Summary of regionals feeding into the Class 1A Byron Sectional

Class 1A Stillman Valley Regional – champion Byron

Last year, Lena-Winslow/Stockton got a win in the final match of the Class 1A Polo Regional to beat rival Dakota 203-200 for the team championship. This year  at the Class 1A Stillman Valley Regional, the tables turned on the PantherHawks as Byron got a win in the heavyweight title match from Jared Claunch, its fifth first-place finish of the day, and that gave the Tigers 196 points, which was one more than Lena-Winslow/Stockton scored, which was 195. Oregon (126), Dakota (110.5) and Stillman Valley (104.5) were next best in the 11-team competition.

Beside advancing eight individuals to the sectional that it’s hosting this weekend, Byron will get to compete in the Newman Central Catholic Dual Team Sectional where it will face the team’s that has been top-ranked for much of the season by Illinois Matmen, Marian Central Catholic.

Leading the way for coach Mike Elsbury’s champion Tigers were first-place finishers Jackson Norris (120), Will Julian (138), Brody Stien (150), Kyle Jones (190) and Jared Claunch (285) while Carsen Behn (165) took second and Damien Palacios (113) and Jacob Ross (157) were third. Hunter King (126), Cael O’Horo (132), Nick Ingram (175) and Jarett Ross (215) all finished fourth and Briggs Barton (144) also added key  points to the cause.

Top performers for coach Kevin Milder’s runner-up PantherHawks were champions Arrison Bauer (132), Jared Dvorak (157) and Eli Larson (175) while Mauricio Glass (138), John Mensendike (150), Jeremiah Luke (190) and Michael Haas (215) took second place and Kameron Rowe (106), Tegan Arnold (126) and Karl Hubb (144) placed third to give them 10 individuals who will be competing in the Byron Sectional.

Other regional champions were Dakota’s Brandon White (106), Jason Bowers (144) and Noah Wenzel (215), Oregon’s Nelson Benesh (113) and Preston LaBay (126) and Genoa-Kingston’s Brady Brewick (165). Top records for regional title winners include Noah Wenzel at 215 (29-0, 1.000), Brady Brewick at 165 (36-2, .947), Kyle Jones at 190 (33-4, .892), Eli Larson at 175 (38-5, .884), Jared Dvorak at 157 (38-6, .864) and Nelson Benesh at 113 (34-6, .850).

Additional second-place finishes were turned in by Stillman Valley’s Michael Pannarale (106), Mack Jones (113) and Henry Hildreth (144), Genoa-Kingston’s Shayden McNew (126) and Xander Gleissner (175), Durand’s Ethan Foster (120), West Carroll’s Connor Knop (132), Oregon’s Anthony Bauer (157) and Galena’s William Anderson (285).

Championship matches for the Stillman Valley Regional

106 – Brandon White (Dakota) TF 4:00 Michael Pannarale (Stillman Valley)

113 – Nelson Benesh (Oregon) F 1:05 Mack Jones (Stillman Valley)

120 – Jackson Norris (Byron) MD 11-0 Ethan Foster (Durand)

126 – Preston LaBay (Oregon) F 3:13 Shayden McNew (Genoa-Kingston)

132 – Arrison Bauer (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) D 5-0 Connor Knop (West Carroll)

138 – Will Julian (Byron) F 4:32 Mauricio Glass (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)

144 – Jason Bowers (Dakota) D 5-4 Henry Hildreth (Stillman Valley)

150 – Brody Stein (Byron) D 7-0 John Mensendike (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)

157 – Jared Dvorak (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) D 6-5 Anthony Bauer (Oregon)

165 – Brady Brewick (Genoa-Kingston) D 4-2 Carsen Behn (Byron)

175 – Eli Larson (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) F 2:38 Xander Gleissner (Genoa-Kingston)

190 – Kyle Jones (Byron) SV 7-2 Jeremiah Luke (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)

215 – Noah Wenzel (Dakota) D 4-1 Michael Haas (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)

285 – Jared Claunch (Byron) F 2:55 William Anderson (Galena)

Third-place matches for the Stillman Valley Regional

106 – Kameron Rowe (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) F 2:56 Kaleb Lancaste (Genoa-Kingston)

113 – Damien Palacios (Byron) D 7-4 David Prater (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)

120 – Chase Whitehead (Winnebago) F 3:05 Jackson Messenger (Oregon)

126 – Tegan Arnold (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) F 2:53 Hunter King (Byron)

132 – Brodie Watterson (Stillman Valley) D 2-1 Cael O’Horo (Byron)

138 – Harlan Kinney (Dakota) F 2:46 Mark Nevdal (Durand)

144 – Karl Hubb (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) F 1:20 Jakobi Donegan (Oregon)

150 – Ethan Mowry (Oregon) F 0:56 Josue Arcos-Andrade (Galena)

157 – Jacob Ross (Byron) F 1:58 Connor Panoske (Dakota)

165 – Braden Rogers (Stillman Valley) F 4:10 Brady Haas (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)

175 – Dameon Poulton (Galena) SV 9-7 Nick Ingram (Byron)

190 – Quentin Berry (Oregon) D 12-8 Brock Needs (Stillman Valley)

215 – Braxton Jennings (Stillman Valley) F 4:57 Jarett Ross (Byron)

285 – Randy McPeek (Dakota) F 5:04 Blake Mollet (Stillman Valley)

Team scores for the Stillman Valley Regional

1. Byron 196, 2. Lena-Winslow/Stockton 195, 3. Oregon 126, 4. Dakota 110.5, 5. Stillman Valley 104.5, 6. Genoa-Kingston 68, 7, Galena 50, 8. Durand 25, 9. West Carroll 18, 10. Winnebago 15, 11. Boylan Catholic 7.

Class 1A Johnsburg Regional – champion Marian Central Catholic

Marian Central Catholic received a good challenge as it kicked off postseason competition as Richmond-Burton put up a good fight in the Class 1A Johnsburg Regional before the Ryan Prater/Jordan Blanton-led top-ranked Hurricanes captured top honors with 235 points while Richmond-Burton took second with 199 points with Wheaton Academy (123) and host Johnsburg (115) were next in line in the 10-team tournament that took place in Johnsburg.

Beside qualifying 11 individuals to this weekend’s Byron Sectional, Marian Central Catholic also earned the right to advance to the Newman Central Catholic Dual Team Sectional in Sterling where it will meet Byron, who edged Lena-Winslow/Stockton in the Stillman Valley Regional, for the opportunity to qualify for the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington. The Hurricanes took part in that competition each year from 2018 to 2020 under David Silva, with the highlight being a third-place finish in 2019.

Leading the way for the champion Hurricanes were first-place finishers Anthony Alanis (113), Brayden Teunissen (120), Vance Williams (132), Andrew Alvarado (138), Jimmy Mastny (157), Max Astacio (165) and Nic Astacio (175) while Austin Hagevold (106) and Dan French (190) placed second and Connor Cassels (150) and Kaleb Eckman (285) were third. Josiah Perez (126) finished fourth and Josh Gawronski (144) and Owen Neuzil (215) also helped the cause.

“We competed very well as a team, led by seven individual champions,” Blanton said, “Notably, returning state champion Anthony Alanis, won his 150th career match in the finals at 113 pounds. Our freshman competed very well, led by champions Jimmy Mastny (157) and Nic Astacio (175). We got 11 wrestlers qualified for the Byron Sectional and are excited for the opportunities ahead in the coming weeks!”

Top performers for coach Tony Nelson’s runner-up Rockets were title winners Emmett Nelson (144), Brody Rudkin (150) and Alex Reyna (190) as well as second-place finishers Kristian Gersch (113), Clay Madula (120), Kyan Gunderson (126), Dane Sorensen (138), Isaac Jones (157) and Colin Kraus (285).

Other champions in the regional were Johnsburg’s Eric Bush (106), Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger (126), St. Edward’s Dominic Savini (215) and St. Francis’ Jaylen Torres (285). Some of the best records of the regional title winners were Emmett Nelson at 144 (43-0, 1.000), Jimmy Mastny at 157 (21-1, .955), Jaylen Torres at 285 (13-1, .929), Dominic Savini at 215 (19-2, .905), Eric Bush at 106 (28-3, .903), Anthony Alanis at 113 (33-4, .892), Brody Rudkin at 150 (22-3, .880) and Lincoln Hoger at 126 (35-5, .875).

Also claiming second-place finishes were Wheaton Academy’s Will Hupke (132), Tyler Jones (144) and Chasen Kazmierczak (150), Johnsburg’s Duke Mays (165) and CJ Ameachi (215) and Marengo’s Maverick Quatroke (175).

Championship matches for the Class 1A Johnsburg Regional

106 – Eric Bush (Johnsburg) D 7-6 Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic)

113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) F 3:03 Kristian Gersch (Richmond-Burton)

120 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) TF 4:34 Clay Madula (Richmond-Burton)

126 – Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) MD 14-3 Kyan Gunderson (Richmond-Burton)

132 – Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) F 3:07 Will Hupke (Wheaton Academy)

138 – Andrew Alarado (Marian Central Catholic) MD 8-0 Dane Sorensen (Richmond-Burton)

144 – Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) MD 18-7 Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy)

150 – Brody Rudkin (Richmond-Burton) D 3-1 Chasen Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy)

157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) F 3:27 Isaac Jones (Richmond-Burton)

165 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) MD 13-5 Duke Mays (Johnsburg)

175 – Nic Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) MD 14-2 Maverick Quatroke (Marengo)

190 – Alex Reyna (Richmond-Burton) F 2:58 Dan French (Marian Central Catholic)

215 – Dominic Savini (St, Edward) D 9-3 CJ Ameachi (Johnsburg)

285 – Jayden Torres (St. Francis) D 11-4 Colin Kraus (Richmond-Burton)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A Johnsburg Regional

106 – Jonathon Sebring (Marengo) F 1:45 Nicolas Chiappetta (Wheaton Academy)

113 – Micah Klos (Johnsburg) F 2:58 Buckley Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy)

120 – Gavin Prudlick (Marengo) F 0:33 Cameron Sweeney (Johnsburg)

126 – Gavin Ekberg (North Boone) D 2-1 Josiah Perez (Marian Central Catholic)

132 – Landon Johnson (Johnsburg) MD 12-0 Owen Ostler (Marengo)

138 – Erik Bate (Johnsburg) D 1-0 Max Mulhearn (Harvest Christian Academy)

144 – Mason Lampe (Marengo) D 10-4 Chase Siguenza (St. Francis)

150 – Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) F 0:30 Isiah Harris (North Boone)

157 – Deonta Giles (Wheaton Academy) D 3-2 Ben Conte (St. Francis)

165 – Dominick Dickens (Richmond-Burton) F 5:24 Connor Sacco (Marengo)

175 – Dylan Falasca (Richmond-Burton) F 5:48 Ian Tanacea (Wheaton Academy)

190 – Logan Crowell (Alden-Hebron) D 6-5 Devin Storti (Marengo)

215 – Frankie Solis (Marengo) F 2:31 Sebastian Sandoval (North Boone)

285 – Kaleb Eckman (Marian Central Catholic) F 1:58 Kolonati Zibaya (Wheaton Academy)

Team scores for the Class 1A Johnsburg Regional

1. Marian Central Catholic 235, 2. Richmond-Burton 199, 3. Wheaton Academy 123, 4. Johnsburg 115, 5. Marengo 92, 6. St. Francis 44, 7. North Boone 38.5, 8. St, Edward 22, 9. Alden-Hebron 14, 10. Harvest Christian Academy 8.

Class 1A Fulton Regional – champion Riverdale

It was anyone’s guess as to who would prevail in the Class 1A Fulton Regional considering that there were six teams in attendance that were ranked in the top 25 by Illinois Matmen. But while there were several regionals throughout the state where things went down to the wire, that wasn’t the case at Fulton where Riverdale took top honors with 183.5 points, which was 38.5 points better than runner-up Newman Central Catholic, who scored 145 points. Kewanee (130.5) took third while Orion (123) and Rockridge (123) tied for fourth in the 11-team event.

Beside advancing eight individuals to this weekend’s Byron Sectional, the champion Rams get the chance to compete in the Newman Central Catholic Dual Team Sectional where they’ll meet Sandwich, who won its own regional tournament.

Top performers for coach Aron Kindelsperger’s first-place Rams were champions Benjamin Porter (106), Tharren Jacobs (113), Dean Wainwright (120), Blake Smith (150) and Zachary Bradley (175) while Kolton Kruse (138) finished second and Iyezayha Hill (190) and Jacob Baustian (285) took third place. Elijah Newton (126), Cole Barrett (132), Brayden Geigle (144), Brennan Huggins (157), Aaron John Scranton (165) and Jacob Schredeya (215) also competed in the regional for Riverdale.

Other Fulton Regional champions were Rockridge’s Thomas Soward (126), Jude Finch (132) and  Ryan Lower (165), Newman Central Catholic’s Briar Ivey (138), Carter Rude (144) and Daniel Kelly (157), Orion’s Maddux Anderson (190), Kewanee’s Alejandro Duarte (215) and Rock Falls’ Jacob Hosler (285). 

Some of the top records of title winners were Tharren Jacobs at 113 (40-1, .976), Dean Wainwright at 120 (40-1, .976), Carter Rude at 144 (39-1, .975), Blake Smith at 150 (43-2, .956), Maddux Anderson (41-2 at 190), Ryan Lower at 165 (39-2, ,951), Zachary Bradley (44-3, .936), Daniel Kelly at 157 (37-3, .925), Alejandro Duarte at 215 (33-3, .917) and Briar Ivey at 138 (37-4, ,902).

Also finishing in second place were Fulton’s Zander Ketelsen (106), Skyler Crooks (157) and Mason Kuebel (175), Kewanee’s Kingston Peterson (113) and Jackson Hawkins (190), Orion’s Cole Perkins (126) and Aiden Fisher (215), Erie/Prophetstown’s Wyatt Goossens (144) and Caleb Reymer (285), Morrison’s Karder White (150) and Brady Anderson (165), Newman Central Catholic’s Brady Grennan (132) and Rock Falls’ Josiah Tarbill (120).

Championship matches for the Class 1A Fulton Regional

106 – Benjamin Porter (Riverdale) MD 10-2 Zander Ketelsen (Fulton)

113 – Tharren Jacobs (Riverdale) F 3:04 Kingston Peterson (Kewanee)

120 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) F 1:07 Josiah Tarbill (Rock Falls) 

126 – Thomas Soward (Rockridge) D 8-4 Cole Perkins (Orion)

132 – Jude Finch (Rockridge)) D 2-1 Brady Grennan (Newman Central Catholic)

138 – Briar Ivey (Newman Central Catholic) D 6-3 Kolton Kruse (Riverdale)

144 – Carter Rude (Newman Central Catholic) MD 14-3 Wyatt Goossens (Erie/Prophetstown)

150 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) F 0:30 Karder White (Morrison)

157 – Daniel Kelly (Newman Central Catholic) MD 17-7 Skylier Crooks (Fulton)

165 – Ryan Lower (Rockridge) F 2:34 Brady Anderson (Morrison)

175 – Zachary Bradley (Riverdale)) F 4:47 Mason Kuebel (Fulton)

190 – Maddux Anderson (Orion) F 1:13 Jackson Hawkins (Kewanee)

215 – Alejandro Duarte (Kewanee) F 4:24 Aiden Fisher (Orion)

285 – Jacob Hosler (Rock Falls) F 0:46 Caleb Reymer (Erie/Prophetstown)

Third-place matches from the Class 1A Fulton Regional

106 – Tyler Olson (Orion) D 6-4 Luke Werner (Sherrard)

113 – Colton Bock (Rockridge) F 0:23 Braiden Krahl (Sherrard)

120 – Kaleb Sovey (Orion) F 3:38 Landyn Greenhagen (Kewanee)

126 – Zhyler Hansen (Newman Central Catholic) F 0:47 Blake Pender (Sherrard)

132 – Caleb Modglin (Morrison) F 2:44 Jacob Gibson (Erie/Prophetstown)

138 – Camden Pruis (Morrison) D 18-11 Benjamin Taylor (Kewanee)

144 – Adam Jacks (Alleman) F 1:37 Levi Milder (Morrison)

150 – Tristan Hovey (Erie/Prophetstown) D 8-4 Kaden Dutton (Sherrard)

157 – Victor Bonnell (Erie/Prophetstown) D 13-10 Preston Brunat (Rockridge)

165 – Joey McGuire (Kewanee) F 2:36 Ben Geske (Newman Central Catholic)

175 – Jamal Lasenby (Kewanee) D 6-5 Nolan Loete (Orion)

190 – Iyezayha Hill (Riverdale) F 4:43 Peyton Pirog (Alleman)

215 – Tanner McKeag (Rockridge) D 6-2 Joey Magee (Alleman)

285 – Jacob Baustian (Riverdale) F 3:01 Chris Carroll (Fulton)

Team scores for the Class 1A Fulton Regional

1. Riverdale 183.5, 2. Newman Central Catholic 145, 3. Kewanee 130.5, 4. Orion 123, 4. Rockridge 123, 6. Morrison 110, 7. Erie/Prophetstown  96, 8. Fulton 75, 9. Rock Falls 69.5, 10. Sherrard 60, 11. Alleman 39.

  Class 1A Sandwich Regional – champion Sandwich

The last time that Sandwich won a regional title was in 2022 and the Indians followed up on that by getting a huge win over Lena-Winslow Stockton in the Rock Falls Dual Team Sectional to earn their 12th appearance in the IHSA Finals and cap a  22-5 season. Now coach Derek Jones hopes that his program can get back to state and win their first trophy since 2012 when it took fourth for coach Josh McCarty.

Sandwich started its postseason in a fine fashion, collecting 205.5 points to finish 35.5 points ahead of runner-up Princeton, which scored 170 points. Marquette Academy (119.5) and Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio (112) were next in the 11-team competition that took place in Sandwich. Beside sending qualifiers to this weekend’s Byron Sectional, the Indians will compete in the Newman Central Catholic Dual Team Sectional where they’ll meet, Riverdale, which took first place in the very competitive Fulton Regional.

Leading the way for Sandwich were champions Colten Stone (113), Cooper Corder (138), Miles Corder (144) and Ian Hawkins (150) while Jack Forth (132) and Kaden Clevenger (175) took second place and Jacob Ross (106), Jakob Gruca (120), Wyatt Gregory (126), Sy Smith (157) and Kai Kern (165) all won third-place matches to advance to the sectional. Luis Murillo (215) took fourth while Tristen King (190) and Eddie Hernandez (285) also got to compete in the team’s final event on the home mats this season.

Top performers for IWCOA Hall of Famer Steve Amy and his runner-up Princeton Tigers were title winners Augustus Swanson (106), Preston Arkels (157), Casey Etheridge (165), Ian Morris (215) and Cade Odell (285) while Ace Christiansen (138) took second place. 

Other regional champions were St. Bede Academy’s Hunter Savage (132) and Grady Gillan (190), Lisle Senior’s Alexander Ferari (120), Marquette Academy’s Beau Thompson (126) and Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio’s Lucas Blanton (175). Regional champions with the top records include Augustus Swanson at 106 (29-1, .967), Cade Odell at 285 (27-1, .964), Ian Hawkins at 150 (13-1, .929), Cooper Corder at 138 (29-3, .906) and Alexander Ferari at 120 (27-4, .871).

Also claiming second-place finishes were Marquette Academy’s Koby Clark (113), Reily Leifheit (157) and Alex Schaefer (165), Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio’s Landon Blanton (120), Chase Montavon (126) and Evan Flanagan (215), Aurora Central Catholic’s Vince Hefke (106) and Joaquin Martinez (190), Lisle Senior’s Johnny Consuegra-Lopez (144), St. Bede Academy’s Logan Pineda (150) and Mendota’s Angil Serrano (285)

Championship matches for the Class 1A Sandwich Regional

106 – Augustus Swanson (Princeton) F 5:55 Vince Hefke (Aurora Central Catholic)

113 – Colten Stone (Sandwich) D 4-2 Koby Clark (Marquette Academy)

120 – Alexander Ferari (Lisle) SV 3-1 Landon Blanton (Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio)

126 – Beau Thompson (Marquette Academy)  F 1:44 Chase Montavon (Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMaille/Ohio)

132 – Hunter Savage (St. Bede Academy) D 9-5 Jack Forth (Sandwich)

138 – Cooper Corder (Sandwich) D 7-6 Ace Christiansen (Princeton)

144 – Miles Corder (Sandwich) F 4:31 Johnny Consuegra-Lopez (Lisle)

150 – Ian Hawkins (Sandwich) F 1:24 Logan Pineda (St. Bede Academy)

157 – Preston Arkels (Princeton) D 5-1 Reily Leifheit (Marquette Academy)

165 – Casey Etheridge (Princerton) F 1:33 Alex Schaefer (Marquette Academy)

175 – Lucas Blanton (Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center.LaMoille/Ohio) F 1:58 Kaden Clevenger (Sandwich)

190 – Grady Gillan (St. Bede Academy) F 1:59 Joaquin Martinez (Aurora Central Catholic)

215 – Ian Morris (Princeton) F 2:50 Evan Flanagan (Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center, LaMoille/Ohio)

285 – Cade Odell (Princeton) D 7-0 Angil Serrano (Mendota)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A Sandwich Regional

106 – Jacob Ross (Sandwich( F 2:00 Ty Florschuetz (Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio)

113 – Chase Huggins (Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio) MD 14-6 Tilar Murphy (Mooseheart)

120 – Jakob Gruca (Sandwich) TF 2:42 Jaydon Cooke (Princeton(

126 – Wyatt Gregory (Sandwich) D 9-5 Jaime Briceno (Mooseheart)

132 – Trayvon Rucker (Mendota) F 2:15 Owen Haggerty (Somonauk)

138 – Caiden Heath (Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio) F 5:53 Marco Rizzi (St. Bede Academy)

144 – Brysen Manley (Marquette Academy) MD 17-5 Abram Longeville (Princeton)

150 – Michael Kurth (Princeton) F 3:11 Nolan Demink (Marquette Academy)

157 – Sy Smith (Sandwich) F 5:31 David Skonieczny (Lisle)

165 – Kai Kern (Sandwich) F 3:00 Jack Maschmann (St. Bede Academy)

175 – Garrett Connelly (St. Bede Academy) F 1:02 Grant Dose (Marquette Academy)

190 – Eli Berlin (Princeton) F 1:24 Alex Tucker (Putnam County)

215 – Madrick Musgrove (Mendota) F 0:48 Luis Murillo (Sandwich)

285 – Elijah Leota (Putnam County) F 1:07 Adrian Schaefer (Marquette Academy)

Team scores for the Class 1A Sandwich Regional

1. Sandwich 205.5, 2. Princeton 170, 3. Marquette Academy 119.5, 4.  Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio 112, 5. St. Bede Academy 94, 6. Mendota 57, 7. Lisle 53, 8. Aurora Central Catholic 34, 9. Putnam County 26, 10. Mooseheart 18, 11. Somonauk 4.

Summary of regionals feeding into the Chicago Hope Academy Sectional

Class 1A Walther Christian Academy Regional – champion Rickover Naval Academy

There’s a lot of ways to score one point in a tournament so when that’s all that separates the top two teams in a regional, the analysis of what might have been could go on for quite some time.

That’s the margin that separated Rickover Naval Academy and Sullivan at the Class 1A Walther Christian Academy Regional. Coach Andrew Holden’s Sea Dragons had seven sectional qualifiers and scored 146 points while coach Calvin Clark’s Tigers had 145 points to finish second. Golder College Prep (137) and Ida Crown (129) were next in line in the 11-team competition in Melrose Park. According to the IHSA website, Rickover Naval Academy had won no regional titles in a boys sport and just one title in any sport, in girls soccer in 2012.  

As a result of its historic regional title, Rickover Naval Academy, a Chicago school named for Navy Admiral Hyman Rickover, a Chicago native who’s regarded as the father of the nuclear Navy, will compete in the Coal City Dual Team Sectional and if it defeats Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville, it advances to the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

Winning titles for the champion Sea Dragons were Jonathan Pawlowski (113), Breyon Wallace (120), Justin Hernandez (138) and Brandon Valbuena (144) while Justin Chogllo (106) and Jacob Pizarro (132) finished second and Damian Hryniewicki (157) placed third to all qualify for the Chicago Hope Academy Sectional. Naruto Martinez (175) took fourth while Chris Uzhca (126), Mohammed Al-Tabaqchali (150), Evan Grabowski (165), Christopher Chogllo (190), Adam El Atrassi (215) and Juan Vega Hernandez (285) all helped to secure the regional title.

Sullivan got first-place finishes from Mohammed Zia Nadre (106) and Charles Harris (285) while Mohsen Maliky (138), Tunmise Alonge (144), Abobaker Stanikzai (150) and Ibrahim Diakite (157) all claimed second-place finishes to give it six sectional qualifiers.

Northridge Prep had four champions, George McShane (150), Jon Suter (165), Adam Haddad (175) and Nick Belcore (215). Other regional title winners were Walther Christian Academy’s Caleb Peterson (126), Ida Crown’s Gabriel Klein (132), Golder College Prep’s Santiago Hernandez (157) and Melanie Clark Academic Prep’s Marquise Hightower (190). Two of the top records of champs were Jon Suter at 165 (29-2, .935) and Gabriel Klein at 132 (16-2, .889).

Others who claimed second-place finishes were Golder College Prep’s Yahir Garcia (113), Paris Guerra (120) and Jose Puga (165), Ida Crown’s Ari Klein (126), Millo Benmelech (175), Melanie Clark Academic Prep’s Jalin Powell (215) and Amarjae Devine (285) and Northridge Prep’s Mason Wagner (190).

Championship matches for the Class 1A Walther Christian Academy Regional

106 – Mohammed Zia Nadre (Sullivan) F 0:59 Justin Chogllo (Rickover Naval Academy)

113 – Jonathan Pawlowski (Rickover Naval Academy) F 3:41 Yahir Garcia (Golder College Prep)

120 – Breyon Wallace (Rickover Naval Academy) F 0:34 Paris Guerra (Golder College Prep)

126 – Caleb Peterson (Walther Christian Academy) F 1:33 Ari Klein (Ida Crown)

132 – Gabriel Klein (Ida Crown) D 11-9 Jacob Pizarro (Rickover Naval Academy)

138 – Justin Hernandez (Rickover Naval Academy) D 7-1 Mohsen Maliky (Sullivan)

144 – Brandon Valbuena (Rickover Naval Academy) MD 12-4 Tunmise Alonge (Sullivan)

150 – George McShane (Northridge Prep) F 2:16 Abokaker Stanikzai (Sullivan)

157 – Santiago Hernandez (Golder College Prep) F 2:15 Ibrahim Diakite (Sullivan)

165 – Jon Suter (Northridge Prep) F 1:36 Jose Puga (Golder College Prep)

175 – Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep) F 2:41 Millo Benmelech (Ida Crown)

190 – Marquise Hightower (Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet) F 0:41 Mason Wagner (Northridge Prep)

215 – Nick Belcore (Northridge Prep) F 5:40 Jalin Powell (Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet)

285 – Charles Harris (Sullivan) F 1:09 Amarjae Devine (Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A Walther Christian Academy Regional

106 – Megill Hamieri (Ida Crown) F 1:50 Joksan Ramos (Golder College Prep)

120 – Sandra Jimenez (Walther Christian Academy) – no opponent

126 – Bartosz Luberda (Chicago Academy) F 1:33 Ashiq Zazai (Sullivan)

132 – Alejandro Salas (Golder College Prep) F 2:54 Adam Lyaazale (Chicago Academy)

138 – Liam Drysch (Golder College Prep) F 1:36 Keandre Bates (Marshall)

144 – Christian Eddy (Walther Christian Academy) F 0:56 Benny Lowenthal (Ida Crown)

150 – Jacob Z. Friedman (Ida Crown) F 1:27 Frank Robinson (Marshall)

157 – Damian Hryniewicki (Rickover Naval Academy) F 4:35 Ruben Hernandez (Chicago Academy)

165 – Darence Sanders (Clements) F 2:56 Isiah Lockhart (Sullivan)

175 – Martin Limas (Golder College Prep) F 3:48 Naruto Martinez (Rickover Naval Academy)

190 – Dory Marshall (Ida Crown) F 1:34 Ernesto Ramirez (Golder College Prep)

215 – Meir Aberman (Ida Crown) F 1:00 Almojtaba Mahgoub (Sullivan)

285 – Tom Suter (Northridge Prep) F 2:57 Brian Gutierrez (Walther Christian Academy)

Team scores for the Class 1A Walther Christian Academy Regional

1. Rickover Naval Academy 146, 2. Sullivan 145, 3. Golder College Prep 137, 4, Ida Crown 129, 5. Northridge Prep 126.5, 6. Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet 62, 7. Walther Christian Academy 61, 8. Chicago Academy 28, 9. Clemente 23, 10. Marshall 21, 11. Noble Academy 4.

Class 1A Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville Regional – champion Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville

It’s got to be a good feeling to know that if you can win an opening-round postseason individual tournament and then follow up on that over two weeks later with a winning performance in a different type of competition that you are one of the last eight teams in the state in your class and you get the opportunity to compete in an IHSA Finals.

Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville no doubt feels fortunate to be in that position after taking top honors at its own Class 1A regional where it scored 176 points to finish 58 points in front of runner-up Leo. Now all coach Francisco Reyes’ Eagles need to do is defeat Rickover Naval Academy in the Coal City Dual Team Sectional and they’ll become one of the eight Class 1A teams in the field at the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington. 

The champion Eagles had four champions and eight finalists and qualified all 10 of their entrants for this weekend’s Chicago Hope Academy Sectional. 

Leading the way for Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville were title winners Ryan Singleton (144), Jemel Obrien (150), Caleb Gordon (165) and Sean Brown (215) while Gustavo Benitez-Mendez (120), Jayden Clair (132), Corey Davis (138) and Denzel Adjel (175) took second place and Justin Soria (126) and Dalauren Edwards (285) placed third to qualify for the sectional. 

Perspectives Leadership Academy had three champions Kenye Flanagan (106), Donald Burton, Jr. (120) and Mivontae Russell (190). Leo’s title winners were Vandell Dudley (126) and Nicholas Armour (285) and Corliss got firsts from Demetrice Davis (132) and Laquaris Moore (157). Other regional title winners were Hyde Park Academy’s Amarie Franklin (113), South Shore International College Prep’s Dakhari Esters (138) and Harlan’s Joel Stokes (175). 

Some of the top records of regional champions were Mivontae Russell at 190 (17-0, 1.000), Sean Brown at 215 (21-1, .955), Donald Burton, Jr. at 120 (17-1, .944), Kenye Ferguson at 106 (15-1, .938), Dakhari Esters at 138 (9-1, .900), Demetrice Davis at 132 (17-2, .895) and Nicholas Armour at 285 (31-4, .886).

Leo had three second-place finishers,  Byron Lee (106), Taylor Atkins (157) and Jubril Kannike (165). Corliss also had three runners-up, Jashawn Evans (113), Deangelo Willis (144) and Derrick Nash (150). The other four individuals who placed second were Perspectives Leadership Academy’s Nicario Bella (126) and Elijah Jamison (215), South Shore International College Prep’s Reginald Craig (190) and Hyde Park Academy’s Justin Powell (285).

Championship matches for the Class 1A Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville Regional

106 – Kenye Flanagan (Perspectives Leadership Academy) F 1:48 Byron Lee (Leo)

113 – Amarie Franklin (Hyde Park Academy) F 2:47 Jashawn Evans (Corliss)

120 – Donald Burton, Jr. (Perspectives Leadership Academy) F 1:59 Gustavo Benitez-Mendez (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville)

126 – Vandell Dudley (Leo) F 1:23 Nicario Bella (Perspectives Leadership Academy)

132 – Demetrice Davis (Corliss) F 3:38 Jayden Clair (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville)

138 – Dakhari Esters (South Shore International College Prep) F 1:21 Corey Davis (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville)

144 – Ryan Singleton (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) F 4:49 Deangelo Willis (Corliss)

150 – Jemel Obrien (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) F 1:50 Derrick Nash (Corliss)

157 – Laquaris Moore (Corliss) F 3:32 Taylor Atkins (Leo)

165 – Caleb Gordon (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) F 1:42 Jubril Kannike (Leo)

175 – Joel Stokes (Harlan) F 0:49 Denzel Adjei (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville)

190 – Mivontae Russell (Perspectives Leadership Academy) F 0:25 Reginald Craig (South Shore International College Prep)

215 – Sean Brown (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) F 2:50 Elijah Jamison (Perspectives Leadership Academy)

285 – Nicholas Armour (Leo) DQ Justin Powell (Hyde Park Academy)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville Regional

113 – Daveon Farmer (Perspectives Leadership Academy) F 1:27 Justin Thompson (Leo)

120 – Ismail Ayyash (Universal School) D 9-5 Vincent Daniel (Corliss)

126 – Justin Soria (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) F 3:40 Malachi Mcclure (Corliss)

132 – Muizz Shalabi (Universal School) F 1:10 Tyler Wilcox (Leo)

138 – Aiden Bright (Leo) F 1:45 Nakia Smith (Corliss)

144 – Adam Fahsi (Universal School) F 3:25 Kaliqu Razaaq (Leo)

150 – Venson Jones (Leo) – no opponent

165 – Grant Smith (Corliss) F 4:51 Josiah Lee (Fenger)

175 – Leslie Teague (Corliss) F 0:31 Khamari Carter (Leo)

190 – Makel Robinson (Hyde Park Academy) F 1:28 Chevy Vaughns (Harlan)

215 – Amir Abdul-Shakur (Leo) F 0:24 Ahmed Ali (Universal School)

285 – Dalauren Edwards (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) F 0:55 Michael Parks (Perspectives Leadership Academy)

Team scores for the Class 1A Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville Regional

1. Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville 176, 2. Leo 118., 3. Perspectives Leadership Academy 105, 4. Corliss 104, 5. South Shore International College Prep 45. 6. Universal School 41, 7. Hyde Park Academy 35, 8. Harlan 28, 9. Fenger 11.

