Posts by Mick Torres

By Curt Herron

Here’s a breakdown of this past weekend’s IWCOA’s Open Class 3A Super Regional and Regional individual and team champions. A story about the Naperville North Super Regional is posted on the IWCOA website:

The top six finishers from the seven super regionals and the top three from the two regionals advanced to Saturday’s four sectional sites in Class 3A.

Individuals who took part in Sunday’s Pure Elite Fitness and Naperville Athletic Center Super Regionals will compete in the Joliet Junior College Sectional while competitors at last Saturday’s Joliet Junior College and Naperville Athletic Center Super Regionals will  participate in the St. Charles SportsPlex Sectional.

Elmhurst College hosts a sectional featuring qualifiers from the Naperville North and Chicago Marist Super Regionals. And the qualifiers from the Oswego Super Regional and those from the regionals at Lockport and Edwardsville will take part in the Millikin University Sectional in Decatur.

Oswego Super Regional (qualifiers to Millikin University Sectional)

In the most dramatic finish of all of the Class 3A competition, Sunday’s Oswego Super Regional went right down to the wire with three teams within four points of each other.

Plainfield North nipped Minooka 150-149.5 for top honors while Joliet West took third with 146 points. Plainfield North had three champions and a second-place finisher while Minooka had two title winners and one second-place finisher.

Winning titles for Plainfield North were Jacob Macatangay (126), Jared Gumila (152) and Kaden McCombs (285) while Minooka’s champions were Nathan Berta (138) and Jack McClimon (160). Other super regional champs were Neuqua Valley’s Bryce Boumans (145) and Nolan LeBreck (220), Moline’s Kole Brower (132) and DeAnthony Parker (182), Plainfield South’s Rudy Silva (106), Romeoville’s Jaden Ruiz (113), Yorkville’s Dominick Coronado (120), Joliet Central’s Neriah Ayivor (170) and Oswego’s Cruz Ibarra (195).

Lockport Regional (qualifiers to Millikin University Sectional)

Lockport had eight champions, three second-place finishers and added two thirds to pile up 246 points for the title while Lincoln-Way Central beat Providence Catholic 120.5-115 for second place.

Winning titles for the host Porters were Logan Kaminski (126), Jad Alwawi (132), Keegan Roberson (138), Nate Ramsey (152), Paul Kadlec (160), Aidan Nolting (182), Jon Kratz (195) and Andrew Blackburn-Forst (220). Other regional champions were Providence’s Billy Meiszner (120) and RJ Schneider (285), Lincoln-Way Central’s Joey Malito (112) and Michael Olson (145), Andrew’s Max Siegel (106) and Lincoln-Way East’s Gavin Jones (170).

Edwardsville Regional (qualifiers to Millikin University Sectional)

Edwardsville captured first-place with 215 points while Belleville West finished second with 155 points at Sunday’s Class 3A Edwardsville Regional.

The host Tigers had 11 finalists and five champions while Belleville West had three title winners.

Winning titles for Edwardsville were Zake Rhodes (120), Connor Surtin (126), Dylan Gvillo (132), Jorden Johnson (138) and Drew Gvillo (170) while Belleville West’s champs were Amir McCoy (106), Zach Lusk (160) and Dustin Olmstead (285). Other first-place finishers were Alton’s Damien Jones (182) and Joab Tobin (220), Quincy’s Owen Uppinghouse (145) and Thomas Culp (195), Granite City’s Caleb Scott (113) and Collinsville’s Jacob Gregory (152).

Pure Elite Fitness Super Regional (qualifiers to Joliet Junior College Sectional)

Stevenson edged Barrington 209.5-200 to claim top honors at Monday’s Class 3A IWCOA Super Regional at Pure Elite Fitness in Arlington Heights.

The champion Patriots had 10 placewinners, six finalists and one title winner to beat out the runner-up Broncos, who finished with 11 placewinners, including three champions.

Tournament champions were Stevenson’s Cole Rhemrev (132), Barrington’s Jon Fier (145), Jack Hartman (182) and Evan Roper (220), Prospect’s Tom Miller (113), Will Baysingar (120) and Damien Puma (138), Fremd’s Wiley Jessup (106) and Maddox Khalimsky (126), Glenbrook South’s Will Collins (152), Hersey’s Billy Spassov (160), Evanston’s Ricardo Salinas (170), New Trier’s Jack Cummings (195) and Lake Zurich’s Alan Pantoja (285).  

Naperville Athletic Center Super Regional (qualifiers to Joliet Junior College Sectional)

Libertyville scored 224.5 points to easily win the championship of Monday’s Naperville Athletic Center Super Regional. Huntley beat Jacobs 184-173.5 to claim second place.

The first-place Wildcats placed all 13 of their competitors and finished with three champions and four second-place finishers while Huntley and Taft also had three title winners.

Capturing titles were Libertyville’s Caelan Riley (120), Josh Knudten (170) and Chase Baczek (182). Huntley’s champs were Jake Jensen (126), Jeremy Jakowitsch (138) and Ryder Hunkins (195) while Taft got titles from Colin Roque (132), Nick Lesch (160) and Jonny Figureoa (285). Also winning titles were  Jacobs’ Dominic Ducato (106) and Ryan Golnick (220), Grant’s Ethan Tarvin (113) and Justin Warmowski (145) and McHenry’s Brody Hallin (152).

Joliet Junior College Super Regional (qualifiers to St. Charles SportsPlex Sectional)

Glenbard North easily claimed top honors in Sunday’s Class 3A Joliet Junior College Super Regional while Conant finished with 183 points to claim second place.

The first-place Panthers placed all 14 of their individuals and had nine finalists and three champions, the same number of title winners for Conant and Lake Park.

Capturing titles for Glenbard North were Matt Chi (132), Nolan Allen (138) and Paulie Robertson (285) while champions for Conant were Ethan Stiles (145), Kobe Gilbert (160) and Jack Hominac (170) and Lake Park’s title winners were Mikey DiBenedetto (120), Dominik Mallinder (126) and Ryan Riser (182). Other super regional winners were Schaumburg’s Joey Phelps (106) and Grant Hansen (152), York’s Sean Berger (113), Glenbard West’s Phillip Dozier (195) and Wheaton North’s Cam’Ron Harper (220).

Naperville Athletic Club Super Regional (qualifiers to St. Charles SportsPlex Sectional)

St. Charles East claimed top honors in the Naperville Athletic Center Super Regional #1 on Sunday with 264.5 points while DeKalb took second place with 207.5 points.

The first-place Fighting Saints had 13 individuals in the top-four with eight finalists and four champions while the runner-up Barbs qualified 11 and had five title winners.

Winning titles for St. Charles East were Ben Davino (113), Jake Penzato (120), Max Sztuk (138) and Brody Murray (152) while DeKalb got championships from Blake McGee (132), Tommy Curran (145), Bradley Gillum (170), Bryson Buhk (195) and Gavin Engh (220). Other super regional winners were Batavia’s Incencio Garcia (106), Mikey Caliendo (160) and Jackson Tonkovich (182) and Maine East’s Armand Graham (126) and Kevin Wingate (285).

Marist Super Regional (qualifiers to Elmhurst College Sectional)

Sandburg scored 285 points to roll to the title of Sunday’s Class 3A Marist Super Regional while the hosts captured second place with 223.5 points.

The first-place Eagles had 11 competitors in title matches and won six of those while the host Redhawks captured four championships.

Winning titles for Sandburg were Sammie Hayes (120), Matthew Parker (126), Brant Kirby (138), Elliot Cook (145), Zach Bateman (160) and Mike Rydell (220). Marist got titles from Jesse Herrera (113), Owen Dunlap (132), Jacob Liberatore (170) and Ghee Rachal (195). Other title winners were Mount Carmel’s Damian Resendez (106) and Ryan Boersma (285), Shepard’s Damari Reed (152) and Oak Lawn’s Evan Zambrano (182). 

By Curt Herron

Here’s a breakdown of this past weekend’s IWCOA’s Open Class 2A Super Regional individual and team champions. A story about the Antioch Super Regional is posted on the IWCOA’s website:

The top six finishers from the 2A super regionals advance to Saturday’s four sectional sites, Geneseo, Mahomet-Seymour, Colosseum RTC and Pure Elite Fitness.

Individuals who took part in the Lincoln and Mt. Vernon Super Regionals will compete in the Mahomet-Seymour Sectional while competitors from the Peoria Central and Rock Island Super Regionals will take part in the Geneseo Sectional.

Competitors who advanced from the Antioch and Pure Elite Super Regionals will be at the Pure Elite Fitness Sectional in Arlington Heights and those who took part in the Colosseum RTC Super Regionals in Orland Park will again be at that site for their sectional.

Class 2A Lincoln Super Regional (qualifiers to Mahomet-Seymour Sectional)

Mahomet-Seymour had three champions and nine finalists to win the championship at Sunday’s Class 2A Lincoln Super Regional by a 216-171 margin over runner-up Glenwood, who had four champions.

Winning titles for the champion Bulldogs were Logan Hillard (138), Brennan Houser (182) and Mateo Casillas (195) while Glenwood’s title winners were Andrew Davis (106), Thomas Vansacik (126), Conner Miller (220) and Alex Hamrick (285). 

The other champions at the super regional were Jacksonville’s Collin Reif (132) and Tim Welsh (152), Normal West’s Froylan Racey (113) and Noah Passoni (160), Morton’s Connor Kidd (120), Lincoln’s Austin O’Donoghue (145) and Lanphier’s Gabe Orosco (170).

