Barrington’s depth too much for Stevenson at 3A Fremd Regional

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

Barrington coach Dan Keller knew his men would be in for a fierce battle for a regional title once the IHSA released the class 3A assignments.

Both Barrington and Stevenson were coming off impressive efforts last weekend to win at the MSL and Lake County Invite tournaments, respectively, setting up a potential powder keg of thrills for the big audience inside the Foglia Health and Recreation Building in Palatine, on the sprawling campus of Harper Community College.

“When it was Stevenson in our regional, along with a strong team like Fremd from our conference, plus some really good wrestlers from the rest of the field, we knew we would be in for a tough day,” Keller said.

“(With) a really tough non-conference and tournament schedule we set up for the guys, I really felt we would be ready for the challenge today, and even though we were neck-and-neck with a very good Stevenson team, I knew in the end if the guys did what we knew they were capable of that we could win and advance.”

Next up for the Broncos will be a 6 p.m. dual-team sectional semifinal on Thursday against Loyola Academy in Fox Lake, at Grant.
Barrington will send nine wrestlers to its own individual sectional in two weeks. Six Broncos claimed individual championship trophies.

Stevenson advanced 10, Lake Zurich and Palatine five each, with Buffalo Grove and Fremd earning four spots in sectional play. Dundee-Crown (3) and Jacobs (2) will add to the sectional lineup.

Before Stevenson found its stride, the Patriots would be chasing a Barrington advantage that at one time was 53.5 points (166.5-128.0) around the noon hour, which was cut to just one point (190.5-189.5) before the eventual champs earned four individual titles, each via bonus-point victories.

“Stevenson is such a great team and program,” Keller said. “We have a lot of respect for them and Shane (Cook), so to get past them is a very nice accomplishment.”

Last season, the Broncos won a similarly tight affair over Stevenson at the Dundee-Crown regional, only to fall to eventual state runner-up Hononegah, 41-24.

106- Stefan Vihrov (Stevenson)

Freshman Stefan Vihrov (35-8) has been the perfect leadoff man for the Stevenson Patriots this season, witnessed by his astonishing 35 wins, two major victories, and a pair of second place medals all leading up to his 106-pound title here.

Vihrov and his sophomore teammate Daniel Berdich have provided the perfect dynamic duo at the top of the lineup, and it was his pin of Aiden Healey (Dundee-Crown, 27-6) that got the Patriots off and running in the final session.

“That’s my job, to give us a win and bonus points, especially in a tournament as important as this one,” Vihrov said. “After my second period near-fall, all I wanted to do was go for a tech fall or pin to give us extra team points.”

That near-fall Vihrov spoke of gave him a 9-3 advantage that would balloon to 18-5 at five minutes before he registered his pin.

Healey will move on, as will Fremd freshman Will Bousk (31-12) who was a MSL champion a week ago.

113- Daniel Berdich (Stevenson)

Daniel Berdich has provided the lower weight firepower all season long that has helped fuel a terrific Stevenson attack, while making himself one of the names to watch in the postseason.

After helping the Patriots to their Lake County Invite title last weekend, the Patriots’ sophomore mashed the competition with bonus-point victories in all three of his matches en route to the 113-pound title.

Berdich (31-4) opened his tournament with a pin, followed by a tech fall, before closing out Lucas Crandall (31-10) in a contest that would see the No. 1 seed defeat the No. 2 seed with a 12-0 major decision.

“Daniel has fully committed himself to the sport,” Stevenson coach Shane Cook said. “He trains year round, works incredibly hard, loves to learn, and wrestles at a high pace. He’s always looking to score points.”

No. 7-rated Berdich, a 2025 state qualifier, has recorded either a tech-fall or pin in (23) of his 31 victories on the season thus far.

Freshman Dunamis Philip (Palatine, 20-5) advanced following his third place victory.

120- Kaleb Pratt (Barrington)

After the Vihrov-Berdich duo earned enough bonus points to draw the Patriots within one point of Barrington, it would be a hard-fought 2-0 decision from No. 3 Kaleb Pratt that effectively put the eventual regional champions in front for good.

