Carl Sandburg snares Whitlatch team title
By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA
It’s a tournament that has a little bit of everything for the fans of wrestling.
One of the grandaddies of the season, the 58th Rex Whitlatch Invitational hosted by Hinsdale Central would feature over 40 state-ranked men, including nationally-ranked wrestlers led by No. 1 Caleb Noble from Warren Township.
Always one of the best stops of the season, Neenah, Wisconsin fans traveled over 200 miles once again to cheer on their heroes who once again would enjoy plenty of success.
A staple in the Whitlach lineup, 2A state power Geneseo would bow out at the last minute when pneumonia raced through its room, taking with it several members of the Maple Leafs’ roster.
After the first day of action, Clinton Polz’s club from Carl Sandburg found itself nearly 20 points ahead of West Aurora (95.0-77.5) – a lead the No. 5 team in 3A would never relinquish as it went on to lift the championship trophy.
“As always, Hinsdale Central did a great job of running a highly competitive tournament,” said Polz, whose club amassed 209.5 overall points, to runner-up Lincoln-Way West’s 188.5.
Oak Park and River Forest was third with 180.0, with Warren (178.5) and West Aurora (176) rounding out the first five.
“As a team, we left Saturday pleased with winning the tournament, but knowing we all have a lot of work ahead of us as we move on,” Polz said. “Friday night was a very good team effort as we sent thirteen into the quarter-finals, setting us up in a position to win the tournament.
“We were humbled a little bit on Saturday – leaving us a lot of room for growth.”
The tournament’s namesake, Rex Whitlatch, was a three-time state medal winner, and two-time state champion (1953, 1955) while at Urbana High School.
Mr. Whitlatch would then go on to star at the University of Illinois and would captain the Illini during his senior year, when he was named MVP.
He began his coaching career at Niles West High School as an assistant before moving over to run the Hinsdale Central program for 28 of his 32 years at the school.
106 – MJ Rundell, Oak Park and River Forest
Aside from being in a terrific room at OPRF, MJ Rundell (17-0) has the benefit of tapping into older brothers Matt (North Carolina) and Jake (Purdue) who came through the Huskies room in sensational fashion.
“We obviously have a lot of wrestling history in our family, so any help I get from my brothers is always great,” said Rundell, after the No. 1 man in the state at 106 collected his second major trophy of the season.
The sophomore, a Fargo champ at both Freestyle and Greco, helped his club with 32.5 team points with a pin, major, and tech-fall in his final to solidify his spot atop the most recent polls.
“Rankings are just rankings – really doesn’t mean a thing until the final weekend of the season in Champaign,” said Rundell, 32-10 a year ago in his rookie season which included a trip downstate.
113 – Caleb Noble, Warren
A quick glance at where all eyes were pointing inside Hinsdale Bank Gymnasium gave even the most novice of fans an idea of what all came to watch on this Saturday afternoon.
It was a rematch of the 2023 semifinal between reigning state champion Caleb Noble of Warren and Rocco Hayes of Sandburg, who thrilled the crowd a year ago when Noble (15-1) claimed a hard fought 3-1 sudden victory before going on to win his first Whitlatch trophy.
It would take another extra time contest for the Warren sophomore to secure another big trophy after a 3-2 tie-breaker would settle the 113-pound final.
“It was exactly what I expected with Rocco, there isn’t really anything either of us doesn’t know about each other,” said Noble, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation at 106 pounds by Flowrestling.
Hayes took a 1-0 lead with 15 seconds left in the second period near the edge with an escape, but a well executed reversal by Noble 90 seconds from time gave him a 2-1 advantage.
A locked hands penalty with seven seconds remaining in regulation would send this affair into overtime. Noble would eventually gain the win with 10 seconds remaining in the third extra session.
Hayes was the 106-pound champion here two years ago.
“I was very proud of the way Rocco competed in his final with Noble,” began Sandburg head coach Clinton Polz. “He had a few opportunities to win, and I believe he walked away excited to wrestle him again.
“He is determined to make a few adjustments in the future, so we hope they get to see each other for another rematch.”
Noble admitted his recent 13-8 loss to Normal Community star Caden Correll provided the proverbial wake-up call he may have needed.
“I think I was a little too complacent – maybe overconfident before that match with (Correll),” Noble said. “So after that loss it was back into the room to work even harder than I had been before.”
120 – Ryan Dorn, Barrington
Barrington sophomore Ryan Dorn (14-3) opened fast and finished even faster when he beat top seed Rocky Seibel (14-1) of Belleville West, with a magnificent six-minute performance en route to a 13-0 major decision victory.
