Posts by Mick Torres

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

ICE CONFERENCE

Coal City dominated the 8-team field at this year’s ICE Conference Championships, as the Coalers sent all 14 wrestlers into the finals, and got nine individual conference champions and five runners-up in Wilmington.

Coal City topped second-place Reed-Custer 260.5-162.5, with Peotone (68) placing third followed by Lisle (64), Manteno (54), host Wilmington (52.5), Herscher (50.5) and Streator (31.5).

Coach Mark Masters got individual titles from returning state medalist Owen Petersen (113), Culan Lindemuth (120), Luke Munsterman (132), Aidan Kenney (144), Mason Garner (157), Brock Finch (165), returning state champion Landin Benson (175), John Keigher (215) and Alec Waliczek (285).

The Coalers also got seconds from Jason Piatak (106), state medalist Cooper Morris (126), Roberto Rodriguez (138), Noah Houston (150) and Cade Poyner (190).

“It was nice to get all fourteen guys into the finals,” Masters said. “We will see all of these teams again in two weeks so hopefully we can make some adjustments, get and stay healthy, and peak in the coming weeks.”

Reed-Custer was led by individual champions Colton Drinkwine (106) and Jeremy Eggleston (138), and second-placers Cole Harris (113), Kaeden Wood (120), Aiden Shultz (165), Nathan Vogler (175) and Dominic Alaimo (215). The Comets also went a perfect five-for-five on the third-place mat for coach Yale Davis, thanks to wins from Jayden Sanchez (126), Tanner Gullquist (132), Reed Newbrough (157), Will Garcia (190) and Christian Mounts (285).

Third-place Peotone got an individual title from Connor Pasch (150), a second from Laith Abunijmeh (157), thirds from Blake Anderson (120) and Dalton Sala (144) and a fourth-place finish from Marcus Baker (175).

Individual champions:
Lisle’s Alexander Ferrari (126) and Wilmington’s Logan VanDuyne (190) also won individual ICE titles.

Notable finals matches:
Coal City’s Aidan Kenney won a 4-3 decision for the title at 144 against Lisle’s Johnny Consuegra-Lopez, and Lisle’s Alexander Ferrari won a tight battle at 126, earning a 4-2 decision against Coal City’s Cooper Morris. 

Team scores:
Coal City 260.5, Reed-Custer 162.5, Peotone 68, Lisle 64, Manteno 54, Wilmington 52.5, Herscher 50.5, Streator 31.5

ICE tournament results:

106 

1st: Colton Drinkwine (Reed-Custer) 35-4, d. Jason Piatak (Coal City) 25-12,  (D 8-1)

3rd: Sebastian Lara (Lisle) 20-11, d. Carter Webber (Manteno) 14-14,  (F 2:57)

113

1st: Owen Petersen (Coal City) 31-2, d. Cole Harris (Reed-Custer) 26-11,  (F 1:14)

120

1st: Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) 26-9, d. Kaaden Wood (Reed-Custer) 27-9,  (F 0:25)

3rd: Blake Anderson (Peotone) 25-14, d. Kaden Shroyer (Herscher) 18-10,  (F 3:46)

126

1st: Alexander Ferari (Lisle) 25-5, d. Cooper Morris (Coal City) 29-4,  (D 4-2)

3rd: Jayden Sanchez (Reed-Custer) 29-9, d. Everett Osenga (Herscher) 10-4,  (MD 16-5)

132

1st: Luke Munsterman (Coal City) 28-10, d. Oakley Rivera (Wilmington) 18-11, . (MD 12-2)

3rd: Tanner Gullquist (Reed-Custer) 11-20, d. Garritt Benstine (Streator.) 27-17,  (Inj. 2:59)

138

1st: Jeremy Eggleston (Reed-Custer) 35-1, d. Roberto Rodriguez (Coal City) 21-4,  (F 5:23)

3rd: Brady Anders (Manteno) 16-17, d. Jack Taylor (Lisle) 14-14,  (TF-1.5 4:42 (16-1)

144

1st: Aidan Kenney (Coal City) 27-9, d. Johnny Consuegra-Lopez (Lisle) 19-8,  (D 4-3)

3rd: Dalton Sala (Peotone) 11-17, d. Aiden Morenberg (Wilmington) 3-5, . (F 4:24)

150

1st: Connor Pasch (Peotone) 26-8, d. Noah Houston (Coal City) 21-9,  (D 6-3)

3rd: Jacob Aalrust (Lisle) 5-9, d. Cayden Budimir (Manteno) 13-14,  (F 1:14)

157

1st: Mason Garner (Coal City) 24-5, d. Laith Abunijmeh (Peotone) 14-11,  (F 0:56)

3rd: Reed Newbrough (Reed-Custer) 21-14, d. Lucas Hetman (Manteno) 10-12,  (MD 20-11)

165

1st: Brock Finch (Coal City) 23-6, d. Aiden Shultz (Reed-Custer) 23-12,  (F 2:59)

3rd: Brayden Crews (Herscher) 13-7, d. Connor Harrod (Manteno) 2-18,  (F 2:16)

175

1st: Landin Benson (Coal City) 28-2, d. Nathan Vogler (Reed-Custer) 26-10,  (F 0:30)

3rd: Braidon Linnabury (Herscher) 15-8, d. Marcus Baker (Peotone) 6-16,  (F 4:51)

190

1st: Logan VanDuyne (Wilmington) 31-4, .d. Cade Poyner (Coal City) 24-4,  (F 3:59)

3rd: Will Garcia (Reed-Custer) 10-8, d. Franklin Jordan (Manteno) 11-15,  (F 7:00)

215

1st: John Keigher (Coal City) 22-1, d. Dominic Alaimo (Reed-Custer) 33-4,  (D 13-7)

3rd: Aydan Radke (Streator.) 24-14, d. Carter Nunley (Manteno) 9-19,  (F 3:41)

285

1st: Alec Waliczek (Coal City) 14-4, d. Matthew Stone (Herscher) 15-9,  (F 1:05)

3rd: Christian Mounts (Reed-Custer) 11-22, d. Adam Westerhold (Streator.) 6-14,  (D 4-1)

BIG 12 CONFERENCE

Eight individual Big 12 champions led the pack for Normal Community, as coach Trevor Kaufman’s boys snared this year’s conference crown.

The Ironmen won the tournament with 225 points. Richwoods (152) placed second, followed by Peoria Notre Dame (105), Bloomington (81) and Champaign Central (67) to round out the top five in the 11-team field.

“I thought all of our kids wrestled tough today and we showed our strength of schedule and depth that we have in our program,” Kaufman said. “We also won the JV side of the tournament by 148 points so we were dominant at all levels.”

Normal Community got individual varsity titles from Jackson Soney (106), returning state medalist and top-ranked Caden Correll (113), Mason Soney (120), Cole Gentsch (126), Gavin Capodice (150), Victor Reyes (165), Jaren Frankowiak (175) and Cole Kretsinger (190). Luke Eganhouse (144) and Mason Caraway (215) placed second and Normal Community got thirds from Brayden Manning (132) and Ethan Cavallo (138), and a fourth from Justin Curtis (285).

“We had a few kids capture their first tournament of the year and we always love to give them some love,” Kaufman said of first-timers Mason Soney, Capodice, Reyes, Frankowiak, and Kretsinger.  

“It’s our last tournament until regionals and it’s always awesome to see guys wrestling their best at the end.  We have one more dual and then are ready to prep for regionals in a couple weeks.”

Second-place Richwoods had two conference champions in Rikyis Doss (144) and Shaun Anderson (285), plus second-place finishes from Wensley Rahn (106), Gabe Robb (138), Christopher Harris (150), Alex Martinez (157), Phoenix Wombacher (165) and Gabe Martinez (175), and fourths from Benjamin Owen (113) and Austin Webb (215).

Third-place Peoria Notre Dame got an individual title from state medalist Ian Akers (132), a second from Brady Mullens (285), thirds from Josh Stedwill (113), Remi Joesting (126), Sie Couri (165) and Joe Culp (215), and fourths from John Couri (157) and Bobby Stickelmaier (190).

Individual champions:
Other Big 12 conference champions included Champaign Central’s Ronald Baker III (138), Danville’s Josiah Williams (157) and Bloomington’s Kenner Bye (215).

Notable finals matches:
At 126, Normal Community’s Cole Gentsch and Champaign Central’s Talin Baker gave up nothing to each other, with Gentsch gutting out a 2-1 decision win for the title. Another close match played out at 165, where Normal Community’s Victor Reyes won a 4-3 for the title against Richwoods’ Phoenix Wombacher.

Individual statistics:
Normal Community’s Gavin Capodice posted the most pins (3) in the least time (8:34) of any wrestler present, and Centennial’s Owen Schoonover posted the fastest pin, in 30 seconds. Peoria Notre Dame’s Joe Culp had the most tech falls (2) in the least time (7:54) and Normal Community’s Caden Correll had the fastest tech fall, in 1:59. Capodice also finished with the most team points (24), while Bloomington teammates Brody Cabrera and Tyler Barlow tied for the most single-match points (23), and Normal West’s Donovan Lowery finished with the most total match points earned (51). Normal Community’s Ethan Cavallo provided the largest seed-place difference, as the No. 8 seed placed third at 138 pounds.

Team scores:

Normal Community 225, Richwoods 152, Peoria Notre Dame 105, Bloomington 81, Champaign Central 67, Danville 63.5, Normal West 49, Centennial 41.5, Peoria 24, Urbana 7, Peoria Manual 0

Big 12 tournament results: 

106

1st: Jackson Soney (Normal Com) 35-4, d. Wensley Rahn (Richwoods) 22-4,  (F 4:57)

3rd: Donovan Lowery (Normal W) 21-19, d. Austin Lechel (Champaign Cent) 16-14,  (TF-1.5 5:21 (19-3)

113

1st: Caden Correll (Normal Com) 39-0, d. Dylan McGrew (Normal W) 31-7,  (TF-1.5 1:59 (22-5)

3rd: Josh Stedwill (PND) 28-11, d. Benjamin Owen (Richwoods) 8-16,  (F 0:59)

120

1st: Mason Soney (Normal Com) 25-9, d. Juvontae Williams (Danville) 14-7,  (F 4:58)

3rd: Mosiah Rosas (Centennial) 10-15, d. () , . (Bye)

126

1st: Cole Gentsch (Normal Com) 38-4, d. Talin Baker (Champaign Cent) 22-3,  (D 2-1)

3rd: Remi Joesting (PND) 30-9, d. Jack Schweitzer (Bloomington) 11-10,  (MD 16-6)

132

1st: Ian Akers (PND) 37-2, d. Abram Rader (Normal W) 24-17,  (MD 10-1)

3rd: Brayden Manning (Normal Com) 35-8, d. Malachi Hutchison (Champaign Cent) 12-4,  (D 11-4)

138

1st: Ronald Baker III (Champaign Cent) 31-1, d. Gabe Robb (Richwoods) 21-6,  (MD 15-6)

3rd: Ethan Cavallo (Normal Com) 27-16, d. Daetrell Bailey (Centennial) 7-10,  (TF-1.5 4:12 (19-3)

144

1st: Rikyis Doss (Richwoods) 23-3, d. Luke Eganhouse (Normal Com) 22-9,  (MD 16-2)

3rd: Dylan Pierson (Champaign Cent) 9-5, d. Kendrick Pittman (Danville) 8-15,  (Inj. 0:47)

150

1st: Gavin Capodice (Normal Com) 28-16, d. Christopher Harris (Richwoods) 20-8,  (F 3:50)

3rd: Chris Rose (Bloomington) 14-12, d. Chris Walker (Peoria) 2-2,  (D 13-11)

157 

1st: Josiah Williams (Danville) 27-2, d. Alex Martinez (Richwoods) 12-3,  (D 7-2)

3rd: Brody Cabrera (Bloomington) 7-4, d. John Couri (PND) 21-21,  (MD 23-10)

165

1st: Victor Reyes (Normal Com) 14-11, d. Phoenix Wombacher (Richwoods) 20-9,  (D 4-3)
3rd: Sie Couri (PND) 25-15, d. Charles Pickett (Bloomington) 7-16,  (F 3:27)

175

1st: Jaren Frankowiak (Normal Com) 34-8, d. Gabe Martinez (Richwoods) 22-1,  (D 8-2)

3rd: Sargent Maubach (Peoria) 2-1, d. Jonnah Fonner (Urbana) 27-13,  (F 3:46)

190

1st: Cole Kretsinger (Normal Com) 20-8, d. Sergio Baity (Centennial) 21-7,  (F 0:42)

3rd: Tavares Upshaw Jr (Danville) 24-5, d. Bobby Stickelmaier (PND) 11-12,  (F 0:35)

215

1st: Kenner Bye (Bloomington) 23-5, d. Mason Caraway (Normal Com) 31-11,  (F 3:33)

3rd: Joe Culp (PND) 32-7, d. Austin Webb (Richwoods) 7-7,  (D 4-2)

285

1st: Shaun Anderson (Richwoods) 18-6, d. Brady Mullens (PND) 22-13,  (F 1:03)

3rd: David Williams (Bloomington) 3-3, d. Justin Curtis (Normal Com) 14-15,  (F 3:03)

MID-ILLINI CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

Washington won its 16th-consecutive Mid-Illini team title at Pekin on Saturday, thanks to seven individual champions, four runners-up, one third-placer and one fourth-place finisher.

Illinois’ 2A No. 2-ranked Washington posted 246.5 team points to win the tournament. Morton (146.5) placed second, followed by Canton (136), Dunlap (90.5), and East Peoria (88) to round out the top five team finishes.

Washington titles came from Symon Woods (106), Logan Makiney (120), state medalist Noah Woods (126), Michael Mendoza (138), state medalist Peyton Cox (144), returning state champion Wyatt Medlin (157) and state medalist Josh Hoffer (215). 

Panthers coach Nick Miller also got second-place finishes from Micah Jackson (113), Cayden Park (132), Cruise Brolley (165) and Sean Thornton (285), who is ranked No. 5 in 2A and won a 2-1 decision in his semifinal match against East Peoria’s No. 1-ranked Jose Del Toro.

Braden Brown (175) took third for Washington and Wyatt Leman (190) placed fourth.

Second-place Morton got individual titles from Noah Harris (113) and Clay McKee (165), a second-place finish from Colton McKee (175), thirds from Brody Watson (120), Lincoln Yerby (132) and Gideon Snyder (190), and fourths from Ryan Siebenthal (106), William Webb (126), Carter Jones (144) and Ben Eichorn (150).

Third-place Canton was led by individual conference champion Connor Williams (285), who remained unbeaten at 29-0 on the season. Canton got seconds from Jaxsun Owens (106), Jacob Hardesty (120), Dylan Steele (126), Jack Jochums (138) and Daniel Kees (157), thirds from Alex Carrier (144) and Grady Smith (150), and a fourth from Garrett Sego (175).

Individual champions:
Other Mid-Illini champions included East Peoria’s Cooper Chester (132) and Dalton Oakman (190), Metamora’s Grady Neal (150), and Dunlap’s Joseph Weeks (175).

Notable finals matches:
The closest final score of any title match came when Washington’s Logan Makiney won a 4-2 decision for the title at 120 against Canton’s Jacob Hardesty.

Individual statistics:
East Peoria state medalist Jose Del Toro posted the most pins (3) in the least time (4:38) of any wrestler in the tournament, and Morton’s Clay McKee had the fastest pin, at 19 seconds. Washington’s Symon Woods had the most tech falls (2) in the least time (4:34) and teammate Josh Hoffer posted the fastest tech fall of the tournament, in 1:36. 

Three wrestlers tied for the most team points scored (24) in East Peoria’s Dalton Oakman, Washington’s Michael Mendoza, and Canton’s Connor Williams. Washington’s Micah Jackson scored the most single-match points with 24, while Dunlap’s Jayden Schmick and Morton’s Ryan Siebenthal tied for the most total match points, with 44.

Canton’s Daniel Kees provided the largest seed-place difference when the No. 6 seed placed second at 157 pounds.

Team scores:

Washington 246.5, Morton 146.5, Canton 136, Dunlap 90.5, East Peoria 88, Limestone 69, Metamora 55.5, Pekin 34.5

Mid-Illini tournament results:

106

1st: Symon Woods (Washington) 35-5, d. Jaxsun Owens (Canton) 25-9,  (TF-1.5 2:38 (20-3)

3rd: Kaleb Fuchs (Limestone) 25-9, d. Ryan Siebenthal (Morton) 23-20,  (MD 14-3)

113

1st: Noah Harris (Morton) 31-11, d. Micah Jackson (Washington) 14-2,  (TF-1.5 3:10 (22-4)

3rd: Kaiden Capranica (Limestone) 19-15, d. Kayne Hayes (Pekin) 13-16,  (F 1:57)

120

1st: Logan Makiney (Washington) 24-15, d. Jacob Hardesty (Canton) 28-6,  (D 4-2)

3rd: Brody Watson (Morton) 21-16, d. Christian Johnson (Limestone) 22-11,  (F 1:18)

126

1st: Noah Woods (Washington) 36-2, d. Dyllan Steele (Canton) 27-2,  (TF-1.5 1:48 (17-2)

3rd: Dalton Davis (Pekin) 10-14, d. William Webb (Morton) 2-2,  (F 3:47)

132

1st: Cooper Chester (East Peoria) 26-9, d. Cayden Park (Washington) 14-22,  (MD 10-0)

3rd: Lincoln Yerby (Morton) 20-15, d. Dakoda Hentz (Limestone) 14-10,  (F 2:51)

138

1st: Michael Mendoza (Washington) 26-14, d. Jack Jochums (Canton) 27-7,  (F 1:44)

3rd: Tristan Mosack (Dunlap) 25-14, d. Cole Brooks (East Peoria) 13-16,  (MD 15-4)

144

1st: Peyton Cox (Washington) 31-4, d. Connor Graham (Metamora) 29-7,  (TF-1.5 1:59 (16-0)

3rd: Alex Carrier (Canton) 24-11, d. Carter Jones (Morton) 19-15,  (D 7-0)

150

1st: Grady Neal (Metamora) 29-3, d. Colton Mosack (Dunlap) 29-9,  (MD 11-1)

3rd: Grady Smith (Canton) 18-19, d. Ben Eichorn (Morton) 15-7,  (MD 9-1)

157

1st: Wyatt Medlin (Washington) 39-3, d. Daniel Kees (Canton) 20-17,  (TF-1.5 1:50 (20-2)

3rd: Jacob Allen (Dunlap) 14-10, d. Lucas Gosch (Pekin) 18-11,  (F 5:31)

165

1st: Clay Mckee (Morton) 32-4, d. Cruise Brolley (Washington) 28-12,  (D 9-5)

3rd: Jayden Schmick (Dunlap) 28-9, d. Mark Aeschliman (Metamora) 20-16,  (MD 19-8)

175

1st: Joseph Weeks (Dunlap) 18-2, d. Colton Mckee (Morton) 28-10,  (D 9-4)

3rd: Braden Brown (Washington) 20-21, d. Garrett Sego (Canton) 18-21,  (D 4-1)

190

1st: Dalton Oakman (East Peoria) 32-9, d. Ethan Dixon (Limestone) 29-6,  (F 5:58)

3rd: Gideon Snyder (Morton) 11-4, d. Wyatt Leman (Washington) 29-16,  (M. For.)

215 

1st: Josh Hoffer (Washington) 39-3, d. Alec Deltoro (East Peoria) 33-8,  (TF-1.5 1:36 (17-1)

3rd: Bruce Ryder (Limestone) 23-18, d. Carson Paustian (Dunlap) 22-11,  (F 4:36)

285

1st: Connor Williams (Canton) 29-0, d. Sean Thornton (Washington) 32-10,  (F 3:38)

3rd: Jose Del Toro (East Peoria) 40-2, d. Jaspher Williams (Dunlap) 16-15,  (F 3:05)

By Chris Walker for the IWCOA

DUKANE CONFERENCE

St. Charles East won the DuKane Conference with 281.5 points.

“I am proud of the effort the boys put in over the weekend,” Saints coach Jason Potter said. “We have some work to do before regionals but I am excited for the next challenge. This was the fourth conference championship in a row for our program. Many people thought this was going to be a rebuilding year for the Saints and this title proves we are a strong program from top to bottom.”

Glenbard North (250.5) took second and Wheaton North (208.5) was third, followed by Batavia (194), Wheaton Warrenville South (119.5), Lake Park (89.5), Geneva (74.5) and host St. Charles North (39).

1st place: St. Charles East (281.5 points)

Dom Munaretto (120), Gavin Woodmancy (138), Logan Tatar (144) and Anthony Gutierrez (165) were among the four champions for the Saints. Liam Aye (126), Ryan McGovern (157), Rocco Lobrillo (190), Cooper Murray (215) and Matt Medina (285) took second. Declan Sons (113), Isaac Lenard (150) and Abraham Leidig (175) placed third, Nate Butcher (106) took fourth and Payton Lee (132) was fifth.

2nd place; Glenbard North (250.5 points)

The Panthers earned three titles and three second-place finishes. Vannak Khiev (106), Kalani Khiev (126) and Julian Holland (190) took home titles and Joseph Fitak (175), Angelo Gatses (144) and Treshon Williams (150) took second. Isaac Velasco (120), Trey Thompson (132), Rylan Kradle (157), Erik Esquivel (165) and Tyler Hvorick (215) took third and Ryan Makhlouf (113), Richard Morales (138) and Dylan Hendee (285) took fifth.

3rd place; Wheaton North (208.5 points)

Ryan Rosch (150) and Thomas Fulton (157) won conference titles to pace the Falcons and Rocco Maciellaio (120) and Julian Flores (165) both took second. Danny Hyde (106), Jacob Veltri (138) and Andrew Langas (144) took third, Lewis Vanderschoot (175), Milo Saenz (190), Nick Tortoriello (215) and Carl Givens (285) placed fourth, Caden Cahill (126) took fifth and Luke Edwards (113) and Elliot Conway (132) placed sixth.

Batavia was home to four other champions as Kai Enos (113), Jack Duraski (132), Jack Brown (175) and Asher Sheldon (215) all won conference titles. Joining them at the top of the award stand was Geneva’s Joe Pettit (285).

Wheaton Warrenville South’s Mason Monce had three pins in 2:47 as the wrestler with the most pins in the least time. Batavia’s Colin Peyton had two tech Fs in 7:18 for the most tech Fs in the least time. St. Charles East’s Don Munaretto and Glenbard North’s Julian Holland and Vannak Khiev tied for the most team points with 26. St. Charles East’s Declan Sons had the most single match points with 24. Wheaton North’s Andrew Langas had the most total match points with 51. The largest seed-place difference during the competition was delivered by St. Charles North’s Brogan Sons who placed fourth as the 7th seed at 144 pounds.

DuKane conference tournament results:

106

1st: Vannak Khiev (Glenbard N) 36-4, d. Rocco Valvano (WW South) 27-9,  (F 3:09)

3rd: Danny Hyde (Wheaton N) 23-13, .d. Nate Butcher (St. Charles E) 11-16,  (F 1:56)

5th: Joey Calvillo (Batavia) 11-18, .d. () , . (Bye)

113

1st: Kai Enos (Batavia) 31-6, .d. Sammy Sikorsky (Geneva) 26-9,  (D 10-8)

3rd: Dlan Sons (St. Charles E) 19-11, d. Bryce Mensik (Lake Park) 19-2,  (For.)

5th: Ryan Makhlouf (Glenbard N) 15-19, d. Luke Edwards (Wheaton N) 2-5, . (F 5:00)

7th: Troy Lomeli (WW South) 13-12, d. () , . (Bye)

120

1st: Dom Munaretto (St. Charles E) 43-1, d. Rocco Maciellaio (Wheaton N) 27-12, . (F 1:09)

3rd: Isaac Velasco (Glenbard N) 19-15, d. Elias Chaney (Batavia) 17-20, . (D 8-1)

5th: Michael Riggs (WW South) 23-13, d. George Driesbach (Geneva) 13-17,  (F 0:43)

126

1st: Kalani Khiev (Glenbard N) 37-3, d. Liam Aye (St. Charles E) 27-15,  (D 10-6)

3rd: Kyle Pasco (Batavia) 19-13, .d. Luca Rutili (Lake Park) 27-12,  (F 4:28)

5th: Caden Cahill (Wheaton N) 18-19, .d. Matt Lisowski (WW South) 14-18,  (F 3:18)

7th: Anthony Farinella (St. Charles N) 16-17, d. () , . (Bye)

132
1st: Jack Duraski (Batavia) 30-6, .d. Sergio Hernandez (Lake Park) 26-7,  (Inj. 0:00)

3rd: Trey Thompson (Glenbard N) 28-13, d. Andrew Wendt (Geneva) 28-15,  (MD 10-2)

5th: Payton Lee (St. Charles E) 15-15, d. Elliot Conway (Wheaton N) 9-15, . (TF 4:38 (23-3)

7th: Matt Vann (WW South) 11-21, d. () , . (Bye)

138

1st: Gavin Woodmancy (St. Charles E) 34-11, d. Nick Merola (Lake Park) 26-8,  (D 2-1)

3rd: Jacob Veltri (Wheaton N) 22-15, .d. Daniel Gonzalez (Batavia) 4-8, . (D 9-7)

5th: Richard Morales (Glenbard N) 17-19, d. Ben Deasy (Geneva) 16-19,  (MD 11-0)

144

1st: Logan Tatar (St. Charles E) 21-10, d. Angelo Gatses (Glenbard N) 18-20,  (TF 4:00 (18-3)

3rd: Andrew Langas (Wheaton N) 22-12, .d. Brogan Sons (St. Charles N) 19-16,  (D 15-12)

5th: Daithan Narayanan (WW South) 23-18, d. Cole Hubbard (Batavia) 21-14, . (M. For.)

7th: Anthony Vargas (Lake Park) 12-19, d. Muhammad Ali Shabbir (Geneva) 2-11,  (TF 3:10 (18-3)

150

1st: Ryan Rosch (Wheaton N) 23-5, .d. Treshon Williams (Glenbard N) 25-10,  (D 7-2)

3rd: Isaac Lenard (St. Charles E) 19-17, d. Liam O`Brien (St. Charles N) 24-9,  (F 5:31)

5th: Michael Lacina (Batavia) 3-14, .d. Joey Sirmon (WW South) 15-18,  (MD 14-5)

7th: Max Wala (Lake Park) 11-16, d. () , . (Bye)

157

1st: Thomas Fulton (Wheaton N) 30-4, .d. Ryan McGovern (St. Charles E) 35-9,  (D 4-2)

3rd: Rylan Kradle (Glenbard N) 30-10, d. Chase Osborne (Batavia) 13-10, . (D 12-6)

5th: Reid Adler (WW South) 21-18, d. Doug Mejdrich (St. Charles N) 17-15,  (F 3:25)

165

1st: Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles E) 38-6, d. Julian Flores (Wheaton N) 22-8, . (TF 3:43 (18-1)

3rd: Erik Esquivel (Glenbard N) 17-20, d. Colin Peyton (Batavia) 22-19, . (MD 22-9)

5th: Noah Nau (WW South) 19-18, d. Elijah O`Donnell (Geneva) 11-12,  (TF 5:22 (15-0)

7th: Shane Bigler (Lake Park) 10-27, d. () , . (Bye)

175

1st: Jack Brown (Batavia) 15-6, .d. Joseph Fitak (Glenbard N) 21-17,  (TF 5:38 (16-1)

3rd: Abraham Leidig (St. Charles E) 27-15, d. Lewis Vanderschoot (Wheaton N) 14-9, . (MD 9-1)

5th: Damon Hill (St. Charles N) 9-10, d. Ben Menzer (WW South) 8-14,  (F 1:17)

7th: Alex Gavrylyuk (Lake Park) 7-11, d. () , . (Bye)

190

1st: Julian Holland (Glenbard N) 33-10, d. Rocco Lobrillo (St. Charles E) 23-17,  (F 1:27)

3rd: Mason Monce (WW South) 25-10, d. Milo Saenz (Wheaton N) 22-10, . (F 1:35)

5th: Antonin Svaboda (Lake Park) 12-21, d. Jason Stoffles (Batavia) 4-9, . (F 1:34)

215

1st: Asher Sheldon (Batavia) 25-4, .d. Cooper Murray (St. Charles E) 32-13,  (D 4-1)

3rd: Tyler Hvorick (Glenbard N) 23-19, d. Nick Tortoriello (Wheaton N) 20-10, . (MD 13-5)

5th: Alec Worobec (WW South) 6-11, d. Tennyson Welage-Stein (Geneva) 14-14,  (F 1:04)

285

1st: Joseph Pettit (Geneva) 32-2, d. Matt Medina (St. Charles E) 28-15,  (D 7-0)

3rd: Ashton Kibbe (WW South) 27-9, d. Carl Givens (Wheaton N) 15-6, . (F 1:45)

5th: Dylan Hendee (Glenbard N) 22-19, d. Jeffrey Rustemi (Lake Park) 17-17,  (D 7-1)

DUPAGE VALLEY CONFERENCE

By the slimmest of margins, DeKalb got past runner-up Naperville Central, 290.5 to 290, to win this year’s DVC.

Naperville North was third with 247.5 points, followed by Neuqua Valley (104.5), Waubonsie Valley (80.5) and Metea Valley (50).

1st place: DeKalb (290.5 points)

Leading the Barbs to victory were champions Jaden Bradley (106), Michael Hodge (144), Hudson Ikens (150), Cam Matthews (157) and Sean Kolkebeck (165). Placing second for the Barbs were Ayden Shuey (132), Elvis Mora (175), Nicholas Waddle (215) and Jeremiah Pineira (285). Taking third for the Barbs were Julian Hartwig (113), Owen Burgess (120), Tyler Daub (126), Alan Izaguirre (138) and Erick Rivas (190).

2nd place: Naperville Central (290 points)

The Redhawks produced five champions: Jacob Cochran (126), Vince Bern (132), Henry Rydwelski (175), Paul Peradotti (190) and William Erbeck (285). Taking second place for the Redhawks were Dalton Meluch (106), Jack Schwartz (113), Jake Moore (120), Stavros Gerousis (138) and Nicolas Olvera (165). In addition, Austin Schiltz (144) and CJ Bierman (150) placed third and Yusuf Sikander (157) and Nate Sadowski (215) took fourth.

3rd place: Naperville North (247.5 points)

Adam Beedon (113), Ryan Beedon (120), Ben Messier (138) and Tavkif Ibragimov (215) took home conference titles for the Huskies. Connor McDonald (126), Tyler Sternstein (150) and Brady Valle (190) placed second, Quinn Karstens (106), Kai Balice (132), Timothy Garmon (157), JT Hill (165) and Ben Reif (175) took third and Max Venecia (144) placed fourth.

Naperville North’s Tavkif Ibragimov had two pins in 2:29 as the wrestler with the most pins in the least time. Naperville Central’s Henry Rydwelski had two tech Fs in 5;16 for the most tech Fs in the least time. Ibragimov, DeKalb’s Sean Kolkebeck and Jaden Bradley and Naperville Central’s William Erbeck tied for the most team points with 26. Naperville North’s Timothy Harmon had the most total match points with 45. The largest seed-place difference during the competition was delivered by Naperville North’s Ben Reif who placed third as the 5th seed at 175 pounds.

DuPage conference results:

106

1st: Jaden Bradley (DeKalb) 29-11, d. Dalton Meluch (Naperville C) 27-14,  (F 0:40)

3rd: Quinn Karstens (Naperville N) 14-15, d. () , . (Bye)

113

1st: Adam Beedon (Naperville N) 26-5, d. Jack Schwartz (Naperville C) 25-14,  (D 12-8)

3rd: Julian Hartwig (DeKalb) 24-17, d. Mason Goldman (Waubonsie) 20-11,  (D 9-4)

5th: Cardevion Gordon (Neuqua) 8-13, d. () , . (Bye)

120

1st: Ryan Beedon (Naperville N) 27-9, d. Jake Moore (Naperville C) 23-14,  (SV-1 12-9)

3rd: Owen Burgess (DeKalb) 5-7, d. Eesh Bandla (Neuqua) 7-12,  (F 2:26)

126

1st: Jacob Cochran (Naperville C) 33-9, d. Connor McDonald (Naperville N) 32-7,  (MD 12-4)

3rd: Tyler Daub (DeKalb) 20-21, d. Riley Gallagher (Metea) 8-10, . (F 3:51)

5th: Marcus Diaz (Neuqua) 6-10, d. () , . (Bye)

132

1st: Vince Bern (Naperville C) 31-5, d. Ayden Shuey (DeKalb) 22-17,  (SV-1 13-10)

3rd: Kai Balice (Naperville N) 19-13, d. Nathan Duffield (Waubonsie) 25-16,  (SV-1 8-5)

5th: David Gold (Neuqua) 1-12, d. () , . (Bye)

138

1st: Ben Messier (Naperville N) 32-4, d. Stavros Gerousis (Naperville C) 28-16,  (D 4-3)

3rd: Alan Izaguirre (DeKalb) 6-7, d. Viswaj Punyapu (Metea) 2-15, . (F 0:58)

144

1st: Michael Hodge (DeKalb) 30-15, d. Max Ridges (Neuqua) 8-14,  (MD 13-3)

3rd: Austin Schiltz (Naperville C) 6-10, d. Max Venecia (Naperville N) 2-4,  (D 8-5)

150

1st: Hudson Ikens (DeKalb) 27-9, d. Tyler Sternstein (Naperville N) 28-7,  (D 7-6)

3rd: CJ Bierman (Naperville C) 27-10, d. Curtis Burke (Neuqua) 8-13,  (MD 15-3)

5th: Lucas Lee (Metea) 1-12, .d. () , . (Bye)

157

1st: Cam Matthews (DeKalb) 24-11, d. Nick Pape (Neuqua) 15-6,  (MD 13-4)

3rd: Timothy Garmon (Naperville N) 19-16, d. Yusuf Sikander (Naperville C) 15-15,  (D 12-8)

5th: Lucas Marcoux (Metea) 9-13, .d. Desmond Stribley (Waubonsie) 9-10,  (M. For.)

165

1st: Sean Kolkebeck (DeKalb) 28-7, d. Nicolas Olvera (Naperville C) 27-12,  (F 2:52)

3rd: JT Hill (Naperville N) 18-13, d. Jackson Wasson (Metea) 9-13, . (F 3:54)

5th: Giuseppe Caprio (Neuqua) 3-13, d. Zander Allen (Waubonsie) 8-21,  (MD 11-1)

175

1st: Henry Rydwelski (Naperville C) 38-3, d. Elvis Mora (DeKalb) 13-18,  (TF 4:00 (17-1)

3rd: Ben Reif (Naperville N) 4-6, d. Isaiah Strange (Neuqua) 10-11,  (MD 12-2)

5th: Lucas Pretkelis (Waubonsie) 18-15, d. () , . (Bye)

190

1st: Paul Peradotti (Naperville C) 32-4, d. Brady Valle (Naperville N) 18-20,  (TF 5:22 (19-3)

3rd: Erick Rivas (DeKalb) 11-12, d. Trevor Martin (Waubonsie) 5-9,  (D 6-5)

5th: Deividas Lewiton (Neuqua) 1-3, d. Tharun Anand (Metea) 0-15, . (MD 17-3)

215

1st: Tavkif Ibragimov (Naperville N) 28-6, d. Nicholas Waddle (DeKalb) 19-15,  (F 1:06)

3rd: Jordan Hatchett (Waubonsie) 15-7, d. Nate Sadowski (Naperville C) 1-2,  (F 2:26)

285

1st: William Erbeck (Naperville C) 34-1, d. Jeremiah Pineira (DeKalb) 22-16,  (F 5:13)

3rd: Leonidas Hobson (Waubonsie) 23-15, d. () , . (Bye)

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Lane Tech won the Chicago Public Schools dual team championship on Saturday at Marie Sklodowska Curie Metropolitan High School in Chicago.

Lane Tech defeated Sarah Goode STEM, 69-12, in the quarterfinals to get started. The Champions followed with a 76-6 win over Curie before they doubled up Taft in the title dual bout, 50-25.

Taft opened with a 64-18 victory over Crane before defeating Ag Science, 58-21, to advance to the finals.

AG Science rebounded to beat Curie, 46-36 in the third-place match.

Jeremiah Arroyo-McMullan (106), Alex Valentin (132), Vermaat VanderBrug (144) and Adrian Meza (215/285) all won their three matches to lead Lane Tech.

Bernardo Roque (113), Angel Rivera (126) and Evan Jocic (215) went undefeated on the day to lead Taft.

Maurice Bush (144) and Marquel Wilson (175) went 3-0 to lead Ag Science to third place.

Ag Science’s Marquel Wilson had three pins in 2:54 as the wrestler with the most pins in the least time. Taft’s Bernardo Roque had two tech Fs in 5:51 for the most tech falls in the least time. Ag Science’s Marquel Wilson and Maurice Bush tied Lane Tech’s Adrian Meza for the most team points with 18. Lane Tech’s Nasser Hammouche had the most single-match points with 27. Hammouche also had the most total match points with 44.

Roosevelt and Perspectives also competed and tied for eighth place with Sarah Goode STEM and Crane.

CPL championship dual team results:

Lane 50, Taft 25
120 David Ruiz (Taft) over Joaquin Salameda (Lane Tech) Fall 3:29
126 Angel Rivera (Taft) over Marcos Perez (Lane Tech) TF 18-2
132 Alex Valentin (Lane Tech) over Armani Vargas (Taft) TF 21-4
138 Abbas Abdulamir (Lane Tech) over Adrian Junco (Taft) Fall 1:32
144 Vermaat VanderBrug (Lane Tech) over Kevin Sanchez (Taft) Fall 1:16
150 Cole Calace (Lane Tech) over Jayden Villa (Taft) TF 17-2
157 Nasser Hammouche (Lane) over Dmyrtii Mykhniak (Taft) TF 17-1
165 Vernon Cole (Lane Tech) over Matthew Chyczewski (Taft) Fall 0:26
175 Jose Lagunas (Lane Tech) over Ricky Moore (Taft) Fall 0:23
190 Josh Taylor (Taft) over Eyob Abebe (Lane Tech) Dec 17-16
215 Evan Jocic (Taft) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 Adrian Meza (Lane Tech) over Eligiah Pagan (Taft) Fall 1:25
106 Jeremiah Arroyo-McMullan (Lane) over Leonardo Rodriquez (Taft) TF
113 Bernardo Roque (Taft) over Jose Curiel (Lane Tech) TF 19-2

CHICAGOLAND CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE

Marian Central Catholic won the Chicagoland Christian Conference meet with 225.5 points.

Wheaton Academy (188.5) took second, Hope Academy (163) was third and followed by Bishop McNamara (111), Harvest Christian Academy (21.5) and St. Edward (10). Alden-Hebron, Intrinsic Downtown, Northridge Prep, Schaumburg Christian and Universal also competed.

1st place: Marian Central Catholic (225.5 points)

Marian produced seven champions including Austin Hagevold (113), Brayden Teunissen (120), Nick Marchese (126), Andrew Alvarado (138), Vance Williams (150), Jimmy Mastny (190) and Dan French (215). Diego Martinez (106), Connor Cassels (157) and Kaleb Eckman (285) took second. Zach Wheadon (113), Zane Mochocki (132), Logan Juelabowiscz (150) and Josh Gawronski (165) were fourth.

2nd place: Wheaton Academy (188.5 points)

Lincoln Hoger (132) and Chasen Kazmierczak (157) won titles to lead the Warriors. Oscar Smith (126), Noah Camiola (150), Tyler Jones (165), Ian Tanacea (175) and Jeremy Johanik (215) each placed second. Buckley Kazmierczak (113), Nicolas Chiappetta (120) and Hezekiah Garcia (285) took third. Zion Willets (138) and Elijah Shin (144) took fourth.

3rd place: Hope Academy (163 points)

The Eagles had three individual champs in Indigo Berg (106), Ismael Martinez (175) and Roy Phelps (285). Josiah Willis (132) and Dylan Galvez (138) took second, Jonny Amador (126) and Arkail Griffin (165) were third and Tony Jones-Blakely (157), Ismael Montero (190) and Mastewal Evely (215) took fourth.

Others winning individual titles at the Chicagoland Conference meet were Harvest Christian Academy’s Max Mulhearn (106) and Northridge Prep’s Adam Haddad (165).

Bishop McNamara’s Drew Lowenstrom had three pins in 3:18 as the wrestler with the most pins in the least time. Hope Academy’s Arkail Griffin had two tech Fs in 7:17 for the most tech Fs in the least time. Marian’s Austin Hagevold scored the most team points with 24. Wheaton Academy’s Elijah Shin and Bishop McNamara’s Alex Kostecka tied for the most single-match points with 23. Kostecka also tied Hope Academy’s Arkail Griffin with most total match points with 42. The largest seed-place difference of the tournament came courtesy of Northridge Prep’s Javi Rodriguez, who placed second as the 7th seed at 144 pounds.

Chicagoland Christian conference results:

106

1st: Indigo Berg (Hope) 30-11, d. Diego Martinez (Marian) 9-11,  (F 4:29)

3rd: Izzat Yousef (Universal) 3-5, d. Parker Provost (Bishop McNamara) 7-14,  (F 1:16)

113

1st: Austin Hagevold (Marian) 32-7, d. Nolan Callahan (Hope) 32-8,  (F 3:35)

3rd: Buckley Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) 13-16, d. Zach Wheadon (Marian) 13-11, . (F 2:53)

120

1st: Brayden Teunissen (Marian) 26-3, d. Chase Moeschke (Bishop McNamara) 9-21,  (F 0:22)

3rd: Nicolas Chiappetta (Wheaton Academy) 10-19, d. Will Foley (St. Edward) 5-9,  (F 3:02)

126

1st: Nick Marchese (Marian) 22-11, d. Oscar Smith (Wheaton Academy) 12-7,  (F 2:54)

3rd: Jonny Amador (Hope) 2-1, .d. Ismail Ayash (Universal) 8-4,  (D 8-2)

132

1st: Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) 25-5, d. Josiah Willis (Hope) 30-9,  (F 2:26)

3rd: Blake Arseneau (Bishop McNamara) 17-10, d. Zane Mochocki (Marian) 10-25,  (TF 2:27 (19-4)

138

1st: Andrew Alvarado (Marian) 17-7, d. Dylan Galvez (Hope) 23-13,  (F 4:25)

3rd: Alex Kostecka (Bishop McNamara) 22-15, d. Zion Willets (Wheaton Academy) 8-11,  (F 1:32)

144

1st: Max Mulhearn (Harvest Christian) 29-6, d. Javi Rodriguez (Northridge) 15-9,  (D 12-6)

3rd: Trevor Torres (Bishop McNamara) 14-20, d. Elijah Shin (Wheaton Academy) 13-16,  (F 2:58)

150

1st: Vance Williams (Marian) 30-5, d. Noah Camiola (Wheaton Academy) 7-19,  (F 1:30)

3rd: Noah Fields (Intrinsic) 2-1, d. Logan Juelabowiscz (Marian) 8-12, . (F 0:22)

157

1st: Chasen Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) 26-4, d. Connor Cassels (Marian) 15-22,  (TF 4:15 (18-3)

3rd: Caleb Linneman (Alden-Hebron) 18-7, d. Tony Jones-blakely (Hope) 19-13,  (F 1:43)

165

1st: Adam Haddad (Northridge) 29-2, d. Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) 23-2,  (D 8-1)

3rd: Arkail Griffin (Hope) 36-2, d. Josh Gawronski (Marian) 12-13,  (TF 4:58 (18-2)

175

1st: Ismael Martinez (Hope) 10-3, d. Ian Tanacea (Wheaton Academy) 4-8,  (F 3:01)

3rd: Mason Wagner (Northridge) 18-12, d. Cullen Bramer (Bishop McNamara) 6-19,  (F 2:00)

190

1st: Jimmy Mastny (Marian) 41-1, d. Ethan Pfeiffer (Bishop McNamara) 20-9,  (F 1:51)

3rd: Logan Crowell (Alden-Hebron) 18-5, d. Ismael Montero (Hope) 20-21,  (D 4-1)

215

1st: Dan French (Marian) 28-11, d. Jeremy Johanik (Wheaton Academy) 23-5,  (D 8-1)

3rd: Drew Lowenstrom (Bishop McNamara) 10-12, d. Mastewal Evely (Hope) 23-16,  (F 1:40)

285

1st: Roy Phelps (Hope) 34-3, d. Kaleb Eckman (Marian) 20-14,  (D 5-0)

3rd: Hezekiah Garcia (Wheaton Academy) 19-12, d. Kian Bramer (Bishop McNamara) 20-13,  (F 0:47)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

DUKANE CONFERENCE

Batavia rolled to the team title at this year’s DuKane meet, sending 10 girls to the title mat and eight individual conference champions to the podium at St. Charles North. Batavia won 312.5-199.5 over second-place Glenbard North and St. Charles North placed third with 180.5 points.

