Tournament recaps: Stillman Valley, Erie-Prophetstown, Harvard, Rich Township

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Stillman Valley Holiday Tournament

Oregon edged Dundee-Crown for the team title at this year’s Stillman Valley Holiday Tournament, with 12 wrestlers earning team points, led by individual champion Anthony Bauer (157).

Oregon took this year’s crown in the 16-team field by a mere three points, outpointing Dundee-Crown 181-178. Stillman Valley (162), The Classical Academy (149.5) from Colorado, and Wheaton Academy (121) rounded out the top five team finishes.

It was the Hawks’ second consecutive Stillman Valley title.

“We knew going in we had a chance to be in the running to win the team title if we wrestled well,” Oregon coach Justin Lahman said. “Our final round had some big matches that we had to have to stay in the lead.”

Heading into the final round, Oregon held a seven-point lead over Dundee-Crown and a 13-point lead over Stillman Valley, and the Hawks 

Lahman sent four wrestlers to the championship mat. In addition to Bauer’s title, Landon Ege (113), Jackson Glendenning (165), and Andrew Young (175) placed second. 

Nelson Benesh (120), Jayden Berry (138), Ethan Mowry (150), and Quentin Berry (190) also keyed the team victory, as all four reached the third-place mat and won their final matches of the day. Those third-place matches kept the tide turned in Oregon’s favor.

“Benesh had a big comeback win at 120 over Landon Blanton after bumping up for the team this tournament,” Lahman said. “Then we followed that up with a rematch at 138 with Jayden Berry that got revenge from a loss earlier to Dundee Crown. We had another head to head match up at 190 with Quentin Berry and he was able to secure a win.”

Set Rote (215) also finished fourth for the Hawks, while Colton Flaharty (126) and Preston LaBay (132) added sixth-place finishes. 

“It was a great team performance with everyone willing to do what it took for the title in back-to-back seasons,” Lahman said. “Hopefully this will help build our confidence that we can wrestle with most teams if we stay aggressive and believe in ourselves.”

Second-place Dundee-Crown got an individual title from Teigen Moreno (215), a second from Chris Gerardo (126), and thirds from Jesus Sanchez (113), Julio Ramos (157), and Jose Gavina (165). D-C coach Tim Hayes got team points from 13 wrestlers on the day.

Wheaton Academy led the field with four champions in Lincoln Hoger (126), Will Hupke (138), Tyler Jones (144) and Chasen Kazmierczak (150), while Johnsburg had three champs in Eric Bush (106), Landon Johnson (132) and Duke Mas (165). Stillman Valley had two champions in Mack Jones (113) and Blake Mollett (285).

Also winning titles were Kaneland’s Kamron Scholl (120), Amboy’s Lucas Blanton (175), and Marengo’s Maverick Quatroke (190).

The Classical Academy had three runners-up in Jacob Gaona (138),Will Schipfer (150) and Ridge Blackwood (157), and other second-placers included Aurora Central Catholic’s Vince Hefke (106), Lisle’s Alexander Ferari (120), Kaneland’s Alex Gochis (132) and Marengo’s Mason Lampe (144).

Individual third-placers included Stillman Valley’s Michael Pannarale (106) and Henry Hildreth (144), The Classical Academy’s Trenton Courtright (126), Luke Sorensen (132) and Caleb Shirin (175), St. Edward’s Dominic Savini (215), and Winnebago’s Josh Cowman (285).

Fourth-placers included Dundee-Crown’s Aiden Healey (106) Vinnie Velazquez (132) Caleb Yancoskie (138) Zach Anderson (190) and Darius Ford (285), Mendota’s Gavin Steveson (113), Amboy’s Landon Blanton (120), Lisle’s Adam Drake (126) and Johnny Consuegra-Lopez (144), Kaneland’s Kyle Rogers (150), Wheaton Academy’s Deonta Giles (157), Stillman Valley’s Braden Rogers (165), and Marengo’s Connor Sacco (175).

For the tournament, Wheaton Academy’s Hupke’s three pins in 2:56 were to most pins in the least time. Hupke also tied for the overall lead in team points scored (30 with Dundee-Crown’s Moreno.  Marengo’s Boley Hunter had the most single match points scored with 21, and his 48 total match points were the most by any wrestler in the tournament.

Sillman Valley Holiday Tournament championship match results:

106 – Eric Bush (Johnsburg) F 2:36 Vince Hefke (Aurora Central Catholic)

113 – Mack Jones (Stillman Valley) D 5-0 Landon Ege (Oregon)

120 – Kamron Scholl (Kaneland) D 9-3 Alexander Ferari (Lisle)

126 – Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) D 8-1 Chris Gerardo (Dundee-Crown)

132 – Landon Johnson (Johnsburg) D 4-2 Alex Gochis (Kaneland)

138 – Will Hupke (Wheaton Academy) F 0:47 Jacob Gaona (Classical Academy, CO)

144 – Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) D 6-3 Mason Lampe (Marengo)

150 – Chasen Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) D 9-6 Will Schipfer (Classical Academy, CO)

157 – Anthony Bauer (Oregon) D 9-3 Ridge Blackwood (Classical Academy, CO)

165 – Duke Mays (Johnsburg) MD 10-0 Jackson Glendenning (Oregon)

175 – Lucas Blanton (Amboy) D 11-4 Andrew Young (Oregon)

190 – Maverick Quatroke (Marengo) D 7-1 Brock Needs (Stillman Valley)

215 – Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown) F 1:39 Braxton Jennings (Stillman Valley)

285 – Blake Mollett (Stillman Valley) F 2:35 Angil Serrano (Mendota)

Final team scores: 1. Oregon (181) 2. Dundee-Crown (178) 3. Stillman Valley (162) 4. The Classical Academy, CO (149.5) 5. Wheaton Academy (121) 6. Kanelend (93) 7. Marengo (92) 8. Johnsburg (87) 9. Lisle (66) 10. Amboy (48) 11. Durand (39) 12. Mendota (38) 13. Aurora Central Catholic (22) 13. St. Edward (22) 13. Winnebago (22) 16. Mooseheart (0)

Erie-Prophetstown Holiday Tournament

Lena-Winslow/Stockton used an individual title from Eli Larson (175) and scoring from 13 wrestlers to top the 18-team field in Erie. The Panthers won 206.5-176.5 over second-place Seneca.

Newman Central Catholic (132), Morrison (129), and Rockridge (125) rounded out the top five team finishes.

Panthers coach Kevin Milder also got team points from second-placers Jared Dvorak (157) and Jeremiah Luke (215); thirds from Reece Demeter (120), Brady Haas (165) and Michael Haas (285); fourths from David Prater (113), Arrison Bauer (132) and Oliver McPeek (190); and fifths from Teegan Arnold (126), Mauricio Glass (138), Karl Hubb (144), and Oliver McPeek (190).

“Erie was a very competitive tournament with multiple ranked wrestlers,” Milder said. “We only had one champion, but our team depth carried us to the team title with twelve of our thirteen wrestlers placing in the top five.”

Second-place Seneca and coach Todd Yegge got individual titles from Ethan Othon (120) and Chris Peura (215), and seconds from Raiden Terry (106), Asher Hamby (175) and Landen Venecia (190).

Third-place Newman Central Catholic got a pair of individual titles for coach Brian Bahrs, from Brady Grennan (132) and Carter Rude (144), and seconds from Zhyler Hansen (120) and Daniel Kelly (165).

Also winning titles in Erie were East Peoria’s Cooper Chester (106) and Jose Del Toro (285), Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins (113) and Ian O’Connor (138), Rockridge’s Thomas Soward (126) and Ryan Lower (165), Orion’s Mason Anderson (150) and Maddux Anderson (190), and Morrison’s Karder White (157).

Other second-placers included Illinis Bluffs’ Wyatt Knowles (113) and Jackson Carroll (144), Sherrard’s Blake Pender (126), Rockridge’s Jude Finch (132), Mercer County’s Ethan Monson (138) and Zeke Arnold (150), and East Peoria’s Keegan Barnes (285).

Third-place finishers included Sherrard’s Luke Werner (106) and Braiden Khral (113), Rock Falls’ Logan Thome (126), West Carroll’s Connor Knopp (132), New Central Catholic’s Briar Ivey (138), Erie-Prophetstown’s Wyatt Goossens (144) and Tristan Hovey (150), Seneca’s Nate Othon (157), Mercer County’s Bodie Salmon (175), Fulton’s Mason Kuebel (190), and Peoria Heights’ Isaac Coleman (215).

Also placing fourth were Fulton’s Zander Ketelsen (106), Rock Falls’ Josiah Tarbill (120) and Korbin Oligney (150), Morrison’s Kamden White (126), Camden Pruis (138) and Brady Anderson (165), Alleman’s Adam Jacks (144), Newman Central Catholic’s Caleb Donna (175), East Peoria’s Chase Bancroft (215), and Jeremy Gagnon (285).

Rock Falls’ Jacob Hosler’s four pins in 3:04 were the most falls in the least time of any wrestler in the tournament, and East Peoria’s Jose Del Toro posted the fastest fall in 0:05.

Del Toro also also tied for the most team points scored (28) with Morrison’s Karder White, Orion’s Mason Anderson, and Rockridge’s Ryan Lower. Seneca’s Wyatt Cooper and Morrison’s Camden Pruis tied for the most single match points with 20, Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Tegan Arnold led the field with 35 total match points, and the largest seed-place difference went to East Peoria’s Cole Brooks when he placed sixth as the No. 15 seed at 138.

Erie-Prophetstown Holiday Tournament championship matches:

106 – Cooper Chester (E. Peoria) D 5-2 Raiden Terry (Seneca)

113 – Hunter Robbins (Illini Bluffs) D 3-1 Wyatt Knowles (Illini Bluffs)

120 – Ethan Othon (Seneca) MD 16-5 Zhyler Hansen (Newman Central)

126 – Thomas Soward (Rockridge) F 1:23 Blake Pender (Sherrard)

132 – Brady Grennan (Newman Central) OT 3-1 Jude Finch (Rockridge)

138 – Ian O’Connor (Illini Bluffs) D 6-4 Ethan Monson (Mercer County)

144 – Carter Rude (Newman Central) D 5-2 Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs)

150 – Mason Anderson (Orion) D 6-3 Zeke Arnold (Mercer County)

157 – Karder White (Morrison) F 0:54 Jared Dvorak (L-W/Stockton)

165 – Ryan Lower (Rockridge) D 12-6 Daniel Kelly (Newman Central)

175 – Eli Larson (L-W/Stockton) D 5-2 Asher Hamby (Seneca)

190 – Maddux Anderson (Orion) F 2:30 Landen Venecia (Seneca)

215 – Chris Peura (Seneca) D 11-7 Jeremiah Luke (L-W/Stockton)

285 – Jose Del Toro (E. Peoria) D 2-1 Keegan Barnes (E. Peoria)

Final team scores: 1. Lena-Winslow/Stockton (206.5) 2. Seneca (176.5) 3. Newman Central Catholic (132) 4. Morrison (129) 5. Rockridge (125) 6. East Peoria (103) 7. Orion (95) 7. Rock Falls (95) 9. Illini Bluffs (79) 10. Sherrard (77) 11. Mercer County (66) 12. Fulton (63) 13. Erie-Prophetstown (60) 14. Polo (39) 15. Alleman (31) 16. West Carroll (27.5) 17. Peoria Heights (26) 18. Galena (0).

Harvard’s Sciacca/Holtfreter Tournament

Wheeling got the job done in Harvard, winning the team title 214.5-186.5 over second-place Hampshire at this year’s Sciacca/Holtfreter Tournament. Host Harvard (166) was third, followed by Woodstock (121) and Vernon Hills (102) to round out the top five team finishes.

Wheeling got an individual title from David Perez (106), runner-up finishes from Nicholas Montesios (150) and John Scanlon (157), and thirds from Frankie Katz (113), Max Katz (126), Jonathan Dominguez (190), and Marco Mercado (215).

Alex Nesterenko (132) and Gabriel Serrano (144) placed fourth for coach Charlie Curran, who also got fifths from Austin Berger (138), Miguel Guerrero (165), Jonathan Martinez (175), and Pablo Morales (285).

“We had a true team effort at Harvard this weekend,” Curran said. “We had all fourteen wrestlers place in the top five, which gave us a huge bump in team points. 

“Our guys were putting opponents to their backs and getting pins. In the last two rounds we had fourteen wins, thirteen of them with bonus points, and eleven of those were by fall. We had a great day and I couldn’t be prouder of how our team performed and responded throughout the day.”

Curran applauded Perez for his championship effort, along with the hard-fought wins that Montesinos, Lopez, and Scanlon earned to reach the finals.

The Wheeling coach didn’t stop there.

“Alex Nesterenko gave incredible effort in all of his matches, and has really shown huge improvement since the beginning of the season,” Curran said. “Max Katz, Frankie Katz, and Jonny Dominguez all took tough losses in the semis, but each of them pinned their way back to third place.”

Hampshire coach Matthew Todd got individual titles from Logan Campbell (138) and Joey Ochoa (285), seconds from Lou Jensen (113), Sam Beamon (138), Aidan Rowells (175) and Carter Hintz (190), and thirds from Andrew Salmieri (120), Aric Abbot (150), and Mike Brannigan (165).

Harvard got titles from Rey Romo (113), Owen Vail (120), Daniel Rosas (150), and Christian Mercado (157), a second-place finish from Riley Vest (285), and a third from Logan Nulle (144) for coach David Schultz.

Other wrestlers winning titles in Harvard were North Boone’s Gavin Ekberg (126), Walther Christian’s Caleb Peterson (132), Vernon Hills’ Jack McGowan (138) and Ilya Dvoriannikov (165), Woodstock North’s Kaden Combs (175), and Woodstock’s Zach Canaday (190) and Andrew Ryan (215).

Second-place winners also included Alden-Hebron’s George Longfield-Lofti (106), Woodstock’s Taqi Baker (126) and Daniel Bychowski (144), Bremen’s Izaiah Gonzalez (132), and North Boone’s Maysen Smith (165) and Jimmy Elsworth (215).

Also finishing third were Alden-Hebron’s Riley Krumsee (106), Streamwood’s Uli Rojas (132), Boylan’s Netavia Wickson (138), Vernon Hills’ Dylan Moncayo (157),  Bremen’s Adrian Esparza (175), and Bremen’s Marco Olvera (285).

Placing fourth were Walther Christian’s Mia Herrera (106), Boylan’s Ricardo Perez (113), Bremen’s Sean Unzueta (120) and Dionte’ Jones (138), Harvard’s Brennan Peters (126) and Charley Tolentino (165), Streamwood’s Juan Cortez (150), Hampshire’s Uriah Beamon (157), Woodstock’s Edgar Arana (175), Streamwood’s Jace Wolf (190) and Josh Burton (215), and Woodstock’s Everett Flannery (285).

The Sciacca/Holtfreter is named for two pivotal figures in Harvard history; John Sciacca, who founded the wrestling program at Harvard and was head coach for 15 years, retiring in 1978; and Richard Holtfreter, head coach for nine years who guided Harvard to a team state title in 1983.

Sciacca/Holtfreter championship matches:

106 – David Perez (Wheeling) F 0:50 George Longfield-Lofti (Alden Hebron)

113 – Rey Romo (Harvard) MD 18-6 Lou Jensen (Hampshire)

120 – Owen Vail (Harvard) F 3:55 Miguel Lopez (Wheeling)

126 – Gavin Ekberg (North Boone) D 4-2 Taqi Baker (Woodstock)

132 – Caleb Peterson (Walther Christian) Inj. Def. Izaiah Gonzalez (Bremen)

138 – Logan Campbell (Hampshire) D 9-2 Sam Beamon (Hampshire)

144 – Jack McGowan (Vernon Hills) D 10-3 Daniel Bychowski (Woodstock)

150 – Daniel Rosas (Harvard) MD 13-0 Nicholas Montesino (Wheeling)

157 – Christian Mercado (Harvard) F 2:32 John Scanlon (Wheeling)

165 – Ilya Dvoriannikov (Vernon Hills) F 2:47 Maysen Smith (North Boone)

175 – Kaden Combs (Woodstock North) TF 5:59 Aidan Rowells (Hampshire)

190 – Zach Canaday (Woodstock) F 1:35 Carter Hintz (Hampshire)

215 – Andrew Ryan (Woodstock) F 3:52 Jimmy Elsworth (North Boone)

285 – Joey Ochoa (Hampshire) F 2:33 Riley Vest (Harvard)

Final team scores: 1. Wheeling (214.5) 2. Hampshire (186.5) 3. Harvard (166) 4. Woodstock (121) 5. Vernon Hills (102) 6. Bremen (91) 7. Streamwood (74) 8. North Boone (53) 9. Walther Christian (42) 10. Rockford Boylan (41) 11. Woodstock North (40) 12. Elmwood Park (20) 13. Alden-Hebron (16) 14. Harvard 2 (1).

Rich Township’s Raptor Varsity Invite

The team from Merrillville, Indiana dominated the 15-team field at this year’s Raptor Invite, posting a 281-183.5 edge over second-place Evergreen Park. Romeoville (177) finished third followed by Hope Academy (161) and Hillcrest (143.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

Merrillville was led by individual champions Joy Cantu (106), Marlone Kirksy (144), and Cameron Crisp (175), and second-placers Matthew Maldonado (126), Tyler Knight (157) and Josiah Edmonds (190). Merrillville also got thirds from Warren Brown (132), Anthony Bustamante (165), Terrelle Elmore (215) and Raymond James (285).

Second-place Evergreen Park got individual titles for coach Ron Zimmerman from Johan Bonilla (113), Chance Woods (126), and and Genesis Ward (190), and a second-place finish from Ashton Gray (138).

Third-place Romeoville got an individual title from Brian Farley (120) and runner-up finishes from Savion Essiot (113), Mason Gougis (175) and Jamir Thomas (285).

Other tournament champions included Hillcrest’s Jovan Williams (132) and Klaven Sullivan (138), Hope Academy’s Santiago Chaparro (150) and Tony Jones-Blakely (165), Tinley Park’s Sebastian Sanderson (215), and Hope Academy’s Roy Phelps (285).

Also placing second at Rich Township were JS Morton’s Tristan Rodriguez (106) and David Roa (150), Rich Township’s Kyrin King (120), Saint Ignatius’ Colton Huff (132), Nate Sanchez (144) and Melson Ngassa (215), Hope Academy’s Arkail Griffin (157), and Romeoville’s Jamir Thomas (285).

Other third-placers included Rich Township’s Keyshawn Pittman (106), T-F South’s Jayden Scott (113), Evergreen Park’s Angel Ramirez (120) and David Johnson (144), Hope’s Josiah Willis (126) and Dylan Galvez (138), Hillcrest’s Trevon Williams (150), T-F North’s Joseph Merritt (157) and Damari Dogan (175),  Romeoville’s Isiah Escobar (190), and Merrillville’s Terrelle Elmore (215).

Also finishing fourth were Hillcrest’s Amari Brown (106) and Eric Pike (190), Morton’s David Roldan (113) and Rafael Lopez Granados (157), Saint Ignatius’ Alex Villenueva (120), Hillcrest’s Elijah Wofford (126), T-F North’s Deshawn Jones (132), Merrillville’s Isaiah Price (138) and Angel Bustamante (150), Rich Township’s Tristin King (144), T-F South’s Titus Woodring (165), Hope Academy’s Ismael Martinez (175), Romeoville’s Mohammad Almadani (215), and Eisenhower’s Isac Hernandez (285).

Merrillville’s Marquell Shelton’s four pins at 144 in 3:28 were the most pins in the least time by any wrestler present in the tournament, while Saint Ignatius’ Alex Villenueva had the most tech falls in the least time, earning two techs in 6:26.

Tinley Park’s Sebastian Sanderson’s 30 team points earned were the most by any wrestler; the most single match points (22) were scored by Evergreen Park’s Adrian Cervantes; the most total match points (50) came from Saint Ignatius’ Villenueva; and the largest seed-place difference came from Saint Ignatius’ Melton Ngassa, who was seeded 12th and placed second at 215.

Rich Township Raptor Varsity Invite championship matches:

106 – Joy Cantu (Merrillville) D 6-4 Tristan Rodriguez (Morton)

113 – Johan Bonilla (Evergreen Park) F 2:46 Savion Essiot (Romeoville)

120 – Brian Farley (Romeoville) F 1:07 Kyrin King (Rich Township)

126 – Chance Woods (Evergreen Park) D 5-0 Matthew Maldonado (Merrillville)

132 – Jovan Williams (Hillcrest) F 4:58 Colton Huff (Saint Ignatius)

138 – Klaven Sullivan (Hillcrest) MD 13-1 Ashton Gray (Evergreen Park)

144 – Marlone Kirksy (Merrillville) F 1:12 Nate Sanchez (Saint Ignatius)

150 – Santiago Chaparro (Hope Academy) D 6-4 David Roa (Morton)

157 – Adrian Pellot (Merrillville) TF 4:00 Arkail Griffin (Hope Academy)

165 – Tony Jones-Blakely (Hope Academy) MD 14-6 Tyler Knight (Merrillville)

175 – Cameron Crisp (Merrillville) F 1:28 Mason Gougis (Romeoville)

190 – Genesis Ward (Evergreen Park) F 1:00 Josiah Edmonds (Merrillville)

215 – Sebastian Sanderson (Tinley Park) F 3:32 Melson Ngassa (Saint Ignatius)

285 – Roy Phelps (Hope Academy) D 5-0 Jamir Thomas (Romeoville)

Final team scores: 1. Merrillville, IN (281) 2. Evergreen Park (183.5) 3. Romeoville (177) 4. Hope Academy (161) 5. Hillcrest (143.5) 6. Saint Ignatius (137) 7. JS Morton (133) 8. Rich Township (78.5) 9. T-F North (63) 10. T-F South (61) 10. Tinley Park (61) 12. Crete-Monee (33) 13. Eisenhower (21) 14. Bloom Township (13) 15. Intrinsic Charter (3).

Canton edges LeRoy/Tri-Valley for PORTA Avery Invite title

By Curt Herron – For the IWCOA

There’s nothing quite like seeing a quality tournament featuring some of the state’s top teams and individuals that has its outcome determined in the late stages of the competition.

But when the tournament title isn’t settled until the final moments of the last match, it’s definitely tremendous excitement for the winning team and bitter disappointment for the losers.

That was the scenario that unfolded at PORTA’s Rex Avery Invitational where Canton and  LeRoy/Tri-Valley were going toe-to-toe with one another throughout the place matches and the final outcome wound up being settled in the 285 championship match.

After Canton’s Connor Williams won 2-1 in an overtime tiebreaker over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Tate Sigler in the 285 title match, Canton had 211.5 points while LeRoy/Tri-Valley had 209.5 points in the 32-team competition, which was held in Petersburg.

Leading the way for coach Zach Crawford’s champion Little Giants were title winners Jacob Hardesty (106), Danny Murphy (190) and Connor Williams (285) while Maddux Steele (113) took second, Grant Kessler (215) placed third, Jack Jochums (132) finished fifth, Aden Greene (157) was sixth and Mason Bilbrey (126) took eighth place.

“After going back and forth with LeRoy, which is a great program and they have been for years, and then coming down to the heavyweight match and ending it in that fashion, it’s awesome,” Crawford said. “We graduated a huge class with a lot of leadership and a lot of good wrestlers. But this young group of kids has really stepped it up and filled the shoes of the people before them and that’s what we ask for, is for them to just do their job and wrestle hard and outcomes will come into your favor eventually.

“Last February in Bloomington, it was a little uneasy like, where are we going to be next year. But the kids put in work in the weight room and in the offseason. In preseason, we kind of knew what we were going to be, and they just continue to show. It’s like every team that we’ve had in the last five to 10 years in Canton, it’s family. They have each others’ backs at all times, no matter what. They’re in each others’ corners cheering and words of encouragement at all times. It’s just a culture that they’ve really perpetuated in Canton. It’s a family and we’re going to do it for each other.”

Top performers for coach Brady Sant Amour’s runner-up Panthers were champions Brady Mouser (113), Colton Prosser (138) and Jacob Bischoff (215) and second-place finisher Tate Sigler (285). Kobe Brent (132) and Connor Lyons (165) took third, EJ Chaon (120) finished fourth, Jim Chaon (126) and Bo Zeleznik (157) placed seventh and Connor McLaughlin (144) took eighth place.

PORTA (156) took third place, Mt. Zion (141) was fourth, Shelbyville (137.5) finished fifth and Orion (129.5) placed sixth. Monticello (121.5), Cumberland (113.5), Litchfield (109.5) and Auburn (105.5) rounded out the top 10 teams in the invite.

PORTA coach Jeff Hill, a 2011 inductee into the IWCOA Hall of Fame and the state’s all-time leader in dual meet wins, was proud to once again host the Avery Invite, which has long been one of Illinois’ top early-season tournaments for Class 1A teams.

“We added a couple of teams,” Hill said. “Tremont got back in and Lawrenceville wanted in, so we let them in. We had 31 teams and I figured that Canton and LeRoy would be right up there. We were hoping to be in the mix, but we have a little work to do. We’re right in the middle of the state so we try to get as many teams from down south and up north. And we’ve been doing it for a long time so we think it’s a fairly decent tournament. We added a couple of teams and still got done at 7:30 in a one-day tournament.”

Mt. Zion coach Dave Klemm, recipient of a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame-Illinois Chapter in 2012 and an IWCOA Hall of Famer, was pleased with his team’s strong showing.

“I’m excited for these kids,” Klemm said. “I’ve got a bunch of young kids that are working really hard and this is a great tournament to let us know early on where we are and where we have to go. Our kids stepped up and did a nice job. We like to think that we’re on the rise but every other team is fighting for the same thing. Now we’ll go home and watch video and find out what they did wrong and fix it so we’ll do even better next time.”

Shelbyville had two champions, Kaz Fox (150) and Ryne Peavler (157). Other title winners were Warrensburg-Latham’s Logan Roberts (120), Auburn’s Joey Ruzic (126), St. Joseph-Ogden’s Holden Brazelton (132), Cumberland’s Owen McGinnis (144), Tremont’s Bowden Delaney (165)

and Mt. Zion’s Vincent Fiore (175).

PORTA had three second-place finishers, Zach Bryant (120), Jacob Vogel (144) and Justin Zimmerman (157). Orion also had three individuals who placed second, Mason Anderson (150), Nolan Loete (165) and Maddux Anderson (190).

Also taking second place were Monticello’s Ezekiel Young (106), Ridgeview/Lexington’s Danny Tay (126), Farmington’s Keygan Jennings (132), Tremont’s Mason Mark (138), Lawrence County’s Kasen Ochs (175) and Kewanee’s Alejandro Duarte (215).

