By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Class 1A Vandalia Sectional recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vandalia Sectional championship matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vandalia Sectional third-place matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Class 1A Byron Sectional recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Byron Sectional championship matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Byron Sectional third-place matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Class 1A Coal City Sectional recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coal City Sectional championship matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coal City Sectional third-place matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

150

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Class 1A Coal City Class Dual Team Sectional Results 

Coal City 56, Yorkville Christian 14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

215 – Cade Poyner (CC) FFT

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

Chicago Hope Academy 56, Wendell Phillips Academy 9

106 – Double forfeit

113 – Double forfeit

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

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

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

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

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

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

157 – Dylan Galvez (CHA) FFT

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

175 – Arkail Griffin (CHA) FFT

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

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

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

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

106- Niko Odiotti (Loyola Academy)

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

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

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

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

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

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

113- Caleb Noble (Warren)

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

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

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

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

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

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

120- Kaleb Pratt (Barrington)

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

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

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

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

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

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

126- Oleksandr (Sasha) Havrylkiv (Hersey)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

132- Ryan Dorn (Barrington)

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

No. 1.

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

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

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

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

138- Erik Rodriguez (Grant)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

144- Vince Jasinski (Grant, 42-5)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

150- Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah)

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

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

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

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

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

157- Ethan Banda (Mundelein)

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

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

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

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

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

165- Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah, 38-4)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

175- Brody Sendele (Hononegah, 40-3)

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

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

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

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

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

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

190- Aaron Stewart (Warren)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

285- Knox Homota (Hampshire)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

113- Vince DeMarco (Grayslake Central)

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

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

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

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

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

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

120- Kannon Judycki (IC Catholic)

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

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

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

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

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

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

126- Sam Murante (IC Catholic)

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

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

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

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

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

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

132- Max Cumbee (IC Catholic)

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

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

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

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

138- Adrian Cohen (Deerfield)

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

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

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

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

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

144- Frank Nitti (IC Catholic)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

150- Aiden Arnett (IC Catholic)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

157- Brian Hart (Wauconda)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

165- Nicholas Montesinos (Wheeling, 32-8)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

175- Brody Kelly (IC Catholic)

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

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

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

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

190- Jaxon Penovich (St. Viator)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

215- Melson Ngassa (St. Ignatius)

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

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

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

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

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

285- Hunter Wahtola (De Paul College Prep)

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

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

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

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

By Chris Walker for the IWCOA

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

HINSDALE SOUTH SECTIONAL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

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

106 Cole Lemberg (23-17) Providence Catholic

113 SM Christian Corcoran (32-9) Providence Catholic

120 Nate Ortiz (24-6) Providence Catholic

126 Max Mandac (34-14) Providence Catholic

132 Izaiah Gonzalez (31-3) Riverside-Brookfield

138 SM Tommy Banas (40-7) Providence Catholic

144 Jack Hogan (35-4) St. Rita

150 SM Austin Perez (29-3) Oak Forest

157 SM Justus Heeg (46-1) Providence Catholic

165 SM Jasper Harper (31-11) Providence Catholic

175 Ameer Khalil (36-13) Providence Catholic

190 SC Judah Heeg (37-1) Lemont

215 Sebastian Sanderson (34-2) Tinley Park 

285 Dominic Jackson (30-1) Crete-Monee

STATE QUALIFIERS

106

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

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

113

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

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

120

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

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

126

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

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

132

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

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

138

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

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

144

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

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

150

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

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

157

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

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

165

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

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

175

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

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

190

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

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

215

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

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

285

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

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

GENESEO SECTIONAL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

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

106 Treyden Diduch (39-2) Freeport

113 Liam Schroeder (43-1) Sycamore

120 Kai Enos (31-7) Batavia

126 Tyler Lockhart (35-10) Sycamore 

132 Logan Makiney (35-10) Washington

138 Brock Claypool (43-5) Morris

144 Nicholas Marchese (38-4) Crystal Lake Central

150 Brendan Nardin (10-0) Marian

157 Grady Neal (43-4) Metamora

165 SC Wyatt Medlin (39-0) Washington

175 SM Kye Weinzierl (33-1) Genese

190 Dan French (26-5) Marian

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

285 Sean Thornton (34-9) Washington

STATE QUALIFIERS

106

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

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

113

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

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

120

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

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

126

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

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

132

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

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

138

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

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

144

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

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

150

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

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

157

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

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

165

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

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

175

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

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

190

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

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

215

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

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

285

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

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

GRANITE CITY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

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

106 Cooper Clarke (37-4) Glenwood

113 Pierce Bultmann (41-5) Glenwood

120 Jaxon Ferguson (30-6) Glenwood

126 Tristan Porter (34-2) Mattoon

132 SM Harrison Dea (43-1) Morton

138 SM Avery Jaime (34-6) Civic Memorial

144 Justus Vrona (42-9) Mahomet-Seymour

150 SM Knox Verbais (43-6) Civic Memorial

157 Brock Ross (39-0) Mascoutah

165 James Wojcikiewicz (38-7) Civic Memorial

175 Jordan Sonon-Hale (39-5) Mascoutah

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

215 SM Jaxson Mathenia (36-1) Waterloo

285 SC Cody Moss (41-3) Glenwood

STATE QUALIFIERS

106

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

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

113

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

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

120

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

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

126

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

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

132

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

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

138

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

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

144

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

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

150

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

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

157 

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

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

165

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

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

175

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

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

190

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

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

215

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

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

285

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

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

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

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

How tough was this year’s Schaumburg girls sectional?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

100: Janiah Slaughter, Huntley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

105: Charlotte Nold, Saint Viator

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

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

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

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

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

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

110 Zoey Dodgers, Leyden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

115: Zoe Dempsey, Lincoln-Way

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Piazza went on to place third by fall against Manlapaz.

120: Amelia Nidelea-Polanin, Hampshire

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

125: Charlie Dolan, York

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

130: Lily White, Bartlett

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

135: Claudia Heeney, Lockport

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

140: Nicole Dziura, Barrington

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

That’s when Dziura simply took a step back.

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

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

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

Dziura also won a regional title this year.

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

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

145: Natalie Corona, McHenry

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

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

Cooper reached the title mat by semifinal fall over Wheaton Warrenville South’s Louisa Enslen (31-7).
Lincoln-Way regional champion Ella Giertuga (36-7) bounced back from her semifinal loss to Corona with a pair of falls of her own to place third, topping Enslen to become a two-time state qualifier. The freshman Enslen earned the first trip of her career to the state finals.

The junior Cooper also became a state qualifier for her first time.

155: Allison Garbacz, South Elgin

Of the marquee matchups in Schaumburg, only one featured two unbeaten returning state medal winners, one of which was a returning state champion.

Fans got to enjoy the match between Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr and South Elgin’s Allison Garbacz for exactly 5:02; that’s when Garbacz (38-0) took down Carr (35-1) to win by fall against the defending state champ at 155 pounds.

“It feels good,” Garbacz said. “She got an early takedown and I couldn’t let that define the match. I couldn’t get nervous over one takedown. As long as I stayed in it, and kept going at her, I knew it would pay off.”

Carr led 3-1 on a first-period takedown. Garbacz chose down to start the second and one penalty point each way had Carr holding a 4-2 lead mid-way through the period.

A Garbacz reversal tied the score and a Carr escape gave her a 5-4 lead heading into the third. Carr led 6-4 on an escape to start the final period.

The match was decided near the edge on a Garbacz takedown and pin, midway through the final period.
“She’s so strong,” Garbacz said of Carr. “And she’s very quick — kind of the opposite of me. I like to stay tied up. She likes to shoot from a distance. But as soon as I got her in my ties, I knew I was in a good spot.

Garbacz placed fourth at 145 last year as a freshman. One year later, she feels like a different wrestler.
“It’s just I’ve really learned how to stay in a match under pressure,” she said. “Even if I’m losing, now I know I can keep wrestling through it.”

Garbacz reached the finals via two pins and Carr got there with a tech fall and a pin.

Carr’s quarterfinal opponent, Crystal Lake Central senior Cait Jones (20-4), reeled off four wins in the consolation bracket to place third, capped by a fall against Glenbard North sophomore Suzanne Stalley (40-9) — Carr’s semifinal opponent.

Both Jones and Stalley will be making their first appearances at the state finals.

170: Layla Spann, Plainfield South

Plainfield South’s Layla Spann went 29-9 and was a state qualifier last year as a freshman. She went 2-2 downstate and did not place.

Bloomington is getting a whole different Layla Spann this year.

The Plainfield South sophomore improved to 44-0 and pinned her way to a sectional title in Schaumburg. No opponent was able to take her into the third period.

“Layla is having a very special season this year, for sure,” Plainfield South coach Tom Redmon said. “We were all expecting Layla to build upon her impressive freshman year, but the level of her improvement in such a short amount of time has really blown everyone away.  As a wrestler, her technical skill and situational intelligence has markedly improved to complement her incredible athleticism and has quickly elevated Layla into the conversation of the state’s very best at 170 pounds.”

Spann won a regional title at East Aurora a week prior by tech fall over Lincoln-Way’s Riley DePolo (37-7). The two met again in the sectional finals at Schaumburg, with DePolo turning the tables through one period, building a 7-2 lead heading into the second.

Spann chose down to start the period and 53 seconds later, a reversal to a pin gave Spann the first sectional title of her career.

DePolo also pinned her way into the title match and the junior will make her first appearance at the state finals.

Woodstock senior Brianna Crown (40-10) won four matches in the back draw and became a state qualifier for her first time, winning her third-place match by fall against Schaumburg’s Maja Brzosko (36-14).

Brzosko will also be making her first downstate appearance. Both Brzosko and Crown beat regional champions in their respective consolation semifinal matches to clinch their spots downstate.

190: Samantha Diehl, Hampshire

Hampshire sits in a unique position, with four bona fide threats to win state medals in Bloomington — a feat that would put them smack in the middle of the race for an Illinois team state title.

Sophomore Samantha Diehl sits right in the thick of things if that possibility has a chance at reality.
Diehl improved to 36-3 and won her first sectional title Saturday, pinning a fellow state medal winner in Schaumburg senior Nadia Razzak (42-2).

Razzak led 3-0 after two periods before Diehl turned and pinned her at 4:51.

“Sam wrestled a great tournament, avenging a loss against Nadia,” Hampshire coach Matt Todd said.
As a freshman last year, Diehl placed third at the Schaumburg sectional and followed that two weeks later with a third-place state finish, going 31-6 on the season.

The foursome of Diehl, Amelia Nidelea-Polanin, Annabelle Mueller, and Stella Piazza all advanced. Nidelea-Polanin was first at 120, Mueller was second at 105, and Piazza placed third at 115.

“Sam and Amelia had a great tournament this weekend,” Todd said. “Both of them, along with Stella and Annabelle, have been wrestling our boys at practice, and it has helped them to improve in every facet of their wrestling.”

Both Razzak and Diehl pinned their way to the sectional final. Razzak earned her second downstate berth, after winning a sectional title last season.

Lockport’s Sophie Kelner (40-10) placed third with a 2-0 decision over Plainfield South’s Kimyra Patrick (43-5).

235: Rebekah Ramirez, Lockport

Now a three-time state qualifier and two-time sectional champion, Lockport junior Rebekah Ramirez (39-5) exacted some revenge at this year’s tournament.

One week prior, Romeoville junior Henessis Villagrana (38-4) beat Ramirez by 7-5 decision on a regional title mat. In Saturday’s rematch, Ramirez jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one period. She chose down to start the second and Villagrana fought for the turn to no avail.

Villagrana reversed Ramirez to start the third and a Ramirez escape ended the scoring at 6-2.

“It feels great,” Ramirez said. “She beat me last week, but I got it where it mattered. I just kind of needed to be more aware of where I was on the mat. If I was close to the edge, getting my hips in. Just some little things I had to clean up.”

Ramirez wasn’t able to get on the awards stand downstate in her first two trips to Bloomington. She’s aiming for more now that she’s an upperclassmen.

“I didn’t do much the last two years, but I’m a junior now,” Ramirez said. “I feel like I’m better prepared and I see myself going far in that tournament. I feel like I’ve kind of proved myself this year.”

Ramirez proved herself in her sectional semifinal, winning by fall against a three-time state medal winner in Wheeling’s Jasmine Rene, and handing Rene (34-1) her first loss of the season.

“I’ve worked with all my coaches, they’re all setting me up to be in the right place, and I hope I’m able to do something special this year,” Ramirez said.

Villagrana also became a three-time state qualifier for Romeoville on Saturday.

Rene posted two falls in the consolation bracket to place third and become a four-time state qualifier. She placed third once and fourth twice at 190 pounds at the state finals.

Rene capped her day by fall against Glenbard North junior Asreilla Wallace (40-8), who will head downstate for the first time.

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

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

CONANT SECTIONAL

Oak Park and River Forest advanced eight wrestlers to the state finals, and led all teams with four sectional champions in returning state champion Michael Rundell (106), returning state placer Jamiel Castleberry (126), Aiden Noyes (150) and David Ogunsanya (157).

St Charles East advanced nine wrestlers, led by a trio of sectional champs including two-time state champion Dom Munaretto (120), Kaden Potter (132) and Cooper Murray (215).

Sectional champ Aiden Ortega (106) will lead a contingent of five Glenbard West wrestlers to the state finals. Sectional champion Jake Colleran (144) is one of five Maine South wrestlers headed downstate, while St. Patrick champs Pat Hulne (138) and returning state-placer Van Grasser (175) led a group of four state qualifiers for the Shamrocks.

Notre Dame had two state qualifiers in sectional champ Sean Cook (285) and a returning state champ in Ray Long (120), and Wheaton North sectional champ Ryan Rosch (190) will lead three Falcons to Champaign.

Sectional champ Jackson Hanselman (165) is one of two state qualifiers for York.

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

SM – returning state medal-winner; SC – returning state champ
106 Aiden Ortega (42-1) Glenbard West
113 SC Michael Rundell (37-3) OPRF
120 SC Dom Munaretto (45-0) St. Charles East
126 SM Jamiel Castleberry (32-3) OPRF
132 Kaden Potter (30-13) St. Charles East
138 Pat Hulne (40-8) St. Patrick
144 Jake Colleran (16-1) Maine South
150 Aiden Noyes (32-7) OPRF
157 David Ogunsanya (30-3) OPRF
165 Jackson Hanselman (42-4) York
175 SM Van Grasser (35-2) St. Patrick
190 Ryan Rosch (31-2) Wheaton North
215 Cooper Murray (40-7) St. Charles East
285 Sean Cook (39-6) Notre Dame

STATE QUALIFIERS
106
Aidan Ortega (Glenbard W) 42-1, d. Jeremiah Arroyo-McMullan (Lane) 42-3, (D 7-1)

Dominic Melody (Glenbard N) 28-11, d. Maximus Aye (SC East) 23-20, (F 1:22)

113

Michael Rundell (OPRF) 37-3, d. Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) 41-5, (F 2:48)

George Georgiev (Maine S) 22-6, d. Andre Rice (Proviso W) 25-5, (M. For.)

120

Dom Munaretto (SC East) 45-0, d. Danny Goodwin (St. Patrick) 41-2, (TF 3:07)

Ray Long (Notre Dame) 41-5, d. Nikolas Duarte (Addison (A. Trail) 27-4, (D 6-5)

126

Jamiel Castleberry (OPRF) 32-3, d. Vannak Khiev (Glenbard N) 32-8, (TF 3:33)

Dlan Sons (SC East) 34-17, d. Emanuel Rangel (WEGO) 31-6, (TF-1.5 5:45 (19-4)

132

Kaden Potter (SC East) 30-13, d. Brett Harman (Maine S) 38-5, (MD 13-1)

Alex Cohen (OPRF) 29-14, d. Brian Correa (WEGO) 27-10, (D 7-3)

138

Pat Hulne (St. Patrick) 40-8, d. Alejandro Aranda (Glenbard W) 34-11, (M. For.)

