Posts by Mick Torres

By Rob Sherrill

For the IWCOA

Top 10 individual team scores, by classification

Class 3A

1. Marmion Academy, 187
2. Montini, 119
3. Joliet Catholic Academy, 108.5
4. Warren, 92
5. Oak Park-River Forest, 83.5
6. Rockton Hononegah, 77
7. Loyola Academy, 66.5
8. Edwardsville, 61.5
9. Grant, 52
10. St. Charles East, 51.5

Class 2A

1. IC Catholic, 213
2. Providence, 177
3. Washington, 90
4. Marian Central Catholic, 74
5. Grayslake Central, 60.5
6. Chatham Glenwood, 60
7. Civic Memorial, 57
8. Deerfield, 52
9. Geneseo, 50.5
10. Antioch, 49

Class 1A

1. Coal City, 125.5
2. Hope Academy, 115
3. Vandalia, 114.5
4. Lena-Winslow/Stockton, 85.5
5. Belleville Althoff, 77
6. Olympia, 65
7. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher, 62.5
8. Princeton, 59.5
9. Roxana, 52.5
10. Dixon and Oakwood/Salt Fork (tie), 50.5

State placewinners by sectional

Class 3A

Barrington 6 – 3 – 4 – 2 – 3 – 2 – 20

Conant 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 3 – 13

Edwardsville 1 – 2 – 6 – 5 – 3 – 5 – 22

Hinsdale Central 5 – 7 – 2 – 5 – 6 – 4 – 29

Class 2A

Antioch 7 – 1 – 5 – 5 – 2 – 7 – 27

Geneseo 4 – 5 – 4 – 4 – 3 – 4 – 24

Granite City 0 – 6 – 1 – 3 – 6 – 3 – 19

Hinsdale South 3 – 2 – 4 – 2 – 3 – 0 – 14

Class 1A

Byron 4 – 4 – 3 – 7 – 7 – 6 – 31

Coal City 2 – 6 – 2 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 15

Olympia 3 – 3 – 2 – 2 – 4 – 4 – 18

Vandalia 5 – 1 – 7 – 3 – 2 – 2 – 20

State placewinners by grade

Class 3A

Freshman 0 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 1 – 0 – 2

Sophomore 1 – 2 – 1 – 0 – 1 – 6 – 11

Junior 5 – 3 – 5 – 7 – 8 – 3 – 31

Senior 8 – 9 – 8 – 6 – 4 – 5 – 40

Class 2A

Freshman 0 – 0 – 3 – 0 – 3 – 1 – 7

Sophomore 5 – 5 – 2 – 2 – 1 – 3 – 18

Junior 4 – 2 – 5 – 6 – 5 – 2 – 24

Senior 5 – 7 – 4 – 6 – 5 – 8 – 35

Class 1A

Freshman 2 – 2 – 2 – 1 – 0 – 1 – 8

Sophomore 1 – 3 – 2 – 4 – 5 – 4 – 19

Junior 5 – 0 – 3 – 4 – 4 – 2 – 18

Senior 6 – 9 – 7 – 5 – 5 – 7 – 39

State placewinners by sectional placing

Class 3A

Champion 14 – 13 – 7 – 7 – 3 – 3 – 47

2nd 0 – 1 – 5 – 5 – 7 – 7 – 25

3rd 0 – 0 – 1 – 2 – 4 – 3 – 10

4th 0 – 0 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 2

Class 2A

Champion 13 – 11 – 7 – 8 – 5 – 2 – 46

2nd 0 – 2 – 2 – 3 – 6 – 3 – 16

3rd 0 – 1 – 5 – 2 – 2 – 7 – 17

4th 1 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 5

Class 1A

Champion 12 – 9 – 8 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 41

2nd 1 – 4 – 3 – 6 – 3 – 3 – 20

3rd 0 – 0 – 3 – 4 – 6 – 5 – 18

4th 1 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 2 – 5

Team breakthroughs

Four schools crowned their first state champion, three in 1A: Freeburg, Marquette Academy and Unity Christian. For the first two, it was also their first state placewinner. In their first year down a classification in 2A, Batavia also earned its first IHSA state champion. (Current Iowa standout Mikey Caliendo won a title for Batavia in the IWCOA state tournament in 2021.)

The longest title droughts were snapped by St. Viator, which earned its first champion since 1986, and Sandwich, with its first champion since 2012. Vandalia crowned three state champions for the second year in a row, after not having had a state champion for 18 years prior to 2025. But all three classifications were loaded with familiar names and places, particularly 3A. Every 3A school that crowned a champion in 2026 also crowned a champion in 2025, except for Loyola Academy. And the Ramblers hadn’t been away for long – they had champions in 2023 and 2024 before missing out on both 2025 finalists.

The report card

To close out this review of last weekend’s excitement, we’ll take a look at how the state placewinners fared in comparison to their pre-state tournament ranking. Remember that I didn’t do state tournament predictions, and no longer do – I now let the rankings speak for themselves. This list includes the six placewinners at each weight class in each classification, along with the two blood round losers – every wrestler still alive to reach the podium at the start of Saturday’s matches. The number in parentheses is the wrestler’s ranking prior to the start of the state tournament.

Class 3A

106 pounds

1st – Niko Odiotti, Loyola Academy (1)

2nd – Colton Wyller, Marmion Academy (2)

3rd – Michael McNamara, Edwardsville (4)

4th – Aidan Ortega, Glenbard West (6)

5th – Sebastian Gracia, Chicago Mount Carmel (3)

6th – Kane Robles, Joliet Catholic (9)

BR – Noe Hernandez, Lockport (10)

BR – Elio Gil, Marist (7)

113 pounds

1st – Caleb Noble, Warren (1)

2nd – Erik Klichurov, Montini (3)

3rd – Michael Rundell, Oak Park-River Forest (2)

4th – Colton Schultz, Joliet Catholic (6)

5th – James Morrison, Marmion Academy (4)

6th – Jack Koenig, St. Patrick (5)

BR – Nathan Berdich, Stevenson (7)

BR – Gabriel Richmond, West Aurora (14)

120 pounds

1st – Dom Munaretto, St. Charles East (1)

2nd – Allen Woo, Montini (3)

3rd – Kaleb Pratt, Barrington (2)

4th – Ray Long, Niles Notre Dame (4)

5th – Brody Page, Marmion Academy (12)

6th – Jayce Glauser, Grant (7)

BR – Daniel Goodwin, St. Patrick (5)

BR – Nikolas Duarte, Addison Trail (6)

126 pounds

1st – Jamiel Castleberry, Oak Park-River Forest (4)

2nd – Oleksandr Havrylkiv, Hersey (2)

3rd – Lukas Foster, Joliet Catholic (8)

4th – Chazz Robinson, Homewood-Flossmoor (3)

5th – Bobby Ruscitti, Montini (1)

6th – Aidan McClure, Marmion Academy (6)

BR – Gavin Pardilla, Loyola Academy (9)

BR – Saul Ramirez, Barrington (11)

132 pounds

1st – Nicholas Garcia, Marmion Academy (1)

2nd – Jason Hampton, Joliet Catholic (2)

3rd – Shawn Kogan, Stevenson (5)

4th – Mike Malizzio, Montini (4)

5th – Ryan Dorn, Barrington (3)

6th – Maddux Tindal, Minooka (6)

BR – Brady Glynn, Lincoln-Way West (7)

BR – Isaac Zimmerman, Lockport (8)

138 pounds

1st – Zach Stewart, Marmion Academy (1)

2nd – Griff Powell, Lyons Township (2)

3rd – Adante Washington, Joliet Catholic (3)

4th – Erik Rodriguez, Grant (4)

5th – Alejandro Aranda, Glenbard West (9)

6th – Nadeem Haleem, Andrew (6)

BR – Patrick Hulne, St. Patrick (7)

BR – Axel Rodriguez, Marist (5)

144 pounds

1st – Demetrios Carrera, Marmion Academy (2)

2nd – Vince Jasinski, Grant (1)

3rd – Oliver Davis, Brother Rice (5)

4th – Justin Williamson, Chicago Mount Carmel (3)

5th – Zev Koransky, Oak Park-River Forest (12)

6th – Ryan Richie, Edwardsville (6)

BR – Nicholas Merola, Lake Park (13)

BR – Gavin Woodmancy, St. Charles East (10)

150 pounds

1st – Rocco Cassioppi, Hononegah (1)

2nd – Ashton Hobson, Marmion Academy (2)

3rd – Donovan Rosauer, Yorkville (3)

4th – Coehn Weber, Joliet West (5)

5th – Daniel Blanke, Barrington (6)

6th – Tommy Fidler, Marist (4)

BR – James Hemmila, Loyola Academy (7)

BR – Leo Rosas, West Chicago (9)

157 pounds

1st – Ethan Sonne, Marist (2)

2nd – Justin Wardlow, Lockport (1)

3rd – David Ogunsanya, Oak Park-River Forest (5)

4th – Nolan Vogel, Joliet Catholic (3)

5th – Brady Ritter, Sandburg (4)

6th – Will Konder, Montini (12)

BR – Max Mularz, Lincoln-Way East (8)

BR – Daniel Malan, Loyola Academy (7)

165 pounds

1st – Liam Kelly, Chicago Mount Carmel (1)

2nd – Bruno Cassioppi, Hononegah (2)

3rd – Royce Lopez, Warren (3)

4th – Frank Tagoe, Hersey (4)

5th – Max Herman, Lincoln-Way West (7)

6th – Santino Tenuta, Montini (5)

BR – Kaden Meyer, Minooka (6)

BR – Otis Davis, Brother Rice (13)

175 pounds

1st – Brody Sendele, Hononegah (1)

2nd – Dayne Serio, West Aurora (3)

3rd – AJ Tack, Montini (6)

4th – Jalen Byrd, Lincoln-Way Central (4)

5th – Ilia Dvoriannikov, Warren (2)

6th – Van Grasser, St. Patrick (5)

BR – Joseph Quirk, Prospect (12)

BR – Chris Miller, Lockport (7)

190 pounds

1st – Aaron Stewart, Warren (1)

2nd – Ryan Rosch, Wheaton North (3)

3rd – Lucas Nance, Fremd (2)

4th – Vincenzo Testa, Marmion Academy (5)

5th – Colton Zvonar, Lincoln-Way East (4)

6th – Joseph Fitak, Glenbard North (13)

BR – John Rappa, Rolling Meadows (7)

BR – Simon Schulte, Edwardsville (10)

215 pounds

1st – Kai Calcutt, Loyola Academy (1)

2nd – Cooper Murray, St. Charles East (2)

3rd – Roman Janek, Edwardsville (3)

4th – Tavkif Ibragimov, Naperville North (4)

5th – Dan Costello, Brother Rice (8)

6th – Ryker Czubak, Joliet Catholic (6)

BR – Jacob Tyderek, Joliet West (17)

BR – Samuel Swais, Montini (7)

285 pounds

1st – Jonathan Rulo, Belleville East (1)

2nd – Joseph Favia, Marmion Academy (2)

3rd – Aiden Hennings, Lincoln-Way Central (3)

4th – Gavin Ericson-Staton, Montini (4)

5th – Braylon Hill-Lomax, Edwardsville (6)

6th – Knox Homola, Hampshire (9)

BR – Pierre Nelson, Oak Park-River Forest (un)

BR – Sean Cook, Niles Notre Dame (8)

Class 2A

106 pounds

1st – Treyden Diduch, Freeport (1)

2nd – Cooper Clarke, Chatham Glenwood (8)

3rd – Dominic DeMarco, Grayslake Central (2)

4th – Symon Woods, Washington (4)

5th – Mike Bird, IC Catholic (3)

6th – Thomas Emery, St. Viator (5)

BR – Angelo Parker, Rock Island (13)

BR – Cole Lemberg, Providence (7)

113 pounds

1st – Vince DeMarco, Grayslake Central (1)

2nd – Christian Corcoran, Providence (3)

3rd – Hogan Rice, Marian Central Catholic (5)

4th – Drew Murante, IC Catholic (2)

5th – Liam Schroeder, Sycamore (4)

6th – Jayme Cohen, Deerfield (6)

BR – Jaxton Howell, Mattoon (un)

BR – Pierce Bultmann, Chatham Glenwood (11)

120 pounds

1st – Kai Enos, Batavia (2)

2nd – Paxton Valentine, Morris (3)

3rd – Jackson Marlett, Crystal Lake Central (4)

4th – Kannon Judycki, IC Catholic (1)

5th – Dalton St. Angelo, Mount Vernon (9)

6th – Jaxon Ferguson, Chatham Glenwood (5)

BR – Nathan Ortiz, Providence (6)

BR – Alex Schuetz, Hinsdale South (11)

126 pounds

1st – Max Mandac, Providence (1)

2nd – Sammy Murante, IC Catholic (2)

3rd – Tristan Porter, Mattoon (6)

4th – Tyler Lockhart, Sycamore (5)

5th – Gideon Hayter, Mahomet-Seymour (9)

6th – Krish Sahu, Grayslake Central (11)

BR – Rylan Poeta, Champaign Central (8)

BR – Jacob Sebek, Oak Forest (13)

132 pounds

1st – Max Cumbee, IC Catholic (1)

2nd – Harrison Dea, Morton (2)

3rd – Lucas Forsythe, Providence (4)

4th – Logan Makiney, Washington (8)

5th – Izaiah Gonzalez, Riverside-Brookfield (3)

6th – Parker Barry, Morris (10)

BR – Jeremy Powell, Agricultural Science (19)

BR – Victor Onofre, Rockford East (un)

138 pounds

1st – Tommy Banas, Providence (1)

2nd – Nathan Randle, Crystal Lake South (3)

3rd – Adrian Cohen, Deerfield (6)

4th – Colton Huff, St. Ignatius (7)

5th – Avery Jaime, Civic Memorial (4)

6th – Brock Claypool, Morris (2)

BR – Talin Baker, Champaign Central (5)

BR – Landen Vincent, Geneseo (9)

144 pounds

1st – Frank Nitti, IC Catholic (3)

2nd – Nicholas Marchese, Crystal Lake Central (2)

3rd – Jack Hogan, St. Rita (1)

4th – Luke Banas, Providence (7)

5th – Alexander Shvartsman, Deerfield (6)

6th – Chase Nobiling, Antioch (4)

BR – Jin Tai, Glenbard South (17)

BR – Landon Van Acker, Belvidere (8)

150 pounds

1st – Aiden Arnett, IC Catholic (1)

2nd – Knox Verbais, Civic Memorial (2)

3rd – Austin Perez, Oak Forest (3)

4th – Dana Wickson, Rockford East (6)

5th – Brendan Nardin, Marian Central Catholic (4)

6th – Dominic Garcia, Antioch (9)

BR – Nino Capuano, St. Ignatius (un)

BR – Carter Skoff, Morris (5)

157 pounds

1st – Justus Heeg, Providence (1)

2nd – Brock Ross, Mascoutah (3)

3rd – Grady Neal, Metamora (5)

4th – Brian Hart, Wauconda (4)

5th – Bryce Bryant, Springfield (9)

6th – Warren Nash, Grayslake Central (13)

BR – Nicholas Hartley, Jerseyville (8)

BR – Cruise Brolley, Washington (6)

165 pounds

1st – Wyatt Medlin, Washington (1)

2nd – Jasper Harper, Providence (3)

3rd – Izaac Gaines, Geneseo (2)

4th – James Wojcikiewicz, Civic Memorial (5)

5th – Micah Spinazzola, St. Rita (4)

6th – Cooper Bode, Sycamore (8)

BR – Talon Decker, Mahomet-Seymour (6)

BR – Nicholas Montesinos, Wheeling (11)

175 pounds

1st – Brody Kelly, IC Catholic (1)

2nd – Kye Weinzierl, Geneseo (2)

3rd – Ameer Khalil, Providence (4)

4th – Jordan Sonon-Hale, Mascoutah (6)

5th – Jason Janke, Oak Forest (10)

6th – Aiden Rodriguez, Prairie Ridge (5)

BR – Colton McKee, Morton (8)

BR – Elijah Smith, Chatham Glenwood (7)

190 pounds

1st – Jaxon Penovich, St. Viator (1)

2nd – Marco Casillas, Mahomet-Seymour (4)

3rd – Foley Calcagno, IC Catholic (2)

4th – Judah Heeg, Lemont (3)

5th – Dan French, Marian Central Catholic (5)

6th – Evan Francis, Marion (6)

BR – Wes Weatherford, Ottawa (7)

BR – Mark Aeschliman, Metamora (8)

215 pounds

1st – Jimmy Mastny, Marian Central Catholic (1)

2nd – Josh Hoffer, Washington (2)

3rd – Finn Loomis, Wauconda (13)

4th – Rowan Stockwell, Rock Island (5)

5th – Alec Del Toro, East Peoria (4)

6th – Benjamin Chaffer, Morton (8)

BR – Kevahn Flanagan, Civic Memorial (15)

BR – Yaree Sandifer, Lake Forest (12)

285 pounds

1st – Owen Shea, Antioch (5)

2nd – Cody Moss, Chatham Glenwood (1)

3rd – Anthony Sebastian, IC Catholic (3)

4th – Hunter Wahtola, DePaul (2)

5th – Mitchell Clapp, Mattoon (7)

6th – Wynn Philippi, St. Viator (8)

BR – Brady Mullens, Peoria Notre Dame (9)

BR – Sean Thornton, Washington (4)

Class 1A

106 pounds

1st – Connor Collins, Olympia (2)

2nd – Bentley Fields, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher (10)

3rd – Isaac Showalter, Farmington (1)

4th – Cam Whitehead, Winnebago (3)

5th – Coyt Rademaker, Petersburg PORTA (7)

6th – Nate Lower, Rockridge (5)

BR – Riley Paredes, Dixon (4)

BR – Jake Munsterman, Coal City (6)

113 pounds

1st – Landon Near, Sterling Newman (1)

2nd – Augustus Swanson, Princeton (2)

3rd – Drevan Bramlett, Murphysboro (6)

4th – Jacobi Cobbs, Belleville Althoff (4)

5th – Brandon Gaither, Olympia (5)

6th – Boston Morford, Mercer County (9)

BR – Colton Drinkwine, Reed-Custer (8)

BR – Steven Uden, Oakwood/Salt Fork (3)

120 pounds

1st – Wesley Janick, Marquette Academy (6)

2nd – Weston Frazier, Oakwood/Salt Fork (10)

3rd – Cael Wright, Morrison (5)

4th – Dyllan Steele, Canton (2)

5th – Nolan Callahan, Hope Academy (12)

6th – Chase Vogel, Johnsburg (4)

BR – Kainin Fillbright, Petersburg PORTA (11)

BR – Paxton Pyatt, Murphysboro (9)

126 pounds

1st – Preston Waughtel, Vandalia (1)

2nd – Obadiah Willis, Hope Academy (2)

3rd – Owen Petersen, Coal City (4)

4th – Alexander Ferari, Lisle (5)

5th – Aiden Bell, Hoopeston Area (3)

6th – Isaiah Perez, Oregon (12)

BR – Eli Modglin, Morrison (7)

BR – Lelan Nelson, Richmond-Burton (8)

132 pounds

1st – Max Philpot, Vandalia (1)

2nd – Jeremiah Lawrence, Hope Academy (3)

3rd – Dawson Hawthorne, Belleville Althoff (4)

4th – Wyatt Franckowiak, Richmond-Burton (10)

5th – Landon Blanton, Sterling Newman (6)

6th – Dean Wainwright, Port Byron Riverdale (2)

BR – Mason Swartz, Oakwood/Salt Fork (5)

BR – Barret Speck, Illini Bluffs (7)

138 pounds

1st – Chance Woods, Hope Academy (1)

2nd – Landen Lage, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher (3)

3rd – Devin Ehler, Oakwood/Salt Fork (2)

4th – Kane Dauber, Princeton (6)

5th – Nelson Benesh, Oregon (5)

6th – Luke Munsterman, Coal City (4)

BR – A.J. Daly, Tolono Unity (9)

BR – Brody Matthews, Vandalia (11)

144 pounds

1st – Garrett VerHeecke, Unity Christian (1)

2nd – Charlie Connors, Dixon (2)

3rd – Brandon Green, Roxana (4)

4th – Lincoln Hoger, Wheaton Academy (7)

5th – Arrison Bauer, Lena-Winslow/Stockton (3)

6th – Zach Bryant, Petersburg PORTA (9)

BR – Tyler Huchel, Oakwood/Salt Fork (6)

BR – Kaden Blades, Benton (14)

150 pounds

1st – Cooper Corder, Sandwich (3)

2nd – Clinton VerHeecke, Unity Christian (2)

3rd – Brody Widlowski, Coal City (1)

4th – Preston Richards, Dixon (6)

5th – Logan Riggs, Roxana (7)

6th – Dade Kleinik, Vandalia (4)

BR – Caleb Modglin, Morrison (5)

BR – Austin Kisner, Olympia (10)

157 pounds

1st – Dillon Hinton, Vandalia (1)

2nd – Aidan Kenney, Coal City (3)

3rd – Owen McGinnis, Toledo Cumberland (12)

4th – Landon Weidler, Belleville Althoff (7)

5th – Hudson Babb, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher (2)

6th – Charlie Wittmer, Warrensburg-Latham (6)

BR – Dylan Galvez, Hope Academy (11)

BR – Connor Knop, West Carroll (5)

165 pounds

1st – Pierre Walton, Belleville Althoff (1)

2nd – Casey Etheridge, Princeton (4)

3rd – Justin Zimmerman, Petersburg PORTA (2)

4th – Mason Garner, Coal City (10)

5th – Tyler Jones, Wheaton Academy (3)

6th – Abram Davidson, Tolono Unity (6)

BR – James Escobar, Rochester (11)

BR – Eli Burns, Mercer County (7)

175 pounds

1st – Arkail Griffin-Edwards, Hope Academy (2)

2nd – Brock Finch, Coal City (3)

3rd – Lyndon Thies, Roxana (1)

4th – Brody Stien, Byron (4)

5th – Duke Mays, Johnsburg (6)

6th – Joshua Kotalik, Sandwich (8)

BR – Lucas Maier, Pontiac (5)

BR – Jonathan Ramaker, Pinckneyville (18)

190 pounds

1st – Eli Larson, Lena-Winslow/Stockton (1)

2nd – Logan VanDuyne, Wilmington (5)

3rd – Ross Miller, Vandalia (2)

4th – Will Julian, Byron (4)

5th – Daniel Jackson, Red Bud (3)

6th – Casen Lyons, Sacred Heart-Griffin (8)

BR – Landon Venecia, Seneca (9)

BR – Ethan Miller, Westville (6)

215 pounds

1st – Dane Olmstead, Freeburg (8)

2nd – Cade Poyner, Coal City (2)

3rd – Oliver McPeek, Lena-Winslow/Stockton (1)

4th – Caybren Hubbard, Murphysboro (13)

5th – Alex Schaefer, Marquette Academy (5)

6th – Jackson Allen, Yorkville Christian (4)

BR – Shane Falasca, Richmond-Burton (7)

BR – Keller Stocks, Mount Zion (3)

285 pounds

1st – Connor Williams, Canton (3)

2nd – Jeremiah Luke, Lena-Winslow/Stockton (1)

3rd – Caleb Reymer, Erie/Prophetstown (6)

4th – Darian Holloway, Olympia (4)

5th – Breckin Campbell, Richmond-Burton (8)

6th – Julien Tanner, Murphysboro (2)

BR – Dylan Bopes, Dixon (7)

BR – Jeremiah Lorton, Effingham (17)

A total of 672 wrestlers qualify for the state tournament across the three classifications. In 2026, 594 (88.4%) were already in the rankings prior to the start of the sectionals; 78 previously unranked wrestlers qualified for state by finishing in the top four at their sectional. That total does not include alternates who were added to the brackets on Thursday morning at the State Farm Center, since they did not finish in the top four.