Class 2A Mt. Vernon Super Regional (qualifiers to Mahomet-Seymour Sectional)

Civic Memorial had six champions and two second-place finishers to help it claim a 245-168 advantage over runner-up Triad at Sunday’s Class 2A Mt. Vernon Super Regional. 

The champion Eagles got title wins from Bryce Griffin (126), Caleb Tyus (138), Caine Tyus (145), Vinny Zerban (152), Abe Wojoikiewicz (160) and Colton Carlisle (182) while Triad’s Chance Seip (120) and Everett Walsh (285) claimed first-place finishes.

Other champions in the super regional were Carbondale’s Luke Daly (170) and Aiden Taylor (195), Mattoon’s Brady Foster (106), MacArthur’s Cameron Lee (113), Cahokia’s Edwin Johnson (132) and Mascoutah’s David Polaski (220).

Class 2A Peoria Central Super Regional (qualifier to Geneseo Sectional)

Joliet Catholic Academy had seven champions and scored 211 points to win Sunday’s Class 2A Peoria Central Super Regional while Washington outscored Ottawa 197.5-189 for second place.

Winning titles for the Hilltoppers were Gylon Sims (106), Shay Korhorn (113), Logan Kuhel-Trim (126), Owen O’Connor (132), Connor Cumbee (145), Owen Gerdes (220) and Dillon Johnson (285) while the runner-up Panthers got championships from Jake Sollberger (170) and Donnie Hidden (195).

The other champions were Ottawa’s Tristan Simmons (120), Marek Duffy (160) and Charles Medrow (182), Dunlap’s Nick Mueller (138) and Morris’ Bryce Claypool (152).

Class 2A Rock Island Super Regional (qualifiers to Geneseo Sectional)

Rock Island had two champions and six finalists to score 238 points and win Sunday’s Class 2A Rock Island Super Regional while Geneseo finished second with 197.5 points.

Winning titles for the host Rocks were Daniel McGhee (106) and Manny Limon (126) while the runner-up Maple Leafs received title wins from Logan Tuggle (132), Clay DeBaillie (170) and Harrison Neumann (182).

Other champions were Galesburg’s Gauge Shipp (113), Freeport’s Markel Baker (120), Rochelle’s Caleb Nadig (138), Sycamore’s Brayden Peet (145), Sterling’s Andrew Kested (152), Boylan Catholic’s Dathan Wickson (160), LaSalle-Peru’s Connor Lorden (195), Kaneland’s Miles Ripper (220) and Aurora Christian’s Braden Hunter (285).

Class 2A Colosseum RTC Super Regional (qualifiers to Colosseum RTC Sectional)

Riverside-Brookfield had six champions and scored 214 points to win Sunday’s RTC Colosseum Super Regional in Orland Park while Kenwood took second with 108 points.

Winning titles for the Bulldogs were Quintavius Murrell (113), Quintin Godlewski (120), Mateo Costello (126), Brock Hoyd (170), Liam Cote (182) and Jordan Medrano (195).

Other champions in the super regional were Kenwood’s Joshua Butler (152) and Christopher Guider (160), Kennedy’s Phillip Lullo (138) and Raymond Begay (285),St. Ignatius’ Dylan Kabance (132), Noble/Comer’s Donovan Hall (145) and Glenbard South’s Connor DelAlcazar (220).

Class 2A Colosseum RTC Super Regional 2 (qualifiers to Colosseum RTC Sectional)

Lemont scored 255 points to win Monday’s Class 2A RTC Colosseum Super Regional in Orland Park while St. Laurence beat Oak Forest 108.5-104.5 for second place.

Claiming titles for the Indians were Carter Mikolajcak (106), Tyler Bentley (113), Mo Khalil (182), Stas Antalak (195), Devin Gonzalez (220) and Alex Pasquale (285).

Other super regional champions were Oak Forest’s Tyler Evitts (120), Caden Muselman (126) and Ivan Corral (132), St. Laurence’s Mike Rodriguez (138), Henry Coughlin (145) and Johnathan Olivo (152) and Brother Rice’s Emmett Connelly (160) and Tom Bennett (170). 

Class 2A Pure Elite Fitness Super Regional (qualifiers to Pure Elite Fitness Sectional)

Deerfield scored 257 points to win Sunday’s Class 2A Pure Elite Fitness Super Regional in Arlington Heights while Notre Dame edged Fenton 213-206 for second place.

Winning titles for the champion Warriors were Lucas Wittkamp (120), Rory Perlow (132), Lucio Morgan (138), Stamos Tsakiris (145), Benjamin Shvartsman (152) and Braeden Wittkamp (170) while the runner-up Dons got titles from Joey Calder (182), Sean Swinkle (195) and Aodan O’Sullivan (220).

Other super regional title winners were St. Patrick’s Olin Walker (106) and Sean Conway (126), Saint Viator’s Braeden Towle (113) and Gaetano Console (160) and Fenton’s Quinn Wilcoxen (285).

By Mike Garofola

Stevenson held off a late charge by Barrington to lift a 3A regional trophy Monday evening before a packed house at Pure Elite Fitness Center in Arlington Heights.

The raucous crowd kept the atmosphere lively all throughout a long day of competition as it watched several thrilling matches in the front draw – setting up a fitting finish by two long-time rivals who gave the audience plenty to cheer down the home stretch.

“It (Pure Elite Fitness) had all the elements and feeling of a summer tournament – people stacked up all around the mats, which were in close proximity, and enough noise and cheering right up until the very end of the tournament,” began Stevenson head coach, Shane Cook.

“It was great to be a part of a tournament like this one – and I can tell you all of us are very thankful for the efforts of the IWCOA for putting together this state series for all of the boys.”

Cooks’ men would build a near 50-point advantage before holding a 21-point cushion (188.5-167) over Barrington heading into the final round of action – which Dave Udchiks’ club made a valiant effort to overcome, only to fall short at the final whistle by 8.5 points.

“Stevenson wrestled off the charts to build their big lead, and our guys did really well to take a bite out of their advantage,” Udchik said. “Credit Shane and his boys, they wrestled well all day long to finally get that monkey off of their back of not winning a regional title.”

“Every year we have the likes of Barrington, Deerfield, Libertyville and Prospect standing in our way at regionals and for the last six years we’ve finished second to one of those teams,” Cook said said. “So obviously that was a motivating factor for our guys coming in today, and they met the challenge, won the regional title, and in the process set a program record (of 11 qualifiers) into next week’s sectionals in Joliet.”

While both clubs each claimed ten top six medals on the day, the Patriots were able to nab a trio of second-place medals with Lorenzo Frezza (120), Kai Yamato (126) and junior Jacob Whiting earning his at 195 to help the cause.

“It’s fun to be back competing with your teammates in a tournament that counts, I’m glad we were given this opportunity to do so by the IWCOA,” said Patriots junior Cole Rhemrev, who kept his 2021 record clean at 21-0 after his wonderful performance at 132 to give his club its lone title on the day.

“It was hard for all of us to lose our postseason, but I was really happy to hear we would have regionals, sectionals, then a state tournament. It means a lot to all of us in the sport,” added Rhemrev, a 2020 state qualifier who went 36-7 overall.

Frezza was one of three opponents of Prospect sophomore Will Baysinger (16-0), who dominated an all-star cast at 120 pounds en route to his individual title.

“I don’t think any of us were sure if this state series given by the IWCOA was going to actually happen, but I was really happy to hear it was, and I know all of us are going to treat it like it really is a postseason,” said Baysinger.

Last year, the affable Knight brought his relentless attacking style into the 2020 state tournament undefeated, as the No. 1-ranked man at 106-pounds, until stunned by eventual state champ Joe Fernau of Montini in his semifinal contest.

“I still look back at that day, and match and I use that to make me work harder, so if I get back into that match again, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Baysingar, who continues to fine-tune his game with Freestyle, Greco and Folk-style wrestling.

The MSL East champion Knights led the field with three individual titles, along with Barrington. Prospect junior Tom Miller (113, 13-4) and 2020 state qualifier Damien Puma (138, 14-3) took home the top prize, with Puma winning by fall against another state qualifier from a year ago, George Gonzalez (15-2) of Lake Zurich.

LZ’s big man, Alan Pantoja (17-1) avenged a blood-round loss at the 2020 Barrington sectional when he pinned Stevenson heavyweight Keegan Houlihan in his semifinal, before going on to record yet another fall in his match against Brian Clay (17-3) of Fremd.

“That was a rough day for me at sectionals” admitted Pantoja, who will wrestle this fall at Harper Community College.

“Since then, I have worked hard on my take-downs and shots, because I’ve always felt I’m very strong on top. So I look forward to keep on advancing into the state tournament and doing well there.”

Barrington junior Jon Fier (17-10) surprised the top seed at 145 in his opening bout, then pinned his way into the semifinals, where a 4-2 overtime victory sent him through and into his final with Thomas Schoolman of Stevenson.

Once there, Fier recorded yet another pin to garner the first of three titles for the Broncos, followed by Jack Hartman (21-3) and then Evan Roper (24-0), who pinned his way to his title at 220.

“Fier started the day unseeded so his effort today for us was easily one of our highlights for the team,” said Udchik.

Roper, was somewhat of a giant killer in 2020, emerging from the shadows to defeat one top ranked 220-pounder after another throughout the regular season. In the postseason, Roper beat then-No. 1 Ben Stemmet (Yorkville) in the quarterfinals with by fall, before his run was stopped by eventual state champion Josh LaBarbera of Montini Catholic in a heart-breaking 3-2 decision.

