By Mike Garofola

BATAVIA – With six ranked teams and nearly 50 wrestlers ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight divisions on hand at the Clint Arlis Invite, there’s no doubt that fans of this sport would pour into the Batavia gym on Saturday to get a close-up view of the action.

Marmion Academy, top-ranked in Class 3A, was the favorite from the onset to lift the championship trophy and despite missing one of its best in Jameson Garcia and also Zach Stewart, as well as two other starters, Cadets head coach Anthony Cirrincione watched his men outscore Class 2A power Washington by 38.5 points (208.5-170) to collect the team title.

The host Bulldogs were third with 157.5 points while Hinsdale Central (127.5) and Marian Catholic Central (115.5) rounded out the top five.

“The boys knew we would not be at full strength for this great tournament, that had quality competition, and was well-organized, so we really wanted to see how hard we could compete and where we fell as a team as a result,” said Cirrincione, whose club also suffered a couple of injuries during the competition.

“Collectively, we’re very happy with winning this tournament, and as a staff, we are extremely proud of how hard the boys wrestled, especially our freshman, Joey Favia, who won at 220, and of course, Jack (Lesher) who dominated at 182, who has really come into his own as an elite wrestler.”

“We have a hard-working, dedicated bunch of guys with a nice blend of young wrestlers and veterans, who come into the room each day and do whatever it takes to become better wrestlers, and teammates,” added Lesher.

The Cadets also had five second-place finishers, Brody Kelly (132), Santino Scolaro (145), Collin Carrigan (152), Tegan Chumbley (160) and Sean Scheck (285).

The path to victory appeared to be clear once the Cadets went into the lunch break with a 31- point advantage over Washington, which increased to 43 points just ahead of the final session.

A handful of high-profile men did not make it here on this day, including Garcia at 126 and West Chicago’s Noah Allen, who is No. 4 at 152, which also happened to have an array of talent.

Batavia’s Kaden Fetterolf was part of this elite group of champions, and the Bulldogs senior gave the home crowd plenty to celebrate when he beat Marmion Academy’s then-No. 1 Collin Carrigan in the final contest of the tournament.

Andrew had three champions at the lowest weights, Dino Haleem (106), Max Siegel (113) and Trevor Silzer (120). Washington also had three champions, Peyton Cox (138), Kannon Webster (145) and Justin Hoffer (220). Marian Central Catholic had two title winners, Kaden Harman (126) and Max Astacio (160). Others who won titles were Jacobs’ James Wright (132), McHenry’s Chris Moore (170) and Downers Grove North’s Ben Bielawski (285).

Also claiming second-place finishes were Grant’s Vince Jasinski (106) and Cameron Lattimore (195), Batavia’s Ino Garcia (113) and Aidan Huck (126), Hinsdale Central’s Cody Tavoso (138) and Marko Ivanisevic (220), Maine South’s Theodore Flores (120), Washington’s Blake Hinrichsen (170) and Buffalo Grove’s Vlad Fedorchenko (182).

Astacio, Cox and Webster led all competitors in the Clint Arlis Invite with 29 team points while Bielawski was next with 28. Other leaders in team points were Lesher (27.5), Favia (27), Harman (26), Moore (26), Haleem (25.5), Siegel (25), Wright (25) and Fetterolf (24.5).

Finalists with the top records through the Clint Arlis Invite were Fetterolf (36-0, 1.000), Webster (31-0, 1.000), Moore (28-0, 1.000), Ivanisevic (31-1, .969), Bielawski (28-1, .966), Hoffer (25-1, .962), Tavoso (32-2, .941), Silzer (30-2, .938), Siegel (28-2, .933), Cox (27-2, .931), Carrigan (17-2, .895), Flores (25-3, .893), Wright (25-3, .893) and Haleem (28-4, .875).

Before the awards presentation, longtime assistant and wrestling legend in Illinois, Tom Arlis, provided a moving tribute to his son, Clint, who passed away suddenly a year ago.

Clint Arlis, a 2005 graduate from Batavia, starred on the mats, with three trips downstate, a program-high 437 career takedowns and he was second overall in career victories, before going on to wrestle at the University of Illinois, where he double-majored in Architecture and Engineering.

Illinois head coach Mike Poeta paid tribute via a recorded message, where he announced his program would honor Clint Arlis with an annual Heart of a Warrior Award, which former Deerfield star Jake Reicin was the first to receive last February.

Team Results

Marmion Academy 208.5, Washington 170, Batavia 157.5, Hinsdale Central 127.5, Marian Central Catholic 115.5, Andrew 110.5, Grant 106.5, Downers Grove North 99, McHenry 96.5, Naperville North 88, Maine South 79.5, Lemont 76.5, Hononegah 65.5, Harlem 57, Jacobs 55.5, Buffalo Grove 49, Leyden 37, Addison Trail 18, West Chicago 17

Championship Matches of Batavia’s Clint Arlis Invitational

106 – Dino Haleem (Andrew) SV 10-5 Vince Jasinski (Grant)

113 – Max Siegel (Andrew) F 1:36 Ino Garcia (Batavia)

120 – Trevor Silzer (Andrew) D 8-4 Theodore Flores (Maine South)

126 – Kaden Harman (Marian Central Catholic) D 9-7 Aidan Huck (Batavia)

132 – James Wright (Jacobs) D 9-5 Brody Kelly (Marmion Academy)

138 – Peyton Cox (Washington) MD 10-1 Cody Tavoso (Hinsdale Central)

145 – Kannon Webster (Washington) F 1:18 Santino Scolaro (Marmion Academy)

152 – Kaden Fetterolf (Batavia) D 6-4 Collin Carrigan (Marmion Academy)

160 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) F 3:40 Tegan Chumbley (Marmion Academy)

170 – Chris Moore (McHenry) MD 18-8 Blake Hinrichsen (Washington)

182 – Jack Lesher (Marmion Academy) F 3:59 Vlad Fedorchenko (Buffalo Grove)

195 – Joey Favia (Marmion Academy) D 2-1 Cameron Lattimore (Grant)

220 – Justin Hoffer (Washington) D 5-2 Marko Ivanisevic (Hinsdale Central)

285 – Ben Bielawski (Downers Grove North) F 4:29 Sean Scheck (Marmion Academy)

Here is a breakdown of the Clint Arlis Invitational champions and their weight classes:

106 – Dino Haleem, Andrew

Dino Haleem would inspire lower weight success for Andrew when the freshman registered a thrilling 10-5 sudden victory win over Grant freshman Vince Jasinski, who came from the No. 4- seed to advance into the final.

Haleem (28-4) chased Jasinski (23-7) from the early going when he fell behind 3-0 in the first 30 seconds of this contest, drawing back closer at 3-2 with a nicely-executed reversal, only to find himself down once again when Jasinski earned a takedown near the edge midway through the second period.

“I got off to a slow start, then gave up that takedown to go down 5-3 after the second period (but) I think all the time in the room going against my teammates Max (Siegel) and Trevor Silzer really helped me in a match like this (because) I never really panicked, and was able to get back to what I wanted to do,” said Haleem, who like Jasinski can be found in the Honorable Mention part of the latest IWCOA poll.

“Dino has grown a lot over the season, he continues to improve and buy into our program, and every day he is looking to get better as he continues to put in the work that is needed,” Andrew head coach Peter Kowalczuk said. “We are all excited to see how he finishes up the season.”

Haleem advanced after a major decision victory to open his tournament, followed by another major decision in the semifinals, while Jasinski claimed a pair of pins before his semifinal against the top-seed, Marmion Academy’s No. 3 Nicholas Garcia (19-3), who was forced to take an injury default to end his day, and took fourth place.

McHenry’s Ryan Hansen (26-9) took third place. In the fifth-place match, Hononegah’s Jackson Olson (24-7) won a 6-2 decision over Downers Grove North’s Tyler Tiangco (15-10).

113 – Max Siegel, Andrew

A cutting-edge attack administered by Max Siegel proved no match for the three opponents the Andrew junior faced en route to him lifting his second big trophy of the season after earning top honors recently at Granite City’s Red Schmitt Holiday Tournament.

Siegel (28-2), No. 3 in the polls and an IWCOA state runner-up in 2021, was clearly the best in a field which included three others in the top 10: Batavia’s Ino Garcia, Marmion Academy’s Donny Pigoni and Washington’s Noah Woods, with Woods falling to Siegel in the semifinals and Garcia (14-5) getting pinned by him at 1:45 in the title match.

“It was a good win against Ino, because I beat him in the final at Granite City (so) he had a little more incentive in this final for sure,” said Siegel, who won his opener at state a year ago, before dropping his next two. “Your season never ends the way you hope when it’s not on the podium, so obviously, my goal is to get back down (there) and onto the podium.”

Garcia, Pigoni and Siegel were all part of the 106-pound state field in 2022, and if not for an slight injury, Jacobs’ Dominic Ducato, who’s ranked seventh, would have also been in the tournament making four state qualifiers at the Clint Arlis at 113.

“(Mad) Max, as we call him, is on a tear right now,” said Andrew head coach Peter Kowalczuk,  said, who was head coach at Fenwick, after starring at nearby Oak Park and River Forest.

“(He) is wrestling the best he has in his career thus far, he’s always looking to score points, and create offense, and it’s been awesome to see that his hard work is paying off for him,”

Garcia grabbed a 4-3 overtime victory over Pigoni in the semifinals to advance and Pigoni (18-10) later won 3-0 over Woods (21-11) to capture third place honors. McHenry’s Jimmy Norris (19-14) took fifth place with a fall in 1:59 over Hinsdale Central’s Sam Murante (12-4).

120 – Trevor Silzer, Andrew

Trevor Silzer completed a lower weight sweep for Andrew when the tenth-ranked senior beat Maine South’s eighth-ranked Teddy Flores 8-4 after Flores came back from a 5-1 second period deficit to pull to within 5-4.

“It was the kind of a start you want to get in any match, the first takedown, and another to add to your lead (but) he got that ‘half’ in on me, which led to a reversal to make it a much closer match than I wanted,” Silzer said.

The reversal that Silzer (30-2) spoke of came after the Thunderbolts senior rode Flores (25-3) hard to open the second period, only to be surprised by getting reversed to bring the score to 5-4 with 90 seconds left in the second period.

“I feel like I am much better on both top, and bottom, and that was the difference in this match,” said Silzer, who added two more at the final whistle to claim his 8-4 decision.

“Trevor continues to wrestle smart, and controlled matches, and he puts it all on the line each time he goes out – he’s dialing it in at the right time,” Kowalczuk said.

Silzer, a two-time state qualifier, and a fourth-place medal winner a year ago at 113 with a 35-4 record, recently committed to wrestle next fall at Northern Illinois University, where he will set about earning a degree in Accounting.

Silzer trains at Victory Elite, where, among others, a two-time state runner-up, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Vincent Robinson, trains, as well.

Grant’s Ethan Tarvin (20-7) won by fall in 5:04 over Batavia’s Jack Duraski (13-6) to claim third place. Lemont’s Carter Mikolajzak (31-6) recorded a fall in 1:20 over Buffalo Grove’s Daniel Diaz to finish fifth.

126 – Kaden Harman, Marian Central Catholic

Kaden Harman has a clear view of his future, but for now, the focus is only on reaching the top of the podium at the 1A state tournament.

The Marian Central Catholic junior cruised into his 126-pound final where he met Batavia’s Aidan Huck, ranked fifth in Class 3A, who did all that he could to chip away at a 5-1 deficit before falling short to Harman, ranked fourth in 1A, who earned a hard-fought 9-7 decision.

“I’ve been working on keeping things simple, doing the right things and taking advantage of having coaches like (Jordan) Blanton and (Ryan) Prater who bring it all into the room each day to help prepare for what’s ahead of us,” said Harman, who now has three on the season after also collecting trophies at Antioch and the Mid-States.

“I’ve worked really hard on my offense this year after being a little too defensive last year and getting these tough six minute matches against 3A guys is exactly what I need to make a long run at the state tournament.”

“Kaden is peaking at the right time (he) puts the work in, so it only makes sense that he’s having success,” said Hurricanes co-head coach, Ryan Prater. “In his final, he limited his mistakes, and had stingy defense against a great kid (we) were able to control the ties, and get to our offense, and it is his hand fighting which has shown big improvement  that help lead us to get to our attacks, and end the match with three takedowns against one of the best in the 3A.”

A reversal from Huck (31-6) drew the Batavia senior closer, to within 5-3, but Harman (23-8) answered right away when he kept his hips up in order to finish his second takedown of the third period to extend his advantage to 7-3 with 30 seconds left.

While wrestling is not in the future for Harman after high school, becoming a pilot and serving his country is high on his list of priorities.

“I’ve already signed on with the National Guard, which for the next six years to drill every weekend, but my goal is to get a degree in aviation, maybe at SIU-Carbondale, and one day be a pilot,” Harman said proudly.

Naperville North’s Tyler Sternstein (22-7) recorded a fall in 1:19 over McHenry’s Lucas Van Diepen (19-17) to claim third place. Grant’s Erik Rodriguez (27-8) beat Downers Grove North’s Aidan Cummings with a fall in 1:09 for fifth place.

132 – James Wright, Jacobs

James Wright had the look of a champion all throughout the Clint Arlis Invite, which began with a pair of master class victories via a fall and 12-1 major decision to reach the 132 finals.

Once there, the Jacobs senior, who’s a three-time state qualifier that’s ranked fourth, took a first-period lead with two takedowns, then held off Marmion Academy freshman Brody Kelly to record a 9-5 victory.

“(James’) match with Kelly was a good one, he looked like we got a little tired at the end, which is never the case with him, lack of nutrition on his behalf, but nonetheless, he came out on top, which was a good learning moment for him, and is what that is what we are striving for and can always improve on,” Jacobs coach Gary Conrad said. “Our goal now is to stay healthy, and fit in order to wrestle our best at the end when it really counts.”

“Since that first weekend at the Moore-Prettyman, I’ve worked really hard on my positioning, shots, and set-ups, cleaning things up, and put a lot of extra time with my cardio and fitness to help survive those tough six minutes matches that will be coming at me later on,” said Wright, who also won titles at Barrington and Leyden and took third place at the Dvorak.

Wright’s hopes at state were dashed a year ago as he fell one win short of a medal when he lost to Glenbard North’s Paul Woo, 4-2, after recording two major decision victories.

“I still think about how close I was to getting that state medal, and it’s something that has motivated me this season,” said Wright, who is now 25-3 and was 26-8 last season.

Hinsdale Central’s Liam Ryan (23-9) won a 16-2 major decision over West Chicago’s Donovan Avila (23-8) for third place. And Marian Central Catholic’s Vance Williams (29-6), who’s No. 3 in Class 1A, recorded a fall in 2:16 over Batavia’s Moses Yanez to finish fifth.

138 – Peyton Cox, Washington

Peyton Cox and Kannon Webster took the wind out of the sails of the fields at 132 and 138, when the two top stars at their weight each bumped up from their usual spots at 132 and 138.

Cox (27-2) would show why he’s No. 1 at 132 after capping a four-match performance with his 10-1 victory over Hinsdale Central’s No. 4 Cody Tavoso (32-2) that  began with three-consecutive pins in just over two minutes to send the Washington sophomore into the finals.

“I cut way too much weight last season so this year, at 132 I feel so much better physically, and ready for what lies ahead in the next four to five weeks of the season,” said Cox, who was a state runner-up at 120 a year ago.

“When I came to Washington there were great leaders in the room like Donnie Hidden and obviously Kannon plus a great coaching staff led by coach (Nick) Miller – so I’ve learned a lot already, I was kind of under the radar last season, which was good, but now that I am the guy everyone is looking to beat,so it’s important to work harder, and look to improve each day we go into the room.”

Marian Central Catholic’s Nick Davidson (21-14) won by fall in 2:58 over Jacobs’ Anton Barfield Harris in the third-place match. And Lemont’s Sammy Schuit (23-7), who’s No. 4 in 2A, took fifth place with a fall in 3:12 over Batavia’s Ethan Brauer.

145 – Kannon Webster, Washington

It was a weight class that already looked to be a crowded one with a trio of top-10 men in the state, along with a pair of honorable mention competitors, but once the name of Kannon Webster was added to the 16-man field at 145, the race was on for second place.

The University of Illinois-bound Webster (31-0), whose list of accomplishments is as long as this tournament story, tore through the bracket with ease to win his second major of the season, adding to his Ironman crown in which he came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Ponderosa, CO’s Brandon Cannon 5-4 on a third period takedown.

“It’s all about just getting cleaner and sharper each time we go into the room, and improving top and bottom, which is something I feel is better than it was compared to last season,” says Webster, one of the top men in the nation at his weight, who will go in search soon for his third- straight state championship.

Webster, who is No. 1 in the nation at 138 in the WIN rankings, according to Rob Sherrill, ended his marvelous day with a pin over Marmion Academy’s Santino Scolaro at 1:18.

“Kannon makes everyone in the room be at their best, his work ethic is just amazing,” says teammate Peyton Cox.

“It’s close to home, maybe 60 miles, the coaching staff, especially coach (Mike) Poeta is fantastic, the facilities, and my future teammates, make it all the right place for me,” Webster said of his decision to wrestle at Illinois next season.

Scolaro (22-6), who’s No. 7 in 3A, advanced into the final following his hard-fought 5-2 decision over Batavia senior Cael Andrews when he staved off a late attempt by Andrews in the corner.

Andrews (33-3), who’s No. 8 in 3A, won a 9-2 decision over Marian Central Catholic’s Charlie Fitzgerald (27-10), who’s No. 6 in 1A, for third place. Lemont’s Johnny O’Connor (32-5), who’s No. 8 in 2A,  captured a 5-1 decision over Hononegah’s Connor Diemel (20-10) to take fifth place.

152 – Kaden Fetterolf, Batavia

Something had to give in this weight class, and it eventually did.

With three of the top five in the state at 3A, plus another top-four man from 2A spaced throughout this high-profile 152-pound bracket, it was only fitting that the final match of this tournament was under the spotlight, featuring Marmion Academy’s No. 1 Collin Carrigan and hometown favorite Kaden Fetterolf, who got his chance to shine.

The Bulldogs star, who came in as the No. 5 man in the state and now is No. 1 after improving to 36-0, had already sent off his first two opponents with ease, before using a 3-0 decision over Washington’s Cael Miller, (12-4) No. 4 in 2A, to reach the final against top-rated Carrigan, who’s now ranked third.

Carrigan (17-2) had earlier survived an intense encounter with Downers Grove North’s No. 3 Harrison Konder (25-2) during a marathon, six-minute semifinal that went Carrigan’s way by a 4-3 score.

With the big crowd turning its full attention to mat No. 1, Fetterolf struck first with an early takedown to take a 2-0 lead into the second period, which soon became even at 2-2.

Before the third period would begin, both coaches met with officials at the table to clear some confusion on what was the correct score, which many in the audience believed was a 3-2 advantage to Fetterolf.

After a long delay, all agreed it was indeed a 2-2 match with one period remaining.

“It was all about staying composed, and keeping a clear head while they were figuring things out at the table, and I really feel on behalf (that) was most important for me at that point,” Fetterolf said.

Once the third period began, and with Fetterolf starting down, the Batavia junior registered an escape right away, then went to work on adding to his 3-2 lead.

“That second takedown to make it 5-2 really made a difference, I could sense it set Collin back for a moment, but he came right back to make it a tight match to the finish,” Fetterolf said.

With 53 seconds left, Carrigan reversed to make it 5-4, then deferred a one-point escape to give Fetterolf a 6-4 advantage. A wild scramble near the edge, in which Fetterolf escaped gave him a 6-4 victory

“It’s an amazing feeling to win (here) and against a great opponent, but to be honest, we will all celebrate for a couple of hours, then it’s back to work, and time to put this one behind me for good,” Fetterolf said

“What a way to end the tournament for Kaden, and the Batavia wrestling program, but there’s a lot of wrestling ahead of us to come,” said Bulldogs head coach Ryan Farwell.

Konder went on to take third place with a 13-0 win over Miller. Marian Central Catholic’s Ethan Struck (25-12) claimed fifth place with an 11-1 victory over Hononegah’s Max Haskins.

160 – Max Astacio, Marian Central Catholic

Max Astacio has come a long way in a year after a rookie season at Marian Central Catholic that saw the junior lose in his blood-round match at the Princeton Sectional following third place medals at both the conference and regional tournaments.

Astacio (30-7) went to work right away at the bottom of his 160-pound bracket by dispatching his first two opponents, both from Class 3A, with pins before 

unleashing a rousing six-minute effort in his semifinal against Hinsdale Central’s Zach Kruse and advanced into the final following his 15-3 major decision victory.

Despite a valiant attempt to continue through the pain of an injury, Marmion Academy’s top-seed Tegan Chumbley (13-11) was forced to default, giving Astacio his first title of the season.

“Max is one of our leaders (he) just leads by example, coming into the room each day with a hard hat, and lunch pail, and just goes to work,” said Ryan Prater, who along with Jordan Blanton are now in charge of the Hurricanes’ program.

Prater who starred at Plainfield Central, was a three-time state medalist, and state champion in 2007, before going on to the University of Illinois and then making the move to Elmhurst College where he claimed a Division 3 national championship.

Prater, and Blanton co-own Relentless Training in Johnsburg where many, in, and around the area train.

“Astacio’s hand fighting, and motion on his feet are looking great, he pays the price on top, and hustles to take it out of his opponents once you break someone’s will to compete, they become that much easier to defeat,” said Prater, of Astacio, who was rated No. 3 in 1A.

Kruse (25-10) beat Naperville North’s Kai Goodrick (17-6) in the third place match. Jacobs’ Billy Albrecht (16-8) finished fifth after recording a fall in 2:48 over Harlem’s Ben Larsen (20-10).

170 – Chris Moore, McHenry

Chris Moore continued his unbeaten season by collecting his fourth major tournament trophy after dominating the competition to add his Batavia crown to those earned at the Moore-Prettyman, Dvorak, and Mid-States.

Moore (28-0), was a state runner-up last year and in the 2021 IWCOA finals after winning a title as a freshman. The McHenry senior followed two wins by technical fall with an 18-8 major decision over Washington’s Blake Hinrichsen (23-5), who’s recond second in 2A. 

“I’m just trying to be better each time out, get to my turns, continue to add points during the match, and just squeezing the life out of my opponents, and not allowing them to get anything off of me,” said Moore, who admits to being upset with himself when he gave up a takedown to Hinrichsen in the late stages of his is finals match.

“I never like giving up points that way, so this week I’ll look to clean a few things up to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Moore, No. 2 in the 3A behind Mount Carmel junior Colin Kelly, who he lost to last season in sudden victory 3-1 in the 152-pound state final.

“It’s all about doing the right things to get back to the final, and winning it this time,” said Moore, who won it all in 2020 at 113 at Aurora Christian, and has captured back-to-back second place medals in 3A at McHenry.

Hononegah’s Elliot Diemel (27-7) won by fall in 2:46 over Leyden’s Diego Mendoza (19-9) for third place, for the top medals won by each team. In the fifth-place match, Harlem’s Kaden Christensen (14-4) got a pin in 0:32 over Maine South’s Sam Bartell (20-6).

182 – Jack Lesher, Marmion Academy

Marmion Academy’s Jack Lesher credits just about everyone associated with the Cadets’ program for his mercurial rise to the top spot in Class 3A  at 182, but much of the success that Lesher has achieved thus far must be put on the broad shoulders of the affable young man who collected his first major of the season.

None of his rivals challenged his eventual climb atop the podium that saw Lesher (21-5) fit a technical fall victory around two pins, including his final against Buffalo Grove senior Vlad Fedorchenko (19-6) in 3:59.

“We have the best room in the state, with an amazing coaching staff, and some terrific partners like Ed Perry, Sean Scheck and our freshman star, Joey Favia, who I treat like my little brother, in, and out of the room,” said

Lesher, who got off to a slow start due to an injury and the football season.

“I missed some time with a leg injury, so I went at things a little slow at the start, iced a lot, and then worked hard to get back my fitness, and cardio, while fine-tuning a few things each time we went into the room, and right now I am feeling ready to go for what’s ahead of us,” said Lesher, who was fourth a year ago at state at 182.

Lesher, who was named All-State in 5A this season while playing both linebacker and running back, and has already received a scholarship offer to play at Akron University.

Batavia’s Jack Brozny (24-8) took third place with a 12-3 major decision over Naperville North’s Kyle Gatlin (14-8). For fifth, Hinsdale Central’s Tyler Riggi (19-13) won by fall in 0:41 over Harlem’s Andrew Redmon (17-11).

195 – Joey Favia, Marmion Academy

Just as his teammate Jack Lesher was quick to say how important he was to his success and development, Joey Favia responded with a glowing compliment of his veteran mate who has gone a long way towards Favia coming of age in the land of big men during his rookie season.

Favia, who was the No. 4 seed in this weight class, opened play with a pair of super-quick pins, before recording a 13-5 major decision triumph over the top-seed, Batavia’s Ben Brown and  then holding off Grant’s Cameron Lattimore during his 2-1 win to capture the top prize at 195.

“In an incredibly intense room, with so many great wrestlers, Lesher is a  tremendous leader and influence for me in my first year of high school, and is one of the main reasons that I’ve felt so comfortable wrestling at this level and weight class,” said Favia (16-5), whose first-period takedown of Lattimore (22-10) would hold up despite a couple of nasty cross-face maneuvers from the Grant senior in the second period with the hope of turning Favia, who had started down to open the period.

“He (Lattimore) was big and strong, so it was important to stay in good position, be smart, and defensive, especially in the third period when he took a few shots late in the match,” said Favia.

In another one-point decision, Washington’s Josh Hoffer (18-14) edged Downers Grove North’s Griff Keown 1-0 to claim third place. Brown (18-7) took fifth with a fall in 3:57 over Buffalo Grove’s Caden Watson (18-6).

220 – Justin Hoffer, Washington

There is always a big target on the No. 1 man, and Washington senior Justin Hoffer took aim, and successfully fired through the heart of the bullseye, which was top-rated Marko Ivanisevic.

Hoffer was solid from start-to-finish during his well-deserved 5-2 victory over the Hinsdale Central star, who dropped his first match of the year in the process, and is now 31-1.

“You always want to beat the No. 1 guy, but to be honest, that wasn’t what that match was all about, it was about wrestling a smart, strong six minutes against a quality opponent, and getting the win,” said Hoffer, now ranked third in the 2A poll.

“That was a very well wrestled match by Justin, he did really well on his angles, and re-start (shots) to get take-downs, and his movement, and spacing that kept a big, strong, and long guy like Ivanisevic from doing what he wanted was outstanding,” said Washington head coach Nick Miller, who is in charge of a Panthers program that is currently No. 2 behind reigning state champion, Joliet Catholic Academy in the latest IWCOA polls.