“There wasn’t any plan of attack before our final, and after a pretty quiet first period that ended 0-0, I was able to get the first take down,” Dorn said. “After that I just looked to keep adding points, and turns, and just going for it until the end.
“I have my eyes on getting back downstate, and having a much better result than a year ago.”
Barrington’s 120-pounder won by 8-1 decision over No. 9 Jonathan Marquez (Warren) in his semifinal, after his terrific effort in the quarters against another state-ranked Joshua Huicochea of West Aurora, which Dorn won by tech-fall.
“This was a big tournament to win, and I am looking forward to getting better each time out from here,” added Dorn, a state qualifier a year ago in his rookie season.
126 – Shane Stream, Lincoln-Way West
Lincoln-Way West sophomore Shane Stream is likely to move up in the state polls after earning his first major trophy of the year, in a nervy 1-0 decision over Minooka senior Noah Avina.
“It was a real dogfight of a match,” began Stream (15-5), who was fourth here a year ago at 113.
“(Avina) beat me last year, so there was a lot of hand-fighting and shots that neither of us finished, but my ability to ride him in that second period might have been the difference.
“I was able to make it downstate last year, but I want to have better results this time around, and with the great coaches we have in our room, I believe I will.”
Stream was 34-19 last season.
132 – Griff Powell, Lyons Township
Lyons Township junior Griff Powell (17-1) would continue the good fortune LT has had in recent years when he gave his program its third consecutive Whitlatch title, after handing Glenbard West senior Ulises Rosas his first defeat of the season with an emphatic 21-5 tech-fall at 4:22.
Powell followed former teammates Cooper King (Illinois Wesleyan, football) and Gunnar Garelli (Virginia Tech, wrestling, 2024 state runner-up) as Whitlatch champions.
“I spent a lot of time training at Izzy Style over the summer, going against plenty of top guys,” Powell said. “I feel like it was a great benefit to me and has helped me come out so much stronger that I was last year.”
This weight class would feature no less than five state-ranked men, including No. 6 Shawn Kogan (Stevenson, 18-1), No. 9 Madden Parker (Sandburg, 14-4), Zev Koransky (OPRF, 12-5) and the aforementioned Rosas who together now have collected four tournament championship medals.
Parker was the 126-pound champion last year, Kogan the same at 132.
“This was a good weekend for me, but there’s still a lot of improvement to be made, and great competition ahead of me also,” said No. 8 Powell, who had the most single match points (24) of anyone competing at this year’s Whitlatch.
138 – Joseph Knackstedt, Oak Park and River Forest
OPRF’s Joseph Knackstedt (16-0) has slowly climbed the ladder of success at this prestigious tournament, reaching the top on Saturday afternoon in grand fashion.
The Huskies’ senior smashed the competition over the two days, as he pinned his way into the finals. Once there, his relentless pursuit of success came to fruition, when a 14-2 technical fall victory over Donald Cannon (Rockford East, 14-2) gave him his second major of the season.
“Three times here – I was sixth as a sophomore and third last year, so it’s great to finish on top in my senior year,” said Knackstedt with a smile.
The No. 8- rated man at 138 is a two-time state qualifier with a 66-23 record during that time. He finished this year’s Whitlatch second in most team points earned with 33.5.
“I put a lot of work in during the offseason with the goal to get back downstate and and on the podium,” said Knackstedt, who will attend Cornell next fall, where he will continue to wrestle while pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering.
144 – Ryan Hinger, Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg’s Ryan Hinger has enjoyed plenty of success here in the Hinsdale Bank Gymnasium during a marvelous career that is far from over.
The Sandburg senior earned his second straight Whitlatch crown after a dazzling two days that culminated with a 13-0 major over Brayden Swanson (Oswego, 16-1) to ensure a spotless record thus far at 17-0.
“This is always a great tournament to come to, and it feels great to win here again,” said the Eagles star, twice a state qualifier and fourth overall a year ago at 138 with a superb 44-6 overall record.
Hinger also earned 32.5 team points for the Eagles.
“I am very happy with the way Ryan has competed so far this season,” coach Clinton Polz said.
“His efforts in the offseason from the state tournament until now are really beginning to show. There is not a position he is weak in and he has developed a very good pace. He’s been a leader on this team, and he not only puts in a lot of time on himself, but he brings others along and pushes the entire program as well.”
Hinger, who sits just behind Evan Gosz (Fremd), Max Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey), and Ahston Hobson (Marmion Academy) in the state rankings, anticipates a first class battle come late February for the top spot at 144.
