Posts by Mick Torres

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Seneca’s Irish Invite

Whenever you can send nine wrestlers to the title mat in a 17-team field, odds are you’re in the driver’s seat of a tournament. And Central kept its hand on the wheel on Saturday, winning six individual titles and seeing 12 wrestlers finish in the top five of their weight classes.

Comets coach Travis Williams couldn’t have been happier with the team title his boys from Clifton won at this year’s Seneca Irish Invite, and their second consecutive Irish Invite crown.

“The boys did amazing,” Williams said. “We’re excited to get everyone in the early season weight classes where we feel like we can compete at our best. exciting to win a tournament back-to-back seasons as well, especially by a convincing margin over some other top 20 programs in 1A.”

Central finished with a 270-219 win over second-place Seneca. Orion (165) placed third, Ottawa (151) was fourth, and Kewanee (131) rounded out the top five team finishes.

The Comets got individual titles from Everett Bailey (126), Kayden Cody (132), Gianni Panozzo (144), Evan Cox (150), Chris Andrade (165), and Noah Gomez (285), and seconds from Blake Hemp (120), Giona Panozzo (138), and Hunter Hull (175).

Central also got to-five finishes from Brody O’Connor (3rd at 215), Beau Williams (4th at 113), and Max Joseph (fifth at 190).

“Nine finalist and placing twelve of thirteen exceeded expectations and gave us an amazing run early on the team points,” Williams said. “We had a stretch where we pinned twenty matches in a row today.”

The freshman Bailey won the first tournament title of his high school career, the senior Cody won his second career tournament title, and Cox bumped up two weights to win his first tournament crown.

Gomez pinned his way to his second consecutive Seneca title, and after winning a wrestle-off to earn his spot in the Central lineup, all Andrade did was reach the finals and gut-out a 4-2 sudden victory decision.

And all Gianni Panozzo did in winning his title was post four falls and go un-scored upon. Panozzo was also named the tournament’s Lower Weight Most Valuable Wrestler.

Hull lost by decision in the finals at 175 to Manteno’s Carter Watkins, but beat Seneca’s Asher Hamby by 4-2 decision in their semifinal match, and had “a great individual day,” Williams said.

Second-place host Seneca got individual titles from Nate Othon (157) and Chris Peura (215), and coach Todd Yegge got seconds from Raiden Terry (106) and Jeremy Gagnon (285). 

Beardstown’s Chuck Dailey (285) posted five pins in 3:48 to lead the tournament in the most pins in the least time; the most tech fall wins in the least time went to Walther Christian’s Caleb Peterson (126), with two tech falls in 8:30; the tournament’s fastest fall came in 10 seconds by Heyworth’s Jack Rutledge (120).

Three wrestlers tied for the most team points scored with 30, in Central’s Gianni Panozzo (144), and Seneca’s Nate Othon (157) and Chris Peura (215), and 11th-seeded champion Othon ended with the largest seed-place difference. 

Walther’s Peterson’s 24 points were the most in any single match; his 64 total match points also led the tournament; and the day’s closest title match came when Orion’s Maddux Anderson won a 2-1 decision at 190 against King’s Calvin Savage. Also winning titles at the Irish Invite were Streator’s Nick Pollett (106), Ottawa’s Ivan Munoz (113), Amboy’s Landon Blanton (120), Kewanee’s Benjamin Taylor (138), Manteno’s Carter Watkins (175), and Orion’s Maddux Anderson (190).

Other wrestlers placing second included Kewanee’s Kingston Peterson (113) and Alejandro Duarte (215), Nolan Lowe (126), Ethan Lowe (144), and Joshua Caraballo (157) of University (Normal), Eureka’s Owen Stoller (132), St. Bede’s Logan Pineda (150), Orion’s Nolan Loete (165), King’s Calvin Savage (190), 

Third-place finishers also included Orion’s Tyler Olson (106), Pontiac’s Kooper Wiles (113), Seneca’s Ethan Othon (120) and Asher Hamby (175), Walther Christian’s Caleb Peterson (126), Kewanee’s Chance DeSplinter (132), University’s Hayden Washum (138) and Grayson Moody (165), Ottawa’s Malachi Snyder (144) and Ryan Wilson (190), Eureka’s Sam Hoffman (150), Streator’s Steven Goplin (157), and Beardstown’s Chunk Dailey (285).

Placing fourth at Seneca were Ottawa’s Giovanni Hernandez (106), Andrew Ristau (165), Wyatt Reding (175) and Ethan Day (285), University’s Joshua Butler (120), Orion’s Cole Perkins (126), Cavan Terry (132) and Kaden Edmunds (157), Manteno’s Joe Carney (138), Beardstown’s Luis De La Cruz (144) and Shadrach Mafhina (215), Pontiac’s Sam Hoffman (150), and Seneca’s Landen Venecia (190).

Championship matches at Seneca’s Irish Invite:

106 — Nicholas Pollett (Streator) D 4-2 Raiden Terry (Seneca)

113 — Ivan Munoz (Ottawa) F 5:43 Kingston Peterson (Kewanee)

120 — Landon Blanton (Amboy) F 5:35 Blake Hemp (Central)

126 — Everett Bailey (Central) D 11-8 Nolan Lowe (University)

132 — Kayden Cody (Central) F 1:33 Owen Stoller (Eureka)

138 — Benjamin Taylor (Kewanee) F 3:05 Giona Panozzo (Central)

144 — Gianni Panozzo (Central) F 4:00 Ethan Lowe (University)

150 — Evan Cox (Central) D 9-6 Logan Pineda (St. Bede)

157 — Nate Othon (Seneca) F 2:36 Joshua Carabello (University)

165 — Chris Andrade (Central) SV-1 4-2 Nolan Loete (Orion)

175 — Carter Watkins (Manteno) D 8-2 Hunter Hull (Central)

190 — Maddux Anderson (Orion) D 2-1 Calvin Savage (King)

215 — Chris Peura (Seneca) F 1:17 Alejandro Duarte (Kewanee)

285 — Noah Gomez (Central) F 5:01 Jeremy Gagnon (Seneca)

Final team scores: Central 270, Seneca 219, Orion 165, Ottawa 151, Kewanee 131, University 123, Amboy 84.5, Beardstown 84, Streator 69, Eureka 63, Pontiac 59, Manteno 54.5, St. Bede 39, Heyworth 31, Walther Christian 25, King 22, Somonauk 0

Sterling’s 45th Annual Carson DeJarnatt Invitational

With five individual champs and two runners-up, Dixon snared the team title at Saturday’s 45th annual Carson DeJarnatt Invitational, hosted by Sterling.

Dixon’s 228.5 team points topped the nine-team field with host Sterling (179.5) taking second placed. Galesburg (166.5), Clinton, IA (151), and Newman Central Catholic (132.5) rounded out the top five, followed by Limestone (103.5), Fulton (84), Rock Falls (75) and Oak Lawn (72).

Dixon coach Micah Hey got individual titles from Jack Ragan (106), Ayden Rowley (113), Cade Hey (150), Steven Kitzman (175) and Will Howell (215), plus seconds from Gavin Kramer (132) and Jayden Weidman (144). The Dukes also got a third from Jayce Kastner (165), fourths from Riley Paredes (120), Jacob Renkes (126), and James Simpson (138), a fifth from Spencer Pleskovitch and a sixth from heavyweight Kit Wedekind.

“I was real proud of the way we wrestled this weekend,” Hey said. “Our 106-pounder Jack Ragan has gotten us off to great starts this year and did it again this tournament. Cade Hey at 150 pinned his way through the tournament and looked real sharp. Really they all did a nice job and contributed in some way.”

Second-place Sterling got individual titles from Zyan Westbrook (120) and Isaiah Mendoza (157), and Golden Warriors coach Nolan Baker got seconds from Gage Tate (175) and Oswaldo Navarro (285).

Sterling’s long-time tournament is named for IWCOA and National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach Carson DeJarnatt, who retired in 1990 after coaching Sterling for 21 years, 19 as head coach.

Rock Falls’ Logan Thome (126) had the tournament’s most pins in the least amount of time, posting three falls in 3:11, while teammate Jacob Hosler (285) had the fastest pin in 13 seconds. Limestone’s Dakota Hentz (113) had the fastest tech fall win at 3:34, and Sterling’s Isaiah Mendoza (157) posted the most points in a single match with 20, and the most total match points with 34. Honors for the largest seed-place difference went to Brady Jennings from Clinton, Iowa; the ninth-seeded Jennings placed second at 150 pounds.

Also winning individual titles in Sterling were Galesburg’s Rocky Almendarez (126) and Gauge Shipp (138), Rock Falls’ Adan Oquendo (132), Newman’s Carter Rude (144) and Daniel Kelly (165), Clinton, Iowa’s Mason Luckritz (190), and Limestone’s Taylor Dixon (285).

Others placing second in Sterling were Newman’s Blair Grennan (106), Zhyler Hansen (120), and Brady Grennan (138), Oak Lawn’s Ryan Bisoyana (113) and Ammar Elayyan (126), Clinton, Iowa’s Brady Jennings (150) and Chandler Hayden (215), Galesburg’s Josiah Carter (157) and Anthony Makwala (165), and Fulton’s Mason Kuebel (190).

Championship matches at Sterling’s Carson DeJarnatt Invitational:

106 – Jack Ragan (Dixon) F 2:41 Blair Grennan (Newman)

113 – Ayden Rowley (Dixon) F 2:00 Ryan Bisoyana (Oak Lawn)

120 – Zyan Westbrook (Sterling) F 1:35 Zhyler Hansen (Newman)

126 – Rocky Almendarez (Galesburg) F 3:17 Ammar Elayyan (Oak Lawn)

132 – Adan Oquendo (Rock Falls) D 7-2 Gavin Kramer (Dixon)

138 – Gauge Shipp (Galesburg) D 6-2 Brady Grennan (Newman)

144 – Carter Rude (Newman) F 1:00 Jayden Weidman (Dixon)

150 – Cade Hey (Dixon) F 2:57 Brady Jennings (Clinton, IA)

157 – Isaiah Mendoza (Sterling) D 7-6 Josiah Carter (Galesburg)

165 – Daniel Kelly (Newman) D 5-2 Anthony Makwala (Galesburg)

175 – Steven Kitzman (Dixon) D 13-6 Gage Tate (Sterling)

190 – Mason Luckritz (Clinton, IA) F 2:17 Mason Kuebel (Fulton)

215 – Will Howell (Dixon) D 7-6 Hayden Chandler (Clinton, IA)

285 – Taylor Dixon (Limestone) F 2:51 Oswaldo Navarro (Sterling)

Final team scores: Dixon 228.5, Sterling 179.5, Galesburg 166.4, Clinton, IA 151, Newman Central Catholic 132.5, Limestone 103.5, Fulton 84, Rock Falls 75, Oak Lawn 72

Lincoln-Way East captures Plainfield North Dual Team Tournament

Lincoln-Way East defeated Plainfield North 48-17 to claim top honors in the 16-team Plainfield North Dual Team Tournament in Plainfield to repeat as champions in the competition while the host Tigers moved up one spot from a year ago.

Glenbard North won 43-30 over York to finish third, Minooka and Moline tied for fifth place and Joliet West beat Canton 42-36 to finish in seventh place.

Coach Kevin Rockett’s champion Griffins went 5-0, beating Morris 57-18, Joliet West 63-17 and Hinsdale Central 56-15 to open the event and then won 39-27 over York before meeting the hosts for the title.

Coach Adrian Cervantes’ runner-up Tigers won 59-16 over Round Lake, 78-6 over Willowbrook and 45-23 over Canton before earning their spot in the finals with a 40-27 victory over Glenbard North.

Turning in 5-0 efforts for Lincoln-Way East were Kaidge Richardson (126), Domanic Abeja (150) and Alexander Lizak (157) while Tyson Zvonar (132), Brayden Mortell (138), Jackson Zaeske (175), Isaiah Williams (190) and Ryan Stingily (285) went 4-1. Christian Darnell (165) went 3-0 and Colton Zvonar (165) went 2-0.

Plainfield North received 5-0 showings from Maddox Garbis (113) and Leonardo Tovar (190) while Luke Grindstaff (138), Lucas Frydrychowski (144), Robert Tota (150), Sam Zito (157/165) and Ralphael Tovar (157/165) all went 4-1.

Going 5-0 for Glenbard North were Dominick Marre (120) and Kalani Khiev (126) while Jaiden Quito (106/113), Christian Chavez (132), Rylan Kradle (150), Julian Holland (175), Tyler Ott (190) and Brian Petrancosta (215) all turned in 4-1 efforts.

York got 5-0 efforts from Zachary Parisi (132), Frankie Nitti (138), Danny DeCristofaro (175) and Austin Bagdasarian (215) while Jake Kubycheck (120) and Jackson Hanselman (144) went 4-1.

Turning 4-0 records for Minooka were Cale Stonisch (138), Kaden Meyer (157) and AJ Frescura (165) while Mason Vogt (106), Casey Janicki (113), Noah Avina (120), Francisco Ditrolio (144) and Ben Cyrkiel (150) all posted 3-1 records.

Moline got 4-0 records from Collin Ledbetter (106) and Zander Ealy (165) while Issac Perez (113/120), Jack Sibley (150), Deanthony Simpson (157), Jaxson Krantz (175/190) and Bennett Gorgal (285) had 3-1 records while James Soliz (190) and Nehemiah Lenzen (215) went 2-0.

Leading the way for Joliet West with 5-0 records were Joseph Pedrosa (120) and Carson Weber (144) while Coehn Weber (126) and Adrian Hernandez (138) both went 4-1.

Canton was led by Connor Williams (285), who went 5-0, while Jacob Hardesty (106), Gus Lidwell (175), Danny Murphy (190) and Grant Kessler (215) all had 4-1 records, Jack Jochums (132) went 3-0 and Maddux Steele (113/120) posted a 3-1 record.

Dundee-Crown and Sandwich tied for tenth, Morris and Willowbrook tied for 12th and Hinsdale Central, Hoffman Estates, Prairie Ridge and Round Lake were also in the competition.

Dundee-Crown was led by 3-1 efforts from Chris Gerardo (126), Jose Gavina (165/175) and Teigen Moreno (215) while Sandwich got 3-1 records from Jacob Ross (106) and Cooper Corder (132).

Morris got 4-0 showings from Owen Sater (106) and Brock Claypool (113) while Brandon Anderson (120), Carter Skoff (132), Tyler Semlar (144/150) and Andrew Paull (157/165) all went 3-1. Willowbrook’s Noah Brockie (175) went 4-0 and Emiliano Cokalli (165) was 2-0.

Hinsdale Central was led by Brady Koschik (215) and Marko Ivanisevic (285), who both went 3-0. Hoffman Estates’ top performers were Abdulhamid Olowu (285), who went 3-0, and Alazar Eyob (132/138), who went 3-1.

Prairie Ridge’s top performers were Mikey Meade (126), who went 4-0, as well as Jake Lowitzki (113), Xander York (157) and John Fallaw (285), who all went 3-0, and Christian Pease (138), who went 3-1. Round Lake was led by Grayson Kongkaeow (126), who went 4-0, Alejandro Cordova (120), who went 3-0, William Cole (285), who was 2-0 and Marshawn Washington (138), who went 3-1. 

Lincoln-Way East’s Lizak had five falls in 4:50 and Griffin Abeja recorded five falls in 7:47 to both finish with 30 team points, which also led all competitors. Plainfield North’s Leonardo Tovar, Joliet West’s Carson Weber and Canton’s Connor Williams all had 28 team points. 

Lincoln-Way East’s Kaidge Richardson had the most total match points with 68 while Plainfield North’s Maddox Garbis had 61 match points and York’s Zachary Parisi had 60 match points.

By Chris Walker for the IWCOA

It was 38 years ago this month that the Bears released The Super Bowl Shuffle. On Saturday, Montini Catholic won the 2nd Annual Neuqua Valley Scuffle.

Montini wasn’t there to start no trouble, The Broncos showed up to win the Neuqua Valley Scuffle

The Broncos had four champions, five others who placed second and another who took third during Saturday’s tournament in Naperville.

“It’s a nice win for our kids,” said Montini coach Mike Bukovsky, a 2023 National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter Inductee. “They did a nice job. We’re still a little football hungover and trying to get through some sickness and stuff. We had two starters out today, but everybody does now so it’s not like we’re different from anybody else. We’re doing all right. It was a good day for us.”

The Broncos, who scored 227.5 points, were in a two-team battle for the title with Warren Township, who scored 201 points. 

“We get a few of these tournaments a year and it’s nice to take advantage,” Bukovsky said. “We wanted to try to come in and win this tournament. It was one of our goals in the offseason and obviously we have post season goals and things attached to that. We have had a couple duals in getting warmed up, but today was a nice test with some really quality teams – some 3A teams. I’m happy with the way we responded overall.”

Scary from the standpoint of potential opponents, the Broncos are young with 11 of their 14 starters coming back next year, but they aren’t looking beyond this season. They have no reason to not focus on the now.

“We’re very young,” Bukovsky said. “We only have three seniors. It’s been a nice group. They’re very close knit.”

Joshua Vazquez (126), Kam Luif (132), Jeremy Huf (138) and Alex Marre (175) were the four Broncos who took home framed brackets documenting their respective championships.

Well, they named Kam Luif Most Outstanding
Pin, pin, pin, he kept advancing
As a freshman he took sixth in state last year
Now he’s older, stronger and without fear

“Kam is very humble,” Bukovsky said. “He’s a great kid who works year-round. He placed as a freshman so it’s nice to see him get a nice award. He’s kind of an unsung guy, but one of the backbones, one of our leaders. He does the right thing all the time and has done a great job so far.”

Luif wasn’t too surprised to be named Most Outstanding Wrestler at this year’s Scuffle after he pinned all three of his opponents.

“Coming in here and training I know it’s always a possibility,” he said. “I know my coaches put me in a great spot to win these awards and stuff like that.”

It’s so far, so good for the Broncos.

“Our team this year is way more disciplined,” Luif said. “We’re all getting into the room and working hard everyday. We’re all family, too. We all bond and I think that’s what makes us a great team. And Coach (Bukovsky) is back, which is really big. He’s on top of everything. He keeps everything organized and makes everything run much better.”

He’s Jeremy Huf and he’s tougher than most
Better watch out, or you’ll be toast
He’s only been a Bronco for a little while
But he’s fittin’ in nicely and winnin’ in style

Huf transferred from Prospect and has found a new home.

“I’ve definitely gotten used to the atmosphere and this is definitely where I want to be,” he said. “I think it’s awesome trying to carry on the legacy of Montini. I think for sure that this year people are definitely going to see some unexpected things from Montini. We’re going to get in the room and push each other. We want better for each other.”

While a bit banged up, Huf didn’t let his injuries deter his drive for success.

“He’s been great and he’s battling some injury situations,” Bukovsky said. “He fought through that today and did a great job. Up and down the lineup we’ve had so many good performances. I think some of our gas tanks aren’t where they need to be right now, especially with some of the football guys, but we’ll get there.”

Allen Woo (106), Michael Malizzio (113), Isaac Mayora (120), Santino Tenuta (157) and Mick Ranquist (285) weren’t crowned champions for the Broncos but fought hard all the way into their title bouts. AJ Tack (165) took third, Jaxon Lane (190) placed fifth and Lewis Wais-Montoya (150) finished sixth.

Oak Park and River Forest (151) placed third, Loyola Academy (141) was fourth and Elk Grove (117) was fifth to round out the top five team finishers. Bolingbrook (94.5) followed in sixth place, while Neuqua Valley (91.5), Bartlett (66), Reavis (50) and Taft (49) were also in the 10-team field.

“It’s nice to see kids back in action and see some good solid wrestling,” Neuqua Valley coach Aaron Huber said. “There are some really good schools here and competition was great. Nice to see our kids competing at that level, getting everything out of every match that we went through, and seeing some good stuff from some other kids, regardless of schools.”

The whole idea behind the creation of the Scuffle was to bring a variety of good teams together for aggressive wrestling.

“There are some tough teams here and some teams that are fairly solid that have some good standout kids that can compete,” Huber said. “It gives everybody an opportunity to compete so that’s nice for every program regardless of where your kids are. So you’re finding good competition at every level for your athletes.”

Warren also had four champions, Caleb Noble (106), Jonathon Marquez (113), Aaron Stewart (157) and Royce Lopez (165) while Loyola had three title winners, Gavin Pardilla (120), Quinn Herbert (190) and Kai Calcutt (215). 

The other title winners were Bolingbrook’s Aaron Camacho (144), OPRF’s David Ogunsanya (150) and Elk Grove’s Mikey Milovich (285).

The host Wildcats didn’t have any champions, taking seventh place with Jay Chidley (144) and Magomed Nurudinov (190) finishing as runner ups.

“It is early and we’re trying to find all the positives that are going to get us to the point of where we want to be in February,” Huber said. “That’s the ultimate goal for us – improving after every single match, finding our weak spots to improve upon in practice and finding those highlights where we can come back and use that to refocus and making sure we’re in the right spot and right path for the end of the season.”

Here’s a rundown of the Neuqua Valley Scuffle champions and their weight classes:

106 – Caleb Noble, Warren

The 106-pound title bout saw the No. 4-ranked wrestlers in 3A and 2A meet, with Warren freshman Caleb Noble taking care of Montini’s Allen Woo, who is also a freshman.

“It went well,” Noble said. “Since I’m very young in this, I have so much to learn during these four years (in high school). One thing I took out of this was you’re not going to get all the calls so I just have to adapt to the calls of the refs.”

Noble pinned Loyola Academy’s Quentin Williams in 1:15 prior to his 18-6 major decision over Woo.

“I think our team is pretty good,” Noble said. “We’ve definitely got some tough wrestlers. Aaron Stewart is really good and should’ve won state last year. Jonathon (Marquez) is my practice partner and is very tough and Royce Lopez is tough, too.”

OPRF’s MJ Rundell won by fall for third against Loyola’s Quentin Williams.

113 – Jonathon Marquez, Warren

Ranked No. 6 in Class 3A, Warren’s Jonathon Marquez displayed the skills he used to advance to state at 106 last year, while earning a championship at 113 with a hard-fought 7-2 win over Montini’s Michael Malizzio.

After receiving a bye in the quarterfinals, Marquez needed just 1:26 to take down Taft’s Angel Rivera to earn a berth in the finals.

Bolingbrook’s Isaac Harris won a 12-4 decision over OPRF’s Gabriel Rojas for third and Neuqua Valley’s Brady Podracky won 4-1 over Taft’s Angel Rivera on the fifth-place mat.

120 – Gavin Pardilla, Loyola

Loyola’s Gavin Pardilla, who qualified for state as a freshman last season, scored a 12-0 major decision victory against Montini’s Isaac Mayora in the 120 finals. 

Pardilla earned an 18-2 win by technical fall over Warren’s Evan Glowinski in his previous bout.

Warren’s Evan Glowinski placed third by fall over Bolingbrook’s Jared Craig and OPRF’s Ruben Acevedo placed fifth by fall against Neuqua Valley’s Eesh Bandla.