Class 1A Wilmington Regional – champion Coal City

Coal City began its quest to repeat as IHSA Class 1A champions by rolling to an easy title victory at the Class 1A Wilmington Regional. The Coalers had eight champions and two other sectional qualifiers to score 245.5 points. That total was 108 points more than runner Clifton Central, who scored 137.5 points to edge Seneca (136) for third place while Bishop McNamara (110) finished fourth in the 10-team competition that took place in Wilmington.

Beside advancing 10 individuals to this weekend’s Chicago Hope Academy Sectional, the Coalers, coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Famer Mark Masters, advance to their own dual meet sectional where they’ll meet De La Salle Institute for the opportunity to qualify for the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington for the seventh time since 2015, during which time time they won their first state title last year, placed second on three occasions and took third place twice.

Winning titles for Coal City were Owen Petersen (106), Cooper Morris (113), Culan Lindemuth (120), Brody Widlowski (126), Noah Houston (132), Brant Widlowski (150), Landin Benson (165) and Cade Poyner (190) while Mason Garner (138) took second and Brock Finish (144) finished third. James Keigher (175) and Emmett Easton (215) placed fourth while Trace Wilson (157) and Payton Vigna (285) scored points for the Coalers.

“The Coalers are looking to make some noise at the individual state tournament and improve on their 35-5 dual meet record,” Masters said.

Seneca had three champions, Gunner Varland (157), Chris Peura (215) and Jeremy Gagnon (285). Other regional title winners were Dwight’s Dylan Crouch (138), Peotone’s Micah Spinazzola (144) and Manteno’s Carter Watkins (175). 

Some of the top records of the regional champions are Dylan Crouch at 138 (42-1, .977), Carter Watkins at 175 (30-2, .938), Owen Petersen at 106 (40-3, .930), Brant Widlowski at 150 (40-3, .930), Chris Peura at 215 (41-4, .911) and Landin Benson at 165 (19-2, .905).

Clifton Central had four second-place finishers, Kayden Cody (132), Gianni Panozzo (144), Brody O’Connor (215) and Noah Gomez (285) while Wilmington had three individuals who took second, Landon Dooley (120), Parker Adams (157) and Logan VanDuyne (190). Other runners-up were Seneca’s Raiden Terry (106) and Nate Othon (150), Peotone’s Blake Anderson (113) and Ian Kreske (165), Herscher’s Gerrit Osenga (126) and Reed-Custer’s Rex Pfeifer (175).

Championship matches for the Class 1A Wilmington Regional

106 – Owen Peterson (Coal City) D 7-1 Raiden Terry (Seneca)

113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) F 1:44 Blake Anderson (Peotone)

120 – Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) F 4:17 Landon Dooley (Wilmington)

126 – Brody Widlowski (Coal City) F 3:06 Gerrit Osenga (Herscher)

132 – Noah Houston (Coal City) F 4:20 Kayden Cody (Clifton Central/Iroquois West) 

138 – Dylan Crouch (Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington) D 6-4 Mason Garner (Coal City)

144 – Micah Spinazzola (Peotone) D 3-0 Gianni Panozzo (Clifton Central/Iroquois West)

150 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) F 1:29 Nate Othon (Seneca)

157 – Gunner Varland (Seneca) MD 14-6 Parker Adams (Wilmington)

165 – Landin Benson (Coal City) D 13-6 Ian Kreske (Peotone)

175 – Carter Watkins (175) D 9-3 Rex Pfeifer (Reed-Custer)

190 – Cade Poyner (Coal City) F 1:56 Logan VanDuyne (Wilmington)

215 – Chris Peura (Seneca) F 1:19 Brody O’Connor (Clifton Central/Iroquois West)

285 – Jeremy Gagnon (Seneca) For Noah Gomez (Clifton Central/Iroquois West)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A Wilmington Regional

106 – Owen Bollino (Herscher) F 2:28 Aiden Baud (Bishop McNamara)

113 – Beau Williams (Clifton Central/Iroquois West) F 3:29 Tyson Whittum (Reed-Custer)

120 – Blake Arseneau (Bishop McNamara) F 1:26 Ethan Othon (Seneca)

126 – Oakley Rivera (Wilmington) F 0:41 Brady Anders (Manteno)

132 – Alex Kostecka (Bishop McNamara) F 2:55 Jordan Kamide (Peotone)

138 – Giona Panozzo (Clifton Central/Iroquois West) F 3:51 Cole Kimberlin (Bishop McNamara)

144 – Brock Finch (Coal City) MD 12-0 Jeremy Eggleston (Reed-Custer)

150 – Santino Izzi (Peotone) D 11-4 Matt Swisher (Wilmington)

157 – Chris Andrade (Clifton Central/Iroquois West) F 1:55 Tristin Golden (Bishop McNamara)

165 – Kayden Roach (Bishop McNamara) TF 4:24 Adrian Aleman (Reed-Custer)

175 – Asher Hamby (Seneca) MD 12-2 James Keigher (Coal City)

190 – Hunter Hull (Clifton Central/Iroquois West) F 1:54 Drew Lowenstrom (Bishop McNamara)

215 – Dominic Alaimo (Reed-Custer) D 3-1 Emmett Easton (Coal City)

285 – Kian Bramer (Bishop McNamara) MD 12-3 Matthew Stone (Herscher)

Team scores for the Class 1A Wilmington Regional

1. Coal City 245.5, 2. Clifton Central/Iroquois West 137.5, 3. Seneca 136, 4. Bishop McNamara 110, 5. Wilmington 91, 6. Peotone 76, 7. Reed-Custer 67.5, 8. Herscher 64, 9. Manteno 42, 10. Dwight/gardner-South Wilmington 29.

Class 1A De La Salle Institute Regional – champion De La Salle

De La Salle Institute held off a determined challenge to capture its own Class 1A regional championship by scoring 208  points, which was 10.5 points ahead of runner-up Chicago Hope Academy. Westmont (102) and Phoenix Military Academy (93) were the next-best finishers in the 10-team competition that took place in Chicago.

Coach Jason Davidson’s champion Meteors had six champions and eight finalists to help it get 10 qualifiers for this weekend’s Chicago Hope Academy Sectional. In addition, De La Salle will compete in the Coal City Dual Team Sectional against the hosts and defending Class 1A champion Coalers on Tuesday, February 20. 

Leading the way for De La Salle were champions Jeremiah Lawrence (106), Darrel Oman (113), Mario Perez (132), Nicholas Arvetis (157), Josue Hernandez (175) and David McCarthy (285) while Anthony Trendle (120) and Malik Warren (165) placed second and Patrick Young (150) and Terrelle Jackson (190) finished third to earn sectional trips. Damian Gomez (126) and Melvin Cannon (144) took fourth while Connor Parker (138) and Marquis Mays (215) scored points to help their team capture the championship.

Top performers for Chicago Hope Academy were title winners Josiah Willis (120), Santiago Chaparro (144), Arkail Griffin (150) and Ismael Martinez (165) while Nathan Sosa-Dykstra (126), Dylan Galvez (138), Tony Jones-Blakely (157), Miguel Rodriguez (175) and Roy Phelps (285).took second to give coach Dan Willis’ Eagles nine sectional qualifiers. Chicago Hope Academy was hoping to repeat as a regional champion.

Other first-place finishers were Phoenix Military Academy’s Jose Lua (138) and Kaleb Abney (215), Westmont’s Christian Rosa (126) and King College Prep’s Calvin Savage (190). Some of the best records of champions belong to Calvin Savage at 190 (31-1, .969), Santiago Chaparro at 144 (42-2, .955), Jose Lua at 138 (17-2, .895) and Josue Hernandez at 175 (25-5, .833).

Also claiming second-place finishes were Nazareth Academy’s Aleksander Ramos (106), Andrew Fowler (150) and Scott Creviston (190), Horizon Science Academy – Southwest Chicago’s Emmanuel Aguilar (113) and Samel Marrero (215) and King College Prep’s Moses Pittman (132) and Zahir Mbengue (144). 

Championship matches for the Class 1A De La Salle Institute Regional

106 – Jeremiah Lawrence (De La Salle Institute) F 0:50 Aleksander Ramos (Nazareth Academy)

113 – Darrel Oman (De La Salle Institute) F 3:07 Emmanuel Aguilar (Horizon Science Academy – Southwest Chicago)

120 – Josiah Willis (Chicago Hope Academy) F 1:34 Anthony Trendle (De La Salle Institute)

126 – Christian Rosa (Westmont) F 3:03 Nathan Sosa-Dykstra (Chicago Hope Academy)

132 – Mario Perez (De La Salle Institute) F 3:56 Moses Pittman (King College Prep)

138 – Jose Lua (Phoenix Military Academy) F 3:49 Dylan Galvez (Chicago Hope Academy)

144 – Santiago Chaparro (Chicago Hope Academy) TF Zahir Mbengue (King College Prep)

150 – Arkail Griffin (Chicago Hope Academy) MD 11-3 Andrew Fowler (Nazareth Academy)

157 – Nicholas Arvetis (De La Salle Institute) Tony-Jones Blakely (Chicago Hope Academy)

165 – Ismael Martinez (Chicago Hope Academy) D 1-0 Malik Warren (De La Salle Institute)

175 – Josue Hernandez (De La Salle Institute) F 0:27 Miguel Rodriguez (Chicago Hope Academy)

190 – Calvin Savage (King College Prep) F 5:12 Scott Creviston (Nazareth Academy)

215 – Kaleb Abney (Phoenix Military Academy) F 4:24 Samel Marrero (Horizon Science Academy – Southwest Chicago)

285 – David McCarthy (De La Salle Institute) D 3-0 Roy Phelps (Chicago Hope Academy)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A De La Salle Institute Regional

106 – Damarcus Washington (King College Prep) F 1:53 Chris Tirado (Phoenix Military Academy)

113 – Charlie Dvorak (Nazareth Academy) F 1:08 RaSean Fenner (Chicago Hope Academy)

120 – Elijah Torres (Phoenix Military Academy) F 4:37 Alontae Lorek (Horizon Science Academy- Southwest Chicago)

126 – David Carrera (Phoenix Military Academy) F 3:02 Damian Gomez (De La Salle Institute)

132 – Laneal Conley (Westmont) F 3:54 Mike Garcia (Chicago Hope Academy)

138 – Joseph Salerno (Westmont)  F 0:50 James Furlong (Nazareth Academy)

144 – Zaiden Amos (Phoenix Military Academy) D 10-9 Melvin Cannon (De La Salle Institute)

150 – Patrick Young (De La Salle Institute) F 4:28 Sean Patterson (Westmont)

157 – Ben Lukes (Nazareth Academy) F 0:46 Tyler Saylor (Tilden)

165 – Alex Dvorak (Nazareth Academy) – no opponent

175 – Vincent Willkommen (Westmont) F 2:12 Elijah Prophett (King College Prep)

190 – Terrelle Jackson (De La Salle Institute) F 5:44 Alex Garcia (Chicago Hope Academy)

215 – Rafael Castrejon-Tello (Westmont) F 2:23 Brayden Walker (Chicago Hope Academy)

285 – Tyerre Freeman (Westmont) F 0:24 Shuan Gill (King College Prep)

Team scores for the Class 1A De La Salle Institute Regional

1. De La Salle Institute 208, 2. Chicago Hope Academy 197.5, 3. Westmont 102, 4. Phoenix Military Academy 93, 5. Nazareth Academy 84, 6, King College Prep 75, 7. Horizon Science Academy – Southwest Chicago 47, 8. Wendell Phillips Academy 5.5, 9. Tilden 4, 10, DuSable 0.

Regionals feeding into the Class 1A Olympia Individual Sectional and Class 1A LeRoy Dual Team Sectional

Class 1A PORTA Regional – champion Canton

Canton edged PORTA 226-221 to capture the title of the PORTA Regional in Petersburg to repeat as a regional champion, which is quite an accomplishment for a program that had only won two regionals before last season, which was their first regional title since 2009.  

Although coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants graduated several top performers from their first team to compete in the IHSA Dual Team Finals, they denied IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Jeff Hill, the IHSA’s all-time leader in dual meet victories, and his PORTA Bluejays of winning their first regional championship since 2015, which ended a string of 15-straight titles for the program. Central of Camp Point finished third with 131.5 points in the 11-team competition.

The champion Little Giants had four title winners, seven finalists and 11 qualifiers for the Olympia Sectional in Stanford. Taking firsts were Dyllan Steele (106), Maddux Steele (113), Danny Murphy (190) and Connor Williams (285) while Mason Bilbrey (126), Gus Lidwell (175) and Grant Kessler (215) placed second. Finishing third and qualifying for the sectional were Austin Brewer (120), Jireh Hedges (132), Aden Greene (157) and Jacob Latimer (165) while Alex Carrier (138) and Daniel Kees (150) took fourth and Grady Smith (144) also competed.

Canton earned a spot in the LeRoy Dual Team Sectional where it will meet the hosts, LeRoy/Tri-Valley, who rallied to win the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Regional, with the winner advancing to the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

Leading the way for coach Jeff Hill’s runner-up PORTA Bluejays were its five champions, Zach Bryant (120), Hunter King (126), Logan Baker (132), Mike Minor (138) and Justin Zimmerman (157), while Cael Cotner (150) and Brayden Barner (165) placed second. Anthony Hull (106), Jacob Vogel (144) and Dane Jiannoni (190) took third and advanced to the sectional.

The other five PORTA Regional champions were Quincy Notre Dame’s Bradi Lahr (144) and Taylin Scott (215), Warsaw/Hamilton’s Evan Carel (150), Central’s Conner Griffin (165) and Illini West’s Shawn Watkins (175). Some of the top records for the regional champions were Danny Murphy at 190 (40-1, .976), Connor Williams at 285 (37-1, .974), Taylin Scott at 215 (40-3, .930) and Bradi Lahr at 144 (34-4, .895).

Central had four runners-up, Charlie Welch (106), Case Hughes (113), Kayne Mitchell (144) and Jack Thompson (157). Also finishing in second place were Macomb’s Ethan Hoyt (120) and Damome Johnson (132), Williamsville’s Matthew Miller (138), Quincy Notre Dame’s Ryan Darnell (190) and Beardstown’s Chunk Dailey (285).

Championship matches for the Class 1A PORTA Regional 

106 – Dyllan Steele (Canton) F 2:20 Charlie Welch (Camp Point Central)

113 – Maddux Steele (Canton) F 2:57 Case Hughes (Camp Point Central)

120 – Zach Bryant (PORTA) F 0:52 Ethan Hoyt (Macomb)

126 – Hunter King (PORTA) F 3:49 Mason Bilbrey (Canton)

132 – Logan Baker (PORTA) F 2:25 Damome Johnson (Macomb)

138 – Mike Minor (PORTA) MD 13-3 Matthew Miller (Williamsville)

144 – Bradi Lahr (Quincy Notre Dame) F 3:43 Kanye Mitchell (Camp Point Central)

150 – Evan Carel (Warsaw/Hamilton) D 6-2 Cael Cotner (PORTA)

157 – Justin Zimmerman (PORTA) D 4-2 Jack Thompson (Camp Point Central)

165 – Conner Griffin (Camp Point Central) D 7-5 Brayden Barner (PORTA)

175 – Shawn Watkins (Illini West) F 1:51 Gus Lidwell (Canton)

190 – Danny Murphy (Canton) F 5:27 Ryan Darnell (Quincy Notre Dame)

215 – Taylin Scott (Quincy Notre Dame) F 1:26 Grant Kessler (Canton)

285 – Connor Williams (Canton) F 5:49 Chunk Dailey (Beardstown)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A PORTA Regional

106 – Anthony Hull (PORTA) F 1:50 Eli Carel (Warsaw/Hamilton)

113 – Alex Armenta (Beardstown) F 4:10 Elliot Gilreath (PORTA)

120 – Austin Brewer (Canton) F 1:43 Evan Smith (Warsaw/Hamilton)

126 – Oliver Moore (Quincy Notre Dame) MD 10-2 Nick Parkins (Macomb)

132 – Jireh Hedges (Canton) F 3:39 Kai Humphry (Warsaw/Hamilton)

138 – Luis De La Cruz (Beardstown) Inj 2:00 Alex Carrier (Canton)

144 – Jacob Vogel (PORTA) F 1:42 Maddox Medrano (Beardstown)

150 – Konnor Bush (Camp Point Central) F 1:42 Daniel Kees (Canton)

157 – Aden Greene (Canton) D 8-5 Tyler Shannon (Macomb)

165 – Jacob Latimer (Canton) F 3:35 Alcantar Medrano (Beardstown)

175 – Gunner Looker (Beardstown) D 9-3 Gaitlin Servis (PORTA)

190 – Dane Jiannoni (PORTA) F 1:10 Alex Brown (Warsaw/Hamilton)

215 – Malachi McKune (Warsaw/Hamilton) F 3:33 Jacob Leeneerts (Camp Point Central)

285 – Charlie Bodiford (Macomb) F 1:10 Nick Huls (Illini West)

Team scores for the Class 1A PORTA Regional

1. Canton 226, 2. PORTA 221, 3. Camp Point Central 131.5, 4. Quincy Notre Dame 97, 5. Macomb 94, 6. Beardstown 92, 7. Warsaw/Hamilton 80, 8. Williamsville 48, 9. Illini West 42, 10. Midwest Central 10, 10. Payson Seymour 10.

Class 1A Knoxville Regional – champion Peoria Notre Dame

Peoria Notre Dame continued its special season by capturing its first regional title in its history after scoring 177 points at the Class 1A Knoxville Regional, which was 32 points ahead of runner-up Monmouth-Roseville, who had 145 points. Mercer County took third with 96 points.

Leading the way for coach Danny Burk’s champion Irish were title winners Ian Akers (113), Chase Daugherty (150) and Michael McLaughlin (285) while Josh Stedwill (106) and Remi Joesting (120) claimed second place and Jack Bartoletta (144) and Joe Culp (190) also advanced to the Olympia Sectional in Stanford after taking third place. Andy Plaskon (126), Andrew Elward (132), Michael Kimbrough (165), Sie Couri (175) and Ben Mullens (215) finished fourth and John Baker (138) and John Couri (157) also competed for Notre Dame. 

One of the highlights for the regional champions was when Ian Akers (35-5) handed Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins (42-1), a two-time IHSA runner-up, his first defeat in the 113 title match. And as a result of winning its first regional championship, Notre Dame will get to participate in the dual team series. The Irish face Unity at the LeRoy Sectional on February 20 with the winner advancing to the IHSA Dual Team Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

“This is our first ever regional championship as a team in the history of our wrestling program at Peoria Notre Dame,” Burk said. “We really had an awesome day, top to bottom we had everyone contribute to help our team. This was a goal these guys set out at the beginning of the season, and we have great leadership within our team to help pave the way for everyone to know what it takes to be successful. We had a huge win in the finals at 113 from our captain Ian Akers, over the number-two ranked kid in the state, who he had never beaten before, and that set the tone for a good final round to cement the team title.”

Champions for coach Travis Henry’s Monmouth-Roseville Titans were Bawi Thang (106) and Landon Montroy (175) while Liam Spears (126) and Alex Gandarilla (190) took second place.

Mercer County had three title winners, Ethan Monson (138), Eli Burns (157) and Lucas Shadden (190). Other regional champions were Farmington/Cuba’s Caleb Showalter (126) and Keygan Jennings (132), Knoxville’s Hunter Johnson (120), Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll (144), Illinois Valley Central’s Owen Moser (165) and Peoria Heights’ Issac Coleman (215). Some of the best records for the regional champions were Jackson Carroll at 144 (44-2, .957), Keygan Jennings at 132 (38-3, .927), Ethan Monson at 138 (41-4, .911), Bawi Thang at 106 (31-4, .886) and Ian Akers at 113 (35-4, .875).

Four teams had two second-place finishers. They were Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins (113) and Ian O’Connor (138), Knoxville’s Gage Fox (132) and Joe Wall (150), Monmouth United’s Jake McElwee (157) and Carter Rothzen (285) and Manual’s Duane Brice (175) and Nas King (215). Mercer County’s Zeke Arnold (144) and ROWVA/Williamsfield’s Preston Schroeder (165) also were the other two runners-up.

Championship matches for the Class 1A Knoxville Regional

106 – Bawi Thang (Monmouth-Roseville) F 2:00 Josh Stedwill (Peoria Notre Dame)

113 – Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) D 6-3 Hunter Robbins (Illini Bluffs)

120 – Hunter Johnson (Knoxville) TF 4:00 Remi Joesting (Peoria Notre Dame)

126 – Caleb Showalter (Farmington/Cuba) F 4:00 Liam Spears (Monmouth-Roseville)

132 – Keygan Jennings (Farmington/Cuba) MD 9-1 Gage Fox (Knoxville)

138 – Ethan Monson (Mercer County) D 5-2 Ian O’Connor (Illini Bluffs)

144 – Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs) Inj Zeke Arnold (Mercer County)

150 – Chase Daugherty (Peoria Notre Dame) D 7-3 Joe Wall (Knoxville)

157 – Eli Burns (Mercer County) MD 14-4 Jake McElwee (Monmouth United)

165 – Owen Moser (Illinois Valley Central) F 2:00 Preston Schroeder (ROWVA/Williamsfield)

175 – Landon Montroy (Monmouth-Roseville) F Duane Brice (Manual)

190 – Lucas Shadden (Mercer County) D 11-6 Alex Gandarilla (Monmouth-Roseville)

215 – Issac Coleman (Peoria Heights) F Nas King (Manual)

285 – Michael McLaughlin (Peoria Notre Dame) F Carter Rothzen (Monmouth United)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A Knoxville Regional

106 – Parker Zerfass (Farmington/Cuba) TF 4:30 Jacob Strube (Illini Bluffs)

113 – Jacob Penn (Monmouth United) – no opponent

120 – Nathan Owens (Illini Bluffs) F 5:21 Miles Ward (Mercer County)

126 – Gunnar Johnson (Knoxville) F 1:49 Andy Plaskon (Peoria Notre Dame)

132 – Alejandro Morales (Monmouth-Roseville) F 1:57 Andrew Elward (Peoria Notre Dame)

138 – Bradlee Ellis (Farmington/Cuba) F 1:23 Gybanhi Mendoza Velverde (Monmouth-Roseville)

145 – Jack Bartoletta (Peoria Notre Dame) F 3:57 Jack Cordle (ROWVA/Williamsfield)

150 – Antonio Toliver (Illinois Valley Central) F 1:26 Mason Giddings (Monmouth United)

157 – Gabe Ortiz-Mora (Monmouth-Roseville) D 12-8 Maison Toliver (Illinois Valley Central)

165 – Moises Martinez (Monmouth-Roseville) D 9-4 Michael Kimbrough (Peoria Notre Dame)

175 – Brydon Walters (Knoxville) F 1:08 Sie Couri (Peoria Notre Dame)

190 – Joe Culp (Peoria Notre Dame) F 3:02 Ethan Sheilds (Farmington/Cuba)

215 – Gage Aldred (ROWVA/Williamsfield) F 1:45 Ben Mullens (Peoria Notre Dame)

285 – Curnell Williams (Manual) D 6-4 Gavin Bell (Monmouth-Roseville)

Team scores for the Class 1A Knoxville Regional

1. Peoria Notre Dame 177, 2. Monmouth-Roseville 145, 3. Mercer County 96, 4. Farmington/Cuba 85.5, 5. Knoxville 84.5, 6. Illini Bluffs 73, 7. Monmouth United 54, 8, Illinois Valley Central 53, 9. Manual 52.5, 10. ROWVA/Williamsfield 48, 11. Peoria Heights 28.

Class 1A Unity Regional – Champion Unity

After finishing two points behind champion LeRoy/Tri-Valley in last year’s LeRoy Regional, Unity was not going to leave anything to chance when it hosted a regional that no longer had state-ranked LeRoy/Tri-Valley and Olympia in it, as those teams were competing at Gibson City. 

Coach Logan Patton’s Rockets won six titles and advanced 10 individuals to the Olympia Sectional in Stanford to help it score 223.5 points and win the title of their 11-team regional tournament in Tolono by 82.5 points over two teams that tied for second place with 141 points, Clinton and St. Joseph-Ogden. Hoopeston Area/Milford took fourth place with 131.5 points.

Winning titles for Unity were Travis McCarter (113), Keegan Germano (138), Kaden Inman (144), Abram Davidson (157), Ryan Rink (165) and Hunter Eastin (190) while Hunter Shike (126), Taylor Finley (132) and Josh Heath (150) finished second and Thayden Root (175) placed third to also advance to the Olympia Sectional. Andrew Weller (106), Bryce Martin (120), Hudson DeHart (215) and Dallas Hollingsworth (285) were other members of the title team.

The Rockets hope to return to the IHSA Dual Team Finals, where they took third in 2020 and fourth in 2022. To get back to the IHSA Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington they will have to get past first-time regional winner Peoria Notre Dame in the LeRoy Sectional.

St. Joseph-Ogden had three champions, Emmitt Holt (106), Holden Brazelton (132) and Coy Hayes (150). Other Unity Regional champions were Unity Christian’s unbeaten brothers Clinton (120) and Garrett (126) VerHeecke, The High School of Saint Thomas More’s James Schmidt (215) and Robbie Vavrik (285) and Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Angel Zamora (175). Some of the best records for the regional champions were Garrett VerHeecke at 126 (37-0, 1.000), Clinton VerHeecke at 120 (36-0, 1.000), Holden Brazelton at 132 (42-1, .977), Emmitt Holt at 106 (35-1, .972) and Angel Zamora at 175 (45-2, .957). 

Other second-place finishers were Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Charlie Flores (106) and Ayden Larkin (157), St. Joseph-Ogden’s Jackson Walsh (113) and Landen Butts (138), Clinton’s Justin Droke (144) and Kael Morlock (215), Monticello’s Russ Brown (165) and Brandon Peters (285), The High School of Saint Thomas More’s August Christhilf (175) and Brody Cuppernell (190) and Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth’s Logan Roberts (120).

Championship matches for the Class 1A Unity Regional

106 – Emmitt Holt (St. Joseph-Ogden) D 6-0 Charlie Flores (Hoopeston Area/Milford)

113 – Travis McCarter (Unity) D 7-2 Jackson Walsh (St. Joseph-Ogden)

120 – Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian) F 0:53 Logan Roberts (Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth)

126 – Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian) D 6-0 Hunter Shike (Unity)

132 – Holden Brazelton (St. Joseph-Ogden) F 1:18 Taylor Finley (Unity)

138 – Keegan Germano (Unity) MD 13-4 Landen Butts (St. Joseph-Ogden)

144 – Kaden Inman (Unity) TF 4:24 Justin Droke (Clinton)

150 – Coy Hayes (St. Joseph-Ogden) F 2:15 Josh Heath (Unity)

157 – Abram Davidson (Unity) D 6-4 Ayden Larkin (Hoopeston Area/Milford)

165 – Ryan Rink (Unity) F 1:45 Russ Brown (Monticello)

175 – Angel Zamora (Hoopeston Area/Milford) F 1:40 August Christhilf (The High School of Saint Thomas More)

190 – Hunter Eastin (Unity) D 6-2 Brody Cuppernell (The High School of Saint Thomas More)

215 – James Schmidt (The High School of Saint Thomas More) D 6-0 Kael Morlock (Clinton)

285 – Robbie Vavrik (The High School of Saint Thomas More) F 1:56 Brandon Peters (Monticello)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A Unity Regional

106 – Ezekiel Young (Monticello) F 4:45 Briley Carter (Clinton)

113 – Harrison Lott (Riverton) F 5:22 Kingston Elizondo (Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth)

120 – Taylor Pattison (Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/Armstrong) F 3:36 Carter Bostic (Clinton)

126 – Kaden Roberts (Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth) D 9-5 Talan Nelson (Hoopeston Area/Milford)

132 – Charlie Wittmer (Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth) D 3-0 Aiden Bell (Hoopeston Area/Milford)

138 – Alec Murray (Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth) D 4-2 Ayden Golden (Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/Armstrong)

144 – Trevor Soice (Heyworth) D 7-4 David Bell (Hoopeston Area/Milford)

150 – Kayleb Kent (Clinton) F 1:46 Logan Stout (Heyworth)

157 – Phillip Christhilf (The High School of Saint Thomas More) D 10-6 Gavin Ridings (Monticello)

165 – RJ Stamp (Clinton) D 10-6 Devan Swisher (St. Joseph-Ogden)

175 – Thayden Root (Unity) D 10-5 Kristan Hibbard (Clinton)

190 – Christian Walton (Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/Armstrong) F 0:28 Khaden Hallowell (St. Joseph-Ogden)

215 – Landynn Balla (Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/Armstrong) F 2:35 Bryson Brewer (Hoopeston Area/Milford)

285 – Dawson Thayer (Clinton) F 0:45 Tucker Deck (Hoopeston Area/Milford)

Team scores for the Class 1A Unity Regional

1. Unity 223.5, 2. Clinton 141, 2. St. Joseph-Ogden 141, 4. Hoopeston Area/Milford 131.5, 5. The High School of Saint Thomas More 101.5, 6. Monticello 90, 7. Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth 86.5, 8. Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/Armstrong 64.5, 9. Unity Christian 53. 10. Heyworth 34, 11. Riverton 13.

Note: We will post a full story from the Class 1A Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Regional

Regionals feeding into the Class 1A Vandalia Individual Sectional and the Class 1A Benton Dual Team Sectional

Class 1A Auburn Regional –  champion Vandalia

A year ago, Vandalia saw a 29-year streak of regional titles get snapped by Auburn. But there was no drama at the Auburn Regional where the Vandals had six six champions and qualified 13 to the sectional that they will host as they easily won top honors with 245 points while Mt. Zion took second with 141 points and Auburn beat out Litchfield/Mt. Olive 123-117 for third.

Leading coach Jason Clay’s first-place Vandals were champions Max Philpot (106), Elijah Mabry (113), Brody Matthews (120), Cole Yarbrough (132), Dillon Hinton (138) and Kaden Tidwell (190) as well as runners-up Deon Moore (126), Artan Mustafa (150), Ross Miller (157) and Dominic Swyers (215). Taking third were Keagan Turner (144) and Jayden Rosetto (285) while Noah Langston (165) placed fourth and Zander Tate (175) also contributed points.

The Vandals also qualified for the Benton Dual Team Sectional where they’ll meet the host Rangers, who won the Herrin Regional. Oakwood/Salt Fork and Roxana meet in the other dual. The winner of each dual meet advances to the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

Mt. Zion had three champions, Vincent Fiore (175), Carson Thorton (215) and Remington Hiser (285). Other title winners were Shelbyville’s Kaz Fox (150) and Ryne Peavler (157), Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin’s Joey Ruzic (126), Litchfield/Mt. Olive’s Braxton Kieffer (144) and Hillsboro’s Zander Wells (165). First-place finishers with the best records include Joey Ruzic at 126 (37-0, 1.000), Max Philpot at 106 (42-2, .955), Dillon Hinton at 138 (41-2, .953), Remington Hiser at 285 (40-3, .930) and Vincent Fiore at 175 (34-3, .919).

Also finishing second were Shelbyville’s Colin Wells (113), Bodee Fathauer (132) and Andre Townsend (285), Mt. Zion’s Mason Gray (120) and Kaden Becker (165), Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin’s Quinten Chizmar (144) and Joey Barrow (175), Litchfield/Mt. Olive’s Vincent Moore (106), Hillsboro’s Gaven Vollintine (138) and Pittsfield’s Tucker Cook (190).

