Boys roundup for Quincy Notre Dame, Litchfield, Heart of Illinois and Eastern Illinois tournaments

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Glenwood captures title at Quincy Notre Dame Invitational

Glenwood closed out its regular season on a high note as it held off a good challenge by Jacksonville to claim top honors at the Quincy Notre Dame Invitational by a 191-182.5 margin while Palmyra, Missouri took third with 145 points. Pittsfield (138), Quincy Senior (111), Quincy Notre Dame (95.5), Camp Point Central (90) and Illini Bluffs (65) rounded out the top half of the field in the 16-team competition.

Glenwood, which is ranked 13th in Class 2A, also won titles at its invitational and at Springfield’s Joe Bee, competes in the Civic Memorial Regional, as will the runner-up Crimsons. The Titans also hope to make another trip to the IHSA 2A Dual Team Finals, where they took third place in 2024. 

1 – Glenwood

Winning titles for coach Jerod Bruner’s first-place Titans were Jaxon Ferguson (19-4 at 113) and Elijah Smith (33-8 at 175) while Issac Rabin (106), Drew Moffit (132), Maizon Milestone (165) and Mason Streb (215) took second place and Kamden Hawkins (106), Braydyn Worley (165), Joseph Spohrer (285) claimed third. 

Taking fourth was Finnley Try (132), finishing fifth were Jullian Rammelkamp (157), Hayden Stephens (165) and Brody Commean (175) while Zaire Lee (138), Braden Monahan (144) and Oliver Hirstein (150) were sixth and Jake Tuxhorn (120) and Oluwafemi Balogun (215) placed seventh. Also contributing to the cause was Felipe Oliveria (157).

“We were led by our two champs, junior Jaxon Ferguson at 113 and sophomore Eli Smith at 175,” Bruner said. “They are both guys I expect to be at the state tournament and to be competitive there this year. Several other Titans placed second, including senior Maizon Milestone at 165, junior Mason Streb at 215, freshman Issac Rabin at 106 and junior Drew Moffit at 132. Our third-place finishers were sophomore Kamden Hawkins 106, junior Joe Sphorer at 285 and junior Bradyn Worley at 165 and we got a fourth place finish from freshman Finn Try at 132 and several other Titans had top-eight finishes. 

“On the day we had 24 pins, four tech falls and overcame the largest seed-place differential in the tournament.  We might have lost this tournament but freshman Issac Rabin noticed our heavyweight Joe Sphorer was not scoring team points on Track. Once that was fixed, it was the difference that put us ahead.” 

2 – Jacksonville

Champions for coach Zach Stout’s second place Crimsons were Deshawn Armstrong (15-0 at 126), Jordan Kholian (16-5 at 132), Jacksonville’s Joe Reif (33-5 at 157) and Aiden Surratt (35-7 at 285) and taking third were Jayce Evans (138) and Brock Meyer (175). Finishing fourth were Robert White (113) and Hunter Hayes (120) while Kaiden McGee (106) and Wesley Ortiz (144) placed fifth, Kenyon Matthews (138) was seventh and John Harper (150) took eighth.

3 – Palmyra, Missouri

The lone title winner for coach Dalton Huffman’s third-place Panthers was Tyler Spicknall (31-8 at 144) while Blake Rife (113) and Brayden Pillars (157) took second place and Emmett Lorenson (120) and Henley Snow (190) took third for one of two Missouri teams in the field.

Other champions were Illini Bluffs’ Barret Speck (38-5 at 120) and Jackson Carroll (43-0 at 150), Pittsfield’s Waylon White (30-7 at 165) and Tucker Cook (33-7 at 190), Camp Point Central’s Paxton Buehler (29-13 at 106), Quincy Senior’s Austin Ragar (11-12 at 138) and Quincy Notre Dame’s Ryan Darnell (37-6 at 215). Carroll won the IHSA Class 1A title at 144 last season. 

Additional second-place finishers were Quincy Notre Dame’s Cale Hilbing (144) and Bradi Lahr (150), Illini Bluffs’ Nathan Owens (120), Riverton’s Harrison Lott (126), Warsaw/ Hamilton ‘s Kai Humphry (138), Illini West’s Shawn Watkins (175), Pittsfield’s Jesse Davidsmeyer (190) and Quincy Senior’s Eli Zanger (285).

The closest title match was at 126 where Armstrong claimed a 6-3 decision over Lott. 

Also taking third were Pittsfield’s Joel Noble (132) and Jake Oitker (157), Camp Point Central’s Jackson Buehler (113), Quincy Senior’s Charles Ray (126), Payson Seymour’s Charlie Scarber (144), Williamsville’s Matthew Miller (150) and Warsaw/ Hamilton’s Malachi McKune (215).

Four champions led the way with 30 team points, Cook, Darnell, Reif and Surratt while Smith was right behind with 29.5 points, Speck had 29, Ragar 28.5 points and Armstrong, Carroll and White all collected 28 team points. Carroll also had the most total match points with 50.  

Pittsfield’s Austin Brown, Camp Point Central’s Paxton Buehler and Glenwood’s Hayden Stephens all recorded four falls. And Glenwood’s Braydyn Worley easily had the largest seed to place difference with nine spots, finishing in third place at 165 after being seeded 12th.

Quincy Notre Dame Invitational

Team scores

1. Glenwood 191, 2. Jacksonville 182.5, 3. Palmyra, MO 145, 4. Pittsfield 138, 5. Quincy Senior 111, 6. Quincy Notre Dame 95.5, 7. Camp Point Central 90, 8. Illini Bluffs 65, 9. Warsaw/ Hamilton co-op 57, 10. Williamsville 51.5, 11. Illinois School for the Visually Impaired/ Illinois School for the Deaf co-op 36, 12. Illini West 29, 13. Payson Seymour/ Mendon Unity co-op 23, 13. Riverton 23, 15. Monmouth United 18.5. 

Place matches

106

1st Place Match – round robin

Paxton Buehler (Camp Point Central) 29-13, Fr. over Issac . (Glenwood) 14-7, Fr. (Fall 1:24)

3rd Place Match – round robin

Kamden Hawkins (Glenwood) 6-3, So. over Hunter Harley (Riverton) 24-18, Fr. (Dec 10-4)

5th Place

Kaiden McGee (Jacksonville) 13-26, Fr. 

113

1st Place Match – round robin

Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood) 19-4, Jr. over Blake Rife (Palmyra, MO) 26-12, Fr. (Fall 2:46)

3rd Place Match – round robin

Jackson Buehler (Camp Point Central) 22-21, So. over Robert White (Jacksonville) 9-18, Fr. (Fall 0:40)

120

1st Place Match

Barret Speck (Illini Bluffs) 38-5, Fr. over Nathan Owens (Illini Bluffs) 30-13, Jr. (TF-1.5 6:00 (19-1))

3rd Place Match

Emmett Lorenson (Palmyra, MO) 28-9, Fr. over Hunter Hayes (Jacksonville) 24-14, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:00 (17-1))

5th Place Match

Charlie Welch (Camp Point Central) 27-15, So. over Eli Carel (Warsaw/Hamilton) 19-11, So. (Fall 3:37)

7th Place Match

Jake Tuxhorn (Glenwood) 12-19, Fr. over Jimmy Derian (Quincy Senior) 5-6, So. (M. For.)

126

1st Place Match

Deshawn Armstrong (Jacksonville) 15-0, Jr. over Harrison Lott (Riverton) 19-6, So. (Dec 6-3)

3rd Place Match

Charles Ray (Quincy Senior) 8-5, Fr. over Luke Lawson (Palmyra, MO) 21-19, Sr. (Dec 7-6)

5th Place Match

Ogdan Parker (Illini Bluffs) 26-17, Fr. over Case Hughes (Camp Point Central) 24-18, So. (MD 13-2)

7th Place Match

Samuel Moore (Quincy Notre Dame) 20-23, Fr. over Logan Borrowman (Pittsfield) 3-8, Fr. (MD 12-0)

132

1st Place Match

Jordan Kholian (Jacksonville) 16-5, So. over Drew Moffit (Glenwood) 18-13, Jr. (Dec 6-1)

3rd Place Match

Joel Noble (Pittsfield) 26-17, Jr. over Finnley Try (Glenwood) 5-8, Fr. (Dec 5-4)

5th Place Match

Oliver Moore (Quincy Notre Dame) 28-6, Sr. over Evan Smith (Warsaw) 17-19, Jr. (MD 12-0)

7th Place Match

Austin Olps (Camp Point Central) 18-19, Fr. over Michael Hines (Palmyra, MO) 19-15, Fr. (M. For.)

138

1st Place Match

Austin Ragar (Quincy Senior) 11-12, Jr. over Kai Humphry (Warsaw/Hamilton) 25-7, Sr. (MD 16-8)

3rd Place Match

Jayce Evans (Jacksonville) 15-12, So. over Tucker Pines (Pittsfield) 17-16, Fr. (Fall 4:40)

5th Place Match

Ethan Paul (Quincy Senior) 4-5, Fr. over Zaire Lee (Glenwood) 5-7, Jr. (Fall 3:18)

7th Place Match

Kenyon Matthews (Jacksonville) 20-20, Fr. over Wyatt Dolbeare (Payson Seymour/Mendon Unity) 6-6, So. (TF-1.5 2:00 (21-6))

144

1st Place Match

Tyler Spicknall (Palmyra, MO) 31-8, Jr. over Cale Hilbing (Quincy Notre Dame) 32-11, So. (Dec 8-3)

3rd Place Match

Charlie Scarber (Payson Seymour) 9-5, So. over Roman Lilo (Quincy Senior) 10-10, Fr. (Dec 4-1)

5th Place Match

Wesley Ortiz (Jacksonville) 27-13, Fr. over Braden Monahan (Glenwood) 9-18, So. (Dec 17-11)

7th Place Match

Damian Mulvaney (Williamsville) 13-25, Jr. over Ryan Turnbaugh (Quincy Notre Dame) 11-13, So. (Fall 1:26)

150

1st Place Match

Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs) 43-0, Sr. over Bradi Lahr (Quincy Notre Dame) 37-5, Jr. (MD 12-4)

3rd Place Match

Matthew Miller (Williamsville) 26-8, Jr. over Paul Schenk (Camp Point Central) 27-17, Sr. (MD 12-3)

5th Place Match

Cale Mixer (Quincy Senior) 24-15, Jr. over Oliver Hirstein (Glenwood) 6-12, So. (Fall 2:40)

7th Place Match

Ryker Trego (Monmouth United) 22-22, So. over John Harper (Jacksonville) 19-21, So. (Fall 2:32)

157

1st Place Match

Joe Reif (Jacksonville) 33-5, Jr. over Brayden Pillars (Palmyra, MO) 38-3, Sr. (Fall 5:26)

3rd Place Match

Jake Oitker (Pittsfield) 29-13, Jr. over Kavutae Lewiel (ISVI co-op) 11-6, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:20 (20-3))

5th Place Match

Jullian Rammelkamp (Glenwood) 28-13, So. over Keaton Jones (Camp Point Central) 18-23, So. (Fall 1:33)

7th Place Match

Abram Zanger (Quincy Notre Dame) 15-8, So. over Ethan Prim (Warsaw) 17-20, Jr. (Fall 5:27)

165

1st Place Match

Waylon White (Pittsfield) 30-7, Sr. over Maizon Milestone (Glenwood) 24-15, Sr. (Fall 2:37)

3rd Place Match

Braydyn Worley (Glenwood) 6-5, Jr. over Mason Collins (Camp Point Central) 2-2, Sr. (Fall 1:11)

5th Place Match

Hayden Stephens (Glenwood) 6-3, Jr. over Millie Bassett (Quincy Senior) 6-7, Fr. (Fall 3:23)

7th Place Match

Jake Ator (Pittsfield) 11-4, Fr. over Kale Weiman (Palmyra, MO) 12-14, Fr. (Dec 12-6)

175

1st Place Match

Elijah Smith (Glenwood) 33-8, So. over Shawn Watkins (Illini West) 30-4, Sr. (TF-1.5 6:00 (16-0))

3rd Place Match

Brock Meyer (Jacksonville) 26-15, Fr. over Fisher McEuen (Pittsfield) 16-13, So. (TF-1.5 0:00 (17-2))

5th Place Match

Brody Commean (Glenwood) 7-9, So. over Troy Miller (Payson Seymour) 1-2, So. (Fall 0:14)

7th Place

Evan Jenks (Monmouth United) 3-12, So.

190

1st Place Match

Tucker Cook (Pittsfield) 33-7, Sr. over Jesse Davidsmeyer (Pittsfield) 8-5, Sr. (Fall 1:28)

3rd Place Match

Henley Snow (Palmyra, MO) 12-12, So. over Cannon Creviston (ISVI co-op) 17-5, Jr. (Fall 2:31)

5th Place Match

Matayo Renteria (Illini West) 9-10, So. over Connor Homan (Camp Point Central) 1-2, Fr. (Fall 0:26)

7th Place Match

Elvis Garcia (ISVI co-op) 3-12, Jr. over Sam Shaw (Williamsville) 22-15, Jr. (M. For.)

215

1st Place Match

Ryan Darnell (Quincy Notre Dame) 37-6, Sr. over Mason Streb (Glenwood) 24-13, Jr. (Fall 1:37)

3rd Place Match

Malachi McKune (Warsaw) 21-10, Sr. over Colby Jones (Palmyra, MO) 15-21, Jr. (Fall 3:24)

5th Place Match

Anthony Beckman (Williamsville) 24-15, Jr. over Jackson Place (ISVI co-op) 16-7, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:53 (15-0))

7th Place Match

Oluwafemi Balogun (Glenwood) 9-7, So. over Vann Olcott (Monmouth United) 17-28, Fr. (Fall 1:07)

285

1st Place Match

Aiden Surratt (Jacksonville) 35-7, Sr. over Eli Zanger (Quincy Senior) 10-5, Fr. (Fall 1:14)

3rd Place Match

Joseph Spohrer (Glenwood) 6-3, Jr. over ace harper (Palmyra, MO) 27-13, So. (Fall 1:11)

5th Place Match

Austin Brown (Pittsfield) 8-5, Fr. over Elijah Terpstra (Pittsfield) 9-13, Fr. (Fall 1:52)

7th Place Match

Liam Dodsworth (Williamsville) 23-18, So. over Cooper Hildebrand (Quincy Senior) 3-8, So. (Dec 12-8)

Vandalia takes first at Litchfield Rich Lovellette Invitational

Vandalia had five champions, three runners-up and five third-place finishers to help it easily claim top honors at Litchfield’s Rich Lovellette Invitational with 291 points while Lena-Winslow/ Stockton took second place with 212.5 points and Murphysboro was third with 158 points. 

Roxana (152.5), Oakwood/ Salt Fork (120), Cumberland (104), Peoria Notre Dame (94), Litchfield  (90), Harrisburg (83) and Auburn/ Franklin/ New Berlin (76) rounded out the top half of the 20-team field.

1 – Vandalia

Winning championships for coach Jason Clay’s first-place Vandals were Max Philpot (39-0 at 113), Preston Waughtel (42-1 at 120), Tyson Waughtel (43-0 at 126), Dillon Hinton (41-2 at 150) and Kaden Tidwell (40-3 at 215) while second-place finishers were Brody Matthews (132), Keagan Turner (144) and Ross Miller (175). Taking third place were Aiden Evans (106), Cole Yarbrough (138), Parker Ray (157), Artan Mustafa (165) and Dominic Swyers (285) and finishing eighth was Noah Langston (190).

This was the fourth title of the season for Vandalia, which is top-ranked in Class 1A. Its other first-place finishes came at Civic Memorial, ABE’s Rumble and Princeton’s Lyle King PIT. The Vandals are hoping to make a return trip to the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals, where they finished in fourth place last season.  

2 – Lena-Winslow/Stockton

Title winners for coach Kevin Milder’s runner-up PantherHawks were Arrison Bauer (36-4 at 144) and Eli Larson (37-2 at 175) while Mauricio Glass (138), John Mensendike (165), Oliver McPeek (190) and Jeremiah Luke (215) all claimed second place. Reece Demeter (150) finished fourth, Carson Hill (106) and Mark Detwiler (157) were fifth, David Prater (120) placed sixth and Anthony Laino (113), Huntlee Burris (126) and Sam Sikora (132) finished in eighth.

3 – Murphysboro

The lone champion for coach Shea Baker’s third-place Red Devils was Julien Tanner (19-3 at 285) while Paxton Pyatt (113) took second and Sergio Garcia (126) placed third. Kaiden Richards (120) and Aiston Holt (132) finished fourth, Lemar Treshansky (138), Maxon Stearns (165) and Caybren Hubbard (215) were fifth, Jerry Moreno (106) placed sixth and Rylan Robinson (175) claimed eighth place.

Also winning championships were Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Steven Uden (32-4 at 106) and Pedro Rangel (32-7 at 138), Roxana’s Brandon Green Jr. (29-0 at 132) and Lyndon Thies (33-2 at 165), Cumberland’s Owen McGinnis (32-3 at 157) and Richards’ Mike Taheny (32-1 at 190).

Teammates Green, Jr. and Thies tied for the most team points with 28 while Tyson Waughtel and Taheny were right behind them with 27.5 points. Preston Waughtel, Hinton and McGinnis were next-best with 27 points and Larson scored 26.5 points while Bauer, Philpot, Rangel, Tanner and Uden all collected 26 team points.

Additional second-place finishers were Hillsboro’s Kohl Fuller (106), Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Mason Swartz (120), Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers (126), Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm’s Gabriel Kiddoo (150), Litchfield’s Braxton Kieffer (157) and Auburn/ Franklin/ New Berlin’s Ayden Williams (285)

There were only two decisions on the title mat with Tanner edging Williams 7-5 at 285 and Tidwell beating Luke 7-2 at 215.

Others who took third place were Rochester’s Conner Carroll (113), Miles Carroll (120) and Drake Pfeiffer (150), Roxana’s Logan Riggs (144) and Robert Watt (190), Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Tyler Huchel (132), Harrisburg’s Caleb Williford (175) and Litchfield’s Tristan Staggs (215).

Sparta’s Gavin Watson led all competitors with 69 match points and also was the only one in the tournament who got four wins by technical fall. There was a four-way tie for most falls with four between Roxana’s Lleyton Cobine, Litchfield’s Jayden Ellinger, Peoria Notre Dame’s Brady Mullens and Murphysboro’s Lemar Treshansky. Murphysboro’s Maxon Stearns and Mullens had the largest seed to place difference with eight as both were seeded 13th and took fifth place..

Litchfield Rich Lovellette Invitational

Team scores

1. Vandalia 291, 2. Lena-Winslow/ Stockton co-op 212.5, 3. Murphysboro 158, 4. Roxana 152.5, 5. Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op 120, 6. Cumberland 104, 7. Peoria Notre Dame 94, 8. Litchfield 90, 9. Harrisburg 83, Auburn/ Franklin/ New Berlin co-op 76, 11. Rochester 64, 12. Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm co-op 62.5, 13. Richards 57.5, 14. Hillsboro 47, 15. Sacred Heart-Griffin 34.5, 16. Sparta/ Steeleville co-op 27, 17. Carlinville 17.5, 18. Prairie Central 16, 18. Litchfield/ Mt. Olive 8, 20. North Mac 3.

Place matches

106

1st Place Match

Steven Uden (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 32-4, So. over Kohl Fuller (Hillsboro) 30-11, Fr. (Fall 1:00)

3rd Place Match

Aiden Evans (Vandalia) 33-9, Fr. over Pierce Bultmann (Rochester) 35-2, So. (M. For.)

5th Place Match

Carson Hill (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 15-26, Fr. over Jerry Moreno (Murphysboro) 13-16, Jr. (Dec 10-9)

7th Place Match

Andrew Patino (Prairie Central) 20-19, Fr. over Conner Crowder (Harrisburg) 20-21, Fr. (Fall 2:00)

113

1st Place Match

Max Philpot (Vandalia) 39-0, So. over Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) 36-2, So. (Fall 2:55)

3rd Place Match

Conner Carroll (Rochester) 19-2, Sr. over Pedro Alberto Rangel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 21-10, Fr. (For.)

5th Place Match

Josh Stedwill (Peoria Notre Dame) 31-12 over Peyton Groves (Cumberland) 25-11, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:14 (16-1))

7th Place Match

Ibrahim Mahmadov (Richards) 6-10 over Anthony Laino (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 14-21, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:48 (20-3))

120

1st Place Match

Preston Waughtel (Vandalia) 42-1, So. over Mason Swartz (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 34-4, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:28 (19-4))

3rd Place Match

Miles Carroll (Rochester) 33-5, So. over Kaiden Richards (Murphysboro) 28-7, Sr. (Dec 8-4)

5th Place Match

Vincent Moore (Litchfield) 37-6, Jr. over David Prater (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 20-12, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

7th Place Match

Savion Hall (Roxana) 15-18, So. over Thayden Bailey (Litchfield-Mt. Olive) 11-15, Fr. (Fall 0:23)

126

1st Place Match

Tyson Waughtel (Vandalia) 43-0, Sr. over Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) 41-3, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:20 (19-1))

3rd Place Match

Sergio Garcia (Murphysboro) 26-12, Jr. over Sawyer Welbaum (Cumberland) 27-8, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:02 (17-0))

5th Place Match

Lleyton Cobine (Roxana) 17-9, Sr. over Amir Akilani (Richards) 18-12, So. (Fall 1:12)

7th Place Match

Elijah Scott (Auburn) 22-19, Jr. over Huntlee Burris (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 17-16, So. (Fall 1:43)

132

1st Place Match

Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) 29-0, Jr. over Brody Matthews (Vandalia) 34-8, So. (Fall 1:14)

3rd Place Match

Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 31-7, Jr. over Aiston Holt (Murphysboro) 20-13, Sr. (Fall 3:49)

5th Place Match

Logan Aaron (Cumberland) 25-13, So. over Drayven Hamm (Auburn) 29-16, Jr. (M. For.)

7th Place Match

Remington Joesting (Peoria Notre Dame) 33-11, Jr. over Sam Sikora (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 19-21, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:41 (18-0))

138

1st Place Match

Pedro Rangel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 32-7, Sr. over Mauricio Glass (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 33-8, Jr. (Fall 4:27)

3rd Place Match

Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) 32-9, So. over Trey Boston (Auburn) 26-13, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:02 (15-0))

5th Place Match

Lemar Treshansky (Murphysboro) 24-14, Fr. over Kaden Carilsle (Roxana) 21-12, Sr. (Fall 2:42)

7th Place Match

Harley Pierce (Cumberland) 22-14, So. over Jack Bartoletta (Peoria Notre Dame) 18-26, Jr. (MD 15-4)

144

1st Place Match

Arrison Bauer (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 36-4, Jr. over Keagan Turner (Vandalia) 31-7, So. (MD 13-1)

3rd Place Match

Logan Riggs (Roxana) 30-12, Jr. over Carter Chambliss (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 20-17, Sr. (Dec 7-5)

5th Place Match

Gaven Vollintine (Hillsboro) 26-18, Sr. over Ronald Laplante (Carlinville) 15-8, Sr. (Dec 8-5)

7th Place Match

Clayton Hauter (Litchfield) 32-11, Sr. over Jaxson Dukeman (Cumberland) 22-15, Jr. (Dec 4-0)

150

1st Place Match

Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) 41-2, Jr. over Gabriel Kiddoo (Westville) 24-6, Sr. (MD 12-3)

3rd Place Match

Drake Pfeiffer (Rochester) 29-5, Sr. over Reece Demeter (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 27-13, Jr. (MD 8-0)

5th Place Match

Gavin Watson (Sparta/Steeleville) 4-1, So. over Brock Felty (Harrisburg) 25-18, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:25 (17-2))

7th Place Match

Leo Flores (Richards) 21-16 over Nicholas Adam (Litchfield) 16-15, So. (Dec 7-0)

157

1st Place Match

Owen McGinnis (Cumberland) 32-3, Jr. over Braxton Kieffer (Litchfield) 29-10, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:49 (16-1))

3rd Place Match

Parker Ray (Vandalia) 33-7, Sr. over Trevor Gihring (Roxana) 31-11, Sr. (MD 10-0)

5th Place Match

Mark Detwiler (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 24-16, Jr. over Ty McMasters (Westville) 14-11, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

7th Place Match

Jovonis Lundford (Sacred Heart-Griffin) 3-2, Fr. over Ethan Ziller (Prairie Central) 24-15, Sr. (Dec 4-1)

165

1st Place Match

Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 33-2, Jr. over John Mensendike (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 30-8, Jr. (Fall 1:10)

3rd Place Match

Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) 31-10, Sr. over Briar Butler (Harrisburg) 29-10, Sr. (MD 14-2)

5th Place Match

Maxon Stearns (Murphysboro) 32-9, So. over Huthaiffa Issa (Richards) 14-14 (Fall 1:01)

7th Place Match

Blake Trimmel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 13-23, So. over Sie Couri (Peoria Notre Dame) 27-18, Sr. (M. For.)

175

1st Place Match

Eli Larson (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 37-2, Jr. over Ross Miller (Vandalia) 33-10, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:01 (15-0))

3rd Place Match

Caleb Williford (Harrisburg) 20-14, Sr. over Max Strader (Cumberland) 11-7, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:14 (16-1))

5th Place Match

Jayden Ellinger (Litchfield) 32-10, Jr. over Owen Evans (Auburn) 20-12, Jr. (Fall 3:15)

7th Place Match

Rylee McClellan (Roxana) 6-6, Fr. over Rylan Robinson (Murphysboro) 10-10, . (Fall 3:45)

190

1st Place Match

Mike Taheny (Richards) 32-1, Sr. over Oliver McPeek (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 35-4, Jr. (Fall 3:29)

3rd Place Match

Robert Watt (Roxana) 33-5, Sr. over Ethan Miller (Westville) 28-5, Jr. (Fall 4:29)

5th Place Match

Brendan Hicks (Harrisburg) 26-9, Sr. over Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin) 32-10, So. (MD 15-7)

7th Place Match

Bobby Stickelmaier (Peoria Notre Dame) 13-14, Sr. over Noah Langston (Vandalia) 18-6, So. (Fall 1:43)

215

1st Place Match

Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) 40-3, Sr. over Jeremiah Luke (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 34-5, Jr. (Dec 7-2)

3rd Place Match

Tristan Staggs (Litchfield) 33-8, Jr. over Joe Culp (Peoria Notre Dame) 35-9, Sr. (Fall 5:32)

5th Place Match

Caybren Hubbard (Murphysboro) 28-12, So. over Braxton Welge (Harrisburg) 29-10, Jr. (Dec 8-6)

7th Place Match

Ethan Ledbetter (Sparta/Steeleville) 2-2, Jr. over Kyle Fay (Auburn) 17-24, So. (Fall 0:09)

285

1st Place Match

Julien Tanner (Murphysboro) 19-3, Jr. over Ayden Williams (Auburn) 28-11, Fr. (Dec 7-5)

3rd Place Match

Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) 28-15, So. over Matt Brown (Harrisburg) 30-10, Jr. (Fall 0:41)

5th Place Match

Brady Mullens (Peoria Notre Dame) 27-14, Jr. over Josiah Sedlacek (Westville) 26-11, Sr. (Fall 0:32)

7th Place Match

Cy Courtney (Roxana) 13-17, Fr. over Josh Eyer (Sacred Heart-Griffin) 1-3, So. (Fall 3:45)

LeRoy/ Tri-Valley wins Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament

LeRoy/ Tri-Valley captured first place at the Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament in Mackinaw with 193.5 points while El Paso-Gridley took second place with 171 points, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher finished third with 162 points and Heyworth rounded out the top half of the eight-team competition with 93.5 points. 

Ranked ninth in Class 1A, the Panthers hope to advance to the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for the third year in a row. They will compete in the Monticello Regional on Saturday along with the third-place Falcons, who are ranked 16th, and another team that advanced to dual team state last season, Unity, which is ranked fourth.

1 – LeRoy/ Tri-Valley

Leading the way for coach Brady Sant Amour’s first place Panthers were their five title winners, 

Brady Mouser (32-3 at 120), Matt Helfrich (27-16 at 132), Kobe Brent (36-6 at 150), Bo Zeleznik (30-7 at 175) and Tate Sigler (36-5 at 285) while Logan Thompson (126) and Brock Owens (157) claimed second place.

Austin Pacha (106), Jake Baughman (113) and Ash Osborn (215) took third place while Jim Chaon (138) and Connor McLaughlin (144) finished fourth. Brett Helfrich (165) and Gannon Pinkerton (190) both contributed to the cause for the HOIC champions.

2 – El Paso-Gridley

Top performers for coach Caden Tjarks’ runner-up Titans were champions Kole Petta (32-11 at 106), Tom Erwin (38-4 at 113), Dominic Ricconi (30-11 at 190) and Ryden Barker (39-3 at 215).

Taking second place were Braden Gibson (165) and Christopher Blackmore (285), third-place finishers were Ben Graham (126), Nolan Whitman (138) and Parker Key (144) while Colin Martinez (132) and Ryan Kerr (175) finished in fourth place.

3 – Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher

Capturing championships for coach Josh Carter’s third-place Falcons were Landen Lage (32-3 at 126), Hunter Brandon (8-3 at 138) and Corbin Ragle (25-10 at 157) while Gage Martin  (120), 

Ethan Lowe (144), Hudson Babb (150), Jaxon Wright (190) and Cohen Kean (215) all placed second. Cooper Miller (165) took third place and Carson Sexton (285) finished fourth.

Also winning championships were Heyworth’s Trevor Soice (27-10 at 144) and Tremont’s Bowden Delaney (42-2 at 165). Delaney led all of the champions with 24 team points while Ragle ranked second with 23 points and there was a five-way tie for third place with 22 points between Barker, Brandon, Erwin, Helfrich and Zeleznik. Soice scored 21 points, Ricconi had 20.5 points and Brent, Mouser and Petta all collected 20 team points.

Other second-place finishers were Heyworth’s Emmett Roeder (113) and Brody Simons (175),

Deer Creek-Mackinaw’s Evan King (106), Ridgeview/ Lexington’s Landon Christner (132) and Eureka’s Finn Hoffman (138).

Some of the closest title matches featured Brent prevailing over Babb 3-2 on a tiebreaker at 150, Soice edging Lowe 9-7 at 144 and Petta defeating King 14-11 at 106

Additional third-place finishers were Eureka’s Henry Watson (120) and Josiah Rokey (132), 

Deer Creek-Mackinaw’s Caleb Greer (157) and Joey Humphries (285), Ridgeview/ Lexington’s Judson Stover (150), Tremont’s Gaige Hunt (175) and Heyworth’s Jarrod Fulcher (190).

Tremont’s Bowden Delaney and Ridgeview/ Lexington’s Judson Stover tied for the most match points with 46. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher’s Cooper Miller and El Paso-Gridley’s Nolan Whitman tied Delaney for the most falls with four. LeRoy/ Tri-Valley’s Jake Baughman and Stover both recorded two wins by technical fall. Deer Creek-Mackinaw’s Caleb Greer had the largest seed to place difference with three, placing third after being seeded sixth at 157

Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament

Team scores

1. LeRoy/ Tri-Valley co-op 193.5, 2. El Paso-Gridley 171, 3. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op 162, 4. Heyworth 93.5, 5. Tremont 61.5, 6. Deer Creek-Mackinaw 51, 7. Eureka 49, 8. Ridgeview/ Lexington co-op 42.

Place matches

106

1st Place Match

Kole Petta (El Paso-Gridley) 32-11, Fr. over Evan King (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) 23-13, Fr. (Dec 14-11)

3rd Place Match

Austin Pacha (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 20-19, Fr. over Landon Nieslawski (Heyworth) 17-19, So. (MD 13-3)

113

1st Place Match

Tom Erwin (El Paso-Gridley) 38-4, Fr. over Emmett Roeder (Heyworth) 23-19, Fr. (Fall 5:12)

3rd Place Match

Jake Baughman (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 22-19, Fr. over Nicky Weber (Tremont) 28-13, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:48 (17-0))

120

1st Place Match

Brady Mouser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 32-3, Sr. over Gage Martin (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 19-5, Jr. (Fall 0:58)

3rd Place Match

Henry Watson (Eureka) 21-12, So. over Gavin Stoker (Tremont) 29-13, Fr. (Fall 3:35)

126

1st Place Match

Landen Lage (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 32-3, Fr. over Logan Thompson (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 19-16, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:28 (18-3))

3rd Place Match

Ben Graham (El Paso-Gridley) 20-20, Fr. over Skyler Kerner (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) 11-22, Fr. (Inj. 0:44)

132

1st Place Match

Matt Helfrich (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 27-16, So. over Landon Christner (Ridgeview/Lexington) 23-19, Jr. (Fall 1:32)

3rd Place Match

Josiah Rokey (Eureka) 17-21, So. over Colin Martinez (El Paso-Gridley) 9-29, Fr. (Fall 2:00)

138

1st Place Match

Hunter Brandon (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 8-3, Fr. over Finn Hoffman (Eureka) 30-8, Fr. (Fall 2:22)

3rd Place Match

Nolan Whitman (El Paso-Gridley) 24-20, Jr. over Jim Chaon (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 26-18, So. (Fall 2:26)

144

1st Place Match

Trevor Soice (Heyworth) 27-10, Jr. over Ethan Lowe (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 19-10, Jr. (Dec 9-7)

3rd Place Match

Parker Key (El Paso-Gridley) 32-12, Sr. over Connor Mclaughlin (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 21-21, Jr. (Dec 8-3)

150

1st Place Match

Kobe Brent (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 36-6, Sr. over Hudson Babb (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 29-8, So. (TB-1 3-2)

3rd Place Match

Judson Stover (Ridgeview/Lexington) 27-9, Sr. over Logan Stout (Heyworth) 24-21, So. (M. For.)

157

1st Place Match

Corbin Ragle (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 25-10, Sr. over Brock Owens (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 35-8, Sr. (MD 14-3)

3rd Place Match

Caleb Greer (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) 23-18, Jr. over Sam Hoffman (Eureka) 29-12, Jr. (Dec 7-4)

165

1st Place Match

Bowden Delaney (Tremont) 42-2, Sr. over Braden Gibson (El Paso-Gridley) 25-11, So. (Fall 1:59)

3rd Place Match

Cooper Miller (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 29-10, So. over Tristian Stamp (Heyworth) 30-15, Fr. (Fall 2:20)

175

1st Place Match

Bo Zeleznik (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 30-7, Sr. over Brody simons (Heyworth) 29-14, Fr. (Fall 3:31)

3rd Place Match

Gaige Hunt (Tremont) 21-21, Fr. over Ryan Kerr (El Paso-Gridley) 18-24, So. (Fall 4:36)

190

1st Place Match

Dominic Ricconi (El Paso-Gridley) 30-11, Sr. over Jaxon Wright (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 22-11, Jr. (Dec 7-3)

3rd Place Match

Jarrod Fulcher (Heyworth) 27-16, So. over Ryker Gemberling (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) 30-12, So. (Fall 3:43)

215

1st Place Match

Ryden Barker (El Paso-Gridley) 39-3, Sr. over Cohen Kean (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 18-8, Sr. (For.)

3rd Place Match

Ash Osborn (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 22-19, Sr. over Ethan Kinsey (Tremont) 14-16, Sr. (Fall 1:06)

285

1st Place Match

Tate Sigler (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 36-5, Sr. over Christopher Blackmore (El Paso-Gridley) 26-12, Sr. (Fall 3:01)

3rd Place Match

Joey Humphries (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) 18-10, So. over Carson Sexton (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 10-15, Fr. (Fall 5:51)

Lawrence County claims Eastern Illinois Tournament title

The Lawrence County co-op, featuring athletes from Lawrenceville and Red Hill, heads into its own Class 1A regional on a high note after it captured the championship of the Eastern Illinois Tournament, which took place in Lawrenceville.

Lawrence County outscored Hoopeston Area/ Milford co-op 226.5-203 for top honors while Carterville took third place with 172 points. Next in line were Richland County (123), Effingham (103), Oblong/ Palestine/ Hutsonville co-op (99.5), Robinson (99.5) and Fairfield (98.5).

1 – Lawrence County

Winning titles for coach Cody Bobe’s championship Lawrence County co-op team were Dylan Aten (23-5 at 132), Hudson Meek (30-9 at 144) and Malikye Williams (25-23 at 190) while Kyler Guercio (106), Cale Seitzinger (138) and Dylan Camden (285) finished in second place.

Dayton Ledbetter (113) claimed third place, Drew Seitzinger (120) finished fourth, Grayson Allender (126), Nick Morehead (175) and Wyatt Scott (215) were fifth, Tucker Waldrop (165) placed sixth and Keegan Liston (150) also contributed the title effort for Lawrence County, which is a co-op of Lawrenceville and Red Hill.

2 – Hoopeston Area/ Milford 

Champions for coach Chris Kelnhofer’s runner-up Cornjerkers were Charlie Flores (39-3 at 106), Aiden Bell (41-3 at 126), Ayden Larkin (30-5 at 165) and Angel Zamora (42-1 at 175).

Taking third place were RaSiah Jones (150), David Bell (157), Earl Kelnhofer (190) and Tucker Deck (215) while Reydon Montez (138) was fourth and Damian Salinas (132) placed fifth.

3 – Carterville

Leading coach Daniel Alderman’s third place Lions were first-place finisher Ramiro Sebastian (31-7 at 113) and runners-up Landyn Flood (132), Terry Mick (190) and Carl Watkins (215). 

Taking third place were Isaac Wood (106) and Carter Jones (175), Aidan Bramlett (150) was fourth and Brawnsen Bloodworth (120), Gavin Slack (138) and Spencer Crotser (165) took fifth.

Other Eastern Illinois Tournament title winners were Richland County’s Carson Bissey (11-1 at 157) and Zander Schrader (34-7 at 215), Charleston’s Trotter Titus (24-8 at 120), Robinson’s Broady Kelly (24-3 at 138), Oblong/ Palestine/ Hutsonville co-op’s Cole Littlejohn (13-2 at 150) and Fairfield’s Bentley Rogers (31-6 at 285).

Aten, Schrader and Williams led all champions with 28 team points while Flores, Rogers and Zamora were next-best with 27.5 points. Bell, Bissey and Littlejohn all collected 27 points and Kelly and Larkin finished with 26 team points. 

Also finishing in second place were Paris’ Garret Rigdon (150) and Joshua Lamore (165), 

Effingham’s Cole Dulumback (113), Oblong/ Palestine/ Hutsonville’s Mason Correll (120),

Richland County’s Kaeden Davis (126), Effingham’s Baker Moon (144), Mt. Carmel’s Johnny Askren (157) and Fairfield’s Talan Keoughan (175). 

The closest championship match was at 113 where Sebastian prevailed over Dulumback 16-9 by sudden victory.

Additional third-place finishers were Oblong/ Palestine/ Hutsonville’s Owen Griffin (138) and Jude Wirey (144), Effingham’s Kaiden Stewart (120), Fairfield’s Jedd Wellen (126), Richland County’s Levi Ochs (132), Robinson’s Kahne Hyre (165) and Mt. Carmel’s Carter Pyatt (285).

East Richland’s Carson Bissey led all competitors with 52 match points. Robinson’s Kelllen Poole was the only competitor who recorded four pins. Mt. Carmel’s Dakota Woods had the largest seed to place difference, improving five spots after being seeded 11th and taking sixth.

Eastern Illinois Tournament

Team scores

1. Lawrence County (Lawrenceville/ Red Hill) co-op 226.5, 2. Hoopeston Area/ Milford co-op 203, 3. Carterville 172, 4. Richland County 123, 5. Effingham 103, 6. Oblong/ Palestine/ Hutsonville co-op 99.5, 6. Robinson 99.5, 8. Fairfield 98.5, 9. Mt. Carmel 92, 10. Paris 77, 11. Charleston 62. 

Place Matches

106

1st Place Match

Charlie Flores (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 39-3, Jr. over Kyler Guercio (Lawrence County) 26-7, Fr. (Fall 1:02)

3rd Place Match

Isaac Wood (Carterville) 33-11, Fr. over Hayden Hazel (Richland County) 28-12, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:20 (16-0))

5th Place Match

Gracen Elliott (Robinson) 26-12, Fr. over Carter Poole (Fairfield) 17-22, So. (Fall 2:29)

113

1st Place Match

Ramiro Sebastian (Carterville) 31-7, Jr. over Cole Dulumback (Effingham) 25-15, Fr. (SV-1 16-9)

3rd Place Match

Dayton Ledbetter (Lawrence County) 15-8, Fr. over Thomas Stigler (Oblong co-op) 3-17, Fr. (Fall 2:26)

120

1st Place Match

Trotter Titus (Charleston) 24-8, Fr. over Mason Correll (Oblong co-op) 20-8, Sr. (MD 17-4)

3rd Place Match

Kaiden Stewart (Effingham) 31-10, Sr. over Drew Seitzinger (Lawrence County) 22-13, Jr. (Fall 3:58)

5th Place Match

Brawnsen Bloodworth (Carterville) 27-13, Sr. over Gage Wright (Paris) 13-15, So. (Fall 1:43)

126

1st Place Match

Aiden Bell (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 41-3, Jr. over Kaeden Davis (Richland County) 30-10, So. (TF-1.5 5:43 (20-4))

3rd Place Match

Jedd Wellen (Fairfield) 21-17, Jr. over Jacob Booher (Robinson) 24-16, Sr. (Dec 8-4)

5th Place Match

Grayson Allender (Lawrence County) 15-13, Fr. over Austin Campbell (Carterville) 17-13, Fr. (Fall 2:28)

132

1st Place Match

Dylan Aten (Lawrence County) 23-5, Sr. over Landyn Flood (Carterville) 34-6, Sr. (Fall 2:36)

3rd Place Match

Levi Ochs (Richland County) 10-6, So. over Kadin Melahn (Mt. Carmel) 18-11, So. (Fall 1:34)

5th Place Match

Damian Salinas (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 18-16, So. over Collin Booker (Charleston) 13-19, Fr. (Fall 0:47)

138

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Broady Kelly (Robinson) 24-3, Jr. over Cale Seitzinger (Lawrence County) 26-10, Jr. (MD 11-2)

3rd Place Match

Owen Griffin (Oblong co-op) 23-14, Jr. over Reydon Montez (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 18-17, Fr. (Fall 3:13)

5th Place Match

Gavin Slack (Carterville) 27-16, Jr. over Samuel Dial (Richland County) 20-19, Fr. (MD 13-2)

144

1st Place Match

Hudson Meek (Lawrence County) 30-9, So. over Baker Moon (Effingham) 28-11, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:26 (17-2))

3rd Place Match

Jude Wirey (Oblong co-op) 29-8, Fr. over Jacob Kuhn (Charleston) 19-17, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:17 (21-5))

5th Place Match

Isaiah Kasinger (Mt. Carmel) 12-19, Sr. over Vance Vanway (Fairfield) 12-25, So. (Fall 4:45)

150

1st Place Match

Cole Littlejohn (Oblong co-op) 13-2, So. over Garret Rigdon (Paris) 17-10, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:07 (15-0))

3rd Place Match

RaSiah Jones (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 26-18, Jr. over Aidan Bramlett (Carterville) 15-22, Jr. (Fall 3:39)

5th Place Match

Kellen Poole (Robinson) 10-16, So. over Dakota Woods (Mt. Carmel) 9-18, Fr. (Fall 2:40)

157

1st Place Match

Carson Bissey (Richland County) 11-1, Sr. over Johnny Askren (Mt. Carmel) 21-15, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:00 (19-4))

3rd Place Match

David Bell (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 25-19, Sr. over Jeremiah Musgrave (Fairfield) 21-13, Sr. (MD 8-0)

5th Place Match

Koltan Dare (Charleston) 11-15, Sr. over Ben McDowell (Effingham) 17-25, Fr. (Dec 8-2)

165

1st Place Match

Ayden Larkin (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 30-5, Sr. over Joshua Lamore (Paris) 29-5, Jr. (Fall 5:43)

3rd Place Match

Kahne Hyre (Robinson) 28-7, Sr. over Gage Emmerich (Effingham) 15-14, Jr. (Fall 2:29)

5th Place Match

Spencer Crotser (Carterville) 22-20, Jr. over Tucker Waldrop (Lawrence County) 5-21, Jr. (Fall 1:48)

175

1st Place Match

Angel Zamora (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 42-1, Sr. over Talan Keoughan (Fairfield) 29-6, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:39 (20-5))

3rd Place Match

Carter Jones (Carterville) 21-7, So. over Lenox Parker (Robinson) 17-10, Jr. (Fall 1:39)

5th Place Match

Nick Morehead (Lawrence County) 16-12, So. over Logan McDonald (Richland County) 19-12, So. (MD 11-0)

190

1st Place Match

Malikye Williams (Lawrence County) 25-13, Jr. over Terry Mick (Carterville) 33-12, So. (Fall 3:30)

3rd Place Match

Earl Kelnhofer (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 30-13, So. over Ethan Miller (Oblong co-op) 18-12, Jr. (Fall 1:17)

5th Place Match

Gavin Grubb (Paris) 11-8, Sr. over Evan Barbre (Fairfield) 1-2, So. (Fall 0:38)

215

1st Place Match

Zander Schrader (Richland County) 34-7, Jr. over Carl Watkins (Carterville) 27-18, So. (Fall 1:59)

3rd Place Match

Tucker Deck (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 20-22, So. over Evan Berberich (Mt. Carmel) 10-8, Sr. (Fall 1:03)

5th Place Match

Wyatt Scott (Lawrence County) 7-12, So. over Keegan Woodall (Effingham) 8-25, So. (Fall 3:03)

285

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Bentley Rogers (Fairfield) 31-6, Sr. over Dylan Camden (Lawrence County) 25-9, Sr. (Inj. 3:24)

3rd Place Match

Carter Pyatt (Mt. Carmel) 24-11, Fr. over Jeremiah Lorton (Effingham) 28-10, Jr. (Fall 3:47)

5th Place Match

Richard Black (Paris) 16-5, Sr. over Remi Bryant (Charleston) 16-15, Fr. (Fall 5:12)

Girls regional recaps: Rock Falls, Jacksonville, Mt. Zion, Civic Memorial, Metamora

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

ROCK FALLS REGIONAL

Kaneland and DeKalb battled it out for a team regional title at Rock Falls, with Kaneland eking out a 146.5-141 victory. The Knights finished with seven sectional qualifiers for this year’s Geneseo Sectional, including three individual regional champions, three third-placers, and one fourth-place qualifier.

“We brought eight wrestlers and unfortunately due to some injuries, had to leave four wrestlers at home,” Kaneland coach Josh West said. “When the day started, I didn’t know if we had enough to get it done. I knew there were a couple good teams there, especially DeKalb, and hats off to DeKalb and their girls. Conor (Infelise) has his DeKalb team firing on all cylinders.”

DeKalb also had three individual regional champs among its seven sectional qualifiers. Burlington Central (106.5) finished third, followed by Yorkville (85.5) and Sycamore (73) to round out the top five team finishes in the 25-team regional field.

Burlington Central and Yorkville had five sectional qualifiers apiece, and Sycamore had four qualifiers.

1st place: Kaneland (146.5)
There were four unbeaten regional champions at Rock Falls when the day ended, including Kaneland’s sophomore and returning state champion Angelina Gochis (29-0 at 110). Teammates Brooklyn Sheaffer (38-2 at 125) and Sadie Kinsella (27-9 at 190) were also regional champions for coach Josh West.

Gochis is aiming to burn a path to her second state title in her first two years of high school.

“Angelina Gochis, what else can I say?” Kaneland coach Josh West said. “She was dominant from start to finish, winning the regional. Her future in this sport is on the World and Olympic level, I truly believe that.