Aiden Quevedo (Schaumburg) 22-7, d. Liam Aye (SC East) 33-16, (SV-1 4-1)

144

Jake Colleran (Maine S) 16-1, d. Zev Koransky (OPRF) 28-9, (D 2-0)

Gavin Woodmancy (SC East) 34-14, d. Nicholas Merola (Lake Park) 37-3, (D 2-0)

150

Aiden Noyes (OPRF) 32-7, d. Gavin Hoerr (Maine S) 25-4, (D 4-1)

Leo Rosas (WEGO) 12-2, d. John Gough (Schaumburg) 16-12, (F 0:59)

157

David Ogunsanya (OPRF) 30-3, d. Caden Ljubenko (Maine S) 33-5, (TF 2:55)

Cameron Engels (Bartlett) 21-6, d. Cole Calace (Lane) 13-4, (F 1:44)

165

Jackson Hanselman (York) 42-4, d. Tallis Taylor (Glenbard W) 31-12, (F 1:21)

Jacob Veltri (Wheaton N) 30-14, d. Luciano Litro (SC East) 24-20, (D 4-2)

175

Van Grasser (St. Patrick) 35-2, d. Julian Flores (Wheaton N) 31-7, (TF 3:55)

Xavier Smiley (Glenbard N) 26-15, d. Jackson Spizzirri (Conant) 12-6, (F 3:53)

190

Ryan Rosch (Wheaton N) 31-2, d. Joseph Fitak (Glenbard N) 25-15, (TF 4:00)
Erick Worwa (Leyden) 31-4, d. Beau Walker (York) 30-18, (F 1:20)

215

Cooper Murray (SC East) 40-7, d. Phin Codinha (Glenbard W) 24-11, (F 1:15)

Tyler Hvorick (Glenbard N) 20-9, d. Lucas Albrecht (OPRF) 10-5, (TF 4:35)

285

Sean Cook (Notre Dame) 39-6, d. Pierre Nelson (OPRF) 25-11, (MD 15-6)

Matt Medina (SC East) 31-15, d. Marc Tchapda (Glenbard W) 34-11, (F 5:06)

EDWARDSVILLE SECTIONAL

Joliet Catholic Academy led the field at Edwardsville in state qualifiers with 10, including four sectional champions in Colton Schultz (113), Finn McDermott (120), returning state medalist Jason Hampton (132) and Adante Washington (138).

Edwardsville had seven state qualifiers, led by sectional champs Michael McNamara (106), returning state placer Ryan Richie (144) and Roman Janek (215), and Lockport advanced five, led by returning state medalist  Justin Wardlow (157). Lincoln-Way West had five state qualifiers on Justin the day, and Minooka had five qualifiers, led by sectional champ Kaden Meyer (165).

Sectional champion Donovan Rosauer (150) will lead a trio of Yorkville wrestlers downstate, and Colton Zvonar (190) will do the same for Lincoln-Way East. Lincoln-Way Central advanced two, led by champ Jalen Byrd (175), and Belleville East advanced two led by defending heavyweight state champ Jonathan Rulo.

Sectional champ and returning state medal-winner Chazz Robinson (126) will also lead two Homewood-Flossmoor wrestlers to state.

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS
SM – returning state medal-winner
106 Michael McNamara (31-6) Edwardsville
113 Colton Schultz (32-9) Joliet Catholic
120 Finn McDermott (36-12) Joliet Catholic
126 SM Chazz Robinson (32-4) Homewood-Flossmoor
132 SM Jason Hampton (40-3) Joliet Catholic
138 Adante Washington (42-4) Joliet Catholic
144 SM Ryan Richie (32-7) Edwardsville
150 Donovan Rosauer (45-2) Yorkville
157 SM Justin Wardlow (37-5) Lockport
165 Kaden Meyer (27-6) Minooka
175 Jalen Byrd (48-3) Lincoln-Way Central
190 Colton Zvonar (35-6) Lincoln-Way East
215 SM Roman Janek (26-4) Edwardsville
285 Jonathan Rulo (25-0) Belleville East

STATE QUALIFIERS
106

Michael McNamara (Edwardsville) 31-6, d. Jackson Soney (Normal Comm) 41-3, (D 1-0)

Kane Robles (Joliet C) 34-10, d. Noe Hernandez (Lockport) 36-16, (TF 5:09)

113

Colton Schultz (Joliet C) 32-9, d. Brian Tejeda (Plainfield E) 17-7, (TF-1.5 3:15 (20-2)

Jackson Schadegg (Belleville E) 24-10, d. Kellan Hack (LW West) 30-21, (TF-1.5 3:00 (18-1)

120

Finn McDermott (Joliet C) 36-12, d. Anthony Sutton (Lockport) 23-12, (MD 11-0)

Landon Jenkins (Yorkville) 25-14, d. Timothy Swaim (Edwardsville) 24-11, (D 14-7)

126

Chazz Robinson (H-F) 32-4, d. Lukas Foster (Joliet C) 38-6, (D 7-3)

Aidan Durell (Plainfield N) 39-9, d. Bryson Nuttall (Edwardsville) 23-10, (F 3:35)

132

Jason Hampton (Joliet C) 40-3, d. Maddux Tindal (Minooka) 30-6, (D 11-5)

Brady Glynn (LW West) 38-9, d. Isaac Zimmerman (Lockport) 38-16, (D 8-7)

138

Adante Washington (Joliet C) 42-4, d. Aiden Ortiz (Oswego) 34-7, (D 3-2)

Nadeem Haleem (Andrew) 22-3, d. Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline) 36-12, (MD 16-5)

144

Ryan Richie (Edwardsville) 32-7, d. Kaidge Richardson (LW East) 43-4, (D 5-0)

Matthew Laird (Joliet C) 28-15, d. Jack Strezo (LW West) 28-12, (D 5-2)

150

Donovan Rosauer (Yorkville) 45-2, d. Coehn Weber (Joliet W) 36-7, (SV-1 4-1)

Ben Cyrkiel (Minooka) 31-12, d. Brody Baker (Quincy) 31-9, (For.)

157

Justin Wardlow (Lockport) 37-5, d. Nolan Vogel (Joliet C) 44-8, (D 7-4)

Max Mularz (LW East) 39-9, d. Mason Vogt (Minooka) 28-14, (D 9-3)

165

Kaden Meyer (Minooka) 27-6, d. Max Herman (LW West) 34-9, (TB-1 6-5)

Aiden Brown (Joliet W) 35-9, d. Brayden Drew (Alton) 39-5, (MD 10-1)

175

Jalen Byrd (LW Central) 48-3, d. Chris Miller (Lockport) 32-11, (MD 11-1)

Vince Skedel (Joliet C) 25-14, d. Kayden Roach (B-Bourbonnais) 37-10, (D 7-3)

190

Colton Zvonar (LW East) 35-6, d. Chase Pierceall (Plainfield S) 31-6, (D 12-11)

Brock Janeczko (Yorkville) 31-14, d. Simon Schulte (Edwardsville) 32-10, (D 9-7)

215

Roman Janek (Edwardsville) 26-4, d. Mason Bucon (Plainfield S) 36-9, (MD 12-3)

Ryker Czubak (Joliet C) 26-12, d. Jacob Tyderek (Joliet W) 33-12, (MD 12-1)

285

Jonathan Rulo (Belleville E) 25-0, d. Aiden Hennings (LW Central) 45-5, (F 0:13)

Braylon Hill-Lomax (Edwardsville) 36-9, d. Mason Caraway (Normal Comm) 35-8, (TB-1 5-4)

HINSDALE CENTRAL

Marmion Academy led all teams at Hinsdale Central with seven sectional champions and 10 state qualifiers. Montini had three champions and eight qualifiers, and four schools had one sectional champion each in Marist, Mount Carmel, West Aurora, and Naperville North.

Marmion’s sectional champs were Colton Wyller, Nicholas Garcia, Zach Stewart, Demetrios Carrera, Ashton Hobson, Vincenzo Testa and Joey Favia.

Montini got titles from Erik Klichurov, Allen Woo and Bobby Ruscitti. Marist’s Ethan Sonne, Mount Carmel’s Liam Kelly, West Aurora’s Dayne Serio, and Naperville North’s Tavfik Ibragimov rounded out the field of sectional champions.

In all, Marist advanced six downstate; Mount Carmel and West Aurora each advanced five; Carl Sandburg and Downers Grove North advanced four; Downers Grove South and Brother Rice advanced three; and Glenbard East had two state qualifiers. No other teams in the 31-team field had more than one state qualifier.

A trio of returning state champions are headed back downstate in Montini’s Woo, Marmion’s Garcia and Mount Carmel’s Kelly.

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS
SM – returning state medal winner; SC – returning state champion

106 Colton Wyller (33-9) Marmion Academy
113 Erik Klichurov (34-2) Montini SM
120 Allen Woo (38-8) Montini SC
126 Bobby Ruscitti (43-0) Montini
132 Nicholas Garcia (46-2) Marmion Academy SC

138 Zach Stewart (21-3) Marmion Academy SM
144 Demetrios Carrera (36-5) Marmion Academy SM
150 Ashton Hobson (25-2) Marmion Academy SM
157 Ethan Sonne (34-3) Marist
165 Liam Kelly (30-2) Mount Carmel SC
175 Dayne Serio (39-3) West Aurora SM
190 Vincenzo Testa (23-4) Marmion Academy
215 Tavfik Ibragimov (35-1) Naperville North
285 Joey Favia (38-5) Marmion Academy

STATE QUALIFIERS

106
Colton Wyller (Marmion) 33-9, d. Elio Gil (Marist) 28-9, (D 4-0)

Sebastian Gracia (Mt. Carmel) 24-9, d. Anthony Hayes (Sandburg) 31-8, (TF-1.5 4:24 (18-3)

113

Erik Klichurov (Montini) 34-2, d. Gabe Richmond (W Aurora) 31-6, (F 1:35)

James Morrison (Marmion) 36-7, d. Kyle Hayes (Sandburg) 31-13, (MD 18-4)

120

Allen Woo (Montini) 38-8, d. Brody Page (Marmion) 31-15, (D 7-0)
Aris Neal (Villa Park (Willowbrook) 30-8, d. Damian Garcia (DG North) 37-9, (D 13-6)

126

Bobby Ruscitti (Montini) 43-0, d. Aidan McClure (Marmion) 29-10, (D 4-1)

Brody Koselke (Mt. Carmel) 17-7, d. Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard E) 36-7 (MD 11-3)

132

Nicholas Garcia (Marmion) 46-2, d. Mikey Malizzio (Montini) 34-11, (TF-1.5 5:33 (19-4)

Te`Jon Beals (Marist) 32-13, d. Jadon Dinwiddie (DG South) 32-8, (D 11-5)

138

Zach Stewart (Marmion) 21-3, d. Axel Rodriguez (Marist) 35-11, (TF-1.5 4:45 (17-2)

Griff Powell (Lyons) 41-4, d. Oscar Kalman (Sandburg) 32-14, (TF-1.5 4:26 (19-3)

144

Demetrios Carrera (Marmion) 36-5, d. Justin Williamson (Mt. Carmel) 20-8, (D 3-2)

Jaxon Jorgensen (Marist) 16-4, d. Oliver Davis (Brother Rice) 34-7, (D 17-14)

150

Ashton Hobson (Marmion) 25-2, d. Tommy Fidler (Marist) 37-10, (D 1-0)
Caden Chiarelli (DG North) 30-12, d. Evan Matkovich (W Aurora) 32-12, (F 4:48)

157

Ethan Sonne (Marist) 34-3, d. Brady Ritter (Sandburg) 41-6, (D 4-2)

Malan Hatfield (W Aurora) 33-8, d. Will Konder (Montini) 31-20, (D 11-5)

165

Liam Kelly (Mt. Carmel) 30-2, d. Santino Tenuta (Montini) 23-7, (MD 16-5)

Marcus Quintana (W Aurora) 30-5, d. Otis Davis (Brother Rice) 27-8, (F 0:48)

175

Dayne Serio (W Aurora) 39-3, d. AJ Tack (Montini) 30-11, (MD 11-0)

Santiago Moya (Morton) 37-6, d. Noah Greene (DG South) 37-10, (D 12-6)

190

Vincenzo Testa (Marmion) 23-4, d. Daniel Mensah (DG South) 30-8, (F 2:25)

Paul Peradotti (Naperville C) 44-5, d. Orlando Hoye (Glenbard E) 21-4, (TF-1.5 4:24 (18-2)

215

Tavfik Ibragimov (Naperville N) 35-1, d. Dan Costello (Brother Rice) 22-6, (MD 11-0)

Sam Swais (Montini) 6-2, d. Nate Olona (DG North) 40-9, (D 21-17)

285

Joseph Favia (Marmion) 38-5, d. Gavin Ericson (Montini) 31-11, (D 5-2)

Colin Murphy (DG North) 38-5, d. Landin Carter (Mt. Carmel) 8-6, (D 4-0)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

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

DEKALB SECTIONAL

The host Barbs hoisted the team sectional plaque, advancing four girls to the state finals in sectional champion and returning state medal-winner Alex Gregorio-Perez (100), sectional runners-up Larisza Gomez Guevara (105) and Aarianna Bloyd (235) and third-place winner Kara Zimmerman (135).

Coach Conor Infelise’s girls posted 91 points to lead the field, followed by Minooka (65), Pekin (58), Geneseo (55) and Sycamore (55) in the top five.

Minooka advanced two girls downstate in sectional champ Ezra Rodriguez (140) and Sabina Charlebois (4th at 130). Pekin advanced three girls, Geneseo advanced two, and Sycamore advanced three.

Clifton Central’s Payton Temple (34-0 at 170) and Rock Island’s Courtney Walls (29-0 at 190) enter the state finals with unblemished season records. Temple was a state runner-up at 190 last year.

Other returning state medal winners headed back to Bloomington are returning state champions Saya Hongmoungkhoune of Rockford East and Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis, fifth-placer Michelle Naftzger of Erie, and Ottawa’s sixth-place winner Juliana Thrush.

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

100 Alex Gregorio-Perez (36-3) DeKalb
105 Saya Hongmoungkhoune (24-1) Rockford East
110 Blair Grennan (32-2) Newman Central Catholic
115 Chloe Hedges (33-3) Canton
120 Angelina Gochis (27-2) Kaneland
125 Samantha Greisen (41-4) Seneca
130 Kerby Germann (38-1) Fulton
135 Michelle Naftzger (31-4) Erie
140 Ezra Rodriguez (39-4) Minooka
145 Emily Taylor (27-5) Belvidere
155 Arian Sabu (34-8) Normal Community West
170 Payton Temple (34-0) Clifton Central
190 Courtney Walls (29-0) Rock Island
235 Juliana Thrush (28-4) Ottawa

STATE QUALIFIERS
100

Alex Gregorio-Perez (DeKalb) 36-3, d. Kendra Ege (Oregon) 12-2, (F 0:35)

Kali Dlercq (Hononegah) 28-4, d. Abella Brown (Canton) 31-5, (SV-1 6-3)

105

Saya Hongmoungkhoune (Rockford E) 24-1, d. Larisza Gomez Guevara (DeKalb) 38-6, (D 10-5)

Lily Deibel (Marquette) 23-4, d. Tessa Donaldson (Pekin) 27-2, (F 2:42)

110

Blair Grennan (Newman CC) 32-2, d. Rozlyn Mosher (Erie) 34-5, (F 2:43)

Lily Gwaltney (Ottawa) 34-6, d. Annalee Haschemeyer (Canton) 31-5, (D 1-0)

115

Chloe Hedges (Canton) 33-3, d. Laila Vaughn (Streator) 41-3, (D 18-13)

Autumn Starr (Bloomington) 25-8, d. Lyndzey Brewer (Farmington) 16-6, (F 1:55)

120

Angelina Gochis (Kaneland) 27-2, d. Ava Mayer (Pekin) 26-6, (F 1:54)

Lydia King (Geneseo) 42-6, d. Amyah Pruitt (Galesburg) 21-12, (F 1:22)

125

Samantha Greisen (Seneca) 41-4, d. Kiely Domyancich (L-Peru) 33-3, (F 1:43)

Calliope Willman (Metamora) 45-8, d. Ryleigh Eriks (Rock Falls) 42-9, (F 1:28)

130

Kerby Germann (Fulton) 38-1, d. Madison Heneks (Harlem) 30-8, (F 0:39)

Dai Driana Wilford (Galesburg) 27-6, d. Sabina Charlebois (Minooka) 36-7, (F 1:02)

135

Michelle Naftzger (Erie) 31-4, d. Avery Crouch (Dwight) 29-1, (F 3:05)

Kara Zimmerman (DeKalb) 31-11, d. Bella Castelli (Hononegah) 24-2, (fft.)