Roper would later win his third place bout to finish his season at 36-6.

“I’m just glad we had one last postseason after losing one from the IHSA,” said Roper, who will study Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Hartman, a two-sport star (football, wrestling) will call it quits from both sports when he attends Northern Colorado University in the fall, after taking a long look at Montana State and the University of Wyoming.

It was another wrestler named Jack – Jack Cummings of New Trier – who concluded a marvelous day of play at 195 with a technical fall victory over Jacob Whiting to win what he hopes is the first of two more title-mat wins when this IWCOA season is over.

“I cannot tell you how happy I am to have see this opportunity for all of us come from the IWCOA after having the disappointment of the IHSA calling off our postseason,” began Cummings, who has suffered consecutive defeats in the blood-round at the Barrington sectional to put an abrupt halt to to both his freshmen, and sophomore season.

“Last year was so disappointing, not only because of my loss at sectionals, but also when there was no Frosh-Soph state tournament, so I have really increased my focus and work-outs – paying particular attention to improving my shots to help me get ready for these next three weeks.”

Cummings was part of a trio of successful outings from his Central Suburban League rivals on Monday, which included wonderful work from Will Collins of Glenbrook South, and Evanston’s Ricardo Salinas, who recorded an amazing 50-5 overall record a year ago, which ended with the Wildkits star taking home the fourth place medal at 170 pounds.

“I’m excited to have one last state tournament, and for me, my health is the key to my success in these next three weeks,” said Salinas, who has had more than his share of poor luck during the later part of his last two seasons.

“It’s not an excuse, but I’ve dealt with both pneumonia, and bronchitis during my last two times downstate, so for me, it’s been really important to do my best to be healthy for these next three weeks so I can give myself the best chance to win a state title.”

Salinas, who will move on to wrestle in the fall at Northern Illinois University, was part of sensational trio of Wildkits during the 2019 season, including his older brother Rafael (170), who would celebrate a brilliant senior campaign, and heavyweight Ramin Abraham, who not only lifted the 285 pound championship trophy but in doing so, recorded a perfect 52-0 overall record.

Like Salinas, Glenbrook South’s Collins has had his fair share of setbacks, including a shoulder injury that slowed the start of his 2020 season after recovering from surgery in December of 2019.

“Injuries are always tough, and in this sport, sometimes inevitable, but I worked hard to get myself fit and back in wrestling shape to get myself downstate a year ago,” Collins said. “Now it’s all about staying healthy, being consistent on the mat, and working as hard as I can to get myself in a position to compete for a state title in two weeks,”

Collins improved to 6-0 after recording a second period fall in his 152-pound final.

The GBS junior came back from his injury to win both a regional, and sectional title at 145, to earn his first state appearance, finishing the year with an impressive 20-2 record.

Salinas (31-0) stayed undefeated this season following his 3-1 decision over Cooper Wettig of Loyola, who advances into sectionals with a 12-2 record.

Fremd would jump in front of Lake Zurich to earn sixth place (114.5) – just one-half point behind fifth place Hersey, which garnered its lone individual title from Billy Spassov (14-3) at 160 pounds.

Unseeded Wiley Jessup (16-4) gave Fremd the first of its two titles at 106, before sophomore, Maddox Khalimsky 13-0) collected the second for the Vikings when he earned a hard-fought 4-3 decision against Kai Yamato (Stevenson, 23-2) in a battle between the top two seeds.

“Maddox has been putting in a lot of extra time and doing all of the work, and it’s been showing during our regular season, and obviously today,” said his head coach, Jeff Keske.

“I finally made the commitment to being a hundred percent all-in to the sport, not like the fifty-fifty approach I had during my freshmen season,” Khalimsky said. “With me spending so much time with coach (Keske) during the offseason, I’m starting to see the results from that hard work.”

“It was a long, non-stop day of wrestling, but still a good day, and one where the MSL had a very good showing and again, I’m very happy for Cook and his guys from Stevenson,” said Udchik.

Cook was pleased with his guys as well.

“Everyone bumped up order to give ourselves the best chance to win today – it was a totally selfless act on behalf of the guys, and I am very proud of all of them to do what was best for the team first, and then themselves,” began Cook.

“Lorenzo (Frezza) made the move to 120 where Will Baysinger was, and he got himself into the final at that weight, and from 126-152 we were able to compete and earn spots in sectionals next weekend.

“Two fantastic stories for us today were at 195 with Jacob Whiting, out nearly all year because he was on the state championship water polo team. He came through with a second-place finish against Cummings from New Trier. And our heavyweight Keegan Houlihan was recently up at 360 pounds and he worked his butt off to lose (71) pounds in order to wrestle today.

“It was a great day for Stevenson wrestling, and we appreciate the opportunity the IWCOA gave everyone here a chance to wrestling, including the people here at Pure Elite.”

Pure Elite Fitness owner and operator Mike Dragonich, himself a wrestler and graduate of nearby Hersey, was thrilled to have the chance to host for the IWCOA, the first being a 2A regional two days prior, followed by Monday’s 3A contest.

“I’m close with head coaches at Elk Grove (Danny Vargas) and Charlie Curran at Wheeling, and Jim Wormsley,” said Dragonich. Wormsley was head coach at Hersey when Dragonich, a 2010 grad, competed there. “So when I heard the IHSA would cancel its state series, and the IWCOA was looking for venues, I was all over it,” Dragonich said.

“We saw hosting as a great opportunity to assist the wrestling community, as well as our business, so to help the sport and ourselves, it was the perfect marriage.”

Dragonich opened Pure Elite Fitness in February of 2020, just 30 days before the COVID pandemic struck, so he turned to personal physical training to help pay the bills and keep the name of his company in the forefront as he waited things out.

“The Small Business Association was not lending to gyms and fitness centers, so with the help of our landlord, we took this big empty space and did a lot of in-person personal training to help pay the bills, which included connecting with skate-boarders. At times, we had up to 300 kids in here for fitness, and durability training,” said Dragnovich.

Pure Elite will go into a full build-out after it hosts one last sectional this coming weekend. Dragonich hopes to be up and running to full capacity in two to three weeks, and become a business that will be a partner with the business community as well as wrestling and other sports.

By Patrick Z. McGavin  

Ayden Lutes spent the long and cruel winter months pondering his future.   It was not always a pretty sight given the discouraging news about persistent and pervasive actions of the coronavirus that put seemingly everything on hold.  

Deemed a high risk sport and working in consultation with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the IHSA moved the sport out of its typical November start.   It only added to the uncertainty, as the weeks passed, and little suggested a change of fortunes.  

“In December I was mentally preparing myself for not having a season,” Lutes said.    The winter sports, beginning with basketball, got the jolt and the word of the resumption of sports, at the end of January. Wrestling would go on—albeit at a weirdly strange time, beginning in April and ending the final week of June.   Lutes still remembers his reaction to the news.  

“It’s kind of crazy,” he said. “When we found out it was going to be in the spring, I was pumped and hyped. I was hitting the weight room six times a week.”   A junior at Naperville Central, Lutes has a style best described as a kind of manic intensity, relentless and always seeking to find a vulnerability in his opponent.   His season was delayed. Lutes has seized the platform to showcase what he was capable of.  

At the IWCOA Class 3A regional at Naperville North on Sunday, June 13, he did everything imaginable to provide a sense of immediacy and closure.   The state tournament is back, now under the auspices of the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA).  

Lutes showed a dazzling athletic and overpowering style as he dominated on his feet with his aggressive and punishing style in defeating Marmion’s Jaden Morga 14-8 in the championship at 152 pounds.   He helped the Redhawks capture the team title, edging Downers Grove South by the narrowest of margins, 197 to 196.   Naperville North was third at 159.5 and West Aurora fourth with 151.  

Naperville Central also matched Downers Grove North with three individual champions.   Naperville North and West Aurora had two champions, and Downers South, Marmion, Hinsdale Central and Oak Park and River Forest had one apiece.  

Under the modified format of the state tournament, the top six wrestlers in each weight class advance to the sectional Saturday in Elmhurst.   The quality and skill on display underscored the seriousness of the moment.   Lutes conceded the first take down. Otherwise, he was firmly in control, bending the match to his own will. He was too quick and explosive for Morga to contain.  

“What we teach at Central is that you just break kids until they don’t want to go anymore,” Lutes said. “He was taking bad shots, and I just wanted to capitalize.   “That’s what I did. I just kept coming.”  

The most spirited and dynamic match played out at 195 pounds in the local showdown involving Naperville Central’s David Pirozhnik and Naperville North’s Gavin McCormick.   Locality only intensified the rivalry. The two have gone at each other since middle school. The teams did not have a dual meet during the improvised regular season.   The two circled and made contrasting and jutting moves against each in order to hunt the early advantage. The first period was largely neutral.   Pirozhnik seized control late in the second period. He executed a deft throw he turned into a five-point sequence with the near fall.   The suddenly tight match was 8-3 to start the third period, and Pirozhnik rode the momentum to the 11-5 victory.  

“I just had a feeling at that moment,” Pirozhnik said. “He was trying to throw me the whole bout. I’m naturally a thrower, so when I knew he was trying to do that, I used it against him.”  

Antonio Torres, who was fifth at 170 last year wrestling at Waubonsie Valley, made his delayed debut at Naperville Central.   He went 3-0 in winning by a technical fall and majority decision before capturing the title by forfeit.   Torres was one of three wrestlers who won by forfeit.

