By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA
All IWCOA rankings from Rob Sherrill’s Illinois Best Weekly

POLO WRESTLING INVITATIONAL

Yorkville Christian had 11 wrestlers place in the top six of their weight classes in the 16-team Polo Wrestling Invitational, to win 229-188.5 over second-place Oregon.

The impressive part of it? Coach Mike Vester only had 11 wrestlers present.

“Since after week one of competition we’ve not had what will be our full lineup for state due to illness or injuries,” Vester said. “At Polo we were missing four starters (three scorers overall) and the eleven that competed stepped up and wrestled tough.

“We put six in the finals and had five champs. All other wrestlers came away with a medal which went a long way toward team scoring.”

The Mustangs got individual titles from No. 8 Davin Torza (22-6 at 106), Adrian Wadas-Luis (26-9 at 144), Tyler Gleason (27-9 at 175), No. 4 Jackson Allen (30-3 at 215) and Hayden Wheeler (25-9 at 285) to lead the way.

“Tyler Gleason at 175 was tourney Most Valuable Wrestler,” Vester said. “He tech-falled in the finals and was dominant all day. Jackson Allen continued his stellar season by earning his thirtieth win with two pins and a tech fall in the finals. Torza at 106, Adrian Wadas-Luis 144, and Hayden Wheeler were all impressive on their way to titles.”

1st- Yorkville Christian (229)
In addition to its five titlists, Yorkville Christian got a second-place finish from Kenny Fox (190), a third from Nathan Schlottman (132), a fourth from RJ Festerling (120) and fifths from Christian Sandoval (126), Austin Wads-Luis (150) and Henry Fox (165).

“The good news is we should be healthy in two weeks and ready for the state series,” Vester said. “Along the way we have been battle tested at a variety of tournaments at Joliet, Plano, West Chicago, Granite City, Polo, and this week Reed-Custer. The kids are starting to find themselves. With lots of new faces on varsity or underclassmen stepping in to fill roles, there has been a lot of individual growth leading to great team cohesion.”

“We always set the bar high for the program so the kids know what’s expected of them. If they do the little things better each time out and focus on their process and approach, then the outcomes will take care of themselves. As a coaching staff we are looking forward to seeing them push themselves during the state series.”

2nd- Oregon (188.5)
Hawks coach Justin Lahman sent three champions to the top of the Polo podium in No. 2 state medalist Josiah Perez (27-0 at 120), Jack Benesh (14-2 at 132) and Nelson Benesh (25-3 at 138), and a second-place finish from No. 9 Isaiah Perez (126), a third from Jacksyn Windham (215), fourths from Kayden Cover (106), Jordan Lowe (113), and Jackson Messenger (144), a fifth from Levi Benton (157) and a sixth from Charles Collins (190).

3rd- Freeport (156)
The Pretzels got an individual title from No. 1 Treyden Diduch (26-2 at 113) for coach Nathan Arendt, plus seconds from Thomas Olson (138), Blake Slusser (144) and Sabastian Murray (285), thirds from No. 9 Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (157) and Jayden Wright (165), and fourths from Mathias Rada (150) and Jakhari Randle (175).

Team scores
Yorkville Christian (229), Oregon 188.5, Freeport 156, West Carroll 119, Fulton 115, Galena/E Dubuque 86, North Boone 84.5, Lisle 83.5, Polo/Forreston/Eastland/Milledgeville 77.5, Parkview/Albany WI 71, Durand/Pecatonia 69.5, Camanche IA 59.5, Jefferson 56, Guilford 41.5, Genoa-Kingston 36, Alden-Hebron 34

Additional champions
126 No. 5 Alexander Ferari (16-1), Lisle
150 Tavin Bombkamp (23-2), Parkview/Albany WI
157 Connor Knop (23-0), West Carroll
165 Jonner Smith (23-1), West Carroll
190 Micah Stringini (26-7), Polo/F/E/M

Additional runners-up
106 Coltin Hartman (24-5), Fulton
113 Hudson Price (22-4), Fulton
120 Dominic Angileri (2-1), Guilford
132 Jack McIntyre (10-4), West Carroll
150 Cole Herrell (19-4), West Carroll
157 Dameon Polton (14-6), Galena/E Dubuque
165 Olyver Fuller (18-4), Camanche IA
175 Mason Kuebel (25-6), Fulton
215 Nick Davis (14-11), North Boone

Notable finals
At 106, Yorkville Christian’s Davin Torza edged Fulton’s Coltin Hartman by 4-3 decision for the title; West Carroll’s Jonner Smith won an 11-8 decision for the title at 165 over Camanche, Iowa’s Olyver Fuller; and at 120, Oregon’s Josiah Perez won 17-13 for the title against Guilford’s Dominic Angileri.

Statistics
TEAM: Yorkville Christian finished with the most pins in the tournament with 23, followed by Oregon with 18 and Freeport with 14. Parkview/Albany of Wisconsin and Yorkville Christian tied for the most tech falls posted with four, followed by North Boone, Oregon, and Guilford with three apiece. Yorkville Christian also led the field in total match points with 140 followed by Oregon with 121 and West Carroll with 89.

INDIVIDUAL: Oregon’s Levi Benton finished with the most pins in the least time with four in 6:28, followed by Yorkville Christian’s Austin Wadas-Luis with four falls in 8:04. The fastest pin came in at 18 seconds, by both Yorkville Christian’s Nathan Schlottman and Alden-Hebron’s Cohl Armbrust.

Parkview/Albany’s Tavin Bombkamp had the most tech falls with three, followed by Guilford’s Dominic Angileri and Oregon’s Benesh Nelson with two apiece. Polo’s Micah Stringini and Yorkville Christian’s Wadas-Luis tied for the lead in team points with 28, while Polo’s Kaenyn McCarren posted the most single-match points with 24, followed by Durand’s Ben Schmerse with 23 and North Boone’s Kale Lawson with 22.

Schmerse led the way in total match points with 58, followed by Bombkamp with 55 and Angileri with 49. The largest seed-place difference came from Oregon’s Jackson Messenger as the No. 12 seed placed fourth at 144 pounds.

Championship match results
106 Davin Torza (Yorkville Ch) D 4-3 Coltin Hartman (Fulton)
113 Treyden Diduch (Freeport) TF 1:42 Hudson Price (Fulton)
120 Josiah Perez (Oregon) D 17-13 Dominic Angileri (Guilford)
126 Alexander Ferari (Lisle) F 2:48 Isaiah Perez (Oregon)
132 Jack Benesh (Oregon) F 0:58 Jack McIntyre (W Carroll)
138 Nelson Benesh (Oregon) TF 4:00 Thomas Olson (Freeport)
144 Adrian Wadas-Luis (Yorkville Ch) F 1:53 Blake Slusser (Freeport)
150 Tavin Bombkamp (Parkview/A WI) TF 1:40 Cole Herrell (W Carroll)
157 Connor Knop (W Carroll) TF 1:58 Dameon Polton (Galena/E Dub)
165 Jonner Smith (W Carroll) D 11-8 Olyver Fuller (Camanche IA)
175 Tyler Gleason (Yorkville Ch) TF 4:04 Mason Kuebel (Fulton)
190 Micah Stringini (Polo/E/F/M) F 0:31 Kenny Fox (Yorkville Ch)
215 Jackson Allen (Yorkville Ch) TF 3:30 Nick Davis (N Boone)
285 Hayden Wheeler (Yorkville Ch) D 7-3 Sabastian Murray (Freeport)

Third-place match results
106 Sebastian Lara (Lisle) MD 12-2 Kayden Cover (Oregon)
113 Drew Patel (N Boone) inj. Jordan Lowe (Oregon)
120 Gabe Marella (N Boone) F 3:43 RJ Festerling (Yorkville Ch)
126 Connor Higgins (Galena/E Dub) D 10-5 Victor Jackson (Fulton)
132 Nathan Schlottman (Yorkville Ch) F 1:23 Mecose Johnson (Jefferson)
138 Jayden Krontz (Camanche IA) F 2:53 Anthony Swenson (G.-Kingston)
144 Jordan Donahue (Galena/E Dub) D 9-5 Jackson Messenger (Oregon)
150 Kaenyn McCarren (Polo/E/F/M) MD 24-15 Mathias Rada (Freeport)
157 Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (Freeport) MD 14-5 Ibraheem Harb (Lisle)
165 Jayden Wright (Freeport) F 3:11 Elijah Gunn (Parkview/A)
175 Peter Roth (Parkview/A) F 1:24 Jakhari Randle (Freeport)
190 Cohl Armbrust (Alden-H) F 1:19 Derek Roling (Galena/E Dub)
215 Jacksyn Windham (Oregon) F 3:32 Nolan Kaiser (Galena/E Dub)
285 Antonio Osario-Pasillas (Jefferson) F 1:29 Christian Allen (N Boone)

SULLIVAN SLAM

Bradley-Bourbonnais rolled into Chicago from 70 miles away and left town with the team title of this year’s 24-team Sullivan Slam. The Boilermakers placed second at last year’s Slam to Johnsburg, but they turned the tables this year, winning 196.5-193 over Johnsburg in a nip-and-tuck battle for the team title.
“Assistant coach Austin Spacht, all of our managers, and the teammates that weren’t wrestling that came to support were all critical players in today’s win,” Boilermakers’ coach Michael Spiwak said.

That support staff saw six of its wrestlers reach the championship mat, with individual titles coming from Cullen Parks (22-3 at 106), Razi Perez (19-11 at 126), Jonathan Schafer (10-9 at 165) and Kayden Roach (23-4 at 175).

Parks was named the outstanding wrestler of the lower weights after pinning all of his opponents in the first period.

“Last year, Cullen Parks was our only tournament champion here,” Spiwak said. “He is also a phenomenal teammate and contributor from the bench.  I am so impressed with the growth Cullen Parks has made as a wrestler, as a teammate, as a student, and as a person over these past three years.

“Razi Perez has been on fire this season. He is becoming so coachable and not hesitating in matches, and trusting our system, and it showed in (Saturday’s) performance.  He is incredibly hard to score on.  Everyone hates wrestling him in practice.

“Jon Schafer earned the second-most team points out of every wrestler in this tournament (28). He is one of the most coachable and gritty kids I have ever coached. He fights with full effort every second of every match, and truly earned this tournament championship.  It took five tough wins for Jon to win this tournament.”

Roach’s title at 175 came with a bit of revenge, as he won by major decision against Johnsburg’s Duke Mays (23-5). Roach lost to Mays in last year’s finals at Sullivan.

“Duke is a phenomenal wrestler, and it was not an easy win,” Spiwak said.  “Some things are hard to put into words but if you were not in the gym for that match, you missed out.  I could not be more proud of Kayden and the work he puts in for this team.”

Team scores
Bradley-Bourbonnais 196.5, Johnsburg 193, Buffalo Grove 162, St. Ignatius 131, Northridge Prep 113, Crete Monee 88, Senn 72.5, Hope 62, Horizon 60, Sullivan 55.5, Niles West 54.5, Phillips 54, UIC Noble 53, Marian Catholic 52, Crane/Whitney Young 48, Lane 41, Auburn 40, Amundsen 37.5, Rickover Naval Academy 35, Leo 32.5, Intrinsic Charter-Downtown 31.5, Solorio 22.5, Hyde Park 19, Lincoln Park 8.5

1st- Bradley-Bourbonnais (196.5)
In addition to titles from Parks, Perez, Schafer and Roach, the Boilermakers got seconds from Jayden Cooper (144) and Khalan Clemens (285), and a third from Zachary Hoffner (120). Also scoring vital team points for Bradley-Bourbonnais were Brody Kraemer (113), William Sanderson (150), Coen McGill (157), Shawn Lee (190) and Elijah Wiggins (215).

Every point and bonus point are always valued, and the points Kraemer contributed were as big as anyone’s.

“Brody Kraemer is a freshman that we have never put on varsity before,” Spiwak said. “We knew we had a chance to bring the trophy home today, and Brody was willing to step up.  He ended up starting off with a pin for us and earning four team points for the team.  We won by 3.5 team points.  Without Brody’s toughness, we would have lost today by 1/2 of a point.

“I am so proud of this team. They chose to wrestle for each other, and to be tough and gritty for each other.  It feels good seeing all their year-round hard work pay off.”
Spiwak had plenty of praise to spread around.

“Zach Hoffner is an important leader on our team. While he didn’t win the tournament, he deserves to be mentioned here because of everything he does for us on and off the mat.  Zach is a great role model and a great person – everyone in our school loves Zach.  His only loss was to the champion (Buffalo Grove’s Mykola Shamray), who was also champion of the prestigious Barrington Tournament. Zach still battled back and pinned everyone else in his way to place third, picking up massive team points (18) for the team, and being a critical part of our team title. Zach was in the IWCOA Fr/So State Finals last year, and we expect big things from him this season.”

“Jayden Cooper placed second, and is an absolute dawg. He is such a dangerous wrestler from every position, is incredibly coachable, and has tremendous heart. Regardless of the score, regardless of who won, nobody wants to wrestle Jayden Cooper twice. Jayden is also an awesome teammate from the bench.  He brings a lot of energy and love for his teammates that adds a ton to every boiler’s experience on this team.

“Shawn Lee battles every second in every position. He got three pins for us and earned 10 team points.  Eli Wiggins did a ton in the offseason, loves wrestling, and loves his team.  He always knows what his job is for the team, and does his best to get that job done.

“Khalan Clemens got second place and was looking to avenge a loss from earlier in the season in the finals.  While he did not win, he competed much better, and put himself in a position to win.”

2nd- Johnsburg (193)
Skyhawks coach JD Sylvanus got an individual title from Chase Davis (132), seconds from Chase Vogel (120), Duke Mays (175), thirds from Kai Surdick (113), Tanner Hansen (150), Kainoa Ancog (157) and Jackson Hjorth (190), and a fourth from Jordan Sylvanus (165).

3rd- Buffalo Grove (162)
Mykola Shamray (120) won an individual title for Bison coach Keegan Mugerditchian, who also got seconds from Sam Chernyavsky (113) and Christiano Marogy (215), a third from Sonny Tugs (175), and fourths from Sam Ejnik (106), Dino Klikas (138), Johnny Khurshedov (150) and Aleksander Krotoszyski (190).

Additional champions
113 Frank Vale, St. Ignatius
120 Mykola Shamray, Buffalo Grove
138 Alontae Lorek, Horizon
144 Nino Capuano, St. Ignatius

150 Santori Knight, Hope
157 Trevon Williams, Crete-Monee
190 Sami Marrero, Horizon
215 Melson Ngassa, St. Ignatius
285 Dominic Jackson, Crete-Monee

Additional runners-up
106 Mohammed Zia Nadre, Sullivan
126 Andrew Price, Phillips
132 Joe Kopecky, Northridge Prep
138 Patrick Kopecky, Northridge Prep
150 Javier Rodriguez, Northridge Prep
157 Lennon Ojeda, Senn
165 Dardan Jakupi, Auburn
190 Jacob Swiontek, Intrinsic

Statistics
TEAM: Johnsburg led all teams with 32 pins, followed by Bradley-Bourbonnais with 29 and St. Ignatius with 24. Chicago Hope and Buffalo Grove each had six tech falls to lead the field, and Buffalo Grove scored the most total match points with 337, followed by Johnsburg with 309 and Bradley-Bourbonnais with 283.

INDIVIDUAL: Lane’s Isaac Mendez posted the most pins in the least time with six falls in 10:12, followed by St. Ignatius’ Nino Capuano with five falls in 14:22 and Northridge Prep’s Patrick Manio with four falls in 4:03. Niles West’s Daud Chaudry posted the most tech falls in the least time with three techs in 4:28, followed by Senn’s Lennon Ojeda with three techs in 5:14 and Hope’s Anthony Oyola with three techs in 5:21.

St. Ignatius’ Capuano also scored the most team points with 30, followed by Horizon’s Alontae Lorek, Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Jonathan Schafer, and Crete-Monee’s Trevon Williams with 28 team points apiece. Philips Andrew Price posted the most single-match points with 25, followed by Senn’s Johan Starkey with 24. Northridge Prep’s George McShane finished with the most total match points with 86, followed by Leo’s Vandell Dudley with 84 and Niles West’s Chaudry with 81.

The largest seed-place difference went to St. Ignatius’ Capuano, as a No. 17 seed who won the individual title at 144 pounds.

Championship match results
106 Cullen Parks (Bradley-B) F 1:43 Mohammed Zia Nadre (Sullivan)
113 Frank Valle (St. Ignatius) F 0:35 Sam Chernyavskiy (Buffalo Grove)
120 Mykola Shamray (Buffalo Grove) F 2:52 Chase Vogel (Johnsburg)
126 Razi Perez (Bradley-B) F 1:13 Andrew Price (Phillips)
132 Chase Davis (Johnsburg) TF Joe Kopecky (Northridge Prep)
138 Alontae Lorek (Horizon) F 5:12 Patrick Kopecky (Northridge Prep)
144 Nino Capuano (St. Ignatius) F 4:00 Jayden Cooper (Bradley-B)
150 Santori Knight (Hope) TF 1:29 Javier Rodriguez (Northridge Prep)
157 Trevon Williams (Crete-Monee) F 0:40 Lennon Ojeda (Senn)
165 Jonathan Schafer (Bradley-B) F 3:37 Dardan Jakupi (Auburn)
175 Kayden Roach (Bradley-B) MD 16-7 Duke Mays (Johnsburg)
190 Sami Marrero (Horizon) F 6:00 Jacob Swiontek (Intrinsic)
215 Melson Ngassa (St. Ignatius) MD 10-2 Christiano Marogy (Buffalo Grove)
285 Dominic Jackson (Crete-Monee) D 9-6 Khalan Clemens (Bradley-B)

Third-place results
106 Julian Lopez (St. Ignatius) D 3-0 Sam Ejnik (Buffalo Grove)
113 Kai Surdick (Johnsburg) F 1:28 Mavia Khan (Senn)
120 Zachary Hoffner (Bradley-B) F 1:14 Patrick Manio (Northridge Prep)
126 Leonardo Zapien (UIC Noble) F 1:36 Matiullah Amiri (Senn)
132 Ismail Mehmedovic (Niles W) F 0:51 Anthony Oyola (Hope)
138 Vandell Dudley (Leo) D 14-7 Dino Klikas (Buffalo Grove)
144 George McShane (Northridge Prep) TF 4:00 Daud Chaudry (Niles W)
150 Tanner Hansen (Johnsburg) F 2:39 Jonny Khurshedov (Buffalo Grove)
157 Kainoa Ancog (Johnsburg) F 0:46 Qaisar Sadat (Niles W)
165 Isaac Mendez (Lane) F 1:33 Jordan Sylvanus (Johnsburg)
175 Sonny Tugs (Buffalo Grove) TF 1:54 Adrian Del Villar (Crane/WY)
190 Jackson Hjorth (Johnsburg) F 3:06 Aleksander Krotoszynski (Buffalo Grove)
215 Charleston Rice (Phillips) F 2:09 Justin Swafford (Crete-Monee)
285 Justin Powell (Hyde Park) MD 9-1 Charles Harris (Sullivan)

GENEVA NEWBILL TOURNAMENT

Five individual champions goes a long way in a tournament and that’s what spearheaded a team title for Brother Rice at this year’s 20-team Newbill Invitational hosted by Geneva.

Brother Rice won 265-196 over second-place Downers Grove North, followed by Naperville North (168.5), Wheaton Warrenville South (147.5) and West Aurora (138.5) to round out the top five.

Brother Rice coach Jan Murzyn sent eight wrestlers to the title mat and got individual championships from Duane Connolly (20-4 at 113), No. 6 state medalist Oliver Davis (24-2 at 144), Arty Balderas (20-5 at 150), No. 6 state medalist Frank Miceli (18-3 at 157) and Dan Costello (15-2 at 215) to lead the pack. In total, 12 Brother Rice wrestlers finished in the top six of their weight classes.

1st- Brother Rice (265)
In addition to titles from Connolly, Davis, Balderas, Miceli, and Costello, a trio of second-placers also carried the day for Murzyn in Vinnie Miceli (16-7 at 126), state qualifier Jonathan Harris (12-5 at 165) and Colin Goggin (7-2 at 190). The Crusaders also got thirds from Logan Connors (120) and Otis Davis (175), a fourth from JJ Corona (285) and a sixth from Henry Manning (138).

2nd- Downers Grove North (196)
The Trojans finished with the most pins in the tournament with 19 for coach Chris McGrath, and DG North got titles from Damian Garcia (23-3 at 120), Christian Chiarelli (5-0 at 138) and No. 6 Colin Murphy (21-3 at 285). The Trojans also got thirds from Caden Chiarelli (144), Alex Hengles (150), Billy Rausch (157) and Nate Olona (215) and a fifth from Jack Helsdon (190).

3rd- Naperville North (168.5)
Huskies coach Tom Champion got runner-up finishes from Michael Arredondo (26-6 at 132), Kai Balice (20-8 at 150) and No. 5 Tavkif Ibragimov (27-1 at 215), plus thirds from JT Hill (190) and Jake Johnson (285), a fourth from Adam Beedon (113), and a fifth from Archer Biag (126).

Team scores

Brother Rice 265, Downers Grove North 196, Naperville North 168.5, Wheaton Warrenville South 147.5, West Aurora 138.5, Alton 97.5, Glenbard East 94, Lane 90, Joliet Central 86.5, Plainfield Central 56.5, Metea Valley 51, Oak Lawn 50, Stillman Valley 49.5, Dundee-Crown 46, Shepard 42, Geneva 37, Harvest Christian 35, Addison Trail 27.5, Boylan Catholic 12

Additional champions
106 Jeremiah Arroyo-McMullan (33-2), Lane
126 Ismael Chaidez (27-4), Glenbard East
132 Brennan O’Donnell (26-1), Harvest Christian
165 Brayden Drew (16-2), Alton
175 Lucas Marcoux (24-9), Metea Valley
190 Orlando Hoye (12-1), Glenbard East

Additional runners-up
106 Aiden Healey (20-5), Dundee-Crown
113 Gabe Richmond (23-4), West Aurora
120 Eric Castillo (15-13), West Aurora
138 Jack Platt (18-9), West Aurora
144 David Calderon (17-14), Joliet Central
157 Malan Hatfield (22-7), West Aurora
285 Evan Patton (18-11), Joliet Central

Notable finals
The finals saw a pair of sudden-victory matches, the first in the title match at 113, where Brother Rice’s Duane Connolly won 9-6 in overtime against West Aurora’s Gabe Richmond. The final at 138 was next, with Downers Grove North’s Christian Chiarelli winning 6-3 in overtime against West Aurora’s Jack Platt.
In the highest-scoring final at 215, Brother Rice’s No. 4 Dan Costello (15-2) handed Naperville North’s No. 5 Tavkif Ibragimov (27-1) his first loss of the season in a 15-8 decision.

Statistics
TEAM: Downers Grove North finished with the most pins in the tournament with 19, followed by Brother Rice with 18,  Naperville North and Wheaton Warrenville South each had 17 pins. Brother Rice posted the most tech falls in the least time with eight in 21:48, followed by Downers Grove North with eight tech falls in 30:31. Brother Rice led all teams with 482 total match points, followed by Downers Grove North with 412 and Wheaton Warrenville South with 395.

INDIVIDUAL: Glenbard East’s Evan Reichert posted the most pins in the least time with four in 5:47. There was a three-way tie for the fastest fall at 19 seconds between Lane’s Jeremiah Arroyo-McMullan, Alton’s Roman Alm, and Joliet Central’s David Calderon. Brother Rice’s Oliver Davis had the most tech falls in the least time with three in 6:15, and Glenbrook North’s Henry Hafner posted the fastest tech fall at 1:30.
Arroyo-McMullan led the field with 29 team points scored, followed by Brother Rice’s Oliver Davis with 28.5. Addison Trail’s Alen Bautista scored the most single-match points with 23, followed by WW South’s Rocco Valvano with 22. Davis also scored the most total match points with 59, followed by DG North’s Jack Helsdon with 57 and Harvest Christian’s Max Mulhearn with 54.

Championship match results
106 Jeremiah Arroyo-McMullan (Lane) inj. Aiden Healey (D-C)
113 Duane Connolly (Brother Rice) SV-1 9-6 Gabe Richmond (W Aurora)
120 Damian Garcia (DG North) MD 12-4 Eric Castillo (W Aurora)
126 Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard E) D 7-1 Vinnie Miceli (Brother Rice)
132 Brennan O’Donnell (Harvest Ch) D 8-5 Michael Arrendondo (Naperville N)
138 Christian Chiarelli (DG North) SV-1 6-3 Jack Platt (W Aurora)
144 Oliver Davis (Brother Rice) F 2:30 David Calderon (Joliet C)
150 Arty Balderas (Brother Rice) D 11-6 Kai Balice (Naperville N)
157 Frank Miceli (Brother Rice) D 4-0 Malan Hatfield (W Aurora)
165 Brayden Drew (Alton) D 7-1 Jonathan Harris (Brother Rice)
175 Lucas Marcoux (Metea) D 9-4 David Hurrle (Naperville N)
190 Orlando Hoye (Glenbard E) D 14-10 Colin Goggin (Brother Rice)
215 Dan Costello (Brother Rice) D 15-8 Tavkif Ibragimov (Naperville N)
285 Colin Murphy (DG North) TF 5:12 Evan Patton (Joliet C)

Third-place match results
106 Rocco Valvano (WW South) TF 2:56 Donovan Johnson (W Aurora)
113 Austin Jones (Alton) inj. Adam Beedon (Naperville N)
120 Logan Connors (Brother Rice) D 12-6 Jayden Mizelle (Plainfield C)
126 Jowel Maldonado (Joliet C) D 10-5 Alfredo Aguilera (W Aurora)
132 Michael Riggs (WW South) F 2:53 Blessing Zuze (Joliet C)
138 Jacob Sutphin (Alton) F 3:07 Brody Rangel (Plainfield C)
144 Caden Chiarelli (DG North) F 3:43 Joey Simon (WW South)
150 Alex Hengles (DG North) MD 17-9 Brandon Leech (Shepard)
157 Billy Rausch (DG North) MD 15-1 Charles Shane (Oak Lawn)
165 Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley) TF 2:52 Aiden Hill (Shepard)
175 Otis Davis (Brother Rice) F 1:12 Emiliano Ramirez (Plainfield C)
190 JT Hill (Naperville N) F 3:18 Gregory Heavey (WW South)
215 Nate Olona (DG North) F 3:55 Teigen Moreno (D-C)
285 Jake Johnson (Naperville N) F 2:20 JJ Corona (Brother Rice)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

KELLY GIRLS INVITATIONAL

Wheeling led the pack at this year’s 14-team Kelly Girls Invitational, finishing with a 197-178.5 win over second-place Homewood-Flossmoor.

Individual champions Elise Burkut (28-2 at 125), Nikol Orendarchuk (16-2 at 155) and Jasmine Rene (16-0 at 235) led the way for the Wildcats, who had 10 girls finish in the top three of their weight classes.
The Wildcats also led all teams with 23 pins in the tournament.

Orendarchuk battled to a 4-2 decision win in her title match against Glenbard North’s Suzanne Stalley, and Rene won by fall in her final against Glenbard North’s Asreilla Wallace. Burkut won by fall in the finals against Homewood-Flossmoor’s London Gandy.

“Jasmine and Nikol both had to battle to win their brackets, while Elise made key technical adjustments that paid off in her matches,” Piltaver said.

“The girls wrestled well on Saturday. We’ve traveled quite a bit this season (DeKalb, Oak Forest, and Wisconsin, to name a few), so having the opportunity to wrestle in the city was a fun and exciting experience for our team.”

Morton (162.5) placed third, followed by host Kelly (100.5) and Glenbard North (96) to round out the top five team finishes.

Team scores
Wheeling 197, Homewood-Flossmoor 178.5, JS Morton 162.5, Kelly 100.5, Glenbard North 96, Bolingbrook 79, Back of the Yards 63, Ridgewood 51, Taft 50.5, Phoenix Military Academy 49.5, St. Ignatius 49, Mother McAuley 47, Cumberland 36, Niles North 36

1st- Wheeling (197)
In addition to titles from Burkut, Orendarchuk and Rene, Wheeling got second-place finishes from Haydee Cruz (17-6 at 105), Mayali Suarez (21-4 at 120) and Layah Woods (17-8 at 140), plus thirds from Victoria Pina Rodriguez (11-6 at 100), Jocelyn Juarez Cruz (11-8 at 110), Mirna Rahmani (10-4 at 130) and Julitta Stolarczyk (12-10 at 190).

“Haydee and Mayali faced some tough opponents in the finals as well,” Piltaver said. “It was especially rewarding to see the rest of our girls place individually. Many of them have shown tremendous improvement from earlier in the season, when they weren’t placing, to earning individual success now.

We’ve been runner-up in several tournaments this year, so it was great to finally come away with a team win. Our goal going into the tournament was simply to wrestle hard and perform to the best of our ability.

2nd- Homewood-Flossmoor (178.5)
Coach Scott Aronson got individual titles from Madelynn McClements (24-10 at 130) and Kendra Hayden (19-9 at 190), seconds from Dilailah Lopez (15-13 at 110), London Gandy (21-8 at 125) and Amara Nwoye (25-5 at 135), thirds from Taniyah Bradley (16-8 at 120) and Kennedy Dade (24-9 at 140), and fourths from Na’imah Lamon (20-13 at 155) and Rachel Nugin (24-15 at 170).

3rd- JS Morton (162.5)
The Mustangs got individual titles from Andaira Marron (20-1 at 100), Jordan Rodriguez (27-5 at 105) and Karla Munoz (20-8 at 110) for coach Fernando Arratia, plus a second from Anali Wilson (27-1 at 170), thirds from Victoria Vargas (24-7 at 115) and Annabella Linton (6-4 at 145), and fourths from Luissiana Guerrero (14-7 at 120), Fatima Martinez (18-14 at 125), and Rosa Ramirez (130).

Additional champions
115 Kelly’s Yazmine Garcia (14-3)
120 Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores (15-6)
135 Glenbard North’s Keagan Edwards (32-2)
140 Phoenix Military Academy’s America Cabrera (15-0)
145 St. Ignatius’ Giancarla Garduno (16-1)
170 Kelly’s Sara Martinez (19-3)

Additional runners-up
100 Phoenix Military Academy’s Jitzel Aranda (7-3)
115 Back of the Yards’ Yazmin Mendoza (12-4)
130 Taft’s Alicia Hoyou (2-1)
145 Cumberland’s Natalie Beaumont (12-1)
155 Glenbard North’s Suzanne Stalley (30-5)
190 Back of the Yards’ Nyomi Ascencio (16-4)
235 Glenbard North’s Asreilla Wallace (29-5)

Notable matches
In the closest match of the championship round, St. Ignatius’ Giancarla Darduno (16-1) won a 10-7 decision in sudden victory overtime at 145 against Cumberland’s Natalie Beaumont (12-1).
In the finals at 170, Kelly’s Sara Martinez (19-3) handed Morton’s Anali Wilson (27-1) her first loss of the year, winning by fall at 0:37.
Morton’s Jordan Rodriguez (27-5) won a 3-0 decision in the finals at 105 against Wheeling’s Haydee Cruz (17-6), and in the finals at 155 Wheeling’s Nikol Orendarchuk (16-2) won a 4-2 decision over Glenbard North’s Suzanne Stalley (30-5).

Statistics
TEAM: Wheeling finished with the most pins in the tournament with 23, followed by Morton with 21 and Homewood-Flossmoor with 19. Homewood-Flossmoor and Phoenix Military Academy tied for the most tech falls with three apiece. Morton scored the most total match points with 245 followed by Homewood-Flossmoor with 236 and Wheeling with 172.

INDIVIDUAL: Bolingbrook’s Kamila Torres had the most pins in the least time with five in 5:22, followed by Mother McAuley’s Holly Rowan with four pins in 6:41, and Morton’s Annabella Linton with four pins in 8:03. Back of the Yards’ Nyomi Ascencio had the fastest fall in 12 seconds, followed by Homewood-Flossmoor’s Natalia Coleman with a fall at 15 seconds and Cumberland’s Summer Nichols with a fall at 18 seconds.

Phoenix Military Academy’s Jitzel Aranda had the most tech falls in the least time with two in 8:58, followed by teammate America Cabrera with a tech at 1:18 and Bolingbrook’s Anaya Campbell with a tech at 2:00. Cabrera’s tech was the fastest recorded by any wrestler.

Bolingbrook’s Campbell scored the most single-match points with 22, and scored the most total match points with 54. Homewood-Flossmoor’s Madelynn McClements finished second with 40 total match points, followed by Taft’s Jennifer Arenas and Wheeling’s Jocelyn Juarez Cruz and Burkut with 38 apiece.
Five girls tied for the most team points scored with 26, in Kelly’s Yazmine Garcia and Sara Martinez Lopera, Wheeling’s Elise Burkut and Jasmine Rene, and Morton’s Andaira Marron.

The largest seed-place difference came from Taft’s Alyssa Martel, who was seeded 12th but placed fourth at 115 pounds.

