By Curt Herron

Mt. Vernon edges Normal Community to win Mascoutah Invite

While neither Mt. Vernon or Normal Community appear in the top-25 of the latest statewide 

rankings, it didn’t prevent the two teams from going toe-to-toe with each other in their pursuit of top honors in the 33-team Mascoutah Invitational.

When the dust had cleared at the conclusion of the second-day of the event, Mt. Vernon held the upper hand over Normal Community, but just barely, prevailing for first place by a 183-182 margin while Roxana beat out Quincy Senior 176.5-173.5 to claim third place.

Triad (162), Belleville East (159.5), Bloomington (156.5), Mattoon (140.5), Murphysboro (136.5), Jacksonville (125.5), Morton (120), Alton (114.5), Civic Memorial (111), Marion (104.5) and Carbondale (99.5) were next in line in the scoring.

Joining Roxana among currently-ranked Class 2A and 1A teams that also took part in the competition were Triad, Bloomington, Mattoon, Civic Memorial, Marion and Carbondale at an event that featured many of the top individuals from throughout the southern half of the state.

Leading the way for coach Alejandro Wajner’s champion Rams were title winners Dillon White (120) and Rider Searcy (145) while Ethan Rivera (182) and Mason Randall (195) took third, Maddux Randall (170) finished fourth and Travis Sanders (220) placed sixth.

Others who provided valuable team points that helped to put the Rams over the top were Ethan Verdeyen (126), Kobey Elkins (138), Sean Harrington (152) and Malakai Mays (160).

The heart and drive of these young athletes is incredible,” Wajner said. “They come together as one and fight in every match like it’s their last. We have all been working very hard this past year and the hard work is paying off big. We’ll continue to grow and improve as the weeks go on into the postseason. 

“We’re a young team, but we’re hungrier and motivated more now than ever before. These kids have been riding a wave of positive momentum and the best part is they’re all having an incredible time doing so. The support system over here in Mt. Vernon grows stronger. The process works.”

Top performers for coach Trevor Kaufman’s runner-up Ironmen were champions Caden Correll (106), Cole Gentsch (113) and Cooper Caraway (220) while Jackson Soney (106) and Vallen Thorpe (132) took third, Jaren Frankowiak (132) and Mitchell Mosbach (160) finished fourth and Dylan Conway (126) was seventh. 

Carter Mayes (120), Gavin Capodice (138), Ryder Durdan (152), Victor Reyes (170), Mason Caraway (182) and Nico Ortega (195) also provided points to boost the Ironmen’s efforts.

Turning in top showings for coach Rob Milazzo’s third-place Shells were third-place finishers Lleyton Cobine (120), Brandon Green, Jr. (126) and James Herring (220) while Braden Johnson (152) and Chase Allen (285) both took fifth place. Lyndon Thies (138) finished sixth and Robert Watt (170) took eighth place.

Winning championships for coach Phil Neally’s fourth-place Blue Devils were Owen Uppinghouse (160) and Bryor Newbold (182) while Max Miller (170) took third place.

Hugh Sharrow (106), Eli Roberts (132) and Payton Eddy (170) all finished fifth, Todd Smith (285) placed seventh and Brody Baker (138) took eighth place.

Coach Rashad Riley’s Belleville East Lancers also had a pair of champions, Terence Willis (152) and Jonathon Rulo (285) but the team’s returning placewinner from a year ago, Dominic Thebeau, did not compete in the tournament. 

Other champions were Mattoon’s Korbin Bateman (126), Triad’s Colby Crouch (132), Mascoutah’s Santino Robinson (138), Murphysboro’s Dayton Hoffman (170) and Carbondale’s Aiden Taylor (195).

Coach Brett Porter’s Mattoon Greenwave had four finalists with Bateman (126) winning a title while Logan Blackburn (120), Ben Capitosti (138) and Leo Meyer (220) all took second place.

Also finishing in second place were Morton’s Harrison Dea (106) and Caleb Lenning (113), Bloomington’s Maddox Kirts (160) and Stephen Carr (285), Champaign Central’s Ronald Baker (126), Highland’s Tyson Rakers (132), Jacksonville’s Collin Reif (145), Lincoln’s Isaac Decker (152), Carbondale’s Brenden Banz (170), Civic Memorial’s Logan Cooper (195) and Fort Zumwalt North (MO)’s Deacon Moran (182).

Other third-place finishers included Belleville East’s Warren Zeisset (138), Triad’s Aiden Postma (145), Jacksonville’s James Cotton (152), Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell (160) and Jersey Community’s Jaydon Busch (285).

Additional fourth-place finishers included Murphysboro’s Kaiden Richards (113) and Bryce Edwards (138), Alton’s Antoine Phillips (152) and Shane Scott (195), Jacksonville’s Oliver Cooley (220) and Aiden Surratt (285), Highland’s Gavin Merkle (106), Marion’s Max Wade (120), Belleville East’s Nick Fetter (126) and Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Ty Carter (182).

Also finishing fifth were Marion’s Riddick Cook (113) and Malakei Weatherly (182), Morton’s Payton Ferril (120), Alton’s William Harris (126), O’Fallon’s Andrew Orloski (138), Bloomington’s Dylan Watts (145), Carbondale’s Isaiah Duckworth (160), Collinsville’s Scott Snyder (195) and Triad’s Nate Engler (220).

And other sixth-place showings were turned in by Triad’s Glen Henry (113), Ben Baumgartner (126) and Matt Hobs (285),  Alton’s Aslan Merioles (120) and Yaveion Freeman (145),  Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler (106), Mascoutah’s Jordan Sonon-Hale (132), Civic Memorial’s Brock Barrows (152), Bloomington’s Andrew McCullough (170), Frankfort Community’s Conner Henson (182) and Centralia’s Elijah Johnson (195).

Mascoutah Invitational champions and first-place matches:

106: Caden Correll (Normal Community) F 4:00 Harrison Dea (Morton)

113: Cole Gentsch (Normal Community) MD 12-0 Caleb Lenning (Morton)

120: Dillon White (Mt. Vernon) F 3:47 Logan Blackburn (Mattoon)

126: Korbin Bateman (Mattoon) MD 9-0 Ronald Baker (Champaign Central)

132: Colby Crouch (Triad) MD 13-1 Tyson Rakers (Highland)

138: Santino Robinson (Mascoutah) TF Ben Capitosti (Mattoon)

145: Rider Searcy (Mt Vernon) D 9-4 Collin Reif (Jacksonville)

152: Terence Willis (Belleville East) D 6-4 Isaac Decker (Lincoln)

160: Owen Uppinghouse (Quincy) F 2:21 Maddox Kirts (Bloomington)

170: Dayton Hoffman (Murphysboro) D 6-1 Brenden Banz (Carbondale)

182: Bryor Newbold (Quincy) D 9-2 Deacon Moran (Fort Zumwalt North, MO)

195: Aiden Taylor (Carbondale) D 7-5 Logan Cooper (Civic Memorial)

220: Cooper Caraway (Normal Community) F 0:23 Leo Meyer (Mattoon)

285: Jonathon Rulo (Belleville East) F 4:33 Stephen Carr (Bloomington)

El Paso-Gridley edges Clifton Central/Iroquois West for Clinton title

El Paso-Gridley held off Clifton Central/Iroquois West to capture top honors by a 257-253 margin at the Clinton Holiday Invitational, which featured 11 schools.

Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm scored 198 points to finish in third place while Clinton (152.5), Farmington/Cuba (132), Ridgeview/Lexington (116), University High (107) and MacArthur (102.5) were next.

Leading coach Zachary Zvonar’s champion Titans were title winners Dax Gentes (160) and Cody Langland (182) and runners-up Nolan Whitman (106), Logan Gibson (120), Conlee Landrus (152), Ethan Whitman (170), Parker Duffy (195) and Jesse Gerber (285). Chris Blackmore (220) took third while Caleb Graham (106) and Dominic Ricconi (170) were fourth and Jack Erwin (132) and Parker Key (138) were fifth. Etan Kruger (126), Ryden Baker (160) were seventh and Orion Dunlam (160) placed eighth.

Top performers for coach Travis Williams’ runner-up Comets were champions Blake Hemp (113), Gage Poyner (138), Gianni Panozzo (145) and Noah Gomez (285) while Brayden Morris (160) took second place. Placing third were Evan Cox (126), Garrison Bailey (132), Giona Panozzo (152), Chris Andrade (160) and Garron Perzee (170) while finishing fourth were Maxwell Josephy (182) and Brody O’Connor (220).

Coach Austin Hedrick’s third-place Tigers were led by runners-up Jesse Irelan (113), Hayden Weaver (132), Houston Bryant (145) and Tre Ramirez (220) while Logan Mahaffey (120) and Ethan Miller (195) took third place and Trent McMasters (152), Jacob Pyle (160) and Jamie King (285) all finished fourth.

Coach Matt Cooper’s host Maroons had three champions, Cayden Poole (132),  Will Winter (152) and Kristan Hibbard (170). Also winning titles were Streator’s Nicholas Pollett (106), Farmington/Cuba’s Keygan Jennings (120), Ridgeview/Lexington’s Braydon Campbell (126), Taylorville’s William Blue (195) and University High’s Isaiah Im (220).

Farmington/Cuba had two second-place finishers, Bradlee Ellis (126) and Connor Huber (138) while Taylorville’s Landon Molina (182) also placed second.

In the round-robin divisions, Hemp took first and Irelan was second at 113, Campbell was first and Ellis was second at 126, Hibbard took first and Whitman was second at 170, William Blue took first and Duffy was second at 195 and Im was first and Ramirez second at 220.

Gentes (160) easily had the most team points with 50 while Clifton Central had the next four in that category, Morris (2nd at 160) with 42 points, Andrade (3rd at 160) with 36, Gianni Panozzo (145) with 35 and Gomez (285) with 35. Also making the top-10 were Winter (152) with 35, Jennings (120) with 34, Pyle (4th at 160) with 33, Langland (182) with 32.5 and MacArthur’s Jamarius Jones (5th at 160) with 31.5.

Also turning in third-place finishes were MacArthur’s Jamarius Meyrick (106), Ridgeview/

Lexington’s Judson Stover (138), University High’s Josh Caraballo (145), Farmington/Cuba’s Rese Shymansky (182) and Clinton’s Dawson Thayer (285).

Additional fourth-place finishers were Ridgeview/Lexington’s Carter McNeely (120) and Anthony Wolinsky (132), Taylorville’s Ethan Dyer (126), MacArthur’s TJ Rogers (138) and Shaundel Watson (145) and University High’s Joe Hunt (195).

Clinton Holiday Invitational champions and first-place matches:

106: Nicholas Pollett (Streator Township/Woodland) TF Nolan Whitman (El Paso-Gridley)

113: Blake Hemp (Clifton Central/Iroquois West) F Jesse Irelan (Westville/Georgetown-RF) – RR

120: Keygan Jennings (Farmington/Cuba) MD 13-0 Logan Gibson (El Paso-Gridley)

126: Braydon Campbell (Ridgeview/Lexington) F 0:52 Bradlee Ellis (Farmington/Cuba) – RR

132: Cayden Poole (Clinton) TF Hayden Weaver (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) 

138: Gage Poyner (Clifton Central/Iroquois West) F 2:45 Connor Huber (Farmington/Cuba)

145: Gianni Panozzo (Clifton Central/Iroquois West) F 1:22 Houston Bryant (Westville/

Georgetown-Ridge Farm)

152: Will Winter (Clinton) F 1:03 Conlee Landrus (El Paso-Gridley)

160: Dax Gentes (El Paso-Gridley) F 1:43 Brayden Morris (Clifton Central)

170: Kristan Hibbard (Clinton) F 3:09 Ethan Whitman (El Paso-Gridley) – RR

182: Cody Langland (El Paso-Gridley) TF Landon Molina (Taylorville)

195: William Blue (Taylorville) D 7-2 Parker Duffy (El Paso-Gridley) – RR

220: Isaiah Im (University High) D 2-1 OT Tre Ramirez (Westville/Georgetown-RF) – RR

285: Noah Gomez (Clifton Central/Iroquois West) F 2:37 Jesse Gerber (El Paso-Gridley)

Pekin claims top honors at Springfield’s Joe Bee Memorial

Pekin had five champions to help it defeat host Springfield High by a 173-160.5 margin to capture the championship of the Joe Bee Memorial Tournament.

Centennial took third with 153 points while LaSalle-Peru finished fourth with 106 points to round out the top half of the eight-team competition. 

Top performers for coach John Jacobs’ champion Dragons were first-place finishers Kayne Hayes (106), Ramez Watson (138), David Hartwell (160), Shamon Handegan (182) and Gunner Brophy (195) and runner-up Dalton Davis (113). Landen McAvoy (126) took third while Logan Smith (120) and Karson Long (132) finished fourth, Aydyn Artman (132) placed fifth and Jaylah Dalton (126), David Pusey (145), Cody Clifton (152) and Logan Rabbe (220) were sixth.

Leading the way for coach Sean Kenny’s second-place Senators were runners-up Kaden Rios (126), Gabe Ruvalcaba (138), Armani Emery (152) and Jackson O’Connor (182), third-place finishers Alex Souva (145), Keyshaun Harris (170), Shamar Brownlee (195), Hunter Reid (220) and Shamar Richardson (285). Marshawn Brown (113) while Hank Souva (160) and Talon Behl (182) took fourth place. 

Pacing coach Andrew Nyland’s third-place Chargers were champions Declan Pate (120),  Trevor Schoonover (132), Nick Pianfetti (152) and Henry Spinella (170) while Jack Barnhart (220) was second, Moses Kim (182) took third and Nehemie Mbangi (138) finished fourth.

Winning titles for coach John Venne’s Granite City Warriors were Brenden Rayl (126) and Dylan Boyd (145) while the other champions were United Township’s Jordan Pauwels-Whitmarsh (113), LaSalle-Peru’s Connor Lorden (220) and Southeast’s Robert Hull (285).

Coach Tim Ricca’s Limestone Rockets had four second-place finishers, Gabe Hodges (145), Henry Look (160), Ethan Dixon (195) and Hector Izaguirre (285). Coach Matthew Rebholz’s LaSalle-Peru Cavaliers had two runners-up, Sylvester St. Peter (106) and Kaleb Vela (132). United Township’s Xavier Marolf (120) and Granite City’s Rayshon Lyles (170) also took second.

Leading the way in team points were Boyd (145), Handegan (182) and Hartwell (160), who each had 26 team points while Schoonover (132) had 25.5 points. Hull (285), Pauwels-Whitmarsh (113), Pianfetti (152), Rayl (126) and Watson (138) each had 24 team points  while Pate (120) had 23.5 points and Brophy (195) had 23 team points.

Others taking third place were LaSalle-Peru’s Franc Knap (113) and Walter Haage (160), Southeast’s Brayden McBride (120) and Adrian Mack (152) and United Township’s Brody Oppendike (132) and Zane Mills (138).

Additional fourth-place finishers were LaSalle-Peru’s Rylnd Rynkewicz (126) and Gunnar Wright (285), Southeast’s Frank Kittrell (145) and Charles Davis (170), Granite City’s Deverick Adams (195) and Enrique Morales (220) and Limestone’s Peyton Williams (152).

The tournament is named in honor of Joe Bee, who was a Springfield High graduate and member of Eastern Illinois University’s wrestling team who died along with teammate Tim Fix, a Plainfield High graduate, in a tragic drowning accident in Charleston in 1996.

Springfield Joe Bee Memorial Tournament champions and first-place matches:

106: Kayne Hayes (Pekin) F/MD Sylvester St. Peter  (LaSalle-Peru) – RR

113: Jordan Pauwels-Whitmarsh (United Township) F 2:40 Dalton Davis (Pekin) 

120: Declan Pate (Centennial) D 9-3 Xavier Marolf (United Township)

126: Brenden Rayl (Granite City) F 3:25 Kaden Rios (Springfield High)

132: Trevor Schoonover (Centennial) F 3:16 Kaleb Vela (LaSalle-Peru)

138: Ramez Watson (Pekin) F 3:30 Gabe Ruvalcaba (Springfield High)

145: Dylan Boyd (Granite City) F 0:32 Gabe Hodges (Limestone)

152: Nick Pianfetti (Centennial) F 1:12 Armani Emery (Springfield High)

160: David Hartwell (Pekin) F 5:22 Henry Look (Limestone)

170: Henry Spinella (Centennial) F 1:45 Rayshon Lyles (Granite City)

182: Shamon Handegan (Pekin) F 0:43 Jackson O`Connor (Springfield High)

195: Gunner Brophy (Pekin) MD 13-4 Ethan Dixon (Limestone)

220: Connor Lorden (LaSalle-Peru) D 7-3 Jack Barnhart (Centennial)

285: Robert Hull (Southeast) D 4-2 Hector Izaguirre (Limestone) 

By Gary Larsen

They know they’ve got something special this year at St. Charles East.

“We’re looking great and we’ll look even better when we get everyone healthy,” Saints freshman Dom Munaretto said.

This year’s 34th Al Dvorak Invitational featured four of the top five ranked teams in Class 3A, plus a handful of top-10 ranked teams in 1A and 2A by Illinois Matmen’s Rofkin state rankings.
When the dust settled, St. Charles East held its first Dvorak team championship trophy, outpointing second-place Marist 195-185.

“This is obviously the outcome we wanted. We were looking to win it,” St. Charles East coach Jason Potter said. “With all things considered, we’re taking steps in the right direction. The end goal is a state title but this is a progression.

“We know Marist is one of the top teams in the state and one of the teams we’d have to beat but in a dual setting it’s different. So we’re nowhere near where we need to be yet but this was a good step.”

Lockport (153.5) finished third, Cleveland, TN (142.5) was fourth, and Amery, WI (137) rounded out the top five team finishes.

St, Charles East, Marist, Lockport, and Mount Carmel are all ranked in the top five in 3A. They were all also missing key starters for assorted reasons.

Still, this year’s Dvorak once again featured arguably the premier field of talent competing in any of Illinois’ in-season tournaments. Four of this year’s individual champions won titles at Ohio’s prestigious Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament last week, in Munaretto, Saints teammate Ben Davino, Conant’s Ethan Stiles, and Lockport’s Brayden Thompson.

In all, 11 wrestlers across three classes ranked No. 1 in their divisions by Illinois Matmen competed at this year’s Dvorak, with eight of them winning titles. The three No. 1s who didn’t win titles all lost in the finals to fellow No. 1s.

St. Charles East got individual titles from a pair of No. 1-ranked wrestlers in Munaretto (106) and Davino (126) who laid down a pair of dominant two-day performances.

“You can’t take anything for granted but when they step out there it’s a different level of confidence,” Potter said of his two Dvorak champs. “We’re going to keep finding ways to push them and challenge them but the cool thing about those two is that they get better every week. They’re not satisfied being good; they want to be great.”

Potter also got a second-place finish from Jayden Colon (145), a third from Tyler Guerra (138), a fourth from Brody Murray (170), and a seventh from AJ Marino (120).

“We knew this tournament would be a dogfight and coming into it we talked a lot about getting falls, getting majors, and getting bonus points, and the kids did a really good job of that,” Potter said.

Moline’s Noah Tapia scored the most team points in the tournament with 36, while Auburn’s Cole Edie and Koy Hopke of Amery, Wi were next, scoring 34 points apiece. Mount Carmel’s Lukas Tsirtsis had the most pins in the least amount of time, winning five matches by fall in a combined total of 8:15.

2022 Dvorak champions and finishers:

106: Dom Munaretto, St. Charles East

A week after winning an Ironman title, top-ranked Munaretto was voted outstanding wrestler of the Dvorak, after buzz-sawing his way through the field at 106.

A fall and a tech fall set up Munaretto’s semifinal against No. 2 Brayden Teunissen of Belvidere North. After winning his semifinal by tech fall, Munaretto was up 13-3 in the first period of his title match against Plainfield North’s No. 8 Maddox Garbis before winning by fall at 1:28.

Munaretto also posted the fastest tech fall of anyone in the tournament, in a time of 1:48.
Asked what his approach has been in building an 18-0 record thus far, Munaretto offered an explanation offered often by champions in the sport at every level.

“Keeping the pace high, keeping the pressure on, always being on them, and getting in their heads,” Munaretto said. “Constantly making them feel smothered. Never give them time to attack. Always coming at them.”

Other 106 place-winners: 3rd-Teunissen (Belvidere N.) 13-2 md. Marinopoulos (Marist);
5th-Tsirtsis (Mount Carmel) fall 1:08 Dyer (Cleveland, WI); 7th-Lowitzki (Prairie Ridge) 2-0 d. Hemmila (Loyola)

113: Seth Mendoza, Mount Carmel

The Mount Carmel sophomore improved to 18-2 in winning his second Dvorak title, courtesy of a 16-6 major decision on the title mat against Jacobs’ Dom Ducato (17-2).

Mendoza won a 3A state title at 106 last season and is ranked No. 1 at 113 this year, putting a target squarely on his back and the weight of high expectations on his shoulders.

A week after placing seventh at the Ironman tournament, Mendoza wanted to slightly tweak his approach to lining up in the circle.

“I was really looking forward to coming into this tournament, going out on the mat, and just having fun,” Mendoza said. “A lot of times if you put too much pressure on yourself, it’s no fun going out there. So going out and having fun is the biggest thing.”