Nico Takano of Naperville North defeated Marmion’s Tyler Perry at 160.   At 182, Ben Bielawski of Downers North won by forfeit over Caleb Yu of Naperville North.   West Aurora senior Dzhabrail Khurshidov engineered takedowns in the second and third period to edge Downers North’s previously unbeaten Drew Bielawski 4-3.   He rode Drew Bielawski the final 40 seconds to secure the victory. After finishing second last year, Khurshidov is the top-ranked wrestler.   He was not very happy with his actions.  

“It was a terrible performance,” he said. “I was wrestling sloppy the whole day. I should have run the scoreboard early. Whenever I need to, I can always hold on.”   He has wrestled only six matches for the Blackhawks, winning them all.    “The season has been tough,” he admitted. “I’ve been competing nationally. But I feel as though I have made a lot of improvements.  

“I’ve had more national tournaments because I’ve wanted to showcase that part of my talent. It has definitely been an adjustment. I would have liked an actual wrestling season with my teammates.”  

His teammate, Jordan Lishman, survived the defensive tactics of Oak Park-River Forest’s Malcolm Gray to prevail 3-1 in overtime.   In the overtime period, Lishman and Gray each secured an ankle. Lishman was able to power through for the winning takedown.   He was clearly rewarded for being the more aggressive of the two.  

“I think he was told to only play defense against me,” Lishman said. “I think he saw I was more of an aggressive, or offensive person.  

“I think I had to adjust against that, but I wasn’t as tired as him late in the match and I was more comfortable in that situation.”   One immediate consequence of the altered season is that wrestlers entered the state series fresher. At the lower weights, Marmion’s Tyler Aters and Hinsdale Central’s Cody Tavoso each wrestled about 10 matches during the abbreviated regular season.  

Aters overpowered OPRF’s Jalen Dunson 8-2 to capture at 120 pounds.   He secured two takedowns to gain the early advantage. He put the match away late in the third period by neutralizing the single hold Dunson had by taking him to his back.   “I usually like to wrestle from the outside and go for singles,” Aters said. “When I am tying up, I usually like to go for sweeps.”   He was alert and quick in his decision making. It turned the match.  

“On that last move, when I saw him dive, I just bowled him over,” Aters said. “Ten matches coming into today was a nice figure.   

“Without all the beatings from wrestling 30 to 40 matches a year, it got me ready, and I liked it a lot more.”   Progression is not always linear. In the case of Tavoso, he finished sixth at 120 pounds last year. He wrestled more than 50 matches.   The experience proved crucial.  

“I just want the experience,” he said. “We’re trying to mak the most out of this season. Last year I loved it because I was able to wrestle so many matches. It was a lot of fun.”   At 126 pounds, Tavoso exhibited a clean and highly efficient style in dispatching Downers South’s Anthony Sanchez 6-0.   His late first period takedown created the template. Working from the bottom at the start of the second period, he negotiated a quick reversal.   He rarely allowed Sanchez any space to operate.  

“It was really important for me to get that first takedown,” he said. “In the second period, my focus was being able to ride him.  

“I have been able to break a lot of guys mentally by riding them out or getting some turns.”  

At 106, Downers North’s Kai Tacadena registered the only pin of the championship round, defeating Lyons’s Patrick Jesse at 1:54.   The Trojans also unveiled a very promising freshman in Harrison Konder at 138. He edged Aidan Waszak of Wheaton Warrenville South 12-10.   In the 145 pound championship, Naperville North’s Jake Newton survived a near fall at the end of the second period in beating Marmion’s Walter Green 9-8.   OPRF’s Connor Nagela defeated Luke Swan of Downers South 7-5 at 132.  

“I’m a really gritty wrestler, so I like getting two on ones,” Nagela said.   Like most of the more than 150 wrestlers who took part in the regional, its very existence turned out to be an exhilarating moment.  

“It’s been a very weird season, but I am also very grateful to have any matches at all,” Nagela said.  

By Gary Larsen  

There’s a lot more of Lena-Winslow’s Jaden Rice that opponents have to deal with now, a far cry from the 106 pounds they had to square off with when he was a freshman.

Rice improved to 25-0 at 182 pounds on Sunday, winning the title at that weight at the IWCOA Sandwich 1A super-regional — a culmination of sorts to a 76-pound, mother-of-all-growth-spurts in three years.

Rice wrestled 113 as a sophomore and 126 last year before jumping up 56 pounds to 182 this year. The explanation for that massive leap up in weight class is actually pretty simple:   “I grew out a little bit and I grew up a little bit,” said the 6-foot-1 Rice, who gained five inches in height since his freshman year.

“After cutting weight last year I just got tired of it and decided to do my thing,” he said. “I decided to eat, lift weights, and in the middle of all that I hit a growth spurt. And I lifted every day since quarantine hit.”

Rice, Case Harsmstrom (170), and Jason Hermann (160) all won individual titles while teammates Garrett Luke (120), Simon Rillie (145), Griffin Luke (152), and Andrew Haas (195) all reached the title mat for a Panthers team that finished atop the 22-team regional field in Sandwich.

And any time a coach sends seven wrestlers to a tournament’s title mat is a good day.   “I was really proud of the way the kids competed,” Lena-Winslow coach Kevin Milder said. “I’ve got a good core group of seniors that are taking the postseason pretty serious and giving it their best shot here. They’ve been really committed.”

Lena-Winslow outpointed second-place Dakota 195.5 to 146, while Oregon and host Sandwich tied for third with a team total of 120.0. There will be no dual team state tournament in Illinois this year but wrestlers are primed for the IWCOA’s individual state finals in Springfield.

“It’s a bummer that there won’t be any team stuff but it’s awesome that (the IWCOA) is putting this on for us, especially to give us seniors a chance to make our mark,” Rice said.

Ryan Welgat of Kewanee kicked off the title-mat action, improving to 23-3 at 106 with a pin of Rock Falls’ Anthony Reyes (3-1). Welgat posted two pins on the day.   At 113, fourth-seeded freshman Brady Grennan (19-2) of Newman Central Catholic won a regional title in dominant fashion. Grennan opened with a fall before winning a 10-2 major over Dixon’s top-seeded Chris Sitter (18-2) in their semifinal.

Grennan then won by first-period fall on the title mat over second-seeded Luke Moen (16-5) of Orion.   Illinois’ defending state champion at 120 pounds, top-seeded Dakota sophomore Phoenix Blakely (20-1), won his regional title match via 3-0 decision over second-seeded Garrett Luke (18-3) of Lena-Winslow.

Luke finished third at 106 at last year’s state finals in Champaign. Blakely — top-ranked in Illinois at 126 in Rob Sherrill’s IWCOA rankings — posted a pair of pins en route to the finals, where he did something he hadn’t done before   “They’ve wrestled for three or four years and Phoenix had never beaten (Luke),” Dakota coach Pete Alber said. “Luke is tough. But Phoenix has worked hard and now he’ll be more comfortable when they meet again.”

The first wrestler to stay unbeaten at day’s end was host Sandwich junior Evan Reilly (29-0). Top-seeded Reilly edged Dakota’s fourth-seeded Jason Bowers (22-4) 3-1 in a semifinal match at 126, then won 8-6 on the title mat over Princeton’s Matthew Harris (19-6).
The title match at 132 featured a pair of state place-place winners who both entered the day as the No. 1-ranked wrestler in their weight classes, per Rob Sherrill’s IWCOA rankings.

Dakota junior Maddux Blakely (23-1) came out on top, winning 2-1 over West Carroll senior Ethen Doty (3-1). Blakely is currently ranked No. 1 at 132 and Doty entered the day as the top-ranked wrestler at 138.
Doty is a hammer in the top position and Blakely had his work cut out for him.   “He dropped down from 138 so he’s definitely bigger than I am, and he’s very good on top,” Blakely said. “I don’t know how but I reversed him. I’ll probably see him at the sectional and at the state finals and it definitely gets more difficult when you wrestle a guy over and over.”

The second wrestler to remain unbeaten heading into Saturday’s Sandwich sectional meet was Newman Central Catholic’s Will Rude at 138. Top-seeded Rude won 7-1 on the title mat over third-seeded Tyler Simmer (18-6) of Dakota in improving to 22-0.   The field at 145 was a formidable one and in the end it was third-seeded Andrew Herbst (27-1) of Oregon who survived as regional champion.

Herbst won 5-1 over second-seeded Aiden Linden (28-2) of Sandwich in a semifinal match, then won 6-4 over top-seeded Simon Rillie (23-3) of Lena-Winslow on the title mat.   Herbst scored a late third-period takedown to win his title match against Rillie. Close matches against quality competition can only help prepare a wrestler for the task at hand once the state finals arrive on the calendar.

“They were both really tough kids,” Herbst said of Linden and Rillie. “(Linden) and I have trained together over the summers and we’ve always been practice partners. (Rillie) is really strong and I can’t wait to wrestle him again.   “Wrestling tough guys for three periods helps you mentally prepare for those big matches at the end of the season. You want to be totally relaxed in those tight situations and those are the matches that help you do that.”   West Caroll’s Kelden McCombie (3-0) won a 4-2 overtime decision on the title mat at 152 against Lena Winslow’s Griffin Luke (19-3). Luke reached the title mat with a 3-1 overtime win in his semifinal match, upsetting top-seeded Noah Schnerre (18-3) of Orion, while McCombie won a pair of major decisions to reach the title mat.