Championship match results
100 Anaira Marron (Morton) F 1:15 Jitzel Aranda (Phoenix)
105 Jordan Rodriguez (Morton) D 3-0 Haydee Cruz (Wheeling)
110 Karla Munoz (Morton) F 3:25 Dilailah Lopez (H-F)
115 Yazmine Garcia (Kelly) F 1:33 Yazmin Mendoza (BOTY)
120 Alejandra Flores (Bolingbrook) TF 2:53 Mayali Suarez (Wheeling)
125 Elise Burkut (Wheeling) F 3:05 London Gandy (H-F)
130 Madelynn McClements (H-F) TF 2:22 Alicia Hoyou (Taft)
135 Keagan Edwards (Glenbard N) MD 11-1 Amara Nwoye (H-F)
140 America Cabrera (Phoenix) F 2:32 Layah Woods (Wheeling)
145 Giancarla Darduno (St. Ignatius) SV-1 10-7 Natalie Beaumont (Cumberland)
155 Nikol Orendarchuk (Wheeling) D 4-2 Suzanne Stalley (Glenbard N)
170 Sara Martinez Lopera (Kelly) F 0:37 Anali Wilson (Morton)
190 Kendra Hayden (H-F) F 2:27 Nyomi Ascencio (BOTY)
235 Jasmine Rene (Wheeling) F 3:18 Asreilla Wallace (Glenbard N)

Third-place match results
100 Victoria Pina Rodriguez (Wheeling) F 0:29 Daisy VillaGonzalez (Glenbard N)
105 Kamila Torres (Bolingbrook) F 0:44 Lila Vazquez (St Ignatius)
110 Jocelyn Juarez Cruz (Wheeling) F 5:23 Destiny Hills (Kelly)
115 Victoria Vargas (Morton) F 3:28 Alyssa Martel (Taft)
120 Taniyah Bradley (H-F) F 2:46 Luissiana Guerrero (Morton)
125 Holly Rowan (McAuley) F 1:20 Fatima Martinez (Morton)
130 Mirna Rahmani (Wheeling) F 0:37 Rosa Ramirez (Morton)
135 Gianna Mezzano (Ridgewood) F 2:31 Liliana Monserrat Dimas (Kelly)
140 Kennedy Dade (H-F) F 0:32 Rose McFadden (Ridgewood)
145 Annabella Linton (Morton) F 5:18 Mary McFadden (Ridgewood)
155 Liana Andrade (Kelly) F 1:40 Na’imah Lamon (H-F)
170 Summer Nichols (Cumberland) F 2:20 Rachel Nugin (H-F)
190 Julitta Stolarczyk (Wheeling) F 2:46 Zoe Mpukuta (Glenbard N)
235 Madilyn Gonzalez (McAuley) F 1:33 Cynthia Rios (Bolingbrook)

ERIE-PROPHETSTOWN GIRLS TOURNAMENT

The Erie-Prophetstown Tournament hosted by Erie saw 25 teams square off on Saturday, and Freeport finished atop the field at day’s end.

Eight girls placed in the top ix for coach Brad Parsons, punctuated by individual titles from Kaiya Galindo (120) and NaJeyah Wallace (155). Galindo tied for most team points scored by any wrestler in the tournament with 28, and Wallace tied for the fastest pin posted at 11 seconds.

“Their dedication and hard work have been evident all season, and it culminated beautifully in this tournament,” Parsons said. “Each wrestler put in a phenomenal effort, it’s always a pleasure seeing Freeport Pretzels on the podium. They showcased incredible teamwork and determination throughout the event.”

1st- Freeport (135)
In addition to titles from Galindo (24-4) and Wallace (21-6), Freeport got second-place finishes from Bella Martins (16-9 at 155), Nalani Isaac (18-8 at 170), and Lily Wurster (11-7 at 190), a third from Brea Balles (26-6 at 115), and a fifth-place finish from Ariyana Calmese (17-13 at 105) and Caydance Fellows (17-9 at 170).

“Overall, the team has shown remarkable growth this year, with each member stepping up to support one another and improve their skills,” Parsons said. “It’s been a joy to watch them develop both as athletes and individuals.”

2nd- East Peoria (116)
Raiders coach Josh Prichard got an individual title from Bella Spampanato (7-2 at 235), thirds from Taylor Sutton (12-5 at 145), Dezyrae Murray (14-5 at 155) and Mallory Feldhaus (10-7 at 170), a fourth from Shauna Dvorak (9-8 at 155), and sixths from Kayla Berkel (7-6 at 140) and Brooke Knee (1-3 at 190).

3rd- Belvidere/Belvidere North (111)
The team made up of girls from Belvidere and Belvidere North high schools got a title from Emily Taylor (15-3 at 145) for coach Justin Barber, along with a runner-up finish from Savannah Trevino (13-5 at 235), a fourth from Rowan Cello (12-5 at 130), fifths from Lillian Davis (14-4 at 110) and Samantha Garnhart (6-7 at 135), and sixths from Addison Ramirez (9-7 at 115) and Kaylee Snow (7-9 at 120).

Team scores:
Freeport 135, East Peoria 116, Belvidere-B. North 111, Dunlap 107, Erie-Prophetstown 105, Westville 98.5, ROWVA 86.5, Washington 81.5, Lena-Winslow-Stockton 65.5, Fulton 55, Harlem 52, Olympia 49.5, Seneca 48.5, Newman Central Catholic 48, Kewanee 47.5, Knoxville 44, Moline 44, Litchfield-Mt. Olive 43, Sherrard 34.5, Princeton 34, Rock Falls 22, Illini West 21, Mercer County 20, Heyworth 9.5, Mendota 0

Additional champions
100 Chloe Collins, Olympia
105 Taylor Nevel, Lena-Winslow-Stockton
110 Blair Grennan, Newman
115 Rilynn Younker, Litchfield-Mt. Olive
125 Samantha Greisen, Seneca
130 Kerby Germann, Fulton
135 Emma Ziegler, Washington
140 Michelle Naftzger, Erie-Prophetstown
170 Grace Mordhorst, Washington
190 Patience Riggs, ROWVA
235 Bella Spampanato, East Peoria

Additional runners-up
100 Mya Olenjiniczak, Harlem
105 Kyra Cardine, Mercer County
110 Rozlyn Mosher, Erie-Prophetstown
115 Tessa Fosdick, Fulton
120 Paeyton Dickerson, Dunlap
125 Ryleigh Eriks, Rock Falls
130 Madison Heneks, Harlem
135 Jasmyn Bennett, Westville
140 Haiden Lavarier, Seneca
145 Aaliyah Swearingen, Kewanee

Notable matches
In the title match at 105, Lena-Winslow-Stockton’s Taylor Nevel won a 3-0 decision against Mercer County’s Kyra Cardine.

In the barnburner of the medal round on the third-place mat, Princeton’s Rylee Backes won a wild, 21-16 decision at 105 against ROWVA’s Jaylynn Elmore.

Statistics

TEAM: East Peoria, Freeport and Erie-Prophetstown tied for the most pins with 16 apiece, followed by Belvidere/Belvidere North with 14 and Dunlap with 13. Seneca posted the most tech falls with three, with two techs apiece from Erie-Prophetstown, Litchfield-Mt. Olive, and Dunlap.
Belvidere/Belvidere North’s 171 total match points led the field, one ahead of Erie-Prophetstown’s 170, followed by Dunlap with 165.

INDIVIDUAL: Sherrard’s Sophia Bradarich posted the most pins in the least time in the tournament with five in 8:35, and she tied with Freeport’s NaJeyah Wallace for the fastest pin, in 11 seconds. Seneca’s Samantha Greisen had the most tech falls in the least time with two in 5:12, while Olympia’s Brynlee Hereford had the fastest tech fall in 2:00.

There was a six-way tie for the most team points scored with 28, between Erie-Prophetstown’s Michelle Naftzger, Newman Central Catholic’s Blair Grennan, Fulton’s Kerby Germann, Olympia’s Chloe Collins, and Freeport’s Kaiya Galindo and NaJeyah Wallace.

Litchfield-Mt. Olive’s Rilynn Younker scored the most single-match points with 23, followed by Seneca’s Samantha Greisen and Princeton’s Rylee Backes with 21 apiece. Erie-Prophetstown’s Ayden Grawe finished with the most total match points with 55, followed by Seneca’s Greisen with 51 and Litchfield-Mt. Olive’s Younker with 44.

The largest seed-place difference came from Freeport’s Nalani Isaac, as the No. 10 seed at 170 placed second.

Championship match results
100 Chloe Collins (Olympia) F 3:30 Mya Olejiniczak (Harlem)
105 Taylor Nevel (LWS) D 3-0 Kyra Cardine (Mercer Co)
110 Blair Grennan (Newman C) F 3:00 Rozlyn Mosher (EP)
115 Rilynn Younker (Litchfield-Mt. Olive) F 1:09 Tessa Fosdick (Fulton)
120 Kaiya Galindo (Freeport) F 4:39 Paeyton Dickerson (Dunlap)
125 Samantha Greisen (Seneca) F 2:58 Ryleigh Eriks (Rock Falls)
130 Kerby Germann (Fulton) F 0:38 Madison Heneks (Harlem)
135 Emma Ziegler (Washington) F 1:55 Jasmyn Bennett (Westville)
140 Michelle Naftzger (EP) F 3:00 Haiden Lavarier (Seneca)
145 Emily Taylor (Belvidere/B North) F 3:57 Aaliyah Swearingen (Kewanee)
155 NaJeyah Wallace (Freeport) F 0:11 Bella Martins (Freeport)
170 Grace Mordhorst (Washington) F 3:29 Nalani Isaac (Freeport)
190 Patience Riggs (ROWVA) MD 10-1 Lily Wurster (Freeport)
235 Bella Spampanato (E Peoria) D 7-3 Savannah Trevino (Belvidere/B North)

Third-place match results
100 Lynorah Hansen (Newman C) F 2:48 Angelina McGuirk (Moline)
105 Rylee Backes (Princeton) D 21-16 Jaylynn Elmore (ROWVA)
110 Karah Arnold (LWS) F 1:34 Marissa Brown (ROWVA)
115 Brea Balles (Freeport) D 7-3 Kiley Knight (Westville)
120 Sophia Bradarich (Sherrard) F 1:18 Lauren Walker (Knoxville)
125 JenDayia Crowe (Kewanee) F 3:39 Emma Smith (LWS)
130 Laney Cook (Westville) F 0:58 Rowan Cello (Belvidere/B North)
135 Kyah Kaonohi (E Peoria) F 0:24 Lucy Whitman (Dunlap)
140 Charlie Bono (Litchfield-Mt. Olive) D 11-5 Makenna Roedl (Westville)
145 Taylor Sutton (E Peoria) D 4-0 Leah Brammeier (Olympia)
155 Dezyrae Murray (E Peoria) F 0:14 Shauna Dvorak (E Peoria)
170 Mallory Feldhaus (E Peoria) F 1:51 Avalena Wunderlich (Princeton)
190 Addison Briggs (Westville) F 2:24 Atalyssa Craig (Dunlap)
235 Destiny Kaeding (Dunlap) F 5:02 London Roberts (Knoxville)

NSC LAKE ZURICH SCRAMBLE

The eight teams from the North Suburban Conference got together for a scramble on Friday at Lake Zurich, with girls from Warren, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Stevenson, Mundelein, Waukegan and Zion-Benton.

Warren finished with the most pins in the field with 23, followed by Lake Zurich with 12 and Zion-Benton with 10. Stevenson, Libertyville and Waukegan each posted a tech fall.

Warren also led the field with 134 total match points, followed by Zion-Benton with 107 and Lake Zurich with 90.

Statistics
Individuals: Warren’s Grace Ciszek posted the most pins in the least time with two in 2:05, followed by teammate Tyanna Jackson with two pins at 2:30 and Waukegan’s Esther Vega with two at 2:43. Stevenson’s Nastasia Kobets posted the fastest tech fall at 2:20, followed by Libertyville’s Mary Minogue tech fall at 2:53, and Waukegan’s Maribell Chavez with a tech at 3:29.
Warren’s Jane Kelly posted the fastest pin at 28 seconds, followed by Lake Zurich’s Brisa Jara with a fall at 30 seconds and Mundelein’s Khloe Heerdegen with a pin at 33 seconds.
Six girls tied for the most team points scored with 20 apiece, in Warren’s Jackson, Ciszek and Sadie Fugelseth, and Zion-Benton’s Jazmine Medina and Emily Ortiz, and Mundelein’s Gabriella Goodson.
Libertyville’s Minogue led the field with 19 single-match points, followed by 18 apiece from Stevenson’s Kobets, Zion-Benton’s Medina, and Waukegan’s Maribell Chavez. Minogue also led in total match points with 28, followed by Kobets with 24 and Medina with 23.


Championship match results
100 Esther Vega (Waukegan) F 1:31 Natasha Flores (Warren)
105 Jazmine Medina (Zion-Benton) F 5:26 Imani Rodriguez (Warren)
110 Kai Battulaga (Lake Zurich) F 0:55 Eshha Thakur (Stevenson)
115 Athena Zappas (Stevenson) D 3-2 Aaliyah Vazquez (Warren)
120 Nastasia Kobets (Stevenson) TF Naleah Parham (Warren)
125 Mary Minogue (Libertyville) F 1:47 Layla Sapozhnikov (Stevenson)
130 Emily Ortiz (Zion-Benton) F 0:58 Bree Hirsch (Lake Forest)
135A Grace Ciszek (Warren) F 0:52 Katherine Turcios (Waukegan)
135B Jane Kelly (Warren) F 2:25 Masserati Valenzuela (Zion-Benton)
140 Tyanna Jackson (Warren) F 1:13 Khloee Heerdegen (Mundelein)
145-55 Ellery Brown (Warren) F 1:43 Ivanka Piatova (Stevenson)
155 Caitlin Ruley (Lake Zurich) F 3:19 Makaylee Welch (Warren)
170 Hanna Bairstow (Warren) F 0:41 Kaylee Sanchez (Stevenson)
235 Ti’ara Saunders (Lake Zurich) F 0:39 Jacklyn Linaves (Waukegan)

Third-place match results
100 Caitlin Kilroy (Stevenson) BYE
105 Noemi Escobar (Mundelein) F 0:52 Eliana Martinez (Waukegan)
110 BYE
115 Georgia Hay (Lake Zurich) BYE
120 Anneliese Mata (Zion-Benton) D 11-10 Sophia Alchin (Stevenson)
125 Natalie Gonzalez (Mundelein) D 7-2 Nathaly Tenorio (Zion-Benton)
130 Uylana Krylova (Stevenson) F 0:49 Ariana Teran (Warren)
135A Alanna Carlberg (Lake Zurich) F 2:50 Sarish Sheikh (Stevenson)
135B Aleyna Unat (Lake Zurich) BYE
140 Anna Apostol (Lake Zurich) F 1:32 Vivianna Ruiz (Waukegan)
155 Jessica Ivanyuk (Stevenson) BYE

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

All IWCOA rankings from Rob Sherrill’s Illinois Best Weekly

GLENBARD WEST’S CHRIS CHAPPELL INVITE

The 43rd Chris Chappell Invitational on the campus of Glenbard West High School gave wrestling fans all they could watch as the host Hilltoppers and Lincoln-Way Central battled to the very end in Glen Ellyn inside Biester Gymnasium.

The Hilltoppers did all they could to stay within striking distance of the Knights, using five individual champions to keep pace all throughout the day; however, 13 top five medals, and four individual champions from Lincoln-Way Central dashed the hopes of the home side.

The Knights would record a tourney-best 27 pins to help them amass 272.0 points, 16 more than the Hilltoppers (257.0), who finished ahead of third-place Carmel Catholic, which finished with a respectable 172.5 points.

South Elgin was fourth with 149.0, and the Glenbard West JV (112.0) would round out the top five on the leaderboard.

The home side led the 14-team field with 353 total match points, followed by the Knights (275) and Carmel Catholic with 272.

South Elgin junior Tommy Visvardis recorded the fastest pin (16 seconds) of the tournament during his second consolation match 

1st: Lincoln-Way Central (272.0)

Sophomore Brooks McKay would get the Knights off and running after his 120-pound title – followed by the upper weight success of No. 5 Jalen Byrd (170, 32-3), Justin Langford (190, 23-12) and No. 4 Aiden Hennings (285, 33-3), who together, as a trio, recorded seven pins and one tech-fall to claim top honors in their weight divisions.

Byrd, a two-time state qualifier, was fourth recently at the Dvorak, where Hennings was third.

Connor Richardson (126), Caleb Rogers (132), Evan Vogt (175) and Logan Wooten (215) would all finish second, while Bannon Valent (106), Eric Hoselton (138) and Dylan Wrobel (144) all brought home third place medals.

Teammates Gaetano Baser was fourth at 165, with Finn Fifer (113) and Alex Kedzior (126) both fifth overall.

The Knights are on the road at crosstown rival Lincoln-Way on Wednesday, before hosting its two-day Illini Classic, which begins on Friday afternoon.

“We are proud that 16 of our 17 entries placed in the top six,” began Knights head coach, Tyrone Byrd. “We were excited to get to compete against a top 10 in (Glenbard West) – they have a quality team, with little to no holes in its lineup.

“(For) us, a big part of our success was bonus points, we picked up (27) falls, with Carmel Catholic next with 17. Brooks (McCay) picked up his first varsity tournament championship today, and Jalen Byrd and Justin Langford won their respective brackets in dominant fashion.

“Jalen had two falls, and a tech-fall, Justin three falls. Last, but not least, Aiden Jennings won convincingly against a state ranked opponent at 285. We are proud of our team’s effort, we scored a lot of match and team points to put us over the top.”

2nd: Glenbard West (257.0)

The Hilltoppers would generate plenty of bonus points, thanks in part to the lethal finishing work from their five individual champions: No. 6 Aidan Ortega (106, 27-1), Brennan Myra (144, 21-9), No. 8 Vince Tortoriello (150, 24-3), Tallis Taylor (165, 18-9) and No. 10 Phin Codinha (215, 13-5) ,who combined for 132.5 team points, and just under 200 total match points.

With his title at 106, Ortega now has three majors on the season, as does Tortoriello.

Alejandro Aranda (138), Jondelle Murray (157), and Marc Tchapda (285) all would finish second, with Cristian Lopez (113) third overall.

BK Sepulveda (120) and Manny Rodriguez (126) helped the cause with their fourth place medals.

3rd: Carmel Catholic (172.5)

The Corsairs would celebrate the second major title of the season by senior and No. 7 (class 2A) Anthony Hinojosa (19-2) who pinned his way into the final where he registered a superb six minute effort en route to a 16-5 major decision victory.

Owen Thomas (120), Danny Mandujano (165) and Gabe Flowers (190) were all second, with Noah Breckenridge third at 285.

Nasir Spivy (132) was fourth, and Joey Cameron (175) fifth.

The Corsairs were second to the eventual champs with 17 pins on the day.

Additional individual champions:

Ben Sallas (113, Glenbard West JV), Kyrin King (126, Rich Township), Zander Spatafore (132, Elk Grove), Colton Huff (144, St. Ignatius).

Additional runners-up:

Leo Salas (106, South Elgin), Caleeb Jones (Rich Township), Gus Saletta (144, Bartlett), Cameron Engels (150, Bartlett).

FINAL TEAM SCORES:

Lincoln-Way Central 272.0, Glenbard West 257.0. Carmel Catholic 172.5, South Elgin 149.0, Glenbard West JV 112.5, Rich Township 106.5, Bartlett 86.5, Elk Grove 68.0, Glenbard South/ St. Ignatius 59.5 each, Thornton 51.0, Proviso East 45.5, Larkin 42.0, Waukegan 10.0.

Championship match results:

106- Aidan Ortega (Glenbard West) d. Leo Salas (South Elgin) (TF 1:06, 17-2).

113- Ben Sallas (Glenbard West) d. Caleeb Jones (Rich Township) (D 9-7).

120- Brooks McKay (Lincoln-Way Central) d. Owen Thomas (Carmel Catholic) (F 0:47).

126- Kyrie King (Rich Township) d. Connor Richardson (Lincoln-Way Central) (F 1:17).

132- Zander Spatafore (Elk Grove) d. Caleb Rogers (Lincoln-Way Central) (D 3-1).

138- Colton Huff (St. Ignatius) d. Alejandro Aranda (Glenbard West) (MD 10-2).

144- Brennen Myra (Glenbard West) d. Gus Saletta (Bartlett) (TF 4:13, 17-0).

150- Vince Tortoriello (Glenbard West) d. Cameron Engels (Bartlett) (TF 2:31, 17-2).

157- Antonio Hinojosa (Carmel Catholic) d. Jondelle Murray (Glenbard West) (MD 16-5).

165- Tallis Taylor (Glenbard West) d. Danny Mandujano (Carmel Catholic) (MD 1-0).

175- Jalen Byrd (Lincoln-Way Central) d. Evan Vogt (Lincoln-Way Central) (F 1:17).

190- Justin Langford (Lincoln-Way Central) d. Gabe Flowers (Carmel Catholic) (F 1:57).

215- Phin Codinha (Glenbard West) d. Logan Wooten (Lincoln-Way Central) (F 0:57).

285- Aiden Hennings (Lincoln-Way Central) d. Marc Tchapda (Glenbard West) (D 8-2).

Third place match results:

106- Bannon Valent (Lincoln-Way Central) d. Maurizio Castro (Elk Grove) (F 3:17).

113- Adrian Valadez (Thornton) d. Cristian Lopez (Glenbard West) (MD 19-6).

120- Evan Hamilton (South Elgin) d. BK Sepulveda (Glenbard West) (F 2:43).

126- Sal Garcia (Larkin) d. Manny Rodriguez (Glenbard West) (D 5-2).

132- Joseph Caputo (Bartlett) d. Nasir Spivy (Carmel Catholic) (F 2:17).

138- Eric Hoselton (Lincoln-Way Central) d. Justin Bayna (South Elgin) (F 2:27).

144- Dylan Wrobel (Lincoln-Way Central) d. Connor Ignacio (South Elgin) (D 4-1).

150- Logan Dilallo (South Elgin) d. Tristin King (Rich Township) (TF 3:19, 17-1).

157- Charles Barry (Proviso East) d. Ruben Kasman (Glenbard South) (TF 5:32, 15-0).

165- Dane Henson (South Elgin) d. Gaetano Baser (Lincoln-Way Central) (F 5:15).

175- Dallin Ames (Glenbard South) d. Mark Bew (Thornton) (M.FFT).

190- Andrew Somenek (Elk Grove) d. Landree Dracousis (South Elgin) (F 3:03).

215- Amar Dzananovic (Bartlett) d. Devin White (Glenbard West JV) (FFT).

285- Noah Breckenridge (Carmel Catholic) d. Martaevion Howard (Proviso East) (F 1:06).

RANDY CONRAD INVITE

The historic Farina Field House, named after long-time head coach Chuck Farina, who during the glory days at Leyden wrestling would lead the Eagles to several top 10 team trophies, plus a pair of state titles (1960) with his 1978 championship club finishing with a perfect 20-0-0 overall record in duals.

From 1970-1979, Mr. Farina’s teams won 162 of 164 dual meets, including a stunning (88) in a row, and when he retired, he was the all-time winningest high school coach in the country.

Randy Conrad would wrestle under Mr. Farina, and would become one of four individual state champions on that 1978 state championship club.

Conrad would later become the athletic director at his alma mater, and would retire in 2018, and later see this long-time tournament named in his honor one year later.

Since the tournament name change in 2019, it has been a fight to the finish between Stevenson and Conant, and long-time best friends in Stevenson coach Shane Cook and former Conant coach Chad Hay.

“I miss the Chad Hay era when he was at Conant, and those great battles for the team championship here at Leyden,” admits Cook.”But this tournament is still a positive experience for us, so we always look forward to coming back here.”

Hay is now the girls head coach at Lake Zurich.

The Patriots would lift the big trophy for the sixth consecutive season after outscoring Notre Dame for the second straight season.

Prior to that, the Patriots would go past aforementioned Conant (2019-2023) with its 2023 title run just a seven point (184.0-177.0) advantage for the men in green and gold singlets.

The eventual champs would lead the field with 25 pins and seven tech-falls.

1st: Stevenson (274.5)

The Patriots would advance eight into the finals, successfully sending five to the top of the podium.

Each individual champion would either win their weight class with a tech-fall or pin.

Stefan Vihrov (106, 20-5), Daniel Berdich (113), Shawn Kogan (132), Val Vihrov (144, 22-3) and Philip Boyko (17-5) at 175 all would collect first place trophies.

For No. 6 Berdich (17-1) this is the second major title of the season for the returning state qualifier, while No. 5 Shawn Kogan (18-2), twice a state qualifier, his first major of the campaign.

“Berdich invested a lot of time wrestling during the offseason, and he has made some huge jumps, and is wrestling at a high level right now,” begins Cook.

“We are excited to see what he is capable of when the state series begins. As far as Shawn (Kogan) he is one of the most dynamic wrestlers we’ve ever had – he does things naturally that are not taught.

“He is fun to watch, and as a two-time state qualifier, he is highly capable of making noise come February.”

“Having the Vihrov brothers in our varsity lineup has been a super fun experience. They both work very hard, are extremely coachable, and are driven to achieve. They challenge each other but at the same time they are 100% in support of one another.”

Cook says Philip Boyko is arguably the nicest man on the team.

“Off the mat, Boyko is the nicest guy we have, but when the whistle blows, he is mean and tough,” Cook said. He has been quietly racking up up wins this season, and always has a learning attitude.”

Evan Mishels (120), Kingsley Chen (150) and Kosuke Hirata (165) were second, while Marcelo Cantu earned a third place medal at 126 pounds.

William Guziec (157) was fourth, while upper weight teammates Arthur Grechanyuk (190), Jaxon James (215) and Aaron Von Heimburg (285) collected fifth place medals.

Next up for the Patriots will be a visit to the two-day Illini Classic, which begins this Friday in New Lenox at host Lincoln-Way Central.

2nd: Notre Dame (203.0)

Runner-up Notre Dame has one of the best in the business at 120 pounds in reigning class 2A state champion Ray Long (30-2) who is No. 5 in the state in the most current polls.

The junior, who was third at the Dvorak, left little doubt as to who was the best here in his weight class, moving his sparkling record to 30-2.

Long would be joined atop the podium by: Tommy Fitzsimmons (150, 25-8) and No. 10 Sean Cook (26-5) at 285 pounds. Cook was named all-ESCC this past fall for his efforts with the Dons football team.

Brady Krueger (144), Jack Luck (157) and Jeremy Hamm (190) all were second overall, with Michael Centracchio (165) fourth; Jarrett Mahurin (132), John Cana (138) and Peter Escamilla (175) were fifth.

Mahurin was a tourney-best four pins on the day, with Krueger recording the fastest (1:43) tech-fall also.

The Dons earned the most total match points with 340.

3rd: Conant (167.0)

Third place Conant claimed a tourney-high eight tech-falls, one recorded by its lone individual champion Emmett Arens (19-4) in his 138-pound opener.

The trio of Ryu Yamazaki (106), Damian Ramos (126) and Jackson Spizziri (175) were second overall, with teammates Vehbi Unal (144) and Shaba Kokumbaev (157) finishing third.

Mikey Goolish (132) was fourth, Brian Hoffman (113) fifth.

Additional individual champions:

Ben Arbotante (126, Jacobs), Andrew Garcia (157, Maine East), Jacob Becker (165, Vernon Hills), Erick Worwa (190, Leyden), Michael Junitz (215, Burlington Central).

Additional runners-up:

Danny Huerta (113, Leyden), Amir Akilani (132, Richards), Donald Hataway (138, Harlem), Chandler Jack (215, Harlem), Benjamin Hultgren (285, Burlington Central).

FINAL TEAM SCORES:

Stevenson 274.5, Notre Dame 203.0, Conant 167.0, Harlem  120.0, Leyden 111.5, Jacobs 106.0, Maine East 73.5, Burlington Central 66.5, Highland Park 63.5, Vernon Hills 62.5, Harvard 53.0, Lakes Community 36.5, Richards 34.5, De La Salle/Kelly 16.5, Leyden JV 2.0

Championship match results:

106- Stefan Vihrov (Stevenson) d. Ryu Yamazaki (Conant) (TF 4:14, 15-0).

113- Daniel Berdich (Stevenson) d. Danny Huerta (Leyden) (F 1:46).

120- Ray Long (Notre Dame) d. Evan Mishels (Stevenson) (D 19-13).

126-Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) d. Damian Ramos (Conant) (D 5-3).

132- Shawn Kogan (Stevenson) d. Amir Akilani (Richards) (TF 2:53, 18-3).

138- Emmett Arens (Conant) d. Donald Hataway (Harlem) (MD 10-2).

144- Valentin Vihrov (Stevenson) d. Brady Krueger (Notre Dame) (F 1:10).

150- Tommy Fitzsimmons (Notre Dame) d. Kingsley Chen (Stevenson) (F 3:17).

157- Andrew Garcia (Maine East) d. Jake Luczak (Notre Dame) (D 9-5).

165- Jacob Becker (Vernon Hills) d. Kosuke Hirata (Stevenson) (MD 14-4).

175- Philip Boyko (Stevenson) d. Jackson Spizziri (Conant) (F 0:48).

190- Erick Worwa (Leyden) d. Jeramy Hamm (Notre Dame) (D 12-5).

215- Michael Junitz (Burlington Central) d. Chandler Jack (Harlem) (MD 14-6).

285- Sean Cook (Notre Dame) d. Benjamin Hultgren (Burlington Central) (F 1:57).

Third place match results:

106- Travis Wilgosiewicz (Jacobs) d. Liam Parker (Harvard) (TF 3:45, 25-5).

113- Jairo Kish (Maine East) d. Ibrahim Mahmadov (Richards) (F 0:44).

120- Justin Forbes (De La Salle) d. Alex Gudgeon (Highland Park) (Inn. 2:08).

126- Marcelo Cantu (Stevenson) d. Robert Cory (Harlem) (F 1:02).

132- Cole Teran (Harlem) d. Mikey Goolish (Conant) (MF 15-6).

138- Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem) d. Ethan Sandał (Vernon Hills) (F 1:13).

144- Vehbi Unal (Conant) d. Carson Alper (Vernon Hills) (F 1:06).

150- Jaxin Golliher (Harvard) d. Jayden Corchado (Highland Park) (F 1:58).

157- Shaba Kokumbaev (Conant) d. William Guziec (Stevenson) (D 13-10).

165- Jason Castro (Leyden) d. Michael Centracchio (Notre Dame) (D 16-14).

175- Dominic Ganir (Leyden) d. Charles Faulkner (Harlem) (D 9-7).

190- Daniel Derbedyenyev (Highland Park) d. Islam Mavlatov (Maine East) (FFT)

215- Lucas Retzler (Jacobs) d. Timur Arzumanov (Vernon Hills) (F 2:48).

285- Kennedi Marx (Harlem) d. Javier Ramirez (Jacobs) (F 0:27).

WALTHER CHRISTIAN’S BRUCE G. TUOMI DUALS

The Eureka Hornets made their nearly three hour trip to Melrose Park a successful one as Kenny Robertsons’ club swept all five duals en route to claiming the top prize at the Bruce G. Tuomi Duals at host Walther Christian High School.

The Hornets would lead the six-team field with 23 pins, while outscoring its rivals 306-57 during the course of the day.

The Hornets, of course, were a perfect 5-0 on the day, while second place Hammond Baptist, from Schereville, Indiana was second with an overall record of 4-1.

Eureka would defeat the Swordsmen 53-27 in the final contest of the day.

Final Results:

1st- Eureka 53, Hammond Baptist 27.

3rd- Westmont 33-23, Ridgewood 23.

5th- Walther Christian 30, Elgin St. Edward 12.

Championship dual results:

175- Isaac Vargas (Hammond Baptist) d. Gavin Alliss (Eureka) (F 0:57).

190- Ashton Helberg (Eureka) d. Adam Velasquez (Hammond Baptist) (F 1:30).

215- Bryson Singer (Eureka) won by FFT.

285- Landon Hughes (Eureka) d. Raphael Johnson (Hammond Baptist) (F 0:33).

106- Jude Roman (Hammond Baptist) won by FFT.

113- Cullan Hoekstra (Eureka) d. Tim Harrell (Hammond Baptist) (F 3:23).

120- Brady Richards (Hammond Baptist) d. Connor Knapp (Eureka) (F 1:36).

126- Mike Swain (Hammond Baptist) won by FFT.

132- Henry Watson (Eureka) d. Joaquin Abila (Hammond Baptist) (F 1:13).

138- Hudson Leman (Eureka) d. Jace Chavez (Hammond Baptist) (F 0:34).

144- Finn Hoffman (Eureka) d. Carmine Rivera (Hammond Baptist) (TF 16-0).

150- Mark Merhalski (Hammond Baptist) d. Same Hoffman (Eureka) (D 9-8).

157- Jaxon Klaus (Eureka) d. Eric Mitchell (Hammond Baptist) (F 0:45).

165- Jackson Sides (Eureka) won by FFT.

Statistics:

The Hornets trio of Ashton Helberg (190), Hudson Leman (138) and Henry Watson (132) all recorded four pins on the day, while teammate Finn Hoffman (144) claimed a pair of tech-falls.

Alan Krupinski from Ridgewood recorded the fastest tech-fall (1:49) and Danny Eupierre (Westmont) the quickest pin at just nine seconds, one of 15 during the competition for he and his teammates.