“It’s fun to watch our goofy, fun-loving kids go out and start to wrestle their best at this time of year,” Batavia coach Scott Bayer said. “We had quite a few strong individual accomplishments and heroines tonight, but ten girls earned a spot in the first place match, and eight came away with individual titles.”

The Bulldogs got titles from returning IHSA state medalist Lily Enos (100), Eli Landgrebe (120), Natalie Lenart (125), Yasmin Lopes (135), Annabelle Guthke (145), Caoimhe Mitchell (155), Emma Abbate (170) and Jamie Gabriel (190). Nylah Novcek (110) and Mackenzie Harried (130) placed second and Batavia got thirds from Sarah Zuziak (115) and Lizzy Beling (140), and fourths from Miracle Jackson (105), Lyn Codo-Prim (135) and Kinzer Mikesell (170).

Among non-scoring wrestlers, Batavia got a fifth from Avalon Besesto (145), and a sixth from Eva Trpkovski (115).

Enos, Mitchell, and Abbate all won the second DKC titles of their careers, and a slew of first-time conference champions got it done for the Bulldogs.

“Eli Landgrebe has had two great weeks in a row,” Bayer said. “Natalie Lenart – after falling short last season, it was great to see her reach the top of the podium this year, and Yasmin put in tons of work in the offseason and reminded me she was 0-2 here last year.  Funny how that works.”

The closest finish of any finals match came when Batavia’s Anabelle Guthke won a tiebreak match 2-1 against Lake Park’s Joscelin Ritthamel at 145 pounds.

“It was great to see Anabelle win a super competitive OT match against a ranked opponent to avenge a loss from last week,” Bayer said. “She also notched her 30th win of the season.”

Batavia’s Jamie Gabriel entered the DuKane meet at less than her best but she gutted out the day to win her first DKC title.

“(Gabriel) couldn’t get a practice in all week, but our trainers helped get her to a place where she could make the decision to compete with a nagging injury from last week to get her name onto the wall,” Bayer said. “It also bears mentioning that two of our champs this year were winless here last season, and have made huge strides in the offseason.

“Our girls fought through a very tough competitive schedule and their hard work is starting to pay off.  Coach Alvarado and I are hard on them, but we love them and are very proud of them for putting faith in themselves and their training.”

In addition to medal-winners Novcek, Harried, Zuziak, Beling, Jackson, Codo-Prim, Mikesell and Besesto, “…non-place winners Eva Trpkovski and Avalon Bisesto also wrestled tough despite falling short of the awards platform,” Bayer said.

Nylah Novcek (110) and Mackenzie Harried (130) placed second and Batavia got thirds from Sarah Zuziak (115) and Lizzy Beling (140), fourths from Miracle Jackson (105), Lyn Codo-Prim (135) and Kinzer Mikesell (170), a fifth from Avalon Besesto (145), and a sixth from Eva Trpkovski (115).

Second-place Glenbard North got individual titles from Keagan Edwards (130) and Asreilla Wallace (235), seconds from Jasmin Hernandez (120) and Suzanne Stalley (140), and thirds from Cristal Jacinto (105), Anna Gonzalez (110), Gianna Tammo (190) and Gi Nascimento (235).

Third-place St. Charles East got individual titles from Sydney Stieb (110) and Eliza Diaz (115) a second from Olivia Bordenave (170), and thirds from Natalia Santelli (130), Olivia Pearson (135) and Addison Wolf (145).

Individual champions:

Other individual DuKane Conference champions were St. Charles North’s Skyler Stewart (105), and Lake Park’s Ava Burns (140).

Notable finals matches:

Stewart and Wheaton Warrenville South’s Andrea Jaimes-Alvarez tangled in the wildest finals match, with Stewart winning a 17-15 decision for the title at 105. The closest finish in any title match came at 145, where Batavia’s Anabelle Guthke won 2-1 in an overtime tie-break against Lake Park’s Joscelin Ritthamel.

Individual statistics:

St. Charles East’s Olivia Pearson finished the tournament with the most falls (3) in the least time (5:08), and Batavia’s Natalie Lenart posted the fastest tech fall in 2:00. Glenbard North’s Suzanne Stalley had the fastest pin, at 29 seconds, and St. Charles North’s Skyler Stewart finished with the most total match points, with 38. Batavia’s Caoimhe Mitchell provided the largest seed-place difference of the tournament, as the No. 3 seed placed first at 155 pounds.

Four wrestlers tied for the most single match points with 21, in St. Charles East’s Addison Wolf, Lake Park’s Joscelin Ritthamel, Batavia’s Miracle Jackson, and St. Charles North’s Skyler Stewart. Seven girls tied for the most team points scored with 26, in Batavia’s Eli Landgrebe, Jamie Gabriel, Caoihme Mitchell, Emma Abbate, and Yasmin Lopes, and St. Charles East’s Sydney Stieb and Eliza Diaz.

Team scores:
Batavia 312.5, Glenbard North 199.5, St. Charles East 180.5, Lake Park 169.5, Wheaton Warrenville South 95, Wheaton North 93, Geneva 37, St. Charles North 23.5

DuKane Results:

100

1st: Lily Enos (Batavia) 38-3, Jr. d. Izzy Paz (Wheaton N) 16-5, . (MD 13-1)

3rd: Reese Nicolas (Lake Park) 15-22, Fr. d. Kayla Hassell (Geneva) 5-6, . (F 4:48)

5th: Maria Mino (WW South) 3-9, Fr.

105

1st: Skyler Stewart (SC North) 3-0, Fr. d. Andrea Jaimes-Alvarez (WW South) 20-5, Jr. (Dec 17-15)

3rd: Cristal Jacinto (GB North) 24-9, Jr. d. Miracle Jackson (Batavia) 19-22, So. (F 2:31)

5th: Dalilah Herrera (Wheaton N) 5-6,  d. Bailynn Dunham (SC East) 12-8, Jr. (Dec 9-8)

110

1st: Sydney Stieb (SC East) 25-7, Fr. d. Nylah Novack (Batavia) 8-20, Fr. (F 1:08)

3rd: Anna Gonzalez (GB North) 14-12, Sr. 

115 

1st: Eliza Diaz (SC East) 12-11, Jr. d. Jocelyn Ocasio (Lake Park) 19-13, Fr. (F 5:27)

3rd: Sarah Zuziak (Batavia) 12-18, Jr. d. Mei Schmadeke (Wheaton N) 4-6, . (F 1:24)

5th: Jordyn Kennedy (GB North) 12-15, Jr. d. Eva Trpkovski (Batavia) 8-15, Fr. (F 0:37)

120

1st: Eli Landgrebe (Batavia) 23-17, So. d. Jasmin Hernandez (GB North) 7-22, Jr. (F 1:34)

125

1st: Natalie Lenart (Batavia) 27-12, Jr. d. Jiana Forbes (Wheaton N) 8-7, . (F 3:02)

3rd: Sommer Kibbe (WW South) 16-7, Jr. d. Sofia Sclorzano (SC East) 4-7, So. (F 0:36)

5th: Ezri Incrocci (GB North) 7-12, Jr. 

130

1st: Keagan Edwards (GB North) 36-5, Jr. d. Mackenzie Harried (Batavia) 26-16, Sr. (MD 12-0)

3rd: Natalia Santelli (SC East) 9-7, So. d. Rebecca Samson (Lake Park) 7-14, Sr. (F 0:32)

135

1st: Yasmin Lopes (Batavia) 26-7, So. d. Heidi Bourne (WW South) 14-9, Jr. (F 2:53)

3rd: Olivia Pearson (SC East) 18-12, Fr. d. Lyn Codo-Prim (Batavia) 7-7, Sr. (F 3:59)

5th: Angie Kuykendall (GB North) 11-13, So. d. Katelyn Wray (Geneva) 3-10, . (F 2:38)

7th: Laila Cuadra (SC East) 4-10, Fr. 

140
1st: Ava Burns (Lake Park) 28-6, Jr. d. Suzanne Stalley (GB North) 29-13, Fr. (MD 11-0)

3rd: Lizzy Beling (Batavia) 21-19, Jr. d. ava hoppe (Geneva) 6-6, . (F 0:52)

5th: Sarah Oeltgen (SC East) 2-2, .d. Emily Anteles (Wheaton N) 4-9, . (MD 10-0)

145

1st: Anabelle Guthke (Batavia) 31-9, Jr. d. Joscelin Ritthamel (Lake Park) 33-6, Sr. (TB-1 2-1)

3rd: Addison Wolf (SC East) 23-7, Sr. d. Nermina Rustemi (Lake Park) 2-2, . (TF-1.5 4:40 (21-4))

5th: Avalon Bisesto (Batavia) 7-8, So. 

155

1st: Caoimhe Mitchell (Batavia) 27-12, So. d. Giovanna Sampognoro (Lake Park) 24-15, . (F 5:24)

3rd: Michelle Rojas-Tellez (WW South) 12-7, Jr. d. Jada Lenard (SC East) 7-8, Jr. (F 1:43)

5th: Gabriella Giunti (GB North) 7-13, Fr. 

170

1st: Emma Abbate (Batavia) 29-7, Sr. d. Olivia Bordenave (SC East) 14-10, Sr. (F 3:27)

3rd: Paige Washburn (Lake Park) 8-3, So. d. Kinzer Mikesell (Batavia) 5-15, Fr. (F 5:28)

190

1st: Jamie Gabriel (Batavia) 25-15, So. d. Aimee Escalante-Papp (Lake Park) 17-15, Fr. (F 3:16)

3rd: Gianna Tammo (GB North) 15-19, So. 

235

1st: Asreilla Wallace (GB North) 29-9, So. d. Iana Victory (Wheaton N) 13-5, . (Dec 9-3)
3rd: Gi Nascimento (GB North) 3-1

CHICAGO PUBLIC LEAGUE

Phoenix Military Academy snared its second consecutive Chicago Public League title, posting a 230.5-177 edge over second-place Kelly. Lane (139.5) placed third, Rickover Naval Academy (138) took fourth and Cure (122.5) rounded out the top five team finishes in the 26-team tournament.

Phoenix coach Daniel Curin’s girls went a perfect seven-for-seven on the title mat, getting individual conference titles from Jitzel Aranda (100), Diana Lopez-Jimenez (115), Mia Thomas (120), Marisol Castro-Duran (125), Ariel Foreman (135), America Cabrera (140) and AJ Grant (145). The Firebirds also got a third from Jocelyn Quiroz-Rosales (130), a fourth from Alexia Ramos (155), a fifth from Kyla Blackmon (110) and a sixth from Vianney Becerra (135).

“I think the team performed phenomenally this weekend,” Phoenix coach Naydelin Ramos Ariza said. “Their hard work and dedication to achieving these wins, both as individuals and as a team for the second year in a row, truly paid off this weekend. 

“It’s accomplishments like these that inspire and motivate other girls to continue growing in this sport. It takes a village to accomplish something like this, so I want to give coach (Jesus) Lua, our other head coach, the credit he deserves. He ensures they’re training hard and teaches them valuable skills. 

“Sharing in their success is a privilege, and we feel honored to have supported them in achieving their goals, because we do this for them. Working with them has been incredibly rewarding, and we are beyond proud of their success. We’re excited to see what else these girls will accomplish this season.”

Second-place Kelly got a CPL title from Sara Martinez Lopera (170) and runner-up finishes from Annie Aguliar-Cruz (105), Yazmine Garcia (115), Leylani Behena (130), Liana Andrade (155) and N’Dyia Mahon-Godfrey (190).
Third-place Lane was led by a pair of individual champions in Sofia Guerrero (105) and Nyah Lovis (130) and a second-place finish from Zabby Badru (135).

Individual champions:
Other girls winning individual CPL titles were Curie’s Giselle Arambula (110), Rickover Naval Academy’s Camila Martinez-Gonzalez (155), Lindblom’s Ashyia Scott (190), and Rickover’s Jasmine Mejia (235).

Notable finals matches:
The title match at 120 was decided by a single point, when Phoenix Military Academy’s Mia Thomas won an 8-7 decision over Taft’s Jennifer Arenas.

Individual statistics:
Back of the Yards’ Evelyna Perez posted the most pins (5) in the least time (5:30), and Lane’s Sofia Guerrero finished with the most tech falls (2) in the least time (9:31). Lane’s Nyah Lovis had the fastest tech fall at 55 seconds.

Phoenix Military Academy’s Diana Lopez-Jimenez and teammate Ariel Foreman tied for the most team points scored with 29.5, and Agricultural Science’s Elena Haugh scored the most single match points with 21. Crane’s Simone Dyer finished with the most total match points with 58. Phillips’ Kayla Nolan provided the largest seed-place difference with the No. 15 seed placed fourth at 135 pounds.

Team scores:
Phoenix Military Academy 230.5, Kelly 177, Lane 139.5, Rickover Naval Academy 138, Curie 122.5, Back of the Yards College Prep, Taft 82.5, Agricultural Science 74.5, Crane Medical Prep 72, ITW Speer Academy 71, Lindblom 69, Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville 48, Mather 43.5, Westinghouse 43, Clark 29, Lake View 28, Washington 28, Chicago Academy 27, Fenger 27, Little Village 22.5, King 21, Hancock 19, Phillips 19, Hubbard 15, Corliss 7, CVS 0, Kenwood 0, Morgan Park 0, Noble UIC 0, South Shore International College Prep 0

CPL Girls championship results:

100

1st: Jitzel Aranda (Phoenix Military) 13-6, d. Evelin Martinez (Curie) 16-3,  (MD 10-0)

3rd: Adali Cruz (Speer) 11-4, d. Dakota Perez (Rickover) 24-9,  (F 4:24)

5th: Jaden Concepcion (Chicago Academy) 6-5, d. Valerie Martinez (BOTYards) 12-11,  (F 3:40)

105

1st: Sofia Guerrero (Lane) 24-5, d. Annie Aguilar-Cruz (Kelly) 14-4,  (F 0:40)

3rd: Elizabeth Castrejon (Rickover) 17-10, d. Chloe Arana (Washington) 11-4,  (D 8-7)

5th: Melani Martinez (Curie) 6-2, d. Giana Romero (Chicago Academy) 7-3,  (For.)

110

1st: Giselle Arambula (Curie) 23-1, d. Carmen Jackson (Agricultural Science) 18-3,  (F 4:56)

3rd: Hannah Chong (Crane) 10-4, d. Litzy Estrada-A. (Rickover) 26-14,  (MD 9-1)

5th: Kyla Blackmon (Phoenix Military) 11-12, d. Nuti Ho (Mather) 10-2,  (M. For.)

115

1st: Diana Lopez-Jimenez (Phoenix Military) 23-2, d. Yazmine Garcia (Kelly) 19-9,  (F 1:21)

3rd: Danita Palmore (Lindblom) 24-10, d. Lauren Guerrero (Lane) 21-17,  (F 3:24)

5th: Kimani Glasper (Westinghouse) 15-3, d. Andrea Wells (Crane) 8-6,  (F 0:46)

120

1st: Mia Thomas (Phoenix Military) 23-5, d. Jennifer Arenas (Taft) 31-7,  (D 8-7)

3rd: Simone Dyer (Crane) 8-7, d. Yashlin Giron (Speer) 8-7,  (F 4:28)

5th: Valezka Avila (Hancock College Prep) 8-4, d. Miriam Orduno (Mather) 10-12,  (F 1:37)

125

1st: Marisol Castro-Duran (Phoenix Military) 16-5, d. Raynisha Sims (Lake View) 17-3,  (D 5-1)

3rd: Nakya Scott (Lindblom) 13-3, d. Tyhesia Goss (CMA-Bronzeville) 16-3,  (F 1:17)

5th: Emmely Munoz (BOTYards) 15-5, d. Itzel Jimenez (Washington) 11-4,  (F 3:21)

130

1st: Nyah Lovis (Lane) 33-5, d. Leylani Bahena (Kelly) 19-7,  (TF-1.5 0:55 (17-2)

3rd: Jocelyn Quiroz-Rosales (Phoenix Military) 10-6, d. Deyton Montes (Agricultural Science) 14-6,  (F 2:48)

5th: Paola Ramirez (Rickover) 14-9, d. Mariana Tamayo (BOTYards) 6-8,  (F 2:18)

135

1st: Ariel Foreman (Phoenix Military) 19-2, d. Zabby Badru (Lane) 32-7,  (F 0:21)

3rd: Jayla Bowie (Michele Clark Academic Prep) 9-4, d. kayla Nolan (Phillips) 7-4,  (F 2:58)

5th: Layla Zbiec (Taft) 13-14, d. Vianney Becerra (Phoenix Military) 6-9,  (F 0:16)

140

1st: America Cabrera (Phoenix Military) 15-3, d. Harmoni Puckett (King) 5-2,  (F 4:29)

3rd: Evelyna Perez (BOTYards) 16-7, d. Theresa Sewell (Fenger) 8-5,  (F 1:19)

5th: Liliana Monserrat Dimas (Kelly) 14-9, d. Imyjah Jackson (Lane) 6-21,  (F 2:30)

145

1st: AJ Grant (Phoenix Military) 22-2, d. Zoe Gonzalez (Curie) 18-4,  (F 1:12)

3rd: Isabelle Mejia (Rickover) 26-12, d. Abigail Dominguez (BOTYards) 13-7,  (F 5:15)

5th: Evelyn Rodriguez (Taft) 12-13, d. Natalia Cordova (Lane) 10-18,  (F 3:19)

155

1st: Camila Martinez-Gonzalez (Rickover) 27-7, d. Liana Andrade (Kelly) 8-4,  (D 9-3)

3rd: Cecilia Colon (Westinghouse) 11-2, d. Alexia Ramos (Phoenix Military) 8-5,  (F 1:17)

5th: Jazlynn Bracamontes (Hubbard) 11-7, d. Carina Cirilo (Curie) 9-5,  (For.)

170

1st: Sara Martinez Lopera (Kelly) 22-0, d. Mia Johnson (CMA-Bronzeville) 10-4,  (F 0:24)

3rd: Elena Haugh (Agricultural Science) 18-5, d. Dorca Morales (Crane) 11-4,  (TF-1.5 5:28 (21-6)

5th: Julissa Az (Mather) 25-4, d. Marisol Valencia (Curie) 11-12,  (F 0:00)

190

1st: Ashyia Scott (Lindblom) 11-1, d. N`Dyia Mahon-Godfrey (Kelly) 23-3,  (F 1:32)

3rd: Layla Moreland (Lane) 7-7, d. Nyomi Ascencio (BOTYards) 9-6,  (F 1:36)

5th: Aileen Galvez (Speer) 11-5, d. Emily Nieto (Westinghouse) 13-5,  (F 5:47)

235

1st: Jasmine Mejia (Rickover) 29-2, d. Rim Ayouchi (Taft) 19-6,  (F 0:30)

3rd: Laura Sofia Martinez Lopera (Kelly) 8-4, d. Areli Espinosa (Speer) 9-6,  (F 3:44)

5th: Mavis Marchan (Little Village) 11-2, d. Leana Ruiz (Agricultural Science) 7-6,  (F 3:19)

Open 110

1st: Kyra Martin (CMA-Bronzeville) 10-3, d. Mariah Brady (Westinghouse) 5-6,  (F 0:46)

3rd: Liliana Flores (Kelly) 5-12, d. Nataly Espin-Sanchez (Kelly) 7-7,  (MD 17-3)

5th: Honesty Nash (Westinghouse) 1-6, d. () , . (Bye)

Open 115-120

1st: AD Garcia (Curie) 6-5, d. Tuyet Tran (Mather) 7-11,  (F 0:18)

3rd: Victoria Rivera (Rickover)

Open 145-155 

1st: Susana Cardona (BOTYards) 3-6, d. Celeste Lazcano (Mather) 4-7,  (F 0:45)

3rd: Isabel Emeterio (Kelly) 5-7, d. Natalia Mena (Curie) 2-6,  (F 5:58)

Open 170

1st: Bryana Diaz (Kelly) 4-8, d. Sophia Haycock (Mather) 8-2,  (F 3:23)

3rd: Andrea Hernandez (Little Village)

Open 190

1st: Dazheana Boines (CVS)

2nd: Tanesha Esteban (Speer)

3rd: Jayna Turner (Lindblom)

Round 1: Tanesha Esteban (Speer) 6-5, d. Dazheana Boines (CVS) 1-1,  (F 2:27)

Round 2: Dazheana Boines (CVS) 1-1, d. Jayna Turner (Lindblom) 6-5,  (F 1:25)

Round 3: Jayna Turner (Lindblom) 6-5, d. Tanesha Esteban (Speer) 6-5,  (F 3:28) 

Open 235

1st: Esmerelda Bustamante (Speer) 11-0, d. Dayrin Tirado (Speer) 5-5,  (F 2:57)

3rd: Esther Delcid (Kelly) 6-5, d. Julia Augello (Rickover) 7-6,  (F 1:15)

5th: Sheekinah Miller (CVS) 0-2, d. Aryanna Hamiton (CVS) 0-2,  (DFF)

SOUTH SUBURBAN CONFERENCE

Oak Forest had three individual conference champions among its seven placewinners to win this year’s 14-team South Suburban Conference tournament at Shepard.

Oak Forest posted 153.5 points to win the team title, followed by host Shepard (109.5), Eisenhower (107), Hillcrest (102.5) and Tinley Park (98) to round out the top five team finishes.

Oak Forest coach Jamie Hubbard got titles from Marjorie Rodriguez (115), Iyobosa Odiase (145) and Isabel Peralta (190), seconds from Brooklyn Strelow (125) and Adri Bille (155), a third from Riona Jurik (130), and fourths from Raquel Ruiz (100), Sophia Orcasitas (110) and Madison Willis (170).

“Overall, the team has progressed well over the season and they’re ready to compete in state series,” Oak Forest coach Jamie Hubbard said.

Shepard only entered seven girls in the tournament to Oak Forest’s 13, but Astros coach Scott Richardson got individual titles from Sofia Perez (105), Mila Rocush (130), and Kassandra Lee (170), and seconds from Daniella Almazan (100) and Karrine Jenkins (235) to lead the way to a second-place team finish.

Third-place Eisenhower got a second-place finish from Christine Velasco (130) and five third-place finishes from Jocelyn Baez (105), Melanie Cervantes (115), Marlen Morelos (140), Phoebe Heyboer (190) and Mercedes Palacios (235).

Individual champions:
Other girls winning SSC titles were Oak Lawn’s Felix Morales (100) and Charvelle McLain (155), Thornton Fractional South’s Dakodia Kelly (110), Abitatu Mogaji (120) and Quincy Onyiaorah (135), Lemont’s Molly O’Connor (125) and Rowyn Page (235), and Hillcrest’s Christiara Finley (140).

Notable finals matches:
There was no shortage of points scored when Oak Lawn’s Felix Morales and Shepard’s Daniella Almazan squared off at 100 pounds, with Morales winning an 18-12 decision. In another hard-fought finals match, TF South’s Dakodia Kelly won a 13-10 decision at 110 against Evergreen Park’s Riley Osborn.

Individual statistics:
Oak Forest’s Marjorie Rodriguez posted the most pins (3) in the least time (2:59) to lead all wrestlers, Hillcrest’s Taniya Moss had the fastest pin at 13 seconds, and Hillcrest’s Christiara Finley had the fastest tech fall win at 2:00.

There was a three-way tie for the most team points scored (26) between Oak Forest’s Rodriguez, teammate Isabel Peralta, and Lemont’s Molly O’Connor, and Tinley Park’s Rylee Hernandez posted the most single-match points with 20, and the most total match points with 47. Hillcrest’s Sydney West provided the largest seed-place difference as the No. 7 seed placed second at 170 pounds.

Team scores:
Oak Forest 153.5, Shepard 109.5, Eisenhower 107, Hillcrest 102.5, Tinley Park 98, Thornton Fractional South 92, Lemont 86, Oak Lawn 69, Bremen 59, Reavis 51, Thornton Fractional North 37, Evergreen Park 33, Argo 8, Richards 0

SSC tournament results:

100

1st: Felix Morales (Oak Lawn) 10-5, d. Daniella Almazan (Shepard) 13-7,  (D 18-12)

3rd: Bailey Galvez Suarez (Reavis) 5-6, d. Raquel Ruiz (Oak Forest) 5-13,  (MD 10-1)

105

1st: Sofia Perez (Shepard) 17-6, d. Ariana Baier (Lemont 25-7,  (F 1:21)

3rd: Jocelyn Baez (Eisenhower) 4-4, d. Thi Van (Reavis) 12-10,  (SV-1 6-3)

110

1st: Dakodia Kelly (TF South) 28-8, d. Riley Osborn (Evergreen Park) 15-6,  (D 13-10)

3rd: Jayden Melendez (Tinley Park) 26-6, d. Sophia Orcasitas (Oak Forest) 22-19,  (F 5:54)

115

1st: Marjorie Rodriguez (Oak Forest) 33-8, d. Shaniya Tharp Thomas (TF South) 21-13,  (F 0:57)

3rd: Melanie Cervantes (Eisenhower) 24-8, d. Tamara Harris (TF North) 2-2,  (F 2:48)

120

1st: Abitatu Mogaji (TF South) 20-8, d. Juliana Adamski (Tinley Park) 23-8,  (F 1:57)

3rd: Emma Lappay (Lemont 18-17, d. Esmeralda Sanchez Nave (Eisenhower) 7-9,  (F 1:31)

125

1st: Molly O`Connor (Lemont 35-4, d. Brooklyn Strelow (Oak Forest) 27-10,  (F 4:18)

3rd: Journey Jackson (Oak Lawn) 23-7, d. Madison Monreal (Tinley Park) 23-11,  (D 4-1)

130

1st: Mila Rocush (Shepard) 25-5, d. Cristine Velasco (Eisenhower) 6-3,  (F 0:28)

3rd: Riona Jurik (Oak Forest) 2-1, d. Shan`drea Jones (Midlothian (Bremen) 11-12,  (F 2:34)

135

1st: Quincy Onyiaorah (TF South) 16-1, d. Amelia Quinlan (Midlothian (Bremen) 20-8,  (F 0:36)

3rd: Nadaliee Miller (Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) 7-8, d. Leslie Lopez (Reavis) 10-11,  (F 3:37)

140

1st: Christiara Finley (Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) 19-0, d. Shaniah West (Midlothian (Bremen) 15-12,  (TF-1.5 2:00 (18-3)

3rd: Marlen Morelos Perez (Eisenhower) 18-12, d. Abigail Harris (Tinley Park) 17-15,  (F 3:40)

145

1st: Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest) 2-0, d. Ariyah Bradford (TF North) 2-1,  (F 2:47)

3rd: Rylee Hernandez (Tinley Park) 15-13, d. Melissa Nance (Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) 16-9,  (F 2:41)

155

1st: Charvelle Mclain (Oak Lawn) 27-5, d. Adri Bille (Oak Forest) 1-1,  (F 1:11)

3rd: Lily Fish (Reavis) 17-3, d. Ayejonae Bartholomew (Midlothian (Bremen) 11-7,  (F 0:32)

170

1st: Kassandra Lee (Shepard) 11-5, d. Sydney West (Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) 9-9,  (TF-1.5 2:31 (18-1)

3rd: Olamide Osinowo (Tinley Park) 12-10, d. Madison Willis (Oak Forest) 1-2,  (F 0:16)

190

1st: Isabel Peralta (Oak Forest) 3-0, d. Jordyn Harrison-Coleman (Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) 15-8,  (F 4:59)

3rd: Phoebe Heyboer (Eisenhower) 22-8, d. Lili Meierkort (Evergreen Park) 13-11,  (D 7-4)

235

1st: Rowyn Page (Lemont 33-10, d. Karrine Jenkins (Shepard) 17-9,  (F 3:24)

3rd: Mercedes Palacios (Eisenhower) 6-1, d. Elly Candelas (Reavis) 5-2,  (D 7-6)

WEST SUBURBAN CONFERENCE

Glenbard West took the team title at this year’s 14-team West Suburban Conference meet, winning 166-145.5 over second-place Morton. Downers Grove North (123) finished third, followed by Downers Grove South (87) and Proviso West (84) to round out the top five team finishes.

Glenbard West got individual titles from Khloe Perez (115) and Valentina Fantoni (125), seconds from Nydia Jotzat (135) and Miyalinna DeJesus (155) and Thanh Dinh (235), thirds from Jivona Brown (105), Karolina Konopka (120) and Daniyah Nixon (190), and fourths from Lilyana Iman (100) and Gia Cozzani (145).

“This year marked the first time each school on both sides of the conference had participants, showing exactly how popular girls wrestling has become,” Glenbard West coach Alberto Guevara said. “The West Suburban Conference has done an incredible job of supporting girls wrestling and showcasing our girls on a separate platform from the boys.”

The Hilltoppers won their first-ever WSC tournament title with Saturday’s win. Afterwards, Guevara tipped his hat to a core of seniors that have been instrumental to Glenbard West’s program.

“Miyalinna DeJesus (155) has been with us since our inception of girls wrestling at Glenbard West and she’s helped shape our program to what we have today,” Guevara said. “She lost in the finals to all-world Callie Carr from Hinsdale South, but has had a great season so far.  Additionally, we had seniors Nydia Jotzat and Jivona Brown take second and third, respectively. Our team is led by the seniors in the room setting examples of hard work and this particular class is very special.”

Second-place Morton got titles from Andaira Marron (100) and Violet Mayo (145), seconds from Hope Donnamario (105) and Monica Garcia (120), thirds from Brianna Carbajal (115) and Isabella Sanchez (155), and fourths from Karla Munoz (110) and Annabella Linton (140).

Downers Grove North’s Natalia Cruz (130) and Zahriah Gaines (235) won titles for the third-place Trojans, who also got seconds from Ella Matheu (110) and Jahdi’yah Hibbler (145), thirds from Valentina Gonzalez (125) and Alyssa Andreen (170), and a fourth from Kaitlyn Kapral (135).

Individual champions:
Other West Suburban Conference champions included Leyden’s Zoey Dodgers (105) and Sabrina Bono (120), Proviso East’s Regina Jones (110), Lyons’ Sofia Turek (135), York’s Clara Fitzer (140), Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr (155), Proviso West’s Zykoria Henry (170), and Downers Grove South’s Zuzia Cebulski (190).

Notables:
Among wrestlers with 10 or more matches wrestled this season, three of them left the conference meet with their unbeaten records intact in Leyden’s Zoey Dodgers (16-0 at 105), Glenbard West’s Khloe Perez (30-0 at 115), and Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr (28-0 at 155).

Individual statistics:
Downers Grove North’s Valentina Gonzalez posted the most pins (4) in the least time (3:55) of any wrestler, and Addison Trail’s Madeline Beltran had the fastest pin of the tournament, in 9 seconds. Proviso East’s Regina Jones had the most tech falls (2) in the least time (9:06) and Leyden’s Zoey Dodgers had the fastest tech fall, at 3:27.

Four wrestlers tied for the most team points scored (26) in Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr, Glenbard West teammates Valentina Fantoni and Khloe Perez, and Downers Grove North’s Natalia Cruz. There was a three-way tie for the most single-match points scored (21) among Downers Grove South’s Julianna Gonzalez, Morton’s Andaira Marron and Proviso West’s Tia Teague.

Proviso East’s Jones scored the most total match points with 48, and Morton’s Isabella Sanchez provided the largest seed-place difference as the No. 9 seed placed third at 155 pounds.

Team scores:
Glenbard West 166, Morton 145.5, DG North 123, DG South 87, Proviso West 84, Lyons Township 69, Leyden 68.5, Oak Park and River Forest 59, Addison Trail 54.5, Willowbrook 42, Proviso East 37, York 35, Hinsdale Central 27, Hinsdale South 26

West Suburban Conference tournament results:

100 

1st: Andaira Marron (Morton) 24-6, d. Jhania Wickert-Harris (Lyons) 13-4,  (TF-1.5 4:26 (20-5)

3rd: Isabella Datil (Addison Trail) 14-10, d. Lillyana Iman (Glenbard W) 21-9,  (D 14-7)

105

1st: Zoey Dodgers (Leyden) 16-0, d. Hope Donnamario (Morton) 18-6,  (TF-1.5 3:27 (15-0)

3rd: Jivona Brown (Glenbard W) 14-6, d. Tori Ooms (DG South) 14-12,  (F 1:36)

110

1st: Regina Jones (Maywood (Proviso East) 15-7, d. Ella Matheu (DG North) 5-2,  (F 4:59)

3rd: Tia Teague  (Proviso W) 3-1, .d. Karla Munoz (Morton) 13-18,  (MD 21-7)

115

1st: Khloe Perez (Glenbard W) 30-0, d. Ashley Uhler (Lyons) 11-4,  (F 2:55)

3rd: Brianna Carbajal (Morton) 22-14, d. Daisy Trujillo (Willowbrook) 21-6,  (F 4:51)

1st: Sabrina Bono (Leyden) 18-3, d. Monica Garcia (Morton) 26-6,  (MD 11-3)

3rd: Karolina Konopka (Glenbard W) 29-6, d. Brithany Mondragon (Addison Trail) 18-3,  (F 1:37)

125

1st: Valentina Fantoni (Glenbard W) 25-7, d. Marija Neskovic (Hinsdale C) 15-9,  (F 0:10)

3rd: Valentina Gonzalez (DG North) 9-6, d. Anahi Banuelos (OPRF) 8-13,  (F 0:38)

130

1st: Natalia Cruz (DG North) 12-2, d. Michelle Kpekpe (OPRF) 13-13,  (F 1:25)

3rd: Eman Fukah (DG South) 14-7, d. Anika Gonzalez  (Proviso W) 4-2, . (F 3:07)

135

1st: Sofia Turek (Lyons) 14-4, d. Nydia Jotzat (Glenbard W) 24-7,  (F 2:55)

3rd: Allison Flores-Morales (Willowbrook) 22-9, d. Kaitlyn Kapral (DG North) 6-5,  (F 5:00)

140

1st: Clara Fitzer (York) 10-2, d. Jaqueline Soun (Proviso W) 2-1, . (F 2:32)

3rd: Julissa Ramirez (Leyden) 6-5, d. Annabella Linton (Morton) 13-16,  (F 1:28)

145

1st: Violet Mayo (Morton) 30-9, d. Jahdi`yah Hibbler (DG North) 11-3,  (F 1:45)

3rd: Madeline Beltran (Addison Trail) 21-6, d. Gia Cozzani (Glenbard W) 22-11,  (F 1:20)

155

1st: Callie Carr (Hinsdale S) 28-0, d. Miyalinna DeJesus (Glenbard W) 24-3,  (F 0:36)

3rd: Isabella Sanchez (Morton) 7-3, d. Natasha Myers (DG South) 2-2,  (F 1:57)

170

1st: Zykoria Henry  (Proviso W) 3-0, .d. Ava Griseta-Urbina (DG South) 12-12,  (F 1:26)

3rd: Alyssa Andreen (DG North) 9-7, d. Jazilah Gatlin (Willowbrook) 23-9,  (F 2:41)

190

1st: Zuzia Cebulski (DG South) 14-5, d. Kemaria Freeman (OPRF) 13-9,  (F 5:37)

3rd: Daniyah Nixon (Glenbard W) 18-10, d. Chole Black (Hinsdale C) 14-6,  (F 5:03)

235

1st: Zahriah Gaines (DG North) 5-1, d. Thanh Dinh (Glenbard W) 11-9,  (F 0:33)

INTERSTATE 8 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Kaneland’s six conference champions, one runner-up, and 10-of-10 wrestlers finishing in the top four of their weight classes earned the Knights this year’s Interstate 8 title.

Kaneland finished with 163 points to second-place Ottawa’s 111. Morris (100) finished third, LaSalle-Peru (62) was fourth, followed by Sycamore (61) and Rochelle (45.5) to round out the six-team field.

The Knights didn’t win last year’s I8 team title and this year it was a focal point.

“Last year we sent Angelina (Gochis) to the boys event and chose to sit some girls and we fell short,”  Kaneland coach Josh West said. “Interstate 8 conference champion was a goal we set last year. It feels good to accomplish that. The girls are wrestling well, peaking at the right time. An all around solid effort by our girls today,”

Earning individual titles for Kaneland were returning IHSA state champion Angelina Gochis (110), Brooklyn Scheaffer (130), Dyani Torres (135), Caitlyn Manier (155), Carly Duffing (170) and Sadie Kinsella (190). Thalia Paton (115) placed second and the Knights got three fourths from Adeline Coady (120), Chloe Cervante (140) and Reygan Behrends (145).

“(Gochis) and (Sheaffer) were able to pull away from the field,” West said. “Both were in control from start to finish. Thalia Paton wrestled well, and Dyani Torres dug herself into a little bit of a hole, down 7-0,  but crawled back, got three takedowns, and fished with a fall. It was a great full-match effort by Dyani.

“At 155 and 170, Caitlyn Manier and Carly Duffing both wrestled well, taking home first place. Carly is coming back from injury so we are glad to have her back on the mat. And Sadie Kinsella sealed the deal for us tonight.  She beat a ranked wrestler in the finals 8-0, she wrestled smart and controlled the match.  She was able to fight off any attacks and come out with a win.

“Overall, we were very happy to come out as conference champs.  We have a fairly tough regional so we will see how things play out but I’m proud of the team we have.  They continue to work hard, are extremely coachable, and give all they can.  As their coach, that’s all I can ask for.”

Second-place Ottawa got titles from Chloe Carmona (120) and returning IHSA state-placer Juliana Thrush (235), seconds from Isabel Gwaltney (100), Ciara Bolf (120), Ava Weatherford (140) and Alivia Butler (145), thirds from Evy Grady (110) and Lexi Swain (125), fourths from Brie Grady (100) and Savannah Frederickson (110), a fifth from Alexis Rogers (140), and a sixth from Jaiyden Provance (135).

Third-place host Morris got individual conference titles from Ellie Evans (100) and Zara Lugo (125), seconds from Maggie Gordon (110), Kaliyah Schmaedeke (125) and Morgan Congo (190), thirds from Makensi Martin (115), Brooklyn Bankowski (120), Dulce Xique (135), Olyve Haven (140), Savannah Vignali (145), and Nicolette Boelman (155), a fourth from Aubrie Porra (130) and fifths from Tessa Neikirk (135) and Mia Garcia (145).

Individual champions:
Other girls winning individual I8 titles were LaSalle-Peru’s Kiely Domyancich (115), Sycamore’s Ema Durst (140), and Rochelle’s returning IHSA state-placer Dempsey Atkinson (145).

Individual statistics:

Ottawa’s Chloe Carmona posted the most pins (3) in the least time (5:03) of any wrestler in the tournament, while LaSalle-Peru’s Kalista Frost had the fastest pin at 14 seconds, and Rochelle’s Dempsey Atkinson had the fastest tech fall at 2:59. Kaneland’s Dyani Torres Ottawa’s Carmona tied for the most team points scored with 26, Rochelle’s Atkinson scored the most single match points with 19, and Morris’ Dulce Xique scored the most total match points with 40. Val Munoz (115), and Mary Rodriguez (155).

Team scores: Kaneland 163, Ottawa 111, Morris 100, LaSalle-Peru 62, Sycamore 61, Rochelle 45.5

I8 tournament results:

100

1st: Ellie Evans (Morris) d. Isabel Gwaltney (Ottawa) (F 0:44)

3rd: Kalista Frost (L.-Peru) d. Brie Grady (Ottawa) (F 0:14)

110

1st: Angelina Gochis (Kaneland) d. Maggie Gordon (Morris) (F 1:58)

3rd: Evy Grady (Ottawa) d. Savannah Frederickson (Ottawa) (F 1:19)

115

1st: Kiely Domyancich (L.-Peru) d. Thalia Paton (Kaneland) (F 1:34)

3rd: Makensi Martin (Morris) d. Val Munoz (Ottawa) (F 5:24)

120

1st: Chloe Carmona (Ottawa) d. Ciara Bolf (Ottawa) (F 2:25)

3rd: Brooklyn Bankowski (Morris) d. Adeline Coady (Kaneland) (F 0:37)

5th: Amelia Buckley (L.-Peru)

125

1st: Zara Lugo (Morris) d. Kaliyah Schmaedeke (Morris) (D 13-8)

3rd: Lexi Swain (Ottawa) d. Emma Tomlinson (L.-Peru) (F 5:25)

130

1st: Brooklyn Sheaffer (Kaneland) d. Gretchyn Dunbar (Sycamore) (F 2:46)

3rd: Ruby Davis (L.-Peru) d. Aubrie Porras (Morris) (F 0:46)

135

1st: Dyani Torres (Kaneland) d. Cammyla Macias (Rochelle) (F 5:40)

3rd: Dulce Xique (Morris) d. Clare Domyancich (L.-Peru) (F 3:55)

5th: Tessa Neikirk (Morris) d. Jaiyden Provance (Ottawa) (F 2:24)

140

1st: Ema Durst (Sycamore) d. Ava Weatherford (Ottawa) (F 1:59)

3rd: Olyve Havens (Morris) d. Chloe Cervantes (Kaneland) (F 1:08)

5th: Alexis Rogers (Ottawa) d. Avalyn Edwall (L.-Peru) (F 3:09)

145

1st: Dempsey Atkinson (Rochelle) won by tech Fd. Alivia Butler (Ottawa) (TF 19-3)

3rd: Savannah Vignali (Morris) d. Reygan Behrends (Kaneland) (F 5:50)

5th: Mia Garcia (Morris)

155

1st: Caitlyn Manier (Kaneland) d. Avelina McMurtry (Sycamore) (F 1:05)

3rd: Nicolette Boelman (Morris) won by injury defaultd. Mary Rodriguez (Ottawa) (Inj. 0:00)

170

1st: Carly Duffing (Kaneland) d. Winter Beard (Sycamore) (F 0:50)

190

1st: Sadie Kinsella (Kaneland) d. Morgan Congo (Morris) (MD 8-0)

235

1st: Juliana Thrush (Ottawa)

MID-ILLINI CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

Canton had seven individual conference champions and one third-place winner at this year’s inaugural Mid-Illini Conference Tournament.

Canton coach Zach Crawford’s first order of business was to tip his hat to those that made it possible.

“I’d just like to first thank our activities director, Brad Hulet, for helping to make a girls conference sport into reality,” Crawford said. “Without his support, I’m not sure this event would’ve happened this season. I’d also like to thank all the administrators in the Mid-Illini Conference for their support of girls wrestling as we continue to watch it blossom in down state Illinois and across the country.”

Canton outpointed second-place East Peoria 154-94, while Dunlap and Pekin finished tied for third with 64 points apiece.

Winning titles for Canton were LT Diephus (100), Shayla Schielein (105), Abella Brown (110), Chloe Hedges (115), returning state runner-up Kinnley Smith (130), Kennedy Smith (145) and returning state medalist Katelyn Marvel (155). Annalee Haschmeyer (120) placed third for Canton.

“Our girls wrestled extremely well,” Crawford said. “They stayed true to their styles of wrestling and wrestled with intent and a true love for the sport. They are having a great year with an immense amount of success. As we prepare for the postseason next week, I’m confident that they will continue to wrestle with that same attitude.”

Crawford also has a pair of veterans to which he expressed a debt of gratitude.

“Our two seniors, Kinnley Smith (130) and Katie Marvel (145) were part of the inaugural season for girls wrestling in Illinois and it’s bittersweet to coach them for the last time in our home gym. Their leadership throughout their high school careers will be greatly missed but they will leave behind a legacy in Canton wrestling that will continue to help inspire young girls to wrestle.”

