Feature Stories

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Two programs who’ve enjoyed rich histories in the sport are hoping that 2024 turns out to be one of the most significant ones that they’ve experienced.

Hinsdale South and Evergreen Park met up twice in eight days and while the Hornets got the better of the Mustangs on both occasions, both teams have a lot to be excited about as they prepare for what they both hope will be historic postseasons. 

A week after Hinsdale South beat Evergreen Park 39-23 in a mega duals in Evergreen Park to hand the Mustangs their first defeat in 23 dual meets, the teams met in a tournament level on Saturday at Lisle Senior’s Steve Melichar Memorial Tournament and again the Hornets prevailed, taking top honors in the 12-team competition with 205.5 points while Evergreen Park beat out Glenbard East 169.5-164 to claim second place. Streamwood (76), Argo (60), Lisle Senior (52), Northridge Prep (51) and Westmont (45) were next in line.

Both Hinsdale South and Evergreen Park are ranked in Illinois Matmen’s top 25 for Class 2A with the Hornets 22nd and the Mustangs 23rd. 

Leading the way for coach Steve Matozzi’s champion Hornets were title winners Andrew Musil (150), Ben Miller (157), Jovani Piazza (175) and Alec Miller (190) while Al Amir Almannai (138), Darrion Glover (165), Andrew Miller (215) and Gavin Slaughter (285) took second place as the squad split their eight championship matches, which featured the three Miller brothers all competing on the title mat.

Placing third for Hinsdale South were Jamarion Moffett (106) and Mikey Wallace (113) while Mario Lagunas (120) took fourth place with Noah Koeller (126) and Apollo Cobb (132) filling out the 13-man lineup for the Hornets, who also captured a championship at their own Matozzi Invite on December 6 and placed sixth at Lakes Community’s DeRousse and Palatine’s Berman in addition to competing at Hinsdale Central’s Whitlatch.

“We also had big performances from Darrio Glover at 165 and Gavin Slaughter at heavyweight,” Hornets assistant coach Tony Poro said. “It was nice to have them in the finals, they kind of gave us an extra boost. And we had a good performance from freshman Ben Miller at 157, too. There’s great friendships with all of these guys and even our younger guys, they’re feeling welcome all of the time.”

Top performers for coach Ron Zimmerman’s runner-up Mustangs were champions Chance Woods (126), Ashton Gray (138), David Johnson (144) and Eduardo Antunez (215) while Johan Bonilla (113) and Genesis Ward (190) took second place. Angel Ramirez (120), Adrian Cervantes (132) and Gerald O’Hare (285) took third while Andrew Viravec (165) placed fourth. Woods was the recipient of the Melichar Memorial Tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award.

This was the third time that Evergreen Park finished first or second in a tournament. It also won a title on December 9, Pontiac’s Munch, and it placed second at Rich Township one week later.

“I’m super proud,” Zimmerman said. “This is our sixth or seventh year here and we’ve had back-to-back second places and hopefully we close some ground on these guys next year. They’ve got a tough team. We’re not making excuses, but we were missing a starter today. Regardless, our guys battled the best that they could and I’m super proud of my guys. Four champs, a couple of runners-up and some thirds so I thought we had a great final round. We want some momentum going into the tournament season, conference and regionals. And just to keep the lineup strong, that’s the key right now. Be healthy and strong going into the regionals.”

Coach Don Pool’s Glenbard East Rams finished strong in the medal round to just fall short of second place. Winning titles for Glenbard East were Waleed Binmahfooz (113), Ismael Chaidez (120) and Cooper Conliss (285) while Lorenz Rios Loud (106) took second, Jesus Chaidez (138), Donte Hudson (150), Leo Mundinger (157), Aaron Dotson (165) and Gus Winkler (215) placed third and Orlando Hoye (175) finished fourth.

“I am proud of the way our kids wrestled,” Pool said. “This tournament was our last preparation for the Upstate 8 Conference tournament. I think our kids are focusing on getting better every day and it showed during this tournament. A lot of guys battled back and got third and fourth after taking tough losses. This is something we need to carry over to the conference tournament.

“Waleed and Ismael have been great all year. They are doing some of their best wrestling. Cooper Conliss has been wrestling so much better the last few weeks, taking second place at Geneva and first this weekend at Lisle.”

Turning in the best finishes for coach Bill Peach’s Streamwood Sabres were title winner Uli Rojas (132), runner-up Juan Cortez (144), third-place finishers Gabe Inorio (175) and Jace Wolf (190) as well as Luis Martinez (113), who finished fourth.

Coach Matthew McMurray’s Argo Argonauts were led by runner-up Carlos Gutierrez (132) as well as fourth-place finishers Kevin Bustillos (138), Darell Ortiz (157) and Jacob Fries (190).

Leading the host Lisle Senior Lions, who are coached by Brandon Wolak, were second-place finishers Alexander Ferari (120) and David Skonieczny (157) while Adam Drake (132) and Ramon Ortega (285) finished in fourth place.

Northridge Prep’s Knights, who are coached by Joseph Rhee, got a title win from Jon Suter (165) while Adam Haddad (175) took second and George McShane (144) placed fourth.

Aurora Central Catholic’s Chargers, coached by Josh McCarty, only had four participants but got a championship from Vince Hefke (106) and a third from Matt Gaylor (126).

The Westmont Sentinels received a third-place finish from Mission Hatchell (144) while Christian Rosa (126), Sean Patterson (150) and Rafael Castrejon-Tello (215) all took fourth.

Coach Denis Laughlin’s Nazareth Academy Roadrunners were led by runner-up Ben Lukes (150) and fourth-place finisher Alek Ramos (106).

Leading the way for coach Tim Eberhard’s Walther Christian Academy Broncos was runner-up Caleb Peterson (126).

In some of the closest title matches, Ashton Gray edged Al Amir Almannai 3-2 at 138, Alec Miller prevailed 1-0 over Genesis Ward at 190, David Johnson got past Juan Cortez 7-5 at 144, Uli Rojas won 11-8 over Carlos Gutierrez at 132 and Ismael Chaidez was a 10-6 victor over Alexander Ferari at 120.

Top records following the tournament included Eduardo Antunez at 215 (28-1, .966), David Johnson at 144 (30-2, .938), Chance Woods at 126 (27-2, .931), Jon Suter at 165 (25-2, .926), Ismael Chaidez at 120 (27-3, .900), Vince Hefke at 106 (16-2, .889), Genesis Ward at 190 (27-4, .871), Johan Bonilla at 113 (19-3, .864), Jovani Piazza at 175 (22-4, .846), Waleed Binmahfooz at 113 (27-5, .844), Alexander Ferari at 120 (21-4, .840), Adam Haddad at 175 (21-4, .840), Gerald O’Hare at 285 (21-4, .840), Andrew Musil at 150 (25-5, .833), Angel Ramirez at 120 (17-4, .810), Alec Miller at 190 (23-6, .793), Jace Wolf at 190 (19-5, .792), Gabe Inorio at 175 (7-2, .778) and Kevin Bustillos at 138 (21-7, .750).

There was a six-way tie for the most team points with 24 between Waleed Binmahfooz, Ben Miller, Andrew Musil, Jovani Piazza, Jon Suter and Chance Woods. Vince Hefke scored 23 points while Eduardo Antunez, Ismael Chaidez, Cooper Conliss and Alec Miller tied for eighth with 22 team points.

Donte Hudson had the most total match points with 45 while Mikey Wallace was next-best with 36 points. Nine individuals recorded three falls with Kevin Bustillos needing just 4:22 to achieve that feat. Jacob Fries and Donte Hudson made up six spots from their seeds to their finish.

Champion Hinsdale South recorded the most falls with 24 while Glenbard East was next with 17 and Evergreen Park had 15 pins. Evergreen Park had the most total match points with 225 while Glenbard East was second with 213 and Hinsdale South third with 177 points.

Although the top three finishers in the tournament have enjoyed a good deal of success and all had Hall of Fame coaches, only one of them has ever qualified for the IHSA Dual Team Finals, Evergreen Park, which advanced to the Class A Finals in 1993 and lost in the quarterfinals. 

Hinsdale South enjoyed a great run of success under Mike Matozzi, who was hand as an official at the tournament. The 2011 IWCOA Hall of Fame Inductee, 2013 IWCOA Person of the Year and 2020 Grand Marshall who also served as the IWCOA’s President in 2012-2013, coached in the Hornets program for 33 years, which included 25 seasons as their head coach, during which time the program won 390 dual meets.

Evergreen Park’s program was led early on by 1977 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee and 2002 National Wrestling Hall of Fame Lifetime Service Award recipient John George for 20 years and Mike Kladis led the Mustangs to six-straight regional titles, including their lone Dual Team appearance in 1993, during the 1990’s. 

Glenbard East was led for over 20 years by 2018 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Carlson, who won the school’s lone IHSA championship in 1981. During his coaching tenure the had eight-straight 20-win seasons and won their only regional title in 2010. The school also had a long run of not only hosting the Al Dvorak Memorial Tournament, which was named in honor of a Glenbard East wrestler, but also in helping to establish it as one of Illinois’ top tournaments.

But having individuals win medals at state has been a challenge considering the difficult postseason paths that each of the programs have had to face throughout the years.

Evergreen Park had 18 individuals who won medals from 1960 when Bob Griffith won the school’s first title and 1982 IWCOA Hall of Famer and 2002 National Wrestling Hall of Fame Lifetime Service Award recipient Tom Heniff took third through 1996 when Dan McNulty placed fourth. The Mustangs are hopeful that the long drought might finally end this season.

Fourteen individuals from Hinsdale South have been IHSA medalists since 1975 when Andy Bazan was a state runner-up. The last time that a Hornet reached the awards stand in Champaign was in 2016 when Joshua King won his second-straight state championship.

Glenbard East has had 15 individuals win medals since 1966 when Mike Hemmerich was a state runner-up. That includes its recent coaches, Carlson a state champion in 1981, and Pool, a runner-up in 1996. It’s been a few years since any Rams have won a medal at the IHSA Finals, with D’Andre Johnson being the last to do so when he took fifth in 2015.

Tournament champions Vince Hefke, Uli Rojas and Jon Suter have a little extra motivation knowing that Aurora Central Catholic has had just five medal winners with the last in 2014, Streamwood had one medalist in 2007 and Northridge Prep hasn’t had any medal winners.

As for dual team prospects in Class 2A, Hinsdale South will be in the Lemont Regional along with the hosts, Providence Catholic and St. Laurence. And Evergreen Park hosts a regional that includes teams such as Brother Rice and St. Rita. The Hornets lost their first dual meet of the season to Downers Grove South and haven’t lost since then. And the Mustangs owned a 22-1 record heading into this past week with a win over Lemont being among the highlights.

The winners of those two regionals meet up with the champions at the Oak Forest and Riverside-Brookfield regionals at the Brother Rice Dual Team Sectional to determine which two teams will advance to the IHSA Finals in Bloomington.

The host Lions are the school in the tournament with both the most individual medalists with 30 and Dual Team Finals appearance with three, which featured fourth place finishes in Class A in 2006 for coach John Ruettiger, an IWCOA Hall of Famer, and in 2008 for coach John Davis.

The Steve Melichar Tournament is named in honor of Lisle Senior wrestler Steve Melichar, who died as the result of being hit by a car in 1986 when was 16 years old.

Here’s a look at the champions and their weight classes at Lisle Senior’s Steve Melichar Memorial Tournament:

106 – Vince Hefke, Aurora Central Catholic

Aurora Central Catholic and Mooseheart had the smallest teams that competed in Lisle Senior’s Steve Melichar Invitational, with just four individuals apiece, but that didn’t mean that ACC walked away from the event without winning any significant medals. In fact, coach Josh McCarty’s Chargers had two finishers in the top three with Vince Hefke taking first at 106 and Matt Gaylor placing third at 126. Hefke (16-2), a junior who won a match at the rugged Class 1A Oregon Sectional last season, captured an 11-0 major decision over Glenbard East’s Lorenz 

Rios Loud in the 106 championship match. Hefke won his first two matches with quick falls, including in 1:03 over Evergreen Park sophomore Brayden Mateja-Bates in the semifinals.

“We just have to keep pushing at practice and working hard and keep the tempo up and we strive to keep it going no matter what,” Hefke said. “There’s just four, we’re four-strong. And I wrestle my coach (Josh McCarty) a lot too, and he’s got me a lot better this year. He knows what he’s doing. He wrestled ast Byron and coached at Sandwich for a long time. I’ve really taken that step forward this year and we’re going to keep it going and we’re not stopping it, until I get stopped, I just don’t plan on that. It’s all about individual state, so that’s the end goal, obviously winning state is the goal for me and we’re going to try to make that happen. I just go to practice every day and keep the tempo up. And conditioning is a big thing and I feel good after every match. And I lift a lot of weights and work at getting stronger. And I love pull ups.”

Lorenz Rios Loud (13-6), a freshman, became one of four finalists for the Rams after he won a 5-2 decision over Nazareth Academy freshman Alek Ramos in the semifinals. Hinsdale South sophomore Jamarion Moffett (19-10) bounced back from a quarterfinals defeat with three victories in the wrestlebacks and took third place with a 3-0 decision over Ramos (19-10).

113 – Waleed Binmahfooz, Glenbard East

After winning 31 matches a year ago but getting eliminated in the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional, Waleed Binmahfooz has much bigger plans for this season and the Glenbard East senior is definitely moving in a positive direction toward those goals after following up on a title at Geneva’s Newbill Invite with a Melichar Tournament title at 113. He improved to 27-5 after recording a fall in 3:19 over Evergreen Park’s Johan Bonilla in the championship match. Binmahfooz, who was one of three champions and four finalists for the Rams, opened with a pair of falls, including one in 1:53 over Hinsdale South’s Mikey Wallace in the semifinals.

“I think that a lot of guys at our lower weights are very focused on this sport specifically and they want to see that success,” Binmahfooz said. “We’ve been putting in the work throughout the offseason, too. Ish has been my practice partner in the room and in the offseason, as well, and it’s very competitive. Last year we had a little bit of a rough year but this year we’re bouncing back, we’re looking a lot tougher and I like to see that improvement, Obviously winning is great and seeing your partners and yourself win. So being able to compete and actually win is a great thing. I think the quality that I like about us is that we’re really tough. We don’t give in when things are looking bad because we’ve been through bad situations and we persevere through it. We always fight back and we stick together.”

Johan Bonilla (19-3), a senior who went 28-14 last season and was one of Evergreen Park’s four IHSA Class 2A state qualifiers, recorded a fall in 0:51 over Nazareth Academy’s Charlie Dvorak in the semifinals, which was his only other match in the tournament. Junior Mikey Wallace (23-11), who went 19-9 last season and qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Finals, became one of the 10 individuals from the champion Hornets who finished third or better when he recorded a fall in 3:26 over Streamwood freshman Luis Martinez in the third-place match.

120 – Ismael Chaidez, Glenbard East

Ismael Chaidez followed in the footsteps of teammate Waleed Binmahfooz and became one of the three champions for Glenbard East when he captured a 10-6 decision over Lisle Senior’s Alexander Ferari in the 120 championship match. Chaidez (27-3), a sophomore who went 31-12 last season and fell a bit short of qualifying from the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional, like Binmahfooz, also added to a Newbill Invite title from one week earlier. He earned his spot on the 120 title mat with a fall in 1:33 over Hinsdale South’s Mario Lagunas in the semifinals.