Walther Christian junior Steven Rodriguez earned the highest number of match points with 43.

Nine men would share the title of most team points claimed with 30, with the aforementioned Finn Hoffman (Eureka) and Mark Merhalski (Hammond Baptist) each collecting 20 single match points.

Eureka would show its collective strength by earning a tourney-high 307 total team points, and  163 total match points.

The Hornets willl compete at the Kewanee Invitational this Saturday.

By Chris Walker for the IWCOA

It’s been a long time coming.

Sycamore won the 50th Sycamore Wrestling Invitational on Sat., Jan. 10, 2026, keeping the title at home for the first time in 33 years.

The Spartans enjoyed a three-peat from 1991-1993 but hadn’t won since, and this was their fourth championship overall.

It was all about the points and the Spartans scored a lot of them. They also came from everyone in the lineup.

The Spartans won three titles, their first at their home invite since 2023, while having seven wrestlers place in fourth or better, outdistancing themselves from runner-up Rock Island, 457.5 to 427.

Not only did the 27-team field prove highly competitive, but ultimately well-matched as little separated the teams near the top of the standings, with Oak Forest (420.5), Wheaton North (412) and Hampshire (385.5) rounding out the Top 5 squads.

The Whip-Purs just got past Mahomet-Seymour (384.5) which was sixth, outscoring Lyons (361), Normal Community (343.5), Quincy (340) and Glenbrook South (333.5) in the Top 10.

The other teams included Rochelle (318), Bloomington (307), Mundelein (293), Unity (290), York (266.5), Sterling (243), Triad (225.5), Rockford East (218), Marengo (212), Willowbrook (207.5), McHenry (188.5), Belvidere North (186), Portage, Wisc. (164.5), Grayslake North (121), Nazareth (88.5), Belvidere (59.5) and St. Charles North (50.5).

Sycamore coach Randy Culton and Sycamore athletic director Chauncey Carrick were unsure of the last time the Spartans won the tournament. Carrick, who also served as head coach of the Spartans for 13 years and as an assistant coach for the four years prior to that, mustered an educated guess immediately afterward.

The IWCOA Hall of Famer suggested it probably was 30 years ago.

“If I had to guess,” Carrick said. “I’d say 1996.”

Carrick was close. The Spartans finished in second place behind York in 1996. Jake Valdez (103), Eddie Valdez (112), Ryan Mason (119) and Shane Susina (190) won titles 30 years ago, but the Dukes took home the team title.

Carrick reported on the following Monday that he researched the matter and verified it was 1993 and not 1996.

On Saturday, Sycamore’s Liam Schroeder (113) won a title in his first appearance in this tournament while teammate Michael Olson (120) won it during his fourth and final try. Joining them as champions was Collin Hughes (285) who took ninth here last January. Hughes scored 57.5 points, tops for the winners. Jayden Dohogne (144) took second as the Spartans had four wrestlers in the finals, the most among the field. Oak Forest and Mahomet-Seymour each had three.

“I’m going to be honest, I didn’t even know (we won), everyone was telling me we won it, but I literally don’t keep track during the day,” Culton said. “I just keep track of the individual matches and how we’re doing, and then I go to the next and that’s what we do. And if we keep to one match at a time and then go to the next, win or lose, we brush it off and if we go onto the finals, stay calm and collected.”

Tyler Lockhart (126) and Cooper Bode (165) took third and Adam Carrick (215) placed fourth for the Spartans.

The additional point scorers for the Spartans included Charlie Olson (132, 28 points), Jack Nordstrom (175, 16.5 points), Douglas Gemberling (157, 15 points), Sawyer Davis  (138, 12 points), Peter Gehrig (190, 11 points) and Paxton Runkle (150, 7.5 points).

“I’m basically looking for improvement because this isn’t the end-all,” Culton said. “There are no college scouts in the stands or anything. We’re looking for these guys to get to the state tournament and be on the medal podium. This is just stacking those wins and this is just a step. This is where the basement is and we’re going to the first floor and then the second floor, one step at a time.”

Some call it collecting data.

“I don’t know if I like that word,” Culton said. “It’s experience. That’s what we’re accumulating, good and bad. You need both good experiences and bad experiences. That’s how you grow mentally and physically.”

Rock Island’s Angelo Parker (106) and Maricio Parker (138) led the way for the runner-up Rocks, but fell short in their respective title matches. Rowan Stockwell (215) took third, Henry Miller (132) and Emilio Guzman (285) placed fifth and Emarion Harris (175) was sixth.

Oak Forest’s trek to third place included a couple of individual championships as Austin Perez (150) and Jason Janke (175) won titles. Neither wrestled at Sycamore last year when Oak Forest took 14th place. 

Other key contributors for the Bengals included Andrius Vasilevskas (215), who took second, Jacob Sebek (126) and Nathan Izguerra (190), who were fourth, and Jason Schickel (106), who placed sixth.

Sycamore had five champions when it previously won the invitational in 1993 under coach Mark Hattendorf. 

Jack West (119), Dan Larson (135) Brett Gautcher (145), Dan Johnson (152) and Jeff Johnson (160) won individual titles to lead the Spartans to the title in 1993.

Sycamore’s 1990-1991 team was the first in program history to win the tournament. Chad Gautcher (160) won his second straight title, defeating East Troy, Wisconsin’s Lance Wall on a late reversal to lead the Spartans. Brian Jensen (152) beat York’s Chris Valente and Brian Mannis (145) pinned Savannah’s Brandon Knop to join him on the top of the award podium.

Savannah won the 1st Sycamore Wrestling Invitational in 1976 while Sycamore took second place. Jim Humes (120), Doug Towne (138) and Mike McMillan (145) won titles for the Spartans during the inaugural tournament 50 years ago.

McMillan was inducted into Sycamore’s Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in 2016. Today, McMillan is a best selling author and motivational speaker. 

106 – Jackson Soney, Normal Community

Soney won by fall over Rock Island’s Angelo Parker at 1:04 to capture the 106 title. 

In addition, Soney, ranked no. 5 at his weight class in 3A, also took home honors for most pins in the least amount of time with five pins in 4:48.

Soney’s other wins by fall were over Glenbrook South’s Anand Tuvshintur (1:26), Unity’s Vincent Abon (0:18), Willowbrook’s Julian De La Torre Nigro (1:20) and Quincy’s Griffin Finch (0:40).

Finch earned a 2-0 decision over Hampshire’s Luthor Rajcevich to take third place and Mahomet-Seymour’s Grant Morphew won by fall over Oak Forest’s Jason Schickel (2:34) to take fifth.

113 – Liam Schroeder, Sycamore

Schroeder (30-0) remained unbeaten in high school with a 15-0 tech fall win over fellow freshman Cooper Bye from Bloomington in the final at 113. He was named co-Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament with Rockford East’s Ty Smart (157).

“Before my matches it was just knowing that I can just go out there and let it fly,” Schroeder said. “I have nothing to lose, I have nothing to prove for anybody else other than myself so I just go out there and wrestle.”

Ranked fifth in the state at 113 in Class 2A, Schroeder pinned Belvidere North’s Landon Chambers (1:24) and Nazareth’s Emilio Fortiz (1:20) to advance to the semifinals where he earned a 21-4 tech fall over Normal Community’s Elijah Conda.

“I was excited this whole week to wrestle in this tournament,” Schroeder said. “And I wanted to place as high as I could and I obviously ended up placing first. This is definitely a lot cooler obviously than regular club stuff. It’s great to be a part of a team and you know it’s high school, it’s a little bit more known so it’s kind of like I’m going out there to win and it’s just a lot more exciting I’d say.”

Coaches from Sycamore acknowledged they were unaware of the last time a Sycamore freshman won a title at the invite, but said it’s safe to say it’s been a significant number of years.

Rockford East’s Sebastian Abwe earned a 23-12 major over Conda to take third and McHenry’s Tyson Rivard scored a 9-4 decision over Quincy’s Clayton McClelland to take fifth.

120 – Michael Olson, Sycamore

About four years ago – Jan. 7, 2023 to be exact – Olson was just a freshman and competing in the 47th Sycamore Wrestling Invitational. He took 11th place at 106.

The following year, Olson fared far better at 113, taking fourth place after losing his third-place match to Bloomington’s Tyler Barlow.

Last year, Olson climbed into the finals at 120, but lost a tough 6-3 decision to Wheaton North’s Rocco Macellaio.

On Saturday, Olson became a champion in his final attempt at the school’s longtime tournament, shutting out Willowbrook’s Aris Neal, 7-0, in his title match. Olson had just gotten past Rochelle’s Freddie Hernandez, 9-6, in the semifinals.

“I mean, I was just happy,” he said. “I’m glad. I haven’t won a tournament in a while so it feels good. I feel like this tournament, like my coach always says, it’s a good representation of state because most people here that placed and do good at this tournament make it to state or do decent in state, but it shows a lot.”

What doesn’t show a lot is the Spartans 2-4 record at the Don Flavin Invitational at the end of 2025.

“Half of our team was out for the Flavin so it really didn’t show much for us because we were losing to the teams that we know we could beat,” Olson said. “But coming back to this, we had got most of our guys back. We’re still missing a couple. We come back to this with basically a full lineup and we win it. I feel like that kind of shows because you know this tournament is hard, obviously.”

Hernandez bounced back from his defeat to Olson to take third, earning an 11-5 decision over Quincy’s Wyatt Boeing. Wheaton North’s Luke Edwards won by fall at 4:32 to take fifth place against Hampshire’s Andrew Salmieri.

126 – Aidan Lopez, Rochelle

After a pair of tech fall wins along with a 16-4 major decision over Nazareth’s Aleksander Ramos in the 126 quarterfinals, Lopez landed a 6-3 win against Oak Forest’s Jacob Sebek to advance to the finals where he got past Glenbrook South senior Ermuun Urtnasan, 6-5.

“It’s nice right now, but the postseason is really what I’m looking forward to,” Lopez said. “Hopefully I’ll qualify and maybe push my way through. It’s really coming quick and I think the work we’ve put in has really helped me throughout the season.”

Lopez feels mentally strong and well- prepared for a strong finish.

“It was really just my mindset this year and the work I’ve put in,” he said. “A lot of the work I’ve put in during this off-season has helped me push through.”

Sycamore’s Tyler Lockhart certainly helped the Spartans win the tournament with his strong effort. His day concluded with a 6-1 decision over Oak Forest’s Jacob Sebek for third place. On the fifth-place mat, Ramos defeated Sterling’s Cael Lyons, 11-7.

132 – Will Kelly, Triad

Kelly was coming off a tough 1-0 loss in the finals at 132 in Granite City’s 64th annual William “Red” Schmitt Holiday tournament just before the New Year.

“This was pretty good for me, actually,” he said. “Last weekend I had a tough tournament at the Granite City tournament. I lost to the number one seed and he was really high ranked up in Missouri so coming back and winning this one was pretty nice.”

Lafayette, Missouri’s Riley Sumner slipped past Kelly, 1-0, in the aforementioned championship match after Kelly had earned four tech fall wins and a major decision en route to his title match.

On Saturday in Sycamore, Kelly earned four more tech fall wins, including one with an 18-2 lead at 2:48 to defeat Mahomet-Seymour’s Gideon Hayter. 

His biggest challenge came from Quincy’s Derik Lohmeyer in the semifinals, who took him the distance in a 16-10 decision.

“I try to have a positive mindset going into every match,” Kelly said. “It’s hard to stay positive sometimes, but you just got to keep pushing through it.”

Kelly was able to do what he wanted against his five opponents for the majority of his matches.

“Really just heavy hands and moving around and getting to my shots early,” he said. “I was taking them down, letting them up and putting the pressure on everyone.”

Without a doubt, tournaments mimic state competitions, affording wrestlers the opportunity to continue to develop as they gear up for the post-season next month.

“These tournaments are always a staple and I’m always looking forward to every single tournament,” Kelly said. “Looking for harder competition and looking to keep pushing as hard as I can.”

Triad didn’t have a wrestler at a few weight classes. As a team, Triad placed 17th.

“We’re down right now, we don’t have a 106 or 113 or 285,” Kelly said. “But our team always pushes through and is working really hard. Our coach Lucas Bernal is always pushing us as hard as we can, and if we are not at the top of the game then he’s just pushing us. It’s good.”

Belvidere North’s Bryson Teunissen won by fall at 3:04 to take down Lohmeyer for third place, and Rock Island’s Henry Miller took fifth with a tech fall win over Bloomington’s Jack Schweitzer. 

138 – Mitchell Aukes, Marengo

Tech falls over McHenry’s Connor McAuliffe, Rochelle’s Deegan Schabacker and Wheaton North’s Evan Madiol, along with a win by fall in 1:16 against Mundelein’s Maximus Cordova propelled Aukes, a freshman, into the finals at 138.

Rock Island’s Maricio Parker went the distance against Aukes in the final, but Aukes was stingy, denying Parker throughout to earn the 6-0 victory. He was the lone Marengo champion on the day, although his teammate, Frankie Solis, placed second at 190.

Lyons junior Daniel Koziol received a medical forfeit victory in his third-place match versus Madiol, while Schabacker pinned Unity’s AJ Daly at 1:31 for fifth.

144 – Justus Vrona, Mahomet-Seymour

The saying goes that the third time’s a charm.

For Vrona, it was the fourth.

“So I made it to the finals in Wisconsin and Mascoutah and Libertyville, but this was the first one I’ve been able to get it done,” Vrona said. “My mind was just different. I was walking up there and wasn’t thinking about anything, I was totally ready. I wasn’t scared. I was confident. I just felt different.”

Vrona rolled his way into the finals after four straight pins over Normal Community’s Caven Lankford (0:53), Sterling’s JJ Podalski (1:14), McHenry’s Ryan Johnston (1:51) and Triad’s Brody Smith (1:02). 

While he didn’t pin Sycamore’s Jayden Dohogne, he blanked him 18-0 via tech fall. Based on rankings, it was an upset with No. 10 beating No. 7 in Class 2A.

“I pinned my way through the tournament except for the last one and my goal is to get the most pins on the team award,” he said. “So I’ve been trying to rack up pins. And I‘ve been really working on my mindset. I think that’s the thing that holds me back mostly. I know I can win, it just hadn’t happened until now, so I was pleased with the outcome. I just wrestled. Before I was worrying too much about winning and losing. I was just going to give my best effort.”

150 – Austin Perez, Oak Forest

Perez played heartbreaker, denying Rockford East’s Dana Wickson in the final at 150 with the 14-11 sudden victory.

“Looking at my finals match against Wickson, I was super hungry for it,” Perez said. “During the summer, I wrestled him at a freestyle tournament in Georgia. I had the lead but then made a mistake that put me to my back and got me pinned.”

He wasn’t going to let it happen again.

“Remembering that match, I used it to fuel me and knew it was time to get that match back that I lost,” he said. “During the match, I kept my composure and stayed in good position looking for my opportunities to score. I was also coming off a back injury and missed some time on the mat so I wasn’t in the best shape I knew I could be in, but I didn’t let this stop me. I knew I was the better wrestler and could pull the win off.”

After opening with a 15-0 tech fall win over York’s Lee Resendez, Perez pinned St. Charles North’s Hudson VonQualen (2:52) to get to the quarterfinals where he recorded a 12-2 tech fall victory over Hampshire’s Aric Abbott. That set the stage for his 15-2 major of Rochelle’s Brenden Voight in the semis.

“Going into sudden victory, we were both very gassed,” Perez said. “I’ve been in this position before though and was ready to get the final takedown. Due to being tired I didn’t want to make a bad mistake that would cost me the match so I decided to stay in good position and wait for him to take a bad shot, which is what he did, then I threw his arm by and secured the final takedown for the win.”

Perez, who took third in the state at 144 in 2A last year, is now ranked no. 2 at 150 as a senior.

“As one of the top-ranked 150s in the state I do tend to feel some pressure sometimes, but I like to build off this pressure and use it in my matches to fuel me and keep me hungry for the win,” he said. “When you are at the top of the rankings everyone below you is on a hunt for you and trying to knock you off of the top. This can definitely add some pressure to your matches sometimes. But I know what I have to do, to stay calm and focused. The two ways I stay focused before my matches is by saying my prayers before my matches and listening to music that I know gets me locked in. When I combine these two I feel unstoppable and ready to go.”

Originally, Perez was going to continue wrestling at 144.

“At the start of the season I was planning on making 144 but wasn’t able to do it and decided to stick to 150, which I think has been a great fit for me,” he said. “The weight cut is pretty smooth and I feel pretty dominant at this weight.”

A back injury at the Downers Grove Invite on Dec. 13 sidelined Perez for a couple weeks but he was able to get back into the room within the last two weeks to prepare for Sycamore.

He’s fired up for his finish, especially since he doesn’t intend on wrestling in college.

“I made this decision recently and it is something that I think I am going to stick with,” he said. “But I am not 100% sure on this decision yet.” 

Voight put the loss behind him, bouncing back with a quick pin against Quincy’s 

Brody Baker (0:47) to take third, and Abbott also responded in fine fashion after 

dropping a match to Perez as he pinned Wheaton North’s Jay Doherty (0:35) 

for fifth.

157 – Ty Smart, Rockford East

Smart shared Most Outstanding Wrestler honors with Sycamore’s Liam Schroeder (113). 

“I would say this was probably the best I’ve been all season, I’d like to say,” Smart said. “I have been tech falling everyone, but I just felt like it’s been a lot more fast-paced and not slowing down during the wrestling, both on and off the mat. Instead of taking the time to get to the third or second period, I’m getting it done in the first which is a lot better.”

Smart had five tech falls in 9:18. He was the lone wrestler to have five tech falls. Triad’s Will Kelly had four.

“I’m taking little steps first and not thinking about the big things right now,” he said. “We got regional and conference coming up soon so hopefully I’ll become conference champ and regional champ and then sectional and then hopefully state. So little steps now, one at a time, and not thinking about the big goal, thinking about the small goal.”

Ever the good teammate, Smart gave a shout-out to Dana Wickson (150).

“He took second, which was very impressive,” Smart said. “He didn’t get the outcome he wanted in the final, but he wrestled his butt off so real proud of him.”

165 – Jackson Hanselman, York

The senior Hanselman, ranked 9th in Class 3A at 165,  had another fine day to improve to 29-2 on the year.

Hanselman pinned Rock Island’s Adrian Venegas (1:32), Triad’s Saxton Jenkins (1:18) and Normal Community’s Carter Mayes (0:49) as he wasted little time advancing into the semifinals.

Impressively, Hanselman took out Sycamore’s Cooper Bode, ranked 5th at 165 in Class 2A, by tech fall, accumulating a 15-0 lead before moving onward to the finals. There, Unity’s Abram Davidson took him the distance, but he also couldn’t produce a single point in Hanselman’s 7-0 championship win.

Bode responded positively from his defeat, taking down Mahomet-Seymour’s Talon Decker by fall at 4:00 to take third, and Lyons senior Cornell Fennessee earned a 13-1 major decision over Belvidere North’s Andrew Bucci for fifth.

175 – Jason Janke, Oak Forest

Janke couldn’t compete at Sycamore last year as he missed a considerable chunk of his junior season due to an injury.

When he competed here as a sophomore in 2023, he lost three straight matches, closing with his only victory – a medical forfeit.

On Saturday, he was crowned the 175-pound champion. 

Janke won by fall over Rockford East’s Xander Luangphakdy (3:01), earned a 12-0 major over Bloomington’s Tyler Gardner, scored a 15-2 major over Rock Island’s Emarion Harris and then piled on the points before coming away with a 17-2 tech fall win over Lyons’ Anthony Johnson in the semifinals.

Wheaton North’s Julian Flores battled Janke in the final, but Janke doubled him up, 4-2.

“In the final match I feel that my aggressiveness was the determining factor that helped me win,” Janke said. “At the tournament I felt that I was able to score points and work through positions.”

A healthy Janke, ranked 4th in 2A at 175, is a real dangerous opponent.

“I’m very lucky to be free from injury at this point in the season and I am feeling good,” he said. “The last part of the season will be a grind mentally and physically and I’m  looking forward to it.”

In the third-place match, Mundelein’s Daniel Hernandez prevailed after Johnson got injured 50 seconds into the action, and Quincy’s Jayden Wilson scored a 10-5 win over Harris for fifth.

190 – Marco Casillas, Mahomet-Seymour

Casillas showed why he’s ranked no. 4 at 190 in Class 2A despite being an underclassmen. The sophomore wiped out the competition with five straight pins to win the title.

Casillas pinned Unity’s Will Mullins (1:27), Hampshire’s Giovanni Marino (1:35), Normal Community’s Daniel Bourbalas (3:02), Sterling’s Colt Buntjer (0:50) and finally Marengo’s Frankie Solis (1:52)

Buntjer won by fall over Oak Forest’s Nathan Izguerra (1:40) to take third, and Bourbalas did the same to take fifth over Glenbrook South’s Jacob Shamoon (1:08).

215 – Carter Hintz, Hampshire

Hintz doesn’t really concern himself with rankings, but as a 3A honorable mention in the rankings, he went out and pinned the fourth-ranked wrestler in 2A to win at 215. 

What made it even more impressive was that Hintz was just returning.

“It was good,” he said. “It was just my first tournament back since the beginning of the season. I took some time off with a dislocated knee (at Barrington tournament). It’s nice getting back out there, happy with the result.”

Hintz got to his opponents by fall and tech fall. He tech’d Normal Community’s Adrian Ramirez and Rock Island’s Rowan Stockwell. He pinned Bloomington’’s Preston Ifft (1:26), Rockford East’s Etungano Kakozi (0:40) and finished by pinning Oak Forest’s Andrius Vasilevskas (1:33) in the title match.

“Honestly, I didn’t look too much into it, I don’t like, really scout my guys,” Hintz said. “I just check their profile real quick, going to go out there and wrestle and get it done.

“There was kind of not much going on in neutral and then once I got him down I just went for a bar and kept cranking it,” he said. “And then he turned over eventually.”

After transitioning from playing football to the ankle injury to now, Hintz is ready to get back at it.

“It’s going to be a little bit of a grind to get back at it and ready for regionals and sectionals and stuff,” he said. “I got to get my conditioning back. It’s not where it needs to be at, where it was.”

285 – Collin Hughes, Sycamore

Hughes was a man on a mission, fueled by a previous battle.

“I had a lot of pent up emotion about that guy, the Hampshire kid, he injured me a few months prior and I just had to do what I had to do,” Hughes said. “He was in my way.”

Hughes won by fall over Rockford East’s Gabe Underhill (0:15) and Sterling’s Sergio Vargas Garcia (1:16) to begin the tournament. After a 17-1 tech fall win over Mundelein’s Antonio Salazar in the quarterfinal, he got another pin against Normal Community’s Mason Caraway (1:30).

That matched him against Hampshire’s Knox Homola, a fellow sophomore. Hughes pinned him 1:36 into the action, but he began winning that match well before he took the mat.

“Ever since I got my injury I’ve taken a step back from all the physical aspects and mental aspects and had to take a look at my life and I’m like ‘Let’s get this in order,’” he said. “So I started getting my life in order, eating healthy, lifting more, working out more, started reading the Bible and following Christ and he really helped me through these matches.”

Hughes is believer, in himself and God.

“Everything is possible through Christ,” he said. “There’s always that one piece that’s missing and it’s Christ. Everyone has him, but not everyone has found him yet, but you’ll eventually find him.”

While the Spartans had plenty of reason to celebrate, they’re committed to more.

“Just because we won this doesn’t mean we have to slow down, we have to speed this up,” he said. “Just because you win doesn’t mean that it’s over.”

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

SPRINGFIELD – It’s very difficult to produce a dominating performance from start to finish at ABE’s Rumble considering that 17 of the state’s top-ranked 1A teams were in attendance, as were 10 other teams that were listed as honorable mention selections by Illinois Best Weekly.

But that’s precisely what defending Class 1A champion Coal City accomplished when it claimed top honors in the competition for the first time since 2022 by capping a 9-0 performance with a 52-21 victory in the finals over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton at Bank of Springfield Center.

Coach Mark Masters’ Coalers nearly achieved the rarely-seen feat of averaging just one loss per dual meet as they only dropped 10 matches. They recorded shutouts in four duals and lost just one match in two others, with one of those being a two-point decision. Seven of their losses came during their final two duals, including four in their title win over coach Kevin Milder’s PantherHawks and the other three were in their 59-14 semifinal victory over Murphysboro.

And to make that performance even more impressive, Coal City turned in that dominating performance without one of its most-accomplished athletes, Brody Widlowski, an IHSA finalist the past two years and a three-time state medalist, who was unable to participate due to illness and Brock Finch, a three-time IHSA medalist, was only able to compete in two matches.

In the last four post-COVID ABE’s Rumbles there had only been two shutouts recorded by champions, one by the Coalers in 2022 and the other by Lena-Winslow/ Stockton in 2021, the last time that it had won the competition. In the previous eight editions of the state’s largest dual team tournament, the champions had averaged 23.88 matches lost.

In many ways, this was a throwback moment for the competition since Coal City and Lena-Winslow/ Stockton met up for the title dual meet in the first three ABE’s Rumbles and then again in 2021 for four of the first five seasons with each team winning two titles in the matchup. 

The PantherHawks, who appeared in the first five title dual meets and won three of them, took third in 2022, seventh in 2023 and tenth last season. This was the Coalers’ tournament-high fourth title, with the others coming in the 2016 inaugural competition, in 2018 and in 2022. It was also the seventh time they reached the finals, only missing out last season and in 2019.

Coal City’s 31-point margin of victory was the biggest in the nine years that the event has been held. When the Coalers won their last previous title in 2022, they beat Riverdale 46-24, which made that the record for largest victory in a title dual meet. 

After winning two more dual meets and then capturing top honors at the Princeton Invitational Tournament this past weekend, the Coalers have a perfect 34-0 record and are top-ranked in 1A while Lena-Winslow/ Stockton is second and the third- and fourth-ranked 1A teams competed for third place, with 2025 1A runner-up Vandalia winning 46-31 over Murphysboro.

Coal City, which won its first IHSA championship in 2023 after capping the 2022 portion of its schedule with an ABE’s Rumble title, hopes to win its third IHSA championship in four years and make its fourth-straight appearance in the Dual Team Finals title meet. The program is one of just four in IHSA history who have won eight state trophies during a 10-season span, with the others being Montini Catholic, Providence Catholic and Washington Community.

The Coalers opened competition in that 16-team Gold bracket with a 76-0 win over Seneca and then they defeated Oregon 71-4 in the quarterfinals. The team only had three losses to that point and then lost three in their 59-14 semifinals win over Murphysboro and then dropped four more matches in the title dual meet. The only time that they trailed during the two days was in the championship finals against Lena-Winslow/ Stockton when the PantherHawks won three in a row to grab a brief 16-9 advantage five matches in.

Coal City defeated Orion 81-0, Knoxville 77-4, Anna-Jonesboro 78-3 and Cumberland 78-0 to win pool K and then won 83-0 over Shelbyville to advance to the Gold bracket.

“We were really dominant here,” Masters said. “It surprised me a little bit at how we overwhelmed teams. I wasn’t sure who we were going to get in the finals. I knew how good Lena is, and I know how good Vandalia is. So it was just like, looking at it on paper, and are we picking odds or evens with the matchups that we want. And we were able to get that with Lena, and we just wrestled lights out. Noah Houston, who came out and beat a kid that was undefeated there at 75, battled really hard. At 215, you’re in a scramble in triple overtime and you get pinned, Our lineup was sharp all weekend. We were missing Widlowski and Finch with the flu. It was just an adversity that we overcame. Like I said, the standards and expectations are so high. The kids are holding themselves to the next man up. There’s an injury or an illness, who’s next? You’ve got to fill a spot. You’ve got to do your job. If your job is to stay off your back, that’s what you do, and everybody understands that.” 

Leading the way for champion Coal City, who is coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Mark Masters, were Max Christensen (8-0 at 144/150), Mason Garner (8-0 at 165/175), Aidan Kenney (8-0 at 157/165), Cooper Morris (8-0 at 132/138), Jake Munsterman (8-0 at 106/113), Owen Petersen (8-0 at 126/132), Noah Houston (7-0 at 165/175), Brody D’Orazio (4-0 at 190/215), Jason Piatak (4-0 at 120/126) and Brock Finch (2-0 at 175). 

Other top Coalers were Cade Poyner (7-1 at 215), Roberto Rodriguez (6-1 at 144/150), Ryder Gill (5-1 at 106/113), Evan Greggain (5-1 at 190), Alex Carlson (3-1 at 150/157), Gavin Roudis (3-1 at 113), Tyson Price (7-2 at 120/126) and Payton Vigna (7-2 at 285)

“It was a great tournament and the whole team came out and showed what we do, dominate,” Morris said. “We’re just staying focused in between each dual, like when we’re not wrestling, just locking in, just resting, and doing whatever we can to get ready for our next match. With a strong lineup going top to bottom, there’s not going to be any matches where you’re so iffy on if you think we’ll win or not. Top to bottom, we’ve got hammers throughout the lineup, so win after win after win. (Likes about his team) Just that we’re a whole family, that we go through it together, the hard practices, the team bonding, the hotels, everything. We just have so much fun with each other. We grew up together wrestling with Lil’ Coalers and Joe Widlowski, and it just started from there.”

Top performers for the runner-up PantherHawks, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Milder, were Arrison Bauer (9-0 at 144/190), Eli Larson (9-0 at 190), Jeremiah Luke (8-0 at 285), Oliver McPeek (8-0 at 215), Mauricio Glass (6-3 at 138/144), Carson Hill (6-3 at 113), Reece Demeter (5-3 at 150), Mark Detwiler (5-3 at 165), Keller Otto (5-4 at 120) and Brandon White (5-4 at 126).

“I would say we definitely surprised some people with how we came out and made it to the finals,” Bauer said. “A lot of people had us losing to Vandalia, but we were able to beat them. It felt good to be able to battle Coal City again at Abe’s because we haven’t gotten to it in two years. Our team fell off a little but now I’d say we’re back. Everybody is always pushing on each other and getting better each day. (What he likes about his team) Probably how close we are all together.”

In the championship dual, Lena-Winslow/Stockton grabbed a 16-9 lead through the first five matches but that’s when Coal City used a run of six-straight victories that featured three pins, a win by technical fall and two major decisions to build up a 40-16 advantage and then won two of the final three matches to capture a 52-21 victory. 

Garner got things started for the Coalers in the title dual meet when he won by fall in 2:55 over Detwiler at 165 and then Houston captured a 3-2 decision over John Mensendike to make it 9-0. But the PantherHawks won the next three matches as Larson got a win by technical fall over Greggain, McPeek won over Poyner in a wild match at 215 that was tied at 16-16 before McPeek finally prevailed with a fall in 7:30 and then Luke captured a victory by technical fall over Vigna to give Lena-Winslow/ Stockton a seven-point lead through the first five matches.

“We definitely surprised a lot of people, kind of surprised ourselves almost a little bit,” Larson said. “We went in thinking Chicago Hope was going to be really tough and then we ended up beating them by a lot, which was really nice. I knew that we were going to have a chance to beat Vandalia, and kind of the way it played out, it worked out super well and we were able to win. We all have our individual goals, and it only helps the team goal when we have those because we’re just pushing each other at practice every day, and everybody’s getting better from it. (Likes about his team) I’d say how close we are. We’re always hanging out all together, there’s just big groups of us hanging out all the time. So it’s definitely how close we are.”

The Coalers won the next six matches to take control for good as Gill won by fall in 0:41 over Reece Hartzell at 106, Jake Munsterman followed with a 15-7 major decision over Hill and Price made it 24-16 with a win by technical fall over Otto at 120.

Petersen captured a 15-5 major decision over White, Morris won by fall in 1:16 over Huntlee Burris at 132 and Luke Munsterman capped the decisive run by recording a pin in 4:35 over Glass to make it 40-16 with three matches remaining.

“Our team just performed really well throughout the weekend,” Luke Munsterman said. “We were scoring bonus points every dual. I think every dual is 50 and above for a team score, which is really nice. And we just showed up and performed. I’d like to thank Joe Widlowski with Lil’ Coalers because we’ve all been wrestling since we were five or six years old, so big thanks to him. (What he likes about his team) Just the determination and just the will to be the best.”

Bauer collected his team’s final victory at 144 with a win by technical fall over Rodriguez before Christensen got a pin in 2:36 over Demeter and Kenney closed out the championship victory with a pin in 1:18 over Sam Sikora at 157.

In their 59-14 semifinal win over Murphysboro, the Coalers opened with five-straight wins to jump out to a 27-0 advantage. The Red Devils won three of the next four matches to close to within 33-14, but then Coal City sealed the deal with another run of five-consecutive victories.

Kenney opened with a fall in 0:59 over Haegan Hughes at 157, Garner followed with a 12-7 decision over Maxon Stearns and Houston got a pin in 2:38 over Joel Carrington at 175. Greggain added a fall in 1:50 over Logan Tanner and Poyner capped the early run with a pin in 1:02 over Caybren Hubbard.

Julien Tanner gave Murphysboro its first win at 285 with an 8-2 decision over Vigna. After Jake Munsterman won by fall in 1:49 over Griffin Diehl, the Red Devils received a win by technical fall from Drevan Bramlett over Gill and then Paxton Pyatt got his team’s final victory by recording a fall in 5:22 over Price at 120.