Hoffer, who was 38-10 a year ago, was in the Panthers starting lineup at 220 when the club would fall to the eventual 2A dual-team state champs 30-29 on its home mats last season.

The Panthers star was unable to get out of the Sycamore Sectional in a loaded heavyweight field which included Joliet Catholic Academy state champion Dillan Johnson and two other state medal winners.

“I feel great at 220 this season, I am much stronger, and quicker, and feel like I have a very good chance at state this year,” said Hoffer, who will major in college in Fire Science with an eye on becoming a firefighter eventually.

Marmion Academy’s Ed Perry (26-5) won by fall in 2:23 over Batavia’s Asher Sheldon (27-8) for third place. Downers Grove North’s Cael Brezina (18-11) captured a 7-0 decision over Hononegah’s Isaak Smith (22-8) for fifth place.

285 – Ben Bielawski, Downers Grove North

There never seems to be a day that Chris McGrath is not impressed by his big man Ben Bielawski, who once again turned in another first-class performance to win his second major of the season, adding to an earlier title win at Wheaton Warrenville South’s Ewoldt Invitational.

Bielawski (28-1), who moved up to No. 4 in the rankings and is on his way to playing football next fall at Division 3 power University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, pinned his way to the top, finishing off Marmion Academy’s No. 7 Sean Scheck (21-6) in style at 4:29.

“The irony with Ben is that he’s a great football player, and will play that sport in college, but he’s really coming into his own as a wrestler, and likely has some of his best in ‘this’ sport ahead of him if he stayed with it,” said McGrath. “He’s worked so hard all his life, and especially this year when he came back from football so much bigger, and stronger than ever before.”

“I am so much better both physically, and mentally than last year, and I really feel coming from the blue collar area like Woodridge gives me the chip on my shoulder to work harder than anyone else,” said Bielawski.

Bielawski, who has the speed and quickness of a 95-pounder and strength and power of a heavyweight, came off the scales at 230 pounds, making him one of the lightest of all big men in this field.

“I can surprise some guys with my quickness, but I’ve worked really hard leading up to the football season lifting to make me as strong and fit as possible to go with these guys in this weight class,” offered the Mustangs senior, who is a three-time state qualifier.

Lemont’s Alex Pasquale (28-4), who is No. 7 in 2A, claimed third place with a 3-1 decision over Maine South’s Tyler Fortis (22-5). In the fifth-place match, Andrew’s Michael McDonough (17-10) won an 11-4 decision over McHenry’s Jesse Saavedra (26-13).

• 

By Patrick Z. McGavin

NEW LENOX— AJ Marino was a wrestler caught in time.

The stage was his, and he was not going to squander his moment. He had worked too hard.

St. Charles East senior Marino utilized two takedowns for a 7-2 victory over Hersey’s Esteban Delgado in the 120 championship of the Illini Classic Saturday at Lincoln-Way Central.

“I worked really hard on pushing the pace,” Marino said. “I got my single in, and then I worked really hard on getting all of my attacks in.”

Marino earned the Most Outstanding Wrestling award in leading Class 3A No. 2 St. Charles East to a historic performance in the annual matchup of University of Illinois alumni which has been hosted recently by Lincoln-Way Central coach Tyrone Byrd in New Lenox.

“It feels great, and I am very honored,” Marino said of his individual award. 

“It just shows that all of my hard work is paying off, and I just have to keep going and keep grinding and pushing, and keeping my composure and doing everything I can.”

The Saints had six first-place finishers in posting a tournament-record 318.5 points for the team championship. Winning titles for coach Jason Potter’s championship squad were Dom Munaretto (106), AJ Marino (120), Ben Davino (126), Tyler Guerra (138), Jayden Colon (145) and Brody Murray (182) while Anthony Gutierrez (160) and Lane Robinson (170) took second. Davino and Guerra were the only individuals to repeat as champions in the Illini Classic.

Yorkville had four individual champions in finishing second with 243.5 points. Capturing titles for coach Jake Oster’s runner-up Foxes were Jack Ferguson (132), Luke Zook (170), Hunter Janeczko (195) and Ben Alvarez (220) while Ryder Janeczko (145) took second.

Coach Brian Glynn’s Lincoln-Way West Warriors claimed third place with 196 points. Hersey (182), Lincoln-Way East (175.5), Marist (167.5), Carl Sandburg (147.5), Schaumburg (142), Lincoln-Way Central (128), Oswego (126), Stevenson (112.5) and Plainfield North (103.5) filled out the top-12 in the 24-team competition.

Schaumburg was the only other team with multiple champions with two. Winning titles for coach Mike LeVanti’s Saxons were Brady Phelps (113) and Caden Kirchner (152). Stevenson’s champion was Thomas Schoolman (160) while Notre Dame got a title from Karl Schmalz (285).

Marist had three second-place finishers, Will Denny (138), Conor Phelan (182) and Luke Liberatore (220). Others who took second place were Carl Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes (106)  and Madden Parker (113), Lincoln-West’s Karter Guzman (132) and Anthony Sherman (195),

Hersey’s Esteban Delgado (120), Lincoln-Way Central’s Nathan Knowlton (126), Bishop McNamara’s Luke Christie (152) and Crystal Lake South’s  Andy Burburijia (285).

The title match at 285 featured two unbeaten competitors with Schmalz claiming a 2-1 decision over Burburijia. In other tight finals, Ferguson prevailed 5-4 over Guzman at 132, Schoolman won a 5-3 decision over Gutierrez at 160 and Alvarez was a 7-4 victor over Liberatore at 220.

Winning championships by fall were Munaretto (106) and Murray (182) while Davino (126) and Colon (145) won titles by technical fall and Zook (170) won with a major decision. Also capturing titles with decisions were  Phelps over Parker at 113, Marino beating Delgado at 120, Guerra over Denny at 138, Kirchner beating Christie at 152 and Hunter Janeczko over Sherman at 195.

Munaretto had the most team points of all competitors with 34 while Colon and Davino had 33.5 points apiece. Guerra, Murray and Zook all had 32 team points while Hunter Janeczko, Alvarez, Ferguson, Kirchner, Marino and Schmalz all had 30 team points. Phelps had 29 points while Hayes, Liberatore, Parker and Schoolman had 28 team points apiece.

Some top records of individuals who competed in the tournament were Davino (36-0, 1.000), Munaretto (36-0, 1.000), Phelps (29-0, 1.000), Schmalz (22-0, 1.000), Burburijia (22-1, .957), Kirchner (28-2, .933), Lincoln-Way East’s Ari Zaeske (27-2, .931), Christie (22-2, .917), Lincoln-Way East’s Zach LaMonto (26-3, .897), Schoolman (25-3, .893), Guerra (33-5, .868), Oswego’s Cruz Ibarra (26-4, .867), Colon (29-5, .853), Murray (23-4, .852) and Knowlton (28-5, .848).

Even the absence of top wrestlers such as Marist’s No. 1 Peter Marinopoulos at 195 pounds or Stevenson’s No. 2 Lorenzo Freeza at 138 pounds could not dull the luster of the event.

One of the driving forces behind the tournament at its inception was bringing togethers coaches who had competed for the University of Illinois primarily under longtime coaches and IWCOA Hall of Famers, Mark Johnson and Jim Heffernan. While many teams that have taken part had U of I graduates as head coaches, plenty of squads had assistants who were former Illini.

Some of the head coaches who were Illini lettermen whose teams competed included Tyrone Byrd (Lincoln-Way Central), Shane Cook (Stevenson), Nicholas Curby (Riverside-Brookfield), Brian Glynn (Lincoln-Way West), Brendan Heffernan (Marist), Patrick Heffernan (DePaul College Prep), Jake Kimberlin (Bishop McNamara), Mike LeVanti (Schaumburg), Clinton Polz (Carl Sandburg), Jason Potter (St. Charles East) and Donald Reynolds (Providence Catholic).

The Illini Classic featured one of its top fields, having 10 teams that were ranked in Class 3A, led by the No. 2 Saints, No. 3 Marist, No. 7 Hersey, No. 9 Yorkville, No. 10 Lincoln-Way East, No. 11 Lincoln-Way West, No. 15 Schaumburg, No. 17 Plainfield North, No. 19 Lincoln-Way Central and No. 20 Stevenson, and one ranked team in Class 2A, No. 22 Bloomington.

(All team and individual rankings are courtesy of Rob Sherrill’s rankings at Illinois Matmen.)

Championship Matches for the Illini Classic at Lincoln-Way Central

106 – Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) F 5:38 Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg)

113 – Brady Phelps (Schaumburg) D 9-5 Madden Parker (Carl Sandburg)

120 – AJ Marino (St. Charles East) D 7-2 Esteban Delgado (Hersey)

126 – Ben Davino (St. Charles East) TF 5:23 Nathan Knowlton (Lincoln-Way Central)

132 – Jack Ferguson (Yorkville) D 5-4 Karter Guzman (Lincoln-Way West)

138 – Tyler Guerra (St. Charles East) D 10-4 Will Denny (Marist)

145 – Jayden Colon (St. Charles East) TF 3:46 Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville)

152 – Caden Kirchner (Schaumburg) D 7-3 Luke Christie (Bishop McNamara)

160 – Thomas Schoolman (Stevenson) D 5-3 Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles East)

170 – Luke Zook (Yorkville) MD 8-0 Lane Robinson (St. Charles East)

182 – Brody Murray (St. Charles East) F 3:26 Conor Phelan (Marist)

195 – Hunter Janeczko (Yorkville) D 9-3 Anthony Sherman (Lincoln-Way West)

220 – Ben Alvarez (Yorkville) D 7-4 Luke Liberatore (Marist)

285 – Karl Schmalz (Notre Dame) D 2-1 Andy Burburijia (Crystal Lake South)

Here’s a breakdown of the champions of the Illini Classic and their weight classes:

106 – Dom Munaretto, St. Charles East

Dom Munaretto continues to astonish.

The precocious freshman from St. Charles East flashed the remarkable blend of quickness, power, speed and technique that has made him one of the best in the country.

The top-ranked wrestler continued his torrid run with a pin of Carl Sandburg’s No. 4 Rocco Hayes at 5:38 for the championship.

He had three first-period takedowns for the early advantage and led 21-9 at the time of the fall.

“In my mind, I am always thinking about what I have to do to score the next point, just keep it going and stay on my opponent and give them no breathing room,” Munaretto said.

“I want to dominate them, and the more I am able to really push the pace and get into their head. That makes scoring easier and easier.”

Munaretto (36-0) registered three falls in the preliminary rounds, including a second- period pin of Yorkville’s Liam Fenoglio in the semifinals.

Hersey’s Daniel Lehman won 16-2 over Lincoln-Way Central’s Carter Dibenedetto in the third-place match. Marist’s George Marinopoulos won by fall in 2:37 over Fenoglio to capture fifth place. Notre Dame’s Johnny Sheehy won by fall in 3:54 over Oswego’s Jonathan Theodor for seventh place.

113 – Brady Phelps, Schaumburg

Schaumburg’s Brady Phelps has a flair for the dramatic.

He is a live wire with a fast-twitch style and nervous intensity.

His 9-5 victory over Carl Sandburg’s Madden Parker at 113 was one of the best championship matches.

Down 5-4 with just over 30 seconds remaining, No. 4 Phelps looked over at the clock to prepare his action.

His explosive four-point move on the takedown and back points swung the tide against Parker, an honorable mention selection.

“I realized if I keep getting my attacks, he was just going to try and lock me out,” Phelps said.

“I knew I had to go big in that situation. He has a funky style, but I knew I was just as good on top as him. I kept the overbook tight, went for it, and it paid off.”

After opening the tournament with a technical fall and a fall, Phelps (29-0) secured a 10-4 decision over Hersey’s Abdullokh Khakimov in the semifinal.

In the third-place match, Khakimov defeated Marist’s Tommy Fidler by fall in 1:41. Plainfield North’s Lou DelPage won 5-3 over Lincoln-Way West’s Haden Anderson for fifth place. And Stevenson’s Yash Jagtap pinned Lincoln-Way East’s Noah Ciolkosz in 4:47 in the seventh-place match.

120 – AJ Marino, St. Charles East

In the rest of the bracket dominated by Marino (25-7), Schaumburg’s Callen Kirchner won by injury default Marist’s No. 4 Michael Esteban in the third-place match. 

Lincoln-Way East’s Kaidge Richardson won a 5-0 decision over Minooka’s Damien Flores for fifth place. And Lincoln-Way West’s Jakob Siwinski pinned Morris’ Carter Skoff in 4:36 in the seventh-place match.

126 – Ben Davino, St. Charles East

Ben Davino has no peers, at pretty much any level, local, state or national.

A showdown with Marmion Academy’s two-time state champion Jameson Garcia looms in the future.

The top-ranked Davino (36-0) is now an astonishing 73-1 over the last two seasons.

Even a deeply-skilled opponent like Lincoln-Way Central’s No. 9 Nathan Knowlton had little chance.

Davino captured the tournament championship with a win by technical fall at 5:23.

Despite his astonishing level of achievement, Davino never takes an opponent or situation for granted.

“Business is business, so I just come here to do the same that I do at the national level, and I just wrestle,” Davino said.

“I stay focused.”

He uses every tournament as a private platform to show off his extraordinary gifts.

“It’s always nice to show what I can do, and keep pushing myself,” he said.

Davino won each of his three preliminary matches by fall, requiring just 0:46 of time in his dominant semifinal victory over Lincoln-Way West’s Jase Salin.

In the third-place match, Salin won by fall in 3:12 over DePaul College Prep’s Max Rosen. Yorkville’s Dominic Recchia defeated Oswego’s Brayden Swanson 15-8 in the fifth-place match. Stevenson’s Andrew Chamkin won by injury default over Hersey’s Maksim Mukhamedaliyev for seventh-place.

132 – Jack Ferguson, Yorkville

Yorkville’s Jack Ferguson proved the ultimate escape artist.

Up 4-2 in the 132 championship match against Lincoln-Way West’s Karter Guzman, he was caught on a reversal that Guzman quickly turned into a seemingly dangerous half-Nelson.

No 9 Ferguson avoided the back points and secured the escape for the 5-4 victory.

“Obviously that was not the position I wanted to be in there, but I am good enough to wrestle out of that,” Ferguson said.

During the preliminary action, Ferguson (29-8) posted a fall and won twice by major decision to capture his bracket.

“I felt like I was a lot more physical this tournament, and I got into my offense,” Ferguson said. 

“I almost got put on my back, so I know what I have to work on out of the bottom, especially with the state series coming up.”

Minooka’s Cale Stonisch won an 11-3 major decision over Lincoln-Way Central’s Jalen Byrd to capture third place. At fifth place, St. Charles East’s Ethan Penzato won by technical fall over Providence Catholic’s Justus Snapp.And Hersey’s Rodrigo Arceo won a 9-3 decision over Schaumburg’s AJ Quevedo for seventh place.

138 – Tyler Guerra, St. Charles East

Tyler Guerra saved the best for the closing touch.

In the final championship bout of the tournament, the St. Charles East junior worked out of an early deficit with two crucial second-period takedowns to claim a 10-4 victory over Marist’s No. 5 Will Denny.

No. 3 Guerra (33-5) was one of the tournament’s most dominant wrestlers, posting three first-period falls en route to the championship bracket.

Bloomington’s Dylan Watts won by fall in 1:43 over Yorkville’s Dom Coronado for third place. For fifth place, Hersey’s James Shaffer won 8-5 over Lincoln-Way West’s Luke Siwinski. Minooka’s Dominic Schiavonne defeated Willowbrook’s Elijah Smith 5-2 for seventh.

145 – Jayden Colon, St. Charles East

Jayden Colon went to work quickly and efficiently.

Ranked No. 3, a Class 2A state champion at Montini Catholic last year, Colon (29-5) beat Yorkville’s Ryder Janeczko by technical fall at 3:46, in the 145 championship match.

His early five-point action with a takedown and nearfall gave him a 9-3 advantage by the end of the first period.

“I have always been taught that you just go right out there, and you score right away,” Colon said.

“You rack up a big lead, and you don’t have to worry about anything. Today I worked really well at getting into my attacks, and not hesitating. I feel healthy, and I have been training really well. I am starting to really give myself time.”

Lincoln-Way East’s Connor Koehler won by fall in 1:45 over Hersey’s Jake Hanson for third place. Morris’ Tyler Semlar won 8-5 over Schaumburg’s Gavin Hinkle at fifth place. And in the seventh-place match, Lincoln-Way Central’s Kristian Meloy won a 10-2 major decision over Plainfield North’s Jack Tota.

152 – Caden Kirchner, Schaumburg

Schaumburg’s Caden Kirchner is a nightmare matchup for his opponents.

Wiry and long, his length is like a permanent obstacle. Even when his opponents seemingly get the advantage, he has the perfect escape route.

He used his length, size and defensive maneuvers for a 7-3 decision over Bishop McNamara’s Luke Christie, ranked No. 4 in 1A, in the 152 championship match.

“I have a lot going on with my size and reach, and I have learned to really use that,” Kirchner said.

“I think one thing that has changed in my style is thinking about continuing to score rather than just winning the match. You just think about score, score, score.”

No. 7 Kirchner (28-2) put in the work to reach the championship match. After winning by fall and injury default, he edged Minooka’s Elijah Munoz 5-4 in the semifinal round.

Munoz defeated Marist’s Andrew Dado 6-4 in the third-place match. Oswego’s Colin O’Grady won 4-2 over Lincoln-Way Central’s Caden Harvey for fifth place. Lincoln-Way East’s Domanic Abeja won 5-3 in sudden victory over Providence Catholic’s Geno Papes for seventh place.

160 – Thomas Schoolman, Stevenson

Stevenson’s Thomas Schoolman never lost his concentration – or his verve.

His apparent path to victory suddenly clouded by a stall call and escape, he delivered the knockout action with a takedown in the final 10 seconds for a riveting 5-3 victory over St. Charles East’s Anthony Gutierrez.

No. 8 Schoolman went up 3-1 early in the third period with his first takedown. No. 4 Guitterez was awarded the stalling point and secured his escape at the 5:29 mark.

“I had gotten an earlier warning, and I was riding on top, and they said I wasn’t doing enough,” Schoolman said.

“I felt I was better on my feet anyway. I got that earlier takedown, so I knew even with the stall call, I had to stay calm and composed. I knew I was going to take him down again, I was just waiting for the moment.”

Schoolman (25-3) had one of the toughest routes to the championship bracket. He posted a fall and decision in the preliminary rounds. He edged Lincoln-Way East’s No. 9 Zach LaMonto 3-2 in the semifinals.

“I feel like I have grown this year,” Schoolman said. “I have become a lot more patient. In years past, I was just constant offense, shoot, shoot, shoot. Working with my coaches, and my father, I have learned to let the takedowns come.”

For third place, LaMonto won 14-4 over Bloomington’s Maddox Kirts. In the fifth-place match, Oswego’s Joey Griffin defeated Plainfield North’s Anthony Gulino by injury default. Notre Dame’s Quinn Mahoney defeated Lincoln-Way West’s Jimmy Talley 7-2 for seventh place.

170 – Luke Zook, Yorkville

Luke Zook was patient and active, using time and momentum on his side.

His takedown near the end of the first period provided the momentum that the Yorkville sophomore parlayed to an 8-0 major decision over St. Charles East’s Lane Robinson in the 170 championship match.

Ranked No. 6, Zook added a reversal at the end of the second period, expanding his lead and providing some cushion.

“Recently my conditioning has not been great, and I have been spending a lot of time in the practice room working really hard on that,” Zook said.

“I always try to attack before they do, and get the first points on the board, because I feel that sets the tone for the rest of the match.”

Zook (29-7) posted two falls and a major decision in the semifinals to reach the championship match.

Lincoln-Way East’s Ari Zarate won by fall in 1:31 over Lincoln-Way Central’s Tim Key for third place. At fifth place, Minooka’s Cody Pelton defeated Stevenson’s Richie Gueorguiev 8-3. And Providence Catholic’s Mike O’Connor won by fall in 1:29 over Lincoln-Way West’s Devin Swidergal in the seventh-place match.

182 – Brody Murray, St. Charles East

Brody Murray ousted Marist’s Conor Phelan with a fall in 3:26 to capture the title at 182.

Ranked No. 3 at 170, the St. Charles East junior never lost a step in moving up a weight division. No. 10 Phelan had the early takedown but Murray quickly secured the reversal and seized control.

Murray (23-4) registered consecutive falls in his preliminary matches. He defeated Schaumburg’s Jacob Acevedo 5-0 in the semifinals.

Yorkville’s Colten Stevens won by injury default over Hersey’s Anthony Cambria in the third-place match. For fifth, Acevedo edged Lincoln-Way Central’s Evan Welsh 9-7. And in the seventh-place match, Lincoln-Way West’s Nate Elster won by fall in 1:15 over Plainfield North’s Jack Wegner.

195 – Hunter Janeczko, Yorkville

Yorkville’s Hunter Janeczko was back in ideal form – athletic, explosive and very physical.

After missing two weeks from complications of a knee injury, he flashed his trademark mix of speed and power in a 9-3 victory over Lincoln-Way West’s Anthony Sherman in the 195 finals.

Ranked No. 4, Hunter Janeczko (13-3) posted two pins and a 9-2 decision over Lincoln-Way East’s Caden O’Rourke in the semifinals.

O’Rouke came back to edge Oswego’s No. 9 Cruz Ibarra 2-0 in the third-place match. St. Charles East’s Brandon Swartz beat Carl Sandburg’s Ahmad Jaffal 3-1 for fifth place. And Notre Dame’s Aiden Rice got past Plainfield North’s Michael Zamora 6-4 by sudden victory to finish seventh.

220 – Ben Alvarez, Yorkville

Yorkville’s Ben Alvarez made his move.

In a tactical showdown with Marist’s No. 7 Luke Liberatore, Alvarez made his move early in the second period and went on to claim a 7-4 victory.

“I also had the takedown in the last 10 seconds or so of the first period, and I thought that was an early momentum swing,” Alvarez said.

“Throughout the tournament, I felt like I was kind of overpowering the other kids, and I could control the match.”

Ranked No. 3, Alvarez is rounding elite form after the Foxes’ late-state football playoff run meant a delayed start to his season.

“I also had a minor injury, and then with football, I missed a week or two of practice, so my conditioning was kind of down, but I still had the technique, so I felt pretty good.”

Alvarez (22-7) posted consecutive falls before edging a conference rival, Plainfield North’s No. 6 Leonardo Tovar, 3-2 in a riveting semifinal. 

Carl Sandburg’s Mike Rydell won by injury default over Tovar for third place. At fifth place, Lincoln-Way East’s David Wuske won a 7-3 decision over Lincoln-Way West’s Nick Kavooras. Riverside-Brookfield’s Joe Midona won by fall in 2:31 over Hersey’s Ben Erhabor to finish in seventh place.

285 – Karl Schmalz, Notre Dame

In the showdown of unbeaten powers, Notre Dame’s Karl Schmalz worked his riding skills with authority and purpose.

After riding out Crystal Lake South’s Andy Burburijia during the second period, Schmalz secured the 2-1 victory with his reversal at the start of the third.

Ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, Schmalz (22-0) maintained his perfect run. He finished third in the Class 2A state tournament last year.

“I have wrestled him before, and he is very crafty and unorthodox, also much more athletic than he appears,” Schmalz said.

The largest weight class marked the tournament’s deepest and top-heavy field. 

“My style really depends on the game plans I develop based on what I have seen from an opponent before,” Schmalz said.

“I am generally pretty defensive and I am naturally pretty long, with long legs and arms, but I’m only about 245 pounds, so I like to post on people’s shoulders.”

Schmalz began with consecutive falls. He outdueled Hersey’s Oleg Simakov 2-1 in the semifinal. No. 6 Burburijia (22-1) posted two falls and secured the 3-1 decision over St. Charles East’s No. 4 Austin Barrett in the semifinals. 

In the third-place match, Barrett overcame an early deficit against Simakov for a pin in 5:13. In the fifth-place match, Plainfield North’s Ethan Sam won by fall in 3:01 over Oswego’s Matthew Schofield. Yorkville’s Logan Fenoglio won a 10-3 decision over Lincoln-Way East Gage LaDere to take seventh.

By Curt Herron

PRINCETON – One week after claiming top honors as Illinois’ top Class 1A dual meet team at the ABE’s Rumble in Springfield, Coal City wanted to make it clear that it was also the best tournament team in Class 1A when it competed against a quality field at the 59th annual Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament (PIT).

Coach Mark Masters’ Coalers had two champions, two runners-up, two third-place finishers and six others who placed seventh or better to score 245.5 points, which was 57 points ahead of second-place Dakota/Orangeville, who had 188 points, Riverdale (176), LeRoy/Tri-Valley (155), Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin (152), Vandalia (133.5), Tremont (114.5), PORTA/A-C Central/ Greenview (96), Clifton Central/Iroquois West (91) and Princeton (90) filled out the top 10.

Thirteen of the state’s top 25 teams in Class 1A took part in the event, which includes eight of the top 13 in the latest rankings on Illinois Matmen. Coal City is top-ranked, Dakota is third, Riverdale is ranked fourth, Dixon is eighth while PORTA , Auburn , Vandalia and Roxana are ranked 10th through 13th. LeRoy/Tri-Valley (16th), Tremont (19th), Clifton Central (21st), Princeton (23rd) and Reed-Custer (25th) were the other ranked teams.

Leading the way for the champion Coalers were title winners Landin Benson (152) and Braiden Young (195), runners-up Mataeo Blessing (145) and Derek Carlson (170) as well as Drake Dearth (220) and Michael Gonzalez (285), who both finished third. Brock Finch (126) was fourth, Culan Lindemuth (106), Jack Poyner (160) and Joey Breneman (182) placed fifth while Luke Munsterman (113) and Noah Houston (126) were seventh.

Top performers for coach Matt Jacobs’ runner-up Indians were champions TJ Silva (126) and Phoenix Blakely (132) and second-place finisher Noah Wenzel (220). Garrett Vincent (160) and Case Rockey (170) were fourth, Jason Bowers (138) placed fifth while Adrian Arellano (152) and Thomas Bowman (195) were seventh.

Coach Myron Keppy’s third-place Rams had the most champions with four and had five finalists. Winning titles were Dean Wainwright (106), Brock Smith (138), Collin Altensey (160) and Alex Watson (170) while Eli Hinde (152) took second place. Zac Bradley (182) was sixth and Kolton Kruse (132) finished eighth.

“It was an excellent tournament,” Keppy said. “We’ve put back-to-back weekends in with real tough tournaments. We’re close, we’re knocking on the door and we had some matches that didn’t go our way. I’m proud of our kids. We put in a lot of time in the offseason and it’s paying off now, and that’s good to see.”  

Auburn co-op’s also had two champions, Joey Ruzic (120) and Cole Edie (285), Other title winners were Litchfield/Mt. Olive’s Alex Powell (113), Illini Bluffs’ Paul Ishikawa (145), PORTA’s Bryar Lane (182) and Reed-Custer’s Kody Marschner (220).