126 – Joshua Vazquez, Montini

In one of the more exciting title battles of the tournament, Montini’s Joshua Vazquez prevailed against Elk Grove’s Grant Madl 5-3 in sudden victory in the 126 finals. 

Vazquez, a junior, is the top-ranked wrestler at 120 pounds in 2A while Madl, a senior, is No. 8 at 126 pounds in 3A. Vazquez opened with a bye before winning by fall over Bartlett’s Cameron Engels in 47 seconds.

OPRF’s Zev Koransky won a 9-2 decision for third over Bartlett’s Cameron Engels and Taft’s Miguel Guevara won by fall for fifth against Neuqua Valley’s Colin Folley.

132 – Kam Luif, Montini

Kam Luif became the second straight Montini wrestler to be named Most Outstanding at the Scuffle, following in the footsteps of David Mayora, who won it last year.

He pinned Warren’s Michael Schillen in 3:06 and Reavis’ Vladamir Vasquez in 3:10 in the semifinals and then expedited the process in the 132 championship bout, attacking Elk Grove’s Nicasio Acino and recording a fall in 52 seconds.

“I got to my attack with a high-c right away,” Luif said. “I then had the leg up in the air and saw his head and kind of went for it and just stuck him.”

It was the first time Luif had been acquainted with Acino.

“I had never wrestled him,” Luif said. “I like wrestling someone I haven’t wrestled before because it puts me in a better position to go back in the room and see what I could’ve done better, especially if he did something I’d never seen before and I can go into the room and work that position.”

Reavis’ Vladamir Vasquez won by fall for third against Loyola’s Danny Malan and Bartlett’s Joseph Caputo won a 10-6 decision for fifth against Warren’s Michael Schillen.

138 – Jeremy Huf, Montini

It was the first tournament for Jeremy Huf in the Montini singlet. 

Huf needed just 40 seconds to defeat Elk Grove’s Matt Korwel by fall in the semifinals before battling from start to finish to survive OPRF’s Joseph Knackstedt in the 138 finals with a 2-1 decision.

“It was pretty good, but like always I’ve got stuff to work on,” Huf said. “I’m just excited and ready to wrestle. It was my first tournament with Montini so I’m very excited for this season. This was a good tournament. I’m excited to get back in the room and continue to work. I think we’re going to pull off some upsets and it’s going to be a good year.”

OPRF’s Aiden John Noyes won by fall for third place against Reavis’ Zach Koschnitzki, and Warren’s Kyle Miron took fifth by fall against Elk Grove’s Matt Korwel.

144 – Aaron Camacho, Bolingbrook

Sparring with Montini alum Dylan Burnoski during practice has boosted Aaron Camacho’s confidence this season. 

After pinning Bartlett’s Nick Barton and Taft’s Jierich Uy, the Bolingbrook sophomore won by technical fall 21-5 over Neuqua Valley’s Jay Chidley to take home the 144 title.

“My confidence has gone higher since my new practice partner, and (Burnoski) has helped me a lot,” Camacho said. “I feel like the work I’ve done with him has helped my confidence. I also have a room partner (Tommy McDermott) who’s heavier than me and pushes me, which gives me more confidence in my matches.”

Chidley, who was donning a Montreal Expos cap when he wasn’t wrestling, took an aggressive approach.

“I love baseball and I wish I was good at it, but I’m good at wrestling so I’ve got that,” he joked. “I love baseball and have the hat because I like the Expos specifically.”

He certainly liked his tournament up until falling short against Camacho.

“I came into today with the mindset that I wanted to try new things that would get me a win,” he said. “I’ve been told for years to take shots and be aggressive, which is what I did in the matches today. It was a fun tournament. The more confident I get in my shots, the more successful I’m going to be. I’m pretty confident the success I had today will continue forward in the season as long as I keep working at it.”

OPRF’s Ryan Wozniak won a 9-7 decision over Warren’s Simon Castillo to place third and Bartlett’s Nick Barton won by fall for fifth against Taft’s Jierich Uy.

150 – David Ogunsanya, OPRF

Since he won by medical forfeit in the semifinals, OPRF sophomore David Ogunsanya only had to wrestle in the 150 championship bout, picking up point after point in a 21-6 win by technical fall over Warren’s Nico Hermsen.

Bolingbrook’s Marcus Poe took third place after winning a 9-8 decision over Neuqua Valley’s Nick Pape and Bartlett’s Ezekiel Carillo won by medical forfeit for fifth against Montini’s Lewis Wais-Montoya.

157 – Aaron Stewart, Warren

Currently ranked No. 2 in 3A and coming off a 43-2 season and third place finish in the state, Warren’s Aaron Stewart has high expectations again this season. 

After taking care of Neuqua Valley’s Andrew Dalson in 0:37, he won by a 24-9 technical fall against Montini’s Santino Tenuta to take the top spot on the award stand at 157 in this year’s Scuffle.

Loyola’s Sam Thompson won by injury default on the third-place mat against Elk Grove’s Anthony Macina and OPRF’s Isaac Davies won a 14-1 major decision for fifth against Neuqua Valley’s Andrew Dalson.

165 – Royce Lopez, Warren

A state qualifier at 160 last season, Warren’s Royce Lopez found himself in a peculiar situation late in the first period of his 165 championship match against Bolingbrook’s Tommy McDermott.

“At the end of the first period I got into a funky situation but got two back points so it was 4-1 at the end of the first period,” Lopez said. “He was a tough kid, pretty long. My game plan was mostly outside singles.”

Warren took McDermott down a couple more times, picking up points enroute to a 17-5 major decision.

“I’m into pushing the pace of the match, that’s how I wrestle,” Lopez said. “I’m trying to score as many points as I can to get that match over with.”

Getting back on the mat after facing Libertyville on Friday was key.

“Practice is hard; we have a lot of tough wrestlers in our room,” Lopez said. “We train as hard as we can seven days out of the week most of the time. (On Friday) we went against Libertyville and it could’ve done better, but you just have to build off of that. It’s early in the season so I think we’re going to be a very good team.”

Lopez was particularly impressed with the team’s effort in the Scuffle.

“I saw a lot of heart today compared to yesterday where we had some hiccups in our matches,” he said. “Today we showed a lot of heart. Even when we lost, guys fought hard.”

Montini’s AJ Tack took third place with an 8-6 decision against Neuqua Valley’s Maddox Menendez and OPRF’s Hugh Vanek placed fifth via fall against Reavis’ Robert Soto.

175 – Alex Marre, Montini

Fresh off an All-State football season where he helped lead Montini into the Class 3A semifinals, senior Alex Marre defeated Loyola’s Sebastian Gal by fall in 0:34 in the semifinals before scoring a 14-6 major decision over Elk Grove’s Benny Schlosser in the 175 title bout.

Taft’s Steven Tantchev won a sudden victory 3-1 decision on the third-place mat against Neuqua Valley’s Deividas Lewitan and Loyola’s Sebastian Gal won a 16-3 major decision for fifth against Bolingbrook’s Geno Vargas.

190 – Quinn Herbert, Loyola

Just a week ago, Loyola’s Quinn Herbert was helping the Ramblers take care of Lincoln-Way East for their second consecutive Class 8A football title over the Griffins. As a Chicago Catholic League All-Conference selection, Herbert played a huge part on the football field and has wasted no time in transitioning back into wrestling. 

Herbert had a pair of pins in capturing one of the four individual titles procured by the Ramblers, winning by fall over Neuqua Valley’s Magomed Nurudinov in the 190 title match.

Bartlett’s Ryan Gura placed third with a 12-7 decision against Warren’s Donald Powyer and Montini’s Jaxon Lane won by fall for fifth against OPRF’s Ben Martin.

215 – Kai Calcutt, Loyola

Coming off a 40-9 season as a freshman, Loyola’s Kai Calcutt narrowly lost a state title one season ago, falling 3-2 by ultimate tiebreaker in the Class 3A 220 final to Yorkville’s Ben Alvarez.

His dominance was evident whenever he stepped on the mat in Naperville, winning by fall over OPRF’s Eric Harris in his semifinals match before earning the 215 title by fall in 1:09 over Warren senior Anthony Soto.

OPRF’s Eric Harris won by fall for third against Warren’s Caleb Van Leer and Elk Grove’s Dylan Berkowitz took fifth with a fall against Taft’s Christopher Osta.

285 – Mikey Milovich, Elk Grove

Surviving a 2-1 bout against Loyola’s Joey Herbert in the semis, Elk Grove’s Mikey Milovich carried the momentum of the victory into his 285 title match, where he pinned Montini’s Mick Ranquist in 3:28.

Loyola’s Joey Herbert won by fall for third against Bolingbrook’s Isaac Amoh and Warren’s Jason Bolender won by fall for fifth against Reavis’ Jacob Ramirez.

2023 Neuqua Valley Scuffle championship match results

106 – Caleb Noble (Warren) MD 18-6 Allen Woo (Montini)
113 – Jonathon Marquez (Warren) D 7-2 Michael Malizzio (Montini)
120 – Gavin Pardilla (Loyola) MD 12-0 Isaac Mayora (Montini)
126 – Joshua Vazquez (Montini) SV-1 5-3 Grant Madl (Elk Grove)
132 – Kam Luif (Montini) F 0:52 Nicasio Acino (Elk Grove)
138 – Jeremy Huf (Montini) D 2-1 Joseph Knackstedt (OPRF)
144 – Aaron Camacho (Bolingbrook) TF 21-5 Jay Chidley (Neuqua Valley)
150 – David Ogunsanya (OPRF) TF 21-6 Nico Hermsen (Warren)
157 – Aaron Stewart (Warren) TF 24-9 Santino Tenuta (Montini)
165 – Royce Lopez (Warren) MD 17-5 Tommy McDermott (Bolingbrook)
175 – Alex Marre (Montini) MD 14-6 Benny Schlosser (Elk Grove)
190 – Quinn Herbert (Loyola) F 0:00 Magomed Nurudinov (Neuqua Valley)
215: Kai Calcutt (Loyola) F 1:09 Anthony Soto (Warren)
285: Mikey Milovich (Elk Grove) F 3:28 Mick Ranquist (Montini)

Final team scores – Montini (227.5); Warren (201); OPRF (151); Loyola (141); Elk Grove (117); Bolingbrook (94.5); Neuqua Valley (91.5); Bartlett (66); Reavis (50); Taft (49).

By Mike Garofola – For the IWCOA

BARRINGTON – What a sensational opening weekend for Dan Keller and Barrington wrestling. 

Keller tasted plenty of success during his short stay at Prospect, leading the Knights to their first-ever IHSA Dual Team state trophy in 2022. And he has wasted little time making his mark at his new wrestling-room address.

Keller’s Broncos led from start to finish to claim the big trophy at the 32nd Barrington Moore-Prettyman Invitational on their home mats on Saturday afternoon, winning the team title for the first time since 2019.

“I could not have expected to have this type of start to the season,” began an obviously proud Keller, who arrived in Barrington after leading his alma mater, Prospect, to a fourth-place finish at the 2022 IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals.

“We asked the guys to put together their individual goals sheet and it was clear that a top-three finish at the Moore-Prettyman was high on the list of everyone on this team,” Keller said.

“Of course, winning the whole thing seemed a little ambitious for this team but we came out and went 11-for-11 in the first round (all pins), so right from the start we began to rack up those all-important bonus points, and the guys never let up. We have a nice blend of youth and experience, with strong leadership from our seniors, and the entire team was just locked in this weekend.”

Assistant coach Ken Hoving, who starred at Conant back in the day, was head coach in 2011 when Barrington finished fourth at Dual Team State, and assisted under Dave Udchik when the Broncos earned a third-place Dual Team State trophy in 2019.

“It’s kind of amazing that we won the tournament without having a single individual champion,” Hoving said. “I’m not sure if that’s ever happened since I’ve been here.”

When Hinsdale Central’s Marko Ivanisevic won at 285 to end the high-profile tournament on Saturday, the day’s final team tally saw Barrington with 204 points to win the title. Hononegah edged Libertyville for second place honors, 196.5-195.

Barrington headed home on Friday with an 11-point advantage over Hersey (133.50-122.5) and never let its rivals get any close during day No. 2. Clarence Jackson led the Broncos in total points scored on day No. 1 with 15.

“As I said, we had just a terrific start on the first day, and we were able to get three into the finals, with Kaleb Pratt, just a freshmen in his first high school final, and guys like Brady Wright, and Rhenzo (Augusto) working so hard to earn a spot in the finals,” Keller said.

“There were so many others who would contribute over the two days, especially our heavyweight Clarence Jackson, just back from football, and only in his second year in the sport making it into the semifinals. There’s a lot of wrestling still ahead of us, but, today, I am really proud of these guys, and now we’ll enjoy winning the tournament.”

Hononegah put on a show for its fans, while making a statement of its intent this season. Coach Tyler Demoss’ club had just one senior in its starting lineup of 12 and earned eight medals overall, including two individual titles from a pair of freshmen.

Libertyville’s fabulous foursome of Luke Berktold, Caleb Baczek, Matt Kubas and Owen McGrory did not disappoint. Berktold and McGrory won individual titles and coach Dale Eggert got a second-place medal from Kubas and a third from the junior Baczek.

“We were not concerned so much about our team score, but we were very happy with a bunch of our team members,” Eggert said.

Reigning Mid-Suburban League champion Hersey (190.5) flashed its depth with a tourney-high 10 overall medals to finish fourth. Making its first appearance at Barrington, Northern Lake County Conference power Wauconda earned a well-deserved 144.5 overall points to grab the fifth spot on the leader board.

Here’s a breakdown of Barrington’s Moore-Prettyman Invitational champions and their weight classes:

106 – Gavin Rockey, Wauconda

Wauconda junior Gavin Rockey got the final session off and running with a hard fought 3-2 decision over Barrington freshmen Kaleb Pratt to claim the 106-pound title. 

“It was good to get that first takedown, I am still not anywhere near being as fit as I need to be, but I felt pretty good out there and it was nice to win here at such a big tournament,” said Rockey, who enjoyed a memorable year last season that saw him finish second at state, win 33 matches and helped his club earn a Class 2A third place trophy at the Dual Team State championships. “It was a great year for our team and with us having so many back from last year, we hope to finish even better this year.”

Grayslake Central’s Vince DeMarco won 10-1 over Stevenson’s Evan Mishels to take third place, Glenbard East’s Waleed Binmahfooz recorded a fall in 3:04 over Jacobs’ Kristian DeClercq to finish fifth and Wheaton North’s Rocco Marcellaio won a 7-1 decision over Lane Tech’s Evan Coles to place seventh.

113 – Bruno Cassioppi, Hononegah

Bruno Cassioppi won it all at 113 after an impressive two days of work which ended with a 6-0 decision over Grant sophomore Vince Jasinski, a Fargo qualifier in both Freestyle and Greco.

“The most important thing I learned from my two brothers was that hard work pays off in the end,” said Cassioppi, whose older brother Tony was a two-time Illinois state champion. Tony Cassioppi set state records at heavyweight before going on to earn All-America honors four times at the University of Iowa.

“I really enjoy being in a high school wrestling room,” Bruno Cassioppi said. “We have so much young talent, a great coaching staff led by (Tyler) Demoss. I know if I follow the advice of my brothers, and put the extra time in, good things will happen to me too.” Cassioppi’s twin brother Rocco competes at 106 for the Indians.

Rocco was absent from Barrington because he was away at the Pan Am Games, where he won a silver medal. Bruno Cassioppi is ranked No. 3 in Rob Sherrill’s state rankings while Rocco is the No. 1-ranked man at 106.

Hersey’s Anthony Orozco placed third with an 11-2 win against Prairie Ridge’s Jake Lowitzki, Washington Community’s Logan Makiney won by forfeit for fifth against Crystal Lake Central’s Dylan Ramsey and Lane Tech’s Alex Valentin won by fall in 0:57 over Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller, the 2023 IHSA girls champion at 105, to take seventh place.

120 – Luke Berktold, Libertyville

Libertyville’s Luke Berktold, the No.-2 seed at 120, went 2-2 a year ago in his first visit to the state tournament, and will look to use that experience to return and take a run at the top spot.

“I learned a lot last year in Champaign, and during the offseason I worked a lot at being better with my fakes, and sweeps, and to be in a room with great leaders like Matt (Kubas) makes it better for all of us,” Berktold said.

Berktold doubled his advantage in the finals to 4-0 with an early reversal to start the second period as he went on to defeat Hersey’s Elijah Garza by a 6-1 decision.

“(Berktold) was very dominating, just tough throughout,,” Eggert said.

Garza upended the top-seed, Wauconda’s Nathan Randle, in their semifinal match. Randle wrestled back to win a 2-0 decision for third place against Barrington’s Ryan Dorn. 

Washington Community’s Noah Woods won a 1-0 decision against Loyola Academy’s Gavin Pardilla for fifth and Hersey’s Riddick Variano won by fall in 0:48 for seventh place against Stevenson’s Mikey Polyakov.

126 – Tommy Banas, Providence Catholic

It was a tournament filled with freshmen success stories and yet another came from Tommy Banas, who in his first big test in his rookie season at Providence Catholic, went from the No. 8- seed on to the top of the podium.

Banas bounced the top-seed, Grayslake Central’s Tyler Weidman, out of contention with a 6-0 victory after recording a pair of falls to open his tournament.

After the Weidman triumph, Banas held off the No. 5-seed, Fremd’s Drew Fifield, to gain a 5-3 semifinal decision before using an escape at five minutes to edge the No. 2-seed, Hersey’s Abdullokh Khakimov, 1-0 to win the title at 126 pounds.

During the offseason, Banas finished seventh overall at Preseason Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa at 126 pounds, going 7-2 overall.

Fifield took third place with an 8-5 decision over Lane Tech’s Robert Zavala, Lyons Township’s Griff Powell won an 11-4 decision over Prairie Ridge’s Mikey Meade to finish fifth and Weidman won by fall in 0:53 over Libertyville’s James Liu to take seventh place.

132 – Max Mukhamedaliyev, Hersey

Max Mukhamedaliyevproved to be an immovable force as he stormed through the 132-pound field to win his first Barrington title.

The Hersey junior, who a year ago came home with a sixth-place state medal and 37 wins before going on to qualify for Fargo in Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

“(Max) works non-stop, he worked on cleaning some things up from a year ago and this year, coming into a new season, he is so much better on top, with his feet and it’s his work ethic and desire to be the best that will be the difference later on when it really counts,” said Hersey assistant Tony Vezzetti, who finished fourth at state at 182 in 2016 for Schaumburg.

Mukhamedaliyev needed just under six minutes to get three falls to advance into his final with Stevenson sophomore Shawn Kogan, the No. 3-seed, who finished second at the IWCOA Frosh-Soph tournament.

Once there, the top-seeded Mukhamedaliyev built a 5-0 early first period advantage, but Kogan slowly chipped away at the lead, drawing closer at 7-5 with a takedown to end the second period before eventually falling 10-6.

Libertyville’s Orion Moran edged Washington Community’s Timmy Smith 3-2 to take third place, Hononegah’s Robert Darling won by forfeit over Washington Community’s Eli Gonzalez for fifth place and Grant’s Sammy Mendez took seventh after getting a fall in 5:52 over Wheaton North’s David Hyde.

138 – Wyatt Medlin, Washington Community

Reigning Class 1A champion and top-seed, Thomas Silva, who moved from Dakota to join Hononegah, booked his spot in the finals against No. 2-seed, and the current No. 1 man in Class 2A at 138, Washington Community’s Wyatt Medlin, in what promised to be one of the best of the bunch on this final day of action.

Medlin, who was third overall at state at 126, collected the only points needed in this contest with a first-period takedown in advance of his 3-1 victory.

“I knew his strength would be hand-fighting, so I made sure not to get into any of that with him (that) early takedown really helped set (up) the rest of the match for me,” said Medlin, who feels his fitness and ability to go all out for six minutes will fuel his chances for a state title.

“I kind of like having the target on my back as the No. 1-rated guy at my weight class, but (rankings) really do not matter, results do,” added Medlin, who won 28 matches a year ago, which included two at the Dual Team State Finals, where he and his Panthers teammates won the Class 2A state title.

Grant’s Erik Rodriguez took third after recording a fall in 3:41 over Lane Tech’s Nasser Hammouche, Hersey’s Rodrigo Arceo edged Prospect’s Giorgio Difalco 3-2 in an overtime tiebreaker for fifth place and Sandwich’s Cooper Corder took seventh with a 3-2 decision over Plainfield Central’s Gavin Enders.

144 – Carson Weber, Joliet West

After two consecutive trips to Champaign failed to earn Carson Weber a place on the podium, the Joliet West junior is convinced the third time will be the charm this season.

Weber was in superb form during his first four matches at 144, needing a total of just a little over six minutes to dispatch his rivals with a quartet of pins, before dashing the hopes of Barrington’s Brady Wright to claim a title before the hometown fans.

It was all Weber, who led from the start, then rode Wright the entire second period until finishing things up with a well-deserved 8-0 major decision.

“It wasn’t fun falling short in my two trips downstate, but this year I feel like I am ready to go back down there and make a real run at a state title,” said Weber, 40-4 a year ago, while adding a sectional title to his resume.

“The goal always is to win a state title (it) cannot be anything else, and I am confident that I can reach that goal.”

Wright, a two-time sectional qualifier, is just back from playing on the Barrington football team, which lost to Class 8A runner-up Lincoln-Way East in a state semifinal game.

Waubonsie Valley’s Ethan Wojtowich took third place with a fall in 1:46 over Wauconda’s Logan Andrews, Washington Community’s JJ Rokey finished in fifth place after capturing a 5-2 decision over Libertyville’s Will Carney and Stevenson’s Val Vihrov won by fall in 1:05 over Prospect’s Bennett Westfallen to capture seventh place.

150 – Fernando Lopez, Lane Tech

Fernando Lopez has plenty of incentive for his upcoming final year at Lane Tech using a disappointing finish a year ago to inspire bigger and better things for the 150-pounder.

The reigning Chicago Public League champion came this close to earning his first trip downstate only to have his hopes dashed in the blood round of the Class 3A Conant Sectional.

“Oh yeah, the way my season ended last year has really stayed with me, so I’ve worked as hard as I could during the offseason to help me get ready for a big year,” said Lopez after his 8-5 title decision over the top-seed, Barrington’s Rhenzo Augusto.

“That first period really helped set the tone for me and even though I let him get back into the match late in the third period, I knew all the extra work I’ve done in the room would help me win the title.”

Lopez pinned his way to his City title at 152 pounds and eventually finished last year with a 32-5 overall record. He added two more pins at regionals to give him six during the postseason. 

Wauconda’s Cole Porten won a 5-3 decision over Hersey’s Jake Hanson to take third place, Hononegah’s Max Haskins won by forfeit over Crystal Lake Central’s Alessio Pazella for fifth place and Hampshire’s Aric Abbott placed seventh with a fall in 4:00 over Prospect’s Joe Quirk.

157 – Brody Sendele, Hononegah

Another rookie in the Hononegah lineup is Brody Sendele, perhaps undervalued as the No. 5- seed at 157 when the tournament began. But as each round was entered into the books, it was clear Sendele will be one to watch for the next couple of years.

