By Patrick Z. McGavin

What a way for Adam Tirapelle to return home.

The California native is one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the University of Illinois. Holding multiple program records, including single-season falls, Tirapelle captured the 149-pound national championship in 2001.

He helped the Illini finish fifth his senior year, their best national place since 1946.

“When I visited Champaign, it felt like home,” Tirapelle said. “I was a California kid, but we’re in the center of the state, in Fresno. 

“Champaign felt very similar, and I enjoyed it.”

On Saturday at Lincoln-Way Central, Tirapelle was the conquering hero.

He brought his California powerhouse program, Clovis, to the Illini Classic. The Cougars showed off their elite high-end depth with eight finalists and three individual champions.

Clovis captured the individual title, dethroning defending tournament and Class 3A team dual state champion St. Charles East

Inviting Clovis was the brainchild of Lincoln-Way Central coach Tyrone Byrd, one of many area coaches with connections to Illinois and its legendary coach, the recently retired Jim Heffernan.

“It was great to see my former teammates, and see their teams,” Tirapelle said. “I’m very proud of our program, and seeing all the guys who come through Illinois.”

Clovis, St. Charles East and Marist each produced three individual champions.

The Cougars amassed 350 points to surpass the runner-up Saints (272) and third-place Redhawks (262). Lincoln-Way East (167) and Carl Sandburg (166) rounded out the top five team finishes.

Clovis scored points in every single weight class, finishing with three champions, five runner-ups, three third-place finishers, a fourth and fifth place.

The Classic featured three defending Illinois state champions with Dom Munaretto and Ben Davino of St. Charles East, and Ben Alvarez of Yorkville.

Davino earned the most outstanding wrestler award, finishing with two falls, a technical fall and the 5-1 decision over nationally-rated Nikade Zinkin of Clovis in the championship match.

Illini Classic champions breakdown:

106 – Rocco Hayes, Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes had the perfect response in posting the second-period fall of Clovis’ Anthony Garza in the championship match at 2:59.

Hayes trailed 2-0 at the start of the period.

“I just stayed calm and focused, and I never panicked,” Hayes said. “My coaches always teach me to keep most composure, and keep trying to score more and more points.”

Hayes (35-1) finished third in Class 3A at 106 pounds last year. He lost to St. Charles East’s Munaretto in the championship final of the Illini Classic last year.

The first period amounted to a classic feeling out period given his unfamiliar opponent.

“Neither one of us knew how the other one liked to wrestle,” Hayes said. “He was a very good defensive wrestler, and he didn’t really let me get into my (offense).”

Hayes began on top during the critical second period, and was able to make the vital first turn for back points.

“A match like this was a good chance to go out there, and try some different things,” he said.

Notre Dame’s Ray Long posted the fall over Stevenson’s Evan Mishels for third place, and Lincoln-Way West’s Brady Glynn earned the 4-3 decision over Lincoln-Way Central’s Eric Hoselton on the fifth-place mat.

113 – Dom Munaretto, St. Charles East

St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto had to work in the 4-3 decision over Clovis’ Thunder Lewis in the championship match.

Munaretto broke the 3-3 deadlock with a late escape in the second period, then rode out Lewis in the third. 

“During the third, I just knew I was going to have to battle it out,” he said. “The match already wasn’t in a position where I wanted it to be.

“I wasn’t able to get any back points, but I was able to keep my legs in on him, and just keep him in.”

After going undefeated during his freshman season in winning the 106-pound state championship, Munaretto (35-2) has had to work through some adversity.

“It felt great to get the win, but at the same time, I didn’t meet my expectations,” Munaretto said.  “I never wrestled him before. He did a good job of defending against me, and not letting me get into some of my actions.”

Munaretto scored the opening takedown. He led 3-1 early in the second period when Lewis stunned him with the takedown.

“It didn’t have to show in the score, but I wanted to prove I was the better wrestler,” he said.

Tough matches like this one are beneficial for defending his state championship.

“I have to keep working, and keep getting better,” he said.

Marist’s Tommy Fidler posted the first period fall of Notre Dame’s John Sheehy for third place, and Riverside-Brookfield’s Edgar Mosquera won by medical forfeit over Plainfield Norths’ Maddox Garbis in the fifth-place bout.

120 – George Marinopoulos, Marist

Marist’s George Marinopoulos rode a bit of late momentum into an exhilarating 6-4 decision in sudden victory over Sandburg’s Madden Parker in the championship match.

“I just felt like I had the gas tank to finish that overtime match,” he said. “I could knock him out.”

The riveting back and forth match was one of the most competitive of the finals. The first period ended scoreless, with neither wrestler able to get the upper hand.

Marinopoulos (27-5) was one match away from a state place medal at 106 pounds in Class 3A last season. Down 2-0 to start the third period, Parker (33-3) seemingly took control with a takedown and back points for the 4-2 lead.

The match turned at the 5:29 mark when an aggressive action by Parker to close out the match ended with Marinopoulos countering for the reversal.

He nearly put Parker on his back.

At the start of the overtime, Marinopoulos delivered the winning action with the takedown at 6:27.

“I just want to get better and improve every day, and be the person who’s at the top of the podium at state,” Marinopoulos said.

Lyons’ Griff Powell earned the 8-5 decision over Clovis’ Simon Cervantes for third place, and Minooka’s Noah Avina posted the fall of DePaul Prep’s Johnny Cunningham in the fifth-place match.

126 – Michael Esteban, Marist

Marist’s Michael Esteban caught Providence’s Tommy Banas in a cradle for the 3-1 sudden victory in the championship match.

“I had to keep my emotions composed and under control,” Esteban said. “I knew I was going to score there.” 

After a scoreless first period, the two wrestlers exchanged escapes in setting up the dramatic conclusion. Esteban got the jump on Banas in the overtime, creating the up and under action to close out the victory.

The takedown happened at 6:28 of the riveting back and forth match.

“I like to wrestle mostly neutral,” he said. “I like people to wrestle me back, thinking they actually have a chance. I always look to score.”

A state qualifier last year at 120 pounds, Esteban is looking for a more substantial second act.

“I always look at every single match as a measuring point,” he said. “I view it as a state championship. Not to put pressure on me or anything, I want to release myself when I’m in there.”

Lincoln-Way East’s Kaidge Richardson captured the 10-3 decision over Yorkville’s Nathan Craft for third place, and Clovis’ Trysten Rojas earned the 6-2 decision over St. Charles East’s Gavin Woodmancy in the fifth-place match.

132 – Ben Davino, St. Charles East

St. Charles East’s Ben Davino utilized two takedowns for the hard-fought 5-1 victory over Clovis’ Nikade Zinkin in the championship match.

A three-time state champion, Davino (36-0) had to work against the crafty and very defensively-skilled and unorthodox California wrestler.

Zinkin used his superior length and reach to stymie Davino, who was not able to get into his body the way he normally operates.

Davino converted a single-leg carry and trip into the first period takedown. Up 3-1 late in the second period, he finally wore out Zinkin for the late takedown.

He rode out Zinkin in the third period for the victory, his third consecutive tournament championship.

Clovis’s Eli Granada secured the 7-1 decision over Minooka’s Cale Stonisch for third place, and DePaul Prep’s Max Rosen posted the fall over Yorkville’s Dominic Recchia in the fifth-place match.

138 – Tyler Guerra, St. Charles East

St. Charles East’s Tyler Guerra created the early breathing space and held on for the 6-4 decision over Marist’s Donavon Allen in the championship match.

“I wrestle with a loose mindset,” Guerra said. “I love to go out there, and let it fly. I just have to trust my training.”

Guerra is on the upward trajectory. He finished third at 132 pounds as a sophomore, and was the state runner-up last season at 138 pounds.

He created the early momentum with a first period takedown, his only offensive points. An escape and another point for an illegal move provided the 4-0 cushion to withstand the sharp push by Allen, who was also a state qualifier last season.

Allen closed within 5-4 with a takedown to start the third period. Conceding an escape, he tried valiantly over the final 1:35 to force overtime.

Guerra (35-1) proved elusive, and held on for the victory. 

“I felt good today,” Guerra said. “We had a weight allowance of plus four, so that was nice, not having to worry about cutting weight.

“I wrestled well. The finals match was not necessarily the way I wanted to finish it. I’m glad I got the win, but there are definitely some things I need to fix. Some touches I need to do.”

Clovis’ Wyatt Lewis earned the 12-2 major decision over Lincoln-Way West’s Luke Siwinski for third-place, and Lincoln-Way East’s Brayden Mortell defeated Sandburg’s Ryan Hinger by medical forfeit for fifth place.

144 – James Wright, Clovis

Clovis’ James Wright created one of the most stunning outcomes with his second period fall of two-time state champion Jayden Colon of St. Charles East in the championship match.

The first period ended scoreless.

Wright (19-6) began on top for the second period. He trapped Colon (28-5), and turned him for the stunning fall at 3:01.

Lincoln-Way Central’s Ameer Alamawi won the 8-0 major over Marist’s Matthew Cornfield for third place, and Sandburg’s Vince Gutierrez captured the 7-5 decision over Riverside-Brookfield’s Josh Gonzalez on the fifth-place mat.

150 – Will Denny, Marist

Marist’s Will Denny left no doubt with his late third period fall of St. Charles East’s Gavin Connolly in the championship match.

Facing Connolly for the second time in two weeks, Denny methodically and brilliantly broke him down.

“I’m always trying to push the pace, and  keep my offense going,” he said. “We came in for a great competition, and we got it.”

His early takedown put him up 2-1 at the end of the first period.  Leading 4-2 at the start of the third period, Denny used an escape and takedown in setting up the late closing rush for the fall at 5:52. 

Denny (29-3) finished fourth at 144 pounds last year.  He lost to Tyler Guerra in the Illini Classic championship at that weight last year.

“At this point of the season, it’s all about learning how to wrestle different styles,” Denny said. 

“It was a fun match. Now it’s a lot of recovery, and keeping my weight in check. I like to get after it, not creating  too much pressure, but keeping it fun.”

Clovis’ Noah Reynolds earned the 8-4 decision over Yorkville’s Jack Ferguson for third place, and Lincoln-Way West’s Jase Salin earned the 3-1 decision over Sandburg’s Zac Ritter on the fifth-place mat.

157 – Alexander Lizak, Lincoln-Way East

Lincoln-Way East’s Alexander Lizak posted the impressive first period fall of Clovis’ Samuel Chacon in the championship match.

Lizak (28-4) continues to impress after missing his entire sophomore season recovering from a football injury. His aggressive style overpowered Chacon with an early five-point move, a takedown that he quickly converted into back points.

“I’m just trying to develop different things out there,” he said. “Sometimes I don’t want to do the same things all the time.

“I have to be able to try different moves. He was from California, never saw me wrestle before, and he wasn’t used to what I like to do.”

After securing the 8-0 lead, Lizak closed out the match with the fall at 1:44.

“The first move was a takedown, a fireman’s carry, but done with the outside leg, and I was able to get the turn from that,” Lizak said.

“We work on our turns a lot, and it worked out today.”

Yorkville’s Ryder Janeczko earned the fall over Providence’s Geno Papes for third place, and Bishop McNamara’s Tristin Golden earned the forfeit victory over Marist’s Kevin Tompkins for fifth place.

165 – Gunnar Garelli, Lyons Township

Lyons’ Gunnar Garelli mustered just enough strength to secure the 4-3 ultimate tiebreaker over Clovis’ Adrien Reyes in the championship match.

Garelli was awarded the victory after Reyes was issued his second stalling caution in the overtime session.

“It’s a battle every time you go into overtime, or double overtime,” Garelli said. “Double overtime is about grittiness, and we practice that all the time. We do those drills all the time, so it wasn’t something I’m not used to.”

Neither wrestler managed an offensive point.

Garelli (34-0) generated the first escape in the second period. His California counterpart matched him in the third period. Both wrestlers had dramatic final second escapes during the first two overtime periods. Garelli managed to break free in the final second.

“He’s very good defensively, a very strong wrestler,” Garelli said. “My game plan was to try and wear him out defensively. I would have liked to get into more attacks during the regulation piece. I got in on a single leg a couple of times, but wasn’t able to finish.”

Garelli finished fourth at 160 pounds last season.

“Wrestling is my life,” he said. “I live, breathe, eat and sleep wrestling. It’s what I wake up for at 5 am for my workouts. It’s for moments like these. I’ll remember this match.”

Bloomington’s Maddox Kirts earned the medical forfeit victory over St. Charles East’s Anthony Gutierrez for third place, and Stevenson’s Themba Sitshela captured the 8-1 decision over Yorkville’s Caleb Viscogliosi in the fifth-place mat.

175 – Joe Buck, Clovis

Clovis’ Joe Buck posted a takedown in each period for the 7-2 decision over St. Charles East’s Brody Murray in the championship match.

Yorkville’s Luke Zook won by injury default over Marist’s Ricky Ericksen for third place, and Willowbrook’s Noah Brockie won the 6-5 decision over Lincoln-Way East’s Jackson Zaeske in the fifth-place bout.

190 – Mark Marin, Clovis

Clovis’ Mark Marin captured the championship match with the second period fall of Plainfield North’s Leonardo Tovar.

Tovar (30-3), who was third in the state last year at 195 pounds, was able to generate some sharp offensive actions in the first period.

Marin (27-4) withstood the pressure, and posted the only first period points with a takedown. He caught Tovar on his back at 3:09 for the victory. 

Marist’s Conor Phelan won by fall over Sandburg’s Ahmad Jaffal in the third-place bout, and Notre Dame’s Jim Amatore captured the 13-8 decision over Yorkville’s Luke Chrisse for fifth place.

215 – Ben Alvarez, Yorkville

Yorkville’s Ben Alvarez posted the 3-1 decision over Clovis’ Noah Martinez in the championship match.

The defending state champion at 220 pounds last season, Alvarez secured the vital first period takedown.

“I knew I had to score early,” he said. “I never obviously saw him before. I knew if I got the first takedown, and set the tone for the match, it would work really well.

“This tournament definitely helped me grow my confidence. I’m confident in my shots, and things tend to go my way when I finish hard.”

The Harvard football recruit used his size, strength and leverage to hold off Martinez.

Alvarez (30-3) is getting hot at the right time.

“We’re in the home stretch, and this is a good tournament to be at, especially out-of-state competition like this California team that came in,” Alvarez said.

St. Charles East’s Brandon Swartz earned the 6-2 decision over Lincoln-Way East’s Caden O’Rourke for third place, and Lincoln-Way Central’s Colin Welsh captured the 4-1 decision over Lincoln-Way West’s Kenny Strezo in the fifth-place bout.

285 – Nick Kavooras, Lincoln-Way West

Lincoln-Way West’s Nick Kavooras ended the day in grand style with a punishing ultimate tie breaker victory over Notre Dame’s Scott Cook in the championship match.

Kavooras finished sixth at 220 pounds in last year’s tournament.

He secured Saturday’s victory by riding out Cook (27-5) in the third overtime. The match was tied at 1-1 after regulation, and each wrestler earned an escape in the first two overtime sessions.

Bloomington’s Stephen Carr secured the 10-4 decision over Clovis’ Jordan Gonzales for third place, and Lyons’ Sam Costello earned the 3-1 sudden victory over Lincoln-Way Central’s Ethan Toosley on the fifth-place mat.

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time – 4 in 4:47 by Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes

Most tech falls, least time – 2 in 6:08 by Providence Catholic’s Tommy Banas

Fastest fall – 0:18 by Clovis’ Elijah Alva

Fastest tech fall – 2:22 by Providence Catholic’s Tommy Banas

Most team points scored – (tie) 34 by Marist’s Will Denny, Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes, and Clovis’ James Wright

Most single-match points scored – (tie) 25 by Lyons’ Gunnar Garelli, St. Charles East’s Ben Davino, and Marist’s Donavon Allen

Most total match points scored – 63 by Marist’s Michael Esteban

Championship match results:

106 – Rocco Hayes (Sandburg) F 2:59 Anthony Garza (Clovis) 

113 – Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) D 4-3 Thunder Lewis (Clovis) 

120 – George Marinopoulos (Marist) SV-1 6-4 Madden Parker (Sandburg)

126 – Michael Esteban (Marist) SV-1 3-1 Tommy Banas (Providence) 

132 – Ben Davino (St. Charles East) D 5-1 Nikade Zinkin (Clovis)

138 – Tyler Guerra (St. Charles East) D 6-4 Donavan Allen (Marist)

144 – James Wright (Clovis) F 3:01 Jayden Colon (St. Charles East)

150 – Will Denny (Marist) F 5:52 Gavin Connolly (St. Charles East)

157 – Alexander Lizak (Lincoln-Way East) F 1:44 Samuel Chacon (Clovis)

165 – Gunnar Garelli (Lyons) UTB 4-3 Adrien Reyes (Clovis)

175 – Joe Buck (Clovis) D 7-2 Brody Murray (St. Charles East)

190 – Mark Marin (Clovis, Calif.) F 3:09  Leonardo Tovar (Plainfield North) 

215 – Ben Alvarez (Yorkville) D 3-1 Noah Martinez (Clovis)

285 – Nick Kavooras (Lincoln-Way West) UTB 3-2 Scott Cook (Notre Dame)

Third-place matches:

106 – Ray Long (Notre Dame) F 5:17 Evan Mishels (Stevenson)

113 – Tommy Fidler (Marist) F 0:44 John Sheehy (Notre Dame)

120 – Griff Powell (Lyons) D 8-5 Simon Cervantes (Clovis)

126 – Kaidge Richardson (Lincoln-Way East) D 10-3 Nathan Craft (Yorkville)

132 – Eli Granada (Clovis) D 7-1 Cale Stonisch (Minooka)

138 – Wyatt Lewis (Clovis) MD 12-2 Luke Siwinski (Lincoln-Way West) 

144 – Ameer Alamawi (Lincoln-Way Central) MD 8-0 Matthew Cornfield (Marist)

150 – Noah Reynolds (Clovis) F 5:52 Jack Ferguson (Yorkville)

157 – Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville) F 1:55 Geno Papes (Providence Catholic)

165 – Maddox Kirts (Bloomington) ff. Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles East)

175 – Luke Zook (Yorkville) Inj. 4:51 Ricky Ericksen (Marist)

190 – Conor Phelan (Marist) F 1:35 Ahmad Jaffal (Sandburg)

215 – Brandon Swartz (St. Charles East) D 6-2 Caden O’Rourke (Lincoln-Way East

285 – Stephen Carr (Bloomington) D 10-4 Jordan Gonzalez (Clovis)

Final team scores: 1. Clovis, CA (350) 2. St. Charles East (272) 3. Marist (262) 4. Lincoln-Way East (167) 5. Carl Sandburg (166) 6. Lincoln-Way Wes

By Curt Herron – For the IWCOA

One week after falling 32-31 to Marian Central Catholic in the championship dual meet at ABE’s Rumble, Coal City was determined not to leave anything to chance when it again met many of the state’s top Class 1A teams in the 60th-annual Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament.

Coach Mark Masters’ Coalers put themselves in a good position following the opening day of competition and faced little drama on day two as they had 12 individuals who placed seventh or better, including four who advanced to the tile mat, to help them collect 229.5 points, which was 70 more than runner-up Roxana (159.5) finished with.

Vandalia (150.5) claimed third place, Olympia (142) finished fourth, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher (138) took fifth place and the host Tigers (137) placed sixth. Newman Central Catholic (131.5), Riverdale (131), Dakota (107.5) and PORTA (99.5) rounded out the top 10. 

Dixon (98), Clifton Central (96), LeRoy/Tri-Valley (89), Clinton (87), Orion (81), Rockridge (80), Monticello (78), Reed-Custer (78), Byron (76) and Warrensburg-Latham (75) filled out the top 20 in the 33-team competition.

The Coalers, the defending IHSA Class 1A champions as well as last year’s PIT title winners, graduated 10 individuals from last year’s 43-2 squad that edged Yorkville Christian to claim the program’s first state title. That may have posed a problem for some programs, but thanks to a quality group that returns as well as several promising newcomers, Coal City enters the new year ranked second in Class 1A behind Marian Central Catholic by Illinois Matmen.

Masters, a 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, entered his 21st season with 432 dual meet wins has led six teams to finishes of third or better at the Dual Team Finals since 2015, is always quick to thank the many people throughout the Coal City community who are helping to assure that the program consistently ranks among the best in the state. 

As a sign of the depth that the team has, the Coalers had no champions yet still captured the top honors by 70 points. Leading the way were second-place finishers Cooper Morris (113), Brody Widlowski (126), Brant Widlowski (150) and Landin Benson (165).

Finishing in fourth place for Coal City were Owen Petersen (106), Luke Munsterman (120) and John Keigher (157) while Noah Houston (132), Mason Garner (138) and Brock Finch (144) placed fifth, Culan Lindemuth (120) took sixth and Cade Poyner (190) was seventh.  And although they didn’t place, Aidan Kenney (132), Evan Greggain (138), Trace Wilson (144), James Keigher (175), Emmett Easton (215) and Payton Vigna (215) contributed to the cause.

“We have a lot of depth,” Masters said. “We didn’t have the best final round but we had several placers. Bonus points are at a premium and I don’t know how many pins we had, and when we had the opportunity to put people away, we did and it started at 106 and then all the way on up. We have three freshmen and seven sophomores in the lineup, that’s a lot of youth. They’re maturing and we are getting better. There’s always some growing pains, but just like any other program, you go through that. Our guys are just ready and they’re doing a great job of just getting better. And it’s the commitment in the practice room, and it’s tough.

“A lot of the credit goes to our kids club since those guys came in ready and we’re fine-tuning things. Those guys wrestling in the IESA and the wrestling club on Sunday, shows that we have a lot of super committed parents, and that’s what it takes. We have a great fan base and great parent support and that’s the main reason why our kids are where they’re at. They get support at home, at school and a lot of support from the community.”

Coach Rob Milazzo’s Roxana Shells continued to show that must be taken seriously after following up on a third-place finish at ABE’s Rumble with a second-place effort at the PIT.

The highlight for the Shells came when Lyndon Thies (157) and James Herring (285) won consecutive titles with falls. Other top performers for Roxana were third-place finishers Brandon Green, Jr. (132) and Robert Watt (190) while Logan Riggs (126) finished fourth.

“We were without a couple of kids so we really didn’t think that we’d be able to compete but we came in second place,” Milazzo said. “So to get second with what we had was excellent. I’m very proud of our two champs and all of our kids really wrestled well. They’re all coming together and it’s a lot of fun and I think they’re starting to believe now. It is special. It doesn’t come along very often and we’re very fortunate  and we don’t take that for granted.”

Coach Jason Clay’s Vandalia Vandals turned in another strong tournament showing with their third-place finish. Top performers for the Vandals were champion Dillon Hinton (138) and third-place finisher Max Philpot (106).

And coach Josh Collins’ Olympia Spartans continue to impress as they claimed fourth place. They were led by runners-up Dylan Eimer (120) and Nolen Yeary (215) as well as third-place finisher Bentley Wise (150).

Top performers for coach Cody Moody’s fifth-place Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Falcons included runner-up Aiden Sancken (190) and fourth-place finishers Shawn Schlickman (132), Carson Maxey (150) and Cohen Kean (215). 

And there was happiness from the huge crowd at Prouty Gym since IWCOA Hall of Famer Steve Amy and his Tigers finished sixth in their historic tournament. Top PIT performers for Princeton included second-place finishers Augustus Swanson (106) and Cade Odell (285) and fourth-place medalists Ace Christiansen (138) and Casey Etheridge (165). And although he lost in his title match, Odell did a fine job singing the national anthem before the start of the finals.

Amy is proud to host one of the state’s oldest and most respected tournaments, and it has certainly been the top competition for Class 1A competitors in recent years. The Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament, commonly just referred to as PIT, is named in honor of Lyle King, who started the wrestling program and the PIT as well as served as the Tigers football coach.

“We’re definitely with how we competed overall,” Amy said. “We were a little disappointed going 0-5 in the medal round but we wrestled well in those matches. And the big thing is that we’re learning from it so the team will develop and get better. This (PIT) wouldn’t be without all of the help and they do such a great job, and you can’t say enough. It’s my wrestling family from here that has developed and that’s great.”

Repeating as PIT champions were Auburn’s Joey Ruzic (126) and Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright (120), Ruzic, a two-time defending IHSA champion, has now won the PIT three times while Wainwright won a state title as a freshman last season. Not surprising, Ruzic received the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the lower weights.

Dakota’s Noah Wenzel (215), another two-two defending IHSA champ, also is a two-time PIT winner, taking first in 2022 and second last year. Vandalia’s Dillon Hinton (138) was a runner-up at the PIT last year, but a champion this time.

Beside Wenzel, two other PIT champions from 2022 were able to back to the top of the awards stand, Illini Bluffs Hunter Robbins (113) and Newman Central Catholic’s Brady Grennan (132).

Other PIT champions were LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Brady Mouser (106), Newman Central Catholic’s Carter Rude (144), Riverdale’s Blake Smith (150), Tremont’s Bowden Delaney (165), Manteno’s Carter Watkins (175) and Orion’s Maddux Anderson (190).

Blake Smith followed in his brother Brock’s shoes as a PIT champion. Brock, who’s on the team at Central Michigan University, won the event in 2023 and 2022 and will be happy to know that his brother received the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the upper weights for his performance.

Three individuals who took second at the PIT in previous years, just fell short of  taking first this weekend. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Aiden Sancken (190) and Rockridge’s Jude Finch (132), who both were second a year ago, and Mercer County’s Ethan Monson (138), who was a runner-up in 2022.

Others who claimed second-place PIT finishes were Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll (144), Newman Central Catholic’s Daniel Kelly (157) and Reed-Custer’s Rex Pfeifer (175).

Ruzic and Wenzel both scored 33 team points to lead in that category. There was a four-way tie for third with 32 points that included Delaney, Greenan, Rude and Wainwright. Herring was next with 31.5 points and Thies scored 31 points. Anderson, Hinton, Mouser, Robbins and Smith all tied with 30 team points.

PORTA’s Justin Zimmerman and Princeton’s Ace Christiansen tied for the most match points with 54 while Newman Central Catholic’s Briar Ivey had 53. Eight individuals recorded four falls but Morrison’s Levi Milder did it the quickest, in 5:11 while Olympia’s Carter Knobloch pulled off that feat in 5:21. And Coal City’s Luke Munsterman had the largest seed to place differential, getting seeded 26th and finishing fourth.

Champion Coal City recorded the most falls with 26 while Vandalia was second with 22 and Olympia and PORTA tied for third with 18. The Vandals edged the Coalers 303-301 for most total match points while Olympia was third with 257 points.

Here’s a look at the champions and their weight classes at the 60th annual Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament (the weight classes are in order that they were contested):

126 – Joey Ruzic, Auburn

As he gets ready to start his quest to become a three-state IHSA champion and four-time state medal winner, Joey Ruzic is definitely pleased about how well he’s been performing after capturing his third-straight Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament title when he claimed top honors at 126, which was the first championship match. The Auburn senior improved to 27-0 after recording a fall in 2:43 over Coal City’s Brody Widlowski in the finals. Ruzic, who received the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the lower weights, opened with two first-period falls before claiming a 19-7 major decision over Warrensburg-Latham’s Kaden Roberts in the semifinals.

“Things have been going good and I’m undefeated,” Ruzic said. “That was a pretty tough kid, a sophomore who placed at state last year, so it was a pretty decent win to pick up. This is pretty much the last challenge until regionals, sectional and state. Until then, you just keep practicing hard and staying sharp. I’ve been doing this since I was a little kid, so it’s nothing new. I’m looking forward to it and I want to go out there and get the third and then get ready for college.”