140

Ezra Rodriguez (Minooka) 39-4, d. Ema Durst (Sycamore) 31-1, (D 9-4)

Annibelle Juarez (Geneseo) 36-9, d. Sophia Domont (B-Bourbonnais) 18-7, (F 0:32)

145

Emily Taylor (Belvidere) 27-5, d. Taylor Sutton (East Peoria) 25-8, (D 5-3)

Aaliyah Swearingen (Kewanee) 21-4, d. Paytyn Dykes (Washington) 25-10, (D 7-0)

155

Arian Sabu (Normal W) 34-8, d. NaJeyah Wallace (Freeport) 31-9, (F 0:54)

Alyssa Artman (Pekin) 28-7, d. Lauryn Trotter (Yorkville) 38-9, (For.)

170

Payton Temple (Clifton Cent.) 34-0, d. Grace Mordhorst (Washington) 29-5, (F 0:37)

Kylie Eilken (Jeffferson) 27-3, d. Frankie McMurtry (Sycamore) 31-9, (F 2:19)

190

Courtney Walls (Rock Island) 29-0, d. Anjanne Haywood (Guilford) 18-4, (F 3:47)

Karsyn Robinson (Normal W) 30-11, d. Sadie Kinsella (Kaneland) 28-9, (D 10-7)

235

Juliana Thrush (Ottawa) 28-4, d. Aarianna Bloyd (DeKalb) 32-8, (D 2-0)

Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore) 31-5, d. Savannah Trevino (Belvidere) 24-10, (F 0:50)

PHILLIPS SECTIONAL

Lane snared a team sectional title at Phillips for coach Liam Cummins, edging second-place Oak Forest 95.5-83. Warren (74.5) finished third, followed by District 230 (65) and Stevenson (61) to round out the top five team finishes.

Lane advanced four girls to the state finals, while Oak Forest, Warren, District 230 and Stevenson each advanced three.

Lane got individual sectional titles from Zabby Badru (135) and Layla Moreland (155), a second from Eila Barbour (145) and a fourth from Sofia Guerrero (100) in securing the team sectional crown. Oak Forest matched Lane for the most sectional champions with two, in Alex Sebek (100) and Rain Scott (125).
Sebek (100) was a state runner-up as a freshman at 100 pounds and returns to the state finals after a two-year hiatus.

Other state medal winners returning to this year’s state finals are District 230’s Jade Hardee (110), who placed third at 100 last year; Grayslake Central’s Gianna Arzer (130) who placed third at 125; Round Lake’s Riley Kongkaeow (100), who placed fourth at 100; and Glenbrook North’s Ariella Dobin (125), who placed second at 120.

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS
100 Alexandra Sebek (30-0) Oak Forest
105 Giselle Arambula (30-1) Curie
110 Jade Hardee (41-6) D 230
115 Demetria Griffin (19-0) Chicago Hope Academy
120 Nina Nesci (36-1) St. Laurence
125 Rain Scott (18-1) Oak Forest
130 Gianna Arzer (12-0) Grayslake Central
135 Zabby Badru (46-1) Lane Tech
140 Tyanna Jackson (41-2) Warren
145 Giancarla Garduno (26-2) St. Ignatius
155 Layla Moreland (38-9) Lane Tech
170 Caliyah Campbell (23-6) OPRF
190 Valiere Franco (20-4) Fenwick
235 Sophia Fortis (23-2) Maine South

STATE QUALIFIERS
100

Alexandra Sebek (Oak Forest) 30-0, d. Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake) 19-3, (fft.)

Andaira Marron (Morton) 35-2, d. Sofia Guerrero (Lane) 43-5, (F 4:32)
105

Giselle Arambula (Curie) 30-1, d. J Colbert (Lake View) 21-4, (D 14-11)

Dakodia Kelly (TF South) 41-9, d. Tatum De La Vega (D 230) 29-10, (F 1:58)

110

Jade Hardee (D 230) 41-6, d. Carmen Jackson (Ag Science) 25-2, (F 0:49)

Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier) 33-5, d. Ariel Woodfin (Thornton) 26-5, (TF-1.5 4:44 (21-6)

115
Demetria Griffin (Hope Acad) 19-0, d. Athena Zappas (Stevenson) 36-2 (TF 5:28)

Yazmine Garcia (Kelly) 28-6, d. Aaliyah Vazquez (Warren) 37-11, (D 10-7)

120

Nina Nesci (St. Laurence) 36-1, d. Ava Enright (Marist) 37-7, (MD 10-1)

Nastasia Kobets (Stevenson) 16-4, d. Brynnley Krauchun (D 230) 28-16 (TF 5:16)

125

Rain Scott (Oak Forest) 18-1, d. Mary Minogue (Libertyville) 12-2, (D 10-5)
Ariella Dobin (GB North) 35-1, d. Grace Eiland (Hope Acad) 18-6, (Inj. 1:08)

130

Gianna Arzer (GL Central) 12-0, d. Journey Jackson (Oak Lawn) 28-6 (TF 4:55)
Alena Oshana (Maine E) 45-7, d. Mila Rocush (Shepard) 34-11, (F 5:07)

135

Zabby Badru (Lane) 46-1, d. Karina Lojowski (Stevenson) 34-3, (D 3-0)

Mercedes Carrassoco (De La Salle) 29-4, d. Jane Kelly (Warren) 35-11, (F 0:53)

140

Tyanna Jackson (Warren) 41-2, d. Isabella Miller (OPRF) 24-4, (F 3:47)

Sasha Johnson (Antioch) 40-9, d. America Cabrera (Phoenix) 25-3, (F 2:53)

145

Giancarla Garduno (St. Ignatius) 26-2, d. Eila Barbour (Lane) 32-5, (F 5:57)

Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest) 35-3, d. Miranda Tellez (GL Central) 28-6, (F 1:05)

155

Layla Moreland (Lane) 38-9, d. Melissa Nance (Hillcrest) 25-10, (F 2:53)

Lily Fish (Reavis) 32-4, d. Ariyah Bradford (TF North) 20-8, (TF-1.5 5:46 (26-10)

170

Caliyah Campbell (OPRF) 23-6, d. Sara Martinez Lopera (Kelly) 31-4, (D 4-1)
Anali Wilson (Morton) 39-3, d. Sarah Parker (Marist) 37-13, (F 5:10)
190

Valiere Franco (Fenwick) 20-4, d. Lucia Terrazas (TF South) 30-9, (F 5:29)

Kendra Hayden (H-F) 31-13, d. Joslin Coon (Lakes) 17-6, (F 0:53)

235

Sophia Fortis (Maine S) 23-2, d. Esmeralda Bustamante (Noble/ITW Speer) 40-2, (D 3-0)

Karrine Jenkins (Shepard) 37-5, d. Omowonuola Fajimolu (Evanston) 23-9, (F 0:43)

NORTH MAC SECTIONAL

Edwardsville captured the team title at this year’s North Mac Sectional, posting 132 points and advancing six girls to the state finals, led by a pair of sectional champions in Emma Rogers (105) and Victoria White (190). Rogers placed sixth in Illinois at 100 pounds last season.

Also advancing for Edwardsville were a pair of sectional runners-up in Genevieve Dykstra (115) and Allie Chong (120), third-placer Adleigh DeWerff (110), and fourth-placer Olive Linhorst (125).

Collinsville (77.5) placed second and advanced four girls, third-place Urbana (68)   advanced three, fourth-place Granite City (56.5) advanced two, and fifth-place Roxana (54.5) advanced two girls.

Roxana’s returning state champion Chloe Skiles will chase the title at 110 after winning it at 105 last year. Other returning state medal winners include Litchfield/Mt. Olive’s Rilynn Younker, who was fifth at 110 last year; Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon, who was state runner-up at 115; returning state champion Natalie Beaumont (145) of Cumberland; and Unity’s Phoenix Molina, who placed third at 235.

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS
100 Madelynn Murphy (22-5) Roxana
105 Emma Rogers (31-6) Edwardsville
110 Chloe Skile (25-1) Roxana
115 Rilynn Younker (35-11) Litchfield/Mt. Olive
120 Alauni Muex (44-2) Marion
125 Yariah Shaw (15-0) Danville
130 Sydney Cannon (37-0) Mt. Zion
135 Jacee Mardirosian (35-3) Carterville
140 Ricky Ivy (44-1) Urbana
145 Natalie Beaumont (20-1) Cumberland
155 Taylor Owens (17-5) Oakwood/Salt Fork
170 Demi Barnes (29-2) Granite City
190 Victoria White (32-0) Edwardsville
235 Phoenix Molina (34-0) Unity

STATE QUALIFIERS
100

Madelyn Murphy (Roxana) 22-5, d. Chloe Collins (Olympia) 29-5, (MD 14-2)

Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) 30-8, d. Jhayla Lawson (Mascoutah) 20-11, (F 0:18)

105

Emma Rogers (Edwardsville) 31-6, d. Phoenix Criss (Springfield Coop) 27-8 (TF 4:00)

Alexia Gld. (PORTA) 27-9, d. Karsynn Vogel (Quincy) 24-8, (F 4:43)

110

Chloe Skiles (Roxana) 25-1, d. Ivana Torres (Collinsville) 35-11, (F 1:33)

Adleigh DeWerff (Edwardsville) 31-5, d. Riley Weems (Belleville W) 29-11, (F 3:14)

115

Rilynn Younker (Litchfield/Mt. Olive) 35-11, d. Genevieve Dykstra (Edwardsville) 31-3, (MD 12-3)

Baileigh Self (Althoff Cath) 33-4, d. Kate Wochner (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 22-10, (F 4:27)

120

Alauni Muex (Marion) 44-2, d. Allie Chong (Edwardsville) 24-6, (D 9-2)

Delaney Ledbetter (Lawrenceville Co) 14-6, d. Catelyn Reese (Frankfort) 25-9 (TF 3:56)

125

Yariah Shaw (Danville) 15-0, d. Aryanna Jones (Alton) 21-9, (F 1:28)

Londyn Long (Collinsville) 46-5, d. Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville) 23-8, (F 0:55)

130

Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion) 37-0, d. Ava Beldo (Unity) 34-7, (MD 11-0)

Lamia Irby (Belleville E) 21-7, d. Te`Aja Young (Cahokia) 25-3, (D 14-7)

135

Jacee Mardirosian (Carterville) 35-3, d. Addyson Bailey (Collinsville) 33-14, (MD 14-6)

Madelyn Edler (Waterloo) 33-13, d. Tamya Terry (Urbana) 26-12, (D 6-5)

140

Ricky Ivy (Urbana) 44-1, d. Audrey Barnes (Granite City) 31-2, (F 1:58)

Kimoreyee Ballard (Springfield Coop) 25-10, d. Zoe Bloyd (Quincy) 28-7, (F 1:20)

145

Natalie Beaumont (Cumberland) 20-1, d. McKenzie Miller (GCMS/Fisher) 27-6, (F 1:59)

Macee Hammond (Robinson) 23-7, d. Leann Cory (Collinsville) 42-5, (fft.)

155

Taylor Owens (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 17-5, d. Grace Stratton (Freeburg) 37-1, (Inj. 2:51)

Kaitlin Wood (Triad) 27-7, d. Maddie Wells (SJ-Ogden) 26-3, (F 2:28)

170

Demi Barnes (Granite City) 29-2, d. Kira Thompson (O’Fallon) 11-2, (F 1:50)

Janylah Holman (Cahokia) 28-6, d. Iy`Jah Grant (Champaign Cent) 18-3, (Inj. 3:19)

190

Victoria White (Edwardsville) 32-0, d. Brooke Stellhorn (Belleville W) 22-2, (fft.)

Addison Briggs (W’ville/G.-Ridge Farm) 25-5, d. Izabell McBride (Waterloo) 21-6, (F 1:33)

235

Phoenix Molina (Unity) 34-0, d. Lilly Disanto (Urbana) 40-7, (F 5:01)

Olivia Rosine (Charleston) 24-8, d. Madeleine Cooley (Jacksonville) 14-7, (F 1:16)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

NORMAL – There’s not very many instances where a program can finish 200 points behind a regional champion one year and then be battling for top honors until the very end the following year, but that’s just what happened during the exciting back-and-forth drama between Minooka and LaSalle-Peru to determine who would claim the Normal Community West Regional title.

At last year’s Metamora Regional, Lincoln-Way co-op easily rolled to the title with 248 points while Minooka was a distant second with 134 points, a far cry from where it was at in 2024, when the Indians edged Joliet Township co-op 196-191 for the championship at the Minooka Regional in the initial year that regional tournaments were conducted in the sport.

So with Lincoln-Way co-op and others in the top-10 teams at Metamora such as Joliet Central, Plainfield South, Joliet West and Plainfield Central reassigned to the rugged East Aurora Regional that feeds into the Schaumburg Sectional, and with two others in the top-10, Richwoods and Pekin, sent off to the Geneseo Regional, it looked like a reasonable bet that Minooka might capture its second regional championship in three seasons at the Normal Community West Regional, which feeds into the DeKalb Sectional, as does Geneseo. 

However, the Indians got a real run for their money for top honors and it came from a team that placed 15th last year at Metamora, 200 points behind Lincoln-Way co-op and 86 points in back of second place Minooka, and that team was youthful LaSalle-Peru, which featured three seniors, one junior, six sophomores and one freshman to account for its 11 competitors.

Coach Nolan Kenney’s Lady Cavaliers were on even terms throughout the competition with coach Paige Schoolman’s Indians, who had 13 individuals participating, and the final outcome wasn’t resolved until two late third-place match victories ultimately assured Minooka of the championship of the 28-team competition by a 180-176.5 margin over LaSalle-Peru. 

“They went toe-to-toe all day,” Schoolman said of LaSalle-Peru, “It didn’t really matter what the score was for those girls. Every time you turned around, you were worried, it was really tight.

There’s others (regionals) that are probably a little deeper than ours, but when you put 30 teams in there, all of these other teams have individuals in them that are tough-nosed girls. So I’m proud of our nine girls that got through and the other three that got into the blood rounds. We needed every win we had throughout the day for the girls to win the tournament. 

“We’ve got 10 seniors, and it’s nice for them. There’s three of them that have been with us for four years, another handful of them that have been with us for three years, and it’s nice for them to cap off their senior year with that. And I’m really happy there’s a bunch of them that this will be the first time being sectional qualifiers. They’re really excited to be able to move on and trying to see what we can do next week and get to the next rung. Normal West did a great job of stepping up and hosting and this is a great facility. We used to have sectionals down here and I’ve always loved to compete down here since they do a nice job. I’m really proud of our girls. I mean, up and down the lineup, they battled and scored points. And every one of them counted.”

Even though the Lady Cavaliers had turned in some good tournament showings, such as runner-up finishes at Mahomet-Seymour’s Mary Kelly and Springfield’s Joe Bee, being able to get past a well-established program and a veteran, well-coached team like Minooka, which took first place at Princeton, finished second to Schaumburg at Morris and was fourth at perhaps the toughest invite of the season at Hoffman Estates, seemed to be a lot to hope for as far as L-P coach Nolan Keeney was concerned, but he he was also thrilled that his team surprised him.

“The ladies have done great all year long,” Keeney said. “A lot of them are sophomores, too and the fact that this is their second year and they’re making strides the way they are is amazing. And it helps having senior Kiely Domyancich and junior Sarah Lowery here. So it’s awesome. Today, if I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think we’d be pushing Minooka, but the girls all wrestled well. We did what we were supposed to do in some situations and then also had a little bit of luck. It makes me excited for the future and what’s going to happen here. We’re only going to lose about three or four seniors and the rest will be coming back. So I’m not excited for it and there’s going to be some good times coming.”

Leading the way for Minooka were champions Sabina Charlebois (130) and Ezra Rodriguez (140) while Therese Escano (105) took second place. Turning in third-place finishes were Mia Martinez (100), Marian Nordsell (110), Addison Davis (170) and Mia Lemberg (190) while Melody Williams (145) and Abigail Underhill (155) took fourth to give it nine sectional qualifiers.

LaSalle-Peru got first-place finishes from Kalista Frost (100), Kiely Domyancich (125) and Marisa Eggersdorfer (155) while Sarah Lowery (110) and Audri Plut (145) finished second. Emma Tomlinson (130), Avalyn Edwall (140) and Lily Higgins (235) all took third place and Emily Lowery (115) finished fourth to also give it nine qualifiers for the DeKalb Sectional.