Beside the 285 finals, some of the other closest title matches were Hardesty edging Young 4-3 at 106, Brazelton getting past Jennings 1-0 at 132, Prosser prevailing over Mark 3-2 at 138, Mouser winning 4-2 over Steele at 113 and Murphy beating Maddux Anderson 7-5 at 190.

Individuals who also won Avery Invite championships last year were Bischoff, Brazelton, Fox, Mouser, Roberts and Ruzic. 

Roberts had the most team points with 32 while Delaney, Fox and Ruzic were next with 31.5 points. Peavler collected 31 points, Murphy scored 30, Brazelton and McGinnis had 29.5 points apiece, Hardesty and Mouser both scored 29 points and Fiore finished with 28.5 points while Bischoff, Prosser and Williams all had 28 points. Ruzic had the most total match points with 54. 

Here’s a breakdown of the champions and weight classes at PORTA’s Rex Avery Invite106 – Jacob Hardesty, Canton

PORTA’s Rex Avery Invite finals began on a good note for eventual champion Canton and the individual who was kicking off that start was a newcomer to the team, freshman Jacob Hardesty, who captured a 4-3 decision over Monticello’s Ezekiel Young in the 106 title match. One of three title winners for coach Zach Crawford’s champion Little Giants, Hardesty (14-2) opened the competition with a fall, followed with an 11-0 major decision and then won with a fall in 3:18 over Litchfield’s Rilynn Younker in the semifinals.

“It’s a really big deal, especially knocking off one of the best kids in the finals, it’s a big win for me,” Hardesty said. “This was my first meet and there’s a lot of great wrestlers here. I hope we can win this meet. We have really good wrestlers that are pushing you in practice every day and making you better. I like the grit that we have on our team, wanting to push to do better and the coaches pushing us and wanting to win and to be better than we were last year. I want to make it to the state tournament.”

The only finalist for coach Andy Moore’s Sages, Young (8-1), recorded three falls to earn his spot on the 106 title mat, which was assured by a pin in 1:13 over Lawrence County’s Drew Seitzinger in the semifinals. Younker won by fall in 3:28 over Seitzinger to claim third place, Monmouth-Roseville’s Bawi Thang got a pin in 1:27 over Mt. Zion’s Vincent Baker to claim fifth and Cumberland’s Peyton Groves won by fall in 5:41 over Orion’s Tyler Olson to take seventh.

113 – Brady Mouser, LeRoy/Tri-Valley

Realizing that every head-to-head matchup between LeRoy/Tri-Valley and Canton would be very important, Brady Mouser gave coach Brady Sant Amour’s Panthers a big boost when he captured a 4-2 decision over Canton’s Maddux Steele in the 113 championship match. Mouser (7-1), a junior who went 44-5 last season and fell one win shy of a medal at 106 at the IHSA Finals, was the first of three champions for coach Brady Sant Amour’s second-place finishers. Mouser recorded two falls before claiming a 12-1 major decision in the semifinals over Litchfield’s Vincent Moore.

“We’re working really hard and I feel like we’re one of the hardest working programs in the whole state,” Mouser said. “It’s all from hard work in the mat room every day and running in the mornings together. I feel like we’ve got a real camaraderie built and it’s just good to see us come out and compete like this. I’m cutting a little bit of weight and hopefully I’ll be wrestling at 106 later in the year. It’s a tough cut but I know that it’s going to be worth it. I have goals and I’m going to set my mind to it. It’s about improving every year, Last year, I was in the blood round, and I don’t want to be back there. That’s the goal, to put yourself in a place to be successful. We have some good leaders and it’s not all about how you wrestle, it’s about if you can build each other up and I think we do a great job of that.”

Steele (12-4), a sophomore for coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants who went 43-10 last year and placed fifth at 106, opened with a win by technical fall and got a fall in the quarterfinals before advancing to the113 title mat after Riverton’s Harrison Lott was unable to go and had to forfeit. Moore won by medical forfeit over Lott to take third. Kewanee’s Kingston Peterson won by fall in 5:21 over Shelbyville’s Colin Wells to finish fifth and Monmouth-Roseville’s Caleb Dillard took seventh with a fall in 1:45 over Hillsboro’s Landon Bandy.

120 – Logan Roberts, Warrensburg-Latham

After making his state debut and winning a match there to cap a 38-8 season a year ago, Logan Roberts looks to take the next step and do something that’s been done just five times by five different individuals at Warrensburg-Latham, and that’s getting a state medal. The lone finalist for coach Garrett Knock’s Cardinals is off to a good start with a 9-0 record after recording a fall in 3:07 over PORTA sophomore Zach Bryant in the 120 finals. The junior won all four of his matches by fall, which included a pin in 1:41 in the semifinals over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s EJ Chaon. As the only champion to record four falls, he led all competitors with 32 team points.

“I eventually want to be a state champion, but I’ve got to place first,” Roberts said. “I really do think that I’m in the top three this year. It’s the extra things out of the room. You always have to do extra training by yourself, working out and keeping your conditioning all the way up. Our 126-pounder, my twin brother Kaden, and our 132-pounder, Charlie Wittmer, they both push me. You have to be confident. You always have to go in there wanting to win and you can never be hesitant. You always have to work through everything, one match at a time.”

Bryant (14-4), one of three of coach Jeff Hill’s Bluejays who reached the title mat, won two of his first three matches by fall, including a pin over Mt. Zion’s Mason Gray in 2:35 in the semifinals. Gray won a 12-2 major decision over Chaon to claim third place. Cumberland’s Sawyer Welbaum took fifth after getting a pin in 2:37 over Auburn’s Drayven Hamm, who was a state qualifier in 2023. And Monticello’s Luke Andruczyk placed seventh with a fall in 0:53 over Litchfield’s Creed Robinson.

126 – Joey Ruzic, Auburn

After going 53-2 a year ago and capturing a Class 1A title at 120 and posting a 26-0 record enroute to a championship at 113 in 2022, Joey Ruzic is focused on being a three-time title winner as well as Auburn’s first three-time IHSA medalist. As a freshman, he went 32-3 and took third at 106 in the IWCOA Finals, giving him a 111-5 career record entering this season. The lone finalist for coach Matt Grimm’s Trojans took top honors at 126 with a fall in 4:46 over Ridgeview/Lexington’s Danny Tay. Ruzic (10-0) got falls in his first two matches and then won by technical fall in 4:41 over Warrensburg-Latham’s Kaden Roberts in the semifinals. He had the most total match points with 54 and tied three others for second in team points with 31.5.

“It’s a process, Ruzic said. “They can come at me all they want, I’m ready,” Without them (his coaches and teammates), I could do none of this. They help me out along the way, for sure. I just have to keep staying consistent and I’m doing the right things. I just have to keep doing it and get the end result that we want.”

Tay (7-1), a senior, was the lone finalist for coach Jeremy Lopshire’s Ridgeview/Lexington co-op Mustangs. After recording opening-period falls in his first two matches, Tay won a 12-0 major decision over Tremont’s Chase Stedman in the semifinals. Roberts won a 6-2 decision over Stedman for third place. Orion’s Cole Perkins took fifth with a 14-7 decision over Cumberland’s Logan Aaron. And LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Jim Chaon won by medical forfeit in 2:00 over Canton’s Mason Bilbrey to finish seventh.

132 – Holden Brazelton, St. Joseph-Ogden

Holden Brazelton definitely experienced a special sophomore season a year ago when he went 49-3 and took third place at 132 in the IHSA Finals after going 44-6 and placing sixth at 120 in his debut campaign. Now the junior sets his sights on not only joining Wesley Kibler as the second Spartan to win three state medals but also to join Griffin Meeker and Kibler as the school’s only state champions. Brazelton won a thriller in the 132 finals, edging Farmington’s Keygan Jennings 1-0 in a clash of two-time IHSA medalists. Brazelton (9-0), the lone finalist for coach Bill Gallo’s Spartans, opened with a win by technical fall and then won two falls, with the last one coming in 1:16 over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Kobe Brent in the semifinals.

“I didn’t know in the tournament that I’d meet him, but I’d meet him at some point,” Brazelton said. “He’s a good kid, a returning state finalist and I beat him 1-0. I was trying to hide some of my tricks a little bit and almost got into trouble toward the end of the match, but I got the job done, and that’s all that matters. We have a lot of young kids on our team and they’ve learned a lot. We had a lot of placers today and I’m super proud of them. They put me to work in the wrestling room, and I’m putting them to work and you could tell that it’s paying off in this tournament.”

Jennings (9-1), a senior who went 35-2 last season and was state runner-up to Carlyle’s Tyson Waughtel at 113, posted a 44-4 record and placed sixth at 113 in 2022 and went 27-5 and finished fifth at 106 in 2021 at the IWCOA Finals. Jennings, the lone finalist for coach Jacob Durbin’s Farmers, won his first two matches by fall and then captured an 11-1 major decision over Shelbyville’s Bodee Fathauer in the semifinals. Brent, who was a state qualifier last season, took third by medical forfeit over Fathauer, who also qualified for state a year ago. Canton’s Jack Jochums took fifth place with a 9-4 decision over Warrensburg-Latham’s Charlie Wittmer. Monmouth-Roseville’s Alejandro Morales placed seventh with a fall in 3:14 over Sacred Heart-Griffin’s Kenneth Lockhart.

138 – Colton Prosser, LeRoy/Tri-Valley

As the tight race between the top two teams in PORTA’s Rex Avery Invite reached the middle of the final round, Colton Prosser’s dramatic 3-2 decision on a late reversal against Tremont’s Mason Mark looked like it might have a big impact on which ultimately prevailed. Prosser, who saw a 31-win season end with a 9-2 loss to Mark at the Clinton Sectional, got a measure of revenge when he prevailed in the final seconds to become one of the three title winners for coach Brady Sant Amour’s Panthers. Prosser (7-0), a senior, won his first two matches by fall before winning 8-6 over Cumberland’s Brayden Olmstead in the semifinals.

“The end of the match reversals are the best ones,” Prosser said. “And the last-second takedowns are the best ones. And to help put our team in first place, that’s even better. It was a tough bracket and both of our semifinal matches were close. I knew I couldn’t let him get the legs in, I had to go right then, that was my only chance, so I just scrambled and put the switch and got the reversal. It’s all of the guys getting along really good and coach pushes us real hard and we’ve all been wrestling together since we were young. It’s the same guys that I grew up with, so it makes it even better when we win.”

Mark (10-2), who went 44-8 last season but failed to place during his first trip to state, won his first two matches by fall before capturing an 8-7 decision over Farmington’s Bradie Ellis in the semifinals to become one of two finalists for the Turks, who are coached by IWCOA Hall of Famer TJ Williams. Olmstead claimed third place with a fall in 3:25 over Ellis. Kewanee’s Benjamin Taylor took fifth after pinning Hillsboro’s Gaven Vollintine in 0:59 and PORTA’s Logan Baker took seventh with a win by technical fall in 4:56 over Pittsfield’s Hunter Harrison.

144 – Owen McGinnis, Cumberland

Owen McGinnis capped a successful freshman season by going 42-9 and qualifying for the IHSA Finals last year but he went 0-2 there. The Cumberland sophomore obviously wants to accomplish more this season and is off to a good start after improving to 12-0 after winning by technical fall in 2:55 over PORTA’s Jacob Vogel in the 144 finals to become the lone champion for coach Ash Edmonds’ Pirates. McGinnis won his first two matches by fall before winning a 9-2 decision over Havana/PORTA’s Mike Minor in the semifinals.

“I think we should have another good season,” McGinnis said. “We get in there and we put in the work. I’d like to get a medal this year.”

Vogel (14-3), was one of the three members of coach Jeff Hill’s Blujays to reach the finals. The senior advanced with three pins, with the last of those in 1:26 over Shelbyville’s Nate Sanders in the semifinals. Minor took third with a fall in 2:41 over Sanders, Lawrence County’s Trevor Loy pinned Beardstown’s Luis De La Cruz in 2:35 to take fifth and Hillsboro’s Treyton Kuhl won by fall in 3:06 over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Connor McLaughlin to place seventh.

150 – Kaz Fox, Shelbyville

Kaz Fox gave Shelbyville the first of the consecutive titles that it won at 150 and 157 when he won by technical fall in 5:36 over Orion’s Mason Anderson in the 150 title match. Fox (10-2), a senior who went 39-12 last year and qualified for state, followed two first-period falls with a pin in 3:13 over Ridgeview/Lexington’s Payton Campbell in the semifinals. His teammate, Ryne Peavler, also won by technical fall to capture the 157 championship, giving coach Caleb Duckett’s Rams two champions.

“We work hard at every practice and it pays off when you win tournaments like this,” Fox said. “You just have to keep going, you can’t stop. I’ve been lifting a lot and working on my conditioning outside of practice. Everyone is good at state, so it matters who shows up.”

Anderson (10-3), a senior who went 38-10 a year ago but was unable to advance from the rugged Oregon Sectional, was one of three second-place finishers for coach Zach Nelson’s Chargers. He won three falls and then got a win by technical fall in 4:34 in the semifinals over Litchfield’s Braxton Kieffer. Campbell won a 7-3 decision over Kieffer to take third place, PORTA’s Cael Cotner won by fall in 3:54 over West Hancock’s Evan Carel for fifth and Mt. Zion’s Jordan Weter took seventh with a pin in 0:53 over Havana/PORTA’s William Cook.

157 – Ryne Peavler, Shelbyville

Ryne Peavler combined two wins by technical along with two pins to help him dominate the field at 157 and join teammate Kaz Fox, who took first at 150 just before him, as one of two champs for coach Caleb Duckett’s Rams. Peavler (12-0), a sophomore, defeated PORTA’s Justin Zimmerman by technical fall in 4:25 in the finals. After an opening pin, he won by technical fall in the quarterfinals and then advanced to the 157 finals with a fall in 3:24 over Monmouth-Roseville’s Gabe Ortiz-Mora. Peavler went 35-12 in his freshman season but was unable to advance from the Carterville Sectional.

“There’s a lot of potential on our team this year,” Peavler said. “We had a few other people place outside of first. Last year in my freshman year, I came out here seventh, so for me to go first in my sophomore year is pretty great. Some people say that if you put all of this time in the summer, it makes it all so good, but in some ways, it kills me, too. So I just did what I wanted to do and do what I love and work when I really wanted to work. Plus, I’m a runner, I do cross country, too, so I kept working in the offseason. It’s one of the amazing things you can do because it keeps up your endurance.”

Zimmerman (11-4), who also is a sophomore, was one of three of coach Jeff Hill’s Bluejays who reached the title mat. After opening with a fall, he won two close decisions, including winning 6-4 over Monticello’s Gavin Ridings in the semifinals. Ridings won a 10-3 decision over Ortiz-Mora to finish third, St. Joseph-Ogden’s Coy Hayes won by fall in 4:14 over Canton’s Aden Greene for fifth and LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Bo Zeleznik took seventh by forfeit over Havana/PORTA’s Jamarion Thomas.

165 – Bowden Delaney, Tremont

Bowden Delaney has definitely built an impressive resume in his first two seasons at Tremont, going 42-6 last season and 35-7 in 2022 and qualified for state appearances each year. Now the Turks junior looks to follow in the footsteps of graduated teammates Cooper and Lucas Wendling and Payton Murphy to become the 11th individual from his program to win a medal at the IHSA Finals. Delaney is off to a 12-0 start this season after capturing top honors at the Avery Invite at 165 by recording a fall in 1:58 over Orion’s Nolan Loete. The lone champion for the Turks, who are coached by IWCOA Hall of Famer TJ Williams, he earned his spot in the finals by recording two pins and then getting a win by technical fall over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Connor Lyons in the semifinals.

“I’ve put in a lot of offseason work and I have great partners in the room, waking up every morning at 5:30 and getting there and going to workouts after school, so there’s a lot of effort that’s going into it.,” Delaney said. (Having TJ Williams as a coach) It’s great. Not only does he help you because he knows everything about the sport, but he’s also there to work with you and he pushes you. I know a lot, but he’s there perfecting it. We have great teammates, great coaches and great partners. I think we have a good year ahead of us, it’s just knocking off the rust. It’s the beginning of the year but we’ve big tournaments coming up like ABE’s Rumble and PIT, it’s going to be great. It’s the relationships. We’re all in there grinding and making sure that we’ll get better. And outside the wrestling room, we’re all hanging together, so everything works out well.”

Loete (12-3), one of three individuals from coach Zach Nelson’s Chargers to reach the title mat, fell short of a state trip a year ago at the rugged Oregon Sectional. He recorded three pins to advance to the 165 title mat, winning by fall in 3:37 in the semifinals over Havana/PORTA’s CJ Welbourne. Lyons won by technical fall in 3:36 over Welbourne to take third, Hillsboro’s Zander Wells got a fall in 1:01 over Cumberland’s Grant Keyser to finish fifth and Monticello’s Russ Brown placed seventh after winning by fall in 3:02 over Shelbyville’s Jaden Miester.

175 – Vincent Fiore, Mt. Zion

Vincent Fiore admits that he doesn’t have a great resume to date, but the Mt. Zion senior is excited about this season’s possibilities under the guidance of his coach, Dave Klemm, a 2012 recipient of the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter and IWCOA Hall of Famer. Fiore improved to 11-0 after winning the title at 175 with a 9-4 decision over Lawrence County’s Kasen Ochs. Fiore opened with a pin, got a win by technical fall and then won an 11-2 major decision over PORTA’s Cam McCoy in the semifinals.

“I had never even won a high school tournament before this,” Fiore said. (Dave Klemm) “He’s probably one of the best coaches out there in 1A and coach TJ (Williams) at Tremont is great. Coach Klemm, I’m very thankful for him, he’s one of the reasons that I’ve had some success the last couple of years. It feels great. I feel like I’ve always been the hardest worker in the room. In every tournament and every goal the past three years, I’ve come up just short. I lost in the blood round at sectionals twice. It’s all finally starting to come together and the hard work is starting to pay off.”

Ochs (6-1), a senior who was the only champion and finalist for coach Samuel Hyre’s Lawrence County team, which consists of athletes from Lawrenceville and Red Hill, used three-straight falls to reach the 175 title mat, which was capped by his pin in 3:58 over Sacred Heart-Griffin’s Cason Lyons in the semifinals. McCoy captured an 8-6 decision over Lyons to claim third place, Canton’s Gus Lidwell won with a fall in 1:09 over Litchfield’s Jayden Ellinger to finish fifth and Monmouth-Roseville’s Landon Montroy took seventh place by medical forfeit over Tremont’s Ty Fuller.

190 – Danny Murphy, Canton

As Canton was battling with LeRoy/Tri-Valley to determine which team would take top honors at the Avery Invite, the Little Giants received a huge boost when Danny Murphy captured a 7-5 decision over Orion’s Maddux Anderson in the 190 title match. Murphy (15-1), a senior who qualified for the IHSA Finals last season, was one of three title winners for coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants, which included two in the final three weight classes. Murphy got pins in his first three matches, winning by fall in 0:40 over Pittsfield’s Tucker Cook in the semifinals.

“I think why I did good today was because of coach (Zach) Crawford and our other coaches,” Murphy said. “This is not a team, it’s a family.”

Anderson (15-1), a junior who went 40-14 and was a state qualifier a year ago, was one of three second-place finishers for coach Zach Nelson’s Chargers. Anderson won each of his first three matches with pins, recording a fall in 0:48 over Mt. Zion’s Keller Stocks in the semifinals. Cook took third place after getting a fall in 5:50 over Stocks, Auburn’s Joey Barrow got a pin in 1:05 over PORTA’s Russell Mattson to claim fifth place and Heyworth’s Jarrod Fulcher won with a fall in 0:32 over Williamsville’s Anthony Beckman to finish in seventh place.

215 – Jacob Bischoff, LeRoy/Tri-Valley

Jacob Bischoff enters his senior season at LeRoy/Tri-Valley with the opportunity to do something that only six others from the program have accomplished, being a two-time medalist. Bischoff went 42-11 and took sixth at 220 and now looks to move up on the awards stand and possibly compete for a title, something that only three Panthers have done. One of three champions for coach Brady Sant Amour’s team that fell just short of taking first at the Avery Invite, Bischoff (8-0) won the 215 title with a 14-7 decision over Kewanee’s Alejandro Duarte. He opened with two falls and then won 7-2 over Canton’s Grant Kessler in the semifinals.

“We worked hard,” Bischoff said. “All of the morning runs and the extra practices that we put in. We’re a very close team so that’s a good thing. It’s just a lot of hard work and determination. The coaches really want it for the team and they show us how to be good teammates and how to care for each other and to be better men. I just have to work hard and don’t give up and give it all, that’s really just it.”

Duarte (9-2), a junior who went 34-10 last year and fell one win shy of earning a trip to the state finals, got three-straight pins, which included a fall in 2:49 over Orion’s Aiden Fisher in the semifinals. Duarte was the lone finalist for coach Charley Eads’ Boilermakers. Kessler took third after pinning Fisher in 4:00, Ridgeview/Lexington’s Hunter Tillotson won by fall over Litchfield’s Tristan Staggs to finish fifth and Mt. Zion’s Carson Thornton won by fall in 3:32 over Warrensburg-Latham’s Jack Kerley to take seventh place.

285 – Connor Williams, Canton

It doesn’t get any better than seeing two competitors meeting for a title with their teams also battling for top honors in a tournament, but that’s just what played out in the Avery Invite’s 285 finals between Canton’s Connor Williams and LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Tate Sigler. Not surprisingly, the clash exceeded six minutes and Williams won 2-1 on a tiebreaker to give coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants the title. Williams (15-0), a sophomore, collected two falls before capturing a 1-0 decision over Beardstown’s Chunk Dailey in the semifinals.

“I was nervous because it came down to me,” Williams said. “I was amazed because I’ve never been congratulated like this before. Credits to my coach because he was like, ‘you’ve still got a full gas tank.’ I’ve got to thank Asa Reed for getting me into the position that I’m in. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am right now. He’s the one that pushed me in practice. I like the respect that we have for each other and the family-type of bonding.”

Sigler (6-2), a junior, was one of four finalists and just missed being a fourth champion for coach Brady Sant Amour’s runner-up Panthers. He opened with a fall and then won two decisions, including a 7-3 win over Mt. Zion’s Remington Hiser in the semifinals. Hiser pinned Dailey in 1:30 to claim third place, Shelbyville’s Andre Townsend won by fall in 1:17 over Monticello’s Brandon Peters to finish fifth and Williamsville’s Matthew Crouch got a pin in 1:57 over Monmouth-Roseville’s Gavin Bell to take seventh place.

Championship matches for PORTA’s Rex Avery Invite 

106 – Jacob Hardesty (Canton) D 4-3 Ezekiel Young (Monticello)

113 – Brady Mouser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) D 4-2 Maddux Steele (Canton)

120 – Logan Roberts (Warrensburg-Latham) F 3:07 Zach Bryant (PORTA)

126 – Joey Ruzic (Auburn) F 4:46 Danny Tay (Ridgeview/Lexington)

132 – Holden Brazelton (St. Joseph-Ogden) D 1-0 Keygan Jennings (Farmington)

138 – Colton Prosser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) D 3-2 Mason Mark (Tremont)

144 – Owen McGinnis (Cumberland) TF 2:55 Jacob Vogel (PORTA)

150 – Kaz Fox (Shelbyville) TF 5:36 Mason Anderson (Orion)

157 – Ryne Peavler (Shelbyville) TF 4:25 Justin Zimmerman (PORTA)

165 – Bowden Delaney (Tremont) F 1:58 Nolan Loete (Orion)

175 – Vincent Fiore (Mt. Zion) D 9-4 Kasen Ochs (Lawrence County)

190 – Danny Murphy (Canton) D 7-5 Maddux Anderson (Orion)

215 – Jacob Bischoff (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) D 14-7 Alejandro Duarte (Kewanee)

285 – Connor Williams (Canton) TB 2-1 Tate Sigler (LeRoy/Tri-Valley)

Team standings for PORTA’s Rex Avery Invite

1. Canton (211.5), 2. LeRoy/Tri-Valley (209.5), 3. PORTA (156), 4. Mt. Zion (141), 5. Shelbyville (137.5), 6. Orion (129.5), 7. Monticello (121.5), 8. Cumberland (113.5), 9. Litchfield (109.5), 10. Auburn (105.5), 11. Lawrence County (96), 12. Warrensburg-Latham (92.5), 13. Tremont (90.5), 14. St. Joseph-Ogden (86.5), 15. Monmouth-Roseville (81), 16. Kewanee (80), 17. Ridgeview/Lexington (78), 18. Sacred Heart-Griffin (55), 19. Havana/PORTA (51.5), 20. Farmington (51), 21. Beardstown (50.5), 22. Hillsboro (47), 23. Knoxville (45), 23. Pittsfield (45), 25. West Hancock (43), 26. Deer Creek-Mackinaw (42), 27. Riverton (33), 28. Williamsville (28), 29. Heyworth (26), 30. Monmouth United (15), 31. Carlinville (11), 31. Peoria Heights (11).

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Barrington tops the dual field at Downers Grove South

By Patrick Z. McGavin for the IWCOA

Silas Oberholtzer has a keen sense of where he is on the mat, and a sharp feel for his own standards.

Success has its own reward. Getting there is just part of the equation. 

The Barrington 157-pound wrestler was happy though circumspect about his pursuit of individual perfection.

The purity and drive animate his every action.

“Personally I don’t think that was one of my better matches, but maybe it looked better from the outside,” he said. “I thought I could do a bit better.”

Falling behind at the start against Jonah Broughman of Glenwood, Oberholtzer eventually seized control with his excellent work in neutral, and his relentless style.

The up and down nature of the match was a memory by the third period after Oberholtzer caught Broughman on his back for the fall at 4:59.

The swing match proved decisive in the Broncos’ 35-26 victory in the championship match of the Larry Gassen Team Dual Championship at Downers Grove South on Saturday, December 9.

“I like these dual tournaments a lot,” Barrington coach Dan Keller said. 

“They teach you how to win duals. Your hammers have to get those bonus points. Every team has their role players. As much as you want to go in believing you are going to win, if the match starts to not go our way, we have to find a way to save points.”

The Broncos’ power packed middleweight triumvirate of Oberholtzer, Rhenzo Augusto and Brady Wright created a mathematical advantage teams could not overcome.

Wrestling at 144 pounds, Wright joined Oberholtzer with a perfect 5-0 run Saturday. 