After sending the No. 1-seed, Wauconda’s Nick Cheshier out in the semifinals, Sendele opened fast and finished strong in his final with the No. 3-seed, Fremd’s Ryan Muslimovic, during an 11-4 victory.

“I feel like I’m getting back close to a hundred percent after having a partial torn ACL during the offseason, but in a room like the one we have at Hononegah, I know it won’t take long to get to where I want to be,” Sendele said. 

Sendele went into the second period against Muslimovic with a 4-1 advantage, which he slowly increased to 8-4 after four minutes. Sendele, currently ranked at No. 10, was an Under-16 Folkstyle National Champion.

Chesier won an 8-5 decision against Providence Catholic’s Geno Papes to take third, Wheaton North’s Thomas Fulton won a 6-2 decision for fifth against Hersey’s Tim Boldt and Jacobs’ Casey Lechuga won by forfeit for seventh against Joliet West’s Gavin Garcia.

165 – Gunnar Garelli, Lyons Township

Lyons Township senior Gunnar Garelli would like nothing more than to add a state championship to the Garelli family name, and alongside his cousin, Matt, who twice won a state crown while competing at Fenwick.

“Physically, and mentally, I feel like I am better prepared for the season ahead and today proved to be a good start to the year,” said Garelli, who will wrestle next fall at Virginia Tech, where he will major in Finance.

“That early takedown in the first 20 seconds really helped set the tone of the match, and that’s always the goal is to get out to an early lead and just control things from there on,” said Garelli following his 5-0 victory over Hononegah junior Connor Diemel in their 165-pound final.

“My cousin won in 2011 and 2012 and I really feel like I have a realistic chance to win a state title and to give the Garelli family another state championship,” said Garelli.

Grant’s Christian Wittkamp won a 10-2 major decision over Fremd’s Peter Mondus to take third, Prospect’s Connor Munn won 11-4 over Wauconda’s Zac Johnson to finish fifth and Stevenson’s Themba Sitshela won a 7-2 decision over Washington Community’s Cael Miller to place seventh.

175 – Matty Jens, Grayslake Central

As the tournament picked up a head of steam, it was clear the outstanding wrestler award would come down to just a select few still waiting in the wings to compete.

The title match between Grayslake Central’s Matty Jens and Libertyville’s Matt Kubas at 175 pounds looked to be the marquee match during the final session, and the two longtime friends gave the big crowd plenty to watch during a 6-5 result in favor of Jens.

“Matt and I go way back to when we wrestled at the Grayslake club in fourth grade, I love him like a brother,” Jens said. “But we know we have to put that aside when we’re out there competing against each other.”

Jens won it all a year ago in Class 2A with a sparkling effort at 182 pounds to end his season with a perfect 32-0 record.

“My plan is to go out as a two-time state champion, and I feel if I stay healthy, and continue to work hard, there really isn’t anyone out there who I cannot beat,” said Jens, who opened with a fall and followed up with a pair dominating tech fall results to advance into the final.

Kubas, who went 42-9 and placed fourth at state and also won a Barrington title last season, grabbed the early advantage over Jens before the two were even at 3-3 after the first period.

Jens held a 6-5 advantage after conceding an escape at the start of a third period that saw all of the action on the mat. Despite a pair of stalemate calls down the stretch, Kubas was unable to pry Jens open before the final whistle.

“That first takedown was important, and (Kubas) almost got a second one,” Eggert said. “But Jens is a tough and smart opponent, so we’ll get back to work on a few things after this great early season test of his.”

Downers Grove South’s RJ Samuels took third with a 5-1 decision over Hinsdale Central’s Zach Kruse, Hononegah’s Kurt Smith placed fifth by fall in 5:45 against Hersey’s Leo Delgado and Prospect’s Michael Matuzak won a 7-3 decision for seventh against Stevenson’s Everett Ciezak.

190 – Jaxon Penovich, Prospect

Prospect sophomore Jaxon Penovich overpowered four opponents en route to his second straight individual Barrington title, this time at 190.

Penovich, who enjoyed a marvelous rookie season which included championship rings at conference and regionals before ending with a fifth place state medal at 195, rolled past Hersey senior Anthony Cambria, another 2023 state qualifier, with a 22-7 tech fall victory to claim the 190-pound top prize.

“I learned a lot of lessons last year as a freshmen, the most important was it is not how you start, but how you finish, and after a great start to my first year in high school wrestling,” said Penovich, who went 47-7 a year ago, with one of those losses coming in the final at the Barrington Sectional against eventual state champion, Libertyville’s Cole Matulenko.

“I found out the season is a real grind and I don’t think I was quite ready for what was ahead of me at state, but this year it will be much different,” said Penovich, who spends most of his week training under Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater at the Relentless Training Center.

Libertyville’s Caleb Baczek won a 3-1 decision over Bradley-Bourbonnais’ AJ Mancilla to take third place, Glenbard East’s Blake Salvino won by forfeit over Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks for fifth and Barrington’s Ayden Salley won by fall in 1:21 over Providence Catholic’s Mike O’Connor to claim seventh place.

215 – Owen McGrory, Libertyville

Owen McGrory, who enjoyed a memorable first season with Libertyville last winter, showed plenty of energy and pace in going 45-8 and earning a first trip downstate.

“I might have surprised a few people last season, but I spent the offseason making sure that I can come back, and be even better in order to have a long run in the state tournament,” McGrory said. 

McGrory defeated Plainfield South’s Matthew Janiak, who took sixth at state last season, 3-0 in the finals at 215.

“My strength is my leg-riding, but I still spent a lot of time in the offseason fine tuning that and other parts of my game,” McGrory said. “Having partners like (Matt) Kubas and Caleb (Baczek) will make all of us continue to improve as the season goes on.”

Hononegah’s Isaak Smith won a 4-2 decision on the third-place mat against Downers Grove South’s Mack Piehl, Prairie Ridge’s Walter Pollack won by fall in 2:38 for fifth place against Glenbard East’s Gus Winkler, and Lyons Township’s Nick Arquilla won 7-0 for seventh against Barrington’s Peter Kazaglis.  

285 – Marko Ivanisevic, Hinsdale Central

Hinsdale Central senior Marko Ivanisevic is now a two-time Barrington champion after recording a pin at 1:08 over Hampshire senior Joey Ochoa in the 285 finals.

“Marko kept a high pace with his hand-fighting throughout the tournament,” Hinsdale Central coach Jason Hayes said “During the offseason, he worked extremely hard to help build his confidence when the big matches come his way.”

Ivanisevic, who pinned his way to the 285-pound title, earned his second straight fifth-place state medal at 220 a year ago with a sparkling 44-3 overall record. He won individual sectional and regional titles, along with a highly-coveted championship trophy at the Rex Whitlatch Invite on his home mats.

Barrington’s Clarence Jackson won by fall in 1:49 on the third-place mat against Lyons Township’s Sam Costello, Stevenson’s Andrew Timmons placed fifth with a fall in 0:38 against Washington Community’s Sean Thornton, and Prospect’s Tommy Johl won by fall in 1:22 for seventh against Waubonsie Valley’s Leonidas Hobson.  

Barrington Moore-Prettyman Invitational championship matches

106 – Gavin Rockey (Wauconda) D 3-2 Kaleb Pratt (Barrington)

113 – Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah) D 6-0 Vince Jasinski (Grant)

120 – Luke Berktold (Libertyville) D 6-1 Elijah Garza (Hersey)

126 – Tommy Banas (Providence Catholic) D 1-0 Abdullokh Khakimov (Hersey)

132 – Max Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey) D 10-6 Shawn Kogan (Stevenson)

138 – Wyatt Medlin (Washington Community) D 3-1 Thomas Silva (Hononegah)

144 – Carson Weber (Joliet West) MD 8-0 Brady Wright (Barrington)

150 – Fernando Lopez (Lane Tech) D 8-5 Rhenzo Augusto (Barrington)

157 – Brody Sendele (Hononegah) D 11-4 Ryan Muslimovic (Fremd)

165 – Gunnar Garelli (Lyons Township) D 5-0 Connor Diemel (Hononegah)

175 – Matty Jens (Grayslake Central) D 6-5 Matt Kubas (Libertyville)

190 – Jaxon Penovich (Prospect) TF 4:23 Anthony Cambria (Hersey)

215 – Owen McGrory (Libertyville) D 3-0 Matthew Janiak (Plainfield South)

285 – Marko Ivanisevic (Hinsdale Central) F 1:08 Joey Ochoa (Hampshire)

Barrington Moore-Prettyman Invitational team scores

1. Barrington 204, 2. Hononegah 196.5, 3. Libertyville 195, 4. Hersey 190.5, 5. Wauconda 144.5, 6. Prospect 129.5, 7. Stevenson 129, 8. Grant 127.5, 9. Washington 124, 10. Lane Tech 110.5, 11. Lyons Township 104, 12. Fremd 94, 13. Downers Grove South 89.5, 13. Glenbard East 89.5, 15. Grayslake Central 87, 16. Joliet West 75.5, 17. Providence Catholic 72, 18. Hinsdale Central 71, 19. Crystal Lake Central 70, 20. Jacobs 68, 21. Hampshire 67, 22. Wheaton North 59, 23. Prairie Ridge 57.5, 24. Plainfield South 45, 25. Waubonsie Valley 41, 25. West Chicago 41, 27. Fenwick 40.5, 28. Bradley-Bourbonnais 37.5, 29. Sandwich 31.5, 30. Loyola Academy 31, 31. Plainfield Central 29, 32. Lake Zurich 18.

By Curt Herron – For the IWCOA

NORMAL – There was a little old and a little new at Saturday’s Normal Community Invite where 38 teams competed in the event that made IHSA history in 2021 as the inaugural tournament in the sport.

And just as was the case in that initial competition, Schaumburg benefitted from its depth to easily capture the championship, winning this time by a 225-141 margin over Homewood-Flossmoor, which was even bigger than its 172-100 cushion over Joliet Central in the debut.

Richwoods (112), Joliet Township co-op (109), Mahomet-Seymour (84.5), Galesburg (84), Plainfield South (84), Urbana (72), Auburn (71) and Canton (67) rounded out the top 10 teams in the field.

Saxons coach Matt Gruszka, who also led the 2021 title winner, had four individuals who were on that original championship squad and they all contributed as Schaumburg had five finalists, which was three more than anyone else, and also had 10 who placed sixth or better.

The Saxons’ lone champion was Madyson Meyer (125), who was a member of the 2021 team. Taking second place for Schaumburg were Makenzi Aguilar (105), Olivia Furlan (135), Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (140) and Valeria Rodriguez (155).

Alya Razzak (170) finished fourth, Anna Villarreal (120), Keara Micek (145) and Nadia Razzak (190) all took fifth, Stephanie Zahareas (100) placed sixth and Diya Patel (115) was eighth. The four Saxons who were a part of that historic 2021 title team are Meyer, Alya Razzak, Rodriguez and Zerafa-Lazarevic. 

“I have a lot of senior leaders and some juniors who have been around and they understand that, yes, it’s individual, but the points add up for your team,” Gruszka said. “We had some disappointments in the quarterfinals, but then they came back and won for fifth, which is huge points in the wrestlebacks.

“I always tell them that I like to win as many matches in the last round and I want to try to get the champions. Does it always work out? No, but the competition here was excellent. That’s what I like about this tournament. We come down south and see a lot of good teams and there’s a lot of good competition. 

“We just stress going out there and going point by point and match by match because if you start looking ahead, things get haywire, and they did a good job with that. Everyone contributed, which is nice.”

The only individual that won a title in the most recent NCHS Invite that also took first place in the event’s 2021 debut was Mahomet-Seymour’s Isabelle Leyhe (120). Rodriguez and Zerafa-Lazarevic also tried to add to their 2021 titles but they lost in the finals.

Individuals who repeated as champions were Galesburg’s Hannah Almendarez (100), Joliet Township’s Eliana Paramo (115), Moline’s Maryam Ndiaye (155) and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Ini Odumosu (190). Richwoods’ Kaila Wiliams (140) won a B division title in 2022.

Other title winners were Pekin’s Tessa Donaldson (105), Morris’ Ella McDonnell (110), Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson (130), Ottawa Township’s Ava Weatherford (135), Galesburg’s Annalisa Gibbons (145), Highland’s August Rottmann (170) and Urbana’s Jurdan Tyler (235). Champions who took second  place last year but won titles on Saturday were McDonnell (110) and Meyer (125). 

Also finishing in second place were Auburn’s Jasmine Brown (115) and Jadyn Perry (145), Olympia’s Mya Down (100), East Peoria’s Bailey Lusch (110), Normal Community’s Trey Fletcher (120), Centennial’s Ava Beldo (125), Richwoods’ Isabella Moteller (130), Peoria Notre Dame’s Autumn Williams (170), Plainfield South’s Keira Enright (190) and Ottawa Township’s Juliana Thrush (285).

Galesburg had the most champions with two and the champion Saxons had the most finalists with five. The other teams that had two finalists were Auburn, Ottawa Township and Richwoods. 

Odumosu had the most team points with 34 while Dawson had 33. Gibbons, Meyer and Rottmann had 32 points apiece, Leyhe scored 31.5 points and McDonnell, Ndiaye, Paramo and Tyler all had 30 team points. Dawson easily had the most total match points with 65.

Micek and Odumosu both had five falls, but Micek only needed 2:56 to collect all of her pins while Odumosu required 7:45 to collect falls in all of her matches enroute to the 190 championship.

Two defending IHSA champions won titles, Rottmann and Odumosu, and two second-place finishers from last year’s IHSA Finals also won invite titles, Paramo and Ndiaye.

Here’s a look at the Normal Community Invite champions and their weight classes:

100 – Hannah Almendarez, Galesburg

Hannah Almendarez is definitely excited about the start that Galesburg got off to on Saturday, as well she should be. Coach Greg Leibach’s Silver Streaks were the lone team in the 38-team Normal Community Invite that had two champions with Annalisa Gibbons taking first place at 145 after Almendarez had earlier repeated as a champion at 100 in the tournament when she claimed top honors with a fall in 0:34 over Olympia’s Mya Down in the title match.

Almendarez won her first two matches by fall to reach the finals. With Gibbons, who became the program’s first state qualifier at the 2023 IHSA Finals, later joining her on the title mat, the Silver Streaks were one of only five teams who had more than one finalist in the invite.

“In my first year of wrestling, there weren’t a lot of girls,” Almendarez said. “Me and my friend were like the first girls trying wrestling. And then it came out big, and it’s crazy to see how big it is now. I’ve been working toward the goal to get first. I love that we’re a family, we really are.”

Down was the lone finalist and one of two medalists for the Spartans, who are coached by Josh and Justin Collins. The program had a big day on Saturday as the boys team won the title at the Illini Bluffs Invite. Down won her opener with a fall and then claimed a 12-9 decision over Joliet Township’s Ariadna Arciniega in the semifinals. It was an all-Steelwomen clash for third place as Arciniega edged teammate Kassie Ruiz 3-0. Plainfield South’s Amie Fuentes took fifth place after recording a fall over Schaumburg’s Stephanie Zahareas.

105 – Tessa Donaldson, Pekin

Pekin only brought three girls to the Normal Community Invite but two of them placed and one of those, Tessa Donaldson, instantly made a name for herself by being one of the 14 champions in the 38-team competition. Donaldson recorded a fall in 0:43 to capture the 105 title over Schaumburg’s Makenzi Aguilar, who was one of five finalists for the tournament champion Saxons.

Donaldson, a sophomore who is also a cheerleader, hopes to become the second individual state qualifier and first place winner for coach John Jacobs’ Lady Dragons. She won all three of her matches by fall in under a minute and needed 24 seconds in her quarterfinals win and just 17 seconds to get a pin against Joliet Township’s Alisa Carter in the semifinals.

“It’s really hard,” Donaldson said. “There are a lot of girls now that are joining wrestling and so you never know what’s going to happen. We’re getting more girls on the team and we’ve had new girls that have joined and they’ve done pretty good. This is like a family. They all build you up, they all support you and they all cheer you on.”

Aguilar, who was one of the four individuals who took second place for coach Matt Gruszka’ Saxons, also won her first two matches by fall to reach the title mat. Carter recorded a fall over Canton’s LT Diephuis to claim third place while Richwoods’ Heaven Sewell took fifth place after winning by fall over another Joliet Township competitor in the weight class, Morgan Kelley.

110 – Ella McDonnell, Morris

After falling in the semifinals and taking third at 115 in Wednesday’s Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown, Ella McDonnell was looking for a better showing when she competed in her second invite in four days, and that’s what happened for the Morris senior as she took top honors at 110 with an 11-4 decision over East Peoria’s Bailey Lusch. A year ago, McDonnell took second place at 120 in the competition.

McDonnell, who is the lone medal winner for coach Lenny Tryner’s program, went 33-13 and took fourth place at 110 at the 2023 IHSA Finals after also finishing fourth at state at 105 in 2022. She hopes that she not only gets back to the awards stand for the third time but takes the next step and is able to compete for a state title. McDonnell advanced to the 110 title mat with three opening-period falls.

“The team has been doing good,” McDonnell said. “It’s our second year of having a girls team and everyone has been doing really good and everyone is improving. I’m happy that the girls program is increasing. There’s a lot of good girls here and they all deserve respect. The wrestling is hard, so every medal is deserved. I’d like to place higher, but placing at state is an overall good thing against all of these tough girls.”

Lusch, a senior who went 15-7 and placed sixth at 105 last season and also placed fifth at 105 in 2022 and is East Peoria’s lone medal winner, was the top finisher for coach Chad Dunham’s Raiders. She recorded four falls to reach the title mat. Belleville East junior Alexcia Harden, a two-time state qualifier who went 19-13 last season and fell one win shy of a medal at 105 in 2022, took third place with an 8-5 decision over Erie/Prophetstown’s Ryleigh Stephens. Homewood-Flossmoor’s London Gandy placed fifth after winning a 16-10 decision over another Morris competitor, Maggie Gordon.

115 – Eliana Paramo, Joliet Township

There’s no shame in finishing second when you are going up against Gabby Gomez. That’s what happened to Joliet Township’s Eliana Paramo when she faced one of the nation’s best in the 2023 IHSA Finals at 115 and she actually went the full six minutes before falling 12-3 to cap a 37-5 season. The Steelwomen senior, who took fifth at 115 while competing for Joliet West in 2022, hopes to make a third state appearance and would like to finish as a state champion.

Paramo was the lone champion and finalist for Joliet Township, last year’s NCHS Invite champions and a co-op team featuring athletes from Joliet Central and Joliet West that’s coached by Liz Short, who was the 2023 IWCOA Girls Head Coach of the Year Award winner. In the 115 finals, she claimed a 6-0 decision over Auburn’s Jasmine Brown. This was the second year in a row that she won the 115 title, joining Galesburg’s Hannah Almendarez (100), Moline’s Maryam Ndiaye (155) and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Ini Odumosu (190) as repeat champs. She had first-period falls in her initial three matches.

“I had a really phenomenal season last year, it was amazing,” Paramo said. “It was my first year as a team at Joliet Township so it was really exciting. This year we have a lot of new people so I’m really excited to see where the season takes us. And I’m really excited, being my senior year, and it’s going to be my last time coming to these tournaments and then I’m going to go off to college and continue to wrestle. 

“This was my second year at this tournament and second time winning it. Liz is an amazing coach. I don’t know how she does everything she does. She’s like Wonder Woman, handling all of these different things and different girls. We had such a big team year last year and if you thought our team last year was big, this year our team is even bigger. We’re getting a lot of these new girls matches, which is really awesome.”

Brown, who went 25-22 last season and fell one win shy of a medal at 115, was one of two finalists for Auburn, with Jadyn Perry the other at 145. Coach Matt Grimm’s Trojans were one of five teams that had two or more finalists. Brown got pins in her first two matches before edging University High’s Allison Kroesch 2-0 in the quarterfinals and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Nina Hamm 4-2 in the semifinals. Mahomet-Seymour’s Kalista Granadino took third with a 4-3 decision over Hamm, a junior who went 31-14 and placed sixth at 110 last season. East Peoria’s Kennedy McMenimen claimed a 4-2 win over Kroesch, who qualified for state at 115 in 2023, to capture fifth place.

120 – Isabelle Leyhe, Mahomet-Seymour

Two years ago when Normal Community hosted the first regular season tournament that featured only girls, Isabelle Leyhe was one of the champions. But the Mahomet-Seymour senior was unable to compete last season due to an injury. On Saturday, Leyhe was once again on hand for the third edition of the tournament and she captured a championship for the second time, defeating Normal Community’s Trey Fletcher 22-6 by technical fall in the 120 finals.

Leyhe is inspired by a Mahomet-Seymour legend, IWCOA Class of 2019 Hall of Famer Mary Kelly, who was a three-year starter who competed for third- and fourth-place AA dual meet teams. She hopes to become the first individual from coach Jeff Castor’s girls program to not only qualify for but also place at the IHSA Finals. Leyhe became her team’s lone finalist after recording three-straight first-period falls.

“I got kind of lucky because I got a bye in the first round because every girl that I faced, I knew that they were putting in the effort,” Leyhe said. “And to me, that’s really the biggest thing about girls wrestling is seeing these young girls come out and put in the effort. I love to see the growth of this sport. I’m a senior now and I started wrestling when I was in junior high. When I started wrestling, there were no other girls out there and now we have these tournaments and these sanctioned things. (Mary Kelly) Is definitely one of my biggest influences and she left some big footsteps to fill. 

“We lost a lot of seniors last year, but it’s really great to watch a lot of these underclassmen and these younger kids step up and take these varsity roles. It’s been great this year watching these younger and newer wrestlers showing a lot of effort and a lot of hard work. They’re really pushing themselves to make the team better. I had to take the year off because of my shoulder, so being able to come back and get back into it feels great, better than anything.”

Fletcher was the lone Normal Community girl to compete in the third edition of the historic tournament that Ironmen coach Trevor Kaufman started in 2021. She recorded three falls to reach the title mat, which included first-period pins in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Joliet Township’s Keily Centeno took third after recording a fall over Morris’ Makensi Martin and Schaumburg’s Anna Villarreal claimed fifth place after getting a pin over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Amirat Lawal. 

125 – Madyson Meyer, Schaumburg

Two years ago, Schaumburg’s Madyson Meyer was a member of the first girls team to win an invitational title when the Saxons defeated Joliet Central 172-100 for top honors at the Normal Community Invite. On Saturday, five of the individuals from that historic team won the title for a second time. With 125 champion Meyer and four other finalists leading the way, the Saxons took first by a 225-141 margin over Homewood-Flossmoor to win the 38-team tournament. 

Meyer recorded a fall in 1:13 over Centennial’s Ava Beldo to become the lone champion for coach Matt Gruszka’s Saxons. Meyer was one of the five individuals from Schaumburg who also qualified for the inaugural IHSA Finals in 2022, which includes three of her current teammates, Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic, Alya Razzak and Valeria Rodriguez. The Saxons junior advanced to the 125 title mat after recording three first-period falls, needing just 42 seconds in the quarterfinals and only 32 seconds in the semifinals to secure wins.