Others teams that were in the top half of the tournament were Washington Community (85), Ottawa Township (82.5), Streator Township/ Woodland co-op (78.5), Normal Community West (77), Bradley-Bourbonnais (75), Morris (62.5), Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op (49.5), Bloomington (40), Clifton Central/ Iroquois West co-op (38), Prairie Central (37.5), Illinois Valley Central (28.5) and Seneca (28.5).

Additional champions were Streator Township/ Woodland co-op’s Addison Yacko (110) and Laila Vaughn (115), Marquette Academy’s Lily Deibel (105), Prairie Central’s Yurithdzy Vilchis (120), Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op’s Avery Crouch (135), Washington Community’s Paytyn Dykes (145), Clifton Central/ Iroquois West co-op’s Payton Temple (170), Normal Community West’s Karsyn Robinson (190) and Ottawa Township’s Juliana Thrush (235). 

Also finishing in second place were Bloomington’s Autumn Starr (115) and Alicia Swank (155), 

Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Aubrianna Rapier (135) and Kaylee Morris (235), Ottawa Township’s Isabel Gwaltney (100), Normal Community West’s Amelia McClure (120), Seneca’s Samantha Greisen (125), Coal City’s Riley Kuder (130), Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op’s Adilynn Avilez (140), Washington Community’s Grace Mordhorst (170) and Deer Creek-Mackinaw’s Kaleigh Mehrkens (190).

Eggersdorfer and Temple tied for first place for the most team points with 28 while Crouch and Vilchis tied for third place with 27.5 points. Also in the top-10 in team points were Rodriguez (26), Charlebois (25.5), Domyancich (25.5), Frost (24), Deibel (23) and Robinson (23).

Some of the top records of of qualifiers for the DeKalb Sectional included Payton Temple (31-0, 170),  Avery Crouch (27-0, 135), Laila Vaughn (39-2, 115), Kiely Domyancich (31-2, 125), Adilynn Avilez (23-3, 140), Aubrianna Rapier (23-3, 135), Lily Deibel (20-3, 105), Audri Plut (11-3, 145), Samantha Greisen (38-4, 125), Ezra Rodriguez (36-4, 140), Grace Mordhorst (26-4, 170), Marisa Eggersdorfer (25-4, 155), Juliana Thrush (25-4, 235), Kaylee Morris (18-4, 235), Sabina Charlebois (34-5, 130), Lily Gwaltney (30-5, 110), Yurithdzy Vilchis (29-5, 120), Alicia Swank (24-5, 155), Sophia Domont (15-5, 140), Kaleigh Mehrkens (14-5, 190), Sarah Lowery (33-6, 110), Madysen Meyer (14-6, 115), Calliope Willman (41-7, 125), Kalista Frost (26-7, 100), Riley Kuder (23-7, 130) and Autumn Starr (22-7, 115). 

Here are the champions and their weights at the Normal Community West Regional:

100 – Kalista Frost, LaSalle-Peru

Kalista Frost kicked off an exciting place round for LaSalle-Peru at the Normal Community West Regional by taking first at 100 to become the first of three champions and was one of five finalists and nine sectional qualifiers for coach Nolan Keeney’s Lady Cavaliers, a first-year team that gave Minooka a battle before getting edged 180-176.5 for the title. Frost (26-7) won the 100 title match by getting a fall in 1:32 over Ottawa Township’s Isabel Gwaltney. The LaSalle-Peru sophomore also got a pin in the semifinals and ranked eighth in most team points with 24.

“It was a pretty good improvement from last year because I was seeded fifth and I ended up going to sectionals as well, but I went 0-2,” Frost said. (Her team) “It’s amazing because last year we only had two people make it to sectionals and now we’ve got nine. This year’s the first official year for girls wrestling at L-P. It’s good to see the team grow. We’ve put so much hard work into it, and I’m seeing that come out.”

Gwaltney (16-15), a senior who was one of two finalists and sectional qualifiers for coach Kevin Aughenbaugh’s fourth-place Lady Pirates, also only had to compete in one other match, in the semifinals, where she won by technical fall. For third place, Minooka freshman Mia Martinez (12-12) won a 12-5 decision over Morton freshman Elizabeth Austin (15-13).

105 – Lily Deibel, Marquette Academy

Lily Deibel was one of two freshmen champions and the lone competitor in the Normal Community West Regional for coach Michael Deibel’s Lady Crusaders. She improved to 20-3 after recording a fall in the semifinals and then capturing a 13-5 major decision over Minooka’s Therese Escano in the 105 title match. She finished in ninth place in team points with 23.

“(The boys team at Marquette Academy) They’ve helped me and they push me,” Deibel said.  “I’ve just been held to a really high standard, and coach Trent definitely pushes me.”(Being at Marquette Academy) Yeah, I love it.”

Escano (23-13), a senior, was one of three finalists and nine qualifiers for the DeKalb Sectional for coach Paige Schoolman’s champion Indians. She used two falls to reach the 105 title mat. In the third-place match, Ottawa Township junior Ciara Bolf (28-10) was a winner by fall in 2:42 over Metamora senior Grace Aeschliman (23-18). 

110 – Addison Yacko, Streator Township/ Woodland co-op

Addison Yacko and Laila Vaughn gave Streator Township/ Woodland co-op back-to-back champions at the Normal Community West Regional with junior Yacko claiming first at 110 by medical forfeit over LaSalle-Peru’s Sarah Lowery. The two title winners were the lone finalists and two of the four sectional qualifiers for coach Kyle Lowman’s fifth-place Lady Bulldogs. Yacko (20-8) opened with a fall and won a 9-5 decision in the semifinals over Ottawa Township junior Lily Gwaltney, an IHSA qualifier last season who was her teammate with the Bulldogs.

“I’m just very proud of myself,” Yacko said. “I was fourth seed, so I wasn’t expecting to get first, but I had faith in myself. I got injured. I had a concussion about a week ago, so I’ve been on a recovery. I got third at regionals last year, so I think it’s definitely a step up. (Likes about Streator Township) I definitely like how hard he (coach Kyle Lowman) is on us at practice, it definitely has improved me over the years. All of my teammates are doing pretty good and I have four going to sectionals now. (Likes about girls wrestling) I like how much it’s grown over the years, I’ve been doing it for a long time so I’ve seen it from when we were wrestling boys and now just girls.”

Lowery (33-6) was one of five finalists and nine qualifiers for the DeKalb Sectional for coach Nolan Keeney’s runner-up Lady Cavaliers, a first-year team that lost the regional title by 3.5 points to Minooka. She followed a quick fall with an 8-6 decision in the semifinals over Minooka junior Marian Nordsell but then had to take a medical forfeit in the finals. Nordsell (32-10) claimed third place by forfeit over Lily Gwaltney (30-5).

115 – Laila Vaughn, Streator Township/ Woodland co-op

Laila Vaughn followed up on a title by teammate Addison Yacko to give Streator Township two champions at the Normal Community West Regional. They also were two of the four sectional qualifiers for coach Kyle Lowman’s Lady Bulldogs, who finished in fifth place. Vaughn, a sophomore who improved to 39-2, won the 115 title by getting a fall in 3:43 over Bloomington’s Autumn Starr. After winning by technical fall in her opener, she had to prevail in a wild 25-22 decision over Reed-Custer’s Madysen Meyer in the semifinals, and those two had the most single match points in the regional and Vaughn finished third in most match points with 47.

“I lost a lot of weight and got injured, so I really didn’t do very much offseason work at all.” Vaughn said. “It was more right before the season working and losing a lot of weight and lifting.”

Starr (22-7)  joined her only teammate, Alicia Swank at 155, as second-place finishers for coach Jacob Lehr’s Purple Raiders. The Bloomington freshman recorded falls in her first two matches. Meyer (14-6) bounced back from her tough loss to Vaughn with a fall and then claimed a 12-5 major decision over LaSalle-Peru sophomore Emily Lowery (25-9) to take third place. The Comets senior easily had the most total match points in the regional with 65 while Lowery had the largest seed-place difference in the competition of four after being seeded eighth.

120 – Yurithdzy Vilchis, Prairie Central

Yurithdzy Vilchis learned a lot about how to perform at a high level after being around two-time IHSA 235 champion Chloe Hoselton during her sophomore and junior seasons at Prairie Central, which included her joining Hoselton at the state finals a year ago where she concluded a 24-14 season. Now the Hawks senior hopes that those experiences can help her to earn a top-six finish at this year’s IHSA Finals and become her school’s second medalist. A 2025 regional champion, she improved to 29-5 after taking first at 120 at the Normal Community West Regional with a fall in 2:36 over Normal Community West’s Amelia McClure. The lone finalist and sectional qualifier for coach Scott Ziller’s Hawks, she opened with a pin and then got a win by technical fall in 4:40 in the semifinals. She tied for third for the most team points with 27.5. 

“It feels great,” Vilchis said. “I feel like I’ve improved a lot throughout the years. I just only started my sophomore year and I didn’t even make it out of regionals that year and last year I made it to state. (Competing with Chloe Hoselton) “She’s an amazing teammate and she gives me so much advice. And she’s the one who took me to The Compound, and I feel like that’s where I got better. I think it’s just like all the hard work I put into it. I double up on practices. I just go to private practices at The Compound, where I just learn a bunch of techniques and I do it over and over again. And before wrestling starts, I do cross country and  that helps me a lot with conditioning. (Likes about girls wrestling) I think just the environment. I feel like it’s not just teammates, but even the opponents, they’re always so nice.” 

McClure (17-7), a senior who was one of two finalists and three sectional qualifiers for the host Wildcats, who are coached by Margaret (LeGates) Lehr, who was the first female high school wrestler in Illinois while competing at Libertyville for 2000 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Dale Eggert in the early 1990’s. She recorded falls in her other two matches to reach the 120 finals.   

In the third-place match, Illinois Valley Central junior Lilyana Malagon (18-11), who was the only individual in the regional who recorded four pins and ranked second with 48 total match points, won by fall in 3:56 over Streator Township/ Woodland co-op junior Payton Henson (27-16).

125 – Kiely Domyancich, LaSalle-Peru

Kiely Domyancich made history for LaSalle-Peru last season when she became the school’s first medalist by taking fifth place at 115 in the IHSA Finals at 115 to cap a 33-4 junior campaign. Now the Lady Cavaliers’ senior hopes that she not only picks up a second medal but hopefully also gets the chance to compete for a state title. She improved to 31-2 after getting a takedown with nine seconds left to rally for a 6-5 decision over her friend, Seneca’s Samantha Greisen, in the 125 title match at the Normal Community West Regional. Also a regional champion last season, she was one of three champions, five finalists and nine qualifiers for the DeKalb Sectional for coach Nolan Keeney’s LaSalle-Peru team that was edged 180-176.5 for the team title by Minooka after taking 15th place and finishing 200 points behind champion Lincoln-Way co-op in last year’s Metamora Regional. Domyancich opened with a pin and then got a victory by technical fall in the semifinals to help her tie for sixth place for most team points with 25.5. 

“We came in and we didn’t think there’s a chance that we’d even be this close with Minooka but I think it was all of our hard work and our girls are working hard out there,” Domyancich said. “Sammie’s my practice partner from another team, so we’ve been battling it out, but at the end of the day, we’re just really working hard. I’m really proud of her. I think we’re going to do big things. At first, it was we want to win a dual. And then it was we want to win most of our duals and we want to win conference, and then we did that. And then it was like, we want the regional title, as well. We have a lot of girls that are just starting out, but we always want to win the tournaments, and at the end of the day, I think our girls have been doing so well. It’s never about competing with the biggest, best team. It’s about individuals and I just love seeing my girls grow so much, and I think that’s showing. I started my freshman year. I love cheering on my team and I love coaching my team, but at the same time, I feel like my team gives a lot to me. I wouldn’t be the wrestler and the person I am without my team. Even though I’m a senior and I’m leaving, I know my girls will take care of other girls that come in the program and the program’s good with coach Keeney. It makes me feel good about myself. Absolutely, I’m really proud of my girls.”

Greisen (38-4), a senior who was the lone medalist of the two entrants for coach Todd Yegge’s Lady Irish, also qualified for the IHSA Finals last year and fell one victory shy of a medal at 135 to conclude a 41-10 junior season. She claimed a win by technical fall in 1:59, a regional-best, in her opening match and then got a pin in the semifinals. For third place, Morris senior Zara Lugo (30-12) claimed a 6-3 decision over Metamora freshman Calliope Willman (41-7). 

130 – Sabina Charlebois, Minooka

Sabina Charlebois rallied from a 7-3 deficit midway through the third period with a takedown and nearfall in the final minute of her 130 title match against Riley Kuder at the Normal Community West Regional and the 10-8 decision by the Minooka senior over the Coal City sophomore proved to be much more significant when the final team scores were announced and the Indians edged LaSalle-Peru for the title by a 180-176.5 margin. Charlebois (34-5) joined Ezra Rodriguez (140) as title winners and was one of three finalists and nine sectional qualifiers for the Indians, coached by Paige Schoolman and Jeff Charlebois, who were one of the first regional champions two years ago when they edged Joliet Township in a regional at their own school. She followed a quick pin with a victory by technical fall to tie for sixth place for the most team points with 25.5.

“It was a very good match against the Coal City girl (Kuder) and the competition here and as a whole for all the teams, it was very good for all of us,” Charlebois said. (Likes about her team) “Just the environment. I feel like our team is very good if we have a hard practice, with a lot of live and a lot of conditioning. I feel like we focus more on each other rather than ourselves when we’re struggling. And even if personally if we are struggling, we still try to help girls in the room and we’re encouraging them because we see them getting better so that it makes us feel better about ourselves. So I think as a whole, our team is very close and we just have a good bond.”

Kuder (23-7), the lone competitor for coach Jim Looper’s Coalers, earned her spot in the 130 title match with two pins. For third place, LaSalle-Peru sophomore Emma Tomlinson (19-13) captured a 12-4 major decision over Washington Community freshman Olivia Ioerger (15-16) in a rematch of a quarterfinal meeting between the two in which Ioerger claimed a 3-1 decision.

135 – Avery Crouch, Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op

Avery Crouch had a very impressive freshman season in 2024-2025 while competing for the Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op when she also won a regional title and went on to finish with a 11-3 record after capturing fourth place at 135 at the IHSA Finals. She hopes to make a return trip to Bloomington and also move up higher on the awards stand and she’s one step closer to doing that after being one of two champions at the Normal Community West Regional who have an unbeaten record as they head to the DeKalb Sectional. The sophomore improved to 27-0 with a win by technical fall in 4:20 over Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Aubrianna Rapier in the 135 title match. Although coach Jim Gussman’s Lady Trojans only had three entrants, two were finalists, as sophomore Adilynn Avilez took second at 140. Crouch is also coached by and trains with her brother Dylan, a two-time IHSA medalist who is the school’s all-time wins leader. She opened with two falls to claim third place in team points with 27.5. 

“I’m ranked second now in the state,” Crouch said. “I’m just growing and growing and trying to keep my confidence up. My brother Dylan is actually my coach now. He’s my coach and my wrestling partner and he’s really helping me and I’m learning all of his skills. Last year was my first year coming into high school. I knew that it was all about mindset, but between freshman and sophomore year it kind of just flipped the switch, and I knew that mindset was really a huge aspect of it, so keep your head up. My wrestling partner is our 175-pounder, Gavin Bafia, and I train with him every day. I hope that our girls team grows. (What she likes about wrestling) I like the drive it gives you to just do good in everything, to succeed just a little more in everything that you do, knowing that you can give it your all.”

Rapier (23-3), a junior, was one of two second-place finishers and three sectional qualifiers for coach Micky Spiwak’s Boilermakers. She recorded two first-minute falls to earn her spot on the 135 title mat. In the third-place match, Streator Township/ Woodland co-op freshman Harmony Morgan (18-8) won by fall in 2:34 over Ottawa Township sophomore Jaiyden Provance (17-11).  

140 – Ezra Rodriguez, Minooka

Ezra Rodriguez had a couple of very good incentives to finish the Normal Community West Regional on a high note and that certainly helped her to claim a first-place finish in the event. The Minooka senior was able to join classmate Sabina Charlebois as a regional champion and her fall in 3:47 over Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op’s Adilynn Avilez in the 140 title match was also important to help her team edge LaSalle-Peru 180-176.5 for top honors in the competition, which gave Minooka its second regional title in three years. Rodriguez (36-4), one of three finalists and nine qualifiers for the DeKalb Sectional for coach Paige Schoolman’s first-place Indians, opened with a major decision and then recorded a fall in the semifinals to help her score 26 team points, which ranked her in fifth place among all competitors.

