxon Gustafson (Winnebago) won by fall over Santino Sauer (Hampshire) (Fall 4:32)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Cael O`Horo (Byron) won by fall over Trenton Combs (Woodstock North) (Fall 2:11)

3rd Place Match

Brock Komprood (Dakota) won by fall over Kyle Lupton (DeKalb) (Fall 1:46)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Will Julian (Byron) won by decision over Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley) (Dec 10-7)

3rd Place Match

Gavin Beauchamp (Hampshire) won by fall over Aiden Gemberling (Sycamore) (Fall 3:36)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Douglas Gemberlin (Sycamore) won by fall over Jasper Hintz (Hampshire) (Fall 2:22)

3rd Place Match

Gavin Boorsma (Marengo) won by fall over Gavin Theisen (Burlington Central) (Fall 2:44)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Giovanni Marino (Hampshire) won by fall over Jay Pearson (Dakota) (Fall 0:49)

3rd Place Match

Eyzaiah Campos Blanks (Boylan Catholic) won by decision over Andrew Rocha (Genoa-Kingston) (Dec 6-3)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Frankie Solis (Marengo) won by decision over Charles Faulkner (Harlem) (Dec 7-4)

3rd Place Match

Declan Dolan (Durand) won by fall over Jerome Sherrod (DeKalb) (Fall 1:29)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Clyde Nott (Sycamore) won by decision over Kavone Brown (DeKalb) (Dec 5-0)

3rd Place Match

Wyatt Kinney (Hononegah) won by fall over Jacob Franzen (Winnebago) (Fall 2:16)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Maddox McRoberts (Sycamore) won by fall over Johnny Misiek (Alden-Hebron) (Fall 0:18)

3rd Place Match

Jayden Coleman (DeKalb) won by fall over Brock Carter (Harlem) (Fall 1:50)

LAKE ZURICH SECTIONAL

Lake Zurich Regional Results 

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Cael Saldana (Huntley) won by tech fall over Carlo Difalco (Prospect) (TF 17-0)

3rd Place Match

Lucas Crandall (Fremd) won by fall over Faris Farah (Prospect) (Fall 2:33)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Matthew Blanke (Barrrington) won by tech fall over Giovanni Parente (Lake Park) (TF 19-4)

3rd Place Match

Liam Lovelace (Lake Park) won by fall over Noah Young (Fremd) (Fall 1:58)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Andrew Stapleton (Prospect) won by fall over Thomas Fidler (Prospect) (Fall 0:13)

3rd Place Match

Willem Anderson (Barrrington) won by fall over Joel Aragon (Palatine) (Fall 2:07)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Enrique Garcia (Jacobs) won by tech fall over Michael Goolish (Conant) (TF 23-8)

3rd Place Match

Damian Ramos Hernandez (Conant) won by fall over Nate Hunt (McHenry) (Fall 4:30)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Michael Latoria (Huntley) won in sudden victory – 1 over Kyle Lochner (Hersey) (SV-1 6-3)

3rd Place Match

William Blackhall (Lake Park) won by decision over Majd Ramadan (Prairie Ridge) (Dec 11-7)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Mohammed El-Zein (Palatine) won by tech fall over Xavier Campos (Dundee-Crown) (TF 15-0)

3rd Place Match

Evan Honegger (Lake Zurich) won by medical forfeit over Julian Gutierrez (Huntley) (MFF)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Gavin Nischke (Huntley) won by fall over Michael Fiandaca (Barrrington) (Fall 1:44)

3rd Place Match

Aidan Stiles (Lake Zurich) won by decision over Ryan Chartouni (Prospect) (Dec 11-10)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Robert Suvi (Lake Zurich) won by fall over Jimmy Duran (Dundee-Crown) (Fall 2:00)

3rd Place Match

Matt Moritz (Prairie Ridge) won by fall over Shaba Kokumbaev (Conant) (Fall 3:36)

Fresh Soph – 150

Dominic Sponsel (Fremd) won by decision over Daniel Bekteshi (Prospect) (Dec 7-3)

3rd Place Match

Arthur Borzecki (Hoffman Estates) won by tech fall over Jacob Meade (Prairie Ridge) (TF 16-0)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Edgar Bonilla (Lake Zurich) won by tech fall over Leo Malatos (Lake Zurich) (TF 17-0)

3rd Place Match

Patrick Zdanowski (Prospect) won by fall over Luke Schmidt (Lake Zurich) (Fall 4:25)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Samuel Cushman (Barrrington) won by fall over Alexander Vega (Huntley) (Fall 1:55)

3rd Place Match

Caleb Jendras (Saint Viator) won by fall over Damon Garske (Huntley) (Fall 1:39)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Aiden Rodriguez (Prairie Ridge) won by tech fall over Hakeem Coleman (Fremd) (TF 21-6)

3rd Place Match

Alexander Gavrylyuk (Lake Park) won by fall over Patrick Carnel (Saint Viator) (Fall 1:43)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Rocco DiCanio (Lake Zurich) won by tech fall over Frank Matviychuk (Prairie Ridge) (TF 22-4)

3rd Place Match

Owen Dewey (Prospect) won by fall over Jaiden Thorney (Conant) (Fall 1:46)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Brody Lidbury (McHenry) won by fall over Christian McLaughlin (Lake Zurich) (Fall 0:17)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Chase Paduch (Bartlett) won by fall over Adriel Arana (Barrrington) (Fall 2:57)

3rd Place Match

Jacari Travis (Palatine) won by fall over Nick Portilla (Conant) (Fall 4:06)

Lakes Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Brayden Sroka (Zion-Benton) won by decision over Charles Dominguez (Vernon Hills) (Dec 6-1)

3rd Place Match

Brady Myatt (Grant) won by decision over Andrew Ocampo (Grant) (Dec 1-0)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Stone McKone (Buffalo Grove) won by forfeit over Madden Gunn (Wauconda) (FF)

3rd Place Match

Tony Lopez (Vernon Hills) won by fall over Carson Klos (Johnsburg) (Fall 0:43)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Breiydyn Hoffman (Grant) won by decision over Liam Perkins (Carmel) (Dec 2-0)

3rd Place Match

Franklin Katz (Wheeling) won by fall over Xander DeBurger (Grayslake Central) (Fall 2:37)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Mykola Shamray (Buffalo Grove) won by fall over Chase Davis (Johnsburg) (Fall 0:55)

3rd Place Match

Rielen Hermsen (Carmel) won by decision over Joey Romano (Wheeling) (Dec 9-8)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Charlie Biddle (Lake Forest) won by decision over Thad Park (Stevenson) (Dec 11-7)

3rd Place Match

Isaac Thomson (Antioch) won by fall over Preston Holian (Richmond-Burton) (Fall 1:45)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Damien Ortega (Rolling Meadows) won by major decision over Micah Klos (Johnsburg) (Maj 12-0)

3rd Place Match

William Guziec (Stevenson) won by fall over Maximus Cordova (Mundelein) (Fall 4:58)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Trevor Hengl (Grayslake Central) won by decision over Dylan Solesky (Zion-Benton) (Dec 9-2)

3rd Place Match

Elliott Hibbard (Libertyville) won by decision over Joshua Kubicki (Antioch) (Dec 11-4)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

John Vanhoene (Grant) won by decision over Kyle Miron (Warren) (Dec 6-4)

3rd Place Match

Davin Esparagoza (Zion-Benton) won by fall over Paul Halak (Lake Forest) (Fall 0:51)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Narciso Gonzalez (Round Lake) won by decision over Danny Mandujano (Carmel) (Dec 4-2)

3rd Place Match

Anthony Malone (Zion-Benton) won by forfeit over Byron Arreola (Wheeling) (FF)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Nicholas Hermsen (Warren) won by decision over Brody McKenna (Wauconda) (Dec 7-3)

3rd Place Match

Grayson Lennon (Grant) won by fall over Mason Roe (Libertyville) (Fall 2:24)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Aaron Von Heimburg (Stevenson) won by fall over Jacob Becker (Vernon Hills) (Fall 3:47)

3rd Place Match

Michael Flatley (Lakes) won by fall over Jackson Hjorth (Johnsburg) (Fall 0:32)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

James Scanio (Libertyville) won by fall over Pearce Estrada (Warren) (Fall 0:52)

3rd Place Match

Xavier Arroyo (Grant) won by decision over Jiovanni Hernandez (Warren) (Dec 5-0)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Eduardo Albarran (Zion-Benton) won by fall over Timur Arzumanov (Vernon Hills) (Fall 3:56)

3rd Place Match

Angel Rosiles (Grayslake North) won by fall over Geovany Rojas (Zion-Benton) (Fall 1:47)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Shane Falasca (Richmond-Burton) won by major decision over Ajani Williams (Grant) (Maj 15-2)

3rd Place Match

Eduardo Juarez (Wheeling) won by fall over Finn Loomis (Wauconda) (Fall 2:20)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Nolan Lopez (Warren) won by fall over Mamadee Sheriff (Grant) (Fall 2:02)

3rd Place Match

Kaden Millbrooks (Warren) won by major decision over Aleks Nikolich (Libertyville) (Maj 10-2)

THORNTON TOWNSHIP SECTIONAL

Joliet West Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Casey Koerner (Joliet West) won by decision over Andrew Stahl (Plainfield North) (Dec 10-3)

3rd Place Match

Alex Powers (Lemont) won by tech fall over Francisco Oliva (Joliet West) (TF 15-0)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Parker Barry (Morris) won by fall over Justin Majewski (Minooka) (Fall 1:21)

3rd Place Match

Drew Ritchie (Plainfield South) won by fall over Logan Hudson (Joliet West) (Fall 2:30)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Sullivan Lipscomb (Minooka) won by decision over Rylan West (Reed-Custer) (Dec 10-6)

3rd Place Match

Nathan Kuntz (Reed-Custer) won by decision over Cash Ocampo (Joliet West) (Dec 16-14)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Joseph Pedrosa (Joliet West) won by major decision over Eric Hoselton (Lincoln-Way Central) (Maj 10-1)

3rd Place Match

Pedro Hernandez (Romeoville) won by tech fall over Bobby Zimmer (Lemont) (TF 20-4)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Tyler Lachenberg (Lincoln-Way Central) won by fall over Benjamin Kaminski (Lockport Township) (Fall 1:57)

3rd Place Match

Samuel Sabo (Plainfield North) won by major decision over Casey Janicki (Minooka) (Maj 14-5)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Dame Avila (Bolingbrook) won by decision over Sean Volf (Plainfield South) (Dec 6-3)

3rd Place Match

Revin Maldonado (Lemont) won by fall over Jacob Meloun (Morris) (Fall 4:11)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Nick Polzin (Plainfield East) won by decision over Oakley Rivera (Wilmington) (Dec 2-0)

3rd Place Match

Mark Koser (Minooka) won by decision over Colin Boyer (Lincoln-Way Central) (Dec 15-11)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Austin Solis (Plainfield North) won by major decision over Kyle Mccormick (Plainfield South) (Maj 15-2)

3rd Place Match

Elijah Flowers (Bolingbrook) won by fall over Jimmy Medina (Plainfield South) (Fall 2:51)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Joaquin Gaskin (Bolingbrook) won by major decision over Robert Greenberg (Plainfield North) (Maj 12-2)

3rd Place Match

Dimetri Kean (Joliet West) won by fall over Gaetano Baser (Lincoln-Way Central) (Fall 4:10)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Christian Czerwinski (Lockport Township) won by fall over Kaidon Yun (Lockport Township) (Fall 0:35)

3rd Place Match

Ethan Harvey (Lincoln-Way Central) won in sudden victory – 1 over Tristan Radeke (Joliet West) (SV-1 7-4)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Benji Knoepfle (Lockport Township) won by fall over Logan Sogavo (Bolingbrook) (Fall 4:12)

3rd Place Match

Laith Alamawi (Lincoln-Way Central) won by major decision over Carter Cullen (Lincoln-Way Central) (Maj 10-2)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Kaden Meyer (Minooka) won by tech fall over Will Wilson (Wilmington) (TF 15-0)

3rd Place Match

Justin Langford (Lincoln-Way Central) won by major decision over Timotheus Connor (Providence Catholic) (Maj 11-1)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Malachi Congo (Morris) won by decision over Jacob Tyderek (Joliet West) (Dec 13-12)

3rd Place Match

Mason Bucon (Providence Catholic) won by fall over Alex Martinez (Joliet West) (Fall 2:57)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Luke Nielsen (Lincoln-Way Central) won by decision over Noah Kirby (Plainfield North) (Dec 6-3)

3rd Place Match

Noah Ray-tyus (Joliet West) won by decision over Darren Peterson (Plainfield Central) (Dec 11-5)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Andrew Klobnak (Joliet West) won by fall over Ziaire Davis (Morris) (Fall 1:31)

3rd Place Match

Anthony Samanich (Lockport Township) won by fall over Nicholas Paczesny (Lincoln-Way Central) (Fall 1:39)

Joliet Central Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Nathan Powers (Lincoln-Way East) won by disqualification over Salah Dajani (Lincoln-Way East) (DQ)

3rd Place Match

Jack Munn (Lincoln-Way West) won by decision over Logan Viaw (Andrew) (Dec 5-3)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Cullen Parks (Bourbonnais) won in sudden victory – 1 over Charlie Tustin (Lincoln-Way West) (SV-1 6-3)

3rd Place Match

Everett Sievers (Lincoln-Way East) won by tech fall over Benjamin Jurkovic (Andrew) (TF 16-0)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Zach Hoffner (Bourbonnais) won in the ultimate tie breaker over Mason Rohe (Andrew) (UTB 5-3)

3rd Place Match

Raekwon Lindsay (Rich) won by major decision over Joseph Mendez (Bloom Township) (Maj 18-7)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Kyrin King (Rich Township) won in sudden victory – 1 over Lucas Ankarlo (Lincoln-Way East) (SV-1 8-5)

3rd Place Match

Raziel Perez (Bourbonnais) won by decision over Nick Williams (Lincoln-Way East) (Dec 12-9)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Joshua Theis (Lincoln-Way East) won by decision over Leyton Bartley (Lincoln-Way West) (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

Tim Kundinger (Lincoln-Way West) won by fall over Jayce Marcano (Homewood-Flossmoor) (Fall 1:27)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Adante Washington (Homewood-Flossmoor) won by tech fall over Enzo Basso (Lincoln-Way East) (TF 15-0)

3rd Place Match

Shane Stream (Lincoln-Way West) won by tech fall over Jaylen Smith (Thornton Township) (TF 18-3)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Jayden Cooper (Bourbonnais) won by decision over Marcu Beach-Larrieu (Homewood-Flossmoor) (Dec 10-4)

3rd Place Match

Bryce Neville (Lincoln-Way West) won by decision over Stephen Terrell (Lincoln-Way East) (Dec 11-4)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Caleb Dennis (Joliet Central) won by fall over Brady Anders (Manteno) (Fall 4:22)

3rd Place Match

Henry Bohms (Lincoln-Way East) won by fall over Jayden Cisneros (Joliet Central) (Fall 2:33)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Cayden Budimir (Manteno) won by fall over Tristan Duhem (Bloom Township) (Fall 2:16)

3rd Place Match

Thomas Esposito (Lincoln-Way East) won by fall over Xavier Feliciano (Homewood-Flossmoor) (Fall 2:12)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match (round robin)

Lucas Hetman (Manteno) won by fall over Coen McGill (Bourbonnais) (Fall 3:41)

3rd Place Match (round robin)

Rashad Smith (Rich Township) won by fall over Axel Korzyniewski (Joliet Central) (Fall 0:38)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Kayden Roach (Bourbonnais) won by tech fall over Dawuan Becton (HomewoodFlossmoor) (TF 19-3)

3rd Place Match

Jonathan Schafer (Bourbonnais) won by decision over Jeremy Castillo-Fernandez (Bourbonnais) (Dec 9-2)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Shaun Chantome (Manteno) won by major decision over Charlie Morzuch (Lincoln-Way West) (Maj 9-1)

3rd Place Match

Taj O`Brien (Kankakee) won by fall over Jose Rodriguez (Rich Township) (Fall 1:57)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

King Jones (Rich Township) won by decision over Shawn Lee (Bourbonnais) (Dec 10-5)

3rd Place Match

Isaac Diaz (Joliet Central) won by decision over Dilinna Okolo (Rich Township) (Dec 6-2)

5th Place Match

Mathew Deloach (Joliet Central) won by no contest over Nick Payne-Owens (Homewood-Flossmoor) (NC)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Justin Powers (Lincoln-Way East) won by fall over Jake Luedtke (Lincoln-Way East) (Fall 0:50)

3rd Place Match

Xavier Cortes (Lincoln-Way West) won by fall over Christian Hawkins (Bloom Township) (Fall 1:55)

5th Place Match

Riley Kallas (Lincoln-Way West) won by no contest over Elijah Wiggins (Bourbonnais) (NC)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Taron Ramsey (Joliet Central) won by fall over Elex Mitchell (Homewood-Flossmoor) (Fall 1:47)

3rd Place Match

Carmelo Wallace (Bloom Township) won by decision over Andrew Dye (Rich Township) (Dec 5-1)

SHEPARD SECTIONAL

Richards Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Pat O`Connell (Tinley Park) won by tech fall over Jacob Simon (Oak Forest) (TF 16-0)

3rd Place Match

Finley Egan (Marist) won by fall over Cayden Villanueva (Stagg) (Fall 0:57)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Mickey McManus (Marist) won by decision over Szymon Kusper (Carl Sandburg) (Dec 9-5)

3rd Place Match

Daniel Torres (Stagg) won by fall over Jayden Reyes-Rocha (Oak Lawn) (Fall 2:06)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Roberto Rangel (Marist) won by fall over Kenny Banks (Shepard) (Fall 1:35)

3rd Place Match

Chris Verdin (Carl Sandburg) won by fall over Logan Esparza (Eisenhower) (Fall 2:24)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Colin Phelan (Marist) won by injury default over Mohammed Hamdi (Carl Sandburg) (Inj. 0:00)

3rd Place Match

Zayne Salah (Carl Sandburg) won by tech fall over Ryan Romo (Carl Sandburg) (TF 19-1)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Jacob Crawford (Marist) won by fall over Macartan Parker (Carl Sandburg) (Fall 1:00)

3rd Place Match

Amir Akilani (Richards) won by fall over Michael Chatman (Evergreen Park) (Fall 4:59)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Jonathan Fields (Marist) won by major decision over Eddie Astorga (Marist) (Maj 10-0)

3rd Place Match

Dylan McBride (Oak Forest) won by fall over Lucas Landry (Evergreen Park) (Fall 0:58)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Esau Ruvalcaba (Evergreen Park) won by tech fall over Augustus Leskauskas (Richards) (TF 17-1)

3rd Place Match

Johnathan Diaz (Oak Lawn) won by fall over Laith Alomari (Carl Sandburg) (Fall 1:39)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Khalid Eid (St. Laurence) won by decision over Skylar Arellano-Phipps (Argo) (Dec 5-2)

3rd Place Match

Jacob Ruvalcaba (Evergreen Park) won by decision over Romeo Gonzalez (Oak Lawn) (Dec 8-2)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Samer Suleiman (Stagg) won by decision over Joey Massey (Shepard) (Dec 5-0)

3rd Place Match

Jack Lorenz (Marist) won by fall over Melsyon Vrapi (Carl Sandburg) (Fall 1:43)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Brian Klimek (Carl Sandburg) won by decision over Tommy Watson (Marist) (Dec 10-8)

3rd Place Match

Ethan Pettis (Marist) won by fall over Braydon Callas (Evergreen Park) (Fall 1:47)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Marty McMeel (Marist) won by fall over Aden Mendoza (arl Sandburg) (Fall 1:57)

3rd Place Match

James Wilson (Evergreen Park) won by fall over Joair Gill (Evergreen Park) (Fall 4:35)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Jihad Suleiman (Stagg) won by fall over Collin Coffey (Marist) (Fall 2:26)

3rd Place Match

Zayd Hamideh (Carl Sandburg) won by fall over Tom Molinets (Sandburg) (Fall 4:26)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Zaid Masri (Carl Sandburg) won by major decision over Andrew Gutierrez (Carl Sandburg) (Maj 17-7)

3rd Place Match

Anthony Senese (Oak Forest) won by fall over Michael Ziobro (Shepard) (Fall 0:23)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Marquis Steel (Marist) won by decision over James McCormick (Carl Sandburg) (Dec 6-2)

3rd Place Match

Nathan Morales (Stagg) won by fall over Luke Malberg (Marist) (Fall 0:09)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Bryce Starks (Oak Lawn) won by decision over Brandon Brown (Marist) (Dec 3-2)

3rd Place Match

Muneer Husein (Carl Sandburg) won by decision over Nathan Hernandez (Oak Lawn) (Dec 2-0)

Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Eli Rodriguez (Saint Ignatius) won by decision over Jessie Greene (Ag Science) (Dec 21-19)

3rd Place Match

Eduardo Garcia (Sarah Goode STEM) won by fall over Julian Arreola (Horizon Southwest) (Fall 0:22)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Alonso Gomez (Payton) won by fall over Jeqwaun Anderson (Ag Science) (Fall 1:20)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match (round robin)

Jeremy Powell (Ag Science) won by major decision over Leonardo Zapien (Nobel/UIC) (Maj 12-3)

3rd Place Match (round robin)

Ariyan Kernaghan (Kenwood) won by fall over Uriel Vasquez (Sarah Goode STEM) (Fall 4:54)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match (round robin)

Benito Chavez (Little Village) won by tech fall over Alan Jaimes (Curie) (TF 17-2)

Mteo Lopez (St. Rita) received a bye

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match (round robin)

Alonte Lorek (Horizon Southwest) won by decision over Joe Franklin (St. Rita) (Dec 8-3)

3rd Place Match (round robin)

Leland Pulido (Curie) won by fall over Cole Simon (Payton) (Fall 2:32)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Fraysean Clark (Payton) won by decision over James Gregory (Ag Science) (Dec 15-12)

3rd Place Match

Efrain Heredia (De La Salle) won by fall over Jaxon Blackburn (Morgan Park) (Fall 2:10)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Luke Sanchez (Saint Ignatius) won by fall over Dion Cashaw (Kenwood) (Fall 0:29)

3rd Place Match

Ivan Alcantar (Solorio) won by fall over Jeremiah Matthews (Little Village) (Fall 4:43)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Jayden Patterson-Veal (Sarah Goode STEM) won by tech fall over Lorenzo Harris (Marshall) (TF 17-2)

3rd Place Match

Francisco Camargo (Curie) won by fall over Christian Freeman (Sarah Goode STEM) (Fall 4:17)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match (round robin)

Oscar De La Cruz (Bronzeville) won by fall over Kamarrea Mims-jefferson (Curie) (Fall 3:21)

3rd place match (round robin)