“Last year, I kind of had a plateau at the end of the season,” Meyer said. “So this year, I promised myself that I was going to believe in myself a lot more and put in all of the effort that I could, and I feel like today, I did exactly that. I’m really proud of our team, we’ve really grown. This is our third year of being an all-girl official team and the second year that we won the tournament at Normal. 

“Our head coach (Matt) Gruszka, he really pushes us. He’s coached guys for years and years and he pushes us just as much as pushes the guys, and we all push each other, as a team. And we all work together and we’re really good friends, and I think that really helps. I like how good our personalities all mesh together. We all have different situations, but we all just fit together and it just works. It’s really nice having such a close team, they’re like a second family.”

Beldo, the only girl in the tournament field for coach Andrew Nyland’s Chargers, looks to become the first girl from Centennial to qualify for the IHSA Finals. She earned her spot in the 125 finals after recording four-straight falls. Homewood-Flossmoor’s Evie Regas claimed third place by recording a fall over Normal West’s Amelia McClure. Clinton’s Joi Lord finished in fifth place after capturing an 11-1 major decision over Joliet Township’s Briahna Klobnak. 

130 – Taylor Dawson, Collinsville

Taylor Dawson has performed very well in the first two IHSA Finals, finishing in third place last year at 130 to cap a 34-5 season after being a state runner-up at 125 and winning 19 matches during her debut. Now the Collinsville junior, who’s her program’s only medal winner, looks to not only capture a third medal at the IHSA Finals but also challenge once again for a state title. Dawson kicked off her 2023-24 season in impressive fashion, needing just 30 seconds to record a fall over Richwoods’ Isabella Motteler in the 130 finals.

Dawson was one of the three medal winners and the lone finalist for coach Jordan May’s Kahoks. She opened with a pair of falls before claiming a 14-4 major decision over Canton’s Kinnley Smith, who posted a 24-5 record and was the IHSA 135 runner-up a year ago. Dawson followed that up with a fall over Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm’s Laney Cook in the semifinals to earn her spot on the title mat.

Motteler, one of two finalists for coach Rob Penney’s third-place Lady Knights, went 31-7 last season and fell one win shy of a medal at 120 after going 16-5 and placing sixth at 115 in 2022. The junior advanced to the finals with four pins, with all but her quarterfinals match being decided in the first minute. Cook took third after recording a fall over Lemont’s Molly O’Connor. And Smith settled for fifth place following a pin over Mahomet-Seymour’s Jaycee Fancher.

135 – Ava Weatherford, Ottawa Township

Ava Weatherford opened her season on a high note by competing in the finals of two major invitationals in the season’s opening week. Her first title match was at Wednesday’s Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown, where she lost by fall to Hoffman Estates’ Emmylina O’Brien in the 135 finals. However, it was a different story on Saturday for one of Ottawa Township’s two finalists as Weatherford won the 135 title with a 3-0 decision over Schaumburg’s Olivia Furlan.

Weatherford, who along with 235 runner-up Juliana Thrush, assured coach Peter Marx’s Lady Pirates to become one of the five teams in the 38-team competition that had two or more finalists. After opening the tournament with a pair of falls, Weatherford earned her trip to the championship match after pulling out a 5-4 decision over Joliet Township’s Izabel Berrera in the semifinals.

“It’s been super exciting,” Weatherford said. “It’s only my second year and I’m a sophomore. I worked all summer at the high school with the wrestling team and I went to a Jiu Jitsu place in the Peru Mall, and they helped me with wrestling stuff, too. It is a great start. Minooka’s tournament was a lot and this was a lot, but I’m glad that I got to make it to finals in both.”

Furlan, who was one of five finalists and four second-place finishers for the champion Saxons, followed a fall in her first match with a 9-5 quarterfinals win over Lemont’s Gabriella Estrada and then won by fall over Joliet Township’s Janelle Maldonado Gonzalez in the semifinals. Joliet Township teammates Berrera and Maldonado Gonzalez squared off in the third-place match where Berrera recorded a fall. Erie/Prophetstown’s Michelle Naftzger, a state qualifier who went 25-18 a year ago, claimed fifth place after winning by fall over Pekin’s Violet Pennington.

140 – Kaila Williams, Richwoods

A year ago, Kaila Williams put together a 32-7 record and fell one win shy of earning a medal at 135 at the IHSA Finals. So it’s quite understandable that the Richwoods senior will be determined to not only return to state, but to reach the awards stand this time. Williams kicked off this season in a good fashion, capturing top honors at 140 when she recorded a fall in 4:46 over Schaumburg’s Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic, who went 32-7 and took fifth at 125 in last season’s IHSA Finals after going 18-6 and falling one win shy of a medal at 130 in 2022.

Williams was the only champion and joined 130 runner-up Isabella Motteler as one of the two finalists for coach Rob Penney’s Lady Knights, who took third place in the competition and were one of five teams in the field that had more than one finalist. After opening with a fall, Williams captured a 15-10 decision over Olympia’s Jordan Bicknell in the quarterfinals and then recorded a fall in 0:41 in the semifinals over Plainfield South’s Lexi Kachiroubas.

Zerafa-Lazarevic was one of five finalists for coach Matt Gruszka’s champion Saxons. The junior also won a title in the invite’s first year, 2021, when she became the program’s first individual tournament champion, one of the 14 individuals who won the first tournament championships and was a member of the first team to win an invitational title. She used three first-period falls to advance to the title mat. Kachiroubas won a 6-4 decision in sudden victory over Urbana’s Rickasia Ivy to finish third. Mahomet-Seymour’s Gabriela Dawson took fifth place with a 5-4 decision over Bicknell, a senior and two-time state qualifier who went 16-14 and finished one win shy of a medal at 145 last year.

145 – Annalisa Gibbons, Galesburg

Annalisa Gibbons made history for Galesburg last season when she became the program’s first state qualifier and won her opener in the tournament. The junior obviously has bigger goals this season and she definitely opened on a high note when she won the 145 title with a fall in 5:28 over Auburn’s Jadyn Perry to make coach Greg Leibach’s Silver Streaks the only team in the event that had two champions, with 100 title winner Hannah Almendarez the other.

Gibbons, who was one of three medal winners for Galesburg, opened with two first-period falls before capturing a 6-5 decision over Bloomington’s Alicia Swank in the quarterfinals. She earned her spot on the title mat after recording a fall in 1:48 in the semifinals over Erie/Prophetstown’s Jayda Rosenow. 

“Two years ago was our first year, and I was the first girl to go to state for Galesburg last year, so that really helped it grow,” Gibbons said. “I’m really proud of our program and I just want it to keep growing. We have 10 girls now and we’ve doubled our numbers. I’m really hoping that our program will grow and continue. I’m excited to see what everybody can accomplish this season and I want to see how I do at state this year.”

Perry, a state qualifier last year, was joined by teammate Jasmine Brown on the title mat. That gave coach Matt Grimm’s Trojans two finalists, making them one of the five teams with more than one individual in a championship match. Perry used four-straight falls, with three of those in the first period, to reach the finals. Rosenow, a two-time state qualifier, claimed third place with a fall over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Autumn Pace. And Schaumburg’s Keara Micek took fifth place with a fall over another Erie/Prophetstown place winner, Dena Cox. Micek had the most falls in the least time with five pins in just 2:56. The only other individual who had five falls was the 190 title winner, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Ini Odumosu, the defending IHSA 190 champion.

155 – Maryam Ndiaye, Moline

On a day where there were a lot of championship matches that featured clashes of IHSA place winners at the Normal Community Invite, certainly one of the most anticipated of those meetings was the title matchup at 155 where Moline senior Maryam Ndiaye and Schaumburg senior Valeria Rodriguez squared off. 

Ndiaye went 19-5 last season and placed second at 155 to Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker while Rodriguez went 37-2 and took third at 140, one year after going 32-2 and taking third place at 155. In the invite’s championship match at 155, Ndiaye captured a 7-3 decision to repeat as a champion while Rodriguez was denied in her effort to add to the title that she won in the state’s first girls tournament in 2021. Ndiaye, one of two individuals competing for coach Jacob Ruettiger’s Maroons, recorded three falls to earn her spot in the finals.

“It just pushes me to work harder this year,” Ndiaye said. “Of course, I want to get first this year and get back to the finals and win the title. It’s good to know that I have people that know where I’m coming from. I love to work hard and wrestling  is one way to put that work in and work hard for whatever you want. We’re a very young team, but I think that we have people that can go far as long as we keep working hard. And every day, we do work hard.”

Rodriguez, who was one of four Saxons who were members of the 2021 team that won the state’s first invitational title in the sport’s debut that are still in coach Matt Gruszka’s program, helped their team to this title with five finalists, which was three more than any other team had. Rodriguez had four first-period falls with two of those concluded in under a minute. Plainfield South’s Teagan Aurich, a state qualifier last year, took third place with a major decision win over Collinsville’s Tashieya Taylor and Canton’s Katelyn Marvel, a two-time state qualifier, won by fall over Unity’s Anna Vasey to capture fifth place.

170 – August Rottmann, Highland

After turning in a 21-1 campaign a year ago where she won the 170 IHSA title to follow up on a 22-15 debut season where she claimed third place at the same weight class, August Rottmann is excited about what awaits her in the 2023-24 season. The Highland junior kicked off her season in impressive fashion by winning the Normal Community Invite championship at 170 by getting a fall in 2:35 over Peoria Notre Dame’s Autumne Williams in the finals.

Rottmann, who was the lone medal winner for coach Nick Bellamy’s Bulldogs in the competition, won all four of her matches with falls. She had first-period pins in the second round and quarterfinals before needing 2:13 to record a fall in the semifinals over Auburn’s Heaven Workman to earn her trip to the title mat. Rottmann hopes to join the six individuals who have thus far been two-time IHSA champions, and she’s in good company in that quest since there are seven others who also won their first state titles last year who return.

“I’m excited to get back into the high school season,” Rottmann said. “This is what I train for and put in the work for. I’m also excited to see the sport grow. I can’t wait to see how my teammates flourish throughout a few short months in a sport that is completely new to them.”

Williams, one of two entrants for Irish coach Danny Burk in the girls division, hopes to become her program’s first qualifier and place winner. She won three-straight matches by fall to reach the finals, In the third-place match, Workman claimed a 6-0 decision over Shaumburg’s Alya Razzak, who is one of four current Saxons who competed on the 2021 team that made history by winning the first invitational title in this event. Richwoods senior Jaida Johnson, a two-time state qualifier who lost 10-8 in the 2021 IHSA Finals at 155 to Unity’s Lexi Ritchie, took fifth after recording a fall over Collinsville’s Hannah Jones.

Ini Odumosu, Homewood-Flossmoor

Last year, Ini Odumosu won the IHSA title at 190, and with Attalia Watson-Castro capturing her second championship, Homewood-Flossmoor had the distinction of being the lone school at the Finals to have two title winners and just the second to do it, after Hononegah got titles from Rose and Angelina Cassioppi in 2022. Now two-time placewinner Odumosu sets her sights on joining her former teammate and five others as winners of two state titles. She got off to a great start to this season by winning the 190 title with a fall in 1:15 over Plainfield South’s Keira Enright to repeat as a champion in the event.

Odumosu, a senior who went 36-4 last season, also won a medal in the first IHSA Finals, when she capped a 24-7 season with a fifth-place finish at 190. She recorded falls in all five of her matches, which all ended in the first period, and the length of time for the five matches was 7:45. Only one other individual recorded five falls, Schaumburg’s Keara Micek, but she did that in six matches and placed fifth at 145 after falling in the quarterfinals. Odumosu, who led all competitors with 34 team points, was the only champion and finalist for coach Scott Aronson’s Vikings, who took second to Schaumburg with 141 points.

Enright, a junior and two-time state qualifier who placed third at state at 235 in 2022 to cap a 12-4 debut season to become one of two medalists for her school along with 2022 130 champion Alexis Janiak. She won four matches by fall, with three of those under 30 seconds, to become the lone finalist for coach Daniel Saracco’s Cougars. Urbana’s Franciana Kalanga took third place with a win by fall over Granite City’s Chloe West and in the fifth place match, Schaumburg’s Nadia Razzak also prevailed with a fall over Pontiac’s Alix Robinson.

235 – Jurdan Tyler, Urbana

Jurdan Tyler made history in 2023 by becoming Urbana’s initial state medal winner when she capped a 14-8 season by claiming third place at 235 in the IHSA Finals in her first state appearance. The senior looks to take the next step in 2023-24 and get to the state championship mat and she claimed top honors in her first tournament of this season when she pinned Ottawa Township’s Juliana Thrush in 2:56 in the 235 title match at the Normal Community Invite.

Tyler became the lone finalist for coach Phil Sexton’s Tigers when she won by fall in her first-round and semifinals matches after winning by injury default in the quarterfinals. Her semifinals win over Unity’s Phoenix Molina was the longest time that she spent on the mat, 3:07. 

Thrush joined 135 champion Ava Weatherford as one of two finalists for coach Peter Marx’s Pirates, who were one of five teams in the field to have two in the finals. The sophomore, who fell one win shy of a medal at 235 in last year’s IHSA Finals, also took second place on Wednesday when she competed at Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown. Thrush advanced to the title mat with three first-period falls. Molina won by fall over Normal West’s Cadence Duvall to place third and Joliet Township’s Fernanda Miranda recorded a fall over Galesburg’s

Isabella Rivera to claim fifth place.

Normal Community Invite championship matches

100 – Hannah Almendarez (Galesburg) F 0:34 Mya Down (Olympia)

105 – Tessa Donaldson (Pekin) F 0:43 Makenzi Aguilar (Schaumburg)

110 – Ella McDonnell (Morris) D 11-4 Bailey Lusch (East Peoria)

115 – Eliana Paramo (Joliet Township) D 6-0 Jasmine Brown (Auburn)

120 – Isabelle Leyhe (Mahomet-Seymour) TF 22-6 Trey Fletcher (Normal Community)

125 – Madyson Meyer (Schaumburg) F 1:13 Ava Beldo (Centennial)

130 – Taylor Dawson (Collinsville) F 0:30 Isabella Motteler (Richwoods)

135 – Ava Weatherford (Ottawa Township) D 3-0 Olivia Furlan (Schaumburg)

140 – Kaila Williams (Richwoods) F 4:46 Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (Schaumburg)

145 – Annalisa Gibbons (Galesburg) F 5:28 Jadyn Perry (Auburn)

155 – Maryam Ndiaye (Moline) D 7-3 Valeria Rodriguez (Schaumburg)

170 – August Rottmann (Highland) F 2:35 Autumne Williams (Peoria Notre Dame)

190 – Ini Odumosu (Homewood-Flossmoor) F 1:15 Keira Enright (Plainfield South)

235 – Jurdan Tyler (Urbana) F 2:56 Juliana Thrush (Ottawa Township)

Normal Community Invite third-place matches

100 – Ariadna Arciniega (Joliet Township) D 3-0 Kassie Ruiz (Joliet Township)

105 – Alisa Carter (Joliet Township) F 3:57 LT Diephuis (Canton)

110 – Alexcia Harden (Belleville East) D 8-5 Ryleigh Stephens (Erie/Prophetstown)

115 – Kalista Granadino (Mahomet-Seymour) D 4-3 Nina Hamm (Homewood-Flossmoor)

120 – Keily Centeno (Joliet Township) F 2:26 Makensi Martin (Morris)

125 – Evie Regas (Homewood-Flossmoor) F 3:57 Amelia McClure (Normal West)

130 – Laney Cook (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 1:38 Molly O’Connor (Lemont)

135 – Izabel Berrera (Joliet Township) F 1:05 Janelle Maldonado Gonzalez (Joliet Township)

140 – Lexi Kachiroubas (Plainfield South) SV 6-4 Rickasia Ivy (Urbana)

145 – Jayda Rosenow (Erie/Prophetstown) F 2:52 Autumn Pace (Homewood-Flossmoor)

155 – Teagan Aurich (Plainfield South) MD 13-1 Tashieya Taylor (Collinsville)

170 – Heaven Workman (Auburn) D 6-0 Alya Razzak (Schaumburg)

190 – Franciana Kalanga (Urbana) F 2:44 Chloe West (Granite City)

235 – Phoenix Molina (Unity) F 0:27 Cadence Duvall (Normal West)

Normal Community Invite fifth-place matches

100 – Amie Fuentes (Plainfield South) F 2:56 Stephanie Zahareas (Schaumburg)

105 – Heaven Sewell (Richwoods) F 1:15 Morgan Kelley (Joliet Township)

110 – London Gandy (Homewood-Flossmoor) D 16-10 Maggie Gordon (Morris)

115 – Kennedy McMenimen (East Peoria) D 4-2 Allison Kroesch (University High)

120 – Anna Villarreal (Schaumburg) F 0:29 Amirat Lawal (Homewood-Flossmoor)

125 – Joi Lord (Clinton) MD 11-1 Briahna Klobnak (Joliet Township)

130 – Kinnley Smith (Canton) F 0:31 Jaycee Fancher (Mahomet-Seymour)

135 – Michelle Naftzger (Erie/Prophetstown) F 1:37 Violet Pennington (Pekin)

140 – Gabriela Dawson (Mahomet-Seymour) D 5-4 Jordan Bicknell (Olympia)

145 – Keara Micek (Schaumburg) F 0:31 Dena Cox (Erie/Prophetstown)

155 – Katelyn Marvel (Canton) F 3:37 Anna Vasey (Unity)

170 – Jaida Johnson (Richwoods) F 0:56 Hannah Jones (Collinsville)

190 – Nadia Razzak (Schaumburg) F 3:25 Alix Robinson (Pontiac)

235 – Fernanda Miranda (Joliet Township) F 0:28 Isabella Rivera (Galesburg)

Normal Community Invite team standings

1. Schaumburg 225, 2. Homewood-Flossmoor 141, 3. Richwoods 112, 4. Joliet Township 109, 5. Mahomet-Seymour 84.5, 6. Galesburg 84, 6. Plainfield South 84, 8. Urbana 72, 9. Auburn 71, 10. Canton 67, 11. Collinsville 65, 12. Morris 61, 13. Ottawa Township 60, 14. East Peoria 57, 15. Erie/Prophetstown 53.5, 16. Highland 43, 17. Normal West 41, 18. Pontiac 39, 19. Unity 38, 20. Pekin 37, 21. Granite City 36, 22. Moline 30, 22. Peoria Notre Dame 30, 24. Olympia 29, 24. Westville 29, 26. Centennial 28, 26. Lemont 26, 28. Belleville East 27, 29. Normal Community 26, 30. Clinton 24, 31. University High 22, 32. Rochester 17, 33. Bloomington 10, 33. Rantoul 10, 35. Metamora 8, 36. PORTA 7, 37. Deer Creek-Mackinaw 4, 38. Heyworth 0.

By Bobby Narang

After finishing in third place in the 2022 Chris Hruska Wrestling Classic at Conant High School, Carl Sandburg wanted to send an early-season message on Saturday.

The Eagles clearly made their point, dominating the 17-team field with several outstanding performances to finish in first place with 251 points.

Chatman-Glenwood snared second place with 173.5 points and Glenbard North and Oswego tied for third with 169.5 points. Bloomington had a solid day to end in fifth place (110), just nudging out host Conant (107.5) for a top-five team placing.

Sandburg coach Clinton Polz credited a strong and motivated group of wrestlers for helping his team win the team title.

“I think the key to us winning the tournament was the contributions from all wrestlers competing in the tournament,” Polz said. “Our goal as a team was to have every individual that wrestled in the tournament place on Saturday and that included the extra non-scoring wrestlers that we were fortunate to be able to bring. We accomplished that, and all twenty wrestlers we brought placed.

“When everyone on the team contributes and pushes each other it leads to success. Our kids have done a great job of that so far this season, and that includes every kid in the program, not just the ones at Conant on Saturday.”

Rocco Hayes (113), Madden Parker (126), Ryan Hinger (144) and Ahmad Jaffal (215) won titles for Sandburg.

“We had four tournament champions and they all wrestled extremely well,” Polz said. “Rocco Hayes put on a dominating performance up a weight class at 113 and earned the outstanding wrestler award for it, pinning his way through the tournament.

“Madden Parker won one of the toughest weights at the tournament, defeating two returning state qualifiers on his way. Ryan Hinger had a dominating performance as well while also wrestling up a weight class, and finally Ahmad Jaffal was able to win the tournament also up a weight class giving himself an opportunity to decide what weight he would like to compete at this season.”

Meanwhile, Chatman-Glenwood coach Jerod Bruner credited the key to his team finishing in second place to a “great offseason and our senior lineup.”

“We are still missing a number of key guys, but we will be close to full strength soon,” Bruner said. “Anny Williams made his first tournament championship in his career. Of course, it was nice to see Drew Davis, John Ben and Tyler win, which was expected. Max (Wiezorek) had a great tournament, finishing second at 175. A kid who surprised us was Maizon Milestone, who took fifth at 165 in the only start of his third season.”

Hruska championship matches:

106 – Tyler Clarke, Chatham-Glenwood

In a tough match to close out a long day, Tyler Clarke defeated South Elgin’s Julius Avendano 6-4 in the title game. Clarke rolled through the competition with two impressive victories to set up a long and grueling match with Avendano.

Clarke, a junior, said he enjoyed walking away with a first-place medal to gain some confidence for the season, especially with senior two-time state champion Drew Davis motivating and pushing him. Two years ago, Davis captured the Class 2A state title at 106 and notched the state championship at 113 last season to run his record to 66-2 in the two-year span.

“I just had to break him down,” Clarke said of his title-match win which ran his record to 7-0. “He couldn’t really get out, so I had to keep working the turn. I was up by two and I had to keep holding him down. My goal is to win state, but that’s kind of unrealistic because I have a state champion on my team. That’s a whole different skill level.

“I hope to get there some day. I learned today to keep wrestling until the match was over. I was down a few points in my last match, but just kept wrestling.”

Avendano, a senior, is a wrestler to watch after earning two quality wins to reach the finals at 106.

Other placers — 3rd: Ray Long, Notre Dame; 4th: Nolan O’Grady, Oswego; 5th:Oscar Kalman, Sandburg; 6th: Sammy Sikorsky, Geneva; 7th: Chris Gutierrez, Glenbard North; 8th: Ryu Yamazaki, Conant

113 – Rocco Hayes, Sandburg

Hayes wrestled at 106 last season but is adjusting to wrestling at his new weight class – at least for now. He wrestled at 113 on Wednesday before the Conant meet. Hayes pinned Notre Dame’s Johnny Sheehy in the title match to run his record to 3-0 on the season.

“I just got to my offense was really key in that last match,” Hayes said. “I was happy with how I did today. I tried to get all falls. I went up a weight class. I did decent. I tried to get more on attacks. It’s been a change for me wrestling at 113, but I’m used to wrestling kids a lot taller and bigger than me. It was a change, but worked out for me today. All of this is preparation for winning a state title.”

Other placers — 3rd: Jonny Theodor, Oswego; 4th: Jaxon Ferguson, Chatham; 5th Bryce Mensik, Lake Park; 6th Isaac Velasco, Glenbard North; 7th: Mike Goolish, Conant; Anthony Lazare, South Elgin.