All new state qualifiers, and their records (plus alternates who competed in the state tournament), will be added to the final rankings. A wrestler who competes in the state tournament remains in the rankings for the rest of his high school career.

Here’s how the 78 previously unranked state qualifiers shook out, by classification, sectional and sectional placing.

Class 3A – 29 (15 from Conant, 6 from Edwardsville, 5 from Barrington, 3 from Hinsdale Central); 17 finished fourth, 9 finished third, 3 finished second

Class 2A – 31 (10 from Granite City, 10 from Hinsdale South, 8 from Antioch, 3 from Geneseo); 19 finished fourth, 7 finished third, 5 finished second

Class 1A – 18 (9 from Coal City, 4 from Olympia, 3 from Vandalia, 2 from Byron); 11 finished fourth, 4 finished third, 3 finished second

Total – 78 (47 finished fourth, 20 finished third, 11 finished second)

All 168 sectional champions were already in the rankings before the sectionals began, as were all 252 of the state placewinners. Four previously unranked wrestlers, one in 3A and three in 2A, remained alive for medal contention as the Saturday morning matches began, but all four lost in the blood round.

Nevertheless, they beat the odds and punched their tickets to the brand-new mats at the State Farm Center. Congratulations to all who competed!

The IWCOA’s premier sports writer Gary Larsen is sharing photos from the IHSA Individual State Wrestling Championships!

Click the links below to access his shared folders:

Class 1A Finals

Class 2A Finals

Class 3A Finals

3rd-5th Place Bouts

Random Bouts 1

Random Bouts 2

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Here’s a breakdown of the winners of the semifinals matches at Friday’s IHSA Individuals Finals at State Farm Center in Champaign.

We hope to put together a quick summary of the champions for Sunday and then a story will appear on each of three classes and will feature pictures from the Finals.

Winning semifinal matches for Marmion Academy in Class 3A were Colton Wyller (106, 36-9), Nicholas Garcia (132, 49-2), Zach Stewart (138, 24-3), Demetrios Carrera (144, 39-5), Ashton Hobson (150, 28-2) and Joseph Favia (285, 41-5).

Advancing to the championship matches in Class 2A for IC Catholic Prep were Sammy Murante (126, 30-10), Max Cumbee (132, 42-7), Frank Nitti (144, 41-9), Aiden Arnett (150, 40-10) and Brody Kelly (175, 48-4).

Semifinals winners for Providence Catholic in Class 2A were Christian Corcoran (113, 35-9), Max Mandac (126, 37-14), Tommy Banas (138, 43-7), Justus Heeg (157, 49-1) and Jasper Harper (165, 34-11).

Others in Class 3A who were winners in the semifinals were:

106: Niko Odiotti, Loyola Academy (34-2)

113: Caleb Noble, Warren Township (45-1); Erik Klichurov, Montini Catholic (37-2)

120: Dom Munaretto, St. Charles East (48-0); Allen Woo, Montini Catholic (41-8)

126: Oleksandr Havrylkiv, Hersey (41-4); Jamiel Castleberry, Oak Park and River Forest (35-3)

132: Jason Hampton, Joliet Catholic Academy (43-3)

138: Griff Powell, Lyons Township (44-4)

144: Vince Jasinski, Grant (45-5)

150: Rocco Cassioppi, Hononegah (45-2) 

157: Justin Wardlow, Lockport Township (40-5); Ethan Sonne, Marist (37-3)

165: Bruno Cassioppi, Hononegah (41-4); Liam Kelly, Mount Carmel (33-2)

175: Brody Sendele, Hononegah (43-3); Dayne Serio, West Aurora (42-3)

190: Aaron Stewart, Warren Township (38-4); Ryan Rosch, Wheaton North (34-2)

215: Cooper Murray, St. Charles East (43-7), Kai Calcutt, Loyola Academy (37-2)

285: Jonathan Rulo, Belleville East (28-0)

Additional Class 2A semifinal winners were:

2A 106: Treyden Diduch, Freeport (42-2); Cooper Clarke, Glenwood (40-4)

2A 113: Vince DeMarco, Grayslake Central (40-7)

2A 120: Paxton Valentine, Morris (37-5), Kai Enos, Batavia (34-7)

2A 132: Harrison Dea, Morton (46-1)

2A 138: Nathan Randle, Crystal Lake South (39-3)

2A 144: Nicholas Marchese, Crystal Lake Central (41-4)

2A 150: Knox Verbais, Civic Memorial (46-6)

2A 157: Brock Ross, Mascoutah (42-0)

2A 165: Wyatt Medlin, Washington Community (42-0)

2A 175: Kye Weinzierl, Geneseo (36-1)

2A 190: Marco Casillas, Mahomet-Seymour (48-3), Jaxon Penovich, Saint Viator (47-5)

2A 215: Jimmy Mastny, Marian Central Catholic (52-1); Josh Hoffer, Washington Community (34-5)

2A 285: Cody Moss, Glenwood (44-3); Owen Shea, Antioch (34-5)

Additional Class 1A semifinal winners were:

1A 106: Bentley Fields, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op (41-10); Connor Collins, Olympia (39-6)

1A 113: Augustus Swanson, Princeton (47-2); Landon Near, Newman Central Catholic (43-3)

1A 120: Weston Frazier, Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op (38-4); Wesley Janick, Marquette Academy (34-4)

1A 126: Obadiah Willis, Chicago Hope Academy (43-3), Preston Waughtel, Vandalia (28-0)

1A 132: Max Philpot, Vandalia (35-2); Jeremiah Lawrence, Chicago Hope Academy (30-2)

1A 138: Chance Woods, Chicago Hope Academy (45-2); Landen Lage, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op (44-2)

1A 144: Garrett VerHeecke, Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op (48-0); Charlie Connors, Dixon (44-4)

1A 150: Clinton VerHeecke, Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op (45-0); Cooper Corder, Sandwich (42-1)

1A 157: Aidan Kenney, Coal City (47-1); Dillon Hinton, Vandalia (42-3)

1A 165: Casey Etheridge, Princeton (46-6); Pierre Walton, Althoff Catholic (43-1)

1A 175: Arkail Griffin, Chicago Hope Academy (45-1); Brock Finch, Coal City (39-2)

1A 190: Eli Larson, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op (48-1); Logan VanDuyne, Wilmington (41-3)

1A 215: Cade Poyner, Coal City (46-3); Dane Olmstead, Freeburg (38-4)

1A 285: Jeremiah Luke, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op (44-3); Connor Williams, Canton (39-1)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

STANFORD – This has been a very special season for the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op team. Coach Josh Carter’s Falcons have gone 26-2 with their only losses to top-ranked and unbeaten defending Class 1A champion Coal City and Class 2A Dual Team qualifier Mahomet-Seymour. The team also won championships at Plano, Lincoln and the Ridgeview Regional, took second place at Mahomet-Seymour and placed fifth at Princeton’s Lyle King PIT.

They also will be making their fourth appearance in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington and their first visit in that event since 2015, when a team coached by Carter beat Shelbyville then lost in the semifinals to Mercer County and took fourth place after falling to Coal City, the third time it won a trophy in the competition. The state’s sixth-ranked team earned their spot in next Friday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals with second-ranked Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op after claiming a 57-20 victory over the host team in the Class 1A Canton Dual Team Sectional.

The Falcons figure to go into that competition on a high note after its showing at the Class 1A Olympia Sectional in Stanford. GCMS/F sent five individuals to the title mat and finished with three champions, two individuals who placed second and four others who were in the top-four to give it a sectional-high nine qualifiers for this weekend’s IHSA Individual Finals in Champaign.

Champions for the Falcons were freshman Ian Rotramel (113, 34-13), sophomore Landen Lage (138, 41-2) and junior Hudson Babb (157, 44-1) while junior Nolan Lowe (144, 39-10) and sophomore Hunter Brandon (150, 40-11) both finished in second place. 

Senior Gage Martin (126, 35-12) claimed third place while freshman Bentley Fields (106, 38-10), sophomore Camden Brucker (132, 38-11) and junior Cooper Miller (165, 40-11) finished in fourth place while freshman Kaden Huster (120, 24-8) and senior Jaxon Wright (215) fell one victory shy of making state appearances.

The nine state qualifiers GCMS/ F had ranked third in Class 1A behind Coal City (14) and Vandalia (10). Only Providence Catholic (13) and IC Catholic Prep (12) in 2A and Joliet Catholic Academy (10), Marmion Academy (10) and Montini Catholic (9) in 3A sent as many to state.

Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op’s VerHeecke brothers, seniors Garrett (144, 45-0) and Clinton (150, 42-0) were two of the four unbeaten champions in the sectional. The three-time all-staters hope to conclude their careers with their first state championships.

Two other champions who are unbeaten heading to state are Canton senior Dyllan Steele (120, 28-0) and Farmington/ Cuba co-op freshman Isaac Showalter (106, 40-0). Canton also has a champion with just one defeat, senior Connor Williams (285, 36-1) and another champion with just one loss is Hoopeston Area/ Milford co-op senior Aiden Bell (126, 38-1).

Sectional title winners with only two losses are PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op senior Justin Zimmerman (165, 35-2), Sacred Heart-Griffin junior Casen Lyons (190, 40-2) and Mt. Zion senior Keller Stocks (215, 44-2). 

The other two sectional champs also have impressive records, Illini Bluffs sophomore Barret Speck (132, 41-3) and Beardstown senior Gunner Looker (175, 41-4).

Coach Josh Collins’ host Spartans had seven state qualifiers. Finishing in second place were were freshman Connor Collins (106, 36-6) and senior Darian Holloway (285, 41-5) while sophomores Brandon Gaither (113, 36-8) and Kenzer Burrell (138, 36-15) finished third and sophomore Tucker Garey (126, 36-8), junior Austin Kisner (150, 31-11) and sophomore Kaden Collins (157, 40-10) took fourth place.

Also finishing in second place were Rochester junior James Escobar (165, 38-5) and senior Connor Broughton (215, 31-10), St. Joseph-Ogden sophomore Ben Wells (113, 42-7), PORTA co-op sophomore Kainin Fillbright (120, 38-9), Canton senior Maddux Steele (126, 31-5), Riverton junior Harrison Lott (132, 35-2), Unity freshman AJ Daly (138, 38-13), Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op senior Charlie Wittmer (157, 42-5), Macomb junior Jeshua McPheeters (175, 38-10) and Williamsville senior Sam Shaw (190, 23-7).

Additional third-place finishers were PORTA sophomore Coyt Rademaker (106, 39-7) and senior Zach Bryant (144, 40-7), Quincy Notre Dame junior Cale Hilbing (150, 35-6) and senior Bradi Lahr (157, 43-4), Heyworth sophomore Tristan Stamp (175, 43-5) and junior Jarrod Fulcher (215, 41-9), Clinton junior Briley Carter (120, 13-3), Canton junior Jacob Hardesty (132, 33-5), Unity senior Abram Davidson (165, 44-7), Knoxville freshman James Long (190, 39-9) and Deer Creek-Mackinaw junior Joey Humphries (285, 42-6).

Others who took fourth place were El Paso-Gridley sophomore Kole Petta (113, 37-7) and junior Braden Gibson (190, 25-8), Heyworth sophomore Emmett Roeder (120, 35-11), Monmouth-Roseville sophomore Landon Peterson (138, 36-3). Eureka sophomore Finn Hoffman (144, 36-8), Unity senior Josh Heath (175, 39-13), Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op sophomore Graham Blackwell (215, 33-17) and St. Joseph-Ogden junior Cam Wagner (285, 31-8).

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Here are the champions and their weight classes from the Class 1A Olympia Sectional: 

106 – Isaac Showalter, Farmington/ Cuba co-op

Isaac Showalter has won all 40 matches that he’s been in during his freshman season for the Farmington/ Cuba co-op and he won his fifth tournament with a 4-2 decision over Olympia freshman Connor Collins in the 106 title match. Showalter was the first of four unbeaten champions at the sectional and is the only unbeaten individual at 106 in Class 1A. The lone qualifier for coach Jacob Durbin’s Farmers, he opened with a fall before claiming a 15-6 major decision over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op freshman Bentley Fields in the semifinals.

“It feels good,” Showalter said. “There were a lot of kids here. I’ve known Connor for a long time and he’s a really good guy and I’ve wrestled him many times and it goes back-and-forth. And I had another close match, so it just feels good to be able to come out on top. I’ve been at it ever since I was three years old practicing in the room and four years old, when I started wrestling in some competitions. I know it’s a lot harder and it’s a big jump from junior high and it makes feel good to know that I can still compete. I’m just going to try to keep it rolling through the state series and see what I can do there. I’m ready to get there and see how I can do and hopefully make some noise. There’s a lot of good kids that I practice with and I like them a lot. I love my coaches, they’ve helped me through this and have been there ever since I was young.”  

Collins (36-6) was one of two second-place finishers and seven state qualifiers for the host Spartans, who are coached by his father, Josh Collins. He followed a win by technical fall with a 7-3 decision in the semifinals over PORTA co-op sophomore Coyt Rademaker (39-7), a  two-time qualifier who took third place by recording a fall in 4:00 over Fields (38-10). Falling one victory shy of advancing to state were Hoopeston Area/ Milford co-op freshman Dylan Warner (23-13) and Camp Point Central/ Brown County co-op freshman Jordan Friday (31-14). 

113 – Ian Rotramel, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op

Ian Rotramel achieved something special that not many freshmen do, and that is to claim his first tournament title in a sectional. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op’s Rotramel (34-13) captured a win by technical fall in 4:36 over St. Joseph-Ogden sophomore Ben Wells in the 113 title match, avenging a loss one week earlier. Rotramel was one of three champs, five finalists and nine qualifiers for coach Josh Carter’s Falcons. He opened with a victory by technical fall, followed with a pin and won 11-0 over El Paso-Gridley sophomore Kole Petta in the semifinals.

“I think just coming in as a freshman was hard for me,” Rotramel said. “I’ve had to bump up to 120 some times because it’s better for the team. It’s just those different, harder matchups that can get to you sometimes. You just have to keep your head up, even those losses can be really hard on you. I think we jell really good together as a team, especially in the practice room. Just having all of these good kids who are just helping each other and push each other to be better. I’ve been wrestling since kindergarten, about 12 years. It’s going to be great seeing the great competition at state. I really like that we have a great coaching staff. Coach Carter is really good at knowing where to put everyone in different places and just knows the sport of wrestling, which is great.”        

Wells (42-7), who qualified for the first time, was the lone finalist and one of two qualifiers for coach Bill Gallo’s Spartans. He opened with a victory by technical fall and then claimed a 10-7 win by sudden victory over Olympia sophomore Brandon Gaither in the semifinals. For third place, Gaither (36-8), who took sixth place at 106 last season, won by fall in 1:06 over Petta (37-7), a first-time qualifier. Falling one win shy of state trips were Beardstown senior Bryan Islas (31-11) and Camp Point Central/ Brown County co-op freshman Jack Welch (37-9).        

120 – Dyllan Steele, Canton

Dyllan Steele improved to 28-0 and will be making his third-straight trip to the 1A Finals and the Canton senior hopes that his first medal is for an IHSA championship. He was one of two title winners, joined his twin brother Maddux as a finalist and also one of four qualifiers for coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants. He won a 4-0 decision over PORTA co-op sophomore Kainin Fillbright in the 120 title match for his fifth tourney championship. Steele opened with a fall and got a win by technical fall in 5:36 over Heyworth sophomore Emmett Roeder in the semifinals.  

“We’ve trained together for years,” Steele said of Maddux. “I was part of the state team (2023) with Joe (Norton) and over the years, we’ve just built and built and became a better program under our coaches. I’ve dedicated so much time over the past year with AAU, and coach Crawford has pushed and pushed me and my practice partners have also pushed me and made me better than I was last year. (Maddux) He’s having a great season, he just needs to step it up for the state series. I have so much confidence that I’m going to get there this year.” 

Fillbright (38-9) was one of two finalists and four qualifiers for the Bluejays, who are coached by Jeff Hill, the state’s all-time leader in dual meet wins. A two-time qualifier who won two titles this season, he opened with a fall and won a 5-2 decision in the semifinals over Clinton junior Briley Carter (13-3), a two-time qualifier who took third with a 3-2 decision over first-time qualifier Roeder (35-11). Falling one victory shy of advancing to state were Illini Bluffs freshman Liam Major (29-10) and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op freshman Kaden Huster (24-8).     

126 – Aiden Bell, Hoopeston Area/ Milford co-op

Aiden Bell is headed to the Class 1A Finals for the first time as a senior for Hoopeston Area/ Milford co-op and owns a 38-1 record after winning a 7-0 decision over Canton senior Maddux Steele in the 126 title match. He won his fifth tournament to become the lone qualifier for Chris Kelnhofer’s Cornjerkers. He got wins by technical fall in his other two matches, needing 3:59 in the semifinals over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op sophomore Zayden Mansfield. His lone loss was 6-4 to Chicago Hope Academy’s Obadiah Willis in the finals at Reed-Custer.

“It feels really good to finally get my name out there and prove myself after all of the work that I’ve done during the offseason,” Bell said. “I think the key to the postseason is that you’ve got to be on your ‘A’ game every day. I’ve felt pretty good and think I’ve had a lot of good, neutral defense and I haven’t given up many takedowns. I’m just looking to score points and get to my offense. My dad, John Bell, and my head coach, Chris Kelnhofer, are great and they’re always pushing me to do my best and they’re putting in time with me before and after practice.”             

Steele (31-5), a senior and twin brother of 120 champ Dyllan Steele, was one of four qualifiers for coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants. He opened with a pin and won 14-4 over Olympia sophomore Tucker Garey (36-8) in the semifinals. A fifth-place finisher at 106 in 2023, this his third state trip after missing out last year. For third, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op’s Gage Martin (35-12) won by medical forfeit over Garey and both are first-time qualifiers. Falling a win shy of state were Illinois Valley Central junior Hunter Tolliver (19-7) and Mansfield (35-11).         

132 – Barret Speck, Illini Bluffs

Barret Speck took fifth place at 120 last season as a freshman at Illini Bluffs and hopes to improve on that finish in his second state trip. The sophomore improved to 41-3 after winning by fall in 1:20 over Riverton junior Harrison Lott in the 132 title match. Speck edged Monticello senior Nick Litchfield 3-0 and then won 11-5 over Canton junior Jacob Hardesty in the semifinals to help him capture his fourth tourney title. He was the lone qualifier for coach Juan Cibrian’s Tigers and hopes to become the seventh individual from his school to collect two IHSA medals.

“I feel ecstatic,” Speck said. “Last year, I had a rough go and I lost by one in the semis at sectionals to a person I lost to three times, so that was tough. Just being a sectional champ and making it to state feels so much better and just puts me in a better spot. I came out pretty good and got about 15 to 20 wins and went up against a tough opponent at ABE’s, Max Philpot. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been watching Cameron Clark, Paul (Ishikawa), Hunter (Robbins) and Jackson (Carroll) and it makes me a better wrestler knowing that I’m a very competitive person and I like to break records, so I’m currently on a quest to beat Jackson Carroll’s record of wins. Being a sectional champ makes me feel great and puts me in a great position, since I have one of the toughest brackets in 1A. It puts me in a good spot to possibly go all the way.”

Lott (35-2), who qualified for state for the first time, was the lone qualifier for coach Marcus Durrett’s Hawks, A winner of four tournaments this season, he opened with a victory by technical fall before claiming a 10-0 major decision over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op sophomore Camden Brucker in the semifinals. For third place, Hardesty (33-5), a two-time qualifier, won 7-2 over Brucker (38-11), who’ll make his first trip. Mt. Zion sophomore Sammy Toth (25-9) and Eureka junior Henry Watson (39-10) both fell one victory shy of state trips.

138 – Landen Lage, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op

Landen Lage claimed fifth place at 126 as a freshman for Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op and now hopes to move up on the awards stand in Champaign after improving to 41-2 following his 7-0 decision over Unity freshman AJ Daly in the 138 championship match. One of three title winners, five finalists and nine qualifiers for coach Josh Carter’s Falcons, the sophomore captured his third tournament title after getting two victories by technical fall, with the second of those coming in 5:06 over Olympia sophomore Kenzer Burrell in the semifinals.    

“The team is doing really well and everyone is competing,” Lage said. “Especially in practice, we’re trying to stay healthy and get after it every day and the partners are amazing and we’re all good role models for each othe r.Even stuff outside of the room like eating healthy and going to get another workout. We talk about it at practice and every kid is trying to level up to the next level. Coach Carter is an amazing influence on me through my everyday life as a role model. And coach (Logan) Deacetis from Prairie Central has been coaching me offseason for about three years and was a Division I wrestler at Bucknell and is phenomenal and he pushes me every day. From 106 to heavyweight, we all get along. I can tell them anything that’s going on and they’ll be there for me. And if I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do, they’ll get on me for that. We’re always cheering and just having fun and laughing and there’s not a dull moment.”   

Daly (38-13) was the lone finalist and one of three qualifiers for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets. He recorded pins in his first three matches, capped by a fall in 3:00 over Monmouth-Roseville sophomore Landon Peterson in the semifinals to assure himself of a state appearance as a freshman. For third place, Burrell (36-15) won by fall in 1:39 over Peterson (36-3) in a matchup of first-time qualifiers. Falling one win shy of state were Mt. Zion senior Vincent Baker (37-12), who was a state qualifier last season, and PORTA co-op sophomore Jaxen Feagans (37-12).    

144 – Garrett VerHeecke, Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op

Garrett VerHeecke enters the final week of his high school career needing three wins to cap an unbeaten season for Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op, the program he and his brother Clinton helped start that’s coached by Zach Whitsel. He’s 45-0 and 176-10 for his career and the brothers were two of four unbeaten champions at the sectional. Garrett took first at 144 with a win by technical fall in 4:49 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op junior Nolan Lowe. The three-time IHSA 1A medalist was second at 132 to Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright in 2025, third at 126 in 2024 and sixth at 120 in 2023. He got a pin and a 13-3 win over Farmington/ Cuba co-op senior Bradlee Ellis in the semifinals enroute to his sixth tourney title this season.