Championship matches for the Class 1A  Auburn Regional

106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) MD 11-2 Vincent Moore (Litchfield/Mt. Olive)

113 – Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) F 1:12 Colin Wells (Shelbyville)

120 – Brody Matthews (Vandalia) MD 12-0 Mason Gray (Mt. Zion)

126 – Joey Ruzic (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin) F 1:40 Deon Moore (Vandalia)

132 – Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) F 5:56 Bodee Fathauer (Shelbyville)

138 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) F 3:18 Gaven Vollintine (Hillsboro)

144 – Braxton Kieffer (Litchfield/Mt. Olive) D 10-6 Quinten Chizmar (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin)

150 – Kaz Fox (Shelbyville) F 2:30 Artan Mustafa (Vandalia)

157 – Ryne Peavler (Shelbyville) D 7-2 Ross Miller (Vandalia)

165 – Zander Wells (Hillsboro) F 2:38 Kaden Becker (Mt. Zion)

175 – Vincent Fiore (Mt. Zion) D 6-1 Joey Barrow (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin)

190 – Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) F 1:54 Tucker Cook (Pittsfield)

215 – Carson Thorton (Mt. Zion) D 6-3 Dominic Swyers (Vandalia)

285 – Remington Hiser (Mt. Zion) F 3:06 Andre Townsend (Shelbyville)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A Auburn Regional

106 – Vincent Baker (Mt. Zion) F 2:40 George Piazza (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin)

113 – Landon Bandy (Hillsboro) F 3:57 Hector Alvarado (Illinois School for the Visually Impaired/Illinois School for the Deaf)

120 – Drayven Hamm (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin) F 1:31 Briar Kuhl (Hillsboro)

126 – Porter Dennis (Sacred Heart-Griffin) D 7-0 Fontane Gifford (Hillsboro)

132 – Ronald LaPlante (Carlinville) D 7-4 Isaiah Johnson (Litchfield/Mt. Olive)

138 – Shay Westhoff (Litchfield/Mt. Olive) F 2:23 Cooper Balen (Sacred Heart-Griffin)

144 – Keagan Turner (Vandalia) D 9-4 Treyton Kuhl (Hillsboro)

150 – Jayden Brown (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin) F 2:51 Jordan Weter (Mt. Zion)

157 – Clayton Hauter (Litchfield/Mt. Olive) D 10-6 Jake Oitker (Pittsfield)

165 – Waylon White (Pittsfield) D 7-3 Noah Langston (Vandalia)

175 – Jayden Ellinger (Litchfield/Mt. Olive) D 6-2 Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin)

190 – Keller Stocks (Mt. Zion) F 1:09 Tristan Staggs (Litchfield/Mt. Olive)

215 – Devin Hansel (Litchfield/Mt. Olive) F 2:38 Taven Agney (Shelbyville)

285 – Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) F 2:35 Cash Thomas (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin)

Team scores for the Class 1A Auburn Regional

1. Vandalia 245, 2. Mt. Zion 141, 3. Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin 123, 4. Litchfield/Mt. Olive 117, 5. Shelbyville 106, 6. Hillsboro 92, 7. Pittsfield 55.5, 8. Sacred Heart-Griffin 55, Illinois School for the Visually Impaired/Illinois School for the Deaf 16, 10. Carlinville 13. 

Class 1A Herrin Regional – champion Benton/Sesser-Valier

Benton/Sesser-Valier scored 222 points to help it capture the championship of the Class 1A Herrin Regional by 24 points over Murphysboro, which finished with 198 points. Harrisburg took third place with 135.5 points and Carterville edged Anna-Jonesboro 107.5-106 to finish fourth in the 11-team event.

Coach Aaron Robinson’s first-place Rangers had four title winners and qualified nine individuals for the Vandalia Sectional. Champions for Benton were Zane Stanley (106), Cohen Sweely (113), Kaden Blades (132) and Mason Tieffel (138) while Connor Dean (157) and Tiffin Kouzoukas (165) took second place. Finishing third and qualifying for the sectional were Anthony Hernandez (144), Peyton Robinson (175) and Izaiah Dalton (190) while Derek Wilkey (150) and Drake Spears (285) finished fourth. Others who competed in the regional were Briggs Miller (120), Kingston Palmer (126) and Nathan Galant (215).

Benton/Sesser-Valier, who had won three regional championships with its last one coming in 2020, advances to its own dual team sectional, where it faces Vandalia, who won the Auburn Regional title. Individual qualifiers will compete in the Vandalia Sectional this weekend.

“It was a total team effort,” Robinson said. “We challenged the boys to show up and do their job and they did that and then some. We are excited for the opportunity to get to host and wrestle in the Dual team sectional at Benton.”

Runner-up Murphysboro got titles from Bryce Edwards (144) and Liam Fox (157) while Tony Keene (126) took first for third-place Harrisburg. Other regional champs were Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler (120) and Drew Holshouser (175), Carterville’s Jacob Grob (165) and Zechariah Miller (285), Herrin’s Blue Bishop (150), Frankfort Community’s Conner Henson (190) and Johnston City’s Jude Beers (215). Top records among the title winners included Mason Tieffel at 138 (48-0, 1.000), Liam Fox at 157 (44-0, 1.000), Blue Bishop at 150 (40-1, .976), Drew Sadler at 120 (45-2, .957), Tony Keene at 126 (38-2, .950) and Jude Beers at 215 (37-2, .949).

Murphysboro had four second-place finishers, Kanton Richards (106), Paxton Pyatt (113), Sergio Garcia (132) and Gage Boucher (150). Others who took placed second were Frankfort Community’s Lucas Parker (144) and Brandon Turner (215), Harrisburg’s Brendan Hicks (190) and Javier Horton (285), Carterville’s Landyn Flood (120), Goreville/Vienna’s Jeremiah Pulliam (126), Anna-Jonesboro’s Daniel Dover (138) and Trico/Elverado’s Johnny Ramaker (175).

Championship matches for the Class 1A Herrin Regional

106 – Zane Stanley (Benton/Sesser-Valier) F 3:19 Kanton Richards (Murphysboro)

113 – Cohen Sweely (Benton/Sesser-Valier) D 7-0 Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro)

120 – Drew Sadler (Anna-Jonesboro) F 0:34 Landyn Flood (Carterville)

126 – Tony Keene (Harrisburg) F 0:41 Jeremiah Pulliam (Goreville/Vienna)

132 – Kaden Blades (Benton/Sesser-Valier) F 3:34 Sergio Garcia (Murphysboro)

138 – Mason Tieffel (Benton/Sesser-Valier) F 2:14 Daniel Dover (Anna-Jonesboro)

144 – Bryce Edwards (Murphysboro) F 1:32 Lucas Parker (Frankfort Community)

150 – Blue Bishop (Herrin) F 0:45 Gage Boucher (Murphysboro)

157 – Liam Fox (Murphysboro) F 1:42 Connor Dean (Benton/Sesser-Valier)

165 – Jacob Grob (Carterville) D 5-0 Tiffin Kouzoukas (Benton/Sesser-Valier)

175 – Drew Holshouser (Anna-Jonesboro) F 4:00 Johnny Ramaker (Trico/Elverado)

190 – Conner Henson (Frankfort Community) F 3:19 Brendan Hicks (Harrisburg)

215 – Jude Beers (Johnston City) F 5:47 Brandon Turner (Frankfort Community)

285 – Zechariah Miller (Carterville) D 4-3 Javier Horton (Harrisburg)

Third-place matches for the Class 1A Herrin Regional

106 – Aiden Milligan (Frankfort Community) MD 13-4 Jack Smith (Anna-Jonesboro)

113 – Jaxton Thompson (Trico/Elverado) D 7-6 Hayeden Hughes (Frankfort Community)

120 – Matt Crim (Goreville/Vienna) D 12-8 Jarryion Agnew (Murphysboro)

126 – Aiston Holt (Murphysboro) F 5:46 Jace Weaver (Johnston City)

132 – J.Q. Mezo (Harrisburg) D 9-4 Benjamin Harris (Johnston City)

138 – Sayvair Williams (Murphysboro) F 0:38 Kadyn Cummins (Harrisburg)

144 – Anthony Hernandez (Benton/Sesser-Valier) F 2:28 Jerry Tate (Johnston City)

150 – Merrick Orendoff (Carterville) F 1:15 Derek Wilkey (Benton/Sesser-Valier)

157 – Briar Butler (Harrisburg) F 4:20 Carter Jones (Carterville)

165 – Maxon Stearns (Murphysboro) F 4:55 Colin Hughey (Trico/Elverado)

175 – Peyton Robinson (Benton/Sesser-Valier) D 6-2 Randy Fuqua (Johnston City)

190 – Izaiah Dalton (Benton/Sesser-Valier) F 2:32 Juan Salazar (Johnston City)

215 – Nelson Rider (Carmi-White County) F 4:53 Logan Dirden (Herrin)

285 – Eddie Dahmer (Anna-Jonesboro) D 6-0 Drake Spears (Benton/Sesser-Valier)

Team scores for the Class 1A Herrin Regional

1. Benton/Sesser-Valier 222, 2. Murphysboro 198, 3. Harrisburg 135.5, Carterville 107.5, 5. Anna-Jonesboro 106, 6. Frankfort Community) 104, 7. Johnston City 96, 8. Goreville/Vienna 54, 9. Herrin 50, 10. Trico/Elverado 47, 11. Carmi-White County 43.

Class 1A Carlyle Regional – champion Roxana

Roxana won its first regional championship since 2014 and now has an opportunity to qualify for the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time since that year after it easily won the title at the Class 1A Carlyle Regional with 265 points while Althoff Catholic was a distant second with 150 points. Red Bud/Valmeyer outscored Salem 125.5-117 to claim third in the 11-team regional in Carlyle. Roxana had six champions and qualified 13 individuals for the Vandalia Sectional.

Leading the way for coach Rob Milazzo’s first-place Shells were champions Savion Hall (106), Brandon Green, Jr. (132), Kaden Carlisle (138), Braden Johnson (150), Lyndon Thies (157) and Robert Watt (190). Finishing second were Lleyton Cobine (120), Logan Riggs (126), Trevor Gihring (144), Elias Thies (175), Donald Battles (215) and James Herring (285) while Ari Walker (113) took third and Zebediah Katzmarek (165) had to take a medical forfeit in his last match.

As a result of the regional title, Roxana advances to the Benton Dual Team Sectional where it meets Oakwood/Salt Fork with the winner earning a trip to the IHSA Finals in Bloomington. The two teams met recently at Litchfield’s Rich Lovellette Invitational and Roxana finished ahead of Oakwood/Salt Fork by a 217-195 margin to capture the title in the competition.

“We had an outstanding regional tournament and are looking forward to more solid wrestling at the sectional tournament this weekend,” Milazzo said. “The boys have put in a lot of time working to refine their technique and to get in shape for the postseason. They hope to reap the rewards of that hard work in the last few weeks of the season.”

Winning championships for Althoff Catholic were Brenden Rayl (126) and Jason Dowell (285), while Ty Carter (175) took first place for Red Bud/Valmeyer and Salem got titles from Keyton King (144) and Carter Moore (165). Host Carlyle got firsts from brothers Preston Waughtel (113) and Tyson Waughtel (120) while East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin (215) also won a title. Some of the best records for champions were Tyson Waughtel at 120 (44-0, 1.000), Preston Waughtel at 113 (43-0, 1.000), Brenden Rayl at 126 (30-1, .968), Jason Dowell at 285 (26-1, .963) and Drake Champlin at 215 (44-2, .957).

Other second-place finishers were Freeburg’s Broden Becker (106) and Kaiden Case (113), Althoff Catholic’s Alex Schallert (150) and Antwan Strong (190), East Alton-Wood River’s Jamal Burgess (132), Sparta/Steeleville’s Gavin Watson (138), Pinckneyville’s Trevor Fath (157) and Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Gavin Baldwin (165).

Championship matches for the Class 1A Carlyle Regional

106 – Savion Hall (Roxana) F 5:18 Broden Becker (Freeburg)

113 – Preston Waughtel (Carlyle) F 0:18 Kaiden Case (Freeburg)

120 – Tyson Waughtel (Carlyle) F 3:25 Lleyton Cobine (Roxana)

126 – Brenden Rayl (Althoff Catholic) F 5:44 Logan Riggs (Roxana)

132 – Brandon Green, Jr. (Roxana) F 1:56 Jamal Burgess (East Alton-Wood River)

138 – Kaden Carlisle (Roxana) D 6-2 Gavin Watson (Sparta/Steeleville)

144 – Keyton King (Salem) D 7-4 Trevor Gihring (Roxana)

150 – Braden Johnson (Roxana) F 1:31 Alex Schallert (Althoff Catholic)

157 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) F 1:00 Trevor Fath (Pinckneyville)

165 – Carter Moore (Salem) F 0:55 Gavin Baldwin (Red Bud/Valmeyer)

175 – Ty Carter (Red Bud/Valmeyer) F 3:03 Elias Thies (Roxana)

190 – Robert Watt (Roxana) F 0:44 Antwan Strong (Althoff Catholic)

215 – Drake Champlin (East Alton-Wood River) F 4:15 Donald Battles (Roxana)

285 – Jason Dowell (Althoff Catholic) SV 5-4 James Herring (Roxana)

Third-place matches for the Carlyle Regional

106 – Aden Doolen (Salem) – no opponent

113 – Ari Walker (Roxana) F 1:03 Liam Bundt (Althoff Catholic)

120 – Miles Dennis (Metro-East Lutheran) F 3:04 Brock Becker (Freeburg)

126 – Carter Missey (Carlyle) D 4-1 Hunter Hooten (Red Bud/Valmeyer)

132 – Zach Manning (Red Bud/Valmeyer) F 0:59 John Taylor (Althoff Catholic)

138 – Carter Pryor (Metro-East Lutheran) F 0:22 Kevan Moore (Salem)

144 – Tyler Adams (East Alton-Wood River) D 7-5 Max Wolter (Red Bud/Valmeyer)

150 – Cooper Lobek (Salem) D 6-5 Matthew Walsh (Breese Central)

157 – Alex Wolter (Red Bud/Valmeyer) F 1:34 Jakobi Tow (Althoff Catholic)

165 – Stephen Ache (Althoff Catholic) D 10-5 Landon Jones (Metro-East Lutheran)

175 – Brody Diekemper (Carlyle) MD 10-2 Michael Soto (East Alton-Wood River)

190 – Carson Osborne (Salem) F 1:30 Wyatt Hamilton (Red Bud/Valmeyer)

215 – Enrique Morales (Althoff Catholic) F 1:22 Jack Amann (Freeburg)

285 – Drew Olmstead (Freeburg) F 1:02 Chance Sill (Salem)

Team scores for the Class 1A Carlyle Regional

1. Roxana 265, 2. Althoff Catholic 150, 3. Red Bud/Valmeyer 125.5, 4. Salem 117, 5. Carlyle 78.5, 5. Freeburg 78.5, 7. East Alton-Wood River 69.5, 8. Metro-East Lutheran 43, 9. Sparta/Steeleville 35, 10. Pinckneyville 23, 11. Breese Central 18.

Class 1A Robinson Regional – champion Oakwood/Salt Fork

Last year, Oakwood/Salt Fork won its first regional title since 2009 and went to qualify for the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time and took fourth place in the competition. With most of their competitors back from that historic 22-12 team, the Comets had no problems repeating as regional champions after scoring 255.5 points to win the title of the Class 1A Robinson Regional by 99.5 points over Lawrenceville/Red Hill, which took second with 156 points, Richland County (138) placed third and Cumberland (132) was fourth in the 11-team tournament in Robinson.

Coach Mike Glosser’s Champion Comets had five champions, nine finalists and qualified 12 individuals for the Vandalia Sectional. In addition, Oakwood/Salt Fork earned a spot in the Benton Dual Team Sectional where it meets Roxana, who won the Carlyle Regional. The winner of that dual meet advances to the IHSA Dual Teams Finals in Bloomington.

Winning championships for Oakwood/Salt Fork were Brayden Edwards (113), Grant Brewer (150), Bryson Capansky (157), Dalton Brown (175) and Jamison Chambliss (190) while Steven Uden (106), Tyler Huchel (120), Pedro Rangel (132) and Jack Ajster (138) took second place. Placing third and also advancing to the sectional were Thomas Wells (126), Carter Chambliss (144) and Kade Fleming (285). Reid Dazey (165) and Ezekiel Smith (215) also took part.

Runner-up Lawrencevill/Red Hill got titles from Drew Seitzinger (106) and Dylan Camden (285) while third-place finisher Richland County also had two champions, Carson Bissey (132) and Jashaun McKinley (215). Other regional title winners were Robinson’s Broady Kelly (126) and Kahne Hyre (165), Cumberland’s Brayden Olmstead (138) and Owen McGinnis (144) and Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine’s Ian Rosborough (120). Top records of Robinson Regional champions included Carson Bissey at 132 (42-1, .977), Grant Brewer at 150 (36-2, .947), Broady Kelly at 126 (33-2, .943) and Kahne Hyre at 165 (35-3, .921).

Fairfield and Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm both had three second-place finishers. Taking second for Fairfield were Scotty Cuff (144), Keegan Bare (215) and Bentley Rogers (285) while Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm got seconds from Logan Mahaffey (157), Gabriel Kiddoo (165) and Ethan Miller (190). Other runners-up were Lawrenceville/Red Hill’s Dylan Aten (126) and Kasen Ochs (175), Cumberland’s Mason Robinson (113) and Robinson’s Ben Mullins (150).

Championship matches for the Class 1A Robinson Regional

106 – Drew Seitzinger (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) F 1:47 Steven Uden (Oakwood/Salt Fork)

113 – Brayden Edwards (Oakwood/Salt Fork) F 0:59 Mason Robinson (Cumberland)

120 – Ian Rosborough (Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine) F 2:39 Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/Salt Fork)

126 – Broady Kelly (Robinson) MD 16-4 Dylan Aten (Lawrenceville/Red Hill)

132 – Carson Bissey (Richland County) MD 15-5 Pedro Rangel (Oakwood/Salt Fork)

138 – Brayden Olmstead (Cumberland) D 10-6 Jack Ajster (Oakwood/Salt Fork)

144 – Owen McGinnis (Cumberland) D 9-4 Scotty Cuff (Fairfield)

150 – Grant Brewer (Oakwood/Salt Fork) D 6-0 Ben Mullins (Robinson)

157 – Bryson Capansky (Oakwood/Salt Fork) D 5-3 Logan Mahaffey (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm)

165 – Kahne Hyre (Robinson) D 3-2 Gabriel Kiddoo (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm)

175 – Dalton Brown (Oakwood/Salt Fork) MD 12-0 Kasen Ochs (Lawrenceville/Red Hill)

190 – Jamison Chambliss (Oakwood/Salt Fork) D 3-2 Ethan Miller (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm)

215 – Jashuan McKinley (Richland County) D 6-1 Keegan Bare (Fairfield)

285 – Dylan Camden (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) D 6-1 Bentley Rogers (Fairfield)

Third-place matches for the the Class 1A Robinson Regional

106 – Peyton Groves (Cumberland) F 3:07 Baxter Smith (Richland County)

113 – Jesse Irelan (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 0:37 Maverik Cordell (Richland County)

120 – Kaeden Davis (Richland County) F 2:45 Sawyer Welbaum (Cumberland)

126 – Thomas Wells (Oakwood/Salt Fork) D 8-1 Chase Ackman (Richland County)

132 – Jaxson Dukeman (Cumberland) D 10-5 Cale Seitzinger (Lawrenceville/Red Hill)

138 – Hudson Meek (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) MD 12-3 Baker Moon (Effingham)

144 – Carter Chambliss (Oakwood/Salt Fork) D 8-4 Daniel Kiser (Lawrenceville/Red Hill)

150 – Trevor Loy (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) F 3:28 Joshua Lamour (Paris)

157 – Dreagan Johnson (Robinson) MD 11-1 Nicholas Masterson (Fairfield)

165 – Robert Wells (Paris) F 2:31 Grant Keyser (Cumberland)

175 – Logan McDonald (Richland County) F 5:54 Judah Sweitzer (Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine)

190 – Bronson Rilea (Fairfield) F 3:39 Will Moody (Paris)

215 – Ethan Curl (Paris) F 1:54 Jeremiah Lorton (Effingham)

285 – Kade Fleming (Oakwood/Salt Fork) SV 1-0 Trenton Patterson (Effingham)

Team scores for the Class 1A Robinson Regional

1. Oakwood/Salt Fork 255.5, 2. Lawrenceville/Red Hill 156, 3. Richland County 138, 4. Cumberland 132, 5. Robinson 114, 6. Fairfield 100, 7. Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm 80, 8. Paris 74, 9. Effingham 63.5, 10. Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine 62.5, 11. Mt. Carmel 32.

3A regionals that feed into the individual sectional at Hinsdale Central, and the dual team sectional at Downers Grove South

3A Downers Grove South Regional

Host Downers Grove South ran away with the team regional title, posting 278 points and advancing all 14 wrestlers to this year’s individual sectional at Hinsdale Central.

The win marked the third consecutive and third overall team regional title for DG South in program history.

Hinsdale Central (125.5) finished in second place, followed by Morton (125), Curie (94.5), Reavis (85), Oak Lawn (77), Argo (63), Kelly (39), and Hubbard (27).

DG South coach Sean Lovelace got Individual regional titles from Trevor Dinaso (106), Jadon Dinwiddie (120), Drew Woolsey (126), Nick Spirek (138), Connor Kelly (165), RJ Samuels (175), Matt Lapacek (190), and Mack Piehl (215).  Placing second for the Mustangs were Miguel Castaneda (113), TJ Johnson (144), Hugo Contreras-Lozano (150), and Noah Greene (157), and advancing by placing third were Jordan Christin-Holley (132) and Jacobi Spraggins (285).

Second-place Hinsdale Central had two regional champions in Sammy Murante (113) and Marko Ivanisevic (285) for coach Jason Hayes, and third-place Morton got a regional title from David Roa (150) for coach James Hensley.

The other individual regional champions at Downers Grove South were Curie’s Porfirio Govea (132) and Diamond Butler (157), and Reavis’ Nicholas Gomez (144).

The top three wrestlers in each weight class earned sectional advancement.

3A Downers Grove South Regional championship matches:

106 – Trevor Dinaso (DG South) F 1:31 Angel Jacobo (Morton)

113 – Sammy Murante (Hinsdale C) TF 5:12 Miguel Castaneda (DG South)

120 – Jadon Dinwiddie (DG South) F 2:29 Roberto Vitela (Kelly)

126 – Drew Woolsey (DG South) F 5:54 Zach Koschnitzki (Reavis)

132 – Porfirio Govea (Curie) D 7-0 Carlos Gutierrez (Argo)

138 – Nick Spirek (DG South) D 7-5 Fabian Salazar (Hubbard)

144 – Nicholas Gomez (Reavis) D 12-10 TJ Johnson (DG South)

150 – David Roa (Morton) D 8-3 Hugo Contreras-Lozano (DG South)

157 – Diamond Butler (Curie) F 3:33 Noah Greene (DG South)

165 – Connor Kelly (DG South) MD 9-1 Isaac Barba (Oak Lawn)

175 – RJ Samuels (DG South) D 7-5 Zach Kruse (Hinsdale C)

190 – Matt Lapacek (DG South) F 1:42 Jacob Fries (Argo)

215 – Mack Piehl (DG South) F 3:15 Terry Ferguson (Reavis)

285 – Marko Ivanisevic (Hinsdale C) F 0:25 Miguel Rojas (Morton)

Third-place matches:

106 – BYE

113 – Bruno Romero (Morton) F 3:40 Ryan Bisoyana (Oak Lawn)

120 – Jose Berrios (Morton) F 3:44 Daniel Garcia (Hubbard)

126 – Ammar Elayyan (Oak Lawn) RF 3:45 Cliffon Johnson (Kelly)

132 – Jordan Christin-Holley (DG South) MD 16-3 Jaden Rodriguez (Morton)

138 – Kevin Bustillos (Argo) D 9-5 Giovanni Scumaci (Cure)

144 – Barsum Ravanasa (Hinsdale C) D 13-11 Victor Quiroz (Curie)

150 – Isaiah Menendez (Hinsdale C) D 6-5 Charles Shane (Oak Lawn)

157 – Daniel Farley (Oak Lawn) MD 10-0 Will Kasik (Reavis)

165 – Mylan Williams (Curie) D 12-6 Warren Howard (Hinsdale C)

175 – Malik Salameh (Reavis) F 3:18 Ayman Shaikh (Oak Lawn)

190 – Lenin Contreras (Morton) F 2:49 Aiden Galeckas (Hinsdale C)

215 – Jose Moreno (Morton) F 5:55 Brady Koschik (Hinsdale C)

285 – Jacobi Spraggins (DG South) F 0:59 Israel Fabila (Curie) 

3A East Aurora Regional

Naperville Central won the sixth team regional title in program history at East Aurora, winning 251.5-194 for coach Noah Fitzenreider over second-place West Aurora. All 14 of Fitzenreider’s wrestlers earned individual sectional advancement.

Naperville North (173) finished third, followed by Bolingbrook (87), Neuqua Valley (87), Waubonsie Valley (48), East Aurora (45), and Metea Valley (14).

Naperville Central got individual regional titles from Jake Moore (106), Jacob Cochran (113), Ty Martin (120), Hagan Taylor (144), and William Erbeck (285), and second-place finishes from Mitchell Kaszuba (126), Vince Bern (132), Starvos Gerousis (138), Christopher Bern (157), Henry Rydwelski (175), and Jacob Smetters (190).

Placing third and advancing for Naperville Central were Alex Paunkov (113), Javier Sevila (150), and John Carens (165).

Second-place West Aurora got individual titles from Evan Matkovich (126), Adrian Ortiz (138), Dominic Serio (150), Noah Quintana (157), and Dayne Serio (165) for coach Andrew Plata.

Also winning individual regional titles at East Aurora were Naperville North’s Tyler Sternstein (132), Kyle Gatlin (175), and Matt Murphy (190) for coach Tom Champion.

The top three wrestlers in each weight class earned sectional advancement.

3A East Aurora Regional championship matches:

106 – Jake Moore (Naperville C) D 2-0 Adam Beedon (Naperville N)

113 – Jacob Cochran (Naperville C) F 1:32 Isaac Harris (Bolingbrook)

120 – Ty Martin (Naperville C) D 4-2 Jared Craig (Bolingbrook)

126 – Evan Matkovich (W Aurora) D 7-6 Mitchell Kaszuba (Naperville C)

132 – Tyler Sternstein (Naperville N) F 4:53 Vince Bern (Naperville C)

138 – Adrian Ortiz (W Aurora) D 10-3 Starvos Gerousis (Naperville C)

144 – Hagan Taylor (Naperville C) inj. 0:53 Aaron Camacho (Bolingbrook)

150 – Dominic Serio (W Aurora) F 1:42 Nicholas Pape (Neuqua Valley)

157 – Noah Quintana (W Aurora) D 12-6 Christopher Bern (Naperville C)

165 – Dayne Serio (W Aurora) F 3:49 Matas Budreika (Naperville N)

175 – Kyle Gatlin (Naperville N) D 7-3 Henry Rydwelski (Naperville C)

190 – Matt Murphy (Naperville N) MD 10-2 Jacob Smetters (Naperville C)

215 – Nicolas Besteiro (Naperville C) D 7-4 Arnold Walker (E Aurora)

285 – William Erbeck (Naperville C) F 5:57 Isaac Amoh (Bolingbrook)

Third-place matches:

106 – Dehmoni Dean (W Aurora) F 1:57 Cardevion Gordon (Neuqua V)

113 – Alex Paunkov (Naperville C) F 0:38 Jermiah Haynes (W Aurora)

120 – Aiden Massaro (W Aurora) MD 10-1 Connor McDonald (Naperville N)

126 – Ben Messier (Naperville N) F 5:27 Damin Hudson (Bolingbrook)

132 – Jack Platt (W Aurora) F 2:36 Samandar Khodzhamuratov (Neuqua V)

138 – Jay Chidley Neuqua V) MD 13-0 Juan Arroyo (Metea V)

144 – Zach Mally (Naperville N) F 5:17 Ethan Wojtowich (Waubonsie V)

150 – Javier Sevila (Naperville C) F 1:29 Tyler Verge (Waubonsie V)

157 – Dzhamaludin Nurudinov (Neuqua V) D 9-6 Marcus Poe (Bolingbrook)

165 – John Carens (Naperville C) D 7-3 Maddox Menedez (Neuqua V)

175 – Gabriel Hernandez (E Aurora) F 1:55 Matthew Oyobo (Waubonsie V)

190 – Magomed Nurudinov (Neuqua V) MD 13-0 Fernando Anaya (W Aurora)

215 – Tafiq Ibragimov (Naperville N) MD 11-0 Alfonso Aguliar (W Aurora)

285 – Noah Chacon (W Aurora) D 6-4 Leonidas Hobson (Waubonsie V)

3A Marist Regional

Mt. Carmel coach Alex Tsirtsis oversaw the Caravan’s 34th team regional title in program history, 284-222 over second-place Marist.  Carl Sandburg (191.5) placed third, followed by Stagg (101), Shepard (39), Thornton (27.5), Thornton-Fractional South (26) and Eisenhower (13).

Mt. Carmel advanced 13 wrestlers to the individual sectional, led by 10 regional champions in Justin Williamson (113), Seth Mendoza (126), Evan Stanley (132), Jairo Acuna (144), Edmund Enright (157), Kevin Kalchbrenner (165), Colin Kelly (175), Rylan Breen (190), William Jacobson (215), and Alex Poholik (285).

Placing second for Mt. Carmel was Kavel Moore (106), while Damian Resendez (138) and Liam Kelly (150) placed third.

Other individual regional champions at Marist were Carl Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes (106), and Marist’s George Marinopoulos (120), Donovan Allen (138) and Will Denny (150). Marist also had 13 sectional qualifiers on the day.

The top three wrestlers in each weight class earned sectional advancement.

3A Marist Regional championship matches:

106 – Rocco Hayes (Sandburg) F 1:36 Kavel Moore (Mt. Carmel)

113 – Justin Williamson (Mt. Carmel) D 3-2 Tommy Fidler (Marist)

120 – George Marinopoulos (Marist) F 4:22 Anas Ahmed (Stagg)

126 – Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel) TF 5:02 Michael Esteban (Marist)

132 – Evan Stanley (Mt. Carmel) MD 9-0 Ethan Sonne (Marist)

138 – Donovan Allen (Marist) D 5-4 Ryan Hinger (Sandburg)

144 – Jairo Acuna (Mt. Carmel) F 2:54 Matthew Cornfield (Marist)

150 – Will Denny (Marist) TF 4:16 Zac Ritter (Sandburg)

157 – Edmund Enright (Mt. Carmel) TF 2:40 Kevin Tomkins (Marist)

165 – Kevin Kalchbrenner (Mt. Carmel) F 3:08 Kevin Bartolotta (Marist)

175 – Colin Kelly (Mt. Carmel) TF 4:38 Ricky Ericksen (Marist)

190 – Rylan Breen (Mt. Carmel) MD 12-3 Conor Phelan (Marist)

215 – William Jacobson (Mt. Carmel) F 3:08 Tommy O’Brien (Marist)

285 – Alex Poholik (Mt. Carmel) F 2:41 Terrell Williams (Stagg)

Third-place matches:

106 – Colin Phelan (Marist) MD 8-0 Javier Corral (Stagg)

113 – Jaime Corral (Stagg) MD 8-0 Oscar Kalman (Sandburg)

120 – Madden Parker (Sandburg) F 3:30 Jaxon Jorgensen (Mt. Carmel)

126 – Tyson Bruce (Sandburg) D 8-2 Dinero Garcia (Stagg)

132 – Brady Ritter (Sandburg) TF 5:13 Samir Suleiman (Stagg)

138 – Damian Resendez (Mt. Carmel) F 1:39 Jordan Haskett (Shepard)

144 – Vice Gutierrez (Sandburg) F 2:29 Joey Massey (Shepard)

150 – Liam Kelly (Mt. Carmel) F 0:23 TayVaris Howard (Shepard)

157 – Moe Askar (Sandburg) F 0:45 Brandon Dumas (Thornton)

165 – Owen Lally (Stagg) F 1:08 Titus Woodring (TF South)

175 – Ahmad Alomari (Sandburg) F 2:23 Deyan Radev (Stagg)

190 – Ahmad Jaffal (Sandburg) F 2:44 E’Mon Arnold (TF South)

215 – Malic Breish (Sandburg) D 3-0 Isac Hernandez (Eisenhower)

285 – Lionel Senior (Thornton) UTB 3-2 Judeh Ali (Sandburg)

Regionals feeding into the 3A individual sectional at Quincy. Dual team sectional TBA.

3A Joliet Central Regional

Joliet Catholic Academy dominated the field in winning the program’s fourth consecutive team regional title, in seeking its third straight team state finals appearance.

Joliet Catholic (269.5) took the regional crown followed by Lockport (164.5), Normal Community (116), Joliet Central (94.5), Minooka (94), Joliet West (82.5), Romeoville (60), and Pekin (19).

Joliet Catholic coach Ryan Cumbee’s Hilltoppers had eight regional champions and advanced all 14 of its wrestlers to the individual sectional meet at Quincy. Winning titles for the Hilltoppers were Luke Foster (106), Max Cumbee (113), Jason Hampton (120), Connor Cumbee (150), Luke Hamiti (157), Max Corral (165), Nico Ronchetti (190), and Dillan Johnson (285). Joliet Catholic got runner-up finishes from Damien Flores (132) and Elias Gonzalez (138), and thirds from Adante Washington (126), Nolan Vogel (144), Isaac Clauson (175), and Max Hrvatin (215).

