By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Much as the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association’s Boys Freshman/Sophomore State Championships has served as a second-chance for boys who missed out on qualifying for the IHSA Individual Finals for nearly three decades, the IWCOA Girls Open Championships now has a similar role after being a catalyst for the foundation for the young sport’s IHSA Individual Finals series, which capped its third season with many significant accomplishments as well as a tremendous amount of enthusiasm due to the explosive early growth of the sport.

A total of 301 girls met to determine the 15 champions and the 120 medal winners who finished in eighth-place or better. Any individual who had competed at the eight sectional sites, Evanston Township, Granite City, Heyworth, Lake Zurich, Naperville Central, Shepard, Sterling and Thornton Township, could participate in the two-day event at Bank of Springfield Center.

Among the eight IWCOA Sectionals, Thornton Township produced the most state champions with five. They were Minooka seniors Bella Cyrkiel (145) and Abbey Boersma (155), Romeoville sophomore Daniela Santander (95), Seneca/Plainfield Central senior Courtni Chuway (110) and Homewood-Flossmoor junior Nina Hamm (120).

Other champions who also won IWCOA sectionals were Sherrard senior Brianna Bynum (135) and  Sycamore freshman Jasmine Enriquez (235) at Sterling, Dundee-Crown junior Diamond Rodriguez (100) at Lake Zurich, Centennial freshman Ava Beldo (115) at Heyworth, Proviso West freshman Tierra Hardin (125) at Evanston Township and West Aurora junior Brittney Moran (190) at Naperville Central.

Granite City’s two champions, sophomore Ma’Kayla Bonner (105) and freshman Audrey Barnes (130), did not win titles at their own sectional with Barnes and Bonner taking second. Along with Minooka’s two champions, seniors Bella Cyrkiel (145) and Abbey Boersma (155), this is the first time since the initial tournament in 2017 that two athletes from two schools won four of titles. 

Bloomington sophomore Alicia Swank (140) also didn’t win an IWCOA Sectional title, finishing second at Heyworth. And Palatine junior Sabrina Cargill (170) also went from taking second at the Lake Zurich Sectional to a title winner in Springfield. Cyrkiel and Swank won IWCOA Girls Open Championships for the second year in a row, at the same weights as they did in 2023. They join seven other individuals who have won two or more titles in the competition.

Second-place finishers in the IWCOA Girls Open were Canton freshman LT Diephuis (95), Curie Metropolitan sophomore Giselle Arambula (100), Wauconda senior Lilliana Aly (105), Edwardsville junior Gianna Linhorst (110), Neuqua Valley senior Veronika Arabova (115), Kaneland junior Dyani Torres (120), Addison Trail sophomore Brithany Mondragan (125) and Shepard senior Stacey Massey (130).

Other IWCOA Girls Open Championships runners-up were Geneseo senior Gia Ritter (135), Plainfield North freshman Viktoriia Rodnikova (140), Oswego freshman Makayla Hill (145), Oswego East junior Jessica Stover (155), Bloom Township junior Kinnidi Riley (170), Fremd junior Jazz Ocampo (190) and Palatine freshman Monika Irazoque (235).

All of the finalists but four of the second-place finishers advanced to the IHSA sectionals. The four second-place finishers who did not advance from their regional were Addison Trail’s Mondragon, Oswego East’s Stover, Palatine’s Irazoque and Bloom Township’s Riley, with the latter not being able to qualify from a boys regional.

Five of the champions and six runners-up saw their IHSA seasons conclude at the rugged Schaumburg Sectional. Six of the title winners and three second-place finishers missed out on trips to state at the Geneseo Sectional. Three champions and one runner-up were eliminated at the Richwoods Sectional while one title winner and one second-place finisher saw their hopes dashed at the Evanston Township Sectional.

The Southwest Prairie Conference prides itself as one of the top conferences in the sport and the 10-team league from the southwest suburbs dominated the field at the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association’s Girls Open Championships as it had five individuals who competed in the SPC Tournament who won titles and three others who took second place. 

The SPC stood out in consecutive weight classes, 145 and 155, with all four of the finalists being from the Southwest Prairie Conference. Of the conference’s eight finalists, five were SPC champions and two took second place. Santander (95), Chuway (110), Cyrkiel (145) and Moran (190) all won titles in both the IWCOA Girls Open and in their conference.

Boersma (155), who took fourth in the SPC, won the IWCOA title at 155. Rodnikova (140), who won the SPC title, took second. Hill (145) and Stover (155) took second place in both the 

IWCOA Open Championships and in the SPC meet. 

The Southwest Prairie Conference finished with 12 medal winners while the Mid-Suburban League had 10 individuals who were medalists for top-eight finishes.

Belleville West had consecutive champions in the inaugural Girls Open Championships in 2017, Kaylee Foster (146) and Brooke Holt (156). Relentless Pursuit also had two champions in 2017’s debut Open, Riverside-Brookfield’s Jelitza Cortes (96) and Amanda Martinez (136) and Relentless Pursuit also had two title winners in 2018, but they were from different schools.

Swank and Cyrkiel join seven others who won two or more IWCOA Girls Open Championships. El Paso-Gridley’s Gabrielle Hamilton (191 in 2017 and 2018, 180 in 2019) won three titles while Vandalia’s Morgan Dothager (101), Belvidere’s Mia Rodriguez (111) and Jacksonville’s Jocelyn Murphy (117) took firsts in 2017 and 2018. The other two-time champions in the competition are East Peoria’s Randi Robison (122 in 2017, 132 in 2019), Stevenson’s Sara Sulejmani (145 in 2019, 138 in 2021) and Lanphier’s Ella Miloncus (105 in 2022, 110 in 2023).

Geneseo and Schaumburg both had four medal winners to lead all schools. Others that had three medalists included Lincoln-Way Central, Morris, Oswego, Shepard and Wheaton North.

Schools that had the most participants included Shepard (10), Batavia (7), Schaumburg (7), Maine East (6), Oswego (6), Rickover Naval Academy (6), Geneseo (5), Kankakee (5), Larkin (5), Lincoln-Way Central (5) and Metea Valley (5).

Here’s a look at the 15 champions and the other medalists from the 2024 Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association’s Girls Open Championships:

95 – Daniela Santander, Romeoville

After falling one win shy of earning a trip to state from the the tough Schaumburg Sectional to conclude a 28-8 sophomore season, Romeoville’s Daniela Santander was looking for a better  way to close things out and found it at the IWCOA Girls Open Championships when she won the title at 95 by recording a fall at 4:07 over Canton’s LT Diephuis. Santander, the only medalist of the three individuals the Spartans had at the tournament, recorded two-straight falls, including one in 1:53 over New Trier’s Sunny Aitzemkour in the quarterfinals, before winning a 12-4 major decision over East Peoria’s Abella Brown in the semifinals.

Canton freshman LT Diephuis concluded a 10-16 season at the Geneseo Sectional and likely

felt much better after winning three-straight matches by fall to advance to the 95 title match at the IWCOA Girls Open. The top finisher of two medal winners and one of three Little Giants who competed in the tournament, she recorded a fall in 3:34 over Naperville Central’s Annika Hull in the semifinals to earn her spot in the finals. For third place, Triad’s Claire Crouch won by fall in 2:49 over Naperville Central’s Annika Hull. In the fifth-place match, Wheaton North’s Izzy Paz captured a 6-4 decision over East Peoria’s Abella Brown. And for seventh place, Curie Metropolitan’s Melani Martinez won with a pin in 4:25 over New Trier’s Sunny Aitzemkour.

100 – Diamond Rodriguez, Dundee-Crown

Dundee-Crown junior Diamond Rodriguez joined many other competitors who knew that they were good enough to qualify for the IHSA Individual Finals but were unable to get there as the result of competing in the Schaumburg Sectional. But she was able to get some consolation after closing out a 28-5 season by capturing top honors at 100 at the IWCOA Girls Open Championships when she won by fall in 0:41 over Curie Metropolitan’s Giselle Arambula. Rodriguez, who was eliminated in the sectional by the IWCOA’s 95 champion, Romeoville’s 

Daniela Santander, was one of two champions for the Chargers in Springfield, with Teigen Moreno winning the IWCOA Frosh/Soph Boys title at 215. Rodriguez pinned her way to the title with four falls, with three of those ending in the first period, including in 1:54 over TF South’s Dakodia Kelly in the quarterfinals. She won by fall in 4:29 over Lincoln-Way Central’s Emily Peyton in the semifinals.

“Honestly, my second match was harder, but this was exhausting,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of these girls were pretty tough so I was really glad that I was able to win this. (At the Schaumburg Sectional) I actually lost 6-7 to the girl that was the champion at 95 pounds. I feel like it was cut short for me, maybe if I was in a different sectional I probably could have gone. I’m just glad that I had the opportunity to wrestle here after not competing at state. It was kind of a second opportunity. So even though I didn’t get to state individually, I’m still glad that I got this far.”

Curie Metropolitan sophomore Giselle Arambula lost in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals at the Evanston Township Sectional to fall one win shy of a trip to the IHSA Finals and conclude a 22-7 season. The top finisher of the Condors’ two medalists, she opened with a fall, won a 13-11 decision and then got a pin in 3:43 over Canton’s Shayla Schielein in the semifinals. For third place, Sandwich’s Norah Vick captured a 7-2 decision over Dunlap’s Aerith Adams. In the fifth-place match, Lincoln-Way Central’s Emily Peyton won by fall in 1:43 over Canton’s Shayla Schielein. And Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin’s Gracie Pattison claimed seventh place by medical forfeit over Mt. Vernon’s Lilly Davis.

105 – Ma’Kayla Bonner, Granite City

Granite City’s Ma’Kayla Bonner and Audrey Barnes both came up a bit short of trips to the IHSA Finals at the Richwoods Sectional, so they decided to take part in the IWCOA Girls Open Championships to end things on a better note and they both wound up winning titles with Bonner taking first at 105 and Barnes placing first at 130 to make the Warriors and Minooka the only two schools in the competition that had two title winners. Bonner, a sophomore who went 24-15 this season, took top honors at 105 when she won 6-4 in sudden victory over  Wauconda’s Lilliana Aly. She opened with a fall and then won 10-9 over Westinghouse College Prep’s Kimani Glasper before prevailing 7-5 in sudden victory over Schaumburg’s Justice Girod in the semifinals. 

Wauconda senior Lilliana Aly joined a lot of other quality individuals who were unable to qualify from the rugged Schaumburg Sectional and closed out her final season with a 19-10 record. She opened the IWCOA Girls Open Championships with three-consecutive falls and earned her spot on the title mat by winning an 8-5 decision over Larkin’s Ashley Hammond in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Westinghouse College Prep’s Kimani Glasper claimed an 8-3 decision over Schaumburg’s Justice Girod. For fifth place, Larkin’s Ashley Hammond captured a 13-0 major decision over Rochester’s Carlly Ho. And in the seventh-place match, Morris’ Maggie Gordon recorded a fall in 2:38 over Neuqua Valley’s Sofia Gold.

110 – Courtni Chuway, Seneca

Plainfield Central senior Courtni Chuway lost in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals at the Geneseo Sectional to fall short of a trip to the IHSA Individual Finals by one win as she concluded her high school career with a 29-8 record this season. She decided to compete in the IWCOA Girls Open Championships and did so representing Seneca and that move paid off as she took first place at 110 thanks to a fall in 2:17 over Edwardsville’s Gianna Linhorst in the title match. Chuway won all five of her matches with pins, recording a fall in 2:18 over Stevenson’s Nastasia Kobets and then getting a pin in 1:32 over Burlington Central’s Ruby Vences.

Edwardsville junior Gianna Linhorst, who also came up one victory shy of advancing to the IHSA Finals from the Richwoods Sectional after losing in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals to conclude a 26-11 season, was one of two Tigers who competed in the event and they both won medals. Linhorst opened with a fall and then won decisions in her next three matches, edging Metea Valley’s Janiya Moore 3-2 in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Geneseo’s Lydia King won by fall in 4:28 over Stevenson’s Nastasia Kobets. For fifth place, Metea Valley’s Janiya Moore got a pin in 2:50 over Burlington Central’s Ruby Vences. And in the seventh-place match, Reed-Custer senior Judith Gamboa, who finished in fifth place at 105 in 2023 at the IHSA Individual Finals, recorded a fall in 0:33 over Mascoutah’s Zoey Nelson. 

115 – Ava Beldo, Centennial

Like so many others who competed in the IWCOA Girls state series, Ava Beldo lost in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals of a sectional to miss out on advancing to the IHSA Individual Finals in Bloomington by one win. Centennial freshman Beldo concluded a successful 32-12 debut season when she was unable to qualify from the Richwoods Sectional. Beldo, the Chargers’ lone competitor in the IWCOA Girls Open, recorded falls in all four of her matches. She won the 115 championship with a pin in 1:40 over Neuqua Valley’s Veronika Arabova after reaching the title mat with a fall in 1:35 over Edwardsville’s Alexandra Chong in the semifinals and another pin in 2:34 in the quarterfinals over Mt. Vernon’s Deziare Jones.

“It was very hard to get to state,” Beldo said. “I got a bad pool in the bracket, but everything happens for a reason. And with God, you can do anything. I stumbled down, but coming back to state, I pulled myself back up and won the title and I’m proud of what I’ve done. I am very happy with how I did as a freshman. There’s a lot of good wrestlers at Centennial, and there’s a lot of good seniors that are leaving us like Trevor Schoonover and Ando Beldo, they were really good leaders. It was such a blessing to be able to win this state title as a freshman.”

Neuqua Valley senior Veronika Arabova went 16-4 in her final season but came up one win shy of advancing from the Schaumburg Sectional. One of two medal winners and four individuals in the IWCOA Girls Open for the Wildcats, Arabova recorded four falls to reach the 115 title mat, getting a pin in the semifinals in 0:41 over Kankakee’s Taniyah Sherman, who went on to finish in third place after winning by fall in 3:53 over Edwardsville’s Alexandra Chong. For fifth place, West Aurora’s Lailonie Molina captured a 9-5 decision over Naperville Central’s Gracie Meluch. And in the seventh-place match, Civic Memorial’s Kendall Smith recorded a fall in 1:26 over Morris’ Makensi Martin.

120 – Nina Hamm, Homewood-Flossmoor

One real good indicator of just how difficult it was for girls to advance to the IHSA Individual Finals this season was the fact that two state placewinners from a year ago won titles at the IWCOA Girls Open Championships in Springfield. One of those was Homewood-Flossmoor junior Nina Hamm, who took sixth place at 110 last season at the second IHSA Finals to cap a 31-14 season. Hamm lost in the consolation semifinals in sudden victory at the Evanston Township Sectional to fall one win shy of a trip to state and closed out this season with a 27-11 record. One of four Vikings qualifiers and their lone medalist, Hamm won the 120 title after capturing a 14-4 major decision over Kaneland’s Dyani Torres in the championship match. She opened with two falls, including one in 4:12 in the quarterfinals over Rock Falls’ Ryleigh Eriks before earning her spot on the title mat with a 9-7 win by sudden victory over J. Sterling Morton’s Monica Garcia in the semifinals.

“There’s a lot of work to put in because this is such a physically exhausting sport,” Hamm said. “We didn’t really have consistent practices and also the girls that didn’t make it along the way kind of stopped coming to practice, which left me without a partner. And the part about making weight was huge, too, because with the whole week off, it was so hard to maintain your weight.”

Kaneland junior Dyani Torres, who lost in the semifinals of the Geneseo Sectional to eventual IHSA 120 champion Angelina Cassioppi and again the consolation semifinals to fall short of advancing to the IHSA Finals to end a 39-10 season, was one of two IWCOA medalists for the Knights, who made history this season by getting their first IHSA champion, freshman Angelina Gochis at 105. Torres got a fall in her first match, won a 4-2 decision over Fenton’s Giselle Castillo in the quarterfinals and earned her spot on the 120 title mat by getting a pin in 2:19 over Morris’ Danica Martin in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Fenton’s Giselle Castillo recorded a fall in 2:22 over Morris’ Danica Martin, For fifth place, Wheaton North’s Ryan Mark was a winner by medical forfeit over J. Sterling Morton’s Monica Garcia. And Rock Falls’ Ryleigh Eriks captured a 6-2 decision over Marion’s Alauni Muex to finish in seventh place.

125 – Tierra Hardin, Proviso West

Like so many others who had the misfortune of trying to claim one of the four qualifying spots at the rugged Schaumburg Sectional, Proviso West freshman Tierra Hardin bounced back from the disappointment of not being able to advance to the IHSA Individual Finals in an otherwise successful 25-5 season by winning the 125 title at the IWCOA Girls Open Championships when she captured a 9-5 decision over Addison Trail’s Brithany Mondragon. One of two individuals who competed for the Panthers and their lone medal winner, Hardin recorded falls in her first three matches, including one in 1:55 over Wilmington’s Ava Cupples in the quarterfinals before she captured a 10-2 major decision over Shepard’s Mila Rocush in the semifinals.

Addison Trail sophomore Brithany Mondragon went 20-10 this season but was unable to even compete in the Schaumburg Sectional after failing to advance from the Conant Regional. So finishing in second place in the IWCOA Girls Open was obviously a great way to see her season conclude. She opened with a fall before capturing a 4-2 decision in the quarterfinals over J. Sterling Morton’s Sofia Petronijevic and earned her spot on the 125 title mat with a 2-0 decision over Durand’s Evie Anderson in the semifinals. For third place, Somonauk’s Rylie Donahue won a 9-4 decision over Shepard’s Mila Rocush. In the fifth-place match, J. Sterling Morton’s Sofia Petronijevic was a 6-1 victor over Durand’s Evie Anderson. And for seventh, Stevenson’s Karina Lojowski won by fall in 0:42 over Charleston’s Morgan Krone-Smallhorn.

130 – Audrey Barnes, Granite City

Audrey Barnesmade it 2-for-2 for Granite City as it became one of two teams with two title winners in the IWCOA Girls Open Championships, with Minooka the other, when Barnes won the 130 title by recording a fall in 3:42 over Shepard’s Stacey Massey to add to the earlier championship at 105 that was claimed by teammate Ma’Kayla Bonner. Barnes, a freshman who went 22-13 this season and fell one victory short of advancing to the IHSA Finals from the Richwoods Sectional, was one of three qualifiers and two champs for the Warriors. She got falls in her other three matches, including in 2:53 over Schaumburg’s Sharon Olorunfemi in the quarterfinals and in 2:41 over Glenwood’s Isabella Resendez in the semifinals.

Shepard senior Stacey Massey was the top finisher of her team’s 10 participants and three medalists with her second-place showing. She concluded her final season with a 19-8 record after being unable to advance to the IHSA Finals from the challenging Schaumburg Sectional. Massey opened with a 9-2 win before recording falls in her next two matches, winning in 1:36 over Batavia’s Anabelle Guthke in the quarterfinals and in 0:56 over O’Fallon’s Scarlett Gentille in the semifinals. In the third-place match, O’Fallon’s Scarlett Gentille won by fall in 0:40 over Glenwood’s Isabella Resendez. For fifth place, Ottawa Township’s Ava Weatherford got a pin in 2:57 over Schaumburg’s Sharon Olorunfemi. And in the seventh-place match, Glenbard East’s Maria Green captured a 7-6 decision over Lincoln-Way Central’s Eleanor Giertuga.

135 – Brianna Bynum, Sherrard

Brianna Bynum made history in 2022 when she finished sixth at 125 to become Sherrard’s first all-stater at the inaugural IHSA Individual Finals to highlight her sophomore season. As a senior, she was hoping to close her career with another state medal this season but came up one win shy of advancing from the Geneseo Sectional after falling in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals to finish with a 21-13 record. But the lone qualifier for the Tigers hoped to end things on a more positive note and she did just that by winning the 135 title at the IWCOA Girls Open Championships when she captured a 12-0 major decision over Geneseo’s Gia Ritter. Bynum won her other three matches by fall, getting a pin in 0:39 over Oswego’s Ameera Murphy in the quarterfinals and a win by fall in 1:43 over Buffalo Grove’s Christina Marogy in the semifinals.

“I fell short (at the Geneseo Sectional) and I wasn’t going to come here, but my coach convinced me and I’m really happy that I did,” Bynum said. “I worked with the other girl that was on my team (Nadia Anderson), who went to IHSA State. I definitely made history for Sherrard and I’m very happy that I did. I first started wrestling when the first IHSA (tournament) came out, so the difference between then and now is huge. And everyone loves each other and they’re supportive and I really like the community.”

Geneseo senior Gia Ritter also fell a bit short of advancing to the IHSA Finals from the sectional that her school hosted to close out her career with a 30-11 season. She was the best finisher among four medalists for the Maple Leafs, who tied Schaumburg for the most placewinners. Ritter earned her spot in the IWCOA Girls Open 135 title match with a 9-3 win over Batavia’s Amelia Howell in the semifinals. She opened with a fall and claimed a 9-0 major decision over Freeburg’s Aubrey Raban in the quarterfinals. In the third-place match, Buffalo Grove’s Christina Marogy prevailed 2-0 in sudden victory over Batavia’s Amelia Howell. For fifth place, Hillcrest’s Christiara Finley won by fall in 3:32 over East Aurora’s Britany Chavarria. And St. Joseph-Ogden’s Maddie Wells took seventh by claiming a 6-3 win over Oswego’s Ameera Murphy.

140 – Alicia Swank, Bloomington

Alicia Swank enjoyed winning the 140 title at the 2023 IWCOA Girls Open Championships in Springfield so the Bloomington sophomore decided to give it another try after falling a bit short of advancing to the IHSA Finals from the Geneseo Sectional when she lost in her final match to the eventual IWCOA 145 champion, Minooka’s Bella Cyrkiel, to conclude a 19-10 sophomore season. Swank, one of two qualifiers and the lone medalist for the Purple Raiders, won her second-straight title in the competition when she captured a 6-3 decision over Plainfield North’s Viktoriia Rodnikova in the 140 championship match. She won all of her other three matches by fall, getting a pin in 4:40 over St. Charles East’s Addison Wolf in the quarterfinals and winning by fall in 1:49 over Oak Park and River Forest’s Isabella Miller in the semifinals.

“The sectional was really fun but my sectional was also really hard,” Swank said. “The two weeks gave us more time to get ready for it but it also had us in and out of it and I know that some girls had trouble making the weight. I remember last year when there were maybe six girls in my bracket and there’s 18 of us this year. I’ve seen girls for the past year or two, and then there are a bunch of freshmen who are coming up to high school and getting into it or some of the juniors and seniors who want to do something in their last years in high school.”  

Plainfield North freshman Viktoriia Rodnikova came up a bit short of qualifying for the IHSA Finals from the rugged Schaumburg Sectional to conclude a 21-4 debut season. The Tigers’ lone qualifier for the IWCOA Girls Open Championship, she recorded falls in her first three matches, winning in 1:50 in the quarterfinals over Hoffman Estates’ Liriana Rakoci before getting a pin in 4:14 in the semifinals over Normal West’s Vivian Guither. For third place, Vandalia’s Brynn Swyers captured a 17-5 major decision over Lincoln-Way Centrral’s Bailey Mitchell. In the fifth-place match, Normal West’s Vivian Guither recorded a fall in 3:44 over Oak Park and River Forest’s Isabella Miller. And for seventh place, St. Charles East’s Addison Wolf claimed an 8-6 decision over Hoffman Estates’ Liriana Rakoci.

145 – Bella Cyrkiel, Minooka

Minooka’s Bella Cyrkiel and Oswego’s Makayla Hill were well aware of each other since they 

met for the Southwest Prairie Conference championship with senior Cyrkiel winning a 5-0 decision over freshman Hill in the 145 finals. The two faced off again at the IWCOA Girls Open Championships for the 145 title and Cyrkiel won another decision by five points, this time by a 6-1 score, to give the Indians two champions in the competition as Abbey Boersma, the Indians’ other qualifier, followed with a first-place finish at 155 in another matchup of SPC competitors. Cyrkiel, who also won the the 145 title at the IWCOA Girls Open Championships in 2023, went 36-6 this season after falling one win shy of a trip to the IHSA Finals from the Geneseo Sectional, was one of five individuals from her conference who won IWCOA titles as well as one of eight finalists and 12 medalists. She opened with three falls, winning in 0:57 over Hoffman Estates’ Nikki Hubbard in the quarterfinals before getting a pin in 1:57 over Lake Park’s Joscelin Ritthamel. With Granite City also having two champions, this was the first time since the initial Girls Open in 2017 that a school had two title winners and that two teams pulled off that feat.

“I had a tough loss there, so this is part of my redemption coming back,” Cyrkiel said of her loss in the Geneseo Sectional. “We have great coaches and a great program and it keeps getting better and better. We have a lot of good competition and that helps us get better.”

Oswego freshman Makayla Hill came up a bit short of qualifying for a trip to the IHSA Finals at the Schaumburg Sectional as she closed out a 31-8 season. One of six qualifiers and the top-finisher of three medalists for the Panthers, Hill followed a pin with a 5-0 decision over Jersey Community’s Rory Speidel in the quarterfinals and then captured a 16-2 major decision over Unity’s Anna Vasey in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Metea Valley’s Alketa Picari won 4-2 by sudden victory over Lake Park’s Joscelin Ritthamel. For fifth place, Unity’s Anna Vasey won by fall in 4:07 over Woodstock’s Brianna Crown. And in the seventh-place match, Jersey Community’s Rory Speidel claimed a 2-1 decision over Chicago Marshall’s Cecilia Colon.

155 – Abbey Boersma, Minooka

On a day where individuals from Southwest Prairie Conference schools captured five of the 15 titles, senior Abbey Boersma followed in the footsteps of her teammate and 145 champion Bella Cyrkiel to give Minooka two title winners in the IWCOA Girls Open Championships, which made it and Granite City the only schools in the competition with two champions. Boersma, who went 35-13 after falling one win shy of a trip to state from the Geneseo Sectional, which featured the two IHSA Finalists at her weight, was the only one of the five title winners from the SPC who didn’t also win conference. Like Cyrkiel, she faced an SPC opponent in the finals, where she won a 12-6 decision over Oswego East’s Jessica Stover. Boersma opened with a victory by technical fall before getting a pin in 0:55 over Wheeling’s Nikol Orendarchuk in the quarterfinals. She earned her spot on the 155 title mat with a 4-0 decision over Geneseo’s Madelyn Mooney.

“I don’t like how our postseason was spread out with two weeks in between,” Boersma said. “I am so grateful for everything that I’ve gained from wrestling at Minooka. We have the best coaches and Paige Schoolman is the best.The sport has gotten so much tougher.  I think it’s so cool seeing the little girls that are wrestling and I know that by the time that they’re my age, they’re going to be great because I only wrestled for two years.”

Oswego East junior Jessica Stover failed to advance from the Shepard Regional and finished with a 21-7 record. One of two participants in the IWCOA Girls Open and the lone medalist for the Wolves, Stover recorded falls in her first three matches, which included one in 4:21 in the quarterfinals against another individual from her conference, Plainfield East’s Kaitlyn Bucholz, before earning her spot on the 155 title match with a 6-2 decision over Larkin’s Zamaya Taylor, who lost by fall in 3:39 in the third-place match to Geneseo’s Madelyn Mooney. For fifth place, Oak Park and River Forest’s Caliyah Campbell got a pin in 2:30 over Mt. Vernon’s Derika Gradford and in the seventh-place match, two more SPC competitors squared off with Oswego’s Kyiah Chavez getting a fall in 1:30 over Joliet Township’s Noelie Perez-Bedolla.

170 – Sabrina Cargill, Palatine

Sabrina Cargill advanced to the challenging Schaumburg Sectional but was unable to compete in it and finished her junior season with a 24-5 record. So it’s understandable that her title win at 170 in the IWCOA Girls Open Championships was a good way to close things out and she took top honors in impressive fashion, winning all four of her matches by fall, recording a pin in 1:45 over Bloom Township’s Kinnidi Riley for the championship. One of five IWCOA individuals from her team who competed and one of two finalists for the Pirates, Cargill recorded a pin in 1:38 in the quarterfinals over Richwoods’ Sydney Johnson and then earned her spot on the 170 title match after getting a fall in 0:39 over Lake Park’s Paige Washburn in the semifinals.

“I think that I really improved from last year,” Cargill said. “I qualified for IHSA state last year but I didn’t place. The sport is growing so big now and there’s a lot of experience so you really have to buckle up. It’s really surprising that there are a lot of girls that are joining the sport because boys dominated, so it’s good since it shows that women can do any sport that they want. What I like the most about girls wrestling is win or lose, we’re all there for each other. No matter if we’re on a different team, we’re always cheering each other on and saying hi to each other and giving hugs. I see that most boys don’t do that, they’re all too serious. We kind of have a twist to it that makes it serious, but fun at the same time.”

Bloom Township junior Kinnidi Riley didn’t take part in the IHSA girls state series, instead she competed with the boys co-op team for Bloom and Bloom Trail in the Class 3A Rich Township Regional. So it was a big deal that a member of the Blazing Trojans was able to compete for an IWCOA Girls Open Championships title at 170. One of three qualifiers and the lone medalist for Bloom Township, Riley opened with a fall and then won two close decisions, claiming a 9-7 win over Schaumburg’s Alya Razzak in the quarterfinals and edging Urbana’s Franciana Kalanga 1-0 in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Schaumburg’s Alya Razzak got past Richwoods’ Sydney Johnson 2-1 and for fifth, Lake Park’s Paige Washburn claimed a 6-1 decision over Urbana’s Franciana Kalanga. In the seventh-place match, Conant’s Anaelise Aberman won by fall in 4:16 over Batavia’s Caoimhe Mitchell, whose Bulldogs placed third at the IHSA Finals.

190 – Brittney Moran, West Aurora

After placing sixth the past two seasons at 190 in the IHSA Individual Finals, West Aurora’s Brittney Moran was sick while competing in the Schaumburg Sectional, which thwarted her attempt to try to get back to state for the third time and also become one of the 20 individuals who were the first three-time medalists in the tournament. So the junior, who went 28-3 this season with two of her losses coming at the sectional, decided to close out her season on a more positive note and she did that by winning the IWCOA Girls Open Championships at 190 when she recorded a fall in 1:42 over Fremd’s Jazz Ocampo. One of three individuals who competed in the event and the best finisher among two medalists for the Blackhawks, Moran won all three of her matches with pins, needing 0:56 to beat Highland’s Sophia Elkins in the quarterfinals and won in 2:45 in the semifinals over Schaumburg’s Nadia Razzak, who ended her season at the Schaumburg Sectional and denied her of a third trip to the IHSA Finals.

“It was difficult,” Moran said. “I got sick and everything and I didn’t wrestle my best (at the sectional). This actually kind of helps me a little because I beat one of the girls that beat me. This year was difficult, for sure, but I honestly feel like that’s a good thing because the sport is growing.  I just wish that they would separate from the guys’ teams to just the girls and they should add classes, too.”

Fremd junior Jazz Ocampo went 24-12 this season and finished one win shy of a state trip from the Schaumburg Sectional. Ocampo, the only qualifier for the Vikings, won narrow decisions in her first two matches, prevailing 5-2 over Robinson’s Shyiema Poole in the quarterfinals and edging Kaneland’s Sadie Kinsella 2-1 in the semifinals to earn her spot on the 190 title mat. Schaumburg’s Nadia Razzak took third place after winning by fall in 2:08 over Kaneland’s Sadie Kinsella. For fifth place, Robinson’s Khyiema Poole recorded a pin in 1:19 over Maine East’s Angelica Wszolek. And for seventh place, Rickover Naval Academy’s Julia Augello won by fall in 2:16 over Highland’s Sophia Elkins. 

235 – Jasmine Enriquez, Sycamore

After falling just short against the eventual IHSA 235 champion, Prairie Central’s Chloe Hoselton, in the consolation semifinals of the Geneseo Sectional, Sycamore’s Jasmine Enriquez wanted to show that she could also finish on top of the awards stand when she was able to compete again at the IWCOA Girls Open Championships, and that’s just what she did by winning the 235 title by fall in 1:55 over Palatine’s Monika Irazoque. Enriquez, a freshman who went 6-5 this season and was the lone entrant for the Spartans, won her other two matches with pins, recording one in 1:26 over Shepard’s Kassandra Lee in the quarterfinals and earning her spot on the 235 title mat with a fall in 3:56 over Fenton’s Ariana Solideo.

Palatine freshman Monika Irazoque, who failed to advance from the Conant Regional in the IHSA series, was a real success story for the IWCOA Girls Open Championships since she won twice in Springfield, which was how many wins she had after going 0-2 in the regional. She recorded a fall in 2:08 over Geneseo’s Aislan Leetch in the quarterfinals and joined 170 champion Sabrina Cargill as a finalist for the Pirates after getting a pin in 0:27 over Maine East’s Lyric Walton, who went on to finish in third place following her win by fall in 1:49 over Glenbard North’s Asreilla Wallace. In the fifth place match, Fenton’s Ariana Solideo recorded a pin in 2:35 over Wheaton North’s Iana Victory. And for seventh place, Geneseo’s Aislan Leetch was a winner by fall in 1:51 over Shepard’s Kassandra Lee.

Championship matches
 95 – Daniela Santander (Romeoville) won by fall over LT Diephuis (Canton) Fall 4:07
100 – Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) won by fall over Giselle Arambula (Curie Metropolitan) Fall 0:41
105 – Ma`Kayla Bonner (Granite City) won in sudden victory over Lilliana Aly (Wauconda) SV 6-4
110 – Courtni Chuway (Seneca) won by fall over Gianna Linhorst (Edwardsville) Fall 2:17
115 – Ava Beldo (Centennial) won by fall over Veronika Arabova (Neuqua Valley) Fall 1:40
120 – Nina Hamm (Homewood-Flossmoor) won by major decision over Dyani Torres (Kaneland) Maj 14-4
125 – Tierra Hardin (Proviso West) won by decision over Brithany Mondragon (Addison Trail) Dec 9-5
130 – Audrey Barnes (Granite City) won by fall over Stacey Massey (Shepard) Fall 3:42
135 – Brianna Bynum (Sherrard) won by major decision over Gia Ritter (Geneseo) Maj 12-0
140 – Alicia Swank (Bloomington) won by decision over Viktoriia Rodnikova (Plainfield North) Dec 6-3
145 – Bella Cyrkiel (Minooka) won by decision over Makayla Hill (Oswego) Dec 6-1
155 – Abbey Boersma (Minooka) won by decision over Jessica Stover (Oswego East) Dec 12-6
170 – Sabrina Cargill (Palatine) won by fall over Kinnidi Riley (Bloom Township) Fall 1:45
190 – Brittney Moran (West Aurora) won by fall over Jazz Ocampo (Fremd) Fall 1:42
235 – Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore) won by fall over Monika Irazoque (Palatine) Fall 1:55

Third-Place Matches
 95 – Claire Crouch (Triad) won by fall over Annika Hull (Naperville Central) Fall 2:49
100 – Norah Vick (Sandwich) won by decision over Aerith Adams (Dunlap) Dec 7-2
105 – Kimani Glasper (Westinghouse) won by decision over Justice Girod (Schaumburg) Dec 8-3
110 – Lydia King (Geneseo) won by fall over Nastasia Kobets (Stevenson) Fall 4:28
115 – Taniyah Sherman (Kankakee) won by fall over Alexandra Chong (Edwardsville) Fall 3:53
120 – Giselle Castillo (Fenton) won by fall over Danica Martin (Morris) Fall 2:22
125 – Rylie Donahue (Somonauk) won by decision over Mila Rocush (Shepard) Dec 9-4
130 – Scarlett Gentille (O`Fallon) won by fall over Isabella `Izzy` Resendez (Glenwood) Fall 0:40
135 – Christina Marogy (Buffalo Grove) won in sudden victory over Amelia Howell (Batavia) SV 2-0
140 – Brynn Swyers (Vandalia) won by major decision over Bailey Mitchell (Lincoln-Way Central) Maj 17-5
145 – Alketa Picari (Metea Valley) won in sudden victory over Joscelin Ritthamel (Lake Park) SV 4-2
155 – Madelyn Mooney (Geneseo) won by fall over Zamaya Taylor (Larkin) Fall 3:39
170 – Alya Razzak (Schaumburg) won by decision over Sydney Johnson (Richwoods) Dec 2-1
190 – Nadia Razzak (Schaumburg) won by fall over Sadie Kinsella (Kaneland) Fall 2:08
235 – Lyric Walton (Maine East) won by fall over Asreilla Wallace (Glenbard North) Fall 1:49

Fifth-Place Matches
 95 – Izzy Paz (Wheaton North) won by decision over Abella Brown (East Peoria) Dec 6-4
100 – Emily Peyton (Lincoln-Way Central) won by fall over Shayla Schielein (Canton) Fall 1:43
105 – Ashley Hammond (Larkin) won by major decision over Carlly Ho (Rochester) Maj 13-0
110 – Janiya Moore (Metea Valley) won by fall over Ruby Vences (Burlington Central) Fall 2:50
115 – Lailonie Molina (West Aurora) won by decision over Gracie Meluch (Naperville Central) Dec 9-5
120 – Ryan Mark (Wheaton North) won by medical forfeit over Monica Garcia (J. Sterling Morton) MFF
125 – Sofia Petronijevic (J. Sterling Morton) won by decision over Evie Anderson (Durand) Dec 6-1
130 – Ava Weatherford (Ottawa Township) won by fall over Sharon Olorunfemi (Schaumburg) Fall 2:57
135 – Christiara Finley (Hillcrest) won by fall over Britany Chavarria (East Aurora) Fall 3:32
140 – Vivian Guither (Normal West) won by fall over Isabella Miller (Oak Park and River Forest) Fall 3:44
145 – Anna Vasey (Unity) won by fall over Brianna Crown (Woodstock) Fall 4:07
155 – Caliyah Campbell (Oak Park and River Forest) won by fall over Derika Gradford (Mt. Vernon) Fall 2:30
170 – Paige Washburn (Lake Park) won by decision over Franciana Kalanga (Urbana) Dec 6-1
190 – Khyiema Poole (Robinson) won by fall over Angelica Wszolek (Maine East) Fall 1:19
235 – Ariana Solideo (Fenton) won by fall over Iana Victory (Wheaton North) Fall 2:35

Seventh-Place Matches
 95 – Melani Martinez (Curie Metropolitan) won by fall over Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier) Fall 4:25
100 – Gracie Pattison (Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin) won by medical forfeit over Lilly Davis (Mt. Vernon) MFF
105 – Maggie Gordon (Morris) won by fall over Sofia Gold (Neuqua Valley) Fall 2:38
110 – Judith Gamboa (Reed-Custer) won by fall over Zoey Nelson (Mascoutah) Fall 0:33
115 – Kendall Smith (Civic Memorial) won by fall over Makensi Martin (Morris) Fall 1:26
120 – Ryleigh Eriks (Rock Falls) won by decision over Alauni Muex (Marion) Dec 6-2
125 – Karina Lojowski (Stevenson) won by fall over Morgan Krone-Smallhorn (Charleston) Fall 0:42
130 – Maria Green (Glenbard East) won by decision over Eleanor Giertuga (Lincoln-Way Central) Dec 7-6
135 – Maddie Wells (St. Joseph-Ogden) won by decision over Ameera Murphy (Oswego) Dec 6-3
140 – Addison Wolf (St. Charles East) won by decision over Liriana Rakoci (Hoffman Estates) Dec 8-6
145 – Rory Speidel (Jersey Community) won by decision over Cecilia Colon (Chicago Marshall) Dec 2-1
155 – Kyiah Chavez (Oswego) won by fall over Noelie Perez-Bedolla (Joliet Township) Fall 1:30
170 – Anaelise Aberman (Conant) won by fall over Caoimhe Mitchell (Batavia) Fall 4:16
190 – Julia Augello (Rickover Naval Academy) won by fall over Sophia Elkins (Highland) Fall 2:16
235 – Aislan Leetch (Geneseo) won by fall over Kassandra Lee (Shepard) Fall 1:51

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

In a familiar script that has played out often throughout the years, individuals who fell a bit short of trips to the IHSA Individuals Finals again got the chance to finish on a better note when they competed in the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association’s Freshman/Sophomore State Championships at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield.

A total of 479 individuals advanced to the Finals of the 28th annual tournament, and when the two days of competition were complete, there were champions from 15 different schools. Eleven of the title winners were sophomores and four were freshmen.

Normal Community’s Jackson Soney won the competition for the second time when he took top honors at 101. Other sophomores who captured titles were Hononegah’s Jackson Olson (106), Morton’s Harrison Dea (113), Glenbard East’s Ismael Chaidez (120), Lockport Township’s Isaac Zimmerman (126), Morris’ Carter Skoff (132), Lincoln-Way Central’s Jalen Byrd (144), Hersey’s Frank Tagoe (150), Marmion Academy’s Vincenzo Testa (175), Dundee-Crown’s Teigen Moreno (215) and Lincoln-Way East’s Ryan Stingily (285).

Freshmen champions were Barrington’s Danel Blanke (138), Marian Central Catholic’s Nic Astacio (157), Grant’s Aaden Arroyo (165) and Harvard’s Blake Livdahl (190).

Sophomores who finished second were Stevenson’s Evan Mishels (106), Yorkville’s Liam Fenoglio (113), Jacobs’ Ben Arbotante (120), Shelbyville’s Bodee Fathauer (126), Homewood-Flossmoor’s Robye Williams (132), Downers Grove North’s Caden Chiarelli (138), Normal Community’s Carter Mayes (144) and Grayslake Central’s Warren Nash III (150). 

Other sophomores who took second were Hampshire’s Michael Brannigan (157), Unity’s Abram Davidson (165), Rolling Meadows’ John Rappa (175), Springfield Southeast’s Christopher Hull (190), Marist’s Tommy O’Brien (215) and Barrington’s Clarence Jackson (285). The lone freshman who finished second was IC Catholic Prep’s Dominic Pasquale (101).

One champion, Arroyo, and one runner-up, Nash III, finished fourth in their regionals and didn’t advance to the sectional. Two finalists who didn’t compete in the IHSA state series were champion Stingily and runner-up Mayes. And Dea was the lone champion who placed last season at the IHSA Individual Finals, taking fifth place at 106 in Class 2A. 

Beside Soney (first at 101 in 2023), the other individual who competed in a title match for the second time was Zimmerman (second at 106 in 2023). Other champions who placed in last year’s IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals were Stingily (fourth at 285), Chaidez (sixth at 113), Brannigan (eighth at 152), Moreno (eighth at 220) and Olson (eighth at 106).

Soney led all competitors with 34 team points while Blanke, Byrd and Moreno scored 32 points and Dea collected 31 team points. Chaidez, Skoff and Testa had 30 team points. Arroyo and Zimmerman each scored 29.5 team points, Astacio had 28.5 points while Brannigan, Hull and Livdahl collected 28 team points and Olson and Williams finished with 27.5 points. 

Yorkville’s Caleb Viscogliosi and Soney both recorded five falls, with the latter needing 7:37 to pull that off. Maine South’s Jake Colleran led all entrants by scoring 71 match points while Naperville Central’s Vince Bern had 68 match points and Plainfield North’s Aidan DuRell finished with 65 match points.

Marist led the way with 241 match points while Lockport Township was second with 209 and St. Charles East ranked third with 191 match points. Maris recorded the most falls with 13 while Lincoln-Way Central and Moline both collected nine pins.

Programs with the most qualifiers for the Frosh/Soph State Finals were Marist (16), Lockport Township (10), Grant (7), Lincoln-Way East (7), Maine South (7), St. Charles East (7), Shepard (7), Carl Sandburg (6), Glenbard West (6), Lincoln-Way Central (6), Lincoln-Way West (6), Moline (6), Downers Grove South (5), Edwardsville (5), Evanston Township (5), Glenbrook South (5), Joliet Catholic Academy (5), Normal Community (5) and Washington Community (5).

Here’s a look at the 15 champions and their weight classes at the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association’s Freshman/Sophomore State Championships:

101 – Jackson Soney, Normal Community

Last season, Jackson Soney wasn’t able to compete much with Class 3A fifth-place finisher and 51-match winner Caden Correll at 106, so he entered the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals and beat Washington Community’s Symon Woods to win the title at 101. After going 40-4 this season and not being able to qualify at 113 at the Quincy Senior Sectional, the Normal Community sophomore again took part in the Frosh/Soph Tournament and won once again at 101 after recording a fall in 0:24 over IC Catholic Prep’s Dominic Pasquale. He was one of two finalists and medal winners among five qualifiers for the Ironmen, with 144 runner-up Carter Mayes being the other placewinner. Soney won all five of his matches by fall, with the first two also ending in the opening period before winning in 2:45 over St. Charles East’s Kaden Potter in the quarterfinals and in 2:31 over Niles Notre Dame’s Ray Long in the semifinals. Soney won by fall against all of the opponents that he faced in the IWCOA regional and sectional tournaments.

“I won this tournament last year,” Soney said. “Obviously I wish that I could have placed at the IHSA but this is the next best thing, that’s what my parents and coaches tell me. They always say to get the next best thing and this is the next best thing that I could get. This one was different because I pinned everyone in the regionals, sectionals and state. It does light the fire in me. I’m very excited about this tournament and about how I performed and I’m excited for next season, as well. I put in my work during the offseason and lifted more. And I focused more on what my weak points were. All of the training and everything that I’ve done has helped a lot.”

IC Catholic Prep freshman Dominic Pasquale, who went 24-16 and fell a bit short of advancing to state from the Class 2A Grayslake Central Sectional, used two falls and two wins by ultimate tiebreaker to reach the title mat, winning 7-5 on an ultimate tiebreaker over St. Patrick’s Jack Koening in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Marist’s Dylan Weber won a 10-2 major decision over St. Charles East’s Kaden Potter. For fifth place, Niles Notre Dame’s Ray Long captured a 14-4 major decision over St. Patrick’s Jack Koenig. And in the seventh-place match, Marmion Academy’s Colton Wyller captured a 4-2 decision over Andrew’s Gerald Donnelly.