“I’m a really big fan of the coaching staff, and we do pull a lot of athletes from different sports,” Rodriguez said. “So I personally came from swimming and I kind of came in even if I didn’t have the technique. (The two sports) They’re just so different and I got a little bored of swimming. I love how our junior high is really starting to give us a lot of girls wrestlers. This year we had a lot of freshmen who were trying it. Even if they’re not sticking around, it’s really nice to see people that are interested in the sport. I think we can be at a really high level, probably almost better than our boys have been in recent years. This is my second weekend at 140, so I wrestled pretty much all season at 45. I won conference at 40 and at the Princeton tournament, I won at 45. I just like wrestling a bunch of different kinds of people, so it was good coming down here.”

Avilez (23-3), a sophomore, joined 135 champion Avery Crouch as finalists and sectional qualifiers for coach Jim Gussman’s Lady Trojans, who had three individuals in the regional. She recorded two falls to earn her spot in the 140 finals. For third place, LaSalle-Peru sophomore Avalyn Edwall (20-9) won by fall in 4:00 over Bradley-Bourbonnais junior Sophia Domont (15-5). 

145 –  Paytyn Dykes, Washington Community

Paytyn Dykes is excited about competing for one of the state’s top programs at Washington Community and she’s also very happy with how much her program is growing after she won a 4-0 decision over LaSalle-Peru’s Audri Plut in the 145 title match at the Normal Community West Regional to become the lone champion, one of two finalists and one of four sectional qualifiers for coach Summer Smith’s third-place Lady Panthers. Dykes (23-8), a junior who grew to like the sport by wrestling against and watching her brothers Jack and Ty, opened with a decision and then recorded a fall in the semifinals to earn her spot in the 145 finals, where she opened the second period with an escape and then got a takedown a short time later.

“(The success of Washington’s boys team) It’s definitely like we too can do this type of thing,” Dykes said. “We see it and we’re, like, okay, this is possible for girls, too, not just those guys. I feel like my biggest improvement has definitely been my mental, I guess, because I’ve struggled with confidence a lot. But I’ve just practiced a lot, and I have coaches that are very good support and they give me a lot of good advice. (What she likes most about wrestling) I think just the team aspect. It’s definitely a family sport and everyone has each others’ backs.”

Plut (11-3), one of just four freshmen who advanced to a title match, was also one of the five finalists and nine qualifiers for the DeKalb Sectional for coach Nolan Keeney’s Lady Cavaliers, a first-year team that was edged for the team championship by a 180-176.5 margin by Minooka. She recorded two pins to earn her spot in the 145 finals. In the third-place match, Morris junior Savannah Vignali (13-6) won by fall over Minooka sophomore Melody Williams (23-16).  

155 – Marisa Eggersdorfer, LaSalle-Peru

Marisa Eggersdorfer gave LaSalle-Peru a big boost for its title hopes at the Normal Community West Regional when she recorded a fall in 5:00 over Bloomington’s Alicia Swank in the 155 title match in a clash between seniors who both entered with identical 24-4 records. Eggersdorfer (25-4) was the third of three champions and one of five finalists and nine sectional qualifiers for coach Nolan Keeney’s Lady Cavaliers, who were edged 180-176.5 by Minooka for first place. She tied Clifton Central/ Iroquois West co-op’s Payton Temple, the 170 champion, for the most team points with 28 and also was one of three individuals on her team who recorded three falls.

“We are a first-year program at L-P,” Eggersdorfer said. “We didn’t even expect to honestly rank this high since we knew that Minooka would be on top. So just being able to be that close as a first-year program is so exciting, and we’re so proud of our coach. We have three seniors, and the rest of them are young. It’s so nice to come to practice every day and know that we’re part of a team that’s good. You know, it’s really exciting. I feel that coach Keeney has cultivated a really, really great team of girls and he’s so supportive, and he just believes in every one of us, and we work in practice, and he makes sure that we’re getting the training we need so that we can go out there and win.”

Swank (24-5) joined Autumn Starr (115) as a second-place finishers and sectional qualifiers for coach Jacob Lehr’s Purple Raiders, who only had those two competitors. She recorded two falls to earn her spot on the 155 title mat. For third place, Normal Community West sophomore Arian Sabu (30-8) was a winner by fall in 1:49 over Minooka senior Abigail Underhill (36-10).

170 – Payton Temple, Clifton Central/ Iroquois West co-op

Payton Temple took second place at 190 to Lakes Community’s Josephine Larson in last year’s IHSA Finals to finish with a 27-2 record. So now the Clifton Central/ Iroquois West co-op junior is focused on being a state champion and is one step closer to getting back to Bloomington after winning by fall in 2:19 over Washington Community’s Grace Mordhorst in the 170 title match at the Normal Community West Regional. She joined Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op sophomore Avery Crouch (135) as the lone two unbeaten champions in the regional after improving to 31-0. A regional champion last year and the lone sectional qualifier for coach Rebecca Temple’s Lady Comets, she won her first two matches with quick pins and tied LaSalle-Peru’s 155 champion, Marisa Eggersdorfer, for the most team points with 28. 

“It’s been a great season and I’m undefeated,” Temple said. “And winning today was really good. I’ve been working hard all season and all offseason and really pushing to hopefully win this year. (About the growth of the sport) It’s been very fun. It keeps growing and there’s more and more people in each bracket every year. It’s crazy to see how it keeps growing. I like giving back to the sport and coaching the youth to hopefully grow the program for the future.”

Mordhorst (26-4), a senior who was one two finalists and four sectional qualifiers for coach Nick Miller’s third-place Lady Panthers, also won her first two matches by fall to reach the 170 finals. For third place, Minooka senior Addison Davis (31-14) got a victory by technical fall in 3:23 over Putnam County/ Hall co-op senior Ella Irwin (13-7), the lone entrant from her team. It was the second time that they met with Davis also winning a 13-0 major decision in the quarterfinals.

190 – Karsyn Robinson, Normal Community West

Karsyn Robinson got the opportunity to be around 2025 Normal Community West graduate Cadence Duvall while competing in track and field in middle school. Duvall, who just missed becoming her school’s first IHSA medalist last year at 235, got Robinson interested in wrestling in order to help her with her throws. Now she’s headed to the DeKalb Sectional with a 27-10 record after becoming one of two freshman first-place finishers at the Normal Community West Regional after getting a pin in 2:29 over Deer Creek-Mackinaw’s Kaleigh Mehrkens in the 190 title match. One of two finalists and three sectional qualifiers for the Wildcats, who are coached by Margaret Lehr, who was the first girl to compete in the sport while at Libertyville and also coached her daughter Sammy to the first tournament title in IHSA history in 2021. Robinson followed a pin with a 16-7 major decision and tied for ninth place in most team points with 23. 

“I had some friends that wrestled at my middle school,” Robinson said. “And then I had one of the girls that used to wrestle here (Cadence Duvall)  and she was my throwing coach last year. She was like, ‘Karsyn, you should start wrestling.’ She told me about it, and I was like, do you think it will help me with throwing? And she said yes. And then I started it, and now I really do love wrestling. I like being in a male-dominated sport. I want to be able to inspire other people to do the sport and make people watch women’s sports more. We should get the same recognition that boys should get or men get, you know? (Likes about her team) I like the fact that a lot of other teams don’t have the same girls team that we have. And coach Lehr is a great coach.”

Mehrkens (14-5), a junior who was the the lone sectional qualifier among three competitors for coach Dan Maurer’s Chiefs, recorded a fall in the semifinals to earn her spot on the 190 title mat. In the third-place match, Minooka senior Mia Lemberg (29-10) got a pin in 0:50 over Washington Community freshman Khloe Cremeens (11-14). 

235 – Juliana Thrush, Ottawa Township

Juliana Thrush made history for Ottawa Township when she concluded a 35-7 season by taking sixth place at 235 in the IHSA Finals to equal her finish in 2024 and as a result, she became the first individual from her program to be a two-time state medalist. Now the senior hopes to not only become a three-time medalist, which only one boy has done at the school, but also to finish higher on the awards stand in Bloomington. A regional champion in 2025, she improved to 25-4 after winning her only match of the regional, which was by fall in 3:10 over Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Kaylee Morris in the 235 title match to become the lone champion, one of two finalists and also one of five qualifiers for the DeKalb Sectional for coach Kevin Aughenbaugh’s Lady Pirates. 

Morris (18-4), a junior, was one of two second-place finishers and three sectional qualifiers for coach Micky Spiwak’s Boilermakers. LaSalle-Peru senior Lily Higgins (14-10) took third place and was one of nine qualifiers for the DeKalb Sectional for the Lady Cavaliers, who improved from 15th place and 200 points behind champion Lincoln-Way co-op last season to being edged 180-176.5 by Minooka for first place at the Normal Community West Regional.

Regional champions

100 – Kalista Frost (LaSalle-Peru) 26-7 

105 – Lily Deibel (Marquette Academy) 20-3 

110 – Addison Yacko (Streator Township) 20-8 

115 – Laila Vaughn (Streator Township) 39-2 

120 – Yurithdzy Vilchis (Prairie Central) 29-5

125 – Kiely Domyancich (LaSalle-Peru) 31-2 

130 – Sabina Charlebois (Minooka) 34-5

135 – Avery Crouch (Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington) 27-0

140 – Ezra Rodriguez (Minooka) 36-4 

145 – Paytyn Dykes (Washington Community) 23-8 

155 – Marisa Eggersdorfer (LaSalle-Peru) 25-4 

170 – Payton Temple (Clifton Central) 31-0

190 – Karsyn Robinson (Normal Community West) 27-10

235 – Juliana Thrush (Ottawa Township) 25-4 

Additional sectional qualifiers

100 – Isabel Gwaltney (Ottawa Township) 16-15, Mia Martinez (Minooka) 12-12, Elizabeth Austin (Morton) 15-13

105 – Therese Escano (Minooka) 23-13, Ciara Bolf (Ottawa Township) 28-10, Grace Aeschliman (Metamora) 23-18

110 – Sarah Lowery (LaSalle (LaSalle-Peru) 33-6, Marian Nordsell (Minooka) 32-10, Lily Gwaltney (Ottawa Township) 30-5

115 – Autumn Starr (Bloomington) 22-7, Madysen Meyer (Reed-Custer) 14-6, Emily Lowery (LaSalle-Peru) 25-9

120 – Amelia McClure (Normal Community West) 17-7, Lilyana Malagon (Illinois Valley Central) 18-11, Payton Henson (Streator Township) 27-16

125 – Samantha Greisen (Seneca) 38-4, Zara Lugo (Morris) 30-12, Calliope Willman (Metamora) 41-7

130 – Riley Kuder (Coal City) 23-7, Emma Tomlinson (LaSalle-Peru) 19-13, Olivia Ioerger (Washington Community) 15-16

135 – Aubrianna Rapier (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 23-3, Harmony Morgan (Streator Township) 18-8, Jaiyden Provance (Ottawa (Township) 17-11

140 – Adilynn Avilez (Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington) 23-3, Avalyn Edwall (LaSalle-Peru) 20-9, Sophia Domont (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 15-5

145 – Audri Plut (LaSalle-Peru) 11-3, Savannah Vignali (Morris) 13-6, Melody Williams (Minooka) 23-16

155 – Alicia Swank (Bloomington) 24-5, Arian Sabu (Normal Community West) 30-8, Abigail Underhill (Minooka) 36-10

170 – Grace Mordhorst (Washington Community) 26-4, Addison Davis (Minooka) 31-14, Ella Irwin (Putnam County/ Hall) 13-7

190 – Kaleigh Mehrkens (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) 14-5, Mia Lemberg (Minooka) 29-10, Khloe Cremeens (Washington Community) 11-14

235 – Kaylee Morris (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 18-4, Lily Higgins (LaSalle-Peru) 14-10

Team scores

Minooka 180, LaSalle-Peru 176.5, 3. Washington Community 85, Ottawa Township 82.5, Streator Township 78.5, Normal Community West 77. Bradley-Bourbonnais 75, Morris 62.5, Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op 49.5, Bloomington 40, Clifton Central 38, Prairie Central 37.5, Illinois Valley Central 28.5, Seneca 28.5, Metamora 27, Marquette Academy 23, Coal City 22, Morton 21, Kankakee 20, Reed-Custer 18.5, Deer Creek-Mackinaw 18, Putnam County/ Hall 13, El Paso-Gridley 12, Herscher 8, University High 8, Mendota 7, Tremont 7, Normal Community 0, Pontiac 0

Individual statistics

Most team points: Marisa Eggersdorfer, La Salle-Peru 28, Payton Temple, Clifton Central; Avery Crouch, Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington 27.5; Yurithdzy Vilchis, Prairie Central 27.5; Ezra Rodriguez, Minooka 26; Sabina Charlebois. Minooka 25.5; Kiely Domyanicich, LaSalle-Peru 25.5; Kalista Frost, LaSalle-Peru 24; Lily Deibel, Marquette Academy 23; Karsyn Robinson, Normal Community West 23

Most total match points: Madysen Meyer, Reed-Custer 65; Lilyana Malagon, Illinois Valley Central 48; Laila Vaughn, Streator Township 47

Most pins: Lilyana Malagon, Illinois Valley Central 4 (in 9:53)

Most technical falls in least time: Samantha Greisen, Seneca 1 (in 1:59)

Largest see-place difference: Emily Lowery, LaSalle-Peru 4 (8 to 4)

Team statistics

Most Total match points: Minooka 305; Ottawa Township 145; LaSalle-Peru 139

Most pins: Minooka 20; LaSalle-Peru 18; Bradley-Bourbonnais 12

Most technical falls: Minooka 4; Kankakee 2; Ottawa Township 2; Seneca 2

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

PRINCETON – Dixon has definitely had one of the top programs in the state for a long time, as it entered the season with 874 dual meet victories and a .685 winning percentage in its dual meets during the past 73 seasons, according to its season summaries on the IHSA website.

The IHSA website shows only 11 programs had won more dual meets than Dixon heading into 2025-2026. But records in the season summaries indicate that there are at least four other schools that aren’t listed who have won over 1,000 dual meets. 

However, the Dukes haven’t enjoyed much postseason success, winning only two regional titles, in 2017 and 2019, and regional titles were first awarded in 1983. And they had only qualified for the IHSA Dual Team Finals in 2017, when they took third place in Class 2A. That competition has been held since 1984.

So it was understandably a big deal when coach Micah Hey’s Dukes won the championship at the Class 1A Princeton Regional by scoring 221 points, placing it well ahead of runner-up Sandwich (177) and third-place Marquette Academy (172) for the school’s third regional title. 

Then five days after that, Dixon defeated first-time regional winner Morrison 57-20 in the Class 1A Oregon Dual Team Sectional to qualify for the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second time, with this visit being in Class 1A, which the program moved back down to this season.

The Dukes hope to capture their second state trophy and can do that on February 27 when they meet Althoff Catholic in the quarterfinals of the Class 1A Dual Team Finals, which takes place at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Dixon’s previous regional titles and its state appearance came under coach Chris Bishop, who led the Dukes from 2010-2011 to 2020-2021. The state team in 2017 had a program-best 24-2 record and beat Mahomet-Seymour in the quarterfinals, lost to the eventual champion, Washington Community, in the semifinals and defeated Cahokia for third place.

Hey, who’s in his fifth season as the Dukes’ head coach, was an assistant coach on that state team. He also had a great high school career at Dixon, winning a Class AA title at 119 in 1993 and taking third at 125 in AA in 1994.

“This was a big goal we had to win regionals and then earn a trip to the team state,” Hey said. “It is the second time we have done it as a team in Dixon history, so we are very excited. Of course, as great as it is to get down to state as a team, our eyes are set on a trophy.

“Currently we are locked back in on individuals. The guys that didn’t qualify for sectionals are still pushing hard to help the qualifiers get down to state. They know they will still have their chance to shine at team state.”

Hey said that the assistant coaches who have really made this all happen are Jacob Hey, Jamie Hey, Evan Thorpe and Matt Linder and volunteer coaches Chris Bishop, Colin Brinkmeier and Quinn Staples.

His brother, Jacob, a 2019 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, was a three-time medalist and an undefeated IHSA champion in 1991 and the all-time wins leader for the Dukes, and his brother Jamie, was also an IHSA medalist in 1999. Jacob, who coached at Althoff Catholic for five seasons, earned All-American honors 18 times while at Dixon and the United States Air Force.