Second-place Lockport got individual regional titles from Isaac Zimmerman (126) and Justin Wardlow (138) to lead a pack of nine sectional qualifiers for coach Jameson Oster.

Also winning individual titles at Joliet Central were Minooka’s Cale Stonitsch (132), Joliet West’s Carson Weber (144), Romeoville’s Mason Gougis (175) and Normal Community’s Cooper Caraway (215).

The top three wrestlers from each weight class earned sectional advancement.

3A Joliet Central Regional championship matches:

106 – Luke Foster (Joliet Cath) 6-5 Caden Correll (Normal Community)

113 – Max Cumbee (Joliet Cath) TF 5:29 Jackson Soney (Normal Community)

120 – Jason Hampton (Joliet Cath) D 5-1 Brian Farley (Romeoville)

126 – Isaac Zimmerman (Lockport) D 6-5 Coehn Weber (Joliet West)

132 – Cale Stonitsch (Minooka) D 6-4 Damien Flores (Joliet Cath)

138 – Justin Wardlow (Lockport) D 8-2 Elias Gonzalez (Joliet Cath)

144 – Carson Weber (Joliet W) MD 11-1 RaMez Watson (Pekin)

150 – Connor Cumbee (Joliet Cath) D 5-2 Kaden Meyer (Minooka)

157 – Luke Hamiti (Joliet Cath) TF 2:56 AJ Frescura (Minooka)

165 – Max Corral (Joliet Cath) D 5-2 Durango Valles (Lockport)

175 – Mason Gougis (Romeoville) D 6-2 Hunter Coons (Minooka)

190 – Nico Ronchetti (Joliet Cath) F 3:06 Mason Caraway (Normal Community)

215 – Cooper Caraway (Normal Community) F 1:26 Charles Walker (Joliet Cent)

285 – Dillan Johnson (Joliet Cath) F 1:44 Wyatt Schmitt (Joliet West)

Third-place matches:

106 – John Churnovic (Lockport) D 7-3 Jakob Crandall (Joliet W)

113 – Timothy O’Connor (Lockport) F 3:31 Liam Walsh (Joliet Cent)

120 – Cole Gentsch (Normal Community) MD 11-0 Noah Avina (Minooka)

126 – Adante Washington (Joliet Cath) F 2:20 Aleck Allende (Joliet Cent)

132 – Liam Zimmerman (Lockport) D 8-7 Alex Fernandez (Joliet Cent)

138 – Jorge Robles (Joliet Cent) MD 15-2 Adrian Hernandez (Joliet W)

144 – Nolan Vogel (Joliet Cath) D 7-1 Jaedon Calderon (Lockport)

150 – Naseem Jaber (Lockport) F 1:42 Aiden Brown (Joliet W)

157 – Drew Silzer (Lockport) F 0:48 Mark Bew (Joliet Cent)

165 – Victor Reyes (Normal Community) D 9-2 Mason Boles (Minooka)

175 – Isaac Clauson (Joliet Cath) TF 2:39 Cole Kretsinger (Normal Community)

190 – Amelio Gonzalez (Joliet Cent) F 4:00 Isaiah Escobar (Romeoville)

215 – Max Hrvatin (Joliet Cath) F 5:39 Cyrus Czyz (Lockport)

285 – Wojtek Chrobak (Lockport) F 3:53 Jamir Thomas (Romeoville)

3A Quincy Regional

Edwardsville topped the field at this year’s 3A Quincy Regional, winning the program’s 12th consecutive team regional title and the 21st in program history.

Edwardsville won 234.5-200 over second-place host Quincy, followed by Belleville East (117), Belleville West (114), Collinsville (93), O’Fallon (73), Alton (51.5) and Granite City (36.5).

Edwardsville coach Eric Pretto had 11 sectional qualifiers on the day, led by individual regional champions Tyler Perry (113), Ryan Richie (120), Levi Wilkinson (126), Blake Mink (144), and Roman Janek (215).

Also advancing and placing second for the Tigers were Bryson Nuttall (106), Logan Hiller (138), Aiden Stamp (157), Brendan Landau (165), Max Miller (175), and Simon Schulte (190).

Second-place Quincy advanced eight wrestlers for coach Phil Neally, led by regional champions Eli Roberts (150), Owen Uppinghouse (165) and Bryor Newbold (175).

Also winning individual regional titles at Quincy were Belleville West’s Rocky Seibel (106), Aiden Colbert (138), and Ethan Hofmeister (190), Granite City’s Braxton Tolley (132), and Belleville East’s Terence Willis (157) and Jonathan Rulo (285).

The top three wrestlers in each weight class earned sectional advancement.

3A Quincy Regional championship matches:

106 – Rocky Seibel (Belleville W) MD 12-4 Bryson Nuttall (Edwardsville)

113 -Tyler Perry (Edwardsville) D 3-0 Corbin Zeisset (Belleville E)

120 – Ryan Richie (Edwardsville) F 3:41 Wyatt Boeing (Quincy)

126 – Levi Wilkinson (Edwardsville) TF 4:59 Evan Wakefield (Quincy)

132 – Braxton Tolley (Granite City) F 0:49 Xander Goodwin (Belleville W)

138 – Aiden Colbert (Belleville W) D 5-1 Logan Hiller (Edwardsville)

144 – Blake Mink (Edwardsville) D 3-0 Brody Baker (Quincy)

150 – Eli Roberts (Quincy) D 7-1 Antoine Phillips (Alton)

157 – Terence Willis (Belleville E) SV-1 3-1 Aiden Stamp (Edwardsville)

165 – Owen Uppinghouse (Quincy) F 1:23 Brendan Landau (Edwardsville)

175 – Bryor Newbold (Quincy) D 7-1 Max Miller (Edwardsville)

190 – Ethan Hofmeister (Belleville W) F 0:45 Simon Schulte (Edwardsville)

215 – Roman Janek (Edwardsville) D 6-0 Gavin Gentille (O’Fallon)

285 – Jonathan Rulo (Belleville E) D 3-1 Todd Smith (Quincy)

Third-place matches:

106 – Jackson Schadegg (Belleville E) F 2:20 Dashun Caldwell (Granite City)

113 – Hugh Sharrow (Quincy) F 1:30 Trey Skelton (Alton)

120 – Chase Hare (Collinsville) F 0:29 Cael Baylowski (Belleville E)

126 – Tyler Minner (Collinsville) 3:46 Tyler Wood (O’Fallon)

132 – Cooper Kamm (Quincy) F 3:52 Camron Minner (Collinsville)

138 – Braden Kelly (Belleville E) D 4-2 Cale Mixer (Quincy)

144 – Brayden Drew (Alton) F 3:36 Kenyon Smith (O’Fallon)

150 – Andrew Orloski (O’Fallon) F 1:04 KJ Jamison (Edwardsville)

157 – Logan Thomas (O’Fallon) MD 10-1 Gunnar Derhake (Quincy)

165 – Cody Lutz (Collinsville) F 3:01 Alex Ramo (Belleville W)

175 – Carlos Padilla (Belleville E) F 3:43 Michael Tongay (Collinsville)

190 – Scott Snyder (Collinsville) F 0:30 Alex Wells (Quincy)

215 – Shamontae Matthews (Belleville W) F 2:47 Dalton Mays (Quincy)

285 – Kenwyn Horne (Belleville W) D 5-4 Riley Steinkuehler (Edwardsville)

3A Rich Township Regional

Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way West fought to the finish at this year’s Rich Township regional, with East topping West by a mere 1.5 points, 208-206.5.

It was Lincoln-Way East’s fifth team regional title in program history and its first since the 2006-07 season.

Griffins coach Kevin Rockett saw 11 of his boys become sectional qualifiers and got individual regional titles from Tyson Zvonar (132), Alex Lizak (157), Rory Moran (165), and Caden O’Rourke (215), and runner-up finishes from Zach Miller (120), Kaidge Richardson (126), Brayden Mortell (138), Kevin Byrne (144), Domanic Abeja (150), Jackson Zaeske (175), and Isaiah Williams (190).

Second-place Lincoln-Way West also advanced 11 wrestlers to the sectional, led by individual regional champions Carter Debenedetto (120), Luke Siwinski (138), Jase Salin (150), and Nate Elstner (190).

Third-place Lincoln-Way Central (155.5) advanced seven wrestlers for coach Tyrone Byrd, led by regional champion Jalen Byrd (144).

Also winning regional titles at Rich Township were Homewood-Flossmoor’s Davion Henry (106) and Robye Williams (126), Andrew’s Nadeem Haleem (113) and Michael McDonough (285), and Bradley-Bourbonnais’ AJ Mancilla (175).

The top three wrestlers in each weight class advance to the individual sectional meet.

3A Rich Township Regional championship matches:

106 – Davion Henry (Homewood-F) D 4-3 Brady Glynn (LW West)

113 – Nadeem Haleem (Andrew) D 1-0 Diondre Henry (Homewood-F)

120 – Carter Dibenedetto (LW West) F 1:56 Zach Miller (LW East)

126 – Robye Williams (Homewood-F) MD 12-2 Kaidge Richardson (LW East)

132 – Tyson Zvonar (LW East) F 3:29 Casey Griffin (Andrew)

138 – Luke Siwinski (LW West) D 11-7 Brayden Mortell (LW East)

144 – Jalen Byrd (LW Central) D 4-2 Kevin Byrne (LW East)

150 – Jase Salin (LW West) SV-1 6-4 Domanic Abeja (LW East)

157 – Alex Lizak (LW East) F 1:26 Caden Harvey (LW Central)

165 – Rory Moran (LW East) D 8-2 Tim Key (LW Central)

175 – AJ Mancilla (B-Bourbonnais) D 3-2 Jackson Zaeske (LW East)

190 – Nate Elstner (LW West) F 1:17 Isaiah Williams (LW East)

215 – Caden O’Rourke (LW East) D 5-0 Colin Welsh (LW Central)

285 – Michael McDonough (Andrew) F 1:41 Nick Kavooras (LW West)

Third-place matches:

106 – Eric Hoselton (LW Central) D 7-4 Jerry Donnelly (Andrew)

113 – Shane Stream (LW West) D 4-3 Tyler Lachenberg (LW Central)

120 – Roan Dukes (Homewood-F) F 2:47 Kyrin King (Rich Township)

126 – Max Siegel (Andrew) TF 5:23 Haden Anderson (LW West)

132 – Jakob Siwinski (LW West) F 1:40 Jadon Zimmer (LW Central)

138 – Ameer Alamawi (LW Central) F 0:42 Nick Rociola (Andrew)

144 – Tristin King (Rich Township) D 12-6 Ian Lawrence (Homewood-F)

150 – Brian Ingram (Homewood-F) F 1:58 Kristian Meloy (LW Central)

157 – Elijah Zepeda (LW West) D 7-2 Kaleb Zamudio (Andrew)

165 – DJ Freeman (LW West) D 8-2 Angelo Jura (Andrew)

175 – Jimmy Talley (LW West) D 6-1 Jordan Wandick (Andrew)

190 – Aiden Hennings (LW Central) F 3:24 Logan M Smith (B-Bourbonnais)

215 – Joseph Zimmer (Andrew) F 2:36 Khamryn Beaver (Homewood-F)

285 – Adam Tovar (Homewood-F) D 9-7 Gage LaDere (LW East)

By Chris Walker – for the IWCOA

A year ago, Yorkville made the two-hour drive to Moline to begin its postseason journey.

On Saturday, the Foxes barely had to leave the comfort of their own homes. 

The Foxes stayed at home in Yorkville where they took charge of the IHSA Class 3A Yorkville Regional, sending nine wrestlers to the finals and coming away with five champions, four second-place finishes and three more third-place winners. They will send 12 wrestlers to the Quincy Sectional.

“Coming into this, these guys knew our goal is not to just win a regional title, it’s to make the state finals,” said Yorkville coach Jake Oster. “It starts with wrestling well at regionals, and these guys taking care of themselves takes care of the team. 

The Foxes went 18-7 last season and finished in fourth place in Class 3A after losing in the third-place match to the school that Oster attended and where he won a Class AA title at 112 in 2004, Lockport Township. The dual meet was historic since it was the first time that two brothers had teams who met in the IHSA Dual Team finals. The Porters are coached by Jameson Oster. 

“Now they can focus on that for the next couple weeks and aspirations for state titles and state place winners, and then we’ve got the other guys continuing training with us and we’ll focus on that team sectional and ultimately team state. Right now is a little bit of a focus on individuals.”

Yorkville (245) was followed by Moline (175) and Oswego (171). Plainfield North (112.5) was fourth, Plainfield East (69) and Plainfield South (69) tied for fifth and were followed by Plainfield Central (59), United Township (58) and Oswego East (45).

Coach Jacob Ruettiger’s second-place Moline Maroons had three champions, two runner-ups and a pair of third-place finishes to give them seven qualifiers for the Quincy Sectional.

Oswego was outscored by Moline but produced the second-most sectional qualifiers at the regional with eight wrestlers moving on. That includes three champs, three second-place finishers and two others who won their third-place matches.

“All these guys here wrestle year round,” Panthers coach Andrew Cook said. “We run our own Freestyle Greco program and go all summer and we took a trip to Florida this summer and the majority of all these guys wrestling today were on those trips.”

Cook recognizes the gains his kids have made and has support to back it up by official results.

“We flipped a lot of matches today that we lost early in the year and that’s great,” he said. “It’s great to see that progress and we want to be wrestling at our best at the end of the year. I wouldn’t say we wrestled our best, but we were pretty close, you know what I mean, it’s great.”

Plainfield North had five sectional qualifiers, including three who won third-place matches. Plainfield East advanced four individuals, which also included three third-place finishers.  Plainfield Central and Plainfield South each had two individuals advance from the Yorkville Regional while Oswego East and United Township had one sectional qualifier apiece. 

Here’s a look at the champions and weight classes at the Class 3A Yorkville Regional:

106 – Collin Ledbetter, Moline 

In his postseason debut, Moline freshman Collin Ledbetter (20-3) knocked off another Quad Cities freshman in United Township’s Blake Trickey (29-6) by a 10-3 decision for the 106 title.

Yorkville sophomore Ramsey Barton (9-12) earned a 12-4 major decision against Plainfield North freshman Tristen Garbis (14-12) to take third place and advance to sectional competition.

113 – Maddox Garbis, Plainfield North

Essentially trapped at home a few years ago during the pandemic, Maddox Garbis was looking for something to do.

“We were trapped up in Covid and my dad used to wrestle and my dad’s friend said Maddox should wrestle,” he said. “I had nothing better to do so I just started to do it and started to like it and got decent so I stuck with it.”

The Plainfield North junior has not only stuck to it, but quickly become one of the best wrestlers at his weight in the state, improving to 38-3 with an 8-6 decision over Oswego senior Jonathan Theodor (32-7) for the 113 regional title.

“I feel the score doesn’t really tell how I wrestled,” Garbis said. “I’ve wrestled him like eight times in the past so we know each other. I’ve never lost to him but he’s a great competitor.”

Unlike many of his peers who began wrestling not long after learning how to walk, Garbis is still a relative newcomer. Despite that, he went 42-5 last season and took sixth at 106 in Class 3A.

“I started wrestling my freshmen year, so I’m three and a half years in,” he said. “Freshman year I was new and didn’t know much but I wrestled varsity but was a small 106. Last year I got to state, placed sixth and this year I’m just trying to do more.”

Garbis jumped on Theodor and built a cushion.

“I was up 6-0 and then I turned him and gave up a reversal,” he said. “I’ve been working on the mental side of the sport because I get in my head a lot so I’ve been working on that with (a coach) and just been thinking before matches.”

Garbis said he wasn’t very good at baseball so making the transition to something new like wrestling proved to be a wise choice and now he’s reaping multiple benefits, including a regional title.

“I wasn’t too good at baseball but I got decent at wrestling so I’ve kept doing it,” he said. “What I like about wrestling is the reward for working hard and getting what you want and the friends I’ve made. I’ve made friends across the state, it’s awesome.”

Yorkville sophomore Liam Fenoglio (22-17) scored a 10-6 decision to defeat Moline freshman Housseyn Ndiaye (12-17) to capture third place.

120 – Aiden Villar, Plainfield East

During a championship featuring a pair of Southwest Prairie Conference athletes who share the same first name, Plainfield East senior Aiden Villar (31-8) won 6-0 over Oswego sophomore Aiden Ortiz (24-18). Villar won 34 matches a year ago but couldn’t advance out of the sectional. 

Yet another individual with the same first name, albeit spelled differently, took third place at 120 as Plainfield North sophomore Aidan Durell (27-17) earned a 13-6 decision over Yorkville freshman Daniel Martino.

126 – Nathan Craft, Yorkville

As a freshman a year ago, Nathan Craft wrestled at 120 at regionals but did not advance. On Saturday, Yorkville’s Craft (26-20) prevailed 5-3 over Moline sophomore Dominick Diaz (10-7) to become a regional champion for the first time.

“I put in a lot of hard work in practice and offseason work,’ Craft said.  “I’m glad it paid off.”

The hard work that he’s put in has helped craft the sophomore into a champion.

“We have a lot of great kids in the room working hard,” he said. “I’m just working hard in practice and now have more confidence in my shots.”

He’s also confident that the Foxes can make a run in the state team competition this winter.

“I think we have a good chance of placing big downstate this year,” he said. “Hopefully we can get into the finals and that team stuff will take care of itself.”

For third place, Oswego junior Vincent Manfre (25-16) won by fall over Plainfield South senior Rocco Silva (18-16), who fell one win shy of a state trip last season.

132 – Dominic Recchia, Yorkville 

Yorkville’s Dominic Recchia (27-14) stayed composed to win a battle between juniors for the 132 title, scoring a 14-3 major decision victory over Moline’s Kayden Serrano (24-18)

“I just stayed focused, stayed calm, didn’t panic, and kind of did my thing,” Recchia said. “I slowed my pace down and when I needed to get in shots I got them, and obviously had a nice cradle that got me back points so ended up working well for me.”

Staying committed to the sport and getting better each day has made a big difference.

“The more work you put in the better you’re going to get always,” he said. “I think that’s pretty much what I’ve done this whole offseason. I’ve been putting in a lot of work, hit the gym and that’s why I’m at where I’m at right now.”

Even if Recchia came up short in his title match, there’s a good chance that the frustration of a difficult loss would’ve ultimately helped him as long as he used the experience to get better as he has when he’s come up short previously, like last season when he won 32 matches but came up a bit shy of a trip to the state finals.

“It’s definitely frustrating when you have that finals match, that match you know you can win, and you don’t ,” he said. “it’s definitely frustrating. It’s more fuel added to that fire and motivates you for that next week.:

Plainfield East sophomore Camden McCloskey (29-10) won by fall in 2:59 against United Township sophomore Xavier Marolf (29-12) for third place.

138 – Brayden Swanson, Oswego

What transpired a year ago in the regionals provided 100 percent pure motivation that it wouldn’t happen again for Oswego’s Brayden Swanson during his junior year.

“(Last year) I got caught really early in the tournament and I had to wrestle my whole way back,” Swanson explained. “It was a super hard bracket. I wrestled the number-six kid in the state and if I won I would’ve had to go against the number-two (kid in the state). Here it motivated me to be in the first-second place match. I’ve worked hard all week. I’ve been working on bottom and top.”

He’s been putting in the work and seeing it pay off like it did when Swanson (29-7) edged Yorkville freshman Donovan Rosauer 3-2 for the 138 title.

“I’ve been working all year for this moment,” Swanson said. “I just wanted to be doing better than I did last year without getting stuck in stupid positions and winning good matches like that, so it was really cool.”

It was the third time Swanson and Rosauer went toe-to-toe. Swanson won 2-0 during their first meeting while Rosauer (30-14) won by the same score when the two last met. 

“I love wrestling kids like that,” Swanson said. “You get the competition and the work in and it gives you something to work towards and to be better at.”

Swanson was able to get into such an ideal position by his commitment to be a wrestler today more than he was just a year ago.

“Last year I got caught, I felt the moment was too big for me last year so sometimes I just crumbled under pressure,” he said. “I talked all year, me and my dad, if you want to go achieve something you got to speak it first. I  had to put in the work, time, a lot of cutting weight, but all in all I was just working toward getting better.”

Plainfield North sophomore Luke Grindstaff (26-16) earned a 3-1 decision over Plainfield Central senior Gavin Enders (27-9) for third place.

144 – Dominick Coronado, Yorkville 

Coming back from a shoulder injury, Yorkville’s Dominick Coronado (26-4) won a 6-1 decision over Plainfield Central junior Matthias Hautzinger (21-8) for the title at 144.

“I had similar results when I wrestled him before,” Coronado said. “I’m coming back from a shoulder injury and just working hard to punch my ticket to state.”

It’s a special time for Coronado as a senior.

“This puts me in a good place,” he said. “I’ve been wrestling for 10 years now so I know the swing of things, but it feels great. I’m going to enjoy this moment and come back next week.”

He’s looking to finish his high school wrestling journey strongly with his fellow Foxes that he’s gotten so close to over the years because of the sport.

“I grew up with most of these guys and have known a lot of them for 10-plus years so we have a strong bond in the wrestling room,” he said. “High school goes by so fast, you know, I didn’t believe people when they told me that that high school would catch up to you so it really does. I’m just going to enjoy the moments.”

Moline senior Bradley Ledbetter (25-17) earned a 6-5 decision to defeat Oswego sophomore Dillon Griffin (29-15) in the third-place match at 144.

150 – Jack Ferguson, Yorkville

On January 20, Yorkville’s Jack Ferguson pinned Oswego East’s Noah DeMarco in 2:42 during the Southwest Prairie Conference Tournament in Joliet.

On Saturday, junior Ferguson (38-10) repeated that, but in less time, winning by fall in 2:42 against senior DeMarco (35-8) to win the 150 title.

“I dominated him on top at conference last week and knew it was going to be the case today,” Ferguson said. “I knew if I got to my stuff I would be good.”

He certainly was able to get to his stuff. Last year, he went 42-13 and fell one win shy of winning a 3A medal at 132.

“Anything can happen, but we wrestle all these tough tournaments all year and I think that prepares us for the state series,” Ferguson said. “When you are facing good guys you got to have your head in it to compete and be in the match, that sets us up to succeed here.”

His fellow Foxes push him so he can make a push towards getting to the top of the award stand regardless of the tournament.

“It starts in the room where we push each other and battle everyday,” Ferguson said. “It’s good knowing you’re going to have good partners here and going to wrestle someone good in the rooms everyday,”

In the third-place match featuring two juniors, Oswego’s Ethan Essick (29-11) captured a 12-5 decision over Moline’ Jack Sibley (23-19).

157 – Zander Ealy, Moline

Moline’s Zander Ealy (37-5) earned a hard-fought 5-3 decision over Yorkville junior Ryder Janeczko (16-9), who was a state qualifier in 2023, to capture the regional title at 157.

“I think a lot of it was me staying focused and worrying about me,” Ealy said. “I think a lot of guys here get wrapped up in what their opponent is going to do so they lose sight of taking control of the match themselves so I think what is really important out here, staying in control.”

Ealy, who’s a senior, has certainly stayed busy while controlling his time in a positive way, finding a way to balance being a three-sport athlete while maintaining excellent grades.

“It’s really enjoyable to play multiple sports and I don’t like getting stuck at one thing for too long,” he said. “So being able to split it up into three I’m able to enjoy it all. I get to be around a lot of different people in the school. I have different groups of friends so it’s nice.”

Ealy wrapped up the football season as a two-way player for a 3-5 Maroons squad this fall. After he finishes up his wrestling season he’ll transition over to track and field. Ealy played baseball his first two years at Moline before a shoulder injury inspired him to switch sports.

“I think a lot of people nowadays lose sight of how playing multiple sports actually helps you with every single one,” he said. “It gets different parts of my body strong for other sports which is very helpful.”

He has made the decision to pursue football in college over his other sports.

“If I’m being honest I don’t want to cut weight anymore,” he laughed. “That’s where I’m at, and football is a little shorter of a season, and in college I’m going to study a pretty hard major so I want to be able to balance my academics and sports and feel football would be easier to do with that than wrestling.”

Ealy plans on studying biomedical engineering and pursue a career in prosthetics. He credits having a father who is a teacher and other family members in the medical field for helping him focus on his ambitions.

“It’s really a big dream of mine to work on prosthetics and help people out,” he said. “My dream would be working with kids, helping them get prosthetics, especially as an athlete giving a kid an arm, giving him an opportunity to play that sport with that arm or working with the military, with someone who maybe lost a leg would be pretty cool. The human body is capable of doing some awesome things and I want to be able to help people out.”

Plainfield East senior Niko Duggan (40-3) rebounded from a loss by fall in the quarterfinals to Plainfield South sophomore Chase Pierceall (25-10) in the quarterfinals to take third place by beating him by fall in the third place match. Pierceall, who subsequently lost a 7-4 decision to Janeczko in the semifinals, was pinned by Duggan in 1:26 on the third-place mat.

165 – Joey Griffin, Oswego

Donning Pringles pajama bottoms could be seen as a bit cruel for those struggling with weight, but Oswego’s Joey Griffin was all smiles in his post-performance pants after a 7-0 victory against Yorkville sophomore Caleb Viscogliosi (23-13) for the 165 title.

“At the beginning of the season cutting weight can be difficult but once I get it down, I’m pretty good at maintaining it,” he said. “I started at 190 and cut it down throughout the season. At most I’m 169 before practice and afterwards I’m like 165. It’s good now. I eat three meals a day and drink a lot of water. Some people struggle with it more than others.”

Griffin (41-4) has struggled with very little during his junior season, including an opponent like Viscogliosi who he’s rather familiar with these days.

“We’ve known each other forever,” Griffin said, “We used to go to the same club. I just had to keep the pace up and keep him down and that’s all there was to it.”

Plainfield East senior Jerry Nino (31-6) earned a 9-1 major decision over Moline sophomore Jaxson Soliz (13-18) to take third place.

175 – Luke Zook, Yorkville

Luke Zook (41-4), the last of Yorkville’s five regional champions on the day, scored a 15-6 major decision over Oswego senior Colin O’Grady (30-10) to take the title at 175.

Zook, a junior who went 47-9 last season and took third at 170 in the IHSA Class 3A Finals, won his only other match in the semifinals with a fall in 0:56 over United Township’s Alex Long.

Moline sophomore Deanthony Simpson (26-15) won a 4-0 decision over Plainfield North sophomore Jack Nowicki for third place.

190 – James Soliz, Moline

There’s no train from Moline to Yorkville, but Moline’s James Soliz (33-9) is riding one that’s a stop away from another trip to state after winning a 3-2 decision over Plainfield North senior Leonardo Tovar (39-4) in the 190 title match. A year ago, Tovar went 48-9 and took third place in Class 3A at 220.

“It was a tough match,” Soliz said. “I wrestled all six minutes and I wrestled smart, stayed in good position.

This is the fourth year that Soliz has advanced to the sectional. Last year, he qualified for state and finished with a 41-10 record.

“I’m rolling off a conference title and trying to keep the train rolling all the way to state,” Soliz said. “We’ve all been working very hard and it shows. We had a lot of people in placing matches and they wrestled all six minutes. No one got pinned in the place matches.

“I think I’ve grown a lot over the years. Thinking about it, this is my last year so why not leave it all out on the mat?”

Yorkville junior Luke Chrisse (28-14) got a pin in 0:58 over Plainfield Central sophomore Ty Sabin (16-15) to win the third-place match.

215 – Matt Janiak, Plainfield South

One of the most exciting final matches featured a pair of seniors who were 2023 IHSA Class 3A medalists, Plainfield South’s Matt Janiak, who went 37-9 and placed sixth at 195 a year ago and also took sixth at 170 in 2022, and Yorkville’s Ben Alvarez, won went 42-8 and won the championship at 220 in 2023.

The two met at the Southwest Prairie Conference Tournament and Alvarez won 2-1 on a tiebreaker to win the title. On Saturday, it was Janiak’s turn and he captured a 7-3 decision to win the regional title at 215.

Janiak hopes to follow in the footsteps of his sister, Alexis, who won a title at the inaugural IHSA Finals in 2022, to become the first Cougars wrestler to win an IHSA championship. She’s currently ranked among the nation’s best while competing for Aurora University and has a long an impressive resume in national competitions.

“He’s a good friend of mine so definitely the respect goes both ways,” Janiak said. “I’ve known him forever but never really wrestled because he was always heavier, but now we’re in the same weight class and have been able to meet a couple of times.”

The difference this time according to Janiak was his ability to wrestle to his advantage.

“I was definitely able to wrestle my style instead of going into his style of wrestling this time,” Janiak said. “I changed it up to constantly be in his face and constantly shoot him to get him a little unwired so I felt like I was successful with that.”

Janiak made sure to not just review film of his prior match against Alvarez.

“It comes down to practice and watching the film,” he said. “Watching it, I could tell I wasn’t wrestling as myself, I was kind of going down to how he wanted to wrestle.”

Knowing his opponent, who is someone he considers a friend, is nothing new for Janiak to cope with when he heads into battle.

“So I’ve wrestled friends all over the years and it happens often,” he said. “Yeah, sure it’s your friend but once you get in that tournament zone you both know to turn it on and say we’re not friends right now and the second it’s over, it’s congrats, love you, you’re still my buddy.”

As fierce of competitor as Janiak is, he doesn’t lose sight that he has a common bond with his opponent.

“Wrestling is such a degrading sport,” he said “In reality, it’s hard, so you respect everybody that does it because you know they’re going through the same stuff that you’re going through.”

Plainfield Central junior Anthony Minnito (28-6) captured a 5-3 decision over Oswego East senior Josh Edwards (31-11) to claim third place.

285 – Brodie Slou, Oswego 

Last year while wrestling at 215 for Oswego in the Marmion Academy Regional, Brodie Slou got pinned twice in in the opening-period of his two marches.

Those losses simply turned into fuel to inspire Slou (24-16) this season. Today he’s a regional champ at 285. The junior won a nail-biter against Plainfield South junior Ian Portillo (20-20), getting a 4-2 win by sudden victory.

“We wrestled for fifth place at conference and it was 1-0 so I knew it was going to be another tough match,” Slou said. “I only had like nine wins last year so it was a rough year, so to win my regional feels great. I’ve got to give credit to my practice partners for being there every day and for my coaches, they are very good about pushing me and they know what I can do and they helped me see that this year.”

Slou attempted to push Portillo out of the circle.

“I was looking to try to push him out of the circle try to get the act of stalking points but I got hit when up one and had to work and then just ran out of time,” he said. “I ended up getting that move off at the end. It felt good.”

The hard work in a year’s time most certainly paid off in Slou’s case.

“This reassures myself for putting in all this hard work,” he said, “To see it pay off is really exciting to see,”

For third place, Plainfield North sophomore Liam Corona (16-17) won by fall in 3:49 over Plainfield East freshman Xavier Casey.

Championship matches for the Class 3A Yorkville Regional

106 – Collin Ledbetter (Moline) D 10-3 Blake Trickey (United Township)

113 – Maddox Garbis (Plainfield North) D 8-6 Jonathan Theodor (Oswego)

120 – Aiden Villar (Plainfield East) D 6-0 Aiden Ortiz (Oswego)

126 – Nathan Craft (Yorkville) D 5-3 Dominick Diaz (Moline)

132 – Dominic Recchia (Yorkville) MD 14-3 Kayden Serrano (Moline)

138 – Brayden Swanson (Oswego) D 3-2 Donovan Rosauer (Yorkville)

144 – Dominick Coronado (Yorkville) D 6-1 Matthias Hautzinger (Plainfield Central)

150 – Jack Ferguson (Yorkville) F 2:42 Noah DeMarco (Oswego East)

157 – Zander Ealy (Moline) D 5-3 Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville)

165 – Joey Griffin (Oswego) D 7-0 Caleb Viscogliosi (Yorkville)

175 – Luke Zook (Yorkville) MD 15-6 Colin O’Grady (Oswego)

190 – James Soliz (Moline) D 3-2 Leonardo Tovar (Plainfield North)

215 – Matt Janiak (Plainfield South) D 7-3 Ben Alvarez (Yorkville)

285 – Brodie Slou (Oswego) SV 4-2 Ian Portillo (Plainfield South)

Third-place matches for the Class 3A Yorkville Regional

106 – Ramsey Barton (Yorkville) MD 12-4 Tristen Garbis (Plainfield North)

113 – Liam Fenoglio (Yorkville) D 10-6 Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline)

120 – Aidan Durell (Plainfield North) D 13-6 Daniel Martino (Yorkville)

126 – Vincent Manfre (Oswego) F 2:00 Rocco Silva (Plainfield South)

132 – Camden McCloskey (Plainfield East) F 2:59 Xavier Marolf (United Township)

138 – Luke Grindstaff (Plainfield North) D 3-1 Gavin Enders (Plainfield Central)

144 – Bradley Ledbetter (Moline) d 6-5 Dillon Griffin (Oswego)

150 – Ethan Essick (Oswego) D 12-5 Jack Sibley (Moline)

157 – Niko Duggan (Plainfield East) F 1:26 Chase Pierceall (Plainfield South)

165 – Jerry Nino (Plainfield East) MD 9-1 Jaxson Soliz (Moline)

175 – Deanthony Simpson (Moline) D 4-0 Jack Nowicki (Plainfield North)

190 – Luke Chrisse (Yorkville) F 0:58 Ty Sabin (Plainfield Central)

215 – Anthony Minnito (Plainfield Central) D 5-3 Josh Edwards (Oswego East)

285 – Liam Corona (Plainfield North) F 3:49 Xavier Casey (Plainfield East) 

Team scores for the Class 3A Yorkville Regional

1. Yorkville 245, 2. Moline 175, 3. Oswego 171, 4. Plainfield North 112.5, 5. Plainfield East 69, 5. Plainfield South 69, 7. Plainfield Central 59, 8. United Township 58, 9. Oswego East 45.