The next three title bouts belonged to Lena-Winslow. Jason Hermann (25-1) carried his top seed at 160 to fruition, winning by 3-2 decision on the title mat against Dakota’s fourth-seeded Martin Snyder (17-5). Hermann and Snyder had previously wrestled to overtime in a regular-season dual meeting.

“(Snyder) is hard to score on and stays in great position,” Milder said. “Jason has a great pace but he just wasn’t getting his shot off, but he wound up getting a takedown in the second period on a duck-under.”

Second-seeded Case Harmstom (24-1) of Lena-Winslow took care of business on his half of the bracket at 170, before winning 5-2 over Stillman Valley’s Austin Abitua (14-2) on the title mat.   Rice gave Lena-Winslow its third regional champion with a 9-5 title-mat decision over Morrison’s Kayden White (20-3). Rice posted a major decision and a fall leading into the title match, but struggled to keep his motor going against White.   “I got a couple takedowns but he wasn’t giving up and for some reason I got really tired. I don’t feel like I wrestled to my full potential in that match,” Rice said.

At 195, Orion’s Josh Fair (27-0) became the day’s final wrestler to stay unbeaten on the season. Third-seeded Fair won by fall in his semifinal match against Princeton’s Drew Harp, and then won 3-0 on the title mat over top-seeded Andrew Haas (21-2) of Lena-Winslow.   Haas’ appearance on the title mat gave Lena-Winslow six consecutive wrestlers — from 145 to 195 — to reach the finals in Sandwich.     “It’s hard not to get better in that practice room. It’s filled with a bunch of athletes,” Rice said. “Between 145 to 195, and a couple light weights, we all get after it. We all have different styles and that benefits us all a lot. It gives us a head start on other people’s styles.”   Sherrard’s Josh Bynum (21-2) pinned three of his four opponents en route to a regional title at 220, culminating with a pin of Nick Upmann (12-2) of Durand for the title. Bynum also handed Dakota’s Aidan Nardin (20-1) his first loss of the season via second-period fall in their semifinal match.

At heavyweight, Rockridge’s top-seeded Sam Buser (14-5) won by fall in his semifinal before pulling off a 3-1 sudden victory win on the title mat over second-seeded Elijah Friedrichsen (13-4) of Erie.

With the tournament over, Milder applauded the effort of the IWCOA in creating this year’s individual state tournament.   “I’m sure it was a headache and a struggle but I think they’ve done a great job pulling it off and giving kids a chance to win a state title,” Milder said. “We’re treating it like a state tournament, the same way we do every other year.”     Complete list of sectional qualifiers from the 1A Sandwich regional:

106 1st Place – Ryan Welgat – independent of Kewanee (H.S.) 2nd Place – Anthony Reyes of Rock Falls 3rd Place – Jacob Gibson of Erie 4th Place – Ayden Rowley of Dixon (H.S.) 5th Place – Steven Benavidez of Princeton 6th Place – Dalton Nimrick of Rock Island (Alleman)  

113 1st Place – Brady Grennan of Sterling (Newman Central Catholic) 2nd Place – Edwin Estrada of Oregon 3rd Place – Chris Sitter of Dixon (H.S.) 4th Place – Luke Moen of Orion 5th Place – Aaron Meenen of Rock Falls 6th Place – Kadin Kern of Sandwich  

120 1st Place – Phoenix Blakely of Dakota 2nd Place – Garrett Luke of Lena (L.-Winslow) 3rd Place – Wyatt Doty of Savanna (West Carroll) 4th Place – Grant Stender of Oregon 5th Place – Carter Rude of Sterling (Newman Central Catholic) 6th Place – Kaden Peterson – independent of Kewanee (H.S.)  

126 1st Place – Evan Reilly of Sandwich 2nd Place – Matthew Harris of Princeton 3rd Place – Jason Bowers of Dakota 4th Place – Carter Jepson – Independent of Erie 5th Place – Lane Halverson of Oregon 6th Place – Carson McPeek of Lena (L.-Winslow)  

132 1st Place – Maddux Blakely of Dakota 2nd Place – Ethen Doty-independent of Savanna (West Carroll) 3rd Place – Donovan Crumpacker of Stillman Valley 4th Place – Augie Christiansen of Princeton 5th Place – Zach White of Lena (L.-Winslow) 6th Place – Pahyton Smith of Rock Falls  

138 1st Place – Will Rude of Sterling (Newman Central Catholic) 2nd Place – Tyler Simmer of Dakota 3rd Place – Kadin Rednour of Kewanee (H.S.) 4th Place – Seth Stevens of Oregon 5th Place – Nolan Bobee of Sandwich 6th Place – Colton Linke-independent of Morrison  

145 1st Place – Andrew Herbst of Oregon 2nd Place – Simon Rillie – Independent of Lena (L.-Winslow) 3rd Place – Aidan Linden of Sandwich 4th Place – Reese Finch of Taylor Ridge (Rockridge) 5th Place – Case Rockey of Dakota 6th Place – Josh Pritz- Independent of Princeton  

152 1st Place – Kelden McCombie-independent of Savanna (West Carroll) 2nd Place – Griffin Luke of Lena (L.-Winslow) 3rd Place – Dylan Russell of Sherrard 4th Place – Noah Schnerre of Orion 5th Place – Randy Manos of Stillman Valley 6th Place – Owen Brooks of Dixon (H.S.)

160 1st Place – Jason Hermann – Independent of Lena (L.-Winslow) 2nd Place – Martin-independent) (Snyder of Dakota 3rd Place – Gabe Eckerd of Oregon 4th Place – David Dierickx – independent of Rock Island (Alleman) 5th Place – Gunnar Wuebben – Independent of Erie 6th Place – Seven Tornga of Sandwich  

170 1st Place – Case Harmston – Independent of Lena (L.-Winslow) 2nd Place – Austin Abitua – Independent of Stillman Valley 3rd Place – Alex Alfaro of Sandwich4th Place – Zane Pannell of Fulton 5th Place – Quinn Staples – Independent of Dixon (H.S.) 6th Place – Jack Patting – independent of Rock Island (Alleman)  

182 1st Place – Jaden Rice – Independent of Lena (L.-Winslow) 2nd Place – Kayden White of Morrison 3rd Place – Ethan Rash-independent of Fulton 4th Place – Connor Holly of Sandwich 5th Place – Wyatt Queckboerner of Polo 6th Place – Hunter Locke of Taylor Ridge (Rockridge)  

195 1st Place – Josh Fair of Orion 2nd Place – Andrew Haas – Independent of Lena (L.-Winslow) 3rd Place – Mitchell White of Dixon (H.S.) 4th Place – Drew Harp of Princeton 5th Place – Kaiden Gustafson of Sandwich 6th Place – Devon Rucker of Polo  

220 1st Place – Josh Bynum of Sherrard 2nd Place – Nick Upmann-independant of Durand 3rd Place – Aidan-independent) (Nardin of Dakota 4th Place – Justin Dallas of Dixon (H.S.) 5th Place – Aaron Wolf-Independent of Morrison 6th Place – Henry Engel of Lena (L.-Winslow)  

285 1st Place – Sam Buser of Taylor Ridge (Rockridge) 2nd Place – Elijah Friedrichsen of Erie 3rd Place – Payne Miller of Princeton 4th Place – Tristan Shaw of Rock Falls 5th Place – Josh Vanderlinden of Sherrard 6th Place – Justin Wicaryus of Amboy

By Curt Herron  

Sunday’s Class 1A El Paso-Gridley Super Regional definitely featured a little bit of something for all 19 teams who participated in the competition in El Paso.  

In the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association’s Open State Series super regional that featured central Illinois squads stretching from one side of the state to the other, each team advanced at least one individual to Saturday’s Heyworth Sectional and 15 of the 19 squads qualified at least half of their contingents for the sectional.  

The makeup of the super regional was very similar to the 2020 regionals that were held at Dwight and Farmington which fed into the Olympia Sectional.  

Canton qualified 12 of its 14 competitors with nine of those finishing in the topthree to defeat Illini Bluffs 217-154 for the team title championship.    

It was only the third regional title that the Little Giants have captured and was the program’s first championship since 2009. They just missed out on winning a regional title in 2020 when Mercer County edged them 134.5-133 to claim top honors in the Farmington Regional title.  

Farmington (third, 117), Mercer County (fourth, 89.5) and Ridgeview advanced all of their competitors while Clifton Central (fifth, 84) and Illini Bluffs had the second-highest total of qualifiers with eight apiece.  

Four teams had two title winners, Farmington, Illini Bluffs, Prairie Central and Ridgeview, while Canton, Dwight, El Paso-Gridley, Gibson City, Melvin-Sibley, Knoxville and Normal’s University High each had one champion.

“It’s been top-to-bottom from the kids club all the way up to the high school, there’s been a lot of dedication going into making the program better by getting the numbers up and getting the right kids into the room,” said Little Giants coach Zach Crawford, who’s a Canton graduate and two of his three assistant coaches are also graduates of the school.    

“We have the family and the support staff around us and it’s a big deal to be a Little Giant and a lot of people love it.  

“We had 12 kids advance to the sectional tournament, and that’s a big deal. I’ve always been a huge supporter of what the IWCOA does for the wrestling community in the state as a whole, they just do great things. Just giving the kids the opportunity to get on the mat and do the thing that we all love, it means a lot to the boys.”  