Petersen began the final streak of five wins when he claimed a 12-5 decision over Sergio Garcia and then Morris got a pin in 2:56 over Jackson Graff and Luke Munsterman added another fall in 2:56 over Jeret Edwards at 138. Christensen also got a pin in 2:19 over Lemar Treshansky and Rodriguez closed out the victory at 150 with a win by technical fall over Ben Chaundy. 

“Our team dominates and that’s what we’re striving for,” Poyner said. “Every single guy in our lineup is tough, it’s really nice. So we’ve all been wrestling together since we were four or five, and we’ve grown up together. We’re all like brothers, so that’s how we’re treated. I mean, we go through the same suffering, the same pain. We all have the same determination, the drive to win. We just want to dominate.”

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton advanced to the Gold bracket with a 70-3 victory over Robinson. After opening the Gold bracket with a 48-30 win over Roxana, it defeated Olympia 36-31 in the quarterfinals and Vandalia 37-30 in the semifinals. 

The PantherHawks won eight matches against Vandalia but trailed 30-28 with two matches left and got a narrow decision from Glass to put them up and then Bauer recorded a fall in the finale to wrap up the victory and assure the program’s first trip to the ABE’s Rumble title dual meet since they last won the competition in 2021, which they did with a 43-33 win over Coal City.

The Vandals opened the semifinal dual meet with Zayne Zinkgraf winning a 12-3 major decision over Sikora at 157 and Dillon Hinton followed with a 14-4 major decision over Detwiler.

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton won the next four matches to take an 18-8 lead as Mensendike won by fall in 0:57 over Noah Langston at 175 and Larson recorded a pin in 0:29 over Zayvion Stout. McPeek followed with a 4-0 decision over Ross Miller at 215 and Luke completed the four-match run by capturing a 1-0 decision over Dominic Swyers.

The sides traded pins with Vandalia’s Kaden Daughtery winning over Hartzell in 0:26 at 106 and Hill countering with a fall in 0:38 over Cooper Galoway. Vandalia then forced a tie at 24-24 as Aiden Evans won by technical fall over Otto at 120 and Preston Waughtel also got a victory by technical fall over White. 

Burris put the PantherHawks back in front at 28-24 when he claimed a 17-6 major decision over Robert McCoy at 132 but the Vandals regained the lead at 30-28 after Max Philpot received a forfeit win. Glass put Lena-Winslow/ Stockton back in front for good when he won a 5-3 decision over Brody Matthews at 144 and Bauer ended the drama with a pin in 1:50 over Dade Kleinik.

“We’re really excited about coming down to this tournament and going against these good teams like Vandalia and Coal City,” Mensendike said. “We knew Vandalia when we had to go against them since we knew they were finalists. Eli came up to me, he’s like, ‘I think we got this one.’ And so we pulled it together, and we scored, we pinned them over and over, and we won that. And going to the finals against Coal City, we knew it was going to be really close in the beginning, and we were fighting for every single point and we tried. We’ve got a lot of new freshmen coming in that are pretty good. So they’ll take care of our lightweights. And us heavyweights can just keep going because we had five finalists from last year return.”

The PantherHawks used consecutive wins from Detwiler, Mensendike, Larson, McPeek and Luke to grab a 24-7 lead midway through the meet. But the Spartans answered with a five-win run of their own as Connor Collins, Brandon Gaither, Ryan Ballinger, Tucker Garey and Carter Knoblach all claimed victories to give their team a 31-24 advantage with two matches left. 

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton got a pin from Glass over Kenzer Burrell in 2:48 and then a fall from Bauer in 0:46 over Colby Maness in the final match at 144 to earn its spot in the semifinals. 

In pool L, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton claimed wins of 68-11 over Tremont, 54-18 over Chicago Hope Academy, 59-18 over Pontiac and 76-6 over Prairie Central. They had four losses against Chicago Hope Academy, three to Pontiac, two against Tremont and one to Prairie Central.

“I was extremely pleased with the kids’ day and super proud of our effort all over these two days,” Milder said. “The kids wrestled hard and competed. The competition here is always tough and we made it to the final. And hats off to a great Coal City team, they are the real deal. But I was very happy with our kids these last two days. In the Vandalia match, where we lost, we weren’t giving up the bonus points. We didn’t get pinned, we didn’t get tech’ed and we didn’t give up majors and that’s huge. And then we had a chance there at the end to make a little move in the lineup to better our chances. But our kids up to that point gave us that opportunity to do that. It was a great team victory in the semifinal.”

This was the ninth ABE’s Rumble in the past 10 seasons, with no tournament being held in December 2020 due to the pandemic. It’s progressed from 688 athletes on 42 teams in 2016 to 915 individuals representing 60 schools in the most recent competition.

PORTA coach Jeff Hill, the state’s all-time leader in dual meet wins with 826 entering this season and a 2025 recipient of a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter, is proud to serve as co-host of Illinois’ largest in-season tournament, along with Auburn coach Matt Grimm. And he’s grateful to the many individuals who help out each year, as well as the Springfield high schools, the City of Springfield and the Bank of Springfield Center, where ABE’s Rumble has been held since its first tournament in 2016.

“There’s a lot of planning that goes into it,” Hill said. “So once the event starts to kick off, we’ve got people in place so that I can actually coach and enjoy and watch wrestling. Our hospitality room people, they have to feed 250 people for five meals. You know, that alone is a job, that’s an arduous task. And we have two people that knock it out of the park, and everybody says how great the food is. And then, we have our scorers and timers. Mike Urwin from IKWF helps us out, and that’s priceless. Anything computer-wise, we’re good to go. And the Springfield schools let us use their mats and that makes a big difference. It’s a perfect wrestling facility and the convention center and the Town of Springfield treats us really well and they help us and they ask us what they can do to make it a better event for us.

“Pretty much if you are anybody in Class A in Illinois, you want to come to ABE’s Rumble. And it’s great because you’ve got people from as far south as Vandalia, Lawrenceville and Anna-Jonesboro and you go all the way up north to Lena-Winslow/ Stockton and Byron. If you want to see somebody, at least see what they look like and how they wrestle, this is the opportunity to do it. We’ve got a wait list of about 12 teams and, you know, people want in. Matt Grimm is my co-host of this and he has his jobs, and I have my jobs, and we work excellently together. I don’t think we ever say a cross-word at each other. We look at each other funny every once in a while. Talk about another legend from the area starting an Auburn program and getting it to where it’s been so quick.”

3rd place – Vandalia 46, Murphysboro 31

Vandalia, the defending champions at ABE’s Rumble who fell a bit short to Coal City in last year’s IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals, got a run for its money in the third-place dual meet as Murphysboro, who also qualified for the Dual Team Finals last season, took a 20-point lead with six matches left, but the Vandals got victories in each of those matches to claim a 46-31 victory.

Leading the way for coach Pat Myers’ runner-up Vandals were Max Philpot (9-0 at 132/138), Dillon Hinton (8-0 at 157/165), Elijah Mabry (7-0 at 144), Preston Waughtel (6-0 at 126), Zayne Zinkgraf (6-0 at 150/157), Dylan Blain (3-0 at 138/144), Kaden Daughtery (6-1 at 106/113), Dade Kleinik (6-1 at 150/157), Brody Matthews (6-1 at 138/144), Corbon Meyers (5-1 at 165), Ross Miller (6-2 at 190/215), Dominic Swyers (6-3 at 285) and Noah Langston (5-4 at 175).

Myers is in his first season as Vandalia’s head coach as the former assistant takes over for Jason Clay, who stepped down after last year’s second-place finish to Coal City to focus on becoming the school’s principal in the 2026-2027 school year. The 2025 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee won 504 dual meets, qualified 15 teams for the IHSA Dual Team Finals and had six teams win state trophies, highlighted by second-place finishes in 2025, 2018 and 2007, his first season as head coach. He still serves as Vandalia’s athletic director and head football coach.

“Yes, I’m definitely very excited,” Hinton said. “I love these guys and some new faces, too. Good to see others breaking through the lineup, so I think that’ll be good. Third place at Abe’s is pretty good. You know, obviously we want to be in that finals match because we think we can compete there. But, you know, it’s coming together, we’re going to figure it out. I miss coach Clay, but I think coach Myers is doing an absolutely wonderful job.”

Some of the top performers for coach Shea Baker’s fourth-place Red Devils were Julien Tanner (9-0 at 285), Griffin Diehl (8-1 at 106), Caybren Hubbard (8-1 at 215), Paxton Pyatt (8-1 at 120), Maxon Stearns (8-1 at 165/175), Drevan Bramlett (5-1 at 113), Nick Christopher (3-1 at 175), Sergio Garcia (5-2 at 126/132), Lemar Treshansky (6-3 at 144/150), Jeret Edwards (5-3 at 138) and Logan Tanner (5-3 at 190).

“We did really good last year and we’re elevated for this year, too,” Pyatt said. “We faced multiple highly-ranked teams this tournament with Vandalia being one of our tougher teams and how well we all wrestled against them just really proves us. Just to be able to fight like that. I like how we’re all connected and how we all support each other. No matter if we win or lose, we’re all there to support each other and raise each other up.”

In the third-place dual meet, Murphysboro used a run of five-straight victories to win six of the first eight matches and that allowed it to grab a decisive 31-11 advantage. But the Vandals responded to the challenge and won the final six matches to capture a 46-31 victory.

Hinton opened with a pin in 3:28 over Patrick Dover at 165 and Stearns followed with a win by technical fall over Langston. The Vandals built their lead to 11-5 following a victory by technical fall from Miller over Tanner at 190.

That’s when the Red Devils began their five-match winning streak that started when Hubbard won by fall in 0:38 over Jeffrey Smith at 215, Tanner followed with a pin in 3:04 over Swyers and Diehl won a 14-5 major decision over Daughtery at 106 to give Murphysboro a 21-11 lead.

“(Coach) Baker is leading us all in the right direction, being strategic with the duals, competing with some teams that were very tough and getting to where we need to be,” Tanner said. “I’m grateful to be here wrestling and it’s always good. I feel like this is a tournament that I look forward to because I’m wrestling the best of the best, even just in my pool, I had some really tough kids. I think it’s everybody’s drive to get better every day. We’ve got coach Baker who gives us a great practice plan, and he’s always pushing us to be better. I feel like how our team pushes each other to get better. I think that it’s important to have a group full of guys like that that want to win more than anything else.”

Bramlett got a forfeit win at 113 and Pyatt claimed a 19-6 major decision over Aiden Evans at 120 to expand the advantage to 20 points. However, Waughtel started the Vandals’ closing run of six-straight wins with a win by technical fall over Garcia at 126 and Philpot followed with a pin in 2:26 over Jackson Graff to narrow the gap to 31-22 and Matthews added a fall in 4:14 over Jeret Edwards at 138 to pull Vandalia to within three points with three matches remaining.

“(Falling just short of a state title last year) It makes us want to train harder and gives us things to improve on,” Waughtel said. “Any time any of our teammates lose, we always have their back, no matter what. It’s just a great team out here. (What he likes about his team) I would just say how close we are. With me being a transfer, I was frowned upon from all the other teams. But they definitely took us in under their arm.”

Mabry won by fall in 0:49 over Treshansky at 144 to put the Vandals up for good at 34-31 and then Zinkgraf pinned Jace Witzman in 1:51 and Kleinik wrapped up the come-from-behind victory by recording a fall in 1:13 over Haegan Hughes in the final dual meet at 157.

The Vandals advanced to the Gold bracket with a 75-6 victory over Tremont and won 58-16 over Canton in its next meet. They won six of the first seven matches to help them defeat PORTA 56-14 in the quarterfinals before losing 37-30 to Lena-Winslow/ Stockton in the semifinals after the PantherHawks won a two-point decision and recorded a fall in the final two matches.. 

Vandalia claimed wins of 56-23 over Mt. Zion, 78-0 over Quincy Notre Dame, 60-18 over Morrison and 83-0 over Illini Bluffs in pool F.

“It definitely makes us a lot better at wrestling these good wrestlers,” said Philpot about competing at ABE’s Rumble. “I don’t think we’re at our full potential yet. We definitely have a lot more training and a lot more getting better to do. I think everyone’s unique in their own way, and it just makes everything so much fun, and we’re willing to put in the work whenever it’s due.” 

The Red Devils earned their spot in the Gold bracket with a 58-10 win over Sherrard and then advanced to the quarterfinals with a 57-13 victory over Unity. There they had a tough dual with Oakwood/ Salt Fork, seeing a 30-14 lead narrow to 30-21 with four matches left before Garcia won a 16-4 major decision over Pedro Alberto Rangel at 126 and Graff added an 11-2 major decision over Jase Edrington in the final contested match to help them claim a 38-33 victory.

Murphysboro went 4-0 to claim first place in pool H as it claimed wins of 61-18 over Monticello, 73-5 over Erie/ Prophetstown, 60-17 over Camp Point Central and 55-14 over Canton. 

“We think we can make it back up there again and hopefully place this year,” Stearns said. “We faced some really great teams like Coal City, the number one-ranked team, and number two- ranked Vandalia. (What he likes about his team) We all grew up together and we’re all really tight. And we always help each other.”

5th place – Oakwood/ Salt Fork 41, Olympia 29

The fifth-place dual meet was very much up for grabs after Olympia claimed a 24-21 lead over Oakwood/ Salt Fork with just five matches remaining. But that’s when the Comets used a run  of four-straight victories to score the next 20 points to help them capture a 41-29 victory.

Leading the way for coach Mike Glosser’s fifth-place Comets were Jamison Chambliss (9-0 at 190/215), Devin Ehler (9-0 at 138/144), Steven Uden (9-0 at 113), Mason Swartz (8-0 at 132/138), Weston Frazier (8-1 at 120), Tyler Huchel (8-1 at 144/150), Keagan Leclaire (7-2 at 157/165), Emmett Grimm (6-3 at 215/285) and Pedro Alberto Rangel (6-3 at 126/132).

“This is the highest we’ve placed in school history, we’ve never placed higher than seventh,” Uden said. “This team’s super, super special. All these guys go out there and just give it their all. I mean, we have a whole bunch of first years that laid it on the line. I just feel like everybody,  they just think more of the team than of themselves. It’s not like a one-man show. Everybody’s going out there to save team points if they’re going to lose or go out there to get extra points. Just throughout youth wrestling, everybody knows everyone, and I feel like that’s why we’re so good because we train with the same people over and over and over again. I haven’t experienced a team state yet, so hopefully we can make it there this year.”

Top performers for coach Josh Collins’ sixth-place Spartans, who advanced to the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals last season, were Kaden Collins (9-0 at 157), Tucker Garey (9-0 at 126), Connor Collins (8-1 at 106/113), Darian Holloway (8-1 at 285), Brandon Gaither (7-1 at 113/120), Austin Kisner (7-2 at 150), Ryan Ballinger (6-1 at 120), Caleb Peters (6-2 at 190), Carter Knobloch (6-3 at 132), Kenzer Burrell (5-4 at 138/144) and Isaac Warnock (5-4 at 175).

“I feel really good about how our team did today,” Connor Collins said. “We definitely proved to everyone else that we’re definitely a top-six team. We’re very talented all across the board, and we’re a very strong team. We’re definitely all together in it, so it makes it a lot easier because everyone’s cutting weight together, and it’s not just one person doing one thing at a time, so it’s everyone at once, everyone together. We’re all friends, and we’re really close, like at school and everything, and it helps out with the team a lot, so that’s what I like about the team.”

After Kayden Thomas (165) and Warnock (175) opened with falls for Olympia, Chambliss (190) and Grimm (215) answered with pins to make it 12-12. Holloway put the Spartans back up following a pin at 285 but Oakwood/ Salt Fork moved back in front at 21-18 after Uden got past Connor Collins 2-1 by sudden victory at 113 and Frazier won by injury default over Gaither and then Olympia took the lead one final time at 24-21 when Garey got a pin at 126.

The Comets answered with a pin by Rangel and then a victory by technical fall from Swartz at 138 to make it 32-24 and then Ehler added another pin and Huchel edged Kisner 5-4 at 150 to end the drama prior to Kaden Collins getting a win by technical fall in the finale.

“We’re wrestling pretty well,” Kaden Collins said “I feel like we finally got our lineup where it is and all of our guys are pretty healthy and I think we’re wrestling really well right now. I think that we have the ability to place, if not win it. We proved here that we could be a top-five team, top-six team. I just think a few more things, a few more matches would have gone our way. We would have been up there with Coal City today. I just think we’re all really good friends and it’s like brotherhood. We can just be ourselves around each other and it’s just fun to be here.”

Oakwood/ Salt Fork earned its spot in the 16-team Gold bracket with a 50-30 victory over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op. Then it beat Rockridge 53-29 to advance to the quarterfinals, where it was edged 38-33 by Murphysboro. It advanced to the fifth-place meet with a 44-27 victory over Oregon.

The Comets took first place in pool C by winning 59-21 over Beardstown, 38-36 over Roxana, 57-21 over El Paso-Gridley and 61-18 over Stillman Valley.

“Yeah, this tournament’s awesome,” Swartz said. “It’s always a good time and we look forward to it every year. So much improvement from our guys. I mean, not that we were bad to start the year, but I’ve just seen so much progress already, and our coaches are pushing us every day. This program’s awesome. I mean, it’s just such a team family. Everyone’s there for each other no matter the circumstance. It’s like a team full of brothers.”

Olympia advanced to the Gold bracket with a 62-18 win over Byron and followed that with a 57-21 victory over Monticello to reach the quarterfinals. After falling 36-31 to Lena-Winslow/ Stockton in the quarterfinals, it rallied late to capture a 39-36 victory over PORTA. 

The Spartans finished first in pool G by defeating Mercer County 68-11, Auburn/ Pawnee 56-15, St. Joseph-Ogden 57-17 and Mt. Carmel 70-6.

“I think it was a pretty fun two days,” Knoblach said. “We felt pretty good coming in. It was nice having our full lineup, finally. You really experience coming back from hard losses or close matches. The close duals where it’s just one match away and having to come back and just dominate the next team. I really like that we suffer all together, and when one person loses, we feel that. When one person wins, we feel that. We celebrate together. When we win, we win. When we lose, we lose together.”

7th place – Oregon 45, PORTA 35

Oregon overcame an early large deficit by getting six victories in a row, which included three pins and a win by technical fall, to claim a 45-35 win over PORTA for seventh place.

Leading the way for coach Justin Lahman’s seventh-place Hawks, who qualified for the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals in 2025, were Josiah Perez (9-0 at 120), Nelson Benesh (8-1 at 138/144). Carson Benesh (6-1 at 132/138), Kayden Cover (6-2 at 106), Isaiah Perez (6-2 at 126), Jordan Lowe (6-3 at 113), Jack Benesh (4-2 at 132/138), Jayden Berry (5-3 at 150/157) and Jackson Messenger (5-4 at 144/150).

Oregon placed first in pool J by winning 63-12 over Deer Creek-Mackinaw, 45-24 over Seneca, 54-25 over Hoopeston Area/ Milford and 57-24 over Robinson. It advanced to the Gold bracket with a 48-28 victory over Mt. Zion before defeating Reed-Custer 45-34 to advance to the quarterfinals, where it fell 71-4 to eventual champion Coal City. The Hawks also lost 44-27 to Oakwood/ Salt Fork before meeting up with PORTA for seventh place.

Top performers for the eighth-place Bluejays, who are coached by Jeff Hill, the state’s all-time leader in dual meet wins and a 2025 recipient of the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter, were Zach Bryant (7-1 at 144/150), Justin Zimmerman (7-1 at 165/175), Coyt Radamaker (6-1 at 106), Jaxen Feagans (6-2 at 138), Logan Baker (6-2 at 157/ 165), Jamarian Thomas (6-2 at 157/165) and Kainin Fillbright (5-2 at 120).

In the seventh-place meet, the Bluejays got pins from Baker, Dylan Yocum and Radamaker, a win by technical fall from Jayden Minor and a forfeit victory from Zimmerman to build up a 29-6 advantage through the first six matches. 

But the Hawks answered with pins from Lowe, Isaiah Perez and Carson Benesh, a win by technical fall from Jack Benesh, a victory by injury default for Nelson Benesh and a major decision from Josiah Perez to grab a 39-29 lead with two matches remaining. Bryant got a pin to pull PORTA to within four points but Berry responded with a fall to secure the win for Oregon.

“I think we performed really good today as a team,” Josiah Perez said. “We were all together as one. No one was really down on themselves and everybody was lifting each other up. We were all supportive of each other. As our coaches say, for the last day and the last couple of duals, it’s whoever wants it more is what we say. And that’s the attitude we go out with on the mat. (What he likes about his team) A lot of the memories. Some of us goof around a little bit, that creates memories and gets us together as a team. (Having three sets of brothers on their team) It puts a lot of chemistry in the team, especially for the kids who even grew up together.”

PORTA, who co-ops with A-C Central, Greenview and Havana, took first in pool A by winning 38-37 over Marquette Academy, 56-22 over Riverdale, 43-36 over Benton and 58-12 over Sacred Heart-Griffin. It defeated Mercer County 57-24 to advance to the Gold bracket and then got a fall from Feagans in the last match to claim a 40-35 win over Newman Central Catholic. The Bluejays fell to Vandalia 56-14 and Olympia 39-36 in their next two dual meets.

“We’re pretty solid,” Hill said, “We have about nine or 10 kids that are really top end and then we have some good filler weights that make us a good dual meet team. As long as we do our homework and we move our weights around, we can be competitive with about anybody.” 

9th place – Reed-Custer 42, Canton 38

Reed-Custer opened with four falls and won six of the first seven matches of the ninth-place dual meet to build up a 36-6 advantage and that helped it to claim a 42-38 triumph over Canton, who captured victories in six of the last seven matches.  

Some of the top performers for coach Yale Davis’ ninth-place Comets were Dominic Alaimo (8-1 at 215), Colton Drinkwine (8-1 at 113), Christian Mounts (7-2 at 285), Jayden Sanchez (7-2 at 132/138), Aiden Shultz (7-2 at 190), Cole Harris (6-3 at 120), Reed Newbrough (6-3 at 165), Kaaden Wood (6-3 at 126), Rylan West (5-3 at 138/144), Collin Bryant (5-4 at 106) and Nathan Vogler (5-4 at 175).

Reed-Custer beat Benton 46-32 to reach the Gold bracket but in its first dual meet there, it lost 45-34 to Oregon. The Comets followed that with a 57-21 victory over Seneca and then edged Unity 38-37, its second win over the Rockets in two days, to advance to the ninth-place meet. The Comets claimed first place in pool D after winning 61-14 over Litchfield, 52-29 over Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 67-8 over Farmington/ Cuba and 45-33 over Unity.

“My team’s getting really better since last year,” Sanchez said. “We were also good last year, but this year is completely different. Getting ranked 15th last year and then going down to number nine. It’s just being there for your team, always being a teammate. When you have a bad match, always move on from that match. Focus on that match for a little bit, worry about what you did wrong for, like, a couple of minutes, and then move on. (What he likes about his team) You never know what’s going to happen, that’s pretty much it. You could say we’re going to lose against some team, but you never know. We always pick it back up.”

Leading the way for coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants were Dyllan Steele (5-0 at 120), Jaxsun Owens (3-0 at 120), Connor Williams (8-1 at 285), Alex Carrier (7-2 at 157), Jacob Hardesty (7-2 at 132), Daniel Kees (7-2 at 165), Maddux Steele (6-2 at 126), Ayden Stewart (6-3 at 144) and Jireh Hedges (5-4 at 138).

Canton followed up on taking second in pool H to Murphysboro by beating Morrison 50-28 to compete in the Gold bracket. After suffering a 58-16 defeat to Vandalia, it won 41-33 over Newman Central Catholic and 45-34 over Roxana to earn its spot in the ninth-place dual meet. 

11th place – Roxana 54, Unity 27

Roxana strung together five-straight falls to help it build up a 36-12 advantage midway through the the 11th-place dual meet and it went to capture a 54-27 victory over Unity. 

Coach Rob Milazzo’s 11th-place Shells received good performances from Brandon Green, Jr. (9-0 at 138/144), Mason Crump (3-0 at 190), Logan Riggs (8-1 at 150/157), Trey Skelton (8-1 at 113), Lyndon Thies (8-1 at 175/190), Robert Horton (7-2 at 215), Mason Davis (6-3 at 106), Cy Courtney (5-3 at 285) and Brayden Hendrix (5-4 at 120).

Roxana took second place in pool C after falling 38-36 to Oakwood/ Salt Fork. It advanced to the Gold bracket with a 46-35 triumph over Marquette Academy but lost its next dual 48-30 to the eventual runner-up in the competition, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton. After defeating Monticello 47-34, it lost 45-34 to Canton to send it to the 11th-place dual meet with Unity.

Some of the leaders for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets were Josh Heath (8-1 at 165/175), AJ Daly (7-2 at 138), Devin Glik (7-2 at 150/157), Hayden Smith (7-2 at 144), Abram Davidson (6-3 at 165/175), Ben Mullins (6-3 at 150/157) and Adam Wolken (5-4 at 113/120).

Unity, who claimed fourth place at the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals last season, finished second in pool D to Reed-Custer. The Rockets earned their spot in the Gold bracket by rallying for a 37-34 victory over Chicago Hope Academy. After falling 57-13 to eventual fourth-place finisher Murphysboro, the Rockets beat Rockridge 42-33 and then fell for the second time in two days to Reed-Custer, with the last meeting being a 38-37 defeat.

13th place – Rockridge 43, Newman Central Catholic 36

Rockridge recorded falls in two of the last three matches to help it claim a 43-36 victory over Newman Central Catholic in the 13th-place dual meet.

Leading the way for coach Lucas Smith’s 13th-place Rockets were Nate Lower (9-0 at 106), Ryan Lower (9-0 at 165), Noah Behr (8-1 at 120), Clayton Blumenstein (8-1 at 132), Tanner McKeag (7-2 at 285), Thomas Sowards (7-2 at 157) and Klay Goodnight (6-3 at 144).

Rockridge took first in pool B by winning 56-23 over Byron, 40-35 over Hillsboro, 38-33 over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth and 54-30 over Clifton Central and advanced to the Gold bracket with a 46-34 victory over Cumberland. It fell 53-29 to Oakwood/ Salt Fork and 42-33 to Unity in its next two duals before beating Seneca 60-24 and then Newman Central Catholic.

Top performers for coach Brody Ivey’s Comets were Landon Blanton (8-0 at 132), Landon Near (8-0 at 113), Zhyler Hansen (7-1 at 126), Matthew Blackert (4-1 at 175/190), Matthew Clemen (7-2 at 190/215), Tyler Grennan (7-2 at 106), Josiah Lewis (7-2 at 150), Timothy Plote (5-2 at 175), Mathew Murray (4-2 at 285), Javen Reyes (6-3 at 120), Aiden Volz (6-3 at 138) and Ayden Gutierrez (5-4 at 165).

Newman Central Catholic took first in pool I by getting wins of 48-24 over Sherrard, 55-16 over LeRoy/ Tri-Valley, 39-35 over Lawrence County and 65-6 over Macomb and earned a spot in the Gold bracket with a 64-12 triumph over Frankfort/ Christopher. After falling to PORTA 40-35 with a defeat in the final match, it lost 41-33 following a late rally by Canton. The Comets beat Monticello 64-4 before meeting up with Rockridge for 13th place.

15th place – Monticello 48, Seneca 35

Monticello faced a 24-12 deficit against Seneca following the first four matches of the 15th-place dual meet but it won five of the last six matches to capture a 48-35 victory.

Top performers for coach Andy Moore’s 15th-place Sages were Nick Litchfield (6-2 at 132), Zach Perry (4-2 at 157/165), Will Osborne (6-3 at 144), Maddox Utley (5-3 at 175/190), Kellan Lamb (5-4 at 126), Max Sinkosky (5-4 at 175/190) and Drake Weeks (5-4 at 150/157).

Monticello earned its spot in the Gold bracket with a 42-34 win over Princeton. Then it lost to Olympia, Roxana and Newman Central Catholic before getting a victory in its finale.

Leading the way for coach Todd Yegge’s Fighting Irish were Chase Rod (6-0 at 150), Landen Venecia (7-1 at 190), Raiden Terry (4-1 at 120/126), Colton Angeloff (7-2 at 215), Gunner Varland (4-2 at 157/165) and Landyn Ramsey (5-4 at 285).

Seneca reached the Gold bracket with a 47-27 win over Lawrence County but ran into eventual champion Coal City in its next dual and also fell to Reed-Custer and Rockridge.

Silver Bracket

Marquette Academy defeated Chicago Hope Academy 48-26 in the first-place dual meet in the Silver bracket. Leaders for Marquette Academy were Wesley Janick (9-0 at 120), Reily Leifheit (9-0 at 165/175), Alex Schaefer (9-0 at 215/285), Koby Clark (8-1 at 132), Connor Eggers (7-2 at 113), Dakota Harmon (7-2 at 106), Logan Huenfeld (7-2 at 126), Brysen Manly (5-3 at 157/165) and Beau Thompson (5-4 at 138/144). Top performers for Chicago Hope Academy were Dylan Galvez (9-0 at 157), Arkail Griffin (175/190), Nolan Callahan (3-0 at 120/126), Jeremiah Lawrence (8-1 at 138/144), Obadiah Willis (8-1 at 126/132), Chance Woods (8-1 at 144/150), Anthony Oyola (6-2 at 132/138), Mastewal Evely (6-3 at 215/285), Ismael Martinez (6-3 at 165/175) and Indigo Berg (5-4 at 120/126). 

Benton captured a 46-34 victory over Morrison in the third-place dual meet in the Silver bracket. Top performers for Benton were Kobe Cali (9-0 at 175/190), Braxton Tittle (8-0 at 106/113), Kaden Blades (8-1 at 144), Kingston Palmer (6-3 at 126/132), Zane Stanley (6-3 at 120/1126), Derek Wilkey (6-3 at 150/157) and Peyton Robinson (5-3 at 150/157). Leading Morrison were Eli Modglin (8-1 at 126/132), Noah Stout (8-1 at 190), Caleb Carroll (7-2 at 215), Caleb Modglin (7-2 at 150/157), Cael Wright (7-2 at 120/126) and Trevor Tipton (5-4 at 285).

The Lawrence County co-op of Lawrenceville and Red Hill won 51-28 over Mercer County to capture fifth place in the Silver bracket. Leaders for Lawrence County were Hudson Meek (8-1 at 144), Malikye Williams (8-1 at 190), Cale Seitzinger (7-2 at 150), Grayson Allender (6-3 at 113), Dalton Baker (6-3 at 106), Jude DeCausey (6-3 at 215), Kyler Guercio (6-3 at 120/126), Nick Morehead (6-3 at 175), Jude Shick (5-3 at 132/138), Daniel Kiser (5-4 at 157) and Drew Seitzinger (5-4 at 126/132). Top performers for Mercer County were Eli Burns (8-1 at 165), Boston Morford (8-1 at 113/120), Eli Boswell (6-3 at 157), Evan Clark (6-3 at 138), Brady Heinrichs (6-3 at 285) and Jaxon Adamson (5-4 at 120/126).

Byron took seventh place in the Silver bracket after claiming a 44-30 victory over Cumberland.  Leaders for Byron were Brody Stien (9-0 at 175/190), Wyatt Stacy (4-0 at 190), Issac Alvarez (4-1 at 175), Hunter King (7-2 at 126), Dalton Norris (7-2 at 215), Cael O’Horo (5-2 at 150/157), Will Julian (5-3 at 165) and Aiden Salo (5-4 at 106). Top performers for Cumberland were Jaxson Dukeman (7-2 at 150), Peyton Groves (7-2 at 106), Sawyer Welbaum (7-2 at 132), Daniel Nichols (6-3 at 157/165), Owen McGinnis (6-3 at 157/165), Max Strader (6-3 at 190/215) and Logan Aaron (5-4 at 138).

Mt. Zion defeated Princeton 48-30 to take ninth place in the Silver bracket. Top individuals for Mt. Zion were Keller Stocks (9-0 at 215), Carson Thornton (8-1 at 175), Vincent Baker (7-2 at 138), Travon Street (7-2 at 144) and Rylyn Owens (5-4 at 157). Leading the way for Princeton were Casey Etheridge (9-0 at 1265), Kane Dauber (7-0 at 138/144), Augustus Swanson (7-0 at 113/120), Isaac Hufnagel (3-0 at 113), Brady Peach (8-1 at 106), Corbin Brown (7-1 at 132/138), Jacob Paull (4-2 at 126), Eli Berlin (6-3 at 190) and Allister Swanson (6-3 at 120/126).

Sherrard claimed 11th place in the Silver bracket with a 64-12 victory over Tremont. Sherrard was led by Kaden Dutton (7-2 at 165), Cooper Thomas (7-2 at 190/215), Jonathan Weakley (7-2 at 215/285), Aidan Eads (6-3 at 106), Tavian Straus (6-3 at 113) and Gideon Heist (5-4 at 175).

Tremont’s top performer was Luke McAllister (5-4 at 106).

Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth took 13th place in the Silver bracket with a 52-27 win over Frankfort/ Christopher. Leaders for Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth were Charlie Wittmer (7-1 at 157/165), Francisco Lopez Banderas (6-1 at 138), Jack Kerley (5-1 at 285), Kenton Rule (7-2 at 175), Taygan Gossard (6-2 at 120/126), Kevin Sanderson (6-3 at 113) and Graham Blackwell (5-3 at 215). Top performers for Frankfort/ Christopher were Hudson Anderton (8-1 at 126), Lucas Parker (7-1 at 144), Bryson Aaron (4-1 at 175), Jordan Turner (3-1 at 138/144), Michael Minor (5-2 at 165), Jaden White (6-3 at 150), Quentin Riley (5-4 at 285) and Julian Wyant (5-4 at 157/165).

Robinson defeated Shelbyville 48-35 to finish in 15th place in the Silver bracket. Top individuals for Robinson were Broady Kelly (8-1 at 138/144), Landon Cornwell (5-4 at 113), Gracen Elliott (5-4 at 120) and Eddison Armijos (5-4 at 132/138). Leaders for Shelbyville were Bodee Fathauer (6-1 at 132), Hayden Mudgette (7-2 at 215/285), Ryne Peavler (7-2 at 165/175), Colin Wells (6-3 at 132/138) and Conner Stockton (5-4 at 285).

Bronze Bracket

Riverdale claimed a 62-17 victory over Beardstown to finish in first place in the Bronze bracket. Leading the way for Riverdale were Dean Wainwright (8-0 at 132/138), Marcus Bennett (7-1 at 190), Jacob Schradeya (7-1 at 215), Cole Smith (6-2 at 106), Henry Schradeya (5-2 at 285), Jaqavon Avant-Orr (5-3 at 138/144) and Brady Rogers (5-3 at 144/150). Top performers for Beardstown were Gunner Looker (7-1 at 175), Maddox Medrano (7-1 at 165), Logan Haverback (6-2 at 215/285) and Bryan Islas (5-3 at 113/120).

Clifton Central/ Iroquois West won 42-27 over Mt. Carmel to finish in third place in the Bronze bracket. Leaders for Clifton Central/ Iroquois West were Giona Panozzo (7-1 at 150), Evan Cox (5-1 at 144), Brody O’Connor (4-1 at 215), Colton Vaughn (3-1 at 175), John Randles (5-2 at 165), Owen Robinson (5-2 at 132/138), Josh McCurry (4-2 at 285) and Garrison Bailey (5-3 at 157). Top performers for Mt. Carmel were Kadin Melahn (3-1 at 132), Emmitt Cooley (6-2 at 138) and Carter Pyatt (5-2 at 285).

Pontiac edged Stillman Valley 37-33 for fifth place in the Bronze bracket. Leaders for Pontiac were Lucas Maier (7-1 at 175/190), Jack Voigts (7-1 at 126/132), Braden Oppermen (5-1 at 138/144), Hunter McCullough (6-2 at 285), Noah Davis (5-2 at 144/150), Drayden Ramsey (4-2 at 138/144), Hunter Christenson (5-3 at 157) and Brayden Quas (5-3 at 165). Stillman Valley’s top performers were Ethan Waugh (8-0 at 165), Xander Bell (4-1 at 126), Carter Paulson (6-2 at 106), Isaiahs Carreno (5-2 at 120), Tyler Bell (4-2 at 157), Chase Jones (5-3 at 150) and Brodie Watterson (5-3 at 144). 

Anna-Jonesboro took seventh place in the Bronze bracket with a 41-36 victory over Orion.  Anna-Jonesboro was led by Titus Dover (6-1 at 175/190), Jase Holshouser (6-2 at 144) and J.R. Wright (5-3 at 113/120). Orion’s top performers were Max Hessler (7-1 at 132), Jace Lerminez (6-2 at 175/190), Ellis Thorndyke (6-2 at 120) and Tyler Olson (5-3 at 126/132).

Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm finished ninth in the Bronze bracket with a 47-34 victory over LeRoy/ Tri-Valley.  Leading the way for Westville. Georgetown-Ridge Farm were Ethan Miller (8-0 at 190/215), Levi Miller (7-1 at 132), Bleighten Irelan (3-1 at 215/285) and Vance Johnson (6-2 at 138/144). LeRoy/ Tri-Valley’s top performers were Jake Baughman (6-2 at 113), Connor McLaughlin (5-3 at 150), Jackson Ritch (5-3 at 215), Devan Roberson (5-3 at 144) and Logan Thompson (5-3 at 126/132).

Litchfield/ Mt. Olive edged Auburn/ Pawnee 43-42 by criteria to claim 11th place in the Bronze bracket. Top individuals for Litchfield/ Mt. Olive were Vincent Moore (8-0 at 126/132), Tristan Staggs (8-0 at 215/285), Braxton Kieffer (7-1 at 165) and Jayden Ellinger (6-2 at 190). And leaders for Auburn/ Pawnee were Jayden Brown (8-0 at 165/175), Drayven Hamm (8-0 at 144/150), Elijah Scott (7-1 at 126/132), Trey Boston (6-2 at 150/157), Eli Hill (6-2 at 106/113) and Ayden Williams (6-2 at 215/285).

Quincy Notre Dame won 46-28 over Hoopeston Area/ Milford in the 13th-place dual meet in the Bronze bracket. Leading Quincy Notre Dame were Cale Hilbing (7-1 at 150), Bradi Lahr (7-1 at 157), Abram Zanger (6-1 at 165/175), Vincent Edmondson (3-1 at 165) and Austin Shull (5-3 at 144). Top performers for Hoopeston Area/ Milford were Aiden Bell (8-0 at 126/132), Dylan Warner (8-0 at 106/113), Earl Kelnhofer (6-2 at 190/215), Dorin Coss (5-3 at 157) and Dominic Simpson (5-3 at 215/285).

Erie/ Prophetstown claimed a 47-21 win over Wilmington to take 15th place in the Bronze bracket. Top individuals for Erie/ Prophetstown were Noah Wetzell (7-1 at 150/157), Caleb Reymer (6-2 at 285), John Holland (4-2 at 215) and Conner Johnson (5-3 at 165). Wilmington was led by Logan VanDuyne (6-0 at 190/215), Oakley Rivera (7-1 at 144), Will Wilson (6-2 at 215/285) and Memphis Iwen (4-2 at 215/285).

Copper Bracket

St. Joseph-Ogden edged El Paso-Gridley 32-29 to take first place in the Copper bracket. Top performers for St. Joseph-Ogden were Weston Hubbard (3-0 at 106), Coy Hayes (7-1 at 165), Vance McComas (6-2 at 190), Devan Swisher (4-2 at 175), Levi Lee (3-2 at 106), Liam Carter (5-3 at 215), Camden Getty (5-3 at 126), George Hale (5-3 at 120), Ben Wells (5-3 at 113) and Alex Vaughn (5-3 at 157). Leading the way for El Paso-Grifley were Ben Buis (8-0 at 285), Kole Petta (8-0 at 106), Tom Erwin (7-0 at 126/132), Jude Roth (6-2 at 150) and Braden Gibson (5-3 at 190/215).

Knoxville defeated Farmington/ Cuba 46-36 for third place in the Copper bracket. Leading Knoxville were Gavyn Stevens (7-1 at 157/165), Brydon Walters (7-1 at 215), Caleb Clevenger (5-2 at 150/157), James Long (4-2 at 190) and Shawn McGlown (5-3 at 175). Top performers for Farmington/ Cuba were Bradlee Ellis (8-0 at 144/150), Isaac Showalter (8-0 at 106/113), Isacc Flora (6-2 at 120/126), Ian Winner (5-3 at 126/132) and Gage Williamson (5-3 at 138).

Hillsboro won 45-30 over Deer Creek-Mackinaw to take fifth in the Copper bracket. Leading the way for Hillsboro were Kohl Fuller (7-0 at 113), Landon Bandy (6-1 at 120), Briar Kuhl (6-1 at 138), Skyler Sturgeon (6-1 at 126) and Deven Beard (4-2 at 144). Top performers for Deer Creek-Mackinaw were Caleb Greer (7-0 at 175/190) and Joey Humphreys (7-0 at 285).

Sacred Heart-Griffin placed seventh in the Copper bracket with a 36-27 victory over Macomb. Sacred Heart-Griffin was led by Casen Lyons (5-0 at 190) and Jeremy Judd (6-1 at 165). Macomb’s top individuals were Ethan Hoyt (6-1 at 120/126), Joshua McPheeters (6-1 at 175) and Kyler Miller (5-2 at 132).

Illini Bluffs beat Camp Point Central/ Brown County 41-36 to take ninth place in the Copper bracket. Top performers for Illini Bluffs were Barret Speck (6-1 at 132/138), Liam Major (4-2 at 120/126) and Nathan Owens (4-2 at 126/132). Camp Point Central/ Brown County was led by Jack Welch (7-0 at 113), Grant Hamilton (6-1 at 175) and Jordan Friday (5-2 at 106).

Prairie Central claimed 11th place in the Copper bracket with a 42-11 victory over Walther Christian Academy.  Leading the way for Prairie Central were Andrew Patino (6-1 at 113), Treyton Zimmerman (6-1 at 106) and Elijah Mowery (5-2 at 190/215). The top individual for Walther Christian Academy was Steven Rodriguez (5-2 at 175).

Statistics of note

Olympia’s Devin Ehler and Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer recorded the most team points with 54 while Rockridge’s Nate Lower and Vandalia’s Max Philpot tied for third with 53 team points. Lena-Winslow/ Stockton’s Arrison Bauer, Benton’s Kobe Cali and Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr. tied for fifth in that category with 51 points. And Chicago Hope Academy’s Arkail Griffin, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton’s Eli Larson, Marquette Academy’s Reily Leifheit, Byron’s Brody Stien and Mt. Zion’s Keller Stocks tied for eighth place in most team points with 50.

Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer also recorded nine falls while Newman Central Catholic’s Landon Near collected eight pins. Olympia’s Brandon Gaither was the only individual in the competition to finish with five victories by technical fall. Byron’s Brody Stien easily led the way with most total match points with 150 while Chicago Hope Academy’s Obadiah Willis was second with 119 points. 

Champion Coal City recorded the most pins with 73 while runner-up Vandalia and Reed-Custer tied for second place with 49 pins. Murphysboro collected the most wins by technical fall with 19 while Lena-Winslow/ Stockton and Vandalia tied for second place with 14. 

The champion Coalers also finished with 655 team points while Vandalia was a distant second with 542 team points. In addition, Coal City easily had the most total match points with 823 while Murphysboro ranked second with 768 match points.

ABE’s Rumble Championship Dual Meet

Coal City 52, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton 21

165 – Mason Garner (CC) over Mark Detweiler (LWS), F 2:55

175 – Noah Houston (CC) over John Mensendike (LWS), D 3-2

190 – Eli Larson (LWS) over Evan Greggain (CC), TF

215 – Oliver McPeek (LWS) over Cade Poyner (CC), F 7:30

285 – Jeremiah Luke (LWS) over Payton Vigna (CC), TF

106 – Ryder Gill (CC) over Reece Hartzell (LWS), F 0:41

113 – Jake Munsterman (CC) over Carson Hill (LWS), MD 15-7

120 – Tyson Price (CC) over Keller Otto (LWS), TF

126 – Owen Petersen (CC) over Brandon White (LWS), MD 15-5

132 – Cooper Morris (CC) over Huntlee Burris (LWS), F 1:16

138 – Luke Munsterman (CC) over Mauricio Glass (LWS), F 4:35

144 – Arrison Bauer (LWS) over Roberto Rodriguez (CC), TF

150 – Max Christensen (CC) over Reece Demeter (LWS), F 2:36

157 – Aidan Kenney (CC) over Sam Sikora (LWS), F 1:18

By Gary Larsen
All IWCOA rankings from Rob Sherrill’s Illinois Best Weekly

62ND ANNUAL LYLE KING PIT

Princeton’s 34-team tournament this year was a who’s-who of Class A ranked wrestlers and former state medalists. When the smoke cleared, it was No. 1-ranked Coal City who topped No. 3 Vandalia 272-250, with No. 5 Dixon (172) third, No. 9 Olympia (159.5) fourth, and No. 6 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher (156) rounding out the top five finishes.

“We had a great tournament, highlighted by our two champions,” Coal City coach Mark Masters said. “I’m super proud of the effort our guys gave throughout the tournament.”

Top-ranked three-time state medal-winner Brody Widlowski (150) and returning state medal-winner Cade Poyner (215) won individual titles for the Coalers, who had nine wrestlers place in the top four of their weight classes and all 14 finish in the top eight.

In the finals at 150, Widlowski won a 3-1 decision over the top-ranked wrestler at 157 and a three-time state medalist in Vandalia’s Dillon Hinton. No. 7 Poyner won by fall against No. 5 Dom Alaimo of Reed-Custer on the title mat at 215.

“Brody stayed patient throughout the championship match and made the most of his opportunity in the third period to secure the winning takedown,” Masters said. “Cade wrestled about as well as he could. He’s fearless and exciting to watch. He scored his one hundredth career fall in the championship match.”

Second-place Vandalia got individual titles from top-ranked two-time state medalist and former state champion at 113 Preston Waughtel (126), No. 2 returning state champion at 113 Max Philpot (132) and No. 7 returning state medalist Ross Miller (190).

Dixon got titles from No. 3 Riley Paredes (106) and No. 1-ranked Jack Ragan (120).

1st- Coal City (272)
In addition to titles from Widlowski and Poyner, Masters got a quartet of second-place finishers in Owen Petersen (126), Luke Munsterman (138), Aidan Kenney (157) and Brock Finch (175). Coal City also got fourths from Jake Munsterman (106), Mason Garner (165) and Brody D’Orazio (190), a fifth from Max Christensen (144), and sixths from Cooper Morris (132) and Noah Houston (165).

2nd- Vandalia (250)
In addition to titles from Waughtel (16-0 at 126), Philpot (132) and Miller (190), Vandals coach Pat Myers got a runner-up finish from Dillon Hinton (150), thirds from Brody Matthews (138) and Eli Mabry (144), and fifths from Aiden Evans (120), Dade Kleinik (157) and Noah Langston (175).

3rd- Dixon (172)
Dukes coach Micah Hey got titles from Paredes (106) and Ragan (120), thirds from Preston Richards (150) and Dylan Bopes (285), a fourth from Charlie Connors (144), and a  seventh from Doolan Long (126).

Team scores
Coal City 272, Vandalia 250, Dixon 172, Olympia 159.5, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher 156, Oakwood/Salt Fork 147, PORTA 140.5, Reed-Custer 124.5, Richmond-Burton 123, Rockridge 116, Roxana 113.5, Newman Central Catholic 103.5, Byron 97.5, Princeton 88.5, Riverdale 87.5, Clifton Central/Iroquois West 83.5, Mt. Zion 72, Warrensburg-Latham 69.5, Mercer County 67.5, Pittsfield/Pleasant Hill 45.5, Wilmington 45.5, Monticello 41, Rock Falls 39.5, Orion 39, Illini Bluffs 34.5, Manteno 34, Dakota/Orangeville 32.5, Illinois Valley Central 29.5, Litchfield/Mt. Olive 29, Alleman 28, Auburn 27, Tremont 26.5, Clinton 19.5, LeRoy 19

Additional champions
113 Princeton’s No. 1 state medalist Augustus Swanson
138 Oakwood/Salt Fork’s No. 2 state medalist Devin Ehler
144 PORTA’s No. 6 state medalist Zach Bryant
157 GCMSF’s No. 3 state qualifier Hudson Babb
165 PORTA’s No. 3 state medalist Justin Zimmerman
175 Roxana’s No. 2 two-time state medalist Lyndon Thies
285 Richmond-Burton’s No. 5 state qualifier Breckin Campbell

Additional second-place finishers
106 Taylor Ridge’s No. 1 Nate Lower
113 Newman Central Catholic’s No. 3 state medalist Landon Near
120 Oakwood/Salt Fork’s No. 4 Weston Frazier
132 Riverdale’s No. 1 three-time state medalist Dean Wainwright
144 Oakwood/Salt Fork’s No. 4 state qualifier Tyler Huchel
165 Princeton’s No. 8 state medalist Casey Etheridge
190 Byron’s No. 9 (165) Will Julian
215 Reed-Custer’s No. 5 state qualifier Dominic Alaimo
285 Olympia’s No. 4 Darian Holloway

High drama on the title mat
A pair of previously unbeaten wrestlers squared off at 106, with Dixon’s Riley Paredes (26-0) winning an 8-2 decision over Rockridge’s Nate Lower (24-1).

At 113, Princeton’s Augustus Swanson (28-1) handed Newman Central Catholic’s Landon Near (15-1) his first loss of the year via 7-5 decision.

A barnburner at 132 saw Vandalia’s Max Philpot (23-1) win a 10-9 decision over Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright (31-2).

At 150, Coal City’s Brody Widlowski (20-1) won a 3-1 decision over Vandalia’s Dillon Hinton (24-3).
Another pair of previously unbeaten wrestlers toed the line at 157, with GCMSF’s Hudson Babb (25-0) winning a 6-3 decision over Coal City’s Aidan Kenney (30-1), and at 175 Roxana’s Lyndon Thies (27-1) handed Coal City’s Brock Finch (22-1) his first loss of the year via 8-5 decision.

Statistics
TEAMS:

Vandalia led all teams with 30 pins in the tournament, followed by Coal City with 22 and Olympia with 20. GCMSF posted the most tech falls with 12, followed by Coal City with eight and Oakwood/Salt Fork with six. GCMSF also finished with the most total match points with 473, followed by Vandalia with 429 and Coal City with 416.

INDIVIDUALS:

Roxana’s Logan Riggs posted the most pins in the least time with four falls in 3:46, followed by Vandalia’s Dade Kleinik with four falls in 4:24 and PORTA’s Jaxen Feagans’ four falls in 5:26. Riggs also had the fastest fall in 13 seconds, followed by Richmond-Burton’s Breckin Campbell and GCMSF’s Jaxon Wright, each with a fall at 14 seconds.

Roxana’s Brayden Hendrix posted the most tech falls in the least time, with three in 8:54, followed by Warrensburg-Latham’s Charlie Wittmer with three techs in 9:08 and Byron’s Brody Stein with two techs in 4:10.

Coal City’s Cade Poyner scored the most team points with 33.5, followed by Vandalia’s Ross Miller with 33 and Roxana’s Lyndon Thies with 32. Coal City’s Jason Piatak scored the most single-match points with 25.
The largest seed-place difference came from Vandalia’s Noah Langston, seeded 22nd but placing fifth at 175 pounds.

Championship match results
106 Paredes (Dixon) D 8-2 Lower (Rockridge)
113 Swanson (Princeton) D 7-5 Near (Newman)
120 Ragan (Dixon) MD 14-4 Frazier (Oakwood/Salt Fork)
126 Waughtel (Vandalia) D 10-5 Petersen (Coal City)
132 Philpot (Vandalia) D 10-9 Wainwright (Riverdale)
138 Ehler (Oakwood/Salt Fork) D 6-0 Munsterman (Coal City)
144 Bryant (PORTA) D 10-6 Huchel (Oakwood/Salt Fork)
150 Widlowski (Coal City) D 3-1 Hinton (Vandalia)
157 Babb (GCMSF) D 6-3 Kenney (Coal City)
165 Zimmerman (PORTA) D 12-8 Etheridge (Princeton)
175 Thies (Roxana) D 8-5 Finch (Coal City)
190 Miller (Vandalia) F 1:09 Julian (Byron)
215 Poyner (Coal City) F 3:38 Alaimo (Reed-Custer)
285 Campbell (Richmond-B) MD 13-1 Holloway (Olympia)

Third-place results

106 Collins (Olympia) D 5-4 Munsterman (Coal City)
113 Drinkwine (Reed-Custer) D 2-1 Gaither (Olympia)
120 Harris (Reed-Custer) MD 11-3 Fillbright (PORTA)
126 Nelson (Richmond-B) F 1:35 Wood (Reed-Custer)
132 Swartz (Oakwood/Salt Fork) D 8-2 Blanton (Newman)
138 Matthews (Vandalia) MD 10-0 Baker (Mt. Zion)
144 Mabry (Vandalia) D 5-2 Connors (Dixon)
150 Richards (Dixon) D 7-0 Riggs (Roxana)
157 Martin (Richmond-B) SV-1 4-1 Wittmer (W. Latham/M.-Forsyth)
165 Lower (Rockridge) inj. Garner (Coal City)
175 Stein (Byron) F 3:18 Lowe (GCMSF)
190 VanDuyne (Wilmington) D 10-3 D’Orazio (Coal City)
215 Stocks (Mt. Zion) F 3:42 Falasca (Richmond-B)
285 Bopes (Dixon) D 7-3 Courtney (Roxana)

Fifth-place results
106 Rademaker (PORTA) D 10-3 Fields (GCMSF)
113 Morford (Mercer Co) D 12-8 Gaither (Olympia)
120 Evans (Vandalia) fft. Carter (Clinton)
126 Hansen (Richmond-Burton) D 13-6 Mansfield (W. Latham/M.-Forsyth)
132 Speck (Illini Bluffs) D 4-2 Morris (Coal City)
138 Feagans (PORTA) F 0:23 Clark (Mercer Co)
144 Christensen (Coal City) D 7-4 Lowe (GCMSF)
150 Kisner (Olympia) MD 9-1 Brandon (GCMSF)
157 Kleinik (Vandalia) F 0:45 Collins (Olympia)
165 Miller (GCMSF) D 9-5 Houston (Coal City)
175 Langston (Vandalia) D 15-13 Warnock (Olympia)
190 Chambliss (Oakwood/Salt Fork) TF 4:39 Marable (Pittsfield/Pleasant Hill)
215 O’Connor (Clifton C) inj. Staggs (Litchfield/Mt. Olive)
285 McKeag (Rockridge) D 8-2 McCurry (Clifton C)

40TH ANNUAL PRAIRIE CENTRAL HAWK CLASSIC

The team title at this year’s Hawk Classic at Prairie Central went to Sandwich, as coach Derek Jones’ boys won 227-198 over second-place McNamara, followed by Beardstown (170), El Paso-Gridley (160) and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher (138.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

Jones sent five wrestlers to the title mat and got an individual title from Jaxson Blanchard (138) and seconds from Jacob Cassie (144), Cooper Corder (150), Jack Forth (157) and Joshua Kotalik (175).

“We brought twelve guys to the Hawk Classic and we really earned this Tournament Championship as a team,” Jones said. “I’m proud of the team for what they accomplished today, but we understand from top to bottom that tournament wins and individual wins in the regular season is not the end goal. We train to be our best at the end of the season, and I’m confident that we will see that come regionals, sectionals, and state.”

1st- Sandwich (227)

In addition to a title from Blanchard (138) and seconds from Cassie (144), Corder (150), Forth (157) and Kotalik (175), Sandwich got thirds from Hunter Whitecotton (106) and Luis Murillo (215), fourths from Dom Urbanski (126) and Kai Kern (190), a fifth from Aiden Sinetos (113), and a seventh from Kaden Clevenger (285).

“(Blanchard) wrestled as I expected because I know he is tough and a great competitor,” Jones said. (Corder and Forth) wrestled tough in their championship matches, but things just didn’t go our way.
“I was proud of (Forth) because he is weighing in at 150 every competition and bumps up to 157 for the team. He is figuring things out.

“Our last finalist was (Kotalik) and he has been on a roll all year, but is still only a sophomore. He competes as well as any kid in the state. I am excited to see his growth continue throughout his year.”

2nd- McNamara (198)

McNamara got a trio of individual titles from Evan Johnson (113), Blake Arseneau (132) and Cole Kimberlin (157), thirds from Tristin Golden (190) and Kian Bramer (235), a fourth from Trevor Torres (144), sixths from Alex Kostecka (138), Cullen Bramer (175) and Mason Hemenover (215), a seventh from Chase Moeschke (150) and an eighth-place finish from Brock Clott (190).

3rd- Beardstown (170)

Beardstown got individual titles from Maddox Medrano (165) and Gunner Looker (175), thirds from Bryan Islas (113) and Kellen Brown (126), a fourth from Alex Armenta (132), a fifth from Logan Haverback (215), a sixth from Manuel Borgos (120), sevenths from Aksel Avila (138), Alejandro Gil (144) and Yahndy Santiago (215), and eighths from Jacob Borchers (106), Diego Gil (132), and Tony Siangas (157).

Team scores
Sandwich 227, McNamara 198, Beardstown 170, El Paso-Gridley 160, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher 138.5, Plano 123.5, Herscher 117, Hoopeston Area-Milford 115, Unity Christian 105, Ridgeview 93, Peotone 80, Streator/Woodland 66, Urbana 62, Rantoul 56, Prairie Central 50, Dwight/G.-South Wilmington 39.5, St. Thomas More 23, Peoria Heights 18

Additional champions
106 No. 2 Aiden Bell (Hoopeston Area/Milford, 144 No. 2 Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian), 150 No. 2 Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian), 190 Braden Gibson (El Paso-Gridley), 215 Colton Carson (Herscher), 285 Kolin Nash (GCMS/F)

Additional runners-up
106 Julian Rodriguez (GCMS/F), 113 Sawyer Manning (Ridgeview), 120 Dalton Delong (Dwight/G.-South Wilmington), 126 Jonah Young (Peotone), 132 Shane Downs (Plano), 138 Jesus Martinez (Streator/Woodland), 165 Brandon Almanza (Rantoul), 190 Earl Kelnhofer (HS/Milford), 285 Ben Buis (EP-Gridley)

Still unbeaten
126 Hoopeston Area/Milford’s No 2 Aiden Bell (29-0), 144 No. 2 Garrett VerHeecke (29-0), 150 No. 2 Clinton VerHeecke (29-0)

Once-beaten
106 El Paso-Gridley’s Kole Petta (27-1), 215 Herscher’s Colton Carson (14-1), 285 GCMS/F’s Kollin Nash (8-1)

Battle of unbeatens
A pair of unbeaten wrestlers met in the finals at 150, with Unity Christian’s No. 2 Clinton VerHeecke (29-0) winning by fall at 5:09 against Sandwich’s No. 3 Cooper Corder (26-1).

Close calls
On the third-place mat at 165, Unity Christian’s Caleb Berg won a 10-8 decision over Ridgeview’s Logan Wagoner.

Statistics
Beardstown and Sandwich tied for the tournament lead in pins with 26 apiece, followed by McNamara and El Paso-Gridley with 22 each. McNamara posted the most tech falls in the least time with eight techs in 28:33, and Sandwich posted the most total match points with 403, followed by McNamara with 366 and Beardstown with 315.

Individually, Unity Christian’s Garrett VerHeecke finished with the most pins in the least time, with five falls in 7:02; McNamara’s Tristin Golden posted the fastest fall in 10 seconds. Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Aiden Bell had the most tech falls in the least time, with three at 7:18, and McNamara’s Blake Arseneau posted the fastest tech fall in 1:05.

McNamara’s Evan Johnson and Unity Christian’s Garrett and Clinton VerHeecke tied for the most team points scored with 34, Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Landon Blakey had the most single-match points with 27, and GCMS/F’s Kaden Huster scored the most total match points with 75.
Plano’s Isaac Nevarez and McNamara’s Cullen Bramer tied in providing the largest seed-place difference, as No. 15 seeds who placed sixth.

Championship match results
106 Kole Petta (EP-Gridley)F 1:47 Julian Rodriguez (GCMS/F)
113 Evan Johnson (McNamara) F 2:23 Sawyer Manning (Ridgeview)
120 Kaden Huster (GSMS/F) D 13-7 Dalton Delong (Dwight/G.-South Wilmington)
126 Aiden Bell (HA/Milford) D 13-8 Jonah Young (Peotone)
132 Blake Arseneau (McNamara) TF 4:42 Shane Downs (Plano)
138 Jaxson Blanchard (Sandwich) MD 9-0 Jesus Martinez (Streator/Woodland)
144 Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Ch) F 3:00 Jacob Cassie (Sandwich)
150 Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Ch) F 5:09 Cooper Corder (Sandwich)
157 Cole Kimberlin (McNamara) MD 20-9 Jack Forth (Sandwich)
165 Maddox Medrano (Beardstown) MD 10-0 Brandon Almanza (Rantoul)
175 Gunner Looker (Beardstown) D 10-8 Joshua Kotalik (Sandwich)
190 Braden Gibson (EP-Gridley) F 1:57 Earl Kelnhofer (HA/Milford)
215 Colton Carson (Herscher) F 1:41 Tucker Deck (HA/Milford)
285 Kollin Nash (GCMS/F) MD 11-2 Ben Buis (EP-Gridley)

Third-place match results
106 Hunter Whitecotton (Sandwich) D 10-8 Jimmy O’Connor (Peotone)
113 Bryan Islas (Beardstown) F 4:59 Andrew Patino (Prairie C)
120 Shepherd Nowark (EP-Gridley) MD 9-0 Gage Clark (Herscher)
126 Kellen Brown (Beardstown) MD 12-4 Dom Urbanski (Sandwich)
132 Garritt Benstine (Streator/Woodland) F 1:38 Alex Armenta (Beardstown)
138 Aiden Anders (Urbana) MD 13-1 Abraham Eggenberger (Herscher)
144 Alexander Mendez (Herscher) F 1:31 Trevor Torres (McNamara)
150 Mason Villareal (Plano) F 1:04 Jude Roth (EP-Gridley)
157 Nolan Whitman (EP-Gridley) F 0:56 Cristian Ornelas (Ridgeview)
165 Caleb Berg (Unity Ch) D 10-8 Logan Wagoner (Ridgeview)
175 Carter Ludwig (Ridgeview) F 4:00 Harley Schultz (Rantoul)
190 Tristin Golden (McNamara) F 2:44 Kai Kern (Sandwich)
215 Luis Murillo (Sandwich) F 2:43 Alexander Nutter (Rantoul)
285 Kian Bramer (McNamara) F 3:38 Isaac Salas (Plano)

BOB AND LIZ SCHNARR INVITATIONAL

Twenty teams squared off at this year’s Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational, with Geneseo snaring the team title 221-187 over second-place Glenwood. Plainfield South (179.5) was third, Champaign Central (168.5) was fourth, and East Peoria (153) placed fifth.

Geneseo finished with eight tech falls and 18 pins among 10 wrestlers finishing in the top six of their weight classes.

“The guys wrestled really well,” Geneseo coach Tom Rusk said. “They battled hard and that’s what we’ve been preaching. Go out and wrestle hard and the W’s will take care of themselves.”

For 50 years, Bob and Liz Schnarr were huge supporters of high school and college wrestling for many schools and athletes, and for more than 30 years they held a popular cookout at Morton at the end of each wrestling season.

In 2016, Bob Schnarr received an Outstanding American award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Both Bob and Liz Schnarr passed away in 2016.

1st- Geneseo (221)

Individual titles for the Maple Leafs came from No. 7 state qualifier Landen Vincent (138), 3-time state qualifier Malaki Jackson (144), No. 2 state qualifier Izaac Gaines (165), and No. 2 state medalist Kye Weinzierl (175).

Rusk also got a runner-up finish from Harrison Hill (190), thirds from Brycen Fohnestock (106), Kie Smith (150), Grady Hull (157) and Colten Mooney (285), and a fifth from Tad Moore (113).

“It was really great to see them win nine of ten final round matches,” Rusk said. “Now it’s time to get back to work and get ready for a very tough Geneseo Invitational this weekend.”

2nd- Glenwood (187)

Glenwood led all schools with 20 pins and got individual titles from No. 10 state qualifier Cooper Clarke (106), state qualifier Pierce Bultmann (113), No. 10 state qualifier Jaxon Ferguson (120) and No. 1-ranked defending state champion Cody Moss (285). Coach Nick Anthony’s Titans also got a second from AJ Williams (132), fifths from Julian Rammelkamp (165) and Oluwafemi Balogun (190), and a sixth from Jake Tuxhorn (126).

3rd- Plainfield South (179.5)

Plainfield South finished third on the strength of seven wrestlers finishing in the top four of their weight classes and 11 placing total placing in the top six.

The Cougars also finished with a total of 19 pins for coach Dan Saracco.

South was led by a second-place finish from Mason Bucon (215) and got thirds from Sean Volf (138), Kyle McCormick (144) and Chase Pierceall (190), fourths from Allen Cortez (106), Daryl Kolego (113),and Kayden Palmer (150), fifths from Islom Ismanaliev (120), Drew Ritchie (126) and Jakub Kowal (285), and sixths from Logan Martino (132) and Jimmy Medina (157).