The Broncos’ talented junior would execute a perfect reversal midway through the second period to take the lead for good over No. 10 Mykola Shamray (31-6), who was rode hard in the second period and unable to get anything going after the Pratt (40-5) reversal.

“We’ve wrestled before,” Pratt said. “We know each other pretty well and I just didn’t feel like he wanted to be offensive in this match, and not attempt to open things up.”
Pratt recorded a major decision victory over the sophomore a week earlier in their MSL championship match.

“I obviously wanted to get bonus points for our team, but it was more important to get the win, especially after Stevenson got those first two at 106 and 113.”

Stevenson senior Evan Mishels (31-12) advances to sectionals after a pin in his third place contest.

126- Saul Ramirez (Barrington)

Saul Ramirez (27-12) kept the Barrington faithful on the edge of its seats all throughout his contest with Ben Arbotante (Jacobs, 34-11), but not because the Broncos senior provided a lively, high-scoring six minutes of wrestling.

“It wasn’t my best effort of the season, I could have pushed the pace, and opened things up a lot more,” Ramirez said. “But I guess I was able to find a burst of energy when I needed it most.”
Ramirez won a tense 3-1 decision over Arbotante, who lost in the blood round a year ago at the Barrington sectional.

The Jacobs’ senior appeared to have enough in his tank to hold onto a 1-0 advantage late into the third period, until Ramirez struck with a late take-down to take the lead for good.

Stevenson senior Marcelo Cantu (29-8) who lost to Ramirez (8-2) in the semifinals, came back to secure third place with a 10-5 decision over Jonathan Diaz from Lake Zurich.

132- Ryan Dorn (Barrington, 34-5)

As high-profile matches go, the title match at 132 had everyone’s attention..

It was No. 3 Ryan Dorn from Barrington vs. No. 5 Shawn Kogan (Stevenson) in a rematch of sorts, that saw Dorn manage a 5-4 decision early on.

However, this contest would carry far more importance in the team race both clubs were involved in.

“Shawn is a great wrestler, so it was important to wrestle smart, look for my chances and be aggressive in my attack in order to score points,” said Dorn (34-5) moments after his 12-4 major decision victory.

“It was a good match for myself, and especially our team with the bonus points from the major.” Dorn said. “I was happy to get that first tilt, and thought about a second late in the match, but it wasn’t quite there, and I didn’t want to risk anything at that point.”

An active first period ended at 7-2, later to 8-2 after two periods before Dorn added four more points from a near-fall one minute from time.

The two rivals will likely be on opposite sides of the bracket at sectionals in two weeks, perhaps leading to a third meeting between the two stars.

Armando Aguilar-Rodriguez (Palatine, 18-13) came back in wrestle-backs to place third and earn his first sectional appearance.

138- Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson)

Mikey Polyakov looks to be in fine form and as good as new, after missing considerable time to an injury — witnessed by a superb two-match effort on his way to the 138-pound title.

The Patriots junior opened his tournament with a fall in just 33 seconds, before unleashing a magnificent six-minute effort against Barrington sophomore Matthew Blanke (18-7) on his way to a 17-3 major decision victory.

“I was out for five-and-a half weeks with a hip flexor injury, which takes a long time to heal, but right now I feel a hundred percent, so I’m ready for these last couple of weeks of the season,” said Polyakov, who was a 2025 state qualifier and now the owner of two major titles on the season.

“I did a lot of extra work, especially my cardio to get myself ready for my return, and I’m really excited for sectionals and another trip to state,” added Polyakov, now 20-4.

Junior Evan Honegger (Lake Zurich, 27-14) won his third place match to advance.

144- Jimmy Whitaker (Barrington)

Jimmy Whitaker continues to make the middle of the Barrington lineup — along with teammate Daniel Blanke at 150 — a lethal and dangerous scoring machine.

The Broncos’ senior earned his third major title of the campaign with yet another marvelous effort on the mat, pinning his way to a regional title just one week after recording a trio of pins to claim the 144-pound title at the MSL tournament.