106 – Jackson Olson, Hononegah

Jackson Olson got to experience a lot of positive things during his sophomore season at Hononegah. He qualified for the Class 3A Barrington Sectional, claimed a win in his final match while competing with his team that advanced to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2016 and had four teammates who placed third or better at the IHSA Individual Finals who all figure to be back next season. With a lot of positives happening in his program, Olson, who went 19-13 this season, seems well-positioned to be a state qualifier or medalist in the future after winning the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State title at 106 with an 8-3 decision over Stevenson’s Evan Mishels. The Indians’ lone qualifier for the tournament opened with a 2-0 decision but then won a major decision and got a win by technical fall over Proviso West’s Andre Rice in the quarterfinals, before winning 11-0 over Montini Catholic’s Bobby Ruscitti in the semifinals. This was the second medal that Olson won in the event after placing eighth at 106 last season.

Stevenson sophomore Evan Mishels, one of two qualifiers and medalists for the Patriots, won his first three matches, which were all close decisions. Mishels, who went 35-16 this season and fell one win shy of advancing to state from the Class 3A Barrington Sectional, earned his spot on the 106 title mat by capturing a 3-0 victory over St. Charles North’s Declan Sons in the semifinals. Montini Catholic’s Bobby Ruscitti recorded a fall in 2:11 over Schaumburg’s Austin Phelps in the third-place match. Burlington Central’s Jackson Marlett captured a 2-1 decision over St. Charles North’s Declan Sons to finish in fifth place and Proviso West’s Andre Rice won a 10-9 decision over Joliet Catholic Academy’s Matthew Laird to claim seventh place.

113 – Harrison Dea, Morton

When a freshman is fortunate to not only qualify for the Individual State Finals but to place there but then falls just short of another trip to Champaign the following year, it can be disappointing. That’s what happened to Morton sophomore Harrison Dea, who went 37-11 last season and took fifth place in Class 2A at 106 but then lost in the semifinals of the Class 2A Sycamore Sectional and also the consolation semifinals to finish 29-7 this year. One of two Potters who advanced to the IWCOA Frosh/Soph Finals and placed, with Colton McKee (fifth at 165), the other, Dea took first place at 113 after capturing a 5-4 decision over Yorkville’s Liam Fenoglio in the championship match. Dea opened with three-consecutive falls, winning in 0:46 in the quarterfinals over Fremd’s Trentin Odachowski and then he claimed a 12-0 major decision over Naperville Central’s Jacob Cochran in the semifinals.

“I had a really rough sectional,” Dea said of the Class 2A Sycamore Sectional. “In my semifinal match, I was up until the last 10 seconds against Geneseo’s Tim Sebastian and then I had to turn back around and wrestle my blood-round match and I was up 6-0 and I got caught in a cradle. It was really a heart break, but as soon as that happened, I just focused on what was next and just kept moving and kept pushing forward and I went back in the room and trained hard and now I’m standing on top of the podium. In my freshman year I took fifth at IHSA state, Then when I came back, I was up a weight class and I had to learn to wrestle a different style because the kids from 106 to 113 are definitely stronger.”

Yorkville sophomore Liam Fenoglio went 27-20 this season and got the opportunity to compete in the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the Class 3A runner-up Foxes, where he went 2-1. Fenoglio, one of three qualifiers and two medal winners for Yorkville, claimed a 6-4 decision over Carl Sandburg’s Oscar Kalman in the quarterfinals and then captured a 12-4 major decision in the semifinals over Morris’ Brock Claypool, who took third place with an 8-7 decision over Maine South’s Brett Harman. In the fifth-place match, Naperville Central’s Jacob Cochran won by fall in 3:00 over Crystal Lake Central’s Dylan Ramsey and Fremd’s Trentin Odachowski claimed seventh place by medical forfeit over Carl Sandburg’s Oscar Kalman.

120 – Ismael Chaidez, Glenbard East

When someone reaches the semifinals of one of the state’s toughest sectionals but then fails to advance to the IHSA Individual Finals, it can be disheartening. Someone who certainly can understand that dejection is Glenbard East sophomore Ismael Chaidez, who won his first two matches at 126 in the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional only to run into Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza, who claimed his third-straight state championship one week later. A subsequent 7-6 consolation semifinal loss ended his 37-8 season. The Rams’ lone qualifier for the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals, Chaidez captured a 5-1 decision over Jacobs’ Ben Arbotante to win the 120 title. He opened with three falls, winning in 3:43 over Lincoln-Way West’s Carter DiBenedetto in the quarterfinals before claiming a 3-0 victory over Oswego’s Aiden Ortiz to earn his spot in the 120 championship match. Chaidez also participated in the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals last season and claimed a sixth-place finish at 113.

Jacobs sophomore Ben Arbotante, who fell short of earning a trip to state at the Class 3A Barrington Sectional to finish 29-13, was one of three medalists out of four qualifiers for the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals for the Golden Eagles. He won his first match by technical fall before capturing three-straight decisions, which included a 4-2 victory over Olympia’s Austin Kisner in the quarterfinals and a 5-4 win in the semifinals over Triad’s Glen Henry, who took third place with a 6-3 decision over Batavia’s Kyle Pasco. In the fifth-place match, Oswego’s Aiden Ortiz won 6-5 by ultimate tiebreaker over Plainfield North’s Aidan DuRell. For seventh place, Olympia’s Austin Kisner won a 5-1 decision over Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Tyler Huchel.

126 – Isaac Zimmerman, Lockport Township

Lockport Township’s Isaac Zimmerman won 34 matches as a freshman and then went 33-14 this season but for the second year in a row, he fell one win shy of advancing to the IHSA Individual Finals, after reaching the semifinals and consolation semifinals at the Class 3A Quincy Senior Sectional. After taking second at 106 to Mount Carmel’s Kavel Moore in last year’s IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals, he would now like to get medals the next two seasons at the IHSA Finals. Zimmerman, one of 10 Porters who qualified for and three who claimed medals at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals, won the championship at 126 by recording a fall in 3:45 over Shelbyville’s Bodee Fathauer. He earned his spot on the title mat\ with a win by technical fall over Bremen’s Izaiah Gonzalez. After opening with a fall, he won two decisions, which included a 13-12 victory over Mascoutah’s Desi Wade in the quarterfinals.

“Jameson Oster became our new coach last year and took over for Josh Oster,” said Zinmerman, who wanted to thank all of the Porters’ assistant coaches, Josh Zimmerman, Dan Swan, Mike Mucha, Rob Melgoza, Colin Holler, Josh Oster, Doug Chesna, Jim Ranney, Dave Mackey and Ron Farina. “The coaching staff has been great. My brother, Liam, who’s a junior, got to coach me in the Frosh/Soph and my dad has been coaching me since I was like five. We have a newer coach, Mike Mucha, and Abdullah (Assaf) didn’t coach that much this year, but he’s still one of my favorite coaches. In our room, we have Justin (Wardlow), who took second again, and I know that’s not what he was shooting for, but he’s really, really good. I don’t wrestle my brother often, but my brother also wrestles everybody else, so I get to wrestle everybody else, too. Iron sharpens iron, so everybody gets better.”

Shelbyville sophomore Bodee Fathauer went 30-16 this season and also advanced to the semifinals and consolation semifinals at his sectional, Class 1A Vandalia, to fall one win shy of a trip to Champaign. The lone IWCOA Frosh/Soph qualifier for the Rams, he followed a major decision and a pin with a 9-7 win by sudden victory over Joliet Catholic Academy’s Aurelio Munoz in the quarterfinals before recording a fall in 4:30 over Deerfield’s Adrian Cohen in the semifinals.In the third-place match, Naperville Central’s Vince Bern won a 10-5 decision over Bremen’s Izaiah Gonzalez. For fifth place, Joliet Catholic Academy’s Aurelio Munoz captured a 4-2 decision over Deerfield’s Adrian Cohen and in the seventh-place match, St. Charles East’s Gavin Woodmancy was a winner by medical forfeit over Stevenson’s Mikey Polyakov.

132 – Carter Skoff, Morris

Carter Skoff was one of four individuals from Morris that entered the Class 2A Sycamore Sectional with over 30 or more wins but only one of them was able to advance to state, Owen Sater, who won the sectional title at 106. So Skoff, a sophomore who went 35-8 this season, opted to compete in the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals for the second time. He split four matches at last year’s tournament but this time his showing was much improved as he won all five of his matches, which included two falls and two major decisions before capturing a 9-8 decision over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Robye Williams in the 132 title match. Skoff, one of two medalists for Morris, got a major decision in his opener and a pin after that before winning another major decision, this time 11-3 over Granite City’s Braxton Tolley in the quarterfinals and added a second fall, in 1:33, over Lincoln-Way Central’s Jadon Zimmer in the semifinals.

Homewood-Flossmoor sophomore Robye Williams (14-9) came up one victory away from a trip to state on two occasions at the Class 3A Quincy Senior Sectional after falling in the semifinals and the consolation semifinals. Williams, who also took part in last year’s Frosh/Soph State Finals and fell a bit short of getting a medal, opened with two falls and then got a win by technical fall over Fenwick’s Burke Burns in the quarterfinals and claimed a win by fall in 3:48 over West Aurora’s Jack Platt. In the third-place match, Maine South’s Jake Colleran captured an 8-3 decision over Glenbard West’s Alejandro Aranda. For fifth place, Lincoln-Way Central’s Jadon Zimmer won a 5-1 decision over West Aurora’s Jack Platt. And in the seventh-place match, Granite City’s Braxton Tolley prevailed by an ultimate tiebreaker over Hoopeston Area’s Aiden Bell.

138 – Daniel Blanke, Barrington

Considering how hard it is for experienced individuals to qualify for state, most freshmen might be content if they fell just one win shy of advancing in their first attempt. While Daniel Blanke did just that at his own Class 3A Barrington Sectional to conclude a 26-12 season, the Broncos freshman wanted to finish on a better note and he accomplished that by winning the 138 title in the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals by getting a fall in 2:14 over Downers Grove North’s 

Caden Chiarelli. One of two qualifiers for the Broncos, with Clarence Jackson also getting to the title match at 285 and taking second, Blanke won four of his five matches by fall, including the first three. He got a pin in 2:54 over Lincoln-Way Central’s Ethan Harvey in the quarterfinals and reached the title mat by capturing a 7-3 decision over Sandwich’s Ian Hawkins in the semifinals.

“I did pretty well, but I didn’t qualify for state, which was a bummer,” Blanke said. “We have coach (Dan) Keller, and he’s a great coach and we’ve got a bunch of studs in our room. This makes me feel a lot better. And I’m definitely going to aim for being a medalist next year.”

Downers Grove North sophomore Caden Chiarelli also fell one win shy of a state trip at the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional after losing in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals to conclude a 26-18 season. Chiarelli, one of two Trojans to qualify for the Frosh/Soph State Finals and their lone medalist, opened with a fall and then won three-straight close decisions, claiming a 1-0 victory over Maine South’s Caden Ljubenko in the quarterfinals and prevailing 5-3 in sudden victory over Geneseo’s Grady Hull in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Sandwich’s Ian Hawkins claimed a 5-0 decision over Geneseo’s Grady Hull. For fifth place, Quincy Senior’s Cale Mixer got a fall in 2:47 over Maine South’s Caden Ljubenko. And in the seventh-place match, Lincoln-Way Central’s Ethan Harvey won 6-2 over Lockport Township’s Christian Czerwinski.

144 – Jalen Byrd, Lincoln-Way Central

When you’re the son of an IWCOA Hall of Fame wrestler, who also happens to be your head coach, trying to follow in your father’s footsteps is a typical goal. And if Lincoln-Way Central sophomore Jalen Byrd is able to achieve just a fraction of what his father Tyrone, a 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, accomplished first at Clinton and later at the University of Illinois, then he too will have a successful career. Coming up a bit short of a state trip at the Class 3A Quincy Senior Sectional to conclude a 22-6 season after finishing with 39 victories and falling one win shy of advancing to state a year ago, Byrd led the Knights’ six qualifiers and three medalists at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals when he won the 144 title with a fall in 2:12 over Normal Community’s Carter Mayes. He also had pins in his first three matches, which was capped by a fall in 2:33 over Prospect’s Bennett Westfallen in the quarterfinals and then he captured a 7-0 decision over DeKalb’s Cam Matthews in the semifinals.

“Sometimes it’s tough mentally and physically, and other times you get a lot of a reward out of it,” Byrd said of being able to compete for his father. “The work that he puts me through helps me to perform at my best. This year, I got hurt pretty early on in the season and came back, but I didn’t do too well at sectionals. But I came here and finished out the season with a good win. We’ve got a young team, too, and we’ll have two seniors next year, and that’s it. This will help me to get better so that I can get on the podium next year, that’s the biggest goal now, and on top of that is the best goal, to win that state title.”

Normal Community sophomore Carter Mayes was 31-10 after his team won the title at the Big 12 Conference Tournament but he didn’t compete in the IHSA state series. He was one of five qualifiers and two finalists and medalists at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals for the Ironmen, with 101 champion Jackson Soney the other. Mayes opened with two falls and then won an 18-4 major decision over Alton Senior’s Brayden Drew before winning 7-0 over Oswego’s Dillon Griffin in the semifinals. In the third-place match, York’s Jackson Hanselman won a 3-0 decision over Alton Senior’s Brayden Drew. For fifth place, Oswego’s Dillon Griffin captured a 6-4 victory over DeKalb’s Cam Matthews. And in the seventh-place match, Lockport Township’s Naseem Jaber claimed a 6-4 decision over Prospect’s Bennett Westfallen.

150 – Frank Tagoe, Hersey

Frank Tagoe got the opportunity to be on a special team in his sophomore season as Hersey qualified 12 individuals, including eight seniors, for the Class 3A Barrington Sectional and advanced six to the IHSA Individual Finals, where two were All-Staters. While Tagoe came up a bit short of joining his teammates in Champaign and finished with a 17-13 record, he did get to end things on a high note after taking first place at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals when he won a 7-0 decision over Grayslake Central’s Warren Nash III in the 150 title match. One of two qualifiers and the lone medalist for the Huskies, he had one fall and three other decisions. In the quarterfinals, he won 4-1 over Robinson’s Benjamin Mullins and he earned his spot on the title mat with an 8-7 victory over Evanston Township’s Rodrigo Salinas in the semifinals.

“I just have to keep putting that work in and hopefully I get there,” Tagoe said. “Everyone in our room has a common goal and when you have people in a room like we have, everyone just pushes each other every day to get better, and it’s the same with the coaching staff.”

Grayslake Central sophomore Warren Nash III is one of the success stories of those who advanced to a title match at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals since he failed to qualify for the Class 2A sectional that his school hosted after taking fourth at the Antioch Regional to conclude a 32-17 season. Nash III, the lone medalist of the Rams’ four qualifiers,  opened with two major decisions before winning 8-6 by sudden victory over New Trier’s Yassin Aitzemkour in the quarterfinals and then he recorded a fall in 3:57 over Wheaton Academy’s Tyler Jones in the semifinals. In the third-place match, East St. Louis Senior’s Pierre Walton was a winner by fall in 4:28 over Wheaton Academy’s Tyler Jones. For fifth place, Robinson’s Benjamin Mullins captured a 6-3 decision over Evanston Township’s Rodrigo Salinas and for seventh-place, Warren Township’s Nicholas Hermsen got a fall in 4:54 over Woodstock’s Logan Wisner.

157 – Nic Astacio, Marian Central Catholic

Things couldn’t have gone much better for Nic Astacio during his freshman season at Marian Central Catholic since he not only had the chance to compete along with his senior brother Max, but he got the rare opportunity as a freshman to be a major contributor for a team that won the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team champion to claim its first title and the Woodstock school won its first title in a boys sport since 1989. He fell one win shy of joining eight of his Hurricanes teammates as state qualifiers at the rugged Class 1A Byron Sectional but then went 2-1 in at the IHSA Dual Team finals to finish 32-25 for the season and he helped Marian Central Catholic beat defending champion Coal City 34-27 in the championship dual meet. Astacio, the only qualifier from his school, won the IWCOA Frosh/Soph title at 157 by recording a fall in 2:01 over Hampshire’s Michael Brannigan. He opened with a win by technical fall before capturing a 4-1 victory. He followed that with a 5-1 decision over Washington Community’s Cruise Brolley and then won a 12-2 major decision over Downers Grove South’s Noah Greene in the semifinals.

“That was the best training that I could get,” said Astacio of wrestling against his senior brother, Max, who overcame injuries to take sixth at 165 in Class 1A to capture his second state medal. “I practiced with Max almost every single day in the wrestling room. He’s a senior and he’s been in this way longer than me. He’s the best mentor, and in fact, he was my coach these past two weeks. And everything that I’ve learned is from my father, Mario. It certainly was one helluva team. I have some of the best coaches that I could ask for. There’s a bright future for Marian Central, for sure. There’s a lot of kids who would wish to be in my spot and I just couldn’t be more grateful to be here. The main thing that I take away from this is the state championship. I’ve learned so much this freshman year. I’ve learned how to high school wrestle.”

Hampshire sophomore Michael Brannigan also fell a bit short of earning a state trip at the Class 3A Barrington Sectional and finished with a 30-15 record. One of three qualifiers and two medal winners for the Whip-Purs in the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals, Brannigan recorded falls in his other four matches, including in 3:26 in the quarterfinals over Galesburg’s Anthony Makwala and in 3:21 over Moline’s Deanthony Simpson in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Lincoln-Way East’s Declan Dircks won with a pin in 2:39 over Marquette Academy’s Reily Leifheit. For fifth place, Moline’s Deanthony Simpson captured a 5-3 decision over Downers Grove South’s Noah Greene. And in the seventh-place match, Libertyville’s James Scanio won 4-2 in sudden victory over Washington Community’s Cruise Brolley.

165 – Aaden Arroyo, Grant 

When you look at most of the individuals who win titles at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals, you expect to see a majority who fell just shy of advancing to the IHSA Individual State Finals, while those who failed to qualify from a regional or had season records below .500 are unusual. But that really didn’t matter very much to Grant freshman Aaden Arroyo, who went 8-9 this season and finished in fourth place at 175 in the Class 3A Libertyville Regional. One of seven qualifiers and the lone medalist for the Bulldogs, Arroyo captured the IWCOA Frosh/Soph title at 175 when he won 7-5 by sudden victory over Unity’s Abram Davidson in championship match. He won a second-round match by technical fall and had pins before and after that, winning in 1:51 in the quarterfinals over Batavia’s Colin Peyton and Arroyo earned his spot in the title match with another close decision, winning 6-5 over Morton’s Colton McKee in the semifinals.

“I think I did very well,” Arroyo said. “I definitely could have done a lot better at the start of the season. But then I really started to work harder for it. Coming into this tournament, I placed second at the regional and third at the sectional and I really wanted it, so I kind of pushed myself to keep going. (Competing at Grant) Definitely the team pushes you to be better and the coaches are always trying to help you strive for more. So I’m constantly trying to be better and focusing on what needs to be done.”

By contrast, Unity sophomore Abram Davidson was a typical IWCOA finalist who fell in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals at 157 at the Class 1A Olympia Sectional and finished 39-11 after competing with his team in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington. One of four qualifiers and the only medal winner for the Rockets, Davidson followed a fall in his opener with two close decisions, including a 4-1 win in the quarterfinals over Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s John Mensendike in the quarterfinals. He earned his spot in the title match by getting a pin in 3:53 over Civic Memorial’s Luke McCoy, who claimed third place after capturing a 6-0 decision over Yorkville’s Caleb Viscogliosi. In the fifth-place match, Morton’s Colton McKee recorded a fall in 1:57 over Yorkville Christian’s Tyler Gleason, and for seventh place, Oak Forest’s Jason Janke captured a 7-2 decision over Lincoln-Way East’s Colton Zvonar.

175 – Vincenzo Testa, Marmion Academy

Marmion Academy sophomore Vincenzo Testa got the opportunity to be on one of the state’s top 3A teams this season and one of its 10 qualifiers for the rugged Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional, but he fell one win shy of joining seven other Cadets in Champaign and finished with a 27-13 record after his team fell to eventual 3A Dual Team champion Mount Carmel in the Downers Grove South Sectional. Testa, one of two medalists and four qualifiers for Marmion Academy at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals, captured the 175 championship with a 3-1 decision over Rolling Meadows’ John (Jack) Rappa. He opened his title run by recording three-straight falls, including a pin in 2:37 over Rich Township’s Kelcey Span in the quarterfinals and followed that with an 8-3 decision over Naperville Central’s Paul Peradotti in the semifinals.

Rolling Meadows sophomore John (Jack) Rappa, who went 25-13 this season and fell a bit short of advancing to state from the Class 3A Barrington Sectional, was one of two qualifiers and the lone medalist for the Mustangs in the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals. After opening with two falls, he won a pair of two-point decisions, prevailing 3-1 over Lincoln-Way East’s Brody Gish in the quarterfinals and then he claimed a 2-0 victory over Yorkville Christian’s Jackson Allen in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Naperville Central’s Paul Peradotti captured a 3-0 decision over Libertyville’s Jack Treutelaar. For fifth place, Yorkville Christian’s Jackson Allen won by fall in 4:38 over Trico’s Johnny Ramaker. And Jacobs’ Johnny Strauss won by injury default over Marist’s Kyle Herzog to claim seventh place.

190 – Blake Livdahl, Harvard

When a freshman has a 20-5 record and falls one win shy of qualifying for state at a tough sectional, it usually is a good way to conclude a debut season. Harvard freshman Blake Livdahl did just that, losing in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals at the Class 2A Sycamore Sectional. The lone qualifier for the Hornets at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals, Livdahl won the 190 title match by capturing an 8-1 decision over Springfield Southeast’s Christopher Hull.  He opened with a pin and then claimed another 8-1 decision before winning a 13-4 major decision over Olympia’s Darian Holloway in the quarterfinals. Livdahl earned his spot in the 190 championship mat with another major decision, this time 11-2 over Freeburg’s Dane Olmstead.

Springfield Southeast sophomore Christopher Hull also came up one win shy of advancing to state from the Class 2A Mahomet-Seymour Sectional to conclude a 29-10 season. The lone IWCOA Frosh/Soph State qualifier for the Spartans, Hull recorded falls in his first four matches. He won in 0:42 over Marmion Academy’s Luke Boersma in the quarterfinals and then pinned Joliet Catholic Academy’s Derrick Pomatto in 3:36 in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Oliver McPeek captured an 8-1 decision over Lincoln-Way West’s James Talley, Jr. For fifth place, Freeburg’s Dane Olmstead won by medical forfeit over Joliet Catholic Academy’s Derrick Pomatto. And in the seventh-place match, Hampshire’s Carter Hintz pulled out an 11-10 victory over Westville’s Ethan Miller.

215 – Teigen Moreno, Dundee-Crown

Dundee-Crown sophomore Teigen Moreno fell one win short of qualifying for the IHSA Individual Finals from the Class 3A Barrington Sectional to close out a 28-10 season. He hopes that winning the 215 title at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals helps him to qualify for state and possibly medal there next year. Moreno, the lone qualifier for the Chargers, recorded a fall in 1:23 over Marist’s Tommy O’Brien in the 215 championship match. He also got pins in his first three matches, which included one in 2:10 over Lincoln-Way Central’s Aiden Hennings in the quarterfinals. Moreno earned his spot on the title mat by claiming a 5-4 decision over Mahomet-Seymour’s Noah Daniels. He placed eighth at 220 at the Frosh/Soph State Finals a year ago.

Marist sophomore Tommy O’Brien fell a bit short of joining eight of his teammates as state qualifiers from the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional and finished with a 20-15 record for one of the top 3A teams this season. O’Brien was the lone finalist and one of three medal winners for the RedHawks, who had 16 individuals who participated in the IWCOA’s Frosh/Soph State Finals. O’Brien got a pin in his opener and then won two decisions, including a 3-2 victory over Minooka’s Santino Capodice in the quarterfinals. He advanced to the 215 title match with a fall in 4:29 over Vandalia’s Dominic Swyers. In the third-place match, Mahomet-Seymour’s Noah Daniels won a 9-4 decision over Vandalia’s Dominic Swyers in a meeting of individuals who were on teams that advanced to the IHSA Dual Team Finals with the Vandals placing fourth in Class 1A. For fifth place, Horizon Science Academy – Southwest Chicago’s Samel Marerro won a 10-1 major decision over Minooka’s Santino Capodice. And in the seventh-place match, Oak Forest’s Andrius Vasilevskas prevailed 5-3 in sudden victory over Jacobs’ Lucas Retzler.

285 – Ryan Stingily, Lincoln-Way East

Ryan Stingily had a 12-12 record in mid-January and then did not compete in the IHSA Class 3A Rich Township Regional. So it’s easy to see why the Lincoln-Way East sophomore was excited to close out his season by claiming top honors at 285 at the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals. In the 285 championship match, he won 4-2 on a tiebreaker over Barrington’s Clarence Jackson. Stingily, the lone finalist and one of three medal winners for the Griffins, who had seven competitors who advanced to Springfield, received a bye in his opener and then won two decisions, including 3-1 over Washington Community’s Sean Thornton in the quarterfinals. He earned his spot on the title mat by recording a fall in 2:07 over Wheeling’s Pablo Morales. Stingily also placed in the IWCOA Frosh/Soph State Finals last year, finishing fourth at 285.

“It’s a great feeling and I’ve been working all season to get to this point,” Stingily said. “Being with my teammates and me cheering them on and them cheering me on. I like the family aspect of it (competing for Lincoln-Way East). When you’re part of a team at East, it’s like you’re part of a big family. It’s fun looking back on it to see where I started to where I am now. When I first started, I couldn’t even get into a stance and now I’m holding this plaque.”

Barrington sophomore Clarence Jackson and the 138 champion, freshman Daniel Blanke, were the Broncos’ only qualifiers and they both advanced to the title mat. Jackson, who went 30-13 this season and fell one win shy of advancing from his school’s Class 3A sectional, got pins in his first two matches and won 5-3 by sudden victory over East Peoria’s Keegan Barnes in the quarterfinals before recording a fall in 4:33 over Evanston Township’s Ian Sims in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Fenton’s Josh Zuniga won by fall in 1:32 over Evanston Township’s Ian Sims. For fifth place, Wheeling’s Pablo Morales captured a 3-1 decision over Dakota’s Randy McPeek. And in the seventh-place match, St. Charles East’s Matt Medina, who got the opportunity to compete with his team in the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals where the Fighting Saints took third place,  recorded a pin in 1:33 over Fremd’s Owen Jakubczak.

Championship Matches

101 – Jackson Soney (Normal Community) won by fall over Dominic Pasquale (IC Catholic Prep) Fall 0:24
106 – Jackson Olson (Hononegah) won by decision over Evan Mishels (Stevenson) Dec 8-3
113 – Harrison Dea (Morton) won by decision over Liam Fenoglio (Yorkville) Dec 5-4
120 – Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard East) won by decision over Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) Dec 5-1
126 – Isaac Zimmerman (Lockport Township) won by fall over Bodee Fathauer (Shelbyville) Fall 3:45
132 – Carter Skoff (Morris) won by decision over Robye Williams (Homewood-Flossmoor) Dec 9-8
138 – Daniel Blanke (Barrrington) won by fall over Caden Chiarelli (Downers Grove North) Fall 2:14
144 – Jalen Byrd (Lincoln-Way Central) won by fall over Carter Mayes (Normal Community) Fall 2:12
150 – Frank Tagoe (Hersey) won by decision over Warren Nash III (Grayslake Central) Dec 7-0
157 – Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central) won by fall over Michael Brannigan (Hampshire) Fall 2:01
165 – Aaden Arroyo (Grant) won in sudden victory over Abram Davidson (Unity) SV 7-5
175 – Vincenzo Testa (Marmion Academy) won by decision over John Rappa (Rolling Meadows) Dec 3-1
190 – Blake Livdahl (Harvard) won by decision over Christopher Hull (Springfield Southeast) Dec 8-1
215 – Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown) won by fall over Tommy O’Brien (Marist) Fall 1:23
285 – Ryan Stingily (Lincoln-Way East) won in tie breaker over Clarence Jackson (Barrrington) TB 4-2

Third Place Matches

101 – Dylan Weber (Marist) won by major decision over Kaden Potter (St. Charles East) Maj 10-2
106 – Bobby Ruscitti (Montini Catholic) won by fall over Austin Phelps (Schaumburg) Fall 2:11
113 – Brock Claypool (Morris) won by decision over Brett Harman (Maine South) Dec 8-7
120 – Glen Henry (Triad) won by decision over Kyle Pasco (Batavia) Dec 6-3
126 – Vince Bern (Naperville Central) won by decision over Izaiah Gonzalez (Bremen) Dec 10-5
132 – Jake Colleran (Maine South) won by decision over Alejandro Aranda (Glenbard West) Dec 8-3
138 – Ian Hawkins (Sandwich) won by decision over Grady Hull (Geneseo) Dec 5-0
144 – Jackson Hanselman (York) won by decision over Brayden Drew (Alton Senior) Dec 3-0
150 – Pierre Walton (East St. Louis Senior) won by fall over Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) Fall 4:28
157 – Declan Dircks (Lincoln-Way East) won by fall over Reily Leifheit (Marquette Academy) Fall 2:39
165 – Luke McCoy (Civic Memorial) won by decision over Caleb Viscogliosi (Yorkville) Dec 6-0
175 – Paul Peradotti (Naperville Central) won by decision over Jack Treutelaar (Libertyville) Dec 3-0
190 – Oliver McPeek (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) won by decision over James Talley, Jr. (Lincoln-Way West) Dec 8-1
215 – Noah Daniels (Mahomet-Seymour) won by decision over Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) Dec 9-4
285 – Josh Zuniga (Fenton) won by fall over Ian Sims (Evanston Township) Fall 1:32

Fifth Place Matches

101 – Ray Long (Niles Notre Dame) won by major decision over Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) Maj 14-4
106 – Jackson Marlett (Burlington Central) won by decision over Declan Sons (St. Charles North) Dec 2-1
113 – Jacob Cochran (Naperville Central) won by fall over Dylan Ramsey (Crystal Lake Central) Fall 3:00
120 – Aiden Ortiz (Oswego) won in the ultimate tie breaker over Aidan DuRell (Plainfield North) UTB 6-5
126 – Aurelio Munoz (Joliet Catholic Academy) won by decision over Adrian Cohen (Deerfield) Dec 4-2
132 – Jadon Zimmer (Lincoln-Way Central) won by decision over Jack Platt (West Aurora) Dec 5-1
138 – Cale Mixer (Quincy Senior) won by fall over Caden Ljubenko (Maine South) Fall 2:47
144 – Dillon Griffin (Oswego) won by decision over Cam Matthews (DeKalb) Dec 6-4
150 – Benjamin Mullins (Robinson) won by decision over Rodrigo Salinas (Evanston Township) Dec 6-3
157 – Deanthony Simpson (Moline) won by decision over Noah Greene (Downers Grove South) Dec 5-3
165 – Colton McKee (Morton) won by fall over Tyler Gleason (Yorkville Christian) Fall 1:57
175 – Jackson Allen (Yorkville Christian) won by fall over Johnny Ramaker (Trico) Fall 4:38
190 – Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) won by medical forfeit over Derrick Pomatto (Joliet Catholic Academy) MFF
215 – Samel Marerro (Horizon Science Academy – Southwest Chicago) won by major decision over Santino Capodice (Minooka) Maj 10-1
285 – Pablo Morales (Wheeling) won by decision over Randy McPeek (Dakota) Dec 3-1

Seventh Place Matches

101 – Colton Wyller (Marmion Academy) won by decision over Gerald Donnelly (Andrew) Dec 4-2
106 – Andre Rice (Proviso West) won by decision over Matthew Laird (Joliet Catholic Academy) Dec 10-9
113 – Trentin Odachowski (Fremd) won by medical forfeit over Oscar Kalman (Carl Sandburg) MFF
120 – Austin Kisner (Olympia) won by decision over Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) (Dec 5-1
126 – Gavin Woodmancy (St. Charles East) won by medical forfeit over Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson) MFF
132 – Braxton Tolley (Granite City) won in the ultimate tie breaker over Aiden Bell (Hoopeston Area) UTB 6-6
138 – Ethan Harvey (Lincoln-Way Central) won by decision over Christian Czerwinski (Lockport Township) Dec 6-2
144 – Naseem Jaber (Lockport Township) won by decision over Bennett Westfallen (Prospect) Dec 6-4
150 – Nicholas Hermsen (Warren Township) won by fall over Logan Wisner (Woodstock) Fall 4:54
157 – James Scanio (Libertyville) won in sudden victory over Cruise Brolley (Washington Community) SV 4-2
165 – Jason Janke (Oak Forest) won by decision over Colton Zvonar (Lincoln-Way East) Dec 7-2
175 – Johnny Strauss (Jacobs) won by injury default over Kyle Herzog (Marist) Inj. 2:38
190 – Carter Hintz (Hampshire) won by decision over Ethan Miller (Westville) Dec 11-10
215 – Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) won in sudden victory over Lucas Retzler (Jacobs) SV 5-3
285 – Matt Medina (St. Charles East) won by fall over Owen Jakubczak (Fremd) Fall 1:33

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA 

Angelina Cassioppi, Cadence Diduch, Sydney Perry, Gabby Gomez.

In that order, history was made at the third IHSA Girls Individual State Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington as those four became the first-ever three-time IHSA champions.

While Batavia senior Sydney Perry closed out a perfect 41-0 season with a win by technical fall in 5:00 over Goreville senior Alivia Ming in the 145 finals two matches after Freeport senior Cadence Diduch concluded an unbeaten 29-0 campaign with a 10-1 major decision over Cumberland sophomore Natalie Beaumont at 135, there was much more suspense in both the first state championship match as well as in the last one.

Perry had a tournament-high three wins by technical fall for the second year in a row. She also recorded three falls, one major decision, won a medical forfeit and claimed one decision in her other six matches at state in the past three years. Diduch’s 12 wins in the IHSA Finals were also impressive since she had five pins, two tech falls and five major decisions with no decisions.

Because there wasn’t an IHSA Finals when they were freshmen, Diduch and Perry competed in the IWCOA State Finals and they each won titles, thus making them four-time state champions. The IWCOA Girls Championships began in 2017 and there was no tournament in 2020, so this is the first class of girls that could have been four-time state champions in the two state series.

Hononegah junior Angelina Cassioppi finished 17-1 after winning a 4-3 decision over Hoffman Estates junior Sophia Ball at 120 in the first title match to begin the finals and Glenbard North junior Gabby Gomez capped a perfect 38-0 season with a 4-3 decision over Loyola Academy junior Harlee Hiller at 115, which was the final championship match.

In between the dramatic historic title wins by Cassioppi and Gomez, there were a lot of great story lines. The first of those was another historic first for the three-year old competition, and that was awarding trophies to the three teams who finished with the most points.

Lakes Community led the way with 61 points to make coach Devin Tortorice’s Eagles not only the first IHSA girls team champion but it also was that school’s first state title in any sport. The team had three medalists who all placed at the IHSA Finals for the second time. They were junior Josephine Larson, who was second at 190, senior Ava Babbs, who took third place at 125 and senior Olivia Heft, who placed fifth at 120. The team’s other two state qualifiers were senior Zaryia Mouzon at 105, who fell one win shy of a medal, and junior Haven Sylves at 110.

Tortorice has been the Eagles head coach for the past two seasons and has been involved with the program for five years. He wrestled at Wauconda, where he took third place at 132 in Class 2A in 2013. He feels fortunate to have three of the school’s previous head coaches assisting him as the program became Lakes Community’s first IHSA champion in any sport.

“It’s surreal, it’s unique,” said Tortorice. “We knew that we had a special group of girls and they have just been so incredibly committed all year long. They train year-around and just bought in together and it’s a family. I have coaches who’ve been coaching 30-plus years and they said this was very unique and it may never happen again, so I’m going to really enjoy it. My three assistants, Curt Onstad, Mark Stave and Jack Troesch, were all the previous head coaches. I’m extremely lucky. To be able to have them all year-around training with me has built a relationship that’s going to last a lifetime.

“Yeah, this season for Lakes wrestling is literally one for the history books. We were fortunate enough to walk away with the first-ever State Title. Lakes walked in with five qualifiers and left with three state placers, and all of them are multiple-time placers. They are Olivia Heft (fourth in 2021 IWCOA/second in 2022/fifth in 2024); Ava Babbs (third in 2023/third in 2024) and Josephine Larson (fifth in 2023/second in 2024). Zaryia Mouzon went 2-2 and Haven Sylves also competed.”

Lockport Township, coached by Nathaniel Roth, took second place after finishing three points out of first with 58 points while Batavia, coached by Scott Bayer, claimed third place with 46.5 points, which was 3.5 points better than the 43 points that both Hoffman Estates, coached by Leo Clark, and Schaumburg, coached by Matt Gruszka, scored to tie for fourth place.

The runner-up Porters were the only team in the competition that had two state champions. Sophomore Claudia Heeney edged Collinsville junior Taylor Dawson 4-2 in the 130 title match in a matchup of past state finalists. Heeney, a runner-up a year ago who finished with a 21-1 record, and 2022 runner-up and 2023 third-place finisher Dawson, who went 47-1 this season. 

Also winning a title for the Porters was sophomore Morgan Turner, who made history last season at Bremen when she became the first girl to place at the IHSA Boys Individual Finals with a third-place finish. Turner, who competed with the boys team during a regular season which was limited due to an injury, capped an 11-0 run by winning the 110 title with a fall in 2:40 over Joliet Township senior Eliana Paramo, who was a three-time medalist who took second place for the second year in a row.

Junior Averi Colella at 105 and freshman Rebekah Ramirez at 235 were Lockport Township’s other qualifiers. Batavia claimed third place with just two qualifiers, three-time IHSA champion and four-time state title winner senior Sydney Perry, who posted a 96-0 record the past three seasons, and sophomore Lily Enos, who took third  place at 100.

“We’re a really young team and hopefully we’ll keep dominating for the next couple of years,” Roth said. “I give all of the credit to the girls. They’re passionate about it and it shows. They work hard in the room and the camaraderie that they have, they’re all friends. And that helps them push each other and get better. Three years ago we didn’t get a whole lot of competition in our area. They may have had 20 matches and this year, as long as they were healthy, they had 40-some matches, and that’s huge. We’re a young team, so we lost a lot. In the moment, it’s disappointing, but that’s where you get better. With all of the tough teams around our area, that’s why we got better, because we wrestled them.”

The other three-time finalist in the tournament, Boylan Catholic senior Netavia Wickson, repeated as a state champion after taking first place at 140 with a 19-5 major decision over Schaumburg junior Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic to cap a 23-2 season.

In the third-straight postseason tournament title match to see who would be the champion at 170, Peotone senior Kiernan Farmer won the biggest prize with a 9-6 decision over Plainfield Central junior Alicia Tucker, who was a defending state champion. Farmer finished 21-1 while Tucker went 36-2 with all of their losses to each other.

Moline senior Maryam Ndiaye capped a perfect 31-0 season when she won the 155 title, thanks to a 14-5 major decision over Richwoods senior Jaida Johnson, who was also a state runner-up in the first IHSA Finals in 2022. 

Vandalia junior Sophie Bowers got the rare opportunity to be a part of a trophy team in the Dual Team Finals, which was also taking place in Bloomington, and being an individual champion after she won a 6-0 decision for the 125 championship over Canton junior Kinnley Smith, who also took second place a year ago. Bowers, who finished 27-7, and her Vandals teammates took fourth place in Class 1A.

Glenbard West senior Alycia Perez concluded her career on a high note by finishing with a perfect 35-0 record and claiming her first state medal by winning a 1-0 decision over West Aurora junior Kameyah Young in the 100 title match to become the Hilltoppers’ first champion.

Zion-Benton senior ILeen Castrejon, who was a runner-up in 2022 and took third a year ago, concluded her career with a 2-1 decision over Lakes Community junior Josephine Larson in the 190 title match to cap a 25-1 season and become her program’s first state champion as well as being one of of perhaps two girls at the school to win a state title in any sport.  

In the longest title match, Prairie Central junior Chloe Hoselton joined her brothers Brandon, who won titles in 2018 and 2019, and Drew, who also won a title in 2018, as IHSA champions after winning 2-1 in an ultimate tiebreaker to win the 235 championship over Unity sophomore Phoenix Molina to cap a 19-3 season.

In a tournament that featured seniors and juniors winning 11 of the titles, there was one freshman who took top honors, Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis, who claimed an 8-2 decision over Huntley sophomore Janiah Slaughter in the 105 championship match to cap a 47-5 season and become her school’s first IHSA champion.

Ten individuals who competed in title matches are three-time medalists. They are three-time champions Cassioppi, Diduch, Gomez and Perry and the only other three-time finalist, Wickson, who joins Belleville East’s Kiara Ganey and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Attalia Watson-Castro, who were 2022 and 2023 champions, as the only two-time title winners thus far.

Two-time finalists and three-time medal winners who also advanced to title matches at the third finals were Castrejon, Dawson, Hiller, Ming and Paramo.

Ten other individuals who did not advance to title matches also won medals in each of the first three IHSA Finals. They are Yorkville senior Yamilet Aguirre (fourth at 125), Oak Park and River Forest senior Sarah Epshtein (fourth at 235), Curie Metropolitan senior Aaliyah Grandberry (third at 235), Lincoln-Way Central senior Gracie Guarino (third at 115), El Paso-Gridley junior Savannah Hamilton (fourth at 155), West Chicago senior Jayden Huesca-Rodriguez (fifth at 190), Grant senior Ayane Jasinski (third at 110), Burlington Central junior Victoria Macias (fifth at 115), Schaumburg senior Valeria Rodriguez (fifth at 155) and Highland junior August Rottmann (sixth at 170). 

Huesca-Rodriguez won a title in 2022 and took second place last season while Jasinski and Rottmann won championships a year ago. Grandberry, Guarino and Hamilton were runners-up in both 2022 and 2023 and Aguirre finished second last year.

Bartlett junior Emma Engels won a title in 2023 but took sixth place at 110. And Anna-Jonesboro junior Zoee Sadler took second last season and finished fourth at 105.

Medalists in 2022 and 2023 who fell short of placing again this year were East Peoria senior Bailey Lusch, Round Lake junior Ireland McCain, Morris senior Ella McDonnell, Stevenson senior Sajra Sulejmani and Oak Park and River Forest senior Trinity White.

Just as in previous years, a majority of the state champions were nationally-ranked. In the February National Girls High School Rankings by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Museum, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling, eight individuals who were in the top 30 at their weights won titles. Turner was top-ranked at 105, Perry was third at 145, Diduch ranked fourth at 135, Gomez was fifth at 115, Wickson ranked sixth at 140, Cassioppi was 17th at 120, Heeney ranked 27th at 130 and Farmer was 29th at 170. 

Nationally-ranked individuals who finished second were Hiller (11th at 115) and Dawson (15th at 130) while Wheeling’s Jasmine Rene (28th at 190) and Grandberry (ninth at 235) placed third and Rottmann (24th at 170) finished sixth after forfeiting her last two matches due to injury. 

In the inaugural IHSA Finals in 2022, 11 of the champions were nationally-ranked as were two of the second-place finishers. Last season, nine title winners were in the top-30 nationally, as were three runners-up.

Edwardsville and Richwoods now have had five different individuals who have placed at state in the first three IHSA Finals while Homewood-Flossmoor, J. Sterling Morton co-op and West Aurora each have had four different all-staters in the past three years of the IHSA state series.

“Congratulations to all the girls and coaches who have stuck, continued to improve and helped pioneer this sport of wrestling for future girls,” Edwardsville coach Jon Wagner said. “The state tournament is definitely getting stronger. Thanks to the IHSA and the IWCOA for making it the event it is. Let’s keep improving.”

With Lakes Community winning the first IHSA team championship and Batavia finishing third to go along with fourth-place finishes from Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg, the north, western and northwest suburbs are clearly producing some of the top talent in the fast-growing sport, as is evidenced by having four state champions who combined to win 139 of 140 matches. The quality of competition from those areas was on display at the rugged Schaumburg Sectional, which was clearly the most-competitive sectional in the sport’s brief history.”Overall, the state tournament keeps on getting tougher and tougher,” Schaumburg coach Matt Gruszka said. “The quality has really increased and the growth of girls in the IKWF is also going to increase the talent level on the IHSA level. It already has this year with some of those tough freshmen winning it and placing.”

The south and southwest suburbs continue to be one of the state’s most competitive regions in the first three years of IHSA competition. And having Lockport Township get a trophy for second place in addition to two nationally-ranked state champions will only add more fuel to the fire.

“The growth of girls wrestling over the past few years has been nothing short of remarkable,” Joliet Township coach Liz Short said. “What was once considered a male-dominated sport has now evolved into a thriving community of female athletes. A key factor contributing to the growth of girls wrestling is the increased support and investment from governing bodies like the IHSA and IWCOA. The state tournament this year was a true testament to the increased visibility and growth of the sport of girls wrestling.”

A key to the sport’s continued explosive growth is how well it will be accepted by smaller schools. With Kaneland, Peotone, Prairie Central and Vandalia all having state champions this year, a clear signal has bet set that quality performers can come from any setting as long as girls are willing to put in the extra effort that comes with having fewer athletes to work with in a sport that has been dominated thus far by a lot of much bigger programs.
“I am excited to see the growth of the IHSA State Girls Finals,” Clifton Central coach Travis Williams said. “To see where it has developed in depth and talent in just three years of existence is inspiring. 

The growth of girls wrestling has freshened up the wrestling community.  It brings many coaches who have been involved in the sport for decades a new perspective and opportunity to build again.”

And when fans of the sport reflect back at its early days to see an area that enjoyed some of the most success, Rockford will definitely be one of the first communities that comes to mind, considering that two of the first four three-time champions and three of the initial five three-time finalists were from that region and combined for eight state championships in three seasons. And another area that has a great deal of passion for the sport, the Quad Cities region, claimed its first state champion.

Here’s a summary of the third IHSA Girls Individual State Finals, with stories of the 14 title winners and all of the other all-state athletes who helped to make the competition one that will no doubt be remembered for a long time because of all of the history that took place there.