“Brooklyn Sheaffer was solid once again and she is coming into her own at the right time. She works hard and I expect to see her on the podium here in a few weeks. Sadie Kinsella was our other champion and Sadie did not wrestle her best but she still got it done.

Placing third for Kaneland and advancing in the state tournament were Dyani Torres (135), Caitlyn Manier (155) and Carly Duffing (190), along with fourth-placer Thalia Paton (115).

West applauded the solid day’s work of senior third-placers Torres and Duffing, the maturity and effort from the freshman Manier, and the effort Paton put forth in wrestling back for fourth.

Fourth-seeded Paton upset the tournament’s second seed in her consolation semifinal match to secure her ticket to the sectional meet.

“I’m happy for our girls, our program, and our school,” West said. “We will enjoy this for a little bit and then come Monday, it’s back to work.”

2nd place: DeKalb (141)
The Barbs got individual titles from Alex Gregorio-Perez (43-3 at 105), Lana Zimmerman (38-8 at 135) and Aarianna Bloyd (30-11 at 235), plus a second from Reese Zimmer (120), a third from Jade Weiss (100), and fourths from Frieda Hernandez (110) and Kayden Johnson (155) for coach Connor Infelise.

3rd place: Burlington Central (105.4)

The Rockets sent three regional champions to the top of the podium in returning state medalist Tori Macias (28-6 at 115), Soraya Walikonis (32-10 at 130) and returning state medalist Ryan Miller (33-1 at 170), plus a second-place finish from Ruby Vences (110) and a fourth from Melanie Granda (105).

Individual champions:
The day’s other regional champions in Rock Falls were Rockford East’s unbeaten Saya Hongmoungkhoune (21-0 at 100), Hononegah’s three-time state champion, unbeaten Angelina Cassioppi (25-0 at 120), Sycamore’s Ema Durst (21-3 at 140), Rochelle’s unbeaten returning state medalist Dempsey Atkinson (18-0 at 145), and Rock Falls’ Akira Schick (13-2 at 155).

Team scores:
Kaneland 146.5, DeKalb 141, Burlington Central 106.5, Yorkville 85.5, Sycamore 73, Hononegah 71.5, Plano 64, Sterling 60, Sandwich 59, Rock Falls 55, Freeport 46, Belvidere North 32, Jefferson 32, Newman Central Catholic 32, Rockford East 30.5, Polo 30, Rochelle 30, Somonauk 22, Guilford 21, Harlem 19, Durand 15.5, Galena 15, Belvidere 9.5

PLACE MATCHES FOR SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advanced)

100

1st: Saya Hongmoungkhoune (Rockford E) 21-0, d. Analiese Garretson (Yorkville) 27-12,  (TF-1.5 2:00 (17-2)

3rd: Jade Weiss (DeKalb) 26-16, d. Monika Jahn (Hononegah) 14-10,  (F 0:43)

105

1st: Alex Gregorio-Perez (DeKalb) 43-3, d. Blair Grennan (Newman Central) 14-3,  (F 4:00)

3rd: Danielle Turner (Yorkville) 6-2, d. Melanie Granda (Central) 24-14,  (F 4:46)

110

1st: Angelina Gochis (Kaneland) 29-0, d. Ruby Vences (Central) 28-12,  (F 0:58)

3rd: Lydia Cartwright (Sandwich) 20-7, d. Frieda Hernandez (DeKalb) 11-9,  (F 3:20)

115

1st: Victoria Macias (Central) 28-6, d. Kaiya Galindo (Freeport) 24-15,  (F 1:51)

3rd: Norah Vick (Sandwich) 21-12, d. Thalia Paton (Kaneland) 22-12,  (D 10-8)

120

1st: Gina Cassioppi (Hononegah) 25-0, d. Reese Zimmer (DeKalb) 38-9,  (TF-1.5 3:00 (17-1)

3rd: Zandra Vock (Polo) 18-17, d. Ryleigh Eriks (Rock Fs) 16-6,  (F 3:33)

125 

1st: Brooklyn Sheaffer (Kaneland) 38-2, d. Rylie Donahue (Somonauk) 10-4,  (F 1:16)

3rd: Isabella Prchal (Plano) 15-10, d. Maddie Barrios (Belvidere N) 7-9,  (F 0:23)

130

1st: Soraya Walikonis (Central) 32-10, d. Skyann Munz) 18-6,  (F 5:07)

3rd: Evie Anderson (Durand) 16-5, d. Gretchyn Dunbar (Sycamore) 12-12,  (F 1:05)

135

1st: Lana Zimmerman (DeKalb) 38-8, d. Bella Castelli (Hononegah) 20-4,  (F 0:30)

3rd: Dyani Torres (Kaneland) 36-10, d. Brooke Coy (Yorkville) 17-9,  (D 16-10)

140

1st: Ema Durst (Sycamore) 21-3, d. April Martinez (Plano) 15-10,  (F 1:03)

3rd: Ashlyn Fargher (Rock Fs) 9-6, d. Vanesa Penaloza (Freeport) 16-11,  (F 3:49)

145

1st: Dempsey Atkinson (Rochelle) 18-0, d. Jacqeline Diaz (Plano) 20-4,  (F 3:27)

3rd: Jazmin Rios (Sandwich) 19-14, d. Aviana Froelich (Yorkville) 14-18,  (MD 14-4)

155

1st: Akira Schick (Rock Fs) 13-2, d. Avelina McMurtry (Sycamore) 10-8,  (F 0:34)

3rd: Caitlyn Manier (Kaneland) 27-10, d. Kayden Johnson (DeKalb) 14-13,  (F 2:13)

170

1st: Ryann Miller (Central) 33-1, d. Janiah Murray (Yorkville) 31-9,  (TF-1.5 2:33 (18-2)

3rd: Carly Duffing (Kaneland) 22-8, d. Linda Villa (Hononegah) 9-7,  (F 0:46)

190

1st: Sadie Kinsella (Kaneland) 27-9, d. Anjanne Haywood (Guilford) 23-6,  (F 3:25)

3rd: Kylie Eilken (Jefferson) 16-6, d. Lillian Tunk) 20-9,  (F 2:22)

235

1st: Aarianna Bloyd (DeKalb) 30-11, d. Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore) 4-3,  (F 3:12)

3rd: Savannah Trevino (Belvidere N) 7-11, d. Angela Carter (Guilford) 1-13,  (F 0:53)

Individual statistics:
Plano’s Isabella Prchal finished the regional with the most pins (4) in the least time (8:59), while Sterling’s Kylie Tate posted the fastest pin at 11 seconds. Hononegah’s Gina Cassioppi had the most technical falls (3) in the least time (6:00) and Yorkville’s Cory Brooke had the fastest tech fall, in 1:17.Five wrestlers tied for the most team points scored (28) in DeKalb’s Alex Gregorio-Perez, Kaneland’s Brooklyn Sheaffer, Central’s Tori Macias, DeKalb’s Lana Zimmerman and Rock Falls’ Akira Schick. Hononegah’s Cassioppi finished with the most single match points, with 20, and the most total match points scored with 54.

Polo’s Zandra Vock provided the largest seed-place difference, as the No. 12 seed placed third at 120 pounds.

JACKSONVILLE REGIONAL

Six individual regional champions and eight total sectional qualifiers vaulted Geneseo to its second consecutive team regional title for coach Carley Rusk. The Maple Leafs posted a 183-137.5 edge over second-place Canton, with Erie (86.5) placing third, Macomb (80) taking third, and Galesburg (65) rounding out the top five team finishes.

“I’m really proud of the hard work everyone put in—these girls have been pushing themselves all season, and it’s awesome to see it pay off,” Rusk said. “We’re definitely excited to keep this momentum going into the next part of the season. We will continue to train hard and keep our sights set on sectionals.”

Geneseo’s six individual champions led the 22-team field, and the Maple Leafs also led the field with 18 pins to Canton’s 10.

1st place: Geneseo (183 points)
Rusk got individual titles from Molly Snyder (32-7 at 100), Addison Hadsall (32-14 at 105), Lydia King (43-5 at 120), Belle Curcuru (32-12 at 125), Annibelle Juarez (17-3 at 135) and Sophie Bellagamba (31-12 at 155), plus second-place finishes from Lauren Piquard (31-10 at 140) and Mady Mooney (30-10 at 145).|
Geneseo’s qualifiers will go into the sectional tournament with a combined record of 248-73.

2nd place: Canton (137.5)

Canton had a pair of regional champions in LT Diephuis (30-5 at 110) and Kinnley Smith (37-3 at 130), plus seconds from Abella Brown (100), Shayla Schielein (105), and Chloe Hedges (115),  thirds from Kennedy Smith (140) and Katelyn Marvel (145), and a fourth from Josslyn Shockency (170).

3rd place: Erie (86.5)

Erie had a trio of wrestlers reach the regional title mat and place second in Nevada Wells (110), Michelle Naftzger (130) and Jayda Rosenow (155), plus a third-place finish from Ryleigh Stephens (120), and fourths from Ayden Grawe (125) and Dena Cox (145).

Individual champions:
Other girls winning individual regional titles in Jacksonville were Galesburg’s Eliana Juarez (18-3 at 115), Macomb’s Kelly Ladd (20-3 at 140) and Mikaela Mwangong (20-5 at 145), Rock Island’s Courtney Walls (19-2 at 170), ROWVA’s Patience Riggs (11-5 at 190) and Moline’s Kirsten Kpoto (3-0 at 235).

Team scores:
Geneseo 183, Canton 137.5, Erie 86.5, Macomb 80, Galesburg 65, Jacksonville 60, ROWVA 50, Sherrard 44.5, Rock Island 43.5, Moline 24, Quincy 22, Kewanee 19, Midwest Central 18, Mercer County 16, Beardstown 16, United 16, Camp Point Central 15, Illini West 13, Fulton 8, Rockridge 6, Knoxville 4

PLACE MATCHES FOR SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advanced)

100

1st: Molly Snyder (Geneseo) 32-7,  d. Abella Brown (Canton) 13-7,  (MD 19-10)

3rd: Kinsley Furnald (Galesburg) 14-7,  d. Isabella Schaefer (Illini West) 4-11,  (F 1:49)

105

1st: Addison Hadsall (Geneseo) 32-14,  d. Shayla Schielein (Canton) 26-9,  (F 2:54)

3rd: Kyra Cardine (Aledo (Mercer County) 5-4,  d. Abby Weber (Sherrard) 13-22,  (F 5:34)

110 

1st: LT Diephuis (Canton) 30-5,  d. Nevada Wells (Erie) 16-17,  (TF 4:36 (21-4)

3rd: Lucy Mass (Rock Island) 16-6,  d. Hailey Lampe (Kewanee) 10-10,  (F 1:02)

115
1st: Eliana Juarez (Galesburg) 18-3,  d. Chloe Hedges (Canton) 30-10,  (F 3:25)

3rd: Marissa Brown (ROWVA) 14-7,  d. Kaitlyn Knight (Jacksonville) 6-6,  (F 2:46)

120

1st: Lydia King (Geneseo) 43-5,  d. Daisy Gil (Beardstown) 18-5,  (F 4:30)

3rd: Ryleigh Stephens (Erie) 26-5,  d. Maria Hernandez (Macomb) 13-14,  (F 0:26)

125 

1st: Bella Curcuru (Geneseo) 32-12,  d. Alexis Seymour (Jacksonville) 22-3,  (F 3:52)

3rd: Kylie Mathis (Sherrard) 14-7,  d. Ayden Grawe (Erie) 14-16,  (F 1:17)

130

1st: Kinnley Smith (Canton) 37-3,  d. Michelle Naftzger (Erie) 27-10,  (F 1:28)

3rd: Jaelyn Hare (United) 8-2,  d. Dai Driana Willford (Galesburg) 15-9,  (F 5:05)

135

1st: Annibelle Juarez (Geneseo) 17-3,  d. Nadia Anderson (Sherrard) 14-12,  (F 3:06)

3rd: Amber Louderback (Camp Point (Central) 23-7,  d. Zoe Bloyd (Quincy) 9-5,  (F 1:45)

140

1st: Kelly Ladd (Macomb) 20-3,  d. Lauren Piquard (Geneseo) 31-10,  (F 3:34)

3rd: Kennedy Smith (Canton) 29-12,  d. RaKiya Amos (Kewanee) 17-8,  (F 3:53)

145

1st: Mikaela Mwangong (Macomb) 20-5,  d. Mady Mooney (Geneseo) 30-10,  (F 2:18)

3rd: Katelyn Marvel (Canton) 15-8,  d. Dena Cox (Erie) 21-15,  (F 1:14)

155

1st: Sophie Bellagamba (Geneseo) 31-12,  d. Jayda Rosenow (Erie) 21-10,  (F 5:57)

3rd: Maggie Quinn (Quincy) 9-2,  d. Jayda Reiff (Taylor Ridge (Rockridge) 2-10,  (F 0:51)

170

1st: Courtney Walls (Rock Island) 19-2,  d. Makayla Padilla (Jacksonville) 8-8,  (F 2:40)

3rd: DaLonna Buckley (ROWVA) 12-6,  d. Josslyn Shockency (Canton) 15-23,  (F 5:41)

190

1st: Patience Riggs (ROWVA) 11-5,  d. Avery Lundgren (Macomb) 16-7,  (F 1:40)

3rd: Macie Taylor (Galesburg) 6-15,  d. Olivia Monroe (Jacksonville) 5-9,  (F 1:08)

235

1st: Kirsten Kpoto (Moline) 3-0,  d. Marlie Abner (Manito (Midwest Central) 5-2,  (F 1:18)

3rd: Emily Sanders (Jacksonville) 6-9,  d. Griffin Schauble (Macomb) 9-13,  (F 0:45)

METAMORA REGIONAL

The girls from the Lincoln-Way co-op dominated the 31-team field at this year’s Metamora Regional, with 10 sectional qualifiers and 248 team points to win the first regional team title in program history.

“All I can say is all the preparation and matches we have wrestled this season has put our girls in the best spot possible,” Lincoln-Way coach Josh Napier said. “We have battled all season long and took our lumps to be ready for the post season.”

Minooka (134) was the area’s regional champion last year and placed second in Metamora. Joliet Central (103) placed third, followed by Morris (101) and Plainfield South (87.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

1st place: Lincoln-Way (248)
Five individual regional champions led the way for Lincoln-Way, in Emily Peyton (33-10 at 100), Zoe Dempsey (41-2 at 110), Sadie Sparks (30-7 at 120), Riley Cooney (31-11 at 125) and Bailey Miller (16-13 at 145). Napier also got seconds from Aubrey Barnes (115) and Liv Clumpner (135), and fourths from Claire Bray (130), Ella Giertuga (140) and Avery Holeman (155).

“In every practice they try to work harder than the day before,” Napier said. “We are gritty and tenacious, but also have some of the most mentally tough wrestlers in the state. They aren’t afraid to lose and they aren’t afraid to win. It’s been a great experience so far for the athletes and coaches.”

2nd: Minooka (134)

MInooka coach Paige Schoolman got a pair of regional runner-up finishes from Sabrina Charlebois (26-8 at 130) and Mia Lemberg (155), thirds from Ezra Rodriguez (140) and Palmer Calvey (145), and a fourth-place finish from Marian Nordsell (105).

Joliet Central (103)

Alisa Carter (25-5 at 105) and Izabel Barrera (27-1 at 135) won regional titles for coach Marcus McCullum, who also got a second-place finish from Kassandra Ruiz (100).

Individual champions:
Other regional champions at Metamora were LaSalle-Peru’s Kiely Domyancich (26-1 at 115), Seneca’s Catalina Pacheco (37-4 at 130), Morton’s Karen Canchola (23-2 at 140), Plainfield South’s Teagan Aurich (33-0 at 155), Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker (22-1 at 170), Morris’ Morgan Congo (28-6 at 190) and Ottawa’s Juliana Thrush (30-4 at 235).

Team scores:
Lincoln-Way co-op 248, Minooka 134, Joliet Central 103, Morris 101, Plainfield South 87.5, Ottawa 83, Joliet West 79, Richwoods 72.5, Plainfield Central 72.5, Pekin 65, Seneca 60.5, Kankakee 57.5, Streator 53, Putnam County 49, LaSalle-Peru 48, Bradley-Bourbonnais 47, Princeton 32.5, Morton 28.5, Washington 27, Dunlap 23, Joliet Catholic Academy 21, Peoria Notre Dame 19.5, Reed-Custer 18, Menual 11, Metamora 9.5, Illinois Valley Central 7, East Peoria 3, Limestone 0, Mendota 0, Peoria Heights 0, Wilmington 0

PLACE MATCHES OF SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advanced)

100

1st: Emily Peyton (Lincoln-Way) 33-10,  d. Kassandra Ruiz (Joliet Central) 16-5,  (F 1:02)

3rd: Ellie Evans (Morris) 30-10,  d. Kalista Frost (L.-Peru) 14-12,  (F 1:17)

105

1st: Alisa Carter (Joliet (Central) 25-5,  d. Chloe Wong (Joliet (West) 6-4,  (Dec 18-13)

3rd: Addison Yacko (Streator) 15-9,  d. Marian Nordsell (Minooka) 24-13,  (F 2:41)

110

1st: Zoe Dempsey (Lincoln-Way) 41-2,  d. Tessa Donaldson (Pekin) 19-10,  (F 0:27)

3rd: Lily Gwaltney (Streator) 19-5,  d. Maggie Gordon (Morris) 27-16,  (F 5:39)

115

1st: Kiely Domyancich (L.-Peru) 26-1,  d. Madysen Meyer (Reed-Custer) 12-7,  (F 3:05)

3rd: Aubrey Barnes (Lincoln-Way) 31-15,  d. Shania Davison (Plainfield C) 14-3,  (F 4:35)

120

1st: Sadie Sparks (Lincoln-Way) 30-7,  d. Violet Pennington (Pekin) 9-3,  (F 3:56)

3rd: Taniyah Sherman (Kankakee) 16-2,  d. Jaydah Green (Richwoods) 13-9,  (F 1:23)

125

1st: Riley Cooney (Lincoln-Way) 31-11,  d. Isabella Mottler (Richwoods) 16-3,  (F 5:20)

3rd: Aubrianna Rapier (B.-Bourbonnais) 15-3,  d. Briahna Klobnak (Joliet W) 31-9,  (F 3:20)

130

1st: Catalina Pacheco (Seneca) 37-4,  d. Sabina Charlebois (Minooka) 26-8,  (F 3:12)

3rd: Grace Laird (Joliet Catholic) 17-4,  d. Claire Bray (Lincoln-Way) 30-19,  (F 0:57)

135

1st: Izabel Barrera (Joliet (Central) 27-1,  d. Sammie Greisen (Seneca) 34-7,  (Dec 6-2)

3rd: Liv Clumpner (Lincoln-Way) 26-19,  d. Jaiyden Provance (Ottawa) 19-21,  (F 2:33)

140

1st: Karen Canchola (Morton) 23-2,  d. Isabella Gibson (Princeton) 14-4,  (Dec 10-3)

3rd: Ezra Rodriquez (Minooka) 31-9,  d. Ella Giertuga (Lincoln-Way) 33-16,  (F 1:57)

145

1st: Bailey Mitchell (Lincoln-Way) 16-13,  d. Ava Weatherford (Ottawa) 17-8,  (F 3:30)

3rd: Palmer Calvey (Minooka) 28-10,  d. Sophia Domont (B.-Bourbonnais) 11-4,  (F 1:10)

155

1st: Teagan Aurich (Plainfield (South) 33-0,  d. Mia Lemberg (Minooka) 22-10,  (F 1:00)

3rd: Faith Joslin (Kankakee) 14-4,  d. Avery Holeman (Lincoln-Way) 20-22,  (TF 0:00 (23-4)

170

1st: Alicia Tucker (Plainfield C) 22-1,  d. Layla Spann (Plainfield (South) 25-5,  (TF 0:00 (15-0)

3rd: Autumne Williams (PND) 11-2,  d. Sydney Johnson (Richwoods) 20-5,  (F 5:12)

190

1st: Morgan Congo (Morris) 28-6,  d. Zyon Jordan (Plainfield C) 11-6,  (F 1:31)

3rd: Bailey Herr (Putnam County) 4-1,  d. Gracie VanQuakebeke (Washington) 15-7,  (F 0:00)

235

1st: Juliana Thrush (Ottawa) 30-4,  d. Marley Clark (Richwoods) 23-7,  (F 1:24)

3rd: Ella Irwin (Putnam County) 4-1,  d. Natalie Quiroz (Joliet (West) 31-5,  (F 0:00)

CIVIC MEMORIAL REGIONAL

Edwardsville ran away with its second consecutive team regional title at Civic Memorial, posting 239 points thanks to 11 sectional qualifiers. Collinsville (135) placed second, followed by Triad (94), Cahokia (87), and Granite City (87) to round out the top five team finishes in the 31-team field.

1st place: Edwardsville (239 points)
Winning individual regional titles for coach Jon Wagner were Emma Rogers (35-4 at 100), Genevieve Dykstra (30-8 at 110) and Vickie White (26-3 at 190), plus seconds from Allie Chong (120), Brooklyn Alldredge (125), Holly Zugmaier 135) and Lydia Blind (140), a third from Gianna Linhorst (115), and fourths from Maddy Allen (105), Olive Linhorst (130) and Aubrey DeWerff (155).

“We had a great semifinal round, getting eight to advance,” Edwardsville coach Jon Wagner said. “It’s exciting for the girls team to have eleven girls continuing their season.”


2nd place: Collinsville (135)

The Kahoks got individual titles from Londyn Long (32-5 at 120), Addyson Bailey (27-10 at 130), Taylor Dawson (29-3 at 140) and Tashieya Taylor (29-8 at 145), and a fourth from Emma Ford (110).

3rd place: Triad (94)

The Knights got thirds from sectional qualifiers Claire Crouch (100), Cloe Graumenz (120) and Harmony Martin (145).

Individual champions:
Other regional champions at Civic Memorial were Roxana’s Chloe Skiles (35-5 at 105), Carbondale’s Delaney Measimer (25-3 at 115), Murphysboro’s Gabby Mason (18-4 at 125), Granite City’s Audrey Barnes (29-6 at 135), Freeburg’s Grace Stratton (24-9 at 155), Highland’s August Rottman (29-1 at 170) and Cahokia’s Kamryn Brown (11-7 at 235).

Team scores:
Edwardsville 239, Collinsville 135, Triad 94, Cahokia 87, Granite City 87, Freeburg 83, Belleville West 78, Marion 78, Civic Memorial 63, Roxana 58.5, Waterloo 55.5, Murphysboro 53.5, Carbondale 52, O’Fallon 42, Frankfort 41, Highland 34, Mascoutah 30, Anna-Jonesboro 23, Carterville 23, Benton 21, Johnston City 21, Trico 19, Red Bud 17, Goreville 14, Belleville East 12, Alton 10, Breese Central 10, Dupo 9, Pinckneyville 8, East St. Louis 4, Sparta 0

PLACE MATCHES OF SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advanced)

100

1st: Emma Rogers (Edwardsville) 35-4,  d. Madelyn Murphy (Roxana) 26-13, . (Dec 9-2)

3rd: Claire Crouch (Triad) 18-5,  d. Nikolette Ronketto (Frankfort) 19-5,  (F 2:41)

105

1st: Chloe Skiles (Roxana) 35-5, . d. Zoee Sadler (A.-Jonesboro) 39-9,  (Dec 3-0)

3rd: Brielle Becker (Freeburg) 17-7,  d. Maddy Allen (Edwardsville) 10-12,  (MD 9-0)

110

1st: Genevieve Dykstra (Edwardsville) 30-8,  d. Jala Singleton (Belleville W) 19-10,  (Dec 12-7)

3rd: Ma`Kayla Bonner (Granite City) 7-2,  d. Emma Ford (Collinsville) 22-15,  (F 3:39)

115

1st: Delaney Measimer (Carbondale) 25-3, d. Kendall Moss-Smith (Civic Mem) 29-8,  (MD 14-6)

3rd: Gianna Linhorst (Edwardsville) 29-9,  d. Aubrey Rutmanis (Freeburg) 21-13,  (F 0:47)

120

1st: Londyn Long (Collinsville) 32-5,  d. Allie Chong (Edwardsville) 22-12,  (F 0:42)

3rd: Cloe Graumenz (Triad) 15-7,  d. Sophia Bechelli (Frankfort) 18-5,  (F 3:48)

125

1st: Gabby Mason (Murphysboro) 18-4,  d. Brooklyn Alldredge (Edwardsville) 23-13,  (F 2:47)

3rd: Lucy Baldwin (Waterloo) 13-10,  d. Nyla Bryant (Cahokia) 7-9,  (F 2:55)

130

1st: Addyson Bailey (Collinsville) 27-10,  d. Te`Aja Young (Cahokia) 16-5,  (F 3:00)

3rd: Alicia Dominguez (Civic Mem) 22-12,  d. Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville) 27-9,  (F 0:58)

135

1st: Audrey Barnes (Granite City) 29-6,  d. Holly Zugmaier (Edwardsville) 34-5,  (F 2:44)

3rd: Scarlett Gentille (O`Fon) 20-3,  d. Joelene Nappier-Feth (Marion) 20-11,  (F 1:18)

140

1st: Taylor Dawson (Collinsville) 29-3,  d. Lydia Blind (Edwardsville) 25-12,  (F 1:45)

3rd: Jacee Mardirosian (Carterville) 15-7,  d. Aubrey Raban (Freeburg) 11-6,  (F 4:23)

145 

1st: Tashieya Taylor (Collinsville) 29-8,  d. Kyla Ford (Carbondale) 18-6,  (MD 11-3)

3rd: Harmony Martin (Triad) 8-3,  d. Audrey Whipple (Civic Mem) 21-12,  (F 1:47)

155

1st: Grace Stratton (Freeburg) 24-9,  d. Kira Thompson (O`Fon) 20-3,  (F 1:15)

3rd: Nahima Mateo (Murphysboro) 19-4,  d. Abbrey DeWerff (Edwardsville) 16-5,  (Inj. 0:01)

170

1st: August Rottmann (Highland) 29-1,  d. Demi Barnes (Granite City) 27-5,  (Inj. 0:10)

3rd: Ju`Bri Edwards (Belleville W) 22-6,  d. Janylah Holman (Cahokia) 16-6,  (F 1:46)

190

1st: Vickie White (Edwardsville) 26-3,  d. Izabell McBride (Waterloo) 14-10,  (F 2:48)

3rd: Maddie Ramaker (Campbell Hill (Trico) 10-3,  d. krista McBride (Goreville) 24-5,  (MD 14-6)

235

1st: Kamryn Brown (Cahokia) 11-7,  d. Olivia McDermott (Marion) 22-7,  (F 2:17)

3rd: Kiowa Quillen (Johnston City) 7-9,  d. Andre`a Kirkpatrick (Belleville W) 17-11,  (F 1:58)

MT. ZION REGIONAL

The 20-team Mt. Zion Regional saw Springfield Co-op take the title, 148-104, courtesy of seven girls who reached the regional title mat and two who wrestled for third place in Mt. Zion. Vandalia (96.5) placed third, followed by Mt. Vernon (53) and Cumberland (46) to round out the top five team finishes.

1st place: Springfield Co-op (148)
Senators coach Sean Kenny got individual regional titles from Madison Bradley (17-10 at 120), Ariella Miloncus (19-6 at 130), and Maya Bennett (16-13 at 155). Placing second were Phoenix Criss (105), Reaghan Madura (110), Crishonna Seals (190) and Paighton Bell (235), and Springfield got a third from Meredith Gumz (115) and a fourth-place finish from Lily Walden (125).


2nd place: Glenwood (104)

Glenwood coach Garrad Straube’s Titans advanced six girls to the sectional, in regional champions Kadi Wilbern (27-2 at 105) and second-placers Olivia Jarrett (120), Kenzi Milestone (130), Isabella Resendez (135) and Jenna Tuxhorn (145).

3rd place: Vandalia (96.5)

Vandalia had five sectional qualifiers for coach Jason Clay, led by individual regional champions Sophie Bowers (35-0 at 125), Violet Gray (12-14 at 190), and Gracey Simmons (17-8 at 235), plus second-placer Brynn Swyers (170) and third-placer Amelia Watterson (140).

Individual champions:
Others winning individual titles at Mt. Zion were Mt. Vernon’s Lily Davis (14-7 at 100), Litchfield’s Rilynn Younker (36-10 at 110), Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon (7-0 at 115), Carlinville’s Samantha Scott (8-1 at 135), Unity Christian’s Lillien Roughton (9-3 at 140), and Cumberland’s Natalie Beaumont (24-2 at 145) and Summer Nichols (18-2 at 170).

Team scores:
Sprinfield Co-op 148, Glenwood 104, Vandalia 96.5, Mt. Vernon 53, Cumberland 46, Mattoon 41, Mt. Zion 40, Robinson 40, Litchfield 35.5, Jersey 27, Carlinville 26, Hillsboro 26, Unity Christian 24, Charleston 23, Salem 22, Rochester 20, Lawrenceville 18, PORTA 14, North Mac 13, Eisenhower 10

PLACE MATCHES OF SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advanced)

100

1st: Lily Davis (Mt. Vernon) 14-7,  d. Ariel Sipes (PORTA) 1-1,  (F 0:38)

3rd: Serenity canady (Robinson) 12-12,  d. Sophia Mundy (Mattoon) 3-9,  (F 3:16)

105

1st: Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) 27-2,  d. Phoenix Criss (Springfield Coop) 12-5,  (F 2:58)

3rd: Josselyn Allen (Jerseyville (Jersey) 6-11,  d. Anna Osborn (Robinson) 0-17,  (F 0:30)

110

1st: Rilynn Younker (Litchfield) 36-10,  d. Reaghan Madura (Springfield Coop) 21-6,  (F 1:05)

3rd: Carlly Ho (Rochester) 24-8,  d. Rylee Rogers (Hillsboro) 9-11,  (F 0:33)

115

1st: Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion) 7-0,  d. Delaney Ledbetter (Lawrenceville) 21-8, . (F 1:46)

3rd: Meredith Gumz (Springfield Coop) 16-8,  d. Ashley Ronan (North Mac) 14-9,  (F 1:01)

120

1st: Madison Springfield Coop) 17-10,  d. Olivia Jarrett (Glenwood) 10-11,  (F 1:07)

3rd: Morgan Krone-Smallhorn (Charleston) 10-6,  d. Deziare Jones (Mt. Vernon) 14-8,  (F 0:52)

125

1st: Sophie Bowers (Vandalia) 35-0,  d. Leonie Dubson (Mattoon) 12-4,  (TF 1:12 (17-1)

3rd: Maryn Tarver (Hillsboro) 6-4, . d. Lily Walden (Springfield Coop) 5-13,  (F 0:28)

130

1st: Ariella Miloncus (Springfield Coop) 19-6,  d. kenzi Milestone (Glenwood) 24-11,  (F 2:00)

3rd: Alena Warren (Eisenhower) 3-8, . d. () , . (Bye)

135 

1st: Samantha Scott (Carlinville) 8-1,  d. Isabella Resendez (Glenwood) 24-9,  (MD 8-0)

3rd: Charlie Bono (Litchfield) 14-24,  d. Rachel Richey (Robinson) 11-19,  (TF 2:34 (17-0)

140 

1st: Lillien Roughton (Unity Christian) 9-3,  d. Daniya Musgrave (Mt. Vernon) 18-10,  (F 0:37)

3rd: Amelia Watterson (Vandalia) 22-16,  d. Alana Finney (Salem) 9-6,  (F 1:38)

145

1st: Natalie Beaumont (Cumberland) 24-2,  d. Jenna Tuxhorn (Glenwood) 27-2,  (Dec 1-0)

3rd: Jessica Toomey (Mt. Zion) 9-2,  d. Adrieauna Dodson (Salem) 9-6,  (F 1:29)

155

1st: Maya Bennett (Springfield Coop) 16-13,  d. Rory Speidel (Jerseyville (Jersey) 20-10,  (F 1:11)

3rd: Elsie Dozier (Glenwood) 17-15,  d. Macee Hammond (Robinson) 24-12,  (M. For.)

170

1st: Summer Nichols (Cumberland) 18-2,  d. Brynn Swyers (Vandalia) 26-10,  (F 2:44)

3rd: Brooklyn Fuller (Mattoon) 6-4,  d. Ariel Clayton (Robinson) 7-5,  (F 1:43)

190

1st: Violet Gray (Vandalia) 12-14,  d. Crishonna Seals (Springfield Coop) 3-9,  (F 1:46)

235 

1st: Gracey Simmons (Vandalia) 17-8,  d. Paighton Bell (Springfield Coop) 1-8,  (F 0:39)

3rd: Olivia Rosine (Charleston) 4-3, (Bye)

Warren girls snare regional crown at Round Lake

By Mike Garofola – for the IWCOA

Warren is now a double-crown winner in the last two weeks with its victory at the Round Lake regional, one week after lifting the championship trophy at the Lake County Invite.

The Blue Devils finished the first day of play with a solid advantage over tourney host Round Lake and New Trier, then on the second day slowly pulled away from the field on their way to amassing 173.0 total points, 54 more than second-place Round Lake and its 119.0

New Trier was third overall (116.5) followed closely by Antioch (114.0) and reigning state champion Lakes Community with its 112.0 points.

“(Team) effort is what led to us winning our regional title,” began a proud Warren coach Nick Grujanac, who will lead eight of his wrestlers into the New Trier Sectional in two weeks.

Round Lake and New Trier advanced four, along with Highland Park and Zion-Benton, while Lakes Community will have five at sectionals.

“The great thing about this team is they all wrestle for each – filling roles and spots where we’ve needed them to do so,” continued Grujanac, who wrestled for Shane Cook at Stevenson, before going on to play football at Wabash College.

“Obviously we were very happy that Erin (Bush) won at 170, it was a really good effort from her to get a big win for herself and the team.

“We also have several first-year wrestlers who have come through for us lately, with the entire team coming through with big-time bonus points, regardless of where they finished in their weight class.”

The Blue Devils would record a tourney-high 23 pins overall, and a whopping 223 total match points to help them secure the first regional title in program history.

It’s important to mention the Panthers tournament staff did a wonderful job of keeping things moving at a constant and steady pace all throughout – which would include an exciting final session on two mats centered in the middle of the gym to allow maximum viewing for the big crowd on hand.

Here are the regional champions and sectional qualifiers from the Round Lake Regional:

100 – Riley Kongkaeow, Round Lake

The wide, ear-to-ear  smile said it all for Riley Kongkaeow after the Round Lake star heard the final whistle for her 100-pound final.

“To win a regional title – my first ever – here in our home gym is something I will always remember,” said a thrilled Kongkaeow, who celebrated her 40th win (40-2, 26 pins) on the with a 19-8 major decision victory over talented freshman Leah Stringfellow (22-4) from Glenbrook North.

“I was second here a year ago, so this means so much to me, our program and coaching staff to win a regional title, but the work never stops after this,” added the Panthers junior, a state qualifier last season with a 33-5 record.

This season, Kongkaeow has won at Maine East, Sally Berman, and most recently the Lake County Invite.

Sectional qualifiers Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier) was third and Ester Migues-Gaytan  (Grayslake North) was fourth.

105 – Londyn Lloyd, Antioch

Londyn Lloyd has taken on her 105-pound opponents and not looked back.

The Antioch sophomore, who entered the Lake County Invite a week ago with a 9-10 overall record, would emerge from that tournament with a championship bracket, and proceed to add another terrific two-day effort.

Lloyd (11-10) used an impressive tech fall (4:40) victory over New Trier’s Isabella Castro to claim the biggest prize of the season for the Sequoits’ regional champion.

“I was really beginning to doubt myself after not having a lot of success, but I guess everything would begin to click for me when I decided to just go for it out there with an aggressive, attacking style of wrestling,” said Lloyd, with a big smile.

Off the opening whistle, Lloyd recorded a takedown, then a near-fall just 30 seconds into the contest. She continued to add points along the way before reaching a 16-1 advantage.

“It feels good knowing that hard work can eventually pay off, but I still have a lot of work ahead of me if I want to make it to state,” Lloyd said.

Jasmine Medina (Zion-Benton) was third and Natasha Flores (Warren) placed fourth to become sectional qualifiers.

110 – Lola Bianco, New Trier

New Trier senior Lola Bianco credits two very important persons for her success this season, which has led to back-to-back championship efforts, including a wonderful two days here en route to the first regional title of her career.

Bianco (24-5) would roar past the competition at 115 pounds, including a pin at 3:56 in her final with Haven Sylves from Lakes Community.

“There is no doubt that our new head coach (Andrew Ortman) has provided a real positive impact in our room, and for me. He has really helped me improve with my confidence,” began Bianco, who will wrestle in the fall at Carthage College.

“(Ortman) has been great, but I am also very fortunate to have a teammate like Jillian (Giller) who is someone that has so much wrestling knowledge, and is someone who I can lean on for a variety of things.”

Bianco won at Maine East earlier in the season, then needed just under six minutes to record a trio of pins to capture a CSL title a week ago.

Haven Sylves (Lakes Community) was runner-up, Hanna Lee (Vernon Hills) third, and Bella Esparza (Deerfield) fourth.

115 – Harlee Hiller, Loyola Academy

The big crowd here would be treated to another brilliant performance from Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller, who proved once again why she is the top rated 115-pounder in the state, and No. 6 in the most recent national polls.

The senior brushed opponents aside in break-neck speed, needing under three minutes to register a pin and two tech falls to easily win the regional title.

“At this point in the season, my focus is on keeping my fitness and cardio at its highest, staying mentally sharp, dictating the pace in my matches, and above all staying healthy,” said Hiller (20-1) after her tech fall of No. 6 Ireland McCain from Round Lake (40-5), who recently claimed her 100th career victory.

“My technique, pace and fitness is so important to me, but even with that, health is so important and right now I feel so much better than I did last year at this time coming off a dislocated elbow,” recounted Hiller.

That Hiller was able to finish second overall last season to Glenbard North’s Gabby Gomez at 115 speaks volumes of her metal after clearly not being a hundred percent due to her elbow injury.

Hiller was the 2023 105-pound state champion, and third-place state medalist at 105 in 2022.

Sectional qualifiers Aaliyah Vazquez (Warren) was third and Osmairi Medina (Lakes Community) was fourth.

120 – Ariella Dobin, Glenbrook North

Ask Ariella Dobin what provided the motivation for an offseason training regimen that would fuel a long and successful postseason run, and with a twinkle in her eye and a wry smile, the affable Glenbrook North star quickly responds:

“That one-point loss at state last year for third place.”

Dobin, now a dazzling 39-1 on the season, put the finishing touches on her second straight regional title here in Round Lake, and further confirmed her ranking at No. 4 in the state.

“I lost 6-5 in my third place match (to Norah Swaim of Edwardsville) and that was all the inspiration I needed to put more extra time into my training to help me prepare for this year,” said Dobin.

“My confidence is so much better than a year ago, and I am much more aggressive with my attacks and shots, I’ve put a lot of time in and out of the room to become a 12-month wrestler,” added Dobin, following her pin (1:04) of Lake County Invite champion Mary Minogue (9-1) from Libertyville.

Last July, Dobin earned All-American honors after her sixth place finish in 16U freestyle competition.

Alyssa Bentley (Warren) was third and Mirabelle Duboef (Lake Forest) was fourth.

125 – Gianna Arzer, Grayslake Central

Gianna Arzer continues to make her mark on the 125-pound landscape with her clinical finishing, infectious approach to the sport, and terrific technique and ability to pry open her opponents on a consistent basis.

The Grayslake Central junior easily went through to her championship bout, with a trio of pins that would require all but 4:42 minutes, including a pin at 1:41 over junior Karina Lojowski (24-5) from Stevenson.

“There’s always a bit of a challenge when you face an opponent three times in a season, we both know what to expect of each other – but for me – it was all about being confident in with what I do best, and just taking control of the match right from the start,” said Arzer, No. 4 in the state.

The affable Arzer (39-4) admits to having the perfect mentor on her side in former Grayslake Central star and two-time state champion Matty Jens, now wrestling at the University of Wisconsin.

“Matty is like a big brother,” Arzer said. “When he’s home, we train together, and he’s just a huge influence in my approach to wrestling, the mindset I need to be in to compete at a high level, and just someone that I can lean on for just about everything in the sport.”

CSL champion Riley Moore (Highland Park) finished third, and Dylyah Patterson (Antioch) was fourth overall.

130 – Emily Ortiz, Zion-Benton

Zion-Benton’s No. 6 Emily Ortiz (33-5) made quick work of all three of her rivals, pinning her way to earn her second consecutive regional crown.

The Zee-Bees junior used all of 2:43 minutes to dash the hopes of her opponents, much to the delight of head coach Hal Lunsford.

“Emily is showing so much more patience this year,” Lunsford said. “Plus she has improved tremendously with taking more angle shots, which has helped open up her attack, and find other ways to score take-downs.”

“I feel a lot more confident this year compared to last year,” admitted Ortiz who won at the Sally Berman and, more recently, the Lake County Invite where she won an 11-5 decision over Jane Kelly from Warren (35-10). Ortiz put forth another wonderful effort in the final with Kelly, which led to a pin at 1:35.

“Last year I put a lot of pressure on myself, but I feel so much better about all parts of my game, so my goal is to get downstate, and do some great things there,” Ortiz said.

Sectional qualifier CC Brubaker (Deerfield) was third, and Bree Hirsch (Lake Forest) finished fourth.

135- Brianna Perez, Round Lake

The look on the face of Riley Kongkaeow was without equal, but the look of sheer joy on the face of Round Lake’s Brianna Perez after her stunning pin over Alyson Alvarenga to give the home side its second regional crown, and Perez’ first major title was priceless.

Admittedly in trouble in the opening stages of the second period after Alvarenga (21-12) went up 5-3. The Grayslake North junior rode Perez with terrific force and energy, all the while having total control of her both wrists.

“I was in big trouble, and I knew it. She was riding me hard and she was looking to turn me,” recounted Perez, still fighting back the tears of joy after her dramatic ending in this 135-pound final.

Perez (30-14) found a way to execute a reversal to level things at 5-5 with 30 seconds remaining, before a quick move led to putting Alvarenga onto her back.

“Everything happened so fast after my reversal, I knew I had to do my best to finish her off for good, and not go to the third period,” added Perez.

“Last year I lost almost 20 matches, and this year there have been a lot of third, fourth and fifth place finishes, so it feels great right now to win regionals, and in my home gym.”

Elise Kaylor (Lakes Community) finished third and Isabel Hilinski (Stevenson) was fourth.

140 – Jillian Giller, New Trier

The 2024-2025 season has seen Jillian Giller cement herself among the elite in the state at 140, and one whose lethal attack, ability to finish, defend and add points at a rapid pace have taken the New Trier star to another level.

“Jillian is such a student of the sport, her work ethic, and desire to (be) better is what sets her apart from others this season,” said Trevians first-year head coach Andrew Ortman.

“My confidence has never been better (this) year I go into each match expecting to win, which I can attribute to coach Ortman, who is easily the best coach I’ve ever been associated with,” says Giller, following her third-straight pin on the day, this one coming at the expense of Grace Johnson (35-6) from Zion-Benton.

“(Ortman) brings a real presence into the room, he pays so much attention to the little things and (from) the notes he takes, we go ‘live’ (then) to work on the little things, and that has really made me a better wrestler, as well as the rest of the girls,” continued the Trevians senior, who was a state qualifier a year ago with a 33-6 overall record.

The No. 4 rated Giller (42-1), who recently collected her 100th career victory on Senior Night, will wrestle in the fall at Illinois Wesleyan.

Miranda Tellez (Grayslake Central) was third and Sasha Johnson (Antioch) was fourth overall.

145- Naomi Foote, Zion-Benton

In another intense Naomi Foote-Kennedy Murray 145-pound final Saturday, it would be No. 2 Foote from Zion-Benton claiming a third hard-fought victory over her terrific opponent from Evanston.

Twice before these two combatants played it close to the vest with Foote holding off the CSL champion each time, the most recent with a 4-0 decision in the Sally Berman final.

Foote-Murray III would be no different.

After a scoreless opening period, Murray (23-4) would choose down, which allowed Foote (34-1) to ride her talented opponent for two hard minutes.

Foote would begin the third period on bottom, from which she escaped, the record a well-l executed takedown with 30 seconds from time that proved enough in a 4-0 triumph.

“(Murray) is athletic, and long, Naomi can match her length, but was smart and composed, and never got frustrated when Murray did not want to get into a high scoring match,” said Z-B head coach Hal Lunsford.

“All of our matches have been the same way, she is difficult to get in on, and she is really defensive, so I’ve had to learn to be patient and just take what is there, and not (to) force anything,” opined Foote, who was a 2024 state qualifier with a 39-11 overall record.

Christina Hasner (Lakes Community) finished third and Tyanna Jackson (Warren) took fourth.

155- Dana Holt, Highland Park

Dana Holt would take little time to establish who the favorite would be in this weight class, opening with a pin, followed by another in less than 35 seconds to send the Highland Park sophomore into the 155-pound final against Lake County Invite runner-up Ashley Fugelseth from Warren, where she won with a fall in 1:20.

“Last year I really did not have much success, so since I didn’t want to have another year like (that) I just worked my butt off during the offseason, and now I see how all of that work is beginning to pay off,” said Holt, now 24-3 overall, with 16 of her 20 pins coming in the first period.

“Dana has put more work in a year into this sport than any athlete I’ve directly coached,” begins Giants head coach Kaleb Carter.

“She sustained a freak injury last season at a competition in Evanston (which) forced her to miss the CSL tourney, and the postseason, but she has been driven for over a year by that inability to finish last season.”

“Her effort(s) in the weight room have put her physically in a place that is hard to match up to, and there are few girls who are more committed to making themselves better than her.”

Mma Akela (Loyola Academy) finished third and Natalie Rumpel (Deerfield) was fourth.

170- Erin Bush, Warren

The sweet smell of success has encaptured Erin Bush to the point where the Warren sophomore is ready to enjoy plenty more in the weeks ahead.

Bush has spent little time on the mats during the last two weekends, just under 6 1/2 minutes to be exact, during that time she has outmatched her competition.

Most recently at the Lake County Invite where she pinned her way to victory, and again, here in Round Lake where a trio of pins in 3:52, Bush (30-7) claimed her first regional title of her career.

“I’m having a good time right now, and I feel like it will continue this way for the next couple of weeks,” said the Blue Devils star, who has recorded six pins in the last two weekends to help her club carry off the team trophy.

“I feel like I am one of the hardest workers around, and all of that hard work is beginning to pay off,” continued Bush, who has an extensive background in the sport of judo.

Bush needed just 1:18 to pin top-seed Julissa Az from Mather (29-5) in the final, after a pin at 1:55 over Nancy Licona from Round Lake in the semifinals. Bush defeated Licona in her Lake County Invite final.

Dorothy Perez (Highland Park) beat Licona for third place.

190 – Josie Larson, Lakes Community

Josie Larson was just being Josie Larson, according to Lake Community head coach Mark Stave.

“Josie is Josie,” begins Stave. “She is a great teammate, great leader, and a really great wrestler.”

The top rated 190-pounder in the state, who also happens to be No. 2 in the nation, cut a swath through her bracket on her way to her regional title. She won by fall in 0:54 over Josie Blau of Antioch in the 190 title match. 

Larson claimed second place at 190 in the 2024 IHSA Finals to Zion-Benton’s ILeen Castrejon after taking fifth at 190 in 2023.

“It’s all about working hard, being humble and using your time wisely in order to stay sharp, fit and doing all the little things in order to be prepared for each opponent you face,” said Larson, now 22-0 on the season, with 22 first-period pins.

“Being No. 1 in the state, and No. 2 in the country means nothing, what’s important is to respect each opponent, and to be prepared for each one that I face.”