The Little Giants got their lone title at 113 when sophomore Trevor Hedges (18-1) won 8-1 over Mercer County senior Broctyn King (9-2). It looked like Trevor’s brother Andrew, a junior, might win in the 138 finals, but he fell in overtime. Trevor Hedges was a sectional qualifier a year while King placed sixth at state.  

“We’ve had a little adversity, but we’ll get through it in the end as a team,” Trevor Hedges said. “We’re coming together and have it going on now. We just work hard in practice and bust our butts.”    

One of two freshmen who won titles was Illini Bluffs’ Ian O’Connor (22-3), who beat Canton’s other finalist, sophomore John Davis (17-4), by an 11-6 score in the 120 finals. It’s been a busy spring for the Tigers freshman, who also was a member of the school’s baseball team that advanced to the sectional finals.  

Ian’s grandfather, Pat O’Connor, started the program at the school and coached there for 37 years, claiming over 500 wins to earn recognition as an IWCOA hall of famer and receiving a lifetime service award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Illinois chapter. Ian’s father, Shawn, a 1987 state medalist at the school, is the team’s head coach.    

“I’m from a big wrestling family, so wrestling is the main topic in my house most of the time, so it’s cool to be here and have a season when some sports didn’t get one,” O’Connor said. “I played soccer, baseball, wrestling and golf, so I did four sports this year. Baseball and wrestling were at the same time with my last game on Friday. Wrestling is probably my favorite sport. Today was a good day for me and I took first place, but next week where it counts, though, getting down to the state tournament is my big goal.”  

Illini Bluffs received its other title from O’Connor’s training partner, sophomore Paul Ishikawa (24-1), who won 15-3 over Herscher junior Austin Grise (7-1) in the 126 finals. Ishikawa fell one win shy of a medal a year ago while Grise is a two-time state qualifier.  

The second-place team in the super regional had a successful day, sending four to the finals and advancing eight of their 10 competitors.  

“I didn’t think that we were going to have a season and it started off rough but I guess we pulled out of it,” Ishikawa said. “I wrestled a lot in Wisconsin earlier this summer. I played soccer this year because I didn’t know if we would have wrestling. I can definitely tell that a lot of people have gotten better as time went on as they put the work in.”  

Farmington advanced all seven of its competitors. The Farmers had a pair of champions, freshman Keygan Jennings (21-2) at 106 and sophomore Rese Shymansky (13-2) at 160.   Jennings captured the 106 title when he prevailed with a 4-3 victory over another freshman, Mercer County’s Ethan Munson (13-1).    

“It’s nice being back after not being able to wrestle and It’s cool that the IWCOA hosts this,” Jennings said. “It’s about trying to build up in order to get better and it’s always about improving. So coming out here and winning this was awesome.”  

Shymansky, who qualified for sectionals a year ago, recorded a fall in 1:23 over Knoxville sophomore Jaxin Johnson (19-4) to claim top honors at 160.  

“It’a privilege to still be able to compete because a lot of people weren’t able to have their season or be able to compete at state,” Shymansky said. “It’s awesome that our whole team is going to sectionals so that will be a better environment for us since you’ll have your whole team cheering you on.”  

Although Ridgeview only brought four individuals to the super regional, two of them won titles, senior Billy Tay at 145 and junior Evan Antonio at 220, and both improved to 16-0 on the season.  

Tay, a two-time state qualifier who placed third at state in 2019 and fell a win shy of another medal last year, needed just 28 seconds to record a fall over Illini Bluffs senior Connor Speck (22-3), a sectional qualifier last year, to win at 145.    

His unbeaten record is more impressive considering that he was in two sports this spring, also playing baseball. He’s hoping that his third state visit is even better than his first two, which were really good.  

“It was nice that they put something together to give people an opportunity to go to state this year,” Tay said. “It was different having a tournament because I was just used to being in meets. I did both wrestling and baseball, and baseball just ended.”  

Antonio, who was a state qualifier a year ago, obviously feels good about his perfect mark as a two-sport spring athlete after winning the 220 pound title with a fall in 1:26 over Monmouth-Roseville senior Jesus Rojas (2-1), who won a regional title last season. But Antonio wasn’t always so upbeat, especially when he learned that there would be no IHSA tournament.    

“It was pretty disappointing since I was a state qualifier last year,” Antonio said. “I also played baseball and that was hard at first but then it was easier after a while. It’s quite exciting to come back and wrestle in a regional.”

The other team that had two champions was Prairie Central, who got pins from sophomore twin brothers Owen and Connor Steidinger at 182 and 195.   Connor (12-3) didn’t get to wrestle on the varsity a year ago since he was at 170, which was the same weight as unbeaten state champion Logan Deacetis. Connor took top honors at 195 after recording a fall in 1:02 over Knoxville sophomore Dilan Vanbeveran (17-5).  

“This is important for me because last year I didn’t get much mat time and during this season I didn’t get much either,” Connor Steidinger said.     Owen (10-4), who did get to compete on the varsity as a freshman, captured the title at 182 with a fall in 3:09 over Mercer County freshman Ian Willits (8-6).  

“We weren’t supposed to have a tournament so I’m just thankful that God allowed us to have regionals, even though it wasn’t IHSA,” Owen Steidinger said. “It was very exciting that my brother and I won. He’s always been a little better than me so just to be able to be first with him was great.”  

Another two-time state qualifier who fell one win shy of a state medal a year ago is Dwight junior Dillon Sarff, who improved to 18-2 after recording a fall in 4:38 over Illinois Valley Central senior Mitch Connor (22-2), a returning sectional qualifier, in the 132 finals. Like many others, he’s thrilled to get the chance to try to make a third-straight state trip.  

“This was very interesting because I like to be able to wrestle a variety of kids, and I didn’t wrestle one of these kids,” Sarff said. “It was fun, for sure, to be able to wrestle some people that we’ve never wrestled before. I was actually pretty concerned and I didn’t think that we were going to have anything like this, so I’m pretty glad that we did and I hope to make a pretty good run at state.”  

The 152 title match featured a clash between a pair of returning state qualifiers. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley senior Kaden Gream (16-1) captured a 9-5 victory over Peoria Notre Dame junior Joey Mushinsky (30-1).   “I’m a senior and this is my last year, so I’m really excited that we had a state series and I’ll see what I can do,” Gream said. “Some of us had worked our whole lives for this so to get that opportunity away would have been a bumber.”  

The host Titans (sixth, 80) got in on the championships in dramatic fashion when sophomore Dax Gentes (18-2) rallied to beat Canton junior Andrew Hedges (16-3) with a 7-5 sudden victory at 138.    

Gentes, who was a regional champ last year, rallied late to force overtime and then scored to prevent Hedges, who was a sectional qualifier last year, of joining his brother Trevor as a regional champ.  

“We had kids from everywhere and there were big schools and little schools here,” Gentes said. “The weird thing is that we went a whole season and this is our first tournament, and it’s regionals, sectionals and state. This is all just training to get better. I’d love to make it to state and being in the grand march has always been one of my dreams.”  

Knoxville junior Hunter Fox (22-0) takes a perfect record into his third sectional appearance after winning the 170 title over Ridgeview sophomore Connor Feit (9-4) with a fall in 1:40. Fox is hoping that the third time is the charm and he gets to state this year.  

“I’m glad that we’re having this,” Fox said. “I thought that we weren’t going to have a state tournament, so I was kind of bummed out about that. But then we found out that we were having this and it’s the first tournament of the year, so there’s a lot of jitters in it. But if you’re a junior like me, you can get experience on a big stage if you can make it down to state.”  

And in the 285 championship, a pair of returning sectional qualifiers went at it and University High junior Hunter Otto (14-4) won the title with a fall in 33 seconds over Illini Bluffs senior Ethan Patterson (10-4).  

“It was really nice to have this,” Otto said. “I was so worried that I would go through the season and just have a couple of meets and that would be it. I usually had about 35 matches a season and I only had 11 true matches, which is bizarre. Hopefully I can go to state and if I wrestle well enough, I can place.”

By Mike Garofola

In a season like no other, one which has been significantly affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, the sport of wrestling reappeared. And Marian Central Catholic continued to show remarkable consistency during these turbulent times.  

The resilience and togetherness of the Hurricanes was on center stage Sunday afternoon at Antioch, when the East Suburban Catholic Conference power swept away the competition at the Antioch 2A regional, during the kickoff weekend for the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association’s 2021 state tournament.  

“It’s great to be wrestling on a weekend and to have the guys wrestle multiple matches, and to be back in the atmosphere that we all enjoy, and have missed,” said Hurricanes head coach David Silva, who celebrated eight individual champions, including three-time state champ Dylan Connell and teammate Scotty Burke.  

“It would have been great to have a regular IHSA sponsored state tournament, but this is the next best thing, and I know all of us appreciate the IWCOA putting all of this together – especially for the seniors, who might not have had anything if not for this,” said Connell, who won easily at 182 pounds to run his 2021 record to 17-0, after a perfect 44-0 season in 2020.

Connell, who will wrestle this fall at the University of Illinois, will leave for Champaign in the middle of July, while Burke (15-2 at152) on his way to wrestle at Loras College. Burke will stay home and train a little while longer before heading to Dubuque where he will have a chance to crack the starting lineup.  