“I have really strong hips and we all work hips in the Glenbard East room,” Chaidez said. “Hips are a big thing, especially for Waleed, he teaches me a lot. We all came out strong and we were trying to push today. At first we came in with the idea of winning and we found some tough opponents, but we’re still coming through. I feel like we all come together and we all support each other. We’re all just a big family. My coaches always push us and they’re like family. It’s always tough with back-to-back tough teams, but I feel like we’re always up for the battle.”

Alexander Ferari (21-4), a sophomore who was one of two finalists for the host Lions, reached the 120 title match after capturing a 6-4 decision over Evergreen Park’s Angel Ramirez in the semifinals. A year ago, Ferari went 30-10 but he like many others, came up a bit short in his efforts to advance out of the Class 1A Oregon Sectional. The two semifinal losers bounced back with victories to meet up in the third-place match and Mustangs junior Angel Ramirez (17-4) won by fall in 1:35 over Hornets freshman Mario Lagunas.

126 – Chance Woods, Evergreen Park

Not only was Chance Woods one of the six finalists and four champions for coach Ron Zimmerman’s runner-up Evergreen Park Mustangs at Lisle Senior’s Steve Melichar Memorial Tournament, he also was the recipient of the event’s Outstanding Wrestler Award after claiming the championship at 126 with a fall in 2:54 over Walther Christian Academy’s Caleb Peterson. Woods (27-2), a sophomore, earned his spot on the title mat after recording a fall in 2:58 over Mooseheart junior Jaime Briceno in the semifinals. Last season, Woods made an impressive debut for the Mustangs by going 31-12 and qualifying for the IHSA Class 2A Finals.

“We’ve been training pretty hard and the fact is that we’re trying to hone in our moves,” Woods said. “I think we could be a little higher, but right now, we’re doing pretty good. We beat Lemont at the beginning of the year and I think that was the first time we beat them in over five years. They (the coaches) want us to hone in on our one and two moves and just being really focused on good positioning. And they’re pushing us pretty hard, too. I think that we all push each other. If someone is down, we’re like, ‘come on, let’s go’. If you’re running slow, you’ve got to run faster, and I think we do a pretty good job on that. We’re winning and we’re having fun doing it.”

Caleb Peterson (17-6), a junior and the lone medalist for coach Tim Eberhard’s Walther Christian Academy Broncos, only needed nine seconds to record a fall in the 126 semifinals over Aurora Central Catholic’s Matt Gaylor. Last season, Peterson went 32-13 and fell one win shy of advancing to the IHSA Class 1A Finals from the Coal City Sectional. Gaylor responded to his quick semifinals loss to capture a 6-5 decision over Westmont junior Christian Rosa (11-9) for third place. The pair also met in the quarterfinals with Gaylor winning 11-9 by sudden victory.

132 – Uli Rojas, Streamwood

Uli Rojas is quick to admit that he probably didn’t deserve to be brought up to the Streamwood varsity when he was a sophomore. But as the Sabres senior reflects back on some of the tough losses that he took, it seems to have paid off for him after he was able to stand on top of the awards stand with a bracket board for the first time in his varsity career as the result of his 11-8 decision over Argo’s Carlos Gutierrez in the 132 title match. Rojas (13-5), one of two finalists and the lone champion for coach Bill Peach’s Sabres, reached the finals with two decisions, with the last of those a 7-2 win over Evergreen Park’s Adrian Cervantes in the semifinals.

“It was very tough,” Rojas said. “I was so tired, all I was thinking about was the win and I didn’t know if I could do it but I pulled through. This was my first ever first-place win. It’s my last year so I feel like it’s a good achievement, this is what I’ve wanted since my freshman year. I was always looking at the seniors getting first place and now it’s finally happened. Last year there were probably about 30 kids and this year we have 70 or 80, so there’s a lot of kids and we have a girls team, so that’s good. From when I started, I was so bad. They put me on varsity my sophomore year but I don’t think I was ready for it and I lost a lot but I learned a lot, too.”

Sophomore Carlos Gutierrez (12-11), who entered the competition with a 10-10 record, was the lone finalist and one of four medal winners for coach Matthew McMurray’s Argonauts. After opening with a major decision, Gutierrez won a 10-5 decision over Lisle Senior’s Adam Drake in the semifinals. The two individuals who lost in the semifinals met for third place and Mustangs sophomore Cervantes (20-7) won by fall in 4:33 over Lisle Senior freshman Drake (15-7).

138 – Ashton Gray, Evergreen Park

While many of his Evergreen Park teammates competed in the regional and some of those advanced to the Hinsdale South Sectional and then on to Champaign a year ago, Ashton Gray hopes that he can be a part of this year’s postseason team that not only wants to get individuals through the sectional and back to state, but the Mustangs would like to be in the mix among those that are vying for spots in the IHSA Dual Team Finals, something the program did just once, in 1993. Gray (21-10), a junior, did his part on Saturday as he was one of his team’s four champions after edging Hinsdale South’s Al Amir Almannai 3-2 in the 138 title match. Gray opened with a fall and  won a 10-5 decision over Westmont’s Joseph Salerno in the semifinals.

“I met the guy from Hinsdale South at our home mega dual and I won that match,” Gray said. “They’ve been great competition for us and there were a lot of tough matches today. In my second match, I got elbowed in the mouth and started to bleed. So I just had to wrestle smart and just listen to my coaches. I trust them when I go on the mat and one of them wrestled DI at Purdue. Our main goal this season is that we want to get to super Tuesday and we want to win team state. We believe that we have the firepower this year. I would definitely say that it’s our bonds together outside of the practice room. After multiple meets, we’ve got out and had team meals and it’s about building that family sense because it truly does strengthen you. It feels great to be a part of this and I hope that even after I graduate that we keep getting better.”

Al Amir Almannai (14-10) was one of eight Hornets who advanced to the title mat and just missed being a title winner in the competition. He reached the finals with a fall in 1:06 over Glenbard East’s Jesus Chaidez in the semifinals. A year ago he qualified for the sectional at his school. In the third-place match at 138, Glenbard East’s Chavez (16-16), a senior, won a 12-2 major decision over Argo senior Kevin Bustillos (21-7) in a rematch of the quarterfinals match, which Chaidez also won with a 12-2 major decision.

144 – David Johnson, Evergreen Park

One year ago, David Johnson was one of 12 Mustangs who qualified for the Class 2A Hinsdale South Sectional and finished 28-13. Now he and the other six individuals who were sectional qualifiers look for even better success there as Evergreen Park hopes to have more than four individuals advance to the IHSA Finals. Johnson (30-2) already has more wins than he had last season after getting past Streamwood’s Juan Cortez 7-5 in the 144 title match. Opening with a fall, he captured a 7-6 decision in the semifinals over Lisle Senior’s Johnny Consuegra Lopez.

“We just work hard and keep going,” Johnson said. “We listen to the coaches and trust the coaches. They’re really passionate about what they do and we just feed off of that. Whatever they do and whatever they say, that’s what we do. This year we’ve had a lot of first-place winners. (Placing at state) That should be a goal for me and a lot of other guys. I really do like our coaches because of how passionate about the sport they are and how they trust us and how they want us to succeed.”

Juan Cortez (16-6),  a junior who was one of two finalists and five medalists for Streamwood, won a pair of decisions to reach the 144 title match, with the second of those being an 11-5 win over Nazareth Academy’s Andrew Fowler in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Westmont junior Mission Hatchell (15-11) won a 10-5 decision over Northridge Prep sophomore George McShane (17-9). Hatchell lost to Johnson in the quarterfinals and then got two pins to reach the third-place mat. McShane lost to Cortez in the quarterfinals and also won his next two matches, edging Lisle Senior freshman Johnny Consuegra Lopez 6-5 to get to the third-place match.

150 – Andrew Musil, Hinsdale South

After going 32-9 last season but falling one shy win shy of a trip to the IHSA Class 2A Finals at his own sectional, Andrew Musil hopes to cap his senior season at Hinsdale South by being a state qualifier and faring well in Champaign. He’s off to a 25-5 start and was one of the four title winners and eight finalists for the champion Hornets after capturing the 150 title with a fall in 3:05 over Nazareth Academy’s Ben Lukes. Musil won first-period falls in his other two matches, recording a pin in 1:54 in the semifinals over Argo’s Diego Reynoso.

“It was an excellent tournament,” Musil said. “We’re a very tight-knit team and we act like a family. I was across the room, screaming for my teammate, we grew up together and we’ve been wrestling since fifth grade at Eisenhower. I feel what makes a good team into a great team is when you have those outside of the mat room relationships if you grew up together or you just know the guys. I love my coaches. Mister Matozzi has been working here forever and he knows his stuff and a strong thing that he does well is that he disciplines us and that he makes us who we are today. This is a lot of our senior years so I’m super excited to see how our season turns out.”

Ben Lukes (17-7), a sophomore who was the lone finalist and one of two medal winners for Nazareth Academy, won two decisions to advance to the 150 finals, claiming a 10-3 win over Streamwood senior Noah Rodriguez in the semifinals. Glenbard East’s Donte Hudson (9-19) and Westmont junior Sean Patterson (14-10) took long routes to the third-place match, where Hudson won a 10-2 major decision. Hudson lost his opener to Rodriguez and then won his next four matches while Patterson lost to Rodriguez in the quarterfinals and then won his next two matches, edging Argo’s Diego Reynoso to reach the third-place match.

157 – Ben Miller, Hinsdale South

It’s not very often that you see three brothers who are competing on the same team, but that’s the case for Hinsdale South’s Alec, Andrew and Ben Miller. And it’s especially unusual to see three brothers competing on the title mat in the same event, but that’s also what happened at Lisle Senior’s Steve Melichar Memorial Tournament when all three Millers made the finals and freshman Ben and senior Alec won titles while senior Andrew took second. Ben Miller improved to 20-9 after recording a fall in 2:59 over Lisle Senior’s David Skonieczny in the 157 finals. The freshman advanced with two falls, including in 1:44 in the semifinals over Argo’s Darell Ortiz.

“I have five other brothers, so that’s six in total,” Ben Miller said. “It’s fun because I get to wrestle them some times and they’re both going for first now. We have a lot of seniors and four people who went to state last year. We all have fellowship and we all get along. And we’re all good wrestlers.”

David Skonieczny (19-10), a sophomore, was one of the two finalists and four medal winners for coach Brandon Wolak’s Lions. Despite the inclement weather, Lisle Senior was able to hold its annual tournament that’s named for a former Lisle wrestler who died in 1986 at the age of 16 shortly after being hit by a car. Skonieczny won his only other match, in the semifinals, when he recorded a fall in 1:07 over Streamwood’s Jeff Li. In the third-place match, Glenbard East’s Leo Mundinger (14-11) won by fall in 1:32 over Argo’s Darell Ortiz, in a rematch of the quarterfinals where Ortiz won with a pin in 1:14. Mundinger responded by winning his final three matches.

165 – Jon Suter, Northridge Prep

Jon Suter went 20-4 a year ago and came close to advancing out of the Class 1A Coal City Sectional, but instead suffered half of his losses in that competition. Now as a senior, he hopes not only to advance to the IHSA Class 1A Finals and do something that no one at Northridge Prep has ever done in the sport, and that is to be a state medalist. He’s already surpassed last season’s win total and improved to 25-2 after winning by fall in 3:31 over Hinsdale South’s 

Darrion Glover in the 165 title match. One of two finalists and three medalists for coach Joseph Rhee’s Knights, Suter won by fall in 4:37 over Glenbard East’s Aaron Dotson in the semifinals.

“Last year was my real competition,” Suter said. “Two years before that it was COVID and then the second year I was JV because I switched schools. I was happy with my performance tonight. I couldn’t say that about several other tournaments that I’ve been to, so it does feel good. We started our program about six years ago and I joined in my sophomore year. It’s run by one family, the Kopeckys, he’s our coach right now, Bill Kopecky, and his nephew was the team captain for four years in a row. We’ve been growing this program very well and I’m hoping that we’re going to do good next year. It’s the culture there because it’s a real small school. You’re real close with all of your teachers and all of the teachers are really interesting people. And our wrestling, all it’s about is our coaches are trying to teach us about how to be men. I’m so impressed with my coaches.”

Darrion Glover (13-11), a junior who was one of eight finalists for the champion Hornets, recorded two falls to reach the 165 title mat, winning in the semifinals with a pin in 1:35 over Evergreen Park senior Andrew Viravec. The two individuals who lost in the semifinals met for third and Glenbard East’s Aaron Dotson (14-16) won by fall in 3:25 over Viravec (21-11).

175 – Jovani Piazza, Hinsdale South

Jovani Piazza has enjoyed a very impressive run of tournament success this season and the Hinsdale South senior hopes to continue that into the postseason. He won his second title at Lisle’s Steve Melichar Tournament and has been in the top-three in all five of his tournaments and reached the title mat four times. He improved to 22-4 after winning the title at 175 with a fall in 5:38 over Northridge Prep’s Adam Haddad. He became one of the champion Hornets’ eight finalists when he got his second of three pins, a fall in 2:00 over Streamwood’s Gabe Inorio. After going 28-5 last season and qualifying for the IHSA Class 2A Finals, he hopes along with many of his teammates that one of them will become the program’s first medalist since 2016.

“Wrestling 3A schools helps so much more than just wrestling 2A schools,” Piazza said. “We have a really good team. And it helps a lot when you see the rest of your team win, because then you have to win. We started young and half of our starters are from our middle school, Eisenhower Middle School. And every day is a hard practice with them. All of our coaches are great. Coach (Steve) Matozzi has been here for a long time and we have two new coaches who are great, coach (Tony) Poro has been here for three years and I feel that he’s a great coach. We give it all for the entire match.”

Adam Haddad (21-4) was one of two finalists for Northridge Prep. The Knights junior went 22-9  last year and fell one shy of advancing from the Class 1A Coal City Sectional. He’s hoping the he and 165-pound title winner Jon Suter can advance to the state finals and try to become the first individuals from the Niles school to earn a medal in Champaign. Haddad earned his spot in the 175 finals with a fall in 1:30 over Argo’s Joe Nieto. In the third-place match, Streamwood junior Gabe Inorio (7-2) recorded a fall in 4:43 over Glenbard East’s Orlando Hoye.

190 – Alec Miller, Hinsdale South

Alec Miller joined his brother Ben (157) as a champion at Lisle’ Steve Melichar Tournament after edging Evergreen Park’s Genesis Ward 1-0 in the 190 finals. But the family missed out on having three brothers win titles when Andrew Miller fell at 215. Despite that, Alec Miller (23-6) had a lot to be excited about after his Hornets won four titles and had eight finalists to easily win the team title. The Hinsdale South senior, who advanced to the 190 title mat with a fall in 1:59 over Streamwood’s Jace Woods, went 27-11 last year and qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Finals. He not only hopes to challenge for a state medal, but also will do his best to try to help the Hornets’ program earn a trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time in its history.

“I’m a twin and he’s a triplet,” Alec Miller said of brothers Andrew and Ben. “So having three of us in the finals was really cool. We’re hoping that there’s a lot to look forward to. We want to win regionals, and we have a good shot at winning regionals. Ninety percent of our team comes from the same middle school, Eisenhower. It’s amazing and it’s really good to know your guys before high school. All three of our team captains won titles.”

Like Alec Miller, Genesis Ward (27-4) is very excited about how things are going for his team, Evergreen Park. He earned his spot as one of the Mustangs’ six finalists after getting a fall in 4:37 in the semifinals over Argo’s Jacob Fries. Ward, a junior, came up a bit short of qualifying from the Class 2A Hinsdale South Sectional last season, so he’d naturally like to not only get to Champaign but also help his team to earn a spot to the IHSA Dual Team Finals, something that Evergreen Park has only done once before, in 1993. In the third-place match, Streamwood junior Jace Wolf (19-5) won by fall in 4:57 over Argo senior Jacob Fries (16-12).