Among the title winners, six are top-ranked in the state and four are returning state champions. Ruzic, Blakely, Smith and Altensey all won state championships last year and are top-ranked. Silva took second last season and Ishikawa placed fourth and they are also top-ranked. 

Marschner, who’s ranked second, was third at state last year. Watson, who’s ranked fourth, took fifth at state and Powell, who’s ranked fifth, placed sixth at state. Lane is also ranked second, Wainwright is fourth, Edie is fifth-ranked, Benson ranks eighth and Young is ninth-ranked.

Tremont had three second-place finishers, Konnor Martin (113), Payton Murphy (120) and TJ Connor (182). Also taking second place were Vandalia’s Dillon Hinton (132) and Eric McKinney (160), Ottawa Township’s Ivan Munoz (106), Rockridge’s Jude Finch (126), Auburn’s Dresden Grimm (138), Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Aiden Sancken (195), Dakota’s Noah Wenzel (220) and Clifton Central’s Noah Gomez (285). Wenzel is top-ranked at 195 and also was a state champion last season.

In the closest title matches, Wainwright edged Munoz 6-4 by sudden victory at 106, Smith got past Grimm 2-0 in sudden victory at 138, Ruzic beat Murphy 4-2 at 120, Marschner edged Wenzel 3-1 at 220, Silva was a 5-2 winner over Finch at 126, Ishikawa won 5-2 over Blessing at 145, Benson captured a 7-4 decision over Hinde at 152 and Watson beat Carlson 5-2 at 170.

Winning titles by fall were Powell (113) and Edie (285) while Blakely (132) won his title by technical fall. Altensey (160) captured a 6-0 decision over McKinney, Lane (182) won 10-4 over Connor and Young (195) was a 12-6 winner over Sancken.

Champions who also won PIT titles last year were Ruzic, Blakely, Smith, Altensey, Watson and Marschner while Powell and Braiden Young were second a year ago and took first this season.

Top records for finalists are Ishikawa (30-0, 1.000), Altensey (25-0, 1.000), Smith (23-0, 1.000), Wainwright (22-0, 1.000), Marschner (16-0, 1.000), Watson (25-1, .962), Finch (23-1, .958), Young (23-1, .958), Blakely (22-1, .957), Sancken (16-1, .941), Benson (15-1, .938), Grimm (15-1, .938), Blessing (27-2, .931), Ruzic (27-2, .931), Murphy (26-2, .929), McKinney (25-2, .926), Edie (24-2, .923), Munoz (12-1, .923), Silva (22-2, .917), Lane (32-3, .914), Connor (31-3, .912), Powell (26-3, .897), Wenzel (21-3, .875), Hinde (20-3, .870) and Martin (19-3, .864).

Edie led all competitors with 32 team points while Blakely had 31.5. Altensey, Powell and Silva all had 30 team points, Marschner, Ruzic and Young finished with 29.5 points and LeRoy’s Kobe Brent, Benson, Lane and Wainwright all finished with 28 team points.

Beside being arguably the top Class 1A individual in the state, the PIT is also one of the most-historic with this being the 59th year of competition. Princeton coach Steve Amy, a 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, is thrilled to be the host coach of a long-running quality competition that has been loyally supported by individuals from throughout Bureau County for six decades.

Amy was a three-time champion and four-time finalist for his father, Rick, who’s also an IWCOA Hall of Famer, at Rockridge. He assisted IWCOA Hall of Famer Dave Klemm at Lincoln College before taking over the Tigers’ program in 2008. One of the interesting aspects that Amy has brought to the PIT is having championship matches that are not run in the traditional fashion, of lowest to highest weights. For example, this year’s finals started at 182 and ended at 138. Since that’s how the finals took place, that is the order in which the title matches will be chronicled.

“We take a lot of pride in this thing,” Amy said. “It’s probably the best Class A tournament in the state and it takes a lot of help and we get a lot of great help. We have a lot of wrestling parents and ex-wrestlers that come back to help, and even from their parents, who’ve been long gone, and that’s great. It’s why we have all of these great teams here, so that we can see them. And what I also like is that our young kids, like our junior high and club kids are here. They’re working the tournament, so they know what to expect when they get here, and even their parents are helping, which is awesome.”

Championship matches at the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament (PIT)

182 – Bryar Lane (PORTA) D 10-4 TJ Connor (Tremont)
132 – Phoenix Blakely (Dakota) TF 4:54 Dillon Hinton (Vandalia)
195 – Braiden Young (Coal City) D 12-6 Aiden Sancken (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley)
126 – TJ Silva (Dakota) D 5-2 Jude Finch (Rockridge)
106 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) SV 6-4 Ivan Munoz (Ottawa Township)
285 – Cole Edie (Auburn) F 1:06 Noah Gomez (Clifton Central)
160 – Collin Altensey (Riverdale) D 6-0 Eric McKinney (Vandalia)
145 – Paul Ishikawa (Illini Bluffs) D 5-2 Mataeo Blessing (Coal City)
113 – Alex Powell (Litchfield) F 1:43 Konnor Martin (Tremont)
152 – Landin Benson (Coal City) D 7-4 Eli Hinde (Riverdale)
170 – Alex Watson (Riverdale) D 5-2 Derek Carlson (Coal City)
120 – Joey Ruzic (Auburn) D 4-2 Payton Murphy (Tremont)
220 – Kody Marschner (Reed-Custer) D 3-1 Noah Wenzel (Dakota)
138 – Brock Smith (Riverdale) SV 2-0 Dresden Grimm (Auburn)

Here’s a breakdown of the PIT champions and their weight classes (in order of the finals)

182 – Bryar Lane, PORTA

Bryar Lane feels very fortunate that he even has the opportunity to compete during this season for PORTA. That’s because the senior, who’s second-ranked in Class at 182, had to undergo heart surgery last year just to continue competing in the sport.

Lane, who’s 32-3 and won a title at his school’s invite, kicked off the PIT championship matches at 182 by capturing a 10-4 decision over Tremont’s TJ Connor, who is fourth-ranked. He won 6-3 over Coal City’s Joey Breneman in the semifinals after recording falls in his first two matches.

“It feels good,” Lane said. “I was actually recovering from a heart surgery a year ago, so coming back and winning this is pretty big. I got released close to the end of summer wrestling, so I just tried to go to everything that I could, I went all over the state, just to get those matches. I started passing out when I was wrestling and it took awhile and we finally got a heart monitor implanted in. But then I passed out again and my heart was going like 300 beats per minute, for about 10 minutes, just resting after my matches. 

“It was scary, especially after being told that I might not wrestle again and the doctor also said that I might not be able to do anything. Two heart surgeries later, I’m back and better than ever. I’ve had a great support system and my family has carried me through everything, taking me to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, I couldn’t have done it without them. My mom, Amy, and my dad, Seth, have been great. And coach (Jeff) Hill is just a great coach and it feels good winning for him. I think we’re a really tough dual team and beating Unity at ABE’s Rumble was huge.”

Connor, who is 31-3 and won a title at Plano, captured a 5-2 decision over Clifton Central’s seventh-ranked Hunter Hull in the semifinals after recording falls in his first two matches.

In the third-place match, Hull (22-5) bounced back from his close semifinal loss to pull out a 6-5 victory over Reed-Custer’s Rex Pfeifer (22-3), who won five-straight consolation matches after losing to Hull 5-2 in his first match.  

Breneman (24-5), who’s ranked eighth, took fifth place with a 5-2 decision over Riverdale’s ninth-ranked Zac Bradley (20-7). And Auburn’s Skylar Fay (24-8) took seventh with a fall in 3:41 over Rockridge’s Zayd Evans (15-5).

132 – Phoenix Blakely, Dakota

Phoenix Blakely is definitely on a mission to join the exclusive four-time state champions club and his latest performance at the PIT only reinforces what the state’s top-ranked individual at 132 can achieve this season.

The Dakota senior improved to 22-1 with his lone loss to Rich Township’s nationally-ranked Nasir Bailey as he won the 132 title match by technical fall in 4:54 over Vandalia’s Dillon Hinton to repeat as a PIT champion. He opened the tournament with three-straight first-period falls, pinning Princeton’s eighth-ranked Ace Christiansen in 1:50 in the semifinals.

“It’s very exciting,” Blakely said. “My uncle is a four-timer so that motivates me to go and chase being a four-time champion. I can’t give up any silly points and in that match I didn’t give up anything dumb really, all of the points that he earned were me cutting him. With my teammates winning at this tournament, they’re motivating me pretty well. We compete pretty hard and we don’t give up anything easy.”

Hinton, a freshman who’s ranked fifth and is 22-4, defeated Tremont’s sixth-ranked Mason Mark 5-1 in the semifinals after claiming a 7-0 decision in the quarterfinals and a fall in his opener.

In the third-place match, Clinton’s seventh-ranked Cayden Pool (22-3) pulled out a 3-2 decision over Illini Bluff’s ninth-ranked Ian O’Connor (27-5). Poole lost in the quarterfinals to Mark but then won his final four matches.

Christiansen (19-4) won an 8-4 decision over Mark to claim fifth place. And Alleman’s Adam Jacks (23-7) took seventh with a fall in 4:20 over Riverdale’s Kolton Kruse (20-8).

195 – Braiden Young, Coal City

Braiden Young is enjoying his senior season at Coal City, and with good reason . After all, he’s one of the top individuals on a Coalers team that’s top-ranked in Class 1A after following up on a title at ABE’s Rumble with a PIT championship.

Young, who’s ranked ninth, improved to 23-1 after getting a reversal and nearfall in the final period to rally him to a 12-6 title decision over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley’s Aiden Sancken, who was unbeaten. The Coalers senior won by technical fall in 3:47 in the semifinals over Vandalia’s Wyatt Dothinger after opening with two falls.

“He did very well,” Young said of Sancken. “The last period was a little rough but we worked through it. This is a great competition to participate in, there were around 30 teams and it was a great turnout. We’re working hard in the room every day and this is great for the team and to see them succeed is great. The hard work is paying off and we’re hoping to keep building on that.”

Sancken, who’s ranked 10th and is now 16-1, recorded a fall in 1:22 in the semifinals over Wilmington’s Hunter Hayes after pulling out a 4-3 quarterfinals win over Orion’s Maddux Anderson and getting a pin in his first match.

In the third-place match, Byron’s Josh Harris (17-4) recorded a fall in 3:58 over Anderson (19-7). After getting pinned by Dothager in the quarterfinals, Harris won four in a row to finish third.

Hayes (16-3) took fifth with a 9-4 decision over Dothager (21-6). And for seventh, Dakota’s Thomas Bowman (11-8) captured a 3-2 decision over Litchfield’s Tristan Staggs (17-13).

126 – TJ Silva, Dakota

After falling a bit short of winning a state championship as a freshman, TJ Silva is focused on winning it all this season, and it doesn’t hurt to have three-time state champion Phoenix Blakely pushing him every day.

The Dakota sophomore, who’s top-ranked at 126, improved to 22-2 after capturing a 5-2 win over Rockridge’s previously-unbeaten Jude Finch in the PIT finals. Silva reached the title match with three-straight first-period falls, pinning Tremont’s Bowden Delaney in 1:13 in the semifinals.

“This tournament is pretty tough, so there was just one goal, just to come and get the bracket board,” Silva said. “It’s awesome having the best teammates. And Phoenix, a three-time state champ, is pushing me every single day as my training partner. After state last year, it was just like a fire underneath me. It drives me every single day after that. 

“I’ve just been focusing on my offense and my scrambling. It’s good to be able to switch off to have an offensive and a defensive match because it makes me alot better wrestler. The thing I like about Dakota is that they’re so welcoming. Any time we have home meets, it’s like the whole town is there. It’s just such a good community. It’s a wrestling community and I love it. “

Finch, a sophomore who’s ranked ninth and is now 23-1, beat another Finch in the semifinals, Coal City’s Brock, by fall in 3:59. That followed a pair of wins by technical fall.

Delaney (27-3) used three falls and a win by technical fall to claim third place, pinning Brock Finch (22-8) in 1:54 in his final match.

LeRoy’s Brock Owens (23-9) took fifth place with a fall in 5:21 over Clifton Central’s Evan Cox (14-6). And Coal City’s Noah Houston (8-3) took seventh with a 14-5 win over Litchfield’s Braxton Kieffer (22-10).

106 – Dean Wainwright, Riverdale

Dean Wainwright may be a freshman, but he’s known seniors Brock Smith, Collin Altensey and Alex Watson for a long time and hopes to be in the mix at the state finals, just as they’ve been.

One of four champions for Riverdale, fourth-ranked Wainwright (22-0) rallied to win 6-4 in sudden victory over Ottawa Township’s tenth-ranked Ivan Munoz in a clash of unbeatens at 106. Wainwright, who won 13-8 in the semifinals over Coal City’s Culan Lindemuth after opening with two falls, kept the match going with a late reversal and then got a quick takedown in overtime to secure the PIT championship.

“It’s fun and we all grew up together,” Wainwright said. “We’re a small school and everyone knows everyone and helps each other out, so that’s fun. He was tough on top, so I just had to keep moving on bottom. (In overtime), I felt that I could outmove him. I’m just getting better with the team, so we’ll see where it takes me.”

Munoz, a sophomore who is 12-1, led in the late going of the title match before Wainwright staged his late comeback. Munoz won 3-2 in the quarterfinals over Princeton’s Augustus Swanson before advancing to the finals by medical forfeit over Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins.

In the third-place match, LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s fifth-ranked Brady Mouser (30-2) won a 6-4 decision over sixth-ranked Swanson (19-3). Mouser lost to Lindemuth in the quarterfinals and then won his last four matches.

Lindemuth (24-8), who’s ranked seventh, took fifth by medical forfeit over Robbins (26-1), who was top-ranked but got injured and couldn’t compete in the semifinals. Litchfield’s Vinny Moore (23-4) won by fall in 5:55 over Warrensburg-Latham’s Charlie Wittmer (22-6) for seventh.

285 – Cole Edie, Auburn

Cole Edie is three-for-three in tournament finals after adding a PIT title to championships won at the Dvorak and PORTA.

Edie (24-2), a senior who’s ranked fifth, won by fall in 1:06 over Clifton Central’s sixth-ranked Noah Gomez in the 285 finals. Edie recorded three other falls, pinning Coal City’s second-ranked Michael Gonzalez in 3:19 in the semifinals.

“It’s really exciting,” Edie said of winning the Dvorak and PIT. “I went in at the beginning of the year that I wanted to place at the Dvorak and just kind of put my name out there and prove who I was and to prove to myself who I was and I went out and I wrestled probably the best that I’ve ever wrestled. When I won that, I was on a high for a while but then I didn’t complete one of my goals when I got pinned at ABE’s, I wasn’t ready and didn’t wrestle my best and I got caught. 

“So I made it my goal this week that I was going to win this and I’ve got to bounce back. They (Joey Ruzic and Dresden Grimm) might not be able to physically push me because they’re smaller, but they can mentally push me and we push each other at practice. We have a great wrestling room. I have to give it to my practice partners and my coaches because they push me. If we didn’t drill the way that we do, we wouldn’t be where we  are.”

Gomez (31-4),  a junior who also had won two titles coming into the PIT, captured a 6-2 decision over Reed-Custer’s Gunnar Berg in the semifinals after getting two first-period falls.

Gonzalez (18-5) took third place with a 3-0 decision over seventh-ranked Berg (21-2) in a clash of two seniors from nearby schools.

In the fifth-place match, PORTA senior Issak Espenschied (25-7), who’s ranked eighth, won 3-2 by ultimate tiebreaker over Princeton’s Cade Odell (11-6). And for seventh, Dixon’s Shaun DeVries (19-6) won by fall in 4:25 over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Tate Sigler (23-7).

160 – Collin Altensey, Riverdale

Collin Altensey is definitely focused on capturing a second-straight state title and the two-time state placewinner has won all 25 of his matches after adding to a title win at his school’s invite.

The top-ranked senior was one of four Riverdale champions after defeating Vandalia’s Eric McKinney 6-0 in PIT’s 160 finals. Altensey, who also won the PIT last year, reached the finals with three falls, recording a pin in 2:00 in the semifinals over Manteno’s Carter Watkins.

“This was awesome,” Altensey said. “Dean has been at Riverdale his whole life so we remember him from middle school and he won an IESA state title last year. I’m really grateful to get these good matches in right now. This is awesome and I’m going to miss it after this year.”

McKinney (25-2), a senior who’s ranked sixth, recorded a fall in 2:00 in the semifinals over Coal City’s Jack Poyner after getting a win by technical fall in the quarters and a fall in his opener.

Watkins (14-4) took third place after prevailing 11-9 in sudden victory over Dakota’s Garrett Vincent (15-5), who lost to Altensey in the quarterfinals before winning his next three matches.

Poyner (23-8) took fifth place with an 8-2 decision over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Ethan Conaty (24-7). And for seventh place, PORTA’s Cash Welbourne (19-13) won by fall in 1:47 over Ottawa Township’s Wyatt Reding.

145 – Paul Ishikawa, Illini Bluffs

Paul Ishikawa remembers well the excitement of winning a championship at the IWCOA in 2021 and then the disappointment of placing fourth last year in the IHSA finals.

Top-ranked at 145 and now 30-0, the Illini Bluffs senior added to titles at Illini Bluffs and Erie after winning 5-2 over Coal City’s Mataeo Blessing in the finals. He beat LeRoy/Tr-Valley’s Connor Lyons 16-5 in the semifinals following a 7-4 decision in the quarterfinals and a fall.

“I know that this is my last year so I’m going to put everything on the mat,” Ishikawa said. “I’ve known Mataeo since I was seven and we’ve gone back and forth. The PIT is probably the toughest one, besides state, of course. It’s the one to see where you are and to push yourself. I just want to be in everyones’ face. I know that I can push the pressure. I’ve had coaches come up to me and say that if you go at it, no one is on your level. I’m definitely on a mission to win a state title. And that should be eveyones’ goal. I’m ready to go.”

Blessing (27-2), a senior who’s ranked third, won 3-1 by sudden victory in the semifinals over Princeton’s Augie Christansen and won 5-3 over Orion’s Mason Anderson after getting a fall.

Christiansen (20-1), a senior who’s ranked fourth, bounced back from his first defeat to capture a fall in 4:18 over Anderson (19-5) for third place.

Newman Central Catholic’s Daniel Kelly (19-9) won by medical forfeit over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Connor Lyons (22-7) for fifth. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley’s Carson Maxey (19-3) won 5-1 over Clifton Central’s Gianni Panozzo (29-9) for seventh.

113 – Alex Powell, Litchfield

As someone who had qualified for state three times and placed sixth a year ago, Alex Powell was looking for more than two third-place finishes that he had heading into the PIT.

Things came together for the Litchfield senior, who’s 26-3 and ranked fifth, after beating Tremont’s Konnor Martin by fall in 1:43 in the 113 finals. He pinned Mercer County’s Kale Stirn in 2:51 in the semifinals after opening with a decision and a fall.

“It’s really weird not winning those and now I win this one,” said Powell of taking third at Cumberland and PORTA. “There’s a lot of good competition here and there are finals-level matches in the quarters. Obviously I still need to do more work and to work harder in practice. But, so far, I’m pretty content with how I’m doing. This makes me feel like I can actually win tournaments, because I haven’t been able to win any. I ran into the same opponent in both semifinals and lost two close matches.”

Martin (19-3), a freshman who’s ranked sixth, earned his spot in the 113 title match with a semifinals win by technical fall over Newman Central Catholic’s Zhyler Hansen. That followed a fall and a decision.

LeRoy/Tri-Valley sophomore Kobe Brent (21-8) captured third place with a fall in 2:20 over Wilmington’s Landon Dooley (22-4). Brent, who’s ranked eighth, lost 11-9 to Powell in round two and then won six-straight matches, which included five falls.

Stirn (13-4) won by technical fall in 3:41 over Hansen (19-11) for fifth while Coal City’s Luke Munsterman (15-3) recorded a fall in 3:40 over Manteno’s Nolan Ziman (10-8) to take seventh.

152 – Landin Benson, Coal City

Landin Benson capped a big day for Coal City after picking up his first tournament title of the season and being one of his first-place team’s two champions.

The Coalers sophomore, who’s ranked eighth and improved to 15-1, won a 7-4 decision over Riverdale’s Eli Hinde in the 152 finals. Benson won 4-3 by a tiebreaker in the semifinals over Byron’s Carson Behn after opening with two falls.

“We have a lot of hard workers in the room and we know not to quit,” Benson said. “Every time, we don’t stop, win or lose. (Winning ABE’s Rumble) It was a big milestone, but we still have a lot to accomplish. I like the humor, honestly, it keeps us alive before and after the matches, so that we just go out and have fun wrestling. It’s just about the practice room and not overthinking it. I was on JV last year and went to Frosh-Soph state and placed third.”

Hinde (20-3), who’s ranked ninth, was one of his team’s five finalists. He won 11-5 over Olympia’s Bentley Wise in the semifinals after recording falls in his initial two matches.

Behn (13-2), who’s ranked tenth, bounced back from his tough semifinals defeat to Benson to capture third place with an 8-6 decision over Vandalia’s Logan Nance (22-10).

For fifth place, Wise (34-6) won 8-3 over Mercer County’s Eli Burns (18-11). And for seventh, Dakota’s Adrian Arellano (13-9) won by medical forfeit over PORTA’s Brandon Barner (18-4).

170 – Alex Watson, Riverdale

Thus far Alex Watson is doing his best to improve upon a fifth-place finish a year ago as he hopes to join teammates Collin Altensey and Brock Smith as contenders for state titles.

The Riverdale senior, who’s 25-1 and ranked fourth, won 5-2 over Coal City’s Derek Carlson in the 170 finals to repeat as a PIT champion. Watson reached the finals with an 8-2 win over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Tyson Brent following a win by technical fall and a major decision.

“It’s cool since this is the biggest tournament for us, other than postseason,” Watson said. “And it’s awesome winning it last year and then winning it again this year. And it’s cool for his last year (coach Myron Keppy), I know that he’s having a lot of fun. In our sectional, everything is tough, but I have faith in our team because we’re stacked all the way up. We have a lot of fun all of the time, it’s just so fun to be with all of the guys. We’re getting better every week and our upperweights are coming around.”

Carlson (25-5), a senior who’s ranked fifth, advanced to the 170 finals with a fall in 3:36 over Auburn’s Joey Barrow in the semifinals after opening with a pair of falls.

Brent (25-3), a senior who’s ranked sixth and took sixth place last year at state, captured a 10-4 decision over Dakota’s Case Rockey (19-8) to claim third place.

Barrow (21-8) took fifth place with a fall in 0:58 over Rockridge’s Tyler Morrisey (24-5). And for seventh, Dixon’s Steven Kitzman (17-7) won 9-4 over Monticello’s Hunter Romano (27-10).

120 – Joey Ruzic, Auburn

As Joey Ruzic continues his quest to become a two-time state champion, his attempt to repeat as a PIT champion was certainly easier said than done.

The Auburn junior, who’s 27-2 and top-ranked, captured a 4-2 victory over Tremont’s Payton Murphy in the 120 finals. Ruzic got a fall in 1:21 in the semifinals over Roxana’s Lleyton Cobine following a fall and a win by technical fall.

“We didn’t bring our whole lineup and we still ended up taking fifth,” Ruzic said. “My team, we’re all here together and we’re all here for each other, so it’s hard to lose when you have a family behind you. I didn’t wrestle my best at that tournament (the Dvorak), but I’m coming back and doing better now. We’re all on the same page and we’re all doing good. This is just going to propel us in the future. We’re in to get a regional, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

Murphy (26-2), a senior who’s ranked fourth, had a tough semifinals match, capturing a 3-1 win over Mercer County’s Ethan Monson. Murphy opened with a tech fall and followed with a pin.

In the third place match, Rock Falls senior Aaron Meenen (20-5), who’s ranked fifth, won a 4-2 decision over Monson (27-3), who’s ranked sixth. Meenan lost to Murphy in the quarterfinals and then won four in a row.

For fifth place, Newman Central Catholic’s Briar Ivey (20-8) won 8-2 over Cobine (15-4). And for seventh place, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley’s ninth-ranked Shawn Schlickman (14-4) claimed a 10-9 decision over Illini Bluffs’ Avery Speck (26-7).

220 – Kody Marschner, Reed-Custer

While a lot of the title matches at the PIT were intense, the clash between Kody Marschner and Noah Wenzel was more like two friends going at it, since they train with each other at Izzy Style.

In a matchup of two defending PIT champions, Reed-Custer senior Marschner won 3-1 over Dakota’s Wenzel at 220. Marschner (16-0), ranked second at 220 and third at state a year ago, pinned Coal City’s Drake Dearth in 2:21 in the semifinals and added a pin and a technical fall.

“We practice with each other all of the time,” Marschner, the PIT’s OWA recipient for the upper weights said of Wenzel. “That was awesome, battling with one of my good buddies. It’s the best club (Izzy Style) in the state, for sure. It just helps me to build my mindset.”

Wenzel (21-3), a junior who’s a returning state champion that’s top-ranked at 195, rolled into the finals with three falls, including one in 5:21 in the semifinals over Roxana’s James Herring.

In the third-place match, fourth-ranked Dearth (23-4) captured a 5-2 decision over Herring (20-4), who’s ranked fifth.

Olympia’s Nolen Yeary (29-10) took fifth place with a fall in 1:07 over Monticello’s Riley Jones (23-15). For seventh place, Ottawa Township’s Charles Medrow (15-4) won by fall in 0:54 over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Jacob Bischoff (26-6), who’s ranked eighth.

138 – Brock Smith, Riverdale

The championship title match at the PIT at 138 was perhaps the most unusual since Brock Smith and Dresden Grimm both went throughout regulation without scoring a point.

In a rematch of a PIT final from a year ago that Smith won, Riverdale senior Smith won 2-0 in sudden victory after getting a takedown with 23 seconds left to improve to 23-0 and repeat as a PIT champion while Auburn senior Grimm (15-1) suffered his first defeat.

Smith, a state champion last year who took fifth place in 2020, is top-ranked at the weight while Grimm, who finished third at state last year, is ranked second.

In the semifinals, Smith won 12-4 over Rockridge’s Reese Finch, which followed a win by technical fall and a 9-3 quarterfinals decision. Grimm pinned Newman Central Catholic’s Carter Rude in 2:56 in the semifinals after winning by technical fall and with a pin in his opener..

“That was an awful performance in my book,” Smith said as he was recognized as the lower weight OWA recipient. “I scored no points, except in overtime and I got rode out for two minutes, so as far as I’m concerned, I won the match because I took him down and he didn’t take me down. I’m way better than that. I feel like everyone is trying to change to my style. I guess I’m cool with getting a target on my back, but I have to wrestle better than that. I’m happy for those guys (his teammates), they all wrestled good matches and did a good job this weekend.”

