Feature Stories

By Curt Herron

Illinois athletes turned in an historic performance by capturing six championships while another individual finished second against some of the top competitors from around the country at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. 

The six titles won by Illinoisans were two more than were captured by the state with the next-highest total, Pennsylvania, which won four titles. One athlete each from New York, Ohio and Oklahoma also claimed top honors. 

Winning championships were St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto (106) and Ben Davino (126), Washington Community’s Kannon Webster (138), Conant’s Ethan Stiles (157), Lockport Township’s Brayden Thompson (190) and Joliet Catholic Academy’s Dillan Johnson (285) while Mount Carmel’s Sergio Lemley (132) took second place.

A year ago, Illinois had champions from multiple schools for just the second time, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Vincent Robinson and Rich Township’s Nasir Bailey, with the first time being in 2006, when it had its previous high for champions with three as Montini Catholic’s Mike Benefiel and Garrett Goebel and Glenbard North’s Tony Ramos won titles. Prior to this competition only 13 Illinois athletes had won 15 titles with Benefiel and Goebel capturing two titles apiece.

The two champions for coach Jason Potter’s Saints prevailed in showdowns against individuals from team champion Blair Academy, NJ, which won the title by a 190.5-137.5 margin over Stillwater, OK.

Davino claimed a 2-0 victory over Marc-Anthony McGowan at 126 in a rematch of last year’s title match at 120, which was won by McGowan 5-2. Davino, a junior who won the Class 3A title at 120 last season, opened with a fall and major decision before getting a pin in 3:50 over Crown Point, IN’s Logan Frazier in the quarterfinals and captured a 6-3 decision over Bayport Blue Point, NY’s Max Gallagher to earn his spot on the title mat to again meet McGowan.

“Ben continued to be one of the most dominant wrestlers in high school wrestling,” Saints coach Jason Potter said. “He is always evolving and is never satisfied. McGowan’s match in the finals was the rubber match Ben was really looking forward to. McGowan gave Ben the only in-season loss of his career (Ironman finals 2021) and the only person to score a takedown on him. He takes that personal and it drives him.  He made the adjustments to control the match, and even though it was low scoring, put on a dominant performance.”

Munaretto won an 8-4 decision over Tyler Deraker in the 106 title match. The Saints freshman opened with a fall and got a victory by technical fall in the second round before pinning Lake Highland Prep, FL’s Liam Davis in 2:49 in the quarterfinals and then capturing a 3-0 decision in the semifinals against Notre Dame, PA’s Ayden Smith to advance him to the finals.

“Dom had a fantastic tournament,” Potter said. “I feel he has made the adjustment into High School and his new weight class.  The maturity difference and poise in his rematch with Dekraker was what I was the most impressed with. He gave up an early takedown, but stayed calm and wrestled his match.  With his level of talent, the key for him is to stick to his pace and attacks and not to get influenced by the score or his oppennents style. For a freshman to come in and win the Ironman is a great achievement.”

Webster won the championship at 138 with a 5-4 decision over Ponderosa, CO’s Brandon Cannon. Webster, a senior who was the Class 2A champion at 132 last season, opened with a pin and a major decision before winning his quarterfinals match 3-1 in sudden victory over Malvern Prep, PA’s Spencer Barnhart 3-1. Then he won another tight match in the semifinals, edging Bethlehem Catholic, PA’s Kollin Rath 6-5, to earn his spot in the finals against Cannon. 

A year ago, Webster also advanced to the tournament’s title mat, but he lost 5-3 to Homewood-Flossmoor’s Vincent Robinson for the 126 championship.

Stiles took top honors at 157 with a 12-6 decision over Dublin Coffman, OH’s Ethan Birden in the finals. Stiles, a senior who won last year’s Class 3A title at 152, recorded falls in his first two matches before pinning Lockport Township’s Logan Swaw in 1:48 in the quarterfinals and then won a 5-2 decision over Crown Point, IN’s Anthony Rinehart to advance to the title mat,

“Ethan Stiles thrives when the lights are the brightest,” Cougars coach Andrew Guilde said. “They don’t get much brighter than the Ironman tournament. He was locked in all tournament and that’s because Ethan has one goal: that’s to be the best. He showed that this weekend.”

Thompson captured a 3-2 decision over Teays Valley, OH’s Camden McDanel in the 190 title match. Thompson, a senior who won the Class 3A title at 170 last season, opened with two wins by technical fall and a pin before winning 13-7 over Fauquier, VA’s Kingsley Menifee in the quarterfinals and then won a 3-2 decision over Stillwater, OK’s AJ Heeg in the semifinals.

The Lockport Township standout had the fourth-most points in a match (24) in his opener and also tied for the fourth-most total match points (68) among all of the competitors in the field.

“Brayden wrestled a great tournament,” Porters coach Jameson Oster said. “He is continuing to grow his already impressive resume and continues to show why he is the best wrestler in the country.”  

Johnson won a 7-3 decision over Mesa Ridge, CO’s Matthew Moore in the 285 championship match. After opening with a pair of first-period falls, the junior, who was the Class 2A title winner at 285 last season, captured a 9-1 major decision over Notre Dame, PA’s Aiden Compton before claiming a 7-1 decision over Blair Academy, NJ’s Carter Neves in the semifinals.

“My expectation for Dillan is to be the most dominant heavyweight in the country,” Hilltoppers coach Ryan Cumbee said. “Thus far, he’s met those expectations. I look forward to his continued success this season.”

Lemley dropped a 5-2 decision to Stillwater,OK’s Cael Hughes in the 132 title match. Lemley, a senior who won the Class 3A title at 126 last season, opened with two falls and then got a win by technical fall before winning 9-4 over Edmond North, OK’s Hunter Hollingsworth in the quarterfinals and capturing a 6-5 decision over Nixa, MO’s Zan Fugitt in the semifinals. He took third place at 126 last season in the Ironman, finishing behind Robinson and Webster.

Five other individuals placed in the top eight at their weight classes.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Vincent Robinson took fourth at 132, Rich Township’s Nasir Bailey was sixth at 138, Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza placed seventh at 113, Marmion Academy’s Jameson Garcia was eighth at 126 and Lockport Township’s Logan Swaw took eighth at 157.

Last year Robinson was first at 126 and Bailey won at 132, but both saw their hopes of reaching the title mat again dashed in dramatic semifinals matches with Robinson suffering a 4-3 loss to Stillwater, OK’s Cael Hughes, the eventual champion at 132 and Bailey losing 9-7 by sudden victory to Ponderosa, CO’s Brandon Cannon, who lost to Webster in the finals, at 138.

Robinson won 6-4 in sudden victory over Malvern Prep, PA’s Jack Consiglio to reach the third-place match, where he lost a 3-0 decision to Fugitt. Bailey did not compete again after his loss.

Mendoza, Garcia and Swaw all lost in the quarterfinals with Swaw getting sent to the consolation bracket following a fall by Stiles and then going 1-2. Mendoza, who placed fifth at 106 in the event last year, lost 3-1 in the quarterfinals to Bethlehem Cathollic, PA’s Nate Desmond before winning two of his last three matches. Garcia got pinned in 4:00 by Bishop McCort, PA’s Mason Gibson in the quarterfinals and also went 1-2 in his last three matches.

Also falling in the 120 quarterfinals and then losing in his next match was Joliet Catholic Academy’s Gylon Sims while Homewood-Flossmoor’s Deion Jonnson placed seventh at 106 a year ago but was unable to place again.

Aurora Christian’s Deven Casey (113) lost his opener but then won four-straight decisions, including 1-0 in an ultimate tiebreaker and then 5-4, but he lost his next match 1-0 to come up one win shy of a top-eight finish.

St. Charles East’s Tyler Guerra (138), Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jaydon Robinson (144) and Montini Catholic’s David Mayora (150) all lost decisions to fall one victory shy of a medal.

St. Charles East was the top-scoring team from Illinois, placing ninth with 80.5 points. Mount Carmel (54.5) was 21st, Lockport Township (44) was 24th and Joliet Catholic Academy (43) was 25th. Other top Illinois teams were Marmion Academy (29th, 39), Washington Community (31st, 36), Conant (38th, 32), Homewood-Flossmoor (40th, 30) and Marist (44th, 27.5).

Stiles led all competitors in the field with 32 team points while Thompson and Davino tied Hughes for fourth with 31 points. Munaretto tied for ninth in team points with 29.5, Johnson and Webster tied for 12th place with 29 points and Lemley finished 16th with 27.5 team points.

By Patrick Z. McGavin

PLANO – The natural question confronting Yorkville Christian is how do the Mustangs ward off the natural complacency.

The clear answer is never stop winning.

“Everybody is coming after us because we are winning,” senior Jackson Gillen said.

He achieved the rare and impressive double last season of capturing the Class 1A 170-pound individual state championship in Champaign.

Gillen also fueled the Mustangs’ Class 1A state dual championship over Tremont for the first state title in school history.

The new season is a daily challenge to return to the upper echelon. That is not always easy.

The Mustangs are still hungry.

“Personally I just feel like it’s motivation to go back and get another one,” said senior Noah Dial, who captured the 132-pound individual title.  “I think back-to-back sounds a lot better than just a one-hit wonder. 

“I don’t see it as pressure, and I don’t think a lot of guys see it that way either. It’s more motivational to just go and do it again. We love the feeling of getting that state championship. We want to do it one last time, since we have so many seniors on the team.”

Yorkville Christian made another commanding statement with seven individual champions in capturing Plano’s Reaper Classic on Saturday.

Coach Mike Vester’s Mustangs amassed 247.50 points in defending their Reaper Classic title last year.

Oregon was runner-up with 184 points, followed by Tremont’s 158 and 153.50 by De La Salle Institute.

Tremont and Princeton were the only other programs that delivered multiple champions. Coached by former Mount Carmel legend TJ Williams, Tremont had winners with Bowden Delaney (126) and TJ Connor (182).

Augustus Swanson (106) and Angie Christiansen (145) brought home individual titles for Princeton.

Oregon had no individual champions. Coach Justin Lahman’s Hawks had the second highest number of finalists with five.

East Aurora, St. Francis and Amboy had one champion apiece.

Results by weight class

106 – Augustus Swanson, Princeton

Princeton’s Augustus Swanson put on a clinic, showing balance, quickness and explosiveness.

He earned the individual championship at 106 with a fall over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Gage Martin at the 1:01 mark.

He also won by major decision and fall in capturing his side of the bracket.

“I like to wrestle aggressively and fast,” Swanson said. “What was very effective today was just getting to my shots, and working really well when I was on top.

“I was able to go out, wrestle my style and push the pace.”

Martin had a first-period fall and a major decision in dominating the lower bracket.

In the third-place match, De La Salle’s Jeremiah Lawrence beat Tremont’s Jayden Neil by technical fall. Stillman Valley’s Michael Pannarale beat Yorkville Christian’s Eli Foster 5-3 in overtime for fifth place.

113 – Landon Blanton, Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio

In one of the best championship matches, Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/

LaMoille/Ohio’s Landon Blanton secured an 8-2 decision over De La Salle’s Raymond Alvarado for the 113 title.

“I was really pushing my shots, even more than usual,” Blanton said. “Typically I always want them to shoot, because I have a pretty good sprawl. 

“If I have to shoot, I will.”

Blanton won by injury default and a major decision in winning the upper bracket.

Alvarado was one of the most dominant performers in the preliminary rounds. He posted three first-period falls to reach the final.

In the third-place match, Oregon’s Jackson Messenger defeated Sandwich’s Ashlyn Strenz with a first-period fall. Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Charlie Flores recorded a pin of Somonauk/Leland’s Mason Smith for fifth place. 

120 – Ty Edwards, Yorkville Christian

Ty Edwards is back with a vengeance. 

After reaching the state championship match at 106 pounds as a freshman two years ago, he missed the championship season.

Yorkville Christian’s Edwards ran his record to 14-1 by decimating with four falls. Only one of his matches lasted into the second period.