120 – Angelina Cassioppi, Hononegah

The third IHSA Individual State Finals couldn’t have gotten off to a more dramatic start than what unfolded in the 120 championship match between a pair of juniors who entered with a combined 43-1 record, Honongah’s Angelina Cassioppi (17-1) and Hoffman Estates’ Sophia Ball (27-1). Cassioppi trailed 3-1 going into the third period but was able to get a takedown in the final seconds to pull out a 4-3 victory over Ball and thus become the first three-time IHSA champion. She was later joined in that historic club by Freeport senior Cadence Diduch at 135, Batavia senior Sydney Perry at 145 and Glenbard North junior Gabby Gomez at 115. Cassioppi had her most-challenging title run yet as evidenced by her capturing three decisions and a win by technical fall. In her first two championship runs, she had three pins, two wins by technical fall and three decisions. She claimed a 5-1 win in the semifinals over Edwardsville’s Norah Swaim and followed a win by technical fall over Belleville West’s Brooklyn Zeller in her opener with a 6-2 decision over Glenbrook North’s Ariella Dobin in the quarterfinals. Cassioppi was 17th at 120 in the February national rankings by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling. The lone qualifier for coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians, Cassioppi went 27-6 last season and defeated Yorkville’s Yamilet Aguirre in the 120 finals and in 2022, she capped a 23-6 season by finishing first at 100 with a title win over TF South’s Dutchess King. In 2022, her sister Rose joined her as one of the first IHSA champions when she took first place at 170. Her freshmen brothers won Class 3A medals at the Boys Individual Finals as Rocco took second at 106 and Bruno finished third at 113 and they were also competing in Bloomington with their team, who lost to St. Charles East in the quarterfinals of the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals.

“I’m just excited for next year to make it four,” Cassioppi said. “I’m just really grateful for the 

opportunity. She was very strong and aggressive and I think I just need to go out there next time and be a little less stressed and more relaxed and not worry about what’s going to happen. I don’t even know, I can’t remember (the winning move) but I know there were two seconds to go. It’s crazy how much it’s progressed from the first year. I’m so excited to see what comes of it and how much more it grows in the future. It’s definitely gotten more competitive in past years. They did really good (her freshman brothers, Rocco and Bruno) and I’m glad that they’re in the room to push me every single day.”

Hoffman Estates junior Sophia Ball (27-1), who finished fifth at 120 last season to become her program’s first medal winners, was one of four qualifiers and two medalists, with Anjali Gonzalez (fifth at 235) the other for coach Leo Clark’s Hawks, who tied Schaumburg for fourth place in the team standings with 43 points. She advanced to the finals by getting a pin in 1:44 over Lakes Community’s Olivia Heft in the semifinals. Ball opened with a fall in 0:40 over Phoenix Military Academy’s Marisol Castro and then captured a 9-7 decision over Jacksonville’s Alexis Seymour in the quarterfinals. 

“I had a fun match,” Ball said. “I was working all summer with Gomez (Wrestling) and also my Hoffman coaches, and just the grind. It was a lot more fun than last year.”

“Sophia is a tough wrestler and it showed in the finals,” Hoffman Estates coach Leo Clark said. “It is her third year in the sport and she continues to improve year after year. Her first year she was a state qualifier and was happy to be there. Her second year she wanted to be a placer and she took fifth. This year she wanted to be in the finals and we all saw the match. Credit to Cassioppi for never giving up and pushing all the way through to the end. Sophia is now more motivated and eager to rise to another level and be a state champion next year. She has the best blast double in the state and looks forward to showing it off at Fargo this year.”

Edwardsville senior Norah Swaim (21-2) claimed her first state medal after placing third by winning a 6-5 decision over Glenbrook North freshman Ariella Dobin (33-5), who became her school’s first all-stater. For fifth place, Lakes Community senior Olivia Heft (33-4) recorded a fall in 4:32 over Jacksonville junior Alexis Seymour (30-6). Heft, her school’s first medal winner, was an IHSA runner-up to Glenwood’s Maya Davis at 115 in 2022 and placed fourth at 113 in the IWCOA Finals in 2021 while Seymour took fourth place at 120 in 2023. Falling one win shy of earning all-state honors were Grayslake Central sophomore Gianna Arzer (37-11) and Joliet Catholic Academy junior Grace Laird (22-9), who were both seeking their first medals.

125 – Sophie Bowers, Vandalia

It’s not often that someone can be a member of a boys team that advances to the state finals while also competing in a girls individual state finals on the same weekend. But that’s just what Vandalia junior Sophie Bowers did when she took part in the IHSA Girls Individual Finals while her teammates were also competing in the IHSA Dual Team Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. And on the same day that coach Jason Clay’s Vandals earned another Class 1A trophy for fourth place in their 22nd state appearance, Bowers became her school’s first champion and second medalist in her IHSA Finals debut, following Lauren Dothager, who took fourth in both 2022 and 2023, by winning the title at 125 with a 6-0 decision over Canton’s Kinnley Smith, who advanced to the title mat for the second year in a row. Bowers (27-7), the lone qualifier for the Vandals, edged Lakes Community’s Ava Babbs 5-2 in the semifinals, handing the senior her only loss of the season. She opened with a win by technical fall over J. Sterling Morton’s Nayeli Rodriguez and won a 6-2 decision in the quarterfinals over Yorkville’s Yamilet Aguirre, a state runner-up in 2023 who also is a three-time IHSA medal winner.

“It feels amazing,” Bowers said. “I had two surgeries and I had to overcome them, and I did just that. And here I am, I’ve worked so hard and I’m state champ now. I felt very confident and I knew if I just stuck to how I wrestle and if I wrestled my game, that I’d do good. Once I got the reversal in the third, I knew that I was doing pretty good. My boys on my team have fought hard and they’re going for third. And they came here and cheered for me, they’re the best teammates that I could ever ask for. Next year we’re going to come back and win it all as a team.”

Canton junior Kinnley Smith (27-4), who was one of two qualifiers and medalists for coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants, with Katelyn Marvel (fourth at 145) the other, took second at state last year at 135 to Boylan Catholic’s Netavia Wickson. Smith earned her spot on the title mat with a 10-0 major decision over Bartlett’s Lilly White in the semifinals. She opened with a win by fall over Riverside-Brookfield’s Eleanor Aphay and then edged Edwardsville’s Holly Zugmaier 1-0 in the quarterfinals. She was Canton’s first all-stater and is now its initial two-time medal winner.

“I’m just so thankful for my teammates and just having someone to also understand what I’m talking about,” Smith said. “Me and my partners just kind of boost each other up. The boys are great and we have great coaches, for sure. During the summer time in June or July, we take a team down to Disney duals. We take girls from all around us and our conference, and we’ll have girls from schools like East Peoria, Pekin and Peoria Notre Dame. We’ve had the team for a couple of years and it’s been really growing. In the first year we probably had four or five girls, and that was it. And now we have a whole roster that’s missing just a few weights. It’s great because you get a different feel for partners and really intense practices. And it definitely keeps you in shape in the summer. time.  When I was a little girl, I’d go to a tournament and see one older girl, and my dad was like, ‘this is going to be you, and I was like, ‘this is so cool.’ It’s exciting to see all of the girls who have put in the work to get to this spot.”

Lakes Community senior Ava Babbs (32-1) bounced back from her first loss of the season to Bowers in the semifinals to claim third place with a fall in 1:51 over Yorkville senior Yamilet Aguirre. Babbs, who also placed third last year at 125, was one of three medalists and five qualifiers who helped coach Devin Tortorice’s Eagles to become the first IHSA team champions after they beat out Lockport Township 61-58 for top honors. Aguirre (28-3), who only lost once prior to the state finals, was the runner-up at 120 to Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi last season and also took fourth place at 115 in 2022. 

“Yamilet Aguirre is the first three-time all-state wrestler in Yorkville history,” Foxes coach Kevin Roth said. “The growth of the sport in the state of Illinois has had a direct correlation on her development as a wrestler and person. As the quality of competition at the state tournament continues to rise, so does the caliber of athlete. Yamilet has proven herself to be one of the state’s best year in and year out, and it is thanks to the girls wrestling community. These girls push each other to be better and the camaraderie in girls wrestling is like nothing I’ve seen before. Yamilet, like many of the girls at this time, have built the foundation of what girls wrestling in the state of Illinois will look like for years to come. The records these multi-time state medalist have set will continue to raise the bar for girls following in their footsteps.”

For fifth place, Bartlett sophomore Lilly White (31-5) won by medical forfeit over Edwardsville junior Holly Zugmaier (34-8). White joined 2023 100 champion and this year’s sixth-place finisher at 110, junior Emma Engels, as her school’s second medal winner while Zugmaier and Norah Swaim (third at 120) became the fourth and fifth medalists for IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Jon Wagner’s Tigers. Falling one win shy of medals were Kaneland junior Brooklyn Sheaffer (16-5), who took sixth at 120 in 2023 to become her school’s first medalist, and Schaumburg junior Madyson Meyer (38-8), who hoped to join Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (second at 140) and Valeria Rodriguez (fifth at 155) as medalists for coach Matt Gruszka’s 

Saxons, who tied Hoffman Estates for fourth place with 43 points, which was just 3.5 points behind Batavia, who claimed the third-place trophy.

130 – Claudia Heeney, Lockport Township

The memory of suffering her lone defeat in 43 matches last season in the 125 championship match at the IHSA Individual Finals to Freeport’s Cadence Diduch pushed Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney to not take anything for granted this season. The last test that the Porters sophomore had to get past in order to achieve her goal of being a champion was Collinsville junior Taylor Dawson, who had the double disappointment of finishing second in the 2022 IHSA Finals and placing third last season. According to the February national rankings at 130 by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling, Dawson was 15th and Heeney was 27th. In one of the nine championship matchups that were settled by decision and the lone finals match that was decided by two points, Heeney (21-1) got a reversal with 1:10 left to give her a 4-2 victory as she became the first champion for her school and was later joined by Morgan Turner at 110 as Lockport Township not only was the only team to have two title winners but that also helped coach Nathaniel Roth’s team to become the first-ever IHSA runner-up, after scoring 58 points, which was three points behind champion Lakes Community, who had 61 points. Heeney, who is 63-2 in two seasons, advanced to the title mat for the second year in a row thanks to a fall in 2:57 over Seneca’s Sammie Greisen. She opened her title run with a fall in 5:33 over Tinley Park’s Simone Standifer and then recorded a pin in 4:38 over Camp Point Central’s Amber Louderback in the quarterfinals. Heeney tied the two champions that followed her Freeport’s Cadence Diduch (135) and Boylan Catholic’s Netavia Wickson (140) for third place in team points with 28, which was one point behind the leaders in that category, her Porters teammate Morgan Turner (110) and Moline’s Maryam Ndiaye (155).

“It was a moment of relief and a moment of happiness and excitement,” Heeney said. “I couldn’t believe it and I still can’t believe it. There’s so many emotions. I didn’t take my loss that hard last year, just shed a few tears and moved on because we had bigger things to take care of. I didn’t realize how much it really meant to me until just now. I was saying to myself warming up, ‘I’m going to be a state champ, I’m going to be a state champ.’ I knew that I could do it, and I did it. I’ve been practicing cradle defense for the past six weeks knowing that it might come down to that. She might want to cradle me, since I’m a long wrestler, and I get that often, so I’ve been working on that. And it was a big moment of relief to be able to get out of bottom twice, not just once, and to defend the cradle the whole time. (The Porters taking second place) It’s super exciting. We have a hard-working room and everyone is there to push each other to get better. Every year, the girls are getting better and better. This year, I had a bunch of close matches and lots of tough competitors. It’s amazing to see that everyone is getting better together.”

“Claudia is not very emotional, she’s very in the zone and when she wins, she’s like, ‘okay, cool I won, but I usually win,” Porters coach Nathaniel Roth said. “So to see her so happy was just amazing and all of us as coaches were so happy. It was phenomenally cool, working as hard as she does non-stop, and to have that finally come true. I couldn’t be happier for her and I’m so proud of her. It was a very great experience.”

Collinsville junior Taylor Dawson (47-1) suffered her only defeat on the 130 title mat. In the first IHSA Finals in 2022, she lost the championship at 125 to Yorkville’s Natasha Markoutsis. One of two qualifiers for coach Jordan May’s Kahoks and her school’s only medalist, Dawson earned her second trip in three years to the title mat by recording a fall in 1:02 over Minooka’s Addison Cailteux. She got pins in her first two matches, in 2:56 over Erie/Prophetstown’s Michelle Naftzger in her opener and in 0:32 over Prospect’s Viola Pianetto in the quarterfinals. 

Huntley sophomore Aubrie Rohrbacher (45-5), took third place when she won a 12-0 major decision over Cailteux. She became Huntley’s second medalist with teammate Janiah Slaughter earning all-state honors for the second-straight year after placing second at 105. Minooka sophomore Addison Cailteux (27-6) was her team’s lone medal winner and became the second individual from her school to place at state. Camp Point Central sophomore Amber Louderback (23-11) took fifth to become a two-time medalist after placing fourth at 125 a year ago, In the fifth-place match, she won by fall in 5:40 over Seneca sophomore Sammie Greisen (31-11), who became her school’s all-stater. Missing medals by one win were Thornton Fractional South junior Quincy Onyiaorah (25-6) and Prospect junior Viola Pianetto (24-6), with the latter hoping to be her school’s first all-stater.

135 – Cadence Diduch, Freeport

Cadence Diduch assured her position as one of the most significant early leaders for her sport when she became the second three-time champion in the IHSA Individual State Finals and a four-time state champion in her career, along with Batavia’s Sydney Perry, as the result of winning the IWCOA title in 2021, after capturing a 10-1 major decision over Cumberland’s Natalie Beaumont in the 135 title match. That capped a perfect 29-0 season for the Freeport senior, who followed Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi (120) and preceded Batavia’s Sydney Perry (145) and Glenbard North’s Gabby Gomez (115) as the only individuals to win a title in the each of the first three IHSA Finals. Last season, she went 11-0 and won a 12-2 major decision over Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney in the 125 title match and in the first IHSA Finals in 2022, she took top honors at 120 with an 11-0 major decision over Edwardsville’s Mackenzie Pratt to conclude a 22-3 season. In addition in 2021, she took first place at 113 at the IWCOA’s Girls State Finals with a 5-2 decision over Batavia’s Taylin Long. In her 12 matches that she competed in at the IHSA Finals, she had no decisions. She had five pins, two wins by technical fall and five major decisions. Diduch was fourth at 135 in the February national rankings by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling. The lone qualifier for coach Nathan Arendt’s Pretzels as well as the only medalist that her school has had, Diduch advanced to the IHSA title mat for the third time with a 13-2 major decision over Glenwood’s Jenna Tuxhorn in the semifinals. Diduch, who went 62-3 during her three-year run of success in the IHSA state series and was a perfect 40-0 during her final two seasons, recorded falls in her first two matches, winning in 1:58 over Collinsville’s Leann Cory in her opener and then claiming a victory in the quarterfinals with a pin in 1:11 over Mother McAuley’s Maggie Zuber. She tied for third in most team points with 28 along with Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney (130) and Boylan Catholic’s Netavia Wickson (140), which was one less point less than the two leaders in that category, Lockport Township’s Morgan Turner (110) and Moline’s Maryam Ndiaye (115) finished with. Diduch will continue her education and career at the University of Iowa.

“It’s pretty exciting for my school, I’ll be the first girl to win a state title of some sort all through my years of high school,” Diduch said. “Even when I was little, I’d go to tournaments and I would see a girl every once in a while. And now I go to tournaments and they’re just girls tournaments. So it’s really exciting seeing how it’s growing and the numbers keep on going up. And you also have more colleges that are getting the sport, so it’s growing everywhere. Now I’m hoping that those girls that come up behind me that they can win the IHSA four years in a row and there’s more records that they can be breaking, so that’s pretty exciting.”

Cumberland sophomore Natalie Beaumont (19-3) made history by becoming the first medalist for her school, which is located in Toledo, in Cumberland County. She was one of two qualifiers for coach Ash Edmonds’ Lady Pirates. She earned her spot in the Grand March after capturing a 5-4 decision over Bolingbrook’s Katie Ramirez-Quintero in the semifinals. Beaumont followed a fall in 5:59 over Minooka’s Eva Beck in her opener with a pin in 2:55 over Thornton Fractional South’s Jermia Moore in the quarterfinals. 

For third-place, Bolingbrook senior Katie Ramirez-Quintero (34-4) captured an 8-1 decision over Glenwood sophomore Jenna Tuxhorn (23-4). Ramirez-Quintero, the lone qualifier and first and only all-stater for her school, claimed her second medal, adding to a sixth-place effort at 130 in the 2022 Finals. Tuxhorn joined the 2022 IHSA champion at 115, Maya Davis, as just the second medal winner for the school in Chatham that’s coached by Jerod Bruner, whose Titans boys won their first state trophy when they took third place in Class 2A at the IHSA Dual Team Finals, which also took place at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. And in the fifth place match, Olympia senior Jordan Bicknell (16-4) prevailed 15-11 over Elmwood Park senior Rose Craig (19-6) in a clash between individuals who were their school’s first state medal winners. Falling one win shy of a medal were Sherrard junior Nadia Anderson (14-8) and Phoenix Military Academy junior Ariel Foreman (17-6).

140 – Netavia Wickson, Boylan Catholic

In future years when people ask what region of the state and the conference that had the most significant impact in the early years of girls wrestling, seasoned observers will be able to reflect back and say emphatically that the Rockford-area and NIC-10 Conference were the clear leaders after producing two of the first four three-time IHSA champions in Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi and Freeport’s Cadence Diduch, as well as one of the initial three-time IHSA finalists who also won two-straight titles after placing second, Boylan Catholic senior Netavia Wickson, who completed her stellar career in impressive style by winning a 19-5 major decision over Schaumburg’s Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic in the 140 championship. Wickson (23-2), who competed primarily against boys throughout her four seasons, went 19-5 and took first place at 135 in 2023 with a 9-1 major decision over Canton’s Kinnley Smith, and was the runner-up at 135 to one of the six initial IHSA two-time champions, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Attalia Watson-Castro, in the inaugural 2022 Finals to cap a 14-12 season. In addition, she also took second at 120 in the 2021 IWCOA Finals to Glenwood’s Maya Davis, who won the IHSA 115 title in 2022. She was sixth at 140 in the February national rankings by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling. Wickson, the lone qualifier and the only all-stater for the Rockford school that’s coached by her father, Dathan, opened her quest for her second championship with a fall in 4:35 over Urbana’s Rickasia Ivy and then got a pin in 0:50 over Richmond-Burton’s Jasmine McCaskel in the quarterfinals. She assured herself of a fourth trip overall and third-straight appearance on the IHSA title mat with a 10-0 major decision over Richwoods’ Kaila Williams. Wickson tied for Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney (130) and Freeport’s Cadence Diduch (135) for the third-most team points with 28, which was one point behind Lockport Township’s Morgan Turner (110) and Moline’s Maryam Ndiaye (115). 

“I’m grateful to be here,” Wickson said. “I put in a lot of work in the offseason and after practice, just putting the extra hours in to be where I’m at right now. It feels amazing. I remember taking second my freshman and sophomore years and I knew that I didn’t want to be in that place ever again. So I just made sure that I was working so hard these past two years to not be there again and show off what I’m really capable of and how powerful I am on the mat. I’m really blessed to be able to be the person to help and show other people at my school  that you can do things that you never thought that you could do and just go over and above to be excellent and to be powerful and to be different and to show people who you really are. I’ve been the only girl wrestler these four years (at Boylan), so being able to be that person to do this feels amazing.”

Schaumburg junior Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (37-3), one of three qualifiers and two medal winners for coach Matt Gruszka’s Saxons, who tied for fourth with Hoffman Estates with 43 points, 3.5 points behind final trophy winner Batavia, took fifth last season at 125. She earned her first trip to the state title mat after rallying for a 12-11 win in the semifinals over McHenry’s Natalie Corona. Zerafa-Lazarevic opened with a fall in 3:22 over Oak Forest’s Iyobosa Odiase and then got a pin in 5:02 over Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Taylor Owens in the quarterfinals. “I think Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic had a really good tournament,” Schaumburg coach Matt Gruszka said. “To be down 9-1 in the semis and come back and win 12-11 proves she is never really out of a match. We knew Netavia Wickson would be a tough one in the finals and we were right.” 

In the third-place match, Richwoods senior Kaila Williams (27-2) won a 7-2 decision over Richmond-Burton senior Jasmine McCaskel (23-5). Williams, one of three qualifiers and two medalists for coach Rob Penney’s Lady Knights, won her first state medal and joined four others who’ve placed at state while McCaskel, the lone qualifier for her school, was also its first all-stater last season when she took fourth place at 140. For fifth place, McHenry sophomore Natalie Corona (24-5) won by fall in 0:38 over Galesburg junior Annalisa Gibbons (22-7). Corona, the lone qualifier for McHenry, became her school’s second medal winner while Gibbons made history for coach Greg Leibach’s Silver Streaks, who had their first two all-staters, with senior Hannah Almendarez (23-5) placing fifth at 100. Falling one win shy of medals at 140 were New Trier junior Jillian Giller (33-6) and Saint Ignatius College Prep freshman GG Garduno (25-4).

145 – Sydney Perry, Batavia

It’s going to take quite a performance to top the one that was turned in by Sydney Perry as she concluded her historic career at Batavia. The third of four individuals who became the first three-time IHSA champions won three of her four matches by technical fall and captured a major decision in the other, wrapping up her title at 145 with a win by technical fall in 5:00 over Goreville’s Alivia Ming. In addition, she joined Freeport’s Cadence Diduch as a four-time state champion since they both captured IWCOA titles in 2021. The title victory over Ming capped a perfect 41-0 senior season for Perry, who went 34-0 last season and defeated El Paso-Gridley’s Valerie Hamilton 7-4 in a memorable 145 title match and also was the first IHSA champion in 2022 when she won by fall in 5:20 over West Aurora’s Dyani Rivera to conclude a 21-0 season. She went 96-0 during the past three seasons and joins Glenbard North’s Gabby Gomez, who went 83-0 during the past three seasons, as the only undefeated three-time champions. In 2001 as a freshman, she took first in the IWCOA Finals at 132 after winning by fall in 3:03 over Yorkville’s Natasha Markoutsis. During her three-year title run in the IHSA Finals, she had six wins by technical fall, three pins, one major decision, one win by medical forfeit and the decision over Hamilton a year ago. She was third at 145 in the February national rankings by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling. Perry earned her spot in her fourth title match and third in the IHSA Finals as she just missed out on another win by technical fall when she captured a 19-6 major decision over Phoenix Military Academy’s AJ Grant. She opened with a win by technical fall in 4:42 over Stevenson’s Sajra Sulejmani (11-8) and then got a win by technical fall in 3:45 over Macomb’s Kelly Ladd in the quarterfinals. With her and Lily Enos (third at 100), supplying all of their scoring, coach Scott Bayer’s Bulldogs became the first team to receive a third-place trophy after finishing with 46.5 points, which was 3.5 points ahead of fourth-place finishers Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg. Lakes Community was the first IHSA team champion with 61 points while Lockport Township was the initial runner-up after collecting 58 points. Perry was the only individual in the tournament who had three wins by technical falls while 105 champion Angelina Gochis and 110 title winner Morgan Turner both recorded two tech falls. Only six others were able to win once by technical fall. Not surprisingly, she had 91 total match points which was 28 more than Turner, who ranked second in that category. The 91 match points beat the old record of 78 points, set by Gomez last season.

“It was a great experience to be a part of,” Perry said. “It was cool being able to win it all four years. These are my people and I’ve had a lot of important relationships. It’s really great after going up and wrestling guys at IKWF tournaments and now being here where I see a whole gym full of girls. The numbers are going up every year, especially in Fargo, and that’s nice to see. It’s important for the sport and it’s important for girls in general. With Morgan coming here and Cadence, who committed to Iowa, she’s here. It’s making the sport more serious and it brings a lot more recognition for the girls. I still get the same amount of joy (of winning a title), but it’s not for the same reason. My first reason was mainly just to win it and be noticed. And now it’s kind of turned into for the sport and to make myself known and just having people that are looking up to me. I think it’s cool since I was the first girl to win state a few years ago when it first became sanctioned, so I’m already kind of part of history, so now it’s just trying to make more of a name for myself. It just means a lot to me to be a part of the sport and to be a part of the history-making and trailblazing.”

Goreville senior Alivia Ming (37-1) suffered her first loss in the 145 title match as she fell to Perry in a meeting of two unbeaten competitors, which was the only championship match where both competitors entered with perfect records. Ming also took second place last year at 140 when she lost to Edwardsville’s Mackenzie Pratt on the title mat. A three-time medal winner for coach Bart Pulliam’s Blackcats, Ming was her school’s first of two all-staters when she finished fourth at 135 in 2022. She advanced to the 145 title match after claiming a 5-0 decision over Canton’s Katelyn Marvel in the semifinals. Ming opened with a fall in 1:58 over Rochelle’s Dempsey Atkinson and then recorded a pin in 3:44 over Harvard’s Ithandehui Rosas in the quarterfinals. 

In the third-place match, Phoenix Military Academy sophomore AJ Grant (29-2) won by fall in 1:47 over Canton junior Katelyn Marvel (27-6). Grant was the first all-stater for her program. Marvel won her first medal and joined junior Kinnley Smith, who took second at 125 to Vandalia’s Sophie Bowers to finish as a runner-up for the second-straight year, to help coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants have two all-staters for the first time. For fifth place, Rochelle junior Dempsey Atkinson (21-7) won with a fall in 1:10 over Zion-Benton junior Naomi Foote (39-11). Atkinson became the first state medalist for the Lady Hubs while Foote joined 190 champion ILeen Castrejon as all-staters for coach Hal Lunsford’s Zee-Bees, the second time in three years that Zion-Benton has had two state medalists. Falling one win shy of medals were Stevenson senior Sajra Sulejmani (11-8) and Rock Island senior Sanaa Hampton (13-4). Sulejmani, who was fourth last year at 145 and fifth at 145 in 2022 to become her school’s lone all-stater, was looking to cap her career with a fourth medal, since she took fifth at 145 at the IWCOA in 2021. Hampton hoped to become her school’s second all-stater.

155 – Maryam Ndiaye, Moline

After dropping a 3-1 decision to Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker last season in the 155 title match at the IHSA Individual Finals to conclude a successful 19-5 junior season, Maryam Ndiaye was on a mission to cap her career at Moline by becoming a state champion and that’s just what the senior did. She certainly turned in an impressive finish, recording three falls and then winning a major decision in the finals. Ndiaye (31-0) completed a perfect season with a 14-5 major decision over Richwoods’ Jaida Johnson in the 155 title match. The lone qualifier for coach Jacob Ruettiger’s Maroons, she has set a high standard for athletes from the Quad Cities schools by becoming the first title winner, two-time finalist and two-time medalist from those communities. She recorded three falls to reach the title mat for the second time, getting a pin in 2:54 over Clifton Central’s Payton Temple in the semifinals. Ndiaye opened with a fall in 0:48 over New Trier’s Nina Aceves and got a pin in 3:09 over Alton Senior’s Elanna Hickman in the quarterfinals. Ndiaye tied the 110 champion, Lockport Township’s Morgan Turner, for the most team points with 29, which was one more than Freeport’s Cadence Diduch (135), Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney (130) and Boylan Catholic’s Netavia Wickson (140) collected.

“It feels real good because I’ve worked very hard for this moment,” Ndiaye said. “I’m very proud of myself and I’m proud of everyone that has coached and supported me. And I’m very happy to represent Moline. Ever since I lost that match last year, I was like I’m going to do whatever I can to get number one because I didn’t want that to happen again. I’m very happy with how this sport is growing. And I’m happy that it grew because it gives me a chance to show my stuff and a lot of other girls chances to show what they can do also.”

Richwoods, which had three qualifiers and two medal winners, has been one of the state’s top programs for some time under coach Rob Penney and senior Jaida Johnson now has the distinction of being its first two-time all-stater as well as a two-time finalist among its five individuals who have placed at the IHSA Finals, and the program’s first three-time medalist thanks to her third-place finish at 170 at the IWCOA Finals in 2021. She lost 10-8 to Unity’s Lexi Ritchie in the 155 title match at the first IHSA Finals to cap a 17-4 sophomore season. A year ago, she broke her arm but still qualified for state but lost in the quarterfinals to conclude a 26-4 season, suffering three of those losses in the sectional and at state. “Being a four-time state qualifier and three-time placer is not an easy thing to accomplish,” Richwoods coach Rob Penney said. “The unfortunate thing is that Jaida was 26-0 last season and broke her arm at the Batavia Tournament. Jaida was not ready to stop and she continued conditioning only until she was released by her doctor to compete three days before the sectional, where she took second to advance to state. The broken arm on January 12, just four weeks before sectionals and six weeks before the state tournament, had created a cautious and guarded wrestler. She wasn’t the same, unfortunately, but did make it to the blood round at the state tournament before her junior season ended.  
“As Jaida said in a news interview, ‘Last year was a minor setback before a major comeback.’  Jaida is an example of a true warrior with the never-stop attitude and the internal motivation to push herself to be the best she can be. Finishing her senior year as a runner-up for the second time in her four-year high school career doesn’t sit well with Jaida. She plans to learn from her losses, take those experiences to the next level and continue wrestling in college where I know she will continue to thrill the crowds and her future coaches. Thank you, Jaida, it’s been a wonderful experience and I wish you great success.”

In the third-place match, Alton Senior senior Elanna Hickman (33-6) won an 8-2 decision over El Paso-Gridley junior Savannah Hamilton (14-4), who won her third medal in the IHSA Finals. Hickman became the Redbirds’ second all-stater, joining 2022 champion at 140 and two-time placer Antonia Phillips in that company. Hamilton took second at 130 a year ago after losing 9-3 to Homewood-Flossmoor’s two-time champion Attalia Watson-Castro and placed second at 140 in 2022 after dropping a 6-2 decision to Phillips. For fifth place, Schaumburg senior Valeria Rodriguez (40-3) won by fall in 0:14 over Clifton Central freshman Payton Temple (8-7). Rodriguez, who was one of three qualifiers and two medalists for the fourth-place Saxons, capped an historic career by becoming her school’s first three-time IHSA medalist, taking third place at 140 a year ago and also third at 155 in 2022. She also won a medal as a freshman in the IWCOA Finals when she finished sixth at 160. Temple and senior Karmen Cody (sixth at 190) were the lone qualifiers for coach Travis Williams’ Lady Comets and they became their program’s first IHSA medalists. Coming up one victory shy of all-state honors were Plainfield South junior Teagan Aurich (26-7) and Hinsdale South sophomore Callie Carr (27-5).

“Valeria Rodriguez became a three-time state placer by placing fifth at 155, which was short of her goal, but overall, she has left a mark on girls wrestling in Illinois,” Schaumburg coach Matt Gruszka said.

170 – Kiernan Farmer, Peotone

After taking sixth place last season at 155 to become Peotone’s first IHSA medalist, Kiernan Farmer decided that she needed to work much harder if she hoped to challenge for a state title in her senior season. If that meant travelling long distances in order to improve, then that’s what she was going to have to do. And that strategy paid off in a big way as she defeated last year’s IHSA champion at 155, Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker, by capturing a 9-6 decision in the 170 title match. It was her second win in the postseason over Tucker, who was unbeaten heading into the Geneseo Sectional, where Farmer (21-1) won a 9-0 major decision over the Plainfield 

Central junior in the title match. Two weeks before that in the finals of the Minooka Regional, Tucker (36-2) won an 11-5 decision over Farmer. The pair also met up last year at the IHSA Finals with Tucker getting a fall in 5:42 over Farmer in the semifinals. The lone qualifier for coach Josh Kreske’s Blue Devils, as well as her school’s first and only state medal winner, Farmer was 29th at 170 in the February national rankings by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. USA Wrestling and FloWrestling. She advanced to the championship match with an 8-4 decision in the semifinals over Peoria Notre Dame’s Autumne Williams. She opened up her run with a win by technical fall over District 230’s (Andrew/Carl Sandburg/Stagg) Janae Vargas (28-11) and then won a 5-0 decision over Auburn’s Heaven Workman (15-8) in the quarterfinals.

“There’s been a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of travelling,” Farmer said. “I’d go from my high school practice all the way to a practice an hour and a half away at The Compound. I’d get home around 10 or 11 o’clock at night and when I’d wake up, I’d just be so sore. Literally, diet, gym and two practices a day can make this all happen for anybody. Even if I didn’t win a state championship, I loved showing up and competing for everything that I got last year. But this year obviously I made a lot of improvement, so I’m happy about that.”

Plainfield Central junior Alicia Tucker, who went 34-2 last season and won a 3-1 decision over Moline’s Maryan Mdiaye in the 155 title match to become not only her school’s initial medalist but also their first state champion. The lone qualifier for coach Terry Kubski’s Wildcats, she opened with a 13-1 major decision over Proviso East’s Haley Arechiga and then Tucker got a fall in 1:58 over Thornton Township’s Keyhanna Phillips in the quarterfinals and captured a 7-4 decision over Highland’s August Rottmann, the 170 defending champion, in the semifinals. 

“Alicia Tucker finished her junior campaign with a record of 36-2 bumping up to 170 pounds from 155 pounds the previous year,” Plainfield Central coach Terry Kubski said. “Of her 36 wins, 30 of those were bonus wins and 29 via pins.  Alicia’s two losses came in the sectional and state finals to Farmer, who Alicia defeated in the regionals finals. Alicia had a good season capped with a good state tournament. In the semis, Alicia was paired up with the 170 pound returning state champion (Highland’s August Rottmann) in a marquee matchup in which Alicia won 7-4 setting up the rematch with Farmer, who came out on top in a great finals match, 9-6.”  

In the third-place match, Peoria Notre Dame junior Autumne Williams (23-5) won by fall in 0:22 over Downers Grove North senior Kayleigh Loo (25-2), and both individuals were the first medal winners for their programs. And for fifth place, Burlington Central freshman Ryann Miller (36-5) won by medical forfeit over Highland junior August Rottmann (28-5). Miller became her school’s second medal winner, with Victoria Macias the other, placing in both 2023 and 2022. Rottmann won by fall in 5:10 over Joliet Township’s Nydia Martinez in last year’s 170 title match to cap a 21-1 season after taking third place at 170 as a freshman. Rottmann was 24th at 170 in the February national rankings by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling, but a late-season injury affected her hopes of repeating as a champion and after losing to Tucker 7-4 in the semifinals, she tried to compete again but ultimately had to forfeit due to injury in her final two matches. And falling one victory shy of medals were Thornton Township senior Keyhanna Phillips (14-2) and Maine West junior Lillian Garrett (28-7).

“This year we had a returning state champion in August Rottmann at 170,” Highland coach Nick Bellamy said. “The first day of competition (at state), we got two wins, and were well on our way to another state championship at 170. The next day when we started the semifinal match, she was once again plagued by injury that had occurred right before regionals where she rolled her ankle really bad. When the match started, she was taken down and I could see it right away the pain in her face. Just trying to apply pressure to get out was extremely painful and we ended up finishing that match but losing. We went to the trainer and taped it up and tried to continue in the next match but shortly after the beginning of the match, we had to medically forfeit due to the pain from the injury to our ankle, and medically forfeit the fifth-place match. 

“This was very hard and disappointing for her to succumb to injury because she is a fierce competitor, and there’s no doubt in my mind, if she was healthy, she would have been a two- time state champion at the 170 weight class. Now that state is done, focusing on healing and preparing for offseason tournaments, like Fargo, where she placed fourth last year. This year she was ranked 14th in the nation at 170, Next year, as a senior, August Rottmann will reclaim her state championship title.”

190 – ILeen Castrejon, Zion-Benton

ILeen Castrejon positioned herself well to be a state champion when she took second place to Hononegah’s Rose Cassioppi in the title match at 170 in the first IHSA Finals in 2022. But a year ago, she lost in the semifinals to the eventual runner-up, Joliet Township’s Nydia Martinez, and wound up taking third place. With one last chance to finish on top of the awards stand in Bloomington, the Zion-Benton senior made the most of the opportunity and captured the 190 title after claiming a 2-1 decision over Lakes Community junior Josephine Larson. As a result, Castrejon not only became the Zee-Bees’ first IHSA champion but also is one of the few girls to win an individual title in any sport at the school. One of four qualifiers and two medalists for coach Hal Lunford’s Zee-Bees, she earned her second trip to the title mat in three years when she recorded a fall in 1:04 over Clifton Central’s Karmen Cody in the semifinals. Castrejon opened with a 9-3 decision over Putnam County’s Bailey Herr and then captured a 5-2 decision over Oak Park and River Forest’s Trinity White in the quarterfinals. 

“There’s been a few close matches, and a few not so close, but this one was definitely close,” Castrejon said. “It kind of hurts sometimes coming so close and not being there. It’s kind of cool seeing it grow. In my first year, we only had two girls come down and this year we had four. And a lot of more girls are coming in, so it’s just fun to watch how it grows. And it was definitely more competitive this year.””Wow, what an amazing career for this young woman,” Zion-Benton coach Hal Lunsford said. “She has been working so hard for this huge accomplishment and she did it. I am so proud of her and can’t wait to see what the future holds for her. I will be extremely sad to see her graduate, but forever grateful to be her coach. ILeen will always be a part of the Zee-Bee wrestling family.”

While Lakes Community junior Josephine Larson (32-8) just missed out on becoming the first champion for her school, she was thrilled afterward since he had helped the Eagles to become the first IHSA team champions in the competition. Lakes Community scored 61 points, which was three more than runner-up Lockport Township had with 58 points. She was one of three medalists and five qualifiers who helped coach Devin Tortorice’s Eagles to become the first team from the Lake Villa school to win a state championship. Larson, who took fifth at 190 last season, joined teammates Ava Babbs (third at 125) and Olivia Heft (fifth at 120) as two-time medalists and is the second Eagle to reach the title match, something that Heft did in 2022 when she lost to Glenwood’s Maya Davis in the 115 IHSA Finals. Larson won by fall in 1:56 over West Chicago’s Jayden Huesca-Rodriguez in the semifinals. She opened with a pin in 4:26 over Morris’ Morgan Congo and followed that with a 6-3 decision over Wheeling’s Jasmine Rene.

“I didn’t even think that we could do that,” said Larson of her team winning the team title. “It’s just amazing. Our coaching staff is phenomenal and coach Devin Tortorice and coach (Mark) Stave are both really good. The coaching staff is very supportive and very understanding. They know what certain people need and what our styles are. And then we just have amazing talent. It’s just amazing and I’m so happy. I’m so happy that it’s growing so much. My coach said that this is the first-ever team state champion that Lakes has had.” 

In the third-place match, Wheeling sophomore Jasmine Rene (38-2) won 7-6 in a tiebreaker over District 230 (Andrew/Carl Sandburg/Stagg) junior Emma Akpan (34-8). Rene was her program’s first medalist last season when she took fourth at 190, while Akpan, who was sixth at 235 in 2023, became her district co-op program’s first two-time all-stater. Rene was 28th at 190 in the February national rankings by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling. For fifth, West Chicago senior Jayden Huesca-Rodriguez (21-6) won by fall in 0:29 over Clifton Central senior Karmen Cody (15-5). Huesca-Rodriguez, who beat J. Sterling Morton’s Diana Rodriguez by technical fall to win the IHSA title at 190 in 2022 and took second to Homewood-Flossmoor’s Ini Odumosu at 190 last season, is a three-time medalist and the only one from her school to reach the awards stand. Cody joins teammate freshman Payton Temple, who finished sixth at 155, as the first medalists for Clifton Central.
“I had a wrestler in Karmen Cody who went from just clinging to the team she enjoyed being a part of as a freshman with no IHSA-sponsored event to becoming a sectional champion and state place winner,” Clifton Central coach Travis Williams said. “

Her journey is countered by our freshman Payton Temple, who is driven to be a four-time place winner and eventual state champion.” 

235 – Chloe Hoselton, Prairie Central

Trying to follow in her brothers’ footsteps prompted Chloe Hoselton to compete in the IHSA series as a junior and her hopes to do what her two brothers accomplished, being an IHSA champions for Prairie Central, were rewarded after she opened with two decisive victories before pulling off two suspenseful wins to capture the 235 title with a 2-1 win by ultimate tiebreaker over Unity’s Phoenix Molina. Her brothers Brandon and Drew both won IHSA 1A titles in 2018 and Brandon also was a champion in 2019 and a three-time finalist while Drew was a two-time finalist. Hoselton captured another dramatic win in the semifinals, when she won a 3-1 decision over Curie Metropolitan’s Aaliyah Grandberry, who was the 235 runner-up in both 2023 and 2022 to Belleville East’s Kiara Ganey, and it was the first loss of the season for the senior who ended up placing third. The lone qualifier for coach Scott Ziller’s Hawks became her school’s first medalist and champion, Hoselton opened with a 13-0 major decision over Lockport Township’s Rebekah Ramirez and then won by fall in 0:42 over Robinson’s Rylee Hammond.

“It’s unreal to finally be here and to finally have this moment,” Hoselton said. “It was a long season with a lot of practices and a lot of conditioning. I just really wanted it and I’m so happy to be the one to have it. I knew that I could do it, and I’m so glad that I got to push through it. She’s a tough opponent and we’re going to have those tough matches all of the time. Everyone can (win a title), you just have to put in the work, have the heart, and believe in yourself and just know that you can do it. If you can, go to a practice, go try it and have fun. It’s not all supposed to be serious, you can bond with every single person on your team, and that’s what I’ve done and I’m happy to have them by my side. My parents and my family (supported me). My brothers, Drew and Brandon were state champs, so I had to live up to that moment and my cousin Andy was a state champ. They knew I could do it, they’ve been practicing with me and they pushed me. I was glad to have them here to support me. I’m happy to be the first girl in the family to win a championship.”

Unity sophomore Phoenix Molina (28-6) was her school’s second medalist, with the other being Lexie Ritchie, the  2022 champion and 2023 fourth-place finisher at 155. She used three-straight close decisions to reach the title mat. She won 2-1 by sudden victory over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jocelyn Williams in her opener, edged Ottawa Township’s Juliana Thrush 4-2 in the quarterfinals and won 3-2 over Oak Park and River Forest’s Sarah Epshtein in the semifinals to reach the title mat. A year ago, Molina went 17-5 after losing in the quarterfinals to Grandberry. 

For third place, Curie Metropolitan senior Aaliyah Grandberry (24-1) won by fall in 1:41 over Oak Park and River Forest senior Sarah Epshtein (27-5) in a matchup of three-time medalists. Grandberry, the first athlete from a Chicago Public School to be a three-time all-stater, took second place at 235 in 2023 and 2022, both times to Belleville East’s Kiara Ganey, who handed her the only loss of each season. Grandberry was ninth at 235 in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling February national rankings. Epshtein, who took fourth last year and fifth in 2022 at 235 became the first three-time all-stater for the Huskies. 
“Aaliyah Grandberry’s determination and talent have led her to become a two-time finalist and three-time medalist, making history for our school and the CPS district.” Curie coach Yahya Muhammad said. “Starting as a team manager during the COVID year, Aaliyah’s journey from support role to star wrestler is truly inspiring. Despite challenges, she persevered and achieved remarkable results, finishing second in 2022 and 2023 and third in 2024. 

Through her resilience, talent, and unwavering dedication, Aaliyah Grandberry had not only made a name for herself in the world of wrestling but had also paved the way for future generations of athletes in her school and community. Her story was one of triumph, perseverance and the power of believing in oneself against all odds.”

And for fifth place, Hoffman Estates junior Anjali Gonzalez (32-7) got a pin in 3:34 over Ottawa Township sophomore Juliana Thrush (30-6) as both became all-staters for the first time. Falling one win shy of a state medal were Homewood-Flossmoor senior Jocelyn Williams (20-5) and Minooka senior Peyton Kueltzo (34-13). Williams took fourth at 235 in the first IHSA Finals, making her H-F’s third two-time IHSA all-stater, with 2023 and 2022 champion Attalia Watson-Castro and 2023 title winner Ini Odumosu the others.

“Anjali Gonzalez was the 235 fifth-place medalist,” Hoffman Estates coach Leo Clark said. “She is a dangerous wrestler and we saw it downstate. You don’t want to see her on your side of the bracket. She is incredibly strong and it showed. When she gets on top the match is over. She is a two-time qualifier and was upset with how her season ended last year. She is excited for the postseason and trying to qualify for Fargo.” 

100 – Alycia Perez, Glenbard West

After falling in the consolation semifinals at the sectional in both 2023 and 2022, Alycia Perez was determined to not fall short of a trip to state in her third attempt as she concluded her career at Glenbard West. Not only did the Hilltoppers senior assure herself of a first appearance in the IHSA Individual Finals, there was no drama this time as she concluded an unbeaten regular season with Shepard Regional and Schaumburg Sectional championships and carried that momentum to four more wins in her state debut, capping a 35-0 season with the title at 100 after edging West Aurora’s Kameyah Young 1-0 in the title match. As a result, she became Glenbard West’s first champion and its second medalist, with Khatija Ahmed taking sixth at 130 last season. Perez earned her spot on the 100 title mat with a fall in 5:03 over Montini Catholic’s Kat Bell. Perez, one of two qualifiers and the lone medalist for the Hilltoppers, opened with a win by technical fall over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Justice Milligan before capturing a 7-0 decision over Rickover Naval Academy’s Mia Vazquez in the quarterfinals.

“It was a really hard loss for me last year,” Perez said. “I lost in the blood round at the sectional. So I just went back to the room and I trained as hard as I could. Every day I’d go back and just train and try to get better and work on things and rewatch my videos and just learn from my mistakes so I could get here. I could have been sad about it and not come back this year. But I just had to take that and use it as motivation to get to where I am. I’m definitely going to continue to wrestle.”

West Aurora junior Kameyah Young (32-4), who took fourth place last season at 100 while competing for East Aurora, was hoping to become the first state champion for her new school. Instead she ties Dyani Rivera, who took second place to Batavia’s Sydney Perry at 145 in 2022, for the best finish among the four all-staters that the program has had. Young advanced to the title mat after capturing a 4-2 decision over Batavia’s Lily Enos. She opened with a fall in 2:20 over Roxana’s Madelyn Murphy and won a 15-2 major decision over Newman Central Catholic’s Blair Grennan in the quarterfinals. 

In the third-place match, Batavia sophomore Lily Enos (42-11) won by fall in 3:24 over Newman Central Catholic freshman Blair Grennan (17-3). Enos improved on a fifth-place finish at 100 a year ago to become a two-time all-stater while Grennan is the first medalist for her school. And for fifth place, Galesburg senior Hannah Almendarez (23-5) won by injury forfeit over Montini Catholic junior Kat Bell (25-9), who also became the first all-stater for the Broncos after falling one win shy of medals at 100 in both 2023 and 2022. Almendarez joined Annalisa Gibbons (sixth at 140) as the first medalists for coach Greg Leibach’s Silver Streaks. Falling one win short of winning a state medal were Rickover Naval Academy junior Mia Vazquez (33-6) and Glenwood freshman Kadi Wilbern (23-2).