215 – Eduardo Antunez, Evergreen Park

Eduardo Antunez hopes that the third time’s the charm for him as far as IHSA Class 2A Finals appearances are concerned. The two-time state qualifier from Evergreen Park looks to cap his senior season with some victories in Champaign after winning once in first two trips. Antunez went 33-11 last year and is now 28-1, with his lone loss coming when he had bronchitis, after his fall in 3:13 over Hinsdale South’s Andrew Miller in the 215 finals. He advanced to that match with a 13-4 win over Glenbard East’s Gus Winkler. This was his second title with the other at Pontiac. Beside hoping to become his school’s first IHSA medalist since 1996, he’d like to see the Mustangs make their first IHSA Dual Team Finals appearance since their lone trip in 1993.

‘Since I was a sophomore, I’ve been starting on varsity and each year it’s just progressively gotten better and I can say confidently that this is our best year,” Antunez said. “We’re 22-1 right now in duals. Definitely it’s been conditioning and offseason wrestling. This year I went ahead and did Beat the Streets in the spring. It put me into wrestling shape, and I feel that’s one thing I feel I’ve gotten out of due to track and field. I like our chemistry. We’re very honest with each other. We can tell each other to improve upon and to not to do next time. That helps a lot to hear from peers on how to improve.”

Andrew Miller (13-8) was hoping to join his brothers Alec (at 190) and Ben (at 157) as title winners but he’ll settle for being one of Hinsdale South’s eight finalists who helped their team to easily capture the championship of the Melichar Tournament, adding to an early season title at their own Matozzi Invite. He earned his trip to the 215 finals by recording a fall in 3:53 over Westmont sophomore Rafael Castrejon-Tello, who later would get pinned in 2:21 by Glenbard East’s Gus Winkler (20-12) in the third-place match.

285 – Cooper Conliss, Glenbard East

While early title wins by Waleed Binmahfooz and Ismael Chaidez might not have come as much of a surprise to Glenbard East supporters, Cooper Conliss’ championship in the late stages of the medal round may have caught some off guard since he entered the tournament with a 15-15 record. But it’s not how you start but how you finish and Conliss (18-15) is obviously feeling good about being one of the Rams’ three champions and helping his team to a third-place finish after getting a fall in 4:48 over Hinsdale South’s Gavin Slaughter in the 285 finals. He opened with a fall and then won 3-2 on an ultimate tiebreaker over Evergreen Park’s Gerald O’Hare.

“It’s extremely exciting seeing the hard work that I’ve had this season pay off, especially since I’m undersized and only 225 pounds,” Conliss said. “I think that’s what my biggest strength is, my athleticism and my speed. It’s a testament to my coaches, the work that we do with conditioning, it’s a tough practice but I think that gets me ready for tournaments. I think I’ve really improved this year. Toward the beginning of the year, I wasn’t as sound or as conditioned as I am now. And it’s a lot of fun to come out and compete and I like winning more than losing. I like our chemistry, it’s a lot of fun. No one is dreading  coming to practice and we like each other and that makes it easier to come and be excited and get ready to work and I think that’s our biggest strength as a team.”

Gavin Slaughter (12-10) typified the true team effort by the champion Hornets, who claimed top honors in Lisle Senior’s Steve Melichar Memorial Tournament by a 205.5-169.5 margin over Evergreen Park. The Hinsdale South junior, who reached the 285 title mat with a fall in 1:42 over Lisle Senior junior Ramon Ortega, was one of eight finalists and 11 individuals who finished fourth or better for coach Steve Matozzi’s Hornets, which should give them plenty of confidence as they prepare for the Class 2A Lemont Regional and its own Class 2A sectional in Darien. For third, Evergreen Park senior Gerald O’Hare (21-4) won by fall in 2:28 over Ortega. 

Title matches for Lisle Senior’s Steve Melichar Memorial Tournament

106 – Vince Hefke (Aurora Central Catholic) MD 11-0 Lorenz Rios Loud (Glenbard East)

113 – Waleed Binmahfooz (Glenbard East) F 3:19 Johan Bonilla (Evergreen Park)

120 – Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard East) D 10-6 Alexander Ferari (Lisle Senior)

126 – Chance Woods (Evergreen Park) F 2:54 Caleb Peterson (Walther Christian Academy)

132 – Uli Rojas (Streamwood) D 11-8 Carlos Gutierrez (Argo)

138 – Ashton Gray (Evergreen Park) D 3-2 Al Amir Almannai (Hinsdale South)

144 – David Johnson (Evergreen Park) D 7-5 Juan Cortez (Streamwood)

150 – Andrew Musil (Hinsdale South) F 3:05 Ben Lukes (Nazareth Academy)

157 – Ben Miller (Hinsdale South) F 2:59 David Skonieczny (Lisle Senior)

165 – Jon Suter (Northridge Prep) F 3:31 Darrion Glover (Hinsdale South)

175 – Jovani Piazza (Hinsdale South) F 5:38 Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep)

190 – Alec Miller (Hinsdale South) D 1-0 Genesis Ward (Evergreen Park)

215 – Eduardo Antunez (Evergreen Park) F 3:13 Andrew Miller (Hinsdale South)

285 – Cooper Conliss (Glenbard East) F 4:48 Gavin Slaughter (Hinsdale South)

Team scores for Lisle Senior’s Steve Melicar Memorial Tournament

1. Hinsdale South 205.5, 2. Evergreen Park 169.5, 3. Glenbard East 164, 4. Streamwood 76, 5. Argo 60, 6. Lisle Senior 52, 7. Northridge Prep 51, 8. Westmont 45, 9. Aurora Central Catholic 38, 10. Nazareth Academy 31, 11. Walther Christian Academy 23, 12. Mooseheart 8

• 

By Curt Herron for the IWCOA

Deerfield takes first place at Kaneland’s Margaret Flott Invite

Deerfield had originally been scheduled to compete in the Geneseo Invitational, but when the event couldn’t be held due to the weather, coach Marc Pechter became a last-minute entrant in Kaneland’s Margaret Flott Invite, which was able to take place in Maple Park.

The late addition to its schedule definitely worked well for Deerfield as it got fifth-place or better finishes from each of its 15 entrants and that helped it to capture top honors in the nine-team competition with 197 points.

Plainfield Central took second place with 134.5 points, Addison Trail finished third with 125 points, the hosts Knights edged Romeoville 110-109 for fourth place and St. Charles North took sixth place with 78 points.

Team champion Deerfield had five title winners, Luke Reddy (126), Jackson Palzet (132), Mark Martinez (144), Charlie Cross (150) and Kevin Sabau (190). 

Winning championships for runner-up Plainfield Central were Gavin Enders (138) and Anthony Minnito (215). Kaneland got first-place finishes from Angelina Gochis (106) and Kamron Scholl (120). And capturing titles for Romeoville were Alex Bahena (113) and Jamir Thomas (285).

Other champions of the Margaret Flott Invite were Addison Trail’s Martin Duarte (157), St. Charles North North’s Nathan McLoughlin (165) and Woodstock North’s Kaden Combs (175). 

1. Deerfield

Top performers for the champion Warriors were title winners Luke Reddy (126), Jackson Palzet (132), Mark Martinez (144), Charlie Cross (150) and Kevin Sabau (190) and second-place finishers Jayden Palzet (132), Jordan Rasof (138) and Max Drumke (215). In an unusual title match, Jackson Palzet beat Jayden Palzet by technical fall in the 132 finals.

Also for the Warriors, Chris Mauer (175) took third, Daniel Krive (106), Adrian Cohen (120) and Noah Palzet (126) finished fourth and Jonathan Weissmueller (150), Luca Davila (157) and Mariano Martinez (165) all claimed fifth place.

“We were supposed to be at Geneseo so I appreciate the fine folks in Kaneland for letting us in last-minute,” Warriors coach Marc Pechter said. “The team is coming together for the stretch run. We still have not had our entire starting lineup due to injuries. I’m hoping for next week.”

2. Plainfield Central

Leading the way for coach Terry Kubski’s runner-up Plainfield Central Wildcats were champions Gavin Enders (138) and Anthony Minnito (215) and runners-up Jayden Mizelle (113) and Matthias Hautzinger (144). Taking third place was Neil Lemke (157) while Jack Bowen (150), Michael Laudadio (165) and Ty Sabin (190) claimed fourth and Brody Rangel (126) took fifth.

3. Addison Trail

Coach Mike Rosengrant’s third-place Addison Trail Blazers got a title from Martin Duarte (157) and second-place finishes from Josh Amorn-Vichet (120), Damian Valdez (126) and Elmer Olascoaga (190). Taking third place were George Espinoza (106), Zion Martinez (113) and Elliot Ibarra (285) while Joshua Gutierrez (138) and Brian Torres (144) finished fifth.

4. Kaneland 

Turning in the top showings for coach Kenny Paoli’s host Knights were champions Angelina Gochis (106) and Kamron Scholl (120) while Kyle Rogers (150) and Caden Vanik (165) placed second. Taking third was Alex Gochis (126) while Russell Bickem (113), Christian Alvarez (132) and Apollo Gochis (175) was fourth and Rogan O’Neil (190) and Levi Herst (215) took fifth.

5. Romeoville

Top finishers for coach James Nagel’s Romeoville Spartans were title winners Alex Bahena (113) and Jamir Thomas (285) while Mason Gougis (175) was a runner-up. Brian Farley (120), Gabe Bahena (132), Tyler Lewis (165) and Isaiah Escobar (190) all finished in third place and Marc Thomas (215) claimed fourth place.

Leading the way for coach David Drews’ St. Charles North North Stars were champion Nathan McLoughlin (165), runner-up Declan Sons (106) and third-place finishers Brogan Sons (144) and Liam O’Brien (150). 

Coach Mike Miller’s Woodstock North Thunder were led by champion Kaden Combs (175) while David Randecker (215) claimed third place, Ben Lagerhausen (157) finished fourth and Anthony Motejzik (120) placed fifth.

Turning in the best efforts for coach Eric Kirkman’s St. Francis Spartans were runners-up Ben Conte (157) and Mark Ortiz (285) while Grant Rabanus (138) and Chase Siguenza (144) took fourth place and Jacon Dunn (113), Alex Swiatek (132) and Cobin Jaskula (175) were fifth.

The lone competitor for coach Cory Graham’s Harvest Christian Academy Lions was Max Mulhearn (138), who claimed third place.

Some of the closest title matches featured Angelina Gochis getting past Declan Sons 6-5 in the deciding match of round robin at 106 and Kaden Combes edging Mason Gougis 5-4 in the deciding match of round robin at 175. Also, Gavin Enders prevailed over Jordan Rasof 7-4 at 138, Kamron Scholl won a 6-1 decision over Josh Amorn-Vichet at 120 and Jamir Thomas beat Mark Ortiz 5-1 in the deciding round robin match at 285.

Best records for top-four finishers in the event include Kamron Scholl at 120 (32-0, 1.000), Kaden Combs at 175 (26-1, .963), Brian Farley at 120 (21-1, .955), Mark Martinez at 144 (17-1, .944), Luke Reddy at 126 (29-2, .935), Jackson Palzet at 132 (11-1, .917), Alex Gochis at 126 (32-3, .914), Nathan McLoughlin at 165 (15-2, .882), Declan Sons at 106 (19-3, .864), Angelina Gochis at 106 (31-5, .861), Jordan Rasof at 138 (24-5, .828), Anthony Minnito at 215 (23-5, .821), Martin Duarte at 157 (22-5, .815), Max Mulhearn at 138 (21-5, .808), Jayden Mizelle at 113 (15-4, .789), Jamir Thomas at 285 (15-4, .789), Adrian Cohen at 120 (26-7, .788), Max Drumke at 215 (26-7, .788), Matthias Hautzinger at 144 (17-5, .773), Gavin Enders at 138 (19-6, .760), Damian Valdez at 126 (22-7, .759) and Elmer Olascoaga at 190 (15-5, .750).

There was a three-way tie for the most total team points at 26 between Martin Duarte, Anthony Minnito and Kevin Sabau while Jackson Palzet and Luke Reddy tied for fourth with 25.5 points, Mark Martinez scored 25 points, Charlie Cross collected 23 points and Gavin Enders had 22.

Alex Gochis had the most total match points with 47 while Luke Reddy had 35 and Neil Lemke had 34, Alex Bahena and Nathan McLoughlin both recorded four falls with the latter doing so in 6:37 while Mason Gougis only needed 3:29 to collect three pins. Kevin Sabau had the largest seed-to-place differential, after being seeded sixth and then taking top honors at 190.

Deerfield and Romeoville tied for the most falls with 14. The champion Warriors also had the most total match points with 192 while Plainfield Central edged the hosts 178-176 for second.

Title matches for Kaneland’s Margaret Flott Invite

106 – Angelina Gochis (Kaneland) D 6-5 Declan Sons (St. Charles North) round robin

113 – Alex Bahena (Romeoville) F 4:19 Jayden Mizelle (Plainfield Central) round robin

120 – Kamron Scholl (Kaneland) D 6-1 Josh Amorn-Vichet (Addison Trail)

126 – Luke Reddy (Deerfield) TF 3:38 Damian Valdez (Addison Trail)

132 – Jackson Palzet (Deerfield) TF 3:24 Jayden Palzet (Deerfield)

138 – Gavin Enders (Plainfield Central) D 7-4 Jordan Rasof (Deerfield)

145 – Mark Martinez (Deerfield) MD 18-7 Matthias Hautzinger (Plainfield Central)

150 – Charlie Cross (Deerfield) MD 14-3 Kyle Rogers (Kaneland)

157 – Martin Duarte (Addison Trail) F 2:43 Ben Conte (St. Francis)

165 – Nathan McLoughlin (St. Charles North) F 2:29 Caden Vanik (Kaneland) round robin

175 – Kaden Combs (Woodstock North) D 5-4 Mason Gougis (Romeoville) round robin

190 – Kevin Sabau (Deerfield) F 3:59 Elmer Olascoaga (Addison Trail)

215 – Anthony Minnito (Plainfield Central) F 4:19 Max Drumke (Deerfield)

285 – Jamir Thomas (Romeoville) D 5-1 Mark Ortiz (St. Francis) round robin

Team scores for Kaneland’s Margaret Flott Invite

1. Deerfield 197, 2. Plainfield Central 134.5, 3. Addison Trail 125, 4. Kaneland 110. 5. Romeoville 109, 6. St. Charles North 78, 7. Woodstock North 56, 8. St. Francis 49, 9. Harvest Christian Academy 14

Quincy Senior wins own Quincy Invitational for third-straight year

When a team sends eight individuals to the title mat and receives finishes of third or better from 11 of its 13 competitors, it’s a pretty safe bet that it has done what’s necessary to win a title.

That’s just the showing that Quincy Senior turned in on Saturday to help it collect 274 points to claim the championship at its own 11-team Quincy Invitational with Roxana claiming second place with 227.5 points and Jacksonville finishing third with 161.5 points. 

Triad (158) took fourth place, Cahokia (104.5) was fifth and Quincy Notre Dame (101) claimed sixth in an event that was reduced by nine teams who were unable to compete in the invitational due to the poor weather conditions.

It’s the third-straight year that coach Phil Neally’s Blue Devils have won the title at their own invite. It was the first tournament title of the season for Quincy Senior, which took third place early in the season at Lakes Community and Coon Rapids, Minnesota and placed fourth at Mascoutah and sixth at Granite City in other good finishes against strong fields.