Lexi Rosenthal (Highland Park) took third and Fatima Gomez (Evanston) was fourth.

235- Allison Poole, Grayslake North

If there were an eight day week, Allison Poole would find a way to fill that extra day with an activity or organization to belong to.

Luckily for Grayslake North wrestling, the sophomore can find the time to shine as the Lady Knights’ 235-pounder.

The sophomore pinned her way to her first regional crown, and second in program history after Quinna Sheets did so here a year ago. She captured the 235 title with a pin in 1:17 over Rim Ayouchi of Taft.

“I did okay last season, but I realized if I want to be better (there) was a lot of work that I needed to (do) in order to compete at a higher level,” said Poole, now 22-7.

Poole, who won a Lake County Invite title last weekend, began to train with Josie Larson at her club, and the time spent with the Lakes Community star has paid immediate dividends.

How Poole is able to do what she does is quite amazing in that she throws (shot put, discus) for her track and field team, is on the debate team, drumline, Boy Scouts, and several other activities too long to mention.

Jereni Marshall (Evanston) placed third and Kaylee Farias (Warren) finished fourth.

Place matches for the Round Lake Regional

100 

1st: Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake) 40-2, Jr. over Leah Stringfellow (Glenbrook N) 22-4, Fr. (MD 19-8)

3rd: Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier) 21-13, So. over Ester Migues-Gaytan (Grayslake N) 21-13, So. (F 4:37)

105

1st: Londyn Lloyd (Antioch) 11-10, So. over Isabella Castro (New Trier) 18-15, So. (TF-1.5 4:40 (16-1)

3rd: Jasmine Medina (Z.-Benton) 19-10, Fr. over Natasha Flores (Warren) 11-18, So. (F 2:33)

110

1st: Lola Bianco (New Trier) 24-5, Sr. over Haven Sylves (Lakes) 15-8, Sr. (F 3:56)

3rd: Hanna Lee (Vernon Hills) 21-8, Jr. over Bella Esparza (Deerfield) 14-11, Jr. (F 1:01)

115

1st: Harlee Hiller (Loyola Academy) 20-1, Sr. over Ireland McCain (Round Lake) 40-5, Sr. (TF-1.5 1:09 (20-5)

3rd: Aaliyah Vazquez (Warren) 28-8, So. over Osmairi Medina (Lakes) 22-16, So. (F 1:12)

120

1st: Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook N) 39-1, So. over Mary Minogue (Libertyville) 9-1, So. (F 1:04)

3rd: Alyssa Bentley (Warren) 33-11, Sr. over Mirabelle Duboeuf (Lake Forest) 15-12, So. (F 1:33)

125

1st: Gianna Arzer (Grayslake (Central) 39-4, Jr. over Karina Lojowski (Stevenson) 24-5, Jr. (F 1:41)

3rd: Riley Moore (Highland Park) 21-7, So. over Dylylah Patterson (Antioch) 20-14, So. (TF-1.5 2:33 (17-1)
130

1st: Emily Ortiz (Z.-Benton) 33-5, Jr. over Jane Kelly (Warren) 35-10, Jr. (F 1:35)

3rd: CC Brubaker (Deerfield) 15-8, Sr. over Bree Hirsch (Lake Forest) 29-13, . (F 4:43)

135

1st: Brianna Perez (Round Lake) 30-14, Sr. over Alyson Alvarenga (Grayslake N) 21-12, Jr. (F 3:36)

3rd: Elise Kaylor (Lakes) 21-11, So. over Isabel Hilinski (Stevenson) 12-14, Fr. (F 2:21)

140

1st: Jillian Giller (New Trier) 42-1, Sr. over Grace Johnson (Z.-Benton) 35-6, Sr. (F 1:55)

3rd: Miranda Tellez (Grayslake (Central) 23-13, Fr. over Sasha Johnson (Antioch) 19-19, So. (F 5:53)

145

1st: Naomi Foote (Z.-Benton) 34-1, Sr. over Kennedy Murray (Evanston) 23-4, Sr. (Dec 4-0)

3rd: Christina Hasner (Lakes) 29-13, Jr. over Tyanna Jackson (Warren) 17-7, Fr. (Dec 3-2)

155

1st: Dana Holt (Highland Park) 24-3, So. over Ashley Fugelseth (Warren) 23-16, Sr. (F 1:20)

3rd: Mma Akela (Loyola Academy) 11-4, Jr. over Natalie Rumpel (Deerfield) 15-9, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:15 (20-3)

170

1st: Erin Bush (Warren) 30-7, So. over Julissa Az (Mather) 29-5, Jr. (F 1:18)

3rd: Dorothy Perez (Highland Park) 15-7, Jr. over Nancy Licona (Round Lake) 12-6, Fr. (F 5:53)

190

1st: Josephine Larson (Lakes) 22-0, Sr. over Josie Blau (Antioch) 21-17, Fr. (F 0:54)

3rd: Lexi Rosenthal (Highland Park) 15-5, So. over Fatima Gomez (Evanston) 12-14, Jr. (F 2:48)

235

1st: Allison Poole (Grayslake N) 22-7, So. over Rim Ayouchi (Taft) 2-1, . (F 1:17)

3rd: Jereni Marshall (Evanston) 10-10, Sr. over Kaylee Farias (Warren) 20-14, Sr. (F 2:37)

Team scores

1 Warren 173.0,  2. Round Lake 119.0, 3. New Trier 116.5,  4. Antioch 114.0, 5. Lakes Community 112.0, 6. Zion-Benton 102.0, 7. Highland Park 82.5, 8. Evanston 69.0, 9. Grayslake North 68.0, 9. Stevenson 68.0, 11. Deerfield 63.0, 12. Glenbrook North 54.0, 13. Loyola Academy 52.0, 14. Grayslake Central 50.0, 15. Taft 48.0, 16. Mather 46.0, 17. Vernon Hills 40.0, 18. Lake Forest 31.5, 19. Libertyville 25.0, 20. Mundelein 20.0, 21. Niles West 12.0, 22. Waukegan 10.0, 23. Niles North 6.0, 24. Carmel Catholic, Glenbrook South, North Chicago 0.0.

Boys roundup: Western Big 6, South 7, Southland, NIC-10, CPL, Chicagoland Prairie

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

WESTERN BIG 6

This year’s Western Big 6 tournament at Sterling was the last for long-time Geneseo coach and IWCOA Hall of Famer Jon Murray, who is stepping aside after the current season after 24 years as the Maple Leafs head coach.

Murray’s boys made it count, posting 240 team points to win the tournament and send their coach off in style.

“It was nice to regain the WB6 title and end my head coaching career on top of the conference,” Murray said.

Murray guided his program to second-place finishes in the Illinois 2A dual team state finals in 2013 and 2014, and a fourth-place finish in 2023. He was named Illinois 2A Coach of the Year by the IWCOA in 2013 and inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2023.

The veteran coach will miss it when he’s gone but feels good about the program he’s leaving behind.


“Coaching has given me the opportunity to establish great relationships with not only the wrestlers over the years, but my co-coaches, local community members, and the wrestling community all throughout Illinois,” Murray said. “I do feel the time is right, however. Turns out I’m not getting any younger while at the same time I feel confident the program will be in good hands. A few of our assistant coaches, any of which would make a great head coach, will be applying for the position. And they will be taking over with plenty of great kids coming up the ranks.”

Fifth-ranked 2A Geneseo had five individual conference champions Saturday, five second-place finishers, and three thirds. Quincy (190) placed second, followed by Moline (108.5), Rock Island (106.5), Sterling (100.5), Galesburg (83.5), United (59) and Alleman (15.5).

1st place: Geneseo (240)
Coach Jon Murray’s Maple Leafs got tournament titles from Tim Sebastian (126), Malaki Jackson (150), Zachary Montez (165), Kye Weinzieri (175) and Colten Mooney (215), plus runner-up finishes from Brycen Fahnestock (106), Landen Vincent (120), Devan Hornback (138), Aaron Betcher (190) and Owen King (285), and thirds from Kie Smith (132), Lincoln Barnett (144) and Grady Hull (157).

2nd place: Quincy (190)

The Blue Devils got a trio of individual conference titles from Clayton McClelland (113), Cooper Kamm (138) and King Johnson (285), seconds from Cale Mixer (144), Eli Roberts (150) and Brody Baker (157), thirds from Griffin Finch (106), Wyatt Boeing (126), Gunnar Derhake (165) and Alex Wells (190), and fourths from Derik Lohmeyer (120) and Evan Wakefield (132).

3rd place: Moline (108.5)

The Maroons got second-place finishes from David McDermott (113), Housseyn Ndiaye (132) and DeAnthony Simpson (175), thirds from Collin Ledbetter (120) and Alijah Martin (215), and fourths from Ian Milligan (106), Jaxson Soliz (165) and Stanlee Golden (190).

Individual champions:
Others winning Western Big 6 titles were Rock Island’s Angelo Parker (106), Merrick Stockwell (120), Antonio Parker (144) and Rowan Stockwell (190), Sterling’s Zyan Westbrook (132), and United’s Kayden Marolf (157).

Individual leaders:
Sterling’s Gage Tate posted the most pins (3) in the least time (5:53), and teammate Evan Jones had the fastest F, at 13 seconds. Moline’s Collin Ledbetter had the most tech Fs (2) in the least time (6:05) and teammate Jaxson Soliz posted the fastest tech F, at 2:00.

Quincy’s Cooper Kamm and Geneseo’s Colten Mooney tied for the most team point scored, with 24, and United’s Ramadane Gani scored the most single match points with 25. Moline’s Stanlee Golden scored the most total match points with 50, and Geneseo’s Kie Smith provided the largest seed-place difference as the No. 8 seed finished third at 132 pounds.

WESTERN BIG 6 TOURNAMENT RESULTS:

106

1st: Angelo Parker (Rock Island) 26-11, d. Brycen Fahnestock (Geneseo) 16-19,  (MD 12-4)

3rd: Griffin Finch (Quincy) 17-22, d. Ian Milligan (Moline) 6-5,  (F 1:12)

113

1st: Clayton McClelland (Quincy) 29-14, d. David McDermott (Moline) 12-11,  (F 1:23)

3rd: Tennyson Hampton (Alleman) 28-7, d. Landon Henson (United) 2-2,  (Inj. 2:21)

120

1st: Merrick Stockwell (Rock Island) 23-9, d. Landen Vincent (Geneseo) 19-7,  (D 1-0)

3rd: Collin Ledbetter (Moline) 26-13, d. Derik Lohmeyer (Quincy) 23-19,  (D 13-6)

126

1st: Tim Sebastian (Geneseo) 24-15, d. Cael Lyons (Sterling) 26-8,  (F 1:41)

3rd: Wyatt Boeing (Quincy) 27-13, d. Maricio Parker (Rock Island) 21-15,  (D 15-10)

132

1st: Zyan Westbrook (Sterling) 29-2, d. Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline) 16-9,  (F 3:06)

3rd: Kie Smith (Geneseo) 12-6, d. Evan Wakefield (Quincy) 24-17,  (F 2:55)

138

1st: Cooper Kamm (Quincy) 28-15, d. Devan Hornback (Geneseo) 32-6,  (F 3:34)

3rd: Orlando Castellano (Galesburg) 28-13, d. Xavier Marolf (United) 2-2,  (MD 20-9)

144

1st: Antonio Parker (Rock Island) 34-4, d. Cale Mixer (Quincy) 22-15,  (F 2:45)

3rd: Lincoln Barnett (Geneseo) 17-16, d. Caleb Johnson (Galesburg) 23-14,  (D 14-11)

150

1st: Malaki Jackson (Geneseo) 22-5, d. Eli Roberts (Quincy) 23-11,  (MD 10-2)

3rd: Josiah Carter (Galesburg) 32-8, d. Ramadane Gani (United) 1-2,  (TF 4:04 (18-3)

157

1st: Kayden Marolf (United) 3-0, d. Brody Baker (Quincy) 21-10,  (D 9-2)

3rd: Grady Hull (Geneseo) 30-7, d. Tatum Allen (Sterling) 24-13,  (D 7-0)

165

1st: Zachary Montez (Geneseo) 33-0, d. Anthony Makwala (Galesburg) 33-4,  (TF 3:37 (20-4)

3rd: Gunnar Derhake (Quincy) 30-12, d. Jaxson Soliz (Moline) 24-18,  (F 2:33)

175

1st: Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo) 34-2, d. DeAnthony Simpson (Moline) 29-11,  (F 1:04)

3rd: Gage Tate (Sterling) 21-5, d. Mason Taylor (Galesburg) 29-14,  (F 3:46)

190

1st: Rowan Stockwell (Rock Island) 24-11, d. Aaron Betcher (Geneseo) 13-7,  (MD 12-2)

3rd: Alex Wells (Quincy) 25-19, d. Stanlee Golden (Moline) 4-2,  (F 3:58)

215

1st: Colten Mooney (Geneseo) 28-11, d. Charlie Reyes (Sterling) 6-5,  (F 3:05)

3rd: Alijah Martin (Moline) 16-18, d. Davis H-Akue (United) 2-2,  (D 15-8)

285

1st: King Johnson (Quincy) 29-14, d. Owen King (Geneseo) 20-3,  (TB-1 6-2)

3rd: Larry Randolph (Galesburg) 30-10, d. Oswaldo Navarro (Sterling) 14-9,  (F 4:23)

SOUTH 7 CONFERENCE DUALS

Marion repeated as South 7 champions for coach Darren Lindsey, sweeping its four duals at host Centralia. The Wildcats won 66-18 over Centralia, 65-12 over Cahokia, 57-18 over Mt. Vernon and 50-30 over Carbondale in improving to 26-4 in dual meets this season.

Going a perfect 4-0 on the day for the Wildcats were Riddick Cook (120), Max Wade (126), Caden Fry (150), Justin Murphy (157), Grayson Sanders (175), Evan Francis (190) and Bryan Madinger (215). Winning three matches for Lindsey were Rigdon Meacham (113), Jaycen McBride (138), and Tate Miller (165).

“Winning  conference was one of our team goals,” Lindsey said. “We knew we’d have a solid dual team full of experienced wrestlers, with a few holes, but I never thought they’d be as successful as they’ve been to this point.”

Carbondale was the lone team to come within 20 points of the South 7 champs. Carbondale went 3-1 on the day to place second, winning 59-21 over Centralia, 61-18 over Mt. Vernon, and 63-18 over Cahokia. Mt. Vernon went 2-2 to finish third, followed by Centralia and Cahokia.

1st place dual:

Marion 50, Carbondale 30

157 – Justin Murphy (Marion) over Tyshawn Welch (Carbondale) Maj 14-5

165 – Thomas Imboden (Carbondale) over Tate Miller (Marion) F 3:36

175 – Grayson Sanders (Marion) over Max Epplin (Carbondale) TF 24-6

190 – Evan Francis (Marion) over Dakari Westley (Carbondale) F 0:27

215 – Bryan Madinger (Marion) over Connor Daly (Carbondale) F 4:26

285 – Jordyn Lomax-Brown (Carbondale) over Logan Black (Marion) F 0:47

106 – Dajuan Anderson (Carbondale) over  (Unattached) Forf

113 – Rigdon Meacham (Marion) over Ian Holzmueller (Carbondale) F 2:19

120 – Riddick Cook (Marion) over Bradley O`dell (Carbondale) F 1:06

126 – Max Wade (Marion) over Ayden Swan (Carbondale) F 2:00

132 – Jon Oliver (Carbondale) over Juelz Elliott (Marion) F 0:32

138 – Jaycen McBride (Marion) over Xavier Toliver-Cook (Carbondale) F 0:00

144 – Joe Prideaux (Carbondale) over Nate Page (Marion) F 4:33

150 – Caden Frey (Marion) over Jon Martin (Carbondale) F 1:56

Marion’s team score was adjusted by -1.0 for unsportsmanlike 165

3rd place dual:

Mt. Vernon 48, Centralia 36

157 – Savion Williams (Mt. Vernon) over Jarred Evans (Centralia) F 1:33

165 – Esaias Jefferson (Mt. Vernon) over Joseph Hutton (Centralia) F 2:15

175 – Reed Nichols (Centralia) over  (Unattached) Forf

190 – Hunter Nichols (Centralia) over  (Unattached) Forf

215 – Titan Whitfield (Mt. Vernon) over Emmanuel Alvira (Centralia) F 0:13

285 – Bradey Starr (Centralia) over Justin Zuchowski (Mt. Vernon) F 0:11

106 – Brylan Guthrie (Centralia) over  (Unattached) Forf

113 – Jack Clark (Mt. Vernon) over  (Unattached) Forf

120 – Franc Jackson (Mt. Vernon) over Mason Smith-Marcum (Centralia) F 2:49

126 – Lucas Ashlock (Centralia) over Draven VanAvery (Mt. Vernon) F 2:50

132 – Cameron Haake (Centralia) over Silas Stachyra (Mt. Vernon) F 1:07

138 – Gavin Pedigo (Mt. Vernon) over Matix Martinez (Centralia) F 0:43

144 – Aidan Barton (Mt. Vernon) over  (Unattached) Forf

150 – Dillon White (Mt. Vernon) over Cooper Green (Centralia) F 1:20

SOUTHLAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Rich Township snared its third consecutive Southland Athletic Conference tournament crown, winning 155-139.5 over second-place Crete-Monee at host Bloom in Sauk Village, followed by Bloom (127.5), Kankakee (74.5) and Thornton (68).

Rich Township coach Alex Pell got individual SAC titles from Dominic Morton (106), Raekwon Lindsay (113), Kyrin King (120), Sean Johnson (132), and Tristin King (144), seconds from Caleeb Jones (126), Alphonso Clark (138), Torian Collins (150), and Kelcey Span (190), a third from Emmanuel Gyan (215), and fourths from Kamron Montgomery (157), Jose Rodriguez (165), and Nicholas Parker (175).

“The team has worked hard this season to grow and develop into competitive wrestlers, and it showed that our team is peaking at the right time,” Pell said. “We had multiple wrestlers step up and wrestle their best matches of the season and fought hard to help us win.  I look forward to seeing how they perform this weekend at our regional event.”

Second-place Crete-Monee got individual titles from Jaylene Johnson (165), Kijuan Springfield (175) and Malaki Scott (215), and third-place Bloom Township got titles from Jonathan Ivy (150), Tristan Duhem (157) and George Range (285).

Individual champions:

Others winning individual SAC titles were Kankakee’s Aidan Fields (126) and Jacob Vinardi (190), and Thornton’s Emmanuel Adedeji (138).

Individual leaders:

Thornton’s Emmanuel Adedeji had the most pins (4) in the least time (4:10), and posted the fastest pin at 2 seconds. Kankakee’s Jakil Whalum had the most tech Fs (2) in the least time (10:05) and Bloom’s Amerie Brown had the fastest tech F, at 1:22.

Thornton’s Adedeji and Crete-Monee’s Kijuan Springfield tied for the most team points scored, with 20, Rich Township’s Caleeb Jones had the most single-match points with 25, and Kankakee’s Whalum earned the most total match points with 55.

SOUTHLAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PLACERS

106 – 1st: Dominic Morton of Richton Park (Rich Township), 2nd: Angel Mojica of Crete (C.-Monee), 3rd: Lilly O`Brien of Bloom

113 – 1st: Raekwon Lindsay of Richton Park (Rich Township), 2nd: Joseph Mendez of Chicago Heights (Bloom Twp.), 3rd: Aiden Roop of Crete (C.-Monee), 4th:  Aurthor Schweitzer of Harvey (Thornton)

120 – 1st: Kyrin King of Richton Park (Rich Township), 2nd: Jayden Stovall of Crete (C.-Monee)

126 – 1st: Aidan Fields of Kankakee, 2nd: Caleeb Jones of Richton Park (Rich Township)

3rd: Brandon Bastida of Bloom, 4th: Jordan Kirkpatrick of Crete (C.-Monee), 5th: Jaylen Smith of Harvey (Thornton)

132 – 1st: Sean Johnson of Richton Park (Rich Township), 2nd: Jakil Whalum of Kankakee, 3rd: Arryck Dowdy of Bloom, 4th: Drew Sanders of Harvey (Thornton), 5th: Kejuan Hawkins of Crete (C.-Monee)

138 – 1st: Emmanuel Adedeji of Harvey (Thornton), 2nd: Alphonso Clark of Richton Park (Rich Township), 3rd: Kamron Harris of Crete (C.-Monee), 4th: Cameron Davenport of Bloom, 5th: Deonte Theus of Kankakee 

144 – 1st: Tristin King of Richton Park (Rich Township), 2nd: Gerard Fleming of Crete (C.-Monee), 3rd: Julio Bastida of Bloom, 4th: Christian Cossia of Harvey (Thornton), 5th: Sighel Lewis of Kankakee 

150 – 1st: Jonathan Ivy of Bloom, 2nd: Torian Collins of Richton Park (Rich Township), 3rd: Jason Adams of Crete (C.-Monee), 4th: Jayden Blogg of Kankakee 

157 – 1st: Tristan Duhem of Bloom, 2nd: Tykhary James of Harvey (Thornton), 3rd: Jarele Johnson of Crete (C.-Monee), 4th: Kamron Montgomery of Richton Park (Rich Township)

165 – 1st: Jaylene Johnson of Crete (C.-Monee), 2nd: Quenton Mingo of Harvey (Thornton), 3rd: Amerie Brown of Bloom, 4th: Jose Rodriguez of Richton Park (Rich Township)

175 – 1st: Kijuan Springfield of Crete (C.-Monee), 2nd: Charles Hill of Kankakee, 3rd: Jeremy Burnett of Bloom, 4th: Nicholas Parker of Richton Park (Rich Township), 5th: Oscar Cruz of Harvey (Thornton)

190 – 1st: Jacob Vinardi of Kankakee, 2nd: Kelcey Span of Richton Park (Rich Township), 3rd: D`Andre Cotton of Bloom, 4th: Jyishon Hudson of Crete (C.-Monee)

215 – 1st: Malakai Scott of Crete (C.-Monee), 2nd: Vincent Marshall of Harvey (Thornton), 3rd: Emmanuel Gyan of Richton Park (Rich Township), 4th: Jabarie Brown of Bloom

285 – 1st: George Range of Bloom, 2nd: Dominic Jackson of Crete (C.-Monee), 3rd: Rogelio Cornejo of Kankakee, 4th: DeJon Williams of Harvey (Thornton)

NIC-10 CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

Hononegah ran away with the team title at this year’s NIC-10 tournament, posting 282.5 team points and sending 11 conference champions to the podium. Coach Tyler DeMoss also got one third, one fourth, and one fifth-place finisher.

Harlem (135.5) placed second, followed by Freeport (130), Rockford East (123.5) and Belvidere North (93.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

1st place: Hononegah (282.5)
DeMoss got individual titles from Kristian DeClecq (31-10 at 106), Isaiah Martinez (19-10 at 113), Jackson Olson (38-7 at 120), Rocco Cassioppi (38-2 at 126), Evan Musil (32-13 at 132), TJ Silva (34-3 at 144), Bruno Cassioppi (5-0 at 150), Max Haskins (37-8 at 157), Brody Sendele (11-1 at 165), Connor Diemel (38-5 at 175) and Kurt Smith (39-4 at 190). Hononegah also got a third from Ethan Ballard (215), a fourth from Ronan Quimby (138), and a fifth from Luke Petravicz (285).

2nd place: Harlem (135.5)
Harlem got an individual title from Chandler Jack (285), seconds from Jaydee Doke (120) and Owen Recoy (138), thirds from Izayah Olejniczak (132) and Preston Fadness (150), and fourths from Ryne Sauberlich (106), Michael Melenas (113), Andre Jones (175) and Cully Nelson (215).


3rd place: Freeport (130)
Freeport got an individual title from Israel Goodman (215), seconds from Thomas Olson (126) and Kyle Clem (175), thirds from Treyden Diduch (106), Maddox Olson (165), Michael Tillmon (190) and Kareem Odeh (285), and a fourth from Blake Slusser (144).

Rockford East’s Donald Cannon (25-3 at 138) also won an individual conference title.


Team scores:
Hononegah 282.5, Harlem 135.5, Freeport 130, Rockford East 123.5, Belvidere North 93.5, Guilford 64, Belvidere 54.5, Auburn 53, Jefferson 23, Boylan Catholic 10

Individual leaders:
Hononegah’s Rocco Cassioppi had the most pins (3) in the least time (2:25), while Rockford East’s Eddie Esguerra posted the fastest F, at 16 seconds. Harlem’s Preston Fadness had the most Fs (2) in the least time (3:29) and Hononegah’s Kurt Smith had the fastest tech F, in 1:08.

Hononegah’s Jackson Olson, teammate Rocco Cassioppi, and Freeport’s Israel Goodman tied for the most team points scored (24), Rockford East’s Ty Smart scored the most single match points with 23, and Belvidere North’s Bryson Teunissen scored the most total match points with 66.

Auburn’s Jaxon Olivencia provided the largest seed-place difference in the tournament, as the No. 7 seed placed third at 175 pounds.

NIC-10 CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT RESULTS

106

1st: Kristian Dlercq (Hononegah) 31-10, d. Dominic Angileri (Guilford) 14-2,  (D 8-4)

3rd: Treyden Diduch (Freeport) 29-5, d. Ryne Sauberlich (Harlem) 9-7,  (F 0:37)

113

1st: Isaiah Martinez (Hononegah) 19-10, d. Tyrone Sims (Rockford (Auburn) 18-3,  (MD 12-3)

3rd: Moises Maronez (Belvidere N) 22-15, d. Micheal Melenas (Harlem) 6-10,  (F 3:05)

5th: Lucas Molina (Guilford) 8-11, d. Tyler Gentry (Rockford E) 20-18,  (F 5:19)

120

1st: Jackson Olson (Hononegah) 38-7, d. Jaydee Doke (Harlem) 20-11,  (F 0:55)

3rd: Aiden Nebiu (Belvidere N) 24-18, d. Amair Johnson (Jefferson) 9-8,  (D 9-4)

5th: Braylon Cain (Freeport) 11-9, d. Alex Keopila (Rockford E) 2-11,  (F 1:23)

126

1st: Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) 38-2, d. Thomas Olson (Freeport) 32-12,  (F 0:29)

3rd: Bryson Teunissen (Belvidere N) 23-7, d. Victor Onofre (Rockford E) 17-12,  (MD 19-5)

5th: Nathan Corder (Harlem) 13-9, d. Mecose Johnson (Jefferson) 14-10,  (F 3:58)

132

1st: Evan Musil (Hononegah) 32-13, d. Geren Stapleton (Belvidere N) 14-4,  (MD 10-0)

3rd: Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem) 18-9, d. Chris Burgos (Rockford E) 16-16,  (D 11-7)

5th: Brodin Slabaugh (Boylan) 12-15, d. Jaylen Lowe (Freeport) 8-13,  (TF 2:38 (18-2)

138

1st: Donald Cannon (Rockford E) 25-3, d. OWEN RECOY (Harlem) 15-7,  (TF 4:47 (22-1)

3rd: Ayden Macklin (Guilford) 14-6, d. Ronan Quimby (Hononegah) 9-19,  (F 0:39)

5th: Antonio Flood (Jefferson) 7-4, d. Guillermo Ortiz (Freeport) 7-15,  (F 4:23)

144

1st: Thomas Silva (Hononegah) 34-3, d. Dominick Girardin (Belvidere N) 28-10,  (TF 2:37 (18-1)

3rd: Landon VanAcker (Belvidere) 17-6, d. Blake Slusser (Freeport) 30-15,  (F 3:29)

5th: Gavin Warner (Harlem) 14-12, d. Xavier Fleming (Rockford E) 7-9,  (F 1:30)

150

1st: Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah) 5-0, d. Dana Wickson (Rockford E) 28-5,  (TF 3:45 (20-3)

3rd: Preston Fadness (Harlem) 19-9, d. Arshoun Island (Rockford (Auburn) 12-6,  (D 11-8)

5th: Braeden Leftwich (Guilford) 12-16, d. Michael Blomberg (Boylan) 1-19,  (Inj. 0:00)

157

1st: Max Haskins (Hononegah) 37-8, d. Ty Smart (Rockford E) 32-10,  (MD 15-4)

3rd: Mario Beasley (Belvidere) 10-2, d. Mar`quarius Suggs (Guilford) 11-10,  (F 1:28)

5th: Mathias Rada (Freeport) 11-8, d. DYLAN GOODALL (Harlem) 6-6,  (MD 9-1)

165

1st: Brody Sendele (Hononegah) 11-1, d. Andrew Bucci (Belvidere N) 25-10,  (TF 2:39 (15-0)

3rd: Maddox Olson (Freeport) 30-10, d. Dardan Jakupi (Rockford (Auburn) 6-10,  (F 1:46)

5th: Arturo Alvarez (Belvidere) 9-8, d. Damion Stevenson (Rockford E) 4-14,  (F 4:35)

175

1st: Connor Diemel (Hononegah) 38-5, d. Kyle Clem (Freeport) 27-10,  (TF 1:50 (19-4)

3rd: Jaxon Olivencia (Rockford (Auburn) 8-9, d. Andre Jones (Harlem) 8-5,  (F 3:15)

5th: David Hendrickson (Belvidere) 5-8, d. Tylen Michel (Guilford) 5-10,  (F 2:15)

190

1st: Kurt Smith (Hononegah) 39-4, d. Kane Phommarath (Guilford) 11-5,  (TF 1:08 (15-0)

3rd: Michael Tillmon (Freeport) 26-18, d. Ismail Bilolo (Rockford E) 18-13,  (D 9-7)

5th: Eyzaiah Campos Blanks (Boylan) 12-14, d. Devin Williamson (Jefferson) 0-7,  (F 2:20)

215

1st: Israel Goodman (Freeport) 36-8, d. Etungano Kakozi (Rockford E) 27-16,  (F 0:41)

3rd: Ethan Ballard (Hononegah) 16-18, d. Cully Nelson (Harlem) 15-12,  (F 0:40)

5th: Sam Reed (Belvidere N) 8-24, d. Teh Reh (Guilford) 8-18,  (MD 13-3)

285

1st: Chandler Jack (Harlem) 26-7, d. Eddie Esguerra (Rockford E) 26-14,  (F 3:42)

3rd: Kareem Odeh (Freeport) 14-6, d. Manny Pizano (Belvidere) 10-9,  (D 6-0)

5th: Luke Petravicz (Hononegah) 11-21, d. Antonio Osorio-Pasillas (Jefferson) 12-7,  (F 0:57)


CHICAGO PUBLIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lane Tech dominated the field at this year’s Chicago Public League Championships, posting 296.5 points thanks to five individual CPL titles, and 11 wrestlers finishing in the top six of their weight classes.

Kenwood (145.5) placed second, followed by Hancock (139.5), Little Village (122.5) and Taft (112) to round out the top five team finishes in the 53-team field. Agricultural Science (110.5) placed sixth, Goode STEM Academy (103) was seventh, Kennedy (91.5) took eighth, Curie (85.5) was ninth and Mather (84.5) placed 10th.

Lane got individual varsity titles from Jeremiah Arroyo-McMullan (106), Alex Valentin (132), Abbas Abdulamir (138), Nasser Hammouche (157), and Vernon Cole (165), thirds from Eyob Abebe (175) and Adrian Meza (285), fifths from Jose Curiel (113) and Joaquin Curiel (113), and sixths from Cole Calace (150) and Maddox Bartoli (190).

Individual champions:
Other CPL champs were Taft’s Bernardo Roque (113) and Evan Jocic (215), Kennedy’s Victor Alvarado (120), Little Village’s Jovanni Harris (126), Hubbard’s Fabian Salazar (144), Goode STEM Academy’s Xavier Woods (150), Hancock’s Malaki Davis (175), Horizon/Southwest Chicago’s Sami Marrero (190), and Kenwood’s Dameon Norman (285).

Team scores (top 25):
Lane Tech 296.5, Kenwood 145.5, Hancock 139.5, Little Village 122.5, Taft 112, Agricultural Science 110.5, Goode STEM Academy 103,  Kennedy 91.5, Curie 85.5, Mather 84.5, Senn 81, Amundsen 79, Kelly 74, Phoenix Military Academy 70.5, South Shore International 70, Lindblom 58, Morgan Park 50, Sullivan 50, Schurz 47, Back of the Yards 46, Clark 45, Foreman 45, Westinghouse 43, King 42.5, ITW David Speer Academy 41.5

Individual leaders:
Clark’s Anthony Spivey posted the most pins (6) in the least time (5:48), while teammate Amarjae Devine had the fastest pin, at 10 seconds. Kennedy’s Victor Alvarado had the most tech Fs (4) in the least time (9:04).

Goode’s Xavier Woods scored the most team points with 33, South Shore’s Dakhari Esthers scored the most single match points with 31, and Phoenix Military Academy’s Elijah Torres finished with the most total match points, with 121.

Kenwood’s Dameon Norman provided the largest seed-place difference, as the No. 28 seed placed first at 285 pounds.

CPL CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS:

106

1st: Jeremiah Arroyo-McMullan (Lane Tech) 24-6, d. Mohammed zia Nadre (Sullivan) 24-5,  (TF 4:04 (18-2)

3rd: Keandre Beal (Goode) 19-10, d. Justin chogllo Chogllo (Rickover) 10-5,  (F 4:57)

5th: Kenye Flanagan (Perspectives) 24-7, d. Jonathan Mendoza-rodriguez (Lindblom) 15-18,  (F 0:49)

113

1st: Bernardo Roque (Taft) 35-2, d. Leonardo Zapien (Noble/UIC) 30-4,  (TF 3:49 (19-4)

3rd: Amari Frankiln (Hyde Park) 12-2, d. Daveon Farmer (Perspectives) 19-10,  (F 5:46)

5th: Jose Curiel (Lane Tech) 22-20, d. Damarcus Washington (King) 12-10,  (F 0:50)

120

1st: Victor Alvarado (Kennedy) 32-3, d. Donald Bunton jr (Perspectives) 26-5,  (TF 1:47 (20-5)

3rd: Elijah Torres (Phoenix) 20-5, d. David Ruiz (Taft) 26-15,  (F 3:15)

5th: Joaquin Salameda (Lane Tech) 25-20, d. Abel Alvarado (Lake View) 13-5,  (F 5:02)

126

1st: Jovanni Harris (Little Village) 27-6, d. Angel Rivera (Taft) 21-9,  (F 4:25)

3rd: Jayden Carrasco (Washington) 11-3, d. Tray Harrison (Noble/Comer) 12-7,  (TF 3:45 (16-1)

5th: Andrew Price (Phillips) 21-7, d. K Manning (Roosevelt/Von Stueben) 11-6,  (F 1:10)

132

1st: Alex Valentin (Lane Tech) 35-6, d. Justin Hernandez (Rickover) 27-4,  (TF 4:13 (15-0)

3rd: James Hill (Phillips) 25-4, d. Armani Vargas (Taft) 28-14,  (D 7-4)

5th: Moses Pittman (King) 19-8, d. Dakhari Esters (South Shore International) 25-6,  (MD 15-2)

138

1st: Abbas Abdulamir (Lane Tech) 28-12, d. Randy Lazaro (Schurz) 16-1,  (MD 12-3)

3rd: Cliffon Johnson (Kelly) 17-4, d. Isaac Banks (Noble/Comer) 17-3,  (TF 3:25 (17-0)

5th: Adrian Junco (Taft) 20-21, d. Isaiah Diaz (Goode) 25-15,  (D 13-9)

144

1st: Fabian Salazar (Hubbard) 36-1, d. Maurice Bush (Agricultural Science) 32-4,  (MD 12-3)

3rd: Jayden Veal (Goode) 27-7, d. Mason Micou (Crane) 14-3,  (D 8-2)

5th: Davian Hall (Simeon) 8-3, d. Awwal Ogunsolu (Kelly) 26-8,  (F 5:31)

150

1st: Xavier Woods (Goode) 36-2, d. Lennon Ojeda (Senn) 22-3,  (TF 2:35 (15-0)

3rd: Ryan Singleton (Ch Mil Academy) 20-3, d. Corey Underwood (DuSable) 27-3,  (MD 16-8)

5th: Jacob Jackson (King) 19-7, d. Cole Calace (Lane Tech) 26-13,  (M. For.)
157

1st: Nasser Hammouche (Lane Tech) 34-8, d. Mylan Williams (Curie) 25-4,  (TF 4:05 (18-2)

3rd: Justin Tarr (Noble/UIC) 15-5, d. Laquaris Moore (Corliss High School) 16-8,  (F 1:22)

5th: Emiliano Ruiz (Kelly) 14-8, d. Felipe-juan Aguilar-urbina (Little Village) 24-9,  (D 8-7)

165

1st: Vernon Cole (Lane Tech) 14-0, d. Kendall Taylor (Ch Mil Academy) 17-3,  (TF 4:44 (18-1)

3rd: Willem Johnston (Mather) 16-4, d. Jose Puga (Noble/Golder) 28-4,  (M. For.)

5th: Brayan Ruiz-cruz (BOT Yards) 26-11, d. Nicholas Jungman (Kennedy) 20-11,  (Inj. 4:00)

175

1st: Malakai Davis (Hancock) 15-0, d. Adrian Zepeda (Amundsen) 31-2,  (MD 10-1)

3rd: Eyob Abebe (Lane Tech) 29-11, d. Ricky Moore (Taft) 23-10,  (TF 2:24 (15-0)

5th: Caleb Gordon (Ch Mil Academy) 20-4, d. Marquel Wilson (Agricultural Science) 31-15,  (D 10-6)

190

1st: Sami Marrero (Horizon/Southwest Chicago) 20-0, d. Mivontae Russell (Perspectives) 28-2,  (TF 5:19 (19-4)

3rd: Josh Taylor (Taft) 26-17, d. Dylan Wilborn (Goode) 25-13,  (Inj. 3:46)

5th: Dantrell Fraizer (Simeon) 9-2, d. Maddox Bartoli (Lane Tech) 15-12,  (M. For.)

215

1st: Evan Jocic (Taft) 30-2, d. Kaleb Abney (Phoenix) 18-3,  (MD 15-1)

3rd: Alexander Robinson (King) 18-3, d. Charleston Rice (Phillips) 18-7,  (D 8-1)

5th: Aiden Quezada (Lindblom) 8-2, d. Steven Prince (Bowen) 20-3,  (D 5-1)

285
1st: Dameon Norman (Kenwood) 13-3, d. Josue Olivo (Lindblom) 24-6,  (TB-1 2-1)

3rd: Adrian Meza (Lane Tech) 21-10, d. Justin Powell (Hyde Park) 18-3,  (D 6-5)

5th: Anthony Spivey (Clark) 11-3, d. Christopher De leon (Kennedy) 23-10,  (F 0:30)

CHICAGOLAND PRAIRIE DUALS

Seneca went 5-0 to win the team title at this year’s Chicagoland Prairie dual tournament, hosted by Walther Christian in Melrose Park. The Fighting Irish won 72-11 over Dwight, 72-12 over Walther, 64-18 over second-place St. Bede, 54-28 over Marquette, and 62-15 over Westmont.

Seneca coach Todd Yegge’s boys are ranked at No. 22 in the current Illinois poll. The Fighting Irish got perfect 5-0 days from Chris Thompson (106), Raiden Terry (113), Avery Phillips (138), Ryan Flynn (150) and Jeremy Gagnon (285), a 4-0 day from Landen Venecia (190), and 4-1 performances from Wyatt Coop (113/120), Ryker Terry (132), Nick Grant (165) and Alex Gagnon (175).

“We wrestled very well overall on Saturday in winning the CPFL championship for the second straight year,” Seneca coach Todd Yegge said. “This was a nice preparation and confidence- builder for our athletes as we get ready for regionals at Herscher.  We were happy with our offense as we scored a lot of points and kept that mindset to keep scoring the next point which will help us as we head into the pressure of the postseason.”

Second-place St. Bede went 4-1 on the day and third-place Westmont went 3-2.

1st place dual: Seneca 64, St. Bede 18

120 – Wyatt Coop (Seneca) over Gabriel Bunch (Peru (St. Bede)) Fall 0:57

126 – Max Moreno (Peru (St. Bede)) over Landon Hebel (Seneca) Fall 0:30

132 – Ryker Terry (Seneca) over Kristopher Penaverde (Peru (St. Bede)) Fall 0:19

138 – Avery Phillips (Seneca) over Maks Niedzwiedz (Peru (St. Bede)) Fall 1:42

144 – Devon Daemicke (Seneca) over Nicholas Del Pilar (Peru (St. Bede)) Fall 0:59

150 – Ryan Flynn (Seneca) over  (Unattached) Forf

157 – Jordan Coventry (Peru (St. Bede)) over Ayden Perez (Seneca) Fall 1:45

165 – Nick Grant (Seneca) over  (Unattached) Forf

175 – Alex Gagnon (Seneca) over Jack Maschmann (Peru (St. Bede)) TF 18-1

190 – Landen Venecia (Seneca) over Garrett Connelly (Peru (St. Bede)) Fall 1:54

215 – William Sramek (Peru (St. Bede)) over Colton Angeloff (Seneca) Fall 1:27

285 – Jeremy Gagnon (Seneca) over Grady Gillan (Peru (St. Bede)) Fall 3:39

106 – Chris Thompson (Seneca) over Jameson Daley (Peru (St. Bede)) Fall 1:52

113 – Raiden Terry (Seneca) over Michael Benge (Peru (St. Bede)) TF 18-3

3rd place dual: Westmont 41, Marquette 39

106 – Mason Ponce (Westmont) over Logan Leskanich (Ottawa (Marquette)) Fall 1:13

113 – Luke Jimenea (Westmont) over Shea Conner (Ottawa (Marquette)) Fall 0:40

120 – Koby Clark (Ottawa (Marquette)) over Ardan Baglaev (Westmont) Dec 12-9

126 – Jackson Jagger (Westmont) over  (Unattached) Forf

132 – Christian Rosa (Westmont) over  (Unattached) Forf

138 – Beau Thompson (Ottawa (Marquette)) over Lawrence Walker (Westmont) Fall 3:10

144 – Hunter DeMink (Ottawa (Marquette)) over  (Unattached) Forf

150 – Brysen Manly (Ottawa (Marquette)) over  (Unattached) Forf

157 – Sean Patterson (Westmont) over Nolan DeMink (Ottawa (Marquette)) Fall 3:56

165 – Reily Leifheit (Ottawa (Marquette)) over  (Unattached) Forf

175 – Landyn Mcemery (Ottawa (Marquette)) over  (Unattached) Forf

190 – Vincent Willkommen (Westmont) over  (Unattached) Forf

215 – Alex Schaefer (Ottawa (Marquette)) over Mason Cabrera (Westmont) Fall 0:17

285 – Rafael Castrejon-Tello (Westmont) over Adrian Schaefer (Ottawa (Marquette)) TF 19-3

5th place dual: Walther Christian 36, Dwight 18

132 – Mekhi Hakey (Dwight) over Gabriel Montoya (Melrose Park (Walther Christian)) Fall 2:00

138 – Double Forfeit

144 – Caleb Peterson (Melrose Park (Walther Christian)) over  (Unattached) Forf

150 – Dylan Crouch (Dwight) over Antonio Gonzalez (Melrose Park (Walther Christian)) Fall 2:34

157 – Kevin Gomez (Melrose Park (Walther Christian)) over  (Unattached) Forf

165 – Double Forfeit

175 – Gavin Bafia (Dwight) over Tyler Schoessow (Melrose Park (Walther Christian)) Fall 3:19

190 – Emmanuell Hernandez (Melrose Park (Walther Christian)) over  (Unattached) Forf

215 – Joshua Lewis (Melrose Park (Walther Christian)) over  (Unattached) Forf

285 – Jonathan Perez (Melrose Park (Walther Christian)) over  (Unattached) Forf

106 – Ben Peterson (Melrose Park (Walther Christian)) over  (Unattached) Forf

113 – Double Forfeit

120 – Double Forfeit

126 – Double Forfeit

Schaumburg wins 2nd team regional title at Willowbrook

By Chris Walker for the IWCOA

Schaumburg’s Madyson Meyer will be playing softball in college next year but for now, she’s enjoying the ride that the Saxons’ wrestling program is giving her.

“The thing I really like about (wrestling) is how close I felt with the girls, right away,” Meyer said. “The hard part is the discipline you have to go through. You have to be very strong-minded so the sport not only helped me in other sports, but it has helped me mentally, to be confident with myself in my day-to-day life.”

Meyer and her Saxons are making the ride count. They won their second consecutive regional title, out-pointing second-place Hoffman Estates 228.5-183.5 at this year’s 27-team Willowbrook Regional.

Meyer was one of three individual champions for coach Matt Gruszka, who will accompany a bevy of his qualifying wrestlers to the individual sectional meet at Schaumburg on Feb. 14-15.

“The girls wrestled well and we put seven in the finals,” Gruszka said.  “Our champs, Maddy Meyer at 115, Sharon Olorunfemi at 135 and Nadia Razzak at 190 had great tournaments. I thought overall our regionals was tough and had a lot of great wrestlers.  Hoffman and Glenbard West also had a great tournament.“

Glenbard West (179.5 points) finished third, followed by West Chicago (114) in fourth. Conant and St. Charles East tied for fifth with 92.5 points.

The Saxons also placed second at this year’s IWCOA dual team state tournament and finished first in tournaments at Dundee-Crown and Normal before winning this year’s Mid Suburban League tournament title. Gruszka has one of Illinois’ premier programs on his hands, and the Saxons proved it again at Willowbrook.

“I say it all the time and I know all the other girls on the team say it, too,” Meyer said, “but we have to give all of the credit to Gruszka. When the program started we were only 13 girls and now we’re 38.”

Meyer also tipped her hat to a couple of now-graduated trailblazers at Schaumburg who came before her.

“Val Rodriguez and Bethany Regione — when I joined, those were the two I idolized,” Meyer said. “I wanted to wrestle like them, I wanted to be good like them, and the relationship they had with Gruszka is something I strive for every day in the practice room. I think the younger girls getting advice from the older girls and learning from them is really why a program is so successful, and Gruszka set that tone immediately when he became our head coach.”

Meyer (115), junior Razzak (190) and sophomore Olorunfemi (135) will be joined at the Schaumburg Sectional on Feb. 15 by a quartet of teammates that placed second in Mia Phelps (100), Isabella Rivas (125), Hope Zerafa-Lazarevic (145) and Alya Razzak (170).

The senior Meyer improved to 41-2 Saturday, with pins at 1:14, 0:41, and 0:51 to reach the title-match against South Elgin’s Azucena Rodriguez.

“I was nervous about (Rodriguez) because I didn’t really know what to expect,” Meyer said. “Gruszka wanted me to hit my sweep single and hit it clean, so that’s what I was focused on. And whenever I’m facing a girl I don’t know, I like to tie up to feel how she’s tying up – tight, on one side or the other, or if she’s more of a back-away type of wrestler. I felt her, felt like the headlock was there, and I hit it.”

Meyer’s pin at 1:08 gave here four on the day and her first individual regional title. Teammate Olorunfemi (38-8) had three pins in as many matches to win her first regional crown, taking down her three opponents in 0:13, 1:25 and 0:44. She pinned St. Charles East freshman Olivia Pearson to finish up. Razzak similarly needed three victories to take home her first regional title and she got them all via first period pins: 1:03, 1:48 and 1:51 as she improved to 41-3 after taking down Streamwood’s Jasmine Rene.

“Nadia beat Jasmine Rene in the finals and Nadia had lost to her twice last year,” Gruszka said, “so that was good for her.”

Collectively, Olurunfemi, Meyer and Razzak combined to pin 10 opponents in under 11 minutes (10:58). During last year’s Conant regional, Olurunfemi did not place while Meyer took third and Razzak was second.