Mendoza posted a tech fall and a fall before winning 9-1 in his semifinal against Aurora Christian’s Deven Casey (19-3), and entered his finals match vs. Ducato with one thing on his mind.

“Movement. That’s the big thing I’ve been working on,” Mendoza said. “Last week at the Ironman I didn’t do so well on that; I was too tense. So this week I wanted to chase instead of being chased.”

Other 113 place-winners: 3rd-Casey (Aurora Christian) 15-3 md. Walker (Cleveland, TN); 5th-Burke (Amery, WI) 7-4 d. Khiev (Glenbard North); 7th-Delpage (Plainfield N.) inj. R. Silva (Plainfield S.)

120: Massey Odiotti, Loyola Academy

Odiotti, top-ranked at 120 in 3A, scored the lone takedown of the match in the third period to win a 3-2 decision over Aurora Christian’s Josh Vazquez, ranked second in 2A at 120.

Odiotti and Vazquez had a history prior to Sunday’s title bout.

“I beat him last year at the Barrington tournament, and this year he beat me at Barrington in the finals,” Odiotti said.

“I knew his main offense was a single-leg to the left side so I had to make sure to circle away from that,” Odiotti said. “Then I just tried to get to my offense.”

A scoreless first period gave way to a Vazquez escape to start the second and a 1-0 lead heading into the third. Odiotti earned his escape point to tie it at 1-1 before earning the only takedown of the match.

“I had the wrist and I shot to a low-ankle,” Odiotti said. “I brought it to a high-crotch and finished high.”

One year after placing second in Illinois at 120, the Loyola senior improved to 17-3 with his finals win. Odiotti opened with a pair of pins before winning a 4-1 quarterfinal decision over Prairie Ridge’s Tyler Evans.

Odiotti then won his semifinal by major decision over Mount Carmel’s Damian Resendez to reach the title mat.

Other 120 place-winners: 3rd-Esteban (Marist) 10-3 d. Wardlow (Lockport); 5th-Marre (Glenbard N.) inj. Resendez (Mount Carmel); 7th-Marino (SC East) 9-4 d. Anderson (Amery, WI)

126: Ben Davino, St. Charles East

On the heels of winning an Ironman title last week, last year’s 3A state champion at 120  won his second Dvorak title with a second-period fall on the title mat against Dakota’s TJ Silva.

After going 37-1 last season in winning his state title and improving to 18-0 in Harlem on Sunday, Davino showed again that he’s the biggest roadblock on the road to anyone else seeking a state title at 126 this year.

“I’m just shoring everything up, being more dominant, and staying more composed,” Davino said. “I messed up a little bit in my semifinal match but I’m staying more composed and just having fun.”

Davino went into the tournament ranked No. 1 in 3A, and Silva is currently ranked No. 1 in 1A. Davino posted a fall and a tech fall before winning a 7-2 semifinal decision over Bentley Ellison of Cleveland, WI. He led 4-1 after a period against Silva, and led 9-2 before earning a takedown and a fall at 3:08 in the finals.

“I knew he was good but I knew I was the favorite,” said Davino.

Other 126 place-winners: 3rd-Ellison (Cleveland, WI) 8-3 d. Chavez (Glenbard N.); 5th-Amico (Plainfield N.) 13-12 d. Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey); 7th-Zimmerman (Lockport) fall 3:43 Meade (Prairie Ridge).

132: Tyson Peach, Milton WI

Dominant performances by nationally-ranked individuals are always fun to watch, but if it’s hard-fought nail-biter matches fans want, the Dvorak field at 132 had them from top to bottom.

Top-seeded Tyson Peach of Milton, WI and third-seeded Sean Larkin of St. Rita gave fans in Harlem one of the hardest-fought finals matches, with Peach (18-1) ultimately winning a 3-0 decision over Larkin (12-3) for the title.

In addition, all four of Peach’s tournament wins came by straight decision in a weight class rife with parity. Peach won a 4-2 semifinal decision over Marist’s Donavan Allen to reach the finals, and Larkin used a pair of straight decisions to reach the finals, including a 6-4 semifinal decision over Glenbard North’s Mikey Dibenedetto.

All three place matches, third-through-eighth, were also won by straight decisions.

Other 132 place-winners: 3rd-Wright (Jacobs) 6-2 d. Allen (Marist); 5th-Dibenedetto (Glenbard N.) 7-1 d. Ferguson (Yorkville); 7th-Williams (Marian) 6-4 d. Camacho (Bolingbrook).

138: Nasir Bailey, Rich Township

For Illinois wrestlers facing Bailey the rest of the season, and find him a little ornery and even harder to deal with on the mat, they can thank Brandon Cannon of Ponderosa, CO.

One year after Bailey won an individual Ironman title, Cannon beat him at last week’s Ironman title by sudden victory in their semifinal match.

“That loss helped propel me to try to take over and dominate more,” Bailey said. “Early-season matches are great for that reason — they’re something to learn from.”

Two top-ranked wrestlers in Bailey and Dakota’s Phoenix Blakely reached Sunday’s finals. Both are also returning state champions; Bailey won last year’s 3A state title at 132 and Blakely was the 1A state champ at 126.

With a little extra edge to his wrestling since last week’s Ironman loss, Bailey (22-1) handed Blakely (20-1) his first loss of the year with a 13-2 major decision to win his first Dvorak title as the lone Rich Township wrestler entered in the tournament.

Bailey led 5-0 after a period and 11-1 after two periods, riding Blakely for nearly the entire second period. One more third-period takedown by Bailey and a Blakely escape point in the third put an end to one dominant performance by the Rich Township senior.

“I feel like every match I compete in, I can go out and dominate,” Bailey said. “I always feel like the biggest competition is with myself.”

Other 138 place-winners: 3rd-Guerra (SC East) fall 1:04 Redington (Freeport); 5th-Kelly (Mount Carmel) 15-0 tf. Lemp (Wheaton N.); 7th-Gilliam (Glenbard N.) inj. Frydrychowski (Plainfield N.).

145: Noah Tapia, Moline

Top-ranked in 3A and unbeaten, Tapia (22-0) won a 6-4 decision over St. Charles East’s No. 2 Jayden Colon (16-3) to win his first Dvorak title.

Tapia burned a path to the title mat with four pins before locking horns with Colon on the title mat. Tapia pinned No. 4 Antonio Herrera in their semifinal to reach the finals.

Tapia and Colon wrestled before, and Tapia used it for fuel.

“I lost to him at Fargo, 6-3,” Tapia said. “I was too reserved the last time I wrestled him. This time I just let it loose. Any time I saw an opportunity, I went for it. I took shots and it worked.”

Tapia placed second in Illinois at 145 last year after a 3-1 decision on the title mat in Champaign against DeKalb’s Tommy Curran. Tapia finished third at last year’s Dvorak.

He’s at a different level this year and Tapia is shrugging off any pressure connected to the target on his back as one of Illinois’ No. 1-ranked wrestlers.

“If you’re feeling nervous, that’s when you’re more reactive,” Tapia said. “But when you get it in your head that you’re just going to let it fly, and whatever happens, happens, that’s when you can really start getting after it.”

Colon won by fall and tech fall before winning an 11-3 major decision in his semifinal match against Edwardsville’s Drew Landau.

Other 145 place-winners: 3rd-Alvarado (Belvidere N.) fall Landau (Edwardsville); 5th-Herrera (Marist) 18-7 md. Tenuta (Montini); 7th-Fitzgerald (Marian) 7-2 d. Kaminski (Lockport).

152: David Mayora, Montini

Ranked No. 1 at 152 in 2A, top-seeded Mayora won his first Dvorak title via 5-2 decision over Cleveland, Wisconsin’s Logan Fowler.

He knew next to nothing about the Wisconsin wrestler but then, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“I didn’t know what to expect and you don’t want to take anyone lightly, but I knew I was comfortable in my offense,” Mayora said. “I knew I could hand-fight and score and I feel like I’ve really improved my riding. So overall, I felt pretty good.”

Mayora (15-2) opened with a fall and a tech fall before winning a 7-3 decision quarterfinal decision over Hersey’s Parker Sena. He then won a 3-1 semifinal decision against Belvidere North’s Colin Young.

Mayora went up 3-2 with an escape to start the third period, then scored off a late shot taken in desperation by Fowler to end the match at 5-2.

“Last year I was really just an offense guy on my feet,” Mayora said “So it came down to ‘can I also be good in the two other aspects?’ So over the summer I focused on what I needed to and I came into this year a lot more solid and prepared.”

Other 152 place-winners: 3rd-Taythan Silva (Aurora Christian) 1-0 d. Young (Belvidere N.); 5th-Nilo (Milton, WI) 9-0 md. Butler (Crystal Lake C.); 7th-Struck (Marian) 10-6 d. Dado (Marist).

160: Ethan Stiles, Conant

Last year’s 152-pound state champion saw room for improvement at season’s end, and he addressed it.

“I was less aggressive last year. I’d play around and give (opponents) a chance to hang around in the match. That’s how I lost here last year,” Stiles said of last year’s second-place Dvorak finish, 7-3 to Aurora Christian’s Braden Stauffenberg. “I really changed that mindset this year. I want to make it undeniable that I can score. It’s all just a mindset.”

Top-seeded and top-ranked Stiles (10-0) posted a pin, a tech fall, and a major before winning by fall on the title mat Sunday, against Marian’s Max Astacio.

Astacio (15-5) upset second-seeded Cy Fowler of Cleveland, WI, by a 7-1 quarterfinal decision, then upset third-seeded Aaron Hernandez of Hersey in a 3-1 semifinal decision.

Leading 2-1 in the second period, Stiles took Astacio down and earned the fall at 2:16. Stiles also won an Ironman title a week earlier is wrestling with the maturity that a senior year often brings.

“You just can’t take anyone lightly — there are good people everywhere,” Stiles said. “I knew if I kept working hard and took this tournament as seriously as any other tournament, I’d have a good outcome. And now I’m looking forward to winning state for a third time.”

Other 160 place-winners: 3rd-Ericksen (Marist) inj. Hernandez (Hersey); 5th-Prater (Montini) 5-2 d. Fowler (Cleveland, TN); 7th-Lamonto (Lincoln-Way E.) 3-1 d. Gulino (Plainfield N.)

170: Chris Moore, McHenry

After dominating the field at Illinois’ toughest in-season tournament, McHenry’s Chris Moore gave voice to what might as well be the official motto of the sport, where wrestlers are sometimes content but never satisfied.

Moore admitted to feeling good after posting two tech falls, a pin, and a major decision, “but there are things that need to be worked on.” 

Moore (20-0), ranked second at 170 in 3A, went into this year’s Dvorak as that top seed and left no doubt about who the big dog in the field was.

Moore’s 17-6 major decision over Lincoln-Way East’s third-seeded Ari Zaeske (20-1) gave him his second Dvorak title. Zaeske opened with a pair of pins before winning a 4-2 decision over Marist’s second-seeded Jacob Liberatore to reach the title match.

Once there, a scoreless first period gave way to Moore unleashing his attack thereafter, en route to the win.

“You could say I was feeling him out (in the first period) but I was just trying to set up a good shot to take him down,” Moore said. “I feel healthier than last year, my body feels not as many injuries, and overall I’m just in better shape.”

Moore was a state runner-up at 160 last year, losing by sudden victory, 3-1, to Mount Carmel’s Colin Kelly. The two might well have squared off in a rematch at this year’s Dvorak but Kelly was out of the Caravan’s lineup. Moore beat Kelly 3-1 in their Dvorak title match last season.

Other 170 place-winners: 3rd-Zook (Yorkville) 9-0 md. Murray (SC East); 5th-Kubas (Libertyville) inj. J. Liberatore (Marist); 7th-Rosch (Wheaton N.) fall 5:22 Smith (Hononegah).

182: Brayden Thompson, Lockport

Nobody’s untouchable but Lockport’s Brayden Thompson makes a pretty good case for it.
After winning an Ironman title on Dec. 10, Thompson (21-0) had three pins and a major decision win to garner his second Dvorak title.

“Another tournament, another event I’m able to show my skills. I’m just grateful and thankful,” Thompson said. “I’m blessed to be able to wrestle.”

Thompson, top-ranked after winning a state title at 170 last year, capped his Dvorak title run at 182 by fall over Lucas Szymborski of Cleveland, WI.

“He’s a hard worker, a good leader in the room, and he’s not afraid to put it on the line,” Lockport coach Jameson Oster said. “He’s pretty self-sufficient at this point.”

Thompson feels like he improved in one specific area since last season.

“My mindset,” Thompson said. “I’ve been having that bullet-proof mindset, where it doesn’t really matter who steps on the mat with me. I’m very confident in my skills. After my Powerade tournament last year and then the undefeated run last year, that confidence just kept building.”

Other 182 place-winners: 3rd-Ingham (Avery, WI) fall :46 Jacobson (Mount Carmel); 5th-Cook (Wheaton N.) inj. Williams (Yorkville); 7th-Herbert (Loyola) 8-0 md. Phelan (Marist).

195: Aeodon Sinclair, Milton WI

The top seed at 195, Sinclair (12-0) posted a pair of falls on his way to the title mat, where her posted a 17-6 major decision over Grant Cook (16-1) of Amery, WI.

Other 195 place-winners: 3rd-Matulenko (Libertyville) 3-0 d. Janiak (Plainfield S.); 5th-Nolting (Lockport) inj. Breen (Mount Carmel); 7th-O’Rourke (Lincoln-Way E.) inj. Janeczko (Yorkville).

220: Koy Hopke, Amery WI

Hopke (18-0) was top-seeded at 220 and he pinned his way to a Dvorak title, culminating in a fall at 1:37 on the title mat against Dakota’s Noah Wenzel (17-2).

Hopke pinned Lincoln-Way East’s David Wuske in a quarterfinal match, then did the same against Libertyville’s Owen McGrory. None of Hopke’s four opponents made it out of the first period against him.

Second-seeded Wenzel is ranked No. 1 in 1A at 195, and he opened with a fall before winning a 1-0 decision over Marist’s Luke Liberatore. Wenzel then won 6-5 in his semifinal match against Yorkville’s third-seeded Ben Alvarez to reach the finals. Both Alvarez and Liberatore are ranked in the top 10 at 220 in 3A.

A runner-up finish at the formidable Dvorak is still a lofty feat, and Wenzel nearly didn’t get there.

“I wasn’t going to come to this tournament because I’m feeling a bit sick but there’s value in working through tough tournaments when you’re sick,” Wenzel said.

“It’s one of the bigger tournaments any team can go through. There are state champions that will lose at this tournament.”

Wenzel was happy for the lessons learned in Harlem against some of the top 220-pounders in 3A.
“Some of them, I just need to learn to bring my ‘A’ game from the beginning, and a lot of those it’s just keeping my head in the game where it needs to be,” Wenzel said. “It was a good experience.”

Other 220 place-winners: 3rd-Alvarez (Yorkville) 7-3 d. Calcutt (Loyola); 5th-McGrory (Libertyville) 6-4 d. Tovar (Plainfield N.); 7th-L. Liberatore (Marist) fall 3:54 Stary (Conant).

285: Cole Edie, Auburn

Cole Edie walked into the most prestigious in-season tournament in Illinois knowing next to nothing about the heavyweights he’d wrestle. Wrestling for Class 1A Auburn, with an enrollment of roughly 400 students, Edie and a small handful of teammates competed for the first time at the Illinois meat-grinder.
And Edie walked away with a Dvorak heavyweight title.

“It was a breathtaking experience knowing I was going to get to go there and wrestle the competition I was able to,” Edie said. “You don’t get to wrestle that level of competition very often.

“I was able to go out and improve every single match, do the things I’ve been working on all week, and I was getting better and better throughout the tournament.”

Edie finished a match away from placing in Champaign last year and has used that experience as a shovelful of coal tossed into the blast furnace of his motivation.

His coach likes the path Edie is on after Sunday’s heavyweight title bout in Harlem.

“I thought he turned a corner,” Auburn coach Matt Grimm said. “He started wrestling like we’ve been asking him to wrestle, in terms of heavyweight skills are concerned. Last year he thought he was a 106-pounder but this weekend he started wrestling like a heavyweight. He was physical and he got after it.”

Other 285 place-winners: 3rd-Mihalopoulos (Huntley) 6-3 d. Saavedra (McHenry); 5th-Cole (Round Lake) fall 1:32 Rull (Edwardsville); 7th-Sam (Plainfield N.) fall 1:24 Sauer (Jacobs).

By Patrick Z. McGavin

GLENVIEW – This is the team that Ryan Farwell always envisioned.

Injuries and the football team playing in the Class 7A state championship game meant the new Batavia boys wrestling coach had to wait to see his fully loaded team.

The 57th Russ Erb Tournament became the exhilarating showcase of what the Bulldogs were fully capable of.

“These guys are showing the work that they’re putting in,” Farwell said. “They’re coming in every day with the right attitude, and putting in a ton of effort.

“We only plan to build off of that right now.”

Batavia had seven finalists and five tournament champions in capturing its second consecutive team championship on Saturday.

The Bulldogs scored 209.50 points while Grant took second with 176 points and Schaumburg scored 170 points to finish third. Wauconda (155.5), Glenbrook South (152.5), Deerfield (147.5), St. Patrick (137), Oswego (100.5) and Sycamore (94.5) were next in the 20-team tournament.

Led by the five won by the Bulldogs, eight schools had individual champions.

“It’s a tough tournament, and we really like the format and coming here,” Farwell said.

“We are going to celebrate going back to back.”

Cael Andrews (145) and Kaden Fetterolf (152) symbolized the power of the Bulldogs’ attack.

The two undefeated wrestlers put on a show, underscoring Batavia’s star power.

The Class 2A state runner-up in the dual championship last season, Deerfield joined the field.

Aiden Cohen, who finished fifth in the state at 170 pounds last season, was named as the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler for the Warriors.

Deerfield and Schaumburg were the only other schools with multiple champions, with two each.

Wauconda, Sycamore, St. Patrick, Oswego and the host Titans had one champion apiece.

Runner-up Grant did not have an individual champion. The team matched Batavia with eight place finishers – three seconds, two thirds, two fourths and a fifth place. 

Here’s a breakdown of the Russ Erb Tournament champions and their weight classes:

106 – Gavin Rockey, Wauconda

Wauconda’s Gavin Rockey has the appropriate name.

He was stable, sharp and virtually untouchable in capturing the 106 individual championship.

Rockey (11-1) seized control with a first-period takedown for an 8-0 decision over Grant’s Vince Jasinski in the championship match.

He built his lead with a second-period reversal and two-point nearfall.

“I like to wrestle fast-paced,” he said. “I have been focusing on my neutral position and working on shooting a lot more and just being very offensive.”

He earned the title match with a fall in the quarterfinals and a 5-0 decision over Lane Tech’s Evan Coles in the semifinals.

Jasinski (16-3) posted two falls in capturing the lower bracket, pinning St. Patrick’s Daniel Goodwin in 1:20 in the semifinals.

In the third-place match, Goodwin defeated Coles 7-3. Oswego’s Jonny Theodor posted a fall of Wheeling’s David Perez for fifth place.

113 – Brady Phelps, Schaumburg

The riveting 113 championship match featured contrasting styles. 

Defending tournament champion Ino Garcia of Batavia is long and wiry.  

Schaumburg’s Brady Phelps is compact and powerful.

Fourth in the state last season at 106 pounds, Garcia returned to action this week following his recovery from a sprained MCL.

He is still finding his footing.

Phelps (18-0) earned a 2-1 victory by securing a reversal in the closing moments of the second period.

The first period ended scoreless.

“At the start of the period, I was just trying to get out,” Phelps said. “I knew he was pretty good on top, and he ended up catching a half. I knew if I tried shooting underneath, I could potentially get turned.

“I started rolling, and I caught a cast over, and I did it again, and I just posted an arm over head.”

Garcia (4-1) earned the escape with 50 seconds remaining. Phelps prevented the takedown to secure the victory.

Garcia showed little rust in his impressive return. He posted two first-period falls to reach the championship. 

Phelps registered two technical falls to capture the lower bracket

Wauconda’s Nate Randle beat Lane Tech’s Alex Valentin 6-4 for third place. Sycamore’s Tyler Lockhart defeated Lake Park’s Nick Merola 4-3 in overtime in finishing fifth.

120 – Callen Kirchner, Schaumburg

Schaumburg sophomore Callen Kirchner breaks the mold of his weight class.

At nearly 5-foot-10, he is wiry and long with a ridiculous wing span.

“I’m a really tall 120-pounder, and I like to get on top,” Kirchner said. “From there I can get to a lot of cradle actions where I can really take advantage of my length.”

Kirchner (18-1) captured the championship with a 16-1 win by technical fall at 5:21 of Grant’s Ethan Tarvin (14-2).

Kirchner utilized his reach to spectacular effect, deploying a quick takedown and three-point nearfall of the cradle for an 8-0 lead after the first period.

“I like to go for a lot of ankle picks when I am in neutral, and really use my long arms to my advantage,” Kirchner said.

Kirchner put the exclamation point on a dominant run that featured two first-period falls and a 10-2 major decision in the semifinals.

“It feels great being one of the younger guys in the bracket and being able to beat some good guys,” Kirchner said.

Tarvin posted two falls and a 13-2 major in the quarterfinals to reach the final.