“I cannot wait to wrestle at Loras – the coaching staff, wrestling program, and campus — it’s a great fit for me,” said Burke, a three-time state qualifier, and fourth-place medal winner. Burke will room at Loras with Jack Sullivan of Wauconda, who finished third in a loaded 126-pound bracket. Two-time state medal winner Elon Rodriguez of Marian Central Catholic won the bracket at 126, topping Antioch sophomore Caleb Nobiling (14-3) on the title mat.  

Nobiling enjoyed a sensational rookie season for Antioch, which lifted the team trophy at regional with ease last season, then sent a program record nine wrestlers to the 2A state tournament.   “It was a really good freshmen year for me (obviously) I would have liked to have done better at state, but fourth overall was pretty good, and I know what I have to do to be better,” said Nobiling, who won 41 in 2019, and will soon turn his attention to the start of football camp, where he is deployed as a running back.   Nobiling conceded a fall late in the third period to Rodriguez (18-0), who finished second at the 2020 state tournament.  

“We have a lot of new faces on our team, but (David) Silva and our coaching staff have done a great job of sorting out our lineup, and getting us ready for this tournament – which I really appreciate the IWCOA putting together for us,” said Rodriguez, who will wrestle at Triton College this fall.  

Two of the new faces to the Hurricanes this season are former Aurora Christian star Chris Moore (138), who won a state title in 2020 at 106 pounds, and Harvard four-year veteran Nik Jimenez, the 126-pound 1A runner-up.  

Crystal Lake Central collected a trio of first place trophies at Antioch: Dillon Carlson (145,17-1), Caden Ernd (170, 6-0) and Julian Ryerson (195) who was a state qualifier a year ago with a 30-19 record.   Ernd, third overall at state with an impressive 39-5 record last year, will be joining Connell at Illinois in the fall, after taking a long look at Davidson, Northwestern, and Campbell in North Carolina.  

“I’ve been training at Poeta since eighth-grade, and (Mike) who was the assistant for awhile, and now the head coach, had a tremendous influence on me as to where I would go to college, so it’s a great fit to be there with him, and several other wrestlers that I know,” said Ernd.  

“I was really excited to hear there would be a state tournament schedule for us after we lost last season,” said Carlson, whose postseason a year ago was cut short due to an elbow injury which required surgery.  

“This coming high school season is really big for me – beginning with the IWCOA tournament, then continued workouts at Poeta to help get me ready for my senior year,” added Carlson.   The affable Grayslake Central senior, Jake Lester, who lost in the blood round at sectionals in 2020, defeated Joe Swanson of Cary-Grove with a 5-2 decision to win the 220 pound division.  

“THIS is my state tournament,” Lester said with a smile.  

“We all lost a season because of Covid, and there was nothing any of us could do about it, but I’ve been lifting, working out, putting extra time in with Joey Jens (Lesters’ former teammate, and 2020 state runner-up) as well as Apollo Gothard (state champion from Lemont) – in order to make a serious run at a state title,” said Lester, who will join the work force at his father’s family business when the season is over.  

“Jake has been working hard – he’s doing everything he needs to get himself ready for these next three or four weeks,” said Grayslake Central head coach, Matt Joseph.  

“We’ve had 14-15 kids in our room on a consistent basis, three of which are freshmen, who if they continue to work hard will give us a very good core of young guys to build from, including Joey Jens’ younger brother (Matthew) at 170.   Coaches Mike Buhr of Wauconda, Justen Lehr of Crystal Lake Central and Will Petersen of Cary-Grove all share the same stories when it came to roster numbers, and turnouts, and varied degrees of success during the fractured half-season that teams just completed.  

“There were a lot of factors to how many kids were in our room – thanks in part to some of the guys playing another sport, like (Colin) Husko, who’s a great shortstop,” said Buhr. Buhr had a steady 17-18 wrestlers with a solid bunch from 126-152, which he hopes to build from.   Mike Ness of Antioch won the heavyweight division in Antioch after his 7-4 decision over JP Sullivan from Lakes, who is also a nationally-ranked power lifter.   Other individual champions on this day were: Josh Glover (106), Charlie Fitzgerald (113) and Nick Davidson (120) from Marian Central Catholic, in addition to Lake Forest senior Bennett Duggan (160, 23-1) who was also a 2020 regional champ.  

“I would call this day a huge success,” proclaimed Antioch’s long-time coach, Wilbur Borrero, who also served a meet director at his own venue.  

“Since this regional was at a school facility, and not an independent location, we had to follow certain guidelines such as temperature checks, and mask wearing – but everyone cooperated, and followed the rules, and it turned out to be a fantastic day for everyone. I was thrilled we could host this regional,” added Borrero.  

The top six from each weight class advanced to the sectional meet at Pure Elite Fitness venue in Arlington Heights on June 19.   The final numbers on the leader board went like this:   Marian Central Catholic 293 overall points; Antioch 151.5; Crystal Lake Central 146.5; and Lake Forest with 101, rounding out the top four.  

“Congrats to Marian, they have a very good team, with several of their guys four-year wrestlers, who have made the commitment to the program and David (Silva),” Borrero said. “And for us, I was happy with our effort. We’re obviously missing a few of our guys but we got ourselves some good results, and now we hope to get some of them through at sectionals.”

By Gary Larsen

With the IHSA not hosting an individual or dual team state tournament this year due to the pandemic, the IWCOA will host its own individual state tournament in Springfield from June 21-26.

The IHSA sanctioned a wrestling regular season but once it was announced that there would be no state tournament, there was never a doubt that the IWCOA would try to fill the void.

The planning for that tournament has been an arduous process but it has been guided from the outset by one simple goal: “Every kid from the inner city of Chicago to the rural parts of Illinois — we want to give every single kid the opportunity to participate and try to qualify for the state tournament. And we want to give them a great experience,” IWCOA member Rob Porter said.

Porter has been one of the chief planners for the tournament, which kicks off with individual varsity boys regionals in all three classes on Sunday, June 13. Sectional meets will take place June 19.

The state finals at the Bank of Springfield Center will kick of Monday, June 21 with the girls’ state tournament. The boys’ state finals that week will take place as follows: the frosh-soph finals will take place Tuesday and Wednesday; Class 1A on Thursday; Class 2A on Friday; and Class 3A on Saturday, June 26.

Rob Porter, Executive Board Member

Porter has been involved in Illinois high school wrestling for decades as a coach and administrator. Once the decision was made to run a state tournament, numerous questions naturally arose.“Where do we start? How do we do something like this, especially in such short a time?” Porter said. “So it was a lot of meetings about what we wanted it to look like and what kind of competitions we wanted.”

Countless meetings landed on a state tournament with a few alterations sewn in. For starters, instead of 16 regionals for each of Illinois’ three classes, the IWCOA will hold 8 super-regionals each for 1A, 2A, and 3A boys competition. Instead of eight schools at each regional there will be 16 schools present. Four individual sectionals will then take place for each class.

Additionally, the top six wrestlers in each weight class will advance to sectional competition, and the top four sectional finishers at each weight will advance to the state finals.

That’s the easy part. What hasn’t been easy was finding locations, sponsors, addressing costs, and coordinating such a massive undertaking.
“It has opened my eyes to how much work the IHSA really puts in to having these state events,” Porter said. “They really work hard. I’ve also seen how much passion there is for our sport, state-wide.

“I’ve been excited to pitch in and help out but it’s certainly not just me. Our president, Roy Snyder, (board member) Deb Nason, coaches like (DG North’s) Chris McGrath have all stepped up and helped out.”

Corporate sponsors have also stepped up. Wrestling gear companies like Rudis and Dollamur will have a presence in Springfield, along with Gatorade, LiUna Labors International Union, National Guard, and Illinois Matmen, which will partner with the IWCOA and live stream the state tournament.

Securing sites for regionals and sectionals posed a challenge, since many high schools could not host events as they typically do, requiring the IWCOA to pursue more unconventional locations.

Luckily, Pure Elite Fitness Center in Arlington Heights, Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale, and the Naperville Athletic Center all agreed to host regionals in Class 3A beginning on June 13.

Where participation is concerned, the board put out feelers to gauge how many high school wrestlers returned to the sport for the spring season, after the traditional winter season was canceled by the IHSA.

IWCOA surveyed schools offering wrestling and a 30 percent return rate revealed 60 percent participation by wresters during the spring’s regular season.

“A lot of them have had to choose between multiple sports and activities occurring at the same time this year, so we expected those number to drop and they have,” Porter said. “But wrestling is happening. We have a kid on our team that wrestles and plays baseball. So there are kids doing both. It’s been an interesting year.”

The cost to run a state tournament is considerable, and the IWCOA is hoping that sponsorships, sign-up fees, donations, and tickets purchased by fans in Springfield will help defray that cost.

But if the organization takes a financial hit, it’s willing to do so for the sake of competition.

“We’re a charitable organization and we have a budget,” Porter said. “That budget is there for a rainy day, and it’s pouring outside right now. But that’s what the IWCOA is all about — supporting the sport of wrestling in the state of Illinois and if we lose a little money in order to do that, that’s all right.”

“It won’t be perfect but we don’t want to walk away from this year with kids not having the opportunity to be a state qualifier for the first time in their life. Or maybe they just missed being a state place-winner in the past. Or maybe they were set to be state champs this year but because of the pandemic they didn’t get that opportunity.”

“We want the top wrestlers in the state of Illinois to participate in this event. We want it to be a true state championship and we hope the top wrestlers view it that way.”