Widlowski (11-2), who took fourth at state last season for the Class 1A champion Coalers, earned his spot on the 126 title mat by getting a pin in 2:57 over Roxana’s Logan Riggs (24-5). Warrensburg-Latham’s Roberts (24-3) won a 3-1 decision over Roxana’s Riggs (24-5) to claim third place. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Hudson Babb (22-7) took fifth with a fall in 1:24 over Princeton’s Kaydin Gibson (16-7). And for seventh place, Rockridge’s Thomas Soward (21-4) got a pin in 0:54 over Morrison’s Kamden White (14-9). 

190 – Maddux Anderson, Orion

Maddux Anderson was very happy to win 40 matches and get through the rugged Oregon Sectional to qualify for the IHSA Finals in 2023. Now the Orion junior would like to join the long list of individuals from his school who have been IHSA medalists. Anderson improved to 25-1 when he got a reversal midway through the final period to win a 2-1 decision over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Aiden Sancken in the 190 title match. After claiming a 5-3 decision over Vandalia’s Kaden Tidwell in the quarterfinals, he won by fall in 3:11 over Roxana’s Robert Watt.

“I’m really excited,” Anderson said. “I came in here thinking that I was going to do pretty well. Last year was a pretty good year for me, too, as a sophomore qualifying for state. I got fourth at sectionals in Oregon and that was exciting as a sophomore wrestling a class above. That made me work harder realizing that I can go farther so it made me push myself more in the room. I came in here knowing that there were going to be some really tough kids and the bracket was stacked. Last year I wrestled Sancken in the quarterfinals, and that’s who I wrestled in the finals today, so I was really excited to beat him. I probably have one of the best coaching staffs in the state of Illinois. They push me hard at practice, they know what they’re talking about and most of them have been to state. I think that I’m wrestling  a lot smarter than I did last year. I know my positions more and tend to get out of bad positions a lot faster.”

Sancken (19-2), a senior who placed fifth last year at the IHSA Finals, reached the 190 title mat with a fall in 1:39 over Wilmington’s Logan VanDuyne. Roxana’s Watt (27-5) recorded a fall in 0:49 over Wilmington’s VanDuyne (23-4) to finish third. In the fifth place match, Pittsfield’s Tucker Cook (22-7) won an 11-3 major decision over Vandalia’s Tidwell (18-6) . And Coal City’s Cade Poyner (28-6) claimed seventh with a pin in 0:21 over Riverdale’s Iyezaha Hill (14-13). 

175 – Carter Watkins, Manteno

Carter Watkins fell one win shy of a medal at last year’s Class 1A Finals. While the Manteno senior would obviously like to take the next step and become just the sixth individual from his school to win a state medal, Watkins is more focused on how well he’s performing and if he’s putting on a good show for his family. His efforts in winning the 175 title at the PIT met that standard as he improved to 16-1 by capturing a 6-2 decision over Reed-Custer’s Rex Pfeifer in the finals after claiming a 4-2 decision over Mercer County’s Bodie Salmon in the semifinals.

“It’s not really about winning for me in this sport, it’s just about getting on the mat and having fun,” Watkins said. “I’ve been wrestling for so long that eventually you just get used to the losses, so you learn to not care about the wins as much as you care about your performance. My grandpa came here, and as long as I wrestle good enough to give him a show and entertain him a little bit, I’m good. It’s really a legacy for me. My family is built on wrestling. My grandpa, all of my uncles placed at state, when they were at a school in Michigan, Durand. I’ve been working hard. It’s not the going to practice that makes you better, it’s what you do outside of practice. I do boxing outside of practice, and I do jump rope and I ran cross country before this.”

Pfeifer (23-3) also is a senior who came up one victory shy of an IHSA medal last season. He advanced to the 175 title match with a fall in 5:43 over Clinton’s Kristian Hibbard. Riverdale’s Zac Bradley (32-3) won by fall in 1:55 over Monticello’s Hunter Romano (26-12) to take third place. Clinton’s Hibbard (21-3) captured fifth place by recording a fall in 1:22 over Mercer County’s Salmon (27-8) And for seventh place, Dixon’s Steven Kitzman (19-6) won by medical forfeit over Newman Central Catholic’s Caleb Donna (20-10).

150 – Blake Smith, Riverdale

After competing last season with senior teammates like his brother Brock and Collin Altensey, both IHSA champions and three-time medalists, as well as two-time medalist Alex Watson and also Eli Hinde as Riverdale enjoyed a special season for retiring coach Myron Keppy, Blake Smith believes that some of what made them successful rubbed off on him. It was a winning formula at the PIT since Smith, a junior who is 29-1, not only won the 150 title with a 3-0 decision over Coal City’s Brant Widlowski, he also received the OWA for the upper weights. He got to the finals with a 9-1 victory over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Carson Maxey.

“All of those guys, Brock, Collin, Alex and Eli helped me,” Smith said. “I kind of took a little piece from all of their wrestling styles and put it into mine, and obviously, it’s working. Coach Keppy helped me out a lot over the first two years that I was there, it was so sad that he passed, he was a great guy, he helped all of us out. I missed out on going to state last year. It’s just working hard throughout the whole year. I wrestle year-around, I wrestle with Young Guns and going to Fargo and all of that stuff. You learn so much the more that you wrestle.”

In the semifinals, Widlowski (30-2), a senior who was a state qualifier in 2023, won 8-6 by sudden victory over Olympia’s Bentley Wise, (35-6), who bounced back from that loss with a 5-3 win by sudden victory over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Maxey for third place. Morrison’s Karder White (25-3) took fifth with a 6-3 decision over PORTA’s Justin Zimmerman (22-11). And for seventh place, Dixon’s Cade Hey (23-6) won 9-2 over Wilmington’s Matt Swisher (18-9).

113 – Hunter Robbins, Illini Bluffs

After finishing in second place in the last two IHSA Class 1A Finals, it wouldn’t be that surprising that Hunter Robbins felt like he has a lot of pressure on him to finally capture a state title this season. But after recently committing to continue his career and education at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, the Illini Bluffs senior has few worries as he has improved his abilities and feels that he can be an IHSA champ, just as former teammate Paul Ishikawa was in 2023. Robbins improved to 32-0 after he followed a 6-2 decision over Litchfield’s Vincent Moore in the semifinals with an 8-2 triumph over Coal City’s Cooper Morris in the 113 championship match.

“I committed to a college a couple of months ago, St. Cloud State in Minnesota,” Robbins said. “So I think that it took a little bit of pressure off of my shoulders to impress the coaches. I like the people there and I like the coaches and it felt like home to me. They have great academics there and everything all the way around is good and I’m looking forward to it. It’s been great to be around the people that I’m around and the people who supported me and me supporting them, it just makes everybody better. Being surrounded by those kind of people and being in the finals with all of them was a good feeling and it made me push myself harder and hope for the best for them as well. This year the pressure is off, so I’ve kind of opened up a lot more this year, which is really helping me out because I’m scoring big and winning the matches I want to.”

Morris (28-5), a freshman, advanced to the 113 title match after edging Ottawa Township’s Ivan Munoz 3-2 in the semifinals. Munoz (22-2) responded to that setback with a 13-4 major decision over Litchfield’s Moore (21-5) to claim third place. Olympia’s Carter Knobloch (25-11) took fifth place after winning by fall in 1:50 over Dixon’s Ayden Rowley (17-8). And for seventh place, Vandalia’s Elijah Mabry (22-8) won with a pin in 1:46 over Dakota’s Brix Woker (10-8).

215 – Noah Wenzel, Dakota

The season may not have started the way that Noah Wenzel would have liked, but it’s safe to say that after claiming championships at both the Dvorak Invitational and now at the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament in his limited time back in action that it hasn’t slowed him down very much in his pursuit of a third-straight IHSA Class 1A championship. The Dakota senior moved to 15-0 on the season after capturing an 8-0 major decision over Olympia’s Nolen Yeary in the 215 finals to capture his second PIT title, with the other one in 2022. He advanced to the title mat with a pin in 1:31 over Dixon’s Will Howell in the semifinals.

“I got off to a bit of a late start but the past few weeks I came back right before the Dvorak and I was able to win that,” Wenzel said. “I’m glad that I could compete at such a high level after taking such a long time off. One thing about Dakota is that they have a really strong community, especially with wrestling, and that’s one thing that I’ve been lucky to be a part of.”

Yeary (29-3), a senior, earned his spot in the finals after winning a 17-9 major decision over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Cohen Kean in the semifinals. Dixon’s Howell (22-3) recorded a fall in 1:36 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Kean (19-6) for third place. Clifton Central’s Brody O’Connor (30-4) captured fifth place by prevailing in a 15-14 decision over Vandalia’s Dominic Swyers (23-8). And in the seventh-place match, Orion’s Aiden Fisher (19-6) won with a pin in 2:40 over Roxana’s Donald Battles (19-10).

138 – Dillon Hinton, Vandalia

Dillon Hinton has always liked showing younger teammates how they can improve their skills. The Vandalia sophomore made an impressive high school debut last season when he won 46 matches and took fifth place in the IHSA Class 1A Finals, so any tips that he can provide to some of his former junior high teammates are appreciated. Hinton’s off to a great start as he improved to 27-2 after claiming a 3-0 decision over Mercer County’s Ethan Monson in the PIT 138 title match. He reached the finals after getting a fall in 2:52 over Coal City’s Mason Garner in the semifinals. After taking third at the PIT, Vandalia won its 1000th dual meet on Thursday.

“A lot of these young guys I grew up with in the junior club, so it’s really fun and I think we’re going to see a lot more success,” Hinton said. “My junior high coach (Michael Mabry) always called me uncle Dill because I would practice with these guys and I loved wrestling with them since every single one of them has got the heart. I think that the fight in them is the main part. I like to think that I’ve helped a lot of them with moves. Sometimes we may not know everything but we’ll try our hardest. I think we’re going to come back stronger this year (at the regional).”

Monson (29-3), a senior who took fourth at the IHSA Class 1A Finals in 2022, advanced to the 138 title mat after claiming a 7-3 decision over Illini Bluffs’ Ian O’Connor in the semifinals. Newman Central Catholic’s Briar Ivey (23-2) claimed a 10-5 decision over Princeton’s Ace Christiansen (20-3) in the third-place match. Coal City’s Garner (28-2) secured fifth place with a 7-5 decision over Illini Bluffs’ O’Connor (29-4). And for seventh place, Tremont’s Mason Mark (19-5) won by medical forfeit over Clinton’s Cayden Poole (14-3).

106 – Brady Mouser, LeRoy/Tri-Valley

Brady Mouser prides him and his LeRoy/Tri-Valley teammates as having some of the best conditioning anywhere. That certainly came in handy when the Panthers junior had his hands full in the 106 PIT championship match against one of the host Tigers’ very own, Augustus Swanson. After the two competitors were tied 4-4 through regulation, Mouser got a takedown and nearfall midway through the overtime period to claim an 8-4 win by sudden victory to hand Swanson his first defeat. Mouser (32-1), who fell one win shy of a medal at last year’s IHSA Class 1A Finals, reached the title mat with a 7-2 decision over Vandalia’s Max Philpot. 

“There’s been lots of early mornings, working out on my own or working out with the team,” Mouser said. “I really do believe that LeRoy is one of the best conditioned teams in the state. So all credit to the coaches for pushing us that extra mile for those moments. That’s why they do it, so you don’t think you can any more, but you’ve just got to keep pushing. All credit to him (Augustus Swanson), he’s a tough kid and he was going the distance, too. That’s a state finals match. My mentality is it’s just any other tournament. Everybody knows that it’s the big, bad PIT, but you just have to treat it like any other tournament and work your way through it. You know there’s going to be tough kids and you’ll see them later in the year, so it’s good to see that competition early. I’m working with different partners in the room, not just the littlest guys. If you want to be at the top, you have to put in the work when nobody else wants to.”

Swanson (20-1), who was an IHSA Class 1A qualifier last season, won an 11-2 major decision over Coal City’s Owen Petersen in the semifinals. Vandalia’s Philpot (29-2) captured a 9-6 decision over Coal City’s Petersen (31-2) for third place. Dakota’s Brandon White (19-6) wrapped up fifth place by recording a fall in 1:21 over Monticello’s Ezekiel Young (29-4). And in the seventh place match, Dixon’s Jack Ragan (23-3) received a win by injury default at 3:53 over Clinton’s Briley Carter (20-4).

157 – Lyndon Thies, Roxana

There’s not going to be very many opportunities for Lyndon Thies and James Herring to compete in consecutive matches in the final round of a tournament. But Roxana’s Thies and Herring not only were in back-to-back title matches at the Lyle King PIT, they turned in consecutive falls, and that one-two punch helped push the Shells past Vandalia for second place in the team standings. Thies (27-2) recorded his fall in the 157 title match in 1:21 over Newman Central Catholic’s Daniel Kelly. The Shells’ sophomore earned his spot on the 157 title mat after claiming a 13-7 decision over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Connor Lyons in the semifinals.

“We’ve just been really hitting practice hard and just doing the best that we can,” Thies said. “We had not our best moment at ABE’s but then we came back and got third. Once we heard that we were going to be back-to-back, we were ready for it and we just wanted to go out there and get it. We’ve always been two of our leaders and we want to get the team going. I’ve always been the one to hit big moves and hype everyone up. And he’s always been the one to just deal with the heavier kids. Four years ago, it was a battle between us and Coal City as to who was going to win junior high state, but COVID cancelled that. We’ve been together for five or six years and we’ve all been battling with each other and using what we know to help each other.”

Kelly (25-2), a junior who was one of three finalists for Newman Central Catholic, reached the 157 title match after capturing an 8-7 decision over Byron’s Carsen Behn in the semifinals. LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Lyons (27-6) won a 7-0 decision over Coal City’s John Keigher (23-9) to capture third place. Byron’s Behn (16-4) claimed fifth place due to a medical forfeit by Clifton Central’s Chris Andrade (25-6). And in the seventh-place match, PORTA’s Cale Cotner (29-6) recorded a fall in 2:59 over Princeton’s Preston Arkels (16-9).

285 – James Herring, Roxana

James Herring definitely liked the fact that he and teammate Lyndon Thies got the chance to compete in back-to-back title matches at the PIT. It was another significant moment for a Roxana team that was coming off a third-place showing at ABE’s Rumble and was trying to claim a second-place finish in the quality field of top Class 1A teams in Princeton. Following Thies’ quick pin at 157, senior Herring (27-1) clinched second place for the Shells when he got a fall in 2:19 over Princeton’s Cade Odell in the 285 finals. To reach the title match, Herring, an IHSA qualifier last year, claimed a 3-1 win by sudden victory over Clinton’s Dawson Thayer.

“It was pretty fun, especially with the pins in the finals,” Herring said. “We were more worried about the team than the individuals. Pinning that kid put us in second place and we beat Vandalia for second. In our eighth grade year, we brought 14 kids and were projected to win the state tournament as a team and have multiple state champions and placewinners, but COVID happened. So having the original group back kind of sparked the flame. Roxana will always be home no matter what. Every time I see a Shell gas station, it reminds me of home.”

Odell (16-1), a junior who suffered his first loss after turning in a fine rendition of the national anthem to kick off the finals, reached the 285 title match with a fall in 2:37 over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Tate Sigler (25-5), who bounced back with a fall in 3:16 over PORTA’s Isaac Guinan (27-5) to claim third place. Dakota’s Randy McPeek (20-8)  took fifth after capturing a 5-2 decision over Clinton’s Thayer (17-4). And for seventh place, Monticello’s Brandon Peters (24-13) recorded a pin in 0:26 over Ottawa Township’s Stephon Patrick.

144 – Carter Rude, Newman Central Catholic

After moving up from a sixth-place finish in 2022 to a runner-up showing in last year’s IHSA Class 1A Finals. Carter Rude is hoping that the third time’s the charm in his attempt to add his name to the long list of champions at Newman Central Catholic. The Comets senior improved to 26-0 after winning the 144 championship at the PIT with an 8-3 decision over Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll. Rude, who was one of three finalists for his team, earned his spot on the title mat after recording a fall in 2:47 over Clifton Central’s Gianni Panozzo in the semifinals.

Carroll (27-2), a junior who won 47 matches and fell one shy of a medal at the IHSA Class 1A Finals last season, reached the 144 finals after winning a 7-3 decision over Dakota’s Jason Bowers. Clifton Central’s Panozzo (31-3) won a 3-0 decision over Dakota’s Bowers (9-5) in the third-place match. Coal City’s Brock Finch (25-7) claimed fifth place with a 9-2 decision over Reed-Custer’s Jeremy Eggleston (23-5). And in the seventh-place match, Litchfield’s Braxton Kieffer (24-8) won by fall in 1:44 over Morrison’s Levi Milder (18-11).

120 – Dean Wainwright, Riverdale

Dean Wainwright admitted that he wasn’t feeling very good when he competed in the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament. But those who saw the Riverdale sophomore making his run through the 120 bracket wouldn’t have suspected that anything was wrong with Wainwright, who won an IHSA Class 1A championship, as well as a PIT title, in a 50-1 debut season. Wainwright joined Blake Smith as champions for Riverdale after he captured a 6-0 decision over Olympia’s Dylan Eimer in the title match. Wainwright, who improved to 29-1, recorded falls in his other three matches, including a pin in 0:58 over Coal City’s Culan Lindemuth in the semifinals.

“I feel pretty good,” Wainwright said. “I was a little sick coming into this, but overall, my wrestling feels the same. I have a whole list of notes on my phone (about improvements) and I think that the biggest one is just complete offense. In the room, take them down, cut them, take them down, cut them. Myron Keppy was a legendary coach at Riverdale and it was fun to have one year with him and unfortunately he passed away. Aron (Kindelsperger) stepped up and took the head coaching job and we’ve had a pretty good year so far. The thing I like most about my team is that we like to have fun in the room, playing games before practice. I’m thankful for all of my coaches at my club and at my school. It’s the final run so I’ve got to really start focusing now.”

Eimer (22-2), a junior who took fourth in the IHSA Class 1A Final in 2022, reached the 120 title mat with a 6-3 decision over Warrensburg-Latham’s Logan Roberts (28-2), who bounced back from that loss to capture a 5-0 decision over Coal City’s Luke Munsterman (10-4) for third place. Wilmington’s Landon Dooley (22-5) took fifth place after prevailing 6-5 over Coal City’s Lindemuth (21-11). And Orion’s Kaleb Sovey received a medical forfeit from Roxana’s Lleyton Cobine (23-7) for seventh place.

165 – Bowden Delaney, Tremont

After qualifying for the IHSA Finals in each of his first two seasons, Bowden Delaney is determined not only to make a third state appearance but this time to finish on the awards stand, something that has been accomplished by 10 other individuals from Tremont. But the Turks junior thinks that because of his hard work and the guidance of his coach, 2006 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee TJ Williams, that this will be the year that he finally breaks through. Delaney improved to 25-0 after capturing a 4-0 decision over Coal City’s Landin Benson in the 165 title match. He earned his spot in the finals with a fall in 1:14 over Rockridge’s Ryan Lower.

Benson (10-1), an IHSA 1A qualifier last season, earned his spot in the 165 finals when he won a 12-4 major decision over Princeton’s Casey Etheridge in the semifinals. Rockridge’s Lower (25-2) won a 9-2 decision over Etheridge (19-5) in the third-place match. Orion’s Nolan Loete (22-6) claimed fifth place after recording a fall in 2:30 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Cooper Miller (21-6). And Pittsfield’s Waylon White (22-6) won with a pin in 3:33 over PORTA’s Gaitlin Service (17-14) to place seventh.

132 – Brady Grennan, Newman Central Catholic

It was definitely now or never time for Brady Grennan as the clock clicked down in regulation of his 132 title match with  Jude Finch, who used a third-period takedown to grab a 2-1 lead. But the Newman Central Catholic senior went to a move that he had recently worked on and got a reversal and nearfall with 14 seconds left to claim a 6-2 decision. Grennan, who placed fifth last season in the IHSA Class 1A Finals and third at state in 2022, when he also won a PIT title. He was one of three finalists and two champions for coach Brian Bahrs’ Comets. He earned his trip to the 132 finals with a fall in 0:16 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Shawn Schlickman.

“It’s called the Granby roll and we actually just went over that in practice,” Grennan said. “It’s a big move with high risks and high rewards. This is my last year wrestling so I obviously want to make it my most special and best year. I didn’t get to do that last year because of injuries and what not, so I’m looking to make a run for that state title. It’s been a lot more fun this year especially since we have a really good team. We’ve got the numbers this year. I need to get more in shape. Just running and doing more exercises and doing the extra stuff.”

Finch (23-4), who placed third at last year’s IHSA Class 1A Finals, advanced to the finals after winning a 10-1 major decision over Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr. (25-2), who responded to that loss with a win by fall in 1:38 over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Schlickman (18-6) for third place, Coal City’s Noah Houston (21-9) took fifth place after pulling out a 10-8 decision over Clifton Central’s Kayden Cody (18-7). And for seventh, Warrensburg-Latham’s Charlie Wittmer (22-8) won a 19-7 major decision over Dixon’s Gavin Kramer (14-9).

Title matches at the 60th annual Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament

106 – Brady Mouser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) SV 8-4 Augustus Swanson (Princeton)

113 – Hunter Robbins (Illini Bluffs) D 8-2 Cooper Morris (Coal City)

120 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) D 6-0 Dylan Eimer (Olympia)

126 – Joey Ruzic (Auburn) F 2:43 Brody Widlowski (Coal City)

132 – Brady Grennan (Newman Central Catholic) D 6-2 Jude Finch (Rockridge)

138 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) D 3-0 Ethan Monson (Mercer County)

144 – Carter Rude (Newman Central Catholic) D 8-3 Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs)

150 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) D 3-0 Brant Widlowski (Coal City)

157 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) F 1:21 Daniel Kelly (Newman Central Catholic)

165 – Bowden Delaney (Tremont) D 4-0 Landin Benson (Coal City)

175 – Carter Watkins (Manteno) D 6-2 Rex Pfeifer (Reed-Custer)

190 – Maddux Anderson (Orion) D 2-1 Aiden Sancken (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher)

215 – Noah Wenzel (Dakota) MD 8-0 Nolen Yeary (Olympia)

285 – James Herring (Roxana) F 2:19 Cade Odell (Princeton)

Team scores for the 60th annual Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament

1. Coal City 229.5, 2. Roxana 159.5, 3. Vandalia 150.5, 4. Olympia 142, 5. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher 138, 6. Princeton 137, 7. Newman Central Catholic 131.5, 8. Riverdale 131, 9. Dakota 107.5, 10. PORTA 99.5, 11. Dixon 98, 12. Clifton Central 96, 13. LeRoy/Tri-Valley 89, 14. Clinton 87, 15. Orion 81, 16. Rockridge 80, 17. Monticello 78, 17. Reed-Custer 78, 19. Byron 76, 20. Warrensburg-Latham 75, 21. Illini Bluffs 72, 22. Morrison 71, 23. Wilmington 69, 24. Ottawa Township 55, 25. Tremont 53, 26. Pittsfield 52, 27. Litchfield,  48.5, 28. Auburn 47, 29. Mercer County 38.5, 30. Maneno 36, 31. Rock Falls 34.5, 32. Alleman 17, 33. Illinois Valley Central 15.

By Gary Larsen

Girls wrestling programs around Illinois continue to grow, with more schools each year striving incrementally towards filling a complete lineup.

Lakes coach Devin Tortorice is fighting that good fight, as the Lake Villa school of less than 1,300 students works its way toward growing its girls wrestling program.

But for now, the Eagles have a rock-solid core group of girls.

Led by a trio of previous Illinois state medal winners in Ava Babbs, Olivia Heft, and Josie Larson, Lakes can do some damage in even the largest of girls tournaments. They were sixth at Palatine’s 25-team tournament with only six girls participating, third at their own 24-team Sandy Gussarson Invite with only eight girls, and third in Waukegan’s 29-team field.

Saturday at Dundee-Crown, it was Lakes’ turn to snare the brass ring, as eight Eagles won the team title among 16 teams present.

“We’ve placed high in some tournaments but that was our first win. It was fun to come together as a team and get that win,” Babbs said. “When we go to tournaments with teams that have full lineups, it’s especially difficult. So it was nice to be at a tournament against teams more our size.”

Lakes won 135-112 over second-place Zion-Benton, followed by Thornton (98), Thornton-Fractional South (86), and host Dundee-Crown (85) to round out the top five team finishes.

Four of those top five teams had eight girls entered in the tournament; Thornton took third with only six girls entered.

1st place: Lakes (135)

Lakes got individual titles from Babbs (125), Heft (120), Zaryia Mouzon (105) and Haven Sylves (110), seconds from Christina Hasner (135) and Josie Larson (190), and a fourth from Osmairi Medina Alvarado (115).

Babbs was particularly happy for one specific teammate.

“Osmairi did really good. It’s her first year and she was able to place fourth, so seeing her do that was cool,” Babbs said.

“I really like this team. I’ve been on teams that can be a little cliquey but not this one. The coaches and everyone are so nice. (Winning) was really fun and it was big for the whole girls’ program because that was our first time winning a tournament.”

2nd place: Zion-Benton

All six of the Zee Bees wrestlers earned place-medals, as coach Hal Lunsford got individual titles from Naomi Foote (145), Grace Johnson (155), and ILeen Castrejon (190), plus thirds from Emily Ortiz (130), Jay Thompson (135), and Adrianna Ketchum (140) in Carpentersville.

3rd place: Thornton (98)

The Wildcats took third for coach Phillip Rembert with only six wrestlers entered, getting individual titles from Jalah Wilson (130) and Keyhanna Phillips (170), seconds from Gymaria Brown (110) and Sionna Stampley (235), and a third from Paige Martin (190).

Others winning individual titles at Dundee-Crown were the host Chargers’ Iris Torres (100) and Perla Lomeli (140), Grant’s Ayane Jasinski (115), Thornton-Fractional South’s Jermia Moore (135), and Maine West’s Eliana Garrett (235).

Wrestlers reaching the title mat and placing second included Rich Township’s Saryia Maddox (100), Harvard’s Alexa Herrera (105) and Ithandehui Rosas (145), Oregon’s Anna Marquardt (115), Thornton-Fractional South’s Summer Rice (120), Taylor Poole (125) and Quincy Onyiaorah (130), Plainfield North’s Viktoriia Rodnikova (140), and Maine West’s Lillian Garrett (170).

Also placing third were Wauconda’s Lilliana Aly (105), Grant’s Kayden Manis (110) and Cassidy Graham (155), Dundee-Crown’s D’Angel Slater (115) and Daniella Ibanez (145), Glenbard East’s Dakota Rosner (120) and Asia Lacey (170), Thornton-Fractional South’s Caylon Guyton (125), and Elmwood Park’s Sky Vazquez (235).

Other fourth-place wrestlers included Thornton-Fractional South’s Dakota Kelly (105), Dundee-Crown’s Elisa Martin (110), Genoa-Kingston’s Violet Sanders (120), Harvard’s Carolina Hernandez (125) and Jarithsie Mercado (170), Maine West’s Ava Reyes (130) and Ashley Mansell (135), Rich Township’s Nina White (140), Hailey Zamot (145), Cheyenne Haire (155) and Sky Vazquez (235), and Glenbard East’s Nadine Spandiary (190).