“Being back-to-back undefeated state champs is really a goal that we’ve had since we were little kids,” Garrett VerHeecke said of him and Clinton. “So capping that off next week at State Farm Center would be awesome. We started Unity Christian wrestling four years ago and they didn’t have a program before. When we came as freshmen and asked if we could start a team, we had eight kids, so it’s just been awesome to see it build with more kids, more success and more growth. Going from placing third at sectionals my freshman year to winning it the past few years has been awesome. Hopefully kids in the future will look at us as a representation of what Unity Christian wrestling is. It’s exciting and I’m just looking forward to it.  I’m coming to practice, excited to work and seeing everything as an opportunity. It’s been a really mindset switch that I’ve had. I don’t have to do this, I get to do this and that’s been a big change for me and just trusting in my coaches and practice partners and my brother.”       

Lowe (39-10), a two-time qualifier and one of five finalists and nine qualifiers for coach Josh Carter’s Falcons, won 2-1 on a tiebreaker over PORTA co-op senior Zach Bryant before claiming a 5-0 decision over Eureka sophomore Finn Hoffman in the semifinals. For third place, Bryant (40-7), a three-time qualifier who was sixth at 132 in 2025, won a 4-2 decision over Hoffman (36-8), who’s making his state debut. Ellis (37-3) lost two in a row to be denied a fourth state trip and Unity freshman Hayden Smith (39-14) lost by sudden victory to fall a bit short.   

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150 – Clinton VerHeecke, Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op

Clinton VerHeecke hopes that he and his brother Garrett close their careers at Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op for coach Zach Whitsel with them both becoming four-time medalists and unbeaten IHSA 1A champions. Clinton improved to 42-0 and 175-6 in his career after winning the 150 title by fall in 3:04 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op sophomore Hunter Brandon. He followed a pin with a win by technical fall in 4:30 over Quincy Notre Dame junior Cale Hilbing in the semifinals to capture his fifth tournament title this season. The three-time IHSA 1A medalist took fifth at 138 last season, fifth at 120 in 2024 and third at 113 as in 2023.

“Being able to start our own program at Unity Christian with me and Garrett and coach Whitsel and the kids that are seniors now was great,” Clinton VerHeecke said. “And we get a lot of help from our school and from our co-op school, Argenta-Oreana. And we have coach Gary Cook, a guy known statewide, and he’s been around here a couple of years now and he’s awesome and helps us a lot. And coach Whitsel is day in and day out and has been there since day one. All of our teammates work their butts off and we wouldn’t be here without them. My partners helping me day in and day out and my brother pushing me at home to do the right things. I have a support system with my parents, going out and doing Freestyle and Greco stuff. Those things are all huge steps for my success. This is an awesome opportunity and it’s really a blessing.”   

Brandon (40-11), who’s a two-time qualifier, was one of five finalists and a sectional-high nine qualifiers for coach Josh Carter’s Falcons. He opened with a win by technical fall before getting a pin in 1:15 over Mt. Zion freshman Connor Misner in the semifinals. In the third-place match, first-time qualifiers met and Hilbing (35-6) captured a 3-0 decision over Olympia junior Austin Kisner (31-11), who won three in the wrestlebacks after losing to Hilbing 8-2 in the quarterfinals. Falling one win shy of state trips were Canton junior Grady Smith (18-11) and Misner (29-22).    

157 – Hudson Babb, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op

Hudson Babb won his sixth tournament title and stayed unbeaten against Illinois opponents to clinch a second-straight appearance at the IHSA 1A Finals. The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op junior improved to 44-1 after winning the 157 title match by technical fall in 5:32 over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op senior Charlie Wittmer. Babb was one of three champions, five finalists and nine qualifiers for coach Josh Carter’s Falcons. He followed a fall in his opener with an 8-6 decision over Quincy Notre Dame senior Bradi Lahr in the semifinals. 

“I’m definitely really happy with the team,” Babb said. “Even the guys that didn’t qualify for state, they went out there and put their foot on the line and worked really hard all season and just left it all on the mat, so I’m just really proud of those guys. And I’m proud of the guys who made it to state, they’ve worked really hard for this and they’ve definitely earned it. Our team has limited options, considering we’re in Class 1A. But all of our guys are quality guys who’ve worked in the offseason and been working on the mat, every practice, every single day. We’re doing the right things and working together. After last year, when I went 1-2 at state, I didn’t forget that and kept it at the back of my head and I didn’t take any breaks. Everyone is pushing each other to be the best. And everyone’s a lot of fun and we all get along really well.”   

Wittmer (42-5), who won four tournament titles, is back at state for a second time. He was the lone finalist and one of two qualifiers for coach Garrett Knock’s Cardinals. He opened with a major  decision and won 9-3 over Olympia sophomore Kaden Collins in the semifinals. For third place, two-time qualifier Lahr (43-4) won by fall in 1:37 over Collins (40-10), a first-time qualifier. Falling shy of advancing were PORTA co-op senior Logan Baker (38-11), with sectional-highs of three wins by technical fall and 56 total match points, and Canton junior Alex Carrier (31-12).         

165 – Justin Zimmerman, PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op

Justin Zimmerman took fifth place at 157 in the 2025 IHSA 1A Finals so the PORTA co-op senior hopes to become the sixth individual from his school to win two or more IHSA medals this weekend. Zimmerman (35-2) won by fall in 3:00 over Rochester junior James Escobar in the 165 title match. The lone champ and one of four qualifiers for the Bluejays, who are coached by 2024 IHSA Grand Marshal Jeff Hill, he opened with a victory by technical fall and then won 5-3 in the semifinals over Unity senior Abram Davidson to help him claim his fifth tournament title.

“Just watching your weight and being disciplined all week factors into how you wrestle and how you practice every day,” Zimmerman said. “We have state placers come in, former alumni come in and you have state qualifiers all around you, so it’s never an easy practice. When we have someone who comes in from the junior high, he (coach Hill) just develops them from the first practice and every day they get better and all of the practices are purposeful. If I just take it one match at a time, I think I should be able to do pretty well.”   

Escobar (38-5), who’s making his state debut and looks to be his program’s third medalist, was one of two qualifiers for coach Brad Alewelt’s Rockets. He won a major decision and then had a victory by technical fall before getting a pin in 0:41 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op junior Cooper Miller in the semifinals. For third, Davidson (44-7) won by medical forfeit over Miller (40-11), and both are two-time qualifiers. Falling a win shy of state trips were Beardstown junior Maddox Medrano (42-7) and Quincy Notre Dame junior Abram Zanger (25-11).

175 – Gunner Looker, Beardstown

Gunner Looker would like to end his career at Beardstown by becoming the sixth individual from his school to win a state medal and just the second to try to compete for an IHSA title while also making his initial appearance in the IHSA 1A Finals. The senior improved to 41-4 after winning by technical fall in 4:24 over Macomb junior Jeshua McPheeters in the 175 title match. The lone qualifier for coach Joe Kolb’s Tigers, he followed a fall with a 6-5 win over Heyworth sophomore Tristan Stamp in the semifinals to help him to capture his fourth tournament title of the season.  

“I looked at some of the other sectionals and maybe one that I thought was harder than this and I knew coming in, that I was the highest-ranked and I knew I had to wrestle good,” Looker said. “I had a little bit of an injury last week that I was trying to nurse. I think next week I’ll be able to open up and we’ll see what happens at state. I lost to (Pontiac’s) Lucas Maier before I won the Prairie Central tournament, and that was the second time I lost to him. So I knew then that I had to change my style, and that’s what I’ve done. Competing for Beardstown is pretty awesome. The head coach is great, the assistant coach has been here for just two years, but he’s great and tries to get everyone hyped up. And we have very good middle school program coaches, and they help a lot. I just think that it’s a great place to wrestle. This means I’m one of the best in the state. That’s something I kind of lacked the mentality of, but now I know that I belong.”       

McPheeters (38-10), the lone qualifier for coach Luke Ladd’s Bombers, got a pin in his first match, followed that with a major decision and then claimed an 8-6 decision over Unity senior Josh Heath in the semifinals to assure himself of qualifying for the first time. In the third-place match, Stamp (43-5) claimed an 8-5 decision over Heath (39-13) in a meeting between two first-time state qualifiers. And coming up one victory short of advancing to state were Deer Creek-Mackinaw senior Caleb Greer (26-11) and Mt. Zion senior Carson Thornton (29-5).

190 – Casen Lyons, Sacred Heart-Griffin

Casen Lyons used to play football for one of the state’s top programs, Sacred Heart-Griffin, but he gave up on that sport so he could focus all of his energies on wrestling. The junior improved to 40-2 and won his fourth tournament by getting a pin in 1:37 over Williamsville senior Sam Shaw in the 190 title match. He’ll make his second state trip as the lone qualifier for coach Myles Alexander’s Cyclones. Lyons, who hopes to become his program’s second medalist, also won two major decisions, beating El Paso-Gridley junior Braden Gibson 11-2 in the semifinals.

“It’s a great feeling, I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” Lyons said. “Last year, I lost in the (sectional) finals so it was amazing just to get back and wrestle. Summer wrestling was probably the biggest thing I’ve ever done. I quit football and quit all the other sports. They have (Sacred Heart-Griffin) a big football team and I love them and they work hard but if I can’t give 100 percent to a sport, I can’t do it. Wrestling’s where my heart is. I went from a C student to a straight-A student so Sacred Heart’s academics are incredible and all of our sports are absurdly good, so it’s an honor to go there. I’m just going to wrestle. Literally just prepare as best as I can. Eat right, train right, stay away from injuries. I plan on placing and doing my best.”       

Shaw (23-7), the only qualifier for coach Josh Scranton’s Bullets, used two wins by technical fall and a pin to advance, beating St. Teresa freshman Brody York by technical fall in 2:37 in the semifinals to assure himself of his first trip to state, where he’d like to become the school’s first medalist. In the third-place match, Knoxville freshman James Long (39-9) won by fall in 1:11 over Gibson (25-8), which made him the only individual in the field to record five pins. York (16-9) also fell in the consolation semifinals, as did Olympia freshman Caleb Peters (28-12).       

215 – Keller Stocks, Mt. Zion

Keller Stocks feels fortunate that he’s been able to compete for Mt. Zion and learn from coach Dave Klemm, a 2012 Lifetime Service Award recipient from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter. The Braves senior improved to 44-2 and was his team’s lone qualifier after five others lost in the semifinals or consolation semifinals. A three-time qualifier who took fourth at 215 last year, he won his fourth title with a fall in 2:55 over Rochester senior Connor Broughton. He had two other pins, including in 2:33 over Heyworth junior Jarrod Fulcher in the semifinals. 

“We’ve got a lot of hard workers and a lot of people who are trying to push me to be better and push themselves, and that allows me to reach my full potential,” Stocks said. “I’m very lucky. He (coach Klemm) motivates me very much and pushes me. He’s an inspirational figure and he coached my dad. He’s really a great coach. I think I have the ability and I have the confidence. I’m just real excited.” 

Broughton (31-10), one of two runners-up and qualifiers for coach Brad Alewelt’s Rockets, won his first three matches with pins, with the third in 1:31 over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op sophomore Graham Blackwell in the semifinals to earn his initial state trip. Both he and James Escobar hope to become their school’s third medalist. For third, Fulcher (41-8) got a pin in 5:25 over Blackwell (33-17), both first-time qualifiers. Falling a win shy of state were GCMS/F co-op senior Jaxon Wright (26-11) and LeRoy/ Tri-Valley co-op freshman Jackson Ritch (29-16).    

285 – Connor Williams, Canton

Connor Williams placed fifth at 285 last season and is looking for much better as he heads to the IHSA 1A Finals with a 36-1 record and titles in all five of his tournaments with his lone defeat by ultimate tiebreaker. The Canton senior took first at 285 at the Olympia Sectional with a 7-1 decision over Olympia senior Darian Holloway. He was one of two champs, three finalists and four qualifiers for coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants. The three-time qualifier opened with two falls, with the second of those in 2:57 over Mt. Zion senior Evan Ashmore in the semifinals.

“I’m extremely fortunate and I’m so grateful that I get to do it (compete for Canton),” Williams said. “It was a culture change. Everyone was not so adamant about wrestling and then everyone just started loving it. I just don’t think about losing and focus on winning. You don’t think about the negatives, only the positives. (Canton’s Steele brothers) They will push you and the whole room pushes each other. I like that we’re a family and not just wrestlers.” 

Holloway (41-5) was one of two second-place finishers and seven qualifiers for coach Josh Collins’ host Spartans. He had two pins and a decision to advance to the 285 finals, assuring his first state appearance with a fall in 5:33 over Pleasant Plains’ senior Cash Thomas in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Deer Creek-Mackinaw junior Joey Humphries (42-6) won by fall in 3:25 over St. Joseph-Ogden junior Cam Wagner (31-8). The two seniors who got beaten in the semifinals, Ashmore (25-10) and Thomas (13-2), also fell in the consolation semifinals.    

Class 1A Olympia Sectional championship matches

106  – Isaac Showalter (Farmington/ Cuba co-op) 40-0, Fr. over Connor Collins (Olympia) 36-6, Fr. (Dec 4-2)

113 – Ian Rotramel (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op) 34-13, Fr. over Ben Wells (St. Joseph-Ogden) 42-7, So. (TF 4:36 15-0)

120 – Dyllan Steele (Canton) 28-0, Sr. over Kainin Fillbright (PORTA/ A-C Central/ Greenview/ Havana co-op) 38-9, So. (Dec 4-0)

126 – Aiden Bell (Hoopeston Area/ Milford co-op) 38-1, Sr. over Maddux Steele (Canton) 31-5, Sr. (Dec 7-0)

132 – Barret Speck (Illini Bluffs) 41-3, So. over Harrison Lott (Riverton) 35-2, Jr. (Fall 1:20)

138 – Landen Lage (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op) 41-2, So. over AJ Daly (Unity) 38-13, Fr. (Dec 7-0)

144 – Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op) 45-0, Sr. over Nolan Lowe (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op) 39-10, Jr. (TF 4:49 17-1)

150 – Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana co-op) 42-0, Sr. over Hunter Brandon (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op) 40-11, So. (Fall 3:04)

157 – Hudson Babb (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/  Fisher op) 44-1, Jr. over Charlie Wittmer (Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op) 42-5, Sr. (TF 5:32 15-0)

165 – Justin Zimmerman (PORTA co-op) 35-2, Sr. over James Escobar (Rochester) 38-5, Jr. (Fall 3:00)

175 – Gunner Looker (Beardstown) 41-4, Sr. over Jeshua McPheeters (Macomb) 38-10, Jr. (TF 4:24 16-0)

190 – Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin) 40-2, Jr. over Sam Shaw (Williamsville) 23-7, Sr. (Fall 1:37)

215 – Keller Stocks (Mt. Zion) 44-2, Sr. over Connor Broughton (Rochester) 31-10, Sr. (Fall 2:55)

285 – Connor Williams (Canton) 36-1, Sr. over Darian Holloway (Olympia) 41-5, Sr. (Dec 7-1)

Class 1A Olympia Sectional third-place matches

106 – Coyt Radamaker (PORTA co-op) 39-7, So. over Bentley Fields (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op) 38-10, Fr. (SV 7-4)

113 – Brandon Gaither (Olympia) 36-8, So. over Kole Petta (El Paso-Gridley) 37-7, So. (Fall 1:06)

120 – Briley Carter (Clinton) 13-3, Jr. over Emmett Roeder (Heyworth) 35-11, So. (Dec 3-2)

126 – Gage Martin (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op) 35-12, Sr. over Tucker Garey (Olympia) 36-8, So. (M. For.)

132 – Jacob Hardesty (Canton) 33-5, Jr. over Camden Brucker (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op) 38-11, So. (Dec 7-2)

138 – Kenzer Burrell (Olympia) 36-15, So. over Landon Peterson (Monmouth-Roseville) 36-3, So. (Fall 1:39)

144 – Zach Bryant (PORTA co-op) 40-7, Sr. over Finn Hoffman (Eureka) 36-8, So. (Dec 4-2)

150 – Cale Hilbing (Quincy Notre Dame) 35-6, Jr. over Austin Kisner (Olympia) 31-11, Jr. (Dec 3-0)

157 – Bradi Lahr (Quincy Notre Dame) 43-4, Sr. over Kaden Collins (Olympia) 40-10, So. (Fall 1:37)

165 – Abram Davidson (Unity) 44-7, Sr. over Cooper Miller (Gibson City.-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op) 40-11, Jr. (M. For.)

175 – Tristan Stamp (Heyworth) 43-5, So. over Josh Heath (Unity) 39-13, Sr. (Dec 8-5)

190 – James Long (Knoxville) 39-9, Fr. over Braden Gibson (El Paso-Gridley) 25-8, Jr. (Fall 1:11)

215 – Jarrod Fulcher (Heyworth) 41-9, Jr. over Graham Blackwell (Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op) 33-17, So. (Fall 5:25)

285  – Joey Humphries (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) 42-6, Jr. over Cam Wagner (St. Joseph-Ogden) 31-8, Jr. (Fall 3:25)

By Rob Sherrill

For the IWCOA

You’ll see just about everything in the 2026 Illinois state tournament.

You’ll see plenty of outstanding wrestlers. The six brand-new mats on the floor of the State Farm Center in Champaign will be home to 24 returning state champions – 10 in Class 3A, nine in Class 2A, and five in Class 1A. Of those 24, 20 were victorious a year ago as well.

You’ll see brother combinations. Will Justus Heeg of Providence and Judah Heeg of Lemont match what they did last year and repeat as 2A champions? Will Bruno Cassioppi of Rockton Hononegah beat the odds and join twin brother Rocco as a 3A champion? Will twins Garrett and Clinton VerHeecke of Decatur Unity Christian both take home gold in their final shots on the 1A state mats? Those are just a few of the stories behind the matches.

One thing you won’t see is a wrestler closing his career as a four-time state champion in 2026, as Seth Mendoza of Chicago Mount Carmel did last year in 3A. But four wrestlers are on track to take another step to becoming four-time state champions a year from now.

Three of them are juniors, Caleb Noble (113) of Gurnee Warren and Allen Woo of Lombard Montini in 3A and Jimmy Mastny (215) of Woodstock Marian Central Catholic in 2A. Noble is back for a second straight run at 113 after winning his first title at 106 in 2024. Woo and Mastny are both up a classification this season. Woo, who won 2A titles at 113 last year and at 106 in 2024, is now in 3A. Mastny, the 1A champion at 190 last year and at 157 in 2024, is now in 2A.

The fourth, Justus Heeg (157), is still just a sophomore. His title at 150 last year as a freshman was his second. As an eighth-grader in 2024, he was the 139-pound 2A champion at powerful Simley High School in Minnesota, a state that allows seventh- and eighth-grade wrestlers to compete on high school varsity teams. Should he win this weekend, in 2027 and in 2028, Heeg would become the first five-time state champion in Illinois high school wrestling history.

Noble, Woo, Justus Heeg and Mastny headline eight wrestlers bidding for a third state title. The others are Dom Munaretto (120) of St. Charles East, Nicholas Garcia (132) of Aurora Marmion Academy and Aaron Stewart (190) of Warren in 3A, Wyatt Medlin (165) of Washington in 2A and Dean Wainwright (132) of Port Byron Riverdale in 1A. All five are seniors.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights around the three classifications.

Class 3A

Back-to-back finals matches, at 113 and at 120, could feature defending champions. The 113-pound final is likely to match the wrestlers who won the 106-pound title the previous two seasons, Noble and Michael Rundell of Oak Park-River Forest, the champion at 106 last year. Both are juniors. The two have not met since the finals of the Marmion Cadet Classic in November, where Noble won by a 7-1 decision. It is one of three championship matches – one in each classification – projected to match defending champions.

At 120, in what could be a battle between two-time champions, Woo will need to find a way to beat Munaretto to keep his bid for four titles alive. Munaretto has won both their meetings this year by major decision – 10-2 in the Dvorak Tournament final in December and 13-5 in the Cheesehead Tournament semifinals in Wisconsin last month.

Munaretto and Kai Calcutt (215) of Wilmette Loyola Academy could become four-time state finalists this weekend, the only wrestlers in any classification with the chance to do so. Munaretto’s only loss in the State Farm Center came in the 2024 finals to Garcia, also bidding for his third title this weekend. Calcutt will try to add a second title to the one he won in 2024; he was second in 2023 and 2025.

Junior Rocco Cassioppi (150) and seniors Zach Stewart (138) of Marmion Academy, Liam Kelly (165) of Chicago Mount Carmel and Jonathan Rulo (285) of Belleville East are the other returning champions in 3A. Like Calcutt, Stewart lost in the finals a year ago.

Marmion Academy and Joliet Catholic Academy, projected to square off in a dual-team quarterfinal for the ages a week from now, led 3A with 10 state qualifiers each. The Cadets had seven champions at the Hinsdale Central sectional; the Hilltoppers had four at the Edwardsville sectional. Montini and St. Charles East each earned nine state qualifiers, Oak Park-River Forest eight, and Edwardsville seven; all four are also in next week’s Elite Eight.

In all, 17 3A schools had five state qualifiers or more. Barrington, Fox Lake Grant and Loyola Academy each qualified six, and Carol Stream Glenbard North, Chicago Mount Carmel, Glen Ellyn Glenbard West, Lincolnshire Stevenson, Park Ridge Maine South, Warren and West Aurora each qualified five.

Class 2A

With the championship finals starting at 215 pounds, we’ll find out right away whether Mastny is successful in his bid for a third state title. He’ll likely face the defending champion at the weight, senior Josh Hoffer of Washington, in what would be the only final matching defending champions. The two have wrestled three times in the past month, with Mastny dominating their series by scoring a technical fall and two pins.

A hoped-for second final matching returning champions, which would have closed the championship final round, will instead take place in the semifinals. That’s when Judah Heeg is expected to take on Jaxon Penovich of Arlington Heights St. Viator, the 3A champion in 2024 while wrestling at Mount Prospect Prospect. Penovich, who did not compete as a junior, was given the fourth seed, which put him on Heeg’s side of the bracket.

IC Catholic returns a pair of defending champions, junior Max Cumbee (132) and senior Brody Kelly (175). The defending 285-pound champion, senior Cody Moss of Chatham Glenwood, also returns.

Providence edged IC Catholic for the most individual qualifiers. The Celtics advanced 13 to the State Farm Center from the Hinsdale South sectional – at every weight class but 285 – and their eight sectional champions led all teams in any classification. The Knights advanced 12 from the Antioch sectional, at every weight but 165 and 215, and had six champions. Bethalto Civic Memorial and Deerfield were next, with seven qualifiers.

In all, 15 2A schools had five state qualifiers or more. Antioch, Bloomington, Chicago St. Rita, Grayslake Central, Oak Forest and Washington each qualified six, and Glenwood, Geneseo, Mahomet-Seymour, Mascoutah and Marian Central Catholic each qualified five.

Class 1A

For the second time in school history, Coal City, one of the most dominant teams in the history of the classification, qualified its entire lineup of 14 wrestlers to the State Farm Center, the only team in any classification to do so in 2026. The Coalers, who went 39-0 in duals with wins over a 3A Top 25 team and four 2A Top 25 teams, advanced 11 to the finals of their own individual sectional, with six champions. They enter next week’s dual-team state tournament as the heavy favorite to repeat.