Second-place East Peoria had a pair of champions in Taylor Sutton (135) and Dezyrae Murray (170), and the Raiders got seconds from Izabella Paranto (125), Kendra Painter (130) and Ava Jatkowski (155). Third-place Dunlap got a title from Alyssa Craig (235), a pair of second-place finishes from Paeyton Dickerson (120) and Olivia Curtis (140), and thirds from Aerith Adams (110) and Lucy Whitman (125).

Other girls winning conference titles were Pekin’s Violet Pennington (120), Metamora’s Mylee Edwards (125), Morton’s Karen Canshola (140), and Washington’s Gracie VanQuakebeke (190).

Notable finals matches:

The day’s closest title match came at 110, where Canton’s Abella Brown won a 1-0 decision against Metamora’s Kaydence Klein.

Pekin’s Alyssa Artman finished with the most pins (2) in the least time (1:31), while Metemora’s Mylee Edwards had the fastest tech fall in 3:03. Artman also posted the fastest pin at 27 seconds and Edwards had the fastest tech fall at 3:03. Morton’s Karen Canchola finished with the most single match points with 20, Pekin’s Violet Pennington had the most total match points with 23, and Pennington also provided the largest see-place difference in the tournament, as the No. 4 seed won the title at 120 pounds.

Team scores: Canton 154, East Peoria 94, Dunlap 64, Pekin 64, Washington 53, Metamora 42.5, Morton 42.5, Limestone 6

Mid-Illini results:

100

1st: LT Diephuis (Canton) 28-5, So. 

105

1st: Shayla Schielein (Canton) 25-8, So. d. Grace Aeschliman (Metamora) 7-8, Jr. (F 1:00)

110

1st: Abella Brown (Canton) 12-6, So. d. Kaydence Klein (Metamora) 5-6, Fr. (Dec 1-0)

3rd: Aerith Adams (Dunlap) 9-6, So. 

115

1st: Chloe Hedges (Canton) 29-9, Fr. d. Madizyn Megrant (Pekin) 12-4, So. (F 2:57)

3rd: Bopah Than (Washington) 0-5, Sr. 

120

1st: Violet Pennington (Pekin) 2-0, So. d. Paeyton Dickerson (Dunlap) 7-8, Fr. (F 3:17)

3rd: Annalee Haschemeyer (Canton) 21-12, Fr. d. Natalyn Simpson (Morton) 3-14, . (F 3:45)

125

1st: Mylee Edwards (Metamora) 5-3, Jr. d. Izabella Paranto (East Peoria) 6-15, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:03 (19-3))

3rd: Lucy Whitman (Dunlap) 1-9, Jr. 

130

1st: Kinnley Smith (Canton) 35-3, Sr. d. Kendra Painter (East Peoria) 1-4, Fr. (F 1:34)

3rd:
135

1st: Taylor Sutton (East Peoria) 16-7, Jr. d. Zoey Brandt (Pekin) 8-8, Jr. (F 1:27)

140

1st: Karen Canchola (Morton) 21-2, .d. Olivia Curtis (Dunlap) 13-5, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:11 (20-4))

3rd: Isabella Randolph (Washington) 1-10, Fr. 

145

1st: Kennedy Smith (Canton) 26-11, So.

155
1st: Katelyn Marvel (Canton) 12-7, Sr. d. Ava Jatkowski (East Peoria) 10-9, Jr. (F 1:52)

3rd: Alyssa Artman (Pekin) 7-10, Fr. d. Bethany Marshall (Washington) 3-6, Sr. (F 1:04)

170

1st: Dezyrae Murray (East Peoria) 15-4, So. d. Grace Mordhorst (Washington) 10-6, Jr. (F 1:37)

3rd: Keira Minassian (Morton) 9-8, .d. Tahlia Hostetter (Limestone) 7-11, Jr. (F 3:29)

190

1st: Gracie VanQuakebeke (Washington) 9-4, Sr. 

235

1st: Atalyssa Craig (Dunlap) 7-4, Fr.

ANNA-JONESBORO TOURNAMENT

Edwardsville snared the title of Saturday’s 25-team Anna-Jonesboro Tournament, posting a 206-119 edge over the second-place team from Caldwell County, Kentucky. Thornton (92) placed third in Anna, followed by Marion (75) and Vandalia (66) to round out the top five team finishes.

Returning state medalist Holly Zugmaier was one of four Tigers to win an individual title, along with Emma Rogers (100), Allie Chong (120), and Lydia Blind (140). Coach Jon Wagner also got seconds from Genevieve Dykstra (110), Olive Linhorst (130) and Abbrey Dewerff (155), a third from Gianna Linhorst (115), and fourths from Brooklyn Aldrich (125) and Angie Nunez (235).

Second-place Caldwell County, KY, got a pair of second-place finishes from Sophie Parrish (100) and Kamyra Dickey (105), plus thirds from Lexi Gobin (135) and Virginia Stewart (235), and fourths from Aniyaree Wilson (115), Keirli Herran (140) and Payten Simmons (190).

Third-place Thornton was led by individual champion Jalah Wilson (130), and the Wildcats also got thirds from Ariel Woodfin (100), Shutara Freeman (140) and Sionna Stampley (190), and a fourth from Trinity Jones (145).

Individual champions:
It was a steady parade of returning IHSA state medal winners scaling the awards stand in Anna, with individual titles also coming from host Anna-Jonesboro’s returning state medalist Zoee Sadler (105), Litchfield’s returning state medalist Rilynn Younker (110), Carbondale’s Delaney Measimer (115), Vandalia’s returning state champion Sophie Bowers (125), Cumberland’s returning state runner-up Natalie Beaumont (145) and Summer Nichols (170), Unity’s Anna Vasey (155) and returning state runner-up Phoenix Molina (235), and Goreville’s Krista McBride (190). 

Notable finals matches:

Vandalia’s returning state champion Sophie Bowers topped Jacksonville’s returning state 6th-placer Alexis Seymour by fall at 125, and the closest finals match finish took place when Edwardsville’s Allie Chong won 10-7 over Marion’s Alauni Muex at 120 pounds.

Team scores:
Edwardsville 206, Caldwell County KY 119, Thornton 92, Marion 75, Vandalia 66, Triad 64, Frankfort 63, Unity 60.5, Cumberland 51, Civic Memorial 47, Carbondale 47, Litchfield 43, Murphysboro 43, Anna-Jonesboro 41, Ohio County KY 40, Jacksonville 31.5, Paducah Tilgham KY 27, Carterville 25, Goreville 22, Robinson 19, Jersey 18, Trico 18, Johnston City 17, Benton 11, Sparta 4

Anna-Jonesboro tournament results:

100

1st: Emma Rogers (Edwardsville) d. Sophie Parrish (Caldwell County) (F 0:00)

3rd: Ariel Woodfin (Thornton) d. Claire Crouch (Triad) (F 0:00)

105

1st: Zoee Sadler (A.-Jonesboro) d. Kamyra Dickey (Caldwell County) (F 0:00)

3rd: Josselyn Allen (Jerseyville (Jersey) d. Hope Carl (Paducah Tilghman) (F 0:00)

110

1st: Rilynn Younker (Litchfield) d. Genevieve Dykstra (Edwardsville) (MD 16-4)

3rd: Haydyn Williamson (A.-Jonesboro) d. Vida Folis (Marion) (F 0:00)

115

1st: Delaney Measimer (Carbondale ) d. Kendall Moss-Smith (Bethalto (Civic Memorial) (F 0:00)

3rd: Gianna Linhorst (Edwardsville) d. Aniyaree Wilson (Caldwell County) (F 0:00)

120

1st: Allie Chong (Edwardsville) d. Alauni Muex (Marion) (Dec 10-7)

3rd: Sophia Bechelli (Frankfort) d. Cloe Graumenz (Triad) (Dec 12-11)

125

1st: Sophie Bowers (Vandalia) d. Alexis Seymour (Jacksonville ) (F 0:00)

3rd: Gabby Mason (Murphysboro) d. Brooklyn Aldrich (Edwardsville) (MD 9-0)

130

1st: Jalah Wilson (Thornton) d. Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville) (F 0:00)

3rd: Talynn Clark (Ohio County) d. Alicia Dominguez (Bethalto (Civic Memorial) (F 0:00)

135

1st: Holly Zugmaier (Edwardsville) d. Charlie Bono (Litchfield) (MD 13-1)

3rd: Lexi Gobin (Caldwell County) d. Gabriella Reynolds (Paducah Tilghman) (F 0:00)

140

1st: Lydia Blind (Edwardsville) d. Jacee Mardirosian (Carterville) (Dec 11-6)

3rd: Shutara Freeman (Thornton) d. Keirli Herran (Caldwell County) (F 0:00)

145

1st: Natalie Beaumont (Cumberland) d. Kyla Ford (Carbondale ) (MD 15-2)

3rd: Melissa Comerford (Marion) d. Trinity Jones (Thornton) (F 0:00)

155

1st: Vasey (Unity) d. Abbrey Dewerff (Edwardsville) (F 0:00)

3rd: Nahima Mateo (Murphysboro) d. Macee Hammond (Robinson) (F 0:00)

170

1st: Summer Nichols (Cumberland) d. Lily Browning (Frankfort) (F 0:00)

3rd: Brynn Swyers (Vandalia) d. Kaitlin Wood (Triad) (MD 11-3)

190

1st: Krista McBride (Goreville) d. Madie Ramaker (Trico) (Dec 7-3)

3rd: Sionna Stampley (Thornton) d. Payten Simmons (Caldwell County) (F 0:00)

235

1st: Phoenix Molina (Unity) d. Gracey Simmons (Vandalia) (F 0:00)

3rd: Virginia Stewart (Caldwell County) d. Angie Nunez (Edwardsville) (F 0:00)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Will Denny, Michael Esteban and George Marinopoulos remember 2022 all too well.

That’s when the Marist seniors were freshmen and they were already good enough to be in the starting lineup along with another freshman, Ricky Ericksen, and all placed in the top four on a team that won the Illini Classic and later advanced to the Class 3A Dual Team Finals as one of the favorites after it qualified 11 individuals for the IHSA 3A Finals, where they had five all-staters, including Esteban, while Denny fell one win shy of a medal.

But the RedHawks’ hopes of winning their first IHSA championship since IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Mark Gervais led the program to its lone dual team title in 1987 were dashed when they suffered a 34-33 defeat to  Lockport Township in the quarterfinals. 

Now as seniors, those four are celebrating their first Illini Classic team title since 2022 and are hoping that they can get back to the Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2022 and compete for a title as they last did in 2014 when Brendan Heffernan’s team fell 31-22 to Oak Park and River Forest in the Class 3A championship dual meet.

Denny (165), Esteban (126) and Marinopoulos (132) joined senior Donavon Allen (144) as champions while Ericksen (190) had to settle for second after taking a medical forfeit in his title match with Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny (190). That group led the way as Marist claimed top honors with 274 points while Clovis North of Fresno, California made a nice debut by taking second with 255 points.

St. Charles East edged Yorkville 199.5-198.5 for third place and Carl Sandburg (178), Lincoln-Way West (163), Lincoln-Way East (157.5), Marian Central Catholic (151), Hersey (141), Providence Catholic (119.5), Schaumburg (107), Stevenson (101), Lincoln-Way Central (96) and Minooka (94.5) were next in line in the 24-team competition that took place over two days at Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox.

Yorkville had three Illini Classic champions, Jack Ferguson (157), Luke Zook (175) and Luke Chrisse (215). Other title winners were Carl Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes (113), St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto (120), Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg (150), Lincoln-Way West’s Brandon Bavirsha (285) and Clovis North, CA’s Tyler Sweet (106) and Leo Maestas (138).

Mastny led all competitors with 34 team points while Zook, Munaretto and Maestas tied for second with 33.5 points. Denny, Hayes, Heeg and Sweet all had 32 team points, Marinopoulos collected 31 points and Allen and Chrisse both scored 30 team points.

Munaretto captured his third-straight Illini Classic title while Denny, Esteban, Hayes and Marinopoulos won championships for the second year in a row and Ferguson and Zook were title winners for the second time in three years. Hayes advanced to finals for the fourth time and Denny made his third finals appearance while Allen moved up from second a year ago to first.

Others who took second place were Notre Dame College Prep’s Ray Long (106) and John Sheehy (126), Marian Central Catholic’s Austin Hagevold (113) and Brayden Teunissen (120), Hersey’s Elijah Garza (132) and Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (144), Lincoln-Way Central’s Jadon Zimmer (138), Yorkville’s Donovan Rosauer (150), St. Charles East’s Anthony Gutierrez (165), Lincoln-Way East’s Jackson Zaeske (175), Lincoln-Way West’s Nate Elstner (215) and Clovis North, CA’s Markez Del Bosque (157) and Jackson Reilly (285).

Three of the closest title matches featured Marinopoulos winning 2-1 by an ultimate tiebreaker over Garza at 132, Bavirsha prevailing 2-1 over Reilly by an overtime tiebreaker at 285 and Sweet edging Long 12-10 at 106.

Third-place finishers were Carl Sandburg’s Madden Parker (132) and Ryan Hinger (144), Providence Catholic’s Christian Corcoran (106), Schaumburg’s Brady Phelps (120), Lincoln-Way West’s Shane Stream (126), St. Charles East’s Gavin Woodmancy (138), Marian Central Catholic’s Vance Williams (150), Marist’s Ethan Sonne (157), Lincoln-Way Central’s Jalen Byrd (165), Minooka’s AJ Frescura (175), Hinsdale Central’s Zachary Kruse (190), DePaul College Prep’s Hunter Wahtola (285) and Clovis North, CA’s Jacob Rodriguez (113) and Ross Cinfel (215).

Finishing in fourth place were St. Charles East’s Ryan McGovern (157), Cooper Murray (215) and Matt Medina (285), Minooka’s Noah Avina (120) and Kaden Meyer (165), Lincoln-Way East’s Tyson Zvonar (132) and Colton Zvonar (190), Marist’s Roberto Rangel (106), Lincoln-Way West’s Brady Glynn (113), Marian Central Catholic’s Nick Marchese (126), Lyons Township’s Jack Kutchek (138), Hersey’s Rodrigo Arcoe (150), Carl Sandburg’s Ahmad Alomari (175) and Clovis North, CA’s Elijah Ornelas (144).

Other top finishers for coach Brendan Heffernan’s champion RedHawks were Joe Bronske (sixth at 113), Caden Campo (sixth at 120), Tommy O’Brien (sixth at 215), Jack Watson (sixth at 285) and Kevin Bartolotta (eighth at 175) while Jonathan Fields (138) and Jack Lorenz (150) also contributed points to the cause.

“It’s a fun weekend,” Heffernan said. “It’s really cool to see these guys and even cooler to see how many of them are helping kids and helping the Illinois wrestling community to continue to get stronger. We always talked about how much fun it would be to have a tournament like this and then Brian and Tyrone, kudos to them for putting it together and they’ve kept it consistent every year. They have great officiating and great teams here and the competition is really good. And these kids know that it means a lot to these coaches to do well here, so they enjoy having success here, as well.

Marist, which is top-ranked in Class 3A, outscored Joliet Catholic Academy 226.5-159.5 for first in the East Suburban Catholic Conference tournament in Joliet. The RedHawks will compete in the Downers Grove South Regional and the Hinsdale Central Sectional in the individual series.

Carl Sandburg’s Brady Ritter and Stevenson’s Evan Mishels scored the most total match points with 82 while Denny ranked third with 74 points. Ritter was also the only individual who won four matches by technical fall while Marian Central Catholic’s Vance Williams, DePaul College Prep’s Hunter Wahtola, Marist’s Roberto Rangel and Clovis North’s Hunter Cabral all tied for first place for the most pins with four.

Two former University of Illinois head coaches, 1987 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Mark Johnson and 2017 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jim Heffernan, once again handed out medals to those who advanced to the awards stand at the Illini Classic, which remains as a truly unique competition and it has been hosted by all of three of the schools in the Lincoln-Way district, Central, East and West, since its inception with two U of I graduates, former East and now Central’s coach Tyrone Byrd and West’s coach Brian Glynn, who were also both inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2020, being the driving forces.

Other Illinois letter winners who are head coaches and their teams took part at the latest edition of the Illini Classic include Marist’s Brendan Heffernan, Clovis North’s Gabe Flores, St. Charles East’s Jason Potter, Carl Sandburg’s Clinton Polz, Marian Central Catholic’s Ryan Prater, Providence Catholic’s Donald Reynolds, Schaumburg’s Mike LeVanti, Stevenson’s Shane Cook, Lyons Township’s Griff Powell, DePaul College Prep’s Patrick Heffernan, Hinsdale Central’s Conrad Polz, St. Rita of Cascia’s Ryan Klinger, Riverside-Brookfield’s Nicholas Curby and Bishop McNamara’s Jacob Kimberlin.

Here are the champions and the medalists from the Illini Classic, which took place at Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox:

106 – Tyler Sweet, Clovis North

Tyler Sweet became the first of two individuals from Fresno, California’s Clovis North to win an Illini Classic title when he claimed a 12-10 decision over Notre Dame College Prep’s Ray Long in the 106 title match. Sweet (25-3), a freshman who was one of four finalists for coach Gabe Flores’ Broncos, won his first three matches by fall, advancing to the finals with a pin in 3:48 over Providence Catholic freshman Christian Corcoran in the semifinals.

Long (33-4), a sophomore who won a title at Leyden, took second at Niles West and was third at the Dvorak and Conant, was one of two finalists for coach Anthony Genovesi’s Dons. He followed two wins by technical fall with a pin in 3:18 over Schaumburg junior Austin Phelps in the semifinals. For third place, Corcoran (29-11) captured a 7-0 decision over Marist sophomore Roberto Rangel (19-4), who tied for first with three others for the most pins with four. In the fifth-place match, Phelps (29-7) was a winner by technical fall in 4:58 over Stevenson freshman Daniel Berdich (24-11). And for seventh place, Clovis North freshman Lucas Mendez (18-10) claimed a 9-8 decision over Yorkville junior Ramsey Barton (15-14).

113 – Rocco Hayes, Carl Sandburg

Rocco Hayes feels fortunate that his brothers Louie and Sammie have set such a high bar for him and that he has been able to follow in their footsteps with a memorable career at Carl Sandburg. Now the Eagles senior hopes that he can improve upon third-place finishes at 106 the last two years by doing something both Louie and Sammie achieved, taking part in the Grand March at the IHSA Finals, and ultimately become a state champ as Louie did in 2016. 

Hayes improved to 33-1 and advanced to the title match at the Illini Classic for the fourth time and repeated as a champion when he won a 12-6 decision over Marian Central Catholic’s Austin Hagevold for the 113 championship. The lone title winner and finalist for coach Clinton Polz’s fifth-place Eagles, he won his first two matches with quick pins before earning his spot in the finals with a fall in 2:29 over Lincoln-Way West sophomore Brady Glynn. The three-time state qualifier also won a title at Conant and his lone loss was to Warren Township’s Caleb Noble, the 2024 IHSA 3A champion at 106, in a tiebreaker in the finals at Hinsdale Central.

“Just hard work and just putting in the work in the room obviously was the reason why I won this tournament,” Hayes said. “But I didn’t wrestle the way that I wanted to in the championship and there’s obviously a lot of work to do to make sure that I’m on top in March. I come from a good wrestling family and we were born to wrestle. And I’m just super thankful for God to have this opportunity to go out there and compete every day, being healthy and going out there and win. (His older brothers) They were such good role models for me and they set the standard for me. And my job is to also do that for my younger brothers. It’s always been a family thing for me.”

Hagevold (29-6), a junior who finished fourth at 106 in Class 1A last season and also won a title at Marmion Academy, was one of three finalists for coach Ryan Prater’s Hurricanes, who are the defending IHSA Class 1A champions. He opened with two wins by technical before claiming a 5-3 decision in the semifinals over Clovis North freshman Jacob Rodriguez (11-3), who went to claim third place by capturing an 11-7 decision over Glynn (28-8). For fifth place, Stevenson junior Evan Mishels (19-7) won a 13-2 major decision over Marist junior Joe Bronske (18-7). Mishels tied Carl Sandburg’s Brady Ritter for the most total match points with 82. And for seventh place, Lincoln-Way East senior Noah Ciolkisz (21-13) was a winner by technical fall in 4:25 over Providence Catholic freshman Nate Ortiz (20-7).

120 – Dom Munaretto, St. Charles East

Dom Munaretto got to experience the great thrill of winning an IHSA Class 3A championship at 106 as a freshman and then the heartbreak of a second-place finish in 3A at 113 last season. But the St. Charles East junior is more focused on things this season after the close call last year and also thanks to winning the U17 World Championships in Freestyle at 51 kg in Amman, Jordan in August, two years after he took first at 45 kg in the same event. He clearly showed where he’s at now in the 120 finals, which was a clash of two-time state finalists and one-time IHSA champions where he won by technical fall in 4:37 over Marian Central Catholic senior Brayden Teunissen to claim his third-straight Illini Classic title and improve to 39-1 this season and 143-4 in his career. It was a rematch of the 2023 Class 3A state title match at 106, which Munaretto won with a 19-7 major decision.

Munaretto, the lone champion and one of two finalists for coach Jason Potter’s third-place Fighting Saints, opened with a first-minute fall and got a win by medical forfeit before earning his spot in the Illini Classic finals for the third-straight year with a pin in 1:22 over Minooka senior Noah Avina. He tied Yorkville’s Luke Zook and Clovis North’s Leo Maestas for the second-most team points with 33.5, which was .5 point behind Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny. This was his third championship of the season, adding to titles at the Dvorak and the Cheesehead.

“I work really hard for these moments so it’s really great to be able to capitalize on them and achieve this,” Munaretto said. “I won a World title this summer and I don’t know if I could have done that if I didn’t lose that state final. Everything happens for a reason. That loss in the state finals is really what kept me going in the practice room. It’s something you keep in the back of your head when the going gets tough in practice. My dad (Bob) had me on a bit of a training plan for lifting and I was going all over the place for practices, just getting prepared. (His dad) He’s always put me in the best position to succeed. I always say that you’re a product of what you’re surrounded with and he’s put me in the right surroundings so I could be successful. He’s the one that finds me a lot of these places that I go to practice and a lot of these partners that make me better. I lift with him four days a week and he just keeps me going.”

Teunissen (23-3), who won the IHSA 1A title at 120 last season over two-time champion Tyson Waughtel after taking second to Munaretto in 3A at 106 in 2023, was one of three finalists for coach Ryan Prater’s Hurricanes, who won the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team championship in 2024. A title winner at the Dvorak who took second at Detroit Central Catholic, he claimed wins by technical fall in his first two matches and then he earned his spot on the 120 title mat with a 3-2 victory by overtime tiebreaker in the semifinals over Schaumburg senior Brady Phelps, a three-time 3A medalist who was fourth at 120 last year and an Illini Classic champion in 2023. Phelps (31-2), who hopes to become the Saxons’ first four-time medal winner and its third to take part in the Grand March, claimed third place with a 16-3 major decision over Avina (20-11). For fifth place, Riverside-Brookfield senior Edgar Mosquera (26-2), who finished second in Class 2A at 113 last year at state, won by fall in 4:49 over Marist freshman Caden Campo (21-17). And for seventh place, St. Rita junior Jack Hogan (28-6), who took third place in Class 2A at 106 last season, captured a 4-2 decision over Clovis North senior Alijah Ortiz (11-10).

126 – Michael Esteban, Marist

Michael Esteban started a successful run for Marist that kicked off with consecutive titles from him and George Marinopoulos and four championships in seven matches which included first-place efforts from Donavon Allen and Will Denny for coach Brenden Heffernan’s champion RedHawks, who won the Illini Classic for the first time since 2022. The Marist senior captured a 10-2 major decision over Notre Dame College Prep’s John Sheehy in the 126 title match. 

Esteban (25-6), who placed second in Class 3A at 126 a year ago after finishing sixth at 113 in 2022, repeated as an Illini Classic champion along with teammates Marinopoulos and Denny, with the latter winning his third-straight title in the tournament. Esteban, whose best previous tournament finish was a second at Marmion Academy, kicked off his title run with a pair of wins by technical fall before earning his spot on the 126 title mat, making him one of five on his team to reach the finals, with a 7-2 decision over Hersey senior Riddick Variano.

“We don’t have a full lineup here,” Esteban said. “We’re always working hard in practice and us captains as seniors are leading the team to a championship. I’m just keeping my control, just pace, and always just hand fighting with kids, that’s what I do. We go with everyone, no matter what weight, sometimes I scrap with Ricky (Ericksen), our 190. We love to spread our faith with each other, like going to church together. We all take Christianity and being Catholic very seriously and I think creates our bond even more. We’re all honest with each other, so if I’m doing a move wrong, somebody will tell me. I’m looking forward to it. I have no regrets, it’s my senior year and I want to leave and go to Michigan State with the team title for my high school.”

Sheehy (32-5), a senior who was one of two finalists for coach Anthony Genovesi’s Dons, took fourth in Class 2A at 113 last season. A title winner at Niles West and Leyden who also placed second at Conant, he needed 12 seconds to get a fall in his opener and then he won a 7-1 decision in the quarterfinals over Marian Central Catholic sophomore Nick Marchese before earning his spot on the 126 title mat with a 12-3 major decision in the semifinals over Lincoln-Way West sophomore Shane Stream (27-10), who went on to claim third place with an 8-6 win in a tiebreaker over Marchese (20-10). For fifth place, St. Charles East junior Liam Aye (24-13) won by medical forfeit over Variano (25-15). And for seventh place, Lyons Township senior Roger Martinez (24-9) claimed a 9-7 decision over Oswego junior Aiden Ortiz (26-13).

132 – George Marinopoulos, Marist

George Marinopoulos was one of three individuals from Marist who repeated as Illini Classic champions and one of four title winners overall that helped their team claim top honors for the first time since his freshman season of 2022. A three-time qualifier for the IHSA Class 3A Finals, the senior hopes that he can accomplish what his brother Peter did twice, which was earning a medal in Champion, which he did with second-place finishes at 195 in both 2023 and 2022.

Marinopoulos (28-5) captured a title in perhaps the most-dramatic fashion of anyone in the tournament when he prevailed 2-1 by ultimate tiebreaker over Hersey senior Elijah Garza in the 132 championship match. After opening with a victory by technical fall, he won by fall in the quarterfinals before getting another pin, in 1:39, over Carl Sandburg senior Madden Parker. The RedHawks senior’s previous-best finish was second place at Marmion Academy.

“I think I could have got to my offense better, but I was just a little hurt,” Marinopoulos said. “We’ve been doing a ton of tournaments and travelling all over. It definitely pushes us and shows us what we can fix and what we need to work on and also what we do good. In the room when we watch those matches, for every bad thing that we find, we have to look for two good things. Ever since we were freshmen, we’ve kind of all bonded and we have a great team chemistry. Seeing the seniors that were ahead of us and how close they were, that kind of got us to be closer. And they’re always at my house hanging out. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Michael Esteban and Will Denny, they’re always in the room with me, working on stuff, and our coach, Ryan Egan, we’re always in the room working with each other.”

Garza (29-8), one of two finalists for coach Joseph Rupslauk’s Huskies, hopes to advance to the IHSA Finals after getting there for the only time in 2023. After recording a fall in his opener, he captured two one-point decisions to reach the 132 title mat, getting past Lyons Township junior Griff Powell 4-3 in the quarterfinals and prevailing 11-10 over Stevenson junior Shawn Kogan in the semifinals before falling by a point in the finals. In the third-place match, Parker (28-8) won a 7-0 decision over Lincoln-Way East senior Tyson Zvonar (30-5), a three-time IHSA 3A qualifier who hopes to claim his first medal. For fifth place, Kogan (29-3) was a winner by fall in 1:11 over Lincoln-Way West junior Carter Debenedetto (23-14). And for seventh, Clovis North junior Bryce Pasvogel (18-7) captured a 5-2 win by sudden victory over St. Rita senior Nino Protti (24-8).

138 – Leo Maestas, Clovis North

Leo Maestas entered the Illini Classic as a bit of an unknown since he competed for Fresno, California’s Clovis North but he made his presence felt after becoming one of two champions, three finalists and 12 individuals who placed eighth or better for coach Gabe Flores’ Broncos, who took second place. Maestas (23-3) won by fall in 0:53 over Lincoln-Way Central sophomore Jadon Zimmer in the 138 title match after earning his spot in the finals with a victory by technical fall in 2:46 over St. Charles East sophomore Gavin Woodmancy. He won his first two matches with first-period pins. He tied for second place in most team points along with Dom Munaretto and Luke Zook with 33.5, which was one-half point the leader in that category, Jimmy Mastny.

“It’s real fun to be able to come out here and compete and get different looks from everybody,” Maestas said. “It’s awesome, it’s a great opportunity. (Gabe Flores) He’s a great coach, he was there at the Division I level so he knows what he’s talking about. I listen to him and he tells me what to do and I just do it. I like how we’re all a family. We all care about each other a lot and we all look out for each other.”

Zimmer (32-7) was the lone finalist for coach Tyrone Byrd’s host Knights. Zimmer, who won a title at North Montgomery, Indiana earlier this month, claimed wins by technical fall in his first two matches before capturing a 14-5 major decision over Yorkville senior Dominic Recchia to advance to the 138 title mat. In the third-place match, Woodmancy (28-11) was a winner by technical fall in 4:34 over Lyons Township senior Jack Kutchek (17-8). For fifth place, Carl Sandburg sophomore Brady Ritter (29-9), who tied for first place for the most total match points with 82, won by technical fall in 4:58 over Recchia (16-9). And for seventh, Lincoln-Way East senior Brayden Martell (20-9) got a pin in 3:04 over Providence Catholic freshman Luke Banas.

144 – Donavon Allen, Marist

Donavon Allen figured to have one of the toughest matchups in the finals of the Illini Classic among all of the four Marist competitors who won championships for their team when the senior faced Hersey senior Maksim Mukhamedaliyev in the 144 title match. Allen placed third at 138 in Class 3A last season while Mukhamedaliyev took third at 132 in 3A last year after placing sixth at 126 in 2023. In the clash of three-time state qualifiers, Allen captured a 10-5 decision.

Allen (18-5), who won his first tournament title of the season, was the third of four champions and one of the five finalists for coach Brendan Heffernan’s Redhawks, who won the Illini Classic for the first time since 2022 with 274 points, which was 19 better than runner-up Clovis North. Allen, who took second in last year’s Illini Classic, won each of his initial three matches with victories by technical fall, with the third one coming in 5:24 over Carl Sandburg senior Ryan Hinger. He tied three others, including teammate Will Denny, for second place in most wins by technical falls with three and he also tied for sixth place for the most match points with 67.

“We’re really just kind of buying into it, everything that our coaches are saying, we’re dialing in,” Allen said. “We’re definitely getting much better and improving on our game every single day. And our coaches, they hold us to high expectations. We just buy into it and listen to what they say and everything that’s coming out of their mouth is true. We’ve been getting really close with team bonding. We’re a very close group and we just grind with each other. We bond through grinding. We’re seeing each other progress and uplifting each other with positive words and motivation for each other.”

Mukhamedaliyev (32-5), who won a title at Washington and also took second at Barrington and the Dvorak, was one of two finalists for coach Joseph Rupslauk’s Huskies. He advanced to the 144 title mat with three pins, winning with a fall in 3:19 in the semifinals over Oswego senior Brayden Swanson. In the third-place match, Hinger (32-3), who took fourth at 138 in 3A last season, captured an 11-3 major decision over Clovis North’s Elijah Ornelas (22-8). For fifth place, Schaumburg senior Cal Kirchner (33-5) won by fall in 3:04 over Swanson (27-7). And for seventh place, Lincoln-Way East junior Kaidge Richardson (24-10) claimed a 7-3 decision over DePaul College Prep senior Max Rosen (23-5).

150 – Justus Heeg, Providence Catholic

Justus Heeg entered the season as perhaps the only freshman in Illinois who had a high school title to his credit. The Providence Catholic athlete continued to add to his resume featuring title wins at Barrington and the Dvorak and a second-place finish at the Cheesehead when he won top honors at the Illini Classic, which took place at another New Lenox school, Lincoln-Way Central. He captured the 150 with a win by technical fall in 3:40 over Yorkville sophomore Donovan Rosauer, his third victory by technical fall, making him one of five who did that.

Heeg (35-3), the lone finalist for coach Donald Reynolds’ Celtics, claimed victories in his first two matches by technical fall before earning his spot in his fourth tournament finals of the season by recording a pin in 1:49 over Hersey senior Rodrigo Arcoe. Last season, Heeg won the Minnesota State High School League Class AA title at 133 to cap a 44-9 season as an eighth grader for Simley and also helped it win the AA Dual Team championship. He ranked in the top-10 in a few other categories at the Illini Classic, including tying for fifth place for the most team points with 32 and also tying for sixth place for the most total match points with 67.

“This is definitely a big boost to my confidence after coming up with the tough loss at the Cheesehead,” Heeg said. “I try to be the biggest leader that I can in the room. As soon as I start picking up the pace, everybody else starts picking up the pace and we all start flourishing.”

Rosauer (31-6), who was one of four finalists for coach Jake Oster’s fourth-place Foxes and a member of last year’s team that finished second in the IHSA 3A Dual Team Finals, turned in his best tournament finish of the season after opening with a first-period fall and then getting a win by technical before earning his spot on the title mat with an 11-8 win by sudden victory over Marian Central Catholic senior Vance Williams in the semifinals. Williams (27-4), who finished second in Class 1A at 132 in 2024 and 2023 after placing fourth at 132 in 2022, bounced back from his semifinal loss to take third place with a fall in 5:08 over Arcoe (23-13). For fifth place, Oswego junior Dillon Griffin (28-8) won a 12-8 decision over Lincoln-Way Central sophomore Ethan Harvey (21-10). And for seventh, Carl Sandburg senior Vince Gutierrez (18-9) was a winner by technical fall in 5:18 over DePaul College Prep senior Drew Gerstung (25-9).

157 – Jack Ferguson, Yorkville

Jack Ferguson began a stretch where Yorkville got title wins from three seniors who were all state medalists last season, with Luke Zook and Luke Chrisse being the other title winners. Those three and another senior who won a state medal, Ryder Janeczko, are some top returners from coach Jake Oster’s team that finished second in Class 3A in the Dual Team Finals, the program’s best state finish since 2012. Twelve individuals who were part of that team helped the Foxes to a fourth-place finish, just one point behind third place St. Charles East.

Ferguson (35-2) who took fifth place at 150 last year at state, became his team’s first title winner when he claimed top honors at 157 by capturing a 10-3 decision over Clovis North senior Markez Del Bosque. After opening with a win by technical fall and then claiming his initial 10-3 decision of the two-day event, Ferguson earned his spot on the 157 title mat in dramatic fashion, winning 10-7 by sudden victory over Hersey junior Frankie Tagoe in the semifinals.

This was the second time that he had won an Illini Classic title with the other being in 2023 and it was his second major tourney title of the season with the other one being at the Dvorak. 

“The team aspect is fun, too,” Ferguson said. “A lot of people just focus on the individual but having a good team is important, as well. (The team taking second at state) That was cool and it was an awesome experience. And for the guys that didn’t have that individual success, they got to have success with the team. I came up short at individual state so it was nice to get to the finals as a team. I’ve grown up with these kids my whole life and wrestling in the kids club and that’s something that a lot of other teams don’t get. So we just have that chemistry. This is my last year and I’m glad that it’s with this group of guys.”

Del Bosque (25-6), one of four finalists for coach Gabe Flores’ second-place Broncos, made his way to his finals matchup with Ferguson by opening with a fall and then winning an 8-2 decision over Marist sophomore Ethan Sonne before capturing a 10-1 major decision over St. Charles East senior Ryan McGovern in the semifinals. Two individuals that Del Bosque defeated met for third place where Sonne (25-9) was a winner by fall in 4:16 over McGovern (29-8). For fifth place, St. Rita junior Micah Spinazzola (20-6) got a pin in 2:00 over Tagoe. And for seventh place, Lincoln-Way East senior Alex Lizak (25-9), who took first place in last year’s Illini Classic,  was a winner by technical fall in 2:41 over Providence Catholic freshman Jasper Harper (29-10).

165 – Will Denny, Marist

Will Denny joined the distinguished list of Marist state champions last season when claimed top honors at the IHSA Class 3A Finals at 150 with a 15-7 major decision over Barrington’s Rhenzo Augusto to become just the 12th individual from his program to accomplish that feat. He’s hoping to finish his successful career  as a two-time champion, something that’s happened just one other time at the school with a rich history under Mark Gervais and Brendan Heffernan, and it was achieved by 2012 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Paul Andreotti in 1988 and 1989. 

Denny seems to be well on his way to making more history this season after repeating as a champion at the Illini Classic while appearing in a title match for the third year in a row when he got a win by technical fall in 3:40 over St. Charles East senior Anthony Gutierrez in the 165 title match to improve to 30-1 on the season. This was his third major title of the season, adding to firsts at Marmion Academy and Crown Point, Indiana and his lone defeat came in the title match at the Ironman. He also hopes to become one of 10 three-time medalist for his program, with his first all-state honors in 2023 with a fourth at 145. He opened with two victories by technical fall and got a pin in 1:44 over Minooka sophomore Kaden Meyer in the semifinals to become one of five finalists and four champions for the RedHawks, who won their first Illini Classic since 2022.

“(The good competition) It benefits me in every way, not just my wrestling, I believe that it better tests me mentally,” Denny said. “I’ve been through tough times mentally, and it’s not always easy. It’s fun winning, but it’s not the easiest thing that you can do, there’s a lot of things that go into it mentally. So I think travelling around and getting different feels, even working out with other coaches, that’s a huge part. (Winning a state title) I won’t take any credit for that, I’ll give all of that credit to all of the coaches that I’ve had that have helped me along the way and to all of the partners that I’ve had. This job can’t be done alone and there’s been a lot of people that have helped me, and not just wrestling coaches, but also training coaches and doctors. Coach Heff says it all of the time that no one has a schedule like we do, the strength in it. Every one of the guys on the team and every single one of the coaches plays a big part in that. There’s no doubt in my mind that we have a really good chance at it. This is where we peak, we like to say.”

Gutierrez (32-6) also would like to make some history in his senior season with a first IHSA title and a third state medal. He took fourth last season in 3A at 165 after placing sixth at 160 in 2023. This was his second major finals appearance, with the other being the Dvorak.He got pins in the first period of his his first two matches before winning a 13-9 decision over Lincoln-Way Central junior Jalen Byrd in the semifinals to become one of two finalists for the Fighting Saints, who are coached Jason Potter, who is one of this year’s inductees into the IWCOA Hall of Fame. In the third-place match, Byrd (35-5) won by technical fall in 5:33 over Meyer (27-5). For fifth place, Yorkville junior Caleb Viscogliosi (27-12) captured a 5-4 decision over Lincoln-Way West senior DJ Freeman (24-10). And in the seventh-place match, Hersey junior Grant Moga (20-15) recorded a fall in 3:59 over Providence Catholic freshman Brayden McKay (24-13).

175 – Luke Zook, Yorkville

Luke Zook and four of his Yorkville teammates had the great fortune last season of not only winning medals at the IHSA Class 3A Finals but one week later they were able to claim second place at the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals when their team defeated Naperville Central and Libertyville before falling to Mount Carmel in the title meet. Zook, a senior, and three of those teammates are back, seniors Luke Chrisse, Jack Ferguson and Ryder Janeczko, giving coach Jake Oster’s Foxes plenty of confidence that they can not only all finish higher individually at state but also possibly get their program back to the dual team finals for the third year in a row and maybe even claim a third-straight trophy, adding to a fourth-place finish they won in 2023. 

Zook (35-2) won the Illini Classic title at 175 with a fall in 1:28 over Lincoln-Way East senior Jackson Zaeske to claim first place in the tourney for the second time in three years. Zook placed fifth at 175 a year ago after taking third at 170 in 2023, making the three-time state qualifier the lone two-time medalist of the four returning all-staters. Two of those 2024 state medalists, Ferguson and Chrissie, joined Zook as champions at the Classic, giving Yorkville three title winners and four finalists as it took fourth place with 198.5 points, which was just one point behind third-place St. Charles East. Zook opened with a fall in 23 seconds, followed that with a win by technical fall in 3:08 and then recorded a pin in 0:43 over Carl Sandburg senior Ahmad Alomari in the semifinals. This was Zook’s first title of the season, with his other top efforts being a second at the Cheesehead and third at the Dvorak. He finished tied for second place with Dom Munaretto and Clovis North’s Leo Maestas for the most team points with 33.5.

Zaeske (31-6), the lone finalist for coach Collin McKillip’s Griffins, opened with a victory by technical fall before advancing due to a medical forfeit in the quarterfinals. He earned his spot on the 175 title mat by claiming an 8-5 decision over Minooka senior AJ Frescura in the semifinals. Zaeske, who was a state qualifier in 2022, posted his best finish of the season, improving on a sixth-place effort at the Dvorak. In the third-place match, Frescura (25-7) captured a 5-1 decision over Alomari (28-10). For fifth place, Clovis North senior Hunter Cabral (21-8), who tied three other individualss for the most pins with four, was a winner by fall in 3:42 over St. Charles East senior Abe Leidig (24-13). And for seventh place, Schaumburg senior Sean Christoffel (18-13) recorded a pin in 3:43 over Marist junior Kevin Bartolotta.

190 – Jimmy Mastny, Marian Central Catholic

Jimmy Mastny captured his fourth tournament title of the season as the Marian Central Catholic sophomore improved his record to 38-1 and the 2024 IHSA Class 1A champion at 157 now has a career record of 70-2 after capturing the 190 championship at the Illini Classic when Marist senior Ricky Ericksen was forced to injury default in 3:38 in the title match. Mastny has also claimed tournament  championships at Marmion Academy, the Dvorak and Detroit Central Catholic with his lone defeat coming at the Ironman, where he settled for third place.

Mastny was the lone champion and one of three finalists for coach Ryan Prater’s Hurricanes, who made history last season by winning the IHSA Class 1A championship with a 34-27 victory over defending champion Coal City to claim the school’s first state title and its second trophy. He opened with two falls before recording his third pin in 5:35 in the semifinals over Hinsdale Central senior Zachary Kruse. He led all competitors in the field with 34 team points.

“This is a good gauge, right before the state series,” Mastny said. “Our team did really good. We had three finalists and one champ and a guy took third and one took fourth and we had a couple of our good guys who were out. We have a couple of weeks to change everything.”

Ericksen (26-7) was one of five finalists for coach Brendan Heffernan’s champion RedHawks, who won the Illini Classic for the first time since 2022. The other four finalists, Michael Esteban, George Marinopoulos, Donavon Allen and Will Denny, all won titles. Ericksen, who was the state runner-up to Mount Carmel’s Colin Kelly in Class 3A at 175 last season, is a three-time state qualifier. He also took second at Marmion Academy’s invite. He opened with a first-minute pin before winning his next two matches by technical fall, needing 5:02 over Yorkville senior Ryder Janeczko in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Kruse (33-3) won by fall in 0:21 over Lincoln-Way East sophomore Colton Zvonar (22-6). For fifth, Clovis North senior Jackson Cinfel (8-4) won by medical forfeit over Janeczko (23-6). And for seventh, Lincoln-Way West junior Jimmy Talley (26-11) won a 10-0 major decision over Lyons Township senior Will Pleviak (18-8).

215 – Luke Chrisse, Yorkville

Luke Chrisse capped a run of three titles in five championship matches for Yorkville at the Illini Classic and that along with a fourth finalist as well as four others who placed eighth or better helped coach Jake Oster’s Foxes to claim a fourth-place finish in the competition with 198.5 points, which was one point behind third-place St. Charles East. After Donovan Rosauer took second place at 150, Jack Ferguson claimed the title at 150, Luke Zook added a championship at 175 and Chrisse completed the run of success by finishing in first place at 215 when he captured a 12-3 major decision over Lincoln-Way West senior Nate Elstner. All three of the Foxes’ champions are seniors who won medals last season at the individual state finals.