St. Patrick’s Olin Walker earned third place with a 9-3 decision over Deerfield’s Jackson Palzet. Glenbrook South’s Marcus Santos pinned Batavia’ Jack Duraski to earn fifth place.

126 – Aidan Huck, Batavia

Batavia’s Aidan Huck initiated the run of back-to-back tournament champions with his fall over Deerfield’s Luke Reddy.

The defending champion at 113 pounds, Huck (18-2) created a hyper pace and speed that Reedy was virtually helpless to counter.

“Definitely getting that first takedown sets the tone,” Huck said. “I’m pretty sure that was the difference between me and my opponent.”

Huck took a 4-0 first period lead with a takedown and two-point back points.

His escape and three subsequent takedowns pushed his advantage out to 11-3 when he ended the match at 5:17.

“I wanted to take it slowly,” Huck said. “I took the perspective that I wanted to take the points and help the team.”

Huck had a fall and win by technical fall in his two preliminary bouts.

Reddy (8-4) posted two dominant wins by technical fall in capturing the lower bracket.

Grant’s Erik Rodriguez secured a fall in 3:18 over Lake Forest’s Julian Olenick in the third-place match. Oswego’s Brayden Swanson secured an 11-6 decision over Schaumburg’s Rocco Fontela for fifth place.

132 – Jordan Rasof, Deerfield

Deerfield’s Jordan Rasof had the most improbable and dramatic run of all.

He pulled a stunning comeback in the semifinals and rode that momentum for a 9-5 upset of Wauconda’s Cooper Daun, who was previously unbeaten, for the 132 championship.

“After the semifinals, I was a little nervous,” Rasof admitted.

He was down 8-2 against another previously-unbeaten opponent, Evanston’s Marco Terrizzi, early in the third period. 

Rasof flipped Terrizzi trying to execute a cradle and turned the tables for a stunning pin at 4:21.

And then Rasof pulled the comeback victory late in the second period against Daun (14-1).

Down 3-0, Rasof outmaneuvered Daun for the reversal and three-point nearfall for a 5-3 lead at the end of the second period.

“We got into a scramble there, and I thought I got the two earlier,” Rasof said. “I ended up in a chicken wing and I felt his toe right there.

“I said to myself, ‘That’s it.’”

He secured the victory with a three-point nearfall in the third period.

Rasof (14-3) had a win by technical fall and decision leading up to his match with Terrizzi.

Daun posted a fall, win by technical fall and major decision en route to the championship.

Glenbrook South’s Max Brown posted a fall in 4:23 of Terrizzi for third place. Grant’s Vinny Potempa captured fifth place with a fall in 3:51 over Schaumburg’s Iverson Cortes-Apolinar.

138 – Nico Karamaniolas, St. Patrick

St. Patrick’s Niko Karamaniolas defeated Marian Catholic’s Joey Baranski, who was forced to withdraw after a second-period injury, in the 138 championship.

After a scoreless opening period, Baranski (17-3) established a 3-0 advantage with an escape and takedown. 

Karamaniolas (9-0) caught Baranski on the reversal and Baranski suffered a chest injury and was not able to continue.

The Shamrocks junior had two falls and a decision in winning the lower bracket. Baranski had a win by technical fall, a fall and 5-0 decision over Evanston’s Eren Atac in the semifinals.

Lake Park’s Vince Merola secured third place with the fall in 3:45 over Grant’s Clayton Honaker. Wauconda’s Logan Andrews defeated Atac by 12-4 for fifth place.

145 – Cael Andrews, Batavia

Cael Andrews put on a clinic.

He has the ideal training partner in undefeated Kaden Fetterolf, a state finalist at 138 last season.

“We beat the crap out of each other,” Andrews said.

Andrews (21-0) showed explosive athleticism and a relentless pace in blitzing the field.

He turned the single leg into an art form with repeated examples of his proceeds in an 11-2 major decision over Wauconda’s Cole Porten in the 145 championship.

“I like to use my speed, push the tempo, and just dominant kids,” Andrews said.

“I like to show my full arsenal.”

Andrews posted two takedowns and a nearfall for a 6-1 first period lead.

“My style is about going out there with as much confidence as I could rack up,” Andrews said.

“I go in knowing I have really worked hard to beat everybody in the room.”

Andrews, who finished as a runner-up in the tournament last year, had two falls and a win by technical fall in the semifinals to capture the upper bracket.

Porten won by technical fall, injury default and an 8-3 decision over Grant’s Jack Lunardi in the semifinals.

Carmel’s Nicholas Asllani captured third place with a 0:22 fall over Lunardi. Evanston’s Declan Glascott was awarded fifth place by forfeit over Lake’s Will Steen.

152 – Kaden Fetterolf, Batavia

How dominant has Kaden Fetterolf been this season?

He has not been scored upon offensively—zero takedowns, reversals or near falls given up.

Second in the state last season at 138 pounds, Fetterolf demonstrated clinical mastery and complete command of craft.

In a showdown of perfect wrestlers, Fetterolf scored a 6-0 decision over Schaumburg’s Caden Kirchner for the 152 title.

He won the tournament at 138 pounds last year.

“Guys are a lot stronger than they used to be,” Fetterolf said. “My freshman year, I was down to 106 pounds, and it was a lot more speed and less strength.

“Now they’re getting a lot stronger, and I have to get used to that.”

Caden Kirchner (18-1) is formidable in his own right, lanky and rangy and supremely athletic.

Fetterolf posted takedowns in the first two periods and closed out the impressive performance with a late reversal. He had two falls and a 9-0 major decision in winning the upper bracket.

Caden Kirchner posted a win by technical fall, a first-period fall and a tough 5-3 decision over Lake Forest’s Seth Digby in the semifinals.

Sycamore’s Gus Cambier defeated Digby 7-2 in the third-place match. Wauconda’s Nick Cheshire won 11-1 over Oswego’s Colin O’Grady to earn fifth place.

160 – Zack Crawford, Sycamore

Just call Sycamore’s Zack Crawford the magician.

He pulled victory from apparent defeat with a remarkable closing sequence in his 7-6 victory over Glenbrook South’s Patrick Downing in the 160 title match.

In a dynamic and thrilling back and forth tilt, the two wrestlers threw haymakers at each other.

After exchanging reversals in the second period, Downing had a late takedown for a 6-4 late lead. But Crawford (12-0) had other ideas.

“I won this tournament last year, and I didn’t feel like coming in second,” Crawford said.

He secured an escape with 34 seconds remaining. Using a final burst of energy, he caught Downing for the winning takedown with just four seconds left in the match.

“I saw an opening and hit a roll,” Crawford said. “I saw it and got a shot in.”

Crawford won by fall and a medical forfeit to reach the championship.

Downing had two falls and a 7-0 decision in the quarterfinals to capture the lower bracket.

Schaumburg’s Logan Meyer posted a fall in 3:36 over St. Patrick’s Devin Nichol for third place. 

Wauconda’s Zac Johnson earned fifth place with a forfeit victory over Oswego’s Joey Griffin, who was injured Friday and unable to compete Saturday.

170 – Aiden Cohen, Deerfield

Few wrestlers match the intensity and verve of Deerfield’s Aiden Cohen.

“I definitely go out there and be dominant in every aspect,” Cohen said.

He knows how to put on a show, with flair and style, drawing on his explosive blend of power, speed, quickness and balance.

“Against the better guys, I always want to control the pace and rhythm of the match,” he said.

Earning the Most Outstanding Wrestler distinction, Cohen registered an impressive and commanding fall of Marian Catholic’s Lloyd Mills in 4:31 in the 170 title match.

Cohen (14-1) had five takedowns in the first period. He led 18-8 when he ended the match at 4:30 with the pin. He used two falls to reach the title match.

After winning by major decision and recording a win by technical fall, Mills (13-5) captured the lower bracket with a 7-6 decision over St. Patrick’s Gio Hernandez.

Glenbrook South’s Ilkin Badalov won a 9-0 major decision over Sycamore’s Cooper Bode for third. Hernandez earned a 9-3 decision over Lake’s Austin Gonzales in the fifth-place match.

182 – Jack Bronzy, Batavia

Batavia’s Jack Brozny has a bull-like center of gravity and toughness. 

He is hard to bring down, and tough to overpower in ties or turns.

Brozny flashed quickness, power and strength in his 8-3 championship victory at 182 over Buffalo Grove’s Vlad Fedorchenko.

With the exception of his first round fall, Brozny (13-4) worked the full six minutes with three straight hard-fought decisions.

He was methodical, precise and highly efficient.

After neither wrestler scored in the first period of the finals, Brozny briefly trailed after giving up an escape. His takedown and cradle produced a five-point swing.

Fedorchenko (14-3) posted three consecutive falls in winning the lower bracket.

Wauconda’s Sean Christensen recorded a fall in 5:07 over St. Patrick’s Jack Clancy for third place. For fifth, Schaumburg’s Jacob Acevedo pinned Glenbrook South’s Tony Prieto in 2:00.  

195 – Cruz Ibarra, Oswego

Oswego’s Cruz Ibarra is athletic and dynamic in space. He is also great in the tight quarters of wrestling.

A two-year starting quarterback for the Panthers, Ibarra utilizes his mobility, athleticism and toughness.

Ibarra earned his second consecutive tournament title with a 7-0 victory over Batavia’s Ben Brown in the 195 title match.

“That was really important for me to come back, and do this a second time in a great tournament like this,” Ibarra said.

Ibarra utilized a first period takedown and nearfall for a 4-0 advantage.

“I’m faster and quicker than most guys my size and I also have spent a lot of time working on the bottom,” Ibarra said.

Ibarra (13-1) had three falls in winning the lower bracket.

One of the Bulldogs’ football players getting his wrestling conditioning back, Brown used a late reversal for a 3-2 decision over Grant’s Cameron Lattimore in the semifinals.

Brown also had a fall and major decision in capturing the upper bracket.

Lattimore defeated Sycamore’s Gable Carrick by fall in 2:27 for third place. Buffalo Grove’s Caden Watson earned fifth place over Wheeling Erik Giron, who was disqualified.

220 – Asher Sheldon, Batavia

Batavia’s Asher Sheldon was probably the most surprised guy in the gym.

“I don’t throw that often and it was a surprise for everybody,” he said.

Sheldon posted the fastest championship victory with an 0:23 fall of St. Patrick’s Aiden Gomez.

He stunned Gomez with the throw and headlock to get the quick pin.

“It was just a setup that worked itself into place,” Sheldon said. “I wasn’t really going for anything.

“I was just feeling him out, and trying to get into my attack, and it just kind of happened.”

At 205 pounds, Sheldon (16-4) is lighter for his weight class. He uses that to his advantage.

“I wouldn’t say I am an offensive or defensive wrestler,” Sheldon said. “I know what I like, feeling the match out and going for doubles and singles.”

Sheldon had a first-period fall and 10-1 major decision in winning the lower bracket. 

Gomez (14-3) had a fall and a 7-3 semifinals decision over Buffalo Grove’s John Saracco to win the upper bracket.

Glenbrook South’s Alex Enkhbaatar defeated Deerfield’s Jordan Meyers by fall in 1:23 in the third-place match. Saracco pinned Wauconda’s Joe Scianna in 2:33 to claim fifth place.

285 – Drew Duffy, Glenbrook South

Drew Duffy brought some deep pride and satisfaction for the host program.

He outlasted Grant’s Ivan Hernandez 5-0 at 285 for the Titans’ only individual champion.

Duffy’s takedown in the first period provided a momentum swing he never relinquished.

“When you get into the finals of these big weight matches, in my view, it’s about who can score the first points,” Duffy said.

“I know once I have that guy down, there’s a super low chance of having a heavyweight getting up super quickly, so I use that to my advantage.”

Duffy (15-1) earned the finals appearance with two first-period falls.

“Obviously we take a lot of pride in hosting this tournament, and I really wanted to win,” Duffy said.

“I am a defensive lineman at heart, and I know how to use quick, explosive movements. Admittedly I’m not the most technical wrestler in the world. I like simple actions.”

Hernandez (12-6) posted consecutive falls in winning the lower bracket. 

Lake Forest’s Ruslan Martin won by fall in 3:38 over of Schaumburg’s Cesar Alvarez-Cuatepitzi in the third-place match. Batavia’s Kyle Peyton captured fifth place with a pin in 0:56 over Evanston’s Jaden Pagues.

By Curt Herron

PONTIAC – You can call them Andrew, you can call them Andrew/Sandburg/Stagg, you can call them District 230.

But however you wish to refer to the school, schools or school district that they compete for, the team that definitely made the biggest impression at Pontiac’s Munch Girls Invitational on Friday made it quite clear that they deserve to be referred to by another fitting name, champions.

Andrew, the name of the team with competitors from the three south suburban schools in Consolidated High School District 230, Victor J. Andrew, Carl Sandburg and Amos Alonzo Stagg, definitely made a name for themselves in the sport after claiming top honors at the 39-team competition that lasted for nearly seven hours and didn’t conclude until after 11 p.m.

The tournament was different this year since it was no longer held concurrently with the boys competition that has a long history in a community that’s renowned for hosting the oldest holiday boys basketball tournament in the nation, which it will do again later this month.

One week after taking first place at the Schaumburg Invite, District 230 beat the program that won the season-opening Normal Community Invite, Joliet Township co-op, which consists of athletes from Joliet Central and Joliet West, capturing the title by a 155-130.5 margin.

Richwoods edged Minooka 120-117 for third place while Homewood-Flossmoor (109), Batavia (107.5) and J. Sterling Morton co-op (101) filled up the next few positions and Geneseo, Normal West and Unity all tied for eighth place with 83 points.

Leading the way for coach Demeri Pajic’s champion squad were first-place finisher sophomore Emma Akpan (190), runners-up Sophia Figueroa (110) and Mickaela Keane (170), third-place finisher Katherine Cygan (120) and fifth-place finisher Layan Saleh (100). 

Athletes could also score in B division brackets from 120-140 and in those, sophomore Alyssa Keane took first at 135 B and Emily Nieto was second at 125 B. Although they didn’t medal, Charlianne Johnson (115) and Lana Shuaibi (130) both went 2-2 and added key team points.

“I definitely think that we’re a team to be reckoned with,” Pajic said. “Every time that we come in, I tell the girls that we’re the team to beat, so keep that confidence and keep that mindset up. I tell them every day that they’re the toughest workers in the room and don’t be discouraged if you think that someone is stronger because you are the tougher person. And I think that’s what they do in matches, they leave everything out there, and it shows, because that’s what happened today.

“They’re sisters, and they love it. Having the three schools, they bond even more and they get to meet new people. We have girls on the team that because of cultural background cannot be wrestling with boys. So we said that we’re going to run this girls team and it will only be girls because that’s why Title IX is here for us. It’s opening doors for these girls and breaking barriers. Wrestling is for anybody and it doesn’t matter when you start. It is for everybody.”

Coach Liz Short’s runner-up Joliet Township team had six individuals who were in the top six but were unable to capture any titles, losing all three of their championship matches.

Batavia and Homewood-Flossmoor were the only teams who were able to win more than one title with the Bulldogs getting titles from defending state champion and nationally-ranked junior Sydney Perry at 155 and had one of the seven freshmen that reached the top of the awards stand in one of the brackets, Lily Enos at 100.

Defending state champion Attalia Watson-Castro took top honors at 135 for Homewood-Flossmoor while the Vikings once again had two juniors who are returning placewinners battling for a title in the same division as Ini Odumosu beat teammate Jocelyn Williams in the 235 finals.

Another defending state champion fell on the title mat, but that was alright since Unity junior Lexi Ritchie met her friend Perry in an historic clash of two returning IHSA champions at 155 and Perry prevailed by a 10-6 score.

Other seniors who won titles were Normal West’s Angel Bateson (105), J. Sterling Morton’s Leilany De Leon (125) and Richwood’s Jaida Johnson (170). The only other junior to win a title was Geneseo’s Gia Ritter (140 B).

Sophomores who won championships were Jacksonville’s Alexis Seymour (120), Morton’s Karen Canchola (130) and Canton’s Katie Marvel (145).

In a very encouraging sign about the bright future of the sport, seven freshmen took first place in various divisions. Beside Enos, other freshmen who won tiles in the main bracket were Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon (110), Minooka’s Addison Cailteux (115) and Unity’s Anna Vasey (140).

Freshmen who took first in the B division were St. Joseph-Ogden’s Maddie Wells (120 B), Erie/Prophetstown’s Michelle Naftzger (125 B) and Ottawa’s Ava Weatherford (130 B).

While there were six falls in title matches in the 14 main brackets, the majority of the championship clashes were decisions, and several were still in doubt in the late stages of those matchups.

Seymour edged Joliet Catholic Academy’s Grace Laird, who won a title last week at the Dan Gable Donnybrook in Iowa, 10-9 at 120. Canchola claimed a 3-1 win over Canton’s Bri Putman at 130, Vasey won 7-4 over Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Taylor Owens at 140, Johnson claimed a 3-1 decision over Mickaela Keane at 170 and Odumosu won 1-0 over Williams at 235.  

Five individuals tied for the most team points with 28, Bateson (105), Cannon (110), De Leon (125), Marvel (145) and Seymour (120). Four others scored 26 points, Akpan (190), Enos (100), Odumosu (235) and Watson-Castro (135). Alyssa Keane (135 B) and Vasey (140) both scored 25 team points while Perry (155) collected 24.5 points.

The tournament was named in honor of Russ Munch, who started the competition while he was coaching at Pontiac and has been run for many seasons by Corey Christenson, who’s been a longtime coach at the school. Corey’s dad Curt, also coached at Pontiac and had a long stint at University High in Normal, and in 2000, he was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame.

Here’s a breakdown of the champions and weight classes at Pontiac’s Munch Invite:

Here’s a breakdown of the champions and weight classes at Pontiac’s Munch Invite:

100 – Lily Enos, Batavia

Lily Enos may only be a freshman, but she didn’t seem fazed by needing to beat two seniors in order to capture top honors at 100.

After recording a quick fall in her first match on the mats, the Batavia freshman claimed a 4-0 semifinals decision over the first girl to win a tournament title last year after the sport was recognized by the IHSA, Normal West senior Sammy Lehr, and then she recorded a fall in the title match in 1:40 over J. Sterling Morton senior Paris Flores, who was a state qualifier in the inaugural IHSA tournament. The freshman acknowledged that having one of the best wrestlers in the country on her team, Sydney Perry, helps to make everyone else that much better.

“This really is cool since I’ve been wrestling with Sydney since I was a little girl and I always looked up to her,” Enos said. “Now it’s fun that we’re teammates again and it’s fun seeing her coach all of the other girls. All of our teammates are basically first year beside me and Sydney and a couple of other girls. She’s just a big help and is always sharing her experiences. I’ve been wrestling up a weight a lot so that really helps me when I wrestle people my own weight, the challenge makes everything a little bit easier.”

Flores recorded two first-period falls, including one in 1:01 in the semifinals over Richwoods sophomore Marisol Perez, to advance to the championship mat. 

Lehr pinned Perez in 0:56 to claim third place. District 230 junior Layan Saleh bounced back from a quick fall in the quarterfinals to Lehr by getting three first-period falls in the consolation bracket to claim fifth place with a pin in 1:39 over Ottawa junior Akeisha Bermudo, who she beat by fall in the first round.

105 – Angel Bateson, Normal West

Angel Bateson kicked off her season in a good fashion when she won a title at the Normal Community Invite on the opening weekend.

The Normal West senior was equally impressive on Friday when she recorded two first-period falls, including one in 1:10 in the semifinals over Richwoods junior Alasia Do, to reach the 105 title mat, where she got a pin in 3:00 over Joliet Township sophomore Chloe Wong. 

Wong, who qualified for state last season, reached the title mat with two first-minute falls, including 0:54 in the semifinals over Romeoville junior Josefina Orozco.

Orozco bounced back from that semifinal loss to claim third place with a fall in 3:26 over Do. J. Sterling Morton sophomore Ariana Diaz was pinned by Bateson in the quarterfinals but got two first-period falls in the consolation bracket, with the last in 1:15, to claim fifth-place honors over Richwoods sophomore Maykala Parker-Taylor. 

110 – Sydney Cannon, Mt. Zion

On a day where young competitors were shining in title matches, Sydney Cannon was able to get the job done in the finals about as quickly as anyone else.

The Mt. Zion freshman, who was the only competitor for her school, needed just 0:26 to record a fall over District 230 sophomore Sophia Figueroa in the 110 title match. Cannon also got a fall in 32 seconds in the quarterfinals and 27 seconds in the semifinals against Minooka junior Brooklyn Doti, a state qualifier last season, to finish her run with three falls in 1:25.

“This was actually nice,” Cannon said. “This is my freshman year so coming into this I really didn’t know what to expect. So it was nice that I could wrestle hard and earn this. They (her teammates) push me a lot and have made me a lot stronger and I have to work a lot harder on my technique.”

Figueroa took a much different route getting to the finals, opening with a 6-4 win and then claiming a 5-0 decision over Richwoods senior Kyley Bair in the quarterfinals before getting a fall in 1:12 over Ottawa junior Kailee Lee in her semifinals match.

Doti needed just 16 seconds to get a fall over Lane to claim third place. Following her loss in her first match, Bair, who took sixth at state at 105 last year, recorded two falls before claiming a 12-0 major decision over Homewood-Flossmoor freshman London Gandy for fifth place.