But ither teams will play starring roles this weekend, too. A year after crowning three state champions, Vandalia advanced 10 from its own individual sectional, with five sectional champions, both marks second to Coal City. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher capped the best season in program history by qualifying nine wrestlers from the Stanford Olympia sectional, placing a strong third in the qualifier count. And Chicago Hope Academy and Yorkville Christian, the latter back in the classification after two seasons in 2A, also had impressive showings at Coal City with eight qualifiers each.

The final most have an eye on is the 132-pound showdown, which matches a pair of defending champions. Two-time champion Wainwright, back at the same weight class he won in 2026, is expected to meet junior Max Philpot of Vandalia, up three weight classes from his championship performance at 113 a year ago. The two met in the finals of the iconic Princeton Tournament in January, with Philpot winning a 10-9 classic. Wainwright was also the 106-pound champion as a freshman in 2023. Philpot’s junior teammate, Preston Waughtel, will try to add a second state title of his own in the preceding final at 126. The 113-pound champion in 2024 at Carlyle, Waughtel lost in overtime in last year’s finals.

A year after becoming the first East St. Louis wrestler to win a state title in 82 years – the longest gap between state champions in Illinois high school wrestling history – senior Pierre Walton will try to win the same weight, 165, down a classification at Belleville Althoff. The three upper weights appear to belong to three Lena-Winslow/Stockton seniors, Eli Larson (190), Oliver McPeek (215) and Jeremiah Luke (285). McPeek and Luke could start the Pantherhawks 2-for-2, and Larson, the lone defending champion of the trio, could bring down the curtain on another great state tournament.

The balance in the classification was evident, with just 11 1A schools amassing as many as five state qualifiers. Lena-Winslow/Stockton (7) and fellow Elite Eight qualifier Dixon (5) were the only schools from the deep Byron individual sectional to reach that mark, and only GCMSF and the host school (7) accomplished the feat at Olympia. Murphysboro and Oakwood/Salt Fork (6) and Althoff (5) completed the list of 11.

We set them up. You knock them down. Let the matches begin!

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Class 1A Vandalia Sectional recap

Vandalia qualified 10 individuals for the IHSA Finals from the Class 1A sectional tournament that it hosted, which made it one of only six teams in all classes that will be sending that many to Champaign and only one other team in 1A had more qualifiers, Coal City, with 14.

Other teams in the sectional who had the next-highest total of qualifiers were Murphysboro and Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op with six apiece, Althoff Catholic with five and Benton with four. There were two 2025 state champions who will compete in this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Finals and there are 11 other 2025 state medalists who also will be back in Champaign.

State qualifiers for coach Pat Myers’ Vandalia Vandals included champions Preston Waughtel (126, 25-0), Max Philpot (132, 32-2), Dade Kleinik (150, 30-6), Dillon Hinton (157, 39-3) and Ross Miller (190, 37-7) and runner-up Kaden Daugherty (106, 32-11). Also advancing were third-place finishers Brody Matthews (138, 35-10), Eli Mabry (144, 35-7) and Zayne Zinkgraf (165, 20-6) as well as Riley Hinton (120, 21-9), who claimed fourth place.

Advancing to state for coach Shea Baker’s Murphysboro Red Devils were title winners Paxton Pyatt (120, 47-4) and Julien Tanner (285, 46-3) and runners-up Logan Tanner (190, 30-10) and Caybren Hubbard (215, 43-8). Finishing in third place and also qualifying for state were Drevan Bramlett (113, 38-7) and Sergio Garcia (126, 43-9).

Qualifying for the state finals for coach Mike Glosser’s Oakwood/ Salt-Fork co-op Comets were champions Steven Uden (113, 39-6) and Devin Ehler (138, 42-1) and second-place finishers Weston Frazier (120, 35-4) and Tyler Huchel (144, 36-6). Also advancing were third-place finisher Mason Swartz (132, 39-6) and fourth-place finisher Pedro Alberto Rangel (126, 27-14).

State qualifiers for coach Emanuel Brooks’ Althoff Catholic Crusaders were title winner Pierre Walton (165, 40-1) and second-place finishers Jacobi Cobbs (113, 38-2), Dawson Hawthorne (132, 37-2) and Landon Weidler (157, 36-3) and also Nathan Fisher (120, 21-8), who took third.

Advancing to state for coach Aaron Robinson’s Benton Rangers were champion Braxton Tittle (106, 45-2) and fourth-place finishers Kaden Blades (144, 45-7), Derek Wilkey (157, 40-8) and Kobe Cali (175, 30-6).

The other three sectional champions were Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr. (144, 28-1) and Lyndon Thies (175, 41-1) and Freeburg’s Dane Olmstead (215, 35-4).

Additional second-place finishers were Litchfield/ Mt. Olive co-op’s Vincent Moore (126, 37-4) and Braxton Kieffer (165, 34-5), Robinson’s Broady Kelly (138, 43-4), Breese Central’s Matthew Walsh (150, 40-6), Pinckneyville’s Jonathan Ramaker (175, 35-2) and East Alton-Wood River’s Michael Soto (285, 23-10). 

Some of the closest championship matches included Uden edging Cobbs 7-6 at 113, Pyatt getting past Frazier 4-2 at 120, Ehler prevailing over Kelly 8-6 at 138, Olmstead defeating Hubbard 4-2 at 215 and Miller beating Logan Tanner 3-0 at 190. 

Others who claimed third-place finishes were Auburn/ Pawnee co-op’s Eli Hill (106, 33-9), Cumberland’s Owen McGinnis (157, 36-8), Lawrence County co-op’s Nick Morehead (175, 31-11), Red Bud’s Daniel Jackson (190, 40-2), Pinckneyville/ Trico/ Elverado co-op’s Wade Rees (215, 33-8) and Freeburg’s Jack Amann (285, 41-5).

Additional fourth-place finishers were Effingham’s Jonah LeDuc (106, 33-11) and Jeremiah Lorton (285, 38-8), Shelbyville’s Bodee Fathauer (132, 23-7) and Hayden Mudgette (215, 31-7), Robinson’s Landon Cornwell (113, 35-13), Johnston City’s Jace Weaver (138, 34-9), Auburn/ Pawnee co-op’s Trey Boston (150, 32-10), Paris’ Joshua Lamour (165, 28-2) and Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm co-op’s Ethan Miller (190, 36-6).

2025 state champions who qualified for this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Finals from the Vandalia Sectional are: Max Philpot, Vandalia (1st at 113) and Pierre Walton, Althoff Catholic (1st at 165 in 2A).

2025 state medalists who qualified for this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Finals from the Vandalia Sectional are: Steven Uden, Oakwood/ Salt Fork (2nd at 106); Preston Waughtel, Vandalia (2nd at 120); Lyndon Thies, Roxana (2nd at 165); Brandon Green, Jr., Roxana (3rd at 132); Dillon Hinton, Vandalia (3rd at 150); Daniel Jackson, Red Bud (3rd at 190); Mason Swartz, Oakwood/ Salt Fork (4th at 120); Devin Ehler, Oakwood/ Salt Fork (4th at 126); Dawson Hawthorne, Althoff Catholic (6th at 126); Logan Riggs, Roxana (6th at 144) and Ross Miller, Vandalia (6th at 175).

Individuals who lost narrow decisions in the semifinals and then were beaten in their next match included Murphysboro’s Lemar Treshansky, who fell 3-0 to Tyler Huchel at 144 and Sparta/ Steeleville co-op’s Braxton Glodo, who was edged 3-2 by Matthew Walsh at 150

Consolation semifinals matches that were decided by narrow margins included Pedro Alberto Rangel edging Salem’s Rylan Moore 5-4 by ultimate tiebreaker at 126, Jack Amann getting past Vandalia’s Dominic Swyers 4-1 in overtime at 285, Joshua Lamour beating Pinckneyville/ Trico/ Elverado co-op senior Trevor Fath 7-5 at 165 and Ethan Miller prevailing over Oakwood/ Salt Fork’ co-op’s Jamison Chambliss 4-2 at 190.  

Benton’s Kobe Cali and Effingham’s Jeremiah Lorton were the only two individuals to record four falls. Vandalia’s Preston Waughtel and Althoff Catholic’s Pierre Walton both claimed three wins by technical fall to lead in that category and Walton beat out Waughtel 58-55 for the most total match points.

Vandalia Sectional championship matches

106 – Braxton Tittle (Benton) 45-2, Jr. over Kaden Daugherty (Vandalia) 32-11, Fr. (TF 3:50 21-5)

113 – Steven Uden (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 39-6, Jr. over Jacobi Cobbs (Althoff Catholic) 38-2, Jr. (Dec 7-6)

120 – Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) 47-4, Jr. over Weston Frazier (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 35-4, So. (Dec 4-2)

126 – Preston Waughtel (Vandalia) 25-0, Jr. over Vincent Moore (Litchfield/ Mt. Olive) 37-4, Sr. (TF 3:44 19-3)

132 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) 32-2, Jr. over Dawson Hawthorne (Althoff Catholic) 37-2, Jr. (Dec 15-8)

138 – Devin Ehler (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 42-1, So. over Broady Kelly (Robinson) 43-4, Sr. (Dec 8-6)

144 – Brandon Green, Jr. (Roxana) 28-1, Sr. over Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 36-6, Sr. (Dec 7-3)

150 – Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) 30-6, Jr. over Matthew Walsh (Breese Central) 40-6, Sr. (Dec 7-3)

157 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) 39-3, Sr. over Landon Weidler (Althoff Catholic) 36-3, So. (Fall 3:49)

165 – Pierre Walton (Althoff Catholic) 40-1, Sr. over Braxton Kieffer (Litchfield) 34-5, Sr. (TF 4:08 16-1)

175 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 41-1, Sr. over Jonathan Ramaker (Pinckneyville/ Trico/ Elverado) 35-2, Sr. (MD 13-0)

190 – Ross Miller (Vandalia) 37-7, Sr. over Logan Tanner (Murphysboro) 30-10, Jr. (Dec 3-0)

215 – Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) 35-4, Jr. over Caybren Hubbard (Murphysboro) 43-8, Jr. (Dec 4-2)

285 – Julien Tanner (Murphysboro) 46-3, Sr. over Michael Soto (East Alton-Wood River) 23-10, Sr. (Dec 4-0)

Vandalia Sectional third-place matches

106 – Eli Hill (Auburn/ Pawnee) 33-9, So. over Jonah LeDuc (Effingham) 33-11, Fr. (TF 3:48 (21-5)

113 – Drevan Bramlett (Murphysboro) 38-7, Fr. over Landon Cornwell (Robinson) 35-13, Sr. (Fall 3:05)

120 – Nathan Fisher (Althoff Catholic) 21-8, Jr. over Riley Hinton (Vandalia) 21-9, Fr. (MD 13-3)

126 – Sergio Garcia (Murphysboro) 43-9, Sr. over Pedro Alberto Rangel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 27-14, So. (TF 1:49 16-1)

132 – Mason Swartz (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 39-6, So. over Bodee Fathauer (Shelbyville) 23-7, Sr. (Dec 6-5)

138 – Brody Matthews (Vandalia) 35-10, Jr. over Jace Weaver (Johnston City) 34-9, Sr. (Fall 3:35)

144 – Eli Mabry (Vandalia) 35-7, Jr. over Kaden Blades (Benton) 45-7, Sr. (Fall 1:10)

150 – Logan Riggs (Roxana) 38-8, Sr. over Trey Boston (Auburn/ Pawnee) 32-10, So. (Fall 2:33)

157 – Owen McGinnis (Cumberland) 36-8, Sr. over Derek Wilkey (Benton) 40-8, Jr. (Fall 1:20)

165 – Zayne Zinkgraf (Vandalia) 20-6, So. over Joshua Lamour (Paris) 28-2, Sr. (Dec 13-12)

175 – Nick Morehead (Lawrence County) 31-11, Jr. over Kobe Cali (Benton) 30-6, Sr. (Dec 8-6)

190 – Daniel Jackson (Red Bud) 40-2, So. over Ethan Miller (Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm) 36-6, Sr. (MD 17-5)

215 – Wade Rees (Pinckneyville/ Trico/ Elverado) 33-8, Fr. over Hayden Mudgette (Shelbyville) 31-7, So. (TF 5:02 18-2)

285 – Jack Amann (Freeburg) 41-5, Jr. over Jeremiah Lorton (Effingham) 38-8, Sr. (TF 4:07 15-0)

Class 1A Byron Sectional recap

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op had a tournament-high seven qualifiers for the IHSA Finals from the Class 1A Byron Sectional while Dixon advanced five individuals to Champaign and Morrison, Richmond-Burton and Newman Central Catholic all had four state qualifiers.

There were two 2025 IHSA champions who advanced from the Byron Sectional to this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Finals and there were nine other IHSA medalists who also qualified from the Byron Sectional and will be competing this weekend in Champaign. 

Leading the way for the Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op PantherHawks, who are coached by  2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Milder, were champions Eli Larson (190, 45-1), Oliver McPeek (215, 44-2) and Jeremiah Luke (285, 41-3). Also advancing were second-place finishers Arrison Bauer (144, 44-4) and Sam Sikora (157, 37-12) and two individuals who claimed fourth place, Mauricio Glass (138, 35-13) and John Mensendike (175, 40-9)

Advancing to state for coach Micah Hey’s Dixon Dukes are title winners Jack Ragan (120, 38-5) and Charlie Connors (144, 40-4) while Riley Paredes (106, 35-2) finished second and Preston Richards (150, 40-7) and Dylan Bopes (285, 30-6) both claimed third place.

Qualifying for state for coach Tom Drosopoulos’ Morrison Mustangs were champion Eli Modglin (126, 43-3) and runner-up Caleb Modglin (150, 41-5) while Cael Wright (120, 42-8) and Noah Stout (190, 43-8) both finished in third place.

Moving on to state for coach Tony Nelson’s Richmond-Burton Rockets were third-place finishers Lelan Nelson (126, 31-6) and Wyatt Franckowiak (132, 38-10) and also Shane Falasca (215, 29-10) and Breckin Campbell (285, 31-9), who both finished in fourth place.

State qualifiers for coach Brody Ivey’s Newman Central Catholic Comets were champion Landon Near (113, 40-3) and runners-up Zhyler Hansen (126, 34-7) and Landon Blanton (132, 39-5), as well as fourth-place finisher Tyler Greenan (106, 28-12).

Additional sectional champions were Winnebago’s Cam Whitehead (106, 34-4), Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright (132, 44-3), Oregon’s Nelson Benesh (138, 41-4), Sandwich’s Cooper Corder (150, 39-1), West Carroll’s Connor Knop (157, 29-0), Wheaton Academy’s Tyler Jones (165, 42-2) and Byron Brody Stien (175, 44-1),

Princeton received second-place finishes from Augustus Swanson (113, 44-2), Kane Dauber (138, 25-3) and Casey Etheridge (165, 43-6). Also finishing in second place were Johnsburg’s Chase Vogel (120, 34-7), Sandwich’s Joshua Kotalik (175, 43-6), Byron’s Will Julian (190, 37-7), Marengo’s Owen Bills (215, 20-6) and Erie/ Prophetstown co-op’s Caleb Reymer (285, 37-8).

In some of the closest title matches, Wainwright edged Blanton 4-2 at 132, Near got past Swanson 7-4 at 113, Luke prevailed over Reymer 4-1 at 285, Eli Modglin beat Hansen 8-4 at 126 and Connors defeated Bauer 4-0 at 144.

Third-place finishes were also turned in by Rockridge’s Nate Lower (106, 39-3) and Thomas Sowards (157, 39-7), Mercer County’s Boston Morford (113, 33-11) and Eli Burns (165, 44-6), Marengo’s Mitchell Aukes (138, 42-4), Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger (144, 42-6), Johnsburg’s Duke Mays (175, 37-7) and Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer (215, 31-3).

The other fourth-place finishers were North Boone’s Drew Patel (113, 29-11), Marquette Academy’s Wesley Janick (120, 31-4), Oregon’s Isaiah Perez (126, 36-9), Rockridge’s Clayton Blumenstein (132, 38-9), Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille co-op’s Caiden Heath (144, 26-10), Johnsburg’s Tanner Hansen (150, 35-13), Byron’s Dylan Dach (157, 25-17), West Carroll’s Jonner Smith (165, 35-3) and Marengo’s Frankie Solis (190, 39-9).

2025 state champions (with their finishes from last year) who qualified for this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Finals from the Byron Sectional are: Dean Wainwright, Riverdale (1st at 132) and Eli Larson, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op (1st at 175).

2025 state medalists (with their finishes from last year) who qualified for this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Finals from the Byron  Sectional are: Jeremiah Luke, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op (2nd at 215); Arrison Bauer, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op (3rd at 144); Landon Near, Newman Central Catholic (4th at 106); Casey Etheridge, Princeton (4th at 165); Oliver McPeek, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op (4th at 190); Lelan Nelson, Richmond-Burton (5th at 106); Kane Dauber, Princeton (5th at 132); Cooper Corder, Sandwich (5th at 144) and Eli Burns, Mercer County (6th at 165).

Dixon’s Doolan Long lost 5-4 to Zhyler Hansen in the 126 semifinals and then fell 2-1 by ultimate tiebreaker to Lelan Nelson in his next match. Individuals who lost tight semifinal matches and then lost in the next round included Oregon’s Josiah Perez, who took sixth at 113 last season, fell 3-1 by ultimate tiebreaker to Jack Ragan at 120 and Polo/ Forreston/ Eastland/ Milledgeville co-op’s Micah Stringini, who lost 9-8 to Will Julian at 190.  

Other close calls in the consolation semifinal included Tyler Grennan edging Stillman Valley’s Carter Paulson 5-4 at 106, Isaiah Perez got past Lena-Winslow/ Stockton’s Brandon White 10-9 at 126, Dylan Dach beat Marquette Academy’s Brysen Manly 7-5 at 157 and Dylan Bopes won 1-0 over Wheaton Academy’s Hezzy Garcia at 285. 

Dixon’s Preston Richards edged Richmond-Burton’s Wyatt Franckowiak 72-70 for the most total match points, Marengo’s Frankie Solis was the only individual to record four falls and Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille co-op’s Aden Spinell was the lone competitor who had three wins by technical fall. 

Byron Sectional championship matches

106 – Cam Whitehead (Winnebago) 34-4, So. over Riley Paredes (Dixon) 35-2, Jr. (Dec 11-5)

113 – Landon Near (Newman Central Catholic) 40-3, So. over Augustus Swanson (Princeton) 44-2, Sr. (Dec 7-4)

120 – Jack Ragan (Dixon) 38-5, Jr. over Chase Vogel (Johnsburg) 34-7, So. (Dec 10-3)

126 – Eli Modglin (Morrison) 43-3, Fr. over Zhyler Hansen (Newman Central Catholic) 34-7, Sr. (Dec 8-4)

132 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) 44-3, Sr. over Landon Blanton (Newman Central Catholic) 39-5, Sr. (Dec 4-2)

138 – Nelson Benesh (Oregon) 41-4, Jr. over Kane Dauber (Princeton) 25-3, So. (Fall 5:52)

144 – Charlie Connors (Dixon) 40-4, So. over Arrison Bauer (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 44-4, Sr. (Dec 4-0)

150 – Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 39-1, Jr. over Caleb Modglin (Morrison) 41-5, Jr. (TF 1:23 20-3)

157 – Connor Knop (West Carroll) 29-0, Sr. over Sam Sikora (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 37-12, So. (Fall 1:41)

165 – Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) 42-2, Sr. over Casey Etheridge (Princeton) 43-6, Sr. (MD 11-3)

175 – Brody Stien (Byron) 44-1, Jr. over Joshua Kotalik (Sandwich) 43-6, So. (MD 14-4)

190 – Eli Larson (Lena-Winslow’/ Stockton) 45-1, Sr. over Will Julian (Byron) 37-7, Jr. (Dec 10-4)

215 – Oliver McPeek (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 44-2, Sr. over Owen Bills (Marengo) 20-6, Sr. (Fall 3:20)

285 – Jeremiah Luke (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 41-3, Sr. over Caleb Reymer (Erie/ Prophetstown) 37-8, Jr. (Dec 4-1)

Byron Sectional third-place matches

106 – Nate Lower (Rockridge) 39-3, So. over Tyler Grennan (Newman Central Catholic) 28-12, Fr. (Dec 6-0)

113 – Boston Morford (Mercer County) 33-11, Fr. over Drew Patel (North Boone) 29-11, So. (Dec 7-4)

120 – Cael Wright (Morrison) 42-8, So. over Wesley Janick (Marquette Academy) 31-4, Fr. (Dec 7-3)

126 – Lelan Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 31-6, So. over Isaiah Perez (Oregon) 36-9, So. (DQ)

132 – Wyatt Franckowiak (Richmond-Burton) 38-10, Fr. over Clayton Blumenstein (Rockridge) 38-9, Sr. (MD 16-5)

138 – Mitchell Aukes (Marengo) 42-4, Fr. over Mauricio Glass (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 35-13, Sr. (Dec 4-1)

144 – Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) 42-6, Sr. over Caiden Heath (Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille) 26-10, Jr. (Fall 5:19)

150 – Preston Richards (Dixon) 40-7, So. over Tanner Hansen (Johnsburg) 35-13, So. (TF 5:18 19-4)

157 – Thomas Sowards (Rockridge) 39-7, Jr. over Dylan Dach (Byron) 25-17, So. (Fall 1:11)

165 – Eli Burns (Mercer County) 44-6, Sr. over Jonner Smith (West Carroll) 35-3, Sr. (MD 10-0)

175 – Duke Mays (Johnsburg) 37-7, Jr. over John Mensendike (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 40-9, Sr. (Dec 4-0)

190 – Noah Stout (Morrison) 43-8, So. over Frankie Solis (Marengo) 39-9, Jr. (Fall 1:16)

215 – Alex Schaefer (Marquette Academy) 31-3, Jr. over Shane Falasca (Richmond-Burton) 29-10, So. (MD 12-4)

285 – Dylan Bopes (Dixon) 30-6, Sr. over Breckin Campbell (Richmond-Burton) 31-9, Jr. (Fall 1:20)

Class 1A Coal City Sectional recap

Coal City continued to add to its impressive accomplishments by doing something that it only has achieved once before, and that was qualifying all 14 of its sectional qualifiers to the IHSA Class 1A Finals, which it also did in 2023, the year that it won its first IHSA Dual Team title.

The Coalers achieved the feat at the sectional tournament that they hosted where coach Mark Masters’ team had six champions, five second-place finishers, two who took third place and one more who finished fourth.

Coal City was the only school to have 14 state qualifiers, which was one more than the best total in 2A, which was 13 for Providence Catholic while IC Catholic Prep advanced 12 in 2A. The highest total in 3A was the 10 qualifiers for Joliet Catholic Academy and Marmion Academy. The next-best total in 1A was 10 qualifiers for Vandalia.