A defending state qualifier, Augusto went 4-0. Wright overcame a 4-0 deficit for the exhilarating 6-5 decision over Glenwood’s Anny Williams. Augusto followed with a technical fall over Braxton Warren.

The third period fall by Oberholtzer provided the early 20-6 cushion by the Broncos. The Titans were left to chase. Barrington proved too deep and versatile to overcome.

“Our team did a great job of staying on task,” Oberholtzer said. “We got everything we needed to get the job done.

“This tournament proved the endurance of this team. It’s late in the day, and people don’t want to wrestle. They want to go home.”

Like any sport, confidence and momentum jam together. The traditional bracketed tournament is a wholly different test, of contrasting styles and quick recovery time.

Barrington has mastered both forms.

The Broncos captured their second major tournament of the first month of the season, following their first-place title of their own Moore/Prettyman Invitational on November 25.

“The biggest difference with the dual tournament meet is just wrestling as a team,” Wright said.

“Individually it’s just a different game. You just depend on yourself. As a team, you learn how to be tough. Our role guys know what to do, and our hammers know how to get falls, techs or major decisions.”

In the 16-team tournament featuring a versatile and geographically-balanced field, Barrington, Glenwood, defending champion Lincoln-Way East and Downers South reached the Final Four.

Barrington defeated Oak Forest, Maine South and Plainfield North in pool play.

The Broncos defeated Downers South 39-31 in the championship bracket semifinals.

Behind two-time defending state champion Drew Davis, Glenwood overcame a 29-10 deficit to stun Lincoln-Way East 37-35 in the other semifinal bracket.

One of the most significant actions of any dual is the starting weight class. The semifinal series began at 126 pounds, where Davis posted a technical fall and put the Titans out to the quick 5-0 lead.

In addition to Davis, the Titans featured three other state qualifiers with John Ben Maduena (5-0 at 138), Tyler Clarke (113) and Justin Hay (4-1 at 175).

The championship match began at 132 pounds, pushing Davis to the final match. He posted another technical fall in finishing 5-0.

Barrington mitigated the bonus points by creating a significant lead.

Daniel Blanke started things off spectacularly for the Broncos with a fall at 1:41 over John Vallar.

Barrington captured eight of the 14 matches. The Broncos had three falls and a technical fall. Glenwood countered with two falls and the technical fall by Davis.

The “hammers,” ostensibly canceled each other out.

Barrington won the swing matches. The unsung hero was Ayden Salley at 190 pounds, who prevailed 3-2 over Maximus Wiezorek in an ultimate tiebreaker. 

Salley secured an escape in the furious closing seconds of the second overtime that set up the closing rush.

Salley went 3-2, with both losses coming against elite state qualifiers in Downers South’s Matty Lapacek and Plainfield North’s Leonardo Tovar.

Wiezorek went 4-1, with two falls and a major decision. His second period fall in the semifinals sparked the Titans’ comeback.

The Broncos effectively put the match away with three consecutive wins at 285 (Clarence Jackson with the fall at 1:00), 106 (Kaleb Pratt with the riveting 11-8 victory over Clarke at 106) and 113 (Neel Talpallikar’s 10-6 decision over Jaxon Ferguson).

Clarence Jackson won four out of his five matches, with his only defeat against Maine South’s Tyler Fortis, who finished one match from placing at state last season.

“Our seniors really know how to lead the team, and they know what their role is,” Wright said. 

“I think our young guys are the future of the program, and they are learning. We always keep our feet on the gas.”

Success begets ever greater achievement.

“Everybody’s looking good, everybody’s putting in the hard work,” Augusto said.

The one invaluable difference of the dual championship format and the bracket individual tournament is the experimentation and versatility of the lineup.

Wrestlers have the freedom of movement not possible in a traditional format.

Pratt, for instance, went 3-0 at 106 pounds. TJ Foley replaced him in the lineup against Maine South, and he picked up a forfeit against Oak Forest.

Pratt was the fresher wrestler in the crucial championship match.

Blanke, who started the run with the fall at 132 pounds, wrestled his first four matches at 138 pounds, winning three out of four matches.

Placement matters, and the order takes on a deeper meaning.

The third-place match between Lincoln-Way East and Downers Grove South was the wildest of the day.

The Griffins exploded out of the gate with five consecutive falls and a 9-4 decision by Christian Darnell at 165 pounds for the seemingly insurmountable 33-0 lead.

The Griffins are thinned out a bit at the bottom of the lineup through inexperience and several football players not joining the team after Lincoln-Way East played Loyola in the Class 8A state football championship game.

The Mustangs responded with four consecutive falls, a forfeit and two exhilarating back and forth matches, where Miguel Castaneda clipped JT Theis 6-3 and Jadon Dinwiddie took down Nick Williams 7-2.

Suddenly Downers South held a 36-33 lead.

Kaidge Richardson was the difference maker with a 0:44 second fall over Jordan Holley.

Lincoln-Way East junior Alex Lizak was one of the revelations of the tournament.

After missing his entire sophomore season from complications of his shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum, he posted four falls and a decision in going 5-0 at 157 pounds.

He improved his record to 17-0.

“I like the pool play format because I feel like it singles out the better teams,” he said. “You get to see the best teams go at each other. That’s the best way rather than have two really good teams wrestle each other early on.”

The Griffins are going to be formidable in the stacked South Suburbs the remainder of the season.

Lincoln-Way East had seven wrestlers post at least four victories, with Lizak, Tyson Zvonar (5-0 at 132), returning state qualifier Domanic Abeja (5-0 at 150) and Darnell (5-0) going undefeated.

Richardson, Brayden Mortell (138) and Kevin Byrne (144) each finished 4-1.

“The format of this field is very exciting because you never know who you are going against,” Abeja said. “I was able to get into my offense today, and not let other people score against me.”

Everything broke right, and the Mustangs ran a superb tournament, competitive, involving and marked by excitement and unpredictable finishes.

“Fourteen of the 16 teams were in the Illinois Matmen rankings, either currently or previously ranked,” Mustangs’ coach Sean Lovelace said.

“We have all three classes represented, and Coal City was the 1A state dual champion last season.”

The tournament was founded by original coach and namesake Larry Gassen just a couple of years after the school opened in 1964.

It has been a mainstay of the early December wrestling calendar.

Downers South was also involved in the most significant pool play result during the third round.

In a riveting back and forth, the Mustangs edged Coal City 39-34.

The teams each won seven matches, with one crucial difference, the forfeit Downers South earned at 215 with Coal City not fielding a wrestler there.

The match was more like a basketball game, with each side mourning massive runs. Coal City won five consecutive matches between 132 and 157 pounds.

Downers South answered with four consecutive falls and the forfeit victory for the insurmountable 39-25 advantage with two remaining matches.

By far the smallest school in the field, Coal City showed why it remains the favorite in Class 1A.

After nine top-four finishes without capturing a state championship, the Coalers broke through with their riveting match against defending state champion Yorkville Christian.

Coal City had a tournament-best five wrestlers go 5-0. Sophomore Mason Garner was arguably the most impressive.

He posted five pins, with all three of his matches not lasting into the second period. Only TJ Johnson of Downers South took him to the third period.

Garner was awarded a special award for the most falls in the fewest minutes of wrestling.

“I just went out there, took my time and wrestled my match,” he said. “We actually lost a lot of seniors from the state championship team.

“We are pretty young, but we just have to keep wrestling and not get over our heads.”

Owen Petersen (106), Aidan Kenney (132), Brock Finch (150) and Brant Widlowski also went 5-0.

“We love the competition, and we love the target on our backs,” Widlowski said. “We have a banner in our room from the championship, with everybody’s name, the bracket and the trophy.

“Every break we’re always looking up, and saying if we want to be up there, we have to put in the work now.”

 Even if the team success was not at the heightened level of some of the other individual standouts, the day was an ideal platform to test their skill, power and strength against a deep and impressive field.

Some teams, most significantly Warren, were missing their top athletes, like sophomore Aaron Stewart, who was third at 152 pounds in Class 3A last season.

Stewart was at the Ironman in Ohio.

Plainfield North featured two of the top performers in Maddox Garbis, who finished sixth at 106 pounds in 3A last season.

Garbis finished 4-0. Tovar went 5-0.

Leonardo Tovar was third at 220 pounds.

“I like both the individual and now the dual team format,” Tovar said. “Individual duals against other teams give you a good look in tournaments like this.

“Today was just like the state tournament. You’re wrestling back to back, so this gets you ready for that environment.”

Here is the list of the other undefeated wrestlers, with a minimum three matches:

5-0

Nadeem Haleem, Andrew (113/120)

Tyler Tiancgo, Downers Grove North, (113)

Rocky Seibel, Belleville West (113)

Aidan Durrell, Plainfield North (120)

Carlos Ordonez, Warren (120)

Max Siegel, Andrew (126) 

Teddy Flores, Maine South (126)

Talon Decker, Mahoney-Seymour (138, 144)

Malaki Jackson, Geneseo (144)

Shane McGuine, Huntley (150)

Zachary Montez, Geneseo (150/157)

Jackson Castaneda, Oak Forest (165)

Kyle Weinzierl, Geneseo (165)

Cayden Parks, Crystal Lake Central (190)

Tommy McNeil, Crystal Lake Central (215)

Tyler Fortis, Maine South (285)

Markos Mihalopoulos, Huntley (285)

4-0

Maddox Garbis, Plainfield North (113)

Owen Ottino, Glenwood (120)

Luke Grindstaff, Plainfield North (138)

Connor Kelly, Downers Grove South (165/175)

RJ Samuels, Downers Grove South (175)

Jeremija Hixson, Warren (190)

Anthony Soto, Warren (215)

3-0

Luke Morrison, Maine South (132)

Matty Lapacek, Downers Grove South (190)

Cael Brezina, Downers Grove North (215)

Results of the championship match between Barrington and Glenwood

Barrington 35, Glenwood 26

132 – Daniel Blanke (Barrington) F 1:41 John Vallar (Glenwood)

138 – John Ben Maduena (Glenwood) F 3:24 Brennan O’Donnell (Barrington)

144 – Brady Wright (Barrington) D 6-5 Anny Williams (Glenwood)

150 – Rhenzo Augusto (Barrington) TF 18-2 Braxton Warren (Glenwood)

157 – Silas Oberholtzer (Barrington) F 4:59 Jonah Broughman (Glenwood)

165 – Maizone Milestone (Glenwood) D 3-2 Liam Tierney (Barrington)

175 – Justin Hay (Glenwood) D 7-0 Marino Benardi (Barrington)

190 – Ayden Salley (Barrington) UTB 3-2 Maximus Wiezorek (Glenwood)

215 – Cody Moss (Glenwood) D 7-3 Peter Kazaglis (Barrington) 

285 – Clarence Jackson (Barrington) F 1:00 Eli Moss (Glenwood)

106 – Kaleb Pratt (Barrington) D 11-8 Tyler Clarke (Glenwood)

113 – Neel Talpallikar (Barrington) D 10-6 Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood)

120 – Owen Ottino (Glenwood) F 3:38 Saul Ramirez (Barrington)

126 – Drew Davis TF 17-2 Jacob Llames (Barrington)

Final results

3rd place

Lincoln-Way East 39, Downers Grove South 36

5th place

Coal City 51. Mahomet-Seymour 24

7th place

Downers Grove North 43, Plainfield North 26

9th place

Andrew 34, Huntley 30

11th place

Oak Forest and Warren did not wrestle

13th place

Crystal Lake Central 42, Geneseo 35

15th place

Belleville West and Maine South did not wrestle

Edwardsville wins title at Pontiac’s Munch Girls Invite

By Curt Herron – For the IWCOA

After leading Edwardsville’s program since 1997, Jon Wagner, a 2019 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, decided to step down at the end of last season after collecting more than 500 dual meet wins, as well as advancing four teams to the IHSA Dual Team Finals with the highlight being fourth place finishes in 2006 and 2009.

Carl Sandburg graduate and former Tigers assistant coach Eric Pretto is now the head coach of the Edwardsville boys program. Pretto won over 120 matches as a member of the Eagles’ 2005, 2006 and 2007 teams that captured Class AA championships for coach Mike Polz, a 1999 IWCOA Hall of Famer and recipient of a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame-Illinois Chapter in 2017.

But Wagner certainly hasn’t stepped away from the sport. He’s taken over head coaching duties for the school’s girls program and if first results indicate anything, the future looks very bright for the Tigers.

One week after winning the title at the Granite City Girls Tournament by a 205-141 margin over Bartlett, TN, Edwardsville captured top honors at Pontiac’s Munch Girls Invitational, which featured 32 teams. The Tigers took first place with 207.5 points while Batavia was second with 166 points and Minooka placed third with 139 points.

Geneseo (134), Macomb (113), DeKalb (107), Morton co-op (88), Canton (84), Romeoville (76) and Urbana (63) rounded out the top 10 teams in the field.

Pontiac is well known nationally for hosting the oldest boys basketball holiday tournament in the United States, the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, which began in 1926.

The Munch Invitational, named for former coach Russ Munch, was the first all-girls competition in the state. Corey Christenson began the competition nine years ago and this year there were 210 individuals competing and the event didn’t conclude until 11:30 p.m. on Friday.

The school also once again hosted a Munch Boys Invite on Saturday, in which Evergreen Park edged Morton 226-225 for the title.

The Tigers had two champions, and both are newcomers. Senior Norah Swaim (120) was a three-time state qualifier in boys competition in Rhode Island and also was the first girl from that state to win All-American honors in a national tournament. And sophomore Abbrey Dewerff (170) was the first state qualifier for Roxana.

Edwardsville had four others who claimed second place, Olivia Coll (105), Gianna Linhorst (110), Holly Zugmaier (125) and Olive Linhorst (130). Genevieve Dykstra (100) and Tayla Phillips (235) both took third, Alison Kirk (100) and Abigail Hayes (190) were fourth and Maddy Allen (105) placed fifth.

“It’s early in the season, but it’s nice to see the excitement out of the girls,” Wagner said. “I think the gift that we had today was their enjoyment and wanting to be here. It was 11:30 at night and they still wanted to be here and they wanted to compete and not one person complained. We have some new girls and we have some experienced girls and it all came together. I think the inexperienced ones got a little better and our experienced girls did well.”

Coach Scott Bayer’s runner-up Bulldog had the most champions with three and two of those won the Outstanding Wrestler Awards. Lily Enos (100) got the award for the lower weights and two-time IHSA title winner Sydney Perry (155) received the honor for the upper weights. Caoimhe Mitchell (190) also claimed first place.

“This is my 19th year at Batavia and I was the boys head coach for 10 years,” Bayer said. “Last year was my first year as the girls head coach and it’s been a blast. I can’t say enough about (Sydney) her leadership. She’s just a rare and special kid who is a great mentor to the girls and is an assistant coach. She’s an elite athlete and she wants to be the best in the world. She’s 10 years ahead of the sport and I think that she knows that she’s been very responsible for the growth of wrestling and the image of wrestling in Batavia. 

“Our head coach, Ryan Farwell, is very supportive of girls wrestling. We have 30 girls in our room right now and they’re just part of the group. They’re working hard and getting better every year. It’s a great environment. This is a long day but there’s great competition. and what I like about it is that you have a lot of first-year kids who come in here and get good matches and elite kids who can come here and get good matches. It’s a well-run tournament and we’re happy with it.”

DeKalb also had two champions, Alex Gregorio-Perez (110) and Reese Zimmer (115). Others who captured Munch titles were Streator’s Lily Gwaltney (105), Canton’s Kinnley Smith (125), Morton’s Karen Canchola (130), Morton co-op’s Faith Comas (135), Olympia’s Jordan Bicknell (140), Macomb’s Kelly Ladd (145) and Prairie Central’s Chloe Hoselton (235). Canchola, Enos and Perry all repeated as champions in the event.

Also finishing in second place were Geneseo’s Molly Snyder (100) and Gia Ritter (140), Macomb’s Seefa Feruzi (170) and Avery Lundgren (190), Springfield co-op’s Ella Miloncus (115), Jacksonville’s Alexis Seymour (120), Unity Christian’s Lillien Roughton (135), Unity’s Anna Vasey (145), Minooka’s Abbey Boersma (155) and Urbana’s Jurdan Tyler (235).

The closest title matches featured Zimmer edging Miloncus 7-4 at 115, Bicknell prevailing 5-2 over Ritter at 140, Smith defeating Zugmaier 6-1 at 125 and Swaim beating Seymour 6-0 at 120.

Canchola, Dewerff, Ladd and Perry tied for the most team points with 32 while Comas, Smith, Swaim and Zimmer were next with 30 points and Bicknell, Hoselton and Mitchell all scored 28 points.

Perry had the most total match points with 60, which was 29 more than the next-best individual for that total. Geneseo’s Lauren Piquard recorded five falls while Unity’s Phoenix Molina had four falls in 2:23.

Here’s a look at the champions and their weight classes at Pontiac’s Munch Girls Invitational

100 – Lily Enos, Batavia

Lily Enos turned in a performance worthy of receiving the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the lower weights at the Munch Invite, with teammate Sydney Perry receiving the OWA for the upper weights, after she followed a major decision with a fall in 2:20 in the semifinals over Edwardsville’s Genevieve Dykstra and then got a pin in 2:27 in the 100 finals over Geneseo’s Molly Snyder. That helped her to become the first of three champions for the runner-up Bulldogs and also win a Munch Invite title for the second year in a row. Enos (11-1), a sophomore, went 44-13 last season and took fifth place at 100 in the HSA Finals.

“I felt really good today,” Enos said, “I was trying a lot of things that I don’t do. I wrestled  the girl in the finals before and I pinned her, but she’s strong, so I can see a bright future for her so I was definitely warming up a lot more. I tried to have fun since it’s a long tournament. Last week we had four in the finals and I think our team is seeing a lot of improvement, especially in the past year with a lot of those girls in their first year and now it’s their second year. (Sydney Perry) She’s such a great role model and I look up to her like she’s my sister since I’ve known her for so long. It’s awesome having her on the team, she’s such a big benefit for us.”

Snyder, a freshman, became the first of two finalists for the Maple Leafs after recording two first-period falls, including one in 1:07 over Edwardsville’s Alison Kirk in the semifinals. Edwardsville teammates met for third place with Dykstra (7-2) winning a 5-0 decision over Kirk. And in the fifth-place match, Romeoville’s Daniela Santander (8-3) won by fall in 5:02 over Olympia’s Mya Downs (6-5).

105 – Lily Gwaltney, Streator

When you’re a freshman and you beat a senior who’s a two-time state qualifier and a 2022 IHSA medal winner, it’s a big deal. And that’s just what Streator’s Lily Gwaltney accomplished in the 105 title match when she won by fall in 3:08 over Edwardsville’s Olivia Coll. Gwaltney (11-3) opened with a major decision and then got a pin in 4:50 over Romeoville senior Josefina Orozco in the semifinals. She hopes to not only become the Bulldogs’ first state qualifier but also their initial state medalist.

“It feels good,” Gwaltney said. “I’m 11-3 now. I’ve been wrestling since I was four, so about 10 years. It feels good to know that I can place high against girls that I don’t think that I could beat.”

Coll (6-2), who took sixth at 100 in the first IHSA Finals and also qualified for state last year, was one of six finalists for the champion Tigers. She opened with a fall and then won an 8-0 major decision over DeKalb sophomore Frieda Hernandez in the semifinals. Orozco (7-2) won 7-3 in sudden victory over Hernandez to claim third place. Sophomore Maddy Edwards (6-4) gave Edwardsville another medal at that weight class when she won by fall in 5:14 over Canton freshman LT Diephuis to claim fifth place.

110 – Alex Gregorio-Perez, DeKalb

Alex Gregorio-Perez fell one win shy of a medal at 105 at last year’s IHSA Finals, so the DeKalb sophomore is definitely focused on getting to the awards stand at state this season. She’s off to a 12-1 start after claiming the title at 110 with a fall in 3:48 over Edwardsville’s Gianna Linhorst in the finals. After opening with a fall in 1:04, she recorded a pin in 1:54 over Canton’s Shayla Schielein in the semifinals to earn her spot in the title mat. Teammate Reese Zimmer won at 115 right after her to give the Barbs two champions.

“It was my second year competing in the Donnybrook and I had really high expectations, but I didn’t place like I intended to, I did last year, but not this year,” Gregorio-Perez said. “I love wrestling with them (her teammates), they push me to my hardest. I love the program, they help a lot, and especially during Freestyle, a lot of the coaches were really great. There weren’t a lot of girls on our team last year. But this year, I see other teams and they’ve doubled in size and that’s amazing. And you can tell that it’s genuine and you get close to all of these people.”

Linhorst (9-1), a junior, recorded two first-minute falls to advance to the finals. After getting a pin in 0:50 in the quarterfinals, she needed just 15 seconds to pin Prairie Central’s Yuri Vilchis to become one of the six Tigers who advanced to the title mat. Freshman Schielein won by fall in 2:51 over sophomore Vilchis to capture third place and Springfield co-op freshman Phoenix Criss recorded a pin in 0:53 over Batavia sophomore Sarah Zuziak in the fifth-place match.

115 – Reese Zimmer, DeKalb

Reese Zimmer followed teammate Alex Gregorio-Perez to the title mat and she joined the 110-pound title winner as the champion at 115 after capturing a 7-4 decision over Springfield co-op’s Ella Miloncus. Zimmer (10-4) also joined Gregorio-Perez as the Barbs’ first two state qualifiers last season. The DeKalb junior used three falls of 1:00 or less to reach the title mat, needing just 32 seconds in the semifinals against Reaghan Madura, who also competes for the Springfield co-op team, which includes athletes from Springfield High, Lanphier and Southeast.

“Last week, I didn’t do my best at Donnybrook so I came here wanting to redeem myself, and that’s what I did,” Zimmer said. “I’ve known Alex for two years and she really pushes me in practice. There are a lot of opportunities coming from DeKalb. I started wrestling in fifth grade. I made state last year and I want to go further this year and want to place at state. Coming back was pretty hard, but I’m glad that I made it to where I am and I want to make more goals for myself. I love to see how much it grows each year and we have more girls than we had last year so I’m happy to see that happening.”

Miloncus (8-2) qualified for state last season representing Lanphier. The junior opened with a decision and then got two falls, including one in 4:42 in the semifinals over Mahomet-Seymour sophomore Kalista Granadino (7-2), who bounced back from that loss to finish third with a pin in 1:58 over junior Madura. University High senior Allison Kroesch (8-3), who also qualified for state last season, captured a 6-2 decision over Pontiac freshman Sophia Mussari to take fifth.

120 – Norah Swaim, Edwardsville

Norah Swaim is a new name to Illinois wrestling, but she definitely made a name for herself in Rhode Island, where she qualified for the boys state finals for North Kingstown three times. Last year, she became the first girl in Rhode Island history to earn All-American honors when she took fourth at 114 in the girls bracket at the National High School Coaches Association High School Nationals in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In the finals at 120, the senior won a 6-0 decision over Jacksonville’s Alexis Setymour. Swaim (6-0) advanced with three pins, including one in 3:15 over Mahomet-Seymour’s Isabelle Leyhe in the semifinals.

“I just moved here over the summer,” Swaim said. “I was in Rhode Island and I’m a military kid, so I’ve moved around a lot. In Rhode Island it was not sanctioned, so I was the only girl to make it to state three years in a row in the boys tournament. I was so excited to come here since this is my first time at a full girls high school tournament. I’ve been to bigger tournaments, like Nationals, but this was my first tournament, so I just wanted to place, but then I made it to the finals and then I wanted to win it. I have been so blessed to be put into this situation. I love all of the girls on the team, they’re all amazing, and it’s been great. (Jon) Wagner is a great coach and he and our new coach are doing a great job with our team. A lot of the girls in Rhode Island were new to wrestling, so coming here and wrestling girls who are at a higher caliber is great.”

Seymour (10-1), a junior who went 32-18 last season and took fourth place at 120 at state and fell one win shy of a medal at 115 in the first IHSA Finals, won her first three matchers by fall, winning with a pin in 2:16 over Geneseo freshman Lydia King in the semifinals. Seymour won a Munch title last  season. Leyhe (7-1), a senior, won by fall over King in 3:50 to claim third place while Charleston sophomore Morgan Krone-Smallhorn (5-1) finished fifth after getting a pin in 57 seconds over Batavia sophomore Natalie Lenart (10-5).

125 – Kinnley Smith, Canton

After advancing to the IHSA Finals and placing second at 135 to Boylan  Catholic’s Netavia Wickson last season, Kinnley Smith hopes to not only get back on the awards but also be on the title mat again and hopefully claim top honors this time. The Canton junior improved to 8-1 after capturing a 6-1 decision over Edwardsville’s Holly Zugmaier in the 125 finals. Smith recorded three falls to reach the title mat, with the last of those in 29 seconds over Minooka’s Sabina Charlebois in the semifinals.

“This is a big change from the weight class that I was in before,” Smith said. “Last year I wrestled at 135, and they were strong, that’s for sure, but the speed is not the same at all, these girls have so much more speed, and it’s just great. When I was in first grade, I knew that I needed to do something different and so I was the only girl in the program. From first to fourth grade I wrestled a lot of boys, and I was really hard on myself and that didn’t help much. So I took a long break through middle school and I came back my freshman year. I got so lucky to get blessed with such an amazing coach (Zach Crawford). In my freshman year I lost in the blood round at sectionals and he helped me in the offseason, and any time I ask, he will come and help me and he’s just an amazing coach to have.”

Zugmaier (10-1), who went 21-12 and qualified for state last season, was one of six finalists for the first-place Tigers. She opened with two falls before claiming a 13-3 major decision over Normal West’s Amelia McClure in the semifinals. In the third-place match, sophomore McClure (10-4) won by fall in 5:01 over sophomore Charlebois (7-3). Naperville Central freshman Dezi Azar (9-2) took fifth with a 5-1 decision over Jacksonville freshman Jaycee Fancher (6-4).

130 – Karen Canchola, Morton

Karen Canchola went 26-7 and placed fifth at 130 at state a year ago to become Morton’s first state medalist and the junior is looking to move higher up on the awards stand this season. Canchola improved to 9-0 after winning by fall in 1:20 in the 130 title match over Edwardsville’s Olive Linhorst to repeat as a Munch Invite champion. She ended all four of her matches in the first period with falls, including in 1:21 in the semifinals over Minooka’s Kira Cailteux.