The Blue Devils hope to have two more successful tournaments in Quincy when they host a Class 3A regional on February 3 and a Class 3A sectional on February 9-10.

Winning titles for the champion Blue Devils were Hugh Sharrow (113), Owen Uppinghouse (165), Bryor Newbold (175) and Todd Smith (285)

Runner-up Roxana also had four champions, Logan Riggs (132), Brandon Green, Jr. (138), Braden Johnson (157) and Robert Watt (190)

Third-place Jacksonville had three champions Deshawn Armstrong (120), Joe Reif (150) and Oliver Cooley (215) while Triad’s Will Kelly (106) and Colby Crouch (126) and Pekin’s RaMez Watson (144) were the other title winners.

Repeating as invite champions were three-time winner Sharrow, Uppinghouse and Smith, with the latter edging Roxana’s James Herring 3-1 by sudden victory in the finals at 285 to deny Herring of winning a second-straight title.

Second-place finishers were Quincy Senior’s Wyatt Boeing (120), Evan Wakefield (126), Cale Mixer (138) and Eli Roberts (150), Quincy Notre Dame’s Bradi Lahr (144), Ryan Darnell (190) and Taylin Scott (215), Roxana’s Lyndon Thies (165) and James Herring (285), Palmyra, MO’s Luke Lawson (113) and Brayden Pillars (157), Jacksonville’s Jayce Evans (106), Triad’s Ben Baumgartner (132) and Cahokia’s Jramuel Holman (175). Baumgartner and Lahr joined Herring as second-place finishers who won titles in last year’s invitational.

Beside Smith’s 3-1 win by sudden victory over Herring at 285, other close title matches included Riggs edging Baumgartner 5-4 at 132, Armstrong getting past Boeing 7-5 at 120 and Cooley prevailing 7-2 over Scott at 215.

Uppinghouse led all competitors with 31.5 team points while Cooley, Crouch and Green, Jr. tied for second with 30 points. Newbold scored 29.5 points, Reif had 29, Watson collected 28.5, Johnson had 28 points, Sharrow finished with 27.5 and Smith was tenth with 27 team points.

1. Quincy Senior

Leading the way for coach Phil Neally’s champion Blue Devils were title winners Hugh Sharrow (113), Owen Uppinghouse (165), Bryor Newbold (175) and Todd Smith (285) while Wyatt Boeing (120), Evan Wakefield (126), Cale Mixer (138) and Eli Roberts (150) finished second. 

Taking third place were Cooper Kamm (132), Brody Baker (144) and Gunnar Derhake (157) while Jayden Wilson (190) placed fifth and Dalton Mays (215) claimed seventh place.

2. Roxana

Top performers for coach Rob Milazzo’s runner-up Roxana Shells were first-place finishers Logan Riggs (132), Brandon Green, Jr. (138), Braden Johnson (157) and Robert Watt (190) while Lyndon Thies (165) and James Herring (285) took second place. Finishing in third place were Elias Thies (175) and Donald Battles (215) while Nathan Harrison (126) and Trevor Gihring (144) placed fourth and Madelyn Murphy (106), Kaden Carlisle (138) and Bryan Rodriguez (144) finished in fifth place.

3. Jacksonville

Turning in the best showings for coach Dustin Secrist’s third-place Jacksonville Crimsons were its three champions Deshawn Armstrong (120), Joe Reif (150) and Oliver Cooley (215) as well as runner-up Jayce Evans (106).  Finishing third was Aiden Surratt (285) while Hunter Hayes (113) took fourth, Steven Easley (113), Jordan Kholian (132), Noah Beckmann (157) and Kaleb Miller (165) all placed fifth and Alexis Seymour (120) claimed sixth place. Surratt won a title in the invite in 2022.

4. Triad

Winning titles for the Triad Knights, who are coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Famer Russ Witzig, were Will Kelly (106) and Colby Crouch (126) while Ben Baumgartner (132) took second place. Shane Seip (113) and Glen Henry (120) placed third, Brody Smith (138) and Landon Busch (285) finished fourth and Camden Wise (175) and Bobby Patterson (190) took sixth. Baumgartner won a title in the event last year.

5. Cahokia

Individuals who had the best finishes for coach Nicholas Deloach’s Cahokia Comanches were 

runner-up Jramuel Holman (175) and third-place finishers Nathan Fisher (106) and Kindrick Williams (165). Quinterrous Jones (215) took fourth, Kindle Williams (150) finished fifth and 

Nicholas Scott (113) and Pharrell Holman (144) placed sixth.

6. Quincy Notre Dame

Providing the best performances for coach Adam Steinkamp’s Quincy Notre Dame Raiders were second-place finishers Bradi Lahr (144), Ryan Darnell (190) and Taylin Scott (215) as well as Oliver Moore (126), who claimed third place. Lahr won a Quincy Invite title last year.

Coach Kasey Monroe’s Camp Point Central Panthers were led by third-place finisher Paul Schenk (138) while Dylan Mowen (132), Konnor Bush (150), Conner Griffin (165) and Joseph Friday (175) placed fourth and Wyatt Van De Velde (285) finished fifth. Schenk also won a title in last year’s invite.

Leading coach John Jacobs’ Pekin Dragons was champion RaMez Watson (144) while Dalton Davis (120) and Jayden Dawe (126) took fifth and Mason Waller (215) placed sixth.

The Pittsfield Saukees, who are coached by Johnathon Peterson, were led by third-place finisher Tucker Cook (190) while Joel Noble (120) and Jake Oitker (157) took fourth and Hunter Harrison (138) and Waylon White (165) finished sixth.

The top placers for Warsaw’s Titans, who are coached by Chase Hartweg, were third-place finisher Evan Carel (150) and fourth-place finisher Eli Carel (106) while Malachi McKune (215) took fifth and Kai Humphry (132) placed sixth.

Quincy Senior’s junior-varsity team received a fifth-place finish from Alex Wells (175) while Azriel Cale (126), Rennie Lilo (150) and Aiden Garcia (157) all claimed sixth place.

Top records after the invite were Owen Uppinghouse at 165 (34-0, 1.000), Taylin Scott at 215 (29-1, .967), Brandon Green, Jr. at 138 (25-1, .962), RaMez Watson at 144 (25-1, .962), Colby Crouch at 126 (22-1, .957), James Herring at 285 (26-2, .929), Oliver Cooley at 215 (30-3, .909), Bryor Newbold at 175 (30-3, .909). Lyndon Thies at 165 (27-3, .900), Logan Riggs at 132 (25-3, .893), Bradi Lahr at 144 (24-3, .889), Joe Reif at 150 (28-4, .875), Aiden Surratt at 285 (27-4, .871), Will Kelly at 106 (26-4, .867), Robert Watt at 190 (26-4, .867), Ryan Darnell at 190 (24-4, .857), Hunter Hayes at 113 (24-5, .828), Deshawn Armstrong at 120 (19-4, .826), Evan Carel at 150 (19-4, .826), Todd Smith at 285 (25-6, .806), Brayden Pillars at 157 (22-6, .786), Alexis Seymour at 120 (22-6, .786), Trevor Gihring at 144 (25-7, ,781), Brody Smith at 138 (16-5, .762), Braden Johnson at 157 (19-6, .760), Luke Lawson at 113 (22-7, .759), Tucker Cook at 190 (24-8, .750), Gunnar Derhake at 157 (30-10, .750) and Conner Griffin at 165 (21-7, .750).

Deshawn Armstrong had the most total match points with 86 while Wyatt Boeing was second with 78 and Lyndon Thies was third with 57 points. Oliver Cooley, Colby Crouch, Brandon Green, Jr., Taylin Scott and Lyndon Thies all had the most falls with five with Crouch needing just 1:38 to achieve that feat. Wyatt Boeing had three wins by technical falls. Jramuel Holman had the best seed to place differential, being seeded eighth and taking second place.

The champion Blue Devils easily had the most total match points with 372 while Jacksonville was second with 283 and Roxana ranked third with 278. And Quincy Senior also recorded the most falls with 34 and wins by technical fall with eight while Roxana collected 32 pins. 

Title matches for the Quincy Invitational

106 – Will Kelly (Triad) F 1:38 Jayce Evans (Jacksonville) round robin

113 – Hugh Sharrow (Quincy Senior) D 7-0 Luke Lawson (Palmyra, MO)

120 – Deshawn Armstrong (Jacksonville) D 7-5 Wyatt Boeing (Quincy Senior)

126 – Colby Crouch (Triad) F 0:38 Evan Wakefield (Quincy Senior)

132 – Logan Riggs (Roxana) D 5-4 Ben Baumgartner (Triad)

138 – Brandon Green, Jr. (Roxana) F 1:20 Cale Mixer (Quincy Senior)

144 – RaMez Watson (Pekin) F 1:54 Bradi Lahr (Quincy Notre Dame)

150 – Joe Reif (Jacksonville) F 1:14 Eli Roberts (Quincy Senior)

157 – Braden Johnson (Roxana) F 3:17 Brayden Pillars (Palmyra, MO)

165 – Owen Uppinghouse (Quincy Senior) TF 3:42 Lyndon Thies (Roxana)

175 – Bryor Newbold (Quincy Senior) F 2:59 Jramuel Holman (Cahokia)

190 – Robert Watt (Roxana) D 8-1 Ryan Darnell (Quincy Notre Dame)

215 – Oliver Cooley (Jacksonville) D 7-2 Taylin Scott (Quincy Notre Dame)

285 – Todd Smith (Quincy Senior) SV 3-1 James Herring (Roxana)

Team scores for the Quincy Invitational

1. Quincy Senior 274, 2. Roxana 227.5, 3. Jacksonville 161.5, 4. Triad 158, 5. Cahokia 104.5, 6. Quincy Notre Dame 101, 7. Camp Point Central 83, 8. Pekin 73.5, 9. Pittsfield 61, 10. Warsaw 43, 11. Quincy Senior JV 34

Harrisburg edges Lawrenceville/Red Hill for Carmi-White County Invite title

The proof that every point in a tournament is important was again demonstrated at the Carmi-White County Invite where Harrisburg edged Lawrenceville/Red Hill 204.5-203.5 to capture the championship of the 11-team competition that took place in Carmi.

Coach Greg Langley’s champion Bulldogs received top-six finishes from all 12 of their entrants, which included three champions, one runner-up and three third-place finishers.

Coach Samuel Hyre’s Lawrenceville/Red Hill Indians had 13 individuals who placed in the top five, with two title winners, three second-place finishers and two others who placed third.

In other tight battles for place finishes, Carterville (145.5) edged Fairfield (145) by half a point for third while Johnston City (117) beat out the host Bulldogs (116) to finish in fifth. Red Bud/Valmeyer (96) and Centralia (90) were next in line in the competition.

Harrisburg also won the Carmi-White County Invite last year while Lawrenceville/Red Hill took second but there was a 22.5-point margin between the two, unlike this dramatic showdown.

Team champion Harrisburg had three title winners, Avery Henderson (113), Tony Keene (126) and Kahmari Terry (132) while third-place Carterville also had three champions, Landyn Flood (120), Merrick Orendoff (150) and Zechariah Miller (285).

Runner-up Lawrenceville/Red Hill received titles from Drew Seitzinger (106) and Daniel Kiser (138). Fairfield also had two champions, Scotty Cuff (144) and Talan Keoughan (165), as did

Red Bud/Valmeyer, who got first-place finishes from Alex Wolter (157) and Ty Carter (175). 

Johnston City got a title win from Jude Beers (215) and host Carmi-White County also had a champion, Nelson Rider (190).

Champions who also took first place in the 2023 Carmi-White County Invite were Ty Carter, Cuff and Keene. Second-place finishers last year who won titles on Saturday were Rider and Terry.

There was a three-way tie for the most team points with 26 between Keene, Keoughan and Wolter while Cuff and Rider tied for fourth with 25 points. Five individuals tied for sixth place with 24 team points, Beers, Carter, Kiser, Miller and Orendoff. 

Lawrenceville/Red Hill and Carterville both had three second-place finishers while Centralia had two. Runners-up for Lawrenceville/Red Hill were Jaxtyn Chansler (120), Dylan Aten (126) and Dylan Camden (285) while second-place finishers for Carterville were Brawnsen Bloodworth (113), Carter Jones (157) and Jacob Grob (165). 

Taking second place for Centralia were Brylan Guthrie (106) and Russell Tate (150). Other second-place finishers were Johnston City’s Benjamin Harris (132), Metro-East Lutheran’s Carter Pryor (138), Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Max Wolter (144), Carmi-White County’s Caleb Seibers (175). Harrisburg’s Brendan Hicks (190) and Fairfield’s Keegan Bare (215).

Many of the title matches were determined by falls or wins by technical falls and two were major decisions. The lone decisions involved two of Carterville’s three champions as Carterville’s Zechariah Miller won a 2-1 decision over Lawrenceville/Red Hill’s Dylan Camden at 285 and Carterville’s Merrick Orendoff captured a 14-9 victory over Centralia’s Russell Tate.

1. Harrisburg

Champions for coach Greg Langley’s first-place Harrisburg Bulldogs were Avery Henderson (113), Tony Keene (126) and Kahmari Terry (132) while Brendan Hicks (190) claimed second and Kadyn Cummins (138), Briar Butler (157) and Javier Horton (285) took third place. Finishing fourth were Cody Gunter (144), Brock Felty (144), Zeaden Bute (165) and Gunner Wayman (215) while Braxton Welge (175) was sixth.

2. Lawrenceville/Red Hill

Winning titles for coach Samuel Hyre’s runner-up Lawrenceville/Red Hill Indians were Drew Seitzinger (106) and Daniel Kiser (138) while Jaxtyn Chansler (120), Dylan Aten (126) and Dylan Camden (285) finished second and Cale Seitzinger (132) and Trevor Loy (150) placed third. Kasen Ochs (175) took fourth place while Delaney Ledbetter (113), Jack Preston (144), Tyson Lucas (157), Nick Morehead (165) and Hudson Frey (215) all claimed fifth place.

3. Carterville

Coach Daniel Alderman’s third-place Carterville Lions had three champions Landyn Flood (120), Merrick Orendoff (150) and Zechariah Miller (285). Brawnsen Bloodworth (113), Carter Jones (157) and Jacob Grob (165) all took second and Braden Berndt (126) finished fifth.

4. Fairfield

The top performers for coach Jordan Griffith’s fourth-placed Fairfield Mules were title winners 

Scotty Cuff (144) and Talan Keoughan (165) while Keegan Bare (215) placed second, Carter Poole (106) and Jedd Wellen (120) took third, Nicholas Masterson (157) and Bronson Rilea (190) finished fourth and Bentley Rogers (285) claimed fifth.

5. Johnston City

Leading the way for coach Travis Brown’s Johnston City Indians was champion Jude Beers (215) and runner-up Benjamin Harris (132). Taking third were Randy Fuqua (175) and Juan Salazar (190) while Jace Weaver (126) and Michael Wolze (138) finished fourth.

6. Carmi-White County

Turning in the best finishes for coach Terry Gholson’s Carmi-White County Bulldogs were title winner Nelson Rider (190) and second-place finisher Caleb Seibers (175) while Travor Mason (113) took third. Placing fourth were Connor Benham (120) and Gavin Peyton (285) while 

Madden Anderson (132), Kale Wiggins (138) and Tim James (150) claimed fifth place.

Rob Pipher’s Red Bud/Valmeyer Musketeers had two champions, Alex Wolter (157) and Ty Carter (175) while Max Wolter (144) placed second and Wyatt Hamilton (215) took third.