Chrisse (31-6) took fifth at 190 in the IHSA Class 3A Finals last season to become one of five medalists for his team and then he helped Yorkville to a second-place finish at the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals. He won his first title of the season with his previous best finishes being a third at the Dvorak and a fourth at the Cheesehead. He opened his title run with a victory by technical fall and then recorded a first-period fall before claiming a 7-1 decision over St. Charles East junior Cooper Murray in the semifinals. He tied for tenth place in team points with 30.

“I feel like we did pretty good,” Chrisse said. “We’ve all put in a lot of hard work in the practice room and I think it paid off today. We had three champs and a runner-up and three or four other medalists. I feel like all of us get along great together and we keep each other pushing hard. (Winning the title) I think it’s promising for state and shows me that I can compete with the best of the best, so I’m excited to see how state goes.”

Elstner (30-4), one of two finalists for coach Brian Glynn’s Warriors, won his first three matches with pins in the opening period, recording a fall in 1:33 over Clovis North senior Ross Cinfel in the semifinals. It was the third finals appearance this season for Elstner, who won titles at Marmion Academy and Hinsdale Central. He’s hopeful that he can qualify for the IHSA Finals for the first time. For third, Cinfel (19-5) claimed a 12-4 major decision over Murray (29-12). In the fifth-place match, Marian Central Catholic junior Dan French (25-10) was a winner by fall in 3:44 over Marist junior Tommy O’Brien (16-9). And for seventh, Lincoln-Way Central junior Aiden Hennings (30-7) won an 11-0 major decision over Carl Sandburg senior Malic Breish (25-13).

285 – Brandon Bavirsha, Lincoln-Way West

Brandon Bavirsha didn’t seem to be too fazed when learning that his last name had been misspelled in the tournament results. But whenever an individual captures a title at the Illini Classic, it’s a good bet that people will know what his name is as he heads into the postseason and the Lincoln-Way West senior is obviously feeling a whole lot better about his postseason prospects after winning the championship at 285 in dramatic fashion, beating Clovis North junior Jackson Reilly 2-1 by an ultimate tiebreaker to cap a day where his Warriors finished in sixth place with 163 points, edging Lincoln-Way East by 5.5 points for district bragging rights. 

Bavirsha (27-8), one of two finalists and the lone champion for coach Brian Glynn’s Warriors, was involved in thrillers on both days of the competition. He won 4-1 by sudden victory in his opener against Lyons Township junior Jimmy Hillman and then captured a 5-3 decision over Marist junior Jack Watson before earning his spot on the 285 title mat with a 2-1 win by ultimate tiebreaker over Minooka junior Robbie Murphy in the semifinals. His best previous finishes this season were thirds at Marmion Academy and at Hinsdale Central. Now Bavirsha hopes that this dramatic title run provides a boost that he hopes results in his initial trip to the IHSA Finals.

“I got the one-seed but yesterday I went into an overtime match with a kid that I’ve pinned before plenty of times, so it was like, ‘I need to pick my stuff up tomorrow’.” Bavirsha said. “I had three total overtime matches. Every single year since my freshman year, my partner has been a heavyweight. So I know how to face them and how to out-last them. That’s basically how I win my matches, just be smart and don’t give a takedown in the first, or I’m going to lose. Coach (Brian) Glynn is an extremely tough coach, but he’s being tough on us to make us better. We don’t give up. Every single person on the team gives it every single thing that they can. If they lose, they lose, but at least they left it on the mat.”

Reilly (11-7) was one of the four finalists for the team from Fresno, California that was making its debut in the Illinois Classic after another school in its district, Clovis, had participated previously and won the championship a year ago. After opening with a fall, he won a pair of 7-2 decisions, beating St. Charles East junior Matt Medina in the semifinals to earn his spot in the finals and was one of 12 individuals who placed eighth or better for coach Gabe Flores’ Broncos, who scored 255 points to finish in second place, 19 points behind champion Marist. In the third place match, DePaul Catholic Prep sophomore Hunter Wahtola (24-7), one of four who tied for first place with four falls, captured a 7-3 decision over Medina (25-14). For fifth place, Murphy (21-11) claimed a 5-4 decision over Watson (23-15). And for seventh, Providence Catholic senior Mike Sisk (24-12) also prevailed in a one-point decision, 4-3, over Hillmann (21-13).   

Illini Classic team scores

1. Marist 274, 2. Clovis North, CA 255, 3. St. Charles East 199.5, 4. Yorkville 198.5, 5. Carl Sandburg 178, 6. Lincoln-Way West 163, 7. Lincoln-Way East 157.5, 8. Marian Central Catholic 151, 9. Hersey 141, 10. Providence Catholic 119.5, 11. Schaumburg 107, 12. Stevenson 101, 13. Lincoln-Way Central 96, 14. Minooka 94.5, 15. Notre Dame College Prep 88, 16. Lyons Township 87.5, 17. DePaul College Prep 73.5, 18. Oswego 66.5, 19. Hinsdale Central 47, 20. St. Rita of Cascia 38.5, 20. Riverside-Brookfield 38.5, 22. Bishop McNamara 23.5, 23. Shepard 17.5, 24. Reavis 8.

Illini Classic place matches

106

1st Place Match

Tyler Sweet (Clovis North, CA) 25-3, Fr. over Ray Long (Notre Dame College Prep) 33-4, So. (Dec 12-10)

3rd Place Match

Christian Corcoran (Providence Catholic) 29-11, Fr. over Roberto Rangel (Marist) 19-4, So. (Dec 7-0)

5th Place Match

Austin Phelps (Schaumburg) 29-7, Jr. over Daniel Berdich (Stevenson) 24-11, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:58 (16-0))

7th Place Match

Lucas Mendez (Clovis North, CA) 18-10, Fr. over Ramsey Barton (Yorkville) 15-14, Jr. (Dec 9-8)

113

1st Place Match

Rocco Hayes (Orland Park (Carl Sandburg)) 33-1, Sr. over Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) 29-6, Fr. (Dec 12-6)

3rd Place Match

Jacob Rodriguez (Clovis North, CA) 11-3, Fr. over Brady Glynn (Lincoln-Way West) 28-8, So. (Dec 11-7)

5th Place Match

Evan Mishels (Stevenson) 19-7, Jr. over Joe Bronske (Marist) 18-17, Jr. (MD 13-2)

7th Place Match

Noah Ciolkisz (Lincoln-Way East) 21-13, Sr. over Nate Ortiz (Providence Catholic) 20-7, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:25 (24-5))

120

1st Place Match

Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) 39-1, Jr. over Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) 23-3, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:37 (17-2))

3rd Place Match

Brady Phelps (Schaumburg) 31-2, Sr. over Noah Avina (Minooka) 20-11, Sr. (MD 16-3)

5th Place Match

Edgar Mosquera (Riverside-Brookfield) 26-2, Sr. over Caden Campo (Marist) 21-17, Fr. (Fall 4:49)

7th Place Match

Jack Hogan (St. Rita of Cascia) 28-6, Jr. over Alijah Ortiz (Clovis North, CA) 11-10, Sr. (Dec 4-2)

126

1st Place Match

Michael Esteban (Marist) 25-6, Sr. over John Sheehy (Notre Dame College Prep) 32-5, Sr. (MD 10-2)

3rd Place Match

Shane Stream (Lincoln-Way West) 27-10, So. over Nick Marchese (Marian Central Catholic) 20-10, So. (TB-1 8-6)

5th Place Match

Liam Aye (St. Charles East) 24-13, Jr. over Riddick Variano (Hersey) 25-15, Sr. (Inj. 0:00)

7th Place Match

Roger Martinez (Lyons Township) 24-9, Sr. over Aiden Ortiz (Oswego) 26-13, Jr. (Dec 9-7)

132

1st Place Match

George Marinopoulos (Marist) 28-5, Sr. over Elijah Garza (Hersey) 29-8, Sr. (UTB 2-1)

3rd Place Match

Madden Parker (Carl Sandburg) 28-8, Sr. over Tyson Zvonar (Lincoln-Way East) 30-5, Sr. (Dec 7-0)

5th Place Match

Shawn Kogan (Stevenson) 29-3, Jr. over Carter Dibenedetto (Lincoln-Way West) 23-14, Jr. (Fall 1:11)

7th Place Match

Bryce Pasvogel (Clovis North, CA) 18-7, Jr. over Nino Protti (St. Rita of Cascia) 24-8, Sr. (SV-1 5-2)

138

1st Place Match

Leo Maestas (Clovis North, CA) 23-3, Sr. over Jadon Zimmer (Lincoln-Way Central) 32-7, So. (Fall 0:53)

3rd Place Match

Gavin Woodmancy (St. Charles East) 28-11, So. over Jack Kutchek (Lyons Township) 17-8, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:34 (20-3))

5th Place Match

Brady Ritter (Carl Sandburg)) 29-9, So. over Dominic Recchia (Yorkville) 16-9, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:58 (17-1))

7th Place Match

Brayden Mortell (Lincoln-Way East) 20-9, Sr. over Luke Banas (Providence Catholic) 9-12, Fr. (Fall 3:04)

144

1st Place Match

Donavon Allen (Marist) 18-5, Sr. over Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey) 32-5, Sr. (Dec 10-5)

3rd Place Match

Ryan Hinger (Carl Sandburg) 32-3, Sr. over Elijah Ornelas (Clovis North, CA) 22-8, Fr. (MD 11-3)

5th Place Match

Cal Kirchner (Schaumburg) 33-5, Sr. over Brayden Swanson (Oswego) 27-7, Sr. (Fall 3:04)

7th Place Match

Kaidge Richardson (Lincoln-Way East) 24-10, Jr. over Max Rosen (DePaul College Prep) 23-5, Sr. (Dec 7-3)

150

1st Place Match

Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic) 35-3, Fr. over Donovan Rosauer (Yorkville) 31-6, So. (TF-1.5 3:40 (21-5))

3rd Place Match

Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) 27-4, Sr. over Rodrigo Arcoe (Hersey) 23-13, Sr. (Fall 5:08)

5th Place Match

Dillon Griffin (Oswego) 28-8, Jr. over Ethan Harvey (Lincoln-Way Central) 21-10, So. (Dec 12-8)

7th Place Match

Vince Gutierrez (Carl Sandburg) 18-9, Sr. over Drew Gerstung (DePaul College Prep) 25-9, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:18 (17-1))

157

1st Place Match

Jack Ferguson (Yorkville) 35-2, Sr. over Markez Del Bosque (Clovis North, CA) 25-6, Sr. (Dec 10-3)

3rd Place Match

Ethan Sonne (Marist) 25-9, So. over Ryan McGovern (St. Charles East) 29-8, Sr. (Fall 4:16)

5th Place Match

Micah Spinazzola (St. Rita of Cascia) 20-6, Jr. over Frankie Tagoe (Hersey) 20-14, Jr. (Fall 2:00)

7th Place Match

Alex Lizak (Lincoln-Way East) 25-9, Sr. over Jasper Harper (Providence Catholic) 29-10, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:41 (17-1))

165

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Will Denny (Marist) 30-1, Sr. over Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles East) 32-6, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:40 (19-4))

3rd Place Match

Jalen Byrd (Lincoln-Way Central) 35-5, Jr. over Kaden Meyer (Minooka) 27-5, So. (TF-1.5 5:33 (16-0))

5th Place Match

Caleb Viscogliosi (Yorkville) 27-12, Jr. over DJ Freeman (Lincoln-Way West) 24-10, Sr. (Dec 5-4)

7th Place Match

Grant Moga (Hersey) 20-15, Jr. over Brayden McKay (Providence Catholic) 24-13, Fr. (Fall 3:59)

175

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Luke Zook (Yorkville) 35-2, Sr. over Jackson Zaeske (Lincoln-Way East) 31-6, Sr. (Fall 1:28)

3rd Place Match

AJ Frescura (Minooka) 25-7, Sr. over Ahmad Alomari (Carl Sandburg) 28-10, Sr. (Dec 5-1)

5th Place Match

Hunter Cabral (Clovis North, CA) 21-8, Sr. over Abe Leidig (St. Charles East) 24-13, Sr. (Fall 3:42)

7th Place Match

Sean Christoffel (Schaumburg) 18-13, Sr. over Kevin Bartolotta (Marist) 11-16, Jr. (Fall 3:43)

190

1st Place Match

Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) 38-1, So. over Ricky Ericksen (Marist) 26-7, Sr. (Inj. 3:38)

3rd Place Match

Zachary Kruse (Hinsdale Central) 33-3, Sr. over Colton Zvonar (Lincoln-Way East) 22-6, So. (Fall 0:21)

5th Place Match

Jackson Cinfel (Clovis North, CA) 8-4, Sr. over Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville) 23-6, Sr. (Inj. 0:00)

7th Place Match

Jimmy Talley (Lincoln-Way West) 26-11, Jr. over Will Pleviak (Lyons Township) 18-8, Sr. (MD 10-0)

215

1st Place Match

Luke Chrisse (Yorkville) 31-6, Sr. over Nate Elstner (Lincoln-Way West) 30-4, Sr. (MD 12-3)

3rd Place Match

Ross Cinfel (Clovis North, CA) 19-5, Sr. over Cooper Murray (St. Charles East) 29-12, Jr. (MD 12-4)

5th Place Match

Dan French (Marian Central Catholic) 25-10, Jr. over Tommy O`Brien (Marist) 16-9, Jr. (Fall 3:44)

7th Place Match

Aiden Hennings (Lincoln-Way Central) 30-7, Jr. over Malic Breish (Carl Sandburg) 25-13, Sr. (MD 11-0)

285

1st Place Match

Brandon Barvisha (Lincoln-Way West) 27-8, Sr. over Jackson Reilly (Clovis North, CA) 11-7, Jr. (TB-1 2-1)

3rd Place Match

Hunter Wahtola (DePaul College Prep) 24-7, So. over Matt Medina (St. Charles East) 25-14, Jr. (Dec 7-3)

5th Place Match

Robbie Murphy (Minooka) 21-11, Jr. over Jack Watson (Marist) 23-15, Jr. (Dec 5-4)

7th Place Match

Mike Sisk (Providence Catholic) 24-12, Sr. over Jimmy Hillmann (Lyons Township) 21-13, Jr. (Dec 4-3)

By Curt Herron for the IWCOA

Kewanee edges Morrison to win own Invitational title

There was quite the battle for the team championship at the Kewanee Invitational between the host Boilermakers and Morrison and although the latter owned advantages in champions (4-3), top-six finishers (11-10) and individuals in the top-10 in team points (3-2), Kewanee prevailed in the category that counts the most, team scores, as it got past Morrison 237.5-231 to claim top honors in the 18-team competition while Sherrard claimed third place with 161 points.

Rounding out the rest of the top-half of the field were Fulton (129.5), St. Bede Academy (120), Farmington/Cuba (116), Monmouth-Roseville (110), Eureka (96) and Rockford Auburn (83.5). 

This was the second invite title for Kewanee, which also claimed first place at Seneca and second place at PORTA while Morrison surpassed its best previous tournament finish, which was fourth place at Erie/Prophetstown. The Boilermakers hope to turn in another strong tournament showing when they compete this weekend at Orion’s Bob Mitton Invitational.

1 – Kewanee

Leading the way for coach Charley Eads’ champion Boilermakers were title winners Hunter Vancil (17-4 at 126), Alejandro Duarte (23-2 at 215) and Leocadio Gandarilla (14-3 at 285) as well as second-place finishers Tyson Currie (113), Kingston Peterson (120), Chance DeSplinter (132) and Ace Lafollette (175). Joey McGuire (165) took third, Douglas Swearingren (190) was fourth and Lain Taylor (138) finished fifth. Others who contributed to the winning cause were Dontel Wommack (144) and Brayden Johnson (157). Juan Zepeda (285) also took third and Waylan Lambert (165) was sixth for the Boilermakers JV. Duarte tied three others for the most team points with 30 while Zepeda was one two competitors who had four pins.

“We did well, we know that we can improve in some aspects to make us stronger in the future,” Eads said. “We had an excellent performance overall. I am proud of how they wrestled throughout the tournament. We even had a couple of JV kids in the tournament that won a few matches. We are excited for the upcoming few weeks of wrestling.”

2 – Morrison 

Top performers for coach Tom Drosopoulos’ second place Mustangs were champions Cael Wright (30-1 at 106), Levi Milder (22-8 at 157), Brady Anderson (24-6 at 165) and Noah Stout (23-5 at 175) in addition to runners-up Caleb Modglin (144), Carson White (150) and Caleb Carroll (190). Patrick Schaefer (126) placed fourth, Randy Gerlach (120) and Kamden White (132) both took fifth and Landon Rubright (113) finished sixth. Zach Milder (138) and Trevor Tipton (285) also helped their team to make a run at the title. Wright scored 30 team points to tie him with three others for first place in that category.

3 – Sherrard

Turning in the best showings for coach Jeff Garrett’s third-place Tigers were first-place finisher Cooper Thomas (23-9 at 190) and runner-up Jonathan Weakley (215). Jacob Fratzke (132), Quinn Zimmerman (150) and Kaden Dutton (157) took third, Luke Werner (113) and Andrew Knox (144) were fourth and Abby Weber (106) placed sixth. Thomas tied three others for the most team points with 30 while Dutton was one of two competitors who recorded four falls.

Other champions were Rockford Auburn’s Tyrone Sims (13-1 at 113) and Arshoun Island (7-4 at 150), Monmouth-Roseville’s Landon Peterson (19-8 at 120), Knoxville’s Gavyn Stevens (23-8 at 132), Polo/Eastland/Forreston/Milledgeville’s Lucas Nelson (26-4 at 138) and Farmington/Cuba’s Bradlee Ellis (26-2 at 144).

For the champions, Duarte, Nelson, Thomas and Wright tied for the most team points with 30 while Ellis, Milder and Sims were right behind them with 29.5 points. Gandarilla, Peterson, Stevens and Stout were next-best with 28 team points.

Also claiming second-place finishes were Fulton’s Hudson Price (106), Easton Spooner (126) and Skylier Crooks (165), Eureka’s Finn Hoffman (138) and Sam Hoffman (157) and Mendota’s Angil Serrano (285).

The closest title matches were Anderson edging Crooks 7-6 at 165, Stout beating Lafollette 1-0 at 175 and Gandarilla getting past Serrano 4-3 at 285.

Additional third-place finishers were St. Bede Academy’s Michael Benge (113), Max Moreno (126) and Garrett Connelly (190), Monmouth-Roseville’s Keegan Smith (175) and Alex Gandarilla (215), Eureka’s Conner Knapp (106), Mendota’s Gavin Stevenson (120), 

Farmington/Cuba’s Chase Frye (138) and Rockford Auburn’s Xzavier Lindhe (144).

Fourth-place finishes were also turned in by Fulton’s Victor Jackson (120) and Grady Gillan (215), Farmington/Cuba’s Austin Brewer (132) and Dillon Durbin (157), Polo/Eastland/Forreston/Milledgeville’s Micah Stringini (165) and Ethan Dewey (175), St. Bede Academy’s Jameson Daley (106), Knoxville’s Gage Fox (138), Monmouth-Roseville’s Gybanhi Mendoza Velverde (150) and ROWVA/Williamsfield’s Ayden Sanders (285).

Others who finished in fifth place were Farmington/Cuba’s Jayden Schmider (106) and Parker Zerfass (113), Fulton’s Wiley Blasdell (157) and Daniel Holman (215), Knoxville’s Gunnar Johnson (126), Monmouth-Roseville’s Alejandro Morales (144), Monmouth United’s Ryker Trego (150), ROWVA/Williamsfield’s Preston Schroeder (165), St. Bede Academy’s Jack Maschmann (175), Eureka’s Ashton Helberg (190) and Putnam County/Hall’s Elijah Leota (285).

Also turning in sixth-place showings were Streator Township/Woodland’s Sebastian Flores (120) and Aydan Radke (215), ROWVA/Willamsfield’s Brady Rickey (132) and Alrec Robinson (138), Fulton’s Brayden Powell (150) and Jeff Kane (190), Manual’s Aydon Doss (126), 

Polo/Eastland/Forreston/Milledgeville’s Jaidyn McKinney (144), Mendota’s Gavin Evans (157), Rockford Auburn’s Jaxon Olivencia (175) and Monmouth-Roseville’s Sailas Cung (285).

Xzavier Lindhe was the only one in the tournament who had two victories by technical fall and he also had the most total match points with 71 while Juan Zepeda had the largest seed to place difference with six after being seeded ninth and finishing third.

Team scores

1. Kewanee 237.5, 2. Morrison 231, 3. Sherrard 161, 4. Fulton 129.5, 5. St. Bede Academy 120, 6. Farmington/Cuba 116, 7. Monmouth/Roseville 110, 8. Eureka 96, 9. Rockford Auburn 83.5, 10. Knoxville 69, 11. Polo/Eastland/Forreston/Milledgeville, 12. ROWVA/Williamsfield 59, 13. Mendota 56, 14. Monmouth United 36, 15. Manual 28, 15. Putnam County/Hall 28, 17. Streator Township/Woodland 17.5, Peoria Heights 0.

Kewanee Invitational place matches

106

1st Place Match

Cael Wright (Morrison) 30-1, Fr. over Hudson Price (Fulton) 23-11, Fr. (Fall 1:33)

3rd Place Match

Conner Knapp (Eureka) 11-7, Fr. over Jameson Daley (St. Bede Academy) 11-9, Fr. (Fall 3:20)

5th Place Match

Jayden Schmider (Farmington/Cuba) 13-16, Fr. over Abby Weber (Sherrard) 5-13, Sr. (Fall 1:17)

113

1st Place Match

Tyrone Sims (Rockford Auburn) 13-1, So. over Tyson Currie (Kewanee) 20-5, Sr. (Fall 4:34)

3rd Place Match

Michael Benge (St. Bede Academy) 15-10, Fr. over Luke Werner (Sherrard) 19-12, Jr. (Fall 4:34)

5th Place Match

Parker Zerfass (Farmington/Cuba) 16-14, So. over Landon Rubright (Morrison) 23-12, Fr. (Fall 1:57)

120

1st Place Match

Landon Peterson (Monmouth-Roseville) 19-8, Fr. over Kingston Peterson (Kewanee) 17-7, Jr. (Fall 5:43)

3rd Place Match

Gavin Stevenson (Mendota) 23-12, So. over Victor Jackson (Fulton) 16-13, Fr. (MD 16-7)

5th Place Match

Randy Gerlach (Morrison) 12-22, Fr. over Sebastian Flores (Streator Township/Woodland) 7-8, Fr. (Fall 3:33)

126

1st Place Match

Hunter Vancil (Kewanee) 17-4, Jr. over Easton Spooner (Fulton) 26-12, Fr. (Dec 10-7)

3rd Place Match

Max Moreno (St. Bede Academy) 20-5, Fr. over Patrick Schaefer (Morrison) 18-10, So. (MD 13-0)

5th Place Match

Gunnar Johnson (Knoxville) 11-15, Sr. over Aydon Doss (Manual) 8-17, Jr. (For.)

132

1st Place Match

Gavyn Stevens (Knoxville) 23-8, Fr. over Chance DeSplinter (Kewanee) 13-7, Jr. (Fall 4:37)

3rd Place Match

Jacob Fratzke (Sherrard) 20-7, Sr. over Austin Brewer (Farmington/Cuba) 13-7, So. (MD 20-6)

5th Place Match

Kamden White (Morrison) 23-10, So. over Brady Rickey (ROWVA/Williamsfield) 14-12, So. (TF-1.5 3:22 (21-6))

Cons. Champ Match

Jermain McKnight (Kewanee JV) 3-1, Fr. over Michael Mecina (Manual) 1-2, Jr. (Fall 0:22)

138

1st Place Match

Lucas Nelson (Polo/Eastland/Forreston/Milledgeville) 26-4, Sr. over Finn Hoffman (Eureka) 21-5, Fr. (Fall 2:26)

3rd Place Match

Chase Frye (Farmington/Cuba) 24-8, Fr. over Gage Fox (Knoxville) 28-8, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:00 (17-2))

5th Place Match

Lain Taylor (Kewanee) 21-7, Fr. over Alrec Robinson (ROWVA/Williamsfield) 11-10, So. (Fall 0:28)

Cons. Champ Match

La`Darius Green (Manual) 6-12, Fr. over Keaton Finley (Putnam County/Hall) 1-2, Fr. (Fall 1:27)

144

1st Place Match

Bradlee Ellis (Farmington/Cuba) 26-2, Jr. over Caleb Modglin (Morrison) 27-5, So. (Fall 2:49)

3rd Place Match

Xzavier Lindhe (Rockford Auburn) 12-4, Jr. over Andrew Knox (Sherrard) 21-13, So. (Fall 4:26)

5th Place Match

Alejandro Morales (Monmouth-Roseville) 16-9, Sr. over Jaidyn McKinney (Polo co-op) 21-8, Sr. (Fall 1:48)

Cons. Champ Match

Gavin Allis (Eureka) 10-10, Jr. over Levi Pearson (Knoxville) 16-14, Fr. (Fall 4:00)

150

1st Place Match

Arshoun Island (Rockford Auburn) 7-4, Sr. over Carson White (Morrison) 14-12, Jr. (Fall 0:22)

3rd Place Match

Quinn Zimmerman (Sherrard) 24-9, Fr. over Gybanhi Mendoza Velverde (Monmouth-Roseville) 16-8, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:00 (17-1))

5th Place Match

Ryker Trego (Monmouth United) 14-17, So. over Brayden Powell (Fulton) 10-12, Fr. (Fall 1:13)

Cons. Champ Match

Joey Peters (Farmington/Cuba) 7-11, Sr. over Nicholas Del Pilar (St. Bede Academy) 1-9, Fr. (Fall 0:17)

157

1st Place Match

Levi Milder (Morrison) 22-8, Jr. over Sam Hoffman (Eureka) 19-8, Jr. (TF-1.5 1:59 (21-5))

3rd Place Match

Kaden Dutton (Sherrard) 20-12, Jr. over Dillon Durbin (Farmington/Cuba) 13-9, So. (Fall 1:56)

5th Place Match

Wiley Blasdell (Fulton) 17-18, So. over Gavin Evans (Mendota) 18-14, Jr. (DQ)

Cons. Champ Match

Elijah Mitchell (Kewanee JV) 2-1, So. over Brax Kim (St. Bede Academy) 1-2, Jr. (Fall 2:24)

165

1st Place Match

Brady Anderson (Morrison) 24-6, Jr. over Skylier Crooks (Fulton) 29-8, Sr. (Dec 7-6)

3rd Place Match

Joey McGuire (Kewanee) 17-6, Sr. over Micah Stringini (Polo co-op) 20-10, So. (Fall 3:42)

5th Place Match

Preston Schroeder (ROWVA/Williamsfield) 20-7, Sr. over Waylan Lambert (Kewanee JV) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 1:59)

Cons. Champ Match

Shawn Mcglown (Knoxville) 13-20, So. over Jayden Montgomery (Monmouth-Roseville) 1-13, So. (Fall 1:11)

175

1st Place Match

Noah Stout (Morrison) 23-5, Fr. over Ace Lafollette (Kewanee) 21-6, Fr. (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

Keegan Smith (Monmouth-Roseville)) 16-12, Fr. over Ethan Dewey (Polo co-op) 14-15, So. (Dec 1-0)

5th Place Match

Jack Maschmann (St. Bede Academy) 12-10, Sr. over Jaxon Olivencia (Rockford Auburn) 3-8, So. (Fall 4:10)

Cons. Champ Match

John Armstrong (Knoxville) 6-23, Sr. (Bye)

190

1st Place Match

Cooper Thomas (Sherrard) 23-9, Jr. over Caleb Carroll (Morrison) 13-14, So. (Fall 1:51)

3rd Place Match

Garrett Connelly (St. Bede Academy) 14-11, Sr. over Douglas Swearingen (Kewanee) 18-10, Jr. (Fall 3:03)

5th Place Match

Ashton Helberg (Eureka) 13-14, Fr. over Jeff Kane (Fulton) 23-5, Jr. (MFFL)

Cons. Champ Match

Alex Tucker (Putnam County/Hall) 2-1, So. over Zach Schmidt (Mendota) 0-3, So. (Fall 1:29)

215

1st Place Match

Alejandro Duarte (Kewanee) 23-2, Sr. over Jonathan Weakley (Sherrard) 24-5, Jr. (Fall 1:41)

3rd Place Match

Alex Gandarilla (Monmouth-Roseville) 21-5, Jr. over Grady Gillan (St. Bede Academy) 15-4, Sr. (Dec 20-18)

5th Place Match

Daniel Holman (Fulton) 30-11, Sr. over Aydan Radke (Streator Township/Woodland) 7-9, Sr. (UTB 3-2)

Cons. Champ Match

Cayden Sanders (ROWVA/Williamsfield) 9-11, Sr. over Vann Olcott (Monmouth United) 14-20, Fr. (Fall 0:23)

285

1st Place Match

Leocadio Gandarilla (Kewanee) 14-3, Sr. over Angil Serrano (Mendota) 13-7, Sr. (Dec 4-3)

3rd Place Match

Juan Zepeda (Kewanee JV) 4-1, Jr. over Ayden Sanders (ROWVA/Williamsfield) 18-13, Sr. (Fall 0:37)

5th Place Match

Elijah Leota (Putnam County/Hall) 3-2, Sr. over Sailas Cung (Monmouth-Roseville) 14-10, Jr. (Fall 0:46)

Cons. Champ Match

Zach Giese (Monmouth United) 2-14, Fr. over Tyler Barbee (Streator Township/Woodland) 1-12, Sr. (Fall 1:16)

Quincy Senior claims first title of the season at its invite

Quincy Senior easily won the title of its own Quincy Invitational with 242.5 points while Mascoutah took second with 196.5 points and Roxana finished third with 159 points. The Blue Devils’ best previous finish was second place last month at Mascoutah’s Dale Breckel Invite.

Others in the top-half of the 18-team field were Palmyra, Missouri (142.5), Jacksonville (127.5), East Peoria (109), Pittsfield (102.5), Cahokia (101) and Pekin (101).

1 – Quincy Senior

Top performers for coach Phil Neally’s champion Blue Devils were first-place finishers Clayton McClelland (23-13 at 113), Evan Wakefield (21-13 at 132) and Cale Mixer (17-12 at 144) as well as runners-up Derik Lohmeyer (120), Wyatt Boeing (126) and Cooper Kamm (138). Taking third place were Gunnar Derhake (165), Jayden Wilson (175) and King Johnson (285), placing fourth were Griffin Finch (106) and Eli Roberts (150) and finishing fifth were Alex Wells (190) and Ben Schelp (215) while Jamison Knapp (157) also contributed to the cause. Charles Ray (126) was fifth and Roman Lilo (144) and Eli Zanger (285) placed sixth for the Blue Devils’ J-V entrants.

2 – Mascoutah

Leading the way for coach Chris Lindsay’s second-place Indians were title winners Xavier Sonon-Hale (33-5 at 106), Brock Ross (33-2 at 150) and Jordan Sonon-Hale (28-8 at 157) and runners-up Marcus Nobles (132) and Sean Murphy (165). Macguire Leck (126) and Desi Wade (138) took third, Truett Blount (175) finished fourth and Jayden Wilkinson (144) was fifth.

3 – Roxana

Individuals with the best finishes for coach Rob Milazzo’s third-place Shells were champions Lyndon Thies (29-2 at 175) and Robert Watt (28-2 at 190) and second-place finisher Chloe Skiles (106). Logan Riggs (144) took third, Kaden Carlisle (138) and Trevor Gihring (157) were fourth while Madelyn Murphy (106) and Savion Hall (126) placed sixth.

Other tournament champions were East Peoria’s Alec Del Toro (30-7 at 215) and Jose Del Toro (35-1 at 285), Decatur Eisenhower’s Kayson Duffney (14-1 at 120), Jacksonville’s Deshawn Armstrong (7-0 at 126) and Palmyra, Missouri’s Tyler Spicknall (26-5 at 138) and Brayden Pillars (30-2 at 165).

Watt led all competitors with 32 team points while Alec Del Toro, Pillars, Thies and Wakefield tied for second with 30 points. Ross collected 29.5 team points while Jose Del Toro, Jordan Sonon-Hale, Barnes and Spicknall tied for seventh place with 28 points.

Also taking second place were Pittsfield’s Tucker Cook (190) and Bodine Marable (215), Pekin’s Aydyn Artman (144), Alton’s Brayden Drew (150), Jacksonville’s Joe Reif (157), Illini West’s Shawn Watkins (175), East Peoria’s Keegan Barnes (285) and Palmyra, MO’s Blake Rife (113).

Some of the closest titles matches included McClelland over Rife 4-3 by ultimate tiebreaker at 113, Xavier Sonon-Hale beating Skiles 10-7 by sudden victory at 106, Jordan Sonon-Hale edging Reif 7-5 at 157 and Jose Del Toro getting past teammate Barnes 1-0 at 285.

Others who claimed third place were Quincy Notre Dame’s Oliver Moore (132), Bradi Lahr (157) and Ryan Darnell (190), Cahokia’s Nathan Fisher (106), Pekin’s Kayne Hayes (113), Camp Point Central/Brown County/Southeastern’s Paul Schenk (150), Warsaw/Hamilton’s Malachi McKune (215) and Palmyra, MO’s Emmett Lorenson (120).

Additional fourth-place finishers were Camp Point Central/Brown County/Southeastern’s Jackson Buehler (113), Cahokia’s Jamarcus Agnew (120), Decatur Eisenhower’s Martavious Johnson (132), Quincy Notre Dame’s Cale Hilbing (144), Pittsfield’s Waylon White (165), East Peoria’s Dalton Oakman (190), Pekin’s Bradyn Haynes (215), Jacksonville’s Aiden Surratt (285) and Palmyra, MO’s Luke Lawson (126).

Fifth-place showings were also turned in by Cahokia’s Kindall Williams (165) and Demarco Clark (285), Alton’s Austin Jones (106), Pekin’s Lincoln Hawkins (120), Pittsfield’s Joel Noble (132), Warsaw/Hamilton’s Kai Humphry (138), East Peoria’s Isaiah Rivera (150), Macomb’s Cohen Green (157) and Jacksonville’s Brock Meyer (175).

Sixth-place efforts were also posted by Alton’s Charlie St. Peters (120) and Marshall Skelton (138), Pittsfield’s Jake Oitker (157) and Fisher McEuen (175), Camp Point Central/Brown County/Southeastern’s Josh Collins (132), Pekin’s Ethan Bridgeman (150), Jacksonville’s Kaleb Miller (165), East Peoria’s Gabe Del Toro (190) and Palmyra, MO’s Colby Jones (215).

East Peoria’s Keegan Barnes and Roxana’s Robert Watt both recorded six falls, Jacksonville’s Deshawn Armstrong and Quincy Notre Dame’s Bradi Lahr and Austin Shull all had three wins by technical fall, Armstrong also led everyone with 88 match points while Palmyra, MO’s Brayden Pillars had 76 and Lahr had 75 points and East Peoria’s Gabe Del Toro was seeded 23rd and finished sixth for a differential of 17 places. 

Team scores

1. Quincy Senior 242.5, 2. Mascoutah 196.5, 3. Roxana 159, 4. Palmyra, Missouri 142.5, 5. Jacksonville 127.5, 6. East Peoria 109, 7. Pittsfield 102.5, 8. Cahokia 101, 8. Pekin 101, 10. Alton 88, 11. Quincy Notre Dame 79.5, 12. Warsaw/Hamilton 73.5, 13. Camp Point Central/Brown County/Southeastern 67.5, 14. Quincy Senior JV 65.5, 15. Decatur Eisenhower 61, 16. Illini West 27.5, 17. Macomb 22.5, 18. Highland 5.

Quincy Invitational place matches

106

1st Place Match

Xavier Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah) 33-5, Fr. over Chloe Skiles (Roxana) 14-5, Fr. (SV-1 10-7)

3rd Place Match

Nathan Fisher (Cahokia) 11-4, So. over Griffin Finch (Quincy Senior) 15-18, Fr. (Fall 3:05)

5th Place Match

Austin Jones (Alton) 20-12, Fr. over Madelyn Murphy (Roxana) 11-8, So. (TF-1.5 3:59 (15-0))

7th Place Match

Paxton Buehler (Camp Point Central/Brown County/Southeastern) 24-8, Fr. over Kaiden McGee (Jacksonville) 10-14, Fr. (Fall 1:38)

9th Place Match

Curtis Johnson (Cahokia (H.S.)) 0-3, Fr. (Bye)

113

1st Place Match – round robin

Clayton McClelland (Quincy Senior) 23-13, Fr. over Blake Rife (Palmyra, MO) 20-8, Fr. (UTB 4-3)

Third Place Match – round robin

Kayne Hayes (Pekin) 13-11, Jr. over Jackson Buehler (Camp Point Central co-op) 18-16, So. (Fall 1:35)

120

1st Place Match

Kayson Duffney (Decatur Eisenhower) 14-1, Sr. over Derik Lohmeyer (Quincy Senior) 21-17, Fr. (MD 14-2)

3rd Place Match

Emmett Lorenson (Palmyra, MO) 21-8, Fr. over Jamarcus Agnew (Cahokia) 9-4, Jr. (Fall 3:28)

5th Place Match

Lincoln Hawkins (Pekin) 16-10, Fr. over Charlie St. Peters (Alton) 17-10, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:00 (17-0))

7th Place Match

Hunter Hayes (Jacksonville) 22-9, Jr. over Eli Carel (Warsaw/Hamilton) 9-9, So. (Fall 1:11)

9th Place Match

Charlie Welch (Camp Point Central co-op) 20-12, So. over Jimmy Derian (Quincy Senior JV) 3-4, So. (Fall 2:24)

11th Place Match

Samuel Moore (Quincy Notre Dame) 15-14, Fr. over Eli Bruening (Quincy Notre Dame) 15-16, Fr. (Fall 2:25)

13th Place Match

Preston Newell (Mascoutah) 5-20, Jr. (Bye)

126

1st Place Match

Deshawn Armstrong (Jacksonville) 7-0, Jr. over Wyatt Boeing (Quincy Senior) 25-12, Jr. (MD 15-6)

3rd Place Match

Macguire Leck (Mascoutah) 25-13, Jr. over Luke Lawson (Palmyra, MO) 16-15, Sr. (Dec 7-5)

5th Place Match

Charles Ray (Quincy Senior JV) 5-2, Fr. over Savion Hall (Roxana) 10-14, So. (TF-1.5 3:08 (18-0))

7th Place Match

Jomal Dandridge (Alton) 7-22, Jr. over Cian Myers (Quincy Notre Dame) 6-11, Fr. (M. For.)

9th Place Match

Case Hughes (Camp Point Central co-op) 18-13, So. over Dalton Davis (Pekin) 7-9, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:24 (18-3))

11th Place Match

Quintez Willis (Cahokia) 1-7, Fr. over Logan Borrowman (Pittsfield) 0-4, Fr. (Fall 3:33)

132

1st Place Match

Evan Wakefield (Quincy Senior) 21-13, Sr. over Marcus Nobles (Mascoutah) 17-10, Jr. (Fall 2:44)

3rd Place Match

Oliver Moore (Quincy Notre Dame) 18-3, Sr. over Martavious Johnson (Decatur Eisenhower) 11-5, Fr. (Dec 5-3)

5th Place Match

Joel Noble (Pittsfield) 18-12, Jr. over Josh Collins (Camp Point Central co-op) 22-12, Fr. (Fall 1:25)

7th Place Match

Marquez Singleton (Alton) 11-16, Sr. over Angel Ortiz (East Peoria) 2-4, Jr. (Dec 5-0)

9th Place Match

Austin Olps (Camp Point Central co-op) 15-14, Fr. over Evan Smith (Warsaw/Hamilton) 10-12, Jr. (Fall 1:42)

11th Place Match

Abel Jimenez (Quincy Senior JV) 3-3, Fr. over Emmanuel Burrell (Cahokia) 2-6, So. (Dec 19-12)

13th Place Match

Joe Poor (Palmyra, MO) 5-9, Fr. over Demarco Cochran (Macomb) 1-14, So. (For.)

15th Place Match

Oliver Bruns (Quincy Notre Dame) 2-6, Fr. (Bye)

138

1st Place Match

Tyler Spicknall (Palmyra, MO) 26-5, Jr. over Cooper Kamm (Quincy Senior) 25-15, So. (Dec 14-11)

3rd Place Match

Desi Wade (Mascoutah) 29-8, So. over Kaden Carilsle (Roxana) 18-10, Sr. (Dec 11-8)

5th Place Match

Kai Humphry (Warsaw/Hamilton) 18-6, Sr. over Marshall Skelton (Alton) 25-11, Sr. (M. For.)

7th Place Match

Austin Ragar (Quincy Senior JV) 6-10, Jr. over Lucas Ludwig (Quincy Notre Dame) 12-9, Jr. (Fall 2:21)

9th Place Match

Austin Shull (Quincy Notre Dame) 9-11, Jr. over Tyler Hughes (Jacksonville) 15-12, Fr. (Fall 1:33)

11th Place Match

Ethan Paul (Quincy Senior JV) 2-4, Fr. over Jack Bush (Decatur Eisenhower) 9-9, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:18 (25-9))

13th Place Match

Tucker Pines (Pittsfield) 14-9, Fr. over Zoe Bloyd (Quincy Senior JV) 1-5, Fr. (Fall 0:38)

15th Place Match

Jeremiah McCaskill (Cahokia) 2-9, Fr. over Cole Brooks (East Peoria) 12-13, Jr. (For.)

144

1st Place Match

Cale Mixer (Quincy Senior) 17-12, Jr. over Aydyn Artman (Pekin) 16-7, Sr. (Fall 3:03)

3rd Place Match

Logan Riggs (Roxana) 23-8, Jr. over Cale Hilbing (Quincy Notre Dame) 23-10, So. (Fall 2:19)

5th Place Match

Jayden Wilkinson (Mascoutah) 20-13, Jr. over Roman Lilo (Quincy Senior JV) 7-6, Fr. (Dec 9-4)

7th Place Match

Jacksyn Holderfield (Macomb) 12-10, Jr. over Liam Kilgore (East Peoria) 9-11, So. (TF-1.5 3:08 (19-3))

9th Place Match

Mark Norris (Cahokia) 10-7, Jr. over Wesley Ortiz (Jacksonville) 17-11, Fr. (Fall 2:44)

11th Place Match

Elijah Raymer (East Peoria) 2-4, So. over Landyn Seal (Pittsfield) 3-10, Fr. (Fall 1:44)

13th Place Match

Kevonte Banks (Decatur Eisenhower) 8-7, So. over Jacob Hull (Pittsfield) 1-23, So. (Fall 0:51)

15th Place Match

Nhymeir Dawson (Decatur Eisenhower) 3-13, Fr. over Peyton Wright (Highland) 0-6, Fr. (M. For.)

150

1st Place Match

Brock Ross (Mascoutah) 33-2, Jr. over Brayden Drew (Alton) 27-10, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:34 (16-0))

3rd Place Match

Paul Schenk (Camp Point Central co-op) 22-11, Sr. over Eli Roberts (Quincy Senior) 22-10, Sr. (Fall 5:39)

5th Place Match

Isaiah Rivera (East Peoria) 12-12, Jr. over Ethan Bridgeman (Pekin) 8-15, Jr. (Fall 3:40)

7th Place Match

Jordyn Phelps (Warsaw/Hamilton) 10-12, Jr. over John Harper (Jacksonville) 15-15, So. (M. For.)