Rude (27-1), who suffered his first defeat to Grimm in the semifinals and is ranked fourth, claimed a 7-0 decision over fifth-ranked Finch (20-5) to claim third place.

Dakota’s Jason Bowers (18-10), who’s ranked sixth, took fifth place with a 3-1 win by sudden victory over Illini Bluffs’ tenth-ranked Jackson Carroll (29-5). Vandalia’s Owen Miller (26-4) won by forfeit over Rovana’s Lyndon Thies (22-6) to claim seventh place.

Writer’s note: Sorry for the late post of the story, but I was hospitalized for three days with a blood clot and just returned home last night. I hope to be back in action in the near future.

• 

By Curt Herron for the IWCOA

Quincy Senior wins title at Carbondale’s Murdale Tournament

With champions Hugh Sparrow (106), Owen Uppinghouse (160) and Bryor Newbold (182) leading the way, Quincy Senior took first at Carbondale’s 61st annual Murdale Tournament.

Coach Phil Neally’s Blue Devils scored 226.5 points while Mt. Vernon was second with 176 points and Marion edged the host Terriers 134-132.5 for third. Murphysboro (119.5), Cahokia (111.5), Harrisburg (106), Anna-Jonesboro (104.5), Frankfort Community (99), Benton (92) and Carterville (92) rounded out the top 10 in the 29-team competition.

Taking second place for Quincy Senior were Gunnar Derhake (152), Gavin Schumacher (220) and Todd Smith (285) while Eli Roberts (132) was third and Brody Baker (138) and Max Miller (170) placed fourth. Finishing ninth were Wyatt Boeing (113) and Ty Moore (195).

Leading the way for coach Alejandro Wajner’s second-place Rams were champion Rider Searcy (145), runners-up Dillon White (126), Ethan Rivera (182) and Mason Randall (195) and third-place finishers Ethan Verdeyen (120) and Maddux Randall (170). Taking fifth place were Mylze Cammack (152) and Travis Sanders (220).

Top performers for coach Darren Lindsey’s third-place Wildcats were runner-up Max Wade (120) and third-place finisher Kanye Gunn (285). Finishing in fourth place was Riddick Cook (113) while Malakei Weatherly (182) and Jordyn Beverly (195) took fifth.

Leaders for coach Gerald Richards’ fourth-place Terriers were champions Brenden Banz (170) and Aiden Taylor (195) and runner-up Isaiah Duckworth (160). Aiden Murphy (138) placed third while Thomas Imboden (152) finished fourth.

Other title winners were Carlyle’s Tyson Waughtel (113), Harrisburg’s Tony Keene (120), Richland County’s Carson Bissey (126), Murphysboro’s Bryce Edwards (132), 

Mascoutah’s Santino Robinson (138), Carterville’s Riley Bradford (220), Fairfield’s Payton Allen (285) and McCracken County, KY’s James Barragan (152).

Also finishing in second place were Anna-Jonesboro’s Zoee Sadler (106) and Drew Sadler (113), Highland’s Tyson Rakers (132), Benton’s Mason Tieffel (138), Herrin’s Blue Bishop (145) and Cahokia’s Nick Deloach, Jr. (170).

Closest title matches included Bissey edging White 1-0 at 126, Barragan getting past Derhake 7-6 at 152, Edwards capturing a 4-1 decision over Rakers at 132, Newbold winning 7-4 over Rivera at 182 and Allen prevailing over Smith 5-2 at 285.

Recording falls in title matches were Keene (120), Searcy (145), Taylor (195) and Bradford (220) while Uppinghouse (160) won by technical fall and Sharrow (106), Waughtel (113) and Robinson (138) captured major decisions while Banz (170) won a 16-10 decision.

Keene (120) and Searcy (145) both recorded five falls and led all competitors with 30 team points. Uppinghouse (160), Taylor (195) and Bradford (220) tied with 29 points, Waughtel (113) had 28.5 team points, Edwards (132), Banz (170) and Newbold (182) had 28 points and Sharrow (106), Bissey (126) and Robinson (138) had 27 team points.

Six individuals left the tournament with perfect records. They are Waughtel (29-0, 1.000), Keene (24-0, 1.000), Robinson (24-0, 1.000), Uppinghouse (24-0, 1.000), Allen (23-0, 1.000) and Bissey (22-0, 1.000). In the 138 finals, Robinson handed Tieffel (36-1) his first defeat. 

Waughtel, Keene, Bissey and Taylor also won titles at the Murdale last season. Tieffel’s effort to follow up on a 2022 were dashed by Robinson 19-8 in the finals while Marion’s Kanye Gunn saw his hopes at another 285 title thwarted in the semifinals by Smith.

Other top records for finalists following the competition included Banz (30-1, .968), Searcy (27-1, .964), Bishop (19-1, .950), Drew Sadler (32-2, .941), Taylor (29-2, .935), Newbold (23-2, .920), Bradford (31-3, .912), Zoee Sadler (29-3, .906), Wade (23-3, .885), Edwards (27-4, .871) and White (26-4, .867). In the 145 finals, Searcy dealt Bishop his first loss in 20 matches.

Additional third-place finishers were Murphysboro’s Kaiden Richards (113) and Liam Fox (145), Harrisburg’s Rocko Neal (106), Anna-Jonesboro’s Daniel Dover (126), Benton’s Connor Dean (152), Carterville’s Elijah Mohring (160), Frankfort Community’s Connor Henson (182), Highland’s Ashton Zobrist (195) and Mt. Zion’s Remington Hiser (220).

Others who placed fourth were Frankfort Community’s Hayeden Hughes (106) and Brandon Turner (195), Cahokia’s Demerious Mcgill (126) and Jason Dowell (285), Anna-Jonesboro’s Brett Smith (120), Fairfield’s Talan Keoughan (160), Glenwood’s Maximus Wiezorek (182) and Murphysboro’s Wyatt Eovaldi (220).

Also finishing fifth were Murphysboro’s Jackson Graff (106) and Aiston Holt (120), Mt. Zion’s Mason Gray (113) and Tanner Conaway (170), Harrisburg’s Aiden Unthank (126), Glenwood’s Owen Ottinio (132), Fairfield’s Scotty Cuff (138), Frankfort Community’s Gavin Mann (145), Cahokia’s Kendrick Williams (160) and East St. Louis Senior’s Mekhi McDowell (285).

There was also a girls tournament that was conducted which featured individuals from 16 schools. Goreville and Mt. Vernon both had three title winners and eight other schools also had a first-place finisher.

Girls champions were Mt. Vernon’s Hannah Younger (100), Deshay Gradford (135) and Aakira Cain (235), Goreville’s Alivia Ming (140), Mikah Merrill (145) and Krista McBride (190), Frankfort Community’s Sophia Bechelli (105), Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon (110), Mascoutah’s Ezri Lenertz (115), Benton’s Mia Balota (120), Carbondale’s Faith Loyd (125), Glenwood’s Jenna Tuxhorn (130), Marion’s Haylie Nappier-Feth (155) and Highland’s August Rottmann (170).

While a lot of the matches that determined who took first were falls, there were a few matches that were much more competitive. Those included Younger prevailing 3-2 over McCracken County, KY’s Ariel Workman at 100, Loyd winning 9-6 over Anna-Jonesboro’s Oregan Dover at 125 and Krista McBride beating Goreville’s Liberty McBride at 190. Also taking second place at weight classes with four or more involved were Mt. Vernon’s Madison Teriet (155) and Faith Barrett (170), Goreville’s Ariel Board (120) and Marion’s Brooklyn Phemister (140).

First-place finishers with the best records are Cannon (17-0), Nappier-Feth (8-2), Loyd (11-3), Ming (19-6), Merrill (16-6) and Krista McBride (11-4). Balota and Ming had the most team points with 20 while Loyd, Merrill, Nappier-Feth, Rottmann and Younger all scored 18 team points.

Championship matches at Carbondale’s Murdale Tournament

106 – Hugh Sharrow (Quincy Senior) MD 8-0 Zoee Sadler (Anna-Jonesboro)

113 – Tyson Waughtel (Carlyle) MD 10-0 Drew Sadler (Anna-Jonesboro)

120 – Tony Keene (Harrisburg) F 3:21 Max Wade (Marion)

126 – Carson Bissey (Richland County) D 1-0 Dillon White (Mt. Vernon)

132 – Bryce Edwards (Murphysboro) D 4-1 Tyson Rakers (Highland)

138 – Santino Robinson (Mascoutah) MD 19-8 Mason Tieffel (Benton)

145 – Rider Searcy (Mt. Vernon) F 3:19 Blue Bishop (Herrin)

152 – James Barragan (McCracken County, KY) D 7-6 Gunnar Derhake (Quincy Senior)

160 – Owen Uppinghouse (Quincy Senior) TF 4:29 Isaiah Duckworth (Carbondale)

170 – Brendan Banz (Carbondale) D 16-10 Nick Deloach, Jr. (Cahokia)

182 – Bryor Newbold (Quincy Senior) D 7-4 Ethan Rivera (Mt. Vernon)

195 – Aiden Taylor (Carbondale) F 1:11 Mason Randall (Mt. Vernon)

220 – Riley Bradford (Carterville) F 0:57 Gavin Schumacher (Quincy Senior)

285 – Payton Allen (Fairfield) D 5-2 Todd Smith (Quincy Senior)

Oregon captures top honors at Polo Invitational

Anthony Bauer, Evan Flaharty and Lane Halverson all won titles to help Oregon capture the championship at the Polo Invitational with 196 points, which placed it 31 points ahead of the second-place team in the field, Richmond-Burton.

Parkview/Albany, WI (153.5), Fulton (124.5), Lisle (111), Polo (106.5), Freeport (103.5), Genoa-Kingston (88) and Erie/Prophetstown (86) were next-best in the 16-team competition.

Leading the way for coach Justin Lahman’s first-place Hawks were champions Lane Halverson (138), Anthony Bauer (160) and Evan Flaharty (285) and runners-up Jackson Messenger (113), Grant Stender (152), Gabe Eckerd (170) and Jonathon Alaniz (220). Seth Stevens (145) took third, Quentin Berry (195) placed fourth and Jackson Glendenning (160) and Briggs Sellers (285) both finished fifth. Oregon is sixth in the latest Class 1A rankings.

“We had some wrestlers fill in due to injuries and wrestled well which kept the title within reach,” Lahman said. “We had seven make the semis which really helped to stay in front of Richmond-Burton. I think we wrestled five of their guys in that round which really determined the team title. We are continuing to find areas that we need to improve on to continue to grow. This was a good start to the second half of the season.” 

Top performers for coach Tony Nelson’s second-place Rockets were champions Clay Madula (113) and Emmett Nelson (126), runner-up Brody Rudkin (145) and third-place finishers Dane Sorensen (132), Nate Madula (138), Alex Reyna (182) and Colin Kraus (220). Isaac Jones (152) finished fourth while Kyan Gunderson (106) took fifth.

Pacing coach Chris Grant’s fourth-place Steamers were title winners Ben Fosdick (145) and Zane Pannell (170) while Braiden Damhoff (285) placed second, Broden VenHuizen (132) and Mason Kuebel (182) finished fourth and Skylier Crooks (152) took fifth place.

Others won won championships were Erie/Prophetstown’s Wyatt Goossens (120) and Jase Grunder (152), Polo/Forreston/Eastland/Milledgeville’s Josiah Perez (106), Freeport’s Jacob Redington (132), Lisle’s Joe Raineri (195) and Parkview/Albany, WI’s Sam Schwengels (182) and Wesley Egan (220).

Also claiming second place were Lisle’s Alexander Ferari (120) and Norbert Guzik (138), Polo/Forreston/Eastland/Milledgeville’s s Lucas Nelson (126) and Wyatt Doty (132), West Carroll’s Connor Knop (106), Freeport’s Donavyn Fernandez (160), Genoa-Kingston’s Julian Torres (182) and Parkview/Albany, WI’s Wyatt Egan (195).

Some of the closest title matches featured Raineri edging Egan 8-6 at 195, Perez won over Knop 7-4 at 106, Goossens beat Ferari 4-1 at 120, Redington prevailed 4-0 over Doty at 132 and Grunder won 6-2 over Stender at 152.

Winning their titles by fall were Madula (113), Nelson (126), Halverson (138), Schwengels (182), Egan (220) and Flaharty (285) while Fosdick (145) captured his title by technical fall. Bauer (160) defeated Fernandez 8-1 and Pannell (170) won by injury default when Eckerd was unable to compete.

There was a five-way tie for the most team points with 28 between Flaharty (285), Halverson (138), Nelson (126), Wesley Egan (220) and Schwengels (182). Fosdick (145) scored 27.5 points, Bauer (160), Goossens (120) and Grunder (152) had 26 points while Redington (132) had 25 team points.

Top records for finalists following the invitational included Pannell (30-0, 1.000), Perez (13-0, 1.000), Grunder (32-1, .970), Nelson (25-1, .962), Redington (26-2, .929), Fosdick (29-3, .906), Doty (18-2, .900) and Goossens (28-4, .875).

Five of the champions also won titles last year at the Polo Invite. Those repeat title winners were Madula, Nelson, Fosdick, Pannell and Egan.

Other third-place finishers were Genoa-Kingston’s Shayden McNew (113) and Xander Gleissner (170), Jefferson’s Antonio Flood (126) and Korlondo Dubois (195), Lisle’s David Skonieczny (160) and North Boone’s Ethan Delgado (285).

Additional fourth-place finishers were Genoa-Kingston’s Nathan Dutton (145) and Azuriah Albert (220), Guilford’s Neil Jordan (126) and Gannon Buckner (285), Lisle’s Ryan Hsu (106), North Boone’s Gavin Ekberg (120), Dakota’s Aiden Wines (160) and Alden-Hebron’s Logan Crowell (170).

Also claiming fifth-place finishes were Polo/Forreston/Eastland/Milledgeville’s Chase Bremmer (138) and Maddux Hayden (195), Freeport’s Maddox Olson (145) and Dawson Holland (220), Durand/Pecatonica’s Ethan Foster (120), West Carroll’s Noah Rannow (126), Lisle’s Nolan Kelly (132) and Erie/Prophetstown’s Luke Otten (182).

Championship matches at the Polo Invitational

106 – Josiah Perez (Polo/Forreston/Eastland/Milledgeville) D 7-4 Connor Knop (West Carroll)

113 – Clay Madula (Richmond-Burton) F 3:13 Jackson Messenger (Oregon)

120 – Wyatt Goossens (Erie/Prophetstown) D 4-1 Alexander Ferari (Lisle)

126 – Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) F 2:35 Lucas Nelson (Polo/Forreston/Eastland/Milledgeville)

132 – Jacob Redington (Freeport) D 4-0 Wyatt Doty (Polo/Forreston/Eastland/Milledgeville)

138 – Lane Halverson (Oregon) F 1:21 Norbert Guzik (Lisle)

145 – Ben Fosdick (Fulton) TF Brody Rudkin (Richmond-Burton)

152 – Jase Grunder (Erie/Prophetstown) D 6-2 Grant Stender (Oregon)

160 – Anthony Bauer (Oregon) D 8-1 Donavyn Fernandez (Freeport)

170 – Zane Pannell (Fulton) INJ Gabe Eckerd (Oregon)

182 – Sam Schwengels (Parkview/Albany, WI) F 1:29 Julian Torres (Genoa-Kingston)

195 – Joe Raineri (Lisle) D 8-6 Wyatt Egan (Parkview/Albany, WI)

220 – Wesley Egan (Parkview/Albany, WI) F 1:24 Jonathon Alaniz (Oregon)

285 – Evan Flaharty (Oregon) F 3:00 Braiden Damhoff (Fulton)

El Paso-Gridley wins title at Prairie Central Hawk Classic

Dax Gentes and Ethan Whitman won championships to help El Paso-Gridley score 254.5 points to capture the title of the 37th annual Prairie Central Hawk Classic by 77.5 points over second-place Peotone in the 17-team competition that took place in Fairbury.

Hoopeston Area/Milford (154.5), Beardstown (153), Plano (151.5), Bishop McNamara (140), Prairie Central (128), Sandwich (128), High School of Saint Thomas More (118) and Peoria Notre Dame (114) rounded out the top 10.

Dax Gentes claimed top honors at 160 while Ethan Whitman won the title at 170 for coach Zachary Zvonar’s Titans, who also received runner-up finishes from Logan Gibson (120), Waylon Melick (145) and Cody Langland (182).

Parker Duffy (195) placed third, Nolan Whitman (106), Savannah Hamilton (132) and Chris Blackmore (220) finished fourth, Jesse Gerber (285) was fifth, Conlee Landrus (152) took sixth, Caleb Graham (106), Ryden Barker (160) and Bobby Shaffer (220) all were seventh while Keegan Ruppe (152) and Dominic Ricconi (170) placed eighth for El Paso-Gridley, which is ranked 18th in Class 1A.

Leading the way for coach Philip Thorne’s second-place Blue Devils were champions Micah Spinazzola (126) and Ian Kreske (145) while Santino Izzi (132), Marco Spinazzola (152) and Jackson Beregeron (170) all placed second and Alex Cardenas (220) took third place.

The top performers for coach Chris Kelnhofer’s third-place Cornjerkers were runner-up Angel Zamora (160), third-place finishers Charlie Flores (106), Aiden Bell (126) and Ceaser Espinoza (138) and Talan Nelson (120), who took fourth.

Other champions were Lutheran School Association Decatur’s Clinton VerHeecke (113) and Garret VerHeecke (120), Beardstown’s Bryan Gil (138) and Owen O’Hara (220), Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers (106), Sandwich’s Miles Corder (132), Bishop McNamara’s Luke Christie (152), Prairie Central’s Connor Steidinger (182), High School of Saint Thomas More’s Brody Cuppernell (195) and Plano’s Alex Diaz (285).

Also claiming second place were Bishop McNamara’s Blake Arseneau (106) and Jackson Jeck (126), Camp Point Central/Southeastern/Brown County’s Paul Schenk (113), Sandwich’s Sy Smith (138), Peoria Heights’ Issac Coleman (195), Plano’s Eliyas Peray (220) and High School of Saint Thomas More’s Robbie Vavrik (285).

In one of the biggest title matches, Christie (17-1) captured an 11-3 major decision at 152 over Marco Spinazzola (25-1), who suffered his first defeat.

Some of the closest title matches involved Corder defeating Izzi 8-6 in sudden victory at 132, Kreske edging Melick 7-6 at 145, Gil getting past Smith 4-2 at 138 and Micah Spinazzola winning 7-2 over Jeck at 126.

Winning titles by fall were Clinton VerHeecke, Garret VerHeecke, Steidinger, Cuppernell, O’Hara and Diaz. Also taking firsts with major decisions were Akers and Gentes while Whitman took first at 170 by medical forfeit over Beregeron.

Cuppernell (195), Diaz (285), O’Hara (220), Steidinger (182) and Whitman (170) all tied for first in team points with 34. Akers (106) was next with 32.5 while Clinton VerHeecke (113), Garret VerHeecke (120) and Gentes (160) all scored 32 team points. Christie (152) had 30 points, Corder (132) finished with 29 points and Kreske (145) had 28.5 team points.

Finalists with the best records following the Hawk Classic included Clinton VerHeecke (30-0, 1.000), Marco Spinazzola (25-1, .962), Gentes (25-1, .962), Cuppernell (24-1, .960), Christie (17-1, .944), O’Hara (15-1, .938), Diaz (15-1, .938), Akers (28-2, .933), Garret VerHeecke (26-3, .897), Whitman (23-3, .885) and Steidinger (23-4, .852).

Champions who also won titles last year in the Classic were Gentes, Steidinger and O’Hara while 2022 champion Zamora fell to Gentes in the 160 finals and another Cornjerker who won a title last year, Talan Nelson, took fourth at 120.

Others who took third place were Camp Point Central/Southeastern/Brown County’s Joseph Friday (145) and Connor Griffin (160), Prairie Central’s Wyatt Strait (113), Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington’s Dylan Crouch (120), Beardstown’s Jonny Marquez (132), Herscher’s Payden Strahan (152), Sandwich’s Bryce Decker (170) and Ridgeview/Lexington’s Zach Bork (182).

Also finishing fourth were Sandwich’s Ashlyn Strenz (113), Kadin Kern (126) and Nolan Bobee (152), Plano’s Trevion Gilford (138) and Gio Diaz (160), High School of Saint Thomas More’s Philip Christhilf (145) and August Christhilf (170), Prairie Central’s Jack Rathbun (182), Ridgeview/Lexington’s Hunter Tillotson (195) and Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington’s Michael Gamble (285).

Additional fifth-place finishers were Plano’s Shane Downs (106) and Caiden Ronning (152), Beardstown’s Daisy Gil (113) and Luis De La Cruz (126), Peoria Notre Dame’s Eddie Couri (120) and Ben Mullens (195), Herscher’s Gerrit Osenga (132) and Quintin Strahan (182), Prairie Central’s Jaxson Martin (145) and Caden Travis (160), Ridgeview/Lexington’s Judson Stover (138), Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington’s Austin Burkhardt (170) and High School of Saint Thomas More’s James Schmidt (220).

Championship matches at the Prairie Central Hawk Classic

106 – Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) MD 14-2 Blake Arseneau (Bishop McNamara)

113 – Clinton VerHeecke (Lutheran Schools Association Decatur) F1:28 Paul Schenk (Camp Point Central/Southeastern/Brown County)

120 – Garet VerHeecke (Lutheran Schools Association Decatur) F 2:39 Logan Gibson (El Paso-Gridley)

126 – Micah Spinazzola (Peotone) D 7-2 Jackson Jeck (Bishop McNamara)

132 – Miles Corder (Sandwich) SV-1 8-6 Santino Izzi (Peotone)

138 – Bryan Gil (Beardstown) D 4-2 Sy Smith (Sandwich)

145 – Ian Kreske (Peotone) D 7-6 Waylon Melick (El Paso-Gridley)

152 – Luke Christie (Bishop McNamara) MD 11-3 Marco Spinazzola (Peotone)

160 – Dax Gentes (El Paso-Gridley) MD 15-2 Angel Zamora (Hoopeston Area/Milford)

170 – Ethan Whitman (El Paso-Gridley) Med FFT Jackson Beregeron (Peotone)

182 – Connor Steidinger (Prairie Central) F 0:45 Cody Langland (El Paso-Gridley)

195 – Brody Cuppernell (High School of Saint Thomas More) F 1:55 Issac Coleman (Peoria Heights)

220 – Owen O’Hara (Beardstown) F 0:43 Eliyas Peray (Plano)

285 – Alex Diaz (Plano) F 2:40 Robbie Vavrik (High School of Saint Thomas More)

Geneseo captures championship at Morton’s Schnarr Invitational

Led by a title from Outstanding Wrestler Award winner Zachary Montez, second-place finishes from Grady Hull, Tim Sebastian and Landon Shoemaker and thirds from Devan Hornback, Malaki Jackson, Levi Neumann and Tim Stohl, Geneso scored 223 points to capture the championship of Morton’s Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational.

Normal West finished second with 194.5 points while Normal Community edged Central DeWitt, IA 167-163 for third place. Next in line in the 17-team competition were Triad (125.5), Morton (112), Springfield High (87.5), Lincoln (81.5), Richwoods (77.5) and United Township (72).

Leading the way for coach Jon Murray’s Maple Leafs, who are ranked fourth in Class 2A, was Montez, who improved to 29-1 after recording two falls to reach the 138 title mat where he pulled out a 3-1 decision over Central DeWitt, IA’s Royce Butt to earn himself OWA honors.

Sebastian (106), Hull (113) and Shoemaker (182) joined Montez on the title mat while Hornback (120), Jackson (138), Stohl (220) and Neumann (285) all fell in the semifinals but then bounced back to win third-place matches. Aiden Damewood (160) and Logan Palmer (170) also got to the semifinal match before taking fourth place. Jack Snyder (145) and Josh Hock (152) took fifth while Bryce Bealer (126) finished sixth.

Leading coach Adam Richards’ second-place Wildcats were their four champions, Froylan Racey (120), Austin Johnston (126), Cody Sears (138) and Brock Leenerman (170). Xavier Edwards (152) finished second, Placing fourth were Abram Rader (106) and Grant Dejaynes (195) while Dylan McGrew (113), Gus Schreiber (182) and Matt Hanold (285) took fifth.

Top performers for coach Trevor Kaufman’s third-place Ironmen were champions Caden Correll (106) and Cole Gentsch (113) while Cooper Caraway (220) took second place. Finishing third were Vallen Thorpe (132), Mason Caraway (182) and Matthew Hudelson (195) while Jayden Campbell (138) took fourth and Carter Mayes (120) was fifth.

Also capturing titles were Triad’s Aiden Postma (145) and Nate Engler (195), Lincoln’s Isaac Decker (152), Dunlap’s Nick Mueller (160), LaSalle-Peru’s Connor Lorden (220) and Central DeWitt’s Chris Wrage (182) and Sam Gravert (285).

Others who claimed second place finishes were Lincoln’s Jake Lawrence (138) and Dawson McConnell (160), Morton’s Payton Ferrill (120), Triad’s Colby Crouch (126), United Township’s Kayden Marolf (145), Springfield High’s Keyshaun Harris (170), Peoria High’s Malachi Washington (195) and Southeast’s Robert Hull (285).

In some of the closest title matches, Sears won a 3-2 decision over Lawrence at 138, Lorden edged Cooper Caraway 5-4 at 220, Gravert won 2-1 over Hull at 285, Wrage beat Shoemaker 3-1 at 182, Engler won 8-4 over Washington at 195 and Decker beat Edwards 7-2 at 152.

Winning titles by fall were Gentsch, Postma, Mueller and Leenerman while Johnston was a winner by injury default, Correll won by technical fall and Racey captured a major decision.

Champions from 2022 who won titles again were Gentsch, Johnston, Montez, Postma, Leenerman and Gravert. Crouch’s hopes to duplicate last year’s title was dashed by an injury and Caraway beat 2022 champ Stohl in the semifinals but then lost to Lorden in the finals. 

Postma finished with the most team points with 29 while Gentsch, Johnston and Leenerman tied for second with 28 points. Correll collected 27.5 team points while Mueller and Wrage had 27 apiece and Gravert, Lorden, Montez, Racey and Sears all had 26 team points.

Correll improved to 30-0 and Lorden moved to 20-0 following their title wins. Crouch suffered his first loss in 17 matches when he had to injury default in the finals to Johnston. 

Other finalists who had the best records following the tournament were Montez (29-1, .967), Gentsch (28-1, .966), Mueller (25-2, .926), Leenerman (9-1, .900), Sebastian (27-4, .871) and  McConnell (26-4, .867).