Showing toughness, quickness and power, he defeated Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/

Fisher’s Shawn Schlickman at 1:06 in the 120 finals.

“I am really excited,” Edwards said. “I spent all last year waiting to get back, for the coaches and my teammates.

“Today my focus was just getting into my offense first. I was able to use my hand fighting to shake them, and when the opportunity was there.”

Despite the layoff, Edwards is finding his groove.

“I have definitely gotten my timing and rhythm back, especially in the offseason. That helped a lot. I think I am doing better than I was my freshman year.

“I’d say I have more of a controlling style, just trying to get the other guy into positions I need to get them in and just get them off.”

Schlickman posted two falls to capture the lower bracket.

Tremont’s Peyton Murphy pinned Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Talan Nelson for third place. Dixon’s Gavin Kramer posted a second-period fall of De La Salle’s Anthony Trendle for fifth place.

126 – Bowden Delaney, Tremont

Tremont’s Bowden Delaney had a long offseason to ponder his next move.

He earned a special distinction, marking four falls in just over five minutes of wrestling time.

He dispatched Sandwich’s Kadin Kern at the 3:21 mark in the 126 title match.

The duration of his other matches were, respectively, :25, 1:00, and 1:10.

“I have been working on my feet a lot in the room with my partners, and that was my big goal today,” Delaney said.

“That was a big part of my attack today. I wanted to get in my shots, and go to work on top. If I did get taken down, I wanted to react and do what I had to do and make it my match.”

His experience at the state meet last year profoundly impacted his approach and technique pushing forward.

“Last season at the state tournament, I struggled on my feet a lot,” Delaney said. “Over the summer, I have been working with my partners, with my footwork, and getting into my shots.

“Now my style is more aggressive, and I like to go out and control the match. I know what I’m doing, and I want to make him work for me and my style. Losing those matches at state was motivation more than anything and knowing that I could do better, and work to be on top of the podium this year.”

Somonauk/Leland’s Aiden Rowan defeated Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Aiden Bel 10-4 for third place. In the fifth place match, Princeton’s Andrew Peacock recorded a second-period fall of Saint Ignatius’ Jacob Ponce.

132 – Noah Dial, Yorkville Christian

Noah Dial is feeling explosive again.

The Yorkville Christian standout is still working through an ankle injury that slowed his early season action.

He captured the 132 title with a hard-fought and tough 6-0 victory over Tremont’s Mason Mark.

Dial posted three consecutive falls in the preliminaries.

“I had a different mentality today,” Dial said. “I didn’t like the way I was wrestling yesterday. I changed it up, and that is just what I have been working on. 

“I feel like I’m getting my explosiveness back. I felt a lot better today than yesterday. During some matches, I am all offense, and then other matches I will just wrestle with the flow. I like scrambling and positions, and doing what is best at that time. I was able to do that in the final.”

Despite the loss, Mark posted one of the big upsets, defeating a returning state qualifier, Princeton’s Ace Christiansen, 5-4 in the quarterfinals.

Mark also posted two falls.

Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio’s Levi Near edged Chicago Hope Academy’s Sammy Saez 3-2 to earn third place. Christiansen claimed an 11-3 major decision over De La Salle’s Mario Perez for fifth place.

138 – Grason Johnson, Yorkville Christian

Yorkville Christian’s Grason Johnson made the leap forward.

A year after finishing runner-up at 126 pounds, he earned the title at 138 with a 12-4 victory over Oregon’s Lane Halverson, a returning state qualifier.

Johnson showed perseverance and toughness, surviving consecutive tight matches in the preliminaries to gain the upper hand in the championship match.

“Just keep moving on my feet, and not really reacting to his moves, but getting a positive reaction to his shots,” Johnson said. 

“I wanted to make sure I kept my feet moving,  and I was able to get around him and get my two. I had to make the pace of the match right at the start, and keep my feet moving. I wanted to keep pushing the pace.”

By contrast, Halverson needed less than five minutes of cumulative time to post three pins.

Marian Catholic’s Joey Baranski defeated Sandwich’s Miles Corder 9-4 in the third-place match. Princeton’s Carlos Benavidez won fifth place with a second-period pin of Plano’s Norbert Gajda.

145 – Augie Christiansen, Princeton

In the most riveting championship match, Princeton’s Augie Christiansen achieved the most dramatic outcome by turning Oregon’s Seth Stevens in the final seconds of overtime for a 6-4 victory in the 145 finals.

Christiansen also had a great semifinals duel with Sandwich’s Sy Smith, pulling out a 3-2 decision.

After two falls, Stevens captured the lower bracket with the 4-1 victory over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Carson Maxey.

Maxey defeated Smith 7-1 for third place.

De La Salle’s Nicholas Arvetis defeated Marian Catholic’s Jonah Greenwood 9-2 for fifth place.

152 – Drew Torza, Yorkville Christian

Yorkville Christian’s Drew Torza dominated his side of the 152 bracket with three second-period falls.

His championship opponent, Oregon’s Grant Stender, was just as unstoppable, mashing through the lower bracket with four first-period falls.

Torza pulled out the championship with a 7-2 decision. He secured the early advantage with a first-period takedown, and had a reversal in the second period.

He improved his record to 12-2.

“I’d say I’m very much an offensive wrestler who wants to be aggressive,” Torza said. “When I go out there, my main goal is to be as aggressive as possible, rack up some points.”

Sandwich’s Nolan Bobee defeated Stillman Valley’s Porter Needs 12-11 for third place. Princeton’s Casey Etheridge posted a second-period fall of Marian Catholic’s Evan Fitzgerald for fifth place.

160 – Tyler Martinez, Yorkville Christian

Tyler Martinez came home.

The Yorkville Christian star ran his record to 18-0 with his dominant 15-1 major decision over Oregon’s Anthony Bauer in the 160 title match.

“Coming back here was really meaningful,” Martinez said. “It’s my parents’ high school, it’s my sister’s high school. 

“I had to come in, work as hard as I could, and put on the best show possible, and come out with another victory.”

Martinez defended his Reaper Classic title from last year.

“I was looking to push the pace and work hard,” Martinez said. “Each match I went out there, I was trying to get a technical fall or pin. I was trying to score as much as I could, and put on a show for the fans.”

Bauer blitzed through the lower bracket with three first-period falls.

Dixon’s Jayce Kastner defeated Saint Ignatius’ Teddy Braman by fall for third place. Plano’s Gio Diaz secured a first-period pin of Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Cohen Brown for fifth place.

170 – Jackson Gillen, Yorkville Christian

Jackson Gillen has set the highest stakes for his final high school season.

“I want to go undefeated,” he said.

The defending state champion from Yorkville Christian moved his mark to 13-0 with his annihilating, powerful style.

After two pins and a major decision, Gillen punctuated his dominant run with a fall in 3:41 of Oregon’s Gabe Eckerd in the 170 finals.

“I don’t feel like I have a target on my back,” Gillen said. “I have to prove to everyone that is why everybody has a high standard for me.”

For his part, Eckerd had three pins in five minutes of wrestling to reach the championship match.

Tremont’s Logan Stedman earned third place with a first-period fall of Sandwich’s Bryce Decker. Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Angel Zamora defeated Marian Catholic’s Lloyd Mills by fall in the fifth-place match.

182 – TJ Connor, Tremont

Time was running out for Tremont’s TJ Connor.

“I just knew I had to get one,” he said.

He showed a flair for the dramatic with a two-point nearfall in the closing seconds for an 8-7 victory over Dixon’s Owen Brooks in the 182 title match.

Connor won the upper bracket with three pins.

He also made the most of a second-chance opportunity.

“I kind of messed up there, and I tried to make that throw when it wasn’t there, and that didn’t help,” Connor said. “My mentality was to just keep pushing through it, and hard work.”

Brooks had two pins and his own epic 10-9 decision over Stillman Valley’s Andrew Forcier in the semifinals.

Brooks was a formidable opponent who forced Connor out of his comfort zone.

“In the championship match, I switched between offense and defense,” Connor said. “I was aggressive when the chance was there.”

Forcier edged De La Salle’s Josue Hernandez 3-2 for third place. Yorkville Christian’s Chris Durbin defeated Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Lincoln Eastin by technical fall for fifth place.

195 – Jeremy Loomis, Yorkville Christian

Yorkville Christian’s Jeremy Loomis completed the Mustangs’ perfect 7-for-7 championship run with an 8-1 decision over Chicago Hope Academy’s Uriah Martin-Velez in the 195 finals.

Loomis previously won by fall and major decision in winning the lower bracket.

Martin-Velez won by fall and forfeit in winning the upper bracket.

In the wildest and most-entertaining match outside of the championships, De La Salle’s Evan Smith edged Plano’s Richie Amakiri 21-18 in a back and forth masterpiece for third place.

Dixon’s Ethan Mick earned fifth place with a forfeit over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Aiden Sancken.

220 – Bryan Romero, East Aurora

East Aurora’s Bryan Romero thinks outside the box. His opponents could barely see him.

He improved his record to 10-2 and earned the upperweights’ Most Outstanding Wrestler distinction with his 11-2 major decision over Plano’s Eliyas Peray in the 220 title match.

Romero had three falls preceding the title match.

“I think I have gotten a lot better at knowing when to take my shots,” Romero said. “When you get to my weight class, at 220 pounds, people are not really used to taking shots.

“I take a lot of pride in being a little bit more athletic than most guys my size. I love to be on the offensive. I think it really helps out. Once I get on top, things go down. I flip people, and that’s when I’m best.”

Peray captured the lower bracket with two falls and a tough 10-9 decision over De La Salle’s Zion Nix.

Nix recovered for third place with a third-period fall of Yorkville Christian’s Jackson Mehochko. Oregon’s Josh Crandall won by fall over Phillips’ Kelvin Tovar for fifth.

285 – Jaylen Torres, St. Francis

Mass and size collided in the 285 championship bout, the strength and power of St. Francis’ Jaylen Torres and Plano’s previously-undefeated Alex Diaz closed out the tournament in grand style.

Torres earned the subtle advantage with a late first-period takedown he rode to the 7-4 victory.

Torres had three falls in winning the lower bracket.

Diaz dispatched his preliminary opponents in quick fashion with two falls.

East Aurora’s Arnold Walker won by fall over Oregon’s Evan Flaharty for third place. Dixon’s Sean DeVries defeated Stillman Valley’s Blake Mollet by pin for fifth place.

By Gary Larsen

Richmond-Burton’s Tom Dubois tournament

Richmon-Burton’s Tom Dubois tournament saw 16 teams square off in Richmond on Saturday, and when the dust settled it was Hampshire lining up for the group photo as the 2022 team champion.

Hampshire posted a 204-191.5 edge over second-place Quincy, with Wauconda a close third with 190 team points. Wheaton Academy (169) finished fourth followed by host Richmond-Burton (144.5) in fifth and Marengo (141.5) in sixth.

Hampshire got individual titles from Niko Skoulikaris (170) and Joey Ochoa (285) in spearheading the win for Whip-Purs coach Matthew Todd. Aric Abbott (132), and Will Ardson (220) placed second for Hampshire while Chris Naprikowski (145) and Tyler Boyd (195) placed third.
Adding to the team total for Todd were a fourth from Dawson Smith (126), fifths from Yani Nikolav (138), Michael Brannigan (152), and Aidan Rowells (160), and a sixth from Camden Smith (182).

“Our wrestlers did a great job,” Todd said. “They wrestled hard against great competition. We had six freshmen step up into varsity roles and wrestle a great tournament.

“Our upperclassmen have helped guide our freshmen all season with their hard work in the room.  Our kids have done a fantastic job this year working hard and improving.  Our staff is excited to see how they will continue to develop.”

Second-place Quincy coach Phil Neally got individual titles from Owen Uppinghouse (160) and Bryor Newbold (182), seconds from Dom Demming (120) and Brody Baker (138), thirds from Hugh Sharrow (106) and Todd Smith (285), and afourth from Wyatt Boeing (113).