“I feel right now that Gosz is the favorite, but our weight is so competitive, so it just means more work in the room every day,” said Hinger, who will reach 140-plus victories in his career before going on to wrestle in college, where he plans on a career in nursing.
150 – Daniel Blanke, Barrington
Another bright young sophomore star from Barrington would climb atop the podium when Daniel Blanke (17-2) left his mark on the 150-pound bracket when he registered a pin at 1:02 against Rockford East’s Dana Wickson to win his first title of the first half of the season.
Blanke, third at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational on Thanksgiving weekend, proved to have too much for all in a weight class that saw the top two seeds go out early on.
“I feel like I’ve done a lot of good work during the offseason to help me get off to a much better start than a year ago,” said Blanke, who overcame a couple of broken fingers at the start of his rookie season to fall just short of advancing to state, when his blood-round defeat at 126 dashed his hopes.
“I feel much more comfortable in my wrestling this year,” Blanke said. “I spent time on my ties, getting more shots off my moves, and just about everything else during the offseason.”
Top seed, and No. 4 David Ogunsanya (OPRF) lost his second round match, while at the same time Blanke pinned state-ranked Val Vihrov (Stevenson) to advance into the quarters, where he then decisioned Landon Sheppard (Neenah) to secure a spot in the finals.
The Broncos sophomore claimed (31) team points over his two days, and would record the fifth quickest tech-fall of the tournament (1:53) which came in his Whitlatch opener.
157 – Declan Koch, Neenah WI
Neenah, Wisconsin’s Declan Koch and Jacob Herm provide the type of one-two punch in the middle of the lineup that are the envy of most coaching staffs.
Koch earned his first Whitlatch crown after finishing second here on two straight occasions. Koch won a 6-5 decision over West Aurora’s Dominic Serio in the finals.
“We really like coming down to this tournament, the competition is very good and the style is very different than we have in Wisconsin,” Koch (17-0) said. “It really helps prepare us for the second half of our season leading up to the post-season.”
Serio is ranked No. 2 in Illinois at 157. The senior from West Aurora, is a two-time state qualifier and a 2024 state medal winner and like Koch, Serio had an easy time on the way to the final.
Koch would record a pair of tech-falls, then a pin in his semifinal while Serio would dominate with a trio of tech-falls to earn his spot against the Neenah junior.
“(Serio) was really very strong so it was important to be able to defend, while still scoring when I could,” said Koch, who placed second in Wisconsin a year ago and recently claimed his 100th career victory.
165 – Jacob Herm, Neenah WI
The other half of the dynamic duo from Neenah, senior Jacob Herm left little doubt as to why he is the No. 1 man in Wisconsin at his weight class. The reigning Wisconsin state champion gave a magnificent two-day performance that would end with the Red Rockets star claiming his second consecutive Whitlatch title.
“This is such a great tournament for us to come to,” said Herm, who went 48-0 a year ago. A trio of pins sent him into the 165-pound final, where he recorded a 19-3 tech-fall at 4:17 over No. 3 Royce Lopez (Warren, 12-1) who was fourth here a year ago.
Herm commited to wrestle at South Dakota State next year, a decision that came easily for the nationally-ranked 65-pounder.
“Everything felt right on my visit, it felt like home to me,” Herm said. “The room, the team, and coaching staff all were great, and the program itself is always very competitive.”
SDS was the No. 12 team in preseason polls.
Herm is a two-time state runner-up, and earned All-American honors following his sixth place Greco finish at Fargo, and currently owns a sparkling 150-11 career record.
175 – Aaron Stewart, Warren
Now a three-time champion here at the Whitlatch, Warren junior Aaron Stewart (14-2) will continue his assault on his 175-pound rivals as he looks to add a second state crown to his trophy case in Champaign in late February.
“I didn’t want to allow any points scored against this weekend, so it felt good to reach that goal, but there’s always work to do,” said Stewart.
No. 1 in the state, Stewart suffered his lone two defeats of the season at the Ironman just three weeks after his high school football season came to an end in the 8A state quarterfinals.
No. 13 in the most recent national polls, Stewart lost to No. 5 Asher Cunningham (Penn State-bound) in his semifinal, 5-1.
Stewart is a true three-sport star, turning in a spectacular fall season where he ran for nearly 2500 yards, while adding 34 touchdowns.
During the post-season Stewart ran for 689 yards in three games, including an astounding 360 yards (5 touchdowns) during a 35-26 victory over Barrington.
190 – Judah Heeg, Lemont
Lemont junior Judah Heeg (16-0) has transitioned nicely into wrestling into his new room at perennial 2A state power Lemont just fine.
“Wrestling here in Illinois is so much different than Minnesota,” began Heeg, who
was a state qualifier (165, 33-16) while at Simley High School in Minnesota last season.
“It’s much more physical here, so there was a little bit of an adjustment to that style, but I like it a lot more. And it feels good to win a big tournament like this one.”
Heeg, the No. 3 seed and unranked coming into the weekend, would demolish a trio of opponents to advance into the final against top-seeded Zachary Kruse (15-1) of Hinsdale Central, who is currently ranked fourth in Illinois.
Heeg won a 7-4 decision over Kruse on the title mat.
“I’d say wrestling in Minnesota is a little more technical but like I said, I like the physical, tough style (in Illinois), and I feel like our room has helped me prepare for it,” Heeg said.
215 – Nate Elstner, Lincoln-Way West
Lincoln-Way West’s Nate Elstner (16-2) came into the weekend ranked just outside the top 10 at 215 in Illinois. After his performance over the two days here, the senior can make a strong case to move up a spot or two.
Elstner pinned his way to the Marmion Cadet Invite earlier this season, and was at it again in Hinsdale, recording a quartet of pins while adding 34 team points to the cause for his club that would finish second in the team race.
“I worked a lot during the offseason on a variety of things,” Elstner said. “Now I’m just trying to stay focused, wrestling my style, and doing everything needed to get downstate and get up on the podium.”
Elstner was a linebacker for the Warriors football team this fall that lost to eventual 7A state runners-up Batavia in the second round of the post-season.
Elstner went 31-8 a year ago and was the No. 4 seed in Hinsdale, defeating top seed Colin Goggin (Brother Rice) in his semifinal via a fall.
285 – Anthony Soto, Warren
Warren’s Anthony Soto (17-0) would stay perfect on his season after his impressive finish in the 285-pound final, when the senior recorded a pin at 3:21 over No. 9 Jacobi Spraggins (12-1) of Downers Grove South to win his second major of the year.
“I’m kind of a light weight compared to most of the heavyweights who are huge and so much bigger than me,” said Soto, who weighed in at 231. “But with my speed and quickness, I feel like I can use that to my advantage.
“Last year I may have lacked the confidence needed to compete at a higher level, but this year my confidence, mental approach, and my offseason work to improve my shots in order to get take-downs is so much better.”
The humble senior was a standout defensive tackle for the Blue Devils football team, which advanced to the 8A state quarterfinals before being eliminated by eventual state runner-up York.
Team scores:
Carl Sandburg 209.5, Lincoln-Way West 188.5, Oak Park and River Forest 180, Warren 178.5, West Aurora 176, Barrington 165.5, Glenbard West 139.5, Brother Rice 135, Minooka 134, Downers Grove North 128.5, Stevenson 121.5, Neenah WI 119, Lyons Township 112, Rockford East 101.5, Oswego 89.5, Belleville West 80.5, DeKalb 73, Lemont 62.5, Downers Grove South 57, New Trier 56.5, Hinsdale South 45, Hinsdale Central 38, Neuqua Valley 37, Willowbrook 28.5
Rex Whitlatch Invitational results:
106
1st: MJ Rundell (OPRF) 17-0, d. Matthew Blanke (Barrington) 12-7, (TF 3:44 (20-2)
3rd: Aidan Ortega (Glenbard W) 17-2, d. Jaden Bradley (DeKalb) 9-5, (F 1:22)
5th: Daniel Berdich (Stevenson) 16-6, d. Gabriel Richmond (W Aurora) 13-4, (Inj. 0:00)
113
1st: Caleb Noble (Warren) 15-1, d. Rocco Hayes (Sandburg) 16-1, (TB-1 3-2)
3rd: Jamiel Castleberry (OPRF) 12-1, d. Kaleb Pratt (Barrington) 15-2, (Dec 5-3)
5th: Brady Glynn (LW West) 16-4, d. Aris Neal (Willowbrook) 13-4, (TF 4:00 (16-1)
120
1st: Ryan Dorn (Barrington) 14-3, d. Rocky Seibel (Belleville (West) 14-1, (MD 13-0)
3rd: Jonathan Marquez (Warren) 13-3, d. Tyler Tiancgo (DG North) 17-3, (Dec 7-3)
5th: Max Munn (LW West) 14-7, d. Ayush Bajaj (Stevenson) 10-10, (MD 9-1)
126
1st: Shane Stream (LW West) 15-5, d. Noah Avina (Minooka) 9-4, (Dec 1-0)
3rd: Roger Martinez (Lyons) 16-4, d. Carson Prunty (Glenbard W) 16-3, (Dec 3-1)
5th: Aiden Ortiz (Oswego (H.S.) 15-6, d. Saul Ramirez (Barrington) 11-9, (MD 12-4)
132
1st: Griff Powell (Lyons) 17-1, d. Ulises Rosas (Glenbard W) 17-1, (TF 4:22 (21-5)
3rd: Shawn Kogan (Stevenson) 18-1, d. Madden Parker (Sandburg) 14-4, (TF 2:33 (16-1)
5th: Zev Koransky (OPRF) 12-5, d. Cory Zator (Lemont (H.S.) 13-4, . (Dec 9-7)
138
1st: Joseph Knackstedt (OPRF) 16-0, d. Donald Cannon (Rockford E) 14-2, (TF 5:17 (21-5)
3rd: Oliver Davis (Brother Rice) 14-2, d. Alejandro Aranda (Glenbard W) 17-3, (Dec 5-0)
5th: Brady Ritter (Sandburg) 14-5, d. Jakob Siwinski (LW West) 13-7, (Inj. 0:14)
144
1st: Ryan Hinger (Sandburg) 17-0, d. Brayden Swanson (Oswego (H.S.) 16-1 (MD 13-0)
3rd: Marcus Quintana (W Aurora) 18-2, d. Caden Chiarelli (DG North) 18-3, (F 1:30)
5th: Aiden Colbert (Belleville (West) 9-4, d. Mike Hodge (DeKalb) 12-7, (Dec 5-4)
150
1st: Daniel Blanke (Barrington) 17-2, d. Dana Wickson (Rockford E) 11-3, (F 1:02)
3rd: David Ogunsanya (OPRF) 16-4, d. Ben Cyrkiel (Minooka) 12-7, (MD 18-6)
5th: Landen Sheppard (Neenah) 12-7, d. Dillon Griffin (Oswego (H.S.) 14-4, (Dec 7-3)
157
1st: Declan Koch (Neenah) 17-0, d. Dominic Serio (W Aurora) 16-2, (Dec 6-5)
3rd: Tagg Miller (Winnetka (New Trier) 15-2, d. Brandon Watson (Glenbard W) 15-5, (MD 15-7)
5th: Frank Miceli (Brother Rice) 13-3, d. Ty Smart (Rockford E) 17-7, (Inj. 0:00)
165
1st: Jacob Herm (Neenah) 16-1, d. Royce Lopez (Warren) 12-1, (TF 4:17 (19-3)
3rd: Dayne Serio (W Aurora) 19-1, d. AJ Frescura (Minooka) 12-4, (MD 10-2)
5th: DJ Freeman (LW West) 10-4, d. Wyatt Hochgraber (Sandburg) 14-5, (Dec 8-5)
175
1st: Aaron Stewart (Warren) 14-2, d. Kaden Meyer (Minooka) 13-3, (F 0:32)
3rd: Dan Costello (Brother Rice) 11-4, d. Jack Lasota (DG North) 16-4, (TF 5:44 (16-1)
5th: Malachi Cannon (Rockford E) 14-5, d. Ahmad Alomari (Sandburg) 14-6, (MD 15-5)
190
1st: Judah Heeg (Lemont (H.S.) 16-0, d. Zachary Kruse (Hinsdale C) 15-1, (Dec 7-4)
3rd: Jimmy Talley (LW West) 14-6, d. crane james (Brother Rice) 12-3, (Dec 10-5)
5th: Kaden Roth (Neenah) 15-4, d. Everett Ciezak (Stevenson) 13-6, (MD 8-0)
215
1st: Nate Elstner (LW West) 16-2, d. Eric Harris (OPRF) 11-6, (F 3:31)
3rd: Justin Riley (Belleville (West) 9-3, d. Malic Breish (Sandburg) 14-6, (Dec 6-1)
5th: Colin Goggin (Brother Rice) 11-4, d. Fernando Anaya (W Aurora) 4-3, (F 4:40)
285
1st: Anthony Soto (Warren) 17-0, d. Jacobi Spraggins (DG South) 12-1, (F 3:21)
3rd: Brandon Bavirsha (LW West) 16-4, d. Peter Rodriguez (DG North) 16-5, (Dec 4-2)
5th: Robbie Murphy (Minooka) 10-5, d. Alfsonso Aguilar (W Aurora) 14-7, (TB-1 6-1)