“The State Tournament atmosphere is electric because it is where season-long goals are made reality,” Greg Leibach said. “The third round wrestlebacks (blood round) were exciting matches for us, knowing that the podium was just beyond. I am proud of Hannah and Annalisa for their composure and clarity that allowed them to execute in that pressure moment. These are the first girls medals for the Galesburg program, so there is a sense of history to the moment. For Hannah, it is an awesome way to cap her high school career. For Annalisa, it is evidence of her constant progression and should give her deserved confidence for her senior season.”

105 – Angelina Gochis, Kaneland

On a day where 22 of the 28 IHSA finalists were juniors or seniors, having a title matchup between a freshman and a sophomore didn’t appear to be too likely, but that certainly wasn’t the way that freshman Angelina Gochis and sophomore Janiah Slaughter viewed their paths through in the 105 weight class. Kaneland’s Gochis and Huntley’s Slaughter met in the lone title match where an underclassman was assured of being the champion, and even the the Red Raiders sophomore might have looked to be the favorite after placing third at 100 last season, it was Knights freshman Gochis who made the day for all of the first-year performers in the competition when she won an 8-2 decision that not only made her the lone freshman state champion but also the first title winner for the Maple Park school and its second medalist, following up on Brooklyn Sheaffer’s sixth-place finish at 120 last season. One of two qualifiers for coach Josh West’s Knights, with Sheaffer the other, Gochis (47-5) earned her spot on the title mat with a 9-3 decision over Glenbard East’s Nadiia Shymkiv in the semifinals. The freshman champion kicked off her title run with a win by technical fall over Romeoville’s Josefina Orozco and followed with another win by technical fall over Pekin’s Tessa Donaldson in the quarterfinals. She tied Lockport Township’s Morgan Turner for second for wins by technical fall with two while Batavia’s Sydney Perry led all competitors with three wins by technical fall. Gochis also collected the most victories of any of the champions with 47.

“It was crazy, I was just so happy,” Gochis said. “I feel really good doing this for all of my friends, family and all of my coaches. I was thinking that I was going to do pretty good, knowing all of the hard work that I’ve put into it. I was just trying to keep moving, go to my offense and do what I do. I Iike the hard work, to keep going and doing what you need to do. We’ve been doing good, there’s a lot of good coaching and my teammates work hard.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of Angelina and what she accomplished during her freshman year,” Kaneland coach Josh West said. “She works hard, moves well and is always open to criticism and feedback.  She is extremely coachable and makes others better in our room. But what’s best about Angelina, is how she carries herself off the mat.  She is funny, kind and humble.  She doesn’t boast and is always cheering on other girls in the sport. It has been an honor being a part of her journey this year.”

Huntley sophomore Janiah Slaughter (29-3) was joined by teammate Aubrie Rohrbacher (45-5), who took third at 130, as all-staters for coach Gannon Kosowski’s Red Raiders, who only had Slaughter’s third-place at 100 from a year ago before adding two to its total over the weekend. Slaughter became the first girl from her school to reach the title mat when she won a 7-2 decision over Anna-Jonesboro’s Zoee Sadler in the semifinals. She opened with a 4-2 decision over Lincoln-Way West’s Zoe Dempsey and then won a 22-12 major decision over Lakes Community’s Zaryia Mouzon in the quarterfinals. 

In the third-place match, Glenbard East sophomore Nadiia Shymkiv (22-1) bounced back from her lone loss to Gochis to record a fall in 3:14 over Anna-Jonesboro junior Zoee Sadler (39-12). Shymkiv placed fourth at 105 last season while competing for Glenbard North while Sadler became her school’s first medalist last season after finishing second to Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller at 105. For fifth place, Lincoln-Way West sophomore Zoe Dempsey (20-7) captured an 8-6 decision over DeKalb sophomore Alex Gregorio-Perez (33-9). Dempsey became the first all-stater for coach Brian Glynn’s Warriors while Gregorio-Perez joined junior Reese Zimmer (sixth at 115) as the first medal winners for coach Conor Infelise’s Barbs. 

Coming up one win shy of medals were East Peoria senior Bailey Lusch (16-6) and Lakes Community senior Zaryia Mouzon (35-6). Lusch, who placed sixth at 105 last year and fifth at 105 in 2022, was hoping to become a three-time medalist. While Mouzon missed joining teammates and two-time medalists Josephine Larson (second at 190), Ava Babbs (third at 125) and Olivia Heft (fifth at 120) as all-staters for coach Devin Tortorice’s program, she can take plenty of consolation that her efforts helped the Eagles become the first IHSA champion in the sport and for her school in any sport after Lakes Community scored 61 points to edge out Lockport Township (58) for the state championship while Batavia (46.5) claimed third place.

110 – Morgan Turner, Lockport Township

A year ago, Morgan Turner made history by becoming the first girl to place at the IHSA Boys Individual Finals when she capped her freshman season by finishing in third place at 106 in Class 2A to finish with a 35-3 record while competing for Bremen. One year later, sophomore Turner, who was ranked third pound-for-pound and first nationally at 105 in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling February national rankings, made more history by not only winning her first state championship at 110 by recording a fall in 2:40 over Joliet Township’s Eliana Paramo in her debut in the girls tournament but also helping Lockport Township to win one of the first trophies that were handed out in the sport to the top-three scoring teams at its third Individual Finals. Coach Nathaniel Roth’s Porters scored 58 points, which was three points behind champion Lakes Community, who had 61 points, while Batavia took third place with 46.5 points. Lockport Township was the only team in the field that had two champions as another talented sophomore, Claudia Heeney (21-1), advanced to the title mat for the second year in a row and claimed the 130 title with a 4-2 decision over Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson. It was a special day for the Porters wrestling program as two of its graduates, Roth and Yorkville’s Jake Oster, both led teams to second-place finishes, with Oster’s Foxes taking second place in Class 3A to Mount Carmel. 

Turner (11-0), who competed with the Porters boys team during the regular season, advanced to her first title match with a win by technical fall over Sandwich’s Ashlyn Strenz. She opened her title run with a fall in 2:24 over Lakes Community’s Haven Sylves and then claimed another win by technical fall, this time over Morris’ Ella McDonnell. Turner and the 105 champion, Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis, both won two matches by technical fall while Batavia’s three-time IHSA champion, Sydney Perry, who took first at 145, capped her historic career with three wins by technical fall. Turner tied Moline’s Maryam Ndiaye, the champion at 155, with the most team points with 29 while Heeney tied Freeport’s Cadence Diduch (135), a three-time IHSA champion, and Boylan Catholic’s Netavia Wickson (140), a three-time IHSA finalist and two-time champion, with 28 team points. Turner also ranked second in total match points with 63 while Perry set a new record with 91 total points. Junior Averi Colella (40-13 at 105) and freshman Rebekah Ramirez (36-14 at 235) were the other two qualifiers for the IHSA runner-up Porters.

“It feels good,” Turner said of the state title. “It’s what I came down here to do. My shoulder is still sore, but I am grateful the doctor cleared me to wrestle against girls. Wrestling against boys helped me in this tournament. The boys are stronger. I felt like my first match was a little tough. But I feel like if I run the score up I have a gap just in case. So I try to build up a cushion.”

“Morgan is a very talented wrestler,” Porters coach Nathaniel Roth said. “She demonstrated that and helped us to a state runner-up finish.”

Joliet Township senior Eliana Paramo (37-4) capped an historic career for coach Liz Short’s Steelwomen after claiming second place for the second-straight year for the co-op team featuring athletes from Joliet Central and Joliet West. Paramo lost to Glenbard North’s Gabby Gomez 12-3 in the 115 title match a year ago and Gomez joined Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi, Diduch and Perry as the first three-time IHSA champions when she took top honors at 115, which was the last contested weight class of the finals. A fifth-place finisher at 115 in 2022 while competing for Joliet West, Paramo is one of three JT all-staters and its first three-time medalist. She advanced to the title mat for the second-straight year after recording a fall in 5:11 in the semifinals over Bartlett’s Emma Engels, who was the IHSA 100 champion last season. Paramo opened with a fall in 2:42 over Glenbard West’s Valentina Fantoni and then recorded a pin in 3:20 over Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth in the quarterfinals. 

“I’m just really grateful that I have the opportunity to even compete on this level,” Paramo said. “I just think that’s incredible that I got to do this and to represent Joliet. I think it’s truly incredible that it’s (the IHSA Finals) gotten to this size. I remember that I came downstate in 2022, it was a completely different atmosphere than it was today. It’s so competitive now that the athletes that are competing here, it’s at another level. It’s really amazing and I’m so excited about the future generations for women’s wrestling.”

“Eliana is a three-time state placer and two-time state runner-up and has been an integral part of the success of the Joliet Township Girls wrestling team these past two years” Joliet Township coach Liz Short said. “Eliana has worked extremely hard this summer traveling to offseason tournaments and participating on the Team Illinois National Dual Team in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota. Beyond her individual accomplishments, she has been a tremendous leader and role model for her teammates.  Her work ethic, positive attitude and willingness to support and encourage others have helped foster a culture of excellence within our team.  She has led by example, showing her teammates what it means to be a true competitor and a loyal teammate. It has been an absolute privilege to witness her growth and development as an athlete and individual. She has overcome adversity with grace and determination, never backing down from a challenge and always striving to be the best version of herself.”

In the third-place match, Grant senior Ayane Jasinski (22-4) concluded a memorable career by capturing a 13-7 decision over Litchfield freshman Rilynn Younker (29-11). Jasinski, one of two medalists for Grant in the past three years and its first three-time all-stater, beat Lincoln-Way Central’s Gracie Guarino 2-0 in sudden victory to win the 110 title last season after placing fourth at 100 in 2022 while Younker is the first medalist for the Lady Panthers. For fifth place, Sandwich senior Ashlyn Strenz (18-6) claimed a 4-1 decision over Bartlett junior Emma Engels (32-16). Strenz became Sandwich’s first medal winner a year ago when she took fourth place at 115. Engels, Barlett’s only medalist, was the 100 champion a year ago when she won a 4-0 decision over Oak Forest’s Alexandra Sebek. Falling one win shy of medals were Morris senior Ella McDonnell (33-5) and Crystal Lake South freshman Annalee Aarseth (34-6). McDonnell placed fourth at 110 last season and fourth at 105 in 2022 and is her program’s only all-stater while Aarseth was hoping to become the first individual from her school to win a state medal.”Ayane Jasinski placed third at the IHSA Girls State Tournament to become a three-time all-state wrestler for the Bulldogs,” Grant coach Mark Jolcover said. “She entered the tournament as the returning state champion, but we knew the task was tall to repeat. Ayane dropped a heartbreaking bout in overtime to a returning state place winner. The conversation quickly shifted to getting the ‘next best thing’ which is exactly what she did battling back for third, defeating a returning place winner in the blood round and a returning state champ in the consolation semis to eventually win four-straight matches and finish third. We are incredibly proud of her as a program, and she has been someone who has raised the standard and expectation as far as preparation, investment and dedication. She is a true professional on and off the mat. We will be forever grateful for her impact on our program and community and look forward to watching her at the next level.”
Editor’s note: Many thanks to longtime Chicago area reporter Randy Whalen for comments that he provided which were from Lockport Township’s Morgan Turner and Nathaniel Roth.

115 – Gabby Gomez, Glenbard North

Just as the Individual Finals started with drama with an individual looking to become a three-time champion, in Angelina Cassioppi’s 4-3 decision over Sophia Ball in the 120 title match, the competition ended in a similar fashion when Gabby Gomez looked to follow what Hononegah’s Cassioppi, Freeport’s Cadence Diduch and Batavia’s Sydney Perry achieved by becoming the first three-time IHSA champions, when she met Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller in the 115 championship match. It was the only matchup on the title mat between 2023 state champions and not surprisingly, it was another dramatic match that was decided again with a 4-3 decision as Gomez got a last-minute takedown and then held off determined efforts by Hiller to make a late comeback as the Glenbard North junior capped a 38-0 season. In the February national rankings at 115 by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling, Gomez was fifth and Hiller was 11th. Last year, Gomez won a 12-3 major decision over Joliet Township’s Eliana Paramo for the 115 title to wrap up a 33-0 campaign. And as a freshman in 2022, Gomez captured a 5-3 decision over Lincoln-Way Central’s Gracie Guarino to win the 105 title and conclude a 12-0 season. Through the first three seasons of the sport with an IHSA series, Gomez is one of two individuals with a perfect record, which is 83-0, while Perry is the other. The lone individual for coach Chris Edwards’ Panthers that was able to qualify for state, she earned her spot on the title mat for the third-straight year by winning a 6-1 decision over Guarino, who also took second place last season. Gomez began her run for her third-straight title with a fall in 2:45 over University High’s Allison Kroesch and followed that up with another pin, this one in 2:16 over Springfield High’s Ella Miloncus. As the result of the four two-time champions all winning a third title, they move past the other two individuals who won IHSA titles as juniors and seniors who graduated in 2023, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Attalia Watson-Castro and Belleville East’s Kiara Ganey, who are now joined as two-time champs by Boylan Catholic’s Netavia Wickson, who like the four three-time champions i one of only five individuals who have competed for titles each year. With Diduch, Perry and Wickson closing out their historic careers in Bloomington, Gomez and Cassioppi can now set their sights on becoming the sports’ initial four-time finalists and more importantly, the first-ever four-time IHSA champs.

“It was a pretty crazy match,” Gomez said. “I think every year it’s just going to get better because we’re seeing a lot of different girls competing at different levels. You see these girls that are seniors who are graduating and they’re leaving a legacy that no one will ever touch. A big sign of how the sport is growing is seeing different levels of girls being able to win a state title, that’s a big thing because it’s a confidence boost for them and Illinois girls wrestling. I still have one more year but I’ve seen a lot of my friends graduate this year, and that’s sad. Seeing Sydney go off to college and Cadence, it’s really something special because we all grew up together and we all wrestled each other and went back and forth when we were younger. And seeing us with three state titles and two state titles that Netavia has. We all first started as just normal little girls who wanted to try a sport and it led to us all having state championships together. I think soon enough the girls Illinois wrestling will be one day bigger than the boys, and that’s a goal for us. The boys are doing great this year, but I think the girls set a standard this year that not a lot of people are going to beat so it’s going to take the 2025 class to really step it up. We need to show our talents and show that we’re a force to be reckoned with and when it comes to national tournaments, we’re not going to mess around. 

“I think that they ran a real good tournament this year and it was better than the years before, but next year we need to separate the top teams a little bit. They’re really helping us grow. I think having team trophies is a big thing because it shows that next year that team is going to want to defend their title. It’s not just about where our state tournament is, girls wrestling is still growing so you’re not going to see stands packed. We’re not at the point where we need a bigger place. But I think us having a week on and a week off and a week on and a week off shouldn’t be. We saw at state that a lot of girls didn’t make weight because they had that week off. They would never do that for the guys. I’m having a lot of fun and I really do like high school season, but it is also kind of sad that we can’t wrestle outside of our high school during high school season because some of us girls that are higher-ranked side like Sydney Perry, we also need to be able to get more competition out of the series. Since Midlands is only 25 minutes away from my house, I should be able to go wrestle in it and see where I stand with those college girls. For my Freestyle season, those are the girls that I’m going to be wrestling.”

Loyola Academy junior Harlee Hiller (24-9) came very close to upsetting the party for one of the four two-time champions who were seeking a third-straight title when she took Gabby Gomez down to the wire before dropping a 4-3 decision. Last season, Hiller beat Anna-Jonesboro’s Zoee Sadler 8-1 in the 105 title match to cap a 32-5 season and in 2022, she took third place at 105 behind Gomez and Guarino to wrap up a 22-5 debut campaign. The lone qualifier for coach Matt Collum’s Ramblers and also her program’s only all-stater, she assured herself of a second-straight trip to the title mat with a fall in 2:36 over Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon. Hiller opened with a fall in 1:22 over Mahomet-Seymour’s Kalista Granadino and then got a pin in 5:00 over Burlington Central’s Victoria Macias in the quarterfinals. 

For third place, Lincoln-Way Central senior Gracie Guarino (27-1) bounced back from her only loss of the season to Gomez in the semifinals by winning with a fall in 0:51 over Mt. Zion sophomore Sydney Cannon (24-5). Guarino established a high bar for coach Tyrone Byrd’s Knights by becoming her school’s first all-stater, a two-time finalist and three-time medalist in IHSA competition. And in 2021, she finished in third place at 106 in the IWCOA Tournament. Cannon, who claimed third place at 110 a year ago, is her school’s only medal winner. 

“I knew that my semifinals obviously would be a really hard match,” Guarino said. “I went 115 just to try again. She’s (Gomez) been my teammate in the offseason. I knew that it would be a hard match and that one of us was going to end up third and one of us was going to end up first. I’m happy that I ended my career on a win.”

In the fifth-place match, Burlington Central junior Victoria Macias (36-6) won by fall in 3:30 over DeKalb junior Reese Zimmer (35-13). Macias, her school’s first all-stater, is now a three-time placewinner after also finishing fifth at 110 a year ago and fourth at 110 in 2022. And the good news for coach Jeff Richart’s Rockets is that they added their second medal winner this  season, freshman Ryann Miller, who took fifth place at 170. And coach Conor Infelise’s DeKalb Barbs enjoyed an historic state tournament as they got their first two medal winners as Zimmer claimed sixth place at 115 while sophomore Alex Gregorio-Perez also finished in sixth place at 105. Falling one win shy of a medal at 115 were Wheaton Warrenville South senior Star Duncan (27-9) and District 230 (Andrew/Carl Sandburg/Stagg) junior Sophia Figueroa (28-4). Duncan was hoping to become Wheaton Warrenville South’s first medalist while Figueroa was seeking to become the fourth individual from her school district’s co-op team to medal at state.

Girls Wrestling Honor Roll for 2024 IHSA Individual State Finals

Individual Honors

First Three-Time State Champions

Angelina Cassioppi, Hononegah; Cadence Diduch, Freeport; Gabby Gomez, Glenbard North; Sydney Perry, Batavia

First Three-Time State Finalists

Angelina Cassioppi, Hononegah; Cadence Diduch, Freeport; Gabby Gomez, Glenbard North; Sydney Perry, Batavia; Netavia Wickson, Boylan Catholic

First Three-Time State Medalists

Yamilet Aguirre, Yorkville; Angelina Cassioppi, Hononegah; ILeen Castrejon, Zion-Benton; Taylor Dawson, Collinsville; Cadence Diduch, Freeport; Sarah Epshtein, Oak Park and River Forest; Gabby Gomez, Glenbard North; Aaliyah Grandberry, Curie Metropolitan; Gracie Guarino, Lincoln-Way Central; Savannah Hamilton, El Paso-Gridley; Harlee Hiller, Loyola Academy; Jayden Huesca-Rodriguez, West Chicago; Ayane Jasinski, Grant; Victoria Macias, Burlington Central; Alivia Ming, Goreville; Sydney Perry, Batavia; Eliana Paramo, Joliet Township; Valeria Rodriguez, Schaumburg; August Rottmann, Highland; Netavia Wickson, Boylan Catholic

Team Honors

First State Champion

Lakes Community, coach Devin Tortorice

First Second-Place Finisher

Lockport Township, coach Nathaniel Roth

First Third-Place Finisher

Batavia, coach Scott Bayer

Career Records for Class of 2024 (includes 2021 IWCOA Finals)

Four-time State Champions

Cadence Diduch, Freeport; Sydney Perry, Batavia

Four-time State Finalists

Cadence Diduch, Freeport; Sydney Perry, Batavia; Netavia Wickson, Boylan Catholic

Four-time State Medalists

Cadence Diduch, Freeport; Gracie Guarino, Lincoln-Way Central; Sydney Perry, Batavia; Valeria Rodriguez, Schaumburg; Netavia Wickson, Boylan Catholic

Championship Matches

100 – Alycia Perez (Glenbard West) 35-0, Sr. over Kameyah Young (West Aurora) 32-4, Jr. (Dec 1-0)
105 – Angelina Gochis (Kaneland) 47-5, Fr. over Janiah Slaughter (Huntley) 29-3, So. (Dec 8-2)
110 – Morgan Turner (Lockport Township) 11-0, So. over Eliana Paramo (Joliet Township) 37-4, Sr. (Fall 2:40)
115 – Gabby Gomez (Glenbard North) 38-0, Jr. over Harlee Hiller (Loyola Academy) 24-9, Jr. (Dec 4-3)
120 – Angelina Cassioppi (Hononegah) 17-1, Jr. over Sophia Ball (Hoffman Estates) 27-1, Jr. (Dec 4-3)
125 – Sophie Bowers (Vandalia) 27-7, Jr. over Kinnley Smith (Canton) 27-4, Jr. (Dec 6-0)
130 – Claudia Heeney (Lockport Township) 21-1, So. over Taylor Dawson (Collinsville) 47-1, Jr. (Dec 4-2)
135 – Cadence Diduch (Freeport) 29-0, Sr. over Natalie Beaumont (Cumberland) 19-3, So. (MD 10-1)
140 – Netavia Wickson (Boylan Catholic) 23-2, Sr. over Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (Schaumburg) 37-3, Jr. (MD 19-5)
145 – Sydney Perry (Batavia) 41-0, Sr. over Alivia Ming (Goreville) 37-1, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:00 24-9
155 – Maryam Ndiaye (Moline) 31-0, Sr. over Jaida Johnson (Richwoods) 25-4, Sr. (MD 14-5)
170 – Kiernan Farmer (Peotone) 21-1, Sr. over Alicia Tucker (Plainfield Central) 36-2, Jr. (Dec 9-6)
190 – ILeen Castrejon (Zion-Benton) 25-1, Sr. over Josephine Larson (Lakes Community) 32-8, Jr. (Dec 2-1)
235 – Chloe Hoselton (Prairie Central) 19-3, Jr. over Phoenix Molina (Unity) 28-6, So. (UTB 2-1)

Third-Place Matches
100 – Lily Enos (Batavia) 42-11, So. over Blair Grennan (Newman Central Catholic) 17-3, Fr. (Fall 3:24)
105 – Nadiia Shymkiv (Glenbard East) 22-1, So. over Zoee Sadler (Anna-Jonesboro) 39-12, Jr. (Fall 3:14)
110 – Ayane Jasinski (Grant) 22-4, Sr. over Rilynn Younker (Litchfield) 29-11, Fr. (Dec 13-7)
115 – Gracie Guarino (New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central)) 27-1, Sr. over Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion) 24-5, So. (Fall 0:51)
120 – Norah Swaim (Edwardsville) 21-2, Sr. over Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook North) 33-5, Fr. (Dec 6-5)
125 – Ava Babbs (Lakes Community) 32-1, Sr. over Yamilet Aguirre (Yorkville) 28-3, Sr. (Fall 1:51)
130 – Aubrie Rohrbacher (Huntley) 45-5, So. over Addison Cailteux (Minooka) 27-6, So. (MD 12-0)
135 – Katie Ramirez-Quintero (Bolingbrook) 34-4, Sr. over Jenna Tuxhorn (Glenwood) 23-4, So. (Dec 8-1)
140 – Kaila Williams (Richwoods) 27-2, Sr. over Jasmine McCaskel (Richmond-Burton) 23-5, Sr. (Dec 7-4)
145 – AJ Grant (Phoenix Military Academy) 29-2, So. over Katelyn Marvel (Canton) 27-6, Jr. (Fall 1:47)
155 – Elanna Hickman (Alton) 33-6, Sr. over Savannah Hamilton (El Paso-Gridley) 14-4, Jr. (Dec 8-2)
170 – Autumne Williams (Peoria Notre Dame) 23-5, Jr. over Kayleigh Loo (Downers Grove North) 25-2, Sr. (Fall 0:22)
190 – Jasmine Rene (Wheeling) 38-2, So. over Emma Akpan (District 230) 34-8, Jr. (TB-1 7-6)
235 – Aaliyah Grandberry (Curie Metropolitan) 24-1, Sr. over Sarah Epshtein (Oak Park and River Forest) 27-5, Sr. (Fall 1:41)

Fifth-place Matches
100 – Hannah Almendarez (Galesburg) 23-5, Sr. over Kat Bell (Montini Catholic) 25-9, Jr. (Inj. 0:00)
105 – Zoe Dempsey (Lincoln-Way West) 20-7, So. over Alex Gregorio-Perez (DeKalb) 33-9, So. (Dec 8-6)
110 – Ashlyn Strenz (Sandwich) 18-6, Sr. over Emma Engels (Bartlett) 32-16, Jr. (Dec 4-1)
115 – Victoria Macias (Burlington Central) 36-6, Jr. over Reese Zimmer (DeKalb) 35-13, Jr. (Fall 3:30)
120 – Olivia Heft (Lakes Community) 33-4, Sr. over Alexis Seymour (Jacksonville) 30-6, Jr. (Fall 4:32)
125 – Lilly White (Bartlett) 31-5, So. over Holly Zugmaier (Edwardsville) 34-8, Jr. (M. For.)
130 – Amber Louderback (Camp Point Central) 23-11, So. over Sammie Greisen (Seneca) 31-11, So. (Fall 5:40)
135 – Jordan Bicknell (Olympia) 16-4, Sr. over Rose Craig (Elmwood Park) 19-6, Sr. (Dec 15-11)
140 – Natalie Corona (McHenry) 24-5, So. over Annalisa Gibbons (Galesburg) 22-7, Jr. (Fall 0:38)
145 – Dempsey Atkinson (Rochelle) 21-7, Jr. over Naomi Foote (Zion-Benton) 39-11, Jr. (Fall 1:10)
155 – Valeria Rodriguez (Schaumburg) 40-3, Sr. over Payton Temple (Clifton Central) 8-7, Fr. (Fall 0:14)
170 – Ryann Miller (Burlington Central) 36-5, Fr. over August Rottmann (Highland) 28-5, Jr. (M. For.)
190 – Jayden Huesca-Rodriguez (West Chicago) 21-6, Sr. over Karmen Cody (Clifton Central) 15-5, Sr. (Fall 0:29)
235 – Anjali Gonzalez (Hoffman Estates) 32-7, Jr. over Juliana Thrush (Ottawa Township) 30-6, So. (Fall 3:34)

Final Team Standings

1. Lakes Community 61, 2. Lockport Township 58, 3. Batavia 46.5, 4. Hoffman Estates 43, 4. Schaumburg 43, 6. Huntley 39, 7. Richwoods 38, 8. Burlington Central 34, 9. Canton 33, 9. Zion-Benton 33, 11. Edwardsville 32, 12. Kaneland 31, 13. District 230 (Andrew, Carl Sandburg/Stagg) 30, 14. Galesburg 29, 14. Moline 29, 14. Phoenix Military Academy 29, 17. Boylan Catholic 28, 17. Freeport 28, 19. Glenbard North 26, 20. Glenbard West 25.5, 21. Prairie Central 25, 22. Collinsville 24, 22. Cumberland 24, 22. Goreville 24, 22. Joliet Township 24, 22. Loyola Academy 24, 27. Hononegah 23.5, 27. Peotone 23.5, 27. Vandalia 23.5, 30. DeKalb 23, 31. Clifton Central 22, 31. West Aurora 22, 33. Bartlett 21, 33. Downers Grove North 21, 33. Peoria Notre Dame 21, 33. Plainfield Central 21, 37. Curie Metropolitan 20, 37. El Paso-Gridley 20, 37. Glenwood 20, 37. Lincoln-Way Central 20, 37. Newman Central Catholic 20, 37. Yorkville 20, 43. Bolingbrook 19, 43. Minooka 19, 43. Oak Park and River Forest 19, 46. Glenbrook North 18, 46. Mt. Zion 18, 46. Unity 18, 49. Alton Senior 17, 49. Glenbard East 17, 51. Grant 16, 51. Richmond-Burton 16, 51. Rochelle 16, 51. Wheeling 16, 55. Olympia 15, 55. West Chicago 15, 57. Anna-Jonesboro 14, 57. Lincoln-Way West 14, 59. Camp Point Central 13, 59. Jacksonville 13, 59. Ottawa Township 13.

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

One team was hoping to capture its first IHSA Dual Team championship while the other sought to follow up on its first state title in the sport with another one.

A coaching staff that took over last season looked to show that they were capable of producing a championship team in two years while a veteran staff wanted to add another first-place trophy to its large collection that’s been boosted by seven top-three finishes in the last nine years that tournament has taken place.

And one team wanted to demonstrate that an earlier clash between the two was no fluke while the other side intended to prevail in the showdown that definitely meant the most to both.

That was the story of the Class 1A Dual Team Finals where Marian Central Catholic made its first appearance in an IHSA championship dual meet while defending Class 1A champion Coal City advanced to the first-place dual meet for the fifth time in nine years.

Marian Central Catholic edged Coal City 32-31 on December 30 when the sides met for the title of the 60-team ABE’s Rumble in Springfield. 

That was the only defeat that IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Mark Masters’ Coalers  (38-6) had against a Class 1A opponent during the regular season. Their other four losses before the finals were to Class 2A and 3A teams, all of whom were ranked and three of those teams also were participating in the Dual Team Finals, 2A champion Washington and 2A fourth-place finisher Brother Rice as well as 3A quarterfinalist Joliet Catholic Academy with Downers Grove South, which fell one win shy of a 3A state appearance, its other setback.

The Hurricanes (26-11) entered the finals with a record 11 losses (2019 2A champion Washington had 10 losses), with three to out-of-state teams at The Dan Gable Donnybrook and The Clash. The other eight were against highly-ranked Class 3A and 2A teams, including 2A champion Washington, 3A champion Mount Carmel and 3A third-place finisher St. Charles East. Others were to 3A quarterfinalist Joliet Catholic Academy, Marmion Academy (lost to Mount Carmel in the sectional), Marist (second to Mount Carmel in regional), Lockport Township (second to Joliet Catholic Academy in regional) and IC Catholic Prep (lost to 2A runner-up Montini Catholic in the sectional). Co-coaches Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater hoped that a rugged schedule would pay off for them.

Coal City was extremely young, with just two seniors, co-captain Brant Widlowski as well as Jamie Keigher, and only four juniors, including 165 champion and co-captain Landin Benson. The Coalers had nine sophomores, with 126 runner-up Broady Widlowski being one of them, as well as six freshmen on their roster.

Marian Central Catholic had four seniors, including four-time medalist Anthony Alanis and also Max Astacio, and five juniors, including 120 champion and two-time finalist Brayden Teunissen and two-time runner-up Vance Williams, to go along with six sophomores and four freshmen, with one of those being 157 champion Jimmy Mastny.

While there was plenty of suspense in the ABE’s Rumble dual where both teams won seven matches, the lead changed hands several times and the outcome wasn’t decided until the final match, the state dual meet featured far less drama as Marian Central Catholic won five of the first six matches to grab a 21-3 lead and Coal City got no closer than nine points back until the finale, as the Hurricanes captured a 34-27 victory after winning eight matches.

Blanton, who competed for Richmond-Burton, won Class A titles in 2005 and 2006 and an AA championship in 2008 while suffering his only loss of his career in the AA Finals in 2007 to Montini Catholic’s four-time champ Mike Benefiel. He joins IWCOA Hall of Famer Israel Martinez (West Aurora/Montini Catholic) and Jason Potter (St. Charles/St. Charles East) as two of the individuals who won multiple IHSA titles and coached a team to a Dual Team title. 

Prater, a 2007 AA champion and three-time medalist at Plainfield Central, joins IWCOA Hall of Famers such as Bill Weick (Tilden/Mount Carmel), Marty Williams (Yorkville/Mahomet-Seymour), Peter Alber (Dakota), Bernie Ruettiger (Providence Catholic/Minooka), Eric Siebert (LaSalle-Peru/Carl Sandburg) and Mike Powell (Oak Park and River Forest) as well as Ryan Cumbee (Providence Catholic/Joliet Catholic Academy) as some of the one-time IHSA title winners who later won an IHSA Dual Team title as a coach. Coaches known to have been champions who won a team title in the scored tournament were IWCOA Hall of Famers Jack Marino (Proviso), Chuck Farina (Proviso/East Leyden) and Charles Anderson (Tilden/Savanna).

“I felt like we were the most prepared team in the state championship, in any division,” Blanton said. “This was what it all was for, this was a big moment. I’ve been in big matches and had big moments in my life, so I’m trying to practice what I preach to these guys. Making sure that I’m keeping myself calm because I feel like they’re going to react on my energy, and I felt it. It was tense, it was exciting and it was awesome. 

“I tell our guys all of the time that they’re built for these types of moments. I used to tell myself that as a competitor, that this is why I train and this is why I put myself through such hard things. And this is why we put them through such hard things. Throughout this whole season, one of the themes was that we were built to overcome adversity and we’re built to do hard things. This is a challenging thing but I felt we were prepared, and when the moment was at its biggest, we were at our best. As a competitor, that’s the goal.

“I felt like we had some favorable matchups and we won the toss, which was important at the beginning, and it really went according to plan. I’m not one of those people that really likes to scheme and do all of that stuff, but I know our team and I wanted to be aware of what some of their (Coal City) moves were. We wrestled them at the end of December, but I knew that this was going to be a different dual and I knew that we were going to get some different matchups. But we also wanted to chase a couple of matchups and we were able to do that. So when we started winning those swing matches, it gave us that momentum and we had an opportunity to put the nail in the coffin, and we did it.”

Now that they’ve led the Woodstock school to its first state title in a boys sport since 1989 when the Hurricanes football program completed a run of four Class 2A championships in seven years for coaches Don Penza and Steve Patton, Blanton hopes that other wrestling programs from his home county, McHenry County, beside the only two that have accomplished the feat thus far, Marian Central Catholic and Harvard, can win an IHSA Dual Team championship.

“I’m one of those guys that thinks that winning as a team is actually better than winning as an individual,” Blanton said. “I loved this journey as a competitor, and I loved this individual journey for these guys. I don’t mean to say this like this, but anybody can win individually. It takes leadership, it takes buy-in, it takes culture, all of these other things on this competitive journey. When I moved back home with my wife, and coach Prater’s wife is my wife’s sister, and we started to coach, this was part of the plan. As much as I want Marian Central to do it, I want these other schools in McHenry County to do it, too, because there’s so many coaches who have been putting in work and putting in time and there’s so many tough wrestlers. A rising tide lifts all ships. We played the heel a bit being a Catholic school and doing it as fast as we did. 

“But in my opinion, our coaching staff and our wrestlers are going to outwork everybody. We’re very fortunate to have the experiences that we’ve had, and now we’re passing that down to the next generation and I want everybody to grow from this. So if I have to ruffle a couple feathers and people are going to be a little upset, I’m more than happy to take that because I know that we’re headed in the right direction and this is just the start.”

In the championship dual meet that started at 106, Austin Hagevold won a 7-6 decision over Owen Petersen in a clash of placewinners to put the Hurricanes in front for good. Sophomore Hagevold placed fourth at 106 while freshman Petersen took sixth at 106.

Anthony Alanis, a four-time state placewinner, concluded his successful career with a 10-3 decision over freshman medalist Cooper Morris at 113 to give Marian Central Catholic a 6-0 lead. Alanis took third at 113 in his only year with the Hurricanes after transferring from Grayslake Central, where he won the 2A title at 106 last season, took second at 106 in 2022 and was sixth at 106 in 2A at the IWCOA Finals in 2021. Morris took fifth at 113 this season.

Coal City got its first victory at 120 when junior Culan Lindemuth, who fell one win shy of a medal at 120, won an 8-1 decision over sophomore Josiah Perez to pull his team to within 6-3.

Brayden Teunissen boosted Marian Central Catholic’s lead to 11-3 when he won by technical fall over sophomore Luke Munsterman at 126. Teunissen, a junior, won the state title at 120 after being a Class 3A runner-up at 106 last season while competing for Belvidere co-op. 

Andrew Alvarado, a junior who qualified for state this year at 138 after placing fifth at 113 a year ago, won a key match at 132 when he recorded a fall in 4:38 over sophomore Brody Widlowski, who was the state runner-up to Auburn’s Joey Ruzic at 126 and took fourth at 113 last season, to increase the Hurricanes’ lead to 17-3.

Vance Williams, a junior, who took second place at state at 132 to Rockridge’s Jude Finch and also was the IHSA runner-up at 132 to Dakota’s Phoenix Blakely last season as well as fourth-place finisher at that weight in 2022, increased the Hurricanes’ lead to 21-3 at 138 after winning a 14-6 major decision over sophomore Mason Garner, who fell one win shy of a medal at 138.  

Coal City got a 5-1 decision from sophomore state qualifier Brock Finch over sophomore Josh Gawronski at 144 and Coalers senior Brant Widlowski, who placed fifth at 150 this season and fifth at 120 a year ago, recorded a fall in 2:51 over junior Connor Cassels to pull their team to within 21-12.

After freshman Jimmy Mastny, the 157 state champion, received a forfeit win for the Hurricanes, Coalers junior Landin Benson, the 165 IHSA champion, captured a 3-2 decision over freshman Nic Astacio to make the score 27-15 with four matches remaining.

Senior Max Astacio, who took sixth at 165 this season and fifth at 160 a year ago and also competed for the Hurricanes in their 2A title-winning performance at the IWCOA Finals in 2021, won a 4-0 decision over junior John Keigher at 175 to make it 30-15. Then Coal City sophomore Cade Poyner, who fell one win short of a medal at 190, received a forfeit win.

Sophomore Dan French, who was a state qualifier at 190, wrapped things up for Marian Central Catholic when he won an 11-0 major decision at 215 over junior Alec Waliczek. The Hurricanes forfeited to freshman Emmett Easton at 285 to make the final score 34-27.

“Did I think we’d be back here (in the title dual)?” Masters said. “At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t 100 percent on that. We had some injuries early and guys coming in from football that needed to get in shape. Once we started getting guys back, we started thinking we could win this thing again. 

“We will be good again next year. Landin Benson is only a junior. We have a lot of guys back. Of course, we are going to miss Buddy (Brant Widlowski). He set a school record with 40 or 41 pins this year. You don’t replace that and it’s going to be hard to replace his leadership.

“A lot of the kids that are on this team weren’t on last year’s team, but they have wrestled on a big stage at the IESA tournaments and stuff like that, so even though they are young, they are experienced.”

Roxana (23-7), coached by Rob Milazzo, made its first Dual Team Finals appearance since 2014 and won its third trophy and had its second-best finish in the competition after it defeated Vandalia 44-27 for third place. The only time that the Shells placed better was in 2004, when they won their last trophy, which was for second place in Class A under coach Michael Kurth. 

Vandalia (31-4), which is coached by Jason Clay, made its 23rd appearance in the Dual Team Finals, which ranks second to Montini Catholic, the Class 2A runner-up to Washington, which was at state for the 24th time. The Vandals, who lost in the quarterfinals in their last previous state trip in 2022, captured their tenth trophy, including their fifth under Clay.

In the third-place dual meet, Vandalia got a win by technical fall from freshman Max Philpot, the runner-up to Johnsburg’s Eric Bush at 106, over freshman Savion Hall in the opener at 106 and then got a fall from freshman state qualifier Elijah Mabry over sophomore Ari Walker to grab a quick 11-0 advantage. 

Roxana responded with a fall from junior Lleyton Cobine over freshman Brody Matthews, a 14-12 decision from sophomore state qualifier Logan Riggs over junior Deon Moore and a pin from sophomore Brandon Green, Jr., who took fifth place at 132, over freshman Gabe Weischedel to give it a 15-11 advantage.

The Vandals moved back in front at 21-15 following a 16-5 major decision at 138 from freshman state qualifier Cole Yarbrough over junior Kadin Carlisle and a pin from sophomore Dillon Hinton, who was the 138 runner-up to Benton’s Mason Tieffel, over junior Trevor Gihring at 144.

However, the Shells won the next four matches to move back in front for good as senior Bryan Rodriguez pinned freshman Dade Kleinik at 150 and senior state qualifier Braden Johnson, who fell one win shy of a medal at 150, recorded a fall over junior Artan Mustafa. Sophomore Lyndon Thies, who took fourth place at 157, won by technical fall over freshman Noah Langston at 165 and senior Elias Thies won 9-7 in sudden victory over sophomore Ross Miller to give their team a 35-21 lead with three matches left.

Junior Kaden Tidwell, who took fourth at 190, got a pin over junior Robert Watt to cut the lead to 35-27 but senior Donald Battles won a 13-8 decision over freshman Dominic Swyers to wrap up the victory and senior James Herring, who finished third at 285, concluded the dual meet with a fall over junior Jayden Rosetto to bring the final score to 44-27.

“The kids wrestled very well over the weekend,” Milazzo said. “On Friday night, we beat Unity to secure a trophy and then we went toe-to-toe with state champion Marian Central Catholic before losing in the semifinals. 

“In the third-place match we avenged an earlier loss to Vandalia. On December 7, they beat us 46-31. We flipped the score on them and beat them 44-27. I’m always emphasizing the importance of peaking at the right time, and we did just that. We got a big boost from our seniors in that match. All five of them won in convincing fashion. It’s not often that you get to coach your kids to victory in their final match. It was really special. 

“It was a great ride this year. We got second at Mascoutah, third at ABE’s Rumble, second at Princeton, second at Quincy, first at Litchfield, first at regionals and third at state. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that. It’s been 20 years since we last placed, so we know how special it is. We will take it all in, celebrate at the pep rally and reflect on our accomplishment.”

First place – Marian Central Catholic

This was the first time that the Hurricanes appeared in the Dual Team Finals since 2020, the last season of a three-year run of state trips for coach David Silva, with the highlight being a third-place finish in 2019 when they were edged 30-29 by Coal City in the semifinals before beating Triad 44-18 in the third-place meet. In 2021, Marian Central Catholic was the champion in Class 2A at the IWCOA Finals in Silva’s final season as its head coach when it collected a tournament-high 178 points to finish well ahead of Civic Memorial, who scored 147.5 points.

This is the second year that Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater are co-coaches for the program. Both were standouts for the University of Illinois with Prater also winning an NCAA title at Elmhurst College. Blanton won three titles and took second place once in a 152-1 career at Richmond-Burton while Prater was a three-time medalist, two-time finalist and state champion at Plainfield Central. The two are married to sisters and they have run the Relentless Training Center in Johnsburg. They are assisted by Jim Herff, Mark Holian and Jerry Miceli.

Last year, the Hurricanes got to within one win of advancing to Dual Team Finals from the Oregon Sectional but fell 40-31 to Lena-Winslow/Stockton, which took third place. Seniors Nick Davidson, Charlie Fitzgerald, Kaden Harman and Ethan Struck all had 30 or more wins and Struck took fourth at 152 while Davidson came up one win shy of a medal at 138 while runner-up Williams and fifth-place finishers Max Astacio and Alvarado gave them four medalists.

Marian Central Catholic assured itself of a trophy with a 54-12 win over LeRoy/Tri-Valley in Friday’s quarterfinals and advanced to the championship dual meet for the first time after it won 41-26 over Roxana in Saturday’s semifinals.

Posting 3-0 records for the champion Hurricanes were Alanis (113), Teunissen (126), Williams (132/138), Mastny (157), Max Astacio (165/175) and French (190/215) while Hagevold (106) went 2-0 and Alvarado (132/138) and Nic Astacio (165/175) both went 2-1.

“It feels good, it’s something that we’ve been working on for a long time,” Max Astacio said. “It’s a full-circle moment, because with David Silva, we won the IWCOA (in 2021), but nobody really counts that one. And then we had a couple of tough years and then we built back up and did it. 

“We proved it today, we were the baddest guys in the building. This was the epitome of Marian wrestling. Hard, snub-nosed bad guys, that’s what Marian wrestling is all about, and that’s what we did. I think that this is going to be a dynasty.”

In their semifinal win over Roxana, the Hurricanes received pins from Hagevold, Alanis, Mastny and French while Teunissen was a winner by technical fall. Max and Nic Astacio both won decisions and Williams received a forfeit win to advance the team to the title dual meet. Marian Central Catholic had an 8-5 edge in victories with both teams forfeiting at 215.

“This feels just good as the individual,” Alanis said. “To celebrate with my teammates, my coaches and my parents and all of my friends, it’s something different. (The title win) That was because of all of the hard work that we put in throughout the year. 

“We were always looking to get better, always. Even the community, the school, the teachers, the principals, everyone, it was a group effort and I’m glad that it paid off. I want to wrestle in college but I’m currently undecided and I want to do something in engineering.”

Against LeRoy/Tri-Valley in the quarterfinals, the Hurricanes had an 11-3 advantage in wins. Alvarado, Nic Astacio and French recorded falls, Alanis and Teunissen both recorded wins by technical fall, Williams and Max Astacio won major decisions, junior Kaleb Eckman and Cassels won decisions while senior Chandler Gardner and Mastny received forfeit wins.

Marian Central Catholic had two champions, three finalists and six medals to go along with two other qualifiers. As for its top medalists: Teunissen, who defeated Carlyle’s Tyson Waughtel to win the 120 title, finished 44-5; Mastny, who beat Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Bryson Capansky for the 157 title, went 32-1; Williams, who took second to Rockridge’s Jude Finch at 132, had a 48-9 record; and Alanis, who claimed third place at 113, also finished 44-5. 

“I was very proud, I knew that I was going to win because I prepared perfectly for my match,” Teunissen said of also being an individual state champion. “And this feels really good. Our team knew what we had and it would take to win. In some duals, we had some errors, but in the final match, we just wrestled really good, everyone on our team wrestled well.

“I liked how we all really work hard together in the room. So when everyone is working, it just kind of motivates everyone to just keep working harder.”

Hagevold, who was fourth at 106, went 39-18 and Max Astacio, who placed sixth at 165 finished 43-8. State qualifier Alvarado had a 37-15 record and qualifier French finished 33-24. The other senior on the team was Will Gillaspie.

Second Place – Coal City

Coal City (38-6) placed among the top three teams in Class 1A for the seventh time in the last nine year that the IHSA Dual Team Finals has been held. Coach Mark Masters, who is 472-156 during his 21-year tenure and was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2022, won the program’s first state championship a year ago and also led teams to second place in 2016, 2019 and 2020 and to third-place finishes in 2015 and 2018. Between 1984 and 1999, the Coalers were also runners-up on three occasions and had one fourth-place finish.

