Feature Stories

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Evanston’s Elias George Tournament


Evanston Township hosted both a boys’ and a girls’ 11-team Elias George Tournament this year and when it was settled, Rickover Naval Academy had the highest overall combined team score, 314-296 over second-place Mather.

The Rickover girls finished first on the girls side of the tournament, and the boys took fifth overall.
Rickover assistant coach Brian Augello spoke highly of both the boys and girls in the school’s wrestling programs.

“I was really proud of the kids yesterday,” Augello said. “We are a large, young group of wrestlers and the majority of our kids have less than two years of wrestling experience. We had twenty place-winners in total. I’m really pleased with our early season development.”
The Lady Sea Dragons out-pointed second-place Mather 174-124.5, with Evanston’s Blue team (79) and Niles West (79) tying for third place, and ITW Speer (61) placing fifth.

1st: Rickover Naval Academy (174 points)
Rickover got individual titles from Elizabeth Castrejon (105), Paige Finnegan (110) and Camilla Martinez-Gonzalez (170), who will likely wrestle at 155 for the rest of the season.
The Lady Sea Dragons got seconds from Dakota Perez (100), Mia Castillo (105), Litzy Estrada (115), Karen Velazquez (125), Jimena Romero-Chaga (140), and Isabel Nejia (145), thirds from Naomy Chavez (125), Paola Ramirez (130) and Jasmine Mejia (235), and a fourth from Litzy Guaman (115).
2nd: Mather (124.5)

Mather got individual titles from Nuti Ho (115), Ariadna Cruz (120), and Lisbeth Tenorio (140), seconds from Miriam Orduno (120) and Julissa Az (190), thirds from Marleyna Monzon (115), Mia Zepeda (140), and Marestela Martinez (145), and a fourth from Esther Gouegnon (170).

3rd: Niles West (79)

Niles West got an individual title from Zainab Nathani (135), seconds from Isabella Odishu (130) and Harmony Donerson (170), a third from Stevie Bass (110), fourths from Maya Silverwood (120), Vlada Shavaruska (125), and Aaizah Khan (145), a fifth from non-scoring wrestler Yari Parrish (115), and a sixth from Nour Al Radi (115).

Other Elias George individual champions were ITW Speer’s Adali Cruz (100), Ridgewood’s Gianna Mezzano (125) and Sophia Kellikidis (130), Evanston-Blue’s Kennedy Murray (145), Niles North’s Gabrielle Toney (155), Evanston-Blue’s Fatima Gomez (190), and ITW Speer’s Esmerelda Bustamante (235).
Rickover’s Jasmine Mejia recorded the most pins (3) in the least time (2:09) of any wrestler in the tournament, and ITW Speer’s Esmerelda Bustamante had the fastest pin in 0:23. Niles North’s Gabrielle Toney had the fastest tech fall in 2:00, Mather’s Nuti Ho scored the most team points with 26.5 and the most total match points with 32, and ITW Speer’s Tansha Esteban scored the most single match points with 17.
Team scores: Rickover Naval Academy 174, Mather 124.5, Evanston-Blue 79, Niles West 79, ITW Speer 61, Ridgewood 56, Niles North 39.5, Amundsen 4, Evanston-Orange 0, Kenwood 0, Sarah Goode 0.

Elias George Tournament individual results:
100
1st: Adali Cruz (ITW Speer) over Dakota Perez (Rickover) (F 2:49)
105
1st: Elizabeth Castrejon (Rickover) over Mia Castillo (Rickover) (F 3:33)
110
1st: Paige Finnegan (Rickover) over Samantha Albaugh (Evanston – Blue) (F 4:23)
3rd: Stevie Bass (Niles W) received a bye () (Bye)
115
1st: Nuti Ho (Mather) over Litzy Estrada (Rickover) (MD 11-1)
3rd: Marleyna Monzon (Mather) over Litzy Guaman (Rickover) (F 1:41)
5th: Yari Parrish (Niles W) over Nour Al Radi (Niles W) (MD 11-2)
120
1st: Ariadna Cruz (Mather) over Miriam Orduno (Mather) (Dec 13-6)
3rd: Yashlin Giron (ITW Speer) over Maya Silverwood (Niles W) (F 3:02)
125
1st: Gianna Mezzano (Ridgewood) over Keren Velazquez (Rickover) (F 1:52)
3rd: Naomy Chavez (Rickover) over Vlada Shavaruska (Niles W) (F 2:50)
130
1st: Sophia Kellikidis (Ridgewood) over Isabella Odishu (Niles W) (F 1:38)
3rd: Paola Ramirez (Rickover) over Kj Bienenmann (Amundsen) (FF)
135

1st: Zainab Nathani (Niles W)
140
1st: Lisbeth Tenorio (Mather) over Jimena Romero-Chaga (Rickover) (F 3:23)
3rd: Mia Zepeda (Mather) received a bye () (Bye)
145
1st: Kennedy Murray (Evanston – Blue) over Isabell Nejia (Rickover) (F 1:25)
3rd: Marestela Martinez (Mather) over Aaizah Khan (Niles W) (F 1:08)
155
1st: Gabrielle Toney (Niles N) over Sydney Springer (Niles N) (F 2:14)
3rd: Rose Mcfadden (Ridgewood) over Sophia Kiedrowski (Evanston – Blue) (F 2:48)
170
1st: Camilla Martinez (Rickover) over Harmony Donerson (Niles W) (F 1:05)
3rd: Isabella Vernon (Evanston – Blue) over Esther Gouegnon (Mather) (F 4:58)
190
1st: Fatima Gomez (Evanston – Blue) over Julissa Az (Mather) (F 0:32)
3rd: Aileen Galvez (ITW Speer) over Tansha Esteban (ITW Speer) (F 1:59)
235 
1st: Esmerelda Bustamante (ITW Speer) over Areli Espinosa (ITW Speer) (F 0:23)
3rd: Jasmine Mejia (Rickover) over Dayrin Tirado (ITW Speer) (F 0:37)

Waukegan Girls Tournament 2024



Glenbard East took the crown at Waukegan’s 30-team tournament, posting a 161.5-153.5 edge over the second-place team from Rossview, Tennessee. Palatine (116) placed third, JS Morton (107.5) was fourth, and Zion-Benton (103.5) rounded out the top five team finishes.