Last week, they qualified for Dual Team State for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons and to not only look to capture their ninth trophy in the last 11 seasons but also advance to the Dual Team championship meet for the fourth straight year and repeat as 1A champions and also win their third IHSA title in four years.

Coal City looks to make some more history in several categories at the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals on February 27 and 28 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington by becoming the seventh team in Class A or 1A to finish unbeaten, the sixth A or 1A program to repeat as a champion, the fifth A or 1A program to win three titles in four seasons and the fourth program in A or 1A to have an unbeaten championship team.

Last season, the Coalers beat Vandalia 32-25 in the 1A title meet to finish 33-7 as they won their second title in three years and captured their eighth trophy in 10 seasons, with the latter feat achieved previously by Providence Catholic, Montini Catholic and Washington Community.

Coal City takes a 39-0 record into next weekend’s IHSA Dual Team Finals and this is the first time that the program has headed to state with a perfect record. The Coalers easily won the regional that they hosted by scoring 329 points, which was 186 points ahead of runner-up Bishop McNamara. They also turned in one of the most dominating performances in the history of ABE’s Rumble, only losing 10 matches in nine dual meets while recording four shutouts.

Sectional champions for Coal City were Jake Munsterman (106, 43-3), Max Christensen (144, 42-5), Brody Widlowski (150, 33-1), Aidan Kenney (157, 43-1), Mason Garner (165, 37-4) and Cade Poyner (215, 42-3).

Finishing in second place for the Coalers were Gavin Roudis (113, 27-8), Owen Petersen (126, 39-5), Cooper Morris (132, 41-4), Brock Finch (175, 35-2) and Payton Vigna (285, 34-10). Taking third place were Luke Munsterman (138, 40-6) and Evan Greggain (190, 33-9) while Tyson Price (120, 21-9) took fourth place.

Coach Dan Willis’ Chicago Hope Academy Eagles had four sectional champions, one runner-up, two who took third place and one who claimed fourth place.

Winning titles for the Eagles were Obadiah Willis (126, 40-3), Jeremiah Lawrence (132, 27-2), Chance Woods (138, 42-2) and Arkail Griffin (175, 42-1) while Nolan Callahan (120, 20-5) took second place. Finishing third were Santori Knight (150, 22-4) and Ismael Martinez (165, 30-10) while Dylan Galvez (157, 37-8) took fourth place. 

Coach Mike Vester’s Yorkville Christian Mustangs had two second-place finishers, four who claimed third place and two more who took fourth place.

Finishing in second place for the Mustangs were Austin Wadas-Luis (150, 35-15) and Tyler Gleason (165, 35-12). Taking third place were Davin Torza (106, 37-10), Phoenix Senodenos (113, 28-5), Christian Sandoval (120, 28-20) and Adrian Wadas-Luis (144, 38-13) while placing fourth were Ryan Alaimo (138, 18-7) and Jackson Allen (215, 44-7).

Additional sectional champions were Reed-Custer’s Colton Drinkwine (113, 33-4), Seneca’s Raiden Terry (120, 38-3), Wilmington’s Logan VanDuyne (190, 38-3) and Sullivan’s Charles Harris (285, 32-3).

Others who captured second-place finishes were Sullivan’s Mohammed Zia Nadre (106, 22-5), Bishop McNamara’s Alex Kostecka (138, 28-12), Clifton Central/ Iroquois West co-op’s Evan Cox (144, 37-10), Pontiac’s Brayden Quas (157, 33-7), Seneca’s Landen Venecia (190, 34-8) and Herscher’s Colton Carson (215, 41-12).

Also taking third place were Reed-Custer’s Jayden Sanchez (132, 36-13) and Dominic Alaimo (215, 38-10), Lisle Senior’s Alexander Ferari (126, 31-3), St. Francis’ Chase Siguenza (157, 14-2), Pontiac’s Lucas Maier (175, 40-4) and Clifton Central/ Iroquois West co-op’s Josh McCurry (285, 33-12).

Individuals who also finished in fourth place were Lisle Senior’s Sebastian Lara (106, 24-11) and Johnny Consuegra-Lopez (144, 26-9), Bishop McNamara’s Evan Johnson (113, 27-11) and Kian Bramer (285, 23-19), Peotone’s Jonah Young (126, 22-10), Westmont’s Ardan Baglaev (132, 34-12), Seneca’s Chase Rod (150, 30-11), Manteno’s Lucas Hetman (165, 30-11), Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op’s Gavin Bafia (175, 34-13) and Horizon Science Academy –  Southwest Chicago’s Sami Marrero (190, 18-4). 

The closest sectional title match was at 132 where Chicago Hope Academy’s Jeremiah Lawrence won a 7-4 decision over Coal City’s Cooper Morris.

2025 IHSA medalists (with their finishes from a year ago) who qualified from the Coal City Sectional for this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Finals in Champaign were: Cooper Morris, Coal City (2nd at 126); Brody Widlowski, Coal City (2nd at 138); Raiden Terry, Seneca (3rd at 106); Jeremiah Lawrence, Chicago Hope Academy (3rd at 120); Aidan Kenney, Coal City (4th at 144); Owen Petersen, Coal City (5th at 113); Arkail Griffin, Chicago Hope Academy (5th at 165); Cade Poyner, Coal City (5th at 190) and Dominic Alaimo, Reed-Custer (6th at 215).

Coal City’s Gavin Roudis had the most falls in the least time with three in 3:10. Yorkville Christian’s Davin Torza was the only individual who recorded three wins by technical fall. And Torza also edged Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op’s Gavin Bafia 58-55 for the most total match points. 

In the closest consolation semifinal matches, Lisle Senior’s Johnny Consuegra-Lopez edged Herscher’s Alexander Mendez 10-7 in sudden victory at 144, Manteno’s Lucas Hetman prevailed over Corliss’ Grant Smith 7-6 at 165 and Chicago Hope Academy’s Santori Knight got past Clifton Central/ Iroquois West co-op’s Giona Panozzo 10-7 at 150.  

Coal City captured its 39th-straight victory when it defeated Yorkville Christian 56-14 at the Coal City Dual Team Sectional, That assured it of its fourth-straight appearance in the IHSA Dual Team Finals and it has qualified for the event for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons.

The No. 1 Coalers meet No. 8 Olympia in the quarterfinals on Friday, February 27 at 5 p.m. at Grossinger Motors Arena with the winner advancing against No. 5 Dixon or No. 9 Althoff Catholic. The semifinals and title and third-place meets are on the next day with the IHSA Girls Finals also being held on those two days at the same site in downtown Bloomington.

Chicago Hope Academy will be back at the 1A Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row and the fourth time since 2017 after winning the other dual meet at the Coal City Sectional 56-9 over Wendell Phillips Academy.

The No. 17 Eagles face No. 3 Vandalia in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Friday with the winner meeting No. 6 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op or No. 2 Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op in the semifinals.

This was the first sectional appearance for coach Carl Clark, Srs.’ Wildcats, who captured their first regional title in their program’s 16th season.

Coal City has captured wins over three Class 1A qualifiers, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op and Chicago Hope Academy and also against three Class 2A qualifiers, No. 3 Glenwood, No. 7 Mahomet-Seymour and No. 9 Oak Forest.

In the matchup between the 2025 and 2023 IHSA 1A champions and the 2022 1A title winners, coach Mike Vesters’ seventh-ranked Mustangs (17-3) lost the opener but then won the next two matches to grab an early 11-5 advantage. But then the top-ranked Coalers claimed wins in the next 10 matches before Yorkville Christian closed the dual meet with its third victory.

In the opener at 106, Coal City’s Jake Munsterman won 18-2 by technical fall over Davin Torza. The Munstangs answered with a pin from Phoenix Senodenos over Ryder Gill in 3:15 and then added to their lead with a victory at 120 when Ryan Festerling, Jr. won 21-3 by technical fall over Tyson Price.

Coal City pulled even at 11-11 when Owen Petersen won by fall in 0:53 over Christian Sandoval and moved ahead at 132 when Cooper Morris got a 21-5 win by technical fall over Jackson Witt.

Luke Munsterman followed with a 12-4 major decision over Ryan Alaimo and Max Christensen made it 24-11 when he captured an 11-3 major decision over Adrian Wadas-Luis at 144.

Brody Widlowski recorded a pin in 0:50 over Levi Wheeler and then Aidan Kenney claimed a 16-4 major decision over Austin Wadas-Luis at 157 to make it 34-11 with six matches left.

Mason Garner captured a 17-3 major decision over Tyler Gleason and Brock Finch won by fall in 1:14 over Henry Fox at 175 to extend Coal City’s advantage to 45-11.

Evan Greggain won by fall in 0:37 over Kenny Fox and Cade Poyner received a forfeit at 215 before the Mustangs got a 7-1 decision from Hayden Wheeler over Payton Vigna in the finale.

In the other dual meet at the Coal City Sectional, the teams double-forfeited in the first two matches and then Chicago Hope Academy won the next 10 before Wendell Phillips Academy claimed victories in the last two matches.

Nolan Callahan got a 19-2 win by technical fall over Oluwatimileyin Ishola at 120 and Indigo Berg prevailed 22-16 over Andrew Price in a match that featured several stoppages. 

Obadiah Willis won by fall in 1:26 over Jeremy Catching at 132 and then Jeremiah Lawrence got a pin in 0:51 over Jeremiah Holmes to give the Eagles a 20-0 advantage.

Chance Woods was a winner by fall in 1:08 over Kalvin Moore at 144 and Santori Knight recorded a pin in 1:26 over Maurice Buckner before Dylan Galvez claimed a forfeit win.

Ismael Martinez won by fall in 3:21 over Roderick Johnson at 165, Arkail Griffin followed with a forfeit win and Martin Rodriguez collected Chicago Hope Academy’s final victory at 190 when he won by fall in 1:13 over Trevon Morgan.

Charleston Rice gave the Wildcats their first victory with a 1-0 decision over Mastewal Evely at 215 and Jacob Reames got another win with a pin in 0:51 over Artin Esmaeili in the final match.  

Coal City Sectional championship matches

106 – Jake Munsterman (Coal City) 43-3, So. over Mohammed Zia Nadre (Sullivan 22-5, Sr. (Inj. 1:21)

113  – Colton Drinkwine (Reed-Custer) 33-4, So. over Gavin Roudis (Coal City) 27-8, Fr. (MD 18-6)

120 – Raiden Terry (Seneca) 38-3, Jr. over Nolan Callahan (Chicago Hope Academy) 20-5, So. (Dec 7-0)

126 – Obadiah Willis (Chicago Hope Academy) 40-3, Fr. over Owen Petersen (Coal City) 39-5, Jr. (MD 8-0)

132  – Jeremiah Lawrence (Chicago Hope Academy) 27-2, Sr. over Cooper Morris (Coal City) 41-4, Jr. (Dec 7-4)

138 – Chance Woods (Chicago Hope Academy) 42-2, Sr. over Alex Kostecka (Bishop McNamara) 28-12, Sr. (Fall 3:00)

144 – Max Christensen (Coal City) 42-5, Fr. over Evan Cox (Clifton Central/ Iroquois West) 37-10, Sr. (Dec 12-6)

150 – Brody Widlowski (Coal City) 33-1, Sr. over Austin Wadas-Luis (Yorkville Christian) 35-15, Sr. (TF 4:37 22-5)

157 – Aidan Kenney (Coal City) 43-1, Sr. over Brayden Quas (Pontiac) 33-7, So. (Dec 11-5)

165 – Mason Garner (Coal City) 37-4, Sr. over Tyler Gleason (Yorkville Christian) 35-12, Sr. (Dec 9-3)

175 – Arkail Griffin (Chicago Hope Academy) 42-1, Jr. over Brock Finch (Coal City) 35-2, Sr. (MD 15-4)

190 – Logan VanDuyne (Wilmington) 38-3, Sr. over Landen Venecia (Seneca) 34-8, Sr. (TF 3:00 215 – Cade Poyner (Coal City) 42-3, Sr. over Colton Carson (Herscher) 41-12, Fr. (Fall 2:25)

285 – Charles Harris (Sullivan) 32-3, Sr. over Payton Vigna (Coal City) 34-10, Sr. (Dec 7-1)

Coal City Sectional third-place matches

106 – Davin Torza (Yorkville Christian) 37-10, So. over Sebastian Lara (Lisle Senior) 24-11, Jr. (TF 5:00 23-8)

113 – Phoenix Senodenos (Yorkville Christian) 28-5, Fr. over Evan Johnson (Bishop McNamara) 27-11, So. (Inj. 0:00)

120 – Christian Sandoval (Yorkville Christian) 28-20, Sr. over Tyson Price (Coal City) 21-9, Jr. (Dec 19-18)

126 – Alexander Ferari (Lisle Senior) 31-3, Sr. over Jonah Young (Peotone) 22-10, Fr. (Dec 6-3)

132 – Jayden Sanchez (Reed-Custer) 36-13, Sr. over Ardan Baglaev (Westmont) 34-12, So. (Fall 3:23)

138 – Luke Munsterman (Coal City) 40-6, Sr. over Ryan Alaimo (Yorkville Christian) 18-7, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

144 – Adrian Wadas-Luis (Yorkville Christian) 38-13, Sr. over Johnny Consuegra-Lopez (Lisle Senior) 26-9, Jr. (Dec 6-3)

150

1st – Brody Widlowski (Coal City) 33-1, Sr. over Austin Wadas-Luis (Yorkville Christian) 35-15, Sr. (TF 4:37 22-5)

3rd – Santori Knight (Chicago Hope Academy) 22-4, Sr. over Chase Rod (Seneca) 30-11, So. (Dec 12-11)

157 – Chase Siguenza (St. Francis) 14-2, Jr. over Dylan Galvez (Chicago Hope Academy) 37-8, Jr. (Dec 13-9)

165 – Ismael Martinez (Chicago Hope Academy) 30-10, Sr. over Lucas Hetman (Manteno) 30-11, So. (Fall 4:00)

175 – Lucas Maier (Pontiac) 40-4, So. over Gavin Bafia (Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington) 34-13, Sr. (MD 15-4)

190 – Evan Greggain (Coal City) 33-9, Sr. over Sami Marrero (Horizon Science Academy – Southwest Chicago) 18-4, Sr. (Fall 4:47)

215 – Dominic Alaimo (Reed-Custer) 38-10, Sr. over Jackson Allen (Yorkville Christian) 44-7, Sr. (Inj. 0:00)

285 – Josh McCurry (Clifton Central/ Iroquois West) 33-12, Jr. over Kian Bramer (Bishop McNamara) 23-19, Sr. (Dec 8-1)

Class 1A Coal City Class Dual Team Sectional Results 

Coal City 56, Yorkville Christian 14

100 – Jake Munsterman (CC) TF 18-2 Davon Torza (YC)

106 – Phoenix Senodenos (YC) F 3:15 Ryder Gill (CC)

113 – Ryan Festerling, Jr. TF 21-3 Tyson Price (CC)

126 – Owen Petersen (CC) F 0:53 Christian Sandoval (YC)

132 – Cooper Morris (CC) TF 21-5 Jackson Witt (YC)

138 – Luke Munsterman (CC) MD 12-4 Ryan Alaimo (YC)

144 – Max Christensen (CC) MD 11-3 Adrian Wadas-Luis (YC)

150 – Brody Widlowski (CC) F 0:50 Levi Wheeler (YC)

157 – Aidan Kenney (CC) MD 16-4 Austin Wasas-Luis (YC)

165 – Mason Garner (CC) MD 17-3 Tyler Gleason (YC)

175 – Brock Finch (CC) F 1:14 Henry Fox (YC)

190 – Evan Greggain (CC) F 0:37 Kenny Fox (YC)

215 – Cade Poyner (CC) FFT

285 – Hayden Wheeler (YC) D 7-1 Payton Vigna (CC) 

Chicago Hope Academy 56, Wendell Phillips Academy 9

106 – Double forfeit

113 – Double forfeit

120 – Nolan Callahan (CHA) TF 19-2 Oluwatimileyin Ishola (WPA)

126 – Indigo Berg (CHA) D 22-16 Andrew Price (WPA)

132 – Obadiah Willis (CHA) F 1:26 Jeremy Catching (WPA)

138 – Jeremiah Lawrence (CHA) F 0:51 Jeremiah Holmes (WPA)

144 – Chance Woods (CHA) F 1:08 Kalvin Moore (WPA)

150 – Santori Knight (CHA) F 1:26 Maurice Buckner (WPA)

157 – Dylan Galvez (CHA) FFT

165 – Ismael Martinez (CHA) F 3:21 Roderick Johnson (WPA)

175 – Arkail Griffin (CHA) FFT

190 – Martin Rodriguez (CHA) F 1:13 Trevon Morgan (WPA)

215 – Charleston Rice (WPA) D 1-0 Mastewal Evely (CHA)

285 – Jacob Reames (WPA) F 0:51 Artin Esmaeili (CHA) 

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

The Barrington sectional may have not had the depth of Edwardsville or Hinsdale Central, but there’s no denying how many men of its state qualifiers will be candidates to fill the guest list on the floor Saturday night at State Farm Arena.

Hinsdale Central, thanks to the presence of state powers Marmion Academy and Montini Catholic, would lead the four sectionals with 100 state ranked men; Edwardsville was next with 99, followed by Barrington and its 88, including an impressive murderers’ row that would stretch from 106-215.

Four regional team champions: Barrington, Grant, Hononegah, and Loyola Academy advanced 40 into this sectional, and will send 22 wrestlers downstate, with a multitude of potential state finalists.

For the tournament, Barrington, Grant, and Loyola Academy would all sent six each downstate, Stevenson and Warren were next with five.

The six that Grant will bring to Champaign ties the program record set but IWCOA Hall-of-Fame head coach Ryan Geist, according to head coach Mark Jolcover, whose terrific coaching staff includes former Bulldogs Anthony Johnson and John Dineen. Before going on to Illinois to continue wrestling, Dineen was a two-time state place winner for Geist.

Five teams would dominate the top of the podium with Hononegah leading the way with a trio of individual champions, while Barrington, Grant, Loyola Academy and Warren all earned two first place trophies.

At the dual team state finals in Bloomington, No. 17 Barrington (15-8-0) will face No. 8 Oak Park-River Forest (10-2-0) in quarterfinal play at the 3A dual-team state tournament on Friday, February 27 at 5:00, followed by the No. 4 St. Charles East (17-5-0) versus No. 5 Hononegah (13-6-0) contest at 7:00.

106- Niko Odiotti (Loyola Academy)

For a team that stands a chance at success, it is important to have a strong presence at the start of its lineup, and in Niko Odiotti, Loyola Academy has the best there is.

The No. 1 man at 106-pound easily won his second consecutive sectional crown here with a pair of pins, and a superb effort in his final with Brady Myatt (Grant, 34-10) that would end with a 18-3 tech-fall for the Ramblers sophomore.

“My second place finish at state last year put everything into perspective, and although it was disappointing, it did provide me with the extra motivation you need to work harder, and push yourself to be the best,” said Odiotti, now 31-2 on the season.

The super-soph was thrilled to be a part of the Ramblers first regional title, and appearance in a dual-team sectional since 1997.

“I am really happy for my teammates, and our coaching staff that have been part of making this such a great season,” added Odiotti.

Myatt is on his way to his first state appearance, as is Stevenson freshman Stefan Vihrov (38-9) and another freshman, Luthor Rajcevich (Hampshire, 29-14) who finished third and fourth.

113- Caleb Noble (Warren)

It did not take long for Caleb Noble to establish himself as the best at his weight since entering the prep scene three years ago, while at the same time, working his way into national polls as well.

The junior from Warren, ranked No. 1 in the state once again and found in the top 10 nationally — most recently No. 6 by Sports Illustrated — now has three straight sectional crowns after his fall at 2:33 over No. 8 Lucas Crandall (34-11) of Fremd.

“One of my biggest developments since last year at this time is that I am making my game to be more (college-like), including improving my riding skills, which will be so important at the next level,” says Noble.

The Arizona State-bound Noble, now 42-1, and 121-6 on his way to Champaign, where he’ll chase a third state title.

No. 7 Daniel Berdich (Stevenson, 34-5) who has enjoyed a marvelous season thus far, finished third over Larry Quirk (Grant, 30-17) to earn his second trip downstate.

“Watching Larry punch his ticket to Champaign was truly one of the most exciting moments in program history. His dad has coached the Fox Lake Wrestling Club for 15 years, and Larry has done everything right during the four years that he has been with us,” said Jolcover.

120- Kaleb Pratt (Barrington)

After striking early and quick in order to build insurmountable leads in his first two matches, both ending with tech-fall victories, No. 2 Kaleb Pratt, needed a little more time to dash the hopes of No. 7 Jayce Glauser.

The two finalist in the 120-pound contest played to a 0-0 draw after two minutes, before Pratt (44-5) grabbed a 3-0, then 3-1 advantage midway through the second period. A near fall at the end of the period increased his lead that would eventually end in a 10-1 major decision.

“It was all about just being patient, letting things come to me, defending, and hitting my shots, and wrestling error-free and smart the rest of the way,” said Pratt, now a two-time sectional champion, whose methodical approach would stand out during his six minutes on the mat.

The three-time state qualifier now has four major titles for the season, and one state medal earned in 2024.

Glauser has been fantastic since his transfer from Richmond-Burton, where he was sixth at state a year ago at 106 pounds.

No. 8 Daniel Myint (Loyola Academy, 32-12) is now a first time state qualifier after his third place victory over Colin Abordo (Huntley, 40-8) who is making his second visit downstate.

126- Oleksandr (Sasha) Havrylkiv (Hersey)

There’s little doubt as to who was the biggest surprise last season in the 113-pound weight class in Champaign.

Although many knew of the talents of rookie Oleksandr (Sasha) Havrylkiv, it was from far away as his club from Buffalo Grove did not travel to high-profile tournaments.

Once on the floor of State Farm Arena, Havrylkiv would stun No. 2 Rocco Hayes  (6-5) in his quarterfinal, push-then undefeated, and No. 2 Caden Correll (Normal) during a hard fought semifinal defeat.

Havrylkiv would come back later to earn a well deserved fourth place state medal, and, after his transfer to Hersey over the summer, found himself as the No. 2 man at 126-pounds behind Bobby Ruscitti from Montini Catholic.

“I am still the person who never stops working out – lifting, running, and pushing myself in the room all of the time,” said Havrylkiv, now 38-4 after his tech-fall victory (19-4) over No. 9 Gavin Pardilla (33-8) from Loyola Academy.

“Sasha is a tremendous leader, and just a great teammate, who we sometimes have to chase out of the room, and send him home because his work rate, and work ethic is off the charts,” added Hersey coach Chris Riley.

Pardilla is now a three-time state qualifier, third place medal winner, Saul Ramirez (Barrington, 31-14) earned his second trip downstate, and did Jackson Olson (Hononegah, 29-10) who was fourth a year ago.

132- Ryan Dorn (Barrington)

The connection between No. 3 Ryan Dorn (Barrington, 38-5) and No. 5 Shawn Kogan (Stevenson, 33-6) this season brought these two long-time friends together for a third time this season when the 132-pound final was called to mat 

No. 1.