This was the ninth-straight season (not including shortened 2020-2021) that Masters’ teams have won 27 or more dual meets and their 38 wins ties the 2019 team for the third-most wins in a season by the Coalers, who won 42 dual  meets last season and 39 duals in 2020. His assistant coaches were Jim Looper, Nick O’Bert, Joe Widlowski and Zach Berman.

Coal City graduated 10 individuals from last season’s historic championship team. Seniors from that team who won 40 or more matches were Mataeo Blessing, Joey Breneman, Drake Dearth and Braiden Young while Derek Carlson, Michael Gonzalez and Jack Poyner won 30 or more matches. All of those individuals also qualified for the IHSA Individual Finals as Breneman took third at 195, Young was fourth at 182, Jake Piatak was sixth at 132, Blessing fell one win shy of a medal at 145 and Carlson came up one win short of a medal at 170.

The Coalers captured a 42-22 victory over Vandalia in the semifinals to advance to the title meet at the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row, something that it had not done before. This was the eighth time overall and the fifth time since 2016 that they competed in the first-place dual meet at the state finals.

After the Vandals got a pin in the opener and a major decision from 106 runner-up Philpot  in the second match to grab an early 10-0 lead, Morris, Lindemuth and Munsterman all won decisions and then the Coalers moved in front for good at 17-10 following major decisions from Brody Widlowski and Garner.

Vandalia closed to with 17-16 when 138 runner-up Hinton got a fall at 144 but Coal City rattled off the next five victories as Finch won a major decision, Brant Widlowski and Benson got pins and senior James Keigher and Poyner won decisions before the Coalers forfeited in the last match to have a 10-4 advantage in matches won.

In their 54-13 victory over Riverdale in the quarterfinals, the Coalers won the first five matches to grab a decisive 24-0 advantage. Easton opened with a fall, sophomore Payton Vigna followed with a decision and then Petersen and Morris got pins before Lindemuth captured a decision. 

After Riverdale got its first victory, a major decision from two-time medalist Dean Wainwright at 126, Coal City won six of the final eight matches to finish with an 11-3 advantage in victories for the dual. Sophomore Noah Houston, Finch, Brant Widlowski and John Keigher also recorded falls while Garner and freshman Brody D’Orazio won decisions to wrap up one of the three dual meets in the quarterfinals which were won by more than 40 points. 

The Coalers received 3-0 performances from Lindemuth (120), Finch (144/150) and Brant Widlowski (150/157) while Benson (165) and Poyner (190) both went 2-0 and Morris (113), Garner (138) and Easton (215/285) all went 2-1.

“I was glad to be back in the state finals,” Brant Widlowski said. “This is a special group of guys and they can move from one weight to another depending on what we need. We try to get the best matchups. I am proud of our guys. We are like family. Sometimes it feels like we spend more time together than with our actual families.

“It’s hard to walk away. I started feeling that at the individual tournament. This was going to be the last time for me to be together with my brother and my dad and my teammates. Dad started the Little Coalers. There’s a little bit of pressure to have the name Widlowski in Coal City wrestling.

“I am proud to be a part of school history like this. First time in back-to-back title matches, Winning a state title. For a while, Wilmington was the standard in our area, but we have gotten past them and it feels great.”

Coal City had one state champion, two finalists, five medalists and 11 state qualifiers. Benson, who won the 165 title over Tremont’s Bowden Delaney, finished with a 30-2 record while Brody Widlowski, who was the runner-up to Auburn’s Joey Ruzic at 126, closed with a 29-5 record. Brant Widlowski, who was fifth at 150, finished 51-5 while Morris, who placed fifth at 113, posted a 45-10 record and Petersen, who took sixth at 106, finished 46-9.

Lindemuth, who fell one win shy of a medal at 120, closed with a 36-16 record, Garner, who was one victory away from a medal at 138, finished 40-7 and Poyner, who was a win away from a medal at 190, went 45-10. The other qualifiers were Jamie Keigher (35-17), Finch (42-14) and Houston (36-12). Team captains were Brant Widlowski and Benson.

“It’s not the way we wanted to end it,” Benson said. “I feel sad for the seniors, but the rest of us have to work hard and try to get back next year. It’s hard to lose Buddy (Brant Widlowski). He is an amazing leader. He leads us in warmups, will get up and give speeches. He’s like another coach.

“I get more motivated for matches in a dual meet than individual. You spend the whole year with the team and you go through a lot with them. It’s huge to win a title with them.”

Note: special thanks to Rob Oesterle of The Herald-News for providing Coal City quotes.

Third Place – Roxana

Roxana coach Rob Milazzo, who’s in his 19th year leading the Shells (23-7), won his first trophy as a result of their third-place finish. This was his second team that he led to the Dual Team Finals, with the other one in 2014, when his team lost in the quarterfinals. He was assisted by Tom Blaha, Tom Hill, Mike Kurth and Mike Garland. This is the program’s second-best finish at the dual team finals, with a second-place showing in 2004 being the standard.

In their 41-26 semifinal loss to Marian Central Catholic, the Shells received falls from Cobine, Green Jr. and Herring, a win by technical fall from Johnson and a decision from Gihring.

And in its 48-30 victory over Unity in the quarterfinals, Roxana lost the opener but then won the next six matches to claim a 36-6 lead and was up 48-12 when it forfeited at the last three weights. Herring, Walker, Cobine, Riggs, Green Jr. and Johnson all recorded falls, Gihring and Lyndon Thies won decisions and Hill received a forfeit win.

“It was really exciting,” Donald Battles said. “This team was our eighth grade season team, and that season got cut short. So having all of the underclassmen back up with us, it just really made a spark for the team and we had a stride that we haven’t had in a few years. So that put us in a really good spot for coming up here.”

Posting 3-0 records for Roxana were Cobine (120), Green Jr. (132/138), Johnson (150/157) and Herring (285) while Riggs (126), Gihring (144) and Lyndon Thies (157/165) went 2-1.

The Shells had five state qualifiers and three medal winners. Herring, who was third at 285, capped his career with a 48-5 record, Lyndon Thies, who took fourth at 157, finished 50-8 and Green, Jr., who placed fifth at 132, closed with a 50-6 record. Johnson, who was one win shy of a medal at 150, went 38-10 and Riggs had a 44-12 record. The team’s captains were Herring and Johnson. Other seniors were Donald Battles, Bryan Rodriguez and Elias Thies.

“It’s really exciting on my part,” Elias Thies said. “Coach Milazzo told me to come out this year, for the first year at the high school level, and I don’t regret it at all. We placed third in the state at 1A and I just had a blast. We’ve all been friends since we were little and we’ve been on the same team and we hang out outside of wrestling. We’re brothers, so we feel confident in each other on and off of the mat.”

Fourth Place – Vandalia

The Vandals were making their first appearance since 2022 for coach Jason Clay, who has led the program for 18 years and he led 14 teams to state dual team finals and this was his fifth team to win a trophy in the competition. He was assisted by Pat Myers.

In their 42-22 semifinal loss to Coal City, the Vandals got a pin from Rosetto and a major decision from Philpot to take an early 10-0 lead. After the Coalers won the next five matches to move ahead at 17-10, Hinton recorded a fall to pull his team to within 17-16 before Coal City responded with another run of five wins and forfeited to Swyers in the final match.

Vandalia recorded 12 falls, won a match by major decision and got a forfeit win in its 82-0 win in the quarterfinals over Rickover Naval Academy, which made its debut at the Dual Team Finals. Getting pins were Rosetto, Philpot, Mabry, Matthews, Moore, junior Parker Ray, Hinton, Kleinik, Mustafa, Miller, sophomore Zander Tate and Tidwell while Yarbrough won a major decision and Swyers received a forfeit win. 

The 82 points scored by the Vandals was an IHSA record for all classes and the 82 total points tied a record for most points by both teams. In addition, it was the first time that a team had ever recorded 12 pins in a state finals dual meet, with nine being the previous high mark.

Vandalia received 3-0 efforts from Philpot (106) and Hinton (144) while Mabry (113), Yarbrough (132/138), Tidwell (190), Swyers (215) and Rosetto (285) all went 2-1.

The Vandals had six state qualifiers, with three of those winning medals and two competing in the finals. Two-time medalist Hinton, who was the runner-up to Benton’s Mason Tieffel at 138, finished 50-4. Philpot, who took second to Johnsburg’s Eric Bush at 106, capped his debut season with a 52-3 mark and Tidwell, who took fourth at 190, had a 40-12 record. 

Their other three state qualifiers were all freshmen, Mabry (39-16 at 113), Matthews (36-18 at 120) and Yarbrough (23-7 at 132). Team captains for the Vandals were Hinton and Tidwell. 

“We have a lot of stuff to learn about situations,” Clay said. “We had two tough matches today. Against Coal City we got out to a fast start and then it kind of got a little tough in the middle and we lost a couple of matches that I thought we could win but we battled. And I thought  Roxana wrestled extremely well. We beat them earlier in the season and I knew that they would come back hard and they won a couple of key matches early to kind of swing the dual, so give them credit.

“We started seven freshmen and this was their first experience, of course, so hopefully it makes them more hungry for next year. And it starts in the offseason with our training to become better. You’re not going to be better just because a year older, it doesn’t work that way. You’ve got to train for it and you have to work to become better. It will be a challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”

Another member of the team, junior Sophie Bowers, didn’t compete in the Dual Team Finals, since she was busy becoming her school’s first champion in the IHSA Girls Individual Finals, which was also taking place in Bloomington. 

Bowers won a 6-0 decision over a two-time runner-up, Canton junior Kinnley Smith, in the 125 title match. Bowers, the Vandals’ lone qualifier, opened with a win by technical fall and then won close decisions over a three-time medalist with one loss, Yorkville’s Yamilet Aguirre, and a two-time medal winner with no losses, Lakes Community’s Ava Babbs. She is the program’s second medalist, with Lauren Dothager placing fourth in both 2022 and 2023.

Quarterfinalists

LeRoy/Tri-Valley

LeRoy/Tri-Valley (22-5) returned to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second-straight year, something that the Panthers hadn’t done since their great run off success from 2011-2014, where they made four state trips in four years for coach Doug DeWald, taking third in 1A in 2011 and winning the title in 1A in 2012. Two years prior to that stretch, LeRoy took second place in 1A in its first state appearance in 2009, again under DeWald.

Brady Sant Amour’s Panthers went 22-5 to cap a two-year run where they posted a 46-6 record. In 2018, he led El Paso-Gridley to the 1A quarterfinals, making this his third state team in six years. He was assisted by Brian Roberts, Sean Kennedy and Josh Sexton.

In their 54-12 quarterfinals loss to eventual champion Marian Central Catholic, the Panthers got a fall from senior captain Jacob Bischoff in the opening match and a 5-3 decision from EJ Chaon a short time later to trail 14-9 through five weights. But the Hurricanes won eight of the final nine matches with Brock Owens getting a 5-3 decision for LeRoy/Tri-Valley during that run. Tate Sigler lost 3-2 in a tiebreaker and Connor McLaughlin fell 12-9 in another close match. And the other two senior captains, Colton Prosser and Connor Lyons, both suffered losses in their final matches. The Panthers also lost to Marian Central Catholic by a 52-18 score at ABE’s Rumble.

The Panthers, who won one of the toughest regionals in 1A at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in dramatic fashion with a victory in the final match to edge the hosts 193.5-192, had five state qualifiers but were unable to get any state medalists this season. All of the Panthers’ defeats came against ranked teams, including 1A teams Oakwood/Salt Fork, Newman Central Catholic and champion Marian Central Catholic and also one Class 3A team, Normal Community. They earned their trip to state with a 43-22 victory over Canton at their own dual meet sectional.

The five state qualifiers were senior Bischoff (45-4), senior Lyons (42-12), junior Brady Mouser (45-5), junior Bo Zeleznik (30-15) and freshman EJ Chaon (31-14). Panthers team captains were seniors Bischoff, Lyons and Prosser and juniors Ash Osborn, Mouser, Sigler and Zeleznik.

“I’m proud of these kids, we battled all night,” Sant Amour said. “We were out-matched at quite a few weight classes but we battled and we didn’t back down. Our discussions last year was we can’t worry about the draw, we have to compete against everybody. 

“I’m proud of these kids and I’m proud that they got here, they did a heck of a job getting here. Last year we graduated three good seniors and we graduate three good seniors this year and we have a lot of good, young guys who are filling up our lineup.”

Unity

Unity (27-11) made its first trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals since 2022 when it took third place in 1A and this was the third appearance in the state finals for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets since 2020, when they also finished in third place.

Patton completed his seventh season at the school and has a 208-50 record. His teams have won 24 or more dual meets, other than in the shortened 2020-21 season, when they had 19 wins. This was Unity’s fifth state appearance, with the first two in 1989 and 1990 in Class A under coach Bill Billman, with the first team placing second for the team’s best finish at state. Rocket assistant coaches were Josh Inman, Henry Patton, Dakota Patton and Richard Vetter.

Unity had a couple of big holes that it had to fill in its lineup since it graduated Nick Nosler, a two-time finalist and 2023 champion at 195, and fourth-place finisher Kyus Root at 170. After getting off the a 15-10 start with all of their seven losses to Illinois team coming against ranked opponents, the Rockets won their next 12 dual meets, capping things off with a 43-33 victory over Peoria Notre Dame at the LeRoy Sectional to earn their fifth state appearance.

In their 48-30 quarterfinals loss to eventual third-place finisher Roxana, the Rockets got a fall from 190 state champion Hunter Eastin in the opening match at 215. But the Shells followed that with five falls and a forfeit to build a 36-6 advantage. Taylor Finley added another pin for Unity, who won the final three matches on forfeits to Josh Heath, Ryan Rink and Thayden Root. Abram Davidson lost a 9-8 decision in the last contested match.

Unity had six state qualifiers, three medalists, two finalists and a title winner. Junior Hunter Eastin, who beat High School of Saint Thomas More’s Brody Cuppernell to win the 190 title, finished with a 49-6 record while junior Kaden Inman, who lost 8-7 to Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll in the 144 title match, went 45-9 and junior Ryan Rink, who finished fifth at 165, posted a 45-12 record.

Other state qualifiers for the Rockets were senior Thayden Root (175), who went 47-11, sophomore Hunter Shike (126), who posted a 39-8 record and freshman Taylor Finley (132), who finished 41-18. Unity’s team captains were Eastin, Inman, Rink and Shike. Other seniors on the team were Symon Griffin and Kameron Novak.

“Roxana was tough,” Patton said. “Roxana was tough last year at ABE’s when we wrestled them there and they beat us, but it was pretty close. They returned everybody and obviously we didn’t, so we knew what we were getting into. (Hunter) Shike breaking his hip in the quarterfinals at the state tournament, didn’t help anything and my 113-pounder got hurt on Tuesday night, so we had to forfeit at one of those weights. 

“We knew that we needed to start at around 38, we would have felt fine. I kept trying to remind these young dudes that it was a part of the plan. I talk to them about the standard’s, the standard. It doesn’t matter who’s what team we’ve got, this is the standard to try to get down here every year and wrestle on that final day of the season.”

A day after it lost in the quarterfinals, Unity enjoyed a memorable moment as sophomore Phoenix Molina nearly became the second girl from the school to win an IHSA title, a feat that only had been accomplished by Lexi Ritchie in 2022 when she won 10-8 over Richwoods’ Jaida Johnson to win the 155 championship. Ritchie took fourth place at 155 last season.

Molina (28-6), lost 2-1 on an ultimate tiebreaker to Prairie Central junior Chloe Hoselton in the 235 title match. All three of her victories were close decisions. She won 2-1 by sudden victory over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jocelyn Williams in her opener, edged Ottawa Township’s Juliana Thrush 4-2 in the quarterfinals and got past Oak Park and River Forest’s Sarah Epshtein 3-2 in the semifinals to reach the title mat. A year ago, Molina finished 17-5 after losing in the quarterfinals to the runner-up, Curie’s Aaliyah Grandberry. 

Riverdale 

Riverdale (28-7) competed in the Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2007, when Myron Keppy brought his fifth team to state in 12 years. It was the ninth appearance for the Rams, who are coached by Aron Kindelsperger, who placed third at 145 in Class A for the Rams in 2005, and is in his first year of his second stint as head coach after previously leading his school in 2011-12. His assistant coaches were Justin Zigler and Heath Smith.

Returning to state this season is a big deal for Riverdale because they graduated a big part of last year’s team that was highly-ranked all season but lost to eventual runner-up Yorkville Christian in the Oregon Sectional. Among those who graduated, there were two three-time medalists that also won a state championship, Collin Altensey and Brock Smith, as well as two-time medal winner Alex Watson in Keppy’s final season as the Rams coach. 

Riverdale had a 16-6 record after losing three dial meets at ABE’s Rumble but it went on a roll in 2024 and closed with 12-straight wins which was capped with a 38-36 victory over Sandwich in the Newman Central Catholic Dual Team Sectional to earn its trip to state.

In their 54-13 defeat to eventual runner-up Coal City in the quarterfinals, the Rams lost the first five matches to trail 24-0 before Dean Wainwright won a major decision. Blake Smith later recorded a fall and Zachary Bradley won a decision. Jacob Baustian, Tharren Jacobs and Iyezaha Hill all lost decisions,

Wainwright, a sophomore who was state champion at 106 a year ago, placed third at 120 and finished with a 50-2 record. Smith, a junior who took third place at 150, finished with a 49-3 record and Bradley, a senior who qualified for state at 175, capped his career with a 49-5 record. Riverdale had two other state qualifiers who lost in the dual meet, senior Tharren Jacobs (42-5) and junior Kolton Kruse (38-16). The five qualifiers were also team captains. The only other senior on the team was Hill.

“A lot of people brought it up this year about how we were going to be because they doubted us a lot, when you lose those caliber of seniors,” Kindelsperger said. “But our kids came out this year and we showed a lot of people that Riverdale wrestling is just that, we’re always going to compete whether we’ve got two hammers or five hammers or 10 hammers. Our younger guys can compete because we’ve always got good competition in the room.

“We actually lost our first dual of the year to a conference team (Orion), and since that dual, coach (John) Zigler, coach (Heath) Smith and myself just preached that we were working for February and that’s what we’ve done. We’re a very positional team and we throw a lot of positions in the room and we preach to win positions, win periods and win matches, and that’s kind of what got us through into February, and we worked hard. Different guys came through at different times, but that’s what being a team is about.”

Rickover Naval Academy

Rickover Naval Academy (13-11) got off to a 2-6 start but went 10-4 to close out the regular season and then defeated Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville 45-36 in the Coal City Sectional to earn its first appearance in the IHSA Dual Team Finals.

Coach Andrew Holden’s Sea Dragons failed to win a match in their 82-0 quarterfinal loss to Vandalia, which went on to claim fourth place. Holden, who’s in his second year as head coach, was assisted by Christopher Makowski, Guillermo Mejia and Brian Augello.

Rickover Naval Academy was the lone team in the 1A Dual Team Finals that had no state qualifiers. Some of the Sea Dragons’ top performers were seniors Jacob Pizarro (36-6), Breyon Wallace (25-14) and Brandon Valbuena (24-9) and junior Justin Hernandez (23-9). Team captains were Hernandez, Pizarro and Valbuena. Other seniors on the team were Mohammed Al-Tabaqchali, Christopher Chogllo, Evan Grabowski, Juan Vega Hernandez and Johnny Velez.

IHSA Class 1A Championship Dual Meet

Marian Central Catholic 34, Coal City 27

106 – Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) over Owen Petersen (Coal City) Dec 7-6
113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) over Cooper Morris (Coal City) Dec 10-3
120 – Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) over Josiah Perez (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 8-1
126 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) over Luke Munsterman (Coal City) TF 22-7
132 – Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) over Brody Widlowski (Coal City) Fall 4:38
138 – Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) over Mason Garner (Coal City) Maj 14-6
144 – Brock Finch (Coal City) over Joshua Gawronski (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 5-1
150 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) over Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 2:51
157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
165 – Landin Benson (Coal City) over Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 3-2
175 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over John Keigher (Coal City) Dec 4-0
190 – Cade Poyner (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 
215 – Daniel French (Marian Central Catholic) over Alec Waliczek (Coal City) Maj 11-0
285 – Emmett Easton (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

IHSA Class 1A Third Place Dual Meet

Roxana 44, Vandalia 27

106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Savion Hall (Roxana) TF 15-0
113 – Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) over Ari Walker (Roxana) Fall 0:34
120 – Lleyton Cobine (Roxana) over Brody Matthews (Vandalia) Fall 2:48
126 – Logan Riggs (Roxana) over Deon Moore (Vandalia) TB-1 14-12
132 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) over Gabriel Weischedel (Vandalia) Fall 5:52 
138 – Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) over Kaden Carilsle (Roxana) Maj 16-5
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Trevor Gihring (Roxana) Fall 4:37
150 – Bryan Rodriguez (Roxana) over Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) Fall 2:34
157 – Braden Johnson (Roxana) over Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) Fall 0:41
165 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) over Noah Langston (Vandalia) TF 16-1 
175 – Elias Thies (Roxana) over Ross Miller (Vandalia) SV-1 9-7 
190 – Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) over Robert Watt (Roxana) Fall 4:49 
215 – Donald Battles (Roxana) over Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) Dec 13-8 

285 – James Herring (Roxana) over Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) Fall 1:24 

IHSA Class 1A Semifinal Dual Meets

Marian Central Catholic 41, Roxana 26

106 – Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) over Savion Hall (Roxana) Fall 1:22
113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) over Ari Walker (Roxana) Fall 2:51
120 – Lleyton Cobine (Roxana) over Josiah Perez (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 0:36
126 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) over Logan Riggs (Roxana) TF 18-3
132 – Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
138 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) over Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 1:26
144 – Trevor Gihring (Roxana) over Joshua Gawronski (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 10-4
150- Braden Johnson (Roxana) over Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) TF 20-5
157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Bryan Rodriguez (Roxana) Fall 3:00
165 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Lyndon Thies (Roxana) Dec 13-7
175 – Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Elias Thies (Roxana) Dec 5-2
190 – Daniel French (Marian Central Catholic) over Robert Watt (Roxana) Fall 3:08
215 – Double Forfeit
285 – James Herring (Roxana) over Kaleb Eckman (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 0:13

Coal City 42, Vandalia 22 

285 – Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) over Emmett Easton (Coal City) Fall 0:58
106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Owen Petersen (Coal City) Maj 12-4
113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) over Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) Dec 11-5
120 – Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) over Brody Matthews (Vandalia) Dec 5-1
126 – Luke Munsterman (Coal City) over Deon Moore (Vandalia) Dec 8-6
132 – Brody Widlowski (Coal City) over Gabriel Weischedel (Vandalia) Maj 18-6
138 – Mason Garner (Coal City) over Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) Maj 13-2
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Aidan Kenney (Coal City) Fall 2:44
150 – Brock Finch (Coal City) over Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) Maj 12-1
157 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) over Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) Fall 1:44
165 – Landin Benson (Coal City) over Noah Langston (Vandalia) Fall 1:01
175 – James Keigher (Coal City) over Ross Miller (Vandalia) Dec 11-4
190 – Cade Poyner (Coal City) over Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) Fall 2:27
215 – Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

IHSA Class 1A Quarterfinal Dual Meets

Coal City 54, Riverdale 13

215 – Emmett Easton (Coal City) over Jacob Schredeya (Riverdale) Fall 0:40
285 – Payton Vigna (Coal City) over Jacob Baustian (Riverdale) Dec 10-6
106 – Owen Petersen (Coal City) over Benjamin Porter (Riverdale) Fall 0:47
113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) over Triton Pulfrey (Riverdale) Fall 0:36
120 – Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) over Tharren Jacobs (Riverdale) Dec 4-0
126 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) over Roberto Rodriguez (Coal City) Maj 13-5
132 – Noah Houston (Coal City) over Elijah Newton (Riverdale) Fall 1:56
138 – Mason Garner (Coal City) over Kolton Kruse (Riverdale) Dec 5-4
144 – Brock Finch (Coal City) over Brayden Geigle (Riverdale) Fall 0:41
150 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) over Alex Carlson (Coal City) Fall 1:06
157 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) over Brennan Huggins (Riverdale) Fall 0:45
165 – John Keigher (Coal City) over Aaron John Scranton (Riverdale) Fall 0:40
175 – Zachary Bradley (Riverdale) over James Keigher (Coal City) Dec 7-1
190 – Brody D`Orazio (Coal City) over Iyezayha Hill (Riverdale) Dec 9-8

Vandalia 82, Rickover Naval Academy 0

215 – Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 – Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) over Juan Vega Hernandez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:38
106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Justin Chogllo (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:18
113 – Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) over Jonathan Pawlowski (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:32
120 – Brody Matthews (Vandalia) over Breyon Wallace (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:09
126 – Deon Moore (Vandalia) over Chris Uzhca (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 2:42
132 – Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) over Jacob Pizarro (Rickover Naval Academy) Maj 9-0
138 – Parker Ray (Vandalia) over Justin Hernandez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:41
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Jonny Velez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:07
150 – Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) over Brandon Valbuena (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:18
157 – Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) over Mohammed Al-Tabaqchali (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:47
165 – Ross Miller (Vandalia) over Evan Grabowski (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 2:16
175 – Zander Tate (Vandalia) over Naruto Martinez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:55
190 – Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) over Christopher Chogllo (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:33

Roxana 48, Unity 30

215 – Hunter Eastin (Unity) over Donald Battles (Roxana) Fall 3:13
285 – James Herring (Roxana) over Jaden Dene (Unity) Fall 1:38
106 – Savion Hall (Roxana) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
113 – Ari Walker (Roxana) over Andrew Weller (Unity) Fall 0:38
120 – Lleyton Cobine (Roxana) over Bryce Martin (Unity) Fall 0:57
126 – Logan Riggs (Roxana) over Symon Griffin (Unity) Fall 1:48
132 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) over Cohl Boatright (Unity) Fall 1:55
138 – Taylor Finley (Tolono (Unity)) over Kaden Carilsle (Roxana) Fall 3:22
144 – Trevor Gihring (Roxana) over Keegan Germano (Unity) Dec 11-4
150 – Braden Johnson (Roxana) over Kaden Inman (Unity) Fall 2:27
157 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) over Abram Davidson (Unity) Dec 9-8
165 – Josh Heath (Unity) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
175 – Ryan Rink (Unity) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
190 – Thayden Root (Unity) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Marian Central Catholic 54, LeRoy/Tri-Valley 12

215 – Jacob Bischoff (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Owen Neuzil (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 0:37
285 – Kaleb Eckman (Marian Central Catholic) over Tate Sigler (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) TB-1 3-2
106 – Chandler Gardner (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 6.0 0
113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) over Brady Mouser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) TF 18-3
120 – EJ Chaon (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Josiah Perez (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 5-3 
126 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) over Jimmy Chaon (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) TF 25-8 
132 – Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) over Kobe Brent (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Fall 1:04 
138 – Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) over Colton Prosser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Maj 9-1 
144 – Brock Owens (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Joshua Gawronski (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 5-3 
150 – Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) over Connor McLaughlin (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Dec 12-9 
157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 
165 – Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Bo Zeleznik (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Fall 0:44 
175 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Connor Lyons (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Maj 11-2 
190 – Daniel French (Marian Central Catholic) over Gannon Pinkerton (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Fall 3:04 

By Gary Larsen

Evanston Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier) over Aphrodite Gineris (Maine South) (F 1:45)

100 – Lidia Basave (Proviso East) (Bye)

105 – Eliana Badeen (Maine East) (Bye)

110 – Lola Bianco (New Trier) over Victoria Rivera (Rickover Academy) (F 1:12

115 – Regina Jones (Proviso East) over Brianna Carbajal (Morton) (D 8-7)

120 – Giselle Castillo (Fenton) over Monica Garcia (Morton) (Inj. 3:00)

125 – Tierra Hardin (Proviso West) over Brithany Mondragon (Addison Trail) (F 3:48)

130 – Jaqueline Soon-Adan (Proviso West) over Paulette Olson (Rickover Academy) (F 2:23)

135 – Alena Oshana (Maine East) (Bye)

140 – Isabella Miller (Oak Park River Forest) over Olena Ftoma (Maine East) (F 0:17)

145 – Lotus Alhyasat (Maine South) over Madilyn Hunt (Proviso East) (F 2:30)

155 – Caliyah Campbell (Oak Park River Forest)  (Bye)

190 – Julia Augello (Rickover Academy) over Angelica Wszolek (Maine East) (F 1:33)

235 – Ariana Solideo (Fenton) over Lyric Walton (Maine East) (F 1:56)

Third-place match results:

95 – Elizabeth Castrejon (Rickover Academy)  (Bye)

100 – (Bye)

105 – (Bye)

110 – Litzy Estrada (Rickover Academy)  (Bye)

115 – (Bye)

120 – Heba Kiloul (Maine East) over Keren Velasquez (Rickover Academy) (F 1:38

125 – Sofia Petronijevic (Morton)  (Bye)

130 – (Bye)

135 – (Bye)

140 – (Bye)

145 – (Bye)

155 – (Bye)

190 – (Bye)

235 – (Bye)

Granite City Sectional

Championship match results:

100 –  Lilly Davis (Mount Vernon) over Claire Crouch(95) (Triad) (MD 9-1)

105 – Carlly Ho (Rochester) over Madelyn Allen (Edwardsville) (D 5-0)

110 -Gianna Linhorst (Edwardsville) over Zoey Nelson (Mascoutah) (F 2:02

115 -Deziare Jones (Mount Vernon) over Reghan Madura) (F 1:00)

120 – Hailey DeWitt (Jacksonville) over Alauni Muex (Marion) (F 4:50

125 – Reese Blount (Mascoutah) over Hailey Guberman-Bernett (O`Fon) (D 4-1) 

130 – Scarlett Gentille (O’Fon) over Audrey Barnes (Granite City) (F 3:59)

135 – Joelene Nappier-Feth (Marion) over Aubrey Raban (Freeburg) (F 2:12)

145 – Rory Speidel (Jersey) over Brynn Swyers(140) (Vandalia) (D 16-10)

155 – Derika Gradford (Mount Vernon) over Charity Bolinger (Jacksonville) (F 1:34)

190 – Anna Dodson (Salem) over Izabell McBride (Waterloo) (F 2:06)

Third-place match results:

100 – Josselyn Allen (Jersey) (Bye)

105 – Ma`Kayla Bonner (Granite City) over Delaney Measimer (Carbondale) (F 2:27)

110 -Phoenix Criss (Lanphier) over Meredith Gumz (Springfield) (F 3:49)

115 – Kendall Smith (Civic Memorial) over Alexandra Chong (Edwardsville) (F 2:31)

120 – (Bye)

125 – (Bye)

130 – Isabella Resendez (Glenwood) over Nevaeh Gentelin (Waterloo) (F 2:14)

135 – Alexia Glover (PORTA) over Alex Simpson (Edwardsville) (F 1:30)

145 – Adrianna Dodson (Salem) over Elsie Dozier (Glenwood) (F 2:13)

155 – Makayla Padilla (Jacksonville) over Nina Landmann (Highland) (F 2:41)

190 – Sophia Elkins (Highland) (Bye)

Heyworth Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Abella Brown (East Peoria) over LT Diephuis (Canton) (F 2:59)

100 – Aerith Adams (Dunlap) over Shayla Schielein (Canton) (D 10-4)

105 – Isabel Gwaltney (Ottawa) over Naomi DeBord (Deer Creek-Mackinaw)

110 – Payton Henson (Streator) over Madizyn Megrant (Pekin) (F 2:01

115 – Ava Beldo (Centennial) over Manar Salem (Richwoods) (F 2:01)

120 – Hailey Watson (Normal University)

125 – Leonie Dubson (Mattoon) over Randi Campe (Urbana) (F 4:05)

130 – Ava Weatherford (Ottawa) over Claire Zorns (Unity) (F 4:18)

135 – Maddie Wells (St. Joseph Ogden) over Rachel Richey (Robinson) (F 2:56)

140 – Vivian Guither (Normal West) over Alicia Swank (Bloomington) (F 3:54)

145 – Anna Vasey (Unity) over Alicia Navarrete (Rantoul) (F 0:48)

155 – Holly Hixon (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) over Emmie Waller (Canton) (F 4:06)

170 – Sydney Johnson (Richwoods) over Franciana Kalanga (Urbana) (D 3-0)

190 – (Bye)

235 – Khyiema Poole (Robinson) over Leann Johnson (Pontiac) (F 0:55)

Third-place matches:

95 – Haley Richter (Heyworth)

100 – Autumn meeks (Metamora Township)

105 – Janelle Willoughby (Mattoon)

110 – Ariana Humes (Clinton) over Cheyenne Anderson (Normal West) (F 1:46)

115 – Lilyana Malagon (Illinois Valley Central) over Valeria Munoz (Ottawa) (F 2:53)

120 – (Bye)

125 – Hailey Watson (Normal University) over Morgan Krone-Smallhorn (Charleston) (F 1:33)

130 – (Bye)

135 – Alila Beck (Bloomington) over Laila Kuhnke (Normal West) (F 2:49)

140 – Kennedy Smith (Canton)

145 – (Bye)

155 – Macee Hammond (Robinson) over Kaleigh Mehrkens (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) (F 1:41)

170 – Bella Brooks (Deer Creek-Mackinaw)

190 – (Bye)

235 – (Bye)

Lake Zurich Sectional

Championship match results:

100 – Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) (Bye)

105 – Lilliana Aly (Wauconda) over Hanna Lee (Vernon Hills) (F 2:45) 

110 – Nastasia Kobets (Stevenson)  (Bye)

115 – Diya Patel (Schaumburg) over Osmairi Medina Alvarado (Lakes) (Maj 14-4)

120 – Isabella Rivas (Schaumburg) over Myla Reyes (Grant) (D 4-1)

125 – Karina Lojowski (Stevenson) over Aaliyah Vazquez (Gurnee) (F 2:09)

130 – Sharon Olorunfemi (Schaumburg) over Ruby Gavina (Dundee Crown) (D 5-2)

135 – Ewa Krupa (Conant) over Christina Marogy (Buffalo Grove) (F 0:54)

140 – Liriana Rakoci (Hoffman Estates) over Karimot Lawal (Palatine) (SV-1 8-6)

145 – Keara Micek (Schaumburg) over Joscelin Ritthamel (Lake Park) (F 1:32)

155 – Nikol Orendarchuk (Wheeling) over Angela Pantoja (Palatine) (D 4-2)

170 – Alya Razzak (Schaumburg) over Sabrina Cargill (Palatine) (F 3:15)

190 – Nadia Razzak (Schaumburg) over Jazz Ocampo (Fremd) (F 1:26)

235 – Monika Irazoque (Palatine) over Ashley Agular (North Chicago) (F 2:59

Third-place match results:

100 – (Bye)

105 – Justice Girod (Schaumburg) over Jaiydyn Hoffman (Grant) (F 1:00)

110 – (Bye)

115 – Emilia Malko (Stevenson) over Giulia Gheciu (Stevenson) (F 0:26)

120 – Lilyan Blasius (Lakes) over Alessa Raucci (Huntley) (F 0:51)

125 – (Bye)

130 – Bree Hirsch (Lake Forest) over Elaina Skradski (Algonquin-Jacobs) (F 1:23)

135 – Grecia Garcia (Huntley)

140 -Liriana Rakoci (Hoffman Estates) over Karimot Lawal (Palatine) (SV-1 8-6)

145 – Nikki Hubbard (Hoffman Estates) over Gianna Maiorino- Scheiblein (Huntley) (F 1:56)

155 – Janet Brindis (Rolling Meadows) over Cassidy Graham (Grant) (D 6-4)

170 – Paige Washburn (Lake Park) over Anaelise Aberman (Conant) (D 6-1)

190 – Leilani Brindis (Rolling Meadows)

235 – (Bye)

Shepard Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Melani Martinez (Curie) over Shae Halleran (Marist) (F 0:36)

100 – Giselle Arambula (Curie) over Sofia Perez (Shepard) (F 0:38)

105 – Kimani Glasper (Westinghouse)

110 – Zoriah Ruiz (Westinghouse)

115 – Allison Nava (Oak Lawn)

125 – Mila Rocush (Shepard) (Bye)

130 – Stacey Massey (Shepard) over Iliana Salenas (Eisenhower) (F 2:58)

135 – Stella Harris (Marist)

145 – Cecilia Colon (Universal) over Ayanna Mathis (Curie) (F 0:31)

155 – Sarah Parker (Marist) over Amelia Estrada (Shepard) (F 2:24)

170 – Carina Cirilo (Curie) (Bye)

235 – Kassandra Lee (Shepard) (Bye)

Third-place match results:

95 –  Danielle Almazan (Shepard) over Breana Marshall (Shepard) (F 0:58)

100 – (Bye)

105 – (Bye)

110 – (Bye)

115 – (Bye)

125 – (Bye)

130 – (Bye)

135 – (Bye)

145 – Lilana Duran (Shepard) over Jocelyn Gabriel-Velazquez (Shepard) (F 1:32)

155 – Victoria Perez (Shepard) (Bye)

170 – (Bye)

235 – (Bye)

Sterling Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Jenavieve Echols (Sterling) over Rylee Backes (Princeton) (D 8-4)

110 – Ruby Vences (Burlington Central) over Lydia King (Geneseo) (F 0:54)

115 – Jamari Simmons (Hampshire) over Emily Newman (Sterling) (F 0:33)

120 – Dyani Torres (Kaneland) over Ryleigh Eriks (Rock Fs) (D 4-1)

125 – Rylie Donahue (Somonauk) over Evie Anderson (Durand) (F 4:18)

130 – Hailey Drach (Woodstock) over Josie Leone (Princeton) (F 2:03)

135 -Brianna Bynum (Sherrard) over SkyeAnn Munz (Sterling) (F 0:50)

140 – Dena Cox 140 (Erie) over Brianna Crown (Woodstock) (D 6-3)

170 – Madelyn Mooney (Geneseo) over Macy Litherland (Geneseo) (F 3:54)

190 – Sadie Kinsella (Kaneland) (Bye)

235 – Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore) over Aislan Leetch (Geneseo) (F 1:28)

Third-place match results:

95 – Leah Lopez (Hampshire) (Bye)

110 – Maddison Wickham (Morrison) over Noelani Ibarra (Sterling) (F 2:10)

115 – (Bye)

120 – Sumr Al-Hamdani (Galena) (Bye)

125 – Danica LaTessa (Woodstock North) over Emma Duncan (Galena) (F 2:20)

130 – Madison Minson (Hampshire) (Bye)

135 – Gia Ritter (Geneseo) over Ashlyn Fargher (Rock Fs) (F 0:39)

140 – (Bye)

170 – (Bye)

190 – (Bye)

235 – Allison Hill (Woodstock) (Bye)

Thornton Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Daniela Santander (Romeoville) over Monica Alvarez (LW Central) (F 3:53)

100 – Dakodia Kelly (T.F. South) over Ariel Woodfin (Thornton) (F 0:58)

105 – Maggie Gordon (Morris) over Angelina Nettey (Plainfield East) (F 2:53

110 – Courtni Chuway (Seneca) over Judith Gamboa (Reed Custer) (F 4:29)

115 – Taniyah Sherman (Kankakee) over Makensi Martin (Morris) (F 1:34)

120 – Nina Hamm (Homewood-Flossmoor) over Danica Martin (Morris) (F 1:27)

125 – Ava Cupples (Wilmington) over Amara Nwoye (Homewood-Flossmoor) (F 1:14)

130 – Eleanor Giertuga (LW Central) over Aubrianna Rapier (Bradley Bourbonais) (F 2:31

135 – Christiana Finley (Hillcrest) over Tessa Neikirk (Morris) (F 1:26)

140 – Viktoria Rodnikova (Plainfield North) over Bailey Mitchell (LW Central) (F 1:22)

145 – Bella Cyrkiel (Minooka) over Faith Joslin (Kankakee) (F 2:04)

155 – Abbey Boersma (Minooka) over Noelie Perez-Bedolla (Joliet Central) (F 4:55)

170 – Kinnidi Riley (Bloom) over Lucia Terrazas (T. F. South) (F 2:02)

190 – Kyra Wood (Seneca) over Lyric Bryant (Homewood-Flossmoor) (F 3:14)

235 – Sionna Stampley (Thornton) (Bye)

Third-place match results:

95 – Lillian O`brien (Bloom) (Bye)

100 – Emily Peyton (LW Central) (Bye)

105 – Ashley Hobbs (Bolingbrook) (Bye)

110 – Veronica Skibicki (Lockport) over Gymaria Brown (Thornton) (F 2:57)

115 – Taniya Moss (Hillcrest) over Bella Romando (Lockport) (F 2:23)

120 – Vanessa Arellano (Kankakee) (Bye)

125 – Kaitlyn Erdakos (LW Central) (Bye)

130 – Sommer Boswell (Bradley Bourbonaiss) over Isabella Kirkpatrick (Kankakee) (F 3:28)

135 – Alexia Kachiroubas (Plainfield South) over Nicolette Boelman (Morris) (F 2:38)

140 – Brooke Majchrowski (Plainfield East) over Ariana Vergara (Romeoville) (F 4:31)

145 – Mya Coffey (Bloom) (Bye)

155 – Kaitlyn Bucholz (Plainfield East) over Adrianna Vela (Andrew) (F 4:27)

170 – (Bye)

190 – (Bye)

235 – (Bye)

Evanston Sectional

Maine South led all schools with seven state qualifiers in Evanston, led by a trio of sectional champions in Brett Harman (113), Jake Colleran (132), and Caden Ljubenko (138). Evanston’s five state qualifiers were led by sectional champs Rodrigo Salinas (150) and Jeremy Marshall (285), and Glenbrook South’s five qualifiers were led by sectional champion Dominic Marino (157).

Notre Dame also had three sectional champs in Ray Long (101), John Greifelt (120), and Sean Cook (215), and IC Catholic Prep had a pair of sectional champs in Martin Noth (175) and Anthony Sebastian (190).

Other wrestlers winning sectional titles were Proviso West’s Andre Rice (106), Deerfield’s Adrian Cohen (126), York’s Jackson Hanselman (144), and Addison Trail’s Alen Bautista (165).

101 – Ray Long (Notre Dame) over Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) (MD 18-8)

106 – Andre Rice (Proviso West) over Colin Bosak (DePaul Prep) (F 2:36)

113 – Brett Harman (Maine South) over Christopher Tranas (Glenbrook South) (F 0:25)

120 – John Greifelt (Notre Dame) over Noah Palzet (Deerfield) (D 5-1)

126 – Adrian Cohen (Deerfield) over Matthew Miralles (New Trier) (F 4:52)

132 – Jake Colleran (Maine South) over Taylor Francis (OPRF) (F 3:39)

138 – Caden Ljubenko (Maine South) over Benjamin Czarnowski (IC Catholic Prep) (D 10-7)

144 – Jackson Hanselman (York) over Andrew Rieger (St. Patrick) (F 4:21)

150 – Rodrigo Salinas (Evanston) over Omar Diaz (Fenton) (D 3-1)

157 – Dominic Marino (Glenbrook South) over Henry Hafner (Glenbrook North) (D 6-2)

165 – Alen Bautista (Addison Trail) over Marty Greif (Maine South) (D 11-6)

175 – Martin Noth (IC Catholic Prep) over Maddox Bartoli (Lane Tech) (F 2:58)

190 – Anthony Sebastian (IC Catholic Prep) over Gio Sandoval (Morton) (D 5-0

215 – Sean Cook (Notre Dame) over Tommy Leach (Maine South) (F 0:38)

285 – Jeremy Marshall (Evanston) over Ian Sims (Evanston) (D 2-1)

101 – Dominic Pasquale (IC Catholic Prep) over George Georgiev (Maine South) (D 9-8)

106 – Gabriel Hernandez (Fenton) over Gabriel Pearlman (Deerfield) (D 6-0)

113 – Dean Angelo (St. Patrick) over Johnniel Otero (Proviso East) (F 4:25)

120 – Emmett Mazukelli (Maine South) over Alex Cohen (OPRF) (MD 13-3)

126 – Isaiah Gibson (OPRF) over Patrick Hulne (St. Patrick) (D 9-3)

132 – Burke Burns (Fenwick) over Jordan Mokhtarian (Glenbrook North) (F 4:34)

138 – John Palmer (Glenbrook South) over Sebastian Bruno (St. Patrick) (F 1:21)

144 – Cole Calace (Lane Tech) over Louis Avalos (Maine West) (F 2:15)

150 – Yassin Aitzemkour (New Trier) over Zachary Michaud (OPRF) (D 9-4)

157 – Jose Honorato (Fenton) over Aleksander Knapik (Loyola Academy) (TB-1 8-7)

165 – Diego Lopez (Evanston) over Robert Arroyo (Fenwick) (F 4:19)

175 – Andy Ciriaco (Evanston) over Ryan Henrichs (Fenwick) (F 1:43)

190 – Santiago Luis Moya (Morton) over Jacob Shamoon (Glenbrook South) (MD 9-0)

215 – Zikomo Mbewe (Fenwick) over Daniel Derbedyenyev (Highland Park) (F 2:23)

285 – Josh Zuniga (Fenton) over Brendan Gomez (Glenbrook South) (F 0:11)

Granite City Sectional

Edwardsville’s five state qualifiers featured a sectional champion in Brayton Hill-Lomax (215), while Glenwood’s four qualifiers were led by sectional champs Jaxon Ferguson (106) and Julian Rammelkamp (157).

Murphysboro led the field with a pair of sectional champs in Paxton Pyatt (113) and Julien Tanner (285).