9th Place Match

Pharell Holman (Cahokia) 5-6, So. over Colton Cross (Roxana) 4-11, Jr. (Fall 1:13)

11th Place Match

Aidan Burwell (East Peoria) 5-17, Jr. over Armond Kennedy (Cahokia) 1-4, Fr. (Fall 1:32)

13th Place Match

William Stevens IV (Roxana) 5-6, So. over Blaine Mock (Quincy Senior JV) 0-5, Fr. (Fall 0:47)

15th Place Match

Ryan Turnbaugh (Quincy Notre Dame) 7-7, So. (Bye)

157

1st Place Match

Jordan Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah) 28-8, Jr. over Joe Reif (Jacksonville) 26-5, Jr. (Dec 7-5)

3rd Place Match

Bradi Lahr (Quincy Notre Dame) 27-4, Jr. over Trevor Gihring (Roxana) 26-6, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:00 (16-0))

5th Place Match

Cohen Green (Macomb) 25-10, Sr. over Jake Oitker (Pittsfield) 16-11, Jr. (Dec 4-1)

7th Place Match

John Sullivan (Mascoutah) 10-6, Sr. over Michael Young (Decatur Eisenhower) 10-7, Fr. (MD 12-4)

9th Place Match

Keaton Jones (Camp Point Central co-op) 15-18, So. over Ethan Prim (Warsaw/Hamilton) 9-13, Jr. (Fall 3:30)

11th Place Match

Mason Marlow (Pekin) 6-10, So. over Ashton Spratt (Cahokia) 1-4, So. (Fall 1:05)

13th Place Match

Markus Dunn (Cahokia) 1-7, So. over Darion Phiffer (Cahokia) 3-8, So. (Fall 0:15)

15th Place Match

Jamison Knapp (Quincy Senior) 0-5, So. (Bye)

165

1st Place Match

Brayden Pillars (Palmyra, MO) 30-2, Sr. over Sean Murphy (Mascoutah) 31-8, So. (TF-1.5 4:33 (19-3))

3rd Place Match

Gunnar Derhake (Quincy Senior) 27-11, Sr. over Waylon White (Pittsfield) 22-7, Sr. (Fall 3:22)

5th Place Match

Kindall Williams (Cahokia) 12-5, Sr. over Kaleb Miller (Jacksonville) 20-12, Sr. (Fall 1:38)

7th Place Match

Wyatt Durham (East Peoria) 12-16, Jr. over Joey Cavanaugh (Alton) 12-13, Sr. (Fall 4:36)

9th Place Match

Jake Ator (Pittsfield) 5-2, Fr. over Mason Collins (Camp Point Central co-op) 15-19, Sr. (Fall 2:43)

11th Place Match

Rylee McClellan (Roxana) 3-4, Fr. over Ryder Rodhouse (Pittsfield) 7-7, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:37 (22-7))

13th Place Match

Jordan Leonard (Warsaw/Hamilton) 6-15, So. over Trace Holmes (Pekin) 4-14, Jr. (Dec 11-5)

15th Place Match

Millie Bassett (Quincy Senior JV) 3-5, Fr. over Leighton Lambert (Macomb) 6-15, So. (Fall 1:17)

175

1st Place Match

Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 29-2, Jr. over Shawn Watkins (Illini West) 22-2, Sr. (Fall 1:56)

3rd Place Match

Jayden Wilson (Quincy Senior) 14-12, Jr. over Truett Blount (Mascoutah) 15-14, Sr. (MD 17-7)

5th Place Match

Brock Meyer (Jacksonville) 19-12, Fr. over Fisher McEuen (Pittsfield) 12-8, So. (Fall 0:34)

7th Place Match

Alexander Waller (Pekin) 10-12, Fr. over Jeshua McPheeters (Macomb) 13-13, So. (For.)

9th Place Match

Destry Bergman (Quincy Senior JV) 4-2, Fr. over Levi Merioles (Alton) 11-18, Sr. (Fall 2:47)

11th Place Match

Kale Weiman (Palmyra, MO) 7-9, Fr. over Aiden Reynolds (Macomb) 4-15, So. (Fall 3:31)

13th Place Match

Ashton White (Warsaw/Hamilton) 4-19, Fr. over Johnny Powell (Macomb) 3-9, So. (For.)

15th Place Match

Zakhi Nicholson (Cahokia) 0-5, Fr. (Bye)

190

1st Place Match

Robert Watt (Roxana) 28-2, Sr. over Tucker Cook (Pittsfield) 20-7, Sr. (Fall 1:38)

3rd Place Match

Ryan Darnell (Quincy Notre Dame) 28-6, Sr. over Dalton Oakman (East Peoria) 29-8, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:54 (17-2))

5th Place Match

Alex Wells (Quincy Senior) 22-18, So. over Gabe Del Toro (East Peoria) 6-5, Fr. (Fall 5:55)

7th Place Match

Henley Snow (Palmyra, MO) 7-7, So. over Chris McGough (Quincy Senior JV) 3-4, So. (Fall 1:18)

9th Place Match

Kaiden Ridenbark (Pittsfield) 7-3, So. over Kaleb McGlothlin (Pekin) 10-7, So. (Fall 3:12)

11th Place Match

Jesse Davidsmeyer (Pittsfield) 4-4, Sr. over Martez Williams (Cahokia) 13-8, So. (Fall 1:19)

13th Place Match

Logan Baker (Warsaw/Hamilton) 10-12, So. over William Woosley (Alton) 12-15, So. (Fall 3:03)

15th Place Match

Hayden Greenia (Jacksonville) 11-16, Fr. over Chase Yelton (Illini West)) 10-12, Jr. (Fall 0:57)

17th Place Match

Able Faircloth (Mascoutah) 11-19, So. over Pierre Taylor (Cahokia) 1-7, So. (Fall 1:08)

215

1st Place Match

Alec Del Toro (East Peoria) 30-7, Jr. over Bodine Marable (Pittsfield) 21-4, Jr. (Fall 2:19)

3rd Place Match

Malachi McKune (Warsaw/Hamilton) 15-8, Sr. over Bradyn Haynes (Pekin) 20-11, Fr. (Fall 1:26)

5th Place Match

Ben Schelp (Quincy Senior) 10-16, Jr. over Colby Jones (Palmyra, MO) 10-15, Fr. (Fall 2:31)

7th Place Match

Robert Horton (Roxana) 9-11, Jr. over Payden Wilson (Quincy Senior JV) 2-4, Fr. (Fall 0:50)

9th Place Match

Liam Heise (Jacksonville) 13-19, Fr. over Jacob Brooks (Alton) 14-11, Jr. (Fall 3:08)

11th Place Match

M`lyk Berry (Cahokia) 5-9, Fr. over Daniel Williams (Cahokia) 0-4, So. (Fall 0:46)

13th Place Match

Keshon Wright (Decatur Eisenhower) 5-8, Jr. (Bye)

285

1st Place Match

Jose Del Toro (East Peoria) 35-1, Sr. over Keegan Barnes (East Peoria) 17-7, Jr. (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

King Johnson (Quincy Senior) 26-14, Jr. over Aiden Surratt (Jacksonville) 28-7, Sr. (Dec 11-7)

5th Place Match

Demarco Clark (Cahokia) 15-5, Sr. over Eli Zanger (Quincy Senior JV) 5-3, Fr. (Fall 0:33)

7th Place Match

Kavon Newby (Alton) 14-14, Jr. over Brodey Renier (Highland) 8-9, Fr. (Fall 2:34)

9th Place Match

Ace Harper (Palmyra, MO) 23-10, So. over Hunter Waters (Pittsfield) 4-3, Fr. (Fall 0:39)

11th Place Match

Cayden Scott (Decatur Eisenhower) 3-8, Sr. over Caden Davidsmeyer (Pittsfield) 4-4, Fr. (Fall 1:12)

13th Place Match

Mason Waller (Pekin) 5-12, So. over Alex Crites (Mascoutah) 2-20, So. (Fall 0:13)

15th Place Match

Cooper Hildebrand (Quincy Senior JV) 1-5, So. over Conway VanFleet (Macomb) 6-14, Jr. (Fall 3:14)

17th Place Match

Elijah Terpstra (Pittsfield) 4-10, Fr. (Bye)

Geneseo captures own invite for fourth championship of the season

Geneseo held off strong challenges from Huntley and Joliet Catholic Academy to claim top honors at its own Geneseo Wrestling Invitational when it scored 241 points while Huntley took second place with 228.5 and JCA finished in third place with 218.5 points. 

It was the second title in two weeks for the Maple Leafs, who are coached by 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Murray. Their last previous first place finish was at Morton after they collected titles at Rockford East and Lincoln last month.

Other teams that filled out the top-half of the 20-team competition were Civic Memorial (170), Moline (164), IC Catholic Prep (157.5), Loyola Academy (135), Morton (128), Plainfield North (108.5) and York (106.5).

1 – Geneseo

The first-place Maple Leafs received championships from Izaac Gaines (28-2 at 144), Zachary Montez (30-0 at 165), Kye Weinzierl (30-2 at 175) and Owen King (17-2 at 285) while Grady Hull (157) claimed second place. Devan Hornback (132) finished fourth, Aaron Betcher (190) and Colten Mooney (215) were fifth and Tim Sebastian (126) took sixth. Other contributors who helped the hosts win their own invitational were Brycen Fahnestock (106), Elliott Kreiner (113), Lincoln Barnett (138) and Malaki Jackson (150).

2 – Huntley

Leading the way for coach B.J. Bertelsman’s runner-up Red Raiders were champions Cameron Abordo (25-11 at 120) and Radic Dvorak (34-3 at 157) while Colin Abordo (113), Dylan Cerny (190) and Wyatt Theobald (215) finished in second place. Gavin Nischke (138) took fourth and Cael Saldana (106) and Vlad Maluhin (144) placed fifth.

3 – Joliet Catholic Academy

Top performers for the third-place Hilltoppers, who are coached by 2025 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Ryan Cumbee, were title winners Jason Hampton (28-9 at 126) and Nico Ronchetti (27-6 at 190) while Kane Robles (106) and Dawson Mack (138) took second place. Finishing in third were Maddux Tindal (120), Matthew Laird (132) and Elias Gonzalez (144) while Derrick Pomatto (215) claimed sixth place.

Others who captured championships were Loyola Academy’s Niko Odiotti (18-2 at 106) and Kai Calcutt (24-0 at 215), Civic Memorial’s Bradley Ruckman (29-3 at 132) and Knox Verbais (29-6 at 150), Plainfield North’s Maddox Garbis (22-2 at 113) and IC Catholic Prep’s Jacob Alvarez (21-14 at 138).

Ronchetti led all competitors with 34 team points while Calcutt was second with 33.5 and Dvorak ranked third with 33 team points. Next in line were Odiotti with 32.5, King with 32 points and Garbis, Hampton and Ruckman tied with 31.5 team points. Montez scored 30.5 points and Cameron Abordo and Verbais both finished with 30 team points.

Also claiming second-place finishes were IC Catholic’s Kannon Judycki (120) and Max Cumbee (126), Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright (132), Loyola Academy’s Danny Malan (144), York’s Jackson Hanselman (150), Civic Memorial’s James Wojcikiewicz (165), Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell (175) and Oak Forest’s Jose Montesino (285).

Some of the closest title matches included Weinzierl getting past McConnell 7-4 in sudden victory at 175, Cameron Abordo defeating Judycki 6-5 at 120, Hampton edging Cumbee 5-4 at 126 and Ruckman beating Wainwright 4-3 at 132 

Additional third-place finishers were IC Catholic Prep’s Mike Bird (106) and Isaac Barrientos (175), Morton’s Noah Harris (113) and Caiden Robison (138), York’s Mondo Martinelli (126) and Mikey Grazzini (215), Riverdale’s Kolton Kruse (150) and Jake Baustian (285), United Township’s Kayden Marolf (157), Marian Catholic’s Joey Baranski (165) and Civic Memorial’s Luke McCoy (190).

Others who finished fourth were Moline’s Collin Ledbetter (120), Jaxson Soliz (165) and DeAnthony Simpson (175), Loyola Academy’s Gavin Pardilla (126) and August Close (190), Morton’s Ryan Siebenthal (106), Oak Forest’s Jacob Sebek (113), Belvidere North’s Dominick Girardin (144), IC Catholic Prep’s Joey Pontrelli (150), York’s Benjamin Gorny (157), Oak Forest’s Andrius Vasilevskas (215) and Civic Memorial’s Hudson Davis (285).

Fifth-place finishes were also posted by Moline’s David McDermott (113), Housseyn Ndiaye (132) and Hassan Ndiaye (157), Rich Township’s Kyrin King (120), Civic Memorial’s Avery Jaime (126), United Township’s Xavier Marolf (138), Dunlap’s Colton Mosack (150), Oak Forest’s Blake Bussie (165), East St. Louis’ Corey Robinson (175) and Plainfield North’s Liam Corona (285).

Sixth-place efforts were also turned in by Granite City’s Jace Brown (120), Adrian Mendez (132) and Eli Miller (175), York’s Tommy Conners (113) and Frank Nitti (144), Moline’s Jack Sibley (150) and Nehemiah Lenzen (285), Plainfield North’s Andrew Stahl (106), Dunlap’s Tristan Mosack (138), East St. Louis’ Nez Smith (157), Morton’s Clay Mckee (165) and United Township’s Tiyendoutote Dokambire (190).

IC Catholic Prep’s Isaac Barrientos, Moline’s Jaxson Soliz and and JCA’s Maddux Tindal all recorded four falls, Plainfield North’s Maddox Garbis was the only individual to capture four wins by technical fall, IC Catholic Prep’s Mike Bird collected 97 match points while Garbis had 80 and Loyola Academy’s August Close was seeded 28th but finished fourth for a 24-place difference. 

Team scores

1. Geneseo 241, 2. Huntley 228.5, 3. Joliet Catholic Academy 218.5, 4. Civic Memorial 170, 5. Moline 164, 6. IC Catholic Prep 157.5, 7. Loyola Academy 135, 8. Morton 128, 9. Plainfield North 108.5, 10. York 106.5, 11. Oak Forest 101, 12. Riverdale 75.5, 13. United Township 70, 14. East St. Louis 57, 15. Dunlap 54, 16. Granite City 52, 17. Lincoln 44, 18. Marian Catholic 42, 19. Rich Township 37, 20. Belvidere North 30.

Geneseo Wrestling Invitational place matches

106

1st Place Match

Niko Odiotti (Loyola Academy) 18-2, Fr. over Kane Robles (Joliet Catholic Academy) 24-11, Fr. (MD 21-9)

3rd Place Match

Mike Bird (IC Catholic Prep) 20-15, Fr. over Ryan Siebenthal (Morton) 20-17, So. (Fall 2:56)

5th Place Match

Cael Saldana (Huntley) 24-13, Fr. over Andrew Stahl (Plainfield North) 16-13, Fr. (Fall 3:33)

113

1st Place Match

Maddox Garbis (Plainfield North) 22-2, Sr. over Colin Abordo (Huntley) 32-8, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:00 (21-5))

3rd Place Match

Noah Harris (Morton) 27-11, So. over Jacob Sebek (Oak Forest) 30-3, So. (Fall 1:57)

5th Place Match

David McDermott (Moline) 8-10, Fr. over Tommy Conners (York) 17-19, So. (Fall 4:49)

120

1st Place Match

Cameron Abordo (Huntley) 25-11, Jr. over Kannon Judycki (IC Catholic Prep) 19-15, So. (Dec 6-5)

3rd Place Match

Maddux Tindal (Joliet Catholic Academy) 26-8, So. over Collin Ledbetter (Moline) 23-9, So. (Fall 1:14)

5th Place Match

Kyrin King (Rich Township) 21-8, So. over Jace Brown (Granite City) 19-12, So. (Dec 11-7)

126

1st Place Match

Jason Hampton (Joliet Catholic Academy) 28-9, Jr. over Max Cumbee (IC Catholic Prep) 7-4, So. (Dec 5-4)

3rd Place Match

Mondo Martinelli (York) 38-4, Sr. over Gavin Pardilla (Loyola Academy) 20-3, Jr. (Dec 6-2)

5th Place Match

Avery Jaime (Civic Memorial) 25-10, So. over Tim Sebastian (Geneseo) 20-15, Sr. (Dec 11-6)

132

1st Place Match

Bradley Ruckman (Civic Memorial) 29-3, Sr. over Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) 31-2, Jr. (Dec 4-3)

3rd Place Match

Matthew Laird (Joliet Catholic Academy) 19-6, So. over Devan Hornback (Geneseo) 29-5, Sr. (Fall 5:08)

5th Place Match

Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline) 13-8, So. over Adrian Mendez (Granite City) 19-13, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:10 (18-2))

138

1st Place Match

Jacob Alvarez (IC Catholic Prep) 21-14, Fr. over Dawson Mack (Joliet Catholic Academy) 16-9, Fr. (Dec 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Caiden Robison (Morton) 31-9, Sr. over Gavin Nischke (Huntley) 26-13, So. (Dec 15-9)

5th Place Match

Xavier Marolf (United Township) 18-6, Jr. over Tristan Mosack (Dunlap) 22-12, Sr. (Fall 2:54)

144

1st Place Match

Izaac Gaines (Geneseo) 28-2, So. over Danny Malan (Loyola Academy) 19-3, Jr. (MD 13-1)

3rd Place Match

Elias Gonzalez (Joliet Catholic Academy) 23-16, Sr. over Dominick Girardin (Belvidere North) 20-7, Sr. (Dec 10-3)

5th Place Match

Vlad Maluhin (Huntley) 5-3, Sr. over Frank Nitti (York) 32-4, Jr. (M. For.)

150

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Knox Verbais (Civic Memorial) 29-6, Fr. over Jackson Hanselman (York) 35-7, Jr. (Dec 8-1)

3rd Place Match

Kolton Kruse (Riverdale) 33-3, Sr. over Joey Pontrelli (IC Catholic Prep) 16-14, So. (Dec 12-9)

5th Place Match

Colton Mosack (Dunlap) 26-7, So. over Jack Sibley (Moline) 14-8, Sr. (MD 16-7)

157

1st Place Match

Radic Dvorak (Huntley) 34-3, So. over Grady Hull (Geneseo) 26-6, Jr. (MD 12-0)

3rd Place Match

Kayden Marolf (United Township) 15-4, Sr. over Benjamin Gorny (York) 29-14, Jr. (Fall 1:46)

5th Place Match

Hassan Ndiaye (Moline) 22-15, So. over Nez Smith (East St Louis) 22-13, Jr. (Fall 4:46)

165

1st Place Match

Zachary Montez (Geneseo) 30-0, Sr. over James Wojcikiewicz (Civic Memorial) 27-8, So. (MD 14-3)

3rd Place Match

Joey Baranski (Marian Catholic) 25-6, Sr. over Jaxson Soliz (Moline) 22-15, Jr. (Fall 1:26)

5th Place Match

Blake Bussie (Oak Forest) 23-13, Sr. over Clay Mckee (Morton) 34-7, Sr. (Inj. 0:00)

175

1st Place Match

Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo) 30-2, Jr. over Dawson McConnell (Lincoln ) 26-4, Sr. (SV-1 7-4)

3rd Place Match

Isaac Barrientos (IC Catholic Prep) 21-14, Fr. over DeAnthony Simpson (Moline) 26-10, Jr. (Fall 1:07)

5th Place Match

Corey Robinson (East St Louis) 23-11, So. over Eli Miller (Granite City) 22-12, Fr. (UTB 13-12)

190

1st Place Match

Nico Ronchetti (Joliet Catholic Academy) 27-6, Sr. over Dylan Cerny (Huntley) 23-10, Sr. (Fall 1:15)

3rd Place Match

Luke McCoy (Civic Memorial) 11-4, Jr. over August Close (Loyola Academy) 10-14, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:00 (18-1))

5th Place Match

Aaron Betcher (Geneseo) 12-6, Sr. over Tiyendoutote Dokambire (United Township) 8-12, Jr. (Dec 9-3)

215

1st Place Match

Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy) 24-0, Jr. over Wyatt Theobald (Huntley) 25-12, Sr. (Fall 1:45)

3rd Place Match

Mikey Grazzini (York) 24-8, Sr. over Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) 29-6, Jr. (Dec 5-4)

5th Place Match

Colten Mooney (Geneseo) 25-11, So. over Derrick Pomatto (Joliet Catholic Academy) 3-3, So. (Dec 9-8)

285

1st Place Match

Owen King (Geneseo) 17-2, Sr. over Jose Montesino (Oak Forest) 19-12, Sr. (Fall 2:55)

3rd Place Match

Jake Baustian (Riverdale) 20-9, Sr. over Hudson Davis (Civic Memorial) 18-12, Jr. (Fall 3:12)

5th Place Match

Liam Corona (Plainfield North) 14-14, Jr. over Nehemiah Lenzen (Moline) 3-14, Jr. (Fall 1:41)

Edwardsville takes first in 618 Girls Wrestling Scramble

Edwardsville continued its tournament success when it took first place at the 618 Girls Wrestling Scramble at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center in Edwardsville. The Tigers scored 193.5 points to easily win the title, finishing 88 points ahead of runner-up Collinsville, who had 105 points. 

Freeburg edged Belleville West 69-68.5 for third place. Others in the top half of the 16-team competition were Vandalia (66.5), Roxana (62), Triad (62) and Civic Memorial (61).

1 – Edwardsville

The Tigers, who are coached by 2019 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Wagner, earlier won invites at Granite City, Pontiac and Oswego East. They had four champions, five second-place finishers and three individuals who took third place and three more who claimed fourth place.

Finishing in first place were Emma Rogers (100), Genevieve Dykstra (110), Gianna Linhorst (115) and Holly Zugmaier (135) while Brooklyn Alldredge (125), Olive Linhorst (130), Jaylynn Parker (140), Abbrey DeWerff (155) and Angie Nunez (235) settled for second place.

Taking third place were Hailey Buckingham (110), Emily Rogers (125) and Lydia Blind (140) and finishing fourth were Liliana Houbion (115), Alexandra Chong (120) and Zinnia Allen (170). Others who contributed for the Tigers were Sammi Suhre (125), Madison Aldrich (130), Alex Simpson (135), Arabella Kirbach (140), Abigail Hayes (170) and Isabella Appiah (190).

2 – Collinsville

Leading the way for coach Jordan May’s runner-up Kahoks were title winners Londyn Long (120), Addyson Bailey (130) and Tashieya Taylor (145) as well as runner-up Claire Dudley (105) and fourth-place finisher Emma Ford (110).

3 – Freeburg

Top performers for coach Dan Quartz’s third-place Lady Midgets were champion Aubrey Raban (140), runner-up Aubrey Rutmanis (115) and third-place finisher Grace Stratton (155).

Additional 618 Scramble title winners were Vandalia’s Sophie Bowers (125), Brynn Swyers (170) and Gracey Simmons (235), Roxana’s Chloe Skiles (105), O’Fallon’s Kira Thompson (155) and Belleville West’s Brooke Stelhorn (190).

Raban led all of the champions in most team points with 28 while Stelhorn was next with 27.5 points and Bailey and Thompson tied for third with 26 team points. Bowers had 25.5 points, Long scored 24 team points, Zugmaier collected 23 points and Dykstra, Linhorst, Skiles, Stratton, Swyers and Taylor all finished with 22 team points.

Also finishing in second place were Roxana’s Madelyn Murphy (100) and Emma Gischer (170), Belleville West’s Jala Singleton (110), Mt. Vernon’s Deziare Jones (120), East St. Louis’ Jariyah Powell (135), Civic Memorial’s Audrey Whipple (145) and Highland’s Nina Landmann (190).

Only two of the title matches weren’t decided by fall and just one of the championships was settled by a decision, and that was at 100, where Rogers claimed a 7-4 victory over Murphy.

Others who claimed third-place were Civic Memorial’s Kendall-Moss Smith (115) and Alicia Dominguez (130), Triad’s Cloe Graumenz (120) and Harmony Martin (145), Robinson’s Serenity Canady (100), Mt. Vernon’s Lily Davis (105), O’Fallon’s Scarlett Gentille (135), Belleville West’s Ju’Bri Edwards (170), Highland’s Sophia Elkins (190) and Waterloo’s Mya Phasey (235).

Fourth-place finishes were also turned in by Belleville West’s Zaniyla Cooper (105), Alyssa Hardt (140) and Andre’a Kirkpatrick (190), Robinson’s Dasia McCracken (100) and Macee Hammond (155), Triad’s Alina Ayran (130) and Belle Jarnagin (235), Civic Memorial’s Claire Shaw (125), Waterloo’s Madelyn Edler (135) and Mt. Vernon’s Daniya Musgrave (145).

Freeburg’s Grace Stratton was the only individual in the competition to record five pins and needed only 2:05 to accomplish that feat and she also had the quickest fall in 10 seconds. The champion Tigers had the top two scorers in total match points with Holly Zugmaier leading the way with 40 points and Lydia Blind next-best with 35 points.  

Team scores

1. Edwardsville 193.5, 2. Collinsville 105, 3. Freeburg 69, 4. Belleville West 68.5, 5. Vandalia 66.5, 6. Roxana 62, 6. Triad 62, 8. Civic Memorial 61, 9. O’Fallon 42, 10. Mt. Vernon 40, 11. Waterloo 39, 12. Robinson 28, 13. East St. Louis 24, 14. Highland 20, 15. Alton 8, 16. Jersey Community 6.

618 Girls Wrestling Scramble place matches

100

1st Place Match

Emma Rogers (Edwardsville) won by decision over Madelyn Murphy (Roxana) (Dec 7-4)

3rd Place Match

Serenity Canady (Robinson) won by fall over Dasia McCracken (Robinson) (Fall 3:04)

105

1st Place Match

Chloe Skiles (Roxana) won by fall over Claire Dudley (Collinsville) (Fall 1:52)

3rd Place Match

Lily Davis (Mt. Vernon) won by fall over Zaniyla Cooper (Belleville West) (Fall 2:27)

110

1st Place Match

Genevieve Dykstra (Edwardsville) won by fall over Jala Singleton (Belleville West) (Fall 4:26)

3rd Place Match

Hailey Buckingham (Edwardsville) won by major decision over Emma Ford (Collinsville) (Maj 9-0)

115

1st Place Match

Gianna Linhorst (Edwardsville) won by fall over Aubrey Rutmanis (Freeburg) (Fall 0:42)

3rd Place Match

Kendall Moss-Smith (Civic Memorial) won by fall over Liliana Houbion (Edwardsville) (Fall 1:17)

120

1st Place Match

Londyn Long (Collinsville) won by fall over Deziare Jones (Mt. Vernon) (Fall 0:37)

3rd Place Match

Cloe Graumenz (Triad) won by decision over Alexandra Chong (Edwardsville) (Dec 4-2)

125

1st Place Match

Sophie Bowers (Vandalia) won by fall over Brooklyn Alldredge (Edwardsville) (Fall 1:41)

3rd Place Match

Emily Rogers (Edwardsville) won by major decision over Claire Shaw (Civic Memorial) (Maj 10-0)

130

1st Place Match

Addyson Bailey (Collinsville) won by fall over Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville) (Fall 1:52)

3rd Place Match

Alicia Dominguez (Civic Memorial) won by fall over Alina Ayran (Triad) (Fall 2:51)

135

1st Place Match

Holly Zugmaier (Edwardsville) won by major decision over Jariyah Powell (East St. Louis) (Maj 14-0)

3rd Place Match

Scarlett Gentille (O`Fallon) won by fall over Madelyn Edler (Waterloo) (Fall 1:16)

140

1st Place Match

Aubrey Raban (Freeburg) won by fall over Jaylynn Parker (Edwardsville) (Fall 2:47)

3rd Place Match

Lydia Blind (Edwardsville) won by fall over Alyssa Hardt (Belleville West) (Fall 3:07)

145

1st Place Match

Tashieya Taylor (Collinsville) won by fall over Audrey Whipple (Civic Memorial) (Fall 3:00)

3rd Place Match

Harmony Martin (Triad) won by fall over Daniya Musgrave (Mt. Vernon) (Fall 1:02)

155

1st Place Match

Kira Thompson (O`Fallon) won by fall over Abbrey DeWerff (Edwardsville) (Fall 3:59)

3rd Place Match

Grace Stratton (Freeburg) won by fall over Macee Hammond (Robinson) (Fall 0:31)

170

1st Place Match

Brynn Swyers (Vandalia) won by fall over Emma Gischer (Roxana) (Fall 3:52)

3rd Place Match

Ju`Bri Edwards (Belleville West) won by fall over Zinnia Allen (Edwardsville) (Fall 1:23)

190

1st Place Match

Brooke Stelhorn (Belleville West) won by fall over Nina Landmann (Highland) (Fall 2:35)

3rd Place Match

Sophia Elkins (Highland) won by fall over Andre`a Kirkpatrick (Belleville West) (Fall 1:24)

235

1st Place Match – round robin

Gracey Simmons (Vandalia) won by fall over Angie Nunez (Edwardsville) (Fall 3:46)

3rd Place Match – round robin

Mya Phasey (Waterloo) won by fall over Belle Jarnagin (Triad) (Fall 1:21)

Springfield High wins Springfield City Tournament title

Springfield High went 3-0 to win the round robin tournament for Springfield schools while Lanphier, Sacred Heart-Griffin and Southeast went 1-2 and finished in that order. Springfield High won 52-23 over Lanphier, 45-33 over Sacred Heart-Griffin and 45-29 over Southeast. Lanphier beat Sacred Heart-Griffin 40-36 and Sacred Heart-Griffin won 38-33 over Southeast.

Turning in 3-0 records for coach Sean Kenny’s champion Senators were Reaghan Madura (113), Bryce Bryant (150), Cody L Stevens (157) and Shamar Brownlee (190) and Eli Taylor (126/132) went 2-0. Alan Rodriguez (126/132), Julian Pagliara (165), Oliver Record-Frank (175) and Jackson O’Connor (215/285) all went 2-1.

Lanphier beat Sacred Heart-Griffin 40-36 and Sacred Heart-Griffin won 38-33 over Southeast. Going 3-0 for the runner-up Lions were Phoenix Criss (106) and Jaylen Crowder (175) while Ella Miloncus (126), Leandre Hughes (138), Kyndell Johnson (144) and Derek Lawson (285) all went 2-1. 

Posting 3-0 records for the third-place Cyclones were Albert Eck (120) and Destin Lathon (165) while Bosco Hyde (106), Cooper Balen (150) and Jowan Davis (215) went 2-1. Turning in 3-0 efforts for the fourth-place Spartans were Karson Beenenga (132), Brayden McBride (138), Frank Kittrell (144) and Gabe Lobmaster (215) while Jameson Britt (120) and Chris Hull (190) went 2-1.

Out of state tournaments

Waterloo boys second at St. Charles Invitational in Missouri

Waterloo’s boys scored 206.5 points to take second place in the St. Charles Invitational, finishing ahead of Warrenton, Missouri,  who placed third with 175 points. Mexico, Missouri won the title of the 28-team competition that was held in St. Charles, Missouri with 240 points.

Top performers for coach Chase Guercio’s Bulldogs were title winners Jackson Deutch (190) and Jaxson Mathenia (215) and second-place finishers Matthew Deutch (106), Konnor Stephens (132) and Drew Glowacki (285). Claiming third place were Bladen Sease (157) and Vince Goodman (175) while Ty Kinzinger (138) took sixth.

Jackson Deutch (22-7) won the 190 title with a fall in 5:37 over Benton, MO’s Kaden Lee. Mathenia (25-2) took first at 215 with a win by technical fall in 5:08 over Ft. Zumwalt West’s Christian Tucker. Matthew Deutch lost by technical fall to Mexico, MO’s Carlos Juarez Ramirez at 106, Stephens lost by technical fall to Fulton, MO’s Cole Blattner at 132 and Glowacki got pinned by STEAM Academy at MSB, MO’s Reggie Thomas at 285.

Mathenia finished in a three-way tie for the most team points with 32.5 while Jackson Deutch tied three others for fourth in team points with 32. Mathenia tied one other for the most wins by technical fall with three while Goodman tied four others for the most pins with four. 

In the girls tournament at the same school, Granite City took seventh place with 95 points and Waterloo also competed. Leading the way for the Warriors was Demi Barnes, who took second at 170 after losing by fall in 1:50 to Wright City, MO’s Caelyn Hanff in the finals. Makayla Bonner (110) took third, Briana Ramirez (105) finished fourth, Audrey Barnes (135) placed fifth and Taylor Duncan (100) and Chloe West (155) were sixth. Leading the way for Waterloo was Izabell McBride (190), who took fifth place.

There was another invitational held in St. Charles, Missouri and it took place at St. Charles West. In that event, Krista McBride was the lone entrant for the Goreville/Dongola/Vienna co-op and she took second place at 190 after losing by fall in 0:31 to St. Charles West, MO’s Lexington Johnson in the finals.

Richmond-Burton boys finish second at Warriors Duals in Wisconsin

Richmond-Burton went 4-1 and took second place at the Warriors Duals in Muskego, Wisconsin after falling 44-27 to Germantown, Wisconsin in the deciding meet of round robin competition. 

Coach Tony Nelson’s Rockets, who were the only team in the 16-team field from Illinois, claimed wins over Stoughton (59-18), Mukwonago (58-23), Slinger (40-30) and host Muskego (45-36). The team now has six top-three finishes in tournaments this season, winning titles at their own invite, Glenbrook South and Palatine and placing third at Rockford East and Princeton.

Posting 5-0 records for the runner-up Rockets were Lelan Nelson (106), Adam Glauser (120), Emmett Nelson (144) and Breckin Campbell (190) while Clayton Madula (126), Shane Falasca (215) and Colin Kraus (285) went 4-1 and Blake Livdahl (175) posted a 2-1 record.Glauser tied five others for the most team points with 30 while Emmett Nelson tied for third in most total match points with 65.

O’Fallon boys take fourth place in 141 Rumble 2025 in Missouri

O’Fallon’s boys collected 126.5 points to claim a fourth-place finish at the 15-team 141 Rumble 2025, which took place at Rockwood Summit in Fenton, Missouri. 

Gavin Gentille (28-4) captured a title at 215 while Jayden Wiegand (113) and Logan Thomas (157) finished in second place to lead the way for the Panthers, who were the lone Illinois team in the tournament. Kyle Kujawa (165) and Triston Manrique (190) finished fourth, Ahmed Al Janabi (150) and Payton Chanerl (175) were fifth and Maddox Noles (175) took sixth.

Gentille captured a 6-4 decision over Festus, MO’s Dylan Johnson in the 215 title match. Wiegand lost by fall in 4:58 to DeSoto, MO’s Landon Tomlinson in the 113 finals and Thomas got pinned in 3:20 by Northwest, MO’s Kaleb Belcher in the 157 title match.

Chanerl was the only competitor in the tournament who recorded four falls. Al Janabi ranked second in most match points with 64, tied one other individual for the second-best total of wins by technical fall with three and also tied for second in largest seed to place difference after finishing in fifth place after being seeded 15th at 150.

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

Hoffman Estates hosted the last mega-tournament of the regular season when it welcomed over 40 teams to its Girls Hawk Invite.

The level of talent, including many individuals who will vie for top honors next month in the IHSA Finals in Bloomington, was staggering and featured enough bright stars across the 14 weight divisions to provide electricity to light a small town.

Once again, just as it unfolded three weeks ago at the IWCOA dual team state tournament which also took place at Hoffman Estates, Lincoln-Way co-op and Schaumburg were involved in a fierce battle to see which team would lift the championship trophy.

Lincoln-Way co-op held off the challenge of Schaumburg, taking home the tournament crown with 255.5 points, which was 8.5 more than the Saxons collected, which was 247 points.

Glenbard West and Hoffman Estates tied for third place with each earning 164.5 points, which  was just ahead of fifth place Lockport Township, who scored 162 points.

The next five spots on the leaderboard featured Minooka (157), Glenbard East (154), Woodstock co-op (146), Oak Forest (130.5), Conant (125.0) and Dundee-Crown (125.0).

“Lincoln-Way is a tough, gritty team that is well-coached, with all of its girls wrestling hard all throughout their matches, congratulations to them,” said Schaumburg head coach Matt Gruszka.

“(And) hats off to Leo Clark (Hoffman Estates head coach) for bringing together such a great field over these two days. And thanks to everyone associated with this tournament, who all did a great job of running such a massive tournament.”

“(It) was a terrific tournament, tons of high quality competition, and that back-and-forth race with Schaumburg made it so much more exciting for our team,” Lincoln-Way head coach Josh Napier said

“We had a lot of our girls pull their weight once again in this one, just like our dual team final against Schaumburg.”

Napier said that the match between Lincoln-Way freshman Aubrey Barnes and Schaumburg senior Madyson Meyer at 115 was about as exciting as it got, while the 6-3 decision at 125 by Riley Cooney to avenge her loss to Isabella Rivas in the dual team final was not only a huge victory for Barnes, but also for the team.

“Monica Alvarez pulled out a 5-4 win over (Schuamburg’s) Mia Phelps and Bailey Mitchell was easily our unsung hero of the day after being seeded 20th and finishing third,” Napier said.

“Although we did not have an individual champion, I believe we won because we continue to grow each time we compete, we’ve become really battle tested.”

“The girls really support one another, on and off the mats, and truly care for each other.”

Top performers for Lincoln-Way were runner-up Zoe Dempsey (110) and third-place finishers Riley Cooney (125) and Bailey Mitchell (145). Ella Giertuga (140) and Jenna Lee (170) finished fourth, Emily Peyton (105), Aubrey Barnes (115) and Riley DePolo (235) took fifth place, Claire Bray (130) placed sixth and Monica Alvarez (100) was ninth. Others who scored points were Sadie Sparks (120), Liv Clumpner (135), Avery Holeman (155) and Liana Zimmer (190).

Leading the way for Schaumburg were champions Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (145) and Nadia Razzak (190) and third-place finishers Madyson Meyer (115), Sharon Olorunfemi (135) and Alya Razzak (170). Regan Paulson (110) and Anna Villarreal (120) took sixth, Lauren Brehmer (130) finished seventh, Justice Girod (105), Aumbree Campos (115) and Amanda Jachimstal (120) placed eighth, Isabella Rivas (125) claimed ninth and Mia Phelps (100) was tenth. Others who scored points for the Saxons were Shreya Gosain (155) and Jade Valadez (140).

Individuals who’ve won IHSA titles that captured championships were Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller (115), Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi (120), Vandalia’s Sophie Bowers (125), Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney (135) and Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker (170). 

Others who captured championships were Rockford East’s Saya Hongmoungkhoune (100), Glenbard East’s Nadiia Shymkiv (105), Glenbard West’s Khloe Perez (110), Hoffman Estates’ Sophia Ball (130), Conant’s Ewa Krupa (140), Plainfield East’s Kaitlyn Bucholz (155) and Rickover Naval Academy’s Jasmine Mejia (235). 

Krupa had the most team points with 43 while Bowers and Perez tied for second with 42.5, Ball and Tucker were next-best with 42 points, Heeney, Mejia and Zerafa-Lazarevic each scored 41 points, Hiller collected 40.5 and Bucholz and Cassioppi tied with 40 team points.

Ball led all competitors with 80 match points while Montini Catholic’s Katelyn Bell ranked second with 78. Krupa was the only competitor to record five falls and Bell was the only individual that had three wins by technical fall. Lincoln-Way’s Bailey Mitchell and Oak Park and River Forest’s Michelle Kpekpe both finished 17 positions better than they were seeded.

Here’s a look at the champions and their weight classes at Hoffman Estates’ Girls Hawk Invite

100 – Saya Hongmoungkhoune, Rockford East

Saya Hongmoungkhoune validated her No. 1 spot in the state polls when the Rockford East freshman smashed the 100-pound competition, improving to 15-0 with an impressive 18-11 decision over Montini Catholic senior Katelyn Bell, who’s ranked third, in the 100 title match.

Honhmoungkhoune went ahead for good at 9-5 midway through the second period before a wild third period saw each wrestler add point after point until the final whistle sounded. Bell became her school’s first state medalist last season when she took sixth place at 100.

“Kat is such a great wrestler, with a lot of experience, so it was important that I stay cool and calm as best as I could (keeping) my feet moving, and trying to score points after she did to keep my advantage,” said Hongmoungkhoune, who hopes to become the E-Rabs’ first state medalist on March 1st.

“In a huge tournament like this, it was important for me to go out and prove that I belong with all the other top wrestlers in the state.”

Thornton Township’s Ariel Woodfin won by fall over Wheaton North’s Izzy Paz for third place while Larkin’s Susan Cruz pinned Glenbard West’s Lillyanna Iman for fifth place.

105 – Nadiia Shymkiv, Glenbard East

The 105 weight class was one of several that was deep with talent and it was led by Glenbard East’s Nadiia Shymkiv, who’s second-ranked and arrived with a spotless record.

The Lady Rams junior claimed a third-place finish at 105 at last year’s IHSA Finals behind Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis and Huntley’s Janiah Slaughter after taking fourth place at 105 in 2023 while competing for Glenbard North. She improved to 17-0 after winning a 4-0 decision over Newman Central Catholic sophomore Blair Grennan in the 105 title match.

“My style is to just go out there and wrestle the way my coaches want me to,  take as many shots, score points as much as I can, and just wrestle as hard and tough as I can for six minutes,” said Shymkiv, who took the lead for good with takedown 90 seconds into the first period. She looks to become her program’s first two-time state medalist.

No. 7 Grennan (8-2) who last year became the first individual from Newman Central Catholic to bring home a state medal, which was fourth at 100, required some medical attention after a throw in the second period. Grennan was given the green light to go, but once the action resumed, she was forced to endure a hard ride from the eventual champ for the remaining 40 seconds of the period.

“I feel like I can use my strength to ride opponents when I need to,” said Shymkiv, who won a  major decision over Dundee-Crown’s Diamond Rodriguez, who’s ranked eighth, in her semifinal while at the same time Grennan recorded a pin over Lockport Township’s Averi Colella, who was ranked tenth.

Colella pinned Rodriguez to claim third place while Lincoln-Way’s Emily Peyton won a major decision over West Chicago’s Brissia Bucio for fifth place.

110 – Khloe Perez, Glenbard West

Khloe Perez’ sister Alycia won the IHSA 100 championship last year in Bloomington and from that success comes mountains of inspiration and motivation for the Glenbard West freshman.

Perez improved her record to 25-0 after spending just over 6 1/2 minutes on the mats to capture the 110-pound crown. She finished off a near-perfect tournament with a pin at 38 seconds over Lincoln-Way junior Zoe Dempsey, who’s ranked No. 2 and took fifth at 105 last season at state.

“(It’s) just my first year of wrestling, but this is a sport my family has been around and involved in for awhile, so I felt really good about being a part of wrestling from the start,” said Perez, who’s ranked No. 1 in one in the state. She tied for second for the most team points with 42.5 and hopes to join Alycia and the Hilltoppers’ first all-stater, Khatija Ahmed, as an IHSA medalist.

“Alycia was a great role model for me, as was my brother Isaiah (2022 Glenbard West grad) so I really feel like I was ready to wrestle when I got to high school.”

After starting his collegiate career at Elmhurst University, Isaiah Perez joined Alycia at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa this fall.

“Zoe’s final obviously did not go how we expected, we wanted to get to our offense (first) and we ended on the defense almost right away,” said Lincoln-Way coach Josh Napier.

“(She) is the type of wrestler that learns from her mistakes, so we will take this loss as a blessing, and get better from it (here) at the right time of the season.”

Woodstock’s Eva Hermansson pinned Burlington Central’s Ruby Vences for third place while Lockport Township’s Veronica Skibicki won a major decision over Schaumburg’s Regan Paulson to take fifth place.

115 – Harlee Hiller, Loyola Academy

Harlee Hiller left the 115-pound weight class in disarray as the Loyola Academy senior, who’s ranked No. 1, smashed the competition for two days that ended with a pin at 1:01 over Burlington Central senior Victoria Macias, a three-time state medalist who’s ranked third.

“I’m healthy, and feel really motivated right now, and ready to go for the last four weeks of my high school career,” said Hiller, who improved to 17-1 and is still undecided about her college address next fall, but on course to wrestle at the next level for sure.

USA Wrestling has Hiller (17-1) No. 6 in its most recent national poll, but the 2023 105-pound IHSA champion, and three-time state medalist who took second place at 115 last year and third at 105 in 2022, chooses not to pay attention to her place in both state and national polls.

“It’s all about staying focused on what’s ahead of me, and nothing else,” says Hiller.

“I am really thrilled to be a part of the recent success we’ve had at Loyola with Massey (Odiotti) and Kai (Calcutt) winning state titles for our boys program. I am very fortunate to have a great coaching staff, especially with (Matt Collum) and the ability to train in the room with Niko (Odiotti) who will do some really great things before he’s done at Loyola.”