The ‘third time is a charm’ was not in favor of Kogan, who would concede a first period take-down that would lead to a 4-0 victory for Dorn, now a two-time sectional champ, and three-time state qualifier.

“We know each other so well from the regular season, and as training partners at Relentless (operated by Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater), so there’s little we don’t know about each other. It kind of explains why our match was played so conservatively,” admitted Dorn.

The first time these two met, the Barrington junior recorded a 5-4 victory, and in the regional final at Harper Community College, Dorn earned a 12-4 triumph.

Alexander Osborne (Libertyville, 30-13), and Ayden Shuey (DeKalb, 27-10) are first time state qualifiers.

138- Erik Rodriguez (Grant)

No. 4 Erik Rodriguez has done nothing but improve with each season that he’s spent under head coach Mark Jolcover and this year has been his best thus far.

Rodriguez has a 37-6 record, with four of those defeats to out-of-state opponents. He has won three straight major titles, including the first sectional title of his career, sending him to Champaign for the third straight season.

“I got off to a little bit of a slow start in my final, but (Dylan) Solesky (Zion-Benton) is a good wrestler, and someone that I didn’t take lightly even though I beat him before,” began Rodriguez.

Rodriguez would open up a 8-1 first period with a nicely played single, extend to a 11-2 advantage as the period came to an end – however Solesky (29-8) drew closer at 12-5 at three minutes.

The Bulldogs’ captain would explode in the third period en route to a 24-10 major decision victory.

“I feel great right now, and I am excited about heading to state, and look forward to putting some extra time in before we head downstate,” said Rodriguez, third last year at state, and headed to Central Michigan University in the fall.

Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson, 23-5) who missed some time earlier in the season with an injury, garnered a well deserved third place medal, and first trip downstate, as did fourth place Colin Huminsky (35-16) from Huntley.

144- Vince Jasinski (Grant, 42-5)

The rise to the top for Vince Jasinski has been nothing short of astonishing from his rookie season at 106 pounds, right on up to his current spot at 144 pounds, where the Grant star is currently the No. 1 man in the state polls.

Jasinski (42-5) and Bulldog teammate Erik Rodriguez have combined for nearly 320 victories. Jasinski, fourth a year ago at state, also holds the program record for pins in one season, and for a career with 105.

“Vince, and Erik lead the charge for us, and have changed the culture and standard of our program ever since they stepped into the room,” says Jolcover.

Jasinski pinned his way to regional, and sectional titles to take a firm hold on that No. 1 spot in the polls.

“Being ranked No. 1 at any time of the year doesn’t mean a thing to me, it’s all about being there at the end of the season,” said Jasinski, who will wrestle next fall at Northern Iowa University.

Jasinski’s top-8 finish at Fargo in freestyle helped the four-year star earn All-American honors.

Jasinski would need just 1:38 minutes to pin Valentin Vihrov (36-8), who has enjoyed a wonderful senior year at Stevenson, helping the Patriots capture the Lake County Invite title.

Vihrov, along with Barrington senior Jimmy Whitaker (42-8) who finished third here, are now both two-time state qualifiers.

McHenry junior Ryan Johnston (41-10) will be making his first visit to Champaign.

150- Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah)

No. 1 Rocco Cassioppi has just one loss in the state of Illinois this season, with his two losses coming at the prestigious Ironman to Joe Bachmann in a 2-1 tie-breaker, and class 2A star Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic) when the Hononegah junior bumped to 157.

Bachmann and Cassioppi (42-2) are No.’s 5 and 6 in national polls, and on Saturday afternoon here in Barrington, the affable Hononegah junior appeared ready to add another state championship trophy to his resume.

Two pins in his first two matches in just 3 1/2 minutes sent Cassioppi into his final with No. 6 Daniel Blanke (40-10) from Barrington, who despite already enjoying a marvelous junior season, was unable to keep up with a non-stop attack that would end at 3:50 (17-2) and tech-fall victory.

“I feel really good right now, working hard, keeping things sharp, fine-tuning every part of my game in order to be ready when things start for all of us this Thursday in Champaign,” said Cassioppi, a state champion a year ago at 132, and runner-up at 106 in his rookie season.

No. 7 James Hemmila (Loyola Academy, 25-5) is now a two-time state qualifier following his pin of Cam Matthews (DeKalb, 31-12) who is making his first appearance of his career.

157- Ethan Banda (Mundelein)

The perseverance displayed by Ethan Banda is what stands out most for the Mundelein star, who endured a double ‘whammy’ of sorts last season when he somehow found a way to his first state appearance after a major injury nearly ended his season for good.

The then-junior would suffer a vertebrae fracture at the Mustangs’ opening tournament, but returned six weeks later to earn a trip downstate at 144-pounds, only to be diagnosed with bronchitis the week of the state tournament.

“I guess I didn’t have a lot of luck on my side last year,” deadpanned Banda with the obvious.

“The (C7) fracture was a big injury. Fortunately it was right at the start of the year, which gave me a lot of time to get healthy, rehab, and get myself ready for the postseason,” continued Banda, who lost to eventual state champion Evan Gosz (Fremd) in his sectional final here.

“I didn’t have a lot of energy at state, so I was done really quick, but I feel great this season, and really excited with this sectional title, and another chance at the tournament this weekend,” continued Banda, now 36-5 after his 12-9 decision over No. 7 Daniel Malan (Loyola Academy, 27-5). Malan will be making his first trip downstate, as is third-place Michael Brannigan (Hampshire, 33-9) and Buffalo Grove junior Anthony Klikas (26-8) who won three major title this season.

165- Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah, 38-4)

The pendulum swung during an intense rivalry between No. 2 Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah, 38-4) and No. 3 Royce Lopez (Warren, 38-3) in the highly anticipated 165-pound final.

In the first meeting between these two giants, Lopez was victorious in a 2-1 tie-breaker in late November at the Marmion Academy Cadet Classic.

With considerably more at stake one week in advance of the state tournament, it would be Cassioppi coming out ahead with a hard fought 4-1 victory in extra time with the Hononegah junior recording a well designed takedown with 16 seconds remaining in the first extra period.

“I always felt in our match that I would be able to score more than I did, but Royce is really athletic, and a tough opponent. But when I saw that opening in overtime, I was confident I could get in and get the take-down,” said Cassioppi after claiming his fourth major title of the season.

Cassioppi, now a three-time state qualifier, and 2023 state place winner (third place) would trade an escape with the Northwestern-bound Lopez, before his game-winning take-down.

Lopez is a four-time state qualifier, fifth a year ago at 165.

No. 4 Frank Tagoe (Hersey, 36-5) is on his way to a second consecutive trip downstate after his 15-1 major decision over Michael Vincic (Mundelein,37-7) who will making his first ever state appearance.

175- Brody Sendele (Hononegah, 40-3)

Brody Sendele (40-3) will join teammates Rocco and Bruno Cassioppi as strong favorites to come home with the big prize from Champaign, after his brilliant three-match effort on Saturday, culminating with his sensational tech-fall (17-2) victory over No. 8 Sam Cushman (34-11) from host Barrington.

“Brody is at a whole other level right now at every level of his game,” began Hononegah head coach Tyler Demoss.

“He was injured (ACL) last season, and even when he returned, he wasn’t close to being a hundred percent . He worked really hard to get himself back to finish second at state, which was an incredible accomplishment, but he’s healthy this year and we’re getting to see just how dangerous he can be.”

The No. 1 junior unloaded on No. 2 Ilya Dvoriannikov (Warren) in their semifinal (16-3 major) to advance.

Dvoriannikov (23-9) is a three-time state qualifier in class 2A while at Vernon Hills, finishing second last year at 165.

Prospect senior Joe Quirk (32-8) is now a two-time state qualifier.

190- Aaron Stewart (Warren)

No. 1 Aaron Stewart (35-4) has the look of a state champion once again.

The Warren senior appears to be on his way to a third consecutive state title this weekend after he destroyed the competition at 190-pounds with a lethal, devastating attack that produced two super quick pins, and an impressive tech-fall victory over No. 2 Lucas Nance (Fremd, 36-6) in his semifinal match.

“I feel like I’m in a good spot right now. I’ve been staying with my training to get myself ready for this weekend,” said Stewart, who is on his way to the University of Illinois in the fall where he will play football, before turning in his pads for an Illini singlet.

Always around the top 10 in national polls since stepping into the Blue Devils room, Stewart was the No. 1 guy in preseason polls at 175, until moving up a weight that has been his from the start.

Stewart will arrive in Champaign with a 169-10 record in his career.

The aforementioned Nance would come back wrestle-backs to easily qualify for his second trip downstate after his decision over James Scanio (Libertyville, 33-10) in the third place match.

Three-sport star (football, baseball), No. 7, John Rappa (31-2) from Rolling Meadows earned a well deserved second state appearance despite his pin at the hands of Stewart in 18 seconds.

215- Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy, 34-2)

Kai Calcutt claimed a rare fourth sectional crown Saturday afternoon following his third pin of the tournament – this one coming at the expense of Lake Zurich sophomore Rocco DiCanio, who heads to his first state tournament with an impressive 39-5 overall record.

“I give a lot of credit for what I’ve been able to accomplish to (coach) Matt Collum, who has turned the culture around at Loyola Academy, and has made it one for all of us to be proud of,” began Calcutt (34-2) – twice a state runner-up, and state champion in 2024.

“I’ve been so fortunate to have a person like (Collum) as well as Jordan Blanton at Relentless, whose technical expertise and ‘chill’ personality has taught me a lot also.”

The North Carolina State-bound Calcutt will arrive in Champaign with a stunning 144-16 overall record.

After back-to-back blood round sectional defeats, Dundee-Crown senior Teigen Moreno (40-3) roared into his first, and well deserved state appearance after blood-round pin, and 9-2 decision to capture third place.

Caleb VanLeer (Warren, 14-8) was fourth.

285- Knox Homota (Hampshire)

The personality of No. 9 Knox Homota is worth the price of admission, and so is the way in which the Hampshire sophomore can navigate his way through a weight class in which he gives away so many pounds to his opponents.

Weighing in at just 205, and standing at 6-1, Homota combines terrific speed, and quickness, along with ability to put plenty of points on the board to offset the extra girth he gives away each time he goes out.

Homota (36-4) would use a six-point explosion to break open a close match with Prospect senior James Brouilette (39-7) in the third period to go from a four-point advantage (9-5) to a near insurmountable 12-6 lead en route to a 15-7 triumph.

“Yeah, I’m just a ‘few’ pounds less than the rest of the guys here,” said Homola with a wry smile. “But I feel like the weight that I give away is made up for with the type of quickness a lot of heavyweights might not have, which I use to my advantage as often that I can.”

Homola, who lost in the blood round here a year ago, and would finish with a 29-9 overall record, opened tournament play with a pin (2:48) and followed up with a 9-0 major decision victory over No. 10 Jeremy Marshall (45-3) from Evanston, who placed third and is now a two-time state qualifier.

Homola is a middle-linebacker, running back, and tight end for the Whip-Purrs football team.

Regional champion Ajani Williams (Grant, 29-16) only in his second year in the sport was fourth overall.

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

Wherever No. 1 IC Catholic goes it takes home plenty of hardware, as well as countless individual trophies.

The Knights (16-2-0), favored to win a second consecutive class 2A team title at the end of the month, claimed six individual titles and advanced 12 into the state tournament.

The Knights, who, along with Antioch had 13 pins in the tournament, will face No. 4 Geneseo (14-6-0) in its dual-team quarterfinal on Friday, February 27 (7:00) in Bloomington at the Grossinger Motors Arena.

Grayslake Central would celebrate a program best six to Champaign, including its terrific DeMarco brothers (Dominic and Vince) who would enjoy a memorable weekend of wrestling

Deerfield, with a tourney-best 18 pins recorded over the two days, will have seven in Champaign. Antioch (6), Wauconda (4) and Wheeling (12-4-0) who is on its way to Bloomington later this month all had three state qualifiers.

106- Dominic DeMarco (Grayslake Central, 31-2)

An early season appendectomy might have slowed Dominic DeMarco for a short while, but the Grayslake Central freshman, No. 2, has been on fire of late, including during his well deserved 7-1 victory over No. 3 Mike Bird (IC Catholic, 31-14) to thrill the crowd during the opening match of the final session.

The 106-pound title is the third major title for DeMarco (31-2), who begins his training day early in the morning, and never slows down, much like his older brother Vince, who is a two-time state medal winner, and the No. 3 man at 113-pounds.

“It’s great having Vince in the room, we’re great friends, and he’s a great partner, and someone that I always look forward to training with,” said DeMarco.

DeMarco opened his tournament with his 11th pin of the season, went past Thomas Emery, 12-5, then prepared for a second meeting of the year with Bird.

“(Bird) is very good, he’s got a strong attack, and shot, so it was important for me to stay in good position, and just be ready for whatever he throws at me,” opined DeMarco, who earned a 10-8 decision over Bird earlier.

“Dominic wrestled a hard fought match with Bird, who he caught with a six point throw with ten seconds remaining in the second period to go up 6-1,” recounted head coach Matt Joseph.

An escape would extend his lead to the eventual 7-1 result.

Thomas Emery (40-9), who transferred from nearby Hersey during the offseason, and Fargo top 12 guy in Greco, is on his way to his first state tournament with a third place medal, while Antioch senior Haydren Gomez (28-19) is making his first trip to Champaign as well.

113- Vince DeMarco (Grayslake Central)

Two previous top-four state medals only made Vince DeMarco put the extra work in during the offseason to fine tune technically, while keeping it all in perspective as to the trials and tribulations of the sport.

“You just go and do the best that you can, and, for me, I don’t look back, and say I should have done something different,” DeMarco would say just before he won his regional crown two weeks ago.

DeMarco (37-7) would finish second a year ago at state, fourth two years ago, but after his magnificent two days here that would end with his 11-3 major decision victory over No. 2 Drew Murante (IC Catholic, 32-12) it appears the Rams junior is ready for the final weekend of the season.

“Vince was dominating today, avenging an early season loss (11-5) to Murante, and he set the tone with three first period take-downs, then would just control the rest of the way,” said a proud Matt Joseph.

DeMarco, a 2025 Junior Greco-Roman National champion at 106 pounds during the summer in Fargo, has successfully averted three early season losses to Murante, Daniel Berdich (Stevenson) and Lucas Crandall from Fremd.

No. 6 Jayme Cohen (Deerfield, 37-11) came back from his quarterfinal loss to Murante to earn his first trip downstate with a third place medal, while No. 10 Frankie Katz (Wheeling, 25-14) joins Cohen after his fourth place medal.

120- Kannon Judycki (IC Catholic)

Kannon Judycki would start a four-match championship run for his club when he finished off his third opponent of the weekend with a third consecutive pin, this one at the expense of Deerfield junior Jorey Becker (37-11) at 1:50.

The Knights junior, now 26-8, has come long way fast since his rookie season when he was a state qualifier with 25 wins, one of which came in Champaign at 113 pounds.

Last season, Judycki won his first two state matches, before a heart-breaking sudden death loss to eventual state runner-up Mikey Malizzio from Montini Catholic ended his time in the front draw.

Judycki would fight his way back to earn a sixth place state medal.

This season Judycki will enter the tournament as the No. 1 man at 120-pounds, with a CCL, regional, and now sectional title to his claim

Alex Gudgeon (23-8) from Highland Park qualifies after his third place victory over Harrison Brown (30-16) of Fenwick.

126- Sam Murante (IC Catholic)

No. 2 Sam Murante will begin his chase towards a state championship with a sectional title to inspire his quest following an impressive second day of work that would include his pin over Danny Martinez (Deerfield, 40-12) who is making his first state appearance of his career.

“My goal all along was to get downstate, and on the top of the podium, and the extra work I put in during the offseason to improve my work on (legs) and being better prepared for each opponent is the reason that I feel like I have a good chance of getting in the state final next weekend,” said Murante.

The Knights senior, who is now 27-10, is planning on wrestling next season at a D-1 college, where he will pursue a degree in business.

Murante will be chasing No. 1 Max Mandac (Providence Catholic) and the two are 1-1 against each other, with Murante owning a 15-3 major to his credit.

Krish Sahu (Grayslake Central, 39-8) turned in a valiant six minute effort with Murante in their semifinal, that eventually ended in a 7-1 decision.

“Krish won a crazy blood round match (2-0) with a reversal with 27 seconds remaining, then beat Mason Porten (Wauconda, 33-17) for the third time this season to earn a third place medal,” said Matt Joseph.

132- Max Cumbee (IC Catholic)

No. 1 Max Cumbee, the reigning 126-pound state champion, is on his way to a third straight state appearance, and the Knights junior appears primed and ready to add another piece of hardware to the family trophy case.

Cumbee tech-falled his way to his 132-pound title, needing just a tick under 5 1/2 minutes to dispatch his opponents, including junior Rene Reyna (35-7) from Fenton, who was a regional champ two weeks ago.

“It’s been all about just fine tuning things, staying sharp, and being a lot more aggressive in my shots and attack compared to last year,” says Cumbee, who lost four matches in out-of-state competition, and another to No. 1 (class 3A) Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy) in a 2-1 tie-breaker at the CCL finals.

Josh Kubicki (23-21) gave the home town fans something to cheer with his third place finish over Jack Jensen (32-16) from Deerfield. 

138- Adrian Cohen (Deerfield)

No. 5 Adrian Cohen (Deerfield) makes it sound so simple when 

asked about his latest exploits, which would include his sixth major title of the season – his latest, of course, a sectional title.

“I just go out there and do my thing and just let it happen, and when I am feeling it like I did today, everything comes together for me,” said Cohen,  now 44-2 after he pinned his way to the 138-pound crown over No. 8 Jack Hanrahan (IC Prep, 31-15).

Cohen, twice a state qualifier, needed just three minutes on the dot to finish off his three opponents over the two days here.

St. Ignatius junior Colton Huff (33-5) will make his second straight trip to Champaign, while Cary-Grove junior Jacob Turner (37-10) makes his maiden voyage.

144- Frank Nitti (IC Catholic)

Frank Nitti was none too pleased with his semifinal contest with Trevor Hengle (Grayslake Central, 40-13) – but he put that match behind quickly in order to defeat No. 3 Chase Nobiling (Antioch, 30-6) in the 144-pound final by a 8-5 decision.

“The effort wasn’t where it needed to be in my semifinal, I should have attacked more, and just open things up right from the start,” said Nitti (38-9) now a three-time state qualifier, the first two coming when he starred at nearby York High School.

“My move to IC has gotten me closer to God, and that has been important to me as a person, and has helped me with all parts of my life, including the sport that I love so much,” added Nitti, now with four major titles on the season.

The aforementioned Nobiling has been on a terrific run of late, fueled by his pin over the No. 1 man in 3A, Vince Jasinski in the finals of the Lake County Invite.

“Vince is an amazing wrestler, so that pin really would help boost my confidence, and help me realize that I can compete with the best,” said Nobiling, who was fourth a year ago at state.

No. 6 Alex Shvarstman (Deerfield, 39-9) is on his way to a second consecutive state appearance, while for Hengl, it will be his first ever.

“Trevor was a state alternate last year, and today, he got it done with a really tough second round wrestle-back match, before beating a scrappy opponent from St. Ignatius in the blood round,” said Grayslake Central head coach, Matt Joseph.

150- Aiden Arnett (IC Catholic)

When talking about the overall look of their starting lineup, both Max Cumbee and Brody Kelly go right to the man who impresses both IC Catholic stars.

“(Aiden) Arnett is an absolute beast, someone who takes a lot of pride in what he does, and has an incredible work ethic,” began Cumbee.

“Arnett is at another level when it comes to intensity, and the desire to dominate people in his matches,” adds Kelly.

The No. 1 man at 150 (Arnett) might have ten losses on his season, however six have been to all-world stars Justus Heeg and Wyatt Medlin when he moved up, and the other four to out-of-state competition at the Doc Buchanan.

“I’ve stepped up my training from a year ago (Arnett was state runner-up at 144) and if I am up by five points, I want it to be ten points, and if it’s ten then I’ll got after a 15-point lead. It’s all about never allowing my opponents to feel like they have any type of advantage in our matches,” opined Arnett, now 37-10 after his tech-fall (17-2) victory over No. 7 Antonio Hinojosa (Carmel Catholic, 34-3).

The Corsairs senior, twice a state qualifier, has dealt with far too many injuries during his time under long head coach Bob Kuykendall.

“(Tony) has had his share of injuries, but he’s healthy for the first time ever, and there is no doubt in my mind that he has a great chance to come home with a state medal,” says Corsairs assistant, Riley Palm, who is a two-time state champion wearing the Corsairs singlet.

No. 8 Dominic Garcia (Antioch, 33-5) was third after his pin of Nino Capuano (28-9) from St. Ignatius.

157- Brian Hart (Wauconda)

It’s easy to get overlooked in a weight class that has at the top the No. 4 rated guy in the nation in Justus Heeg from Providence Catholic, who, no doubt is the prohibitive favorite to claim his third consecutive state title.

No. 2 Ty Smart (Rockford East) and No. 3 Brock Ross (Mascoutah) are just ahead of No. 4 Brian Hart, who in all three of his post-season tournaments has needed just under 11 minutes to claim the top prize at each stop.

Saturday afternoon, the junior from Wauconda would pin No. 7 Joey Pontrelli (IC Catholic, 28-18) at 4:48 to advance to his first state appearance of his career.

“The big thing for me, both physically and mentally is to not having to cut weight this year,” admitted Hart, who weighed in at 154.

“There’s less stress on your body when you’re not cutting weight, and for the first time, I’ve felt just great in my training, and preparation for my matches, and I’am really in sync with our coaching staff as well.”

Hart (41-6) would defeat the talented senior from Grayslake Central, Warren Nash (37-10) in his semifinal to advance.

“Warren got caught in a lat-drop in the first period of his match with Hart, but fought his way back as he has all year with a strong effort to earn third place overall, and a second straight trip downstate,” said Central head coach Matt Joseph of Nash, who leads his club with 21 pins.

Fenwick junior Burke Burns (27-8) finished fourth.

165- Nicholas Montesinos (Wheeling, 32-8)

Nicholas Montesinos (32-8), who wears the captains armband proudly for coach Charlie Curran and the Wheeling program, claimed the 165-pound crown with his impressive 11-0 major decision victory over Jonathan Weissmueller (33-15) from Deerfield.

“Nicholas has been wrestling really well over the last few weeks – he’s now won a regional and sectional title in back-to-back weekends, and he truly has earned all the success he’s enjoyed,” begins Curran.

“He’s hard working, shows strong character, he’s coachable, he adapts, is a good student, great leader, and overall, just a great young man.”

Montesinos had previously won his first two bouts with Weissmueller, but it always difficult to be successful a third time.

“The (Deerfield) kid is a tough opponent, so we expected a tough match in their final,” recounted Curran.

“But Nicholas was able to score early, be really tough on top – which drew three stalling calls from the top position.”

Vernon Hills junior Jacob Becker (34-7) is on his way to Champaign for the first time after securing a third place medal over Michael Flatley (Lakes Community, 19-10).