Of the 11 programs that the IHSA lists with having more dual meet wins than Dixon, those schools have averaged 22 regional titles and 11 state tournament appearances.

Winning championships for the Dukes at the Princeton Regional were Riley Paredes (106), Doolan Long (126), Charlie Connors (144), Dawson Kemp (216) and Dylan Bopes (285).

Finishing in second place were Jack Ragan (120), Preston Richards (150) and Blake Dingley (175) while Seth Shaffer (190) took third place to give the team nine qualifiers for this weekend’s Byron Individual Sectional.

Other Dukes who contributed to the title cause were Ian Fane (113), Kazmyn Barber (132), Channing Sarver (138), Neomiah Holloway (157) and Adam Staples (165).

In the Oregon Dual Team Sectional, The Dukes got falls from Long, Connors, Staples, Dingley, Kemp, Bopes and Paredes, a forfeit win from Gage Heath, a win by technical fall from Richards and a major decision from Ragan and only lost three contested matches to Morrison.

Leading the way for coach Derek Jones’ runner-up Indians were champions Cooper Corder (150) and Joshua Kotalik (175). Second-place finishers for Sandwich were Jaxson Blanchard (138) and Kai Kern (190) while Connor Blanchard (120), Dom Urbanski (126), Jack Forth (157) and Kaden Clevenger (215) all took third place to qualify for the sectional.

Top performers for coach Trent Lyons’ third-place Crusaders were title winners Wesley Janick (120), Koby Clark (132) and Brysen Manly (157). Runners-up for Marquette Academy were Connor Eggers (113), Logan Huenefeld (126), Reily Leifheit (165)  and Alex Schaefer (215) while Dakota Harmon (106) and Beau Thompson (138) also advanced by taking third place.

The host Tigers, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Amy, took fourth place had four champions, Augustus Swanson (113), Kane Dauber (138), Casey Etheridge (165) and Eli Berlin (190) while Corbin Brown (132) took third and also qualified.

Additional second-place finishers were Kewanee’s Lain Taylor (144) and Airies Simmons (285),  Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille co-op’s Aden Spinelli (106), Saint Bede Academy’s Max Moreno (132) and Mendota’s Gavin Evans (157).

Kewanee also had three third-place finishers, Dontel Wommack (150), Brayden Johnson (165) and Ace Lafollette (175). Additional individuals who placed third and advanced to the sectional are ROWVA/ Williamsfield co-op’s Kegan Miller (113), Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille co-op’s Caiden Heath (144) and Putnam County/ Hall co-op’s Justin Doden (285).

Berlin and Dauber led all competitors with 28 team points while Corder (26.5), Janick (26), Bopes (24), Kemp (24), Kotalik (24), Long (24), Paredes (24) and Swanson (24) rounded out the top 10 in that category. 

Swanson had the most pins in the least time with three in 2:09, ROWVA/ Williamsfield co-op’s Tommy DeRitter had the quickest technical fall in 2:00, Kewanee’s Trayvon Rucker had the most total match points with 46 and Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille co-op’s Ty Florschuetz had the largest see-place difference with four positions. 

Returning state qualifiers who advanced were Princeton’s Casey Etheridge (fourth at 165), Kane Dauber (fifth at 132) and Augustus Swanson, Dixon’s Jack Ragan and Charlie Connors, Sandwich’s Cooper Corder (fifth at 144) and Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer.

Title winners who also won regional championships in 2025 were Princeton’s Kane Dauber, Casey Etheridge and Augustus Swanson, Dixon’s Charlie Conners and Jack Ragan, Sandwich’s Cooper Corder and Jaxson Blanchard and Marquette Academy’s Brysen Manly. 

Sectional qualifiers from the Princeton Regional with the best records were Princeton’s Augustus Swanson (42-1), Sandwich’s Cooper Corder (36-1), Dixon’s Riley Paredes (33-1), Marquette Academy’s Wesley Janick (28-2), Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer (26-2), Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille co-op’s Aden Spinelli (25-2), Princeton’s Kane Dauber (23-2), Dixon’s Charlie Connors (37-4), Marquette Academy’s Reily Leifheit (31-4), Princeton’s Casey Etheridge (41-5), Sandwich’s Joshua Kotalik (41-5), Dixon’s Jack Ragan (34-5), Dixon’s Dylan Bopes (27-5), Kewanee’s Airies Simmons (21-5) and Dixon’s Preston Richards (35-6).

Here’s a look at the champions and their weights at the Class 1A Princeton Regional

106 – Riley Paredes, Dixon

Riley Paredes continued his excellent junior season by capturing his fifth tournament title at the Princeton Regional, becoming one of Dixon’s five champions and nine sectional qualifiers for coach Micah Hey’s Dukes, who won their third regional title in their program’s history. After winning by fall in 2:00 over Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille’s Aden Spinelli in the 106 title match. Paredes (33-1), who’s top-ranked in 1A, opened with a fall in the semifinals. His other titles were in the same gym at the PIT as well as at Sterling, Prospect and West Chicago. He tied three teammates who were also champions, Doolan Long, Dawson Kemp and Dylan Bopes, for fifth place for the most team points with 24. A few days after winning the regional, his team won 57-20 over Morrison to advance to IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second time.

“It feels good, Paredes said. “We’ve been talking about this since even the start of the year, so just getting this, getting this complete and going on to sectionals now and just tearing through  whoever comes at us. The chemistry of all of us, it’s just so big, and I love it. This team is really special. I love this team so much, and I think that we’re going far. I’m a 106 and my coaches are always telling me, go start us out, so I just go do what I do and go start us out and get the pin. Most of us have been with each other since even before the club, so when we were five years old. Me and Jack (Ragan) have been wrestling with each other since we were five years old.”

Spinelli (25-2), a sophomore who’s ranked eighth and was a regional champion last season, was the lone finalist and one of two sectional qualifiers for coach Mike Olson’s Clippers. For third place, Marquette Academy freshman Dakota Harmon (31-11) got a pin in 1:12 over Sandwich sophomore Hunter Whitecotton (24-15).

113 – Augustus Swanson, Princeton

Augustus Swanson competed in his final match at Prouty Gym and definitely went out in style as the Princeton senior recorded a pin in 1:01 over Marquette Academy’s Connor Eggers in the 105 title match at the Princeton Regional and won all three of his matches by fall in just 2:09, which was a regional-best for pins in the least time. Swanson (42-1), who’s top-ranked at his weight added to title wins at his school’s PIT and LeRoy/Tri-Valley and his lone loss came to an Iowan in a tournament at Clinton DeWitt in Iowa. He was one of four champions, including three who also won regional titles a year ago, for the host Tigers, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Amy. He’s a three-time state qualifier who finished in fifth place at 106 in 2024 and went 30-10 last season. He tied for fifth place for the most team points with 24. 

“I’ve been working really hard this year because my goal is to be on the top of the podium at the end of the year,” Swanson said. “Last year, I didn’t achieve my goal, so this year, it’s my turn. (Placing in 2024 and then not placing last year) It’s rough, but I’m back. I’m feeling good and I’ve been working hard. It’s enjoyable being able to wrestle with the guys on my team and they’re running pretty good this season. We lost some of our top guys last year, but we’re building. (Likes about being at Princeton) I’d say the coaching staff and the wrestlers themselves. I mean, they have a great attitude and you can tell that they want to get better.”

Eggers (23-13), a freshman, was one of seven finalists and four runners-up for coach Trent Lyons’ third-place Crusaders. In the third-place match, ROWVA/ Williamsfield co-op freshman Kegan Miller (26-9) became his team’s only sectional qualifier when he won by fall in 1:15 over Sandwich freshman Aiden Sinetos (16-14).

120 – Wesley Janick, Marquette Academy

Wesley Janick became the only freshman champion at the Princeton Regional when he claimed a 12-5 decision over Dixon’s Jack Ragan in the 120 title match. Janick (28-2), who’s ranked fifth, appeared in his fourth-straight tourney title match, also claiming a title at Orion while taking second at Plano and Reed-Custer. He was one of three champions and seven finalists for coach Trent Lyons’ Crusaders, who finished in third place. He won his first two matches by fall and ranked fourth for the most team points with 26, which was a high for his team.

“It’s fun to be a part of a program that started three years ago for our juniors,” Janick said. “So our football is good and wrestling is just now taking off. We’re all very uplifting and it’s a real tight-knit group. I’ve been wrestling since I was really young. I want to win it this year.” 

Ragan (34-5), a junior who’s ranked sixth, advanced to his fourth tournament title match, also taking second at West Chicago while winning at the PIT and earlier at Sterling. A two-time IHSA qualifier who went 40-7 last season, he was one of eight finalists and three second-place finishers for coach Micah Hey’s Dukes, who won the school’s third regional title and then a few days later advanced to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second time. For third, Sandwich sophomore Connor Blanchard (22-16) won by fall in 2:45 over Princeton sophomore Allister Swanson (23-19).

126 – Doolan Long, Dixon

Doolan Long picked a good time to win his first tournament title of the season as he took top honors at 126 in the Princeton Regional by recording a fall in 1:54 over Marquette Academy’s Logan Huenefeld in the finals. An honorable mention selection who improved to 30-10, he also was second at Sterling and took third place at West Chicago. The sophomore was one of five champions and eight finalists for coach Micah Hey’s Dukes, who captured their program’s third regional title and then a few days later, assured their spot in the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second time. He won all three of his matches by fall and tied teammates and fellow champions Riley Paredes, Dawson Kemp and Dylan Bopes for fifth place for the most team points with 24.  

“I’ve been putting in a lot of work and coming to practice every day and eating healthy every day,” Long said, “So, it really pays off to get the win here. I think this is my 30th win and my first tournament, and it’s the regional, too, so now I get that bye at sectionals, so that’s perfect. I thought I did really good. I pushed the pace a lot and I didn’t let up any room for them to get up or anything. I’m really happy with how I did. (Teammates he works with) Jack Ragan, Charlie Connors and Preston (Richards). We have a really good room and that makes me better. And we all make each other better and It’s nice. (Dixon winning the regional) It’s nice for our coaches and their hard work is paying off. (His title match) I thought it was going to be a really hard match and I thought it was going to go late third period. Then I look at the clock and see like 15 seconds left and I see an opportunity and put in a wing and I run it hard and I was really happy when I got that pin, it was really nice. (what he likes about his team) I like how even the JV kids will push us varsity because in wrestling, it’s not just one person. It’s every single weight class. And even the JV kids help out. We have a lot of depth in our team, which I really like. And we really push hard at practice and we never mess around, and it really shows.”

Huenefeld (29-13), a freshman who won a title at Orion and took third at Plano, was one of seven finalists and four second-place finishers for the third-place Crusaders, who are coached by Trent Lyons. In the third-place match, Sandwich sophomore Dom Urbanski (22-23) had to win three matches in the consolation bracket and captured an 11-6 decision over Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille junior Ty Florschuetz (20-12), who had the largest seed-place difference of anyone in the competition, improving four positions after being seeded eighth.

132 – Koby Clark, Marquette Academy

Koby Clark hadn’t placed better than third in a tournament heading into the postseason but that didn’t prevent the Marquette Academy junior from claiming a championship at the Princeton Regional when he won a 20-11 major decision over Saint Bede Academy’s Max Moreno in the 132 title match. Clark, an honorable mention selection who improved to 29-7 and took third at Reed-Custer and fourth at Orion, was one of three champs and seven finalists for coach Trent Lyons’ third-place Crusaders. He opened with two falls and was 11th in team points with 23.

“This felt amazing,” Clark said. “I lost to him last week and I was up 7-4 and he got a double on me and pinned me. So I threw everything on this match and just gave it all I got and I came out on top. I pushed way harder. I gave up a little bit at Bob Mitton since I was sick that week, and I just had nothing left in me, and I really had to just fight that mental block of just wanting to just go easier. I just kept on pushing through everything, and I got it done. (Competing against Max Moreno) We always keep our friendship. We wrestled a couple times. We wrestled all the way through middle school and club and we were on the same team. You know, every time we’re on the mat, it’s straight business. And when we’re off the mat, we’re friends. (Being at Marquette Academy) Oh, yeah. It’s so amazing from what we’ve built up. Our freshman year, I think we had maybe seven kids on the team. When people used to look at us, they’re like, ‘Who is Marquette? Now, we aren’t so much the underdogs. We aren’t negative. We are really not negative to each other at all. We always lift each other up, and most of our guys are religious, so we always pray, and it just really helps us. Religion is like a big thing with us, and we like that.”

Moreno (35-7), a sophomore, was the lone finalist and sectional qualifier for coach Sam Allen’s Bruins. An honorable mention selection, he won a title at Fort Zumwalt West, MO, was second at Orion and took third at Kewanee and Plano. For third place, Princeton sophomore Corbin Brown (32-13) won a 14-5 major decision over Kewanee senior Landyn Greenhagen (24-12) in a rematch of their quarterfinal match where Greenhagen won by technical fall in 4:00. 

138 – Kane Dauber, Princeton

Kane Dauber hopes that now that he’s overcome injuries that he’s ready to improve upon how well he did as a freshman, when he opened the postseason with a regional title and eventually took fifth place at 132 at the IHSA Finals to finish with a 50-5 record. The Princeton sophomore competed in only his second tournament and won his first title this season by taking first place at 138 in the regional that his school hosted, becoming one of four champions for the Tigers, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Amy. Third-ranked at his weight, Dauber improved to 23-2 after recording three pins, with the last of those in 2:24 in the finals over Sandwich’s Jaxson Blanchard. He tied teammate and 190 champion Eli Berlin for the most team points with 28. His only other tournament finish was a third at Central DeWitt, Iowa.

“It was nice showing what I can do, it was fun,” Dauber said. “I was out for a month competing but I was practicing for two weeks before this. There was no rest because I kept pretty active during my recovery and have just come back stronger. Yeah, I think it did me some good just to get me recovering just so I can get back on my feet and be 100 percent during the matches. Just be aggressive. Just have no fear of losing or no fear of winning. You never think about the after the fact of the match, you always think about the present moment. And if you keep the present moment in between your eyes, there’s a bunch of little present moments in between matches. You’ve got to just try to win more than the other guy. That’s the goal of the sport. That’s it. Score more points that’s it. (Competing for Princeton) If I just keep moving and those guys keep coaching me, I’ll be fine. I don’t think about the outcome of the state tournament. My only part is winning the match ahead of me and focus on the guy in front of me. And if that all goes well, how far we get is how far we get.”

Blanchard (30-7), a sophomore who won a regional title last season, was one of four finalists and two second-place finishers for coach Derek Jones’ second-place Indians, is an honorable mention selection who won a title at Prairie Central and also placed second at Reed-Custer. Marquette Academy junior Beau Thompson (29-12) won three matches in the consolation bracket, getting a pin before rallying for a 7-4 win by sudden victory over Kewanee senior Hunter Vancil (30-13) to advance to the third-place match, where he was a winner by fall in 1:28 over Mendota junior Trayvon Rucker (21-17), who had the most total match points (46) and single match points (29) in the regional.

144 – Charlie Connors, Dixon

Charlie Connors advanced to the IHSA Finals last season as a freshman but was unable to win any matches and finished with a 32-8 record. Beside hoping that he and Jack Ragan qualify for state again along with some of their teammates, the Dixon sophomore looks to contend for a medal and improved to 37-4 after winning the 144 title at the Princeton Regional with a 10-2 major decision over Kewanee’s Lain Taylor. Seventh-ranked at 144, he also won titles at Sterling and West Chicago, was a runner-up at Prospect and took fourth at Princeton’s PIT. One of five champions and eight finalists for coach Micah Hey’s champion Dukes, he opened with a pin and then got a victory by technical fall. A few days after helping Dixon win its third regional title, he and his teammates assured their program of a second trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals.

“We’re just in the practice room putting in hard work every day, you know, everyone, all throughout our lineup,” Connors said. “We’re definitely looking forward to hopefully making it down to team state. And, yeah, just all throughout the lineup, we’ve got good partners for everyone. (Has worked on to get better) I was definitely just putting in the work every single day in the offseason. I didn’t get to my attacks as much as I would have liked to in the finals match, but got it done. We’re looking to send as many as we can down to state this year. (what he likes about his team) You know, we have a lot of chemistry and good team bonding. And I think it really helps out in those close duals. Overall, the team chemistry really helps in the long run.” 