120 – Drew Davis, Chatham-Glenwood

Davis was one of the most storied wrestlers at the Conant meet, with his final match drawing several eyes on Mat 1. A two-time state champion, Davis pinned Glenbard North’s Dominick Marre in the title match.

“I felt good and strong,” Davis said. “I came here and kept my head level. I want to win another state title and be more dominant than I was last year and just get better at wrestling. I think I’m a lot stronger and taller this year. I’ve been working really hard all summer. I had a long offseason and just worked on my wrestling.”

Other placers — 3rd: Demetrius Carrera, South Elgin; 4th: Alejandro Cordova, Round Lake; 5th: Tyson Bruce, Sandburg; 6th: Tyler Barlow, Bloomington; 7th: Aidan Ortiz, Oswego; 8th: Nico Harris, Oswego East.

126 — Madden Parker, Sandburg

Parker, a junior, is focused on his goal to land a spot at the state tournament. He wrestled at 113 last season, placing fourth in the sectionals.

“I felt pretty good and had some close matches but came out on top,” Parker said. “The key was short offense, which helped a lot. I’ve been working on it with my coaches in practices and kept my stamina up.

“It feels good to get a confidence booster in the first tournament. It definitely helps. I’m feeling good. My goal is to place at state. I worked on my feet and got more confidence there. My bottom and top are already good, so that extra work helped out.”

Parker earned a dominating 10-0 major decision win over Conant’s Luis Flores in the championship match.

Other placers — 3rd: Kalani Khiev, Glenbard North; 4th: Grayson Kongkaeow, Round Lake; 5th: Owen Ottino, Chatham; 6th: Vincent Manfre, Oswego; 7th: Sergio Hernandez, Lake Park; 8th: M’Khi Hollins, Bloomington.

132 – Christian Chavez, Glenbard North

Standing near the main scoring area, Christian Chavez took a subdued approach to winning the 132-pound title. As several teammates congratulated him on his fall over Bloomington’s Javier Enriquez-Lynd in the title match, Chavez maintained a focused approach.

Chavez said his left shoulder is finally healthy, too.

“I usually wrestle at 126, but I bumped up this weekend,” Chavez said. “I felt better on my weight. I wanted to dominate and just felt better at 132. I was able to move good and didn’t feel as gassed. I’m going back to 126 but I put in a lot of work in the summer to get my shoulder right. It feels good now.”

Other placers — 3rd: Andrew Wendt, Geneva; 4th: Matt Goolish, Conant; 5th: Nick Nicosia, Sandburg; 6th: JR Leach, Lake Park; 7th: Emilio Chavarria, Round Lake; 8th: Mohammed Mahmoud, Oswego.

138 – John Ben Maduena, Chatham-Glenwood

John Ben Maduena was all smiles following his dominating one-day showing at Conant. The senior raised his record to 8-0 following four quality wins, including by fall over Oswego’s Brayden Swanson in his final match.

Maduena won the Conant invite title in his sophomore season at 132, but last year placed third at 126. Maduena said he was happy to get some revenge for last season’s defeat to Swanson in the semifinals.

“(Brayden) was really good in neutral and even top but my shoulders are really the only flexible part on me, so they are able to take it,” Maduena said. “He did really good defending but I caught him in the end.”

Other placers — 3rd: Brady Ritter, Sandburg; 4th: Mario Perez, De La Salle; 5th: Porfirio Govea, Curie; 6th: Trey Thompson, Glenbard North; 7th: Vaughn Hochstatter, Bloomington; 8th: Bela Mohap, Lake Park.

144 – Ryan Hinger, Sandburg

Hinger, a junior, closed out a four-win day by earning a tech fall win over Chatham-Glenwood senior Anny Williams at 144. Hinger (4-0) said he had one goal on Saturday.

“I felt strong today and confident in myself,” Hinger said. “I came into this tournament looking for nothing but first. This is a good building block and helps my confidence for upcoming tournaments and wrestling multiple matchups in one day and building my stamina. I feel a lot more confident this year in myself and my team. We’re overall doing a lot better on the mat.

Other placers — 3rd: Tim Bridges, Notre Dame; 4th: Samer Alsalah, Sandburg; 5th: Dillon Griffin, Oswego; 6th: Rusty Klug, Leyden; 7th: Brad Dollus, Chatham; 8th: Victor Chevganov, Conant.

150 – Leo Rosas, South Elgin

A sophomore, Rosas was elated with his showing, mainly because he wanted an early-season test of his conditioning after bumping up two weight classes this season. He had three of his matches decided by points, ending with a 6-2 win over Glenbard North junior Rylan Kradle in the title match.

“I had to put in that work,” Rosas said. “I’ve been working on my stamina. That was one of my weak points last year. I knew there were guys stronger and more experienced at 150, so I had to work on that gas tank and wrestle until the end. It was a long day, but it feels good to get first.

“I went out there with an elite mindset and when I was getting tired, I kept pushing the pace and didn’t get tired. My goal is to get 40 or more wins and make it downstate and place and be a champion. It was a good day.”

Other placers — 3rd: Ethan Essick, Oswego; 4th: Vince Gutierrez, Sandburg; 5th: Vince Merola, Lake Park; 6th: Patrick Young, De La Salle; 7th: Braxton Warren, Chatham; 8th: Joseph Resler, Oswego East.

157 – Tanner Cosgrove, Conant

By far, one of the day’s biggest highlights was Tanner Cosgrove’s championship match, partly due to the large crowd watching him. With the Conant losing two title matches leading up to the 157 pound finale, several Cougars were circling around Mat 1 watching Cosgrove’s battle with Oswego’s Colin O’Grady.

In a tense and emotional match, Cosgrove pulled off a 4-2 win to capture the 152-pound title, which led to a massive celebration. A big group immediately engulfed Cosgrove following his win.

“It was hard but a good match and I just tried to stay composed,” Cosgrove said. “Consistency was the key, and I kept fighting and tried to finish it hard.”
Cosgrove (4-0) said the title was particularly sweet on his home mat, in front of a lot of family and friends.

“My parents are here, my twin sister and older brother and the whole team,” Cosgrove said. “This was amazing. I didn’t start wrestling until seventh grade and never wrestled club or anything. My coaches pushed me in the wrestling room. Last year I cut from 160 to 138, but I was too weak to wrestle. This year I just took whatever spot fit me best and I haven’t been weak.

“I’m trying to make it to state. Both of my older brothers were wrestlers but didn’t make it to state. I want to get my last name up on the wall, for them, my dad and myself. I have to keep doing what my coaches tell me. It’s all about staying focused, consistent and composed in matches.”

Other placers — 3rd: Noah DeMarco, Oswego East; 4th: Noah Misukonis, Bloomington; 5th: Moe Askar, Sandburg; 6th: Adnan Askar, Sandburg; 7th: Payton Marzen, Geneva; 8th: Moses Garza, Leyden.

165 – Maddox Kirts, Bloomington

Maddox Kirts made quick work of his division by recording four easy victories, highlighted by a 10-3 decision over Oswego senior Joseph Griffin in the title match.

Even after his match, Kirts didn’t celebrate his victory. Instead, he went over to one of his coaches and worked on his technique.

“I felt energized out there,” Kirts said. “I kept the mentality I could beat anybody they put in front of me.”

Kirts said he feels like a renewed wrestler after suffering a knee injury in his sophomore year that slowed down his development and progress as a junior. He finished 38-8 last year, winning regionals and sectionals.

“Last year I came back from a double knee surgery and that was a lot of adversity,” he said. “I had a whole offseason to train after being out my entire sophomore year and last year I went to state but I feel a lot better this year. I have to train hard every day in practice, not let up and keep working hard. Today was just a little goal. I’m going for the big goal at the end of the season.”

Other placers — 3rd: Zac Ritter, Sandburg; 4th: Damond Butler, Curie; 5th: Maizon Milestone, Chatham; 6th: Erik Esquivel, Glenbard North; 7th: Cam McGoarty, Geneva; 8th: Kosta Carrera, South Elgin.

175 – Malik Warren, De La Salle.

Soon after his 4-1 win over Chatham-Glenwood’s Max Wiezorek in the 175-pound final, De La Salle sophomore Malik Warren talked about the challenge of bumping up in weight on Saturday.

“I felt pretty good after wrestling up from 165,” Warren said. “It’s a different type of environment (at 175), just bigger guys and I have to use my quickness and what my coaches taught me. That last match, he wrestled different than what my other matches had been. But in my training, we do all types of tie-ups. One of my biggest goals is to win state and team state. Last year I didn’t make it to state, but I learned it’s all about training and preparation. I have to keep on training.”

Other placers — 3rd: Josue Hernandez, De La Salle; 4th: Elias O’Neill, Lake Park; 5th: Wyatt Hochgraber, Sandburg; 6th: Jack Campbell, Conant; 7th: Fadel Alsalahi, Sandburg; 8th: Dart Garner, Leyden.

190 – Tyler Ott, Glenbard North

Glenbard North junior Tyler Ott had a solid day at 190 pounds, beating Elgin’s Fabian Ramirez 13-5 in a major decision and pinning Sandburg’s Ahmad Alomari in the title match. Ramirez bounced back to earn third place by pinning Leyden’s Hector Cisneros.

Other placers — 5th: Jim Amatore, Notre Dame; 6th: Noah Cruz, Sandburg; 7th: Evan Mueller, Conant; 8th: Mikey Urso, South Elgin.

215 – Ahmad Jaffal, Sandburg

Sandburg senior Ahmad Jaffal rounded out a big day for the Eagles by tallying a 6-2 decision over Glenbard North senior Brian Petrancosta in the 215 final. Jaffal (4-0) endured a long and tough match, pulling out the victory to add to the Eagles’ title day.

Other placers — 3rd: Joe Petit, Geneva; 4th: Sean Sporleader, Sandburg; 5th: Malic Breish, Sandburg; 6th: Terrelle Jackson, De La Salle; 7th: Jack Malenock, Notre Dame; 8th: Jack Farrell, Oswego.

285 – William Cole, Round Lake

Round Lake junior William Cole capped a four-pin day by beating De La Salle’s David McCarthy in the title match. At 6-foot-5, Cole (4-0) was an easy wrestler to spot all afternoon. After not wrestling on the varsity level in his sophomore season, Cole rose up through the ranks last season to become one of the surprise standout wrestlers in Lake County and in the state.

Other placers — 3rd: Tommy Roath, South Elgin; 4th: Stephen Carr, Bloomington; 5th: Harley Stary, Conant; 6th: Josh Edwards, Oswego East; 7th: Scott Cook, Notre Dame; 8th: Judeh Ali, Sandburg.

Conant Chris Hruska Classic championship matches

106 – Tyler Clarke (Glenwood) D 6-4 Julius Avendano (South Elgin)

113 – Rocco Hayes (Sandburg) F 2:58 Johnny Sheehy (Notre Dame)

120 – Drew Davis (Glenwood) F 1:50 Dominick Marre (Glenbard North)

126 – Madden Parker (Sandburg) MD 10-0 Luis Flores (Conant)

132 – Christian Chavez (Glenbard North) F 5:06 Javier Enriquez-Lynd (Bloomington)

138 – John Ben Maduena (Glenwood) F 3:46 Brayden Swanson (Oswego)

144 – Ryan Hinger (Sandburg) TF 4:34 Anny Williams (Glenwood)

150 – Leo Rosas (South Elgin) D 6-2 Rylan Kradle (Glenbard North)

157 – Tanner Cosgrove (Conant) D 4-2 Colin O’Grady (Oswego)

165 – Maddox Kirts (Bloomington) D 10-3 Joseph Griffin (Oswego)

175 – Malik Warren (De La Salle) D 4-1 Max Wiezorek (Glenwood)

190 – Tyler Ott (Glenbard North) F 0:42 Ahmad Alomari (Sandburg)

215 – Ahmad Jaffal (Sandburg) D 6-2 Brian Petrancosta (Glenbard North)

285 – William Cole (Round Lake) F 0:49 David McCarthy (De La Salle)

Conant Chris Hruska Classic third-place matches

106 – Ray Long (Notre Dame) F 3:20 Nolan O’Grady (Oswego)

113 – Jonny Theodor (Oswego) F 0:56 Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood)

120 – Demetrios Carrera (South Elgin) D 4-1 Alejandro Cordova (Round Lake)

126 – Kalani Khiev (Glenbard North) D 12-6 Grayson Kongkaeow (Round Lake)

132 – Andrew Wendt (Geneva) F 3:53 Matt Goolish (Conant)

138 – Brady Ritter (Sandburg) F 3:19 Mario Perez (De La Salle)

144 – Tim Bridges (Notre Dame) F 0:34 Samer Alsalah (Sandburg)

150 – Ethan Essick (Oswego) F 2:29 Vince Gutierrez (Sandburg)

157 – Noah DeMarco (Oswego East) F 2:55 Noah Misukonis (Bloomington)

165 – Zac Ritter (Sandburg) F 3:08 Damond Butler (Curie)

175 – Josue Hernandez (De La Salle) F 1:14 Elias O’Neill (Lake Park)

190 – Fabian Ramirez (Elgin) F 1:20 Hector Cisneros (Leyden)

215 – Joe Petit (Geneva) F 0:59 Sean Sporleader (Sandburg)

285 – Tommy Roath (South Elgin) F 5:15 Stephen Carr (Bloomington)

Conant Chris Hruska Classic team standings

1. Sandburg 251, 2. Glenwood 173.5, 3. Glenbard North 169.5, 3. Oswego 169.5, 5. Bloomington 110, 6. Conant 107.5, 7. Notre Dame 97.5, 8. South Elgin 95.5, 9. De La Salle 86, 10. Lake Park 80, 11. Geneva 77, 12. Round Lake 70, 13. Leyden 60, 14. Oswego East 48, 15. Curie 27, 16. Elgin 21, 17. Conant JV 3.

By Patrick Z. McGavin

Last February Brody Kelly was the classic newcomer who was eager to perform at the highest level.

As a freshman at Marmion, he stepped on the highest stage by wrestling at 138 pounds in the Class 3A state dual championship against St. Charles East.

He lost a tough 14-10 decision against individual state finalist Tyler Guerra in the Saints’ 28-24 team championship victory. He finished 26-18, toggling between 132 to 145 pounds.

At the Ted DeRousse Invitational Saturday, Brody Kelly was the swing candidate who catapulted his new school to the team championship over his former school.

Now part of a revamped and stacked team at IC Catholic Prep, Kelly captured the 157-pound championship with the 8-2 decision over Robby Nelson of Yorkville Christian.

The Knights had four individual champions and seven finalists in scoring 441 points over runner-up Marmion, who finished with 393 points.

“I kind of expected this,” Kelly said. “I put a lot of work into the offseason.”

Danny Alcocer is the new coach of the Elmhurst school over two years directing the program at another private school state power at Aurora Christian.

He developed state champions Brandon Stauffenberg and Taythan Silva.

“Aurora Christian was a great experience, and we really loved it there,” Alcocer said.

“When the chance came to coach at IC Catholic Prep, our coaching staff just jumped at the opportunity to build a full team. At Aurora Christian, we always had success, but we never had a full team. This is a chance for us to get 14 guys in the lineup.”

Alcocer has some new and familiar faces helping round out a stacked, versatile and gifted lineup.

“I think a lot of these guys put in the work during the offseason, and it’s easy to mesh when you have common goals,” he said.

“We’re trying to build a culture at IC Catholic Prep, and this is a step in the right direction.”

Two of his standout wrestlers at Aurora Christian reached the finals wrestling for the Knights.

The Aurora connection between Alcocer and Kelly ended up tipping the balance in the Knights’ favor.

“I thought Brody Kelly wrestled a great tournament,” Alcocer said. “We love to have him, and he is doing all the right things. We had some matchups with Marmion that ended it.”

Deven Casey captured the 126-pound championship, and Pat Mullen finished second at 150 pounds.

Casey finished third in each of the last two seasons at Aurora Christian. Mullen was one match away from a state finish last season.

Behind standout sophomores Nick Garcia and Zach Stewart, the Cadets finished second at 393 points.

Marmion had three first place medalists and six finalists, an impressive performance given the absence of defending Class 3A 182-pound state champion Jack Lesher, who is recovering from knee surgery.

Lesher is hopeful to return in time for the regionals next February. The Cadets are also without two-time state qualifier Collin Carrigan.

Quincy (356.5), West Aurora (315) and Yorkville Christian (305) rounded out the top six in the 24-team field.

Quincy dominated the upper weights with individual champions at 165 pounds (Owen Uppinghouse), 175 pounds (Bryor Newbold) and 285 pounds (Todd Smith)

Yorkville Christian was the fourth program to produce multiple champions with Aiden Larsen at 113 pounds and Ty Edwards at 132 pounds.

Larsen finished sixth at 106 pounds in Class 1A last year, and Edwards was the state runner-up at 120 pounds.

The tournament named two outstanding wrestlers, with Marmion sophomore Nick Garcia given the lower weight distinction, and West Aurora junior Dom Serio awarded the upper weight standout.

106: Danny Goodwin, St. Patrick

Goodwin dominated with power and weight. And he pulled out the 2-0 tie breaker over Marmion’s Logan Conover for the championship.

“I thought the difference today was staying heavy on top, and being able to ride kids,” Goodwin said. “I’m a year older, but the same weight as last year, and I thought that was really beneficial.

“I was really able to navigate through the matches. I stayed calm.”

Goodwin had one of the most impressive runs in the field, posting three falls and a technical fall to reach the championship round. He knocked out his teammate Jack Koenig with a first- period fall in the semifinals.

Conover had a bye, and won his first match on a first-period fall. In a riveting back and forth semifinal, he defeated William Du Chemin of Wilmot Academy (Wis.) with a 7-4 decision.

Du Chemin rebounded from his semifinal loss with a decisive technical fall victory over Koenig for third place. Marmion’s Preston Morrison won by fall over Normal West’s Jacob Payne in the fifth-place match.

113: Aiden Larsen, Yorkville Christian

Yorkville Christian’s Aiden Larsen demolished his field, registering four falls, three of them in the first period.

Larsen was overwhelming, and as good as Quincy’s Hugh Sharrow was, he wasn’t quite good enough, falling to Larsen at 1:01 of the championship match.

“I just stayed on my offense, and I wrestled my game plan,” Larsen said. “I just stuck to my stuff, and I didn’t wrestle anybody else’s game.

Larsen’s longest match came in the semifinal round against Thiago Guardiola of Wilmot Union (Wis.), which he ended with a fall at 3:06 to qualify for the championship match.

“This year, I have to take a role that others had last year, or the year before,” Larsen said. “My focus is to wrestle my match every day.”

Sharrow was equally dominant in his half of the bracket. He also posted four falls, including a third-period semifinal fall against Hinsdale South’s Mikey Wallace.

Guardiola pinned Wallace in the second period of the third-place match and Normal West’s Dylan McGrew won by 10-3 decision over Kannon Judycki of IC Catholic Prep for fifth place.

120: Nicholas Garcia, Marmion Academy

Time appeared to stand still during the best match of the day featuring two nationally-rated competitors, and Nicholas Garcia made one more move.

Garcia’s takedown produced a 6-4 sudden victory decision over two-time defending Wisconsin state champion Co’ji Campbell of St. Joseph Academy.

Campbell suffered the first loss of his high school career. He was 64-0 heading into the match, and he appeared unbeatable in annihilating his half of the championship bracket.

But as the younger brother of two-time state champion Jameson Garcia, Nick Garcia proved his mettle.

Garcia finished fourth in Class 3A at the 106 pounds last season and he is bigger, stronger and ready to take the leap.

“I think I am moving my feet better, and that has opened up more attacks for me,” Garcia said.

“In the overtime, I was able to get to my final finish. I got the under hook, and I noticed that he stood up for half a second, and I was able to trip him up with my foot, and I got the take down.”

The championship punctuated a superb tournament by Garcia, who also posted two falls and a technical fall over Hinsdale South’s Alex Schuetz in the quarterfinals.

In another exhilarating match, he outlasted Antioch’s Gavin Hanrahan 8-5 in the semifinals.

In his half of the draw, Campbell was untouchable, with four consecutive falls. He posted three pins in under a minute, most remarkably requiring just 0:35 to dispatch Normal West’s Abram Rader in the semifinal round.

Campbell needed just 2:46 to complete his four falls heading into his showdown with Garcia.

Hanrahan rebounded from his first loss to post a second-period fall of Rader in finishing third. In the fifth place match, Mundelein’s Pedro Becerra defeated Hinsdale South’s Alex Schuetz by 9-5 decision.

126: Deven Casey, IC Catholic Prep

Everything old is new again for Deven Casey.

Casey is new to IC Catholic Prep. He has been an elite wrestler for four years, with two top-three state finishes. Casey punctuated his startling performance with a second-period fall of Carmel’s Matthew Lucansky in the championship match at 126.

Casey blitzed the field with four falls and then a major decision in the semifinals over Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger. Casey had three second-period falls, and one first-period fall. Against Hoger, he utilized his elite length, power and speed for a 15-4 major.

Lucansky matched Casey through his half of the bracket. He posted four falls in the lead up to the championship, including a third-period fall over Zach Rohloff of Wilmot Union (Wis.) in the semifinals.

In the third-place match, Hoger dominated Rohloff with a 10-3 decision. St. Patrick’s Calvin Stahl edged West Aurora’s Aiden Massaro 4-1 in the fifth-place match.

132: Ty Edwards, Yorkville Christian

Yorkville Christian’s Ty Edwards had not faced Antioch’s Edgar Albino since the two were in the seventh grade.

The wait was worth it.

Edwards had two key takedowns and a reversal for the 7-0 victory in a superb championship match between the two. The championship match was Edwards’ only match by that went the distance.

He began his part of the tournament with four consecutive falls, with his first three matches taking just over a minute or less. Edwards completed his string of consecutive falls with a third period action over Wheaton Academy’s WIll Hupke.

Albino had a convincing run through his part of the bracket, posting three falls and a tough 3-1 decision over Deerfield state qualifier Luke Reddy in the semifinal.

Reddy regrouped from his first loss for a 6-2 decision win over Hupke for third place.In the fifth-place match, Marmion’s Donny Pigoni posted the second-period fall of Hinsdale South’s Apollo Cobb.

138: Zach Stewart, Marmion Academy

Zach Stewart had a great freshman season except for the end, when an injury knocked him out of a state finals finish and a chance to compete for the state dual team championship.

The Marmion sophomore has used that memory to fuel his next step.

Jumping up three classes, Stewart is now a cut above. Like the award captured by his teammate Nicholas Garcia, Stewart was a strong choice for most outstanding wrestler.

Stewart captured the championship with an 18-6 major decision over Omar Samayoa of IC Catholic Prep. He posted three technical falls and dominated St. Patrick’s Olin Walker 11-4 in the semifinal.

Despite his championship loss, Samayoa was outstanding in his own right, posting two falls and a technical fall in the preliminary action. In a riveting semifinal, he outlasted Deerfield’s Jordan Rasof in a 3-0 decision win.