Linhorst (9-2), one of six finalists for the champion Tigers, opened with a win by technical fall and a quick pin before claiming a 6-0 decision over St. Joseph-Ogden’s Maddie Wells in the semifinals. Sophomore Wells claimed third place after recording a fall in 1:42 over junior Cailteux. Monica Garcia (5-1), a junior on the Morton co-op team featuring individuals from Morton East and Morton West, took fifth place after getting a pin in 1:34 over Naperville Central junior Bianca Arredondo (6-4).

135 – Faith Comas, Morton co-op

Prior to winning a title at Waukegan on December 2, senior Faith Comas only remembered winning one other tournament while competing for Morton’s co-op, which includes athletes from Morton West and Morton East. Two weeks later, Comas is on a roll after winning her second-straight tournament title, claiming top honors at 135 after recording a fall in 1:19 over Unity Christian’s Lillien Roughton. After opening with two pins, Comas prevailed in a 13-11 decision over Kankakee’s Makayla Jones in the semifinals.

“I’ve been doing this sport for a long time but I haven’t really been seeing any results until recently,” Comas said. “I hadn’t placed in my whole five years of wrestling. And I wasn’t really expecting to win since I got a little bit hurt in my last match, so I wasn’t really confident. It feels nice (to win two straight tournaments) and I feel like all of my work has paid off. It’s really surreal. In my freshman year, my partner was Hilda (Gonzalez), who took second at state, and then I had Karla (Topete), who took fifth at state, and junior year, I wrestled with Leilany (De Leon), and she placed sixth the previous year. So I can attribute a lot of my success now to them and also to my drive to keep going.”

Roughton, a sophomore competing for a Decatur school that had been known as Lutheran School Association-Decatur and only has competed in the sport for the past few years, followed up on two quick falls with a pin in 2:58 over Minooka’s Eva Beck in the semifinals. Jones, a senior who fell one shy of a medal at 135 in the 2023 IHSA Finals, bounced back from her tough semifinal setback to capture a 12-8 decision over Beck (8-3) to claim third place. Ottawa Township sophomore Ava Weatherford (10-2) recorded a fall in 5:21 over Macomb junior Raegen Hansen (7-3) to claim fifth place.

140 – Jordan Bicknell, Olympia

Jordan Bicknell fell one win shy of a medal at 145 at the 2023 IHSA Finals, which was her second state appearance. The Olympia senior is hoping that the third time’s the charm for her as she seeks to become the first medalist for the school in Stanford that co-ops with Delavan. Bicknell (7-1) won a 5-2 decision over Geneseo’s Gia Ritter to win the title at 140. She recorded three falls, with the last of those coming in 1:04 in the semifinals over Batavia’s Norah Stoodley.

“It’s nice having a lot more competition,” Bicknell said. “I’m very excited for the state series since girls have regionals now. So I feel like the sectionals will be a lot more focused and competitive. I love seeing more girls get into the program, and just kind of the empowerment of females in general and trying to get equality with mens sports. We’re making history.”

Ritter, a senior who became one of Geneseo’s first two state qualifiers last season, hopes to close her Maple Leafs’ career as its initial medalist. She reached the 140 title mat after claiming two decisions and a fall, with a 4-1 win over Charleston senior Mackensie Williams coming in the semifinals. Williams responded to that loss with a fall in 3:20 over sophomore Stoodley to take third. Urbana freshman Rickasia Ivy won a 13-3 major decision over Minooka’s Palmer Calvey to finish fifth.

145 – Kelly Ladd, Macomb

Kelly Ladd made history for Macomb last season when she went 32-8 and took sixth at 135 in the IHSA Finals to become her program’s first state medalist. Now the Bombers’ junior aspires to move higher up the awards stand, and she’s off to a great start with a 10-1 record after taking first at 145 with a fall in 2:14 over Unity’s Anna Vasey. Ladd, one of three Macomb finalists, won all four of her matches by fall, including in 1:16 over Minooka’s Beth Castro in the semifinals.

“This is very exciting and I’m very proud of my team,” Ladd said. “We’ve built the girls team from the ground up and we have seven now and we practice our hearts out every day. I think it’s the dream that you can do anything that you want. I grew up watching wrestling and my dad always told me I couldn’t, but he’s coaching me now. I can definitely see improvements every year. Last year I got sixth so this year I’m just pushing to see how high I can get.”

Vasey (6-3), who won a Munch title last year, hopes that her sophomore season concludes with a first visit to the state finals. She opened her tournament with two falls and then won an 11-3 major decision over Minooka’s Bella Cyrkiel in the semifinals. Cyrkiel (12-2), a senior who qualified for state in 2023, claimed third place with a fall in 3:42 over her junior teammate, Castro (5-3). And in the fifth-place match, Geneseo freshman Lauren Piquard (5-1) won by fall in 3:33 over Bloomington sophomore Alicia Swank (8-6).

155 – Sydney Perry, Batavia

As one of the six two-time IHSA champions and one of four who are seeking their third titles this season, Sydney Perry has set a very high standard for the sport. Her 7-4 victory over El Paso-Gridley’s Valerie Hamilton in last year’s 145 title match was a real classic. After going 21-0 to take first at 145 in the inaugural IHSA Finals and then 34-0 last season, Perry is one of the nation’s best in the sport. The Batavia senior repeated as a Munch champion and received the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the upper weights after collecting four falls to improve to 11-0 after recording a fall in 2:15 over Minooka’s Abbey Boersma to win the 155 title.

“Being a team captain and kind of leading the girls has been amazing, especially for me to continue my character development,” Perry said. “But it’s just crazy to see that when I was growing up, I wrestled with all the boys and I was the lone girl standing out. So it’s just amazing to see how many girls are coming out for tournaments like this. Batavia has an awesome support system, we have a lot of opportunities and coaches in the room. I’m trying to be a mentor for the girls on the team and taking practice super seriously with the guys and getting as much of that as I can. Also lifting, running and eating well and staying hydrated. And focusing on the parts of wrestling that you don’t necessarily think that you have to focus on. I love the sport, I’ve grown up doing it. I like helping the girls and showing them a different perspective. I’ve been with a lot of great athletes, so I kind of grab some of their wisdom and share it.”

Boersma (11-2), a senior who is seeking her first state appearance, was the only finalist for Minooka, who took third place behind champion Edwardsville and runner-up Batavia. Boersma opened with two falls before capturing a 7-6 decision over Canton’s Katelyn Marvel in the semifinals. Marvel (8-2), a junior who’s the Little Giants’ first two-time state qualifier, responded to her semifinal loss with a 4-2 decision over Geneseo junior Mady Mooney to place third. Macomb junior Mikeala Mwangong and Romeoville freshman Deivina Samalionyte reached the fifth-place match.

170 – Abbrey Dewerff, Edwardsville

After making history a year ago as Roxana’s initial state qualifier, Abbrey Dewerff hopes that a change of scenery will help her to be a force on the high school stage in the same way that she was at the youth level. The sophomore was one of two champions and six finalists for coach Jon Wagner’s first-place Edwardsville squad. Dewerff (8-3) recorded first-period falls in all four of her matches, needing 1:22 to win in the semifinals over Urbana’s Franciana Kalanga and in 1:37 in the 170 title match against Macomb’s Seefa Feruzi.

“I was at Roxana last year and I went to state,” Dewerff said. “I’ve been wrestling since I was five and I’ve been wrestling boys. I think it’s the support that we all have. We’re all like sisters, we’re more a family than just a team. And I’m proud of every single one of them and I cheer every single one of them on and I love them all. It’s crazy how much it has grown. I was like the only girl out there and now there’s so many girls.”

Feruzi (6-2), a senior who was one of three finalists for the fifth-place Bombers, won her first three matches with falls in the opening period, which was capped by a pin in 0:49 over Batavia’s Emma Abbate in the semifinals. In a matchup of juniors for third place, Kalanga (8-2) recorded a fall in 2:47 over Abbate (10-3). And for fifth place, Morton co-op junior Violet Mayo got a pin in 3:15 over Deer Creek-Mackinaw freshman Kaleigh Merkens.

190 – Caoimhe Mitchell, Batavia

On a day where Batavia had the most champions with three and coach Scott Bayer’s Bulldogs took second place, it may have not come as a surprise that eventual Outstanding Wrestler Award winners Sydney Perry and Lily Enos would win titles. In an event where many veterans with past state success emerged as champions, only two freshmen won titles, one of which was the Bulldogs’ other champ, Caoimhe Mitchell. She took first place at 190 with a fall in 5:30 over Macomb’s Avery Lundgren. Mitchell (8-2) also won two other matches with pins, including in 2:53 over DeKalb’s Molly Kraft in the semifinals.

“It feels good, since I’m a freshman and I’m wrestling up,” Mitchell said. “This is only my second year. I practice with good clubs and I have a really good team.”

Lundgren (6-1), a sophomore who was one of three finalists for the Bombers, won two matches with quick falls, needing just 32 seconds to prevail in the semifinals over Edwardsville’s Abigail Hayes. In the third-place match, junior Kraft (9-4) recorded a pin in 3:09 over freshman Hayes. For fifth place, Pontiac junior Alix Robinson (5-2) turned in the host’s best finish when she won by fall in 2:38 over Geneseo’s Abby Erickerson.

235 – Chloe Hoselton, Prairie Central

When a veteran of Team Illinois who has enjoyed national success meets a competitor who placed third at state last season, it figures to make for an interesting matchup. And that’s what unfolded in the 235 finals as Prairie Central’s Chloe Hoselton faced Urbana’s Jurdan Tyler and the Hawks’ junior captured the title with a fall in 2:17 over Tyler, who took third at 235 in last year’s IHSA Finals. Hoselton needed less than a minute to record pins in her other two matches, including a fall in 19 seconds over Edwardsville’s Tayla Phillips in the semifinals.

“Our school has four girls and I was the only one coming into the season with experience,” Hoselton said. “I’m one of the captains for the girls and I’m glad to be able to lead them and kind of show them what wrestling is about. As a little kid, I was the only girl wrestling at club and at practice and I was a little upset. But recently, the sport has just been branching out and everyone is getting involved. I’m not surprised, I just think it needed some more attention, and as it got more attention, more people liked it. I have high hopes. The rankings don’t mean much but it has me winning and I hope to live up to it.”

Tyler (7-1), a senior who became the Tigers’ first state qualifier and medalist last season, opened with a 7-1 decision in the quarterfinals before winning by fall in 2:46 over Minooka’s Peyton Kueltzo in the semifinals. Phillips (10-1), a senior who was a state qualifier for the Tigers last year, took third place with a pin in 3:30 over Kueltzo (9-4), a senior who is one of two individuals who have been two-time state qualifiers for Minooka. In the fifth-place match, Unity’s Phoenix Molina (10-2), a sophomore who was a state qualifier a year ago, took fifth place with a fall in 0:46 over DeKalb sophomore Aarrianna Bloyd.

Championship matches of Pontiac’s Munch Girls Invitational

100 – Lily Enos (Batavia) F 2:27 Molly Snyder (Geneseo)

105 – Lily Gwaltney (Streator) F 3:08 Olivia Coll (Edwardsville)

110 – Alex Gregorio-Perez (DeKalb) F 3:48 Gianna Linhorst (Edwardsville)

115 – Reese Zimmer (DeKalb) D 7-4 Ella Miloncus (Springfield co-op)

120 – Norah Swaim (Edwardsville) D 6-0 Alexis Seymour (Jacksonville)

125 – Kinnley Smith (Canton) D 6-1 Holly Zugmaier (Edwardsville)

130 – Karen Canchola (Morton) F 1:20 Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville)

135 – Faith Comas (Morton co-op) F 1:19 Lillien Roughton (Unity Christian)

140 – Jordan Bicknell (Olympia) D 5-2 Gia Ritter (Geneseo)

145 – Kelly Ladd (Macomb) F 2:14 Anna Vasey (Unity)
155 – Sydney Perry (Batavia) F 2:15 Abbey Boersma (Minooka)

170 – Abbrey Dewerff (Edwardsville) F 1:37 Seefa Feruzi (Macomb)

190 – Caoimhe Mitchell (Batavia) F 5:30 Avery Lundgren (Macomb)

235 – Chloe Hoselton (Prairie Central) F 2:17 Jurdan Tyler (Urbana)

Team standings for Pontiac’s Munch Girls Invitational

1. Edwardsville (207.5), 2. Batavia (166), 3. Minooka (139), 4. Geneseo (134), 5. Macomb (113), 6. DeKalb (107), 7. Morton co-op (88), 8. Canton (84), 9. Romeoville (76), 10. Urbana (63), 11. Mahomet-Seymour (61), 12. Unity (56), 13. Naperville Central (50), 14. Pontiac (47), 15. Springfield (co-op) 44, 16. Jacksonville (42), 17. Prairie Central 39, 18. Charleston (38), 19. Olympia (38), 20. Kankakee (36), 21. Streator (34), 22. Morton (32), 22. Unity Christian (32), 24. Normal West (30), 25. Ottawa Township (23), 26. st. Joseph-Ogden (21), 27. Bloomington (13), 27. University High (13), 29. Herscher (6), 29. Deer Creek-Mackinaw (6), 31. Wilmington (5), 32. Heyworth (0), 32. Rantoul (0).

Girls tournament recaps for 12-9: Glenbard South, Maine East, Thornton, Marion

By Dave Surico for the IWCOA

DuPage Girls Championship at Glenbard South

Glenbard East will go down in history as the winner of the inaugural DuPage Girls Championship tournament.

The Rams were represented by just one champion but took the title with 82.5 points. Hinsdale Central (70 points) finished second. Reavis (65) took third in the nine-team event.

Nadiia Shymkiv recorded the 105-pound title for Glenbard East. Runner-up finishes came from Andrea Jones (115), Leah Montez (125) and Kaleigha Johnson (EXH235). Dakota Rosner (120), Maria Green (135) and Elizabeth Moreno (140) earned third-place awards. Asia Lacey (170) and Nadine Spandiary (190) finished fourth in their brackets.

Hinsdale Central received titles from Lauren Pang (140) and Chloe Black (235). Seana Gavin took runner-up honors at 120. Makenzie Ford (170) and Clara Rogers (235) took home third-place honors.

Third-place Reavis received its title from Estrella Ramirez (170). Lilly Fish (155) and Reyna Padilla (190) and Gina Drum (135) posted second place finishes. Kenzie Welsh (125) took fourth.

The list of champions was rounded out by: Kahlynn Spurgeon (100) and Lilly White (135), of Bartlett; Natalia Cruz (155), Kayleigh Loo (190) and Megan O’Toole (EXH235), of Downers Grove North; Haven Cologrossi (115), of Glenbard South; and Delaney Cunningham (120), of Geneva.

Additional runner-up finishes were posted by Kayla Hassell (100), Geneva; Valerie Aligia (105) and Alex Arquilla (170), of Glenbard South; Ava Amato (140), Lemont; and Gianna Cahill (235), Downers Grove North.

Third-place medals were earned by: Valeria Gonzalez (100) and Alyssa Andreen (155), Downers Grove North; Lauren Stevens (115), Lemont; Sofia Parranto (125) and Catherine Schultz (190), Waubonsie Valley.

Fourth-place points were recorded from: Jayden Thornton (120), Lemont; Lorelai Escobar, Waubonsie Valley (135); and Sophia Assaf (140), Glenbard South.

DuPage Girls Championship title match results:

100 – Kahlynn Spurgeon (Bartlett) F 2:52 Kayla Hassell (Geneva)

105 – Nadiia Shymkiv (Glenbard East) TF 2:54 Valerie Aligia (Glenbard South)

110 – Angelina Carpentiro (Bartlett) F 1:48 Adeleine Rafacz (DG North)

115 – Haven Cologrossi (Glenbard South) F 1:14 Andrea Jones (Glenbard East)

120 – Delaney Cunningham (Geneva) F 2:18 Seana Gavin (Hinsdale Central)

125 – Molly O`Connor (Lemont) P 1:52 Leah Montez (Glenbard East)

130 – Nichole Castillo (Glenbard South) F 1:11 Valentina Gonzalez (DG North)

135 – Lilly White (Bartlett) F 0:18 Gina Drum (Burbank)

140 – Lauren Pang (Hinsdale Central) on round-robin criteria

145 – Sophi Arain (Hinsdale Central) F 1:08 Jasmine Abarca (Glenbard East)

155 – Natalia Cruz (DG North) F 5:33 Lilly Fish (Burbank)

170 – Estrella Ramirez (Burbank) F 0:26 Alex Arquilla (Glenbard South)

190 – Kayleigh Loo (DG North) F 0:25 Reyna Padilla (Burbank)

235 – Chloe Black (Hinsdale C) F 0:44 Gianna Cahill (DG North)

Ex235 – Megan O’Toole (DG North) F 3:48 Kaleigha Johnson (Glenbard East)

Final team scores: 

1. Glenbard East (82.5) 2. Hinsdale Central (70) 3. Reavis (65) 4. Lemont (56) 5. Downers Grove North (51) 6. Bartlett (37) 7. Glenbard South (35) 8. Waubonsie Valley (30) 9. Geneva (26)

Additional notes: There were only first and second place points awarded at 105 and EXH235. Only fifth place points were awarded at 110 and 145. Only three places earned points at 115, 155 and 235. Only sixth place points were awarded at 130.

Maine East’s Mejoe Hernandez Invitational

After winning the title of the Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown by 80 points over the hosts in this season’s first invite, West Aurora had a fight on its hands with Hoffman Estates as the two battled for top honors at Maine East’s Mejoe Hernandez Invitational in Park Ridge.

Coach Charlie Graves’ Blackhawks only had one champion but had eight individuals who finished fifth or better and that helped to claim top honors in the 24-team competition in Park Ridge by a 190-187 margin over Hoffman Estates while Huntley was third with 158 points.

Burlington Central (108), Round Lake (106), Rickover Naval Academy (98.5), New Trier (97), Addison Trail (95), Conant (86) and Maine West (86) rounded out the top 10 teams.

Medalists for West Aurora were champion Brittney Moran (190) and second-place finishers Aiyanah Sylvester (125) and Ionicca Rivera (170). In addition, Kameyah Young (105) and Lailonie Molina (120) took third place, Giselle Marin-Carrasco (140) finished fourth and Allina Williams (130) and Kymber Hall (145) both claimed fifth place.

Leading the way for coach Leo Clark’s runner-up Hawks were champions Sophia Ball (125) and Emmylina O’Brien (135), second-place finisher Abby Ji (130) and third-place finisher Anjali Gonzalez (235). Essenze Reid (170) and Isabella Chiovari (190) took fourth place, Olivia Pelayo (115) finished fifth and Judy Soto (100) placed sixth.

Coach Gannon Kosowski’s third-place Red Raiders got title wins from Janiah Slaughter (105), Taylor Casey (110) and Aubrie Rohrbacher (130) while Jessica Olson (140) took second, 

Valeria Sanchez (115) finished fourth and Grecia Garcia (145) claimed sixth place.

Other Hernandez Invite champions were Round Lake’s Riley Kongkaeow (100) and Raven Burnett (145), Burlington Central’s Tori Macias (115) and Ryann Miller (170), New Trier’s Jillian Giller (140) and Nina Aceves (155), Lane Tech’s Nyah Lovis (120) and Rickover Naval Academy’s Jasmine Mejia (235).

Also claiming second-place finishes were Burlington Central’s Ruby Vences (110) and Soraya Walikonis (135), Rickover Naval Academy’s Mia Vazquez (100), Addison Trail’s Veronica Cosio (105), Taft’s Micaela Yu (120), Harvard’s Ithandehui Rosas (145), West Chicago’s Annette Huesca (155), Waukegan’s Jennifer Perez (190) and Oak Park and River Forest’s Sarah Epshtein (235).

All but two of the title matches featured falls. The two championship matches that were determined by decisions were Kongkaeow over Vazquez at 100 and Novis over Yu at 120.

Additional third-place finishers were Elgin’s Lourdes Hernandez (100), Niles West’s Zoe Pomeranets (110), Round Lake’s Ireland McCain (115), Waukegan’s Noelani Rodriguez (125), Addison Trail’s Brithany Mondragon (130), Conant’s Jasmine Zavaleta (135), Downers Grove South’s Allison Garcia (140), Evanston Township’s Kennedy Murray (145), Maine South’s Angelina Guanajuato (155), Maine West’s Lillian Garrett (170) and Oak Park and River Forest’s Trinity White (190).

Also finishing in fourth place were Maine West’s Ava Reyes (130) and Eliana Garrett (235), Niles West’s Briana Regules (100), Larkin’s Ashley Hammond (105), Harvard’s Alexa Herrera (110), Conant’s Beth Ciavarella (120), Maine East’s Deepjwal Rai (125), Addison Trail’s Ruthless Castillo (135), Oak Park and River Forest’s Lyra Schaafsma (145) and Rickover Naval Academy’s Carmilla Martinez (155).

Others who took fifth place were Maine East’s Eliana Badeen (105) and Heba Kiloul (120), New Trier’s Sunny Aitzemkour (100), West Chicago’s Sophia Newell (110), Elgin’s Emily Pizano (125), Maine West’s Jessica Perez (135), Round Lake’s Jessica Sanchez (140), Evanston Township’s Natalie Graettinger (155), Rickover Naval Academy’s Clara Biela (170), Addison Trail’s JD Quijano Perez (190) and Taft’s Rim Ayouchi (235).

Additional sixth-place finishers were Vernon Hills’ Hanna Lee (110) and Lora Kashidova (115), Lane Tech’s Zabby Badru (135) and Arianna Marin (140), Conant’s Susan Bilyal (155) and Lana Ton (170), Elgin’s Mali Patino (105), Oak Park and River Forest’s Sofia Hinojosa (120), Addison Trail’s Rebekah Castillo (125), Maine South’s Alyssa Gianola (130), Maine East’s Angie Wszolek (190) and Downers Grove South’s Zuzia Cybulski (235).

Championship matches for Maine East’s Mejoe Hernandez Invite

100 – Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake) D Mia Vazquez (Rickover Naval Academy)

105 – Janiah Slaughter (Huntley) F Veronica Cosio (Addison Trail)

110 – Taylor Casey (Huntley) F Ruby Vences (Burlington Central)

115 – Tori Macias (Burlington Central) F Zoe Lee (New Trier)

120 – Nyah Lovis (Lane Tech) D Micaela Yu (Taft)

125 – Sophia Bell (Hoffman Estates) F Aiyanah Sylvester (West Aurora)

130 – Aubrie Rohrbacher (Huntley) F Abbi Ji (Hoffman Estates)

135 – Emmylina O’Brien (Hoffman Estates) F Soraya Walikonis (Burlington Central)

140 – Jillian Giller (New Trier) F Jessica Olson (Huntley)

145 – Raven Burnett (Round Lake) F Ithandehui Rosas (Harvard)

155 – Nina Aceves (New Trier) F Annette Huesca (West Chicago)

170 – Ryann Miller (Burlington Central) F Ionicca Rivera (West Aurora)

190 – Brittney Moran (West Aurora) F Jennifer Perez (Waukegan)

235 – Jasmine Mejia (Rickover Naval Academy) F Sarah Epshtein (Oak Park and River Forest)

Team standings for Maine East’s Mejoe Hernandez Invite

1. West Aurora (190), 2. Hoffman Estates (187), 3, Huntley (158), 4. Burlington Central (108), 5. Round Lake (106), 6. Rickover Naval Academy (98.5), 7. New Trier (97), 8. Addison Trail (95), 9. Conant (86), 9. Maine West (86), 11. Oak Park and River Forest (71), 12. Lane Tech (62.5), 13. Niles West (61), 14. Maine East (60), 15. Downers Grove South (57), 16. Evanston Township (56), 17. Elgin (54), 18. West Chicago (53), 19. Taft (50), 19. Waukegan (50), 21. Maine South (47), 22. Harvard (41), 23. Larkin (33), 24. Vernon Hills (24).

Thornton Girls Tournament

Host Thornton captured the team title in the 11-team field, edging Thornton-Fractional South by a score of 106-101.

Championships from Ariel Woofin (105), Gymaria Brown (110), Jalah Wilson (130) and Sionna Stampley (235) led Thornton to the tournament title for coach Philip Rembert. Tashari Wooten added crucial points with a second place finish at 155.

Runner-up Thornton Fractional South saw Quincy Onyiaorah rise to the top of the medal stand at 135. Anyla Leigh finished second at 130. Third-place points came from Abibatu Mogaji (115), Summer Rice (120) and Jermia Moore (135). Jessica Rubio (155) and Lucia Terrazas (170) finished fourth.

De La Salle missed second place by a single point. The Meteors boasted champions Anapaula Cerna (100), Iliana Heredia (120) and Ana Perez (155). Second place finishes came from Genesis De La Garza (125) and Abigail Trendle (135).

Championships outside the top three teams came from: Courben Session (115) and Hailey Zamot (145), of Rich; Taylor Poole (125), Thornton Fractional South; Haley Achiga (170), Proviso East; and Kinnidi Riley (190), Bloom.

Second place finishes were earned by: Saryia Maddox (100), Rich; Lillyanna Cardenas (105), Riley Osborn (115) and Victoria Cruz (170), of Evergreen Park; Mia Coffey (110), Bloom; Beatrice Quintana (120) and Isabella Mayfield (145), of Marian Catholic; and Jamyala Hill (190) and Daisy El-Simmons (235), of Hillcrest.

Wins in the third-place match were accomplished by: Lilly O`Brian (100), Angel Lewis (125) and Mya Coffey (155), of Bloom; Melanie Mundo (130), Proviso East; Danny Sommerio (145) and Octavia Miller, (235), of Evergreen Park; Angel Pearson (170), Rich; and Sydney West (190), Hillcrest.

Fourth place points were gathered by: Lidia Basave (100) and Regina Jones (120), of Proviso East; India Long (115), Hillcrest; Mya Gray (125) and Madison Beachum (145), of Marian Catholic; and Nina White (135), Nyla Coleman (190) and Amaya McClain (235), of Rich.