Taylor (36-7) was one of two second-place finishers and five sectional qualifiers who led the way for coach Charley Eads’ fifth-place Boilermakers. The sophomore also was a runner-up at Orion and took third place at his school’s invite. In the third-place match, Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille co-op junior Caiden Heath (23-8) was a winner by fall in 4:30 over Sandwich senior Jacob Cassie (21-8). 

150 – Cooper Corder, Sandwich

Cooper Corder claimed fourth place at 138 at the IHSA as a freshman in 2024 and then took fifth place at 144 last season and finished with a 37-7 record. The Sandwich junior has much bigger plans than just getting back to state, since he would like to become the seventh individual from his school to be a three-time medal winner and also join a longer list of those who’ve won IHSA titles for the program. He improved to 36-1 after winning the 150 title at the Princeton Regional with a 16-5 major decision over Dixon’s Preston Richards. He opened with a pin and then got a win by technical fall to give him 26.5 team points, which was the third-highest total. Ranked third at 150, his lone loss was to Unity Christian’s Clinton VerHeecke in the finals of the Prairie Central Hawk Classic. He joined Joshua Kotalik (175) as a champion and also Jaxson Blanchard (138) and Kai Kern (190) as finalists for coach Derek Jones’ second-place Indians. 

“It’s awesome,” Corder said. “Every year I come here to win regionals and sectionals and hopefully get that state title. And a lot of work I’ve been doing in the offseason, in-season, groups I’ve been training with all around the state. It’s definitely coming full circle. So it’s just a step in the right direction. He’s a tough kid, but I’m definitely not happy with the match. I obviously wanted to come through get techs and pins and show the domination I think if that match were to have been wrestled both equally if everyone’s going at it it would have been a little bit better but I feel like I was aggressing quite a bit at the end of the day I think he wanted to keep it close. Not happy with it, but I got the title. I love not being complacent. I like looking back and being like, ‘that was a good match, but I want more’. I want to continuously grow and chase excellence. I’ve been at state twice, placed both times. Again, I’ve been doing so much work. I’m really excited to see what this season brings. No doubt in my mind that I can win that bracket. It’s going to be tough, a lot of hard matches, and the next step is sectionals, so it’s one match at a time. (Competing for Sandwich) I’ve been here since I was a little kid. Coming up in the middle school, kids club, now in high school. I feel like it was in a blink of an eye. I’m an upperclassman. I’m starting to shape those younger kids, but it’s awesome. I like being in the practice room and encouraging people. I think we’re a hard-working group of guys and we have a couple going to sectionals and I’m excited to see how they’ll do. Every day is a blessing in that room. It’s a good support system. I think everyone in there is hungry to get better.”

Richards (35-6) was one of eight finalists and three second-place finishers for coach Micah Hey’s champion Dukes, who won their third regional title and a few days later, advanced to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second time. Ranked fourth at 150, the sophomore added to second-place finishes at Sterling, Prospect and West Chicago and a third at Princeton. In the third-place match, Kewanee senior Dontel Wommack (27-12) won 12-9 by sudden victory over Mendota sophomore Komen Denault (29-9). Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille co-op junior Jose Lopez, an IHSA qualifier in 2025, fell one win shy of advancing to the sectional.

157 – Brysen Manly, Marquette Academy

Brysen Manly was one of three champions and seven finalists for coach Trent Lyons’ third-place Crusaders at the Princeton Regional and that was a big deal for the junior since it qualified him for the Byron Sectional after his previous-best finishes in tournaments were a fifth at Orion and a sixth at Plano. He improved to 24-13 after claiming an 8-5 decision over Mendota’s Gavin Evans in the finals after winning a major decision in the semifinals in his only other match. He was also one of nine sectional qualifiers for his team, which had 10 competitors in the regional. Last season he went 31-16 and qualified for the Oregon Sectional.

“I remember coming in my freshman year and I consider myself to be one of the founding fathers of the Marquette program,” Manly said. “It was such a small team, maybe like seven kids when I started. So it’s nice to see that we had a full-team roster this year. We went and won multiple tournaments and we’ve been expanding so much. It’s great to see and I can’t wait to see what the program becomes. We’re definitely proud, and I think everybody could say that for the team, you know. And it shows, I mean, we all have quite a few freshmen today making it to sectionals. (Reasons for the success) I’ve got to say, it’s the support that we’ve gotten from our community, helping to bring us up. And definitely Coach Trent (Lyons), he’s done so much for us and he takes his time off for us. I feel, as an upperclassman, that it’s us upperclassmen who are encouraging the freshmen. This year, I really try to emphasize my defensive style of wrestling and I’ve definitely seen improvements. In my first-place match against a great kid from Mendota, he was very offensive and it showed my defensive wrestling is becoming my strong suit. My teammates, Alex Schaefer, a former state qualifier, and Reily Leifheit, Koby Clark and Beau Thompson, we’ve all been together since our freshman year, so I think with them being great wrestlers, it’s helped me to improve a lot, too.”

Evans (29-8), a senior, was the lone finalist and sectional qualifier for coach Brent Montavon’s Trojans, who had three others who lost in third-place matches. Sandwich senior Jack Forth (27-18) claimed third place with an 11-7 decision over Kewanee junior Jermain McKnight, Jr. (23-10). Forth got pinned by McKnight in 5:28 in his opener and then won a 4-3 decision over Dixon junior Neomiah Holloway (16-13) to earn a rematch with McKnight, Jr. for third place. 

165 – Casey Etheridge, Princeton

Casey Etheridge claimed a 10-3 decision over Reily Leifheit in the 165 title match in a clash between the second- and third-ranked individuals at their weights and it was also a rematch from last year’s Oregon Sectional where Etheridge won to earn a spot in the third-place match. Competing in his final match at Prouty Gym, senior Etheridge (41-5) repeated as a regional champion after opening the tournament with two first-minute falls and he added to first-place finishes at Central DeWitt, Iowa and LeRoy/ Tri-Valley and a runner-up showing at his school’s PIT. He was one of four champions and five sectional qualifiers for the fourth-place host Tigers, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Amy. Etheridge, a two-time IHSA qualifier, went 48-6 last season and took fourth place at 165 to claim his first state medal.

“It’s a little different this year compared to last year because we met in the regional finals last year, and by that point we wrestled at Plano, then regionals, then sectionals,” Etheridge said. “So this year, this is the first time I’ve seen him. He’s had a really good year, so I knew I had my work coming for me, but I thought we both wrestled really well, and I’d love to see him again at sectionals and hopefully at state. But he’s a great competitor, and I know he works really hard at this sport, so I have a lot of respect for him. I’m really blessed to be at Princeton and with the all-around coaching. I’m grateful since they push us to be the best wrestlers that we can be. It’s really nice to have them around. I struggled in December after losing a couple of close, tough matches, but then they kept to my ear the entire time, that this truly doesn’t matter until February. It’s a little different having the sectionals in two weeks instead of next week, but I like that because it gives me a little more time to prepare. Once you get into January, you’re having so many duals and tournaments, you’re losing time for practice. And I think that the most important thing in a room is to make sure that you’re surrounded by like-minded individuals.”

Leifheit (31-4), who fell one victory shy of a trip to the IHSA Finals last season and finished with a 38-7 record, was one of four runners-up, seven finalists and nine sectional qualifiers for coach Trent Lyons’ third-place Crusaders. Ranked third at 165, the junior won titles at Plano and Unity and finished third at Reed-Custer. In the third-place match, Kewanee senior Brayden Johnson (28-16) was a winner by fall in 1:05 over Dixon senior Adam Staples (19-16).  

175 – Joshua Kotalik, Sandwich

Joshua Kotalik continued his successful sophomore season for Sandwich by not only surpassing the 40-victory total but also winning the 175 title at the Princeton Regional by recording a fall on 1:28 over Dixon’s Blake Dingley. He joined Cooper Corder (150) as a champion and was one of four finalists and eight sectional qualifiers for coach Derek Jones’ second-place Indians. Ranked eighth at his weight, this was his first tournament title after placing second at Plano and Prairie Central and third at Reed-Custer. He got pins in all of three of his matches and tied for fifth place in most team points with 24. Last season, he fell a bit short of advancing from the Oregon Sectional and finished with a 35-17 record.

“It feels great,” Kotalik said. “I got second at the Plano Reaper and got third at Reed-Custer. I think it was  just great to come out here and wrestle. (Cooper Corder) He’s a nice guy, a nice friend and we train together. He’s doing nice and I’m doing good, too. I feel like everything that Sandwich does, whether it’s wrestling or any sport, we kind of bring the energy. (Likes about his team) “I like that they’re all for each other. We’re all fiends here and we all have fun. And we’re there for the good feelings and ready to get out there if we want to win.” 

Dingley (28-15), a sophomore who also took second place at Prospect, was one of eight finalists and three runners-up for the champion Dukes, who are coached by Micah Hey. In the third-place match, Kewanee sophomore Ace Lafollette (30-11) won by fall in 2:41 over Mendota senior Corbin Furar (17-2).

190 – Eli Berlin, Princeton

Eli Berlin joined Augustus Swanson (113), Kane Dauber (138) and Casey Etheridge (165) as champions for coach Steve Amy’s fourth-place Tigers in the Princeton Regional and was one of their five sectional qualifiers after recording three-straight pins to claim the title at 190 with a fall in 5:53 over Sandwich’s Kai Kern. Berlin (36-10), a senior who competed at Prouty Gym for the last time, tied teammate Dauber for the most team points in the regional with 28.This was his best tournament finish of the season with his previous-high being fourth at LeRoy/ Tri-Valley.

“I think everybody performed well,” Berlin said. “We work hard in the practice and at meets and everything else. (Winning the regional title)  It means a lot because last year I came in and I was sick and I didn’t even make it out of the regionals. So to come back here and get first this year is a big deal to me. Having a legend like coach Amy come here and help us means a lot. I was a little upset with how I wrestled in my finals match. I feel like I gassed out in the third and I’ll have to work on that and luckily we have an extra week to practice. But other than that, I pinned my first two kids fairly fast and I got it done, so I’m happy with it. (Setting a record for pins at the school)  For this to be my third or fourth year wrestling and to get that record means a lot to me. I feel like we’ve all been friends since we were little kids, so our teamwork and us working together and being there for each other has been there for a long time because we grew up with each other in the small town. (Hopes for the sectional) I’m hoping to get out of sectionals and go to the state for the first time this year and get it done for sure.”

Kern (26-14) was one of four finalists and seven sectional qualifiers for coach Derek Jones’ second-place Indians. A year ago, he won a regional championship and finished with an 18-10 record. His best previous tournament finishes this season had been fourth place at both Plano and Prairie Central. In the third-place match, Dixon junior Seth Shaffer (26-18) won a 12-4 major decision over Kewanee senior Douglas Swearingen (25-10).  

215 – Dawson Kemp, Dixon

Dawson Kemp claimed his first tournament title of the season and helped cap a memorable day for Dixon as it won its third regional championship with 221 points to win the Princeton Regional by 44 points over Sandwich. Then a few days later, the Dukes beat Morrison in 57-20 in the Oregon Sectional to qualify for the IHSA Dual Team Finals for only the second time. Kemp (33-8), a senior who’s ranked fifth, got his third pin in three matches in 1:31 over Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer in the 215 title match. He was one of five title winners, eight finalists and nine sectional qualifiers for coach Micah Hey’s Dukes. Kemp’s other top finishes were a second at Sterling and a third at West Chicago. He tied for fifth place with five others, including teammates Riley Paredes, Doolan Long and Dylan Bopes for the most team points with 24. 

“It feels great,” Kemp said. “At the end of the day, what it comes down to is working hard in practice and doing everything that coach says, without any questions asked since he knows best. He knows how I wrestle, he knows how the whole team wrestles and he knows how we work and that’s what it comes down to. The teamwork, the pride that we put in at practice, the work that we put in, it all translates to how we do out here. Really, what I can emphasize is just that hard work that it takes. Because you can do all this hard work, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to outwork the guy that’s doing the most. In the wrestling room, our coach has a practice of the last team that made it to Team State. Every day I look at that poster, I think about how great it would feel to make it there myself. (What he likes about his team) My favorite part is just the team spirit and the pride. Because you’ve got to bring the energy up. If you don’t have the energy, then what’s the point?”

Schaefer (26-2), a junior who was ranked sixth, was one of six finalists and three second-place finishers for coach Trent Lyons’ third-place Crusaders. A regional champion and IHSA qualifier last season who finished with a 36-11 record, he recorded falls in his first two matches and was hoping to add to title wins at Plano, Unity and Orion. In the third-place match, Sandwich senior Kaden Clevenger (30-10) won by fall in 2:49 over Princeton senior Rhett Pearson (21-21).

285 – Dylan Bopes, Dixon

Dylan Bopes put the finishing touches on Dixon’s impressive first-place performance at the Princeton Regional when he became one of five champions, eight finalists and nine sectional qualifiers as coach Micah Hey’s Dukes outscored runner-up Sandwich 221-177 for the title, the third in program history. Then a few days later, Bopes and his teammates defeated Morrison 57-20 at the Oregon Sectional to assure Dixon of advancing the the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second time, with the first appearance in 2017, when coach Chris Bishop led the program to a third-place finish in Class 2A. Bopes (27-5) won the title at 285 by recording a fall in 2:33 over Kewanee’s Airies Simmons, which was his second pin of the event. The senior tied teammates Riley Paredes, Doolan Long and Dawson Kemp for fifth in team points with 24. Ranked ninth at 285, he also won a title at Sterling and took third place in the same gym at Princeton’s PIT. 

“It feels just like a dream right now because I remember last year we were so close to winning it, but we just couldn’t follow through,” Bopes said. “It was a full team effort where we all tried to try our best. And the room, it’s really hard to compete because everyone’s just on another level there. (Why the team is having success) I believe it’s because we’re like a family and we’re all just super close. We’ve been on the JV level together and on varsity and it’s been a lot of fun.” 

Simmons (21-5) joined Lain Taylor (144) as second-place finishers for coach Charley Eads’ Boilermakers, and he also was one of five sectional qualifiers for his team. Simmons, a senior, also took second place at Orion. For third place, Putnam County/ Hall co-op sophomore Justin Doden (19-16) became his program’s lone sectional qualifier when he won by fall in 3:21 over ROWVA/ Williamsfield co-op freshman Tommy DeRidder (13-8), who had the quickest win by technical fall in the regional with a time of 2:00.