Michael Hernandez (Horizon Southwest) won by decision over Ehizele Ijewere (Jones) (Dec 14-9)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Deneir Williams (Kenwood) won by fall over Amir Carruthers (Horizon Southwest) (Fall 3:53)

3rd Place Match

Octavio Cobb (Hubbard) won by decision over Lawson Graves (Jones) (Dec 10-6)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Inaky Mata (Horizon Southwest) won by tech fall over Christian Aleman-Rodriguez (Little Village) (TF 20-3)

3rd Place Match

Jacari Williams (Kenwood) won by fall over Santiago Herrera (Jones) (Fall 2:32)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match (round robin)

Andy Cuevas (Curie) won by decision over Adrian Barzola-Toledo (Jones) (Dec 13-12)

3rd Place match (round robin)

Sergio Lara (Bronzeville) won by fall over Abraham Sandalow (Jones) (Fall 2:44)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

David Reardon (Saint Ignatius) won by fall over Ayden Smith (St. Rita) (Fall 1:49)

3rd Place Match

Colin Offen (Saint Ignatius) won by fall over Noah Campos (Kennedy) (Fall 1:30)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match (round robin)

Briant Long (Nobel/UIC) won by fall over Daniel Romero (Little Village) (Fall 1:32)

3rd Place Match (round robin)

Donovan Kenerson (Ag Science) won by fall over Jose Murillo (Curie) (Fall 3:04)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match (round robin)

Kavon Grant (Nobel/UIC) won by decision over Benjamin Hearon (Jones) (Dec 8-3)

3rd Place Match (round robin)

Craig Johnson (St. Rita) received a bye

NAPERVILLE CENTRAL SECTIONAL

Oswego East Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Alexi Aguinaldo (Naperville Central) won by tech fall over Declan Driscoll (Lyons Township) (TF 17-1)

3rd Place Match

Sebastian Lara (Lisle) won by fall over Hank Buresh (Naperville North) (Fall 4:21)

Fresh Soph – 106

Tanner Stone (Downers Grove South) won by tech fall over Luke Edwards (Wheaton North) (TF 15-0)

3rd Place Match

Damian Garcis (Downers Grove North) won by fall over Jack Fitzgerald (Naperville Central) (Fall 1:42)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Vince Torres (Oswego) won by major decision over Richie Gulli (Nazareth Academy) (Maj 15-6)

3rd Place Match

Daniel Hyde (Wheaton North) won by fall over Shane Dodson (Oswego) (Fall 3:33)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Cole Forsyth (Glenbard East) won by major decision over Dylan Woolsey (Downers Grove South) (Maj 9-0)

3rd Place Match

Joshua Bern (Naperville Central) won by fall over Luke Moore (Naperville Central) (Fall 1:43)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Jadon Dinwiddie (Downers Grove South) won by fall over Jack Quirk (Hinsdale Central) (Fall 2:09)

3rd Place Match

Archer Biag (Naperville North) won by fall over Evan Madiol (Wheaton North) (Fall 3:50)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Cole Fitzenreider (Wheaton North) won by major decision over Jason Jude Iii (Hinsdale South) (Maj 9-0)

3rd Place Match

Michael Dunford (Hinsdale Central) won by tech fall over Logan Montano (Downers Grove South) (TF 21-6)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Jay Doherty (Wheaton North) won by tech fall over Tony Lombardo (Riverside-Brookfield) (TF 17-1)

3rd Place Match

Maxwell Venecia (Naperville North) won by major decision over Joey Guidi (Wheaton Academy) (Maj 13-3)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Timothy Garmon (Naperville North) won by decision over Christian Chiarelli (Downers Grove North) (Dec 8-2)

3rd Place Match

Owen Smott (Downers Grove South) won by decision over Tyler Becker (Oswego) (Dec 8-2)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Johnny Consuegra (Lisle) won by major decision over Brady Miller (Hinsdale South) (Maj 10-0)

3rd Place Match

Oscar Binkowski (Naperville Central) won by decision over Shyire Fucciolo (Wheaton North) (Dec 11-4)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Justin Skryd (Naperville Central) won by tech fall over Nicholas Miller (Hinsdale South) (TF 17-0)

3rd Place Match

Leon Siwik (Lyons Township) won by fall over Anthony Johnson (Lyons Township) (Fall 4:42)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Rex Chavez (Downers Grove North) won by major decision over Grant Ellison (Naperville North) (Maj 12-3)

3rd Place Match

Blake Gantner (Downers Grove South) won by tech fall over Yaznel Mendoza (Oswego) (TF 17-2)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Benjamin Miller (Hinsdale South) won by fall over Ben Reif (Naperville North) (Fall 0:24)

3rd Place Match

Jt Hill (Naperville North) won by tech fall over Vincent Willkommen (Westmont) (TF 15-0)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Ryker Czubak (Downers Grove South) won by fall over Christian Paige (Oswego) (Fall 4:05)

3rd Place Match

Evan Reichert (Glenbard East) won by major decision over Juan DeHaro (Glenbard East) (Maj 14-2)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Chris Cali (Downers Grove South) won by injury default over Tommy Yannias (Glenbard East) (Inj. 0:00)

3rd Place Match

Sebastian Mitchell (Naperville Central) won by fall over Damian Velasquez (Willowbrook) (Fall 0:53)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Michael Danial (Downers Grove South) won by decision over Ezekiel Adelfila (Naperville North) (Dec 5-1)

3rd Place Match

Tamer El-Dars (Hinsdale Central) won by fall over Holden Reible (Oswego) (Fall 0:59)

Glenbard South Regional Results 

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Rocco Valvano (Wheaton Warrenville South) won by tech fall over Joseph Calvillo (Batavia) (TF 17-2)

3rd Place Match

Aidan Ambre (West Aurora) won by major decision over Benjamin Sallas (Glenbard West) (Maj 11-3)

Fresh Soph – 106

Gabe Richmond (West Aurora) won by decision over Lukas Thompson (Glenbard North) (Dec 10-5)

3rd Place Match

Giovanni Ambris Aguilar (Glenbard West) won by fall over Ulises Vega (West Chicago) (Fall 3:57)

Fresh Soph – 113

Aurora

1st Place Match

Emanuel Rangel (West Chicago) won by tech fall over Landon Jenkins (Yorkville) (TF 16-1)

3rd Place Match

George Driesbach (Geneva) won by decision over Eric Castillo (West Aurora) (Dec 20-16)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Nolan Chrisse (Yorkville) won by major decision over Manuel Rodriguez (Glenbard West) (Maj 14-3)

3rd Place Match

Michael Riggs (Wheaton Warrenville South) won by decision over Jaxson Kocur (Yorkville) (Dec 8-3)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Jayden Hernandez (St. Charles East) won by decision over Peter Kabene (West Aurora) (Dec 14-9)

3rd Place Match

Julian Guerra (Glenbard North) won by fall over Josue Ortega (Metea Valley) (Fall 0:30)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Vincent Konecki (Yorkville) won by fall over Brian Correa (West Chicago) (Fall 1:48)

3rd Place Match

Jaxson Blanchard (Sandwich) won by tech fall over Joshue Delgado (East Aurora) (TF 19-2)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Julius Cole (Yorkville) won by tech fall over Angelo Gatses (Glenbard North) (TF 23-8)

3rd Place Match

Max Mulhearn (Harvest Christian Academy) won by decision over Daniel Gonzalez (Batavia) (Dec 8-1)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Donncha Souza (Yorkville) won by major decision over Ronin Brom (Neuqua Valley) (Maj 16-4)

3rd Place Match

Michael Huicochea (West Aurora) won by fall over Jeziah Campos (West Aurora) (Fall 2:19)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Tallis Taylor (Glenbard West) won by decision over Malan Hatfield (West Aurora) (Dec 6-1)

3rd Place Match

Luciano Litro (St. Charles East) won by fall over Owen Wijangco (Metea Valley) (Fall 2:00)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Maximus Delgado (Yorkville) won by major decision over Bryce Riley (West Aurora) (Maj 9-0)

3rd Place Match

Xavier Smiley (Glenbard North) won by major decision over Joshua Kotalik (Sandwich) (Maj 10-1)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Xavier Morales (Glenbard North) won by fall over Hazen Murray (St. Charles East) (Fall 2:57)

3rd Place Match

Adan Osorio (Glenbard West) won by decision over Lucas Pretkelis (Waubonsie Valley) (Dec 4-1)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Marco Rafael (Glenbard North) won by decision over Asher VanDermolen (St. Charles Eas) (Dec 9-3)

3rd Place Match

Jacob Magana (Wheaton Warrenville South) won by fall over Kenneth Fox (Yorkville Christian) (Fall 2:15)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Hayden Wheeler (Yorkville Christian) won in sudden victory – 1 over Gregory Heavey (Wheaton Warrenville South) (SV-1 12-11)

3rd Place Match

Bohdan Postoroniuk (Metea Valley) won by fall over Octavian Giampaoli-Martinez (Wheaton Warrenville South) (Fall 4:32

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Phin Codinha Iv (Glenbard West) won by fall over Fernando Anaya (West Aurora) (Fall 4:44)

3rd Place Match

Josiah Johnson (Batavia) won by fall over Jack Cox (St. Charles North) (Fall 0:43)

Fresh Soph – 285

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Avery Lane (Yorkville (H.S.)) won by decision over Victor Juarez (Elgin) (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

Brandon Monroy (East Aurora) won by decision over Nate Gonzalez (Glenbard North) (Dec 1-0)

EVANSTON TOWNSHIP SECTIONAL

Notre Dame College Prep Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Santino Scardina (Fenwick) won by tech fall over Maurizio Campana (Fenwick) (TF 16-1)

3rd Place Match

Angel Jacobo (Morton) won by tech fall over Jack Sutton (Fenwick) (TF 15-0)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Harrison Brown (Fenwick) won by fall over Aiden Gry (Proviso East) (Fall 0:22)

3rd Place Match

Dominick Yale (Notre Dame) won by medical forfeit over Chase Pabst (St. Patrick) (MFF)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Santiago Trejo-Huerigo (Addison Trail) won by tech fall over Alezander Bautista (Addison Trail) (TF 15-0)

3rd Place Match

Jesse Rios (Morton) won by major decision over Marty Towey (Notre Dame) (Maj 17-9)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Joshua Jimenez (St. Patrick) won by fall over Gabe Hernandez (Fenton) (Fall 3:00)

3rd Place Match

Quinn Paris (Fenwick) won by tech fall over Axel Simanjuntak (Crane Medical Prep) (TF 20-5)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Dean Angelo Iii (St. Patrick) won by fall over Jimmy Jacinto (Addison Trail) (Fall 3:51)

3rd Place Match

Angel Rivera (Taft) won by major decision over Declan Murphy (Notre Dame) (Maj 16-4)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Rene Reyna (Fenton) won by decision over Jarrett Muharin (Notre Dame) (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Anthony Brown (Proviso West) won by tech fall over Ismail Mehmedovic (Niles West) (TF 17-2)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Thomas Fitzsimmons (Notre Dame) won by major decision over Kelvin West (Proviso West) (Maj 10-1)

3rd Place Match

Lucas Youmara (Niles West) won by major decision over Patrick Haugh (Notre Dame) (Maj 14-2)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Qaisar Sadat (Niles West) won by fall over Al Hasn Al Radi (Niles West) (Fall 1:50)

3rd Place Match

Yahia Soliman (Elk Grove) won by fall over Eitan Spolter (Ida Crown) (Fall 1:32)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Jake Luczak (Notre Dame) won by fall over Mark Bilek (St. Patrick) (Fall 4:59)

3rd Place Match

Matt DiMaria (Elk Grove) won by tech fall over Patrick Nix (Fenwick) (TF 19-3)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Colin Walsh (Notre Dame) won by decision over Ricardo Garcia (Fenwick) (Dec 7-5)

3rd Place Match

Charles Barry (Proviso East) won by fall over Dmyrtii Mykhniak (Taft) (Fall 4:21)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Alen Bautista (Addison Trail) won by fall over Andrew Somenek (Elk Grove) (Fall 1:33)

3rd Place Match

Jeramy Hamm (Notre Dame) won by major decision over Peter Escamilla (Notre Dame) (Maj 16-4)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Isiah Robinson (Proviso West) won by decision over Santiago Moya (Morton) (Dec 4-3)

3rd Place Match

Derek Mazariegos (Fenton) won by fall over Michael Frytz (Fenwick) (Fall 3:08)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Timothy Golden (St. Patrick) won by fall over Nathaniel Perez (St. Patrick) (Fall 2:11)

3rd Place Match

Darion Gordon (Niles West) won by decision over Jefryn Olvera (Fenton) (Dec 3-0)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Conner Moynihan (Notre Dame) won by fall over Ayden Starck (Ida Crown) (Fall 2:17)

3rd Place Match

Dearion Hunt (Taft) won by fall over Adi Mustafa (Amundsen) (Fall 0:55)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Dameryon Paxton (Proviso West) won by fall over Martavion Howard (Proviso East) (Fall 0:09)

3rd Place Match

Sean Cook (Notre Dame) won by fall over Byron Lobatos (Morton) (Fall 0:29)

Glenbrook South Regional Results

Fresh Soph – 101

1st Place Match

Erle Rosete (Maine South) won by fall over Troy Rotter (Deerfield) (Fall 1:47)

3rd Place Match

Gavin Ventura (Niles North) won by fall over Aahil Hussain (Maine East) (Fall 3:28)

Fresh Soph – 106

1st Place Match

Aedan Dillow (DePaul Prep) won by major decision over Nicholas Karlesky (Maine South) (Maj 14-5)

3rd Place Match

Alex Farrell (Glenbrook South) won by fall over Aaly Borbuev (Maine West) (Fall 0:38)

Fresh Soph – 113

1st Place Match

Connor Maschek (DePaul Prep) won by major decision over Jacob Badal (Niles North) (Maj 15-5)

3rd Place Match

Jairo Kish (Maine East) won by fall over Gabi Pearlman (Deerfield) (Fall 1:38)

Fresh Soph – 120

1st Place Match

Daniel Myint (Loyola Academy) won by major decision over Eli Brown (Glenbrook South) (Maj 9-1)

3rd Place Match

Jack Jansen (Deerfield) won by major decision over Erdene Munkhbat (Glenbrook South) (Maj 16-5)

Fresh Soph – 126

1st Place Match

Roman Ocampo (Glenbrook South) won by major decision over Declan Shapin (Glenbrook South) (Maj 10-2)

3rd Place Match

Donato Coloia (Maine South) won by fall over Zacarias Slaastad (New Trier) (Fall 2:50)

Fresh Soph – 132

1st Place Match

Travis Leonardson (New Trier) won by decision over Luciano De La Pasqua (Maine South) (Dec 3-2)

3rd Place Match

Lucas Slaastad (New Trier) won by fall over Theodore Janes-Smith (Niles North) (Fall 1:19)

Fresh Soph – 138

1st Place Match

Kevin Hamilton (Maine South) won by tech fall over Samuel Schiller (New Trier) (TF 20-5)

3rd Place Match

Kevin Pedersen (Maine South) won by fall over Ian Main-Duplechin (Lane Tech) (Fall 2:44)

Fresh Soph – 144

1st Place Match

Joe Siprut (Lane Tech) won by major decision over Caleb Padilla (Deerfield) (Maj 12-3)

3rd Place Match

Aiden Lacoste (Deerfield) won by decision over Nathan Miller (DePaul Prep) (Dec 5-0)

Fresh Soph – 150

1st Place Match

Isaac Johnson (Glenbrook North) won by fall over Sulaiman Rajabi (Niles North) (Fall 0:48)

3rd Place Match

Jayden Corchado (Highland Park) won by tech fall over Jackson Decrane (Loyola Academy) (TF 18-2)

Fresh Soph – 157

1st Place Match

Nicholas Marcus (Niles North) won by fall over Art Bytyqi (Evanston) (Fall 4:43)

3rd Place Match

Bryce Kopinski (Glenbrook South) won by fall over George Arvanitis (Maine South) (Fall 2:09)

Fresh Soph – 165

1st Place Match

Diego Lopez (Evanston) won by major decision over Evan Lazik (Niles North) (Maj 12-4)

3rd Place Match

Tommy Tures (New Trier) won by decision over Aleksander Knapik (Loyola Academy) (Dec 11-8)

Fresh Soph – 175

1st Place Match

Cooper Cramer (New Trier) won by decision over Stefan Ivosevic (Maine South) (Dec 2-1)

3rd Place Match

Eric Batmunkh (Glenbrook South) won by decision over Alexis Solis (Maine East) (Dec 7-1)

Fresh Soph – 190

1st Place Match

Lucas Paich (Glenbrook North) won in sudden victory – 1 over Zach Willis (Glenbrook North) (SV-1 7-4)

3rd Place Match

Nathaniel Dorado (Maine West) won by fall over Darren Whitehead (Evanston) (Fall 2:18)

Fresh Soph – 215

1st Place Match

Daniel Derbedyenyev (Highland Park) won by fall over Luois Luna (Glenbrook South) (Fall 4:13)

3rd Place Match

John Boman (Highland Park) won by fall over Finnegan McCann (Highland Park) (Fall 1:45)

Fresh Soph – 285

1st Place Match

Andreas Thomas (Evanston) won by fall over Jorge Santana (Maine East) (Fall 1:10)

3rd Place Match

Josh Dixon (Deerfield) won by fall over Yandel Villegas (Rickover Naval Academy) (Fall 1:15)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Following a stunning quarterfinals round on the opening day at the IHSA Class 1A Individual State Tournament where four defending state champions saw their hopes to repeat get dashed, including three between 175 and 285, it was anyones’ guess as to how things would play out over the next two days of competition at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

But as is often the case, a sense of normalcy returned to the tournament as seven of the top-ranked individuals at their weight classes won titles as did several others who were highly-ranked and have been in the title mix during the past few years. 

A senior who had already made IHSA history captured his third title in four finals appearances, a senior who won a clash of returning state champions, another senior and a sophomore who repeated as champions and a junior captured his second title after falling short a year ago. 

Another senior made sure that the third time would be the charm in his third trip to the state title mat, two seniors, a junior and a sophomore all moved up one spot after being a runner-up a year ago, two other seniors closed out their careers as title winners and a junior and a sophomore both earned all-state honors for the first time as state champions.

Vandalia senior Tyson Waughtel, the all-time IHSA wins leader who was unbeaten and finished his career with a 210-2 record, won his third title after taking second last year by getting four wins by technical fall, with the last one in 4:35 over Coal City sophomore Cooper Morris at 126.

Marian Central Catholic senior Brayden Teunissen, competing in his third-straight state finals, won a clash of returning IHSA champions at 120 when he prevailed over Vandalia sophomore Preston Waughtel with a 2-1 decision. 

Illini Bluffs senior Jackson Carroll completed a perfect season and he repeated as a champion after capturing a 16-7 major decision at 150 over Marian Central Catholic senior Vance Williams, who took second place for the third-straight year.

Marian Central Catholic sophomore Jimmy Mastny won his second-straight title with all four wins by fall, claiming the 190 championship in 1:45 over Orion senior Maddux Anderson. 

Riverdale junior Dean Wainwright captured his second state title in three years with a 10-5 decision in the 132 championship match over Unity Christian junior Garrett VerHeecke. 

Richmond-Burton senior Emmett Nelson won his first title after taking second place in 2022 and 2023 by posting a 15-3 major decision in the 144 finals over Unity senior Kaden Inman, who took second place for the second year in a row.

Tremont senior Bowden Delaney won the 165 championship with a 7-4 decision over Roxana junior Lyndon Thies after finishing second last season.

East Alton-Wood River senior Drake Champlin bounced back from taking second place last year to win the title at 215 with a 7-3 decision over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Jeremiah Luke.

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Eli Larson won a 14-7 decision over Richmond-Burton sophomore Blake Livdahl in the 175 title match to win his first championship after placing second last season.

Vandalia sophomore Max Philpot continued along his path to an eventual unbeaten season by winning a 10-3 decision at 113 over Marian Central Catholic junior Austin Hagevold after taking second place in 2024.

Riverdale senior Blake Smith claimed his first title after edging Newman Central Catholic senior Briar Ivey 10-9 in the 157 finals as the pair met for the third-straight week in title matches.

De La Salle Institute senior David McCarthy captured a 7-1 decision over Chicago Hope Academy senior Roy Phelps in an all-Chicago schools clash in the 285 title match. 

Unity sophomore Taylor Finley won the title at 138 and claimed his first medal with an 8-4 decision over Coal City junior Brody Widlowski, who took second for the second year in a row.

And Hoopeston Area / Milford junior Charlie Flores captured the title at 106 in his first state appearance with a 4-0 decision over Oakwood/ Salt Fork sophomore Steven Uden.

Marian Central Catholic, Riverdale and Vandalia led the way in Class 1A with two champions.

Coal City had a program-best seven medalists while Vandalia had six all-staters and Marian Central Catholic and Unity both had five individuals who won medals.

Returning state champions who were all seniors that saw their hopes of repeating end in the quarterfinals were Rockridge’s Jude Finch, who took third at 138, Coal City’s Landin Benson, who finished fifth at 175, Unity’s Hunter Eastin, who placed sixth at 190, and Althoff Catholic’s Jason Dowell, who fell short of a medal at 285.

Other second-place finishers from 2024 who settled for third-place finishes were Peoria Notre Dame senior Ian Akers at 126, Vandalia junior Dillon Hinton at 150 and St. Francis junior Jaylen Torres at 285.

Mastny was the only individual in the Finals to record four falls while Tyson Waughtel was one of seven with four wins by technical fall and the lone competitor to do that in Class 1A.

Tyson Waughtel, Nelson and Williams placed in the Class 1A Finals for four-straight years while Yorkville Christian’s Aiden Larsen and Hononegah/Dakota’s TJ Silva also were four-time medal winners who placed their first two years in Class 1A. 

Here are stories of the 2025 IHSA Class 1A champions as well as others in their weight class, in the order that they won their titles:

175 – Eli Larson, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton

Eli Larson was disappointed when he lost 7-2 to Manteno’s Carter Watkins in the IHSA Class 1A title match at 175 last season to finish with a 44-6 record. So when the Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior got his second chance to compete in a state championship match, he was much more prepared for the task at hand and he responded to the challenge in a good fashion by capturing a 14-7 decision over Richmond-Burton sophomore Blake Livdahl in the 175 title match, which was the opener for the 2025 IHSA Class 1A Finals at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

Larson improved to 49-2 and was the lone champion and joined Jeremiah Luke (215) as one of two finalists and four medal winners for coach Kevin Milder’s PantherHawks. He becomes the 11th individual from his program to win a state championship and the sixth to appear in two title matches under Milder, a 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee who finished the season with 599 dual meet wins. He opened with a win by technical fall in 4:20 over Canton’s Gus Lidwell (15-13), got a pin in 1:45 in the quarterfinals over Mt. Zion’s Carson Thornton (32-10) and won a 9-4 decision in the semifinals over Hoopeston Area/ Milford’s Angel Zamora (52-2).