175- Brody Kelly (IC Catholic)

North Carolina University-bound Brody Kelly, the No. 1 man at 175-pounds ever since he lifted the trophy last February in Champaign, cruised to his sixth major title of the season, which includes a Dvorak and CCL title.

“There’s always room for improvement in your game, and for me, it was fine tuning the right grips in ties, and to get to my attack a little quicker, and to be more aggressive when doing so,” said Kelly, second in state at 152 in 2024, and a state qualifier in 3A his rookie year while at Marmion Academy.

Kelly (45-4) who is approaching 150 career victories, recorded a tech-fall (23-5) at 2:40 over No. 3 Brody McKenna (Wauconda, 39-11) in their final.

William Lyle (Grayslake Central, 17-6) who tore his ACL at team camp in the Wisconsin Dells in late June, had surgery in the middle of July, and only began to compete in early January finished third overall after his 11th pin of the season over Dereck Mazariegos (Fenton, 22-9) to send both to their first state appearance ever.

190- Jaxon Penovich (St. Viator)

During his first two seasons at Prospect, Jaxon Penovich turned in some very impressive results – third in the state during his rookie season, then earning a state title one year later.

After one year away from the prep scene, the Mt. Prospect resident has landed at St. Viator, with the dream of another state title to add to his collection, while at the same time, ending a 40-year draught for a Lions program that has welcomed the University of Illinois-bound star with open arms.

“I am thrilled to be at St. Viator, we have a great coaching staff, some really good young guys in our room that I can mentor, and be the kind of captain and leader to help turn the program around,” said Penovich.

Prior to his semifinal with No. 2 Foley Calcagno (38-9) the three-time state medal winner from IC Catholic, Penovich had gone six minutes with only two others: No. 1 (215) Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) and No. 3 (class 3A) Lucas Nance of Fremd.

Penovichs’ five losses are to out-of-state nationally ranked opponents, plus a 2-1 defeat to Mastny.

Penovich (44-5) would defeat Calcagno 3-1 in a dicey, intense contest, before recording a pin at (42) seconds over Colin Arquilla (26-7) from host Antioch.

“My goal each time I go out is to dominate each and every opponent. If it goes six minutes that’s fine – if not, then the match is over earlier,” said Penovich, No. 16 in the latest national poll.

Calcagno would easily earn third place following his 18-3 tech-fall victory over Highland Park junior Daniel Derbedyenyev (17-8) who despite missing time with an injury, was named the outstanding CSL North wrestler after the conference tournament.

215- Melson Ngassa (St. Ignatius)

No stranger to the rigors of this sport, and his academics, St. Ignatius senior Melson Ngassa (36-7) will arrive in Champaign for the second consecutive season, this time as a sectional champion following his pin (2:26) of Lake Forest star Yaree Sandifer, now 39-6.

“It’s a nice achievement to win a sectional title – it’s why you do all the hard work in order to prepare for a day like this,” said Ngassa, who is just as proud of his individual effort as the effort from his teammates who won its first ever regional title in program history inside its historic near-west gymnasium.

“(That) team regional championship was quite an accomplishment for all of us, and our coaching staff, I was proud to be a part of that as well,” added Ngassa, No. 10 in the most recent state poll.

“I’ve done a lot of work on all parts of my game, but maybe the most important is my fitness, which I feel is at a level where I can go six hard minutes if I need to,” continued Ngassa (36-7) who has an eye on either Marquette University, or John Carroll University (Ohio) where he will major in global studies.

Wauconda sophomore, and regional champion, Finn Loomis (38-12) was third, Eddie Juarez (Wheeling, 31-11) fourth, both of whom are first time state qualifiers.

285- Hunter Wahtola (De Paul College Prep)

Hunter Wahtola would enjoy plenty of success in the fall for the DePaul College Prep football program, and has continued right into the wrestling season where the junior collected his sixth major title of the campaign to solidify his place as the No. 2 heavyweight behind top-rated Cody Moss of Glenwood.

The 6-3 Wahtola, who is considered a ‘light-weight in his class at just under 240 pounds, was named CCL Purple Division defensive player of the year this past fall for his work along the defensive line.

Now, a three-time state qualifier, Wahtola (32-2) will look to better his third place state finish in 2025 will use his hard-fought 2-1 decision over No. 3 Anthony Sebastian (IC Catholic, 35-10) in the final to provide the inspiration to navigate through an always difficult 285-pound bracket.

St. Viator senior Wyatt Philippi (37-13) a two-time state champion in Nevada at 190, and 215 will make his inaugural trip to Champaign, while Antioch senior, No. 5 Owen Shea (31-5) is now a three-time state qualifier.

By Chris Walker for the IWCOA

The individual state finals will take place on Feb. 19-21 at the State Farm Center in Champaign

HINSDALE SOUTH SECTIONAL

Cole Lemberg (106) Christian Corcoran (113), Nate Ortiz (120), Max Mandac (126), Tommy Banas (138), Justus Heeg (157), Jasper Harper (165) and Ameer Khalil (175) all won sectional titles for Providence Catholic as the Celtics dominated the Hinsdale South sectional.

All told, the Celtics had 13 wrestlers advance to state with the aforementioned eight champions leading the way.

Luke Banas (144) and Brayden McKay (190) placed second, Lucas Forsythe (132) and Andrew Pellicci (150) were third and Riley Teller (215) was fourth for the Celtics.

No other team had more than a single sectional champion. One of them –  Lemont’s Judah Heeg (190) – is looking to defend his state title from 12 months ago.

The other champs were Riverside-Brookfield’s Izaiah Gonzalez (132), St. Rita’s Jack Hogan (144), Oak Forest’s Austin Perez (150), Tinley Park’s Sebastian Sanderson (215) and Crete-Monee’s Dominic Jackson (285). 

St. Rita and Oak Forest tied for the second-most state qualifiers out of the Hinsdale South sectional with six apiece.

In addition to Hogan at 144, the Mustangs will send Andrew Lehman (157), Micah Spinazzola (165) and Mark Kelleher (285) who placed second and Keishawn Triplett (175) and James Bansley (190) who took fourth.

While Perez led the way with his title at 150 for the Bengals, his teammates Jason Janke (175) and Andrius Vasilevskas (215) advanced to the finals, placing second. Roberto Rangel (113) and Jacob Sebek (126) took third and Jason Schickel (106) was fourth.

Evergreen Park didn’t have a champ but is sending four of its wrestlers to Champaign. Adrian Cervantes (132) and Michael Chatman (138) placed second, Brayden Mateja-Bates (106) was third and Jayden Cervantes (126) took fourth.

Agricultural Science, Glenbard South, Hinsdale South, Lemont and Riverside-Brookfield each had three wrestlers extend their season into the state finals.

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

SM – returning state medal-winner; SC – returning state champ

106 Cole Lemberg (23-17) Providence Catholic

113 SM Christian Corcoran (32-9) Providence Catholic

120 Nate Ortiz (24-6) Providence Catholic

126 Max Mandac (34-14) Providence Catholic

132 Izaiah Gonzalez (31-3) Riverside-Brookfield

138 SM Tommy Banas (40-7) Providence Catholic

144 Jack Hogan (35-4) St. Rita

150 SM Austin Perez (29-3) Oak Forest

157 SM Justus Heeg (46-1) Providence Catholic

165 SM Jasper Harper (31-11) Providence Catholic

175 Ameer Khalil (36-13) Providence Catholic

190 SC Judah Heeg (37-1) Lemont

215 Sebastian Sanderson (34-2) Tinley Park 

285 Dominic Jackson (30-1) Crete-Monee

STATE QUALIFIERS

106

Cole Lemberg (Providence Catholic) 23-17, d. Alex Powers (Lemont) 30-11, (F 0:45)

Brayden Mateja-Bates (Evergreen Park) 32-15, d. Jason Schickel (Oak Forest) 26-15, (D 10-3)

113

Christian Corcoran (Providence Catholic) 32-9, d. Ibrohim Mahmadov (Richards) 22-8, (TF-1.5 1:53 (17-2)

Roberto Rangel (Oak Forest) 22-3, d. Christian Sebastian (Little Village) 20-4, (F 2:00)

120

Nate Ortiz (Providence Catholic) 24-6, d. Elijah Sawyers (Agricultural Science) 22-2, (MD 14-5)

Justin Forbes (De La Salle) 26-4, d. Alexander Schuetz (Hinsdale South) 28-7, (D 16-11)

126

Max Mandac (Providence Catholic) 34-14, d. Cory Zator (Lemont) 30-6, (D 7-6)

Jacob Sebek (Oak Forest) 30-10, d. Jayden Cervantes (Evergreen Park) 37-10, (D 4-1)

132

Izaiah Gonzalez (Riverside-Brookfield) 31-3, d. Adrian Cervantes (Evergreen Park) 23-4, (TF-1.5 4:21 (18-0)

Lucas Forsythe (Providence Catholic) 27-21, d. Jeremy Powell (Agricultural Science) 35-6, (MD 15-4)

138

Tommy Banas (Providence Catholic) d. Michael Chatman (Evergreen Park) 29-5, (F 1:14)

Melik Robinson (Thornton Fractional North) 26-6, d. Tony Lombardo (Riverside- Brookfield) 27-6, (MD 20-8)

144

Jack Hogan (St. Rita) 35-4, d. Luke Banas (Providence Catholic) 32-19, (MD 8-0)

Jin Tai (Glenbard South) 41-6, d. Jayden Veal (Goode STEM Academy) 40-3, (D 4-3)

150

Austin Perez (Oak Forest) 29-3, d. Leonel Flores (Richards) 17-8, (TF-1.5 2:36 (19-2)

Andrew Pellicci (Providence Catholic) 26-12, d. Maurice Bush (Agricultural Science) 34-6, (F 3:43)

157

Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic) 46-1, d. Andrew Lehman (St. Rita) 21-9, (F 1:03)

Trevon Williams (Crete-Monee) 30-5, d. David Albright (Tinley Park) 29-14, (TF-1.5 4:32 (23-4)

165

Jasper Harper (Providence Catholic) 31-11, d. Micah Spinazzola (St. Rita) 22-7, (D 7-2)

Titus Woodring (Thornton Fractional South) 32-6, d. Anthony Kinney (Glenbard South) 23-10, (F 0:46)

175

Ameer Khalil (Providence Catholic) 36-13, d. Jason Janke (Oak Forest) 29-7, (F 3:25)

Nick O`Connor (Riverside-Brookfield) 31-6, d. Keishawn Triplett (St. Rita) 18-16, (F 3:44)

190

Judah Heeg (Lemont) 37-1, d. Brayden McKay (Providence Catholic) 11-12, (F 0:45)

Benjamin MIller (Hinsdale South) 28-8, d. James Bansley (St. Rita) 26-10, (SV)

215

Sebastian Sanderson (Tinley Park) 34-2, d. Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) 27-9, (TF-1.5 4:47 (18-1)

Jonathan Mansker (Hinsdale South) 25-11, d. Riley Teller (Providence Catholic) 5-2, (F 1:38)

285

Dominic Jackson (Crete-Monee) 30-1, d. Mark Kelleher (St. Rita) 26-13, (TB-1 3-2)

Justin Powell (Hyde Park) 26-5, d. Ambrose Davis (Glenbard South) 30-9, (F 5:50)

GENESEO SECTIONAL

Marian Central Catholic and Washington have been seeing a lot of one another recently with the Hurricanes defeating the Panthers, 36-31, during the annual DubTown ThrowDown downstate in late January, and then upending them a second time at the Class 2A Sycamore Team Duals Sectional, 37-33 earlier this month.

So it wasn’t surprising in the least to see those two programs depart with the most wrestlers still alive in the state series after Saturday’s Geneseo Sectional.

Both teams produced three champions with Washington qualifying a sectional-best six wrestlers to state and Marian following right behind the Panthers with five more.

Logan Makiney (132), Wyatt Medlin (165) and Sean Thornton (285) won titles for the Panthers while Symon Woods (106) placed second and Cruise Brolley (157) and Josh Hoffer (215) took third. Medlin and Hoffer were among the four champions for the Panthers last year.

Brendan Nardin (150), Dan French (190) and Jimmy Mastny (215) were crowned sectional champions for the Hurricanes. Hogan Rice (113) also advanced by taking second and Austin Hagevold (144) is also along for the ride after placing third for the Hurricanes. Hagevold took second in the state at 113 in Class 1A last year .

Geneseo is also sending five wrestlers to state with Kye Weinzierl, who took second in the state last year at 175, led the way after his sectional title victory. Landen Vincent (138), Izaac Gaines (165) and Josh Stahl (285) took third for the Maple Leafs and Grady Hull (157) was fourth.

Morris’ Brock Claypool (138) won a title to lead his team. Claypool will be joined by Paxton Valentine (120) and Carter Skoff (150) who came up short in their respective title matches and Parker Barry (132) who placed fourth. Last year, Valentine took fifth place in the state at 113 and Skoff did the same at 144.

Sycamore’s Liam Schroeder (113) and Tyler Lockhart (126) won titles for the Spartans and Jayden Dohogne (144) and Cooper Bode (165) placed fourth to also advance.

Rockford East also had four qualifiers with Ty Smart (157) taking second and Sebastian Abwe (113), Victor Onofre (132) and Dana Wickson (150) placing third.

Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South and Rock Island all had three state qualifiers respectively with Crystal Lake Central’s Nicholas Marchese (144) winning the lone title among the three schools. 

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

SM – returning state medal-winner; SC – returning state champ

106 Treyden Diduch (39-2) Freeport

113 Liam Schroeder (43-1) Sycamore

120 Kai Enos (31-7) Batavia

126 Tyler Lockhart (35-10) Sycamore 

132 Logan Makiney (35-10) Washington

138 Brock Claypool (43-5) Morris

144 Nicholas Marchese (38-4) Crystal Lake Central

150 Brendan Nardin (10-0) Marian

157 Grady Neal (43-4) Metamora

165 SC Wyatt Medlin (39-0) Washington

175 SM Kye Weinzierl (33-1) Genese

190 Dan French (26-5) Marian

215 SC (1A) Jimmy Mastny (49-1) Marian

285 Sean Thornton (34-9) Washington

STATE QUALIFIERS

106

Treyden Diduch (Freeport) 39-2, d. Symon Woods (Washington) 32-10, (Inj. 3:41)

Angelo Parker (Rock Island) 31-8, d. Tymen Robinson (Prairie Ridge) 29-11, (MD 9-1)

113

Liam Schroeder (Sycamore) 43-1, d. Hogan Rice (Marian) 35-13, (F 1:26)

Sebastian Abwe (Rockford East) 27-13, d. Logan Aarseth (Crystal Lake South 29-10,(MD 13-2)

120

Kai Enos (Batavia) 31-7, d. Paxton Valentine (Morris) 34-5, (D 5-1)

Jackson Marlett (Crystal Lake Central) 23-5, d. Eduardo Vences (Burlington Central) 29-10, (F 2:52)

126

Tyler Lockhart (Sycamore) 35-10, d. Taqiuldin Baker (Woodstock) 38-4, (D 7-4)

Aidan Lopez (Rochelle) 44-4, d. Dylan Ramsey (Crystal Lake Central) 32-7, (F 5:02)

132

Logan Makiney (Washington) 35-10, d. Bryson Teunissen (Belvidere North) 28-10, (D 4-2)

Victor Onofre (Rockford East) 29-7, d. Parker Barry (Morris) 35-13, (MD 14-2)

138

Brock Claypool (Morris) 43-5, d. Nathan Randle (Crystal Lake South) 36-3, (TB-1 3-1)

Landen Vincent (Geneseo) 27-9, d. Thomas Olson (Freeport) 35-18, (MD 12-0)

144

Nicholas Marchese (Crystal Lake Central) 38-4, d. Landon VanAcker (Belvidere) 33-10, (F 1:17)

Austin Hagevold (Marian) 26-16, d. Jayden Dohogne (Sycamore) 36-7, (D 12-5)

150

Brendan Nardin (Marian) 10-0, d, Carter Skoff (Morris) 30-2, (D 8-2)

Dana Wickson (Rockford East) 37-6, d. Cooper Chester (East Peoria) 31-5, (D 8-1)

157

Grady Neal (Metamora) 43-4, d. Ty Smart (Rockford East) 39-4, (DQ)

Cruise Brolley (Washington) 38-9, d. Grady Hull (Geneseo) 30-12, (M. For.)

165

Wyatt Medlin (Washington) 39-0, d Aiden Marrello (Crystal Lake South) 42-2, (M. For.)

Izaac Gaines (Geneseo) 36-3, d. Cooper Bode (Sycamore) 41-6, (MD 13-4)

175

Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo) 33-1, d. Aiden Rodriguez (Prairie Ridge) 40-3, (MD 17-8)

Roman Villalobos (Rochelle) 15-5, d. Mason Taylor (Galesburg) 34-11, (F 2:47)

190

Dan French (Marian) 26-5, d. Wes Weatherford (Ottawa) 35-6, (F 1:23)

Mark Aeschliman (Metamora) 39-11, d. Dalton Oakman (East Peoria) 35-7, (TF-1.5 4:43 (20-4)

215

Jimmy Mastny (Marian) 49-1, d. Alec Del Toro (East Peoria) 35-4, (M. For.)

Josh Hoffer (Washington) 31-5, d. Rowan Stockwell (Rock Island) 29-9, (TF-1.5 3:24 (17-2)

285

Sean Thornton (Washington) 34-9, d. Brady Mullens (Peoria Notre Dame) 33-10, (D 8-1)

Josh Stahl (Geneseo) 29-8, d. Emilio Guzman (Rock Island) 33-10, (MD 8-0)

GRANITE CITY

Glenwood’s Cooper Clarke (106), Pierce Bultmann (113), Jaxon Ferguson (120) and Cody Moss (285) won sectional titles at the Granite City Sectional on Saturday and Elijah Smith placed third and will join his teammates at state.

Bloomington didn’t have a champion, but Cooper Bye (113) and Tyler Barlow (144) got to the finals and placed second while Lincoln Steers (120), Jack Schweitzer (132), Brody Cabrera (150) and Chris Rose (165) each took fourth place to join Barlow and Bye at state. The six Purple Raiders who qualified were the most among the field other than Civic Memorial.

Civic Memorial had seven wrestlers qualify for state, including Avery Jaime (138), Knox Verbais (150) and James Wojcikiewicz (165) who departed for Bethalto as sectional champions. Cody Weidner (106) placed second and Greg Harkey (144), Kevahn Flanagan (215) and Hudson Davis (285) took third. 

Mascoutah’s Brock Ross (157), who remains undefeated, and Jordan Sonon-Hale, who is a victory away from no. 40 on the season, won sectional titles and are among five Indians going to state. Desi Wade (138) was second, Sean Murphy (165) took third and Braxton McCall (106) placed fourth. 

Like Mascoutah, Mahomet-Seymour has a pair of champs and five kids going to state overall. Justus Vrona (144) Marco Casillas (190) won titles, Talon Decker (165) placed second, Garrett Waisath (150) took third and Gideon Hayter (126) was fourth.

Mattoon’s Tristan Porter (126) won a title and his teammate Jaxtyn Howell (113) took third.

Morton’s Harrison Dea (132) earned a sectional title with a tech fall in his title match and Colton Mckee (175) and Benjamin Chaffer (215) took second and Brody Watson (144) was fourth.

Waterloo’s Jaxson Mathenia (215) won a sectional title, Konnor Stephens (132) and Joseph Newell (150) took second and Matthew Deutch (113) was fourth for the Bulldogs.

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

SM – returning state medal-winner; SC – returning state champ

106 Cooper Clarke (37-4) Glenwood

113 Pierce Bultmann (41-5) Glenwood

120 Jaxon Ferguson (30-6) Glenwood

126 Tristan Porter (34-2) Mattoon

132 SM Harrison Dea (43-1) Morton

138 SM Avery Jaime (34-6) Civic Memorial

144 Justus Vrona (42-9) Mahomet-Seymour

150 SM Knox Verbais (43-6) Civic Memorial

157 Brock Ross (39-0) Mascoutah

165 James Wojcikiewicz (38-7) Civic Memorial

175 Jordan Sonon-Hale (39-5) Mascoutah

190 SM Marco Casillas (45-3) Mahomet-Seymour

215 SM Jaxson Mathenia (36-1) Waterloo

285 SC Cody Moss (41-3) Glenwood

STATE QUALIFIERS

106

Cooper Clarke (Glenwood) 37-4, d. Cody Weidner (Civic Memorial) 40-11, (D 4-3)

Maddox Williams (Jersey) 37-7, d. Braxton McCall (Mascoutah) 29-10, (MD 14-3)

113

Pierce Bultmann (Glenwood) 41-5, d. Cooper Bye (Bloomington) 23-10, (D 8-3)

Jaxtyn Howell (Mattoon) 26-9, d. Matthew Deutch (Waterloo) 42-7, (F 2:52)

120

Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood) 30-6, d. Ayden Swan (Carbondale) 27-15, (F 1:09)

Dalton St. Angelo (Mt. Vernon) 25-2, d. Lincoln Steers (Bloomington) 21-14, (TF-1.5 4:42 (17-0)

126

Tristan Porter (Mattoon) 34-2, d. Dashawn Armstrong (Jacksonville) 30-6, (F 2:32)

Rylan Poeta (Champaign Central) 32-7, d. Gideon Hayter (Mahomet-Seymour) 33-12, (D 4-1)

132

Harrison Dea (Morton) 43-1, d. Konnor Stephens (Waterloo) 36-11, (TF-1.5 4:59 (19-1)

Jordan Kholian (Jacksonville) 31-6, d. Jack Schweitzer (Bloomington) 20-17, (F 1:28)

138

Avery Jaime (Civic Memorial) 34-6, d. Desi Wade (Mascoutah) 36-7, (D 5-2)

Talin Baker (Champaign Central) 32-4, d. Trotter Titus (Charleston) 32-7, (F 1:40)

144

Justus Vrona (Mahomet-Seymour) 42-9, d. Tyler Barlow (Bloomington) 24-6, (F 3:44)

Greg Harkey (Civic Memorial) 29-8, d. Brody Watson (Morton) 33-19, (TF-1.5 5:20 (18-0)

150

Knox Verbais (Civic Memorial) 43-6, d. Joseph Newell (Waterloo) 35-12, (TF-1.5 1:49 (19-3)

Garrett Waisath (Mahomet-Seymour) 40-13, d. Brody Cabrera (Bloomington) 20-10, (F 3:50)

157 

Brock Ross (Mascoutah) 39-0, d. Bryce Bryant (Springfield) 32-7, (F 2:31)

Nicholas Hartley (Jersey) 35-5, d. Trae Griffiths (Champaign Central) 25-5, (TF-1.5 2:20 (19-4)

165

James Wojcikiewicz (Civic Memorial) 38-7, d. Talon Decker (Mahomet-Seymour) 37-7 (MD 18-4)

Sean Murphy (Mascoutah) 18-5, d. Chris Rose (Bloomington) 19-9, (F 5:00)

175

Jordan Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah) 39-5, d. Colton Mckee (Morton) 32-8, (D 8-7)

Elijah Smith (Glenwood) 38-6, d. Josiah Williams (Danville) 29-7, (D 4-0)

190

Marco Casillas (Mahomet-Seymour) 45-3, d. Sergio Baity (Champaign Centennial) 34-6, (F 1:19)

Evan Francis (Marion) 43-3, d. Eli Miller (Granite City) 29-12, (F 1:00)

215

Jaxson Mathenia (Waterloo) 36-1, d. Benjamin Chaffer (Morton) 37-13, (F 0:59)

Kevahn Flanagan (Civic Memorial) 36-14, d. Zacharia Fry (Springfield Southeast) 27-10, (D 14-10)

285

Cody Moss (Glenwood) 41-3, d. Mitchell Clapp (Mattoon) 33-3, (F 2:40)

Hudson Davis (Civic Memorial) 37-10, d. Caleb Zirklebach (Lincoln) 33-16, (D 7-2)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

The girls state finals will take place Feb. 27-28 at Grossinger Arena in Bloomington

How tough was this year’s Schaumburg girls sectional?