Third-place Wauconda and Marengo tied for the tournament lead in individual champions with three each on the day. Wauconda got titles from Gavin Rockey (106), Cooper Daun (132), and Nick Chesier (152) for coach Trevor Jauch. Cole Porten (145) and Zac Johnson (160) also placed second for a Bulldogs team that only had 11 wrestlers entered in the tournament.

Also winning individual titles in Richmond were Genoa-Kingston’s Shayden McNew (113), Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger (120) and Taggart Kazmierczak (145), Richmond-Burton’s Emmet Nelson (126), Marengo’s Logan Miller (138), Eddie Solis (195), and Hunter Smith (220).

Placing second were Richmond-Burton’s Kyan Gunderson (106) and Clay Madula (113), Wheaton Academy’s Will Hupke (126), Lake Forest’s Seth Digby (152), Winnebago’s Charley Murray (170), Genoa-Kingston’s Julian Torres (182), Rockford-Jefferson’s Karlondo Dubois (195), and North Boone’s Ethan Delgado (285).

The day’s closest matches on the championship mat included McNew’s 9-6 win over Madula at 113, and Smith’s 6-5 decision over Ardson at 220.

Third-placers included Wheaton Academy’s Oscar Smith (113), Deonta Giles (160), and George Truitt (220), Lake Forest’s Bobby Biddle (120) and Julian Olenick (126), Richmond-Burton’s Dane Sorenson (132), Johnsburg’s Landon Johnson (138), Genoa-Kingston’s Brady Brewick (152), Woodstock’s Zachary Canaday (170), and Winnebago’s Lucas Cowman (182).

Placing fourth in Richmond were Wheaton Academy’s Ben Aniker (106), Tyler Jones (132), and Chasen Kazmierczak (138), Durand’s Ethan Foster (120), Marengo’s Mason Lampe (145) and Connor Sacco (170), Grayslake North’s Jacob Ronsman (152), Richmond-Burton’s Dominick Dickens (160) and Alex Reyna (182), Winnebago’s Javier Flores (195), Rockford-Auburn’s Joseph Grail (220), and Rockford-Jefferson’s Antonio Osorio (285).

Hampshire’s Joey Ochoa scored the most team points in the tournament with 30, followed by fellow champions Solis, Uppinghouse, Newbold, and Rockey with 28 team points scored apiece.

Buffalo Grove’s Rex Lewis Invitational

Schaumburg left no doubt who the best team was at this year’s Rex Lewis Invitational, sending six individual champions to the top of the awards stand and seeing 12 wrestlers place in the top four of their weight classes.

The Saxons dominated the field with 265.5 team points. Second-place St. Patrick scored 154, followed by Geneva (150), Elk Grove (148), and Romeoville (120) to round out the top five finishers.
Completing the top 10 team finishers were host Buffalo Grove (114), Vernon Hills (96), Bartlett (87), Palatine (75) and Morris (73).

Schaumburg coach Mike LeVanti sent eight wrestlers to the title mat and got individual crowns from Brady Phelps (113), Callen Kirchner (120), AJ Quevedo (132), Gavin Hinkle (145), Caden Kirchner (152), and Jacob Acevedo (182).

Phelps was named the outstanding wrestler of the tournament after winning by tech fall on the title mat.
“Brady (Phelps) and the Kirchner brothers (Caden and Cal) were pretty dominant today, but I was particularly impressed with few of our other guys who stepped out of the shadows a bit today,” LeVanti said.

Placing second for the Saxons were Logan Meyer (160) and Sean Christoffel (170), who also got thirds from Rocco Fontela (126) and Kolin Little (145), fourths from Jimmy Zinchuk (195) and Cesar Alvarez-Cuatepit (285), a sixth from Dilon Najjar (220), and an eighth from Austin Phelps (106).
“(Sophomore) AJ Quevedo gave a pretty mature performance for his first varsity tournament and Gavin Hinkle was able to rebound from a tough weekend last week to earn his first tournament title,” LeVanti said.

“Jacob Acevedo avenged his finals loss from last year with a first period fall and I think that’s pretty emblematic of the progress this group has made thus far.

“I think we had a pretty good effort. Everyone gave really solid performances.  We talked about starting fast and I think that allowed us to sort of jump out early and put it out of reach relatively quickly … we wanted a complete team performance and our guys definitely  delivered on that.”

Second-place St. Patrick had an individual champion in Niko Karamaniolas (138). The Shamrocks had four wrestlers place second in Calvin Stahl (113), Olin Walker (126), Gio Hernandez (182), and Aiden Gomez (220), and a third from Daniel Goodwin (106) among St. Patrick’s nine wrestlers who finished in the top eight of their weight divisions.

Third-place Geneva had two champions among their 10 wrestlers who placed in the top eight, in Dylan Konkey (160) and John Schmidt (195). Placing second for the Vikings were Joey Sikorski (106) and Maguire Hoeksema (152), while Joe Petit (220) placed third and Cam McGoarty (145) finished fourth.
Other champions on the day in Buffalo Grove were Elk Grove’s Grant Madl (126), Romeoville’s Mason Gougis (170) and Johnathan Espinoza-Lun (220), and Vernon Hills’ Max Accettura (285).
Second-place finishers also included Niles North’s Trent Tono (120), Buffalo Grove’s Isaac Wilson (132), Elk Grove’s Niko Thanopoulos (138), Morris’ Tyler Semlar (145), Vernon Hills’ Kevin Halley (195), and Palatine’s Parker Brault.

The closest title-mat matches included Madl’s 3-1 decision over Walker at 126, Hinkle’s 3-2 overtime win at 145 against Semlar, and Konkey’s 4-1 win at 160 over Meyer.

Rex Lewis third-place finishers were Romeoville’s Alex Bahena (113), Mt. Carmel’s Caleb Drousias (120), TF-South’s Trayvonne Roberts (132), Buffalo Grove’s Max Turner (138) and Vlad Fedorchenko (182), Elk Grove’s Anthony Macina (152), James Keigher (170), and Mo Burt (195), Vernon Hills’ Ilya Dvoryannikov (160), and Romeoville’s Tony Galloway (285).

Fourth-place finishers included Buffalo Grove’s Dawson Horvath (106), David Rodriguez (126), and John Sarracco (220), Bartlett’s Max McCaan (113), Filip Szeszko (132), Nick Barton (138), Zain Yasoob (152), and Ryan Gura (182), Elk Grove’s Nicasio Acino (120) and Jacob Elsner (160), and Larkin’s Chris Valentin (170).

Hoffman Estates’ Mickey Marchese tournament

Mundelein sent five wrestlers to the title mat, won two individual titles, and had 11 wrestlers finish in the top seven of their weight classes to take this year’s Mickey Marchese team title.
The Mustangs posted a 190-149 edge over second-place Lane Tech for coach Craig Stocker. Harlem (135) finished third followed by South Elgin (129.5), and Notre Dame (109) to round out the top five teams in the 16-team field.

Willowbrook (105) placed sixth, followed by Plainfield East (102.5), Rolling Meadows (101), Wheeling (95.5), and tenth-place host Hoffman Estates (68.5)

Mundelein got individual titles from Bryce Durlacher (120) and Benji Albavera (126), and second-place finishes from Pablo Bacerrar (113), Ethan Banda (132) and Ty Murray (160). Mundelein also got third-place finishes from Mac Rastrelli (170) and Abisai Hernandez (220), fourths from Gael Diaz (152) and Michael Nieves-Pena (182), a fifth from Ethan Thomas (138), and a seventh from Kevin Hernandez (145).

“It was absolutely a team effort,” Stocker said. “We only brought eleven guys, so we needed every one of them to contribute, and we needed bonus points. Both of those happened.

“All eleven won at least two matches on the day and we had twenty-six falls throughout the tournament. The five that made the finals led by example from the start. I’m extremely proud of the way all eleven competed. We’re looking forward to getting a few guys back from injuries and competing the rest of the season.”

Second-place Lane Tech led all teams with three individual champions in Alex Valentin (113), Finn Merrill (138), and Fernando Lopez (152). Lane Tech also got seconds from Evan Coles (106) and James Zavala (120), and a fourth from Felix Zavala (145).

Third-place Harlem tied Mundelein with 11 wrestlers placing in the top eight of their divisions, led by individual champion Ben Larsen (160). Harlem also got a second-place finish from Aiden Zacharuk (145) and thirds from Ethan Hagerman (126) and Myles Babcock (132).

Other individual champions in Hoffman Estates were South Elgin’s Demetrios Carerra (106) and Nico Clinite (145), Wheeling’s Patrick Tinsley (132), Rolling Meadows’ Skip Rozanski (170), Notre Dame’s Jim Amatore (182) and Karl Schmalz (285), Hoffman Estates’ Josh Ellery (195), and Cary-Grove’s Logan Abrams (220).

Second-place finishers also included Rolling Meadows’ Braeden Towle (126), South Elgin’s Leo Rosas (138) and Tommy Roath (285), Plainfield East’s Niko Duggan (152) and Roderick Burnett (220), Elgin’s Fabian Ramirez (170), Streamwood’s Max Dominguez (182), and Notre Dame’s Aiden Rice (195).

The day’s closest match on the title mat was Amatore’s 6-4 decision at 182 against Dominguez. Nine of the 14 championship matches were won by fall.

Placing third at Hoffman Estates were Notre Dame’s Johnny Sheehy (106), Stagg’s Jamie Corral (113), Plainfield East’s Aiden Villar (120) and Jerry Nino (160), Homewood Flossmoor’s Jaylen Augustave (138), Hoffman Estates’ Julian Bonilla (145), Maine West’s Jason Hidan (152), Cary-Grove’s Gabe Simpson (182), South Elgin’s Danny Viscuso (195), and Elgin’s Adam Lambatz (285).

Fourth-place finishers were Willowbrook’s Aris Neal (106) and Elias Samayoa (285), Elgin’s Julius Avendano (113), Willowbrook’s Chris Giroux (120) and Elijah Smith (138), Wheeling’s Alex Lucas (126), Streamwood’s Uli Rojas (132) and Jace Wolf (195), Rolling Meadows’ Ayden Steffler (160) and Eladio Castillo (220), and Streamwood’s Gabe Inorio (170).

By Curt Herron

Marmion Academy scored 289 points to claim top honors at the Dan Gable Donnybrook over the weekend in Coralville, Iowa. Liberty, MO edged Mount Carmel 269-268 for second place.

Joliet Catholic Academy and Lockport tied for ninth with 182 points. Other Illinois teams in the field were DeKalb (16th, 141), Marian Central Catholic (19th, 120), Hersey (26th, 84), Antioch (32nd, 66), Lincoln-Way West (36th, 46) and Huntley (37th, 28).

Top performers for coach Nathan Fitzenreider’s champion Cadets were title winner Jameson Garcia (126), runner-up Nicholas Garcia (106) and third-place finishers Santino Scolaro (145), Edward Perry (220) and Sean Scheck (285).  

Jameson Garcia beat Iowa City High, IA’s Cale Seaton 9-6 in the 126 title match while Nicholas Garcia lost 6-5 to Iowa City West, IA’s Alex Pierce in the 106 title match.  

Other individuals placing in the top 12 for Marmion were Jack Lesher (5th at 182), Michael Phillips (7th at 170), Zach Stewart (9th at 120), Brody Kelly (9th at 132), Tyler Aters (10th at 138) and Donny Pigoni (11th at 113).

Leading the way for coach Alex Tsirtsis’ third-place Caravan were champions Seth Mendoza (113) and Sergio Lemley (126) while Eddie Enright (152) finished in third place.

In the 113 title match, Mendoza won 18-6 over Hortonville, WI’s Wyatt Skebba. And in the 126 title match, Lemley won by fall over Bettendorf, IA’s Jayce Luna.

Also finishing in the top 12 for Mount Carmel were Lukas Tsirtsis (4th at 106), Colin Kelly (4th at 170), Kavel Moore (5th at 106), Rylan Breen (5th at 195), Damian Resendez (7th at 120) and William Jacobson (12th at 182).