Coach Tristan Penrod’s Centralia Orphans received second-place finishes from Brylan Guthrie (106) and Russell Tate (150) while Nate LeCrone (126) took third place, Lane Griffin (132) finished fourth and Emmanuel Enriquez (190) claimed fifth.

April Roach’s Trico/Elverado Pioneers got third-place finishes from Tristan Tapp (144) and Colin Hughey (165), a fourth from Jaxton Thompson (113) and a fifth from Johnny Ramaker (175). 

Leading the way for coach Evan Jones’ Metro-East Lutheran Knights were runner-up Carter Pryor (138) and fifth-place finisher Miles Dennis (120). 

Best records of top-four finishers are Tony Keene at 126 (25-1, .962), Nelson Rider at 190 (24-1, .960), Talan Keoughan at 165 (22-1, .957), Jude Beers at 215 (21-2, .913), Ty Carter at 175 (30-3, .909), Zechariah Miller at 285 (27-4, .871), Scotty Cuff at 144 (20-3, .870), Caleb Seibers at 175 (20-3, .870), Gavin Peyton at 285 (12-2, .857), Kahmari Terry at 132 (23-4, .852), Kasen Ochs at 175 (26-5, .839), Dylan Aten at 126 (25-4, .828), Avery Henderson at 113 (21-5, .808), Nate LeCrone at 126 (25-7, .781), Jacob Grob at 165 (28-8, .778), Colin Hughey at 165 (17-5, .773), Landyn Flood at 120 (19-6. .760), Lane Griffin at 132 (22-7, .759), Keegan Bare at 215 (21-7, .750), Brendan Hicks at 190 (21-7, .750) and Gunner Wayman at 215 (12-4 at 215).

Trico’s Colin Hughey had the most total match points with 50 while Centralia’s Russell Tate ranked second with 40 and Fairfield’s Scotty Cuff was third with 38. Nine individuals had three falls with Harrisburg’s Tony Keene doing that in the least amount of time, 1:49. And Johnston City’s Randy Fuqua was seeded 10th and took third place for the largest seed-place difference.

Harrisburg edged Lawrenceville/Red Hill for the most falls by a 22-21 margin. And Trico had four wins by technical fall to collect the most total match points with 115 while Centralia ranked second with 79, followed by Lawrenceville/Red Hill (75) and Harrisburg (74).

Title matches for the Carmi-White County Invite

106 – Drew Seitzinger (Lawewnceville/Red Hill) F 1:24 Brylan Guthrie (Centralia)

113 – Avery Henderson (Harrisburg) TF 3:00 Brawnsen Bloodworth (Carterville)

120 – Landyn Flood (Carterville) TF 5:35 Jaxtyn Chansler (Lawrenceville/Red Hill)

126 – Tony Keene (Harrisburg) F 0:24 Dylan Aten (Lawrenceville/Red Hill)

132 – Kahmari Terry (Harrisburg) MD 13-5 Benjamin Harris (Johnston City)

138 – Daniel Kiser (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) DQ Carter Pryor (Metro-East Lutheran)

144 – Scotty Cuff (Fairfield) TF 3:00 Max Wolter (Red Bud/Valmeyer)

150 – Merrick Orendoff (Carterville) D 14-9 Russell Tate (Centralia)

157 – Alex Wolter (Red Bud/Valmeyer) F 3:25 Carter Jones (Carterville)

165 – Talan Keoughan (Fairfield) F 2:13 Jacob Grob (Carterville)

175 – Ty Carter (Red Bud/Valmeyer) F 3:12 Caleb Seibers (Carmi-White County)

190 – Nelson Rider (Carmi-White County) MD 8-0 Brendan Hicks (Harrisburg)

215 – Jude Beers (Johnston City) F 2:22 Keegan Bare (Fairfield)

285 – Zechariah Miller (Carterville) D 2-1 Dylan Camden (Lawrenceville/Red Hill)

Team scoring for the Carmi-White County Invite

1. Harrisburg 204.5, 2. Lawrenceville 203.5, 3. Carterville 145.5, Fairfield 145, 5. Johnston City 117, 6. Carmi-White County 116, 7. Red Bud 96, 8. Centralia 90, 9. Trico 62, 10. Metro-East Lutheran 34, 11. Pinckneyville 16

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Normal Community boys take Marty Williams Invite crown

Marty Williams won an Illinois state title in 1974 at 145 pounds, then wrestled at the University of Illinois under coach Tom Porter. But it was what Williams did in eight years as head coach of Mahomet-Seymour that got a tournament named after him.

From 1982-89, Williams’ teams at Mahomet-Seymour went 191-4 and were IHSA state champions five times — a meteoric run of success by any standards.

Normal Community found success at this year’s 17-team Marty Williams Invitational, topping the field with 418.5 points.

“We were glad Mahomet was still on with all the snow and cancellations around the state,” Community coach Trevor Kaufman said. “We enjoy their tournament and they run a good one.”

A dogfight for second place saw Normal Community West, (358.5), Mattoon (354.5) and host Mahomet-Seymour (354) round out the top four team finishes. Ft. Zumwalt North (326.5) of Missouri finished fifth.

1st place: Normal Community (418.5)

The Ironmen got individual titles from Jackson Soney (35-1 at 106), Cole Gentsch (31-3 at 120) and Cooper Caraway (35-2 at 215), a second from Carter Mayes (29-9 at 138), and a fourth from Hunter Hardwick (14-7 at 150).

Among wrestlers scoring team points, Kaufman also got sixth-place finishes from Johnny Thomas (113), Gavin Capodice (144), and Jaren Frankowiak (157), sevenths from Ethan Cavallo (126), and Victor Reyes (165), an eighth from Luke Eganhouse (132), and ninths from Cole Kretsinger (175) and Mason Caraway (190).

“We had another great overall effort from all our guys across the board and we’re happy with how we performed,” Kaufman said. “Besides our three champs, Carter Mayes had a big win over a returning 2A placer in the semis and has really come on strong at the end of the year.”

Mayes won a 5-3 semifinal decision over Mattoon’s Ben Capitosti, who placed sixth in Illinois at 138 last year.

Individual champs Soney, Gentsch, and Caraway now have a mere five losses between them. 

“Our three champs had dominating wins in the finals and continue to impress throughout the season,” Kaufman said. “We have a great group of kids and we’re excited for the upcoming state series.”

2nd place: Normal West (358.5)

Coach Dave Lehr’s Wildcats got an individual title from Evan Willock (157) and second-place finishes from Dylan McGrew (113), Abram Rader (120), Jaxxon Long (126), and Matt Hanold (285).

Normal West also got a third from Gus Schreiber (175), a fourth from Jacob Payne (106), a fifth from Logan Alvarez (144), and a sixth from Mason Wood (132).

3rd place: Mattoon (354.5)

The Greenwave got a title from unbeaten Korbin Bateman (30-0 at 144) and a second from Aidan Blackburn (30-4 at 150) for coach Brett Porter, to lead Mattoon to a third-place team finish.

Mattoon also got thirds from Tristan Porter (120) and Ben Capitosti (138), a fourth from Ean Freeman (165), fifths from Miles Clapp (157) and JD Sullivan (285), sixths from Vincent Gibson(126) and Mitchell Clapp (215)

Other individual champions at Mahomet-Seymour were Champaign Central’s Talin Baker (113), Belleville West’s Tyson Seibel (126), Richland County’s Carson Bissey (132), Champaign Centennial’s Trevor Schoonover (138) and Jack Barnhart (285), Ft. Zumwalt North, Missouri’s Cole Aguirre (150) and Deacon Moran (190), Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell (165), and Hoopeston Area’s Angel Zamora (175).

Second-place winners also included Glenwood’s Tyler Clarke (106), Carbondale’s Isaac Smith (132) and Thomas Imboden (165), Champaign Centennial’s Nehemie Mbangi (144), Mattoon’s Aidan Blackburn (150), Ft. Zumwalt North’s Logan Bizzle (157), Mt. Zion’s Vincent Fiore (175), and Glenwood’s Max Wiezorek (190) and Cody Moss (215).

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time – 4 in 3:11 by Champaign Centennial’s Jack Barnhart

Most tech falls, least time – 2 in 5:52 by Normal West’s Evan Willock

Most pins/tech falls, least time – 5 in 7:56 by Normal West’s Evan Willock

Fastest fall – 0:15 by Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell

Fastest tech fall – 2:00 by Normal West’s Abram Rader

Most team points – 51.5 by Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell

Most single-match points – 23 by Mt. Zion’s Jordan Weter

Most total match points – 58 by Belleville West’s Tyson Seibel

Marty Williams Invitational championship match results:

106 – Jackson Soney (Normal Community) MD 9-0 Tyler Clarke (Glenwood)

113 – Talin Baker (Champaign Central) D 7-0 Dylan McGrew (Normal West)

120 – Cole Gentsch (Normal Community) F 0:40 Abram Rader (Normal West)

126 – Tyson Seibel (Belleville W) D 7-1 Jaxxon Long (Normal West)

132 – Carson Bissey (Richland County) D 6-0 Isaac Smith (Carbondale)

138 – Trevor Schoonover (Champaign Centennial) D 5-0 Carter Mayes (Normal Community)

144 – Korbin Bateman (Mattoon) F 1:00 Nehemie Mbangi (Champaign Centennial)

150 – Cole Aguirre (Ft. Zumwalt N) D 6-5 Aidan Blackburn (Mattoon)

157 – Evan Willock (Normal West) TF 2:42 Logan Bizzle (Ft. Zumwalt N)

165 – Dawson McConnell (Lincoln) TF 5:28 Thomas Imboden (Carbondale)

175 – Angel Zamora (Hoopeston) D 4-2 Vincent Fiore (Mt. Zion)

190 – Deacon Moran (Ft. Zumwalt N) D 9-2 Maximus Wiezorek (Glenwood)

215 – Cooper Caraway (Normal Community) F 1:42 Cody Moss (Glenwood)

285 – Jack Barnhart (Champaign Centennial) F 1:10 Matt Hanold (Normal West)

Third-place results:

106 – Charlie Flores (Hoopeston) F 0:44 Jacob Payne (Normal West)

113 – Patrick Provost (Ft. Zumwalt N) F 4:52 Nathan Martinez (St. Laurence)

120 – Tristan Porter (Mattoon) D 10-7 Colton McClure (Mahomet-Seymour)

126 – Justus Vrona (Mahomet-Seymour) MD 9-0 Carsten Burkemper (Ft. Zumwalt N)

132 – Xander Goodwin (Belleville W) D 4-0 Corey Bell (Mahomet-Seymour)

138 – Ben Capitosti (Mattoon) D 4-3 Aiden Colbert (Belleville W)

144 – Grady Neil (Metamora) D 6-0 Kaleb Collins (Mahomet-Seymour)

150 – DeAndre Hughey (Mahomet-Seymour) F 3:05 Hunter Hardwick (Normal Community)

157 – Gage Decker (Mahomet-Seymour) TF 5:28 Jaydon Fisher (Metamora)

165 – Kaden Becker (Mt. Zion) D 7-1 Ean Freeman (Mattoon)

175 – Gus Schreiber (Normal West) D 7-5 Justin Hay (Glenwood)

190 – Brock VanDeveer (Mahomet-Seymour) fft. Ethan Hofmeister (Belleville W)

215 – Shamonte Matthews (Belleville W) F 1:42 Justin Riley (Belleville W)

285 – Kenwyn Home (Belleville W) F 2:35 Ty Dykes (Metamora)

Final team scores: 1. Normal Community (418.5) 2. Normal West (358.5) 3. Mattoon (354.5) 4. Mahomet-Seymour (354) 5. Ft. Zumwalt North, MO (326.5) 6. Glenwood (315) 7. Belleville West (307) 8. Mt. Zion (258.5) 9. Metamora (250.5) 10. Lincoln (226) 11. Champaign Centennial (223.5) 12. St. Laurence (215) 13. Champaign Central (210.5) 14. Richland County (174) 15. Carbondale (169) 16. Hoopeston (168.5 17. Taylorville (37.5)

Marty Williams Girls Invitational

Glance at the Illinois girls state rankings at 100 pounds, and the first freshman you’ll see ranked comes in at No. 8 per the current Illinois Matmen rankings list.

That freshman is Glenwood’s Kadi Wilbern, whom Titans coach Jerod Bruner calls “one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch in the state.”

Bruner brought four girls to this year’s Marty Williams Invite, and Wilbern was one of three individual champions for the Titans, along with Izzy Resendez (125) and Jenna Tuxhorn (140). Add an additional third-place finish from Elsie Dozier (155) and Glenwood had enough to top the 11-team field in Mahomet.

Glenwood edged second-place host Mahomet-Seymour 67-52 for the team title. Clinton (28), Metamora (27) and Mattoon (26) rounded out the top five teams. Normal West (25), Mt. Zion (18), Champaign Central (14), Normal Community (14), Champaign Centennial (12) and Rochester (12) completed the tournament roster.

No team present entered more than five wrestlers in competition, and only seven weight classes were wrestled.

1st place: Glenwood (67)

The four girls from Glenwood made it count, with their three top-three finishes and three champions.

“It’s really neat to see how far our girl’s program has come in just a few years,” Bruner said. “I think in part it’s a carry over from when Maya Davis was dominating the girls wrestling scene. Now we have multiple girls in the program who just expect to be the best.”

Davis won an Illinois state title at 115 in 2022 for Glenwood, in the inaugural IHSA girls state tournament. Davis now wrestles for Grand View University in Iowa.

In a round-robin format for every weight, Wilbern (21-4) pinned her first three opponents, each in under a minute, before winning by fall over Normal West’s Cheyenna Anderson in the second period to secure the title at 110 pounds.

Resendez (9-3) won 5-1 over Clinton’s Joi Lord to earn the top prize at 125, and Tuxhorn (15-1) fall against Champaign Central’s Londyn Grant got her the title at 140. Third-placer Dozier (5-4) won by fall over fourth-place Brooklyn Fuller of Mattoon.

Wilbern, Resendez, and Dozier are all freshmen, and Tuxhorn is only a sophomore.

“(Tuxhorn) has only been wrestling a short time and improves every match. She is definitely ready to make a name for herself throughout the state,” Bruner said. “Izzy just came into our program this year and got her first ever title after wrestling for Rochester for a number of years. We are just going to continue to see her growth along with first year Elsie Dozier.  Elsie continues to improve and win big matches along the way. “

2nd place: Mahomet-Seymour

Bulldogs coach Jeff Castor got a pair of titles from Isabelle Leyhe (16-2 at 120) and Grace Ribbe (17-4 at 90), thirds from Lily Daniels (120) and Jaycee Fancher (15-6 at 125), and a fourth from Kalista Granadino (15-6 at 115).

3rd place: Clinton (28)

The Lady Maroons got a second-place finish from Joi Lord (14-7 at 125), a third from Ariana Hunes (115), and a fourth from Sandra Clark (110) for coach Matt Cooper. 

Also winning individual titles in Mahomet were Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon (115) and Metamora’s Paytyn Dykes (155). Cannon placed third in Illinois at 110 last year.