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time – 5 in 5:43 by Zion-Benton’s ILeen Castrejon

Most tech falls, least time – 1 in 2:00 by Grant’s Ayane Jasinski

Fastest fall – 0:12 by Glenbard East’s Nadine Spandiary

Most team points scored – (tie) 26 by Zion-Benton’s ILeen Castrejon and Naomi Foote

Most single-match points scored – 18 by Grant’s Ayane Jasinski

Most total match points scored – 33 by Zion-Benton’s Adrianna Ketchum

Dundee-Crown Girls Invitational individual champions:

100 – Iris Torres, Dundee-Crown

Host Dundee-Crown junior Iris Torres and Rich Township’s Saryia Maddox were the lone entrants at 100, and Torres (18-9) won the best-of-three showdown with two falls to take the crown.

“Iris has had a tough season so far, bumping between a few weight classes trying to build her confidence, after missing qualifying for state by one match last year,” Dundee-Crown coach Jessica McDowell said. “After traveling down to the state tournament as an alternate last year as a sophomore, she’s hoping her junior year proves to be more victorious.”

105 – Zaryia Mouzon, Lakes

Lakes senior Zaryia Mouzon opened her tournament with a fall at 105 against Stevenson’s Makenna Laarveld (2-2), then gutted out a 4-2 decision in a semifinal match against Wauconda’s Lilliana Aly (3-1).

Mouzon completed her day with a pin on the title mat against Harvard’s Alexa Herrera (21-9). Herrera reached the finals with a fall in the semi’s against Thornton-Fractional South’s Dakota Kelly (7-2). Aly went on to placed third by fall over Kelly.

Mouzon (23-3) is currently ranked as honorable mention at 105 in Illinois and has also won individual tournament titles at Waukegan and Lakes this season.

“Zaryia has been doing a great job overall,” Lakes coach Devin Tortorice said. “I feel confident she has the ability to find herself at the state tournament. Her biggest hurdle no doubt is herself. As long as ‘Z’ is mentally prepared she can do very well.”

110 – Haven Sylves, Lakes

Lakes junior Haven Sylves (18-5) had a trio of pins on the day, but it was her 5-1 decision over Thornton’s Gymaria Brown (7-4) that earned her the title at 110 in Carpentersville.

“I would say Haven has been a fun surprise,” Lakes coach Devin Tortorice said. “She struggled the last couple years but has found herself atop the podium a couple times this year. She is another girl that I believe can be at the state tournament if all goes well.”

Grant’s Kayden Manis won a 10-1 major decision for third place over Dundee-Crown’s Elisa Martin, and Glenbard East’s Andrea Jones placed fifth in the round-robin format at 110.

115 – Ayane Jasinski, Grant

Grant senior Ayane Jasinski (6-0) won a state title at 110 last year, after placing fourth at 100 her sophomore year downstate. Currently ranked No. 3 in Illinois at 115, Jasinski won her second tournament title Saturday to go with a title won recently at Palatine. 

Jasinski posted a pair of pins in the round-robin format at 115 before securing the tournament title via tech fall against Oregon’s Anna Marquardt (9-6).

“Ayane is competing really well,” Grant coach Mark Jolcover said. “It has been exciting to see her come into form. She is a professional in the way she goes about training and competition. It’s exciting to watch her continue to grow as she eyes down a second state title and we are very proud of her.”

Dundee-Crown’s D’Angel Slater placed third by virtue of a fall over fourth-place Grant’s Isabelle Miranda.

120 – Olivia Heft, Lakes

Currently unranked in Illinois, Lakes’ Olivia Heft is an X factor at 120 this year. 

“(Heft) is a little Cinderella story, in my opinion,” Lakes coach Devin Tortorice said. “This young lady is a returning runner-up (at 115) from 2022 and had to sit out an entire year due to shoulder surgery. She’s clawed her way back and is also putting herself back in position to chase a state title.”

Heft has also won individual titles at Palatine and Lakes this season, and the senior improved to 18-1 with a fall on the title mat at 120 on Saturday, against Thornton-Fractional South’s Summer Rice (6-2).

Glenbard East’s Dakota Rosner took third place with a fall against Genoa-Kingston’s Violet Sanders.

125 – Ava Babbs, Lakes

Lakes senior Ava Babbs is currently ranked No. 4 in Illinois at 125 and she added a Dundee-Crown title to titles already won this season at Hampshire and Waukegan .

Babbs improved to 17-0 when she won by fall on the D-C title mat at 125 against Thornton-Fractional South’s Taylor Poole.

“Ava Babbs is currently undefeated, a returning state-placer (3rd at 125) and has a true shot to win a state title,” Lakes coach Devin Tortorice said. “She has been a joy to work with. She puts in constant work in and out of the season.”

Babbs is ready to make another run at the top step of the state finals podium.

“We’re all going out there with the same thing in mind. I’m just excited,” Babbs said. “It’s my senior year so I just want to do my best and have fun.

“I got lucky because the first year I started wrestling was the first year they held girls’ state. It was so cool being part of the first girls state (tournament).”

In only her third year of wrestling and after placing third in state at 125 last year as a junior, Babbs furthered her commitment to the sport.

“My coaches, the exposure that I’ve had — my parents have been willing to take me to tournaments, I did off-season training, freestyle over the summer, I went to Fargo,” Babbs said. “I just wanted to try (wrestling) out and I turned out really liking it.”

Babbs pinned Grant’s Aubrey Hopkins in their semifinal match to reach the finals, and Poole reached the title mat after winning by fall against Harvard’s Carolina Hernandez. Thornton-Fractional South’s Caylon Guyton took third place by fall against Hernandez.

130 – Jalah Wilson, Thornton

Currently ranked second in state at 135, Thornton junior Jalah Wilson (8-0) won a 7-5 sudden victory decision on the title mat over another ranked wrestler in Thornton-Fractional South’s Quincy Onyiaorah (8-1).

The bracket at 130 was loaded with talent at Dundee-Crown.

Onyiaorah is currently ranked as an honorable mention wrestler at 120 pounds. Wilson handed Onyiorah her first loss this season, and Wilson also won a title at Rockford East this year.

“Jalah Wilson is a hard worker and has been with us for three years,” Thornton coach Phillip Rembert said. “She really started excelling last year with one other girl, Destiny Bright. The year before she was an only girl (in the program). She goes through the same training as the boys with no complaints. I see a good future for here in the state series and she also wants to wrestle in college.”

To reach the finals, Wilson won a 5-2 semifinal decision over Dundee-Crown’s Ruby Gavina (25-7), a tough freshman with a Lakes tournament title under her belt this season. Onyiaorah won by fall in her semifinal match against Zion-Benton’s Emily Ortiz (22-4), who won a tournament title at Waukegan and placed second at Niles West this year.

Ortiz went on to win by fall on the third-place mat against Maine West’s Ava Reyes (14-9), who topped Gavina in their consolation semifinal match.

135 – Jermia Moore, Thornton-Fractional South

Thornton-Fractional South coach Andre Richmond sees good things ahead for sophomore Jermia Moore, who is only in her second year in the sport. Moore won all four of her round-robin matches and took the title at 135 by virtue of her win by fall against Lakes’ Christin Hasner (15-8). 

Every young wrestler has an evolution in the sport, and Moore’s is underway.

“At the beginning of the season she was having a rough start making weight and losing matches,” Richmond said. “She went against all the technique she learned from the prior year.

“I told her that she needs to get back to what made her great last year, and what made her win.  Today she proved it, winning all of her matches by going back to her bread and butter.  She needs a lot more work but I’m happy for her today and we will work to be better next week.”

Zion-Benton’s Jay Thompson (22-6) placed third via fall over fourth-place Ashley Mansell of Maine West and Richmond’s Mariyah Lewis placed fifth at 135. 

140 – Perla Lomeli, Dundee-Crown

Dundee-Crown senior Perla Lomeli went 24-11 last year in placing 8th downstate at 140 and she has her sights set on another shot at state glory this season.

“Perla hasn’t seen as much mat time as she did last year but these last few weeks before regionals, she is pushing herself to attain more wins than last season,” Dundee-Crown coach Jessica McDowell said. “She hopes to see the state tournament again this year. She is our team captain and has been the most upbeat, positive role model for our younger wrestlers.”

Lomeli had two pins to start her day and she improved to 16-4 with her title-mat pin Saturday against Plainfield Viktoriia Rodnikova. Zion-Benton’s Adrianna Ketchum (13-11) took third place in a 15-8 decision over Rich Township’s Nina White.

145 – Naomi Foote, Zion-Benton

Zion-Benton’s Naomi Foote kicked off a bevy of three champions for the Zee Bees over the next four weights. Foote (23-5) won by fall over Harvard’s Ithandehui Rosas (23-6) to clinch her title in the round-robin format at 145.

Foote also won an individual title at Palatine this season and is currently unranked in Illinois at 145, but she won by fall at 4:49 over No. 4 Rosas.

Dundee-Crown’s Daniella Ibanez (8-8) took third and Rich Township’s Hailey Zamot placed fourth.

155 – Grace Johnson, Zion-Benton

The Zee Bee’s Grace Johnson won all three of her round-robin matches to take the title and improve to 18-4 on the year. She pinned Dundee-Crown’s second-place Mackenzie Lessner  (15-8) to secure the title.

Grant’s Cassidy Graham (12-11) placed third and Rich Township’s Cheyenne Haire took fourth.

170 – Keyhanna Phillips, Thornton

Thornton’s Keyhanna Phillips has had an unconventional season for coach Phillip Rembert, but the senior 170-pounder is positioned to do some damage once the post-season tournament arrives.

Phillips (3-0) opened her tournament with a fall at 0:40, then won by fall at 0:39 in her semifinal match against Glenbrook East’s Asia Lacey (3-1). Phillips then took on Maine West’s Lillian Garrett (18-4) and again won by fall for the title, at the 2:00 mark.

“Keyhanna was a transfer at the beginning of the year so she had to sit out the first semester,” Thornton coach Phillip Rembert said. “She worked hard on her grades and she worked hard wrestling in practice. She pushes the pace in practice with the upper weights.

“She wrestled one match this week before this competition and I see a great future for her in the state series. She also is looking forward to going to college and wrestling next year.”

Lacey went on to win by fall on the third-place mat against Harvard’s Jarithsie Mercado.

190 – ILeen Castrejon, Zion-Benton

Zion-Benton’s ILeen Castrejon (12-1) finished second at 170 twice in the first two years of the IHSA girls state finals, and is currently ranked No. 6 at 170 in Illinois.

Lakes’ Josie Larson (24-4) is currently ranked No. 2 at 190 and she placed fifth downstate at 190 last season.

Something had to give when two of Illinois’ best squared off yet again this season on Saturday, with a Dundee-Crown tournament title at 190 on the line. And at the 1:29 mark, it was Castrejon who came away with a first-period fall.

“This is the third time they’ve met this year,” Zee Bees coach Hal Lunsford said. “Josie is an amazing wrestler and they have had some great matches this year.” Castrejon won 15-9 and 8-6 in their previous two matches this year.

Castrejon intends to wrestle at 170 once the postseason arrives but has wrestled 190 for most of this season.

“ILeen is wrestling up this year due to an injury at the start of the year,” Lunsford said. “She’s completely healthy right now but was unable to (cut) weight in a timely manner.”

Castejon went 5-0 in the round-robin format at 190, capped by her win over Larson. Thornton’s Paige Martin placed third with a fall against Glenbard East’s Nadine Spandiary, and Rich Township’s Laila Carpenter won by fall for fifth against Maine West’s Jathziry Valencia Carranza.

Castrejon also won an individual title at 190 at Palatine this year.

235 – Eliana Garrett, Maine West 

Maine West senior Eliana Garrett improved to 10-6 this year by going 4-1 at Dundee-Crown, and earning the title at 235 on criteria over second-place Sionna Stampley (9-2) of Thornton.

Garrett, Stampley, and Elmwood Park’s Sky Vazquez took turns beating each other in the round-robin format, and a fast pin by Garret over Vazquez was the deciding factor.

“Eliana had a dominant performance and remains an essential part of our team,” Maine West coach Anthony Lonigro said. “She is having a great season and continues to find success. As our only senior, she stands out and does a great job as a leader on our team, demonstrating great sportsmanship and maintaining a positive attitude.”

Vazquez (7-6) placed third, Rich Township’s Nyla Coleman was fourth, Stevenson’s Kaylee Sanchez took fifth, and Maine West’s Ximena Veraza was sixth.

Dundee-Crown Girls Invitational championship match results:

100 – Iris Torres (Dundee-Crown) F 1:05 Saryia Maddox (Rich Township)

105- Zaryia Mouzon (Lakes) F 5:11 Alexa Herrera (Harvard)

110 – Haven Sylves (Lakes) D 5-1 Gymaria Brown (Thornton)

115 – Ayane Jasinski (Grant) TF Anna Marquardt (Oregon)

120 – Olivia Heft (Lakes) F 0:44 Summer Rice (TF-South)

125 – Ava Babbs (Lakes) F 0:43 Taylor Poole (TF-South)

130 – Jalah Wilson (Thornton) SV-1 7-5 Quincy Onyiaorah (TF-South)

135 -Jermia Moore (TF-South) F 1:14 Christina Hasner (Lakes)

140 – Perla Lomeli (Dundee-Crown) F 0:59 Viktoriia Rodnikova (Plainfield N)

145 – Naomi Foote (Zion-Benton) F 4:49 Ithandehui Rosas (Harvard)

155 – Grace Johnson (Zion-Benton) F 2:59 Mackenzie Lessner (Dundee-Crown)

170 – Keyhanna Phillips (Thornton) F 2:00 Lillian Garrett (Maine West)

190 – ILeen Castrejon (Zion-Benton) F 1:29 Josie Larson (Lakes)

235 – Eliana Garrett (Maine West) D Eliana Sionna Stampley (Thornton)

Third-place match results:

105 – Lilliana Aly (Wauconda) F 0:58 Dakota Kelly (TF-South)

110 – Kayden Manis (Grant). MD 10-1 Elisa Martin (Dundee-Crown)

115 – D’Angel Slater (Dundee-Crown) F 0:19 Osmari Medina (Lakes)

120 – Dakota Rosner (Glenbard E) F 2:24 Violet Sanders (Genoa-Kingston)

125 – Caylon Guyton (TF-South) F 1:34 Carolina Hernandez (Harvard)

130 – Emily Ortiz (Zion-Benton) F 5:57 Ava Reyes (Maine West)

135 – Jay Thompson (Zion-Benton) F 2:32 Ashley Mansell (Maine West)

140 – Adrianna Ketchum (Zion-Benton) D 15-8 Nina White (Rich Township)

145 – Daniella Ibanez (Dundee-Crown) F 1:47 Hailey Zamot (Rich Township)

155 – Cassidy Graham (Grant) F 4:59 Cheyenne Haire (Rich Township)

170 – Asia Lacey (Glenbard E) F 5:07 Jarithsie Mercado (Harvard)

190 – Paige Martin (Thornton) F 2:29 Nadine Spandiary (Glenbard E)

235 – Sky Vazquez (Elmwood Park) F 2:12 Nyla Coleman (Rich Township)

Final team scores: 1. Lakes (135) 2. Zion-Benton (112) 3. Thornton (98) 4. Thornton-Fractional South (86) 5. Dundee-Crown (85) 6. Maine West (63) 7. Harvard (57.5) 8. Grant (48.5) 9. Rich Township (48) 10. Glenbard East (45) 11. Elmwood Park (20) 12. Plainfield North (19) 12. Wauconda (19) 14. Genoa-Kingston (18) 14. Oregon (18) 16. Stevenson (7).

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

In its third year, the Conant Girls Wrestling Tournament proved to be a marvelous success.

Tournament officials celebrated a 20 percent increase in wrestlers as they welcomed just under 270 competitors and 37 teams, with several on the phone just hours before the official start looking to join this popular event.

“We were excited to see the overwhelming support for our tournament,” Conant athletic director Erik Hauser said. “It caused a little extra work to sort out the weight classes, but in the end the decision to have two to three tiers per weight class made for a tournament that offered those with less experience the opportunity to be in a more competitive eight-person bracket.” 

Hauser, his staff, and volunteers ran a neat, tight, and terrific one-day event inside William Perry Gymnasium in Hoffman Estates.

With multiple weight class divisions, team scores were not kept on this day, much to the dismay of Oak Forest head coach John Sebek, whose club has been on an exciting run.

“It would have been nice to see if we had won another tournament championship, but as I’ve said before, this is a great group of young women that we have, so we’re going to just enjoy the ride we’re on right now,” Sebek said.

After lifting the championship trophy recently at Palatine’s Sally Berman Holiday Classic, the Bengals are in possession of four tournament team titles as we move into the second half of the campaign.

The Bengals grabbed a tournament-high three individual titles, followed closely by Lockport Township and Ottawa Township, each with two.

Oak Forest had A Bracket individual champions in Alex Sebek (110), Maya Coreas-Funes (145) and Isabel Peralta (190); Lockport Township got titles from Averi Colella (105) and Liz Ramirez (115); and Ottawa Township got titles from Ava Weatherford (130) and Juliana Thrush (235).

Other individual champions in the A Bracket included Round Lake’s Riley Kongkaeow (100), Joliet Catholic Academy’s Grace Laird (120), Kaneland’s Dyani Torres (125), Yorkville’s Brooke Coy (135), New Trier’s Jillian Giller (140), Schaumburg’s Valeria Rodriguez (155) and Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker (170).

Top individual statistics at Conant:

Most pins, least time – 3 in 2:14 by Riverside-Brookfield’s Estefany Bejarano

Most tech falls, least time – 2 in 5:24 by Riverside-Brookfield’s Eleanor Aphay

Fastest fall (tie) – 0:11 by Schaumburg’s Keara Micek, Kelly’s Liana Andrade, and Oak Park and River Forest’s Jaliyan Knighten.

Most single-match points – 23 by Metea Valley’s Uliana Shevtsova

Most total match points – 42 by Riverside-Brookfield’s Eleanor Aphay

Side note: William Perry Gymnasium also provided a homecoming of sorts for former Conant star and current Ottawa Township head coach Pete Marx, who was a three-time state medal winner and two-time state champion.

Marx compiled a dazzling 145-25 career record for the Cougars, with a remarkable 85 consecutive victories during his junior and senior years. Now in his 18th year in charge of the Ottawa program, Marx was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2022.

Here is a look at this year’s individual champions at Conant:

100 – Riley Kongkaeow, Round Lake

One week after an early exit from the front draw at the Sally Berman Holiday Classic, Round Lake sophomore Riley Kongkaeow (12-1) came back in style to capture the 100-pound crown at Conant.

“It was a little disappointing to lose in the semifinals last week, but I feel like I put that loss behind me really well to come out strong right from the start of this tournament,” said Kongkaeow, No. 4 in the state polls.

The 2023 state qualifier pinned her way into her final against Schaumburg’s Makenzi Aguilar (17-6) where she recorded another pin at 1:17 to earn her second major trophy of the season.

Romeoville’s Daniela Santander (15-4) pinned Yorkville’s Danielle Turner (18-5) in the third place match, while Turner’s teammate Kayleigh Shannon (12-5) recorded a fall in the fifth place bout against Warren’s Jaylyn Trevino.

105- Averi Colella, Lockport Township

There was little those who took on Averi Colella could do as the Lockport Township junior rolled over her rivals at 105.

Colella, now 26-8, pinned her way to the title at 105, needing just under 4:30 in her three matches to ensure victory. Colella won by fall at 2:23 over Lake Park’s Ashley Hammond (17-8) for the title.

“I worked a lot during the offseason and into this season in taking more shots, and just going for those shots more aggressively,” Colella said, “and that double chicken wing in the second period proved to be the difference that led to my pin.

“It’s a great room we have at Lockport. There’s a lot of tradition in the sport and for me, I am lucky to have Liz (Ramirez) as my partner in the room,” Colella said of her teammate, who two matches later would give their club a second title on the day.

Elgin’s Mali Patino won by fall against Glenbrook North’s Zoe Handler (6-6) for third place, and Schaumburg’s Justice Girod (16-8) finished fifth after her pin over Elk Grove’s Linna Vo.

110- Alex Sebek, Oak Forest

There’s just no stopping Alex Sebek, who rolled to yet another tournament title and second in as many weeks.

“I take a lot of pride in how I prepare for each match, and I really never stop putting the extra work into every part of my game,” said Sebek, No. 3 in the state at 105 pounds, and nationally-ranked as well.

“Being ranked nationally is cool, but I am a very competitive person, so I always feel like I should be a little higher in those national polls,” Sebek said. “But there is so much more to concentrate on besides where I’m at in the polls.”

Sebek registered her 20th pin on the season in her final with Metea Valley’s Ashley Basmajian (17-4) to stay at a perfect 22-0 when competing against girls, and 27-2 overall.

“Alex is undoubtedly a leader on the team as a sophomore, and demonstrates that both on and off the mats,” Oak Forest coach John Sebek said. “She’s always cheering for her teammates, and offering advice to her teammates after a win or a loss.

“She has been working really hard this season, and has been switching back and forth between 105 and 110, with the goal of a state title.”

Niles West’s Zoe Pomerantes (16-3) pinned Harvest Christian’s Samantha Hacek (12-10) in the third place bout, and Warren’s Alyssa Bentley (17-6) did the same against Saint Viator senior Natalie Gubernat (11-11) for fifth place. Schaumburg’s Diya Patel (18-10) recorded a pin against Lake Park’s Laurie Cando in the seventh place match.

115- Liz Ramirez, Lockport Township

After her wonderful three-match effort on Saturday at 115 pounds, it might be time for Lockport Township senior Liz Ramirez (31-5) to move into the top 10 in the state polls from her spot just outside of that group.

“I spent more time than ever training during the offseason. I joined a club and just made the commitment to being the best that I could be,” said Ramirez, who won a hard-fought 10-6 decision in the finals against Round Lake’s two-time state qualifier Ireland McCain (12-3).

Ramirez led 7-4 after two periods, only to see McCain circle out of trouble near the edge to record a take-down to make it 7-6 with 90 seconds remaining.

Ramirez would earn a one-point escape, then put things out of reach with a big throw with seconds remaining on her way to a 10-6 decision.

“When it got a little tense in the last minute, it was important for me to remain cool and calm, and wait for the right time to score,” Ramirez said.

Third place honors went to Schaumburg sophomore Anna Villareal (24-5) after her pin of Metea Valley’s Uliana Shevtsova (22-11). Plainfield Central’s Courtni Chuway (21-5) earned a fifth- place medal after her pin over Elgin’s Maya Rangel (3-5). Larkin’s Tina Ebrahimi (10-9) finished seventh following her pin of Yorkville’s Angelica Hernandez (5-6).

120- Grace Laird, Joliet Catholic Academy

With her second tournament title of the season, Joliet Catholic Academy junior Grace Laird (14-5) hopes to continue her ride up the ladder at 120 pounds, in the same fashion that Ryan Cumbee’s men have done thus far.

“There’s a lot of tradition in the sport of wrestling at JCA,” Laird said. “With our girls team, our goal is to build something great like the boys program. Any time we spend with the boys in the room makes us all a lot better and together, we’ve become a family.”

Laird, who also won an individual title at Morris this year, needed just under seven minutes to dispatch three of her rivals. She won by fall in her final with Grayslake Central’s Gianna Arzer (23-4) at the 1:27 mark of their title match.

Schaumburg’s Madyson Meyer (23-3) lost to Laird in the semifinals but came back to take home third place by fall against Elgin’s Salome Patino. Glenbrook North freshman Ariella Dobin (17-2) finished fifth by injury default against Lockport Township’s Lucy Madrigal (9-9).

125- Dyani Torres, Kaneland

Dyani Torres (22-6) was never in trouble Saturday as the Kaneland junior captured her second tournament crown of the season with her title-mat pin at 2:54 over Lake Park’s Valeria Malinowski (10-3).

“We have a good room that we share with our boys’ team, which makes for a fun but hard-working room that’s good for all of us,” said Torres, now in her seventh year in the sport.

“I gained a lot of experience in my first two years of high school wrestling, but the most important thing I learned is how important my fitness and cardio should be,” she said. “So I’ve spent a lot of time in both of those areas during the offseason.” Torres also credits teammate Chloe Cervantes (140) for being the ideal practice partner.

Oak Forest sophomore Camila O’Leary Salas (17-4) pinned Warren’s Jane Kelly in the third place match, and Elk Grove’s Juana Pulido (9-1) was fifth after her 11-7 decision over Elgin’s Emily Pizano. Conant’s Brooklyn Jones (15-8) pinned Lockport Township’s Kyleigh Green to earn a seventh place medal.

130- Ava Weatherford, Ottawa Township

Ava Weatherford claimed the first of two individual titles for Ottawa Township head coach Pete Marx when the sophomore swept away the competition to win the 130-pound crown.

Weatherford (21-9), ranked No. 8 in the state at 135 pounds, added to her title win at Normal Community in the opening week of the season after putting together a superb six-minute effort to record an 8-0 victory over Oak Park and River Forest’s Pearl Lacey (15-9).

“My plan in the final was to control top, and bottom, especially in the second period, and I feel like that’s what I did really well,” said Weatherford.

“Ava was having a great first year last season until she broke her arm during practice in January,” began Marx. “We were concerned that an injury such as that might see her say goodbye to wrestling, but she continued to come to meets, and practice, support her teammates, and when she was medically cleared in the spring (she) began to train for the Virginia Beach national duals.

“She was a little nervous and rusty, but Ava never faltered, and has bounced back to have an outstanding season thus far, and winning this tournament is perfect as she begins to peak at the right time.”

Schaumburg’s Sharon Olorunfemi (13-10) won 5-4 in an overtime tiebreaker over Metea Valley’s Janiya Moore (14-10) for third place. And Warren’s Ashley Bridges pinned Oak Forest’s Jordan Clyne to earn fifth place honors.

135- Brooke Coy, Yorkville

It was too much Brooke Coy for the rest of her rivals at 135 pounds.

The Yorkville junior cruised to victory using a pair of pins to advance into her final against Palatine’s Amaya Jackson (12-0), where she registered an impressive 13-0 major decision.

“It’s been a pretty good year for me, I feel like I’ve come a long way from being on the JV last 

during my first year in the sport,” said Coy (13-3), who was encouraged by her father to give wrestling a try.

“We’ve got a great room, it’s a real positive atmosphere to be in, so hopefully if I continue to work hard and improve, I’ll have a chance to qualify for state.”

Oak Forest’s Madelyn Sears (22-4) bounced back from her loss to Coy in the semifinals to earn third place with a 7-4 decision over Rolling Meadows’ Muneeba Butt (14-7). Schaumburg’s Olivia Furlan got a pin over Evanston’s Priscilla Hartwell to finish in fifth place.

140- Jillian Giller, New Trier

Jillian Giller suffered a heart-breaking loss in the final of the Sally Berman Holiday Classic to District 230’s Alyssa Keane, who took third at 135 at last year’s IHSA Finals, but the New Trier junior came back with a vengeance to capture her first tournament title of the season.

Giller (17-4) pinned her way to the crown, sending off Downers Grove South’s Alison Garcia (16-8), who was ranked fourth, at 3:54.

“I thought I wrestled well enough to win at the Berman, but we went back and made a few adjustments to get myself ready for this tournament, and it showed in how I wrestled in all three of my matches today,” said Giller, who used a little bit of everything from her arsenal to eventually finish off Garcia, whom Giller admitted was tough to turn.

Giller was a state qualifier a year ago with a 25-9 record, losing in the wrestleback quarterfinals to a conference rival Niles West’s Al Ghala Al Radi, 14-12.