Team scores
Geneseo 221, Glenwood 187, Plainfield South 179.5, Champaign Central 168.5, East Peoria 153, Morton 147, Peoria Notre Dame 141, Richwoods 82.5, United Township 57.5, Normal West 54, Pekin 50, Springfield 39.5, Lincoln 35.5, Dunlap 33.5, Deer Creek-Mackinaw 31, LaSalle-Peru 28.5, Limestone 25, Morton JV 14, Peoria 14, Springfield Southeast 8

Additional champions
126 Champaign Central’s Rylan Poeta (3-0)
132 Morton’s No. 2 two-time state medalist Harrison Dea (27-1)
150 East Peoria’s state qualifier Cooper Chester (19-1)
157 Springfield’s No. 8 state qualifier Bryce Bryant (21-5)
190 East Peoria’s No. 5 state qualifier Dalton Oakman (22-3)
215 East Peoria’s No. 6 state qualifier Alec Del Toro (24-1)

Additional runners-up

106 Morton’s Trygg Herron (24-6)
113 Notre Dame’s Jesus DeLaCruz (18-7)
120 Champaign Central’s Peyton Nowicki (2-1)
126 Notre Dame’s Christian Johnson (18-3)
138 Champaign Central’s Talin Baker (3-1)
144 United Township’s Xavier Marolf (20-3)
150 Richwoods’ Gabe Robb (11-1)
157 Champaign Central’s Trae Griffiths (3-1)
165 Dunlap’s Jayden Schmick (21-4)
175 Morton’s Colton McKee (20-4)
215 Plainfield South’s Mason Bucon (22-7)
285 Notre Dame’s Brady Mullens (21-4)

Title mat drama
At 138, Geneseo’s Landen Vincent won a 6-4 decision over Champaign Central’s Talin Baker, and at 190 East Peoria’s Dalton Oakman won 8-6 over Geneseo’s Harrison Hill.
A big match at 150 didn’t disappoint, with East Peoria’s Cooper Chester (19-1) handing Richwoods’ Gabe Robb (11-1) his first loss of the year with a 6-3 sudden-victory decision.

Statistics
TEAM: Glenwood led all teams present with 20 pins, followed by Plainfield South with 19 and Geneseo with 18. Champaign Central finished with the most tech falls with nine, followed by Geneseo with eight and Morton with six. Champaign Central also posted the most total match points with 367, followed by Plainfield South with 358 and Geneseo with 356.

INDIVIDUAL: Morton’s Benjamin Chaffer finished with the most pins in the least time, with four falls in 6:37, followed by Plainfield South’s Jakub Kowal with four falls in 7:56 and Geneseo’s Tad Moore with four falls in 10:11. Geneseo’s Kye Weinzieri had the most tech falls in the least time with three in 7:49, followed by Springfield’s Bryce Bryant with two techs in 4:04 and Champaign Central’s Elliot Tanner with two in 4:15. Geneseo’s Brycen Fohnestock posted the fastest tech fall at 52 seconds.

East Peoria’s Alex Del Toro finished with the most team points scored with 29.5, followed by Geneseo’s Malaki Jackson and Kye Weinzierl with 28.5 apiece and Glenwood’s Cody Moss with 28.
Springfield’s Bryant also finished with the most total match points scored with 76, followed by Geneseo’s Weinzierl and an unattached wrestler in Jshawn Wilson with 68 points apiece, and Champaign Central’s Talin Baker with 53.

The largest seed-place difference came from Champaign Central’s Malachi Hutchison, who was seeded No. 15 and finished fourth at 144 pounds.

Championship match results
106 Cooper Clarke (Glenwood) F 0:48 Trygg Herron (Morton)
113 Pierce Bultmann (Glenwood) F 1:58 Jesus DeLaCruz (Notre Dame)
120 Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood) TF 5:19 Peyton Nowicki (Champaign C)
126 Rylan Poeta (Champaign C) F 1:54 Christian Johnson (Notre Dame)
132 Harrison Dea (Morton) TF 4:58 AJ Williams (Glenwood)
138 Landen Vincent (Geneseo) D 6-4 Talin Baker (Champaign C)
144 Malaki Jackson (Geneseo) MD 14-3 Xavier Marolf (United Twp)
150 Cooper Chester (E Peoria) SV-1 6-3 Gabe Robb (Richwoods)
157 Bryce Bryant (Springfield) MD 17-5 Trae Griffiths (Champaign C)
165 Izaac Gaines (Geneseo) TF 2:34 Jayden Schmick (Dunlap)
175 Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo) TF 3:38 Colton McKee (Morton)
190 Dalton Oakman (E Peoria) D 8-6 Harrison Hill (Geneseo)
215 Alec Del Toro (E Peoria) TF 5:01 Mason Bucon (Plainfield S)
285 Cody Moss (Glenwood) F 3:19 Brady Mullens (Notre Dame)

Third-place results

106 Brycen Fohnestock (Geneseo) D 15-8 Allen Cortez (Plainfield S)
113 Kaiden Capranica (Limestone) F 1:27 Daryl Kolego (Plainfield S)
120 Jacob Payne (Normal W) TF 2:30 Freddie Couri (Notre Dame)
126 Nathan Ortiz (Richwoods) F 3:34 Jaxson Cornelius (E Peoria)
132 Remington Joesting (Notre Dame) D 7-1 Lakin Adams (Lincoln)
138 Sean Volf (Plainfield S) MD 14-5 Lincoln Yerby (Morton)
144 Kyle McCormick (Plainfield S) D 7-2 Malachi Hutchison (Champaign C)
150 Kie Smith (Geneseo) TF 4:00 Kayden Palmer (Plainfield S)
157 Grady Hull (Geneseo) MD 11-1 Wyatt Durham (E Peoria)
165 Cole Smith (Normal W) F 4:47 Jentz Watson (LaSalle-Peru)
175 Alex Martinez (Richwoods) D 19-15 Travis Kinkead (United Twp)
190 Chase Pierceall (Plainfield S) MD 10-0 David Ward (Champaign C)
215 Bradyn Haynes (Pekin) TF 6:33 Tiyendoutote Dokambire (United Twp)
285 Colten Mooney (Geneseo) D 4-2 Joey Humphreys (Deer Creek-M.)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

JEFF GARDNER MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

The 16-team Jeff Gardner Memorial tournament at Lanphier saw the Springfield co-op team take the team title by a nose, 66-58 over second-place Urbana. Champaign Central was third with 45 points followed by Quincy (33) and Metamora (27) to round out the top five finishes.

Girls from host Lanphier, Springfield, and Southeast high schools make up the Springfield team for coach Cody Watts. Phoenix Criss (105) won an individual title for Watts, which saw nine girls place in the top six of their weight classes.

“The girls battled hard in their respective weight classes despite a lot of their team currently nursing injuries to get our first official trophy of the season,” coach Cody Watts said.

1st- Springfield co-op (66)
In addition to Criss’ title, the girls from Springfield co-op got second-place finishes from Alliyah Powell (130) and Arryia Foster (135), thirds from Katie Beall (120) and Kimoreyee Ballard (140), fourths from Alina Edwards (105), Lily Walden (125), and Abigail Kinison (170), and a fifth from Tala Asad (135).

2nd- Urbana (58)
The Lady Tigers entered seven wrestlers and four of them won individual titles in Tamya Terry (135), Rickasia Ivy (140), Madelyn Franklin (190) and returning 4th-in-state Lillian Disanto (235). Urbana also got a pair of runner-up finishes from Jocelyn Arreola (190) and Violet Porter (235).

3rd- Champaign Central (45)
The Maroons got a pair of titles from Christy Murphy (155) and ly’Jah Grant (170), a second from Paola Oviedo (120), a third from Rita Grant (125), a fourth from Ashley Alquicira (135), a fifth from Londyn Grant (130) and a sixth from Zaiyrah Bailey (140).

Team scores
Springfield co-op 66, Urbana 58, Champaign Central 45, Quincy 33, Metamora 27, Hillsboro 21, Eisenhower 18, Mt. Zion 16, PORTA 14, Rantoul 8, North Mac 8, Normal University 7, Abindon-Avon 5, Camp Point Central 5, Rochester 5, Taylorville 2

Additional champions
100 Jasmine Johnson (Rantoul), 115 Asher Ronan (North Mac), 120) Lucie Eisenbarth (Rochester), 125 Calliope Willman (Metamora), 130 Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion)

Additional runners-up
100 Jaylynn Devore (Taylorville), 105 Karsynn Vogel (Quincy), 115 Kaydence Klein (Metamora), 125 Maryn Tarver (Hillsboro), 140 Zoe Bloyd (Quincy), 155 Tyonna Patterson (Eisenhower)

Still unbeaten (10-match minimum)
130 Mt. Zion’s returning state runner-up Sydney Cannon (15-0)

15-plus match winners
Springfield Co-op’s Phoenix Criss (18-5), 125 Metamora’s Calliope Willman (22-3)

Statistics
Urbana led all teams with 11 pins, followed by Champaign Central with seven and Quincy with six. Springfield Co-op had the most tech falls with four, and Camp Point Central and Champaign Central followed with two techs apiece. Urbana scored the most match points with 123 followed by Springfield Co-op with 108 and Champaign Central with 101.

Individually, Urbana’s Lillian Disanto had the most pins in the least time, with three falls in 3:44, while Champaign Central’s ly’Jah Grant posted the fastest pin at 21 seconds. Camp Point Central’s Amber Louderback had the most tech falls in the least time, with two at 5:50, and Champaign Central’s Zaiyrah Bailey had the fastest tech fall at 1:50.

Springfield Co-op’s Makenna Smith scored the most single-match points with 23, while teammate Phoenix Criss scored the most total match points with 43, followed by Urbana’s Rickasia Ivy with 38 and Camp Point Central’s Amber Louderback with 33.

Urbana’s Tamya Terry and Rickasia Ivy tied for the largest seed-place difference as No. 8 seeds who won individual titles.

Championship match results
100 Jasmine Johnson (Rantoul) F 2:17 Jaylynn Devore (Taylorville)

105 Phoenix Criss (Springfield) D 6-3 Karsynn Vogel (Quincy)

110 BYE

115 Asher Ronan (North Mac) F 1:59 Kaydence Klein (Metamora)

120 Lucie Eisenbarth (Rochester) F 2:53 Paola Oviedo (Champaign C)

125 Calliope Willman (Metamora) F 0:44 Maryn Tarver (Hillsboro)

130 Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion) F 1:38 Alliyah Powell (Springfield)

135 Tamya Terry (Urbana) F 1:56 Arryia Foster (Springfield)

140 Rickasia Ivy (Urbana) F 0:42 Zoe Bloyd (Quincy)

145 BYE

155 Onisty Murphy (Champaign C) TF 4:10 Tyonna Patterson (Eisenhower)

170 ly’Jah Grant (Champaign C) F 0:21 Makenna Smith (Springfield)
190 Madelyn Franklin (Urbana) F 4:22 Joceline Arreola (Urbana)

235 Lillian Disanto (Urbana) F 0:59 Violet Porter (Urbana)

Third-place match results
100 Neveah King (North Mac) BYE

105 Grace Aeschliman (Metamora) F 1:06 Alina Edwards (Springfield)

110 BYE

115 Mackenzie Gound (Rantoul) BYE

120 Katie Beall (Springfield) BYE

125 Rita Grant (Champaign C) F 0:36 Lily Walden (Springfield)

130 Aubree Murphy (Quincy) F 0:25 Ryleigh Schoonover (PORTA)

135 Aubree Rogers (Hillsboro) D 17-11 Ashley Alquicira (Champaign C)

140 Kimoreyee Ballard (Springfield) F 2:11 Hailey Watson (Normal University)

145 BYE

155 Libby Scheland (PORTA) BYE

170 Tiara Dyer (Eisenhower) F 0:22 Abigail Kinison (Springfield)
190 BYE

235 Jessalin Kukert (PORTA) F 1:37 Kamryn Body (Eisenhower)


MURDALE GIRLS TOURNAMENT

Talk about a battle.

When Carbondale’s 27-team Murdale tournament ended Saturday, only a half-point separated Cahokia (105), Granite City (105), and Marion (104.5) at the top of the team standings, and Freeburg (99.5) finished a mere 5.5 points behind the leaders.

Team scores
Cahokia 105, Granite City 105, Marion 104.5, Freeburg 99.5, Murphysboro 78.5, West Frankfort 75, McCracken County, KY 74.5, Mascoutah 70, Benton 69, Johnston City 67, Althoff Catholic 61, Anna-Jonesboro 59, Carterville 55, Carbondale 52, Unity 45.5, Vandalia 43, Mt. Vernon 26, Pinckneyville 22, Paducah Tilghman, KY 21.5, Herrin 20, Fairfield 19, Salem 18, Effingham 16, Red Bud 15, Breese Central 6, Mt. Carmel 6, Richland County 2

Cahokia (105)
The Lady Comanches got individual titles from Dakota Bell (125) and Te’Aja Young (130), seconds from Janylah Holman (170) and Kamryn Brown (190), and a third from Gabrielle Conner (190).

Granite City (105)
Coach Matt Warfield got titles from Audrey Barnes (140) and Demi Barnes (170) and a third from Ma’Kayla Bonner (115).

Marion (104.5)
Coach Lukas Cullum’s Wildcats got a title from Alauni Muex (120), a second from Joelene Nappier-Feth (130), and thirds from Addison Arnold (135), Daisjha Cooper (145) and Sofia Hernandez (190), tying Cahokia for the most top-four finishes with five.

Additional champions
100 Dalis Johnston (Tilghman, KY), 105 Brielle Becker (Freeburg), 110 Jillian Conn (McCracken County, KY), 115 Baileigh Self (Althoff Catholic), 135 Jacee Mardirosian (Carterville), 145 Kyla Ford (Carbondale), 155 Grace Stratton (Freeburg), 190 Lillian Browning (West Frankfort), 235 returning state third-place Phoenix Molina (Unity)

Additional runners-up

100 Charlee Emmerich (Effingham), 105 Shayla Garner (Mascoutah), 110 Tatym Cruz (Johnston City), 115 Eelynn Hayden (McCracken County, KY), 120 Kathleen Loyola (Carbondale), 125 Catelynn Reese (West Frankfort), 135 Alana Finney (Salem), 140 Daniya Musgrave (Mt. Vernon), 145 Josselin Mateo (Murphysboro), 155 Nahima Mateo (Murphysboro), 235 Maihaleigh Browning (Benton)

Close calls
One of the biggest matches in the tournament to decide the team title came at 130, when Cahokia’s Te’Aja Young (16-1) won an 11-7 decision at 130 over Marion’s Joelene Nappier-Feth (24-2).
The field at 130 was loaded and included third-place Ava Beldo (23-5) of Unity. Eventual champion Young won by fall over Beldo in their semifinal match.

Still unbeaten (10-match minimum)
135 Granite City’s Audrey Barnes (19-0), 155 Freeburg’s Grace Stratton (23-0), Unity’s returning state medal-winner Phoenix Molina (22-0)

Once-beaten (10-match minimum)
130 Cahokia’s Te’Aja Young (16-1), 135 Carterville’s Macee Mardirosian (22-1), 235 Benton’s Maihaleigh Browning (10-1), 235 Johnston City’s Kiowa Quillen (10-1)

20-plus match winners
115 Althoff Catholic’s Baileigh Self (22-2), 120 Marion’s Alauni Muex (24-2), 130 Marion’s Joelene Nappier-Feth (24-2), 130 Unity’s Ava Beldo (23-5), 155 Carterville’s Everleigh Orendoff (23-9), West Frankfort’s Lillian Browning (23-2)

Statistics
Granite City finished with the most pins in the tournament with 20, followed by Marion with 17 and Benton with 15. Six teams had one tech fall apiece in Marion, Unity, Paducah Tilghman, Murphysboro, Freeburg and McCracken County. Granite City also led the way in total match points with 143, followed by Marion with 128 and Freeburg with 126.

Individually, Mascoutah’s Gabriela Richards posted the most pins in the least time, with five falls recorded in 1:57; Benton’s Addison Mabry had the fastest fall in just six seconds. Marion’s Alauni Muex posted the fastest tech fall, in 57 seconds.

Althoff Catholic’s Baileigh Self scored the most team points with 28, while Unity’s Ava Beldo, Freeburg’s Grace Stratton, and McCracken County’s Hermayoni Gembe tied for the most single-match points with 18. Gembe led all wrestlers in total match points with 39, followed by Beldo and Johnston City’s Kenni Lafollete with 38 apiece.

The largest seed-place difference went to Cahokia’s Gabrielle Conner, as the No. 8 seed placed third at 190 pounds.

Championship match results
100 Dalis Johnston (Tilghman KY) TF 2:54 Charlee Emmerich (Effingham)

105 Brielle Becker (Freeburg) F 2:13 Shayla Garner (Mascoutah)

110 Jillian Conn (McCracken Co KY) F 3:35 Tatym Cruz (Johnston City)

115 Baileigh Self (Althoff) F 1:43 Eelynn Hayden (McCracken Co KY)

120 Alauni Muex (Marion) F 1:34 Kathleen Loyola (Carbondale)

125 Dakota Bell (Cahokia) F 1:10 Catelynn Reese (W Frankfort)

130 Te’Aja Young (Cahokia) D 11-7 Joelene Nappier-Feth (Marion)

135 Jacee Mardirosian (Carterville) F 5:12 Alana Finney (Salem)

140 Audrey Barnes (Granite City) F 1:14 Daniya Musgrave (Mt. Vernon)

145 Kyla Ford (Carbondale) F 3:27 Josselin Mateo (Murphysboro)

155 Grace Stratton (Freeburg) F 1:27 Nahima Mateo (Murphysboro)

170 Demi Barnes (Granite City) F 5:39 Janylah Holman (Cahokia)
190 Lillian Browning (W Frankfort) F 1:42 Kamryn Brown (Cahokia)

235 Phoenix Molina (Unity) F 0:13 Maihaleigh Browning (Benton)

Third-place match results
100 Faith Husky (Johnston City) F 1:53 Allyah Lopez (Mascoutah)

105 Prudence Snider (Althoff) F 2:49 Remi Taylor (Fairfield)

110 Aubrey Rutmanis (Freeburg) F 1:30 Zaniyla Cooper (Althoff)

115 Ma’Kayla Bonner (Granite City) F 3:58 Haydyn Williamson (Anna-J)

120 Emmery Evans (McCracken Co KY) F 1:50 Emma Smith (Red Bud)

125 Zoey Nelson (Mascoutah) F 2:37 Juana Hernandez (Murphysboro)

130 Ava Beldo (Unity) F 1:47 Makayla Bush (Herrin)

135 Roxie Royster (Murphysboro) F 1:44 Addison Arnold (Marion)

140 Eloise Hester-Kelly (Pinckneyville) F 1:01 Gabriela Richards (Mascoutah)

145 Elise Byman (Freeburg) TF 3:40 Daisjha Cooper (Marion)

155 Violet Gray (Vandalia) F 4:40 Everleigh Orendoff (Carterville)

170 Brynn Swyers (Vandalia) F 1:20 Biannca Timmons (Anna-J)
190 Gabrielle Conner (Cahokia) F 3:05 Sofia Hernandez (Marion)

235 Kiowa Quillen (Johnston City) F 0:30 Lexi Karnes (Benton)

2026 SWC GIRLS TOURNAMENT

Edwardsville, Collinsville and Belleville West have seen their programs explode in numbers relative to the other teams in the conference, so Friday’s Southwestern Conference tournament figured to be a three horse-race.

After all, Edwardsville entered 25 girls in the tournament, Belleville West entered 17, and Collinsville brought 14 girls to host Edwardsville’s gym. O’Fallon entered six girls, East St. Louis brought three, and Alton entered two. Belleville East did not participate.

The top three teams accounted for 13 of the 14 individual conference champions, with East St. Louis champion Jariya Powell (140) accounting for the other title spot.

When the dust settled, it was Edwardsville who took home the team title for coach Jon Wagner, 206-170.5 over second-place Collinsville. Belleville West finished third with 126 points, followed by O’Fallon (29), East St. Louis (19), and Alton (0).

“There were a lot of great matches, and we had a strong showing coming off a great dual meet victory over Seckman of Missouri,” Wagner said.

1st- Edwardsville (206)
Wagner sent seven girls to the top of the awards stand in Maddy Allen (100), returning state medal-winner Emma Rogers (105), Genevieve Dykstra (120), Brooklyn Alldredge (130), Gretchen Taylor (135), Victoria White (190) and Angie Nunez (235). The Tigers also got seconds from Jayla Taylor (105), Adleigh Dewerff (110) Hailey Buckingham (115), Olive Linhorst (125), Jaylynn Bierbrauer (145), Geetanjali Janardhan (170) and Kennedy Downs (235).
Coming in third for the Tigers were Samantha Suhre (120) and Laura Gonzalez-Salinas (135), and they got fourths from Ava Thomas (120), Kendal Ironwing (145), Abigail Hayes (155) and Izzy Appiah (170).

2nd- Collinsville (170.5)
Individual titles for coach Adam Gillespie came from Ivana Torres (110), Jazelle Young (115), Londyn Long (125) and Leann Cory (145). Four Kahoks took second in Harlee Hart (100), Emma Ford (120), Jaylah Harris (130) and Addyson Bailey (140), while Samantha Varela (100), LeDominique Maston (105) and Neveah Hamer-Burries (235) brought home third-place finishes, and Rylee McCullough (135), placed fourth.

3rd- Belleville West (126)
The Maroons got individual titles from Moriah Lampley (155) and Ju’Bri Edwards (170) for coach Mech Spraggins, plus seconds from Ja’yla Hurst (135) and Amaziah Kemp (190), thirds from Riley Weems (110), Haylee Hooks (115), Alyssa Hardt (140) and Akiya Jett (145) and fourths from Kendyll Otten (125), Michaela Wentz (130), and Andre’a Kirkpatrick (235).

Additional champions
140 Jariyah Powell (East St. Louis)

Additional runners-up
155 Addison Last (O’Fallon)

Close calls
The title match at 235 saw Edwardsville’s Angie Nunez win a 2-1 decision over Edwardsville’s Kennedy Downs.
In the third-place match at 120, Edwardsville’s Samantha Suhre won a 3-0 decision over teammate Ava Thomas.

Statistics
Edwardsville led all teams with 33 pins in the tournament, followed by Collinsville with 18 and Belleville West with 16. East St. Louis had the most tech falls in the least time with two in 7:48, followed by Edwardsville with two techs in 10:02. Edwardsville’s 237 total match points led the field, followed by Collinsville with 144 and Belleville West with 94.

Individually, Edwardsville’s Brooklyn Alldredge had the most pins in the least time, with three in 3:56. East St. Louis’ Jariyah Powell had the most tech falls in the least time with two in 7:48. Belleville West’s Ja’yla Hurst posted the fastest fall in 18 seconds, and Collinsville’s Londyn Long had the fastest tech fall in 2:00.
Long and Edwardsville’s Genevieve Dykstra tied for the most team points with 23.5, Edwardsville’s Adleigh Dewerff had the most single-match points with 20, and East St. Louis’ Powell posted the most total match points with 44, followed by Alton’s Aryanna Jones with 40 and Collinsville’s Harlee Hart with 29.

Championship match results
100 Maddy Allen (Edwardsville) F 1:55 Harlee Hart (Collinsville)

105 Emma Rogers (Edwardsville) F 0:21 Jayla Taylor (Edwardsville)

110 Ivana Torres (Collinsville) D 9-5 Adleigh Dewerff (Edwardsville)

115 Jazelle Young (Collinsville) F 3:02 Hailey Buckingham (Edwardsville)

120 Genevieve Dykstra (Edwardsville) TF Emma Ford (Collinsville)

125 Londyn Long (Collinsville) F 0:36 Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville)

130 Brooklyn Alldredge (Edwardsville) F 0:53 Jaylah Harris (Collinsville) 

135 Gretchen Taylor (Edwardsville) D 9-2 Ja’yla Hurst (Belleville W)

140 Jariyah Powell (E St. Louis) TF Addyson Bailey (Collinsville)

145 Leann Cory (Collinsville) F 0:52 Jaylynn Bierbauer (Edwardsville)

155 Moriah Lampley (Belleville W) F 3:29 Addison Last (O’Fallon)

170 Ju’Bri Edwards (Belleville W) F 2:22 Geetanjali Janardhan (Edwardsville)

190 Victoria White (Edwardsville) F 1:05 Amaziah Kemp (Belleville W)
235 Angie Nunez (Edwardsville) D 2-1 Kennedy Downs (Edwardsville)

Third-place match results
100 Samantha Varela (Collinsville) F 3:11 Carmen Courmier-Russell (O’Fallon)

105 LeDominique Maston (Collinsville) BYE

110 Riley Weems (Belleville W) BYE

115 Haylee Hooks (Belleville W) BYE

120 Samantha Suhre (Edwardsville) D 3-0 Ava Thomas (Edwardsville)

125 Aryanna Jones (Alton) MD 8-0 Kendyll Otten (Belleville W)

130 Dayza Phillips (Alton) fft. Michaela Wentz (Belleville W)

135 Laura Gonzalez-Salinas (Edwardsville) F 1:28 Rylee McCullough (Collinsville)

140 Alyssa Hardt (Belleville W) F 1:08 Scarlett Gentille (O’Fallon)

145 Akiya Jett (Belleville W) F 4:57 Kendal Ironwing (Edwardsville)

155 Ineta Grubbs (Belleville W) F 1:14 Abigail Hayes (Edwardsville)

170 Dasonni Green (Belleville W) F 1:28 Izzy Appiah (Edwardsville)

190 BYE
235 Neveah harner-Burries (Collinsville) F 0:24 Andre’a Kirkpatrick (Bellville W)

By Chris Walker for the IWCOA

Lincoln-Way co-op District 210 sent nine wrestlers to the finals and had five champions to win the inaugural Break the Silence tournament at Oswego East on Jan. 3, 2026, which raised awareness for mental health and suicide prevention with proceeds benefitting the Kendall County Healthy Department.

The team was coming off a championship effort in DeKalb the previous Saturday at IWCOA Girls Dual Team State, which was the second straight year that Lincoln-Way won that title.

“We had an amazing showing at Oswego East and I think we did some of the best wrestling we have all year,” Lincoln-Way co-op coach Josh Napier said. “Coming off the Dual Team State Championship, right now the girls are feeling unstoppable and are really competing hard. We are still such a young team and program, but they put in the work each day at practice and it is on full display right now. Getting nine wrestlers into the finals was a best for us and with five champions, we couldn’t be more proud of their effort in this one!”

The co-op finished well ahead of runner-up Homewood-Flossmoor, 278 to 192.5. East Aurora was third with 176.5, Lockport placed fourth with 146 and Metea Valley rounded out the top five with 118.5.

D210’s McKenzie Steinke (100) pinned her three opponents and Emmy Hoselton (105) and Riley Depolo (170) pinned the four girls they each faced. Zoe Dempsey (120) had a tech fall and two pins and Liv Clumpner had a pair of tech falls and won her other matches by fall, including in her title match as all five Lincoln-Way co-op champs finished with a flourish by pinning their title bout opponent.

Zoe Zerial (110), Abby Lizak (120), Abby Kunz (140) and Ella Giertuga (145) also advanced to the finals but dropped championship matches. 

“I think we’ve all come a long way and we’ve gotten so much better in the time of our practicing,” Steinke said. ”And everybody has just grown in the way they wrestle.”

Altogether, Lincoln-Way co-op had a dozen placers after Caleigh Nicholson (130) came back to win third place and Gracie Hansen (125) and Jalyssa Venegas (235) both took fourth.

“We also want to thank Oswego East for promoting suicide awareness,” Napier said. “This is such an important cause that hits home for many people within the Lincoln-Way community. We try to not only promote good wrestling and mental toughness in our program but also strive to make sure that our wrestlers mental health is a top priority. Wrestling is the hardest thing most people will ever do and this time of the year is grueling for these young ladies. They are each other’s biggest fans and show one another support on and off the mat. We have built a culture of honesty; everyone feels comfortable to share how they are feeling with their coaches and teammates. So, once again thank you Oswego East for bringing light to this important cause and we will continue to break the silence here at Lincoln-Way as well.”

Runner-up Homewood-Flossmoor had 10 placers, but Amara Nwoye’s championship win at 130 was the lone title winner for the Vikings. London Gandy (125) also got to the finals, but lost.

Kennedy Dade (140) and  Denise Brown (145) finished with wins to take third place while Amirat Toheeb-Lawal (115), Madelynn McClements (135), Rachel Nugin (170) and Kendra Hayden (190) took fourth. Dilailah Lopez (110) placed fifth and Olivia Haywood (155) was sixth.

The Tomcats matched the with 10 placers, led by Jaylene Dealba (190) and Lilli Ortiz (235) who took second. Joselyn Llanos (110) and Valentina Barboza (125) took third and Ayelen Higuera (130) and Ivy Ruiz (140) placed fourth. Jelena Coyomani (120), Lupita Garcia (140) and Guadalupe Casiano (145) were fifth and Carolina Ascencio (145) took sixth after losing 6-1 to Casiano.

Oswego (93.5) was sixth, getting just past its local rivals, the host Wolves (84), who finished in seventh, barely ahead of York (83.5).

Oak Lawn (73.5) and St. Charles East (72.5) followed in front of Plainfield East (62), Romeoville (53), Bloomington (51.5), Lake Park (42), Wheaton North (42), Rich Township (39), Waubonsie Valley (27), Neuqua Valley (18), Plainfield Central (15) and Plainfield North (0). 

Aurora Central, Barrington, Downers Grove South and Morton did not compete as scheduled.

100 – McKenzie Steinke, D210

Steinke won by fall over Rich Township’s Sariya Maddox at 1:33 to capture the title match.

“I think it’s the composure and the hard work and great coaching,” Steinke said. “You just got to keep with it even though you don’t get the best outcome in every match. It’s just practice and you can come back.”

St. Charles East’s Sophia Espinoza pinned Lockport’s Julia Hernandez at 2:55 for third place, and Oak Lawn’s Elizabeth Bisonaya scored an 11-2 major decision over Lockport’s Gianna Bogdan for fifth.

105 – Emmy Hoselton, D210

Hoselton won by fall over Oak Lawn’s Felix Morales at 1:20 to win the title at 105.

“I think that we kept composed,” Hoselton said. “And like Liv (Clumpner) said about all the hard work, it paid off today.”

York’s Andie Brown won by fall over Oswego’s Savannah Martell-Quinones at 1:14 to take third place, and Lockport’s Alaina Churnovic pinned Romeoville’s Jordyn Williams in 27 seconds.

110 – Sydney Stieb, St. Charles East

Stieb won by tech fall, 17-1, over Zoe Zerial to give the Saints a title to celebrate.

“I was happy with the way I wrestled,” Stieb said. “There are things I can still improve on, but so far I think my season has been pretty good and I’m liking the way I’m wrestling and I keep improving. I just keep attacking. I kept scoring points and shooting.”

Now in her fourth year wrestling, Stieb is crushing the butterflies that once upon a time fluttered in her belly. 

“I’ve learned that I don’t have to be nervous, I can go out and wrestle,” she said. “I feel stronger mentally like I’m more in it. The nervousness has died down. I think about what I can do in my matches now instead of worrying about losing.”

After receiving a bye to bypass a championship round one match, Stieb pinned Oswego’s Kendra Padilla at 1:22 in the quarterfinal before scoring a 16-3 major decision over East Aurora’s Joselyn Llanos in the semis.

Llanos scored a 14-1 major decision victory against Oak Lawn’s Allison Nava for third place, and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Dilailah Lopez got a pin at 2:44 to get past Lockport’s Camila Mendoza for fifth.

115 – Janiya Moore, Metea Valley

Moore earned a 11-5 decision over Bloomington’s Autumn Starr to win the 115-pound title.

Lockport’s Bella Romando won by a 4-3 decision over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Amirat Toheeb-Lawal for third place, and Plainfield East’s Ximena Valenzuela Hernandez pinned St. Charles East’s Sophia Rivas in 3:24 for fifth.

120 – Zoe Dempsey, D210

Dempsey, who placed third in the state at 110 last year, pinned teammate Abby Lizak in 1:12 in the 120 finals as Lincoln-Way co-op was blessed to have a pair of wrestlers advance to the championship bout at 120.

“I think the key to winning these tournaments is just wrestle through the adversity and every single match is data,” Dempsey said. “You’re just collecting data. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, every point scored, every point they scored on you, it’s just data and you’re just collecting that.”

All while training to maintain your mental edge.

“I struggled a bit in the offseason with winning,” Dempsey said. “I’d lose a couple matches at Fargo. I went 4-2 and had a rough go, didn’t quite meet the goals I had for myself. So a lot of my club coaches at Izzy Style they are very helpful. They’ve been just telling me it’s just data, just use it to get better and it’s just really helped me I think.”

Lockport’s Veronica Skibicki won by tech fall over Neuqua Valley’s Aleta Weigandt to take home third place, and East Aurora’s Jelena Coyomani won by fall over York’s Evangline Lopez at 1:44 to take fifth.

125 – Charlie Dolan, York

Dolan kept accumulating points with her offense, ultimately building an 18-1 advantage in a tech fall championship victory over Homewood-Flossmoor’s London Gandy.

“I’ll be honest, I came here last year and placed third in my first year wrestling, this is only my second year,” she said. “I started out my sophomore year and after that I’ve been working my butt off. I go to my school practices, I go to the girls practices, the guys practices, I go to my the club practices and even outside of that I run on my own and I work out on my own, so it’s not just a coincidence that I’m here, it’s because of all the hard work I’m putting in, even in off-season training as hard as in-season.”

Gandy was the fourth straight competitor that Dolan defeated via tech fall, outscoring them collectively, 75-8.

“I tech-falled everyone in this tournament and I tech-falled the girl in the finals,” she said. “So I guess that’s why I’m here.”

Although none it would’ve happened if she had never been bitten by the training and wrestling bug.