115 – Addison Cailteux, Minooka

With four state qualifiers at 115, including three who were placewinners, the odds seemed to be rather long that a freshman like Addison Cailteux might be able to claim top honors.

But even though she faced a bracket featuring Morris junior Ella McDonnell (4th at 105), Joliet Township junior Eliana Paramo (5th at 115), Richwoods sophomore Isabella Motteler (6th at 115) and Homewood-Flossmoor sophomore Nina Hamm (115), the Minooka freshman was definitely up to the challenge, opening with a pin in 0:30 before beating McDonnell 9-4 in the semifinals and capping her run to the title with a 4-0 decision over Paramo in the title match to earn OWA honors for the lower weights.

“It was a tough weight class,” Cailteux said. “At first I was real nervous because I know that they placed at state or were state qualifiers and that’s pretty intimidating. I got my butt kicked by boys for four years so it’s pretty nice to be able to come here and I can compete now.”

Minooka coach Paige Schoolman was very impressed with the freshman’s performance against quality competition.

“Addie had a great tournament,” Schoolman said. “Winning a bracket with three returning All-staters as a freshman is impressive. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from Addie, she’s a great competitor and all-around athlete.

“We felt like all of our girls wrestled well  this weekend. The Tournament was a great showcase for women’s wrestling in Illinois.  We couldn’t be happier with the progress of this team in the state of girls wrestling in Illinois.”

Paramo, who opened the season with a title at Normal Community, won by technical fall in her opener before pinning Hamm in 1:43 and then getting a semifinals fall in 1:50 over Motteler

McDonnell recorded a fall in 3:59 over Motteler in the clash of returning placewinners for third place. Hamm used three first-period falls in the consolation bracket to take fifth, wrapping that place up with a pin in 0:31 over Pontiac freshman Samantha Fellers.

120 – Alexis Seymour, Jacksonville

Winning against a state qualifier in the semifinals and then beating another state qualifier who just won a multi-state tournament title in the finals is a tall task for anyone, but after falling one win shy of a medal at 115 a year, Alexis Seymour isn’t afraid of any challenges that she faces.

The Jacksonville sophomore followed two first-period falls with a pin in 2:10 over Homewood-Flossmoor senior Ava Anderson, who advanced to state last year, in the semifinals, and then captured a wild 10-9 decision over Joliet Catholic Academy sophomore Grace Laird, a state qualifier last year who won a title at the first Dan Gable Donnybrook girls invite last week.

Laird, who won top honors at 120 last weekend in Iowa, one of just two individuals from Illinois to do that, opened with an 11-8 decision in the quarterfinals and then won by fall in 2:56 over District 230 senior Katherine Cygan, who also was a state qualifier a year ago.

Cygan needed just 0:38 to record a fall over Anderson to capture third place. Deer Creek-Mackinaw senior Josie Barham responded to her loss to Laird by collecting a pair of first-period falls before capturing a 5-0 decision over Minooka sophomore Sophia Rausa, who also qualified for state last year, to take fifth place.

This was also the first weight of five consecutive ones where there was also a B bracket. St. Joseph-Ogden freshman Maddie Wells won by fall in 1:03 over Charleston freshman Morgan Smalhorn for first, Clinton sophomore Ariana Humes got a pin in 1:00 over Batavia freshman Natalie Lenart for third and Geneseo junior Gwen Burbridge won by fall in 3:52 over Deer Creek-Mackinaw freshman Cadence Martinez for fifth.

125 – Leilany De Leon, J. Sterling Morton

After placing sixth last year at 120, Leilany De Leon is clearly focused on achieving bigger and better things this season.

And the J. Sterling Morton senior is on a good path to doing that after recording three-straight pins in the first period to claim top honors at 125. She won by fall in 1:12 over Illinois Valley Central senior Breagan Lamb in the semifinals and became her team’s lone champion when she got a pin in 46 seconds over Kankakee senior Estefany Mendez in the title match. De Leon also won a title at Waukegan.

“Leilany is having an amazing start to her season,” Morton coach Fernando Arratia said. “She is wrestling with a lot of confidence and is growing with each passing week. This has been an exciting start for her, I know she is having a lot of fun out there.”

Mendez, a state qualifier last season, followed two first-period falls with an 11-0 major decision in the semifinals over Minooka senior Olivia Rojas.

Lamb claimed third place after recording a fall in 0:59 over Rojas. And in the fifth-place match, Richwoods senior Indhira Moore captured a 7-4 decision over Joliet Township sophomore Callie Crandall in a rematch of an opening-round match where Moore won 6-3. After falling to the eventual champ in the quarterfinals, Moore advanced with a pair of falls.

In the B bracket at 125, Erie/Prophetstown freshman Michelle Naftzger won by fall in 1:09 over District 230 sophomore Emily Nieto for first place. Batavia freshman Anabelle Guthke got a pin in 2:29 over Romeoville freshman Ariana Verara for third and Pontiac freshman Serenity DeFrees claimed fifth place over Macomb senior Roma Bride after getting a fall in 3:15.

130 – Karen Canchola, Morton

Karen Canchola added to a championship that she won the first weekend of the season at Normal Community with a second title in the 130 finals when she pulled out a 3-1 decision in the finals over Canton’s Bri Putman, who was a state qualifier a year ago. The pair also met up for the 135 title last month in Normal with Canchola claiming a 1-0 victory.

Morton sophomore Canchola, the lone individual representing her school, began her path to  another tournament title after getting a first-period fall and then claiming a 5-2 decision over Kankakee senior Alejandra Cornejo, who also was a state qualifier a year ago, in the semifinals.

Putman, a sophomore, followed an 8-3 victory in the quarterfinals with a 7-0 triumph over Seneca freshman Sammie Griesen in the semifinals. 

Cornejo claimed third place after recording a fall in 3:19 over Griesen. Unity senior Ava Vasey, the sister of 140 champion Anna Vasey and a state qualifier last season who was fifth at 132 in 2021 in the IWCOA, bounced back from a fall against Cornejo in the quarterfinals with two falls and a decision, claiming fifth place with a pin in 3:26 over Geneseo senior Phoebe Shoemaker.

In the B bracket at 130, Ottawa freshman Ava Weatherford won 8-6 over Normal West freshman Valarie Reed for first place while Richwoods sophomore Aliyah Cockfield took third with a fall in 2:46 over St. Joseph-Ogden sophomore Alexis Wirth. For fifth place, Jacksonville sophomore Hailey Dewitt won by fall in 0:52 over Rantoul junior Miranda Loosa.

135 – Attalia Watson-Castro, Homewood-Flossmoor

As one of the tournament’s defending state champions, most expected Attalia Watson-Castro to make another trip to the top of the awards stand at 135, the same weight class she captured a title at in the inaugural IHSA finals in Bloomington last season, and she did just that.

The Homewood-Flossmoor senior captured a 7-2 victory in the 135 finals over Canton sophomore Kinnley Smith to add to a title that she won at Normal Community to start the season. Watson-Castro recorded a pair of pins to advance to the title mat, claiming a win in the semifinals in 1:18 with a fall over Macomb sophomore Kelly Ladd.

Smith earned her spot in the finals after recording a first-period fall in the quarterfinals and getting a pin in 2:38 over J. Sterling Morton junior Faith Comas, who was a state qualifier last season, in the semifinals. She also met Watson-Castro in the finals at Normal Community to open this season and lost by fall.

Ladd, who also qualified for state last season, recorded a fall in 2:58 over Comas to claim third place. In the fifth-place match, Geneseo junior Grace Schilling bounced back from a fall in the  quarterfinals against Smith to win three-straight first-period falls in the consolation bracket, with the last being in 1:10 over Batavia junior Amelia Howell to claim fifth place.

District 230 sophomore Alyssa Keane, a state qualifier last season, took first in the 135 B bracket with a 15-1 major decision over Joliet Township senior Ana Franco. Minooka junior Eva Beck won with a fall in 1:15 over Unity freshman Claire Zoms to take third and Morris freshman Madison Lauterbach got a fall in 2:29 over Richwoods sophomore Mona Johnson to place fifth.

140 – Anna Vasey, Unity

Anna Vasey continued the run of freshman success in the finals of the Munch Invite when she captured a 7-4 decision over Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Taylor Owens in the 140 finals.

The Unity freshman, whose senior sister Ava qualified for state last season, recorded a fall in her quarterfinals match before capturing a 10-2 major decision over Erie/Prophetstown sophomore Jayda Rosenow, a returning state qualifier, in the semifinals.

Owens used a pair of falls to advance to the title mat, getting a pin in 2:18 over Minooka sophomore Hayla Hammer in the semifinals.

Hammer prevailed 12-11 over Rosenow in the third-place match. And in the fifth-place match, Kankakee junior Makayla Jones bounced back from a quarterfinals fall against Vasey with two falls before capturing a 13-4 major decision over Richwoods senior Nakiza Williams for fifth.

In the B bracket at 140, Geneseo junior Gia Ritter won by fall in 1:32 over Macomb sophomore Ava Clayton for first place. Batavia sophomore Lyn Codo-Prim won by fall in 3:24 over Normal West freshman Brandy Aguirre-Cruz for third and Decatur Lutheran freshman Lilly Roughton got a fall in 0:46 over J. Sterling Morton freshman Isabel Blanco to finish fifth. 

145 – Katie Marvel, Canton

After earning a trip to the first IHSA finals a year ago and falling a bit short of earning a medal there, Katie Marvel is looking to make a trip to the awards stand at state this season.

The Canton sophomore should feel better about her chances by claiming top honors at 145 in the Munch Invite after recording a fall in 2:51 in the finals over Olympia/Heyworth junior Jordan Bicknell, who also qualified for state a year ago. After winning a 6-4 decision in the quarterfinals, Marvel advanced to the title mat with a fall in 1:36 over Minooka junior Isabella Cyrkiel.

“It was amazing,” Marvel said. “I started at 155 and four days ago I started cutting 10 pounds,” Marvel said. “I was definitely a little scared in the quarterfinals match. I’m so excited about the next few years. During the summer I started going to offseason practices and I was lifting weights during the football season and I think that helped me,”

Following a 13-8 decision in her opener in the quarterfinals, Bicknell recorded a fall in 1:36 over Bloomington freshman Alicia Swank in the semifinals to reach the title mat.

Cyrkiel closed on a high note when she won an 11-1 major decision over Swank to claim third place. Fifth-place honors went to Geneseo junior Alyssa Juarez, who lost 6-4 to Marvel in the quarterfinals and then recorded three-straight falls, with the last one coming in 3:34 over Charleston junior Mackensie Williams in her final match.

155 – Sydney Perry, Batavia

Among the many exciting highlights of the initial year of the Munch Invite being a one-day girls tournament was the likely meeting of two athletes who are not only among the best in Illinois, but also throughout the nation, Sydney Perry and Lexi Ritchie.

In one of the first instances in the sport where two state champs met in a tournament, the juniors put on a good show for the spectators and Batavia’s Perry, last year’s first 145 champion, beat Unity’s Ritchie, who won the initial title at 155, by a 10-6 score in the 155 finals. 

That capped a day where Perry won by technical fall in the quarterfinals before capturing a 17-4 major decision over Minooka senior Jaiden Moody and then beating Ritchie to earn the OWA for the upper weights. The Bulldogs standout, who also won a title this season at Larkin, was an IWCOA champion at 132 in 2021.

Ritchie, who opened with a fall before winning 9-1 in the quarterfinals and then recorded a fall in 1:50 in the semifinals over Minooka senior Dylanie Cecala, put up a good fight against Perry, her longtime friend and teammate from Team Illinois. Ritchie also placed second at 152 in 2021 in the IWCOA finals.

Moody claimed a 1-0 decision over Cecala in a matchup of seniors from Minooka in the third-place match. Richwoods junior Kaila Williams, who lost 4-1 to Moody in the first round, finished with three wins, capping things with two falls in 0:41, with the last of those coming in the fifth-place match against another Minooka athlete, junior Abbey Boersma.

170 – Jaida Johnson, Richwoods

When an athlete like Jaida Johnson finishes in second place in the IHSA finals, there’s only one thing that she’s focused on, and it’s working as hard as possible in order to take the next step.

The Richwoods senior had to gut out a narrow victory to win the title of the Normal Community Invite to start the year and she needed to do the same in the 170 finals on Friday, and that’s just what she did by capturing a 3-1 victory over District 230 senior Mickaela Keane. Johnson, who placed second to Lexi Ritchie at 155 in the inaugural IHSA finals and was third at 170 in the IWCOA finals in 2021, followed a fall in 0:23 in the quarterfinals with a 6-3 decision over Homewood-Flossmoor junior Keyhanna Phillips in the semifinals.

“Almost everyone on the team placed, so that was great,” Johnson said. “I’m very proud of everyone. From my first tournament, we’ve gotten a lot better. We’ve put in a lot of work and have practiced hard every day.”

“Jadia started wrestling with our boys team as a freshman and was an IWCOA third-place finisher at 155 pounds,” Richwoods coach Rob Penney said. “Last year she placed second at 155 pounds in the first IHSA tournament. She is currently undefeated and 7-0 in her junior year. She is a cheerleader and plays basketball in the offseason. She attends high school and junior college, working on a dual degree program.”

Keane, who fell one win shy of a medal last year at state at 190, followed a 6-2 decision in the quarterfinals with a dramatic 7-5 win by sudden victory in the semifinals over Joliet Township senior Nydia Martinez to earn her spot on the title mat.

Martinez claimed third place with a fall in 1:36 over Phillips. And in the fifth-place match, Macomb junior Sifa Feruzi bounced back from an opening-round loss by recording a pair of falls and then capturing a 4-3 decision over Minooka senior Sidney Ray.

190 – Emma Akpan, District 230

Emma Akpan only had to step onto the mat twice in pursuit of a title at 190 and the District 230 sophomore made the most of the brief opportunities to record two falls which assured her of being the lone champion for her team on a day that they won the title by 24.5 points.

Akpan, who was a state qualifier in last year’s inaugural IHSA finals, followed a fall in 3:22 in the semifinals over Joliet Township senior Alexa Latham with a pin in 51 seconds in the 190 title match over Macomb freshman Avery Lundgren.

“I was in a funk for my first bit of wrestling,” Akpan said. “I got sick and won my first match but then I lost two more since I wasn’t feeling good. I finally got out of that funk and it feels really good. I’ve never got a medal in this sport.”

Lundgren followed up on a 7-2 quarterfinals victory by recording a fall in 3:22 in the semifinals over Joliet Catholic Academy freshman Ali Jakovich to earn her spot in the 190 finals.

Latham captured third place by recording a fall in 0:41 over Jakovich in a meeting of two athletes from Joliet schools. J. Sterling Morton sophomore Violet Mayo, who won a title at Waukegan, responded to a quarterfinals loss to Lundgren with a pair of two-point decisions, beating Triad freshman Claire Boehne 7-5 to claim fifth place.

235 – Ini Odumosu, Homewood- Flossmoor

When Ini Odumosu opened the season with a title win at 235 in the Normal Community Invite, she had to meet up with teammate Jocelyn Williams to determine the champion and Odumosu prevailed with a 5-0 decision.

It was the same scenario on Friday when two Homewood-Flossmoor juniors, who are returning placewinners, had to meet again for top honors at 235 and this time the result was closer as Odumosu, who took fifth at state at 190 a year ago, won 1-0 over Williams, to cap a day where she also had two falls, pinning Minooka senior Peyton Kueltzo in 3:22 in the semifinals.

With Odumosu expected to go to 190, that gives both Vikings the chance to not only advance to the title mat as they’ve done twice already, now Williams, who finished fourth at 235 last season, can also win some titles. She followed a pin in 0:44 with a 2-0 decision in the semifinals over Unity freshman Phoenix Molina.

Molina won a 6-0 decision over Kueltzo, a returning state qualifier, in the third-place match. After getting pinned in the quarterfinals, Ottawa freshman Juiliana Thrush recorded three-straight falls, pinning J. Sterling Morton junior Sofia De La Sancha in 0:53 to finish fifth.

Editor’s note: Due to technical issues, some of the interviews that were conducted on Friday could not be transcribed due to files containing multiple interviews. 

By Curt Herron

PARK RIDGE – Maine East rightly has great pride that the Mejoe Hernandez Girls Wrestling tournament was one of the first of its kind in the state.

But this year there was a twist to the competition as the boys tournament that also ran on the same day didn’t take place so that the emphasis could be just on the girls.

A total of 27 teams were on hand for the competition in Park Ridge and those in attendance got the opportunity to see many individuals who have placed high at state before as well as several promising newcomers to the sport.

In a competition where no team scores were kept, Huntley had the biggest day as far as maximizing its finalists into champions was concerned and the Red Raiders were the only team in the field to have multiple champions, receiving titles from each of their three finalists.

Huntley came into the competition on a high note after it took eighth place at last weekend’s first-ever Dan Gable Donnybrook Girls Tournament, which took place in Coralville, Iowa. The Red Raiders were the top-finishing team from Illinois and had several high-placing individuals.

Winning championships for Huntley in the Hernandez Invite were Janaiah Slaughter (100), Aubrie Rohrbacher (130) and Jessica Olson (140). West Aurora also sent three individuals to title matches, but had just one champion, Brittney Moran (190).

Others who captured championships were Elgin’s Mali Patino (105), Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller (110), Maine South’s Angela Lee (115), Hoffman Estates’ Sophia Ball (120) and Waukegan’s Noelani Rodriguez (125).

Also winning titles were Niles West’s Al Ghala Mariam Al Radi (140), Ridgewood’s Hailey Seggeling (145), Burlington Central’s Jada Hall (155), Larkin’s Maria Ferrer (170) and Rickover Naval Academy’s Jasmine Mejia (235).

The winners of the two highest weight classes, Ferrer and Mejia, repeated as champions.

The tournament is named for the school’s former head coach, Emiliano Hernandez, who was on hand to assist Blue Demons coaches Lizeth Torres and Austin Bautista, who competed for him.

Here’s a breakdown of the champions and their weight classes from Maine East’s Mejoe Hernandez Girls Tournament:

100 – Janiah Slaughter, Huntley

As a running back, Janiah Slaughter knows how to get the ball rolling, and she did just that for Huntley in the finals when she became the first of the Red Raiders’ three champions after winning by decision over Rickover Naval Academy’s Mia Vazquez in the 100 finals.

Slaughter, a freshman who took third place at 100 in the Dan Gable Donnybrook, her team’s best showing and the third-best finish by an Illinois athlete, got a fall in her opener and then captured a major decision over Round Lake’s Riley Kongkaeow in the semifinals.

“I got third and it was a good experience for everybody,” Slaughter said of the Donnybrook. “Everybody came together and we were all one and everybody was cheering for each other, it was like a big old family. Everybody pushes each other and helps each other. I’ve worked on my conditioning and I do football and I’m a running back for Huntley, so this is no big deal. I’m excited that they’ve put a girls team in. I’m very excited.”

Vazquez, a sophomore, became the first of two Lady Sea Dragons to reach the title mat, advancing to the finals with two falls, pinning Hoffman Estates’ Sofia Matias in the semifinals.

Kongkaeow, who won a title at Niles West, captured third place with a fall over Matias. Lane Tech’s Sofia Guerrero took fifth place with a fall over Conant’s Nallely Zaragoza, her second fall in the consolation bracket after losing to Slaughter in her opener.

105 – Mali Patino, Elgin

Mali Patino was the top performer for Elgin, not only becoming the lone Maroon to reach the title mat but also making them one of the 12 teams in the tournament that had a champion.

Patino, a sophomore who is experienced in several sports, opened with a fall and followed with a win by technical fall over Round Lake’s Leslie Jimenez-Chavez in the semifinals. In the championship match at 105, she won by a decision over Maine East’s Eliana Badeen.

“I’m really excited because this is my first year,” Patino said. “But I’ve done similar sports so I have some knowledge of what I’m doing, like jiu-jitsu, muay Thai and boxing, a lot of mixed martial arts. Last year there were only like four girls total on our team and now there’s 10. It’s really fun to see how many other girls out there want to do wrestling.”

Badeen, a freshman, opened with a fall before advancing with a win by forfeit over Round Lake’s Vianey Hernandez. She was one of two Blue Demons who reached the title mat.

In the third-place match, Jimenez-Chavez won by forfeit. Huntley’s Valeria Sanche took fifth place after capturing a major decision over Vernon Hills’ Hanna Lee.

110 – Harlee Hiller, Loyola Academy

Harlee Hiller was very efficient in capturing a championship for Loyola Academy, opening with a pair of falls before winning the title with a win by technical fall.

The Ramblers sophomore, who competed in judo for many years and placed third at 105 last season in the IHSA finals, was a winner by fall over Huntley’s Taylor Casey in the semifinals and then won by technical fall over Burlington Central’s Tori Macias in the 110 title match.

“It’s just really cool to be part of this,” Hiller said. “There’s a lot of boys that I get to train with so I’ve gotten so much tougher and stronger from it,. Being a part of that has made me a lot better because I get to train really hard every day. So even if I get up by them, it makes me really tough. It’s so exciting to see how many girls there are that are wrestling, it’s really cool. I’ve been working on trying to get my shots off, because I usually throw a lot more. This is only my second year of wrestling but I’m still trying to get used to it, since I did judo.”