Other sectional champions in Granite City were Belleville East’s Jackson Schadegg (101), Waterloo’s Konnor Stephens (120), Vandalia’s Gabriel Weischedel (126), Warrensburg-Latham’s Charles Wittmer (132), Belleville West’s Xander Goodwin (138), Alton’s Brayden Drew (144), East St. Louis’ Pierre Walton (150), Civic Memorial’s Luke McCoy (165), Sacred-Heart Griffin’s Casen Lyons (175), and Southeast’s Christopher Hull (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Jackson Schadegg (Belleville East) over Braxton Tittle (Benton) (F 3:40)

106 – Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood) over Harrison Lott (Riverton) (D 5-1)

113 – Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) over Corbin Zeisset (Belleville East) (D 7-1)

120 – Konnor Stephens (Waterloo) over Colin Waddington (Edwardsville) (D 9-6

126 – Gabriel Weischedel (Vandalia) over Desi Wade (Mascoutah) (D 8-2)

132 – Charles Wittmer (W.-Latham)) over Kj Jamison (Edwardsville) (D 6-2)

138 – Xander Goodwin (Belleville West) over Jordan Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah) (F 1:14)

144 – Brayden Drew (Alton) over Braxton Kieffer (Litchfield) (D 8-3)

150 – Pierre Walton (East St. Louis) won by tech F over Rennie Lilo (Quincy) (TF 19-3)

157 – Julian Rammelkamp (Glenwood) over over Jake Oitker (Pittsfield) (MD 17-5)

165 – Luke McCoy (Civic Memorial) over Corey Robinson (East St. Louis) (F 0:46)

175 – Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin) over Kevahn Flannigan (Civic Memorial) (F 2:09)

190 – Christopher Hull ( (Southeast) over Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) (D 13-10)

215 – Braylon Hill-Lomax (Edwardsville) over Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) (SV-1 3-1)

285 – Julien Tanner (Murphysboro) over Lucas Kunz (Edwardsville) (D 3-0)

Third-place match results:

101 – Nathan Fisher (Cahokia) over Taygan Gossard (W.-Latham) (F 0:37)

106 – Zane Stanley (Benton) over Jkwon Williamson (Marion) (D 13-8)

113 – Steven Easley (Jacksonville) over Hunter Hayes (Jacksonville) (F 4:22)

120 – Glen Henry (Triad) over Drayven Hamm (Auburn) (F 1:22)

126 – Kaden Blades (Benton) over John Vallar (Glenwood) (F 1:56)

132 – Braxton Tolley (Granite City) over Cooper Kamm (Quincy) (F 0:45)

138 – Lonnez Smith (East St. Louis) over Cale Mixer (Quincy) (D 6-5)

144 – Sean Murphy (Mascoutah) over Maddox Medrano (Beardstown) (F 4:50)

150 – Nicholas Hartley (Jersey) over James Escobar (Rochester) (MD 14-6)

157 – Eliot Dahm (Belleville East) t over Jamarion Thomas (PORTA) (Med FFT)

165 – Graham Taylor (Edwardsville) over Alcantar Medrano (Beardstown) (F 2:56)

175 – Johnny Ramaker (Trico) over Shamar Brownlee (Springfield) (D 2-1)

190 – Evan Francis (Marion) over Mason Streb (Glenwood) (D 4-0)

215 – Jack Amann (Freeburg) over Braden Duffy (Waterloo) (D 10-3

285 – Cash Thomas (Auburn) over Lucas Oseland (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (F 0:27)

Heyworth Sectional

Normal’s seven state qualifiers feature three sectional champs in Jackson Soney (101), Ethan Cavallo (120) and Carter Mayes (144). Unity had four qualifiers, led by sectional champ Abram Davidson (165), Washington advanced four to state, and Mahomet-Seymour had a pair of sectional champions in Noah Frank (190) and Noah Daniels (215).

Other sectional champions at Heyworth were Canton’s Jake Hardesty (106), Morton’s Harrison Dea (113), Shelbyville’s Bodee Fathauer (126), Hoopeston’s Aiden Bell (132), Metamora Township’s Connor Graham (138), Robinson’s Benjamin Mullins (150), Galesburg’s Anthony Makwala (157), Centennial’s Sergio Baity (175), and East Peoria’s Keegan Barnes (285).

Championship match results:

101 – Jackson Soney (Normal) over Briley Carter (Clinton) (F 2:59)

106 – Jake Hardesty (Canton) over Elijah Conda (Normal) (MD 11-0)

113 – Harrison Dea (Morton) over Logan Makiney (Washington) (D 9-2)

120 – Ethan Cavallo (Normal) over Tyler Huchel (Oakwood) (D 7-5)

126 – Bodee Fathauer (Shelbyville) over Beau Thompson (Marquette Academy) (D 6-0)

132 – Aiden Bell (Hoopeston) over Malachi Hutchison (Urbana) (F 4:42)

138 – Connor Graham (Metamora) over Hudson Meek (Lawrenceville) (MD 13-2)

144 – Carter Mayes (Normal) over Justin Droke Jr. (Clinton) (MD 16-6)

150 – Benjamin Mullins (Robinson) over Josiah Williams (Danville) (D 8-4)

157 – Anthony Makwala (Galesburg) over Reily Leifheit (Marquette Academy) (D 12-5)

165 – Abram Davidson (Unity) over Dalton Oakman (East Peoria) (MD 11-3)

175 – Sergio Baity (Centennial) over Jaxon Wright (Gibson City) (F 1:23)

190 – Noah Frank (Mahomet Seymour) over Darian Holloway (Olympia) (D 6-0)

215 – Noah Daniels (Mahomet Seymour) over Philip Daniels (Mahomet Seymour) (F 3:24)

285 – Keegan Barnes (East Peoria) over David Williams (Bloomington) (DQ)

Third-place match results:

101 – Symon Woods (Washington) over Joshua Stedwill (Peoria Notre Dame) (Med FFT)

106 – Johnny Thomas (Normal) over Jacob Payne (Normal West) (MD 11-2)

113 – Charlie Flores (Hoopeston) over Dakoda Hentz (Limestone) (D 4-0

120 – Austin Kisner (Olympia) over Ruben Rivera (University) (D 11-7)

126 – Nolan Lowe (University) over Tristan Porter (Mattoon) (D 5-2

132 – Mason Wood (Normal West) over Cale Seitzinger (Lawrenceville) (D 3-2)

138 – Ethan Lowe (University) over Christopher Rose (Bloomington) (MD 13-3)

144 -Austin Winters (Unity) over Jonah Fonner (Urbana) (F 1:30)

150 – Josh Heath (Unity) over Trevor Soice (Heyworth) (MD 13-0)

157 – Cruise Brolley (Washington) over Russell Stamp (Clinton) (F 0:51)

165 – Colton Mckee (Morton) over Sam Manson (Gibson City) (F 2:48)

175 – Ryker Gemberling (Deer Creek Mackinaw) over Rylyn Owens (Mount Zion) (F 0:28)

190 – Ethan Miller (Westville) over Carson Thornton (Mount Zion) (D 4-0

215 – Alec Deltoro (East Peoria) over Chason Daly (Unity) (F 1:45)

285 – Sean Thornton (Washington) over Hayden Ralph (Richwoods) (F 2:50)

Lake Zurich Sectional

Grant’s eight state qualifiers featured a trio of sectional champions in Carter Hutchinson (101), Grayson Lennon’s (157) and Casey Gipson (190).

Stevenson had a pair of sectional champs in Evan Mishels (106) and Mikey Polyakov (126), as did Barrington in Daniel Blanke (138) and Clarence Jackson (285), and Rolling Meadows with Josh Rappa (165) and John Rappa (175).

Both Libertyville and Grayslake Central had four state qualifiers apiece.

Other sectional champions in Lake Zurich were Fremd’s Trentin Odachowski (113), Jacobs’ Ben Arbotante (120), Schaumburg’s Aiden Quevedo (132), Prospect’s Bennett Westfallen (144), Hersey’s Frank Tagoe (150), and Dundee-Crown’s Teigen Moreno (215).

Championship match results:

101 – Carter Hutchinson (Grant) over Larry Quirk (Grant) (D 3-0)

106 – Evan Mishels (Stevenson) over Austin Phelps (Schaumburg) (MD 11-2)

113 – Trentin Odachowski (Fremd) over Jacob Smith (Antioch) (UTB 0-0)

120 – Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) over Krish Sahu (Grayslake Central) (D 3-0)

126 – Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson) over Brennan O`Donnell (Barrington) (D 10-5)

132 – Aiden Quevedo (Schaumburg) over Cameron Engels (Bartlett) (D 5-1)

138 – Daniel Blanke (Barrington) over Brian Hart Jr. (Wauconda) (F 3:59)

144 – Bennett WestFallen (Prospect) over William Lyle (Grayslake Central) (SV-1 4-2)

150 – Frank Tagoe (Hersey) over Nicholas Hermsen (Warren) (D 7-3)

157 – Grayson Lennon (Grant) over James Scanio (Libertyville) (D 8-2)

165 – Josh Rappa (Rolling Meadows) over Tyler Porter (Crystal Lake Central) (D 10-3)

175 – John Rappa (Rolling Meadows) over Johnny Strauss (Jacobs) (D 9-6)

190 – Casey Gipson (Grant) over Colin Arquilla (Antioch) (F 4:55)

215 – Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown) over Yaree Sandifer (Lake Forest) (F 2:33)

285 – Clarence Jackson (Barrington) over Pablo Morales (Wheeling) (MD 22-11)

Third-place match results:

101 – Jacob Shafer (Libertyville) over Frankie Katz (Wheeling) (MD 15-2)

106 – Kristian Dlercq (Jacobs) over Michael Goolish (Conant) (MD 13-0)

113 – Tyler Wuh (Libertyville) over Dylan Ramsey (Crystal Lake Central) (INJ)

120 – Robert Suvi (Lake Zurich) over Cameron Sweeney (Johnsburg) (F 0:30)

126 – Aiden Marrello (Wauconda) over Brody Hinkle (Schaumburg) (D 2-0)

132 – Gavin Nischke (Huntley) over Trevor Hengl (Grayslake Central) (F 0:50)

138 – Nick Zuehlke (Crystal Lake Central) over Kainoa Ancog (Johnsburg) (F 4:05)

144 – Grant Moga (Hersey) over Ryan Johnston (McHenry) (F 3:33)

150 – Warren Nash III (Grayslake Central) over Marcus Macins (Antioch) (MD 12-2)

157 – Lucas Nance (Fremd) over Waylon Theobald (Huntley) (SV-1 10-6)

165 – Aaden Arroyo (Grant) over Owen Hurd (Huntley) (F 1:33)

175 – Jack Treutelaar (Libertyville) over Michael Cronkrite (Grant) (D 7-3)

190 – Ariel Montes (McHenry) over Anthony Basso (Carry Grove) (F 0:34

215 – Celso cabrera (Mundelein) over Lucas Retzler (Jacobs) (D 3-1)

285 – Ryel Deleon (Grant) over Owen Jakubczak (Fremd) (INJ)

Shepard sectional

Marist’s 16 state qualifiers and seven sectional champions led the field at Shepard, as the RedHawks got individual titles from Dylan Weber (101), Elio Gil (106), Joseph Bronske (120), Ronin Haran (144), Kyle Herzog (175), Tommy O’Brien (215), and Daniel Mahoney (285).

Host Shepard had seven state qualifiers, led by sectional champ Joey Massey (138), and Carl Sandburg advanced six, led by sectional champions Oscar Kalman (113), Ahmad Abu (150) and Adnan Askar (157).

Oak Forest’s four state qualifiers were led by a pair of sectional champs in Jason Janke (165) and Nathan Pinski-Izguerra (190).

Other sectional champions at Shepard were Bremen’s Izaiah Gonzalez (126), and Stagg’s Samer Suleiman (132).

Championship match results:

101 – Dylan Weber (Marist) over Zayne Salah (Sandburg) (MD 11-0)

106 – Elio Gil (Marist) over Elijah Sawyers (Ag Science) (F 4:13)

113 – Oscar Kalman (Sandburg) over Jake Crawford (Marist) (F 3:54)

120 – Joseph Bronske (Marist) over Eddie Astorga Ii (Marist) (D 4-0)

126 – Izaiah Gonzalez (Bremen) over Adrian Cervantes (Evergreen Park) (F 3:49)

132 – Samer Suleiman (Stagg) over Harrison Stroobooscher (Shepard) (F 3:27)

138 – Joey Massey (Shepard) over Jack Lorenz (Marist) (F 1:00)

144 – Ronin Haran (Marist) over Obaida Hasan (Sandburg) (MD 9-0)

150 – Ahmad Abu (Sandburg) over Owen Brady (Evergreen Park) (F 1:30)

157 – Adnan Askar (Sandburg) over Aiden Hill (Shepard) (MD 14-2)

165 – Jason Janke (Oak Forest) over Jacob Flemming (St Rita) (F 3:45)

175 – Kyle Herzog (Marist) over Maciej Zalinski (St Laurence) (F 3:17)

190 – Nathan Pinski-Izguerra (Oak Forest) over Tyran Pritchett (Hope Academy) (D 3-0)

215 – Tommy OBrien (Marist) over Samel Marerro (Horizon Southwest) (D 5-1

285 – Daniel Mahoney (Marist) over Mark Kelleher (St Rita) (TB-1 2-1)

 Third-place match results:

101 – Henry Eckardt (Shepard) over Miles Rutkoski (Stagg) (F 3:44)

106 – Roberto Rangel (Marist) over Javier Corral (Stagg) (D 4-2)

113 – Vincent Arvetis (De La Salle) over Amir Alkilani (Richards) (D 6-0)

120 – Kingston Sawyers (Ag Science) over Jayden Cervantes (Evergreen Park) (MD 15-5)

126 – Sean Loughney (Marist) over Augustas Leskauskas (Richards) (D 7-3)

132 – Henry Beeson (Marist) over Tyrese Howard (Shepard) (F 3:46)

138 – Dylan Galvez (Hope Academy) over Romeo Gonzalez (Oak Lawn) (F 1:57)

144 – Daniel Lynch (Mt Carmel) over Derek Rodríguez (Oak Forest) (F 2:37)

150 – Charlie Shane (Oak Lawn) over Isiah Martinez (Shepard) (F 0:57)

157 – Travis Ellis (Shepard) over Christian Vega (Kennedy) (F 1:35)

165 – Wyatt Hochgraber (Sandburg) over Inake Mata (Horizon Southwest) (F 4:50)

175 – David Wolski (Marist) over Matas Pivoris (De La Salle) (D 4-0)

190 – Juan Zavala (Solorio) over Rayshawn Doles (Eisenhower) (F 1:23)

215 – Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) over Jack Watson (Marist) (F 1:24)

285 – Danzel Newell (Marist) over Justin Powell (Hyde Park) (D 6-4)

Sterling Sectional

Moline led all schools with five state qualifiers, led by sectional champions Dominick Diaz (126), Jaxson Soliz (150) and Jude Ossian (165).

Sycamore had a pair of sectional champs in Michael Olson (113) and Tyler Lockhart (120) and all other schools had one champ apiece.

Also winning sectional titles at Sterling were Hampshire’s Deegan Kirschke (101), Hononegah’s Jackson Olson (106), Guilford’s Ayden Macklin (132), Geneseo’s Grady Hull (138), DeKalb’s Cam Matthews (144), Marian Central’s Nicolas Astacio (157), Marengo’s Frankie Solis (175), Stockton’s Oliver McPeek (190), Harlem’s Chandler Jack (215) and Dakota’s Randy McPeek (285).

Championship match results:

101 – Deegan Kirschke (Hampshire) over Jaden Bradley (DeKalb) (F 2:38)

106 – Jackson Olson (Hononegah) over Jackson Marlett (Burlington Central)

113 – Michael Olson (Sycamore) over Thomas Olson (Freeport) (MD 8-0)

120 – Tyler Lockhart (Sycamore) over Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline) (F 4:36)

126 – Dominick Diaz (Moline) over Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem) (F 0:41)

132 – Ayden Macklin (Guilford) over Emmanuel Arreola (Sterling) (F 1:22)

138 – Grady Hull (Geneseo) over Jack Gruber (Kaneland) (F 2:31)

144 – Cam Matthews (DeKalb) over Hassan Ndiaye (Moline) (D 6-3)

150 – Jaxson Soliz (Moline) over Logan Wisner (Woodstock) (F 0:34)

157 – Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central) over Deanthony Simpson (Moline) (MD 14-4)

165 – Jude Ossian (Moline) over Michael Junitz (Burlington Central) (F 0:30)

175 – Frankie Solis (Marengo) over Duncan Nevel (Lena Winslow) (F 4:58)

190 – Oliver McPeek (Stockton) over Blake Livdahl (Harvard) (D 5-3)

215 – Chandler Jack (Harlem) over Logan Gibson (Burlington Central) (F 0:42)

285 – Randy McPeek (Dakota) over Dylan Bopes (Dixon) (D 4-0)

Third-place match results:

101 – Charlie Olson (Sycamore) over Dominic Angileri (Guilford) (D 11-7)

106 – Riley Paredes (Dixon) over Tyquez Hudson (Rock Island) (D 6-0)

113 – Cael Lyons (Sterling) over Kye Dieterle (Dixon) (F 4:00)

120 – Eduardo Vences (Burlington Central) over Josiah Tarbill (Rock Fs) (D 6-3)

126 – Ayden Shuey (DeKalb) won by medical forfeit over Taqiuldin Baker (Woodstock) (MFF)

132 – Geren Stapleton (Belvidere North) over Lincoln Barnett (Geneseo) (D 15-8)

138 – Mauricio Glass (Stockton) over Clayton Blumenstein (Rockridge) (F 2:26)

144 – xzavier Lindhe (Guilford) over Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley) (F 2:59)

150 – Bucci (Belvidere North) over Jonner Smith (West Carroll) (F 1:37)

157 – Michael Brannigan (Hampshire) over Trail Stonitsch (Rock Fs) (F 3:46)

165 – John Mensendike (Lena Winslow) over Benjamin Geske (Newman Central) (D 6-0)

175 – Dermot Dolan (Durand) over Dameon Poulton (Galena High School) (F 4:18)

190 – Carter Hintz (Hampshire) over David RanDker (Woodstock North) (F 3:44)

215 – Jonathan Weakley (Sherrard) over Mason Fry (Rock Island) (F 1:23)

285 – Emilio Guzman (Rock Island) over Jahkei Jones (Rock Fs) (F 0:40)

Thornton Sectional

Lockport led all teams at Thornton with 10 state qualifiers, led by sectional champions Isaac Zimmerman (126) and Christian Czerwinski (138). Lincoln-Way West was right behind the Porters with eight state qualifiers, led by sectional champion James Talley (190).

Lincoln-Way East had seven state qualifiers, featuring three sectional champions in Declan Dircks (157), Brody Gish (175) and Ryan Stingily (285), while Lincoln-Way Central had six qualifiers and also had a trio of champions in Jalen Byrd (144), Justin Cobbs (165), and Aiden Hennings (215). 

Joliet Catholic Academy had five state qualifiers, led by sectional champion Matthew Laird (106). Plainfield North also advanced five to state, led by champion Aidan DuRell (120).

Other sectional champions at Thornton were Andrew’s Gerald Donnelly (101), Morris’ Brock Claypool (113), Plainfield North’s Aidan DuRell (120), and Joliet West’s Aiden Brown (150).

Championship match results:

101 – Gerald Donnelly (Andrew) over Jonathan Lopez (Lockport) (F 3:33)

106 – Matthew Laird (Joliet Catholic) over Brady Glynn (LW West) (SV-1 4-2)

113 – Brock Claypool (Morris) over Kyrin King (Rich) (TF 15-0)

120 – Aidan DuRell (Plainfield North) over Damin Hudson (Bolingbrook) (D 9-6)

126 – Isaac Zimmerman (Lockport) over Haden Anderson (LW West) (TF 19-4)

132 – Robye Williams (Homewood Flossmoor) over Carter Skoff (Morris) (D 10-4)

138 – Christian Czerwinski (Lockport) over Christian Lany (Plainfield North) (D 8-2)

144 – Jalen Byrd (LW Central) over Naseem Jaber (Lockport) (F 2:41)

150 – Aiden Brown (Joliet West) over Evan Gutierrez (LW West) (F 1:11)

157 – Declan Dircks (LW East) over Kaden Meyer (Minooka) (D 5-1)

165 – Justin Cobbs (LW Central) over Colton Zvonar (LW East) (D 7-5)

175 – Brody Gish (LW East) over Jack Nowicki (Plainfield North) (D 8-3)

190 – James Talley Jr (LW West) over Derrick Pomatto (Joliet Catholic) (D 7-3)

215 – Aiden Hennings (LW Central) over Santino Capodice (Minooka) (F 2:49)

285 – Ryan Stingily (LW East) over Liam Co (Plainfield North) (D 2-1)

Third-place results:

101 – Leyton Bartley (LW West) over Waleed Shaar (Lockport) (D 2-1)

106 – Zachary Hoffner (Bourbonnais) over Jakob Crandall (Joliet West) (F 2:34)

113 – Razi Perez (Bourbonnais) over Max Munn (LW West) (D 3-0)

120 – Carter DiBenedetto (LW West) over Evan Curry (Lockport) (F 0:48)

126 – Aurelio Munoz (Joliet Catholic) over Mark Kozeluh (LW East) (TF 20-5)

132 – Jadon Zimmer (LW Central) over Caiden Selof (LW West) (D 9-4)

138 – Ethan Harvey (LW Central) over Evan Cox (Central (Clifton)) (D 3-2)

144 – Max Mularz (LW East) over Andrew Peterson (Morris) (D 10-6)

150 – Ryne Pearson (LW East) over Anthony Diorio (Lockport) (F 2:04)

157 – Chase Pierceall (Plainfield South) over Justin Langford (LW Central) (D 9-5)

165 – Drew Silzer (Lockport) over Zachary Cronk (Joliet West) (F 4:34)

175 – Kelcey Span (Rich) over Mason Russell (Lockport) (D 7-4)

190 – Reggie Miller (T. F. South) over Nuh Abukhudair (Lockport) (FF)

215 – Aiden Bishop (Joliet Catholic) over Daniel Dalach (Joliet Catholic) (F 1:37)

285 – Taofeeq Amuda (Thornton) over Noah Telitz (Lemont) (F 1:36)

…

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

Since the 2009 season when the IHSA rebranded the dual team state series into a three-class affair, Mount Carmel has advanced four times into the final weekend of the season. The Caravan came home with a pair of state trophies, including a state title in 2022 and a second place finish in 2020 for coach Alex Tsirtsis.

The Caravan lost a thriller a year ago to eventual state champion St. Charles East in its dual team state quarterfinal, but with 11 back from that team the chances to return to Bloomington appeared all but certain should good health follow the club throughout the 2023-24 campaign.

Mount Carmel got it done, in a 59-6 win over Yorkville that gave the program its fifth team state title in program history.

The Caravan got the postseason off to a flying start when it rolled to 110-point victory at the Chicago Catholic League tournament, and followed up with a resounding 62-point victory over state powers Marist and Sandburg to win the Marist regional title.

“(That) weekend when we won the regional at Marist, to me signaled that our team was ready to put forth all of its energy and commitment into the final couple of weeks of the season in order to see us come out here tonight and win the 3A state title,” said Caravan senior, Eddie Enright, who would finish his sensational career at 43-4.

“I knew from the first day we had it in us to get to this dual team final. We have a great coaching staff and terrific room of guys who push each other everyday we go into the room, but we also knew we had to come out and perform when each of us was called upon.”

“We do have a great bunch of guys on this team,” Tsirtsis said. “But it always comes down to leadership, and the seniors we have, have been terrific. So even though I’m so happy right now for the team, and program, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am for the seniors who have truly led the way this season.”

“We had to come out of a regional that was just loaded with talent, with two great teams in Marist and Sandburg, so when we got ourselves out of that regional, I knew we could get ourselves here and then see what happens.”

For Yorkville (22-5-0) and head coach Jake Oster, this year’s finish gave them the third second- place finish in program history, sixth trophy overall, and second straight for Oster who a year ago would guide the Foxes to a fourth-place finish at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

“It’s been a very good year for us,” Oster said. “We won our own regional, sent twelve to sectionals and six to state, and saw some of our guys fill-in along the way to provide the type of depth needed in order to compete, and get ourselves here this weekend.” 

Oster returns all but two from his lineup next year.

This dual-team tournament would be defined by an eight-team bracket that was heavily tilted with the top three-ranked teams in the state all on the top half of the bracket, along with another top-10 team in No. 7 Hononegah (15-4-0).

“When I saw the brackets, I knew it would be a real grind right from the start with us facing Hononegah,” St. Charles East coach Jason Potter said. “And we were without one of our big hammers (Tyler Guerra).”

Guerra was injured at the individual state tournament in Champaign.

2023 team state champion St. Charles East who entered the tournament as the No. 1-ranked team in the state, ahead of No. 2 Joliet Catholic and No. 3 Mount Carmel.

“The way the brackets fell meant that two great teams would be going home empty handed, either us or Hononegah, and Joliet Catholic or Mount Carmel, and with all due respect to the rest of a great field down here, that’s really too bad,” Potter said.

Potters’ men broke open a tight, tense contest with Hononegah when junior Payton Lee registered a pin at 132 to draw the Saints three points closer (18-15) to start a 16-point run fueled by Ben Davino, Jayden Colon and Gavin Connolly to give the reigning state champs a 31-18 advantage.

“I was looking for my pinch head-lock, and when it was there, I finished it off,” said Lee.

Two matches after a major decision victory from Connolly, junior Anthony Gutierrez secured victory with a pin at 165 to make it 37-23 and an eventual 40-29 result.

Hononegah will return all but three starters next year, including the dynamic freshmen trio of Rocco Cassioppi, Bruno Cassioppi, and Brody Sendele, and their combined 134-12 overall records.

“With (Guerra) out it meant we all had to step up and do our job, and get as many bonus points as we could,” Gutierrez said. Gutierrez (42-12) was one of six Saints who medaled at state, which included his fourth-place finish in Champaign at 165 pounds.

On the adjacent mat, the Caravan outlasted Joliet Catholic Academy 33-26 in their quarterfinal to advance.

“There were a lot of great teams in this 3A bracket, and we knew it would be a difficult road when we saw we opened with Mount Carmel,” JCA coach Ryan Cumbee said. “This is a tough sport that challenges you both mentally and physically, especially when you get down here.

“Tonight, Mount Carmel was the better team, one of the best in the country, so congrats to Alex and his young men.

“Despite this loss, we’ve had a tremendous season of growth and success. We’ve set the bar high here at Joliet Catholic, and it will remain that way when we get back at it again next season. We’ll have a terrific core group of guys back.”

The Hilltoppers, of course, must say goodbye to their brilliant heavyweight, Dillan Johnson, a four-time state champion who is on his way to Wisconsin in the fall.

“Dillan set the bar for this team, and I know the guys coming back will take so much from what he brought into the room,” Cumbee said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have him with us these past four seasons.”

The other half of the bracket saw Naperville Central race out to a 23-6 advantage before Yorkville stormed back to claim the next 30 points en route to a 36-20 triumph.

Naperville Central (20-7-0) would enjoy a wonderful season under head coach Noah Fitzenreider, who in his ninth year in charge led his club to a perfect 5-0-0 record to win the DuPage Valley Conference crown, and the East Aurora regional title, where it sent all 14 of its men into the Hinsdale Central sectional.

The Redhawks big men, Nico Besteiro (31-8) and William Erbeck (38-5) would lead the way, with Besteiro bringing home a sixth-place state medal at 215 pounds.

This was the third dual-team state appearance for Central in its history.

When this quarterfinal was being contested, so was the Oak Park and River Forest vs. Libertyville dual, a tightly-played affair that ended in favor of Libertyville when senior Charlie Clark dashed the hopes of the Huskies (14-3-0) who drew close (27-24) after a David Ogunsanya (39-11) major decision victory at 157 pounds.

Clark would be the bridge to pins from Matt Kubas (40-3) and Caleb Baczek (36-9) who would guarantee a second state trophy in the long and highly-successful career of Dale Eggert.

“We knew our draw was more favorable than the other side, but we still had to come in here tonight and be at our best in order to move on, and the guys did just that,” said Eggert, after his club beat the Huskies 45-24.

“The top half of the bracket was really tough, but it didn’t mean we could take OPRF or anyone else lightly,” Libertyville senior Owen McGrory said. “So I thought we wrestled really well to stay in front of them throughout the match and got some big wins from Orion (Moran, 132), Will Carney (144) and Charlie (Clark) at 165 to put us in control.” 

McGrory (45-3) placed fourth a week ago at individual state and was recently named Academic All-State by the IHSA.

Paul Collins’ men from OPRF appear back on the road to success after a couple of down years preceded by a memorable run that saw the Huskies win three consecutive 3A state titles, in addition to a pair of second place trophies in 2018 and 2019.

Collins’ big three of: Zev Koransky (126, 37-8), Joseph Knackstedt (138, 37-10) and the aforementioned Ogunsanya are all back, as are most of the Huskies lineup from their match with Libertyville.

Saturday’s semifinal of Mount Carmel versus St. Charles East was the Saturday morning breakfast special, and it did not disappoint.

The Caravan would strike first with wins at 285 and 106 to open up a 7-0 advantage, but after a forfeit to Dom Munaretto (50-3) to make it 7-6, the Caravan earned the next 13 points with a pin from three-time state champion Seth Mendoza (126, 46-2) sandwiched between victories by Justin Williamson (120) and Damian Recendez (132) to make it a 20-6 lead.

The Saints (21-1-0) would roar back with pins from Ben Davino (54-0) and Jayden Colon (44-5) to bring their club within five at 20-15, but the Caravan had a little too much firepower still available with Eddie Enright, and state champion Colin Kelly (175, 47-1) still in reserve.

Pins from Enright and Kelly increased the Caravan lead to 35-21 before Gutierrez and heavyweight Brandon Swartz finished strong to see the final score at 35-30.

“Two great teams – Alex runs a class program at Mount Carmel – so we knew we had a tough task in front of us, especially without Guerra in our lineup,” Potter said. “We needed to have a couple 

matches go our way, and they didn’t, but congrats to Alex and his guys.”

Yorkville would book its place in the finals after conceding early victories from Libertyville’s Jake Shaffer, Luke Berktold and Orion Moran before Dominic Recchia would start an avalanche of points from the Foxes, who won the next 20 points to make the score 27-16 with three matches remaining.

Matt Kubas registered a major decision victory at 175, but junior Luke Zook would cancel the Kubas win with a hard fought 5-3 decision over Caleb Baczek to keep the Foxes in control at 30-20, and an eventual 30-25 final.

“All of my wrestling life one of my biggest goals was to obviously win a state title, but to also help my team get to dual-team state and to win a state title,” began Zook (51-7), fourth last year in Champaign and fifth a week ago.

“Mount Carmel was a great team, but to go home with second place overall is a great accomplishment for all of us.”

St. Charles East would later defeat Libertyville 37-22 at about the same time the Caravan sent off Yorkville to claim the top prize.

“The group of seniors have, and will continue to have a massive impact on our program here at St. Charles East,” began Jason Potter.

“They have taken a good program, and showed it how to be a great one. They went from talented wrestlers focused on individual careers, to amazing wrestlers who were part of a program. Their impact on our program goes beyond wins and losses,”

The Saints will bid farewell four-time state champion Ben Davino, Tyler Guerra, Jayden Colon, Gavin Connolly, Brody Murray, and Brandon Swartz.

“Being here at St. Charles East has been better than I could have imagined,” Davino said. “The memories I’ll take from here are amazing, and aside from being around a great bunch of teammates who have become part of my family, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have the best head coach there is in coach Potter.”

Davino will wrestle at Ohio State next year.

Eggert will miss a magnificent group of Libertyville seniors as well, with eight headed to graduation this May, beginning with Berktold, Antonio Kelly, Moran, Anthony Kelly, Carney, Clark, and ending with Kubas and McGrory.

“It was a great season for us, the biggest surprise just being how successful we were,” said Eggert, who just finished up his 37th year with a record of 13-3-0.

“We knew we had four returning state qualifiers (Berktold, Kubas, Baczek, McGrory) that would make us respectable, but being so thin in the lower weights did not seem like team championships would be in the cards.”

The Wildcats would defeat league power, and rival Warren by 14 points to win its own regional.

“For me, I fell short of my goal of winning a state title, but for this team, it was just an amazing year, and one that I’ll never forget,” said Kubas, who ended his season on a high note with a 3-2 victory over Brody Murray (St. Charles East) in a rematch of the third-place state contest that Murray won.

Mount Carmel would celebrate 31 victories in Champaign, collect seven state medals, with Mendoza and Colin Kelly leading the way with their state championship wins.

“We ran the gauntlet against some unbelievable opponents to get here, and once again with Joliet Catholic, then Jason Potters’ guys before our final with Yorkville,” began Tsirtsis.

“These guys were ready to go right from the onset of the season, and it was their work ethic, and continued hard work that brought them here, and to put them in position to compete for a state title. As I said before, I cannot be more proud of any of the guys on our roster for what they have been able to achieve.”

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOAThe 2024 IHSA Class 1A Individual State Finals will certainly be one to remember because of the great stories that played out during the three days of intense competition at the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign. 

There were two three-time champions who were four-time medalists in Auburn’s Joey Ruzic and Dakota’s Noah Wenzel and there was a two-time champion, three-time finalist and four-time medal winner in Benton’s Mason Tieffel. They each left a great legacy for their programs that will be the envy of future athletes at those schools for years to come.

Wenzel and Ruzic were three-time IHSA champions, joining St. Charles East’s Ben Davino and Jayden Colon, Joliet Catholic Academy’s Dillan Johnson and Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza in that exclusive club. In addition, Tieffel, Ruzic and Wenzel were three of the 14 individuals who have competed in a title match in each of the last three IHSA Individual Finals in Champaign.

Also, the annual regular feature of the Finals, seniors who put it all together at the right time and close out their high school careers as champions even though they haven’t placed before because they believed that they could be state champions, such as was the case with Olympia’s Bentley Wise and Manteno’s Carter Watkins.

And there is the other great tradition of the juniors that have been accomplishing a lot of good things who put it all together and become state champions, which significantly changes the way that others see them from previously being one of the state’s better individuals to becoming the best in Illinois such as Rockridge’s Jude Finch, Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll, Coal City’s Landin Benson and Unity’s Hunter Eastin.

In addition, there were two juniors who found the right setting with new teammates and coaches that helped move them up on the awards stand to become champions, as was the case for Marian Central Catholic’s Brayden Teunissen and Althoff Catholic’s Jason Dowell.

And in another common theme that occurs each year at the Finals, there were three freshmen who made a great first impression in Champaign by winning titles, Johnsburg’s Eric Bush, Carlyle’s Preston Waughtel and Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny.

Obviously, there’s also the sad stories of accomplished seniors who didn’t make it to the awards stand one last time, and those who fell short for the second time on the championship mat or individuals who entered with outstanding records and then lost as many or even more matches at state than they had suffered up to that point.

With 12 of the championship matches being decisions and nine of those determined by three points or less, there were obviously a lot of tales of woe and reflection on what may have been if only this, that, or the other thing had gone a bit differently.

Carlyle junior Tyson Waughtel lost in sudden victory to fall just short of a third-straight title and an unbeaten season and also missed out on sharing a title win with his brother, Preston, while Herrin senior Blue Bishop and Tremont junior Bowden Delaney suffered two-point defeats on the title mat to finish with the same number of losses in Champaign as they had during the rest of their season.

The High School of Saint Thomas More senior Brody Cuppernell and Marian Central Catholic junior Vance Williams both lost three-point decisions to settle for second-place finishes for the second year in a row.

Unity junior Kaden Inman, St. Francis sophomore Jaylen Torres and Vandalia freshman Max Philpot all were either in the lead or within one point of their opponent in the late going before falling just short on the title mat.

In another disappointing set of circumstances, Oakwood/Salt Fork senior Bryson Capansky not only fell in the championship match but also lost in the dual team sectional as his team just missed out on making a return trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals, where they took fourth place and won their first trophy last season.

Despite their disappointment, the good news for Peoria Notre Dame junior Ian Akers, East Alton-Wood River junior Drake Champlin, Coal City sophomore Brody Widlowski, Vandalia sophomore Dillon Hinton and Lena-Winslow/Stockton sophomore Eli Larson, in addition to those mentioned earlier, is that all of them still have one or two more opportunities to be a state champion. 

But winners and losers in the title matches are not the only stories of the IHSA Individual Finals. Two other champions from a year ago, Marian Central Catholic senior Anthony Alanis and Riverdale sophomore Dean Wainwright, had to settle for third-place finishes.

And there was also the disappointments suffered by two individuals who had placed second in both 2023 and 2022. Illini Bluffs senior Hunter Robbins fell one win shy of a medal and Richmond-Burton junior Emmett Nelson wasn’t feeling well and did his best to take sixth place to claim a third medal.

Two seniors who had won medals for four-straight years, Farmington’s Keygan Jennings and Newman Central Catholic’s Brady Grennan, and two that won state medals the last three years, Harrisburg’s Tony Keene and Newman Central Catholic’s Carter Rude, not only didn’t win titles in their final seasons, they failed to get to the Grand March, though Jennings and Rude did get that opportunity a year ago.

Fortunately, there were a lot more good stories to tell than bad ones. Among those were Unity Christian sophomore brothers Clinton and Garrett VerHeecke both getting medals for the second year in a row. And there was history made by two seniors who were on co-op teams, Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine’s Ian Rosborough and Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Ty Carter, who both became the first medalists for their programs.

Fifty schools had all-state competitors, with the reward being a medal for a top-six finish. Class 1A champion Marian Central Catholic led the way with six and Class 1A runner-up Coal City was next with five. Roxana, which took third place and Vandalia, who took fourth place, both had three medal winners. Others who had three all-staters were De La Salle Institute, Newman Central Catholic, Oakwood/Salt Fork, Olympia, Princeton and Unity. Nine schools had two medalists, Benton, Carlyle, Chicago Hope Academy, Hoopeston Area, Illini Bluffs, Murphysboro, Riverdale, Rockridge and Unity Christian.

Here’s a look at the 2024 IHSA Class 1A Individual Finals, with the weight classes listed in the same order that they were conducted at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

132 – Jude Finch, Rockridge

Even though the 132 weight class featured four individuals who had won multiple state medals and were hoping that their third or fourth state appearances would finally result in a title, a first-time medalist in 2023 who didn’t win a tournament until the final weeks of the regular season emerged as the state champion after beating two of the multiple medal winners late in the season and the other two in Champaign. In the 132 title match, Rockridge junior Jude Finch took a 5-2 lead over Marian Central Catholic junior Vance Williams with a takedown with 1:06 left and went on to claim a 7-4 victory to cap a 43-6 season. Finch, a three-time qualifier who took third place at 126 a year ago, became the eighth individual from Rockridge to win a state title and its first since Dallas Krueger and Nolan Throne were both champions in 2020. After opening with a fall in 1:40 over Clifton Central senior Kayden Cody (25-12), Finch won 9-2 in the quarterfinals over a two-time medalist, St. Joseph-Ogden’s Holden Brazelton, and reached the title mat with a 4-2 victory over Richland County’s Carson Bissey. Late in the season, Finch, one of the two medalists and three qualifiers for coach Lucas Smith’s Rockets, showed that he could win close matches against seniors who were three-time medalists when he won 3-2 over Farmington’s Keygan Jennings for first at Orion’s Bob Mitton Invitational and claimed a 2-1 victory over Newman Central Catholic’s Brady Grennan to win the title of the Fulton Regional.

“I got it done,” Finch said. “I figured it out and I wrestled my butt off and did what I wanted to do the whole year and I accomplished it and I’m proud. I worked my butt off every day at practice, I didn’t take one day off and I was going, going, going, no matter what. I’ve got wonderful coaches, they get done what needs to get done, they’re the best. I took losses, but I bounced back, you’ve got to keep wrestling. I was down, but I kept wrestling all six minutes of the match, 

no matter what. It feels great, you know it.”

Williams (44-9),  who took second at 132 a year ago and fourth at 132 in 2022, followed a fall with a 6-2 decision over Roxana’s Brandon Green Jr. before earning his spot on the title mat with an 8-0 major decision over Jennings. Williams was one of six qualifiers and three finalists for the Hurricanes, who won their first IHSA Dual Team title one week later when they beat defending champion Coal City 34-27 in Bloomington. Grennan (46-5), who took fifth at 126 a year ago and placed third at 120 in 2022 and also was third at 113 in 2021 at the IWCOA Finals, lost to Bissey by a tiebreaker 6-3 in the quarterfinals and had to beat Oakwood/Salt Fork junior Pedro Rangel (45-7), Brazelton and Jennings in the wrestlebacks before winning 5-1 over Bissey to claim third place for the third time. Bissey (48-3) took fourth at 126 in 2022 to become his first school’s first medal winner, but didn’t compete in the 2023 postseason because he failed to make weight in the regional. Roxana sophomore Brandon Green, Jr. (46-6) claimed his first medal and won 7-5 in sudden victory over Jennings in the fifth-place match to become of three medalists for the Shells, who took third at Dual Team state. Jennings (42-7) was second last season at 113 after taking sixth at 113 in 2022 and fifth at 106 in the IWCOA. Brazelton (47-3), a junior who took third at 132 a year ago and sixth at 120 in 2022, had two wins by technical fall but came up one win shy of a third medal. Lena-Winslow/Stockton sophomore Arrison Bauer (41-13) also fell one win short of his first medal.

“I’ve always wanted to wrestle in college and my coaches have told me that I’m good enough, so this is just practice and it can get me to the next level,” Bissey said. “I was fourth in 2022 and last year at regionals, I missed weight by .3 pounds. So I took that personally and I just got better and that’s not happening again. It feels great (to place again) but I can’t let it get to me, I need to get better and I want to come back next year stronger than ever.”

138 – Mason Tieffel, Benton

When future discussions about who some of the most important athletes have been who helped to raise the bar in a significant way for wrestling in southern Illinois, Mason Tieffel certainly needs to be mentioned. The Benton senior capped an impressive career in which he won state titles as a junior and senior after taking second as a sophomore and third at the IWCOA Finals in 2021. Tieffel was one of 14 individuals who competed in championship matches in each of the past three seasons. He capped a dominant unbeaten season with an 18-6 major decision over Vandalia’s Dillon Hinton in the Class 1A 138 title match. He opened with a fall in 3:00 over Riverdale junior Kolton Kruse (38-16), followed that with a pin in 2:17 over Illini Bluffs’ Ian O’Connor in the quarterfinals and got a fall in 2:49 over Sandwich’s Cooper Corder in the semifinals. Tieffel, who finished 56-0 after winning his final match on Tuesday in Benton when his team fell to Vandalia in the dual team sectional, went 52-2 and was also a state champion at 138 a year ago after going 47-5 and taking second place at 126 in 2022 and also went 33-1 to finish third at 120 in 2021, giving him a career record of 188-8. His only losses in state tournament competition were to Dakota’s four-time champion Phoenix Blakely in the title match in 2022 and to Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Garrett Luke in the semifinals in 2021. Tieffel became Benton’s first two-time champion, three-time finalist and four-time medal winner. He won six other tournament titles this season, taking firsts at Civic Memorial’s Bradley, Unity, Carbondale’s Murdale, Goreville/Vienna’s Blackcat Brawl, the Herrin Regional and the Vandalia Sectional, He also beat Hinton in two other title matches by major decision, at Civic Memorial and the sectional.

“It’s been a really fun season,” Tieffel said. “This is what I’ve wanted since I did it last year. I’ve done a really good job this year and I’ve just kept working hard trying to get better and working as hard as I can in every match. And my team has been doing a great job this year and it’s just been really exciting. The target’s on your back, so you just have to keep working harder. I was confident since I put in the work this offseason and this season. The coaches have been great for me and the team has done a really good job this season. It’s been really exciting having a team behind me and they’ve all worked hard this season, so they deserve it, too. Everybody in Benton, the whole town has been really good to me and the coaches have been great and the team is amazing. Every kid on the team works hard in practice and they’ve pushed me and they do whatever I need to do to help me reach my goals, so it was really nice having them all.”

“He’s had a great career and it’s something that he’s worked his whole life for,” Benton coach Aaron Robinson said. “Every good thing that’s happened to him, he’s earned it. We’re moving in the right direction and he’s a big part of that. Having a guy like him in the room kind of ups the game for everyone else. Our kids are homegrown kids, they’re from Benton. We’ve got some kids that are coming through that are going to make some noise in the next few years.”

Hinton (46-4), a sophomore who went 46-7 last year and placed fifth at 132, was hoping that he or freshman teammate Max Philpot at 106 might become the fifth individuals from Vandalia to win a state title and the first since Jarek Wehrle in 2021 at the IWCOA Finals. Although both were thwarted, they were the top finishers for coach Jason Clay’s Vandals, who had three medal winners and one week later finished fourth at the IHSA Dual Team Finals. Hinton opened with a fall in 3:13 over Marian Central Catholic junior Andrew Alvarado (34-14), who placed fifth at 113 in 2023. After edging Mercer County’s Ethan Monson 5-2 in the quarterfinals, Hinton earned his spot on the 138 title mat with an 8-2 decision over Princeton junior Ace Christiansen (39-7), who responded to that setback with two close decisions to take third place. After edging O’Connor 3-1 in sudden victory, Christiansen, one of three medal winners for 2020 IWCOA Hall of Famer coach Steve Amy’s Tigers, beat Corder 5-4 in an ultimate tiebreaker to claim third place. Corder (35-5), a freshman who was the lone medalist for Sandwich, earned his spot in the third-place match after beating Dwight’s Dylan Crouch 7-3 in the semifinal wrestlebacks. Crouch (49-3), a junior, went on to take fifth place with a 5-3 victory over Illini Bluffs senior Ian O’Connor (48-10), who joined his father and coach, Shawn (fourth at 98 in 1987), as medalists for the program at the Glasford school that was started and coached for 35 years by his grandfather Pat O’Connor, a 2009 recipient of the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter. Falling one shy of a medal were Mercer County senior Ethan Monson (46-6), who took fourth at 120 in 2022 fourth at 106 inn the IWCOA in 2021, and Coal City sophomore Mason Garner (37-6).

“I think everybody’s done their best and that’s all that me and coach could ask of them,” Hinton said. “I think it’s really cool for me to be able to do all of this stuff. And there’s always next year. I think that our team is definitely able to do anything that we put our minds to.”

“It’s a big deal because there are bigger schools that bring a lot of guys here and we get three kids in the semis and only brought four,” Christiansen said. “We have awesome coaches and they push us to be our best and I think that helps you out in times like when you’re in double overtime. This feels amazing.”  