“That was a tough way to go out last year at state, but that loss made me work that much harder during the offseason,” admits Giller, now in her fifth year in the sport.

Conant’s Ewa Krupa (16-5) stepped over a conference rival, Schaumburg’s Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (21-2), who was injured earlier, to finish third. Kaneland’s Chloe Cervantes (11-6) won by fall over Oak Forest’s Iyobosa Odiase (29-8) to earn fifth place. And Elk Grove’s Stephanie Valdez Castaneda beat Palatine’s Karimot Lawal 6-4 to finish seventh.

145- Maya Coreas-Funes, Oak Forest

Maya Coreas-Funes gave the Oak Forest faithful plenty to cheer about when, with 15 seconds before time, she recorded the match-winning escape to defeat Evanston’s Kennedy Murray (14-5) in a 3-2 thriller.

“It was a real defensive battle, but I was able to stay strong right up until the very end which I felt was the difference in the match,” said Coreas-Funes, now 16-4 overall.

“Maya, hands down, is the hardest worker in our room, and has a motor that never stops, and her cardio endurance is second to none, and her results this season proves that out,” said Oak Forest coach John Sebek.

“She is only a couple of months into her second year as a wrestler and is still fine-tuning her technique, but I do not recall an opponent that has been able to outlast her for a full six-minute match.”

“I work as hard as I can in the room and I just love when I am able to hit a move that I’ve been practicing,” added Coreas-Funes, who has 10 pins and six majors this season.

Schaumburg’s Keara Micek (22-8) finished third after she pinned Lake Park’s Joscelin Ritthamel (18-5) and Larkin’s Mia Reyes (16-6) was fifth following her pin over Elk Grove’s Emely Herrera. Saint Viator’s Avery Brooks got an 11-3 major decision victory to claim seventh place over Yorkville’s Joanna Okunnu.

155- Valeria Rodriguez, Schaumburg

Valeria Rodriguez’ impressive take down of the 155-pound field allowed the Schaumburg senior to lift the championship trophy and to make a further statement of her intent on her final year under head coach Matt Gruszka.

“The wrestling IQ of Valeria is way up there, as is her technique, conditioning, mental toughness (all) part of the equation, but her ability to know the flow of the match, how to end each period, and the understanding of what is needed to win a match is what sets her apart,” said Gruszka of the No.-3 rated Rodriguez, who is 25-1 and also a two-time third place state medal recipient.

“I feel very fortunate to have a coach like Matt Gruszka, who I have all the confidence and trust in and is someone who I feel like is a second father to me,” said Rodriguez, moments after her pin of Oak Forest’s Ryann Reeves (19-2) in just 44 seconds to give her 18 on the season.

Oak Park and Rivers Forest’s Megan Barajas (16-8) took third with a 7-6 decision over New Trier’s Nina Aceves (18-6). Downers Grove South’s Jea Jones (9-9) took fifth following her pin of Evanston’s Natalie Graettinger (9-8).

170- Alicia Tucker, Plainfield Central

Nationally-ranked and No. 1 at 170 in Illinois this season, Alicia Tucker (22-0) stayed perfect at 22-0 on the year after she had another fabulous three-match performance to capture her third major title of the campaign, adding to first at Minooka and Waukegan.

The reigning state champion flashed her incredible speed, quickness, technique and strength as she easily went past her opponents, including her last of the day, Downers Grove South’s Gracie Swierczynski, who would concede a pin in the final at 4:57.

“I had wanted to play football, but my father didn’t want me to get hurt, and since he and my brother wrestled, it seemed only natural that I follow in their footsteps,” said the affable Plainfield Central junior, who began to wrestle in sixth grade and was the IWCOA Frosh-Soph 2022 state champion.

Kelly’s Sara Martinez Lopera (14-2) took third place when Rolling Meadows’ Aishah Sanchez (11-7) was forced out of action due to an injury. Joliet Catholic Academy’s Cheya Bishop (16-7) finished fifth after her pin over Conant’s Lana Ton and Yorkville’s Janiah Murray took seventh after an injury forfeit from Palatine junior Sabrina Cargill (17-4).

190- Isabel Peralta, Oak Forest

Isabel Peralta has made her mark in her weight division all throughout her junior season and her impressive run to the 190-pound crown continues to impress Oak Forest coach John Sebek. 

And whenever you beat a two-time state medalist, there’s good reason to be impressed. That’s what Peralta did in the 190 title match when she won by fall in 2:41 over Oak Park and River Forest’s Trinity White (13-2), who took fourth at 170 in last year’s IHSA Finals and was fifth at that weight in the inaugural state finals.

“(Izzy) has been a dominant force all season, she put in a lot of work in the offseason, and it has shown,” said Sebek of Peralta who is now 27-3, with 24 falls, 17 of which have come in the first period.

“I watched a lot of video from the Berman where I finished fifth, so we went back and worked on cleaning some things up from that tournament, and I really felt like that was the difference today,” said Peralta, who’s ranked fifth and also won the top prize at the Lakes Community Tournament earlier in the season.

“Of her three losses this season, they’ve come to a 2023 third place state medal winner (twice) and the 2023 state champ, so as a very light 90-pounder, she can shoot and move faster than most girls that I’ve seen,” adds Sebek.

Schaumburg sophomore Nadia Razzak (22-4) pinned Larkin’s Kimberly Reyes (14-10) to earn third place honors while Downers Grove South’s Violet Cherup (6-3) finished fifth after her pin over Rolling Meadows’ Leilani Brindis (11-7). Lockport Township’s Sophie Kelner (20-13) won by fall over Saint Viator’s Jillian Bollard in the seventh place contest.

235- Juliana Thrush, Ottawa Township

Pete Marx was an upperweight star while at Conant under IWCOA Hall of Fame head coach

Jim Cartwright, so it’s only natural to believe his 235-pounder Juliana Thrush has a chance to taste some of the success Marx enjoyed if she continues on her current flight path.

Thrush (19-3) roared past the field to claim her first major of the season and further validate her place as the No. 4-rated 235-pounder in the state. The Ottawa Township sophomore recorded a pin in 3:19 over Oak Forest’s Jessica Komolafe (21-4) in the 235 finals.

“I’ve got a great coach, in a great room, so if I keep up the hard work, and effort, there’s no reason why I cannot medal at state this year,” said Thrush, after earning her second tournament title of the season.

“Both (Ava) Weatherford and Thrush were first-year wrestlers last year, and both took to the sport very quickly,” said Marx. “Juliana got a taste of the apple after going 2-2 at state, and now she wants the whole thing.

“She has already beaten state qualifiers and placers because she is a fighter, and strong, and I believe she has a real chance to be high a top the podium in Bloomington in late February.”

Oak Park and River Forest’s Sarah Epshtein (16-3), who took fifth at state at 235 last year and fourth at 235 in 2022, pinned Lockport Township’s Rebekah Ramirez (25-10) in the third-place match and Downers Grove South’s Zuzia Cebulski (14-7) won a 6-5 decision over Schaumburg’s Ella Jackson to finish fifth.

Championship matches results of the 2024 Conant Girls Tournament

100- Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake) F 1:18 Makenzi Aguilar (Schaumburg)

105- Averi Colella (Lockport Township) F 2:23 Ashley Hammond (Larkin)

110- Alex Sebek (Oak Forest) TF 5:22 (18-2) Ashley Basmajian (Metea Valley)

115- Liz Ramirez (Lockport Township) D 10-6 Ireland McCain (Round Lake).

120- Grace Laird (Joliet Catholic Academy) F 1:27 Gianna Arzer (Grayslake Central)

125- Dyani Torres (Kaneland) F 2:54 Valeria Malinowski (Lake Park)

130- Ava Weatherford (Ottawa Township) MD 8-0 Pearl Lacey (Oak Park and River Forest)

135 – Brooke Coy (Yorkville) MD 13-0 Amaya Jackson (Palatine)

140- Jillian Giller (New Trier) F 3:54 Alison Garcia (Downers Grove South)

145- Maya Coreas-Funes (Oak Forest) D 3-2 Kennedy Murray (Evanston)

155- Valeria Rodriguez (Schaumburg) F 0:44 Ryann Reeves (Oak Forest) 

170- Alicia Tucker (Plainfield Central) F 4:57 Gracie Sweircznski (Downers Grove South)

190- Isabel Peralta (Oak Forest) F 2:41 Trinity White (Oak Park and River Forest)

235- Juliana Thrush (Ottawa Township) F 3:19 Jessica Komolafe (Oak Forest)

By Curt Herron for the IWCOA

Glenwood easily captures Carbondale’s Murdale Tournament titleWhen a team wins the championship of a quality 32-team tournament by over 130 points, it definitely shows great potential to achieve additional special accomplishments.

That’s what Glenwood hopes will be the case after it scored 287.5 points to easily capture the title at Carbondale’s 62nd annual Murdale Tournament. 

Murphysboro beat out Paducah, Kentucky’s McCracken County by a 155-150.5 margin for second place while Mt. Vernon (148), Harrisburg (144.5), Benton (139.5) Marion (130.5), Mt. Zion (129), Centennial (119.5) and Anna-Jonesboro (117.5) rounded out the top-10 teams.

1. Glenwood

Leading the way for coach Jerod Bruner’s champion Glenwood Titans were title winners Tyler Clarke (106), Drew Davis (126) and Maximus Wiezorek (190) while Eli Smith (165) took second and Justin Hay (175) finished third.

John Ben Maduena (138), Anny Williams (144), Jullian Rammelkamp (157) and Cody Moss (215) all claimed fourth place while Owen Ottino (120) and Brad Dollus (132) took fifth place and Jaxon Ferguson (113) placed seventh.

Davis (32-0), Clarke (28-4), Maduena (25-4) and Hay (22-5) are returning state qualifiers. Davis went 49-2 last season and won the IHSA Class 2A title at 113 to follow up on a 17-0 campaign and 2A title at 106 in 2022 and a fourth-place finish at 106 at the IWCOA Finals in 2021 when he went 32-3. Maduena also qualified for state in 2022 and fell one victory shy of a medal.

Currently ranked fifth in Class 2A by Illinois Matmen, the Titans hope that they have what it takes to qualify for the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2019, when they made their second-straight trip and third overall in Bruner’s debut season as head coach. He moved up from his assistant role when Jeremy Mosier concluded his successful eight-year tenure, which was highlighted by their initial IHSA Dual Team Finals appearances in 2011 and 2018.”I thought we had a good showing overall,” Bruner said. “We got some of the matchups that we wanted and were able to win those for the most part. Champions Tyler Clarke and Drew Davis were completely dominant on their way to their individual championships, and Max Wiezorek was able to take out two ranked opponents on his way towards the 190-pound title. 

“Eli Smith has gotten better each week this year so it was no surprise to see him in the championship match as well. The rest of the team found some success as well as all 14 wrestlers placed, including third-place finisher Justin Hay and fourth-place finishers Jullian Rammelkamp, Cody Moss, John Ben Maduena and Anny Williams.”

2. Murphysboro

Top performers for coach Shea Bakers’ runner-up Murphysboro Red Devils were champion Liam Fox (157) and second-place finishers Kanton Richards (106) and Bryce Edwards (144). Also for Murphysboro, Paxton Pyatt (113) finished fifth, Sergio Garcia (132) and Gage Boucher (150) placed sixth and Julien Tanner (285) took seventh place.

3. Paducah, KY McCracken County

McCracken County’s Mustangs, who are from Paducah, Kentucky, were led by title winner Malachi Gray (165), runner-up Frankie Nutt (215) and third-place finisher Camryn Freiberg (132). Additionally, Hunter Hawthorne (150) took fifth, James Barragan (144) placed seventh and Bryce McTaggart (157) and Landon Newman (190) finished eighth.4. Mt. Vernon
Turning in the best finishes for coach Alejandro Wajner’s Mt. Vernon Rams were champions 

Dillon White (138) and Maddux Randall (175) and second-place finisher Mason Randall (190) while Jhymear Smith Henson (215) took sixth and Kamden Hartman (285) placed eighth.5. Harrisburg
Individuals with the top finishes for coach Greg Langley’s Harrisburg Bulldogs were runner-up 

Kahmari Terry (132) and third-place finisher Tony Keene (126), who went 45-4 last season and placed fourth in Class 1A at 120. Avery Henderson (113), Rocko Neal (120), Brendan Hicks (190) and Javier Horton (285) all finished in sixth place.6. Benton
Top performers for coach Aaron Robinson’s Benton Rangers were title winner 

Mason Tieffel (144), third-place finishers Zane Stanley (106) and Tiffin Kouzoukas (165) as well as Braxton Tittle (113), who took eighth place. Tieffel went 52-2 last season and won the IHSA Class 1A title at 138 after going 47-5 in 2022 and placing second at 126 and he placed third at 120 at the 2021 IWCOA Finals to cap a 33-1 freshman season. Benton and Sesser-Valier now co-op.7. Marion
Leading the way for coach Darren Lindsey’s Marion Wildcats were third-place finisher 

Caleb Ohnesorge (150) as well as Jkwon Williamson (113) and Riddick Cook (120), who both placed fourth. Justin Murphy (157) finished fifth, 

Caden Frey (144) took sixth and Hunter Gibb (138) and Bryan Madinger (215) claimed seventh place.
8. Mt. Zion

Turning in the best showings for 2012 National Wrestling Hall of Fame-Illinois Chapter Lifetime Service Award recipient coach Dave Klemm’s Mt. Zion Braves were third-place finishers Mason Gray (120), Kalvin Becker (157), Keller Stocks (190) and Remington Hiser (285). Vincent Baker (106) took sixth and Kaden Becker (165) and Rylan Owens (175) were seventh.

Carlyle also had two champions, brothers Preston Waughtel (113) and Tyson Waughtel (120). The other Murdale champions were Carbondale’s Isaac Smith (132), Herrin’s Blue Bishop (150), East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin (215) and Centennial’s Jack Barnhart (285).Three other teams had two second-place finishers. They were 

Highland’s Gavin Merkle (113) and Tyson Rakers (150), Althoff Catholic’s Brenden Rayl (126) and Jason Dowell (285) and Red Bud’s Alex Woltor (157) and Ty Carter (175). The other Murdale runners-up were Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler (120) and Richland County’s Carson Bissey (138).

The high school resumes of three of the event’s 2024 champions is impressive. They are two-time IHSA champion and three-time state medalist Davis (126), two-time IHSA champion Tyson Waughtel (120) and IHSA champ, two-time finalist and three-time state medalist Tieffel (144).

Champlin and Smith tied for the most team points with 40 while Davis and Tieffel tied for third with 39.5 points. Barnhart and Maddux Randall tied for fifth with 39, Bishop and White tied for seventh with 38.5 points, Gray scored 37 points and Wiezorek collected 36 team points.Half of the champions walked away from the Murdale Tournament with perfect records. And 22 of the 28 finalists have won over 80 percent of their matches this season.

Finalists with the best records are Tieffel at 144 (38-0, 1.000), Davis at 126 (32-0, 1.000), Fox at 157 (28-0, 1.000), Tyson Waughtel at 120 (28-0, 1.000), Preston Waughtel at 113 (28-0, 1.000), Bishop at 150 (25-0, 1.000), Barnhart at 285 (23-0, 1.000), Smith at 132 (26-1, .963), Bissey at 138 (22-1, .957), Nutt at 215 (22-1, .957), Sadler at 120 (32-2, .941), Wiezorek at 190 (32-2, .941), Rayl at 126 (13-1, .929), Dowell at 285 (11-1, .917), Rakers at 150 (22-2, .917), Champlin at 215 (19-2, .905), Gray at 165 (28-3, .903), Carter at 175 (25-3, .893), Clarke at 106 (28-4, .875), White at 138 (21-3, .875), Edwards at 144 (24-5, .828) and Terry at 132 (18-4, .818).Some of the closest title matches included Maddux Randall edging Carter 3-2 at 175, Wiezorek prevailing over Mason Randall 1-0 at 190, Gray defeating Smith 7-3 at 165, Barnhart getting past Dowell 4-0 at 285 and Bishop beating Rakers 11-5 at 150.

Additional third-place finishers were Cahokia’s Nicholas Smith (113), Centennial’s Trevor Schoonover (138), Fairfield’s Scotty Cuff (144) and Johnston City’s Jude Beers (215).Anna-Jonesboro’s Zoee Sadler, who was an IHSA runner-up at 105 last season, placed fourth at 106 for the best finish by a girl in the competition.  

Also finishing in fourth place were Centennial’s Andon Beldo (126), Centralia’s Lane Griffin (132), East St. Louis Senior’s Pierre Walton (150), Salem’s Carter Moore (165), Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Holshouser (175), Frankfort Community’s Conner Henson (190) and Carterville’s Zechariah Miller (285).Others who finished fifth were 

Mascoutah’s Jordan Sonon-Hale (138) and Brock Ross (144), Cahokia’s Nathan Fisher (106), Goreville’s Jeremiah Pulliam (126), Carbondale’s Thomas Imboden (165), Trico’s Johnny Ramaker (175), Highland’s Ashton Zobrist (190), Frankfort Community’s Brandon Turner (215) and East St. Louis Senior’s Mekhi McDowell (285).

Also taking sixth place were Centralia’s Nate LeCrone (126), Anna-Jonesboro’s Daniel Dover (138), Fairfield’s Nicholas Masterson (157), Herrin’s Kolby Coffey (165) and Johnston City’s Randy Fuqua (175).

Other seventh-place finishers were Carterville’s Landyn Flood (120) and Carter Jones (157), Centralia’s Brylan Guthrie (106), Anna-Jonesboro’s Daylon McNelly (126), Johnston City’s Benjamin Harris (132), Effingham’s Saul Ellis (150) and Althoff Catholic’s Antwan Strong (190).

Those who also took eighth were Richland County’s Baxter Smith (106) and Kaeden Davis (120), Effingham’s Kaiden Stewart (126) and Baker Moon (138), Anna-Jonesboro’s Wyatt Wright (132), Frankfort Community’s Lucas Parker (144), Breese Central’s Matthew Walsh (150), Fairfield’s Talan Keoughan (165), Carlyle’s Brody Diekamper (175) and Herrin’s Logan Dirden (215).

Mason Tieffel led in total match points with 77 while Preston Waughtel was second with 74 and Drew Davis was third with 61 match points. Liam Fox and Preston Waughtel had the most combined falls and technical falls with five, with Fox achieving that feat in 6:02. Mt. Zion’s Rylan Owens was seeded 27th and placed seventh.

Glenwood easily had the most total match points with 390 while Highland (282), Harrisburg (279) and Benton (277) were next in line for match points. Cahokia had the most falls with 26 while Mascoutah was second with 24 and Glenwood third with 23 pins.

Title matches for the 62nd annual Carbondale Murdale Tournament

106 – Tyler Clarke (Glenwood) TF 4:00 Kanton Richards (Murphysboro)

113 – Preston Waughtel (Carlyle) TF 3:15 Gavin Merkle (Highland)

120 – Tyson Waughtel (Carlyle) TF 5:53 Drew Sadler (Anna-Jonesboro)

126 – Drew Davis (Glenwood) TF 5:07 Brenden Rayl (Althoff Catholic)

132 – Isaac Smith (Carbondale) MD 11-0 Kahmari Terry (Harrisburg)

138 – Dillon White (Mt. Vernon) F 5:43 Carson Bissey (Richland County)

144 – Mason Tieffel (Benton) F 0:53 Bryce Edwards (Murphysboro)

150 – Blue Bishop (Herrin) D 11-5 Tyson Rakers (Highland)

157 – Liam Fox (Murphysboro) TF 2:22 Alex Woltor (Red Bud)

165 – Malachi Gray (McCracken County, KY) D 7-3 Eli Smith (Glenwood)

175 – Maddux Randall (Mt. Vernon) D 3-2 Ty Carter (Red Bud)

190 – Maximus Wiezorek (Glenwood) D 1-0 Mason Randall (Mt. Vernon)

215 – Drake Champlin (East Alton-Wood River) MD 11-2 Frankie Nutt (McCracken County, KY)

285 – Jack Barnhart (Centennial) D 4-0 Jason Dowell (Althoff Catholic)

Team scoring for the 62nd annual Carbondale Murdale Tournament

1. Glenwood 287.5, 2. Murphysboro 155, 3. Paducah, KY McCracken County 150.5, 4. Mt. Vernon 148, 5. Harrisburg 144.5, 6. Benton/Sesser-Valier 139.5, 7. Marion 130.5, 8. Mt. Zion 129, 9. Centennial 119.5, 10. Anna-Jonesboro 117.5, 11. Highland 115, 12. Carbondale 107.5, 13. Cahokia 100.5, 14. Richland County 99.5, 15. Althoff Catholic 95, 16. Centralia 94.5, 17. Red Bud/Valmeyer 92, 18. Mascoutah 89.5, 19. Carlyle 88, 20. Johnston City 86.5, 21. Carterville 85.5, 22 East St. Louis Senior 77, 23. Fairfield 74.5, 24. Herrin 73.5, 25. Frankfort Community 70, 26. East Alton-Wood River 69, 27. Salem 60, 28. Effingham 55, 29. Goreville/Vienna 54, 30. Trico/Elverado 39, 31. Breese Central 21, 32. Pinckneyville 6. 

Peoria Notre Dame wins championship at Prairie Central Hawk Classic

It’s been a long time since Peoria Notre Dame had last won an invitational tournament. And it’s unclear if the program had ever even captured a tournament title at an event with a large field. 

But on Saturday, the Irish achieved both of those when they edged El Paso-Gridley by a 224.5-218 margin to win the 38th annual Prairie Central Hawk Classic, a 19-team competition which took place in Fairbury.

“This is the first tournament championship our program has won in quite some time at an individual tournament, likely almost 20 years, and potentially the biggest tournament we have ever won, in regards to the number of teams involved,” said Irish coach Danny Burk, who was Notre Dame’s first IHSA medalist in 2002.

Danny Burk is in his first year as head coach but was an assistant coach for 16 years under his father, Kevin, who retired following a 44-year coaching and teaching career. Kevin Burk won 705 dual meets at both Notre Dame and Spalding, ranking him in second place among Illinois coaches in dual meet wins, behind only PORTA’s Jeff Hill. 

Danny Burk also has had a successful career as an assistant coach in boys soccer at Notre Dame for coach Mike Bare, who’s won four titles and had five other teams place third or better. Bare was a huge supporter of wrestling in the state for many years when he ran Illinois Matmen.

Plano (204) finished third, Chicago Hope Academy (192) was fourth and Camp Point Central (188.5) edged Hoopeston Area (187) for fifth place. Beardstown (150), Bishop McNamara (143.5), Sandwich (140) and Herscher (129) rounded out the top-10 teams in the field.

1. Peoria Notre Dame

Top performers for coach Danny Burk’s champion Irish were title winners Ian Akers (113) and Michael McLaughlin (285). Taking third was Andrew Elward (132) while Josh Stedwill (106), Remi Joesting (120) and Michael Kimbrough (165) finished fourth and Chase Daugherty (150) and Joe Culp (190) were fifth.

Akers went 43-6 last season and finished fourth in Class 1A at 106 to join Burk as one of the program’s sevan medal winners. McLaughlin and Daugherty also both won 30 or more matches and also qualified for last year’s IHSA Finals.

2. El Paso-Gridley

Leading the way the runner-up Titans, who are coached by 2007 National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter Lifetime Service Award recipient Joe Cliffe, were second-place finisher Ryden Barker (190) while Kiana Mayne (113), Nolan Whitman (120) and Parker Duffy (215) took third place. Waylon Melick (157) and Christopher Blackmore (285) placed fourth and Dominic Ricconi (175) finished sixth.

3. Plano

Individuals who finished highest for coach Dwayne Love’s third-place Reapers were champions Caidan Ronning (150) and Prince Amakiri (190), runner-up Antoine Gilford (138) and third-place finisher Trevion Gilford (144). Finishing fifth were Shane Downs (106), Luis Ballesteros (157) and Timmy Young (165) while Marcos Garcia (132), Oscar Cervantes (144) and Tyler Mast (285) were sixth.

4. Chicago Hope Academy

Coach Dan Willis’ Chicago Hope Academy Eagles were led by champion Santiago Chaparro (144) while Josiah Willis (126), Arkail Griffin (150), Ismael Martinez (165), Alex Garcia (190) and Roy Phelps (285) all took third place and Jeramy Sanders (175) finished fifth.

5. Camp Point Central

Top finishers for coach Kasey Monroe’s Camp Point Central Panthers were title winner Jack Thompson (157) and second-place finishers Kanye Mitchell (144) and Conner Griffin (165). Taking fourth was Case Hughes (113) while Dylan Mowen (132) placed fifth and Paul Schenk (138), Konnor Bush (150) and Jacob Leenerts (215) all finished sixth.

6. Hoopeston Area

Leading the way for coach Chris Kelnhofer’s Hoopeston Area Cornjerkers were champions Aiden Bell (132) and Angel Zamora (175), second-place finishers Charlie Flores (106) and Ayden Larkin (157) as well as Talan Nelson (126), who finished fourth.

The other team in the field that had multiple champions was coach Zach Whitsel’s Unity Christian Lions, who received first-place finishes from brothers Clinton (120) and Garrett VerHeecke (126). They both placed in the IHSA Class 1A Finals last year as freshmen as Clinton went 48-2 and took third at 113 and Garrett went 43-7 and placed sixth at 120.

Other Hawk Classic champions were Streator’s Nicholas Pollett (106), Dwight’s Dylan Crouch (138), Bishop McNamara’s Kayden Roach (165) and The High School of Saint Thomas More’s Brody Cuppernell (215), who went 42-6 last season and took second in Class 1A at 195. Cuppernell met James Schmidt in the 215 finals, the event’s only title matchup of teammates.

The High School of Saint Thomas More had three second-place finishers, August Christhilf (175), James Scmidt (215) and Robbie Vavrik (285). Also taking second place were Sandwich’s Colten Stone (113) and Ian Hawkins (150), Bishop McNamara’s Blake Arseneau (120), Ridgeview/Lexington’s Danny Tay (126) and Prairie Central’s John Traub (132).

Some of the closest title matches included Ronning edging Hawkins 3-2 in sudden victory at 150, Thompson getting past Larkin 5-3 at 157, Pollett capturing an 8-5 decision over Flores at 106, Bell prevailing 6-2 over Traub at 132, Crouch defeating Antoine Gilford 4-0 at 138 and Zamora winning a 4-0 decision over Christhilf at 175.

Clinton VerHeecke had the most team points with 50 while Zamora ranked second with 48, Bell and Christholf tied for third place with 44 points and Arseneau and Traub tied for fifth with 42 team points.

Top records of finalists following the Classic included Clinton VerHeecke (24-0, 1.000) Garrett VerHeecke (24-0, 1.000), Zamora (25-1, .962), Crouch (24-1, .960), Amakiri (20-1, .952), Ronning (19-1, .950), Cuppernell (16-1, .941), Chaparro (31-2, .939), Pollett (28-2, .933), Christhilf (19-2, .905), Tay (25-3, .893), Hawkins (6-1, .857), Akers (20-4, .833), Antoine Gilford (19-4, .826), Thompson (14-3, .824), Griffin (17-4, .810), Vavrik (17-4, .810), Arseneau (12-3, .800), Barker (23-6, .793), Larkin (23-6, .793), McLaughlin (15-4, .789), Bell (14-4, .778) and Roach (10-3, .769).