Three other Illinois competitors also won championships, Lockport’s Logan Swaw (160) and Brayden Thompson (195) and Joliet Catholic Academy’s Dillan Johnson (285) while the Hilltoppers also received a third-place finish from Mason Alessio (160). 

Swaw won 6-1 over Wayzata, MN’s Kyler Wong in the 160 title match, Thompson claimed a 5-3 decision over West Bend, WI’s Cole Mirasola in the 195 title match and Johnson won 7-4 over Waverly Shell-Rock, IA’s Jake Walker in the 285 title match.

Other top 12 finishers for Joliet Catholic Academy were Maximus Hrvatin (5th at 220), Gylon Sims (6th at 120), Connor Cumbee (6th at 152), Jason Hampton, Jr. (9th at 113) and Noah Avina (12th at 106).

Also finishing in the top 12 for Lockport were Isaac Zimmerman (6th at 106), Liam Zimmerman (8th at 120) and Jad Alwawi (10th at 126).

DeKalb had five individuals who made the top 12, Austin Martin (6th at 145), Nate Sauer (7th at 182), Eduardo Castro (8th at 106), Jacob Luce (9th at 152) and Sean Koklebeck (10th at 160).

Marian Central Catholic also had five individuals who placed in the top 12, Max Astacio (7th at 160), Kaden Harman (8th at 126), Vance Williams (8th at 132), Nicolas Davidson (8th at 138) and Charlie Fitzgerald (12th at 145).

Four individuals from Hersey finished in the top 12, Oleg Simakov (6th at 285), Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (9th at 126), Daniel Lehman (11th at 106) and Jake Hanson (11th at 138).

Others who finished 12th or better were Antioch’s Caleb Nobiling (7th at 145) and Seth Gomez (8th at 195), Huntley’s Markos Mihalopoulos (9th at 285) and Lincoln-Way West’s Jase Salin (12th at 126)

Two champions at Dan Gable Donnybrook girls tournament

Joliet Catholic Academy’s Grace Laird and Lockport’s Claudia Heeney both won titles at the inaugural Dan Gable Donnybrook’s girls tournament that was held in Coralville, Iowa

Laird beat Raccoon River, IA’s Calista Rodish by fall in the 120 title match while Heeney defeated Linn-Mar, IA’s Reese Roberts 7-0 in the 125 title match.

Huntley took eighth place with 212 points while Lockport was 10th with 190 points. Joliet Catholic Academy (24th, 51), DeKalb (25th, 49) and Marian Central Catholic (29th, 25) also competed in the first-year event.

Leading the way for Huntley were Janiah Slaughter (3rd at 100), Jessica Olson (4th at 140),  Alexandra Strzelcki (4th at 155), Taylor Casey (8th at 110), Aubrey Rohrbacher (9th at 130), Payton Turczyniak (8th at 190), Addison Drews (10th at 115), Gretchen Sweeny (10th at 170).

Other top performers for Lockport were Ava Kaspar (4th at 190), Liz Ramirez (6th at 110); Averi Colella (8th at 105), Faith Hagemann (8th at 170); Monica Skibicki (10th at 100) and Maya Hernandez (11th at 115).

Also placing in the top 12 were DeKalb’s Alex Gregorio Perez (4th at 110) and Reese Zimmer (12th at 115) and Marian Central Catholic’s Vallorie Williams (9th at 155).

By Curt Herron

Anna-Jonesboro had three champions and 11 individuals who placed fifth or better to help it claim championship honors by a 214-202.5 margin over Frankfort Community at Saturday’s Lawrence County Tourney in Lawrenceville.

Harrisburg beat host Lawrenceville/Red Hill186.5-178 for third place while Mt. Carmel (168), Carterville (135) and Fairfield (125) were next in line in the 13-team competition.

One of the highlights for coach Chase Hargrave’s champion Wildcats was Zoee Sadler winning top honors at 106 with a 7-2 win over Harrisburg’s Rocko Neal in the title match to become the first girl to ever win a championship at the Lawrence County Tourney. She was recognized for that accomplishment by receiving the event’s Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Other top finishers for Anna-Jonesboro were champions Drew Sadler (113) and TJ Macy (138) and third-place finishers Daniel Dover (126) and Rayshaun Cannon (170). Taking fourth were Aaron Sheffer (160), Carson Bracken (195) and Levi Jones (220) while  Brett Smith (120), Wyatt Wright (132) and Drew Holshouser (152) were fifth.

“I was very proud of the team for going to weight classes that allowed us to win the tournament,” Hargrave said. “I look forward to seeing what kind of team we are whenever everyone gets to the correct weight classes. I think as a team we can do big things this season if our kids continue to buy in and work hard every week.”

Leading the way for coach Rick Arrington’s runner-up Redbirds were champion Gavan Mann (145), second-place finishers Brandon Turner (195) and Branton Chance (285) while Hayeden Hughes (106), Hagle Williams (113), Clayton Dent (138), Astin Swann (152) and Connor Henson (182) all took third place.

Best performers for coach Greg Langley’s third-place Bulldogs were champion Tony Keene (120), runners-up Rocko Neal (106) and Aiden Unthank (132) and third-place finisher Briar Butler (145) while Avery Henderson (113) and Brendan Hicks (182) placed fourth.

Eight other teams also had champions. They were Robinson’s Jared Hermann (170) and David Staller (182), Richland County’s Carson Bissey (126), Lawrenceville/Red Hill’s Isaac Foster (132), Herrin’s Blue Bishop (152), Mt. Carmel’s Joey Farrar (160), Carmi-White County’s Nelson Rider (195), Carterville’s Zech Miller (220) and Fairfield’s Payton Allen (285).

Other second-place finishers were Mt. Carmel’s Satchel Taylor (113), Jordan Wood (120) and Zeke Swanson (145), Lawrenceville/Red Hill’s Brian Seed (160), Karen Ochs (170) and  Nathan Blackwell (220), Oblong/Palestine/Hutsonville’s Ian Rosborough (126) and Austin Hargrave (182), Fairfield’s Scotty Cuff (138) and Robinson’s Kahne Hyre (152).

Championships won by decision were Zoee Sadler over Neal 7-2 (106), Macy beat Cuff 10-6 (138), Hermann defeated Ochs 8-2 (170) and Staller won 3-1 over Hargrave (182).

Title matches that were determined by fall were Drew Sadler in 1:37 over Taylor (113), Keene over Wood in 1:46 (120), Bissey in 2:41 over Rosborough (126), Foster over Unthank in 1:55 (132) and Mann in 0:44 over Swanson (145), 

Other first-place matches that were won by fall were Bishop over Hyre in 1:31 (152), Farrar in 1:38 over Seed (160), Rider over Turner in 0:31 (195), Miller in 5:57 over Blackwell (220) and Allen over Chance in 1:18 (285).

Also claiming third place finishes were Mt. Carmel’s Evan Hedge (132) and Mason Rayborn (220), Lawrenceville/Red Hill’s Dalton Spahn (195) and Dylan Camden (285), Carterville’s Landyn Flood (120) and Fairfield’s Talan Keoughan (160).

Others finishing in fourth place were Richland County’s Levi Ochs (106) and Tuff Troyer (132), Carmi-White County’s Matt Wilson (120) and Dylan Ackerman (138), Lawrenceville/Red Hill’s Dylan Aten (126), Herrin’s Aaron Ragsdale (145), Carterville’s Jake Grob (152), Mt. Carmel’s Johnnie Askren (170) and Robinson’s Dalton Woods (285).

• 

Rich Montgomery NWCA State Chair presenting 2021-22 NWCA State Coach of the Year certificate to Jeff Hill from Petersburg Porta HS

Certificate presented at the Petersburg-Porta HS Home opening Tri meet vs Hillsboro and Jacksonville Nov 30 2022

NWCA State Chair Rich Montgomery (R) and Naperville Head Coach Noah Fitzenreider (L)  presenting the 2021-22 NWCA Section 4 Assistant Coaching Staff of the year certificate to the Naperville Central staff.

Staff members–Rob Porter, Chris Nutt, Luke Roth, Miguel Luis, Pat Murphy, Jim Graeber. Presentation was at the Naperville Central vs Waubonsie Valley dual, Dec 1 2022 

By Curt Herron

Marist was definitely a team that was on a mission at Saturday’s Joliet Central McLaughlin Classic and the state’s top-ranked team in Class 3A dominated against a strong field by capturing first-place honors in the 27-team competition in Joliet by 122 points.

Coach Brendan Heffernan’s RedHawks had five champions, five runners-up and four others who placed sixth or better to help them score 343.5 points while Lincoln-Way Central edged Normal Community 221.5-217 to claim second place.

Homewood-Flossmoor (194.5), Wheaton North (180.5), Deerfield (166), Morton (139), Romeoville (132.5), the host Steelmen (121), West Chicago (112), Belleville East (109.5), St. Rita (104), Peotone (102), Stagg (93) and Providence Catholic (85) were next in line.

Last season, Marist made its first appearance in the IHSA dual team finals since 2014 and just its second since 1997, but dropped a heartbreaking 34-33 decision in the Class 3A quarterfinals in Bloomington to Lockport, who wound up claiming third place.

Returning eight of their 11 state qualifiers from a year ago, which includes three placewinners as well as another that fell one win shy of a medal, the RedHawks entered the season top-ranked in Class 3A, one spot ahead of the defending state champions, Mount Carmel.

Marist advanced 12 individuals to the semifinals and 10 to title matches. After dropping their first four matches on the title mat, the RedHawks won all five finals championships from 160 to 220 before taking second place at 285.

Winning titles for Marist were Ricky Ericksen (160), Jacob Liberatore (170), Conor Phelan (182), Peter Marinopoulos (195) and Luke Liberatore (220) while George Marinopoulos (106), Matthew Cornfield (126), William Denny (138), Jesse Herrera (145) and Dontay Fort (285) took second place. Donavon Allen (132) was third, Eamonn Boyle (152) finished fourth, Logan Mishka (120) placed fifth and Tommy Fidler (113) was sixth.

In one of the most dramatic finals, Peter Marinopoulos used a late takedown to capture a 4-3 win over Belleville East’s Dominic Thebeau in a clash of the top two at 195 in the 3A rankings.

“It was a good measuring stick at this point of the year,” Heffernan said. “It was fun to see them be aggressive and to take some initiative. They were letting it fly and going for some big points, so that was good to see, they were wrestling to win.

“We’re focusing on making sure that we don’t let something slip through our fingers again this year. But at the same time, it’s a new year. We had four kids who wrestled in their first varsity tournament, so that was nice to see. 

“A lot of them have been through the mix a little bit, so they’re not surprised by anything and they’re not laying back and just kind of waiting to see what happens. They know what they need to do and they’re doing the things that they need to do.”

Normal Community and Homewood-Flossmoor both had three champions. Winning titles for coach Trevor Kaufman’s third-place Ironmen were Caden Correll (106), Cole Gentsch (113) and Zion Crawford (285) while Cooper Caraway (220) claimed second place.

Capturing championships for coach Jim Sokoloski’s fourth-place Vikings were Deion Johnson (120), Vincent Robinson (132) and Jaydon Robinson (145) while Jermaine Butler (152) and Jon Fulgencio (160) claimed third place and Jaylen Augustave (138) and Jeremy Thomas (170) both placed sixth.

Coach Tyrone Byrd’s runner-up Knights were led by champion Nathan Knowlton (126) while Kristian Meloy (145) and Evan Welsh (182) took third, Max Becker (160), Tim Key (170) and Colin Welsh (285) were fourth and Caden Harvey (152) finished fifth.

Other title winners were Rich Township’s Nasir Bailey (138) and  Peotone’s Marco Spinazzola (152). Bailey, a two-time IHSA champion and three-time state champion who’s top-ranked at 138, took a 7-1 lead over Denny and then saw that lead cut to 7-5 in the third period before he wrapped up an 8-5 decision. Spinazzola, whose Blue Devils are in Class 1A, was the lone champion not in Class 3A.