“I haven’t really stopped thinking about how last year went,” Larson said. “Just the entire feeling of coming up short and getting runner-up, hasn’t left my mind at all and I’ve just been thinking about it every day, using it as motivation. I wasn’t timid, I came into the match and I had a better game plan and I knew I was there for a reason and I just wasn’t timid this year. Last year, I was scared to be out there but this year was a whole lot different. It was pure joy. I’m grateful for everything that’s gotten me to this point, it’s just everything, it’s awesome. I felt like I was peaking right at the end of the year, right at the time you want to peak and I just felt like nothing could get in my way or stop me. To have all my teammates here and have everybody placing with me, just going to the entire tournament with me, it’s just an amazing environment that we built up at my school, which is awesome.”

Livdahl (44-6) was also one of two finalists and four medalists for coach Tony Nelson’s Rockets with 144 champion Emmett Nelson the other finalist. Livdahl, who was making his first state appearance, won an 8-1 decision over Unity’s Ryan Rink in his opener and then stunned the 2024 champion at 165, Coal City’s Landin Benson, 2-1 on a tiebreaker to advance to the semifinals, where he won another tight match, this one 6-5 over Vandalia’s Ross Miller. 

“I knew that I was up here with these guys,” Livdahl said. “I knew that I could do it, I just had to do it. Beating Benson earlier in the tournament was a big step. This was my first year down here and next year will be a lot different.”

Hoopeston Area/ Milford senior Angel Zamora (52-2), a three-time qualifier who took fourth at 175 last season, claimed third place by recording a fall in 2:58 over Unity senior Ryan Rink (47-12), who also was a three-time qualifier who placed fifth at 165 in 2024. Coal City senior Landin Benson (46-4), another three-time qualifier, settled for fifth place after capturing a 9-4 decision over Vandalia junior Ross Miller (45-14), who was making his debut at state. Losing in consolation round three and falling one victory shy of a state medal were Trico/ Elverado senior Colin Hughey (39-7) and Johnsburg sophomore Duke Mays (29-11). 

“Last year I came here and I wrestled for third and I got fourth,” Zamora said. “So I came out here and made a statement and it felt really good because this is what I should have done last year. It’s the last match of the season, so it counts the most. We had four sectional qualifiers and got three state qualifiers. We hadn’t had three qualifiers in maybe 13 years, something like that, so we thank all of our coaches.” 

190 – Jimmy Mastny, Marian Central Catholic

Jimmy Mastny turned in one of the most dominant performances of any competitor in the IHSA Individual Finals when the Marian Central Catholic sophomore became the only individual in the tournament to collect a fourth fall, which he used to wrap up the Class 1A title at 190 in 1:45 over Orion senior Maddux Anderson, adding to the the 157 state championship that he won last season when he recorded a fall in 3:23 over Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Bryson Capansky. He improved to 53-1 and eventually finished with a 57-1 record after helping the Hurricanes to their second-straight state trophy when they claimed third place at the IHSA Dual Team Finals.

Mastny, who joined 120 title winner Brayden Teunissen as one of two champions, four finalists and five medal winners for the Hurricanes, who are co-coached by Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater, opened with a fall in 1:30 over Pittsfield’s Tucker Cook (40-12), followed with a pin in 3:19 over Horizon Science Academy Southwest Chicago’s Sami Marrero (32-2) and had his longest match in the semifinals where he won by fall in 5:10 over Red Bud/ Valmeyer’s Danny Jackson. Mastny was unbeaten against Illinois competitors with his lone loss coming against Ponderosa, Colorado’s De’Alcapon Veazy, who was the CHSAA Class 5 state champion, in the quarterfinals of the Ironman in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in early December.

“I’m real happy with how my season is going,” Mastny said. “For sure, It’s just fun competing. Our momentum is a hard thing to beat and I’m glad that I got to start us off.”

Anderson (51-4), a three time qualifier who finished third at 190 last season, is the ninth individual from his program to be a two-time medalist. The lone state qualifier for coach Zach Nelson’s Chargers, he followed a 10-6 decision over Sacred Heart-Griffin’s Casen Lyons (38-13) in his opener with an upset victory in the quarterfinals, when he captured a 16-2 major decision over Unity’s Hunter Eastin, who was last year’s champion at 190. Anderson became the first Charger to advance to the title mat since Logan Lee took first place at 285 in 2019 when he claimed a win by technical fall in 4:42 over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton’s Oliver McPeek. 

“I knew what he was going to do and we prepared for it all week and I knew I would see him in the second round and just came out and got the job done,” Anderson said of his win over Eastin. “I’ve got nothing to lose since I have at least a place and it puts all my hard work to use.”

Freshman Danny Jackson (45-6) took third place to conclude a great debut season to become the best finisher for Red Bud/ Valmeyer, improving on the program’s first medalist last season, Ty Carter, who took fifth at 175. Jackson captured a 14-1 major decision in the third-place match over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Oliver McPeek (45-7), who was making his first trip to state. 

“Ty Carter gave me a lot of confidence, telling me how it was up here and how well I could do,” Jackson said. “He gave me a lot of motivation to come here and work hard to run through all of my opponents. It feels great. (Winning state) That’s my goal after today, I’m going to start working on it and trying to become a three-timer. (Wrestlers in southern Illinois) They’re really showing everybody up north what the south is all about. During the summer I went to Black Ops (Wrestling Club) and Southern Illinois Bulldogs and I had a good partner, (Waterloo’s) Jaxson Mathenia, who’s in the finals.”

Coal City junior Cade Poyner (41-9) was one of seven medalists for Class 1A champion Coal City, who’s coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Mark Masters. Poyner, who was making his second state appearance, took fifth place with a fall in 1:24 over Unity senior Hunter Eastin (55-5), a three-time qualifier and two-time medalist whose Rockets claimed fourth place at the IHSA Dual Team Finals. Falling one win shy of earning all-state honors were De La Salle Institute senior Terrelle Jackson (26-12) and Wilmington junior Logan Van Duyne (40-8).

215 – Drake Champlin, East Alton-Wood River

Drake Champlin became the third state champion at East Alton-Wood River and its first since Zac Blasioli took top honors at 132 in 2017 when the senior claimed a 7-3 decision over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Jeremiah Luke in the IHSA 1A 215 championship. Champlin, who lost 7-4 to Dakota’s Noah Wenzel in last year’s 1A 215 title match to conclude a 51-4 campaign, was the lone state qualifier for coach Tim Donohoo’s Oilers. He was also the third individual from his program to capture more than one medal and he advanced to state for the fourth time.

Champlin (43-1) opened his title run with a victory by technical fall in 3:34 over Clifton Central’s Brody O’Connor (32-17), followed that with a win by fall in 4:52 over Quincy Notre Dame’s Ryan Darnell (44-9) and then earned his spot in the IHSA 215 title match for the second year in a row after claiming an 8-1 decision over Coal City’s John Keigher in the semifinals.

“I’ve worked my butt off this year and I knew what I had to do to be on top, and that’s what I did,” Champlin said. “Last year, it was tough, I had nerves and everything else. This year, I had the feeling, I knew. I was definitely more focused this year, I didn’t have the nerves in me and I felt comfortable. It feels awesome, there’s only been three people that were a state champion and it makes the little kids come out and actually do wrestling, and that’s what looks good for our school. I have fine practice partners and busted my butt to just keep practicing and the cardio, too. And I have the best coaches, I love my coaches. Not very many people get to have this feeling, so it feels awesome.” 

Luke (45-6), one of two finalists and four medal winners for coach Kevin Milder’s PantherHawks, earned his first medal in his second state appearance. He was a winner by technical fall in 2:15 over Monmouth-Roseville’s Alex Gandarilla (33-12) in his opener and then claimed a 2-1 victory on a tiebreaker over Vandalia’s Kaden Tidwell in the quarterfinals and advanced to the 215 title match with a 16-6 major decision over Mt. Zion’s Keller Stocks in the semifinals. 

Vandalia senior Kaden Tidwell (53-7), one of six medalists for the Vandals, who are coached by 2025 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jason Clay and were the runners-up in Class 1A to Coal City, won the third-place match with a 3-2 decision over Mt. Zion junior Keller Stocks (45-9) to give him his second medal in two state trips while Stocks won his first medal in his second trip. 

“I took a tough loss Thursday night, so to come all the way back and make third, I’ll take that as an accomplishment,” Tidwell said. “Last year we did pretty good and we were pretty tough, but there’s always room for improvement, we didn’t win some matches and we didn’t win dual team so we knew that we just had to keep working harder and harder.”

In the fifth-place match, Coal City senior John Keigher (39-3) claimed a 9-5 decision over Reed-Custer junior Dominic Alaimo (45-9) as both won their first medals. Losing in consolation round three and missing out on all-state honors by one victory were Sandwich senior Devon Blanchard (44-13) and Marquette Academy sophomore Alex Schaefer (36-11).

285 – David McCarthy, De La Salle Institute

David McCarthy wanted to have a better finish at state than the fifth-place showing at 285 that he turned in at last year’s IHSA Class 1A Finals and the De La Salle Institute senior certainly far exceeded his 2024 finish by by becoming the fourth Meteor to capture a state title and the first since James Buss in 2012 to pull off that feat when he claimed a 7-1 decision over Chicago Hope Academy senior Roy Phelps in an all-Chicago school showdown for the 1A 285 title.

McCarthy (32-2), a three-time state qualifier, is also one of seven individuals from his school to win two or more medals in Champaign. For the second year in a row, coach Jason Davidson’s Meteors had two medalists as junior Jeremiah Lawrence took third at 120 after placing third at 106 last season. McCarthy began his run to the title with an 11-6 decision over Princeton’s Cade Odell, who took fourth at 285 in 2024, and then won by fall in 1:13 over Beardstown’s Chunk Dailey (49-8) in the quarterfinals. Then in the semifinals, he captured a 10-0 major decision over Canton junior Connor Williams to become the eighth individual from his school to advance to an IHSA title match and the first since 2017, when Solomon Smith competed in the 285 finals.

“It’s an amazing feeling, a feeling I’ve been waiting for since my coaches picked me up freshman year and I started wrestling sophomore year,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t make weight freshman year and I never wrestled before that. I grew mentally and definitely physically, I went from 350-something pounds to 259 this morning. It’s been a big journey, but it’s been a mental journey that my coaches kept putting me on all of the time, it was just amazing. It was frustrating, I quit my freshman year, I couldn’t do it. (His motivation to continue) My coaches and my dad, but definitely my coaches. (Finishing fifth last year) It showed me how good of a wrestler I am and how good I could be and where I should be as a person and as a wrestler and it fueled me to go further.”

Phelps (49-6), who took sixth at 285 last season, became the first Eagle to compete on the state title mat and joined Oliver Willis (2017, 2019) as their only two-time medalist. He joined Josiah Willis (fourth at 132) and Arkail Griffin (fifth at 165) as one of three medal winners out of nine at state for coach Dan Willis’ team that qualified for the IHSA Dual Team Finals. Their three all-staters is a new record for the program. Phelps opened with a 15-5 major decision over Dakota’s Randy McPeek (36-9), followed with a fall in 4:56 over Shelbyville’s Andre Townsend (41-10) and reached the title mat with a pin in 5:58 over Seneca’s Jeremy Gagnon. 

St. Francis junior Jaylen Torres (33-3), who was second at 285 last season, took third following five wins in the wrestlebacks after seeing his hopes of getting back to finals doomed by a disqualification in his opener. Torres’ opponent in the 2024 285 title match, Althoff Catholic senior Jason Dowell (32-2), saw his hopes of repeating as a state champion dashed in the semifinals when Gagnon beat him 10-7 by sudden victory and then Torres pinned Dowell in 2:00 in his next match to suffer his only losses in his final two matches and miss out on a third state medal, with the other a third at 285 in 2023. After that pin, Torres needed a 2-1 win by ultimate tiebreaker over Odell and a 4-1 win by sudden victory over Williams before pinning Gagnon in 4:59 for third. Torres became St. Francis’ first two-time medalist while Gagnon (49-4) and teammate sophomore Raiden Terry (third at 106) won their first medals, marking the second time that coach Todd Yegge’s Fighting Irish had two all-staters, with the first being in 1999.

“It was the biggest match that I ever wrestled and it was the biggest match that I ever won,” Gagnon said after handing defending champion Dowell his initial defeat of the season. 

“Jeremy had a tremendous season and really a great state finals tournament,” Yegge said. “He wrestled the defending state champion and took him to overtime, securing a very exciting victory with a takedown. He showed determination and a never quit attitude that he could compete with the best and took out an undefeated wrestler that many thought was going to repeat as the state champion. Jeremy kept fighting all tournament long and lost two very close matches in the closing seconds both in the semifinals against Roy Phelps of Hope and in the third place match he was leading in the last period and got thrown to his back against last year’s runner-up.  Jeremy had a tremendous senior year and his only losses on the season came to the wrestlers that ended up 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the state as Jeremy took home fourth place all-state honors.” 

In the fifth-place match, Canton junior Connor Williams (38-2) won by fall in 3:45 over Byron senior Jared Claunch (41-11), who wrestled back all the way from a preliminary round loss to Gagnon. It was the first state medal for both Williams and Claunch, a three-time qualifier who was the final all-stater for retiring coach Mike Elsbury. LeRoy/ Tri-Valley senior Tate Sigler (46-7) and Princeton senior Cade Odell (33-5) both fell one victory shy of receiving a state medal.

106 – Charlie Flores, Hoopeston Area/ Milford

Charlie Flores made his debut in the IHSA Finals and things couldn’t have gone much better for the Hoopeston Area/ Milford junior as he recorded two falls and won two close decisions to help him win the Class 1A championship at 106 when he captured a 4-0 decision over Oakwood/ Salt Fork sophomore Steven Uden in the title match. As a result, he is the third Cornjerker to win an IHSA championship after becoming just the eighth individual from Hoopeston Area, or its earlier names of Hoopeston High and Hoopeston-East Lynn, to advance to the state title mat.

Flores (51-3) opened with a fall in 0:52 over Benton/ Sesser-Valier’s Braxton Tittle (47-9) and then claimed a 3-1 decision over Newman Central Catholic’s Landon Near. He earned his spot on the title mat with a pin in 5:11 over Richmond-Burton’s Lelan Nelson. This was the second year in a row that coach Chris Kelnhofer’s Cornjerkers had two all-staters, with senior Angel Zamora winning his second medal after taking third place at 175. The team’s other all-stater from 2024, senior Ayden Larkin, returned to state but was unable to claim a medal at 165.

“I sealed the deal and it felt amazing,” Flores said. “It’s definitely everything that I’ve dreamed of. I’ve always wanted to do this since I was young and I finally did it. I’m going to stay humble, I’m just a humble guy. I put in a lot of work and always sweated in the room. I’m a little exhausted, but I still have a lot of energy, it’s great. (His goal) Two-peat, for sure. I just want to thank all of my coaches and thank Aiden Bell, Ayden Larkin, Angel and all of my teammates. It’s amazing.”

Uden (43-7) was the top-finisher of the record four all-staters out of the six qualifiers that coach Mike Glosser’s Comets brought to the State Farm Center, with Mason Swartz (fourth at 120), Devin Ehler (fourth at 126) and Pedro Rangel (sixth at 138) the others. Uden, a two-time qualifier and first-time medal winner got a pin in 4:53 over Canton’s Jaxsun Owens (29-13) and then captured a pair of decisions, winning 11-5 over Morrison’s Cael Wright and then claiming a 7-3 victory over Olympia’s Brandon Gaither. The four medalists broke the old record of three, which was set last season and featured a second-place finisher, Bryson Capansky at 157.

“All four of us went to the semifinals, and I was the first match,” Uden said of his teammates who made history for Oakwood/ Salt Fork. “So it just motivates me more to get back and win in the semifinals and make it to the finals. All of our guys train pretty hard in the room every day, so I knew that it could happen. I’m just glad that we all did well.”

Seneca sophomore Raiden Terry (52-3) won the third-place match over Newman Central Catholic freshman Landon Near (44-6) with a 2-1 decision, avenging a loss in the preliminary round where Near won 9-5. Terry, who qualified for state but didn’t place last year, won five in a row in the consolation bracket and joined senior Jeremy Gagnon (fourth at 285) as medalists for the Fighting Irish, the first time that they had two all-staters since 1999. Near, one of two medalists for his team, won three matches in the wrestlebacks. 

“I’ve been working all year for it and definitely could have had a better outcome,” Terry said. “You make a couple mistakes and it can send you back but you have to have short term memory to battle your way all the way back. I could have maybe had a little bit of a better tournament, cutting weight was a little hard, but the loss is not going to define me especially down here, I have two more years to improve.”

“Raiden ended up losing his first round match to Near and had to fight all the way back and he did it,” Seneca coach Todd Yegge said, “The grit it took to win five matches in a row after going through a first-round loss was amazing. He outscored five state qualifiers 50-7 in those five matches to get third place in the wrestlebacks. He really showed determination and I couldn’t be more proud of how he represented himself, this program and our school.” 

For fifth place, Richmond-Burton freshman Lelan Nelson (44-6) captured a 10-0 major decision over Olympia freshman Brandon Gaither (44-12). Nelson joined his brother Emmett (first at 144), Blake Livdahl (second at 175) and Adam Glauser (sixth at 120) as medal winners for the Rockets while Gaither was one of two medalists for Olympia. Two freshmen fell one win shy of earning all-state honors, Vandalia’s Aiden Evans (45-11) and Morrison’s Cael Wright (43-4).

113 – Max Philpot, Vandalia

Max Philpot made an impressive debut in 2023-2024 when he fell 3-1 to Johnsburg’s Eric Bush in the 1A championship match at 106 and then helped Vandalia to finish in fourth place at the IHSA Dual Team Finals to finish with a 52-3 record. In his second trip to the IHSA Finals, the sophomore improved to 47-0 after capturing the 113 championship by claiming a 10-3 decision over Marian Central Catholic junior Austin Hagevold. When senior teammate Tyson Waughtel beat Coal City’s Cooper Morris to win his third 1A title a bit later at 126, it marked the first time in the Vandals’ history that they had two champions at one tournament. They just missed winning another title in between as Marian Central Catholic’s Brayden Teunissen repeated as a 1A champ and denied sophomore Preston Waughtel of a second title with a 2-1 decision at 120. The program had only had four individuals who won state championships prior to that day.

Philpot finished with a perfect 51-0 record but his Vandals saw their memorable season finish in disappointing fashion as they fell just short of their first title since 1996 when they lost 32-25 to Coal City in the title meet of the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals. It was the final dual meet for their coach since 2006-2007, Jason Clay, who was honored at the individual finals with his induction into the IWCOA Hall of Fame. Philpot opened with a pin in 1:12 over PORTA’s Kainin Fillbright (40-14) and followed that with a fall in 2:58 over Dakota’s Brandon White, who was also making his second trip to state. He earned his spot as the first of three Vandals to reach the title mat when he won a 7-0 decision over Olympia’s Dylan Eimer. Vandalia had three other medalists with Dillon Hinton (150) and Kaden Tidwell (215) placing third and Ross Miller (175) taking sixth.

”I’m just happy to be here with my teammates and it’s been a fun ride,” Philpot said. “I actually didn’t plan on doing a backflip, and kind of failed at it a little bit, but I was in the moment and I just let it go. As they say, iron sharpens iron, it’s a true saying, you know. We’re all really good in that room and it’s going to show at dual team state. I’m going to push it even harder next year, I want another one, I’m not done. I want to be the school’s first two-time champ and even more. I promise you one thing, if you work hard and you stay consistent at it, then everything is going to fall together at the end. It’s all worth it.”

Hagevold (45-8), who took fourth place at 106 a year ago and was one four finalists and five medal winners for the Hurricanes, who took third place in Class 1A and are co-coached by Ryan Prater and Jordan Blanton, had a pin in his opener in 1:17 over Reed-Custer’s Cole Harris (34-16), followed with a win by technical fall in 2:23 over Murphysboro’s Paxton Pyatt (50-8) and earned his spot in the 113 finals with a fall in 3:44 over Benton/ Sesser-Valier’s Cohen Sweely.

Olympia senior Dylan Eimer (46-5) completed his career with a third state medal and his best finish when he took third place with a win by technical fall in 5:09 over Benton/ Sesser-Valier sophomore Cohen Sweely (45-6). Eimer, who took fourth at 113 last year and fourth at 106 in 2022, was one of two all-staters for the Spartans. He joins his coach, Josh Collins (1999-2001) and Keaton Fogler (2016-2018) as Olympia’s only three-time medalists. Sweely won his second medal in two tries, improving on a sixth at 113 last year to be the lone all-stater for the Rangers. 

“I set my goals at the beginning of this season and I wanted that state title really bad and worked my butt off all summer for it,” Eimer said. “But sometimes, things just happen and unfortunately it didn’t happen. The past few years I’d get to the third place match and I could just never get it done, I was always losing and getting fourth. So this time was awesome, finally getting it done with the next best thing. It’s been a great honor to wrestle for them (Olympia).”

Coal City sophomore Owen Petersen (44-4) took fifth with a fall in 3:08 over Oregon junior Josiah Perez (44-10) in a rematch of a preliminary round match which Perez won 8-5 in sudden victory. Peterson, one of a record seven medalists for coach Mark Masters’ Coalers, who went on to capture their second Class 1A title in the last three seasons, took sixth at 106 last season while Perez won his first medal in his second trip to state. Dakota junior Brandon White (35-12) and Murphysboro sophomore Paxton Pyatt (49-7) both fell one win shy of getting medals.

120 – Brayden Teunissen, Marian Central Catholic

Brayden Teunissen has met up with some of the best of the best in championship matches during the last three years at the IHSA Finals and after losing in his first appearance on the 3A title mat in 2023, it’s been a different story the last two years as he’s prevailed in close matches over defending Class 1A state champions who also happen to be brothers. The Marian Central Catholic senior won his second-straight 1A title when he edged Vandalia sophomore Preston Waughtel 2-1 to capture the 120 championship one year after denying his brother Tyson of a third-straight championship when he captured a 7-5 win by sudden victory in the 120 finals. 

Teunissen (39-5) completed his historical career in which he qualified for state four times and also competed in the 2023 Class 3A title match at 106 while at Belvidere North and settled for second place against St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto. He also has the distinction of being one of the two individuals who were able to beat three-time champion Tyson Waughtel, who recently set the IHSA standard for most victories and finished with a 210-2 career record. He also helped Marian Central Catholic win its first Class 1A championship last season and finish third at this year’s IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals. He opened with a fall in 1:29 over Leadership Academy’s Donald Bunton, Jr. (29-9) before winning major decisions in his next two matches, 19-6 over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth’s Logan Roberts (40-5), a three-time qualifier who took sixth at 120 last year, and 11-1 over Oakwood/ Salt Fork freshman Mason Swartz to become one of four finalists for the Hurricanes and joined Jimmy Mastny (190) as a champion.