Macias, a sophomore who took fourth at 110 at state, used two falls to reach the 110 finals, pinning Addison Trail’s Veronica Cosio to become one of the two Rockets on the title mat.

Casey, who was a state qualifier last season, was a winner by decision over Cosio in the third-place match. And Conant’s Sam Macek used a pair of falls in the consolation bracket, with the last one over Harvard’s Alexa Herrera, to claim fifth place.

115 – Angela Lee, Maine South

Angela Lee is definitely on a roll, capturing her third tournament championship in three tries.

The Maine South senior added to title wins at Niles West and Waukegan with first place at 115 at Maine East after winning all four of her matches by fall, pinning Huntley’s Addison Drews in the semifinals and then getting a fall in the finals over Round Lake’s Ireland McCain.

“This is a big opportunity and I’m glad to be a part of it,” Lee said. “The numbers are growing by the minute and it’s good to see a lot of girls stepping up to the challenge and they want to be a part of this sport. There’s a lot of people that are putting in hard work and personally, I can’t wait to face more tough girls so that I can get better matches in. We have an official girls team this year and I’m glad that I’m able to be a part of that.”

McCain, a sophomore who took fifth at state at 120 last season, also recorded three falls to reach the title mat, pinning Addison Trail’s Nina Matthews in the semifinals.

Matthews won by fall over Drews to claim third place in the competition. Burlington Central’s Ruby Vences lost to Lee in the quarterfinals but responded with two falls, pinning Taft’s Michaela Yu to capture fifth place.

120 – Sophia Bell, Hoffman Estates

After falling one win shy of a state medal at 115 in the inaugural IHSA finals, Sophia Ball is determined to place herself on the awards stand this season.

The Hoffman Estates sophomore won all four of her matches by fall to claim top honors at 120. She pinned Elgin’s Salome Patino Dyson to advance to the title mat, where she won by fall over Addison Trail’s Lluvia Sanchez-Galvan.

“This sport is really growing, and that’s really fun,” Bell said. “I’ve just been trying to improve on my skills and helping the team out. The team is growing a lot and we actually had our first full team last year so this year is bigger. It feels like we’re all a big, happy family. I’ve definitely worked on my takedowns and think I’ve done a good job working on them.”

Sanchez-Galvan also earned her spot in the title match with three falls. She became the lone Blazer to compete for a championship after pinning Conant’s Beth Ciavarella in the semifinals.

Patino Dyson claimed third place with a win by fall over Ciavarella. And in the fifth-place match, Lane Tech’s Nyah Lovis bounced back from opening-round loss to Ball with two falls, pinning West Chicago’s Alyssa Elizondo in the fifth-place match.

125 – Noelani Rodriguez, Waukegan

Noelani Rodriguez has big plans for this season after getting to be a state qualifier in the inaugural IHSA tournament.

So far, the Waukegan junior is off to a good start of accomplishing more after winning her second tournament of the season. Now she can add a title at the Hernandez Invite to the one she won in her own school’s invite after recording three-straight falls, pinning Addison Trail’s Britanny Mondragon in the semifinals and Hoffman Estates’ Emmy O’Brien in the 125 finals.

“It was pretty cool,” Rodriguez said. “I work with the boys since we only have three girls and that gives us a really good opportunity. It’s really nice to gamble on yourself, just to involve yourself in all of this. It’s exactly why I jumped at it, because there’s new opportunities, especially for college. I’ve worked on my conditioning and just having a mindset of believing in yourself and I think that confidence goes a long way.”

O’Brien, a junior who also was a state qualifier a year ago and won a title at Niles West earlier this season, also recorded three falls to reach the title mat, pinning Burlington Central’s Eli Kruse in the semifinals.

Kruse, a senior who won a title at Larkin last week, claimed third place after getting a fall over Mondragon. Conant’s Brooklyn Jones bounced back from a first-round loss to win a decision before claiming fifth place by forfeit over Hoffman Estates’ Kayla Alvarado.

130 – Aubrie Rohrbacher, Huntley

Aubrie Rohrbacher made it 2-for-2 for Huntley on the title mat when she used three falls and a decision to capture top honors at 130.

Rohrbacher, who took ninth at the Dan Gable Donnybrook last week, used three falls and a decision to reach the title mat. She pinned Hoffman Estates’ Eunice Ji in the semifinals and won the title with a fall over Maine East’s Miriam Lupu.

“It was awesome,” Rohrbacher said of the Donnybrook. “Everybody was really supportive and very loud on the side of the mat, and it was great to hear that while I was wrestling. So wrestling for my first year, this is very awesome and it’s exhilarating. Everyone just gets along so well. It’s awesome that girls get to participate in sports like this. I’ve worked on listening to my coaches when they’re on the side of the mat, so if I’m stuck, I know what to do. And I listen to my teammates a lot when they cheer me up because mentally that plays a big part of the game.”

Lupu, a senior who was one of the host’s two finalists, recorded three falls to reach the title match, pinning Downers Grove South’s Alison Garcia in the semifinals.

Ji claimed third place with a fall over Garcia. And in the fifth-place match, Burlington Central’s Soraya Walikonis recorded her third fall of the day, pinning Conant’s Ewa Krupa, who won a title at Larkin, in her final match.

135 – Al Ghala Mariam Al Radi, Niles West

Al Ghala Mariam Al Radi is 3-for-3 in tournaments won after claiming top honors at 135 to go along with previous titles at her school’s invite as well as last week at Larkin.

The Niles West senior, who finished third at 135 in the IHSA finals and fourth in the IWCOA at 138 in 2021, had two wins by technical fall and one by major decision to win the 135 title. She beat Larkin’s Mia Reyes by major decision in the semifinals and won by technical fall over Conant’s Mannie Anderson in the title match.

Anderson, a senior who’s won titles at Larkin and at Niles West and took sixth place last year at 135 and sixth in the IWCOA at 126 in 2021, opened with a fall before capturing a decision in the semifinals over Hoffman Estates’ Abby Ji.

Ji, who was a state qualifier a year ago, recorded a fall over Reyes to claim third place. Addison Trail’s Madeline Beltran had two falls in the consolation bracket with the last of those coming over Oak Park and River Forest’s Mayan Alwaeli in the fifth-place match.

140 – Jessica Olson, Huntley

Jessica Olson capped a 3-0 day on the title mat for Huntley when she claimed top honors at 140 with a major decision over Vernon Hills’ Fernanda Davila.

Olson, a junior who took fourth at 140 at the Dan Gable Donnybrook to help the Red Raiders finish eighth, opened with two falls and pinned Round Lake’s Brianna Perez in the semifinals.

“One hundred percent it helped me here because there were a lot of good wrestlers there,” Olson said of the Donnybrook. “One of the girls in my group had been wrestling for nine years. You can tell that our coaches love the sport and they love to teach it. They’re just so passionate about wrestling. I’ve just been working on technique and on cardio, which goes a long ways and helps a lot for wrestling.”

Davila, a senior, followed a fall in the quarterfinals with a decision over Hoffman Estates’ Gianna Rossi to advance to the title mat.

Rossi won a decision over Perez to claim third place. And Oak Park and River Forest’s Lyra Schaafsma claimed fifth after recording a fall over Rickover Naval Academy’s Joceliyn Quilly.

145 – Hailey Seggeling, Ridgewood

Hailey Seggeling turned in a dominating performance by recording four falls to capture top honors at 145 at the Hernandez Invite.

Becoming Ridgewood’s lone individual to reach the title mat, she pinned Hoffman Estates’ Annie Rakoci in the semifinals and then won by fall over Conant’s Jasmine Zavaleta in the finals.

Zavaleta, a freshman, followed up on a decision with a pin in the semifinals over Evanston’s Natalie Graettinger to become the second Cougar to reach the title mat.

Rakoci recorded a fall over Graettinger in the third-place match. And for fifth place, Grayslake North’s Quinna Sheets followed a fall with a decision over West Aurora’s Karma Gomez.

155 – Jada Hall, Burlington Central

Jada Hall capped a good day for Burlington Central by becoming its second finalist and first title winner when she claimed top honors at 155.

Hall, a junior who also won a title at Larkin, got a fall in the semifinals over Evanston’s Marlowe Lang and then won a major decision over Grayslake North’s Rebekah Monciviaz in the finals.

Monciviaz, a senior, recorded three falls to reach the title mat, pinning Hoffman Estates’ Nikki Hubbard in the semifinals, to become the lone Knight to compete for a championship.

Hubbard won by fall over Lang to claim third place. And in the fifth-place match, Rickover Naval Academy’s Camilla Martinez recorded a fall over Addison Trail’s Mia Santana.

170 – Maria Ferrer, Larkin

Maria Ferrer experienced the excitement of winning the IWCOA title at 170 in 2021 and then took fourth last season at 170 in the first IHSA finals.

The Larkin senior wouldn’t mind getting back to the top of the podium this season and looked impressive by winning the 170 title with four falls, pinning Rickover Naval Academy’s Clara Biela in the semifinals and winning by fall over West Aurora’s Ionicca Rivera in the finals. She was one of two individuals who repeated as champions.

“I have seen a lot more competition,” Ferrer said. “I’ve seen a lot of first-years that are really keeping it together. They’re fighting hard, even though this is their first year, so I’m really impressed. This is a new generation so we should support them. This is amazing.”

Rivera, a junior who fell one win shy of a state medal at 170 last season, won titles at Niles West and Larkin. Rivera also rolled into the title match with three-consecutive falls, pinning Huntley’s Gretchen Sweeny in the semifinals.

Biela recorded a fall to claim third place over Sweeny. And in the fifth-place match, Maine South’s Angelina Guanajuato captured a decision over Waukegan’s Jennifer Perez.

190 – Brittney Moran, West Aurora

After placing sixth at 190 a year ago in the first IHSA finals, Brittney Moran wants to move up the awards stand this year at state.

Moran, a sophomore who also won a title at Niles West, followed a win by disqualification with three falls, pinning Hoffman Estates’ Anji Gonzalez in the semifinals and Oak Park and River Forest’s Trinity White in the 190 title match.

White, a junior who placed fifth at 170 last year and was second in the IWCOA at 160 in 2021, recorded two falls to reach the title mat, pinning Evanston’s Ashland Henson in the semifinals.

Gonzalez, a sophomore who won a title at Niles West, captured third place with a fall over Henson. And for fifth, Oak Park and River Forest got another medalist at 190 as Tamera Erving won by fall over Addison Trail’s Elizabeth Vilasenor.

235 – Jasmine Mejia, Rickover Naval Academy

Jasmine Mejia capped a successful day for Rickover Naval Academy as she became its second finalist and initial champion after taking first at 235.

Mejia, a sophomore, recorded a pair of falls, pinning Ridgewood’s Medina Kadic in the semifinals and West Aurora’s Cece Rubio in the finals to make the Lady Sea Dragons one of the 12 teams that captured a Hernandez Invite title. She joins Larkin’s 170 champion Maria Ferrer as the only two title winners that also claimed first-place finishes last year.

“Women’s wrestling has grown a lot since last year,” Mejia said. “Last year I came to this tournament and there were three heavyweights and now we’ve doubled. I think we’re coming really far as a sport and as the years go on, it will continue to get harder and more challenging. As they’re adding cities, and when they add Chicago, the competition will grow a lot more.”

Rubio, a senior, recorded a fall and then won by forfeit over Taft’s Kennedi Atkocaitis to become the Blackhawks’ third individual to reach the title mat, all in the final three weight classes.

Kadic won third place by default over Atkocaitis while in the fifth-place match, Downers Grove South’s Brianna Fellows won by fall over West Chicago’s Alyssa Schliephake.

by Mike Garofola

Even when Dan Keller’s lineup was not complete – it still was able to stay within close distance of eventual champ Hersey at Barrington’s Moore-Prettyman on Thanksgiving weekend.

Saturday afternoon at Jean Walker Fieldhouse in Mt. Prospect, the Knights — now with its lineup at near full strength — proved to have far too much firepower for the field as it easily claimed the top prize at the 62nd Mudge-McMorrow Invitational.

The Knights used five individual champions and four other top-three medal winners to collect 253 overall points, to run away from its nearest challenger, reigning 2A state champion, Joliet Catholic Academy (186.5).

Joliet Catholic placed second despite having its No. 1 trio of Gylon Sims, Mason Alessio, and big man Dillon Johnson all competing at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on Saturday.

Libertyville finished in third with 158.5 points, with McHenry (119.5) and Grayslake Central (115) both off the pace to round out the top five.

“It’s good to see us finally getting everyone back healthy and close to being aa hundred percent,” Keller said. “We’ve seen the intensity in the room improve two-fold, and the work rate just as impressive. But the guys know there’s a lot of wrestling ahead of us, which means more hard work for everyone.”

Prospect senior Will Baysingar also likes the way his Knights are rounding into form.

“I really like the way this team is beginning to come together from top to bottom, and I’m really anxious to see how we perform at DeKalb in a few weeks, and at the (Wisconsin) Cheesehead, which we just got into,” Baysingar said.

“We have to continue to come to work each and every day in the room in order for us to compete at the highest level – if we do, I don’t see why we can’t compete with anyone out there.”

Next up for the Knights this week is division rival Elk Grove, followed by a quad at Oak Forest quad Saturday. Joliet Catholic Academy travels to the prestigious 56th annual Rex Whitlach at Hinsdale Central this weekend.

Third-place Libertyville will begin to prepare for the two-day monster at the Harlem Machesney’s Dvorak tournament.

“There’s not too much to say about Prospect, I know we are not in their league this season and as a public school that has all that homegrown talent, and to be able to put a lineup together like they have, is just mind-boggling to me,” Libertyville veteran coach Dale Eggert said.

106: Elijah Garza, Prospect

Prospect sophomore Elijah Garza won his first-ever major following his 6-2 decision over Joliet Catholic junior Noah Avina, who himself enjoyed a solid showing on the day.

“I missed the first part of this season, but right now I feel like I am getting closer to where I want to be, so it felt good to win at our own tournament,” said Garza, who was on the Knights’ varsity roster a year ago, and in the Knights’ starting lineup at the 3A dual-team state tournament in Bloomington at 113.

“I was at 113 last year because (Joel) Muehlenbeck (43-12) was at 106 – but I was still able to get a lot of experience as a freshman,” continued Garza.

“It’s good to get Elijah back in our lineup, and starting things off for us at our lower weights,” Keller said. “He still has a ways to go, but he’s getting closer to where he needs to be.”

Garza extended his lead to 6-2 midway through the second period after Avina drew closer at 4-2 with an escape to start the period.

Prairie Ridge’s Jake Lowitzki finished third with a 4-2 decision over fourth-place finisher James Hemmila of Loyola Academy.

113: Anthony Alanis, Grayslake Central

There’s a lot of angst that still shows on the face of Grayslake Central’s Anthony Alanis (14-1) when asked about his loss in his 2A state final last season.

“It really stung losing in that final. It’s something that has stayed with me but in a positive way, because it was the motivation needed to work harder than ever to get back to Champaign and on top of the podium in February,” said Alanis, who cruised into his 106-pound state final last year before Andrew Davis of Glenwood dashed his hopes.

“It was the bottom that cost me in that final, so you know that’s something that I paid a lot of attention to during the offseason,” continued Alanis, who went 48-5 a year ago.

“I fell just short of placing at both Fargo and the National Showcase, but I wrestled well and haven’t stopped working since then.”

“Anthony’s focus is clearly on getting back into the state finals,” Rams coach Matt Joseph said. “It was a hard loss he took last year, but his work rate and work ethic throughout the offseason was amazing. He’s a guy who will grind and grind, so if he stays healthy there’s no reason why he won’t reach his goal.”

Alanis won a 5-2 title-mat decision over a stubborn Jason Hampton of Joliet Catholic Academy.

“Anthony is very business-like in the room, and is a great example for our younger guys in the room,” Joseph said.

Round Lake’s Alejandro Cordova, who lost 3-1 to Hampton in the semifinal round, won a major decision on the third-place mat against Loyola’s Gavin Pardilla.

120: Tyler Evans, Prairie Ridge

There was just no stopping Prairie Ridge star Tyler Evans, who not only pinned his way to the top of the podium, but in doing so walked away with outstanding wrestler honors when this storied tournament came to an end.

The pin-happy No. 4-rated man in 2A dashed the hopes of three rivals, including No. 9 Zach Parisi of York, who he beat by fall at 4:34 to ensure his title.

“The biggest difference for me this season is feeling really good about my weight,” Evans said. “I haven’t had to cut so I am really doing things the right way in regards to eating smart, training hard, and really putting a lot of effort into improving my overall fitness.”

Evans is a two-time state qualifier and IWCOA fourth-place medal winner as well.

“With my weight not an issue this year, it has also helped me be more comfortable in the mental part of my game, with the combination of the two making a big difference in the way that I’m wrestling thus far,” continued Evans, who was 35-6 a year ago.

Prospect’s Jeremy Huf won by major decision on the third-place mat against Grayslake Central’s Tyler Weidman.

126: Evan Gosz, Fremd

Evan Gosz continued his perfect start to the season with yet another magnificent performance that ended with the Fremd sophomore claiming his second major of the season, via 12-2 major over Prospect’s Joel Muehlenbeck in his 126-pound final.

“I was happy with the way I wrestled today, but I was really hoping (Loyola’s Massey) Odiotti would be in this weight class,” said Gosz (15-0) who envisioned a final with the top-rated Odiotti at 120, a state runner-up last year who competed at the Ironman over the weekend.

Gosz was highly functional, fluid, and superb in his positioning, and attacked from several different angles to validate his status at No. 3 behind St. Charles East’s No. 1 Ben Davino and Marmion Academy’s No. 2 Jameson Garcia.

“Evan has an outstanding record this season, and is scoring a lot of points in his matches,” Fremd coach Jeff Keske said. “He knows in order to finish the year better than last year (third in Illinois) he still has some things he needs to refine in his technique.

“It’s been a pleasure watching him be his best in the finals here and at the Moore-Prettyman, because he gets up for the big matches and really pushes the pace of the match.”

Prairie Ridge’s Mikey Meade won a hard-fought 4-3 decision for third place over Naperville Central’s Ethan Olson.

132: Will Baysingar, Prospect

It was another day at the office for Will Baysingar, who continues to impress, and — unfortunately for his opponents – improve as the Prospect senior recorded back-to-back tech falls en route to his second consecutive championship on his home mats.

Baysingar (14-1) took big first-period leads with a devastating take-down attack before finishing things off, including his tech-fall victory in the final over York star Sean Van Sleet, one of three Dukes who are returning state qualifiers.

“I’m an underhook guy – most of my opponents know that, but I’ve been working on adding different looks to my game,” Baysingar said. “So when I’m in a match and opponents are looking for it, the’ll have a tough time figuring out what I’m throwing at them.” s

Baysingar is looking forward to seeing how his club fairs at DeKalb in late December, and then the Cheesehead in Wisconsin.

“We need to continue to challenge ourselves against quality competition. It’s the only way we’ll improve as a team in both duals, and tournaments,” added Baysingar, who will wrestle next fall at the University of Illinois.

Joliet Catholic’s Nolan Vogel won by injury default for third place over Addison Trail’s Damian Valdez. 

138: Lennon Steinkuhler, Prospect

Lennon Steinkuhler came close to joining five of his teammates in Champaign last February, so it comes as no surprise the blood-round loss at the Barrington sectional last year provided all the inspiration needed by the Prospect senior during his offseason.

“I worked really hard last season, so it didn’t feel real good not to make it downstate,” Steinkuhler said. “But to be honest, it was my overall fitness that kind of (hurt) me in big matches last year. So I spent a ton of time improving my cardio so I’m not gassed when it counts the most.” 

Steinkuhler went 37-9 last year and won a regional title as well.

“I’m just back from being out, and got a lot of good matches in last weekend at the Plainfield mega-duals,” Steinkuhler said. “So I felt pretty good coming into this weekend and even better after winning today and helping the team win the tournament championship.”

Steinkuhler recorded a take-down with nine seconds remaining in the first period against his finals opponent, Joliet Catholic’s Jake Hamiti, but Steinkuhler surrendered that advantage when Hamiti grabbed a take-down near the edge midway through the third period.

Seconds off the whistle, Steinkuhler took the lead for good at 4-3 with an escape, then quickly added some insurance to his 6-3 decision with a take-down.

“There’s still a lot of room for improvement for me, but we have a great room, and I have great partners, so I know I can get better as the season goes on,” Steinkuhler said.

York’s Fabian Serrano won 7-2 on the third-place mat against Libertyville’s Antonio Kelly.

145: Noah Tapia, Moline

The ‘wow’ factor for Moline wrestling a year ago on its way to the 3A dual-team state tournament was the dynamic and lethal duo of Kole Brower and Noah Tapia, who built a staggering 97-4 combined record a year ago.

The Moline duo claimed plenty more hardware along the way before Brower won a state title and Tapia took second in Illinois at 145.

“Last year’s state final was disappointing, but it helped motivate me to work as hard as I could during the offseason in the room, and at tournaments, in order for me to reach my goal of being a state champ,” said Tapia, who soon will announce his collegiate plans for next fall.

“I went 4-2 at Fargo in freestyle and Greco, and I really feel like my work on the bottom and on my feet has improved tremendously from where it was last year,” Tapia said.