Regional champions

106 – Riley Paredes (Dixon) 33-1 

113 – Augustus Swanson (Princeton) 42-1

120 – Wesley Janick (Marquette Academy) 28-2

126 – Doolan Long (Dixon) 30-10  

132 – Koby Clark (Marquette Academy) 29-7

138 – Kane Dauber (Princeton) 23-2 

144 – Charlie Connors (Dixon) 37-4

150 – Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 36-1 

157 – Brysen Manly (Marquette Academy) 24-13

165 – Casey Etheridge (Princeton) 41-5

175 – Joshua Kotalik (Sandwich) 41-5 

190 – Eli Berlin (Princeton) 36-10

215 – Dawson Kemp (Dixon) 33-8 

285 – Dylan Bopes (Dixon) 27-5

Additional sectional qualifiers

106 – Aden Spinelli (Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille) 25-2; Dakota Harmon (Marquette Academy) 31-11

113 – Connor Eggers (Marquette Academy) 23-13; Kegan Miller (ROWVA/ Williamsfield) 26-9

120 – Jack Ragan (Dixon) 34-5; Connor Blanchard (Sandwich) 22-16

126 – Logan Huenefeld (Marquette Academy) 29-13; Dom Urbanski (Sandwich) 22-23

132 – Max Moreno (Saint Bede Academy) 35-7; Corbin Brown (Princeton) 32-13 

138 – Jaxson Blanchard (Sandwich) 30-7; Beau Thompson (Marquette Academy) 29-12 

144 – Lain Taylor (Kewanee) 36-7; Caiden Heath (Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille) 23-8

150 – Preston Richards (Dixon) 35-6; Dontel Wommack (Kewanee) 27-12

157 – Gavin Evans (Mendota) 29-8; Jack Forth (Sandwich) 27-18

165 – Reily Leifheit (Marquette Academy) 31-4; Brayden Johnson (Kewanee) 28-16

175 – Blake Dingley (Dixon) 28-15; Ace Lafollette (Kewanee) 30-11

190 – Kai Kern (Sandwich) 26-14; Seth Shaffer (Dixon) 26-18 

215 – Alex Schaefer (Marquette Academy) 26-2; Kaden Clevenger (Sandwich) 30-10 

285 – Airies Simmons (Kewanee) 21-5; Justin Doden (Putnam County/ Hall) 19-16 

Team scores

Dixon 221, Sandwich 177, Marquette Academy 172, Princeton 145, Kewanee 139.5, Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille co-op 63, Mendota 60, ROWVA/ Williamsfield co-op 49.5, Saint Bede Academy 29.5, Putnam County/ Hall co-op 26, Somonauk/ Leland co-op 18

Individual statistics

Most team points: Eli Berlin, Princeton 28; Kane Dauber, Princeton 28; Cooper Corder, Sandwich 26.5; Wesley Janick, Marquette Academy 26; Dylan Bopes, Dixon 24; Dawson Kemp, Dixon 24; Joshua Kotalik, Sandwich 24; Doolan Long, Dixon 24; Riley Paredes, Dixon 24; Augustus Swanson, Princeton 24

Most total match points: Trayvon Rucker, Mendota 46; Cooper Corder, Sandwich 42; Charlie Connors, Dixon 38

Most pins: Augustus Swanson, Princeton 3 (in 2:09); Eli Berlin, Princeton 3; Connor Blanchard, Sandwich 3; Kaden Clevenger, Sandwich 3: Kane Dauber, Princeton 3; Justin Doden, Putnam County/ Hall 3; Caden Heath, Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille 3; Dakota Harmon, Marquette Academy 3; Dawson Kemp, Dixon 3; Joshua Kotalik, Sandwich 3; Brayden Johnson, Kewanne 3; Ace Lafollette, Kewanee 3; Doolan Long, Dixon 3; Kegan Miller, ROWVA/ Williamsfield 3

Most technical falls: Tommy DeRidder, ROWVA/ Williamsfield 1 (in 2:00); Jayden Carreon, ROWVA/ Williamsfield 1; Charlie Connors, Dixon 1; Cooper Corder, Sandwich 1; Connor Eggers, Marquette Academy 1; Landyn Greenhagen, Kewanee 1; Logan Huenefeld, Marquette Academy 1; Maks Niedzwiedz, Saint Bede Academy 1; Kingston Peterson, Kewanee 1; Preston Richards, Dixon 1; Aden Spinelli, Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille 1; Allister Swanson, Princeton 1; Lain Taylor, Kewanne 1; Dom Urbanski, Sandwich 1

Largest seed-place difference: Ty Florschuetz, Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille 4

Team statistics

Most total match points: Kewanee 259; Sandwich 243; Dixon 209

Most pins: Dixon 22, Kewanee 18; Sandwich 17

Most technical falls: Kewanee 3; Dixon 2; Marquette Academy 2; ROWVA/ Williamsfield 2; Sandwich 2

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Qualifiers from these regionals feed the Phillips sectional on Feb. 14

CHICAGO AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

Homewood-Flossmoor placed fourth at last year’s Rich Township regional, and two years ago the Vikings were third at the Curie regional.

H-F finished just flirting with regional success. The program won its first team title at this year’s regional at Chicago’s Agricultural Science.

Coach Scott Aronson’s girls put up 191.5 points to edge second-place Oak Forest (178), with Marist (176.5) hot on their heels in third. District 230 (169.5) placed fourth and St. Laurence (153.5) rounded out the top five team finishes.

“Our coaches and parents are incredibly proud of what our athletes were able to do this weekend,” Aronson said.  “We entered the regional with ten athletes, seven of which qualified for sectionals and one we can take to sectionals as an alternate.”

Aronson had a pair of regional champions in Amara Nwoye (130) and Kendra Hayden (190), and got a second-place finish from London Gandy (125), and thirds from Amirat Toheeb-Lawal (115), Madelynn McClements (135), Kennedy Dade (140) and Denise Brown (145).

“All ten of our girls contributed to the first regional championship in the program’s five-year history.  We are very excited and optimistic about our prospects at sectionals and very grateful everyone is healthy, motivated and ready to go next weekend.  Most of our girls over-performed where they were originally seeded which was extremely gratifying to see as their coach, and demonstrates that they are not letting anything hold them back.”

Oak Lawn (136) placed sixth, followed by Thornton Fractional South (132.5), Agricultural Science (100) Hillcrest (97) and Reavis (92) to round out the top ten finishes.

District 230 — made up of girls from Andrew, Stagg, and Carl Sandburg — led all programs with seven sectional qualifiers. Oak Forest had five qualifiers; Marist and TF South each qualified four; St. Laurence, Oak Lawn, Tinley Park, Agricultural Science, Shepard, Reavis, and Hillcrest had three qualifiers each.
Oak Forest’s Alex Sebek (27-0) is the lone girl to emerge from the regional with an unbeaten record.

REGIONAL CHAMPIONS
100 Alex Sebek (27-0) Oak Forest
105 Taniya Moss (23-5) Hillcrest
110 Carmen Jackson (23-1) Agricultural Science
115 Piper Booe (34-3) District 230
120 Nina Nesci (33-1) St. Laurence
125 Rain Scott (15-1) Oak Forest
130 Amara Nwoye (39-8) Homewood-Flossmoor
135 Brooklyn Strelow (21-6) Oak Forest
140 Hannah Marusarz (26-8) St. Laurence
145 Iyobosa Odiase (31-2) Oak Forest
155 Lily Fish (29-3) Reavis
170 Jermia Moore (34-7) TF South
190 Kendra Hayden (28-12) Homewood-Flossmoor
235 Karrine Jenkins (34-4) Shepard

SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS
100

Alexandra Sebek (Oak Forest) 27-0, d. Elizabeth Bisonaya (Oak Lawn) 30-7, (F 1:20)

Lillian O`Brien (Bloom) 20-2, d. Reese Kruen (District 230) 17-14, (F 5:39)

105

Taniya Moss (Hillcrest) 23-5, d. Tatum De La Vega (District 230) 27-8, (F 4:35)

Dakodia Kelly (TF South) 36-8, d. Sofia Perez (Shepard) 29-15,  (F 3:24)

110

Carmen Jackson (Ag Science) 23-1, d. Jade Hardee (District 230) 37-6, (D 9-6)

Ariel Woodfin (Thornton) 22-3, d. Sophia Orcasitas (Oak Forest) 24-8, (F 0:43)

115

Piper Booe (District 230) 34-3, d. Danita Palmore (Ag Science) 23-4, (D 4-3)

Amirat Toheeb-Lawal (H-F) 35-10, d. Aracely Stevens (TF South) 32-16, (Inj)

120

Nina Nesci (St. Laurence) 33-1, d. Ava Enright (Marist) 35-6, (F 1:44)

Brynnley Krauchun (District 230) 25-14, d. Shealanay Williams (Ag Science) 15-10,  (F 5:23)

125

Rain Scott (Oak Forest) 15-1, d. London Gandy (H-F) 32-11,  (F 1:27)

Kendra Chatman (Goode) 25-4, d. Holly Rowan (McAuley) 24-8, (F 1:28)

130

Amara Nwoye (H-F) 39-8, d. Mila Rocush (Shepard) 31-9, (F 1:00)

Journey Jackson (Oak Lawn) 25-5, d. Anastasia Dvorak (District 230) 22-8, (MD 8-0)

135

Brooklyn Strelow (Oak Forest) 21-6, d. Izzy Locascio (Marist) 25-4,  (F 1:43)

Madelynn McClements (H-F) 33-14, d. Isabella De La Vega (District 230) 26-11, (D 11-7)

140

Hannah Marusarz (St. Laurence) 26-8, d. Marlen Morelos Perez (Eisenhower) 27-5,  (TF-4:12)

Kennedy Dade (H-F) 35-12, d. Rylee Hernandez (Tinley Park) 25-10, (F 3:19)

145

Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest) 31-2, d. Priscilla Ruiz (Oak Lawn) 24-6, (F 0:31)

Denise Brown (H-F) 34-13, d. Neriah Treadway (Hancock) 22-8, (F 1:12)

155

Lily Fish (Reavis) 29-3, d. Melissa Nance (Hillcrest) 22-9, (D 7-6)

Layla Ross (Evergreen Park) 20-7, d. Ariyah Bradford (TF North) 17-6, (TF-2:56)

170
Jermia Moore (TF South) 34-7, d. Phoebe Heyboer (Eisenhower) 29-7, (D 12-5)

Sarah Parker (Marist) 35-11, d. Lilith Merikort (Evergreen Park) 14-5, (F 1:50)

190

Kendra Hayden (H-F) 28-12, d. Jordyn Coleman-Harrison (Hillcrest) 24-3,  (F 0:41)

Lucia Terrazas (TF South) 27-8, d. Ezra Velez (Reavis) 11-11, (D 7-1)

235

Karrine Jenkins (Shepard) 34-4, d. Elise Brown (St. Laurence) 27-5, (F 2:00)

Hailey Canvin (Reavis) 30-8, d. Abby Parker (Marist) 21-8, (M. For.)

Statistics
TEAM

Most pins: Marist 30, Oak Forest 24, District 230 23
Most tech falls: St. Laurence 3, Oak Lawn 2, District 230 2
Most total match points: District 230 249, St. Laurence 248, Homewood-Flossmoor 225

INDIVIDUAL
Most pins least time: District 230’s Brynnley Krauchun, 5 falls in 11:02
Most tech falls least time: TF South’s Abibatu Mogaji, 1 tech in 0:44
Fastest fall: Homewood-Flossmoor’s Rachel Nugin 0:12
Most team points: 32 (tie) – H-F’s Amara Nwoye, St. Laurence’s Nina Nesci, Oak Forest’s Iyobosa Odiase
Most single-match points: Oak Forest’s Rain Scott 23
Most total match points: Thornton’s Ariel Woodfin 49
Largest seed-place difference: District 230’s Reese Kruen became a sectional qualifier by placing fourth as the No. 12 seed at 100 pounds.

RICKOVER NAVAL ACADEMY

Morton coach Fernando Arratia got nine of his girls through to the sectional round, led by regional champions Andaira Marron (100), Karla Munoz (110) and Luissiana Guerrero (120), as Morton won its first team regional title in program history at Rickover Naval Academy. The Mustangs posted 193 points to edge second-place Lane with 185.

Morton placed second at last year’s Rickover regional, and the were second two years ago at the Curie regional.

“Overall, it was a successful day,” Arratia said. “The girls worked hard all season and it’s rewarding to see them find success in various ways. There is still room for improvement but it’s a day that will motivate the girls moving forward.”

Morton led the field in pins (20), tech falls (5) and total match points (356).
In taking the regional crown, the Mustangs got a second-place finish from Fatima Martinez (125), thirds from Jordan Rodriguez (105) and Anali Wilson (170), and fourths from Victoria Vargas (115), Annabelle Linton (145) and Genessi Ceballos (155).

Lane had eight sectional qualifiers on the day. Third-place Kelly (121.5) had five, followed in the team standings by Curie (117.5) with four, De La Salle (95.5) with four, Noble/ITW Speer (94) with two, Oak Park and River Forest (91.5) with five, Rickover (86.5) with two, Hope Academy (81) with three, and Back of the Yards (76) with three to round out the top ten team finishes.
Morton led the field with three regional champs, followed by Lane and Chicago Hope Academy with two champs apiece. Hope Academy’s Demetria Griffin (16-0) finished as the lone unbeaten wrestler to emerge from the Rickover regional.

REGIONAL CHAMPIONS

100 Andaira Marron (32-1) Morton
105 Giselle Arambula (27-1) Curie
110 Karla Munoz (32-10) Morton
115 Demetria Griffin (16-0) Chicago Hope Academy
120 Luissiana Guerrero (28-10) Morton
125 Grace Eiland (16-4) Chicago Hope Academy
130 Kenya Louis (12-3) Kenwood
135 Zabby Badru (43-1) Lane
140 Isabella Miller (22-3) OPRF
145 GG Garduno (23-2) St. Ignatius
155 Layla Moreland (35-9) Lane
170 Sara Martinez Lopera (29-3) Kelly
190 Nyomi Ascencio (31-8) Back of the Yards
235 Esmerelda Bustamante (38-1) Noble/ITW Speer

SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS
100

Andaira Marron (Morton) 32-1, d. Sofia Guerrero (Lane) 41-3,  (D 10-3)

Adali Cruz (Noble/ITW Speer) 35-4, d. Maelaya Brown (Crane) 11-4, (F 4:51)

105

Giselle Arambula (Curie) 27-1, d. J Colbert (Lake View) 18-3,  (F 4:59)

Jordan Rodriguez (Morton) 37-8, d. Anapaula Cerna-Rivera (De La Salle) 15-6,  (MD 13-3)

110

Karla Munoz (Morton) 32-10, d. Lauren Guerrero (Lane) 35-13, (F 5:35)

Destiny Hills (Kelly) 16-14, d. Janiya Hawkins (Dyett) 6-2, (F 0:31)

115

Demetria Griffin (Hope Academy) 16-0, d. Yazmine Garcia (Kelly) 23-5, (TF-4:28)
Gymaria Brown (Curie) 27-4, d. Victoria Vargas (Morton) 34-14,  (F 1:03)

120

Luissiana Guerrero (Morton) 28-10, d. Victoria Serment (De La Salle) 18-5, (D 9-3)

Hannah Chong (Crane) 21-2, d. Paige Finnegan (Rickover) 37-10, (F 2:16)

125

Grace Eiland (Hope Academy) 16-4, d. Fatima Martinez (Morton) 27-19, (MD 16-5)

Michelle Kpekpe (OPRF) 24-15, d. Trinity l Kinesy (Clark) 12-7, (F 2:13)

130

Kenya Louis (Kenwood) 12-3, d. Imyjah Jackson (Lane) 28-13, (F 3:06)

Yaretzi Avila Calixto (Curie) 18-7, d. Krystal Ojeda (Rickover) 19-15, (F 1:23)

135

Zabby Badru (Lane) 43-1, d. Mercedes Carrassoco (De La Salle) 24-3, (F 3:44)

Liliana Monserrat Dimas (Kelly) 24-8, d. Isabelle Vences (Lake View) 6-7, (F 0:54)

140

Isabella Miller (OPRF) 22-3, d. America Cabrera (Phoenix) 23-1,  (F 3:50)

Evelyna Perez (BOTY) 32-9, d. Daniyah Rogers (Westinghouse) 18-13, (F 0:47)

145

GG Garduno (St. Ignatius) 23-2, d. Eila Barbour (Lane) 29-4, (D 15-10)

Zoe Gonzalez (Curie) 11-3, d. Annabella Linton (Morton) 14-7, (F 3:35)

155

Layla Moreland (Lane) 35-9, d. Jennifer Martinez-Alarcon (BOTY) 25-11,  (F 1:02)

Liana Andrade (Kelly) 11-3, d. Genessi Ceballos (Morton) 24-17, (F 1:13)

170

Sara Martinez Lopera (Kelly) 29-3, d. Caliyah Campbell (OPRF) 20-6,  (F 1:12)

Anali Wilson (Morton) 35-2, d. Kenaiece Barrett (Lane) 34-15, (F 0:30)

190

Nyomi Ascencio (BOTY) 31-8, d. Akyah Thomas (Lane) 18-4, (F 1:00)

Valiere Franco (Fenwick) 16-4, .d. Eliana Martinez (OPRF) 16-16, (F 0:53)

235

Esmeralda Bustamante (Noble/ITW Speer) 38-1, d. Amaria Thomas (Hope Academy) 7-4, (F 1:49)
Nevaeh Jones (De La Salle) 15-9, d. Yolianie Hernandez (Noble/Golder) 12-6, (F 5:01)

Statistics
TEAM

Most pins: Morton 20, Curie 19, Kelly 18
Most tech falls: Morton 5, Hope Academy 4, De La Salle 2
Most total match points: Morton 356, Rickover 218, Lane 191

INDIVIDUAL
Most pins least time: Kelly’s Liana Andrade, 5 falls in 5:47
Most tech falls least time: Hope Academy’s Demetria Griffin, 3 techs in 10:51
Fastest fall: OPRF’s Isabella Miller 0:12
Fastest tech fall: De La Salle’s Mercedes Carrassoco 1:07
Most single-match points: Hope Academy’s Grace Eiland 22
Most total match points: OPRF’s Michelle Kpekpe 66
Largest seed-place difference: OPRF’s Michelle Kpekpe and Clark’s Trinity Kinesy. Kpekpe placed third as the No. 8 seed at 125 pounds, and Kinesy placed fourth as the No. 9 seed at 125 pounds.