In one of the strongest top-four weight classes, Walker pulled out the sudden victory 5-3 decision over Rasof for the third-place medal. Hillcrest’s Jovan Williams secured a first-period fall of Al Amir Almannai of Hinsdale South for the fifth-place award.

144: Ashton Hobson, Marmion Academy

Ashton Hobson was on a mission.

“I got to my single today, and that really helped me do what I wanted out there,” he said.

The Marmion junior put together a versatile and sharp run that culminated with his 7-3 decision over Joel Sullivan of Wilmot Union (Wis.) in the championship match.

“Last season I was injured a lot, and I don’t know that I helped the team that much,” he said “Now I’m healthy, and I just want to win some matches.”

Hobson jammed together one of the top individual runs of the day with two technical falls in the preliminary rounds, and the fall over Antioch’s Chase Nobiling in the quarterfinal round.

He dominated IC Catholic Prep’s Bryson Spaulding 9-0 in the semifinal bracket.

Sullivan had a fall and technical fall in the first two rounds. He engineered two sharp decisions over Deerfield’s Mark Martinez and Carmel’s Tony Hinojosa.

Hinojosa recovered from his first loss with a dominant first period fall of Spaulding for third place. Mark Martinez took down Brody Baker of Quincy with a first-period fall to capture fifth place.

150: Dominic Serio, West Aurora

Dominic Serio was a man on a mission.

“I just want to score points all the time,” he said.

The past has been both crucial and cruel. As a freshman two years ago, Serio lost a sectional blood round match. Last season, he was one match away from placing at state at 138 pounds.

Serio turned a solid field into a private showcase for his intoxicating blend of speed, power, technique and aggressive flair. Serio’s performance earned him the most outstanding wrestling award in the upper weight division, after posting three falls and two major decision victories.

His 18-9 major over Pat Mullen of IC Catholic Prep in the championship match secured his standing.

“My goal is to win state this year, and I don’t want to let anything stop me,” he said. “My style is just relentless attacks, and never let my foot off the gas.”

Serio caught Mullen on two takedowns for a 4-2 lead after the first period. Serio expanded his advantage in the second period, utilizing his balance, strength and aggressiveness.

Mullen showed resilience with the only points scored against Serio with a third-period takedown that closed his deficit to 11-7. But Serio answered with an escape and three takedowns for the winning margin.

Going up against New Trier’s Tagg Miller in the semifinals, he generated 12 takedowns in a 24-10 major decision.

Mullen strung together four highly-impressive performances with three falls and a dominant victory over Mundelein’s Kevin Hernandez in the semifinals.

He punched his ticket to the final with the 23-8 victory over Hernandez.

After suffering his first loss against Serio in the semifinals, Miller responded with a sharp second period fall of Hernandez to finish in third place. Quincy’s Eli Roberts posted a first- period fall of Hinsdale South’s Andrew Musil for the fifth-place medal.

157: Brody Kelly, IC Catholic Prep

Brody Kelly is ostensibly transformed from last season, bigger and more than 20 pounds heavier.

He has made a seamless adjustment.

“I grew some, and I put on a lot of weight,” he said. “During the offseason, I wrestled a lot against heavier guys, and guys bigger than me, so I was ready for this.”

Kelly outlasted Yorkville Christian’s Robby Nelson 8-2 in the championship match. He posted four falls through the first four rounds, and the most significant and stunning was his late second-period fall of West Aurora’s Noah Quintana.

Kelly overcame an early takedown by Quintana, and a second-period 4-3 deficit with a reversal that he brilliantly parlayed into turning Quintana on his back.

Nelson posted back-to-back falls to reach the championship mat. He posted the second- period fall of Wilmot’s Logan Defilippo.

Quintana responded to his first loss with the tough 4-1 decision over Defilippo for the third-place medal. In the fifth-place bracket, Richards’ Dom Paul posted the first period fall of Van Grasser of St. Patrick.

165: Owen Uppinghouse, Quincy

Quincy’s Owen Uppinghouse has the perfect name.

The space at Lakes was his own home, comfortable, assured and impossible to overcome. Uppinghouse put on a clinic, devastating the field with three first-period falls and a technical fall in the quarterfinal round.

He overwhelmed Joe Gliatta of IC Catholic Prep with a fall at 1:51 in the championship match.

“What worked great definitely was getting into my leg attacks, and wrestling smart,” he said. “Once I get on top, it’s pretty much over from there.”

By his own admission, Uppinghouse is unorthodox.

“I’m a little funky on my feet, but once I score first, I’m very dominant.”

Despite his loss, Gliatta was brilliant with four falls in the lead-up to the championship match. All four occurred during the first period, the most significant being his pin of Antioch’s Ben Vazquez in the semifinal round.

His first three matches took just 1:28, 0:59, and 1:07.

In the third-place match, Dayne Serio of West Aurora used a four-point reversal and near fall for a 4-2 victory over Vazquez. On the fifth-place mat, Mundelein’s Mac Rastrelli captured a major decision over Ian Kreske of Peotone.

175: Bryor Newbold, Quincy

Quincy’s Bryor Newbold is a magician on his feet.

“I really love to go out there, and work on my takedowns,” he said.

Newbold utilized his talent to mesmerizing effect, with four takedowns over Hinsdale South’s Jovanni Piazza for a 9-3 decision in the championship final.

“I worked on it very hard the whole summer,” Newbold said. “I used to struggle, but now I am really confident on my feet. You have to be able to ride guys, but takedowns are the name of the game. If you can take kids down, let them up, and then take them down again, you’re going to win every match.”

Piazza proved the only significant challenge against the skilled and dynamic Newbold. Newbold posted four falls in reaching the championship match, and none of those matches went past the second period.

He defeated Richards’ Mike Tahenet in the semifinals.

Piazza was his near equal in his half of the bracket, with three falls and a tight 4-1 decision over Normal West’s Gus Schreiber in the semifinal.

In the third-place match, Schreiber pulled out a 7-4 decision over Tahenet. St. Patrick’s Devin Nichol posted the 10-3 decision over Austin Gonzalez of Lakes on the fifth-place mat.

190: Foley Calcagno, IC Catholic Prep

The Calcagno brothers sealed the team championship for IC Catholic Prep with back-to-back victories over Marmion wrestlers.

In a showdown of elite sophomores, Foley Calcagno outmaneuvered Marmion’s Vincenzo Testa for a 9-5 decision in the championship.

“I have always practiced and wrestled against bigger, older guys, and that has allowed me to be successful,” Foley Calcagno said. “It’s a mind thing. You just have to free yourself, and wrestle your style. I like to keep a lot of upper body, but I am also really good at shooting. I’ve gotten way better at that.”

Calcagno posted four falls in the lead up to the championship match, and none of his first four matches went past the second period. He defeated New Trier’s Bailey Cornelison by fall in the semifinal round.

Testa posted two falls and a major decision in reaching the championship round. His most impressive performance was a 15-1 major over Hinsdale South’s Alec Miller in the semifinal round.

Miller overcame his semifinal loss with a decisive third-period fall of Cornelison in finishing third. In the fifth-place match, Woodstock’s Zach Canaday beat Yorkville Christian’s Hayden Wheeler by 4-0 decision.

215: Michael Calcagno, IC Catholic Prep

Michael Calcagno put on a show-stopping performance, earning a special distinction for the highest number of falls (five) in the least amount of time.

He stunned Marmion standout Joey Favia with a fall at 1:04 of the championship match. None of Calcagno’s five matches moved past the second period.

“I just like working on underhooks, and getting my opponent off balance,” he said. “In the championship, I just felt his pressure, and I worked that against him. I took him where he wanted to go.”

Despite his championship loss, Favia was spectacular through the first four rounds with four falls.

Drumke responded to his semifinal loss with a late first-period fall of St. Patrick’s Aiden Gomez in taking third place. Andrew Ryan of Woodstock posted a first-period fall of Antioch’s Owen Shea to finish in fifth place.

285: Todd Smith, Quincy

Quincy’s Todd Smith is not a traditional heavyweight.

“My style has changed a lot, and this year I’m starting to shoot more, and do more lightweight things,” he said.“My style is not really normal for this weight class, and people aren’t ready for it.”

Smith completed a standout tournament with the 9-4 decision over Normal West’s Matt Hanold for the tournament championship. Smith’s elite combination of size, power and unorthodox movements turned the rest of the field on its literal back.

He posted three falls leading up to a riveting semifinal showdown with Mundelein’s Abisai Hernandez. Smith escaped Hernandez for the 5-3 sudden victory, setting the stage for the final.

Hanold had two falls and a victory by injury default to reach the semifinal round. He continued his run with a comeback and a third-period fall of Marmion’s Mateusz Nycz.

Hernandez captured third place with a late fall of Nycz. Yorkville Christian’s Garrett Tunnell posted a first-period fall of Hillcrest’s Jazarri Jackson in the fifth-place match.

Championship match breakdowns:

106–Danny Goodwin (St. Patrick) D TB-1 2-0 Logan Conover (Marmion)

113–Aiden Larsen (Yorkville Christian) F 1:01 Hugh Sharrow (Quincy)

120–Nichocas Garcia (Marmion) D SV-1 6-4 Co’ji Campbell (St. Joseph Catholic Academy, WI)

126–Deven Casey (IC Catholic Prep) F 3:03 Matthew Lucansky (Carmel)

132–Ty Edwards (Yorkville Christian) D 7-0 Edgar Albino (Antioch)

138–Zach Stewart (Marmion) MD 18-6 Omar Samayoa (IC Catholic Prep)

144–Ashton Hobson (Marmion) D 7-3 Joel Sullivan (Wilmot Union, WI)

150–Dominic Serio (West Aurora) MD 18-9 Patrick Mullen (IC Catholic Prep)

157–Brody Kelly (IC Catholic Prep) D 8-2 Robby Nelson (Yorkville Christian)

165–Owen Uppinghouse (Quincy) F 1:51 Joe Gliatta (IC Catholic Prep)

175–Bryor Newbold (Quincy) D 9-3 Jovani Piazza (Hinsdale South)

190–Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic Prep) D 9-5 Vincenzo Testa (Marmion)

215–Michael Calcagno (IC Catholic Prep) F 1:04 Joey Favia (Marmion)

285–Todd Smith (Quincy) D 9-4 Matt Hanold (Normal West)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

After what she’s been through, winning an individual title at Saturday’s Niles West Girls Invite can’t possibly be considered Cailyn Platta’s biggest accomplishment in the last year.
But after missing most of last season after being hit by a car, and spending three months in a wheelchair with a pelvis fractured in ten different places, the Fenton sophomore was certainly happy to be competing again on Saturday.

And don’t ever let anyone tell you that girls aren’t tough.
“After I got out of the wheelchair I had like three weeks of physical therapy and I was back wrestling again,” Platta said.

If Fenton’s team is anything this year, it’s gritty. With increasing numbers in the program, the Bison won the team title at Niles West, posting a 181-158 edge over second-place Hoffman Estates in the 30-team field.

Conant (123.5) placed third, New Trier (105) was fourth, and Addison Trail (103.5) finished fifth in the team standings, followed by Zion-Benton (101), Metea Valley (90.5), Warren (88), Larkin (81), and Maine West (78) to round out the top ten finishes.

Platta (190), Yamile Penazola (155) and Sophia Sosa (170) won individual titles for Fenton, and the Bison got a second from Giselle Castillo (125), thirds from Yannel Perez (140) and Ariana Solideo (235), and a fourth from Paula Serpa (130).

“The team is doing great,” Penaloza said. “We work hard every day and we’re only going to get better. More girls are coming out for wrestling and falling in love with the sport.”
Fenton assistant coach Kacper Piskorz has been with Fenton’s program for three years, and has watched the girls program grow.

“We had some girls have some success and I think girls around the school were seeing that success and wanted to join the program,” Piskorz said. “They had someone to look up to and now they’re becoming role models themselves.

“We thought we could have some success her today but they’ve exceeded our expectations. They wrestled great, fought so hard, and we’re proud of them. We had a girl (freshman Ariana Solideo at 235) place third in her first-ever tournament today.”

Hoffman Estates led the field with four individual champions to Fenton’s three, and had nine wrestlers finish in the top four of their weight classes. The Hawks got titles from Emmylina O’Brien (135), Abby Ji (140), Liriana Rakoci (145), and Anjali Gonzalez (235).

Fenton placed seven wrestlers in the top four of their divisions with two third-placers, and in the battle for team bonus points Fenton led the field with 23 pins to Hoffman Estates’ 16.

Among individuals, Glenbrook North’s Ariella Dobin scored the most team points of any wrestler with 34, while Penaloza and Hoffman Estates’ O’Brien and Ji tied for the second-most team points scored with 32 apiece.

Dobin’s five pins in a combined total of 5:07 were the most falls in the least amount of time by any wrestler, and Conant’s Samantha Hernandez posted the fastest tech fall win in 3:53. Montini’s Kat Bell scored the most points in a match with 27, and Bell and Metea Valley’s Uliana Shevtsova tied for the most total match points scored with 50.

Nine of the 14 title matches were decided by fall, four were decided by straight decision, and one was decided by major decision. The closest finals matches of the day came at 115 and 190, with the breakdown to follow.

Championship round breakdowns:

100: Kat Bell, Montini

Bell posted a tech fall, a pin, and a 10-2 major decision win for the title against Rickover’s Mia Vazquez. The Montini junior won 20 matches and was a state qualifier last year, and in her third year in the sport she’s hungry for more.

“I want to go undefeated and I would like to place at state. That would be a really good feeling,” said Bell, who placed third at 100 in last year’s inaugural Niles West tournament.

Bell’s 27 points scored in her second-round tech fall win were the most points scored by any wrestler in a single match. She also tied for the most total match points scored with 50 for the tournament.
In the finals, Bell earned a takedown and two near-fall points in the first period against Vazquez before opening up in the third en route to the win.

“(Vazquez) is short and stocky and she made it difficult for me to get in,” Bell said. “I like to go with lower shots and re-attacks and that was hard to do against her.”

As one of three girls in the program, Bell currently squares off with her younger brother Jack in the Broncos’ practice room. She gets instruction from her father, who also wrestled at Montini in the 1990s for veteran Montini coach Mike Bukovsky.

The IWCOA hall-of-fame Montini coach is back overseeing the program full-time this year.
“My dad is usually in my corner and the Montini room has some great coaches and that has helped a lot,” Bell said. “And I haven’t stopped training. I went from the high school season right into training for freestyle. It’s been really fun for me.”

105: Riley Kongkaeow, Round Lake

Last year’s state qualifier Kongkaeow went 4-0 in the five-girl bracket at 105, with three pins and an 11-6 decision over second-place Averi Colella of Lockport. Kongkaeow went 21-7 last season as a freshman.
Naperville Central’s Annika Hull finished third, Hoffman Estates’ Gwendolyn Ridley was fourth, and Hoffman Estates’ Judy Soto placed fifth.

It was Kongkaeow’s second individual title at Niles West; last year she won the title at 100 pounds.

110: Avi Gonzalez, Lyons Township
The junior Gonzalez surprised the field as the No. 13 seed, pinning three higher seeds en route to the title mat, where she won by fall over Metea Valley’s Ashley Basmajan.

In only her second full season of wrestling, Gonzalez is ready to take a big step forward after spending her first season learning what it takes to be a wrestler.

“I’ve been wrestling all pre-season and I’m much better than I was last season,” Gonzalez said. “I just started wrestling last year. I wrestled with Beat the Streets and they definitely helped me so much. I really like how challenging this sport is. It can put you in a dark place sometimes and you have to find a way out of it.”

Gonzalez opened her tournament with a fall against No. 4 Alyssa Bentley of Warren and beat top-seeded Sam Macek of Conant by fall in the semifinals. Tenth-seeded Basmajan also provided her share of surprises, winning by fall in her quarterfinal over second-seeded Hannah Lee of Vernon Hills, then winning by fall over third-seeded Samantha Hernandez of Conant in her semifinal.

Macek went on to place third at 110, Hernandez was fourth, Larkin’s Ashley Hammond took fifth, and Maine East’s Eliana Badeen placed fifth.

115: Zoe Lee, New Trier

The seventh-seeded Trevians freshman announced her arrival on the high school wrestling scene by posting three falls before gutting out a 9-8 decision win on the title mat against Metea Valley’s top-seeded Utlana Shevtsova. Lee led 4-1 after a period and 6-3 after two periods before Shevtsova stormed back in the third. Shevtsova reached the finals this year after placing fifth.

Niles West’s Zoe Pomeranets finished third, teammate Sarina Krieger was fourth, Saint Viator’s Natalie Gubernat was fifth, and Oswego East’s Payton Lustrup finished sixth at 115.

120: Ariella Dobin, Glenbrook North

Glenbrook North’s Dobin was a 120-pound buzz-saw at Niles West on Saturday. The No. 14 seed knocked off top-seeded Nina Matthews of Addison Trail, and went 5-0 with five pins on the day. She also had the most pins in the least time of any wrestler in the tournament, clocking in a grand total of 5:07 spent on the mat over her five matches. Dobin’s 34 team points scored were also the most by any wrestler present at Niles West.

Not a bad day for a freshman.

“Last year she qualified for the IESA boys wrestling state,” GBN girls coach Vince Agin said. “She is one of our top workers in our wrestling room, puts her head down and works her butt off every day. She’s extremely strong and skilled. She showed a great outside single and also showed her dominance on top, pinning all of her opponents in that position.”

125: Nyah Lovis, Lane Tech

The Lane Tech junior kicked off her Saturday with a pin, then won three consecutive straight decisions to win the title at 125, capped by a 9-2 decision on the title mat against Fenton’s Giselle Castillo.

Lovis was a state qualifier last year, entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed at 125, and Castillo was the top seed; Lovis also beat the No. 2, 7, and 11 seeds en route to capturing the crown.
Lovis also placed second at 120 in last year’s tournament.

“It was good to see Nyah getting to her offense in this tournament,” Lane Tech coach Matt Yan said. “When she opens up, she can be dangerous. We still have a lot to work on, but I’m glad she got the finish she wanted after taking second here last year.”

Conant’s Beth Ciavarella placed third at 125, Warren’s Justyce Sieber was fourth, Oak Park and River Forest’s Anahi Banuelos placed fifth, and Naperville Central’s Ellen Purl finished sixth.

130: Noelani Rodriguez, Waukegan

The Waukegan senior pinned her way to the title at 130 as the No. 10 seed, and no one survived the first period against her. Rodriguez’s day ended with a pin on the title mat against Zion-Benton’s third-seeded Emily Ortiz.

Rodriguez, a state qualifier last year who went 27-7, pinned top-seeded Aubrey Mueller of Conant in the quarterfinal round, then pinned No. 4 Paula Serpa of Fenton in the semifinals.

Addison Trail’s Brithany Mondragon placed third, Serpa finished fourth, Oak Park and River Forest’s Pearl Lacey took fifth, and Warren’s Jane Kelly took sixth.

135: Emmylina O’Brien, Hoffman Estates

Now in her fourth year of wrestling, the senior O’Brien is practically a wily veteran at this point in her career. She went 29-9 at 115 as a state qualifier last year, and with her final high school season staring her in the face, she’s more ready to wrestle than ever before.

“I’m so much more aware of what weight I should be at, and I’m just better at being self-aware of my body and what it can do,” O’Brien said. “It’s been a lot of trial and error and I’m so happy I stuck with it.”
Top-seeded O’Brien posted four pins to take the crown at 135 in Skokie, ending her day with a second-period fall against Conant’s third-seeded Jasmine Zavaleta. With 32 points scored, O’Brien tied for second overall among wrestlers who scored the most team points in the tournament. She also won the tournament title at 130 last year.

“It took so many people and so much of me, mentally and physically, to take me from wrestling boys as a freshman to becoming a state qualifier wrestling girls,” O’Brien said.

“There are a handful of girls who like wrestling as much as I do – maybe even more – who have probably been training since birth. I’m so happy to be able to compete against them.”

Maine West’s Ava Reyes placed third at 135, Hoffman Estates’ Lourdes Roberts was fourth, Warren’s Ashley Bridges finished fifth, and Glenbrook North’s Sienna Dini took sixth.

140: Abby Ji, Hoffman Estates

Ji became the second top seed from Hoffman Estates to win a title, when she won by fall at the end of the second period on the title mat at 140 against second-seeded Jillian Giller of New Trier.

Ji went 35-10 as a state qualifier last year and posted three pins Saturday to claim her tournament crown.
Fenton’s Yannel Perez placed third at 140, Conant’s Ewa Krupa was fourth, Zion-Benton’s Tegan Haske placed fifth, and Zion-Benton’s Adrianna Ketchum took sixth.

145: Liriana Rakoci, Hoffman Estates

The junior Rakoci made it a perfect three-for-three for Hoffmans Estates’ top seeds winning individual titles, winning by fall on the title mat against Larkin’s Mia Reyes. Tenth-seeded Reyes upset her way to the finals, including a semifinal win over second-seeded Douaa Badou of Conant.

Rakoci had pins in the first minute of both her quarterfinal and semifinal matches before posting her fall in the finals at the 2:25 mark.

Zion-Benton’s Grace Johnson wrestled back to finish third, Metea Valley’s Alketa Picari placed fourth, Maine West’s Soila Orodco was fifth, and Warren’s Hanna Bairstow placed sixth.

155; Yamile Penaloza, Fenton

Top-seeded Penaloza and second-seeded Naomi Foote of Zion-Benton spent the first period hand-fighting in their title match at 155, before Penaloza saw her chance in the second period and took it.
“I was trying to figure out how (Foote) moves, and what she was trying to do,” Penaloza said. “In the second period she was shooting so I just tried to move her head and bring her down. I’m shooting and defending better than I did last year.”

Penaloza’s pin at 3:42 gave her the first of Fenton’s three consecutive individual titles in the upper weights. Penaloza is a two-time state qualifier and went 18-7 as a state qualifier last year.
Penaloza had four pins on the day, reaching the finals with a fall in her semifinal match against fourth-seeded Eliza Buivis of Jacobs. Penaloza went 1-2 at last year’s state finals, in her third year as a wrestler, and the sport is now undeniably in her blood.

“I love the commitment, how we have to work hard, and how it’s me versus me because there’s really nobody else to count on but yourself,” Penaloza said.

Foote reached the finals by semifinal fall against third-seeded Nina Aceves of New Trier. Aceves went on to place third at 155, Buivis placed fourth, Warren’s Ashley Fugelseth was fifth, and Conant’s Susan Bilyal placed sixth.

170: Sophia Sosa, Fenton

The top-seeded Fenton senior won by second-period fall in the finals against Metea Valley’s Sanskruti Sangalge to win the title at 170. Sosa went 26-4 last year as a junior, and won the title at Niles West at 155 pounds.

“Sophia did a lot of off-season work, went to Fargo, and she’s getting better,” Fenton assistant coach Kacper Piskorz said. “She has become a real role model for the team. She and Yami (Penaloza) are going against each other in the room and it’s making them both better.”

Sosa won a 9-5 decision in her semifinal match against fourth-seeded Isabella Chiovari of Hoffman Estates, and third-seeded Sangalge won by fall in her semifinal match against second-seeded Lillian Garrett of Maine West.