In the only regional final at Willowbrook featuring two previously-unbeaten wrestlers, South Elgin freshman Allison Garbacz (27-0) won by fall at 3:48 over Zerafa-Lazarevic (41-1), who placed second in Illinois at 140 last season.

Bartlett senior Emma Engels (37-3 at 120) was the only Willowbrook Regional champion who already possesses a state title; Engels is the 2023 IHSA state champion at 100 pounds. She took sixth at 110 last year.

“I was disappointed with taking sixth,” she said. “Now it’s my last one so I want to come back. I did a lot more wrestling in the off-season so I think I’m at a better place.”

While she’s got plans to wrestle at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh once her high school career is over, Engels first has her eyes set on competing for a second state title. 

Engles pinned a pair of opponents and defeated another by tech fall before putting up some points in a major decision victory against Leyden’s Sabrina Bono in the finals.

“It was a good match,” Engles said. “She was definitely strong.”

Second-place Hoffman Estates has someone in Isabella “Bella” Chiovari who started playing soccer and volleyball as soon as she could walk.

It was the talk she had with Hoffman Estates classmate Abigail Ji that led her to wrestling.

“I became friends with Abi after meeting her in class,” Chiovari said while pointing in her direction. “She said ‘We’ve got a wrestling team and you play sports. You don’t have a winter sport, why don’t you join the wrestling team? I was like ‘okay.’

“It’s been history ever since and I love it.”

Chiovari (21-6 at 170), Ji (35-5 at 140) and fellow seniors Sophia Ball (36-1 at 130) and Anjali Gonzalez (19-3 at 235) won regional titles for the Hawks, who tied with team champion Schaumburg for the most champions among the teams that competed in the Willowbrook regional.

Chiovari saw a familiar foe in Schaumburg’s Alya Razzak staring back at her in the final at 170. Early in the second period, Chiovari, who returned from a concussion just last week, won by fall.

“I’ve gone back and forth with her the past four years we’ve been in high school together,” Chiovari said. “She actually won conference last week so it’s been back and forth. It was nice to be able to leave everything on that mat, and I put in a lot of work for it so I’m happy about it.”

She’s quite thrilled to be a part of this group of Hawks who had the second most team points with 183.5.

“We’re really fortunate to be having 30-something girls (on the roster) so we always have someone to fill a spot and girls are always more than willing to move up and down for the team,” she said. “We are all one unit and love each other. We’re one big family. I’m proud of every single one of them. I wouldn’t be here without all of them. I’m very grateful.”

Ji pinned Conant junior Ewa Krupa in 4:55 in her title match.

“Eva and I are friends who have always gone against each other since sophomore year,” Ji said. “I faced her last week at conference and became conference champ after beating her. It was another tough match.”

Ji’s been wrestling since the sixth grade, but has also played a variety of sports. Wrestling has become a primary focus for her today.

“I used to play a lot of different sports, tennis, badminton, and I did swimming my freshman and sophomore year,” she said. “And then I quit so I could focus on wrestling, and been wrestling since the summer of sixth grade. I got into wrestling because of my sister, who graduated two years ago.”

Ball is looking to return to the state finals where she dropped a 4-3 decision in the 120-pound title match to Rockton Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi a year ago. 

“That’s the goal,” Ball said. “I just think I’ve been trying to stay patient and taking breaks when I need it. I feel if you just go go go and don’t give yourself enough of a break it will burn you out.”

After earning a 7-4 decision against Glenbard North’s Asreilla Wallace in her semifinal, Gonzalez pinned Wheaton North’s Iana Victory in 2:26 to gave the Hawks their fourth regional champion. Essenze Reid (190) took third and Roselyn Cornier (100) placed fourth for the Hawks.

Glenbard West was well represented late on Saturday afternoon and just as successful with its two wrestlers in the finals coming home as regionals champions while three of its four kids who wrestled in third-place matches also won.

Winning is something Hilltoppers’ unbeaten freshman Khloe Perez (110) knows a lot about. She improved to 33-0 after pinning Elk Grove Village’s Valeria Pesantes in 3:10.

“My family is all wrestlers, very athletic people,” she said. “When we do something we put our best foot forward and push ourselves. I’d definitely say my sister has helped push me. She wasn’t wrestling for very long but won state last year.”

Last year, Alycia Perez went 35-0 and won the 100-pound title in her senior season. She became the first state champion in girls wrestling in school history. Now, it’s the 14-year-old’s turn to try to get one.

“I’m very grateful because at first when I was coming into high school, well, I was like this is going to be a new challenge for me and I’m going to have to really step up,” she said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I was kind of in an awkward place in my wrestling career and I felt I wasn’t at my best. I feel like this year I have more confidence and opportunities to be brave on the mat.”

She’s got the bravery, and placing at state is within range.

“I think coming into a new year my goal was to be brave because last year fear really held me back and put me in places I didn’t want to be in,” she said. “Why am I losing? Why am I stuck? I’ve been so brave this year, using my technique and I’ve been being strong. Even when I’m in a dark place I think one day I’ll practice good, or maybe not be feeling well, but I always push through it, that’s what my goal is. And I love my team. I feel we all are pushing each other. I like how we’re all at different levels and helping each other out.”

Glenbard West senior Miyalinna DeJesus (27-3 at 155) hasn’t forgotten about the time about a year ago when she got pinned in the final seconds of her match against Hinsdale Central’s Sofia Arain, which ended her season.

While a medical forfeit win in the quarterfinals lessened her workload this year, she still needed to defeat Lake Park’s Giovanna Sampognaro in the semifinals to get to West Chicago’s Annette Huesca in the finals. 

DeJesus pinned Sampognaro in 2:49 and did the same against Huesca in 3:47. The Hilltoppers are without a doubt feeding off of each other and reaping the rewards of being a part of something greater than themselves – a team.

“I see so much of myself and a bunch of our captains in everybody else,” DeJesus said. “Not only in the way they wrestle, but the way they talk and their habits. We pick up off of each other and I love to see just their drive, and knowing the program is going to go in a great direction when they are older.”

Bartlett junior Lilly White (36-3 at 125) may not have been in a celebratory mood for her 17th birthday on Sunday if she hadn’t had such a wonderful Saturday.

White pinned all four of her opponents to take home the 125-pound title. She finished off Schaumburg junior Isabella Rivas in 2:47.

“I went down and was working on the bottom for a little bit and then I did like a roll I learned from jiu-jitsu,” she said “I was right on the edge of the circle with one toe holding on and I got the pin.”

Many years in the martial arts have certainly made a huge impact as White only began wrestling a year ago.

“I didn’t wrestle freshman year,” she said. “I didn’t find out there was wrestling until sophomore year and I fell in love with it. My first year I took fifth at state (at 120) and I would say jiu-jitsu gave me that extra advantage as most girls are not used to random jiu-jitsu.”

Prior to jiu-jitsu White was a cheerleader.

“I was cheerleading when I was six and seven years old and it was not for me,” she said. “My brother wasn’t doing anything so my dad had him try jiu-jitsu, so I started doing it and fell in love with it. My parents are really supportive and awesome and have just encouraged me the whole time to keep going with it.”

Wheaton North senior Izzy Paz (15-6 at 100) never would’ve guessed that as a senior in high school one of her biggest passions would be wrestling.

Now she can hardly imagine life without it.

“I never would’ve imagined I would’ve chosen this sport,” she said. “Now that I have this it’s definitely something that gives me motivation to work hard every day. I’m looking to wrestle in college and am in the recruiting process. I have another visit to go and hope to make a decision soon. I mean, I just started wrestling last season but then I went to Fargo and after that I knew I needed to keep with it. I’m not ready to be done yet.”

During her debut season a year ago, Paz was humbled in regionals, getting pinned twice.

After a 12-1 major decision to defeat Schaumburg’s Mia Phelps in the final at 100 pounds, she became a regional champion this year.

“I wrestled her a couple weeks ago so I was just trying to stay smart and stick to what I knew what going to work,” she said. “I kept in a good position because I knew what she was going to go for.”

Sometimes kids improve in leaps and bounds in a short period of time. In a growing sport, that is attractive. It’s one of the many reasons why kids are coming into the rooms. 

“I definitely had a big leap in the off-season,” Paz said. “My connections with my club coaches and what not and just trying to get in extra work whenever I could.”

Unbeaten Leyden sophomore Zoey Dodgers (21-0) pinned her three opponents at 105 to also take home a regional title. Dodgers pinned Larkin’s Ashley Hammond in 2:40 after a couple of first round pins in her quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

Among the 27 teams that competed,  21 had at least one girl wrestling in the finals or a third-place match.

Team scores:
Schaumburg 228.5, Hoffman Estates 183.5, Glenbard West 179.5, West Chicago 114, Conant 92.5, St. Charles East 92.5, Bartlett 82.5, South Elgin 80, Lake Park 78.5, Leyden 64, Glenbard North 63, Fenton 59, Wheaton North 59, Willowbrook 58, Larkin 54, Oak Park and River Forest 50, Addison Trail 47.5, Ridgewood 38, Streamwood 31, Proviso East 29.5, Elk Grove 22, York 18.5, Elmwood Park 16, Elgin 13, Fenwick 13, St. Charles North 7

PLACE MATCHES FOR SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advanced)

100 – 1st: Isabelle Paz (Wheaton N) 15-6, d. Mia Phelps (Schaumburg) 28-12,  (MD 12-1); 3rd:

Susan Cruz (Larkin) 25-11, d. Roselyn Cornier (Hoffman Estates) 22-16,  (F 2:24)

105 – 1st: Zoey Dodgers (Leyden) 21-0, d. Ashley Hammond (Larkin) 29-12,  (F 2:40); 3rd:

Brissia Bucio (WEGO) 30-6, d. Jivona Brown (Glenbard W) 17-10,  (F 4:18)

110 – 1st: Khloe Perez (Glenbard W) 33-0, d. Valeria Pesantes (Elk Grove) 19-3,  (F 3:10); 3rd:

Sydney Stieb (SC East) 29-9, d. Regina Jones (Proviso East) 4-2,  (F 0:35)

115 – 1st: Madyson Meyer (Schaumburg) 41-2, d. Azucena Rodriguez (S Elgin) 28-6,  (F 1:08); 3rd: Sophia Newell (WEGO) 22-10, d. Daisy Trujillo (Willowbrook) 22-7,  (F 3:40)

120 – 1st: Emma Engels (Bartlett) 37-3, d. Sabrina Bono (Leyden) 24-4,  (MD 10-0); 3rd:

Karolina Konopka (Glenbard W) 34-7, d. Brithany Mondragon (A. Trail) 23-5,  (F 1:39)

125 – 1st: Lilly White (Bartlett) 36-3, d. Isabella Rivas (Schaumburg) 37-7,  (F 2:47); 3rd:

Valentina Fantoni (Glenbard W) 32-8, d. Gianna Mezzano (Ridgewood) 32-8,  (F 2:48)

130 – 1st: Sophia Ball (Hoffman Estates) 36-1, d. Yannel Perez (Fenton) 25-2,  (F 3:21); 3rd:

Keagan Edwards (Glenbard N) 39-6, d. Jasmine Zavaleta (Conant) 32-10,  (D 8-3)

135 – 1st: Sharon Olorunfemi (Schaumburg) 38-8, d. Olivia Pearson (SC East) 18-12,  (F 0:44): 3rd: Nydia Jotzat (Glenbard W) 27-8, d. Lucy Rodriguez (Fenton) 26-9,  (F 1:02)

140 – 1st: Abigail Ji (Hoffman Estates) 35-5, d. Ewa Krupa (Conant) 36-6,  (F 4:55); 3rd:

Isabella Miller (OPRF) 18-7, d. Ava Burns (Roselle (Lake Park) 30-8,  (F 1:13)
145 – 1st: Allison Garbacz (S Elgin) 27-0, d. Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (Schaumburg) 41-1,  (F 3:48); 3rd: Joscelin Ritthamel (Lake Park) 36-7, d. Madeline Beltran (A. Trail) 23-8,  (D 8-2)

155 – 1st: Miyalinna DeJesus (Glenbard W) 27-3, d. Annette Huesca (WEGO) 17-6,  (F 3:47); 3rd: Analiese Aberman (Conant) 30-15, d. Giovanna Sampognaro (Lake Park) 3-2, . (F 5:21)

170 – 1st: Isabella Chiovari (Hoffman Estates) 21-6, d. Alya Razzak (Schaumburg) 36-7,  (F 3:10); 3rd: Jazilah Gatlin (Willowbrook) 29-10, d. Olivia Bordenave (SC East) 14-11,  (F 2:26)

190 – 1st: Nadia Razzak (Schaumburg) 41-3, d. Jasmine Rene (Streamwood) 18-1,  (F 1:51); 3rd: Essenze Reid (Hoffman Estates) 19-6, d. Jadelin Caballero (Larkin) 33-8,  (D 8-2)

235 – 1st: Anjali Gonzalez (Hoffman Estates) 19-3, d. Iana Victory (Wheaton N) 14-5,  (F 2:26);  3rd: Asreilla Wallace (Glenbard N) 31-10, d. Ariana Solideo (Fenton) 28-6,  (F 2:31)

Girls Regional roundups for Rickover, Hinsdale S, Hampshire, Rich Township

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

RICKOVER NAVAL ACADEMY REGIONAL

One week after winning this year’s team title at the Chicago Public League tournament, Phoenix Military Academy snared a team regional title thanks to nine girls finishing in the top three of their weight classes and thus qualifying to this year’s New Trier Sectional tournament.

The Firebirds out-pointed second-place Morton 213-194, followed by Kelly (126.5), Curie (108) and Lane Tech (102.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

“Yet again, the girls delivered a phenomenal and inspiring performance,” Phoenix coach Naydelin Ramos Ariza said. “Being regional champions for a second consecutive year is a perfect testament to their resilience. It demonstrates that although you may not win every match, when you come together as a team, you can still achieve remarkable things.”

Morton also finished with nine sectional qualifiers, Kelly had six, Curie had four, and Lane finished with three qualifiers.

1st: Phoenix Military Academy (213 points)
Firebirds coach Naydelin Ramos Ariza had three individual regional champions in Diana Lopez-Jimenez (34-4 at 115), America Cabrera (31-3 at 140), and returning state medalist AJ Grant (38-2 at 145). Phoenix also got a second-place finish from Ariel Foreman (135), and five third-place sectional qualifiers in Jitzel Aranda (100), Mia Thomas (120), Marisol Castro-Duran (125), Jocelyn Quiroz-Rosales (130), and Alexia Ramos (155).

“While wrestling is often considered an individual sport, this accomplishment shows it is equally a team sport,” Ramos Ariza said. “Accomplishments like these continue to pave the way for young women in male-dominated areas.”

The Phoenix coach also had a message for the powers that be at the IHSA.

“Last year, our other coach, Mr. (Daniel) Curin, attempted to get in contact with (IHSA assistant executive director) Sam Knox about possibly receiving a plaque for the first IHSA girls regional.

“So I would like to say, Sam Knox if you’re reading this, I firmly believe these girls deserve last year’s regional plaque for the first women’s regional in IHSA. They worked hard for it, and it’s only fitting that they receive the same recognition as every other team and sport like the regional champs they are.”


2nd: JS Morton (194.5)
The Mustangs also had three individual champions for coach Fernando Arratia in Hope Donnamario (26-7 at 105), Monica Garcia (35-6 at 120) and Violet Mayo (34-9 at 155), plus three second-place medalists in Andaira Marron (100), Brianna Carbajal (115) and Anali Wilson (190), a third-place finish from Quetzalli Delgado (135), and fourths from Karla Munoz (110) and Liliana Ionescu (130).


3rd: Kelly (126.5)

Kelly coach Jazzmine Seely will bring six Lady Trojans to the New Trier Sectional in regional champion Sara Martinez Lopera (25-0 at 170) and third-place medalists N’Dyia Mahon-Godfrey (190), Laura Sofia Martinez Lopera (235). Also qualifying for Kelly were fourth-place finishers Annie Aguilar-Cruz (105), Yazmine Garcia (115) and Olivia Reyes (135).

Individual champions:
Other regional champions included De La Salle’s Anapaula Cerna-Rivera (12-1 at 100), Curie’s Giselle Arambula (25-1 at 110), Lindblom’s Nakya Scott (19-3 at 125) and Ashyia Scott (14-1 at 190), Lane Tech’s Nyah Lovis (39-5 at 130) and Zabby Badru (39-6 at 135), and Rickover Naval Academy’s Jasmine Mejia (32-2 at 235).

Team scores:
Phoenix Military Academy 213, JS Morton 194, Kelly 126.5, Curie 108, Lane Tech 102.5, Rickover Naval Academy 93, Lindblom 82, Back of the Yards 73, De La Salle 66, Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville 61, Westinghouse College Prep 58, Crane Medical Prep 53.5, Noble/ITW Speer 48, St. Ignatius 43, Clark 33, Little Village 27, King 22, Hancock 21.5, Lake View 19, Intrinsic Charter-Downtown 7, Chicago Academy 5, Hubbard 4, Kenwood 4, Clemente 0

PLACE MATCHES FOR SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advance)

100

1st: Anapaula Cerna-Rivera (De La Salle) 12-1, d. Andaira Marron (Morton) 32-7,  (F 1:11)

3rd: Jitzel Aranda (Phoenix) 24-9, d. Evelin Martinez (Curie) 16-5,  (D 5-1)

105

1st: Hope Donnamario (Morton) 26-7, d. Sofia Guerrero (Lane) 29-6,  (F 4:53)

3rd: Asia Boss (Clark) 5-1, d. Annie Aguilar-Cruz (Kelly) 17-6,  (F 2:42)

110

1st: Giselle Arambula (Curie) 25-1, d. Kimani Glasper (Westinghouse) 18-5,  (F 0:58)

3rd: Hannah Chong (Crane) 13-5, d. Karla Munoz (Morton) 17-24,  (TF-1.5 3:46 (17-0)

115

1st: Diana Lopez-Jimenez (Phoenix) 34-4, d. Brianna Carbajal (Morton) 28-18,  (F 2:37)

3rd: Danita Palmore (Lindblom) 29-12, d. Yazmine Garcia (Kelly) 22-12,  (MD 18-4)

120

1st: Monica Garcia (Morton) 35-6, d. Illiana Heredia (De La Salle) 20-1,  (F 1:58)

3rd: Mia Thomas (Phoenix) 39-7, d. Simone Dyer (Crane) 11-9,  (F 0:58)

125

1st: Nakya Scott (Lindblom) 19-3, d. Tyhesia Goss (C.-Bronzeville) 14-2,  (F 1:34)

3rd: Marisol Castro-Duran (Phoenix) 30-9, d. Raynisha Sims (Lake View) 20-5,  (D 6-5)

130

1st: Nyah Lovis (Lane) 39-5, d. Emmely Munoz (BOT Yards) 17-6,  (TF-1.5 4:56 (16-1)

3rd: Jocelyn Quiroz-Rosales (Phoenix) 22-9, d. Liliana Ionescu (Morton) 15-20,  (F 0:47)

135

1st: Zabby Badru (Lane) 39-6, d. Ariel Foreman (Phoenix) 31-3,  (D 14-11)

3rd: Quetzalli Delgado (Morton) 16-15, d. Olivia Reyes (Kelly) 12-13,  (D 4-2)

140

1st: America Cabrera (Phoenix) 31-3, d. Harmoni Puckett (King) 7-3,  (F 5:36)

3rd: Evelyna Perez (BOT Yards) 20-8, d. Yaretzi Avila Calixto (Curie) 18-8,  (F 5:02)

145

1st: AJ Grant (Phoenix) 38-2, d. GG Garduno (St. Ignatius) 17-2,  (MD 8-0)

3rd: Zoe Gonzalez (Curie) 21-4, d. Isabelle Mejia (Rickover) 28-14,  (F 1:02)

155

1st: Violet Mayo (Morton) 34-9, d. Cecilia Colon (Westinghouse) 17-3,  (F 1:23)

3rd: Alexia Ramos (Phoenix) 22-8, d. Camila Martinez-Gonzalez (Rickover) 30-9,  (F 4:47)

170

1st: Sara Martinez Lopera (Kelly) 25-0, d. Mia Johnson (C.-Bronzeville) 9-4,  (F 0:47)

3rd: Dorca Morales (Crane) 14-6, d. Midna Lazoya (Rickover) 15-16,  (F 2:37)

190

1st: Ashyia Scott (Lindblom) 14-1, d. Anali Wilson (Morton) 21-18,  (F 0:45)

3rd: N`Dyia Mahon-Godfrey (Kelly) 26-4, d. Aileen Galvez (Noble/ITW Speer) 15-7,  (F 1:03)

235

1st: Jasmine Mejia (Rickover) 32-2, d. Esmeralda Bustamante (Noble/ITW Speer) 13-1,  (F 2:49)

3rd: Laura Sofia Martinez Lopera (Kelly) 10-5, d. Mavis Marchan (Little Village) 12-4,  (F 1:56)

Individual statistics:
Curie’s Zoe Gonzalez posted the most falls (4) in the least amount of time (3:10) and the fastest fall (11 seconds) of any regional wrestler present. Lane Tech’s Nyah Lovis posted the most tech falls (2) in the least time (6:50) and the fastest tech fall (1:54). Phoenix Military Academy’s Ariel Foreman scored the most single-match points with 23, and De La Salle’s Mia Vargas finished with the most total match points with 56.

Lindblom’s Danita Palmore provided the largest seed- difference of all wrestlers, as the No. 14 seed Danita took third to become a sectional qualifier at 115 pounds.

RICH TOWNSHIP REGIONAL

District 230’s girls rolled to a team regional title in Richton Park, advancing nine girls to this year’s New Trier Sectional. Coach Elizabeth Short’s girls went seven-for-seven on the regional title mat, finishing with seven individual regional champions plus one third-placer and one fourth-place medalist to lead the 23-team field in both champions and sectional qualifiers.

“We are so proud of our athletes and the hard work they have put in this season and the offseason,” District 230 coach Elizabeth Short said. “This is a testament to the dedication, grit, and hard work of every member on the team.”

District 230 won 245-173 over second-place Marist, which had eight sectional qualifiers. Oak Forest (130.5) finished third with six qualifiers, followed by Homewood-Flossmoor (109.5) and Shepard (76.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

Homewood-Flossmoor advanced four girls to the sectional meet, and Shepard finished with three sectional qualifiers.

1st: District 230 (245 points)
The team champion’s seven individual champs were Jade Hardee (30-4 at 100), Tatum De La Vega (29-12 at 105), Sophia Figueroa (33-11 at 115), Saja Bader (21-7 at 120), Alyssa Keane (34-3 at 135), Nola Oben (35-3 at 155) and retuning state medalist Emma Akpan (39-2 at 190). Piper Booe (130) placed third and Adrianna Vela (170) placed fourth to qualify.

“They have been pushing themselves in the room day after day, overcoming challenges, and believing in themselves every step of the way,” Short said. “We are so excited to keep this momentum going into the postseason,  and we know that there is still work to be done.”


2nd: Marist (173)

Redhawks coach Kelly Sullivan had two regional champions in Sarah Parker (32-4 at 170) and Abby Parker (4-0 at 235), a second-place medalist in Ava Enright (115), thirds from Samantha Durbin (120) and Izzy Locascio (135), and fourths from Shae Halleran (105), Zoe Kamper (125) and Sam Fontaine (190).

3rd: Oak Forest (130.5)

Oak Forest had a pair of regional champions for coach Jamie Hubbard in Brooklyn Strelow (30-10 at 125) and Iyobosa Odiase (33-6 at 145), plus a second-place finish from Isabel Peralta (190) and fourths from Marjorie Rodriguez (115), Jordan Clyne (130) and Adri Bille (155).

Individual champions:
Others winning regional titles were Agricultural Science’s Carmen Jackson (33-3 at 110), Thornton’s Jalah Wilson (25-2 at 130), and Hillcrest’s Christiara Finley (25-0 at 140).

Team scores:
District 230 245, Marist 173, Oak Forest 130.5, Homewood-Flossmoor 109.5, Shepard 76.5, Agricultural Science 70, Rich Township 69, Thornton Fractional South 68, (Oak Lawn) 67, Thornton 65.5, Hillcrest 62, Reavis 58, St. Laurence 54, Evergreen Park 52, Eisenhower 47.5, Mother McAuley 46, Washington 40, Bremen 27, Thornton Fractional North 22, Tinley Park 21, Fenger 6, Crete-Monee 4, Morgan Park 3

PLACE MATCHES FOR SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advance)

100

1st: Jade Hardee (District 230) 30-4, d. Ariel Woodfin (Thornton) 24-5,  (TF-1.5 5:52 (18-1)

3rd: Sariya Maddox (Rich Township) 17-8, d. Felix Morales ((Oak Lawn)) 12-7,  (F 5:04)

105

1st: Tatum De La Vega (District 230) 29-12, d. Chloe Arana (Washington) 15-5,  (F 2:55)

3rd: Sofia Perez (Shepard) 26-8, d. Shae Halleran (Marist) 22-8,  (F 0:55)

110

1st: Carmen Jackson (Agricultural Science) 33-3, d. London Gandy (Homewood-F.) 38-6,  (MD 14-4)

3rd: Dakodia Kelly (TF South) 31-9, d. Riley Osborn (Evergreen Park) 19-8,  (F 4:15)

115

1st: Sophia Figueroa (District 230) 33-11, d. Ava Enright (Marist) 28-5,  (F 5:16)

3rd: Nina Hamm (Homewood-F.) 41-6, d. Marjorie Rodriguez (Oak Forest) 33-10,  (F 4:43)

120

1st: Saja Bader (District 230) 21-7, d. Abitatu Mogaji (TF South) 22-9,  (F 3:31)

3rd: Samantha Durbin (Marist) 22-10, d. Holly Rowan (Mother McAuley) 13-16,  (F 3:23)

125

1st: Brooklyn Strelow (Oak Forest) 30-10, d. Journey Jackson (Oak Lawn) 27-8,  (TF-1.5 2:46 (20-3)

3rd: Itzel Jimenez (Washington) 16-6, d. Zoe Kamper (Marist) 27-11,  (F 4:54)

130

1st: Jalah Wilson (Thornton) 25-2, d. Mila Rocush (Shepard) 34-5,  (F 0:52)

3rd: Piper Booe (District 230) 25-14, d. Jordan Clyne (Oak Forest) 11-5,  (F 2:44)

135

1st: Alyssa Keane (District 230) 34-3, d. Quincy Onyiaorah (TF South) 18-2,  (F 2:37)

3rd: Izzy Locascio (Marist) 12-4, d. Amara Nwoye (Homewood-F.) 32-16,  (F 0:50)

140

1st: Christiara Finley (Hillcrest) 25-0, d. Maggie Zuber (Mother McAuley) 25-3,  (MD 12-3)

3rd: Hailey Zamot (Rich Township) 11-7, d. Marlen Morelos Perez (Eisenhower) 24-14,  (MD 13-5)

145

1st: Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest) 33-6, d. Hannah Marusarz (St. Laurence) 20-5,  (F 0:49)

3rd: Madelynn McClements (Homewood-F.) 23-25, d. Rylee Hernandez (Tinley Park) 19-15,  (F 3:58)

155

1st: Nola Oben (District 230) 35-3, d. Charvelle Mclain ((Oak Lawn)) 30-6,  (D 15-10)

3rd: Lily Fish (Reavis) 24-5, d. Adri Bille (Oak Forest) 24-18,  (F 1:42)

170

1st: Sarah Parker (Marist) 32-4, d. Elena Haugh (Agricultural Science) 27-7,  (MD 11-1)

3rd: Laila Carpenter (Rich Township) 19-9, d. Adrianna Vela (District 230) 28-12,  (D 6-2)

190

1st: Emma Akpan (District 230) 39-2, d. Isabel Peralta (Oak Forest) 35-6,  (F 3:11)

3rd: Lili Meierkort (Evergreen Park) 17-12, d. Sam Fontaine (Marist) 21-5,  (F 3:20)

235

1st: Abby Parker (Marist) 4-0, d. Karrine Jenkins (Shepard) 24-10,  (F 3:02)

3rd: Elly Candelas (Reavis) 12-3, d. Mercedes Palacios (Eisenhower) 7-3,  (D 3-1)

Individual statistics:
District 230’s Piper Booe posted the most pins (4) in the least time (6:34), while Marist’s Shae Halleran had the fastest pin of the tournament, in 12 seconds. Oak Forest’s Brooklyn Strelow had the fastest tech fall, at 2:46.

Eisenhower’s Marlen Morelos Perez finished with the most single match points with 22, and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Madelyn McClements scored the most total match points at 49. Marist’s Abby Parker provided the largest seed-place difference as the No. 10 seed won a regional title at 235.

Regionals that feed into the Schaumburg Sectional on Feb. 14

HINSDALE SOUTH REGIONAL

The closest fight for a team regional crown in Illinois played out at Hinsdale South, with Batavia snaring its first ever team regional title by a mere half-point, 150.5-150 over second-place Lockport.

Six of Batavia coach Scott Bayer’s girls advanced to this year’s New Trier Sectional, while

Lockport finished with five sectional qualifiers.

West Aurora (121) finished third, Glenbard East (118) was fourth, and Oswego East (115.5) rounded out the top five team finishes. West Aurora advanced five girls to the sectional,

Glenbard East advanced three, and Oswego East finished with four sectional qualifiers.

1st place: Batavia (150.5 points)
The regional champions got an individual title from Anabelle Guthke (33-9 at 145), seconds from Lily Enos (100) and Emma Abbate (170), and fourths from Eli Landgrebe (120), Natalie Lenart (125) and Caoimhe Mitchell (155).

2nd place: Lockport (150)
The Porters earned a pair of individual regional titles for coach Nate Roth, from returning state champion Claudia Heeney (39-2 at 135) and Rebekah Ramirez (39-9 at 235), plus second-place finishes from Veronica Skibicki (110) and Sophie Kelner (190), and a third from Averi Colella (105).

3rd place: West Aurora (121)
The Blackhawks were led by a pair of runner-up finishes from Kameyah Young (105) and Kaylee Martinez (120), thirds from Ruby Bolanos-Carbajal (100) and Lailonie Molina (115), and a fourth from Alma Hernandez (135).

Individual champions:
Other regional champs at Hinsdale South were Montini’s Katelyn Bell (33-5 at 100), Glenbard East’s Nadia Shymkiv (29-0 at 105) and Nadine Spandiary (24-8 at 190), Lyons Township’s Avi Gonzalez (17-4 at 110), Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores (28-3 at 115), Oswego’s Aaliyah Roldan (33-12 at 120), Lemont’s Molly O’Connor (39-5 at 125), Downers Grove North’s Natalia Cruz (33-5 at 130), Oswego East’s Quinn Janssens (44-3 at 140) and Jessica Stover (43-5 at 170), and Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr (32-0 at 155).

Team scores:
Batavia 150.5, Lockport 150, West Aurora 121, Glenbard East 118, Oswego East 115.5, East Aurora 108.5, Oswego 95, Naperville Central 89.5, Bolingbrook 81.5, Downers Grove North 81.5, Lemont 72.5, Neuqua Valley 67.5, Metea Valley 67, Lyons Township 55.5, Riverside-Brookfield 55, Plainfield East 50.5, Romeoville 50, Downers Grove South 44, Lisle 43, Glenbard South 38.5, Proviso West 33.5, Naperville North 32.5, Hinsdale South 26.5, Montini 26, Waubonsie Valley 24, Plainfield North 23, Wheaton Warrenville South 22, Hinsdale Central 21

PLACE MATCHES FOR SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advance)

100

1st: Katelyn Bell (Montini) 33-5, d. Lily Enos (Batavia) 39-4,  (TF-1.5 5:24 (20-4)

3rd: Ruby Bolanos-Carbajal (W Aurora) 23-11, d. Daniela Santander (Romeoville) 30-5,  (D 4-0)

105

1st: Nadiia Shymkiv (Glenbard E) 29-0, d. Kameyah Young (W Aurora) 34-3,  (MD 15-4)

3rd: Averi Colella (Lockport) 41-8, d. KeYi Wang (Naperville N) 13-4,  (F 1:43)

110

1st: Avi Gonzalez (Lyons) 17-4, d. Veronica Skibicki (Lockport) 34-13,  (F 2:00)

3rd: Cadence DuBois (Lisle () 13-4, d. Sofia Gold (Neuqua) 6-7,  (F 1:58)

115

1st: Alejandra Flores (Bolingbrook) 28-3, d. Ashley Basmajian (Metea) 9-1,  (Inj. 0:00)

3rd: Lailonie Molina (W Aurora) 30-11, d. Aleta Weigandt (Neuqua) 16-10,  (F 1:11)

120

1st: Aaliyah Roldan (Oswego) 33-12, d. Kaylee Martinez (W Aurora) 18-8,  (F 3:38)

3rd: Janiya Moore (Metea) 40-4, d. Eli Landgrebe (Batavia) 24-19,  (D 9-3)

125

1st: Molly O`Connor (Lemont) 39-5, d. Dezi Azar (Naperville C) 32-5,  (F 5:42)

3rd: Mia Nevarez (Oswego E) 39-11, d. Natalie Lenart (Batavia) 29-14,  (F 5:26)

130

1st: Natalia Cruz (DG North) 33-5, d. Zuzanna Wegiera (Neuqua) 14-8,  (F 0:43)

3rd: Sophie Crescenzo (Lisle () 16-5, d. Harmony Evans (Oswego) 33-12,  (F 3:39)

135

1st: Claudia Heeney (Lockport) 39-2, d. Maria Green (Glenbard E) 32-4,  (F 2:44)

3rd: Brenda Escobedo (E Aurora) 23-12, d. Alma Hernandez (W Aurora) 14-17,  (D 9-6)

140
1st: Quinn Janssens (Oswego E) 44-3, d. Alketa Picari (Metea) 32-9,  (F 2:39)

3rd: Viktoriia Rodnikova (Plainfield N) 23-7, d. Arianna Rico (Naperville C) 29-15,  (F 1:20)

145

1st: Anabelle Guthke (Batavia) 33-9, d. Ella Cooper (Oswego E) 27-14,  (Inj. 4:53)

3rd: Jahdi`yah Hibbler (DG North) 31-6, d. Allison Garcia (DG South) 5-4,  (F 1:25)

155

1st: Callie Carr (Darien (Hinsdale S) 32-0, d. Kiyah Chavez (Oswego) 35-8,  (TF-1.5 4:00 (19-4)

3rd: Delaney Villagomez (R.-Brookfield) 22-7, d. Caoimhe Mitchell (Batavia) 29-14,  (F 0:42)

170

1st: Jessica Stover (Oswego E) 43-5, d. Emma Abbate (Batavia) 31-8,  (F 2:13)

3rd: Noreidy Ruiz (E Aurora) 21-10, d. Imani McIntosh (Waubonsie) 19-8,  (F 2:32)

190

1st: Nadine Spandiary (Glenbard E) 24-8, d. Sophie Kelner (Lockport) 38-10,  (F 0:37)

3rd: Zuza Cebulski (DG South) 19-7, Jr. over Chloe Black (Hinsdale C) 17-8,  (D 6-3)

235

1st: Rebekah Ramirez (Lockport) 39-9,  over Henessis Villagrana (Romeoville) 20-6,  (F 1:46)

3rd: Rowyn Page (Lemont) 34-11,  over Cynthia Rios (Bolingbrook) 7-29,  (F 2:32)

Individual statistics:
East Aurora’s Britany Chavarria finished the tournament with the most pins (5) in the least time 5:53, while Glenbard East’s Maria Green and West Aurora’s Mia Orozco tied for the fastest pin, at 14 seconds. Montini’s Katelyn Bell posted the most tech falls (3) in the least time (11:10), and Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr posted the fastest tech fall, in 58 seconds.

Four girls tied for the most team points scored (32) in Lockport’s Claudia Heeney, Lemont’s Molly O’Connor, Downers Grove North’s Natalia Cruz and Oswego East’s Jessica Stover. East Aurora’s Kassandra Reyes’ 26 single match points were the most by any wrestler, while Montini’s Bell and Neuqua Valley’s Aleta Weigandt tied for the most total match points scored, with 57.

Neuqua Valley’s Weigandt also provided the largest seed-place difference in the tournament, as the No. 13 seed placed fourth at 115 pounds.

HAMPSHIRE REGIONAL

Hampshire’s 28-team regional saw Huntley snare the team title as the Red Raiders edged second-place Wheeling, 150-141. Huntley advanced seven girls to the New Trier Sectional, which included a regional champion, three third-place medalists and three fourth-place finishes. Wheeling had five sectional qualifiers and went three-for-three on the regional title mat, plus two third-placers.

Woodstock (131.5) finished third, Dundee-Crown (104) was fourth, and host Hampshire (98.5) rounded out the top five team finishes. Woodstock advanced four girls to the sectional, Dundee-Crown advanced four, and Hampshire had four sectional qualifiers.

Huntley coach Gannon Kosowski’s team led the field with 26 pins and scored the most total match points, 230 to 227 ahead of Wheeling.

1st place: Huntley (150 points)
The Red Raiders got an individual regional title from Aubrie Rohrbacher (41-7 at 130), third-place finishes from Grecia Garcia (135), Brianna Felde (190) and Sara Willis (235), and fourths from Donna Garcia (115), Isabelle Singer (120), and Natalie Aguirre (170).

Huntley’s team regional title also wasn’t possible without a bevy of wrestlers who missed out on sectional advancement but contributed greatly to the team’s success, in Alissa Lesner (110), Lianny Guzman (125), Nariah Adams (140), and Abigail Ward (145).


2nd place: Wheeling (141)

Coach Anthony Piltaver saw three of his girls scale the heights of the podium in Hampshire, as Haydee Cruz (31-8 at 100), Elise Burkut (32-3 at 125) and Krystal Diaz (32-8) all won regional titles. The Wildcats also got thirds from Isabella Gomez (120) and Nikol Orendarchuk (155).

3rd place: Woodstock (131.5)

Danica La Tessa (32-8 at 120) was a regional champion for the Blue Streaks, who also got second-place finishes from Eva Hermansson (110) and Hannah Olsen (125) and a fourth from sectional qualifier Brianna Crown (155).

Individual champions:
Others winning regional titles at Hampshire were Dundee-Crown’s Diamond Rodriguez (35-3 at 105), Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth (12-1 at 110), Hampshire’s Amelia Nidelea-Polanin (30-2 at 115), Prospect’s Viola Pianetto (34-0 at 135), McHenry’s Natalie Corona (32-4 at 140), Crystal Lake Central’s Cait Jones (13-1 at 155), Maine West’s Lillian Garrett (28-4 at 170), Hampshire’s Samantha Diehl (24-4 at 190), and Maine South’s Sophia Fortis (13-8 at 235).

Team scores:
Huntley 150, Wheeling 141, Woodstock 131.5, Dundee-Crown 104, Hampshire 98.5, Grant 86.5, Rolling Meadows 80, Maine East 78, McHenry 68, Maine South 65, Harvard 64, Maine West 60, Palatine 58.5, Hersey 56.5, Prospect 53, Richmond-Burton 49, Fremd 45, Jacobs 42, Lake Zurich 38, Wauconda 33, Crystal Lake Central 29.5, Buffalo Grove 28, Crystal Lake South 28, Barrington 15, St. Viator 14, Cary-Grove 10, Marengo 8.5, Prairie Ridge 0

PLACE MATCHES FOR SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS (top four all advance)

100

1st: Haydee Cruz (Wheeling) 31-8, d. Evelyn Torres (Maine East) 20-10,  (TF-1.5 2:45 (17-0)

3rd: Elanie Taboada (Prospect) 22-6, d. Kevelyn Price (Palatine) 19-16,  (F 3:47)

105

1st: Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) 35-3, d. Eliana Badeen (Maine East) 16-3,  (F 0:55)

3rd: Julia Felton (Jacobs) 20-7, d. Emma Strohmeier (Hersey) 15-4,  (F 2:29)

110

1st: Annalee Aarseth (Crystal Lake S) 12-1, d. Eva Hermansson (Woodstock) 35-7,  (F 3:17)

3rd: Alexa Herrera (Harvard) 26-12, d. Iris Torres (Dundee-Crown) 27-14,  (F 2:46)

115

1st: Amelia Nidelea-Polanin (Hampshire) 30-2, d. America Camacho (Grant) 33-13,  (F 1:48)

3rd: Georgia Hay (Lake Zurich) 15-6, d. Donna Garcia (Huntley) 27-17,  (MD 12-2)

120

1st: Danica LaTessa (Woodstock) 32-8, d. Dalia Gondek (Hersey) 10-7,  (F 5:58)

3rd: Isabella Gomez (Wheeling) 24-14, d. Isabelle Singer (Huntley) 12-33,  (D 15-9)

125

1st: Elise Burkut (Wheeling) 32-3, d. Hannah Olsen (Woodstock) 31-13,  (F 2:31)

3rd: Myla Reyes (Grant) 32-13, d. Isabella Nelson (R.-Burton) 14-9,  (F 1:43)

130

1st: Aubrie Rohrbacher (Huntley) 41-7, d. Jessica Perez (Maine West) 24-9, . (F 1:35)

3rd: Muneeba Butt (Rolling Meadows) 26-9, d. Caroline Marogy (Buffalo Grove) 17-13,  (F 0:36)

135

1st: Viola Pianetto (Prospect) 34-0, d. Alena Oshana (Maine East) 7-3,  (F 2:44)

3rd: Grecia Garcia (Huntley) 33-11, d. Ruby Gavina (Dundee-Crown) 22-8,  (F 3:21)

140

1st: Natalie Corona (McHenry) 32-4, .d. Lloyd kowalczyk (Fremd) 22-11,  (F 1:18)

3rd: Madelyn Peterie (R.-Burton) 19-8, d. Nicole Dziura (Barrington) 13-10,  (F 4:25)

145

1st: Krystal Diaz (Wheeling) 32-8, d. Janet Brindis (Rolling Meadows) 29-11,  (D6-1)

3rd: Karimot Lawal (Palatine) 29-16, d. Madison Minson (Hampshire) 24-11,  (MD 10-2)

155

1st: Cait Jones (Crystal Lake (Central) 13-1, d. Mackenzie Lessner (Dundee-Crown) 28-7,  (TF-1.5 3:11 (16-0)

3rd: Nikol Orendarchuk (Wheeling) 22-4, d. Brianna Crown (Woodstock) 35-11,  (F 2:28)

170

1st: Lillian Garrett (Maine West) 28-4, .d. Anneliese Tavira (Hampshire) 30-4,  (D 12-5)

3rd: Leilani Brindis (Rolling Meadows) 33-8, d. Natalie Aguirre (Huntley) 35-12,  (M. For.)

190

1st: Samantha Diehl (Hampshire) 24-4, d. Danai Kostarelou (Maine South) 19-7,  (F 1:11)

3rd: Brianna Felde (Huntley) 28-15, d. Aiva Wikar (Palatine) 29-11,  (F 1:16)

235

1st: Sophia Fortis (Maine South) 13-8, d. Jasmin Ocampo (Fremd) 22-4,  (D 3-2)

3rd: Sara Willis (Huntley) 31-15, d. Nala Hernandez (McHenry) 22-12,  (F 3:08)


Individual statistics:
Rolling Meadows’ Muneeba Butt posted the most pins (4) in the least time (2:01) of any wrestler in the tournament, while Hersey’s Linnea Olsen posted the fastest pin, at 10 seconds. Hampshire’s Amelia Nidelea-Polanin had the most tech falls (2) in the least time (3:22) and the fastest tech fall, at 111.

Crystal Lake Central’s Cait Jones scored the most team points with 29.5, and there was a three-way tie for the most single match points (21) between Nidelea-Polanin, Woodstock’s Stella Splendoria, and Palatine’s Karimot Lawal. Nidelea-Polaniin also scored the most total match points with 55.

Palatine’s Lawal also provided the largest seed-place difference in the tournament, as the No. 8 seed placed third at 145 pounds.

IC Catholic Prep edges Marmion Academy for Chicago Catholic League title

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

After Mount Carmel turned in one of the most dominating performances to capture the Chicago Catholic League Championship by a 321.5-211.5 margin over runner-up Montini Catholic in 2024, this year’s CCL Championship at Montini Catholic in Lombard was the exact opposite, as IC Catholic Prep and Marmion Academy went back-and-forth during the late stages in a battle for top honors in the CCL that wound up being among the closest ones in the last 50 years. 

With IC Catholic Prep leading 239.5-235 heading into the 14 title matches, both teams won three championships but Marmion Academy was only able to close the gap by 1.5 points to deny it of a second title in three years while the Knights captured their first CCL championship, prevailing for first place by a 253.5-250.5 margin over the Cadets in the 16-team competition.

The only time since 1974 that there was a closer margin for first place was in 2019 when host Mount Carmel and Montini Catholic tied for the title with 276.5 points while Marmion Academy took third place with 270 points. The 1980 CCL Championships were also determined by three points as St. Laurence prevailed by a 139-136 margin for top honors over Mount Carmel.

Montini Catholic took third place with 223.5 points while Mount Carmel finished fourth with 190 points. The remainder of the field featured Brother Rice (144.5), Providence Catholic (132), DePaul College Prep (99.5), Fenwick (83.5), Loyola Academy (82.5), St. Rita of Cascia (68), St. Laurence (66), St. Francis (42.5), De La Salle Institute (30), Saint Ignatius College Prep (28), Leo (10) and Aurora Central Catholic (0). 

Leading the way for coach Danny Alcocer’s champion Knights were title winners Deven Casey (132), Brody Kelly (175) and Isaac Barrientos (190) while Kannon Judycki (120), Max Cumbee (128), Aidan Arnett (144) and Nate Brown (165) finished second. Foley Calcagno (215) took third, Jacob Alvarez (138), Joey Pontrelli (150) and Anthony Sebastian (285) were fourth, Mike Bird (106) took sixth and Ben Czarnowski (157) also got points. Casey also won a title in 2024 and Kelly was a champion as a freshman in 2023. 

“It was a team effort,” Alcocer said. “We knew that it was going to be tight between us, Marmion and Montini and every point was going to count and a lot of our guys got bonus points. We got seven in the finals and three champs and they got the job done. We preach every day in our room that if you get beat, you’ve got to pick your head up and come back and get the next best thing. If there’s no title, don’t feel sorry for yourself, you come back and get third, and that’s what a bunch of our guys did, and we’re proud of them. We needed every single point today.

“We have a couple of guys who are still out but you have to battle through the injuries and keep your guys healthy. I think that we’re coming together at the right time. All of the guys are working hard every single day, putting in the time and the effort, and they’re going to reap the rewards. They’ve got to stay after it these next three weeks and we’ll see where we’re at. I like our tenacity and the guys’ willingness to work hard every day. The time, energy and effort they put in daily on the mat, it shows, and our coaches are putting in the time. In the third period and overtime, our guys are in prime condition to capitalize on some of our opponents’ mistakes.”

Top performers for the runner-up Cadets, whose co-coaches are Nathan Fitzenreider and Anthony Cirrincione, were champions Nicholas Garcia (126), Zach Stewart (144) and Mateusz Nycz (285) while Aidan McClure (113), Demetrios Carrera (132), Ashton Hobson (150) and Joseph Favia (215) took second place. James Morrison (106), Colton Wyller (120) and Anthony Haddad (165) finished fifth while Grayson Garcia (138), Andrew Haritos (157) and Luke Boersma (190) placed sixth. Nicholas Garcia also won a CCL title in 2024 while Hobson was the lone defending champion that took second and Favia won a title in 2023 as a freshman.