The No. 1-rated Tapia defeated a determined No. 7 Scott Busse of Lake Zurich, who lost a hard-fought affair in his final at the Moore-Prettyman against Belvidere North star Antonio Alvarado.

“I miss having Kole (Brower) in the room with me this year, but we talk all of the time – he’s really happy at Illinois, so it’s great to stay in touch with him,” Tapia said.

Tapia enjoyed all of the action in the first period of his finals match, which he led 2-0 before an an early-second period escape made it 3-0. Tapia went on to win a 6-3 decision to win his title.

McHenry’s Pedro Jimenez won 7-3 on the third-place mat against New Trier’s Wilson Wright Wilson Wright. 

152: Damien Puma, Prospect

Two-time state qualifier Damien Puma — one of four Knights back from the injury list — made his presence felt in Dan Keller’s lineup when he won his exciting final against Joliet Catholic’s Connor Cumbee, the No. 8-rated man at 152 in 2A.

The see-sawing title match saw Puma hold a 10-6 advantage early in the third period before conceding a take-down to make it 10-8 moments later.

The Hilltoppers’ corner thought Cumbee had enough at the edge to even the score sixty seconds later, but the referee disagreed.

Cumbee did his best to pull Puma back in from the edge at 5 1/2 minutes, but Puma fought him off and then finished with a take-down with 13 seconds before time to ensure a 13-8 victory.

“(Cumbee) was a tough opponent, it was a good match to be a part of and one that I’m proud of because I’m just coming back from an inflammation of my sternum,” said Puma, who won 34 matches last season.

“I know I still have a ways to go, especially with my fitness, but I feel a lot stronger mentally than last year. Those two quick losses at state a year ago has really pushed me to be a lot better this season.”

Lake Zurich’s Aiden Foley won by major decision to place third against Jake Crandall of Fremd. Crandall gave Cumbee all he could handle in the semifinals, losing 8-7 in their semifinal before placing fourth.

160: Connor Munn, Prospect

After experiencing a two-loss exit in Champaign last season, a determined Connor Munn has stayed the course this season with a terrific start to his junior year, which now includes his first major of the 2022-23 campaign.

None of Munn’s four counterparts threatened as he opened tourney play with back-to-back pins that combined took under two minutes. Munn followed that with a 6-0 shutout decision in his semifinal to help book his place in the final against Glenbrook South senior Patrick Downing, who lost in the blood round last season at the Barrington sectional.

Munn — who went 33-14 last year including two wins at dual-team state – had all of the play during his marvelous effort which ended in a 15-4 major decision victory.

“I was a little disappointed in my loss (7-3) in the final at the Moore-Prettyman to (Hersey’s Aaron) Hernandez, but it’s a long season and I really feel like I’ve improved a lot of parts of my game since then, so in a way it was a good loss,” admitted Munn.

“It wasn’t fun being eliminated so quickly at state last year but it was a really good experience to get down there, and I know things will be different for me when I get back.”

Fremd’s Matt Meehan, who placed sixth at the Moore-Prettyman, won a 9-6 decision on the third-place mat against New Trier’s Tag Miller.

170: Chris Moore, McHenry

McHenry’s Chris Moore has enjoyed a memorable ride during his prep career thus far, and the McHenry senior is looking to make a successful finish across the line come February.

Moore, the No. 2-rated man in 3A at 170 pounds, turned in another masterclass performance on Saturday, ending his perfect day with a 14-5 major decision victory over Libertyville junior Matt Kubas to win his second consecutive Prospect title.

“This is it for me, so I want to go out on top,” said Moore, a former 2A state champion at 113 pounds at Aurora Christian as a freshman, winning nearly 50 matches that year to help AC claim a third-place trophy at the dual-team state tournament.

One year later, Moore was second at the IWCOA state tourney, before finishing second to current top-rated 170-pounder, Colin Kelly from Mt. Carmel.

“I worked harder than ever during the offseason,” Moore said. “I competed at Fargo and the Super 32 (in North Carolina), and I’ve been real diligent about watching my weight, and I’m working on my footwork and quickness as well.”

After considering North Dakota State, and North Carolina, Moore committed to wrestling for Illinois next fall.

Moore opened the tournament with a tech fall at 4:20, then followed up with a pin at 3:11 to advance into his title match with Kubas, who needed just under five minutes to pin three opponents to reach the final.

Prospect’s Michael Matuszak won a 1-0 decision over Joliet Catholic’s Isaac Clauson on the third-place mat.

182: Austin Gomez, Libertyville

A highly-anticipated final between Libertyville’s Austin Gomez and Grayslake Central’s Matt Jens never materialized, after Jens defaulted due to an injury suffered earlier in the day.

Gomez had a sensational late-season surge a year ago resulted in the Coe College-bound Wildcats senior to earn a third-place state medal — quite an accomplishment for one of those rare three-sport athletes.

“My focus is always on the current sports season, just nothing else but that sport,” said Gomez, a safety on the Wildcats football team and outfielder-pitcher on the diamond in the spring.

Gomez, 35-11 last season, dropped a hard fought 3-2 decision in his final at the Moore-Prettyman last month.

“I’ve just been working on cleaning a few things up since then and working on my technique and fitness,” added Gomez.

A banged-up Jens erred on the side of caution after winning his semifinal match.

“It just made sense not to take any chances,” said Jens, who cruised into the final with a 23-8 semifinal decision.

“Matty is just a great kid to have in our program,” Grayslake Central coach Matt Joseph said. “He works hard, and takes pride in leading the team and being a great teammate. His dedication to the sport that helps him excel at a very high level.”

Jens’ heart-breaking loss in his 2A state final last season fueled an extensive offseason program prior to the football season.

“Matty didn’t take any time off from wrestling until the football season began, and then he was just locked into football,” added Joseph.

Moline’s James Soliz placed third with a 5-2 decision over Libertyville’s Caleb Baczek.

195: Aaron Cramer, Grayslake Central

Grayslake Central fans suffered a trio of tough losses in the state finals last February, with then-junior Aaron Cramer the third man to fall just short after Alanis and Jens.

Cramer doesn’t dwell on it.

“What happened last year at state is in the past, so my only focus from here on out is to get back downstate and on top of the podium,” said Cramer, who went 47-2 last season before placing second in 2A at 170.

“Matty (Jens) will be at 182 this season, and I’ll handle things at 195,” Cramer said. “I feel like I’ll be strong enough and quick enough to compete at this weight, especially after I get back to being healthy after being sick for a week.”

Cramer recently committed to wrestle next fall at SIU-Edwardsville.

“Aaron spend a lot of time in the weight room during the offseason to prepare for his jump from 170 to 195,” Joseph said. “It’s matches like the one in this final against an elite opponent like (Prospect’s Jaxson) Penovich that will help later on. It was a great win for him.”

Penovich, who has been quite the sensation early into his rookie season, came into this contest with a dazzling 15-0 record. Jens earned the first takedown of the title match but Penovich evened the score at 2-2 at the buzzer to end the first period.

Cramer thought he pulled Penovich back onto the mat near the edge at three minutes to claim two points, but officials did not agree and the period tied 3-3. Cramer escaped to start the third period to take a 4-3 lead that lead stood up for win.

Libertyville’s Cole Matulenko, who lost to Penovich in the Moore-Prettyman final, won by tech fall on the third-place mat against Joliet Catholic’s Zach Pomatto.

220: Owen McGrory, Libertyville

When Matt Kubas won his 170-pound title at the Moore-Prettyman three weeks ago, the Libertyville junior was quick to heap plenty of praise upon his teammates from 182 and above for getting him ready for his championship run.

Teammate Owen McGrory would do the same following his marvelous four-match effort on the day that saw the Wildcats’ junior lift the big trophy at 220 pounds, after his hard fought 7-5 victory over Fremd senior Casey Bending.

“We’ve got some great guys in our room at the upper weights: Kubas, Austin Gomez, Cole (Matulenko) and our heavyweight, Caleb Christensen,” McGrory said. “It’s those guys who have made the difference for me this year.”

“I don’t get too amazed too often by something in high school wrestling. Development is done slowly, and with a lot of effort,” Libertyville coach Dale Eggert said. “But what Owen has accomplished this year has been amazing.

“But he has always had a lot of mat awareness, and is a very bright wrestler, with a lot of tricks up his sleeve.”

McGrory was 11-0 as a freshmen, then 24-0 on the JV a year ago, with three victories coming at 170 for the varsity.

“He was at 126 in eighth grade, and you usually do not see wrestlers who grew so much in two years continue to grow,” Eggert said. “But he got up to 190 for this season, and with Matulenko at 195 it has been great to slot (McGrory) into our lineup at 220.”

Bending (16-5) — called a ‘team first kind of guy’ — grabbed the early lead before McGrory got back even at 2-2 after the first period.

It was 3-3 heading into the third period when an escape and take-down gave McGrory his first lead of the match, which he held onto the rest of the way.

“I figured Owen had enough savvy to have a winning record at 220, but I did not see him beating some of the huge guys that he has, and have a 15-1 record,” Eggert said.

“He has scored from every situation on the mat, and although I’m not sure what weight he will eventually end up at, he has already proven he could go either at 195 or 220 for us.”

Joliet Catholic’s Maximus Hrvatin won by fall on the third-place mat against Naperville Central’s Niko Besteiro.

285: Drew Duffy, Glenbrook South

Drew Duffy got a late start to his season a year ago, but the Glenbrook South senior made up for lost time when he pinned his way to a regional title on his home mats, then a week later booked his first trip downstate with a well- deserved third place sectional finish.

“With our football team advancing into the state quarterfinals last year, Drew wasn’t with us at the start of the year,” Titans coach Pat Castillo said. “He didn’t wrestle his sophomore year, so he’s basically wrestled for one year and he’s been just terrific.

“His biggest improvement is his ability to put wrestling moves together, and instead of trying a move then bailing out, he’s now putting them all together.”

Duffy assessed his title match against McHenry’s Jesse Saavedra.

“(Saavedra) was short and stocky, and had a great base, so I knew it was important to stay composed and be smart when I was setting up shots and moves, especially later on in the match,” said Duffy, who plans on majoring in political science and/or economics, with his goal to be an attorney after college.

Duffy lists Washington University (Missouri), Denison University (Ohio) and DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana among his college choices, and intends to play football wherever he ends up.

“Drew is a great young man, who has a very bright future ahead of him,” Castillo said.

The title match was scoreless after two periods, with Duffy ridig Saavedra hard for the entire second period. Duffy went up 1-0 with an escape to start the third period.

Saavedra got back level at 1-1 before Duffy posted a takedown with 30 seconds remaining, and then rode things out to ensure his victory.

“Drew wrestled smart against an opponent who was tough to score on, and stayed in good position himself,” Castillo said. “I’m glad we didn’t force a bad shot, and thrilled he did such a great job with his mat wrestling.”

There’s still a lot of work ahead, but it feels good to win at a big tournament like this one,” said Duffy.

Libertyville’s Caleb Christensen won by fall on the third-place mat over York’s Dominic Begora.

Team Results:

Prospect 253.0, Joliet Catholic Academy 186.5, Libertyville 158.5, McHenry 119.5, Grayslake Central 115.0, Naperville Central, York 107.50 each, Fremd 99.5, Glenbrook South 95.0, Prairie Ridge 86.5, Moline 85.5, Loyola Academy 83.5, Lake Zurich 61.0, New Trier 49.5, Round Lake

35.0, Addison Trail 32.0

By Curt Herron

Riverdale captures championship honors at own Jim Boyd Invite

Riverdale had five individuals who won championships to help it outscore Sterling by a 187-160 margin to claim the title of its own Jim Boyd Invite in Port Byron. 

Rock Island edged Seneca 142-139 to finish in third place in the 15-team competition. Wilton, IA (127), Byron (118), Polo/Eastland/Forreston/Milledgeville (112.5) and Mercer County (109) were next in line.

Winning titles for coach Myron Keppy’s champion Rams were Brock Smith (138), Eli Hinde

(152), Collin Altensey (160), Alex Watson (170) and Zach Bradley (182) while Kolton Kruse (132) placed second, Tharren Jacobs (113) took third and Jake Baustian (285) was sixth.

“I was very satisfied with the way that we wrestled and especially my three placewinners,” Keppy said. “And we had some other guys who stepped up,”

Returning Class 1A champions for Riverdale are Smith at 132 and Altensey at 152 while Watson placed fifth at 160.

Top performers for coach Kevin Heller’s runner-up Golden Warriors were runner-up Thomas Tate (160), third-place finishers Chase Ullrich (182), Diego Leal (195) and Javier Luna (285) while Karson Strohmayer (126) and Isaiah Mendoza (152) both finished fourth.

Leading the way for coach Joel Stockwell’s third-place Rocks were champions Truth Vesey (113) and Andrew Marquez (220) and runner-up Amare Overton (170). Placing third were Samuel Niyonkuru (106), Matthew Cook (160) and Israel McGowan (220) while Kameron Gay (106) and Merrick Stockwell (113) finished fourth. 

Also claiming first-place finishes were Seneca’s Nate Othon (145) and Chris Peura (195), Mercer County’s Ethan Monson (120), United Township’s Xavier Marolf (126), Polo/Eastland/Forreston/Milledgeville’s Wyatt Doty (132), Wilton, IA’s Liam Adlfinger (106) and Davenport North, IA’s Jeremiah Henderson (285).

Repeating as champions in the tournament were Riverdale’s Smith, Watson and Bradley. Other champions who were Class 1A placewinners last year are Doty (132), who was third at 126 and Monson (120), who was fourth at 120.

Others finishing second were Byron’s Carsen Behn (152), Kyle Jones (182), Josh Harris (195) and Jared Claunch (220), West Carroll’s Connor Knop (106), Polo/Eastland/Forreston/Milledgeville’s Lucas Nelson (126),and Mercer County’s Payton Coppla (285) while Wilton, IA received runner-up finishes from Owen Adlfinger (113), Kale McQuillen (120), Clay Ledger (138) and Jensen Boorn (145).

Capturing titles by decision were Marolf over Nelson 8-5 (126), Hinde over Behn 11-8 (152) and Bradley over Jones 14-11 (182). Getting wins by major decision were Vesey over Owen Adlfinger 8-0 (113) and Altensey over Tate 17-6 (160).

Winning title matches by fall were Liam Adlfinger over Knop in 2:40 (106), Monson over McQuillen in 2:50 (120), Doty over Kruse in 1:34 (132), Smith over Ledger in 1:31 (138), Othon over Boorn in 1:40 (145), Watson over Overton in 1:27 (170), Peura over Harris in 2:37 (195), Marquez over Claunch in 2:00 (220) and Henderson over Coppla in 1:56 (285).

Other third-place finishers were Mercer County’s Zeke Arnold (145) and Bodie Salmon (170), United Township’s Kayden Marolf (152),  Pleasant Valley, IA’s Abe Swanson (120) and Chase Macey (138), Davenport North, IA’s Jacob DeWispelaere (126) and Wilton, IA’s Blaine Dohrmann (132).

Also claiming fourth-place finishes were Polo/Eastland/Forreston/Milledgeville’s Chase Bremmer (138), DeAngelo Fernandez (160) and Maddux Hayden (195), Sherrard’s Blake Pender (120), Seneca’s Collin Wright (170), United Township’s Chase Cassini (182), Davenport North, IA’s Jeffery West (132), Max Smith (145) and Joseph Thomas (220) and Pleasant Valley, IA’s Jackson Klingaman (285).

Leading the way in team points scored with 30 were Marquez (220), Othon (145), Peura (195) and Watson (170) while Doty (132) and Monson (120) were tied with 29.5 points and Altensey (160) and Smith (138) were next with 29 points, Marolf (126) had 28 points and Hinde (152) finished with 26 points.

PORTA wins own Avery Invite for first time since 2010

It’s been awhile since PORTA took top honors in its own tournament – 2010 – to be precise.

But that stretch without a championship in the Rex Avery PORTA Invite ended on Saturday when coach Jeff Hill’s Bluejays scored 199 points to defeat runner-up LeRoy/Tri-Valley, who had 170 points, for top honors in the 27-team competition. Kewanee beat Shelbyville 157-150.5 for third place in the tournament that took place in Petersburg.

Some of the other top scoring teams that took part in the competition were Canton (135.5), Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin (129), Orion (119), Litchfield/Mt. Olive (105), Farmington/Cuba (98), Ridgeview/Lexington (94), Cahokia (90.5), Mt. Zion (90.5) and Monticello (89).

PORTA, which co-ops with A-C Central and Greenview, received titles from Braden Barner (152) and Bryar Lane (182) while Jacob Vogel (138) and Issak Espenchied (285) took second place. Finishing fourth was Zach Bryant (106) while Logan Peterson (195) was fifth, Hunter King (120) took sixth, Mitchell Horn (145) and Cael Cotner (160) were seventh and Tyler Miller (132), Russell Mattson (170) and Trace Shaub (220) placed eighth.

Hill, an IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee in 2011 who wrestled at Plano for IWCOA hall of fame coaches Mick Ruettiger and Joe Cliffe, is the state’s all-time leader in dual meet wins with 739 entering this season at PORTA, where he took over in 1991 after beginning his career in Iowa. He was selected as Illinois’ National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2022.

Top performers for coach Brady Sant Amour’s second-place Panthers were champions Brady Mouser (106) and Jacob Bischoff (220), runner-up Tyson Brent (170) and third-place finishers Colton Prosser (132), Connor Lyons (145), Ethan Conaty (160) and Tate Sigler (285). Brent placed sixth at state at 170 last season.

Leading the way for coach Charley Eads’ third-place Boilermakers were title winner Will Taylor (138) and fourth-place finishers Max Kelly (145) and Garett Pettit (152). Kingston Peterson (106), Jaxson Hicks (160) and Alejandro Duarte (182) took fifth while Chance DeSplinter (113), Landon Mason (132) and Jackson Hawkins (170) were sixth.

Other champions were Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin’s Anthony Ruzic (120) and Cole Edie (285), Canton’s Trevor Hedges (126) and Joseph Norton (170), Warrensburg-Latham/Mt. Pulaski’s Logan Roberts (113), St. Joseph-Ogden’s Holden Brazelton (132), Shelbyville’s Kaz Fox (145), Carlinville’s Jake Schwartz (160) and Sacred Heart-Griffin’s Cory West (195).

Three of those champions are returning placers. Ruzic (120) took first at 113, Norton (170) was third at 170 and Brazelton (132) was sixth at 120.

There were six individuals who repeated as tournament champions, Brazelton, Hedges, Norton, Ruzic, Schwartz and West.

Also taking second place were Farmington/Cuba’s Keygan Jennings (120) and Rese Shymansky (182), Shelbyville’s Calvin Miller (126) and Will Fox (160), Litchfield/Mt. Olive’s Vinny Moore (106), St. Joseph-Ogden’s Emmitt Holt (113), Beardstown’s Jonny Marquez (132), Cumberland/Newton’s Owen Mcginnis (145), Hillsboro’s Zander Wells (152), Ridgeview/Lexington’s Gray McCue (195) and Orion’s Phillip Dochterman (220). Jennings (120) also is a returning state placer, taking sixth at 113

Fox edged Mcginnins 11-9 in sudden victory to win the title at 145. Others capturing decisions in title matches were Mouser over Moore 7-1 (106), Roberts beat Holt 5-0 (113) and Schwartz over Fox 10-5 (160). 

Winning titles by major decision were Ruzic over Jennings 11-2 (120), Hedges over Miller 11-1 (126), Barner over Wells 10-2 (152), Norton over Brent 14-3 (170) and Edie over Espenschied 3-2 (285).

Finishing in first place with falls were Brazelton over Marquez in 3:04 (132), Taylor in 4:23 over Vogel (138), Lane pinning Shymansky in 5:44 (182), West over McCue in 1:10 (195) and  Bischoff in 2:56 over Dochterman (220).

Additional third-place finishers were Orion’s Luke Moen (120) and Maddux Anderson (195), Canton’s Maddux Steele (106), Litchfield/Mt. Olive’s Alex Powell (113), Ridgeview/Lexington’s Braydon Campbell (126), Shelbyville’s Nate Sanders (138), Monmouth United’s Jake McElwee (152), Cahokia’s Nick Deloach, Jr. (170), Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin’s Skylar Fay (182) and Mt. Zion’s Remington Hiser (220). Powell (113) also placed at state last year, taking sixth at 106.

Others who finished fourth were Cumberland/Newton’s Hank Warfel (113) and Braydon Olmstead (138), Knoxville’s Gage Fox (132) and Dilan VanBeveran (195), Warrensburg-Latham/Mt. Pulaski’s Kaden Roberts (120), Cahokia’s Demerious Mcgill (126), Mt. Zion’s Kaden Becker (160), Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin’s Joey Barrow (170), Pittsfield/Pleasant Hill’s Tucker Cook (182), Litchfield/Mt. Olive’s Devin Hansel (220) and Shelbyville’s Andre Townsend (285).

West (195) led all competitors with 32 team points. Brazelton (132), Norton (170) and Ruzic (120) all scored 31 points. Bischoff (220), Edie (285), Schwartz (160) and Taylor (138) all scored 30 team points while Barner (152), Hedges (126) and Lane (182) all collected 29 points.

 J. Sterling Morton edges Joliet Central for Pontiac’s Munch Invitational title

The J. Sterling Morton co-op, featuring athletes from Morton East and Morton West, prevailed in a tight battle involving multiple teams at Pontiac’s Munch Invitational.