Others who took third place were Sandwich’s Jacob Ross (106) and Sy Smith (157), Beardstown’s Luis De La Cruz (138) and Illini West’s Shawn Watkins (175).

Additional fourth-place finishers were Ridgeview/Lexington’s Judson Stover (138) and Payton Campbell (150), Streator’s Alejandro Lopez (190) and Aydan Radke (215), Bishop McNamara’s Alex Kostecka (132), Urbana’s Emiliano Bedello (144) and Beardstown’s Gunner Looker (175).

Also taking fifth place were Urbana’s Vincent Benjamin (113) and Malachi Hutchinson (138), Herscher’s Everett Osenga (120) and Gerrit Osenga (126), Beardstown’s Maddox Medrano (144) and Leonel Lopez (215) and Peoria Heights’ Issac Coleman (285).

Other sixth-place finishers were Bishop McNamara’s Noah Pelletier (120), Trevor Torres (126) and Tristin Golden (157), Streator’s Lily Gwaltney (106) and Addison Yacko (113), Beardstown’s Alcantar Medrano (165) and Herscher’s Gavin Collins (190).

Akers, Amakiri and Cuppernell had the most falls with five, with the latter achieving that in 2:48. Stedwill edged Chaparro 47-46 for the most match points. And Joesting (21st to fourth) and Mowen (22nd to fifth) both finished 17 places better than they were seeded.

Peoria Notre Dame had the most total match points with 265 while Chicago Hope Academy (240) ranked second and Camp Point Central (224) was third. Plano edged El Paso-Gridley 27-26 for the most pins while Chicago Hope Academy and Notre Dame were next-best with 25. 

Championship matches at Prairie Central’s Hawk Classic

106 – Nicholas Pollett (Streator) D 8-5 Charlie Flores (Hoopeston Area)

113 – Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) F 1:26 Colten Stone (Sandwich)

120 – Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian) F 1:58 Blake Arseneau (Bishop McNamara)

126 – Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian) D 10-4 Danny Tay (Ridgeview/Lexington)

132 – Aiden Bell (Hoopeston Area) D 6-2 John Traub (Prairie Central)

138 – Dylan Crouch (Dwight) D 4-0 Antoine Gilford (Plano)

144 – Santiago Chaparro (Chicago Hope Academy) F 1:43 Kanye Mitchell (Camp Point Central)

150 – Caidan Ronning (Plano) SV 3-2 Ian Hawkins (Sandwich)

157 – Jack Thompson (Camp Point Central) D 5-3 Ayden Larkin (Hoopeston Area)

165 – Kayden Roach (Bishop McNamara) F 2:55 Conner Griffin (Camp Point Central)

175 – Angel Zamora (Hoopeston Area) D 6-2 August Christhilf (The High School of Saint Thomas More)

190 – Prince Amakiri (Plano) F 1:41 Ryden Barker (El Paso-Gridley)

215 – Brody Cuppernell (The High School of Saint Thomas More) F 0:28 James Schmidt (The High School of Saint Thomas More)

285 – Michael McLaughlin (Peoria Notre Dame) F 5:13 Robbie Vavrik (The High School of Saint Thomas More)

Team scoring at Prairie Central’s Hawk Classic

1. Peoria Notre Dame 224.5, 2. El Paso-Gridley 218, 3. Plano 204, 4. Chicago Hope Academy 192, 5. Camp Point Central 188.5, 6. Hoopeston Area 187, 7. Beardstown 150, 8. Bishop McNamara 143.5, 9. Sandwich 140, 10. Herscher 129, 11. The High School of Saint Thomas More 116, 11. Streator 116, 13. Unity Christian 108, 14. Prairie Central 98, 15. Ridgeview/

Lexington 76, 16. Urbana 74, 17. Illini West 58, 18. Dwight 49, 19. Peoria Heights 30.

Geneseo claims top honors at Morton’s Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational

With much of its team returning from last season’s Class 2A fourth place team that went 22-3 and earned the school its first trophy since its 2A runner-up teams in 2013 and 2014 in its first state appearances, Geneseo figures to again be one of the top teams in the state.

And on Saturday coach Jon Murray’s Maple Leafs made another big statement by scoring 198 points and finishing 26 points ahead of Yorkville Christian to capture top honors at the 18-team Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational in Morton. It’s the second invitational title of the season for Geneseo, adding to its first at Rockford East’s Giardini Invite on December 2. 

Yorkville Christian, which lost 28-27 to Coal City in last year’s Class 1A championship dual meet to finish with a 22-6 record after winning the Class 1A championship in 2022, has been moved up to Class 2A this season. Although the Mustangs graduated 10 individuals who helped them to appear in two IHSA Dual Team title meets, they figure to be in the mix of what is developing to be a quality group of teams that is pursuing appearances in this season’s Class 2A Finals.

The host Potters claimed third place with 160.5 points and Normal West edged Triad 119-117.5 to finish fourth. United Township (109), Lincoln (85), Dunlap (84), Morton’s JV (69.5) and Limestone (61) rounded out the top 10 teams in the competition.

1. Geneseo

Maple Leafs coach Jon Murray, who was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame last year, received two titles and three second-place finishes in addition to two thirds, two fourths and two fifths to help his team capture the invitational championship.

Winning titles for Geneseo were Izaac Gaines (138), Zachary Montez (150) while Devan Hornback (126), Grady Hull (132) and Kye Weinzierl (165) took second place. Tim Sebastian (113) and Josh Hock (144) placed third, Malaki Jackson (157) and Colten Mooney (215) were fourth and Logan Palmer (190) and Brayden Franzen (285) finished fifth. Kie Smith (120) and  Brennan Lambin (175) also scored points for the Maple Leafs.

Geneseo returns three state qualifiers, Montez, Jackson and Weinziel. Montez went 51-3 last season and placed third at 132 in Class 2A after finishing fourth at 113 in 2022. 

2. Yorkville Christian

Leading the way for coach Mike Vester’s runner-up Mustangs were champions Aiden Larsen (113) and Ty Edwards (132). Grason Johnson (138), Isaac Gray (150), Robby Nelson (157), Xander Oliver (215) and Garrett Tunnell (285) all took third place, Jackson Allen (175) placed fifth and Eli Foster (120) finished sixth.

Edwards placed second in Class 1A at 120 and went 49-7 last season and also took second at 106 in 201 in the IWCOA Finals while Larsen went 19-11 and took sixth place at 106 after placing fifth at 106 in 2022.

3. Morton

Top performers for coach Edward Henderson’s third-place Potters were title winner Tyus Almasy (175) and second-place finishers Harrison Dea (113) and Steven Marvin (150). Taking third place were Noah Harris (106), Caleb Lenning (126) and Caiden Robison (132) while Cash Hill (120) finished fourth and Clayton McKee (157) and Colton McKee (165) took fifth place.

Dea went 37-11 last season and placed fifth at 106 in Class 2A while Marvin fell one win shy of a state medal at 145.

4. Normal West

Individuals with the best finishes for coach Dave Lehr’s Wildcats were champions Evan Willock (157) and Matt Hanold (285) and runner-up Gus Schreiber (175). Claiming fifth-place finishes were Jacob Payne (106), Dylan McGrew (113) and Abram Rader (120). Willock went 39-7 last season and placed sixth at 132 in Class 2A to become the program’s second state medalist.

5. Triad

Knights’ coach Russ Witzig, a 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, got a title win from Colby Crouch (126) and a runner-up finish from Will Kelly (106). Placing third was Glen Henry (120) while Braden Rowe (132) and Brody Smith (138) finished fifth and Shane Seip (113), Pearce Goodfield (150) and Jason Powell (215) all claimed sixth place. Crouch went 31-1 last season and finished second at 126 in the IHSA Class 2A Finals after going 35-0 and winning the 2A championship at 120 in 2022. 

6. United Township

The best finishers for coach Lambros Fotos’ Panthers were champion Blake Trickey (106) and second-place finishers Brody Oppendike (144) and Kayden Marolf (157). Finishing fourth was Xavier Marolf (132) while Payton Birdsley (215) placed fifth and Joel Gutierrez-Garcia (126) and Alex Long (175) claimed sixth place.

Limestone also had two champions, Ethan Dixon (190) and Taylor Dixon (215). Other Schnarr Invitational title winners were Lincoln’s Cort Pentecost (120), Pekin’s RaMez Watson (144) and Dunlap’s Nick Mueller (165), who went 43-8 last season and finished in second place at 160 in the IHSA Class 2A Finals.

There was a four-way tie for the individuals with the most team points with 28 involving Crouch, Ethan Dixon, Taylor Dixon and Edwards. Watson ranked fifth with 26.5 points while Almasy, Hanold, Mueller, Trickey and Willock all tied for sixth with 26 team points.

The host Potters also got a runner-up finish from a member of its JV team, Ben Chaffer (215). Additional second place finishers were Champaign Central’s Elliott Tanner (120), Dunlap’s Colton Mosack (138), Southeast’s Chris Hull (190) and East Peoria’s Keegan Barnes (285).

Some of the closest title matches included Montez edging Marvin 7-6 at 150, Almasy prevailing 6-2 over Schreiber at 175, Trickey winning a 10-5 decision over Kelly at 106 and Mueller beating Weinzierl 6-1 at 165.

Finalists who had the best records following the Schnarr Invitational include Edwards (27-1, .964), Mueller (26-1, .963), Larsen (25-1, .962), Willock (23-1, .958), Watson (20-1, .952), Crouch (17-1, .944), Marvin (29-2, .935), Montez (27-2, .931), Gaines (12-1, .923), Weinzierl (22-2, .917), Kelly (22-4, .846), Kayden Marolf (22-4, .846), Dea (21-4, .840), Trickey (19-4, .826), Almasy (27-6, .818), Schreiber (24-7, .774), Hanold (23-7, .767), Tanner (13-4, .765),  Barnes (15-5, .750) and Ethan Dixon (27-9, .750).

Others who captured third place were Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell (165), Richwoods’ Gabe Martinez (175) and Dunlap’s Joseph Weeks (190).

Additional fourth-place finishers were Champaign Central’s Talin Baker (113) and Rowan King (138), Springfield High’s Gabriel Ruvalcaba (144) and Keyshaun Harris (175), East Peoria’s Dalton Oakman (165) and Chase Bancroft (190), Morton JV’s Ryan Siebenthal (106), Lincoln’s Karter Hild (126), LaSalle-Peru’s Caleb Plut (150) and Richwoods’ Shaun Anderson (285).

Fifth-place finishes were also turned in by Morton JV’s Lincoln Yerby (126), Southeast’s Frank Kittrell (144) and Springfield High’s Cody L Stevens (150). And also taking sixth place were Peoria High’s Chris Walker (144) and Sargent Maubach (190), Lincoln’s Aiden Frye (157) and Logan Wachendorf (285), Richwoods’ Wensley Rahn (106), Dunlap’s Tristan Mosack (132), East Peoria’s Cole Brooks (138) and Morton JV’s Lucas Hermann (165).

Geneseo had the most total match points with 248 while Yorkville Christian ranked second with 221 and Triad was third with 215 points. Yorkville Christian had 21 falls, which was eight more than were recorded by Geneseo, Morton and Normal West.

Yorkville Christian’s Jackson Allen had the most total match points with 48 while Pekin’s RaMez Watson had 46 and Geneseo’s Zachary Montez collected 43 match points. Morton’s Clayton McKee and Springfield High’s Cody L Stevens had the most falls with four. And Yorkville Christian’s Xander Oliver had the biggest seed to place differential with 12, placing third after being seeded 15th.

The Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational honors a couple from the village who were longtime supporters of Morton’s wrestling program. 

Championship matches for Morton’s Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational

106 – Blake Trickey (United Township) D 10-5 Will Kelly (Triad)

113 – Aiden Larsen (Yorkville Christian) D 9-2 Hamilton Dea (Morton)

120 – Cort Pentecost (Lincoln) F 1:10 Elliott Tanner (Champaign Central)

126 – Colby Crouch (Triad) F 0:40 Devan Hornback (Geneseo)

132 – Ty Edwards (Yorkville Christian) F 0:24 Grady Hull (Geneseo)

138 – Izaac Gaines (Geneseo) D 9-2 Colton Mosack (Dunlap)

144 – RaMez Watson (Pekin) TF 3:55 Brody Oppendike (United Township)

150 – Zachary Montez (Geneseo) D 7-6 Steven Marvin (Morton)

157 – Evan Willock (Normal West) MD 11-1 Kayden Marolf (United Township)

165 – Nick Mueller (Dunlap) D 6-1 Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo)

175 – Tyus Almasy (Morton) D 6-2 Gus Schreiber (Normal West)

190 – Ethan Dixon (Limestone) F 5:55 Chris Hull (Southeast)

215 – Taylor Dixon (Limestone) F 4:41 Ben Chaffer (Morton JV)

285 – Matt Hanold (Normal West) F 1:24 Keegan Barnes (East Peoria)

Team standings for Morton’s Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational

1. Geneseo 198, 2. Yorkville Christian 172, 3. Morton 160.5, 4. Normal West 119, 5. Triad 117.5, 6. United Township 109, 7. Lincoln 85, 8. Dunlap 84, 9. Morton JV 69.5, 10. Limestone 61, 11. Champaign Central 57, 12. East Peoria 56.5, 13. Springfield High 49, 14. Pekin 44.5, 15. Richwoods 42, 15. Southeast 42, 17. LaSalle-Peru 34, 17. Peoria High 34.

Frankfort Community places first at Carbondale’s Murdale Girls Tournament

Frankfort Community has only competed in wrestling for the past two seasons so that makes what its young team was able to accomplish this past weekend even more special.

What coach Rick Arrington’s Lady Redbirds did was capture top honors in the girls division of Carbondale’s Murdale Tournament, which featured individuals from 22 teams.

Frankfort Community, which is in West Frankfort, scored 77 points to take first by 21 points over Glenwood, who had 56 points. Goreville (45) took third, Paducah, KY’s McCracken County (43) placed fourth, Trico (39) finished fifth while Granite City (38) and Marion (38) tied for sixth-place. Salem (29), Highland (26), Mascoutah (25) and Red Bud/Valmeyer (25) were next in line.

1. Frankfort Community

Coach Rick Arrington’s Frankfort Community Lady Redbirds had two champions and seven individuals who placed fourth or better. Nikolette Ronketto (105) and Kaitlynn Childers (235) won titles while Sophia Bechelli (110) and Hannah Mullins (145) took second, Lilly Browning (170) was third and Aleah Davidson (135) and Rylee Franklin (155) both finished fourth.

Ronketto won the title at 105 after getting two falls over Red Bud’s Emma Smith while Childers took first at 285 with a fall and a 4-3 decision over Marion’s Olivia McDermott.

“We are very proud of the accomplishments of the girls team,” Arrington said. “This being only our second year having a girls program and five of the seven girls being underclassmen makes it even better. The girls work very hard every day and keep learning.”

2. Glenwood

While coach Jerod Bruner’s Titans were rolling to a decisive championship in the 62nd Murdale Tournament, his girls team claimed second place, despite having only four competitors, who all finished in the top three at their weight class.

Taking first place for Glenwood were Kadi Wilbern (100) and Jenna Tuxhorn (135) while Izzy Resendez (125) and Elsie Dozier (155) both took third place. Wilbern won the title at 100 with a pin in 1:14 over Mt. Vernon’s Lilly Davis, who was second in the round robin, while Tuxhorn took first at 135 by getting a fall in 0:54 over Granite City’s Audrey Barnes.

3. Goreville/Vienna

Coach Bart Pulliam’s Goreville Blackcats, who co-op with Vienna, took third thanks to two titles, one second and a third. Taking first place were Madalynn Lapatas (130) and Alivia Ming (145) while Liberty McBride (190) finished second and Krista McBride (190) took third place.

Ming, a two-time IHSA medalist who was second last year at 140 and fourth at 135 in 2022, won at 145 with a fall in 1:25 over Frankfort Community’s Hannah Mullins. Lapatas took first at 130 with a fall in 1:38 over Marion’s DJ Tucker-Lester, who was second in the round robin. 

Trico, which co-ops with Elverado, also had two champions, Cynthia Macke (170) and Maddie Ramaker (190). Other Murdale title winners were Granite City’s Ma’Kayla Bonner (110), Mascoutah’s Ezri Linertz (115), Benton/Sesser-Valier’s Mia Balota (120), Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Avery Smith (125), Highland’s Nina Landmann (155) and Paducah, KY McCracken County’s Abby Ellis (140). Smith is also a two-time IHSA medalist, taking third last year at 115 and fourth at 120 in the inaugural Finals in 2022.

Second-place finishers who weren’t on the top three teams were Salem’s Greta Motch (115), Sierra Malone (155) and Anna Dodson (170), Marion’s DJ Tucker-Lester (130), Daisjha Cooper (140) and Olivia McDermott (235), Mt. Vernon’s Lilly Davis (100), Red Bud’s Emma Smith (105), Centennial’s Ava Beldo (120), Granite City’s Audrey Barnes (135) and McCracken County’s Eelyn Hayden (125).

Individuals who took third place but weren’t on one of the top-three teams were Mascoutah’s Zoey Nelson (110), Cahokia’s A’Liezsha DeLoach (115), Carbondale’s Kylee Wheetley (130), Marion’s Joelene Nappier-Feth (135), Carterville’s Jacee Mardirosian (145) and McCracken County, KY’s Jillian Conn (100) and Lakelynn Janssen (120).

And fourth-place finishers who weren’t on Frankfort Community, Glenwood or Goreville/Vienna were Highland’s Bryleigh Thomas (145) and Sophia Elkins (190), Carbondale’s Delaney Measimer (110), Marion’s Alauni Muex (120), Murphysboro’s Gabriella Mason (125) and Granite City’s Chloe West (170).

Frankfort Community had the most total match points with 61 while Marion was second with 54 and McCracken County was third with 44 points. The team champions also had the most falls with 10, which was one more than runner-up Glenwood had, which recorded nine pins.

Four individuals tied for the most team points with 20. They were Granite City’s Ma’Kayla Bonner, Highland’s Nina Landmann, Trico’s Maddie Ramaker and Red Bud’s Avery Smith. Benton’s Mia Balota and Trico’s Cynthia Macke tied for fifth place with 19 team points. Goreville’s Alivia Ming and Glenwood’s Jenna Tuxhorn tied for seventh with 18 team points.

Benton’s Balota had the most total match points with 23 while Highland’s Sophia Elkins was next with 21. Mascoutah’s Zoey Nelson ranked third with 20 and Carterville’s Jacee Mardirosian and Carbondale’s Delaney Measimer tied for fourth with 18 match points.

Championship matches for Carbondale’s Murdale Girls Tournament

100 – Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) F 1:14 Lilly Davis (Mt. Vernon) – round robin

105 – Nikolette Ronketto (Frankfort Community) F 1:22 Emma Smith (Red Bud/Valmeyer) 

110 – Ma’Kayla Bonner (Granite City) F 1:45 Sophia Bechelli (Frankfort Community)

115 – Ezri Linertz (Mascoutah) F 1:25 Greta Motch (Salem) – round robin

120 – Mia Balota (Benton/Sesser-Valier) F 3:05 Ava Beldo (Centennial)

125 – Avery Smith (Red Bud/Valmeyer) F 0:30 Eelynn Hayden (McCracken County, KY)

130 – Madalynn  Lapatas (Goreville/Vienna) F 1:38 DJ Tucker-Lester (Marion) – round robin

135 – Jenna Tuxhorn (Glenwood) F 0:54 Audrey Barnes (Granite City)

140 – Abby Ellis (McCracken County, KY) F 1:38 Daisjha Cooper (Marion) 

145 – Alivia Ming (Goreville/Vienna) F 1:25 Hannah Mullins (Frankfort Community)

155 – Nina Landmann (Highland) F 1:56 Sierra Malone (Salem)

170 – Cynthia Macke (Trico/Elverado) F 0:36 Anna Dobson (Salem)

190 – Maddie Ramaker (Trico/Elverado) F 1:43 Liberty McBride (Goreville/Vienna)

235 – Kaitlynn Childers (Frankfort Community) D 4-3 Olivia McDermott (Marion)

Team scoring for Carbondale’s Murdale Girls Tournament

1. Frankfort Community 77, 2. Glenwood 56, 3. Goreville/Vienna 45, 4. Paducah, KY McCracken County 43, 5. Trico/Elverado 39, 6. Granite City 38, 6. Marion 38, 8. Salem 29, 9. Highland 26, 10, Mascoutah 25, 10. Red Bud/Valmeyer 25, 12. Benton/Sesser-Valier 19, 13. Centennial 14, 14. Carterville 11, 15. Carbondale 10, 16. Mt. Vernon 9, 17, Murphysboro 8, 18. Anna-Jonesboro 2, 18. Carlyle 2, 18. Pinckneyville 2, 21, Cahokia 1, 22. Breese Central 0.

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOAJoliet Catholic Academy, St. Charles East second, third at Cheesehead

Joliet Catholic Academy took second place with 504 points and St. Charles placed third with 485.5 points at the 38-team Cheesehead Invitational that took place in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. Southeast Polk, which is located in Altoona, Iowa, won the title with 591.5 points

Warren Township scored 283 points to finish ninth and Yorkville (244.5), DeKalb (242) and Lockport Township (237) finished in a row from 14th through 16th. Others from Illinois who were in the field were Barrington (178.5, 21st), Edwardsville (175.5, T-22nd), Prospect (132, 29th), Grant (103.5, 32nd) and Neuqua Valley (10, 38th).

St. Charles East had three champions, Dom Munaretto (113), Ben Davino (132) and Tyler Guerra (138), while Joliet Catholic Academy’s Dillan Johnson (285), Warren Township’s Caleb Noble (106) and DeKalb’s Jacob Luce (165) also captured titles.

Munaretto (31-2) won the 113 title by fall in 1:52 over West Bend West, WI’s Ethan Bast. Davino (33-0) claimed a 7-2 decision over Wayzata, MN’s Logan Swensen in the 132 finals. And Guerra (30-1) captured a 4-1 decision over Millard South, NE’s Miles Anderson in the 138 title match.

Other top placewinners for the Saints were runner-up Brody Murray (175), fourth-place finisher Gavin Connolly (150), Anthony Gutierrez (165), who placed fifth, sixth-place finisher Jayden Colon (144) and Brandon Swartz (215), who finished seventh. Murray (25-7) lost by technical fall in 3:25 in the 175 title match to Ponderosa, CO’s Tyler Eise. 

Turning in the best performance for coach Ryan Cumbee’s runner-up Hilltoppers was Johnson (24-1), who captured a 4-1 decision over Amery, WI’s Koy Hopke in the 285 title match.

Finishing fourth for JCA were Max Cumbee (113) and Max Hrvatin (215) while Luke Foster (106) took fifth, Jason Hampton (120) and Nico Ronchetti (190) placed sixth, Connor Cumbee (150) was seventh, Elias Gonzalez (138) and Max Corral (165) took eighth and Adante Washington (126) and Nolan Vogel (144) finished ninth.

“I’m so proud of our team’s performance as we showed we belong in the discussion of elite programs in the country,” Ryan Cumbee said. “The secret to our success is simple: we are choosing to enjoy the competition and not be so focused on winning and losing. Our records may not be the prettiest, but they are hard earned and we wouldn’t change a thing.”

Leading the way for coach Brad Janecek’s Warren Township Blue Devils was Noble (26-2), who won the 106 title with a 2-1 decision over Simley, MN’s Turner Ross. Aaron Stewart (26-2) took second at 157 after dropping a 6-2 decision to Homestead, WI’s Charlie Millard. Royce Lopez (165) and Justice Humphreys (175) placed seventh and Anthony Soto (215) finished ninth.

The top performer for coach Sam Hiatt’s DeKalb Barbs was Luce (29-2), who won the 165 title with a 3-2 decision over Kasson-Mantorville, MN’s Dominic Mann. Mekhi Cave (144) finished fourth, Lamar Bradley (215) placed sixth and Kaden Klapprodt (113) took ninth.

Coach Jake Oster’s Yorkville Foxes were led by Luke Zook (175) and Ben Alvarez (215), who both took third place. Leading coach Jameson Oster’s Lockport Township Porters were Justin Wardlow (138), who took fourth place and Timothy O’Connor (113), who finished fifth.

Prospect was led by Jaxon Penovich (190), who finished fourth. Barrington’s top performer was Kaleb Pratt (106), who took sixth place. Grant was led by Erik Rodriguez (132), who also placed sixth. And Edwardsville’s top finisher was Bryson Nuttall (106), who finished eighth. 

JCA was first in total match points with 606 while St, Charles East was fourth with 521. St. Charles East led all teams with 32 falls while JCA and Lockport Township tied for sixth with 20.

Munaretto led all competitors with 71 team points, which was one-half point more than Ponderosa, WI’s Tyler Eise had. Davino ranked fourth with 68, Guerra and Johnson tied for sixth with 67 points and Noble tied Hopke and one other for eighth with 66 team points.

Munaretto also collected the most total match points of anyone in the field with 103 while teammate Davino ranked second with 93. Yorkville’s Jack Ferguson tied for third with 91 and teammate Alvarez was tenth with 79 points.

Lockport Township’s Isaac Zimmerman tied Hopke and Southeast Polk’s Holden Hansen for the most falls with five. Alvarez and Penovich tied three for most wins by technical fall with three. 

And the runner-up Hilltoppers had the top two individuals who had the largest seed to place differential with Hrvatin going from 21st to fourth and Gonzalez improving from 24th to eighth.

Title matches at the Cheesehead Invitational involving Illinois athletes

106 – Caleb Noble (Warren Township) D 2-1 Turner Ross (Simley, MN)

113 – Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) F 1:52 Ethan Bast (West Bend West, WI)

132 – Ben Davino (St. Charles East)  D 7-2 Logan Swensen (Wayzata, MN)

138 – Tyler Guerra (St. Charles East)  D 4-1 Miles Anderson (Millard South, NE)

157 – Charlie Millard (Homestead, WI) D 6-2 Aaron Stewart (Warren Township)

165 – Jacob Luce (DeKalb) D 3-2 Dominic Mann (Kasson-Mantorville, MN)

175 – Tyler Eise (Ponderosa, CO) TF 3:25 Brody Murray (St. Charles East)

285 – Dillan Johnson (Joliet Catholic Academy) D 4-1 Koy Hopke (Amery, WI)

Five boys teams compete at The Clash XXI Duals

Hersey, Washington Community, Marian Central Catholic, Glenbard North and Loyola Academy all took part in The Clash XXI Duals, a 32-team competition in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Hersey finished with a 4-2 record. Top performers for the coach Joseph Rupslauk’s Huskies were Danny Lehman (6-0 at 107), Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (6-0 at 133/139), Abdullokh Khakimov (5-1 at 127/133),  Anthony Orozco-Diaz (5-1 at 114), Elijah Garza (3-1 at 121/127), Tim Boldt (4-2 at 160), Anthony Cambria (4-2 at 189) and Jake Hanson (4-2 at 145).

Washington Community also went 4-2, which included a 40-17 win over Marian Central Catholic. Posting the best records for coach Nick Miller’s Panthers were Peyton Cox (6-0 at 145), Zane Hulet (6-0 at 172/189), Josh Hoffer (5-1 at 215), Wyatt Medlin (5-1 at 139), Cael Miller (5-1 at 160/172), Sean Thornton (5-1 at 285), Timmy Smith (4-2 at 133), and Noah Woods (4-2 at 121).