“It’s been a really good season so far and CCLs was a good tournament,” Fitzenreider said. “The boys are wrestling hard and we are proud of them. CCL was a good test for a lot of them. We got to wrestle some really good competition and evaluate where we are at heading into the end of the year. Nicolas had a hard-fought win in the finals which is great to see. Sometimes you just have to find a way and that’s what he did. Zach looked outstanding all tournament. His pace is hard to keep up with. Nycz is a lot to handle for everyone. He has had a phenomenal season and is the leader of our team. It shows when he wrestles. He puts up big points and gets pins. Excited to see our guys compete in the state series.

“All around we were very impressed by the CCL tournament and the other teams. ICCP, Montini, Mount Carmel, and Providence battled hard and their guys were fun to wrestle and compete against. And some of the other schools were also impressive. Brother Rice and St. Rita stuck out to me as other ones whose kids wrestle hard.”

Leading the way for the third-place host Broncos, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Lifetime Service Award recipient Mike Bukovsky, were title winners Allen Woo (113), Mikey Malizzio (120) and Santino Tenuta (165) and second-place finishers Erik Klichurov (106) and Kam Luif (138). Taking third were Bobby Ruscitti (126) and AJ Tack (175), while Jaxon Lane (190) finished fourth while Isaac Mayora (132) and Gavin Ericson (285) took fifth place.

“I think it’s as balanced as it’s been in the Catholic League,” said Bukovsky, a 2023 Lifetime Service Award inductee of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter. “Last year, Mount Carmel was clearly above everybody and the rest of us were battling for second and third. I thought that three teams could win and it came down to that last match, and IC did a good job and they converted. Everybody was going to be tested here. All up and down the lineup, we saw some really good things. But we’ve got to get back to the drawing board and get back to the grindstone and make those little adjustments and get ready for the postseason.”

Mount Carmel and Loyola Academy both had two champions. The Caravan’s Seth Mendoza (138), a three-time IHSA Class 3A champion, won his fourth CCL title while Liam Kelly (157) also took first place. The Ramblers also had two title winners, Niko Odiotti (106) and Kai Calcutt (215), who also won a CCL title in 2024, as did Casey and Garcia. Mendoza was the recipient of the Lawless Award while Calcutt was selected as the Most Outstanding Tournament Wrestler.

The other CCL champion was Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg (150), who was one of three freshmen who took first place with Barrientos and Odiotti the others. Heeg’s coach, Donaldl Reynolds, received the Lawless Award for a coach, making him and his coach, Keith Healy, two of the few that been honored with the Lawless Awards as both a wrestler and as a coach.

Others who claimed second-place finishes were Brother Rice’s Dan Costello (175) and James Crane (190), Fenwick’s Aiden Burns (157) and De La Salle Institute’s David McCarthy (285).

In the dramatic finals, which were all title matches on adjacent mats, Woo edged McClure 4-2 at 113 and Malizzio got past Judycki by the same score before the first of three head-to-head clashes between the top two came at 126 where Nicholas Garcia got an escape and then rode out Cumbee to win 2-1 on a tiebreaker. Casey won a close one in the next head-to-head at 132, prevailing 7-4 over Carrera, to keep ICCP up 243.5-239 heading into the final eight weights.

Stewart put the Cadets in front by one point when he won by technical fall in 4:54 over Arnett at 144 and after Hobson fell to Heeg at 150 and Brown lost to Tenuta at 165, the Knights moved back in front for good after Kelly pinned Costello in 3:35 at 175 and Barrientos prevailed 4-1 by sudden victory over Crane at 190 to put their team up by nine points and after Favia got pinned by Calcutt at 215, the Cadets could only get to within three points when Nycz won by fall at 285.

Three individuals tied for the lead in team points with 30, Calcutt, Kelly and Nycz while Menoza was right behind with 29.5 and Tenuta ranked fifth with 29 team points. Kelly and Stewart scored 28.5 points, Casey and Heeg got 28 and Garcia and Woo tied for tenth with 27.5 team points.

Mount Carmel had five individuals who claimed third-place finishes, Sebastian Gracia (106), William Grafton-Hodgetts (113), Kavel Moore (120), Jaxon Jorgensen (144) and Kevin Kalchbrenner (165). Others who finished in third place were Brother Rice’s Oliver Davis (138) and Jack O’Connor (150), St. Laurence’s Khalid Eid (132), Saint Ignatius College Prep’s Nate Sanchez (157), Fenwick’s Jack Paris (190) and St. Francis’ Jaylen Torres (285).

Mount Carmel’s Moore easily had the most match points with 82 while Marmion Academy’s Stewart was nex-best with 64. Montini Catholic’s Lane was the lone competitor to record four falls and Stewart was the only to claim three victories by technical fall. Lane was also one of three individuals who placed seven spots better than were seeded, with Marmion Academy’s Grayson Garcia and Haddad being the others.

Here are the title winners of the Chicago Catholic League Championships and their weight classes:

106 – Niko Odiotti, Loyola Academy

Niko Odiotti opened his freshman season in impressive fashion by winning a championship at Barrington’s Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational and after capturing another big title win at Geneseo earlier this month, he picked up his third major championship of his debut season by being one of three freshmen and two Loyola Academy athletes who claimed titles at the Chicago Catholic League Championships when he captured a 7-2 decision over Montini Catholic freshman Erik Klichurov in the 106 finals.

Odiotti (22-2), whose brother Massey competes for Northwestern University and became the Ramblers’ first IHSA champion when he took top honors at 120 in Class 3A in 2023, joined Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg (150) and IC Catholic Prep’s Isaac Barrientos (195) as freshmen CCL title winners. He also was one of two champions for coach Matt Cullom’s Ramblers, joining junior Kai Calcutt, the defending IHSA Class 3A 215 champion, who took first place at 215. Odiotti won all of his three matches with decisions, winning 9-2 in the semifinals over Providence Catholic freshman Christian Corcoran.

“It feels good,” Odiotti said. “The ultimate goal is to be a state champ and this is a stepping stone. I need to stay the course, keep getting better and be ready for February, that’s when I want to peak. I think I wrestled pretty well, in some matches I’ve got to score more points. It’s obviously a tough tournament and all three matches were pretty tough, but I just wrestled tough and found a way to win.”

Klichurov (39-4), one of five finalists for coach Mike Bukovsky’s third-place Broncos, got a win by technical fall in the quarterfinals before earning his spot on the 106 title mat with a 13-5 major decision over Marmion Academy sophomore James Morrison. This was the second finals appearance for the Broncos freshman, who won a title at Niles West. The third place match featured another matchup of freshmen as Mount Carmel’s Sebastian Gracia (21-10) captured a 10-0 major decision over Corcoran (32-13). And for fifth place, Morrison (30-11) won a 5-1 decision over IC Catholic Prep freshman Mike Bird (22-18).

113 – Allen Woo, Montini Catholic

Allen Woo made an impressive debut last season when he won the IHSA Class 2A title at 106 and then helped Montini Catholic to a second place finish in the Class 2A Dual Team Finals as  he finished with a 25-3 record. The sophomore is top-ranked at 113 in Class 2A and owns a 38-5 record after becoming the first of three CCL champions for the host Broncos when he captured a 4-2 decision over Marmion Academy freshman Aidan McClure in the 113 finals. 

Woo, who also won a title at Niles West and took second place at the Dvorak, followed a first-period fall in his opening match with a victory by technical fall in 2:16 over Fenwick senior CJ Brown in the semifinals to become one of five finalists for coach Mike Bukovsky’s third-place Broncos. He finished with 27.5 team points, which tied him for tenth place in that statistic.

“This is good because the CCL is one of the best conferences,” Woo said. “It’s good to get some tough competition in before state. What I like about the Broncos is we’re more than just a team, we’re a family. We’re there for each other and we work hard daily to get better. As you know, coach Bu is a legend, he’s coached softball, football, wrestling and won state championships in each. I love him, he brings great energy every day. He’s coached for a long time so he knows exactly what to do. For example, he makes us get here two, three, four hours before we even wrestle just in case someone is overweight. We hate it, but it makes us who we are.”

McClure (22-7), one of seven finalists for the runner-up Cadets, whose co-coaches are Nathan Fitzenreider and Anthony Cirrincione, opened with a major decision before getting a pin in 1:35 in the semifinals over Providence Catholic freshman Nate Ortiz. For third place, Mount Carmel freshman William Grafton-Hodgetts (18-10) won a 10-4 decision over Ortiz (23-9). For fifth place, DePaul College Prep senior Dimitri Dobre (23-10) won by fall in 5:51 over Brown (26-9).

120 – Mikey Malizzio, Montini Catholic

Mikey Malizzio joined 113 title winner Allen Woo as a CCL champion and was also one of the five finalists for the host Broncos, who later got a championship from Santino Tenuto at 165 to give them three first-place finishers, which is also how many IC Catholic Prep and Marmion Academy had. Malizzio, a sophomore, was involved in a second-straight 4-2 decision on the title mat when he took first at 120 by that score over IC Catholic Prep sophomore Kannon Judycki.

Malizzio (34-8), who placed third at 113 in Class 2A last season and also helped the Broncos to a second-place finish in the IHSA Dual Team Finals, added to a runner-up finish at Niles West and a third at the Dvorak by capturing his first title. He claimed two wins by technical fall to reach the finals, beating Marmion Academy sophomore Colton Wyller in 2:51 in the semifinals. 

“It’s the Chicago Catholic League, with a bunch of the best teams in Illinois all competing in one tournament,” Malizzio said. “Mount Carmel, IC, Marmion, us and some pretty solid  teams. In my finals match I probably should have done a little better, but I was a little hesitant and I probably should have gotten my offense going a little more. The season is going good and we’ve just got to do our jobs. The state series is coming up and then after that is team state. But I think you have to focus on one thing to the next, so next up is regionals.”

Judycki (22-16) made his fourth finals appearance this season, with the others being a title at Washington and second-place finishes at Antioch and Geneseo. After winning a 4-2 decision over Mount Carmel senior Kavel Moore in the quarterfinals, the 2024 state qualifier for the Knights won a 10-1 major decision in the semifinals over St. Rita junior Jack Hogan, a defending CCL champion who placed third at 106 in Class 2A last season. In the third-place match, Moore (20-11) won by fall in 2:58 over Providence Catholic freshman Max Mandac. Moore scored a tournament-high 82 match points, which was 18 more than Marmion Academy’s Zach Stewart collected for second place. For fifth place, Wyller (39-6) won an 11-10 decision over Hogan (30-9).

126 – Nicholas Garcia, Marmion Academy

Nicholas Garcia provided Marmion Academy with its first title in the CCL Finals, but it didn’t come easily as IC Catholic sophomore Max Cumbee forced overtime before Garcia got an escape and then rode out Cumbee for a 2-1 win by overtime tiebreaker to repeat as a CCL champion. It was a key head-to-head win for the Cadets since they were in a tight battle for first with the Knights. The Cadets junior, who won the IHSA 3A title at 113 last season after finishing fourth at 106 in 2023, joined Zach Stewart (144) and Mateusz Nycz (285) as champions for Marmion Academy, who hoped to win the CCL team title for the second time in three years but IC Catholic Prep had other ideas and wound up prevailing by a 253.5-250.5 margin for the title. 

Garcia (17-1), who’s top-ranked in Class 3A, opened with a win by technical fall before getting a pin in 38 seconds over St. Rita freshman Cleto Protti in the semifinals to become one of the seven finalists for the Cadets, whose co-coaches are Anthony Cirrincioe and Nathan Fitzenreider. Garcia ended up with the second-highest total of match points with 64 and he also tied for tenth place with Montini Catholic’s Allen Woo for the most team points with 27.5. 

Cumbee (10-5), who placed fifth at 113 in Class 3A last season while competing for Joliet Catholic Academy, was one of seven finalists for coach Danny Alcocer’s CCL champion Knights. Cumbee, who also had a second-place finish at Geneseo, got a victory by technical fall in his opener before claiming a 6-0 decision in the semifinals over Montini Catholic sophomore Bobby Ruscitti (35-3), who went on to claim third place with a victory by technical fall in 2:48 over Brother Rice sophomore James Lotito (21-13). And for fifth place, Protti (21-9) was a winner by fall in 1:54 over Fenwick junior Solanus Daley.

132 – Deven Casey, IC Catholic Prep

Deven Casey helped to get the momentum going in IC Catholic Prep’s favor in its battle with Marmion Academy for the CCL championship. In the second head-to-head title matchup between the top teams in points, the Knights senior captured a 7-4 decision over Cadets junior Demetrios Carrera in the 132 championship match. He was the first of three title winners, with Brody Kelly (175) and Isaac Barrientos (190) the others, for coach Danny Alcocer’s CCL champion Knights, who held a slim 239.5-235 advantage over the Cadets heading into the title matches. 

Casey (37-6), a three-time IHSA medalist who captured the Class 2A title at 120 last season with the Knights after taking third place in Class 2A at 113 in 2023 and third at 106 in 2022 while at Aurora Christian, is top-ranked at 132 in Class 2A. He repeated as a CCL champion and this was his fourth tournament title of the season, adding to firsts at Antioch, Washington and the Dvorak. He kicked things off with a first-period fall before becoming one of his team’s seven finalists when he got a pin in 3:05 over St. Laurence freshman Khalid Eid in the semifinals. He ended up tied for eighth with Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg for most team points with 28.

“I knew coming here that I had a great chance of winning, but that wasn’t the goal, obviously, it was to win as a team,” Casey said. “We won the Dvorak, which was alright, but now we beat the best 3A team in the state. It was good to make a statement so it’s huge that we won it. Everybody just had to do their role, and step one was to win your matches, but winning your matches by bonus is huge. I haven’t really changed much over the four years of high school. This year, it’s just focusing on the team and being selfless by learning to help others to fix their mistakes, so I get better as a wrestler and as a person.”

Carrera (39-5), who is top-ranked in Class 3A, competed in his fourth finals but was unable to add to title wins at Marmion Academy and Batavia. He got wins by technical fall in his first two matches, defeating Montini Catholic sophomore Isaac Mayora in the semifinals. A two-time state qualifier, Carrera hopes to claim his first medal this season. In the third-place match, Eid (25-5) won a 3-2 decision over DePaul College Prep senior Nabiel Rosario (28-8). And for fifth place, Mayora (24-12) won by technical fall in 4:35 over St. Rita junior Luke Pappalas (14-13).

138 – Seth Mendoza, Mount Carmel

Seth Mendoza added another chapter to what has already been one of the most successful careers in IHSA history when he joined an elite group of individuals who have won four Chicago Catholic League Championships. The Mount Carmel senior captured the 138 title with a victory by technical fall in 3:03 over Montini Catholic junior Kam Luif to improve to 28-1 on the season. He also beat Luif to capture his 2023 CCL championship. Mendoza opened his fourth title run with a quick fall and advanced to the finals when IC Catholic Prep freshman Jacob Alvarez took a medical forfeit. The top-ranked individual in 3A at 138 was fourth in team points with 29.5. 

Mendoza, the IHSA Class 3A champion at 126 a year ago, at 113 in 2023 and at 106 in 2022, added to a tournament title win at Crown Point, Indiana’s Carnahan and his lone defeat came in the finals of the Ironman in Ohio. He was the latest recipient of the CCL’s Lawless Award winner after receiving the Outstanding Tournament Wrestler award last season. Mendoza was joined as champion by his teammate, junior Liam Kelly, who took first place at 157, as they led the way for coach Alex Tsirtsis’ Caravan, the defending CCL champions who finished in fourth place.

“It’s amazing,” Mendoza said of being a four-time CCL champion. “It’s a lot different for some public schools where they don’t really get to experience having this competition because all of these schools are really competitive. So for four years in a row, getting to experience the same thing every year is something special and something I always looked forward to. I just stay consistent the whole time pretty much. Every time I’m at practice I’m looking to get better and trying to better my teammates so they stay focused on the same goal. For me, just staying consistent is the goal because if I do that, I know that the results will take care of themselves.”

Luif (39-4), one of five finalists for coach Mike Bukovsky’s third-place Broncos, won his first match by technical before recording a fall in 4:29 over Brother Rice junior Oliver Davis in the semifinals. This was his third tournament finals appearance this season with the others being a title at Niles West and a second at the Dvorak. This was also the third time that he got to the title mat at the CCL. Top-ranked in 2A, he looks to make his third trip to the IHSA 2A Finals and add to medals for taking third place at 132 in 2024 and claiming sixth place at 120 in 2023. In the third-place match, Davis (31-4) won a 13-2 major decision over Alvarez (24-16). For fifth place, DePaul College Prep senior Johnny Cunningham (27-10) claimed an 8-4 decision over Marmion Academy sophomore Grayson Garcia (22-18).

144 – Zach Stewart, Marmion Academy

Zach Stewart did just what he needed to do as the battle for the team championship between his Marmion Academy Cadets and IC Catholic Prep came down to the outcomes of each of the last seven title matches. With his team trailing 243.5 to 239, the Cadets junior put his team up by one point after he got a win by technical fall in 4:54 over IC Catholic Prep freshman Aidan Arnett in the 144 finals. With both teams having three finalists left, the Knights went 2-1 with wins at 175 from Brody Kelly and at 190 from Isaac Barrientos while the Cadets went 1-2 and won the last of their matches, with Mateusz Nycz first at 285 to conclude things with Marmion Academy down by three points, depriving it of a second CCL title in the last three years.  

Stewart (26-2), last year’s IHSA Class 3A champion at 138 to cap a 30-8 season, claimed his fourth title of the season, adding to firsts at his school’s invite, Antioch and Batavia. He also got wins by technical fall in his first two matches, including in 2:48 in the semifinals over Mount Carmel sophomore Jaxon Jorgensen to become one of the seven finalists and three champs for the Cadets. He was the lone individual to have three wins by technical fall and got those wins in 9:18. He had the second-most match points with 64 and tied for sixth in team points with 28.5. 

“We have a lot of newer kids, so it was a new team and no one really knew how they’d fit in but they actually fit in really well,” Stewart said. “They like the idea of us scoring a lot of points and trying to dominate rather than just winning by one or two points. They listen really well, and we’ve tried to listen a lot better this year, and it’s been going pretty well and obviously the results are showing that. This year our team has been improving and we have a shot to win it and we’re favored to win but Marist looks really good and Hononegah looks really good, and IC and Montini are really good, but they’re in 2A.”

Arnett (28-10), who was one of seven finalists for coach Danny Alcocer’s champion Knights, recorded pins in his first two matches, including one fall in 2:58 over DePaul College Prep senior Max Rosen in the semifinals. Jorgensen (4-1) claimed third place after prevailing over Rosen (27-7) with a 16-12 decision. In the fifth-place match, Loyola Academy junior Daniel Malan (23-5) was a winner by fall in 5:53 over Fenwick senior Eiam Staple (25-13).

150 – Justus Heeg, Providence Catholic

Justus Heeg won his fourth title, advanced to his fifth tournament finals and the Providence Catholic freshman improved to 39-3 after claiming a 14-2 major decision over Marmion Academy junior Ashton Hobson in the 150 title match at the Chicago Catholic League Championships. He added to titles at Barrington, the Dvorak and the Illini Classic and a second at the Cheesehead. He won a Minnesota state title for Simley as an eighth grader in 2024.

Heeg, the lone champion and finalist for coach Donald Reynolds’ sixth-place Celtics, got wins by technical fall in his first two matches, needing just 0:35 in his opener and earning his spot on the 150 title mat with a victory in 5:27 over Brother Rice senior Jack O’Connor in the semifinals. He ranked third in total match points with 53 and tied for eighth place in team points with 28. 

“Justus is obviously a great wrestler, but also a great kid of high character and a great student,” said Celtics coach Donald Reynolds, a 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee.  “He is always looking to find ways to get better, from watching film, playing with some technique in practice, getting extra lifts or workouts in to focus on some small details etc. The scary part is he just keeps getting better and gaining more confidence, and those two things feed each other.

“Our team is young but hungry to compete. We make some mistakes ,and will continue to do so, and it will cost us some matches but we are trying to put ourselves in highly competitive situations as a young team so we can learn how to compete for when it matters in the postseason and years to come. We are in a good spot moving forward, we just have to continue to focus on improving on a daily basis, and the wins will follow. We have a great group of kids, and a great group of parents and I am excited to see where this group goes.”

Hobson (22-5), a junior who placed sixth at 144 in Class 3A and also was a CCL champion in 2024, was one of seven finalists for Nathan Fitzenreider and Anthony Cirrincione’s second-place Cadets. He advanced to the finals following a pair of wins by technical fall, with the second of  those coming in 2:33 over IC Catholic Prep sophomore Joey Pontrelli in the. This was Hobson’s third tournament finals, with the other being titles at his invite and at Batavia. In the third-place match, O’Connor (26-11) won a 13-9 decision over Pontrelli (19-16). St. Francis sophomore Chase Siguenza took fifth place by medical forfeit over St. Rita senior Nolan Keenan (26-11). 

157 – Liam Kelly, Mount Carmel

Liam Kelly won his first tournament title of the season and his initial Chicago Catholic League Championship and joined four-time CCL title winner Seth Mendoza as first-place finishers for coach Alex Tsirtsis’ fourth-place Mount Carmel Caravan after capturing a 22-10 major decision over Fenwick senior Aiden Burns in the 157 finals.

Kelly (26-3), a junior who is a two-time state qualifier and was a member of Mount Carmel’s Class 3A Dual Team champions last season,  received a medical forfeit in his first match and then became one of his team’s two finalists when got a victory by technical fall in 1:45 over Providence Catholic freshman Jasper Harper in the semifinals. He tied Marmion Academy’s Zach Stewart for sixth place in team points with 28.5. 

“I got tossed on my back but just have to find a way to get through that,” Kelly said. “Seth is a beast. It’s been great since we work together every single day in practice, he’s the best partner that I could have. Colin competed here and he’s at the U of I now, and I train with him when I can. And coach Alex is the best coach that I could ask for, I’ve been with him since I was a little kid. The practice partners, the coaches and just the people there (at Mount Carmel) are great.”

Burns (38-3), who advanced to his fourth tournament finals, which featured title wins at Hinsdale South and J. Sterling Morton and a runner-up finish at Barrington, was the lone finalist for coach Seth Gamino’s Friars. He won 8-5 by sudden victory over Brother Rice sophomore Frank Meceli in the quarterfinals before winning a 12-7 decision over Saint Ignatius College Prep senior Nate Sanchez in the semifinals. The Fenwick senior hopes to earn his first trip to the IHSA Finals. For third place, Sanchez (28-3) captured a 10-0 major decision over Harper (32-12). And for fifth place, Mecelli (31-7) got a fall in 3:41 over Marmion Academy senior Andrew Haritos (22-18).

165 – Santino Tenuta, Montini Catholic

Santino Tenuta and his Montini Catholic teammates would have likely preferred that they had been in the chase for the CCL Champion that was taking place between IC Catholic Prep and Marmion Academy during the title matches in their own gym, but that certainly didn’t prevent them from frustrating the Knights and Cadets who were both trying to get key championship wins. Tenuta became the third Bronco to claim a first-place finish at the expense of the top two front-runners when the junior joined Allen Woo and Mikey Malizzio as a CCL title winner with his 13-2 major decision over IC Catholic Prep senior Nate Brown in the 165 finals.

Tenuta (30-7), a two-time IHSA qualifier who added to a title at Niles West and a second at the Dvorak, was the fifth and final individual that competed on the title mats for coach Mike Bukovsky’s third-place Broncos. He got to the 165 championship match after recording a pair of first-period falls, securing his semifinal win over St. Laurence senior Jack Claussen with a pin in 1:56. He had the highest finish for most team points of any of the Broncos, taking fifth with 29 points. Tenuta hopes that the third time’s the charm for him in Champaign so he can do what fellow CCL champs Woo and Malizzio, runner-up Kam Luif and also Josh Vazquez, who didn’t compete Saturday, did a year ago, which was get to the awards stand at the State Farm Center.

“With all of these banners, you want to be able to put one of these up one of these days,” Tenuta said. “The standard here is very high so we just want to reach that level. There’s very good teams here and the Catholic League is one of the best in the country, so it’s really good to win here. In my freshman year I took second and last year I didn’t get to wrestle in this tournament, so now I feel good that I got one under my belt. We took second last year and we thought we had it, so it was a tough loss. We have like a family here. We all love one another and we all make each other better.”

Brown (15-8), one of seven finalists for coach Danny Alcocer’s champion Knights, did his part by getting to the title mat at 165 and scoring bonus points along the way as the 2024 state qualifier turned in his best finish of the season by collecting two falls in the opening period, which included a pin in 1:25 in the semifinals over Mount Carmel senior Kevin Kalchbrenner (22-8), who went on to claim third place by getting a pin in 2:00 over Claussen (23-10). In the fifth-place match, Marmion Academy senior Anthony Haddad (17-14) was a winner by fall in 1:25 over Brother Rice senior Johnny Vega (11-7).

175 – Brody Kelly, IC Catholic Prep

Brody Kelly had a pretty clear mission as he stepped onto the 175 title mat against Brother Rice’s Dan Costello, and that was to try to get a pin in order to help his IC Catholic Prep team hold off of Marmion Academy in their quest to capture their first Chicago Catholic League Championship, and that’s just what the junior did. Kelly’s fall in 3:35 at about the same time that freshman teammate Isaac Barrientos was in the process of claiming a dramatic 4-1 win by sudden victory over another Crusader finalist, James Crane, in the 190 finals, assured coach Danny Alcocer’s Knights of the title, as they ultimately edged the Cadets 253.5-250.5 for first.

Kelly (36-5), who joined Deven Casey (132) and Barrientos (190) as CCL champions and was joined on the title mats by runners-up Kannon Judycki (120), Max Cumbee (126), Aidan Arnett (144) and Nate Brown (165), was one of the four Knights who used the same formula to get to the finals, advancing with two pins, with the second of those coming in the semifinals, where he won by fall in 2:32 over Fenwick senior Dominic Esposito. Kelly, who’s top-ranked in Class 2A, won his third title and reached his fourth finals match, adding to firsts at Antioch and Washington and a second at the Dvorak. The 2024 IHSA Class 2A runner-up at 150, who fell 3-2 to Montini Catholic’s David Mayora, tied Loyola Academy’s Kai Calcutt and Marmion Academy’s Mateusz Nycz for first in team points with 30 and tied five others for second for the most pins with three.

“We did really good just making sure that we were working really hard as a team and trying to get bonus as much as we could,” Kelly said. “It only came down to three points, so that’s a couple of places. It feels good, but we just have to keep going forward. Our goal is to team state and this is very good because we just came into CCL like two years ago. So it’s good winning it to show where we are as a team right now. We had a little bit of injuries at the beginning of the year but now we have a pretty solid lineup and we’re looking strong out there.”

Costello (20-9), a sophomore who placed sixth in Class 2A at 175 in 2024 and also took second place at Geneva and at Archbishop Rummel in Metairie, Louisiana and finished third at Hinsdale Central this season, was one of two finalists for coach Jan Murzyn’s Crusaders. He opened with a fall before earning his spot in the 175 finals by winning a 15-12 decision in the semifinals over  Montini Catholic junior AJ Tack (33-11), who took third place by medical forfeit over Mount Carmel sophomore Daniel Lynch (12-10). In the fifth-place match, Providence Catholic junior Declan Dircks (4-2) won by fall in 3:18 over Esposito (33-9).

190 – Isaac Barrientos, IC Catholic Prep

Issac Barrientos faced one of the biggest challenges that any freshman may encounter and that is winning a championship in the state’s toughest conference while denying a senior of capturing his first title in the competition, but that’s just what he faced when he met Brother Rice’s James Crane in the Chicago Catholic League Championships title match at 190. With his Broncos owning a small edge over Marmion Academy, Barrientos needed a win to offset a possible, and as it turns out, a win by fall by Mateusz Nycz in the 285 finals. The freshman got the job done, capturing a wild 4-1 win in sudden victory over Crane, who was a state qualifier a year ago. That win helped IC Catholic Prep finish ahead of the Cadets 253.5-250.5 to win its first CCL title.

Barrientos (25-14), one of seven finalists for coach Danny Alcocer’s champion Knights, joined Deven Casey (132) and Brody Kelly (175) as title winners. Kelly’s fall at 175 over a teammate of Crane’s, Dan Costello, provided a boost for Barrientos, who also was one of three freshman champions, with Loyola Academy’s Niko Odiotti (106) and Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg (150) being the others and their titles weren’t that surprising since they both were ranked highly in the state and have achieved great success in other settings. Barrientos opened with a fall and then earned his spot in the 190 finals with a 5-1 decision in the semifinals over another ranked senior, Fenwick’s Jack Paris, a two-time state qualifier. This was the first time that Barrientos advanced to the semifinals in a tournament and his best finish had been a third at Geneseo.

“I had good matches and I beat kids that the tournament had me seeded behind and I thought I should have beaten and I came back to win,” Barrientos said. “Especially as a freshman, to win the CCL is a great feeling. (Winning the team title) That was the goal, our goal is always to win. The goal is not achieved yet because team state is what we’re really working for, but it’s great being able to win one of the hardest conferences, if not the hardest conference in Illinois. We all push each other a lot in practice and we all work hard and everyone is there for each other.”

Crane (30-5), one of two finalists for the Crusaders, advanced to the 190 finals with two falls, with the second of those coming in 3:27 over Marmion Academy sophomore Luke Boersma in the semifinals. This was the third finals that Crane competed in with the others a title at Geneva and a second-place showing at a tournament in Louisiana. In the third-place match, Paris (35-8) won 2-1 on an ultimate tiebreaker over Montini Catholic senior Jaxon Lane (29-16), who led all competitors in the tournament with four falls. And for fifth place, DePaul College Prep senior Alex Drees (18-16) won by medical forfeit over Boersma (30-15).

215 – Kai Calcutt, Loyola Academy

Kai Calcutt got off to a slow start in his junior season, a situation that a lot of defending state champions might not like. But when the tradeoff is being able to be a member of Loyola Academy’s football team that won the Class 8A championship, then it’s alright to get back to the mats a bit later. The two-time IHSA finalist who won the 3A title at 215 last season after placing second at 220 in his freshman season, was the starting nose guard on a team that capped a 12-2 season with a 35-14 victory over York in the Class 8A title game. As a sophomore he was a member of a 14-0 Ramblers team that beat Lincoln-Way East for the Class 8A championship. Calcutt was joined by Niko Odiotti (106) as champions for coach Matt Collum’s Ramblers after he won by fall in 1:54 over Marmion Academy junior Joseph Favia in the 215 title match. It was a rematch of last year’s IHSA Class 3A Finals at 215 where Calcutt won 3-1 by sudden victory.

Calcutt (28-0), who’s top-ranked at 215 in Class 3A in 3A, got a first-period pin in his opener and then recorded a fall in 3:08 over Brother Rice junior Colin Goggin in the semifinals. He tied IC Catholic Prep’s Brody Kelly and Marmion Academy’s Mateuz Nycz for the most team points with 30. This was his third tournament title, with the others coming at the Dvorak and Geneseo. 

“It was awesome,” Calcutt said of winning the football title. “Yeah, it goes into wrestling a little, but I was playing with my brothers and I’ve been playing with them all throughout summer and all the 14 weeks. There’s little bumps in the road, but in the end, it all works out. I started football in my freshman year and the environment that I was brought into is awesome. (Matt Collum) He’s an awesome coach. He’s always calm, has good technique and knows how to teach.”

Favia (15-6) was one of seven finalists for the runner-up Cadets. He opened with a pin and then won a 1-0 decision over IC Catholic Prep senior Foley Calcagno in the semifinals to assure himself of his second finals this season, with the other at Batavia, where he also was second. Calcagno (32-11), who took third at 190 in Class 2A in 2024 after placing sixth at 182 in 1A in 2023, won by fall in 2:59 over Mount Carmel senior Leonard Siegal (16-13) in the third place match. For fifth, St. Laurence junior Xavier Bitner (18-7) got a pin in 4:36 over Goggin (26-11).

285 –  Mateusz Nycz, Marmion Academy

Mateusz Nycz did his part to try to help Marmion Academy win its second CCL championship in the past three seasons by collecting falls in all three of his matches to tie him with Loyola Academy’s Kai Calcutt and IC Catholic Prep’s Brody Kelly as the leaders in team points with 30. But by the time the the Cadets senior recorded his last pin in 1:22 in the 285 title match over De La Salle Institute senior David McCarthy, IC Catholic Prep already was assured of winning its first CCL title and ultimately it prevailed by a 253.5-250.5 margin to capture top honors.

Nycz (39-4), one of three champions and seven finalists for the runner-up Cadets, whose co-coaches are Nathan Fitzenreider and Anthony Cirrincione, earned his spot on the 285 title mat with his quickest pin, in 1:01, over Leo senior Nicholas Armour in the semifinals. An IHSA qualifier for the first time in 2024, he’s also captured  tournament titles this season at his own invite, Antioch and Batavia and took second place at the Dan Gable Donnybrook in Iowa. 

McCarthy (21-2), the lone medalist for coach Jason Davidson’s Meteors,  is a two-time state qualifier who took fifth at 285 in Class 1A in 2024. This was his fourth finals appearance this season with the others being firsts at Conant, Plano and Leyden. After opening with a pin in the first minute of his initial match, he had a battle on his hands in the semifinals, pulling out a 3-2 decision over St. Francis junior Jaylen Torres, who lost 2-1 to Althoff Catholic’s Jason Dowell in the IHSA Class 1A Finals at 285 last season. In the third-place match, Torres (21-2) won by fall in 0:30 over IC Catholic Prep sophomore Anthony Sebastian (23-11). And for fifth place, Montini Catholic sophomore Gavin Ericson (27-18) captured a 10-7 decision over Armour (24-5).

Chicago Catholic League Championships

Team scores

1. IC Catholic Prep 253.5, 2. Marmion Academy 250.5, 3. Montini Catholic 223.5, 4. Mount Carmel 190, 5. Brother Rice 144.5, 6. Providence Catholic 132, 7. DePaul College Prep 99.5, 8. Fenwick 83.5, 9. Loyola Academy 82.5, 10. St. Rita of Cascia 68, 11. St. Laurence 66, 12. St. Francis 42.5, 13. De La Salle Institute 30, 14. Saint Ignatius College Prep 28, 15. Leo 10, 16. Aurora Central Catholic 0.

Place matches

106

1st Place Match

Niko Odiotti (Loyola Academy) 22-2, Fr. over Erik Klichurov (Montini Catholic) 39-4, Fr. (Dec 7-2)

3rd Place Match

Sebastian Gracia (Mount Carmel) 21-10, Fr. over Christian Corcoran (Providence Catholic) 32-13, Fr. (MD 10-0)

5th Place Match

James Morrison (Marmion Academy) 30-11, So. over Mike Bird (IC Catholic Prep) 22-18, Fr. (Dec 5-1)

113

1st Place Match

Allen Woo (Montini Catholic) 38-5, So. over Aidan McClure (Marmion Academy) 22-7, Fr. (Dec 4-2)

3rd Place Match

William Grafton-Hodgetts (Mount Carmel) 18-10, Fr. over Nate Ortiz (Providence Catholic) 23-9, Fr. (Dec 10-4)

5th Place Match

Dimitri Dobre (DePaul College Prep) 23-10, Sr. over CJ Brown (Fenwick) 26-9, Sr. (Fall 5:51)

120

1st Place Match

Mikey Malizzio (Montini Catholic) 34-8, So. over Kannon Judycki (IC Catholic Prep) 22-16, So. (Dec 4-2)

3rd Place Match

Kavel Moore ((Chicago) Mt Carmel) 20-11, Sr. over Max Mandac (Providence Catholic) 12-19, Fr. (Fall 2:58)

5th Place Match

Colton Wyller (Marmion Academy) 39-6, So. over Jack Hogan (St. Rita of Cascia) 30-9, Jr. (Dec 11-10)

126

1st Place Match

Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy) 17-1, Jr. over Max Cumbee (IC Catholic Prep) 10-5, So. (TB-1 2-1)

3rd Place Match

Bobby Ruscitti (Montini Catholic) 35-3, So. over James Lotito (Brother Rice) 21-13, So. (TF-1.5 2:48 (17-2))

5th Place Match

Cleto Protti (St. Rita of Cascia) 21-9, Fr. over Solanus Daley (Fenwick) 22-22, Jr. (Fall 1:54)

132

1st Place Match

Deven Casey (IC Catholic Prep) 37-6, Sr. over Demetrios Carrera (Marmion Academy) 39-5, Jr. (Dec 7-4)

3rd Place Match

Khalid Eid (St. Laurence) 25-5, Fr. over Nabiel Rosario (DePaul College Prep) 28-8, Sr. (Dec 3-2)

5th Place Match

Isaac Mayora (Montini Catholic) 24-12, So. over Luke Pappalas (St. Rita of Cascia) 14-13, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:35 (21-5))

138

1st Place Match

Seth Mendoza (Mount Carmel) 28-1, Sr. over Kam Luif (Montini Catholic) 39-4, So. (TF-1.5 3:03 (23-7))

3rd Place Match

Oliver Davis (Brother Rice) 31-4, Jr. over Jacob Alvarez (IC Catholic Prep) 24-16, Fr. (MD 13-2)

5th Place Match

Johnny Cunningham (DePaul College Prep) 27-10, Sr. over Grayson Garcia (Marmion Academy) 22-18, So. (Dec 8-4)

144

1st Place Match

Zach Stewart (Marmion Academy) 26-2, Jr. over Aidan Arnett (IC Catholic Prep) 28-10, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:54 (22-6))

3rd Place Match

Jaxon Jorgensen (Mount Carmel) 4-1, So. over Max Rosen (DePaul College Prep) 27-7, Sr. (Dec 16-12)

5th Place Match

Daniel Malan (Loyola Academy) 23-5, Jr. over Eiam Staple (Fenwick) 25-13, Sr. (Fall 5:53)

150

1st Place Match

Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic) 39-3, Fr. over Ashton Hobson (Marmion Academy) 22-5, Jr. (MD 14-2)

3rd Place Match

Jack O`Connor (Brother Rice) 26-11, Sr. over Joey Pontrelli (IC Catholic) 19-16, So. (Dec 13-9)

5th Place Match

Chase Siguenza (St. Francis) 4-2, So. over Nolan Keenan (St. Rita of Cascia) 26-11, Sr. (M. For.)

157

1st Place Match

Liam Kelly (Mount Carmel) 26-3, Jr. over Aiden Burns (Fenwick) 38-3, Sr. (MD 22-10)

3rd Place Match

NATE SANCHEZ (Saint Ignatius College Prep) 28-3, Sr. over Jasper Harper (Providence Catholic) 32-12, Fr. (MD 10-0)

5th Place Match

Frank Mecelli (Brother Rice) 31-7, So. over Andrew Haritos (Marmion Academy) 22-18, Sr. (Fall 3:41)

165

1st Place Match

Santino Tenuta (Montini Catholic) 30-7, Jr. over Nate Brown (IC Catholic Prep) 15-8, Sr. (MD 13-2)

3rd Place Match

Kevin Kalchbrenner (Mount Carmel) 22-8, Sr. over Jack Claussen (St. Laurence) 23-10, Sr. (Fall 2:00)

5th Place Match

Anthony Haddad (Marmion Academy) 17-14, Sr. over Johnny Vega (Brother Rice) 11-7, Sr. (Fall 1:25)

175

1st Place Match

Brody Kelly (IC Catholic Prep) 36-5, Sr. over Dan Costello (Brother Rice) 20-9, So. (Fall 3:35)

3rd Place Match

AJ Tack (Montini Catholic) 33-11, Jr. over Daniel Lynch (Mount Carmel) 12-10, So. (M. For.)

5th Place Match

Declan Dircks (Providence Catholic) 4-2, Jr. over Dominic Esposito (Fenwick) 33-9, Sr. (Fall 3:18)

190

1st Place Match

Isaac Barrientos (IC Catholic Prep) 25-14, Fr. over James Crane (Brother Rice) 30-5, Sr. (SV-1 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Jack Paris (Fenwick) 35-8, Sr. over Jaxon Lane (Montini Catholic) 29-16, Sr. (TB-1 2-1)

5th Place Match

Alex Drees (DePaul College Prep) 18-16, Sr. over Luke Boersma (Marmion Academy) 30-15, So. (M. For.)

215

1st Place Match

Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy) 28-0, Jr. over Joseph Favia (Marmion Academy) 15-6, Jr. (Fall 1:54)

3rd Place Match

Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic Prep) 32-11, Sr. over Leonard Siegal (Mount Carmel) 16-13, Sr. (Fall 2:59)

5th Place Match

Xavier Bitner (St. Laurence) 18-7, Jr. over Colin Goggin (Brother Rice) 26-11, Jr. (Fall 4:36)

285

1st Place Match

Mateusz Nycz (Marmion Academy) 39-4, Sr. over David McCarthy (De La Salle Institute) 21-2, Sr. (Fall 1:22)

3rd Place Match

Jaylen Torres (St. Francis) 21-2, Jr. over Anthony Sebastian (IC Catholic Prep) 23-11, So. (Fall 0:30)

5th Place Match

Gavin Ericson (Montini Catholic) 27-18, So. over Nicholas Armour (Leo) 24-5, Sr. (Dec 10-7)

Minooka girls win Southwest Prairie Conference Tournament title

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

There was a little old and a little new at the Southwest Prairie Conference Girls Tournament in Yorkville with one of the original staples in the league winning its second championship in three years and six of the 2024 title winners finishing on top of the awards stand again with one of those becoming the conference’s first three-time champion.

But there were also five schools on hand with their own teams that technically were either a part of a co-op a year ago or just had individuals competing or weren’t even in the conference.

When the competition concluded, Minooka was on top with 173 points with Plainfield South getting past Joliet Central by a 131.5-126 margin to take second place. Joliet West (110), Oswego East (95.5), Oswego (86.5) and Romeoville (84.5), Plainfield East (70), Bolingbrook (67), Plainfield Central (57.5), Yorkville (54) and Plainfield North (33.5) rounded out the field.

Joliet Township’s co-op team won last year’s championship with Minooka placing second. However, Joliet Central and Joliet West are now competing as separate teams and this is also the debut season for actual teams for both Plainfield South and Oswego East. 

Bolingbrook is also new to the mix since this is its initial season in the SPC after being a member of the SouthWest Suburban Conference since that began. Plainfield East made big improvements after placing last and scoring 14 points in 2024. West Aurora, who took third place last season, has moved back to the Upstate Eight Conference.

Minooka has been a leader in the sport, not only hosting a major tournament to start the season but making a big commitment early on since it hired two coaches who had assisted IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Bernie Ruettiger with many of his teams that advanced to the IHSA Dual Team Finals from 2004-2020, Paige Schoolman and Jeff Charlebois, and both were head coaches at the school and also led their teams to dual team state in 2012 and 2013.

The Indians displayed great depth to capture their second SPC championship in three years with Angela Morales (9-11 at 110) and Sabina Charlebois (23-8 at 130) winning titles while Holli Coughlen (120), Ezra Rodriguez (140), Palmer Calvey (145) and Addison Davis (190) claimed second place finishes. 

Marian Nordsell (105) took third, Therese Escano (110), Izzy White (115) and Keziah Gaston (170) placed fourth, Candice Cameron (110) and Alaina Austin (125) finished fifth and Aubry Smith (125) claimed sixth place. Others on the title team were Morgan Skwarczynski (100), Anastasia Dewey (125), Ryann Spivey (135), Lexie Lakota (135) and Abigail Underhill (170).

“It was really exciting to see,” Schoolman said of the new-look SPC. “We were here two years and it was us and Joliert co-op and most of the other ones had a few girls here and there, so it’s nice to see that three-quarters of the schools have nine-plus wrestlers in the varsity tournament.

“At Minooka, we want to be ambassadors for the sport. There’s so much for the girls to learn and we keep getting new groups of girls every year and they work hard and things have been going real well. You get some good athletes from the hallways and you build a culture. And the girls have kind of built that culture at Minooka. They want to be a part of it, they work hard and listen to the coaches. 

“Coach Charlebois is an amazing technician and we kind of gave him the lead of the whole thing this year and he’s been running the room this year, and it’s been great for me and it’s been great for the kids. You see some consistency with what we’re doing and all of the girls are kind of doing very similar things out there. It’s a fun sport, I’ve been saying that from the beginning.”  

Six individuals repeated as SPC champions and another won her second title in three years. Plainfield Central senior Alicia Tucker, who captured the IHSA title at 155 in 2023 and took second at state at 170 last season, won at 170 to claim her third title and improve to 19-1.

Other repeat champions were Romeoville junior Daniela Santander (27-3 at 100), Plainfield Central sophomore Shania Davison (12-1 at 115), Joliet Central junior Izabel Barerra (24-1 at 135), Plainfield North sophomore Viki Rodnikova (19-6 at 145) and Plainfield South senior Teagan Aurich (21-0 at 155) while Minooka junior Sabina Charlebois (23-8 at 130) also won an SPC title in 2023.

Other first-place finishers were Oswego East freshman Mia Nevarez (35-10 at 125) and sophomore Quinn Janssens (41-3 at 140), Joliet Central junior Alisa Carter (23-5 at 105), Minooka freshman Angela Morales (9-11 at 110), Bolingbrook junior Alejandra Flores (24-3 at 120), Plainfield South senior Keira Enright (17-4 at 190) and Romeoville sophomore Henessis Villagrana (235).

Minooka junior Holli Coughlen (120) took second place for the third time while Joliet West senior Chloe Wong (105) finished second for the second time after winning a title in 2023 and Joliet Central senior April Ortiz (130) also finished second for the second time.

Others who claimed second-place finishes were Minooka junior Ezra Rodriguez (140), senior Palmer Calvey (145) and junior Addison Davis (190), Yorkville sophomore Analiese Garretson (100) and senior Brooke Coy (135), Oswego seniors Mikaela Busse (110) and Kiyah Chavez (155), Joliet West junior Briahna Klobnak (125) and senior Natalie Quiroz (235), Plainfield East sophomore Angelina Nettey (115) and Oswego East senior Jessica Stover (170).

The closest match of the finals was at 105 where Joliet Township teammates from last season met with Carter prevailing in a 1-0 decision over Wong.

There was a five-way tie for the most team points with 26 involving Barrera, Charlebois, Davison, Enright and Morales while Flores and Janssens were next with 25.5 points and Tucker scored 25 points while Rodnikova and Santander both collected 24.5 team points. Flores had the most match points with 40 while Santander ranked second with 38 match points.

Plainfield East’s Jennifer Paul was the only competitor that recorded four falls and she also tied her teammate Jen Serna and Coughlen for the biggest seed to place difference with all three finishing five spots better than they were seeded. 

There were 118 entrants in the varsity tournament while 52 competed in a junior-varsity tournament that was run at the same time.

Plainfield South coach Thomas Redmon is excited about how well his first-year team has been performing and their second-place finish in the SPC Tournament is definitely one of its season highlights.

“Generally, we’ve performed well,” Redmon said. “Our ladies have really embraced the game plan we coaches envision for their matches and worked their tails off in the room. We’ve seen lots of growth and I think our results this season speak to that growth.   

“The team coming together is entirely based on the culture these young ladies have built in their team. I wish I could say that I have some magic secret or trick, but I’m just lucky enough to be the guy who sits in the corner for an incredible group of young women. They push each other, hold each other accountable, and lift each other up to make sure we keep going forward toward improvement.

“We’ve had very solid seasons so far from many of our girls, but Teagan Aurich and Keira Enright have been big contributors this season and both won their brackets this past weekend.  We’re also seeing huge leaps forward for many of our girls like Kayla Ochotorena, Mora Munoz, Lexi Kachiroubas, Allison Asante and Amie Fuentes who have made major contributions at many of our competitions this year.”