For starters, four returning state medal-winners had to fight their way back through the consolation bracket in order to get back downstate this year, and only two of them made it out.

In addition, 12 regional champions didn’t survive the Schaumburg sectional, and won’t advance to the girls state finals in Bloomington on Feb. 27-28.

In all, there were 16 returning state medalists competing in Schaumburg; of the 28 girls who reached the sectional title mat, 12 were returning state medal-winners and two were returning state champions.
Revenge was also on the menu in a big way, with regional runners-up winning their sectional rematches against girls they’d lost to a week prior. At 125, for example, none of the placers finishing first to third were regional champs.

In all, three freshmen, four sophomores, 12 juniors, and nine seniors reached the sectional title mat this year. When the dust finally settled in Schaumburg, the girls from the Lincoln-Way co-op team won the team sectional plaque with 140 team points.

Lincoln-Way senior Zoe Dempsey loved what she saw from her girls in Schaumburg.

“I’m just so proud of all of them,” she said. “They put in so much effort and work into the sport, and it really showed this weekend on the mats. Those blood rounds today, they were some emotional ones, and they pulled off some wins that I bet they didn’t think they could.”

Lincoln-Way had seven state qualifiers on the day, led by sectional champ Dempsey (115), second-placers Caleigh Nicholson (125) and Riley DePolo (170), third-placer Ella Giertuga (145), and fourth-placers McKenzie Steinke (100), Emmy Hoselton (105) and Abby Kunz (140).

Hampshire (95.5) finished second, followed by Lockport (76), Schaumburg (70), and Huntley (54) in the top five.

Four girls emerged as repeat sectional champions in Bartlett’s Lilly White, Hampshire’s Amelia Nidelea-Polanin, Lockport’s Claudia Heeney and Rebekah Ramirez, and South Elgin’s Allison Garbacz. Two-time defending state champion and three-time state medalist Heeney heads downstate as a four-time sectional champion.

100: Janiah Slaughter, Huntley

Huntley senior Janiah Slaughter missed last season after placing third in Illinois in 2023 and second in 2024, and she is back as one hungry wrestler.

“This feels amazing and I’m trying to prove a point, that I know I’m one of the best,” Slaughter said.
Slaughter (33-2) squared off with a three-time state medalist in Batavia senior Lily Enos (37-3) and won by second-period fall for the title. She led 6-1 when she got the pin at 3:25.

“I definitely feel more mentally strong and more confident than I was as a sophomore,” Slaughter said. “I feel like I grew a lot since then, even if a lot of people look at me like I’m still a little sophomore.”
She knows every match will be tough no matter who she wrestles downstate, but Slaughter mentioned DeKalb’s Alex Gregorio-Perez and Oak Forest’s Alex Sebek as wrestlers that are on her radar at the state finals in two weeks.

Sebek also returned to the mats after sitting out last season, and she and Slaughter have a history; Sebek won by major decision at the state finals over Slaughter when the two were both freshmen.

“I’m glad she’s back,” Slaughter said. “I haven’t wrestled her since my freshman year (state) semis, so I’d like to go out there and get that back. I’ve also wrestled (Gregorio-Perez) and we’ve always been competitive.”

Slaughter posted a fall and a tech fall to reach the title mat, and Enos posted two falls to get there.

Also qualifying for state were Woodstock senior Eva Hermansson (39-7) and Lincoln-Way freshman McKenzie Steinke (40-9). Hermansson topped Steinke by 3-0 decision for fourth place.

105: Charlotte Nold, Saint Viator

There is no outstanding wrestler award given at the sectional but if there were, Saint Viator freshman Charlotte Nold would have made a strong case for it.

A trio of freshman became state qualifiers at 105 and none stood taller than Nold, who won her semifinal match by sudden victory against Glenbard East’s three-time state medal-winner Nadiia Shymkiv (35-3) and then won a 10-2 major decision for the title against Hampshire’s stellar freshman, Annabelle Mueller (37-5).

Wheaton Academy coach Peggy Diehl watched Nold throughout her pre-high school career and she sees a star on the rise.

“I’ve had many opportunities to watch her over the past three seasons during IKWF and USA Wrestling Freestyle,” Diehl said. “Her dedication to the sport is impressive and the way she dominated the Schaumburg Sectional is telltale for great things to come for her.”

Nold won by fall and major decision before winning 9-6 in overtime against Shymkiv in their semifinal. Mueller posted a pair of falls to reach the finals.

Shymkiv became a four-time state qualifier with a 12-0 major decision on the fourth-place mat against Lincoln-Way freshman Emmy Hoselton (40-9), who won three consolation matches to advance downstate for the first time in her career.

110 Zoey Dodgers, Leyden

Junior Zoey Dodgers (29-0) placed 5th in state last year and she’d likely love nothing more than to become the first Leyden wrestler to win a state title since Jim Farina did so for East Leyden back in 1979.
On the boys’ side, Leyden senior Erick Worwa (190) is chasing the same dream, having qualified for this week’s boys state finals in Champaign.

The pursuit of history aside, Dodgers’ goal at this year’s state finals is more simple and grounded.

“I just want do better than I did last year,” she said. “I put in a lot of work over the summer. I bumped it up a lot. I wanted to improve at everything. I’ve definitely improved defensively, and I just want to keep getting better.”

Dodgers won her first sectional title with a first-period fall against Plainfield East’s Angelina Nettey (20-7). She placed second at the Schaumburg sectional last year and lost in a sectional blood round as a freshman.

Dodgers won by fall in her quarterfinal match before winning 8-0 in her semifinal against Romeoville’s Daniela Santander (8-3). Nettey won 10-8 over Elk Grove’s Valeria Pesantes (23-3) and then 5-3 in her semifinal win against East Aurora’s Joselyn Llanos (32-9).

Pessantes went on to place third via tech fall against Bartlett’s Norah Cwik (35-10) who won three consolation matches to punch her ticket downstate.

Dodgers isn’t about to go into extensive scouting mode to prepare for the state finals.
“I don’t really think too much about who I’m wrestling because that can just get in my head too much,” she said. “I’d rather just go out there and wrestle my match.”

115: Zoe Dempsey, Lincoln-Way

Lincoln-Way senior Zoe Dempsey placed third at the Geneseo sectional two years ago and second last year. She also placed fifth and third at the state finals the past two seasons.

And now she gets to enter her final state finals tournament as a sectional champion.

Dempsey (45-2) first handed a tough freshman in Hampshire’s Stella Piazza (25-1) her first loss of the year by fall in their semifinal match. Then she did the same in the title match against another top-shelf wrestler in Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth (26-3), who placed second in state at 110 last year.
And Dempsey owed her one.

“My final, that was a really big match for me just mentally,” Dempsey said. “It was a big hurdle for me to overcome because I lost to (Aarseth) last year at the semifinals at state.

“I got stuck in the first period, and honestly, that hasn’t left my mind since. It’s really motivated me to work ten times harder, not rest on anything, and always look to improve.”

Add a tough sectional semifinal match against Piazza, and Dempsey feels battle-tested heading to Bloomington.

“I knew (Piazza) was pretty good. She had that Wonder Woman title, so I knew it was going to be a tough one, and it was a tough one,” she said. “But that’s exactly what I want. I want these matches right before state. It’s only going to make me better.”

Aarseth opened with a 3-1 decision win over Metea Valley’s Janiya Moore (47-6) and then posted a 12-5 win in her semifinal against Willowbrook’s Angelina Manlapaz (17-4).

Piazza went on to place third by fall against Manlapaz.

120: Amelia Nidelea-Polanin, Hampshire

The Hampshire junior won her second straight sectional title and will be chasing a second straight state medal after placing third in Illinois last year.

Nidelea-Polanin (22-0) won by major decision on the title mat against Glenbard West’s Karolina Konopka (41-3), after posting a tech fall and then a semifinal fall to reach the finals.

She feels even more ready for the state finals, having been there and done that last year.

“I’ve worked hard since last year on my setups and shots, and just keeping pace,” Nidelea-Polanin said. “I was a little bit nervous last year since it was my first time (downstate) but now I’m not.”

Hampshire coach Matt Todd appreciates the work his junior has put in, and he now relies on her for more than just wins.

“Amelia has been improving every chance she has gotten on the mat, and she has continued to improve on her positioning and scramble positions,” Todd said. “Sam (Diehl) and Amelia have been showing leadership from being in this position, and our younger wrestlers are looking to them for guidance on chasing and reaching the highest level.”

Konopka posted a pair of falls to reach the finals and heads downstate for her second consecutive season.
Metea Valley’s Ashley Basmajian (8-1) finished third to advance downstate for her second time, thanks to a second-period fall over West Aurora’s Aiyanah Sylvester (31-4), who heads downstate for her first time.

125: Charlie Dolan, York

Now in its second season as a sport at York, girls wrestling couldn’t have a better poster child for recruitment than Charlie Dolan. Positive energy just seems to emanate from the kid.

The Dukes’ junior improved to 30-2 and became the first sectional champion and first-ever state qualifier for York, winning her title by tech fall against Lincoln-Way freshman Caleigh Nicholson (37-12).

fterwards, Dolan described how she feels about the sport in only her second full season as a wrestler.

“I’m obsessed with it. It’s all I think about,” Dolan said. “Its just so much fun. I try not to focus on wins and losses but man, when you win, you win, and it’s all on you. I want to be an example to show how fun wrestling can be.

“And now I’m ready for the next challenge. I can’t wait to see the girls downstate.”

Dolan was one of three sectional qualifiers for York, along with teammates Andie Brown and Tiana Fraser. Dolan was also one of three wrestlers in the entire sectional to post two tech falls.

“I’m less worried about winning and more worried about scoring points,” she said. “That’s all I think about, is that I need to score. If I can’t get a turn on this girl, I’m cutting her and I’m taking her down. So I try to score no matter what. If I’m on bottom, I’ve to get right back up and score.”

Winning a sectional title after only a single season of experience in the sport is a rare feat. 

“I’ve just I worked really hard and I like what I do,” Dolan said. “I’m going to accept this win, but I’m going to get over it and move on to the next thing. Just because I won sectionals doesn’t guarantee me anything at state. I’ll train hard for the next two weeks and see where it goes from there.”

Nicholson posted two falls before winning a 5-4 semifinal decision over Lemont senior Molly O’Connor (41-9), who went on to place third via third-period fall against Schaumburg senior Isabella Rivas (40-5). Both Rivas and O’Connor are first-time state qualifiers.

130: Lily White, Bartlett

Whatever happens downstate, Bartlett senior Lily White (36-3) is going out on top.

Winning a state medal would of course be nice, but upon stepping down from the awards stand after winning her second sectional title, White was engulfed by friends and family members, where she was perfectly happy to stay in the deliriously happy present moment.

“Oh my gosh, this is so much fun,” White said. “It’s my senior year, so it’s a good way to get my senior year to continue and I’ve just had so much fun. My family, my friends — I mean, they’re all here and I’m so glad I get to share this with them.”

White will head to the state finals as a two-time sectional champ, having won her first sectional title two years ago at 125 pounds. She was a runner-up at 125 last year.

She’ll also go downstate battle-tested. White opened with a 6-4 quarterfinal decision before winning a 2-1 overtime decision in her semifinal against one of the future stars of Illinois girls wrestling in Wheaton Academy freshman Catherine Diehl (36-4). White won 8-1 over Diehl in a regional semifinal one week earlier but the freshman was a different wrestler in Schaumburg.

“She’s really good, and that match really got me ready,” White said of Diehl, who went on to win a consolation semifinal against a three-time state placer in Huntley’s Aubrie Rohrbacher (38-6), and then place third to advance.

Next up for White was Glenbard North’s Keagan Edwards (47-4), with White winning a hard-fought 4-0 decision.

“I expect this to be hard and now I’m back on the mat in two weeks. I’m ready,” White said. “I hope it’s hard because it’s better when it’s hard. And I’m just ready to go, match by match, one at a time.”

135: Claudia Heeney, Lockport

After you’ve been perched on top of the mountain for a while, perspective comes more easily.

After pinning Schaumburg’s regional champion Sharon Olorunfemi to win her fourth sectional title, Lockport’s Claudia Heeney — a two-time defending state champ and three-time state finalist — marched off the mat nearly without a whiff of celebration.

No, she’s not tired of winning. More likely, she seemed slightly rankled by the fact that she gave up a takedown early in the match, before attacking and pinning Olorunfemi at the 1:46 mark.

As it turns out, Heeney wasn’t all that irritated by being taken down. She just knew what she had to do, and she did it.

“Some people may view it as I got really mad and, you know, wanted to beat her up,” Heeney said. “But really, you just get after it. It’s wrestling, so it’s just where the next point is. And I feel like when I’m under pressure, I perform a little bit better.

“I still have a lot to work on and whatnot. Now I have a couple of weeks and I have some things to tweak. There’s obviously still a lot to go and I’m not counting anybody out, but I feel pretty confident about things.”

“Going into the state series, I always feel a little bit nervous but this year I also feel a little sentimental about it because it’s the last one. But I’m still just going to go out there and shake the other person’s hand and go.”

Heeney pinned her way to the finals. Olorunfemi opened with a pin before winning a 4-1 semifinal decision over Joliet Central’s Izabel Barrera (34-4).

Barrera went on to place third. She topped Conant senior Eva Krupa (27-5) by fall and then won on the third-place mat against Huntley’s Grecia Garcia (36-12). Grecia beat a tough freshman in Grant’s Abby Quirk (25-7) by 8-5 decision in their consolation semifinal match.

140: Nicole Dziura, Barrington

Barrington’s Nicole Dziura (32-4) trailed Glenbard East’s Maria Green (42-2) 3-1 after one period of their sectional title match.

That’s when Dziura simply took a step back.

“Just stay calm,” she said. “I knew I could take her down again, and I know I can get the escape. So I just have to keep pushing, stay calm, and wrestle my match. I’ve kind of learned to, you know, keep my mind in the right place.”

Mission accomplished. Dziura chose down to start the second period, earned a penalty point that made it 3-2, then escaped to tie the score. She countered a Green shot for a takedown to grab a 6-3 lead. From there another takedown and a slew of near-fall points built the sophomore Dziura a big lead into the third period, when she posted a pin at 5:08 to win her first sectional title.

“Last year I went 0-2 here,” Dziura said. “It was my first year wrestling, so I’m happy with my growth and I’m super excited with how I did today. I’m very proud of myself.

Dziura also won a regional title this year.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better with my conditioning and with my technique. I really focused on getting better at those. Now I definitely want to heal up and get my body ready, but I just want to focus on getting a little bit better, working on my mistakes that I’ve been making. That will help me succeed at state.”

Green won a regional title this year and will head downstate for the second straight season. She reached the title mat by fall against a fellow regional champ in Metea Valley’s Alketa Picari (47-5), and by semifinal tech fall. Dziura won by major decision in her semifinal against Lincoln-Way’s Abby Kunz (41-8).
Picari won by medical forfeit for third place over Kunz as both advanced downstate.

145: Natalie Corona, McHenry

McHenry senior Natalie Corona (35-0) remained unbeaten in dominant fashion to win the first sectional title of her career. Corona placed fifth in Illinois at last year’s state finals after a third-place sectional finish. She is now a three-time state qualifier.

Corona won her first two matches by falls in the first minute of both, sending her to a sectional final against Oswego East’s Ella Cooper (24-19). Corona won by 11-1 decision to earn her sectional crown.

Cooper reached the title mat by semifinal fall over Wheaton Warrenville South’s Louisa Enslen (31-7).
Lincoln-Way regional champion Ella Giertuga (36-7) bounced back from her semifinal loss to Corona with a pair of falls of her own to place third, topping Enslen to become a two-time state qualifier. The freshman Enslen earned the first trip of her career to the state finals.

The junior Cooper also became a state qualifier for her first time.

155: Allison Garbacz, South Elgin

Of the marquee matchups in Schaumburg, only one featured two unbeaten returning state medal winners, one of which was a returning state champion.

Fans got to enjoy the match between Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr and South Elgin’s Allison Garbacz for exactly 5:02; that’s when Garbacz (38-0) took down Carr (35-1) to win by fall against the defending state champ at 155 pounds.

“It feels good,” Garbacz said. “She got an early takedown and I couldn’t let that define the match. I couldn’t get nervous over one takedown. As long as I stayed in it, and kept going at her, I knew it would pay off.”

Carr led 3-1 on a first-period takedown. Garbacz chose down to start the second and one penalty point each way had Carr holding a 4-2 lead mid-way through the period.

A Garbacz reversal tied the score and a Carr escape gave her a 5-4 lead heading into the third. Carr led 6-4 on an escape to start the final period.

The match was decided near the edge on a Garbacz takedown and pin, midway through the final period.
“She’s so strong,” Garbacz said of Carr. “And she’s very quick — kind of the opposite of me. I like to stay tied up. She likes to shoot from a distance. But as soon as I got her in my ties, I knew I was in a good spot.

Garbacz placed fourth at 145 last year as a freshman. One year later, she feels like a different wrestler.
“It’s just I’ve really learned how to stay in a match under pressure,” she said. “Even if I’m losing, now I know I can keep wrestling through it.”

Garbacz reached the finals via two pins and Carr got there with a tech fall and a pin.

Carr’s quarterfinal opponent, Crystal Lake Central senior Cait Jones (20-4), reeled off four wins in the consolation bracket to place third, capped by a fall against Glenbard North sophomore Suzanne Stalley (40-9) — Carr’s semifinal opponent.

Both Jones and Stalley will be making their first appearances at the state finals.

170: Layla Spann, Plainfield South

Plainfield South’s Layla Spann went 29-9 and was a state qualifier last year as a freshman. She went 2-2 downstate and did not place.

Bloomington is getting a whole different Layla Spann this year.

The Plainfield South sophomore improved to 44-0 and pinned her way to a sectional title in Schaumburg. No opponent was able to take her into the third period.

“Layla is having a very special season this year, for sure,” Plainfield South coach Tom Redmon said. “We were all expecting Layla to build upon her impressive freshman year, but the level of her improvement in such a short amount of time has really blown everyone away.  As a wrestler, her technical skill and situational intelligence has markedly improved to complement her incredible athleticism and has quickly elevated Layla into the conversation of the state’s very best at 170 pounds.”

Spann won a regional title at East Aurora a week prior by tech fall over Lincoln-Way’s Riley DePolo (37-7). The two met again in the sectional finals at Schaumburg, with DePolo turning the tables through one period, building a 7-2 lead heading into the second.

Spann chose down to start the period and 53 seconds later, a reversal to a pin gave Spann the first sectional title of her career.

DePolo also pinned her way into the title match and the junior will make her first appearance at the state finals.

Woodstock senior Brianna Crown (40-10) won four matches in the back draw and became a state qualifier for her first time, winning her third-place match by fall against Schaumburg’s Maja Brzosko (36-14).

Brzosko will also be making her first downstate appearance. Both Brzosko and Crown beat regional champions in their respective consolation semifinal matches to clinch their spots downstate.

190: Samantha Diehl, Hampshire

Hampshire sits in a unique position, with four bona fide threats to win state medals in Bloomington — a feat that would put them smack in the middle of the race for an Illinois team state title.

Sophomore Samantha Diehl sits right in the thick of things if that possibility has a chance at reality.
Diehl improved to 36-3 and won her first sectional title Saturday, pinning a fellow state medal winner in Schaumburg senior Nadia Razzak (42-2).

Razzak led 3-0 after two periods before Diehl turned and pinned her at 4:51.

“Sam wrestled a great tournament, avenging a loss against Nadia,” Hampshire coach Matt Todd said.
As a freshman last year, Diehl placed third at the Schaumburg sectional and followed that two weeks later with a third-place state finish, going 31-6 on the season.

The foursome of Diehl, Amelia Nidelea-Polanin, Annabelle Mueller, and Stella Piazza all advanced. Nidelea-Polanin was first at 120, Mueller was second at 105, and Piazza placed third at 115.

“Sam and Amelia had a great tournament this weekend,” Todd said. “Both of them, along with Stella and Annabelle, have been wrestling our boys at practice, and it has helped them to improve in every facet of their wrestling.”

Both Razzak and Diehl pinned their way to the sectional final. Razzak earned her second downstate berth, after winning a sectional title last season.

Lockport’s Sophie Kelner (40-10) placed third with a 2-0 decision over Plainfield South’s Kimyra Patrick (43-5).

235: Rebekah Ramirez, Lockport

Now a three-time state qualifier and two-time sectional champion, Lockport junior Rebekah Ramirez (39-5) exacted some revenge at this year’s tournament.

One week prior, Romeoville junior Henessis Villagrana (38-4) beat Ramirez by 7-5 decision on a regional title mat. In Saturday’s rematch, Ramirez jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one period. She chose down to start the second and Villagrana fought for the turn to no avail.

Villagrana reversed Ramirez to start the third and a Ramirez escape ended the scoring at 6-2.

“It feels great,” Ramirez said. “She beat me last week, but I got it where it mattered. I just kind of needed to be more aware of where I was on the mat. If I was close to the edge, getting my hips in. Just some little things I had to clean up.”

Ramirez wasn’t able to get on the awards stand downstate in her first two trips to Bloomington. She’s aiming for more now that she’s an upperclassmen.

“I didn’t do much the last two years, but I’m a junior now,” Ramirez said. “I feel like I’m better prepared and I see myself going far in that tournament. I feel like I’ve kind of proved myself this year.”

Ramirez proved herself in her sectional semifinal, winning by fall against a three-time state medal winner in Wheeling’s Jasmine Rene, and handing Rene (34-1) her first loss of the season.

“I’ve worked with all my coaches, they’re all setting me up to be in the right place, and I hope I’m able to do something special this year,” Ramirez said.

Villagrana also became a three-time state qualifier for Romeoville on Saturday.

Rene posted two falls in the consolation bracket to place third and become a four-time state qualifier. She placed third once and fourth twice at 190 pounds at the state finals.

Rene capped her day by fall against Glenbard North junior Asreilla Wallace (40-8), who will head downstate for the first time.