144 – Jackson Carroll, Illini Bluffs

After going 47-8 last season but falling one win shy of a medal at 138 to miss out on joining 145 state champion Paul Ishikawa and 106 runner-up Hunter Robbins as medalists for Illini Bluffs, Jackson Carroll was determined that he not only wouldn’t be denied of making it to the awards stand this year, but that he also would follow in two-time champion Ishikawa’s footsteps and win a title. And after capturing close decisions in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the Tigers junior got a late takedown to edge Unity’s Kaden Inman 8-7 in the 144 title match to become the fifth individual from his school to become a state champion. He was one of two medalists for coach Shawn O’Connor’s Tigers, with the coach’s senior son Ian taking sixth at 138. But there was also disappointment for Illini Bluffs as senior Robbins, a two-time finalist, was unable to win a third medal at 113. The state title match was much different than Carroll and Inman’s matchup one week earlier in the Olympia Sectional finals where Carroll captured a 14-5 major decision. Carroll, who finished 51-2, opened with a fall in 1:49 over Frankfort Community freshman Lucas Parker (35-19) and followed that with a 5-2 decision over DeKalb’s Miles Corder. He reached the title mat with a 12-7 decision over Murphysboro’s Bryce Edwards. Carroll won five other tournaments this season, Illinois Bluffs, LeRoy Bowman, Quincy Notre Dame, the Knoxville Regional and the Olympia Sectional. His lone losses were in tournament finals to Newman Central Catholic’s Carter Rude at Erie/Prophetstown and the Lyle King Princeton Invitational.

“I’ve worked for this my entire life,” Carroll said. “I knew it was close, but I actually didn’t know what the score was at the time, I just knew that I needed a takedown. The philosophy is to just score more points than the other guy. My community is absolutely amazing. There were people in the front section and that was our basketball team, and I expect them to win state, too. That’s just how close our community is. Small school, big dream, that’s how everyone in the school is. The kids I work with, I think we have the best practice room in the state.”

Inman (44-8), a junior who was one of two finalists and three medalists for coach Logan Patton’s Unity Rockets. His classmate, Hunter Eastin (47-6), became the Tolono school’s sixth individual to win a state title when he beat the High School of Saint Thomas More’s Brody Cuppernell 5-2 in the 190 finals. Inman won a 14-4 major decision over Cumberland sophomore Owen McGinnis (44-7) in his opener and then captured a 7-1 victory over Richmond-Burton’s Emmett Nelson. Inman earned his spot on the 144 title mat in dramatic fashion as he prevailed 3-2 by ultimate tiebreaker over Rude in the semifinals. Unity’s season lasted another week as it qualified again for the IHSA Dual Team Finals. Chicago Hope Academy senior Santiago Chapparo (50-3) surprised many by placing third with a 7-1 win over Edwards. Chapparo, a native of Columbia who was familiar with freestyle but not folkstyle when he started training at Beat The Streets and then joined coach Dan Willis’ Eagles, was one of his two medalists for his team after falling 3-1 to Nelson in his opener before winning his next five matches, with the first four of those being by two points or less. Edwards (46-9), a junior, was one of two semifinalists and medalists for Murphysboro. Rude (45-3), a senior who took second last year at 138 and placed sixth at 126 in 2022, fell 6-5 by ultimate tiebreaker in the semifinal wrestleback to Chaparro to compete for fifth place, which he won by medical forfeit over Richmond-Burton junior Emmett Nelson (48-3), a runner-up at 126 last year and at 113 in 2022, who was unbeaten heading into the Byron Sectional but was unable to perform in his usual fashion due to an illness. However, he toughed it out to qualify again and also to place for a third time.

“I trusted myself and knew that if I wrestled my hardest, that I could make it, and hopefully get a chance at winning it,” Inman said.” I think I wrestled my best and there was a few seconds on clock when I got scored off of, so I was right there. Thirteen seconds and I would have won, so it was close. (Hunter Eastin taking first) It definitely eases the loss, I’m proud of Hunter, me and him worked very hard. He accomplished his goal and I just fell a little short.  

“After I lost in the first round, I was nervous and confused and I kind of felt down on myself as if I wasn’t good at wrestling,” Chaparro said, through translation by teammate Ismael Montero. “I want to thank coach Willis because told me to stay loose and stay focused because it didn’t matter that I lost as long as I kept pushing to win the next ones. In Columbia, it’s mostly all Freestyle, so coming here I had to learn the new rules. The competition here is really crazy and everyone is so talented.”

150 – Bentley Wise, Olympia

Heading into the postseason, Bentley Wise was enjoying a successful season but with one just tournament title, he was just another good individual who would be trying to get to state for the first time and maybe placing while two-time qualifiers and two-time medal winners looked to be more likely to win the 150 title. But following his championship at one of the state’s toughest regionals, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, the Olympia senior was confident that he was going to finish on a high note at state, even though he had come up one win shy of trips to the state finals in each of the past two seasons. Two weeks later, Wise indeed appears to have been very realistic about his prospects since he not only won the title at his own Olympia Sectional to earn his first trip to the IHSA Finals but he also wound up taking top honors in Champaign. Wise capped a 44-8 season by claiming a 5-3 decision in the 150 championship over Herrin senior Blue Bishop, who was the favorite at the weight and reached the title mat with a 46-1 record. After Bishop took a 3-2 lead with a nearfall, Wise answered with an escape and takedown and then hung on to become the fourth individual from his school to win a state title and the first since 2001, when his coach, Josh Collins, followed a Class A title win at 112 in 2000 with a second championship at 125. Wise, whose other title was at Unity in mid-December, was one of three medal winners for the Spartans, who finished ranked among the state’s top 10 teams. He won by technical fall in 3:51 over Nazareth Academy senior  Andrew Fowler (28-14) in his state debut, followed with a 9-2 decision over Wheaton Academy’s Chasen Kazmierczak and then won a 13-4 major decision over Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Grant Brewer in the semifinals.

“Being here was amazing,”  Wise said. “My goal was to make it to state, everything else was just calm, and it just kept going up and up, I wouldn’t stop. (Coach Josh Collins as the last champion) “It’s awesome, I love it.”

Bishop (46-2), who was hoping to become the first state champion for the Tigers, joins Jake Holliday (2006-2008) as the only three-time medalists for the school. Bishop took fourth place last year at 145 and was sixth at 132 in 2022. He had won all five of his Illinois tournaments, Lawrence County, Cumberland’s Skull and Crossbones, Carbondale’s Murdale, the Herrin Regional and the Vandalia Sectional, and had been unbeaten against Illinois competitors, with his only other loss being by a 4-2 score to Evansville North, IN’s Cale Bonenberger in the finals at the Johnston Invitational in Paducah, Kentucky. Bishop, the,lone qualifier for coach Kelsey Lewis’ Tigers, followed an 8-0 major decision over Byron freshman Brody Stien (33-16) with a 3-1 quarterfinal win over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Carson Maxey before earning his trip to the 150 title mat with a 6-4 decision over Riverdale’s Blake Smith in the semifinals.

“I’m pretty proud of all the things that I’ve accomplished,” Bishop said. “It was frustrating falling short today but at the end of the day, you just have to keep pushing. I want to give a shout out for PSF Wrestling, it’s a great group.”

Smith (50-3), a junior, won his first medal and joined Dean Wainwright (third at 120) as the Rams’ two placewinners. After getting edged by Bishop, Smith defeated Coal City’s Brant Widlowski 8-2 before winning 9-2 over Maxey in the third-place match. Riverdale kept its season going for another week by qualifying for its first trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals since 2007. Maxey (40-10), a senior, was the lone medal winner for the Falcons, who were also one of the state’s top-ranked teams. Widlowski (47-5), a senior who took fifth at 120 in 2022 and sixth at 106 in 2021 at the IWCOA Finals, took fifth place with a fall in 5:37 over Oakwood/Salt Fork senior Grant Brewer (41-6), who also won his first state medal. Widlowski was one of five medalists for the Coalers, who finished second in Class 1A while Brewer was one of three medal winners for the Comets. Falling one victory shy of winning their first state medals were Wheaton Academy junior Chasen Kazmierczak (39-9) and Roxana senior Braden Johnson (35-9).

157 – Jimmy Mastny, Marian Central Catholic

Since there’s no team scoring at the IHSA Finals, determining who had the most team points might usually require some calculation. But there was no need to do that to figure out who was the most dominant Class 1A champion since Jimmy Mastny won all four of his matches by fall while Mason Tieffel won his first three with pins before claiming his second title with a major decision. The Marian Central Catholic freshman joined junior Brayden Teunissen (120) as one of the two champions, three finalists and six medal winners for the Hurricanes, the eventual Class 1A champions, who are coached by Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater. Mastny and Teunissen are the fifth and sixth individuals from the school to win titles with the others Dylan Connell (2018 to 2020 in 2A, 2021 in IWCOA 2A), Elon Rodriguez (2021 in IWCOA 2A), Nik Jimenez (2021 in IWCOA 2A) and Rich Powers (1986 and 1987 in A). Mastny and Connell both won titles as freshmen. On a day where 12 of the title matches were decisions, including nine which were decided by three points or less, Mastny recorded the lone fall while Benton senior Tieffel had the other outcome, a win by major decision. Mastny wrapped up his impressive debut state finals with a 28-1 record and capped things with a fall in 3:23 over Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Bryson Capansky in the 157 title match. After opening with a fall in 1:20 over Shelbyville sophomore Ryne Peavler (40-9), Mastny got a pin in 0:57 over Mercer County sophomore Eli Burns (22-7) and then handed Murphysboro’s Liam Fox his first defeat in 50 matches when he recorded a fall in 5:57 in the semifinals. Mastny, who was top-ranked heading into state, only lost once all season, 3-1 to Mount Carmel’s Edmund Enright (39-4), who lost 5-2 to Warren Township’s Aaron Stewart in the Class 3A 157 championship, which was one of the most-anticipated title matches. The freshman also won titles in his other three tournaments, the Chicagoland Christian Conference, the Johnsburg Regional and the Byron Sectional. 

“Just as soon as the season started, I knew that I could win it,” Mastny said. “Now we’ve got team sectionals and team state.”

Capansky (43-7), a senior and the top finisher and one of three medalists for coach Mike Glosser’s Comets, who’s returned most of the members of last year’s team which made program history by advancing to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time and finishing in fourth place. He assured himself of his first medal after winning a 10-7 decision over Oregon’s Anthony Bauer in his first match and then prevailing 4-3 over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Connor Lyons in the quarterfinals.Capansky won another close match in the semifinals, a 9-6 decision over Hoopeston Area’s Ayden Larkin, to advance to the 157 title match. Oakwood/Salt Fork lost to Roxana in the sectional and fell short of a second-straight trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals.

“It was pretty enjoyable and a lot of fun,” Capansky said. “I enjoyed my last remaining time with my teammates and I just came out here and had fun. It means the world. I came all this way, I was a three-time state qualifier and this is my first time ever making it this far, so I’m grateful. It’s been really enjoyable and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s two schools, but we’re just one big family. And my teammates came out and proved what they could do, too. I’m very proud of my teammates and what they’ve accomplished this year.”

Fox (51-1), a senior who won his first state medal and was one of two who placed in the top six for coach Shea Baker’s Red Devils, bounced back from his only loss of the season, which was handed to him by Mastny in the semifinals, to take third with a 10-2 decision over Roxana sophomore Lyndon Thies (47-7), who was one of three first-time medalists for coach Rob Milazzo’s Shells, who went on to take third place at the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

 “It feels great,” Fox said. “I put in all of the work in the offseason that led up to this and I wish I could have gone a little further so that I could have been in the finals, but everything happens for a reason. (Success of southern Illinois wrestlers) We all work together in the offseason, which I think plays a big part into. And I think that we can compete with any of the top guys, we’re just as tough. In my sectional bracket, a guy (Bryson Capansky) is in the finals, I took third and (Lyndon) Thies took fourth, so that’s as tough as it gets.”  

In the fifth-place match, Newman Central Catholic junior Daniel Kelly (45-6) captured a 13-7 decision over Hoopeston Area junior Ayden Larkin (42-14), which avenged Larkin’s 8-6 win over Kelly in the quarterfinals. Both of them won their initial state medals with Kelly being one of three top-six finishers out of four qualifiers for coach Brian Bahrs’ Comets while Larkin was one of two medal winners for coach Chris Kelnhofers’s Cornjerkers.Two seniors who had successful season but fell one win short of earning a first state medal were Oregon’s Anthony Bauer (36-8) and LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Connor Lyons (41-11), although the latter’s season didn’t conclude since he and his Panthers teammates competed in the Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row.

“We got four guys down here,” Kelly said. “It just comes down to how we practice and the room that we’re in. We’re all really close and we’ve all wrestled each other since we were like five years old and that brings everyone together. You just have to come back strong and wrestle your match and just go for what you can at that point. it feels great.”  

165 – Landin Benson, Coal City

Throughout most of his athletic career, Landin Benson has considered himself to be a football player first and a wrestler second. But after running over the competition at the IHSA Class 1A Finals to capture top honors at 165 much as he had done in the fall as a running back in football, the Coal City junior who’s an All-Stater in both sports, may be reevaluating which of the two that he is actually better at. Benson opened with two falls and closed with two narrow decisions, getting past Tremont’s Bowden Delaney 3-1 to capture the 165 championship and improved to 26-2 on the season. One of five top-six finishers who earned medals for IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Mark Masters’ Coalers, Benson earned all-state honors for the first time on the mat after pinning Princeton’s Casey Etheridge in 3:49 in his opener, getting a fall in 1:38 over Hillsboro’s Zander Wells in the quarterfinals and then edging edging Marian Central Catholic’s Max Astacio 3-2 in the semifinals to join 126 runner-up Brody Widlowski as two finalists for the Coalers, who lost 34-27 to Marian Central Catholic in IHSA Dual Team Finals to fall short of repeating as 1A champions, He qualified for state for the first time in 2023 but only won one match. Benson won three other tournaments this season, the Illinois Central Eight Conference, the Wilmington Regional and the Chicago Hope Academy Sectional after taking second place at the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament, where he suffered his first loss by a 4-0 score against Delaney, who improved to 25-0 with that title win. In the fall, the football All-Stater ran for 1,444 yards and 26 touchdowns to help lead the Coalers to an 8-3 season.

“Being a state champion has been a goal and I knew that it wasn’t out of reach because I’m going to go up against whoever’s in front of me,” Benson said. “It’s just amazing to win it. We all want to win team state just as much as we all want to win individual state. Team state, we won last year, so winning back-to-back would be amazing. It’s always been football and then wrestling, now I’m All-State in both sports.”

Tremont junior Bowden Delaney (45-2), a three-time qualifier who won 42 matches a year ago and reached the quarterfinals at 126, earned his first state medal but fell just short of becoming the third individual from his school to win a state title and the first to accomplish that since 1985, when Russ Witzig, a 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee who has had a successful coaching career at Triad, took first place at 167 in Class A. Delaney is the fifth Turk to reach the Grand March and the first to get there since 1985 when Eric Burden joined Witzig as a finalist. It’s the third year in a row that the Turks, who are coached by 2006 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee T.J. Williams, have had a state placewinner, which is a first for the school. Delaney won six tournament titles, taking firsts at PORTA, Unity, Lyle King Princeton Invitational, Heart of Illinois Conference, the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Regional and the Olympia Sectional. His only other loss came to Marian Central Catholic’s Max Astacio, who lost 3-2 to Benson in the semifinals.  

“I know that I can wrestle better but I’ll learn and move on from it,” Delaney said. “I really wasn’t wrestling my best and he’s a tough opponent, and that’s when I have to be at my finest, and I just wasn’t tonight. It’s fun to look back on it and see how big the growth was. So I have to learn from this and work hard in the offseason and go get it next year.”

Genoa-Kingston senior Brady Brewick (42-4), who became his school’s second medal winner and first since Clay Chaberski took second at 215 in 1A in 2010, won the third-place match with a 4-1 decision over Rockridge sophomore Ryan Lower (46-5), who joins the 132 champion, junior Jude Finch, as medal winners for coach Lucas Smith’s Rockets. Unity junior Ryan Rink (43-12) took fifth place by medical forfeit when Marian Central Catholic senior Max Astacio (39-8), who took fifth place at 160 last season, was unable to go. Astacio was one of the six medalists for the Hurricanes. Rink, a first-time medal winner, joins 190 champion Hunter Eastin and 144 runner-up Kaden Inman as medal winners for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets. All three also got the opportunity to compete in the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington. Northridge Prep senior Jon Suter (35-5) fell one victory shy of becoming his school’s first medalist and Princeton sophomore Casey Etheridge (32-11) also was one win away from a top-six finish.

175 – Carter Watkins, Manteno

While a lot of the IHSA Class 1A champions have more to accomplish at their schools and others are excited about the success that they will likely have at the collegiate level, Manteno senior Carter Watkins appears to be more inclined to end his career by reaching the prep pinnacle after winning the 175 championship with a 7-2 decision over Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Eli Larson. Watkins (37-2) opened with a fall and then won his next three matches with decisions to not only claim his first medal in the sport but also to become the second individual from his school to win a title, with Ross George being the other in 2007 when he took top honors at 130 in Class A. Watkins is also only the sixth Panther to win a medal at state and the first since Stevie Silva placed at state for the second time in 2018. The lone qualifier for Manteno, which is coached by Ed Spiewak, Watkins won by fall in 4:49 in his opener over another individual with the same last name, Illini West junior Shawn Watkins (35-11) before capturing a 7-2 decision over Riverdale senior Zachary Bradley (48-6) in the quarterfinals. He earned his spot in the finals, something that had only been done two other times at the school by George in 2006 and 2007, with a wild 13-10 decision over Hoopeston Area’s Angel Zamora in the semifinals. A state qualifier for the third time, Watkins went 32-8 a year ago but fell one win shy of a medal at 160 and two years before that when he was a freshman, he competed in the IWCOA Finals. Watkins won four other tournament titles this season,  the Lyle King Princeton Invitational, the Illinois Central Eight Conference, the Wilmington Regional and the Chicago Hope Academy Sectional. 

“My confidence has always been high,” Watkins said. “I knew most of these kids and I knew that I could beat them. I’m going to ONU (Olivet Nazarene University) on a scholarship so the only thing that I’m doing that has to do with wrestling now is going back to the high school next year and helping the little kids. This is like a weight lifted off of my shoulders and it’s something that I’m going to think about for the rest of my life.”

Lena-Winslow/Stockton sophomore Eli Larson (44-6) took a similar path to the 175 finals as did Watkins, winning by fall in his opener before claiming close decisions in his next two matches. Making his first appearance at state, Larson won by fall in 3:52 over Auburn senior Joey Barrow (31-13) in his first match and then captured a 6-3 victory over Unity senior Thayden Root (45-11) in the quarterfinals. Larson earned his spot on the 175 title mat after capturing a 7-5 decision over Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Ty Carter in the semifinals. That win assured that he would win a state medal and he was the only to do that for the PantherHawks, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Milder. De La Salle Institute senior Josue Hernandez (32-7) was one of two third-place finishers and three medalists for coach Jason Davidson’s Meteors, won 4-2 on a tiebreaker over Hoopeston Area/Milford junior Angel Zamora (51-4), one of his team’s two medal winners, with Ayden Larkin, who finished sixth at 157, being the other. The last time that the Cornjerkers had more than one medalist was in 2012. 

“I train hard every day in practice and I do what I have to do and I know that I can compete with anybody,” Hernandez said. “It’s my last year and my last match so I was hoping to leave it all out there, and I wasn’t holding anything back. Our coaches are always pushing us to be our best since they know what we’re capable of and they know what we can do.”  

Saturday was also a big day for Red Bud/Valmeyer senior Ty Carter (47-5), who became the first individual from Red Bud to place at state. He took fifth place after claiming a 4-2 decision over Oakwood/Salt Fork senior Dalton Brown (44-8), who was one of three medalists for the Comets, who lost to Roxana on Tuesday to miss making a second-straight trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals after taking fourth in 2023. Falling one win shy of state medals were Seneca senior Asher Hamby (50-8) and the High School of Saint Thomas More senior August Christhilf (40-7). 

“I could have done better, but it feels good nonetheless,” Carter said. “It’s good to finish it off with a win, I’d rather end up as an odd number than an even number. I was just focused every day in practice and I worked every day. It was the only thing on my mind the last three months. It’s not easier down there, that’s a misconception. We’re smaller and less concentrated but it’s tough throughout the whole state.”

190 – Hunter Eastin, Unity

After Nick Nosler won the 195 championship last year at the IHSA Finals to cap a 52-2 senior season, the hope among those who support coach Logan Patton’s Unity Rockets was that the program might follow up on its first state title since 1991 with another first-place finisher this season. After junior Kaden Inman fell just short of a title at 144 with an 8-7 defeat to Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll, junior Hunter Eastin got his chance to win the 190 title match and made the most of it by capturing a 5-2 decision over The High School of Saint Thomas More senior Brody Cuppernell, who coincidentally was Nosler’s opponent when he won his state title a year ago. So for the first time since 1991, the Rockets have had champions in consecutive seasons, a feat that the program accomplished from 1989 to 1991 when Terry Bagwell (1989), Travis Smith (1990) and Juan Molina (1991) won Class A titles each year. Eastin can now add his name to those four as well as Unity’s first title winner, Bill Brandon (1986), as the only individuals from the Tolono school who have captured state championships. Eastin (47-6), Inman and their teammates also got to compete in the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington. He opened with a fall in 1:22 over Frankfort Community junior Conner Henson (39-12) and followed that with a pin in 5:45 over Lena-Winslow/Stockton sophomore Jeremiah Luke (43-8) in the quarterfinals. He earned his trip to the 195 title mat with an 8-3 decision over Vandalia’s Kaden Tidwell. A year ago, Eastin went 48-7 and fell one win shy of placing at 182, which gave the Rockets two medalists, with Kyus Root the other after taking fourth at 170. Unity exceeded that total by one this year since another junior, Ryan Rink, took fifth at 165. Eastin won three other tournaments this season, with two at his own school, the first in the Unity Invite and the second the Unity Regional and he also took first at the Olympia Sectional. In the regional finals, he captured a 6-2 decision over Cuppernell and in the sectional finals, he won a 7-4 decision over Cuppernell.

“It was tough getting here,” Eastin said. “It feels really good, that’s really the only way that I can describe it right now. We have really big hopes for the team duals. We’ve been trending in the right direction these last couple of weekends.”

The High School of Saint Thomas More senior Brody Cuppernell, who finished with a 35-4 record after his second-straight second-place state finish, became the second two-time placewinner for the Sabers, who are coached by Kurt Sexton, with the other two-time medalist being Nathan Santhanam (2009-2010). Cuppernell, who went 42-6 last season, won his opener by fall in 0:53 over Oakwood/Salt Fork freshman Jamison Chambliss (24-7) before defeating Coal City’s Cade Poyner (42-9) by technical fall in 5:40. He earned his spot in the 195 title match with a 6-1 decision over King College Prep’s Calvin Savage. In the third-place match, Orion junior Maddux Anderson (49-3) won a 7-6 decision over Vandalia junior Kaden Tidwell (37-11) as both individuals became state medalists for the first time and Tidwell got to help his team take fourth place in the Dual Team Finals. And for fifth place, Canton senior Danny Murphy (47-4) won a 3-1 decision over King College Prep senior Calvin Savage (36-6). It was the first state medal for both competitors with Murphy being the Little Giants’ lone medalist and coach Zach Crawford’s program has had an all-stater each year since 2020, which counting the 2021 IWCOA Finals, gives it 11 during that time, which is three more than it had before 2020. Savage became the second individual from his school to earn all-state honors, with the other being Lavontay Cobb, who took fourth place in 2A in 2013. Falling one win shy of state medals were Clifton Central senior Hunter Hull (26-9) and Coal City sophomore Cade Poyner (42-9), who also got to compete in the IHSA Dual Team Finals, where the Coalers claimed second place.

215 – Noah Wenzel, Dakota

Although Noah Wenzel might not have been able to reach the rare standard that three others from Dakota have achieved, four-time champions Phoenix Blakely, Josh Alber and Seth Milks, since he took fourth place as the lone freshman medalist at 195 at the 2021 IWCOA Finals, the senior will have to settle to be in the same company along with Jayden Colon, Ben Davino, Dillan Johnson, Seth Mendoza and Joey Ruzic as the only individuals who have won IHSA titles in each of the past three seasons, with Wenzel being one of the five seniors from that group who had no IHSA Tournament to take part in during their freshman seasons. In addition, he’s one of 14 competitors who took part in each of the last three Grand Marches at the IHSA Finals. Wenzel’s also one of six individuals from his school who have won three IHSA championships. Wenzel capped a 36-0 season and finished with a 126-9 career record by capturing the title at 215 with a 7-4 decision over East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin. In 2022, he went 41-4 and won the 195 title over Unity’s Nick Nosler and last season posted a 42-3 record and defeated Nazareth Academy’s Gabe Kaminski to win the 220 championship. In the weight classes that he competed in, there have been very few repeat champions in the state’s smallest division, making his three-peat even that much more impressive. He opened his final tournament run with a fall in 3:38 over Carmi-White County senior Nelson Rider (42-9) and then recorded a pin in 2:26 over Olympia’s Nolen Yeary in the quarterfinals. He earned his third appearance in the Grand March after capturing a 7-2 decision over Johnston City’s Jude Beers in the semifinals. Wenzel was one of three qualifiers and the lone placewinner for coach Matt Jacobs’ Indians. He won five other tournaments, Harlem’s Al Dvorak, Lyle King Princeton Invitational, Oak Park and River Forest, the Stillman Valley Regional and the Byron Sectional.

“I’ve said this before, that has always been so surreal,” Wenzel said. “I used to be sitting right there in the crowd and watching people do this, so it’s so weird being the guy down here now. I’ll remember the people that I’ve met.”

East Alton-Wood River junior Drake Champlin (51-4) became just the fifth individual from his school to reach the title mat and was the first to advance there since 2021 when Jason Shaw took second at 126 in 1A in the IWCOA Finals while Zac Blasioli competed for state titles in both 2016 and 2017 and won a Class 1A title in 2017. Champlin recorded a fall in 5:40 over Lena-Winslow/Stockton senior Michael Haas (34-10) in his opener and then won 3-1 in sudden victory over LeRoy/Tri-Valley senior Jacob Bischoff (43-4) in the quarterfinals. Then he had another tight match in the semifinals, winning 7-5 by sudden victory over Seneca’s Chris Peura. Champlin was the lone state qualifier for coach Tim Donohoo’s Oilers. Johnston City senior Jude Beers (44-3) became just the second medal winner for his program and equalled Jamie Hubbard’s finish from 1998, which was the first time that someone from that school placed. Beers won the third-place match by recording a fall in 1:59 over Seneca senior Chris Peura (47-6), who suffered a tough semifinal loss to Champlin. Peura placed sixth last year at 195, making him one of the four Fighting Irish who have been two-time medalists. In the fifth-place match, Kewanee junior Alejandro Duarte (41-6) won by fall in 3:37 over Olympia senior Nolen Yeary (39-9) with both claiming their first state medals. Falling one victory shy of being a medalist were Orion junior Aiden Fisher (40-13) and Quincy Notre Dame junior Taylin Scott (45-6).

“This is a second-year program and last season we barely even had a season since our football team went to the semis so we started late,” Beers said. “I worked hard in the offseason and my coaches worked with me hard and I have great teammates who’ve worked with me the whole time. There were a lot of big boys here and they’re all good.”  

285 – Jason Dowell, Althoff Catholic

After going 42-10 and falling to the eventual champion, IC Catholic Prep’s Isaiah Gonzalez, in the 285 semifinals at the IHSA Finals before settling for third place last year while competing for Cahokia, Jason Dowell was hopeful that a different setting this season would prevent another close call and instead result in him winning  a state title and that’s just what happened for the junior at Althoff Catholic who capped a 32-2 season by winning the 285 state title thanks to his third-straight 2-1 decision in the finals over St. Francis sophomore Jaylen Torres. As a result, Dowell became the fourth individual to win an IHSA championship at the Belleville school and the first to accomplish that feat since 1997, when Mike Weber claimed first place in Class A at 171. Dowell, who’s also a Division I prospect in football who has numerous scholarship offers from top programs, began his title run with a fall in 5:03 over Byron junior Jared Claunch (29-9) and then won 2-1 over De La Salle Institute’s David McCarthy in the quarterfinals. He edged Princeton’s Cade Odell 2-1 in the semifinals to become the first finalist for the Crusaders since 2005, when Aaron Winning took second place at 130 in Class A. But there was also some  disappointment for coach EJ Brooks’ team as junior Brenden Rayl finished 35-4 but fell one win shy of a medal at 126 to prevent Althoff Catholic from having two medal winners for the first time since Kameron and Michael Harris took third and sixth place, respectively, in 1A in 2012. Dowell won five other tournament titles, with three of those taking place in Missouri. He took firsts at Cumberland’s Skull and Crossbones and the Carlyle Regional in Illinois. He lost in the Vandalia Sectional finals to Roxana’s James Herring 10-9 by ultimate tiebreaker and his other defeat was by 4-0 score in the title match of Carbondale’s Murdale Tournament to Centennial senior Jack Barnhart, who capped a 44-0 season by winning the 2A 285 championship in his hometown.

“He believed in me,” Dowell said of coach EJ Brooks. “Of course God is one, but him being the big brother that he is to me, telling me, ‘no you cannot do that yet, no, you should work on this, you should change up and do this’. With him being right there in the room, pushing me and pushing me. There were many times when I was like ‘why is he so nit picky when it comes to a certain moves that I do. So I tried to model my wrestling like how he wrestled. Working with him 24-7 in that stupid wrestling room, that was a blessing. I can’t thank him enough. I was cocky going to sectionals and a friend of mine named James Herring humbled me, I was thinking that I was more than I was. Sometimes, you need that. To come here with confidence and not cockiness was an absolute blessing and I’m very happy that I’m here. Deny myself every single day, picking up my cross and following God in everything I do, whether it’s the wrestling room or the football field, baseball diamond or my class. And hold up His name as high as I can.”

St. Francis sophomore Jaylen Torres, who went 19-2 after playing football on a 10-3 Spartans team that lost to eventual Class 5A champion Nazareth Academy in the semifinals. He opened his run to the finals with a fall in 3:13 over Lawrenceville/Red Hill junior Dylan Camden (39-14) and then won with a pin in 1:36 over Chicago Hope Academy’s Roy Phelps in the quarterfinals. Torres earned his spot on the 285 title match with a 7-4 decision over Roxana’s James Herring. He is only the fifth individual from his program who has placed at state, and the first since 1984. Only one other Spartan, 1980 Class A heavyweight champion Bob Hudetz, placed higher than him in Champaign. Torres, who’s coached by Eric Kirkman, was the lone state qualifier for the Wheaton school. For third place, Roxana senior James Herring (46-4) edged Princeton junior Cade Odell (32-4) by a 3-2 score as both earned their first state medals. Odell was one of three medalists for coach Steve Amy’s Tigers while Herring was one of the three medal winners for coach Rob Milazzo’s Shells, who claimed third place in the IHSA Dual Team Finals one week later. It was the school’s first state appearance since 2014 and also its second-best finish there, with only a second-place finish in 2004 in Class A being superior to this season’s showing.

“I probably should be in the finals, but stuff happens since it’s the state tournament, nothing’s guaranteed,” Herring said. “Our team has been really good this year and we’re getting ready for the team tourney. We’ve had a heck of a season and it’s been a great senior season for me with my senior brothers.”

In the fifth-place match, two juniors from Chicago schools who won their first state medals met and De La Salle Institute’s David McCarthy (31-7) won by fall in 1:15 over Chicago Hope Academy’s Roy Phelps (46-10). McCarthy’s Meteors had three medalists while the Eagles had two in the top six. Falling one victory shy of medals were Canton sophomore Connor Williams (43-4) and Leo junior Nicholas Armour (35-7).

106 – Eric Bush, Johnsburg

When you’re trying to achieve something special, like becoming the first individual from your school to win a state championship, and you have a large and vocal group of students from your school on hand to support you, it might provide just enough of a boost to help you get the job done. Johnsburg freshman Eric Bush certainly had those extras going for him when he took on another freshman with plenty of motivation behind him, Vandalia’s Max Philpot, in the 106 championship match. He led 2-1 heading into the third period and added one more point and made that stand to capture a 3-1 victory and conclude a 34-4 season. Bush’s ability to win close matches was evidenced by him recording three two-point decisions in his final three matches to become the Skyhawks’ first IHSA champion. Bush ended the quest for an initial champion that dates back 36 years to 1988, when the school’s first two-time medalist, Sean Kegel, was the runner-up at 98 in the Class AA Finals. In 2000, Jerad Karlen took second in AA and in 2020, the Skyhawks’ other two-time medal winner, Justin Peake, settled for second place in 1A. Bush kicked off his debut at the State Finals with a fall in 2:46 over Murphysboro freshman Kanton Richards (33-19) and then got past De La Salle Institute sophomore Jeremiah Lawrence 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Then he recorded his first 3-1 victory when he edged Marian Central Catholic sophomore Austin Hagevold in the semifinals. Bush, the lone qualifier for Johnsburg, which is coached by James Sylvanus, was down on the list of favorites for the 106 championship but the winner of four tournament titles was determined that he could be a state champion in his initial attempt. Bush captured titles in three early competitions, Vernon Hills, Richmond-Burton and Stillman Valley, before starting his postseason run with a title at the Johnsburg Regional. He lost 7-5 in the Byron Sectional title match to Princeton’s Augustus Swanson, who came in as the favorite at 106, but Bush used that loss as motivation and the result was his school’s first title.

“My coach has always told me the exact same thing over and over, that it’s just a match and I believed in that,” Bush said. “I trained every single day and every single night and got it done. It definitely helped that big crowd up there. It’s amazing to be the first state champion at Johnsburg ever. They’ve had second places, but to be the first-ever state champ and the first freshman to win is big, too. After sectionals when I lost that 7-5 match, I just got it in my head that I was going to win state. That day it hurt, but it motivated me even more. Now this motivates me to win next year, that’s for sure.”

Vandalia freshman Max Philpot (48-3), who went past the 50-win mark in his debut season while helping his team take fourth place at the IHSA Dual Team Finals, also had plenty of motivation to reach the top of the awards stand at 106. His program captured its 1000th dual meet win this season and also advanced to the dual team finals for a 23rd time, which ranks second only to Montini Catholic, where it finished fourth. But despite all of that team success, the Vandals have only had four individual champions, with the last of those being Jarek Wehrle, who won 1A at 106 in the 2021 IWCOA Finals while Joe-E Smith was the school’s last IHSA champion in 2007 when he took first at 152 in Class A. Philpot opened with a fall in 1:48 over Dakota sophomore Brandon White (38-11) and then won by technical fall in 2:42 over Seneca freshman Raiden Terry (41-10). One of six qualifiers, three medalists and two finalists for coach Jason Clay’s Vandals, who have been ranked among the state’s best all season, Philpot earned his spot in the 106 finals by claiming a 14-10 decision over Princeton’s Augustus Swanson in the semifinals. De La Salle Institute sophomore Jeremiah Lawrence (27-5). one of three medal winners for the Meteors, took third place with a 12-4 major decision over Marian Central Catholic sophomore Austin Hagevold (37-18), who was of the six medalists for the Hurricanes, who went on to win the Class 1A Dual Team championship. For fifth place, Princeton sophomore Augustus Swanson (35-3), one of three Tigers who won medals, claimed a 6-4 decision over Coal City freshman Owen Petersen (45-7), who was one of five medal winners for coach Mark Masters’ Coalers, who took second place in the Dual Team Finals. Falling one win shy of state medals were LeRoy/Tri-Valley junior Brady Mouser (44-4) and Pontiac senior Aidan Scholwin (31-17).

113 – Preston Waughtel, Carlyle

While Carlyle freshman Preston Waughtel had every reason to be thrilled about capping a 50-0 season by beating a pair of two-time state finalists, including one who was a returning IHSA champion, along the way to winning the title at 113, it’s understandable that he was disappointed seeing his brother Tyson lose 7-5 in sudden victory to Marian Central Catholic’s Brayden Teunissen in the next championship match at 120 to deny the junior of a third-straight title and prevent him from also having a perfect season. Despite that, it was obviously a special weekend for coach Ben Wademan’s Indians, who had two finalists and medalists for the first and the Waughtel brothers won the same number of medals in the Finals as the school had claimed before Tyson started his impressive run of success in 2021-22. Opening with a win by technical fall in 1:33 over Sandwich freshman Colten Stone (30-19), Preston won a 15-2 major decision over Illini Bluffs senior Hunter Robbins (47-4), who placed second at 106 in both 2022 and 2023. He earned his spot in the 113 title match with a 5-2 decision over Marian Central Catholic senior Anthony Alanis, who won the Class 2A 106 title for Grayslake Central a year ago after placing second at 106 in 2022. In the title match, Preston met Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers, who placed fourth at 106 a year ago, and won a 7-0 decision. He joined Benton senior Mason Tieffel (55-0 at 138) and Dakota senior Noah Wenzel (36-0 at 215) as unbeaten champions in Class 1A and also was one of three freshmen title winners in 1A along with Johnburg’s Eric Bush (106) and Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny (157). Preston won six other tournament titles, Civic Memorial’s Bradley, Cumberland’s Skull and Crossbones, Carbondale’s Murdale, Goreville/Vienna’s Blackcat Brawl, the Carlyle Regional and the Vandalia Sectional. 

“I’m very excited about how I performed,” Waughtel said. “It shows that I’ve been working the hardest in my weight class and that I haven’t been taking days off. Four titles is always the goal and then being undefeated is another goal. Anyone can get beaten at any time, so I just have to train harder. With it being his senior year next year, hopefully we can both go undefeated and win another state title.”

Peoria Notre Dame junior Ian Akers (41-6) became just the third individual from his program to compete for a title and the fourth to win two or more state medals. He won by fall in 1:47 over Nazareth Academy sophomore Charlie Dvorak in his first match and then captured an 8-4 decision over Oregon freshman Nelson Benesh (38-9). Akers earned his spot on the 113 title mat by capturing a 7-0 decision over Benton freshman Cohen Sweely (41-10). Akers won five tournament titles, Glenwood’s Cox, Metamora, Prairie Central, Litchfield’s Lovellette and the Knoxville Regional and he also helped coach Danny Burk’s Irish win their first regional title.

“I’m proud of where I’ve gotten to, but obviously, I’d like to be one step above that and the state champ, but I’m right there,” Akers said. “In my freshman year we were really close, but didn’t get it (a regional title), so that was kind of a goal of ours as a team. And it’s nice to be surrounded by guys who want to work hard and want to be good, that’s awesome.”

Marian Central Catholic senior Anthony Alanis (40-5) took third place after winning an 8-0 major decision over Olympia junior Dylan Eimer (33-5). The two also met in the quarterfinals with Alanis, one of six medal winners for the Hurricanes, winning that matchup by an 8-1 score. While competing for Grayslake Central, Alanis won the Class 2A title at 106 last year, took second at that weight in 2022 and finished sixth at 106 in 2021 at the IWCOA Finals. Alanis concluded his season and career on a high note as Marian Central Catholic captured its first IHSA Dual Team title when it defeated defending champion Coal City 34-27 in Bloomington. Eimer, who placed fourth at 106 in 2022, was one of three medalists for coach Josh Collins’ Spartans. In a matchup of freshmen for fifth place, Coal City’s Cooper Morris (42-9) won a 5-2 decision over Benton’s Cohen Sweely (41-10). They also met up in the quarterfinals with Sweely capturing a 7-2 win in that match. Falling one win shy of state medals  were Illini Bluffs senior Hunter Robbins (47-4), who had finished in second place at 106 in both 2023 and 2022. as well as Vandalia freshman Elijah Mabry (36-14), who capped his debut season on a good note when the Vandals finished in fourth place at the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

120 – Brayden Teunissen, Marian Central Catholic

After capturing the title at the Byron Sectional, Brayden Teunissen felt that the tough schedule that he faced and having coaches Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater in his corner might be good enough to help him capture the title at 120, and that confidence seemed to be justified after he defeated two unbeaten competitors, including a two-time defending IHSA champion on the title match to achieve his goal. The Marian Central Catholic junior followed two wins by technical fall and a major decision with a 7-5 win by sudden victory over Carlyle’s two-time title winner Tyson Waughtel in the 120 finals. Waughtel led 5-3 in the final period before Teunissen used a late takedown to force overtime and then scored again in sudden victory. Teunissen (40-5), who was one of two champions, three finalists and six medal winners for the Hurricanes, helped his team win the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington for its first title to secure the win. He advanced to the state finals for the second year in a row. Last season, he took second place at 106 in Class 3A to St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto while competing for the Belvidere co-op. Teunissen opened with a win by technical fall in 4:32 over LeRoy/Tri-Valley freshman EJ Chaon (30-13) and then won a 17-7 major decision in the quarterfinals over Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler, who placed third the last two years at state. Teunissen advanced to the 120 title match with another win by technical fall, this time in 4:19 over Unity Christian’s Clinton VerHeecke, who lost for the first time in that match. Teunissen won three other tournament titles this season, the Chicagoland Christian Conference, the Johnsburg Regional and the Byron Sectional.

“I felt really confident,” Teunissen said. “I knew that I was better prepared than him. Our schedule is the toughest competition that you can possibly have and I knew that he hadn’t seen anything like my wrestling style. Our team wrestled amazing.”

Carlyle junior Tyson Waughtel (50-1) was hoping to join six others who have won three-straight IHSA championships but saw those hopes dashed in heartbreaking fashion to Marian Central Catholic junior Brayden Teunissen to suffer his first defeat in 51 matches this season and second loss in 154 matches during his career. He hoped to follow his freshman brother Preston, who capped a perfect 50-0 season with the championship at 113 when he won a 7-0 decision over Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers. A year ago, Tyson beat Farmington’s Keygan Jennings in the 113 title match to complete a 50-1 season and in 2022, he concluded a perfect 50-0 debut season with a victory over Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins in the 106 title match. Tyson opened his quest for a third title with a fall in 1:10 over Bishop McNamara sophomore Blake Arseneau (21-9) and then won by technical fall in 4:25 over Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright in a matchup of defending Class 1A champions. He reached the 120 title match with another win by technical fall, this time in 2:36 over Warrensburg-Latham’s Logan Roberts. Like his brother Preston, he won six other tournament titles, Civic Memorial’s Bradley, Cumberland’s Skull and Crossbones, Cardbondale’s Murdale, Goreville/Vienna’s Blackcat Brawl, the Carlyle Regional and the Vandalia Sectional. In the third-place match, Riverdale sophomore Dean Wainwright (47-3) won by fall in 1:42 over Oblong senior Ian Rosborough (39-7). Wainwright, who fell to Waughtel in the quarterfinals, recorded four falls in the consolation bracket in order to capture third place. A year ago, he finished 50-1 and defeated Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins to win the 106 IHSA championship. He got the opportunity to compete with his team at the IHSA Dual Team Finals, which Riverdale advanced to for the first time since 2007. And Rosborough also made history in his state finals debut by becoming the first individual from Oblong to win a state medal. 

“Yesterday was a tough day,” Wainwright said after he took third. “I took a pretty bad loss to Tyson Waughtel and he’s a pretty good kid, but I absolutely could have wrestled better and I know that in my heart, but things happen and I came back and wrestled for third. I want to thank my coaches and my teammates over at Big Game Wrestling Club and at the school. The season’s not over yet.”    

“It feels pretty good, but I wish that I got third and not fourth, since I put in a lot of work,” Rosborough said. “I’m a senior and I’d never qualified before. It was a lot of pressure at first but I just wrestled like it was a normal tournament and all of the pressure went away and I just wrestled hard and did what I know I can do.”

For fifth place, Unity Christian sophomore Clinton VerHeecke (42-2) won an 11-1 major decision over Warrensburg-Latham junior Logan Roberts (44-7). VerHeecke took third at 113 a year ago representing Lutheran Schools Association – Decatur while Roberts won his first state medal. Falling one win shy of medals were Anna-Jonesboro junior Drew Sadler (49-5), who took third place at 106 in both 2023 and 2022, as well as Coal City junior Culan Lindemuth (33-16).

126 – Joey Ruzic, Auburn

Joey Ruzic put the finishing touches of one of the best careers that any individual from the Springfield area has enjoyed when he captured his third-straight IHSA championship after taking top honors at 126 with a 6-1 decision over Coal City’s Brody Widlowski in the 126 finals to cap a 46-1 season and finish his four-year career with an impressive 158-6 record. The Auburn senior only lost one match this season, to Harrisburg’s Tony Keene in the Vandalia Sectional finals, but he closed things out in impressive fashion by defeating the state’s other three sectional champions, with two of those victories by major decision. Ruzic, who went 32-3 and placed third at the IWCOA Finals in 2021, won his first IHSA title at 113 in 2022 over Richmond-Burton’s Emmitt Nelson to cap a perfect 26-0 season. A year ago, he beat Yorkville Christian’s Ty Edwards for the 120 title to complete a 53-2 campaign. As a result, he joins St. Charles East seniors Ben Davino and Jayden Colon, Joliet Catholic Academy senior Dillan Johnson, Dakota senior Noah Wenzel and Mount Carmel junior Seth Mendoza as the six individuals who have won three-straight IHSA championships, with him and four others not getting the opportunity to compete in an IHSA Finals as freshmen in 2021 due to the pandemic. He was one of the 14 individuals who made three finals appearances in the last three seasons. Ruzic opened with a fall in 0:51 over Walther Christian Academy’s Caleb Peterson and then claimed a 13-5 major decision over Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger. He earned his third appearance in the Grand Match with a 12-1 major decision over Unity Christian’s Garrett VerHeecke and concluded the Class 1A championships by winning his third title on the campus of the University of Illinois, where he will continue his education and as his career competing for coach Mike Poeta’s Fighting Illini. He won six other tournaments, PORTA Avery, Springfield Bee, Lyle King Princeton Invitational, LeRoy Bowman, Litchfield Lovellete and the Auburn Regional in his final home competition. He was one of two qualifiers and the lone medalist for coach Matt Grimm’s Trojans and is the only individual from his school that has won a state title.

“My offseason training definitely helped me and that’s what made the difference,” Ruzic said. “It’s awesome, but I knew that I’d get it done, I knew that it would happen. I worked hard for it, so I knew that it would come. (The sectional loss) I definitely had a chip on my shoulder because of that, but I didn’t let it affect me and I just came out and did what I did, and you see the result. I kind of underestimated my opponent and didn’t give the respect he deserved, and it happens, so I just couldn’t let that affect me. Anything can happen in the state tournament and what happened before does not matter. I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to be in the orange and blue and represent my home state. It feels good to finally get it done. Without my coaches and my teammates, none of this would have been possible, so I’m very thankful for that. Now it’s time for the real fun part.”