Garret went on to place third at 170, Chiovari was fourth, Oswego East’s Jessica Stover placed fifth, and Conant’s Lana Ton finished sixth.

190: Cailyn Platta, Fenton

The top-seeded sophomore went 14-6 in her injury-shortened freshman season and she’s glad to be back and healthy this year. Platta and second-seeded JD Quijano were locked in a 3-3 tie on the title mat at 190 in the waning seconds when a late escape by Platta gave her the 4-3 win and an individual title.

“I have no clue,” Platta said when asked how she earned the escape. “I probably just brought my hips back. It was tough. My conditioning is better this year and I have good practice partners, which helps out a lot in getting better with technique and how to defend stuff.”

Platta won by fall in her semifinal match against Lockport’s fourth-seeded Lydia Chrobak, while Quijano pinned No. 14 Jillian Bollard in their semifinal match.

Chrobak went on to place third at 190, Oak Park and River Forest’s Jaliyah Knighten was fourth, Larkin’s Kimberly Reyes placed fifth, and Saint Viator’s Jillian Bollard took sixth.

235: Anjali Gonzalez, Hoffman Estates

The junior Gonzalez went 25-11 at 190 as a state qualifier last year, and on Saturday she completed the Hawks’ quartet of top seeds to win individual titles in a win by fall on the title mat at 235, over second-seeded Jereni Marshall of Evanston.

Gonzalez won by fall in her semifinal match against fourth-seeded Eliana Garrett of Maine West, while Marshall won by fall in her semifinal against Fenton’s Ariana Solideo.

Solideo went on to place third at 235, Garret took fourth, Lockport’s Rebekah Ramirez was fifth, and Maine East’s Lyric Walton took sixth.

Niles West championship match results:

100: Kat Bell (Montini) MD 10-2 Mia Vazquez (Rickover)
105: Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake) D 11-6 Averi Colella (Lockport)
110: Avi Gonzalez (Lyons) F 1:23 Ashley Basmajan (Metea Valley)
115: Zoe Lee (New Trier) D 9-8 Uliana Shevtsova (Metea Valley)
120: Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook N) F 0:45 Nina Matthews (Addison Trail)
125: Nyah Lovis (Lane Tech) D 9-2 Giselle Castillo (Fenton)
130: Noelani Rodriguez (Waukegan) F 1:32 Emily Ortiz (Zion-Benton)
135: Emmylina O’Brien (Hoffman Estate) F 3:29 Jasmine Zavaleta (Conant)
140: Abby Ji (Hoffman Estates) F 4:00 Jillian Giller (New Trier)
145: Liriana Rakoci (Hoffman Estates) F 2:25 Mie Reyes (Larkin)
155: Yamile Penaloza (Fenton) F 3:42 Naomi Foote (Zion-Benton)
170: Sophia Sosa (Fenton) F 3:25 Sanskruti Sangalge (Metea Valley)
190: Cailyn Platta (Fenton) D 4-3 JD Quijano (Addison Trail)
235: Anjali Gonzalez (Hoffman Estates) F 1:08 Jereni Marshall (Evanston)

By Curt Herron – For the IWCOA

MINOOKA – After being involved in several historic moments for West Aurora girls wrestling, Brittney Moran and Ionicca Rivera are hoping that the program’s third season proves to be the charm, and based on their team’s debut on Wednesday, the 2023-24 campaign could be very memorable.

The Blackhawks opened the season for both girls and boys wrestlers on Wednesday by easily capturing top honors at the inaugural Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown, a tournament that featured 21 varsity teams in addition to 23 junior-varsity teams.

West Aurora won the championship in the varsity competition by a 194-114 margin over the hosts. Huntley took third place with 111.5 points while Hoffman Estates edged Geneseo 102-99 for fourth. Yorkville (91), Lockport Township (89), the District 230 co-op of Andrew, Carl Sandburg and Stagg (85), Plainfield Central (68), Morris (59), Ottawa Township (57), Curie (51) and Larkin (51), East Aurora (46), Glenbard North (46), Macomb (46) and Bolingbrook (45) were next.

The Blackhawks received titles from Kameyah Young (110) and Moran (190) and second-place showings from Janelly Gutierrez (100), Laolonie Molina (120) and Aiyanah Sylvester (125). Taking third place were Michelle Obasa (155) and Rivera (170) while Allina Williams (130) finished fourth and Giselle Marin-Carrasco (140) and Kymber Hall (145) both took sixth place. Luciana Dominguez (115) also competed in the varsity tournament for the champions. 

It was quite an improvement for the program, which placed eighth in two late-season invitationals last season, finishing 81 points behind East Aurora at Batavia and 151 points in back of Minooka at Oak Park and River Forest. 

Moran and Rivera have the distinction of reaching the title matches at the inaugural Illinois girls tournament at Normal Community in 2021 and later that season, Moran took sixth at 190 in the IHSA Finals while Rivera fell one win shy of placing at 170. But Rivera had some consolation since her sister, Dyani, reached the championship mat at 145 and placed second. And both took sixth at the 2023 finals, in the same weight classes that they competed in the first tournament. Young is a new addition, having competed at crosstown rival East Aurora for the past two seasons and she placed fourth at state at 100 in 2023.

In Blackhawks coach Charlie Graves’ view, the pair as well as other returnees, are largely responsible for increasing the program’s size from the three state qualifiers in 2022 to the 30 individuals who competed at both levels in Wednesday’s competition.

“We have 30-plus girls on the team, and I owe a lot to the girls who were returning, who did the recruiting for the team,” Graves said. “I think they enjoyed themselves last year and they really came together. It’s not about wins and losses, it’s about coming together and learning some mental and physical discipline and really having fun by learning how to win and learning how to lose.

“A lot of them are beginners, but if they come to practice ready to go, they can be pretty successful. Today was the first time that I saw so much support for one another. And it wasn’t just our team, it was everybody, and it’s very refreshing to see. It shows a lot of the sportsmanship that these girls have and they’re best friends, whether they get beat by pin or win by one. 

“I just want to make sure that they know how to win and how to lose and do it respectively. And also make sure that they appreciate the referees and the coaches that put in the time, and I think that that’s important.”

Hoffman Estates and Lockport Township also had two champions with Emmylina O’Brien (135) and Abby Ji (140) winning consecutive titles for the Hawks while the Porters received first-place finishes from Liz Ramirez (120) and Claudia Heeney (130).

Glenbard North’s Gabby Gomez (115), a two-time defending IHSA champion, and Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker (170), a 2023 IHSA title winner, were two of the other eight first-place finishers, who all received hats looking like turkeys for their accomplishment.

Beside Heeney, two others who have placed second at state, Curie’s Aaliyah Grandberry (235), a two-time IHSA runner-up at 235, and Yorkville’s Yamilet Aguirre (125), a 2023 IHSA finalist at 120, also captured titles. 

Huntley’s Janiah Slaughter (105), who took third at 100 in the 2023 IHSA Finals, and District 230’s Alyssa Keane (145), who placed third at 135 at last year’s IHSA Finals, also claimed first-place finishes. The other two champions were Geneseo’s Molly Snyder (100) and Minooka’s Abbey Boersma (155).

Leading the way in team points with 30 were Heeney, Ramirez and Tucker while Aguirre, Boersma, Gomez, Keane, Moran and O’Brien all had 28 points, Young had 27, Slaughter had 26.5 and Ji and Snyder each scored 26 team points.

Huntley had three second-place finishers, Taylor Casey (110), Aubrie Rohrbacher (130) and Jessica Olson (140). Taking second for Ottawa Township were Ava Weatherford (135) and Juliana Thrush (235) while Macomb got second-place finishes from Kelly Ladd (145) and Sifa Feruzi (170).

Others who took second place were Romeoville’s Josefina Orozco (105), Plainfield Central’s Courtni Chuway (115), East Aurora’s Jordan Smith (155) and District 230’s Janae Vargas (190).

Morris had three third-place finishers, Ella McDonnell (115), Ellie Evans (120) and Morgan Congo (190) while Minooka had two individuals who took third, Beth Castro (140) and Bella Cyrkiel (145).

Others who took third place were Curie’s Evelin Martinez (100), Romeoville’s Daniela Santander (105), Metea Valley’s Ashley Basmajian (110), Lockport Township’s Lucy Madrigal (125), Glenbard North’s Keagan Edwards (130), Seneca’s Sammie Griesen (135) and District 230’s Emma Akpan (235).

Here’s a breakdown of the champions and the weight classes

100 – Molly Snyder, Geneseo

Although Molly Snyder may be fairly new to wrestling, she has a good knowledge of the sport after watching her brother Jack compete for successful Geneseo teams and now is determined to see what she can accomplish.

The Maple Leafs freshman, who is in her second season of competition, claimed the title at 100 by recording a fall in 1:12 over West Aurora’s Janelly Gutierrez in the finals. She won all three of her matches with first-period falls and each of her wins was quicker than the previous one. She was the lone individual from coach Carley Rusk’s team to reach the title mat.

“It feels really good, being a freshman and in my second year of wrestling,” Snyder said. “I’ve learned a lot from all of my coaches. And we had over 20 girls so it’s growing a lot. I’m really excited for this year with all of the girls and I hope that some of us can go to state this year. My brother (Jack) wrestled all of his life and I’ve always watched him wrestling, and then I heard that they were starting a girls team. After wrestling for one year, it’s my favorite sport already. It feels great to step on the mat and to win.”

Gutierrez had first-minute falls in her first two matches before getting pinned in the finals. The third- and fifth-place matches also ended in the first period as Curie’s Evelin Martinez defeated Hoffman Estates’ Amari Gibson for third and Yorkville’s Kayleigh Shannon beat Minooka’s Kiley Adelmann for fifth place.

105 – Janiah Slaughter, Huntley

After enjoying a successful freshman season where she went 27-5 and took third place at 100 in the IHSA Finals to become Huntley’s first state medalist, Janiah Slaughter has a much bigger goal on her mind for 2023-24 and that’s becoming a state champion.

On a day when coach Gannon Kosowski’s Red Raiders advanced four individuals to the title mat, she was their lone champion. And Slaughter, who also plays football, took top honors at 105 in impressive fashion, capturing wins by technical fall in all three of her matches, collecting 80 match points and capping the event with a 26-9 victory over Romeoville’s Josefina Orozco.

“Last year I didn’t come for bronze, I came for gold and I fell short of my goal,” Slaughter said. “This year, I’m coming back after training all season and been doing two sports at once and I’ve been trying to reach my goal of being a state champ at 105. The family, the environment and the group that we have and the support that you get is unbelievable and it’s one of the reasons why I’m doing so good.”

Orozco, who was the lone finalist for coach John Arlis’ Spartans, won her first three matches by fall to reach the title mat. She was joined on the 105 awards stand by teammate Daniela Santander, who took third place with a pin over Yorkville’s Danielle Turner. Morris’ Maggie Gordon claimed fifth place with a 10-6 decision over Curie’s Giselle Arambula.

110 – Kameyah Young, West Aurora

Following a successful two years at East Aurora where she qualified for the first two IHSA finals and finished 32-4 after falling to Huntley’s Janiah Slaughter in the third-place match at 100 in 2023, Kameyah Young decided to compete for the Tomcats’ rival, West Aurora.

In her debut with the Blackhawks, the junior helped coach Charlie Graves’ team to top honors by 80 points over the hosts after becoming the first of her squad’s two champions, with Brittany Moran the other at 190. Following a win by major decision in her opener, she recorded two falls before rallying with two three-point near falls in the final period to win the 110 title 13-9 over Huntley’s Taylor Casey.

“I knew that I had to come back and that I had to step up my game,” Young said. “I feel like I’m working hard, especially with my cousin (Aiyanah Sylvester) and I wrestling together. East is still good, I just needed a change of scenery. It’s fun here, it’s different, but it’s nice.”

Casey, a senior who went 23-9 a year ago and made her second trip to state, was one of the Red Raiders’ four finalists and one of their two individuals that lost close decisions on the title mat. She won her first two matches by fall to advance to the finals. Metea Valley’s Ashley Basmajian took third place with a fall over Larkin’s Ashley Hammond and Lockport Township’s Averi Colella finished fifth after getting a pin over Hoffman Estates’ Gwendolynn Ridley.

115 – Gabby Gomez, Glenbard North

Following a successful offseason, Gabby Gomez sets her sights on accomplishing what three others, Angelina Cassioppi, Cadence Diduch and Sydney Perry, also seek to do this season, and that’s becoming the first three-time IHSA champions.

The Glenbard North junior, who went 33-0 last year to take first at 115 after going 12-0 and winning the title at 105 in 2022, continued her winning ways and was the lone champion for coach Chris Edwards’ Panthers after winning all four of her matches by technical fall, collecting 104 match points. Gomez claimed a 24-9 triumph over Plainfield Central’s Courtni Chuway in the 115 finals.

“This year we have a bigger team, so I have 15 girls on my team supporting me and I get to support them,” Gomez said. “Freshman year, I had nobody really cheering for me, and this year I have teammates so I’m helping them learn and they’re helping me to learn to teach them how to wrestle. This sport is really growing and I like to see the new competition because girls are getting better and they’re getting stronger and are getting faster, and I like that. Seeing a lot of these girls picking this as their first sport is crazy. Wrestling makes it feel like a community and a family and what I really like about the sport is that a lot of the girls are right on top of the mat and cheering, and you don’t see that with the guys. Illinois is really stepping up with the girls programs and hopefully in a couple of years it will be Freestyle. A lot of the girls in the finals went to Fargo, so they want that competition. Hopefully all of these girls will be on the National team again and we can bring some more Fargo titles home.”

Chuway, a senior who was a state qualifier who finished 15-9 a year ago, joined 170 champion Alicia Tucker as finalists for coach Terry Kubski’s Wildcats. She won her first two matches by fall before advancing to the title match with a 12-4 major decision. Morris senior Ella McDonnell, who went 33-13 and placed fourth at 110 in 2023 and also finished fourth at 105 in 2022 at the IHSA Finals, took third place with a first-period fall over Ottawa Township’s Kailee Lane. And Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores finished fifth after winning by technical fall over Metea Valley’s Uliana Shevtsova.

120 – Liz Ramirez, Lockport Township

A year ago, Liz Ramirez joined Claudia Heeney as the first two individuals from Lockport Township to win 30 or more matches as both made their state debuts. After seeing practice partner Heeney cap a 42-1 season with a runner-up finish at 125 in the IHSA Finals, Ramirez hopes to improve upon a 33-10 campaign and also become her school’s second state placewinner to cap her senior season.

The pair started off the current season on a good note as they both won titles for coach Nathaniel Roth’s squad, joining West Aurora and Hoffman Estates as the only teams with multiple champions. Ramirez took top honors at 120 after recording a fall in 3:11 over West Aurora’s Laolonie Molina. Ramirez, who’s in her third season in the sport, recorded three first-period falls, including two in less than a minute, to reach the title mat. That allowed her to tie 130 champion Heeney and the 170 title winner, Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker, with the most team points with 30.

“I just want to get better,” Ramirez said. “All summer I went to club and I went to offseason training just to get better. Now I have a bit more experience with takedowns because Freestyle is all takedowns and understanding that getting a good set up and a nice shot off. And working with my practice partners, like Claudia, is a big help. It’s huge, especially with her experience. Even at club, there weren’t a lot of girls so I had to work with guys and they had more experience than me so they told me what I could do better to improve. I really try to put in the effort, not miss practice and do work on the side. And I watch videos and that helps me to understand. (Being at Lockport) It does help because they are so knowledgeable. I can go to any one of the coaches, and even my teammates, and they’ll know.”

Molina, one of five finalists for coach Charlie Graves’ champion Blackhawks, reached the finals after recording two falls. Morris’ Ellie Evans pinned Bolingbrook’s Samara Hood to claim third place while Larkin’s Tina Ebrahimi won by fall over Romeoville’s Jesslynne Ochoa to finish in fifth place.

125 – Yamilet Aguirre, Yorkville

Yamilet Aguirre has been a part of a lot of history during her career at Yorkville. She joined teammate Natasha Markoutsis as one of the first champions at a girls-only invite at Normal Community in 2021 and then went 29-4 and took fourth at 115 at the inaugural IHSA Finals while her senior teammate Markoutsis won the 125 championship. 

After finishing 37-4 last season and placing second to Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi in the IHSA Finals at 120 to become the initial two-time medal winner and also the second state finalist for the Foxes, Aguirre hopes to close out her senior season in style. She’s off to an impressive start after recording three straight pins to capture the championship at 125 after recording a fall in 2:57 over West Aurora’s Aiyanah Sylverster in the title match, the top showing for coach Kevin Roth’s team during the competition.

“This is definitely super exciting,” Aguirre said. “I love seeing the sport grow more and a lot of tough girls are coming in, so it’s progressively getting harder. It’s definitely been a big jump from going from just two girls my first year to almost 20. It’s great to see and a lot of the girls are learning fast. I’m going to be a force to be reckoned with this year.”

Sylvester, who was one of five finalists and three second-place finishers for the champion Blackhawks, advanced to the title mat after recording three first-period falls. Lockport Township’s Lucy Madrigal claimed third place with a 6-1 decision over East Aurora’s Valentina Barboza while Geneseo’s Lydia King finished in fifth place after getting a pin over Minooka’s Kira Cailteux.

130 – Claudia Heeney, Lockport Township

Last season, Lockport Township freshman Claudia Heeney caught everyones’ attention after recording victories in her initial 42 matches to assure herself of becoming her school’s first medal winner before falling to Freeport’s Cadence Diduch in the championship match at 125 in the IHSA Finals in a showdown of unbeaten competitors. 

As Heeney embarks on her second season for coach Nathaniel Roth’s Porters, she hopes to again post an impressive record while taking the next step and capturing her first state title. The sophomore got off to a great start after recording a fall in 3:13 over Huntley’s Aubrie Rohrbacher in the 130 title match after winning her first three matches with first-period falls. Heeney joined teammate and 120 champion Liz Ramirez as well as Plainfield Central’s 170 title winner, Alicia Tucker, with a tournament-high 30 team points.

“I really do like the competition,” Heeney said. “We have a lot of good girls in Illinois and it certainly is fun to just go out there and get it. It’s very individualized, so everybody has their own accomplishments, and I think that’s what is beautiful about it, you have nobody else to depend on but yourself. (Lockport Township’s coaches) They do push the bar very high and they have high expectations. It’s really fun to be part of a program where everyone is pushing each other and everybody wants each other to do well. I definitely love the program. I feel like the difference between this year and last year is definitely numbers and the girls are getting a lot more talented. So it really is fun to see the sport grow.”

Rohrbacher, a sophomore who finished 30-7 last season and fell one win shy of earning a medal at 125 at the IHSA Finals, was one of four finalists and three runner-ups for coach Gannon Kosowski’s Red Raiders after winning by fall in her first two matches. Glenbard North’s Keagan Edwards took third place after recording a fall over West Aurora’s Allina Williams and Geneseo’s Bella Curcuru placed fifth after getting a pin over Metea Valley’s Isabel Rangel.

135 – Emmylina O’Brien, Hoffman Estates

Emmylina O’Brien hopes that the third time’s the charm as the Hoffman Estates senior looks to place at the IHSA Finals for the first time in 2024 after going 29-9 last season and 17-5 the year before, qualifying for appearances in the IHSA Finals on both occasions.

O’Brien captured top honors at 135 and teammate Abby Ji followed with a title at 140, making coach Leo Clark’s Hawks one of three teams in the invite with two champions, joining West Aurora and Lockport Township in that regard. O’Brien recorded a fall in 1:19 over Ottawa Township’s Ava Weatherford on the title mat, her third opening-period pin in her three matches.

“I would love to step foot on that (the awards stand) since just being a state qualifier is not enough any more,” O’Brien said. “I crave more and I’ve got to get more. Things have progressed fast, amazingly and beautifully, but it took so much work. I started off wrestling boys with no girls on the team, especially when COVID-19 was big. So to see this all happen and me and (Abby Ji) were qualifiers in the inaugural state tournament. It’s been very emotional, but also amazing. It went from us being a little girls team with the boys program and now we’re trying to expand it. We’re our own girls team now. We’ve had a state placer, Sophia Ball, and she is definitely supposed to come back.”

Weatherford, the first of two Pirates to reach the title mat, recorded two first-period falls to advance to the finals. Seneca sophomore Sammie Griesen, who went 24-15 and fell one win shy of a medal at 130 last season at state, claimed third place with a fall over Geneseo’s Grace Schilling. And Minooka’s Eva Beck took fifth place after recording a pin over Plainfield Central’s Miah Banda.

140 – Abby Ji, Hoffman Estates

Following in the footsteps of her teammate Emmylina O’Brien, who took top honors at 135, Abby Ji claimed the championship at 140 to give the Hawks two title winners, a feat that was only achieved by champion West Aurora and by Lockport Township. The Hawks junior hung on to capture a 4-3 victory over Huntley’s Jessica Olson in the 140 championship match.

Ji, who went 33-8 and fell one win shy of a medal at 130 in the 2023 IHSA Finals and also qualified for state in 2022 when she went 18-6, recorded two first-period falls to earn her spot on the title mat, which was the closest of the three championships determined by decisions.

“I started off at a good time in my freshman year since we had a team that was strong,” Ji said. “We had a lot of people who were just starting out that year so it’s really nice seeing them joining me and then growing to where we are now and what we are. Now we’re to the point where we don’t want to be just a program any more, we want to be an actual team, and that’s what we’re working toward, and I’m glad to be a part of the working steps to it. Our new girls look up to us older girls and we’re glad that we can set the example for them. We set the bar in practice and they watch us in practice and they follow our lead. So we’re glad that we can build a strong team.”

Olson, one of four finalists for Huntley, had first-period falls in her first match and in the semifinals and also captured a 5-3 decision in the quarterfinals over Bolingbrook’s Katie Ramirez-Quintero. In the third-place match, Minooka’s Beth Castro won by fall over District 230’s Lana Shuaibi. And senior Ramirez-Quintero, who went 17-3 a year ago and qualified for state and 13-5 in 2022 when she finished  sixth at 130 in the IHSA Finals to become the Raiders’ first medal winner, claimed fifth with a fall over West Aurora’s Giselle Marin-Carrasco.

145 – Alyssa Keane, District 230 (Andrew)

At the 2023 IHSA Finals, Alyssa Keane and Kelly Ladd met in the consolation semifinals at 135 to see who would advance to the third-place match and who would compete for fifth. The two met again in the 145 finals and just as was the case in Bloomington, District 230 (Andrew/Carl Sandburg/Stagg) co-op’s Keane defeated Macomb’s Ladd, but this time it was not by fall but instead a 6-2 decision.

Keane, a junior at Andrew, went 32-5 and placed third at state while Ladd, also a junior, wound up taking sixth place and finished with a 32-8 record. Keane is the highest of three placewinners for District 230 at state while Ladd became her school’s first medal winner. Both also qualified for state in 2022. Keane, the lone champion for the co-op team and one of two finalists, reached the title mat with three falls.