Marian Central Catholic posted a 3-3 record, which included a 38-36 win over Loyola Academy. Top individuals for the Hurricanes, who are co-coached by Ryan Prater and Jordan Blanton, were Jimmy Mastny (6-0 at 160), Max Astacio (5-0 at 172), Vance Williams (5-1 at 139), Anthony Alanis (4-2 at 114/121), Andrew Alvarado (4-2 at 133), Austin Hagevold (4-2 at 107) and Brayden Teunissen (4-2 at 121/127).

Top performers for Glenbard North were Christian Chavez (5-1 at 127/133), Dominick Marre (5-1 at 114/121), Brian Petrancosta (5-1 at 215/285), Rylan Kradle (4-2 at 145/152) and Kalani Khiev (4-2 at 121/127).

Leading the way for Loyola Academy were Kai Calcutt (6-0 at 215), James Hemmila (6-0 at 107), Gavin Pardilla (6-0 at 121), Joey Herbert (5-1 at 285) and Quinn Herbert (5-1 at 189).

Washington Community ranked fourth in team points with 225 while Hersey ranked tenth with 202 and also had the fourth-highest total in match points with 446. 

Loyola Academy’s Kai Calcutt and Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastney tied five others for the most team points with 36 and they also tied several individuals, including Washington Community’s Sean Thornton, for the third-highest number of falls with five. Hersey’s Maksim Mukhamedaliyev tied for the third-most match points with 81.

Three teams participate in Clash Girls Duals II

Minooka, Batavia and Joliet Township all won three or more dual meets in The Clash National Girls Duals II, which featured 13 teams and took place in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Leading the way for coach Paige Schoolman’s 4-2 Minooka Indians, who beat Joliet Township 33-33 on a tiebreaker, were Abbey Boersma (6-0 at 155), Eva Beck (5-1 at 136), Bella Cyrkiel (5-1 at 142/148), Peyton Kueltzo (5-1 at 235), Addison Cailteux (2-1 at 130) and Kailey Jefferson (2-1 at 130).

Top performers for coach Scott Bayer’s 3-3 Batavia Bulldogs, who defeated Joliet Township 38-33, were Sydney Perry (6-0 at 148), Lily Enos (5-0 at 100), Amelia Howell (5-1 at 136), Natalie Lenart (5-1 at 118), Sarah Anderson (4-2 at 155) and Anabelle Guthke (4-2 at 130).

Individuals who had the best records for coach Liz Short’s Joliet Township Steelwomen, who went 3-4, were Eliana Paramo (7-0 at 112), Izabel Barrera (6-1 at 130), Emma Schlismann (6-1 at 106) and Bianca Campos (5-2 at 170).

Minooka led all entrants with the most total match points with 244 while Joliet Township had the third-most team points with 264 and the third-most falls with 38 and Batavia ranked fifth in total match points with 222. 

Joliet Township’s Eliana Paramo tied three others for the most team points with 42 while Batavia’s Sydney Perry, Minooka’s Abbey Boersma and Joliet Township’s Izabel Barrera tied two others for fifth in team points with 36. 

Paramo also tied two others for the most falls with seven while Barrera tied two others for fourth place in pins with six. Batavia’s Lily Enos and Minooka’s  Addison Cailteux were two of the five individuals who got a win by technical fall. Enos also ranked third in match points with 44, which were two more than Perry had to rank fifth in that category.

Belleville West claims third at Old Capital Classic in Indiana

Belleville West had two champions and a second-place finisher to lead it to 208 points and a third-place finish in the Old Capital Classic, a 14-team competition which took place at Corydon Central in Corydon, Indiana, which was the state’s first capital.

Milan, IN outscored Evansville North, IN 259.5-239.5 to claim top honors while one of the two Kentucky teams in the field, Meade County, KY, captured fourth place with 185 points.

Leading the way for coach Bob Dahm’s third-place Maroons were champions Tyson Seibel (126) and Ethan Hofmeister (190) while Rocky Seibel (113) and Aiden Colbert (138) both settled for second place.

Tyson Seibel (18-6) won a 6-3 decision over Bedford North, IN’s Jorj Filler in the 126 title match while Hofmeister (18-4) recorded a fall in 2:38 over Milan, IN’s Carson Betz in the 190 finals.

Rocky Seibel (22-3) injury defaulted to Milan, IN’s Matthew Baylor in the 113 finals while Colbert (20-6) lost a 6-2 decision to Meade County, KY’s Payton Durbin in the 138 title match.

Maroons who took third place were Xander Goodwin (132), Brody O’Donnell (175) and Shamontae Matthews (215) while Alex Ramo (165) and Kenwyn Horne (285) placed fourth and DeMario Walters (106) and Kadin Alexander (150) finished in fifth place.

Evansville North, IN edged Belleville West 243-242 for the most total match points. Tyson Siebel tied for fourth in most team points with 28.5 while Hofmeister tied for ninth with 28 points. Colbert ranked second in total match points with 40 while Rocky Seibel was third with 34.

Civic Memorial takes fifth at Wilkey Invite in Oklahoma

Civic Memorial had a successful trip to the Larry Wilkey Invitational in Jenks, Oklahoma where it placed fifth out of 22 schools representing six states after scoring 165.5 points and capturing three championships in the event. Sand Springs, OK took first place with 208 points.

Coach Jeremy Christeson’s Eagles got titles from Bradley Ruckman (120), Caleb Scott (126) and Bryce Griffin (157) while Kale Hawk (215) and Jake Herrin (285) finished fifth and Avery Jamie (113) and Nathen Herrin (144) both took sixth place.

Ruckman (29-6) captured the title at 120 with a 6-4 win in sudden victory over Sand Springs, OK’s David Ritchey. Scott (21-5) won a 7-0 decision over Salina, OK’s Aaron Blevins in the 126 finals and Griffin (33-2) recorded a fall in 1:15 over Sapulpa, OK’s Blake Hurt for the 157 title. 

Civic Memorial ranked fourth in falls with 23. Griffin tied for fifth in team points with 29 while Scott tied for ninth in team points with 28. Seeds didn’t mean much at some weights since Griffin was seeded 32nd and Ruckman was seeded 30th and both won championships.

Dawson wins title at Lafayette Ross Invite in Missouri

Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson captured another championship and improved to 29-0 after taking top honors at 130 at the the 27-team Lafayette Fred Ross Invite in Wildwood, Missouri.

Dawson, a junior who’s a two-time IHSA medalist who went 34-5 and took third last year at 130 and was second at 125 in the first state finals, won the 130 title with a win by technical fall over St. Clair, MO’s Jossie Hopkins. She led all competitors in the tournament with 38 match points and had the lone win by technical fall. The Kahoks also received third-place finishes from Leann Cory (135) and Hannah Jones (170).

Also competing in the tournament was Alton, which only had three entrants but they all placed in the top four at their weights. Leading the way for the Redbirds was Elanna Hickman (16-6), who took second at 155 after losing by fall in 0:54 to Centralia, MO’s Jayci Shelton. Aryanna Jones (115) finished third while Phuong Tran (145) finished fourth.

IC Catholic Prep at Doc Buchanan in California

Michael Calcagno took fourth place at 218 and Deven Casey finished seventh at 129 to lead the way for IC Catholic Prep in the Doc Buchanan Tournament in Clovis, California, which featured more than 120 teams from throughout the country. With just 10 individuals competing, coach Danny Alcocer’s Knights were able to finish in 17th place with 49 points.

Downers Grove South at Drennan Invite in Tennessee

Downers Grove South took ninth place with 132.5 points at the 49-team Johnny Drennan ’85 Memorial Invitational at Father Ryan in Nashville, Tennessee. Teams from six states took part in the competition. Fenton also participated and scored 37 points.

Top performers for the Mustangs were third-place finishers RJ Samuels (175) and Matt Lapacek (190) while Drew Woolsey (126) took eighth place.

Downers Grove South ranked sixth in both total match points (300) and falls (22). Lapacek tied four others for third place for the most falls with five while Samuels ranked fourth in total match points with 69. 

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Rickover Naval Academy Girls Tournament

With four individual champions and three runners-up, Phoenix Military Academy’s girls edged the tournament host at this year’s 10-team Rickover Girls Tournament on Saturday.

Phoenix topped Rickover by a mere 4.5 team points — 109.5-105 – and the Firebirds have shined in every tournament coach Daniel Curtin has entered them.

“They have placed in the top two as a team in every tournament they have competed in,” Curtin said. “And the best thing is, the whole team is back next year.”

Wheaton Warrenville South (63) finished third, followed by Maine East (54.5) and Lane Tech (50) to round out the top five team finishes. 

1st place: Phoenix Military Academy (109.5)

Diana Lopez (110), Jocelyn Quiroz (130), AJ Grant (145), and America Cabrera (155) were individual champions for Curtin, who also got seconds from Mia Thomas (115), Marisol Castro-Duran (120), and Vianney Becerra (130) and a third from Alexia Ramos (145).

All Grant did was win the award for the tournament’s outstanding wrestler, with a tech fall and two falls on the day.

2nd place: Rickover Naval Academy (105)

Second-place Rickover got individual titles from Mia Vazquez (100), Clara Biela (170) and Jasmine Mejia (235), seconds from Jocelyn Quillay (145), Camila Martinez-Gonzalez (155), and Julia Augelio (190), and thirds from Elizabeth Castrejon (100), Litzy Estrada (110), Rubi Bandera (115), Sheyla Trujillo (135), Natalia Ribeiro (140), and Alicia Moreno (170).

Other individual champions at Rickover were Westinghouse’s Kimani Glasper (105), Wheaton Warrenville South’s Star Duncan (115) and Cheyenne Duncan (135), Lane Tech’s Nyah Lovis (120), De La Salle’s Iliana Heredia (125), Saint Ignatius’ GG Garduna (140), and Maine East’s Angelica Wszolek (190).

Second-placers included De La Salle’s Anapaula Cerna (100), WW South’s Andrea Jaimes-Alvarez (105) and Ana Sanchez (110), Maine East’s Deepjwal Rai (125) and Alena Oshana (140), and Lane Tech’s Zabby Badru (135) and Lily Cohen (170).

Also placing third were Maine East’s Eliana Badeen (105) and Heba Kiloul (120), Marian’s Mya Gray (125), Chicago Academy’s Jocelyn Uriostegui (130), De La Salle’s Ana Perez (155), and Saint Ignatius’ Carina Robtedo (190).

Rickover Girls Tournament championship matches:

100 – Mia Vazquez (Rickover) F 5:25 Anapaula Cerna (De La Salle)

105 – Kimani Glasper (Westinghouse) F 1:00 Andrea Jaimes-Alvarez (WW South)

110 – Diana Lopez-Jimenez (Phoenix) F 3:53 Ana Sanchez (WW South)

115 – Star Duncan (WW South) D 4-0 Mia Thomas (Phoenix)

120 – Nyah Lovis (Lane Tech) D 10-3 Marisol Castro-Duran (Phoenix)

125 – Iliana Heredia (De La Salle) F 3:48 Deepjwal Rai (Maine East)

130 – Jocelyn Quiroz (Phoenix) F 5:55 Vianney Becerra (Phoenix)

135 – Cheyenne Duncan (WW South) F 3:51 Zabby Badru (Lane Tech)

140 – GG Garduna (Saint Ignatius) F 1:20 Alena Oshana (Maine East)

145 – AJ Grant (Phoenix) F 1:59 Jocelyn Quillay (Rickover)

155 – America Cabrera (Phoenix) F 0:57 Camila Martinez-Gonzalez (Rickover)

170 – Clara Biela (Rickover) F 2:55 Lily Cohen (Lane Tech)

190 – Angelica Wszolek (Maine East) D 7-6 Juila Augello (Rickover)

235 – Jasmine Mejia (Rickover) was the lone entrant at 235

Rickover Girls Tournament top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time: 3 in 1:34 by America Cabrerra (Phoenix)

Most team points: 23.5 by AJ Grant (Phoenix)

Most single-match points: 21 by AJ Grant (Phoenix)

Most total match points: 21 by AJ Grant (Phoenix)

Final team scores: 1. Phoenix Military Academy (109.5) 2. Rickover Naval Academy (105) 3. Wheaton Warrenville South (63) 4. Maine East (54) 5. Lane Tech (50) 6. De La Salle (41) 7. Westinghouse (22) 7. Marian (22) 9. Chicago Academy (17) 10. Saint Ignatius (9)

Sarah E. Goode STEM Holiday Tournament

Heading into the final round at this year’s 14-team Knights Invitational, hosted by Chicago’s Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy, Saint Ignatius knew what it needed to make a run at the team title.

Bonus points.

“We were in third place heading into the final round,” Saint Ignatius coach Ben Sanchez said. “Our guys came up with some big wins by fall, including Nate (Sanchez) and Colton (Huff) pinning in the finals.”

The Wolfpack finished with a 170-161.5 edge over second-place Little Village, 

Curie (159) was third, and Crete-Monee (126), and Northridge Prep (111.5) rounded out the top five team finishes.

1st place: Saint Ignatius (170)

The Wolfpack got individual titles by fall from Sanchez (144) and Huff (126), while  Pat Moroney (106) and Luciano Tufano (150) also got falls on the third-place mat to help propel Saint Ignatius Saint Ignatius’ Alex Villanueva (113) also reached the title mat and placed second for a Saint Ignatius team on an upward trajectory. Jim Higgins (120) and JD Giannis (132) finished fourth, while Luca Capuano (138), Grant Ghaly (165), and Melson Ngassa (215) placed fifth.

Capuano, Ghaly, and Ngassa all won by fall on the fifth-place mat, giving the Wolfpack more invaluable bonus points.

“The team is starting to peak at the right time,” Sanchez said. “The coaches and I are expecting big things to come.”

2nd place: Little Village (161.5)

Little Village got individual titles from Jovani Harris (120), Vince Ramirez (138), and Adrian Chavez (285), and a second from Jaiden Santiago (175). Phoenix coach Michael Zagorsky also got a third-place finish from Brian Behena (113), fourths from Isabella Salgado (106) and Edwin Govea (165), fifths from David Behena (126) and Omar Perez (190), and a sixth from Daniel James (215).

3rd place: Curie (159)

Curie got an individual title from Damond Butler (157) and seconds from Efren Portillo (120) and Giovanni Scumaci (138) for coach Yahya Muhammad. The Condors also got thirds from Porfirio Govea (132), Nathaniel Larios (144), Mylan Williams (165) and Israel Fabilia (285), and fourths from Gerardo Cerritos (126), Victor Quiroz (150), and Eduardo Seija (215).

Other individuals winning titles at Goode were AG Science’s Elijah Sawyer (106), Kelly’s Steven Onofre (113), Zion-Benton’s Luis Medina (132) and Francisco Yilmez (190), Sarah Goode’s Xavier Woods (150), Northridge Prep’s Jon Suter (165) and Adam Haddad (175), and CMA Bronzeville’s Sean Brown (215).

Other second-placers included Eisenhower’s Kaleb Johnson (106), CMA Bronzeville’s Justin Soria (126), Jemel O’Brien (150), and Kylan Palmer (190), Kelly’s Adan Bucio (132), Northridge Prep’s George McShane (144), and Crete-Monee’s Jaylen Johnson (157), Malakai Scott (165), Justin Lawton (215), and Vincent Vargas (285).

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time: 4 in 4:58 by CMA Bronzeville’s Sean Brown

Most team points: 30 by CMA Bronzeville’s Sean Brown

Most single-match points: 20 by CMA Bronzeville’s Justin Soria

Most total match points: 50 by Little Village’s Vince Ramirez

Knights Invitational championship matches:

106 – Elijah Sawyer (AG Science) F 3:05 Kaleb Johnson (Eisenhower)

113 – Steven Onofre (Kelly) F 1:08 Alex Villenueva (Saint Ignatius)

120 – Jovani Harris (Little Village) F 2:00 Efren Portillo (Curie)

126 – Colton Huff (Saint Ignatius) F 1:32 Justin Soria (CMA Bronzeville)

132 – Luis Medina (Zion-Benton) bye Adan Bucio (Kelly)

138 – Vince Ramirez (Little Village) TF 2:00 Giovanni Scumaci (Curie)

144 – Nate Sanchez (Saint Ignatius) F George McShane (Northridge Prep)

150 – Xavier Woods (Sarah Goode) F 0:48 Jemel O’Brien (CMA Bronzeville)

157 – Damond Butler (Curie) F 4:00 Jaylen Johnson (Crete-Monee)

165 – Jon Suter (Northridge Prep) D 7-1 Malakai Scott (Crete-Monee)

175 – Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep) F 1:40 Jaiden Santiago (Little Village)

190 – Francisco Yilmez (Zion-Benton) F 1:42 Kylan Palmer (CMA Bronzeville)

215 – Sean Brown (CMA Bronzeville) F 0:45 Justin Lawton (Crete-Monee)

285 – Adrian Chavez (Little Village) fft. Vincent Vargas (Crete-Monee)

Third-place matches:

106 – Pat Moroney (Saint Ignatius) F 3:26 Isabella Salgado (Little Village)

113 – Brian Behena (Little Village) F 1:03 KeAndre Beal Jr. (Sarah Goode)

120 – Roberto Vitela (Kelly) TF 2:00 Jim Higgins (Saint Ignatius)

126 – Joe Pardilla (Northridge Prep) D 5-1 Gerardo Cerritos (Curie)

132 – Porfirio Govea (Curie) F 1:17 JD Giannis (Saint Ignatius)

138 – Isiah Diaz (Sarah Good) F 2:00 Leovardo Juarez (Kelly)

144 – Nathaniel Larios (Curie) F Alexis Zacarias (Sarah Goode)

150 – Luciano Tufano (Saint Ignatius) F 1:15 Victor Quiroz (Curie)

157 – Sebastian Cuadros (Saint Ignatius) F 2:00 Gael Suarez (Kelly)

165 – Mylan Williams (Curie) F 3:58 Edwin Govea (Little Village)

175 – Kijuan Springfield (Crete-Monee) F 0:59 Juan Leyva-Garcia (Kelly)

190 – Isaac Lovett (Crete-Monee) F 1:38 Mason Wagner (Northridge Prep)

215 – Thomas Davis (Sarah Goode) F 1:03 Eduardo Seija (Curie)

285 – Israel Fabila (Curie) fft. Oscar Robles (Sarah Goode)

Final team scores: 1. Saint Ignatius (170) 2. Little Village (161.5) 3. Curie (159) 4. Crete-Monee (126) 5. Northridge Prep (111.5) 6. Kelly (99.5) 7. Sarah Goode (98) 8. CMA Bronzeville (97) 9. Zion-Benton (88) 10. Westinghouse (47) 11. Eisenhower (38.5) 12. Chicago AG Science (37) 13. Ridgewood (18) 14. Thornwood (0)

Englewood STEM Holiday Tournament

The nine-team tournament saw Corliss edge King, 98-95, with Bowen finishing right behind in third place with 90 points.

Chicago Vocational (77), South Shore (76.5), Tilden (44.5), Julian (43), Phillips (41), and Englewood STEM (14) rounded out Saturday’s team finishes.

Corliss coach Stacy Douglas enjoyed having his team compete in the inaugural tournament at Englewood, and 

“It was a great atmosphere,” Douglas said. “We were short-handed and we also had four first-year wrestlers in the tournament. We had a little help along the way to the championship, winning it by (2.5 points). So we also had a little luck on our side but we’ll take it.”

1st place: Corliss (98)

The Trojans got individual titles from Deangelo Willis (144) and Grant Smith (165), seconds from Malachi McClure (120), Derrick Nash (150), Laquarius Moore (165), and Branden McGill (175), and a fourth from Christopher Russell (190).

2nd place: King (95)

Second-place King got individual championships for coach Anthony Burton from Jacob Jackson (150) and Calvin Savage (190), a second from Moses Pittman (132), and thirds from Jyiel Morris (138), Zahir Mbengue (144), Paul Norman (175), and Devin Fields (285).

3rd place: Bowen (90)

Third-place Bowen led the field with three individual champions in Jaylen Hood (120), Jermainen Reed (132), and Jamies Simmons (175), and coach William Burton got a second from Steven Prince (285) and a third-place finish from Cory Addison (215).

Other champions at Englewood included Tilden’s Luis Fernandez (126) and Tyler Saylor (157), South Shore’s Dakhari Esters (138) and Chris Simmons (215), and Julian’s Don Adams (285)

Other wrestlers placing second were Phillips’ Ahmed Mufsa (126) and Kelvin Moore (138), Julian’s Chad Anderson (144) and Isaac Wofford (157), and Vocational’s Chad Harrison (190) and Marcus Dorsey (215).

Also placing third were Phillips’ Andrew Price (120), South Shore’s Zebadiah Winford (126) and Reginald Craig (190), Tilden’s Pedro Ramirez (132), Englewood’s R’mani Thomas (157), and Vocational’s Shadom Richardson (165).

Fourth-placers at Englewood included South Shore’s Jakryi Mitchell (120), Dairrion Hamilton (165) and Justen Norris (215), Phillips’ Lorne Brooks (144), and Vocational’s Jonathan McDonald (157), Devon Garland (175) and Patrick Walker (285).

Julian’s Don Adams scored the most team points in the tournament with 24, Corliss’ Grant Smith scored the most single-match points with 29, and South Shore’s Dakhari Esters finished with the most total match points with 32.

Englewood STEM Holiday Tournament championship match results:

(No wresters were entered at 106 or 113)

120 – Jaylen Hood (Bowen) F Malachi McClure (Corliss)

126 – Luis Fernandez (Tilden) D 4-3 Ahmed Mufsa (Phillips)

132 – Jermainen Reed (Bowen) F Moses Pittman (King)

138 – Dakhari Esters (South Shore) MD 15-5 Kelvin Moore (Phillips)

144 – Deangelo Willis (Corliss) F Chad Anderson (Julian)

150 – Jacob Jackson (King) F Derrick Nash (Corliss)

157 – Tyler Saylor (Tilden) MD 13-4 Isaac Wofford (Julian)

165 – Grant Smith (Corliss) MD 29-18 Shadom Richardson (Vocational)

175 – James Simmons (Bowen) F Branden McGill (Corliss)

190 – Calvin Savage (King) TF 5:00 Chad Harrison (Vocational)

215 – Chris Simmons (South Shore) MD 10-2 Marcus Dorsey (Vocational)

285 – Don Adams (Julian) F Steven Prince (Bowen)

By Chris Walker – for the IWCOA

Brother Rice wasn’t anywhere near 100 percent when it traveled to Geneva on Saturday for the annual Newbill Invitational, but it didn’t matter.

While the Crusaders were without Pat Gilhooly, Mac Murzyn as well as Bobby Conway, who won the Class 2A state championship at 126 last season, they were still stronger than any of the remaining 18 schools that competed, returning home to Chicago with a new trophy.

Brother Rice (197.5) finished comfortably ahead of a logjam for second place between West Aurora (156), Lane Tech (155) and Glenbard East (152).

The host Vikings (118.5) were fifth and followed by Glenbrook North (115.5), Joliet Central (113), Wheaton Warrenville South (109), Dundee-Crown (107) and Wheaton Academy (83.5) to round out the top 10 teams among the 19-team field.

“It really was a good tournament,” Brother Rice coach Jan Muzyn said. “We actually changed some things with how we practice this season and we’re doing a lot more drilling and a lot less live wrestling.”

Whatever the Crusaders are doing behind the scenes, it’s making a difference on the main stage in front of real competition and fans. Jack O’Connor (144), Gabino Perez (165) and James Crane (190) all won titles for the Crusaders, who qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals for the first time in 2023.

“I think we’re in a pretty good spot,” Perez said. “No one knows who we really are. We are coming in as a new team. No one knows the skills that we’ve got.”

Those who were at Geneva on Saturday certainly know about Brother Rice’s depth of talent.

“We love being the underdogs,” O’Connor said. “No one knows who we are. We have a lot of freshmen on the team so we’re young and we’ll be in this position for years to come.”

Oliver Davis (138) and Dan Costello (175) advanced to the finals but fell short while James Bennett (132) rebounded to place third for the Crusaders.

“I had a tough loss in the semifinals,” Bennett said. “We’re getting better. My sophomore year we qualified for state for the first time so we’re just getting better every year and I think we’re up and coming.”

Logan Conners (120) and Frank Micelli (150) each placed fourth while Charley Stec (215) finished strong with a win in his fifth-place match and Johnathon Harris (126) took sixth as Brother Rice had 10 wrestlers finish in sixth place or better. Dan Tait (113), Marty Flynn (157) and Brooks Braleel (285) also contributed to the cause for the champion Crusaders. 

“We were down three horses but haven’t had this depth before,” Murzyn said. “The kids keep getting better and better and better. We had three kids who were losing going into the third period and came back to win the match.”

Coach Matthew Yan’s third-place Lane Tech Champions had four champions, Alex Valentin (113), Robert James Zavala (126), Nasser Hammouche (138) and Fernando Lopez (150).

Coach Andrew Plata’s second-place West Aurora Blackhawks had two first-place finishers,  Evan Matkovich (132) and Dayne Serio (157) while Noah Quintana (150) took second.

And coach Donald Pool’s fourth-place Glenbard East Rams also had two title winners, Waleed Binmahfooz (106) and Ismael Chaidez (120) while Cooper Conliss (285) placed second.

The other three Newbill champions were Wheaton Warrenville South’s Sedeeq Al Obaidi (175), Geneva’s Joe Pettit (215) and Glenbrook North’s Cray Paich (285).

Joliet Central had three second-place finishers, Liam Walsh (113), Isaiah Kan (120) and Charles Walker (215). Addison Trail also had three individuals who placed second, Damian Valdez (126), Martin Duarte (157) and Elmer Olascoaga (190).

Others who finished in second place were Geneva’s Sammy Sikorsky (106) and Andrew Wendt (132), Plainfield Central’s Matthias Hautzinger (144) and Glenbrook North’s Shane Onixt (165).

Some of the closest title matches included Pettit edging Walker 4-3 at 215, Zavala beating Valdez 11-8 at 126, Paich capturing a 6-3 decision over Conliss at 285, Crane prevailing over Olascoaga 4-0 at 190, O’Connor winning 6-1 over Hautzinger at 144 and Lopez claiming a 7-2 decision over Quintana at 150.

Finalists with the best records following the Newbill Invite include Al Obaidi (27-1, .964), Lopez (12-1, .923), Zavala (28-3, .903), Valentin (26-3, .897), Walker (25-3, .893), Chaidez (24-3, .889), Serio (24-3, .889), Perez (19-3, .864), Onixt (19-3, .864), Paich (12-3, .857), Olascoaga (14-3, .824), Binmahfooz (23-5, .821), Quintana (17-4, .810), Davis (19-5, .792), Duarte (19-5, .792), Costello (18-5, .783), Hautzinger (14-4, .778), Hammouche (26-8, .765), O’Connor (19-6, .760), Valdez (19-6, .760), Crane (18-6, .750) and Sikorsky (24-8, .750).

Matkovich, Serio and Valentin tied for the most team points with 29.5 while Al Obaidi, Binmahfooz and Chaidez tied for fourth with 29 points, Hammouche was right behind them with 28.5 points and Lopez, Paich and Perez tied for eighth with 28 team points. Joliet Central’s 

Jorge Robles had the most match points with 59 while Bennett ranked second with 47 points. Stillman Valley’s Henry Hildreth was the only individual in the invite to collect four falls.

In the team categories, Brother Rice had the most total match points with 144 while West Aurora was second with 138 and Joliet Central ranked third with 132 points. Brother Rice and Dundee-Crown tied for the most falls with 18 while West Aurora was third with 17 pins.