Also finishing second were Deerfield’s Renzo Morgan (132) and Aiden Cohen (170), Wheaton North’s Devin Medina (160) and Eli Cook (182), Kennedy’s Victor Alvarado (113), St. Rita’s Austin Dangles (120) and West Chicago’s Nolan Allen (152),

Other third-place finishers were Romeoville’s Brian Farley (113) and Johnathan Espinoza-Luna (220) Joliet Central’s Alex Fernandez (120) and Charles Walker (195), Rich Township’s Diondre Henry (106), Deerfield’s Jordan Rasof (126), Belleville East’s Warren Zeisset (138), Wheaton North’s Mikey Rosch (170) and West Chicago’s Alexis Correa (285).

Also finishing fourth were Wheaton North’s Cayden Cahill (113), Sam Lemp (138) and Toby Martin (195), Romeoville’s Savion Essiet (106) and Alan Amaya (126), Peotone’s Ian Kreske (145) and Alex Cardenas (220), Reavis’ Zack Koschnitski (120), St. Rita’s Sean Larkin (132) and Stagg’s Christian Ibarra (182).

Three individuals repeated as champions in the second-year tournament, Johnson (120), Bailey (138) and Jaydon Robinson (145) while Medina (152) finished second for the second year in a row. Romeoville’s Brian Farley (113), who also won a title at the classic  last season, lost 4-2 in the semifinals to champion Gentsch.

Two individuals won awards as the Pat O’Connel Wrestlers of the Meet, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Vincent Robinson (132) received the honors for the lower weights while Marist’s Peter Marinopoulos (195) got the same honor for the upper weights. O’Connell was a longtime assistant and also the Steelmen’s head coach and is a 2018 IWCOA hall of fame inductee who helped to get Joliet Junior College’s wrestling program reinstated. 

Ericksen (160) had the most team points with 33 while Bailey (138) and Johnson (120) had 32 points. Phelan (182) and Spinazzola (152) scored 31.5 team points while Correll (106), Jacob Liberatore (170) and Vincent Robinson (132) had 31 points, Jaydon Robinson (145) had 30.5 team points and Luke Liberatore (220) and Peter Marinopoulos (195) had 30 points.

The Classic, in its second year, has already become one of the largest early-season invites in Illinois. The event is named for Joliet Central/Township coach Eural ‘Mac’ McLaughlin, a 1991 IWCOA hall of Fame inductee and 2017 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter, who led the wrestling program for 40 years and also coached a variety of sports at the school. Coach Mac was on hand for the event.

Here’s a breakdown of the McLaughlin Classic champions and placewinners

106 – Caden Correll, Normal Community

Caden Correll made an impressive run to become the first McLaughlin Classic champion of the day after collecting falls in his first three matches and then capturing a 14-6 victory over Marist’s George Marinopoulos in the 106 title match.

The Normal Community sophomore opened with a fall in 2:38 and was on the mat for less time in his next two matches as he recorded a pin in 1:32 in the quarterfinals over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Roan Dukes and needed 0:40 to get a fall over Rich Township’s Diondre Henry in the semifinals before going on to become the first of three Ironmen champions.

“We’re working each other hard in every practice and coach (Trevor) Kaufman is the best coach that I’ve had in a long time,” Correll said. “It’s tough in that room, but us little guys and the big guys are sticking together and working every day in practice makes everyone better. With all of the freestyle and Greco stuff, it’s all on your feet, working the fakes and the snaps, all of the stuff that works well in freestyle just transfers over to folkstyle.”

Marinopoulos, who was a state qualifier last season, also made a nice run to the title mat, following a fall in 2:54 with a win by technical fall over Lincoln-Way Central’s Michael Heimberg and then recorded a fall in 3:20 over Romeoville’s Savion Essiet in the semifinals.

Henry won by technical fall over Essiet to claim third place while Deerfield’s Vincent Serwan recorded a fall in 4:30 over West Chicago’s Jonathan Antonio in the fifth-place match.

113 – Cole Gentsch, Normal Community

After claiming a 9-1 major decision over Kennedy’s Victor Alvarado, Cole Gentsch was thrilled to be interviewed for the first time, that is other than being talked to by his high school paper.

Following his impressive run to the 113 title, it’s a good bet that we’ll hear more from the Normal Community sophomore in the future. Gentsch got a fall in 1:57 in his opener, won 13-7 over Morton’s Harrison Dea in the quarterfinals and used a third-period reversal in the semifinals to win 4-2 over Romeoville’s Brian Farley, a champion in the inaugural McLaughlin Classic.

“This is how it is in the first tournament of the year, you just have to forget the seeding and get done what you need to get done,” Gentsch said. “Once I start getting into my offense and getting to where I need to be, I find it hard to not achieve what I know what I set out to do. Caden and I have been practicing and competing with each other at least since we were five years old, so we push each other in the room every single day. He helps me get better and I help him get better. This year the Ironmen have pretty high goals, so it’s exciting for our team in general to know what we can accomplish in the future. I did everything that I could in the offseason to try to get better and freestyle and Greco have definitely helped. And special thanks to Sean Reynolds and Logan Patton for their training in the offseason.”

Alvarado, who was a state qualifier last season, followed a pin in 2:32 with a fall in 0:45 in the quarterfinals over Joliet Central’s Isaiah Kan before claiming an impressive victory by technical fall in the semifinals over Wheaton North’s Cayden Cahill.

Farley bounced back from his tough semifinals setback to claim third place with a fall in 3:15 over Cahill while Stagg’s Jamie Corral took fifth place after capturing a 4-0 victory over Marist’s Tommy Fidler.

120 – Deion Johnson, Homewood-Flossmoor

After seeing his hopes for a state title at 106 dashed last year when he had to injury default in the Class 3A semifinals to the eventual champion, Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza, before settling for third place, Deion Johnson is definitely a man on a mission this season.

The Homewood-Flossmoor senior became the first of his team’s three Classic champions when he took top honors at 120 by recording a fall in 3:39 over St. Rita’s Austin Dangles. Johnson opened with a fall in 1:36 before getting a pin in 1:11 in the quarterfinals over Romeoville’s Alex Bahena and then needed just 0:45 for a pin in the semifinals over Reavis’ Zack Koschnitski.

“We’ve been working real hard,” Johnson said. “This is what we’ve been waiting on and all of the hard work is paying off, as you can see and I just hope that we can keep it rolling. I’m just trying to become focused on all of my matches and be smarter in all of my matches. We’re real tough and have a lot of guys with heart, that’s why we’re going to be real good this season.”

Dangles, who took sixth at 113 in Class 2A last season, had a fall in 5:51 in his opener before claiming a 13-8 quarterfinals victory over Normal Community’s Carter Mayes and then getting a fall in 5:26 in the semifinals over Joliet Central’s Alex Fernandez.

Fernandez tied for the best finish for the host Steelmen when he claimed third place by recording a fall in 2:57 over Koschnitski while Marist’s Logan Mishka got a pin in 5:39 over Morton’s Caleb Lenning in the fifth-place match.

126 – Nathan Knowlton, Lincoln-Way Central

Nathan Knowlton is happy to be back on the mat after seeing an unbeaten campaign derailed a year ago due to personal matters.

The Lincoln-Way Central senior is off to a perfect start this season after being his team’s lone champion and helping them to a second-place finish in the McLaughlin Classic after taking top honors at 126. After getting a pin in 1:10 in his opener, he beat Peotone’s Micah Spinazzola by technical fall in the quarterfinals and Deerfield’s Jordan Rasof 7-4 in the semifinals before capturing an 8-4 victory over Marist’s Matthew Cornfield in the title match.

“It was a great start and it’s how I wanted to start it,” Knowlton said. “I want to go undefeated this season. I had to take off last season, but this year I’m back. I was eager to get back and I got a little bigger and a little stronger, so I’m ready to go this season. I’ve done everything over the summer, just getting faster and getting stronger and getting bigger, so I’m ready for the next level so that I can go to college, too.”

Cornfield became one of 10 RedHawks to reach the title mat after recording three first-period falls.He only needed 19 seconds to get his first pin and just 23 seconds to record a fall in the quarterfinals over Joliet Central’s Aleck Allende. He earned his spot in the finals with a pin in 1:13 over Romeoville’s Alan Amaya.

Rasof claimed third place with a fall in 1:25 over Amaya and in the fifth-place match, West Chicago’s Connor Zentner won by forfeit over Morton’s Payton Ferrill.

132 – Vincent Robinson, Homewood-Flossmoor

After reaching the Class 3A title mat a year ago and falling 10-5 to Mount Carmel’s Sergio Lemley in that match, Vincent Robinson is clearly focused on finishing on top this season.

The Homewood-Flossmoor senior was definitely all business in his first tournament of the season as he dominated as he rolled to the title at 132. Following a fall in 1:16 in his first match, Robinson beat Lincoln-Way Central’s Jalen Byrd by technical fall and then claimed a win by technical fall over St. Rita’s Sean Larkin in the semifinals before needing just 1:29 to record a fall over Deerfield’s Renzo Morgan in the title match.

“We started off okay and we could have done a little better,” Robinson said. “But that’s what it’s all about, just getting better as we go on through the season. I’m a senior on the team, so I have to be a leader. It was hard missing out on that final last year. We have different people in the room, so there’s a different mindset and a different way that you have to approach practicing.” 

Morgan, who placed sixth at 132 in Class 2A last season, got to the title mat by getting a fall in 1:29 in his opener, recording a pin in 0:52 over Peotone’s Santino Izzi in the quarterfinals and then capturing a 7-2 victory over Marist’s Donavon Allen in the semifinals.

Allen claimed third place by injury default over Larkin in a matchup of state qualifiers from a year ago. Reavis’ Vladamir Vasquez took fifth place after recording a fall in 5:24 over Wheaton North’s Ryan Rosch.

138 – Nasir Bailey, Rich Township

After making history by joining brothers Sincere and Bilal as Class 2A champions in 2020 for Thornton Fractional North, claiming a state title in Texas in 2021 and then completing a 41-0 season with a Class 3A title at 132 last season at Rich Township, Nasir Bailey intends to continue his domination as one of the nation’s best.

The Rich Township senior was indeed dominant in his first four matches at the Classic, opening with falls of 1:41 and 1:11 before needing just 36 seconds to get a pin over  Noble/Comer’s Malik Wynn in the quarterfinals and  then went 1:18 to win by fall over Wheaton North’s Sam Lemp in the semifinals before getting a tighter battle than most expected in the 138 finals from Marist’s William Denny, who cut a 7-1 deficit to 7-5 in the final period before Bailey won 8-5 to become one of the tournament’s three repeat champions.

“I think the main focus right now is getting the fourth state title,” Bailey said. “I just continue to try to hunt people down. I think that that was actually a great match to get ready for the Ironman next week. I knew going into it that it was going to be a battle and I’ll see him again this year. Me and my coach (Mark) Duda we’re working. When everyone else is sleeping, we’re working. When all of the doors are closed and no one is looking, we’re doing work.”

Denny, who fell one win shy of a state medal a year ago, also opened with two quick falls, with the first in 1:05 and the second in 24 seconds in the quarterfinals over Normal Community’s Jayden Campbell. He became one of the RedHawks’ 10 individuals to advance to the title mat after posting an 11-2 major decision over Belleville East’s Warren Zeisset in the semifinals.

Zeisset claimed third place with a fall in 3:09 over Lemp while in the fifth-place match, Wheaton North’s Donovan Avila captured a 5-1 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jaylen Augustave.

145 – Jaydon Robinson, Homewood-Flossmoor

Jaydon Robinson followed in the footsteps of his friends Deion Johnson and Nasir Bailey to become repeat champions in the Classic and joined his brother Vincent as a title winner as the Homewood-Flossmoor junior used a fall, a win by technical fall and three-straight major decisions to capture top honors at 145.