“It’s super exciting, it’s a really good feeling,” said Teunissen of being a two-time champion and three-time finalist. “When you’re walking onto the mat and you look up in the crowd and see everybody and see the atmosphere. That was really exciting (beating Tyson Waughtel in last year’s finals). It was definitely hard (this season), I had surgery on my hand so I was out for a while and I couldn’t wrestle. When I came back, wrestling wasn’t the hard part, it was just kind of getting back into things. And getting over the fear of hurting my hand again and just kind of getting my weight back in control. (After going up 2-1 on a penalty with 1:23 left in the title match) I was just kind of like standing there and fighting hard and knew that he needed to be scoring and I could still score if I needed to and the opportunity came, but I was just trying to hold a good position. I knew if I was down in the match, I knew I would be able to come back. I believe that if I just fight the whole match that I can come back, no matter what the score is.”

Waughtel (55-2), who’s only other defeat in two seasons also came against Teunissen by an 8-3 score at ABE’s Rumble, went 50-0 last season at Carlyle and won the 113 championship 7-0 over Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers. He was one of three finalists for the Vandals, with his brother Tyson (126) and Max Philpot (113) both winning titles while three others also earned all-state honors for coach Jason Clay, a 2025 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee who is retiring as the program’s head coach, where he went 504-110 in 19 seasons. He did his part to try to help Vandalia capture its first IHSA championship since 1996 but it lost 32-25 to Coal City in the title meet at the 1A Dual Team Finals. Waughtel won his first two matches by technical fall, needing 2:14 against Canton’s Jacob Hardesty (35-10) and then 2:26 against Princeton’s Augustus Swanson before getting a pin in 1:40 over Richmond-Burton’s Adam Glauser in the semifinals.

“Obviously this gives me something to train on,” Preston Waughtel said. “I’ve accomplished a lot and it’s still a great feeling to be in the finals. Our practice room is a great room, one of the best rooms in the state, we’re always pushing each other. The coaches are just great people and we’re all like brothers and sisters pushing each other to our best limits.”

De La Salle Institute junior Jeremiah Lawrence (20-2), a three-time qualifier, took third place with a 1-0 decision over Oakwood/ Salt Fork freshman Mason Swartz (44-8). It was the second-straight year that Lawrence took third place after doing so at 106 in 2024. He joins 285 champion David McCarthy as one of the seven Meteors who have won two or more medals. Swartz capped a memorable debut season by being one of the Comet’s four all-staters. 

Illini Bluffs freshman Barret Speck (47-8) lost his opener to Swartz but then won five matches in the wrestlebacks to place fifth after getting a win by medical forfeit over Richmond-Burton freshman Adam Glauser (43-10), who was one of four all-staters for the Rockets. Princeton junior Augustus Swanson (30-10), a three-time qualifier who was fifth at 106 in 2024 and Canton sophomore Jacob Hardesty (35-10) both came up one victory shy of state medals. Two four-time state qualifiers, Coal City’s Culan Lindemuth (35-13) and LeRoy/ Tri-Valley’s Brady Mouser (40-5), both fell a bit short in their quest to claim their first state medals.

126 – Tyson Waughtel, Vandalia

Tyson Waughtel was as close as you can get to being a four-time IHSA champion without being one. And while his 7-5 loss in sudden victory to Marian Central Catholic’s Brayden Teunissen in the 2024 1A 120 championship match to finish with a 50-1 record while competing for Carlyle last year prevents him from being ranked in that elite class, the Vandalia senior owns a distinction that none of those 16 individuals have, and that’s being the winningest individual in IHSA history. He improved to 206-2 after recording his fourth win by technical fall in 4:35 over Coal City sophomore Cooper Morris in the Class 1A 126 finals to give him his third championship and fourth appearance on the title mat. He also took first place at 113 in 2023 with a 12-1 major decision over Farmington’s Keygan Jennings to finish 50-1 and he won the title at 106 in 2022 with a 9-4 decision over Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins to cap his debut season with a 52-0 record. He was one of the 11 individuals who were in the IHSA Finals who was a four-time medalist. Richmond-Burton’s Emmett Nelson and Marian Central Catholic’s Vance Williams were the only others who achieved that accomplishment only in Class 1A, although Yorkville Christian’s Aiden Larsen was in 1A for two years and Hononehah’s TJ Silva was in 1A at Dakota for two years. He finished with a 210-2 record after helping Vandalia take second in the 1A Dual Team Finals. 

Waughtel (58-0) joined 113 champion Max Philpot as one of two title winners and his brother Preston, who took second at 120, as three finalists to go along with three other medal winners for the Vandals, who are coached by Jason Clay, who was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame before the semifinals. Vandalia had only had four state champions heading into the competition with Jerek Wehrle taking first in the IWCOA Open in 2021 and Jo-E Smith the last one to capture an IHSA title in 2007. Waughtel opened with a win in 5:32 over Marian Central Catholic’s Nick Marchese (28-17), followed that with a victory in 2:49 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher’s Landen Lage and then had a triumph in 2:53 over Althoff Catholic sophomore Dawson Hawthorne to earn his spot on the championship mat. He was one of seven individuals who had four wins by technical fall and the lone one to pull that off in Class 1A. And he was one of four unbeaten champions, with teammate Max Philpot (113) and Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll (150) being the others in Class 1A and Belleville East’s Jonathan Rulo (285) was the only one in Class 3A and there were no title winners with perfect records in Class 2A.

“This is what I’ve been training for almost my whole life, since I was five years old,” Tyson Waughtel said. “I’m just really excited and happy for this opportunity to show people what I can do. It’s a huge difference. At Carlyle, it was just me and my brother, but now that I’m here, it shoots my game up a lot with new coaches and new opportunities. It’s just exciting to be here and winning another state championship with them. We have a tough room, one of the hardest in southern Illinois. (Being the state’s all-time winner) It feels amazing. My goals since I was a freshman was to be top of the list. I have really lofty goals and I just want to prove to everyone that I can achieve those goals.”

Morris (42-7), was one of two finalists and one of a school-record seven medalists for the Coalers, who are coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Mark Masters. Morris, who took fifth at 113 last year, was one of two finalists for his team with Brody Widlowski also taking second at 138. He recorded a fall in 3:52 over Canton’s Dyllan Steele (32-6) in his opener and then won a 4-3 decision over Lisle’s Alexander Ferari (36-8). His semifinals match was also a close one with him capturing a 4-1 decision over Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Devin Ehler (13-3).

Ian Akers (50-4) concluded an historic career at Peoria Notre Dame by claiming third place with a 13-8 decision over Ehler, avenging a fall in 5:54 in the quarterfinals that dashed his hopes of reaching the title match for the second year in a row. He lost 7-0 to Caryle’s Preston Waughtel in the 113 title match last season. The four-time qualifier also took fourth place at 106 in 2023, allowing him to join Tristan Daugherty and Leo Mushinsky as the only Irish to place three or more times at state. After falling in the quarterfinals, he won his last four matches to finish third. Ehler (13-3) was one of a school-best four medal winners for Oakwood/ Salt Fork, including being one of the two freshmen to earn all-state honors. 

“It was awesome,” Akers said. “It was my last-ever match and I think it pretty much sums up how I want to feel about myself and I want people to view me, it’s just fighting, and if things don’t go well, so what, just go get it. I take a lot of pride in being a leader on the team. Being a leader for Notre Dame wrestling means a ton for me. It meant that I got to be Danny Burk’s right-hand man. Danny Burk has been more than a coach since I was in fifth grade. He’s really been my best friend. He’s always been there for me, it’s awesome.”

“Ian is one of the most special athletes we have had at Peoria Notre Dame,” coach Danny Burk said. “Losing in the quarterfinals was a tough pill to swallow, and winning four-straight matches to finish third at the IHSA state tournament is a very tall task, but no one is as built to do hard things as much as Ian, and he came back like a champion, and avenged his earlier loss with a really exciting comeback in the third-place match. It was a really fitting way for him to go out.”

There was no fifth-place match since Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher freshman Landen Lage (43-6) won by medical forfeit over Althoff Catholic sophomore Dawson Hawthorne (30-4), who earned his first state medal. Richmond-Burton senior Clayton Madula (44-12) and Anna-Jonesboro senior Drew Sadler (45-10) both fell one win shy of getting a state medal.  Sadler, a four-time qualifier, took third in both 2023 and 2022 while Madula, who last qualified in 2022, missed out on a first medal and joined four of his teammates as all-staters. 

132 – Dean Wainwright, Riverdale

Dean Wainwright didn’t like falling in the quarterfinals to Carlyle’s Tyson Waughtel and settling for third place last season at 120 after winning a state championship at 106 as a freshman in 2023. So the Riverdale junior was focused on getting back on top of the awards stand at the State Farm Center, and that’s just what he did as he captured a 10-5 decision over Unity Christian junior Garrett VerHeecke in the Class 1A 132 title match. He was one of two champions for coach Aron Kindelsperger’s Rams, with senior Blake Smith winning at 157 for his first state title after also finishing in third place last year at 150.

Wainwright (47-2) joins Tyler Hurry, who claimed three first-place finishes in Class A from 1993-1995, as the only Rams who have won multiple state titles. Riverdale also got two titles in 2022 from Blake’s brother Brock and Collin Altensey and they were seniors in 2023 when Wainwright won by fall in 3:40 over Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins in the 106 title match to highlight a 50-1 season. He went 47-3 in 2023-2024 so through three seasons he now owns a 144-6 record. He won a 9-4 decision over Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Tyler Huchel (41-11) in his opener and followed that with a 15-4 major decision over PORTA’s Zach Bryant before earning his spot on the 132 title mat by capturing an 8-4 decision over Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr., who pinned him in the 132 championship match at the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament.

“I’ve been working for this all year and it’s finally paid off, and I love it,” Wainwright said. “This was a big mental jump for me this year. Last year, I got third place, so I used that as a little motivation and now I’m back. I had a lot of fakes and a lot of movement and I think that I was finally getting some flow going. I love wrestling, it’s my favorite thing in the whole world. I love coming out here and competing. And I think that all the work in the room and all the work in my club and thanks to my Big Game coaches, my friends and family and my high school coaches, I think it’s finally paid off. I’m very thankful. Riverdale is a small school, so it’s like one big family in that wrestling room, and I think that’s really helped.”

VerHeecke (44-2) turned in his best state showing and placed for the third time after taking third at 126 last season and sixth at 120 in 2023. He opened with two falls, winning in 0:48 in the quarterfinals over Princeton’s Dauber before earning his first trip to an IHSA title match with an 8-0 major decision over Chicago Hope Academy’s Josiah Willis. VerHeecke and his brother Clinton, who also is a three-time medalist, were the only qualifiers for coach Zach Whitsel’s Lions and their school is in Decatur and co-ops with Argenta-Oreana. His only other loss came against Morton’s Harrison Dea in the 132 finals at Pontiac’s Munch Invite on December 14. 

“Being a three-time state placer means a lot to me, it’s a rare feat that only so many kids are able to achieve through their career,” Garrett VerHeecke said. “It’s extremely difficult and pays testament to all the work I have put in. Obviously I want more than to just place but it is very surreal to reflect on how far I have come. Next year my goal is to be a state champion and that’s what I’m gonna spend the next 11 months preparing for. I’m excited for what I have achieved so far, but also can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

“Being a three-time state placer for these two is amazing,” Unity Christian coach Zach Whitsel said. “Some kids are lucky to be a one-time qualifier and to even get on the podium. Clinton and Garrett have been consistent and been on the podium three times. Being able to coach these two so far has been great but they are not done. They are hungry for more and want to be at the top of the podium. They both agree that the work does not stop and they will continue to prepare and be state champions next season. I am proud of them and their work ethic. They push the whole team to be better. They lead from the front and are some of the best kids to coach.” 

Roxana junior Brandon Green, Jr. (41-1) suffered his first loss of the season to Wainwright and settled for third place after finishing in fifth at 132 last year and he also qualified for state in 2023. He opened with two wins by technical fall before losing to Wainwright. One of three medalists for the Shells, he closed with a fall in 0:39 in the third-place match over Chicago Hope Academy sophomore Josiah Willis (45-11), who was one of three all-staters for the Eagles. He made his second state trip and he and his team got to compete in the IHSA Dual Team Finals.

Princeton freshman Kane Dauber (50-5) took fifth place by claiming a 14-3 major decision over PORTA junior Zach Bryant (45-14). Dauber was one of two medalists for Princeton and Bryant was one of two medalists for PORTA and this was his first medal in his second state trip. Coming up one victory shy of earning all-state honors were two juniors, Shelbyville’s Bodee Fathauer (33-10) and Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger (45-9), with Fathauer making his second state trip and Hoger in his third state appearance after placing fifth last year at 126. 

138 – Taylor Finley, Unity

Taylor Finley went 1-2 at last year’s IHSA Class 1A Finals as a freshman and qualified again to be in this year’s field that included three four-time state qualifiers, with two of those winning state medals, including one that was a champion in 2024, and there were also two individuals who were making their third state trip and they had placed twice. But when the 138 title match had concluded at this year’s Finals in Champaign, Unity sophomore Finley had his hand raised after winning an 8-4 decision over Coal City junior Brody Widlowski, who took second place at 126 a year ago after finishing fourth at 113 in 2023. He was the lone champion, was joined in the finals by 144 runner-up Kaden Inman and was one of five medal winners for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets. Finley was also one of three sophomores who won state championships with Vandalia’s Max Philpot (113) and Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny (190) the others.

Finley (55-5) had the most victories of anyone in the weight class but his most notable win prior to the title match came in his second match in Champaign after he opened with a 10-2 major decision over Reed-Custer’s Jeremy Eggleston (45-5), who also qualified in 2023. In the quarterfinals, he handed last year’s 132 champion, Rockridge senior Jude Finch (43-1), his first and only defeat of the season when he captured a 9-7 decision over Finch, who also had finished in third place at 126 in 2023 and qualified in 2022. Finley earned his spot on the 138 title mat with a 10-1 major decision over Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Pedro Rangel, who was finally assured of a first medal in his fourth state trip. Finley is the seventh title winner at the Tolono school and Patton’s Rockets have now had a state champion in each of the last three years, with Nick Nosler winning at 195 in 2023 and Hunter Eastin taking first at 190 last season.

“It felt great until I saw my teammate Kaden Inman get beat,” Finley said. “It felt amazing. It’s been a great season, other than ABE’s Rumble. That was kind of a point that showed us that we have to keep grinding and we have to go take this from everybody else. I was just a little, scared kid that didn’t know where I was going with my life until I went to Tolono Unity, of course, that’s not true all the way, because I believed in myself. With the coaches behind me in my corner and the mentorships that my coaches gave me, it’s unmatched from anybody else. My coaches, they do it all behind the scenes and they get everything done that I need to have a path for success.”

Widlowski (31-1) also suffered his only loss of the season to Finley, who he defeated 2-0 in the third-place meet at ABE’s Rumble. The junior was one of a school-record seven medal winners for the Coalers, who followed up on that strong performance by winning their second Class 1A title in three years for coach Mark Masters, a 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee. Widlowski was one of their two finalists, along with 126 runner-up Cooper Morris. Widlowski, who missed part of the season due to injury, got a quick pin in his first match and then avoided being one of the many upset victims in the quarterfinals by capturing a 5-4 decision over Johnsburg’s Landon Johnson (36-7). He advanced to a state title match for the second year in a row after winning another close decision, by a 3-2 score, over Unity Christian junior Clinton VerHeecke.

Finch responded to his disappointing setback to Finley by winning all four of his matches in the wrestlebacks, with the first being a quick pin and the other three victories by technical fall. Finch, a four-time qualifier, became the fourth individual from Rockridge to collect three or more state medals and was the first to do that since 2020, when Dallas Krueger and Nolan Thone both achieved that. Finch’s last victory was by technical fall over Marian Central Catholic senior Andrew Alvarado in the third-place match. Alvarado (26-12), a four-time qualifier who took fifth at 113 in 2023, was one of five all-staters for the defending Class 1A champion Hurricanes, who lost to eventual champion Coal City in the semifinals and took third in the 1A Dual Team Finals.

“I just say I thank God, first of all,” Finch said, “It was tough when I lost that quarterfinals match, but I knew that that wasn’t it, we had to go out with a bang and keep wrestling and get third place. (Rockridge) It’s my school and I’ve been there from day one. I want to give our school a good name and show that we have some good athletes.”

Unity Christian junior Clinton VerHeecke (43-2) took fifth place with a fall in 3:32 over Oakwood/ Salt Fork senior Pedro Rangel (44-10). VerHeecke earned all-state honors for the third year in a row, as did his brother Garrett, who was the runner-up to Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright at 132. The junior took fifth last year at 120 after placing third at 113 in 2023. Rangel claimed his first medal in his fourth state appearance and was one of four all-staters for Oakwood/ Salt Fork. Missing out on medals by one victory were Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Mauricio Glass (43-13) and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher freshman Hunter Brandon (16-8).

“I mean it is just an incredible feeling so few people get three state medals here in Illinois and knowing I am one of those people that has earned that means the world,” Clinton VerHeecke said  “It is also an awesome opportunity looking forward to next year hopefully winning a fourth medal which is an even more incredible feat that is very rare to see. The Illinois state tournament is unlike anything else and as we saw this past week anything can happen in these tournaments so having that consistency of making it on the podium every year is definitely something special.”

144 – Emmett Nelson, Richmond-Burton

Emmett Nelson competed in state title matches in both 2022 and 2023 and then almost didn’t medal last season and settled for a sixth-place finish. But those past state showings were a distant memory for the Richmond-Burton senior as he closed out his career on a high note, capping a 45-1 season by capturing a 15-3 major decision over Unity senior Kaden Inman in the Class 1A 144 championship match. His only defeat of the season happened on December 21 when he lost to Antioch’s Chase Nobiling in the 144 title match at Glenbrook South’s Rus Erb Tournament. In 2022, he fell 8-2 to Auburn’s Joey Ruzic in the 113 title match to conclude a 41-4 debut season. In 2023, he fell 6-1 to Dakota’s TJ Silva in the 126 finals to finish 46-3 and he took sixth place at 144 last season and had a 48-3 record. His career record was 182-11. 

Nelson was one of two finalists and four medal winners for the Rockets, who are coached by his father, Tony. He also was joined as an all-stater by his freshman brother, Lelan, who took fifth at 106 to cap a 44-6 season. He joins Jordan Blanton (2005-2008) and Grant Sutton (2012-2015) as four-time medalists and Jack Dechow (2010-2012) and Blanton as individuals who competed in three or more state title matches. He’s also one of nine individuals from Richmond-Burton that have won state championships and the first to win a title since 2021 when Brock Wood took first in 1A at 220 in the IWCOA Open and the first IHSA title winner since 2017 when Gavin Sutton was the 2A champion at 145. He opened his run to the championship by recording a fall in 2:34 over Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Carter Chambliss (28-23) and then captured a victory by technical fall in 3:04 over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth’s Charlie Wittmer (44-10). He advanced to his third state title match by getting a pin in 5:51 over Sandwich’s Cooper Corder.  

“It’s going to be a lot different on my ride home on a win, and it was a good win,,” Nelson said. “I have a yell out for my teammate Blake (Livdahl), he ended up finishing second and I want to help him out because I know how it feels and it sucks, but as a sophomore, it’s a great accomplishment, so I have to have him realize that. This was one of the first years I’ve had where we had other medalists and the first that I had where we had another finalist. It’s fun winning, but it’s even more fun winning when your teammates are winning, too. I’m just happy that we got to spend so much time together. I just tried to get his mind (his brother Lelan) since he didn’t expect to win as a freshman, but I believed he had the skill and maybe next year it will be easier. We have such a great history. When you go into our room, there’s names all over the wall. It’s just cool to look at the wall and see how many other people did what I wanted to do.” 

“Emmett’s final record was 182-11, which puts him in the top 20 all-time in IHSA for wins,” said his coach and father, Tony Nelson. “He only had two matches all season that did not end in bonus and had a combined 41 wins end in pin or tech fall. Blake (second at 175) is on a mission to be the next state champ. He is a monster and has everything it takes to be a champion, tough as they come and not under the radar anymore. Lelan (fifth at 106) is off to make his own history at R-B and Adam Glauser (sixth at 120) forfeited to sixth after the semis and unfortunately wrestled sick the whole tournament. This kid will be looking to dominate next season.”

Inman (52-6), who was a four-time qualifier and two-time medalist, settled for second place for the second year in a row. He lost 8-7 to Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll in the 144 title match in 2024. One of two finalists and five medalists for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets, he helped his team get back to the IHSA Dual Team Finals and they earned their first trophy since 2022 and settled for third place after giving Vandalia a battle in the semifinals. After winning his opener by technical fall, Inman won a 10-3 decision over Princeton’s Ace Christiansen and then reached the 144 title mat once again after claiming a 7-2 decision over Coal City’s Aidan Kenney.

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Arrison Bauer (47-7) claimed third place and won his first medal in his second trip to state with an 8-0 major decision over Coal City junior Aidan Kenney (43-12), who beat him 9-6 by sudden victory in the quarterfinals. Bauer got four wins in the wrestlebacks, including 4-1 by sudden victory over Christiansen (45-7), a three-time qualifier who took third at 138 last season, and 6-5 in a tiebreaker over Corder (37-7), who placed fourth at 138 in his state debut in 2024. Kenney won his first medal after making his only other state trip in 2023. 

Sandwich sophomore Cooper Corder (37-7) took fifth place with a 15-5 major decision over Roxana junior Logan Riggs. Corder placed for the second-straight year while Riggs (38-15) won his first medal in his third appearance. Lawrence County sophomore Hudson Meek (38-12) and Princeton senior Ace Christiansen (45-7) both fell one victory shy of receiving all-state honors.

“Cooper had a tremendous year,” Sandwich coach Derek Jones said. “He was dealing with a few health issues late in the season, but was able to gut it out to get on the podium. We are immensely proud of his accomplishments and excited to see how he does in his next two years. I know he has the determination to reach the top of the podium.”

150 – Jackson Carroll, Illini Bluffs

Jackson Carroll got the opportunity during his first two seasons at Illini Bluffs to be on teams with individuals who enjoyed success in state competition, Paul Ishikawa and Hunter Robbins. Ishikawa won an IHSA title at 145 in 2023, took fourth at 138 in 2022 and claimed first at 126 in the IWCOA Open Championship in 2021 while Robbins finished in second place at state at 106 in both 2023 and 2022. Carroll was able to duplicate Ishikawa’s two title wins as well as his and Robbins’ two finals appearances during his junior and senior seasons after falling short of medals in his first two trips to Champaign. Carroll completed a perfect 53-0 season, making him one of four individuals who posted unbeaten records, with the others being Vandalia’s Tyson Waughtel (1A-126) and Max Philpot (1A-113) and Belleville East’s Jonathan Rulo (3A-285). He captured the Class 1A 150 championship by winning a 16-7 major decision over Marian Central Catholic senior Vance Williams, who finished his career as a four-time medalist and three-time finalist but settled for second-place finishes in each of the last three seasons. 