Coach Joe Helton’s champion Mustangs edged Joliet Central 158.5-156 for top honors while Macomb (153) and host Pontiac (144) were also in the title hunt. Olympia/Heyworth (131), Morton (120), Springfield (108.5), Herscher (86), Prairie Central (84.5) and Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington (81) were next in the 16-team competition.

Top performers for the first-place Mustangs were champions Anthony Lopez (120) and David Roa (145), runners-up Noe Cintora (132), Edwin Rangel (160) and Miguel Rojas (285) and third-place finisher Adrian Comas (170). Taking fifth was Aaron Rojas (126) while Fabian Lepe (152) and Ricardo Caldera (220) both finished sixth.

Leading the way for coach Patrick McGovern’s runner-up Steelmen were champions Jorge Robles (138), Charles Walker (220) and Gustavo Vicencio-Ramos (285), runner-up Alex Fernandez (120) and fourth-place finishers Brody Walsh (106), Isaiah Kan (113), Eduardo Mendez (132) and Roberto Lara (170). 

Coach Luke Ladd’s third-place Bombers were led by champions Cohen Green (132), Carter Hoge (160) and Max Ryner (195) and second-place finisher Ethan Ladd (220).

And coach Vinnie Hobart’s host Indians were paced by champion Aidan Scholwin (106) and runner-up Carlito Lattin (182) while Dylan Ramsey (160) took third and Hunter Melvin (195) finished fourth.

Other title winners were Decatur Lutheran’s Clinton VerHeecke (113), Morton’s Payton Ferrill (126), Olympia/Heyworth’s Bently Wise (152), Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington’s Austin Burkhardt (170) and Prairie Central’s Connor Steidinger (182), who finished sixth at 195 last year in the Class 1A finals.

Also taking second place were Olympia/Heyworth’s Ryan Ballinger (106) and Cole Bauer (170), Springfield’s Gabe Ruvalcaba (138) and Armani Emery (152), Urbana’s Cordero Sims (113), Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington’s Dylan Crouch (126), Morton’s Ayden Bencher (145) and Taylorville’s William Blue (195).

Title matches determined by decisions were Walker 4-2 in sudden victory over Ladd (220), Ferrill over Crouch 7-3 (126), Green beat Cintora 4-3 (132) and Hoge over Rangel 13-9 (160) while Ryner won a 15-5 major decision over Blue (195). 

Championships that were won by fall were turned in by Scholwin over Ballinger in 1:07 (106), VerHeecke in 2:46 over Sims (113), Lopez over Fernandez in 3:33 (120), Robles in 1:58 over Ruvalcaba (138), Roa over Bencher in 1:20 (145), Wise in 0:28 over Emery (152), Burkhardt in 0:51 over Bauer (170), Steidinger in 1:07 over Lattin (182) and Vicencio-Ramos in 1:28 over Rojas (285).

Additional third-place finishers were Morton’s Cash Hill (106), Harrison Dea (113) and Clay Mckee (152), Olympia/Heyworth’s Cooper Phillips (132) and Nolen Yeary (220), Kankakee’s Caleb Dickens (145) and Michael Bannerman (195), Decatur Lutheran’s Garrett VerHeecke (120), Springfield’s Kaden Rios (126), Herscher’s Gerrit Osenga (138), Urbana’s Malik Mosley (182) and Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington’s Michael Gamble (285).

Also finishing in fourth place were Olympia/Heyworth’s Mateo Martinez (120), Trevor Soice (138) and Kelton Graden (160), Morton’s Caiden Robinson (126) and Brody Wolters (182), Springfield’s Alex Souva (145) and Hunter Reid (220), Prairie Central’s Ethan Ziller (152) and Kankakee’s Rhojelo Cornejo (285). 

Leading all competitors in team points was Vicencio-Ramos (285), with 30. Wise (152) scored 29.5, Burkhardt (170) had 29 points and Clinton VerHeecke (113) had 28.5. Robles (138), Steidinger (182) and Walker (220) all had 28 points while Ryner (195) scored 27 team points.

Marion captures championship of its own dual team tournament

Marion claimed top honors in its fourth-annual dual team tournament after going 4-0 in pool competition and then beating Red Bud 48-36 to capture the overall title.

But the key dual meet for coach Darren Lindsey’s Wildcats was when they faced Carbondale to determine the winner of the A pool, which featured the bigger schools in the 12-team event.

After rolling to wins over Centralia (66-18), Waterloo (54-30) and Kennett, MO (65-12), Marion figured to have a battle on its hand when it faced the other team that was 3-0 in its pool, Carbondale, and the two ranked teams in Class 2A went back and forth before the hosts were finally able win the final two matches to capture a 48-36 victory over the Terriers.

Goreville had been the expected team to beat in the B pool, but it entered its girls team members in the girls individual competition that was also taking place. As a result, Marion got to see Red Bud/Valmeyer for the second time in just over a week and while the Musketeers put up a better fight than in their earlier 50-19 defeat, Marion improved to 12-1 with a 48-36 triumph.

Red Bud/Valmeyer earned its spot in the title meet after claiming wins over Carmi-White County (48-24), Johnston City (60-18), Sparta (54-22) and Carlyle (54-12). Carbondale bounced back from its loss to beat Carmi-White County 63-6 to claim third place. 

Leading the way for the champion Wildcats was Caleb Ohnesorge, who went 5-0 at 145 to improve to 12-0 on season and he also earned the OW award for his day’s performance. 

Also going 5-0 for the hosts were Bryan Madinger (220) and Kanye Gunn (285) while Tate Miller (132) went 4-0 and Max Wade (120/126) went 3-0. Wildcats wrestlers who went 4-1 during the competition were Dustin Melvin (120), Brennan Vogt (126/132), Malakei Weatherly (182) and Jordyn Beverly (195).

Goreville/Vienna wins five titles at Marion girls tournament

The Goreville/Vienna co-op captured five first-place finishes at the Marion Tournament while Carbondale had two individuals who finished first.

Capturing titles for coach Bart Pulliam’s Goreville/Vienna Blackcats were Savanna Oslay (100), Ariel Board (120), Alivia Ming (140), Mikah Merrill (145) and Liberty McBride (235) while Maddy Lapatas (125) and Krista McBride (170) both took second place. Ming placed fourth at state at 135 in the first IHSA finals.

Winning titles for Carbondale were Ada Williams-Collins (125) and Faith Loyd (130) while Marion got a title from Haylie Nappier-Feth (155) and a second-place finish from Brooklyn Phemister (140). 

Mt. Vernon’s Faith Barrett (170) also took first place while her teammates Hannah Younger (100), Deziarre Jones (120), Dayton Phillips (145), Madison Tried (155) and Addy Barrett (235) placed second. Benton’s Mia Balota (130) also took second place.

Normal Community takes second at Maquoketa, Iowa invite

Normal Community took second place and Fulton was seventh as the only two Illinois entrants at the 18-team Zimmerman Invitational in Maquoketa, Iowa.

Coach Trevor Kaufman’s Ironmen scored 203.5 points to finish behind champion Dubuque Hempstead, IA, who scored 259.5 points. Anamosa, IA finished third with 191.5 while the seventh-place Steamers finished with 101 points and Normal Community’s junior-varsity entrant placed 12th with 62.5 points.

Winning titles for the Ironmen were Caden Correll (106) and Cole Gentsch (113) while Jordan Campbell (138) and Cooper Caraway (220) finished second, Austin Chiesi (120) and Mitchell Mosbach (160) were third and Vallen Thorpe (132) and Jayden Campbell (145) took fourth.

Top performers for Fulton were champion Zane Pannell (170) and second-place finisher Ben Fosdick (145). Pannell placed fifth in Class 1A last season at 170.

Leading the way for Normal Community’s J-V were second-place finishers Jackson Soney (106) and Ethan Stoops (113) while Jaren Frankowiak (132) took third place.

The title match at 106 featured two Normal Community competitors, Correll and Soney, while two Ironmen, Gentsch and Stoops, were the top two performers in round-robin competition at 113. Pannell and Caraway met individuals from champion Hempstead, IA in their title matches and Jordan Campbell and Fosdick both fell to competitors from Anamosa, IA in the finals.

Correll won by technical fall over Soney in the 106 title match while Gentsch, who also won a title in the same tournament a year ago, recorded a fall in 0:24 over Stoops at 113. Pannell won by fall in 1:25 over Hempstead, IA’s Camden Smith in the 170 title match.

Correll recorded three falls to reach the 106 title match, Gentsch won with first-period falls in all five of his matches at 113 and Pannell recorded three pins to earn a spot on the 170 title mat.

Campbell lost by fall in 1:34 to Anamosa, IA’s Easton Wheeler in the 138 title match, Caraway got pinned in 4:27 by Hempstead, IA’s Joseph Lewis in the 220 finals and Fosdick lost 10-2 to Anamosa, IA’s Hudson Scranton in the 145 title match.

Pannell and Lewis tied for the most team points with 30 while Correll was next with 29.5.

By Curt Herron

Illinois athletes turned in an historic performance by capturing six championships while another individual finished second against some of the top competitors from around the country at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. 

The six titles won by Illinoisans were two more than were captured by the state with the next-highest total, Pennsylvania, which won four titles. One athlete each from New York, Ohio and Oklahoma also claimed top honors. 

Winning championships were St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto (106) and Ben Davino (126), Washington Community’s Kannon Webster (138), Conant’s Ethan Stiles (157), Lockport Township’s Brayden Thompson (190) and Joliet Catholic Academy’s Dillan Johnson (285) while Mount Carmel’s Sergio Lemley (132) took second place.

A year ago, Illinois had champions from multiple schools for just the second time, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Vincent Robinson and Rich Township’s Nasir Bailey, with the first time being in 2006, when it had its previous high for champions with three as Montini Catholic’s Mike Benefiel and Garrett Goebel and Glenbard North’s Tony Ramos won titles. Prior to this competition only 13 Illinois athletes had won 15 titles with Benefiel and Goebel capturing two titles apiece.

The two champions for coach Jason Potter’s Saints prevailed in showdowns against individuals from team champion Blair Academy, NJ, which won the title by a 190.5-137.5 margin over Stillwater, OK.

Davino claimed a 2-0 victory over Marc-Anthony McGowan at 126 in a rematch of last year’s title match at 120, which was won by McGowan 5-2. Davino, a junior who won the Class 3A title at 120 last season, opened with a fall and major decision before getting a pin in 3:50 over Crown Point, IN’s Logan Frazier in the quarterfinals and captured a 6-3 decision over Bayport Blue Point, NY’s Max Gallagher to earn his spot on the title mat to again meet McGowan.

“Ben continued to be one of the most dominant wrestlers in high school wrestling,” Saints coach Jason Potter said. “He is always evolving and is never satisfied. McGowan’s match in the finals was the rubber match Ben was really looking forward to. McGowan gave Ben the only in-season loss of his career (Ironman finals 2021) and the only person to score a takedown on him. He takes that personal and it drives him.  He made the adjustments to control the match, and even though it was low scoring, put on a dominant performance.”

Munaretto won an 8-4 decision over Tyler Deraker in the 106 title match. The Saints freshman opened with a fall and got a victory by technical fall in the second round before pinning Lake Highland Prep, FL’s Liam Davis in 2:49 in the quarterfinals and then capturing a 3-0 decision in the semifinals against Notre Dame, PA’s Ayden Smith to advance him to the finals.

“Dom had a fantastic tournament,” Potter said. “I feel he has made the adjustment into High School and his new weight class.  The maturity difference and poise in his rematch with Dekraker was what I was the most impressed with. He gave up an early takedown, but stayed calm and wrestled his match.  With his level of talent, the key for him is to stick to his pace and attacks and not to get influenced by the score or his oppennents style. For a freshman to come in and win the Ironman is a great achievement.”

Webster won the championship at 138 with a 5-4 decision over Ponderosa, CO’s Brandon Cannon. Webster, a senior who was the Class 2A champion at 132 last season, opened with a pin and a major decision before winning his quarterfinals match 3-1 in sudden victory over Malvern Prep, PA’s Spencer Barnhart 3-1. Then he won another tight match in the semifinals, edging Bethlehem Catholic, PA’s Kollin Rath 6-5, to earn his spot in the finals against Cannon. 

A year ago, Webster also advanced to the tournament’s title mat, but he lost 5-3 to Homewood-Flossmoor’s Vincent Robinson for the 126 championship.

Stiles took top honors at 157 with a 12-6 decision over Dublin Coffman, OH’s Ethan Birden in the finals. Stiles, a senior who won last year’s Class 3A title at 152, recorded falls in his first two matches before pinning Lockport Township’s Logan Swaw in 1:48 in the quarterfinals and then won a 5-2 decision over Crown Point, IN’s Anthony Rinehart to advance to the title mat,

“Ethan Stiles thrives when the lights are the brightest,” Cougars coach Andrew Guilde said. “They don’t get much brighter than the Ironman tournament. He was locked in all tournament and that’s because Ethan has one goal: that’s to be the best. He showed that this weekend.”

Thompson captured a 3-2 decision over Teays Valley, OH’s Camden McDanel in the 190 title match. Thompson, a senior who won the Class 3A title at 170 last season, opened with two wins by technical fall and a pin before winning 13-7 over Fauquier, VA’s Kingsley Menifee in the quarterfinals and then won a 3-2 decision over Stillwater, OK’s AJ Heeg in the semifinals.

The Lockport Township standout had the fourth-most points in a match (24) in his opener and also tied for the fourth-most total match points (68) among all of the competitors in the field.

“Brayden wrestled a great tournament,” Porters coach Jameson Oster said. “He is continuing to grow his already impressive resume and continues to show why he is the best wrestler in the country.”  

Johnson won a 7-3 decision over Mesa Ridge, CO’s Matthew Moore in the 285 championship match. After opening with a pair of first-period falls, the junior, who was the Class 2A title winner at 285 last season, captured a 9-1 major decision over Notre Dame, PA’s Aiden Compton before claiming a 7-1 decision over Blair Academy, NJ’s Carter Neves in the semifinals.

“My expectation for Dillan is to be the most dominant heavyweight in the country,” Hilltoppers coach Ryan Cumbee said. “Thus far, he’s met those expectations. I look forward to his continued success this season.”

Lemley dropped a 5-2 decision to Stillwater,OK’s Cael Hughes in the 132 title match. Lemley, a senior who won the Class 3A title at 126 last season, opened with two falls and then got a win by technical fall before winning 9-4 over Edmond North, OK’s Hunter Hollingsworth in the quarterfinals and capturing a 6-5 decision over Nixa, MO’s Zan Fugitt in the semifinals. He took third place at 126 last season in the Ironman, finishing behind Robinson and Webster.

Five other individuals placed in the top eight at their weight classes.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Vincent Robinson took fourth at 132, Rich Township’s Nasir Bailey was sixth at 138, Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza placed seventh at 113, Marmion Academy’s Jameson Garcia was eighth at 126 and Lockport Township’s Logan Swaw took eighth at 157.

Last year Robinson was first at 126 and Bailey won at 132, but both saw their hopes of reaching the title mat again dashed in dramatic semifinals matches with Robinson suffering a 4-3 loss to Stillwater, OK’s Cael Hughes, the eventual champion at 132 and Bailey losing 9-7 by sudden victory to Ponderosa, CO’s Brandon Cannon, who lost to Webster in the finals, at 138.

Robinson won 6-4 in sudden victory over Malvern Prep, PA’s Jack Consiglio to reach the third-place match, where he lost a 3-0 decision to Fugitt. Bailey did not compete again after his loss.

Mendoza, Garcia and Swaw all lost in the quarterfinals with Swaw getting sent to the consolation bracket following a fall by Stiles and then going 1-2. Mendoza, who placed fifth at 106 in the event last year, lost 3-1 in the quarterfinals to Bethlehem Cathollic, PA’s Nate Desmond before winning two of his last three matches. Garcia got pinned in 4:00 by Bishop McCort, PA’s Mason Gibson in the quarterfinals and also went 1-2 in his last three matches.

Also falling in the 120 quarterfinals and then losing in his next match was Joliet Catholic Academy’s Gylon Sims while Homewood-Flossmoor’s Deion Jonnson placed seventh at 106 a year ago but was unable to place again.

Aurora Christian’s Deven Casey (113) lost his opener but then won four-straight decisions, including 1-0 in an ultimate tiebreaker and then 5-4, but he lost his next match 1-0 to come up one win shy of a top-eight finish.

St. Charles East’s Tyler Guerra (138), Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jaydon Robinson (144) and Montini Catholic’s David Mayora (150) all lost decisions to fall one victory shy of a medal.

St. Charles East was the top-scoring team from Illinois, placing ninth with 80.5 points. Mount Carmel (54.5) was 21st, Lockport Township (44) was 24th and Joliet Catholic Academy (43) was 25th. Other top Illinois teams were Marmion Academy (29th, 39), Washington Community (31st, 36), Conant (38th, 32), Homewood-Flossmoor (40th, 30) and Marist (44th, 27.5).

Stiles led all competitors in the field with 32 team points while Thompson and Davino tied Hughes for fourth with 31 points. Munaretto tied for ninth in team points with 29.5, Johnson and Webster tied for 12th place with 29 points and Lemley finished 16th with 27.5 team points.

By Patrick Z. McGavin

PLANO – The natural question confronting Yorkville Christian is how do the Mustangs ward off the natural complacency.

The clear answer is never stop winning.

“Everybody is coming after us because we are winning,” senior Jackson Gillen said.

He achieved the rare and impressive double last season of capturing the Class 1A 170-pound individual state championship in Champaign.

Gillen also fueled the Mustangs’ Class 1A state dual championship over Tremont for the first state title in school history.

The new season is a daily challenge to return to the upper echelon. That is not always easy.

The Mustangs are still hungry.

“Personally I just feel like it’s motivation to go back and get another one,” said senior Noah Dial, who captured the 132-pound individual title.  “I think back-to-back sounds a lot better than just a one-hit wonder. 

“I don’t see it as pressure, and I don’t think a lot of guys see it that way either. It’s more motivational to just go and do it again. We love the feeling of getting that state championship. We want to do it one last time, since we have so many seniors on the team.”

Yorkville Christian made another commanding statement with seven individual champions in capturing Plano’s Reaper Classic on Saturday.

Coach Mike Vester’s Mustangs amassed 247.50 points in defending their Reaper Classic title last year.

Oregon was runner-up with 184 points, followed by Tremont’s 158 and 153.50 by De La Salle Institute.

Tremont and Princeton were the only other programs that delivered multiple champions. Coached by former Mount Carmel legend TJ Williams, Tremont had winners with Bowden Delaney (126) and TJ Connor (182).

Augustus Swanson (106) and Angie Christiansen (145) brought home individual titles for Princeton.

Oregon had no individual champions. Coach Justin Lahman’s Hawks had the second highest number of finalists with five.

East Aurora, St. Francis and Amboy had one champion apiece.

Results by weight class

106 – Augustus Swanson, Princeton

Princeton’s Augustus Swanson put on a clinic, showing balance, quickness and explosiveness.

He earned the individual championship at 106 with a fall over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Gage Martin at the 1:01 mark.

He also won by major decision and fall in capturing his side of the bracket.

“I like to wrestle aggressively and fast,” Swanson said. “What was very effective today was just getting to my shots, and working really well when I was on top.

“I was able to go out, wrestle my style and push the pace.”

Martin had a first-period fall and a major decision in dominating the lower bracket.

In the third-place match, De La Salle’s Jeremiah Lawrence beat Tremont’s Jayden Neil by technical fall. Stillman Valley’s Michael Pannarale beat Yorkville Christian’s Eli Foster 5-3 in overtime for fifth place.

113 – Landon Blanton, Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio

In one of the best championship matches, Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/

LaMoille/Ohio’s Landon Blanton secured an 8-2 decision over De La Salle’s Raymond Alvarado for the 113 title.

“I was really pushing my shots, even more than usual,” Blanton said. “Typically I always want them to shoot, because I have a pretty good sprawl. 

“If I have to shoot, I will.”

Blanton won by injury default and a major decision in winning the upper bracket.

Alvarado was one of the most dominant performers in the preliminary rounds. He posted three first-period falls to reach the final.

In the third-place match, Oregon’s Jackson Messenger defeated Sandwich’s Ashlyn Strenz with a first-period fall. Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Charlie Flores recorded a pin of Somonauk/Leland’s Mason Smith for fifth place. 

120 – Ty Edwards, Yorkville Christian

Ty Edwards is back with a vengeance. 

After reaching the state championship match at 106 pounds as a freshman two years ago, he missed the championship season.

Yorkville Christian’s Edwards ran his record to 14-1 by decimating with four falls. Only one of his matches lasted into the second period.

Showing toughness, quickness and power, he defeated Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/

Fisher’s Shawn Schlickman at 1:06 in the 120 finals.

“I am really excited,” Edwards said. “I spent all last year waiting to get back, for the coaches and my teammates.

“Today my focus was just getting into my offense first. I was able to use my hand fighting to shake them, and when the opportunity was there.”

Despite the layoff, Edwards is finding his groove.

“I have definitely gotten my timing and rhythm back, especially in the offseason. That helped a lot. I think I am doing better than I was my freshman year.

“I’d say I have more of a controlling style, just trying to get the other guy into positions I need to get them in and just get them off.”