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

IC Catholic Prep was considered a force in class 2A long before a trio of stars arrived through the transfer portal. But in the minds of those already there, and the new faces in the room, it was clear that coach Danny Alcocer was the missing piece of the Knights’ puzzle.

Alcocer was the head coach of a highly-successful program at 1A power Aurora Christian until the school closed its doors. That closing sent Deven Casey and Pat Mullen from Aurora Christian to the IC campus in Elmhurst. 

Then Brody Kelly made the move from Marmion Academy to give the Knights starting lineup even more of a boost.

“We are all very fortunate to have someone like (Alcocer) here,” senior Michael Calcagno said. “He brings so much knowledge and first-hand experience, and I can tell you the difference in our room from a year ago is amazing.”

Calcagno was one of 11 wrestlers who lifted regional championship trophies to help the Knights win their third regional title in program history. IC Prep overpowered the field in Arlington Heights at the Forest View Educational Center, which hosted this year’s 2A Wheeling Regional.

The Knights amassed 268.5 points – 107 more than second place Deerfield (161.5) followed by Wheeling with 158.5.

Fenton was fourth with 123.5, followed by Vernon Hills, Lake Forest, St. Viator, and Elmwood Park.

“I can tell you first-hand after being around coach Alcocer that we’re all very lucky to have him here at IC,” Casey said. “He will make this program even better than it was.”

IC senior Joe Gliatta agreed.

“We had a good staff here before, but I was really excited with coach (Alcocer) coming here, plus the other three guys who transferred,” Gliatta said. “We’re all working harder than ever before.”

Gliatta,  Foley and Calcagno are also key figures on the Knights football team.

IC Catholic will send 13 into the highly competitive Grayslake Central sectional; Deerfield and Wheeling are next with eight a piece. Fenton (5) and Vernon Hills and Lake Forest each advanced three.

Second-place Deerfield got an individual regional title from Luke Reddy (126), while Lake Forest’s Seth Digby (157) and Fenton’s Thomas Klos (285) were also regional champions.

Here’s a closer look at each weight class:

106- Dominic Pasquale, IC Catholic Prep

IC Catholic Prep was fast out of the blocks when freshman Dominic Pasquale (23-14) won a regional title after his 7-2 decision over Wheeling sophomore David Perez.

Both advance into the Grayslake Central sectional, as will Deerfield freshman Jorey Becker (21-15) who beat Quentin Rodriguez (Elmwood Park) in the third-place bout by a score of 15-9.

Perez would pin his way into the final, while Pasquale recorded a major decision victory to secure his spot in the final, where he won the first major title of his young career.

113- Kannon Judycki, IC Catholic Prep

Kannon Judycki (22-14) would follow Pasquale onto the top of the podium in fine fashion when he registered a pin at 3:50 over Wheeling freshman Frankie Katz in the 113-pound final.

The freshman Judycki, listed in the Honorable Mention section of the most recent state polls,

claimed his first major title after a fourth-place medal won at the CCL conference tournament two weeks ago.

Katz advanced after stunning Saint Viator’s top-seeded Elliot Heckard with a pin midway through the second period.

“I was looking for my duck-under but really worked my overhooks on his left side, so when there was an opening, I went for it,” said Katz, who came into the weekend at 105 pounds.

Charlie Biddle (27-16) from Deerfield beat Anthony Bigham (Fenton) 8-1 in the third place match to advance.

120- Deven Casey, IC Catholic Prep

With the addition of Deven Casey, IC Catholic Prep welcomed an instant state qualifier with a pair of third-place state medals to his name, and a desire to finish on top in his junior year.

“It’s been an easy transition here from (Aurora Christian), and to have our coach from there is great for me, and great for this program,” said Casey, now 27-4 following his pin at 2:22 over Adrian Cohen (33-9) from Deerfield.

The No. 2-rated Casey has his eyes squarely on the reigning state champion and No. 1-ranked Drew Davis of Glenwood  as this post-season moves closer to ending in Champaign.

“Davis beat me 3-2 in my state semifinal two years ago, so I want the chance to see him again at state, hopefully in the final. But I’m not looking past anyone from here on out,” Casey said.

Miguel Lopez (Wheeling) is a first time sectional qualifier thanks to his 12-10 decision over Vernon Hills sophomore Sabir Aliev.

126- Luke Reddy, Deerfield 

Deerfield senior Luke Reddy is one-half of the Warriors’ dynamic duo along with Jordan Rasof, and the No. 4 rated 126-pounder is using his two trips to Champaign to inspire a better result than before.

“(Twice) I’ve lost in the blood round at state. It was hard the first time, but really tough last season,” said Reddy, who lost to Daniel McGhee (Rock Island) 9-8 to dash his hopes for a state medal.

“I am much better on both my top and bottom, and I know with Jordan in the room and our coaching staff pushing me each day, things will be better for me at state,” said Reddy, now 38-2 on the season after his pin at 49 seconds over Max Katz from Wheeling gave him 20 on the season.

Reddy, a two-time regional champion, also won a sectional crown a year ago, ending his season at 34-10. Reddy currently sits with 132 career victories.

Joey Pontrelli will join his IC Catholic Prep teammates at sectionals after his 14-10 victory over Anthony Diaz (Vernon Hills) in the third place match.

132- Omar Samayoa, IC Catholic Prep

It was No. 7 versus No. 8 in the 132-pound final, and when it was over, IC Catholic’s No. 7 Omar Samayoa would further solidify his spot just above Deerfield’s No. 8 Jackson Palzet after his 11-7 victory.

“I’m just taking one match at a time this year, looking forward to sectionals, and not letting how things have gone for me in the past distract me at all,” says Samayoa, 24-14 overall.

“We have a real solid room, team and coaching staff, and even though I’ve made it to state my last three years without coming home with a state medal, it’s all about going out and just doing the best you can,” said Samayoa, who has Elmhurst University, Cornell (Iowa) and Wabash College among those schools he will consider for next year.

Wherever he lands, it will likely have him go the pre-med route with a career as an anesthesiologist.

Palzet, who missed time early on to an injury, is now a sparkling 18-3.

Rene Reyna (Fenton, 18-7) is headed to sectionals following his 11-4 victory over Alex Nesterenko of Wheeling on the third-place mat.

138- Bryson Spaulding, IC Catholic Prep

An early takedown typically sets the tone during an important wrestling match, but for Bryson Spaulding (28-10) it just meant the IC Catholic Prep senior needed to stay focused in order to get himself back on track.

After Deerfield’s No. 2-ranked Jordan Rasof (33-6) had the first takedown of their title match, No. 5-ranked Spaulding halved the lead with an escape, before going on to add points en route to a well-deserved 6-2 victory.

“He (Rasof) obviously was a very good opponent, but this was just another opponent and another wrestling match, and state rankings have never meant anything to me,” said Spaulding.

The Knights senior would endure a marathon semifinal match with Jack McGowean (23-5) that saw the Vernon Hills senior needing several injury time minutes in order to get himself back on the mat. The match ended in a 7-6 decision for Spaulding.

“It wasn’t my best effort of the season,” Spaulding said of his one-point win over McGowean.

“That extra long injury time was a factor for sure, but not an excuse. I hope (McGowean) is okay for sectionals,” added Spaulding, who continues to sort out his college destination while viewing a variety of areas of study from physical therapist to pilot.

A valiant effort from McGowean would later end in a positive way for the 2023 sectional qualifier as he won his third-place match with a pin over Austin Berger from Wheeling.

144- Pat Mullen, IC Catholic Prep

This weight class was top-heavy with talent, so it was no surprise that the No’s. 4- and 7- rated men would face each other in the final.

Both Pat Mullen (19-7) and Mark Martinez (25-2) from Deerfield easily cruised into the title match, but it was Mullen who prevailed in a hard fought 11-6 contest.

“It was an easy call to transfer here to IC for me after Aurora Christian closed, it’s a great small school, and our program staff room are all about keeping things highly competitive to help us stay confident in what we do,” Mullen said. “For me, I’m ready to get after it this season, and get onto the podium.”

His opponent in the final also made a move during the offseason – just over five miles to Deerfield after spending his first three years at nearby Highland Park.

“There is so much quality in our room beginning with our coaching staff, and the type of teammates that will challenge each other every time we come into the room,” said Martinez, 

who was a state qualifier a year ago with a 32-4 overall record.

Josh Dickeson (Fenton) advanced after his pin over Rocco Giuliani (St. Viator) in the third place match.

150- Brody Kelly, IC Catholic Prep

IC Prep sophomore Brody Kelly (27-6) was an easy winner at 150 pounds, using just under three minutes to dispatch a pair of rivals to draw closer to his second straight state appearance.

“It was tough coming over from a great program like Marmion, but we are so much closer to school from my home in Roselle, and I really like the room and our coaching staff here as well,” said Kelly, No. 3 in the state behind David Mayora (Montini) and Zach Montez (Geneseo) both of whom are two-time state qualifiers.

“I learned a lot from my first experience at state last year, and from dual-team state where we finished second behind St. Charles East, so from that and the extra work that I’ve been putting in, the plan is to make a run at a state title this year,” added Kelly.

Charlie Cross (Deerfield, 33-11) moves on after his 5-2 decision in the third place bout with Omar Diaz (22-7) of Fenton.

157- Seth Digby, Lake Forest

For some, two losses to the same opponent in two straight weeks might be enough to shake the very foundation of someone whose dream is to stand atop the podium in Champaign.

Not so for Lake Forest’s Seth Digby (35-2), who in just 80 seconds pinned both of his rivals to cruise to an easy victory at 157 and a well-deserved top four seed at sectionals.

“(Warren’s top-ranked) Aaron Stewart is a great wrestler but in my only two losses of the season – both to him – I learned a lot, and definitely closed the gap against him,” Digby said.

“This will be a very tough weight class at state, but I feel like I’m so much better-prepared than my last two times. The experience of competing in a big arena in front of a big crowd is something I’ll be ready for this time around.”

Digby hopes to major in marketing next year, with West Virginia, and NIU among the colleges he has shown an interest in attending.

Dylan Moncayo (Vernon Hills, 19-8) beat Luca Davila (Deerfield) for third place at 157.

165- Joe Gliatta, IC Catholic Prep

The 165-pound weight class featured a trio of marvelous wrestlers, two of whom moved up a weight class for the state series to join Upstate Eight Conference champion Jovany Zuniga (33-4) of Fenton.

IC Prep senior Joe Gliatta (34-6) proved to be too much for this terrific group when he pinned Zuniga in their semifinal match, then won by fall over Ilia Dvoriannikov (Vernon Hills, 26-5) to win his third major of the season.

“After last year’s disappointing finish at state where I lost in the wrestle-back quarterfinals, I made the commitment to put the extra time in during the offseason, and work on the areas that I needed to improve on,” admitted Gliatta, who is a three-time state qualifier and placed sixth at 145 in 1A two years ago.

Gliatta, who also plays for the Knights football team, was the No. 2 man in the state polls at 157 pounds before bumping up, while the aforementioned Dvoriannikov was fifth overall in the same division.

Zuniga went on to place third against Wheeling’s Miguel Guerrero.

175- Nate Brown, IC Catholic

IC Prep’s Nate Brown would get his feet wet during the two-day, high profile CCL tournament recently by winning his first match of the event before losing and then seeing his time end soon thereafter in the wrestle-backs.

His regional plight followed a different script. The Knights junior gave his club its ninth individual title on the day when he pinned Fenton senior Rulin Palacios (27-9) just twenty seconds before time ran out.

Brown opened with a pin, then sent Deerfield’s top-seeded Chris Mauer (30-15) out of the front draw with a 9-3 decision. Palacios upended No. 2-seeded Jonny Dominguez (16-14) to move into the 175-pound final.

Dominguez topped Mauer via 7-6 decision to earn third place at 175.

190- Foley Calcagno, IC Catholic Prep

Foley Calcagno (29-6) continued to validate his No. 2 state ranking when the IC Prep sophomore pinned his way to the 215-pound title.

Calcagno, sixth at 182 last year in 1A, pinned Phu Truong from St. Viator at 2:19 for the title, after needing just under 90 seconds to secure his place in the final.

“The most important thing that I worked on since the end of last season was my fitness,” Calcagno said. “It wasn’t anywhere near to what it needs to be in order to get myself ready for those tough six minute matches, and it will be the biggest thing for me if I want to be on top of the podium.” Calcagno sits just behind No. 1-ranked Andrew Marquez from Rock Island, the returning state runner-up in 2A at 195 pounds.

Calcagno, who is a fullback and linebacker for the Knights football team, recently finished third overall at the CCL Conference tournament.

Deerfield senior Kevin Sabau will compete at sectionals following his pin of Sebastian Wrobel (Fenton) in the third place match.

215 – Michael Calcagno, IC Catholic Prep

Two-sport star Michael Calcagno has been an immovable force all season long for head coach Danny Alcocer and the high-flying Knights from IC-Catholic Prep.

The No. 1 man at 215 pounds squashed a pair of opponents here on Saturday to win his fourth major tournament of the season. Calcagno (44-4) further solidified his determination to win a state title in Champaign.

“(Alcocer) has pushed us all to succeed,” Calcagno said. “He just drives us to be better, and the type of guys we have in the room will help us all during the state series.”

The 2022 1A state champion at 182 pounds was denied a chance to repeat last season after he suffered an ACL injury just after the fall football season, which saw the Knights win the 3A state football championship.

Calcagno is currently looking at North Carolina, Northwestern, and Penn as his new address in the fall. 

CSL champion Max Drumke (Deerfield, 36-8, 22 pins) earned his first sectional appearance with his 7-3 defeat of Ryan Hutchins (25-16) from St. Viator.

285- Thomas Klos, Fenton

Junior Thomas Klos (19-6) gave Fenton its lone individual title on the day when he needed just 47 seconds to record a pin over Pablo Morales (20-17) from Wheeling.

Klos, who recently finished second at the UE8 conference tournament, used just 60 seconds on the mat to secure his regional crown, and an automatic first-round bye at sectionals.

Jackson Ramos from IC-Catholic Prep made it 13 Knights on their way to the Grayslake Central sectional, following his 5-1 decision over Alexander Berry from Deerfield in the third place match.

Wheeling Regional championship match results:

106- Dominic Pasquale (IC-Catholic) D 7-2 David Perez (Wheeling).

113- Kannon Judycki (IC-Catholic) F 3:50 Frankie Katz (Wheeling).

120- Deven Casey (IC-Catholic) F 2:22 Adrian Cohen (Deerfield).

126- Luke Reddy (Deerfield) F 0:49 Max Katz (Wheeling).

132- Omar Samayoa (IC-Catholic) D 11-7 Jackson Palzet (Deerfield).

138- Bryson Spaulding (IC-Catholic) D 6-2 Jordan Rasof (Deerfield).

144- Pat Mullern (IC-Catholic) D 11-6 Mark Martinez (Deerfield).

150- Brody Kelly (IC-Catholic) F 1:37 Nicholas Montesinos (Wheeling).

157- Seth Digby (Lake Forest) F 0:26 John Scanlon (Wheeling).

165- Joe Gliatta (IC-Catholic) F 4:59 Ilia Dvoriannikov (Vernon Hills).

175- Nate Brown (IC-Catholic) F 5:50 Rulin Palacios (Fenton).

190- Foley Calcagno (IC-Catholic) F 2:19 Phu Truong (St. Viator).

215- Michael Calcagno (IC-Catholic) F 0:15 Yaree Sandifer (Lake Forest).

285- Thomas Klos (Fenton) F 0:47 Pablo Morales (Wheeling).

3rd place results:

106- Jorey Becker (Deerfield) D 15-9 Quentin Rodriguez (Elmwood Park).

113- Charlie Biddle (Lake Forest) D 8-1 Anthony Bigham (Fenton).

120- Miguel Lopez (Wheeling) D 12-10 Sabir Aliev (Vernon Hills).

126- Joey Pontrelli (IC-Catholic) D 14-10 Anthony Diaz (Vernon Hills).

132- Rene Reyna (Fenton) D 11-4 Alex Nesterenko (Wheeling).

138- Jack McGowean (Vernon Hills) F 5:56 Austin Berger (Wheeling).

144- Josh Dickeson (Fenton) F 1:16 Rocco Giuliani (St. Viator).

150- Charlie Cross (Deerfield) D 5-2 Omar Diaz (Fenton).

157- Dylan Moncayo (Vernon Hills) D 10-6 Luca Davila (Deerfield).

165- Jovanny Zuniga (Fenton) F 3:19 Miguel Guerrero (Wheeling).

175- Johnny Dominguez (Wheeling) D 7-6 Chris Mauer (Deerfield).

190- Kevin Sabau (Deerfield) F 1:34 Sebastian Wrobel (Fenton).

215- Max Drumke (Deerfield) D 7-3 Ryan Hutchins (St. Viator).

285- Jackson Ramos (IC-Catholic) D 5-1 Alexander Berry (Deerfield).

Team Results:

IC-Catholic Prep 268.5, Deerfield 161.5, Wheeling 158.5, Fenton 123.5, Vernon Hills 71.5, Lake Forest 54.5, St. Viator 47.0, Elmwood Park 8.0

By Dave Surico for the IWCOA

2A regionals that feed into the Sycamore individual sectional

2A Metamora Regional – team champion Washington

Washington rolled to the title with 264 points. Morton took the runnerup spot with 192 points. Dunlap (112), Metamora (86.5) and Limestone (62.5) filled out the top five.

The Panthers took their 10th regional-title in a row behind championships from seven grapplers: Noah Woods (120 pounds), Eli Gonzalez (126), Timmy Smith (132), Wyatt Medlin (138), Peyton Cox (144), Zane Hulet (175) and Josh Hoffer (190). Zed Hulet (106), J.J. Rokey (150), Cruise Brolley (157), Cael Miller (165) and Sean Thornton (285) posted second place finishes. Logan Makiney (113) and Wyatt Leman (215) won their third place bouts to give Washington top three finishes for all 14 of its combatants. the Panthers are in pursuit of their second-consecutive Class AA championship and sixth since the 2015-16 season.

Morton received titles from Noah Harris (106), Harrison Dea (113), Steven Marvin (150), Clayton McKee (157) and Benjamin Chaffer (215). Dunlap was represented in the winners’ circle by Nick Mueller.  

Jose DelToro was a champion for East Peoria at 285.

Championship matches

106 – Noah Harris (Morton) F 4:15 Zed Hulet (Washington)

113 – Harrison Dea (Morton) MD 9-1 Cooper Chester (East Peoria)

120 – Noah Woods (Washington) MD 20-8 Caleb Lenning (Morton)

126 – Eli Gonzalez (Washington) MD 11-0 Joshua Bousek (Richwoods)

132 – Timmy Smith (Washington) D 5-0 Caiden Robison (Morton)

138 – Wyatt Medlin (Washington) TF-1.5, 0:00, 25-7 Conner Graham (Metamora)

144 – Peyton Cox (Washington) TF-1.5, :00, 16-0 Grady Neal (Metamora)

150 – Steven Marvin (Morton) F :00 J.J. Rokey (Washington)

157 – Clayton Mckee (Morton) F :00 Cruise Brolley (Washington)

165 – Nick Mueller (Dunlap) M. forfeit Cael Miller (Washington)

175 – Zane Hulet (Washington) MD 9-0 Gabe Martinez (Richwoods)

190 – Josh Hoffer (Washington) F 3:13 Adam Sloan (Metamora)

215 – Benjamin Chaffer (Morton) D 9-2 Taylor Dixon (Limestone)

285 – Jose DelToro (East Peoria) D 4-0 Sean Thornton (Washington)

Third place matches

106 – Christian Johnson (Limestone) walkover

113 – Logan Makiney (Washington) F :00 Kaiden Capranica (Limestone)

120 – Zach Bumeter (Metamora) F :00 Devon Swope (Dunlap)

126 – Lincoln Yerby (Morton) F :00 Daniel Weidner (Dunlap)

132 – Rikyis Doss (Richwoods) MD 14-1 Tristan Mosack (Dunlap)

138 – Colton Mosack (Dunlap) MD 11-1 Carter Jones (Morton)

144 – Chris Walker (Peoria) F :00 Jack Maston (Dunlap)

150 – Gabe Hodges (Limestone) F :00 Jacob Allen (Dunlap)

157 – Jayden Schmick (Dunlap) D 10-8 Seth Shaw (Metamora)

165 – Colton Mckee (Morton) F :00 Dalton Oakman (East Peoria)

175 – Tyus Almasy (Morton) F :00 Bruce Ryder (Limestone)

190 – Joseph Weeks (Dunlap) D 3-2 Sargent Maubach (Peoria)

215 – Wyatt Leman (Washington) D 8-4 Alec DelToro (East Peoria)

285 – Ty Dykes (Metamora) F :00 Shaun Anderson (Richwoods)

Crystal Lake Central regional

Yorkville Christian’s three individual regional champions and eight sectional qualifiers earned the Mustangs their third straight team regional title.

Yorkville won 190-160 over host Crystal Lake Central, followed by Plano (110), Morris (103) and Prairie Ridge (97) to round out the top five finishes. Central (94), Crystal Lake South (91) and Kaneland (75) completed the eight-team field.

Yorkville Christian got regional titles from Aiden Larsen (113), Ty Edwards (132), and Robby Nelson (157), and a runner-up finish from Jackson Allen (175).

The Mustangs’ four third-place finishers were Tristan Gleason (126), Grason Johnson (138), John Isaac (150) and Garrett Tunnell (285).

Second-place Crystal Lake Central advanced six wrestlers to the sectional, led by regional champions Alessio Pezzella (150), Cayden Parks (190) and Tommy McNeil (215).

Third-place Plano had no regional champs but advanced seven wrestlers, led by second-placers Antoine Gilford (138), Caidan Ronning (150) and Prince Amakiri (190).

Fourth-place Morris got individual regional titles from Owen Slater (106) and Tyler Semlar (144).

Other individuals winning regional titles were Kaneland’s Kamron Scholl (120), Prairie Ridge’s Mikey Meade (126), Central’s Austin Lee (138) and Johan Chavez (165), and Crystal Lake South’s Caden Casimino (175) and Andy Burburija (285).

Championship matches:

106 – Owen Slater (Morris) D 1-0 Jackson Marlett (Burlington C)

113 – Aiden Larsen (Yorkville Chr.) D 5-0 Jake Lowitzki (Prairie Ridge)

120 – Kamron Scholl (Kaneland) med. fft. Brandon Anderson (Morris)

126 – Mikey Meade (Prairie Ridge) D 4-3 Alex Gochis (Kaneland)

132 – Ty Edwards (Yorkville Chr.) F 2:57 Doug Phillips (Burlington C)

138 – Austin Lee (Central) D 7-2 Antoine Gilford (Plano)

144 – Tyler Semlar (Morris) F 1:38 Brett Campagna (CL Central)

150 – Alessio Pezzella (CL Central) D 10-4 Caidan Ronning (Plano)

157 – Robby Nelson (Yorkville Chr.) F 2:55 Xander York (Prairie Ridge)

165 – Johan Chavez (Central) F 4:22 Tyler Porter (CL Central)

175 – Caden Casimino (CL South) F 1:41 Jackson Allen (Yorkville Chr.)

190 – Cayden Parks (CL Central) D 12-11 Prince Amakiri (Plano)

215 – Tommy McNeil (CL Central) D 8-2 John Fallaw (Prairie Ridge)

285 – Andy Burburija (CL South) med. fft. Walter Pollack (Prairie Ridge)

Third-place matches

106 – Shane Downs (Plano) F 1:16 Christopher Talbert (CL South)

113 – Brock Claypool (Morris) D 8-3 Dylan Ramsey (CL Central)

120 – Payton Ramsey (CL Central) D 9-3 Eli Foster (Yorkville Chr.)

126 – Tristan Gleason (Yorkville Chr.) F 5:15 Daniel Snow (CL Central)

132 – Carter Skoff (Morris) F 3:00 Juan Viveros (CL Central)

138 – Grason Johnson (Yorkville Chr.) D 10-4 Nick Zuehlke (CL Central)

144 – Trevion Gilford (Plano) D 6-3 Tiras Lombardo (Yorkville Chr.)

150 – John Isaac (Yorkville Chr.) F 3:48 Kyle Rogers (Kaneland)

157 – Luis Ballesteros (Plano) D 7-2 Tommy Tommasello (CL Central)

165 – Timmy Young (Plano) D 4-2 Caden Vanik (Kaneland)

175 – Apollo Gochis (Kaneland) D 6-2 Brandon Mancera (Burlington C)

190 – KC Brichta Bachar (CL South) F 2:29 Hayden Wheeler (Yorkville Chr.)

215 – Dominic Ariola (CL South) MD 11-3 Xander Oliver (Yorkville Chr.)

285 – Garrett Tunnell (Yorkville Chr.) F 1:20 Tyler Mast (Plano)

2A Rochelle Regional – team champion Rochelle

Rochelle got the job done at home with four champions and 190.5 points. Rockford East earned runnerup honors at 173. Sycamore (146), Woodstock (139) and Harvard (88) followed to fill out the top five.

The Hubs took the third regional title in school history and captured the first since back-to-back plaque-winning efforts in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Freddie Hernandez (106) Xavier Villalobos (126), Grant Gensler (165) and Kaiden Morris (215) took titles for Rochelle. Deegan Schabacker (132), Brenden Voight (144) and Brock Metzger (190) received runnerup honors.

Keagan Albers (113), Tommy Tourdot (120) and Roman Villalobos (175) won third place honors.

Regional runnerup Rockford East was represented on the top step by undefeated Donald Cannon (132), Dana Wickson (144), Ty Smart (157) and Lee Smith (285).

Third place Sycamore saw championships from Michael Olson (113), Tyler Lockhart (120) and Jayden Dohogne (138).

Harvard boasted champions Daniel Rosas (150) and Blake Livdahl (175). Zach Canaday took the 190-pound title for Woodstock.

Championship matches

106 – Freddie Hernandez (Rochelle) D 7-2 Charlie Olson (Sycamore)

113 – Michael Olson (Sycamore) D 7-24 Reymundo Romo (Harvard)

120 – Tyler Lockhart (Sycamore) D 5-1 Joseph Young (Rockford East)

126 – Xavier Villalobos (Rochelle) TF-1.5, 5:44, 19-3 Taqi Baker (Woodstock)

132 – Donald Cannon (Rockford East) F 1:48 Deegan Schabacker (Rochelle)

138 – Jayden Dohogne (Sycamore) D 7-1 Daniel Bychowski (Woodstock)

144 – Dana Wickson (Rockford East) F 3:05 Brenden Voight (Rochelle)

150 – Daniel Rosas (Harvard) MD 11-1 Donavyn Fernandez (Freeport)

157 – Ty Smart (Rockford East) F :25 Maddox Olson (Freeport)

165 – Grant Gensler (Rochelle) 34-5, Jr. over Malachi Cannon (Rockford East)

175 – Blake Livdahl (Harvard) TB-1 7-6 Kaden Combs (Woodstock North)

190 – Zach Canaday (Woodstock) D 5-3 Brock Metzger (Rochelle)

215 – Kaiden Morris (Rochelle) MD 10-2 Gable Carrick (Sycamore)

285 – Lee Smith (Rockford East) F 3:45 Riley Vest (Harvard)

Third-place matches

106 – Dominic Osinski (Woodstock) F 1:22 Tyler Gentry (Rockford East)

113 – Keagan Albers (Rochelle) MD 10-0 Thomas Olson (Freeport)

120 – Tommy Tourdot (Rochelle) F 4:54 Owen Vail (Harvard)

126 – Thomas Lind (Sycamore) F 5:54 Lucas Nelson (Polo)

132 – Noah Carlson (Sycamore) SV-1 6-4 Landyn White (Woodstock)

138 – Chase Bremmer (Polo) F 1:50 Cameron Terronez (Rockford East)

144 – Dayvion Fernandez (Freeport) D 7-4 Gabe Sarnella (Woodstock)

150 – Draven Zier (Polo) 26-16 F 1:23 Ayden Dobler (Woodstock)

157 – Logan Wisner (Woodstock) F 3:28 Kaenyn McCarren (Polo)

165 – Adam Carrick (Sycamore) SV-1 18-14 Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (Freeport)

175 – Roman Villalobos (Rochelle) D 9-5 Cooper Bode (Sycamore)

190 – David Randecker (Woodstock North) F 3:49 Mekhi Byrd (Rockford East)

215 – Andrew Ryan (Woodstock) F 3:23 Orion Losiniecki (Rockford East)

285 – Everett Flannery (Woodstock) D 4-3 Sami Odeh (Freeport) 

2A Rock Island Regional – team champion Geneseo

Champion Geneseo squeaked past Dixon 186-184 to take its second-straight regional and 10th overall. The host school finished third, just 16 points off the winner. Galesburg (147) and Sterling (100) rounded out the top five.

The Maple Leafs won the day with championship pins from Malaki Jackson (144), Zachary Montez (150), Kye Weinzierl (157) and Brayden Franzen (285). Second place finishes came from Tim Sebastian (113), Devan Hornback (126), Grady Hull (132) and Izaac Gaines (138). Colten Mooney (215) earned the third step. Logan Palmer finished fourth at 190.

Runnerup Dixon claimed titles from Jayce Kastner (165) and Will Howell (215). Third place Rock Island led the tournament with five champions: Truth Vesey (113), Daniel McGhee (126), Antonio Parker (138), Amare Overton (175) and Andrew Marquez (190).

Galesburg saw Rocky Almendarez (120) and undefeated Gauge Shipp (132) win their weight classes. Nicholas Pollett won at 106 for Streator.

Championship matches

106 – Nicholas Pollett (Streator) F 4:54 Jack Ragan (Dixon)

113 – Truth Vesey (Rock Island) MD 12-3 Tim Sebastian (Geneseo)

120 – Rocky Almendarez (Galesburg) TF-1.5 5:51 16-0 Zyan Westbrook (Sterling)

126 – Daniel McGhee (Rock Island) D 10-5 Devan Hornback (Geneseo)

132 – UDGauge Shipp (Galesburg) TF-1.5, 6:00, 17-1 Grady Hull (Geneseo)

138 – Antonio Parker (Rock Island) D 7-5 Izaac Gaines (Geneseo)

144 – Malaki Jackson (Geneseo) F 2:26 Jayden Weidman (Dixon)

150 – Zachary Montez (Geneseo) F 3:19 Josiah Carter (Galesburg)

157 – Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo) MD 1202 Isaiah Mendoza (Sterling)

165 – Jayce Kastner (Dixon) MD 11-3 Gage Tate (Sterling)

175 – Amare Overton (Rock Island) F 2:45 Steven Kitzman (Dixon)

190 – Andrew Marquez (Rock Island) MD 18-6 Nick Makwala (Galesburg)

215 – Will Howell (Dixon) F 3:56 Oswaldo Navarro (Sterling)

285 – Brayden Franzen (Geneseo) F 1:54 Dylan Bopes (Dixon)

Third-place matches

106 – Maricio Parker (Rock Island) F 1:08 (LaSalle-Peru)

113 – Ivan Munoz (Ottawa) TF-1.5, 5:05, 16-0 Riley Parades (Dixon)

120 – Merrick Stockwell (Rock Island) F 1:10 Ayden Rowley (Dixon)

126 – Christian DeLaCruz (Galesburg) D 10-4 Jacob Renkes (Dixon)

132 – Wyatt Wheeler (Ottawa) F ):27 Temar Hudson (Rock Island)

138 – James Simpson (Dixon) F 1:27 Caleb Johnson (Galesburg)

144 – Elijah Venegas (Rock Island) SV-1 6-4 Malachi Snyder (Ottawa)

150 – Marek Duffy (Ottawa) F 2:27 Cade Hey (Dixon)

157 – Steven Goplin (Streator) F 4:28 Anthony Makwala (Galesburg)

165 – Nathan Maloy (Galesburg) F 1:56 Walter Haage (LaSalle-Peru)

175 – Wyatt Reding (Ottawa) D 5-4 Tatum Allen (Sterling)

190 – Zack Clevenger (Dixon) F :51 Logan Palmer (Geneseo)

215 – Colten Mooney (Geneseo) D 3-1 Aydan Radke (Streator)

285 – Larry Randolph (Galesburg) F :19 Charlie Reyes (Sterling)

2A regionals that feed into the Mahomet-Seymour individual sectional

2A Civic Memorial Regional – team champion Glenwood

Glenwood (232) outpaced host Civic Memorial (209) for its fourth-straight IHSA regional title. Triad placed third at 114.5 points. Jacksonville (113.5) and Rochester (107) rounded out the top five.