Carroll became the program’s first two-time IHSA champion, joined Ishikawa as a two-time state title winner, was one of five that appeared in two title matches and was the sixth individual from his program to win two or more state medals. He was joined in Champaign by freshman Barret Speck (120) as all-staters for coach Shawn O’Connor’s Tigers, who only had the two qualifiers. He captured victories by technical fall in his first two matches, winning in 5:12 over Chicago Hope Academy’s Santori Knight (35-19) in his opener and then in 5:52 in the quarterfinals over Stillman Valley’s Henry Hildreth. Carroll earned his spot in the 150 championship match by claiming a 10-3 decision over Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington’s Dylan Crouch..

“This is what you dream of at the beginning of the season,” Carroll said. “It feels like it takes forever and then it’s gone in the blink of an eye. A really cool fun fact is that the kid that I just wrestled in the state finals was my first match at state my freshman year. The first-ever match at state and the last-ever match at state, and he beat me up pretty good. We’ve had so many incredible champions who’ve come out of this school. Paul Ishikawa was one of them, he was another two-time at our school, and they were all here supporting me. The whole idea was that I tried to not look at this so much as I have to win this tournament because it’s state, I looked at it as another event, I’m going to wrestle in college and I’m going to have plenty more, so it’s just another chance to improve and see where I’m at with the best guys in the state.”

Williams (44-6) was one of 11 seniors in the tournament and three who competed in Class 1A who were four-time medalists. He also was the runner-up at 132 to Rockridge’s Jude Finch in 2024, at 132 to Dakota’s Phoenix Blakely in 2023 and he also took fourth place at that weight in 2022. He’s the first person in his program’s history to win a state medal in each of his four seasons. And Dylan Connell was the only other individual from the school who appeared in title matches for three-straight years. Williams was one of four finalists and five all-staters for the Hurricanes, who won the IHSA Class 1A championship last season but fell to eventual champion Coal City in the semifinals and took third place at the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals. He won his first two matches by technical fall, needing 2:49 to beat LeRoy/ Tri-Valley’s Kobe Brent in the quarterfinals before winning 12-6 over Vandalia’s Dillon Hinton in the semifinals.

Vandalia junior Dillon Hinton (52-3) took third place with an 8-3 decision over Unity senior Holden Brazelton (49-9). Hinton who was the runner-up to Benton’s Mason Tieffel at 138 last season and took fifth at 132 in 2023, was one of six medal winners for the Vandals, and was one of the five who finished third or better. He’s the fourth individual from his program to be a three-time all-stater and ended his season along with his teammates in the 1A IHSA Dual Team Finals where Vandalia fell to Coal City 32-25 for the title. Brazelton was a four-time qualifier who placed third at 132 in 2023 and sixth at 120 at 2022 while competing for St. Joseph-Ogden. He was one of five medal winners for Unity, which took fourth place in the 1A Dual Team Finals. 

“Everybody wants to be a champ and this year I came up a little bit short,” Hinton said. “But I’m just chasing after it, you know, and I always have next year. (Vandalia’s season) I think it’s been great. Everybody’s banging in the practice room, as they should be and I think that this state tournament definitely shows how well we’ve been doing. You just have to keep pushing, that’s my favorite thing about the sport, is that anything can happen.”

Dwight co-op senior Dylan Crouch (48-5), who lost in the semifinals to Carroll, took fifth place with a fall in 4:24 over Stillman Valley senior Henry Hildreth (41-8). Crouch ended up as Dwight’s all-time wins leader and he was a four-time qualifier who also took fifth at 138 last season and joins Anthony Bauer as the only Trojans to win two medals at state. And Hildreth earned all-state honors in his first state appearance. Falling one victory shy of state medals were LeRoy/ Tri-Valley senior Kobe Brent (45-9) and Salem senior Keyton King (45-4).

“Dylan is up two weights from last year,” Dwight coach Jim Gussman said. “His record was 48-5 this season with two losses to the state champ and his other three losses were to state placers. He’s a four-time state qualifier with a career record of 151-29.”

157 – Blake Smith, Riverdale

Blake Smith and Briar Ivey went back-and-forth for titles during the last three weeks of the season and when all was said and done in the Class 1A 157 championship match at State Farm Center, the Riverdale senior prevailed over the Newman Central senior by a 10-9 margin to give coach Aron Kindelsperger’s Rams two champions, with junior Dean Wainwright taking first at 132 to claim his second title in three years. Smith (36-1) won the first matchup at his school’s regional with a fall in 3:05 and then at the Oregon Sectional, Ivey captured a 9-4 decision. The last time Riverdale had two champions was in 2022 when his brother Brock took first at 132 and Collin Altensey won the title at 152. Smith was a three-time qualifier who took third at 150 in 2024.

Smith, Ivey and Erie/ Prophetstown senior Wyatt Goossens placed in the top-three at the regional, sectional and state. The top-four finishers at 157 were also the four qualifiers from the Oregon Sectional. While the IHSA championship match was different from one week earlier, the same result happened in the third-place match at state where Goossens once again defeated Wheaton Academy senior Chasen Kazmierczak by fall, this time in 2:25. Smith opened his run to the 157 title with an 11-1 major decision over Litchfield/ Mt. Olive’s  Braxton Kieffer (35-13). Then he recorded a fall in 1:41 over Olympia’s Kelton Graden (24-9) before earning a spot in his first state championship match with a 14-6 major decision over Goossens.  

“It happened this way for a reason, I think,” Smith said. “You get overconfident a little bit and I got put in my place. I took it all last week and it was really beating on me. I made the adjustments and got it done this week and I’m just happy that it happened this way. I’m just living in the moment right now, I can’t even explain it. (When his brother Brock won his title) “That was special, but it’s nothing like winning it yourself. I did this for him because without him, none of this is possible. We qualified two and came out with two state champs, I’d say that’s a pretty darn good tournament for us.”

Ivey (47-4), who won his initial state medal in his first trip to Champaign since his freshman season, was the lone finalist and one of two all-staters for coach Brian Bahrs’ Comets, who fell 39-30 to Oregon in the Oregon Dual Team Sectional to come up a bit short of a trip to this weekend’s IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals. After winning by fall in his first match, Ivey captured a 10-0 major decision over PORTA’s Justin Zimmerman and then won 7-4 over Kazmierczak.

Like Ivey, Erie/ Prophetstown senior Wyatt Goossens (45-9) was also making his first state trip since 2022 and was able to earn all-state honors for the first time after taking third place with a fall in 2:25 over Wheaton Academy senior Chasen Kazmierczak (46-9), who also won his first medal in his second state trip, which was last season. He is only the fourth medal winner for Wheaton Academy and the Warriors have now had state medalists two years in a row.

“It feels really good,” Goosens said of finishing in third place. “I’m just super glad to be here and to be able to place third. We didn’t get a state qualifier last year and part of that was because I didn’t wrestle very well. I made it freshman year and the past two years have just been really close and this year I finally made it. And I think it’s crazy how all of our sectional placed top four. It’s been a really good experience for four years (being at Erie/ Prophetstown). It’s kind of crazy because it hasn’t really hit me yet that this was my last match, but it’s going to pretty soon.”

“Wyatt had a tremendous season and career,” Erie/ Prophetstown coach Brian Buri said. “After barely missing qualifying the last two years to finally get down to Champaign and finish third is remarkable. It shows not only his technical skill and strength, but his mental toughness. Finishing third three weeks in a row is tough. Wyatt had some tough matches throughout the state series in order to qualify and then to place. His resilience demonstrated that Wyatt is a true competitor and one of the top in the state. The top three all year finished 1,2,3 at regionals, sectionals and state. That doesn’t happen too often. I couldn’t be more proud of Wyatt and how he competed all season.”

PORTA junior Justin Zimmerman (46-11) took fifth place with an 8-2 decision over Richland County senior Carson Bissey (20-4). Zimmerman collected a medal in his first state trip while Bissey added to a fourth-place effort at 132 last season and a fourth place at 126 in 2022. He is the only medal winner the school in Olney has had. Falling one win shy of state medals were Vandalia senior Parker Ray (45-12) and Pontiac freshman Lucas Maier (36-14).

165 – Bowden Delaney, Tremont

Bowden Delaney was definitely dejected after dropping a 3-1 decision to Coal City’s Landin Benson in the Class 1A 165 championship match a year ago to conclude his junior season with a 45-2 record. Finally getting a state medal after walking away empty-handed in his first two appearances in the IHSA 1A Finals, Delaney definitely wasn’t content with being second-best and that drove the Tremont senior to become a champion throughout his final season and his determination definitely paid off as he closed out his career by capturing the 165 Class 1A championship with a 7-4 decision over Roxana junior Lyndon Thies to cap a 51-3 season. 

Delaney, the only qualifier for coach TJ Williams’ Turks, was very pleased that he was able to compete for Williams, a 2006 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee who was the fifth individual to capture four IHSA championships, pulling off that feat from 1993-1996 for Mount Carmel. He joins another IWCOA Hall of Famer, 2022 inductee Russ Witzig, as the only two-time IHSA medalists for Tremont and is one of three state champions for the program, along with Kip Crandall in 1984 and Witzig in 1985. It should also be pointed out that Cooper Wendling won the 1A title at 195 in the 2021 IWCOA Open Finals and then placed fourth in 2022 in the IHSA. Delaney kicked off his run to the 165 title at State Farm Center with a fall in 0:36 over Vandalia’s Artan Mustafa (41-17) and then won his next two matches with pins that only had him on the mat a bit longer as he went 1:02 to defeat Byron’s Brody Stien (44-7), a two-time qualifier, and in 1:12 to win in the semifinals against Mercer County’s Eli Burns to reach the title mat for the second-straight year, and as a result, he became his program’s first two-time state finalist.

“It’s amazing,” Delaney said. “I’ve been looking forward to this all season since second place sucks. It’s nice to end my high school career as a state champion. (Patton Trained) Those are my brothers and I was with them all offseason. (Logan Patton) He’s a great coach and I had great partners over there and they’re a whole other family for me. That was just amazing and they get everything done over there. I would just go where I needed to go and put in the work that I needed to put in and then once again, just wrestle my match, that’s what it came down to.”

“Bowden is the first state champ since 1985,” Turks coach TJ Williams said. “He’s broken numerous records at Tremont High School. Starting with four-time state qualifier, a two-time finalist, state champ, 176 career wins, 18 losses, 137 career pins, 11 tech falls, 146 takedowns and two-time team captain. He has a GPA of 3.8 and he’s a great kid on and off the mat.” 

Thies (45-3) was one of three qualifiers who all placed and the lone finalist for coach Rob Milazzo’s Shells, who took third in the Class 1A IHSA Dual Team Finals in 2024 with Thies being one of the leaders after placing fourth at 157 in his first trip in Champaign. He had a tough opener, prevailing 9-8 over Hoopeston Area/ Milford’s Ayden Larkin (37-10), a three-time qualifier who took sixth at 157 in 2024. He followed that with an 11-3 major decision over Coal City’s Brock Finch (34-11), a three-time state qualifier, and earned his first trip to the state title mat with a victory by technical fall in 4:57 over Chicago Hope Academy’s Arkail Griffin.

Northridge Prep senior Adam Haddad (42-3) claimed third place by claiming a 13-4 major decision over Princeton junior Casey Etheridge (48-6). Haddad, who qualified for state for the first time in 2024, became his program’s first medal winner among its three qualifiers and they all helped coach Joseph Rhee’s Knights capture their first regional championship. After getting edged 5-4 in the quarterfinals by Burns, Haddad won four-straight matches to make history as Northridge Prep’s initial all-stater. Etheridge, one of the two medalists for the Tigers, also met Haddad in the preliminary round and lost a 7-3 decision, which forced him to get four victories in the wrestlebacks in order for him to claim his first state medal. 

“It doesn’t feel great, to be honest, I had much bigger expectations for myself,” Haddad said. “Not everything goes perfect all of the time and the best guys don’t always win, so I just sucked it up and came back for third. (Northridge Prep) It’s honestly one of the best places to be in the state, I believe. My coaches mean everything to me, they’ve helped me grow so much and just everything that I’ve accomplished is because of them and I just can’t thank them enough.”

For fifth place, Chicago Hope Academy sophomore Arkail Griffin (49-6) captured a 19-5 major decision over Mercer County junior Eli Burns (22-7). Griffin, in his second state appearance, was one of a school-best three all-staters for the Eagles, who qualified for the IHSA Dual Team Finals. Burns advanced to the semifinals in his second state trip to help him secure his first medal. Coming up one victory shy of receiving all-state honors were Coal City junior Brock Finch (34-11) and Byron sophomore Brody Stien (44-7).

IHSA Class 1A Individual State Tournament Place Matches

1A 106

1st Place Match

Charlie Flores (Hoopeston-Area/ Milford) 51-3, Jr. over Steven Uden (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 43-6, So. (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Raiden Terry (Seneca) 52-3, So. over Landon Near (Newman Central Catholic) 43-6, Fr. (Dec 2-1)

5th Place Match

Lelan Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 44-6, Fr. over Brandon Gaither (Olympia/ Delavan) 42-12, Fr. (MD 10-0)

1A 113

1st Place Match

Max Philpot (Vandalia) 47-0, So. over Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) 42-8, Jr. (Dec 10-3)

3rd Place Match

Dylan Eimer (Olympia/ Delavan) 44-5, Sr. over Cohen Sweely (Benton/ Sesser-Valier) 45-6, So. (TF-1.5 5:09 (17-1))

5th Place Match

Owen Petersen (Coal City) 44-4, So. over Josiah Perez (Oregon) 42-10, Jr. (Fall 3:08)

1A 120

1st Place Match

Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) 35-5, Sr. over Preston Waughtel (Vandalia) 51-2, So. (Dec 2-1)

3rd Place Match

Jeremiah Lawrence (De La Salle Institute) 20-2, Jr. over Mason Swartz (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 44-7, Fr. (Dec 1-0)

5th Place Match

Barret Speck (Illini Bluffs) 47-8, Fr. over Adam Glauser (Richmond-Burton) 43-10, Fr. (M. For.)

1A 126

1st Place Match

Tyson Waughtel (Vandalia) 54-0, Sr. over Cooper Morris (Coal City) 40-6, So. (TF-1.5 4:35 (18-1))

3rd Place Match

Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) 50-4, Sr. over Devin Ehler (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 12-3, Fr. (Dec 13-8)

5th Place Match

Landen Lage (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 43-6, Fr. over Dawson Hawthorne (Althoff Catholic) 30-4, So. (M. For.)

1A 132

1st Place Match

Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) 47-2, Jr. over Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana) 44-2, Jr. (Dec 10-5)

3rd Place Match

Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) 41-1, Jr. over Josiah Willis (Chicago Hope Academy) 43-11, So. (Fall 0:39)

5th Place Match

Kane Dauber (Princeton) 50-5, Fr. over Zach Bryant (PORTA) 45-14, Jr. (MD 14-3)

1A 138

1st Place Match

Taylor Finley (Unity) 51-5, So. over Brody Widlowski (Coal City) 27-1, Jr. (Dec 8-4)

3rd Place Match

Jude Finch (Rockridge) 43-1, Sr. over Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) 26-12, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:28 (18-2))

5th Place Match

Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana) 43-2, Jr. over Pedro Rangel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 43-10, Sr. (Fall 3:32)

1A 144

1st Place Match

Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 45-1, Sr. over Kaden Inman (Unity) 48-6, Sr. (MD 15-3)

3rd Place Match

Arrison Bauer (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 47-7, Jr. over Aidan Kenney (Coal City) 39-12, Jr. (MD 8-0)

5th Place Match

Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 37-7, So. over Logan Riggs (Roxana) 38-15, Jr. (MD 15-5)

1A 150

1st Place Match

Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs) 53-0, Sr. over Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) 40-6, Sr. (MD 16-7)

3rd Place Match

Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) 52-3, Jr. over Holden Brazelton (Unity) 49-9, Sr. (Dec 8-3)

5th Place Match

Dylan Crouch (Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington) 48-5, Sr. over Henry Hildreth (Stillman Valley) 41-8, Sr. (Fall 4:24)

1A 157

1st Place Match

Blake Smith (Riverdale) 36-1, Sr. over Briar Ivey (Newman Central Catholic) 47-4, Sr. (Dec 10-9)

3rd Place Match

Wyatt Goossens (Erie/Prophetstown) 45-9, Sr. over Chasen Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) 46-9, Sr. (Fall 2:25)

5th Place Match

Justin Zimmerman (PORTA) 45-11, Jr. over Carson Bissey (Richland County) 20-4, Sr. (Dec 8-2)

1A 165

1st Place Match

Bowden Delaney (Tremont) 51-3, Sr. over Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 45-3, Jr. (Dec 7-4)

3rd Place Match

Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep) 41-3, Sr. over Casey Etheridge (Princeton) 48-6, Jr. (MD 13-4)

5th Place Match

Arkail Griffin (Chicago Hope Academy) 49-6, So. over Eli Burns (Mercer County) 22-7, Jr. (MD 19-5)

1A 175

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Eli Larson (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 49-2, Jr. over Blake Livdahl (Richmond-Burton) 44-6, So. (Dec 14-7)

3rd Place Match

Angel Zamora (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 52-2, Sr. over Ryan Rink (Unity) 44-11, Sr. (Fall 2:58)

5th Place Match

Landin Benson (Coal City) 42-4, Sr. over Ross Miller (Vandalia) 42-13, Jr. (Dec 9-4)

1A 190

1st Place Match

Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) 53-1, So. over Maddux Anderson (Orion) 51-4, Sr. (Fall 1:45)

3rd Place Match

Danny Jackson (Red Bud/ Valmeyer) 45-6, Fr. over Oliver McPeek (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 45-7, Jr. (MD 14-1)

5th Place Match

Cade Poyner (Coal City) 37-9, Jr. over Hunter Eastin (Unity) 51-5, Sr. (Fall 1:24)

1A 215

1st Place Match

Drake Champlin (East Alton-Wood River) 43-1, Sr. over Jeremiah Luke (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 45-6, Jr. (Dec 7-3)

3rd Place Match

Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) 51-5, Sr. over Keller Stocks (Mt. Zion) 45-9, Jr. (Dec 3-2)

5th Place Match

John Keigher (Coal City) 35-3, Sr. over Dominic Alaimo (Reed-Custer) 45-9, Jr. (Dec 9-5)

1A 285

1st Place Match

David McCarthy (De La Salle Institute) 32-2, Sr. over Roy Phelps (Chicago Hope Academy) 47-6, Sr. (Dec 7-1)

3rd Place Match

Jaylen Torres (St. Francis) 33-3, Jr. over Jeremy Gagnon (Seneca) 49-4, Sr. (Fall 4:59)

5th Place Match

Connor Williams (Canton) 37-2, Jr. over Jared Claunch (Byron) 41-11, Sr. (Fall 3:45)

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

CHAMPAIGN — It was a 3A state tournament with a little bit of everything for everyone who paid their way into the State Farm Center in Champaign on the campus of the University of Illinois.

Caleb Noble, Dom Munaretto, Nicholas Garcia, Will Denny and Aaron Stewart became two-time state champions, Seth Mendoza went even better by claiming his fourth in a row.

Evan Gosz and Charles Walker rocked the house with breathtaking efforts, while a half-dozen others climbed atop the podium for their first time.

Rocco Cassioppi and Ricky Ericksen erased the heartbreak of finishing second a year ago with inspiring efforts to win the big trophy this time around.

The wrestling world is a stage, and when the lights came back on following the Grand March, 28 young men treated the crowd to quite a show.

Here’s a look at the champions and medal-winners:

106- MJ Rundell (Oak Park- River Forest)

The names of those who have represented the storied Oak Park-River Forest program atop the podium in its history have been among some of the most well known in the sport – including the Rundell family.

Of the 27 state titles won by the Huskies, three have come from Rundell brothers Matt (2015), Jake (2018), and now MJ, who added the third state title to the family trophy case this year.

MJ Rundell (41-2) the No. 1 man at 106 pounds throughout the season put together a workmanlike six minute effort to defeat No. 3 Niko Odiotti (Loyola Academy) to claim the top prize.

“I knew after I went up 4-0 late in the second period that I would be able to ride him hard the rest of the way,” said Rundell, who was a state qualifier a year ago with a 32-10 record.

“I wasn’t happy with the way things went last year at state, so it was important for me to get stronger mentally and physically if I wanted to turn that around this season, so those were two areas of my game that I looked to improve on,” added Rundell.

“MJ did a fantastic job (sticking) to his style of wrestling throughout the tournament, his focus was unmatched, and he was completely locked in with his coaches during the workout and matches down here,” said Huskies head coach Paul Collins.

Rundell (23 pins, 11 tech-falls, 113 takedowns)  cruised into his final, while the route for Odiotti required a little more effort.

After a 10-2 decision in his state opener, Odiotti needed extra time to defeat Sebastian Gracia (Mt. Carmel) in his quarterfinal contest, followed by a hard fought 4-3 victory over No. 2 Maddox Garbis (Plainfield North, 35-3) in the semifinals.

Garbis will wrestle in the fall at Northern Illinois University.

Rundell used a tech fall, a major, and a fall to reach the finals.

“I’d say his greatest improvement is with the confidence in his abilities, and after winning Fargo in both Freestyle and Greco, he placed himself on another level as a competitor,” Collins said. “Some may shy away from that spotlight, but with MJ he has fully stepped into it and embraced that role.”

Rundell already has a family goal set for next season.

”It’s great to win a state title, but next year I want to win another so I can have bragging rights over both of my brothers,” Rundell said.

Marmion Academy sophomore Preston Morrison (37-12) earned third place over Addison Trail freshman Nikolas Duarte (37-8) with Gracia (29-13) coming back to grab fifth place over Garbis in a medical forfeit.

113- Caleb Noble (Warren)

Just two matches after the Charles Walker-Kai Calcutt final brought the fans up and out of its seats, one of the most eagerly-anticipated rematches — between Caden Correll and Caleb Noble — brought the State Farm Center audience to attention.

Correll’s 13-8 defeat of Noble earlier in the season fueled the interest in this 113-pound final.

With a relentless all-out attack from the opening whistle, Noble enjoyed the majority of the play which led to a 5-1 advantage after the first period.

From there, the Warren sophomore  continued to score until it became an insurmountable 14-5 lead before ending with a 17-5 victory and second-straight state title for Noble, whose acrobatic flip gave the big crowd reason to roar its approval.