Robinson, who placed third at 145 last season in Class 3A, followed a fall in 2:27 with a win by technical fall before capturing a 23-10 win over Wheaton North’s JD Jones in the quarterfinals and reached the title mat with an 11-2 major decision over Lincoln-Way Central’s Kristian Meloy in the semifinals before winning 19-8 over Marist’s Jesse Herrera for the championship.

“Basically it was almost like my first time coming back on the mat because of an injury,” Robinson said. “So when I got back on the mat, I felt good. You always go forward in a match because once you get tired, you get into a second gear and you feel like you can’t stop. I thank my dad for coaching me through everything and I’m thankful for NC State (North Carolina State), that’s how I got better.”

Herrera, a state qualifier last year, followed a first-period fall with a win by technical fall over Kenwood Academy’s James Odulaja in the quarterfinals before joining nine of his RedHawks on the title mat after capturing a 12-4 major decision over Peotone’s ian Kreske in the semifinals.

Meloy defeated Kreske 4-0 to claim third place and in the fifth-place match, Belleville East’s Braden Kelly recorded a fall in 1:40 over Deerfield’s Charlie Cross.

152 – Marco Spinazzola, Peotone

All competitors who reach the title match at a major tournament would like to get the chance to earn their championship as opposed to receiving it by default, so that’s why Marco Spinazzola was a bit disappointed since that’s just what happened to him in the 152 finals. 

But the Peotone senior, who placed sixth at 138 in Class 1A last season, can take pride that he was the lone Class 1A competitor to reach the title mat at the Classic after opening with falls of 0:28 and 3:16 before winning by technical fall over Deerfield’s Will Holtz in the quarterfinals and capturing an 8-1 semifinals victory over Marist’s Eamonn Boyle before winning the title by injury default when West Chicago’s Nolan Allen was unable to make a go of it in the finals.

“I’ve been just doing a lot of offseason stuff, so hopefully that’s been paying off,” Spinazzola said. “Last year, I cut way too much weight, so I couldn’t be healthy and wrestle at the weight I wanted. Now I feel better and a little more comfortable and I’m more healthy so I feel like this year could be a big difference. Instead of just practicing, I’ve been working on lifting and doing extra reps to get my muscle endurance up and things like the physical aspect, like conditioning better.”

Allen, who was trying to win his second straight title after claiming top honors at Barrington’s Moore-Prettyman Invite last weekend, opened with a fall in 3:18 and then won by technical fall in the quarterfinals over Morton’s Clay McKee before being involved in a long semifinals match against Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jermaine Butler that featured several delays which resulted in a 6-1 win for Allen, but the Wildcats senior was unable to compete in the finals match.

Butler, who was a runner-up to Nasir Bailey in the inaugural Classic last season, bounced back from the rugged semifinals loss to Allen by recording a fall in 3:40 over Boyle to claim third place. Lincoln-Way Central’s Caden Harvey got a pin in 1:28 over St. Rita’s Nolan Kennan to capture fifth place.

160 – Ricky Ericksen, Marist

Ricky Ericksen definitely got the ball rolling for Marist in the semifinals of the McLaughlin Classic when his 13-2 major decision over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jon Fulgencio in the 160 semifinals started a wave of six-straight wins in that round and then he kicked off five-consecutive wins on the title mat for the champion RedHawks.

Ericksen, a sophomore who qualified for state a year ago, recorded three-straight first-period falls to start his run toward the 160 title, getting a falls in 1:12 and 0:27 seconds in his first two matches, recording a fall in 1:28 over Phoenix Military Academy’s Jimmy Lua in the quarterfinals and then following his semifinals win, he got a fall in 5:30 over Wheaton North’s Devin Medina.

“I feel that this is definitely our year to win the whole thing and we’re ranked number one for a reason,” Ericksen said. “We had 10 guys in the finals. Last year’s ending was disappointing and no one wanted that since we really felt like we could have won it last year. So this year, we’ve got a fire under us. We all went out there and did our thing and even had some backups here. I came here expecting to do my thing and I feel like I put on a good show. Just the constant disappointment of not getting to where you want to be really drives you to be the best. I need to start believing in myself since I feel like I really lacked confidence last year. I’m feeling great and ready to go.”

Medina, a senior who took second in the Classic a year ago and also qualified for state, won his opener 9-4 before recording a fall in 11 seconds. After getting a pin in 0:45 in the quarterfinals over Noble/Comer’s Larnzell McNeal, Medina earned his spot on the title mat with a fall in 2:00 over Lincoln-Way Central’s Max Becker.

Fulgencio, who was a state qualifier a year ago, claimed third place after recording a fall in 3:24 over Becker while in the fifth-place match, Belleville East’s Terrance Willis captured an 8-4 win over Deerfield’s Grant Goldsmith. 

170 – Jacob Liberatore, Marist

Although Jacob Liberatore has dealt with stomach issues throughout his high school career, the Marist senior’s determination to tough it out is admirable and he demonstrated that grit once again on Saturday during the McLaughlin Classic when he claimed top honors at 170.

Liberatore, who was fifth at 170 in Class 3A a year ago, captured five wins to become one of the 10 finalists and five champions for the RedHawks. He recorded three first-period falls, opening with pins of 0:50 and 1:03 before getting one in the quarterfinals in 58 seconds over Peotone’s 

Jackson Bergeron. After winning 13-4 over Wheaton North’s Mikey Rosch in the semifinals, he claimed a 7-3 decision over Deerfield’s Aiden Cohen in the title match.

“In my semifinals match, my stomach disease started acting up and I made it through it,” Liberatore said. “I was upset about it and didn’t know if I would win. But I put my mind to it and I was like, ‘I’m just going to go’. It just makes everything worthwhile and I’m just so proud of myself. Lately I’ve been working on taking shots since last year I was not as good on my feet. So my main goal this year is to start taking shots and getting better on my feet.”

Cohen, a senior who took fifth at 170 in Class 2A last season, opened with two falls, the first in 2:49 and the next in 2:54 in the quarterfinals over Northridge Prep’s Michael Kopecky before collecting a 13-2 major decision in the semifinals over Lincoln-Way Central’s Tim Key.

Rosch, a state qualifier a year ago, took third place after recording a fall in 2:48 over Key and in the fifth-place match, Morton’s Tyus Almasy won with a pin in 5:00 over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jeremy Thomas.

182 – Conor Phelan, Marist

After qualifying for the Class 3A finals last season, Conor Phelan feels like he’s ready to accomplish bigger things and the Marist junior hopes that his championship at the McLaughlin Classic coupled with working in the room against quality teammates helps his cause.

The Marist junior opened with a fall on 0:43 and then got a pin in 1:43 in the quarterfinals over Normal Community’s Justin Curtis before winning by technical fall in the semifinals over Lincoln-Way Central’s Evan Welsh. Then he became the third of five-straight RedHawks champions when he won by fall in 3:50 over Wheaton North’s Eli Cook in the 182 title match.

“We definitely achieved our goal of coming out with intensity and a lot of our newer guys were wrestling really well and a lot of us were getting really good matches,” Phelan said. “We’ve been putting in a lot of work this early season and we’ve started off with a bang, and that’s for a good reason. This helps my confidence and getting the flow going by just knowing what you can do knowing where you stand. I feel like everybody that lost or didn’t get their bonus points (at state duals), they’re putting that on themselves and that’s why they’re so excited to get at it this year. I’ve definitely worked on my conditioning and keeping my pace up so that I can keep my initial intensity throughout my whole match, and of course, I polished up on my basics.”  

Cook captured five wins, following a major decision and a fall in 52 seconds with a 9-3 decision over Crete-Monee’s Brandon Alexander in the quarterfinals. The Falcons senior earned his spot on the 182 title mat with a 9-4 semifinals victory over Stagg’s Christian Ibarra.

Welsh captured a 6-1 victory over Ibarra to take third place while in the fifth-place match, Morton’s Brody Wolters prevailed with a 4-2 win over Curie’s Austin Briscoe.

195 – Peter Marinopoulos, Marist

It’s not often that a tournament gets a matchup between the top two-ranked individuals in the state’s largest class, but that’s just what unfolded when top-ranked Peter Marinopoulos and second-ranked Dominic Thebeau met for the 195 title at the McLaughlin Classic.

Marist senior Marinopoulos went 39-1 last year and lost 3-1 in the Class 3A finals at 195 to New Trier’s Jack Cummings while Belleville East senior Thebeau claimed third place at 182. Saturday’s title match at 195 lived up to expectations as Marinopoulos got a late takedown to rally for a 4-3 victory. Marinopoulos opened with a fall in 1:26 and then recorded a pin in 1:00 over Providence Catholic’s Keighan Witte in the quarterfinals and in 1:23 in the semifinals over Wheaton North’s Toby Martin.

“All of the guys have been putting a lot of hard work in the room and it’s paying off for us this year,” Marinopoulos said. “We had a tough loss last year at team state, so we just want to come back better than ever. So we’re trying to get back there again this year and get the medals and trophy that we wanted. It was at the buzzer. I could have done a little better in that match, I didn’t do what I wanted and I froze up a little bit, but ended up with the ‘W’. I have a lot of work to do and I’m going to watch this match and then see what I need to do in the room to improve. I’m trying to put in as much hard work as possible and coach helps me a lot. I froze up in the state finals and I didn’t perform the way I wanted to so this year, I’m just trying to improve as much as possible on the nerves part of it.”

Thebeau opened with a fall in 1:47 and added another in 1:58 in the quarterfinals over Lincoln-Way Central’s Dominick Danno. He advanced with a 3-0 decision over Joliet Central’s Charles Walker in the semifinals to become the lone Lancer to reach the title mat.

Walker bounced back his close semifinals loss to record a fall in 3:16 over Martin in the third-place match. Phoenix Military Academy’s Kaleb Abney claimed fifth place after getting a pin in 1:45 over Kenwood Academy’s Adonis Freeman.

220 – Luke Liberatore, Marist

Luke Liberatore kept the good times rolling for Marist when he capped a run of five-straight wins on the title mat after capturing a 7-4 decision over Normal Community’s Cooper Caraway in the 220 finals at the McLaughlin Classic.

The RedHawks senior had falls of 34 and 37 seconds in his first two matches, with the latter coming in the quarterfinals over Shepard’s Jacob Muhammad. Liberatore got a fall in 2:43 over Romeoville’s Johnathan Espinoza-Luna in the semifinals to earn his spot on the title mat.

“I know that we’re ranked number one, but we’re still level-headed,” Liberatore said. “Going into this, we just wanted to get some matches in for everyone and just let it fly and do what we can. Right now we’re still kind of working on all of the kinks and with some of our performances but we are still doing tremendous things, like you saw, and we’re all super happy about. We didn’t like how things ended last year and it was unfortunate. That kind of lit a fire under us so this year we want to be the best that we can be and not let that happen to us again. I’ve worked more on my hand fighting and my neutral, just to try to elevate myself to a higher level.”

Caraway, a junior who was the Ironmen’s lone state qualifier last season, opened his tournament with a major decision before recording a fall in 25 seconds over Phoenix Military Academy’s Christopher Tillman in the quarterfinals and then won by fall in 0:27 in the semifinals over Peotone’s Alex Cardenas.

In the third-place match, Espinoza-Luna pulled out a 3-2 decision over Cardenas. Niles West’s Braeden Manogura claimed fifth place with a fall in 1:55 over Northridge Prep’s Nathan Betancourt.

285 – Zion Crawford, Normal Community

In a tournament filled with prominent competitors and high rankings, Zion Crawford was kind of an unknown in what looked to be a wide-open field in the 285 bracket.

But the Normal Community senior definitely made a name for himself by combining two first-minute falls with a pair of decisions to cap the competition by giving his team their third championship. Following a pin in 0:31, he won 2-0 in the quarterfinals over Rich Township’s Dylaan Richmond and then won a 6-1 decision in the semifinals over West Chicago’s Alex Correa before capping things with a pin in 0:57 over Marist’s Dontay Fort on the title mat.