Thornton Girls tournament title match results:

100 – Anapaula Cerna (De La Salle) F 0:36 Saryia Maddox (Rich)

105 – Ariel Woofin (Thornton) F 3:41 Lillyanna Cardenas (Evergreen Park)

110 – Gymaria Brown (Thornton) F 0:22 Mia Coffey (Bloom)

115 – Courben Session (Rich) F 0:56 Riley Osborn (Evergreen Park)

120 – Iliana Heredia (De La Salle) F 0:33 Beatrice Quintana (Marian Catholic)

125 – Taylor Poole (Thornton Fractional South) F 5:14 Genesis De La Garza (De La Salle)

130 – Jalah Wilson (Thornton) F 5:46 Anyla Leigh (Thornton Fractional South)

135 – Quincy Onyiaorah (Thornton Fractional South) F 1:52 Abigail Trendle (De La Salle)

145 – Hailey Zamot (Rich) F 1:56 Isabella Mayfield (Marian Catholic)

155 – Ana Perez (De La Salle) F 3:48 Tashari Wooten (Thornton)

170 – Haley Achiga (Proviso East) F 3:06 Victoria Cruz (Evergreen Park)

190 – Kinnidi Riley (Bloom) F 0:33 Jamyala Hill (Hillcrest)

235 – Sionna Stampley (Thornton) F 2:37 Daisy El-Simmons (Hillcrest)

Note: Points were assigned to the first four places at 100, 115, 120, 125, 135, 145, 155, 170, 190, 235 The team standings were only affected by the first three finishers at 130. Only first and second place points were awarded at the 105 and 110 weight classes,

Final team Scores:

1. Thornton (106) 2. Thornton Fractional South (101) 3. De La Salle (100) 4. Rich (94) 5. Evergreen Park (68) 6. Bloom (63) 7. Proviso East (54.5) 8. Marian Catholic (40) 9. Hillcrest (39) 10. (tie), Illiana Christian, Joliet Central, Universal (0)

Marion Wildcats Girls Invitational

The Fort Campbell girls from Kentucky rumbled to the top trophy with a commanding 100 points, 38 more than runnerup Caldwell County in the 19-team competition. Caldwell County’s team also hails from Kentucky.

Kayla Maslonka (115), Cassidy Harrington (130) and Elizabeth Allen (155) took crowns for Fort Campbell. Delaney Perry (100), Elyanna Zamora (110) and Brooke Arbic (170) recorded runnerup finishes. Third-place points were earned by Aria Welsh (115) and Jennifer Velazquez (155). Tristin Caldwell took fourth place at 110.

Caldwell County got an individual title from T.J. Goodwin (110). Third-place points were claimed by Alyvia Barnwell (120) and Virginia Stewart (235). Rylie Bruce (130), Cali Traylor (155) and Emma Ward (190) claimed fourths.

Goreville (47) was 15 points back in third. Alivia Ming (145) and Liberty McBride (190) earned champion’s laurels. Madalynn Lapatas finished second at 130.

The invitational’s other top-step performances came from: Lily Davis (110) and Dayton Phillips (140), Mt. Vernon; Mia Balota (120), Benton; Lakelynn Janssen (125). McCracken County; Natalie Beaumont (135) and Summer Nichols (170), Cumberland and Olivia McDermott (235), Marion.

Second-place medals were claimed by Ayda Brown (115), Waterloo; Isabell Giloman (120), Carlyle; Heather Jones (125), Kennett; Joelene Nappier-Feth (135), Brooklyn Phemister (155) and Ronisha Sharkey (235), Marion; Lillie Henry (140) and Abby Ellis (145), McCracken County; and Izabell McBride (190), Waterloo.

Third-place finishers included: Jillian Conn (100), McCracken County; Delaney Measimer (110), Carbondale; Halle Smith (125), Benton; Neveah Gentelin (130), Waterloo; Muskan Ghotra (135), Jariyah Young (145) and Derika Gradford (170), Mt. Vernon; Daisjha Cooper (140), Marion; and Jaidan Glispie (190), Tilghman.

Delaney Melvin (120), Marion, Ella Snow (125), Carlyle, and Ahnisti Long (170), Kennett, rounded out the fourth place finishers.

Goodwin, of Caldwell County, led the tournament with three pins in a combined 1 minute, 54 seconds. Allen, Fort Campbell, Smith, Benton, and Janssen, McCracken County, also recorded three falls. Janssen and Goodwin each earned a meet-high 24 points for their teams. Goodwin also posted the biggest seed-placing differential with her title as a five-seed.

Championships matches

100 – Lily Davis (Mt. Vernon) F 1:35 Delaney Perry (Fort Campbell)

110 – T.J. Goodwin (Caldwell County) F 0:33 Elyanna Zamora (Fort Campbell)

115 – Kayla Maslonka (Fort Campbell) F 2:28 Ayda Brown (Waterloo)

120 – Mia Balota (Benton) F 0:00 Isabell Giloman (Carlyle)

125 – Lakelynn Janssen (McCracken County) F 3:21 Heather Jones (Kennett)

130 – Cassidy Harrington (Fort Campbell) F 0:39 Madalynn Lapatas (Goreville)

135 – Natalie Neaumont (Cumberland) F 0:55 Joelene Nappier-Feth (Marion)

140 – Dayton Phillips (Mt. Vernon) F 1:14 Lillie Henry (McCracken County)

145 – Alivia Ming (Goreville) F 3:53 Abby Ellis (McCracken County)

155 – Elizabeth Allen (Fort Campbell) F 2:41 Brooklyn Phemister (Marion)

170 – Summer Nichols (Cumberland) F 3:16 Brooke Arbic (Fort Campbell)

190 – Liberty McBride (Goreville) F 1:18 Izabell McBride (Waterloo)

235 – Olivia McDermott (Marion) F 0:41 Ronisha Sharkey (Marion)

Note: Only three places were awarded points at the 100-, 115-, 135-, 140-, 145- and 235-pound weight classes. Team points were awarded for four finishers at 110, 120, 125, 130, 155, 170, 190.

Final team scores:

1. Fort Campbell (100) 2. Caldwell County (62) 3. Goreville (47) 4. Marion (43) 5. Benton (38) 6. Mt. Vernon (34) 7. McCracken County (32) 8. Cumberland (31) 9. Waterloo (30) 10. (tie), Carlyle; Kennett (26) 12. Tilghman (13.5) 13. Carbondale (13) 14. Centralia (3) 15. (tie), Carmi, Carterville, Johnston City, Red Bud, Sparta (0)

Out of state tournament roundup for 12-9

By Curt Herron – For the IWCOA

Oak Forest wins title at Westosha Central Stateline Scuffle

Oak Forest captured top honors and five other Illinois teams placed among the top eight at the 29-team Westosha Central Stateline Scuffle, which took place in Salem, Wisconsin. A total of fourteen Illinois teams participated.

Coach John Sebek’s Bengals scored 202 points to capture the title by 72 points over the hosts. Zion-Benton (122) took third, Dundee-Crown (116) was fourth, Wheeling (115) finished fifth, Lakes Community (111.5) placed sixth and Warren Township (93) claimed eighth.

Oak Forest received titles from Alexandra Sebek (104-110), Charlotte Pedroza (115-121), Maya Coreas Funes (145-158), Ryann Reeves (153-167) and Isabel Peralta (168-182) while Marjorie Rodriguez (111-116) and Iyobosa Odiase (140-151) both took second place.

Taking third for the Bengals were Victoria Taylor (117-122) and Jessica Komolafe (173-193) and finishing fourth were Camila O’Leary Salas (117-122) and Rionna Jean Jurik (120-128). Aliyah Blount (95-104) and Madelyn Sears (130-139) placed fifth and Cyniah Poindexter (128-134) claimed sixth while Leann Abdallah (115-121), Jordan Clyne (119-128) and Bryanah Carrera (125-129) took seventh.

“We wanted to wrestle this event to see new competition out of state as well as see other teams from the northern end of the state,” Sebek said. “A lot of the girls were a bit nervous wrestling out of state for the first time but they definitely showed up. It was a fantastic event and hats off to the Westosha Central High School wrestling staff for putting on an awesome tournament with a lot of good competition.  We brought 17 girls to the event, with only 10 scorers allowed, and we had 9 girls place in the top 3, with seven girls in the finals.

Coach Hal Lunsford’s third-place Zee-Bees had four title winners, Emily Ortiz (125-129), Jahmariona Thompson (130-139), Naomi Foote (138-146) and Grace Johnson (141-146). They placed third with only six competitors and all of them were in the top five with Nathaly Tenorio (120-128) and Adrianna Ketchum (126-138) taking fifth.

Other Illinois champions were Wheeling’s Elise Burkut (120-128) and Jasmine Rene (173-193), Warren Township’s Jaylyn Trevino (85-89), Dundee-Crown’s Diamond Rodriguez (95-104), Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth (107-112), Grayslake Central’s Gianna Arzer (119-128) and Lakes Community’s Ava Babbs (126-138).

Additional second-place finishers from Illinois were Lakes Community’s Haven Sylves (107-112) and Josephine Larson (173-193), Dundee-Crown’s Ruby Gavina (119-128), Wheeling’s Stephanie Solano (155-170) and Cary-Grove’s Denver Gier (168-182).

There were four All-Illinois title matchups. Aarseth won by fall in 3:27 over Sylves at 107-112, Arzer recorded a pin in 2:43 over Gavina at 119-128, Peralta was a winner by fall in 1:10 over Gier at 168-182 and Rene won a 2-1 decision over Larson at 173-193 in a rematch of last week’s 190 championship at Waukegan, which Larson won 3-1.

All of the other Illinois champions but one used falls to win titles. The exception was Babbs, who captured a 9-5 decision at 126-138.

Other third-place Illinois finishers were Lakes Community’s Zaryia Mouzon (95-104) and Christina Hasner (128-134), Dundee-Crown’s Iris Torres (104-110) and Daniella Ibanez (138-146), Warren Township’s Isabella Miron (115-121) and Jane Kelly (125-129), Grayslake North’s Quinna Sheets (126-138) and Alyson Alvarenga (130-139), Wheeling’s Krystal Diaz (141-146) and Nikol Orendarchuk (145-158) and Crystal Lake Central’s Cait Jones (168-182).

Also claiming fourth-place finishes were Crystal Lake South’s Mayayla Miranda (140-151), Karrina Del Valle (145-158) and Kayla Hadfield (173-193), Grayslake North’s Jacqueline Cordova-Marquina (153-167) and Jeniah Robinson (155-170), Grant’s Kayden Manis (104-110), Dundee-Crown’s Elisa Martin (111-116), Lakes Community’s Lilyann Blasius (115-121), Lake Forest’s Bree Hirsch (126-138), Prairie Ridge’s Angela Thrush (138-146) and Warren Township’s Hanna Bairstow (141-155).

Others taking fifth place were Warren Township’s Alyssa Bentley (104-110), Ashley Bridges (128-134) and Ashley Fugelseth (140-151), Grayslake North’s Amara Facundo (107-112) and Victoria Marquez (138-146), Dundee-Crown’s Perla Lomeli (141-155) and Mackenzie Lessner (153-167), Lake Forest’s Kamile Rayome (119-128) and Cary-Grove’s London Goldsberry (145-158).

Additional sixth-place finishers were Grant’s Evelyn Gonzalez (117-122) and Aubrey Hopkins (120-128), Wheeling’s Layah Woods (126-138) and Madeline Chicas (141-155), Lakes Community’s Osmairi Medina Alvarado (111-116), Cary-Grove’s Shelby Pijut (125-129), Warren Township’s Erin Bush (153-167) and Dundee-Crown’s Ayline Tinajero (168-182).

Eleven individuals tied for the most team points with 26, including three each from Oak Forest (Pedroza, Reeves and Sebek) and Zion-Benton (Foote, Johnson and Ortiz) plus one from Wheeling (Burkut). East Troy, WI’s Isa McGinley and Kylie Schmidt, Glendale Martin Luther, WI’s Nadia Lathan and Wilmot Union, WI’s Morgan Rutherford were the other four individuals who scored 26 team points. 

Pedroza had the most falls in the least time, which was three in 1:45 while Babbs and Milwaukee Reagan, WI’s Aliana Rauter were the only individuals to claim a win by technical fall. Milwaukee Reagan, WI’s TaHonesty Donnell had the most total match points with 47 while Babbs tied for second in that category with 32, however Babbs prevailed in what mattered most, a 9-5 decision between the two in the 126-138 finals.

Championship matches at the Westosha Central Stateline Scuttle

85-89 – Jaylen Trevino (Warren Township) F 0:48 Monica Hernandez (Milwaukee Reagan, WI)

95-104 – Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) F 1:03 Raven Ringhand (Oregon, WI)

104-110 – Alexandra Sebek (Oak Forest) F 1:24 Addison Friedrichs (Janesville Parker, WI)

107-112 – Annalee Aarseth (Crystal Lake South) F 3:27 Haven Sylves (Lakes Community)

111-116 – Margaret Gillmore (Westosha Central, WI) F 1:41 Marjorie Rodriguez (Oak Forest)

115-121 – Charlotte Pedroza (Oak Forest) F 0:46 Eva Rivera (Greenfield, WI)

117-122 – Morgan Rutherford (Wilmot Union, WI) F 0:31 Rubi Egurrola (Kenosha Bradford, WI)

119-128 – Gianna Arzer (Grayslake Central) F 2:43 Ruby Gavina (Dundee-Crown)

120-128 – Elise Burkut (Wheeling) F 1:06 Sienna Melby (Westosha Central, WI)

125-129 – Emily Ortiz (Zion-Benton) F 0:47 Jazlene Solis (Greenfield, WI)

126-138 – Ava Babbs (Lakes Community) D 9-5 TaHonesty Donnell (Milwaukee Reagan, WI)

128-134 – Isa McGinley (East Troy, WI) F 1:08 Payten Kent (Janesville Parker, WI)

130-139 – Jahmariona Thompson (Zion-Benton) F 0:40 Karen Pisano (Westosha Central, WI)

138-146 – Naomi Foote (Zion-Benton) F 1:50 Maggie Hansen (Burlington, WI)

140-151 – Kylie Schmidt (East Troy, WI) F 2:33 Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest)

141-146 – Grace Johnson (Zion-Benton) F 1:09 Anna Kienbaum (Edgerton, WI)

141-155 – Makayla Howard (Edgerton, WI) F 4:30 Jada Oparie-Addoh (Oregon, WI)

145-158 – Maya Coreas Funes (Oak Forest) F 3:42 Anayiz Castro (Shoreland Lutheran, WI)

153-167 – Ryann Reeves (Oak Forest) F 1:26 Elisabeth Bixby (Shoreland Lutheran, WI)

155-170 – Nadia Lathan (Greendale Martin Luther, WI) F 5:59 Stephanie Solano (Wheeling)

168-182 – Isabel Peralta (Oak Forest) F 1:10 Denver Gier (Cary-Grove)

173-193 – Jasmine Rene (Wheeling) D 2-1 Josephine Larson (Lakes Community)

185-208 – Jana Kopak (Greendale Martin Luther, WI) F 2:18 Danna Andrade (Milwaukee Reagan, WI)

215-240 – Taryn Armbruster (Greendale Martin Luther, WI) F 1:13 Genevieve Galin (Burlington, WI)

Team standings at the Westosha Central Stateline Scuttle

1. Oak Forest (202), 2. Westosha Central, WI (130), 3. Zion-Benton (122), 4. Dundee-Crown (116), 5. Wheeling (115), 6. Lakes Community (111.5), 7. Greendale Martin Luther, WI (96), 8. Warren Township (93), 9. Milwaukee Reagan, WI (92.5), 10. Oregon, WI (91), 11. Shoreland Lutheran, WI (78), 12. Grayslake North (77), 13. Edgerton, WI (75), 14. Greenfield, WI (65), 15. Janesville Parker, WI (57), 16. Crystal Lake South (54), 17. East Troy, WI (52), 18. Wilmot Union, WI (50), 19. Cary-Grove (34), 20, Burlington, WI (33), 22. Grant (25), 23. Grayslake Central (15), 24. Lake Forest (21), 25. Crystal Lake Central (15), 26. Prairie Ridge (12), 27. Racine St. Catherine, WI (6), 28. Mundelein (5), 28. Kenosha Indian Trail, WI (5).

Davino captures championship at Walsh Ironman

St. Charles East’s Ben Davino was the lone Illinois champion at the Walsh Ironman, which featured individuals from 130 schools who  participated in Walsh Jesuit’s tournament in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Thirteen individuals from Illinois finished in the top eight in the event.

Mount Carmel scored 76.5 points to place 12th while St. Charles East scored 74 to finish 13th. Warren Township (47.5) was 24th and Marist (38.5) tied for 31st. Other Illinois schools in the tournament were Marmion Academy, Hononegah, IC Catholic Prep, Joliet Catholic Academy, Loyola Academy, Washington Community, Montini Catholic, Normal Community and Unity.

Davino went 6-0 to win the 132 championship, defeating Perrysburg, OH’s Marcus Blaze 3-2 on an ultimate tiebreaker in the title match. He opened with a win by technical fall, followed that with a 20-6 major decision and then got a fall in 1:06 before winning 5-2 on a tiebreaker in the quarterfinals over Blair Academy, NJ’s Matthew Lopes. He advanced to the title mat with a 9-4 decision in the semifinals over Union County, KY’s Jordyn Ranney. It was Davino’s third trip to the finals and his second championship. Davino won the 126 title last year and took second place at 120 in 2021.

Warren Township’s Aaron Stewart took second place at 157 after dropping a heartbreaker in the finals 3-2 on an ultimate tiebreaker to Stillwater, OK’s Landyn Sommer. Opening with a fall and win by technical fall, Stewart was then involved in four nail biters, winning 2-1 in round three, 3-1 in the quarterfinals over Baylor School, TN’s Hunter Sturgill and 4-3 in the semifinals over State College, PA’s Asher Cunningham.

Mount Carmel’s Colin Kelly claimed second place at 175  after losing by fall in 4:52 to Parkersburg South, WV’s Gage Wright. Kelly opened with a win by technical fall, a pin and a major decision before getting a 3-1 win in sudden victory in the quarterfinals over Faith Christian Academy, PA’s Adam Waters and then he captured an 11-4 decision over Liberty, MO’s Peyton Westpfahl in the semifinals.

Coach Alex Tsirtsis’ Caravan had another medalist, Seth Mendoza, who took third at 126. Mendoza opened with two wins by technical fall and a pin before claiming a 3-2 decision over Union County, KY’s Jayden Raney in the quarterfinals. After suffering a tough loss in the semifinals, 9-5 in sudden victory to Wyoming Seminary, PA’s Luke Lilledahl, Mendoza won two close matches, winning 3-1 by sudden victory over Stillwater, OK’s JJ McComas to claim third place. This was the third time Mendoza has placed at the Ironman, taking seventh last season at 113 after placing fifth at 106 in 2021.

Warren Township coach Brad Janecek had one other medalist, Caleb Noble, who dropped a 4-2 decision to Hononegah’s Rocco Cassioppi in the 106 quarterfinals but then won three-straight tight matches, including a 6-4 win in sudden victory to reach the third-place mat, where he fell 10-1 to Pomona, CA’s Ignacio Villasenor to take fourth.

Washington Community’s Wyatt Medlin bounced back from his third-round setback to St. Charles East’s Tyler Guerra at 138 by getting five-straight consolation wins, which included four close decisions to become the Panthers’ lone medal winner. He took fourth place after dropping a 1-0 decision to Blair Academy, NJ’s William Deraker.

Marist’s Will Denny took fifth place at 150. After falling 4-2 to Bethlehem Catholic, PA’s Kollin Rath in the quarterfinals, Denny won two decisions and lost another before finishing with a 3-1 decision over Dublin Scioto, OH’s Ty Wilson in his final match.

Hononegah’s Rocco Cassioppi won a 4-3 decision over Normal Community’s Caden Correll in his opener and beat Noble 4-2 in the 106 quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals, where he lost 11-3 to Faith Christian Academy, PA’s Joey Bachmann. After losing his next match, he took fifth with a 5-1 decision over Blair Academy, NJ’s Vincenzo Anello.

Loyola Academy’s Kai Calcutt lost by fall in the 215 quarterfinals to Wyoming Seminary, PA’s Jude Correa but then won two matches to assure himself of a medal and he wound up taking sixth place.

St. Charles East’s Tyler Guerra got a 5-2 decision over Washington Community’s Wyatt Medlin in the third round at 138 and then won a 4-1 decision over Baylor School, TN’s Mathew Hart in the quarterfinals. After getting edged 3-2 in the semifinals by Dublin Coffman, OH’s Omar Ayoub, Guerra had medical forfeits in his final two matches to finish sixth.

The other medalist for coach Jason Potters Fighting Saints was Dom Munaretto, who placed seventh at 113. He got bumped into the consolation bracket following a 7-3 quarterfinal loss to Brecksville, OH’s Rylan Seacrist. He went 2-1 after that, edging Marmion Academy’s Nicholas Garcia 3-2 in the seventh-place match. He won an Ironman title at 106 last season.

IC Catholic Prep’s Michael Calcagno took the hard route to a seventh place at 215 after falling in the first round. Calcagno won five-straight matches in the consolation bracket before losing but then captured a 15-3 win over Crown Point, IN’s Will Clark to capture seventh place.

Nicholas Garcia captured eighth place to lead Marmion Academy. He fell 7-2 in the 113 quarterfinals to Notre Dame, PA’s Ayden Smith and split two close matches before losing 3-2 to Munaretto to take eighth place.

Ten medalists at the Women of Ironman Tournament

Ten Illinois competitors finished in the top eight at their weights at  the inaugural The Women of Ironman, an event which included individuals from 79 schools, that took place at Walsh Jesuit in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. 

Joliet Township had half of those medalists and that helped it to a seventh-place finish with 64 points and Loyola Academy took 15th place with 31.5 points. Hononegah (19), Joliet Catholic Academy (16) and Bolingbrook (15) also competed and they all had medal winners.

IWCOA Coach of the Year Liz Short’s Joliet Township co-op, which includes athletes from Joliet Central and Joliet West, were led by a third-place finish from Fernanda Miranda (235) while Eliana Paramo (115) placed fourth, Chloe Wong (105) took sixth, Vanessa O’Connor (145) was seventh and Bianca Campos (170) took eighth.

Also finishing in third place were Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller (115), Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi (125) and Bolingbrook’s Katie Ramirez-Quintero (135) while Joliet Catholic Academy’s Cheya Bishop (170) placed fifth and Loyola Academy’s Amelia Nidelea-Polanin (110) took sixth place.

Hiller won by fall in 4:31 in the 115 quarterfinals over Tri-Valley, OH’s Kandice Spry but then dropped a 6-4 decision to Bultler, PA’s Ana Malovich in the semifinals. Bouncing back with a fall, Hiller captured third place with another fall, this one in 1:54 over Paramo. Hiller ranked second overall with 43 total match points and tied for fourth place with 18 points in one match.

Cassioppi won a 14-4 major decision in the 125 quarterfinals over Tulsa Union, OK’s Aiyiana Perkins but then dropped a 7-4 decision to NorthMont, OH’s Lacie Knick in the semifinals. Following a 5-0 decision, she met Perkins again for third and won a 2-0 decision.

Ramirez-Quintero won 7-1 in the 135 quarterfinals over Harrison, OH’s Lilly Kinsel before falling 4-2 by sudden victory in the semifinals to Blair Academy, NJ’s Corryenne McNulty. She won a major decision and then beat Kinsel again, this time 7-5, in the third-place match.

Miranda got pinned in 0:17 by Tulsa Union, OK’s Azreal Smith in the 235 quarterfinals. But she assured herself of advancing to the third-place mat with a first-period fall and then won with another pin, in 4:19, over Olentangy Orange, OH’s Jenny Huaracha-Arellanos.

Paramo fell in the quarterfinals to Bultler, PA’s Ana Malovich but then won three in a row, which included two falls, to compete in the third-place match at 115 against Hiller, who pinned her in 1:54.

Bishop fell in the 170 quarterfinals to Loveland, OH’s Elizabeth Madison but won three of her final four matches with falls to take fifth place. Nidelea-Polanin lost her opener at 110 and then had to win twice, which included a 4-3 decision, to help her finish sixth.

Wong won by fall in 2:39 over Tulsa Union, OK’s Skylar Tran in the 105 quarterfinals before getting pinned in 1:16 by Harrison, OH’s Chloe Dearwester in the semifinals. But she was unable to win her next two matches, losing by fall in both, to place sixth.

O’Connor lost in the 145 quarterfinals to Columbia, OH’s Youstina Hanna and then split her two matches to take seventh while Campos fell in the 170 quarterfinals to Erie Prep Academy, PA’s Alexandra Alli and won her next match before losing the next two to place eighth.

Brother Rice edged for title at Pueblo East Invitational

Brother Rice put up a good fight in its quest to win the Pueblo East Invitational in Pueblo, Colorado but the host team prevailed by a 160-158.5 margin to claim top honors in the 19-team competition.

Leading the way for coach Jan Murzyn’s runner-up Crusaders was Mac Murzyn, who took second place at 285 after getting pinned in 1:05 by Centarus, CO’s Xavier Valentin-Bradford. Brother Rice had six third-place finishers as well as two more who took fourth place.

Finishing in third place for the runner-u Crusaders were James Bennett (132), Jack O’Connor (144), Gambino Perez (165), Colin Goggin (175), James Crane (190) and Nick Baser (215) while Dan Tait (106) and Oliver Davis (138) both claimed fourth place. Baser ranked second in most pins in the least time with four in 4:39. 

Quincy Senior has two champions at Baltzley Invitational

Owen Uppinghouse (165) and Bryor Newbold (175) both captured titles for Quincy Senior at the Baltzley Invitational, a 13-team invite that was held in Johnston, Iowa. The Blue Devils finished eighth in the tournament. Uppinghouse won a 9-8 decision over Johnston, IA’s Jacob Helgeson in the 165 finals and Newbold claimed a 4-1 decision over Waverly-Shell Rock, IA’s Braxten Westendorf in the 175 finals.

Triad places third at Hazelwood West Girls Tournament

Although Triad and Belleville East didn’t have many competitors in the event, both teams had two champions at the 12-team Hazelwood West Girls Tournament, which took place in Hazelwood, Missouri.

Triad claimed third with 61 points and placed all of its five entrants in the top five with Kelsey Davis (115) and Harmony Martin (145) winning titles in the round-robin competition. Daisy Smith (120) took third place and Imani Hawkins (135) finished fourth. Davis and Martin won all four of their matches with falls.

Belleville East only had two individuals participating, and both Alexcia Hardin (110) and Kami Ratcliff (155) won championships. Hardin recorded four falls and Ratcliff had pins in both of her matches.

Wauconda snares Tom Dubois title at Richmond-Burton

By Bobby Narang for the IWCOA

The 2023 Tom Dubois varsity wrestling meet was a must-see event on Saturday at Richmond-Burton High School.

Tucked away in the northern portion of the state, just a few miles away from hoops haven Hebron and a 10-minute drive to the Wisconsin border, this year’s version of the Tom Dubois featured some of the top wrestlers from area high schools all aiming to make a memorable mark early in December.

One team, in particular, had Dec. 9 circled as a key testing ground: Wauconda.

The Class 2A school had not won the prestigious meet in several years, according to Wauconda coach Trevor Jauch.