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time – 4 in 4:28 by Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon

Fastest fall – 0:12 by Normal Community West’s Amelia McClure

Most team points – 22 by Glenwood’s Izzy Resendez

Most single-match points – 20 by Normal Community West’s Cheyenna Anderson 

Most total match points – Champaign Centennial’s Ava Beldo 

Mahomet-Seymour championship match results:

110 – Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) F 3:06 Carly Ho (Rochester)

115 – Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion) F 0:44 Ava Beldo (Champaign Centennial)

120 – Isabelle Leyhe (Mahomet-Seymour) MD 10-2 Trey Fletcher (Normal Community)

125 – Izzy Resendez (Glenwood) D 5-1 Joi Lord (Clinton)

140 – Jenna Tuxhorn (Glenwood) F 3:11 Londyn Grant (Champaign Central)

155 – Paytyn Dykes (Metamora) F 3:05 Logan Crist (Mattoon)

190 – Grace Ribbe (Mahomet-Seymour) F 1:03 Alexis Clouthier-Mattocks (Normal West)

Final team scores: 1. Glenwood (67) 2. Mahomet-Seymour (52) 3. Clinton (28) 4. Metamora (27) 5. Mattoon (26) 6. Normal Community West (25) 7. Mt. Zion (18) 8. Champaign Central (14) 8. Normal Community (14) 10. Champaign Centennial (12) 10. Rochester (12)

Urbana Wrestling Invitational

Danville won the 10-team Urbana Invite on the strength of four individual champions, one runner-up, and 12 wrestlers placing in the top six of their weight classes for coach Marcus Forrest.

The Vikings won 187.5-149.5 over second-place Rochester. University (141) finished third, followed by East Alton-Wood River (101) and Effingham (92.5) to round out the top five team finishes. Host Urbana (88.5) was sixth, followed by Heyworth (86), Charleston (84), Williamsville (68) and Lanphier (42.5).

1st place: Danville (187.5)

The Vikings got individual titles from Josiah Williams (138), Marquan Shaw (150), Tristan Poplous (157) and Phillip Shaw IV (175), plus a second-place finish from Ty Rangel (132).

Phoenix Parker (190) placed third, Kendrick Pittman (126) and Kamarion Miles (285) finished fourth, Tyjuan Reed (215) placed fifth, and the Vikings got sixths from Gavin Rule (120), Sir Timothy White (126), and Elijah Jefferson (144).

2nd place: Rochester (149.5)

Coach Brad Alewelt got a pair of titles from Pierce Bultmann (106) and Connor Broughton (190), seconds from Conner Carroll (120) and Drake Pfeiffer (144), and thirds from Miles Carroll (120), Nick Mrozowski (126) and James Escobar (150) for the second-place Rockets.

Rochester also got a fourth from Walker Quimby (138), a fifth from Dylan Estes (144), and a sixth from Jared Lauwerens (215).

3rd place: University (141)

Coach Caleb Phillips’ boys from Normal earned him three individual titles, from Joshua Butler (120), Nolan Lowe (126), and Ethan Lowe (144), plus a second from Landon Hinkle (285). Clayton Piper (106) and Charles Karun (175) placed third for the Pioneers, Joseph Hunt (215) was fourth, and Joshua Carabello (150) placed sixth.

Other individual champions in Urbana were East Alton-Wood River’s Jamal Burgess (132) and Drake Champlin (215), Urbana’s Edwin Villagomez (165), and Williamsville’s Matthew Crouch.

Second-place finishers also included Heyworth’s Landon Niesiawski (106) and Logan Stout (150), Effingham’s Kaiden Stewart (126), Gage Emmerich (157) and Jeremiah Lorton (215), Urbana’s Malachi Hutchinson (138), Charleston’s Koltan Dare (165) and Marcelix Boling (190), and Lanphier’s Jaylen Crowder (175).

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time – 4 in 6:19 by Williamsville’s Anthony Beckman

Most tech falls, least time – 1 in 2:47 by Danville’s Josiah Williams

Most single-match points – 24 by Heyworth’s Michael Vacca

Most total match points – 38 by Danville’s Josiah Williams

Most team points – 5-way tie with 28 by East Alton-Wood River’s Jamal Burgess and Drake Champlin, Rochester’s Connor Broughton, University’s Nolan Lowe, and Williamsville’s Matthew Crouch.

Urbana Invite championship match results: (no wrestlers entered at 113)

106 – Pierce Bultmann (Rochester) F 2:49 Landon Niesiawski (Heyworth)

120 – Joshua Butler (University) D 7-4 Conner Carroll (Rochester)

126 – Nolan Lowe (University) F 2:57 Kaiden Stewart (Effingham)

132 – Jamal Burgess (East Alton-Wood River) F 5:58 Ty Rangel (Danville)

138 – Josiah Williams (Danville) MD 10-2 Malachi Hutchinson (Urbana)

144 – Ethan Lowe (University) D 8-6 Drake Pfeiffer (Rochester)

150 – Marquan Shaw (Danville) F 0:55 Logan Stout (Heyworth)

157 – Tristan Poplous (Danville) F 2:45 Gage Emmerich (Effingham)

165 – Edwin Villagomez (Urbana) F 3:35 Koltan Dare (Charleston)

175 – Phillip Shaw IV (Danville) F 2:22 Jaylen Crowder (Lanphier)

190 – Connor Broughton (Rochester) F 3:45 Marcelix Boling (Charleston)

215 – Drake Champlin (East Alton-Wood River) F 2:32 Jeremiah Lorton (Effingham)

285 – Matthew Crouch (Williamsville) F 1:20 Landon Hinkle (University)

Third-place matches:

106 – Clayton Piper (University) Inj. 3:23 Haley Richter (Heyworth)

120 – Miles Carroll (Rochester) F 5:02 Jack Rutledge (Heyworth)

126 – Nick Mrozowski (Rochester) F 1:27 Kendrick Pittman (Danville)

132 – Austin Schnitker (Lanphier) F 6:00 Terrance Brewer (Urbana)

138 – Baker Moon (Effingham) F 1:58 Walker Quimby (Rochester)

144 – Trevor Soice (Heyworth) MD 17-4 Emiliano Bedello (Urbana)

150 – James Escobar (Rochester) F 2:52 Jonnah Fonner (Urbana)

157 – Alexander England (Charleston)

165 – None

175 – Charles Karun (University) D 10-3 Michael Soto (East Alton-Wood River)

190 – Phoenix Parker (Danville) F 5:53 Anthony Beckman (Williamsville)

215 – Mayson Buckman (Williamsville) F 1:35 Joseph Hunt (University)

285 – Stormy Hughes (Charleston) D 8-4 Kamarion Miles (Danville)

Final team scores: 1. Danville (187.5) 2. Rochester (149.5) 3. University (141) 4. East Alton-Wood River (101) 5. Effingham (92.5) 6. Urbana (88.5) 7. Heyworth (86) 8. Charleston (84) 9. Williamsville (68) 10. Lanphier (42.5)

Edwardsville captures title at Steve Johnston Girls Invite in Kentucky

Edwardsville’s girls team was scheduled to compete in the Oswego East Invite this past weekend, but bad weather forced it to look for another competition that it could participate in.

That’s where Seth Livingston helped the Tigers’ cause significantly. The Bloomington graduate who was a 2000 Class AA heavyweight champion and a two-time state finalist and later an assistant coach for the Purple Raiders, also had assistant jobs in Texas and Kentucky before taking over as head coach at Paducah Tilghman in Paducah, Kentucky. A year ago, his Blue Tornado boys won the KHSAA championship and he was the KYWCA Coach of the Year.

Livingston allowed the Tigers, who are coached by 2019 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Wagner, to compete in the Steve Johnston Memorial Girls Invite that Tilghman hosted and Edwardsville easily claimed the championship in the event by scoring 252.5 points while Ste. Genevieve, Missouri took second place with 173.5 points. 

Three other squads from Illinois also took part in the 15-team tournament, with Goreville/Vienna (92.5) taking fifth, Marion (47) placing seventh and Anna-Jonesboro claiming 14th place.

Winning titles for the champion Tigers were Genevieve Dykstra (100), Olive Linhorst (126), Holly Zugmaier (132) and Tayla Phillips (235) while Goreville/Vienna’s Alivia Ming (145) also was a champion in the tournament.

Edwardsville

Leading the way for coach Jon Wagner’s first place Edwardsville Tigers were title winners Genevieve Dykstra (100), Olive Linhorst (126), Holly Zugmaier (132) and Tayla Phillips (235) while Alison Kirk (100), Gianna Linhorst (107) and Lydia Blind (138) took second place.

Dykstra (20-4) won a 2-0 decision over Kirk (8-6) in the matchup of the top two finishers in round robin at 100. Olive Linhorst (17-7) was a 3-1 winner over Union County, KY’s Brailey Jackson in the 126 finals. Zugmaier (22-3) captured an 8-4 decision over Union County, KY’s Drew Sprague in the 132 finals. And Phillips (25-4) won by fall in 1:32 over Henderson County, KY’s Jasmin Beckham in the 235 finals.

Union County. KY’s Tanya Bacon won by fall in 3:18 over Gianna Linhorst (20-4) in the matchup of top two finishers in round robin at 107. And Ste. Genevieve, MO’s Ragan Picou recorded a pin in 2:53 over Blind (15-10) in the match between the top two in round robin at 138.

Olivia Coll (107), Alie Chong (114) and Abbrey Dewerff (165) placed third, finishing fourth were Maddy Allen (107) and Marrisa Wiley (165), taking fifth were Desi Ollis (138) and Kenna Ahart (152) while Victoria White (185) placed sixth. Madison Aldrich (132) was eighth, Alex Simpson (145) finished ninth and Katie Jarman (145) and Abigail Hayes (185) took 10th place. Coll took sixth at state at 100 in the first IHSA Finals in 2022.

“We were scheduled to go to the Oswego East girls tourney, but we got cancelled,” Wagner said. “Former Bloomington standout Seth Livingston allowed us in as a late addition. It was nice to see different competition and we were grateful for him letting us in. The girls wrestled great.”

Goreville/Vienna

Top performers for coach Bart Pulliam’s fifth-place Goreville/Vienna Blackcats were champion Alivia Ming (145), runner-up Krista McBride (185) and third-place finisher Liberty McBride (185). Ariel Board (126) took fourth and Madalynn Lapatas (132) and Reese Geyman (152) were sixth.

Ming (21-0) won by fall in 0:57 over Fort Campbell, KY’s Jennifer Velazquez in the 145 title match. Krista McBride (19-5) lost by technical fall in 5:50 to Poplar Bluff, MO’s Zoe Freeman in the 185 championship match. Ming is a two-time IHSA medalist, finishing second at 140 last season to Edwardsvile’s Mackenzie Pratt and placing fourth at 135 in inaugural state finals.

Marion

Turning in the best showings for coach Darren Lindsey’s Marion Wildcats were fourth-place finishers Alauni Muex (120) and Brooklyn Phemister (152) while Daisjha Cooper (145), Melissa Comerford (165) and Olivia McDermott (235) all finished sixth.

The Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats, who are coached by Chase Hargrave, were led by fifth-place finisher Hayden Williamson (107).

Best records for top-four finishers from Illinois schools are Alivia Ming at 145 (21-0, 1.000), Holly Zugmaier at 132 (22-3, .880), Tayla Phillips at 235 (25-4, .862), Genevieve Dykstra at 100 (20-4, .833), Gianna Linhorst at 107 (20-4, .833), Krista McBride at 185 (19-5, .792) and Liberty McBride at 185 (11-3, .786).

Alivia Ming tied for first place with Poplar Bluff, MO’s Zoe Freeman for the most team points with 33.5 while Holly Zugmaier was third with 32.5 points, Olive Linhorst ranked sixth with 31 points, Tayla Phillips was seventh with 30 points and Krista McBride tied for eighth with 28 team points.

Melissa Comerford and Holly Zugmaier tied Cape Girardeau Central, MO’s Niah Hopkins for second place in total match points with 33. Tayla Phillips tied five others for the second-most falls with five, and she pulled off that feat in just 3:30, which was the fastest of those five. 

Edwardsville edged Ste. Genevieve, MO 32-31 for the most falls and the champion Tigers easily had the most match points with 327, finishing well ahead of Ste. Genevievee, MO, which had 153 points.

Title matches for Tilghman, KY’s Steve Johnston Memorial Girls Invite (Illinois finalists)

100 – Genevieve Dykstra (Edwardsville) D 2-0 Alison Kirk (Edwardsville) round robin

107 – Tanya Bacon (Union County, KY) F 3:18 Gianna Linhorst (Edwardsville) round robin

126 – Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville) D 3-1 Brailey Jackson (Union County, KY)

132 – Holly Zugmaier (Edwardsville) D 8-4 Drew Sprague (Union County, KY) 

138 – Ragan Picou (Ste. Genevieve, MO) F 2:53 Lydia Blind (Edwardsville) round robin

145 – Alivia Ming (Goreville/Vienna) F 0:57 Jennifer Velazquez (Fort Campbell, KY)

185 – Zoe Freeman (Poplar Bluff, MO) TF 5:50 Krista McBride (Goreville/Vienna)

235 – Tayla Phillips (Edwardsville) F 1:32 Jasmin Beckham (Henderson County, KY)

Team scoring for Paducah Tilghman, KY’s Steve Johnston Memorial Girls Invite

1. Edwardsville 252.5, Ste. Genevieve, MO 173.5, 3, Union County, KY 161, 4. Fort Campbell, KY 131, 5. Goreville/Vienna 92.5, 6, Henderson County, KY 83.5, 7, Marion 47. 8. Trigg County, KY 42, 9. Poplar Bluff, MO 33.5, 10. South Warren, KY 21, 11. Caldwell County, KY 20, 12. Cape Girardeau Central, MO 18, 12. Fairdale, KY 18, 14. Anna-Jonesboro 7, 15. Paducah Tilghman, KY 0 

Waterloo boys finish second at St. Charles, Missouri Invite

Waterloo scored 192 points to edge Mexico, Missouri by two points to capture second place in the 23-team St. Charles Invitational, which took place in St. Charles, Missouri. Warrenton, Missouri won the title with 235 points in which Waterloo was the lone non-Missouri entrant.

Leading the way for coach Chase Guercio’s runner-up Bulldogs were champions Konnor Stephens (120) and Jackson Deutch (175) while Ty Kinzinger (126) and Brady Rose (165) took third. Matthew Deutch (106), Bladen Sease (150) and Vince Goodman (215) placed fourth, Drew Glowacki (285) finished fifth and Cainen Buechel (113) claimed sixth place.

Waterloo owned a 15-1 record in dual meets heading into this week and the Bulldogs also won the Marion Dual Team Tournament earlier this season.

In the 120 championship match, Stephens (26-9) won by fall in 1:16 over St. Charles, MO’s Taylor Souders. And in the 175 title match, Jackson Deutch (27-6) recorded a pin in 1:21 over Fulton, MO’s Elijah Brocksmith. 

Jackson Deutch and Stephens tied two others for the most total team points with 32. That pair and Rose tied four others who recorded four falls during the competition, with Stephens getting his falls in 3:52, which was the second-quickest time to achieve that feat. 

Anna-Jonesboro, Marion lead boys at Johnston Invite in Paducah, Kentucky

The Wildcats of both Anna-Jonesboro and Marion led the way for four boys teams from Illinois who participated in Paducah Tilghman’s Steve Johnston Memorial Invitational, a 17-team competition which was held in Paducah, Kentucky.

Anna-Jonesboro (220) took fifth place and Marion (202) claimed sixth while Goreville/Vienna (119.5) was 11th and Herrin (68) finished 14th in a tournament that featured athletes from Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Indiana.

The team championship was easily won by the host Blue Tornado, who took first place with 429 points, 100 points better than runner-up Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Paducah Tilghman is coached by Seth Livingston, a Bloomington graduate who was a 2000 IHSA Class AA champion at 285 and also a two-time finalist. Last season, he led the Blue Tornado to the KHSAA state championship and he was recognized as the KYWCA Coach of the Year. 