Here are the champions of the Southwest Prairie Conference Tournament and their weight classes:

100 – Daniela Santander, Romeoville

Daniela Santander repeated as a Southwest Prairie Conference champion and was the first of two title winners for Romeoville, with Henessis Villagrana the other at 235, after capturing a 15-1 major decision over Yorkville’s Analiese Garretson in the 100 finals 

Santander (27-3), a junior who was one two finalists for coach John Arlis’ Spartans, followed a win by technical fall with a pin in 1:15 over Joliet West freshman Takyla Johnson in the semifinals. She went 28-8 last season and fell one win shy of advancing to the IHSA Finals from the rugged Schaumburg Sectional. She ranked second in total match points with 38, which was two points behind the leader in that category, Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores.

“It feels great, twice in a row,” Santander said. “I started practicing longer and I try to go live with someone after practice is over to get my reps in, like takedowns, and I’ve really been working on them. (Her teammates) They’re great and they’re so supportive. I think the whole team was there cheering for me. And it’s great to see how much our team grew, too.”

Garretson (22-9), a sophomore who was one of two finalists for coach Kevin Roth’s Foxes, opened with a fall and then earned her spot on the 100 title mat with a pin in 3:23 over Plainfield South junior Amie Fuentes (20-6), who went on to claim third place with a victory by technical fall in 2:58 over Johnson (7-9). For fifth place, Joliet Central senior Kassandra Ruiz (14-4) was a winner by fall in 1:48 over Joliet West senior Aysia Smith. 

105 – Alisa Carter, Joliet Central

Alisa Carter and Chloe Wong faced off in a matchup of Joliet Township teammates from a year ago and when the 105 title match concluded, Joliet Central’s Carter prevailed 1-0 over Joliet West’s Wong, who competed in an SPC finals for the third time but fell short of a second title.

Carter (23-5), a junior who did not compete in the state series last season, was one of two champions and three finalists for coach Marcus McCullum’s third-place Steelwomen. She only had to compete in a semifinal match in order to reach the title mat and she captured a 13-9 decision over Minooka sophomore Marian Nordsell. 

“It was kind of weird seeing her on the mat but not the same singlet as I am,” Carter said “We’ve wrestled three times so far, so I’m up 2-1. I was nervous and anxious going into this match. This was a big day for me because I never wrestled at conference before and it’s my birthday, too. I’m glad that the girls that were on the team last year that didn’t get too many matches are getting more matches at West and at Central. And I’m glad both teams basically have full varsity and j-v lineups.”

Wong (4-2), a senior who placed sixth at 100 in the 2023 IHSA Finals, was one of three runners-up for coach Erik Murry’s Tigers. She also had to win one match to reach the finals, recording a fall in 2:30 over Bolingbrook freshman Mikaela Najera in the semifinals. Nordsell (24-11) claimed third with a pin in 3:34 over Najera (21-16). And for fifth place, Yorkville junior Danielle Turner won by fall in 5:37 over Plainfield East senior Mahi Kansagara (14-12).

110 – Angela Morales, Minooka

Angela Morales became the first of two title winners for champion Minooka and also was one of two freshmen who took top honors at the SPC Tournament when she won by fall in 2:43 over Oswego senior Mikaela Busse in the 110 championship match.

Morales (9-11), who joined 130-title winner Sabina Charlebois as champions for coach Paige Schoolman’s first-place Indians, also preceded Oswego East’s Mia Nevarez (125) as the only freshmen to win championships. She tied four others, including teammate Charlebois, for first place in team points with 26 and tied for second with six others for most falls with three, with her pin in 3:57 over Bolingbrook sophomore Jordan Rodriguez assured her of a trip to the title mat.

“I thought it was really cool and I appreciate my coaches pushing me to get this far,” Morales said. “I wouldn’t have gotten this far without them. And the support that I get from my teammates is amazing, I love them so much. We get the best support from your coaches and teammates, they always help you out.”

Busse, one of two finalists for coach Greg Scott’s Panthers, won 18 matches a year ago and fell a bit short of qualifying for state from the Schaumburg Sectional. After opening with a fall in 19 seconds, she earned her spot on the title mat with a pin in 1:06 over Minooka junior Therese Escano in the semifinals. For third place, Rodriguez (23-15) was a winner by fall in 4:17 over Escano (12-9). And for fifth place, Minooka junior Candice Cameron (12-11) got a pin in 3:04 over Joliet Central freshman Melanie Rodriguez.

115 – Shania Davison, Plainfield Central

Shania Davison has done something in her first two seasons at Plainfield Central that a lot of individuals may not achieve in their entire high school career, which is winning two conference titles. After taking first at 125 last year, the Wildcats sophomore captured the championship at 115 when Plainfield East sophomore Angelina Nettey had to take a medical forfeit.

Davison (12-1), who joined two-time IHSA finalist and 2023 state champion Alicia Tucker as title winners for coach Kyle Hildebrand’s Wildcats, won her first two matches with first-period pins in order to reach the 115 title match. Davison only needed 27 seconds to claim a victory in her semifinals match with a fall over Minooka freshman Izzy White. She tied for first place with four other individuals for the most team points with 26.

“Last year I wrestled at 125 and I won that at conference,” Davison said. “I was really looking forward to this conference and I got off an injury and this is my first time back. So I was a little nervous coming in here, but I knew with my skills, I know how to push forward and I’m strong, so I’m glad with what I accomplished.”

Nettey (32-6), who was the lone finalist for coach Julian Ochoa’s Bengals, has made a huge improvement from last season when she won seven matches. She opened with a quick fall before capturing a 15-9 decision in the semifinals over Plainfield South sophomore  Kayla Ochotorena (14-10), who went on to win a 12-3 major decision over White (9-7) for third place. In the fifth-place match, Plainfield North junior Meryn Finnegan (11-9) recorded a fall in 3:07 over Oswego East freshman Ella Worlds.

120 – Alejandra Flores, Bolingbrook

Alejandra Flores became the first Bolingbrook wrestler to become an SPC champion when she won the 120 title after Minooka junior Holli Coughlen had to take a medical forfeit at 2:46. The following day in the boys tournament at Joliet West, Tommy McDermott became the initial Raiders boy to win an SPC championship in the sport. This season, Bolingbrook joined the other school in its district, Romeoville in the SPC, after competing in the SouthWest Suburban Conference from its formation in 2005.

Flores (24-3), a junior who was the lone champion as well as the only finalist for coach Jordan Hovel’s Raiders, followed a fall in her opener with a win by technical fall in 3:10 in the semifinals over Joliet Central junior Keily Centeno. Flores led all competitors with 40 match points and tied for sixth place for the most team points with 25.5. Last season, she went 27-7 and fell a bit shy of advancing to state from the Schaumburg Sectional.

“It’s really fun going against as many girls as possible,” Flores said. “I don’t just put in the work in practice, I always do extra work, whether it’s getting extra practice on my own or drilling with a partner. I always just try to stay active and always trying to get better. Our program has been growing so it’s really exciting getting more girls in. I like just how tough it is, you need to have a really strong mentality for this sport.”

Coughlen (16-9) settled for a second-place SPC finish for the third year in a row. Last season, she won 17 matches and fell a bit short of qualifying for state from the Geneseo Sectional. One of six finalists for coach Paige Schoolman’s champion Indians, Coughlen won a major decision in her first match and then won by fall in 1:59 in the semifinals over Romeoville senior Jesslynne Ochoa (18-8), who went on claim third place with a pin in 1:14 over Centeno (10-6). For fifth place, Oswego senior Aaliyah Roldan (32-13) recorded a fall in 0:50 over Plainfield South sophomore Allison Asante (17-9).

125 – Mia Nevarez, Oswego East

Mia Nevarez helped cap a successful fifth-place SPC finish for Oswego East, which is in its first full season as a team, when she claimed top honors at 125 to also become one of two freshmen who won titles in the tournament and was one of two members of coach Bryan DeBenedetti’s Wolves to claim first-place finishes, with Quinn Janssens being the other at 140.

Nevarez (35-10) won the title at 135 with a 12-5 decision over Joliet West junior Briahna Klobnak. She earned her spot in the finals thanks to two falls, with the second of those coming in 1:49 in the semifinals over Joliet Central senior Melissa Aguirre. 

“It’s super exciting,” Nevarez said. “This is our first year for our program, our girls team at OEHS. Quinn Janssens did great today and Jessica Stover is up there, too, today. It’s my freshman year so I’m the first freshman girl to go all-conference. I’m super excited to be here.” 

Klobnak (26-6), one of three finalists for coach Erik Murry’s fourth-place Tigers, opened with two pins, including one in the semifinals in 1:17 over Joliet Central’s Paiton Pilgrim. Aguirre (19-13) claimed third place by way of a medical forfeit over Pilgrim (7-8). In the fifth-place match, Minooka sophomore Alaina Austin (15-10) claimed a 2-0 decision over her teammate, junior Aubry Smith, who was one of three on her team who had three falls.

130 – Sabina Charlebois, Minooka

Sabina Charlebois won her second SPC championship in three years and was one of six finalists and two title winners for coach Paige Schoolman’s Indians, who became champions in the conference for the second time with the other title won in 2023 at the inaugural SPC tournament. The junior capped a three-fall performance by recording a fall in 3:47 over Joliet Central senior April Ortiz in the 130 finals. 

Charlebois (23-8) earned her spot on the title mat with a fall in 3:08 over Oswego senior Harmony Evans in the semifinals. She tied four others, including teammate and 110 champion Angela Morales, for the most team points with 26. Charlebois was also one of the three Indians who finished with three falls, which tied four others for the second-best total at the tournament and she also tied for third place in most match points with 35.

“I feel like our biggest thing from the last few years is trying to create more discipline on the team,” Charlebois said. “And making sure that girls aren’t just coming and going. If you want to be a part of the sport then you’re staying at every practice. I think that our program is good at finding what’s good for girls and being able to develop them so quickly. It’s insane to see how much everyone on our team has grown since our first tournament..”

Ortiz (26-8), who also placed second in the SPC a year ago, was one of three finalists for coach Marcus McCullum’s third-place Steelwomen. She also won her first two matches by fall, winning in 2:51 over Plainfield South sophomore Alexia Kachiroubas in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Evans (32-11) won by fall in 0:44 over Kachiroubas (17-10). And for fifth, Bolingbrook senior Nyima Outlaw recorded a pin in 5:22 over Yorkville freshman Rylee Coy.

135 – Izabel Barrera, Joliet Central

Izabel Barrera was one of six repeat SPC champions and also one of three finalists and two champions for coach Marcus McCullum’s third-place Steelwomen after she captured top honors at 135 with a fall in 3:01 over Yorkville senior Brooke Coy to improve her record to 24-1.

Barrera, who went 24-9 last season and qualified for the IHSA Finals representing Joliet Township co-op, recorded three falls during the competition, with the quickest pin coming in the semifinals when she needed just 36 seconds to defeat Romeoville senior Brianna Garcia. The junior tied four other champions for the most team points with 26 and her three pins tied her with six others for second place for most falls.

“The two teams competing here is a big deal,” Barrera said. “This year has been really exciting. I feel like I was able to come out of my shell a lot this year, especially compared to last year. I was able to be more myself in matches and be less nervous and more confident. I’m super happy to have our coaches, they put in a lot of time  and effort into us.”

Coy (11-4), one of two finalists for coach Kevin Roth’s Foxes, got a victory by technical fall in her opener and then earned her spot on the 135 title mat with a pin in 3:57 in the semifinals over Plainfield South sophomore Mora Munoz (16-7), who went on to claim third place with a fall in 1:09 over Garcia (18-13). In the fifth-place match, Joliet West freshman Delilah Izaguirre was a winner by fall in 0:51 over Oswego senior Tennille Johnson (24-16).

140 – Quinn Janssens, Oswego East

Quinn Janssens joined teammate Mia Nevarez as a champion for coach Bryan DeBenedetti’s Wolves, who turned in an impressive fifth-place finish in their first SPC tournament as a team. The sophomore improved to 41-3 on the season after getting a fall in 2:11 over Minooka junior Ezra Rodriguez in the 140 championship match. 

Janssens followed a first-minute pin in her opener to capture a win by technical fall in the semifinals over Oswego’s Joslynn Sheets. She tied Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker for fifth place for the most match points with 34 and also tied Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores for sixth place for the most team points with 25.5.

“It’s our first team and we’re doing pretty good and we’re getting a good reputation,” Janssens said. “All of the girls are really passionate about it and I think we all bond over that. I’m really happy that we have this opportunity to wrestle as an official team.”

Rodriguez (27-8), one of six finalists for coach Paige Schoolman’s champion Indians, followed a first-period fall in her opener with a 14-7 decision over 

Joliet West junior Veronica Klobnak in the semifinals. Klobnak (30-6), who won 20 matches last season and fell one win shy of qualifying for the IHSA Finals from the Geneseo Sectional, claimed third place with a fall in 0:33 over Oswego junior Joslynn Sheets (20-18). For fifth place, Romeoville junior Ariana Vergara  captured a high-scoring 19-15 decision over Joliet Central senior Nadya McCottrel.

145 – Viki Rodnikova, Plainfield North

Viki Rodnikova not only won an SPC title last season as a freshman at Plainfield North but she also posted a 21-4 record and came up a bit shy of qualifying for the IHSA Finals from the rugged Schaumburg Sectional. She’s hoping that she can take the next step as a sophomore and she improved to 19-6 after winning her second-straight SPC title when she claimed a victory by technical fall in 3:59 over Minooka senior Palmer Calvey in the 145 finals.

Rodnikova, the lone finalist and one of two entrants in the competition for coach Michael Parton’s Tigers, followed a first-period pin in her opener with an 11-2 major decision over Oswego East sophomore Ella Cooper in the semifinals to earn her spot on the 145 title mat. She tied for ninth place in most team points with 24.5.

Calvey (26-9), one of six finalists for coach Paige Schoolman’s Indians, who won their second SPC title in three years, recorded a fall in her first match and then won an 11-1 major decision over Joliet West junior Vanessa O’Connor in the semifinals to advance to the 145 title mat. In the third-place match, Cooper (25-13) was a winner by fall in 2:25 over O’Connor (19-12). And for fifth, Plainfield East sophomore Julia Romero (14-10) got a pin in 3:38 over Bolingbrook sophomore Savannah Burns (21-17).

155 – Teagan Aurich, Plainfield South

Teagan Aurich was fortunate that she got to compete with Alexis Janiak, who was the first IHSA champion at 130 in 2022 as a senior for Plainfield South. The USMC U20 Women’s national champion at 59 kg in 2024 and 2023 who’s also won titles at the Midlands and the CCIW for Aurora University this season would no doubt be very proud to see the Cougars finish second in the SPC as a first-year team and two former teammates, Keira Enright and Aurich, win titles. Now Aurich hopes that she can do what Enright and Janiak did in 2022, place at state, which she fell a bit short of doing in 2024 when she went 2-2 at state and 26-7 for the season. 

Aurich and Enright, who are seniors, posted first-place finishes to help coach Thomas Redmon’s Cougars to a memorable day where they finished second behind Minooka and they claimed Joliet bragging rights over Joliet Central and Joliet West, who finished third and fourth. Aurich repeated as an SPC champion and improved to 21-0 on the season after capturing a 9-3 decision over Oswego senior Kiyah Chavez in the 155 finals. She received a bye into the semifinals and won that match with a pin in 1:45 over Joliet Central sophomore Emma Guethle.

“We’ve been putting a lot of time and effort into our program,” Aurich said. “We were officially announced as our own program, separate from the boys, which was really exciting. So we have our own head coach and coaching staff. I started when we had to practice with the boys and there were like two or three girls, so it’s nice to see. Alexis Janiak started it. She trained me and Keira how to wrestle and was really the reason why we started in the first place. She’s amazing.”

Chavez (34-8), one of two finalists for coach Greg Scott’s Panthers, also received a bye into the semifinals where she won by fall in 3:15 over Plainfield East junior Kaitlyn Bucholz. Chavez hopes to qualify for state after going 20-6 last season and falling one win shy of advancing to the IHSA Finals from the Schaumburg Sectional. In the third-place match, Bucholz (28-7) won by fall in 1:56 over Guethle (10-6). And for fifth place, Joliet West junior Majh Starks (17-11) recorded a pin in 0:55 over Oswego East senior Mila Allen.

170 – Alicia Tucker, Plainfield Central

Alicia Tucker suffered a loss on the opening day of the season to Clifton Central’s Payton Temple in the 190 finals at Minooka’s Girls Thanksgiving Throwdown and the Wildcat senior has done nothing but win since then and now owns a 19-1 record after becoming the first individual to win three-straight SPC titles after she recorded a fall in 3:26 over Oswego East senior Jessica Stover in the 170 title match. The IHSA champion at 155 in 2023 and a runner-up to Peotone’s Kiernan Farmer at 170 in 2024, has posted an 89-5 record in the last three seasons.

Tucker was one of two champions for coach Kyle Hildebrand’s Wildcats, with sophomore Shania Davison being the other after she took first place at 115 for her second-straight SPC title, The two-time IHSA finalist recorded a fall in her opening match and then claimed a 15-2 major decision over Minooka junior Keziah Gaston in the semifinals. Tucker tied for fifth place for the most total match points with 34 and also ranked eighth in team points with 25. 

“There’s definitely a few things that I still need to work on but I’m very happy with my performance today and throughout the rest of the season, as well,” Tucker said. “I’ve done a lot of conditioning and heavy, hard drilling.” I feel pretty unstoppable.” 

Stover (39-5), one of three finalists for coach Bryan DeBenedetti’s Wolves, who turned in a fifth-place finish in their first SPC tournament as a team. After opening with a fall, Stover earned her spot in the 170 title match with a 12-8 decision in the semifinals over Plainfield South freshman Layla Spann (21-4), who went on to claim third place by capturing a 14-4 major decision over Gaston (21-10). In the fifth-place match, Plainfield East senior Jennifer Paul (21-9) won by fall in 1:15 over Yorkville junior Janaiah Murray (15-6). Paul was the lone individual to record four pins and she pulled that feat off in 4:08.  

190 – Keira Enright, Plainfield South

Keira Enright had every reason to be excited about things following the SPC Tournament. After all, she and teammate Teagan Aurich both claimed SPC titles and Plainfield South had just finished second to Minooka in their first appearance in the competition as an official team. But more importantly, it shows that the Cougars senior has what it takes to get back to the IHSA Finals for the third time, something she couldn’t achieve last season due to injuries. She hopes to win another state medal, like she did in the inaugural IHSA Finals in 2022, where she took third place at 235 and joined 130 champion Alexis Janiak as the school’s only medalists.

Enright (17-4), who was one of eight individuals from her team who finished fourth or better and one of two champions for coach Thomas Redmon’s runner-up Cougars, captured her title at 190 by recording a fall in 0:35 over Minooka junior Addison Davis. Her first two matches also ended with pins in the opening minute, which included a fall in 41 seconds over Joliet West junior Trista Pisano in the semifinals. She tied four others for first place in most team points with 26 and her three falls in 1:54 was easily the least time for any of the other six who had three pins.

“This is the first year that we’re separated from the boys,” Enright said. “We have our own practices, our own meets. The girls as a whole are very unified and they’re for each other. This is the first year that we’ve placed as a team at tournaments and we’ve placed at almost every single one of them. It just shows how we’re committed together and we’re all working really hard to do what we do. The thing I like the most is how we’re there to support each other and being able to communicate with each other.”

Davis (26-9), one of six finalists for coach Paige Schoolman’s Indians, who won the SPC title for the second time in three years, also won her first two matches by fall, getting a pin in 2:38 in the semifinals over Plainfield East junior Jen Serna (20-12), who went on to place third with a pin in 1:29 over Pisano (15-10). That tied Serna, her teammate Jennifer Paul and Minooka’s Holli Coughlen as the leaders in seed to place difference with five. The Cougars also took fifth at 190 when junior Sammi Ntone won with a pin in 0:34 over Oswego East freshman Kailee O’Connor.

235 – Henessis Villagrana, Romeoville

Henessis Villagrana ended the SPC Tournament for Romeoville just as it began the competition, with a championship, as she claimed top honors at 235 by recording a fall in 1:42 over Joliet West senior Natalie Quiroz in the title match. The sophomore joined junior Daniela Santander, who captured first place at 100, as SPC champions for coach John Arlis’ Spartans. 

Villagrana (17-5) only had to wrestle one match to advance to the finals and she won in the semifinals, recording a fall in 5:09 over Joliet Central senior Valeria Hernandez. Last season as a freshman, Villagrana qualified for the IHSA Finals and finished with an 18-13 record. The Spartans’ two champions hope to not only get to state but become the school’s first medalists.

Quiroz (27-3), one of three finalists for coach Erik Murry’s Tigers, also only had to win one match to reach the 235 finals and in the semifinals she got a pin in 3:26 over Plainfield South junior Timi Mudasiru. In the third-place match, Hernandez (11-8) was a winner by fall in 5:25 over Mudasiru (13-11). Bolingbrook sophomore Cynthia Rios claimed fifth place.

Southwest Prairie Conference Tournament

Team scores

1. Minooka 173, 2. Plainfield South 131.5, 3. Joliet Central 126, 4. Joliet West 111, 5. Oswego East 95.5, 6. Oswego 86.5, 7. Romeoville 84.5, 8. Plainfield East 70, 9. Bolingbrook 67, 10. Plainfield Centra 57.5, 11. Plainfield North 33.5

Place matches

100

1st Place Match

Daniela Santander (Romeoville) 27-3, Jr. over Analiese Garretson (Yorkville) 22-9, So. (MD 15-1)

3rd Place Match

Amie Fuentes (Plainfield South) 20-6, Jr. over Takyla Johnson (Joliet West) 7-9, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:58 (22-6))

5th Place Match

Kassandra Ruiz (Joliet Central) 14-4, Sr. over Aysia Smith (Joliet West) 11-15, Sr. (Fall 1:48)

105

1st Place Match

Alisa Carter (Joliet Central) 23-5, Jr. over Chloe Wong (Joliet West) 4-2, Sr. (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

Marian Nordsell (Minooka) 24-11, So. over Mikaela Najera (Bolingbrook) 21-16, Fr. (Fall 3:34)

5th Place Match

Danielle Turner (Yorkville) 1-1, Jr. over Mahi Kansagara (Plainfield East) 14-12, Sr. (Fall 5:37)

110

1st Place Match

Angela Morales (Minooka) 9-11, Fr. over Mikaela Busse (Oswego) 17-21, Sr. (Fall 2:43)

3rd Place Match

Jordan Rodriguez (Bolingbrook) 23-15, So. over Therese Escano (Minooka) 12-9, Jr. (Fall 4:17)

5th Place Match

Candice Cameron (Minooka) 12-11, Jr. over Melanie Rodriguez (Joliet Central) 5-8, Fr. (Fall 3:04)

115

1st Place Match

Shania Davison (Plainfield Central) 12-1, So. over Angelina Nettey (Plainfield East) 32-6, So. (M. For.)

3rd Place Match

Kayla Ochotorena (Plainfield South) 14-10, So. over Izzy White (Minooka) 9-7, Fr. (MD 12-3)

5th Place Match

Meryn Finnegan (Plainfield North) 11-9, Jr. over Ella Worlds (Oswego East) 15-27, Fr. (Fall 3:07)

120

1st Place Match

Alejandra Flores (Bolingbrook) 24-3, Jr. over Holli Coughlen (Minooka) 16-9, Jr. (Inj. 2:46)

3rd Place Match

Jesslynne Ochoa (Romeoville) 18-8, Sr. over Keily Centeno (Joliet Central) 10-6, Jr. (Fall 1:14)

5th Place Match

Aaliyah Roldan (Oswego) 32-13, Sr. over Allison Asante (Plainfield South) 17-9, So. (Fall 0:50)

125

1st Place Match

Mia Nevarez (Oswego East) 35-10, Fr. over Briahna Klobnak (Joliet West) 26-6, Jr. (Dec 12-5)

3rd Place Match

Melissa Aguirre (Joliet Central) 19-13, Sr. over Paiton Pilgrim (Joliet Central) 7-8, Sr. (M. For.)

5th Place Match

Alaina Austin (Minooka) 15-10, So. over Aubry Smith (Minooka) 11-14, Jr. (Dec 2-0)

130

1st Place Match

Sabina Charlebois (Minooka) 23-8, Jr. over April Ortiz (Joliet Central) 26-8, Sr. (Fall 3:47)

3rd Place Match

Harmony Evans (Oswego) 32-11, Sr. over Alexia Kachiroubas (Plainfield South) 17-10, So. (Fall 0:44)

5th Place Match

Nyima Outlaw (Bolingbrook) 18-20, Sr. over Rylee Coy (Yorkville) 2-4, Fr. (Fall 5:22)

135

1st Place Match

Izabel Barrera (Joliet Central) 24-1, Jr. over Brooke Coy (Yorkville) 11-4, Sr. (Fall 3:01)

3rd Place Match

Mora Munoz (Plainfield South) 16-7, So. over Brianna Garcia (Romeoville) 18-13, Sr. (Fall 1:09)

5th Place Match

Delilah Izaguirre (Joliet West) 7-9, Fr. over Tennille Johnson (Oswego) 24-16, Sr. (Fall 0:51)

140

1st Place Match

Quinn Janssens (Oswego East) 41-3, So. over Ezra Rodriguez (Minooka) 27-8, Jr. (Fall 2:11)

3rd Place Match

Veronica Klobnak (Joliet West) 30-6, Jr. over Joslynn Sheets (Oswego) 20-18, Jr. (Fall 0:33)

5th Place Match

Ariana Vergara (Romeoville) 12-19, Jr. over Nadya McCottrel (Joliet Central) 10-12, Sr. (Dec 19-15)

145

1st Place Match

Viki Rodnikova (Plainfield North) 19-6, So. over Palmer Calvey (Minooka) 26-9, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:59 (17-1))

3rd Place Match

Ella Cooper (Oswego East) 25-13, So. over Vanessa O`Connor (Joliet West) 19-12, Jr. (Fall 2:25)

5th Place Match

Julia Romero (Plainfield East) 14-10, So. over Savannah Burns (Bolingbrook) 21-17, So. (Fall 3:38)

155

1st Place Match

Teagan Aurich (Plainfield South) 21-0, Sr. over Kiyah Chavez (Oswego) 34-8, Sr. (Dec 9-3)

3rd Place Match

Kaitlyn Bucholz (Plainfield East) 28-7, Jr. over Emma Guethle (Joliet Central) 10-6, So. (Fall 1:56)

5th Place Match

Majh Starks (Joliet West) 17-11, Jr. over Mila Allen (Oswego East) 4-21, Sr. (Fall 0:55)

170

1st Place Match

Alicia Tucker (Plainfield Central) 19-1, Sr. over Jessica Stover (Oswego East) 39-5, Sr. (Fall 3:26)

3rd Place Match

Layla Spann (Plainfield South) 21-4, Fr. over Keziah Gaston (Minooka) 21-10, Jr. (MD 14-4)

5th Place Match

Jennifer Paul (Plainfield East) 21-9, Sr. over Janiah Murray (Yorkville) 15-6, Jr. (Fall 1:15)

190

1st Place Match

Keira Enright (Plainfield South) 17-4, Sr. over Addison Davis (Minooka) 26-9, Jr. (Fall 0:35)

3rd Place Match

Jen Serna (Plainfield East) 20-12, Jr. over Trista Pisano (Joliet West) 15-10, Jr. (Fall 1:29)

5th Place Match

Sammie Ntone (Plainfield South) 2-1, Jr. over Kailee O`Connor (Oswego East) 5-26, Fr. (Fall 0:34)

235

1st Place Match

Henessis Villagrana (Romeoville) 17-5, So. over Natalie Quiroz (Joliet West) 27-3, Sr. (Fall 1:42)

3rd Place Match

Valeria Hernandez (Joliet Central) 11-8, Sr. over Timi Mudasiru (Plainfield South) 13-11, Jr. (Fall 5:25)

5th Place Match

Cynthia Rios (Bolingbrook) 6-27, So. (Bye)

Girls conference roundups: Mid Suburban, Upstate 8, Central Suburban, Lake County

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

MID-SUBURBAN LEAGUE

The MSL is loaded with incredible talent.

There were 14 top-10 ranked girls competing inside the fieldhouse of the Forest View Educational Center on the campus of the District 214 offices in Arlington Heights on Saturday.

Two state runners-up, Sophia Ball and Madeline Hope Zereta-Lazarevic led a terrific group that can compete late into state finals weekend, and quite possibly find a way into the Grand March in Bloomington.

Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates are the class of the league, with Schaumburg already earning second place trophies at both the IWCOA dual-team state tournament, and most recently the 40-team Hawks Invite.

The Saxons won easily for the second time in two years with a whopping 297.0 points to division rival Hoffman Estates’ 225.5 points.

Wheeling was third (151.5) and Conant (115.5) and Hersey (75.) rounded out the top five on the final team scoreboard.

“To be a part or an amazing program and coaching staff from the very start of the sport of girls wrestling is something that I will always remember, and one that has given me so much fun,” said Schaumburg senior Madyson Meyer, who cruised to victory at 140 to further validate her No. 4 spot in the state polls.

Meyer was one of seven Saxons to claim a championship bracket, including Zerata-Lazarevic (38-0), state runner-up a year ago and now ranked No. 1 at 145.

Prospect senior Viola Pianetto (Prospect, 31-0) continued her stirring ride at 135 pounds after her defeat of No. 8 Sharon Oloranfemi (Schaumburg) via a pin at 3:59. 

“I felt like my very first year in the sport last year went pretty well, but I realized there was so much more work that I had to do in order to make my senior year the best that it could be,” said the affable Pianetto, who went 2-2 at state last year and finished at 24-6.

Pianetto is currently ranked fifth at 135.

“My coaching staff, the coaches at Izzy Style, and my teammates both in the girls and boys program are giving me all the support and help that I need, so I feel like I will be ready for what is ahead of me,” Pianetto said.

1st place: Schaumburg (297.0 points)

Where to begin with the MSL champions?

Freshman Mia Phelps (26-11) came back from a 6-0 deficit in her final to pin Haydee Cruz (Wheeling) to win at 100, while teammate Justice Girod (105, 29-10) won her second-straight league crown.

Madyson Meyer and Anna Villarreal (120, 34-8) made it four out of the first six finals for the Saxons. After Zerefa-Lazarevic won easily at 145, Alya (170, 34-6) and Nadia Razzak (190, 38-3) crushed their opponents on the way to victory.

Reagan Paulson (110), Isabella Rivas (125) and Sharon Olorunfemi (135) were all second, Lauren Brehmer (130) and Maja Brzosko (235) each finished third, and teammate Shreya Gosain was fourth at 155.

2nd place: Hoffman Estates (225.5)

It’s no wonder that second place Hoffman Estates finished 70 points clear of third-place Wheeling, after riding the wave success of senior stars Sophia Ball (130, 32-1) and Abigail Ji (140, 32-5), plus ten teammates who finished in the top four.

Adinai Muktarbekova (105), Isabella Chiovari (170) and Anjali Gonzalez (235) were all second overall. The quartet of: Roselyn Cornier (100), Madeline Rakoci (110), Kamila Florencio (120) and Olivia Pelayo (125) finished third. Amani Gibson (115), Dayanara Elias-Mena (145) and Yasmin Bonilla (190) would each earn fourth-place medals.

3rd place: Wheeling (151.5 points)

Wheeling junior and sixth-ranked Elise Burkut (29-3) pinned her way to her title at 125 pounds, while sophomore teammate Nikol Orendarchuk (18-3) did the same at 155.

Haydee Cruz (115) and Krystal Diaz (145) were each second, with Mayali Suarez (115) and Layah Woods (135) third respectively.

Final team standings: Schaumburg 297.0, Hoffman Estates 225.5, Wheeling 151.5, Conant 115.5, Hersey 75.0, Elk Grove 61.0, Rolling Meadows 58.5, Fremd/Prospect 54.0 each, Palatine 47.0, Buffalo Grove 39.0, Barrington 14.0.

Mid-Suburban League tournament results:

100

1st: Mia Phelps (Schaumburg) 26-11,  d. Haydee Cruz (Wheeling) 28-8,  (F 5:07)

3rd: Roselyn Cornier (Hoffman Estates) 19-14,  d. Linna Vo (Elk Grove Village) 15-8,  (D 9-4)

5th: Kevelyn Price (Palatine) 17-14,  d. Maria Rosales (Hersey) 0-8,  (MD 13-3)

105

1st: Justice Girod (Schaumburg) 30-10,  d. Adinai Muktarbekova (Hoffman Estates) 21-11,  (F 1:06)

3rd: Emma Strohmeier (Hersey) 13-2,  d. Itzel Bernal (Buffalo Grove) 4-13,  (F 1:14)

5th: Andrea Cruz (Wheeling) 9-21,  d. () , . (Bye)

110

1st: Valeria Pesantes (Elk Grove Village) 17-2,  d. Reagan Paulson (Schaumburg) 21-10,  (F 3:07)

3rd: Madeline Rakoci (Hoffman Estates) 14-14,  d. Tiffany Enabe (Hersey) 5-8,  (F 3:33)

5th: Jocelyn Juarez Cruz (Wheeling) 13-11,  d. () , . (Bye)

115

1st: Madyson Meyer (Schaumburg) 37-2,  d. Giselle Varelas (Conant) 19-15,  (F 2:19)

3rd: Mayali Suarez (Wheeling) 13-18,  d. Amari Gibson (Hoffman Estates) 13-17,  (D 11-7)

5th: Ariana Jeloaiaca (Hersey) 4-9,  d. Emily Laurent (Fremd) 2-15,  (F 0:56)

120

1st: Anna Villarreal (Schaumburg) 34-8,  d. Dalia Gondek (Hersey) 8-6,  (F 1:51)

3rd: Kamila Florencio (Hoffman Estates) 13-8,  d. Jac Lateano (Buffalo Grove) 7-6,  (F 2:00)

5th: Alexis Thoma (Prospect) 3-15,  d. Isabella Gomez (Wheeling) 20-13,  (M. For.)

125

1st: Elise Burkut (Wheeling) 29-3,  d. Isabella Rivas (Schaumburg) 34-6,  (F 2:34)

3rd: Olivia Pelayo (Hoffman Estates) 23-8,  d. Alianna Luna (Elk Grove Village) 15-8,  (MD 10-0)

5th: Madeline Cefola (Fremd) 4-21,  d. Lexi Gumino (Hersey) 4-3,  (M. For.)

130

1st: Sophia Ball (Hoffman Estates) 32-1,  d. Jasmine Zavaleta (Conant) 28-8,  (MD 24-16)

3rd: Lauren Brehmer (Schaumburg) 15-15,  d. Muneeba Butt (Rolling Meadows) 22-8,  (F 1:55)

5th: Caroline Marogy (Buffalo Grove) 13-11,  d. Mirna Rahmani (Wheeling) 12-16,  (F 2:34)

135

1st: Viola Pianetto (Prospect) 31-0,  d. Sharon Olorunfemi (Schaumburg) 35-8,  (F 3:59)

3rd: Layah Woods (Wheeling) 27-10,  d. Nora Bestor (Conant) 13-6,  (D 5-3)

5th: Nuray Dzheenalieva (Hoffman Estates) 16-12,  d. Nora Banty (Hersey) 5-10,  (F 1:41)

140

1st: Abigail Ji (Hoffman Estates) 32-5,  d. Ewa Krupa (Conant) 33-5,  (F 1:32)

3rd: Lloyd Kowalczyk (Fremd) 20-10,  d. Nicole Dziura (Barrington) 10-8,  (F 1:34)

5th: Ava Hartman (Schaumburg) 16-12,  d. Rebecca Howe (Prospect) 9-18,  (F 4:14)

145

1st: Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (Schaumburg) 38-0,  d. Krystal Diaz (Wheeling) 28-8,  (F 1:32)

3rd: Janet Brindis (Rolling Meadows) 26-10,  d. Dayanara Elias-Mena (Hoffman Estates) 13-13,  (D 6-0)

5th: Karimot Lawal (Palatine) 24-15,  d. Susan Bilyal (Conant) 14-13,  (For.)

155

1st: Nikol Orendarchuk (Wheeling) 18-3,  d. Aiaishah Sanchez (Rolling Meadows) 28-9,  (F 4:59)

3rd: Emily Bauer (Prospect) 20-11,  d. Shreya Gosain (Schaumburg) 21-22,  (MD 12-0)

5th: Sydnee Allen (Hoffman Estates) 12-9,  d. Analiese Aberman (Conant) 27-14,  (D 7-2)

170

1st: Alya Razzak (Schaumburg) 34-6,  d. Isabella Chiovari (Hoffman Estates) 18-6,  (MD 13-1)

3rd: Leilani Brindis (Rolling Meadows) 28-7,  d. Simran Grd. (Conant) 11-9,  (D 7-2)

5th: Amy Soto (Palatine) 9-12,  d. Julitta Stolarczyk (Wheeling) 11-23,  (F 3:36)

190

1st: Nadia Razzak (Schaumburg) 38-3,  d. Aiva Wikar (Palatine) 27-9,  (F 2:53)

3rd: Ava Adorni (Conant) 20-12,  d. Yasmin Bonilla (Hoffman Estates) 13-14,  (TF 4:42 (17-0)

5th: Ava Buchanan (Elk Grove Village) 10-16,  d. Angie Pena (Buffalo Grove) 4-8,  (For.)

235

1st: Jasmin Ocampo (Fremd) 20-3,  d. Anjali Gonzalez (Hoffman Estates) 16-3,  (F 1:25)

3rd: Maja Brzosko (Schaumburg) 16-7,  d. Rafalia Karaskorda (Hersey) 12-5,  (F 0:20)

5th: Aniaah Garcia (Palatine) 14-17,  d. Alexsandra Cruz (Wheeling) 1-6,  (F 0:39)

UPSTATE EIGHT CONFERENCE

East Aurora would turn the tables on cross-town rival West Aurora and the rest of the UEC field when it took home its second-consecutive championship trophy on Saturday afternoon at host Streamwood.

The Lady Tomcats trailed West Aurora by a mere 1.5 points (152.0-150.5) just after the noon hour but then grabbed a lead they would not relinquish.

The 199 total points were enough to close out runner-up West Aurora (186) and third place West Chicago (164) in this newly formed 14-team conference. The UEC now has two divisions (East/West) which represent ten surrounding communities.

The Lady Tomcats, who last year finished ahead of Larkin (130.5) and third place West Chicago (123.5) claimed just one individual champion in senior Noreidy Ruiz (17-9) at 170. But the champs used four second-place medals and another four fourth-place finishes to help them outscore their closest rivals.

East Aurora would lead the tournament with 21 pins and 243 total match points as well.

Fans would be treated to a marvelous final at 105 pounds, where No. 2 Nadii Shymkiv (Glenbard East, 26-0) decisioned No. 6 Kameyah Young (West Aurora, 26-2) by a score of 5-2. 

Shymkiv, third a year ago at state (105, 22-1) won the 105 title a week ago at the Hawk Girls Invite at Hoffman Estates.

The UEC boasts several high-profile stars including No. 4 Emma Engels (120) and No. 5 Lilly White (125) both crowned UEC champs along with their junior teammate Nora Cwik (110) whom Bartlett coach Matt Pancamo says will be one to watch during the postseason.

Junior Jasmine Rene (16-0) third a year ago at state (190) is now the top star at Streamwood and would deliver a UEC title at 190 pounds.

1st place: East Aurora (199.0 points)

The Lady Tomcats received terrific efforts from eight of its starters, including Joselyn Llanos (100), Brittany Chavarria (125), Ruby Becerra (130) and Yoheadi Contreras (155), who all earned second-place medals.

Chavarria in particular gave her club a major boost with a tourney-high four pins on the day, while collecting another tourney-high 55 match points.

Kassandra Reyes (110), Lupita Garcia (135), Brenda Escobedo (140) and Lilli Ortiz were all fourth in their weight divisions. Reyes would also record four pins on the day.

2nd place: West Aurora (186.0 points)

West Aurora cheered a trio of individual champions in Ruby Bolanos-Carbajal (100, 16-8), Lailonie Molina (115, 21-9) and Giselle Marin-Carrasco (140, 22-8) in addition to another three second-place wrestlers.

Kameyah Young (105), Diana Llanos (110) and Kayle Martinez (120) were all runners-up, and joined by third-place medal winner Alma Hernandez at 135.

3rd place: West Chicago (164.0 points)

Without a lone individual champion, third place West Chicago made up for it in a big way with nine top-four medal winners.

Batula Nasib (140), Olivia Halmaniak (170) and Ariana Bonilla (235) all finished second overall. Brissia Bucio (105), Sophia Newall (115) and Alana Smith at 145 were third, while Mackensie Szajda (120), Mia Orozco (130) and Annette Huesca (155) each finished fourth on the day.

Others earning championship trophies: Nadiia Shymkiv (Glenbard East, 105, 26-0), Norah Cwik (Bartlett, 110, 26-5), Emma Engels (Bartlett, 120, 33-3), Lilly White (Bartlett, 125, 31-3), Yannel Perez (Fenton, 130, 22-1), Maria Green (Glenbard East, 135, 29-3), Allison Garbacy (South Elgin, 145, 8-0), Danely Villagomez (Riverside-Brookfield, 155, 18-6), Jasmine Rene (Streamwood, 190, 16-0), Ariana Solideo (Fenton, 235, 27-3).

Final team standings: Aurora East 199.0, West Aurora 186.0, West Chicago 164.0, Glenbard East 157.5, Fenton 118.5, Bartlett 101.0, South Elgin 89.5, 

Riverside-Brookfield 85.5, Glenbard South 82.0, Larkin 67.0, Elgin 47.0, Streamwood 45.0, Ridgewood 36.0, Elmwood Park 18.0.

Upstate Eight Conference tournament results:

100

1st: Ruby Bolanos-Carbajal (W Aurora) 16-8,  d. Joselyn Llanos (E Aurora) 19-9,  (F 4:37)

3rd: Susan Cruz (Larkin) 21-10,  d. Andrea Jones (Glenbard E) 23-9,  (D 11-7)

5th: Anni Romo (South Elgin) 3-5,  d. Kahlynn Spurgeon (Bartlett) 15-13,  (D 11-10)

105

1st: Nadiia Shymkiv (Glenbard E) 26-0,  d. Kameyah Young (W Aurora) 26-2,  (D 5-2)
3rd: Brissia Bucio (West Chicago) 26-5,  d. Valerie Aligia (Glenbard S) 11-10,  (F 5:30)

5th: Ashley Hammond (Larkin) 27-11,  d. Angela Contreras (Fenton) 9-12,  (F 1:58)

110 

1st: Norah Cwik (Bartlett) 26-5,  d. Diana Llanos (W Aurora) 20-10,  (F 1:08)

3rd: Joselyn Honorato (Fenton) 22-7,  d. Kassandra Reyes (E Aurora) 13-8,  (F 0:44)

5th: Angela Marinelli (Glenbard E) 16-13,  d. Monica Sanchez (West Chicago) 20-14,  (TF 5:23 (20-3)

115

1st: Lailonie Molina (W Aurora) 21-9,  d. Azucena Rodriguez (South Elgin) 8-2,  (D 5-1)
3rd: Sophia Newell (West Chicago) 17-9,  d. Alexandra Avila (Larkin) 13-12,  (F 3:18)

5th: Zoey Sanchez (Streamwood) 11-6,  d. Jelena Coyomani (E Aurora) 9-20,  (F 3:11)

120

1st: Emma Engels (Bartlett) 33-3,  d. Kaylee Martinez (W Aurora) 13-5,  (TF 2:35 (15-0)

3rd: Kaila Stubbs (Glenbard E) 17-7,  d. Mackensie Szajda (West Chicago) 25-9,  (TF 1:05 (18-3)

5th: Maya Rangel (Elgin) 7-6,  d. Crystal Chavez (South Elgin) 2-6,  (F 2:45)

125 

1st: Lilly White (Bartlett) 31-3,  d. Gianna Mezzano (Ridgewood) 24-5,  (F 1:50)

3rd: Britany Chavarria (E Aurora) 14-10,  d. Nichole Castillo (Glenbard S) 19-12,  (F 1:01)

5th: Frankie Abasta (R.-Brookfield) 13-9,  d. Emily Pizano (Elgin) 14-9,  (M. For.)

130

1st: Yannel Perez (Fenton) 22-1,  d. Ruby Becerra (E Aurora) 23-8,  (F 1:42)

3rd: Briana Anselmo (Elgin) 17-6,  d. Mia Orozco (W Aurora) 10-14,  (F 4:49)

5th: Elizabeth Moreno (Glenbard E) 12-13,  d. Roxanna Santiago (West Chicago) 14-12,  (F 3:25)

135

1st: Maria Green (Glenbard E) 29-3,  d. Lucy Rodriguez (Fenton) 23-7,  (F 1:35)

3rd: Alma Hernandez (W Aurora) 11-15,  d. Lupita Garcia (E Aurora) 17-11,  (F 2:25)

5th: Emily Anaya (R.-Brookfield) 16-11,  d. Michelle Gallegos (West Chicago) 15-16,  (F 5:40)

140

1st: Giselle Marin-Carrasco (W Aurora) 22-8,  d. Batula Nasib (West Chicago) 23-9,  (F 3:40)

3rd: Hannah Galvan (Glenbard S) 12-10,  d. Brenda Escobedo (E Aurora) 19-11,  (F 2:23)

5th: Rose McFadden (Ridgewood) 12-10,  d. Jackie Diaz (South Elgin) 2-6,  (F 1:18)

145

1st: Allison Garbacz (South Elgin) 8-0,  d. Alex Arquillo (Glenbard S) 23-9,  (F 2:34)

3rd: Alana Smith (West Chicago) 14-12,  d. Lucia Sosa (Fenton) 16-11,  (D 8-2)

5th: Alyssa Galarza (E Aurora) 23-10,  d. Mary McFadden (Ridgewood) 5-8,  (F 1:19)

155

1st: Danely Villagomez (R.-Brookfield) 18-6,  d. Yoheadi Contreras (E Aurora) 17-13,  (F 0:20)

3rd: Annette Huesca (West Chicago) 14-5,  d. Natalie Koprowski (Bartlett) 6-16,  (F 1:10)

5th: Camila Gonzalez (Glenbard E) 14-6,  d. Rene Gomez (Streamwood) 2-10,  (F 1:22)

170

1st: Noreidy Ruiz (E Aurora) 17-9,  d. Olivia Halminiak (West Chicago) 24-9,  (F 2:48)

3rd: Estefany Bejarano (R.-Brookfield) 12-9,  d. Asia Lacey (Glenbard E) 16-10,  (F 0:38)

5th: Reyna Equivel (W Aurora) 5-22,  d. () , . (Bye)

190

1st: Jasmine Rene (Streamwood) 16-0,  d. Jadelin Caballero (Larkin) 30-6,  (F 0:25)

3rd: Nadine Spandiary (Glenbard E) 20-8,  d. Lesley Castillo (R.-Brookfield) 15-8,  (F 1:17)

5th: Angelina Dimas (E Aurora) 10-10,  d. () , . (Bye)

235 

1st: Ariana Solideo (Fenton) 27-3,  d. Ariana Bonilla (West Chicago) 19-13,  (F 1:21)

3rd: Sky Vazquez (Elmwood Park) 8-4,  d. Lilli Ortiz (E Aurora) 17-9,  (D 3-0)

5th: Sascha Hayes (R.-Brookfield) 3-6,  d. Marianna Mendoza (Glenbard E) 2-9,  (F 2:54)

CENTRAL SUBURBAN LEAGUE

New Trier stayed close to league rivals Evanston and Maine East during the early stages of the Central Suburban League tournament on Saturday in Winnetka, but when the home side took control it was all over for the rest of the field.

The Trevians won their second-straight CLS crown over Maine East (167.5-141), which was also runner-up a year ago. Evanston was third with 136 points followed by Maine South (127) and Vernon Hills (119) in fourth and fifth.