“I want to thank my coaches because they trained me for this, they got me prepared,” Crawford said. “Also, I’d like to thank my teammates because they helped me out through all of this. This is the toughest one, so I’m happy. The things that I’ve worked on are just the basics and I’ve just improved working with my friends.”

Fort, a junior who was one of 10 Marist competitors who advanced to the title match, won his first three matches with first-period falls, defeating Romeoville’s Tony Galloway in 1:32 in the quarterfinals and Lincoln-Way Central’s Colin Welsh in 14 seconds the semifinals before seeing his run come to conclusion following a first-period fall.

Correra captured third place with a fall in 0:56 over Welsh while in the fifth-place match, Providence Catholic freshman Dom Infelise turned in his team’s best showing when he pulled out a 4-2 decision over St. Rita’s Teddy Aguilera.

By Gary Larsen

Some of Illinois’ best gathered at Larkin on Saturday for the 2022 Girls Royal Rumble, which did not disappoint. No team champion was crowned but there was 27-teams’ worth of talent in Elgin.
“It was definitely a sight to see,” said host Larkin coach Earl Danan. “The competition was at an elite level. We didn’t do team scoring this year since there were several teams entered without full lineups. But we will next season.”

Batavia led all teams with three individual champions in Sydney Perry (145), SueSue Paw (235), and Makayla Brown (285).

Three teams had a pair of individual champions each in Glenbard North, Conant, and Burlington Central. Three defending state champions also competed, in Batavia’s Perry, Glenbard North’s Gabby Gomez (115), and West Chicago’s Jayden Huesca Rodriguez (190). All three won titles on Saturday.

Here are the champions and bracket breakdowns for the 2022 Royal Rumble:

103: Alycia Perez, Glenbard West

Perez reeled off four wins to win the crown at 100 pounds, including three pins. She won by fall on the title mat at 2:10 over Round Lake’s Riley Kongkeow. Kongkaeow reached the title mat with a semifinal pin of Nallely Zaragoza, while Perez pinned Lane Tech’s Sofia Guerrero in their semifinal.

Guerrero went on to place third with a pin of Zaragoza, while Lily Enos placed fifth with a pin of Oak Forest’s Hanan Abdallah. Elgin’s Lordes Hernandez won by fall on the seventh-place mat against West Chicago’s Kezziah Depaz.

105: Nadia Shymkiv, Glenbard North

Shymkiv rolled up to Larkin Saturday and four pins later, she rolled away as the tourney champion at 105 pounds. Oak Forest’s Alex Sebek used two pins and a tech fall win to reach the finals before placing second to Shymkiv.

The third-place mat saw Round Lake’s Vianey Hernandez win by fall against Glenbard North’s Errolie Dangis, while Yorkville’s Dani Turner won by forfeit over Batavia’s Giuliana Norris for fifth. Elgin’s Mali Patino won by fall on the seventh-place mat over West Chicago’s Brissia Bucio.

110: Emma Engels, Bartlett

One season after placing 8th in Illinois at 100 pounds, Engels put a Larkin tournament title in her pocket at 110 on Saturday. The Bartlett sophomore used two falls and two major decisions to win her title, capped by a 16-5 major over Lake Forest’s Annika Cottam in the finals.

Cottam used three pins to reach the finals, including a semifinal pin at 1:39 over Harvard Christian’s Sam Macek. Engels pinned Glenbard North’s Crystal Jacinto at 1:57 in their semifinal match.
Macek went on to pin Jacinto for third, while Lakes’ Zaryia Mouzon pinned Maine East’s Eliana Badeem for fifth and Yorkville’s Payton Mongiovi pinned Larkin’s Melanie Granda for seventh.

115: Gabby Gomez, Glenbard North

Gomez was an unbeaten state champion as a freshman at 105 last season and she’s loaded for bear again in her sophomore season as the nation’s top-ranked wrestler at 100 pounds by USA Wrestling. Gomez used a fall and two tech falls to win her Royal Rumble title Saturday, ending with a tech fall at 2:28 for the title against Round Lake’s Ireland McCain.

Gomez’s win gave GBN its second individual title of the day, a feat matched by Burlington Central and Conant.

McCann reached the finals with three pins, including a fall at 1:16 in her semifinal against Niles West’s Zoe Pomeranets. Gomez won by tech fall at 3:30 in her semifinal against Maine East’s Guadalupe Montesinos.
Montesinos won a tight, 6-5 decision for third over Pomeranets, while Burlington Central’s. Ruby Vences pinned Glenbard West’s Sydney Nimsakont for fifth. Oak Forest’s Marjorie Rodriguez pined Vernon Hills’ Lora Kashidova for seventh place.

120: Yami Aguirre, Yorkville

Aguirre placed fourth at 115 in last year’s Illinois state finals and the junior is back for another run at a state title. Aguire used three pins and a major decision to win her title Saturday, capped by a pin at 1:31 in the finals against Burlington Central sophomore Tori Macias, who placed fourth at 110 in Illinois last season.

Macias posted two pins to reach the finals, including a semifinal pin over West Chicago’s Alyssa Elizondo. Aguirre pinned Lane Tech’s Nyah Lovis in their semifinal.

Lovis — who placed eighth in Illinois at 120 last year — pinned Elizondo for third while Kaneland’s Brooklyn Sheaffer pinned Oak Forest’s Charlotte Pedroza for fifth place. Evanston’s Elizabeth Paredes Torres pinned Conant’s Samantha Hernandez for seventh.

125: Eli Kruse, Burlington Central

Kruse posted three pins and a title at Larkin, ending with a fall at 1:33 on the title mat against Lake Forest’s Kamile Rayome. Rayome pinned Round Lake’s Jessica Sanchez in a semifinal match while Kruse pinned Oak Forest’s Camila O’Leary in their semifinal.

O’Leary pinned Sanchez for third, and Lakes’ Ava Babbs pinned Yorkville’s Brooke Coy for fifth. West Aurora’s Alina Williams placed seventh with a 14-4 decision over Conant’s Beth Ciavarella.

130: Ewa Croupa, Conant

Croupa had three pins on Saturday, plus an 8-5 semifinal decision win over Downers Grove South’s Allison Garcia. Croupa then won by fall at 2:30 of the title match against Yorkville’s Athena Westphal.

Westphal won by fall in her semifinal match against Glenbard West’s Piper Burke, who then won by 13-5 major decision for third against Garcia. Burlington Central’s Soraya Walikonis too fifth with a fall against Oak Forest’s Madelyn Sears, while Rolling Meadows’ Kandice Wallace won by forfeit for seventh against. Larkin’s Quetzali Lara.

135: Mannie Anderson, Conant

Conant became the second team with two champions when Anderson pinned Oak Forest’s Sabrina Sifuentez at 2:25 of their title match. Anderson had four pins on the day, including a semifinal pin of Bartlett’s Norah Huggins, while Sifuentez won 7-2 in her semifinal match against Rolling Meadows’ Ziza Sanchez.

Sanchez won by major decision for third against Huggins and Kaneland’s Dyani Torres pinned Elmwood Park’s Rose Craig on the fifth-place mat. Torres finished eighth in Illinois at 125 last year. Glenbard North’s Keagan Edwards pinned Niles West’s Aaizah Khan to take seventh.

140: Al Ghala Mariam Al Radi, Niles West

The Niles West senior placed third in Illinois at 135 last year and she won a Royal Rumble title at 140 Saturday with a pin at 4:40, on the title mat against Vernon Hills’ Fernanda Davila.

Al Radi opened with a tech fall and then won by fall in her semifinal against Conant’s Aubrey Mueller. Davila won by major decision in her semifinal match against Round Lake’s Brianna Perez.

Perez topped Mueller by fall on the third-place mat, while Kaneland’s Chloe Cevantes pinned West Aurora’s Giselle Marin-Carrasco for fifth, and Glenbard West’s Nydia Jotzat won by fall for seventh place against Batavia’s Norah Stoodley.

145: Sydney Perry, Batavia

Last year’s Illinois state champion at 145 is back for her junior year, and she used two tech falls and a pin to capture a Royal Rumble title on Saturday. After winning by tech fall at 2:00 in her semifinal match against Evanston’s Natalie Graettinger, Perry won by fall at 2:52 on the title mat against Glenbard West’s Adriana Hernandez.

Perry is the No. 1-ranked 144-pounder in the country per USA wrestling.
Hernandez reached the finals by fall in her semifinal against Conant’s Jasmine Zavaleta, who then won by fall over Graettinger for third place. Oak Forest’s Maya Coreas-Funes took fifth by fall over West Aurora’s Kymber Hall, and Round Lake’s Brianna Dittmer placed seventh by forfeit against Niles West’s Kimora Morris.

155: Jada Hall, Burlington Central

Burlington Central saw its second wrestler reach the top of the podium when Hall won by fall at 5:29 on the title mat at 155 against Rolling Meadows’ Aishah Sanchez.

Hall posted four pins Saturday, including a semifinal pin against Glenbard West’s Ani Navarro, while Sanchez reached the finals with a pin of Yorkville’s Ellie Dubs in their semifinal match. Navarro took third by forfeit over Dubs, and Downers Grove South’s Camilla Quiroz finished fifth with a fall over Kaneland’s Amanda Rogers. Batavia’s Sarah Anderson won by fall on the seventh-place at over Bartlett’s Jennifer Pena.

170: Ionicca Rivera, West Aurora

Two wrestlers who won state place-medals last year at 170 competed at Larkin on Saturday and when the dust settled, Rivera was a tournament champion. Rivera placed eighth in Illinois last season, and she won by fall at 5:57 in her semifinal match against Larkin’s Maria Ferrer, who placed fourth in state at 170 last year and won a state title at 170 in 2021.

Rivera then posted her fourth fall of the day on the title mat, at 1:31 against Oak Foerest’s Riley Ensing, who won by fall in her semifinal against Oak Forest’s Ryan Reeves. Ferrer went on to place third by fall against Reeves, and Conant’s Lana Ton won by fall on the fifth-place mat against Lane Tech’s Nicole Chmelar. Bartlett’s Jocelyn Rivera won by fall for seventh against Maine East’s Alexa Garcia.

190: Jayden Huesca Rodriguez, West Chicago
Ranked 18th in the country at 200, the defending Illinois state champion at 190 took care of business at Larkin, and had to beat a fellow Illinois medal-winner on the title mat to get it done. Huesca Rodriguez won by fall at :56 on the title mat against West Aurora’s Brittney Moran, who placed sixth in Illinois at 190 last year.

Moran pinned Lakes’ Josephine Larson in their semifinal match, while Huesca Rodriguez pinned Kaneland’s Carly Duffing. Three of Huesca Rodriguez’s four pins on the day came under a minute into the match.

Larson pinned Duffing for third and DG South’s Gracie Swierczynski placed fifth with a pin of Oak Forest’s Isabel Peralta. Evanston’s Ashland Henson won by fall for seventh place against Vernon Hills’ Madeline Borkowski.

235: SueSue Paw, Batavia

Paw wasted little time winning her Royal Rumble title, posting three pins on the day. She won by fall at :16 in her semifinal against Oak Forest’s Jessica Komolafe, then won by fall at :15 in the title match against Elgin’s Andrea Gordillo.

Gordillo pinned Bartlett’s Valerie Serna in their semifinal match, and Komolaffe won by fall against Serna on the third-place mat. Conant’s Rye Reyes pinned West Aurora’s Vicky Stackowicz for fifth, and Waubonsie Valley’s Catherine Schultz placed seventh with a fall over Evanston’s Denise Bias.

285: Makayla Brown, Batavia

The three-wrestler field saw Brown top Larkin’s A’Ja Young by fall at :45 on the title mat, set up by a Brown fall at 3:21 in her semifinal match against West Aurora’s Anjolie Villareal.

By Randy Whalen

The Seneca Fighting Irish Invitational was back in full force on Saturday.

After being postponed because of COVID and not held in 2020-21, the tourney was back last season. But it was on a much smaller scale. 