Macias took fifth at 115 last season and fifth at 110 in 2023 after placing fourth at 110 in 2022. 

Schaumburg’s Madyson Meyer, who’s ranked fourth, won 7-0 over Oak Forest’s Marjorie Rodriguez for third place while Lincoln-Way’s Aubrey Barnes was a winner by fall over Oak Park and River Forest’s Sofia Hinojosa for fifth place..

120 – Angelina Cassioppi, Hononegah

Angelina Cassioppi arrived in the Hononegah room four years ago with immense potential and a family pedigree that just oozed success.

Since those early days, Cassioppi has risen to the top in whatever weight class she competed in and is currently ranked No. 1 at 120 and No. 8 in the nation and is a three-time state champion with her eye squarely on becoming the first four-time IHSA champion.

“In a family like ours’, you’re always working as hard as you can because you don’t want to be the one that stinks,” said Cassioppi, who won IHSA championships at 120 in 2024 and 2023 after winning her first state title at 100 in 2022 in the inaugural IHSA Finals.

Between her, her four brothers and one sister who’ve starred at Hononegah they’ve claimed 10 state medals, led by the four-time All-American, Anthony Cassioppi, who went on to star at the University of Iowa after collecting 3A titles at 285 in 2018 and 2017 and a third at 285 in 2016.

Giovanni (5th at 145 3A in 2019) and Rose (1st at 170 in 2022) left their marks and sophomores Rocco (2nd at 106 3A in 2024) and Bruno (3rd at 113 3A in 2024), will look to continue the Cassioppi name after their sister moves on to a college program yet to be determined.

“(There’s) a target on my back each time I go out there, but I feel like my offseason training, experience, plus mental and physical strength helps me to be prepared for whatever comes at me,” says Cassioppi after her hard-fought 3-1 decision in the 120 title match over Bartlett senior Emma Engels (30-3), who’s fourth-ranked and was a state champion at 100 in 2023 and took sixth place at 110 last season.

“Emma is so strong and long, so the plan was to score more points to take control of the match,” said Cassioppi.”(Obviously) I wasn’t able to do that in the second period when I was on top and riding, I should have cut her and gone for a few more shots. In the third period she tried to use those long arms and legs, so it became a defensive third period for me to protect my lead.”

Glenbrook North sophomore Ariella Dobin (33-1), who’s ranked No. 2 and took fourth at 120 in the 2024 IHSA Finals, lost to Engels 4-2 in the semifinals to suffer her first defeat in 33 matches, but bounced back to claim third place with a fall over Glenbard West’s Karoline Konopka while Woodstock’s Danica LaTessa won with a pin over Schaumburg’s Anna Villarreal for fifth.

125 – Sophie Bowers, Vandalia

Sophie Bowers and her Vandalia Vandals teammates rarely venture to the northern suburbs to compete, but as one of the six IHSA champions in the tournament and one of the five that won a title, she was excited to compete in a quality competition and turned in one of the best showings by winning the championship at 125 and tying for second place in team points with 42.5.

Bowers (25-0) was nearly unstoppable as she cruised to her Hawks Invite title over an impressive field at 125, winning the championship over Grayslake Central junior Gianna Arzer, who’s ranked fourth, with a fall in 4:57. The senior had a combined five pins and wins by technical fall, something that only three others accomplished.

“It’s great to come up (here) to compete in a tournament that has so many talented wrestlers all across the weight classes, especially right at the end to help get us all ready for that last month of the season,” said Bowers, who hopes to join Lauren Dothager as her program’s second two-time medalist.

“I worked on everything during the offseason, and really pushed myself to be better, but I can tell you the No. 1 thing that’s improved is being confident in myself, which wasn’t always there last year.”

The Vandals senior, who was a member of her school’s boys team that finished fourth in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals while she was competing individually at state, also made her first appearance at the state track and field tournament last spring at 100 meters and just missed advancing at 400 meters.

Lincoln-Way’s Riley Cooney won by medical forfeit over Thornton Township’s Destiny Bright for third place while Bartlett’s Lilly White,  who took fifth place at 125 in the 2024 IHSA Finals, won by fall over Glenbard West’s Valentina Fantoni for fifth place.

130 – Sophia Ball, Hoffman Estates

It was another scintillating performance from Hoffman Estates senior Sophia Ball who was all over the post-tournament statistics sheets en route to her title at 130 pounds in her home gym.

Ball (27-1), who was the runner-up to Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi last year at 120 at the IHSA Finals and placed fifth at 120 at state in 2023, never allowed an opponent to get a foot-hold against her and was one of four who a combined five pins and wins by technical fall and also had a tourney-high 80 match points as well as tying for fourth with 42 team points.

“(It’s) the time of the year that we have to put everything into our training, while staying healthy, both mentally and physically,” said Ball, who’s ranked third and will wrestle in the fall at Carthage College where she will pursue a degree in nursing.

“(Sophia) is just a monster, a machine, just she keeps on attacking and scoring points, which makes her a very difficult opponent to wrestle against,” Hawks assistant Kevin Beers said.

Ball, who went 27-1 a year ago, recorded a win by technical fall in 3:30 over Conant’s Jasmine Zavaleta (25-6) in the 130 title match.

Thornton Township’s Jalah Wilson won by fall over Burlington Central’s Soraya Walikonis for third place while Minooka’s Sabina Charlebois pinned Lincoln-Way’s Claire Bray to finish fifth.

135- Claudia Heeney, Lockport

Lockport’s top-ranked Claudia Heeney (31-2) made program history after her hard fought 9-3 decision over No. 4 Abigail Ji (Hoffman Estates) in the 135-pound final.

The reigning 130-pound state champion earned her 100th career victory with her championship effort.

“It feels good to get to a hundred wins in a program that gives us great coaching, and a great environment in the room,” the Porters’ junior said.

The nationally-ranked Heeney made quick work of those in her way into the final against Ji, who took an early 3-0 lead.

Ji conceded a reversal to make it a 3-2 contest heading into the second period when Heeney – starting down – executed a neat reversal off the whistle. Two near-fall points extended Heeney’s advantage to 6-3 after four minutes, which she would add to after the pair began the third period in neutral.

“(Ji) was a tough, strong opponent, and someone that I wanted to stay aggressive with and not let up until the very end,” Heeney said.

Heeney stayed busy during the offseason with tournament stops in Fargo, Freestyle state, Super 32 and the U.S. Open in Las Vegas.

Sharon Olorunfemi (Schaumburg) was third, Ruby Gavina (Burlington Central) fourth, Zabby Badru (Lane Tech) fifth and Veronica Vera (Grant) sixth.

140- Ewa Krupa, Conant

After coming close to making her first appearance at state last year, Conant junior Ewa Krupa (29-4) is making the most of all of her opportunities to succeed, witnessed by her biggest win of the season Saturday.

Krupa used just over two minutes to pin her first two opponents on Friday, then followed up with another three more on Saturday to claim the top prize at 140 pounds, capped by a fall on the title mat against Glenbard East’s Maria Green.

“This was a tournament title that Ewa really needed to give her the confidence she needs from here on out,” said a proud Cougars head coach Brad Bessemer.

“(The) grind of getting through two difficult days, five matches, including three today, is something that will go a long way towards helping prepare to compete with the best of the best at sectionals next month.”

Krupa lost her blood-round match at sectionals a year ago to end her season with a respectable 24-12 overall record.

“We were a little nervous about her finals opponent from Glenbard East (Green) because they have a similar style,” Bessemer said, “and her underhooks and pinch head locks were something we needed to be wary of.”

Green (16-1) took a first-period 3-0 lead before Krupa racked up a big lead before recording her fifth pin of the year, at 4:47, to earn her spot atop the podium.

Ezra Rodriguez (Minooka) was third, Ella Gieriuga (Lincoln-Way Co-Op) fourth, Lloyd Kowalczyk (Fremd) fifth and Batula Nasib from West Chicago fifth.

145- Hope Zerafa-Lazarevic, Schaumburg

After the referee raised Hope Zerafa-Lazarevic’s arm following her magnificent performance on Saturday, the Saxons’ effervescent star senior flexed her muscles toward the upper deck of the Hawks gym with a big smile to celebrate her 145-pound title.

“That (flex) was for all of my family members, and extended family here in the crowd, including my brother, who is on leave from the Navy right now,” said a proud Zerafa-Lazarevic, now a dazzling 33-0 as the top-ranked 145-pounder in the state.

She’s also one of the best advocates in Illinois for the sport she loves.

“It feels great to win a championship at such a fantastic tournament that has so many state-ranked wrestlers here,” Zerafa-Lazerevic said. “Many of them will go on to win a bunch of state medals next month.

“From here it’s a hundred percent focused on what’s ahead, and I plan on doing that and more.”

Zerafa-Lazerevic recorded her fourth pin of the tournament over Iyobosa Odiase (29-7) from Oak Forest in her final bout.

Bailey Mitchell from Lincoln-Way Co-op was third, Palmer Calvey (Minooka) fourth, Daniella Ibanez (Dundee-Crown) fifth and Kennedy Dade (Homewood-Flossmoor) sixth.

155- Kaitlyn Bucholz, Plainfield East

Plainfield East junior Kaitlyn Bucholz (25-6) seized her opportunity in this wide open weight class to claim the top prize, following a terrific effort in her final against Woodstock Co-op junior Brianna Crown (21-8).

A well-executed take-down at three minutes gave Bucholz an advantage she never relinquished en route to her 11-1 major decision victory.

“Kaitlyn stayed in good position throughout the two days, she got to her offense, and set the pace in each match,” Bengals head coach Julian Ochoa said.

“In her final, she stayed in good position, won the hand fights, set the tone for the match, and was just really tough on bottom to help her put together a complete final match.”

15-15 a year ago as a sophomore, Ochoa wrestled a strong offseason that that contributed greatly to her improvement this season.

“She wrestled a ton of freestyle last spring, which helped her find her offense as she transitioned back to folkstyle. And she never stopped working to improve,” Ochoa said.

Bucholz, who was second at Freestyle state, spends her extra time in theatre design and technology at Plainfield East.

Mackenzie Lessner (Dundee-East) would finish third, Analiese Aberman (Conant) fourth, Danely Villagomez (Riverside-Brookfield) fifth and Annette Huesca from West Chicago sixth overall.

170- Alicia Tucker, Plainfield Central

The Alicia Tucker wrestling resume is an impressive one, about as long as the arm of the Plainfield Central star.

Tucker has, among other fantastic feats, a 2023 state title to call her own, a second place state finish a year ago, and she’s currently the top-rated 170-pounder in the state.

“I’ve gone from the hunter to the hunted, so I take the No. 1 spot seriously,” Tucker said. “I know my opponents will be after me so it’s important to continue to work hard in order to be prepared for each match from here on out.

Tucker improved to 13-1 after her win by fall against No. 2 Ryann Miller (26-1) from Burlington Central.

The Central sophomore came out as the aggressor, which led to a 6-0 lead after one period following a take-down and near-fall at the edge.

Tucker found her way back in the second period after a reversal to make it 9-5, but Miller answered with a reversal of her own to increase her lead to 11-5 after four minutes.

“I worked a lot during the offseason with my work on my feet, footwork, and staying positive and composed in my matches,” Tucker said. “That was all very important during my final.”

A see-saw, all-action third period saw Tucker take a 13-12 lead with 90 seconds remaining. She finished off the match with a pin at 4:46.

Tucker is still sifting through her college choice for next fall, but promises a decision hopefully around the state tournament.

No. 9 Alya Razza (Schaumburg) and Jenna Lee (Lincoln-Way Co-op) were third and fourth, with Jennifer Paul (Plainfield East) and Asia Lacey (Glenbard East) fifth and sixth.

190- Nadia Razzak, Schaumburg

Schaumburg’s No. 4 Nadia Razzak (33-3) was on her front foot from the opening whistle, looking assured, confident and sharper than the rest of the 190-pound field.

After winning a 3-2 decision over Oak Forest’s No. 6 Isabel Peralta (32-4) in the semifinals, the Schaumburg junior registered a take-down moments into her title match with Lockport’s Sophia Kelner (31-8) en route to a 7-0 victory.

“What a big difference we’ve seen in Nadia this year,” Saxons head coach Matt Gruszka said. “The turning point for her has been the extra work she’s been putting in, plus her overall approach to the sport has been terrific.

“Nadia and her sister (Alya, third overall at 170 pounds) have really turned up their work in the room, and it has shown in her results and overall effort in her matches.”

Razzak twice finished behind MSL and regional champion Jasmine Rene of Wheeling a year ago, before the former Wheeling star went on to claim third place at state. Razzak saw her hopes of a trip downstate last year dashed with a blood-round loss at sectionals.

“Nadia’s goal of making it downstate and onto the podium is so much stronger than a year ago, and if she continues doing the type of work she has been, there’s a very good chance of that happening,” Gruszka said.

Peralta finished third in front of Larkin’s Jadelin Caballero, followed in fifth by Glenbard East’s Nadine Spandiary and a sixth-place finish from Minooka’s Addison Davis.

235- Jasmine Mejia, Rickover Naval Academy

Rickover Naval Academy senior Jasmine Mejia (25-2) continued to state her case to be among the best of the best at 235-pounds, after the two-sport star crushed the competition to win her biggest tournament championship of the season thus far.

Mejia, who was a 2024 shot put and discus thrower state qualifier in 2A, recorded her fourth pin of the tournament over Fremd senior Jasmin Ocampo (18-3), a 2024 state qualifier in wrestling.

“I am super excited to win a tournament as big as this one,” said Mejia, who recently won an individual title at the Sea Dragons’ own tournament.

“I wasn’t really sure just how today would go for me because I woke up feeling sick, but I pushed my way through it,” continued Mejia, who was Chicago Public League runner-up last year to three-time state medalist Aaliyah Grandberry from Curie.

“In that first match today I felt like I was going to collapse, but as the day went on I began to feel good enough to go out there and compete,” Mejia said.

Mejia, herself a two-time state qualifier, is nearly set to attend Spring Arbor University in Michigan, where she plans to continue to wrestle and throw for the women’s track team, while pursuing a degree in psychology with a career as a therapist planned.

Gracey Simmons (Vandalia) was third, Iana Victory (Wheaton North) fourth, Riley DePolo (Lincoln-Way Co-op) fifth and Thanh Dinh of Glenbard West sixth.

Hoffman Estates Girls Hawk Invite place matches

100

1st Place Match

Saya Hongmoungkhoune (Rockford East) 15-0, Fr. over Katelyn Bell (Montini Catholic) 25-4, Sr. (Dec 18-11)

3rd Place Match

Ariel Woodfin (Thornton Township) 18-3, Jr. over Izzy Paz (Wheaton North) 13-6, Sr. (Fall 1:12)

5th Place Match

Susan Cruz (Larkin) 18-9, So. over Lillyanna Iman (Glenbard West) 17-6, Fr. (Fall 4:56)

7th Place Match

Leah Stringfellow (Glenbrook North) 19-3, Fr. over Andrea Jones (Glenbard East) 12-5, Sr. (MD 14-5)

9th Place Match

Monica Alvarez (Lincoln-Way co-op) 26-9, Sr. over Mia Phelps (Schaumburg) 21-11, Fr. (Dec 5-4)

11th Place Match

Karla Sarabia (Glenbard East) 3-2, Fr. over Makenzi Aguilar (Schaumburg) 21-12, Jr. (MD 11-2)

13th Place Match

Ziemann Melanie (Woodstock co-op) 5-5, So. over Brooklyn Eggins-Smith (Grant) 8-15, Fr. (Fall 1:35)

15th Place Match

Julia Hernandez (Lockport Township) 2-3, Fr. over Dakota Perez (Rickover Naval Academy) 21-7, Jr. (M. For.)

17th Place Match

Monika Jahn (Hononegah) 4-1, So. over Kahlynn Spurgeon (Bartlett) 14-10, Jr. (Fall 1:55)

19th Place Match

Ester Migues-Gaytan (Grayslake North) 18-11, So. over Roselyn Cornier (Hoffman Estates) 14-13, Fr. (Fall 5:10)

21st Place Match

Morgan Skwarczynski (Minooka) 8-20, Fr. over Anna Delawder (Glenbard East) 1-3, So. (Fall 3:41)

25th Place Match

Daniella Almazan (Shepard) 2-2, So. over Nataly Gonzalez (Downers Grove South) 0-3, So. (Fall 0:55)

105

1st Place Match

Nadiia Shymkiv (Glenbard East) 17-0, Jr. over Blair Grennan (Newman Central Catholic) 8-2, So. (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Averi Colella (Lockport Township) 34-6, Sr. over Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) 29-3, Sr. (Fall 1:25)

5th Place Match

Emily Peyton (Lincoln-Way) 26-10, Sr. over Brissia Bucio (West Chicago) 23-4, Jr. (MD 8-0)

7th Place Match

Marian Nordsell (Minooka) 21-10, So. over Justice Girod (Schaumburg) 26-10, So. (Dec 2-0)

9th Place Match

Ashley Hammond (Larkin) 23-9, Sr. over Mikaela Najera (Bolingbrook) 20-14, Fr. (Fall 1:26)

11th Place Match

Jivona Brown (Glenbard West) 9-5, Sr. over Melanie Granda (Burlington Central) 9-9, Jr. (Fall 2:34)

13th Place Match

Adinai Muktarbekova (Hoffman Estates) 18-10, Fr. over Valerie Aligia (Glenbard South) 7-8, So. (Fall 1:59)

17th Place Match

Sofia Perez (Shepard) 2-1, Jr. over Tori Ooms (Downers Grove South) 8-10, Jr. (Fall 1:03)

19th Place Match

Elizabeth Castrejon (Rickover Naval Academy) 12-9, So. over Janill Garcia (Larkin) 0-1 (M. For.)

21st Place Match

Shayne Dietzen (Glenbard West) 1-2, Fr. over Grace Spangler (Lincoln-Way) 1-3 (Dec 6-1)

25th Place Match

Samira Giron-Cantero (Riverside-Brookfield) 5-5, Sr. over Andrea Santos (Downers Grove South) 0-3, So. (Fall 1:50)

110

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Khloe Perez (Glenbard West) 25-0, Fr. over Zoe Dempsey (Lincoln-Way) 34-2, Jr. (Fall 0:38)

3rd Place Match

Eva Hermansson (Woodstock) 27-5, Jr. over Ruby Vences (Burlington Central) 25-9, Sr. (Fall 0:57)

5th Place Match

Veronica Skibicki (Lockport Township) 29-11, So. over Regan Paulson (Schaumburg) 17-9, Fr. (MD 10-0)

7th Place Match

Iris Torres (Dundee-Crown) 23-12, Sr. over Evalyn Idzik (Saint Viator) 26-11, Fr. (Dec 7-3)

9th Place Match

Norah Cwik (Bartlett) 23-5, Jr. over Therese Escano (Minooka) 12-7, Jr. (Fall 1:00)

11th Place Match

Zoe Zerial (Lincoln-Way) 14-9, Fr. over Madeline Rakoci (Hoffman Estates) 12-12, Sr. (Fall 1:52)

13th Place Match

Jordan Rodriguez (Bolingbrook) 19-14, So. over Sophia Orcasitas (Oak Forest) 20-16, Fr. (Fall 3:21)

15th Place Match

Mireya Irizarry (Rockford East) 8-7, Jr. over Melany Sanchez (Dundee-Crown) 9-14, Jr. (Fall 0:50)

17th Place Match

Litzy Estrada-A. (Rickover Naval Academy) 23-12, So. over Angela Morales (Minooka) 9-13, Fr. (Fall 4:26)

19th Place Match

Amari Gibson (Hoffman Estates) 10-15, So. over Angela Marinelli (Glenbard East) 8-6, So. (Dec 15-12)

21st Place Match

Candice Cameron (Minooka) 8-10, Jr. over Monica Sanchez (West Chicago) 19-10, So. (Fall 4:00)

23rd Place Match

Bella Clayton (Grayslake Central) 8-18, Fr. over Isabella Bechtold (Burlington Central) 1-4, Fr. (Fall 0:33)

25th Place Match

Aliyah Siordia (Oak Park and River Forest) 6-4, Jr. over Lashuna York (Glenbard South) 8-14, So. (Dec 3-0)

27th Place Match

Ariel Sanchez (Shepard) 2-3, Fr. over Alecia Mueller (Riverside-Brookfield) 2-8, Fr. (Fall 3:37)

29th Place Match

Nadia Otero (Plainfield East) 6-5, Fr. over Marley Black (Vandalia) 6-15, So. (Dec 9-3)

31st Place Match

Aphrodite Gineris (Maine South) 4-15, So. over Paige Finnegan (Rickover Naval Academy) 15-11, Fr. (M. For.)

115

1st Place Match

Harlee Hiller (Loyola Academy) 17-1, Sr. over Victoria Macias (Burlington Central) 23-6, Sr. (Fall 1:01)

3rd Place Match

Madyson Meyer (Schaumburg) 32-2, Sr. over Marjorie Rodriguez (Oak Forest) 32-9, Sr. (Dec 7-0)

5th Place Match

Aubrey Barnes (Lincoln-Way) 26-11, Fr. over Sofia Hinojosa (Oak Park and River Forest) 8-5, So. (Fall 1:54)

7th Place Match

Sophia Newell (West Chicago) 14-7, Sr. over Aumbree Campos (Schaumburg) 8-7, Fr. (Fall 1:44)

9th Place Match

Angelina Nettey (Plainfield East) 29-6, So. over Gisele Varelas (Conant) 16-13, Fr. (Fall 3:40)

11th Place Match

Izzy White (Minooka) 8-5, Fr. over Bella Romando (Lockport Township) 22-18, So. (MD 10-1)

13th Place Match

Aubree Hansen (Woodstock) 10-16, Jr. over Kayden Manis (Grant) 19-8, So. (Fall 3:48)

15th Place Match

Lauren Guerrero (Lane Tech) 19-15, So. over Ferly Guevara (Bolingbrook) 1-2, Jr. (M. For.)

17th Place Match

Ari Shala (Downers Grove South) 12-11, So. over Dianey Marin (Glenbard East) 7-6, Fr. (Fall 0:34)

19th Place Match

Jaiydyn Hoffman (Grant) 3-2, So. over Rubi Guadarrama (Glenbard West) 6-7, Fr. (Fall 0:48)

21st Place Match

Evelyn Gonzalez (Grant) 3-2, Sr. over Judy Soto (Hoffman Estates) 10-12, Jr. (Fall 0:48)

23rd Place Match

Leah Bahena (Bartlett) 2-3, So. over Forfeit Forfeit (West Chicago) 1-4, Fr. (For.)

25th Place Match

Aubrey Veasquez (Oak Forest) 3-2, So. over Tess Wisner (Woodstock) 2-3, Fr. (Fall 1:31)

27th Place Match

Maddie Powell (Grayslake Central) 9-14, So. over Victoria Rivera (Rickover Naval Academy) 4-13, Sr. (Fall 1:24)

29th Place Match

Mei Schmadeke (Wheaton North) 6-7, Jr. over Ava Bieszke (Glenbard West) 0-4, So. (Fall 0:35)

120

1st Place Match

Angelina Cassioppi (Hononegah) 5-0, Sr. over Emma Engels (Bartlett) 30-3, Sr. (Dec 3-1)

3rd Place Match

Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook North) 33-1, So. over Karolina Konopka (Glenbard West) 24-5, So. (Fall 1:18)

5th Place Match

Danica LaTessa (Woodstock) 25-5, Jr. over Anna Villarreal (Schaumburg) 29-8, Jr. (Fall 5:00)

7th Place Match

Holli Coughlen (Minooka) 14-6, Jr. over Amanda Jachimstal (Schaumburg) 11-8, So. (M. For.)

9th Place Match

Kamila Florencio (Hoffman Estates) 8-7, Jr. over Kaila Stubbs (Glenbard East) 9-3, Sr. (Fall 5:36)

11th Place Match

Kaylee Benyo (Newman Central Catholic) 9-6, So. over Anastasia Dewey (Minooka) 10-8, Fr. (Fall 3:58)

13th Place Match

Sadie Sparks (Lincoln-Way) 22-7, Fr. over America Camacho (Grant) 24-11, Fr. (Fall 5:07)

15th Place Match

Grace Migasi (Maine South) 7-12, So. over Forfeit (Glenbard South) 4-10, Fr. (For.)

17th Place Match

Natalia Coleman (Homewood-Flossmoor) 20-15, Fr. over Mia Pendic (Loyola Academy) 5-4, Fr. (TF-1.5 1:45 (19-3))

19th Place Match

Mackensie Szajda (West Chicago) 22-7, So. over Diana Jasso (Hoffman Estates) 6-15, Fr. (Fall 1:03)

21st Place Match

Kloe Bielski (Bolingbrook) 9-23, Jr. over Makayla Castro (Bolingbrook) 6-7, Jr. (Fall 5:07)

25th Place Match

Jazmyn Seeberger (Woodstock) 3-2, Sr. over Zoe Servia (Dundee-Crown) 5-15, Sr. (Fall 3:29)

27th Place Match

Litzy Guaman (Rickover Naval Academy) 5-10, Sr. over Addison Dill (Maine South) 1-4, Jr. (Fall 5:26)

125

1st Place Match

Sophie Bowers (Vandalia) 25-0, Sr. over Gianna Arzer (Grayslake Central) 31-4, Jr. (Fall 4:57)

3rd Place Match

Riley Cooney (Lincoln-Way) 26-11, Jr. over Destiny Bright (Thornton Township) 12-4, Sr. (M. For.)

5th Place Match

Lilly White (Bartlett) 28-3, Jr. over Valentina Fantoni (Glenbard West) 20-6, Sr. (Fall 0:44)

7th Place Match

Olivia Pelayo (Hoffman Estates) 19-6, Jr. over Myla Reyes (Grant) 24-11, So. (Dec 5-1)

9th Place Match

Isabella Rivas (Schaumburg) 31-5, Jr. over Alaina Austin (Minooka) 8-8, So. (MD 13-3)

11th Place Match

Hannah Olsen (Woodstock) 22-8, Jr. over Sheyla Trujillo (Rickover Naval Academy) 2-4, Sr. (Fall 2:19)

13th Place Match

Alyssa Gianola (Maine South) 14-6, Sr. over Riona Jurik (Oak Forest) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 0:39)

15th Place Match

Nichole Castillo (Glenbard South) 15-10, Jr. over Jessica Silva (Dundee-Crown) 6-14, Sr. (Fall 1:10)

17th Place Match

Jiana Forbes (Wheaton North) 4-1, So. over Susana Correa (West Chicago) 6-4, Sr. (Fall 0:31)

19th Place Match

Dakota Rosner (Glenbard East) 5-5, Jr. over Aubry Smith (Minooka) 1-3 (Fall 1:48)

21st Place Match

Miranda Powley (Lockport Township) 13-22, So. over Taniyah Bradley (Homewood-Flossmoor) 9-19, Fr. (Fall 2:32)

23rd Place Match

Kaylen Atkinson (Plainfield East) 3-15, Sr. over Jennifer Soto (Hoffman Estates) 10-9, Fr. (M. For.)

25th Place Match

Anastasia Papaioannou (Saint Viator) 15-13, Sr. over Natalia Montoya (Rockford East) 4-8, Jr. (Fall 0:40)

27th Place Match

Madeline Cefola (Fremd) 4-19, So. over Franny Rice (Wilmette (Loyola Academy) 1-4, Fr. (M. For.)

130

Sophia Ball (Hoffman Estates) 27-1, Sr. over Jasmine Zavaleta (Conant) 25-6, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:30 (21-5))

3rd Place Match

Jalah Wilson (Thornton Township) 19-2, Sr. over Soraya Walikonis (Burlington Central) 24-10, Sr. (Fall 2:18)

5th Place Match

Sabina Charlebois (Minooka) 20-8, Jr. over Claire Bray (Lincoln-Way) 25-14, So. (Fall 0:59)

7th Place Match

Lauren Brehmer (Schaumburg) 3-2, So. over Michelle Kpekpe (Oak Park and River Forest) 4-11, Jr. (Dec 16-15)

9th Place Match

Nyah Lovis (Lane Tech) 30-5 over Melody Williams (Minooka) 11-9, Fr. (Fall 0:31)

11th Place Match

Violet Wheatley (Dundee-Crown) 12-17, Fr. over Lexie Lakota (Minooka) 13-11, Jr. (Fall 0:47)

13th Place Match

Eman Fukah (Downers Grove South) 10-7 over Paola Ramirez (Rickover Naval Academy) 11-7, So. (Fall 0:42)

17th Place Match

Mila Rocush (Shepard) 4-1, So. over Michelle Gallegos (West Chicago) 14-12, So. (Fall 2:59)

19th Place Match

Stella Splendoria (Woodstock) 5-8, Sr. over Mila Masny (Woodstock) 2-3, Fr. (Fall 3:21)

21st Place Match

Elizabeth Moreno (Glenbard East) 6-7, Jr. over Sophia Assaf (Glenbard South) 7-11, So. (Fall 3:35)

23rd Place Match

Lillian Rouskey (Minooka) 8-6, Fr. over Sophia Soteropoulos (Maine South) 0-4, So. (Fall 0:23)

25th Place Match

Nuray Dzheenalieva (Hoffman Estates) 14-10, Fr. over Isabella Martinez (Woodstock) 2-3, Jr. (Fall 0:53)

27th Place Match

Goobileg Erdenebat (Fremd) 3-14, So. over Milena Canton Ahlgrim (Glenbard South) 0-7, Fr. (Dec 6-1)

29th Place Match

Isabella Sison (Grant) 3-11, Jr. over Jasmine Dutt (Maine South) 2-16, So. (MD 13-2)

135

1st Place Match

Claudia Heeney (Lockport Township) 31-2, Jr. over Abigail Ji (Hoffman Estates) 27-5, Sr. (Dec 9-3)

3rd Place Match

Sharon Olorunfemi (Schaumburg) 31-7, So. over Ruby Gavina (Dundee-Crown) 18-6, So. (Inj. 1:21)

5th Place Match

Zabby Badru (Lane Tech) 29-6 over Veronica Vera (Grant) 19-13, Jr. (Fall 1:05)

7th Place Match

Nydia Jotzat (Glenbard West) 20-6, Sr. over Emily Anaya (Riverside-Brookfield) 15-12, So. (Fall 3:11)

9th Place Match

Kiara Manning (Woodstock) 13-10, Jr. over Miah Banda (Plainfield Central) 7-5 (Fall 3:33)

11th Place Match

Ryann Spivey (Minooka) 5-7, Fr. over Michelle Salgado Gonzalez (Glenbard East) 6-9, So. (Fall 1:11)

13th Place Match

Keighera Fleming (Minooka) 13-6, Fr. over Anaya Campbell (Bolingbrook) 8-26, So. (Fall 0:43)

15th Place Match

Maelyn Chromcak (Bolingbrook) 3-19, So. over Maria Brennan (Oak Park and River Forest) 3-14, So. (Dec 12-6)

17th Place Match

Bella Castelli (Hononegah) 4-1, Fr. over Alyson Alvarenga (Grayslake North) 18-14, Jr. (Fall 0:57)

19th Place Match

Liv Clumpner (Lincoln-Way) 17-14, Fr. over Amanda Lezama (Bolingbrook) 1-4, Jr. (Fall 2:37)

21st Place Match

Sofia Mercado (Plainfield East) 7-18, Fr. over Samantha Parzatka (Woodstock) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 4:43)

23rd Place Match

Kamila Sarmiento (West Chicago) 1-3, Fr. over Olivia Zurko (West Chicago) 1-7, So. (M. For.)

140

1st Place Match

Ewa Krupa (Conant) 29-4, Jr. over Maria Green (Glenbard East) 16-1, So. (Fall 4:47)

3rd Place Match

Ezra Rodriquez (Minooka) 25-7, Jr. over Ella Giertuga (Lincoln-Way) 26-14, So. (Dec 11-9)

5th Place Match

Lloyd Kowalczyk (Fremd) 16-8, Sr. over Batula Nasib (West Chicago) 20-8, So. (Fall 3:08)

7th Place Match

Hannah Galvan (Glenbard South) 9-9, Sr. over Liriana Rakoci (Hoffman Estates) 9-7, Sr. (Fall 4:26)

9th Place Match

Ava Kok (Woodstock) 18-9, So. over Nicole Dziura (Barrington) 8-6, Fr. (Dec 6-3)

11th Place Match

Shuntara Freeman (Thornton Township) 12-9, Fr. over Rachel Griggs (Homewood-Flossmoor) 11-10, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:58 (24-9))

13th Place Match

Miranda Tellez (Grayslake Central) 16-10, Fr. over Aaliyah Banda (Plainfield Central) 7-9, So. (MD 10-1)

17th Place Match

Amelia Watterson (Vandalia) 18-11, Fr. over Lydia Weidner (Woodstock) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 1:44)

19th Place Match

Jade Valadez (Schaumburg) 8-12, So. over Lydia Dillon (Grayslake North) 9-18, Sr. (Fall 0:21)

21st Place Match

Mia Quiroz (West Chicago) 1-2, So. over Emma Alexander (Lockport Township) 3-22, Fr. (Fall 2:48)

25th Place Match

Madelyn Moody (Oak Forest) 1-2, So. over Amy Borja (West Chicago) 13-15, So. (Fall 3:38)

145

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (Schaumburg) 33-0, Sr. over Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest) 29-7, Jr. (Fall 0:27)

3rd Place Match

Bailey Mitchell (Lincoln-Way) 10-13, Jr. over Palmer Calvey (Minooka) 24-8, Sr. (Dec 4-1)

5th Place Match

Daniella Ibanez (Dundee-Crown) 15-8, Sr. over Kennedy Dade (Homewood-Flossmoor) 9-11, So. (Fall 0:55)

7th Place Match

Alex Gutierrez (Hoffman Estates) 13-8, Jr. over Gia Cozzani (Glenbard West) 17-9, So. (MD 10-1)

9th Place Match

Isabelle Mejia (Rickover Naval Academy) 21-11, Fr. over Dayanara Elias-Mena (Hoffman Estates) 12-11, So. (Fall 1:12)

11th Place Match

Julia Romero (Plainfield East) 11-9, So. over Madelynn McClements (Homewood-Flossmoor) 14-22, So. (Dec 8-6)

13th Place Match

Susan Bilyal (Conant) 13-9, So. over Brianna Kotovsky (Woodstock) 9-6, So. (Fall 1:22)

15th Place Match

Trinity Jones (Thornton Township) 7-10, Sr. over Aileen Sotelo (West Chicago) 0-4, Sr. (Fall 0:28)

17th Place Match

Alana Smith (West Chicago) 4-2, Fr. over Natalia Cordova (Lane Tech) 9-15 (Fall 3:55)

19th Place Match

Julie Concepcion-Palacios (Hoffman Estates) 8-10, So. over Kate Bohms (Lincoln-Way) 13-18, Fr. (Fall 3:23)

21st Place Match

Ana De La Rosa (Grayslake Central) 4-24, Sr. over Niamh Patterson (Plainfield Central) 2-7, Fr. (Inj. 1:50)

25th Place Match

Brianna Pitz (Woodstock) 2-2, Fr. over Leah Montez (Glenbard East) 4-10, Jr. (Fall 3:56)

155

1st Place Match

Kaitlyn Bucholz (Plainfield East) 25-6, Jr. over Brianna Crown (Woodstock) 22-8, Jr. (MD 11-1)

3rd Place Match

Mackenzie Lessner (Dundee-Crown) 23-6, Sr. over Analiese Aberman (Conant) 24-10, Jr. (Fall 5:57)

5th Place Match

Danely Villagomez (Riverside-Brookfield) 20-6, Jr. over Annette Huesca (West Chicago) 12-4, So. (Fall 3:07)

7th Place Match

Camila Martinez-Gonzalez (Rickover Naval Academy) 22-7, Sr. over Sydnee Allen (Hoffman Estates) 8-7, So. (Dec 4-2)

9th Place Match

Mia Lemberg (Minooka) 20-9, Jr. over Miyalinna DeJesus (Glenbard West) 18-2, Sr. (Dec 15-8)

11th Place Match

Shreya Gosain (Schaumburg) 18-18, Jr. over Essenze Reid (Hoffman Estates) 15-5, So. (M. For.)

13th Place Match

Amaryllis Ramos (Grant) 16-6, Jr. over Valeria Guerrero (Hoffman Estates) 10-5, So. (Fall 1:56)

17th Place Match

Adr Bille (Oak Forest) 24-16, Sr. over Avery Holeman (Lincoln Way) 15-19, Fr. (Fall 0:48)

19th Place Match

Dakota Obbish (Lockport Township) 22-17, Jr. over Simran Grover (Conant) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 5:27)

21st Place Match

Jayiana Newcombe (Conant) 3-2, Fr. over Layla Lopez (Rickover Naval Academy) 5-12, So. (Fall 5:35)

23rd Place Match

Kayla George (Oak Park and River Forest) 3-7, So. over Natasha Myers (Downers Grove South) 3-7, Jr. (For.)

25th Place Match

Madison Willis (Oak Forest) 2-2, Sr. over Adamariz Tellez (Glenbard East) 6-9, Sr. (For.)

170

1st Place Match

Alicia Tucker (Plainfield Central) 13-1, Sr. over Ryann Miller (Burlington Central) 26-1, So. (Fall 4:46)

3rd Place Match

Alya Razzak (Schaumburg) 30-6, Sr. over Jenna Lee (Lincoln-Way) 19-14, So. (Fall 2:57)

5th Place Match

Jennifer Paul (Plainfield East) 17-7, Sr. over Asia Lacey (Glenbard East) 9-4, Sr. (Fall 1:44)

7th Place Match

Olivia Halminiak (West Chicago) 22-8, So. over Mma Akela (Loyola Academy) 6-3, Jr. (M. For.)

9th Place Match

Kezia Gaston (Minooka) 20-8, Jr. over Estefany Bejarano (Riverside-Brookfield) 12-10, Jr. (Fall 3:01)

11th Place Match

Abigail Underhill (Minooka) 10-7, Jr. over Layla McHenry (Schaumburg) 14-10, Fr. (Fall 5:14)

13th Place Match

Brynn Swyers (Vandalia) 19-8, Jr. over Lily Ludford King (Grant) 12-13, Jr. (Fall 1:35)

17th Place Match

Kassandra Lee (Shepard) 3-1, Jr. over Ava Grisela-Urbina (Downers Grove South) 3-2, Fr. (Fall 1:25)

19th Place Match

Yasmin Bonilla (Hoffman Estates) 9-12, So. over Olivia Haywood (Homewood-Flossmoor) 13-26, Fr. (Fall 1:30)

21st Place Match

Midna Lazoya (Rickover Naval Academy) 8-9, So. over Nerissa Blue (Oak Park and River Forest) 5-17, Jr. (Fall 1:23)

23rd Place Match

Monique Mesina (Bolingbrook) 3-26, So. over Heaven Britton (Lockport Township) 12-24, Fr. (Fall 1:23)

25th Place Match

Cassandra Jewell (Maine South) 1-2, Fr. over Lily Ragle (Lockport Township) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 3:46)

190

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Nadia Razzak (Schaumburg) 33-3, Jr. over Sophie Kelner (Lockport Township) 31-8, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Isabel Peralta (Oak Forest) 32-4, Sr. over Jadelin Caballero (Larkin) 27-5, So. (Dec 1-0)

5th Place Match

Nadine Spandiary (Glenbard East) 11-2, Sr. over Addison Davis (Minooka) 22-8, Jr. (Fall 1:55)

7th Place Match

Zuza Cebulski (Downers Grove South) 9-7 over Violet Gray (Vandalia) 11-10, So. (Dec 4-2)

9th Place Match

Myra Vicencio (Lockport Township) 4-1, Jr. over Daniyah Nixon (Glenbard West) 14-9, So. (Fall 3:45)

11th Place Match

Liana Zimmer (Lincoln-Way) 19-17, Sr. over Layla Moreland (Lane Tech) 12-10 (Fall 1:39)

13th Place Match

Jen Serna (Plainfield East) 17-11, Jr. over Lesley Castillo (Riverside-Brookfield) 16-11, Sr. (Fall 2:24)

15th Place Match

Luciana Belmont (Minooka) 7-16, So. over Zoie Peters (Woodstock) 0-4, Fr. (Fall 0:57)

17th Place Match

Danai Kostarelou (Maine South) 13-6, Fr. over Ava Adorni (Conant) 14-9, Jr. (Fall 2:17)

19th Place Match

Kemaria Freeman (Oak Park and River Forest) 10-7, Sr. over Laura De Los Santos Pena (Hoffman Estates) 9-8, Sr. (For.)

21st Place Match

Cai Triplett (Homewood-Flossmoor) 18-18, So. over Lyric Bryant (Homewood-Flossmoor) 2-3, So. (Fall 0:57)

235

1st Place Match

Jasmine Mejia (Rickover Naval Academy) 25-2, Sr. over Jasmin Ocampo (Fremd) 18-3, Sr. (Fall 1:53)

3rd Place Match

Gracey Simmons (Vandalia) 11-7, So. over Iana Victory (Wheaton North) 12-4, Sr. (Fall 4:00)

5th Place Match

Riley DePolo (Lincoln-Way) 23-13, So. over Thanh Dinh (Glenbard West) 10-5, Jr. (Fall 5:31)

7th Place Match

Sophia Fortis (Maine South) 9-8, So. over Gladys Reyes (Dundee-Crown) 13-5, Sr. (Fall 1:48)

9th Place Match

Allison Hill (Woodstock) 18-9, So. over Ariana Bonilla (West Chicago) 17-12, Jr. (Fall 3:16)

11th Place Match

Karrine Jenkins (Shepard) 3-2, So. over Julia Augello (Rickover Naval Academy) 5-4, So. (Fall 4:30)

13th Place Match

Caroline Haiges (Dundee-Crown) 14-9, Fr. over Miniyai Adams (Thornton Township) 9-5, Jr. (Fall 1:12)

15th Place Match

Cynthia Rios (Bolingbrook) 6-26, So. over Jalyssa Venegas (Lincoln-Way) 7-8, So. (Fall 3:02)

17th Place Match

Allison Poole (Grayslake North) 20-7, So. over Weni Koudi (West Chicago) 0-2, Fr. (Fall 0:54)

Team scores

1. Lincoln-Way co-op 255.5, 2. Schaumburg 247, 3. Glenbard West 164.5, 3. Hoffman Estates 164.5, 5. Lockport Township 162, 6. Minooka 157, 7. Glenbard East 154, 8. Woodstock co-op 146, 9. Oak Forest

130.5, 10. Conant 125, 10. Dundee-Crown 125, 12. Rickover Naval Academy 121, 13. Burlington Central 118, 14. West Chicago 102, 15. Vandalia 99.5, 16. Plainfield East 98, 17. Thornton Township 93.5, 18. Bartlett 78.5, 19. Grant 67.5, 20. Plainfield Central 62, 21. Hononegah 61.5, 22. Loyola Academy 58.5, 23. Wheaton North 56, 24. Larkin 55.5, 25. Fremd 53.5, 25. Lane Tech 53.5, 27. Grayslake Central 50.5,

28. Shepard 50, 29. Downers Grove South 49, 29. Riverside-Brookfield 49, 31. Rockford East 48.5, 32. Bolingbrook 48, 33. Oak Park and River Forest 44.5, 34. Homewood-Flossmoor 42.5, 35. Newman Central Catholic 40.5, 36. Glenbrook North 40, 37. Maine South 38, 38. Montini Catholic 32.5, 39. Glenbard South 29, 40. Grayslake North 28, 41. Saint Viator 16.5, 42. Barrington 8.

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

2025 COMET CLASSIC

Reed-Custer High School has had its fair share of postseason success with 25 state medal winners in its program history, four earning state championships along the way, and another three trips to the 1A dual-team state tournament.

On Saturday on Comet Drive in Braidwood, the home side welcomed 27 teams, most of which were 1A clubs, bringing numerous state-ranked men with them, including reigning state champion and the the No. 1-ranked guy at 285 pounds, Jason Dowell from Althoff Catholic.