“I am feeling really good right now with everything, especially my arm-bar, which is kind of becoming the bread-and-butter of my game,” said Whitaker, who is now a dazzling 38-7 and has beaten Stevenson senior Valentin Vihrov (33-7) twice this season.

“Mentally I’m feeling it right now, which is a good thing in this sport, but I also know there’s still a lot of work ahead of me,” added Whitaker, who was a state qualifier in 2024, before missing most of the season a year ago with an injury.

Lincoln Riemer (Lake Zurich, 14-11) won his third place match to advance to sectionals.

150- Daniel Blanke (Barrington)

The Whitaker pin increased the Broncos advantage to ten points over Stevenson (203.0-193.0) and that lead would increase further thanks to another fabulous bit of work from Daniel Blanke (37-9), who left no doubt as to who was the best at 150 pounds on this day.

The No. 7 man in the state easily claimed his second consecutive major when he pinned his way to the top of the podium. His final pin came at just 37 seconds over Dundee-Crown senior Jadon Wheatley (24-12), who will making his second sectional appearance of his career.

“Win first, then go after bonus points to help the team,” Blanke said. “It really is a team sport when you get to regionals.”

The Broncos’ junior would unload on a trio of opponents a week ago at the MSL tournament – needing just over 4 1/2 minutes to finish the job – far more than the 2:40 minutes he spent on Saturday to dash the hopes of his rivals.

“My shots, set-ups, and hand-fighting are things I spent a lot of time working on during the offseason, and I’ll continue to do so the rest of the way,” added Blanke, who is now a two-time regional champ, and 30-match winner a year ago after his first appearance at state.

Stevenson freshman Kingsley Chen (22-14) wrestled back to earn a third place medal.

157- Anthony Klikas (Buffalo Grove)

Whenever Anthony Klikas (Buffalo Grove, 27-7) and Palatine senior Daniel Derevlyak (26-10) meet, the scorers’ table needs to be ready to add points as quickly as it can.

One week ago at the MSL tournament, it was an all-out point scoring contest, with Klikas winning a 32-point thriller (17-15) after overcoming an almost insurmountable deficit.

On Saturday, when Klikas would concede four straight points to see his 7-2 advantage shrink to 7-6 just seconds into the third period, the affable junior admitted it may be a case of deja vu all over again.

However, an 8-0 run fueled by a late near-fall would ensure an easier time for the Bison faithful who would watch Klikas earn his first regional title after a 15-6 major decision triumph.

“We’ve wrestled three times now, and I am 3-0 against Daniel, but there’s always a chance we could meet again in two weeks at sectionals,” opined Klikas

“Last week at conference, things really got away from me. All of a sudden I was down like 13-1. But I didn’t panic and I think that match really helped me today.”

Dom Sponsel (23-18), a sophomore from Fremd, is headed to his first sectional appearance after recording a pin in his third place match.

165- Karl Bep (Palatine)

As a self-described sponge who absorbs everything the Palatine coaching staff has tossed at him during his short time with the big club, Karl Bep has gone from nowhere to somewhere since his start in the sport during his freshman year.

The Pirates’ senior, who won at the 70th Berman Holiday Classic in his home gym with a marvelous three-match effort, was at it again Saturday. He recorded a pin followed by an outstanding 20-2 tech-fall result over Filip Kawalec (Lake Zurich, 24-14) to win his first regional crown and an automatic first round bye at the Barrington sectional.

“I’ve only been in this sport for three years, so there is so much to catch-up on and to learn,” Bep (27-7) said. “But I’m a hard worker who will do whatever it takes to improve, and fortunately for me we have a great coaching staff with coach Tulga (Zuunbagen), the guy I credit for all my progress and success.

“I am looking forward to wrestling right here at Harper next season, but first I want to do my best to get to state and do well there.”

Kosuke Hirata (Stevenson, 24-15) will advance after his third place finish.

175- Sam Cushman (Barrington)

Sam Cushman earned Barrington’s sixth and final individual title to effectively close out its rivals, following his 18-0 tech-fall over Philip Boyko (29-9) from runner-up Stevenson.