Also claiming third-place finishes were Morton’s Harrison Dea (106), Caleb Lenning (113) and Steven Marvin (145), Richwood’s Bernard Cox (126) and Gabriel Martinez (170) and Peoria High’s Kenny Rutherford (152) 

Others who finished fourth were Richwoods’ Colton Boyer (113) and Gabe Robb (120), Springfield High’s Kaden Rios (126) and Alex Souva (145), Triad’s CJ Duhachek (132) and Koen Rodebush (182), Limestone’s Hector Izaguirre (220) and Taylor Dixon (285) and Monmouth Roseville’s Gabe Ortiz-Mora (152).

Additional fifth-place winners were Morton’s Caiden Robison (126) and Tyus Almasy (160), United Township’s Brady Oppendike (132) and Dunlap’s Drew Stone (170).

Championship matches at Morton’s Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational

106 – Caden Correll (Normal Community) TF 5:22 Tim Sebastian (Geneseo)

113 – Cole Gentsch (Normal Community) F 2:47 Grady Hull (Geneseo)

120 – Froylan Racey (Normal West) MD 15-6 Payton Ferrill (Morton)

126 – Austin Johnston (Normal West) INJ Colby Crouch (Triad)

132 – Zachary Montez (Geneseo) D 3-1 Royce Butt (Central DeWitt, IA)

138 – Cody Sears (Normal West) D 3-2 Jake Lawrence (Lincoln)

145 – Aiden Postma (Triad) F 0:45 Kayden Marolf (United Township)

152 – Isaac Decker (Lincoln) D 7-2 Xavier Edwards (Normal West)

160 – Nick Mueller (Dunlap) F 4:23 Dawson McConnell (Lincoln)

170 – Brock Leenerman (Normal West) F 3:34 Keyshaun Harris (Springfield High)

182 – Chris Wrage (Central DeWitt, IA) D 3-1 Landon Shoemaker (Geneseo)

195 – Nate Engler (Triad) D 8-4 Malachi Washington (Peoria High)

220 – Connor Lorden (LaSalle-Peru) D 5-4 Cooper Caraway (Normal Community)

285 – Sam Gravert (Central DeWitt, IA) D 2-1 Robert Hull (Southeast)

By Patrick Z. McGavin

SYCAMORE— At the Sycamore Invitational, every point matters.

“One of our goals as a team heading into a tournament is to not have any ‘ghosts,’ a wrestler that does not score any team points,” Rock Island coach Joel Stockwell said.

“We also talk about the importance of wrestlers scoring points in the consolation brackets.”

The Rocks used their elite scoring in the lower and upper weight classes to secure the championship of the Sycamore Invitational on Saturday.

The Rocks finished with three finalists and two individual champions score 418 points to capture the 24-team title. 

In a deep and competitive field, the top four teams were separated by just 30 points. Lyons Township finished as the runner-up with 393.5, York was third with 390.5 and Rochelle took fourth with 387.5. Glenbrook South (371.5), Unity (370), McHenry (363.5) and Sycamore (359) were next in line.

Ranked No. 8 in Class 2A, the Rocks overcame the structural disadvantage of competing in just 12 weight classes – not fielding any wrestlers at 132 and 138 pounds.

“We have had issues with those two weights all year,” Stockwell said. “Injuries and grades have led to them being mostly open. With those two open spots, we know in order to compete as a team all of our wrestlers must score points and look for bonus points whenever possible.”

Even the Rocks’ secondary performers scored a minimum of 15 points, or what turned out to be their winning margin.

The 14 individual titles were spread out among 10 teams.

York had a tournament-best three individual champions, with a brilliant consecutive run at 120, 126 and 132 pounds, respectively. Rock Island and Belvidere co-op each had two champions.

Bloomington, Lyons Township, Sycamore, Oak Forest, Unity, Nazareth Academy and Rockford East had one champion apiece.

The Sycamore Invitational showcased elite individuals and standout teams. Rock Island was a quarterfinalist in the Class 2A dual team championship last year while Unity finished third in Class 1A.

(All team and individual rankings are courtesy of Rob Sherrill, at Illinois Matmen.)

The tournament also featured two ranked 3A teams No. 18 Lyons Township and No. 24 McHenry, as well as honorable mention teams in the largest class such as Belvidere, Glenbrook South, Hampshire, Hononegah and Mundelein.

Rock Island was one of five ranked participants in Class 2A—joined by No. 9 Rochelle, No.14 Oak Forest, No. 17 Sycamore and No. 22 Bloomington, as well as honorable mention selections Kaneland and Rockford East. Unity is ranked No. 13 in Class 1A and Marengo is honorable mention.

“I am proud of the performance and effort,” Stockwell said. It has always been a good tournament to measure how we are doing as a team and as individuals. 

“Anytime we can finish in the top five is a good indicator that we are moving in the right direction heading toward the postseason. Placing first as a team was a great accomplishment.”

Champions of the XLVII Sycamore Invitational and their weight classes

106 – Brayden Teunissen, Belvidere

The No. 2 ranked wrestler in Class 3A, Brayden Teunissen proved he was second to none.

He dominated the field with three falls, punctuating his individual championship with an 0:46 fall over Lyons Township freshman Griff Powell.

As a freshman, Teunissen finished fifth at the invitational last year.

“I like to wrestle very aggressively,” he said. “I’m very good on top, and takedowns.

“My mentality is always to be more aggressive than the other person. That helps with my offense, and gets me into my shots.”

He improved his record to 28-2. Both of his losses are against St. Charles East’s top-ranked Dom Munaretto. 

“This is a really good tournament,” he said. “At this point, it’s all about getting ready for the really important part of the season with the state series, and I am going to go back at it on Monday.”

In the third-place match, McHenry’s Ryan Hanson defeated Rock Island’s Sammy Niyonkuru 5-2. Hononegah’s Jackson Olson defeated Bloomington’s Tyler Barlow by technical fall for fifth place. And Portage, WI’s Cole Beckett captured seventh with a fall in 4:52 over Rochelle’s Keagan Albers.

113 – Truth Vesey, Rock Island

In a showdown of two top-10 wrestlers, Rock Island’s Truth Vesey was the answer.

Ranked No. 4, he captured the high-profile championship with a 9-0 major decision over Rockford East’s Joseph Young, who’s ranked ninth.

Vesey (24-1) reached the championship bracket with a fall, a victory by injury default and major decision. The junior finished third at 106 pounds at the tournament last year.

Despite the loss, Young (27-5) made his own statement. He posted three consecutive falls to win his part of the bracket. 

“I think my success is just staying active on my feet,” Young said. “Keeping up with the matches, and learning the lessons from each match.

“I have a fun style. I have a lot of funky moves that kids just don’t expect at this level. I always look to make a move off what they try to do against me.”

McHenry’s Jimmy Norris won by technical fall over Rochelle’s Tommy Tourdot for third place. Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi had an 8-0 major decision over Sycamore’s Tyler Lockhart for fifth place. Belvidere’s Bryson Teunissen won by injury default over Sterling’s Zyan Westbrook for seventh place.

120 – Zach Parisi, York

York’s Zach Parisi reached the magic 30 number.

Revealing a superb blend of body control, power and versatility, he punctuated a brilliant tournament championship with a 6-0 victory over Rochelle’s previously-unbeaten Xavier Villalobos.

Ranked No. 7 in Class 3A, Parisi (30-1) registered two first-period falls in the preliminary action. He secured an efficient and detailed 10-4 victory over Kaneland’s Kamron Scholl in the semifinals.

“I like to be able to push the pace and work on my feet a lot,” Parisi said. “The other part I feel I am very good at is getting on top, and going to work.

“So far this season, I have just one loss, and I want to be able to keep that up.”

As a junior last year, he finished second at 113 pounds in the invitational.

Rock Island’s Daniel McGhee edged Scholl 4-3 for third place. Kaneland’s Alex Gochis defeated Bloomington’s Javier Enriquez-Lynd 12-10 in the fifth-place match. And Glenbrook South’s Marcus Santos won by fall in 1:24 over Hononegah’s Javier Escobedo for seventh place.

126 – Sean VanSleet, York

Sean VanSleet maintained the Dukes’ brilliant run in the lower weights with a sharp blend of technique, toughness and power.

An honorable mention wrestler at 132 pounds, Van Sleet (28-2) posted two falls and a major decision in reaching the final.

He captured the title after Mundelein’s Benji Albavera suffered an injury at the end of his semifinal match and was unable to compete in the final. 

“My style is about going really hard for all six minutes of the match,” VanSleet said. “I always want to be picking up the pace throughout the match.”

His balance and footwork proved exceptionally effective.

“I think my strongest point is on top,” he said. “I am able to ride guys, and still be able to work out and do things in neutral. It’s not fancy, just basic and very effective.”

VanSleet has made extraordinary strides since finishing 17th at the invitational last year.

“My mentality now is just not looking back, and treating every match like it’s my final one,” he said.

In the third-place match, Rochelle’s Joseph Nadig won by fall in 3:26 over McHenry’s Lucas Van Diepen. York’s Jackson Hanselman defeated Unity’s Hunter Shike 4-2 in sudden victory in the fifth-place match. And Glenbrook South’s Andrew Haritos beat Marengo’s Robel Addis 14-7 in the seventh-place match.

132 – Sean Berger, York

York’s Sean Berger is hungry and skilled, an imposing combination that annihilated the rest of the field.

He posted three first-period falls to reach the championship match.

Berger (23-2) completed his superb run with a fall in 3:39 over Oak Forest’s Caden Muselman (21-3) for his championship.

“I just like pushing the pace, and getting into my ties and getting my moves in, like the two on ones, and forcing the other guy to always be on the defensive,” Berger said.

“That opens up my shots, and I am able to work on top as well, just go from turn to turn, and everything is very fluid out there.”

Musselman was second at 126 pounds at last year’s tournament while Berger took ninth at 126 pounds.

“It’s a great opportunity wrestling some of these different kids, like these 2A guys,” Berger said. “I won’t get a chance to see them probably for the rest of the year.”

Willowbrook’s Isaiah Smith won 15-3 over Glenbrook South’s Max Brown in the third-place match. For fifth place, Kaneland’s Caden Grabowski beat Lyons Township’s Claudio Rodriguez by fall in 2:44. And Unity’s Kaden Inman defeated Oak Forest’s Austin Perez by fall in 3:32 for seventh place.

138 – Dylan Watts, Bloomington

Bloomington’s Dylan Watts ran over the field with his explosive athleticism and superior technique.

The combination of his power and quickness created a series of advantages he utilized brilliantly. Ranked No. 10 in Class 2A, Watts completed a perfect day with a fall in 3:02 over Marengo’s Logan Miller.

Watts (18-5) recorded five falls to repeat his tournament championship. He won at 132 pounds last year.

In the third place match, Willowbrook’s Elijah Smith captured a 9-4 decision over Mundelein’s Ethan Thomas. For fifth place, Oak Forest’s Hunter Hale defeated Belvidere’s Dom Girardin 8-4. And McHenry’s Ryan Nagel beat Sterling’s Dylan Ottens by fall in 3:02 for seventh place.

145 – Antonio Alvarado, Belvidere

Antonio Alvarado was a force of nature who proved virtually untouchable during his impressive performance.

Ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, Alvarado (33-1) won all five of his matches by first-period falls. His first round match lasted just 18 seconds, a foreshadowing of his exceptional work.

His blend of quickness, power, and strength was a thing of beauty. 

“I am really fast, so I like to be on my feet a lot,” Alvarado said. “I want to be able to work my hand fighting, and keep the pace up and get into my shots.

“In a tournament like this, against the best guys, I have to keep working at my pace and stay aggressive with my offense.”

Alvarado ended the storybook run against Oak Forest’s Hunter Daniel in the championship with a fall in 1:17. He also defended his title at the same weight class from last year.

Hononegah’s Connor Diemel edged McHenry’s Pedro Jimenez 3-1 in the third-place match. Rochelle’s Brenden Voight won by fall in 4:27 over Lyons Township’s Calum Rogers for fifth place. For seventh, St. Charles North’s Colin Thompson won by fall in 1:32 over Lyons Township’s Andrew Fowler. 

152 – Gunnar Garelli, Lyons Township

Lyons Township’s Gunnar Garelli is almost certain to move up the charts.

Listed in the honorable mention in Class 3A, he exhibited superb balance, strength and footwork.

Quick and explosive on his feet, he showcased elite skills and toughness with three falls and a major decision to reach the championship.

Garelli (21-7) completed his sharp and compelling work with the disciplined and hard-fought 3-1 decision over Belvidere’s seventh-ranked Colin Young.

Sycamore’s Gus Cambier defeated McHenry’s Ruben Melgarejo 8-0 in the third-place match. Rochelle’s Grant Gensler won by technical fall over Portage, WI’s Luke Paulsen in the fifth-place match. And Mundelein’s Gael Diaz took seventh with a fall in 1:38 over Grayslake North’s Jacob Ronsman.

160 – Zack Crawford, Sycamore

Few wrestlers have quite the flair for the dramatic like Zack Crawford.

He personifies the wrestler as entertainer and performer, playing off his quickness, power and athleticism.

Ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, he provided the host Spartans with their finest moment with his dominant four-fall showing.

Crawford (23-1) won by fall over Glenbrook South’s Patrick Downing at the 1:36 mark for his individual title. He also improved on his finish from a year ago, where he was runner-up at 170 pounds.

Ranked No. 3 in Class 2A, Sterling’s Thomas Tate captured third place with a fall in 2:36 over Rock Island’s Matthew Cook. For fifth place, Bloomington’s Maddox Kirts won by fall in 3:43 over Mundelein’s Ty Murray. Oak Forest’s Jack Castenada defeated teammate Steve Strelow for seventh place.

170 – Max Corral, Oak Forest

The odds were seemingly stacked against Oak Forest’s Max Corral.

He overcame a grueling semifinal match for a sensational close to a first-rate performance.

Corral posted a fall in 2:26 over York’s highly-skilled Danny Decristofaro for the individual championship.

In an electrifying semifinal, Corral rode out Hampshire’s Niko Skoulikaris in the third period to force overtime. He secured a 4-3 sudden victory with a reversal.

Despite the title loss, Decristofaro impressed with two falls and a major decision through the preliminary rounds. He made a statement in the semifinals with his 6-4 decision over Unity’s Kyus Root. 

“I think my style has evolved, and I like to be more in control and on the defensive, depending on what the situations are,” Decristofaro said.

“Last year I was quick on my feet, but sometimes I’d make a minor mistake that would cost me the match. I like to be either offensive or defensive, and I have gotten very good with my shots.”

Ranked No. 8 in Class 1A, Root earned a 12-2 major decision over the exhausted Skoulikaris for third place. Rock Island’s Amare Overton won by fall in 4:53 over Portage, WI’s Landon Heitmeier for fifth place. For seventh place, Hononegah’s Elliot Diemel captured a 7-1 decision over Glenbrook South’s Ilkin Badalov.

182 – Steven Marquez, Rock Island

Call it the battle of the brothers.

Rock Island’s Steven Marquez posted a 6-0 victory over Hampshire’s Dimitri Skoulikaris, who was previously unbeaten.

Steven Marquez’s brother Andrew finished runner-up at 195 pounds. Dimitri Skoulikaris’ twin brother Niko finished fourth at 170 pounds.

Dimitri Skoulikaris outlasted Rochelle’s Brock Metzger 4-1 in the semifinal round. His record is now 13-1.

“I used to be more traditional, and go for throws, but starting with the offseason, I have been working on taking shots and working a little bit more freestyle,” Dimitri Skoulikaris said.

“More shots, and just try to throw when I need to. I am working to become a more well-rounded wrestler.”

Ranked No. 4 in Class 2A, Steven Marquez (16-2) demonstrated exceptional quickness and explosiveness on his feet, yielding dazzling takedowns he converted into back points.

After posting consecutive pins in the preliminary rounds, he dominated Unity’s highly-regarded Hunter Eastin with an 11-3 major decision in the semifinals.

Ranked No. 4 in Class 1A, Eastin won by fall in 0:43 over Metzger in the third-place match. Glenbrook South’s Anthony Prieto edged Hampshire’s Chadler Jernigan 4-3 in the fifth place match. And Bloomington’s Kenner Bye won by forfeit over Sterling’s Chase Ullrich in the seventh-place match.

195 – Nick Nosler, Unity

In a top-heavy and highly-competitive bracket, Unity’s Nick Nosler achieved a profound and highly-satisfying double.

He beat Rock Island’s Andrew Marquez 5-0 for the championship. Ranked No. 2 in Class 1A, Nosler (29-2) recorded two falls and a win by technical fall to reach the championship round. Nosler, last year’s state runner-up at 195, remains unbeaten against in-state competition.

Andrew Marquez (21-4) posted two falls in the preliminary action. In a showdown with Lyons Township’s No. 7 Cooper King, he secured a 5-2 decision. Andrew Marquez is ranked No. 5 in Class 2A.

King defeated Marengo’s Eddie Solis 7-2 in the third-place match. For fifth place, Sycamore’s Gable Carrick won by fall in 0:47 over Hampshire’s Tyler Boyd. And Kaneland’s Max Pietak pinned Willowbrook’s James Duffecy in 1:38 for seventh place.

220 – Gabe Kaminski, Nazareth Academy

Gabe Kaminski had the best reason for the delayed start to his new season.

He was helping Nazareth Academy to win the Class 5A state football championship as a two-way standout, and one of the top-rated defensive ends in the country.

Kaminski showed the rest of the state what a powerful force he is to reckon with.

Ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, the state runner-up at 220 last year, showed his elite blend of power, size, quickness and overwhelming force.

Kaminski won by fall in 2:42 over Hampshire’s Will Ardson to complete his superb championship run.

Kaminski (6-0) knocked out Oak Forest’s Adam Richtor by technical fall in the quarterfinals and then defeated Rochelle’s Kaiden Morris by fall in the semifinals.

Morris edged Glenbrook South’s Alex Enkhbaatar 4-3 in the third-place match. For fifth place, Richtor won by fall in 1:56 over Marengo’s Hunter Smith. And in the seventh-place match, Hononegah’s Isaak Smith won by injury default over York’s Austin Bagdasarian.

285 – Lee Smith, Jr., Rockford East

The tournament ended, fittingly, with the most competitive championship match, a natural by-product of two elite Top-5 wrestlers.

Rockford East’s Lee Smith, Jr. defended his tournament championship with a mesmerizing 1-0 victory over Sycamore’s No. 5 Lincoln Cooley.

Ranked No. 4 in Class 2A, Smith (29-1) registered three falls to capture his side of the bracket.

His most impressive performance was his second-period fall of Glenbrook South’s Drew Duffy (20-2), an honorable mention performer in Class 3A.

“I had my first loss during the winter break at Hinsdale Central, where I got concussed, and I wanted to make up for that,” Smith, Jr. said.

“I am not as big or probably as strong as most heavyweights, so I have to be way smarter than them. I have to be more technical and way faster, and use my speed to get around them.”

Cooley (17-2) danced on the razor’s edge to qualify for the championship. He pulled out consecutive one-point victories in his quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

Duffy recovered for a fall in 3:36 over Willowbrook’s Elias Samayoa in the third-place match. Portage, WI’s Javir Moyotl-Hernandez won by fall in 5:35 over McHenry’s Jesse Saavedra for fifth. Grayslake North’s Dallas Dinkla won by fall in 2:53 over Kaneland’s Jacob Nonnemacher for seventh place.

Championship matches for the XLVII Sycamore Invitational

106 – Brayden Teunissen (Belvidere) F 0:46 Griff Powell (Lyons Township)

113 – Truth Vesey (Rock Island) MD 9-0 Joseph Young (Rockford East)

120 – Zach Parisi (York) D 6-1 Xavier Villalobos (Rochelle)

126 – Sean VanSleet (York) INJ 0:00 Benji Albavera (Mundelein)

132 – Sean Berger (York) F 3:39 Caden Muselman (Oak Forest)

138 – Dylan Watts (Bloomington) F 3:02 Logan Miller (Marengo)

145 – Antonio Alvarado (Belvidere) F 1:17 Hunter Daniel (Oak Forest)

152 – Gunnar Garelli (Lyons Township) D 3-1 Colin Young (Belvidere)

160 – Zack Crawford (Sycamore) F 1:36 Patrick Downing (Glenbrook South)

170 – Max Corral (Oak Forest) F 2:26 Danny Decristofaro (York)

182 – Steven Marquez (Rock Island) D 6-0 Dimitri Skoulikaris (Hampshire)

195 – Nick Nosler (Unity) D 5-0 Andrew Marquez (Rock Island)

220 – Gabe Kaminski (Nazareth Academy) F 2:42 Will Ardson (Hampshire)

285 – Lee Smith, Jr. (Rockford East) D 1-0 Lincoln Cooley (Sycamore)

By Gary Larsen

Conant’s 32-team field featured more than 200 girls and no shortage of storylines about returning state placewinners, finals matches between highly-ranked wrestlers, and close matches on the title mat.

But Hoffman Estates’ Eunice Ji has a story to top everything.

Ji won a tournament in December of 2021 before getting hurt in January of 2022, tearing a nerve in her leg. That’s when she faced a challenge that most high schoolers could never even fathom.

“I was in a wheelchair for six months and got out of it around July (of 2022),” Ji said. “So I thought I was done in the sport.”

She wasn’t. Ji rehabbed well, so much so that five months after discarding that wheelchair, she won a tournament title on Saturday at Conant’s 32-team tournament in Hoffman Estates.

Ji’s second-period pin in the finals at 123-128 earned her a first tournament title of the season, in a tournament that used 27 different weight classes of 8-person brackets each, in order to give every wrestler three matches for the day.

“I was nervous at the beginning because I wasn’t expecting to wrestle this good today,” Ji said. “But I felt really strong today. Normally I’ve been getting really tired but today I really wanted to win.”

No team champion was crowned but Lockport led all teams at Conant with seven wrestlers reaching the finals and four champions crowned. Oak Forest had three champions and five finalists, and Round Lake had three champions and four finalists. Schaumburg, Warren, Palatine, and host Conant had two champions apiece

Lockport’s four champions were Liz Ramirez (110-116), Maya Hernandez (117-122), Claudia Heeney (121-127), and Kelli Watkins (157-171). Heeney squared off on the title mat with a 2022 state medal winner in Yorkville’s Yami Aguirre, who placed fourth in Illinois at 115 last year.

The freshman Heeney and the junior Aguirre each fought off takedown attempts through a scoreless first period and Aguirre started in down position in the second. Aguirre nearly got to her feet for an escape point when Heeney took her to her back and won by fall at 3:55.

“She tried to escape and she left her chest up, so I used an over-under,” Heeney said. “It was mostly muscle memory in those situations so I just knew what to do.”

Heeney started fast and seemed to gain speed as the title match with Aguirre wore on.

“I was just ready to go, right away. I had a lot of acceleration,” Heeney said. “I was ready. “I wrestled her on Wednesday at Batavia and I won 3-2. She has a lot of strength so I had to go to my technique and just stay focused.”

Ji’s remarkable comeback story and a marquee match between Heeney and Aguirre were fine storylines, and Illinois wrestling fans would be hard-pressed to find another wrestler anywhere with more positive energy than Palatine sophomore Sabrina Cargill.

Cargill won a Conant title at 151-160 on Saturday with a pin on the title mat against  Minooka’s Jaiden Moody.

Sports might build character but Cargill showed up with that quality at Palatine.

“I just go in with the mindset to never give up,” Cargill said. “If I’m tired I just tell myself ‘Sabrina, I’m not tired’. So I always try to encourage everyone to never give up because I know how hard it is.

“Put in the work, show up, and wrestle like you’ve never lost. You don’t have to win every match but if you keep that mindset and do your best — you can accomplish anything in life.”

It’s no secret that the vast majority of wins in girls’ wrestling come by fall, and Conant’s title matches kept to that script: 21 of Conant’s 27 championship matches were decided by fall, with one decided by tech fall and one by major decision.

And of the four straight decisions on the title mat, none were more hard-fought than the one between Conant’s Mannie Anderson and Minooka’s Bella Cyrkiel at 134-144.

After a scoreless first period, Anderson rode Cyrkiel out in the second and then used a third-period escape to win a 1-0 decision. Anderson is ranked No. 3 at 135 in Rob Sherrill’s Illinois Matmen rankings.

Cyrkiel kept coming in the third, getting in on two single-leg takedown attempts. Anderson fought tooth-and-nail in avoiding being taken down, which was tough against a wrestler as big and strong as Cyrkiel.

“That was a ten-pound difference for me so I felt her weight,” Anderson said. “But it was nice to wrestle her because my coaches limited me to wrestling 135 this year. It was a good lesson today that my brute strength isn’t always going to be a factor to win.

“I think we’ve been in six tournaments this year and I’ve won four. I’m just staying focused on my first opponent and then just working my way up. I plan on doing something at state this year and I don’t want to psyche myself out. I just want to work my rep up so I can get the highest seed possible this year.”

Another marquee match between ranked wrestlers occurred at 100-110. In a battle between two wrestlers who won titles at Palatine’s Sally Berman tournament less than two weeks ago, Oak Forest’s Alex Sebek won by fall at 100-110 against Round Lake’s Riley Kongkaeow at the 2:00 mark.

Sebek went into the match ranked No. 2 at 100 pounds against No. 5 Kongkaeow.

Sebek won by fall at 2:00.

“I watched her wrestle last weekend and saw her win her finals match, so I was really nervous,” Sebek said. “But once I took her down I was a little more confident in the match. Getting that first takedown helps me, knowing that I’m up, and then I know she’s worrying about it.”

Two more ranked wrestlers squared off in the title match at 128-138. As Illinois’ No. 2-ranked wrestler at 140, Schaumburg’s Valeria Rodriguez has come a long way since placing third downstate last year at 155 pounds. She won her title Saturday with a fall on the title mat against Kaneland’s Dyani Torres, who is currently ranked No. 6 at 135.

“I lost fifteen pounds since last season and really worked at getting stronger and more fit,” Rodriguez said. “With the help of our coaches, we’ve spent so much time working on my confidence, the mental part of this sport, and my technique.”

In the finals at 180-189, Oak Park and River Forest’s Trinity White stayed on the path to another potential state place medal with an 8-1 decision over Oak Forest’s Isabel Peralta.

White finished fifth in Illinois at 170 last year and is currently ranked No. 5 at 190.

She doesn’t plan to stay at 190 for the state tournament.

“I’m wrestling a weight class up and it’s a lot harder,” White said. “It was hard at 170 last year but this year has been twice as hard. But it makes me want to work two times harder to be on top.

“I got second my freshman year but I was fifth last year. Last year just made me want to grind even harder to get first.”

Conant’s Natalie Aguirre not only won the title at 190-198, she also posted the most pins in the shortest amount of time. Aguirre pinned all three of her opponents in a combined total of 55 seconds.

Hoffman Estates’ Sophia Ball scored the most points in any single match with 23, and Schaumburg’s Madyson Meyer scored the most total match points with 31.