The champion Titans received titles from Tyler Clarke (106), undefeated Drew Davis (120), Bradley Dollus (132), John Ben Maduena (138) Anny Williams (144), Justin Hay (175) and Max Wiezorek (190). Elijah Smith (165) posted Glenwood’s only runnerup finish. Owen Ottino (126), Braxton Warren (157) and Cody Moss (215) captured their third place matches. Jaxon Ferguson finished fourth at 113.

Runnerup Civic Memorial celebrated titleists Avery Jamie (113), Bryce Griffin (157) and James Wojcikiewicz (165). Third place finisher Triad saw Colby Crouch (126) reach the top step.

Tyson Rakers (150, Highland) and Jacksonville’s Oliver Cooley (215) and Aiden Surratt (285) rounded out the champions.

Championship matches

106 – Tyler Clarke (Glenwood) D 6-2 Will Kelly (Triad)

113 – Avery Jamie (Civic Memorial) F 2:55 Shane Seip (Triad)

120 – Drew Davis (Glenwood) D 8-3 Bradley Ruckman (Civic Memorial)

126 – Colby Crouch (Triad) INJ :01 Caleb Scott (Civic Memorial)

132 – Bradley Dollus (Glenwood) F 1:41 Brody Smith (Triad)

138 – John Ben Maduena (Glenwood) TF 1.5, 5:03 16-0 Ben Baumgartner (Triad)

144 – Anny Williams (Glenwood) D 4-3 Nathen Herrin (Civic Memorial)

150 – Tyson Rakers (Highland) D 11-4 Joe Reif (Jacksonville)

157 – Bryce Griffin (Civic Memorial) F 1:18 Ethan Fordham (Rochester)

165 – James Wojcikiewicz (Civic Memorial) D 7-0 Elijah Smith (Glenwood)

175 – Justin Hay (Glenwood) D 6-2 Luke McCoy (Civic Memorial)

190 – Max Wiezorek (Glenwood) F 4:17 Ethan Greenwald (Highland)

215 – Oliver Cooley (Jacksonville) D 4-2 Ashton Zobrist (Highland)

285- Aiden Surratt (Jacksonville) D 5-1 Jake Herrin (Civic Memorial)

Third-place matches

106 – Pierce Bultmann (Rochester) D 7-0 Jayce Evans (Jacksonville)

113 – Conner Carroll (Rochester) F 5:16 Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood)

120 – Deshawn Armstrong (Jacksonville) MD 13-4 Glen Henry (Triad)

126 – Owen Ottino (Glenwood) F 3:57 Dalton Balint (Highland)

132 – Josh Harkey (Civic Memorial) F 3:36 Nick Mrozowski (Rochester)

138 – Walker Quimby (Rochester) F :42 John Harper (Jacksonville)

144 – Drake Pfeiffer (Rochester) F 5:50 Trevor Tucker (Jersey)

150 – Anthony Michelon (Civic Memorial) MD 16-6 Nicholas Hartley (Jersey)

157 – Braxton Warren (Glenwood) F 3:56 Gavin Woolverton (Triad)

165 – Eric Anderson (Rochester) F 3:21 Kaleb Miller (Jacksonville)

175 – Thomas Mitchell (Highland) TF 1.5, 4:04; 15-0 Joeseph Tappel (Triad)

190 – Kevahn Flannigan (Civic Memorial) SV 1, F :00 Bobby Patterson (Triad)

215 – Cody Moss (Glenwood) F :23 Kale Hawk (Civic Memorial)

285 – Colton Kalka (Taylorville) D 7-3 Landon Busch (Triad)

2A Bloomington Regional – team champion Lincoln

Lincoln took the top honor with a 195.5-point day. Bloomington (164) took second on its home mat. Normal West (third with 146 points), Springfield (129) and Southeast (76.5) completed the top five.

The Railsplitters, who won their first IHSA regional since the 2019-20 season, received championships from Lakin Adams (138) and Jake Lawrence (144). The majority of the team points came from second place finishes from Braiden Barrish (106), Ethan Maynard (113), Cort Pentecost (120), Aiden Frye (157), Dawson McConnell (165) and Caleb Zirklebach (215). Karter Hild (126), Cam Bell (132), Ryne Metelko (150) and Logan Wachendorf (285) won third place matches. Paytan Bunner (190) finished fourth.

Bloomington got championship performances from Jaylen Sandy (106), Javier Enriquez-Lynd (126), Maddox Kirts (165), Kenner Bye (190), Chet Swank (215) and Stephen Carr (285).

Third place Normal West saw Dylan McGrew (113), Abram Rader (120),  Evan Willock (157) and Gus Schreiber (175) ascend to the top step.

Brayden McBride (132 pounds, Southeast) and Cody L. Stevens (150, Springfield) rounded out the championship roster.

Championship matches

106 – Jaylen Sandy (Bloomington) F 3:39 Braiden Barrish (Lincoln)

113 – Dylan McGrew (Normal West) F :38 Ethan Maynard (Lincoln)

120 – Abram Rader (Normal West) F 5:59 Cort Pentecost (Lincoln)

126 – Javier Enriquez-Lynd (Bloomington) F 3:22 Kayson Duffney (Eisenhower)

132 – Brayden McBride (Southeast) D 10-6 Mason Wood (Normal West)

138 – Lakin Adams (Lincoln) D 7-6 Gabriel Ruvalcaba (Springfield)

144 – Jake Lawrence (Lincoln) F 3:35 Bryce Bryant (Springfield)

150 – Cody L. Stevens (Springfield) D 10-3 Collin Lowery (Normal West)

157 – Evan Willock (Normal West) F :40 Aiden Frye (Lincoln)

165 – Maddox Kirts (Bloomington) MD 12-0 Dawson McConnell (Lincoln)

175 – Gus Schreiber (Normal West) F 2:26 Jaylen Crowder (Lanphier)

190 – Kenner Bye (Bloomington) D 5-0 Keyshaun Harris (Springfield)

215 – Chet Swank (Bloomington) MD 11-2 Caleb Zirklebach (Lincoln)

285 – Stephen Carr (Bloomington) F 2:46 Matt Hanold (Normal West)

Third-place matches

106 – Nicholas Waggoner (MacArthur) walkover

113 – Tyler Barlow (Bloomington) F :23 Jamarius Meyrick (MacArthur)

120 – Karson Beenenga (Southeast) F 3:54 Eli Taylor (Springfield)

126 – Karter Hild (Lincoln) 34-13 F 4:25 Tanilyn Reed (MacArthur)

132 – Cam Bell (Lincoln) F 5:06 Chace Majerus (Lanphier)

138 – Christopher Rose (Bloomington) F 2:15 Austin Schnitker (Lanphier)

144 – Logan Alvarez (Normal West) D 6-3 Surya Singh (Bloomington)

150 – Ryne Metelko (Lincoln) TF 1.5, 2:47, 15-0 Matthew Maggard (Lanphier)

157 – Anthony Steskal (Lanphier) F 3:41 Levi Biggs (Springfield)

165 – Trieontez Williams (Springfield) D 7-2 over LaTayvion Drew (MacArthur)

175 – Shamar Brownlee (Springfield) F 3:12 Dom Porter (Southeast)

190 – Chris Hull (Southeast) TF 1.5, 5:43, 27-12 Paytan Bunner (Lincoln)

215 – Gabe Lobmaster (Southeast) F 4:35 Ryan Taylor (Springfield)

285 – Logan Wachendorf (Lincoln) F 2:50 Armanze Lewis (Springfield)

2A Marion Regional – team champion Mt. Vernon

Mt. Vernon (156 points) made it back-to-back regional titles with the win at Marion. The host school filled the runnerup spot 12 points behind. Waterloo (135), Mascoutah (126.5) and Carbondale (110) completed the top five teams.

Dillon White (138), Maddux Randall (175), Mason Randall (190) and Jhymear Smith-Henson (215) captured titles for the Rams. Malakai Mays collected second place foints at 157. Jack Clark (113), Justin Hamilton (126), Gavin Pedigo (132); Sean Harrington (150) and Jesse Mills (285) garnered fourth place points.

Marion’s lone champion was Riddick Cook at 120.

Waterloo saw Matthew Deutch (106) and Bladen Sease (157) raise their arms in triumph.

Cahokia 113-pounder Nicholas Scott, Centralia 126-pounder Nate LeCrone, Carbondale’s 132- and 165-pounders Isaac Smith and Thomas Imboden, Mascoutah’s 144-pounder Brock Ross, and East St. Louis’ 150- Pierre Walton and 2805-pounders Mekhi McDowell also took home gold.

Championship matches

106 – Matthew Deutch (Waterloo) F :00 Brylan Guthrie (Centralia)

113- Nicholas Scott (Cahokia) D 8-7 Jkwon Williamson (Marion)

120 – Riddick Cook (Marion) F 2:48 Konnor Stephens (Waterloo)

126 – Nate LeCrone (Centralia) D 8-6 Ty Kinzinger (Waterloo)

132 – Isaac Smith (Carbondale) F :55 Demarious McGill (Cahokia)

138 – Dillon White (Mt. Vernon) F 1:52 Jordan Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah)

144 – Brock Ross (Mascoutah) F 1:51 Lonnez Smith (East St. Louis)

150 – Pierre Walton (East St. Louis) F 3:24 Caden Frey (Marion)

157 – Bladen Sease (Waterloo) MD 9-1 Malakai Mays (Mt. Vernon)

165 – Thomas Imboden (Carbondale) F 1:11 Tate Miller (Marion)

175 – Maddux Randall (Mt. Vernon) D 7-0 Jackson Deutch (Waterloo)

190 – Mason Randall (Mt. Vernon) D 3-2 Jaxson Mathenia (Waterloo)

215 – Jhymear Smith-Henson (Mt. Vernon) D 7-4 Quinterrous Jones (Cahokia)

285 – Mekhi McDowell (East St. Louis) F :57 Zane Williard (Carbondale)

Third-place matches

106 – Juelz Elliott (Marion) F 0:51 Orion Weisburg (Carbondale)

113 – William Toliver (Carbondale) 18-14, Jr. over Jack Clark (Mt. Vernon) 8-28, Fr. (Fall 4:58)

120 – Marcus Nobles (Mascoutah) D 11-6 Jamarcus Agnew (Cahokia)

126 – MacQuire Leck (Mascoutah) D 14-10 Justin Hamilton (Mt. Vernon)

132 – Jayden Wilkinson (Mascoutah) F 3:50 Gavin Pedigo (Mt. Vernon)

138 – Hunter Gibb (Marion) F 4:49 Anthony Winters (Cahokia)

144 – Jon Martin (Carbondale) D 7-0 over Marc Norris (Cahokia)

150 – Sean Murphy (Mascoutah) F 2:50 Sean Harrington (Mt. Vernon)

157 – Justin Murphy (Marion) F 1:15 John Sullivan (Mascoutah)

165 – Corey Robinson (East St. Louis) D 10-9 Tyler Messner (Mascoutah)

175 – Evan Francis (Marion) F :39 Connor Daly (Carbondale)

190 – Joseph Moore (Mascoutah) walkover

215 – Bryan Madinger (Marion) F :40 Kody Lyles (Mascoutah)

285 – Drew Glowacki (Waterloo) F 3:08 Jesse Mills (Mt. Vernon)

2A Mattoon Regional – team champion Mahomet-Seymour

Mahomet-Seymour squeaked by host Mattoon 211-208.5 to extend its IHSA regional streak to nine. Centennial took third with 133 points with Champaign Central (115) and Danville (73) in tow.

The Bulldogs boasted champions Lukas Altstetter (106), Gage Decker (157) and Brock VanDeveer (190). Talin Baker (113), Colton McClure (120), Corey Bell (132) and A.J. Demos (165) earned second place medals.

Third place matches were taken by Justus Vrona (126), Talon Decker (138), DeAndre Hughey (150), Cale Hillard (175) and Noah Daniels (215). Kaleb Collins (144) finshed fourth.

Mattoon led the meet in championship wins thanks to Tristan Porter (120), Vincent Gibson (126), Ben Capitosti (138), undefeated Korbin Bateman (144), Aidan Blackburn (150), Ean Freeman (165) and Mitchell Clapp (215).

Centennial got its championship from undefeated Jack Barnhart at 285.

Talin Baker (113 pounds, Champaign Central), Ty Rangel (132, Danville) and Phillip Shaw IV (175, Danville) joined the championship circle.

By Bobby Narang for the IWCOA

Marmion Academy didn’t mind the change in venue.

A year ago, the Cadets stormed to the Class 3A regional title on their home mats, pulling away from the competition with 279 points compared to 151 points for Batavia. On Saturday, at the Class 3A Glenbard West Regional, the Cadets followed a similar path by getting a number of outstanding performances, especially in the lower weights.

The Cadets captured six weight class titles to round out a memorable showing with a first-place tally of 212 points. Host Glenbard West finished in second place with 156 points, Batavia claimed third with 126 points, Downers Grove North got fourth with 122 points. 

Overall, Glenbard East placed fifth with 93 points, Lyons snagged sixth with 83 points, Wheaton Warrenville South ended in seventh with 46 points and Willowbrook earned ninth with 37.5 points.

In winning their 11th team regional title in program history, the Cadets showed their dominance from the outset of the finals. Logan Conover (106), Nicholas Garcia (113), Donny Pigoni (126), Zach Stewart (138), Joseph Favia (215) and Mateusz Nycz (285) all won individual regional titles.

With the top three placers from each weight class all advancing to next weekend’s Hinsdale Central Sectional, the Cadets picked up runnerup finishes from Ashton Hobson (144), Christian Favia (157) and Vincenzo Testa (175).

“All of the guys wrestled really hard,” Marmion coach Nathan Fitzenreider said. “We’ve been dealing with a lot of bumps and bruises and injuries, but all the guys are peaking at the just the right time. We’re looking forward to next week.”

Glenbard West rode titles from Tony Shadid (157) and Elliot Torres (150) to a runnerup finish in the team standings.

“Both are seniors,” Glenbard West coach Pat McCluskey said. “Both of them have worked hard in the room this year. For them to come out here today in their home gym is fantastic. They both gave a great effort and we expect them to keep working hard next week. They have both settled in nicely this year. This was a tough regional. The team did outstanding. We knew it was going to be tough to beat Marmion. We have nice guys going to sectionals, which is outstanding. We’ve kept building depth in our program and are building every week to be better.”

Batavia coach Ryan Farwell had six qualify for sectionals, including four regional champions. Imo Garcia (120), Jack Duraski (132), Aidan Huck (144) and Ben Brown (190) all won regional titles.

“The guys wrestled great and prepared for it, and we put six in the finals to have a chance to put somebody through to sectionals in the third-place match, so we feel pretty about about how we did in this tough regional,” Farwell said. “We had six guys in the finals. Imo Garcia capped off a strong day. Jack Duraski wrestled tough and Aidan Huck came back strong. It was a good match for Aidan. He deserved that win. It’s exciting to move into next week. We always try and push more through, but we’re happy with this. I’m really grateful for the coaching staff that I have. They are pushing these guys and are a great group.”

Other regional champions at Glenbard West were Lyons Township’s Gunnar Garelli (165) and Wheaton Warrenville South’s Sedeeq Al Obaidi (175).

3A Glenbard West Regional championship match results: 

106 – Logan Conover, Marmion

Logan Conover fell into an early hole in this title match on Saturday afternoon. Down 5-0 in the first period, Conover stayed poised and bounced back in his typical steady fashion. The freshman turned things around in the second period, pinning Glenbard East’s Waleed Binmahfooz to win the title at 106 pounds.

“The key for me was to keep my composure,” Conover said. “I knew I could wrestle back and told myself if he could get five points in the first, I could get five in the second. I was surprised a bit. All of a sudden, I was behind. I had never wrestled him before. I’m just trying to get momentum for state.”

Conover (27-13) said it’s been a whirlwind first season on the varsity.

“I kind of had confidence for this year,” he said. “I realized in my second match of the season at Lockport after winning a good match, that I can do anything.”

Glenbard West’s Aidan Ortega advanced to sectionals by pinning Downers Grove North’s Logan Luftus.

 113 – Nicholas Garcia, Marmion                                          

Marmion sophomore Nicholas Garcia expected a big showing on Saturday.

That’s because Garcia made a big showing as a freshman, riding a strong regular season to a Class 3A fourth place state showing at 106 pounds.

“I feel much better this year,” Garcia said. “I think I got a lot better in the summer. My pace is better and my attacks are better. Last year I was thinking about state. This year I’m thinking nationally-wise. Fourth at state last year wasn’t even what I wanted. I was looking to make the finals. This year I’m looking to go all the way. I’ve had some nagging injuries in my shoulders and chest, but other than that I’ve been pretty healthy.”

Garcia (38-7) took a big step toward his goal by notching a tech fall victory over Downers Grove North’s Tyler Tiancgo in the finals.

“I just tried to get to my offense, get as many takedowns as possible,” Garcia said.

Willowbrook’s Miteku Branch won his third-place match over Glenbard East’s Lorenz Rios via tech fall.

120 – Imo Garcia, Batavia

Senior Imo Garcia, of Batavia, took a few memories away from the Glenbard West Regional. Besides his first-place medal at 120 pounds, Garcia took a shot from an opponent to his face to leave a bloody cut.

Garcia (21-5) showed his experience with a thrilling 3-0 win over Lyons sophomore Griff Powell in the 120 final.

“It really was a tough one,” Garcia said. “I know him personally. He’s a good wrestler. I just had to keep up my shots and my pace. I couldn’t let him score because he would’ve capitalized. I haven’t wrestled him in a match, but I used to practice with him. I had to keep up my shots.”

Garcia, a two-time state qualifier, is aiming to top his sophomore achievement of placing fourth at state at 106 pounds.

“I lost a few matches that I’m not really proudest of,” Garcia said. “I didn’t think I wrestled my best in those losses. But I feel good now. I’m really pushing it in practice. My coaches and practice partners are really helping me out. I’m trying to make it all the way this year.”

Glenbard West’s Carson Prunty claimed a 7-0 decision over Marmion’s Adam Kopcio for third place.

126 – Donny Pigoni, Marmion

Marmion senior Donny Pigoni (26-11) came out strong in his finals match, riding the momentum from his earlier matches to a tech fall victory over Glenbard West’s Alejandro Aranda in the 126 final.

“I just wanted to work on some stuff, like outside carry a lot,” Pigoni said of his finals strategy. “I just tried to get to my offense as fast as possible.”

Pigoni, who has yet to commit to a college, said he’s aiming to avoid a repeat of his past two trips to the state tournament.

“I’m really motivated after losing in the blood rounds both times at state,” he said. “I don’t want to let that happen again. One of the big things for me is I was too closed off in my (state) matches, so I just have to open up.

“Everything has been going well for me. I’ve had some tough matches. I’ve been focusing on my offense more this year.”

Glenbard East sophomore Ismael Chaidez is finishing his season in a strong manner, earning a 12-0 major decision victory over Batavia’s Kyle Pasco in the third-place match.

132 – Jack Duraski, Batavia

Batavia junior Jack Duraski did everything required to win the 132-pound title match on Saturday.

Duraski and Glenbard West junior Ulises Rosas were locked in for a must-see match, which included several wrestlers lining up along the ropes to get a front-row view.

In the end, Duraski pulled out a 1-0 victory to win his weight class.

Or, he thought he did.

The announcer accidentally declared Rosas the winner, until quickly reversing and barking out the actual winner.

“I kept on trying to improve my position and just tried to show the ref that I kept on moving,” Duraski said. “My conditioning was everything. If you don’t have good conditioning, you don’t win a tight match like that one. I actually won a 1-0 (match) in Granite City this year. I just kept on pushing and wanted it more.”

Duraski (25-8) said he’s looking to avenge his blood round loss at sectionals in his sophomore season.

“I feel way better this year,” he said. “It’s been all about practice and getting runs in after practice and doing extra stuff.

Lyons junior Jack Kutchek defeated Downers Grove North’s Adian Cummings 9-5 win to snag the third-place medal.

138 – Zach Stewart, Marmion

Marmion sophomore Zach Stewart had a challenging and a long match in his finals’ bout against Downers Grove North’s Caden Chiarelli.

Stewart (24-7) had to endure three blood timeouts, watching trainers clean off the blood from Chiarelli’s nose. During the timeouts, Stewart walked around the mat, joked with his coaches and even watched Glenbard West’s Brennan Myra pin Wheaton Warrenville South’s Cooper Hollis for the third-place medal.

Stewart eventually made the most of his long wait, earning a technical fall victory over his opponent.

Even Stewart had a small cut on his right shoulder.

“That (match) was too long,” Stewart said. “It’s frustrating when people keep bleeding. At first, in the finals, I wanted to put him away as quick as possible. When I realized I couldn’t pin him, I just kept taking him down.”

Last season, Stewart had a “pretty good year” before losing at 120 pounds in the state blood rounds.

“Last year I learned not to cut as much weight as I did,” Stewart said. “That put me at risk for injuries. Confidence is a not a problem for me. I have to keep doing what I’m doing, and it will work and pay off.”

Glenbard West sophomore Brennan Myra closed out a strong weekend by pinning Wheaton Warrenville South senior Cooper Hollis in the third-place match.

144 – Aidan Huck, Batavia

Batavia senior Aidan Huck was motivated for a rematch with Marmion’s Ashton Hobson. Huck said Hobson beat him by one point three weeks ago, causing him to reevaluate a few things.

Huck got his wish to face Hobson, recording a tough 6-4 decision in the 144-pound final at Glenbard West for the regional championship.

“I wrestled him prior about three weeks ago, so during that whole match I got out of position a little bit and wasn’t very disciplined,” Huck said. “Throughout the next three weeks, I worked on just staying in position the entire time. I knew he was good at taking shots from distance. This feels good. It will definitely help going into sectionals.”

Huck said he’s looking for a three-peat by making state again. He wrestled at 113 in his sophomore year and at 126 last season.

“It’s a lot different being a captain and being there for my team as a senior,” Huck said. “I think I have little bit more confidence, which is a big thing.”

The third-place match featured Downers Grove North’s Owen Kelly pulling out a 5-1 win over Glenbard West’s Brandon Watson.

150 – Elliot Torres, Glenbard West

After a few disappointing endings, Glenbard West senior Elliot Torres (31-3) was looking to change his story in regionals. Wrestling at his home gymnasium was a big confidence booster for Torres, who pinned Batavia’s Dylan Wells in the second period to claim a regional title.

“My (finals) went pretty good,” Torres said. “I got to my double, the same thing I’ve been hitting all year. Got to my cradle and locked it up, set the guy. That was my match. I was just wrestling and didn’t stop.

Torres said it was the first time placing at regionals for him. He sat out regionals last season due to a sickness and a “weight cutting problem.”

As a sophomore, Torres didn’t make it out of regionals. As a freshman, he also lost both of matches, saying he had “0-2 barbecue.”

“I had a really hard bracket and wrestled some really good kids,” Torres said of his showing last season. “I had a rough day, but now I’m turning it around. I’ve worked hard in the room. I have wrestled better and would like to keep getting better. I’m excited for next week.”

Marmion freshman Grayson Garcia defeated Downers Grove North’s Antonio Manzo for the third-place medal.

157 – Tony Shadid, Glenbard West

If a medal was handed out for the most energetic or enthusiastic regional champion, Glenbard West senior Tony Shadid would win the award. After pinning Marmion’s Christian Favia in the first period to win his first career regional championship, Shadid was a ball of energy following his victory.

He slapped hands with anyone in sight, hugged a few teammates and coaches and sported an ear-to-ear smile.

“Consistency was the key for me,” Shadid said. “Throughout the year, we’ve worked with our mental health and staying strong. I stayed consistent for my match and go a hundred percent. It’s amazing. It feels so great to drive through (my opponents). I’ve been working all year for this, so I’m not surprised.

“This feels great. I’m ready and going to go downstate. I’ve been building my consistency and stamina. I feel I did that today. I’m looking forward to harder competition next weekend.”

Shadid (23-11) said he’s motivated to make his first trip to state.

“It feels great, especially following my friend (Elliot),” Shadid said. “Everything played out perfect, just the way I planned. I’m building my consistency and for the third round getting better.”

Lyons junior Mickey Ahrens posted a 7-3 win over Downers Grove North’s Liam O’Sullivan for third place.

 165 – Gunnar Garelli, Lyons

Lyons senior Gunnar Garelli made a small but not impactful mistake on Saturday. Seconds after his triumphant 4-3 decision over Glenbard West’s Collin Carrigan in the 165-pound title match, Garelli darted toward the field house exit. One of the desk workers tried in vain to get Garelli to come to the scorer’s table.

Regardless, Garelli, a Virginia Tech recruit, made a big splash on the mat to improve to 42-1 on the season.

“After the match, I was excited,” Garelli said. “I lost to (Carrigan) two weeks ago, so it was all about that. I had to make a few adjustments, watching out for his lead attack and working on how to defend it. I was satisfied with my performance. I have to keep improving. This just sets me up. It’s a good confidence builder for next week. I have to keep improving. The next two weeks are critical.”

Garelli, who placed fourth at 160 last season to become Lyons’ first all-stater since 2017, said his mindset is different this season.

“I think I’m just going out there and am more relaxed and not in my own head as much,” he said. “I’m wrestling relaxed, cool, calm and collected and thinking about this is a sport. It’s supposed to be fun. I have college wrestling. I’m just having fun. This is my last year.”

Downers Grove South’s Jack Lasota finished his third-place match rather quickly, pinning Marmion’s Anthony Haddad in the first period.

175 – Sedeeq Al Obaidi, Wheaton Warrenville South

A powerful and quiet wrestler, Sedeeq Al Obaidi can be an imposing figure.

His potential is evident on the mat and he’s starting to showcase that potential late in the season.

On Saturday, after the host Hilltoppers claimed the previous two weight class titles, Al Obaidi notched the Tigers’ lone championship with a medical default win over Marmion’s Vincenzo Testa.

Even well after his victory, Al Obaidi (35-2) remained focused on his goals.

“I felt pretty good about the match, but he obviously got hurt,” Al Obaidi said. “This is my second time winning regionals, but this is not the main tournament. I’m trying to get ready for the state tournament. This is just one step to that.”

A one-time state qualifier in his junior season, Al Obaidi (35-2) said he’s moving in the right direction.

“From this weekend, I learned to moving my feet more and my hands more and more action,” he said. “I have to stick to my game plan, move my hands and feet and get to my leg attacks.”

On the third-place mat, Willowbrook senior Noah Brockie pinned Downers Grove North senior Ryder Nicholson.

190 – Ben Brown, Batavia

Batavia’s Ben Brown is having a memorable senior season.

During the football season, Brown was all over the field from his linebacker spot. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder was a key member of the defense, helping the Bulldogs reach the Class 8A state championship game. He racked up 115 tackles and earned the Defensive MVP in the DuKane Conference.

His wrestling season has been just as successful.

Brown dominated in the regular season, capturing titles at 2023 Russ Erb Invitational, the Red Schmitt Tournament and the Clint Arlis Invite on his home mat.

He added the 190-pound Glenbard West Regional title to his resume on Saturday. And wrestling is not even Brown’s best sport.  Brown (29-0) remained undefeated on the season, closing out his bracket with an impressive 2-1 victory over Glenbard West’s Sasha Boulton.

“I want to keep this momentum rolling into next week,” Brown said. “I’ve put in a lot of work. (Sasha) was a good wrestler. He was a strong kid. It was a burner. I knew it was going to be a good match. This is a good feeling coming here and getting a win.”

Brown said he’s focused on enjoying his final wrestling season, not burdened my expectations or pressures that might weigh him down.

“I’ve never even qualified for state,” Brown said. “I’ve put in a lot of work, as a dual-sport athlete. That’s always a cool thing coming off the transition from football. It feels great to get after it. This is it for me. I’ve been wrestling about 10 years. It’s a weird feeling because I’m always looking to the offseason. I’m just excited for these final moments with my teammates. I just have to go, and can’t be scared. I have to be fierce in everything I do.”

A few feet away, on the third-place mat, Glenbard East’s Blake Salvino notched a major decision victory over Downers Grove North’s Jaden Lewis.

215 – Joseph Favia, Marmion

Marmion sophomore Joseph Favia is rapidly becoming a wrestler to watch in Chicagoland – and the state.

He earned a regional title by pinning Batavia’s Asher Sheldon in the second period. Also a football player, the hulking Favia (31-6) said he’s been wrestling for 11 years.

“The key to me (today) was my strength and agility,” Favia said. “I’m quick and can still move. In finals, I knew I would dominate that match going in. My team was on my side. Last year I made it to sectionals, but my first match I sprained my ankle and was out and had to wrestle fresh/soph at 190. I knew I should’ve been on the (varsity) podium at state last year. This is my time to get it back.”

Glenbard East Gus Winkler won the third-place match by pinning Wheaton Warrenville South’s Mason Monce.

285 – Mateusz Nycz, Marmion

Marmion junior Mateusz Nycz is easy to find at a wrestling venue.

At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Nycz is often the tallest and biggest wrestler at most meets.

Now, he’s also among the best wrestlers at most meets.

He provided an example of his talent on Saturday, closing out the regional by pinning Lyons senior Sam Costello in the second period in the 285-pound title match.

Nycz (25-18) ended a highly productive day for the Cadets with a strong effort.

“I’ve been working on my offense a lot, trying to develop more throws and upper body stuff,” Nycz said. “I was scared of that at the beginning of the season, so that really helped me today.”

Since picking up the sport at “10 or 11 years old”, Nycz admitted he’s progressing at a good rate in wrestling.

“Football is my main sport,” he said. “But I think this is a good confidence builder, get some good matches to go into sectionals.”

Class 3A Glenbard West Regional championship match results

106 – Logan Conover (Marmion) F 3:15 Waleed Binmahfooz (Glenbard East)

113 – Nicholas Garcia (Marmion) TF-1.5 3:35 (25-10) Tyler Tiancgo (Downers Grove North)

120 – Ino Garcia (Batavia) 3-0 D Griff Powell (Lyons)

126 – Donny Pigoni (Marmion) TF-1.5 4:15 (18-2) Alejandro Aranda (Glenbard West)

132 – Jack Duraski (Batavia) 1-0 D Ulises Rosas (Glenbard West)

138 – Zach Stewart (Marmion) TF-1.5 5:29 (20-5) Caden Chiarelli (Downers Grove North)

144 – Aidan Huck (Batavia) 6-4 D Ashton Hobson (Marmion)

150 – Elliot Torries (Glenbard West) F 2:53 Dylan Wells (Batavia)

157 – Tony Shadid (Glenbard West) F 1:18 Christian Favia (Marmion)

165 – Gunnar Garelli (Lyons) 4-3 D Collin Carrigan (Glenbard West)

175 – Sedeeq Al Obaidi (Wheaton Warrenville South) MF  Vincenzo Testa (Marmion)

190 – Ben Brown (Batavia) 2-1 D Sasha Boulton (Glenbard West)

215 – Joseph Favia (Marmion)  F 2:36 Asher Sheldon (Batavia)

285 – Mateusz Nycz (Marmion) F 3:40 Sam Costello (Lyons)

3rd-place matches (top three wrestlers in each weight advance to the individual sectional)

106 – Aidan Ortega (Glenbard W) F 1:34 Logan Luftus (DG North)

113 – Miteku Branch (Willowbrook) TF 5:59 Lorenz Rios Loud (Glenbard E)

120 – Carson Prunty (Glenbard W) D 7-0 Adam Kopcio (Marmion)

126 – Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard E) MD 12-0 Kyle Pasco (Batavia)

132 – Jack Kutchek (Lyons) D 9-5 Aidan Cummings (DG North)

138 – Brennan Myra (Glenbard W) F 3:02 Cooper Hollis (WW South)

144 – Owen Kelly (DG North) D 5-1 Brandon Watson (Glenbard W)

Regionals that feed into the 3A Barrington Individual Sectional

3A Glenbrook South Regional – team champion Prospect

Prospect led from start-to-finish to claim its fifth-straight regional title on Saturday inside the Titans Dome at host Glenbrook South.

The Knights advanced into the Hononegah dual-team sectional on Feb. 20 to face No. 11 Libertyville.

Led by No. 1 Jaxon Penovich (190) the Knights outscored second place Fremd 175.5-168.5. Glenbrook South (128.5) finished third.

Loyola Academy (127) and Rolling Meadows (89.5) would round out the top five on the leaderboard.

Penovich (39-3) will lead a tourney high nine of his teammates into the Barrington sectional, including individual champs Giorgio DiFalco (138), Connor Munn (165) and Michael Matuszak at 175.