“That loss to Caden was kind of a wake-up that I needed at the time, and it helped me get a little more grounded and focused in my training, and mental approach to help me get back on top of the podium,” opined Noble, whose season ends with a 44-2 record.

Both men earned plenty of major titles during the campaign, including Correll (48-1) winning at the Dvorak and Noble claiming the top prize at the Ironman.

The Normal Community senior had hoped to claim the first state title in program history, but will instead take home his third state medal of his career to give the Pioneers their 14th overall.

Noble, along with the state title won by teammate Aaron Stewart, increases the Blue Devils’ medal count to 20 overall, with seven of those state championship medals.

No. 3 Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg, 47-2) came back from a stunning quarterfinal defeat to Oleksandr (Sasha) Havrylkiv (34-4) to defeat the Buffalo Grove freshman in the third place match.

The next stop for Hayes will be to the University of Virginia where he will take with him a trio of third-place state medals, and over 170 career victories, while Havrylkiv, a three-time youth National Champion in the Ukraine, brings home the first ever state medal for the Buffalo Grove program.

Aidan McClure (Marmion Academy, 29-10) defeated Colin Abordo (41-14) of Huntley in the fifth place match.

120- Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East)

At or near the top in the national rankings in a handful of polls, Dom Munaretto is unquestionably the No. 1 man in the state at 120 pounds.

The St. Charles East junior dismantled four rivals over the three days in Champaign, en route to his second state championship in three years to add yet another big prize to an ever-growing trophy case.

The two-time freestyle world champion registered his seventh major title of the season following his 19-3 tech-fall at 4:19 over Schaumburg’s No. 2 Brady Phelps, who ended a superb career as a four-time state medal winner.

Munaretto hit the ground running on Thursday afternoon with the first of four tech-fall victories, thanks in part to his tenacity, speed, flair, and a lethal finishing quality that led to his 25 take-downs, while conceding not nary a single takedown in his four bouts here.

“I’ve matured so much from last year, both mentally and as a wrestler, and this year there’s no doubt in my mind at all,” said Munaretto, who admitted to having a slight hint of doubt before his 4-2 loss to Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy) in the 113-pound state final last season.

“I’m also bigger and stronger from last year, and my approach before each match is so much better as well,” Munaretto said. “It has allowed me to take control of my opponents early on, and dictate the match.”

Saints coach Jason Potter has seen Munaretto evolve since last season.

“Dom is a terrific young man, an amazing wrestler and competitor, and there is no doubt that his game has gone to another level, much of that due to how he has matured as a person and wrestler,” Potter said.

The win over Phelps (42-5) gives Munaretto 154 victories in his career.

Chazz Robinson (41-6) the sophomore from Homewood-Flossmoor made his first visit to Champaign a successful one after his 8-5 sudden victory over Jackson Olson  (Hononegah, 44-11) gave him a third place medal.

Jamiel Castleberry (Oak Park-River Forest, 31-7) who placed fourth a year ago at 106 while at Proviso East, beat Andrew junior Nadeem Haleem (37-10) in the fifth place match.

126- Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy)

One year after stunning the wrestling world with his 4-2 decision over then-No. 1 Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) to win his first state championship, Marmion’s Nicholas Garcia found himself as the one that all of his rivals were chasing this season.

Garcia brushed aside three of his opponents to reach the final, dashing the hopes of all who had hoped to upset the top rated junior, before recording an impressive 14-1 major decision over Michael Esteban (Marist, 35-8) to claim his second straight state crown, and 24th in the Cadets’ program history.

“I felt from the very start of the season (if) I stayed healthy, worked hard, and kept my training and fitness at a high level that I could win another state title,” said Garcia, now 25-1 after his 126-pound triumph.

“Michael and I had a real tough final at the Hinsdale Central sectional last weekend, in a match that I felt I could have wrestled a little differently,” Garcia said of his 2-1 tie-breaker victory.

“I knew I had to get to my offense much more than I did last week. That was the game plan, and I feel like I set the tone right away with my take-down in the first period,” continued Garcia, who was fourth here in 2023.

“I wasn’t going to give (Esteban) much of anything if I could help it. I got to the waist right away, and just never allowed him to find any rhythm.”

It became 7-0 midway through the second period, with Garcia nearly pinning the Marist star, who is now twice a state runner-up to go with a sixth-place finish here in 2022.

Garcia was relentless in his quest to put more points on the scoreboard, and eventually built an 11-0 advantage in the second period.

“When I wrestle the way I did this weekend, and especially in the final, I feel like I can beat anyone,” opined Garcia. “This was a great weight class, with a bunch of state placers, and a lot of state qualifiers, so it took a real solid effort all weekend to come out with a state title.”

No. 4 Jason Hampton (Joliet Catholic Academy, 42-12) is now a three-time state medal winner after his 11-7 victory over Grant junior Vince Jasinski (Grant 46-8) in the third place bout.

Jasinski was marvelous all season long for the regional and league champion Bulldogs, breaking a program record originally set by the three-time state champion Lee Munster for number of pins on the season with 34.

And what a terrific four-year career for Kalani Khiev (Glenbard North, 45-5), fifth overall, giving him his second state medal in four appearances. Plainfield North junior Aidan Durell (36-14) placed sixth.

132- Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah)

One year ago it was a classic No. 1 versus No. 2 in back-to-back weekends when No. 1 Caleb Noble (Warren) defeated No. 2 Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) 7-4 in a sectional final, followed by another tense six-minute affair that ended 6-5 in favor of Noble in the 106-pound state final seven days later.

Fast forward one year, and the move from 126 pounds by Cassioppi added some extra muscle to make an already top-heavy 132-pound bracket that much more impressive.

Demetrios Carrera (Marmion Academy, 46-7) and Illinois-bound George Marinopoulos (Marist, 39-7) had a stranglehold of the top two spots in this weight class all year long.

However, after Cassioppi dashed the hopes of Carrera in his quarterfinal match, then recorded a tech-fall victory over Griff Powell (Lyons Township, 35-7), it was then up to 

Marinopoulos to get past Justin Williamson (Mt. Carmel) to set the stage in the state final.

Once there, Cassioppi carried a 5-0 advantage deep into the third period before holding off a fierce fight-back from Marinopoulos to ensure a 5-4 victory and his state title.

“We did not have too much of a game plan going into the final,” began Hononegah head coach, Tyler DeMoss, himself a two-time state runner up for his alma mater.

“Just wrestle hard and get into as many positions that (Rocco) likes to wrestle in. He does best when there’s a lot of action, and he doesn’t let his opponents slow him down.”

This state title is the 10th in program history, two of which coming from Cassioppi’s All-American brother Tony (2017, 2018) at 285 pounds.

It’s also an eighth seventh state title for the Cassioppi family; sister Rose won in 2022, and sister Angelina won her fourth state title at this year’s girls state tournament in Bloomington.

“You are wrestling for yourself, but you’re also wrestling for your wrestling family here at Hononegah. It’s a pride thing,” said Cassioppi.

The lone two losses on the season for Cassioppi (47-2) came to out-of-state opponents.

“Rocco has improved a lot this season on and off the mat,” DeMoss said. “He had a tough time at 126 at the Ironman, but has made technical adjustments, and learned how to take better care of his body after weighing in.

“Using what he learned, he’s been able to have better performances on a more consistent basis.”

Carrera finished third overall following his defeat of Elijah Garza (Hersey, 42-11) with Williamson fifth after edging Powell, 5-4.

138 – Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel)

If you took a blank canvas and tried to design the perfect wrestler, and then had it custom built, it might be Mount Carmel senior Seth Mendoza.

Mendoza is a high-spec wrestler who comes equipped with all the trimmings. You’d be hard-pressed to find another one like him.

With his phenomenal work rate, boundless energy, technical and tactical genius, Mendoza burst out of the blocks late Thursday afternoon and never looked back.

The Missouri-bound Mendoza received a well-deserved standing ovation following his technical fall victory over four-time state medalist Thomas Silva (Hononegah, 41-4), which gave Mendoza his fourth-consecutive state championship.

“There was always talk about me winning four state titles, but it was just talk because you have to win your first to maybe get four,” Mendoza said. “So the focus for me was always what is in front of me.”

Mendoza became only the 15th wrestler in IHSA history to be a four-time champ.

One goal that Mendoza nearly reached was claiming tech-fall victories in all of his matches here in Champaign during his four-year career, which he came close to reaching. He did so in 15-of-16 state finals matches across the four weight classes (106, 113, 126, 138) he competed in.

“(Mendoza) always stayed in the moment,” Mount Carmel coach Alex Tsirtsis said. “He made sure to stay balanced and grounded, always getting better with each day. By doing so, he took all the pressure off that may come his way by being in the constant spotlight down here.”

Despite his undivided attention to the sport of wrestling, Mendoza still finds time to partake in several other hobbies and activities to keep his mind and body fresh.

Mendoza (36-1) is a licensed pilot, does wood burning, hunts, and is planning on running in the Boston Marathon this April.

Hononegah’s Silva is now a three-time state runner-up, with a 1A state title at 126 pounds on his resume while wrestling at Dakota

Erik Rodriguez (Grant, 50-7) capped a magnificent junior campaign with his 50th win to help the Bulldogs star claim a third place state trophy following his defeat of Oak Park and River Forest senior Joseph Knackstedt (35-5) who is off to Cornell University to wrestle.

Ryan Ritchie (Edwardsville, 36-10) finished fifth and Drew Fifield (Fremd, 36-7) was sixth overall in his first state appearance. It would be a thrilling come-from-behind 12-11 victory by Fifield in his wrestle-back quarterfinal that would ensure his state medal.

144- Evan Gosz (Fremd)

If Evan Gosz had wings, he would have been flying high into the rafters of the State Farm Center after his 144-pound final.

The Fremd Vikings senior created the first of two earthquake-like tremors throughout the stadium when he put his good friend, and workout partner Zach Stewart of Marmion to his back 72 seconds into the second period, winning by fall to win the title.

The roar of the crowd might have been heard back in Palatine on the campus of Fremd. Gosz (47-2) had a look of disbelief on his face when he had his hand raised as state champion.

“It felt like a fever dream. It didn’t seem real to me at that point,” said Gosz, on his way to wrestle at Michigan State University in the fall.

Gosz won his first state title and fourth state medal during a brilliant career for Fremd head coach Jeff Keske.

“We’ve all come to believe that Evan is capable of anything,” Keske said. “He is an incredible athlete with a great work ethic. And he found a way to move on through and all-star weight class this weekend.”

“Zach and I know each other so well,” said Gosz, who placed second last year and third twice. “There are no secrets with the way we wrestle. To be honest, I was really nervous before the final, and pretty much before all of my matches down here.

“I’m not sure why that was, but when the whistle went off the nerves kind of went away and didn’t affect me at all. I felt good right from the start against Zach, and when I got that escape at the start of the second period to go up 1-0, and even better when I defended that single from Zach.”

At three minutes, the stadium exploded when Gosz put Stewart to his back.

“Zach is just an incredible athlete and wrestler, so there was no way I was going to let up to give him any kind of chance. So I just tightened things up on him.”

When Stewart moved up from 138 pounds before the postseason, it meant there were no less than five state medal winners in the bracket, including No. 2 Donavon Allen (Marist, 31-8), whom Gosz beat 4-3 in his quarterfinal before defeating No. 4 Ryan Hinger (Sandburg, 44-5) in the semifinals.

Prior to heading downstate, Gosz visited Vikings athletic director Hamid Mehreioskouei and noticed framed pictures of state swimming champion Katie Kuehn, and state singles tennis champ, Andrew Spurck proudly displayed on the office walls, with an empty frame alongside.

“Evan asked what that frame was for, and I told him it was reserved for him,” laughed Mehreioskouei, who stayed Friday and Saturday to watch the newest Fremd state champion deliver the sixth state title in program history, and first since Robert Panayi did so in 2005.

Gosz continued a streak of four straight state champions from the MSL after Jaxson Penovich (Prospect) did so a year ago, after back-to-back state titles from Ethan Stiles from Conant.

Hinger finished third, with Allen fourth, and three-time state placer Max Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey, 45-9) fifth and Brayden Swanson (Oswego 42-11) sixth.

150- Carson Weber (Joliet West)

No. 1 Justin Wardlow (Lockport, 45-4) appeared poised to erase the heart-break of finishing second here in two straight seasons as the Lockport junior rolled through the postseason, while defeating his closest rival Carson Weber in the final at the Joliet Central sectional.

Weber (44-6) who outscored his opponents during the state series 85-20 shut out his first two opponents here, before advancing into the final after a hard fought 7-3 match with Ashton Hobson (30-6) from Marmion Academy.

Wardlow, 83-20 in his first two seasons with Lockport, looked unstoppable during his two tech-falls victories, and then posted a solid effort in his 7-1 semifinal victory over Nolan Vogel of Joliet Catholic.

“There was a lot of emphasis put on Carson to just wrestle his match, forcing positions we wanted to be in,” said Joliet West head coach Awais Arain.

“We did not implement a game plan that limited him offensively, yet still allowed him to maintain good positioning, and ensure he neutralized (Wardlow) defensively. What we did want to do was force the tie-ups, win the hand fights, hang heavy on his head, push the pace with forward pressure, and crowd him for the entire six minutes.”

Mission accomplished.

“I knew it would be a tight match, but I did not expect a 1-0 match,” admitted Weber, who was third a year ago at 144 with a sparkling 44-2 record.

“I lost to Justin twice during the last two weeks, but I learned some things from both matches, and I felt like I stayed with what we wanted to do, while staying away from his ‘blast double’ which is his best move.”

“Eliminating the threat of Jordan’s ‘blast double’ by not being a sitting target like we were in the sectional final was huge for Carson,” Arain said. “So with him constantly circling, and refusing him to ‘time-up’ his shot was the difference.

Weber recorded 21 tech-falls on the season, ten pins, and a bonus percentage rate of 80% on the campaign.

The 1970’s produced eight of the nine state champions at Joliet West, with Weber delivering No. 10 for the program.

“Wrestling in Joliet is on the rise,” proclaimed Weber, after watching Joliet Central’s Charles Walker’s stunning win at 215. “The sport is growing once again, so hopefully next season there will be a few more state place winners from our area.”

Arain saw Weber take a few strides this season.

“Carson continued to grow, develop and evolve as a wrestler,” Arain said. “But the most notable improvement this season was his mental toughness and mental fortitude.”

Hobson finished third ahead of Yorkville sophomore Val Rosauer (45-10), with Vogel taking fifth place honors over Schaumburg senior Callen Kirchner.

157- Liam Kelly (Mt. Carmel)

As it happens all too often, the make-up of many sectional weight division brackets set up a handful of finals that are a rematch of a sectional final from the week before.

Such was the case on Saturday night when Liam Kelly faced West Aurora senior Dominic Serio for the 157-pound crown, allowing Kelly to avenge his 7-3 loss to Serio in the Hinsdale Central sectional final.

To get into the Grand March, Kelly, a junior from Mount Carmel needed to send off  No. 1 Jack Ferguson in his semifinal, which he did in extra time with a 2-1 tie-breaker triumph.

Serio had his hands full with the sensational sophomore from Huntley, Radic Dvorak (45-5) who is sure to be a name to watch during his next two seasons.

Serio (36-5) dispatched Dvorak with a pin at 5:26. That meant the Nos. 1 and 2 men at 157, who finished that way at the Dvorak tournament in late December were forced to make their stand in wrestle-backs.

“I lost to Serio last week at Hinsdale (Central),” Kelly said. “I learned some things from that final that I looked for, and was real sure that I did not want to lose to him twice in two weeks.”

Kelly defended with all of his might in the first period with Serio going after the all-important first take-down. Kelly earned an early escape at the start of the second period before Serio grabbed a 3-1 advantage with a take-down at 2 1/2 minutes.

Stout defense was the key to Kelly staying within two points until a late escape cut Serio’s lead to 3-2 when the period came to an end.

Kelly went on to win the match 4-3.

“I was hoping for a rematch because that loss stayed with me all week leading up to our trip downstate,” admitted Kelly. “During the week, we worked on staying in good position, being composed, and not coming out of my stance.”

The Kelly (34-5) title, along with Mendoza’s crown, gives the Caravan its 45th state title in program history. Add two other state medals earned from teammates Sebastian Gracia (106) and Justin Williamson at 132, and the program’s medal count is now a robust 140.

“(Liam) has come a long way in 365 days, so to see him make adjustments, and get himself so much better after a terrible time here a year ago, is something we are all proud of,” Caravan coach Alex Tsirtsis said.

“I always felt like I was the best in the state at my weight, but having the support of my coaches, teammates, coaching staff, parents and my brother Colin (two-time state champion) proved to be a big difference for me,” said Kelly.

Serio, along with his junior brother Dayne, who earned a sixth place state medal at 165, brought the state medal count to eight for West Aurora.

Jack Ferguson (Yorkville, 51-3) finished third, Dvorak was fourth, with Jaedon Calderon (Lockport, 36-15) fifth after his 7-1 decision over Jovan Vukajlovic (30-9) from Homewood-Flossmoor, who was fifth a year ago in Florida at their state tournament.

165- Will Denny (Marist)

Nationally-ranked and the No. 1 man here in Illinois, Will Denny, did it again.

The sensational senior from Marist captured his second consecutive state title, this one to go along with his 150-pound title from a year ago. That gave the North Carolina State-bound Denny three top-four state medals during a superb four-year run for the RedHawks.

“It’s a real blessing to win another title,” Denny said. “This one is ten times better than last year, so I am going to take plenty of time to enjoy it.” 

Denny improved to 42-1 on the season with the win.

“I am very fortunate to be in a great room every day, and to have great partners like (Tommy) Fidler, (Ethan) Sonne, and Ricky Ericksen, who got himself a well-deserved state championship this weekend,” Denny said. “(And) to have a coaching staff at Marist that is second to none is a big reason for my success, and the success of the rest of my teammates.”

Denny finished fourth as a sophomore, one year after advancing downstate for the first time in his rookie season. His lone defeat this year came in the Ironman finals to Kody Routledge (Oklahoma), who is also nationally-ranked.

Denny would tech-fall his way into his final against Hononegah sophomore Brody Sendele (18-2) who missed over a month with a knee injury.

“Brody is an amazing wrestler, but unfortunately that knee injury of his is going to require ACL surgery, which made him less than 100% for our final, but still very competitive despite it all,” said Denny, who recorded his fourth tech-fall of the weekend at 3:24 with a lead of 20-5.

Marist coach Brendan Heffernan wasn’t surprised by Denny’s performance.

“There’s a reason that Will won here for the second time,” Heffernan said. “It’s all incredible hard work, in and out of the room, and during the offseason. His dedication to excellence, and work ethic are just as important. He’s just a terrific young man.”

Joliet Catholic junior Luke Hamiti (26-8) was third after his win over Indiana University-bound Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles East, 45-8) with Warren junior Royce Lopez (32-8) fifth over Dayne Serio (West Aurora, 48-5)

175- Aaron Stewart (Warren)

What a memorable first two months of the 2024-2025 season it has been for Aaron Stewart.

The Warren junior claimed his second-consecutive state title in Champaign at 175 pounds, giving the No. 1 rated Steward three medals in as many years.

In addition, Stewart (43-2), after taking home his third straight league, regional and sectional titles, formally announced he will attend the University of Illinois in the fall of 2026 where he will play football and wrestle under head coach Mike Poeta.

“Being a two-sport person in college is something that I’ve been thinking about doing for quite some time,” said Stewart following his hard-fought 5-2 decision over Homewood-Flossmoor senior RJ Robinson (40-7). Robinson was a state champion and a three-time state medal winner in Arizona before making his move to the Midwest.

Stewart struck early on in the finals with a take-down, building a 5-1 advantage after four  minutes, and then kept Robinson under wraps until the whistle ended this six-minute contest.

Stewart, who rises early to begin a rigorous training schedule, says the biggest difference for him since a year ago is his confidence, something that made him believe he would conquer the field in Champaign on his way to the top of the podium.

On the football side of things, Stewart ran for nearly 1650 yards as a sophomore, with 20 touchdowns, before earning IHSA All-State honors this fall after an astounding 2465 yards on the ground, and 34 touchdowns.

“It will be a challenge to be both a football player and wrestler when I get to Illinois, but I’ve developed good habits with my academics and with my training, so I feel I’ll be ready for anything that comes my way.

A quartet of terrific seniors dominated the proceedings in this very talented weight class, beginning with Connor Diemel (Hononegah, 44-7). Diemel won his first state medal with a third place finish, followed by three-time state medalist Luke Zook (Yorkville, 48-5) who will play football in the fall at Lindenwood University (Missouri) as a defensive back.

Fabian Ramirez (Elgin, 29-4) gave the Maroons their 19th state medal in program history with a fifth-place finish over Henry Rydwelski (46-6) from Naperville Central.

190- Ricky Ericksen (Marist)

Ricky Ericksen gave Marist its second state title of the night when he defeated Nico Ronchetti of Joliet Catholic Academy in a hard-fought contest between the top two guys in the state at this weight class

These two stayed exclusively at the edge in a chess-like first period of play, with Ericksen (37-7) being hit with a warning for stalling with 25 seconds remaining.

Ericksen and Ronchetti (38-7) traded escapes as each started down in the second and third periods. Ericksen got hold of a leg and then finished his late shot to register a 4-1 victory.

“It was kind of the way I figured this would go with Ronchetti,” Ericksen said. “It was a real intense, physical, and defensive match. I knew it would likely come down to one shot being the difference, and finishing that shot made me a state champion.” 

Ericksen will wrestle in the fall at Ohio University.

“I was able to beat Nico earlier (7-3) in the season, but here with a lot more on the line, I knew I had to be ready to go hard for six minutes, wrestle smart, and make sure I would be a hundred perfect with my shot.”

Ericksen was runner-up to Colin Kelly (Mt. Carmel, University of Illinois) a year ago at 175 pounds. He opened this year’s tournament with a tech-fall at 1:40, before pinning his way into the Grand March. Ronchetti is now a three-time state medal winner.

“It was a terrible feeling to finish second last year,” Ericksen said. “I never wanted to feel like that again. Winning this state championship is the best.”

Marist coach Brendan Heffernan applauded his senior.

“Ricky is a true team leader, someone you can rely on every day,” Heffernan said. “This year, he is so much more comfortable out there. It showed with the terrific performance he turned in to win a state championship.”

Another impressive group of seniors took home the next four state medals, beginning with Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville, 38-7) now a two-time state medalist after his win over Kurt Smith (46-6), one of just a few seniors on the starting lineup at state power Hononegah.

Zach Kruse (Hinsdale Central, 44-7) who will play football in the fall at UW-Platteville was fifth overall, just ahead of junior Simon Schulte (34-14) from Edwardsville.

215- Charles Walker (Joliet Central)

Charles Walker caused a lot of problems for a lot of his opponents this season, and to the structural balance of the State Farm Center when he caused a seismic shift twice within a matter of seconds after his stunning state final victory.