2023 Conant Girls Wrestling Tournament championship match results:

90-98: Autumn Turner (Round Lake) F 2:46 Josefina Orozco (Romeoville)

99-105: Vianey Hernandez (Round Lake) F 1:46 Dani Turner (Yorkville)

100-110: Alexandra Sebek (Oak Forest) F 2:00 Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake)

104-110: Alyssa Bentley (Warren) TF 15-0 Sophia Moyer (Yorkville)

110-116: Liz Ramirez (Lockport) F 1:05 Marjorie Rodriguez (Oak Forest)

111-120: Eleanor Aphay (Riverside-B.) F 2:37  Sofia Gold (Neuqua V.)

113-121: Karen Herrera (Elk Grove) F 3:11 Lizzie Rock (Lockport)

114-118: Madyson Meyer (Schaumburg) F 2:37 Uliana Shevtsova (Metea V.)

117-122: Maya Hernandez (Lockport) F 1:53 Elizabeth Paredes Torres (Evanston)

121-127: Claudia Heeney (Lockport) F 1:56 Yamilet Aguirre (Yorkville)

122-126: Emily Pizano (Elgin) MD 15-6 Paige Bonilla (Schaumburg)

123-128: Eunice Ji (Hoffman Estates) F 2:23 Kira Cailteux (Minooka)

127-130: Sophie Dolinar (Warren) F 1:53 Wendy Morales-Salinas (Evanston)

129-138: Valeria Rodriguez (Schaumburg) F 4:22 Dyani Torres (Kaneland)

131-137: Laura Kowalczyk (Fremd) F 2:16 Paige Forbes (Warren)

132-136: Clara Ugaz (Highland Park) F 2:30 Ashley Bridges (Warren)

134-144: Mannie Anderson (Conant) D 1-0 Bella Cyrkiel (Minooka)

135-142: Brianna Perez (Round Lake) F 4:25 Aubrey Mueller (Conant)

140-148: Dylanie Cecala (Minooka) D 11-4 Axel Warzecha (Mundelein)

143-150: Natalie Graettinger (Evanston) F 1:26 Deylin Manteca Claros (Lockport)

151-160: Sabrina Cargill (Palatine) F 5:49 Jaiden Moody (Minooka)

152-162: Jasmine Hernandez (Palatine) D 12-6 Alicia Tucker (Plainfield Central)

157-171: Kelli Watkins (Lockport) F 1:07 Julianna Conroy (Buffalo Grove)

164-180: Riley Ensing (Oak Forest) F :47 Lydia Chrobak (Lockport)

180-189: Trinity White (OPRF) D 8-1 Isabel Peralta (Oak Forest)

190-198: Natalie Aguirre (Conant) F :31 Peyton Kueltzo (Minooka)

202-221: Jessica Komolafe (Oak Forest) F 1:08 N`Dyia Mahon-Godfrey (Kelly)

By Gary Larsen

Glenbard West’s Chris Chappell Invitational

Coach Dale Eggert’s Wildcats went on a five-match win streak in the finals, from 170-285, and got bonus points in four of the night’s final five title matches in posting a 227-174 edge over second-place Fremd at this year’s 13-team Chappell Invite at Glenbard West.

Libertyville went 5-for-6 on the championship mat, getting individual titles from Hunter Hill (132), Matt Kubas (170), Austin Gomez (182), Cole Matulenko (195), Owen McGrory (220), and Caleb Chistensen (285), and a second-place finish from Orion Moran (126).

“We have been getting great performances out of our upper weights all season, lots of wins, lots of pins,” Eggert said. “Winning the last five individual titles is the kind of performances we have been getting to expect out of them.

“Today we were getting points out of our lighter weights as well and that was what we needed to take us to the title.”

Libertyville got thirds from Luke Berktold (120), Antonio Kelly (138), and Anthony Kelly (145), and a fifth from Charlie Clark (160) help carry the Wildcats to the team title in Glen Ellyn.

Second-place Fremd got titles from Evan Gosz (126) and Maddox Khalimsky (145) and a second-place finish from Ali Adel (182). Vikings coach Jeff Keske also got thirds from Jake Crandall (152), Peter Mondus (160), and Jared Werner (195).

Host Glenbard West finished third with 161.5 points, getting an individual title from Jacob Lachs (138) and six second-place finishes from Carson Prunty (106), Advin Murtic (113), Elliot Torres (132), Brandon Watson (145), Trevor Skoda (160), and Sasha Boulton (170) for coach Paul McCluskey.

Montini (129), Prairie Ridge (112), Elk Grove (95), Cary-Grove (60), Thornton (50), Proviso East (39), Bartlett (29), Larkin (20), Waukegan (19.5), and Illinois Lutheran (9) rounded out the field.
Glenbard West’s Jacob Lachs (138) and Montini’s David Mayora (152) tied for the most team points scored in the tournament with 28, followed by Libertyville’s Cole Matulenko (195) and Matt Kubas (170) with 27 apiece. Montini’s Mick Ranquist (220) posted the most falls in the least amount of time, with four pins in 4:15.

Tournament history:

The Chappell Invite is named after 1986 Glenbard West graduate Chris Chappell, who wrestled for long-time Hilltoppers coach Bernie Botheroyd. Chappell died in 2002 and Botheroyd named the tournament after him in 2007, in his 29th and final year as head coach.

Glenbard West’s 2023 Chris Chappell Invite championship match results:

106: Jake Lowitzki (Prairie Ridge) TF 5:28 Carson Prunty (Glenbard West)

113: Hunter Lenz (Cary-Grove) F 2:29 Advin Murtic (Glenbard West)
120: Tyler Evans (Prairie Ridge) F 3:07 Kameron Luif (Montini)
126: Evan Gosz (Fremd) F 2:52 Orion Moran (Libertyville)

132: Hunter Hill (Libertyville) D 8-3 Elliot Torres (Glenbard West)

138: Jacob Lachs (Glenbard West) F 3:08 Niko Thanopoulos (Elk Grove Village)
145: Maddox Khalimsky (Fremd) MD 16-4 Brandon Watson (Glenbard West)

152: David Mayora (Montini) F 5:05 Xander York (Prairie Ridge)
160: William Prater (Montini) D 9-2 Trevor Skoda (Glenbard West)
170: Matt Kubas (Libertyville) MD 16-6 Sasha Boulton (Glenbard West)

182: Austin Gomez (Libertyville) MD 10-0 Ali Adel (Fremd)
195: Cole Matulenko (Libertyville) F 1:03 Evan Jocic (Montini)
220: Owen McGrory (Libertyville) D 5-1 Casey Bending (Fremd)
285: Caleb Christensen (Libertyville) F 0:11 Lucas Burton (Cary-Grove)

Leyden’s Randy Conrad Invitational

Stevenson edged Conant at Leyden’s Randy Conrad Invite, named for the 1977 East Leyden state champion and long-time former Leyden athletic director.

The Patriots posted a 184-177 edge over Conant, followed by Harlem (165), Jacobs (143), and De La Salle (142) to round out the top five team finishes.

Stevenson’s lone individual title came from Yash Jagtap (120) but coach Shane Cook’s boys fought tooth-and-nail across the board to make up ground on Conant, which led the tournament for much of the day.

“Oftentimes the phrase ‘team effort’ can sound cliche, but that’s the case here,” Cook said. “This was indeed a total team effort. Eleven out of fourteen of our wrestlers placed in the top five, and all day we stressed the importance of working hard for bonus points and our team responded.

“We finished the tournament with nineteen pins. We’re looking to carry this momentum as we move forward towards the state tournament series.”

Cook got seconds from Everett Ciezak (152) and Thomas Schoolman (160), thirds from Josh Zimring (182) and Blake Duvall (220), and fourths from Evan Mishels (106) and Andrew Timmons (285). Stevenson’s fifths came from Ayush Bajaj (113), Shawn Kogan (126), Unubold Badral (138), and Erick Wade (145).

Conant sent six wrestlers to the title mat and got individual championships from Sam Santangelo (126), Ethan Stiles (160), and Harley Stary (220), and seconds from Matt Goolish (113), Luis Flores (120), and Tanner Cosgrove (138).

De La Salle’s Zion Nix (220) recorded the most pins in the least time with four falls in 6:16, while Conant’s Harley Stary (220), Jacobs’ Dominic Ducato (113), and Harlem’s Kaden Christiansen (170) all tied for the tournament lead in team points scored with 28. Conant’s Ethan Stiles (160) scored the most points in any single match with 25, and Stevenson’s Shawn Kogan (126) accumulated the most match points in the tournament with 49.

Leyden’s Randy Conrad Invitational championship match results:

106: Jeremiah Lawrence (De La Salle) D 6-2 Owen Vail (Harvard)

113: Dominic Ducato (Jacobs) F 3:27 Matt Goolish (Conant)

120: Yash Jagtap (Stevenson) F 5:25 over Luis Flores (Conant)

126: Sam Santangelo (Conant) MD 11-1 Doug Phillips (Burlington Central)

132: James Wright (Jacobs) F 1:05 Myles Babcock (Harlem)

138: Mark Martinez (Highland Park) MD 12-4 Tanner Cosgrove (Conant)

145: Daniel Rosas (Harvard) D 6-1 Evander Lands (Jacobs)

152: Dmitry Derbedyenyev (Highland Park) D 9-3 Everett Ciezak (Stevenson)

160: Ethan Stiles (Conant) TF 4:31 Thomas Schoolman (Stevenson)

170: Kaden Christensen (Harlem) D 16-12 Diego Mendoza (Leyden)

182: Gabe Sanchez (Harvard) D 6-5 Jim Amatore (Notre Dame)

195: Aiden Rice (Notre Dame) D 7-3 Jacques Munkhjargal (Highland Park)

220: Harley Stary (Conant) F 1:33 Adnan Abuzir (Richards)
285: Karl Schmalz (Notre Dame) D 5-0 Max Accettura (Vernon Hills)

Geneva’s Newbill Invitational:

After Saturday’s 18-team Newbill Invitational at Geneva, West Aurora coach Andrew Plata uttered a phrase that wrestling coaches love to be able to say:

“It was great a great performance by the entire lineup,” Plata said.

Plata sent five wrestlers to the title mat and got four individual champions in Robby Wyland (113), Adrian Ortiz (132), Noah Quintana (160), and Tyler Johnston (285) and a runner-up finish from Dominic Serio (145). The Blackhawks also got a third from Dayne Serio (138), a fourth from Francisco Solis (170), a fifth from Aiden Massaro (126), sixths from Angelo Regalado (152) and Payton Corral (195), and an eighth from Evan Matkovich (120).

Geneva’s 44th Annual Newbill Invitational saw Plata’s Blackhawks post a 199.5-188.5 edge over second-place Wheaton Warrenville South to win this year’s team title.

“Robby (Wyland) and Noah (Quintana) were dominant all the way through the finals,” Plata said. “Adrian typically has a hard time finding a spot in the line up but was able to take advantage of an opportunity this weekend and it paid off. Tyler is a Senior that hasn’t wrestled since his freshman year, and we are grateful to have him back, healthy and competing for us.”

Wyland (24-2) posted a fall and two major decisions on the day, while Quintana (25-4) pinned his way to a Newbill title. Ortiz (6-2) won a 7-3 decision over top-seeded Aiden Rudman (22-7) of Plainfield Central in a semifinal at 132, then won 3-2 for the title over second-seeded Damian Valdez (15-5) of Addison Trail.

Top-seeded Johnston (13-2) opened with a pair of pins at 285 before winning 4-2 over Metea Valley’s Jesus Rojas (3-1) for the title. Second-seeded Serio (19-2) had a fall and a tech fall to reach the finals at 145 before losing 12-6 in the finals to top-seeded Scott Busse (28-2) of Lake Zurich.

Second-place Wheaton Warrenville South got an individual title from Sedeeq Al Obaidi (170) and a second-place finish from Jaidyn Buziecki (138), plus thirds from Aarav Ledvora (106), Cooper Hollis (132), and Zean Al Obaidi (160).

Three wrestlers tied for the tournament lead with the most points scored for their respective teams with 30, in Alton’s William Harris (126), Dundee-Crown’s Teigen Moreno (220), and West Aurora’s Noah Quintana (160). Lane Tech’s Felix Zavala (145) posted the most pins in the least time, winning four matches by fall in 5:24.

Tournament history:

Per the IHSA website, Jim Newbill was Geneva’s head wrestling coach from 1973-76, its head baseball coach from 1978-83, and its athletic director for 10 years. Newbill passed away in 2014 at the age of 72 and according to the Kane County Chronicle at the time of his passing, “(Newbill) introduced new sports, raised money for an elite weight room and gym, and modernized the school’s sports facilities. He was particularly proud of his efforts to expand the participation of girls in high school athletics, believing that boys and girls should have equal opportunities to compete and excel.”

Geneva’s Newbill Invitational championship match results:

106: Joey Sikorsky (Geneva) MD 17-7 Evan Coles (Lane Tech)
113: Robby Wyland (West Aurora) MD 16-2 Alex Valentin (Lane Tech)
120: Oliver Davis (Brother Rice) D 3-2 Alex Kahler (Lake Zurich)
126: William Harris (Alton) F 3:30 John Vega (Brother Rice)
132: Adrian Ortiz (West Aurora) D 3-2 Damian Valdez (Addison Trail)
138: Finn Merrill (Lane Tech) F 4:45 Jaidyn Buziecki (Wheaton Warrenville S.)
145: Scott Busse (Lake Zurich) D 12-6 Dominic Serio (West Aurora)
152: Jack Seacrist (Stillman Valley) D 9-7 Fernando Lopez (Lane Tech)
160: Noah Quintana (West Aurora) F 2:58 Dylan Konkey (Geneva)
170: Sedeeq Al Obaidi (Wheaton Warrenville S.) INJ Gabino Perez (Brother Rice)
182: Max Bowen (Plainfield Central) D 9-4 Blake Salvino (Glenbard East)

195: Porter Leith (Dundee Crown) D 3-1 John Schmidt (Geneva)

220: Teigen Moreno (Dundee Crown) F 3:57 Joe Pettit (Geneva)
285: Tyler Johnston (West Aurora) D 4-2 Jesus Rojas (Metea Valley)

Sarah Goode Knights Invitational

The 11-team Knights Invitational was a nail-biter to the end, with Northridge Prep ultimately edging out second-place host Sarah Goode in Chicago by a mere half-point, 140.5-140.

Northridge Prep only entered eight wrestlers in the tournament, but coach Joseph Rhee’s Knights led all teams with five wrestlers on the finals mat, and four individual titles. Adam Haddad (152), John Suter (160), Michael Kopecky (170), and Steven Kopecky (182) were all individual champs and Northridge got a runner-up finish from George McShane (138).

The Knights also got a third from Nathan Betancourt (220) and a fourth from Mason Wagner (195). Bonus points carried the day in the finals for Northridge Prep, which got pins from Suter and Michael Kopecky, a tech fall from Steven Kopecky, and a major decision from Haddad.

Second-place Sarah Goode got a title from Elijah Edwards (220) and second-place finishes from Kwan Washington (113), Kendall Martin (152), and Malek Howard (182).

Little Village (116) finished third, followed by Crete-Monee (103), Curie (101), Bowen (94), Ridgewood (84), and Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville (52).

Michael Kopecky led all wrestlers in the tournament in earning 26 team points for Northridge Prep, followed by Steven Kopecky with 25.5. The Knights’ Haddad was fifth with 23 team points scored while Suter earned 22. Bowen’s Steven Prince had the most pins in the least time, posting three falls in 3:06.

Sarah Goode’s Knights Invitational championship match results:

106: Brian Bahena (Little Village) F :25 Mohamad Khater (Ridgewood)

113: Islam Khater (Ridgewood) F 1:56 Kwan Washington (Sarah Goode)

120: Monica Griffin (Bowen) F 1:20 Sal Reina (Ridgewood)

126: Porfirio Govea (Curie) F 3:38 Donovan Depakakibo (Ridgewood)

132: Brandon Manzo (Little Village) F :23 Giovanni Scumaci (Curie)

138: Jerome Brown (Crete-Monee) F 3:27 George McShane (Northridge Prep)

145: Josiyah Holland (Crete-Monee) F :33 Ron Tyler (Bowen)

152: Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep) MD 14-6 Kendall Martin (Sarah Goode)

160: Jon Suter (Northridge Prep) F 2:44 Caleb Gordon ( Military Academy Bronzeville)

170: Michael Kopecky (Northridge Prep) F 1:43 Julian Luna (Ridgewood)

182: Steven Kopecky (Northridge Prep) TF 18-2 Malek Howard (Sarah Goode)

195: Sean Brown ( Military Academy Bronzeville) F 1:04 Isaac Lovett (Crete-Monee)

220: Elijah Edwards (Sarah Goode) F :25 Miguel Tovar (Little Village) 6-4, Jr. (Fall 0:25)

285: Israel Fabila (Curie) D 3-2 Adrian Chavez (Little Village)

By Patrick Z. McGavin

Marmion 120-pounder Zach Stewart has an almost preternatural fear about the dual meet format.

“I don’t really like them because I know exactly where I am going to be,” he said.

“I always thought it was kind of nerve wracking going in front of both teams. In a normal tournament, you just have your two coaches who are with you, and maybe your parents are nearby.”

The Flavin is the gold standard of the Illinois dual team format tournaments.

“It’s a lot different than the typical bracket tournament because I feel as though it’s the best of the best in the state of Illinois,” Joliet Catholic 120-pounder Gylon Sims said.

“You’re going to get the top teams in the state, and you’re going to get great individuals. At the end, people always say the cream rises to the top. This is where where we find out who is really on the top.”

The two-day, 32-team dual format is both the ultimate quest and the battle of attrition.

“We scheduled this tournament because we knew we’d be going up against some of the toughest teams in the country, and some of the toughest in the state, regardless of class,” Joliet Catholic coach Ryan Cumbee said.

“It’s a great opportunity to see where we are amongst the best in the state, and the country.”

The precocious and skilled Stewart, a freshman, personified another crucial aspect of the Flavin—a showcase and elite platform for making your name, and staking your right to the elite.

Stewart’s stunning 4-3 victory over Sims, the defending Class 2A state champion at 113 pounds, proved the symbolic knockout in Marmion’s 41-20 victory.

Marmion captured the championship bracket with impressive victories over Joliet Catholic, Prospect and Marist.

Stewart’s second-period takedown of Sims altered the momentum, and carried out his upset.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the training I have,” he said. “I wrestle with Jameson Garcia, and there are also a lot of different coaches in the room helping me.”

Marmion completed the two-day event as the only unbeaten program at 6-0.

(All team and individual rankings refer to those compiled by Rob Sherrill at Illinois Matmen.)

Marmion entered the tournament ranked No. 2 in Class 3A behind St. Charles East.

The Cadets had two striking accomplishments to hang their hat entering the tournament—winning the Donnybrook and beating previously top-ranked Marist 48-16 in an earlier dual.

Teams were slotted into equivalent brackets working off the results of the Thursday preliminaries.

Marmion, Marist, Prospect and Joliet Catholic were the four undefeated teams in the first round.

On Thursday, the Cadets romped to the championship of the Wayne Miller Bracket by defeating Providence 76-6, defending Class 1A state champion Yorkville Christian 48-18, and Yorkville by the score of 55-15.

In an exhilarating field, no other program matched the high level depth and versatility of the Cadets’ lineup.

Jameson Garcia finished the tournament 6-0, with five falls. 

His younger brother, freshman Nicolas Garcia, posted three falls and a major in going undefeated over the two days.

Santino Scolaro had three falls, a major and two decisions for the Cadets at 145 pounds.

Collin Carrigan, top-ranked at 152 pounds, registered two falls, a technical fall, a 7-2 decision over Yorkville Christian’s Drew Torza, and a 20-6 major over Joliet Catholic’s ranked Connor Cumbee.

At 182 pounds, Jack Lesher had three falls and three technical falls.

With the exception of his loss against Dillan Johnson, heavyweight Sean Scheck registered five falls.

Marist captured the Terry McCoy Bracket by defeating Glenbard East 71-9, Class 2A power Glenwood by the score of 44-20, and defending Class 3A dual team finalist DeKalb 47-24.

Prospect won top honors in the Rich Harvey Bracket with its 54-15 victory over Glenbard West and 42-27 win over Lockport. The Knights edged Class 2A power Washington 38-35.

The most riveting opening-day dual achieved an intensity, fascination and high-stakes performance of a state championship.

In the showdown of the Dan Cliffe Bracket, Joliet Catholic utilized its superior upper weight performers for the early advantage that neutralized a late charge by St. Charles East for the 36-32 victory.

The dual began at 170 pounds with Joliet Catholic’s top-ranked Mason Alessio posting the second period fall of Anthony Gutierrez.

That created the early template for the Hilltoppers. The teams split their victories with seven apiece.

Joliet Catholic had five falls and two decisions. In the showdown at 285 pounds, defending state champion Dillan Johnson defeated Austin Barrett with a second-period fall.

Johnson was one of the most dominant wrestlers during the tournament. He posted six falls. Barrett, who was ranked No. 4 in 3A, was the only opponent to last beyond the first round.

“Last year we proved we are the best in 2A, and now we get a chance to bump up against these 3A schools, and show we are still one of the best around,” Johnson said.

“I look at the matches in this tournament, even with the different format, the same way. I am going to go out there, and do the best I can.” 

Max Hrvatin (195) and Hunter Powell (220) also recorded falls. The Johnson pin expanded the lead to 24-3.

The Saints made their own run behind the prowess of freshman sensation Dom Munaretto and two-time defending state champion Ben Davino.

Sims’ 14-8 decision over AJ Marino created some necessary breathing space. 

At 152 pounds, Cumbee edged Gavin Connolly 3-2 in overtime that assured the victory.

The great appeal of the Flavin was how it laid out a series of escalating challenges.

“We’ve been looking forward to the dual ever since we got our schedule at the start of the season,” Sims said. 

“We knew we were going to have a run for our money, but we also knew we were good enough to compete with these guys.”

A traditional bracketed tournament offers its own test, of contrasting styles and quick recovery times.

The most accurate description of the Flavin is comparable, with one exception—it’s like one staged on top of another.

“This tournament is a lot different because I feel as though it’s the best of the best,” Sims said. “It’s the best of the best in the state of Illinois.

“You’re going to get the top teams in the state, and you’re going to get great individuals. This is where we find out who is really on the top. People say, in the end, the cream always rises to the top.”

Sims went 5-1 with three falls during the two-day tournament.

The format of The Flavin mirrors and anticipates the gauntlet teams must negotiate to win a state dual championship.

Of the four teams in the championship bracket, Prospect and Marist reached the dual team state round.

“We’re one of the original teams in this tournament, back when it was 16 teams at the old high school,” Prospect coach Dan Keller said.

“The tournament simulates what our state series is like, and that’s where we want to be able to perform our best.”

Unlike a bracketed tournament, coaches have the luxury and flexibility of roster changes and weight class adjustments pending the opponent.

“The kids get into it, and they learn how important dual meets are, getting the bonus points and winning those swing matches,” Keller said.

Joliet Catholic won the 2A team title. Marmion was arguably the third best team in the state last year in 3A. 

They lost in the sectional against eventual state champion Mount Carmel, providing the Caravan’s second toughest challenge behind state finalist DeKalb.

“When we get to the state finals, it feels like just another dual meet that we are wrestling,” Sims said. 

“We are proving to everybody else that we can compete. It’s just another tournament, honestly, so go wrestle, and do your best. Leave it all out on the mat.”

The second-day format featured a series of round robins among the four-bracketed teams.

Joliet Catholic, Marist and Prospect each finished 1-2 in the championship bracket.

Joliet Catholic defeated Marist, who beat Prospect, who stunned the Hilltoppers.

“This was some of the toughest wrestling we’ve ever had,” Cumbee said. “Our state championship was easier than today.

“I don’t mean that to be disrespectful. We wrestled three really good teams today, and two nationally-rated programs in Marmion and St. Charles East.”

Records matter, but so does context, Cumbee said.

“I knew we were going to take our licks, but it was going to teach us to never be satisfied and keep working, so that the end of the season is our easiest time of the year.”

St. Charles East dominated the Gold Pool bracket by defeating 3A state finalist DeKalb 57-11, state semifinalist Lockport 45-27, and sectional finalist Yorkville 61-9.

Davino closed out his remarkable calendar year by posting six falls. Munaretto was equally impressive, with five falls and a technical fall. 

He recorded falls of :16, :22 and 1:00 in going undefeated.

Yorkville Christian flexed its power by capturing the Silver Pool that featured Class 2A powers Washington and Glenwood.

Defending state champion Jackson Gillen improved to 24-0 with four falls and two decisions.

Gillen secured the Mustangs’ 37-32 victory over Washington by defeating Blake Hinrichsen, ranked No. at 182 pounds, 10-4.

Ty Edwards ignited the 39-33 comeback victory over Glenwood with his stunning first period fall of defending state champion Drew Davis at 120 pounds.

“I was just focused on myself, and got myself ready and I was able to get the edge there,” Edwards said.

“What I learned these past couple of days is you get better matches all around, and you get more matches that you’d get at a normal tournament.”

Edwards went 5-1 during the tournament, losing only to Marmion’s Zach Stewart.

Wisconsin power Mukwonago captured the Bronze Pool, beating Stevenson, West Aurora and Naperville Central.

With the score tied 33-33 apiece against West Aurora, Mukwonago won on the first period fall by Hayden Chitwood at 182 pounds.

Trailing by 144 points against Naperville Central, the Wisconsin school ended the match with four consecutive pins from 160 to 195 for the 39-29 victory.

Hinsdale Central captured Pool A, defeating Lemont 39-36, Moline 48-30 and defending Class 2A state finalist Deerfield 42-31.

Top-ranked at 220 pounds, Marko Ivanisevic had three falls for the Red Devils.

Moline’s defending state champion Noah Tapia, top-ranked at 145 pounds, had four falls and a forfeit victory at his certified weight. He also posted a fall wrestling at 152 pounds.

Libertyville captured Pool B with victories over Oswego, Pewaukee (Wis.), and Belvidere North.

Star Austin Gomez was the Wildcats’ top performer, posting six falls, including two inside of a minute, at 182 pounds.

Glenbard West earned the top honors in Pool C with victories of Hillgrove, Sycamore and Minooka.

In Pool D, Willowbrook, York and Glenbard East each finished 2-1.

Willowbrook won the tie-breaker.

The Flavin was a way for individuals and teams to gauge the moment, and prepare for the crucial second half of the season.

“You get to see everybody, and we get test ourselves as a team,” said two-time defending state champion Kannon Webster of Washington.

Jumping up as many as two weight classes at 152 pounds, Webster posted five falls and a technical fall.

Certified at 138 pounds, he mostly wrestled at 145 pounds for the tournament.

“This is a great tournament, and a great way to test yourself against all the best kids in the state,” Webster said.

“We get separated in the state tournament by class, so this was a great way to test yourself against different kids.”