The Bulldogs came into the season with high expectations, mainly due to a strong group of returnees along with some promising newcomers. That potential showed on Saturday.

The Bulldogs cruised to the team title, compiling 210 points to blow past second-place Hampshire (166.5), Crystal Lake South (147), Jacobs (142) and host Richmond-Burton (136). Wheaton Academy just missed the top-five cut, finishing with 120 points for sixth place. Johnsburg placed seventh (79), Lake Forest took eighth (71), while Grayslake North (65) and Marengo (58) rounded out the top 10 teams in the 18-team field.

The Bulldogs placed third last season.

“I can’t remember the last time we won (this meet),” Jauch said, smiling. “Our team is starting to come together. We had a good showing at the Barrington tournament, where we took fifth, the highest Class 2A team. We are starting to wrestle finally how we want to wrestle. We didn’t hold onto leads and try to put on more points. Our guys are starting to buy into scoring points.

“Gavin Rockey had a great tournament, so did Nate Randall. Both put a lot of points up on the board. They both got the job done. Nick Cheshier lost his finals match, but he wrestled a good tournament. Cole Porten also wrestled well. We had several strong performances up and down the lineup. Freshman Brian Hart took third at 132 but he could’ve easily been at the top of the podium. At 190, Mike Merevick is starting to turn some heads as well. He’s starting to put things together.”

Hampshire coach Matthew Todd also had reason to smile, but due to some other factors. While Todd was being interviewed following Saturday’s meet, several of his wrestlers had some fun trying to distract him.
“We had some consistency from our wrestlers,” Todd said. “They all showed up and did the work they needed to do and were aggressive. That’s been our mantra all year, just being aggressive and going after it. At 285, Joey Ochoa did very well for us. At 138, Logan Campbell did very well in his first tournament of the year. Our freshman at 190, Carter Hintz, stepped up and showed he could do very well. He’s a big freshman. It was another great tournament. We’re excited about what the next one holds for us.”
Richmond-Burton’s Emmett Nelson earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the lower weights by winning the 144-pound weight class, while Crystal Lake South’s Andy Burburija claimed the award at the upper weights.

Tom Dubois championship match breakdowns:

106 – Gavin Rockey, Wauconda

Wauconda’s Gavin Rockey (11-1) had to work for his title, ending a long and arduous match with a 15-2 major-decision victory over Jacobs’ Kristian Declercq in the title match.
“I just pushed the pace a lot today,” Rockey said. “I was trying to push the pace after the Barrington tournament. It was a lot slower out there at Barrington. I just realized I had to open up and push the pace. My coach talked about going out there strong.”
Rockey, a junior, said he’s aiming to top last season’s run, when he finished in second place at the Class 2A meet at 106. Rockey finished with a 29-6 record last season, losing to Grayslake Central’s Anthony Alanis in the state championship match.
“I feel pretty good right now,” Rockey said. “I definitely want to win state this year.”
Crystal Lake South’s Christopher Talbert won by fall in the third-place mat against Wheaton Academy’s Buckley Kazmierczak.

113 – Eric Bush, Johnsburg

Eric Bush was part of a strong wave of freshmen wrestlers who shined at Richmond-Burton. After a strong showing in junior high school, Bush continues to showcase his vast potential early in his career. He recorded a workmanlike 6-0 decision over Lake Forest’s Charlie Biddle to win the title at 113 pounds.

“I feel good about today,” Bush said. “I had to work hard in the finals. He was a tough kid. I felt strong and pretty good in the match. I worked hard from last year, but I know I still have to put in extra work to get better.”

In the third-place match, Hampshire sophomore Lou Jensen posted a 13-5 major-decision victory over Jacobs’ Anthony Martinez.

120 – Nate Randle, Wauconda

Sophomore Nate Randle played a big part in helping the Bulldogs pick up some early momentum with his 18-6 major-decision conquest over Jacobs’ Ben Arbotante in the title mat.

“The key for me was practicing my attacks,” Randle said. “Lately, I’ve been scared in my matches. My second match was my best match. I got through most of my attacks. I know if I get through most of my attacks, I can win now.”

Randle said he was happy to play a major role in his team capturing the title, especially since he missed last season’s Tom Dubois meet due to an injury. Randle is coming off a big first season wrestling, when he placed second at 113 pounds in Class 2A. He recorded a 31-9 record last season, losing a close 3-2 decision to Chatham Glenwood’s Drew Davis in the title match.

Randle said he’s slowly rounding himself into top form.

“It feels great,” Randle said. “I was out only a week and a half last year, but it was during this time. I kept thinking I could’ve won this tournament and help our team win it, so this feels great.”
Richmond-Burton’s Clay Madula knocked off Hampshire’s Andrew Salmeiri via a pin in the first period to take third place.

126 – Lincoln Hoger, Wheaton Academy

Lincoln Hoger gained a major confidence builder with a tough victory over Wauconda’s Lucas Galdine in the title match.

“I kept pushing through in the hard moments and didn’t give up when I was down,” Hoger said, a sophomore.

Also a lacrosse player, Hoger (12-3) said he didn’t have a highlight match but was happy with his consistency throughout Saturday’s difficult meet.

“I started the season a little bit slow, but it’s been picking up every day in practice and it keeps getting better,” Hoger said.

North Boone junior Gavin Ekberg pinned Richmond-Burton’s Kyan Gunderson for the third-place medal.

132 – Will Hupke, Wheaton Academy

Senior Will Hupke pinned Jacobs senior Antuan Barfield for the championship at 132 to improve his record on the season to 7-2. Hupke had a big cut under his left eye, but said the injury occurred on Tuesday.

“My eye didn’t bother me,” Hupke said, cracking a smile.

Hupke said he’s healthy and primed for a big push in the next few months.“I felt I wrestled really well on top and worked my stuff and worked my angles,” Hupke said. “I feel excited since we’re nearing the middle of the season. I’m excited for the rest of the season.”Freshman Brian Hart, of Wauconda, defeated Crystal Lake South’s Devyn Carrillo for third place.

138 – Cooper Daun, Wauconda

Wauconda senior Cooper Daun cruised to a 13-6 win over Hampshire’s Logan Campbell to win the championship at 138 pounds.

Daun said he’s a perfect 3-for-3 in picking up titles at the Dubois.

“It feels good to win,” Daun said. “I just tried to score as many points as possible. Everybody on the team wanted to just put on a show. My first match felt good, so that started me going. It was a good day. I need to finish my takedowns more and just be more aggressive.”

Crystal Lake South’s Brockton Miller, a sophomore, earned an 8-1 decision over Wheaton Academy’s Oscar Smith.

144 – Emmett Nelson, Richmond-Burton

Richmond-Burton junior Emmett Nelson received a big round of applause for his showing at the medal stand, helping the home team pick up some key points. Nelson pinned Wauconda senior Logan Andrews to win the 144-pound title.

Nelson made a splash on the mat – and off the mat. He donned a big wig on the podium to celebrate his big day.

“I had to get it, and now wear it to every meet,” he said. “I got a good pace going today. I don’t like low scoring matches. It’s boring to watch, so I try and score as many points as I can. I really wanted to see what I could do in my finals match and see how many points I could score. I have to keep my conditioning and confidence up. It’s huge to win here.”

Wheaton Academy sophomore Tyler Jones won by fall over Johnsburg senior Erik Bate for third place.

150 – Cole Porten, Wauconda

Wauconda senior Cole Porten (13-2) rolled to the title in his weight class, ending with a 9-1 major-decision over Wheaton Academy junior Chasen Kazmierczak in the title match. Porten was so focused on his matches that he joked that he couldn’t remember the reasons for his success, especially so soon after his finals victory.

“I felt really good about today,” Porten said. “I don’t know yet what I’m happy about. I’m still figuring that out. I’m just going to keep watching film.”

Richmond-Burton senior Isaac Jones claimed an 8-4 win over Rockford Auburn junior Arshoun Island on the third-place mat.

157 – Seth Digby, Lake Forest

One of the best and most anticipated matches took place at 157 pounds. Lake Forest senior Seth Digby and Wauconda senior Nick Cheshier hooked up for a must-see match on Mat 1. Digby (11-0) kept his record spotless with a 7-5 decision over Cheshier (11-2).

But Digby had a small bloody gash over his left eye.

“That just keeps coming back,” Digby said of the blood mark over his eye.
Digby was intense in his title match, even keeping a determined attitude following the victory.
“I felt good in that title match,” Digby said. “I put in a lot of work in the offseason, preseason and in the season. I feel all that hard work is starting to pay off. I just tried to remind myself that I’m working harder than all my opponents.

“I have to keep working hard, and maybe work on some top. Overall, I feel great. The weight cut hasn’t been too bad. I’ve been able to manage it well.”

Grayslake North junior Jacob Ronsman won by fall over Jacobs senior Casey Lechuga on the third-place mat.

165 – Brady Brewick, Genoa-Kingston

A few minutes after Digby won his weight class, Genoa-Kingston senior Brady Brewick took a different approach to his title win at 165. He celebrated with a his family, taking in a few hugs and smiles from his teammates to cherish the milestone.

Brewick, a senior who also plays football, pinned Hampshire’s Michael Brannigan to claim the title at 165.
“I felt good out there in the last match,” he said. “I felt I was dominating the whole match even though it was low scoring in the first period. I knew once I controlled my ties and took over that I was going to win my match. I’m feeling great so far. I took a rough loss in my first meet of the season. I’ve been working hard since that. It pushed me hard. I knew I was better than that.

Brewick, who said he rarely leaves the field in football, is excited about his senior wrestling season after missing most of last season with an injury.

“I worked really hard in the offseason,” he said. “I had a couple of weeks before the start of wrestling after football ended. My goal this year is to win a state championship. I lost in the blood round in sectionals last year, so I’m motivated. I was out about five weeks last year but came back a week before regionals. It feels great to be healthy. I feel at the top of my game, seeing some good progress with some more stuff to improve on.”

Johnsburg freshman Duke Mays snared an 8-4 win over Jacobs’ Daniel Mendez in the third-place bout.

175 – Kaden Combs, Woodstock North

Woodstock North senior Kaden Combs cruised to a 7-2 win over Crystal Lake South senior Caden Casimino in the 175-pound title match. Combs (15-1) is off to solid start, ending his day with a momentum-building win.

Hampshire junior Aidan Rowells won by a 7-2 major decision against Jacobs sophomore Johnny Strauss in the third-place match.

190 – Carter Hintz, Hampshire

Hampshire freshman Carter Hintz is living up to his potential. A tall and strong wrestler, Hintz pinned Richmond-Burton senior Alex Reyna for the 190-pound title. Hintz (12-3) said he didn’t have any projections for Saturday’s last match, taking a see-how-it-goes approach.

“I just tried hard and wrestled hard,” Hintz said. “The last match was probably my best one. I kind of went in doubting myself, so I kind of surprised myself. I don’t even know why (I doubted myself). I knew he was a tough wrestler.”

Wauconda junior Mike Merevick won by fall in the third-place mat against Rockford Auburn’s Joshua Nabors.

215 – Dominic Ariola, Crystal Lake South

Crystal Lake South senior Dominic Ariola remained somewhat shocked by his performance on Saturday, even after receiving his first-place medal at 215 pounds. Ariola celebrated his pin victory over Rockford Jefferson’s Karlondo Dubois with a memorable celebration.

“I just kept working hard and pushed through and mentally stayed focused the whole time,” Ariola said. “This feels great. I’ve come a long way. I’ve put in a lot of hard work. I’m glad it paid off.”

Ariola (9-2) admitted he was shocked by his stellar day.

“I had a good first-round matchup and had a solid match in my first match to go up,” Ariola said. “I didn’t have any expectations for today, so it felt great to place number one. Now, I’m trying to get down to sectionals and state.”

At third place, Lake Forest sophomore Yaree Sandifer (13-5) won via pin over Richmond-Burton freshman Breckin Campbell.

285 – Andy Burburija, Crystal Lake South

Crystal Lake South senior Andy Burburija wrapped up a long day and a solid day – for himself – by pinning Hampshire senior Joey Ochoa in the 285 final. Burburija (9-0), who plays on the offensive and defensive lines in football, said he was happy to end his day with a title.

“He was good on his feet, but it was finals, so I just took my time and see if my shot was there,” Burburija said. “I felt pretty good in all of my matches today. I can’t believe it’s almost the middle of December so far. It’s gone so fast.”

Durand senior Domani Orto (9-1) closed out his day by pinning Grayslake North freshman Anthony Metzel in the third-place bout.

===============================
Tom Dubois championship match results:

106 – Gavin Rockey (Wauconda) 15-2 MD Kristian Declercq (Jacobs)

113 – Eric Bush (Johnsburg) D 6-0 Charlie Biddle (Lake Forest)

120 – Nate Randle (Wauconda) 18-6 MD Ben Arbotante (Jacobs)

126 – Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) SV-1 7-5 Lucas Galdine (Wauconda)

132 – Will Hupke (Wheaton Academy) F 0:45 Antuan Barfield (Jacobs)

138 – Cooper Daun (Wauconda) D 13-6 Logan Campbell (Hampshire)

144 – Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) F 3:31 Logan Andrews (Wauconda)

150 – Cole Porten (Wauconda) MD 9-1 Chasen Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy)

157 – Seth Digby (Lake Forest) D 7-5 Nick Cheshier (Wauconda)

165 – Brady Brewick (Genoa-Kingston) F 3:07 Michael Brannigan (Hampshire)

175 – Kaden Combs (Woodstock North), D 7-2 Caden Casimino (Crystal Lake South)

190 – Carter Hintz (Hampshire) F 1:47 Alex Reyna (Richmond-Burton)

215 – Dominic Ariola (Crystal Lake South) F 5:08 Karlondo Dubois (Rockford Jefferson)

285 – Andy Burburija (Crystal Lake South) F. 3:55 Joey Ochoa (Hampshire)

Final team scores: 1. Wauconda (210) 2. Hampshire (166.5) 3. Crystal Lake South (147) 4. Jacobs (142) 5. Richmond-Burton (136) 6. Wheaton Academy (120) 7. Johnsburg (79) 8. Lake Forest (71) 9. Grayslake North (65) 10. Marengo (58) 11. Genoa-Kingston (49) 12. Auburn (47) 13. Jefferson (42) 14. Woodstock (39) 15. Durand (34.5) 16. North Boone (33) 17. Woodstock North (29.5) 18. Winnebago (14).

Buffalo Grove beats the field at its own Rex Lewis Invite

Bison win Rex Lewis for the first time

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

In a wrestling program that has produced state champions such as Lindsey Durlacher, Nick Blackshaw, and Kyle Czarnecki, Buffalo Grove has never in its history been able to lift the championship trophy at its own Rex Lewis Invite.

Rex Lewis, a wonderful man who gave so much of his time to so many activities in the school —including becoming president of the first Bison Booster Club in 1973 — became a big fan of the sport of wrestling as all four of his sons competed while at Buffalo Grove.

The first Rex Lewis tournament was held in 1976, and at that time it was the first dual meet tournament in the state of Illinois. It became an individual event in 1992.

So from the very beginning in 1976 until Saturday afternoon in the Buffalo Grove gymnasium, not one Bison team had claimed the top prize until George Beres’ club did so.

During a day when several teams took turns atop the leader board, it was the Bison who took control for good when senior Caden Watson pinned his man in the 195-pound final to officially close out the field for good.

Watson and his teammates finished with 166.5 overall points, with last year’s champion Schaumburg chasing 12 points and ending the day in second place with 154.5 points.

Elk Grove (146.5), Morris (140.0) and St. Patrick (136.0) rounded out the top five, each of which found themselves on top of the field at one time or another.

“It’s just a great feeling to win our own tournament, and it sounds like for the first time ever in program history,” said an elated Watson.

“It was a real team effort, which is something you need in order to win a tournament championship, so it’s something we should all be very proud of.”

“Last year we ended way down the list at this tournament, and looking back, we’ve never been very close to the top 2-3 teams,” began Bison head coach George Beres.

“Just last night we lost to Hersey in a dual. But the guys came in here today so focused on putting together a real team effort, and that’s exactly what they did.

“When we came in last year as a new coaching staff, it was clear we needed everyone to buy into what we were selling – and the boys have done just that with zero-hour workouts, guys making the commitment to train at great clubs outside of high school, and just dedicating themselves to the program and their teammates.

“Last week we beat fantastic programs like Barrington and Huntley to win our own jayvee tournament. That really provided the inspiration for the rest of the guys who saw our jayvee put a great effort in to finish on top of seventeen other teams.”

Watson appreciated the lesson his boys can learn from winning Saturday’s tournament.

“This is something we can build from, but everyone knows there is a lot of work and wrestling ahead of us. But we can all now see the hard work will pay off if we continue to put the work in,” Watson said.

Rex Lewis championship match breakdowns:

106 – Owen Sater, Morris 

Morris sophomore Owen Sater got the final round off and running following his 3-1 decision over top seed Daniel Goodwin of St. Patrick to win the 106-pound crown.

Sater (13-1) who came in as the No. 3 seed would start down in the second period, earn one point for his escape then add to his lead later on before conceding an escape to Goodwin, who entered the tournament as the No. 4 man in 2A at 106.

“(Goodwin) was a real tough opponent,” Goodwin said, “So it was important to wrestle smart, and to stay cool and calm, especially in that third period when I knew if I could ride him out that I would win the match,”

Sater did indeed ride out Goodwin for the last two minutes before time.

Sater, a sectional qualifier a year ago with a 16-7 record despite missing time to a concussion, opened his day with a pin at 2:27, then sent off No. 2 Austin Phelps from Schaumburg in their semifinal with yet another pin at 3:15. That booked his place in the finals opposite Goodwin, who is now 12-1 on the season.

Sam Sikorsky (Geneva, 13-5) majored Austin Phelps (Schaumburg, 11-3) in the third place match, and Ermuun Urtanasan (Glenbrook South, 10-3) earned fifth place honors due to a forfeit.

113 – Brock Claypool, Morris

Brock Claypool made quick work of all three of his opponents to easily win the 113-pound title.

The Morris freshman needed just over three minutes to finish off the competition, including his super-quick pin of No. 2 seed Bryce Mensik (Lake Park, 11-3) in 39 seconds to move his overall record to a sparkling 14-0.

Claypool won by fall at 0:50 in his quarterfinal match, then won by fall at 1:50 in his semifinal match against Geneva’s Andrew Hosman. Mensik also used a pair of pins to reach the finals, with a fall at 4:58 in his semifinal against Glenbrook North’s Ayaan Rizwan.

Rizwan (10-3)) finished his day on a high note when he recorded a 16-1 technical fall result over Hosman to earn third-place honors, while Savion Essiet (Romeoville) grabbed fifth place after his fall at 3:05 against Dawson Horvath from Buffalo Grove.

120 – Brian Farley, Romeoville

Romeoville senior Brian Farley (10-0) gave his club its lone title of the day following his 5-1 decision over St. Patrick sophomore Calvin Stahl (11-2) in a contest of the top two seeds in this weight division.

“It’s nice to win here, but I could have been much more aggressive than I was in my final, especially in the second period after I got that escape to go up 3-0,” admitted Farley, who was a state qualifier a year ago, finishing up at 23-7.

“My first two guys at state ended up state medal winners (Teddy Flores, Damian Recendez), but even though I went 0-2 there, the experience of getting downstate will really help me this year,” said Farley, ranked No. 4 in the latest state polls.

Trent Tono (12-2) from Niles North won third place via a forfeit, while Bryan Sanchez (Schaumburg) pinned Ammar Khan from Glenbrook South for fifth place.

126 – Grant Madl, Elk Grove

Grant Madl could have easily been the OWA choice on the day after his dominating effort en route to his second consecutive Rex Lewis title.

The Elk Grove senior opened with a fall at 1:59, followed by a 19-3 tech-fall before closing out his championship day with an impressive 10-0 major of Jaxon Jorgensen from Mt. Carmel.

“There is no doubt three straight blood-round losses at sectionals has motivated me to do whatever it takes to get downstate,” fifth-ranked Madl said. “I feel if I continue to work hard, stay the course in my training at school, and Izzy Style, while staying healthy,  there’s no doubt I’ll be on the podium in Champaign.”

Madl, now 15-1, who competed at Preseason Nationals and Beat the Streets, trains six, and sometimes seven days a week. He has impressed Elk Grove coach Dan Vargas with his commitment to excellence.

“Grant has beaten No. 7 Drew Fifield, and No. 8 Zev Koransky (OPRF) and recently lost to the No. 1 guy in 2A (Josh Vasquez) from Montini in overtime at the Neuqua Valley Invite for his only loss,” Vargas said. “You can see from his increased extra time in and out of the room has prepared him for his senior year.”

Cameron Engels (Bartlett, 11-4) majored Michael Shick (Glenbrook South, 10-4) in the third place match, and Sergio Hernandez (Lake Park, 14-4) came back to pin Daniel Derevlyak (Palatine) for fifth place overall.

132 – Carter Skoff, Morris

The third and final individual title for Morris came from top-seeded Carter Skoff, who is now 13-1 on the season following his pin of Justin Cortes-Apolinar of Schaumburg.

The Morris junior lost in his blood-round match a year ago at Burlington Central and finished up with a 30-16 record. He needed just 4:40 spanning three victories to pin his way to the title.

“I was in a tough regional last year at (120) but it was still a little disappointing not advancing into sectionals,” Skoff said.

“But not qualifying really helped push me to put in a lot of time during the offseason, getting a lot of extra time on the mat and competing at tournaments against really good competition. So I feel like I’m ready this year to get downstate.”

Romeoville junior Alan Amaya finished third after his 6-5 decision over JR Leach (Lake Park) and Dulguun Nyamdavaa (Maine North, 10-2) finished fifth after his 16-3 major decision victory over David Sartoev (9-4) from Buffalo Grove.

138 – Rocco Fontela, Schaumburg

Schaumburg senior Rocco Fontela proved too much for the rest of his opponents at 138 by recording a pair of pins on each side of a 5-0 win in his semifinal to capture his first major of the season.

“I felt good out there today. I’m bigger, stronger, and have a better understanding of what I need to do in order to get downstate after falling short last year,” opined Fontela, now 10-4 after his pin at 5:27 over No. 3 seed Aiden Fladeland (10-3) from Glenbrook South.

After helping his club win the Streamwood regional last season with a regional title of his own, Fontela lost in the blood round at the Conant sectional to dash his hopes of a trip to Champaign.

“It didn’t feel good after my 6-5 loss at sectionals, so I made the decision to put in the extra work during the offseason so it wouldn’t happen again,” said Fontela.

Bartlett junior Nick Barton (11-6) recorded a 10-3 decision over Rodrigo Gonzalez of Romeoville for third place honors, and Maxwell Turner (Buffalo Grove) pinned Damari Miller (Larkin, 10-4) for fifth place.

144 – Niko Karamaniolas, St. Patrick

Niko Karamaniolas got off to a flying start on Saturday, needing just 46 seconds to advance into the semifinals at 144.

However, once there the St. Patrick senior kept the Shamrocks’ faithful on the edge of their collective seats. It began with a thrilling 6-4 sudden death victory over state-ranked Tyler Semlar of Morris.

Karamaniolas then made sure the stress level stayed at its peak during his exciting 9-8 decision in the 144-pound final with No. 1 seed Callen Kirchner of Schaumburg. Two thrilling wins helped Karamaniolas not only win his second straight Rex Lewis title, but also earn OWA honors at the end of the day.

“My semifinal and final were such tough matches against two really great guys,” began Karamaniolas (8-1) who came into the tournament as the No. 6-rated man in 2A at 144.

“Our weight class was really tough. I was able to get my semifinal back to 4-4 with a third period takedown, and get another in overtime, which felt really good.

St. Patrick coach Dominic Angelo was happy to see his senior win Saturday’s title.

“Niko lost to the Vernon Hills kid (Jack McGowean) in the semi’s last year at sectionals, so to get past him in his first match was big,” Angelo said.

“And Semlar beat him in late October at the BTS Preseason tournament, so I told him at the start of the day that he needed to be in state-tournament mode right from the start.”

Karamaniolas cut Kirchner’s lead to 4-3 with a reversal to start the third period but Kirchner —No. 4 in 3A at 144 — went ahead at 7-3 to take over the contest.

“I never felt out of the match, but I also knew I had to do something soon to help give me a chance,” admitted Karamaniolas.

“Niko was able to respond by staying composed, and trusting his training,” Angelo said, “I knew from that and his body language, good things were about to happen for him in that final.”

The final, frantic 30 seconds saw Karamaniolas reverse Kirchner to make it 7-5. He cut Kirchner to make it 8-5; plenty of pace and purpose saw Karamaniolas cut his deficit to 8-7 before his double sent Kirchner to his back just before the final buzzer for the win. 

“Niko had a phenomenal day in what I felt was the deepest weight class of the tournament,” Angelo said. “When I saw the brackets, we knew it would not be an easy day at all.”

Tyler Semlar (13-2) majored Andrew Haritos (Glenbrook South, 12-3) for third place, and Lake Park senior Vince Merola (10-3) won by forfeit for fifth place.

150 – Gavin Hinkle, Schaumburg

Schaumburg’s unseeded Gavin Hinkle sent off the number three- and four-seeds and then ended the hopes of the top-seed, Lake Park’s Chase Hofstetter, with a hard-fought 6-4 decision to win the crown at 150.

Hinkle (6-5), who like teammate Rocco Fontela, fell short in the blood round at sectionals, saw his sophomore season end with a very respectable 25-15 record, but was unable to get a ticket to Champaign.

“Yeah, it was disappointing not getting downstate, but I learned from last year and have carried it into this year that you have to go out and stay composed and just grind out those tough matches if you want to win,” Hinkle said.

Hinkle found himself chasing a 4-0 advantage built by Hofstetter (9-5) midway through the first period, but got back level at 4-4 with a minute before time. The Saxons junior went ahead for good with 30 seconds remaining and would stay busy with a hard ride to ensure victory.

Buffalo Grove’s Sonny Tugs (6-4) won 2-1 in a tiebreaker over Palatine’s Alan Allende in the third place match and Glenbrook South’s Ilan Ruderman (9-3) pinned St. Patrick’s Sebastian Bruno in 3:33 for fifth place.

157 – Van Grasser, St. Patrick

Van Grasser went out early in his 157 final with Elk Grove’s Anthony Macina and never looked back as the St. Patrick sophomore claimed the second title for the Shamrocks with a pin at 4:38.

After a scoreless first period, Grasser (13-4), who earlier came back from a 5-0 first period deficit to defeat the Geneva’s top-seed Peyton Marzen in the semifinals, reversed Macina (11-7) midway through the third period to go up 6-2 in advance of his early third period pin.