“They do not come around too often, and when they do, you have to take advantage and cherish every moment that you have with those kids,” Auburn coach Matt Grimm said. “He’s a very humble kid, a down to earth kid, and he puts the work in and he gets the results because of the work that he put in. It was a bump in the road is what we called it and we hit the restart button on Sunday morning and got back after it. It wasn’t a big deal since we knew we had to put four matches in a row to get a state title, and that’s what we focused on. We try to emulate what he does and the hard work that he puts in and we talk about it in the room all the time. If you want the results, you’ve got to put the work in to get the results, and he’s the epitome of that.”

Coal City sophomore Brody Widlowski (26-4) was one of the two finalists and five medal winners for IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Mark Masters’ Coalers, who reached the IHSA Dual Team Finals title match for the eighth time but were unable to repeat as champions after falling  34-27 to Marian Central Catholic. Widlowski, who went 42-3 last year and placed fourth at 113, pinned Roxana sophomore Logan Riggs (41-11) in 3:40 in his opener and then won a 6-3 decision over Unity sophomore Hunter Shike (39-8) in the quarterfinals. The champion of the Chicago Hope Academy Sectional earned his spot in the Grand March by claiming a 7-3 decision over Keene in the semifinals. Unity Christian sophomore Garrett VerHeecke (44-1), the sectional champion at Olympia, was unbeaten heading to state and lost for the only time to Ruzic in the semifinals and bounced back with two wins to take third with a fall in 1:30 over Harrisburg senior Tony Keene (44-4). VerHeecke placed sixth last year at 120 while Keene, one of two medalists from his school and the only one to win more than one medal, finished in fourth place for the third year in a row. Wheaton Academy sophomore Lincoln Hoger (42-7), the Byron Sectional champion, took fifth place following a 4-0 decision over North Boone junior Gavin Ekberg (39-9). Hoger is the third medal winner and the first since 2019 for Wheaton Academy while Ekberg became the fourth medalist for North Boone and its first since four-time finalist and two-champion Brandon Briggs in 2015. Falling one victory shy of medals were Warrensburg-Latham junior Kaden Roberts (44-10) and Althoff Catholic junior Brenden Rayl (35-4).

Class 1A Championship Matches

1A 106 – Eric Bush (Johnsburg) 34-4, Fr. over Max Philpot (Vandalia) 48-3, Fr. (Dec 3-1)
1A 113 – Preston Waughtel (Carlyle) 50-0, Fr. over Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) 41-6, Jr. (Dec 7-0)
1A 120 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) 40-5, Jr. over Tyson Waughtel (Carlyle) 50-1, Jr. (SV-1 7-5)
1A 126 – Joey Ruzic (Auburn) 46-1, Sr. over Brody Widlowski (Coal City) 26-4, So. (Dec 6-1)
1A 132 – Jude Finch (Rockridge) 43-6, Jr. over Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) 44-9, Jr. (Dec 7-4)
1A 138 – Mason Tieffel (Benton) 55-0, Sr. over Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) 46-4, So. (MD 18-6)
1A 144 – Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs) 51-2, Jr. over Kaden Inman (Unity) 44-8, Jr. (Dec 8-7)
1A 150 – Bentley Wise (Olympia) 44-8, Sr. over Blue Bishop (Herrin) 46-2, Sr. (Dec 5-3)
1A 157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) 28-1, Fr. over Bryson Capansky (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 43-7, Sr. (Fall 3:23)
1A 165 – Landin Benson (Coal City) 26-2, Jr. over Bowden Delaney (Tremont) 45-2, Jr. (Dec 3-1)
1A 175 – Carter Watkins (Manteno) 37-2, Sr. over Eli Larson (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 44-6, So. (Dec 7-2)
1A 190 – Hunter Eastin (Unity) 47-6, Jr. over Brody Cuppernell (The High School of Saint Thomas More) 35-4, Sr. (Dec 5-2)
1A 215 – Noah Wenzel (Dakota) 36-0, Sr. over Drake Champlin (East Alton-Wood River) 51-4, Jr. (Dec 7-4)
1A 285 – Jason Dowell (Althoff Catholic) 32-2, Jr. over Jaylen Torres (St. Francis) 19-2, So. (Dec 2-1)

Class 1A Third Place Matches

1A 106 – Jeremiah Lawrence (De La Salle Institute) 27-5, So. over Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) 37-18, So. (MD 12-4)
1A 113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) 40-5, Sr. over Dylan Eimer (Olympia) 33-5, Jr. (MD 8-0)
1A 120 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) 47-3, So. over Ian Rosborough (Oblong) 39-7, Sr. (Fall 1:42)
1A 126 – Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian) 44-1, So. over Tony Keene (Harrisburg) 44-4, Sr. (Fall 1:30)
1A 132 – Brady Grennan (Newman Central Catholic) 46-5, Sr. over Carson Bissey (Richland County) 48-3, Jr. (Dec 5-1)
1A 138 – Ace Christiansen (Princeton) 39-7, Jr. over Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 35-5, Fr. (UTB 5-4)
1A 144 – Santiago Chaparro (Chicago Hope Academy) 50-3, Sr. over Bryce Edwards (Murphysboro) 46-9, Jr. (Dec 7-1)
1A 150 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) 50-3, Jr. over Carson Maxey (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 40-10, Sr. (Dec 9-2)
1A 157 – Liam Fox (Murphysboro) 51-1, Sr. over Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 47-7, So. (MD 10-2)
1A 165 – Brady Brewick (Genoa-Kingston) 42-4, Sr. over Ryan Lower (Rockridge) 46-5, So. (Dec 4-1)
1A 175 – Josue Hernandez (De La Salle Institute) 32-7, Sr. over Angel Zamora (Hoopeston Area) 51-4, Jr. (TB-1 4-2)
1A 190 – Maddux Anderson (Orion) 49-3, Jr. over Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) 37-11, Jr. (Dec 7-6)
1A 215 – Jude Beers (Johnston City) 44-3, Sr. over Chris Peura (Seneca) 47-6, Sr. (Fall 1:59)
1A 285 – James Herring (Roxana) 46-4, Sr. over Cade Odell (Princeton) 32-4, Jr. (Dec 3-2)

Class 1A Fifth Place Matches

1A 106 – Augustus Swanson (Princeton) 35-3, So. over Owen Petersen (Coal City) 45-7, Fr. (Dec 6-4)
1A 113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) 42-9, Fr. over Cohen Sweely (Benton) 41-10, Fr. (Dec 5-2)
1A 120 – Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian) 42-2, So. over Logan Roberts (Warrensburg-Latham) 44-7, Jr. (MD 11-1)
1A 126 – Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) 42-7, So. over Gavin Ekberg (North Boone) 39-9, Jr. (Dec 4-0)
1A 132 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) 46-6, So. over Keygan Jennings (Farmington) 42-7, Sr. (SV-1 7-5)
1A 138 – Dylan Crouch (Dwight) 49-3, Jr. over Ian O`Connor (Illini Bluffs) 48-10, Sr. (Dec 5-3)
1A 144 – Carter Rude (Newman Central Catholic) 45-3, Sr. over Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 48-3, Jr. (M. For.)
1A 150 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) 47-5, Sr. over Grant Brewer (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 41-6, Sr. (Fall 5:37)
1A 157 – Daniel Kelly (Newman Central Catholic) 45-6, Jr. over Ayden Larkin (Hoopeston Area) 42-14, Jr. (Dec 13-7)
1A 165 – Ryan Rink (Unity) 43-12, Jr. over Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) 39-8, Sr. (M. For.)
1A 175 – Ty Carter (Red Bud) 47-5, Sr. over Dalton Brown (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 44-8, Sr. (Dec 4-2)
1A 190 – Danny Murphy (Canton) 47-4, Sr. over Calvin Savage (King College Prep) 36-6, Sr. (Dec 3-1)
1A 215 – Alejandro Duarte (Kewanee) 41-6, Jr. over Nolen Yeary (Olympia) 39-9, Sr. (Fall 3:37)
1A 285 – David McCarthy (De La Salle Institute) 31-7, Jr. over Roy Phelps (Chicago Hope Academy) 46-10, Jr. (Fall 1:15)

By Patrick Z. McGavin

In a sport shaped by technique, form and style, the heavyweights exist in their own world. The life of the 285-pounder is often defined by math and science.

Force plus mass creates its own internal dynamic.

Washington sophomore Sean Thornton discovered his own rhythm and tempo, with his own peculiar sense of timing and opportunity.

“I knew if I took him the distance, he wasn’t going with me,” Thornton said. “I’m good with my underhooks, and I like being in that position. He happened to go there, and I don’t think he knew I was good there. I was very comfortable.”

His takedown with :38 seconds remaining gave him the 6-4 decision over Montini’s Mick Ranquist in the Panthers’ enthralling 30-28 comeback victory in the Class 2A team dual state championship at Grossinger Motor Arena Saturday night.

“I was just grateful for all of my teammates and coaches who believed in me,” Thornton said.

Thornton (42-15) won all three of his matches in the state finals, including two by fall in the preliminaries. He finished with 30 falls.

The heavyweight match mirrored the larger narrative of the state championship colored by sharp momentum swings and twists that yielded its own sense of great theater and showmanship.

Ranquist registered the first period takedown for the opening advantage. Thornton countered with a reversal.

“I knew that was coming,” Thornton said. “He’d been hitting that all day.”

Ranquist countered with his own reversal for the 4-2 leads. Thornton created the escape to pull within 4-3 at the end of the second period.

The defining action proved to be the second stalling call against Ranquist that forged the 4-4 deadlock. “I was looking for some more stall calls at the end,” Thornton said. “He was running a little bit. I still got it done in the end.”

On the edge of the mat, Ranquist went for the throw, and Thornton was quicker to the body and pulled off the takedown.

Ranquist nearly pulled off the reversal in the closing seconds. Time ran out.

The defending state champions captured four of the final five matches to stun the Broncos, who were seeking their state-record 17th state championship.

In the showdown between the two historically-great programs, they exchanged haymakers. The two teams each won seven matches. In the end, Washington had the slight advantage in bonus points, with its three falls overcoming the one fall and two technical falls of the Broncos.

The Panthers’ dynamic finish nullified the Broncos’ fast start. Montini won six of the first nine matches, and had leads of 15-3 and 25-15.

Washington captured its sixth state dual championship in the last eight years of competition.

The clash with Montini proved the opposite of their victory over favored Joliet Catholic last year as the Panthers built the early lead and then held off a late charge by the Hilltoppers.

“We also did this last year of taking them out to lunch just to get them away from the tournament, and enjoy each other a little bit, get away from wrestling and do the social things together,” Washington coach Nick Miller said.

“I told them in last year’s dual, we were climbing and got off to a great start, and won some big matches early and they had to weather that. This one is going to be up and down, and you guys have to figure out how to stay even-keeled, be right there at the same level.”

Jaxon Lane defeated Washington’s Wyatt Leman 4-1 at 215 pounds that put the Broncos up 28-27 leading into the heavyweight bout.

After winning eight state championships between 1999 and 2010 at Montini, Mike Bukovsky returned to direct the program. 

“You have to give credit to Washington,” Bukovsky said. “They’re a great program, and they really wrestled hard and very well.

“Our kids really wrestled hard, and they had a great attitude the whole season. There were times tonight where we needed to be more disciplined. Washington was the more disciplined team.”

Montini beat Rochelle 56-22 in the quarterfinal and then beat Glenwood 46-22 in the semifinal round.

The Broncos had 12 individual state qualifiers and two state champions with freshman Allen Woo at 106 pounds and senior David Mayora at 150 pounds.

Montini’s stacked lineup featured six all-state performers with Woo, Mayora, Mikey Malizzio (third at 113 pounds), Josh Vazquez (runner-up 126 pounds), Kameron Luif (third at 132 pounds) and Harrison Konder (third at 157 pounds).

Mayora (42-1) closed out his remarkable career with a technical fall victory over the Panthers’ Tyler Brown.

The individual state champion showed dazzling technique and explosive athleticism, and provided a jolt of high-end leadership, toughness and skill.

“I have nothing else to say except that I’m very proud of this team,” David Mayora said. “It’s a little bittersweet, and I’m tearing up right now because I just wish that I had one more year.

”My little brother Isaac, and the other freshmen, sophomores and juniors are going to be able to hold themselves up. I’ll come back as a spectator, even when I’m in college, no matter, and I want to see each and every one of them get their hands raised.”

The most remarkable story of the Broncos’ path downstate came at the conclusion of their sectional final against IC Catholic Prep.

The match was tied heading into the final bout at 126 pounds.

Josh Vazquez saw a familiar face, his best friend and former high school teammate, the 120-pound state champion Deven Casey. The two wrestled together the previous two seasons at Aurora Christian.

Casey had back-to-back third-place state finishes at Aurora Christian. Vazquez lost the 120-pound state championship match. The top wrestlers at Aurora Christian like Casey followed coach Danny Alcocer after he took over the program at IC Catholic Prep.

Vazquez (48-5) elected to start over at Montini. His older brother, Nain Vazquez, was a former standout for the Broncos.

Casey defeated two-time defending state champion Drew Davis of Glenwood in the 120-pound state championship. 

“I found out at the weigh-in that he was bumping up,” Vazquez said. “That felt very bittersweet and strange to beat my teammate and former coach.”

Vazquez’s 3-2 decision was the difference in the 32-29 Montini dual victory. His 1-0 victory over Drew Davis was a highlight of the Montini semifinal victory.

In the fluid and constantly changing landscape, Montini was a force of nature.

“Whether there’s a better program out there or not, I think we’re one of the best,” Mayora said. “Maybe we lost tonight, but we still have one of the best rooms in Illinois. There’s nothing like it.

“We’re a family, and we love each other, and I don’t think anybody could have come into this room, and not love it.”

The state championship started at the top with the 106 pound match, where Woo (25-3) pushed the Broncos out to the fast start with the 0:54 fall of Zed Hulet.

Malizzio’s 10-3 decision over Logan Makiney provided the 9-0 advantage. 

The most controversial and significant development came at 120 pounds, where Isaac Mayora built the 3-1 advantage late in the second period with a takedown over Noah Woods.

Down 3-2 in the closing moments, Woods staged a furious rally and was able to get tight on Isaac Mayora in the closing seconds. As the time ran out, he caught the younger Mayora.

After conferring with the second official, they ruled in Woods’ favor for the dramatic 4-3 decision. Bukovsky disagreed with the call.

Washington earned a reprieve, and a change in fortunes.

Woods finished the season 44-16. His final win was the most consequential.

“I obviously couldn’t believe that myself,” Woods said. “I just dug deep. I did whatever I could to score there.My mentality going into that match was doing whatever I could to win, and fight for my family.

“We knew we’d find a way to get back in.”

Nick Miller immediately recognized the consequences.

“We snagged a big win late in the match,” he said. “I saw him swing around and catch the ankle, but I don’t know if it was enough. It was a close call that went our way.”

Vazquez’s 3-1 overtime victory over Eli Gonzalez was followed by Luif’s 7-4 decision over Timmy Smith for the 15-3 Montini lead.

Washington knew the heart of its order was waiting on deck. The Panthers featured eight state qualifiers, and six all-state wrestlers, marked at the top by sophomore state champion Wyatt Medlin at 138 pounds, and state runner-up Peyton Cox at 144 pounds.

Medlin (49-4) and Cox (29-2) offset the Broncos’ fast start with back to back falls that knotted the team score at 15-15.

Everything was starting over again.

“Peyton Cox and I played a huge role, but everybody really played a huge role tonight,” Medlin said. “It’s a team tournament. There are not two people on one team who are going to change it, and make a team win.

“Washington, Illinois beat this team. Wyatt Medlin and Peyton Cox did not beat this team. I had a great individual year, but I was our only state champion. It felt great winning an individual title, but seeing all of my brothers not reach their goal was tough and disappointing, so it’s great that we could all win this together and be a team again.”

Cox suffered his third consecutive state championship loss against St. Rita’s Sean Larkin. Just like last season, he got his redemption with a crucial victory that helped sway the team title.

“We trained all season for this moment,” Cox said. “We made our schedule as hard as possible to get ready for this. We’re battle tested.

We compete in some of the hardest tournaments in the country, dual and individual. 

“I had faith in us, and I knew we were ready for it. Losing three times in the state championship is really tough, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’d rather win two team titles than any individual championships.”

David Mayora and Konder (20-3) answered with consecutive technical falls that pushed Montini to its largest lead at 25-15.

The Panthers’ skilled upper weights showcase three elite high-end talents in Cael Miller (fifth at 165 pounds), Zane Hulet (third at 175 pounds), and Josh Hoffer (fourth at 190 pounds).

In one of the best matches, Miller (44-12) secured the 3-1 overtime victory over Santino Tenuta (35-10). Zane Hulet’s second period fall of Alexander Tack and Hoffer’s 7-2 decision over Alex Marre gave the Panthers their first lead at 27-25.

“Our coaches are amazing,” Cox said. “They push us, and they know how to work us. They make us better, and we’re about as tight as a team can get. We have each other’s backs.”

Like Montini, Washington cruised into the championship with one-sided victories over Wauconda and Brother Rice. 

This was a true white-knuckler with an impossible to predict outcome.

With all the other matches having finished, wrestlers from the other classes and teams stood about four abreast in watching the dramatic conclusion.

An instant classic had a tie and three lead changes. 

“You have to think that last year’s experience really helped,” Nick Miller said.

Glenwood (25-6) also earned a historic moment with its first state trophy in program history. 

The Titans lost all three of its previous state appearances in the quarterfinal round, including in consecutive seasons in 2018 and 2019. Glenwood broke through with a dominant 58-12 victory over Riverside-Brookfield in the quarterfinals.

The Titans punctuated their 57-17 third-place dual victory over Brother Rice with five falls.

Glenwood featured eight state qualifiers, and three place winners with Davis, John Ben Maduena (fourth at 138 pounds) and Maximus Wiezorek (fifth at 175 pounds).

John Ben Madeuna won all three of his state matches to finish 41-9. Wiezorek (56-9) pushed up to 190 pounds and posted the third period fall of state qualifier James Crane.

“Our team has had a bunch of really good people come through, and we never had a placement before today,” Madeira said. “It was just a really good thing. We came together as a team, and worked really hard in the room.

“We showed everyone what we were made of. We showed how much work we’ve been doing in the wrestling room.”

Brother Rice (22-7) also made history with its first state trophy. The Crusaders overcame a hard series of injuries, including an ACL knee injury that knocked out defending state champion Bobby Conway.

Falls by Dan Costello and Crane powered a stunning 12-0 final run in the breakthrough 36-27 victory over Mahomet-Seymour in the quarterfinal round.

Despite the horrible luck with injuries, the Crusaders had eight qualifiers, led by the sixth-place finish by Costello (39-9) at 175 pounds.

“This means a lot,” said senior 132-pounder James Bennett. “When I was a sophomore, we lost to Mahomet-Seymour and my older brother was on that team. It was his last match, and we ended it in a rough way. 

“Even with those injuries, this makes it even better. When you get over the hard stuff, that makes it even easier.”

The weight class results of the Class 2A team dual state championship

Washington 30, Montini 28

2A dual team state title match results:

106 – Allen Woo (Montini) F ) 0:54 Zed Hulet (Washington) 

113 – Mikey Malizzio (Montini) D 10-3 Logan Makiney (Washington)

120 – Noah Woods (Washington) D 4-3 Isaac Mayora (Montini)

126 – Josh Vazquez (Montini) SV-1 3-1 Eli Gonzalez (Washington)

132 – Kameron Luif (Montini) D 7-4 Timmy Smith (Washington)

138 – Wyatt Medlin (Washington) F 2:55 David Hernandez (Montini)

144 – Peyton Cox (Washington) F 1:37 Jeremy Huf (Montini)

150 – David Mayora (Montini) TF 26-11 Tyler Brown (Washington)

157 – Harrison Konder (Montini) TF 15-0 Cruise Brolley (Washington)

165 – Cael Miller (Washington) SV-1 3-1 Santino Tenuta (Montini)

175 – Zane Hulet (Washington) F 3:04 Alexander Tack (Montini)

190 – Josh Hoffer (Washington) D 7-2 Alex Marre (Montini)

215 – Jaxon Lane (Montini) D 4-1 Wyatt Leman (Washington)

285 – Sean Thornton (Washington) D 6-4 Michael Ranquist (Montini) 

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

IWCOA regionals at Althoff Catholic and Springfield Southeast, feeding the Granite City Sectional on March 2

Althoff Catholic Regional

Edwardsville led all schools with eight sectional qualifiers, led by regional champions KJ Jamison (132) and Braylon Hill-Lomax (215), while two other schools also had two regional champions apiece, in Belleville East’s Jackson Schadegg (101) and Eliot Dahm (157), and Murphysboro’s Paxton Pyatt (113) and Julien Tanner (285).

Also winning regional titles were Cahokia’s Ja’Marcus Agnew (106), Waterloo’s Konnor Stephens (120), Mascoutah’s Desi Wade (126), Sparta’s Gavin Watson (138), Alton’s Brayden Drew (144), East St. Louis’ Pierre Walton (150), Civic Memorial’s Luke McCoy (165), Trico’s Johnny Ramaker (175), and Freeburg’s Dane Olmstead (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Jackson Schadegg (Belleville East) over Braxton Tittle (Benton) (D 4-2)

106 – Ja`Marcus Agnew (Cahokia) over Zane Stanley (Benton) (MD 14-2)

113 – Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) over Corbin Zeisset (Belleville East) (D 1-0)

120 – Konnor Stephens (Waterloo) over Colin Waddington (Edwardsville) (D 8-4

126 – Desi Wade (Mascoutah) over Ian Trauernicht (Edwardsville) (SV-1 4-2)

132 – KJ Jamison (Edwardsville) over Braxton Tolley (Granite City) (D 5-3)

138 – Gavin Watson (Sparta) over Jordan Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah) (D 4-2)

144 – Brayden Drew (Alton Sr) over Braxton Kieffer (Litchfield) (D 7-1)

150 – Pierre Walton (East St. Louis) over George Ostrom (Edwardsville) (TF 19-4)

157 – Eliot Dahm (Belleville East) over Owen Hicks (Edwardsville) (D 5-0)

165 – Luke Mccoy (Civic Memorial) over Corey Robinson (East St. Louis Sr) (F 2:13)

175 – Johnny Ramaker (Trico) over Tristian Ward (Civic Memorial) (D 6-0)

190 – Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) over Evan Francis (Marion) (F 0:45)

215 -Braylon Hill-Lomax (Edwardsville) over Jack Amann (Freeburg) (F 1:16)

285 – Julien Tanner (Murphysboro) over Lucas Kunz (Edwardsville) (D 10-5)

Third-place match results:

101 – Nathan Fisher (Cahokia) over Juelz Elliott (Marion) (F 2:17)

106 – Jkwon Williamson (Marion) over Carter Marshall (Waterloo) (F 2:21)

113 – Shane Seip (Triad) over Ayden Swan (Carbondale) (D 9-7)

120 – Glen Henry (Triad) over Brock Becker (Freeburg) (F 0:24)

126 – Kaden Blades (Benton) over Macguire Leck (Mascoutah) (FF)

132 – Donovin Moore (Alton Sr) over Joshua Harkey (Civic Memorial) (D 10-3)

138 – Xander Goodwin (Belleville West) over Lonnez Smith (East St. Louis Sr) (FF)

144 – Sean Murphy (Mascoutah) over Trevor Tucker (Jersey) (F 2:29)

150 – Nicholas Hartley (Jersey) over Matt Walsh (Breese Central) (F 3:40)

157 – Carter Jones (Carterville) over Michael Minor (Benton) (TF 16-1

165 – Graham Taylor (Edwardsville) over Charles Jacquez (Trico) (F 1:59

175 – Kevahn Flannigan (Civic Memorial) over Martez Williams (Cahokia) (F 2:13)

190 – Julian Kadel (Freeburg) over Jeremiyah Barkley (East St. Louis Sr) (D 7-0

215 – Alex Bradley (O`Fon) over Josh Roby (Althoff Catholic) (F 1:36)

285 – Drake Spears (Benton) over Kelvin Howard (Cahokia) (F 3:50)

Springfield Southeast Regional

Quincy’s eight sectional qualifiers were led by regional champions Wyatt Boeing (120), Cale Mixer (138), Rennie Lilo (150), and Jayden Wilson (165).

Auburn had seven sectional qualifiers and got regional titles from Randall Hart (215) and Cash Thomas (285), while Warrensburg-Latham’s six qualifiers were led by regional champs Taygan Gossard (101) and Charles Wittmer (132). Sacred Heart-Griffin qualified five wrestlers to the sectional, led by regional champion Casen Lyons (175).

Other regional champions at Springfield Southeast were Riverton’s Harrison Lott (106), Jacksonville’s Hunter Hayes (113), Rochester’s Nicholas Mrozowski (126), Springfield’s Bryce Bryant (144), Pittsfield’s Jake Oitker (157), and Southeast’s Christopher Hull (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Taygan Gossard (Warrensburg-Latham) over George Piazza (Auburn) (F 4:37)

106 – Harrison Lott (Riverton) over Jayce Evans (Jacksonville) (D 10-4)

113 – Hunter Hayes (Jacksonville) over Steven Easley (Jacksonville) (F 1:51)

120 – Wyatt Boeing (Quincy) over Karson Beenenga (Southeast) (D 12-5)

126 – Nicholas Mrozowski (Rochester) over Noah Duncan (Auburn) (D 5-0)

132 – Charles Wittmer (Warrensburg-Latham) over Cale Hilbing (Quincy Notre Dame) (MD 17-3)

138 – Cale Mixer (Quincy) over Matthew Miller (Williamsville) (MD 15-5)

144 – Bryce Bryant (Springfield) over Maddox Medrano (Beardstown) (MD 14-4)

150 – Rennie Lilo (Quincy) over James Escobar (Rochester) (F 2:52)

157 – Jake Oitker (Pittsfield) over Jamarion Thomas (PORTA) (F 4:12)

165 – Jayden Wilson (Quincy) over Alcantar Medrano (Beardstown) (D 5-0)

175 – Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin) over Shamar Brownlee (Springfield) (D 8-6)

190 – Christopher Hull (Southeast) over Brody Dukes (Warrensburg-Latham) (F 1:00)

215 – Randall Hart (Auburn) over Elias Banks (Riverton) (F 2:33)

285 – Cash Thomas (Auburn) over King Johnson (Quincy) (F 1:40)

Third place match results:

101 – Charlie Welch (Camp Point Central) received a bye

106 – Case Hughes (Camp Point Central) over Alejandro Armenta (Beardstown) (F 2:28)

113 – Eli Taylor (Springfield) over Blaise Rogers (Taylorville) (D 11-10)

120 – Drayven Hamm (Auburn) over Joel Noble (Pittsfield) (F 2:03)

126 – Porter Dennis (Sacred Heart-Griffin) over Leandre Huggins (Lanphier) (F 0:55)

132 – Cooper Kamm (Quincy) over Stan Vacek (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (TF 19-4)

138 – John Harper III (Jacksonville) over Cooper Balen (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (F 1:51)

144 – Jayden Brown (Auburn) over Jaedon Rhone (Jacksonville) (F 2:22)

150 – Noah Beckmann (Jacksonville) over Anthony Steskal (Lanphier) (SV-1 14-12)

157 – Owen Evans (Auburn) over Josef Hamell (Taylorville) (F 3:45)

165 – Tez Williams (Springfield) over Kamden Gaither (Warrensburg-Latham) (F 2:02)

175 – Alex Wells (Quincy) over Kavone Brown (Southeast) (SV-1 6-4)

190 – Anthony Beckman (Williamsville) over Robert Meacham (Lanphier) (F 0:46)

215 – Jack Kerley (Warrensburg-Latham) over John Martinez (Jacksonville) (F 2:52)

285 – Brycen Stock (Warrensburg-Latham) over Lucas Oseland (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (F 3:21)

IWCOA regionals at Clinton and Normal, feeding the Heyworth sectional on March 3

Clinton Regional

Five teams in Clinton, Hoopeston Area, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher, Lawrenceville/Red Hill and Mt. Zion each had two champions to lead the way at the IWCOA Clinton Regional. Mt. Zion had the most sectional qualifiers with seven.

Regional champions were Clinton’s Briley Carter (101) and Russell Stamp (157), Lawrenceville/Red Hill’s Drew Seitzinger (106) and Hudson Meek (138), Hoopeston Area’s 

Charlie Flores (113) and Aiden Bell (132), Mt. Zion’s Jackson Heckel (144) and Carson Thornton (190) and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Sam Manson (165) and Jaxon Wright (175). Other title winners were Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Tyler Huchel (120), Shelbyville’s Bodee Fathauer (126), Robinson’s Benjamin Mullins (150), Mattoon’s  Mitchell Clapp (215) and Pontiac’s Hunter McCullough (285).

Championship match results:

101 – Briley Carter (Clinton) over Haley Richter (Heyworth) F 0:55

106 – Drew Seitzinger (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) received a bye

113 – Charlie Flores (Hoopeston Area) over Colin Wells (Shelbyville) TF 15-0

120 – Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) over Kaeden Davis (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) F 1:33

126 – Bodee Fathauer (Shelbyville) over Tristan Porter (Mattoon) F 2:11

132 – Aiden Bell (Hoopeston Area) over Brody Goonan (Mattoon) D 7-2

138 – Hudson Meek (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) over Jonathon Moore (St. Joseph-Ogden) F 4:03

144 – Jackson Heckel (Mt. Zion) over Jonah Fonner (Urbana) D 2-2

150 – Benjamin Mullins (Robinson) over Josiah Williams (Danville) MD 9-0

157 – Russell Stamp (Clinton) over Devan Swisher (St. Joseph-Ogden) MD 13-4

165 – Sam Manson (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) over Kalvin Becker (Mt. Zion) F 3:31

175 – Jaxon Wright (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) over Sergio Baity (Centennial) F 1:37

190 – Carson Thornton (Mt. Zion) over Ethan Miller (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 2:39

215 – Mitchell Clapp (Mattoon) over Landynn Balla (Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/Armstrong) F 4:45

285 – Hunter McCullough (Pontiac) over Evan Ashmore (Mt. Zion) F 3:46

Third Place match results:

113 – Noah Davis (Pontiac) over Matt Hutchinson (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 2:08

120 – Jaxtyn Chansler (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) over Braylon Damery (Mt. Zion) F 3:54

126 – Drayden Ramsey (Pontiac) over Caleb Hamilton (Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/Armstrong) F 2:37

132 – Malachi Hutchison (Urbana) over Cale Seitzinger (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) MD 15-5

138 – Nathan Daly (St. Joseph-Ogden) over Ty McMasters (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 0:43

144 – Justin Droke Jr. (Clinton) over Caleb Berg (Unity Christian) D 5-0

150 – Trevor Soice (Heyworth) over Colton Shubert (Monticello) F 2:14

157 – William Mullins (Robinson) over Oliver Reed (Clinton) F 1:02

165 – Edwin Villagomez (Urbana) over Earl Kelnhofer (Hoopeston Area) D 11-10

175 – Rylyn Owens (Mt. Zion) over Ethan Evans (Charleston) F 0:19

190 – Jarrod Fulcher (Heyworth) over Zander Schrader (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) F 4:21

215 – Taven Agney (Shelbyville) over Jacob Jones (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 0:56

285 – Kendall Newell (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) over Jack Rogers (Mt. Zion) F 0:20

Normal Community Regional

Normal Community led all schools with nine sectional qualifiers, led by regional champions Jackson Soney (101), Ethan Cavallo (120), and Carter Mayes (144).

Morton had a pair of regional champs among its five sectional qualifiers, in Harrison Dea (113) and Benjamin Chaffer (215). Marquette Academy also had a pair of regional champs in Beau Thompson (126) and Reily Leifheit (157), as did Deer Creek-Mackinaw in regional champs Wyatt Otto (165) and Ryker Gemberling (175).

Other regional champions on the day were Canton’s Jake Hardesty (106), Normal West’s Mason Wood (132), Metamora’s Connor Graham (138), Illinois Valley Central’s Antonio Toliver (150), Olympia’s Darian Holloway (190), and Bloomington’s David Williams (285).

Championship matches:

101 – Jackson Soney (Normal Community) over Joshua Stedwill (Peoria Notre Dame) F 0:58

106 – Jake Hardesty (Canton) over Elijah Conda (Normal Community) D 6-4

113 – Harrison Dea (Morton) over Cash Hill (Morton) F 2:02

120 – Ethan Cavallo (Normal Community) over Devon Swope (Dunlap) MD 15-4

126 – Beau Thompson (Marquette Academy) over Nolan Lowe (University High) SV 6-4

132 – Mason Wood (Normal West) over Cameron Bell (Lincoln) MD 21-8

138 – Connor Graham (Metamora) over Ethan Lowe (University High) F 4:51

144 – Carter Mayes (Normal Community) over Jackson Painter (Normal Community) F 0:59

150 – Antonio Toliver (Illinois Valley Central) over Mason Taylor (Galesburg) D 11-5

157 – Reily Leifheit (Marquette Academy) over Jayden Schmick (Dunlap) F 1:43

165 – Wyatt Otto (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) over Colton Mckee (Morton) F 4:56

175 – Ryker Gemberling (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) over Connor Karnes Pekin) F 1:16

190 – Darian Holloway (Olympia) over Miles Chaffer (Morton) F 1:28

215 – Benjamin Chaffer (Morton) over Caleb Zirkelbach (Lincoln) F 2:23

285 – David Williams (Bloomington) over Keegan Barnes (East Peoria) F 1:26

Third Place matches:

101 – Christian Johnson (Limestone) over Donovan Lowery (Normal West) F 4:38

106 – Johnny Thomas (Normal Community) over Jacob Payne (Normal West) F 3:27

113 – Dakoda Hentz (Limestone) over Carter Knobloch (Olympia) F 3:42

120 – Ruben Rivera (University High) over Austin Kisner (Olympia) D 13-9

126 – Hunter Toliver (Illinois Valley Central) over Chad Rickey (ROWVA) D 7-4

132 – Cole Brooks (East Peoria) over Orlando Castellano (Galesburg) MD 10-1

138 – Christopher Rose (Bloomington) over Colton Mosack (Dunlap) D 3-0

144 – Drew Williams (Richwoods) over Quinton Davis (East Peoria) F 1:20

150 – Ryne Metelko (Lincoln) over Braylon Harris (Bloomington) D 11-4

157 – Anthony Makwala (Galesburg) over Victor Reyes (Normal Community) MD 16-5

165 – Dalton Oakman (East Peoria) over Cole Kretsinger (Normal Community) D 12-8

175 – Zacharia Fry (Olympia) over Benjamin Buis (El Paso-Gridley) D 9-7

190 – Austin Webb (Richwoods) over Thomas Baker (Peoria Notre Dame) F 0:36

215 – Alec Deltoro (East Peoria) over Adrian Ramirez (Normal Community) TF 18-3

285 – Hayden Ralph (Richwoods) over Israel Lukoji (Bloomington) F 2:28

IWCOA regionals at DeKalb and Morrison, feeding the Sterling Sectional on March 3

DeKalb Regional

Sycamore had seven sectional qualifiers on the day, led by regional champs Michael Olson (113) and Tyler Lockhart (120), and Hampshire matched it with seven qualifiers of its own plus two champions in Deegan Kirschke (101) and Michael Brannigan (157).

Harlem had six sectional qualifiers, led by a pair of regional champs in Izayah Olejniczak (126) and Chandler Jack (215), and DeKalb also qualified six, led by regional champion Cam Matthews (144).

Burlington Central had a pair of regional champs in Jackson Marlett (106) and Michael Junitz (165), and other wrestlers winning regional titles were Guilford’s Ayden Macklin (132), Oregon’s Jayden Berry (138), Belvidere North’s Andrew Bucci (150), Marengo’s Frankie Solis (175), Harvard’s Blake Livdahl (190), and Dakota’s Randy McPeek (285)

Championship match results:

101 – Deegan Kirschke (Hampshire) over Jaden Bradley (DeKalb) (F 1:39)

106 – Jackson Marlett (Burlington Central) over over Nathan Corder (Harlem) (TF 17-1)

113 – Michael Olson (Sycamore) over Landon Ege (Oregon) (MD 12-1)

120 – Tyler Lockhart (Sycamore) over Andrew Salmieri (Hampshire) (F 3:28)

126 – Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem) over Taqiuldin Baker (Woodstock) (D 3-2)

132 – Ayden Macklin (Guilford) over Cael Ohoro (Byron) (D 6-3)

138 – Jayden Berry (Oregon) over Jack Gruber (Kaneland) (F 2:03)

144 – Cam Matthews (DeKalb) over Xzavier Lindhe (Guilford) (D 5-0)

150 – Andrew Bucci (Belvidere North) over Giovanni Marino (Hampshire) (F 1:23

157 – Michael Brannigan (Hampshire) over Doug Gemberling (Sycamore) (F 1:18)

165 – Michael Junitz (Burlington Central) over Adam Carrick (Sycamore) (D 6-2)

175 – Frankie Solis (Marengo) over Albion Alili (Hampshire) (D 7-3)

190 – Blake Livdahl (Harvard) over over David RanDker (Woodstock North) (TF 18-2

215 – Chandler Jack (Harlem) over Logan Gibson (Burlington Central) (F 4:07)

285 – Randy McPeek (Dakota) received a bye () (Bye)

Third-place match results:

101 – Dominic Angileri (Guilford) over Charlie Olson (Sycamore) (MD 13-2)

106 – Jonathon Sebring (Marengo) over Dominic Osinski (Woodstock) (F 0:54)

113 – Lou Jensen (Hampshire) over Jaydee Doke (Harlem) (D 6-5)

120 – Eduardo Vences (Burlington Central) over over Kennison Sims (DeKalb) (TF 17-1)

126 – Ayden Shuey (DeKalb) over Owen Vail (Harvard) (MD 9-0)

132 – Geren Stapleton (Belvidere North) over Noah Carlson (Sycamore) (F 0:58)

138 – Jordan Reed (Polo) over Owen Hollingsworth (Harlem) (F 4:24)

144 – Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley) over draven zier (Polo) (F 2:31)

150 – Logan Wisner (Woodstock) over kaenyn McCarren (Polo) (F 4:09)

157 – Landon VanAcker (Belvidere North) over Eden Varner (Stillman Valley) (F 0:31)

165 – Gavin Baros (Marengo) over Charlie Faulkner (Harlem) (D 5-3)

175 – Dermot Dolan (Durand) over John Turner (Sycamore) (MD 12-1)

190 – Carter Hintz (Hampshire) over Elvis Mora (DeKalb) (F 1:55)

215 – Terrion Davis (Guilford) over Alex Reubin (DeKalb) (D 16-10)

285 – BYE

Morrison Regional

All six of Moline’s sectional qualifiers were regional champions at Morrison, in Housseyn Ndiaye (120), Dominick Diaz (126), Hassan Ndiaye (144), Jaxson Soliz (150), Deanthony Simpson (157), and Jude Ossian (165).

Rock Island led all schools with 10 sectional qualifiers, led by regional champion Mason Frye (215), and Dixon had a trio of regional champs among its four qualifiers, in Riley Paredes (106), Kye Dieterle (113) and Dylan Bopes (285).

Also winning regional titles were LaSalle-Peru’s Austin Herron (101), Rock Falls’ Adan Oquendo (132), Geneseo’s Grady Hull (138), Lena Winslow’s Duncan Nevel (175), and Stockton’s Oliver McPeek (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Austin Herron (LaSalle Peru) over Tyler Olson (Orion) (F 2:31)

106 – Riley Paredes (Dixon) over Tyquez Hudson (Rock Island) (D 2-1)

113 – Kye Dieterle (Dixon) over Cael Lyons (Sterling) (D 13-8)

120 – Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline) over Josiah Tarbill (Rock Fs) (F 2:10)

126 – Dominick Diaz (Moline) over Xavier Marolf (United) (D 7-0)

132 – Adan Oquendo (Rock Falls) over Lincoln Barnett (Geneseo) (D 8-5)

138 – Grady Hull (Geneseo) over Clayton Blumenstein (Rockridge) (F 2:43)

144 – Hassan Ndiaye (Moline) over Andrew Knox (Sherrard) (MD 10-2)

150 – Jaxson Soliz (Moline) over Neyo Holloway (Dixon) (F 1:56)

157 – Deanthony Simpson (Moline) over Trail Stonitsch (Rock Fs) (F 0:51)

165 – Jude Ossian (Moline) over Benjamin Geske (Newman Central Catholic) (F 1:56)

175 – Duncan Nevel (Lena Winslow) over Dameon Poulton (Galena High School) (D 8-6)

190 – Oliver Mcpeek (Stockton) over Kylan Mitchell (Rock Island) (TF 15-0)

215 – Mason Fry (Rock Island) over Jonathan Weakley (Sherrard) (F 2:18)

285 – Dylan Bopes (Dixon) over Emilio Guzman (Rock Island) (D 3-2)

Third-place match results:

101 – Gideon Richards (Kewanee) over Scottie Hampton Jr (Rock Fs) (D 6-5)

106 – Evan Jones (Sterling) over Mason Teague (Rock Island) (F 0:42)

113 – Thomas Olson (Freeport) over Maricio Parker (Rock Island) (F 0:49)

120 – Ayden Shaw (Sterling) over Kie Smith (Geneseo) (MD 10-2)

126 – Temar Hudson (Rock Island) over Logan Thome (Rock Fs) (Inj. 0:00)

132 – Caiden Heath (Amboy) over Emmanuel Arreola (Sterling) (D 11-4)

138 – Mauricio Glass (Stockton) over George Tate (Rock Island) (F 2:15)

144 – Caleb Plut (LaSalle-Peru) over Ian McGowan (Rock Island) (F 4:33)

150 – Jonner Smith (West Carroll) over Brayden Johnson (Kewanee) (F 2:01)

157 – Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (Freeport) over Preston Brunat (Rockridge) (D 3-2)

165 – John Mensendike (Lena Winslow) over Josias Dokambire (United) (MD 12-0)

175 – Landon Montroy (Monmouth) over Wyatt Neumann (Geneseo) (D 5-4)

190 – Zach Scace (Lena Winslow) over Rowan Stockwell (Rock Island) (F 0:23)

215 -Evan Flanagan (Amboy) over Sailas Cung (Monmouth) (F 2:12)

285 – Jahkei Jones (Rock Fs) over Airies Simmons (Kewanee) (F 2:45)

IWCOA regionals at Lake Zurich and Lakes feeding the Lake Zurich Sectional March 3

Lake Zurich Regional

Barrington had a trio of regional champs among its five sectional qualifiers in Brennan O’Donnell (126), Daniel Blanke (138), and Clarence Jackson (285)

Hersey’s Frank Tagoe (150) was a regional champion leading a pack of six Huskies to the weekend’s sectional at Lake Zurich; Crystal Lake Central’s four qualifiers were led by a pair of regional champs in Dylan Ramsey (113) and Tyler Porter (165); and Dundee-Crown’s three qualifiers featured a pair of regional champs in Aiden Healey (101) and Teigen Moreno (215).

Jacobs advanced five wrestlers to the sectional, led by regional champions Ben Arbotante (120) and Johnny Strauss (175).

Also winning regional titles were Schaumburg’s Austin Phelps (106), Huntley’s Gavin Nischke (132), Prospect’s Bennett Westfallen (144), Fremd’s Lucas Nance (157), and McHenry’s Ariel Montes (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Aiden Healey (Dundee-Crown) over Charlie Melo (Conant) (F 0:50)

106 – Austin Phelps (Schaumburg) over Kristian Dlercq (Jacobs) (D 4-3)

113 – Dylan Ramsey (Crystal Lake Central) over Trentin Odachowski (Fremd) (D 11-5)

120 – Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) over Aibar Aitkaliuly (Hersey) (D 7-3)

126 – Brennan O`Donnell (Barrington) over Joseph Caputo (Bartlett) (F 3:51)

132 – Gavin Nischke (Huntley) over Mohammed El-Zein (Palatine) (D 5-0)

138 – Daniel Blanke (Barrington) over Nick Zuehlke (Crystal Lake Central) (MD 10-0)

144 – Bennett WestFen (Prospect) over Ryan Johnston (McHenry) (F 1:28)

150 – Frank Tagoe (Hersey) over Joe Quirk (Prospect) (D 7-0)

157 – Lucas Nance (Fremd) over Waylon Theobald (Huntley) (SV-1 6-4)

165 – Tyler Porter (Crystal Lake Central) over Owen Hurd (Huntley) (F 4:53)

175 – Johnny Strauss (Jacobs) over Caden Schladt (Carry Grove) (Inj. 0:00)

190 – Ariel Montes (McHenry) over Brody Lidbury (McHenry) (F 2:04)

215 – Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown) over Diego Arceo (Hersey) (D 6-0)

285 – Clarence Jackson (Barrington) over Bernard Erhabor (Hersey) (F 1:30)

Third-place match results:

101 – Cj Talbert (Crystal Lake South) over Willem Anderson (Barrington) (F 2:18)

106 – Michael Goolish (Conant) over Anthony Martinez (Jacobs) (F 2:05)

113 – Saul Ramirez (Barrington) over Colin Abordo (Huntley) (TF 15-0)

120 – Robert Suvi (Lake Zurich) over Kellen Oxborrow (Lake Zurich) (D 8-3)

126 – Daniel Derevlyak (Palatine) over Brody Hinkle (Schaumburg) (D 6-5)

132 – Aiden Quevedo (Schaumburg) over Cameron Engels (Bartlett) (D 6-5)

138 – Matt Keaty (Huntley) over Michael Marcello (Fremd) (F 2:37)

144 – Grant Moga (Hersey) over Anthony Marcello (Fremd) (F 3:45)

150 – Dmytro Patykovskyi (Hoffman Estates) over Kaden Abrantes (Lake Zurich) (D 12-9)

157 – Gavin Payne (Prospect) over Drew Frank (Hersey) (D 5-2)

165 – Owen Dewey (Prospect) over Joshua Benson (Schaumburg) (F 2:10)

175 – Joseph Reiswig (Palatine) over Antonin Svoboda (Lake Park) (D 5-0)

190 – Zachary Anderson (Dundee-Crown) over Anthony Basso (Carry Grove) (SV-1 7-5)

215 – Lucas Retzler (Jacobs) over James Brouilette (Prospect) (D 5-1)

285 – Owen Jakubczak (Fremd) over Logan Gough (Crystal Lake Central) (D 6-5)