Once again it was New Trier’s No. 4-ranked Jillian Giller (140, 39-1) leading the way for the Trevians with her second consecutive CSL title. Giller got ample assistance from teammate Lola Bianco (21-5) who bagged her first league championship, and Bianco earned the most team points in the tournament with 28.

The Trevians claimed a tourney-high 135 total match points, while Maine East garnered the most pins on the day with 15.

Riley Moore (Highland Park), Lillian Garrett (Maine West) and Sophia Fortis (Maine South) are now two-time CSL champs. Fortis would share top honors with her brother (Tyler) who won the 285-title at the boys tournament.

1st place: New Trier (167.5 points)

In addition to the sensational success of Bianco and Giller, Sunny Aitzemkour (100) and Isabell Castro (105) brought home second-place medals with Zmorah Izenstark third at 125.

The quartet of Sofia Gomez (115), Molly Zeidler (120), Katelyn Parsawasdi (130) and Lindy Hamilton (170) all provided fourth place medals.

2nd place: Maine East (141.0 points)

Junior Eliana Badeen (13-2) earned herself a well-deserved second-straight CSL title at 105 to give the Demons their lone champion on the day, and five of her teammates would contribute with top-three medals.

Heba Killoul was second at 115, with the foursome of Evelyn Torres (100), Jeamilla Segovia (130), Daniela Velazquez (170) and Angie Wszolck (190) all adding team points after their third place finishes.

3rd place: Evanston (136.0 points)

The Wildkits were the early leaders over Maine East and New Trier before falling off the pace, however there was plenty to celebrate beginning with the 145-pound championship from senior Kennedy Murray, now 25-3.

Samantha Gipson (120) and Jereni Marshall (235) were both runners-up in their weight divisions while Oyetola Rachel Jacobs (115) earned a third-place medal. Evanston’s Aileen Trejo (135), Sophia Kiedrowski (155) and Fatime Gomez (190) were all fourth.

Others earning championship trophies: Leah Stringfellow (Glenbrook North, 100, 2-3), Lora Kashidova (Vernon Hills, 115, 13-9), Ariella Dobrin (Glenbrook North, 120, 35-1, Riley Moore (Highland Park,125, 17-6), Jessica Perez (Maine West, 130, 21-8),  Aryna Latushkina (Vernon Hills, 135, 23-9), Lillian Garrett (Maine West, 155, 24-4), Dorothy Perez (Highland Park, 170, 12-6), Danai Kostarelou (Maine South, 190, 15-6), Sophia Fortis (Maine South, 235, 9-8).

Final team standings: New Trier 167.5, Maine East 141.0, Evanston 136.0,

Maine South 127.0, Vernon Hills 119.0, Deerfield 108.0, Highland Park 92.0, Maine West 71.5, Glenbrook North 60.0, Niles West 52.0, Glenbrook South 14.0, Niles North 12.0.

Central Suburban League tournament results:

100 

1st: Leah Stringfellow (Glenbrook N) 20-3,  d. Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier) 17-11,  (MD 8-0)

3rd: Evelyn Torres (Maine East) 14-9,  d. Veronica Foresta (Deerfield) 1-6,  (F 0:40)

5th: Yuna Jung (Vernon Hills) 3-7,  d. () , . (Bye)

105

1st: Eliana Badeen (Maine East) 13-2,  d. Isabella Castro (New Trier) 17-14,  (F 0:55)

3rd: Zoe Handler (Glenbrook N) 4-6,  d. () , . (Bye)

110

1st: Lola Bianco (New Trier) 21-5,  d. Hanna Lee (Vernon Hills) 18-7,  (F 1:49)

3rd: Bella Esparza (Deerfield) 12-9,  d. Yari Parrish (Niles West) 9-6,  (F 3:07)

5th: Aphrodite Gineris (Maine South) 5-17,  d. Liza Sarkees (Maine East) 4-11,  (F 2:50)

115

1st: Lora Kashidova (Vernon Hills) 13-9,  d. Heba Kiloul (Maine East) 16-11,  (F 1:03)

3rd: Oyetola Rachael Jacobs (Evanston) 2-14,  d. Sofia Gomez (New Trier) 4-13,  (M. For.)

120

1st: Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook N) 35-1,  d. Samantha Gipson (Evanston) 16-13,  (F 2:22)

3rd: Grace Migasi (Maine South) 9-13,  d. Molly Zeidler (New Trier) 14-17,  (F 2:59)

5th: Maya Silverwood (Niles West) 7-10,  d. Jimena Cisneros (Maine East) 9-11,  (MD 14-6)

125

1st: Riley Moore (Highland Park) 17-6,  d. Alyssa Gianola (Maine South) 17-7,  (F 1:10)

3rd: Zmorah Izenstark (New Trier) 21-15,  d. Nicole Szafraniec (Glenbrook South) 3-4,  (F 3:44)

5th: Coco Herro (Evanston) 9-7,  d. Stephanie Reyes (Maine East) 7-9,  (F 0:25)

130

1st: Jessica Perez (Maine West) 21-8,  d. Tessa Posner (Vernon Hills) 16-7, . (F 2:23)

3rd: Jeamilla Segovia (Maine East) 9-10,  d. Katelynn Parsawasdi (New Trier) 3-4,  (F 1:35)

5th: CC Brubaker (Deerfield) 12-7,  d. Ari Uribe (Niles West) 1-3,  (F 1:29)

135

1st: Aryna Latushkina (Vernon Hills) 23-9,  d. Dany Esparza (Deerfield) 6-5,  (F 0:27)

3rd: Zainab Nathani (Niles West) 6-13,  d. Aileen Trejo (Evanston) 5-12,  (F 5:51)

5th: Zlata Rybak (Maine East) 5-12,  d. Sophia Soteropoulos (Maine South) 1-12,  (F 3:11)

140

1st: Jillian Giller (New Trier) 39-1,  d. Soila Orozco (Maine West) 16-7,  (F 4:31)

3rd: Uli Persky (Deerfield) 5-10,  d. () , . (Bye)

145

1st: Kennedy Murray (Evanston) 25-3,  d. Lotus Alhyasat (Maine South) 11-9,  (F 0:56)

3rd: Gabrielle Toney (Niles North) 12-9,  d. Jennie Garcia (Deerfield) 7-9,  (F 3:57)

155

1st: Lillian Garrett (Maine West) 24-4,  d. Dana Holt (Highland Park) 21-3, . (D 3-1)

3rd: Elyanna de Leon (Vernon Hills) 12-8,  d. Sophia Kiedrowski (Evanston) 10-11,  (F 0:55)

5th: Natalie Rumpel (Deerfield) 13-7,  d. Kamila Sosa (Maine East) 8-15,  (TF 4:25 (17-2)

170

1st: Dorothy Perez (Highland Park) 12-6, . d. Helen Xiao (Deerfield) 8-5,  (F 2:16)

3rd: Daniela Velazquez (Maine East) 8-4,  d. Lindy Hamilton (New Trier) 11-14,  (F 1:23)

5th: Sanaa Hudgins (Maine South) 8-12,  d. Heather Goff (Evanston) 3-5,  (F 3:02)

190

1st: Danai Kostarelou (Maine South) 15-6,  d. Lexi Rosenthal (Highland Park) 12-4, . (F 3:31)

3rd: Angie Wszolek (Maine East) 8-7,  d. Fatima Gomez (Evanston) 12-11,  (F 0:20)

5th: Caroline Seidel (New Trier) 4-21,  d. Leilani Flores (Niles West) 4-13,  (DQ)

235

1st: Sophia Fortis (Maine South) 9-8,  d. Jereni Marshall (Evanston) 10-10,  (D 4-0)

LAKE COUNTY INVITE 

Lakes Community brought plenty of pride and history back to its fans when it lifted the first ever girls state championship a year ago in Bloomington.

The Eagles, who shared top honors at last season’s Lake County Invitational along with Round Lake, watched another take the big prize when Warren outscored the 17-team field to earn this year’s Lake County title.

The Blue Devils collected 143.5 points on Friday at host Zion-Benton High School to outscore runner-up Grant (125) and host Zion-Benton (100).

“It was a terrific tournament that was run so well, thanks to Tony Clark, and it gave the fans some great matches to watch,” Zion-Benton coach Hal Lunsford said.

Round Lake stars Riley Kongkaeow and Ireland McCain, who are multi-state qualifiers and currently No. 5 in their respective weight divisions, are now the only two-time Lake County Invite champions following their wonderful efforts here.

Kongkaeow (100) is now 36-2, while her teammate McCain (37-4) became the first in the Panthers program to earn 100 career victories when she did so recently on Warren’s Senior Night.

2024 state qualifier, and No. 4 Gianna Arzer (Grayslake Central, 35-4) continued her wonderful junior campaign by adding another championship trophy following her win at 125 pounds.

120-pound champion Mary Minoque (Libertyville) recorded the fastest pin of the tournament at 23 seconds.

1st place: Warren (143.5)

Senior Erin Bush needed just under two and a half minutes to register a trio of pins en route to her 170-pound title and the lone individual title for champion Warren.

However, the Blue Devils would flood the second-place spot on the podium with five when the final whistle ended this tournament.

Aaliyah Vazquez (115), Alyssa Bentley (120), Jane Kelly (130), Ashley Fugelseth (155) and Kaylee Farias (235) all earned well-deserved second-place medals. Fugelseth collected a tourney-high 46 match points. Monica Colunga was third at 190, Natasha Flores fourth at 105.

In addition, the Blue Devils recorded 15 pins and earned 195 total match points.

2nd place: Grant (125.0 points)

Sophomore Jaidyn Hoffman (27-12) pinned her way to the 110-pound title for the Lady Bulldogs who would use five third-place medals from Brooklyn Eggins-Smith (100), American Camacho (115), Myla Reyes (125), Veronica Vera (135) and Cassidy Graham (145) to hold off third place Zion-Benton. Amaryllis Ramos was fourth overall at 155.

Vera recorded the quickest pin (16 seconds) on the day in her quarterfinal match.

Zion-Benton (100.0 points)

The Fighting Zee-Bees have a magnificent trio of stars in Emily Ortiz (130, 30-5), Grace Johnson (140, 33-5) and Naomi Foote (31-1) at 145, who all gave their hometown fans much to celebrate.

Foote, sixth a year ago downstate, is poised to go even further next month as the No. 2-rated 145-pounder squashed her rivals en route to her title.

Ortiz and Johnson, both returning state qualifiers, were equally lethal with Johnson pinning her way to victory. Ortiz is currently No. 7 in the state polls. Jazmine Medina (105) was second and Annaliese Mata fourth at 125 for the Zee Bees.

Others earning championship trophies: Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake, 100, 36-2), Londyn Llyod (Antioch, 105, 11-10), Ireland McCain (Round Lake, 115, 37-4), Mary Minoque (Libertyville, 120, 6:00), Gianna Arzer (Grayslake Central, 125, 35-4), Alyson Alvarenga (Grayslake North, 135, 18-11), Gesselle Vazquez (Wauconda, 155, 15-3), Josie Blau (Antioch, 190, 20-16), Allison Poole (Grayslake Central, 235, 20-7).

Final team standings: Warren 143.5, Grant 125.0, Zion-Benton 100.00, Round Lake 91.0, Antioch 82.0, Lakes Community 78.5, Stevenson 76.0, Grayslake North 62.5, Wauconda 60.0, Lake Zurich 57.0, Mundelein 47.0, Grayslake Central 39.0, Libertyville 27.5, Lake Forest 27.0, Waukegan 16.0, Carmel Catholic 6.0, North Chicago 4.0.

Lake County Invitational results:

100

1st: Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake) 36-2,  d. Ester Migues-Gaytan (Grayslake North) 18-11,  (TF 1:53 (20-3)

3rd: Brooklyn Eggins-Smith (Grant) 15-19,  d. Timyra Caces (Lakes) 7-18,  (F 1:52)

105

1st: Londyn LLoyd (Antioch) 11-10,  d. Jazmine Medina (Zion Benton) 16-9,  (MD 8-0)

3rd: April Stevens (Wauconda) 7-9,  d. Natasha Flores (Warren ) 8-14,  (F 5:02)

110

1st: Jaiydyn Hoffman (Grant) 27-12,  d. Italia Cernas (Mundelein) 10-11,  (F 1:12)

3rd: Haven Sylves (Lakes) 13-7,  d. Athena Zappas (Stevenson) 9-16,  (F 3:08)

115

1st: Ireland McCain (Round Lake) 37-4,  d. Aaliyah Vazquez (Warren ) 23-5,  (F 5:01)

3rd: America Camacho (Grant) 28-12,  d. Georgia Hay (Lake Zurich) 12-5,  (F 1:08)

120

1st: Mary Minoque (Libertyville) 6-0,  d. Alyssa Bentley (Warren ) 28-8,  (TF 6:00 (17-2)

3rd: Nastia Kobets (Stevenson) 13-6,  d. Mirabelle Duboeuf (Lake Forest) 12-10,  (F 2:14)

125

1st: Gianna Arzer (Grayslake Central) 35-4,  d. Karina Lojowski (Stevenson) 21-4,  (F 0:52)

3rd: Myla Reyes (Grant) 28-12,  d. Annaliese Mata (Zion Benton) 8-14,  (F 2:36)

130 

1st: Emily Ortiz (Zion Benton) 30-5,  d. Jane Kelly (Warren ) 31-8,  (D 11-5)

3rd: Bree Hirsch (Lake Forest) 24-11,  d. Brianna Perez (Round Lake) 26-14,  (D 10-4)

135

1st: Alyson Alvarenga (Grayslake North) 18-11,  d. Caitlin Ruley (Lake Zurich) 11-4,  (F 1:08)

3rd: Veronica Vera (Grant) 19-12,  d. Magdelyn Brough (Antioch) 19-19,  (F 3:05)

140

1st: Grace Johnson (Zion Benton) 33-5,  d. Khloe Heerdegen (Mundelein) 22-9,  (F 5:41)

3rd: Sasha Johnson (Antioch) 19-18,  d. Miranda Tellez (Grayslake Central) 18-12,  (D 12-8)

145

1st: Naomi Foote (Zion Benton) 31-1,  d. Christina Hasner (Lakes) 26-12,  (F 1:08)

3rd: Cassidy Graham (Grant) 24-16,  d. Briseida Mendoza (Wauconda) 11-8,  (D 16-11)

155 

1st: Gesselle Vazquez (Wauconda) 15-3,  d. Ashley Fugelseth (Warren ) 19-14,  (D 7-1)

3rd: Katherine Turcios (Waukegan) 7-4,  d. Amaryllis Ramos (Grant) 20-10,  (F 1:44)

170

1st: Erin Bush (Warren ) 25-6,  d. Nancy Licona (Round Lake) 10-4,  (F 1:14)

3rd: Kylee Brankin-Reyes (Lake Zurich) 8-7,  d. Taylor Braden (Stevenson) 6-7,  (F 5:27)

190
1st: Josie Blau (Antioch) 20-16,  d. Joslin coon (Lakes) 8-10,  (F 2:31)

3rd: Monica Colunga (Warren ) 0-3,  d. () , . (Bye)

235

1st: Allison Poole (Grayslake North) 20-7,  d. Kaylee Farias (Warren ) 17-11,  (F 1:08)

3rd: Svenja Dealmonte (Mundelein) 6-6,  d. Ashley Aguilar (North Chicago ) 1-7,  (F 3:01)

SouthWest Suburban, Southwest Prairie, East Suburban Catholic and South Suburban Conference roundups

By Chris Walker – for the IWCOA

Carl Sandburg wins SouthWest Suburban Conference Tom Lahey Tournament

With 12 wrestlers finishing in fourth place or better, Carl Sandburg won Saturday’s SouthWest Suburban Conference Tom Lahey Tournament in Flossmoor with 269.5 points.

Competition was strong as expected with Lockport Township right on the heels of the Eagles with 252 points. Lincoln-Way East (220), Lincoln-Way West (218.5) and Homewood-Flossmoor (202.5) rounded out the top five teams. Lincoln-Way Central (135) was sixth followed by Bradley-Bourbonnais (82), Andrew (57) and Stagg (39). 

1 –  Carl Sandburg

Coach Clinton Polz’s Eagles had three champions to go along with three placewinners who took second, third and fourth. Rocco Hayes (113), Madden Parker (132) and Ryan Hinger (144) won titles while Anthony Hayes (106), Vince Gutierrez (150) and Malic Breish (215) took second place.

Oscar Kalman (120), Ahmad Alomari (175) and Omar Alhmoud (285) placed third and Tyson Bruce (126), Wyatt Hochgraber (165) and Chris Davis (190) took fourth. Laith Alomari (138) finished sixth while Davin Spencer (157) also contributed to the cause.

2 – Lockport Township 

Justin Wardlow (150) brought home the lone title for coach Jameson Oster’s runner-up Porters while Liam Zimmerman (132), Jaedon Calderon (157) and Chris Miller (165) placed second. Anthony Sutton (113), Isaac Zimmerman (126), Naseem Jaber (138), Drew Silzer (190) and Bryson Melgoza (215) took third and Jake Kratz (285) was fourth. Caleb Russell (106), Anthony Diorio (144) and Christian Czerwinski (175) took fifth and Timmy O`Connor (120) placed sixth.

3 – Lincoln-Way East

Colton Zvonar (190) paced coach Collin McKillip’s third-place Griffins as their lone champion. Brayden Mortell (138), Kaidreaus Richardson (144) and Jackson Zaeske (175) placed second while Nathan Powers (106), Tyson Zvonar (132) and Christian Darnell (165) took third. Noah Ciolkosz (113), Joshua Theis (126), Connor Schultz (150) and Justin Powers (215) placed fifth and Alex Lizak (157) took sixth.

Coach Jim Sokoloski’s host Vikings had the most SWSC champions with four, and they were Davion Henry (106), Chazz Robinson (120), Jovan Vukajlovic (157) and RJ Robinson (175). 

Coach Tyrone Byrd’s Lincoln-Way Central Knights had three reach the top of the podium, Jadon Zimmer (138) Jalen Byrd (165) and Aiden Hennings (285). And coach Brian Glynn’s Lincoln-Way West Warriors had two champions, Shane Stream (126) and Nate Elstner (215).

Hinger led all champions with 29.5 team points while Hennings and Wardlow were right behind with 29 points. Six individuals tied for fourth with 28 team points and they were Byrd, Hayes, Henry, Parker, RJ Robinson and Stream. Chazz Robinson and Zvonar tied with 27.5 points.

Also finishing in second place were Lincoln-Way West’s Brady Glynn (113), Jimmy Talley (190) and Brandon Bavirsha (285), Andrew’s Nadeem Haleem (120) and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Adante Washington (126).

The closest title matches included Stream edging Washington 8-7 at 126, Parker getting past Zimmerman 11-9 at 132 and Vukajlovic prevailing over Calderon 5-4 at 157.

 Others who took third place were Lincoln-Way Central’s Ethan Harvey (150) and Caden Harvey (157) and Lincoln-Way West’s Jack Strezo (144). 

Bradley-Bourbonnais had four fourth-place finishers, Evan Johnson (106), Zach Hoffner (120), Cameron Borneman (150) and Kayden Roach (175). Also taking fourth were Lincoln-Way West’s Carter Dibenedetto (132), Henry Finley (138) and Charlie Stream (157), Homewood-Flossmoor’s Ethan Hamilton (113) and Jon Santiago (215) and Stagg’s Samer Suleiman (144).

Lockport Township’s Isaac Zimmerman had three pins in 5:46 to lead the way with the most pins in the least time. And the Porters’ Justin Wardlow had two wins by technical fall in 5:56 for the most of those in the least time. Lincoln-Way East’s Nathan Powers had the most match points with 47 while Wardlow collected 46. Homewood-Flossmoor’s Xavier Mohead and Lincoln-Way West’s Charlie Stream had the largest seed to place difference of four spots.

SouthWest Suburban Conference Tom Lahey Tournament

Team scores

1. Carl Sandburg 269.5, 2. Lockport Township 252, 3. Lincoln-Way East 220, 4. Lincoln-Way West 218.5, 5. Homewood-Flossmoor 202.5, 6. Lincoln-Way Central 135, 7. Bradley-Bourbonnais 82, 8. Andrew 57, 9. Stagg 39.

Place Matches

106

1st Place Match

Davion Henry (Homewood-Flossmoor) 30-6, Sr. over Anthony Hayes (Carl Sandburg) 21-14, Jr. (TF-1.5 6:00 (21-4))

3rd Place Match

Nathan Powers (Lincoln-Way East) 24-10, Fr. over Evan Johnson (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 14-8, Fr. (Dec 17-11)

5th Place Match

Caleb Russell (Lockport Township) 8-22, Fr. over Charlie Tustin (Lincoln-Way West) 16-23, Fr. (Fall 0:44)

113

1st Place Match

Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg) 37-1, Sr. over Brady Glynn (Lincoln-Way West) 32-9, So. (MD 15-2)

3rd Place Match

Anthony Sutton (Lockport Township) 31-11, Jr. over Ethan Hamilton (Homewood-Flossmoor) 22-9, Fr. (Fall 1:47)

5th Place Match

Noah Ciolkosz (Lincoln-Way East) 24-15, Sr. over Jerry Donnelly (Andrew) 26-10, So. (Fall 5:47)

120

1st Place Match

Chazz Robinson (Homewood-Flossmoor) 33-5, So. over Nadeem Haleem (Andrew) 29-5, Jr. (Dec 7-2)

3rd Place Match

Oscar Kalman (Carl Sandburg) 27-12, So. over Zach Hoffner (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 30-10, So. (Dec 7-6)

5th Place Match

Max Munn (Lincoln-Way West) 25-16, Jr. over Timmy O`Connor (Lockport Township) 18-9, Sr. (M. For.)

126

1st Place Match

Shane Stream (Lincoln-Way West) 31-11, So. over Adante Washington (Homewood-Flossmoor) 24-9, So. (Dec 8-7)

3rd Place Match

Isaac Zimmerman (Lockport Township) 30-11, Jr. over Tyson Bruce (Carl Sandburg) 25-14, Sr. (Fall 0:46)

5th Place Match

Joshua Theis (Lincoln-Way East) 19-19, So. over Alex Kedzior (Lincoln-Way Central) 2-9, So. (Fall 3:24)

132

1st Place Match

Madden Parker (Carl Sandburg) 32-8, Sr. over Liam Zimmerman (Lockport Township) 35-7, Sr. (Dec 11-9)

3rd Place Match

Tyson Zvonar (Lincoln-Way East) 34-6, Sr. over Carter Dibenedetto (Lincoln-Way West) 26-17, Jr. (MD 10-2)

5th Place Match

Roan Dukes (Homewood-Flossmoor) 25-13, Jr. over Dinero Garcia (Stagg) 13-15, Sr. (MD 14-5)

138

1st Place Match

Jadon Zimmer (Lincoln-Way Central) 37-6, So. over Brayden Mortell (Lincoln-Way East) 23-10, Sr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Naseem Jaber (Lockport Township) 17-10, Jr. over Henry Finley (Lincoln-Way West) 16-11, Jr. (Fall 1:15)

5th Place Match

Andrew Clark (Homewood-Flossmoor) 5-7, Fr. over Laith Alomari (Carl Sandburg) 2-3, So. (Fall 3:02)

144

1st Place Match

Ryan Hinger (Carl Sandburg) 36-3, Sr. over Kaidreaus Richardson (Lincoln-Way East) 27-11, Jr. (Fall 2:25)

3rd Place Match

Jack Strezo (Lincoln-Way West) 22-18, Jr. over Samer Suleiman (Stagg) 21-6, So. (Dec 10-5)

5th Place Match

Anthony Diorio (Lockport Township) 24-19, Jr. over Nick Rociola (Andrew) 16-15, So. (TF-1.5 4:35 (19-3))

150

1st Place Match

Justin Wardlow (Lockport Township) 38-3, Jr. over Vince Gutierrez (Carl Sandburg) 21-10, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:13 (19-4))

3rd Place Match

Ethan Harvey (Lincoln-Way Central) 25-11, So. over Cameron Borneman (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 23-15, Sr. (Fall 3:56)

5th Place Match

Connor Schultz (Lincoln-Way East) 15-11, Sr. over Haden Anderson (Lincoln-Way West) 16-22, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:46 (17-0))

157

1st Place Match

Jovan Vukajlovic (Homewood-Flossmoor) 24-5, Sr. over Jaedon Calderon (Lockport Township) 27-12, So. (Dec 5-4)

3rd Place Match

Caden Harvey (Lincoln-Way Central) 29-10, Sr. over Charlie Stream (Lincoln-Way West) 6-24, Sr. (Fall 1:59)

5th Place Match

Coen McGill (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 11-12, So. over Alex Lizak (Lincoln-Way East) 27-11, Sr. (M. For.)

165

1st Place Match

Jalen Byrd (Lincoln-Way Central) 39-5, Jr. over Chris Miller (Lockport Township) 30-13, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Christian Darnell (Lincoln-Way East) 19-14, Sr. over Wyatt Hochgraber (Carl Sandburg) 24-15, Jr. (Dec 3-1)

5th Place Match

Angelo Jura (Andrew) 18-16, Jr. over Brennan Whitesell (Lincoln-Way West) 2-4, Jr. (Fall 0:27)

175

1st Place Match

RJ Robinson (Homewood-Flossmoor) 32-6, Sr. over Jackson Zaeske (Lincoln-Way East) 34-7, Sr. (Dec 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Ahmad Alomari (Carl Sandburg) 32-11, Sr. over Kayden Roach (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 29-12, So. (Fall 3:07)

5th Place Match

Christian Czerwinski (Lockport Township) 19-19, So. over Jihad Suleiman (Stagg) 14-12, So. (Fall 1:04)

190

1st Place Match

Colton Zvonar (Lincoln-Way East) 26-6, So. over Jimmy Talley (Lincoln-Way West) 30-12, Jr. (MD 10-2)

3rd Place Match

Drew Silzer (Lockport Township) 19-5, Jr. over Chris Davis (Carl Sandburg) 22-17, Sr. (Dec 6-4)

5th Place Match

Xavier Mohead (Homewood-Flossmoor) 8-11, Sr. over Peter Rafacz (Stagg) 16-11, Jr. (Fall 2:41)

215

1st Place Match

Nate Elstner (Lincoln-Way West) 35-4, Sr. over Malic Breish (Carl Sandburg) 28-14, Sr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Bryson Melgoza (Lockport Township) 22-20, Sr. over Jon Santiago (Homewood-Flossmoor) 10-13, Sr. (Dec 8-3)

5th Place Match

Justin Powers (Lincoln-Way East) 19-21, So. over Eli Wiggins (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 0-3, So. (Fall 1:59)

285

1st Place Match

Aiden Hennings (Lincoln-Way Central) 34-7, Jr. over Brandon Barvisha (Lincoln-Way West) 31-9, Sr. (MD 14-0)

3rd Place Match

Omar Alhmoud (Carl Sandburg) 23-16, Sr. over Jake Kratz (Lockport Township) 17-17, Sr. (Fall 5:15)

5th Place Match

Alecos Gerretse (Andrew) 5-25, Sr. over Idris Akeeb (Homewood-Flossmoor) 8-20, Jr. (Fall 3:21)

Yorkville continues streak of Southwest Prairie Conference titles

Advancing 10 wrestlers to the finals and producing four champions, Yorkville won the Southwest Prairie Conference title for the fourth consecutive year with 554 points on Saturday in Joliet.

Host and runner-up Joliet West finished with 488 points while Minooka was third with 422 and Plainfield South (365.5) and Oswego (338) rounded out the top five teams. The rest of the teams in the field were Joliet Central (323), Plainfield North (291), Bolingbrook (251.5), Plainfield Central (194.5), Plainfield East (176), Romeoville (168) and Oswego East (167.5).

1 – Yorkville

Dominic Recchia (138), Jack Ferguson (157), Luke Zook (175) and Ryder Janeczko (190) won titles to lead coach Jake Oster’s Foxes to the Southwest Prairie Conference championship while Ramsey Barton (106), Nathan Craft (126), Vincent Konecki (132), Donncha Souza (144), Donovan Rosauer (150) and Luke Chrisse (215) placed second. 

Landon Jenkins (113), Maximus Delgado (150), Caleb Viscogliosi (165) and Xavion Ulloa (285) took third, Nolan Chrisse (120), Julius Cole (132) and Josh Stockl (144) placed fifth and Liam Fenoglio had to medical forfeit but placed eighth and delivered 18 team points. Others who were in on the title effort were Logan Cassell (106), John Petty V (113), Jaxson Kocur (120), Owen Middleton (165), Cameron Burke (215) and Avery Lane (285).

“We had a really good tournament with four champs and 14 guys in the top three,” Oster said. “Heading into regionals next week gives our guys confidence in themselves having seven of the regional teams in this tournament. The kids are working hard and improving to give themselves the best opportunity in these next few weeks. They get to focus a little on themselves and their individual goals these next few weeks before we chase down another team trophy.”

2 – Joliet West

Coach Awais Arain’s runner-up Tigers had four champions, Nicholas Murdock-Schey (106), Joseph Pedrosa (120), Adrian Hernandez (132) and Carson Weber (150) while Jakob Crandall (113) and Aiden Brown (157) placed second and Jacob Tyderek (190) took third. Logan Hudson (106), Joseph Jaburek (126), Marquan Godfrey (138), Andy Ruiz (144) and Zachary Cronk (175) placed fourth, Tristan Radeke (165) and Andre De Leon (215) took sixth while Andrew Klobnak (285) scored 17 team points and took 10th. 

3- Minooka

Robbie Murphy (285) won a title for coach Michael Kimberlin’s third-place Indians while Noah Avina (120), Kaden Meyer (165) and Santino Capodice (190) took second. Cole Spivey (157) and AJ Frescura (175) placed third, Casey Janicki (126) and Ben Cyrkiel (150) took fifth, Justin Majewski (106) and Mason Vogt (138) placed sixth, Chase Musser (132) was seventh, Lucas Heap (113) and Justin Jones (215) placed ninth and Stephen Cameron (144) placed 10th.

Other SPC champions were Plainfield North’s Maddox Garbis (113) and Aidan Durell (126), Oswego’s Brayden Swanson (144), Bolingbrook’s Tommy McDermott (165) and Joliet Central’s Charles Walker (215).

Zook had the most team points with 50 while Janeczko, Swanson and Weber tied for second with 49.5 points. Hernandez scored 48.5 points, Garbis and Murphy both got 48 points, Ferguson and Walker scored 47.5 points and Recchia collected 47 team points.

Also taking second place were Oswego East’s Braeden Grisham (138), Plainfield South’s Colin Bickett (175) and Romeoville’s Jamir Thomas (285).

Some of the closest title matches included Pedrosa over Avina 1-0 at 120, Durell edging Craft 13-12 at 126 and McDermott beating Meyer 7-4 at 165.

Additional third-place finishers were Oswego’s Aiden Ortiz (126) and Lazar Krstic (132), Plainfield South’s Drew Ritchie (106), Bolingbrook’s Isaac Harris (120), Oswego’s Aiden Ortiz (126) and Lazar Krstic (132), Plainfield Central’s Jack Bowen (138), Joliet Central’s Tremaine Cooper (144) and Oswego East’s Josh Edwards (215).

Fourth-place finishes were also turned in by Joliet Central’s Liam Walsh (113), Aleck Allende (120) and Mark Bew (157), Plainfield South’s Sean Volf (132), Chase Pierceall (165) and Ian Portillo (285), Oswego’s Dillon Griffin (150) and Cooper Wynn (190) and Plainfield Central’s Anthony Minnito (215).

Oswego East’s Josh Edwards was the only individual who had four pins and Plainfield North’s Maddox Garbis was the lone competitor to get four wins by technical fall and also had the most match points with 83. Bolingbrook’s Joshua Shanahan had the largest seed to place difference as he was seeded 11th and placed sixth at 190 pounds.

Southwest Prairie Conference Tournament

Team scores

1. Yorkville 554. 2. Joliet West 488, 3. Minooka 422, 4. Plainfield South 365.5, 5. Oswego 338, 6. Joliet Central 323, 7. Plainfield North 291, 8. Bolingbrook 251.5, 9. Plainfield Central 194.5, 10. Plainfield East 176, 11. Romeoville 168, 12. Oswego East 167.5

Place matches

1st Place Match

Jack Ferguson (Yorkville) 40-2, Sr. over Aiden Brown (Joliet West) 26-13, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:28 (20-4))

3rd Place Match

Cole Spivey (Minooka) 16-15, Sr. over Mark Bew (Joliet Central) 16-8, Jr. (Dec 8-4)

5th Place Match

Cole Svara (Plainfield North) 7-7, Jr. over Ethan Essick (Oswego) 22-14, Sr. (Dec 7-5)

7th Place Match

Joaquin Gaskin (Bolingbrook) 11-15, So. over Brad Surwillo (Plainfield South) 10-10, Sr. (Dec 1-0)

9th Place Match

Christian Walsh (Oswego) 24-11, Fr. over Emiliano Ramirez (Plainfield Central) 10-18, Fr. (MD 14-5)

11th Place Match

Collin Speice (Oswego East) 2-14, So. over Colin Adams (Plainfield East) 7-17, Jr. (Inj. 0:00)

165

1st Place Match

Tommy McDermott (Bolingbrook) 29-6, Jr. over Kaden Meyer (Minooka) 31-6, So. (Dec 7-4)

3rd Place Match

Caleb Viscogliosi (Yorkville) 31-13, Jr. over Chase Pierceall (Plainfield South) 15-6, Jr. (MD 15-4)

5th Place Match

Raphael Tovar (Plainfield North) 16-13, Jr. over Tristan Radeke (Joliet West) 12-15, So. (Dec 8-1)

7th Place Match

Owen Middleton (Yorkville) 3-4, So. over Joseph Nino (Plainfield East) 15-16, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:47 (20-5))

9th Place Match

Kevin O`Grady (Oswego) 16-21, Sr. over Tyler Lewis (Romeoville) 12-9, Jr. (Fall 1:10)

11th Place Match

Aiden Machalski (Plainfield Central) 6-11, So. over Demetrius Walker-Hill (Oswego East) 8-5, Sr. (M. For.)

175

1st Place Match

Luke Zook (Yorkville) 40-2, Sr. over Colin Bickett (Plainfield South) 23-6, Sr. (Fall 0:21)

3rd Place Match

Aj Frescura (Minooka) 27-7, Sr. over Zachary Cronk (Joliet West) 27-10, Jr. (Dec 1-0)

5th Place Match

Robert Vogel (Plainfield East) 15-11, Jr. over Garrett Patnoudes (Oswego East) 15-10, So. (Fall 1:07)

7th Place Match

Christian Paige (Oswego) 14-11, So. over Jacob Reece (Plainfield North) 7-21, Jr. (Fall 1:30)

9th Place Match

Michael Laudadio (Plainfield Central) 6-15, Jr. over Connor Gualandi (Joliet Central) 6-21, Jr. (Fall 5:37)

190

1st Place Match

Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville) 28-5, Sr. over Santino Capodice (Minooka) 24-10, Jr. (Fall 1:35)

3rd Place Match

Jacob Tyderek (Joliet West) 22-13, Fr. over Cooper Wynn (Oswego) 24-12, Sr. (Fall 1:37)

5th Place Match

Hugh Callaghan (Plainfield East) 23-11, Jr. over Joshua Shanahan (Bolingbrook) 2-2, Sr. (Dec 8-2)

7th Place Match

Xavier Eggert (Joliet Central) 24-20, Sr. over Brady Mitchell (Plainfield North) 6-18, Sr. (Fall 0:43)

9th Place Match

Julius Pierscionek (Plainfield South) 8-19, Fr. over Nicholas Breier (Plainfield Central) 3-14, Jr. (Fall 1:40)

11th Place Match

isiah escobar (Romeoville) 16-5, Sr. over Charles Anderson – Medical Forfeit (Oswego East) 10-13, Jr. (DFF)

215

1st Place Match

Charles Walker (Joliet Central) 38-2, Sr. over Luke Chrisse (Yorkville) 35-7, Sr. (Dec 8-4)

3rd Place Match

Josh Edwards (Oswego East) 31-13, Sr. over Anthony Minnito (Plainfield Central) 24-7, Sr. (Fall 2:00)

5th Place Match

Jamal Jones Jr (Plainfield South) 15-13, Sr. over Andre De Leon (Joliet West) 21-9, Jr. (Fall 1:40)

7th Place Match

Mohamad Almadani (Romeoville) 13-7, Jr. over Cameron Burke (Yorkville) 5-6, Jr. (Fall 3:26)

9th Place Match

Justin Jones (Minooka) 2-2, Sr. over Colin Dominiak (Plainfield East) 14-17, Jr. (MD 11-2)

11th Place Match

Aiden Heiden (Oswego) 15-11, Sr. over Jayvyn Gray (Bolingbrook) 0-4, Jr. (Fall 0:48)

285

1st Place Match

Robbie Murphy (Minooka) 24-11, Jr. over Jamir Thomas (Romeoville) 20-2, Sr. (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Xavion Ulloa (Yorkville) 17-13, Jr. over Ian Portillo (Plainfield South) 22-13, Sr. (Dec 3-1)

5th Place Match

Jakub Kowal (Plainfield South) 12-4, Jr. over Liam Corona (Plainfield North) 16-17, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:34 (17-1))

7th Place Match

Avery Lane (Yorkville) 2-2, So. over Evan Patton (Joliet Central) 19-20, Jr. (DQ)

9th Place Match

Nathaniel Zeffeld (Bolingbrook) 2-2, Fr. over Andrew Klobnak (Joliet West) 10-23, So. (Fall 2:43)

11th Place Match

Antonio Montoya (Plainfield Central) 10-6, Sr. over Brodie Slou (Oswego) 17-12, Sr. (M. For.)

Marist captures East Suburban Catholic Conference championship

Behind six individual titles, Marist won the East Suburban Catholic Conference tournament title at Joliet Catholic Academy. The RedHawks scored 226.5 points, the hosts and two-time defending champion Hilltoppers took second place with 159.9 points and third-place Notre Dame College Prep collected 135 points. 

St. Patrick (109), Marian Catholic (51), Carmel Catholic (37.5), Nazareth Academy (22.5) and Saint Viator (19) also competed.

1 – Marist

Michael Esteban (126), George Marinopoulos (132), Donavon Allen (144), Ethan Sonne (157), Will Denny (165) and Tommy O`Brien (215) won championships while Joe Bronske (113), Caden Campo (120), Johnathan Fields (138) and Kyle Herzog (190) placed second to lead coach Brendan Heffernan’s champion RedHawks to their first ESCC title since 2022. 

Dylan Weber (113) and Jack Watson (285) took third while Elio Gil (106), Eddie Astorga (132), Sean Loughney (138), Thiago Estrada (144), Jack Lorenz (150), Ronin Haran (157) and Kevin Bartolotta (175) placed fourth. Logan Mishka (126), Tyrese Johnson (150), Dave Wolski (190) and Dan Mahoney (285) also helped the cause.

2 – Joliet Catholic Academy

Maddux Tindal (120), Dawson Mack (138) and Nico Ronchetti (190) won titles for coach Ryan Cumbee’s runner-up Hilltoppers and Jason Hampton (126), Elias Gonzalez (144) and Derrick Pomatto (215) took second. Placing third were Kane Robles (106), Matthew Laird (132) and Vince Tindal (157) while Elijah Watt (285) took fourth.

3 – Notre Dame College Prep

Ray Long (106) picked up the lone championship for coach Anthony Genovesi’s third-place Dons while Brady Krueger (132) and Deniz Ozturk (157) each placed second. John Sheehy (126) was one of six third-place finishers for the Dons and the others were John Carr (144), Joseph McCarthy (150), Dean Lazaris (165), Peter Escamilla (175) and Michael Keany (190). Taking fourth were Waide Moravek (113) and Ian McKendrick (215).

St. Patrick had three champions, Daniel Goodwin (113), Van Grasser (175) and Abraham Bonano (285), while Carmel Catholic’s David Farjado (150) also captured a title.

Mack led all competitors with 24 team points, O’Brien was next-best with 23 points and Bonano, Marinopoulos and Rochetti tied for third with 22 team points. Denny and Sonne scored 21.5 points, Allen had 21 while Esteban and Grasser collected 20 team points.

Other second-place finishers were St. Patrick’s Jack Koenig (106) and Andrew Rieger (150), Marian Catholic’s Joey Baranski (165) and Adrian Esparza (175) and Carmel Catholic’s Noah Breckenridge (285).

Two of the closest title matches were Goodwin winning 3-0 by sudden victory over Bronske at 113 and Long edging Koenig 8-6 at 106. 

Also finishing in third place were Nazareth Academy’s Alek Ramos (120) and Sammy Swais (215) and St. Patrick’s Patrick Hulne (138). Additional fourth-place finishers were Marian Catholic’s Tristan Cooks (120), Chace Tankson (126) and Jadyn Thomas (190) and Saint Viator’s Caleb Jendras (165).

Marist’s Jack Watson had three pins in 3:52 to be the individual with the most pins in the least time. Marist’s Donavon Allen has two wins by technical in 7:01 for the most tech falls in the least time. St. Patrick’s Patrick Hulne had the most total match points with 56. The largest seed-place difference came from Marist’s Kyle Herzog, who took second as the seventh-seed at 190.

East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament

Team scores

1. Marist 226.5, 2. Joliet Catholic Academy 159.5, 3. Notre Dame College Prep 135, 4. St. Patrick 108, 5. Marian Catholic 51, 6. Carmel Catholic 37.5, 7. Nazareth Academy 22.5, 8. Saint Viator 19.

Place matches

106

1st Place Match

Ray Long (Notre Dame College Prep) 35-4, So. over Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) 38-5, So. (Dec 8-6)

3rd Place Match

Kane Robles (Joliet Catholic Academy) 25-12, Fr. over Elio Gil (Marist) 22-11, So. (Fall 1:00)

113

1st Place Match

Daniel Goodwin (St. Patrick) 38-3, Jr. over Joe Bronske (Marist) 16-18, Jr. (SV-1 3-0)

3rd Place Match

Dylan Weber (Marist) 10-8, Jr. over Waide Moravek (Notre Dame College Prep) 11-21, Sr. (TF-1.5 1:54 (18-1))

120

1st Place Match

Maddux Tindal (Joliet Catholic Academy) 28-8, So. over Caden Campo (Marist) 22-18, Fr. (MD 13-2)

3rd Place Match

Alek Ramos (Nazareth Academy) 14-6, So. over Tristan Cooks (Marian Catholic) 7-12, Jr. (Fall 1:03)

126

1st Place Match

Michael Esteban (Marist) 28-6, Sr. over Jason Hampton (Joliet Catholic Academy) 30-10, Jr. (Dec 10-3)

3rd Place Match

John Sheehy (Notre Dame College Prep) 35-6, Sr. over Chace Tankson (Marian Catholic) 17-10, Sr. (Fall 1:24)

132

1st Place Match

George Marinopoulos (Marist) 30-6, Sr. over Brady Krueger (Notre Dame College Prep) 28-15, Jr. (Fall 1:32)

3rd Place Match

Matthew Laird (Joliet Catholic Academy) 22-7, So. over Eddie Astorga (Marist) 18-16, So. (MD 15-7)

138

1st Place Match

Dawson Mack (Joliet Catholic Academy) 19-14, Fr. over Johnathan Fields (Marist) 11-8, Fr. (Fall 0:52)

3rd Place Match

Patrick Hulne (St. Patrick) 34-11, So. over Sean Loughney (Marist) 12-4, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:39 (21-5))

144

1st Place Match

Donavon Allen (Marist) 21-5, Sr. over Elias Gonzalez (Joliet Catholic Academy) 24-17, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:01 (19-3))

3rd Place Match

John Carr (Notre Dame College Prep) 7-7, Jr. over Thiago Estrada (Marist) 10-6, Jr. (MD 14-5)

150

1st Place Match

David Farjado (Carmel Catholic) 12-1, Sr. over Andrew Rieger (St. Patrick) 28-14, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:24 (18-2))

3rd Place Match

Joseph McCarthy (Notre Dame College Prep) 13-13, Sr. over Jack Lorenz (Marist) 11-5, So. (Fall 0:54)

157

1st Place Match

Ethan Sonne (Marist) 27-9, So. over Deniz Ozturk (Notre Dame College Prep) 23-13, Sr. (Fall 1:46)

3rd Place Match

Vince Tindal (Joliet Catholic Academy) 17-9, Sr. over Ronin Haran (Marist) 8-10, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:35 (17-2))

165

1st Place Match

Will Denny (Marist) 33-1, Sr. over Joey Baranski (Marian Catholic) 26-7, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:34 (19-4))

3rd Place Match

Dean Lazaris (Notre Dame College Prep) 22-16, Sr. over Caleb Jendras (Saint Viator) 23-12, So. (MD 13-5)

175

1st Place Match

Van Grasser (St. Patrick) 28-9, Jr. over Adrian Esparza (Marian Catholic) 12-8, Jr. (Fall 5:07)

3rd Place Match

Peter Escamilla (Notre Dame College Prep) 10-15, So. over Kevin Bartolotta (Marist) 13-17, Jr. (Inj. 1:43)

190

1st Place Match

Nico Ronchetti (Joliet Catholic Academy) 29-6, Sr. over Kyle Herzog (Marist) 11-9, Jr. (Fall 1:40)

3rd Place Match

Michael Keany (Notre Dame College Prep) 22-13, Sr. over Jadyn Thomas (Marian Catholic) 6-11, Sr. (Fall 3:48)

215

1st Place Match

Tommy O`Brien (Marist) 19-10, Jr. over Derrick Pomatto (Joliet Catholic Academy) 5-4, So. (MD 10-2)

3rd Place Match

Sammy Swais (Nazareth Academy) 16-5, Fr. over Ian McKendrick (Notre Dame College Prep) 11-22, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:09 (19-3))

285

1st Place Match

Abraham Bonano (St. Patrick) 20-18, Sr. over Noah Breckenridge (Carmel Catholic) 4-4, Fr. (Fall 1:19)

3rd Place Match

Jack Watson (Marist) 26-16, Jr. over Elijah Watt (Joliet Catholic Academy) 5-5, Sr. (Fall 1:37)

Oak Forest claims top honors in the South Suburban Conference

Oak Forest had nine who finished among the top-three placewinners, including five champions, to help it win the South Suburban Conference Tournament title at Shepard in Palos Heights.

Coach Shawn Forst’s champion Bengals finished with 213 points, distancing themselves from runner-up Evergreen Park, who scored 174.5 points. Lemont was third with 104.5 points while Bremen (84) and Oak Lawn (68.5) rounded out the top five in the 14-team field.

Reavis (66), Hillcrest (65.5), Argo (65.5), Shepard (60.5), Thornton Fractional North (57.5), Eisenhower (56.5), Richards (53.5), Tinley Park (47) and Thornton Fractional South (45.5) were the others who competed.

1 – Oak Forest

Jason Schickel (106), Jacob Sebek (113), Austin Perez (144), Blake Bussie (165) and Jason Janke (175) won titles to lead the first-place Bengals. James Mair (120) and Jose Montesino (285) placed second and Nathan Izguerra (190) and Andrius Vasilevskas (215) took third. Others who contributed to the championship effort were Hunter Kroll (126), Dylan McBride (132), Josh Schickel (138), Derek Rodriguez (150) and Brendan Boman (157)

2 – Evergreen Park

Brothers Jayden Cervantes (120) and Adrian Cervantes (126) won titles along with teammates Chance Woods (138) and David Johnson (150) to lead coach Ron Zimmerman’s runner-up Mustangs. Christian Ramirez (113) and Genesis Ward (215) both took second, Esau Rubalcava (144) placed third and Braden Mateja-Bates (106) and Ashton Gray (157) took fourth.