The Newbill Invitational is named in honor of Jim Newbill, who had a 35-year teaching and coaching career in wrestling and baseball at Geneva and Oswego and was Geneva’s athletic director for 10 years.

Here’s a look at the champions and weight classes at the 2024 Newbill Invitational:

106 – Waleed Binmahfooz, Glenbard East

Winning tournaments like the Newbill is something Waleed Binmahfooz could have only dreamed about a few years ago. Now a senior at Glenbard East, he expects to compete for titles. He’s certainly come a long way since he first was introduced to the mats as a freshman.

Binmahfooz (23-5) won the title at 106 with a fall in 4:28 over Geneva junior Sammy Sikorsky (24-8). He opened with a quick pin before capturing a 9-1 major decision over Lane Tech’s Evan Coles in the semifinals to become one of three Rams who advanced to the title mat.

“That freshman kid knew nothing and now how much I know is wild, especially when you see other kids you wrestled over the years who were tougher competition and now you’ve become more competitive,” Binmahfooz said. “It’s nice to be up there on that podium now. I can actually do some things that I wasn’t able to do before. I’ve gotten a lot better. I’ve made huge strides.”

Last year in the Newbill, Binmahfooz placed fourth at 113, but 106 is where he’s at his best.

“It’s my senior year and if I want to perform my best, especially at the state series, I go 106,” he said. “I can go 113 for conference and other matches for the team.”

After not doing much his freshman season due to the pandemic, Binmahfooz filled a spot on varsity right away as a sophomore.

“They threw me on varsity because they bumped the 106 to 113 and he pushed me like crazy,” he said. “I learned a lot and ever since then I’ve always practiced with older, more experienced, heavier wrestlers. Iron sharpens iron. The older, more experienced (wrestlers) have taught me a lot about the culture, the school and wrestling itself. I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now without having those older, more experienced and stronger (teammates) pushing me.”

“I just went out there and I knew the kid would be tough because he had just won by tech fall against the kid he wrestled before me,” Binmahfooz said. “I just went out there and tried my best. I had it in me to win it because I’ve been practicing real hard this year working stuff. My offense has been great so I thought I’d go out and try to pin him.”

Following the trend of Binmahfooz’s win by fall, senior Coles (18-10) won with a pin over Stillman Valley junior Michael Pannarale (18-6) for third place while Dundee-Crown sophomore Aiden Healey (16-12) won by fall over Wheaton Academy freshman Buckley Kazmierczak on the fifth-place mat.

113 – Alex Valentin, Lane Tech

Some guys get it quicker than others, but few have gotten it as quickly as Alex Valentin.

In just his third season wrestling, Lane Tech junior Valentin claimed the 113 title after accumulating point after point in a win by technical fall in 2:42 over Joliet Central junior Liam Walsh.

“I took him down early in the first period but I couldn’t really pin him so I started racking up points and it was like 10-0 after one period,” Valentin said. “At the end of the day I’m 26-3. It’s another tournament. I’m still proud that I won first. As for me, I know I’m happy and I’ve got to celebrate the win but also I’ve got to look forward to the next match and what I’m going to do.”

Glenbrook North senior Ayaan Rizwaan (16-4) won an 11-3 major decision over Plainfield Central sophomore Jayden Mizelle (11-3) to capture third place. Stillman Valley senior Mack Jones (21-3) won an 11-3 major decision over Geneva junior Drew Hosman for fifth place.

120 – Ismael Chaidez, Glenbard East

In his debut as a freshman at last year’s Newbill, Glenbard East’s Ismael Chaidez placed third at 120. This year, he is the champ at 120 after winning by fall in 2:44 over Joliet Central junior Isaiah Kan to improve to 24-3.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a competitor ever since the offseason,” Chaidez said. “I switched my focus so it wasn’t just about wins anymore.”

Rather, he’s focusing on the skills that make him such a tough opponent. Take, for example, what he did to beat Kan (17-12).

“Right out of the game he started with strong pressure,” he said. “I’m used to strong collar ties and I usually take a strong sweep. He was leading with his legs and I took a sweep.”

Chaidez was blessed to work with Jacobi Moore in the room last year, but Moore has since graduated. Still, that experience has stayed with Chaidez.

“I feel like I lost one of our senior wrestlers (Moore) who was somebody I practiced with a lot,” he said. “Wrestling with others I’ve come to realize how much different people are. You’ve got to open them up. Jacobi always said to be loose and don’t be tight and it’s something I’ve got to learn, it’s the way he was seeing from his perspective.”

On the third-place mat, Dundee-Crown junior Christian Gerardo (13-13) won by fall over Brother Rice sophomore Logan Conners (10-10). In the battle for fifth place, West Aurora junior Joseph Hiocochea earned a 7-3 decision against Lane Tech sophomore Angel Santana.

126 – Robert James Zavala, Lane Tech

Lane Tech’s Robert James Zavala won a battle between seniors for the 126 title, capturing an 11-8 decision over Addison Trail’s Damian Valdez.

Zavala, who improved to 28-3, followed a quick fall with a 9-1 major decision over Dundee-Crown junior Chris Gerardo in the semifinals to become one of the Champions’ four finalists and all four would ultimately be Newbill champions.

On the third-place mat, West Aurora senior Aiden Massaro (20-8) scored a 9-1 major decision over Gerardo (23-8) while Wheaton Academy sophomore Lincoln Hoger (22-5), a Class 1A state qualifier last season, edged Brother Rice freshman Johnathon Harris (16-5) by a 3-2 score for fifth place.

132 – Evan Matkovich, West Aurora

It feels good to stand on the podium. West Aurora sophomore Evan Matkovich found himself up there for the first time this season after his victory by technical fall in 3:30 over Geneva junior Andrew Wendt for the 132 title.

“I hadn’t made it to a championship and this was my first time being on the podium this year so it feels pretty good,” Matkovich said. “I just think it was more like persistence, trying to work my turns faster and moving, transitioning onto the next thing over and over that made the difference.”

Matkovich (21-8) just kept piling on the points on Wendt.

“I think it was more of a matter how it came to be,” he said. “And not the kid I faced.”

Brother Rice senior James Bennett (19-6) bounced back from a loss to Matkovich to defeat Glenbard East junior Shane Salerno (15-8) with a 14-3 major decision for third place while Dundee-Crown senior Vinnie Velazquez (17-12) won by fall in 4:36 against Alton sophomore Donovin Moore for fifth place.

138 – Nasser Hammouche, Lane Tech

Lane Tech junior Nasser Hammouche finished his run through the 138 bracket with a win by fall in 5:59 over Brother Rice sophomore Oliver Davis in the title match.

Hammouche (26-8), who was one of four title winners for coach Matthew Yan’s Champions, opened with a fall, got a win by technical fall in the quarterfinals and won a 9-0 major decision over Wheaton Academy senior Will Hupke in the semifinals.

Wheaton Warrenville South senior Cooper Hollis won a 7-6 decision over Hupke (20-4) for third place while Joliet Central senior Jorge Robles (17-10) earned an 8-3 decision over West Aurora senior Adrian Ortiz on the fifth-place mat.

144 – Jack O’Connor, Brother Rice

Brother Rice junior Jack O’Connor improved to 19-6 after winning a 6-1 decision over Plainfield Central junior Matthias Hautzinger to win the 144 title.

“I was just focusing on getting to my moves, my underhooks,” O’Connor said. “I was staying defensive while being offensive and just working through my stuff.”

In a match pairing two sophomores, Alton’s Brayden Drew (18-8) earned a 3-0 win over Wheaton Academy’s Tyler Jones (21-9) for third. In a matchup of juniors on the fifth-place mat, Stillman Valley’s Henry Hildreth (11-5) won by fall over Joliet Central’s Tremaine Cooper (17-11).

150 – Fernando Lopez, Lane Tech

Lane Tech’s Fernando Lopez dropped a 9-7 decision a year ago at the Newbill in the 152 finals to Stillman Valley’s Jack Seacrist. This year, he also went the distance, but came out on top, defeating West Aurora’s Noah Quintana (17-4) by a 7-2 decision in a battle of seniors at 150.

Lopez (12-1), who was one of Lane Tech’s four champions, won his other two matches by fall, including in 2:15 over Brother Rice freshman Frank Micelli in the semifinals.

Wheaton Academy junior Chasen Kazmierczak (21-4) won a 4-2 decision over Micelli (19-6) for third place and Glenbrook North junior Ilan Ruderman (21-9) won a 7-4 decision over Plainfield Central junior Jack Bowen (18-10).

157 – Dayne Serio, West Aurora

Don’t let Dayne Serio get on top.

“Once I get on top, it’s like my dads says, it’s pretty much over,” Serio said.

Serio,  a West Aurora sophomore, got on top of Addison Trail senior Martin Duarte (19-5) often enough and turned it into a win by technical fall for the 157 title.

“I’m just really persistent with this top work and all these turns,” Serio said. “I’ve just been working on top the whole time. I think only one person scored on me this whole tournament and it was on one reversal. I’m 25-3 right now so I’ve been doing pretty good this year.”

Wrestling for the first time in over three weeks, Geneva’s Peyton Marzen won by fall against Glenbrook North sophomore Henry Hafner (18-11) to take third place. A similar result happened on the fifth-place mat as Wheaton Academy senior Deonta Giles (16-12) won by fall against Lake Zurich sophomore Filip Kawalec.

165 – Gabino Perez, Brother Rice

With nearly 40 wins and just five losses between them, the 165-pound title match paired a couple of juniors who aren’t used to losing often this season.

Brother Rice’s Gabino Perez improved to 19-3 after winning by fall in 4:29 over Glenbrook North’s Shane Onixt, who dropped to 19-3.

“It was pretty straightforward going into it,” said Perez, who placed fourth at 195 in the 2023 IHSA Class 2A Finals. “I was just thinking straight, what could I set up and what I could do with the next takedown.”

In a third-place battle pairing two seniors, Dundee-Crown’s Jose Gavina (21-7) and Oak Lawn’s Isaac Barba (20-8), Gavina earned a 6-1 decision. In the fifth-place match, which also featured two seniors, Wheaton Warrenville South’s Corey Gul (18-12) scored an 8-0 major decision over Stillman Valley’s Braden Rogers.

175 – Sedeeq Al Obaidi, Wheaton Warrenville South

Wheaton Warrenville South’s Sedeeq Al Obaidi added to title wins at Niles West and his own Ed Ewoldt Invitational with another championship as the senior who recently celebrated his 100th victory improved to 27-1 after winning by technical fall in 3:40 over Brother Rice freshman Dan Costello (18-5) in the 175 finals.

Al Obaidi, who went 38-7 last season and fell one win shy of getting a medal at the IHSA Class 3A Finals, opened with a fall and then won by technical fall over Lake Zurich junior Maciej Szelazek in the semifinals to become the only Tiger to reach the title mat.

On the third-place mat, Glenbrook North senior Kieran O’Sullivan (22-6) earned a 7-2 decision over Szelazek while in the fifth-place match, Glenbard East sophomore Orlando Hoye won by fall over Joliet Central junior Amilio Gonzalez (18-13).

190 – James Crane, Brother Rice

James Crane was the third Brother Rice wrestler to win a title at the Newbill, winning a 4-0 decision over Addison Trail senior Elmer Olascoaga (14-3) in the finals at 190.

Crane, a junior who improved to 18-6, recorded a fall in 2:58 over Glenbard East senior Blake Salvino (21-8) in the semifinals after capturing a 5-0 decision over Shepard junior Yazen Ashkar (19-6) in the quarterfinals.

Senior Elvis Muja (18-6) joined Wheaton Warrenville South teammate Cooper Hollis (138) with a third-place finish after receiving a forfeit win over Salvino. And Ashkar prevailed by an 8-4 decision over Stillman Valley junior Brock Needs on the fifth-place mat.

215 – Joe Pettit, Geneva

A year ago, Pettit was in the same situation that he was on Saturday as he advanced to the Jim Newbill finals at 220. Last year he fell to Dundee-Crown’s Teigen Moreno but this year, he upset Joliet Central’s Charles Walker by a 4-3 decision for the 215 championship.

No doubt, Pettit was ready to battle Walker in a matchup of returning Class 3A state qualifiers. Pettit was 32-17 last season while Walker (25-3) went 37-14 a year ago and fell one win shy of a medal at 220 at the IHSA Finals.

“I knew he was tough just based off of rankings and whatever,” Pettit said. “But I knew that didn’t matter. I knew I could wear him down. I kind of knew if I was going to win, it was going to be in the third period so I kind of wore him out and then took my shot when I had it and reversed him and ended up on top.”

As a captain who also plays rugby and was an all-conference selection this past fall on the football field, Pettit is undeniably a leader who inspires his teammates.

“He loves to compete and he hates losing,” Geneva coach Tom Chernich said. “He’s just a hard worker and an easy kid to coach, an easy kid to root for. I was probably a little too excited in the finals match, but you’ve got to have some fun.”

Pettit was voted in as this year’s tournament’s Most Valuable Wrestler.

“He’s (Pettit) the MVP right there,” Geneva 157-pounder Peyton Marzen said. “And if I had to pick a most hard-working guy that would be him. He’s going to rugby practice right now after winning a tournament. He’s crazy, but that’s just how he is.”

On the third-place mat, Plainfield Central junior Anthony Minnito (21-3) earned a 5-2 decision against Glenbard East senior Gus Winkler (16-11). And Brother Rice junior Charley Stec (12-7) won by fall over Wheaton Warrenville South junior Mason Monte (16-13) for fifth place.

285 – Cray Paich, Glenbrook North

Cray Paich had a tough season on the JV squad a year ago. But on Saturday, he was a Newbill champion on the varsity team as the Glenbrook North senior improved to 12-2 after persevering to defeat Glenbard East junior Cooper Conliss by a 6-3 decision in the 285 title match.

“It definitely wasn’t my prettiest match, but I’m glad I ended up on top,” Paich said. “This was a nice tournament. I’d heard a few things about guys from different schools here and there that there would be some really good wrestlers and very good competition. The people were right. It was nerve-racking, but at the end of the day the only thing I can control is how I wrestle and not who I’m going against.”

This time of the year with the school break and the holidays can be especially challenging for athletes. For Paich, it was an opportunity to get better.

“My coach has taught me a lot these past few days and especially over break so I’ve had a lot to learn and improve on,” he said. “I’m just kind of getting over that mental barrier that I had before. My coach just really helped me push through today.”

Stillman Valley senior Blake Mollet (16-7) edged West Aurora senior Noah Chacon (14-10) 7-6 for third place while Wheaton Warrenville South junior Ashton Kibbe (19-9) won by fall against Shepard senior Javier Cano (16-8) for fifth place

Championship matches at Geneva’s Newbill Invitational

106 – Waleed Binmahfooz (Glenbard East) F 4:28 Sammy Sikorsky (Geneva)
113 – Alex Valentin (Lane Tech) TF 2:42 Liam Walsh (Joliet Central)
120 – Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard East) F 2:44 Isaiah Kan (Joliet Central)
126 – Robert James Zavala (Lane Tech) D 11-8 Damian Valdez (Addison Trail)
132 – Evan Matkovich (West Aurora) TF 3:30 Andrew Wendt (Geneva)
138 – Nasser Hammouche (Lane Tech) F 5:59 Oliver Davis (Brother Rice)
144 – Jack O’Connor (Brother Rice) D 6-1 Matthias Hautzinger (Plainfield Central)
150 – Fernando Lopez (Lane Tech) D 7-2 Noah Quintana (West Aurora)
157 – Dayne Serio (West Aurora) TF Martin Duarte (Addison Trail)
165 – Gabino Perez (Brother Rice) F 4:29 Shane Onixt (Glenbrook North)
175 – Sedeeq Al Obaidi (Wheaton Warrenville South) TF 3:40 Dan Costello (Brother Rice)
190 – James Crane (Brother Rice) D 4-0 Elmer Olascoaga (Addison Trail)
215 – Joe Pettit (Geneva) D 4-3 Charles Walker (Joliet Central)
285 – Cray Paich (Glenbrook North) D 6-3 Cooper Conliss (Glenbard East)

Team scoring at Geneva’s Newbill Invitational

1. Brother Rice 197.5, 2. West Aurora 156, 3. Lane Tech 155, 4. Glenbard East 152, 5. Geneva 118.5, 6. Glenbrook North 115.5, 7. Joliet Central 113, 8. Wheaton Warrenville South 109, 9. Dundee-Crown 107, 10. Wheaton Academy 83.5, 11. Stillman Valley 82, 12. Addison Trail 80.5, 13. Plainfield Central 74, 14. Alton 44.5, 15. Shepard 35, 16. Lake Zurich 32, 17. Oak Lawn 28, 18. Metea Valley 6, 19. Boylan Catholic 3.

By Bobby Narang for the IWCOA

FRANKLIN PARK – Stevenson wanted to savor its achievement on Saturday afternoon.
The Patriots squeezed out an impressive victory in the 14-team 2024 Randy Conrad Invite held at East Leyden High Sch 
Well after the meet had ended – with nearly every wrestler gone and the gym nearly empty – the Patriots were in deep discussion at the opposite end of the gymnasium, away from the entrance and the main scoring table.
Stevenson wrestling coach Shane Cook had his team in a tight circle, letting his wrestlers hear all the positives from their performance.
The Patriots pulled away late in the event with several outstanding performances, finishing in first place with 208 points to nudge past Notre Dame (198). De La Salle placed third with 131.5 points, Conant snared fourth place with 120 points, and Harlem ended in fifth with 112 points.
“We have a lot of guys who are putting it together at the right time,” Cook said. “Notre Dame is a strong Class 2A team. We knew we were going to be challenged by them all day long. Going into the final round, it was back and forth. The difference, and we always preach to our guys, is to be hungry for bonus points. In the final round, we had eight pins. That’s plus-16 points, so when you end up winning by 10 points, those pins really matter. I’m excited for the guys being aggressive and going after those bonus points.”
Host Leyden took sixth with 99 points, Harvard finished seventh with 86.5 points, Richards tallied 71.5 points for eighth, while Maine East (65.5) and Burlington Central (63.5) took ninth and 10^th, respectively.
Stevenson has won the invite for three straight seasons, and also captured the team title in 2019 and 2020. 
The Patriots got individual titles Saturday from Marcelo Cantu (126), Andrew Chamkin (138) and Val Vihrov (144), and a second-place finish from Mikey Polyakov (120) among their finalists.
Stevenson also went 5-for-6 on the third-place mat, getting third-place finishes from Evan Mishels (106), Ayush Bajaj (113), Tyler Reiff (150), Erick Wade (157), and Anthony Adams (215). Themba Sitshela (165) placed fourth, Andrew Timmons (285) was fifth, and Richie Gueorguiev (190) placed sixth.
“Every year we’re blessed to have kids come to our program and work hard and commit their lives to this,” Cook said. “We have a lot of guys in this group that are looking to put things together in the last month for the state tournament series and try and achieve their goals.”
Second-place Notre Dame was led by individual champions John Sheehy (113), Jim Amatore (190) and Scott Cook (285), and second-placers Ray Long (106), Tim Bridges (144), Sean Adams (175), and Jack Malenock (215).
Also winning individual titles at Leyden were De La Salle’s Jeremiah Lawrence (106) and Josue Hernandez (175), Conant’s Luis Flores (120) and Tanner Cosgrove (157), Burlington Central’s Doug Phillips (132), Harvard’s Daniel Rosas (150), and Highland Park’s Dmitry Derbedyenyev (165).

Rendy Conrad Invite champions:

106 – Jeremiah Lawrence, De La Salle
Sporting a 10-1 record after notching an 11-5 decision over Notre Dame’s Ray Long in the 106 title match, De La Salle’s Jeremiah Lawrence doesn’t want to rest on his laurels.
“Winning that (finals) match I just had to push the pace and not let him breathe and get to my attacks and control the match,” Lawrence said. “I’ve only lost one match so far. I feel like my season is doing really good. I can do better. I’m one win away from being undefeated.”
Stevenson’s Evan Mishels earned a first-period pin over Highland Park’s Alex Gudgeon at third-place, with Burlington Central’s Jackson Marlett notching fifth by major decision over Harlem’s Nathan Corder.

 113 – John Sheehy, Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s John Sheehy had motivation on his side to help push him throughout Saturday’s invite. The junior improved his record to a stellar 25-5 by ending his day with a 19-8 major-decision win over Harlem’s Justin Lewis.
“I feel I wrestled well,” Sheehy said. “I did a good job of opening up my matches and getting to my offense. I was mentally prepared all week for the tournament, especially after our team lost to St. Patrick in our dual the day before this tournament. Everyone on the team had a fire under them.”
Sheehy had his sights set on a trip to the state tournament in Champaign. His season is filled with a number of quality wins, but he’s thinking big.
“I’m seeing all my hard work pay off,” he said. “Throughout this year, my coaches have always made sure I’m always challenging myself by going to difficult tournaments and duals against the best guys. Even though I have five losses and have a strong schedule ahead of me with the Illini Classic next week, I can still see myself winning out the rest of the season. My most difficult matches have been at 120, which is where the majority of my losses occurred at since I’m a 113-pounder.
“One of the toughest matches for me (this season) was against Teddy Flores from Maine South due to only the fact that he’s a great wrestler but I also bumped up a weight in hopes of beating him.”
Stevenson’s Ayush Bajaj cracked a smile following his pin of Conant’s Mike Goolish in the third-place match. Harvard’s Reymundo Romo finished in fifth with a fall against De La Salle’s Vincent Arvetis.

 120 – Luis Flores, Conant
Conant’s Luis Flores kept his words short and to the point following his 7-4 decision over Stevenson’s Mikey Polyakov in the finals.
“Technique from my coaches and doing what they taught me helped me today,” Flores said. “I came here thinking I was going to win. That’s how it has to be. I just kept pressing. I was happy how I did to get eighth at Dvorak. That’s motivating me. I have to just keep working hard.”
Notre Dame’s John Greifelt defeated De La Salle’s Anthony Trendle for the third-place medal with a 7-4 decision, and Vernon Hills sophomore Sabir Aliev closed out his day with a fifth-place showing, winning by fall over Harlem’s Jaydee Doke.

 126 – Marcelo Cantu, Stevenson
Stevenson sophomore Marcelo Cantu is starting to reap the benefits of having a tough mentality. Cantu said he missed a month of the season due to a skin disease, leading to several long days filled with frustration.
“I had some rough battles early in the season with a rare skin disease,” Cantu said. “I didn’t let it stop me, so I just kept going. I just came back recently. I feel good. At the time, I was really re-motivated. I would see all my friends wrestling and I would get really mad because I wanted to wrestle. It’s my main thing. I was out for about a month.”
Cantu took out his frustration on his opponents in Saturday’s invite. He pinned his first two opponents and closed out his perfect day with a 10-5 decision over Conant’s Caden Spizzirri.
“I think it was just taking shots,” Cantu said of the key to his wins. “I think the best thing for me in the finals was using a throw-by. That worked a lot for me in this tournament. One key thing I could work on is my conditioning. I think my conditioning was a little off today. Other than that, everything was good. My coaches helped me a lot. I want to make it downstate. I have to increase my conditioning and have a better mentality.”
Harlem’s Mario Mendez placed third by fall over Notre Dame’s James Frugoli and Maine East’s John Moor pinned Leyden’s Derrick Miranda for fifth.

 132 – Doug Phillips, Burlington Central
After back-to-back left knee injuries in his first two seasons, Doug Phillips is aiming high for his senior season. Phillips said it’s been a mental battle for him this season, but he’s headed in the right direction.
“I’ve been playing a lot of mind games with myself since the beginning of the season,” Phillips said. “It’s because of the past. I had two blown out knees and wasn’t good enough. But I feel amazing right now and have a lot of fight.”
Phillips showed off that fight with an impressive 16-0 tech fall win over Harlem’s Izayah Olejniczak in the finals. Phillips (26-4) said he’s ready for a state run.
“It’s my senior year and anything can happen, just like my last match,” Phillips said. “I didn’t think I would come into the championship and tech him and not let him score any points.
“It’s more mental for me. Sometimes physically it hurts. You just have to tell your mind not to listen to it, from every situation and battle, you have to keep wrestling. It’s definitely nice to get this (title). It will give me some momentum coming into the state series. I’m going to keep pushing hard.”
The rest of the bracket included a third-place finish for De la Salle’s Mario Perez, after his fall over Lakes’ Dominick Lostroscio, and a fifth for Conant’s Matt Goolish by fall over Highland Park’s Drew Scheitenger.

 138 – Andrew Chamkin, Stevenson
Wrestling in his third weight class of his career, Andrew Chamkin is looking to have some fun in his senior year. He wrestled at 106 pounds in his first two season, then went up to 126 last season before moving to 138 this year.
Victories and titles, for Chamkin, are the fun part.
He had a lot of fun on Saturday, pinning all three of his opponents to earn the 138-pound title. He pinned Leyden’s Rusty Klug in the second period to end his productive day.
“138 is pretty tough,” Chamkin said. “In this tournament, it was good to see where I’m at so far. I’ve wrestled in some tough tournaments. I stayed calm and didn’t overthink the matches. My finals match was pretty tough. It’s been a fun season. I’m enjoying it. It’s my senior year, so I’m giving it my all.”
Rounding out the top-five of bracket included a third-place for Harlem’s Owen Recoy after his major decision against Richards’ Leo Flores, and Harlem’s Ethan Hagerman winning by fall for fifth against Conant’s Vlad Castaneda.

144 – Val Vihrov, Stevenson
After a productive offseason, Stevenson’s Val Vihrov is bowling over his competition. He helped the Patriots build some early momentum toward the team title, pinning Notre Dame’s Tim Bridges in the 144 finals.
“I felt pretty confident with my weight and could take everybody down pretty quickly,” Vihrov said. “I was also confidant in my skills and setting up everything. My toughest match was my second match because I had to set things up, so it took a little longer than my other ones. I had to use more strategy. I worked hard in the offseason and built my skills for this.”
Harlem’s Gavin Warner downed Conant’s Victor Chevganov by fall for third place, and Harvard’s Logan Nulle won by fall for fifth against Maine East’s Ali Mohammad.

150 – Daniel Rosas, Harvard
At 6-foot, Harvard junior Daniel Rosas is easy to spot. With long arms and legs, he’s not easy to beat on the mat, either.
That was evident on Saturday, when Rosas won all three of his matches to capture the 150-pound title, capped by his title-mat decision against Richards’ Dom Paul.
It was Rosas’ third tourney title of the season.
“I have to use my (length) and legs to my advantage,” Rosas said. “I have to stay calm at all times. A lot of the wrestlers are stronger than me, but my mindset is they don’t have more technique than me. I have to stay calm in whatever situation I get put into.”
In his 11^th season wrestling, Rosas – who plays wide receiver and safety in football – is looking to make a few improvements to finish his season on a high note.
“I could’ve done better,” he said. “I got sick over the break but came back these last two days and worked hard to get first on the podium. My mindset is still the same after this. I have to keep pushing myself I want to make state for the first time. I have to keep grinding every day.”
Stevenson’s Tyler Reiff defeated De la Salle’s Patrick Young by fall for third place, and Leyden’s Moses Garza won by fall for fifth against Harlem’s Preston Fadness.