In all, state-ranked wrestlers left the tournament with a dazzling combined record of 320-19.

No. 5 (1A) Jeremy Eggleston (29-1) earned the lone title for tourney host Reed-Custer at 138 pounds.

1st place: Wheeling (224.5 points)

There was a time back in the day that the Wheeling program would always be at or near the top of the table at a tournament’s end.

But after a long dry spell for the Wildcats, current coach and former Hersey star Charlie Curran is helping Wheeling’s program turn the corner in class 2A.

Until the Wildcats won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024 at Harvard’s Sciacca-Holtfreter Tournament, the program had not won a tournament crown since 2017 in Glenview at the Rus Erb Invite.

The No. 10 (2A) Wildcats (12-1-0) added a second tournament championship this season into its trophy case, winning the Comet Classic on Saturday by leading the field with 34 pins and seven tech-falls.

Rarely does a tourney champion fail to secure an individual title, but while the Wildcats didn’t produce an individual champ, they still scored a whopping 621 total match points to ensure victory.

“We had eleven place-winners, and went 8-3 in the final round in order to beat out our two closest challengers,,” Curran said. “While three of our guys were unable to place, they still put extra team points on the board for us.”

Joey Romano (126), John Scanlon (157), and Jonny Dominguez (190) were all third for Wheeling, with Romano taking home a Comet Classic-high four tech-falls, and 99 total match points.

“(John) Scanlon took third with four pins, and Jonny (Dominguez) took third overall after losing his first match, while adding four pins along the way,” added Curran.

Frankie Katz (106) and Nicholas Montesinos (165) finished fourth overall.

2nd place: Chicago Hope (192.0 points)

No. 4 Arkail Griffin-Edwards, a 2024 state qualifier, won his title at 165 when he tech-falled and majored his way through the division.

The Eagles quintet of Nolan Callahan (113), Josiah Willis (132), Dylan Galvez (138), Ismael Montero (190) and Roy Phelps (285) all garnered second-place medals on the day.

3rd place: Joliet Central (191.5 points)

Senior Charles Walker (32-1) gave Joliet Central its lone individual title at 215 pounds, and was helped by a second-place finish from Aleck Allende at 120.

The trio of Liam Walsh (113), Isaiah Kan (138) and Tremaine Cooper (144) all earned fourth-place medals, while heavyweight Evan Patton led the tournament with five pins.

Others earning championship trophies: Raiden Terry (Seneca, 106, 30-1), Dylan Eimer (Olympia, 113, 29-3), Zach Hoffner (120, Bradley-Bourbonnais, 26-8), Dawson Hawthorne (126, Althoff Catholic, 15-0), Brendan Rayl (132, Althoff Catholic, 23-0), Jeremy Eggleston (138, Reed-Custer, 29-1), Cooper Corder (144, Sandwich, 24-4), Dylan Crouch (150, Dwight, 30-1), Chasen Kazmierczak (157, Wheaton Academy, 28-4), Angel Zamora (175, Hoopeston, 33-1), Logan VanDuyne (190, Wilmington, 27-3), Jason Dowell (285, Althoff Catholic, 20-0)

2025 Comet Classic results

106

1st: Raiden Terry (Seneca) 30-1, d. Charlie Flores (Hoopeston) 32-3,  (D 6-4)

3rd: Colton Drinkwine (Reed-Custer) 31-4, d. Frankie Kataz (Wheeling) 24-6,  (F 2:57)

5th: Cam Whitehead (Winnebago) 21-9, d. Coyt Rademaker (PORTA) 27-13,  (MD 14-2)

113

1st: Dylan Eimer (Olympia) 29-3, d. Nolan Callahan (Hope) 29-7,  (TF 2:29 (18-2)

3rd: Kainin Fillbright (PORTA) 32-10, d. Liam Walsh (Joliet C) 23-14,  (M. For.)

5th: David Perez (Wheeling) 17-6, d. Cole Harris (Reed-Custer) 22-10,  (D 11-8)

120 

1st: Zach Hoffner (Bradley) 26-8, d. Aleck Allende (Joliet C) 26-11,  (D 11-7)

3rd: Kaaden Wood (Reed-Custer) 23-7, d. Koby Clark (Marquette) 20-8,  (D 5-3)

5th: Miguel Lopez (Wheeling) 23-10, d. Carter Knobloch (Olympia) 23-12,  (F 3:57)

126

1st: Dawson Hawthorne (Althoff Cath) 15-0, d. Aiden Bell (Hoopeston) 34-3,  (TF 6:00 (22-2)

3rd: Joey Romano (Wheeling) 29-6, d. Mateo Martinez (Olympia) 27-13,  (MD 10-2)

5th: Jayden Sanchez (Reed-Custer) 25-8, d. Jowel Maldonado (Joliet C) 22-16,  (M. For.)

132 

1st: Brenden Rayl (Althoff Cath) 23-0, d. Josiah Willis (Hope) 27-8,  (D 15-11)

3rd: Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) 29-6, d. Zach Bryant (PORTA) 33-10,  (D 7-4)

5th: Izaiah Gonzalez (Bremen) 14-3, d. Max Katz (Wheeling) 23-13,  (D 8-2)

138 

1st: Jeremy Eggelston (Reed-Custer) 29-1, d. Dylan Galvez (Hope) 21-11,  (D 9-5)

3rd: Avery Phillips (Seneca) 26-7, d. Isaiah Kan (Joliet C) 27-13,  (M. For.)

5th: Hunter King (PORTA) 18-13, d. Jaxson Blanchard (Sandwich) 24-9,  (D 10-6)

144

1st: Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 24-4, d. Mike Minor (PORTA) 24-5,  (TF 2:00 (17-2)

3rd: Evan Cox (Clifton Central) 32-7, d. Tremaine Cooper (Joliet C) 20-14,  (MD 11-2)

5th: Austin Berger (Wheeling) 23-10, d. Alex Mendez (Herscher) 19-12,  (D 11-5)

150

1st: Dylan Crouch (Dwight) 30-1, d. Gianni Panozzo (Clifton Central) 32-4,  (D 6-3)

3rd: Logan Baker (PORTA) 32-10, d. Joshua Kotalik (Sandwich) 24-13,  (F 1:29)

5th: Santori Knight (Hope) 24-15, d. Brysen Manly (Marquette) 22-10,  (D 6-5)

157

1st: Chasen Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) 28-4, d. Justin Zimmerman (PORTA) 33-6,  (MD 11-3)

3rd: John Scanlon (Wheeling) 24-10, d. Giona Panozzo (Clifton Central) 28-10,  (F 2:43)

5th: Josh Lehman (Sandwich) 17-7, d. Austin Wilkinson (Althoff Cath) 17-12,  (MD 14-1)

165

1st: Arkail Griffin (Hope) 32-1, d. Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) 24-2,  (TF 5:55 (20-2)

3rd: Reily Leifheit (Marquette) 26-3, d. Nicholas Montesinos (Wheeling) 27-7,  (TF 5:20 (25-9)

5th: Mark Bew (Joliet C) 14-5, d. Caleb Jendras (St. Viator) 23-12,  (D 8-4)

175

1st: Angel Zamora (Hoopeston) 33-1, d. Kayden Roach (Bradley) 25-10,  (F 1:56)

3rd: Gavin Bafia (Dwight) 16-11, d. Kai Kern (Sandwich) 7-3,  (D 11-7)

5th: Nathan Vogler (Reed-Custer) 22-8, d. Alex Gagnon (Seneca) 16-9,  (M. For.)

190

1st: Logan VanDuyne (Wilmington) 27-3, d. Ismael Montero (Hope) 17-19,  (F 1:39)

3rd: Jonny Dominguez (Wheeling) 26-6, d. Colton Schneider (St. Viator) 25-10,  (MD 16-6)

5th: Wes Weatherford (Ottawa) 23-8, d. Brayden O`Connor (Bradley) 17-16,  (F 4:00)

215

1st: Charles Walker (Joliet C) 32-1, d. Dominic Alaimo (Reed-Custer) 29-2,  (MD 16-4)

3rd: Sebastian Sanderson (Tinley Park High School) 26-2, d. Devon Blanchard (Sandwich) 27-6,  (D 6-1)

5th: Eddie Juarez (Wheeling) 24-4, d. Jeremy Johanik (Wheaton Academy) 24-7,  (F 2:51)

285 

1st: Jason Dowell (Althoff Cath) 20-0, d. Roy Phelps (Hope) 30-3,  (D 1-0)

3rd: Jeremy Gagnon (Seneca) 29-1, d. Josh Cowman (Winnebago) 17-12,  (F 2:39)

5th: Pablo Morales (Wheeling) 24-8, d. Evan Patton (Joliet C) 16-16,  (F 1:12)

CLINT ARLIS INVITATIONAL

State super-powers Marmion Academy, Washington and Hononegah would dominate the proceedings on Saturday at host Batavia High School.

The Clint Arlis Invitational, named after the son of head coach Tom Arlis, who passed away suddenly in January of 2022 at the age of 34, has attracted quality teams year after year, and this season was no different.

Marmion, Washington and Hononegah brought along an impressive 21 top 10-rated wrestlers, six of whom are No. 1 in their respective weight divisions.

Tourney champion Marmion Academy saw five wrestlers claim top prizes. Both Marmion and Washington each entered eight wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in their weight classes.

“We were without four starters, but we wrestled well up and down our lineup, and had enough firepower to win this great event,” said Cadets co-head coach Anthony Cirrincione.

1st place: Marmion Academy (222.0 points)

The Cadets (9-2-0) earned a tourney-best five individual titles, led by No. 1 Demetrios Carrera (31-4) at 132 and No. 2 Zach Stewart (22-2) at 138 pounds.

Carrera came over from South Elgin during the offseason, where he advanced twice to state, while Stewart was a state champion a year ago at 138.

Stewart enjoyed a marvelous day in Batavia as he led the tourney with four tech falls, one of which was the fastest (1:00) posted. He also shared top honors for most team points (28) scored along with Hononegah star Connor Diemel.

No. 8 Colton Wyller (32-4) won his third major title of the season at 106, and No. 5 Ashton Hobson (14-4) claimed the top prize at 150. Teammate Mateusz Nycz continues to shine, as the No. 4 man at 285 tech-falled and pinned his way to the title.

Joseph Favia (215) and Preston Morrison (113) were runners-up in their respective weight divisions, with Aidan McClure (120) and Luke Boersma (190) adding to the final team score with third-place medals for the No. 3 team in 3A.

“Mateusz has been a great leader, teammate and a consistent performer, and a most dependable guy for our team,” Cirrincione said. “He currently has fifteen pins, ten tech-falls and over a hundred take-downs, making him No. 1 or 2 on our team for numbers of wins, pins, tech-falls and takedowns.

“He just committed to play football at Dartmouth next fall, and they are getting a phenomenal young man.”

2nd place: Washington (208.5 points)

The reigning 2A state champion Panthers (15-3-0) would watch its triple threat of No. 1 men Peyton Cox (22-2) at 144, Wyatt Medlin (35-3) at 157 and junior Josh Hoffer (35-3) at 215 pounds.

Cox appears on course to finally collect his biggest trophy of his career after three straight second-place state medals, while Medlin, No. 1 (2A) in the state at 150, bumped up a weight and never missed a beat with a pair of falls and one tech-fall.

Medlin was the 2024 state 2A champion at 150 pounds.

Hoffer avenged a 3-2 defeat a year ago here to Joseph Favia (Marmion Academy) with a 4-2 decision over the No. 2 (3A) Cadets junior. The two-time state medalist now has three major titles this season.

Noah Woods (126) and Sean Thornton (285) were second overall today, with teammates: Symon Woods (106) and Michael Mendoza (138) third. Wyatt Leman would add a fourth place finish for the Panthers.

3rd place: Hononegah (172.0 points)

No. 12 Hononegah was without the three-time state medalist, No. 3 TJ Silva (138), along with 2024 state medal winners Bruno Cassioppi (132) and Brody Sendele (165), who both remain on the injured list.

The Indians got Batavia titles from Connor Diemel (175), Kurt Smith (190), Jackson Olson (120) and Rocco Cassioppi (126), a second from Kristian DeClercq a(106), and fourths from Max Haskins (157) and Cruise Brolley (165).

Individual champions:

Others earning Batavia championship medals were Batavia’s Kai Enos (113), and Iowa-Grant/Highland, Wisconsin’s Jaxon Busse (165).

Clint Arlis Invitational results:

138

1st: Zach Stewart (Marmion) 22-2, d. Ben Messier (Naperville N) 27-4,  (TF 2:30 (19-4)

3rd: Michael Mendoza (Washington) 22-14, d. Braeden Grisham (Oswego E) 25-10, . (D 11-8)

5th: Aidan Cummings (DG North) 26-11, d. Jullian Vallianatos (Lemont) 20-10,  (TF 2:18 (15-0)

144

1st: Peyton Cox (Washington) 27-4, d. Jake Colleran (Maine S) 26-6,  (TF 1:56 (16-1)

3rd: Caden Chiarelli (DG North) 29-7, d. Ryan Johnston (McHenry) 30-10,  (F 2:49)

5th: Jonathan Kopcio (Marmion) 19-17, d. Cole Hubbard (Batavia) 19-12,  (TF 4:44 (17-2)

150

1st: Ashton Hobson (Marmion) 14-4, d. Marcus Poe (Bolingbrook) 15-10,  (TF 2:59 (16-0)

3rd: Gavin Hoerr (Maine S) 14-2, d. Leo Rosas (West Chicago) 23-5,  (For.)

5th: Billy Rausch (DG North) 9-8, d. Timothy Garmon (Naperville N) 15-15,  (F 1:54)

157

1st: Wyatt Medlin (Washington) 35-3, d. Tyson Imhoff (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 25-8,  (F 4:28)

3rd: Max Haskins (Hononegah) 31-8, d. Chase Osborne (Batavia) 9-9,  (F 3:26)

5th: Bennett WestFen (Prospect) 31-8, d. Liam O`Sullivan (DG North) 28-11,  (MD 13-2)

165 

1st: Jaxon Busse (I-G/Highland) 31-2, d. Tommy McDermott (Bolingbrook) 25-6,  (MD 14-2)

3rd: Cruise Brolley (Washington) 26-10, d. Aiden Schuldt (McHenry) 24-9,  (TF 4:18 (20-3)

5th: Joseph Quirk (Prospect) 12-9, d. Colin Peyton (Batavia) 20-17,  (F 3:56)

175

1st: Connor Diemel (Hononegah) 30-5, d. Jackson McGuire (I-G/Highland) 23-7,  (F 1:55)

3rd: Jack Brown (Batavia) 11-6, d. Jack Lasota (DG North) 26-9,  (D 9-3)

5th: Gavin Payne (Prospect) 22-13, d. Garrett Patnoudes (Oswego E) 10-8, . (F 3:20)

190

1st: Kurt Smith (Hononegah) 32-4, d. Gavin Hinderman (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 19-7,  (MD 14-3)

3rd: Luke Boersma (Marmion) 25-13, d. Wyatt Leman (Washington) 25-15,  (SV-1 4-1)

5th: Brady Valle (Naperville N) 16-19, d. Brock Wrede (Prospect) 20-16,  (D 3-1)

215

1st: Josh Hoffer (Washington) 35-3, d. Joseph Favia (Marmion) 11-5,  (D 4-2)

3rd: Asher Sheldon (Batavia) 21-4, d. Josh Edwards (Oswego E) 27-12,  (F 1:53)

5th: Tavfik Ibragimov (Naperville N) 25-6, d. Brody Lidbury (McHenry) 23-10,  (M. For.)

285

1st: Mateusz Nycz (Marmion) 30-4, d. Sean Thornton (Washington) 28-9,  (F 4:43)

3rd: Bode Brokopp (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 30-3, d. Peter Rodriguez (DG North) 27-11,  (F 1:59)

5th: Tyler Fortis (Maine S) 25-2, d. Colin Murphy (DG North) 2-3,  (F 3:31)

106

1st: Colton Wyller (Marmion) 32-4, d. Kristian Dlercq (Hononegah) 24-10,  (F 1:30)

3rd: Symon Woods (Washington) 31-5, d. Griffin Wineski (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 21-11,  (TF 4:47 (19-4)

5th: Damian Garcia (DG North) 23-12, d. Alex Powers (Lemont) 15-12,  (TF 3:55 (18-0)

113

1st: Kai Enos (Batavia) 27-6, d. Preston Morrison (Marmion) 23-8,  (MD 12-0)

3rd: Emanuel Rangel (West Chicago) 18-8, d. Jerry Donnelly (Andrew) 24-7,  (F 1:09)

5th: Adam Beedon (Naperville N) 22-5, d. Anthony Martinez (Jacobs) 12-14,  (F 1:46)

120

1st: Jackson Olson (Hononegah) 33-7, d. Nadeem Haleem (Andrew) 26-4,  (MD 15-7)

3rd: Aidan McClure (Marmion) 18-6, d. Tyler Tiancgo (DG North) 30-8,  (MD 15-1)

5th: Isaac Harris (Bolingbrook) 16-10, d. Enrique Garcia (Jacobs) 25-6,  (M. For.)

126

1st: Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) 32-2, d. Noah Woods (Washington) 32-2,  (D 7-2)

3rd: Brett Harman (Maine S) 24-6, d. Kyle Pasco (Batavia) 15-12,  (D 7-1)

5th: Alex Hengles (DG North) 13-7, d. Connor McDonald (Naperville N) 28-6,  (D 7-5)

132

1st: Demetrios Carrera (Marmion) 31-4, d. Jack Duraski (Batavia) 26-6,  (MD 14-4)

3rd: Ryan Hanson (McHenry) 31-8, d. Cory Zator (Lemont) 21-8,  (D 7-5)

5th: Christian Chiarelli (DG North) 24-9, d. Evan Musil (Hononegah) 26-13,  (F 1:18)

2025 MARGARET FLOTT INVITATIONAL

Plainfield Central ruled this year’s eight-team Margaret Flott Invitational, using its upper weight strength, three individual titles, and nine top-four medal winners to edge host Kaneland by five points (103.5-98.5) to win the championship crown in Maple Park.

Freeport was third (83.0), Crystal Lake South (65.0) fourth and St. Charles North fifth overall with 58.5 points.

Crystal Lake South’s No. 5 (2A) Nathan Randle, a two-time state qualifier and state runner-up in 2023 while at Wauconda, claimed his fourth major title of the year. Randle also won at Vernon Hills, Rockford East, and Glenbrook South, and his tourney-high three pins and 56 total match points earned him his fourth title at Kaneland.

Host Kaneland has enjoyed a memorable period from 2016 to last year, when it collected nine of its 34 state medals, including a fifth-place finish last season from Kamron Scholl at 120 pounds.

The Lady Knights have a terrific program of their own, led by 2024 state champion Angelina Gochis, who won here a year ago at 106 pounds. Gochis (21-0) is currently the No. 1 rated 110-pounder in the state.

1st place: Plainfield Central (103.5 points)

Wildcats big man Anthony Minnito (215, 24-4) grabbed his first major title of the season, while teammate Antonio Montoya (9-4) earned his at 285 pounds.

Liam Thompson (126), Brody Rangel (132, three pins), Jack Bowen (138), Stanford Moss (165) and Michael Laudadio (175) would provide the extra firepower from their second-place medals, and Nicholas Brier (190) was fourth overall.

2nd place: Kaneland (98.5 points)

The Gochis family would treat the home town fans to a trio of championship victories, the first from the aforementioned Angelina and then from Alex Gochis (28-0) No. 9 in the state at 138 pounds, and Apollo Gochis taking home his title at 175.

Angelina would claim the most single match points on the day with 23, and Alex had a tourney-high three tech-falls.

The Knights’ Jack Gruber (144), Wyatt Yakle (150) and heavyweight Levi Herst were all runners-up, with Camden Skipper (120) and JR Warfel (215) both earning third place medals. Cristian Perez (157) and Hudson Giannini (165) were fourth overall.

3rd place: Freeport (83.0 points)

The Pretzels landed a pair of individual champions on the day from the Olson boys, Thomas (126, 25-9) and Maddox (165, 22-8).

Thomas Olson won a hard fought 1-0 decision in his final while Maddox, a senior, had an easier time as he pinned his way to his 165-pound title. Michael Tillmon (190) and Israel Goodman (215) were runners-up, with teammate Blake Susser fourth at 144.

Others earning championship medals were Aiden Marrello (Crystal Lake South, 144, 27-4), Liam O’Brien (St. Charles North, 150, 20-7), and David Randecker (Woodstock North, 190, 15-7).

Margaret Flott Invitational results:

106 – No matches/results to report

113

1st: Angelina Gochis (Kaneland) 7-0, d. Christopher Talbert (CL South) 26-9,  (TF 3:55 (23-4)

3rd: Joseph Mendez (Bloom Twp) 1-2, d. Skyler Stewart (St. Charles N) 15-11,  (F 4:18)

120

1st: Jayden Mizelle (Plainfield C) 13-3, d. Daniel Krive (Deerfield) 11-5,  (F 1:57)

3rd: Camden Skipper (Kaneland) 6-9, d. Emiliano Castillo (St. Charles N) 6-8,  (F 3:28)

126

1st: Thomas Olson (Freeport) 25-9, d. Liam Thompson (Plainfield C) 14-10,  (D 1-0)

3rd: Anthony Farinella (St. Charles N) 15-14, d. Vaughn Tiria (CL South) 7-10,  (F 2:49)

5th: Spencer Rotter (Deerfield) 6-4, d. Ben Krasnik (Deerfield) 2-11,  (F 1:11)

132

1st: Nathan Randle (CL South) 28-0, d. Brody Rangel (Plainfield C) 16-10,  (F 0:58)

3rd: Keelen Kassenbrock (St. Charles N) 7-14, d. Nathan Levy (Deerfield) 8-8,  (F 0:27)

5th: Brandon Bastida (Bloom Twp)

138

1st: Alex Gochis (Kaneland) 28-0, d. Jack Bowen (Plainfield C) 22-8,  (TF 4:00 (17-0)

3rd: Landon Tellez (St. Charles N) 12-10, d. Devyn Carrillo (CL South) 5-6,  (D 11-10)

5th: Benjamin Weinstein (Deerfield) 14-7, d. Guillermo Ortiz (Freeport) 3-8,  (D 10-7)

144

1st: Aiden Marrello (CL South) 27-4, d. Jack Gruber (Kaneland) 8-7,  (TF 4:42 (17-1)

3rd: Brogan Sons (St. Charles N) 17-13, d. Blake Slusser (Freeport) 23-10,  (TF 4:22 (16-0)

5th: Ariel Oberfeld (Deerfield) 14-9, d. Charlie Jungman (Deerfield) 14-5,  (D 9-2)

150

1st: Liam O`Brien (St. Charles N) 20-7, d. Wyatt Yakle (Kaneland) 4-3,  (MD 9-0)

3rd: Trenton Combs (Woodstock N) 11-14, d. Leo Camasta (CL South) 2-2,  (F 1:13)

5th: Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (Freeport) 23-13, d. Armani Esparza (Plainfield C) 3-7,  (F 1:43)

157

1st: Donavyn Fernandez (Freeport) 25-5, d. Doug Mejdrich (St. Charles N) 16-12,  (MD 10-2)

3rd: Caleb Padilla (Deerfield) 13-8, d. Cristian Perez (Kaneland) 1-2,  (F 0:34)

5th: Emiliano Ramirez (Plainfield C) 9-15, d. Tristan Duhem (Bloom Twp) 0-3,  (F 2:50)

165

1st: Maddox Olson (Freeport) 22-8, d. Stanford Moss  (Plainfield C) 3-5,  (F 2:23)

3rd: Zachary Stinson (CL South) 8-18, d. Hudson Giannini (Kaneland) 4-6,  (SV-1 12-9)

5th: Jackson Chappel (St. Charles N)

175

1st: Apollo Gochis (Kaneland) 16-3, d. Michael Laudadio (Plainfield C) 5-13,  (MD 12-0)

3rd: Jeremy Burnett (Bloom Twp)

190

1st: David RanDker (Woodstock N) 15-7, d. Michael Tillmon (Freeport) 20-15,  (MD 10-1)

3rd: D`Andre Cotton (Bloom Twp) 1-2, d. Nicholas Breier (Plainfield C) 2-11,  (MD 21-11)

215

1st: Anthony Minnito (Plainfield C) 24-4, d. Israel Goodman (Freeport) 27-7,  (MD 15-3)

3rd: JR Warfel (Kaneland) 4-9, d. Jabarie Brown (Bloom Twp) 0-3,  (F 1:26)

285

1st: Antonio Montoya (Plainfield C) 9-4, d. Levi Herst (Kaneland) 4-8,  (F 0:27)

PHILLIPS ELITE TOURNAMENT

Wendell Phillips Academy in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago is the oldest Black high school in the city, opening its doors in 1904 and named after Wendell Phillips, a great humanitarian, educator, abolitionist and orator.

Phillips was a basketball power in the mid-1970’s, winning a state title in 1975, and again last year in class 2A. On Saturday, the school’s wrestling program hosted the Phillips Elite Tournament as it welcomed 25 teams, all but three from Chicago.

When competition ended, it was St. Ignatius College Prep that lifted the championship trophy with 135.0 points, edging Joliet Catholic Academy (127.5) which sent its first team to a tournament at Geneseo, where it finished third behind the host club and Huntley.

Crane was third with 124.0 points, followed by Lindblom (116.0) and Phoenix Military Academy with 110.5.

1st place: St. Ignatius College Prep (135.0 points)

The Wolfpack used a tourney high 22 pins and an individual title from Ashok Chacko at 157, in addition to third place trophies from Chinadue Madu (285) and a fourth place finish from Luke Sanchez at 138 to edge their rivals from Joliet Catholic Academy.

Coach Ben Sanchez will begin to prepare his club for the Chicago Catholic League conference tournament next weekend, hosted by state 2A power Montini Catholic

2nd place: Joliet Catholic Academy (127.5 points)

The Hilltoppers celebrated an Aurelio Munoz (4-0) title at 132 pounds, plus a pair of second place trophies from Jon Higueros (106) and Andrew Staab at 138.

Maddox Stonitsch added a fourth place finish at 144.

3rd place: Chicago Crane (124.0 points)

Chicago Crane would have a tourney-best five top-four medals on the day, the best coming from runners-up Mason Micou (144) and Pernell Taylor (215).

The duo of Tayfun McElwain (157) and Christian Bonner (190) were third overall while teammate Ronell Newburn (150) earned a fourth-place medal.

Others earning championship medals were: Mohammed zia Nadre (106, Sullivan, 19-4), Leo Zapien (113, UIC, 19-3), Kingston Sawyers (120, Chicago Ag-Science, 14-0), Jovanni Harris (126, Little Village, 21-6), Emmanuel Adedeji (138, Thornton, 9-3), Maurice Bush (144, Chicago-Ag Science, 16-1), Ryan Singleton (150, CMA Bronzeville, 16-2), Kendall Taylor (165, CMA Bronzeville, 14-2), Adrian Zepeda (175, Amundsen, 20-1), Samel Marrero (190, Horizon, 20-0), Kaleb Abney (215, Phoenix Military Academy, 4-0), Justin Powell (285, Hyde Park, 17-1).

Phillips Elite tournament results:

106

1st: Mohammed zia Nadre (Sullivan) 19-4, d. Jon Higueros (Joliet Cath) 11-7,  (F 1:43)

3rd: Jeremy Powell (Chicago Ag Science ) 10-2, d. Jonathan Mendoza-Rodriguez (Lindblom) 6-4,  (TF 2:54 (19-3)

5th: Adrian Valadez (Thornton) 11-3, d. Julian Lopez (St Ignatius) 2-2,  (F 0:33)

113

1st: Leo Zapien (UIC) 19-3, .d. Amari Franklin (Hyde Park) 7-1,  (F 4:29)

3rd: Ithan Payne (Lindblom) 5-4, d. Cartiere Jackson (Goode STEM ) 12-5,  (F 1:44)

5th: Marcelo Acosta (Phoenix Military) 3-1, d. Dominic Flores (Joliet Cath) 6-11,  (MD 10-0)

120

1st: Kingston Sawyers (Chicago Ag Science ) 14-0, d. Elijah Torres (Phoenix Military) 3-1,  (D 10-9)

3rd: Benito Chavez (Little Village) 18-8, d. Kevin Zavala (Lindblom) 2-5,  (TF 4:00 (17-0)

5th: Jim Higgins (St Ignatius) 4-1, d. Benjamin Flores (UIC) 13-7, . (F 2:58)

126

1st: Jovanni Harris (Little Village) 21-6, d. Alonte Lorek (Horizon) 15-7, . (F 1:37)

3rd: Mohammed Mohammed-gazal (King) 12-8, d. Julian Collins (UIC) 17-7, . (F 1:19)

5th: Murphy Keegan (Joliet Cath) 14-7, d. Deonce Scott (Phoenix Military) 3-2,  (TF 4:54 (17-2)

132

1st: Aurelio Munoz (Joliet Cath) 4-0, d. Mohamad Khater (Ridgewood) 22-10,  (TF 3:56 (21-4)

3rd: James Hill (Phillips) 16-3, d. Moses Pittman (King) 15-6,  (F 3:23)

5th: David Bahena (Little Village) 12-5, d. Joshua Marrero (Phoenix Military) 3-2,  (F 3:06)

138

1st: Emmanuel Adedeji (Thornton) 9-3, d. Andrew Staab (Joliet Cath) 15-6,  (F 1:44)

3rd: Nakia Smith (Corliss) 4-1, d. Luke Sanchez (St Ignatius) 3-2,  (F 1:09)

5th: Anthony Suarez (Little Village) 18-8, d. Keshaun Colemen (Hyde Park) 9-6,  (F 3:24)

144

1st: Maurice Bush (Chicago Ag Science ) 16-1, d. Mason Micou (Crane) 3-1, . (D 9-3)

3rd: Awwal Ogunsolu (Kelly) 3-1, d. Maddox Stonitsch (Joliet Cath) 10-4,  (TF 5:52 (23-4)

5th: Sergio Ramirez (Lindblom) 12-5, d. Christian Cossia (Thornton) 5-4, . (F 3:26)

150

1st: Ryan Singleton (CMA Bronzeville) 16-2, d. Jacob Jackson (King) 15-5,  (TF 5:55 (18-2)

3rd: Roderick Johnson (Phillips) 14-4, d. Ronell Newburn (Crane) 2-2, . (F 2:46)

5th: Luca Capuano (St Ignatius) 4-1, d. Leonardo Juarez (Kelly) 4-2, . (F 3:50)

157

1st: Ashok Chacko (St Ignatius) 4-0, d. Tayfun Mcelwain (Crane) 3-1, . (F 3:10)

3rd: Andrew Payne (Hope) 21-9, .d. John Tribuzio (Ridgewood) 9-12,  (F 0:29)

5th: Laquaris Moore (Corliss) 4-1, d. Oscar De la cruz (CMA Bronzeville) 9-10,  (D 14-7)

165

1st: Kendall Taylor (CMA Bronzeville) 14-2, d. Oscar Lazaro (Schurz) 20-1,  (F 5:04)

3rd: Erick Arroyo (Lindblom) 7-5, d. Kiran McCarter (Amundsen) 11-7,  (F 2:52)

5th: Quenton Mingo (Thornton) 3-1, N/A.d. Brayan Ruiz (Back of the Yards) 13-7,  (D 15-9)

175

1st: Adrian Zepeda (Amundsen) 20-1, d. Jaiden Santiago (Little Village) 20-6,  (F 0:58)

3rd: Martin Rodriguez (Hope) 7-8, .d. Christopher Russell (Corliss) 2-2, N/A. (DQ)

5th: Marquel Wilson (Chicago Ag Science ) 14-5, d. Adrian Del Villar (Crane) 3-2, . (Inj. 2:00)

190

1st: Samel Marrero (Horizon) 20-0, .d. Tyran Pritchett (Phillips) 12-2,  (F 5:02)

3rd: Christian Bonner (Crane) 3-1, .d. Malik Allen (UIC) 18-6, . (F 2:00)

5th: Erik Martinez (Back of the Yards) 13-3, d. Pharoah McThune (King) 11-4,  (F 3:46)

215

1st: Kaleb Abney (Phoenix Military) 4-0, d. Pernell Taylor (Crane) 3-1, . (F 0:50)

3rd: Vincent Marshall (Thornton) 5-5, d. Seth Turner (UIC) 12-9, . (F 2:36)

5th: Aiden Bishop (Joliet Cath) 3-1, d. Robert Hardwick (Goode STEM ) 7-12,  (F 1:04)

285

1st: Justin Powell (Hyde Park) 17-1, d. Josue Olivo (Lindblom) 8-3,  (F 2:00)

3rd: Chinadue Madu (St Ignatius) 3-1, d. Charles Harris (Sullivan) 19-1,  (M. For.)

5th: Jeremiah Arnold (Corliss) 4-1, N/A.d. Luis Romero-Garmendia (Kelly) 8-8,  (F 1:48)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Marty Williams Invitational

Naperville Central won the team title in a dogfight with Normal Community at this year’s 18-team Marty Williams Invitational, and when the dust settled is was Naperville Central taking home the big prize, outpointing Normal Community 458.5-451.5.

The team from Ft. Zumwalt North, Missouri (356.5) placed third, Rochelle (354) was fourth, and host Mahomet-Seymour (310.5) rounded out the top five team finishes.

Naperville Central coach Noah Fitzenreider got individual titles from Vince Bern (132) and William Erbeck (285), among 10 Redhawks who medaled in the top six of their weight classes.

Mahomet-Seymour’s annual tournament is named for the former coach who guided the program to five state titles in 1983, ’84, ’86, ‘88 and ‘89, IWCOA Hall-of-Famer Marty Williams. Williams was named Class A Coach of the Year four times. As a wrestler, Williams was an Illinois state champion for Yorkville in 1974 and was team captain at the University of Illinois in his senior year.

1st place: Naperville Central (458.5 points)
Bern won an 11-9 sudden victory decision in the finals at 132 against Carsten Burkemper of Ft. Zumwalt North, Missouri, and Erbeck pinned his way through his bracket at 285. Central also got second-place finishes from CJ Bierman (150), Henry Rydwelski (175) and Paul Peradotti (190), a fourth from Nicolas Olvera (165), fifths from Dalton Meluch (106), Jacob Cochran (126) and Justin Skryd (157), and a sixth from Jack Schwartz (113).

Finishing outside the top six but still contributing invaluable team points in the Redhawks’ win were Jake Moore (120), Stavros Gerousis (138), Bradley Anderson (144), and Jayden Davis (215).

2nd place: Normal Community (451.5)
Coach Trevor Kaufman’s Ironmen got individual titles from Jackson Soney (106), Caden Correll (113) and Carter Mayes (157), thirds from Cole Gentsch (126), Brayden Manning (132) and Jaren Frankowiak (175), a fourth from Mason Soney (120), a fifth from Mason Caraway (215), and a sixth from Justin Curtis (285).

Top-ranked Correll (37-0) and Ft. Zumwalt’s Deacon Moran (32-0 at 190) both remained unbeaten on the year.

3rd place: Ft. Zumwalt North, MO (356.5)
Ft. Zumwalt North got individual titles from Patrick Provost (138) and Deacon Moran (190), seconds from Jacob Bals (120) and Carsten Burkemper (132), a fourth from Chaz Mitchell (113), and fifths from Nick Rebstock (144) and Drake Weston (150).

Individual champions:
Other wrestlers winning individual titles at Mahomet-Seymour were Morris’ Brandon Anderson (120), Rochelle’s Xavier Villalobos (126), Grant Gensler (165) and Kaiden Morris (215), Rock Island’s Antonio Parker (144), Metamora’s Grady Neal (150), and Mahomet-Seymour’s Marco Casillas (175).

Closest finals match finishes:
The lone championship match that went to an ultimate tie-break came at 175, when Mahomet-Seymour’s Marco Casillas (37-3) won a 3-2 decision over Naperville Central’s Henry Rydwelski (34-3). In another tight battle, Naperville Central’s Vince Bern (28-5) won an 11-9 sudden victory decision over Ft. Zumwalt’s Carsten Burkemper (23-7) in the title match at 132.

Individual highlights:
Rochelle’s Kaiden Morris finished the tournament with the most pins (5) in the least time (4:15), while Naperville Central’s Henry Rydwelski had the most tech falls (4) in the least time (13:33). Belleville West’s Isaih Bush posted the fast pin at 11 seconds, and Rockford East’s Ty Smart finished with the fastest tech fall, at 44 seconds.

Rochelle’s Morris tied with Normal Community’s Jackson Soney and Carter Mayes for the most team points scored, with 52. Carbondale’s Joe Prideaux and Lincoln’s Cort Pentecost tied for the most single-match points with 27, and Naperville Central’s Vince Bern posted the most total match points with 75. Belleville West’s Xander Goodwin provided the largest seed-place difference as the No. 16 seed placed seventh at 150 pounds.

Team scores:
Naperville Central 458.5, Normal Community 451.5, Ft. Zumwalt North, MO 356.5, Rochelle 354, Mahomet-Seymour 310.5, Rock Island 354, Belleville West 286.5, Morris 274, Rockford East 236.5, St. Laurence 229, Mattoon 217.5, Mt. Zion 215.5, Lincoln 194.5, Champaign Central 171, Carbondale 169, Metamora 154, Normal West 149.5, Centennial 127.5

Marty Williams Invitational results:

106

1st: Jackson Soney (Normal Comm) 33-4, d. Owen Sater (Morris) 22-1,  (M. For.)

3rd: Liam Kissane (St. Laurence) 24-4, d. Wyatt Dahm (Belleville W) 14-10,  (D 12-7)

5th: Dalton Meluch (Naperville C) 24-13, d. Angelo Parker (Rock Island) 18-9,  (F 2:20)

113

1st: Caden Correll (Normal Comm) 37-0, d. Dylan McGrew (Normal W) 30-6,  (TF 1:55 (21-6)

3rd: Paxton Valentine (Morris) 28-5, d. Chaz Mitchell (Ft. Zumwalt N) 22-9,  (For.)

5th: Gideon Hayter (M-Seymour) 23-14, d. Jack Schwartz (Naperville C) 22-13,  (M. For.)

120

1st: Brandon Anderson (Morris) 23-3, d. Jacob Bals (Ft. Zumwalt N) 25-9,  (D 6-2)

3rd: Merrick Stockwell (Rock Island) 14-6, d. Mason Soney (Normal Comm) 24-9,  (D 6-2)

5th: Aidan Lopez (Rochelle) 28-10, d. Vincent Gibson (Mattoon) 25-9,  (F 4:38)

126

1st: Xavier Villalobos (Rochelle) 32-5, d. Brock Claypool (Morris) 28-3,  (MD 16-5)

3rd: Cole Gentsch (Normal Comm) 36-4, d. Talin Baker (Champaign Central) 23-3,  (M. For.)

5th: Jacob Cochran (Naperville C) 32-9, d. Tristan Porter (Mattoon) 29-5,  (D 11-4)

132

1st: Vince Bern (Naperville C) 28-5, d. Carsten Burkemper (Ft. Zumwalt N) 23-7,  (SV-1 11-9)

3rd: Brayden Manning (Normal Comm) 33-7, d. Abram Rader (Normal W) 22-16,  (D 10-7)

5th: Cameron Terronez (Rockford E) 19-4, d. Elijah Venegas (Rock Island) 11-9,  (D 13-8)

138

1st: Patrick Provost (Ft. Zumwalt N) 27-6, d. Ronald Baker III (Champaign Central) 27-1,  (F 4:40)

3rd: Nehemie Mbangi (Centennial) 25-6, d. Donald Cannon (Rockford E) 19-3,  (M. For.)

5th: Justus Vrona (M-Seymour) 28-12, d. Mason Wood (Normal W) 18-11,  (TF 4:00 (16-0)

144

1st: Antonio Parker (Rock Island) 25-3, d. Ben Capitosti (Mattoon) 30-4,  (MD 12-3)

3rd: Carter Skoff (Morris) 30-2, d. Connor Graham (Metamora) 28-6,  (TF 2:30 (19-3)

5th: Nick Rebstock (Ft. Zumwalt N) 22-12, d. Joe Prideaux (Carbondale) 21-12,  (M. For.)

150

1st: Grady Neal (Metamora) 28-3, d. CJ Bierman (Naperville C) 23-9,  (D 5-2)

3rd: Talon Dker (M-Seymour) 26-12, d. Jon Martin (Carbondale) 20-9,  (D 6-4)

5th: Drake Weston (Ft. Zumwalt N) 26-7, d. Cam Bell (Lincoln) 27-9,  (SV-1 11-8)

157

1st: Carter Mayes (Normal Comm) 33-5, d. Cole Aguirre (Ft. Zumwalt N) 29-4,  (F 2:48)

3rd: Ty Smart (Rockford E) 23-8, d. Brenden Voight (Rochelle) 27-8,  (TF 1:34 (19-4)

5th: Justin Skryd (Naperville C) 13-8, d. Riley Dalluge (Mt. Zion) 21-15,  (TF 2:39 (18-3)

165

1st: Grant Gensler (Rochelle) 37-3, d. Alexander (AJ) Demos (M-Seymour) 25-10,  (MD 9-0)

3rd: Thomas Imboden (Carbondale) 24-9, d. Nicolas Olvera (Naperville C) 25-11,  (MD 9-0)

5th: Jack Claussen (St. Laurence) 20-8, d. Ean Freeman (Mattoon) 21-13,  (D 11-5)

175

1st: Marco Casillas (M-Seymour) 37-3, d. Henry Rydwelski (Naperville C) 34-3,  (UTB 3-2)

3rd:Jaren Frankowiak (Normal Comm) 32-8, d. Carson Thornton (Mt. Zion) 22-4,  (TF 4:18 (19-2)

5th: Malachi Cannon (Rockford E) 20-6, d. Macies Zalinski (St. Laurence) 16-8,  (D 12-5)

190

1st: Deacon Moran (Ft. Zumwalt N) 32-0, d. Paul Peradotti (Naperville C) 28-4,  (TF 4:04 (15-0)

3rd: Brock VanDeveer (M-Seymour) 23-7, d. Roman Villalobos (Rochelle) 30-8,  (SV-1 4-1)

5th: Ethan Hofmeister (Belleville W) 14-3, d. Sergio Baity (Centennial) 20-6,  (TF 2:21 (22-3)

215

1st: Kaiden Morris (Rochelle) 38-1, d. Justin Riley (Belleville W) 20-8,  (F 0:33)

3rd: Mitchell Clapp (Mattoon) 23-7, d. Keller Stocks (Mt. Zion) 30-4,  (D 10-7)

5th: Mason Caraway (Normal Comm) 30-10, d. Xavier Bitner (St. Laurence) 14-5,  (D 4-0)

285 

1st: William Erbeck (Naperville C) 30-1, d. Shamontae Matthews (Belleville W) 16-6,  (F 3:07)

3rd: Jayvon Tompkins (M-Seymour) 3-2, d. Phil Daniels (M-Seymour) 18-13,  (TB-1 5-2)

5th: Austin Crull (M-Seymour) 10-9, d. Justin Curtis (Normal Comm) 14-13,  (F 5:51)

Illini Prairie Conference Duals

Illinois Valley Central hosted this year’s 8-team Illinis Prairie Conference Duals and when all was said and done, Unity had its sixth IPC title under wraps.

Coach Logan Patton’s 4th-ranked Rockets swept the field in the two-day event, winning seven duals in dominant fashion in Chillicothe.

“Wrestling-wise on Friday we were lights out,” Patton said. “Saturday we came out a little slow and Pontiac wrestled us tough, but then we got on a roll.”

The Rockets’ smallest victory margin in seven duals was 26 team points.

In order, Unity topped Saint Thomas More (69-0), Rantoul (69-6), Prairie Central (65-18), Pontiac (54-28),  Illinois Valley Central (69-12), St. Joseph-Ogden (50-17) and Monticello (61-18).

Monticello went 6-1 in placing second, followed by SJ-Ogden (5-2), Illinois Valley Central (4-3), and Pontiac (3-4), Rantoul (2-5), Prairie Central (1-6), and Saint Thomas More (0-7).