This season, 19 teams entered the event, which was held for the 32nd time. The host Fighting Irish couldn’t quite pull off a trifecta of consecutive titles, however. They were edged out by Clifton Central/Iroquois West, which won with 211.5 points. 

Seneca had 205 points to place second and Orion (185), which had two champions, Mason Anderson at 145 and Phillip Dochterman at 220, placed third.

Fourth-place Kewanee (180) also had a pair of champions, Will Taylor at 138 and Alejandro Duarte at 182. So did fifth-place Evergreen Park (147) as Chance Woods won at 120 and Asael Rubalcava took top honors at 170. Ottawa (125), Pontiac (96), Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio (80), Beardstown (67.5), and Eureka (63) rounded out the top 10 teams. 

“This is our first time here in the past three years,” Clifton Central/Iroquois West coach Travis Williams said. “We’re definitely excited to win it. We only have three seniors and also have five freshmen in the starting lineup and we had one champion, four seconds and two thirds in the tournament.”

Leading the way for the champion Comets were title winner Noah Gomez (285) as well as four runners-up, Garrison Bailey (126), Gage Poyner (138) and brothers Gianni Panozzo (145) and Giona Panozzo (152). Taking third place were Kayden Cody (132) and Hunter Hull (195) while Garron Perzee (170) and Maxwell Joseph (182) finished fourth and Brayden Morris (160) and Brody O’Connor (220) both took sixth place.

Williams, a 1999 Ottawa graduate, is in his 17th season as head coach. He took the Comets to back-to-back regional titles in 2016 and 2017. With the exception of the COVID season a couple of years back, the Comets have at least 19 dual meet wins every season since 2010-11. 

“We’d love to win another regional this season,” said Williams, who took the team to state in the 2015-16 season. “We just have a great junior high program at Nash Middle School. We are able to build off of that.”

Seneca is also very young. 

“We only had one senior (Collin Wright) in the lineup,” said Seneca coach Todd Yegge, who is in his 26th season as head coach at the school. “We had six in the top four and we had 10 placewinners out of the top six in 14 weight classes with a lot of rookie and young wrestlers. I’m very proud of just missing out on a third-straight championship.”

The top placers for the Fighting Irish were champions Asher Hamby (160) and Chris Peura (195) and second-place finishers Ethan Othon (113), Nick Grant (132) and Collin Wright (170). Taking fourth was Nate Othon (145) while Justin Goslin (126) and Alex Bogner (285) was fifth.

Yegge was also very happy that the tournament was back in force.

“Last season we had this tournament in January with a lot less teams than this,” Yegge said. “I think there were 10-to-12 here then. This was an excellent building block for our young team even though we couldn’t quite get past Clifton Central. But we see (the Comets) in a triangular meet on Thursday at Dwight.”

Here’s a breakdown of the Seneca Fighting  Irish Invitational champions:

106 – Ivan Munoz, Ottawa

This was the first meet of the season for Ottawa junior Ivan Munoz, who pinned Evergreen Park’s Johan Bonilla in 2:43 in the 106 title match.For his efforts, Munoz was named as Most Valuable Wrestler throughout the lower classes (106 to 145).  

“I was sick, so this is my first meet,” Munoz said. “I feel like I’m pretty decent. I went for his leg in the second period, moved for a shot, and it worked out really well. I’m not letting up. I’m just trying to get better and I want to get that title this year.”

In the third-place match, Streator/Woodland’s  Nick Pollett won by fall in 23 seconds over Kewanee’s Kingston Peterson. In the fifth-place match, Orion’s Max Larson had a pin in 15 seconds over Seneca’s Wyatt Coop. 

113 – Jack Dombeck, Elmwood Park 

Elmwood Park sophomore Jack Dombeck jumped out to a 9-0 lead and polished it off by winning on a pin at 5:09 over Seneca’s Ethan Othon in the 113 title match.

“I knew that no one on this day could beat me,” Dombeck said. “I knew it would be a battle but I feel like I can wrestle with anyone in the state. Last year I lost in the blood round at the sectional. So this season I’m looking to bounce back and get on the podium.”

Both the third-place match between Somonauk/Leland’s Mason Smith and Orion’s Kaleb Sovey, as well as the fifth-place match between Kewanee’s Chance DeSplinter and Walther Christian’s Caleb Peterson, were double forfeits. 

120 – Chance Woods, Evergreen Park

In a close match, Evergreen Park freshman Chance Woods won by a 5-3 decision over Orion’s Luke Moen in the 120 finals. It was 2-2 after two periods before Woods made his move to win.

“We went to natural and I got a takedown,” Woods said. “It feels great. It was a hard match and I pulled it out. This is my first high school tournament so I just want to keep winning and getting better.”

In the third-place match, Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio’s Landon Blanton won by fall in 4:30 over Walther Christian’s Dylan Leonard. In the fifth-place match, Streator/Woodland’s Jesus Martinez had a pin in 1:32 over Pontiac’s Raul Martinez.

126 – Aiden Rowan, Somonauk/Leland

Somonauk/Leland senior Aiden Rowan recorded a pin in 2:17 over Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Garrison Bailey in the title match at 126.

“It’s my first time winning here and it feels pretty good,” Rowan said. “I’ve worked on my bottom game to get better. I took him down in the first period, and I knew I had a good shot in the second after I rode him out.”

The third-place match went to Kewanee’s Ben Taylor with a fall in 2:35 over Beardstown’s Luis De La Cruz. In the fifth-place match, Seneca’s Justin Goslin won by a pin in 2:22 over Evergreen Park’s Ben Sanchez.

132 – Levi Near, Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio 

Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio’s Levi Near was nervous at the end but the senior held on to win 3-1 over Seneca’s Nick Grant in the 132 finals.

“I was getting scared at the end, I thought he might get a takedown,” said Near, who took a 3-0 lead with a takedown late in the second period. “But I kept my composure. I kept trying to get him in a cradle and it finally worked. It’s my best finish here. But I wasn’t here last year, I was as a freshman. It feels good but I’ve got more winning to do.” 

In the third-place match, Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Kayden Cody won with a pin in 3:03 over Orion’s Carson Peck. In the fifth-place bout, Kewanee’s Landon Mason won by fall in 2:59 over Evergreen Park’s Jackson Shakir.

138 – Will Taylor, Kewanee 

Kewanee senior Will Taylor rallied from an early 5-0 deficit to pin Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Gage Poyner at 5:44 in the 138 title match.

“He got an early takedown on me and I was down 5-0,” said Taylor, who led 6-5 going into the third period. “But I run cross country and my endurance and strength won that. It’s awesome, it’s great to win this tournament.”

Walther Christian’s Andrew Rieger won the third-place match with a pin in 3:26 over Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio’s Josh McKendry. The fifth-place match was a double forfeit for Ottawa’s Malachi Snyder and Orion’s Caden Wegerer.

145 – Mason Anderson, Orion

Orion’s Mason Anderson overcame a bit of pain to win by a technical fall over Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Gianni Panozzo in the 145 finals.

“I got hit in the balls midway through,” said Anderson, who is a junior. “Other than that this feels good. This is my first time here. I’m planning to get to state and winning this is a good step. I’ve just got to keep working hard and going at the same pace in the room.” 

In the third-place match, Kewanee’s Max Kelly won by technical fall over Seneca’s Nate Othon. For fifth-place, Beardstown’s Bryan Gil won by injury default over Ottawa’s Marek Duffy.

152 – Derrick Wiles, Eureka

Eureka senior Derrick Wiles won his first tournament title ever with a 10-2 decision over Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Giona Panozzo in the 152 finals. 

“I’ve been on the varsity three years, this is my first tourney championship and it feels amazing,” Wiles said. “It’s my senior year so I want to go out with a bang and win as much as I can.”

In the third-place match, Kewanee’s Garrett Pettit won by fall in 51 seconds over Ottawa’s Sebastian Cabrera. Evergreen Park’s David Johnson won by pin in 5:09 over Seneca’s Gunner Varland for fifth place.

160 – Asher Hamby, Seneca

Seneca junior Asher Hamby won by pin in 55 seconds over Pontiac’s Dylan Ramsey to claim first at 160. 

“I finished fifth here last year, so it feels good to win it,” Hamby said. “I hit a throw move and I was really proud to get our team’s first win on our home mats here. It will help me get better.”

Both the third-place match between Eureka’s Dillon Wiles and Kewanee’s Jaxson Hicks, and the fifth-place match between Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Brayden Morris and Orion’s Keagan Blessman, were double forfeited. 

170 – Asael Rubalcava, Evergreen Park

Evergreen senior Asael Rubalcava made his first trip to the invite a winning one with a 9-4 decision over Seneca’s Collin Wright in the 170 title match. 

“I’ve been on the varsity all four years but it’s my first year here,” Rubalcava said. “I kept my lead by staying on top and wrestling low to high. I just have to be dedicated in the weight room and push myself and my teammates harder the rest of the season.”

Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille/Ohio’s Lucas Blanton won the third-place match with a pin in 3:31 over Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Garron Perzee. In the fifth-place match, Beardstown’s Gunner Looker won by a fall in 57 seconds over Ottawa’s Anthony Evans.

182 – Alejandro Duarte, Kewanee 

Moving up in weight after growing a lot over the last year, Kewanee sophomore Alejandro Duarte won by technical fall over Orion’s Aiden Fisher for the 182 title. 

“It was just wanting to work,” Duarte said. “I didn’t place here last year at 160. This year I’m bigger and it was just being in the gym practicing. I want to get to state, so I just have to put in the extra practice and work in the gym.”

In the third-place match, Pontiac’s Carlito Lattin won by a pin in 1:37 over Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Maxwell Joseph. The fifth-place match was a double forfeit between Seneca’s Landen Venecia and St. Bede’s Grady Gillan.

195 – Chris Peura, Seneca

Seneca picked up its second win on its home mat when junior Chris Peura won by fall in 1:06 over Ottawa’s Ryan Wilson in the 195 finals. It was the second-straight tournament title for Peura, who was named the Most Valuable Wrestler at the upperweights (152 to 285).  

“I started off on the tougher side of the bracket, and I knew I could go back-to-back with another title,” Peura said. “It’s the second year in a row I’ve won here and it feels great. I want to get to state and it’s going to motivate me to keep on going throughout the season.”  

The third-place match went to Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Hunter Hull, who won by fall in 1:03 over Pontiac’s Hunter Melvin. The fifth-place match resulted in a double forfeit with Orion’s Maddux Anderson and St. Bede’s Jake Migliorini.

220 – Phillip Dochterman, Orion 

In the most exciting match of the day, Orion junior Phillip Dochterman avoided overtime with a late escape to capture a 3-2 decision over Eureka’s Landon Wierenga in the 220 finals. 

“I had pinned everyone in the tourney until this last match,” Dochterman said. “I was able to get an escape at the end and it was just a fun match. My most exciting one of the season. It’s my first time here and I’m now 10-1 on the season. I want to get to state.”  

University High’s Isaiah Im and Ottawa’s Charles Medrow had double forfeits in the third-place match. The fifth-place match went to Evergreen Park’s Eduardo Antunez with a pin in 4:52 over Clifton Central/Iroquois West’s Brody O`Connor. 

285 – Noah Gomez, Clifton Central/Iroquois West

The champion Comets got their lone title of the day in the final bout when junior Noah Gomez got a pin over Putnam County/Hall’s James Irwin in 2:27 to secure the heavyweight title.

“I just got my left arm around his body and was able to keep it there as I got him down with my leg,” said Gomez of his seventh pin in eight matches as he remained undefeated. “I can thank my coaches for that. t’s pretty good to win it as a team, It felt good at the end to bring it together for the team. I’m aiming for state. I just have to keep working in practice.”

In the third-place match, Pontiac’s Tyson Cramer won with a pin in 2:20 over Evergreen Park’s Gerald OHare. In the fifth-place match,  Seneca’s Alex Bogner won by a pin in 23 seconds over Beardstown’s Chunk Dailey.

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