157 – Tanner Cosgrove, Conant
Early this season, in late November, Conant senior Tanner Cosgrove had a memorable showing at the Chris Hruska Wrestling Classic. Cosgrove celebrated his 157-pound title with several teammates, coaches and family members at the home invite.
Saturday’s meet was at the opposite end of the spectrum but ended with the same result. Instead of jumping around with his teammates, Cosgrove took a matter-of-fact approach with his 13-0 major-decision victory over Maine East’s Tim Kato in the finals. He didn’t smile, nor did he barely acknowledge the first-place feat.
“I’ve been consistently getting better since the season started,” Cosgrove said. “I felt more prepared for this tournament, had a better mindset. I hadn’t won anything really before until the (Conant) tournament. This time, I already knew I was capable of winning this one. I went out and wrestled more confident and I was more aggressive and it all worked out.”
Cosgrove said he’s slowly building toward a strong finish with his eyes on a more elusive prize.
“The Dvorak was rough,” he said. “I ended up placing there, but it was just a lot harder competition than I’m used to seeing, so that was good because it made me better.”
Cosgrove believes Saturday’s victory was a good way to start the new calendar season, especially since he was sidelined for two weeks.
“I was out for a couple of weeks because I had an infection in my knee,” he said. “I just got back, my first tournament back. This feels good. I feel like I’m back. After the Hruska and Dvorak, I ended up getting ranked, so I feel like I’m going from just want to qualify for state to wanted to place at state. I have to keep looking at my competition and seeing what they are doing. I have to learn how to better counter certain things to make myself a lot better.”
Stevenson’s Erick Wade pinned Notre Dame’s Dean Lazaris for third place, and Leyden’s Brian Gonzalez placed fifth with a fall against Burlington Central’s Michael Junitz.

 165 – Dmitry Derbedyenyev, Highland Park
Nearly 20 minutes after picking up his first-place medal, Highland Park’s Dmitry Derbedyenyev decided to head back to the podium for one more quick photo. By now, Derbedyenyev is accustomed to mugging for the cameras after a season full of victories.
Derbedyenyev (28-1) rolled through the competition on Saturday, ending with 9-1 major-decision over Richards’ Mike Taheney in the finals.
“I feel great and finally got to put together some of the stuff I’ve been working in my wrestling room,” he said. “I have to trust myself and always wrestle hard and not I feel get to me in the room or in here. It’s time now. I don’t have four more years. It’s my senior year. This is my last shot at high school state. I’m working hard every single day and that state tournament is one my mind every single day.”
Seconds after Derbedyenyev won his last match, he was mugged by several friends and teammates, including Vernon Hills’ Ilya Dvoriannikov, who placed third by beating Stevenson’s Themba Sitshela. Malik Warren of De La Salle took fifth place.
“(Illya) is my training partner at the wrestling club I go to, and he doesn’t even go to Highland Park,” Derbedyenyev said. “He’s from Russia and he doesn’t speak much English but I happen to speak Russian. He’s happy for me, and my teammates are happy for me. I love them.”
Dvoriannikov placed third with a 5-3 decision over Sitshela, and De La Salle’s Malik Warren won a 2-1 decision for fifth place against Notre Dame’s Deniz Ozturk. 

175 – Josue Hernandez, De La Salle
Sporting a bloody lip, Josue Hernandez said he followed his game plan and relied on his strength to win at 175 pounds. He pinned Notre Dame’s Sean Adams in the second period to win his weight class.
“The key for me was staying in position and using my technique and my strength to my advantage and I always had good position,” Hernandez said. “I had a few tough matches, but worked hard and had a few (big) takedowns and won by fall over the finals with a good move.”
A two-way starter at running back and linebacker for the De La Salle football team, Hernandez said he’s starting to see all of his hard work pay off in wrestling.
“Right now, for my senior year, I feel great and being ranked (ninth) in the state, and feel it can be a big season by getting downstate,” he said. “I have to keep working hard in the practice room. I was one point away from state last season. It motivates me a lot. I think about it every day that I wrestle. I’m focused on getting there this year.”
Also at 175, Harvard’s Blake Livdahl pinned Richards’ Jeremiah Gill in the third-place match, and Leyden’s Darterrion Garner placed fifth via 10-5 decision over Leyden’s Dominic Ganir.

 190 – Jim Amatore, Notre Dame
As one of the smaller competitors in his challenging weight class, Notre Dame’s Jim Amatore manages to thrive by outworking his competitor.
Or, in some cases like Saturday, out-sweating them.
Dripping with sweat after pinning Lake Villa’s Ramos Julian in the 190 finals, Amatore (20-2) credited his conditioning for winning his three matches, including his last two via pins.
“I’m small for 190, so I know I need to push the pace on these guys and use my cardio to my advantage and push them that way with my hand fighting and shots,” Amatore said. “In my finals match, I was just thinking I knew my cardio was better. I was aggressive and stayed in his face and shoot him off as many times as I can until he gave up.”
Like several competitors at Saturday’s invite, Amatore missed some time due to an injury but gained momentum with his victories.
“I feel I’m going to peak in February,” Amatore said. “I had a strained hip flexor for two weeks, so I was out a long time. I came back about two weeks ago. I feel great. My cardio is back to where it was. I love my coaches. I think our team did great today.”
Harlem’s Andrew Redmon won 8-3 over Maine East’s Adrian Shkeir for the third-place medal. De La Salle’s Terrelle Jackson claimed fifth with a fall against Stevenson’s Richie Gueorguiev. 

215 – Erick Worwa, Leyden
Saturday was the right – and perfect time – for Leyden’s Erick Worva to showcase his potential. He pinned Notre Dame’s Jack Malenock in the finals to win host Leyden’s lone title win.
“My practice and training and constant reps helped me,” Worwa said. “I tried to stay focused and trained harder and just focused on my goals.”
Worwa was one of the star attractions on Saturday, mainly due to his early impressive performances and rapidly growing resume. He captured his first varsity tourney title on Saturday.
“This is really cool since it’s just my second year wrestling and first year on varsity, so it’s really cool,” Worwa said. “This is my house basically, so I think this was pretty cool to win it. I wasn’t really a sports person, so my brother made me get into it. I like the team work and when the ref raises your hand for first place after all those hard months of working and training. I’m going to keep trying to get better and glad for this opportunity.”
Leyden coach John Kading is happy with the progress Worwa has made.
“(Erick) is a sponge, very coachable and works hard and he had to learn how to win wrestling matches,” Kading said. “He’s started to do that now, and to do that with consistency. The whole team is working hard and learning how to win and compete. Hopefully, we will be where we need to be by the end of the season.”
Stevenson’s Anthony Adams placed third with a fall against Maine East’s Edgar Torres, and Conant’s Dan Michelsen won by fall for fifth against Richards’ Luis Perez.

285 – Scott Cook, Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s Scott Cook was locked in one of the more memorable matches in the 285-pound finals against De La Salle’s David McCarthy.
Blessed with tree-trunk sized legs, McCarthy was tough to move for Cook, but he managed to pull out a 4-3 victory to snare the final title match of the day.
“It felt good to win today,” Cook said. “It feels a lot cleaner. I was just going for wins, nothing too fancy or to get caught in the finals. He was strong, just a big boy and he was really good. I just tried to wait for him to make mistakes.”
Cook (12-3) said Saturday’s win has raised the bar for his expectations.
“There’s always room for improvement, but I’m happy where I am right now,” Cook said. “I’ve come a long way since the first week. I feel in way better shape. I’ve improved, so that’s nice to see. My goal is to win state now.”
Harvard’s Riley West pinned Burlington Central’s Sammy Wirstrom to snag the third-place medal, while Stevenson’s Andrew Timmons took fifth by fall over Leyden’s Aidan Jaffray.

 Randy Conrad Invite championship match results:
106 –Jeremiah Lawrence (De La Salle) 19-8 MD Ray Long (Notre Dame)
113 – John Sheehy (Notre Dame) 11-5 D Justin Lewis (Harlem)
120 – Luis Flores (Conant) 7-4 D Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson)
126 – Marcelo Cantu (Stevenson) 10-5 D Caden Spizzirri (Conant)
132 – Doug Phillips (Burlington Central) TF-1.5 4.54 (16-) Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem)
138 – Andrew Chamkin (Stevenson) F 3:21 Rusty Klug (Leyden)
144 – Val Vihrov (Stevenson) F :43 Tim Bridges (Notre Dame)
150 – Daniel Rosas (Harvard) D 6-0 Dom Paul (Richards)
157 – Tanner Cosgrove (Conant) MD 13-0 Timn Kato (Maine East)
165 – Dmitry Derbedyenyev (Highland Park) MD 9-1 Mike Tahenay (Richards)
175 – Josue Hernandez (De La Salle) F 3:34 Sean Adams (Notre Dame)
190 – Jim Amatore (Notre Dame) F 3:49 Ramos Julian (Lakes)
215 – Erick Worwa (Leyden) F 1:57 Jack Malenock (Notre Dame)
285 – Scott Cook (Notre Dame) D 4-3 David McCarthy (De La Salle)

Randy Conrad Invite top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time: 3 in 2:18 by Stevenson’s Val Vihrov
Most tech falls, least time: 2 in 6:00 by Burlington Central’s Jackson Marlett
Fastest fall: (tie) 0:22 by Leyden’s Dominic Ganir and Stevenson’s Andrew Timmons
Fastest tech fall: 2:00 by Burlington Central’s Jackson Marlett
Most team points: (tie) 28 by Leyden’s Erick Worwa and Stevenson’s Val Vihrov
Most single-match points: 25 by Stevenson’s Andrew Chamkin
Most total match points: 53 by Burlington Central’s Jackson Marlett

Final team scores: 1. Stevenson (208) 2. Notre Dame (198) 3. De La Salle (131.5) 4. Conant (120) 5. Harlem (112) 6. Leyden (99) 7. Harvard (86.5) 8. Richards (71.5) 9. Maine East (65.5) 10. Burlington Central (63.5) 11. Lakes (40.5) 12. Highland Park (39) 13. Vernon Hills (25) 14. Leyden JV (12)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

48th Sycamore Invitational

Hononegah topped the field at the 48th annual Sycamore Invitational on Saturday, finishing atop the field of 26 teams with 532.5 points. Coach Tyler DeMoss’ team had four individual champions and two runners-up in topping second-place York (382) in the team standings.

“We wrestled well,” Hononegah coach Tyler DeMoss said. “Our goal was to have all fourteen guys wrestle their best six minutes for all five matches, and I think we got close to that.”

Normal Community (363.5), Rochelle (361.5), and Lyons Township (351) rounded out the top five team finishes, followed by Rock Island (348), Mundelein (333.5), Unity (325.5), Wheaton North (3125) and host Sycamore (313.5) to complete the top 10.

1st place: Hononegah (532.5)

The Indians got individual titles from Rocco Cassioppi (106), Bruno Cassioppi (113), Max Haskins (150) and Brody Sendele (157), plus second-place finishes from Robert Darling (132) and Connor Diemel (165) to lead the way.

“We had huge performances out of Robbie Darling at 132 and Max Haskins at 150,” DeMoss said. “And Max Aranki (8th at 144) also had his best tournament of the year so far.”

Kurt Smith (175) and Isaak Smith (215) also placed third for Hononegah; Jackson Olson (120) placed sixth; Max Aranki (144) was eighth; Evan Musil (126) placed 10th; Carlos Delgado (285) was 12th; Skyler Stevens (138) was 16th; and Ethan Ballard (190) placed 19th to round out Hononegah’s 14 wrestlers earning team points in the win.

Top-ranked Rocco Cassioppi added a Sycamore title to titles won at the Dvorak and the Mid-States Classic. No. 3-ranked Sendele won titles at Barrington and the Mid-States Classic.

“Rocco Cassioppi was dominant again this week and continues to improve,” DeMoss said. “Brody Sendele had all bonus point wins at 157 and is putting together the best freshman season our program has ever seen.”

In a battle of two highly-ranked wrestlers, No. 4 in 3A Bruno Cassioppi won a 3-2 decision in the finals at 113 against Rock Island’s Truth Vesey, ranked No. 1 in 2A. 

It was Bruno Cassioppi’s third in-season championship, to go with titles won at Barrington and Wisconsin’s Mid-States Classic. It also earned him the Outstanding Wrestler Award at Sycamore.

DeMoss was happy with wrestlers up and down his lineup:

“Connor Diemel wrestled great again, and closed the gap with No. 3 in the state (Lyons’ Gunnar) Garelli at 165,” DeMoss said. “Kurt Smith wrestled tough at 175 and was third, and I think he’s one small step away from being a state placer this season. 

“Jackson Olson at 120 is wrestling better and better every week and kept that rolling on Saturday (finishing) top six. Isaak Smith lost a tough match in the semis but came back and took third at 215 and he’s putting together a great senior year. Overall it was a great day, winning by a margin of 150.5 shows we are becoming more of a full team instead of just a couple studs.”

2nd place: York (382)

The Dukes and coach Nick Metcalf had an individual champion in Frank Nitti (138) and went 3-for-3 with three pins on the third-place mat, from Mondo Martinelli (126), No. 3 3A Zach Parisi (132) and Jackson Hanselman (144) to pace their second-place team finish.

York had 11 place-winners on the day. Austin Bagdasarian (215) placed fifth; Alejandro Carreon (150) took sixth; Nick Decristofaro (157) and Gavin Knill (285) were seventh; Michael Grazzini (165) took 13th; and Scott Periera (190) placed 14th for the Dukes.

3rd place: Community (363.5)

The boys from Normal were led by a pair of individual champions in No. 9-ranked 3A Cole Gentsch (120) and No. 2 Cooper Caraway (215) and a second-place finish for Jackson Soney (106) for Ironmen coach Trevor Kaufman.

Ethan Cavallo (126) and Carter Mayes (138) also placed sixth for Community, Caden Correll (113) was eighth, Hunter Hardwick (150) took 10th, Austin Chiesi (132) and Jaren Frankowiak (157) were 12th, Mason Caraway (190) was 15th, Daniel Bourbulas (165) was 18th, and Gavin Capodice (144) placed 19th among Kaufman’s 12 wrestlers earning team points for the Ironmen.

Other wrestlers winning Sycamore titles were Rock Island’s Daniel McGhee (126), Amare Overton (175), and Andrew Marquez (190), Rockford East’s Donald Cannon (132), Unity’s Kaden Inman (144), Lyons’ Gunnar Garelli (165), and Mundelein’s Abisai Hernandez (285). Leaving Sycamore with perfect season’s records were Rockford East’s Cannon (20-0) and Lyons’ Garelli (29-0).

Individuals also placing second in Sycamore were Rock Island’s Truth Vesey (113), Sycamore’s Tyler Lockhart (120) and Cooper Bode (175), Rochelle’s Xavier Villalobos (126) and Kaiden Morris (215), Mundelein’s Ethan Banda (138), Peotone’s Micah Spinazzola (144), Grayslake North’s Jacob Ronsman (150), Wheaton North’s Thomas Fulton (157), Unity’s Hunter Eastin (190), and Rockford East’s Lee Smith (285).

Other third-placers included Oak Forest’s Jacob Sebek (106) and Hunter Daniel (157), Bloomington’s Tyler Barlow (113), Maddox Kirts (165), and Kenner Bye (190), Lyons’ Griff Powell (120), Belvidere North’s Dominick Girardin (138), Mundelein’s Kevin Hernandez (150), and Hampshire’s Joey Ochoa (285).

Also placing fourth were Bloomington’s Jaylen Sandy (106), Sycamore’s Michael Olson (113) and Gable Carrick (190), Rochelle’s Tommy Tourdot (120), Grant Gensler (165), and Roman Villalobos (175), Belvidere North’s Geren Stapleton (126), Rock Island’s Temar Hudson (132), Sterling’s Austin Clemens (138), Marengo’s Mason Lampe (144), Glenbrook South’s Jacob Malek (150), and Unity’s Abram Davidson (157).

Sycamore’s top individual statistics:

Most pins in the least time – Five falls in 9:43 by Community’s Cooper Caraway (215)

Most tech fall in the least time – Three tech falls in 11:04 by Lyons’ Jack Kutchek (132)

Most pins/tech falls, least time – Five in 5:31 by Hononegah’s Rocco Cassioppi (106)

Most team points (tie) – 58 by Mundelein’s Abisai Hernandez (285) and Community’s Cooper Caraway (215)

Most single-match points – 23 by Rockford East’s Ty Smart (157)

Most total match points – 81 by Hononegah’s Brody Sendele (157)

Sycamore Invitational championship match results:

106 – Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) TF 2:19 Jackson Soney (Community)

113 – Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah) D 3-2 Truth Vesey (Rock Island)

120 – Cole Gentsch (Community) F 1:19 Tyler Lockhart (Sycamore)

126 – Daniel McGhee (Rock Island) D 8-3 Xavier Villalobos (Rochelle)

132 – Donald Cannon (Rockford East) F 5:55 Robert Darling (Hononegah)

138 – Frank Nitti (York) D 7-2 Ethan Banda (Mundelein)

144 – Kaden Inman (Unity) D 5-2 Micah Spinazzola (Peotone)

150 – Max Haskins (Hononegah) F 1:10 Jacob Ronsman (Grayslake N)

157 – Brody Sendele (Hononegah) MD 17-5 Thomas Fulton (Wheaton N)

165 – Gunnar Garelli (Lyons) D 3-1 Connor Diemel (Hononegah)

175 – Amare Overton (Rock Island) D 12-6 Cooper Bode (Sycamore)

190 – Andrew Marquez (Rock Island) D 10-6 Hunter Eastin (Unity)

215 – Cooper Caraway (Community) F 5:15 Kaiden Morris (Rochelle)

285 – Abisai Hernandez (Mundelein) F 4:55 Lee Smith (Rockford E)

Third-place results:

106 – Jacob Sebek (Oak Forest) MD 15-2 Jaylen Sandy (Bloomington)

113 -Tyler Barlow (Bloomington) MD 11-2 Michael Olson (Sycamore)

120 – Griff Powell (Lyons) D 7-0 Tommy Tourdot (Rochelle)

126 – Mondo Martinelli (York) F 4:31 Geren Stapleton (Belvidere N)

132 – Zach Parisi (York) F 1:25 Temar Hudson (Rock Island)

138 – Dominick Girardin (Belvidere N) D 3-1 Austin Clemens (Sterling)

144 – Jackson Hanselman (York) F 3:15 Mason Lampe (Marengo)

150 – Kevin Hernandez (Mundelein) MD 9-0 Jacob Malek (Glenbrook S)

157 – Hunter Daniel (Oak Forest) D 1-0 Abram Davidson (Unity)

165 – Maddox Kirts (Bloomington) F 2:52 Grant Gensler (Rochelle)

175 – Kurt Smith (Hononegah) MD 13-3 Roman Villalobos (Rochelle)

190 – Kenner Bye (Bloomington) D 7-1 Gable Carrick (Sycamore)

215 – Isaak Smith (Hononegah) F 1:21 Nick Arquilla (Lyons)

285 – Joey Ochoa (Hampshire) F 4:41 Sam Costello (Lyons)

Final team scores: 1. Hononegah (532.5) 2. York (382) 3. Community (363.5) 4. Rochelle (361.5) 5. Lyons Township (351) 6. Rock Island (348) 7. Mundelein (333.5) 8. Unity (325.5) 9. Wheaton North (315) 10. Sycamore (313.5) 11. Glenbrook South (307.5) 12. Mahomet-Seymour (294.5) 13. Rockford East (293) 14. Bloomington (289) 15. Belvidere North (264) 16. Oak Forest (261) 17. Hampshire (255) 18. Sterling (217) 19. Marengo (201) 20. McHenry (187.5) 21. Peotone (180.5) 22. Nazareth Academy (158.5) 23. St. Charles North (155.5) 24. Willowbrook (153.5) 25. Portage (147) 26. Grayslake North (118).

Polo Wrestling Invitational

The 17-team field at Polo saw Richmond-Burton take the team title as the Rockets posted a 200-160 edge over second-place Freeport. Oregon (128) finished third followed by Lisle (112) and Erie (107) in the top five.

Rockets coach Tony Nelson had three individual champions and three runners-up among 10 wrestlers that finished in the top five of their weight classes.

“It was good to see the team compete against some of the competition we will see in our schedule,” Nelson said. “This season has tested our guys and our team with illness and injuries and we’re getting back to full strength.  We were missing three of our better guys for the tournament so to enter 10 point-scorers and have them all place is awesome.”

Sixth-place Fulton (106.5), Wisconsin’s Parkview/Albany (104.5), Polo (92.5), Guilford (84.5) and Genoa-Kingston (73) rounded out the top 10 team finishes. 

1st place: Richmond-Burton (200) 

The Rockets got individual titles from Dane Sorensen (138), Emmett Nelson (144), and Colin Kraus (285), and second-place finishes from Kristian Gersch (113), Clayton Madula (120), and Dominick Dickens (165).

Sorenson’s two falls and a 7-0 title-mat decision over Polo’s Phineas Mullen at 138 made his coach particularly happy.

“Dane Sorensen has been out for a few weeks and for him to come back and win a tournament shows what a tough kid he is,” Nelson said. 

“Dickens has made the finals of his last two tournaments, Krause picked up his second tournament title, and Madula has been consistent and has placed at every tournament.  Gersch making the finals and Emmett being a consistent leader also contributed greatly to the title.”

The Rockets Breckin Campbell also returned from a three-week absence to finish third at 215, and Nelson also got a fourth from Dylan Falasca (175), and fifths from Alex Reyna (190) and Dalton Youngs (150).

2nd place: Freeport (160)

Freeport coach Nathan Arendt got individual titles from Donavyn Fernandez (150) and Maddox Olson (157) among 10 wrestlers placing in the top six.

The Pretzels also got thirds from Kyle Clem (165) and Sami Odeh (285), a fourth from Dawson Holland (215), fifths from Thomas Olson (113), Cavieon Boose (120), Mathias Rada (138) and Michael Tillmon (175), and a sixth from Dayvion Fernandez (144).

3rd place: Oregon (128)

The Hawks were led by a second-place finish from Landen Elder (215), and a quartet of wrestlers winning their third-place matches in Landon Ege (113), Ethan Mowry (150), Andrew Young (175) and Quentin Berry (190).

Coach Justin Lahman also got fourths from Jayden Berry (138) and Leyton Kenney (157) and a fifth from Preston LaBay (126).

Other wrestlers winning individual titles at Polo were Guilford’s Dominic Angileri (106), Parkview/Albany’s Slater Valley (113), Sam Schwengels (190) and Wesley Egan (215), Lisle’s Alexander Ferari (120), North Boone’s Gavin Ekberg (126), West Carroll’s Connor Knop (132), Genoa-Kingston’s Brady Brewick (165), and Fulton’s Mason Kuebel (175).

Polo champions who remained undefeated were Guilford’s Angileri (106), Richmond-Burton’s Nelson (144), and Parkview/Albany, Wisconsin’s Schwengels (190).

Second-placers also included Lisle’s Cadence DuBois (106), Adam Drake (132) and Johnny Consuegra-Lopez (144), Polo’s Lucas Nelson (126) and Phineas Mullen (138),  Fulton’s Broden VenHuizen (150), West Carroll’s Cole Herrell (157), Genoa-Kingston’s Xander Gleissner (175), Jefferson’s Karlondo Dubois (190), and Erie’s Caleb Reymer (285).

Also placing third at Polo were Jefferson’s Amair Johnson (106), Durand’s Ethan Foster (120), Parkview/Albany’s Danny Finley (126), Erie’s Jacob Gibson (132) and Victor Bonnell (157), Fulton’s Wiley Blasdell (138), Polo’s Chase Bremmer (144), 

Others taking fourth place were Alden-Hebron’s George Longfield-Loftis (106), Lisle’s Nicholas DuBois (113), Guilford’s Josh Seagren (120) and Ja’Vani Torres (190), Genoa-Kingston’s Shayden McNew (126), Polo’s Jaidyn McKinney (132) and Draven Zier (150), Erie’s Aiden Jepson (144), and North Boone’s Maysen Smith (165) and Christian Allen (285).

Polo’s top individual statistics:

Most pins in the least time: 3 falls in 4:35 by Oregon’s Landen Elder (215)

Most pins/tech falls in the least time: 4 in 14:59 by Fulton’s Skylier Crooks (165)

Fastest fall: 0:07 by Oregon’s Maxx George (285)

Most team points: (tie) 28, by Parkview/Albany’s Wesley Egan (215), Genoa-Kingston’s Brady Brewick (165), Richmond-Burton’s Emmett Nelson (144) and Colin Kraus (285)

Most single match points: 21 by Polo’s Chase Bremmer (144)

Most total match points: 31 by Freeport’s Michael Tillmon (175)

Polo championship match results:

106 – Dominic Angileri (Guilford) TF 2:04 Cadence DuBois (Lisle)

113 – Slater Valley (Parkview/Albany) MD 12-4 Kristian Gersch (Richmond-Burton)

120 – Alexander Ferari (Lisle) D 12-5 Clayton Madula (Richmond-Burton)

126 – Gavin Ekberg (North Boone) D 15-9 Lucas Nelson (Polo)

132 – Connor Knop (West Carroll) F 4:32 Adam Drake (Lisle)

138 – Dane Sorensen (Richmond-Burton) D 7-0 Phineas Mullen (Polo)

144 – Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) F 3:08 Johnny Consuegra-Lopez (Lisle)

150 – Donavyn Fernandez (Freeport) D 3-2 Broden VenHuizen (Fulton)

157 – Maddox Olson (Freeport) D 17-13 Cole Herrell (Savanna)

165 – Brady Brewick (Genoa-Kingston) F 1:33 Dominick Dickens (Richmond-Burton)

175 – Mason Kuebel (Fulton) D 5-3 Xander Gleissner (Genoa-Kingston)

190 – Sam Schwengels (Parkview/Albany) F 5:41 Karlondo Dubois (Jefferson)

215 – Wesley Egan (Parkview/Albany) F 1:40 Landen Elder (Oregon)

285 – Colin Kraus (Richmond-Burton) F 2:49 Caleb Reymer (Erie)

Third-place results:

106 – Amair Johnson (Jefferson) F 2:17 George Longfield-Loftis (Alden-Hebron)

113 – Landon Ege (Oregon) F 2:14 Nicholas DuBois (Lisle)

120 – Ethan Foster (Durand) F 1:15 Josh Seagren (Guilford)

126 – Danny Finley (Parkview/Albany) Inj. Shayden McNew (Genoa-Kingston)

132 – Jacob Gibson (Erie) D 5-0 Jaidyn McKinney (Polo)

138 – Wiley Blasdell (Fulton) F 3:59 Jayden Berry (Oregon)

144 – Chase Bremmer (Polo) F 3:08 Aiden Jepson (Erie)

150 – Ethan Mowry (Oregon) D 11-8 Draven Zier (Polo)

157 – Victor Bonnell (Erie) F 3:40 Leyton Kenney (Polo)

165 – Kyle Clem (Freeport) F 1:36 Maysen Smith (North Boone)

175 – Andrew Young (Oregon) F 1:56 Dylan Falasca (Richmond-Burton)

190 – Quentin Berry (Oregon) F 0:31 Ja’Vani Torres (Guilford)

215 – Breckin Campbell (Richmond-Burton) F 3:30 Dawson Holland (Freeport)

285 – Sami Odeh (Freeport) F 1:44 Christian Allen (North Boone)

Final team scores: 1. Richmond-Burton (200) 2. Freeport (160) 3. Oregon (128) 4. Lisle (112) 5. Erie (107) 6. Fulton (106.5) 7. Parkview/Albany WI (104.5) 8. Polo (92.5) 9. Guilford (84.5) 10. Genoa-Kingston (73) 11. North Boone (62) 12. Jefferson (49) 12. West Carroll (49) 14. Galena (45) 15. Durand (30) 16. Alden-Hebron (18) 17. Dakota (0)