The closest duals of the tournament came when Monticello won 41-40 over SJ-Ogden, and Illinois Valley Central won 40-36 over Rantoul.

Unbeaten wrestlers by weight (5 matches minimum):
106 – Ben Wells, SJ-Ogden

113 – Jackson Walsh, SJ-Ogden
120 – Bryce Martin, Unity
126 – Noah Davis, Pontiac
132 – John Traub, Prairie Central
138 – Taylor Finley, Unity
144 – Kaden Inman, Unity

150 – Holden Brazelton, Unity
157 – Lucas Maier, Pontiac; Keegan Germano, Unity
165 – Abram Davidson, Unity
170 – Ryan Rink, Unity
190 – Hunter Eastin, Unity
215 – Chason Daly, Unity
285 – Cam Wagner, SJ-Ogden

University High School Invitational

Richwoods ran away with the team title in Normal at this year’s 17-team University Invitational, winning 250-165 over second-place Rochester, followed by host University (151), Normal Community JV (137.5) and Danville (102.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

Coach Rod Boyer got individual titles from Rikyis Doss (144), Phoenix Wombacher (165), Gabe Martinez (175) and Shaun Anderson (285) among 12 wrestlers who placed in the top six of their weight classes for the Knights.

1st place: Richwoods (250 points)

In addition its four individual champions, Richwoods got a second-place finish from Colton Boyer (132), thirds from Wensley Rahn (106), Gabe Robb (138), Alex Martinez (157) and Austin Webb (215), and a sixth from Benjamin Owen (113). Christopher Harris also contributed team points for the Knights.

2nd place: Rochester (165)

Rochester coach Brad Alewelt’s Rockets had four individual champions in Pierce Bultmann (106), Conner Carroll (113), Miles Carroll (120), and Drake Pfeiffer (150), plus second-place finishes from Nic Mrozowski (138) and James Escobar (157), and a fifth from Connor Broughton (215). Also contributing team points for the Rockets were Joey Durham (190) and Colton Maltby (285).

3rd place: University (151)
The Pioneers and coach Caleb Phillips got an individual title from Ruben Rivera (126), a second from Hayden Washum (144), thirds from Joshua Butler (120) and Joshua Caraballo (150), fourths from Noah Beard (132) and Charlie Karun (190), and a sixth from Truitt Meredith (165). Also contributing team points were Mahashvin Vinothasha (138), Cyrus Fisher (138) and Mike Bennett (285).

Individual champions:
Other wrestlers winning individual titles in Normal were Urbana’s Emiliano Bedolla (132), St. Ignatius’ Colton Huff (138), Danville’s Josiah Williams (157), and East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin (215).

Close finals matches:
The title match at 132 was a grinder, with Urbana’s Emiliano Bedolla (30-4) winning a 2-1 decision over Richwoods’ Colton Boyer (21-5), and the finals at 190 saw Normal Community JV’s Daniel Bourbulas win a 4-2 decision against Limestone’s Eithan Dixon.

Individual highlights:
AJ Wyrick of Normal Community’s JV team finished the tournament with the most pins (4) in the least time (3:15), and Richwoods’ Rikyis Doss had the most tech falls (2) in the least time (4:49). Dunlap’s Devon Swope and Richwoods’ Gabe Robb tied for the fastest pin recorded at 12 seconds, and Wyrick had the fastest tech fall at 1:21.

Three wrestlers tied for the most team points scored at 28, in East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin, Richwoods’ Phoenix Wombacher, and Richwoods’ Shaun Anderson. Wyrick and University’s Ruben Rivera tied for the most single match points at 22, Rivera had the most total match points at 58, and Limestone’s Connor Petrakis provided the largest seed-place difference when the No. 14 seed placed 5th at 138.

Team scores:
Richwoods 250, Rochester 165, Normal University 151, Normal Community 137.5, Danville 102.5, St. Ignatius 101, East Alton-Wood River 100.5, Effingham 82, Limestone 81, Crete-Monee 81, Heyworth 73, Urbana 64, Dunlap 57.5, Williamsville 49, Lanphier 42.5, Charleston 31, Riverton 19.5

University Invitational results:
106

1st: Pierce Bultmann (Rochester) 24-2, d. Bryce Kuhlman (Normal Comm JV) 10-3,  (MD 16-3)

3rd: Wensley Rahn (Richwoods) 20-3, d. Carlos Juarez (Danville) 19-7,  (F 1:40)

5th: Brendan Stewart (Effingham) 22-11, d. Aiden Roop (C.-Monee) 5-5,  (F 0:38)

113
1st: Conner Carroll (Rochester) 6-0, d. Emmett Roeder (Heyworth) 22-17,  (MD 10-1)

3rd: Cole Dulumback (Effingham) 18-11, d. Kaiden Capranica (Limestone) 18-14,  (F 0:32)

5th: Diego Batista (Normal Comm JV) 2-2, d. Benjamin Owen (Richwoods) 8-14,  (F 1:31)

120

1st: Miles Carroll (Rochester) 23-2, d. Juvontae Williams (Danville) 13-5,  (TF 3:43 (18-3)

3rd: Joshua Butler (University) 20-7, d. Nathan Ortiz (Richwoods) 16-9,  (Inj. 3:39)

5th: Trotter Titus (Charleston) 14-7, d. Carson Yokel (Normal Comm JV) 1-3,  (F 5:13)

126
1st: Ruben Rivera (University) 27-4, d. Harrison Lott (Riverton) 13-4,  (F 5:36)

3rd: Colin McCann (St. Ignatius) 3-1, d. Tyler Wieland (Richwoods) 11-5,  (F 2:32)

5th: Ethan Flanigan (Limestone) 7-8, d. Jordan Kirkpatrick (C.-Monee) 4-15,  (F 4:37)

132

1st: Emiliano Bedolla (Urbana) 30-4, d. Colton Boyer (Richwoods) 21-5,  (D 2-1)

3rd: Aj Wyrick (Normal Comm JV) 8-1, d. Noah Beard (University) 14-19,  (F 0:21)

5th: Jamal Burgess (East Alton-W.R.) 13-6, d. GUS SCHAFF (St. Ignatius) 1-3,  (TF 3:20 (18-0)

138

1st: Colton Huff (St. Ignatius) 4-0, d. Nic Mrozowski (Rochester) 18-8,  (MD 17-5)

3rd: Gabe Robb (Richwoods) 19-5, d. Zane Bartz (East Alton-W.R.) 14-10,  (F 0:26)

5th: Connor Petrakis (Limestone) 14-14, d. Elijah Bernardi (Normal Comm JV) 6-4,  (M. For.)

144

1st: Rikyis Doss (Richwoods) 21-3, d. Hayden Washum (University) 20-8,  (F 3:13)

3rd: Tyler Adams (East Alton-W.R.) 13-11, d. Austin Chiesi (Normal Comm JV) 14-14,  (F 1:42)

5th: Devon Swope (Dunlap) 8-11, d. Jacob Kuhn (Charleston) 8-11,  (D 9-5)

150

1st: Drake Pfeiffer (Rochester) 15-3, d. Matthew Miller (Williamsville) 17-4,  (D 11-5)

3rd: Joshua Caraballo (University) 26-9, d. Logan Stout (Heyworth) 22-20,  (F 1:51)

5th: Baker Moon (Effingham) 19-8, d. SEBASTIAN CUADROS (St. Ignatius) 3-3,  (MFFL)

157

1st: Josiah Williams (Danville) 21-0, d. James Escobar (Rochester) 21-6,  (D 13-6)

3rd: Alex Martinez (Richwoods) 11-2, d. Yanai Taylor (Urbana) 20-19,  (TF 5:52 (21-5)

5th: Carter Brooks (Heyworth) 15-12, d. Isaac Jin (Dunlap) 6-9,  (MFFL)

165

1st: Phoenix Wombacher (Richwoods) 19-8, d. Tristian Stamp (Heyworth) 27-13,  (F 2:37)

3rd: Dylan Lee (Danville) 3-1, d. Brady Carroll (Normal Comm JV) 12-10,  (D 8-3)

5th: John Feldman (Dunlap) 8-3, d. Truitt Meredith (University) 10-11,  (DFF)

175

1st: Gabe Martinez (Richwoods) 21-0, d. Jaylen Crowder (Lanphier) 13-3,  (F 5:09)

3rd:Jonnah Fonner (Urbana) 26-9, d. CHARLIE HOWELL (St. Ignatius) 4-2,  (F 1:16)

5th: Kijuan C.-Monee) 14-13, d. Tristan Charbonnel (Dunlap) 4-7,  (F 2:19)

190

1st: Daniel Bourbulas (Normal Comm JV) 16-8, d. Ethan Dixon (Limestone) 28-5,  (D 4-2)

3rd: Tavares Upshaw Jr (Danville) 20-2, d. Charlie Karun (University) 24-13,  (D 7-2)

5th: Melson Ngassa (St. Ignatius) 18-7, d. Sam Shaw (Williamsville) 18-9,  (F 0:45)

215

1st: Drake Champlin (East Alton-W.R.) 23-1, d. Malakai Scott (C.-Monee) 15-7,  (F 1:20)

3rd: Austin Webb (Richwoods) 6-5, d. Bruce Ryder (Limestone) 20-17,  (D 5-4)

5th: Connor Broughton (Rochester) 13-10, d. Anthony Beckman (Williamsville) 14-10,  (F 1:32)

285

1st: Shaun Anderson (Richwoods) 16-6, d. Dominic Jackson (C.-Monee) 15-7,  (F 0:56)

3rd: Jeremiah Lorton (Effingham) 22-6, d. Derek Lawson (Lanphier) 12-7,  (D 8-3)

5th: Michael Soto (East Alton-W.R.) 16-8, d. Adrian Ramirez (Normal Comm JV) 2-3,  (F 3:10)

Carmi-White County Varsity Invitational

Vandalia brought nine wrestlers to Saturday’s Carmi-White County invitational and won the 21-team tournament, getting three individual titles and three third-place medals in out-pointing second-place Lawrence County, 141.5-137.5.

And the Vandals – ranked No. 1 in Class A – won the tournament with a makeshift JV lineup.

“It wasn’t our varsity but we had some pretty experienced wrestlers in the tournament,” Vandalia coach Jason Clay said. “It was a great challenge for some of our non-starters that are varsity level competitors. And we’re proud of the undefeated final round that took us from third to first place. “

Salem (131) placed third, followed by Carterville (114.5) and Frankfort (111.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

1st place: Vandalia JV (141.5)
The Vandals got individual titles from Eli Mabry (132), Zayne Zinkgraf (144) and Noah Langston (175), and thirds from Robby McCoy (120), Corbin Meyers (157) and Parker Ray (165). Also chipping in pivotal team points in a close race for the title were Decon Moore (138), Brody Shellabarger (150) and Gabe Torres (215).

2nd place: Lawrence County (137.5)
Lawrence County got an individual title from Dylan Camden (285), three runners-up finishes from Kyler Guercio (106), Drew Seitzinger (120) and Hudson Meek (144), a third from Dylan Aten (138), and fourths from Delaney Ledbetter (113) and Daniel Kiser (157).

3rd place: Salem (131)

The Wildcats’ Rylan Moore (120) and Keyton King (150) won individual titles for Salem, which also got a second-place finish from Caleb Osborne (126), and a third from Kade Orrell (144).

Individual champions:
Other wrestlers winning individual titles were Frankfort’s Hudson Anderton (106), Carterville’s Ramiro Sebastian (113), Goreville’s Matt Crim (126), Harrisburg’s Rocko Neal (138), Robinson’s Ben Mullins (157) and Kahne Hyre (165), Frankfort’s Conner Henson (190) and Freeburg’s Dane Olmstead (215).

Close championship matches:
Frankfort’s Hudson Anderton and Lawrenceville’s Kyler Guercio got into a barnburner at 106, with Anderton ultimately winning a 15-14 decision for the title. Not to be outdone, Vandalia JV’s Zayne Zinkgraf won a 12-11 decision over Lawrenceville’s Hudson Meek to win the title at 144.

Individual highlights:
Harrisburg’s Braxton Welge posted the most pins (4) in the least time (4:17) of any wrestler in the tournament, and Vandalia JV’s Corbin Meyers finished with the most tech falls (3) in the least time (14:51). Robinson’s Drew Bledsoe posted the fastest fall at 16 seconds, and Herrin’s Brennan Jeralds had the fastest tech fall at 1:17.

Harrisburg’s Rocko Neal scored the most team points with 28, Breese Central’s Matthew Walsh scored the most single-match points with 23, and Johnston City’s Randy Fuqua scored the most total match points with 66.

Vandalia JV’s Noah Langston provided the largest seed-place difference, and the No. 11 seed placed first at 175 pounds.

Team scores:
Vandalia JV 141.5, Lawrence County 137.5, Salem 131, Carterville 114.5, Frankfort 111.5, Harrisburg 110, Johnston City 94.5, Fairfield 84, Robinson 83.5, Freeburg 83, Herrin 70, Centralia 59, Red Bud/Valmeyer 56, Carmi-White County 49, Trico/Alvarado 48.5, Breese Central 44, Goreville/Dongola/Vienna 34, Oblong 30.5, Pinckneyville 27.5, Metro-East Lutheran 14, Richland County 12.5

Carmi-White County results:

106

1st: Hudson Anderton (Frankfort) 33-4, d. Kyler Guercio (Lawrenceville) 20-5,  (D 15-14)

3rd: Isaac Wood (Carterville) 29-9, d. Gracen Elliott (Robinson) 22-8,  (F 2:45)

113

1st: Ramiro Sebastian (Carterville) 21-7, d. Brennan Jeralds (Herrin) 12-15,  (TB-1 6-5)

3rd: Anthony Granfeldt (Fairfield) 15-8, d. Delaney Ledbetter (Lawrenceville) 19-7,  (TF-1.5 2:42 (16-0)

120

1st: Rylan Moore (Salem) 29-6, d. Drew Seitzinger (Lawrenceville) 20-8,  (F 4:30)

3rd: Robby McCoy (Vandalia JV) 9-2, d. Brawnsen Bloodworth (Carterville) 22-11,  (D 10-7)

126

1st: Matt Crim (Goreville) 22-13, d. Caleb Osborne (Salem) 22-11,  (F 3:31)

3rd: Gabe Eldridge (Herrin) 21-5, d. Lucas Ashlock (Centralia) 13-12,  (D 8-5)

132

1st: Eli Mabry (Vandalia JV) 18-2, d. Lukas Quartz (Freeburg) 16-6,  (D 15-9)

3rd: Cameron Haake (Centralia) 9-7, d. Gabe Lively (Johnston City) 16-11,  (F 2:00)

138

1st: Rocko Neal (Harrisburg) 16-11, d. Jace Weaver (Johnston City) 20-8,  (F 3:06)

3rd: Dylan Aten (Lawrenceville) 15-3, d. Gavin Slack (Carterville) 23-14,  (TF-1.5 2:20 (17-1)

144

1st: Zayne Zinkgraf (Vandalia JV) 4-1, d. Hudson Meek (Lawrenceville) 24-7,  (D 12-11)

3rd: Kade Orrell (Salem) 29-7, d. Benjamin Harris (Johnston City) 19-11,  (MD 10-2)

150

1st: Keyton King (Salem) 37-2, d. LUCAS PARKER (Frankfort) 22-11,  (F 1:31)

3rd: Brock Felty (Harrisburg) 18-13, d. Max Wolter (Red Bud) 21-9,  (TF-1.5 2:51 (18-0)

157
1st: Ben Mullins (Robinson) 23-3, d. Matthew Walsh (Breese (Central) 21-5,  (MD 11-1)

3rd: Corbin Meyers (Vandalia JV) 7-2, d. Daniel Kiser (Lawrenceville) 23-12,  (TF-1.5 4:00 (19-2)

165

1st: Kahne Hyre (Robinson) 24-5, d. Kolby Coffey (Herrin) 21-6,  (D 9-6)

3rd: Parker Ray (Vandalia JV) 23-6, d. Trevor Fath (Pinckneyville) 21-11,  (TF-1.5 5:14 (17-1)

175

1st: Noah Langston (Vandalia JV) 12-3, d. Colin Hughey (Trico) 22-4,  (F 2:00)

3rd: Clayton Dent (Frankfort) 30-7, d. Randy Fuqua (Johnston City) 12-7,  (F 4:34)

190

1st: Conner Henson (Frankfort) 39-0, d. Danny Jackson (Red Bud) 29-3,  (TF-1.5 3:12 (20-4)

3rd: Brendan Hicks (Harrisburg) 17-6, d. Johnny Ramaker (Trico) 19-6,  (MD 12-4)

215

1st: Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) 20-3, d. Keegan Bare (Fairfield) 7-2,  (MD 18-7)

3rd: Braxton Welge (Harrisburg) 22-5, d. Carl Watkins (Carterville) 23-13,  (F 1:15)

285

1st: Dylan Camden (Lawrenceville) 21-7, d. Bentley Rogers (Fairfield) 20-6,  (D 7-2)

3rd: Jack Amann (Freeburg) 17-7, d. Jeremiah Bouchard (Carterville) 22-14,  (TF-1.5 4:35 (20-2)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

One week after winning the team title at Geneva’s 18-team Newbill Invitational, West Aurora was at it again, claiming its second team crown of the season at Saturday’s 16-team Larkin Invitational.

The Blackhawks opened the season by placing second at Antioch’s 24-team Ted DeRousse tournament, and they placed fifth at Hinsdale Central’s 24-team Whitlatch invite. Asked about the key to success for this year’s team, West Aurora junior Dayne Serio had a simple explanation:

“I’d just say we have a lot of grit,” Serio said. “At pretty much all our weight classes, nobody ever gives up, and that comes in the practice room. We have morning practice at 5:30 so the kids that show up, that’s how you know they really want it.”

West Aurora coach Andrew Plata only has three seniors in his lineup, so the future clearly looks bright for the Blackhawks. And Plata agrees that grit is a chief ingredient fueling his program.

“It’s a reflection of the community,” Plata said. “The community helps to kind of raise these guys so it comes from the community and their families. And then it’s just about their ability to believe in it. We (coaches) just kind of encourage them a little bit more and show them that wrestling with grit works, and that getting after it pays off.

“They’re great kids, and they’ve worked hard throughout the entire year.”

West Aurora sent 10 wrestlers to the finals and won six individual titles at Larkin, out-pointing second-place Wheaton North 300-280. Buffalo Grove (151) placed third, followed by Burlington Central (144) and Leyden (97) to round out the top five team finishes.

And West Aurora won its Larkin title without the services of senior Dom Serio (150), who placed fourth in 3A last year. Serio is on the mend and expected back to the Blackhawks’ lineup soon.

West Aurora got titles from Aidan Ambre (106), Peter Kabene (126), Michael Huicochea (138), Evan Matkovich (144), Dayne Serio (165) and Manny Chavez (175). Plata also got seconds from Jeremiah Haynes (113), Marcus Quintana (150), Fernando Anaya (215) and Alfonso Aguilar (285), thirds from Joseph Huicochea (120), Jack Platt (132) and Malan Hatfield (157). Jake Jennings (190) also contributed team points.

The Blackhawks are currently ranked 14th in Class 3A.

“We’ve been putting a lot of hard work in the room and our coaches have been pushing us,” junior Evan Matkovich said. “Conditioning is one of the big things we do, along with off-season training. And we’ve done a lot of off-season stuff too.”

Wheaton North had three individual champions in Ryan Rosch (150), Thomas Fulton (157), and Milo Saenz (190), plus three runners-up for coach Tim Walker, who saw all 14 of his wrestlers place in the top six of their weight classes as the Falcons nearly chased down West Aurora in the final team standings.

“Saturday was an absolute battle,” Walker said. “Our boys showed incredible heart, resilience, and a never-quit attitude—it was inspiring to see them leave it all on the mat.

“This season has been about growth, grit, and coming together as a team, and Saturday was a perfect example of that. Huge credit to West Aurora for making it a thrilling contest. We’re proud of our guys and excited for what’s still ahead.”

Buffalo Grove’s third-place finish featured two champions in Sasha Havrylkiv (113) and Mykolaiv Shamray (120), and eight total top-five medal winners from the group of 10 wrestlers entered in the tournament.

“I’m very proud of today’s efforts,” Buffalo Grove coach George Beres said. “Things are starting to click for a lot of our lineup at the perfect time as we head into the postseason.

“Sasha and Mykola continued to dominate their opponents to their fourth championship this season for each of them. And a big congratulations to Tony Klikas (150). He’s 18-7 on the season and he defeated his first ranked-opponent in his third-place match.”

Larkin Invitational champions:

106 – Aidan Ambre, West Aurora
The first of the Blackhawks’ six individual champions on the day was Aidan Ambre, who won by fall in the finals against Buffalo Grove’s Stone McKone. In a West Aurora lineup on Saturday of only two seniors plus five juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen, the freshman Ambre shined in improving to 17-5 on the year.

“Aidan gets after it and he has a good mentality, no matter what,” West Aurora coach Andrew Plata said.

Top-seeded Ambre opened with a tech fall and then won by fall in his semifinal bout against Maine East’s Duncan Tenezaca (19-11). Second-seeded McKone (15-6) used a tech fall and then a 12-2 major in his semifinal against Wheaton North’s Dylan Le (19-10) to reach the finals.

Ambre led 6-1 after a period and he was up 10-1 in the second period before winning by fall at 2:14.

Le placed third, Tenezaca was fourth, East Aurora’s Christian Sebastian (14-9) took fifth and Elmwood Park’s Oscar Ruiz-Villa (9-8) placed sixth.

113 – Sasha Havrylkiv, Buffalo Grove
Ranked 7th in Illinois in Class 3A, Buffalo Grove freshman Sasha Havrylkiv (22-1) might well be one of those freshmen on a path to making a big name for himself once the state tournament arrives.

Which would surprise absolutely no one in the Buffalo Grove program.

“Sasha is a phenomenal wrestler and he continues to dominate matches,” Bison coach George Beres said. “He has a mentality to attack in every situation and score. He is still learning folkstyle wrestling and only has about 35 matches under his belt in folkstyle, so we’re excited to see him continue to develop this year and over the next three seasons.”

Havrylkiv won his fourth tournament title of the year Saturday, when he posted a tech fall on the title mat against West Aurora’s Jeremiah Haynes (16-11). Top-seeded Havrylkiv posted a pair of falls to reach the title match.

Burlington Central’s Eduardo Vences (20-11) took third at 113, Wheaton North’s Daniel Hyde (19-8) was fourth, Maine East’s Jairo Kish (14-15) placed fifth and Thornton-Fractional North’s Edwin Gomez (11-13) placed sixth.

120 – Mykola Shamray, Buffalo Grove

Buffalo Grove freshman Mykola Shamray (28-4) may not be ranked in the top 20 at 120 in Class 3A, but that’s just fuel for the fire.

“Mykola came into today’s tournament with a relentless mindset,” Bison coach George Beres said. “He wanted to make sure after today people knew who he was.”

Second-seeded Shamray topped a pair of wrestlers ranked in the top 20 at Larkin; first he won a 9-3 decision in his semifinal match against West Aurora’s Joseph Huicochea (22-14) and then won 6-0 in the finals over Wheaton North’s top-seeded Rocco Macellaio (25-8).

Two of Shamray’s four losses came while wrestling up at 126. His coach sees big things in the near future for the freshman.

“We’re very proud of Mykola and his progress so far this season,” Beres said. “We’re looking forward to seeing what he does over the next few weeks in the postseason.”

Huicochea wrestled back to place third, Leyden’s Alexander Rodriguez was fourth, Niles West’s fayyaz Munshi took fifth, and Larkin’s Uriel Nunez finished sixth.

126 – Peter Kabene, West Aurora
A week after placing third at Geneva’s Newbill Invitational, West Aurora sophomore Peter Kabene (19-14) found himself seeded third at Larkin at 126 pounds. By the end of the day, Kabene stood on the highest step of the awards podium.

“Peter is another one of our younger guys and he’s still learning, but he learns something every single time out,” coach Andrew Plata said.

On Saturday, Kabene learned how to win a close match with an opponent coming after him. Kabene led 6-2 in the second period of his title match against Wheaton North’s top-seeded Caden Cahill (19-8) when Cahill cut his deficit to 6-5 with a takedown. Kabene escaped to start the third period for a 7-5 lead and then held Cahill off to the victory.

Kabene reached the finals with a semifinal pin at 49 seconds over Thornton-Fractional North’s second-seeded Tamilore Ogundeyi (11-8), while Cahill won a semifinal tech fall over Larkin’s Salvador Garcia (11-7).

Maine East’s John Moor (12-12) finished third at 126, Garcia took fourth, Ogundeyi was fifth, and Burlington Central’s David Wyruchowski placed sixth.

132 – Austin Lee, Burlington Central

The adrenaline kicks in for a wrestler when he’s trailing in a match and time is running out.

“My coaches were shouting ‘short time, short time,’ so I knew I had to push it, and fake, and create angles to get that takedown,” Burlington Central senior Austin Lee said.

Second-seeded Lee (24-7) trailed Maine East’s top-seeded Dulguun Nywamdavaa (22-9) 4-3, late in the third period of their title match Saturday, when he made his move.

“I knew he was going to be backing up and playing cautious, but I was able to create an angle for me to shoot, and I got him on the edge,” said Lee, whose takedown in the waning seconds of the match earned him a 6-4 decision win for the title at 132 pounds.

“It was a good hard match and you need something like that to help get you ready for the state series that’s coming up,” Lee said. “Everything’s flowing together, everything is moving in the right direction, and I can’t wait for regionals. I’m a senior so now every match can be my last match so I just have to go out there and give it all I’ve got.”

West Aurora’s Jack Platt (26-15) placed third at 132, T-F North’s Deshawn Jones (12-9) took fourth, Wheaton North’s Elliot Conway (9-8) was fifth and Larkin’s Nicholas Castillo (13-11) finished sixth.

138 – Michael Huicochea, West Aurora

As a ninth-seeded freshman in a field of nine wrestlers in the bracket at 138, West Aurora’s Michael Huicochea didn’t flinch. Instead, inserted into coach Andrew Plata’s varsity lineup for the first time, Huicochea thrived.

“Michael is a freshman and he’s always hanging around, waiting for an opportunity,” Plata said. “That opportunity popped up today with some weight changes. Evan (Matkovich) and Marcus (Quintana) bumped up, we slid Michael in at 138, and he took advantage of it.”

Huicochea (4-0) pinned top-seeded Grant Rabanus (9-5) of St. Francis in their quarterfinal 

match, then won a 12-1 major decision in his semifinal against fourth-seeded Michael Hammond (11-10) of Larkin.

A pin on the title mat against Leyden’s second-seeded Michael Miranda gave Huicochea the first varsity tournament title of his career.

Miranda (5-2) opened his tournament with a win by fall and then a 7-4 sudden victory decision in his semifinal match against Wheaton North’s Jacob Veltri (21-8).

Veltri wrestled back to place third, Hammond was fourth, East Aurora’s Joshue Delgado was 

fifth and Burlington Central’s Barry Yildirim finished sixth.

144 – Evan Matkovich, West Aurora
With starting state medal winner Dom Serio absent from West Aurora’s lineup Saturday, junior Evan Matkovich and sophomore Marcus Quintana agreed to bump up in weight for the sake of the team.

And there’s always an added bonus to bumping up in weight: “I get to eat a little more,” Matkovich said.

Matkovich slowly and methodically took care of business in the finals at 144, winning West Aurora’s fourth individual title of the day and improving to 33-5 in the process. Top-seeded Matkovich led 3-0 after a period in his final against Harvest Christian’s Max Mulhearn (26-6), then got busy the rest of the way to a 17-1 tech fall win. Matkovich is ranked in the top 20 at 138 in Illinois in Class 3A; Mulhearn is ranked in the top 25 at 138 in 1A.

Matkovich posted two tech falls and a major decision on the day wrestling at 144. He may continue to wrestle up a weight until Serio returns to the lineup.

“I have to be more tactical because I really can’t be as physical,” Matkovich said about wrestling larger opponents. “That will only take you so far against guys that are a little bigger than you are. Just don’t make a mistake, keep your position, and keep working your technique.

“It’s a little harder on top because guys are a lot stronger, but I’ve been working my rides and tilts and stuff, and using my leverage has worked a lot for me.”

Larkin’s Damari Miller (21-8) placed third, Wheaton North’s Andrew Langas (14-6) took fourth, St. Francis’ Paul Coco (15-9) was fifth and Niles West’s Qaisar Sadat (22-11) took sixth.

150 – Ryan Rosch, Wheaton North
Trailing 9-2 to start the third period of his title match against West Aurora’s Marcus Quintana, Wheaton North’s Ryan Rosch had his work cut out for him.

“I just knew I had to keep wrestling,” Rosch said. “And I had to keep calm because you have to keep calm throughout all your matches. Otherwise you’ll get sloppy.”

Rosch (20-5) escaped to start the third period, then pushed the pace against Quintana (33-4) throughout the third period to earn the takedowns he needed to knot the score at 10-10. A final Rosch takedown gave him his first lead of the match at 13-10, and he kept the door shut from there for the win.

“I just saw what I needed to do,” Rosch said. “I practice hard and I knew my cardio was way better, so if I just keep banging and working my set ups, things will open up eventually. And I know mentally I can really push myself.”

Quintana is ranked No. 7 at 144 in 3A, and he bumped up to 150 to help his team on Saturday. Rosch is ranked in the top 25 in 3A at 150.

Third-seeded Rosch opened with a fall and then won by tech fall in his semifinal match against Niles North’s second-seeded Oliver Quiros (25-6). Top-seeded Quintana won a 13-3 major decision in his semifinal against Buffalo Grove’s fourth-seeded Tony Klikas (18-7).

With the state tournament looming, Rosch is ready to put last year’s experience behind him.

“I got pretty sick last year at sectionals and I weighed in about 9 pounds under and I didn’t make it out of sectionals,” Rosch said. “It was a real bummer but this year I’m ready to go — I’m healthy, getting good sleep, taking vitamins, and eating good when I can.”

Klikas wrestled back to place third, Quiros placed fourth, Maine East’s Andrew Garcia (14-9) took fifth and Burlington Central’s Jack Aguirre (7-7) finished sixth.

157 – Thomas Fulton, Wheaton North
It was an ever-so-slightly disgruntled Thomas Fulton who stepped off the awards stand after the Wheaton North senior won the title at 157 on Saturday.

“I don’t feel like I wrestled my best,” Fulton said. “I was a little rusty in my first match. In my second match, I probably should’ve cut him because he was tight on bottom and I couldn’t get the turn. And my last match I probably should’ve gotten more work on takedowns.

Ah, the life of a perpetually dissatisfied wrestler. All the best ones know there’s always something they could have done better, and Fulton is one of those.

“I feel like I wrestled decently, but I could’ve pushed the pace a little harder and cut some people so I could get more reps on my feet,” he said.

Ranked sixth at 157 in 3A, Fulton improved to 26-3 with his pin at 1:06 in the Larkin finals against Thornton-Fractional North’s Joseph Merritt (17-5). Top-seeded Fulton used a tech fall and a major decision to reach the title mat, while Merritt posted two pins to get to Fulton.

Fulton was asked what he wants to work on as he prepares for the post-season.

“I think everything about me needs to get better,” he said. “I think my top needs work, I need to work on turning people better, I need to work on exploding right off the whistle on bottom, and in neutral I need to get more aggressive in my attacks.

“I’ve got to work on a couple more takedowns and I wish I could get a couple more matches in. But there were some 2A and 1A schools here so it was nice to get a different look instead of wrestling the same people throughout the season.”

West Aurora’s Malan Hatfield (16-9) placed third at 157, Niles North’s Connor Riley (21-10) was fourth, Buffalo Grove’s Khurshedov Jahongir (13-15) took took fifth, and St. Francis’ Maddox Hale (6-10) finished sixth.

165 – Dayne Serio, West Aurora
Currently ranked third at 165 in 3A, West Aurora junior Dayne Serio (36-1) was a state qualifier last year who’s got his sights clearly set on medaling in Champaign.

After all, it’s in his blood. His senior brother Dom placed fourth in Champaign at 150 last year, and his father Rob took third place in Illinois at 145 for Glenbard North back in 1994.

Since reaching Champaign but coming up one win shy of a guaranteed state medal last year, Serio feels like he’s taken a few strides.

“Last year it was a lot of take ‘them down and ride them out’ on top,” Serio said. “This year I’m a lot better on my feet. I’m getting a lot more techs and a lot more takedowns. But I still need more top work and work on my feet, to sharpen stuff up.”

After a scoreless first period on the title mat at 165 on Saturday against Wheaton North’s Julian Flores (20-7), Serio kicked things up a notch. He escaped to start the second period and used two takedowns and a turn to take an 11-1 lead heading into the third. One more takedown in the final period and Serio had a 14-1 major decision locked up.

“He had a lot of answers to my offense in the first period so I had to kind of work around it,” said Serio, who also won individual tournament titles at Geneva and Antioch this year.

Buffalo Grove’s Chris Chi (17-6) placed third, Burlington Central’s Jake Rhymes (9-9) was fourth, East Aurora’s Emmanuel Diaz (12-7) placed fifth and Niles North’s Evan Lazik (13-19) finished sixth.

175 – Manny Chavez, West Aurora

A week after placing fourth at Geneva’s Newbill tournament, West Aurora senior Manny Chavez took three big steps up the podium at Larkin. Top-seeded Chavez (29-8) opened with a win by fall in quarterfinal match before winning by tech fall over Wheaton North’s Lewis Vanderschoot (15-7) to reach the finals.

Burlington Central’s second-seeded Jonah Chavez (3-0) won by fall to open his tournament, then won an 8-6 decision in his semifinal against Leyden’s Christopher Quizhpi (16-7) before being forced to medical default the title match to West Aurora’s Chavez.

Vanderschoot wrestled back for third place, Quizhpi took fourth, Buffalo Grove’s Sonny Tugs (20-14) finished fifth and East Aurora’s Armani Meola (16-10) placed sixth.

190 – Milo Saenz, Wheaton North

Wheaton North coach Tim Walker was happy with wrestlers up and down his lineup Saturday, but he wasn’t happier for any one of them more than he was for Milo Saenz.

“He’s a senior at Wheaton North who has been an outstanding example for us since his freshman year,” Walker said. “He’s only one of a few wrestlers in his class who have made it through our program for all years. This was Milo’s first varsity tournament championship and that’s super significant for him as we move towards the postseason.”

As the fourth seed at 190, Saenz improved to 17-8 with his 11-6 title-mat decision over Burlington Central’s second-seeded Michael Junitz (25-11). Saenz opened with a tech fall and followed that with a 14-10 semifinal win over Maine East’s top-seeded Adrian Shkeir (23-7).

“(Saenz) has won and lost some close matches against tough opponents,” Walker said, “but I would consider him a sleeper to upset some top dogs at regionals and sectionals.”

Shkeir wrestled back for third place, Leo’s Jubril Kannike(10-6) took fourth, Niles North’s Shiloh Martinez (16-10) placed fifth and East Aurora’s Roman Cepeda (11-8) was sixth.

215 – Erick Worwa, Leyden

Conant, Palatine, Leyden and now Larkin — the tournament titles for Leyden junior Erick Worwa keep piling up.

Does he take it for granted?

“No. You have to compete,” Worwa said. “I want to compete. I don’t want to get anything the easy way. I want to compete with (an opponent) and just see who comes out on top.”

After an opening bye, top-seeded Worwa (25-2) used two tech falls to reach the title match, where he won by fall against West Aurora’s Fernando Anaya (14-10). Worwa’s two tech falls in 5:39 were the most tech falls in the least time of any wrestler in the tournament.

“I felt mostly in control,” Worwa said. “There was a lot of cutting and going for the re-shot.
“I feel good. Since the start of the year, with all the training we’re doing, I feel like I really rose above myself, and got much better compared to last year. I’m taking it all more seriously — harder workouts, breaking a sweat, pushing myself, and just not taking anything easy.”

Maine East’s Adrian Shkeir placed third, Leo’s Jubril Kannike was fourth, Niles North’s Shiloh Martinez placed fifth and East Aurora’s Roman Cepeda placed sixth at 215.

285 – Jaylen Torres, St. Francis

St. Francis junior Jaylen Torres placed second at 285 in 1A last year, but with this season’s state tournament looming he feels much different than he did 365 days ago for one very important reason.

“Last year I had a torn labrum that I had to wrestle through,” Torres said. “I couldn’t really get to the ties I wanted to — the underhooks and things like that.”

Currently ranked third at 285 and with two healthy shoulders, Torres improved to 17-1 with his pin on the Larkin title mat against West Aurora’s Alfonso Aguilar (28-9). Top-seeded Torres won by fall in his semifinal match at 2:00 against Wheaton North’s Carl Givens (11-4), while Aguilar won 10-6 against Leo’s Jesse Howard (7-2) to reach the finals.

After being in Champaign’s Grand March last year and placing second in state, Torres’ goal this year is the obvious one: “To win it,” he said. “I’ve got to get it back.

“I still need to take more shots. I know I’m faster than most of these heavyweights so I need to get past that mental block and just take more shots.”

Wheaton North’s Carl Givens placed third at 285, Leo’s Jesse Howard took fourth, Niles North’s Julius Caban was fifth and Burlington Central’s Reece Parinello took sixth.

Individual highlights:
Wheaton North’s Andrew Langas posted the most pins (4) in the least time (4:50) of any wrestler in the tournament, while Leyden’s Erick Worwa finished with the most tech falls (2) in the least time (5:39). The fastest fall came from Buffalo Grove’s Chris Chi, in 18 seconds, and Wheaton North’s Thomas Fulton had the fastest tech fall, in 1:04.

West Aurora freshman Michael Huicochea scored the most team points with 29, and there was a three-way tie for the most single-match points scored with 23, between Larkin’s Damari Miler, Buffalo Grove’s Sonny Tugs, and Thornton-Fractional North’s Deshawn Jones. Miller also posted the most total match points in the tournament, with 61.

The largest seed-place difference came when 9th-seeded Huicochea of West Aurora won the title at 138 pounds.

Team scores:
West Aurora 300, Wheaton North 280, Buffalo Grove 151, Burlington Central 144, Leyden 97, Maine East 97, East Aurora 75.5, Niles North 73.5, Larkin 66.5, Thornton-Fractional North 57, St. Francis 48.5, Niles West 29.5, Leo 29.5, Harvest Christian 21, Elmwood Park 13.5, Harvard 8

Larkin Varsity Invitational results:

106

1st: Aidan Ambre(W Aurora) 17-5, d. Stone McKone(Buffalo Grove) 15-6, (F 2:14)

3rd: Dylan Le(Wheaton North) 19-10, d. Duncan Tenezaca(Maine East) 19-11, (F 5:29)

5th: Christian Sebastian(E Aurora) 14-9, d. Oscar Ruiz-Villa(Elmwood Park) 9-8, (TF 2:32(17-0)

113

1st: Oleksandr Havrylkiv(Buffalo Grove) 22-1, d. Jeremiah Haynes(W Aurora) 16-11, (TF 2:46(20-4)

3rd: Eduardo Vences(Burlington Central) 20-11, d. Daniel Hyde(Wheaton North) 19-8, (TF 4:50(22-5)

5th: Jairo Kish(Maine East) 14-15, d. Edwin Gomez(T.F. North) 11-13, (TF 3:06(18-0)

120

1st: Mykola Shamray(Buffalo Grove) 28-4, d. Rocco Macellaio(Wheaton North) 25-8, (D 6-0)

3rd: Joseph Huicochea(W Aurora) 22-14, d. Alexander Rodriguez(Leyden) 8-9, (TF 3:39(18-3)

5th: Fayyaz Munshi(Niles West) 11-15, d. Uriel Nunez(Larkin) 3-5, (D 11-6)

126

1st: Peter Kabene(W Aurora) 19-14, d. Caden Cahill(Wheaton North) 19-8, (D 7-5)

3rd: John Moor(Maine East) 12-12, d. Salvador Garcia(Larkin) 11-7, (MD 11-2)

5th: Tamilore Ogundeyi(T.F. North) 11-8, d. David Wyruchowski(Burlington Central) 9-19, (D 8-5)

132

1st: Austin Lee(Burlington Central) 24-7, d. Dulguun Nyamdavaa(Maine East) 22-9, (D 6-4)

3rd: Jack Platt(W Aurora) 26-15, d. Deshawn Jones(T.F. North) 12-9, (F 5:44)

5th: Elliot Conway(Wheaton North) 9-8, d. Nicholas Castillo(Larkin) 13-11, (TF 6:00(17-0)

138

1st: Michael Huicochea(W Aurora) 4-0, d. Michael Miranda(Leyden) 5-2, (F 1:27)

3rd: Jacob Veltri(Wheaton North) 21-8, d. Michael Hammond(Larkin) 11-10, (MD 12-0)

5th: Joshue Delgado(E Aurora) 15-13, d. Barry Yildirim(Burlington Central) 6-14, (F 0:20)

144

1st: Evan Matkovich(W Aurora) 33-5, d. Max Mulhearn(Harvest Christian) 26-6, (TF 4:48(17-1)

3rd: Damari Miller(Larkin) 21-8, d. Andrew Langas(Wheaton North) 14-6, (D 23-22)

5th: Paul Coco(St. Francis) 15-9, d. Qaisar Sadat(Niles West) 22-11, (F 4:31)

150

1st: Ryan Rosch(Wheaton North) 20-5, d. Marcus Quintana(W Aurora) 33-4, (D 13-11)

3rd: Tony Klikas(Buffalo Grove) 18-7, d. Oliver Quiros(Niles North) 25-6, (D 4-2)

5th: Andrew Garcia(Maine East) 14-9, d. Jack Aguirre(Burlington Central) 7-7, (M. For.)

157

1st: Thomas Fulton(Wheaton North) 26-3, d. Joseph Merritt(T.F. North) 17-5, (F 1:06)

3rd: Malan Hatfield(W Aurora) 16-9, d. Connor Riley(Niles North) 21-10, (MD 13-1)

5th: Khurshedov Jahongir(Buffalo Grove) 13-15, d. Maddox Hale(St. Francis) 6-10, (F 1:31)

165

1st: Dayne Serio(W Aurora) 36-1, d. Julian Flores(Wheaton North) 20-7, (MD 14-1)

3rd: Chris Chi(Buffalo Grove) 17-6, d. Jake Rhymes(Burlington Central) 9-9, (F 2:35)

5th: Emmanuel Diaz(E Aurora) 12-7, d. Evan Lazik(Niles North) 13-19, (F 3:13)

175  

1st: Manny Chavez(W Aurora) 29-8, d. Jonah Chavez(Burlington Central) 3-0, (M. For.)

3rd: Lewis Vanderschoot(Wheaton North) 15-7, d. Christopher Quizhpi(Leyden) 16-7, (F 5:09)

5th: Sonny Tugs(Buffalo Grove) 20-14, d. Armani Meola(E Aurora) 16-10, (D 5-1)

190

1st: Carlo Saenz(Wheaton North) 17-8, d. Michael Junitz(Burlington Central) 25-11, (D 11-6)

3rd: Adnan Shkeir(Maine East) 23-7, d. Jubril Kannike(Leo Catholic) 10-6, (F 1:57)

5th: Shiloh Martinez(Niles North) 16-10, d. Roman Cepeda(E Aurora) 11-8, (MD 14-1)

215

1st: Erick Worwa(Leyden) 25-2, d. Fernando Anaya(W Aurora) 14-10, (F 3:36)

3rd: Nick Tortoriello(Wheaton North) 18-9, d. Christiano Marogy (Buffalo Grove) 15-17, (F 3:49)

5th: Hiran Lopez(E Aurora) 13-9, d. Cristian Vargas(Niles North) 4-6, (F 2:54)

285 

1st: Jaylen Torres(St. Francis) 17-1, d. Alfonso Aguilar(W Aurora) 28-9, (F 5:44)

3rd: Carl Givens(Wheaton North) 11-4, d. Jesse Howard(Leo Catholic) 7-2, (F 0:33)

5th: Julius Caban(Niles North) 4-5, d. Reece Parinello(Burlington Central) 4-13, (F 3:12)