Both finalists pinned their way into the final. No. 19 rated Cushman (31-10) unveiled an all-action pace in the opening period to earn a 3-0 advantage. The lead extended to 6-0 after four minutes, before a third period explosion saw the Broncos junior register a pair of four-point near fall moves to increase his lead to 14-0.

“I’m a completely different wrestler compared to the start of the season,” Cushman said. “My attack is so much better, and although there was a game plan in place for my final, I knew I wanted to score first and just add points along the way to keep pressure on him.”

Cushman, who won an MSL title a week ago, conceded a pin to Boyko earlier in the season but made amends in a big way for himself to pad the Broncos’ score sheet.

Buffalo Grove senior Sonny Tugs (23-11) moves on after his third place victory.

190- Lucas Nance (Fremd)

Lucas Nance is arguably one of the best 190-pounders in the state, and after another superb weekend of wrestling, the Fremd senior is on a collision course with No. 1 Aaron Stewart in two weeks at the Barrington sectional.

The No. 2 man just behind Stewart, the Vikings’ star is now 33-5 after defeating Aaron Jafri (Barrington, 28-17) with his 19th tech-fall victory of the season

“Lucas is quite an amazing young man,” begins Vikings head coach Jeff Keske.

“He’s a tremendous student-athlete. He scored a 35 on his ACT, has an amazing support group with his parents, grandparents, and family, who have always been there for him, and his leadership skills are second to none. So is his work ethic, and as a wrestler one of the many strengths he has is those great (heavy) hips.”

The University of Chicago-bound Nance is a clinical and precise finisher, who can score points from many ways. He was one win away from a state medal a year ago and finished the 2025 campaign with a 39-10 overall record.

Aleksander Krotoszynski (30-16) became the fourth man from Buffalo Grove to advance into the Barrington sectional following his third place triumph.

215- Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown)

Teigen Moreno admits time is running out on the Dundee-Crown four-year star, who in three previous trips to the Barrington sectional has come up empty, including back-to-back blood-round losses to end his season in heart-breaking fashion.

“Enough is enough,” Moreno said. “This is my last chance to get downstate and win a medal for the Dundee-Crown program.”
Moreno (37-2) pinned his way into the final match against the super-sophomore from Lake Zurich, Rocco DiCanio (36-4), who a week ago won the Lake County Invite crown at 215 pounds.

“Twice at sectionals, I ran into (Loyola’s defending state champion) Kai Calcutt early, and went into wrestle-backs, where things ended badly.

“But I feel better than ever and ready for sectionals. It feels like if all goes well, I’ll be up against Calcutt again, only this time in the sectional final.”

With his 6-2 championship victory, Moreno is likely to be placed on the opposite side of the bracket from Calcutt.

Moreno’s three victories gives him 140 for his career, and the Chargers senior will wrestle next season at the University of Dubuque.

Lucas Retzler (Jacobs, 23-15) is on his way to his first sectional appearance following his pin at 5:44.

285- Hakeem Coleman (Fremd, 6-1)

Fremd coach Jeff Keske is sold on the future of his big man Hakeem Coleman, who missed all of the football season due to a knee injury.  But through hard work and dedication, Coleman has now earned a first-round bye at sectionals, as perhaps a sleeper in the 285-pound weight class.

“Hakeem (6-1) is a fierce competitor, who has put in the extra work to allow him to  slowly come back from his injury,” Keske said. “He is definitely someone to watch at sectionals and during the next two years.”

The three-sport athlete (football and track) was a middle-school wrestling champion in Buffalo Grove before his family moved into the Fremd district.

 A hard-fought 4-0 decision over Adriel Arana (Barrington) in his semifinal would send the sophomore into the final where he recorded a 7-4 victory over Jacari Travis (24-11) from Palatine.

Arana (20-22) would later earn his first trip to sectionals after the Broncos junior registered a pin in his third place contest with Aaron Von Heimburg from Stevenson.

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

Barrington 226.0, Stevenson 204.0, Fremd 110.0, Palatine 97.5, Lake Zurich 87.0, Buffalo Grove 82.0, Jacobs 69.0, Dundee-Crown 61.5.