The lone Illinois athlete who won a title was Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler (120). His twin sister, Zoee (106), competed in the boys tournament rather than the girls competition which was also at Tilghman and she took second place. Two others from Illinois were also runners-up in the competition, Goreville/Vienna’s Jeremiah Pulliam (126) and Herrin’s Blue Bishop (150).

Three of the four finalists were also IHSA medalists last season. Zoee Sadler, was the runner-up at 105 to Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller while Drew Sadler took third at 106 in Class 1A and Bishop placed fourth at 145 in Class 1A.

Anna-Jonesboro

The top performers for coach Chase Hargrave’s fifth-place Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats were the brother and sister twin tandem of champion Drew Sadler (120) and runner-up Zoee Sadler (106). Taking third was Daniel Dover (144) while Aaron Sheffer (165) finished fourth, Drew Holshouser (175) placed fifth and Eddie Dahmer (285) was sixth.

Drew Sadler (39-2) claimed top honors at 120 when he captured a 12-2 major decision over Ste. Genevieve, MO’s Brody Winters. And Zoee Sadler (29-8) lost by fall in 3:22 to St. Xavier, KY’s Nathaniel Bueter in the 106 title match.

Marion

Turning in the best finishes for coach Darren Lindsey’s sixth-place Marion Wildcats were Hunter Gibb (138) and Tate Miller (165), who took third place and Jkwon Williamson (113), Caden Frey (144) and Caleb Ohnesorge (150), who finished fourth. Justin Murphy (157) and Bryan Madinger (215) took fifth place and Juelz Elliott (106) claimed sixth.

Goreville

Coach Bart Pulliam’s Goreville/Vienna Blackcats were led by Jeremiah Pulliam (22-5), who claimed second place at 126 after losing by fall in 2:49 to Paducah Tilghman, KY’s Jayven Williams in the title match. And Matt Crim (120) captured a sixth-place finish.

Herrin

Leading the way for coach Kelsey Lewis’ Herrin Tigers was runner-up Blue Bishop (29-1), who

lost for the first time when he was edged 4-2 by Evansville North, IN’s Cale Bonenberger (29-0) in a clash of unbeatens in the 150 title match. In addition, Kolby Coffey (165) and Logan Dirden (215) both claimed sixth-place finishes.

Drew Sadler, the champion at 120, led all 186 competitors in the tournament with the most team points with 50.5, which was one more than the second-place finisher, Paducah Tilghman’s Jayven Williams, who defeated Goreville/Vienna’s Jeremiah Pulliam in the 126 finals.

Top-four finishers who have the best records following the tournament are Blue Bishop at 150 (29-1, .967), Drew Sadler at 120 (39-2, .951), Jeremiah Pulliam at 126 (22-5, .815), Zoee Sadler at 106 (29-8, .784) and Daniel Dover at 144 (25-8, .758).

Drew Sadler also tied for fourth in total match points with 46 while Blue Bishop tied for sixth place with 44 points. Daniel Dover, Drew Holshouser and Hunter Gibb all tied for second place with the most falls with four. Anna-Jonesboro and Marion tied for fifth with 23 falls and Marion had the fifth-most total match points with 241.

Granite City, Waterloo girls at St. Charles, Missouri Invite

Despite having only four competitors, Granite City placed seventh with 82 points at the 22-team St. Charles Girls Invitational in St. Charles, Missouri. Waterloo also took part in the event, in which Francis Howell Central, MO scored 274.5 points and won the title by 120.5 points.

Leading coach John Venne’s Granite City Warriors was champion Ma’Kayla Bonner (110) while Audrey Barnes (135) and Chloe West (170) took second place and Briana Ramirez (105) finished fourth. Waterloo’s Samantha Eaton (120) claimed sixth place.

Bonner (15-10) won the championship at 110 with a fall in 3:41 over Fulton, MO’s Savannah Leeper. Barnes (11-8) took second place at 135 after getting pinned in 4:00 by Francis Howell Central’s Sophie Johnson. And West (7-9) lost the 170 title match after suffering a fall in 0:40 to Fulton, MO’s Carly Foster.

Bonner tied three others for eighth place for the most team points with 26. And Barnes tied one other individual for having the largest seed to place differential at 12 after being seeded 14th and then finishing in second place at 135.

Althoff Catholic boys at St. Charles West, Missouri Invite

Althoff Catholic scored 85 points to finish in ninth place at the 17-team St. Charles West Invitational in St. Charles, Missouri. Coach Emanuel Brooks’ Crusaders were the only non-Missouri team in the competition. 

Leading the way for the Crusaders were champions Brenden Rayl (132) and Jason Dowell (285). Rayl (19-1) recorded a fall in 2:16 to win the 132 title over Timberland, MO’s Wyatt Berra. And Dowell (17-1) won top honors at 285 with a 3-1 win by sudden victory over Whitfield, MO’s Adrian Harrold. Other top finishers were Enrique Morales (285), who finished fourth, and Alex Schallert (150), who took sixth place.

Rayl tied for first place along with four others with 30 team points while Dowell tied for eighth in that category with 28 team points. Rayl also tied for fourth place with 38 total match points and tied for second place for the most falls with four. It was the third title of the season for both Rayl and Dowell. Last season, Dowell took third at 285 in Class 1A while competing for Cahokia.

By Chris Walker For the IWCOA

Hononegah has its sights set on getting back to state as a team this February.

The Indians already have been there several times before, but not since 2016. They last brought home a trophy 10 years ago when current coach Tyler DeMoss was the state runner-up at 170 and they returned with the fourth place team trophy in Class 3A.

On Saturday they got their work in and a lot of success while they were at it during the Clint Arlis Invitational at Batavia, sending seven wrestlers to the finals and winning six of those championship matches to capture the team title.

“As a whole, seven in the finals and six champs is great,” DeMoss said. “Our back half, the other seven, didn’t place so there’s plenty to work on with those guys. Our top half of the lineup did great. They’re starting to come together as a team, which is super important for the end of the year. We’re about to make our state run and team state run so they are coming together at the right time.

“Our top seven really blew kids out of the water today.”

The Indians (189.5) received their biggest competition from Washington (172.5), Marmion (168.5), Naperville North (147) and Maine South (138).

Rocco Cassioppi won the OWA for the lower weights (106-150) and teammate Brody Sendele was named outstanding wrestler in the upper weights (157-285).

The 14-team field included Perry High School from Gilbert, Ariz., which is where San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy played.

“They had a coach from Illinois and they had the opportunity to reach out late in the summer,” Batavia coach Ryan Farwell said. “Some probably saw snow for the first time. It was a really fun tournament and you get to see the different competition, 2A to 3A and it’s all really good. It’s a tournament we’re really proud of and we competed well today.”

Perry (129) was sixth and followed by Lemont (112.5), host Batavia (98) and Bolingbrook (95.5) and Andrew (95.5), which tied for ninth place.

Downers Grove North (74.5), Jacobs (73), West Chicago (48) and Harlem (20) also competed in an invitational whose start was delayed. It was pushed back two hours to an 11 a.m. start due to the wintry conditions and the challenges presented with a number of the teams having to travel lengthy distances to get to Batavia.

Hononegah junior Connor Diemel found himself in a tight championship battle with Washington senior Cael Miller at 165, but was able to prevail by a 3-2 decision.

Kurt Smith (175) also won by a decision in his title bout for the Indians while Bruno Cassioppi won by major decision, Brody Sendele (157) prevailed by tech fall and Rocco Cassioppi (106) and TJ Silva (132) won by fall.

Jackson Olson (120), Robert Darling (138), Max Aranki (144) and Isaak Smith (215) each collected single wins for Hononegah.

Washington also placed second a year ago while Marmion, which won it last year, took third.

“It was a great tournament,” DeMoss said. “We haven’t seen Marmion all year so it was great to see them and Washington is always a super tough 2A team. and there were a couple other teams in there and some really great individual match-ups today. I’m happy we could make it through the snow and get down here.”

Prior to the championship matches, Batavia assistant coach Tom Arlis thanked the wrestlers, coaches and the fans who had chosen to spend their Saturday with pretty much non-stop wrestling action in the cozy comfort of a packed gymnasium. 

Arlis, who is a member of the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame, tragically lost his son Clint two years ago this month. Clint Arlis was a three-time state qualifier and two-time conference champion for the Bulldogs in the early oughts. He wrestled at the University of Illinois where he also was teammates with Mike Poeta who is now the head coach for the Illini. 

“I want to thank Dave Andrews, the athletic director here, and all of the Batavia family which is a close knit group, and the amount of love that was shared after Clint’s passing it was unbelievable from the community, and that goes for everyone that is here. We are all part of the wrestling community. You guys that are wresting now, (and) girls, you are like part of the fraternity now. There were so many wrestlers that had wrestled Clint, all his past coaches, everyone showed up at the wake. It was just unbelievable. He made an impact on a lot of people.

“And not just that, we’re all close. We all went to the same grueling practice. It is the greatest sport on earth if you ask me, I want to welcome everybody here I wish everyone luck and hope you all come back next year.”

After Arlis finished speaking a short pre-recorded message from Poeta was shared.

“Clint was not only a teammate of mine but a great friend of mine, (and) a roommate,’ Poeta said. “And what he did at U of I was nothing short of amazing. He worked so incredibly hard. He was so dedicated and turned himself into a starter at U of I, and not just the guy in the weight class, but a guy to be feared at the weight class. He had a very successful senior year and the last guy I want to see on the other side of that line was Clint Arlis because I knew he was going to bring it. He was all heart and heart is what embodies Clint. And last year we started the Clint Arlis Heart Award and it goes to the hardest working guy on the team who I see in the future being a superstar, a guy that is a huge contributor to the program, and I get a goosebumps even thinking about who got it last year and who gets it this year because they’re such special kids and getting an award based on such a special guy.”

Clint Arlis Invitational champions:

106 – Rocco Cassioppi, Hononegah

Cassioppi wasted little time in his championship win against Jacobs freshman Kristian DeClercq, winning by fall in 1:01.

“It was really good,” he said. “But not everyone wrestled their best. The guys who wrestled good, wrestled very good. Cooper (Diemel at 165) wrestled amazing. He stayed calm through a kind of a bonus call. I thought he wrestled phenomenal.”

The Indians truly have their hearts set on team success.

“We just had some people that didn’t place and we need them to start placing to get more team points,” he said. “We’re going to try to make it to team state and if we’re going to do that we’re going to need everyone to contribute. We need everyone there.”

Perry senior Maximilian Garibay won by decision against Marmion freshman Logan Conniver to win the third place match at 106. Meanwhile, another Marmion freshman, Cole Waller, snuck past Andrew freshman Jerry Donnelly on the fifth-place mat.

113 – Bruno Cassioppi, Hononegah

While Bruno Cassioppi wasn’t able to duplicate what his twin Rocco did at 106 in pinning his opponent, he still won in convincing fashion, earning a 12-4 major decision against Andrew’s Nadeem Haleem.

“It’s been fantastic to come out here as freshmen and do as well as we’ve been doing,” he said. “I think I definitely could’ve done better. I kind of got into my own head in a couple of my matches. I just need to let my offense fly. I think I can do much better.”

Maine South sophomore Brett Harman won by a 4-3 decision over Downers Grove North senior Tyler Tiancgo to take third place. Perry junior Cash LaFlesch won by a 9-2 decision over Bolingbrook’s Isaac Harris for fifth place.

120 – Nicholas Garcia, Marmion

Garcia took down Teddy Flores from Maine South by a 2-1 decision to hand the senior his first loss this season after opening with 33 straight wins.

For Garcia, a sophomore who seriously despises losing, he was driven by personal reasons.

“I really just wanted a shot at him for a personal reason,” he said. “I wanted to prove to myself that I can beat anyone at 120. I want to beat everyone at 113. It hasn’t happened yet, but hopefully one day I can.”

It was a long day for everyone on Saturday with the meet pushed back until a late morning start and awards not ending until around eight o’clock in the evening. That was just adversity that athletes like Garcia really don’t waste their time thinking about, understanding that certain things are simply beyond their control. 

Plus, wrestlers are used to pressure and distractions. It’s how they respond to them that helps define who they are. For Garcia, he focused on his goals, didn’t let anything get in the way of them, and then proceeded to end Flores’ perfect season.

“I really wanted it,” he said. “I didn’t really feel anything. I’ve been under a lot of pressure before – blood rounds, Super 32, Ironman – and so it’s not that I get nervous and stress out. Losing is a fear of mine, I hate losing and you get a little scared but it’s nothing compared to some of the stuff I’ve been through.”

Batavia senior Ino Garcia bounced back after a 3-1 loss to Nicholas Garcia in the semifinals to take third place. Garcia defeated Washington’s Noah Woods by decision on the third-place mat after winning by fall in the consolation semis. In a battle pairing two juniors, Bolingbrook’s Jared Craig won by decision over West Chicago’s Ryan Alvarado to take fifth.

126 – Max Siegel, Andrew

Last year’s champ at 113, Siegel dominated once again this year in the senior’s final appearance at the Arlis Invite. Siegel fought for a major decision win over Naperville North’s Ben Messier for the title. Last year he won by fall against Batavia’s Ino Garcia for the title. Garcia finished in third place at 120 this year.

On the third-place mat, Perry’s Adis Wesson ensured he’d leave Illinois with a win in his final match at Batavia, scoring a win by fall over Maine South’s Jack Handley. In the battle for fifth place, Batavia sophomore Kyle Pasco slipped by West Chicago freshman Israel Milazzo by a 6-5 decision.

132 – Thomas (T.J.) Silva, Hononegah

Returning to action for the first time in a while after being sidelined with an injury, Silva (14-4) won by fall over Washington’s Timmy Smith (22-13) for the 132 title.

Marmion senior Donny Pigeon won by a 2-1 decision over Maine South junior Luke Morrison to take third place while Perry senior Ferrin Goldstein prevailed by disqualification against Lemont senior Carter Mikolajczak.

138 – Wyatt Medlin, Washington

Medlin (33-4) won by fall over Naperville North’s Tyler Sternstein for the 138 title. A tech fall victory over West Chicago’s Donovan Avila in the semis got him to the finals, while in his other match he also won by fall in less than a minute.

Avila was one of three West Chicago wrestlers to place. He was also the Wildcats most successful one, winning by decision against Lemont’s Cory Zator to take third place. Meanwhile, on the fifth-place mat, Downers Grove North’s Caden Chiarelli won by fall against Harlem’s Ethan Hagerman.

144 – Ashton Hobson, Marmion

Hobson (26-5) outlasted his opponents throughout the tournament. After opening with a win by tech fall against Andrew’s Luis Cabral, the sophomore won three straight matches by decision, including an 8-7 win against Batavia senior Aidan Huck.

“This doesn’t mean too much, it’s just another step,” Hobson said. “All my matches were pretty tough and I kind of fought through it and did the best I could.”

As for Huck, it was his second straight year of falling by a slim margin in the finals. Last year he dropped a 9-7 decision in the 126 final.

“Aidan Huck is wrestling wrestling really well,” Batavia coach Ryan Farwell said. “I know he wanted that match, but overall Aidan is again one of those guys that is going to compete to be on the podium this February.”

Sophomore Aaron Camacho’s loss to Hobson in the semifinals was just his second defeat of the season. He pushed it aside and bounced back, taking third place with a win by fall against Maine South’s Gavin Hoerr. For fifth place, Washington’s Jonathon Rokey won by fall against fellow senior Cameron Phipps of Perry.

150 – Noah O’Connor, Lemont

O’Connor was beginning to wonder if he and his team would even travel to Batavia and compete.