3 – Lemont

Lemont coach Egan Berta had five individuals place among the top five, including Cory Zator (132) who was his team’s lone champion. Judah Heeg (190) took second, Alex Powers (106) and Nico LoCoco (165) took third and Jullian Vallianatos (138) was fourth.

The remaining four champions came from four teams that were outside of the top three. They were Reavis’ William Swiercynski (157), Richards’ Mike Taheny (190), Tinley Park’s Sebastin Sanderson (215) and Bremen’s Marco Olvera (285).

Adrian Cervantes, Olvera, Perez and Zator led the champions for the most team points with 26. Janke, Johnson and Sanderson tied with 25.5 points, Sebek scored 24.5 points and Jayden Cervantes and Swiercynski both collected 24 team points. 

Other second-place finishers were Argo’s Aldo Gutierrez (138) and Jacob Van Allen (144),

Shepard’s TaVayris Howard (150) and Aidan Hill (175), Reavis’ Andy Casmiro (106), Richards’ Amir Akilani (126), Bremen’s Izaiah Gonzalez (132), Oak Lawn’s Charles Shane (157) and Thornton Fractional South’s Titus Woodring (165).

The closest title matches featured Taheny prevailing over Heeg 4-1 by sudden victory at 190 and Swiercynski edging Shane 1-0 at 157. 

Additional third-place finishers were Bremen’s Sean Unzueta (120) and Walter Hoevker (150), Thornton Fractional North’s Deshawn Jones (132) and Joseph Merritt (157), Hillcrest’s Amari Brown (113), Thornton Fractional South’s Adonis Wilson (126), Oak Lawn’s Johnathan Diaz (138), Eisenhower’s Edgar Juan (175) and Argo’s Remy Avalos (285).

Also finishing in fourth place were Hillcrest’s LeKeith Rogers (120), Derrione Collier (132) and Kiaven Sullivan (144), Shepard’s Kenny Banks (113) and Isaiah Martinez (165), Eisenhower’s Marvelous Akhalu (190) and Rayshawn Doles (215), Bremen’s Malachi Turner (126), Tinley Park’s David Albright (150), Oak Lawn’s Ayman Shaikh (175) and Reavis’ Daniel Ramirez (285).

Eisenhower’s Edgar Juan was the only individual who recorded four pins and he and Oak Lawn’s Ayman Shaikh tied for the biggest difference from seed to place with eight positions. Lemont’s Judah Heeg had two wins by technical fall in 3:14 for the most of those in the least time. Evergreen Park’s Esau Rubalcava collected the most total match points with 51 while Hillcrest’s Kiaven Sullivan scored 50 points.

South Suburban Conference Tournament

Team scores

1. Oak Forest 213, 2. Evergreen Park 174.5, 3. Lemont 104.5, 4. Bremen 84, 5. Oak Lawn 68.5, 6. Reavis 66, 7. Hillcrest 65.5, 7. Argo 65.5, 9. Shepard 60.5, 10. Thornton Fractional North 57.5, 11. Eisenhower 56.5, 12. Richards 53.5, 13. Tinley Park 47, 14. Thornton Fractional South 45.5.

Place matches

106

1st Place Match

Jason Schickel (Oak Forest) 21-13, So. over Andy Casmiro (Reavis) 13-19 (Fall 2:11)

3rd Place Match

Alex Powers (Lemont) 23-15, Fr. over Braden Mateja-Bates (Evergreen Park) 18-11, Jr. (Fall 3:56)

113

1st Place Match

Jacob Sebek (Oak Forest) 35-2, So. over Christian Ramirez (Evergreen Park) 20-5, Sr. (MD 13-0)

3rd Place Match

Amari Brown (Hillcrest) 20-10, Jr. over Kenny Banks (Shepard) 18-14, So. (Fall 3:57)

120

1st Place Match

Jayden Cervantes (Evergreen Park) 27-2, Jr. over James Mair (Oak Forest) 23-14, Sr. (Fall 3:39)

3rd Place Match

Sean Unzueta (Bremen) 9-3, Jr. over LeKeith Rogers (Hillcrest) 11-8, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:16 (22-5))

126

1st Place Match

Adrian Cervantes (Evergreen Park) 27-3, Jr. over Amir Akilani (Richards) 13-10 (Fall 1:30)

3rd Place Match

Adonis Wilson (Lansing (Thornton Fractional South), IL) 20-6, Sr. over Malachi Turner (Bremen) 20-9, Jr. (Fall 2:47)

132

1st Place Match

Cory Zator (Lemont) 32-8, Jr. over Izaiah Gonzalez (Bremen) 16-4, Jr. (Fall 1:37)

3rd Place Match

Deshawn Jones (Thornton Fractional North) 16-10, Jr. over Derrione Collier (Hillcrest) 15-10, Sr. (Fall 2:57)

138

1st Place Match

Chance Woods (Evergreen Park) 29-2, Jr. over Aldo Gutierrez (Argo) 23-7, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:38 (19-1))

3rd Place Match

Johnathan Diaz (Oak Lawn) 13-12, So. over Jullian Vallianatos (Lemont) 29-13, Sr. (Fall 3:24)

144

1st Place Match

Austin Perez (Oak Forest) 23-1, Jr. over Jacob Van Allen (Argo) 26-6, Sr. (Fall 1:27)

3rd Place Match

Esau Rubalcava (Evergreen Park) 24-9, So. over Kiaven Sullivan (Hillcrest) 23-4, Sr. (Dec 16-10)

150

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

David Johnson (Evergreen Park) 29-4, Sr. over TaVayris Howard (Shepard) 23-19, Sr. (Fall 0:33)

3rd Place Match

Walter Hoevker (Bremen) 18-14, Sr. over David Albright (Tinley Park) 19-15, Jr. (Dec 16-11)

157

1st Place Match

William Swiercynski (Reavis) 20-5 over Charles Shane (Oak Lawn) 14-8, Jr. (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

Joseph Merritt (Thornton Fractional North) 21-6, Sr. over Ashton Gray (Evergreen Park) 22-9, Sr. (Fall 0:22)

165

1st Place Match

Blake Bussie (Oak Forest) 26-15, Sr. over Titus Woodring (Thornton Fractional South) 29-5, Jr. (MD 11-3)

3rd Place Match

Nico LoCoco (Lemont) 23-14, Sr. over Isaiah Martinez (Shepard) 22-21, Jr. (Fall 1:20)

175

1st Place Match

Jason Janke (Oak Forest) 6-0, Jr. over Aidan Hill (Shepard) 21-8, Jr. (Fall 5:51)

3rd Place Match

Edgar Juan (Eisenhower) 12-2, Sr. over Ayman Shaikh (Oak Lawn) 19-13, Sr. (Fall 1:09)

190

1st Place Match

Mike Taheny (Richards) 29-1 over Judah Heeg (Lemont) 31-2, Jr. (SV-1 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Nathan Izguerra (Oak Forest) 3-1, Jr. over Marvelous Akhalu (Eisenhower) 15-14, Sr. (Fall 3:12)

215

1st Place Match

Sebastin Sanderson (Tinley Park) 31-2, Jr. over Genesis Ward (Evergreen Park) 23-5, Sr. (Fall 4:51)

3rd Place Match

Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) 35-7, Jr. over Rayshawn Doles (Eisenhower) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 2:22)

285

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Marco Olvera (Bremen) 12-4, Sr. over Jose Montesino (Oak Forest) 25-13, Sr. (Fall 4:00)

3rd Place Match

Remy Avalos (Argo) 17-5, Sr. over Daniel Ramirez (Reavis) 14-14 (Fall 3:00)

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Curtis Herron

From:curtwherron@gmail.com

To:Mick Torres,Curtis Herron

Thu, Jan 30 at 10:28 AM

Mick,

Here is Chris’ roundup of the SouthWest Suburban, Southwest Prairie, East Suburban Catholic and South Suburban Conference.

I have included pictures of three of the title teams: Carl Sandburg (SWSC), Yorkville (SPC) and Marist (ESCC).

Thanks for your help with this,

Curt

SouthWest Suburban, Southwest Prairie, East Suburban Catholic and South Suburban Conference roundups

By Chris Walker – for the IWCOA

Carl Sandburg wins SouthWest Suburban Conference Tom Lahey Tournament

With 12 wrestlers finishing in fourth place or better, Carl Sandburg won Saturday’s SouthWest Suburban Conference Tom Lahey Tournament in Flossmoor with 269.5 points.

Competition was strong as expected with Lockport Township right on the heels of the Eagles with 252 points. Lincoln-Way East (220), Lincoln-Way West (218.5) and Homewood-Flossmoor (202.5) rounded out the top five teams. Lincoln-Way Central (135) was sixth followed by Bradley-Bourbonnais (82), Andrew (57) and Stagg (39). 

1 –  Carl Sandburg

Coach Clinton Polz’s Eagles had three champions to go along with three placewinners who took second, third and fourth. Rocco Hayes (113), Madden Parker (132) and Ryan Hinger (144) won titles while Anthony Hayes (106), Vince Gutierrez (150) and Malic Breish (215) took second place.

Oscar Kalman (120), Ahmad Alomari (175) and Omar Alhmoud (285) placed third and Tyson Bruce (126), Wyatt Hochgraber (165) and Chris Davis (190) took fourth. Laith Alomari (138) finished sixth while Davin Spencer (157) also contributed to the cause.

2 – Lockport Township 

Justin Wardlow (150) brought home the lone title for coach Jameson Oster’s runner-up Porters while Liam Zimmerman (132), Jaedon Calderon (157) and Chris Miller (165) placed second. Anthony Sutton (113), Isaac Zimmerman (126), Naseem Jaber (138), Drew Silzer (190) and Bryson Melgoza (215) took third and Jake Kratz (285) was fourth. Caleb Russell (106), Anthony Diorio (144) and Christian Czerwinski (175) took fifth and Timmy O`Connor (120) placed sixth.

3 – Lincoln-Way East

Colton Zvonar (190) paced coach Collin McKillip’s third-place Griffins as their lone champion. Brayden Mortell (138), Kaidreaus Richardson (144) and Jackson Zaeske (175) placed second while Nathan Powers (106), Tyson Zvonar (132) and Christian Darnell (165) took third. Noah Ciolkosz (113), Joshua Theis (126), Connor Schultz (150) and Justin Powers (215) placed fifth and Alex Lizak (157) took sixth.

Coach Jim Sokoloski’s host Vikings had the most SWSC champions with four, and they were Davion Henry (106), Chazz Robinson (120), Jovan Vukajlovic (157) and RJ Robinson (175). 

Coach Tyrone Byrd’s Lincoln-Way Central Knights had three reach the top of the podium, Jadon Zimmer (138) Jalen Byrd (165) and Aiden Hennings (285). And coach Brian Glynn’s Lincoln-Way West Warriors had two champions, Shane Stream (126) and Nate Elstner (215).

Hinger led all champions with 29.5 team points while Hennings and Wardlow were right behind with 29 points. Six individuals tied for fourth with 28 team points and they were Byrd, Hayes, Henry, Parker, RJ Robinson and Stream. Chazz Robinson and Zvonar tied with 27.5 points.

Also finishing in second place were Lincoln-Way West’s Brady Glynn (113), Jimmy Talley (190) and Brandon Bavirsha (285), Andrew’s Nadeem Haleem (120) and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Adante Washington (126).

The closest title matches included Stream edging Washington 8-7 at 126, Parker getting past Zimmerman 11-9 at 132 and Vukajlovic prevailing over Calderon 5-4 at 157.

 Others who took third place were Lincoln-Way Central’s Ethan Harvey (150) and Caden Harvey (157) and Lincoln-Way West’s Jack Strezo (144). 

Bradley-Bourbonnais had four fourth-place finishers, Evan Johnson (106), Zach Hoffner (120), Cameron Borneman (150) and Kayden Roach (175). Also taking fourth were Lincoln-Way West’s Carter Dibenedetto (132), Henry Finley (138) and Charlie Stream (157), Homewood-Flossmoor’s Ethan Hamilton (113) and Jon Santiago (215) and Stagg’s Samer Suleiman (144).

Lockport Township’s Isaac Zimmerman had three pins in 5:46 to lead the way with the most pins in the least time. And the Porters’ Justin Wardlow had two wins by technical fall in 5:56 for the most of those in the least time. Lincoln-Way East’s Nathan Powers had the most match points with 47 while Wardlow collected 46. Homewood-Flossmoor’s Xavier Mohead and Lincoln-Way West’s Charlie Stream had the largest seed to place difference of four spots.

SouthWest Suburban Conference Tom Lahey Tournament

Team scores

1. Carl Sandburg 269.5, 2. Lockport Township 252, 3. Lincoln-Way East 220, 4. Lincoln-Way West 218.5, 5. Homewood-Flossmoor 202.5, 6. Lincoln-Way Central 135, 7. Bradley-Bourbonnais 82, 8. Andrew 57, 9. Stagg 39.

Place Matches

106

1st Place Match

Davion Henry (Homewood-Flossmoor) 30-6, Sr. over Anthony Hayes (Carl Sandburg) 21-14, Jr. (TF-1.5 6:00 (21-4))

3rd Place Match

Nathan Powers (Lincoln-Way East) 24-10, Fr. over Evan Johnson (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 14-8, Fr. (Dec 17-11)

5th Place Match

Caleb Russell (Lockport Township) 8-22, Fr. over Charlie Tustin (Lincoln-Way West) 16-23, Fr. (Fall 0:44)

113

1st Place Match

Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg) 37-1, Sr. over Brady Glynn (Lincoln-Way West) 32-9, So. (MD 15-2)

3rd Place Match

Anthony Sutton (Lockport Township) 31-11, Jr. over Ethan Hamilton (Homewood-Flossmoor) 22-9, Fr. (Fall 1:47)

5th Place Match

Noah Ciolkosz (Lincoln-Way East) 24-15, Sr. over Jerry Donnelly (Andrew) 26-10, So. (Fall 5:47)

120

1st Place Match

Chazz Robinson (Homewood-Flossmoor) 33-5, So. over Nadeem Haleem (Andrew) 29-5, Jr. (Dec 7-2)

3rd Place Match

Oscar Kalman (Carl Sandburg) 27-12, So. over Zach Hoffner (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 30-10, So. (Dec 7-6)

5th Place Match

Max Munn (Lincoln-Way West) 25-16, Jr. over Timmy O`Connor (Lockport Township) 18-9, Sr. (M. For.)

126

1st Place Match

Shane Stream (Lincoln-Way West) 31-11, So. over Adante Washington (Homewood-Flossmoor) 24-9, So. (Dec 8-7)

3rd Place Match

Isaac Zimmerman (Lockport Township) 30-11, Jr. over Tyson Bruce (Carl Sandburg) 25-14, Sr. (Fall 0:46)

5th Place Match

Joshua Theis (Lincoln-Way East) 19-19, So. over Alex Kedzior (Lincoln-Way Central) 2-9, So. (Fall 3:24)

132

1st Place Match

Madden Parker (Carl Sandburg) 32-8, Sr. over Liam Zimmerman (Lockport Township) 35-7, Sr. (Dec 11-9)

3rd Place Match

Tyson Zvonar (Lincoln-Way East) 34-6, Sr. over Carter Dibenedetto (Lincoln-Way West) 26-17, Jr. (MD 10-2)

5th Place Match

Roan Dukes (Homewood-Flossmoor) 25-13, Jr. over Dinero Garcia (Stagg) 13-15, Sr. (MD 14-5)

138

1st Place Match

Jadon Zimmer (Lincoln-Way Central) 37-6, So. over Brayden Mortell (Lincoln-Way East) 23-10, Sr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Naseem Jaber (Lockport Township) 17-10, Jr. over Henry Finley (Lincoln-Way West) 16-11, Jr. (Fall 1:15)

5th Place Match

Andrew Clark (Homewood-Flossmoor) 5-7, Fr. over Laith Alomari (Carl Sandburg) 2-3, So. (Fall 3:02)

144

1st Place Match

Ryan Hinger (Carl Sandburg) 36-3, Sr. over Kaidreaus Richardson (Lincoln-Way East) 27-11, Jr. (Fall 2:25)

3rd Place Match

Jack Strezo (Lincoln-Way West) 22-18, Jr. over Samer Suleiman (Stagg) 21-6, So. (Dec 10-5)

5th Place Match

Anthony Diorio (Lockport Township) 24-19, Jr. over Nick Rociola (Andrew) 16-15, So. (TF-1.5 4:35 (19-3))

150

1st Place Match

Justin Wardlow (Lockport Township) 38-3, Jr. over Vince Gutierrez (Carl Sandburg) 21-10, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:13 (19-4))

3rd Place Match

Ethan Harvey (Lincoln-Way Central) 25-11, So. over Cameron Borneman (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 23-15, Sr. (Fall 3:56)

5th Place Match

Connor Schultz (Lincoln-Way East) 15-11, Sr. over Haden Anderson (Lincoln-Way West) 16-22, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:46 (17-0))

157

1st Place Match

Jovan Vukajlovic (Homewood-Flossmoor) 24-5, Sr. over Jaedon Calderon (Lockport Township) 27-12, So. (Dec 5-4)

3rd Place Match

Caden Harvey (Lincoln-Way Central) 29-10, Sr. over Charlie Stream (Lincoln-Way West) 6-24, Sr. (Fall 1:59)

5th Place Match

Coen McGill (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 11-12, So. over Alex Lizak (Lincoln-Way East) 27-11, Sr. (M. For.)

165

1st Place Match

Jalen Byrd (Lincoln-Way Central) 39-5, Jr. over Chris Miller (Lockport Township) 30-13, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Christian Darnell (Lincoln-Way East) 19-14, Sr. over Wyatt Hochgraber (Carl Sandburg) 24-15, Jr. (Dec 3-1)

5th Place Match

Angelo Jura (Andrew) 18-16, Jr. over Brennan Whitesell (Lincoln-Way West) 2-4, Jr. (Fall 0:27)

175

1st Place Match

RJ Robinson (Homewood-Flossmoor) 32-6, Sr. over Jackson Zaeske (Lincoln-Way East) 34-7, Sr. (Dec 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Ahmad Alomari (Carl Sandburg) 32-11, Sr. over Kayden Roach (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 29-12, So. (Fall 3:07)

5th Place Match

Christian Czerwinski (Lockport Township) 19-19, So. over Jihad Suleiman (Stagg) 14-12, So. (Fall 1:04)

190

1st Place Match

Colton Zvonar (Lincoln-Way East) 26-6, So. over Jimmy Talley (Lincoln-Way West) 30-12, Jr. (MD 10-2)

3rd Place Match

Drew Silzer (Lockport Township) 19-5, Jr. over Chris Davis (Carl Sandburg) 22-17, Sr. (Dec 6-4)

5th Place Match

Xavier Mohead (Homewood-Flossmoor) 8-11, Sr. over Peter Rafacz (Stagg) 16-11, Jr. (Fall 2:41)

215

1st Place Match

Nate Elstner (Lincoln-Way West) 35-4, Sr. over Malic Breish (Carl Sandburg) 28-14, Sr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Bryson Melgoza (Lockport Township) 22-20, Sr. over Jon Santiago (Homewood-Flossmoor) 10-13, Sr. (Dec 8-3)

5th Place Match

Justin Powers (Lincoln-Way East) 19-21, So. over Eli Wiggins (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 0-3, So. (Fall 1:59)

285

1st Place Match

Aiden Hennings (Lincoln-Way Central) 34-7, Jr. over Brandon Barvisha (Lincoln-Way West) 31-9, Sr. (MD 14-0)

3rd Place Match

Omar Alhmoud (Carl Sandburg) 23-16, Sr. over Jake Kratz (Lockport Township) 17-17, Sr. (Fall 5:15)

5th Place Match

Alecos Gerretse (Andrew) 5-25, Sr. over Idris Akeeb (Homewood-Flossmoor) 8-20, Jr. (Fall 3:21)

Yorkville continues streak of Southwest Prairie Conference titles

Advancing 10 wrestlers to the finals and producing four champions, Yorkville won the Southwest Prairie Conference title for the fourth consecutive year with 554 points on Saturday in Joliet.

Host and runner-up Joliet West finished with 488 points while Minooka was third with 422 and Plainfield South (365.5) and Oswego (338) rounded out the top five teams. The rest of the teams in the field were Joliet Central (323), Plainfield North (291), Bolingbrook (251.5), Plainfield Central (194.5), Plainfield East (176), Romeoville (168) and Oswego East (167.5).

1 – Yorkville

Dominic Recchia (138), Jack Ferguson (157), Luke Zook (175) and Ryder Janeczko (190) won titles to lead coach Jake Oster’s Foxes to the Southwest Prairie Conference championship while Ramsey Barton (106), Nathan Craft (126), Vincent Konecki (132), Donncha Souza (144), Donovan Rosauer (150) and Luke Chrisse (215) placed second. 

Landon Jenkins (113), Maximus Delgado (150), Caleb Viscogliosi (165) and Xavion Ulloa (285) took third, Nolan Chrisse (120), Julius Cole (132) and Josh Stockl (144) placed fifth and Liam Fenoglio had to medical forfeit but placed eighth and delivered 18 team points. Others who were in on the title effort were Logan Cassell (106), John Petty V (113), Jaxson Kocur (120), Owen Middleton (165), Cameron Burke (215) and Avery Lane (285).

“We had a really good tournament with four champs and 14 guys in the top three,” Oster said. “Heading into regionals next week gives our guys confidence in themselves having seven of the regional teams in this tournament. The kids are working hard and improving to give themselves the best opportunity in these next few weeks. They get to focus a little on themselves and their individual goals these next few weeks before we chase down another team trophy.”

2 – Joliet West

Coach Awais Arain’s runner-up Tigers had four champions, Nicholas Murdock-Schey (106), Joseph Pedrosa (120), Adrian Hernandez (132) and Carson Weber (150) while Jakob Crandall (113) and Aiden Brown (157) placed second and Jacob Tyderek (190) took third. Logan Hudson (106), Joseph Jaburek (126), Marquan Godfrey (138), Andy Ruiz (144) and Zachary Cronk (175) placed fourth, Tristan Radeke (165) and Andre De Leon (215) took sixth while Andrew Klobnak (285) scored 17 team points and took 10th. 

3- Minooka

Robbie Murphy (285) won a title for coach Michael Kimberlin’s third-place Indians while Noah Avina (120), Kaden Meyer (165) and Santino Capodice (190) took second. Cole Spivey (157) and AJ Frescura (175) placed third, Casey Janicki (126) and Ben Cyrkiel (150) took fifth, Justin Majewski (106) and Mason Vogt (138) placed sixth, Chase Musser (132) was seventh, Lucas Heap (113) and Justin Jones (215) placed ninth and Stephen Cameron (144) placed 10th.

Other SPC champions were Plainfield North’s Maddox Garbis (113) and Aidan Durell (126), Oswego’s Brayden Swanson (144), Bolingbrook’s Tommy McDermott (165) and Joliet Central’s Charles Walker (215).

Zook had the most team points with 50 while Janeczko, Swanson and Weber tied for second with 49.5 points. Hernandez scored 48.5 points, Garbis and Murphy both got 48 points, Ferguson and Walker scored 47.5 points and Recchia collected 47 team points.

Also taking second place were Oswego East’s Braeden Grisham (138), Plainfield South’s Colin Bickett (175) and Romeoville’s Jamir Thomas (285).

Some of the closest title matches included Pedrosa over Avina 1-0 at 120, Durell edging Craft 13-12 at 126 and McDermott beating Meyer 7-4 at 165.

Additional third-place finishers were Oswego’s Aiden Ortiz (126) and Lazar Krstic (132), Plainfield South’s Drew Ritchie (106), Bolingbrook’s Isaac Harris (120), Oswego’s Aiden Ortiz (126) and Lazar Krstic (132), Plainfield Central’s Jack Bowen (138), Joliet Central’s Tremaine Cooper (144) and Oswego East’s Josh Edwards (215).

Fourth-place finishes were also turned in by Joliet Central’s Liam Walsh (113), Aleck Allende (120) and Mark Bew (157), Plainfield South’s Sean Volf (132), Chase Pierceall (165) and Ian Portillo (285), Oswego’s Dillon Griffin (150) and Cooper Wynn (190) and Plainfield Central’s Anthony Minnito (215).

Oswego East’s Josh Edwards was the only individual who had four pins and Plainfield North’s Maddox Garbis was the lone competitor to get four wins by technical fall and also had the most match points with 83. Bolingbrook’s Joshua Shanahan had the largest seed to place difference as he was seeded 11th and placed sixth at 190 pounds.

Southwest Prairie Conference Tournament

Team scores

1. Yorkville 554. 2. Joliet West 488, 3. Minooka 422, 4. Plainfield South 365.5, 5. Oswego 338, 6. Joliet Central 323, 7. Plainfield North 291, 8. Bolingbrook 251.5, 9. Plainfield Central 194.5, 10. Plainfield East 176, 11. Romeoville 168, 12. Oswego East 167.5

Place matches

1st Place Match

Jack Ferguson (Yorkville) 40-2, Sr. over Aiden Brown (Joliet West) 26-13, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:28 (20-4))

3rd Place Match

Cole Spivey (Minooka) 16-15, Sr. over Mark Bew (Joliet Central) 16-8, Jr. (Dec 8-4)

5th Place Match

Cole Svara (Plainfield North) 7-7, Jr. over Ethan Essick (Oswego) 22-14, Sr. (Dec 7-5)

7th Place Match

Joaquin Gaskin (Bolingbrook) 11-15, So. over Brad Surwillo (Plainfield South) 10-10, Sr. (Dec 1-0)

9th Place Match

Christian Walsh (Oswego) 24-11, Fr. over Emiliano Ramirez (Plainfield Central) 10-18, Fr. (MD 14-5)

11th Place Match

Collin Speice (Oswego East) 2-14, So. over Colin Adams (Plainfield East) 7-17, Jr. (Inj. 0:00)

165

1st Place Match

Tommy McDermott (Bolingbrook) 29-6, Jr. over Kaden Meyer (Minooka) 31-6, So. (Dec 7-4)

3rd Place Match

Caleb Viscogliosi (Yorkville) 31-13, Jr. over Chase Pierceall (Plainfield South) 15-6, Jr. (MD 15-4)

5th Place Match

Raphael Tovar (Plainfield North) 16-13, Jr. over Tristan Radeke (Joliet West) 12-15, So. (Dec 8-1)

7th Place Match

Owen Middleton (Yorkville) 3-4, So. over Joseph Nino (Plainfield East) 15-16, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:47 (20-5))

9th Place Match

Kevin O`Grady (Oswego) 16-21, Sr. over Tyler Lewis (Romeoville) 12-9, Jr. (Fall 1:10)

11th Place Match

Aiden Machalski (Plainfield Central) 6-11, So. over Demetrius Walker-Hill (Oswego East) 8-5, Sr. (M. For.)

175

1st Place Match

Luke Zook (Yorkville) 40-2, Sr. over Colin Bickett (Plainfield South) 23-6, Sr. (Fall 0:21)

3rd Place Match

Aj Frescura (Minooka) 27-7, Sr. over Zachary Cronk (Joliet West) 27-10, Jr. (Dec 1-0)

5th Place Match

Robert Vogel (Plainfield East) 15-11, Jr. over Garrett Patnoudes (Oswego East) 15-10, So. (Fall 1:07)

7th Place Match

Christian Paige (Oswego) 14-11, So. over Jacob Reece (Plainfield North) 7-21, Jr. (Fall 1:30)

9th Place Match

Michael Laudadio (Plainfield Central) 6-15, Jr. over Connor Gualandi (Joliet Central) 6-21, Jr. (Fall 5:37)

190

1st Place Match

Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville) 28-5, Sr. over Santino Capodice (Minooka) 24-10, Jr. (Fall 1:35)

3rd Place Match

Jacob Tyderek (Joliet West) 22-13, Fr. over Cooper Wynn (Oswego) 24-12, Sr. (Fall 1:37)

5th Place Match

Hugh Callaghan (Plainfield East) 23-11, Jr. over Joshua Shanahan (Bolingbrook) 2-2, Sr. (Dec 8-2)

7th Place Match

Xavier Eggert (Joliet Central) 24-20, Sr. over Brady Mitchell (Plainfield North) 6-18, Sr. (Fall 0:43)

9th Place Match

Julius Pierscionek (Plainfield South) 8-19, Fr. over Nicholas Breier (Plainfield Central) 3-14, Jr. (Fall 1:40)

11th Place Match

isiah escobar (Romeoville) 16-5, Sr. over Charles Anderson – Medical Forfeit (Oswego East) 10-13, Jr. (DFF)

215

1st Place Match

Charles Walker (Joliet Central) 38-2, Sr. over Luke Chrisse (Yorkville) 35-7, Sr. (Dec 8-4)

3rd Place Match

Josh Edwards (Oswego East) 31-13, Sr. over Anthony Minnito (Plainfield Central) 24-7, Sr. (Fall 2:00)

5th Place Match

Jamal Jones Jr (Plainfield South) 15-13, Sr. over Andre De Leon (Joliet West) 21-9, Jr. (Fall 1:40)

7th Place Match

Mohamad Almadani (Romeoville) 13-7, Jr. over Cameron Burke (Yorkville) 5-6, Jr. (Fall 3:26)

9th Place Match

Justin Jones (Minooka) 2-2, Sr. over Colin Dominiak (Plainfield East) 14-17, Jr. (MD 11-2)

11th Place Match

Aiden Heiden (Oswego) 15-11, Sr. over Jayvyn Gray (Bolingbrook) 0-4, Jr. (Fall 0:48)

285

1st Place Match

Robbie Murphy (Minooka) 24-11, Jr. over Jamir Thomas (Romeoville) 20-2, Sr. (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Xavion Ulloa (Yorkville) 17-13, Jr. over Ian Portillo (Plainfield South) 22-13, Sr. (Dec 3-1)

5th Place Match

Jakub Kowal (Plainfield South) 12-4, Jr. over Liam Corona (Plainfield North) 16-17, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:34 (17-1))

7th Place Match

Avery Lane (Yorkville) 2-2, So. over Evan Patton (Joliet Central) 19-20, Jr. (DQ)

9th Place Match

Nathaniel Zeffeld (Bolingbrook) 2-2, Fr. over Andrew Klobnak (Joliet West) 10-23, So. (Fall 2:43)

11th Place Match

Antonio Montoya (Plainfield Central) 10-6, Sr. over Brodie Slou (Oswego) 17-12, Sr. (M. For.)

Marist captures East Suburban Catholic Conference championship

Behind six individual titles, Marist won the East Suburban Catholic Conference tournament title at Joliet Catholic Academy. The RedHawks scored 226.5 points, the hosts and two-time defending champion Hilltoppers took second place with 159.9 points and third-place Notre Dame College Prep collected 135 points. 

St. Patrick (109), Marian Catholic (51), Carmel Catholic (37.5), Nazareth Academy (22.5) and Saint Viator (19) also competed.

1 – Marist

Michael Esteban (126), George Marinopoulos (132), Donavon Allen (144), Ethan Sonne (157), Will Denny (165) and Tommy O`Brien (215) won championships while Joe Bronske (113), Caden Campo (120), Johnathan Fields (138) and Kyle Herzog (190) placed second to lead coach Brendan Heffernan’s champion RedHawks to their first ESCC title since 2022. 

Dylan Weber (113) and Jack Watson (285) took third while Elio Gil (106), Eddie Astorga (132), Sean Loughney (138), Thiago Estrada (144), Jack Lorenz (150), Ronin Haran (157) and Kevin Bartolotta (175) placed fourth. Logan Mishka (126), Tyrese Johnson (150), Dave Wolski (190) and Dan Mahoney (285) also helped the cause.

2 – Joliet Catholic Academy

Maddux Tindal (120), Dawson Mack (138) and Nico Ronchetti (190) won titles for coach Ryan Cumbee’s runner-up Hilltoppers and Jason Hampton (126), Elias Gonzalez (144) and Derrick Pomatto (215) took second. Placing third were Kane Robles (106), Matthew Laird (132) and Vince Tindal (157) while Elijah Watt (285) took fourth.

3 – Notre Dame College Prep

Ray Long (106) picked up the lone championship for coach Anthony Genovesi’s third-place Dons while Brady Krueger (132) and Deniz Ozturk (157) each placed second. John Sheehy (126) was one of six third-place finishers for the Dons and the others were John Carr (144), Joseph McCarthy (150), Dean Lazaris (165), Peter Escamilla (175) and Michael Keany (190). Taking fourth were Waide Moravek (113) and Ian McKendrick (215).

St. Patrick had three champions, Daniel Goodwin (113), Van Grasser (175) and Abraham Bonano (285), while Carmel Catholic’s David Farjado (150) also captured a title.

Mack led all competitors with 24 team points, O’Brien was next-best with 23 points and Bonano, Marinopoulos and Rochetti tied for third with 22 team points. Denny and Sonne scored 21.5 points, Allen had 21 while Esteban and Grasser collected 20 team points.

Other second-place finishers were St. Patrick’s Jack Koenig (106) and Andrew Rieger (150), Marian Catholic’s Joey Baranski (165) and Adrian Esparza (175) and Carmel Catholic’s Noah Breckenridge (285).

Two of the closest title matches were Goodwin winning 3-0 by sudden victory over Bronske at 113 and Long edging Koenig 8-6 at 106. 

Also finishing in third place were Nazareth Academy’s Alek Ramos (120) and Sammy Swais (215) and St. Patrick’s Patrick Hulne (138). Additional fourth-place finishers were Marian Catholic’s Tristan Cooks (120), Chace Tankson (126) and Jadyn Thomas (190) and Saint Viator’s Caleb Jendras (165).

Marist’s Jack Watson had three pins in 3:52 to be the individual with the most pins in the least time. Marist’s Donavon Allen has two wins by technical in 7:01 for the most tech falls in the least time. St. Patrick’s Patrick Hulne had the most total match points with 56. The largest seed-place difference came from Marist’s Kyle Herzog, who took second as the seventh-seed at 190.

East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament

Team scores

1. Marist 226.5, 2. Joliet Catholic Academy 159.5, 3. Notre Dame College Prep 135, 4. St. Patrick 108, 5. Marian Catholic 51, 6. Carmel Catholic 37.5, 7. Nazareth Academy 22.5, 8. Saint Viator 19.

Place matches

106

1st Place Match

Ray Long (Notre Dame College Prep) 35-4, So. over Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) 38-5, So. (Dec 8-6)

3rd Place Match

Kane Robles (Joliet Catholic Academy) 25-12, Fr. over Elio Gil (Marist) 22-11, So. (Fall 1:00)

113

1st Place Match

Daniel Goodwin (St. Patrick) 38-3, Jr. over Joe Bronske (Marist) 16-18, Jr. (SV-1 3-0)

3rd Place Match

Dylan Weber (Marist) 10-8, Jr. over Waide Moravek (Notre Dame College Prep) 11-21, Sr. (TF-1.5 1:54 (18-1))

120

1st Place Match

Maddux Tindal (Joliet Catholic Academy) 28-8, So. over Caden Campo (Marist) 22-18, Fr. (MD 13-2)

3rd Place Match

Alek Ramos (Nazareth Academy) 14-6, So. over Tristan Cooks (Marian Catholic) 7-12, Jr. (Fall 1:03)

126

1st Place Match

Michael Esteban (Marist) 28-6, Sr. over Jason Hampton (Joliet Catholic Academy) 30-10, Jr. (Dec 10-3)

3rd Place Match

John Sheehy (Notre Dame College Prep) 35-6, Sr. over Chace Tankson (Marian Catholic) 17-10, Sr. (Fall 1:24)

132

1st Place Match

George Marinopoulos (Marist) 30-6, Sr. over Brady Krueger (Notre Dame College Prep) 28-15, Jr. (Fall 1:32)

3rd Place Match

Matthew Laird (Joliet Catholic Academy) 22-7, So. over Eddie Astorga (Marist) 18-16, So. (MD 15-7)

138

1st Place Match

Dawson Mack (Joliet Catholic Academy) 19-14, Fr. over Johnathan Fields (Marist) 11-8, Fr. (Fall 0:52)

3rd Place Match

Patrick Hulne (St. Patrick) 34-11, So. over Sean Loughney (Marist) 12-4, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:39 (21-5))

144

1st Place Match

Donavon Allen (Marist) 21-5, Sr. over Elias Gonzalez (Joliet Catholic Academy) 24-17, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:01 (19-3))

3rd Place Match

John Carr (Notre Dame College Prep) 7-7, Jr. over Thiago Estrada (Marist) 10-6, Jr. (MD 14-5)

150

1st Place Match

David Farjado (Carmel Catholic) 12-1, Sr. over Andrew Rieger (St. Patrick) 28-14, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:24 (18-2))

3rd Place Match

Joseph McCarthy (Notre Dame College Prep) 13-13, Sr. over Jack Lorenz (Marist) 11-5, So. (Fall 0:54)

157

1st Place Match

Ethan Sonne (Marist) 27-9, So. over Deniz Ozturk (Notre Dame College Prep) 23-13, Sr. (Fall 1:46)

3rd Place Match

Vince Tindal (Joliet Catholic Academy) 17-9, Sr. over Ronin Haran (Marist) 8-10, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:35 (17-2))

165

1st Place Match

Will Denny (Marist) 33-1, Sr. over Joey Baranski (Marian Catholic) 26-7, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:34 (19-4))

3rd Place Match

Dean Lazaris (Notre Dame College Prep) 22-16, Sr. over Caleb Jendras (Saint Viator) 23-12, So. (MD 13-5)

175

1st Place Match

Van Grasser (St. Patrick) 28-9, Jr. over Adrian Esparza (Marian Catholic) 12-8, Jr. (Fall 5:07)

3rd Place Match

Peter Escamilla (Notre Dame College Prep) 10-15, So. over Kevin Bartolotta (Marist) 13-17, Jr. (Inj. 1:43)

190

1st Place Match

Nico Ronchetti (Joliet Catholic Academy) 29-6, Sr. over Kyle Herzog (Marist) 11-9, Jr. (Fall 1:40)

3rd Place Match

Michael Keany (Notre Dame College Prep) 22-13, Sr. over Jadyn Thomas (Marian Catholic) 6-11, Sr. (Fall 3:48)

215

1st Place Match

Tommy O`Brien (Marist) 19-10, Jr. over Derrick Pomatto (Joliet Catholic Academy) 5-4, So. (MD 10-2)

3rd Place Match

Sammy Swais (Nazareth Academy) 16-5, Fr. over Ian McKendrick (Notre Dame College Prep) 11-22, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:09 (19-3))

285

1st Place Match

Abraham Bonano (St. Patrick) 20-18, Sr. over Noah Breckenridge (Carmel Catholic) 4-4, Fr. (Fall 1:19)

3rd Place Match

Jack Watson (Marist) 26-16, Jr. over Elijah Watt (Joliet Catholic Academy) 5-5, Sr. (Fall 1:37)

Oak Forest claims top honors in the South Suburban Conference

Oak Forest had nine who finished among the top-three placewinners, including five champions, to help it win the South Suburban Conference Tournament title at Shepard in Palos Heights.

Coach Shawn Forst’s champion Bengals finished with 213 points, distancing themselves from runner-up Evergreen Park, who scored 174.5 points. Lemont was third with 104.5 points while Bremen (84) and Oak Lawn (68.5) rounded out the top five in the 14-team field.

Reavis (66), Hillcrest (65.5), Argo (65.5), Shepard (60.5), Thornton Fractional North (57.5), Eisenhower (56.5), Richards (53.5), Tinley Park (47) and Thornton Fractional South (45.5) were the others who competed.

1 – Oak Forest

Jason Schickel (106), Jacob Sebek (113), Austin Perez (144), Blake Bussie (165) and Jason Janke (175) won titles to lead the first-place Bengals. James Mair (120) and Jose Montesino (285) placed second and Nathan Izguerra (190) and Andrius Vasilevskas (215) took third. Others who contributed to the championship effort were Hunter Kroll (126), Dylan McBride (132), Josh Schickel (138), Derek Rodriguez (150) and Brendan Boman (157)

2 – Evergreen Park

Brothers Jayden Cervantes (120) and Adrian Cervantes (126) won titles along with teammates Chance Woods (138) and David Johnson (150) to lead coach Ron Zimmerman’s runner-up Mustangs. Christian Ramirez (113) and Genesis Ward (215) both took second, Esau Rubalcava (144) placed third and Braden Mateja-Bates (106) and Ashton Gray (157) took fourth.

3 – Lemont

Lemont coach Egan Berta had five individuals place among the top five, including Cory Zator (132) who was his team’s lone champion. Judah Heeg (190) took second, Alex Powers (106) and Nico LoCoco (165) took third and Jullian Vallianatos (138) was fourth.

The remaining four champions came from four teams that were outside of the top three. They were Reavis’ William Swiercynski (157), Richards’ Mike Taheny (190), Tinley Park’s Sebastin Sanderson (215) and Bremen’s Marco Olvera (285).

Adrian Cervantes, Olvera, Perez and Zator led the champions for the most team points with 26. Janke, Johnson and Sanderson tied with 25.5 points, Sebek scored 24.5 points and Jayden Cervantes and Swiercynski both collected 24 team points. 

Other second-place finishers were Argo’s Aldo Gutierrez (138) and Jacob Van Allen (144),

Shepard’s TaVayris Howard (150) and Aidan Hill (175), Reavis’ Andy Casmiro (106), Richards’ Amir Akilani (126), Bremen’s Izaiah Gonzalez (132), Oak Lawn’s Charles Shane (157) and Thornton Fractional South’s Titus Woodring (165).

The closest title matches featured Taheny prevailing over Heeg 4-1 by sudden victory at 190 and Swiercynski edging Shane 1-0 at 157. 

Additional third-place finishers were Bremen’s Sean Unzueta (120) and Walter Hoevker (150), Thornton Fractional North’s Deshawn Jones (132) and Joseph Merritt (157), Hillcrest’s Amari Brown (113), Thornton Fractional South’s Adonis Wilson (126), Oak Lawn’s Johnathan Diaz (138), Eisenhower’s Edgar Juan (175) and Argo’s Remy Avalos (285).

Also finishing in fourth place were Hillcrest’s LeKeith Rogers (120), Derrione Collier (132) and Kiaven Sullivan (144), Shepard’s Kenny Banks (113) and Isaiah Martinez (165), Eisenhower’s Marvelous Akhalu (190) and Rayshawn Doles (215), Bremen’s Malachi Turner (126), Tinley Park’s David Albright (150), Oak Lawn’s Ayman Shaikh (175) and Reavis’ Daniel Ramirez (285).

Eisenhower’s Edgar Juan was the only individual who recorded four pins and he and Oak Lawn’s Ayman Shaikh tied for the biggest difference from seed to place with eight positions. Lemont’s Judah Heeg had two wins by technical fall in 3:14 for the most of those in the least time. Evergreen Park’s Esau Rubalcava collected the most total match points with 51 while Hillcrest’s Kiaven Sullivan scored 50 points.

South Suburban Conference Tournament

Team scores

1. Oak Forest 213, 2. Evergreen Park 174.5, 3. Lemont 104.5, 4. Bremen 84, 5. Oak Lawn 68.5, 6. Reavis 66, 7. Hillcrest 65.5, 7. Argo 65.5, 9. Shepard 60.5, 10. Thornton Fractional North 57.5, 11. Eisenhower 56.5, 12. Richards 53.5, 13. Tinley Park 47, 14. Thornton Fractional South 45.5.

Place matches

106

1st Place Match

Jason Schickel (Oak Forest) 21-13, So. over Andy Casmiro (Reavis) 13-19 (Fall 2:11)

3rd Place Match

Alex Powers (Lemont) 23-15, Fr. over Braden Mateja-Bates (Evergreen Park) 18-11, Jr. (Fall 3:56)

113

1st Place Match

Jacob Sebek (Oak Forest) 35-2, So. over Christian Ramirez (Evergreen Park) 20-5, Sr. (MD 13-0)

3rd Place Match

Amari Brown (Hillcrest) 20-10, Jr. over Kenny Banks (Shepard) 18-14, So. (Fall 3:57)

120

1st Place Match

Jayden Cervantes (Evergreen Park) 27-2, Jr. over James Mair (Oak Forest) 23-14, Sr. (Fall 3:39)

3rd Place Match

Sean Unzueta (Bremen) 9-3, Jr. over LeKeith Rogers (Hillcrest) 11-8, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:16 (22-5))

126

1st Place Match

Adrian Cervantes (Evergreen Park) 27-3, Jr. over Amir Akilani (Richards) 13-10 (Fall 1:30)

3rd Place Match

Adonis Wilson (Lansing (Thornton Fractional South), IL) 20-6, Sr. over Malachi Turner (Bremen) 20-9, Jr. (Fall 2:47)

132

1st Place Match

Cory Zator (Lemont) 32-8, Jr. over Izaiah Gonzalez (Bremen) 16-4, Jr. (Fall 1:37)

3rd Place Match

Deshawn Jones (Thornton Fractional North) 16-10, Jr. over Derrione Collier (Hillcrest) 15-10, Sr. (Fall 2:57)

138

1st Place Match

Chance Woods (Evergreen Park) 29-2, Jr. over Aldo Gutierrez (Argo) 23-7, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:38 (19-1))

3rd Place Match

Johnathan Diaz (Oak Lawn) 13-12, So. over Jullian Vallianatos (Lemont) 29-13, Sr. (Fall 3:24)

144

1st Place Match

Austin Perez (Oak Forest) 23-1, Jr. over Jacob Van Allen (Argo) 26-6, Sr. (Fall 1:27)

3rd Place Match

Esau Rubalcava (Evergreen Park) 24-9, So. over Kiaven Sullivan (Hillcrest) 23-4, Sr. (Dec 16-10)

150

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

David Johnson (Evergreen Park) 29-4, Sr. over TaVayris Howard (Shepard) 23-19, Sr. (Fall 0:33)

3rd Place Match

Walter Hoevker (Bremen) 18-14, Sr. over David Albright (Tinley Park) 19-15, Jr. (Dec 16-11)

157

1st Place Match

William Swiercynski (Reavis) 20-5 over Charles Shane (Oak Lawn) 14-8, Jr. (Dec 1-0)

3rd Place Match

Joseph Merritt (Thornton Fractional North) 21-6, Sr. over Ashton Gray (Evergreen Park) 22-9, Sr. (Fall 0:22)

165

1st Place Match

Blake Bussie (Oak Forest) 26-15, Sr. over Titus Woodring (Thornton Fractional South) 29-5, Jr. (MD 11-3)

3rd Place Match

Nico LoCoco (Lemont) 23-14, Sr. over Isaiah Martinez (Shepard) 22-21, Jr. (Fall 1:20)

175

1st Place Match

Jason Janke (Oak Forest) 6-0, Jr. over Aidan Hill (Shepard) 21-8, Jr. (Fall 5:51)

3rd Place Match

Edgar Juan (Eisenhower) 12-2, Sr. over Ayman Shaikh (Oak Lawn) 19-13, Sr. (Fall 1:09)

190

1st Place Match

Mike Taheny (Richards) 29-1 over Judah Heeg (Lemont) 31-2, Jr. (SV-1 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Nathan Izguerra (Oak Forest) 3-1, Jr. over Marvelous Akhalu (Eisenhower) 15-14, Sr. (Fall 3:12)

215

1st Place Match

Sebastin Sanderson (Tinley Park) 31-2, Jr. over Genesis Ward (Evergreen Park) 23-5, Sr. (Fall 4:51)

3rd Place Match

Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) 35-7, Jr. over Rayshawn Doles (Eisenhower) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 2:22)

285

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Marco Olvera (Bremen) 12-4, Sr. over Jose Montesino (Oak Forest) 25-13, Sr. (Fall 4:00)

3rd Place Match

Remy Avalos (Argo) 17-5, Sr. over Daniel Ramirez (Reavis) 14-14 (Fall 3:00)