“I went to Nationals for preseason and I was kind of a little rusty, but after those practices, I’ve just come back and built everything back up,” Keane said. “We have a lot bigger team with around 30 girls. And a lot of the girls haven’t been quitting, so we keep adding up after last year when we did decrease a little bit. I feel like I’ve improved a lot, especially this past week. I can definitely wrestle differently in just a matter of a week and just come back and be on top.”

Ladd, who was one two Bombers to reach the finals, also recorded three falls to advance to the title mat. Minooka senior Bella Cyrkiel, who went 28-9 and was a state qualifier last season, took third after recording a fall over Yorkville’s Brooke Coy. And in the fifth-place match, Geneseo senior Gia Ritter, who also was a state qualifier in 2023, claimed a forfeit win over West Aurora’s Kymber Hall.

155 – Abbey Boersma, Minooka

Abbey Boersma made sure that the host school wouldn’t be shut out of an individual champion in the inaugural Thanksgiving Throwdown that they hosted when she recorded a fall in 1:13 over East Aurora’s Jordan Young in the 155 finals.

Although coach Paige Schoolman’s Indians claimed a second-place finish to West Aurora in not only their first tournament but also the initial invitational in girls or boys wrestling in Illinois this season, they only had one individual who advanced to the finals, senior Boersma, who won all three of her matches with pins in the opening period.

“There were a lot of good competitors here and it was exciting to see it was hosted at my own school,” Boersma said. “It’s exciting for me to start off the season this way because I feel like I’m starting off on a good note. There was a lot of good competition here. I’m very excited for the rest of the season because my teammates performed really good, as well.”

Young, who was the lone finalist for coach Ryan Mick’s Tomcats, recorded three falls to reach the title mat. In the third-place match, West Aurora’s Michelle Obasa won by fall over Huntley’s Grecia Garcia. And Yorkville’s Joanna Okunnu claimed fifth place with a pin over Curie’s Daiana Lopez.

170 – Alicia Tucker, Plainfield Central

Alicia Tucker, who joined Gabby Gomez as one of two defending state champions at the inaugural Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown, turned in a dominating performance as did the Glenbard North junior earlier in the finals which she completed with a win by fall in 2:20 over Macomb’s Sifa Feruzi in the 170 championship match.

Tucker, who capped a 34-2 season in 2022-23 with a 3-1 decision over Moline’s Maryam Ndiaye in the 155 championship match in her inaugural state appearance to also become her school’s first state medal winner, recorded falls in all four of her matches. The junior was the lone champion for coach Terry Kubski’s Wildcats and one of their two finalists. Tucker finished with 30 team points, which tied her with Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney and Liz Ramirez for the highest totals in that category for the competition.

“I was the first girls state champion at my high school,” Tucker said. “And just throughout the summer, I competed in various tournaments and placed high in those, so I think going to both Folkstyle and Freestyle really helped me for this season. My high school team is growing every year. We had about six or seven and now we have a full team with 10.”

Feruzi, one of two finalists for coach Luke Ladd’s Bombers, recorded two falls to reach the title mat. West Aurora senior Ionicca Rivera, who went 27-7 and took sixth place at 170 in last year’s IHSA Finals and was 20-8 and fell one win shy of a state medal at 170 in 2022, bounced back from her semifinals loss to Tucker to finish third with a fall over Yorkville’s Janiah Murray, her third of the day. Hoffman Estates’ Isabella Chiovari pinned Minooka’s Mia Lemburg to take fifth.

190 – Brittney Moran, West Aurora

Following a sixth-place finish at 190 to cap a 28-5 campaign in 2023 and another sixth-place showing at 190 in the 2022 IHSA Finals to complete a 12-5 debut, Brittney Moran clearly wants to move closer to the top of the awards stand this season. But the West Aurora junior also would like to be a member of a successful team, and she and some of her teammates did something about that and the dividends are clearly already beginning to pay off for them.

Thanks to a push for more team members, West Aurora has gone from three individuals competing in the 2022 sectional to over 30 athletes this season. Coach Charlie Graves’ Blackhawks kicked off the season in impressive fashion by capturing the championship at the Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown by 80 points over the hosts and Moran was one of its two champions and five finalists. She joined new teammate Kameyah Young as a title winner after recording a  fall in 1:43 over District 230’s Janae Vargas to cap a day where she won all three of her matches with first-period falls to capture the 190 championship.

“I’m really proud of all of the girls that came out,” Moran said. “We have over 30 girls, which we did not expect, and they’ve actually turned this all around. We’re supporting each other mentally and physically and we’re teaching the new varsity girls to be better. We have some girls who are in their first year and they got third place in their first tournament, which is amazing. I feel like us being a leader for the varsity team is just expected. If you see us during practice or after school, we all just push each other.”

Vargas was one of two finalists for District 230, which consists of athletes from Andrew, Carl Sandburg and Stagg. The senior, who went 17-7 last season and fell one win shy of qualifying from the rugged Schaumburg Sectional, advanced to the title mat with three pins in the opening period. Morris’ Morgan Congo edged Larkin’s Kimberly Reyes by a 5-4 decision to capture third place while Geneseo’s AJ Juarez took fifth with a fall over Plainfield Central’s Zyon Jordan.

235 – Aaliyah Grandberry, Curie 

After falling twice in 235 championship matches at the IHSA Finals to Belleville East’s Kiara Ganey, Aaliyah Grandberry has high expectations for her senior season and will be very disappointed if she doesn’t capture a state title to close out her successful high school career. In the process, the standout from Curie hopes to not only become the first state champion from any Chicago school but also the first three-time medalist from one of the Chicago Public Schools.

Grandberry, who went 24-1 last season and suffered her lone loss in the state finals after going 11-1 and doing the same thing in 2022, only had to wrestle two matches to claim the 235 title at the Thanksgiving Throwdown, becoming the lone member of coach Yahya Muhammad’s Condors to win a title and be a finalist. The two individuals she faced also finished in the top eight at state in 2023. She beat Ottawa Township’s Juliana Thrush by fall in 1:01 for the title after capturing an 8-2 semifinals decision over District 230’s Emma Akpan.

“This past summer I’ve been working really hard,” Grandberry said. “I’ve been going to different tournaments. I went to Fargo and I placed fifth. So every bit of training and every tournament, win or lose, I’m going to still keep pushing. We’re (her and Kiara Ganey) like really good friends now, ever since we went to Fargo, we had an automatic bond, regardless of what happened in competition. I’m so happy that there’s been so much growth, especially at my school. We almost have a full lineup of girls and they’re working hard. It’s just so good to see how much the sport has grown because now we’re here until 6:00, like the boys.”

Thrush, who concluded a 20-12 freshman season by losing to Akpan in the third round of the consolation bracket at 235 last year at state, joined teammate Ava Weatherford as finalists for coach Peter Marx’s Pirates. She recorded falls in her first two matches to earn her spot on the title mat. Akpan, a junior who placed sixth at 235 a year ago to cap a 21-8 campaign, claimed third place after capturing a 6-4 decision over Minooka senior Peyton Kueltzo, a two-time state qualifier who went 26-13 a year ago. And in the fifth-place match, Hoffman Estates junior Anjali Gonzalez, who also was a state qualifier who finished 25-11 a year ago, won by fall over another Ottawa Township competitor, Shelby Rank.

Lockport Township wins Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown J-V title

Lockport Township edged host Minooka 157.5-148 to claim the junior-varsity title at the Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown on Wednesday. District 230 co-op (Andrew, Carl Sandburg, Stagg) placed third with 141 points, Macomb (114) was fourth, West Aurora (86) took fifth and Geneseo (86) claimed sixth place.

Winning championships for coach Nathaniel Roth’s first-place Porters were Veronica Skibicki (110), Lizzy Rock (120), Kyleigh Green (125), Lydia Chrobak (190) and Rebekah Ramirez (235+).

District 230 received title wins from Tatum De La Vega (105) and Mackenzie Conry (135), champions for East Aurora were Jazmin Vera (140) and Noreidy Ruiz (170) and Macomb got first-place finishes from Makela Mwangong (155) and Avery Lundgren (235). Other title winners were Yorkville’s Analiese Garretson (100), Minooka’s Ava Staley (115), Peotone’s Annie Bergeron (130) and Geneseo’s Lauren Piquard (145).

Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown team standings

1. West Aurora (194), 2. Minooka (114); 3. Huntley (111.5); 4. Hoffman Estates (102); 5. Geneseo (99); 6. Yorkville (91); 7. Lockport Township (89); 8. District 230 (85); 9. Plainfield Central (68); 10. Morris (59); 11. Ottawa Township (57); 12. Curie (51); 12. Larkin (51); 14. East Aurora (46); 14. Glenbard North (46); 14. Macomb (46); 17. Bolingbrook (45); 18. Metea Valley (41); 19. Romeoville (34); 20. Seneca (19); 21. Plainfield East (0).

Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown championship matches

100 – Molly Snyder (Geneseo) over Janelly Gutierrez (West Aurora), F 1:12

105 – Janiah Slaughter (Huntley) over Josefina Orozco (Romeoville), TF 26-9

110 – Kameyah Young (West Aurora) over Taylor Casey (Huntley), D 13-9

115 – Gabby Gomez (Glenbard North) over Courtni Chuway (Plainfield Central), TF 24-9

120 – Liz Ramirez (Lockport Township) over Laolonie Molina (West Aurora), F 3:11

125 – Yamilet Aguirre (Yorkville) over Aiyanah Sylvester (West Aurora), F 2:57

130 – Claudia Heeney (Lockport Township) over Aubrie Rohrbacher (Huntley), F 3:13

135 – Emmylina O’Brien (Hoffman Estates) over Ava Weatherford (Ottawa Township), F 1:19

140 – Abby Ji (Hoffman Estates) over Jessica Olson (Huntley), D 4-3

145 – Alyssa Keane (District 230) over Kelly Ladd (Macomb), D 6-2

155 – Abbey Boersma (Minooka) over Jordan Smith (East Aurora), F 1:13

170 – Alicia Tucker (Plainfield Central) over Sifa Feruzi (Macomb), F 2:20

190 – Brittney Moran (West Aurora) over Janae Vargas (District 230), F 1:43

235 – Aaliyah Grandberry (Curie) over Juliana Thrush (Ottawa Township), F 1:01

Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown third-place matches

100 – Evelin Martinez (Curie) over Amari Gibson (Hoffman Estates), F 1:41

105 – Daniela Santander (Romeoville) over Danielle Turner (Yorkville), F 3:06

110 – Ashley Basmajian (Metea Valley) over Ashley Hammond (Larkin), F 1:24

115 – Ella McDonnell (Morris) over Kailee Lane (Ottawa Township), F 0:38

120 – Ellie Evans (Morris) over Samara Hood (Bolingbrook), F 4:18

125 – Lucy Madrigal (Lockport Township) over Valentina Barboza (East Aurora), D 6-1

130 – Keagan Edwards (Glenbard North) over Allina Williams (West Aurora), F 1:42

135 – Sammie Griesen (Seneca) over Grace Schilling (Geneseo), F 1:24

140 – Beth Castro (Minooka) over Lana Shuaibi (District 230), F 0:48

145 – Bella Cyrkiel (Minooka) over Brooke Coy (Yorkville), F 3:43

155 – Michelle Obasa (West Aurora) over Grecia Garcia (Huntley), F 2:12

170 – Ionicca Rivera (West Aurora) over Janiah Murray (Yorkville), F 1:04

190 – Morgan Congo (Morris) over Kimberly Reyes (Larkin), D 5-4

235 – Emma Akpan (District 230) over Peyton Kueltzo (Minooka), D 6-4

Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown fifth-place matches

100 – Kayleigh Shannon (Yorkville) over Kiley Adelmann (Minooka), F 0:50

105 – Maggie Gordon (Morris) over Giselle Arambula (Curie), D 10-6

110 – Averi Colella (Lockport Township) over Gwendolynn Ridley (Hoffman Estates), F 2:17

115 – Alejandra Flores (Bolingbrook) over Uliana Shevtsova (Metea Valley), TF 15-0

120 – Tina Ebrahimi (Larkin) over Jesslynne Ochoa (Romeoville), F 2:55

125 – Lydia King (Geneseo) over Kira Cailteux (Minooka), F 1:47

130 – Bella Curcuru (Geneseo) over Isabel Rangel (Metea Valley), F 0:26

135 – Eva Beck (Minooka) over Miah Banda (Plainfield Central), F 3:57

140 – Katie Ramirez-Quintero (Bolingbrook) over Giselle Marin-Carrasco (West Aurora), F 3:24

145 – Gia Ritter (Geneseo) over Kymber Hall (West Aurora), FF

155 – Joanna Okunnu (Yorkville) over Daiana Lopez (Curie), F 0:44

170 – Isabella Chiovari (Hoffman Estates) over Mia Lemburg (Minooka), F 1:29

190 – AJ Juarez (Geneseo) over Zyon Jordan (Plainfield Central), F 2:36

235 – Anjali Gonzalez (Hoffman Estates) over Shelby Rank (Ottawa Township), F 0:50

By Gary Larsen

Lakes Sandy Gussarson Invitational

Phoenix Military Academy of Chicago launched its program with a handful of girls that were young but tough.

Those girls have come a long way.

“This is a scrappy team, founded by four sophomores and a tough freshman last year,” Firebirds coach Daniel Curtin said. “Those girls have moved into a leadership role and drafted an entire team of tough freshmen and sophomores. It’s a homegrown operation.”

With six wrestlers finishing in the top four of their weight classes, the school of roughly 550 students won this year’s 25-team Sandy Gussarson Invitational, edging out second-place Lincoln-Way Central, 295-276.
Host Lakes (251) placed third, followed by Oak Forest (249), and Lake Park (239.5) in rounding out the top five team finishes.

“Today was a David versus twenty-four Goliaths moment,” Curtin said. I can’t tell you how impressed by and proud of this team I am. And they are all back next year.”

The Firebirds were led on the awards stand by second-place individual finishers Marisol Castro-Duran (120) and AJ Grant (155). Curtin got thirds from Diana Lopez (120) and America Cabrerra (170), fourths from Jocelyn Quiroz (135) and Giselle Villareal (140), and a seventh from Miles Gonzalez (100).

Second-place Lincoln-Way Central’s Gracie Guarino (120) was a state runner-up at 110 last year and won an individual title to lead the Knights, who also got fourths from Yasmine Ejaidi (125), Riley Cooney (130), and Elia Giertuga (145), a fifth from Monica Alvares (100), and a sixth from Elia Downing (115).
Third-place host Lakes led the field with four individual champions in Zaryia Mouzon (105), Haven Sylves (115), Olivia Heft (125), and Josephine Larson (235).

Dundee-Crown’s Diamond Rodriguez won the individual title at 100 pounds and finished as the wrestler with the most pins in the least amount of time. Rodriguez had five pins in a combined total of 1:30 spent on the mat, and she tied with individual champ Isabel Peralta (190) of Oak Forest for the most team points scored by any wrestler, with 52. The 56 match points scored by Phoenix’s Diana Lopez (120) led the field, followed by the 55 match points scored by individual champion Ruby Gavina (130) of Dundee-Crown. Lopez also posted the fastest tech fall time of 1:54

Also notable: the largest seed-place difference provided came from Grayslake North’s Jacqueline Cordova-Marquina. Cordova-Marquina was seed No. 21 and finished fourth at 155 pounds.

Other champions included a state runner-up last year in Oak Forest’s Alexandra Sebek (110), Oak Forest’s Iyobosa Odiase (140), a state champion last year at 125 in Freeport’s Cadence Diduch (135), Harvard’s Ithandehui Rosas (145), Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr (155), and Burlington Central’s Ryann Miller (170).
Second-place finishers included Shepard’s Danialla Almazan (100), Wilmont-Union’s Greta Rzonca (105), Dundee-Crown’s Iris Torres (110), Burlington Central’s Ruby Vences (115), Lake Park’s Valeria Malinowski (130) and Christina Hasner (140), Prospect’s Viola Pianetto (135), Rolling Meadows’ Muneeba Butt (145), Grant’s Riley O’Grady (170), Grayslake North’s Jeniah Robinson (190), and Oak Forest’s Jessica Komolafe (235).

Also placing third at Lakes were Freeport’s Aurielle Calmese (100), Shepard’s Sofia Perez (105) and Stacey Massey (135), Harvard’s Alexa Herrera (110), Hillcrest’s India Long (115), Peotone’s Shannon Bennett (125), Woodstock’s Danica LaTessa (130), Oak Forest’s Madelyn Sears (140), Oswego’s Makayla Hill (145), Burlington Central’s Jada Hall (155), Rolling Meadows’ Leilani Brindis (190), and Prospect’s Vivian Kowalczyk (235).

Fourth-placers included Oak Forest’s Aliyah Blount (100), Dundee-Crown’s Leslie Figueroa (105), Lake Park’s Laurie Cando (110), Lakes’ Osmari Medina (115), Grant’s Myla Reyes (120), Lincoln-Way Central’s Yasmine Ejaidi (125), Riley Cooney (130), and Ella Giertuga (145), Grayslake North’s Jacqueline Cordova-Marquina (155), Rolling Meadows’ Janet Brindis (170), and Shepard’s Breanna Robinson (190) and Quadalupe Arreola (235).

Lakes Sandy Gussarson Invitational championship matches:

100: Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) F 0:10 Danialla Almazan (Shepard)
105: Zaryia Mouzon (Lakes) F 2:15 Greta Rzonca (Wilmont-Union)
110: Alexandra Sebek (Oak Forest) F 3:17 Iris Torres (Dundee-Crown)
115: Haven Sylves (Lakes) D 14-8 Ruby Vences (Burlington Central)
120: Gracie Guarino (Lincoln-Way C) F 1:17 Marisol Castro-Duran (Phoenix)
125: Olivia Heft (Lakes) F 3:47 Mia Thomas (Phoenix)
130: Ruby Gavina (Dundee-Crown) F 5:55 Valeria Malinowski (Lake Park)
135: Cadence Diduch (Freeport) F 1:28 Viola Pianetto (Prospect)
140: Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest) F 1:07 Christina Hasner (Lakes)
145: Ithandehu Rosas (Harvard) F 1:25 Muneeba Butt (Rolling Meadows)
155: Callie Carr (Hinsdale S) D 7-6 AJ Grant (Phoenix)
170: Ryann Miller (Burlington Central) F 0:25 Riley O’Grady (Grant)
190: Isabella Peralta (Oak Forest) F 3:51 Jeniah Robinson (Grayslake N)
235: Josephine Larson (Lakes) F 1:22 Jessica Komolafe (Oak Forest)

Rockford East Girls Invitational

Geneseo took top honors at this year’s 22-team Rockford East Girls Invitational on Saturday, out-pointing second-place Wheeling 142-106. Richmond-Burton (99) placed third, followed by Palatine (73) and Thornton (72) to round out the top five team finishes.

Geneseo coach Carley Rusk got an individual title from Molly Snyder at 105 to lead the Maple Leafs, while Grace Schilling (135), Reagan Bopes (140), and Gia Ritter (145) all reached the title mat and placed second.

Snyder also posted four pins in 4:48 to lead the entire field in the most pins in the least amount of time.
Geneseo got thirds from Lydia King (125) and Bella Curcuru (130), and fourths from Emily Bopes (130) and Brooke Shollenderger (145) to help lead the way.

Second-place Wheeling got an individual title from Jasmine Rene (190), who placed fourth in Illinois at 190 last year. Wheeling also got seconds from Elise Burkut (130) and Madeline Chicas (170), and thirds from Isabella Gomez (115) and Valeria Avalos (140).

Third-place Richmond-Burton was led by individual champ Jasmine McCaskel (145), who placed fourth in state at 145 last season.

Other individual champs in Rockford included a pair of returning state champions in Glenbard North’s Gabby Gomez (115) and Boylan’s Netavia Wickson (140). Gomez won the state crown at 115 last year and Wickson won her title at 135.

Gomez’s three tech fall wins in 11:25 were the most tech falls in the least time by any wrestler in the field; her 31 points in a single match also led the field; and her 88 total match points were the most scored, followed by Wickson with 50 match points scored. Wickson also posted the quickest tech fall time at 2:00.
Fremd’s Lloyd Kowalczyk (135) scored 30 team points to lead all wrestlers present, and Rockford East’s Gisselle Garcia posted the largest seed-place difference. Garcia placed fourth at 155 after being seeded 15th in the field.

Other individual champions in Rockford were Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth (110), Sandwich’s Ashlyn Strenz (120), Thornton’s Destiny Bright (125) and Jalah Wilson (130),, Rochelle’s Dempsey Atkinson (155), Palatine’s Sabrina Cargill (170), and Harlem’s Savannah Schutt (235).

Individuals placing second included Sandwich’s Norah Vick (105), Richmond-Burton’s Isabella Nelson (110) and Julienna Beese (155), Geneva’s Rebecca DiSilvestro (115), Grayslake Central’s Gianna Arzer (120), Rochelle’s Cammyla Macias (125), Crystal Lake South’s Kayla Hodfield (190), and Thornton’s Sionna Stampley.

Finishing third in Rockford were Geneva’s Kayla Hassell (105) and Delaney Cunningham (120), LaSalle-Peru’s Sarah Lowery (110), Fremd’s Kandice Wallace (135), Palatine’s Karimot Lawal (145) and Jazz Ocampo (190), Riverside-Brookfield’s Estefany Bejarano (155), Richmond-Burton’s Sandra Teren Reyes, and Jefferson’s Kylie Eilken (235).

Placing fourth were Wheeling’s Yazmine Gomez (105) and Jocelyn Juarez (120), Rockford East’s Tha Ru (110), Richmond-Burton’s Savannah Wells (115) and Alana Echevarria (125), Rochelle’s Paris Washington (135), Prairie Ridge’s Angela Thrush (140), Palatine’s Angela Escalera (170) and Aiva Wikar (190), and Glenbard North’s Malachi Evans (235)

Rockford East Girls Invitational championship matches:

105: Molly Snyder (Geneseo) F 1:47 Norah Vick (Sandwich)
110: Annalee Aarseth (CL South) D 7-0 Isabella Nelson (R-Burton)
115: Gabby Gomez (Glenbard N) TF 4:17 Rebecca DiSilvestro (Geneva)
120: Ashlyn Strenz (Sandwich) F 5:47 Gianna Arzer (Grayslake C)
125: Destiny Bright (Thornton) F 1:24 Cammyla Macias (Rochelle)
130: Jalah Wilson (Thornton) D 14-7 Elise Burkut (Wheeling)
135: Lloyd Kowalczyk (Fremd) F 3:08 Grace Schilling (Geneseo)
140: Netavia Wickson (Boylan) F 1:31 Reagan Bopes (Geneseo)
145: Jasmine McCaskel (R-Burton) F 3:33 Gia Ritter (Geneseo)
155: Dempsey Atkinson (Rochelle) F 0:57 Julienna Beese (R-Burton)
170: Sabrina Cargill (Palatine) F 1:43 Madeline Chicas (Wheeling)
190: Jasmine Rene (Wheeling) D 8-2 Kayla Hodfield (CL South)
235: Savannah Schutt (Harlem) F 1:09 Sionna Stampley (Thornton)