“Van’s performances have gotten better each week, in three tournaments he’s gone from fifth, to fourth, to the top of the podium,” said the proud Shamrocks head coach, Dominic Angelo.

“He was really tested in his semifinal, getting caught on his back, and eventually finding himself down 7-2 heading into the third period. He kept pushing the pace, which saw him outscoring his opponent (9-1) in the third period to win 11-8 to move on.”

“His final wasn’t picture perfect, but again, he stayed level headed, kept the pace high, and just like the semifinals, it was just a matter of time until dominated for the pin, and title,” added Angelo.

“(His) skill has visually improved with each week and he’s not even at 20 percent of his full potential, but he did well when tested in his last two matches.”

Marzen (15-4) pinned Schaumburg’s Kolin Little (9-6) in 0:44 to take third place and Glenbrook South’s Henry Downing (13-3) won by fall in 5:46 over Morris’ Andrew Paull (11-5) to finish fifth.

165 – Chris Chi, Buffalo Grove

Chris Chi has been a pleasant surprise in the Buffalo Grove room, who welcomed back the junior after a year away from the sport.

Chi (9-2) began his successful journey to the 165 title with a pin at 1:40, then got wins by technical fall over his next two opponents before recording a pin at 1:57 over the top-seed, Vernon Hills’ Ilia Dvoriannikov (5-1), a 2022 2A state qualifier, to capture the first of two titles on the day for the Bison.

“I’m just trying to work as hard as I can in the room with my partners, and coaching staff, and to be the very best that I can,” said Chi, who only began in the sport in seventh grade.

“Chris is easily one of the hardest workers in the room, day in and day out, he trains the same way every morning in zero hour, then in P.E. lifting class,” Bison coach George Beres said.

“One of the most impressive things about Chris is after being away for a year, his teammates have looked to him as one of our leaders, and the guy who will go out and compete full speed, full intensity for six minutes. The best thing about him is he is just a phenomenal young man.”

Chi turned this weight class upside-down, as the top two seeds, Dvoriannikov and Geneva’s Cam McGoarty, didn’t meet in the final.

Lake Park’s Max Mohapp (6-3) pinned McGoarty (12-7) in 4:17 in the third-place match and Morris’ Ian Wills (8-8) won by fall in 2:55 over Glenbrook South’s Drew Philbrick (9-6) for fifth.

175 – Benny Schlosser, Elk Grove

Benny Schlosser found himself in a whole lot of trouble in his 175-pound final with the No. 2 seed, Mason Gougis, when he trailed the Romeoville senior by a near-insurmountable 10-2 deficit with one minute left in the third period.

However, the Elk Grove senior found his chance to strike and moments later, he would stun his opponent with a pin at 5:11 to claim the second of three championship trophies for the Grenadiers.

“I wasn’t able to do much of anything for most of the match, but it turned out to be a happy ending for me,” said an elated Schlosser, who is now 12-3 on the season.

“I knew I had to do something so I just ‘jacked-him-up and felt the opening to strike,” added Schlosser, who conceded two straight takedowns to begin the third period to fall far behind Gougis (7-3), who was a state qualifier and a Lewis Invite champ a year ago.

Glenbrook North’s Kieran O’Sullivan (9-4) was a winner by fall in 1:18 over St. Patrick’s Devin Nichol (12-7) in the third-place match and Niles North’s Dionisi Ballas (14-3) pinned Buffalo Grove’s Jaime Garay in 5:22 to claim fifth place.

190 – Caden Watson, Buffalo Grove

You would be hard pressed to believe after first glance that Caden Watson competes at 190 as the Buffalo Grove senior has the size and muscle of a much larger wrestler.

All of that strength, now combined with a lot more technique, helped lead Watson to pin his way into the 190-pound final in his home gym, where he overwhelmed Palatine’s Trey Wildlowski with a win by technical fall at 5:14.

“It feels great to win this title and the team title in our home gym, it proves that hard work, commitment and dedication to the sport eventually pays off,” said Watson, who has high hopes of attending West Point next fall.

“I always felt I was one of the strongest guys out there, but I found out how important technique really was. So I’ve spent a lot of time improving that part of my game but I also know there’s a lot of work ahead of me if I want to continue to have success,” added Watson, now 10-1 with his lone defeat to Prospect’s top-rated Jaxon Penovich.

“Jaxon is at a whole other level, but I’ll keep working to put myself in position to get downstate, then see what happens when I get there,.” Watson said.

Glenbrook South’s Nathan Crecan (8-2), who was unseeded, beat the top-seed, Larkin’s Joshua Castillo (10-4) 2-1 to take third place. And the  No. 2 seed, Elk Grove’s Mo Burt (5-1), also won a 2-1 decision to capture fifth place over Bartlett’s James Smrha (10-5).

215 – Joe Pettit, Geneva

Geneva senior Joe Pettit followed in the footsteps of his friend, John Schmidt, by lifting a Rex Lewis championship crown one year after his former teammate collected the top prize at 195.

“John was a great partner and friend in the room, and he’s having a great year at Harper Community College right now, so I am looking forward to training with him during our holiday break,” said Pettit, who was third at 120 last season in the Lewis Invite and later dropped his state opener to the eventual 3A champion, Yorkville’s Ben Alvarez.

Pettit, who reminded that he lost to Elk Grove’s Dylan Berkowitz in his sectional semifinal last season, showed little mercy when meeting the top-seeded Berkowitz in his 215 final by recording a pin at just 1:36.

“I wanted to be bigger and stronger for my senior year, so I spent a lot of time doing so during the offseason to get myself downstate once again and get on the podium,” said Pettit, who also plays football.

Pettit (15-2) pinned the No. 2-seed, and a 2022 state qualifier, St. Patrick’s Aiden Gomez, to advance into his final with Berkowitz (13-3), who pinned his way into the last match in lightning speed.

Last year, Schmidt would be joined by Dylan Konkey (160) atop the podium in the event. Both Schmidt, and Joey Sikorsky continue to wrestle on the collegiate level at Harper Community College, while Konkey, and Maguire Hoeksman are doing the same at Carthage College.

Niles North’s Ahmad Musa (13-2) won 3-1 in sudden victory over Gomez (12-6) for third place. St. Patrick’s Jack Clancy (4-1) took fifth place following his pin of Lake Park’s Mathias Ewuoso (10-5) at 5:10.

285 – Mikey Milovich, Elk Grove

It appears as though Mikey Milovich is no longer a surprise in the heavyweight class this season.

The Elk Grove junior ran his record  to 16-0 after dominating his competition with a trio of pins on his way to his first Rex Lewis title.

“This season it’s all about staying cool, calm and composed, using what my speed and quickness to my advantage, while working as hard as I can taking in everything my coaches, Dan Vargas and Steve Polley, throw at me,” said Milovich following his pin in 3:36 over Buffalo Grove senior John Saracco (6-6) in the 285 final.

“Coach (Vargas) and I have a lot of talks in the room about how to approach each match, and those talks have really helped me so much this year. If I stay humble and do the work, I can get myself downstate for sure,” added Milovich, who was an offensive lineman for the Grenadiers in the fall and a recent champion at Neuqua Valley.

Milovich advanced to the Conant Sectional last season, and ended with a 23-11 overall record.

Romeoville’s Jamir Thomas (7-4) pinned Palatine’s Parker Brault (6-2) in 2:48 to claim third place. And Maine East’s Victor Nitchev (9-3) beat Niles North’s Julius Caban (7-5) 6-4 in sudden victory for fifth.

Championship matches for Buffalo Grove’s Rex Lewis Invite

106 – Owen Sater (Morris) D 3-1 Daniel Goodwin (St. Patrick)

113 – Brock Claypool (Morris) F 0:39 Bryce Mensik (Lake Park)

120 – Brian Farley (Romeoville) D 5-1 Calvin Stahl (St. Patrick)

126 – Grant Madl (Elk Grove) MD 10-0 Jaxon Jorgensen (Mount Carmel)

132 – Carter Skoff (Morris) F 1:50 Justin Cortes-Apolinar (Schaumburg)

138 – Rocco Fontela (Schaumburg) F 5:27 Aiden Fladeland (Glenbrook North)

144 – Nikolas Karamaniolas (St. Patrick) D 9-8 Callen Kirchner (Schaumburg)

150 – Gavin Hinkle (Schaumburg) D 6-4 Chase Hofstetter (Lake Park)

157 – Van Grasser (St. Patrick) F 4:38 Anthony Macina (Elk Grove)

165 – Chris Chi (Buffalo Grove) F 1:57 Ilia Dvoriannikov (Vernon Hills)

175 – Benny Schlosser (Elk Grove) F 5:11 Mason Gougis (Romeoville)

190 – Caden Watson (Buffalo Grove) TF 5:14 Trey Wildlowski (Palatine)

215 – Joe Pettit (Geneva) F 1:36 Dylan Berkowitz (Elk Grove)

285 – Mikey Milovich (Elk Grove) F 3:36 John Saracco (Buffalo Grove)

Team standings for Buffalo Grove’s Rex Lewis Invite

1. Buffalo Grove (166.5),  2. Schaumburg (154.5), 3. Elk Grove (146.5) 4. Morris (140), 5. St. Patrick (136), 6. Lake Park (131), 7. Romeoville (127.5), 8. Glenbrook South (124.5), 9. Geneva (97), 10. Glenbrook North (79), 11. Bartlett (78), 12. Palatine (71), 13. Niles North (70.5), 14. Mount Carmel (37), 15. Vernon Hills (33), 16. Larkin (31), 17. Maine East (29).

Mundelein captures Marchese title at Hoffman Estates

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Every scoring wrestler for Mundelein who posted any team points whatsoever was obviously vital to the Mustangs’ winning their second consecutive team title at Hoffman Estates’ Mickey Marchese Memorial tournament.

But it was Mundelein’s Celso Cabrera and Abisai Hernandez who provided some late high-drama moments and pivotal bonus points to clinch the Mustangs’ 178.5-175 win over second-place Notre Dame on Saturday.

Cabrera trailed in his title match at 215 before winning by fall, and Hernandez similarly won by fall on the fifth-place mat at 285, giving Mundelein the  tournament team title by a nose.

And where high drama is concerned, it was Cabrera’s come-from-behind fall that loomed largest.

“I think we were behind before (Cabrera’s) match and I think he was the one who officially won it for us,” Mundelein coach Craig Stocker said. “He wrestled his (backside) off for us today.

“We only brought ten guys so we knew it was going to be an uphill battle. Last year we won this tournament and we’ve got a better team this year so I told them if they all came to wrestle, we’d be in a good spot to repeat. And they did. Every single kid got us at least one win and we had eight placers. They got it done.”

Cabrera likes what he’s seeing from this year’s Mustangs.

“We lost some key people from last year but this team is strong,” Cabrera said. “Some of us from last year have gotten better and this year will be a lot better than last year. We’re more experienced and more unified because we’re going through all of it together.”

Homewood-Flossmoor (159.5) finished third in the 17-team tournament, followed by Lane Tech (151) and Stagg (121.5) to round out the top five team finishes.

Mundelein had three individual champions on the day in Ethan Banda (138), Kevin Hernandez (150), and Cabrera (215), plus second-place finishes from Ethan Thomas (157) and Macson Rastrelli (165). 

Banda garnered the most team points for the Mustangs with 28; Kevin Hernandez and Cabrera had 26 team points apiece; and Thomas and Rastrelli posted 24 points apiece for the team.

Pedro Becerra (120) placed third for Mundelein, while Neftali Cernas (113) was fourth and Abisai Hernandez (285) was fifth.

Second-place Notre Dame had six second-place finishers in Ray Long (106), John Sheehy (113), Tim Bridges (144), Sean Adams (175), Jack Malenock (190) and Scott Cook (285). The Dons also got a third from Sean Cook (215) and fifths from John Greifelt (120) and Dean Lazaris (157) for coach Anthony Genovesi.

Third-place Homewood-Flossmoor was led by individual champion Davion Henry (106) and runner-up Khamryn Beaver (215). The Vikings also got thirds from Diondre Henry (113), Brian Ingram (144), and Ian Lawrence (150) for coach Jim Sokoloski.

For the tournament, the most pins in the least time came from Thornton-Fractional North’s Joseph Merritt (157), who had four pins in 3:46. Cary-Grove’s Noah Pechotte’s two tech falls in 7:58 at 157 were the most tech falls in the least time.

Carmel Catholic’s Tony Hinojosa (144) finished with the most team points scored by any wrestler with 29.5; Wheeling’s Alex Nesterenko (132) scored the most points in a single match with 24; and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Brian Ingram (144) scored the most total match points of any wrestler present with 60.

The former Hawk Invite was renamed in 2013 for former Hoffman Estates wrestler and assistant coach Mickey Marchese, who passed away that year. As a wrestler, Marchese was twice a state runner-up for the Hawks in 1985 and ’86 before wrestling collegiately at Illinois State. 

Marchese then spent more than 20 years giving back to the sport as a coach, both at the youth level and as an assistant coach at Hoffman Estates.

Mickey Marchese Memorial tournament championship match breakdowns:

106 – Davion Henry, Homewood-Flossmoor

The first title match of the finals may well have been the most thrilling and dramatic, when H-F junior Davion Henry (8-1) and Notre Dame freshman Ray Long (11-2) squared off at 106. 

Each wrestler posted a pair of takedowns, fifth-seeded Henry twice fought through injury time, and the match ended in a 7-7 tie after three periods. Henry earned a takedown with one second left in overtime to snare a 9-7 decision win over third-seeded Long.

Henry had to dig deep to beat Long, and he pulled it off.

“It was a tough match because I was going into the match cramping, but I wasn’t letting anything stop me because I came here to win it,” Henry said. “I’ve been working hard. My coaches make me work hard so I had to keep pushing through it.”

The late winning takedown was just what the doctor ordered for Henry.

“I knew I had the single. I couldn’t dump it so I got to the upper leg and finished it,” Henry said. “I’m happy with the way I pushed through injury and that I’m working hard.”

Wheeling’s David Perez captured third place with an 8-5 decision over Lane Tech’s Evan Coles, and Wheeling’s Frankie Katz won a 6-4 decision for fifth place against Stagg’s Javier Corral.

113 – Alex Valentin, Lane Tech 

‘Never say never’ seemed to be the theme of the championship round, starting with Valentin’s stunning turn of fortune against Notre Dame’s John Sheehy.

Second-seeded Valentin (14-2) took a 3-2 lead with a takedown before top-seeded Sheehy (9-2) used a takedown and back points to grab a 10-3 lead after one period. Sheehy led 12-4 in the second when Valentin caught him in a bad position, reversed him, and pinned him for the win and the title at the 3:13 mark.

Chasing a big deficit in the match, Valentin stayed calm.

“I’m not thinking about winning and losing, I’m thinking about how I can get my next point, in the next moment,” Valentin said. “I just had to be confident in myself and what I can do.

“I still need to work on my neutral takedown defense — I was below my expectations today but I did so much off-season wrestling that when I got taken down (in the finals) I didn’t worry about it. I was just thinking about the next moment in the match.”

Valentin also sees good things ahead for a Lane Tech team that placed fourth on Saturday.

“My freshman year we were not really a team yet but now the team is compact. When one of us is doing well the expectations now are for all of us to do well.”

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Diondre Henry won a major decision for third place against Mundelein’s Neftali Cernas, and Harlem’s Justin Lewis won by fall for fifth against Cary-Grove’s Peter Hayden.

120 – Aiden Villar, Plainfield East

Second-seeded Villar (3-0) won by fall for the title at the 5:56 mark against eighth-seeded Anas Ahmed (9-3). Villar won a 7-4 decision in his semifinal match against Notre Dame’s John Greifelt, while Ahmed won by fall in his quarterfinal match against top-seeded Pedro Becerra of Mundelein and then won by fall to reach the finals.

Becerra took third place via 12-9 decision against Homewood-Flossmoor’s Roan Dukes, and Greifelt won by major decision for fifth against Maine West’s Logan Battersby.

126 – Robert James Zavala, Lane Tech

Second-seeded Zavala (16-2) posted a pair of takedowns and back points before winning by fall for the title against top-seeded Max Katz (11-2) of Wheeling.

Zavala posted a pin before winning a 13-7 semifinal decision against Carmel’s Matthew Lucansky, while Katz won by first-period fall in his semifinal against Plainfield East’s Nick Polzin.

Lucansky won by fall on the third-place mat against Polzin, and Thornton-Fractional North’s Tamilore Ogundeyi won by fall for fifth place against Cary-Grove’s Ignacio Santander.

132 – Alazar Eyob, Hoffman Estates

There’s a change that comes over a wrestler when he goes from an underclassmen with little experience to an upperclassmen committed to the sport.

“It’s my mentality,” Eyob said after winning a Marchese title at 132. “I used to get scared walking in against certain guys but now I’ve wrestled just as much as they have, I’ve seen them at their worst, and now I know I can beat them at their best.”

Fourth-seeded Eyob (14-3) won by fall over Harlem’s third-seeded Izayah Olejniczak (8-2) to win his title. Eyob had a takedown in each of the first two periods to lead 4-2. He escaped to start the third, posted another takedown off an Olejniczak shot, then turned him for the fall at 5:03.

Eyob opened his tournament with a 7-3 decision and won 8-6 over Plainfield East’s top-seeded Cam McCloskey in their semifinal match to reach the finals.

And one year after ending his junior season with a sub-.500 record, Eyob landed on a recipe that has made him better.

“After my sophomore year I thought lifting was the missing piece but it turns out it was wrestling that I needed,” Eyob said. “So this offseason I wrestled at Gomez RTC and wrestled freestyle and Greco all year. I had 45 (offseason) matches where I only had three or four previously in the offseason.”

Olejniczak pinned second-seeded Alex Nesterenko of Wheeling in their semifinal match to reach the title mat. McCloskey won an 8-2 decision on the third-place mat against Stagg’s Samer Suleiman, and Lane Tech’s Larry Posey won by fall for fifth place against Nesterenko.

138 – Ethan Banda, Mundelein

The top two seeds at 138 found each other on the title mat, and second-seeded Banda (12-3) did his part to help Mundelein to the team title with a hard-fought 10-9 decision over Lane Tech’s top seeded Nasser Hammouche (14-4). 

Banda led 10-5 before Hammouche earned a takedown and two near-fall points, cutting Banda’s lead to 10-9. The match ended with Hammouche trying to turn him but Banda fought it off. Both wrestlers pinned their way to the finals.

Cary-Grove’s Trenton Klapperich took third place via major decision against Wheeling’s Austin Berger, and Harlem’s Ethan Hagerman finished fifth with a 9-2 decision against Hoffman Estates’ David Ogunfowokan.

144 – Tony Hinojosa, Carmel Catholic

Third-seeded Hinojosa dominated his way to the title at 144, posting pins in his quarter- and semifinal matches before winning by tech fall on the title mat against Notre Dame’s fifth-seeded Tim Bridges (11-4) at the 3:39 mark.

“I felt good today,” Hinojosa said. “I’ve been working all week to get better and better so I could be here.”

Hinojosa went 29-18 as a freshman last year and was a state qualifier at 132. Now 10-1 as a varsity sophomore, he rode opponents well all day. “Last year I was pretty good on top and I feel like this year I’ve taken it a step higher,” he said. “My handfighting still has to get better and so does getting off bottom. But I’m getting good experience because wrestling high school is a whole other level.”

Bridges reached the finals with a 10-6 semifinal upset of Rolling Meadows’ top-seeded Jacob Martone. Bridges also posted wins by tech fall and fall on his way to the finals.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Brian Ingram placed third via tech fall win against Martone, and Lane Tech’s Cesar Mucha won by injury default for fifth place against Maine West’s Dylan Kroschel.

150 – Kevin Hernandez, Mundelein

Hernandez (13-2) confirmed his top seed at 150 with a 7-2 win in the finals against host Hoffman Estates’ Dmytro Patykovskyi (8-6). Hernandez was the second of Mundelein’s three champions on the day. He won by fall in his quarterfinal before winning by medical forfeit in his semifinal match. 

Seventh-seeded Patykovskyi upset Wheeling’s second-seeded Nicholas Montesinos by 3-2 decision in their quarterfinal match before winning 9-2 in his semifinal against third-seeded Juan Cortez of Streamwood.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Ian Lawrence won an 8-6 decision on the third-place mat against Montesinos, and Streamwood’s Juan Cortez took fifth by forfeit against Lane Tech’s Vermaat VanderBrug.

157 – Niko Duggan, Plainfield East

Top-seeded Duggan and second-seeded Ethan Thomas of Mundelein each did his part to see that the top two seeds met in the finals, and it was Duggan who walked away with a 12-6 decision win.

Duggan (15-1) led 6-4 when he reversed Thomas (6-3) to take an 8-4 third-period lead, and never looked back. Duggan posted two more takedowns from there to secure the win.

When did he feel comfortable against Thomas as he felt him out in the finals?

“The first takedown,” Duggan said. “Once you get physical with a guy you can pretty much tell how the match is going to go.”

Duggan won 6-2 in his semifinal match against fourth-seeded Noah Pechotte (16-2) of Cary-Grove, while Thomas reeled off three pins to reach the title mat.

Duggan lost in the sectional blood round to end his junior season and in his senior year he naturally wants to end the season on the podium in Champaign. He’s working hard to make that happen.

“I feel like I’m working my (offense) better and faster,” Duggan said. “I’ve been wrestling my whole life but you can always keep practicing to do things better and faster. And I want to improve on top, and be able to hold down people for longer.”

Pechotte won by fall on the third-place mat against Thornton-Fractional North’s Joseph Merritt, and Notre Dame’s Dean Lazaris won an 8-3 decision for fifth place against Wheeling’s John Scanlon.

165 – Jerry Nino, Plainfield East

Plainfield East’s No. 1 Jerry Nino (11-4) and Mundelein’s No. 2 Macson Rastrelli (12-4) both pinned their ways to the finals, where Nino turned a 3-2 lead after two periods into an 11-4 win for the title.

Rastrelli tied the match 3-3 with an escape to start the third period but a takedown and back points by Nino catapulted him to the win.

Stagg’s Owen Lally took third place by fall against Maine West’s Miles Pfaller, and Harlem’s Charles Faulkner placed fifth with a fall against Lane Tech’s Michael Birhala.

175 – John (Jack) Rappa, Rolling Meadows

Nothing tosses a shovelful of coal into the blast furnace of motivation quite like a loss. Coming off his first loss of the season in dual meet on Friday, Rappa (11-1) used a pair of pins to reach the Marchese finals at 175, then won 6-1 on the title mat against No. 3 Sean Adams (10-4) of Notre Dame.

Rappa earned takedowns in the final 30 seconds of the first and third periods in securing the win.

“My coach always tells me to go as hard as I can the last thirty seconds of a period. It’s not easy but it pays off,” Rappa said. “I was happy with my mentality today. We had a dual Friday at Prospect and I got pinned, but today I came back and got the wins I needed.”

The sophomore put more time into off-season wrestling and it’s paying off.

“I went to frosh-soph state and then put in the work in the offseason,” Rappa said. “I got twenty-to-thirty matches in and now I feel more comfortable on my feet. Last year I was constantly on defense and this year I feel more comfortable hitting moves.”

Adams used a fall and then a 3-1 decision win in a semifinal match against second-seeded Luke Bennett (12-6) of Cary-Grove.

Zion-Benton’s Tyson Poyer won a 3-2 decision for third place against Stagg’s Deyan Radev, and Streamwood’s Oliver Kozak placed fifth via fall against Bennett.

190 – Francisco Yilmez, Zion-Benton

Zion-Benton’s sixth-seeded junior Yilmez (8-3) burned a path to the finals with a pair of falls and a major decision, then won by fall for the championship at 190 over Notre Dame’s top-seeded Jack Malenock (9-6).

Yilmez trailed 6-2 when he took Malenock to his back and won by fall at 3:32.

Malenock used a pair of pins while Yilmez posted two pins and a major decision win to reach the finals.

“Today I felt good about my shots,” Yilmez said. “I feel good on top and bottom, but it’s all about taking guys down. And it’s a mindset; you can’t hesitate. If you do, it’s going to be a horrible shot.”

Streamwood’s Jace Wolf won by fall on the third-place mat against Homewood-Flossmoor’s Tyreese Whitcomb, and Rolling Meadows’ Nick Labbe won by fall for fifth place against Stagg’s Peter Rafacz.

215 – Celso Cabrera, Mundelein

Adversity both builds and reveals character and the Mundelein sophomore showed his character against Homewood-Flossmoor’s Khamryn Beaver in their title match at 215.

Trailing 7-3 early in the second period, Cabrera stunned Beaver, taking him to his back and pinning him at 2:37 to win his first Marchese title.

“The key in that match was not giving up because my (semifinal) round was also tough,” Cabrera said. “It went all the way to the ultimate tiebreak.”

Third-seeded Cabrera won 3-2 in OT in his semifinal against second-seeded Marco Mercado (11-3) of Wheeling, “and I had come so far, I couldn’t end it now. I had to keep powering and win (the title),” Cabrera said.

Cabrera (7-7) opened his tournament with a fall before gutting out his win over Mercado. Beaver (7-2) reeled off three pins to reach the title mat.

“I feel like I did well in not giving up,” Cabrera said. “It’s just knowing the situation but also knowing that you’re never out of it. Anything can happen in two minutes.”

Notre Dame’s Sean Cook won by fall for third place against Harlem’s Cully Nelson, and Wheeling’s Mercado took fifth place by fall against Carmel Catholic’s Axel Janicke-Anorve.

285 – Abdulhamid Olowu, Hoffman Estates

Third-seeded Olowu (16-1) opened with a 4-0 decision before winning by fall in his semifinal match against Stagg’s seventh-seeded Terrell Williams (6-4) to reach the finals. Fourth-seeded Cook won a 3-2 decision in his semifinal against top-seeded Abisai Hernandez (11-3) of Mundelein to advance.

A single escape by Olowu provided all the scoring in the title match as the Hoffman Estates senior posted a 1-0 decision win.

Cary-Grove’s Lucas Burton won by fall on the third-place mat against Stagg’s Williams, and Mundelein’s Hernandez won by fall for fifth place against Homewood-Flossmoor’s Adam Tovar; Hernandez’s pivotal bonus points added to Mundelein’s team total to help the Mustangs edge Notre Dame for the team title.