“I just love training and just kind of pushing myself to be the best version I can be,” she said. “I just like wrestling. When I first stepped on the mat I just loved it. I have an older brother who I used to wrestle with, but never that serious, but I enjoyed being able to just wrestle. Basically, I just like training. I just like wrestling.”

East Aurora’s Valentina Barboza won by fall over Lincoln-Way co-op’s Gracie Hansen in 1:02 for third place and Oswego’s Nina Witkowski won by a 9-5 decision over Oswego East’s Ella Worlds to take fifth.

130 – Amara Nwoye, Homewood-Flossmoor

Nwoye won by fall, her third pin in four matches on the day, over Wheaton North’s Estrella Bautista in 2:38 to capture the title at 130.

In her third year wrestling, Nwoye does not shy away from the strength of her religious beliefs.

“I can truly give all the praise to the Lord,” she said. “I really truly believe in His power and I was really nervous coming into this tournament. My morale was a little bit low so I really focus on my prayer every match, you know what I mean? Thinking about the Lord and his strength and how He loves me and putting that all in the match and realizing whatever happens it doesn’t define me and I can only do my best.”

After pinning Lincoln-Way Central’s Caleigh Nicholson (3:05) to begin, Nwoye earned a 13-4 major over East Aurora’s Ayelen Higuera in the quarterfinals and a fall (5:10) over Metea Valley’s Hala Elhelou in the semis.

“It’s also great to have my coaches at my side letting me know what I need to do,” Nwoye said. “Like my first match, I won but it didn’t go the way I wanted it to so I was a little down on it, but my coach was like you need to take your doubles, because I kind of stayed away from doubles.”

Those doubles can be daunting.

“I don’t know if it’s just me, but sometimes you get some trauma from doing a move and then you’re used to this move and somebody just comes and completely wrecks it for you,” she said. “So I got scared of doubles where so many matches where it ‘stopped’ working for me when it was me, and my setups, but I never lost it, so I decided, you know, that my next goal was to take my doubles and today was the first double I’ve taken all season. I’ve been a single girl all season and took them every single match and I’m very grateful it went out that way and can only thank the Lord, I’m very grateful.”

The road to a tourney title isn’t without its share of speed bumps, traffic and reroutes.

“It gets a little rough, being tired, waking up early and I couldn’t eat,” she said. “Like I couldn’t eat yesterday, and then I woke up today and ate too much so my stomach was hurting all the time. It was a lot, but I got through it and can only thank the Lord once again for his strength.”

She’d really like to see her peers find the Lord’s strength to get off of social media, something Nwoye said is destructive to mental health. She certainly broke the silence there.

“If I were being quite honest, I would recommend everybody to get rid of social media,” she said. “I’ve done it and been clean from social media, and I did it from TikTok and Instagram. I still have YouTube and am now kind of working on that. I’m kind of addicted to watching my little videos. The way I see it with my teammates and people around the school is every fight, every drama that is circulating is about having social media and to me that shows that there is a problem with that. It makes people insecure. It makes people very depressed and lonely to see other people’s stories. Oh, they’re having fun. You hear someone’s doing this and it makes you feel like you’re being left out when in reality you’re just a normal kid. You’re not doing that stuff and that’s ok.”

She’s found a great support group – the Homewood-Flossmoor girls wrestling team.

“Find recreational things outside of school and during school and find a program that supports you and loves you,” she said. “I cannot really explain how great my team is. I love my team, I love them so much. They’re such amazing girls. They’re at every match cheering us on. We truly have the best camaraderie. I’m grateful to have a team like the wrestling team I’m on.”

In the third-place match, Lincoln-Way co-op’s Caleigh Nicholson won by a 14-0 major decision over East Aurora’s Aileen Higuera, while on the fifth-place mat, Metea Valley’s Hala Elhelou won by fall over York’s Claire Kelton in 52 seconds. 

135 – Liv Clumpner, Lincoln-Way co-op

Clumpner pinned Oswego’s Joslynn Sheets in 1:59 to win the title at 135 and help guide Lincoln-Way co-op to the team title.

It was the second straight pin by Clumpner who took down Homewood-Flossmoor’s Madelynn McClements at 5:52 in the semifinal. 

Tech fall wins over East Aurora’s Isabel Velasco and Rich Township’s Brhyana Moreno preceded the aforementioned wins by fall.

“I think the key was consistency and hard work,” Clumpner said. “That’s about it.”

Metea Valley’s Emily Sugano won by fall over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Madelynn McClements in 1:55 to take third place and Oswego East’s Emily House finished with a win at home, pinning Waubonsie Valley’s Sophia Contreras at 1:02 to take fifth.

140 – Alketa Picari, Metea Valley

Picari pinned Lincoln-Way co-op’s Abby Kunz at 5:56 in the title match at 140.

After compiling 21 points in back-to-back tech fall wins over Oswego’s Angeles Ponce and Lockport’s Riley Morrow, Picaro scored a 14-3 major against Homewood-Flossmoor’s Kennedy Dade to earn a berth in the title match.

Over on the third-place mat, Kennedy Dade scored a 14-4 major decision to defeat East Aurora’s Ivy Ruiz, while for fifth place it was Ruiz’s teammate, Lupita Garcia, who prevailed over Picari’s teammate, Dariia Dzhumbaev, with a 7-1 decision.

145 – Ella Cooper, Oswego East

Cooper defeated Ella Giertuga in her championship match at 145 by a 9-6 decision. Giertuga was one of nine Lincoln-Way co-op wrestlers to advance into the finals.

Cooper had to go the distance to get past Giertuga, but she didn’t in her prior three matches, winning by fall against Metea Valley’s Jordyn Slager (2:46), Rich Township’s Cheyenne Haire (2:52) and East Aurora’s Guadalupe Casiano (1:35).

“It was just having the right mindset and making sure I was happy,” Cooper said. “And healthy eating. Of course, I had to eat, and just keeping my energy up. It was awesome. Last year I was almost in first place at regionals but dislocated my elbow so it’s awesome to get back into the sport and be fully recovered and everything.”

The opportunity to raise awareness for a challenging subject while wrestling was an added bonus to a wonderful day for Cooper. She was the lone Oswego East wrestler to win a title at its home tourney.

“This tournament speaks out against suicide and mental health awareness and we are taking all the money and donating it to a charity that helps people deal with mental health,” she said. “This will help a lot of people who struggle with that stuff.”

Funds were generated through t-shirt sales and will be donated to the Kendall County Health Department.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Denise Brown won by fall over Metea Valley’s Jordyn Slager at the 45-second mark of the match to take third place, and East Aurora’s Guadalupe Casiano and Carolina Ascencio faced off in a battle of Tomcats for fifth place with Casiano taking bragging rights back into the practice room after winning 6-1.

155 – Alicia Swank, Bloomington

Swank didn’t know Demetrius Turrentine personally, but she saw the late Normal West Girls Wrestling Coach supporting his wrestlers at The Munch Pontiac Invitational on Dec. 12-13.

Just a couple days later word spread throughout Bloomington-Normal with the tragic news of Turrentine’s sudden death at the age of 23 on Dec. 15, 2025.

“Rest in peace Normal West Girls Coach and wrestling alumni Demetrius Turrentine,” Swank said. “I remember seeing you at ‘The Munch’ in Pontiac supporting your girls then hearing the news three days later. You will always be remembered even if I didn’t know you personally.”

Not even three weeks later, Oswego East raised mental health and suicide prevention awareness by having it intertwined with an inaugural girls wrestling tournament to Break The Silence.

“Mental health itself is huge to take into consideration when joining a sport like wrestling,” Swank said. “There is the pressure of being the sole competitor in a match when a lot of kids at this age are used to being on teams: basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball. They are used to having the back up of someone else to cover them, while in wrestling you have to be able to stay focused the entire time and rely on yourself. The anxiety of having to trust your body’s muscle memory and that you are good enough to be doing what you’re doing, it will take a lot out of a person to realize that and deal with the failures and successes in a healthy way.”

While Swank isn’t Bloomington’s lone wrestler, she only had Autumn Starr competing along with her at Oswego East. Starr placed second at 115. Regardless, the small team size is something she’s gotten used to during her time at Bloomington where this has been the norm.

“While I think it is great to have the big teams – we need more girls in the sport anyway,” she said. “I like being able to prove myself the way I can as a small team. Going to tournaments with all these huge or well known teams and showing off by being on the podium and having a team of two place in the top 15 with team points is an amazing feeling. Knowing that you have the skill to do that but also having the chance to continue to get better by seeing different styles and skills with girls in matches or practicing with our boys because you only have one other girl on the team is an opportunity in itself.”

Getting back to mental health, Swank knows some kids are struggling because she’s witnessed it.

“Junior high and high schoolers are dealing with a lot of changes at this time,” she said. “I have seen people close to me and my circle of people lose themselves in the emotional turmoil that comes with this sport. Whether it be in anger and accidentally harming themselves in outrage or quitting because they don’t think they are good enough.”

There is also the physical aspect of deteriorating mental health. 

“How easy it is to fall into something like an eating disorder by trying to stay at one weight because of many reasons; a coach needs you there to fill a spot on the team, you were doing really well there previously, a parent wants you there, or you just feel better about yourself at that weight,” Swank explained. “Especially in women’s wrestling where girls at the high school age are usually experiencing bullying or self hatred about weight and not being socially seen as ‘pretty’ because they are gaining weight and muscle mass.”

Now a senior, Swank is eyeing a state appearance after getting close in past years, including a loss in the blood round at sectionals last year. 

“”My goals for this season are to get to state,” she said. “It’s my goal because I started the girls team at Bloomington and would love to get there to finish before going off to wrestling (at Cornell College).”

Swank won by fall over Oswego East’s Gianna Edwards (3:46) and earned a tech fall win over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Olivia Haywood before surviving Plainfield East’s Kaitlyn Bucholz in a tiebreaker (TB-1 3-1) in the semifinal.

That earned her a spot in the finals where another Wolves’ home wrestler awaited, Julia Robb. Swank was able to get to the freshman at the 4:31 mark of the match, securing the pin to earn the title.

“I won my finals match by being aggressive on my feet and hand fighting, but also by staying calm throughout the match,” Swank said. “Being at her home tournament I think it actually tends to make them more nervous because there are the expectations of winning on home turf. Being able to ignore the background of a person’s team, record or other type of qualifications and keeping your wits is what helps win a match. Your focus will be on doing what needs to be done and doing the best you can.”

It’s been quite an experience on the mats for Swank who watched her older brother wrestle for a couple years before she joined in seventh grade after some friends on the boys teams told her she’d be good at it and convinced her to join.

Sometimes peer pressure can be life-changing for the better.

Plainfield East’s Julia Romero won by fall at 3:27 over Edwards for third, and Bucholz won by a 14-2 major decision over Haywood for fifth.

170 – Riley Depolo, Lincoln-Way co-op

Depolo was the fifth Lincoln-Way co-op champion to also pin her opponent in the final, defeating Oswego’s Ashlynn Roberts by fall at 1:43 for the 170-pound title. 

“I just think it was discipline today,” Depolo said. “We worked really hard and like Zoe (Dempsey) said, each match is just like collecting stuff and trying different things so in the off-season we can work toward our goals.”

Depolo was part of a dominant performance from her team which sent wrestlers to the finals in all but five matches, going 5-4 in the finals.

“I’m just challenging myself through the match and just keeping up knowing that if I put in the hard work it’ll pay off,” she said. “I just try to continue doing different things.”

Lockport’s Myra Vicencio scored a 4-0 decision to defeat Homewood-Flossmoor’s Rachel Nugin for third, and Oak Lawn’s Nataly Romero earned a 9-2 decision over teammate Morgan Jacques, for fifth.

190 – Sophie Kelner, Lockport 

Kelner was able to pin East Aurora’s Jaylene Dealba at 5:29 to take home the 190 title.

It was Kelner’s fourth pin in the tournament as she also took down York’s Tiana Fraser (1:35), Lake Park’s Paige Washburn (3:16) and Waubonsie Valley’s Catherine Schultz (1:42). 

Plainfield East’s Jen Serna earned a 6-0 decision to defeat Homewood-Flossmoor’s Kendra Hayden to take third. Serna joined select company at her school, matching Julia Romero, who also placed third at 155 for the Bengals. Washburn took fifth, earning a 6-0 victory over Schultz.

235 – Henessis Villagrana, Romeoville

It took under three minutes for Villagrana to pin her first three opponents. That gave her plenty of time away from the mat to soak in the awareness aspect of the tournament.

“I learned that it is important to be self aware of the symptoms of mental health as well as being aware of the methods that help prevent further harm to oneself,” she said. “I really liked the hard work all my teammates put in for this tournament, everyone fought till the end and never gave up in their matches. All my teammates were very supportive to one another and showed great sportsmanship.”

Villagrana was one of 13 wrestlers from Romeoville to compete, but just one of two to place and its lone champion.

While Jordyn Williams placed sixth at 105 for the Spartans, Villagrana brought home the title at 235, pinning East Aurora’s Lilli Ortiz at 2:38.

“I was happy with how I wrestled, I believe like I controlled the mat well,” Villagrana said.  “Although I wish I did better with my finals match, I could’ve performed better and stayed more in neutral, but I felt good about my wrestling during the tournament.”

In the third-place match, Lake Park’s Ameinah Hill made quick work of Lincoln-Way co-op’s Alyssa Venegas, getting the pin in 23 seconds, and her teammate was ever faster in the fifth-place match, prevailing by forfeit over Rich Township’s Island Ross.

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

DEKALB – There was an interesting similarity between the first two Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Dual Team Championship and several key differences.

The common theme between last year’s debut of the event and the second edition was that the Lincoln-Way District 210 co-op, featuring athletes from Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way West, once again beat Schaumburg for top honors in the 16-team tournament.

Nine other teams that were in the 2024 tournament also were back this year, Batavia, DeKalb, Edwardsville, Geneseo, Huntley, J. Sterling Morton, Lockport Township, Minooka and the District 230 co-op team, featuring individuals from Andrew, Carl Sandburg and Stagg.

This year’s newcomers were Glenbard East, Marist, Warren Township, Wheeling and the Springfield District 186 co-op, which features athletes from Springfield High, Lanphier and Southeast. The other five schools at the 2024 debut tournament were Hoffman Estates, Homewood-Flossmoor, Phoenix Military Academy, Rickover Naval Academy and West Aurora.

The tournament also had a new home after being at Hoffman Estates last year as DeKalb played host to the event in its fieldhouse which later in the week hosted one of the state’s top boys dual team competitions, the Flavin.

Edwardsville improved from fifth to third and Wheeling was able to finish fourth in its first appearance. Lockport Township was 14th last year and took fifth place while Minooka improved one spot from seventh to sixth. District 230 dropped from third place to seventh and J. Sterling Morton went from being 12th in 2024 to taking eighth place this season.

The consolation bracket, in order, included Geneseo, DeKalb, Batavia, Warren Township, Marist, Huntley, Glenbard East and Springfield co-op.

Coach Josh Napier’s Lincoln-Way team came into this matchup with coach Matt Gruszka’s Schaumburg squad with less experience since they had five individuals who competed in the finals dual meet last season compared to seven who had participated for the Saxons.

And while last season’s championship dual meet went right down to the wire with Lincoln-Way trailing 38-18 with four matches left and then rallying with a forfeit win, a major decision and pins in the last two matches to claim a 40-38 victory, there was no real drama this time around.

The teams exchanged pins before Lincoln-Way recorded five-straight pins to grab a 36-6 advantage and Schaumburg ended the run of falls with a pin to close to with 24 points but it would get no closer after that as Lincoln-Way went on to capture a 54-21 win over the Saxons to clinch its second-straight IWCOA Girls State Dual Team Championship.

  Posting perfect records for the Lincoln-Way Central/ East/ West (District 210) co-op team were Liv Clumpner (6-0 at 135), Zoe Dempsey (6-0 at 115/120), Riley DePolo (5-0 at 170/190), Abby Kunz (5-0 at 140), Emmy Hoselton (4-0 at 100/105), Grace Spangler (3-0 at 110/115), McKenzie Steinke (3-0 at 100) and Jalyssa Venegas (3-0 at 235).

Three others who were in five or more matches lost once, Kate Bohms (5-1 at 145/155), Aubrey Barnes (4-1 at 120/125) and Ella Giertuga (4-1 at 145/155) while Zoe Zerial (3-2 at 110/115) and Caleigh Nicholson (3-3 at 130) both had three wins. Others who helped the cause were Natalia Calleros (2-2 at 190), Dani Schedin (1-0 at 125), Paige Cronin (1-0 at 155), Georgia Erhardt (105), Abby Lizak (120), Gracie Hansen (125), Kaitlyn Erdakos (140) and Avery Holeman (170).

“Yeah, it felt pretty good to get ahead like that,” Napier said.”I think we were nervous about all of them, like always, naturally. In our pool play, we knew Wheeling was good. That was our closest dual of the day and they gave Schaumburg a good look in the semifinals. Lockport we have seen this year, so we kind of knew how we’d match up against them. I think the last two years we were worried about Edwardsville more than anybody and you know that was another tight one and then the Schaumburg rematch from last year, what else could you want, an opportunity to do it one more time. In the dual before that, we were on the fence about if we wanted to have Zoey to go 15 or 20, but we knew that we might not get back to her if we saved her for the end. And that’s how it kind of went in the last two duals. We were like, if we can start rolling with pins, the momentum shift is going to be there, and I don’t think they’re going to recover. 

“I think that a lot of people feel like we’re some kind of super team, right? We’re a co-op, we know that. But the reality is 90 percent of these girls started wrestling in high school, two or three years ago. There’s only two seniors and two juniors on this roster right now, and as starters, there’s only three upperclassmen. There are freshmen and sophomores, and most of them with not a lot of experience. We lost a lot of girls last year. We had a state qualifier not come back and lost a couple other girls. If you look at last year’s dual team, there’s eight of those girls walking around the Lincoln Way halls, not on this team. So people stepped up and got the job done and we’re really proud of it because we didn’t know how we were going to do this year watching this team fall apart in a way. We spent a lot of time in the summer and were in a hard preseason. We kind of knew where we’re going to be going into it because the girls that don’t really want to put in the work figure it out before we start on day one, and we keep the numbers manageable because of that. We don’t want 80-90 girls. We want a solid 30 girls.”

Leaders for the Saxons were Nadia Razzak (6-0 at 190), Isabella Rivas (6-0 at 125/130), Anna Villarreal (5-1 at 115), Lauren Brehmer (4-1 at 135), Makenzi Aguilar (4-2 at 100), Maja Brzosko (4-2 at 170), Olivia Furlan (4-2 at 235), Layla McHenry (4-2 at 155), Sharon Olorunfemi (4-2 at 135/140), Justice Girod (3-3 at 110) and Reagan Paulson (3-3 at 120). Catherine Franco (105), Elena Nikolova (125/130) and Emily Fowler (145) also each had two wins for Schaumburg.

“The IWCOA does such a good job in promoting all wrestling but especially the girls because I think this is a much better format for the girls right now than to let the IHSA take it because we have such a great representation of teams from across the state and it’s still based on success factor from the year before,” Gruszka said. “It’s just the coaches in the state, too. The coaches in the state have done such a good job with the girls wrestling. With the IKWF going now, a lot of these girls are coming in and they’re battle ready. It’s the evolution of the sport and it’s going to be like the boys eventually where it’s going to have that type of feel. 

“When you wrestle as a dual team, it’s so much different than a tournament, obviously. And I try to stress to the girls that you’re wrestling for each other. You’ve got to keep it close when you can and you’ve got to get pins when you can, and it’s fun to see that happen a little bit. I think we’ve lost some talent from last year, but it’s watching the newer girls step into a different role. And each week it’s like someone different doing it, so now I’m just hoping that I keep on seeing that all the way to the end. And at the end, hopefully we’ll be going full steam ahead.”

In the championship dual, Barnes (125) got a pin in 2:25 over Nikolova in the opener at 125 and Rivas (130) followed with a fall in 1:00 over Nicholson to create an early 6-6 tie. 

But that’s when Lincoln-Way took over for good as Clumpner won by fall in 3:53 over Brehmer at 135, Kunz followed with a pin in 1:25 over Olorunfemi at 140 and Bohms extended the lead to 24-6 when she won by fall in 0:53 over Fowler at 145. 

Giertuga continued the run with a pin in 2:55 over McHenry at 155 and DePolo concluded the stretch of five-straight falls with a pin in 1:33 over Brzosko at 170 to give the defending champions a 36-6 advantage midway through the meet.

“It definitely gave us confidence for the rest of the dual,” DePolo said of the five-straight pins. “We definitely just put a lot of work in, and we just had confidence throughout the whole day, and I think that was huge. Everyone’s just super nice. We work together super well. We’re very fluid. And we just work hard together. We bleed and we sweat together. And it just bonds us, we’re just super bonded. Everyone’s super nice and just can flow together good. We’re just super confident in ourselves and in our wrestling.”

Razzak was a winner by fall in 0:27 over Calleros at 190 to give the Saxons their second win but Venegas captured a 1-0 decision over Furlan at 235, Steinke followed with an 8-2 decision over Aguilar at 100 and Hoselton won by fall in 1:09 over Franco at 105 to boost the lead to 48-12 with three matches remaining.

“My sister (Alya) was actually in the first year of girls wrestling, and she’s the one who got me into this, and just seeing it grow so much and the opportunities grow so much to be able to compete at a team dual state, something like this, is really cool,” Razzak said. “I’m very grateful to be able to come out here and be on one of the best teams in the state and we’re able to see so many different types of competition at tournaments like this. Every year I say I’m so grateful for my team, but this year is one of my favorite teams. I’m a senior and I’m team captain, and I just know it’s just something so special. My best friends are on this team, and we are so close, and everybody is just so welcoming. We’re all there for each other and we all support each other, and we can tell each other when things are tough and what to do and things like that. I’m so grateful for my team.”

The Saxons won two of the last three matches as Girod got a pin in 0:19 over Zerial at 110, Lincoln-Way picked up its final win at 115 when Dempsey won by fall in 1:34 over Villarreal at 115 and Paulson captured a 5-0 decision over Lizak at 120 to conclude the meet. 

“They definitely had a big thing to do with it,” Steinke said of the run of pins. “It definitely helped in the last few matches, like my match, and the other matches were not as stressful. Yes, they are very tough teams, and we did very well, so it was very exciting. I’m so glad we were able to all come together and really put in the work just to secure the two-time state championships. That’s a great deal. (What she likes about her team) The friendship and the supportiveness. We’re all one big family. We all support each other.” 

The two-time tournament champions also had a much easier time of it in both the quarterfinals and semifinals after winning eight of 14 matches in both rounds a year ago. 

This time, they only lost one contested match to Lockport Township’s two-time defending IHSA champion and three-time finalist Claudia Heeney in a 63-18 win in the quarterfinals and then got victories in seven of the first 10 matches against Edwardsville in the semifinals to build a 42-15 lead with the final of 42-39 being the result of forfeits in the last four matches. 

Lincoln-Way also only lost seven contested matches in its three pool B dual meets, including one in a 60-24 win over DeKalb, only a 5-4 decision in a 71-9 triumph over Geneseo and the other five contested matches came in its 48-31 victory over Wheeling.

“I like a lot about how my teammates like to hype me up and they give me the confidence that I have and their confidence in them cheering me on on the sidelines definitely helps me a lot,” Venegas said. “Just get through my match. Even if I lose a match, I still have a lot of confidence. That I get from the team and they help me out. I love these girls.”

In the quarterfinals, Schaumburg lost five matches against Minooka in a 54-30 victory and then had a fight on its hands against Wheeling in the semifinals. The teams each had seven victories but the Saxons recorded six falls and a forfeit win while the Wildcats collected five pins and two decisions to advance to the dual team championship meet for the second-straight year. 

The Saxons easily won pool C with a 60-20 victory over Glenbard East, a 77-6 win over Springfield co-op and a 58-16 triumph over District 230 co-op. They only lost eight matches in their pool, with four of those coming against Glenbard East and three others to District 230.

“It’s absolutely so fun, I love our team,” Aguilar said. “Everyone’s so close with each other, and we’re all so good with each other and we push each other. So everybody has their matches, and  everybody’s watching. Nobody’s just randomly somewhere, we’re all paying attention to our teammates. It’s definitely so different than any other sport. It’s definitely challenging, but it’s so refreshing to actually get something. I think since we’re just so supportive of each other and loving. It just really helps and gets us together.”

The Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Girls Dual Team Championships is just the latest exciting chapter in the forward-looking vision that the association has demonstrated ever since it was founded in 1971. Although officials have been an integral part of all sports that have taken place in Illinois at the high school and collegiate levels, only the IWCOA made the decision at its inception to join coaches and officials together as co-equals in their association.

Unlike many coaches associations who only honor coaches in their hall of fame, since its first hall of fame induction in 1972, the IWCOA has recognized not only coaches, but also athletes, officials, administrators, tournament workers and media members and a total of 673 men and women have been recognized for their contributions to the sport since that time.

The IWCOA will be hosting its 30th annual Freshman/Sophomore and Girls Championships on March 14-15 at Bank of Springfield Center. The Frosh/Soph Tournament has allowed young competitors the opportunity to gain valuable postseason experience and has also let many finish on a better note after seeing successful seasons conclude a bit short of the IHSA Finals.

In 2017, the association held its first Girls Championships that is run at the same time as the Freshman/Sophomore Championships and that tournament helped to lay the groundwork for an official Girls State Finals, which the Illinois High School Association conducted for the first time in 2022 on the same weekend as the Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

And in 2021, the IWCOA held a three-day Boys Open Championship that gave individuals a chance to compete in a state finals competition in Springfield since they didn’t have the opportunity to take part in a regular season or IHSA state series in the 2020-2021 school year. 

Another key innovation by the IWCOA also happened in 2021, the introduction of reporting on different levels of the IWCOA’s tournament, which took place during June. In the following season, 2021-2022, weekly individual tournament coverage became a regular feature of the IWCOA website, as did the addition of roundups of other tournaments throughout Illinois. The website, iwcoa.net, is unique among Illinois coaching associations for its reporting on the sport.

Some of the other IWCOA highlights each year have been the Illinois vs. Indiana Classic Duals, the Midwest Nationals and Midwest National Preseason Opens, the annual coaching convention and the Ken Gerdes III Memorial Foundation golf tournament. 

And on April 19, a class of 15 will be inducted at this year’s Hall of Fame Banquet, which will be held at Double Tree by Hilton in Alsip. The IWCOA will also present Lifetime Service Awards, as well as association honors for Person, Board Member, Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Official, Administrator, Outstanding Wrestler, Scholastic Wrestler and Newsman of the Year awards. 

This year’s inductees will also be honored prior to that on Friday, February 20 at State Farm Center in Champaign before the start of the semifinals at the IHSA Individual Finals.  

Here’s a look at the other teams in the second IWCOA Girls State Dual Team Championship:

Championship bracket third place – Edwardsville 54, Wheeling 30

In the third-place dual meet that featured 13 pins and one forfeit, Edwardsville used two runs that each featured four-straight pins to claim a 54-30 victory over Wheeling. 

The Wildcats grabbed a 6-0 lead before the Tigers took control with four-consecutive falls to go up 24-6. Wheeling got pins in the next two matches to close to within 24-18, and after the sides traded pins, the Tigers collected four more pins in a row to finally wrap things up.

Top performers for the third-place Tigers, who went 5-1 and are coached by 2019 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Wagner, were Maddy Allen (6-0 at 100), Victoria White (6-0 at 190), Adleigh Dewerff (5-0 at 110), Brooklyn Alldredge (5-1 at 125), Lydia Blind (5-1 at 140), Genevieve Dykstra (5-1 at 115), Olive Linhorst (5-1 at 130/135), Allie Chong (4-1 at 120),

Jaylynn Bierbrauer (4-2 at 145) and Emma Rogers (4-2 at 105). Also, Abigail Hayes (155), Geetanjali Janardhan (170), Angie Nunez (235) and Kennedy Downs (235) all had two wins.

“The top six teams were real real close,” Wagner said. “We’ve been talking about dealing with setbacks, and when something bad happened, they came back just as hard the next match and that’s hard to do in six matches in six hours. Not one of them blinked and they came back strong. “It’s just a credit to the IWCOA to put this together. It’s an-end of December tournament and there are 16 teams with like 20 girls apiece just out here getting after it and enjoying the sport. It’s maybe not all the pressure with the one-on-one, like in a tournament. They’re cheering on their teammates and really doing a little bit about what wrestling should be like. So it’s good to have both. We like the individual part, but it’s not like being here and them supporting you. 

“(Edwardsville’s success in the sport) There’s a lot that goes into it. You’ve got to find your magic potion. And a lot of it’s these girls feeling good about what they’re doing, stepping out of their box, being in a sport that’s very physical, very aggressive, but yet, you know, technical, and having them believe in themselves. So everyone’s magic potion is different, but right now we’ve got a bunch of girls that are believing in their teammates, and it’s really special.”

Leading the way for coach Tony Piltaver’s fourth-place Wildcats, who went 3-3, were Elise Burkut (6-0 at 125), Nikol Orendarchuk (6-0 at 155), Jasmine Rene (6-0 at 235), Haydee Cruz (5-1 at 105), Madeline Chicas (4-2 at 170), Mirna Rahmani (4-2 at 130), Mayali Suarez (4-2 at 120), Layah Woods (3-3 at 140/145) and Julitta Stolarczyk (3-3 at 190).

“We have a nice mix of experienced people and some young people, and it’s nice to see some of our experienced girls kind of pulling those girls along,” Piltaver said. “Kind of getting them ready for something like this, because, like, you look around, holy smokes, there are some good teams there. So just be in the top four, it’s pretty cool. It’s a cool experience for them to kind of keep in the program. Some of the girls that are newer haven’t gotten the results, maybe individually. But to see them just battle on the mat, save points, get points, with bonus points, just depends on what the roles and responsibilities are. And that’s what we talked about. Just like if you do your job, you know, you contribute to the team. And the camaraderie’s great. They hang out with each other. There’s little pockets here and there that have different interests that bring other kids in. So it’s always nice to see when you’ve got a team that gels well together.” 

In the third-place dual meet, Burkut (125) opened with a pin over Alldredge to give the Wildcats their lone lead before the Tigers received falls from Linhorst over Rahmani (130), Gretchen Taylor over Nicole Barahona (135) and Blind over Woods (140) and a forfeit win from Bierbrauer (145) to go up by 18 points.

The Wildcats answered with pins from Orendarchuk over Hayes (155) and Chicas over Janardhan (170) to close to within 24-18 and then it remained close as White pinned Stolarczyk (190) and Rene responded with a fall over Downs (235),

“I’m really proud of everybody,” White said. “The improvement from fifth place last year to third place this year is really incredible. Everybody, everybody works really, really hard. Everybody picks each other up. Just like a great environment. I just love seeing everybody get better and better because it just shows how girls wrestling is progressing. I love the competitiveness of it. Just going out there and knowing that it’s you and that other girl on the mat, and it’s whoever wants it more. Everybody’s really nice to each other. Everybody congratulates each other after their match.”

That’s when the Tigers had their second run of fourth-straight wins by fall with Allen over Victoria Pina Rodriguez (100), Rogers over Cruz (105), Dewerff over Ashley Rendon Montesinos (110) and Dykstra over Jocelyn Juarez Cruz (115) before Suarez (120) closed the meet with a pin over Samantha Suhre.

“I would say that it feels nice seeing a mixture of new girls and veterans from both last year and this year because you can see where we need to improve on and where we’re already good.” Burkut said. “And I think it’s just really nice how we all still support each other no matter where we are progress-wise. I mean, I’m out on the sides, I’m cheering for my teammates and I’m screaming myself hoarse. And I think the same could definitely be said for some of the other girls and I think it’s just cool how we have that sense of camaraderie. I mean, it’s interesting. If you really think about it and you wrestle long enough, you can see that the wrestling world is absolutely tiny compared to certain other sports. I’ve seen girls that I was on other teams with and I see coaches that I was on other teams with. 

“(Likes about her team) I think it’s definitely the spirit and just the support that we have for each other. I mean, we break it down on family because we’re basically like a second family thrown together. But we all get to know each other. We know how we function. We know where we need to improve. I tend to help my girls improve, too. So that definitely helps because I’m kind of more of a mentor at this point. On a good day, we have 22 girls, and we have two coaches, so it means that less people are left behind.” 

Edwardsville advanced to the semifinals with a 63-15 victory over the District 230 co-op in which it lost only two contested matches and Wheeling reached the semifinals with a 45-33 triumph over J. Sterling Morton.

The Tigers took first place in pool A after claiming wins of 61-15 over Huntley, 60-18 over Batavia and 57-21 over Minooka, who finished second while Huntley was third and Batavia took fourth place. 

Wheeling was the lone team that didn’t win its pool that advanced to the championship bracket semifinals. The Wildcats took second to Lincoln-Way co-op in pool B after edging Geneseo 42-41 on criteria and beating DeKalb 54-30 before falling 48-31 to Lincoln-Way co-op.

Championship bracket fifth place – Lockport Township 42, Minooka 40

The fifth-place dual meet score was somewhat misleading since Lockport Township took advantage of Minooka having to forfeit at five weights and that allowed it to claim a 42-40 victory. The Indians actually won more matches on the mat, recording six falls and winning a major decision while the Porters, who finished in 14th place last year in the competition, only had two victories that were pins.  