“We weren’t sure if we were even going to wrestle today with all the snow,” he said. “I was making weight yesterday and I wasn’t sure if they were just going to cut it off without doing it.”

While he couldn’t control the weather, he certainly could control how he wrestled and it was business as usual for the senior.

“In terms of the mental game, I just like to think of every match as the same,” he said. “I’m not thinking about the outcome, about winning or losing, I’m just thinking abut wrestling my hardest throughout the match. Whether it’s a kid who is unranked or a kid that is ranked higher than me, I want to warm up the same way, prepare myself before the match the same way and try to just go all out even if they’re way worse than me. If they’re way worse than me I’ll cut them and keep getting takedowns and either way try to use up my whole gas tank to make it better.”

He improved to 33-3 with a 6-2 decision over over Rockton Hononegah’s Max Haskins to capture the 150 title.

“I felt pretty dominant throughout the match,” O’Connor said,. “He had a takedown first period but it was like a takedown on the edge of the mat so it was debatable and nothing besides that. And in the first period at the end I was able to get a reversal which was pretty critical, because if it would’ve been close that tied it at the end of the first period. I was able to escape and ride him out second period and ride out for all the third period so I felt pretty dominant that match.”

O’Connor had placed at Hinsdale Central’s Rex Whitlatch Invitational about a month ago, but didn’t win it.

“That was a really tough tournament and I took fourth,” he said. “So it felt good to win this one.”

Bolingbrook’s Marcus Poe took care of his foe from downstate to win third place at 150. Poe, a junior, won by fall against Washington senior Tyler Brown. Over on the fifth-place mat, Downers Grove North senior Antonio Manzo scored a major win over Marmion freshman Grayson Garcia.

157 – Brody Sendele, Hononegah

Sendele (34-1) was one of three freshmen to go home with titles for the Indians after he won by tech fall against Perry’s Jayden Kimling.

Sophomores squared off for third place at 157 with Bolingbrook’s Tommy McDermott winning by fall against Washington’s Cruise Trolley. In the fifth-place match, Naperville North junior Nick Oblazny won by a tiebreaker against Marmion senior Christian Favia.

165 – Connor Diemel, Hononegah

Diemel was thrilled to see six of his teammates also join him in title bouts. Afterwards the junior was impressed with their dominance in the finals as they won six of seven title matches.

“Once I heard we were starting (the finals) at 150, we were all pumped up because we were ready to go four champions in a row,” he said. “Max Haskins (150) wrestled a great tournament but didn’t quite get it done (in the title match) but wrestled good. It was really cool when we were doing the walkouts and we had a whole line of guys on the left side of the first place match.”

Diemel (32-4) earned a 3-2 decision to defeat Washington senior Cael Miller (26-9).

“I wish I would’ve put up a few more points in the match and make it not quite as close,” Diemel said. “I feel like I could’ve opened up my offense a bit more.”

Naperville North senior Matas Budreika won by decision against Jacobs seniors Daniel Mendez for third place at 165 while Lemont’s Nico LoCoco won by fall over Maine South’s Aidan Swenson for fifth.

175 – Kurt Smith, Hononegah

Smith (27-8) earned a 9-3 decision over Naperville North senior Kyle Gatlin (17-7) to win at 175.

Marmion sophomore Vincenzo Testa was one of three Cadets to win a third-place match, defeating Washington senior Zane Hulet by fall, while Jacobs sophomore Johnathan Strauss won by decision against Andrew junior Jordan Wandick.

190 – Ben Brown, Batavia

Brown lost early in last year’s tournament to Downers Grove North’s Griff Keown before rebounding to place fifth at 195.

He didn’t forget it.

“There was a sour taste last year,” Brown said. “I didn’t come out right and this year I made sure I did.”

Brown left the Arlis as its lone undefeated wrestler on the season, improving to 24-0 after a 9-2 decision against Naperville North’s Matt Murphy.

“He’s turning himself into a very solid wrestler and he keeps putting these competitions, these tough competitions, together,” Bulldogs coach Ryan Farwell said. “He’s showing he’s one of the top guys in the state.”

Brown watched Murphy’s previous match and used that brief bit of scouting to help him earn yet another win.

“He was almost getting majored and then threw his kid,” Brown said. “I knew I wanted to stay away from there and at the end of the match he tried to throw me and I kind just slipped him, sagged my hips. I knew I had to stay away from that stuff and just get to what works for me and get to my attacks and just wear hm down.”

Good wins along the way have only fed into his confidence which is growing by the day.

“I had some good wins in a Granite City tournament down in Southern Illinois,” he said. “So I’ve had good competition and I feel like I’ve gotten into good situations and good matches that have prepared me. I’m just looking to build and see how far this can take me.”

Over on the third-place mat, Lemont’s Daniel Taylor outscored Perry’s Ethan Austin for a win by decision while Austin’s teammate, Aidan Goodman won by fall over Maine South’s Tommy Behzad for fifth place.

215 – Joseph Favia, Marmion

A year after winning at 195 by a 2-1 decision, Favia moved up to 215 this year where he also won by a single point, surviving fellow sophomore Josh Hoffer from Washington, 3-2.

Coincidentally, by the same 3-2 score as Favia’s win over Hoffer, Naperville North sophomore Tariq Ibragimov beat Andrew junior Joseph Zimmer for third place while Perry senior Bo Hall prevailed by forfeit over Batavia junior Asher Sheldon.

285 – Alex Pasquale, Lemont

Pasquale and Maine South’s Tyler Fortis have run into each other at football camps and since they both play defensive tackle and also wrestle, they’ve had the opportunity to form a friendship of sorts despite their respective schools being 30 miles away

“You can be friends off the mat but as soon as that whistle blows, that’s their enemy in front of you,” Pasquale said. “You’ve got to take them down.”

Pasquale took the heavyweight title with a 2-1 win. Last year Pasquale placed third.

“That was a tough match and Tyler is always a great competitor,” Pasquale said. “I’ve been to football camp with him. We play the same position and I’ve wrestled him the two past years so we know each other quite well. It’s always a good time wrestling him, he’s a tough competitor.”

Pasquale said the victory starts by the work in the room.

“It always starts in the room,” he said. “Every day you’ve got to be able to practice. You’ve got to be able to put the time in and grind. If it’s hard, put your head down and just lick your lips and say, ‘I want this,’ and keep going after it.”

Marmion junior Mateusz Nycz won by fall over Bolingbrook’s Isaac Amos for third place while Washington sophomore Sean Thornton won by fall over Perry junior Braidi Glascock for fifth place.

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time – 4 in 15:55 by Perry’s Aidan Goodman

Most tech falls, least time – 2 in 7:42 by Marmion’s Donny Pignoni

Most pins/tech falls, least time – 4 in 11:34 by Marmion’s Vincenzo Testa

Fastest tech fall – 2:40 by Hononegah’s Bruno Cassioppi

Most team points – (tie) 28 by Hononegah’s Rocco Cassioppi and Hononegah’s Thomas Silva

Most single-match points – 26 by Andrew’s Max Siegel

Most total match points – 68 by Andrew’s Max Siegel

Championship matches for the Clint Arlis Invitational at Batavia (Jan 13, 2024):

106 – Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) F 1:01 Kristian DeClercq (Jacobs)

113 – Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah) MD 12-4 Nadeem Halem (Andrew)

120 – Nicholas Garcia (Marmion) D 2-1 Teddy Flores (Maine South)

126 – Max Siegel (Andrew) MD 17-8 Ben Messier (Naperville North)

132 – Thomas Silva (Hononegah) F 3:12 Timmy Smith (Washington)

138 – Wyatt Medlin (Washington) F 0:48 Tyler Sternstein (Naperville North)

144 – Ashton Hobson (Marmion) D 8-7 Aidan Huck (Batavia)

150 – Noah O’Connor (Lemont) D 6-2 Max Haskins (Hononegah)

157 – Brody Sendele (Hononegah) TF-1.5 4:18 (20-5) Jayden Kimling (Perry)

165 – Connor Diemel (Hononegah) D 3-2 Cael Miller (Washington)

175 – Kurt Smith (Hononegah) D 9-3 Kyle Gatlin (Naperville North)

190 – Ben Brown (Batavia ) D 9-2 Matt Murphy (Naperville North)

215 – Joseph Favia (Marmion) D 3-2 Josh Hoffer (Washington)

285 – Alex Pasquale (Lemont D 2-1 Tyler Forrest (Maine South) 

Third-place matches:

106 – Max Garibay (Perry) D 11-8 Logan Conover (Marmion)

113 – Brett Harman (Maine South) D 4-3 Tyler Tiancgo (DG North)

120 – Ino Garcia (Batavia) D 5-2 Noah Woods (Washington)

126 – Adis Wesson (Perry) F 3:56 Jack Handley (Maine South)

132 – Donny Pignoni (Marmion) D 2-1 Luke Morrison (Maine South)

138 – Donovan Avila (West Chicago) D 10-6 Cory Zator (Lemont)

144 – Aaron Camacho (Bolingbrook) F 0:56 Gavin Hoerr (Maine South)

150 – Marcus Poe (Bolingbrook) F 3:46 Tyler Brown (Washington)

157 – Tommy McDermott (Bolingbrook) F 3:53 Cruise Brolley (Washington)

165 – Matas Budreika (Naperville N) D 9-4 Daniel Mendez (Jacobs)

175 – Vincenzo Testa (Marmion) F 3:44 Zane Hulet (Washington)

190 – Daniel Taylor (Lemont) D 8-6 Ethan Austin (Perry)

215 – Tafiq Ibragimov (Naperville N) D 3-2 Joseph Zimmer (Andrew)

285 – Mateusz Nycz (Marmion) F 3:34 Isaac Amoh (Bolingbrook)

Final team scores: 1. Hononegah (189.5) 2. Washington (172.5) 3. Marmion Academy (168.5) 4. Naperville North (147) 5. Maine South (138) 6. Perry, AZ (129) 7. Lemont (112.5) 8. Batavia (98) 9. Bolingbrook (95.5) 9. Andrew (95.5) 11. Downers Grove North (74.5) 12. Jacobs (73) 13. West Chicago (48) 14. Harlem (20)

By Patrick Z. McGavin

What a way for Adam Tirapelle to return home.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Illini Classic champions breakdown:

106 – Rocco Hayes, Carl Sandburg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

113 – Dom Munaretto, St. Charles East

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

120 – George Marinopoulos, Marist

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

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

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

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

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

He nearly put Parker on his back.

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

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

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

126 – Michael Esteban, Marist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

132 – Ben Davino, St. Charles East

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

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

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

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

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

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

138 – Tyler Guerra, St. Charles East

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

144 – James Wright, Clovis

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

The first period ended scoreless.

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

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

150 – Will Denny, Marist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

157 – Alexander Lizak, Lincoln-Way East

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

165 – Gunnar Garelli, Lyons Township

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

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

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

Neither wrestler managed an offensive point.

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

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

Garelli finished fourth at 160 pounds last season.

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

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

175 – Joe Buck, Clovis

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

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

190 – Mark Marin, Clovis

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

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

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

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

215 – Ben Alvarez, Yorkville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

285 – Nick Kavooras, Lincoln-Way West

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

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

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

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

Top individual statistics:

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

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

Fastest fall – 0:18 by Clovis’ Elijah Alva

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

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

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

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

Championship match results:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Third-place matches:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Curt Herron – For the IWCOA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

126 – Joey Ruzic, Auburn

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

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

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

190 – Maddux Anderson, Orion

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

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

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

175 – Carter Watkins, Manteno

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

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

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

150 – Blake Smith, Riverdale

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

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

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

113 – Hunter Robbins, Illini Bluffs

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

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

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

215 – Noah Wenzel, Dakota

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

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

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

138 – Dillon Hinton, Vandalia

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

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

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

106 – Brady Mouser, LeRoy/Tri-Valley

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

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

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

157 – Lyndon Thies, Roxana

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

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

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

285 – James Herring, Roxana

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

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

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

144 – Carter Rude, Newman Central Catholic

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

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

120 – Dean Wainwright, Riverdale

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

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

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

165 – Bowden Delaney, Tremont

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

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

132 – Brady Grennan, Newman Central Catholic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Gary Larsen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1st place: Lakes (135)

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

Babbs was particularly happy for one specific teammate.

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

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

2nd place: Zion-Benton

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

3rd place: Thornton (98)

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

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

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

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

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

Top individual statistics:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dundee-Crown Girls Invitational individual champions:

100 – Iris Torres, Dundee-Crown

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

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

105 – Zaryia Mouzon, Lakes

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

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

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

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

110 – Haven Sylves, Lakes

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

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

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

115 – Ayane Jasinski, Grant

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

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

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

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

120 – Olivia Heft, Lakes

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

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

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

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

125 – Ava Babbs, Lakes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

130 – Jalah Wilson, Thornton

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

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

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

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

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

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

135 – Jermia Moore, Thornton-Fractional South

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

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

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

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

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

140 – Perla Lomeli, Dundee-Crown

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

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

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

145 – Naomi Foote, Zion-Benton

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

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

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

155 – Grace Johnson, Zion-Benton

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

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

170 – Keyhanna Phillips, Thornton

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

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

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

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

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

190 – ILeen Castrejon, Zion-Benton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

235 – Eliana Garrett, Maine West 

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

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

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

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

Dundee-Crown Girls Invitational championship match results:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Third-place match results:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top individual statistics at Conant:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

100 – Riley Kongkaeow, Round Lake

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

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

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

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

105- Averi Colella, Lockport Township

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

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

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

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

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

110- Alex Sebek, Oak Forest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

115- Liz Ramirez, Lockport Township

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

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

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

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

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

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

120- Grace Laird, Joliet Catholic Academy

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

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

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

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

125- Dyani Torres, Kaneland

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

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

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

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

130- Ava Weatherford, Ottawa Township

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

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

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

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

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

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

135- Brooke Coy, Yorkville

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

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

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

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

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

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

140- Jillian Giller, New Trier

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

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

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

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

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

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

145- Maya Coreas-Funes, Oak Forest

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

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

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

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

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

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

155- Valeria Rodriguez, Schaumburg

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

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

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

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

170- Alicia Tucker, Plainfield Central

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

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

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

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

190- Isabel Peralta, Oak Forest

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

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

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

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

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

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

235- Juliana Thrush, Ottawa Township

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Championship matches results of the 2024 Conant Girls Tournament

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Curt Herron for the IWCOA

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

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

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

1. Glenwood

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

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

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

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

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

2. Murphysboro

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

3. Paducah, KY McCracken County

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Title matches for the 62nd annual Carbondale Murdale Tournament

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team scoring for the 62nd annual Carbondale Murdale Tournament

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

Peoria Notre Dame wins championship at Prairie Central Hawk Classic

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Peoria Notre Dame

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

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

2. El Paso-Gridley

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

3. Plano

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

4. Chicago Hope Academy

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

5. Camp Point Central

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

6. Hoopeston Area

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Championship matches at Prairie Central’s Hawk Classic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team scoring at Prairie Central’s Hawk Classic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Geneseo

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

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

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

2. Yorkville Christian

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

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

3. Morton

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

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

4. Normal West

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

5. Triad

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

6. United Township

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Championship matches for Morton’s Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team standings for Morton’s Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational

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

Frankfort Community places first at Carbondale’s Murdale Girls Tournament

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

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

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

1. Frankfort Community

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

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

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

2. Glenwood

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

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

3. Goreville/Vienna

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Championship matches for Carbondale’s Murdale Girls Tournament

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team scoring for Carbondale’s Murdale Girls Tournament

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