Three-time regional champ and the No. 3 man at 144, Evan Gosz will have seven of his mates at sectionals, including Drew Fifield (126) and Ryan Muslimovic (157), both regional champs.

Glenbrook South sends seven to sectionals, led by the 132-pound champ Max Brown.

Loyola Academy’s No. 1 Kai Calcutt claimed his second straight regional title, while teammates James Hemmila (106), Gavin Pardilla (120) and Joey Herbert (285) also won regional titles.

Glenbrook North’s Ayann Rizwan (113) and New Trier senior Tagg Miller (150) also won regional titles.

Glenbrook South Regional championship match results:

106- James Hemmila (Loyola Academy) F Ermunn Urtnasan (Glenbrook South).

113- Ayann Rizwan (Glenbrook North) F 0:50 Trent Odachowski (Fremd).

120- Gavin Pardilla (Loyola Academy) TF 2:56 (17-0) Trent Toro (Niles North).

126- Drew Fifield (Fremd) TF 5:33 (19-3) Michael Shick (Glenbrook South).

132- Max Brown (Glenbrook South) F 0:33 Benji Escalante (Rolling Meadows).

138- Giorgio DiFalco (Prospect) D 6-0 Chase McCluskey (Fremd).

144- Evan Gosz (Fremd) F 3:10 Andrew Haritos (Glenbrook South).

150- Tagg Miller (New Trier) D 6-5 Joseph Quirk (Prospect).

157- Ryan Muslimovic (Fremd) MD 16-3 Henry Downing (Glenbrook South).

165- Connor Munn (Prospect) F 3:24 Peter Mondus (Fremd).

175- Michael Matuszek (Prospect) F 1:34 John (Jack) Rappa (Rolling Meadows).

190- Jaxon Penovich (Prospect) TF 5:02 (23-8) Quinn Herbert (Loyola Academy).

215- Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy) F 0:55 Ahmad Musa (Niles North).

285- Joey Herbert (Loyola Academy) F 2:42 Owen Jakubczak (Fremd).

3rd Place results

106- Jayden Garcia (Rolling Meadows) 6-4 SV-1 Ayden Castillo (Fremd).

113- Diego Arteaga (Glenbrook South) D 8-4 Quentin Williams (Loyola Academy).

120- Emilio Arteaga (Glenbrook South) F 3:51 Matthew Miralles (New Trier).

126- Karol Kosciarz (Prospect) F 2:30 Jack Chaing (New Trier).

132- Kacper Kosciarz (Prospect) D 7-0 Jovan Gongora (Fremd).

138- Isai Brindis (Rolling Meadows) D 6-2 Aiden Fladeland (Glenbrook North).

144- Bennett Westfallen (Prospect) MD 9-0 Micah Eickbush (New Trier).

150- Oliver Quiros (Niles North) F 2:48 Ilan Ruderman (Glenbrook North).

157- Yassin Aitzemjour (New Trier) F 1:53 Josh Rappa (Rolling Meadows).

165- Shane Onixt (Glenbrook North) F 1:50 Julian Slaastad (New Trier).

175- Bailey Corneliuson (New Trier) D 10-6 Kieran O’Sullivan (Glenbrook North).

190- Nick Labbe (Rolling Meadows) F 2:48 Shiloh Martinez (Niles North).

215- Brock Clay (Prospect) TF 5:32 (19-3) Eladio Castillo (Rolling Meadows).

285- Cray Paich (Glenbrook North) F 3:47 Brendan Gomez (Glenbrook South).

3A Huntley Regional – team champion Hononegah

No. 9 Hononegah cruised into its own dual-team sectional where it will face No. 10 Hersey in three weeks after out-scoring runner-up Huntley (249.5-193) and seven other teams, including third-place Hampshire (140).

Belvidere North (121) was fourth, followed by Jacobs (105) and its NIC-10 rivals Harlem, Guilford, Auburn and Jefferson.

Hononegah celebrated eight individual champs including twin brothers Rocco (106) and Bruno Cassioppi (113), in addition to Thomas Silva (132), Max Haskins (150) freshman phenom Brody Sendele (157) ,Connor Diemel (165), Kurt Smith (175), and Isaak Smith (215), who led a group of 12 into sectionals.

Fox Valley Conference champion Huntley (23-5) claimed a pair of regional titles on its home mats in Vlad Maluhin (144) and 2023 state qualifier Markos Mihalopoulos (285).

Huntley will send 10 to sectionals, while third-place Hampshire advanced six of its own including Carter Hintz, the 190-pound champ.

Belvidere North earned a pair of regional crowns from Bryson Teunissen (126) and Dominic Girardin (138).

Jacobs new head coach Ryan Horcher, fourth at state in 2008 at Dundee-Crown, celebrated a championship at 120 with Ben Arbotante, one of six Eagles who will go on to sectionals.

Huntley Regional championship match results:

106- Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) F 4:00 Kristian DeClerq (Jacobs).

113- Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah) F 1:45 Justin Lewis (Harlem).

120- Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) D 11-4 Jackson Olson (Hononegah).

126- Bryson Teunissen (Belvidere North) F 3:28 Alexander Gutierrez (Huntley).

132- Thomas Silva (Honenegah) TF 2:36 (20-3) Gavin Nischke (Huntley).

138- Dominick Girardin (Belvidere North) F 2:38 Logan Campbell (Hampshire).

144- Vlad Maluhin (Huntley) D 7-1 Max Aranki (Hononegah).

150- Max Haskins (Hononegah) F 1:53 Andrew Bucci (Belvidere North).

157- Brody Sendele (Hononegah) TF 4:24 (21-6) Radic Dvorak (Huntley).

165- Connor Diemel (Honenegah) F 2:15 Daniel Mendez (Jacobs).

175- Kurt Smith (Hononegah) MD 15-7 Aidan Rowels (Hampshire).

190- Carter Hinz (Hampshire) F 5:58 Karlondo Dubois (Jefferson).

215- Isaak Smith (Hononegah) D 8-1 Zander Martinez (Belvidere North).

285- Markos Mihalopoulos (Huntley) F 3:01 Rocco Sauer (Jacobs).

3rd Place results:

106- Colin Abordo (Huntley) D 14-9 Dominic Angileri (Guilford).

113- Cameron Abordo (Huntley) F 3:16 Lou Jensen (Hampshire).

120- Andrew Salmieri (Hampshire) F 0:25 Julian Gutierrez (Huntley).

126- Evan Musil (Hononegah) D 6-4 Matthew Muller (Hampshire).

132- Antuan Barfield (Jacobs) D 8-2 Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem).

138- Robert Darling (Hononegah) MD 11-3 Ethan Hagerman (Harlem).

144- Nicolas Alvarez (Belvidere North) D 14-12 Xzavier Lindhe (Guilford).

150- Shane McGuire (Huntley) D 6-0 Casey Lechuga (Jacobs).

157- Michael Brannigan (Hampshire) F 0:48 Landon VanAcker (Belvidere North).

165- Alex Napientek (Huntley) D 9-4 Aric Abbott (Hampshire).

175- Johnathan Strauss (Jacobs) D 8-6 Juan Cervantes (Belvidere North).

190- Wyatt Theobald (Huntley) F 5:36 Joshua Nabors (Auburn).

215- Chandler Jack (Harlem) F 5:47 Dylan Cherry (Huntley).

285- Joey Ochoa (Hampshire) F 3:46 Manny Pizano (Belvidere North).

3A Libertyville regional – team champion Libertyville

North Suburban Conference powers Libertyville and Warren were at it again on Saturday with the stakes even higher than they were two weeks ago, when Warren edged Libertyville to win the coveted top prize at the Lake County Invite.

This time, however, the Wildcats would see their way through to the regional title in their home gym by 14 points, winning 200.5-186.5 over Warren. Mundelein (126.5) finished third, McHenry (119.5) was fourth, followed by Grant (110.5) and Round Lake (94.5). Zion-Benton and Waukegan rounded out the field.

.

Libertyville will meet Prospect on Tuesday, February 20 in a dual-team sectional semifinal at Hononegah.

Libertyville claimed five individual champions in Luke Berktold (120), Will Carney (144), and its dynamic trio of No. 2 Matt Kubas (175), Caleb Baczek (190) and No. 3 Owen McGrory (215) to lead 10 Wildcats heading to sectionals.

Runner-up Warren advanced nine which includes No. 2 Caleb Noble (106), No. 1 Aaron Stewart (157), and sophomore Royce Lopez (165).

Other regional champions at Libertyville were McHenry’s Ryan Hanson (113) and Pedro Jimenez (150), Grant’s Erik Rodriguez (132), Mundelein’s Ethan Banda (138) and the Round Lake pair of Grayson Kongkaeow (126) and William Cole (285).

Libertyville Regional championship match results:

106- Caleb Noble (Warren) F 1:17 Jake Shafer (Libertyville).

113- Ryan Hanson (McHenry) D 5-2 Jonathan Marquez (Warren).

120- Luke Berktold (Libertyville) MD 11-3 Alejandro Cordova (Round Lake).

126- Grayson Kongkaeow (Round Lake) F 2:18 James Liu (Libertyville).

132- Erik Rodriguez (Grant) D 9-7 Orion Moran (Libertyville).

138- Ethan Banda (Mundelein) F 2:58 Antonio Kelly (Libertyville).

144- Will Carney (Libertyville) F 5:28 Adrian Khi (Grant).

150- Pedro Jimenez (McHenry) F 3:15 Kevin Hernandez (Mundelein).

157- Aaron Stewart (Warren) F 1:03 Ethan Thomas (Mundelein).

165- Royce Lopez (Warren) F 5:57 Aiden Fischer (McHenry).

175- Matt Kubas (Libertyville) MD 20-8 Justice Humphreys (Warren).

190- Caleb Baczek (Libertyville) F 1:30 Jeremija Hixson (Warren).

215- Owen McGrory (Libertyville) D 3-1 Anthony Soto (Warren).

285- William Cole (Round Lake) F 3:28 Abisai Hernandez (Mundelein).

3rd Place results:

106- Carter Hutchinson (Grant) F 5:13 Christian Saucedo (Mundelein).

113- Vince Jasinski (Grant) MD 13-0 Tyler Wuh (Libertyville).

120- Carlos Ordonez (Warren) F 1:04 Kyran Gebert (Grant).

126- Myles Wagner (McHenry) D 9-8 Evan Glowinski (Warren).

132- Luis Medina (Zion-Benton) F 1:29 Emilio Chavarria (Round Lake).

138- Marshawn Washington (Round Lake) D 6-3 Sammy Mendez (Grant).

144- Jeff Schwab (McHenry) F 2:58 Simon Castillo (Warren).

150- Nicolas Hermsen (Warren) INJ 4:29 Edgar Gomez (Round Lake).

157- Aiden Schuldt (McHenry) F 4:00 James Scanio (Libertyville).

165- Charlie Clark (Libertyville) D 5-3 Gael Diaz (Mundelein).

175- Macson Rastrelli (Mundelein) F 2:29 Aaden Arroyo (Grant).

190- Francisco Yilmaz (Zion-Benton) F 4:25 Lamero Ceaser (Waukegan).

215- Celso Cabrera (Mundelein) F 4:54 Matthew Longabaugh (Grant).

285- Jesse Saavedra (McHenry) F 3:53 Ivan Martinez (Waukegan)

3A Stevenson Regional – team champion Hersey

Barrington won the first of two important postseason contests, but MSL rival Hersey came back to collect the bigger prize on Saturday, breaking open a close race to claim its second straight regional crown.

The two sides were close to each other until midway through the final round, when No. 11 Hersey began to put too many points on the board for Barrington to overcome en route to a final total of 243.

The Broncos were next at 204.5, followed closely by host Stevenson (185.5) which put up a great fight in Lincolnshire before being closed out by the front-runners.

With four sectional qualifiers, Dundee-Crown (104.5) was fourth, while Palatine, Buffalo Grove, Highland Park and Lake Zurich rounded out the field.

Hersey will face No. 9 Hononegah in its dual-team sectional Feb. 20.

Hersey claimed six individual championships from Anthony Orozco-Diaz (113), Abdullokh Khakimov (126), Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (132) Rodrigo Arceo (138), Jake Hanson (144) and Anthony Cambria at 190.

This group will be joined by nine others at the Barrington sectional, while Barrington sends 11 and Stevenson ten.

Barrington’s freshmen duo of Kaleb Pratt (106) and Ryan Dorn (120) are regional champs, as is No. 3 Rhenzo Augusto (150) and Silas Oberholtzer at 157.

A big crowd of Stevenson fans would inspire both Themba Sitshela (175) and heavyweight Andrew Timmons, who beat top-seeded Clarence Jackson of Barrington in his final.

Buffalo Grove senior Cadon Watson (215) and Highland Park senior Dmitry Derbedyenyev (165) also won regional titles.

Stevenson Regional championship match results:

106- Kaleb Pratt (Barrington) D 8-3 Evan Mishels (Stevenson).

113- Anthony Orozco-Diaz (Hersey) F 3:21 Ayush Bajaj (Stevenson).

120- Ryan Dorn (Barrington) D 12-5 Esteban Delgado (Hersey).

126- Abdullokh Khakimov (Hersey) D 8-1 Jimmy Whitaker (Barrington).

132- Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey) MD 10-1 Daniel Blanke (Barrington).

138- Rodrigo Arceo (Hersey) D 10-8 Andrew Chamkin (Stevenson).

144- Jake Hanson (Hersey) D 15-11 Val Vihrov (Stevenson).

150- Rhenzo Augusto (Barrington) MD 18-7 Frank Tagoe (Hersey).

157- Silas Oberholtzer (Barrington) D 8-1 Tim Boldt (Hersey).

165- Dmitry Derbedyenyev (Highland Park) D 1-0 Jose Gavina (Dundee-Crown).

175- Themba Sitshela (Stevenson) F 1:28 Trey Widlowski III (Palatine).

190- Anthony Cambria (Hersey) D 7-4 Ayden Salley (Barrington).

215- Cadon Watson (Buffalo Grove) F 3:13 Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown).

285- Andrew Timmons (Stevenson) F 0:27 Clarence Jackson (Barrington).

3rd Place results

106- Aiden Healey (Dundee-Crown) F 0:41 Alex Gudgeon (Highland Park).

113- Saul Ramirez (Barrington) F 0:53 Diego Bueno (Palatine).

120- Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson) F 4:48 Christian Gerardo (Dundee-Crown).

126- Yash Jagtap (Stevenson) D 7-3 Chris Gerardo (Dundee-Crown).

132- Shawn Kogan (Stevenson) F 2:21 Vinnie Velasquez (Dundee-Crown).

138- Brennan O’Donnell (Barrington) D 8-5 Maxwell Turner (Buffalo Grove).

144- Brady Wright (Barrington) F 3:58 Nate Ferrari (Highland Park).

150- Alan Allende (Palatine) TF 4:38 (17-2) Daniel Gutierrez (Dundee-Crown).

157- Devitt Narens (Stevenson) D 10-8 Adrian Lopez (Buffalo Grove).

165- Alex Garza (Hersey) D 7-3 Xavier Catanzaro (Lake Zurich).

175- Leo Delgado (Hersey) F 1:06 Eli Moore (Highland Park).

190- Zach Anderson (Dundee-Crown) D 8-6 Esteban Suarez (Palatine).

215- Nick Larsen (Hersey) D 7-2 Anthony Escobar (Stevenson).

285- Gus Dammann (Hersey) F 2:59 John Saracco (Buffalo Grove).

Regionals that feed into the 3A Conant Individual Sectional

3A Maine South Regional – team champion Maine South

Host Maine South continued its winning ways by lifting its sixth consecutive regional title Saturday afternoon in Park Ridge to advance into the Addison Trail dual-team sectional, where the Hawks will face No. 1 St. Charles East.

Led by No. 1 Teddy Flores (120) the Hawks advanced 11 to the Conant sectional. Also winning regional titles for Maine South were Brett Harman (113), Luke Morrison (132), Jake Colleran (138) Gavin Hoerr (144) and Luke Gloetzner (150).

Maine South would finish with 243.5 overall points, followed by Elk Grove (179) and third place Evanston at (159).

Maine East (96) and Taft (84) were next, with Taft sophomore Bernardo Roque (106) winning a regional title. Maine West (64), Mather (43) and Niles West (39) would fill out the final three teams.

Elk Grove sends seven to sectionals, including champs Grant Madl (126), Logan Tosterud (165), Benny Schlosser (175), Dylan Berkowitz (190) and No. 9 Mikey Milovich (285).

Evanston has seven heading to sectionals, led by 157-pound champ Rodrigo Salinas.

Maine South Regional championship match results:

106- Bernardo Roque (Taft) F 2:00 George Georgiev (Maine South).

113- Brett Harman (Maine South) F 2:27 Miguel Guevara (Taft).

120- Teddy Flores (Maine South) F 1:24 David Ruiz (Taft).

126- Grant Madl (Elk Grove) F 1:50 Jack Handley Maine South).

132- Luke Morrison (Maine South) F 1:56 Eren Atac (Evanston).

138- Jake Colleran (Maine South) F 3:27 Bryan Lemus (Evanston).

144- Gavin Hoerr (Maine South) INJ 0:14 Manny Holloway (Evanston).

150- Luke Gloetzner (Maine South) F 2:27 Dylan Kroschel (Maine West).

157- Rodrigo Salinas (Evanston) F 4:45 Anthony Macina (Elk Grove).

165- Logan Tosterud (Elk Grove) F 2:16 Peter Greco (Maine West).

175- Benny Schlosser (Elk Grove) F 1:56 Evan Rioch (Maine South).

190- Mo Burt (Elk Grove) MD 13-2 Josh Marty (Evanston).

215- Dylan Berkowitz (Elk Grove) D 4-0 Leo McDonald (Maine South).

285- Mikey Milovich (Elk Grove) F 2:42 Tyler Fortis (Maine South).

3rd Place results:

106- Hesham Ghiasuddin (Niles West) F 3:46 Nicholas Biglari (Evanston).

113- Charles-evi Seri (Mather) F 0: 52 Andy Edwards (Evanston).

120- Luca Burgio (Maine West) D 11-10 Harper Papachristos (Evanston).

126- Logan Battersby (Maine West) D 3-2 John Moor (Maine East).

132- Dulguun Nyamdavaa (Maine East) F 1:18 Nicasio Acino (Elk Grove).

138- Mukhammadali Mametov (Maine East) F 4:40 Adrian Junco (Taft).

144- Ali Mohammed (Maine East) D 7-1 Matt DiMaria (Elk Grove).

150- Julian Lopez (Mather) F 3:44 Henry Parris (Evanston).

157- Ivan Gonzalez (Niles West) D 7-0 Tim Kato (Maine East).

165- Xavier Starks (Evanston) MD 8-0 Aidan Swenson (Maine South).

175- Peter Mestousis (Niles West) D 7-3 Esmat Abdalla (Evanston).

190- Adnan Shkeir (Maine East) F 4:43 Tommy Behzad (Maine South).

215- Christopher Osta (Taft) F 0:49 Edgar Torres (Maine East).

285- Jeremy Marshall (Evanston) F 5:22 Victor Nitchev (Maine East).

3A South Elgin Regional – team champion Schaumburg

Schaumburg claimed just a pair of champions but used seven second-place medal winners to overwhelm the field and win its second consecutive regional title. Schaumburg won 200-157.5 over second-place South Elgin and Conant (151.5) finished third.

Next up for Schaumburg is a date with Oak Park-and-River Forest at the Addison Trail dual-team sectional later this month.

The Saxons advanced a tourney high 11 to sectional, which includes champions Aidan Ploski (126) and Callen Kirchner (144), who is now a two-time regional champ.

South Elgin led all teams with four individual champs, including returning state qualifier Demetrios Carrera (120), who beat Schaumburg’s No. 2 Brady Phelps by a 3-2 decision.

Joining Carrera from South Elgin were two-time regional champion Leo Rosas (150), Julius Avendano (106) and Kosta Carrera (165). This group will be joined by five others at sectionals.

Third place Conant would treat their fans to a trio of champions in Mike Goolish (113), Tanner Cosgrove (157) and 2023 state qualifier and two-time regional champion Harley Stary (285).

The Cougars will send a total of eight into sectionals next weekend.

Lake Park fell short in its bid for a third-place finish with 142.0 points, with Streamwood (64.0), Hoffman Estates (58.5), Larkin (41.0) and Elgin (39.0) rounding out the next five.

Lake Park is sending six to the Conant sectional, led by regional champs Mathias Ewouso (215) and Vince Merola (138).

Elgin’s Fabian Ramirez (190) is now a two-time regional champion, while Hoffman Estates’ Alazar Eyob (132) and Streamwood junior Gabe Inorio (175) each winning their first regional titles.

South Elgin Regional championship match results:

106- Julius Avendano (South Elgin) F 2:32 Austin Phelps (Schaumburg).

113- Mike Goolish (Conant) F 1:13 Bryce Mensik (Lake Park).

120- Demetrios Carrera (South Elgin) D 3-2 Brady Phelps (Schaumburg).

126- Aidan Ploski (Schaumburg) D 5-4 Nick Merola (Lake Park).

132- Alazar Eyob (Hoffman Estates) D 9-6 Aamir Nieves-Allen (South Elgin).

138- Vince Merola (Lake Park) D 5-2 Rocco Fontela (Schaumburg).

144- Callen Kirchner (Schaumburg) F Juan Cortes (Streamwood).

150- Leo Rosas (South Elgin) F 1:17 Gavin Hinkle (Schaumburg).

157- Tanner Cosgrove (Conant) MD 12-4 Kolin Little (Schaumburg).

165- Kosta Carrera (South Elgin) F 3:19 Keegan Creighton (Schaumburg).

175- Gabe Inorio (Streamwood) F 1:45 Elias O’Neill (Lake Park).

190- Fabian Ramirez (Elgin) F 1:30 Jace Wolf (Streamwood).

215- Mathias Ewouso (Lake Park) F 3:29 Joey Cronin (South Elgin).

285- Harley Stary (Conant) F 2:32 Cesar Alvarez-Cuatepitizi (Schaumburg).

3rd Place results:

106- Emmett Arens (Conant) TF-1.5 (17-0) Mann Patel (Hoffman Estates).

113- Bryan Sanchez (Schaumburg) F 5:47 Gabriel Requena (Larkin).

120- Luis Flores (Conant) MD 9-0 Jayden Edgar (Elgin).

126- Caden Spizzirri (Conant) F 0:00 Tengis Vaanchigkhorol (Hoffman Estates).

132- Sergio Hernandez (Lake Park) MD 12-4 Matt Goolish.

138- No Match.

144- Victor Chevganov (Conant) D 13-10 Bela Mohapp (Lake Park).

150- Chase Hoffstetter (Lake Park) F 1:12 Christian Heishman (Conant).

157- Oscar Sroka (South Elgin) TF-1.5 (18-3) Noah Rodriguez (Streamwood).

165- Jackson Spizzirri (Conant) D 9-5 Kevin Ayala (Lake Park).

175- Michael Cwenar (South Elgin) D 8-5 Josh Benson (Schaumburg).

190- Jimmy Zinchuk (Schaumburg) D 6-1 Joshua Castillo (Larkin).

215- Abdulhamid Olowu (Hoffman Estates) TF-1-5 (19-3) Reili Carreto (Larkin).

285- Heze Garcia (South Elgin) F 1:38 Kevin Suarez (Elgin).

3A DeKalb Regional – team champion St. Charles East

Last year’s 3A team state champion took its first step towards another potential state crown, winning the team regional title 260-191 over second-place host DeKalb. Glenbard North (151.5) was third, followed by Wheaton North (111) and Geneva (74.5) in the top five. West Chicago (56), St. Charles North (45.5) and Bartlett (37) rounded out the field.

It was St. Charles East’s eighth team regional title in program history.

Leading the way for coach Jason Potter’s 12 sectional qualifiers were regional champions Dom Munaretto (113), Ben Davino (132), Tyler Guerra (138), Jayden Colon (144), Gavin Connolly (150), Brody Murray (175), and Matt Medina (285).

Placing second for the Saints were Liam Aye (120), Gavin Woodmancy (126), Anthony Gutierrez (165), and Cooper Murray (190). Brandon Swartz (215) also placed third to advance for St. Charles East.

Second-place DeKalb advanced eight wrestlers to the sectionals, led by regional champions Jacob Luce (165) and Lamar Bradley (215). Third-place Glenbard North had six sectional qualifiers, led by champions Kalani Khiev (120), Christian Chavez (126) and Tyler Ott (190).

Fourth-place Wheaton North advanced six wrestlers to the sectional and had the remaining individual regional champions in Rocco Macellaio (106) and Thomas Fulton (157).

DeKalb Regional individual championship match results:

106 – Rocco Macellaio (Wheaton N) D 8-2 Declan Sons (SC North)

113 – Dom Munaretto (SC East) D 9-5 Dominick Marre (Glenbard N)

120 – Kalani Khiev (Glenbard N) D 4-0 Liam Aye (SC East)

126 – Christian Chavez (Glenbard N) MD 9-1 Gavin Woodmancy (SC East)

132 – Ben Davino (SC East) F 0:39 David Hyde (Wheaton N)

138 – Tyler Guerra (SC East) F 1:52 Hudson Ikens (DeKalb)

144 – Jayden Colon (SC East) MD 10-1 Mekhi Cave (DeKalb)

150 – Gavin Connolly (SC East) D 5-0 Rylan Kradle (Glenbard N)

157 – Thomas Fulton (Wheaton N) D 3-1 Payton Marzen (Geneva)

165 – Jacob Luce (DeKalb) D 6-2 Anthony Gutierrez (SC East)

175 – Brody Murray (SC East) D6-4 Sean Kolkebeck (DeKalb)

2A regionals that feed into the Grayslake Central individual sectional

2A Antioch Regional – team champion Wauconda

Long-time Northern Lake County Conference rivals went at it once again with No. 4 Wauconda (245.0) roaring past Grayslake Central (166.5) and Antioch (145.0) to win its second consecutive regional crown and fourth team regional title in program history per the IHSA website.

Wauconda will send all 14 of its men to the Grayslake Central sectional, and then on to its own dual-team sectional on Feb, 20, where top-ranked Montini Catholic, No. 2 IC Catholic Prep, and Notre Dame.

The Bulldogs would finish either first or second on this day with Cooper Daun (138), Logan Andrews (144), Cole Porten (150), Nick Cheshier (157) and Michael Merevick (190) all regional champions.

Second-place Grayslake Central had a trio of individual champs led by the No. 1 duo of Vince DeMarco (106, 38-6) and Matty Jens (34-1) at 175 pounds and Tyler Weidman (126, 35-3) now a three-time champ. The Rams will send six to their own sectional, with third place Antioch advancing seven.

Antioch regional champs were: Gavin Hanrahan (120), Edgar Albino (132), Ben Vazquez (165) and Owen Shea at 215.

Other individual champions were both from Cary-Grove: Hunter Lenz (120) and heavyweight Lucas Burton.

2A Antioch regional championship results:

106 – Vince DeMarco (Grayslake C) D 5-2 Gavin Rockey (Wauconda)

113 – Hunter Lenz (Cary-Grove) F 1:19 Nicholas Ruiz (Wauconda)

120 – Gavin Hanrahan (Antioch) D 7-2 Lucas Galdine (Wauconda)

126 – Tyler Weidman (Grayslake C) F 2:51 Nathan Randle (Wauconda)

132 – Edgar Albino (Antioch) MD 11-3 Brian Hart (Wauconda) 

138 -Cooper Daun (Wauconda) D 7-3 Chase Nobiling (Antioch)

144 – Logan Andrews (Wauconda) D 5-3 Antonio Hinojosa (Carmel)

150 – Cole Porten (Wauconda) D 8-2 Noah Pechotta (Cary-Grove)

157 – Nicholas Chesier (Wauconda) F 1:47 Jacob DeLeon (Grayslake C)

165 – Ben Vazquez (Antioch) D 5-3 Zachary Johnson (Wauconda)

175 – Matty Jens (Grayslake C) F 1:02 Luke Bennett (Cary-Grove)

190 – Michael Merevick (Wauconda) F 3:06 Colin Arquilla (Antioch)

215 – Owen Shea (Antioch) F 5:00 Brody Rudolph (Wauconda)

285 – Lucas Burton (Cary-Grove) F 2:55 Caleb Apodaca (Wauconda)

Third-place matches (top three in each weight class advance to sectional):

106 – Jacob Smith (Antioch) F 1:30 Jayden Rudnicki (Lakes)

113 – Kyle Christophersen (Grayslake C) F 1:24 Braiden Beau (Lakes)

120 – Krish Sahu (Grayslake C) D 7-1 Peter Hayden (Cary-Grove)

126 – Matthew Lucansky (Carmel) MD 13-0 Ignacio Santander (Cary-Grove)

132 – Liam Halloran (Grayslake C) D 6-0 Jacob Hampton (Cary-Grove)

138 – Alex Asllani (Carmel) SV-1 7-5 Aidan Eisenberg (Grayslake C)

144 – Owen Anderson (Grayslake N) F 3:46 Dominic Cabuyadao (Antioch)

150 – Jacob Ronsman (Grayslake N) D 7-0 Warren Nash (Grayslake C)

157 – Kacper Nalezny (Grayslake N) D 9-7 Marcus Macias (Antioch)

165 – Gavin Cafferkey (Grayslake N) F 1:57 Colin Koehl (Grayslake C)

175 – Christian Cendejaz (Wauconda) D 5-1 Luis Arreola (Carmel)

190 – Kyle Jarecki (Cary-Grove) D 7-4 Julian Ramos (Lakes)

215 – David Williams (Grayslake N) D 4-1 Jaxen Pratt (Grayslake C)

285 – Anthony Metzel (Grayslake N) F 1:01 Jesus Castaneda (Grayslake C)

2A Notre Dame Regional – team champion Notre Dame

The East Suburban Catholic Conference duo of Notre Dame and St. Patrick would battle each other for the regional title – and in the end, it was Notre Dame who won by a big margin to claim victory.
It was the 10th overall team regional title for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame, who earlier dropped a 37-34 dual meet contest to long-time league rival St. Patrick, earned 250 points, 47 more than the Shamrocks (203).

Third place went to DePaul College Prep (175) with Schurz, Senn, Amundsen, Ridgewood, and Lake View far off the pace.

Notre Dame, which advanced all 14 to the Grayslake Central sectional, earned one half-dozen individual titles beginning with Ray Long (106), and John Sheehy (113), before dominating the upper weights as Deniz Ozturk (165), Jim Amatore (190), Jack Malenock (215) and heavyweight Scott Cook all won individual regional crowns.

The Shamrocks advanced ten, including champions Olin Walker (132), Niko Karamaniolas (144), Van Grasser (157) and Devin Nichol (175).

DePaul College Prep will have ten at sectionals, including Johnny Cunningham (120), Nabiel Rosario (126), Drew Gerstung (138) who all won regional titles.

Senn senior Maxwell Nevinger (29-1) was also a regional champion at 150.

2A Notre Dame regional championship match results:

106 – Ray Long (Notre Dame) D 10-6 Daniel Goodwin (St. Patrick)

113 – John Sheehy (Notre Dame) F 1:32 Islam Khater (Ridgewood)

120 – Johnny Cunningham (DePaul) D 3-2 John Greifelt (Notre Dame)

126 – Nabiel Rosario (DePaul) MD 15-4 Patrick Hulne (St. Patrick)

132 – Olin Walker (St. Patrick) F 5:41 Max Rosen (DePaul)

138 – Drew Gerstung (DePaul) F 1:47 Lennon Ojeda (Senn)

144 – Nikolas Karamaniolas (St. Patrick) F 4:00 Tim Bridges (Notre Dame)

150 – Maxwell Nevinger (Senn) MD 21-8 Donovan Walsh (Notre Dame)

157 – Van Grasser (St. Patrick) F 1:28 Matthew Brendel (DePaul)

165 – Deniz Ozturk (Notre Dame) D 9-4 Michael Macias (Schurz)

175 – Devin Nichol (St. Patrick) D 6-0 Adrian Zepeda (Amundsen)

190 – Jim Amatore (Notre Dame) D 5-3 Jack Clancy (St. Patrick)

215 – Jack Malenock (Notre Dame) F 1:26 Kaid Perkins (Lake View)

285 – Scott Cook (Notre Dame) med. fft. Carlos Rios (DePaul)

Third-place results (top three in each weight advance to the sectional):

106 – Matthew Nguyen (Amundsen) D 8-2 Dimitri Dobre (DePaul)

113 – Oliver Chapman (DePaul) MD 10-0 Jack Koenig (St. Patrick)

120 – Calvin Stahl (St. Patrick) F 1:23 Mohamad Khater (Ridgewood)

126 – James Frugoli (Notre Dame) F 5:49 Stefano Esquivel (Schurz)

132 – Alex Singto (Notre Dame) — BYE

138 – Carson Colbenson (Notre Dame) F 2:35 Giovani Irizarry (St. Patrick)

144 – Hugh Costello (DePaul) F 3:43 Andrew Delgado (Schurz)

150 – Sebastian Bruno (St. Patrick) F 1:05 Alexis Molina (Schurz)

157 – Dean Lazaris (Notre Dame) F 1:28 Aidan Neal (Lake View)

165 – Aidan Hernandez (St. Patrick) F 2:45 Elias Lerner (DePaul)

175 – Sean Adams (Notre Dame) F 1:07 Oscar Lazaro (Schurz)

190 – Alex Drees (DePaul) D 13-12 Sphere Eckhart (Amundsen)

215 – Hunter Wahtola (DePaul) D 6-3 Aiden Gomez (St. Patrick)

285 – Kevin Ta (Ridgewood) D 3-0 Salvador Espinoza (St. Patrick)

St. Ignatius regional – team champion Montini Catholic

Ten regional champions ought to do the trick.