Mickey Marchese championship match results:

106 – Davion Henry (H-Flossmoor) SV-1 9-7 Ray Long (Notre Dame)

113 – Alex Valentin (Lane Tech) F 3:13 John Sheehy (Notre Dame)

120 – Aiden Villar (Plainfield E) F 5:56 Anas Ahmed (Stagg)

126 – Robert James Zavala (Lane Tech) F 1:33 Max Katz (Wheeling)

132 – Alazar Eyob (Hoffman Estates) F 5:03 Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem)

138 – Ethan Banda (Mundelein) D 10-9 Nasser Hammouche (Lane Tech)

144 – Tony Hinojosa (Carmel) TF 3:39 Tim Bridges (Notre Dame)

150 – Kevin Hernandez (Mundelein) D 7-2 Dmytro Patykovskyi (H-Flossmoor)

157 – Niko Duggan (Plainfield E) D 12-6 Ethan Thomas (Mundelein)

165 – Jerry Nino (Plainfield E) D 11-4 Macson Rastrelli (Mundelein)

175 – Jack Rappa (Rolling Meadows) D 6-1 Sean Adams (Notre Dame)

190 – Francisco Yilmez (Zion-Benton) F 3:32 John Malenock (Notre Dame)

215 – Celso Cabrera (Mundelein) F 2:37 Khamryn Beaver (H-Flossmoor)

285 – Abdulhamid Olowu (Hoffman E) D 1-0 Scott Cook (Notre Dame)

Final team scores: 1. Mundelein (178.5) 2. Notre Dame (175) 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (159.5) 4. Lane Tech (151) 5. Stagg (121.5) 6. Wheeling (120) 7. Plainfield East (115) 8. Harlem (106) 9. Cary-Grove (93) 10. Carmel (78) 11. Hoffman Estates (77) 12. Streamwood (72) 13. Rolling Meadows (69) 14. Zion-Benton (57) 15. Thornton Fractional North (43) 16. Maine West (36.5) 17. Kenosha Christian Life, WI (3)

Tournament recaps: Prospect, Pontiac, Riverdale, Walther

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

63rd Mudge-McMorrow Wrestling Invitational

The tournament named for IWCOA hall-of-fame and former Prospect coaches Dick Mudge and Gary McMorrow saw Libertyville take the team title in Mt. Prospect.

Libertyville posted a 199-169.5 edge over second-place Naperville Central, followed by Prospect (160.5), York (149.5), and Joliet Catholic (139) to round out the top five team finishes.

“It was quite exciting to win a team title,” Libertyville coach Dale Eggert said. “Our team is set up for success in a meet like this.”

Libertyville got individual titles from Luke Berktold (120), Matt Kubas (175), and Owen McGrory (215), and seconds from Orion Moran (132), and Caleb Baczek (190). Coach Dale Eggert also got a fourth from James Liu (126), and fifths from Jake Shafer (106), Charlie Clark (165), Erich Waldorf (190).

Jacob Whisenand (150) was sixth and the Wildcats got sevenths from Hunter Hill (138) and Rhett VanBoening (285).

Kubas’ title win at 175 over York’s Danny Decristofaro also put another feather in his cap. Kubas improved to 14-1 with the win.

“Kubas puts on such an intense pace that few can hang with him,” Eggert said. “Decristafaro gave him a real tough match during the first part before Matt’s pace took over and got the pin, earning him the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award.”

Berktold’s 3-2 decision for the title against Round Lake’s Alejandro Cordova at 120 improved his season’s record to 13-0.

“Berktold has had his way early in the season,” Eggert said. “He’s quick and rough.  He got a wake up call from Cordova in the finals who was pushing hard from start to finish.  Luke held him off for a 3-2 win but he can see he needs a few change ups late in close matches.”

The Wildcats’ third unbeaten wrestler is McGrory (15-0) at 215. The undersized senior won a 5-0 decision in the finals against Naperville Central’s Nicolas Besteiro.

“McGrory is sneaky and smart,” Eggert said. “He is far under 215 but he is such a tough leg rider and scrambler that it throws the larger opponents off.”

The only thing standing between Baczek and an unbeaten record is Prospect’s Jason Penovich, who won by fall in their title match at 190. Eggert was pleased with wrestlers up and down his lineup.

“We have a bunch of competitive seniors that are fighting to grab whatever wins they can, adding a lot of points in addition to our stars,” Eggert said. “Hunter Hill (138), Will Carney (144), Jacob Whisenand (150), and Charlie Clark (160) will always grab some wins, quite often pins, adding a lot of points in addition to the big points our stars give us.

Libertyville also go three pins at 285 from VanBoening, who returned to the fold after sitting out last year to focus on football.

“He has a lot of talent and looks to do the work necessary to be a successful wrestler,” Eggert said of VanBoening. “His performance Saturday shows success could be coming his way.”

In addition to the Wildcats’ veterans, freshmen Jake Shafer (106), Tyler Wuh (113), and James Scanio (157) are all lighting their way towards become future varsity stars at Libertyville, along with sophomore James Liu (126) and Erich Walldorf (190).

Naperville Central coach Noah Fitzenreider got second-place finishes from Austin Aguinaldo (106) and Nicolas Besteiro (215), and thirds from Hagan Taylor (150), Jacob Smetters (190) and William Erbeck (285) for the second-place Redhawks.

Third-place host Prospect got individual titles from Connor Munn (165) and Jaxon Penovich (190) and a second from Bennett Westfallen (144) in finishing just 9.5 points behind second-place Naperville Central.

Also winning Mudge-McMorrow titles were Grayslake Central’s Vince DeMarco (106), Prairie Ridge’s Jake Lowitzki (113), Joliet Catholic’s Aurelio Munoz (126), York’s Zach Parisi (132), Grant’s Erik Rodriguez (138), Fremd’s Evan Gosz (144), McHenry’s Pedro Jimenez (150), Moline’s Zander Ealy (157), and Round Lake’s William Cole (285).

York’s Jackson Hanselman (144) posted the most pins in the least time, dispatching four opponents in 7:31. York’s Mondo Martinelli (126) had three tech falls in 5:35 to lead the tournament, and his 63 total match points were also the most by any wrestler.

Kubas’ 30 team points scored for Libertyville were the most by any wrestler present; McHenry’s Jesse Saavedra (285) had 26 points in a single match to lead the tournament; and the largest seed-place difference came from Fremd’s Trent Odachowski (113), who was seeded 13th and placed second.

Also placing second in Mt. Prospect were Round Lake’s Alejandro Cordova (120) and Grayson Kongkaeow (126), York’s Frank Nitti (138) and Danny Decristofaro (175), Joliet Catholic’s Nolan Vogel (150), Prairie Ridge’s Xander York (157), Grant’s Christian Wittkamp (165), and McHenry’s Saavedra (285).

Third-placers included Moline’s Collin Ledbetter (106), Grant’s Vince Jasinski (113), McHenry’s Ryan Hanson (120) and Aiden Fischler (165), Prairie Ridge’s Mikey Meade (126), Joliet Catholic’s Damien Flores (132) and Elias Gonzalez (144), Prospect’s Giorgio Difalco (138) and Michael Matuszak (175), Naperville Central’s Hagan Taylor (150), Fremd’s Ryan Muslimovic (157), and York’s Austin Bagdasarian (215).

Other wrestlers taking fourth place included Grant’s Carter Hutchinson (106), Joliet Catholic’s Matthew Laird (113), Adante Washington (120), and George Hollendoner (138), Moline’s Kayden Serrano (132) and Bradley Ledbetter (144), Prospect’s Joe Quirk (150), Addison Trail’s Martin Duarte (157) and Elmer Olascoaga (190), Fremd’s Peter Mondus (165) and Anthony D’Ambrosio (175), and Prairie Ridge’s Walter Pollack (215) and John Fallaw (285).

Mudge-McMorrow championship matches:

106 – Vince DeMarco (Grayslake C) D 11-5 Austin Aguinaldo (Naperville C)

113 – Jake Lowitzki (Prairie Ridge) F 0:15 Trent Odachowski (Fremd)

120 – Luke Berktold (Libertyville) D 3-2 Alejandro Cordova (Round Lake)

126 – Aurelio Munoz (Joliet Catholic) D 9-2 Grayson Kongkaeow (Round Lake)

132 – Zach Parisi (York) F 4:59 Orion Moran (Libertyville)

138 – Erik Rodriguez (Grant) D 3-2 Frank Nitti (York)

144 – Evan Gosz (Fremd) F 5:38 Bennett Westfallen (Prospect)

150 – Pedro Jimenez (McHenry) MD 10-1 Nolan Vogel (Joliet Catholic)

157 – Zander Ealy (Moline) F 0:53 Xander York (Prairie Ridge)

165 – Connor Munn (Prospect) D 5-1 Christian Wittkamp (Grant)

175 – Matt Kubas (Libertyville) F 2:58 Danny Decristofaro (York)

190 – Jaxon Penovich (Prospect) F 2:40 Caleb Baczek (Libertyville)

215 – Owen McGrory (Libertyville) D 5-0 Nicolas Besteiro (Naperville C)

285 – William Cole (Round Lake) D 7-0 Jesse Saavedra (McHenry)

Final team scores: 1. Libertyville (199) 2. Naperville Central (169.5) 3. Prospect (160.5) 4. York (149.5) 5. Joliet Catholic (139) 6. Fremd (120) 7. Moline (112) 8. McHenry (100.5) 9. Prairie Ridge (100.5) 10. Grant (99) 11. Round Lake (74) 12. Belvidere North (64) 13. Addison Trail (57) 14. Grayslake Central (54) 15. New Trier (39) 16. Lake Zurich (20)

Pontiac’s ‘The Munch’ Invitational

Evergreen Park, Morton, and Olympia got into a heated battle Saturday at Pontiac and when it was over Evergreen Park had captured the team title of this year’s 19-team invitational.

By a single team point.

‘The Munch’ Invite saw the Mustangs edge downstate Morton 226-225, with third-place Olympia scoring 216.5 team points. University (132.5) and Wilmington (122.5) rounded out the top five team finishes at the invitational named after former coach Russ Munch.

“It was a great dogfight,” Evergreen Park coach Ron Zimmerman said. “Morton has some very tough kids and I thought the tournament as a whole was great. My kids came off a huge (dual) win Friday night against Oak Forest and then made the two hour trip to Pontiac the next morning. It was a great team effort for sure.”

Evergreen Park had 12 wrestlers score team points in the win. Coach Ron Zimmerman got individual titles from Yohan Bonilla (106), David Johnson (144), Eduardo Antunez (215) and Gerald O’Hare (285), plus seconds from Chance Woods (126) and Genesis Ward (190).

The Mustangs also got fourth from Ryan Sema (150), a fifth from Ashton Gray (138), and sixths from Angel Ramirez (120), Ben Sanchez (132), and Noah Moreno (157).

In one of the final matches of the championship round of the tournament, O’Hare’s 4-1 decision on the title mat at 285 clinched Evergreen Park’s team win.

“I have never been in a tournament when the winner was decided by the very last match of the tournament,” Zimmerman said.

“We have a solid team this year that understands what it takes to be competitive. Our four champs came through for us in the end. David Johnson was down 4-0 (in the title match at 144) and battled back to a 8-6 win in OT. Eduardo Antunez (215) had a takedown with 15 seconds left to seal his win and Gerald O’Hare at 285 was a beast all day.  Chance Woods (126) and Genesis Ward (190) wrestled very well and just came up a little short in the finals.”

Second-place Morton went a perfect five-for-five in the finals, getting individual titles from Harrison Dea (113), Caiden Robison (132), Steven Marvin (150), Clayton McKee (157), and Tyus Almasy (175). Potters coach Ed Henderson also got thirds from Noah Harris (106), Caleb Lenning (126), and Lucas Herrmann (165), a fourth from Carter Jones (138), and fifths from Danny Marvin (150) and Colton Mckee (165).

Third-place Olympia got a title from Kelton Graden (165) and second-place finishes from Noah Whiteside (106), Austin Kisner (120), Cooper Phillips (138), and Bentley Wise (150).

Other wrestlers winning individual titles in Pontiac were Decatur Unity Christian’s Clinton VerHeecke (120) and Garrett VerHeecke (126), Dwight’s Dylan Crouch (138), and Springfield’s Keyshaun Harris (190).

The most pins in the least time came from Unity Christian’s Clinton VerHeecke (120), who had four pins in 5:36. Morton’s Clayton Mckee (157) had two tech fall wins in 10:06 to lead the tournament; Dwight’s Dylan Crouch (138) scored the most team points with 32; Springfield Southeast’s Brayden McBride (132) scored the most single match points with 23; Taylorville’s Ethan Dyer (138) scored the most total match points with 51; and Morton’s Carter Jones (138) finished with the largest seed-place difference, when the No. 19 seed placed fourth.

Also placing second were Pontiac’s Noah Davis (113), Prairie Central’s John Traub (132) and Ayden Mackey (144), Wilmington’s Matt Swisher (157) and Parker Adams (165), Kankakee’s Travon Jordan (175), J. Sterling Morton’s Jose Moreno (215), and Macomb’s Charlie Bodiford (285).

Taking third in Pontiac were J. Sterling Morton’s Tristan Rodriguez (113) and David Roa (150), Wilmington’s Landon Dooley (120), Springfield Southeast’s Brayden McBride (132) and Chris Hull (190), Herscher’s Gerrit Osenga (138), Olympia’s Bryson Wilson (144) and Nolen Yeary (215), Macomb’s Tyler Shannon (157), University’s Charles Karun (175), and Kankakee’s Rogello Cornejo (285).

Other fourth-placers included Olympia’s Mya Downs (106) Blake Youngren (190), and Cohen Maness (285), Herscher’s Owen Bollino (113), Macomb’s Ethan Hoyt (120) and Damome Johnson (132), University’s Nolan Lowe (126), Grayson Moody (165), and Joseph Hunt (215), Morton’s Carter Jones (138), J. Sterling Morton’s Malik Hammad (144) and Rafael Lopez (157), and Pontiac’s Cole Russell (175).

‘The Munch’ Invitational championship match breakdowns:

106 – Yohan Bonilla (Evergreen Park) F 1:15 Noah Whiteside (Olympia)

113 – Harrison Dea (Morton) F 1:55 Noah Davis (Pontiac)

120 – Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian) F 1:10 Austin Kisner (Olympia)

126 – Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian) MD 10-0 Chance Woods (Evergreen Park)

132 – Caiden Robison (Morton) MD 14-3 John Traub (Prairie Central)

138 – Dylan Crouch (Dwight) F 5:38 Cooper Phillips (Olympia)

144 – David Johnson (Evergreen Park) SV 8-6 Ayden Mackey (Prairie Central)

150 – Steven Marvin (Morton) MD 8-0 Bentley Wise (Olympia)

157 – Clayton Mckee (Morton) TF 5:35 Matt Swisher (Wilmington)

165 – Kelton Graden (Olympia) MD 9-1 Parker Adams (Wilmington)

175 – Tyus Almasy (Morton) F 1:18 Travon Jordan (Kankakee)

190 – Keyshaun Harris (Springfield) F 5:07 Genesis Ward (Evergreen Park)

215 – Eduardo Antunez (Evergreen Park) D 3-1 Jose Moreno (JS Morton)

285 – Gerald O’Hare (Evergreen Park) D 4-1 Charlie Bodiford (Macomb)

Final team scores: 1. Evergreen Park (226) 2. Morton (225) 3. Olympia (216.5) 4. University (132.5) 5. Wilmington (122.5) 6. JS Morton (114) 7. Herscher (69.5) 8. Unity Christian (69) 9. Springfield Southeast (60.5) 10. Macomb (60) 11. Prairie Central (55.5) 12. Springfield (48.5) 13. Pontiac (47) 13. Rantoul (47) 15. Kankakee (44) 16. Dwight (42) 17. Urbana (40) 18. Illinois Valley Central (17) 19. Taylorville (11)

Riverdale’s Jim Boyd Wrestling Invitational

Wilton High School of Wilton, Iowa cruised to the team title at this year’s 16-team Jim Boyd Wrestling Invite, hosted by Riverdale.
Riverdale’s Invite is named for IWCOA hall-of-famer Jim Boyd, head coach at the school for 11 years, stepping down after the 1993-94 season. Boyd led the Rams to third-place dual team state finishes in Illinois in ’93 and ’94.

Wilton posted 301.5 points to second-place Rock Island’s 176, with Seneca placing third with 167 points. Riverdale (153), Byron (137.5), United (125.5), Sterling (123), Sherrard (97.5), Mercer County (96.5), and downstate Notre Dame (89.5) rounded out the top 10 team finishes.

Wilton sent eight wrestlers to the title mat and got five individual titles, from Austin Etzel (120), Brody Brisker (132), Gabriel Brisker (138), Jordan Dusenberry (144), and Owen Milder (165). Mason Shirk (113), Gaitlin Rogers (175), and Kane Willey (190) placed second for Wilton.

Second-place Rock Island sent five wrestlers to the finals and saw four climb to the top step of the awards stand. Rocks coach Joel Stockwell got Individual titles from Truth Vesey (113), Daniel McGhee (126), Amare Overton (175), and Andrew Marquez (215, plus a second from Antonio Parker (138).

Third-place Seneca got individual titles from Raiden Terry (106) and Jeremy Gagnon (285), and a second from Chris Peura (215) for Fighting Irish coach Todd Yegge.

Also winning titles in Riverdale were Riverdale’s Blake Smith (150), United’s Kayden Marolf (157), and Byron’s Kyle Jones (190). 

Sterling’s Tatum Allen (165) had the most pins in the least time, with four pins in 6:38, while Wilton’s Owen Milder (165) had the fastest tech time in 2:18, and Milder posted the most total match points by any wrestler with 44. Wilton’s Brody Brisker’s 30 team points earned at 132 were the most by any wrestler, and United’s Xavier Marolf had the most points in a single match with 22.

Other second-placers included Notre Dame’s Josh Stedwill (106), Ian Akers (120) and Chase Daugherty (157), Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright (126) and Kolton Kruse (144), Polo’s Lucas Nelson (132), Sterling’s Dylan Ottens (150), and Byron’s Carsen Behn (165) and Jared Claunch (285).

Wrestlers placing third included United’s Blake Trickey (106), Byron’s Damien Palacios (113) and Tharren Jacobs (120), Wilton’s Owen Adlfinger (126) and Jensen Boorn (157), Mercer County’s Ethan Monson (132), Zeke Arnold (150), and Eli Burns (165), Sterling’s Austin Clemens (138), Max Smith (144) of Davenport North IA, Seneca’s Asher Hamby (175) and Landen Venecia (190), Riverdale’s Jake Schradeya (215), and Notre Dame’s Brady Mullens (285).

Also placing fourth were United’s Landon Henson (106) and Loic Houedakor (144), Sherrard’s Braiden Krahl (113), Byron’s Jackson Norris (120), Sterling’s Zyan Westbrook (126), Emmanuel Arreola (138), Isaiah Mendoza (157), and Tatum Allen (165), West Carroll’s Connor Knop (132), Wilton’s Haden Hill (150), Riverdale’s Zac Bradley (175), Mercer County’s Lucas Shadden (190), and Wilton’s Francisco Honts (215) and Carter Drake-Metzger (285).

Jim Boyd Invitational championship match breakdowns:

106 – Raiden Terry (Seneca) F 1:03 Josh Stedwill (Notre Dame)

113 – Truth Vesey (Rock Island) D 5-0 Mason Stark (Wilton)

120 – Austin Etzel (Wilton) D 8-5 Ian Akers (Notre Dame)

126 – Daniel McGhee (Rock Island) D 17-10 Dean Wainwright (Riverdale)

132 – Brody Brisker (Wilton) F 2:20 Lucas Nelson (Polo)

138 – Gabriel Brisker (Wilton) F 1:08 Antonio Parker (Rock Island)

144 – Jordan Dusenberry (Wilton) D 9-5 Kolton Kruse (Riverdale)

150 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) TF 3:57 Dylan Ottens (Sterling)

157 – Kayden Marolf (United) MD 12-3 Chase Daugherty (Notre Dame)

165 – Owen Milder (Wilton) D 8-2 Carsen Behn (Byron)

175 – Amare Overton (Rock Island) F 3:23 Gaitlin Rogers (Wilton)

190 – Kyle Jones (Byron) F 0:38 Kane Willey (Wilton)

215 – Andrew Marquez (Rock Island) D 12-5 Chris Peura (Seneca)

285 – Jeremy Gagnon (Seneca) F 1:16 Jared Claunch (Byron)

Final team scores: 1. Wilton (301.5) 2. Rock Island (176) 3. Seneca (167) 4. Riverdale (153.5) 5. Byron (137.5) 6. United (125.5) 7. Sterling (123) 8. Sherrard (97.5) 9. Mercer County (96.5) 10. Notre Dame (89.5) 11. Davenport North IA (74) 12. Polo (54) 13. Pleasant Valley IA (48) 14. St. Bede (29) 15. West Carroll (23) 16. ROWVA (14)

Walther Christian Hoger/Tuomi Invitational 

Peotone brought 11 wrestlers to this year’s Hoger/Tuomi Invitational, but with four champions and eight total finishers in the top four, the Blue Devils had enough firepower to top the field at Walther Christian. 

The Blue Devils posted a 166-161.5 edge over second-place Lutheran Westland from Michigan. Birmingham Seaholm of Michigan (138) was third, followed by Northridge Prep (131.5) and Rickover Naval Academy (125.5) to round out the top five finishes.

Four Blue Devils won individual titles to lead all teams in the 17-team field, as a murderer’s row from 144 to 165. Micah Spinozzola (144), Connor Pasch (150), Kurt Wagner (157), and Ian Kreske (165) all won individual titles for coach Josh Kreske.

Peotone also got thirds from Blake Anderson (113) and Laith Abunijmeh (175) and fourth’s from John Meneses (126) and Tino Izzi (157).

“Our kids who I expected to get first got first, but I didn’t expect our kids who placed third to place third. So they did a nice job throughout the day,” Kreske said. “Laith is probably only 159 pounds so he did a nice job wrestling up at 175.”

Wagner’s title win at 157 also keyed Peotone’s team title win. Wagner’s win was particularly surprising since he knocked off teammate Tino Izzi in their quarterfinal match.

“Ian, Connor, and Micah are all returning state qualifiers so I expected them to do well, and they did,” Kreske said. “They’ve been wrestling forever and they all did a nice job.

“But Kurt Wagner has been out of wrestling for about four years so I just had him in there as an extra wrestler. He and Tino wrestled in the second round, which I did not want to see, and Kurt beat him. I felt bad for Tino but that’s just the way it is. So Kurt was our surprise first.”

Second-place Lutheran Westland got titles from Nathan Betke (126) and Aiden Miller (138) and a second-place finishes from Anthony Kawod (132) and Jeffrey McGuire (150).

Also winning titles at Walther Christian were Streator’s Nicholas Pollett (106) and Aydan Radke (215), Ridgewood’s Islam Khater (113), Rickover Academy’s Breyon Wallace (120) and Jacob Pizarro (132), Lutheran Westland’s Nathan Betke (126) and Aiden Miller (138), Northridge Prep’s Adam Haddad (175), Nazareth’s Scott Creviston (190), and Rafael Castrejo-Tello (285).

Second-place finishers included Amundsen’s Matthew Nguyen (106), Nazareth’s Charlie Dvorak (113) and Andrew Fowler (157), Mather’s Tommy Lam (120), Jacob Scott (175) and Jaxien Jervis-Orr (215), Seaholm’s Alex Tappan (138) and Luca DeSanto (190), Northridge Prep’s George McShane (144) and Jon Suter (165), Lutheran Westland’s Jeffrey McGuire (150), and Living Word’s Joe Weissenburger (285).

Placing third at the Hoger/Tuomi were Nazareth’s Alex Ramos (106) and Alex Dvorak (165), Elmwood Park’s Michael Aiello (120), Northridge Prep’s Joe Pardilla (126), Walther Christian’s Caleb Peterson (132), Rickover Academy’s Justin Hernandez (138) and Brandon Valbuena (144), Seaholm’s Rhemsey Piles (150) and Oliver Smith (215), Living Word’s Cade Vogl (157) and Brayden Gregor (190), and Amundsen’s William Cano (285).

Fourth-place finishers included Northridge Prep’s Sky Shang (106), Lutheran Westland’s Justin Grissom (113), Streator’s Ted Neumann (120) and Aiden Ferris (285), Seaholm’s Casey Goetz (132), Westmont’s Joseph Salerno (138) and Mission Hatchell (144), Mather’s Julian Lopez (150), Amundsen’s James Reshoft (165) and Adrian Zepeda (190), Lutheran Northwest’s Nate Cummins (175), and Elmwood Park’s Jayden Vazquez (215).

Hoger/Tuomi Invitational championship match breakdowns:

106 – Nicholas Pollett (Streator) D 6-1 Matthew Nguyen (Amundsen)

113 – Islam Khater (Ridgewood) F 2:35 Charlie Dvorak (Nazareth)

120 – Breyon Wallace (Rickover) F 3:36 Tommy Lam (Mather)

126 – Nathan Betke (Lutheran Westland) F 5:12 Shawn Hanton (Elmwood Park)

132 – Jacob Pizarro (Rickover) F 3:50 Anthony Kawod (Lutheran Westland)

138 – Aiden Miller (Lutheran Westland) F 4:52 Alex Tappan (Seaholm)

144 – Micah Spinazzola (Peotone) F 3:05 George McShane (Northridge Prep)

150 – Connor Pasch (Peotone) F 3:18 Jeffrey McGuire (Lutheran Westland)

157 – Kurt Wagner (Peotone) MD 12-2 Andrew Fowler (Nazareth)

165 – Ian Kreske (Peotone) D 7-4 Jon Suter (Northridge Prep)

175 – Adam Haddad (Northridge) TF 21-5 Jacob Scott (Mather)

190 – Scott Creviston (Nazareth) D 6-1 Luca DeSanto (Seaholm)

215 – Aydan Radke (Streator) F 3:09 Jaxien Jervis-Orr (Mather)

285 – Rafael Castrejo-Tello (Westmont) F 2:08 Joe Weissenburger (Living Word)

Final team scores: 1. Peotone (166) 2. Lutheran Westland, MI (161.5) 3. Birmingham Seaholm, MI 4. Northridge Prep (131.5) 5. Rickover Naval Academy (125.5) 6. Streator (118) 7. Mather (116) 8. Nazareth Academy (113) 9. Living Word Lutheran (109) 10. Amundsen (92) 11. Westmont (87) 12. Elmwood Park (74) 13. Lutheran Northwest, MI (65) 14. Ridgewood (52) 15. Walther Christian (47) 16. Harvest Christian (13) 17. Chicago Academy (0).