For more information on the 2021 IWCOA State Series, visit this link:

https://iwcoa.net/2021-iwcoa-state-championships/

WRESTLING PROGRAMS LOOK TO TAKE THE STING OUT OF COVID – AN IWCOA FEATURE STORY

by Mike Garofola

In sports (or the sport of wrestling) injuries are inevitable.
Even when  athletes are in peak physical form, and specifically train to stay fit and mobile, a single errant misstep, awkward landing or violent collision can bend joints and limbs in ways they aren’t meant to move.

And while coming back from any injury can will test any athlete – the battle with COVID, which has proved to be a heartless monster, is unlike any injury wrestlers have had to overcome.

The IHSA recently threw the sport a lifeline when it announced a regular season, albeit, a truncated one, which is scheduled to begin April 19.

Long before this announcement, coaches all around the state, including a trio of sensational leaders, have kept their guys engaged in a variety of ways – while providing positive energy, and moral support in order to insure their program remains physically and mentally ready should the 2021 season come true.

Dale Eggert, Pete Alber and Marc Pechter have each tasted regular and postseason success all throughout their careers – watching their lads navigate themselves through the rigors of a long, and arduous campaign in order to find themselves on the podium in Champaign.

Eggert, Alber and Pechter, like each and everyone of their peers, work hard to bring the best they can out of their men, not to only achieve success, but also, and perhaps more importantly, help mold them into fine young men.
While The COVID-19 pandemic has tested and stretched the mental and physical being of all,Eggert the brilliant long time head coach at Libertyville High School – remains unwaveringly optimistic – knowing as long hope remains, the possibility of overcoming this near year long battle will end on a positive note.

“I’ve seen a lot in all my years in this sport, but nothing quite like this,” admits Eggert, who, if there is a 2021 campaign, will begin his 34th as the man in charge at Libertyville, and his 43rd overall..

“You feel badly for all of your guys, everyone in the sport for that matter.”
“(But) it’s especially difficult for the seniors, who all know there’s a chance that high school wrestling – for them – may have ended last February.”

Eggert, for those you may not know, sits just outside the top 5 in career victories in the IHSA with 595, to go along with 114 state qualifiers, in what is a sensational coaching resume.

Year in, and year out, Eggerts’ lads are always among the most technically and tactically ready wrestlers, which makes a Libertyville wrestler a difficult opponent to pry open during a match.

Libertyville, like every other program in the state, were allotted 20 ‘contact’ days last fall, but after a pair of Wildcats shortened the contact days after becoming infected, Eggert and his staff led just a dozen days.

“It was great seeing 30+ guys in person as we worked on agility, conditioning, footwork, technical things (and) just having dialogue with everyone as a team,” said Eggert.

When this was over, Eggert knew he had to continue to keep his men engaged, so he got creative by piecing together Video Homework Assignments. These assignments would include: * viewing a video on defensive moves that scored, and how many of each type there were.* viewing (4) matches of former Wildcats’ great, Danny Pucino (now at Illinois) – and listing how many takedowns the 2019 state runner up tallied.* viewing a Nutrition-Weight Control-Making Weight video.

“We’re all very fortunate to have a head coach like (Dale) Eggert,” proclaimed senior, Chase Baczek, who enjoyed the virtual assignments, and used them to supplement time spent at the Poeta Training Center along with teammate Josh Knudten, and a handful of others, who trained at Poeta also.
“(Eggert) is amazing,” continues Baczek.

“The virtual work is great. There’s technical, and conditioning things we work on, plus it helps us all stay in touch with each other a couple of times a week.”

Baczek, who found himself in the 170-pound ‘Group of Granite’ division came ‘this’ close to earning a trip downstate last season when he lost 2-1 in his state qualifying bout at the Barrington sectional.

“(David) Ferrante and Luke Rasmussen went one-two at state, and another guy (Richardo Salinas) finished sixth – so it was tough weight class last season, and that’s why it is important to have a season in order to get downstate and get on the podium,” admits Baczek, who finished at 37-9 in 2020.

The affable Libertyville senior would compete at the Super 32 at 182 pounds, and despite the high level competition (felt) the trip to Myrtle Beach was well worth the experience.

Baczeks’ partner in the room, Josh Knudten, who was one of (3) from Libertyville to make it downstate is a big fan of Eggerts’ virtual program as he looks ahead to a hopeful 2021 campaign.

“I look forward to the assignments we receive each week,” begins the junior. (It) helps keep me focused and mentally and physically good about myself, as does my regular workouts during the week.”

Knudten, who won 32 a year ago, continues his training as if the regular season were about to begin.

“I eat, lift, condition, and continue to train like we were in our season, and with the vaccine now here, I am feeling really good about us having a wrestling season (and) for me, it’s all about going out there looking to prove myself as a person who can compete for a state title.”

For all the success the Dakota program has achieved – and there’s been plenty – Peter Alber, and Andrew Wenzel remain cautiously optimistic of a 2021 wrestling season. Pete Alber has lifted plenty of dual team state championship trophies, and since taking over the Dakota program in 2005, has celebrated dozens of individual titles along the way, including his own in 1981 – but this stoppage in play due to COVID is something that just breaks his heart.

“(It) just stinks there’s that chance of not having a season – but it especially difficult knowing it could happen to our seniors,” admits Alber. We’re all holding out hope the season does in fact start in April, but without a state tournament, so we’ll see what eventually happens.”

Dakota has collected (5) dual-team state titles under Alber, including his first in 2006 in advance of a marvelous four-year run (2013-2016) when the program brought four straight.

“There’s a lot of tradition and pride when it comes to Dakota wrestling – that’s why it’s difficult not having the guys around full time (everyday) in the room,” begins Alber. Having them in the room makes life normal for them – it gives them purpose each and everyday, and allows them to see their friends and teammates on a daily basis – which is what they all need.”

Prior to opening up to in-person learning after Thanksgiving, Dakota High School was in full ‘remote’ which meant Alber and his staff were not allowed in to coach.

“I know a lot of the guys were working hard on their own (also) getting extra work off site at their respective clubs, and traveling out of state to compete when the opportunity was available to them.”

Like his head coach, Andrew Wenzel is keeping his fingers crossed he and his mates have a season come mid-April.

“We’re all hoping to have a season, it’s something we talk about – and coach (Alber) has remained upbeat about our chances whenever we talk and get together,” says the top man in the Dakota program.

“It’s obviously tough for all of us, especially the seniors, but also for our freshmen, who I want to see experience their first high school wrestling season.”

Wenzel has a freshmen brother (Noah) who looks to be ready to compete at 195 this spring. After considering a handful of Ivy League schools, then watching his No. 1 choice (Stanford) announce it would drop the program – Wenzel signed on to attend, and wrestle at the Air Force Academy.

“I know I made the right decision to go to the Academy, it’s a great place for me to wrestle, and to challenge myself in the classroom,” says Wenzel, who will already know Jared Van Fleet, who was a four-time state medal winner while starring at Stillman Valley High School. After his commitment to the service in completed, Wenzel will look to go onto medical school.

There’s another reason Wenzel wants to see his final year at Dakota finish in the room – and that will be securing a second 1A state title after earning his first during his sophomore season. In the championship bout a year ago, Wenzel would take on Logan Deacetis of Prairie Central in contest between the top two men all season long at 170 – with Deacetis holding on for a 3-2 victory.

“Logan was a great opponent, but if I had to do that match over again, I would have push the pace a little more, and get to my offense better.”

Back in the day, Deerfield wrestling would have a difficult time taking one step forward, without taking two back. With the Warriors program dangerously close to being put out of its misery – enter Marc Pechter, who in time, turned his club into one of quality, and success by changing the culture from top-to-bottom.

“Deerfield had not won a single dual meet in conference in the ten years prior to me coming here, so there were a lot of things we had to meet face on in order to getting us to where we wanted to be,” said Pechter, who last year would guide his men to a 12th consecutive divisional title in the Central Suburban North.

“Those were tough times back then when I got here, but (we) got through it – and now we have to get through another rough time with COVID.”
While Pechter would enjoy ten days of pure bliss during the first ever family vacation over the recent holiday break, it also meant for the first time, he and his staff would not be around his guys in the room, and at tournament competition.

“It really hurts to see the guys sitting (this) out right now – especially the seniors, I just can’t fathom them possibly seeing their wrestling careers cut short by a year,” admits Pechter.

“It’s been important for me to stay in touch with the team, making sure they’re staying with their workouts, and academics, while for our upperclassmen – reaching out to college coaches so our guys don’t slip through the cracks and get lost during these times.”

Just like Dale Eggert, the Warriors head coach uses zoom meetings to show a wide variety of subjects to keep his men connected, including: an ESPN documentary on Iowa wrestling, or Dan Gable as a guest speaker, who focused on how to cope during hard times, while also providing inspirational words about USA wrestling.

“We have the guys watch video from the previous years (highlighting) individual and team efforts at duals, tournaments, and the postseason,” adds Pechter. Whenever the Warriors get together, Pechter and his stafff stress the importance of first rate hygiene, masks and social distancing – whether lifiting on their own, or part of skill work in small groups.

“Dale, Peter, myself, and everyone else around the state are hoping to have a regular season, and maybe even a state tournament led by the IWCOA – we might even do some outdoor competition out on the football stadium turf as part of a fund-raising event.”

Taking a look back at the 1A-3A IHSA State Individual Championships through the lens of videographer J.D. Oliva and brought to you once again from the Dale Eggert archives. Stay safe and stay healthy Illinois wrestling fans!

IHSA State Individual Wrestling Championships

Class 1A State Bracket
Class 2A State Bracket
Class 3A State Bracket