In its resurgent year as one of Illinois’ top programs under coach Mike Bukovsky, Montini Catholic won the team title at this year’s St. Ignatius 2A regional in dominant fashion.
It was Montini’s 18th team regional title in program history.

Bukovsky sent 13 wrestlers to the regional title mat and the Broncos finished with 10 individual champions, three runners-up, and a third-place finisher to advance all 14 wrestlers to next week’s 2A individual sectional meet at Grayslake Central.

Winning regional titles for Montini were Allen Woo (106), Mikey Malizzio (113), Isaac Mayora (120), Josh Vazquez (126), Kam Luif (132), Jeremy Huf (138), David Mayora (150), Harrison Konder (157), Santino Tenuta (165), and Mick Ranquist (285).

Placing second for the Broncos were David Hernandez (144), AJ Tack (175) and Jaxon Lane (190), and taking third was Gavin Ericson (215).

St. Ignatius had a pair of regional champions in Nate Sanchez (144) and Melson Ngassa (215), and Fenwick also had two champions in Patrick Gilboy (175) and Jack Paris (190).

2A St. Ignatius Regional championship match results:

106 – Allen Woo (Montini) F 0;53 Jim Higgins (St. Ignatius)

113 – Mikey Malizzio (Montini) TF 4:26 Alex Villanueva (St. Ignatius)

120 – Isaac Mayora (Montini) F 4:00 CJ Brown (Fenwick)

126 – Josh Vazquez (Montini) F 1:26 Colton Huff (St. Ignatius)

132 – Kam Luif (Montini) F 1:17 Travon Strickland (Westinghouse)

138 – Jeremy Huf (Montini) F 0:31Luca Capuano (Chicago (St. Ignatius)

144 – Nate Sanchez (St. Ignatius) F 1:36 David Hernandez (Montini)

150 – David Mayora (Montini) F 1:36 Eiam Staples (Fenwick)

157 – Harrison Konder (Montini) F 1:02 Sebastian Cuadros (St. Ignatius)

165 – Santino Tenuta (Montini) F 1:19 Charlie Howell (St. Ignatius)

175 – Patrick Gilboy (Fenwick) D 8-4 AJ Tack (Montini)

190 – Jack Paris (Fenwick) F 1:36 Jaxon Lane (Montini)

215 – Melson Ngassa (St. Ignatius) F 0:54 Luke Dalise (Fenwick)

285 – Mick Ranquist (Montini) F 1:16 Drelin Mack (Westinghouse)

Third-place matches (3rd-place match winners advance to sectional):

106 – Harrison Brown (Fenwick) BYE

113 –  Dajuan Reed (Noble/ITW Speer) F 2:33 Cormack Mahon (Fenwick)

120 – Julian Collins (Noble/UIC) F 3:47 Timothy Wielgat (Intrinsic Charter)

126 – Robert Cabrera (Noble/UIC) F 0:49 Damian Tello (Noble/ITW Speer)

132 – Burke Burns (Fenwick) F 3:57 JD Giannias (St. Ignatius)

138 – Solanus Daley (Fenwick) F 2:28 Gio Tello (Noble/ITW Speer)

144 – Max Kenny (Fenwick) F 1:38 Juan Chuchuca (Westinghouse)

150 – Grant Ghaly (St. Ignatius) MD 9-7 Nehemiah Belfort (Westinghouse)

157 – Brian Timpone (Fenwick) D 5-0 Santori Knight (Intrinsic Charter)

165 – Dominic Esposito (Fenwick) F 3:16 Robert Jamison (Westinghouse)

175 – Noah Sherrod (Intrinsic Charter) MD 9-0 Malik Allen (Noble/UIC)

190 – Kalet Menendez (St. Ignatius) F 0-:41 Antonio Casas (Noble/ITW Speer)

215 – Gavin Ericson (Montini) F 1:30 Eric Magana (Westinghouse)

285 – Gianni Bertacchi (Fenwick) D 9-3 Jorge Miranda (Noble/ITW Speer)

Regionals that feed into the 2A Hinsdale South individual sectional

2A Evergreen Park Regional – team champion Brother Rice

Brother Rice went on a tear in the regional finals from 132 through 190, winning six individual titles in seven title matches, while six additional wrestlers placed second, as the Crusaders locked horns with host Evergreen Park.
It also marked the sixth team regional title won in Brother Rice program history.

When the dust settled, Brother Rice won the team regional title, 238-217 over the Mustangs.

Brother Rice advanced 13 wrestlers to this year’s 2A individual sectional at Hinsdale South, and the Crusaders will also compete at this year’s team dual sectional at Brother Rice on Feb. 20.

Individual regional champions for Brother Rice were Oliver Davis (138), Frank Miceli (150), Pat Gilhooly (157), Colin Goggin (165), Dan Costello (175), and James Crane (190). Also reaching the finals and placing second for coach Jan Murzyn were James Lotito (106), Logan Connors (120), Jonathan Harris (126), James Bennett (132), Jack O’Connor (144), and Charlie Stec (215). Danny Tait (113) also placed third to advance for the Crusaders.

Second-place Evergreen Park had five regional champions and advanced 12 wrestlers to the sectional. Winning regional titles for the Mustangs were Johan Bonilla (113), Angel Ramirez (120), Chance Woods (126), Eduardo Antunez (215) and Gerald O’Hare (285).

Third-place St. Rita (185.5) had three individual regional champions in Jack Hogan (106), Nino Protti (132) and Sean Larkin (144).

2A Evergreen Park Regional championship match results:

106 – Jack Hogan (St. Rita) F 2:48 James Lotito (Brother Rice)

113 – Johan Bonilla (Evergreen Park) D 7-4 Luke Pappalas (St. Rita)

120 – Angel Ramirez (Evergreen Park) F 0:41 Logan Connors (Brother Rice)

126 – Chance Woods (Evergreen Park) TF 3:55 Jonathan Harris (Brother Rice)

132 – Nino Protti (St. Rita) D 3-1 James Bennett (Brother Rice)

138 – Oliver Davis (Brother Rice) F 5:49 Enzo Canali (St. Rita)

144 – Sean Larkin (St. Rita) D 8-1 Jack O’Connor (Brother Rice)

150 – Frank Miceli (Brother Rice) D 5-2 Ryan Serna (Evergreen Park)

157 – Pat Gilhooly (Brother Rice) F 5:15 Josh Matheny (Evergreen Park)

165 – Colin Goggin (Brother Rice) F 3:49 Andrew Viravec (Evergreen Park)

175 – Dan Costello (Brother Rice) F 0:47 James Bansley (St. Rita)

190 – James Crane (Brother Rice) F 3:37 Genesis Ward (Evergreen Park)

215 – Eduardo Antunez (Evergreen Park) F 3:42 Charlie Stec (Brother Rice)

285 – Gerald O’Hare (Evergreen Park) F 1:48 Amir Daniels (Noble/Comer)

Third-place results (top three in each weight class advance to sectional):  f

106 – Brayden Mateja-Bates (Evergreen Pk.) F 1:08 David Vidal (Englewood STEM)

113 – Danny Tait (Brother Rice) — BYE

120 – Monte Bourke (St. Rita) TF 4:18 Tae Harris (Morgan Park)

126 – Isaac Banks (Noble/Comer) F 2:56 Ahmad Cobb (Simeon)

132 – Adrian Cervantes (Evergreen Park) F 0:45 Alan Colekraty (Morgan Park)

138 – Davian Hall (Simeon) F 4:55 Ashton Gray (Evergreen Park)

144 – David Johnson (Evergreen Park) TF 4:39 Jaylen Green (Noble/Comer)

150 – Lloyd Johnson (Morgan Park) F 4:31 Domineek Jackson (Noble/Comer)

157 – James Kevin (St. Rita) F 1:11 Brendan McCalister (Noble/Comer)

165 – Jacob Fleming (St. Rita) F 0:19 Sacario Jones (Morgan Park)

175 – Garrett Kazmierowicz (Evergreen Park) F 2:28 Dae’Quan Nutall (Morgan Park)

190 – Thomas Demro (St. Rita) F 1:34 Daniel Saucedo (Englewood STEM)

215 – Adonis Harrison (Morgan Park) Inj. Joshua Golden (Noble/Comer)

285 – Marke Kelleher (St. Rita) TB-1 5-4 Logan Drakeford (Morgan Park)

Oak Forest Regional – team champion Oak Forest

Host Oak Forest topped the field for coach Shawn Forst, winning a team regional title 218-194 over second-place Hillcrest. Bremen finished third with 132 points.

Oak Forest advanced 11 wrestlers to the individual sectional meet and will compete at the 2A Brother Rice team dual sectional on Feb. 20. It was the 11th team regional title won in program history for Brother Rice.

Bringing home individual regional titles for Oak Forest were Jacob Sebek (106), James Mair (120), Austin Perez (138), Hunter Daniel (157), and Jackson Castaneda (165). Placing second for the Bengals were Hunter Kroll (113), Jason Janke (175), Nathan Izguerra (190), and Andrius Vasilevskas (215). Placing third and advancing were Derek Rodriguez (150) and Jose Montesino (285).

Second-place Hillcrest was led by regional champions LeKeith Rogers (113), Jovan Williams (132), Kiaven Sullivan (144), Trevon Williams (150), and Eric Pike (190).

Third-place Bremen crowned three individual champions in Izaiah Gonzalez (126), Adrian Esparza (175) and Marco Olvera (285). Also winning an individual regional title was Tinley Park’s Sebastian Sanderson ( 215).

2A Oak Forest Regional championship match results:

106 – Jacob Sebek (Oak Forest) inj. Amari Brown (Hillcrest)

113 – LeKeith Rogers (Hillcrest) F 2:44 Hunter Kroll (Oak Forest)

120 – James Mair (Oak Forest) inj. Elijah Wofford (Hillcrest)

126 – Izaiah Gonzalez (Bremen) F 0:42 Tamilore Ogundeyi (TF North)

132 – Jovan Williams (Hillcrest) F 1:38 DeShawn Jones (TF North)

138 – Austin Perez (Oak Forest) F 2:29 Jawon Dortch (Bremen)

144 – Kiaven Sullivan (Hillcrest) F 2:44 David Albright (Tinley Park)

150 – Trevon Williams (Hillcrest) F 1:41 Richard Taylor (Marian)

157 – Hunter Daniel (Oak Forest) F 4:59 Joseph Merritt (TF North)

165 – Jackson Castaneda (Oak Forest) F 5:14 Malakai Scott (Crete-Monee)

175 – Adrian Esparza (Bremen) OT 7-5 Jason Janke (Oak Forest)

190 – Eric Pike (Hillcrest) F 1:17 Nathan Izguerra (Oak Forest)

215 – Sebastian Sanderson (Tinley Park) D 5-4 Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest)

285 – Marco Olvera (Bremen) MD 8-0 Rogello Cornejo (Kankakee)

Third-place match results (top three in each weight class advanced):

106 – No match wrestled

113 – Brandile Gcabashe (Crete-Monee) inj. Edwin Gomez (TF-North)

120 – Chase Tankson (Marian) D 15-8 Sean Unzueta (Bremen)

126 – Vontarius Hunter (Hillcrest) MD 15-7 Dylan McBride (Oak Forest)

132 – Jeremiah Bolar (Marian) F 4: 56 Josh Schickel (Oak Forest)

138 – Keith McCoy (TF North) F 4:30 Derrione Collier (Hillcrest)

144 – Walter Hoevker (Bremen) F 2:52 Jason Adams (Crete-Monee)

150 – Derek Rodriguez (Oak Forest) D 8-6 Geremiah Williams (TF North)

157 – Larry Watson (Hillcrest) MD 18-8 Charles Hill (Kankakee)

165 – Colton Pennington (Hillcrest) D 11-7 Manuel Perez (Bremen)

175 – Caleb Dickens (Kankakee) D 12-5 Damari Dogan (TF North)

190 – Ricardo Abarca (Bremen) F 5:03 Marquan Riley (Kankakee)

215 – Jacob Vinardi (Kankakee) inj. Justin Lawton (Crete-Monee)

285 – Jose Montesino (Oak Forest) F 4:36 Malachi Green (Hillcrest)

2A Riverside-Brookfield Regional – team champion Riverside-Brookfield

Host Riverside-Brookfield advanced 12 wrestlers to Hinsdale South’s sectional and the Bulldogs took the team regional title 233.5-172.5 over second-place Little Village of Chicago. Kennedy (98.5) placed third.
It was the 7th team regional title won in R-B ‘s history.

Coach Nick Curby got individual regional titles from Mateo Gonzalez (106), Nathan Stanard (126), Jacob Godoy (132), Ricky Gutierrez-Blanco (138), Josh Gonzalez (144), and Ethan Rivas (157) to lead the field with six champions.

The Bulldogs also got seconds from Edgar Mosquera (113), Jayden Tulian (120), Jacob Noe (150), and Cade Tomkins (165), and thirds from Matthew Elzy (190) and Anthony Esposito (215).

Second-place Little Village got a pair of individual titles from Daniel James (215) and Adrian Chavez (285) and advanced seven additional wrestlers who won their third-place matches.

Kennedy got regional titles from Victor Alvarado (113) and Gianni Alberto (120).

Also winning individual regional titles were Goode STEM Academy’s Xavier Woods (150), Hancock’s Malakai Davis (165), and Back of the Yards’ Axel Correa (175) and Derick Ibarrando (190).

2A Riverside-Brookfield Regional championship match results:

106 – Mateo Gonzalez (R.-Brookfield) inj. Josue Tankson (Kennedy)

113 – Victor Alvarado (Kennedy) D 4-2 Edgar Mosquera (R.-Brookfield)

120 – Gianni Alberto (Kennedy) F 1:46 Jayden Tulian (R.-Brookfield)

126 – Nathan Stanard (R.-Brookfield) F 0:48 Gino Alberto (Kennedy)

132 – Jacob Godoy (R.-Brookfield) D 4-3 Luis Arcos (Hancock)

138 – Ricky Gutierrez-Blanco (R.-Brookfield) F 1:41 Vince Ramirez (Little Village)

144 – Josh Gonzalez (R.-Brookfield) TF Sergio Ramirez (Lindblom)

150 – Xavier Woods (Goode STEM) TF Jacob Noe (R.-Brookfield)

157 – Ethan Rivas (R.-Brookfield) F 0:24 Saeed Ullah (Back of the Yards)

165 – Malakai Davis (Hancock) MD 12-3 Cade Tomkins (R.-Brookfield)

175 – Axel Correa (Back of the Yards) F 5:28 Jaiden Santiago (Little Village)

190 – Derick Ibarrando (Back of the Yards) F 0:23 Omar Perez (Little Village)

215 – Daniel James (Little Village) F 1:53 Jonathan Loera (Hancock)

285 – Adrian Chavez (Little Village) D 1-0 Josue Olivo (Lindblom)

Third-place match results (top three wrestlers in each weight class advance):

106 – Ricardo Dominguez (Little Village) MD 10-2 Ithan Payne (Lindblom)

113 – Brian Bahena (Little Village) F 0:13 Joel Samano (Goode STEM)

120 – Jovanni Harris (Little Village) F 3:09 Anthony Garcia (Solorio)

126 – David Bahena (Little Village) F 0:52 Angel Ceballos (Solorio)

132 – Zyron Lee (Little Village) F 1:44 Bobby Applewhite (Back of the Yards)

138 – Isaiah Diaz (Goode STEM) MD 13-2 Adrian Rodriguez (Hancock)

144 – Frankie Jungman (Kennedy) D 8-4 Nick Mata (Back of the Yards)

150 – Brandon Manzo (Little Village) D 7-1 Jonathan Sanchez (Kennedy)

157 – Jose De La Garza (Solorio) F 5:25 Trevor Williams (Goode STEM)

165 – Edwin Govea (Little Village) D 8-1 Inaky Mata (Back of the Yards)

175 – David Vasquez (Hancock) — BYE

190 – Matthew Elzy (R.-Brookfield) F 1:06 Dylan Wilborn (Goode STEM)

215 – Anthony Esposito (R.-Brookfield) F 4:48 Thomas Davis (Goode STEM)

285 – Oscar Robles (Goode STEM) F 2:33 Avery Siemplinski (R.-Brookfield)

By Patrick Z. McGavin for the IWCOA

Six years in the making, Hinsdale South found its stride at the perfect time.

“We knew this was going to be a dogfight with Lemont,” Hinsdale South coach Steve Matozzi said.“They’re a great team, and we have a lot of respect for them. It’s a thrill for the guys to take this one home.”

The Hornets nullified Lemont’s regional-best five individual champions with superior depth to capture the Class 2A team regional title at Lemont on Saturday afternoon.

Hinsdale South had three champions and seven other qualifiers in capturing the team title with 202 points. The Hornets’ three runner-ups and four third-place finishers pushed them over the top.

Hinsdale South won its first regional title since 2018, and will now have the bonus of hosting the sectional.

Lemont had five champions and nine sectional qualifiers in finishing runner-up at 193.5 points.

Illustrating the depth of the field, all seven teams had at least one finalist, and six different programs had individual champions.

All seven teams had a minimum two sectional qualifiers. Lemont led with five individual champions, followed by three for Hinsdale South, and two apiece for Catholic League programs Providence and St. Laurence.

Richards and Agricultural Science had one champion apiece.

Providence had seven qualifiers, St. Laurence six, Glenbard South and Richards four, and Agricultural Science two.

The Hornets also qualified for the Class 2A Dual Team Sectional at Brother Rice.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries this year, and we almost won the conference championship,” Matozzi said. “This one makes us all feel good. Now we can keep going. Even the guys who didn’t make it today, their season is not over.”

Class 2A Lemont Regional championship results:

106 – Elijah Sawyer, Agricultural Science 

The Cyclones’ freshman was unfazed by the bright lights and his first state tournament, blitzing the field with a first-period pin in the semifinals and then posting the technical fall of Hinsdale South’s Jamarion Moffett in the championship match.

“I like to wrestle very aggressively out there,” Sawyer said. “I made some good fakes, and I got in my shots.”

Sawyer (29-3) dominated in neutral with multiple takedowns plus back points for the 19-4 technical fall at 5:35.

“I’m good on my feet,” he said. “I’m just a freshman, but I’ve worked hard, and it paid off. I have a lot of confidence.” 

In the third-place match, Lemont’s Matteo Vitro posted the fall over Richards’ Muhammad Hamad.

113 – Mikey Wallace, Hinsdale South

Hinsdale South’s Mikey Wallace posted two first-period falls, punctuating his dominant performance with the 0:47 pin of Providence’s JT Potocsnak in the championship match.

A state qualifier at 106 pounds last season, Wallace (27-14) is the silent type, proving that actions supersede words or description.

“I can’t really describe what happened out there,” he said. “I just went out and tried my hardest, and listened to my coaches. My style is pretty aggressive, and I like to go out there and really set the pace.”

For third place, St. Laurence’s Nathan Martinez registered the first period fall over Lemont’s Ewald Tricke.

120 – Henry Manning, St. Laurence

St. Laurence’s Henry Manning pinned his way to the championship by catching Richard’s Amir Akilani in a cradle for the first period fall.

He started the day with a fall of Hinsdale South’s Antonio Bingham in the semifinal round.

“I learned that move from my coach,” Manning said. “I felt the pressure and I rolled him forward. “Winning today the way I did, and being a regional champion just makes me really happy. It was a great atmosphere, and I loved the excitement.”

On the third-place mat, Providence’s Braeden Paterno earned the 12-8 decision over Bingham.

126 – Tommy Banas, Providence

Providence freshman Tommy Banas continued his rapid ascent with his dominant 19-4 technical fall over Lemont’s Julian Vallianatos.

He previously captured major tournaments at Barrington and Joliet Central, and was a top-4 place finisher at the Dvorak and Catholic League conference meet.

“All of the high level tournaments and events I’ve wrestled really prepared me for this,” he said.“This was good competition, and I just wanted to come in and take care of things.”

Banas started off quickly with a takedown and back points for the 5-0 lead.

Banas (38-7) put on the finishing touches with the series of takedowns in the final period, securing the technical fall at 6:00.

“He was balling up a lot on the bottom so I had to do something else,” he said. “I had to let him up with those escapes, and just go after him with the takedowns.”

For third place, Glenbard South’s Kyle Quaid Bowman secured the fall over St. Laurence’s Adrian Pintado.

132 – Cory Zator, Lemont

Lemont’s Cory Zator captured the championship with a methodical and precise 7-2 decision over Providence’s Justus Snapp.

Zator (30-7) was a state qualifier last season at 113 pounds, finishing one match away from a state place medal.

His two first period takedowns created the early 4-1 advantage. 

“I worked really hard in practice the whole week in getting ready for this,” Zator said. “It’s about being consistent.”

Throughout the match, the athletic and dynamic Snapp created seemingly advantageous offensive positions, only for Zator to offset the pressure.

“I think I’m really good with hand-fighting, and being on my feet,” he said. “The more I wrestle, the better I am. I’ve been wrestling a long time. 

“I like to think the longer I go in a match, the more I’m going to win. I want everybody to know I’m better than the other person.”

Zator started a run of four consecutive individual titles by Lemont.

“This is the state series, and it’s really important to be in the room every day, putting in all the work,” Zator said. “I tried to get that extra work. You have to be accountable. In those tough matches, you have to be ready and bring all the energy.”

In the third-place match, Glenbard South’s Diego Myers posted the 6-2 decision over Hinsdale South’s Jonathan Styczynski.

138 – Carter Mikolajczak, Lemont

Lemont’s Carter Mikolajczak diced the opposition with fast pins, punching his ticket with the second period fall of Hinsdale South’s Al Amir Almannai in the championship match.

He is used to the bright lights, having won 40 matches and qualifying for state last season at 126 pounds.

“I like to wrestle quick and fast, stay aggressive, keep them off-balance and get on their legs,” he said. “I just want to be a savage on top, and get those turns.”

He created the early momentum with a takedown and two separate near falls for the 7-0 first period lead. He sealed the deal at the 3:48 mark.

“I think I was quicker, and just getting to my attacks the way that I did was very helpful,” he said. “I was able to get into my shots.”

In the third-place match, Glenbard South’s Jin Tai posted the fall over Richards’ Leo Flores.

144 – Aiden Rudman, Lemont

Lemont’s Aiden Rudman made up for lost time with a dominant 15-0 technical fall over Hinsdale South’s Noah Ririe in the championship match.

After wrestling just 11 matches during the regular season, he was eager to strut his stuff.

Rudman (8-5) annihilated the field, posting a 0:39 fall during the semifinals.

“I thought I was working really good on top,” he said. “I was really good with my shots, and working out of neutral and on my feet. That is actually my favorite.”

Rudman was fast, mobile, and very efficient. He started quickly with a takedown and separate two-point near falls for the fast 6-0 lead.

He closed out the match at the 3:34 mark.

“I like to wrestle laid back, and stay calm the whole time,” Rudman said. “I don’t want to think too much about it, just react and respond to what my body needs to do. 

“My mentality was just to try and make it through, and finish up the best I could. I was the No. 1 seed, and I just wanted to finish up strong and make my coaches proud.”

In the third-place match, St. Laurence’s Josh Martinez posted the fall over Gianni Penson of Agricultural Science.

150 – Noah O’Connor, Lemont

Lemont’s Noah O’Connor turned a match that appeared competitive on paper into a rout with the second period fall of Richards’ Dom Paul in the championship match.

A defending state qualifier last season at 152 pounds, O’Connor (38-4) was a model of consistency. 

Both of his matches lasted almost the identical time frame, 3:07 in his semifinal pin against 3:11 in the championship round.

“I thought with both of my matches I felt very relaxed but also prepared,” he said. “I like going into every single one of my matches the same, whether it’s a dual, a state qualifying match, or something downstate.”

Paul (24-6) was up to the challenge for much of the first period. He fought off O’Connor’s aggressive style, conceding just a takedown through the first two minutes.

O’Connor took charge with the reversal at the start of the second period. He caught Paul on his back.

“I’m an aggressive wrestler, and I really try to push the pace,” O’Connor said. “I train very hard to have good endurance. I think I have better conditioning than most guys I go up against, and I try to use that to my advantage to keep striking and attacking during the match.”

On the third-place mat, Hinsdale South’s Andrew Musil posted the fall of St. Laurence’s Joseph Barnett.

157 – Geno Papes, Providence

Providence’s Geno Papes ended the Lemont run with the decisive 11-2 major over the host’s Nico LoCoco in the championship match.

Papes (34-12) scored the only offensive points with two takedowns apiece in the first and second periods.

He closed out the victory with a reversal and back points in the third period.

In the third-place match, Hinsdale South’s Benjamin Miller earned the fall over St. Laurence’s Ryan Martinez.

165 – Mike Taheny, Richards

Richards’ Mike Taheny blitzed the field, capped by a first-period fall of Glenbard South’s Logan Price en route to the championship.

He provided the Bulldogs’ only individual champion with the pin at 1:51. 

A defending state qualifier at 160 pounds, Taheny is atypical, unorthodox and a difficult match up.

“I’ve been doing judo most of my life, and I just started wrestling when I was in high school,” he said. “That’s just what I’ve been doing.”

He leapt out to a quick 5-0 lead with a takedown that he combined into back points, then delivered the knockout action with the cradle for his second pin of the day.

“I felt the pressure, and that’s what I did,” he said “That’s what I go to with that move.”

Taheny was already looking forward to the next stage.

“This is just business that I have to take care of,” he said. “I’ll have the same attitude next week with sectionals. This is all part of the process, and I intend to win the whole thing.”

In third place, Hinsdale South’s Darrion Glover posted the fall of St. Laurence’s Jack Claussen.

175 – Jovani Piazza, Hinsdale South

Hinsdale South’s Jovani Piazza was a whirling dervish and Teutonic force who obliterated the competition.

He needed less than two minutes of mat time to claim the championship, posting the fall of Providence’s Michael O’Connor at 1:30.

The Hornets’ senior is a defending state qualifier at 182 pounds. Piazza (27-4) was on a mission, needing just 0:19 seconds in his semifinal match against Lemont’s Yehor Pohonchenko.

Against O’Connor, he controlled the tempo from the start, using a quick five-point combination with the takedown and back points.

Up 5-0, he ended any question by ensnaring O’Connor in a cradle and finishing him off.

His victory proved crucial in the team race, pushing the Hornets into a team lead they never relinquished.

Lemont was up half a point heading into that match.

“I never had any doubts about the rest of the team, and I knew we were going to be fine,” he said.

On the third-place mat, Richards’ Jeremiah Gill registered the fall of St. Laurence’s Damien Torres.

190 – Alec Miller, Hinsdale South

Alec Miller fought through the pain in securing the hard-fought, come from behind 4-1 decision over Lemont’s Dan Taylor in the championship match.

During the third period, locked up with Taylor, he wrenched his knee and writhed in pain.

“I was in a lot of pain, but I couldn’t stop there,” he said. “The adrenaline was pumping, and I just had to continue.”

A defending state qualifier last year at 170 pounds, Miller (30-7) endured in one of the tightest and most competitive finals.

The first period ended in a scoreless tie. Taylor scored first with the early second period escape.

Miller responded with a quick maneuver, pulling him down from behind for the only offensive points of the match.

“I like to score, of course,” Miller said. “I’m really good at the bottom, and I always go for switches. I love scrambles.”

Up 2-1 to start the third period, Miller engineered an escape, and was awarded the final point after Taylor was issued his second stalling warning.

His victory over his Lemont rival pushed the Hornets’ lead to an insurmountable 198-187.5 in the team standings.

“We’re going to team sectionals, and hopefully we’re going to do some damage there,” Miller said.

In third place, St. Laurence’s Alfonso Diaz posted the fall over Glenbard South’s Moiz Hameed.

215 – Xavier Bitner, St. Laurence

St. Laurence’s Xavier Bitner turned the tide decisively in his 14-6 major decision over Hinsdale South’s Andrew Miller in the championship.

Miller had the only offensive points of the first period with the takedown.

Up 2-1 at the start of the second period, Miller was up 5-2 when Bitner made his electric move.

Off his back, he executed a deft roll that flipped Miller for the reversal, the start of a run of 12 consecutive points extending into the third period.

Bitner (39-5) gave the Vikings their second individual champion.

“That move with the reversal there was just part of my training,” he said. “We work all the time, in the room, and getting into those positions. I was just trying to take him out, and end it right there. It didn’t go that way.”

Bitner parlayed the reversal into back points that altered the momentum.

“I had a surge of confidence after that, and I knew I could win,” he said. 

He continued the momentum into the third period with an escape, takedown and near fall points.

“This feels great, but the job is not finished yet,” he said.

In the third-place match, Agricultural Science’s Antone Woods secured the fall over Providence’s Koda Miller. 

285 – Alex Pasquale, Lemont

Lemont’s Alex Pasquale put everything into his final home match with the first period fall of St. Laurence’s Gio Fox in the championship match.

He posted the takedown and two separate near falls before earning the pin at 1:44.

A defending state qualifier at heavyweight, Pasquale (27-3) went out in grand style.

“This is one of the days I’m never going to forget in my life,” he said. “I’m going to always remember winning a regional championship here, at home, the last time I ever wrestle here on this mat.

“I thought I did a great job with my shots, and just putting my combination actions in there.” 

In third place, Providence’s Mike Sisk posted the fall over Hinsdale South’s Gavin Slaughter.

Here are the championship match results of the Class 2A Lemont Regional

106 – Elijah Sawyer (Agricultural Science) TF 19-4 5:35 Jamarion Moffett (Hinsdale South)

113 – Mikey Wallace (Hinsdale South) F 0:47 JT Potocsnak (Providence)

120 – Henry Manning (St. Laurence) F 0:58 Amir Akilani (Richards) 

126 – Tommy Banas (Providence) TF 19-4 6:00 Julian Vallianatos (Lemont)

132 – Cory Zator (Lemont) D 7-2 Justus Snapp (Providence)

138 – Carter Mikolajczak (Lemont) F 3:48 Al Amir Almannai (Hinsdale South) 

144 – Aiden Rudman (Lemont) TF 3:34 15-0 Noah Ririe (Hinsdale South)

150 – Noah O’Connor (Lemont) F 3:11 Dom Paul (Richards)

157 – Geno Papes (Providence) MD 11-2 Nico LoCoco (Lemont) 

165 – Mike Taheny (Richards) F 1:51 Logan Price (Glenbard South) 

175 – Jovanni Piazza (Hinsdale South) F 1:30 Michael O’Connor (Providence)

190 – Alec Miller (Hinsdale South) D 4-1 Dan Taylor (Lemont) 

215 – Xavier Bitner (St. Laurence) MD 14-6 Andrew Miller (Hinsdale South) 

285 – Alex Pasquale (Lemont) F 1:44 Gio Fox (St. Laurence)

Third-place matches (top 3 in each weight class advance to sectional):

106 – Matteo Vitro (Lemont) F 2:20 Muhammad Hamad (Richards)

113 – Nathan Martinez (St. Laurence) F 2:00 Ewald Tricke (Lemont)

120 – Braeden Paterno (Providence) D 12-8 Antonio Bingham (Hinsdale S)

126 – Kyle Quaid Bowman (Glenbard S) F 1:04 Adrian Pintado (St. Laurence)

132 – Diego Myers (Glenbard S) D 6-2 Jonathan Styczynski (Hinsdale S)

138 – Jin Tai (Glenbard S) F 4:44 Leo Flores (Richards)

144 – Josh Martinez (St. Laurence) F 1:20 Gianni Penson (Agricultural Science)

150 – Andrew Musil (Hinsdale S) F 1:23 Joseph Barnett (St. Laurence)

157 – Benjamin Miller (Hinsdale S) F 1:34 Ryan Martinez (St. Laurence)

165 – Darrion Glover (Hinsdale S) F 0:48 Jack Claussen (St. Laurence)

175 – Jeremiah Gill (Richards) F 0:33 Damien Torres (St. Laurence)

190 – Alfonso Diaz (St. Laurence) F 2:57 Moiz Hameed (Glenbard S)

215 – Antone Woods (Agricultural Science) F 4:44 Koda Miller (Providence)

285 – Mike Sisk (Providence) F 3:36 Gavin Slaughter (Hinsdale S)