TOP PERFORMERS:

Top performers for Marmion included Nicholas Garcia (6-0 at 106), Donny Pigoni (4-2 at 113), Zach Stewart (6-0 at 120), Jameson Garcia (6-0 at 126), Santino Scolaro (6-0 at 145), Collin Carrigan (6-0 at 152), Connor Thompson (3-1 at 160/170), Jack Lesher (6-0 at 182), Ed Perry (6-0 at 220), Sean Scheck (5-1 at 285).

Top performers for Joliet Catholic were Jason Hampton (5-1 at 113), Gylon Sims (5-1 at 120), Jake Hamiti (4-2 at 138), Mason Alessio (6-0 at 160/170), and Dillan Johnson (6-0 at 285).

Top performers for Marist were Donavon Allen (6-0 at 132/138), Jesse Herrera (4-1 at 145), Ricky Ericksen (5-0 at 160/170), Conor Phelan (5-1 at 182), and Peter Marinopoulos (5-0 at 195).

Prospect’s to performers included Jeremy Huf (5-0 at113/120), Will Baysingar (6-0 at 132/138), Giorgio Difalco (3-0 at 132/138), Damien Puma (4-2 at 152), Connor Munn (4-2 at 160/170), and Jaxon Penovich (5-1 at 195/220).

Top performers for coach Jason Potter’s Saints were Dom Munaretto (6-0 at 106), Ben Davino (6-0 at 126), Ethan Penzato (6-0 at 132), Jayden Colon (5-0 at 145), Devean Shearer (3-0 at 195), AJ Marino (5-1 at 120), Tyler Guerra (5-1 at 138), Lane Robinson (5-1 at 160/170), Brody Murray (5-1 at 170/182), Austin Barrett (5-1 at 285), Anthony Gutierrez (4-1 at 160/170) and Brandon Swartz (2-1 at 195).

After falling to St. Charles East, DeKalb won 45-24 over Yorkville and 38-24 over Lockport. Pacing coach Sam Hiatt’s Barbs were Jacob Luce (6-0 at 152), Kaden Klapprodt (5-1 at 106/113), Lamar Bradley (5-1 at 220/285), Eduardo Castro (4-2 at 106/113), Mekhi Cave (4-2 at 138) and David Stewart (4-2 at 195/220).

Lockport defeated Yorkville 38-26 in a meeting of teams coached by the Oster brothers, Jameson and Jake. Top performers for coach Jameson Oster’s Porters were Brayden Thompson (6-0 at 182/195), Logan Swaw (5-0 at 160), Justin Wardlow (5-1 at 120), Logan Kaminski (5-1 at 145), Isaac Zimmerman (4-1 at 106/113), Durango Valles (4-2 at 152) and Aidan Nolting (4-2 at 170/182).

Leading the way for coach Jake Oster’s Foxes were Jack Ferguson (5-1 at 132), Luke Zook (5-1 at 170), Ryder Janeczko (4-1 at 138), Dominic Recchia (4-2 at 126) and Colten Stevens (4-2 at 182/195).

Yorkville Christian took first in the Silver Pool by winning 37-32 over Washington, 39-33 over Glenwood and 51-20 over Father Ryan, TN. Washington took second with wins of 53-19 over Father Ryan and 41-28 over Glenwood, who won 36-28 over Father Ryan for third place.

Top performers for coach Mike Vester’s Mustangs were Grason Johnson (6-0 at 138/145), Tyler Martinez (6-0 at 160), Jackson Gillen (6-0 at 170), Ty Edwards (5-1 at 120), Noah Dial (5-1 at 132/138), Jeremy Loomis (182/195), Aiden Larsen (4-2 at 106) and Christopher Durbin (4-2 at 182/195).

Leading the way for coach Nick Miller’s Panthers were Wyatt Medlin (6-0 at 126), Peyton Cox (6-0 at 138/145), Kannon Webster (6-0 at 145/152), Justin Hoffer (6-0 at 220/285), Zane Hulet (5-1 at 160/170), Blake Hinrichsen (5-1 at 170/182) and Noah Woods (4-2 at 113/120).

Pacing coach Jerod Bruner’s Titans were Alex Hamrick (6-0 at 220), Drew Davis (5-1 at 120), Thomas Vansacik (5-1 at 126), John Ben Maudena (5-1 at 132), Aden Byal (5-1 at 152/160), Brandon Bray (4-2 at 195) and Mark Helm (4-2 at 285).

Mukwonago, WI won the Bronze pool by claiming wins of 41-25 over Stevenson, 39-33 over West Aurora and 39-29 over Naperville Central. West Aurora won 38-30 over Stevenson and beat Naperville central 33-33 by tiebreaker while Naperville Central beat Stevenson 39-32.

Top performers for West Aurora were Robby Wyland (6-0 at 113), Dominic Serio (6-0 at 145), Jesse Clayton (4-1 at 132), Aiden Massaro (4-2 at 126), Noah Quintana (4-2 at 160) and Tyler Johnston (4-2 at 285).

Leading the way for Naperville Central were Ty Martin (5-1 at 113), Nicolas Besteiro (5-1 at 220) and Christopher Bern (4-2 at 152). And Stevenson was led by Lorenzo Frezza (6-0 at 138) and Themba Sitshela (4-2 at 160).

Hinsdale Central won Pool A while Lemont took second place, Deerfield was third and Moline finished fourth. The Red Devils won 39-36 over Lemont, 48-30 over Moline and 42-31 over Deerfield. Lemont defeated Moline 45-30, Deerfield beat Lemont 42-34 and Moline won 45-34 over Deerfield.

Leading the way for Hinsdale Central were Cody Tavoso (6-0 at 138), Marko Ivanisevic (6-0 at 220), Fernando Chavez (5-1 at 106), Sam Murante (4-2 at 113), Liam Ryan (4-2 at 132), Hunter Hamdan (4-2 at 152) and Zach Kruse (4-2 at 160).

Top performers for Lemont were Alex Pasquale (6-0 at 285), Cory Zator (5-1 at 113), Carter Mikolajczak (5-1 at 120), Johnny O’Connor (5-1 at 145), Noah O’Connor (4-2 at 152), Nathan Wrublik (5-1 at 182) and Daniel Taylor (4-2 at 220).

Deerfield was led by Renzo Morgan (6-0 at 132), Aiden Cohen (6-0 at 170/182), Luke Reddy (5-1 at 120), Jordan Rasof (5-1 at 126) and Garvin Crews (4-2 at 195). And leading Moline were Noah Tapia (6-0 at 145/152), Zander Ealy (6-0 at 160), Dominick Diaz (5-1 at 113) and James Soliz (4-2 at 182/195).

Libertyville won Pool B while Belvidere was second, Oswego took third and Pewaukee, WI was fourth. Libertyville won 48-31 over Oswego, 54-28 over Pewaukee and 48-34 over Belvidere. Belvidere claimed wins of 61-16 over Pewaukee and 46-27 over Oswego, who were 55-15 winners over Pewaukee.

Leading the way for Libertyville were Matt Kubas (6-0 at 170), Austin Gomez (6-0 at 182), Cole Matulenko (5-0 at 195), Bryan Morales (3-0 at 120/126), Luke Berktold (5-1 at 120/126), Caleb Christensen (5-1 at 285), Owen McGrory (4-2 at 220) and Orion Moran (2-1 at 126).

Belvidere was led by Antonio Alvarado (6-0 at 145/152), Colin Young (6-0 at 152/160), Brayden Teunissen (5-1 at 106), Dominick Girardin (5-1 at 138), Bryson Teunissen (4-2 at 113/120) and Jorge Hernandez (4-2 at 160/170).

Top performers for Oswego were Brayden Swanson (6-0 at 126), Jonny Theodor (5-1 at 106), Colin O’Grady (5-1 at 152), Cruz Ibarra (5-1 at 195) and Joey Griffin (4-2 at 160).

Glenbard West went 3-0 to win Pool C while Sycamore was second, Minooka took third and Hillgrove, GA was fourth. The Hilltoppers won 41-36 over Hillgrove, 38-36 over Sycamore and 45-12 over Minooka. Sycamore was a 51-15 victor over Hillgrove and a 49-28 winner over Minooka, who beat Hillgrove 37-21 to take third.

Leading Glenbard West were Ulises Rosas (6-0 at 126), Jacob Lachs (6-0 at 138/145), Carson Prunty (5-1 at 106), Alejandro Aranda (4-2 at 120), Elliot Torres (4-2 at 132), Trevor Skoda (4-2 at 160) and Sasha Boulton (4-2 at 170).

Sycamore was led by Gus Cambier (6-0 at 152), Gable Carrick (6-0 at 195), Tyler Lockhart (5-1 at 113), Zack Crawford (5-1 at 160), Lincoln Cooley (5-1 at 285), Cooper Bode (4-2 at 170) and Tyler Curtis (3-1 at 182).

Top performers for Minooka were Damien Flores (6-0 at 120), Cole Stonisch (5-1 at 145), Aiden Miller (4-2 at 106), Dominic Schiavonne (4-2 at 138), Hunter Coons (4-2 at 195), Jason Duy (3-1 at 160) and Cole Spivey (2-1 at 126).

Willowbrook won Pool D while York was second, Glenbard East took third and Providence Catholic placed fourth. 

Top performers for Willowbrook were Isaiah Smith (5-0 at 132), Elijah Smith (5-1 at 138/145), Noah Brockie (4-2 at 145/152) and Elias Samayoa (4-2 at 285). 

Leaders for York were Zach Parisi (6-0 at 120), Sean Berger (6-0 at 126), Sean VanSleet (6-0 at 132), Danny Decristofaro (6-0 at 170/182), Austin Bagdasarian (6-0 at 220) and Dominic Begora (2-1 at 285).

Glenbard East was led by Blake Salvino (5-1 at 182), Waleed Binmahfooz (4-2 at 113), Ismael Chaidez (4-2 at 120), Will Schultz (4-2 at 138) and Gus Winkler (4-2 at 195).

By Curt Herron

SPRINGFIELD – When a team goes 103-23 in nine dual meets, outscoring its opponents by a 63.1-10.8 margin and not losing more than four matches in any meet, it’s definitely a very impressive performance.

And that’s just what Coal City accomplished over two days at the 60-team ABE’s Rumble, which was held at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield.

Coach Mark Masters’ Coalers won the largest dual team tournament in Illinois for the third time and for the first first time since 2018 after capturing a 46-24 victory over Riverdale in the championship dual meet.

Coal City trailed 6-3 after the first two matches but then won five in a row to take a 28-6 lead and after Riverdale claimed its second win with a fall, the Coalers won the next four matches to go up 46-12 before coach Myron Keppy’s Rams ended the dual meet with two falls.

The Coalers, who are top-ranked in Class 1A, rolled through the Gold Division bracket in impressive fashion, beating sixth-ranked Oregon 59-9, winning 59-18 over 14th-ranked Vandalia in the quarterfinals and capturing a 48-13 triumph over seventh-ranked Lena-Winslow/Stockton in the semifinals before facing fifth-ranked Riverdale for the championship.

Two weeks earlier, Coal City won 48-22 over second-ranked and defending Class 1A champion Yorkville Christian and 39-34 over Washington, who’s ranked second in Class 2A. The team’s lone losses came to top-ranked and defending Class 2A champion Joliet Catholic Academy and to Lincoln-Way East, which is ranked tenth in Class 3A.

The Coalers took second to Lena-Winslow/Stockton last season at ABE’s Rumble and this is their first tournament title of the season, with their previous-best showing being a third-place finish at Downers Grove South’s Larry Gassen Dual Team Tournament. Coal City competes in its first individual invite this weekend at Princeton’s Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament.

Masters is understandably pleased about his team’s performance thus far, and the Coalers hope to get back to the dual team tournament after missing out on that competition last season. From 2015 to 2020, Coal City advanced to the state dual team finals five times and finished second on three occasions and were third in their other two visits.

Perhaps this is the season that Coal City can finally win an elusive state championship. The Coalers took second place in 1984 for George Dare, second in 1995 under Sean Poston and second in 1998 for Brett Porter, all in Class A, and Masters’ teams took second place in 2016 and 2020 in Class 1A and second in Class 2A in 2019 with thirds in 1A in 2015 and 2018.

“We were a tough matchup for everybody and our guys wrestled extremely well,” Masters said. “This is the toughest dual team tournament in Class 1A, without a doubt. They were extremely motivated to win this. We’ve had a pretty tough dual season so far. We wrestled the defending champs and got the chance to beat those guys. We wrestled JCA and took it on the chin, but we beat Washington for the first time. The guys have just been on a roll and our seniors are doing a great job of leading and we have a great group of freshmen who are figuring things out, but they’re talented and they’re doing a great job for us. 

“We had coaches getting our guys ready and we have a great coaching staff. It’s a total team effort because you have to have good teammates and good practice partners. And we’ve had the Little Coalers and we have great coaches along the way, and when we’ve had good parent support. The kids and coaches, everybody has a common goal in mind, and everyone is pushing for that goal. I told the kids as a joke that they named a street in Coal City after me, Second. It would be nice if we can put it together and get to that point.”

Several Coalers went unbeaten through the tournament. They were Drake Dearth (9-0 at 220), Luke Munsterman (6-0 at 113), Michael Gonzalez (6-0 at 285), Braiden Young (4-0 at 195), Cade Poyner (3-0 at 182/195) and Tyler Porth (3-0 at 285).

“It was really exciting,” said Young, who’s ranked ninth and also qualified in 2021 for the IWCOA. “We have a lot of fighters on this team and we battle through adversity. We’ve had a couple of injuries early on, but our team fights through it. We battle tough programs. We faced JCA earlier and went to a tough dual team tournament at Downers Grove South. So we are definitely battle-tested since we see a lot of good competition. Everyone works hard and no one takes time off. Our practice room is very competitive and our coaches care and the kids care and I think that just brings everyone up because everyone cares about the program.”

“I feel like we kind of outworked everybody,” said Dearth, a senior who’s ranked eighth. “I feel like we put in more work than a lot of teams and it shows on the mat. Our starting lineup is probably as solid as it gets. And we have really backup guys that can fill in for us when we need it. It’s fun being on this team, it’s a really good time.”

Other top Coal City performances were turned in by Culan Lindemuth (8-1 at 106), Brock Finch (7-1 at 126/132), Derek Carlson (7-1 at 170), Landin Benson (6-1 at 152), Joey Breneman (6-1 at 182), Mataeo Blessing (5-1 at 145), 5-1; Brody Widlowski (4-1 at 113/120) and Evan Greggain (4-1 at 132/138). Lindemuth, Carlson and Young all qualified for state last year while Blessing was a state qualifier in 2020.

“It’s been fun these last two day,” said Blessing, who’s ranked sixth. “Coach Masters gets us ready for competing two days in a row because he does a lot of duals in a row over multiple days and we do weigh-ins, so we’re ready for it. They always talk in the practice room about winning a team state championship, so that’s always our main goal. My favorite thing about this group is that we’re all so close. When one person gets down, someone else picks them right up. We’re all helping each other and that’s why we’ve been getting better since the season started.”

Riverdale advanced to the finals with a 39-38 victory over Unity and then won 38-28 over Stillman Valley in the quarterfinals. The Rams, who went 8-1 in the tournament and ranked fifth, earned their spot in the title meet with a 54-30 win over Tremont.

Riverdale’s unbeaten competitors were Dean Wainwright (9-0 at 106), Brock Smith (9-0 at 138) and Collin Altensey (9-0 at 160).

The Rams feature three returning state placewinners, who are all seniors. Top-ranked Smith, won was the 132 champion last season and placed fifth his freshman year; top-ranked Altensey, who was the champion at 152 a year ago and also took fifth as a freshman; and Alex Watson, who’s ranked sixth at 170 and placed fifth at 160 last season. 

Riverdale last qualified for dual team state in 2007 and the last time that it won a state trophy in that competition was in 1993. Needless to say, the program is hoping to be one of the eight finalists this year in Bloomington.

“I’m really proud of myself and the whole team,” Altensey said. “But I have a lot of stuff to work on and everybody knows what they need to work on. This is my favorite tournament, by far, because the whole team is together. We’ve been with each other when we were four foot tall and super young, so we all have a wrestling friendship. I had a little hiccup in my match today against Stillman (Valley) but I know what I need to work on now. And it doesn’t really matter until down the road.”

“I’m very excited for the opportunity that me as well as my team has to compete,” Brock Smith said. “And I’m also very happy that we had a full squad this time and we really showed everybody what we’re about and how we work. But everybody still has work to do and hopefully next weekend we can make the adjustments and get back some losses or just do better than what we thought we could have done. I think that all of our guys kind of have this work, work, work attitude and this tournament is just about being tough and who can be the grittiest when you get nine or 10 matches in a weekend. It’s a great experience and I think that we’re all starting to come around on the idea that this is all just to get better, and at the end of the year, that’s when we need to be the best that we can be.”

Other top performers for coach Myron Keppy’s second place Rams were Blake Smith (8-1 at 145), Alex Watson (8-1 at 170) and Eli Hinde (7-1 at 152).

“Coal City is tough, but we all have stuff to work on,” Watson said. “We just have fun and we enjoy coming to all of these tournaments, especially these team tournaments because we won’t bring all of our guys to Princeton, so it’s nice having everyone here. It doesn’t matter if this team beat that team, it’s all about matchups. We just all have fun and we wrestle hard and we work hard and we have a good time.”

In the championship dual meet, Coal City used five-straight early victories to capture a big advantage and then responded to a Riverdale fall with four wins in a row to wrap it up.

Coaler Landin Benson edged Eli Hinde 6-4 in the opener at 152 before Collin Altsensey recorded a fall in 0:48 over Jack Poyner to give the Rams their lone lead. Coal City tied it when Derek Carlson won 3-1 by sudden victory over Alex Watson before Joey Breneman won 12-3 over Zac Bradley, Braiden Young followed with a fall in 1:29 over Jake Schradeya, Drake Dearth won by fall in 0:35 over Iyezaha Hill and Michael Gonzalez got a pin in 0:24 over Jake Baustian to give the Coalers a decisive 28-6 advantage.

Dean Wainwright won by fall in 1:01 over Culan Lindemuth to cut the margin to 28-12 through 106, the Coalers responded with a 9-2 decision from Luke Munsterman over Tharren Jacobs, a 3-0 decision from Aiden Kenney over Thad Jacobs, a forfeit win by Brock Finch and a fall in 5:35 from Evan Greggain over Kolton Kruse to make it 46-12. Riverdale closed with a fall from Brock Smith in 3:55 over Mason Garner and a pin by Blake Smith in 0:57 over Chase Dehler.

Defending champion Lena-Winslow/Stockton opened Gold Bracket competition with a 54-16 win over Seneca before defeating Auburn 45-30 in the quarterfinals. After falling to eventual champion Coal City in the semifinals, the squad beat Tremont 43-36 to finish third.

Unbeaten competitors for coach Kevin Milder’s third-place squad, which went 8-1 in the tournament and is ranked seventh, were Garrett Luke (9-0 at 152), Griffin Luke (9-0 at 182/195) and Carson McPeek (3-0 at 138/145). 

Lena-Winslow/Stockton has two senior placewinners back, second-ranked Garrett Luke, a senior who won the championship at 145 a year ago and placed third as a freshman and was a runner-up in the IWCOA in 2021, and the top-ranked individual at 182, Griffin Luke, who finished second at 170 last season and was fourth in the IWCOA in 2021.

“I thought that we performed pretty well,” Garrett Luke said. “We pretty much destroyed everyone in pool play, it was nice to get a decent seed for that. Obviously Coal City was a rough one and we only had a few wins in that, but we came back and got third. I thought I could have done a little better in my Coal City match, but it is what it is.”

With state championships in 2017 and 2019 and a second-place finish in 2012, the bar is always set high for the co-op program that’s run by IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Milder. After falling just shy of a state trip a year ago, Lena-Winslow/Stockton is a team on a mission.

“With how many teams that are good here, it shows what moves kids need to work on and just shows you what you have to learn,” Griffin Luke said. “We should have a great season, but we just have a few things that we have to work on with the lower weights, they’re having a few problems down there. But we’ll work with them and get it along..”

Other top performers for the Panther Hawks were Jared Dvorak (8-1 at 160), Eli Larson (8-1 at 170), Mike Haas (8-1 at 220), Henry Engel (8-1 at 285) and Karl Hubb (7-1 at 145).

“Those quality bouts exposed our weaknesses and what needs to be worked on,” said Engel, who’s ranked fifth at 285. “So we go into practice knowing what needs to be ironed out. It’s good here because you get so much experience with so many matches. We had nine matches, so everyone is able to find someone good to go against in their weight class. I feel like the desire to win is strong here through all of our kids.”

Tremont took fourth, its same finish from a year ago. The Turks opened Gold Bracket competition with a 44-34 victory over Pontiac and then won 40-36 over PORTA/A-C Central/Greeview in the quarterfinals after going 4-1 down the stretch and getting a fall in the final match. After falling to Riverdale in the semifinals, it lost to Lena-Winslow/Stockton for third.

Unbeaten performers for coach T.J. Williams’ fourth-place Turks, who went 7-2 in the tournament and are ranked 18th, were TJ Connor (9-0 at 182/195), Payton Murphy (7-0 at 120), Bowden Delaney (7-0 at 126/132), and Mason Mark (7-0 at 132/138 while Konnor Martin (8-1 at 113) was another top winner for Tremont. Delaney and Connor are returning state qualifiers.

“It’s really tough,” said Connor, a senior who’s ranked third at 182. “If you’re not prepared mentally, you’ll go out there and lose. Last year, I lost every single match, except two, and as soon as I lost the first two, I was out of it. It’s really amazing. He (T.J. Williams) pushes us in practice, and it’s not like him yelling at us, it’s more of him being there with us. Doing moves and talking through with us and letting us knows he cares for us. If we have an off day in warmups, he’ll tell us, ‘hey guys, you aren’t looking too hot, you’ve got to pick it up,’ and we’ll start looking better and feeling better.”

A year ago, the third time proved to be the charm for IWCOA Hall of Famer T.J. Williams and his Turks as their third-straight visit to the dual team finals resulted in their first trophy, and as a bonus, they got the privilege of competing for a state championship against Yorkville Christian.

“Obviously we had some people out, but just had to do our job,” said Murphy, who’s ranked ninth at 120. “Some of our guys came through and even if some didn’t, we had to counter that and just wrestle hard. We  see each other as family and it feels like they’re on the mat with you. And when you’ve got the crowd and the coaches with you like that, it just makes the program 10 times better and makes you love wrestling more. Of course, we want to be back (at state) and be even better than we were last year. The second half of the year is coming up and we have bigger and better things on our minds.”

“I’ve had him (as a coach) since I was six or seven years old, so it’s just been fun getting to learn and having all of those adventures with him, whether it was kids’ tourneys or last year going to state,” Delaney said. “It’s just fun and we’ve built a bond over the years, he’s just a great coach. He pushes us every day and he makes sure that we work hard and puts us with the best people and it’s just a great room to be in. We all just have trust in each other, it’s just like a family. If one of us needs something, we’ll be there for each other. It’s just great.”

Stillman Valley went 8-1 and took fifth place. After beating Roxana 42-39, coach Jamie McCarty’s Cardinals fell to Riverdale in the quarterfinals. But they won their last two dual meets, beating PORTA/A-C Central/Greenview 38-34 and Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin 42-39.

Leading the way for Stillman Valley, which is ranked ninth, were Michael Pannerale (6-1 at 106), Henry Hildreth (6-1 at 126), Aiden Livingston (6-1 at 152), Jack Seacrist (6-1 at 160/170), Porter Needs (3-0 at 152/160) and Randy Manos (4-1 at 160/170).

Seacrist took second place at state at 152 a year ago, losing to Altsensey in the finals. Andrew Forcier (182) and Livingston are also returning state qualifiers.

Like any team that’s ranked in the top 10, competing as a dual meet team on the biggest stage, at the finals in Bloomington, is the ultimate goal. Stillman Valley last did that in 2011 when it capped a run of four-straight state visits, with two runner-up finishes and two third-place efforts.

Just as was the case a year ago, the IHSA map has again created a juggernaut regional in the state’s northwest where five teams that are currently ranked ninth or better will be competing.

The Polo Regional features third-ranked Dakota/Orangeville, sixth-ranked Oregon, seventh-ranked Lena-Winslow/Stockton, eighth-ranked Dixon and ninth-ranked Stillman Valley. And the route to dual team state will also be very challenging since second-ranked and defending champion Yorkville Christian, fourth-ranked Marian Central Catholic and fifth-ranked Riverdale are amazingly in the brutal Oregon dual team Sectional along with the five teams from the Polo Regional and just two of those will be able to qualify for state. 

So squaring off against a lot of good teams at an event like ABE’s Rumble should prove to be beneficial for those squads listed above who also participated in the 60-team competition. 

“We knew coming down here that we were going to go up against tough teams,” Livingston said. “We saw a lot of good guys and good teams and we were just excited to come out here to compete. We knew that we had a team that can come and compete and that’s what we tried to come out here to do. I like that we’re hard-working. We don’t have all of the best guys at every weight but we work hard every day.”

The Cardinals clearly understand the value of each match since they saw that play out in a tough fashion when they hosted their holiday tournament on December 17 and Oregon beat them for top honors by seven points.

“It’s rough, but we placed higher than them at this tournament,” said Seacrist, who’s ranked third. “It’s nice, but at the same time, I’m not satisfied enough. We just have to keep on working. We have all of the talent in the room to possibly even make it to state as a team, but it’s all about us pushing ourselves to the limit. I have so many partners that I can work with to help me get better, as well as I help them to get better. We just always look to improve each other. We all look for each other and it’s just awesome. I lost a close one today against the number-one ranked kid. So I’m not satisfied and you just have to go out there and wrestle again.”

“Just like our coach said, this is a way to see how we are, not only as individuals but as a dual team and how we work as a team and we did really well,” Forcier said. “We did really well getting fifth, but there’s always room for improvement and we can get better. Otherwise, I’m really proud of this team and we did really well. We work our butt off in the room every day and we get after it. We love each other, as well, we’re brothers and partners, and we cheer each other on and get excited for every win and everything that happens in a match. We were right there (in their tournament) and it just shows how crucial it is of staying off your back. I feel like today we were able to keep those points off.”

Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin went 7-2 to finish in sixth place. Coach Matt Grimm’s Trojans beat Canton 44-31 before falling to Lena-Winslow/Stockton in the quarterfinals. After beating Vandalia, 43-33, it fell to Stillman Valley in the fifth-place match.

The Trojans were led by Joey Ruzic (9-0 at 120/126) and Dresden Grimm (9-0 at 138/145). 

“It really wasn’t what we wanted,” Dresden Grimm said. “We had some guys step up and in some places they did and in some they didn’t, but we’ll work on that in the practice room. Our heavyweight got banged up and he didn’t wrestle the last dual and we ended up losing 42-39. 