Schlickman posted two falls to capture the lower bracket.

Tremont’s Peyton Murphy pinned Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Talan Nelson for third place. Dixon’s Gavin Kramer posted a second-period fall of De La Salle’s Anthony Trendle for fifth place.

126 – Bowden Delaney, Tremont

Tremont’s Bowden Delaney had a long offseason to ponder his next move.

He earned a special distinction, marking four falls in just over five minutes of wrestling time.

He dispatched Sandwich’s Kadin Kern at the 3:21 mark in the 126 title match.

The duration of his other matches were, respectively, :25, 1:00, and 1:10.

“I have been working on my feet a lot in the room with my partners, and that was my big goal today,” Delaney said.

“That was a big part of my attack today. I wanted to get in my shots, and go to work on top. If I did get taken down, I wanted to react and do what I had to do and make it my match.”

His experience at the state meet last year profoundly impacted his approach and technique pushing forward.

“Last season at the state tournament, I struggled on my feet a lot,” Delaney said. “Over the summer, I have been working with my partners, with my footwork, and getting into my shots.

“Now my style is more aggressive, and I like to go out and control the match. I know what I’m doing, and I want to make him work for me and my style. Losing those matches at state was motivation more than anything and knowing that I could do better, and work to be on top of the podium this year.”

Somonauk/Leland’s Aiden Rowan defeated Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Aiden Bel 10-4 for third place. In the fifth place match, Princeton’s Andrew Peacock recorded a second-period fall of Saint Ignatius’ Jacob Ponce.

132 – Noah Dial, Yorkville Christian

Noah Dial is feeling explosive again.

The Yorkville Christian standout is still working through an ankle injury that slowed his early season action.

He captured the 132 title with a hard-fought and tough 6-0 victory over Tremont’s Mason Mark.

Dial posted three consecutive falls in the preliminaries.

“I had a different mentality today,” Dial said. “I didn’t like the way I was wrestling yesterday. I changed it up, and that is just what I have been working on. 

“I feel like I’m getting my explosiveness back. I felt a lot better today than yesterday. During some matches, I am all offense, and then other matches I will just wrestle with the flow. I like scrambling and positions, and doing what is best at that time. I was able to do that in the final.”

Despite the loss, Mark posted one of the big upsets, defeating a returning state qualifier, Princeton’s Ace Christiansen, 5-4 in the quarterfinals.

Mark also posted two falls.

Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio’s Levi Near edged Chicago Hope Academy’s Sammy Saez 3-2 to earn third place. Christiansen claimed an 11-3 major decision over De La Salle’s Mario Perez for fifth place.

138 – Grason Johnson, Yorkville Christian

Yorkville Christian’s Grason Johnson made the leap forward.

A year after finishing runner-up at 126 pounds, he earned the title at 138 with a 12-4 victory over Oregon’s Lane Halverson, a returning state qualifier.

Johnson showed perseverance and toughness, surviving consecutive tight matches in the preliminaries to gain the upper hand in the championship match.

“Just keep moving on my feet, and not really reacting to his moves, but getting a positive reaction to his shots,” Johnson said. 

“I wanted to make sure I kept my feet moving,  and I was able to get around him and get my two. I had to make the pace of the match right at the start, and keep my feet moving. I wanted to keep pushing the pace.”

By contrast, Halverson needed less than five minutes of cumulative time to post three pins.

Marian Catholic’s Joey Baranski defeated Sandwich’s Miles Corder 9-4 in the third-place match. Princeton’s Carlos Benavidez won fifth place with a second-period pin of Plano’s Norbert Gajda.

145 – Augie Christiansen, Princeton

In the most riveting championship match, Princeton’s Augie Christiansen achieved the most dramatic outcome by turning Oregon’s Seth Stevens in the final seconds of overtime for a 6-4 victory in the 145 finals.

Christiansen also had a great semifinals duel with Sandwich’s Sy Smith, pulling out a 3-2 decision.

After two falls, Stevens captured the lower bracket with the 4-1 victory over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Carson Maxey.

Maxey defeated Smith 7-1 for third place.

De La Salle’s Nicholas Arvetis defeated Marian Catholic’s Jonah Greenwood 9-2 for fifth place.

152 – Drew Torza, Yorkville Christian

Yorkville Christian’s Drew Torza dominated his side of the 152 bracket with three second-period falls.

His championship opponent, Oregon’s Grant Stender, was just as unstoppable, mashing through the lower bracket with four first-period falls.

Torza pulled out the championship with a 7-2 decision. He secured the early advantage with a first-period takedown, and had a reversal in the second period.

He improved his record to 12-2.

“I’d say I’m very much an offensive wrestler who wants to be aggressive,” Torza said. “When I go out there, my main goal is to be as aggressive as possible, rack up some points.”

Sandwich’s Nolan Bobee defeated Stillman Valley’s Porter Needs 12-11 for third place. Princeton’s Casey Etheridge posted a second-period fall of Marian Catholic’s Evan Fitzgerald for fifth place.

160 – Tyler Martinez, Yorkville Christian

Tyler Martinez came home.

The Yorkville Christian star ran his record to 18-0 with his dominant 15-1 major decision over Oregon’s Anthony Bauer in the 160 title match.

“Coming back here was really meaningful,” Martinez said. “It’s my parents’ high school, it’s my sister’s high school. 

“I had to come in, work as hard as I could, and put on the best show possible, and come out with another victory.”

Martinez defended his Reaper Classic title from last year.

“I was looking to push the pace and work hard,” Martinez said. “Each match I went out there, I was trying to get a technical fall or pin. I was trying to score as much as I could, and put on a show for the fans.”

Bauer blitzed through the lower bracket with three first-period falls.

Dixon’s Jayce Kastner defeated Saint Ignatius’ Teddy Braman by fall for third place. Plano’s Gio Diaz secured a first-period pin of Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Cohen Brown for fifth place.

170 – Jackson Gillen, Yorkville Christian

Jackson Gillen has set the highest stakes for his final high school season.

“I want to go undefeated,” he said.

The defending state champion from Yorkville Christian moved his mark to 13-0 with his annihilating, powerful style.

After two pins and a major decision, Gillen punctuated his dominant run with a fall in 3:41 of Oregon’s Gabe Eckerd in the 170 finals.

“I don’t feel like I have a target on my back,” Gillen said. “I have to prove to everyone that is why everybody has a high standard for me.”

For his part, Eckerd had three pins in five minutes of wrestling to reach the championship match.

Tremont’s Logan Stedman earned third place with a first-period fall of Sandwich’s Bryce Decker. Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Angel Zamora defeated Marian Catholic’s Lloyd Mills by fall in the fifth-place match.

182 – TJ Connor, Tremont

Time was running out for Tremont’s TJ Connor.

“I just knew I had to get one,” he said.

He showed a flair for the dramatic with a two-point nearfall in the closing seconds for an 8-7 victory over Dixon’s Owen Brooks in the 182 title match.

Connor won the upper bracket with three pins.

He also made the most of a second-chance opportunity.

“I kind of messed up there, and I tried to make that throw when it wasn’t there, and that didn’t help,” Connor said. “My mentality was to just keep pushing through it, and hard work.”

Brooks had two pins and his own epic 10-9 decision over Stillman Valley’s Andrew Forcier in the semifinals.

Brooks was a formidable opponent who forced Connor out of his comfort zone.

“In the championship match, I switched between offense and defense,” Connor said. “I was aggressive when the chance was there.”

Forcier edged De La Salle’s Josue Hernandez 3-2 for third place. Yorkville Christian’s Chris Durbin defeated Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Lincoln Eastin by technical fall for fifth place.

195 – Jeremy Loomis, Yorkville Christian

Yorkville Christian’s Jeremy Loomis completed the Mustangs’ perfect 7-for-7 championship run with an 8-1 decision over Chicago Hope Academy’s Uriah Martin-Velez in the 195 finals.

Loomis previously won by fall and major decision in winning the lower bracket.

Martin-Velez won by fall and forfeit in winning the upper bracket.

In the wildest and most-entertaining match outside of the championships, De La Salle’s Evan Smith edged Plano’s Richie Amakiri 21-18 in a back and forth masterpiece for third place.

Dixon’s Ethan Mick earned fifth place with a forfeit over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Aiden Sancken.

220 – Bryan Romero, East Aurora

East Aurora’s Bryan Romero thinks outside the box. His opponents could barely see him.

He improved his record to 10-2 and earned the upperweights’ Most Outstanding Wrestler distinction with his 11-2 major decision over Plano’s Eliyas Peray in the 220 title match.

Romero had three falls preceding the title match.

“I think I have gotten a lot better at knowing when to take my shots,” Romero said. “When you get to my weight class, at 220 pounds, people are not really used to taking shots.

“I take a lot of pride in being a little bit more athletic than most guys my size. I love to be on the offensive. I think it really helps out. Once I get on top, things go down. I flip people, and that’s when I’m best.”

Peray captured the lower bracket with two falls and a tough 10-9 decision over De La Salle’s Zion Nix.

Nix recovered for third place with a third-period fall of Yorkville Christian’s Jackson Mehochko. Oregon’s Josh Crandall won by fall over Phillips’ Kelvin Tovar for fifth.

285 – Jaylen Torres, St. Francis

Mass and size collided in the 285 championship bout, the strength and power of St. Francis’ Jaylen Torres and Plano’s previously-undefeated Alex Diaz closed out the tournament in grand style.

Torres earned the subtle advantage with a late first-period takedown he rode to the 7-4 victory.

Torres had three falls in winning the lower bracket.

Diaz dispatched his preliminary opponents in quick fashion with two falls.

East Aurora’s Arnold Walker won by fall over Oregon’s Evan Flaharty for third place. Dixon’s Sean DeVries defeated Stillman Valley’s Blake Mollet by pin for fifth place.

By Gary Larsen

Richmond-Burton’s Tom Dubois tournament

Richmon-Burton’s Tom Dubois tournament saw 16 teams square off in Richmond on Saturday, and when the dust settled it was Hampshire lining up for the group photo as the 2022 team champion.

Hampshire posted a 204-191.5 edge over second-place Quincy, with Wauconda a close third with 190 team points. Wheaton Academy (169) finished fourth followed by host Richmond-Burton (144.5) in fifth and Marengo (141.5) in sixth.

Hampshire got individual titles from Niko Skoulikaris (170) and Joey Ochoa (285) in spearheading the win for Whip-Purs coach Matthew Todd. Aric Abbott (132), and Will Ardson (220) placed second for Hampshire while Chris Naprikowski (145) and Tyler Boyd (195) placed third.
Adding to the team total for Todd were a fourth from Dawson Smith (126), fifths from Yani Nikolav (138), Michael Brannigan (152), and Aidan Rowells (160), and a sixth from Camden Smith (182).

“Our wrestlers did a great job,” Todd said. “They wrestled hard against great competition. We had six freshmen step up into varsity roles and wrestle a great tournament.

“Our upperclassmen have helped guide our freshmen all season with their hard work in the room.  Our kids have done a fantastic job this year working hard and improving.  Our staff is excited to see how they will continue to develop.”

Second-place Quincy coach Phil Neally got individual titles from Owen Uppinghouse (160) and Bryor Newbold (182), seconds from Dom Demming (120) and Brody Baker (138), thirds from Hugh Sharrow (106) and Todd Smith (285), and afourth from Wyatt Boeing (113).

Third-place Wauconda and Marengo tied for the tournament lead in individual champions with three each on the day. Wauconda got titles from Gavin Rockey (106), Cooper Daun (132), and Nick Chesier (152) for coach Trevor Jauch. Cole Porten (145) and Zac Johnson (160) also placed second for a Bulldogs team that only had 11 wrestlers entered in the tournament.

Also winning individual titles in Richmond were Genoa-Kingston’s Shayden McNew (113), Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger (120) and Taggart Kazmierczak (145), Richmond-Burton’s Emmet Nelson (126), Marengo’s Logan Miller (138), Eddie Solis (195), and Hunter Smith (220).

Placing second were Richmond-Burton’s Kyan Gunderson (106) and Clay Madula (113), Wheaton Academy’s Will Hupke (126), Lake Forest’s Seth Digby (152), Winnebago’s Charley Murray (170), Genoa-Kingston’s Julian Torres (182), Rockford-Jefferson’s Karlondo Dubois (195), and North Boone’s Ethan Delgado (285).

The day’s closest matches on the championship mat included McNew’s 9-6 win over Madula at 113, and Smith’s 6-5 decision over Ardson at 220.

Third-placers included Wheaton Academy’s Oscar Smith (113), Deonta Giles (160), and George Truitt (220), Lake Forest’s Bobby Biddle (120) and Julian Olenick (126), Richmond-Burton’s Dane Sorenson (132), Johnsburg’s Landon Johnson (138), Genoa-Kingston’s Brady Brewick (152), Woodstock’s Zachary Canaday (170), and Winnebago’s Lucas Cowman (182).

Placing fourth in Richmond were Wheaton Academy’s Ben Aniker (106), Tyler Jones (132), and Chasen Kazmierczak (138), Durand’s Ethan Foster (120), Marengo’s Mason Lampe (145) and Connor Sacco (170), Grayslake North’s Jacob Ronsman (152), Richmond-Burton’s Dominick Dickens (160) and Alex Reyna (182), Winnebago’s Javier Flores (195), Rockford-Auburn’s Joseph Grail (220), and Rockford-Jefferson’s Antonio Osorio (285).

Hampshire’s Joey Ochoa scored the most team points in the tournament with 30, followed by fellow champions Solis, Uppinghouse, Newbold, and Rockey with 28 team points scored apiece.

Buffalo Grove’s Rex Lewis Invitational

Schaumburg left no doubt who the best team was at this year’s Rex Lewis Invitational, sending six individual champions to the top of the awards stand and seeing 12 wrestlers place in the top four of their weight classes.

The Saxons dominated the field with 265.5 team points. Second-place St. Patrick scored 154, followed by Geneva (150), Elk Grove (148), and Romeoville (120) to round out the top five finishers.
Completing the top 10 team finishers were host Buffalo Grove (114), Vernon Hills (96), Bartlett (87), Palatine (75) and Morris (73).

Schaumburg coach Mike LeVanti sent eight wrestlers to the title mat and got individual crowns from Brady Phelps (113), Callen Kirchner (120), AJ Quevedo (132), Gavin Hinkle (145), Caden Kirchner (152), and Jacob Acevedo (182).

Phelps was named the outstanding wrestler of the tournament after winning by tech fall on the title mat.
“Brady (Phelps) and the Kirchner brothers (Caden and Cal) were pretty dominant today, but I was particularly impressed with few of our other guys who stepped out of the shadows a bit today,” LeVanti said.

Placing second for the Saxons were Logan Meyer (160) and Sean Christoffel (170), who also got thirds from Rocco Fontela (126) and Kolin Little (145), fourths from Jimmy Zinchuk (195) and Cesar Alvarez-Cuatepit (285), a sixth from Dilon Najjar (220), and an eighth from Austin Phelps (106).
“(Sophomore) AJ Quevedo gave a pretty mature performance for his first varsity tournament and Gavin Hinkle was able to rebound from a tough weekend last week to earn his first tournament title,” LeVanti said.

“Jacob Acevedo avenged his finals loss from last year with a first period fall and I think that’s pretty emblematic of the progress this group has made thus far.

“I think we had a pretty good effort. Everyone gave really solid performances.  We talked about starting fast and I think that allowed us to sort of jump out early and put it out of reach relatively quickly … we wanted a complete team performance and our guys definitely  delivered on that.”

Second-place St. Patrick had an individual champion in Niko Karamaniolas (138). The Shamrocks had four wrestlers place second in Calvin Stahl (113), Olin Walker (126), Gio Hernandez (182), and Aiden Gomez (220), and a third from Daniel Goodwin (106) among St. Patrick’s nine wrestlers who finished in the top eight of their weight divisions.

Third-place Geneva had two champions among their 10 wrestlers who placed in the top eight, in Dylan Konkey (160) and John Schmidt (195). Placing second for the Vikings were Joey Sikorski (106) and Maguire Hoeksema (152), while Joe Petit (220) placed third and Cam McGoarty (145) finished fourth.
Other champions on the day in Buffalo Grove were Elk Grove’s Grant Madl (126), Romeoville’s Mason Gougis (170) and Johnathan Espinoza-Lun (220), and Vernon Hills’ Max Accettura (285).
Second-place finishers also included Niles North’s Trent Tono (120), Buffalo Grove’s Isaac Wilson (132), Elk Grove’s Niko Thanopoulos (138), Morris’ Tyler Semlar (145), Vernon Hills’ Kevin Halley (195), and Palatine’s Parker Brault.

The closest title-mat matches included Madl’s 3-1 decision over Walker at 126, Hinkle’s 3-2 overtime win at 145 against Semlar, and Konkey’s 4-1 win at 160 over Meyer.

Rex Lewis third-place finishers were Romeoville’s Alex Bahena (113), Mt. Carmel’s Caleb Drousias (120), TF-South’s Trayvonne Roberts (132), Buffalo Grove’s Max Turner (138) and Vlad Fedorchenko (182), Elk Grove’s Anthony Macina (152), James Keigher (170), and Mo Burt (195), Vernon Hills’ Ilya Dvoryannikov (160), and Romeoville’s Tony Galloway (285).

Fourth-place finishers included Buffalo Grove’s Dawson Horvath (106), David Rodriguez (126), and John Sarracco (220), Bartlett’s Max McCaan (113), Filip Szeszko (132), Nick Barton (138), Zain Yasoob (152), and Ryan Gura (182), Elk Grove’s Nicasio Acino (120) and Jacob Elsner (160), and Larkin’s Chris Valentin (170).

Hoffman Estates’ Mickey Marchese tournament

Mundelein sent five wrestlers to the title mat, won two individual titles, and had 11 wrestlers finish in the top seven of their weight classes to take this year’s Mickey Marchese team title.
The Mustangs posted a 190-149 edge over second-place Lane Tech for coach Craig Stocker. Harlem (135) finished third followed by South Elgin (129.5), and Notre Dame (109) to round out the top five teams in the 16-team field.

Willowbrook (105) placed sixth, followed by Plainfield East (102.5), Rolling Meadows (101), Wheeling (95.5), and tenth-place host Hoffman Estates (68.5)

Mundelein got individual titles from Bryce Durlacher (120) and Benji Albavera (126), and second-place finishes from Pablo Bacerrar (113), Ethan Banda (132) and Ty Murray (160). Mundelein also got third-place finishes from Mac Rastrelli (170) and Abisai Hernandez (220), fourths from Gael Diaz (152) and Michael Nieves-Pena (182), a fifth from Ethan Thomas (138), and a seventh from Kevin Hernandez (145).

“It was absolutely a team effort,” Stocker said. “We only brought eleven guys, so we needed every one of them to contribute, and we needed bonus points. Both of those happened.

“All eleven won at least two matches on the day and we had twenty-six falls throughout the tournament. The five that made the finals led by example from the start. I’m extremely proud of the way all eleven competed. We’re looking forward to getting a few guys back from injuries and competing the rest of the season.”

Second-place Lane Tech led all teams with three individual champions in Alex Valentin (113), Finn Merrill (138), and Fernando Lopez (152). Lane Tech also got seconds from Evan Coles (106) and James Zavala (120), and a fourth from Felix Zavala (145).

Third-place Harlem tied Mundelein with 11 wrestlers placing in the top eight of their divisions, led by individual champion Ben Larsen (160). Harlem also got a second-place finish from Aiden Zacharuk (145) and thirds from Ethan Hagerman (126) and Myles Babcock (132).

Other individual champions in Hoffman Estates were South Elgin’s Demetrios Carerra (106) and Nico Clinite (145), Wheeling’s Patrick Tinsley (132), Rolling Meadows’ Skip Rozanski (170), Notre Dame’s Jim Amatore (182) and Karl Schmalz (285), Hoffman Estates’ Josh Ellery (195), and Cary-Grove’s Logan Abrams (220).

Second-place finishers also included Rolling Meadows’ Braeden Towle (126), South Elgin’s Leo Rosas (138) and Tommy Roath (285), Plainfield East’s Niko Duggan (152) and Roderick Burnett (220), Elgin’s Fabian Ramirez (170), Streamwood’s Max Dominguez (182), and Notre Dame’s Aiden Rice (195).

The day’s closest match on the title mat was Amatore’s 6-4 decision at 182 against Dominguez. Nine of the 14 championship matches were won by fall.

Placing third at Hoffman Estates were Notre Dame’s Johnny Sheehy (106), Stagg’s Jamie Corral (113), Plainfield East’s Aiden Villar (120) and Jerry Nino (160), Homewood Flossmoor’s Jaylen Augustave (138), Hoffman Estates’ Julian Bonilla (145), Maine West’s Jason Hidan (152), Cary-Grove’s Gabe Simpson (182), South Elgin’s Danny Viscuso (195), and Elgin’s Adam Lambatz (285).

Fourth-place finishers were Willowbrook’s Aris Neal (106) and Elias Samayoa (285), Elgin’s Julius Avendano (113), Willowbrook’s Chris Giroux (120) and Elijah Smith (138), Wheeling’s Alex Lucas (126), Streamwood’s Uli Rojas (132) and Jace Wolf (195), Rolling Meadows’ Ayden Steffler (160) and Eladio Castillo (220), and Streamwood’s Gabe Inorio (170).