Walker sent the big crowd into orbit when he roared back from a 4-0 third period deficit to bag a pair of late take-downs en route to a thrilling 7-5 triumph over No. 1 defending state champion Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy).

The Joliet Central star shook the building one more time when he raced to his corner after the final whistle to an awaiting coach Patrick McGovern and proceeded to body slam his head coach, much to the delight of the big crowd which roared its approval in favor of the newest 215-pound state champ.

“In the third period, (Walker) has just been an absolute machine,” McGovern said. “Charles was down in the West Allis (Wisconsin) final before getting a take-down and a fall in third to beat a top ranked guy from Wisconsin in his semifinal before going on to win the tournament.

“(Same) thing in the final at Granite City, taking down 2A state runner-up Jaxson Mathenia twice within one minute to win 7-6.”

Walker (50-2, 23 pins) showed his mettle during the postseason to help state his intent, with four straight come-from-behind victories, including an incredible quarterfinal fight-back when he was forced to chase Caleb Baczek’s (Libertyville) 10-1 advantage.

“He got six quick points, and a fall before the start of the third period (vs. Baczek) to stay alive before more heroics against Calcutt (37-1) later on in the final,” said McGovern.

“We saw some things in my first match with Kai that I had a couple of chances to score, but didn’t go for them,” admitted Walker, who lost in the blood round a year ago to 2023 state champion Ben Alvarez from Yorkville.

“I didn’t give up in my final with Calcutt, but my focus was to stay far away from him, because his great footwork allows him to score like crazy.

“I felt great heading into the third period, and after I got the first take-down, I knew another one was coming if I kept my pace up and continued to attack.”

Walker’s state title is the first for the Steelmen since 1998 (Joe Herron) and 30th in program history.

“Charles’ state title is a triumph for anyone who has ever worn the Steelmen uniform,” McGovern said. “It’s huge for our community, and it has brought the community together for a celebration, and we owe it all to Charles Walker.”

Walker, who will major in either Engineering or Physics, has his eye on Michigan and  Missouri, among others.

Lincoln-Way West senior Nate Elstner (45-6) finished third ahead of Roman Janek (37-6) from Edwardsville, while Evan Jocic (Taft, 37-5) was fifth after his 11-6 win over Asher Sheldon (32-8) of Batavia, who will wrestle in the fall at UW-LaCrosse.

Jocic’s was the second state medal earned for Taft.

285- Jonathan Rulo (Belleville East)

In the always unpredictable world of the heavyweight division, Jonathan Rulo was anything but.

The Belleville East junior was the No. 1 man from the very beginning of the season, and he took care of four rivals who were looking to unseat the top man in the state over three days in Champaign.

Rulo’s final test came against No. 2 William Cole (50-4) from Round Lake, who beat his league rival Abisai Hernandez (Mundelein) for the second consecutive week to advance to the final against Rulo.

Once there, Rulo was off to a flying start. He recorded a takedown and then near fall in the first 23 seconds en route to a 7-2 victory, giving the Lancers their first state title in program history.

“I just love to compete, and both football and wrestling offer the challenges that come with both sports,” said Rulo following his 35th win on the season.

Rulo, who was runner-up in his rookie season with a 36-1 record, followed that with a third place finish a year ago at 34-2.

“The thing that sets Jonathan apart is his mental approach,” Belleville East coach Rashad Riley said. “He’s worked very hard to prepare himself for this season. Finding guys to test him this season has been difficult, even with our trips north to the Chicago area.”

The Belleville coach was a three-time state qualifier (2002-2004) for Conant High School, capping a marvelous career with a third place finish at state at 125 pounds with a 43-5 record.

“(Jonathan) was sitting close to 350 pounds when COVID hit us all,” Riley said. “His fitness was terrible, but it’s amazing how far he has come since then, and how much work he has put in to get where he is right now.”

Rulo appreciates the journey.

“There’s always more work to do, and this sport has helped me grow as a person, and helped make me an even better football player also,” he said. Rulo has his eyes on playing on either side of the line at a D-1 college.

Perhaps a sign of things to come, Rulo won a Folkstyle, Freestyle and Greco national title during the offseason.

“Jonathan is an outstanding wrestler, but he has become an even better person,” Riley said.

William Cole enjoyed an extraordinary career at Round Lake, especially during these last two seasons, in which he went 95-7, grabbed a fourth place finish a year ago, and won just the 10th state medal in program history.

“I had a great run at Round Lake, I came up a little short against Jonathan, but he’s a great wrestler, and a really good guy,” Cole said. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.” 

Marmion Academy senior Mateusz Nycz (45-6) claimed third-place honors following his 11-3 victory over two-time state medalist Tyler Fortis (39-4) of Maine South.

Nycz will play football in the fall at Dartmouth, while Fortis is headed to Eastern Illinois to play football.

Senior Owen Jakubczak (Fremd, 36-9) was fifth overall, with Abisai Hernandez (41-9) taking home his second straight sixth-place medal and 23rd medal in Mundelein program history.

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

BLOOMINGTON — The four semifinalists at this year’s IHSA 2A Dual Team state tournament had won a combined 27 IHSA team state titles. Montini had won 16 state crowns, Washington had won six, and Mahomet-Seymour had five.

The fourth team just joined the party.

IC Catholic Prep won the program’s first team title in Bloomington on Saturday, topping Montini and Washington to cap a history-making season. It was also the program’s first state finals trophy of any kind.

“We’re hoping it’s the start of a dynasty,” IC Catholic senior and individual state champion Deven Casey said. “I see our program as a place where we just want to win, and we want people to think of us as a place where winners want to be.”

Program superiority comes and goes in Illinois. Programs can have a long downstate run and then just as quickly, that dominance fades. With only two seniors departing from this year’s team, IC Catholic seemingly has the pieces in place to embark on a recurring run to the team state finals.

But whatever the future holds, in the moments just after IC Catholic’s 46-17 win over Washington, Knights coach Danny Alcocer stood firmly in the present moment.

“I’m just really proud of these guys right now,” Alcocer said. “They came together and they wrestled a great tournament.

“It’s definitely satisfying. It’s what we’ve worked for. It’s what the goal was at the beginning of the year, was to get down here and win the team state trophy. Our guys put in the work and they got it, so I’m happy for them.”

After winning its state quarterfinal dual 47-22 over Geneseo, IC Catholic had a familiar foe standing in its way in Saturday’s semifinal round — Montini Catholic (26-4). Montini coach Mike Bukovsky’s boys won 37-26 over IC Catholic in a dual on Dec. 31, and Montini also beat IC in a sectional dual to end the Knights’ season last year.

Saturday’s semifinal did not disappoint.

The two teams split 7-7 in matches won, and Montini led 27-26 with one match left to wrestle: IC’s Jacob Alvarez and Montini’s Isaac Mayora at 138 pounds. A scoreless first period gave way to a 1-0 Alvarez lead on an escape to start the second period. Alvarez put another three points on the board in the third and rode Mayora out for the 4-0 win that put his team in the state title dual.

That’s one big, pressure-packed moment for a freshman to handle, in what to that point was his team’s biggest dual of the season.

“I didn’t really think much about it. I went in just thinking it was another match,” Alvarez said. “There’s a lot of pressure there, but you just can’t think about it. Besides, pressure is a privilege. It’s all a part of the process and it’s a rule in our program to never panic.

“It was really a big goal, to beat Montini. They’ve beaten us every time we’ve wrestled them so that was just a big one for us.”

Veteran coach Bukovsky has seen it all downstate and knows what’s needed to win an evenly-fought downstate dual.

“We needed to find a way to get a couple bonus points and we thought we had some in a couple matches, but didn’t close them out,” he said. “And that’s what it’s all about down here.”

That set the stage for the state championship dual between IC (11-6) and Washington (21-4).
The Panthers started fast from the gate, getting tech fall wins from individual state champions Peyton Cox (150) and Wyatt Medlin (165), and a major decision win from Cruise Brolley (157), to grab a 14-0 lead.

Individual state champ Brody Kelly (175) stopped the bleeding for IC Catholic with a tech fall win, and teammate Isaac Barrientos (190) won a major decision to cut Washington’s lead to 14-10. Washington state champ Josh Hoffer (215) won a 7-2 decision over state third-place medalist Foley Calcagno to give Washington a 17-10 lead with eight matches left to wrestle.

Then came a run of momentum by IC Catholic that felt like an avalanche inside Grossinger Motors Arena: the Knights swept the final eight matches to run away with the state title. 

IC heavyweight and state fourth-placer Anthony Sebastian got a takedown in overtime to win a 4-1 decision over Sean Thornton, and at 106 state fourth-placer Dom Pasquale followed with a 7-3 decision over sixth-placer Symon Woods. 

Third-place medalist Sam Murante (113) won by fall to give IC its first lead at 22-17, and sixth-place Kannon Judycki (120) won a major decision to give the Knights their fourth straight win and a 26-17 lead with four matches left to wrestle. IC also had two state champions and a state runner-up yet to wrestle.

IC’s momentum run put Washington coach Nick Miller in the unenviable position to start bumping his lineup around.

“There were three matches we knew we had to have to stay competitive in it, and we made some changes to catch up once we fell behind,” Miller said. “We know they’re tough in their lower weights and that would be a battle for us.”

One of the marquee matches of the entire weekend took place next, when IC state champion Max Cumbee (126) and Washington’s 120-pound state champion Noah Woods squared off.

A 1-1 match after three periods gave way to a scoreless first overtime period, Cumbee escaped for a 2-1 lead in the second OT, and then rode Woods out for the win in the third overtime.

“He’s a tough kid and I knew it was going to be close,” Cumbee said. “I just had a better gas tank and I was able to ride him out. I put in a lot more hours than I did last year. More hours, more practices, and not a single day off. So it was a lot of work.”

Miller had different plans for the state champion Woods before the IC win-streak forced his hand.

“Our plan was to wrestle Woods at 120 against Judycki and wrestle (Logan) Makiney up against Cumbee,” Miller said. “But at that point we knew we had to take a chance and make up something. It’s tough when you’re playing behind and you have to adjust, but the boys fought hard and I’m proud of them. We knew it was a tough one and we had to be perfect and we just weren’t tonight.”

At that point, IC’s win was in the cards. Individual state champ Casey (132) and state runner-up Aidan Arnett (144) won by fall, and Alvarez won by tech fall at 138.

“We started kind of slow and that’s what we anticipated because they’re a really good team,” Alcocer said of Washington. “But then we got rolling. So we knew what we were in for but once the ball got rolling there, the momentum was real. Our lower weight guys really did a great job led by our senior captain (Casey). The lower weight guys really got it done for us. I’m proud of those guys.”

Casey and senior Nate Brown (165) will depart the program, and Alcocer is grateful for what they’ve done for IC Catholic wrestling.

“I can’t say enough about Deven Casey,” Alcocer said. “He’s a phenomenal leader and a phenomenal person. And Nate Brown is a football player who came in at about 175 or 180 pounds and we asked him to cut down and he did. That helped make all the difference and now he can go home as a state champion.”

Washington reached the state championship dual for an astounding ninth time in the last 11 years. Six team titles and three runner-up finishes spanned that time, and graduating senior state champion Cox fully expects the program to continue vying for the team title.

“I won’t be back next year, but we will,” Cox said. “I’ll be up in the stands with the parents next year to cheer everybody on.

“The standard is always to win and we have a tough schedule for a reason. And I can tell you that there is not a single person on our roster who is satisfied with (second place). So we’ll be back next year. I love each and every one of those guys. Some of them can make me real mad at times, and I know I can make some of them real mad too, but there’s nobody I’d rather win with or lose with than these guys.”

When the dual ended, wrestlers, coaches, and the IC Catholic faithful naturally went wild, celebrating the program’s first team state title.

Alcocer applauded his stable of talented, committed wrestlers, and wants it clear that he’s not the only cook in the IC kitchen.

“It’s really a ‘we’ mentality at IC Catholic,” he said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without our assistant coaches. It’s a phenomenal coaching staff. Assistant coach Tony Norton, Haley Augello is a former Olympian, Cory Stanley, Dave Baysinger, Randy Spaulding, Martin North — they all put in the time, energy and effort. 

“I’m proud of all of them and thankful to our administrators for allowing us to travel. We go to Ohio, we go to California, we wrestle a national schedule, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of our administration.”

THIRD-PLACE: MONTINI VS. MAHOMET-SEYMOUR

The third-place dual featured a pair of teams with coaches who have recently celebrated their 500th coaching wins; Mahomet-Seymour’s Rob Ledin won No. 500 last year, and Montini’s Mike Bukovsky won his 500th this season.

Montini won 50-24 over Mahomet-Seymour in the battle for third place, earning a 10-4 in matches won. It marked the third time Montini has placed third in Illinois, to go with its three second-place finishes and 16 state titles.

“A lot of our guys did a super job all year,” Bukovsky said. “We got hit by a few blows right around Christmas time and lost some kids, so we kind of lost some bodies at the wrong time while other teams gained a few bodies. But that is what it is.”

Bukovsky coached Montini to eight state titles before stepping down after the 2010 season. He returned as head coach mid-way through the 2022-23 season after a few down years for the program and has reignited the flame. The Broncos placed second in Illinois in his full-time return to coaching the program last year.

“I’m just glad we’re back where we need to be,” Bukovsky said. “Our guys are buying in again and there’s a lot of pride in the program and that’s where it needed to be. So I’m really happy about that.”

Mahomet-Seymour returned to the state’s Elite Eight for the fifth time in six seasons under Ledin, and placed third in 2022. One of the storied programs in Illinois, Mahomet-Seymour won five state titles in seven years for coach Marty Williams through the 1980s.

Prior to that, coach Bob Handlin led the program to two third-place finishes in 1980 and 1981. Current IWCOA president Rob Porter coached at his alma mater for 12 years, ending in 2001, leading the program to four third-place finishes (1991, ’94, ’97 and ’01). Tom Porter coached Mahomet-Seymour to a fourth-place finish in 2002.

This season had its share of adversity for the Bulldogs, but they persevered all the way to the IHSA Final Four.

“We are very ‘Bulldog Proud’ of our wrestlers this season,” said Ledin, in his 19th season as head coach at Mahomet-Seymour. “We put our best lineup on the mat at regionals and never looked back. Illness, injury, and a variety of other factors kept us from performing as a team at tournaments and duals but that didn’t stop our resolve to keep improving and knowing that we were capable of great things this season.

“We are young team and we look forward to continued improvement for our young wrestlers over the next few years. We’re also very thankful for a supportive wrestling community here in Mahomet.”

Joining the 500 Club in wins last year, Ledin is just grateful for the success that has come his way.

“I have been very fortunate to have many great memories and milestones over my career,” Ledin said. “I feel very fortunate to be part of Mahomet-Seymour’s tradition.”

Mahomet-Seymour (15-9) won 45-32 over Crystal Lake Central (22-6) in Friday’s quarterfinal round, while Montini (27-4) won 56-13 over Glenwood (19-7). 

Mahomet-Seymour topped Lincoln 45-19 at the Lincoln Sectional and Montini won 55-21 over Oak Forest at the Brother Rice Sectional. Glenwood won 49-22 in a sectional dual over Marion to advance downstate, while Crystal Lake Central won 43-19 over Wheeling.

The other two teams at this year’s Elite Eight were Geneseo and Brother Rice. Geneseo (16-3) advanced downstate in a 45-25 win over Sycamore at the Geneseo Sectional, and sectional host Brother Rice (16-7) won 60-12 over Riverside Brookfield.

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Class 2A Brother Rice Dual Team Sectional roundup

Montini looks for top honors after falling short last year

With a record 16 titles to its credit, there’s not been many times when Montini Catholic has finished second in the IHSA Finals, but it happened last year when Washington pulled off a 30-28 win over the Broncos in the Class 2A Finals to give them their third second-place finish.

The Broncos, coached by 2020 IWCOA Lifetime Service Award Recipient Mike Bukovsky, aren’t likely to forget that close call as they make a record 25th trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals after advancing from the Class 2A Brother Rice Sectional with a 55-21 victory over Oak Forest. 

Montini Catholic (25-3)  jumped out to a 21-3 advantage after the first five matches and coach Shawn Forst’s Bengals could get no closer than 12 points back after that as the Broncos earned their spot in Friday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals against Glenwood at Grossinger Motors Arena.

“We are excited as this is the 25th time a Montini Wrestling Team has earned a trip to the Dual Team State Finals”, said Bukovsky, who has 512 dual meet victories in his career.

Montini Catholic 55, Oak Forest 21

150 Will Konder (Montini Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

157 Austin Perez (Oak Forest) over Kevin May (Montini Catholic), Dec 11-5

165 Santino Tenuta (Montini Catholic) over Blake Bussie (Oak Forest), TF 24-3

175 AJ Tack (Montini Catholic) over Jason Janke (Oak Forest), Maj 11-3

190 Jaxon Lane (Montini Catholic) over Nathan Izguerra (Oak Forest), Fall 0:45

215 Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

285 Gavin Ericson-Staton (Montini Catholic) over Jose Montesino, (Oak Forest) Maj 10-0

106 Erik Klichurov (Montini Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

113 Allen Woo (Montini Catholic) over Jason Schickel (Oak Forest), Fall 2:18

120 Jacob Sebek (Oak Forest) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

126 Mikey Malizzio (Montini Catholic) over James Mair (Oak Forest), Fall 3:08

132 Bobby Ruscitti (Montini Catholic) over Hunter Kroll (Oak Forest), Fall 1:20

138 Dylan McBride (Oak Forest) over Myles Monis (Montini Catholic), Fall 5:20

144 Kam Luif (Montini Catholic) over Josh Schickel (Oak Forest), Fall 0:41

Brother Rice seeks another trophy after beating Riverside-Brookfield

Brother Rice made history last year after it won its first trophy at the IHSA Dual Team Finals when it finished in fourth place in Class 2A in its second appearance in the competition. 

Coach Jan Murzyn’s Crusaders would like to add to their trophy collection after qualifying for dual team state for the third year in a row after it defeated Riverside-Brookfield 60-12 at the Class 2A sectional that it hosted in Chicago.

The Crusaders (16-6) jumped out to a 15-0 lead after three matches and extended it to 33-6 midway through the meet to help them earn a spot in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals against defending Class 2A champion Washington at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Brother Rice 60, Riverside-Brookfield 12

150 Kyle Fehsel (Brother Rice) over Simeon Hector (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 3:46

157 Jack O’Connor (Brother Rice) over Ethan Rivas (Riverside-Brookfield), Dec 9-5

165 Frank Miceli (Brother Rice) over Max Strong (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 4:43

175 Nicholas O`Connor (Riverside-Brookfield) over John McGinnis (Brother Rice), Fall 3:06

190 Jimmy Crane (Brother Rice) over Matthew Elzy (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 2:28

215 Colin Goggin (Brother Rice) over Anthony Esposito (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 1:10

285 Charlie Stec (Brother Rice) over Joey Alberts (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 2:47

106 Steven Guzman (Riverside-Brookfield) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Dan Tait (Brother Rice) over Miles Russell-Barnes (Riverside-Brookfield), TF 15-0

120 Duane Connolly (Brother Rice) over Saul Muniz (Riverside-Brookfield), TF 16-1

126 Logan Conners (Brother Rice) over Jayden Tulian (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 2:32

132 Jimmy Lotito (Brother Rice) over Jacob Godoy (Riverside-Brookfield), Dec 5-4

138 Oliver Vavis (Brother Rice) over Tony Lombardo (Riverside-Brookfield), TF 20-4

144 Johnathon Harris (Brother Rice) over Ricky Gutierrez-Blanco (Riverside-Brookfield), Dec 7-1

Class 2A Geneseo Dual Team Sectional roundup

Geneseo hopes to send Murray off on a high note

Geneseo presented longtime coach and 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Murray a nice going away present as the Maple Leafs’ retiring head coach gets one more chance to lead his team in the IHSA Dual Team Finals after beating Sycamore 45-25 in the 2A sectional it hosted. 

Murray led the Maple Leafs to three-straight state appearances from 2013 to 2015 and took second place to Montini Catholic in both 2013 and 2014 and then the squad claimed another trophy in its last appearance in 2023, when they finished in fourth place.

The Maple Leafs (16-2) claimed wins in six of the first seven matches to build up a 36-6 lead midway through the meet and that helped them to earn a spot in Friday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals at the Class 2A Dual Team Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena where they meet IC Catholic Prep.

Geneseo 45, Sycamore 25

132 Tim Sebastian (Geneseo) over Tyler Lockhart (Sycamore), Dec 9-2

138 Devan Hornback (Geneseo) over Thomas Lind (Sycamore), TF 18-2

144 Jayden Dohogne (Sycamore) over Lincoln Barnett (Geneseo), Fall 0:22

150 Malaki Jackson (Geneseo) over Logan Sandfox (Sycamore), TF 17-2

157 Izaac Gaines (Geneseo) over Cole Kleiser (Sycamore), Fall 1:57

165 Grady Hull (Geneseo) over Douglas Gemberling (Sycamore), Fall 2:23

175 Zachary Montez (Geneseo) over Aiden Gemberling (Sycamore), Fall 0:56

190 Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo) over Hunter Hoerchler (Sycamore), TF 19-4

215 Cooper Bode (Sycamore) over Colten Mooney (Geneseo), Dec 3-2

285 Owen King (Geneseo) over Collin Hughes (Sycamore), Fall 4:43

106 Carson West (Sycamore) over Brycen Fahnestock (Geneseo), TF 18-2

113 Charlie Olson (Sycamore) over Elliott Kreiner (Geneseo), TF 17-1

120 Sawyer Davis (Sycamore) over Phoenix Heller (Geneseo), Fall 2:34

126 Landen Vincent (Geneseo) over Michael Olson (Sycamore), Dec 8-6

Washington seeks another title after beating Yorkville Christian

After Washington won a dramatic 30-28 championship over Montini Catholic in last year’s IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals to repeat as state champions, coach Nick Miller’s team would like to build toward another four-peat like they had from 2016 to 2019 under Bryan Medlin and Miller.

Yorkville Christian were hoping to get back to dual team state for the first time since 2023, when it fell 32-31 to Coal City for the Class 1A championship after defeating Tremont for the title in 2022 under coach Mike Vester, but the Mustangs will have to wait until next year after Washington rolled to a 52-15 victory over them at the Class 2A Geneseo Sectional.

The Panthers (20-3) won the first three matches to go up 11-0 but only led 20-12 midway through, but that’s when they won four in a row and six of the final seven to guarantee their spot in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals against Brother Rice at Bloomington’s Grossinger Motors Arena. 