“I broke my leg in football so this was my first tournament back. I felt smooth and felt back to my true self. I’ve been practicing for three weeks with Joey and that makes me a lot better. I’ve got a guy who can push me and I push him. We kind of coach each other while we’re practicing.”

Ruzic was the 106 champion last season, was third at the IWCOA in 2021 and is top-ranked at 120 while Grimm took third at 132 a year ago and was sixth in the IWCOA in 2021 and is ranked second at 138. They’re not only excited about what they can do individually but would like to get back to dual team state, where they were fourth in 2020.

“It’s definitely a big deal since we showed a lot of improvement from last year, when we were 15th,” Ruzic said. “We’ve been on that state podium before, so we can get there again. I just like the people on this team. I feel like we’re all in this together and we’re all on the same page. I feel good out there. I feel ready to compete and to do my best.”

Vandalia also posted a 7-2 record. Coach Jason Clay’s Vandals opened the Gold Bracket with a 45-23 win over Illini Bluffs before falling to Coal City in the quarterfinals. After losing 43-33 to Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin, Vandalia beat PORTA/A-C Central/Greenview 42-33 for seventh.

The Vandals were led by Owen Miller (8-1 at 138/145), Dillon Hinton (8-1 at 132/138), Eric 

McKinney (8-1 at 160), Wyatt Dothager (8-1 at 195/220) and Deon Moore (3-0 at 126/132). Miller and McKinney are returning state qualifiers for the team.

Vandalia has qualified for the IHSA dual team finals 12 times since 2007 under Clay and has won four trophies in that time so expectations are always high for the 14th-ranked Vandals.

“We have a great program,” said McKinney, who’s ranked eighth at 160. “We start young and we have great coaches, as well. “This is a tough tournament and the flip really matters at the beginning of the match. You’ve got to be focused because it’s a lot of matchesIt’s a lot of matches and you have to maintain your weight for the two days. I think that in every meet and every practice, we’re improving every day. We’ve beat well-known teams.”

PORTA/A-C Central/Greenview went 6-3 to finish in eighth place. After beating Frankfort Community 59-24, Tremont rallied to beat the Bluejays 40-36 in the quarterfinals. PORTA lost another close dual to Stillman Valley 38-34 before losing to Vandalia in the seventh-place meet.

Leading the way for coach Jeff Hill’s Bluejays were Bryar Lane (9-0 at 182), Issak Espenschied (5-0 at 285), Brandon Barner (5-0 at 152) and Issac Guinan (4-0 at 285).

PORTA is ranked tenth and the program would like to get back to dual team state again after a few years off, somewhere they went 10 times between 2002 and 2014 for IWCOA hall of fame coach Jeff Hill, who holds the IHSA record for the most dual meet victories in his career.

“We’ve been doing really well,” said Espenschied, who’s ranked eighth and is a returning state qualifier. “Everybody is tired, but we fought through it. I like that we work and that we don’t give up. We have the right mindset and we don’t get mad when we lose. I just like wrestling because it makes me better. It feels amazing (to be at PORTA). He’s a great coach and we’re really close to each other.”

Hill, a 2011 IWCOA Hall of Famer who entered the season with an IHSA best 739 dual meet wins since he took over the program at the school in Petersburg in 1992. Hill, who was the National Wrestling Coaches Association Illinois Coach of the Year in 2022, is happy to add to his impressive career credentials the opportunity to be able to help run the state’s biggest tournament, ABE’s Rumble, along with Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin.

“We have 60 A Class teams and teams from the north and south can come here and see each other, and 11 out of the top 15 schools are,” Hill said. “It’s a crazy atmosphere but it’s perfect for Class A and the Springfield area is great. We’re 20 miles away and happy to host with Auburn for the sixth year and we’re going to keep doing it. 

“If you’re here and you make it to dual team state, your mind is ready since you’ve already been through it. It’s the largest one in the United States, I’m told by Rob Sherrill that there’s not any other 60 teams like this at one location. Our team is pretty young and we only have two seniors. We’re pretty happy to be finishing in the top eight, I think that’s the highest that we’ve finished since we started hosting this, so it’s all good.”

Oregon, which is ranked sixth, went 7-2 to claim ninth place after winning its final three duals against Illini Bluffs, Canton and Roxana 46-34. Leading the Hawks were Grant Stender (8-1 at 152) and Gabe Eckerd (8-1 at 170/182).

Roxana, ranked 12th, went 7-2 and finished in tenth place. Leading the Shells were Justis Theis (9-0 at 120), Branden Green, Jr. (9-0 at 126), Logan Riggs (8-1 at 132), Lyndon Thies (8-1 at 138), James Herring (8-1 at 220/285) and Chase Allen (7-1 at 285).

Canton, who’s ranked 15th, went 6-3 to finish 11th after beating Frankfort 47-30 in its final dual. The Little Giants were led by John Davis (9-0 at 120/126), Trevor Hedges (9-0 at 126/132), Joseph Norton (9-0 at 170/182), Connor Williams (3-0 at 285) and Asa Reed (5-1 at 285).

Finishing in 12th place was Frankfort Community, which went 6-3. Top performers for the Redbirds were Brandon Turner (9-0 at 195) and Gavin Mann (8-1 at 145).

Unity fell to 13th in the rankings after taking 13th place with a 6-3 record after closing with a 52-25 win over Seneca. Leading the way for the Rockets were Nick Nosler (9-0 at 195), Hunter Shike (8-1 at 126), Kyus Root (8-1 at 170), Kaden Inman (7-1 at 132), Hunter Eastin (7-1 at 182), Alex Abrahamson (6-1 at 285) and Avery McGraw (4-1 at 132/138).

Seneca, which is ranked 24th, finished 6-3 and finished in 14th place. Top performers for the Fighting Irish were Asher Hamby (9-0 at 160), Kyler Hahn (8-1 at 106/113) and Ethan Othon (8-1 at 113/120).

Illinois Bluffs claimed 15th place with a 5-4 record after beating Pontiac 37-35 in its final dual. Leading the way for the Tigers were Paul Ishikawa (9-0 at 145/152), Hunter Robbins (9-0 at 106/113), Avery Speck (8-1 at 120/126) and Jackson Carroll (8-1 at 138/145).

Pontiac finished in 16th place after going 5-4 in the event. Top performers for the Indians were Aidan Scholwin (8-1 at 106) and Ethan Gray (7-2 at 152/160).

Silver Division

Clifton Central/Iroquois West captured first place in the Silver Division with a 44-36 win over El Paso-Gridley 44-36. The Comets were led by Gianni Panozzo (8-1 at 145), Hunter Hull (8-1 at 195/220) and Noah Gomez (7-1 at 285) while top performers for the Titans were Logan Gibson (8-0 at 120) and Dax Gentes (7-1 at 160).

Peotone won 53-30 over Robinson to take third in the Silver. Top performers for the Blue Devils were Marco Spinazzola (9-0 at 152/160), Micah Spinazzola (8-1 at 126), Santino Izzi (8-1 at 132/138) and Alex Cardenas (8-1 at 220). Leading the way for the Maroons were Kahne Hyre (8-1 at 152) and Jared Hermann (5-1 at 170).

Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm was a 57-19 winner over Murphysboro to finish fifth in the Silver Division. Leading the Tigers were Tre Ramirez (9-0 at 220), Hayden Weaver (8-1 at 132), Craig Johnson (8-1 at 182) and Ethan Miller (8-1 at 195). Top performers for the Red Devils were Bryce Edwards (7-1 at 132/138) and Liam Fox (5-1 at 145/152).

Anna-Jonesboro defeated Shelbyville 42-39 to finish seventh in the Silver. Top performers for the Wildcats were Drew Sadler (9-0 at 113) and Daniel Dover (8-1 at 126/132). Leading the Rams were Calvin Miller (8-1 at 126), Will Fox (8-1 at 160) and Aydan Fisher (8-1 at 182/195).

In the ninth-place match in the Silver Division, Benton was a 42-39 winner over Macomb. Leading the Rangers were Anthony Hernandez (9-0 at 138/145), Mason Tieffel (8-0 at 138/145), and Kobe Cali (7-1 at 126/132). The Bombers were led by Max Ryner (9-0 at 195/220) and  Ethan Ladd (8-1 at 220/285).

Lawrenceville/Red Hill won 45-36 over Monticello to take 11th place in the Silver. The Indians were led by Nathan Blackwell (9-0 at 182/195), Dylan Camden (9-0 at 220), Brian Seed (8-1 at 160/170) and Kasen Ochs (8-1 at 160/170). Top performers for the Sages were Gavin Ridings (8-1 at 138/145) and Hunter Romano (6-1 at 170/182).

In the 13th-place match in the Silver Division, Erie/Prophetstown defeated Chicago Hope Academy 51-30. Erie/Prophetstown was led by Jase Grunder (9-0 at 152/160) and Wyatt Goossens (8-1 at 126/132).

Morrison won 42-24 over Newman Central Catholic to take 15th place in the Silver. The Mustangs were led by Evan McDonnell (5-1 at 285) while leading the way for the Comets were 

Carter Rude (8-0 at 138/145), Zhyler Hansen (8-1 at 113) and Briar Ivey (8-1 at 120/126).

Bronze Division

Olympia/Heyworth claimed first in the Bronze Division with a 48-34 win over Rockridge 48-34. The Spartans were led by Bentley Wise (8-0 at 152) and Nolen Yeary (6-1 at 220/285) while Jude Finch (8-0 at 126),  Ryan Lower (8-0 at 160), Tyler Morrisey (7-0 at 170) and Zayd Evans (7-1 at 182) led the way for the Rockets.

Cumberland/Newton was a 48-30 victor over Farmington/Cuba for third place in the Bronze. Leading the Pirates were Peyton Groves (8-0 at 106), Hank Warfel (8-0 at 113/120), Owen Mcginnis (7-1 at 145) and Noah Carl (6-1 at 285). Top performers for the Farmers were Keygan Jennings (8-0 at 113/120) and Bradlee Ellis (6-1 at 126/132).

Oakwood/Salt Fork beat Mt. Carmel 54-19 for fifth in the Bronze Division. The Comets were led by Reef Pacot (8-0 at 145), Tyler Huchel (7-1 at 113), Jack Ajster (7-1 at 120) and Pedro Rangel (7-1 at 132). Top performers for the Golden Aces were Evan Berberich (7-1 at 195) and Mason Rayborn (7-1 at 220).

Camp Point Central/Southeastern/Brown County defeated Wilmington 42-34 to take seventh in the Bronze. Leading the Panthers was Hunter Bolton (7-1 at 152) while Hunter Hayes (8-0 at 195/220) was the top finisher for the Wildcats.

Reed-Custer was a 42-36 victor over Knoxville for ninth in the Bronze Division. The Comets were led by Kody Marschner (8-0 at 220), Gunnar Berg (8-0 at 285), Jeremy Eggleston (7-1 at 138), and Rex Pfiefer (7-1 at 170). The top performers for the Blue Bullets were .Gage Fox (7-1 at 132), Mitchell Parrish (7-1 at 138/145), Brydon Walters (7-1 at 160), Jaxin Johnson (7-1 at 170) and William Stowe (7-1 at 285).

Warrensburg-Latham/Mt. Pulaski won 45-34 over Quincy Notre Dame to finish 11th in Bronze. The Cardinals were led by Charlie Wittmer (7-0 at 106/113), Kaden Roberts (7-1 at 120/126), Brycen Stock (7-1 at 285) and Logan Roberts (6-1 at 113/120). The top performer for the Raiders was Bradi Lahr (6-1 at 132).

In the 13th-place match in the Bronze Division, Litchfield/Mt. Olive won 39-36 over Sherrard. Leading the way for the Purple Panthers were Vinny Moore (7-1 at 106), Alex Powell (7-1 at 113), Braxton Kieffer (7-1 at 126) and Seth Kenter (7-1 at 182). Pacing the Tigers was Walker Anderson (7-1 at 195/220).

St. Joseph-Ogden won 65-6 over Walther Christian to take 15th place in Bronze. The Spartans were led by Holden Brazelton (8-0 at 132/138).

Copper Division

Mercer County took top honors in the Copper Division with a 44-30 victory over Mt. Zion. The Golden Eagles were led by Zeke Arnold (8-0 at 145), Bodie Salmon (5-0 at 170) Kale Stirn (7-1 at 113) and Ethan Monson (7-1 at 120). Leading the Braves were Aiden Ledbetter (5-0 at 285), Sydney Cannon (7-1 at 106), Mason Gray (7-1 at 113) and Remington Hiser (7-1 at 220).

Beardstown beat Hoopeston Area/Milford 66-18 for third place in Copper. The Tigers were led by Jonny Marquez (7-1 at 132) and Owen O’Hara (7-1 at 220) while the top performer for the Cornjerkers was Talon Nelson (8-0 at 120/126).

Prairie Central won 33-27 over Deer Creek-Mackinaw to take fifth in the Copper Division. Leading the Hawks were Connor Steidinger (7-0 at 182/195) and Ethan Ziller (6-1 at 152).

Carlinville defeated Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington 34-30 to take seventh in Copper. The Cavaliers were led by Jake Schwartz (7-0 at 160/170).

Hillsboro took ninth in the Copper Division when it won 39-39 on criteria of first points scored over St. Bede Academy. Leading the Hilltoppers were Gavin Vollintine (6-1 at 126) and Zander Wells (5-1 at 152) while Ryan Migliorini (7-0 at 195/220) was the top performer for the Bruins.

Sparta won 48-18 over Sacred Heart-Griffin to finish 11th in Copper. The Bulldogs were led by 

Jayden Jones (6-1 at 220) while Cory West (6-1 at 195/220) led the way for the Cyclones.

ABE’s Rumble – Championship dual meet – Coal City 46, Riverdale 24

152 – Landin Benson (Coal City) D 6-4 Eli Hinde (Riverdale), C 3-0

160 – Collin Altensey (Riverdale) F 0:48 Jack Poyner (Coal City), R 6-3

170 – Derek Carlson (Coal City) SV 3-1 Alex Watson (Riverdale), C 6-6

182 – Joey Breneman (Coal City) MD 12-3 Zac Bradley (Riverdale), C 10-6

195 – Braiden Young (Coal City) F 1:29 Jake Schradeya (Riverdale), C 16-6

220 – Drake Dearth (Coal City) F 0:35 Iyezaha Hill (Riverdale), C 22-6

285 – Michael Gonzalez (Coal City) F 0:24 Jake Baustian (Riverdale), C 28-6

106 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) F 1:01 Culan Lindemuth (Coal City), R 12-28

113 – Luke Munsterman (Coal City) D 9-2 Tharren Jacobs (Riverdale), C 31-12

120 – Aidan Kenney (Coal City) D 3-0 Thad Jacobs (Riverdale), C 34-12

126 – Brock Finch (Coal City) FFT No opponent, C 40-12

132 – Evan Greggain (Coal City) F 5:35 Kolton Kruse (Riverdale), C 46-12

138 – Brock Smith (Riverdale) F 3:55 Mason Garner (Coal City), R 18-46

145 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) F 0:57 Chase Dehler (Coal City), R 24-46

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Robinsons claim titles at Pennsylvania’s Powerade

History was made by Illinois wrestlers at the Powerade Tournament in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and it was made by just one team, and as a matter of fact, by two brothers.

Homewood-Flossmoor brothers Vincent and Jaydon Robinson both won individual titles in one of the country’s biggest tournaments when senior Vincent took first at 133 and junior Jaydon won the title at 145.

Thanks in part to their efforts, the Vikings took 12th place in the 67-team competition with 89 points. They were the lone Illinois team to take part in this year’s tournament.

The only other schools that had more than one title winner were champion Wyoming Seminary and Bishop McCourt, which are both Pennsylvania schools.

Both brothers had to win close decisions throughout most of their final rounds of competition in order to reach the top of the awards stand.

In the 133 finals, Vincent got a third-period takedown to help him claim a 3-2 win over Central Mountain, PA’s Dalton Perry. Then in the 145 title match, Jaydon got a takedown late in the first overtime for a 3-1 sudden victory over Williamsville North, NY’s Cameron Catrabone. 

Jaydon claimed a 3-2 victory over the top-seed at 145, Waynesburg, PA’s Mac Church in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Vincent advanced to the title mat with a 4-1 win over Malvern Prep’s Jack Consiglio.

There was more drama in the quarterfinals as Vincent won 7-2 by sudden victory over Waynesburg, PA’s Joe Simon while Jaydon claimed a 9-4 victory over Bishop McCourt’s Ryan Lander.

Jaydon, who wasn’t seeded in the tournament, also won a 6-2 decision in the round of 16 and a 10-5 decision in his initial match. Vincent, who was seeded third, also won a 6-2 decision in the round of 16 after recording a fall in 1:49 in his opening match.

Vincent, who is second-ranked at 132 in Class 3A, placed second last year at 126 and also was second at 120 in 2020 and this was his third tournament title of the season adding to first at Joliet Central and Crown Point, Indiana. 

Jaydon, ranked second at 145 in Class 3A, finished third last year at 135 and this was his second tournament title this season, with the other also coming at Joliet Central.

“We’ve been waiting for Jaydon to have his breakout at one of these national tournaments, as he’s been coming up one win short of placing seemingly every time,” Vikings coach Jim Sokoloski said. 

“Both the Robinson boys wrestled incredibly well throughout the entire tournament and kept their composure in tough, close matches. Both of them had to win overtime matches at some point and beat nationally-ranked guys. 

“Overall, it was a great tournament for our team, as we finished in 12th out of 67 teams. But obviously these two did their thing and we couldn’t be more proud.”

Senior Deion Johnson, who was seeded fourth and is ranked second at 113, fell one win shy of a medal at 114 after losing his second match and winning two close decisions before losing to the eventual fourth-place finisher.

Also for the Vikings, Jermaine Butler (152) won four matches while Roan Dukes (107) and Jon Fulgencio (160) both won three matches.

It was the first time since 1993 when Mount Carmel won the second of its three-straight titles in the event that Illinois had more than one champion. Champions for IWCOA and National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach Bill Weick’s team 29 years ago were IWCOA Hall of Famers T.J. Williams and Tony Davis, as well as Jason Pero.

Williams, who’s currently the coach at Tremont, won a title every year that the Caravan took top honors in the tournament, from 1992 to 1994. He was the lone champion for his team in 1994 and one of five title winners in 1992.

Since Williams completed that amazing run of success for his program in the Powerade, only two others from this state have won titles, both of whom competed for Lockport. Ronald Tucker, Jr. took top honors in 2015 and Brayden Thompson placed first last season.

Hersey wins Wisconsin’s Mid-States Classic championship

Hersey captured top honors at the Mid-States Classic in Whitewater, Wisconsin, leading a strong Illinois contingent that claimed four of the top five spots and had six of the first eight in a field that featured 41 teams.

Coach Joe Rupslauk’s Huskies easily claimed the title by a 333.5-293 margin over Amery, WI. McHenry (270.5), Marian Central Catholic (251.5) and Wauconda (239) rounded out the top five while Downers Grove South (204.5) took seventh and Bradley-Bourbonnais (203.5) was eighth.

Hononegah, Morton, Round Lake, Dundee-Crown, Harvard and New Trier were the other Illinois teams that participated.

Leading the way for the champion Huskies were runners-up Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (126), Aaron Hernandez (160) and Ben Erhabor (220) while Esteban Delgado (120) and Oleg Simakov (285) placed third. Taking sixth was Leo Delgado (195) while Abdullokh Khakimov (113), James Shaffer (138) and Anthony Cambria (182) finished seventh.

Top performers for coach Dan Rohman’s third-place Warriors were champion Chris Moore (170), runner-up Pedro Jimenez (145) and third-place finisher Ryan Hanson (106). Lucas Van Diepen (126) finished fourth, Ruben Melgarejo (152) took fifth and Andy Lara (220) and Jesse Saavedra (285) both claimed sixth place.

The Marian Central Catholic coaching duo of Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater was busy on the title mat, with three individuals winning championships and two others placing second. Taking top honors for the Hurricanes were Kaden Harman (126), Vance Williams (132) and Charlie Fitzgerald (145) while Nick Davidson (138) and Ethan Struck (152) settled for second place and Max Astacio (160) went 6-1 to claim third place.

Coach Trevor Jauch’s fifth-place Wauconda squad had four individuals who were sixth or better. Leading the Bulldogs were runner-up Gavin Rockey (106) and third-place finisher Nick Cheshier (152). Finishing in fifth place was Cooper Daun (132) while Cole Porten (145) took sixth.

Leading the way for coach Sean Lovelace’s seventh-place Mustangs were champion Luke Swan (152), third-place finisher RJ Samuels (170) and Donnie Fields (120), who took fourth.

Coach Micky Spiwak’s eighth-place Boilermakers were led by champion Ethan Spacht (113) and third-place finisher AJ Mancilla (182) while Levi Greenlee (138) and Tyler Starr (145) finished fifth and Tate McCord (106) placed sixth.

Hononegah was led by a fourth-place finish from Jackson Olson (106) while Elliot Diemel (182) and Isaak Smith (220) both took fifth. 

Morton received fifth-place efforts from Harrison Dea (106) and Payton Ferrill (120).

Round Lake was led by fourth-place finisher Alejandro Cordova (113) while Grayson Kongkaeow (120) took sixth and William Cole (285) was seventh.

Leading Dundee-Crown were runner-up Porter Leith (195) and third-place finisher Teigen Moreno (220).

Harvard received fourth-place finishes from Marques Merida (132) and Riley Vest (220).

And leading New Trier were sixth-place finisher Tagg Miller (160) and Wilson Wright (145), who took seventh place.

Spacht was the Illinois leader in team points with 47.5, which was just .5 behind two others. Moore was fourth in team points with 47 while Swan tied for eighth with 45, Williams had 43.5, Harman collected 43, Hernandez had 41.5 and Fitzgerald finished with 40.

Three championship matches featured all-Illinois finals. One was at 126 where Harman edged Mukhamedaliyev 2-1. Another was at 145 where Fitzgerald also won a close decision, by a 4-2 score over Jimenez. And the 152 finals was also decided by a decision, a 6-2 score, as Swan defeated Struck.

In other title wins for Illinois athletes, Spacht won by technical fall in 5:32 over Amery’s Brendan Burke at 113, Williams claimed a 9-3 decision over Union Grove’s Cole Dummer at 132 and Moore won by technical fall in 4:45 over Nicolet’s Ben Ott at 170.

Titles matches involving Illinois competitors that were won by those from north of the border included Rockey falling to Pecatonica-Argyle’s Aidan Gruenenfelder 5-1 at 106 and Davidson losing an 8-2 decision to Darlington-Blackhawk’s Owen Seffrood at 138.

Leith suffered his first defeat in a 7-5 decision to Amery’s Grant Cook at 195, Erhabor got pinned in 0:46 by Weyauwega-Fremont’s Vanden Hoffman at 220 and Hernandez was unable to compete at 160 against Appleton North’s Jake Stoffel at 160 due to an injury.

Top records from Illinois finalists following the tournament include Moore (26-0, 1.000), Leith (20-1, .952), Spacht (24-2, .923), Rockey (16-2, .889), Jimenez (24-4, .857), Hernandez (17-3, .850), Williams (20-5, .800) and Swan (20-5, .800).

Mid-States Classic championship matches

106 – Aidan Gruenenfelder (Pecatonica-Argyle, WI) D 5-1 Gavin Rockey (Wauconda)

113 – Ethan Spacht (Bradley-Bourbonnais) TF 5:32 Brendan Burke (Amery, WI)

120 – Lane Anderson (Amery, WI) D 6-4 SV Ethan Aird (Darlington-Blackhawk, WI)

126 – Kaden Harman (Marian Central Catholic) D 2-1 Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey)

132- Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) D 9-3 Cole Dummer (Union Grove, WI)

138 – Owen Seffrood (Darlington-Blackhawk, WI) D 8-2 Nick Davidson (Marian Central Catholic)

145 – Charlie Fitzgerald (Marian Central Catholic) D 4-2 Pedro Jimenez (McHenry)

152 – Luke Swan (Downers Grove South) D 6-2 Ethan Struck (Marian Central Catholic)

160 – Jake Stoffel (Appleton North, WI) INJ Aaron Hernandez (Hersey)

170 – Chris Moore (McHenry) TF 4:45 Ben Ott (Nicolet, WI)

182 – Wyatt Ingram (Amery, WI) F 4:30 Kasey Gish (West Bend East, WI)

195 – Grant Cook (Amery, WI) D 7-5 Porter Leith (Dundee-Crown)

220 – Vanden Hoffman (Weyauwega-Fremont, WI) F 0:46 Ben Erhabor (Hersey)

285 – Koy Hopke (Amery, WI) F 1:57 Jackson Mankowski (Madison LaFollette, WI)

Pratt captures championship at Missouri’s The Wonder Woman

Four Illinois teams competed in The Wonder Woman, which was an 84-team competition which took place in Columbia, Missouri and Edwardsville’s Mackenzie Pratt led the way by winning a title at 140 while three other individuals finished sixth or better.

Pratt improved to 15-0 after winning all six of her matches by fall. Only one of those extended into the second period and that came in the semifinals, where she finished the match in 4:00. In the championship at 140, she pinned Capital City, MO’s Jacinda Espinosa in 1:56. Pratt, who tied two others for the most team points in the competition with 38, only needed just over 10:00 to record her pins.

The Tigers also received a fifth-place finish from Holly Zugmaier, who fell in the 125 semifinals before winning her final match.

Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson also took fifth at 130 after losing in the semifinals and again in the consolation bracket before ending with a victory. She won her first four matches by fall.

Belleville East’s Alexcia Hardin took sixth place at 105 after getting sent to the wrestlebacks in the third round and then responding with four-straight falls to give her five for the tournament.

Civic Memorial seventh at Indiana’s Mater Dei Holiday Classic

Civic Memorial had two champions to help it claim a seventh-place finish with 130 points at the 19-team Mater Dei Holiday Classic in Evansville, Indana.

Bryce Griffin (145) and Abe Wojciekiewicz (170) both captured titles for the Eagles, who were the lone Illinois team in the field. They also received fifth-place finishes from Bradley Ruckman (106), Caleb Scott (126) and Kale Hawk (220) while Logan Cooper (195) took sixth place.

Griffin opened with three falls before getting a win by technical in the semifinals and then captured a 5-1 victory over Louisville Trinity, KY’s Bryant Beane in the finals at 145 to improve to 22-3 on the season.

Wojcikiewicz followed the same pattern as Griffin with one exception. After opening with three falls and a win by technical fall, he won a 12-0 major decision over Louisville Trinity, KY’s George Ferree in the 170 finals to improve his record to 21-2.

Wojcikiewicz led all competitors in the event with 30.5 team points while Griffin scored 29.5 points to finish with the fifth-best total.

Ruckman, Scott, Cooper and Hawk all advanced to the semifinals and all but Cooper wound up losing to the eventual champions at their weights.