Top performers throughout the day for coach Amier Khamis’ fifth-place Porters, who went 4-2, were Claudia Heeney (6-0 at 140/145), Rebekah Ramirez (6-0 at 235), Sophie Kelner (5-0 at 190), Veronica Skibicki (4-1 at 120), Gianna Bogdan (4-2 at 100) and Alaina Churnovic (3-3 at 105) while Camila Mendoza (110), Bella Romando (115), Chloe Scalf (125), Kyleigh Green (130), Alexandra Hardesty (155) and Myra Vicencio (170) all had two victories.

“I think the best part about dual team state is that those girls that don’t get a chance to compete at the individual state tournament, they get to come out here and they get to fight for their team,” Khamis said. “So learning from my experiences and trying to just help these girls out, navigate through the dual team format and prepare for their own individual goals. It’s really all exciting, but I’m really happy that these girls got a chance to support one another and fight for one another today. It really was a team effort. If you look at the last two wins that we had, they were really close dual meets, and a lot of fighting off our back and a lot of putting people to their back and finishing the job, So I’m really happy that all these girls put all their effort in and I’m really excited looking forward to what we can build on in the second half of the season. I know these kids have been believing it the entire year that they are a top team and now I think that they’ve got some hardware to back it up and that confidence is going to skyrocket. 

“This is my first year as a head coach, and in boys wrestling and girls wrestling, Lockport High School is just good at wrestling all around, and I’m super excited to help build a program and help steer a program in the right direction. I feel like there’s been a lot of firsts for me and I’ve learned a lot of lessons so far. I’ve just got to give it up to the kids that I have that I’m able to coach and they provide me with a great opportunity. As much as I try to teach them, they teach me a lot every single day, and I learn more and more about the sport of wrestling every single day, and it’s a very exciting journey. We all grow together as a team, and I try to get them to know that every dual meet and tournament is a learning experience, and they’re taking that in full stride. So I’m really looking forward to what they can build on after this weekend.”

Leading the way for coach Paige Schoolman’s sixth-place Indians, who went 3-3, were Ezra Rodriguez (6-0 at 145), Sabina Charlebois (5-1 at 130), Addison Davis (5-1 at 170/190), Abigail Underhill (5-1 at 155/170), Marian Nordsell (4-1 at 110), Aubry Smith (4-2 at 115/120), Lexie Lakota (3-2 at 135), Anastasia Dewey (3-3 at 125) and Melody Williams (3-3 at 140).

“It’s great having all the best dual teams here in the state of Illinois and it’s great to see girls wrestling grow,” Schoolman said. “From the vision we kind of had, people have told us that there’s not enough girls to have a dual team state tournament. Coach (Matt) Gruszka and I said, ‘no, that’s not true, we can have this’. And it’s awesome for the IWCOA to step up and host this. And great big props to DeKalb for setting up a few days early for their Flavin and giving us a great environment to all be in the same room. It was awesome today. Great officials were here today and it was a good competition. We were down four girls today, so we were giving up 24 points at each dual. It makes it really tough to be competitive. I’m really happy with how the girls battle to get out of our pool against some good programs, like Huntley and Batavia.

“To come in and beat Morton to get into the trophy area. That’s good. I’m happy with it. Even this last match with Lockport, we won seven of the three matches that we wrestled and you can’t be upset with that. It was a nice day for the girls. I’ve got nine seniors on this team and some have been with us for two years and some have been with us for four years. It’s nice for them to have this, you know, to be able to have this experience. My big group of seniors that graduated two years ago, that was a really good group. We went out to Clash, and we wrestled really well there. They didn’t have this opportunity. We felt like we were one of the best teams in the state that year, and we never got the chance to show it. So it’s nice to be able to come here, put your toes on the mat, and see where you’re at against some of the best.”

After Lockport Township lost to Lincoln-Way co-op 63-18 and Minooka fell to Schaumburg 54-30  in opening meets in the championship bracket, the Porters responded with a 42-38 victory over District 230 co-op and the Indians won 48-33 over J. Sterling Morton.

The Porters were second in their pool but finished ahead of the team that won Pool D, J. Sterling Morton, which took eighth place. Lockport Township beat Warren Township 64-18 and Marist 54-30 after falling in its opener 47-30 to the Mustangs. 

The Indians were second to Edwardsville in pool A, winning 42-36 over Batavia and 42-27 over Huntley before falling to the Tigers 57-21.

Championship bracket seventh place – District 230 co-op 70, J. Morton Sterling 12

In the seventh-place match, District 230 co-op, the defending IHSA champions who have athletes representing Andrew, Carl Sandburg and Stagg, recorded nine pins and added a major decision as it rolled to a 70-12 victory over J. Sterling Morton.

Leading the way for coach Liz Short’s seventh-place District 230 team, which went 3-3, were Piper Booe (5-1 at 115), Isabella De La Vega (5-1 at 135), Tatum De La Vega (5-1 at 105), Jade Hardee (5-1 at 110), Talah Hamed (4-2 at 135/140), Brynnley Krauchun (4-2 at 120), Meghan Carabes (3-2 at 235) and Makayla Miller (3-3 at 125). Reese Kruen (100), Hala Salem (130), Anastacia Dvorak (130), Busola Dinan (155), Gabbi Vasquez (170) and Aliyah Mendoza (190) all added two wins.

Top performers for coach Fernando Arratia’s eighth-place Mustangs, who went 2-4, were Anali Wilson (5-0 at 170), Andaira Marron (4-0 at 100), Victoria Vargas (4-1 at 115/120), Karla Munoz (3-1 at 110/115), Rhysel Anum (4-2 at 145) and Jordan Rodriguez (4-2 at 105/110). Collecting two victories were Sophia Almaraz (105), Fatima Martinez (125/130), Liliana Ionescu (135) and Genessi Ceballos (155).

District 230 defeated Springfield co-op 75-6 and Glenbard East 60-21 before losing to Schaumburg 58-16 to go 2-1 in pool C. After falling to Edwardsville 63-15 in the opening round of the championship bracket, it fell 42-38 to Lockport Township before ending with a win.

J. Sterling Morton won pool D with a 2-1 record but got first since it beat the other 2-1 team, Lockport Township, by a 47-30 score. It later defeated Marist 48-34 but then fell 45-33 to Warren Township.  After losing 45-33 to Wheeling in the championship bracket quarterfinals, it fell 48-33 to Minooka to send it into the seventh-place meet.

Consolation bracket first place – Geneseo 54, DeKalb 29

Geneseo defeated DeKalb 48-36 when the two teams met to determine which one would place third and which would claim fourth in pool B. They met again in the first-place match of the consolation bracket and the Maple Leafs once again prevailed, this time by a 54-29 margin. 

Top performers on the day for the Maple Leafs, who went 4-2, were Lauren Piquard (6-0 at 155/170), Addison Hadsall (5-1 at 100/105), Lydia King (5-1 at 120), Annibelle Juarez (4-2 at 140), Anabella Kelley (4-2 at 145), Ayla Schultz (4-2 at 125), Tylaiha Medina (3-2 at 100/105), Anna Davis (3-3 at 130), Brenna Dykstra (3-3 at 155/170) and Giana Wurslin (3-3 at 105/110).

Leading the way for the Barbs, who went 2-4, were Alex Gregorio-Perez (6-0 at 105/110), Larisza Gomez Guevara (6-0 at 110/115), Aarianna Bloyd (5-1 at 235), Kara Zimmerman (5-1 at 135), Fatima Ezzaitouni (3-3 at 190), Genna Vargas-Tavera (3-3 at 140/145) and Jade Weiss (3-3 at 100).

Consolation bracket third place – Batavia 43, Warren Township 42 (criteria)

In a very peculiar twist, Warren Township lost consecutive dual meets by 43-42 scores that were both determined by criteria with the tiebreakers being least forfeits allowed and each time it lost on that count by a 4-2 margin. After falling in that fashion to Geneseo in the consolation semifinals, Batavia defeated the Blue Devils in the exact same way for third place.

The Bulldogs took fourth place in pool A and the Blue Devils were fourth in pool D but they beat third-place teams from their pools in the consolation round quarterfinals as Batavia won 48-32 over Glenbard East and Warren Township claimed a 48-30 victory over Huntley. Batavia fell 45-36 to DeKalb in the other consolation semifinal before winning its final dual meet.

Top performers for Batavia, who went 2-4, were Audrey Sheldon (5-0 at 155/170), Natalie Lenart (5-1 at 125/130), Lily Enos (3-1 at 100/105), Jamie Gabriel (4-2 at 190), Norah Stoodley (4-2 at 135/140), Kinzer Mikesell (3-2 at 170), Rhyan Marcellis (3-3 at 100/105) and Sarah Zuziak (3-3 at 125/130).

Leading the way for Warren Township, who also went 2-4, were Tyanna Jackson (6-0 at 140), Aaliyah Vazquez (6-0 at 115), Ellery Brown (5-1 at 145), Jane Kelly (4-2 at 135), Madison Kozlowski (4-2 at 190), Kylie Motley (4-2 at 235), Hanna Bairstow (3-3 at 170) and Naleah Parham (3-3 at 120).

Consolation bracket fifth place – Marist 39, Huntley 36

Marist bounced back from going 1-2 in pool D to finish 3-3 after capturing a 39-36 victory in the consolation bracket fifth-place match over Huntley, denying it from turning in a 3-3 showing after also going 1-2 in pool A. Marist prevailed 7-6 in matches and there also was a double forfeit.

Top performers for the Redhawks were Ava Enright (6-0 at 120/125), Samantha Fontaine (6-0 at 155), Izzy Locascio (6-0 at 135/140), Sarah Parker (5-1 at 170/190), Samantha Durbin (4-2 at 125/130), Stella Harris (4-2 at 130/135), Abby Parker (4-2 at 235) and Shae Halleran (3-3 at 100).

Leading the way for the Hawks were Grecia Garcia (6-0 at 135), Aubrie Rohrbacher (6-0 at 130), Janiah Slaughter (5-0 at 105), Haelynn Lettieri (4-2 at 110), Isabelle Singer (4-2 at 120), Lilliana Castanon (3-3 at 145) and Donna Garcia (3-3 at 115).

Consolation bracket seventh place – Glenbard East 37, Springfield (District 186) co-op 36

Glenbard East and the Springfield District 186 co-op of athletes from Springfield High, Lanphier and Southeast, met twice in the first time that both took part in the dual team championships, and on each occasion, not only did the teams tie at 36-36, but also the Rams were awarded with an extra point due to criteria to claim their two victories.

Leading the way for the Rams, who went 2-4, were Camila Gonzalez (6-0 at 145/155), Nadiia Shymkiv (6-0 at 110), Karla Sarabia (4-1 at 100/105), Mylee Janisch (3-1 at 100), Elizabeth Moreno (4-2 at 125) and Marianna Mendoza (3-2 at 235). 

Top performers for Springfield co-op were Vanessa Kelley (5-1 at 190), Phoenix Criss (4-2 at 105), Kimoreyee Ballard (3-3 at 140), Alliyah Powell (3-3 at 130), Taylor Rossi-Laws (3-3 at 115) and Makenna Smith (3-3 at 170).

Statistics of interest

Fourteen individuals led the way in collecting the most team points with 36. They were Lincoln-Way co-op’s Liv Clumpner and Zoe Dempsey, Edwardsville’s Maddy Allen and Victoria White, Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney and Rebekah Ramirez, Warren Township’s Tyanna Jackson and Aaliyah Vazquez, Marist’s Ava Enright and Izzy Locascio, DeKalb’s Larisza Gomez Guevara, Glenbard East’s Camila Gonzalez, Schaumburg’s Nadia Razzak and Minooka’s Ezra Rodriguez.

Glenbard East’s Karla Sarabia was the lone competitor to claim two wins by technical fall while four individuals recorded six falls, Lincoln-Way co-op’s Liv Clumpner and Zoe Dempsey, DeKalb’s Larisza Gomez Guevara and Warren Township’s Aaliyah Vazquez. Huntley’s Isabelle Singer had the most total match points with 60, while Wheeling’s Elise Burkut was second with 56 and Glenbard East’s Nadiia Shymkiv ranked third with 52 points.

Lincoln-Way co-op edged Edwardsville for the most team points by a 338-334 margin while Schaumburg ranked third with 312 team points. The champion team also easily had the most total match points with 313 while Edwardsville was second with 266 and Minooka third with 242.

Lincoln-Way co-op also recorded the most pins with 47 while Edwardsville was second with 39 and Schaumburg ranked third with 37. And Glenbard East was the only team that had three wins by technical fall while no other team had more than one. 

Championship meet at the IWCOA Girls State Dual Team Championship

Lincoln-Way co-op 54, Schaumburg 21 

125 – Aubrey Barnes (L) over Elena Nikolova (S), F 2:25

130 – Isabella Rivas (S) over Caleigh Nicholson (L), F 1:00

135 – Liv Clumpner (L) over Lauren Brehmer (S), F 3:53

140 – Abby Kunz (L) over Sharon Olorunfemi (S), F 1:25

145 – Kate Bohms (L) over Emily Fowler (S), F 0:53

155 – Ella Giertuga (L) over Layla McHenry (S), F 2:55

170 – Riley DePolo (L) over Maja Brzosko (S), F 1:33

190 – Nadia Razzak (S) over Natalia Calleros (L), F 0:27

235 – Jalyssa Venegas (L) over Olivia Furlan (S), D 1-0

100 – McKenzie Steinke (L) over Makenzi Aguilar (S), D 8-2

105 – Emmy Hoselton (L) over Catherine Franco (S), F 1:09

110 – Justice Girod (S) over Zoe Zerial (L), F 0:19

115 – Zoe Dempsey (L) over Anna Villarreal (S), F 1:34

120 – Reagan Paulson (S) over Abby Lizak (L), D 5-0

Third-place meet at the IWCOA Girls State Dual Team Championship 

Edwardsville 54, Wheeling 30

125 – Elise Burkut (W) over Brooklyn Alldredge (E), F 1:36

130 – Olive Linhorst (E) over Mirna Rahmani (W), F 1:03

135 – Gretchen Taylor (E) over Nicole Barahona (W), F 2:47

140 – Lydia Blind (E) over Layah Woods (W), F 1:22

145 – Jaylynn Bierbrauer (E) received forfeit, FFT

155 – Nikol Orendarchuk (W) over Abigail Hayes (E), F 0:36

170 – Madeline Chicas (W) over Geetanjali Janardhan (E), F 3:13

190 – Victoria White (E) over Julitta Stolarczyk (W), 0:44

235 – Jasmine Rene (W) over Kennedy Downs (E), F 0:16

100 – Maddy Allen (E) over Victoria Pina Rodriguez (W), F 4:37

105 – Emma Rogers (E) over Haydee Cruz (W), F 1:31

110 – Adleigh Dewerff (E) over Ashley Rendon Montesinos (W), F 0:28

115 – Genevieve Dykstra (E) over Jocelyn Juarez Cruz (W), F 0:51

120 – Mayali Suarez (W) over Samantha Suhre (E), F 0:32

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

When piecing together the first-ever Libertyville Invite, the Hall-of-Fame head coach of the Wildcats wanted to make sure he put together a diverse field that would furnish those on hand quality all throughout the weight divisions, while giving wrestling fans plenty of state-ranked men to have a good look at.

Libertyville coach Dale Eggert would achieve his goal – in fact, inviting three top 15 class 2A clubs would prove to be exactly what he had hoped for, with No. 5 Mahomet-Seymour, No. 7 Deerfield and No. 14 Wheeling relentless in their quest to lift the championship trophy at day’s end.

When it was all over, it would be Rob Ledin’s men from Mahomet-Seymour who took home the silverware over Deerfield and Wheeling.

“I obviously was very happy with the performance of our team,” Ledin said. “We’ve had a grueling stretch in our schedule, so to put eight into the finals with a field like this one was very special.”

That stretch Ledin spoke of would begin with a two-day tournament at Mascoutah on December 19, followed by the Bulldogs Christmas Multi-Quad duals at home, before heading north to the Mid-States in Whitewater, Wisconsin on the 23rd of December.

The Bulldogs, who were involved in a see-saw affair with Deerfield and Wheeling for most of the day, would weather an early storm from Deerfield, which was off to a blistering start in the final session of this tournament, capturing four of the first five individual titles.

However, from there the tide would slowly turn in favor of the eventual champs, who at one time were even with the Warriors at 180 points apiece, with Wheeling within striking distance at 170.5 points.

Championship efforts from two of its upper weight stars, Talon Decker (165) and Marco Casillas (190), would ultimately allow Mahomet-Seymour to hold off Deerfield. The Bulldogs finished with 194.0 overall points, 14 more than the Warriors and 23.5 better than Wheeling.

Naperville North (158.0), which matched Mahomet-Seymour with 13 pins on the day, finished fourth, with Maine South fifth with 124.0 points.

Wheeling had a tourney-best seven tech-falls, and the most total match points (387) with Austin Brown recording the most total match points with 88.

“We are a very young team with just one senior, with 29 freshmen and sophomores, so we’ll have some decisions to make at a couple of the weight classes,” began Ledin.

“We’ve been getting the feet wet of our younger guys, but now we will make some moves to put those kids into our starting lineup as the postseason is approaching.”

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS:

Mahomet-Seymour 194.0, Deerfield 180.0, Wheeling 170.5, Naperville North 158.0, Maine South 124.0, Libertyville 123.5, Johnsburg 120.5, Schaumburg 112.0, DePaul College Prep 89.0, Lake Park 86.5, Vernon Hills 76.0, Cary-Grove 73.0, Round Lake 30.0

Individual champions

106- Jake Pechter (Deerfield)

In this, his rookie season, Jake Pechter has quickly become a key figure for Deerfield, and the perfect ‘lead-off’ man in a young Warriors lineup that would feature two freshmen and three sophomores.

Pechter would win his second straight major following his well played 8-2 decision over Myles Hartzler (16-14) from Mahomet-Seymour in a contest that saw Pechter (25-2) take an early lead with a take-down en route to an 8-2 victory.

“An early take-down really helps set the tone for any match, and it really helps the  confidence against your opponents,” opined Pechter, after earning his second tournament trophy of the season thus far.

“I felt pretty confident I could turn him as the match went on, but in the end, it was being strong when I was on bottom to start the third period,” added Pechter, No. 5 in the state, whose reversal improved his advantage to 8-2 late in this contest.

Tommy Katz (Wheeling) was third, Anand Verma (Libertyville) fourth, and Naperville North sophomore Quinn Karstens fifth.

113- Jayme Cohen (Deerfield)

It would be another talented freshman from Deerfield who would come through with a second straight title run when Jayme Cohen overcame a fast start from Charles Dominguez (Vernon Hills, 16-7) to garner a hard fought 6-4 decision.

“It was important for me to stay composed after that takedown I gave up. It’s all about the progress and process in order to win matches like these,” said Cohen, now 19-5 on the season.

Cohen would get himself back within one at 3-2 with a late first-period reversal, then draw back level at 3-3 with an easy escape to begin the second period.

No. 7-rated Cohen took the lead for good at 6-3 three minutes with a nicely-executed takedown, but after Dominguez escaped near the edge, the Cougars sophomore required medical attention that led to a long delay.

Dominguez, who recently finished second at Harvard, and would defeat top seed Frankie Katz (Wheeling) in his semifinal, began the third period down and Cohen rode him out for the title.

“My defense in this match was good, and I knew I could ride him hard for most of the third period,” said Cohen.

No. 10 Frankie Katz claimed third place over Adam Beedon (Naperville North) after his 8-4 decision, and Kai Surdick (Johnsburg) was fifth.

120- Chase Vogel (Johnsburg)

No. 6 in 1A Chase Vogel continued his terrific sophomore campaign with his first major title, following his 4-0 defensive masterpiece victory over Jorey Becker (21-7) from Deerfield.

The 2025 state qualifier rode Becker out for the entire two minutes in the second period, before an escape to begin the third period preceded a take-down near the edge with one minute remaining that ensured his title.

“When I look back to last year, I knew I could be a lot better in many parts of my game, and this year my confidence on my feet and with fakes is so much better than last year,” admitted Vogel, who was the No. 1 seed here.

Vogel, 35-9 a year ago, finished second at regionals and sectionals to eventual state runner-up Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) who is a two-time state medal winner, and currently No. 2 (class 2A) in the most recent state poll.

“After getting downstate last year, my expectations for this year are to get on the podium in Champaign,” added Vogel.

Lake Park sophomore Liam Lovelace (16-5) used a tech-fall victory over Connor Marschek (DePaul College Prep) to earn third place honors, while Christian Giron from Wheeling claimed fifth place overall.

126- Danny Martinez (Deerfield)

Danny Martinez made his way to the top of the podium by defeating DePaul’s second-seeded Colin Bosak in his semifinal, then No. 3 seed Tyler Wuh (Libertyville, 18-8) to grab his first major title of the season.

Bosak (18-4) came back from a 6-0 defeat to Martinez to defeat David Perez (Wheeling) for third place, while Archer Biag (Naperville North) earned a fifth place medal.

“My defense is way better than last year, and so is my shot selection. With better defense and more in my attack, I feel like I can trust those two parts of my game much more than I did last year,” said Martinez.

The Warriors’ junior took the lead with a first-period takedown 90 seconds into this contest, conceded an escape to Wuh, then regained his three-point advantage a 4-1 with an escape of his own at the very beginning of the second period.

“I know we both wanted that first takedown, so I knew how important it would be for me to get it first,” admitted Martinez.

Wuh would defend an ankle pick near the edge later on in the second period, but the Libertyville junior was unable to defend another attempt from Martinez (24-7) on the other side of the mat to push the lead to 7-1.

A late take-down from Wuh would make it a 7-4 final result.

132- Adrian Cohen (Deerfield)

No. 3 Deerfield junior Adrian Cohen would win his fourth major title of the season following his pin of Gideon Hayter (22-8) in a top-heavy 132-pound weight division.

Cohen, now 26-1, would earn serious consideration for outstanding wrestler honors at tourney’s end.

A state qualifier with 42 victories last year, Cohen was part of a terrific 132-pound weight class with four state-ranked men as part of the top four seeds, including his opponent in the final, No. 7 Hayter from Mahomet-Seymour.

Before these two would meet, Cohen had to get past the veteran from Maine South, Brett Harman (20-4) who will be one of the top seeds at the Conant sectional come February.

In a wide-open affair, Cohen would catch and pass Harman with a late takedown near the edge in the second period on his way to a 14-9 triumph.

Hayter would have his hands full with Naperville North’s Michael Arredondo, who was 2-6 a year ago, and has come back with a superb senior year thus far, now 20-4 after this weekend.

In another thrilling semifinal bout, Hayter would hold off Arredondo in a wild back-and-forth third period to advance with an 11-10 victory.

The final would provide little drama as it would be all Adrian Cohen, who would score at will, including a near-fall at the whistle to end the second period in the lead at 10-1.

“I felt good all day here in all of my matches – maybe just a little panic along the way but always composed,” said Cohen.

Harman would earn a third place medal with his pin of Arredondo with Chase Davis (Johnsburg) fifth overall.

138- Aiden Quevedo (Schaumburg)

After missing some time due to illness, and being away with his family, Aiden Quevado has returned with the wind fully in his sails, sending the Schaumburg junior to a well-deserved 138-pound title, his first of the year.

“I began at the Conant sectional last year with a fall, then lost my next match, before being eliminated in a sudden death blood-round loss, so during the offseason I worked so hard at Team Elite, and in the room with coach Mike Levanti because I don’t want my season to end like it did last year,” said Quevedo.

Quevado and his older brother AJ were key figures in the Saxons third consecutive regional title last year, and eventual first=ever 3A dual-team state appearance.

The Quevedo brothers were two of five champions at the Lake Park regional.

Quevedo (8-4) who began the tournament as the No. 4 seed, opened with a tech-fall, followed by a pin, and another tech-fall to send him into the final where he recorded a 14-2 major decision victory over Emmett Mazukelli (17-7) from Maine South.

Anthony Vargas (Lake Park) was third, Jack Jansen (Deerfield) fourth, and Jacob Turner (26-4) from Cary-Grove fifth.

144- Nicholas Merola (Lake Park)

If you talk to Nicholas Merola (17-1) after one of his three tournament championships earned, the Lake Park senior is rarely satisfied with the trophies he has claimed.

“I can always be better. There are parts of my game that just need to be better if I hope to get onto the podium and challenge for a state title,” admitted Merola just moments after his pin of Justus Vrona (Mahomet-Seymour, 21-7) at 2:43.

“It is important that I set the bar high for myself in order to challenge myself, and to attack, continue to score points throughout my matches, and always wrestle above my opponent, regardless of their ability and talent,” opined Merola, now with with silverware obtained at the Rex Lewis, and most recently the Erb tournament.

Deerfield sophomore Ben Howard was third, Ignacio Santander (Cary-Grove) fourth, and Schaumburg junior Brody Hinkle fifth.

150- Garrett Waisath (Mahomet-Seymour)

Garrett Waisath (23-7) would jump-start a strong Mahomet-Seymour upper-weight group to help the Bulldogs finally put both Deerfield and Wheeling in its rear view mirror, and on its way to the team title.

The Bulldogs junior would be the first of three individual champions for coach Rob Ledin’s club, and one of five who would earn second-place medals to give the eventual champions all they would need before lifting the big trophy.

“Waisath, along with Myles Hartzler, Weston Neutz, and Chris Dill broke the seal of previous placing finishes to make it to their first final of the season,” said Ledin.

“We are very lucky to be in a great room, and for those of us at the upper weighs, the hard work, focus and intensity between all of us when we are training is what helps all of us when we go out and compete,” said Waisath, now 23-7 after his tense 2-1 decision over Kai Balice (18-6) from Naperville North.

“That was not an easy match at all, I felt my defense had to be at its best because it was that type of match,” admitted Waisath.

Prior to this final, the Bulldogs were even with Deerfield, with each having 180.0 points, followed close by Wheeling at 170.5.

Tanner Jansen (Johnsburg) was third after his tech-fall victory over Levi Ardente (Cary-Grove) while Austin Berger from Wheeling was fifth.

157- Caden Ljubenko (Maine South)

Caden Ljubenko is taking all of his success during the first half of the season in stride – flying under the radar is exactly how the affable Maine South senior wants it to be from here on out.

“That’s how I want it to be for me, just lying in the weeds, barely inside the Top 10 – kind of an unknown guy until the post season begins,” said Ljubenko with a wry smile after his day of dominating the 157-pound weight class came to an end.

The No. 9-rated man in the state roared into the final after a quick 22-second pin to open his day, followed by a major decision victory to set up a match against top seed Weston Neutz from Mahomet-Seymour.

“I spend a lot of extra time working during the offseason on improving on my feet, my quickness, pace, neutral – so I feel like I’ll be ready to put together a strong late-season run,” continued Ljubenko, who would like nothing more to match the post-season heroics of former Hawks star, and 2024 state champion Teddy Flores.

Ljubenko (17-3) who plans on pursuing a degree in exercise science, and later a career in kinesiology, used a late near-fall in the second period to open up an insurmountable 10-0 advantage.

Narciso Gonzalez (Round Lake) was third, Leonardo Zavala (Cary-Grove) was fourth, and Johnsburg senior Kainoa Ancog fifth.

165- Talon Decker (Mahomet-Seymour)

No. 9 (class 2A) Talon Decker claimed his team-high fourth major title of the season with his hard fought, well deserved 10-5 decision over Vernon Hills junior Jacob Becker, who was in search of his third championship trophy of the season.

“I watched a little bit of his (Becker) semifinal that he won with a tech-fall, and he looked long and strong – so I knew I had to be smart, defend well, finish my shots, and score when I had the opportunity to do so,” said Decker, now 18-2.

After a scoreless first period, Decker took a 4-3 lead into the third period where he would start down.

An easy out for an escape would eventually become an 8-3 advantage, then 8-5 when Becker executed a reversal.

The Bulldogs junior, who was the top seed in this weight class, doubled his advantage to 10-5 where it would end.

“I’ve got two great partners in the room: Weston Neutz our 57-pounder, and Justus Vrona, who was our 44-pounder offers the perfect guy to train with because he is so quick,” said Decker, who was a state qualifier last season with a record of 38-15.

Wheeling senior Nicholas Montesinos won by decision over MSL rival Daniel Duran from Schaumburg in the third place match, with Jonathan Weissmueller from Deerfield fifth.

175- Ethan Trowbridge (Libertyville)

Ethan Trowbridge gave the home side fans plenty to celebrate when the Libertyville senior claimed the 175-pound title before an appreciative audience that watched him climb atop the podium to accept his first championship trophy of the season.

“It feels great to win here at home, and for it to be my first ever varsity title of my career,” said Trowbridge, whose remarkable 180 from a year ago has not gone unnoticed by head coach Dale Eggert.

“(Ethan) has been really solid this season, but I am not surprised because his work ethic has been terrific, as has the extra work he’s put in since the end of last season,” says Eggert.

Trowbridge, now 16-7 after his 4-0 victory over Christopher Dill (Mahomet-Seymour) was 24-20 a year ago – prompting the affable two-year starter to fine tune several parts of his game.

“Improving my fitness was important, being able to go hard for six minutes was something that I worked a lot on, plus I focused a lot on improving my fireman’s carry, Russian, tilts and fakes in order to make my attack more dangerous,” said Trowbridge.

It would be a reversal off the whistle to begin the second period that would be enough for Trowbridge to go on to victory – adding another two-point reversal 90 seconds from time to close out Dill for good.

Marty Greif from Maine South was third, Drew Sendre (DePaul College Prep) fourth, and David Hurrie (Naperville North) fifth overall.

190- Marco Casillas (Mahomet-Seymour)

Another brilliant effort from Mahomet-Seymour sophomore Marco Casillas (23-2) would send the Bulldogs star atop the podium for the third time this season, and net the No. 4 man at 190 his second outstanding wrestler award of the campaign as well.

“It all starts in the room where we have a great coaching staff, and, for me, great partners to train with – and this year, compared to last season, I feel more positive about the direction I am headed, knowing each day I go into the room, I will be better coming out,” said Casillas, who won at Mascoutah, and won the OWA at the E-Rab Giardini in Rockford in early December.

Casillas pinned his way to his 190-pound crown, needing just under 5 1/2 minutes to do so in his three matches, including his final contest against James Scanio (Libertyville, 18-5) who beat the No. 2 seed, Duke Mays (Johnsburg, 20-4) with a pin in his semifinal.

Casillas, third a year ago at state, set a program record 54 wins a year ago, dropping his lone match of the year against eventual state champion Brody Kelly (8-2) in his state semifinal.

A pair of major decision consolation victories would give him his well deserved top three state finish.

No. 7 (class 1A) Duke Mays (Johnsburg) pinned Astan Lokhov (Wheeling) for third place, while JT Hill from Naperville North did the same to earn fifth place.

215- Tavfik Ibragimov (Naperville North) 

A superb three-match performance from Tarvik Ibragimov would send the Naperville North senior on his way to claim his second major title of the season and help solidify his spot at the No. 4 spot in his weight class.

“I know I have some very good guys in front of me in the state polls, but it’s not something that I give much thought to, because, if you remember, Charles Walker went into the state tournament, was No. 3 or 4 and went on to win a state title,” said Ibragimov.

Ibragimov was referencing the stunning three-day tournament that the aforementioned Walker put together as he went through the 215-pound favorites, including No. 1 Kai Calcutt to it all.

“I put a lot of extra time in during the summer, and I’ve continued to work hard – just going out and putting together a solid effort, being smart, and trying to stay healthy for the postseason,” continued Ibragimov, who will do a pre-dental course in college with an eye on becoming an oral surgeon.

After opening his tournament with a pin, Ibragimov (24-0) bagged back-to-back tech-falls, including his 15-0 (3:44) effort over Eddie Juarez (19-4) from Wheeling.

Jackson Hjorth (Johnsburg) was third, Antonin Svaboda (Lake Park) fourth, and Aaron Alvarez from Johnsburg fifth.

285- Hunter Wahtola (DePaul College Prep)

The target of being the No. 2 man in the class 2A heavyweight division bestowed upon Hunter Wahtola does not faze the DePaul College Prep senior, who is looking to stay sharp and ready for what lies ahead come February.

The two-sport star (football) won his fourth tournament title of the season following his hard fought 8-4 victory over No. 8 Pablo Morales (15-3) from Wheeling.

“I like that as a class 2A team that we come to tournaments that offer big-school opponents and competition for all of us. It’s a great chance for all of us to see where we are at as we head into the second half of the season,” said Wahtola, now 22-1, with his lone defeat of the year coming at the hands of Loyola Academy star Kai Calcutt, who is No. 1 in the state at 215-pounds.

The Rams junior, who stands 6-3, 235 pounds, was named the Chicago Catholic League Purple Division defensive player of the year for his work along the defensive line, while also adding quality play at the fullback position.

On his way to his second straight state appearance downstate last season, Wahtola would defeat current No. 3 heavyweight, Anthony Sebastian (IC-Catholic) at regionals, sectionals, and later for third place to end his sophomore campaign with a 36-11 overall record.

Christofer Arciniega-Sanchez (Schaumburg) was third, Jake Johnson (Naperville North) fourth, and Aleks Nikolich from Libertyville fifth.