Washington 52, Yorkville Christian 15

132 Cayden Park (Washington) over Ryan Alaimo (Yorkville Christian), Dec 16-13

138 Michael Mendoza (Washington) over Adrian Wadas-Luis (Yorkville Christian), Dec 17-12

144 Peyton Cox (Washington) over Owen Curran (Yorkville Christian), TF 15-0

150 Austin Wadas-Luis (Yorkville Christian) over Sebastian Howe (Washington), Fall 3:47

157 Wyatt Medlin (Washington) over Dominic Loomis (Yorkville Christian), Fall 0:26

165 Cruise Brolley (Washington) over Robby Nelson (Yorkville Christian), Dec 8-3

175 John Gray (Yorkville Christian) over Braden Brown (Washington), Fall 5:08

190 Wyatt Leman (Washington) over Jackson Allen (Yorkville Christian), Maj 12-4

215 Josh Hoffer (Washington) over Hayden Wheeler (Yorkville Christian), Fall 0:32

285 Sean Thornton (Washington) over Xander Oliver (Yorkville Christian), Fall 3:04

106 Symon Woods (Washington) over Ryan Festerling, Jr. (Yorkville Christian), TF 17-2

113 Christian Sandoval (Yorkville Christian) over Micah Jackson (Washington), Dec 11-8

120 Logan Makiney (Washington) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 6.0 0

126 Noah Woods (Washington) over Nico Harris (Yorkville Christian), TF 17-2

Class 2A Lincoln Dual Team Sectional roundup

Mahomet-Seymour beats Lincoln to make another state trip

Mahomet-Seymour hopes that 2025 turns out to be just as memorable as 2022 was for the program since that’s the last time that it claimed a trophy at the IHSA Dual Team Finals when it took third place in Class 2A after falling in the semifinals to eventual runner-up Deerfield.

It’s been a good run lately for the Bulldogs, who qualified for their fifth-straight IHSA Dual Team  Finals appearance when they claimed a 45-19 victory over the hosts in the 2A Lincoln Sectional. The program ranks third in trips to dual team state with 22, with two others in the 2025 field, Montini Catholic (25) and Vandalia (24) the only schools who’ve made more appearances.

The Bulldogs (14-7), who are coached by 2023 IWCOA Lifetime Service Award Recipient Rob Ledin, dropped the first match to the Railsplitters but then won seven in a row to build up a 32-3 advantage. They meet Crystal Lake Central in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals in Bloomington.

“This marks the 22nd time appearing in the Final 8 since the inception of the IHSA Dual Team State Series in the 1983-84 season.” said Ledin, who now has 520 dual meet victories. “This marks the fifth in a row for our Bulldogs: 2019-20, Final 8; COVID; 2021-22, 3rd; 2022-23, Final 8; 2023-24, Final 8; 2024-25, Final 8 – place TBD!” 

Mahomet-Seymour 45, Lincoln 19

157 Ryne Metelko (Lincoln) over Nino Caballero (Mahomet-Seymour), Dec 13-11

165 Alexander (AJ) Demos (Mahomet-Seymour) over Aiden Frye (Lincoln), Maj 17-5

175 Marco Casillas (Mahomet-Seymour) over Dawson McConnell (Lincoln), Dec 4-0

190 Brock VanDeveer (Mahomet-Seymour) over Soren Aukamp (Lincoln), TF 17-2

215 Noah Daniels (Mahomet-Seymour) over Caleb Zirklebach (Lincoln), Maj 10-0

285 Phil Daniels (Mahomet-Seymour) over Logan Wachendorf (Lincoln), Maj 9-0

106 Myles Hartzler (Mahomet-Seymour) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Gideon Hayter (Mahomet-Seymour) over Owen Thomas (Lincoln), Fall 2:48

120 Ayden Shaw (Lincoln) over Caleb Scott (Mahomet-Seymour), Fall 3:03

126 Cort Pentecost (Lincoln) over Liam Noonan (Mahomet-Seymour), TF 22-6

132 Karter Hild (Lincoln) over Niko Truax (Mahomet-Seymour), TF 22-7

138 Justus Vrona (Mahomet-Seymour) over Giovanni Sundeen (Lincoln), Fall 2:33

144 Colton McClure (Mahomet-Seymour) over Lakin Adams (Lincoln), Maj 17-4

150 Talon Decker (Mahomet-Seymour) over Cam Bell (Lincoln), Dec 12-9

Glenwood makes return trip to state after defeating Marion

Glenwood made history last season when it captured its first trophy at the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals and finished on a high note after beating Brother Rice 57-17 for third place. 

This is only the second time that the program has made consecutive trips to the dual team tournament, with the only other time that was done was in 2018 and 2019 when Jeremy Mosier took his last team to state and current coach Jerod Bruner led his first team to the IHSA Finals.

The Titans (19-6) assured themselves of their fifth appearance in the competition after winning 49-22 over Marion in the 2A Lincoln Sectional. Coach Darren Lindsey hoped to lead Marion to state for the first time, but the Titans had other ideas as they won six of the first eight matches to go up 31-6 to assure them of advancing to Friday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals against Montini Catholic.

Glenwood 49, Marion 22

157 Justin Murphy (Marion) over Jullian Rammelkamp (Glenwood), Dec 15-9

165 Maizon Milestone (Glenwood)) over Tate Miller (Marion), Fall 5:26

175 Brody Commean (Glenwood) over Grayson Sanders (Marion), Maj 17-6

190 Elijah Smith (Glenwood) over Evan Francis (Marion), Maj 8-0

215 Bryan Madinger (Marion) over Mason Streb (Glenwood), TB-1 2-1

285 Cody Moss (Glenwood) over Logan Black (Marion), Fall 1:00

106 Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Cooper Clarke (Glenwood) over Rigdon Meacham (Marion), TF 15-0

120 Riddick Cook (Marion) over Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood), Maj 18-8

126 Tyler Clarke (Glenwood) over Juelz Elliott (Marion), Fall 2:22

132 Max Wade (Marion) over AJ Williams (Glenwood), Fall 1:06

138 Drew Moffit (Glenwood) over Jaycen McBride (Marion), Fall 2:56

144 John Vallar (Glenwood) over Nate Page (Marion), DQ

150 Caden Frey (Marion) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

Class 3A Grant Dual Team Sectional roundup

Hersey rallies past Grant to get back to state

When Hersey qualified for the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals in 2023, there had been a gap of 26 years since the Huskies had advanced to state. While Hersey put up a good fight against Marmion Academy in its return to state, it lost 36-31 to the Cadets, who battled with St. Charles East for the title before falling 28-24.

Huskies’ coach Joe Rupslauk hopes that his team’s second state appearance turns out better and they can win the program’s first trophy since Tom Porter led Hersey to consecutive titles in 1971 and 1972 after rallying past host Grant 35-27 at its 3A dual meet sectional in Fox Lake.

Coach Mark Jolcover’s Bulldogs gave the Huskies (12-9) a run for their money, winning four of the first five matches to build an 18-3 lead and were up 27-18 with four matches left but Hersey won all four of them to secure a spot in Friday’s 7 p.m. 3A quarterfinals against Edwardsville.

Hersey 35, Grant 27

175 Connor Moga (Hersey) over Xavier Arroyo (Grant), Dec 7-4

190 Christian Wittkamp (Grant) over Jonathan Slump (Hersey), Fall 1:41

215 Casey Gipson (Grant) over Nick Larsen (Hersey), Fall 3:16

285 Ian Hernandez (Grant) over Harrison Lacaeyse (Hersey), TB-1 6-2

106 Andrew Ocampo (Grant) over TJ Emery (Hersey), Dec 14-8

113 Danny Lehman (Hersey) over Larry Quirk (Grant), TF 18-3

120 Anthony Orozco-Diaz (Hersey) over Breiydyn Hoffman (Grant), TF 21-5

126 Vince Jasinski (Grant) over Riddick Variano (Hersey), Dec 10-3

132 Elijah Garza (Hersey) over Sammy Mendez (Grant), TF 19-3

138 Erik Rodriguez (Grant) over Nolan Variano (Hersey), Fall 3:22

144 Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey) over Adrian Khi (Grant), Fall 3:42

150 Rodrigo Arceo (Hersey) over Nathan Flores (Grant), Dec 4-1

157 Frank Tagoe (Hersey) over Grayson Lennon (Grant), TF 19-4

165 Grant Moga (Hersey) over Aaden Arroyo (Grant), Dec 6-4

Hononegah holds off Barrington to advance again

Just as Hersey had to win its final four matches to rally past host Grant, Hononegah won its last four matches against Barrington in order to capture a 41-28 victory in the 3A Grant Sectional and advance to the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row.

Coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians (25-3) grabbed an early 17-6 advantage, but coach Dan Keller’s Broncos battled back to close to within 25-24 with four matches remaining. However, Hononegah was able to close out strong to claim victories  in each of the final four matches.

Last year, Hononegah lost 40-29 to St. Charles East in the quarterfinals. Competing in the Dual Team Finals in consecutive years for the first time since Marty Kaiser had four-straight qualifying teams from 2005 to 2008, the Indians hope to do what both the program accomplished for the third time in 2014, which was winning a trophy, although they’d like to finish higher than fourth. The Indians meet Mount Carmel in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals at Grossinger Motors Arena.

Hononegah 41, Barrington 24

175 Connor Diemel (Hononegah) over Samuel Cushman (Barrington), Fall 1:13

190 Kurt Smith (Hononegah) over Aaron Jafri (Barrington), TF 19-3

215 Clarence Jackson (Barrington) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

285 Ethan Ballard (Hononegah) over Adriel Arana (Barrington), Fall 3:38

106 Matthew Blanke (Barrington) over Kristian DeClercq (Hononegah), Dec 9-3

113 Kaleb Pratt (Barrington) over Isaiah Martinez (Hononegah), Fall 1:12

120 Ryan Dorn (Barrington) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

126 Jackson Olson (Hononegah) over Saul Rameriz (Barrington), Dec 15-10

132 Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) over Jimmy Whitaker (Barrington), TF 21-6

138 Brennan O`Donnell (Barrington) over Evan Musil (Hononegah), Dec 5-3

144 Thomas Silva (Hononegah) over Maddux Orozco (Barrington), TF 22-6

150 Max Aranki (Hononegah) over Tyler Habeck (Barrington), Dec 10-4

157 Max Haskins (Hononegah) over Daniel Blanke (Barrington), Dec 15-9

165 Brody Sendele (Hononegah) over Silas Oberholtzer (Barrington), TF 20-3

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Class 1A Oregon Dual Team Sectional

Oregon qualifies for state for first time since 2008

There was a 12-year span from 1997 to 2008 when Oregon went to the IHSA Dual Team Finals eight times and earned a trophy on each occasion, winning a Class A title in 1998 and taking second place on three occasions. However, that had been the last time it qualified for state.  

But on Tuesday at their own Blackhawk Center, the Hawks ended the long drought away from dual team state when they captured a 39-30 victory over Newman Central Catholic in the IHSA Class 1A Oregon Sectional to earn a spot in Friday’s quarterfinals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington where they meet Unity in a 7 p.m. dual meet.

While the score looks fairly close, Oregon won six of the first seven matches to build a 36-3 advantage midway through the meet. While the Comets won five in a row to pull to within 36-24, there were only three matches left and the hosts won the second of those to wrap things up for

coach Justin Lahman’s team and deny Newman Central Catholic, which is coached by Brian Bahrs, of getting back to state for the first time since 2011, when it took first place in 1A.

“We had a packed house with both Oregon and Newman fans filling the stands,” Lahman said. “We started at 113 which helped start the dual with some big pins early. The match that really set the tone was a comeback fall from Preston LaBay at 126. He was pinned by (Zhyler) Hansen at the individual sectional and was trailing going into the third period before he locked up a cradle late. That really got the crowd going along with three more quick falls to put us up 36-3 going into the better part of Newman’s lineup. 

“We had multiple guys save bonus points and then Briggs Sellers at 285 was able to clinch the dual. Our dual in season came down to Briggs needing a win to win the dual and he fell just short. For him to go out and get the win not only for himself but the team was just the perfect ending. We have a great group of wrestlers this year and are looking to get one more win Friday to guarantee themselves a team trophy this year! I can’t thank the staff we have enough for their time and commitment this year and it’s truly paying off!”

Oregon 39, Newman Central Catholic 30

113 Josiah Perez (Oregon) over Javen Reyes (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 3:55

120 Isaiah Perez (Oregon) over Kaylee Benyo (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 1:00

126 Preston LaBay (Oregon) over Zhyler Hansen (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 5:32

132 Landon Blanton (Newman Central Catholic) over Nelson Benesh (Oregon), Dec 4-1

138 Jackson Messenger (Oregon) over Jason Curtin (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 0:44

144 Levi Benton (Oregon) over Seamus McDonnell (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 0:42

150 Jayden Berry (Oregon) over Josiah Lewis (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 1:09

157 Briar Ivey (Newman Central Catholic) over Ethan Mowry (Oregon), Fall 1:47

165 Timothy Plote (Newman Central Catholic) over Leyton Kenney (Oregon), Maj 16-5

175 Daniel Kelly (Newman Central Catholic) over Andrew Young (Oregon), TF 19-3

190 Matthew Clemen (Newman Central Catholic) over Seth Rote (Oregon), Dec 10-9

215 Jacob Newberry (Newman Central Catholic) over Landen Elder (Oregon), SV-1 15-12

285 Briggs Sellers (Oregon) over Mathew Murray (Newman Central Catholic), Dec 8-4

106 Landon Near (Newman Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

Returning champion Marian Central Catholic rolls past Sandwich

Defending Class 1A champion Marian Central Catholic won the first nine matches and jumped out to a 43-0 lead as it qualified for the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row with a 66-6 victory over Sandwich at the 1A Oregon Sectional. It meets Murphysboro in Friday’s quarterfinals at 5 p.m.

The Hurricanes, who are co-coached by Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater, defeated 2023 Class 1A champion Coal City 34-27 in last year’s title meet to claim their first state championship. Marian Central Catholic, which only graduated four individuals from last year’s title team, could meet the Coalers again this weekend, but it would be in Saturday’s 9 a.m. semifinals.

This is the program’s fifth appearance at the dual team finals with the first three occurring between 2018 and 2020 in Class 2A, a three-year run of state trips under coach David Silva during which time they claimed their first state trophy in 2019, when they placed third.

Marian Central Catholic 66, Sandwich 6

113 Camden Spiniolas (Marian Central Catholic) over Lydia Cartwright (Sandwich), Dec 9-3

120 Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) over Leo Harbacek (Sandwich), Fall 0:56

126 Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) over Jakob Gruca (Sandwich), TF 19-1

132 Nick Marchese (Marian Central Catholic) over Colten Stone (Sandwich), TF 17-2

138 Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) over Jaxson Blanchard (Sandwich), Maj 14-5

144 Noah Cerny (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

150 Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) over Joshua Kotalik (Sandwich), TF 20-2

157 Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) over Josh Lehman (Sandwich), Dec 13-7

165 Nic Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Alton Spears (Sandwich), Fall 1:16

175 Kai Kern (Sandwich) over Luca Colatori (Marian Central Catholic), Fall 0:35

190 Dan French (Marian Central Catholic) over Kaden Clevenger (Sandwich), Fall 3:37

215 Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Devon Blanchard (Sandwich), Fall 2:23

285 Kaleb Eckman (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached). Forf

106 Diego Martinez (Marian Central Catholic) over Hunter Whitecotton (Sandwich), TF 22-5

Class 1A Unity Dual Team Sectional

Unity gets back to state with victory over PORTA

Unity returns to the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington for the second year in a row after it defeated PORTA 50-28 in its own sectional meet in Tolono. 

Coach Logan Patton’s Rockets won the first five matches to go up 27-0 and nine of the first 10 to wrap things up. They face Oregon in Friday’s quarterfinals at 7 p.m. at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. 

The Rockets fell 48-30 to Roxana in last year’s quarterfinals and hope that they can win their program’s fourth trophy and third under Patton, who led teams to third-place finishes in both 2020 and 2022. PORTA, which is coached by Jeff Hill, the state’s all-time leader in dual meet victories, was hoping to return to the dual team finals for the first time since 2014.

Unity 50, PORTA 28

132 Hunter Shike (Unity) over Ryan McCoy (PORTA), TF 15-0

138 Taylor Finley (Unity) over Hunter King (PORTA), TF 15-0

144 Kaden Inman (Unity) over Jaxen Feagans (PORTA), TF 19-3

150 Holden Brazelton (Unity) over Camdon Woodvine (PORTA), Fall 0:51

157 Keegan Germano (Unity) over Jamarion Thomas (PORTA), Fall 3:34

165 Justin Zimmerman (PORTA) over Josh Heath (Unity), Maj 13-4

175 Abram Davidson (Unity) over Drayden Mayfield (PORTA), Fall 0:27

190 Ryan Rink (Unity) over Dane Jianonni (PORTA), TF 16-1

215 Hunter Eastin (Unity) over Avery Hansen (PORTA), Fall 1:08

285 Chason Daly (Unity) over Jayden Minor (PORTA), Fall 2:48

106 Coyt Rademaker (PORTA) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Laikyn Scheland (PORTA) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

120 Kainin Fillbright (PORTA) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

126 Max King (PORTA) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

Olympia defeats Canton to earn spot at state finals

Olympia will be competing in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2017 for the tenth time in its history after defeating Canton 52-25 at the 1A Unity Sectional in Tolono. 

Coach Josh Collins’ Spartans trailed coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants 10-0 two matches in and were still down 22-18 midway through the meet before winning six of the final seven matches. Olympia faces Coal City in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals in Bloomington.

“We’ve got a young team that has been determined and dedicated all season,” Collins said. “One of our big goals was to qualify for team state and the kids put the work in to make that happen. 

“We’re up against a consistently dominant team in Coal City. Our wrestlers will have to be prepared to win some matches that we’re not supposed to win on paper to get past them. They’ve put the work in and they’re motivated and excited to have the opportunity.”

Olympia 52, Canton 25

132 Dyllan Steele (Canton) over Kenzer Burrell (Olympia), Fall 4:42

138 Jack Jochums (Canton) over Cooper Phillips (Olympia), Maj 17-7

144 Austin Kisner (Olympia) over Alex Carrier (Canton), Fall 5:11

150 Kaden Collins (Olympia) over Jireh Hedges (Canton), Fall 2:24

157 Kelton Graden (Olympia) over Grady Smith (Canton), Fall 0:47

165 Daniel Kees (Canton) over Kayden Thomas (Olympia), Fall 1:02

175 Gus Lidwell (Canton) over Isaac Warnock (Olympia), Fall 1:16

190 Zach Fry (Olympia) over Garrett Sego (Canton), Maj 15-7

215 Cohen Maness (Olympia) over Jude Hulvey (Canton), Fall 1:01

285 Connor Williams (Canton) over Darian Holloway (Olympia), Dec 8-3

106 Brandon Gaither (Olympia) over Dean Bruketta (Canton), Fall 3:18

113 Tucker Garey (Olympia) over Jaxsun Owens (Canton), Fall 2:41

120 Dylan Eimer (Olympia) over Ayden Stewart (Canton), Fall 1:34

126 Mateo Martinez (Olympia) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

Class 1A Vandalia Dual Team Sectional

Vandalia heads to state as favorite, beats Oakwood/ Salt Fork

Vandalia enters the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals as the slight favorite over defending state champion Marian Central Catholic and 2023 Class 1A title winner Coal City after rolling past Oakwood/ Salt Fork 63-12 in the sectional tournament that it hosted on Tuesday.

The Vandals, coached by 2025 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jason Clay, took fourth place last season in Class 1A and achieved the top ranking after defeating the Coalers and Hurricanes at ABE’s Rumble and then edging Coal City at the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament.

In the dual meet with coach Mike Glosser’s Comets, Oakwood/ Salt Fork won the first three matches to grab an early 12-0 advantage. However, Vandalia won the next 11 matches, which featured seven pins and three wins by technical fall as well as a forfeit victory. 

The program qualified for the dual team finals for the 24th time, which ranks second to Montini Catholic, with 25 trips, and it is looking to win its first title since 1996. The Vandals meet Chicago Hope Academy in Friday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Vandalia 63, Oakwood/ Salt Fork 12

132 Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) over Brody Matthews (Vandalia), Dec 5-4

138 Devin Ehler (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) over Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia), Dec 8-1

144 Pedro Rangel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) over Zayne Zinkgraf (Vandalia), Fall 3:27

150 Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Carter Chambliss (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), TF 17-1

157 Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) over Keagan Leclaire (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), TF 19-1

165 Parker Ray (Vandalia) over Blake Trimmel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 1:45

175 Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) over Tucker Pesek (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 3:01

190 Ross Miller (Vandalia) over Emmett Grimm (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 4:37

215 Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) over Brayden Norton (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 3:04

285 Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) over Kade Fleming (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 0:27

106 Aiden Evans (Vandalia) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Steven Uden (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 1:28

120 Preston Waughtel (Vandalia) over Weston Frazier (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 2:20

126 Tyson Waughtel (Vandalia) over Mason Swartz (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), TF 15-0

Murphysboro defeats Althoff Catholic to qualify for state

Murphysboro will be making its third appearance in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals and its first trip there since it claimed third place in 2016 after defeating Althoff Catholic 50-20 at the Vandalia Sectional. Althoff Catholic was looking to return to state for the first time since 2018.

Coach Shea Baker’s Red Devils lost the opener but then won the next six matches to claim a 29-6 advantage at the midway mark. After coach Emanuel Brooks’ Crusaders closed the gap to 33-20, Murphysboro won the last three matches to wrap up the victory.

Murphysboro advances to Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals against defending Class 1A champion Marian Central Catholic at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. 

Murphysboro 50, Althoff Catholic 20

132 Brenden Rayl (Althoff Catholic) over Jeret Edwards (Murphysboro), Fall 0:45

138 Aiston Holt (Murphysboro) over Robbie Schallert (Althoff Catholic), Dec 7-1

144 Lemar Treshansky (Murphysboro) over John Taylor (Althoff Catholic), Fall 0:44

150 Bryce Edwards (Murphysboro) over Ryan Hogue (Althoff Catholic), Fall 1:34

157 Sayvair Williams (Murphysboro) over Austin Wilkinson (Althoff Catholic), Dec 5-4

165 Maxon Stearns (Murphysboro) over Aidan Delisle (Althoff Catholic), Fall 0:37

175 Logan Tanner (Murphysboro) over Jakobi Tow (Althoff Catholic), TF 19-4

190 Stephen Ache (Althoff Catholic) over Nick Christopher (Murphysboro), Fall 4:57

215 Caybren Hubbard (Murphysboro) over Enrique Morales (Althoff Catholic), Maj 9-1

285 Jason Dowell (Althoff Catholic) over Julien Tanner (Murphysboro), Dec 4-0

106 Jacobi Cobbs (Althoff Catholic) over Jerry Moreno (Murphysboro), TF 17-0

113 Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) over Karson Fowler (Althoff Catholic), Fall 1:35

120 Kaiden Richards (Murphysboro) over Liam Bundt (Althoff Catholic), TF 15-0

126 Sergio Garcia (Murphysboro) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf