Feature Stories

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

All IWCOA rankings from Rob Sherrill’s Illinois Best Weekly

Yet another long-running holiday tournament to give wrestling fans even more to watch took place inside the Titan Dome in Glenview, as host Glenbrook South welcomed 20 teams at the 60th Rus Erb Tournament.

Deerfield had more in its tank than the rest of its rivals, including runner-up Sycamore, who trailed the Warriors during the early afternoon hours 158-157  before Deerfield extended its lead and ran off with a 211.5-179 win.

Homewood-Flossmoor (165.5), Glenbrook South (145.0) and Batavia (143.5) rounded out the top five.

“We were really excited to win this tournament, especially given the circumstances,” Deerfield coach Marc Pechter said. “We had a few holes in our lineup, some new faces, and we asked some guys to wrestle up a few weight classes. But guys came through when it mattered most.”

The Warriors’ depth would come through with 11 finishing in the top five and three individual champions.

“Jake (Pechter) had an outstanding day, defeating a returning state place-winner in overtime to win at 106,” Pechter said. “Adrian Cohen captured the 138-pound title while wrestling up a weight, as did Alex (Shvartsman) at 150.”

“Ben Howard, at 144, who is new to the varsity lineup rebounded from a pre-lim loss to battle back to earn fourth place to show great perseverance.

“We needed everyone to win matches, score bonus points, and I thought the guys embraced the challenge set forth. So this was a great tune-up for us as we continue to build toward our postseason goals, beginning with a run at a regional title.”

Last year’s champion from Richmond-Burton would send just seven into action due to injury and illness, with two of its best men, Lelan Nelson (120) and returning state runner-up Blake Livdahl (175), both unavailable.

The same held true for Antioch, which was missing four, most notably the dynamic duo of Chase Nobiling (144) and Dominic Garcia (150) both of whom were fourth place state medal winners a year ago.

Deerfield will be one of four regional sites that feed into the Antioch sectional.

Team scores:
Deerfield 211.5, Sycamore 179.0, Homewood-Flossmoor 165.5, Glenbrook South 145.0, Batavia 143.5, Lake Park 105.5, Evanston 98.0, Riverside-Brookfield 96.5, Antioch 96.0, Palatine 76.5, Carmel Catholic 68.5, Glenbard East 66.0, Richmond-Burton 65.0, Niles North 55.5, McHenry 50.5, Richards 49.0, Marian Catholic 25.5, Lakes Community 10.0, St. Patrick 5.0, Rolling Meadows 3.0

106- Jake Pechter, Deerfield

Freshman Jake Pechter (18-2) would show plenty of resilience, purpose, patience and toughness of spirit in order to come back from a 4-1 deficit as late as thirty seconds from time in his 106-pound final with No. 6 Carson West from Sycamore.

Pechter drew back level at 4-4 and then rode out Olson (11-1) to send this contest into extra time. Once there, Pechter struck quickly – hitting the match winning takedown right away to claim a 7-4 sudden victory triumph.

Pechter, ranked No. 8 in the state, pinned his way into the final.

“I was a little nervous at the start – maybe that’s why I gave up that early takedown,” admitted Pechter, the son of the Warriors superb head coach Marc Pechter.

“I knew he was tough on top, so to get an escape at the end of the second period was big for me.”

Pechter would draw even at 4-4 with a well executed shot and a takedown with 28 seconds remaining in the match to set up his eventual thrilling victory.

“I felt really strong as the match went on, so I was especially ready for overtime,” said Pechter, who after a pair of second-place medals at Addison Trail and Antioch, has now earned his first varsity crown.

Antioch’s Haydren Gomez won a 17-11 decision over Batavia’s Joey Calvillo for third place, and Palatine’s Aidan Noe won by fall on the fifth-place mat over Glenbard East’s Nick Greenfield.

113- Liam Schroeder, Sycamore

There is no doubt that freshman Liam Schroeder is ready for competition on the varsity level as a Sycamore rookie, and if his three-match performance is an example of what he is capable of, then the Spartans have yet another terrific addition to their lineup.

Schroeder roared into his final with No. 5 Jayme Cohen (Deerfield 13-4) with a pair of tech-falls. Once there, he took the lead for good early in the second period en route to a 7-3 victory.

“I’m lucky to be in a great room, with great workout partners, so the support for someone new to the program is just amazing,” said Schroeder, who is now an impressive 15-0 on the season.

Cohen, who was first at Addison Trail, had his chance to take a bite of a 4-1 advantage by Schroeder. But when he missed his opportunity, Schroder recorded a takedown to push his lead to 7-1 at five minutes.

“(Cohen) is a big-time thrower, so it was important to keep my elbows in, stay away from tie-ups, and just be aware,” added Schroeder.

Richards’ Ibrahim Mahmadove won by fall for third against Deerfield’s Troy Rotter, while McHenry’s Tyson Rivard pinned Riverside-Brookfield’s Miles Russell-Barnes for fifth place.

120- Kai Enos, Batavia

No. 2 Kai Enos solidified his lofty spot in the class 2A state polls with a marvelous two-day effort that would conclude with a 7-4 victory over No. 9 Michael Olson (Sycamore) who suffered his first loss of the season.

“I did not start the way I wanted to in that first period, and it led to (Olson) getting a takedown, and then being rode out for the rest of the period,” admitted the Batavia sophomore, who went 39-10 as a 3A state qualifier a year ago.

“I came out much stronger in the second period, looked to tilt and turn him, and I was able to make it 3-3 going into the third.”

Enos would grab the lead for good with a takedown at the edge one minute from time which led to his first major of the season over Olson, who was a state qualifier last season with 39-15 record.

“That was a really good third period of wrestling for me, and if I can open things up more and look to take more shots, I should be able to have a chance to get on the podium at state,” Enos said.

Jorey Becker (Deerfield, 16-6) used a 10-3 decision over Liam Lovelace (Lake Park) to earn a third place medal, with Owen Thomas (Carmel Catholic) grabbing fifth place with a fall against Niles North’s Jacob Badal.

126- Chazz Robinson, Homewood-Flossmoor

No. 2 Chazz Robinson is well aware of the task that awaits as the Homewood-Flossmoor junior looks ahead to the State Farm Arena where his goal of advancing into the 120-pound state final remains clear and alive.

Robinson (15-2), who bumped to 126 for the weekend to set up a likely final with No. 7 Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard East, 17-3) who was a state qualifier last season.

Chaidez, strong, powerful, and built like a tank, took an early 4-3 lead into the second period, which increased to 5-3 with his escape off the whistle.

Robinson, sleek and ultra-quick, attacked with confidence and would eventually pry open the Rams’ senior with a late takedown to go up for good at the end of the second, 6-5.

“My focus is always on getting the next point, never settling for less, and that’s what my mindset was when I got my last takedown of the match to go up 8-5,” Robinson said.

The Vikings junior, third last season at state at 120, was a tech-fall semifinals victim of eventual state champion Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) in Champaign. Munaretto is the man he and everyone else at 120 are chasing this winter.

“Munaretto is a great wrestler, and the guy to beat, but I want to be my best, and get into the final with him to have the chance at a state championship,” says Robinson.

Glenbrook South’s Ermuun Urtnasan (17-2) was third overall after a 3-1 decision over Sycamore’s Tyler Lockhart, and Deerfield’s Danny Martinez won by fall for fifth against Carmel’s Liam Perkins.

132- Wyatt Franckowiak, Richmond-Burton

Wyatt Franckowiak is going to force his way into the state polls if he continues on his recent success tour, which now includes earning a 132-pound Erb title.

“(Franckowiak) sure doesn’t wrestle like he’s a freshman,” said a thrilled Richmond-Burton head coach Tony Nelson after the rookie recorded a hard-fought 1-0 decision over Ethan Hamilton of Homewood-Flossmoor for the title.

Franckowiak also won an individual title one week earlier at Richmond-Burton’s Tom Dubois tournament. “I’m lucky to be in a great room, with a great coaching staff,” Franckowiak said. “Today, I had to wrestle as hard and tough as I could.”

Franckowiak (15-2) used his length to defend all throughout in order to fend off Hamilton, whose valiant effort in the final 30 seconds was stopped cold.

“I tried to keep my pace high throughout the match,” Franckowiak said. “When I got that escape point, I knew I had to be smart and stay composed.”

Izaiah Gonzalez (Riverside-Brookfield, 14-2) claimed third place over Roman Ocampo (Glenbrook South) with a hard-fought 1-0 decision, while Jack Jansen (Deerfield) was fifth by forfeit over Sycamore’s Charlie Olson.

138- Adrian Cohen, Deerfield

Deerfield’s Adrian Cohen (19-1) looked like he easily belonged one weight above his usual spot at 132, where he’s ranked third in Illinois. Cohen cruised to his individual title at 138 after a superb effort in his final that would end at 3:09 against Roan Dukes of Homewood-Flossmoor.

Cohen was off and flying with a takedown just 20 seconds into this contest. That led to a neat inside trip for a wicked throw, takedown and ultimate pin.

“I’m a judo guy, so we throw guys,” said Cohen with a wry smile, who was a state qualifier a year ago. “I just go out there and do my stuff, which mostly comes from my judo background.”

Cohen has won three majors (Addison Trail, Antioch) in the first half of the season and like many of his Warriors teammates, trains at Cohen Brothers Judo in Vernon Hills.

Cohen is one of two returning state qualifiers of five from last season, with Alex Shvartsman, the 150 pound champ, the other. Cohen would finish 42-12 last  year.

Tony Lombardo (Riverside-Brookfield, 13-3) was third after his pin over Elias Chaney of Batavia, with Jack Burton (Glenbrook South) fifth overall with a 6-2 decision over Antioch’s Isaac Thomson.

144- Nicholas Merola, Lake Park

Nicholas Merola mentioned after his Rex Lewis (Buffalo Grove) individual title how important it was for him to be involved in as many tight, hard-fought matches as possible, to better prepare him for the month of February.

Lo and behold, the Lake Park senior found himself in another one of those matches he yearns for, this time against No. 7 Jayden Dohogne, the state qualifier from Sycamore, who was anointed the top seed here.

Merola won a hard-fought 4-1 decision.

Two-time state qualifier Merola grabbed an early second-period advantage with an escape, then conceded an escape to Dohogne (14-2) to start the third period, before nicely defending two shots by Dohogne.

From neutral, Merola (13-1) struck the match-winning takedown with thirty seconds remaining.

“I felt strong out there throughout, especially on bottom, but we talked afterwards about opening this up a little more, which is something I will continue to work on,” said Merola, who suffered his first defeat of the season recently at the hands of No. 7 Liam Aye from St. Charles East 

Ryan Johnston (McHenry) was third thanks to a major decision win over  Ben Howard (Deerfield), and Josh Edelheit from host Glenbrook South was fifth after winning by tech fall against Batavia’s Brady Johansen.

150- Alex Shvartsman, Deerfield

No. 5 Alex Shvartsman (18-3) added his first major of the season to his resume after unloading a pin at 1:54 over Henry Maier from Homewood-Flossmoor.

The Deerfield junior, who won 38 last season on his way to his first state appearance, is the younger brother of Benjamin (wrestling at Cornell) a 2022 state champion at 160-pounds, and someone who is of great inspiration to one of the top men at Deerfield.

“I saw how hard Benjamin worked to win a state title, and what it took to do get to where he is today, so it’s something that has really motivated me,” said Shvartsman.

Shvarstman, like teammate Adrian Cohen, is a judo aficionado himself. It was a sequence in which an underhook and big-time throw near the edge led to his pin for the win.

Third place honors went to Leo Flores (Richards) won won by fall against Niles North’s Nathan Eiduk, and Daniel Gonzalez of Batavia took fifth by fall against Glenbrook South’s Joey Marquardt.

157- Antonio Hinojosa, Carmel Catholic

The Corsairs had been searching for a state medal ever since a memorable two-year run from Riley Palm led to back-to-back championship trophies in 2018 and 2019. Then David Farjado found his way onto the podium last February.

Farjado claimed a sixth place state medal in Champaign, something not lost on Antonio Hinojosa and his teammates in the Carmel Catholic room.

“It was amazing to see David get his state medal last year,” Hinojosa said. “I think it helped all of us in the room and for me, it gave me the motivation to work as hard as I could do get downstate and win a medal.” said Hinojosa.

Hinojosa is now 9-1 after his 14-3 major decision victory over Naijier Morris from Homewood-Flossmoor. Hinojosa was a state qualifier in 2023 and 2024.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries the past couple of years, so to be healthy this season means I should have a great chance to get to state,” added the Corsairs senior, who added points throughout the third period to ensure his first major of the season.

Richmond-Burton sophomore Max Martin (11-3) won his third place bout by tech fall over Maks Wala (Lake Park) and Cole Hubbard (Batavia) claimed a fifth place medal by tech fall against Palatine’s Daniel Derevlyak.

165- Cooper Bode, Sycamore

No. 4 Cooper Bode, sixth a year ago in Champaign at 175 pounds, looks primed to find his way even higher on the podium after he continued his sensational first half of the season.

Bode (14-2) claimed his first title of the year thanks to tremendous early pressure and a steady buildup towards his fourth pin of the tournament, this one at 1:22 over Batavia senior Colin Payton.

“It’s all about being at the right weight, and not having to cut or add, and right now I feel so much quicker, and really comfortable at (165) this year,” said Bode, who played linebacker and running back for a Spartans football team that was a class 5A state qualifier.

Bode, who plans on wrestling in college, will pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.

Rodrigo Salinas (Evanston, 8-1) recorded a tech fall over Jonathan Weissmueller (Deerfield) in the third place match, and Alec Garcia (Antioch) took fifth with an 8-5 decision over Carmel’s Joey Cameron.

175- Diego Lopez, Evanston

Diego Lopez would give Evanston the first of two individual titles when the Wildcats junior moved his overall record to 17-1 with a 9-5 decision over Riverside-Brookfield senior Nick O’Connor (13-2) on the title mat.

“It feels good to win my first varsity tournament,” Lopez said. “My coaches, partners, and teammates have helped me improve each time that I go into the room.”

Lopez found himself on the short end of a 4-0 deficit after an O’Connor (13-2) escape followed by a takedown midway through the second period.

“My coaches kept telling me to look to my underhook in the third period, and when it was there, I went for it,” said Lopez, whose angled shot and subsequent takedown gave him the lead for good at 5-4. He closed out O’Connor with a near-fall to make it 9-4 before an eventual 9-5 victory.

Henry Grant (Homewood-Flossmoor) was third after he pinned Danny St. John from Deerfield, and Dominic Marino (Glenbrook South) was fifth by fall against Batavia’s Blake Vandeloo.

190- Adrian Esparza, Marian Catholic

It was all over very quickly in the 190-pound final with Marian Catholic senior Adrian Esparza unleashing a lethal first-period punch to Xavier Pratt (Homewood-Flossmoor) that began just 30 seconds into the contest, leading to an insurmountable 10-1 advantage.

Esparza would eventually close out the Vikings sophomore with a 19-4 tech-fall at 5:10 to claim his first major of the season after finishing second at Joliet Central.

It has been quite a nice turnaround for the Spartans’ star who one year ago went 0-2 at the Hinsdale South sectional, ending his season at 14-12.

Esparza has already exceeded his record from last season in sensational fashion as he now stands 15-2 overall.

Esparza needed a nervy 4-3 decision over Colin Arquilla in his quarterfinal to stay in the front bracket. 

Arquilla (Antioch) would record three tech-falls in the tournament, and finish third ahead of Jacob Shannon (Glenbrook South), and Alexander Gavrylyuk (Lake Park) placed fifth via fall against Riverside-Brookfield’s Gerald Evans.

215- Sain Uranbold, Glenbrook South

Sain Uranbold gave the home fans plenty to cheer about when theTitans senior won in stunning fashion with a pin at 1:11 over Evan Reichert (15-4) of Glenbard East.

“I cannot tell you how happy, and proud for my teammates, program and school I am, to be able to win a championship here in our home gym,” said an elated Uranbold, who was mobbed by his teammates moments after he put the finishing touches on his victory.

“I was a little nervous before my final, especially after giving up that first takedown, but I settled in and just got back to doing my (stuff),” Uranbold said. “So this is an amazing win, and one that I want to help make this season the best that it can be since it’s my last year here at GBS.”

Uranbold, now 14-5, will major in business in college and hopes to one day help build the butcher shop his father owns.

Ilya Pilshchikov (Palatine) was third following his pin of Brooks Tyler (Evanston) with Lake Park senior Antonin Svaboda fifth after a fall against Riverside-Brookfield’s Joey Alberts.

285- Jeremy Marshall, Evanston

It would be Jeremy Marshall with the win in the final contest of the two-day tournament, as the Evanston senior won a hard-fought 2-1 tug-of-war over the No. 2 man from Antioch, Owen Shea.

“It kind of went the way I thought it would with (Shea),” Marshall said. “He’s very athletic, quick, and strong. But I was able to control my tie-ups, be real defensive, push the pace when I was able, and just wrestle real smart.”

It was Marshall’s third tournament title of the season. Marshall plans on a degree in elementary education.

“Jeremy has worked really hard to get himself ready for his senior year, especially with his footwork, which is so much better than last season,” Evanston coach Rudy Salinas said.

Salinas starred at Lane Tech in the late 1980’s, took over the Evanston job in 2003, and is an IWCOA Hall-of-Famer.

Shea (10-4), who lost to reigning class 3A state champion Jonathan Rulo (Belleville East) earlier in the season was third at the Marmion Academy Cadet Classic last month.

Breckin Campbell (Richmond-Burton, 12-3) placed third with a fall against Collin Hughes (Sycamore), and Jacari Travis from Palatine took fifth by fall against McHenry’s Landen Owens.

Final Team Standings:

Deerfield 211.5, Sycamore 179.0, Homewood-Flossmoor 165.5, Glenbrook South 145.0, Batavia 143.5, Lake Park 105.5, Evanston 98.0, Riverside-Brookfield 96.5, Antioch 96.0, Palatine 76.5, Carmel Catholic 68.5, Glenbard East 66.0, Richmond-Burton 65.0, Niles North 55.5, McHenry 50.5, Richards 49.0, Marian Catholic 25.5, Lakes Community 10.0, St. Patrick 5.0, Rolling Meadows 3.0

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Lady of Lane Tournament

With eight girls finishing in the top six of their weight classes, led by a pair of individual champions, Wheaton Warrenville South snatched the crown at Saturday’s 16-team Lady of Lane tournament.

Coach Justin Squillo’s Tigers won 205.5-190.5 over second-place Lane, followed by District 210 (185), Taft (137), and Riverside-Brookfield (128.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

“This has been a great year for girls wrestling at Wheaton Warrenville South so far,” Squillo said. “With tremendous buy-in from our returning wrestlers and our numbers over doubling from just 8 girls last year to 18 this year, it has put us in a position to be competitive from a team standpoint, which is exciting.”

Individual champions Sommer Kibbe (120) and Michelle Rojas-Tellez (170) both pinned their way through the tournament.

“Both girls are senior leaders on this team and have seen great success this season largely in part due to their buy-in and work ethic on the mat and in the weight room,” Squillo said.

Team scores
Wheaton Warrenville South 205.5, Lane 190.5, District 210 185, Taft 137, Riverside-Brookfield 128.5, Niles West 121, Addison Trail 113, Noble/ITW Speer 112, Maine East 104.5, New Trier 95, West Chicago 88.5, Maine West 77, Rolling Meadows 70, Lake View 55.5, Glenbrook North 38.5, Saint Viator 38

1st- Wheaton Warrenville South (205.5)
Louisa Enslen (145) and Lana Cummings (155) also reached the title mat for WW South in bringing home second-place finishes. The Tigers got thirds from Andrea Jaimes-Alvarez (100), Heidi Bourne (135) and Lyric Rockymore (235), and a fifth from Estrella Jaimes (110)

“After a good week of practice we came into this tournament motivated and emphasizing wrestling for the team,” Squillo said. “Recognizing that everyone is a contributor, the girls wrestled with a purpose.

Cummings and Rockymore are first-year wrestlers, while Rockymore and Enslen are freshmen.

“I’m very proud of the girls,” Squillo said. “Every girl – beyond just the place winners – wrestled hard, supported one another as a team and had fun. This group is embracing our program philosophy of ‘Out Work, Out Tough, Out Believe’. The hard work and toughness is showing on the mat and after this victory. I can see the girls really starting to believe in themselves and their team. I am looking forward to the rest of the season, hoping we can keep things rolling after the holidays.”

2nd- Lane (190.5)
Lane’s four individual champions were the most for any team, as Sofia Guerrero (100), Lauren Guerrero (115), Zabby Badru (135) and Ella Barbour (145. Coach Liam Cummins also got a third from Kenaiece Barrett (170), a fourth from Mumtaz Abdul Malik (140), fifths from Imyjah Jackson (130) and Layla Moreland (155), and a sixth from Natalia Cordova (130).

3rd- District 210 (185)
While the varsity girls from the co-op of the Lincoln-Way schools were busy winning this year’s Hampshire tournament, District 210’s lower level girls were placing third at Lane on Saturday.
They did it largely thanks to a tournament-leading 30 pins and nine girls placing in the top six of their weight classes.
D 210 got four third-place finishes from Georgia Erhardt (105), Abby Lizak (120), Kate Bohm (145) and Aryana Moran (155), fourths from Kaitlyn Erdakos (135), Avery Holeman (170), and Toni Robertson (235), and fifths from Leeya Kruizenga (100), Grace Hansen (125), and Giana Olds (140).

Additional champions
105 J Colbert (Lake View), 110 Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier), 125 returning state medal winner Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook North), 130 Alena Oshana (Maine East), 140 Batula Nasib (West Chicago), 155 Danely Villagomez (Riverside-Brookfield), 190 Estefany Bejarano (Riverside-Brookfield), 235 Esmerelda Bustamante (Noble/ITW Speer)

Additional runners-up
100 Adali Cruz (Noble/ITW Speer), 105 Bella Garcia (Noble/ITW Speer), 110 Evalyn Idzik (Saint Viator), 115 Alyssa Martel (Taft), 120 Mackensie Szajda (West Chicago), 125 Evolet Mata (Addison Trail), 130 Zmorah Izenstark (New Trier), 135 Sarah Al Radi (Niles West), 140 Grace Graves (Maine West), 170 Sylvia Lupa (Addison Trail), 190 Oliyah McKay (Noble/ITW Speer), 235 Lyric Walton (Maine East)

Statistics
District 210 led the way with 30 pins in 50:09, while Glenbrook North’s 3 tech falls in 5:59 were the most techs in the least time by any team. Lane scored the most total match points of any team with 325 — a huge edge over the second-most posted by District 210 with 183 match points.
Individually, Taft’s Alicia Hoyou had the most pins in the least time with four falls in 4:19, while Glenbrook North’s Ariella Dobin had the most tech falls in the least time with three techs in 5:59. Dobin also had the fastest tech fall, in 1:27, she scored the most single match points in the tournament with 20, and finished with the most total match points with 58. Riverside-Brookfield’s Estefany Bejarano scored the most team points with 32.

Championship match results
100-Sofia Guerrero (Lane) TF 17-2 Adali Cruz (Noble/ITW Speer)
105-J Colbert (Lake View) F 1:43 Bella Garcia (Noble/ITW Speer)
110-Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier) F 0:46 Evalyn Idzik (Saint Viator)
115-Lauren Guerrero (Lane) F 3:29 Alyssa Martel (Taft)
120-Sommer Kibbe (WW South) F 1:59 Mackensie Szajda (WEGO)
125-Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook N) TF 20-4 Evolet Mata (Addison Trail)
130-Alena Oshana (Maine E) F 4:46 Zmorah Izenstartk (New Trier)
135-Zabby Badru (Lane) F 3:31 Sarah Al Radi (Niles W)
140-Batula Nasib (WEGO) D 9-2 Grace Graves (Maine W)
145-Ella Barbour (Lane) D 5-0 Louisa Enslen (WW South)
155-Danely Villagomez (R-B) F 0:11 Lana Cummings (WW South)
170-Michelle Rojas (WW South) F 4:17 Sylvia Lupa (Addison Trail)
190-Estefany Bejarano (R-B) F 2:38 Oliyah McKay (Noble/ITW Speer)
235-Esmerelda Bustamante (Noble/ITW Speer) F 1:02 Lyric Walton (Maine E)

Third-place match results
100-Andrea Jaimes-Alvarez (Lane) F 0:42 Melina Valdez (Addison Trail)
105-Georgia Erhardt (D 210) F 2:48 Guadalupe Nava Perez (Rolling Meadows)
110-Eliana Badeen (Maine E) F 0:28 Monica Sanchez (WEGO)
115-Nour Al Radi (Niles W) F 0:10 Breanna Garcia (Addison Trail)
120-Abby Lizak (D 210) F 2:45 Liza Sarkees (Maine E)
125-Jennifer Arenas (Taft) F 0:53 Fiona Monaco (Saint Viator)
130-Layla Zbiec (Taft) D 9-5 Drea Lazzara (Addison Trail)
135-Heidi Bourne (WW South) F 2:00 Kaitlyn Erdakos (D 210)
140-Zoe Pomeranets (Niles W) fft. Mumtaz Abdul Malik (Lane)
145-Kate Bohms (D 210) F 1:45 Mia Shefi (New Trier)
155-Aryana Moran (D 210) F 1:27 Danna Gutierrez (Maine W)
170-Kenaiece Barrett (Lane) D 12-5 Avery Holeman (D 210)
190-Emma Wilson (Niles W) F 3:17 Amira Williams (Maine W)
235-Lyric Rockymore (WW South) F 2:24 Toni Robertson (D 210)

Joe Bee Memorial

Belleville West won its second girls’ Joe Bee Memorial title in the three-year history of the tournament Saturday, finishing 20 points ahead of the 33-team field at Lanphier.

Individual titles from Brooke Stellhorn (190) and Andre’a Kirkpatrick (235) led the way for Belleville West, which had 11 girls finish in the top 10 of their weight classes.

“Andre’a is in her fourth year of wrestling while Brooke is in her second,” Belleville West coach Mech Spraggins said. “Brooke is actually a soccer great player who came out to wrestle with some friends and has decided to stick with the sport.”

Belleville West fairly limped into the tournament, missing starters at 105, 115, and 120 pounds after placing second at this year’s 30-team War in Wentzville dual team tournament.

“I knew going into Saturday we’d have to make some adjustments in the lineup to even have a chance at winning it,” Spraggins said. “But it’s kind of nice being in the South Western Conference with teams like Edwardsville, which makes our bar very high. We’ll chase them until we close the gap and in the meantime we’ll collect as many team wins as we can along the way.”

Team scores:
Belleville West 164.5, LaSalle-Peru 144.5, Cahokia 96, Glenbard South 96, Jacksonville 94.5, Pekin 93, Granite City 91, Glenwood 82.5, Springfield Co-op 81.5, Civic Memorial 78.5, Mahomet-Seymour 73, Macomb 68, Oakwood/ Salt Fork 57, Bloomington 56, Paris 51.5, Cumberland 49, Olympia 48.5, Normal West 43, Clifton Central/ Iroquois West 41, Alton 40.5, Rantoul 37, Limestone 34, West Vigo IN 34, Mt. Zion 32, Highland 29.5, North Mac 21, PORTA 18, Centennial 12, Jersey 9, Normal University 8, Vandalia 4, Unity Christian/ Argenta-Oreana 0

1st-Belleville West (164.5)
In addition to titles from Stellhorn and Kirkpatrick, the Maroons got thirds from Riley Weems (110), Ja’yla Hurst (135), Alyssa Hardt (140) and Moriah Lampley (155), sixths from Michaela Wentz (130) and Inetta Grubbs (170), a seventh from Micaela Gustafson (155), an eighth from Akiya Jett (145), and a 9th from Kendyll Otten (125).

“Alyssa Hardt is just a tough kid, also in her second year,” Spraggins said. “She’s like the catalyst of the team. She’s also pretty green but  goes to camps over the summer to try to catch up with the better wrestlers.

“Riley Weems is our little spark plug at 110 and will be fun to watch over the next few years. Jayla Hurst and Moriah Lampley are both just quiet girls that contribute greatly. Inetta Grubbs bumped up to 170 from 155, giving up nearly 20 pounds to take fourth — ultimately the reason we could pull off a 10-point cushion.”

The Maroons also led the tournament with 27 pins — two ahead of second-place LaSalle-Peru.

2nd- LaSalle-Peru (144.5)
Coach Nolan Keeney got an individual title from Sarah Lowery (110), a second from Lily Higgins (235), a third from returning state medal-winner Kiely Domyancich (125) and a fourth from Avalyn Edwall (140) among the Cavaliers’ top four finishes.

Keeney also got fifths from Kalista Frost (100), Amelia Buckley (105), Theadora Pappas (140), and Marissa Eggersdorfer (155), a seventh from Mackenzie Miller (135), an eighth from Paige Evans (130), and a ninth from Emily Lowery (115).

3rd- Cahokia (96)
A pair of runner-up finishes from Te’Aja Young (130) and Janylah Holman (170) and a fourth from Kamryn Brown (190) led the Lady Comanches to a third-place tie in the team standings with Glenbard South.

Coach Nick DeLoach also got a fifth from Dakota Bell (130), a sixth from Gabrielle Conner (190), a seventh from Nyla Bryant (120) and a ninth from Deja Porter (120).

3rd- Glenbard South (96)
The Raiders got runner-up finishes from Valerie Aliga (100) and Moriah Lampley (155) to lead the way, plus a fifth from Evie DeSantis (135), a sixth from Talia Kaiser (125), sevenths from Lashuna York (110) and Vivian Aliga (115), and an eighth from Nabiha Khader (120).

Additional champions
100 Kadi Wilber (Glenwood), 105 Tessa Donaldson (Pekin), 115 Autumn Starr (Bloomington), 120 Ava Mayer (Pekin), 125 Aryanna Jones (Alton), 130 returning state runner-up Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion), 135 Chloe Rice (Civic Memorial), 140 Audrey Barnes (Granite City), 145 returning state champion Natalie Beaumont (Cumberland), 155 Alicia Swank (Bloomington), 170 returning state runner-up Payton Temple (Clifton Central)

Additional runners-up
100 Chloe Collins (Olympia), 105 Phoenix Criss (Springfield Co-op), 110 Leena Cavender (Jacksonville), 115 Ma’Kayla Bonner (Granite City), 120 Kate Wochner (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), 125 Claire Shaw (Civic Memorial), 135 Tala Asad (Springfield Co-op), 140 Elsie Dozier (Glenwood), 145 Taylor Sutton (East Peoria), 155 Talhia Hostetter (Limestone), 190 Avery Lundgren (Macomb)

The unbeatens (10-match minimum)
Pekin’s Tessa Donaldson (11-0 at 105), Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon (13-0 at 130), Granite City’s Audrey Barnes (16-0 at 140), Clifton Central’s Payton Temple (17-0 at 170), Belleville West’s Brooke Stellhorn (10-0 at 190)
 

Statistics
Belleville West finished with the most pins in the least time for the tournament, with 27 falls in 55:52. Mt. Zion had the most tech falls in the least time with two in 4:51. Glenbard South finished with the most match points in the field with 216, to LaSalle-Peru’s 198.
Individually, LaSalle-Peru’s Kiley Domyancich had the most pins in the least time with four falls in 3:34, while East Peoria’s Dezyrae Murray posted the fastest fall in 12 seconds. Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon had two tech falls in 4:51 to finish with the most techs in the least time, and Cahokia’s Deja Porter posted the fastest tech fall in 1:52.
Paris’ Hellie Barrett and Cahokia’s Janylah Holman tied for the most single-match points with 23 points, and Glenbard South’s Valerie Aliga had the most total match points with 66. The largest seed-place difference came from East Peoria’s 15th-seeded Taylor Sutton, who placed second at 145 pounds.

Championship match results

100-Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) F 1:45 Chloe Collins
105-Tessa Donaldson (Pekin) F 4:27 Phoenix Criss (Springfield Co-op)
110-Sarah Lowery (L-Peru) F 1:43 Leena Cavender (Jacksonville)
115-Autumn Starr (Bloomington) F 3:48 Ma’Kayla Bonner (Granite City)
120-Ava Mayer (Pekin) F 1:35 Kate Wochner (Oakwood/SF)
125-Aryanna Jones (Alton) TF 4:05 Claire Shaw (Civic Memorial)
130-Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion) TF 2:21 Te’Aja Young (Cahokia)
135-Chloe Rice (Civic Memorial) MD 15-2 Tala Asad (Springfield Co-op)
140-Audrey Barnes (Granite City) F 2:12 Elsie Dozier (Glenwood)
145-Natalie Beaumont (Cumberland) F 0:39 Taylor Sutton (E Peoria)
155-Alicia Swank (Bloomington) 6-0 OT Talhia Hostetter (Limestone)
170-Payton Temple (Clifton C) F 2:45 Janylah Holman (Cahokia)
190-Brooke Stellhorn (Belleville W) F 3:09 Avery Lundgren (Macomb)
235-Andre-a Kirkpatrick (Belleville W) F 4:28 Lily Higgins (L-Peru)

Third-place match results

100-Valerie Aliga (Glenbard S) F 1:38 Jasmine Johnson (Rantoul)
105-Alexia Glover (PORTA) F 3:10 Kaidence Eveland (Paris)
110-Riley Weems (Belleville W) F 1:43 Mackenzie Gound (Rantoul)
115-Katilyn Knight (Jacksonville) F 3:11 Lainey Ehler (Oakwood/SF)
120-Olivia Jarrett (Glenwood) D 12-7 Hellie Barrett (Paris)
125-Kiely Domyancich (L-Peru) F 1:37 Fay Reese (E Peoria)
130-Nichole Castillo (Glenbard S) F 2:42 Dayza Phillips (Alton)
135-Ja’yla Hurst (Belleville W) F 1:14 Jessa Bark (West Vigo IN)
140-Alyssa Hardt (Belleville W) F 1:04 Avalyn Edwall (L-Peru)
145-Dru Hyde (Macomb) F 1:05 Diem Bryan (Mahomet-Seymour)
155-Moriah Lampley (Belleville W) F 5:12 Alyssa Artman (Pekiin)
170-Summer Nichols (Cumberland) F 0:46 Mallory Feldhaus (E Peoria)
190-Vanessa Kelley (Springfield Co-op) F 0::40 Kamryn Brown (Cahokia)
235-Madeline Cooley (Jacksonville) F 1:05 Nina Landmann (Highland)

Lakes Snow Brawl
The 11-team field saw host Lakes snare the team title by a hair, 145.5-141.5 over second-place Antioch. Freeport (133) was third followed by Lyons (100.5) and St. Charles East (87.5) to round out the top five.
Lakes got individual titles from Christina Hasner (145), Kamila Loaiza (190), and Joslin Coon (235) to lead the way among eight girls who finished in the top four of their weight classes.

Team scores
Lakes 145.5, Antioch 141.5, Freeport 133, Lyons 100.5, St. Charles East 87.5, Wauconda 75, Richmond-Burton 57.5, Buffalo Grove 40, Lake Forest 30, Grayslake North 17.5, Intrinsic Charter-Downtown 12, Carmel 4

1st-Lakes (145.5)
In addition to titles from Hasner, Loaiza, and Coon, Lakes got second-place finishes from Elise Kaylor (130), Michelle Otuonye (140) and Erika Celik (235), and thirds from Osmairi Medina Alvarado (115) and Megan Murray (145).

2nd-Antioch (141.5)
Sasha Johnson (140) won an individual title for the Sequoits, who also got seconds from Londyn Lloyd (110), Rylee Dunlavy (145) and Josie Blau (170), thirds from Dylylah Patterson (125), Magdelyn Brough (130) and Isabella Marcomb (135), and a fourth from Alyana Cotton (115).

3rd-Freeport (133)

The Pretzels got titles form Brea Balles (115), NaJeyah Wallace (155) and Caydence Fellows (170), a second from Kaiya Kalindo (120), and thirds from Ariyana Calmese (105), Bella Martins (155) and Nalani Isaac (170).

Additional champions
100 Ester Migues-Gaytan (Grayslake North), 105 Jhania Wickert-Harris (Lyons), 110 Sydney Stieb (St. Charles East), 115 Brea Balles (Freeport), 120 Mirabelle Duboeuf (Lake Forest), 125 Caroline Marogy (Buffalo Grove), 130 Madelyn Peterie (Richmond-Burton), 135 Sofia Turek (Lyons)

Additional runners-up
100 Bailynn Dunham (St. Charles East), 105 Kachi Tijerina (St. Charles East), 115 Sophia Rivas (St. Charles East), 125 Zoe Connelly (Lyons), 135 Brooklyn Peterie (Richmond-Burton), 155 Gesselle Vazquez (Wauconda)

The unbeatens (10-match minimum)
Richmond-Burton’s Madelyn Peterie (11-0 at 130)

Statistics
Second-place Antioch led the tournament with the most pins in the least time, with 18 in 29:28. The Sequoits also led the field with the most tech falls in the least time, with three in 11:43, and had the most total match points with 177.
Individually, St. Charles East’s Autumn Badon had the most pins in the least time with four falls in 3:01, while Antioch’s Londyn Lloyd had the most tech falls in the least time with two in 6:39. St. Charles East’s Valentina Solorzano and Grayslake North’s Ester Migues-Gaytan tied for the fastest tech fall at 2:00.
Lyons’ Gabby Jackson scored the most single-match points with 24 and Wauconda’s Jadzie Dominguez scored the most total match points with 43. The largest seed-place difference came from Freeport’s NaJeyah Wallace, as the No. 9 seed won the title at 155 pounds.

Championship match results
100-Ester Migues-Gaytan (Grayslake N) F 1:08 Bailynn Dunham (SC East)
105-Jhania Wickert-Harris (Lyons) F 2:00 Kachi Tijerina (SC East)
110-Sydney Stieb (SC East) F 0:54 Londyn Lloyd (Antioch)
115-Brea Balles (Freeport) TF 4:00 Sophia Rivas (SC East)
120-Mirabelle Duboeuf (Lake Forest) F 2:57 Kaiya Galindo (Freeport)
125-Caroline Marogy (Buffalo Grove) F 1:29 Zoe Connelly (Lyons)
130-Madelyn Peterie (Richmond-Burton) TF 2:26 Elise Kaylor (Lakes)
135-Sofia Turek (Lyons) F 2:47 Brooklyn Peterie (Richmond-Burton)
140-Sasha Johnson (Antioch) F 0:36 Michelle Otuonye (Lakes)
145-Christina Hasner (Lakes) TF 5:01 Rylee Dunlavy (Antioch)
155-NaJeyah Wallace (Freeport) D 10-7 Gesselle Vazquez (Wauconda)
170-Caydance Fellows (Freeport) F 5:58 Josie Blau (Antioch)
190-Kamila Loaiza (Lakes) BYE
235-Joslin Coon (Lakes) F Erika Celik (Lakes)

Third-place match results
100-Eleanor Ecklund (Carmel) BYE
105-Ariyana Calmese (Freeport) TF 4:24 Lauren Anderson (Grayslake N)
110-Mariah Zalapa (Lyons) F 1:57 April Stevens (Wauconda)
115-Osmairi Medina  Alvarado (Lakes) F 2:12 Alyana Cotton (Antioch)
120-Autumn Badon (SC East) F 0:31 Breanna Warren (Richmond-Burton)
125-Dylhlah Patterson (Antioch) F 0:28 Jadzie Dominguez (Wauconda)
130-Magdelyn Brough (Antioch) F 1:51 Mari Sorice (Lyons)
135-Isabella Marcomb (Antioch) F 1:16 Tallika Shields (Wauconda)
140-Jatziry Godoy (Wauconda) F 2:40 Gabby Jackson (Lyons)
145-Megan Murray (Lakes) F 3:34 Camille Camarena (Wauconda)
155-Bella Martins (Freeport) F 1:16 Victoria Marquez (Grayslake N)
170-Nalani Isaac (Freeport) F 0:51 Allison Schultz (Richmond-Burton)
190-None
235-Leilany Ramirez-Chavez BYE

Metamora Girls Holiday Classic
Galesburg snared the team title at this year’s 21-team Metamora Girls Holiday Classic, topping second-place St. Joseph-Ogden 89-83. Champaign Central (59) was third, Dunlap (54) placed fourth, and host Metamora (53) rounded out the top five team finishes.

1st- Galesburg (89)
The Silver Streaks got in individual title from Dai Driana Wilford (130), a second from Hannah Barton (155), and thirds from Amyah Pruitt (125), Delilah Gregory (135) and Vivian Aldus (140).

2nd- St. Joseph-Ogden (83)

Ainsley Freeman (125) and Maddie Wells (155) won title for the Spartans, who also got a second from Madison Alsip (120), and fourths from Candice Wright (130) and Taylor Vaughn (145).

3rd- Champaign Central (59)
The Maroons got an individual title from  ly’Jah Grant, a second-place finish from Zaiyrah Bailey (140), and a third from Onisty Murphy (155).

Team scores
Galesburg 89, St. Joseph-Ogden 83, Champaign C 59, Dunlap 54, Metamora 53, Washington 52, Richwoods 47.5, ROWVA 45.5, Streator 45.5, Sterling 40.5, El Paso-Gridley 38, Manual 31.5, St. Thomas More 30, Notre Dame 30, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher 21, Sparta 20, Putnam County 18, Geneva 15, Pontiac 11, Illinois Valley Central 9, Peoria 4
Additional champions
100 Lesly DeLaCruz (Notre Dame), 105, Leah White (Richwoods), 110 Leilah Vaughn (Streator), 115 Kiana Mayne (El Paso-Gridley), 120 Payton Henson (Streator), 135 Mylee Edwards (Metamora), 140 Olivia Curtis (Dunlap), 145 Vivianna Torres (Sterling), 190 Patience Riggs (ROWVA), 235 Marley Clark (Richwoods)

Unbeaten (10-match minimum)St. Joseph-Ogden’s Maddie Wells (10-0 at 155)

Statistics
St. Joseph-Ogden posted the most pins in the least time, with 11 pins in 13:49, while Galesburg had the most tech falls in the least time, with two at 3:01. Galesburg posted the most match points with 138, followed by Dunlap with 119.
Individually, Champaign Central’s Onisty Murphy had the most pins in the least time with five in 7:51. Sterling’s Devaeh had the fastest tech fall at 1:04. St. Joseph-Ogden’s Ainsley Freeman scored the most team points with 26, while Galesburg’s Delilah Gregory scored the most total match points with 39 and Sterling’s Nevaeh had the most single-match points with 21.
The largest seed-place difference went to Metamora’s Mylee Edwards, who was seeded seventh but won the title at 135 pounds.

Championship match results
100-Lesly DeLaCruz (Notre Dame) TF 1:48 Katherine Garcia (Sterling)
105-Leah White (Richwoods) F 3:25 Grace Aeschliman (Metamora)
110-Leilah Vaughn (Streator) F 2:23 Madison Poll (St. Thomas More)
115-Kiana Mayne (EP-Gridley) F 1:40 Peace Creath (Richwoods)
120-Payton Henson (Streator) F 3:29 Madison Alsip (SJ-Ogden)
125-Ainsley Freeman (SJ-Ogden) F 0:44 Calliope Willman (Metamora)
130-Dai Driana Wilford (Galesburg) F 1:22 Jaydah Green (Richwoods)
135-Mylee Edwards (Metamora) F 3:45 Emma Zeigler (Washington)
140-Olivia Curtis (Dunlap) F 2:47 Zaiyrah Bailey (Champaign C)
145-Vivianna Torres (Sterling) F 1:08 Claire Simmons (St. Thomas More)
155-Maddie Wells (SJ-Ogden) F 0:23 Hannah Barton (Galesburg)
170-ly’Jah Grant (Champaign C) F 1:21 Perla Cortez (Manual)
190-Patience Riggs (ROWVA) F 0:27 Ella Irwin (Putnam County)
235-Marley Clark (Richwoods) F 0:53 Kya Norman (Richwoods)

Third-place match results
100-Jaymaries Andres (Metamora) F 5:15 Kayla Hassell (Geneva)
105-Jaylynn Elmore (ROWVA) BYE
110-Marissa Brown (ROWVA) TF 3:41 Nevaeh Delgado (Sterling)
115-Avery Manning (ROWVA) injury dflt. Charity Miguel (GCMS/Fisher)
120-Paeyton Dickerson (Dunlap) F 3:55 Ruthie Orella (Sparta)
125-Amyah Pruitt (Galesburg) F 0:51 Michaela HIttle (IV Central)
130-Anabell Southern (EP-Gridley) F 3:52 Candice Wright (SJ-Ogden)
135-Delilah Gregory (Galesburg) F 4:27 Sammy Baker (Notre Dame)
140-Vivian Aldus (Galesburg) F 1:07 Bailey Guth (Washington)
145-McKenzie Miller (GCMS/Fisher) F 1:00 Taylor Vaughn (SJ-Ogden)
155-Onisty Murphy (Champaign C) F 0:44 Lilly Severson (Sparta)
170-Grace Mordhorst (Washington) F 1:42 Olivia Miller (Pontiac)
190-Zanasia Simmons (Manual) F 1:08 Atalyssa Craig (Dunlap)
235-Arianna Tamayo (Sterling) BYE

By Chris Walker for the IWCOA

AG SCI Lady Cyclones 2025

St. Laurence is only in its second year in the sport, but its team has more than doubled in size and it’s beginning to have success, as was demonstrated when it won the title at the 23-team AG SCI Lady Cyclones Tournament at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences.

Coach Arturo Nesci’s Vikings St. Laurence had four champions and four others who placed in the top five to finish with 195 points, placing it 17.5 points ahead of runner-up Portage, IN. The host Cyclones took third with 110 points while Leyden (101), Back of the Yards (95.5), TF South (87.5), Crete-Monee (84), Hillcrest (78), Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy (75) and Rich Township (73) rounded out the top-10 teams in the field.

“We are in our second year,” St. Laurence coach Arturo Nesci said. “Started with eight first-year wrestlers and now have 21. The tournament had 26 teams.”

1st: St. Laurence (195)

Title winners for the champion Vikings were Nina Nesci (120), Hannah Marusarz (140), Jocelyn Gonzalez-Ruiz (145) and Elise Brown (235) while Cecelia Riccordino (100), Jenayah Velazquez (125), Magdalena Roa (130) and Delia Humphrey (155) all placed fifth.

2nd: Portage, IN (178.5)

Madisyn Mikels (105) won the lone title for Portage, who also had four girls who placed second, Grace Pinkelton (110), Sophia Jorge (115), Hailee Esco (130) and Ja`Lynn Parker (155).

3rd: Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (110)

Winning titles for coach Andrea Hale’s third-place Cyclones were Danita Palmore (115) and Elena Haugh (170) while Madison Cruz (140) took third, Rainie Mack (120) placed fourth and Carmen Jackson (110) was fifth.

Additional individual champions:

100: Sariya Maddox (Rich Township); 110: Zoey Dodgers (Leyden); 125: Kendra Chatman (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy); 130: Catherine Diehl (Wheaton Academy); 135: Mercedes Carrasco (De La Salle Institute); 155: Melissa Nance (Hillcrest); 190: Jordyn Coleman-Harrison (Hillcrest)

Additional runners-up:

100: Ashley Lopez (Back of the Yards); 105: Anapaula Cerna Rivera (De La Salle Institute); 120: Sabrina Bono (Leyden); 125: Dimond Calvin-Bowsky (Crete-Monee); 135: Stephanie Villada-Garcia (Mother McAuley); 140: Evelyna Perez (Back of the Yards); 145: Jazariah Willis (Hillcrest); 170: Jermia Moore (TF South); 190: Nyomi Ascencio (Back of the Yards); 235: Andrea Aguilera (Leyden)

Statistics of note:

Haugh and Nance led all champions with 30 team points while Carrasco and Diehl tied for third with 29.5 and Marusarz and Nesci tied for fifth place with 29 points. Ag Sciences’ Carmen Jackson had the most total match points with 56. And Nesci also had the largest seed-place difference after being seeded 15th and winning the title at 120. The Vikings had a 32-20 advantage in pins over Portage and easily had the most total match points with 277 while the host Cyclones were second with 206 points.

Final team scores;

St. Laurence (195), Portage, IN (178.5), Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (110), Leyden (101), Back of the Yards (95.5), TF South (87.5), Crete-Monee (84), Hillcrest (78), Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy (75), Rich Township (73), Mather (71), De La Salle Institute (69.5), Evergreen Park (67), Mother McAuley (64), Hancock (51), York (51), Little Village Lawndale (42), Kenwood Academy (36), Fenwick (32.5), Wheaton Academy (29.5), Marist (19.5), Morgan Park (9), North Chicago (3).

Title match results:

100: Sariya Maddox (Rich Township) over Ashley Lopez (Back of the Yards), F 0:46

105: Madisyn Mikels (Portage, IN) over Anapaula Cerna Rivera (De La Salle Institute), Inj. 3:57

110: Zoey Dodgers (Leyden) over Grace Pinkelton (Portage, IN), F 2:36

115: Danita Palmore (Agricultural Sciences) over Sophia Jorge (Portage, IN), D 7-0

120: Nina Nesci (St. Laurence) over Sabrina Bono (Leyden), MD 16-6

125: Kendra Chatman (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) over Dimond Calvin-Bowsky (Crete-Monee), F 0:50

130: Catherine Diehl (Wheaton Academy) over Hailee Esco (Portage, IN), TF 3:46

135: Mercedes Carrasco (De La Salle Institute) over Stephanie Villada-Garcia (Mother McAuley),  F 3:18

140: Hannah Marusarz (St. Laurence) over Evelyna Perez (Back of the Yards), MD 13-0

145: Jocelyn Gonzalez-Ruiz (St. Laurence) over Jazariah Willis (Hillcrest), F 5:00

155: Melissa Nance (Hillcrest) over Ja’Lynn Parker (Portage, IN), F 2:44

170: Elena Haugh (Agricultural Sciences) over Jermia Moore (TF South), F 3:30

190: Jordyn Coleman-Harrison (Hillcrest) over Nyomi Ascencio (Back of the Yards), F 2:26

235: Elise Brown (St. Laurence) over Andrea Aguilera (Leyden), Inj. 2:14

Third-place match results:

100: Iris Cardenes (Evergreen Park) over Adalie Aguilapolo (Mather), F 0:51

105: Camila Ramirez (Little Village Lawndale) over Myricle Hudson (Crete-Monee), F 3:54 

110: Dakodia Kelly (TF South) over Emily Gandar (Leyden), F 1:11

115: Rihanna Raygoza (Little Village Lawndale) over Danita Green (Kenwood Academy), For.

120: Victoria Serment (De La Salle Institute) over Rainie Mack (Agricultural Sciences), D 6-2

125: Azzaria Quintanilla (Portage, IN) over Laniyah Asberry (Rich Township), F 0:31

130: Talea Ferguson (Marist) over Ariadna Cruz (Mather), TF 4:38

135: Olivia Hetzler (Portage, IN) over Liana Wilcox (Rich Township), M. For.

140: Madison Cruz (Agricultural Sciences) over Nyla Hall (Rich Township), F 4:20

145: Neriah Treadway (Hancock) over Mira Novick (York), F1:36

155: Layla Ross (Evergreen Park) over Mya Coffey (TF South), MD 11-0

170: Lilith Merikort (Evergreen Park) over Amirah Favela (Fenwick), F 0:46

190: Kaylee Slattery (Crete-Monee) over Phoenix Boyson (Mother McAuley), F 0:57

235: Maya Grant (Mother McAuley) over Marlene Segundo (Mather), F 0:45 

Curie Metropolitan Queen of the Mayhem 2025

East Aurora continued its run of tournament success after easily winning the title at Curie Metropolitan’s 24-team Queen of the Mayhem 2025 Tournament in Chicago by collecting 267.5 points, which was 78 points ahead of runner-up J. Sterling Morton, who scored 189.5 points. 

It was the third-straight tournament championship for coach Ryan Mick’s Tomcats, who also claimed first-place showings at Larkin and their own invite after finishing in second place to Lincoln-Way co-op in their initial tournament, which was at Minooka.

The rest of the top 10 included Oak Lawn (155), Marist (145.5), Curie (119), Evanston Township (99), South Elgin (96), Lake Park (89.5), Eisenhower (81) and Thornton Township (73.5).

1st: East Aurora (267.5)

Lupita Garcia (140) and Lilli Ortiz (235) won title matches while Jelena Coyomani (120), Valentina Barboza (125), Ivy Ruiz (140) and Jaylene Dealba (190) each placed second to lead the Tomcats. Carmen Garcia (100), Joselyn Llanos (110) and Ayelen Higuera (130) took third, Arianna Olguin (190NoNs) also placed third and contributed 16 team points. Vanessa Tesillos (105), Ninel Alvarez (115), Carolina Ascencio (145) and Alyssa Galarza (155) placed fourth. And there was an all-Tomcats matchup for the 140 championship with Garcia winning over Ruiz.

2nd: J. Sterling Morton (189.5)

Jordan Rodriguez (100) and Anali Wilson (170) took home titles to lead coach Fernando Arratia’s Mustangs. Victoria Vargas (115) placed second and Sophia Almaraz (105) and Dionna Burks (140) were third. Karla Munoz (110), Isis Marcano (120), Fatima Martinez (125) and Liliana Ionescu (135) finished fourth while Quetzalli Delgado (140) and Rhysel Anum (145) were sixth and Jalissa Jaramillo (155 NonS) placed third with 16 team points.

3rd: Oak Lawn (155)

Elizabeth Bisonaya (100) won a title to pace coach Matt Arthur’s third-place Spartans. Journey Jackson (130) and Priscilla Ruiz (145) placed second, Felix Morales (105) and Eliana Caudillo (115) were fifth and Allison Nava (110), Nataly Romero (170) and Bianca Ocampo (190) took sixth.

Additional individual champions:

110: Giselle Arambula (Curie Metropolitan); 115: Gymaria Brown (Curie Metropolitan); 120: Gracie Meluch (Naperville Central); 125: Molly O`Connor (Lemont); 130: Melva Gallego-Sugar (Naperville Central); 135: Ava Burns (Lake Park); 145: Marlen Morelos Perez (Eisenhower); 155: Allison Garbacz (South Elgin); 190: Jadelin Caballero (Larkin)

Additional runners-up:

100: Maria Quintero (Fenton); 105: Ariana Baier (Lemont); 110: Ariel Woodfin (Thornton Township); 135: Stella Harris (Marist); 155: Lily Fish (Reavis); 170: Phoebe Heyboer (Eisenhower); 235: Abby Parker (Marist)

Statistics of note:

Wilson led all champions with 32 team points while Burns was second with 31.5 points and Rodriguez ranked third with 31 team points. There was a five-way tie for fourth with 30 points between Arambula, Brown, Meluch, O’Connor and Ortiz while Garbacz was ninth with 29 points and led all competitors in total match points with 65 while Lake Park’s Reese Nicolas was second with 61 points. Wilson and Oak Lawn’s Eliana Caudillo were the only individuals with five falls while Garbacz and Nicolas were the only two with two wins by technical fall. Burns had the largest seed-place difference, improving 19 spots to win the 135 title. The longest title match was at 190 where Caballero prevailed with a fall in 7:46 over Dealba. East Aurora had the most pins with 35 while J. Sterling Morton edged East Aurora 240-239 for most total match points. 

Records of champions:

Champions who were unbeaten following Queen of the Mayhem 2025 were Bisonaya (12-0 at 100), O’Connor (11-0 at 125), Garbacz (14-0 at 155) and Wilson (15-0 at 170) while title winners with one defeat were Arambula (12-1 at 110), Brown (13-1 at 115), Morelos Perez (13-1 at 145), Caballero (14-1 at 190) and Ortiz (13-1 at 235).

Final team scores:

East Aurora (267.5), J. Sterling Morton (189.5), Oak Lawn (155), Marist (145.5), Curie Metropolitan (119), Evanston Township (99), South Elgin (96), Lake Park (89.5), Eisenhower (81), Thornton Township (73.5), Larkin (72), Lemont (61), Naperville Central (61), Reavis (60), Fenton (53), Bremen (44), Dyett (23.5), Niles North (21.5), Proviso East (16), Chicago Academy (15), Phoenix STEM Military Academy (11), Lincoln Park (8), Intrinsic Downtown (3), Mansueto (3)

Title match results:

100: Elizabeth Bisonaya (Oak Lawn) over Maria Quintero (Fenton), F 3:01

105: Jordan Rodriguez (J. Sterling Morton) over Ariana Baier (Lemont), MD 10-0

110: Giselle Arambula (Curie Metropolitan) over Ariel Woodfin (Thornton Township), F 4:31

115: Gymaria Brown (Curie Metropolitan) over Victoria Vargas (J. Sterling Morton), F 1:17

120: Gracie Meluch (Naperville Central) over Jelena Coyomani (East Aurora), F 4:00

125: Molly O`Connor (Lemont) over Valentina Barboza (East Aurora), F 2:51

130: Melva Gallego-Sugar (Naperville Central) over Journey Jackson (Oak Lawn), MD 13-1

135: Ava Burns (Lake Park) over Stella Harris (Marist), F 1:56

140: Lupita Garcia (East Aurora) over Ivy Ruiz (East Aurora), F 0:18

145: Marlen Morelos Perez (Eisenhower) over Priscilla Ruiz (Oak Lawn), F 1:29

155: Allison Garbacz (South Elgin) over Lily Fish (Reavis), TF 5:24

170: Anali Wilson (J. Sterling Morton) over Phoebe Heyboer (Eisenhower), F 1:30

190: Jadelin Caballero (Larkin) over Jaylene Dealba (East Aurora), F 7:46

235: Lilli Ortiz (East Aurora) over Abby Parker (Marist), F 1:52

Third-place match results:

100: Carmen Garcia (East Aurora) over Adelina Diaz (Chicago Academy), D 7-3

105: Sophia Almaraz (J. Sterling Morton) over Vanessa Tesillos (East Aurora), F 2:48

110: Joselyn Llanos (East Aurora) over Karla Munoz (J. Sterling Morton), F 2:18

115: Janiya Hawkins (Dyett) over Ninel Alvarez (East Aurora), D 12-7

120: Oyetola Rachael Jacobs (Evanston Township) over Isis Marcano (J. Sterling Morton), MD 14-2

125: Ava Enright (Marist) over Fatima Martinez (J. Sterling Morton), MD 15-3

130: Ayelen Higuera (East Aurora) over Yaretzi Avila Calixto (Curie Metropolitan), TF 3:26

135: Amelia Quinlan (Bremen) over Liliana Ionescu (J. Sterling Morton),  F 0:36

140: Dionna Burks (J. Sterling Morton) over Tyler Lee (Thornton Township), M. For.

145: Isabella Vernon (Evanston Township) over Carolina Ascencio (East Aurora), MD 8-0

155: Mariana Morelos Perez (Eisenhower) over Alyssa Galarza (East Aurora), M. For.

170: Mariana Flores (Larkin) over Daiana Lopez (Curie Metropolitan), F 2:59

190: Paige Washburn (Lake Park) over Fatima Gomez (Evanston Township), F 2:50

235: Ariana Solideo (Fenton) over Miniyai Adams (Thornton Township), F 2:39

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

All IWCOA ranking from Rob Sherrill’s Illinois Best Weekly

Cumberland’s Skull & Crossbones

After placing sixth and then fifth in consecutive years, Althoff Catholic rose to the top of the heap at this year’s Skull & Crossbones tournament. Coach Emanuel Brooks’ Crusaders posted 221.5 points to top Oakwood (196), which won the tournament two years ago.

Lawrenceville (150), the defending Skull & Crossbones team champion, finished third. Host Cumberland (131.5) placed fourth, followed by Litchfield (104.5) to round out the top five.

“I was very pleased with my team’s overall performance,” Brooks said. “From top to bottom, I saw positive things from every kid in my lineup. All of my wrestlers showed up ready to compete, and that made for a very fun and exciting tournament.”

Brooks got individual titles from Dawson Hawthorne (132), Landon Weidler (157) and Pierre Walton (165) to lead a stable of 12 wrestlers finishing in the top eight of their weight classes in the 21-team field.
Walton won a state title last year and he was dominant Saturday.

“He made it a point to tech his opponent in the finals by takedowns only,” Brooks said. “He was beating multiple state-ranked guys with ease. My individual tournament champions all felt they had a bit to prove and made sure they won titles in dominant fashion.”

Hawthorne, ranked No. 4 in Illinois at 132, won by major decision against No. 3 Mason Swartz of Oakwood/ Salt Fork in their title match. The sophomore Weidler pinned and teched his way to the finals, then won a wild 15-10 decision against Cumberland’s Owen McGinnis.

1st-Althoff Catholic (221.5)

In addition to individual titles from No. 3 Hawthorne, HM Weidler and No. 1 Walton, Brooks got seconds from No. 1 at 106 Jacobi Cobbs (113) and HM Jaxon Lynn (126), thirds from HM Nathan Fisher (120) and Colton Stearns (144), fourths from Karson Fowler (106) and Ryan Hogue (150), a fifth from Stephen Ache (215) and a sixth from Robbie Schallert.

Cobbs is top-ranked at 106 and he approached the tournament as a challenge.

“Jacobi Cobbs decided to go 113 pounds to see good competition,” Brooks said. “He lost a one-point match in the finals to a top three-ranked guy (Oakwood’s Steven Uden). It was a tough loss but we learned a lot from that match.”

“Freshman Jaxon Lynn placed second at 126 and had some good battles on his way to the finals. He lost to a pretty good wrestler in the finals (Litchfield’s Vincent Moore). Freshman Colton Stearns finished third at 144 and looked good in all his matches. He’s going to get better as the season goes on.

“Nathan Fisher wrestled his first tournament of the season at 120. He lost a very competitive match in the semi-finals and finished the tournament strong by placing third. I liked what I saw from Fisher. My other wrestlers, led by senior captain Stephen Ache, all had good tournaments. Karson Fowler, Ryan Hogue, Braden Busch, and Austin Wilkinson competed well and made improvements.”

2nd-Oakwood/ Salt Fork (196)
Oakwood/ Salt Fork led all schools in individual titles as coach Mike Glosser sent five high-ranked wrestlers to the top of the awards stand in No. 3 Steven Uden (113), No. 4 Weston Frazier (120), No. 3 Devin Ehler (138), No. 5 Tyler Huchel (144) and No. 10 Jamison Chambliss (190). No. 4 Mason Swartz (132) also reached the title mat and placed second, Alberto Rangel (126) placed fourth, and Keagan Leclaire (157) placed sixth for the Comets.

3rd-Lawrenceville (150)
A trio of second-placers led Lawrenceville coach Cody Bobe’s crew, in HM Hudson Meek (144), Nick Morehead (175) and Malikye Williams (190). The Indians also got thirds from Dalton Baker (106), Cale Seitzinger (150) and Daniel Kiser (157), and a fifth from HM Kyler Guercio (120).

Team scores
Althoff Catholic 221.5, Oakwood/ Salt Fork 196, Lawrenceville 150, Cumberland 131.5, Litchfield 104.5, Salem 98.5, Richland County 97.5, Shelbyville 91, Effingham 86, Robinson 82.5, Herrin 78.5, Pinckneyville 77.5, Monticello 74, Johnston City 68, Mt. Carmel 63, Central 56.5, Harrisburg 44, Oblong 43, Fairfield 38.5, Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/ Armstrong 36, St. Teresa 21.5

Additional individual champions
106 Peyton Groves (Cumberland), No. 6 126 Vincent Moore (Litchfield), HM 150 Kade Orrell (Salem), 175 Jonathan Ramaker (Pinckneyville), 215 Tristan Staggs (Litchfield), 285 Jeremiah Lorton (Effingham)

Additional runners-up
106 Jonah LeDuc (Effingham), 120 Gracen Elliott (Robinson), 138 Rocko Neal (Harrisburg), 150 Matthew Walsh (Central), HM 157 Owen McGinnis (Cumberland), 165 Ryne Peavler (Shelbyville), 215 Hayden Mudgette (Shelbyville), 285 BHRA/ Armstrong

Close calls
Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s No. 3 Steven Uden (113) and Althoff’s No. 1 Jacobi Cobbs (106) squared off in a marquee title match at 113, with Uden taking the 7-6 decision.
Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s No. 5 Tyler Huchel and Lawrenceville’s HM Hudson Meek faced off at 144, with Huchel earning the lone takedown of the match in a 3-1 decision win.

Statistics
Oakwood/ Salt Fork posted the most pins in the least time, with 21 falls in 41:28,  while Althoff had the most tech falls in the least time, with 5 techs in 16:37. Althoff scored the most total match points with 323.
Individually, Litchfield’s Braxton Kieffer had the most pins in the least time, with four in 4:52, while Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Mason Swartz had the fastest fall in 14 seconds. Althoff’s Pierre Walton had the most tech falls in the least time, with 3 in 11:07, and Herrin’s Brennan Jeralds had the fastest tech fall in 47 seconds.
Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Jamison Chambliss scored the most team points with 31.5, Althoff’s Walton scored the most total match points with 56, and Litchfield’s Jayden Ellinger provided the largest seed-place difference, as the No. 18 seed placed third at 190.

Championship match results

106-Peyton Groves (Cumberland) F 3:31 Jonah LeDuc (Effingham)
113-Steven Uden (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) D 7-6 Jacobi Cobbs (Althoff)
120-Weston Frazier (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) TF 3:01 Gracen Elliott (Robinson)
126-Vincent Moore (Litchfield) TF 6:00 Jaxon Lynn (Althoff)
132-Dawson Hawthorne (Althoff) MD 10-0 Mason Swartz (Oakwood/ Salt Fork)
138-Devin Ehler (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) F 3:45 Rocko Neal (Harrisburg)
144-Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) D 3-1 Hudson Meek (Lawrenceville)
150-Kade Orrell (Salem) D 7-4 Matthew Walsh (Central)
157-Landon Weidler (Althoff) D 15-10 Owen McGinnis (Cumberland)
165-Pierre Walton (Althoff) TF 2:40 Ryne Peavler (Shelbyville)
175-Jonathan Ramaker (Pinckneyville) D 4-1 Nick Morehead (Lawrenceville)
190-Jamison Chambliss (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) F 3:08 Malikye Williams (Lawrenceville)
215-Tristan Staggs (Litchfield) MD 11-3 Hayden Mudgette (Shelbyville)
285-Jeremiah Lorton (Effingham) MD 10-0 Landynn Balla (BHRA/ Armstrong)

Third-place match results
106-Dalton Baker (Lawrenceville) F 0:51 Karson Fowler (Althoff)
113-Hayden Hazel (Richland County) F 3:45 Cameron Urbaniak (Herrin)
120-Nathan Fisher (Althoff) F 4:39 Brennan Jeralds (Herrin)
126-Rylan Moore (Salem) MD 9-0 Pedro Alberto Rangel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork)
132-Bodee Fathauer (Shelbyville) F 1:24 Sawyer Welbaum (Cumberland)
138-Broady Kelly (Robinson) F 2:49 Jace Weaver (Johnston City)
144-Colton Stearns (Althoff) F 2:55 Jude Wirey (Oblong)
150-Cale Seitzinger (Lawrenceville) F 4:44 Ryan Hogue (Althoff)
157-Daniel Kiser (Lawrenceville) med. fft. Drake Weeks (Monticello)
165-Trevor Fath (Pinckneyville) F 0:54 Killian Merrill (Salem)
175-Garrett Ray (Herrin) F 2:41 Finn Lathrop (Richland County)
190-Jayden Ellinger (Litchfield) D 9-8 Juan Salazar (Johnston City)
215-Wade Rees (Pinckneyville) TF 4:29 Zander Schrader (Richland County)
285-Carter Pyatt (Mt. Carmel) F 1:13 Gentry Michels (Richland County)

Dale Breckel Mascoutah Invitational

Murphysboro and Mahomet-Seymour got into a dogfight for the team title in Mascoutah, and when the dust settled it was Murphysboro snaring the team crown. Coach Shea Baker’s Red Devils won 244.5-232 over Mahomet-Seymour, with Morton (218) placing third, followed by host Mascoutah (182.5) and Roxana (176.5) to round out the top five.

Murphysboro got titles from Drevan Bramlett (113) and Julien Tanner (285) to lead the way among nine Red Devils finishing in the top eight of their weight classes. Five teams present had two champions apiece.

“I’m extremely proud of this team. Winning this tournament for the first time in school history is a huge achievement for our program,” Baker said. “It took every single guy on the roster winning matches and scoring points to get this done. We’re excited to get back in the room and keep this momentum going.”

Dale Breckel was a teacher at Mascoutah from 1967 to 1993. He started the wrestling program and the tournament which has been wrestled for more than half a century and has bore his name since 2023.

1st-Murphysboro (244.5)
In addition to titles from Bramlett and Tanner, the Red Devils got thirds from Paxton Pyatt (120), Sergio Garcia (126) and Maxon Stearns (165), a fourth from Caybren Hubbard (215), a sixth from Jeret Edwards (138), a seventh from Griffin Diehl (106), and an eighth from Lemar Treshansky (144).
“(Bramlett) had an awesome tournament, including a big win over a tough Waterloo opponent and avenging an earlier season loss in the semifinals,” coach Shea Baker said.

“(Tanner) continues to show huge improvements every week, (Pyatt) wrestled great all weekend and hit a major milestone, surpassing 100 career wins. (Garcia) showed a lot of heart by losing his first match and wrestling all the way back through the bracket, eventually beating the kid who beat him in the first round to take third, and (Stearns) put together a very strong tournament performance to finish third.”

2nd-Mahomet-Seymour (232)
Bulldogs coach Rob Ledin got titles from No. 9 Talon Decker (165) and No. 4 Marco Casillas (190), a second from HM Justus Vrona (144), thirds from No. 10 Garrett Waisath (150) and Weston Neutz (157), a fourth from Gideon Hayter (132), fifths from Myles Hartzler (106) and Phil Daniels (215), and an eighth from Jose Torres (285).

3rd-Morton (218)
No. 5 Noah Harris (126) and No. 2 Harrison Dea (132) won titles for Potters coach Edward Henderson, who also got a second from No. 9 Benjamin Chaffer (215), thirds from Trygg Herron (106) and Colton Mckee (175), a fourth from Brody Watson (150), and a fifth from Lincoln Yerby (138).

Additional champions
Quincy’s Griffin Finch (106) and Brody Baker (150), Roxana’s No. 3 Brandon Green (144) and No. 3 Lyndon Thies (175), Mascoutah’s No. 9 Desi Wade (138) and No. 4 Brock Ross (157), Mt. Vernon’s No. 5 Dalton St. Angelo (120), and Waterloo’s No. 2 Jaxson Mathenia (215).

Additional runners-up
Mascoutah’s Braxton McCall (106) and Jordan Sonon-Hale (175), Alton’s Austin Jones (113), Jake Sutphin (138) and Brayden Drew (165), Triad’s Colin Crouch (120), Mattoon’s Tristan Porter (126), Jacksonville’s Jordan Kholian (132), Champaign Central’s Trae Griffiths (157), Red Bud’s Daniel Jackson (190), Quincy’s King Johnson (285)

The unbeatens (minimum 10 matches)
Mt. Vernon’s Dalton St. Angelo (14-0 at 120), Morton’s Harrison Dea (15-0 at 132), Mascoutah’s Brock Ross (14-0 at 157), Roxana’s Lyndon Thies (15-0 at 175), Waterloo’s Jaxson Methenia (11-0 at 215)

Close calls
The closest title match came at 106, where Quincy’s Griffin Finch won a 12-9 decision on a takedown in overtime against Mascoutah’s Braxton McCall. Murphysboro’s Julien Tanner and Quincy’s King Johnson were also in a dogfight at 285, with Tanner winning a 4-2 decision.

Big match
Two top-five ranked, previously unbeaten 2A wrestlers squared off on the title mat at 132, where No. 2 Harrison Dea (15-0) of Morton won by fall at 1:34 against No. 5 Jordan Kholian (14-1) of Jacksonville.

Championship match results
106-Griffin Finch (Quincy) D 12-9 OT Braxton McCall (Mascoutah)
113-Drevan Bramlett (Murphysboro) F 4:37 Austin Jones (Alton)
120-Dalton St. Angelo (Mt. Vernon) MD 14-0 Colin Crouch (Triad)
126-Noah Harris (Morton) D 13-7 Tristan Porter (Mattoon)
132-Harrison Dea (Morton) F 1:34 Jordan Kholian (Jacksonville)
138-Desi Wade (Mascoutah) F 1:03 Jake Sutphin (Alton)
144-Brandon Green (Roxana) F 1:49 Justus Vrona (Mahomet-S)
150-Brody Baker (Quincy) MD 11-3 Logan Riggs (Roxana)
157-Brock Ross (Mascoutah) TF 3:47 Trae Griffiths (Champaign C)
165-Talon Decker (Mahomet-S) F 4:35 Brayden Drew (Alton)
175-Lyndon Thies (Roxana) F 2:35 Jordan Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah)
190-Marco Casillas (Mahomet-S) TF 5:50 Daniel Jackson (Red Bud)
215-Jaxson Mathenia (Waterloo) F 0:28 Benjamin Chaffer (Morton)
285-Julien Tanner (Murphysboro) D 4-2 King Johnson (Quincy)

Third-place match results

106-Trygg Herron (Morton) D 10-8 Bryce Kuhlman (Normal Comm)
113-Matthew Deutch (Waterloo) D 18-13 Hunter Hayes (Jacksonville)
120-Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) D 7-3 Wyatt Boeing (Quincy)
126-Sergio Garcia D 10-8 Rylan Poeta (Champaign C)
132-Will Kelly (Triad) MD 12-0 Gideon Hayter (Mahomet-S)
138-Talin Baker (Champaign C) TF 4:57 Dashawn Armstrong (Jacksonville)
144-Rennie Lilo (Quincy) D 4-3 Tyler Barlow (Bloomington)
150-Garrett Waisath (Mahomet-S) MD 8-0 Brody Watson (Morton)
157-Weston Neutz (Mahomet-S) F 3:11 Jonathan McCray (E. St. Louis)
165-Maxon Stearns (Murphysboro) F 3:24 Lonnez Smith (E. St. Louis)
175-Colton Mckee (Morton) F 3:30 Vince Goodman (Waterloo)
190-Evan Francis (Marion) F 2:13 Brock Meyer (Jacksonville)
215-Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) fft. Caybren Hubbard (Murphysboro)
285-Mitchells Clapp (Mattoon) MD 12-1 Cy Courtney (Roxana)

Joe Bee Memorial

Glenwood coach Nick Anthony’s boys snared his program’s third consecutive Joe Bee title, outpointing second-place Granite City 236-190.5 in the 19-team tournament hosted by Lanphier.

PORTA (171) placed third, followed by East Peoria (149.5) and Glenbard South (134.5) to round out the top five.

The Titans got individual titles from No. 10 Cooper Clarke (113), No. 10 Pierce Bultmann (120), No. 10 AJ Williams (132) and No. 1 defending state champion Cody Moss (285) among 11 wrestlers who placed in the top six of their weight divisions.

“I was proud to see how our team responded this weekend at the Joe Bee coming off of the Unity Christmas Duals the night before where we had three tough duals,” Anthony said. “We were able to manage a team tournament victory and get a lot of our wrestlers some valuable varsity experience this weekend, which is what you want in December.

“Our lower weights looked very tough this weekend and we were able to get Cooper Clarke and Pierce Bultmann some good competition up a weight. They both were able to pick up some key victories at the Joe Bee and Unity and are starting to round into form.”

1st-Glenwood (236)

In addition to titles from Clarke, Bultmann, Williams, and Moss, the Titans had two runners-up in Elijah Smith (175) and Mason Streb (215), fourths from Kam Hawkins (106) and Jake Tuxhorn (126), and fifths from Braden Monahan (144), Finnley Try (150) and Julian Rammelkamp (165).

“We are still missing some key pieces of our line up, but we have solid depth with wrestlers like Ryan Pelzek and Finn Try who are able to step up and be competitive at the varsity level when called upon,” Anthony said. “This makes us excited for our future moving forward as we have a solid team this year and we look to be able to reload when these seniors graduate.

“AJ Williams was a champion at 132 and he looked very good this weekend, tech falling all his opponents. Cody Moss is looking better each week as he gets into wrestling shape and we are excited to see how much he can develop going into the postseason. “

2nd-Granite City (190.5)

Warriors coach Kyle Thompson got an individual title from Jace Brown (126) and two second-place finishes from Zander Johnson (106) and Adrian Mendez (138). Lucas Cooley (113), Omar Mendez (144) and Eli Miller (190) brought home thirds,  Zachary Cooley (120) was fourth, Raymond Morales (285) was fifth, and Brendon Freyerabend (132) placed sixth.

3rd-PORTA (171)

Coach Jeff Hill’s Bluejays sent five to the title mat, getting individual championships from No. 5 Coyt Rademaker (106), No. 5 Logan Baker (165) and No. 2 Justin Zimmerman (175) and runner-up finishes from Ryan McCoy (132) and No. 6 Zach Bryant (144), plus thirds from Kainin Fillbright (120) and Jaxsen Feagans (138).

Additional individual champions
Also winning Joe Bee titles were 138 Mason Wood (Normal West), No. 2 144 Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian), No. 2 150 Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian), No. 8 157 Bryce Bryant (Springfield), and No. 5 Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin (190).

Additional runners-up
113 Donovan Lowery (Normal West), 120 Ethan Hoyt (Macomb), 126 Jamarcus Agnew, 150 Cooper Chester (East Peoria), 157 Jovonis Lunford (Sacred Heart-Griffin), 165 Julian Pagliara (Springfield), 190 Dalton Oakman (East Peoria), 285 Ambrose Davis (Glenbard South)

Statistics
Granite City’s 25 pins in 45:01 led all teams in the tournament; Glenwood had 25 pins in 60:32. Glenwood led the field with six tech falls in 24:16 and finished with the most total match points, with 357. Granite City was second in match points with 309.
Individually, Granite City’s Raymond Morales had the most pins in the least time, with five falls in 7:13, and Springfield’s Bryce Bryant had the most tech falls in the least time, with three techs in 8:46. East Peoria’s Chester Cooper posted the fastest tech fall in 1:50.
Mahomet-Seymour’s Renn VanDeveer finished with the most single-match points with 25, and Bryant had the most total match points with 74. Granite City’s Zander Johnson provided the largest seed-place difference, as the No. 15 seed placed second at 106.

The unbeatens (10-match minimum)
The lone wrestlers to walk away from this year’s Joe Bee with undefeated resumes were Unity Christian’s Garrett VerHeecke (16-0 at 144) and brother Clinton VerHeecke (16-0 at 150).

Team scores
Glenwood 236, Granite City 190.5, PORTA 171, East Peoria 149.5, Glenbard South 134.5, Normal West 96.5, LaSalle-Peru 79.5, Cahokia 78.5, Sacred Heart-Griffin 75.5, Springfield 75, Unity Christian 66.5, Pekin 65.5, Auburn 61, Centennial 53, Mahomet-Seymour 49.5, Macomb 41.5, Lanphier 38, Limestone 18, Souteast 17

Championship match results
106-Coyt Rademaker (PORTA) F 2:45 Zander Johnson (Granite City)
113-Cooper Clarke (Glenwood) F 0:43 Donovan Lowery (Normal W)
120-Pierce Bultmann (Glenwood) TF 4:00 Ethan Hoyt (Macomb)
126-Jace Brown (Granite City) F 1:24 Jamarcus Agnew (Cahokia)
132-AJ Williams (Glenwood) TF 4:24 Ryan McCoy (PORTA)
138-Mason Wood (Normal W) D 11-4 Adrian Mendez (Granite City)
144-Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian) TF 4:18 Zach Bryant (PORTA)
150-Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian) F 0:26 Cooper Chester (E Peoria)
157-Bryce Bryant (Springfield) TF 3:26 Jovonis Lunford (Sacred Heart-G)
165-Logan Baker (Petersburg) TF 4:15 Julian Pagliara (Springfield)
175-Justin Zimmerman (PORTA) D 8-3 Elijah Smith (Glenwood)
190-Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-G) F 1:32 Dalton Oakman (E Peoria)
215-Alec Del Toro (E Peoria) MD 9-0 Mason Streb (Glenwood)
285-Cody Moss (Glenwood) F 1:43 Ambrose Davis (Glenbard S)

Third-place match results

106-Grant Morphew (Mahomet-S.) F 3:27 Kamden Hawkins (Glenwood)
113-Lucas Cooley (Granite City) F 4:26 Braxton Shemansky (Pekin)
120-Kainin Fillbright (PORTA) TF 2:40 Zachary Cooley (Granite City)
126-Jaxson Cornelius (E Peoria) F 1:47 Jake Tuxhorn (Glenwood)
132-Elijah Scott (Auburn) F 4:00 Jeremiah McCaskill (Cahokia)
138-Jaxsen Feagans (PORTA) F 1:52 Kyler Miller (Macomb)
144-Omar Mendez (Granite City) TF 2:57 Drayven Hamm (Auburn)
150-Jin Tai (Glenbard S) MD 15-3 Trey Boston (Auburn)
157-Nino Caballero (Mahomet-S.) MD 11-0 Rylynd Rynkewicz (LaSalle-P)
165-Anthony Kinney (Glenbard S) TF 3:52 Cole Smith (Normal W)
175-Shamar Brownlee (Springfield) F 2:28 Dallin Ames (Glenbard S)
190-Eli Miller (Granite City) F 0:49 Sergio Baity (Centennial)
215-Martez Williams (Cahokia) TF 4:52 Ayden Williams (Auburn)
285-Keegan Barnes (E Peoria) F 1:53 Eric Mateika (La Salle-P)

By Chris Walker for the IWCOA

2025 Morris Girls Reindeer Rumble Invite

It was a two-team race for the team title during the 3rd annual Morris Girls Reindeer Rumble Invite on Dec. 20, but the defending champs were victorious again.

Like Schaumburg did in the inaugural tournament in 2023, and last year, the Saxons showcased their depth and talent to take home the title for the third straight year.

“It’s a good tournament, you got Lockport and DeKalb and Minooka ,all these teams that will be at state duals next week,” Schaumburg coach Matt Gruszka said. “Dual team is definitely a different feel because it brings excitement and it’s nice IWCOA puts on the state duals for next week. It’s a cool thing. We get 16 full teams going at it. It’s a great environment. We look forward to seeing those teams again, and all the coaches here get along well here which is kind of nice.”

The Saxons were challenged by Minooka, outscoring the Indians 448 to 428. Lockport was a distant third with 360 and DeKalb was fourth at 267 with Canton’s 245 rounding out of the top five teams among 27 programs that competed in the festive-themed tourney.

“Our normal (first) tournament got canceled because of the weather so it was the first tournament,” Gruszka said. “It’s always interesting to see how your team responds in their first big tournament, but overall they definitely had the team effort and we’re going to need that when we do duals which is going to be a lot of fun.”

Nadia Razzak (190) won a title while her teammates, Isabella Rivas (125), Layla McHenry (155) and Sharon Olorunfemi (135) wrestled their way into the finals but fell short, placing second. Makenzi Aguilar (100) was third, Ava Hartman (140) and Maja Brzosko (170) were fourth, Catherine Franco (105), Reagan Paulson (120) and Lauren Brehmer (130) were sixth. Olivia Furlan (235) placed eighth to provide 24 points and Anna Villarreal (115) took ninth and delivered 27 points.

“I think our 190 (Razzak) wrestled extremely well,” Gruszka said. “Nadia had a hell of a tournament. And then we had some of the girls in the final, but I tell you, it’s a tough tournament, some tough individual girls here. To win a tournament like this some girls come from smaller teams but they’re tough as nails so you run into someone in the finals or third, who’s this girl? I love wrestling these tournaments, you get to see those individual girls.”

Runner-up Minooka earned a pair of titles from Ezra Rodriquez (145) and Abigail Underhill (155). Anastasia Dewey (125) and Sabina Charlebois (130) took third, Marian Nordsell (110) and Mia Lemberg (190) were fourth and Aubry Smith (115), Lexie Lakota (135), Melody Williams (140) and Addison Davis (170) placed fifth. Therese Escano (105) placed seventh and earned 27 points and Mia Martinez (100) was tenth with 18 points.

100 – Abella Brown, Canton

Brown didn’t get a chance to wrestle here last year. Instead, she was watching from the outside, biding her time waiting for her wrist to heal.

“I’m very happy with actually wrestling at this tournament because last year I broke my wrist the second day of practice and I was out for half the season, so I wasn’t even at this tournament last year,” the junior said. “I’m just happy to be back. I did come back and ended up qualifying for state and Chloe (Hedges) over here also qualified for state.”

Brown scored a 9-0 major over Burlington Central’s Melanie Garcia to win the title match.

“The biggest key for me was just wrestling to my ability and having my teammates and coaches push me and remind me of how I can wrestle,” Brown said. “Really after winning my first one and continuing into my second I just kept pushing and finding my angles, finding my shots was really what got me through today.”

After beginning high school at Coal City, Brown transferred to Canton and now she’s among the Little Giants at the 585-student school in Fulton County, a solid 3-plus hour drive from Morris.

“It’s been like a family to me from the beginning,” Brown said. “All the girls push each other at practice and the coaches genuinely are so amazing and they really want the best for us and they push us to work hard.”

Schaumburg’s Makenzi Aguilar beat West Aurora’s Melissa Melgar by fall at 3:07 for third place, and DeKalb’s Jade Weiss pinned Ottawa’s Isabel Gwaltney in 9 seconds for fifth.

105 – Alex Gregorio-Perez, DeKalb 

Gregorio-Perez, who placed fifth in the state at 105 pounds last year, became a 2-time champion in the infancy of this third-year tournament with a repeated win at 105.

She pinned all five of her opponents, including Canton’s LT Diephus in 2:58 in the final. Diephus won the title at 100 last year here.

Oswego East’s Vivienne Mendygral (0:59), Romeoville’s Delilah Carli (1:10), Sandwich’s Olivia Agajanian (1:21) and Ottawa’s Ciara Wolf (0:51) were among those Gregorio-Perez defeated by fall before matching up against Diephus.

“Overall, we’ve been working on my top and bottom a lot,” Gregorio-Perez said. “If I look at the bigger picture compared to my freshman year I would say my confidence is there. I feel ready to go as soon as we are out of bounds or they stop the match, I’m ready in the middle, ready to go, ready on my feet, thinking of my next move and how to work through that without thinking too much about it. It really is just a feel. Getting through uncomfortable situations as well and just putting it all out there.”

Wrestling has added structure to Gregorio-Perez’s young life.

“I tried out and I’m not going to lie, I was a little bit unstable and a bit of a trouble maker,” she said. “And my parents had told me I couldn’t wrestle and so it just made me want to actually wrestle, so I just still did wrestling and stuck with it and really liked it and now it’s everything for me.”

She’s taken advantage of a program at DeKalb that benefits from the strength of a solid boys program.

“Obviously, at DeKalb we’re very big on wrestling so we have a lot of resources with coaches and they are very willing to work with me, so obviously a lot of those coaches have seen my potential even when I haven’t seen it,” she said. “So during the off-season I worked so hard, I would get a lot of extra practice, go to the off-season stuff and just trying to get other girls to want to practice so I could get a practice partner.”

Now that she’s seeing other girls following in her footsteps, she’s counting her blessings that she was introduced to this great sport which continues to grow with her peers.

“Our girls in general want to do it because they see it’s possible,” she said. “It’s just amazing, and if anything, it’s very rewarding being a part of it and seeing not only our girls team in the high school, but middle school. Our club with girls in fifth grade and fourth grade and second grade, everything is multiplying and so great to see compared to my freshman year and there were five girls maybe.”

Shepard’s Sofia Perez won by fall at 3:07 over Ottawa’s Ciara Bolf for third place, and West Aurora’s Ruby Bolanos-Carbajal earned a 6-0 decision against Schaumburg’s for fifth.

110 – Annalee Haschemeyer, Canton

Haschemeyer, who placed fourth here at 120 as a freshman a year ago, piled up the minutes, earning five victories, including four by decision.

After opening with a 10-7 decision over Coal City’s Norah Minuth, Haschemeyer pinned Oswego’s Kendra Padilla at 3:20 to advance to the quarterfinals. She earned decisions over Sandwich’s Lydia Cartwright and Minooka’s Marian Nordsell to get to the finals where she earned an 8-5 decision against Ottawa’s Lily Gwaltney.  

“I’m really proud of myself because last year I think I got fourth or fifth, and I got first this year,” she said. “So I’m really proud of myself and my thought was just like move, move move, run, run, run on your feet. I’m really proud of how I moved.”

As for what Haschemeyer learned about wrestling from the end last season to now?

“I learned that girls are a lot easier to wrestle than boys,” she said. “From freshman to sophomore year that’s what I learned.”

DeKalb’s Larisza Gomez Guevara earned a tech fall win while ahead 17-1 at the 4-minute mark over Minooka’s Marian Nordsell for third, and Canton’s Shayla Schielein scored a 7-0 decision over Sandwich’s Lydia Cartwright for fifth.

115 – Chloe Hedges, Canton

Plainfield South’s Kayla Ochotorena avoided being pinned by Hedges in the first minute, which was something Hedges’ four other opponents were unable to do.

In fact, Hedges earned pins in 21, 40 and 53 seconds before taking down Schaumburg’s Aubree Campos in 38 seconds in the final.

Attitude and battling teammate Annalee Haschemeyer in the practice room were apparently difference makers in her dominance all day.

“Well, I tried to take a lot of shots and keep a positive attitude mainly,” Hedges said. “I don’t know. I’m not used to doing interviews. My bruises are (Haschemeyer’s) bruises and her bruises are my bruises.”

120 – Aiyanah Sylvester, West Aurora

A year after winning the title here at 125, Sylvester won at 120, joining select company as one of a handful of two-time champs here.

Sylvester dominated. The junior pinned Prairie Central senior Yurithdzy Vilchis in 51 seconds to win the title.

It was her fourth pin of the tournament. After opening with two straight pins in 14 and 33 seconds respectively, Sylvester won by forfeit in her third round match to advance to the quarterfinals where she won by fall in 1:08 against Romeoville’s Jayden Kurowski. She needed a little longer (2:22) before getting to Peotone’s Kennedy Mort in the semifinal. All told, she spent just 4:17 on the mat in Morris wrestling.

Mort received a tech fall win against Plainfield South’s Alexia Kachiroubas when she pulled ahead 17-3 at 3:47 for third place, and Reed-Custer’s Madysen Meyer won 3-1 over Schaumburg’s Reagan Paulson for fifth.

125 – Samantha Greisen, Seneca

Greisen isn’t alone at her school, but she’s in select company with Hayden Lavarier, a 145-pounder who took seventh place on Saturday.

They’re the lone female wrestlers at Seneca.

“Only got us two girls, just me and Hayden at the school, and there are some people who will try it out and they’ll be like, ‘I’m not a fan,’ and give up on it,” Greisen said. “It kind of discourages other girls from trying.”

There’s no doubt Greisen was the exact opposite. She got hooked pretty early on.

“I started when I was in middle school and I just needed an outlet,” she said. “My mom thought for sure I was going to quit. I was in fifth grade and I liked it. It was fun and so I stuck with it. And then I wasn’t a fan of the school I was at and the school was not a big fan of me. Once I moved I thought I wasn’t going to wrestle and then I got the Seneca coaches, mostly Gavin (Kurtz) and I was like ‘I really like this sport’ so I stuck it out and now I might go wrestle in college because of it.”

She’s looking to go next-level because she’s doing fantastic things currently in high school, including pinning five opponents in a single day to win a title.

Greisen’s defeated Bolingbrook’s Kayleah Tate (2:27), Romeoville’s Samantha De La Torre (1:28), Urbana’s Tauhnisjha Hart (3:01), Schaumburg’s Elena Nikolova (4:00) and Schaumburg’s Isabella Rivas (3:47).

“For me it has been figuring out the things I’m comfortable with and sticking with that,” she said. “Then I’ll slowly get out of it and maybe I don’t know if I like it so I figure it out that way.”

Last year Greisen started the season at 140 and then moved down to 135 about midway through it. She’s bounced from 130 to 125 this season but believes she’ll stick at 125.

“Weight hasn’t been too big of a problem,” she said. “The girls, we tend to monitor it a bit better than the guys do. Guys will get 15 pounds over the day before and have to cut it all off. There are times I’ll get a couple pounds over but I always make weight.”

And she’s looking to make things difficult on her opponents by attacking them.

“Last year I did not shoot at all,” she said. “I was definitely a defensive wrestler until I was on the mat. This year my coaches have definitely changed that. Gavin Kurtz is making me shoot more. I’ll say I don’t want a cut on me and he’ll say go neutral. It’s definitely helped me and it’s giving me more confidence being able to shoot. It’s helping out on the mat and off of it.”

Minooka’s Anastasia Dewey earned an 8-0 major decision over Schaumburg’s Elena Nikolova for third, and Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores won by fall at 0:59 over Urbana’s Tauhnisjha Hart for fifth.

130 – Ava Beldo, Tolono Unity

Tolono Unity sent Beldo and Phoenix Molina (235) to Morris for this year’s tournament and both came away as champions.

Beldo’s biggest battle came in the semifinal where she won by sudden victory, 6-3, over Minooka’s Sabina Charlebois. She used the adrenalin rush of that victory to make quick work of Shepard’s Mila Rocush in the final, getting the pin at 1:23.

Beldo also won by fall in her first two matches of the tournament.

Minooka’s Sabina Charlebois defeated Lockport’s Kyleigh Green by fall at 1:57 for third place, and Urban’s Tamya Terry earned a 16-2 major over Schaumburg’s Lauren Brehmer to place fifth.

135 – Keagan Edwards, Glenbard North

Edwards became a two-time champion. The senior won at 130 here last year before adding the 135-pound title to her resume on Saturday.

She went 5:16 until she won by fall over Schaumburg’s Sharon Olorunfemi in the final, her longest match of a day in which she pinned all five of her opponents.

Edwards also registered pins over Lockport’s Heidy Castillo Sanchez (1:27), Peotone’s Pyper Seitz (1:17), Minooka’s Gianna Boudonck (0:49) and Oswego’s Joslynn Sheets (1:47).

“I think I was very aggressive today,” she said. “I think I went out there with a goal in mind and I made it happen, that I had a decision to make whether I wanted to win or not and I wanted to win. I definitely did a few things that weren’t my best. I struggled a little bit with staying forward and being the aggressor the whole time, but mostly I think I did a decent job.”

Wrestlers are tough on themselves. Edwards is no different. She expected to go farther last post-season.

“I’m not one to be like easy on myself, you know, I’d say I have really high expectations of myself,” she said. “So it was really upsetting, but one of the philosophies I try to have is it happened, the only thing I can do about what happened is acting out in the future. There’s no way that I can go back and fix the mistakes I made last year but I can make sure I don’t make them again this year.”

Edwards went right back to work after her season ended in the sectional.

“I decided I had another year, I had the whole off-season to work and that’s what I’ve been doing,” she said. “I’ve been working really hard in the off-season, going to practice like every single day, sometimes multiple times a day, and had a good experience at Fargo. I’m just coming back into this season and it’s been really fun so far and I’m excited with how it’s going.”

Fun can get lost in competition, but it’s right there front and center for Edwards who is seeing the program at Glenbard North blow up.

“It’s been an amazing growth,” she said. “I think we had a little bit over 14 girls last year. This year we have around 30 girls coming in. I’m really excited because the first three years we had it, it was a pretty small team. Last year we had our most girls at 14 or 15, and now around 30 girls who are really excited to be there. I’m just really happy it’s grown so much.”

DeKalb’s Kara Zimmerman pinned Oswego’s Joslynn Sheets at 1:34 for third place, and Minooka’s Lexie Lakota pinned teammate Gianna Boudonck at 1:31 for fifth.

140 – Claudia Heeney, Lockport

Heeney, who won at 135 pounds here last year before going on to win her second state title, became a two-time champion in Morris with a title at 140, defeating Oswego East’s Quinn Janssens by tech fall at 2:27 (17-2). Heeney won her first state title as a sophomore in 2024 at 130.

Victories by fall preceded Heeney’s win in the title as she pinned Bolingbrook’s Brand`e Ford-Lewis (1:28), West Aurora’s Raysa Castaneda (1:26), Romeoville’s Ariana Vergara (1:11) and Schaumburg’s Ava Hartman (1:16).

“Just working technique all day,” Heeney said. “Practicing what I can, and what I’m doing in practice on the mat. I’m really trying to work on my footwork and whatnot. I’ve been to a couple tournaments these past two weeks out of state, Iron Man and Donnybrook, and I think one thing I definitely lacked was my footwork and my attacks on the mat. So, I was really just try to focus in on that today. I’ve been practicing with it the last three weeks, so just really trying to get out there and go after it.”

Janssens avoided Heeney’s bid for five straight pins.

“She’s pretty solid,” Heeney said. “You know, she’s got some good technique, headlocking and whatnot. I thought that was pretty fun match, a pretty tough one. Congrats to her. That was great. And I really love the competition, it’s always fun.”

As Heeney’s risen to become one of the state’s first all-time greats, she’s continuing to give back as the sport continues to rise.

“I’ve been wrestling a long time, so a lot of people only see what I’ve done in high school, but when I was a kid, I mean, I got my butt kicked every day by guys,” she said. “So coming here, and, seeing the girls, like, do the sport of it, and grow, and grow, and then, like, every year, from freshman year to now, the girls just get better and better every year so it’s really cool to see, and it’s fun to wrestle and be able to compete in it.”

Lockport senior Kyleigh Green (130) placed fourth, juniors Bella Romando (115) and Rebekah Ramirez (11-4) and senior Rebekah Ramirez (235) took third, and freshmen Alexandra Hardesty (155) and Jaylene Mack (170) placed sixth for the Porters.

“My freshman year we had about eight girls and we just had eight freshmen join this year so we have so many seniors this year and the culture on the team is great,” Heeney said,. “I think it’s really interesting to be a senior on the team and help be like a team captain and help guide the younger girls. I enjoy it a lot. Some people may think it’s not something enjoyable, but I love helping other people and being a mentor if I can be. or if willing, whatever. But I really do love the team culture. We have something special growing at Lockport, and I think we’re gonna be a team to watch over the next couple years.”

When Heeney sees that glint in the eye of one of her teammates, she’s thrilled to help.

“I think a lot of our girls are super invested in the sport, and once, like, I see that those girls are getting invested that makes me want to pull onto them and share my love with the sport with them,” she said. “I love the sport. I eat, sleep, and breathe it. I’m at practice all the time. So when I see girls working hard in the room and we’re all pushing together, it’s just really something special to see.”

Urbana’s Rickasia Ivy earned a 10-6 major against Schaumburg’s Ava Hartman to take third place, and Minooka’s Melody Williams won by fall at 3:45 over Bolingbrook’s Amanda Lezama to take fifth.

145 – Ezra Rodriquez, Monica

Rodriguez was the recipient of a bye to begin her day and was standing atop the awards podium to end it with a 4-1 decision over Kewanee’s Aaliyah Swearingen.

A tech fall win over Oswego’s Ella Cooper preceded the title victory for Rodriguez, who also had a pair of wins by fall on her way to her championship win.

Sandwich’s Jazmin Rios earned an 11-6 win Oswego East’s Ella Cooper to capture third place, and Robinson’s Macee Hammond Butler earned a 3-1 decision against Ottawa’s Alivia Butler to take fifth.

155 – Abigail Underhill, Minooka 

Underhill had opponents under her thumb as she pinned Oswego’s Layla Rafeh (1:49), Lockport’s Alexandra Hardesty (2:26), Oswego East’s Gianna Edwards (3:12) and Oswego East’s Julia Robb (5:11) en route to the title match where she scored a 4-0 decision over Schaumburg’s Layla McHenry.

Glenbard North’s Suzanne Stalley earned a 56-second pin against Robb to place third, and Edwards pinned Lockport’s Hardesty for fifth.

170 – Layla Spann, Plainfield South

Last year, Spann placed fourth here at 170. This year, she pinned six girls and won the title.

She opened with a win by fall in 1:34 over Ottawa’s Mary Rodriguez.

Similar wins over Lockport’s Jaylene Mack (1:41), West Aurora’s Kiveni (Tiffany) Manungu (0:49), Minooka’s Addison Davis (0:31) and Oswego’s Makayla Hill (4:39) followed into the finals where she pinned Herschel’s Henna Mullikin (3:05).

Hill survived Schaumburg’s Maja Brzosko, 7-6, to take third, and Davis won by fall at 2:56 over Mack to take fifth.

190 – Nadia Razzak, Schaumburg

Razzak became a two-time champion here after she earned a 3-0 decision against Plainfield South’s Kimyra Patrick in the 190 final.

“I really was just trying to use my head, usually my wrestling in the past was straight aggression and I’ve been more clear headed,” she said. “Obviously, when I’m warming up I’m getting aggressive like getting clear headed and working my footwork. Just those two things have made my game so much better.”

She had to get past Lockport’s Sophie Kelner in the semifinals. Kelner is someone Razzak has seen often. At this tournament last year they went head-to-head in the semifinals as well, with Razzak pinning her in 53 seconds. On Saturday, Razzak beat her 6-3.

“Sometimes I feel like in a tournament I kind of breeze through, she said. “But especially this one I feel like I really earned it. Two hard matches for my last two and one of the girls is someone I’ve seen so many times through the years. Some girls you can’t shake off of you. You follow each other to every tournament, but I think that competition is good. I enjoy seeing those girls.”

Humble in her success, the senior is especially thankful for her coaches and school.

“It’s really thanks to my coaches especially Jason, he really works with me so much and (Matt) Gruszka,” she said. “It gave me the confidence on the mat where I was able to do what I wanted to do. My coaches, seriously, I’m so grateful, and I say this every time and my team is like, Schaumburg, I would never move schools. The coaching is so good, the girls are so good, everyone is good to each other. It really makes it worth wrestling.”

Lockport’s Sophie Kelner pinned Minooka’s Mia Lemberg at 1:45 for third place, and Romeoville’s Mariyah Mani pinned Glenbard North’s Giannna Tammo at 0:58 for fifth.

235 – Phoenix Molina, Tolono Unity

You couldn’t have asked for a much better matchup than the final at 235 which paired Molina with Urbana’s Lillian Disanto as the two battled for third-place in state last year with Molina coming away victorious, 6-0. Molina earned a pin in 3:22 in their latest square off.

“Pretty much everywhere I go, as long as Ottawa or Urbana is there, it’s like a rerun of state and we’re all preparing for February,” Molina said. “Looking at the match, that was not the best I could’ve possibly wrestled. There is improvement to be had and I think that can be said for every match, never going to perform perfect, and it’s just always little things here and there. A year ago I would’ve looked at that match and said ‘Wow, I’d did amazing,’ but this time of the year I’m looking at that match, ‘So here are a few positional things I can switch to take my wrestling from good to elite,’ so that’s kind of what we’re looking for with all these championship matches.”

Last year’s state champ and runner-up at 235 have graduated leaving Molina and Disanto as the top returnees in their weight class.

“It (State) left a bitter taste in my mouth,” Molina said. “I spent the entirety of my offseason training, and I’ve been training in multiple different rooms, seeking out different experiences, going against the hardest competition I can find, just trying to absorb all of the information, all the technique that I can so I can continue to move forward.”

Molina drew falls over Glenbard North’s Laira Carrillo (1:26) and Romeoville’s Henessis Villagrana (2:51) before getting Disanto in the finals. She won by disqualification over DeKalb’s Aarianna Bloyd in the semifinals. 

“It’s definitely a long game with wrestling and that is something I’m grateful for with coach (Logan) Patton,” she said. “It’s something he’s instilled into me so deep, the discipline and long game of it, and I couldn’t have asked a better person to introduce me to get me in the sport of wrestling.”

Wrestling is truly changing Molina’s life. She’s thriving as well on the mat as off of it. After high school she’ll be wrestling at a Division I program that’s recognized among the nation’s premier research universities.

“When I started wrestling I had no idea how impactful it would be to my life,” she said. “I’m really grateful because of the healthy push forward to school and going to Lehigh for engineering and going to be on an amazing Division 1 program. In all aspects of life, (wrestling) has given so much discipline and so much drive and put me in a better mental place then I feel a lot of people my age can say they are in, simply because I know I can do it for the long gain and I don’t need that short-term gratification.”

Lockport’s Rebekah Ramirez won by fall at 4:38 over DeKalb’s Aarianna Bloyd to take third place, and Romeoville’s Henessis Villagrana won by fall at 2:33 against Shepard’s Karrine Jenkins.

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA
All IWCOA rankings courtesy of Rob Sherrill’s Illinois Best Weekly

Stillman Valley Holiday Tournament

A sneaky good tournament featured three class 1A state-ranked teams, in addition to 19 state-ranked wrestlers that would showcase several men who undoubtedly will compete for plenty of hardware in Champaign later this year.

Fourth here a year ago, No. 15 Johnsburg (5-0-0) would make the 60-plus mile drive to Stillman Valley where it would lift its first championship trophy of the season over No. 24 Wheaton Academy (196.0) and No. 17 Oregon who tallied 154.0 points.

It would be the depth of Skyhawks that would make the difference as they collected a tourney-best 12 top-five medals, led by its two individual champs, Kainoa Ancog, and No. 7 Duke Mays.

“Kainoa put in a tremendous amount of work this past offseason, and it is starting to show,” began Skyhawks head coach JD Sylvanus. “We really try to do things simple – do the normal things – win the front headlock positions, score points, wear opponents out, and get to work on the top.

“Right now Kainoa is leading our team in pins, and that comes directly from his discipline, effort, and commitment to that approach.

“As for Duke (Mays) he’s come a long way in terms of his confidence on his feet, he’s creating better angles, getting to his shot fakes, and continues to be very strong on top. Overall, his all-around wrestling has improved significantly, and he continues to have success. I know he was not fully satisfied with his result in his final with Blake Livdahl last weekend at Richmond-Burton, but we pride ourselves on continuing to close the gap.

“Livdahl is a great wrestler, and Duke absolutely has visions of being high on the podium this year, as does Kainoa.”

1st- Johnsburg (219)

After finishing just off the top of the podium, the aforementioned Ancog (157, 19-3) and Mays (18-3) claimed their first majors of the season.

They would have plenty of support in the name of runners-up Chase Vogel (120), Chase Davis (132), Jackson Hjorth (215) and Aiden Bowley at 285.

Kai Surdick (113), Connor Gaydo (126), Josh Key (144), Tanner Hansen (150) and Logan Tibbs (175) would all contribute to the cause with their fourth-place medals, with Jordan Syvanus adding his fifth-place medal at 165.

“Chase Davis has been wrestling phenomenally all season for us, and continues to place high in tournaments, and currently holds one of the better records on the team at 19-5,” Sylvanus said.

“Chase Vogel continues to see state-ranked, and high-level competition in nearly all of his matches, where all of his losses have come thus far. The score in his final was not fully indicative of how competitive his match was – he was in position to score throughout, and battled hard, just as he does in the room, where he put in the work on a consistent basis.”

Sylvanus and his men finished their day by bringing both the JV and Varsity together for what he calls ‘team-time’ where, together, they gather to talk one-on-one about goals for the day, and what they need to do in order to achieve them.

2nd- Wheaton Academy (196)

The 2024 tourney champion Warriors made a strong run to a second straight title, and with the help of-now two-time tourney champs: Lincoln Hoger (150) and Tyler Jones (175) and first timer, Hezzy Garcia the club made a valiant run at eventual champion Johnsburg.

No. 9 (144) Hoger is now 17-3. Jones, first at Richmond-Burton last weekend, ran his record to 17-1, while Garcia – who finished third in two previous tournaments – finally earned his first major of the season at 285.

Zion Kaunley (113), Buckley Kazmeirzak (126) and Joey Guidi (144) were all third, with Kazmeirzak recording the fastest pin on the day at nine seconds, and Guidi scoring the most total match points with 60.

Elliot Hardy (106), Oscar Smith (132) and Elijah Shin (138) were all fourth, Joseph Senneses (190) and Ian DeSouza (215) fifth overall.

3rd- Oregon (154)

Oregon (8-1-0), which was sixth a week ago at Richmond-Burton, improved its lot by three spots by outscoring fourth place Marengo by seven points.

No. 2 Josiah Perez (15-0) continues his terrific first half of the year with his second consecutive championship here, and second in two weeks after the senior won it all last weekend at Richmond-Burton.

The Hawks would celebrate a trio of second place medals from: Jordan Lowe (113), Nelson Benesh (138, 14-2) and Jayden Berry at 150, with Newt Wright adding a third place finish at 285.

Fourth-place medals went to Cole Suter (175) and Jackryn Windham (215) with teammates Kendra Ege (106) Carson Benesh (132) and Tyler Hendrickson (175) adding fifth-place medals.

Additional individual champions:

Aden Spinelli (106, Amboy), Cam Whitehead (113, Winnebago), Josiah Perez (120, Oregon), Xander Bell (126, Stillman Valley), Alexander Ferari (132, Lisle),

Mitchell Aukes (138, Marengo), Johnny Consuegra-Lopez (144, Lisle), Ethan Waugh (165, Stillman Valley), Teigen Moreno (215, Dundee-Crown)

Additional runners-up:

Carter Paulson (106, Stillman Valley), Parker McGlinn (120, Winnebago) Hayden Beebe (132, Marengo), Hunter Heath (138, Belvidere), Ibraheem Harb (157, Lisle, Sr.), Josh Karther (165, Kaneland), Gavin Boorsma (175, Marengo), Johnny Strauss (190, Winnebago), Alexander Lopez (215, Aurora Central Catholic), Newt Wright (285, Oregon).

Final Team Results:

Johnsburg 219.0, Wheaton Academy 196.0, Oregon 154.0, Marengo 147.0, Stillman Valley 136.0, Lisle Senior 106.0, Kaneland 87.5, Winnebago 83.0, Amboy 67.0, Belvidere 46.5, Dundee-Crown 35.5, Aurora Central Catholic 12.0, Elgin St. Edward 10.5, Somonauk 8.0, Durand 6.0.

Championship match results:

106- Aden Spinelli (Amboy) d. Sebastian Lara (Lisle Sr.) (F 3:27).

113- Cam Whitehead (Winnebago) d. Jordan Lowe (Oregon) (D 8-1).

120- Josiah Perez (Oregon) d. Chase Vogel (Johnsburg) (MD 15-2).

126- Xander Bell (Stillman Valley) d. Ty Florschuetz (Amboy) (F 1:13).

132- Alexander Ferari (Lisle Sr.) d. Chase Davis (Johnsburg) (D 9-6).

138- Mitchell Aukes (Marengo) d. Nelson Benesh (Oregon) (D 10-3).

144- Johnny Consuega-Lopez (Lisle, Sr.) d. Hunter Boley (Marengo) (F 0:39).

150- Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) d. Jayden Berry (Oregon) (F 3:09).

157- Kainoa Ancog (Johnsburg) d. Jose Lopez (Amboy) (F 1:54).

165- Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley) d. Ryan Hess (Marengo) (F 2:57).

175- Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) d. Bradley Bankes (Stillman Valley) (F 1:00).

190- Duke Mays (Johnsburg) d. Frankie Solis (Marengo) (TF 26-6).

215- Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown) d. Jackson Hjorth (Johnsburg) (D 8-1).

285- Hezzy Garcia (Wheaton Academy) d. Aiden Bowley (Johnsburg) (F 0:45).

Third place match results:

106- Carter Paulson (Stillman Valley) d. Elliot Hardy (Wheaton Academy) (TF 1:37).

113- Zion Kaunley (Wheaton Academy) d. Kai Surdick (Johnsburg) (D 6-5).

120- Parker McGlinn (Winnebago) d. Isaiahs Carreno (Stillman Valley) (F 1:26).

126- Buckley Kazmeirzak (Wheaton Academy) d. Connor Gaydo (Johnsburg) (F 1:49).

132- Hayden Beebe (Marengo) d. Oscar Smith (Wheaton Academy) (D 13-7).

138- Hunter Heath (Belvidere) d. Elijah Shin (Wheaton Academy) (D 11-10).

144- Joey Guidi (Wheaton Academy) d. Josh Key (Johnsburg) (F 4:41).

150- Tanner Hansen (Johnsburg) d. Colten Heltsley (Wheaton Academy) (MD 14-1).

157- Ibraheem Harb (Lisle Sr.) d. Tyler Bell (Stillman Valley) (D 6-3).

165- Josh Karther (Kaneland) d. Cole Suter (Oregon) (F 2:47).

175- Gavin Boorsma (Marengo) d. Logan Tibbs (Johnsburg) (MD 10-2).

190- Johnny Strauss (Winnebago) d. Apollo Gochis (Kaneland) (D 16-10).

215- Alexander Lopez (Aurora Central Catholic) d. Jacksyn Windham (Oregon) (D 11-6).

285- Newt Wright (Oregon) d. Tevian Poole (Dundee-Crown) (F 1:29).

58th SCIACCA-HOLTFRETER INVITE 

Wheeling and Bartlett have moved on to other tournaments this year, taking with them the top two team trophies from a year ago.

New Trier would take full advantage of its first visit here to host Harvard, turning in a solid day’s work. The Trevians used four individual titles and a pair of second place trophies to close out second-place Proviso West (194.0-172.5). Vernon Hills (144.0), Lake Forest (141.0) and Woodstock (136.5) rounded out the top five.

“We opened our week with a dominant performance in our 54-24 conference win over Evanston, and it gave our guys momentum and confidence heading into Harvard this weekend,” began the Trevians long-time head coach Marc Tadelman.

“The leadership provided by our senior captains George Kaup and Matthew Miralles helped set the tone for the team.”

1st: New Trier (194.0)

The Trevians’ championship was driven by the foursome of Matthew Miralles (138), Travis Leonardson (144), Tommy Tures (190, 14-2) and Cooper Kemnitz (285) who all would climb atop the podium at the end of the competition.

“Miralles would dominate all day, and was my vote for O.W. at the lower weights,” Tadelman said. “But as our captain, he set the tone with his confidence and aggressive wrestling.

“Leonardson did a great job of controlling his opponent in the final, who was very athletic – stopping his offense to get to his re-attacks. Great job all day from Tures at 190. His pace in matches was at a high level all day, and it was his pin in his final that sealed the team title for us.

“Cooper (Kemnitz) worked hard all during the offseason. This was the first varsity tournament championship of his career, and it was an awesome comeback pin in his semifinal that really helped our team score.”

William Weedon (157) and George Koup (165) earned second place medals for the Trevians, Tyler Arneson (150) third, and Christian Ballester fifth at 215.

“Weedon and Arneson both had very good days with several dominant wins along the way,” Tadelman said.

2nd: Proviso West (172.5)

The Panthers led the field with 22 pins, and the most total team points on the day with 155 but were unable to use this to overcome eventual tourney champion New Trier.

However, Kelvyn West gave the Panthers’ faithful something to celebrate with his title at 157, with Allante Jackson second at 144, and the upper weight foursome of Isiah Robinson (165), Angel Heard (175), Dijon Cotton (190) and Dameryon Paxton (285) all coming in third. Paxton recorded four pins en route to his third-place finish.

Bairon DeJesus was fifth at 132.

3rd: Vernon Hills (144.0)

Junior Jacob Parker (165, 16-2) won his second straight major after claiming the top prize a week ago at the Rex Lewis. Teammate Sabir Aliev (132) added a second title to the cause to help the Cougars stave off fourth place Lake Forest, which finished just three points away.

The Cougars earned seven medals on the day, one from runner-up Charles Dominguez (113) and the duo of Carson Alper (144) and Timur Arzumanov (215) each finishing third.

Nathan Nobile (106) was fourth, Tony Lopez (120) fifth.

Additional individual champions:

Liam Parker (106, Harvard), Drew Patel (113, North Boone), Dominic Angileri (120, Guilford), Taki Baker (126, Woodstock), Logan Klein 150, Alden-Hebron), Eyzaiah

(175, Boylan), Yaree Sandifer (215, Lake Forest).

Additional runners-up:

Ryan Schacher (106, Lake Forest), Charlie Biddle (120, Lake Forest), Jordan Bradley (126, Woodstock North), Eli Bryan (132, North Boone), Owen Vail (138, Harvard), Paul Halak (150, Lake Forest), Skyler McLeer (175, Woodstock), Jaxson Hansen (190, Woodstock), David Randecker (215, Woodstock North), Sam Reed (285, Belvidere North).

Final Team Scores: 

New Trier 194.0, Proviso West 172.5, Vernon Hills 144.0, Lake Forest 141.0, Woodstock 136.5, North Boone 95.5 Streamwood 84.0, Harvard 72.5, Woodstock North 72.0, Belvidere North 71.5, Boylan 71.0, Guilford 38.0, Bremen 35.5, Alden Hebron 34.0, Gary Comer College Prep 14.0, Kennedy 0.0

Championship match results:

106- Liam Parker (Harvard) d. Ryan Schacher (Lake Forest) (F 0:26).

113- Drew Patel (North Boone) d. Charles Dominguez (Vernon Hills) (D 3-2).

120- Dominic Angileri (Guilford) d. Charlie Biddle (Lake Forest) (Inj. 0:00).

126- Taki Baker (Woodstock) d. Jordan Bradley (Woodstock North) (F 1:54).

132- Sabir Aliev (Vernon Hills) d. Eli Bryan (North Boone) (F 2:36).

138- Matthew Miralles (New Trier) d. Owen Vail (Harvard (D 7-1).

144- Travis Leonardson (New Trier) d. Allante Jackson (Proviso West) (MD 13-1).

150- Logan Klein (Alden-Hebron) d. Paul Halak (Lake Forest) (F 1:07).

157- Kelvyn West (Proviso West) d. Willam Weedon (New Trier) (TF 20-4).

165- Jacob Becker (Vernon Hills) d. George Kaup (New Trier) (MD 10-1).

175- Eyzaiah Campos (Boylan) d. Skyler McLeer (Woodstock) (F 4:37).

190- Tommy Tures (New Trier) d. Jaxson Hansen (Woodstock) (F 5:55).

215- Yaree Sandifer (Lake Forest) d. David Randecker (Woodstock North) (D 12-5).

285- Cooper Kemnitz (New Trier) d. Sam Reed (Belvidere North) (F 4:47).

Third place match results:

106- Juan Rosales (Harvard) d. Nathan Nobile (Vernon Hills) (F 0:26).

113- Cole Malo (Woodstock) d. Luis Martinez (Streamwood) (D 16-9).

120- Gabe Marella (North Boone) d. Olin Wiedel (Woodstock North) (TF 17-0).

126- Asher Baasen (Lake Forest) d. Sean Unzueta (Bremen) (F 1:19).

132- Malachi Turner (Bremen) d. Bairon DeJesus (Proviso West) (F 1:17).

138- Eric Juchimowcz (Belvidere North) d. Deshaun Sutton (Streamwood) (D 12-8).

144- Carson Alper (Vernon Hills) d. Michael Brandt (Lake Forest) (F 3:29).

150- Tyler Arneson (New Trier) d. Max Brzozowski (Boylan) (F 1:15).

157- Logan Wiser (Woodstock) d. Wyatt Stott (Harvard) (F 0:40).

165- Isiah Robinson (Proviso West) d. Marcus Dan (Lake Forest) (TF 18-2).

175- Angel Heard (Proviso West) d. Damien Tremillo (Streamwood) (MD 18-5).

190- Dijon Cotton (Proviso West) d. Alexander Castiglione (Streamwood) (F 2:56).

215- Timur Arzumanov (Vernon Hills) d. Nick Davis (North Boone) (F 3:22).

285- Dameryon Paxton (Proviso West) d. Christian Allen (North Boone) (F 0:55).

EP (Erie/ Prophetstown) Holiday Tournament

There were four state-ranked teams here this weekend, and nearly 30 state-ranked wrestlers to make this event one to keep the fans interested all throughout the day.

However, there was no team that could match the star power of No. 6 Lena-Winslow/ Stockton (10-2-0) who watched its heavy-hitter quintet of Arrison Bauer (144, 12-1), John Mensendike (175, 14-0), Eli Larson (190, 14-0), Oliver McPeek (215, 13-1) and Jeremiah Luke (285, 14-0) flex their collective muscle to send the Panthers to a 53-point win.

The Panthers amassed 219.0 points, No. 21 Morrison was second with 166.0, with Rockridge (144.5), Newman Central Catholic (127.5) and Seneca (126.5) in a first-class top five group atop the table.

“All five champions were pretty dominant today – earning bonus points in each of their matches except for Jeremiah Luke’s decision in his 285 final,” began Panthers head coach Kevin Milder, whose club won her a year ago.

“Our young, lighter-weight guys also held their own, and battled on the consolation side of the bracket to help in our final point total.”

Bauer, Larson, and Luke entered the weekend as the No. 1 men in their respective weight classes, McPeek is No. 2, and a group already in possession of five state medals intend to add several more to its collection come this February.

Luke was a first team All-State football player this fall for the class 1A state champions, while Larson earned a second consecutive All-State honorable mention award.

Connor Knop, the 157-pound champion from West Carroll recorded the fastest pin of the day 12 seconds, while Charlie Rod of Seneca had the most match points with 79.

1st: Lena-Winslow/ Stockton (219.0)

The aforementioned Bauer, Mensendike, Larson, McPeek, and Luke collected a dazzling 134.0 team points for the tourney champions. 

Mauricio Glass was second at 138, while Sam Sikora (157) and Mark Detwiler were fourth overall in their respective weight divisions.

2nd: Morrison (166.0)

The Mustangs turned in a wonderful performance to earn its second place team trophy, recording a tourney-best (20) pins, while cheering the first place trophies won by Eli Modglin (126, 16-1) and Caleb Modglin (150, 18-0).

Caleb Modglin claimed the most team points (29) in the tournament.

Cael Wright (17-3) was second at 120, with Jaken Updike (132), Noah Stout (190) and Caleb Carroll (215) adding to the Mustangs final score with their third place medals.

Patrick Schaefer (138) and Ethan Bush (175) were fifth.

3rd: Rockridge (144.5)

The Rockets would earn seven top-five medals on the day, two of which were first place trophies from Nate Lower (11-0) and Ryan Lower (165, 12-1) who was fourth a year at state. Nate Lower is No. 2 in the state at 106.

Clayton Blumenstein (132) and Thomas Sowards (157) were second overall, Noah Behr (120) and Tanner McKeag (285) third, and Klay Goodnight fourth at 144.

Additional individual champions:

Landon Near (113, Newman Central Catholic), Raiden Terry (120, Seneca), Landon Blanton (132, Newman Central Catholic), Barret Speck (138, Illini Bluffs), Connor Knop (157, West Carroll),

Additional runners-up:

Coltin Hartman (106, Fulton), Boston Morford (113, Mercer County), Tennyson Hampton (126, Alleman), Josiah Tarbill (144, Rock Falls), Cole Herrell (150, West Carroll), Jonner Smith (165, West Carroll), Jordan Thompson (175, Alleman), Landen Venecia (190, Seneca), Jonathan Weakley (215, Sherrard), Caleb Reymer (285, Erie/ Prophetstown).

Final Team Scores
Lena-Winslow/ Stockton 219.0, Morrison 166.0, Rockridge 144.5, Newman Central Catholic 127.5, Seneca 126.5, Mercer County 113.0, West Carroll 109.0, Sherrard 106.0, Fulton/Rock Falls 79.0 each, Orion 75.5, Illini Bluffs 74.0, Galena 50.5, Polo 48.0, Alleman 47.5, Erie/ Prophetstown 38.5

Championship match results:

106- Nate Lower (Rockridge) d. Coltin Hartman (Fulton) (MD 12-0).

113- Landon Near (Newman) d. Boston Morford (Mercer County) (F 2:00).

120- Raiden Terry (Seneca) d. Cael Wright (Morrison) (D 5-0).

126- Eli Modglin (Morrison) d. Tennyson Hampton (Alleman) (F 0:49).

132- Landon Blanton (Newman) d. Clayton Blumenstein (Rockridge) (TF 19-4).

138- Barret Speck (Illini Bluffs) d. Mauricio Glass (L-W/ Stockton) (D 3-1).

144- Arrison Bauer (L-W/ Stockton) d. Josiah Tarbill (Rock Falls) (TF 15-0).

150- Caleb Modglin (Morrison) d. Excequiel Ocampo (Mercer County) (MD 12-3).

157- Connor Knop (West Carroll) d. Thomas Sowards (Rockridge) (D 11-6).

165- Ryan Lower (Rockridge) d. Jonner Smith (West Carroll) (D 14-9).

175- John Mensendike (L-W/ Stockton) d. Jordan Thompson (Alleman) (F 1:06).

190- Eli Larson (L-W/ Stockton) d. Landen Venecia (Seneca) (TF 15-0).

215- Oliver McPeek (L-W/ Stockton) d. Jonathan Weakley (Sherrad) (F 1:41)

285- Jeremiah Luke (L-W/ Stockton) d. Caleb Reymer (Erie/ Prophetstown) (D 4-2).

Third place match results: 

106- Joe Morse (Newman) d. Aidan Eads (Sherrad) (D 9-8).

113- Chris Thompson (Seneca) d. Landyn Leech (Orion) (MF 15-5).

120- Noah Behr (Rockridge) d. Liam Major (Illini Bluffs) (D 12-7).

126- Connor Higgins (Galena) d. Tyler Olson (Orion) (MD 10-0).

132- Jaken Updike (Morrison) d. Jack McIntyre (West Carroll) (MD 10-1).

138- Evan Clark (Mercer County) d. Blake Arnold (Orion) (TF 21-4).

144- Garrett Carter (West Carroll) d. Klay Goodnight (Rockridge) (F 1:44).

150- Andrew Knox (Sherrard) d. Excequiel Ocampo (Mercer County) (MD 12-3).

157- Gunner Varland (Seneca) d. Sam Sikora (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) (D 8-4).

165- Eli Burns (Mercer County) d. Mark Detwiler (L-W/ Stockton) (MD 15-6).

175- Mason Kuebel (Fulton) d. Gideon Heist (Sherrard) (F 2:15).

190- Noah Stout (Morrison) d. Cooper Thomas (Sherrard) (F 1:38).

215- Caleb Carroll (Morrison) d. Brady Heinrichs (Mercer County) (F 0:37).

285- Tanner McKeag (Rockrdige) d. Mathew Murray (Newman) (D 7-1).

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Hampshire’s Whip-Pur Women’s Classic

District 210’s girls snared the team title at this year’s 34-team Whip-Pur Classic, with a 188.5-172.5 win over second-place Wheeling. Kaneland (147.5) finished third, followed by Sycamore (108.5) and Woodstock (98) to round out the top five team finishes.

District 210 features girls from the Lincoln-Way schools, and coach Josh Napier’s team won the team title at Hampshire for the second consecutive year, and did it without winning an individual title in the formidable tournament.

District 210 got four runner-up finishes from McKenzie Steinke (100), Caleigh Nicholson (125), Liv Clumpner (135), and Ella Giertuga (145) to lead a stable of 10 girls who finished in the top six of their weight classes.

1st-District 210 (188.5)
In addition to four runners-up in Steinke, Nicholson, Clumpner and Giertuga, coach Josh Napier got a third from Emmy Hoselton (105), fourths from Grace Spangler (115) and Jalyssa Venegas (235), fifths from Aubrey Barnes (120) and Abby Kunz (140), and a sixth from Zoe Zerial (110).

2nd-Wheeling (172.5)
Wheeling coach Anthony Piltaver got individual titles from a returning state runner-up in Elise Burkut (125) and returning fourth-in-state Jasmine Rene (235). The Wildcats also got a runner-up finish from Nikol Orendarchuk (155), thirds from Mayali Suarez (120) and Madeline Chicas (170), a fourth from Haydee Cruz (105), and a sixth from Victoria Pina Rodriguez (100).

3rd-Kaneland (147.5)
Sadie Kinsella (190) placed second for coach Josh West, who also got a whale of a day from his B level wrestlers to secure a third-place team finish. Placing first at the B level were Bella Gruber (125), Chloe Cervantes (130) and Madison Manier (135). Seconds came from Giselle Havron (115), Alena Padavana (125), Alexis Zahlit (170) and Kara Colles (235), and Alina McCornack (100) placed fourth.

Additional individual champions
100 Kali Declercq (Hononegah), 105 returning state champion Saya Hongmoungkhoune (Rockford East), 110 Blair Grennan (Newman Central Catholic), 115 returning state placewinner Annalee Aarseth (Crystal Lake South), 120 Stella Piazza (Hampshire), 130 Madelyn Peterie (Richmond-Burton), 135 returning state placewinner Bella Catelli (Hononegah), 140 returning state placewinner Ema Durst (Sycamore), 145 Natalie Corona (McHenry), 155 Cait Jones (Crystal Lake Central), 170 Kylie Eilken (Jefferson), 190 returning state placewinner Samantha Diehl (Hampshire)

The unbeatens
Hononegah’s Kali Declercq (10-0 at 100); Rockford East’s Saya Hongmoungkhoune (12-0 at 105); Newman Central Catholic’s Blair Grennan (9-0 at 110); Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth (12-0 at 115); Hampshire’s Stella Piazza (13-0 at 120); Richmond Burton’s Madelyn Peterie (12-0 at 130); Hononegah’s Bella Catelli (9-0 at 135); Sycamore’s Ema Durst (14-0 at 140); McHenry’s Natalie Corona (11-0 at 145); Wheeling’s Jasmine Rene (10-0 at 235)

Notable
Returning state runner-up Annalee Aarseth of Crystal Lake South went back-to-back on consecutive nights, winning an individual title Friday night at the Harvard Girls Scramble, then winning another individual title at Saturday’s Hampshire’s Whip-Pur Women’s Classic.
Rockford East’s Saya Hongmoungkhoune won an Illinois state title last year at 100 pounds and will doubtlessly be vying for another state medal this year as a sophomore. In the title match 105, host Hampshire’s Annabelle Mueller battled well, with Hongmoungkhoune winning a 9-7 decision.

Statistics
District 210 scored the most total match points in the tournament with 269, followed by Woodstock with 193. District 210 also posted 24 pins in 45:08 to lead all teams in the most pins in the least time, followed by Wheeling with 18 pins in 47:08. Hampshire’s three tech falls in 8:08 led the field, followed by Metea Valley’s three techs in 9:06.
Individually, Hampshire’s Maggie Anderson had four pins in 2:08 to lead the field, followed by Plainfield East’s Kaitlyn Bucholz with four pins in 6:12. Woodstock’s Brianna Crown posted the fastest pin, in 13 seconds. Metea Valley’s Janiya Moore led the field with the most tech falls in the least time, with two techs in 6:00, followed by the two tech falls in 6:08 posted by Hampshire’s Stella Piazza. Piazza also scored the most total match points with 52, followed by Hampshire’s Annabelle Mueller with 49. Sycamore’s Ema Durst had the fastest tech fall, in 1:20.
Crystal Lake South’s Ella Hall and Crystal Lake Central’s Cait Jones tied for the most team points scored with 30. District 210’s Liv Clumpner scored the most single match points with 30.
The largest seed-place difference came from 13th-seeded Mundelein’s Ra’myhia Davis, who placed third at 115 in the B-level division.

Final team scores
District 210 188.5, Wheeling 172.5, Kaneland 147.5, Sycamore 108.5, Woodstock 98, McHenry 93, Hampshire 90.5, Hononegah 71.5, Metea Valley 70.5, Richmond-Burton 64, Grayslake Central 63.5, Jefferson 59, Crystal Lake South 56, Zion-Benton 56, Belvidere North 54, Hersey 53.5, Plainfield East 48.5, Newman Central Catholic 47.5, Neuqua Valley 44, Rockford East 40.5, Mundelein 39.5, Jacobs 38, Marengo 38, Rock Falls 31, Dundee-Crown 30, Crystal Lake Central 30, Barrrington 27, Genoa-Kingston 26, Wheaton North 23, Montini 21.5,

Championship match results

100-Kali Declercq (Hononegah) D 6-2 McKenzie Steinke (D 210)
105-Saya Hongmoungkhoune (Rockford E) D 9-7 Annabelle Mueller (Hampshire)
110-Blair Grennan (Newman Central) F 1:22 Alexa Colin-Garcia (McHenry)
115-Annalee Aarseth (Crystal Lake S) D 9-2 Janiya Moore (Metea Valley)
120-Stella Piazza (Hampshire) F 1:28 Sarah Bell (Montini)
125-Elise Burkut (Wheeling) F 2:49 Caleigh Nicholson (D 210)
130-Madelyn Peterie (Richmond-B) MD 16-7 Emily Ortiz (Zion-Benton)
135-Bella Catelli (Hononegah) F 1:07 Liv Clumpner (D 210)
140-Ema Durst (Sycamore) F 3:49 Alketa Picari (Metea Valley)
145-Natalie Corona (McHenry) F 0:30 Ella Giertuga (D 210)
155-Cait Jones (Crystal Lake C) F 2:18 Nikol Orendarchuk (Wheeling)
170-Kylie Eilken (Jefferson) F 2:00 Frankie McMurtry (Sycamore)
190-Samantha Diehl (Hampshire) F 5:01 Sadie Kinsella (Kaneland)
235-Jasmine Rene (Wheeling) F 2:23 Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore)

Third-place match results
100-Lynorah Hansen (Newman Central) F 5:48 Sonya Amin (Metea Valley)
105-Emmy Hoselton (D 210) F 2:38 Haydee Cruz (Wheeling)
110-Lillian Davis (Belvidere N) F 4:20 Addison Perez (Dundee-Crown)
115-Aleta Weigandt (Neuqua Valley) F 1:22 Grace Spangler (D 210)
120-Mayali Suarez (Wheeling) F 2:25 Violet Sanders (Genoa-Kingston)
125-Danica La Tessa (Woodstock) D 3-0 Soha Faisal (Hersey)
130-Hannah Olsen (Woodstock) F 4:47 Minnie Santeler (Hersey)
135-Masserati Valenzuela (Zion-Benton) F 4:45 Brooklyn Peterie (Richmond-B)
140-Nicole Dziura (Barrington) D 8-4 Emily Taylor (Belvidere N)
145-Miranda Tellez (Grayslake C) F 1:59 Khloe Heerdegen (Mundelein)
155-Brianna Crown (Woodstock) MD 12-2 Julia Romero (Plainfield E)
170-Madeline Chicas (Wheeling) D 7-3 Allison Schultz (Richmond-B)
190-Brooklyn Anderson (McHenry) F 2:19 Jen Serna (Plainfield E)
235-Savannah Trevino (Belvidere N) D 1-0 Jalyssa Venegas (D 210)

Harvard Girls Scramble

No team scores were kept at this year’s 15-team Scramble, and while the team from visiting Westosha Central of Wisconsin only had one individual champion, it led all teams with 11 girls finishing in the top four of their weight classes.

Westosha got a title from Serenity Salas (170) and second-place finishes from Eva Eibl (120), Carly Correll (190) and Zoe Lois (235) to lead the way. Westosha also got thirds from Mikaela Mathis (100), Madison Gillmore (115), Sienna Melby (135), Mary Gillmore (145), and Sanna Childs (190), and fourths from Riley Long (125) and Donna Daniels (135).

Host Harvard had seven girls finish in the top four of their weight classes. Coach Mike Stumpf got individual titles from Denise Lopez (105) and Jarithsie Mercado (235), seconds from Nevaeh Ovalle (110) and April Cardenas (170), a third from Kendra Cunningham (170) and fourths from Khloe Adams (105) and Jaynessah Villanueva (190).

Harlem also had seven finish in the top four of their weight classes. Harlem coaches Jakob Messink and Mya Turnmire had a pair of individual champs in Mya Olejiniczak (100) and Madison Heneks (130), plus two runners-up in Kiani Nevel (100) and Eve Tollett (125). Harlem also got a trio of fourth-place finishes from Daniella Bradford (105), Loreli Stoltz (110) and Lily Olejniczak (115).

The Co-op team of Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm had three Individual champions on the day, in Jasmyn Bennett (135), Makenna Roedl (140) and Addison Briggs (190), plus a third from Laney Cook (130).

Additional individual titles came from Jacobs’ Aaliyah Guichon (110), Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth (115), Genoa-Kingston’s Violet Sanders (120), Plano’s Peightyn Soloff (125), Grayslake Central’s Miranda Tellez (145), and Crystal Lake Central’s Cait Jones (155).

Notable:
A returning Illinois state medal-winner in Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth won the Harvard title at 115, with a fall at 3:40 over Jacobs’ Julia Felton. Aarseth went 17-3 last year and finished second in state at 110 to Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis.

Statistics:
Genoa-Kingston’s Violet Sanders had the most pins in the least time, with three falls in 1:57, and Sanders posted the fastest fall in the tournament in just 12 seconds. Jacobs’ Laney Cook had the most tech falls in the least time, with two in 7:26.
Westosha Central and Harvard tied for the most pins with 22 apiece, with Westosha getting 22 falls in 32:32 and Harvard getting 22 falls in 29:35.

Championship match results:
100-Mya Olejiniczak (Harlem) F 1:13 Kiani Nevel (Harlem)
105-Denise Lopez (Harvard) F 3:52 Edith Stark (Belvidere North)
110-Aaliyah Guichon (Jacobs) F 2:48 Nevaeh Ovalle (Harvard)
115-Annalee Aarseth (Crystal Lake S) F 3:40 Julia Felton (Jacobs)
120-Violet Sanders (Genoa-Kingston) F 0:57 Ava Eibl (Westosha C WI)
125-Peightyn Soloff (Plano) F 1:08 Eve Tollett (Harlem)
130-Madison Heneks (Harlem) F 0:18 Uliana Persky (Deerfield)
135-Jasmyn Bennett (Westville) F 5:31 Abigail Toxqui (Plano)
140-Makenna Roedl (Westville) F 0:25 Mila Masny (Woodstock)
145-Miranda Tellez (Grayslake C) F 2:52 Ithandehui Rosas (Harvard)
155-Cait Jones (Crystal Lake C) F 1:43 Maryia Razhkova (Grayslake C)
170-Serenity Salas (Westosha C WI) F 0:51 April Cardenas (Harvard)
190-Addison Briggs (Westville) F 1:07 Carly Correll (Westosha C WI)
235-Jarithsie Mercado (Harvard) F 3:42 Zoe Lois (Westosha C WI)

Third-place match results:
100-Mikaela Mathis (Westosha C) F 1:35 Khloe Adams (Harvard)
105-Yaretzy Castro (Plano) F 0:55 Daniella Bradford (Harlem)
110-Holly Stengel (Prairie Ridge) F 4:14 Loreli Stoltz (Harlem)
115-Madison Gillmore (Westosha C) F 5:41 Lily Olejniczak (Harlem)
120-Ella Hall (Crystal Lake S) F 5:03 Charlotte McMahon-Thomas (Woodstock)
125-Emma Myers (Belvidere N) F 2:40 Riley Long (Westosha C)
130-Laney Cook (Westville) F 1:01 Ashley Cid (Plano)
135-Debra Cheruiyot (Deerfield) MFF Donna Daniels (Westosha C)

140-Sienna Melby (Westosha C) F 1:33 Samantha Koss (Woodstock)
145-Mary Gillmore (Westosha C) F 0:29 Keegan Kruse (Woodstock)
155-Kendra Cunningham (Harvard) F 1:43 Jillian Moore (Belvidere N)
170-Alexa Kirchen (Deerfield) F 0:46 Robyn Smith (Woodstock)
190-Sanna Childs (Westosha C) F 0:22 Jaynessah Villanueva (Harvard)
235-Alesha Avalos BYE

Stillman Valley Girls Tournament

Stillman Valley’s 9-team tournament wasn’t team-scored and was limited to eight weight classes of competition. As the lone team with multiple individual champions, Sandwich led all teams with four title-winners on the day and had seven girls finish in the top four of their weight classes to lead all teams.
Winning titles for Sandwich coach Derek Jones were Olivia Adajanian (105), Lydia Cartwright (110), Alexia Cather (140) and Jazmin Rios (145). Sandwich also got third-place finishes from Jessica Rios (110), Karlie Hardekopf (115) and Ruby Ferguson (140).
Lena-Winslow/Stockton also sent four girls to the title mat and got a title from Emma Smith (130). Placing second for coach Kevin Milder were Taylor Nevel (105), Karan Arnold (110) and Serena Gunday (115).
Stillman Valley got a title from Kate Costello (190) and fourth-place finishes from Mackenzie Nicpon (145) and Makenzy Mattison (190). Durand got a pair of second-place finishes from Tylee D’Agonstin (120) and Abi Lahey (130) and a fourth from Gabby McDivitt (115).
Also winning individual titles were Byron’s Rylie Dach (115) and Dixon’s Kyara Chavez (120).

Statistics:
Byron’s Rylie Dach had five pins in 10:40 to lead the tournament for the most falls in the least time, while Dach and Dixon’s Kyara Chavez tied for the most team points scored with 26. Dixon’s Alana Lorenzen scored the most single match points with 18 and finished with the most total match points with 26.

Championship match results:
105-Olivia Adajanian (Sandwich) F 2:53 Taylor Nevel (L-W/Stockton)
110-Lydia Cartwright (Sandwich) F 5:16 Karan Arnold (L-W/Stockton)
115-Rylie Dach (Byron) / Serena Gunday (L-W/Stockton)
120-Kyara Chavez (Dixon) F Tylee D’Agostin (Durand)
130-Emma Smith (L-W/Stockton) F 0:51 Abi Lahey (Durand)
140-Alexia Cather (Sandwich) D 13-11 Aubrey Herndon (Polo)

145-Jazmin Rios (Sandwich) F 1:03 Rachel Lance (Dixon)
190-Kate Costello (Stillman Valley) F Arianna Deckman (Johnsburg)

Third-place match results:
105-Lucy Bawinkel (Polo) F 1:52 Hope Lance (Dixon)
110-Jessica Rios (Sandwich) F 2:52 Ella Gonzalez (Polo)
115-Karlie Hardekopf (Sandwich) F 346 Gabby McDivitt (Durand)
120-Brianna Nelson (Alden-Hebron) F 1:20 Jorja Cashmore (Johnsburg)
130-Lillian Hackbarth (Byron) BYE
140-Ruby Ferguson (Sandwich)/Alana Lorenzen (Dixon)
145-Aleah Pennington (Polo) F 1:06 Mackenzie Nicpon (Stillman Valley)
190-Brooklyn Konczal (Sandiwch) F 3:00 Makenzy Mattison (Stillman Valley)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

DOWNERS GROVE – Last year, Coal City turned the tables at Downers Grove South’s Larry Gassen Dual Team Tournament by showing that not only was it possible for a Class 1A team to compete against a field where close to half the participants were Class 3A schools, but they could also win the title, as the Coalers did in 2024 with a 43-19 win over Downers Grove North.

While coach Mark Masters’ Coalers, the lone Class 1A team in this year’s 14-team event, won by an average of 27 points per dual meet a year ago, his current team improved upon that mark, winning each of their duals by an average of 40 points, which includes their 43-24 victory over Lincoln-Way East in the championship dual. Since Mahomet-Seymour and Normal Community were not able to make the trip to Downers Grove due to inclement weather in central Illinois, the two finalists competed in four duals while all but two others participated in five dual meets..

The Coalers, the defending Class 1A champions and title winners in that class in two of the last three seasons, have certainly demonstrated their  willingness to go against any team regardless of the size of its school in order to better prepare for the postseason, as is evidenced by the fact that much of their regular season schedule in recent years have featured many schools that were much bigger than them. It’s clear that being in very competitive events like the Larry Gassen Dual Team Tournament has been one of the reasons for their continuing success.

The last 10 seasons have definitely been a memorable time at Coal City, considering that the program has finished third or better at the IHSA Dual Team Finals on eight occasions, with the highlights being its championships in 2025 and 2023, It fell just short of titles in 2024 and 2016 and also placed second in 2020 and 2019 and claimed third-place finishes in 2018 and 2015.

To put the Coalers’ success in recent years in a better perspective, during the past 10 seasons, the Coalers have placed in the top three of their class on eight occasions, winning trophies each time. Since the introduction of the Dual Team Series to determine which schools will be IHSA champions, there’s only been three other programs who have won trophies eight or more times during a 10-season span, Montini Catholic, Providence Catholic and Washington Community. 

“It’s always about consistency with the coaching part,” said Masters, a 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee. “You have a coaching staff that’s been together for a long time, and then when we have new guys come on in and we’ve added to our coaching staff, it’s at the best that it’s ever been right now. So we’ve got a combination of a couple guys that have been there for the last 15, 20 years. And the addition of Zach Berman really helped elevate that part and then just the additions that we had with our young guys coming on and our former athletes.

“The coach staff is good, has high expectations and the standards are pretty high, and the kids do a good job of holding themselves to those standards. We’ve had the right men in the right places at the right times in the development stage. So we’re just benefiting a lot by having a lot of really good guys in some spots. And then the guys that we have at the high school level, we do a great job at developing them mentally, you know, emotionally to fight through some of those things and those tough spots. And obviously just cleaning up some technique and you do it with every kid, but we do a really good job of refining those and developing kids.”

With both Coal City and Vandalia 1-2 by Illinois Best Weekly in the early going, there may well be a repeat of the classic dual meets between the Coalers and Vandals that happened last season when the Vandals prevailed at ABE’s Rumble and the Coalers avenged that defeat in the season’s final dual meet in Bloomington to secure their second IHSA championship.

The Coalers followed the invite wins over Morris, Bishop McNamara, Chicago Hope Academy and De La Salle Institute to improve to 19-0 and compete in four more dual meets on Tuesday at Mahomet-Seymour before pursuing their next dual meet tournament championship, when they try to reclaim the title at the 60-team ABE’s Rumble in Springfield on December 29-30.

“The he practice room is highly competitive,” Masters said. “And, you know, there’s that old saying, you know, there’s people who are humble and there are those who are about to be humbled. And that happens in our practice room. The senior class does a great job with that, and the coaches. The mantra is always want more. It’s never going to be good enough. Your effort will never be good enough. Hey, great, you won a state title, are you done? Or do you want more? And you’ve got to understand there’s a lot of sacrifice and discipline that goes in it.

And the other thing we always tell them is that you’ve got to be uncomfortable to grow. If everything’s comfortable, you’re just not getting any better. And a lot of times we push as hard as we push on certain days. But the kids understand that and they respond well.”

After graduating just three of last season’s 13 state qualifiers, the Coalers are understandably feeling very positive about the return of so many medal winners. They are Cooper Morris (2nd at 126), Brody Widlowski (2nd at 138), Aidan Kenney (4th at 144), Owen Petersen (5th at 113) and Cade Poyner (5th at 190). The other qualifiers that are back are Brock Finch, Mason Garner, Noah Houston, Luke Munsterman and Jason Piatak. Widlowski is a three-time medalist and two-time finalist while Morris and Petersen have both also won two medals at state.

“I think we’ve lived up to the excitement that everyone thought that we would be, and we performed at the top of our game, but there’s always improvements to be made, so I think we’re going to keep working at practice,” Finch said. “I have tough matches with all my teammates at practice so it trains us to stay ready and always wrestle like it’s your match. It feels amazing to be part of this team. I think we’re one of the best bonding teams in the state. We have fun wrestling. We work hard wrestling. We do everything good that a good team needs to do, and we just work hard. One of our coaches, Joe Widlowski, opened up a youth program, and we’ve all been wrestling since we were about five years old with each other. I’ve been working as hard as I can at practice, out of practice, during season and out of season. I just always try working as hard as I can to be better.”

Coal City

Coal City repeated as champions in the tournament with a 43-24 victory over Lincoln-Way East in the title dual meet after advancing to the finals with a 51-19 win over Glenwood in which they won the first nine matches. The Coalers only had two dual meets in pool competition and won 62-9 over Wauconda and 65-9 over Oak Forest. In both of those duals, they only lost two matches, and in each case, one of those setbacks was a close decision.

Top performers for the Coalers were Brock Finch (4-0 at 175), Mason Garner (4-0 at 165), Aidan Kenney (4-0 at 157), Cooper Morris (4-0 at 132), Owen Petersen (4-0 at 126), Max Christensen (3-0 at 144), Brody D’Orazio (3-1 at 190), Jake Munsterman (3-1 at 106/113), Luke Munsterman (3-1 at 138), Brody Widlowski (3-1 at 150) and Cade Poyner (2-1 at 215).

“I feel like our team did a good job just pushing pace all six minutes and the coaches just helped,” Kenney said. “It’s fun. We all grew up together with the Lil’ Coalers program. So just a lot of competition in the wrestling room and it’s fun growing up with these guys. Wrestling in freestyle and Greco season. And coach (Nick) O’Bert opened the gym up in the summer and I went on a couple days a week. (Likes about his team) Probably just that we’ve all grown up together and the friendship.”

Lincoln-way East

Lincoln-Way East was back in the finals for the first time since 2022, when it beat district Lincoln-Way West for the championship. The Griffins came in with a lot of momentum after going 5-0 and winning the championship of the 16-team Plainfield North Dual Team Tournament the previous weekend after capturing a 49-23 victory over Joliet West in the title dual meet.  

Lincoln-Way East, which took fifth at last year’s Larry Gassen Tournament, beat Maine South 53-17 and Fremd 57-18 in its pool before winning 56-13 over Huntley in the semifinals.

Leading the way for the Griffins are Nathan Powers (4-0 at 120), Kaidge Richardson (4-0 at 150)

Gage LaDere (3-0 at 285), Omer Farhan (3-1 at 175), Max Mularz (3-1 at 157), Justin Powers (3-1 at 215), JT Theis (3-1 at 138) and Colton Zvonar (3-1 at 190). The team’s three returning state qualifiers are LaDere, Richardson and Zvonar.

In the championship dual, the teams exchanged victories as Morris opened with a 10-7 decision over Lucas Ankarlo at 132 and Theis evened it at 3-3 when he captured an 8-6 decision over Luke Munsterman. 

There was another swap of victories, with this time the result being major decisions, as Christensen won 18-6 over James Tverdek at 144 and Richardson just missed getting a win by technical fall and settled for a 19-5 triumph over Widlowski to level it again at 7-7.

That’s when the Coalers responded with a stretch of three wins that featured two close decisions and a pin to help them move ahead by a 19-7 margin. Kenney broke open a tight match in the third period to get an 11-5 win over Mularz at 157 and then Garner rallied from an early 7-0 deficit to win 13-8 over Zachary Ankarlo and Finch then gave the Coalers a 12-point cushion with a pin in 1:44 over Farhan at 175.

“It’s a tough duel, so obviously I needed to win,” Garner said. “I was down big to start, just kept pushing the pace and wrestling my match and I ended up coming out on top. Just kept my wrestling, didn’t really worry about anything, just focused on me. Obviously we have a high profile knowing our accomplishments, but that doesn’t mean anything. We just keep wrestling how we wrestle and whatever happens, happens, really. It’s always fun getting what you deserve. After working hard all season, every season, it’s always fun coming out on top. (I like) The dedication and the hard work in the practice room. Push myself the hardest I can at practice, wrestling with the good opponents, and just really helping me and my teammates in practice. That’s all I can do.” 

Zvonar answered for the Griffins with a win by technical fall over D’Orazio and after Poyner gave the Coalers a boost with a pin in 2:21 of Justin Powers, Lincoln-Way East narrowed the gap to 25-18 following a fall by LaDere over Payton Vigna at 285.

“You know, it didn’t end up maybe the way we wanted today, but I think especially with how much we lost last year, I feel like we lost a lot of seniors last year, but I feel like we’ve grown and we’ve got to get better and keep getting better, but I think we’re some steps in the right direction and just got to continue to be scrappy,” said Zvonar, whose dad, Rob, is the Griffins’ successful football coach. The 2023 Illinois High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame inductee, who has led the program since it began in 2001 and each season he has qualified his team for the IHSA playoffs, a feat that no other program in the state can equal. 

“We’ve got seniors like Kaidge Richardson, Zach Ankarlo, Max Mularz, and Gage LaDere. But also we’ve got some young guys stepping up. And then a couple of guys from our junior class, myself, Nick Williams, and JT Theis, who’s had a great offseason coming in this year. I definitely think we’re trying to continue to head in the right direction.”

Coal City took control for good as Jake Munsterman got a fall in 3:26 over Timmy Lorimer and Ryder Gill added a pin in 1:35 over Salah Dajani at 113 to make it 37-19 with two matches left. The sides traded pins as Nathan Powers won by fall in 3:20 over Jason Piatak for the Griffins’ last win and Petersen wrapped things up for the Coalers with a pin in 3:25 over Nick Williams.   

Collin McKillip is in his second season of leading the Griffins. He was the head coach at Grayslake North for 10 years before returning to the south suburbs. He won a state medal while competing for his dad, Don, a 2024 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, while he was coaching at Marian Catholic. 

Lincoln-Way East will be tested again in dual meets when it competes in DeKalb’s 32-team Flavin Invite, which like ABE’s Rumble, is also on December 29-30. 

“I really thought we competed well,” McKillip said. “It’s really the first time we were tested kind of the whole day, so that was good for us. We start slow with football seasons that always go long, so I don’t schedule much at the beginning, and we get going here in the next couple weeks. And we really needed this to get some kids to go six minutes and wrestle against top-tier guys. And even in Class A, that doesn’t matter. You know, top-tier guys are top-tier guys.

“We replaced seven seniors from our starting lineup last year and we have a lot of first-time varsity starters and they’re seniors and you know they’ve bided their time and put in their work. Max Mularz at 157, is wrestling really tough. Omer Farhan is really wrestling up a weight at 175 and is just doing a nice job battling and competing. And then getting Gage back to wrestle heavyweight when he’s going to Northwestern to play football, that’s been huge for us, as well. 

This group, they want to learn and they want to get better. They’ll sit down with us after matches and matches that went terribly wrong. What could I have done better? And matches that they win, they’re still, you know, maybe upset with the way they won because it wasn’t how they wanted to win. So wanting to improve will take them a long way.” 

Glenwood

Glenwood used a run of eight-straight victories to defeat Huntley 50-18 in the third-place dual meet at the Larry Gassen Dual Team Tournament.

The Titans have a new coach this season as Nick Anthony takes over after serving in an assistant’s role for 13 years, most recently under Jerod Bruner, who led the program to four of its six appearances in the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals that was highlighted by a school-best third-place finish in 2024. Also that season, Glenwood took second to Barrington in this event.

“Yeah, it’s an incredible tournament,” Anthony said. “All the duals are really competitive and we had a tough pool. Then we kind of got beat down by Coal City really good and they’re a great program. I was really happy to see how the kids responded, coming and wrestling a tough Huntley team after that. I’m really excited. We have a good group of seniors. We’re pretty tough all up and down the lineup. So, yeah, nowhere that I’m like, oh, this is a guaranteed loss. We’re in it every match. And looking like, for regionals, we have 14 kids, I think can get to sectionals. Then we have a lot of hammers that are going to score a lot of points. 

“They’re just a fun group to be around. They work hard, they can stay focused, and they’ve stuck it out and developed. They weren’t great in middle school, but they’ve stuck with it, put in the work, and really come together. We have a great community and the parents are all in. Our middle school’s all in. And now we’re getting the youth program all in. We’ve got good people all across the board.” 

The good news for Glenwood is that it also has a returning IHSA champion at 285, Cody Moss, who looks to do what only Drew Davis has accomplished before in 2022 and 2023, which is winning two state titles. The two of them are the lone boys state title winners for the school, and Drew’s sister Maya was also a state champion at the initial IHSA Girls Finals in 2022.  

“We have great coaches, so we didn’t expect any less,” Moss said. “We’ve always been prepared for this moment, and we seized it. It’s tough practice every day. This week we had 5.30 a.m. practices, just getting our work in.  I’m thankful our coaches get us up to those tough tournaments like DeKalb to get a good competition. We have a good team bond, and, like, we really were strengthened together by that, and I feel like it really helps us become better wrestlers in the room and outside of the room. (Being a state champion) it’s hard because everyone’s going to give you their best match, but I feel like I’ve just got to keep working and get it done. I’m just going to keep working with my trainer in the room, just get better each day and just go to work. We’ve got a lot of buddies on this team. We’re all like a tight bond.”

Top performers for the Titans were Pierce Bultmann (5-0 at 113), Cooper Clarke (5-0 at 106), Jaxon Ferguson (5-0 at 120), Cody Moss (5-0 at 285), Brody Commean (3-0 at 190) and Jullian Rammelkamp (4-1 at 165). Elijah Smith, AJ Williams, Clarke and Ferguson also qualified for state last season.

Glenwood, which will also be joining Lincoln-Way East at DeKalb’s Flavin Invite, beat Downers Grove South 40-21, Glenbrook South 37-23 and Crystal Lake Central 56-19 in its pool before falling to Coal City in the semifinals. The Titans took sixth in last year’s competition. 

Huntley

Coach B.J. Bertelsman hopes that his Huntley Red Raiders can make another run at the IHSA Dual Team Finals, which they competed in for the first time in 2018 and took fourth place in 3A and then were back again in 2020 when his team only got to compete in one dual meet.

“It makes you feel good knowing that you’re at the right places,” Bertelsman said. “Half the kids were at the Marmion tournament the week before and both our placewinners missed the Marmion tournament since they were both coming off injury. Our kids’ records are 500 or around that, but that .500 is against a lot of good kids. A king without scars is a king of nothing. At Christmas break, we’ve got two mega duals at our place. We got a lot more wrestling to do, a lot more wrestling to do. (His team) it’s a good mix of seniors and freshmen. Like today I threw out three freshmen, four freshmen sometimes. You know, good senior leadership. Right now they’re all willing to wrestle up a weight. Until this week, and the Dvorak, they’re going to all get down, back to their weights. And then going forward, we’ll see. You could see today that sometimes the weight advantage got to them.” 

Much of the enthusiasm is the result of having two returning IHSA Class 3A medalists, Radic Dvorak, who took fourth at 157, and Colin Abordo, who was sixth at 113. Both also placed highly at the Dan Gable Donnybrook in Coralville, Iowa. Dvorak was the runner-up to Mount Carmel’s Liam Kelly at 165 in the recent Donnybrook while Abordo took third place at 120. 

“It was really cool to be wrestling in the arena,” Abordo said of the Donnybrook. “And obviously there’s some tough kids out there, so I was just happy to see how I did up against the kids there. Everyone had five matches, so I think everyone got better that weekend. Our team isn’t very experienced but everyone works super hard and wrestles tough matches and keeps it close when they have to so we wrestled really good. I actually got hurt in the offseason. I tore my ACL in April and then I just got back on the mat in November. I’m just hungry to be wrestling again. Just everyone has fun, and they go out there and wrestle super tough, and no one gives up, even if they’re less experienced or more experienced.”

Huntley beat Downers Grove North 38-28, Belleville West 59-18 and Geneseo 36-31 in its pool before running into Lincoln-Way East in the semifinals.

Top performers for the Red Raiders were Colin Abordo (5-0 at 126), Griffin Gunther (4-1 at 138), Colin Huminsky (4-1 at 144) and Gavin Nischke (4-1 at 150/157).

In the third-place dual meet, Huntley grabbed a 13-8 lead through the first five matches but then Glenwood got on a roll and won eight straight to help it capture a 50-18 victory. 

Williams won by technical fall over Julien Gutierrez at 132 to give Glenwood the early edge but Huntley answered with two major decisions, one by a 15-4 score for Gunther over Eli Britton and the other 15-7 with Huminsky beating Finnley Try to give Huntley an 8-5 lead.

Braden Monahan won a 7-4 decision over Matthew Keaty at 150 tie things again before the Red Raiders took their final lead at 13-8 when Nischke won by technical fall over Pierce Helm.

That’s when Glenwood changed the dynamics completely, beginning with Rammelkamp getting a 13-2 major decision over Alexander Vega at 165 and Smith following with an 11-2 major decision over Dvorak to put the Titans back in front for good at 16-13.

Commean won by fall in 1:33 over Waylon Theobald at 190, Mason Streb got a pin in 5:42 over Max Dziamidau and then Moss recorded a fall in just 15 seconds over Ryan Trejo to turn a three-point lead into a 21-point cushion at 34-13.

Clarke followed with a win by technical fall over Noah Gutierrez at 106 and Bultmann added another tech fall right after that over Anthony Pharis and then Glenwood completed its run with a pin in 1:00 from Ferguson over Logan Drews before Huntlley closed the meet with Abordo getting a victory by technical fall over Jake Tuxhorn.

Downers Grove South

The host Mustangs went 4-1 on the day after dropping their opener to Glenwood 40-21. After that, they beat Crystal Lake Central 45-21 and Glenbrook South 48-16 to move into the fifth-place bracket. There they won 45-33 over Oak Forest and then closed out their successful day with a 39-28 victory over Maine South in the fifth-place meet.

Downers Grove South coach Zach Holtzman is in his second season leading the program after serving as an assistant to Sean Lovelace. After competing at Elmhurst University, he joined his college assistant, Jake Oster, and assisted him at Yorkville before moving to his current school. He’s proud to be the host coach of one of the top dual tournaments of its size in the state and feels that it is a fitting tribute to Larry Gassen, who was recognized in 2007 with a Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter for not only developing the Mustangs’ program, but also serving in many different roles with the IWCOA and also assisting the IHSA at both the Individual and Dual Team State Finals. 

“It’s a super proud tradition that we have here at Downers Grove South High School and it’s a great way to honor Larry Gassen, National Hall of Fame wrestling coach,” Holtzman said. “And one that we take a lot of pride in, in terms of just trying to continue to invite some of the best programs across the state of Illinois, representing both 1A, 2A, and 3A. And it’s also an exciting day for the Mustangs. We’re going out there and competing at every weight, every dual and we ended up going 4-1 on the day. We have a combination of some seniors that kind of led the charge as well as some sophomores and juniors that you know are stepping up into some big varsity roles and find ways to you know grit it out earn some bonus points and just continue to get better in you know every position so we want to continue the building what we already have. I’m certainly thankful for our wrestling community, and we want to continue to see what the next step is for the Mustangs as we try and close the gap between us and those at the top. It’s definitely promising for the future, and we know that we have a bright group ahead that’s willing to put in the work and buy into the process of getting better.”

Leading the way for the Mustangs were Chris Cali (5-0 at 215), Jadon Dinwiddie (5-0 at 132), Daniel Mensah (5-0 at 190), Noah Greene (4-1 at 175), Tanner Stone (4-1 at 120) and Tommy Tyson (4-1 at 113). Greene is Downers Grove South’s lone returning state qualifier.

“I’m really impressed with our team today,” Dinwiddie said. “We lost a close one to Joliet West, but I think we’ve improved a lot since that dual, and I’m very happy about that. I think our team is making steps in the right direction, and that means a lot to me as a captain, you know, seeing our guys improve and stuff. And I help guys on the team all the time, like, when they ask me a question, I help them fix whatever they need.”

Maine South

Maine South got past Fremd 40-36 but lost to Lincoln-Way East 53-17 and ended up facing Geneseo in the next dual, where it captured a 43-32 win to meet up with the hosts for fifth.

Top performers for the Hawks were George Georgiev (3-0 at 113), Kevin Hamilton (3-1 at 144), Brett Harman (3-1 at 132), Caden Ljubenko (3-1 at 157), Erle Rosete (3-1 at 106), Luke Baum (2-1 at 126) and Gavin Hoerr (2-1 at 150).

In the fifth-place meet, Downers Grove South had an 8-6 advantage over Maine South in matches won. The Mustangs got falls from Cali, Greene and Stone, major decisions from Mario Clerny, Mensah and Tyson, a decision from Dinwiddie and a forfeit win from Mike Danial. The Hawks received pins from Kevin Pedersen, Hamilton and Ljubenko, a major decision from Rosete and decisions from Emmett Mazukelli and Lukas Raczynski.

“I think we’ve come a long way,” Mensah said. “We destroyed (Downers Grove) North in our first dual, they’re a rivalry, so we try to dominate them every chance we can. We had a tough loss against Joliet West. I thought we could have won that, but we just didn’t come out on top that day. Every aspect of our game is a lot better now. Our top game is better. We’re dominating. We’re, like, mat returning guys. Our bottom, we’re escaping, neutral. And that Glenwood dual, too, I think we could have done a lot better.”

“I think we definitely have come far,” Cali said. “We started the season off hot, beating North, after a tough loss last year. I remember a lot of our teammates were saying, we’re going to come back stronger, and I think it really showed today, all the work that we put in the offseason. We had a tough loss in the first round, but everything that we did wrong, we did better against the next team. We really showed integrity. We didn’t give up and really just took those steps in the right direction. Everybody’s caring about each other and we’re like a big family.”

Geneseo

Geneseo was one of five top-11 teams in Class 2A in the invite and entered on a high note after winning Rockford East’s Giardini Invite, but after opening with a big win over Belleville West and claiming a 38-30 victory over Downers Grove North, its hopes for contending for another title were dashed in a 36-31 loss to Huntley. Then it fell to Maine South 43-32 in the next dual and that sent the Maple Leafs to the seventh-place meet, which they won 57-23 over Oak Forest.

Leading the way for the Maple Leafs were Izaac Gaines (5-0 at 165), Josh Stahl (5-0 at 285), Kye Weinzierl (5-0 at 175), Harrison Hill (4-1 at 175/190), Colten Mooney (4-1 at 215) and Tad Moore (4-1 at 113). Weinzierl finished second in Class 2A at 175 to IC Catholic Prep’s Brody Kelly last season. Other returning state qualifiers for Geneseo are Grady Hull, Malaki Jackson, Landen Vincent and Gaines.

Oak Forest

Oak Forest edged Wauconda 33-31 in a matchup of top-10 teams in Class 2A in its first dual but then suffered a 65-9 setback to Coal City. The host  Mustangs beat the Bengals 45-33 to send them to the seventh-place dual meet and they lost that one 57-23 to Geneseo. 

The Bengals were led by Hunter Kroll (3-1 at 120) and Jacob Sebek (3-1 at 126). Austin Perez took third place at 144 and Sebek was fourth at 113 last season. Other returning state qualifiers are Jason Janke, Jason Schickel and Andrius Vasilevskas.

Downers Grove North

Downers Grove North lost 38-28 to Huntley and 38-30 to Geneseo in its pool before capturing a 69-8 win over Belleville West. The Trojans followed up on that win with a 47-27 victory over Fremd and then claimed their third triumph in a row with a 44-32 over Wauconda.

Top performers for Downers Grove North were Damian Garcia (5-0 at 120), Alex Hengles (5-0 at 144), Nate Olona (5-0 at 215), Caden Chiarelli (4-1 at 150) and Billy Rausch (4-1 at 157).

Wauconda

Wauconda dropped a tough 33-31 loss to Oak Forest in a matchup of top-10 Class 2A teams and then after losing to Coal City, it edged another top-11 2A team, Crystal Lake Central, 38-35 to advance to the ninth-place meet, which it lost 44-32 to Downers Grove North.

Leading the way for the Bulldogs were Maddon Gunn (3-1 at 113), Brian Hart (3-1 at 157), Liam Harris (3-1 at 138), Finn Loomis (3-1 at 215) and Brody McKenna (3-1 at 175).

Crystal Lake Central

Crystal Lake Central started well with a 32-26 triumph over Glenbrook South and closed well with a 44-35 win over Fremd, but in between it lost to Downers Grove South and Glenwood and then 38-35 to Wauconda in a matchup of top-11 teams in Class 2A.

Top performers for the Tigers were Dylan Ramsey (5-0 at 126), Nicholas Marchese (5-0 at 144/150), Logan Gough (4-1 at 285) and Nicholas Zuehlke (4-1 at 165). Jackson Marlett took sixth place at 113 last season for Crystal Lake Central.

Fremd

Fremd came close in its first dual, falling 40-36 to Maine South. It also lost in its pool to Lincoln-Way East and then to Downers Grove North in the consolation bracket before battling in its final dual before being beaten 44-35 by Crystal Lake Central.

Leading the way for the Vikings were Will Bousk (4-0 at 106), Drew Fifield (4-0 at 138), Lucas Nance (4-0 at 190) and Lucas Crandall (3-1 at 113/120). Fifield placed sixth at 138 last season while Nance was also a Class 3A qualifier.

Glenbrook South

Glenbrook South battled throughout the day, getting edged 32-26 by Crystal Lake Central and falling 37-23 to Glenwood before losing to the hosts 48-16 in its final pool dual meet. The team was able to capture a 76-0 victory over Belleville West in its final action of the day.

Top performers for the Titans were Josh Edelheit (4-0 at 144), Louis Luna (3-1 at 215/285), Joey Marquardt (3-1 at 150), Roman Ocampo (3-1 at 132), Kale Schrauth (3-1 at 157) and Ermuun Urtnasan (3-1 at 126).

Statistics of note

Glenwood’s Cody Moss and Geneseo’s Josh Stahl tied for the most team points with 30 while Downers Grove North’s Damian Garcia was third with 29 points. Glenwood’s Cooper Clarke and Pierce Bultmann and Downers Grove South’s Chris Cali tied for fourth with 27 team points. Geneseo’s Izaac Gaines, Downers Grove North’s Alex Hengles and Crystal Lake Central’s Nicholas Marchese tied for seventh place with 26 team points and Huntley’s Colin Abordo was tenth with 25 team points. 

Abordo recorded five wins by technical fall, which were two more than anyone else the next-best in that regard, three tech falls by both Bultmann and Fremd’s Lucas Nance. Abordo had the most total match points with 94 while Nance edged Glenwood’s Jaxon Ferguson 72-71 for second place in total match points.

Moss was the only competitor with five falls while Stahl, Downers Grove North’s Colin Murphy, Coal City’s Owen Petersen and Downers Grove South’s Tanner Stone all had four pins.

Championship meet of DG South’s Larry Gassen Dual Team Tournament

Coal City 43, Lincoln-Way East 24

132 – Cooper Morris (C) over Lucas Ankarlo (L), D 10-7

138 – JT Theis (L) over Luke Munsterman (C), D 8-6

144 – Max Christensen (C) over James Tverdek (L), MD 18-6

150 – Kaidge Richardson (L) over Brody Widlowski (C), MD 19-5

157 – Aidan Kenney (C) over Max Mularz (L), D 11-5

165 – Mason Garner (C) over Zachary Ankarlo (L), D 13-8

175 – Brock Finch (C) over Omer Farhan (L), F 1:44

190 – Colton Zvonar (L) over Brody D’Orazio (C), TF 

215 – Cade Poyner (C) over Justin Powers (L), F 2:21

285 – Gage LaDere (L) over Payton Vigna (C), F 0:27

106 – Jake Munsterman (C) over Timmy Lorimer (L), F 3:26

113 – Ryder Gill (C) over Salah Dajani (L), F 1:35

120 – Nathan Powers (L) over Jason Piatak (C), F 3:20

126 – Owen Petersen (C) over Nick Williams (L), F 3:25

Third-place meet of DG South’s Larry Gassen Dual Team Tournament

Glenwood 50, Huntley 18

132 – AJ Williams (G) over Julian Gutierrez (H), TF

138 – Griffin Gunther (H) over Eli Britton (G), MD 15-4

144 – Colin Huminsky (H) over Finnley Try (G), MD 15-7

150 – Braden Monahan (G) over Matthew Keaty (H), D 7-4

157 – Gavin Nischke (H) over Pierce Helm (G), TF

165 – Jullian Rammelkamp (G) over Alexander Vega (H), MD 13-2

175 – Elijah Smith (G) over Radic Dvorak (H), MD 11-2

190 – Brody Commean (G) over Waylon Theobald (H), F 1:33

215 – Mason Streb (G) over Max Dziamidau (H), F 5:42

285 – Cody Moss (G) over Ryan Trejo (H), F 0:15

106 – Cooper Clarke (G) over Noah Gutierrez (H), TF

113 – Pierce Bultmann (G) over Anthony Pharis (H), TF

120 – Jaxon Ferguson (G) over Logan Drews (H), F 1:00

126 – Colin Abordo (H) over Jake Tuxhorn (G), TF

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Larkin’s Royal Throne Invitational

Burlington Central snared the team crown at this year’s 12-team Larkin Royal Throne Invitational, scoring 168 points to edge two teams that tied for second with 145.5 points — Prairie Ridge and Leyden.

Central coach Andrew Brown’s boys led all teams with four individual champions on the day and the Rockets had nine wrestlers finish in the top six of their weight classes.

“Today was us accomplishing a goal we set Thursday night,” Brown said. “We didn’t have our best night (a dual loss to McHenry) and knew there was more in the tank and the goal was to compete hard enough to give ourselves a shot to win the whole thing.”

1st- Central (168)

The Rockets got four individual titles to lead all teams, from Eduardo Vences (120), Ronald Perez (157), Samvir Devineni (165) and Michael Junitz (215). Brown also got a second from David Wyruchowski (126), thirds from Daniel O’Connor (113), Berry Yildirim (150) and Benjamin Hultgren (285), and a sixth from Chase Studt (175).

“It’s the result of what hard work and a little confidence can do,” Central coach Andrew Brown said. “We had guys step up throughout the lineup from top to bottom. Guys like Samvir Devineni stepped up when it mattered most and had a huge tournament, not to take away from the others in our lineup that got us there, along with Eduardo Vences, Michael Junitz and RJ Perez continuing to wrestle really well and lead by example.”

2nd- Prairie Ridge (145.5)

A trio of Wolves won titles for coach Ross Ryan, in Tymen Robinson (106), Andrew Cioper (150) and Aiden Rodriguez (175). Nolan Terhaar (157) placed second, and thirds came from Matt Moritz (157) and Frank Matviychuk (190). Lorenzo Massart (132) and Jacob Meade (165) placed fourth, Majd Ramadan (132) was fifth, and Maximo Martinez (190) placed sixth.

2nd-Leyden (145.5)

Leyden coach John Kading got individual titles from Danny Huerta (113) and Erick Worwa (190) to lead the way, seconds from Zabiel Lagunas (138), Dominic Ganir (175) and Alexander Aguinaga (285), a third from Jason Castro (165), a fifth from Zachary Jaffray (215), and a sixth from Francis Buttita (132)

Additional individual champions
126 Sal Garcia (Larkin), 132 Brennan O’Donnell (Harvest Christian), 138 Zaid Lupian (East Aurora), 144 Max Mulhearn (Harvest Christian), 285 Chase Paduch (Bartlett)

Additional runners-up
106 James Kowalski (Bartlett), 113 Jayden Sam (Elmwood Park), 120 Keegan Hammett (Cary-Grove), 132 Joseph Caputo (Bartlett), 144 Gus Saletta (Bartlett), 150 Lev Svoboda (St. Francis), 165 Aiden Bierbower (Cary-Grove), 190 Emmanuel Diaz (East Aurora), 215 Alexander Puente (Bartlett)

Statistics
East Aurora’s 12 pins in 36:54 were the most pins in the least time of any team in the tournament, followed by Central’s 11 pins in 20:42. Bartlett posted the most tech falls in the least time, with 6 techs in 21:02, and Bartlett scored the most total match points with 208, followed by Cary-Grove with 205 total match points.

Individually, Central’s Benjamin Hultgren had the most pins in the least time, posting three falls in 5:08, followed by Prairie Ridge’s Frank Matviychuk, who had three falls in 6:34. Cary-Grove’s Jacob Turner had the most tech falls in the least time, with two in 3:48. Turner and Central’s David Wyruchowski tied for the fastest pin, at 25 seconds. Harvest Christian’s Brennan O’Donnell was second with two tech falls in 4:27.

O’Donnell also posted the fastest tech fall at 1:49, followed by Central’s Michael Junitz at 1:50.
Prairie Ridge’s Tymen Robinson scored the most team points with 27.5 and Cary-Grove’s Ignacio Santander had the most total match points with 55.

Final team scores:
Central 168, Prairie Ridge 145.5, Leyden 145.5, Bartlett 144, Cary-Grove 127, East Aurora 115, Larkin 79, Solorio 53.5, Harvest Christian 49, Elmwood Park 40, St. Francis 34, Morgan Park 7

Championship match results
106-Tymen Robinson (Prairie Ridge) F 2:57 James Kowalski (Bartlett)
113-Danny Huerta (Leyden) F 2:54 Jayden Sam (Elmwood Park)
120-Eduardo Vences (Central) TF 4:22 Keegan Hammett (Cary-Grove)
126-Sal Garcia (Larkin) F 0:32 David Wyruchowski (Central)
132-Brennan O’Donnell (Harvest Christian) F 2:38 Joseph Caputo (Bartlett)
138-Zaid Lupian (East Aurora) F 3:40 Zabiel Lagunas (Leyden)
144-Max Mulhearn (Harvest Christian) D 14-8 Gus Saletta (Bartlett)
150-Andrew Cioper (Prairie Ridge) MD 12-1 Lev Svoboda (St. Francis)
157-Ronald Perez (Central) F 1:12 Nolan Terhaar (Prairie Ridge)
165-Samvir Devineni (Central) D 6-3 Aiden Bierbower (Cary-Grove)
175-Aiden Rodriguez (Prairie Ridge) TF 2:48 Dominic Ganir (Leyden)
190-Eric Worwa (Leyden) F 0:59 Emmanuel Diaz (East Aurora)
215-Michael Junitz (Central) F 4:59 Alexander Puente (Bartlett)
285-Chase Paduch (Bartlett) F 3:36 Alexander Aguinaga (Leyden)

Third-place match results
106-Benjamin Hinton (East Aurora) F 3:24 Angeluis Vicarte (Solorio)
113-Daniel O’Connor (Central) F 1:42 Alejandro Camarillo (East Aurora)
120-Josiah Acevedo (Larkin) BYE
126-Geovany Casas (Elmwood Park) D 7-0 Ivan Salgado (Solorio)
132-Henry Kos (Cary-Grove) MD 10-1 Lorenzo Massart (Prairie Ridge)
138-Jacob Turner (Cary-Grove) F 0:25 Sonny Franciose (Bartlett)
144-Ignacio Santander (Cary-Grove) F 2:42 Nico Castillo (Larkin)
150-Berry Yildirim (Central) fft. Willie Long (Morgan Park)
157-Matt Moritz (Prairie Ridge) D 5-2 Jorge Farias (East Aurora)
165-Jason Castro (Leyden) TF 4:00 Jacob Meade (Prairie Ridge)
175-Anthony Basso (Cary-Grove) D 16-10 Kevin Sanchez (East Aurora)
190-Frank Matviychuk (Prairie Ridge) F 1:55 Jerome Childs (Bartlett)
215-Jimmy Siragusa (Cary-Grove) F 3:35 Amar Dzananovic (Bartlett)
285-Benjamin Hultgren (Central) F 1:49 Juan Zavala (Solorio)

West Chicago’s Bob Hein Wrestling Invitational

Naperville North snared the team title at this year’s seven-team Bob Hein Invite, just edging out second-place Yorkville Christian, 178-173.5.

As happy as he was with his boys’ performance, Naperville North coach Tom Champion was equally happy about the nature of West Chicago’s tournament.

“I think it’s great that West Chicago is holding a small tournament. I think small tournaments are a call back to the old days,” Champion said.

“Small tournaments give kids two to three matches in a tournament format so they get the excitement of a semifinal and a finals match, unlike what you get in a quad with just as many teams, or a super quad. We were fortunate that (West Chicago) invited us to wrestle there and they were great hosts.”

Rock Island (164.5) placed third, followed by Dixon (146), West Chicago (143.5), Addison Trail (113.5) and Elk Grove (23).

1st- Naperville North (178)

Coach Tom Champion got individual titles from Michael Arrendondo (132), Tim Garmon (157) and Tavfiq Ibragimov (215) to lead the way. The Huskies also got second-place finishes from Adam Beedon (113) and David Hurrl (175), thirds from Adrien Flores (138), Kai Balice (150) and Jaden Milner (165), fourths from Ryan Beedon (120), Archer Biag (126) and Lucas Byron (190), and fifths from Cam Krueger (106) and Max Venecia (144).
Titlists Garmon (11-0) and Ibragimov (17-0) remained unbeaten on the year, and Arrendondo improved to 15-2 with hit title-mat win.
“(Garmon) put on an amazing show and he has really matured,” Champion said. (Ibragimov) is wrestling and scoring points from all positions…Michael Arrendondo is one of the strongest wrestlers we’ve ever had on our squad.

“Yorkville Christian’s got some tough guys. Dixon also has some guys and these are schools we don’t see very often. It’s fun to see teams that we don’t see for the rest of the year.”
 
2nd-Yorkville Christian (173.5)

Individual champions Phoenix Senodenos (113) and Tyler Gleason (175) led the way for coach Mike Vester’s Mustangs among seven wrestlers reaching the title mat. Placing second were Ryan Festerling (126), Adrian Wadas-Luis (144), Dominic Loomis (190), Jackson Allen (215) and Hayden Wheeler (285). Thirds came from Davin Torza (106) and Kenny Fox (190), Henry Fox (165) placed fourth, while fifths came from Nathan Schlottman (132), Austin Wadas-Luis (144) and Myles Holland (157).

3rd- Rock Island (164.5)

Coach Joel Stockwell got a pair of individual title from Maricio Parker (138) and Emilio Guzman (285), seconds from Angelo Parker (106), Henry Miller (132) and Javelle Anderson (157), thirds from Parker Stannke (144), Dominic Eyagabroad (157) and Emarion Harris (175), fourths from Ian McGowan (150) and Rowan Stockwell (215), a fifth from Fab Rodriguez (113), and sixths from Jimy Obedi (126) and Kylan Mitchell (190).

Additional individual champions
106 Riley Paredes (Dixon), 120 Nikolas Duarte (Addison Trail), 126 Emanual Rangel (West Chicago), 144 Charlie Connors (Dixon), 150 Leo Rosas (West Chicago), 165 Alen Bautista (Addison Trail), 190 Set Shaffer (Dixon)

Additional runners-up
120 Jack Ragan (Dixon), 138 Jimmy Jacinto (Addison Trail), 150 Preston Richards (Dixon), 165 Landon Rodriguez (West Chicago)

The unbeatens
Remaining unbeaten on the season were Dixon’s Riley Paredes (19-0 at 106), Addison Trail’s Nikolas Duarte (12-0 at 120), and Naperville North’s Tim Garmon (11-0 at 157) and Tavfiq Ibragimov (17-0 at 215).

Close calls
The closest title match of the day came when Yorkville Christian’s Phoenix Senodenos topped Naperville Norths Adam Beedon by 1-0 decision in the finals at 113 pounds.

Statistics
Rock Island finished with the most pins in the least time, with 11 falls coming in 36:15, while Naperville North’s 4 tech falls in 16:03 also led the tournament. Naperville North also scored the most total match points with 236, followed by Rock Island with 222.
Individually, Naperville North’s Ibragimov had the most pins in the least time, with three in 8:41, and Ibragimov also scored the most team points with 26. The fastest fall came from Addison Trail’s Duarte, at 0:17 and Duarte also led the field with two tech falls in 5:07 for the most techs in the least time. Naperville North’s Garmon, Adam Beedon, and Dixon’s Connors tied for the most single match points with 20, and North’s Arrendondo had the most total match points with 45.

Championship match results
106-Riley Paredes (Dixon) D 10-6 Angelo Parker (Rock Island)
113-Phoenix Senodenos (Yorkville Ch) D 1-0 Adam Beedon (Naperville N)
120-Nikolas Duarte (Addison Trail) TF 5:07 Jack Ragan (Dixon)
126-Emanuel Rangel (West Chicago) D 7-4 Ryan Festerling (Yorkville Ch)
132-Michael Arrendondo (Naperville N) MD 16-5 Henry Miller Rock Island)
138-Maricio Parker (Rock Island) TF 3:19 Jimmy Jacinto (Addison Trail)
144-Charlie Connors (Dixon) TF 3:55 Adrian Wadas-Luis (Yorkville Ch)
150-Leo Rosas (West Chicago) TF 5:48 Preston Richards (Dixon)
157-Tim Garmon (Naperville N) F 3:46 Javelle Anderson (Rock Island)
165-Alen Bautista (Addison Trail) TF 1:54 Landon Rodriguez (West Chicago)
175-Tyler Gleason (Yorkville Ch) D 11-7 David Hurrl (Naperville N)
190-Seth Shaffer (Dixon) F 5:17 Dominic Loomis (Yorkville Ch)
215-Tavfiq Ibragimov (Naperville N) F 3:15 Jackson Allen (Yorkville Ch)
285-Emilio Guzman (Rock Island) F 3:48 Hayden Wheeler (Yorkville Ch)

Third-place match results

106-Davin Torza (Yorkville Christian) F 0:46 Logan Ferguson (Addison Trail)
113-Ulises Vega (West Chicago) F 2:54 William Gray (Addison Trail)
120-Jace Serpa (West Chicago) D 12-6 Ryan Beedon (Naperville N)
126-Doolan Long (Dixon) D 4-1 Archer Biag (Naperville N)
132-Brian Correa (West Chicago) MD 10-1 Zander Spatafore (Elk Grove)
138-Adrien Flores (Naperville N) F 4:17 Alan Anicua (West Chicago)
144-Parker Stannke (Rock Island) F 4:38 John Benitez (West Chicago)
150-Kai Balice (Naperville N) F 2:44 Ian McGowan (Rock Island)
157-Dominic Eyagabroad (Rock Island) D 12-8 Cesar Munoz (West Chicago)
165-Jaden Milner (Naperville N) D 4-3 Henry Fox (Yorkville Ch)
175-Emarion Harris (Rock Island) D 8-4 Blake Dingley (Dixon)
190-Kenny Fox (Yorkville Ch) D 6-3 Lucas Byron (Naperville N)
215-Dawson Kemp (Dixon) F 4:15 Rowan Stockwell (Rock Island)
285-Elliot Ibarra (Addison Trail) F 1:18 Joseph Mercadante (West Chicago)

Rich Township’s Raptor Invite

The team from Merrillville, Indiana won the crown at this year’s 16-team Raptor Invite, cruising to a 253.5-153 edge over second-place JS Morton. St. Ignatius (139) was third, followed by Hope Academy (137) and Oak Lawn (125) to round out the top five team finishes.

1st-Merrillville, IN (253.5)
Merrillville had 12 wrestlers finish among the top six of their weight classes, led among scoring wrestlers by individual champions Rashaad Nelson (106), Ethan Alvarez (120), Warren Brown III (132), Marquell Shelton (150), Anthony Bustamante (157) and Bryce Montgomery (190).

2nd-JS Morton (153)
Coach James Hensley’s Mustangs were led by third-place finishes from Angelo Alcantar (106), Tristan Rodriguez (113), Nicolas Jaramillo (126), Santiago Moya (175) and Isaiah Lara (190). Jose Berrios (120) finished fourth, while Daniel Malvaez (132), Ethan Martinez (144) and Jaden Rodriguez (150) finished sixth.

3rd-St. Ignatius (139)
Wolfpack coach Ben Sanchez got an individual title from Colton Huff (138), a second from Melson Ngassa (215), thirds from Alex Villanueva (120) and Colin McCann (132), fourths from Julian Lopez (106) and Nino Capuano (144), and a fifth from Frank Valle (113).

Additional individual champions
126 Obadiah Willis (Hope Academy), 144 Chance Woods (Hope Academy), 165 Tyler Lewis (Romeoville), 175 Arkail Griffin (Hope Academy), 215 Sebastian Sanderson (Tinley Park), 285 Dominic Jackson (Crete-Monee)

The unbeatens (10-match minimum)
Wrestlers remaining unbeaten were Hope Academy’s Chance Woods (18-0 at 144) and Arkail Griffin (18-0 at 175), and Merrilville’s Anthony Bustamante (15-0 at 157).

Close calls
The closest title match finish came at 138 when St. Ignatius’ Colton Huff won an 8-6 decision over Hope Academy’s Jeremiah Lawrence.

Statistics
Merrillville’s 23 pins in 66:56 were the most pins posted in the least time of any team in the field, while Morton led the tournament with 10 tech falls in 30:16. Morton also had the most total match points with 393, followed by St. Ignatius with 361.
Individually, Tinley Park’s Sebastian Sanderson finished with the most pins in the least time, with four falls in 5:37, while Hope Academy’s Jeremiah Lawrence had the most tech falls in the least time, with three at 11:22. Romeoville’s Emmanuel Ramirez had the fastest fall at 0:14, while St. Ignatius’ Nino Capuano and Morton’s Daniel Malvaez tied for the fastest tech fall, at 1:20.
Tinley Park’s Sanderson finished with the most team points with 30, Bloom Township’s Brandon Bastida had the most single-match points with 25, and Perspectives/Leadership’s Donald Bunton scored the most total match points with 75. The largest seed-place difference came from Morton’s 16th-seeded Isaiah Lara, who placed third at 190 pounds.

Team scores
Merrillville 253.5, JS Morton 153, St. Ignatius 139, Hope Academy 137, Oak Lawn 125, Evergreen Park 124, Thornton Fractional North 97.5, Romeoville 97.5, Crete-Monee 86, Rich Township 73, Tinley Park 53.5, Hillcrest 46.5, Eisenhower 44, Thornton Fractional South 42.5, Bloom Township 34, Perspectives/Leadership 22

Championship match results

106-Rashaad Nelson (Merrillville) F 3:26 Brayden Mateja-Bates (Evergreen Park)
113-James Mobley (Merrillville) D 14-9 Caleeb Jones (Rich Township)
120-Ethan Alvarez (Merrillville) F 3:04 Damien Perez (Evergreen Park)
126-Obadiah Willis (Hope) F 2:36 Kyrin King (Rich Township)
132-Warren Brown III (Merrillville) TF 3:49 Deshawn Jones (TF North)
138-Colton Huff (St. Ignatius) D 8-6 Jeremiah Lawrence (Hope)
144-Chance Woods (Hope) MD 14-3 Khalid Eid (Oak Lawn)
150-Marquell Shelton (Merrillville) TF 3:51 Faris Elayyan (Oak Lawn)
157-Anthony Bustamante (Merrillville) D 12-5 Trevon Williams (Crete-Monee)
165-Tyler Lewis (Romeoville) TF 3:39 Oscar Lopez (Eisenhower)
175-Arkail Griffin (Hope) TF 1:56 Kameron Washington (TF North)
190-Bryce Montgomery (Merrillville) F 3:29 Reggie Miller (TF South)
215-Sebastian Sanderson (Tinley Park) F 1:41 Melson Ngassa (St. Ignatius)
285-Dominic Jackson (Crete-Monee) F 3:19 Emmanuel Ramirez (Romeoville)

Third-place match results

106-Angelo Alcantar (Morton) F 6:00 Julian Lopez (St. Ignatius)
113-Tristan Rodriguez (Morton) F 1:41 Maurice Walker (TF North)
120-Alex Villanueva (St. Ignatius) D 15-8 Jose Berrios (Morton)
126-Nicolas Jaramillo (Morton) F 3:18 Marion McClain (Merrillville)
132-Colin McCann (St. Ignatius) F 2:46 Sean Johnson (Rich Township)
138-Jacian Quezada (Merrillville) F 5:52 Kevin Vargas (Tinley Park)
144-Lucas Landry (Evergreen Park) TF 4:36 Nino Capuano (St. Ignatius)
150-Jacob Ruvalcava (Evergreen Park) TF 2:00 Gerard Fleming (Crete-Monee)
157-Charles Shane (Oak Lawn) F 2:22 Owen Brady (Evergreen Park)
165-Larry Watson (Hillcrest) D 4-1 Derrick Sparkman (TF North)
175-Santiago Moya (Morton) TF 6:00 Hector Villagrana (Romeoville)
190-Isaiah Lara (Morton) D 10-7 Ismael Martinez (Hope)
215-David Warren (Merrillville) F 5:47 David Reardon (St. Ignatius)
285-Austen Vander Woude (Merrilville) F 5:18 Willie Johnson (Evergreen Park)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

All rankings listed are from Rob Sherrill’s Illinois Best Weekly

Collinsville wins title at Lady Longhorn Roundup

Collinsville got a title from Londyn Long (125) and a second-place finish from Leann Cory (155) while eight others finished sixth or better to help it prevail in a tight battle for top honors by a 126-123 margin over Moberly, Missouri at the 17-team Lady Longhorn Roundup, which took place at Parkway West in Ballwin, Missouri. Granite City edged Mehlville, Missouri 111.5-111 for third place in the event, which also included Althoff Catholic (49) and Jersey Community (28).

Other champions from Illinois were Granite City’s Audrey Barnes (140) and Demi Barnes (190) and Althoff Catholic’s Prudence Snider (105) and Baileigh Self (115) while Granite City’s Ma’Kayla Bonner (115) also finished in second place.

There was one all-Illinois title match at 115 in which Self was a winner by technical fall in 2:43 over Bonner. All of the other champions won by fall in title matches or in the deciding match of round robin competition.

Demi Barnes and Long tied six others for second place with 26 team points while Self was tenth with 25.5 team points. Long and Demi Barnes also tied five others for the most pins with five. Long also had the largest seed-place difference with 10 positions while Cory and McCullough tied one other individual in that category after improving nine positions from their seed.

Other top finishers for coach Adam Gillespie’s champion Kakoks were Ivana Torres (3rd at 110), Jaylah Harris (3rd at 135), Addyson Bailey (3rd at 140), Jazelle Young (5th at 115), Emma Ford (5th at 120), Alana Starwalt (5th at 235), Harlee Hart (6th at 100) and Rylee McCullough (6th at 145).

“I’m so proud of this team for coming together to win this tournament,” Gillespie said. “Winning first was a reflection of every wrestlers’ dedication, every match mattered and every win helped contribute to the 1st place finish.”

Additional top placers for coach Matt Warfield’s third place Warriors were Adrianna Lacefield (3rd at 145) and Taylor Duncan (4th at 100). Leading the way for Jersey Community were Josselyn Allen (4th at 105), Skylee Howell (5th at 155) and Lettie VanAllman (5th at 170). 

Long and Bailey both qualified for state for the Kahoks last season while Audrey and Demi Barnes were state qualifiers for the Warriors with Demi falling one win shy of a medal at 170.

Title matches at Parkway West’s Lady Longhorn Roundup (Illinois athletes)

105 – Prudence Snider (Althoff Catholic) over Nadelyn James (Moberly, MO), F 1:09 round robin

115 – Baileigh Self (Althoff Catholic) over Ma’Kayla Bonner (Granite City), TF 2:43

125 – Londyn Long (Collinsville) over Olivia Chang (Brentwood, MO), F 0:33

140 – Aubrey Barnes (Granite City) over Maleyah Morrow (Mehlville, MO), F 1:07

155 – Breanne Gibbs (Moberly, MO) over Leann Cory (Collinsville), F 0:35

190 – Demi Barnes (Granite City) over Hayden Shetley (Mehlville, MO), F 0:50 round robin

Althoff Catholic’s five champions leads to title at Longhorn Invite in Missouri

Althoff Catholic got championships from Jacobi Cobbs (113), Jaxon Lynn (120), Dawson Hawthorne (132), Landon Weidler (157) and Pierre Walton (165) and second-place finishes from Karson Fowler (106), John Taylor (144) and Stephen Ache (215) to help it claim top honors at the Longhorn Invitational, which took place at Parkway West in Ballwin, Missouri.

Coach E.J. Brooks’ Crusaders, the lone Illinois team in the 17-team competition, finished with 244.5 points, which was 38 more than the runner-up in the invite, Oakville, Missouri.

Lynn and Weidler both had pins on the title mat while Cobbs, Hawthone and Walton all secured their titles with victories by technical fall.

Other top finishers for Althoff Catholic were Robbie Schallert (4th at 138), Ryan Hogue (4th at 150) and Braden Bush (5th at 285).

“I felt this was a great tournament to start the season for my boys,” Crusaders coach EJ Brooks said. “It had solid competition for my studs,and even my young guys got good mat time. My studs like Pierre Walton, Dawson Hawthorne, Jacobi Cobbs, Landon Weidler, and Jaxon Lynn all beat some solid state-ranked Missouri guys on their way to tournament titles. My young and up and coming wrestlers performed well and got some quality experience. My other tournament placers were Karson Fowler, John Taylor, Stephen Ache, Ryan Hogue, Robbie Schallert and Braden Busch. This collective effort of my boys led them to win the tournament ahead of some solid state-ranked Missouri teams. This capped off a weekend were two of my young but extremely talented girl wrestlers won individual titles Friday night at the Parkway West Lady Long Horn Invitational. Baileigh Self and Prudence Snider remain undefeated on the season.”

Weidler tied two others for the most team points with 29.5 while Hawthorne tied for fifth with 28.5 points and Walton was tenth with 26.5 points. Hawthorne led all competitors with 72 total match points while Walton ranked fourth with 59. 

Hawthorne and Walton also were the only two individuals to collect three wins by technical fall while Cobbs tied for second for the most falls with four. 

The Crusaders are ranked 20th by Illinois Best Weekly and three of its title winners are highly-ranked. Cobbs is first at 106, Walton is first at 165 and Hawthorne is fourth at 132. Walton took first in 2A at 165 while at East St. Louis Senior last season and Hawthorne placed sixth in 1A at 126 in 2025 while Cobbs also was a state qualifier.

Title matches at Parkway West’s Longhorn Invitational (Illinois athletes)

106 – Bryant Brown (Mehlville, MO) over Karson Fowler (Althoff Catholic), Inj 1:49

113 – Jacobi Cobbs (Althoff Catholic) over Ryan Nicols (Parkway West, MO), TF 4:09 round robin

120 – Jaxon Lynn (Althoff Catholic) over Jaeger Adams (Park Hills Central, MO), F 1:44

132 – Dawson Hawthorne (Althoff Catholic) over Braidan McGrath (Parkway West, MO), TF 1:48

144 – Sabir Yurdanidze (Oakville, MO) over John Taylor (Althoff Catholic), TF 5:50

157 – Landon Weidler (Althoff Catholic) over Jacob Barton (Marquette, MO), F 3:13

165 – Pierre Walton (Althoff Catholic) over Warren Caine (STEAM Academy, MO), TF 2:15

215 – Kaden Updike (Oakville, MO) over Stephen Ache (Althoff Catholic), F 1:38

Belleville West second at War in Wentzville Liberty Girls Invitational in Missouri

Belleville West put up a good fight but was edged 149-141 by Warrenton, Missouri for the title of the 25-team War in Wentzville Liberty Girls Invitational, which was held in O’Fallon, Missouri. Other Illinois teams that took part were Freeburg, Cahokia, Waterloo, Dupo and Highland.

Coach Demechico Spraggins’ runner-up Maroons got title wins from Riley Weems (110) and Brooke Stellhorn (190) while Moriah Lampley (155) took second and Haylee Hooks (115) and Alyssa Hardt (140) finished third. Others who placed in the top six were Andre’a Kirkpatrick (4th at 235), Journee Kazee (6th at 105) and Ineta Grubbs (6th at 155).

Other champions from Illinois schools were Cahokia’s Teaja Young (130) and Freeburg’s Grace Stratton (155). Additional third-place finishers were Cahokia’s Dakota Bell (130) and Janylah Holman (170) and Freeburg’s Elise Byman (145). Also taking fourth place were Freeburg’s Aubrey Rutmanis (110) and Waterloo’s Tiffany Ramirez (170).

There was one all-Illinois title match, and that was at 155 where Stratton was a winner by fall in 2:28 over Lampley.

Stellhorn and Stratton tied for fourth place in team points with 30 while Hooks led all competitors with 50 total match points. Bell, Hooks and Stratton tied seven others for the most pins with four

Title matches at the War in Wentzville Liberty Girls Invitational (Illinois athletes)

110 – Riley Weems (Belleville West) over Alyssa Dietiker (Timberland, MO), D 11-8

130 – Teaja Young (Cahokia) over Lana Luu (Fort Zumwalt East, MO), SV 11-8

155 – Grace Stratton (Freeburg) over Moria Lampley (Belleville West), F 2:28

190 – Brooke Stellhorn (Belleville West) over Synaya Lewis (Battle, MO), M For. 

Civic Memorial places second at Orchard Farm Girls Invitational in Missouri

Civic Memorial scored 224 points to place second in the Orchard Farm Girls Invitational while Saint Charles, Missouri took first with 280.5 points in the 21-team event in Saint Charles, Missouri. Mascoutah was the other Illinois team in the event and it took fifth with 152 points.

Coach Jeremy Christeson’s runner-up Eagles were led by four second-place finishers, Tamari Price (100), Lillian Mcguiggan (105), Laila Earney (125) and Claire Shaw (130). Others who placed in the top-six were Izabella Darr (3rd at 155), Chloe Rice (5th at 135), Audrey Whipple (5th at 170) and Averi Lowe (6th at 110). 

Mascoutah also had a second-place finisher, Kara Knipp (115). Also finishing in the top-six for the Indians were Jhayla Lawson (4th at 105), Allyah Lopez (5th at 100), Pakapom Dunham (5th at 110), Zoey Nelson (5th at 125) and Amiyah Smith (6th at 190). 

There was also a 21-team boys invitational at Orchard Farm that was also won by Saint Charles, Missouri and Carterville was the lone Illinois in the field and it took fifth with 281 points. 

The Lions were led by runner-up Gavin Slack (150) while others who placed in the top-six were Isaac Wood (4th at 126), Terry Mick (5th at 175), Grayson Slack (6th at 106), Micah Jarvis (6th at 120) and Jeremiah Bouchard (6th at 215). 

Title matches at the Orchard Farm Girls Invitational (Illinois athletes)

100 – Olivia Stevens (Shawnee Mission West, KS) over Tamari Price (Civic Memorial), F 2:29

105 – Regina McDaniel (Winfield, MO) over Lillian Mcguiggan (Civic Memorial), D 10-6

115 – Giada Sanzottera (Orchard Farm, MO) over Kara Knipp (Mascoutah), MD 12-1

125 – Brooklyn Elliott (Saint Charles, MO) over Laila Earney (Civic Memorial), F 0:49

130 – Alana Henry (Principia, MO) over Claire Shaw (Civic Memorial), F 0:22

Title match at the Orchard Farm Boys Invitational (Illinois athlete)

150 – Kadyn Smith (Rock Bridge, MO) over Gavin Slack (Carterville), TF 4:00

Four teams compete at Zimmerman Girls and Boys invitationals in Iowa 

The Erie/ Prophetstown, Fulton and Moline girls and the Fulton boys all took part in separate girls and boys competition at Maquoketa’s Zimmerman invitationals in Maquoketa, Iowa.

In the 19-team girls tournament, Erie/ Prophetstown and Fulton both had champions and Fulton also had first-place finishers in the 17-team boys tournament to help it claim fifth place.

In the girls invite, Erie/ Prophetstown’s Rozlyn Mosher (110) and Fulton’s Kerby Germann (130) won championships while Erie/ Prophetstown’s Michelle Natzger (135) placed second. Germann and Mosher tied for fifth place in most team points with 28. 

Other top-six finishers were Fulton’s Tessa Fosdick (4th at 120), Erie/ Prophetstown’s Nevada Wells (6th at 115) and Moline’s Manar Ata (6th at 235).

In the boys invite, Fulton got title wins from Hudson Price (113) and Mason Kuebel (175) and a second-place finish from Coltin Hartman (106) to help it claim fifth place with 123 points. Kuebel tied for fifth in most team points with 28. 

Other top-six finishers for the Steamers were Victor Jackson (4th at 126), Jack Holmbo (5th at 285) and Jake Pidde (6th at 157). 

Title matches at the Zimmerman Girls Invitational (Illinois athletes)

110 – Rozlyn Mosher (Erie/ Prophetstown) over Grace Gadberry (Lisbon, IA), F 2:54

130 – Kerby Germann (Fulton) over Ava Streeter (Durant, IA), Inj

135 – Bella Miller (Dubuque Hempstead, IA) over Michelle Naftzger (Erie. Prophetstown), F 2:55

Title matches at the Zimmerman Boys Invitational (Illinois athletes)

106 – Tait Zirkel (Davenport West) over Coltin Hartman (Fulton), F 3:55

113 – Hudson Price (Fulton) over Logan Edens (Camanche, IA), MD 15-5

175 – Mason Kuebel (Fulton) over JJ Stringer (Iowa City High, IA), F 0:57

Medlin edges Heeg for Ironman title, Munaretto also a champion

There was an all-Illinois clash for top honors at Walsh Jesuit’s Ironman 2025 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and it couldn’t have been much closer as Washington Community’s Wyatt Medlin captured a 2-1 decision over Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg in the 157 title match.

There was equally a great deal of drama in the other championship match that was won by an Illinois athlete as St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto edged Miami Southridge, FL’s Jovanni Tovar in a 13-11 decision in the 120 finals.

Medlin, an IHSA champion the past two years who took third in 2023 and is also top-ranked in 2A at 165, won all five of his matches with decisions, including each of the last three by two points or less. Beginning in the quarterfinals, he edged Lockport Township’s Justin Wardlow 2-0 and then in the semifinals, he claimed a 4-2 victory over Broken Arrow, OK’s Jake Miller.

Heeg, an IHSA champion in his debut last season after winning a state title in Minnesota as an eighth-grader who is top-ranked at 157 in 2A, also won all of his matches by decision, including one that needed extra time. He captured a 3-1 win in the quarterfinals over Layton, UT’s Austin Paris before having to go to sudden victory to claim a 4-1 triumph over Lake Highland Prep, FL’s Zeno Moore in the semifinals.

Munaretto, the two-time IHSA champion and three-time finalist that’s top-ranked at 120 in 3A, faced less angst in his early matches as he followed a major decision in his opener with two wins by technical fall, with the second of those in the quarterfinals. But he definitely felt the pressure in the semifinals where he also had to win by sudden victory by a 4-1 score over Blair Academy, NJ’s Michael Batista. He finished in ninth place for most team points with 30.

Six individuals from Illinois claimed third-place finishes, Warren Township’s Caleb Noble (113), Marmion Academy’s Nicholas Garcia (126), Hononegah’s Rocco Cassioppi (150), Mount Carmel’s Liam Kelly (165), IC Catholic Prep’s Brody Kelly (175) and Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny (190). There was also an all-Illinois matchup on the third-place mat at 165 as Liam Kelly won a 13-2 major decision over Hononegah’s Bruno Cassioppi.

Noble, a two-time IHSA champion who’s top-ranked at 113 in 3A, reached the semifinals, where he dropped a 4-2 decision to Malvern Prep, PA’s Jusin Farnsworth. 

Garcia, a two-time IHSA champion and three-time medalist who’s top-ranked at 132 in 3A, also fell in a tough semifinal match when he lost 2-1 by a tiebreaker to Perrysburg, OH’s Grey Burnett, who went on to capture the title at 126. 

Mastny, who has won two IHSA titles and is top-ranked at 190 in 2A, also experienced disappointment in the semifinals after losing 9-6 by sudden victory to Lawrence North, IN’s Michael White, who later claimed top honors at 190.

Liam Kelly, an IHSA champion last season who is top-ranked at 165 in 3A, lost by technical fall to the eventual 165 champion, Delbarton, NJ’s Jayden James, in the semifinals but bounced back with a 4-1 win by sudden victory to set up his third-place match with Bruno Cassioppi. 

Brody Kelly, an IHSA champ last and two-time runner-up who is top-ranked at 175 in 2A, also had a tough time in the semifinals, where he lost a 14-5 major decision to Edmond North, OK’s Joseph Jeter, who went on to take top honors at 175. But he responded with wins in his next two matches by sudden victory to claim third place.

Rocco Cassioppi, an IHSA champ last season and two-time finalist who’s No. 1  at 150 in 3A, also dropped a heartbreaker in the semifinals, losing 2-1 on a tiebreaker to Faith Christian Academy, PA’s Joe Bachmann, who was a member of the top-scoring team in the competition. 

Meanwhile, Bruno Cassioppi, ranked third at 165 in 3A, lost by technical fall to Bishop McCort, PA’s Melvin Miller in the semis and responded with a 4-2 decision to also advance to the third-place match with Liam Kelly.

Loyola Academy’s Niko Odiotti (106), a state runner-up last season who’s No. 1 at 106 in 3A, claimed fifth place after losing a 10-9 decision in the quarterfinals to the eventual runner-up, Edison, OH’s Cohen Reer, but responded to win three of his final four matches. 

Lockport Township’s Justin Wardlow (157), a three-time state runner-up who is No. 1 at 157 in 3A, settled for seventh place to give Illinois three individuals on the award stand at that weight with the finalists Medlin and Heeg the others. After suffering the tough 2-0 quarterfinal setback to Medlin, he won two of his final three matches.

Saint Viator’s Jaxon Penovich (190), a 2024 IHSA champ who’s ranked second at 190 in 2A, also claimed seventh place in a weight class where Mastny took third place. He got bumped into the consolation bracket right away and had to win three in a row and four of his last five matches to assure himself of a top-eight finish.

Consolation round six losers who fell one win shy of a medal included Marmion Academy’s Colton Wyller (106) and Zach Stewart (138), an IHSA champion in 2024 and runner-up last season who’s No. at 138. Others who fell in that round included IC Catholic Prep’s Max Cumbee (132), Mount Carmel’s Justin Williamson (144) and Warren Township’s Royce Lopez (165)

Some of those who lost in consolation round five matches were Hononegah’s Jackson Olson (120), Hersey’s Oleksandr Havrykiv (126) and Loyola Academy’s James Hemmila (150)

Among those who fell in consolation round four were Mount Carmel’s Sebastian Gracia (106) and Brody Koselke (120), Grant’s Erik Rodriguez (138) and Vince Jasinski (144), IC Catholic Prep’s Aiden Arnett (157) and Foley Calcagno (215), Washington Community’s Symon Woods (106) and Josh Hoffer (215), Homewood-Flossmoor’s Chazz Robinson (120), Montini Catholic’s Allen Woo (120), Providence Catholic’s Tommy Banas (138), Hononegah’s Brody Sendele (175), Warren Township’s Aaron Stewart (190)  and Loyola Academy’s Kai Calcutt (215).

The top-10 scoring Illinois schools were Hononegah (49), Marmion Academy (42.5), IC Catholic Prep (36.5), Warren Township (36.5), St. Charles East (36), Washington Community (35), Mount Carmel (33), Loyola Academy (32.5), Providence Catholic (28) and Marian Central Catholic (19).

Rocco Cassioppi ranked third in total match points with 78 while Loyola Academy’s Kai Calcutt tied seven others for second place in most falls with three.

Championship matches at the Ironman (Illinois athletes):

120 – Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) over Jovanni Tovar (Miami Southridge, FL), D 13-11

157 – Wyatt Medlin (Washington Community) over Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic), D 2-1

Third-place matches at the Ironman (Illinois athletes): 

113 – Caleb Noble (Warren Township) over Jarreau Walker (Streetsboro, OH), D 2-1

126 – Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy) over Ignacio Villasenor (Stillwater, OK), D 4-2

150 – Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) over Bentley Sly (Stuart W. Cramer, NC), D 8-3

165 – Liam Kelly (Mount Carmel) over Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah), MD 13-2

175 – Brody Kelly (IC Catholic Prep) over Gabriel Logan (Delbarton, NJ), SV 6-5

190 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Salah Tsarni (Blair Academy, NJ), D 5-3

Garduno places second to lead Illinois girls at Women’s Ironman 2025

GG Garduno led all Illinois competitors at Walsh Jesuit’s Women’s Ironman 2025 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, by being the only individual from this state who was able to advance to a title match at the challenging competition that featured competitors from 110 schools from throughout the country, where she finished in second place at 140.

The Saint Ignatius College Prep junior is no doubt very motivated to do something really special this season after she qualified for the IHSA Finals as a freshman and then fell one victory shy of a medal there. And then last season, she also came up one win short, but this time it was at the New Trier Sectional, where she suffered a rotator cuff injury in her semifinal match and thus was unable to make a return to the state finals in Bloomington. 

Garduno claimed second place at 140 after losing by fall in 1:31 to Archbishop Spalding, MD’s Taina Fernandez in the finals. She opened her successful tournament run with two pins, with the second of those falls coming in 1:10 over Marysville, OH’s, Cara Leng in the quarterfinals and then she captured a 6-2 decision over Olentangy Orange, OH’s Alanna Smith in the semifinals.

“GG wrestled focused and with a chip on her shoulder,” Wolfpack coach Ben Sanchez said. “She proved to herself she can wrestle with the best girls in the country. She still has work to do but we are all looking forward to her state series run.”

Roxana’s Chloe Skiles, who earlier this year became one of five individuals who won an IHSA title as a freshman, joining Saya Hongmoungkhoune, Angelia Gochis, Angelina Cassioppi and Gabby Gomez in that exclusive group, was one of two third-place medalists from IIllinois. 

Skiles dropped a 7-3 decision to Bixby, OK’s Addison Morse in the 110 quarterfinals but she responded to that setback by winning four-straight matches in the wrestlebacks, with two of those being pins, another a win by technical fall and then in the rematch with Morse for third place, she captured a 1-0 decision. She was one of only four individuals in the tournament that was able to secure two victories by technical fall.

The other third-place finisher from Illinois, Lockport Township junior Rebekah Ramirez, qualified for the IHSA Finals last season for the second time and also had 42 victories going into the competition in Bloomington but was only able to win one match there. 

She claimed a third-place finish at 235 after winning her first two matches, which included a 7-6 decision in the quarterfinals over Bixby, OK’s Malana Miller before she got pinned in 3:46 in the semifinals by Berea Midpark, OH’s Deionna Borders. However, she responded with two falls of her own, clinching third with a pin in 4:57 over Buckhannon-Upshur, WV’s Abby Radabaugh.

A pair of two-time defending IHSA champions, Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis and Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney, both settled for fourth-place finishes. 

Gochis, a junior, opened with two major decisions, including one by a 13-5 score over Tulsa Union, OK’s McKenna Wilson in the quarterfinals before she lost by fall in 2:00 to Canon-McMillan, PA’s Marlee Solomon in the semifinals. She responded with an 8-2 decision but then fell 7-0 to Chippewa, OH’s Kayla Moroschan in the third-place match.

Heeney, a senior and three-time IHSA finalist, recorded pins in her first two matches, with the latter of those coming in 3:11 over Tulsa Union, OK’s Kelice Luker before she lost by fall in 1:48 to Archbishop Spalding, MD’s Taina Fernandez in the semifinals. After getting a quick fall, she dropped a 3-0 decision to Luker, who she had pinned in the quarterfinals.

Lincoln-Way co-op senior Zoe Dempsey, a two-time state medalist, had a very challenging path to her fifth-place medal at 115 after getting edged 7-6 in her initial match. But she definitely responded to that early setback as she collected five victories in six matches, which got her to the fifth-place match, where she claimed a 6-3 decision over Bixby, OK’s Audrey Flores.

Marist senior Sarah Parker took sixth-place at 170, and in doing so, she tied for third-largest seed-place difference with 20 positions from her 26-seed to sixth place finish. She used three falls, including one in the quarterfinals in 2:42 over Buckhannon-Upshur, WV’s Lylah Ketterman to reach the semifinals, where she lost by technical fall to King High, FL’s Isabella McFarlane and then got pinned in her final two matches.

District 230 sophomore Jade Hardee placed seventh at 110 and in the process, she had the largest seed-place difference of anyone in competition of 23 positions after being seeded 30th and then finishing in seventh place. After getting pinned in her opener, she won four in a row in the wrestlebacks, and then followed a loss with a 3-0 decision to claim seventh place.

Falling in round four of the consolation bracket were District 230’s Piper Booe (115),

Marist’s Ava Enright (120), Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores (120), Lockport Township’s Sophie Kelner (190) and Kaneland’s Sadie Kinsella (190). The top-placing Illinois teams were Lockport Township (14th, 47) and Marist (17th, 38).