“Having seven girls making it to the semi-finals was phenomenal for us, and a testament to how much work the girls have put into training this season,” Rams coach Matt Nelson said.

1st: Glenbard East (161.5 points)

In a tight battle for the top team spot against the team from Rossview, TN, Coach Matt Nelson’s squad sent three girls to the title mat, getting individual titles from Nadia Shymkiv (110) and Maria Green (140) and a second-place finish from Kaila Stubbs (120).
Shymkiv placed third in Illinois at 105 last year as a sophomore and both she and Green wrestled up a weight Saturday.

“They rose to the occasion, with no questions asked, and gave solid performances,” Rams coach Matt Nelson said. “Kaila Stubbs also wrestled with a lot of heart, battling through her bracket and taking second place.” 

Individual finalists alone can’t carry a team to victory, and Glenbard East needed more in a tight battle for the title against the team from Rossview.
They got it.
The Rams got a third from Andrea Jones (100) and fourths from Angela Marinelli (105), Asia Lacey (170), and Nadine Spandiary (190) to help provide the eight-point team win.

“Entering into the medal matches, we knew the team scores were getting close with Rossview,” Nelson said. “And Nadine (Spandiary) stepped up at 170, putting her opponent on her back for the win, and securing the team victory.”
2nd: Rossview, TN (153.5)

Rossview had a pair of champions in Nevada Wildheart (135) and Lily Avalos (155), and got a third from Elizabeth Nelson (125), fourths from Nayeli Longfellow (130), Saleen Hawwash (145), and Hannah Taylor (235), and a sixth from Kaelyn Sproles (115).

3rd: Palatine (116)

Pirates coach Krista Semkiv sent three wrestlers to the finals, getting an individual title from Sabrina Cargill (170) and a pair of second-place finishes from Kevelyn Price (100) and Evelyn Arrola (135). Palatine also got a pair of fifth-place finishes from Naleah Parham (120) and Aliva Wikar (190).
Other Waukegan individual champions were Glenbrook North’s Leah Stringfellow (100), Round Lake’s Riley Kongkaeow (105) and Ireland McCain (115), Metea Valley’s Janiya Moore (120), Glenbrook North’s returning state medalist Ariella Dobbin (125), Zion-Benton’s Emily Ortiz (130) and returning state medalist Naomi Foote (145), Lakes’ returning state medalist Josie Larson (190), and Glenbard North’s Asreilla Wallace (235).

Rossview’s Jordan Jilek had the most pins (4) in the least time (1:23) of any wrestler present, while Wheeling’s Elie Burkut had the most tech falls (3) in the least time (9:19) and the most total match points scored with 76. Glenbard North’s Allison Poole had the fastest pin in 0:09 seconds, Glenbard East’s Maria Green had the fastest tech fall in 0:56 seconds and the most team points scored with 31.5, Glenbrook North’s Leah Stringfellow scored the most points in a single match with 26.

Team scores: Glenbard East 161.5, Rossview, TN 153.5, Palatine 116, JS Morton 107.5, Zion-Benton 103.5, Warren 95.5, Lakes 93, Wheeling 85.5, Round Lake 77, Stevenson 64, Glenbrook North 59.5, McHenry 58, Riverside-Brookfield 58, Grant 56.5, Metea Valley 50.5, Harvard 50, Maine South 50, Maine West 49, Glenbard North 46, Rolling Meadows 44.5, Grayslake North 41.5, Fremd 41, Vernon Hills 40, Guilford 32, Grayslake Central 25, Lake Forest 24, Jefferson 20, Mundelein 18, Richmond-Burton 15, Saint Viator 13
Waukegan Girls Tournament individual results:

100
1st: Leah Stringfellow (Glenbrook North) over Kevelyn Price (Palatine) (TF 16-0)
3rd: Andrea Jones (Glenbard East) over Denise Lopez (Harvard) (F 0:23)
5th: Haydee Cruz (Wheeling) over Makenna Laarveld (Stevenson) (F 0:22)
105
1st: Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake) over Nevaeh Ovalle (Harvard) (F 0:29)
3rd: Andaira Marron (Morton East) over Angela Marinelli (Glenbard East) (MD 13-1)
5th: Jazmine Medina (Zion-Benton) over Samira Giron-Cantero (Riverside-Brookfield) (F 3:51)
110
1st: Nadiia Shymkiv (Glenbard East) over Hope Donnamario (Morton East) (F 2:52)
3rd: Haven Sylves (Lakes) over Hanna Lee (Vernon Hills) (F 1:39)
5th: Evalyn Idzik (St. Viator) over Italia Cernas (Mundelein) (D 10-6)
115
1st: Ireland McCain (Round Lake) over Aaliyah Vazquez (Warren) (D 13-6)
3rd: Alexa Colin-Garcia (McHenry) over Giulia Gheciu (Stevenson) (F 1:00)
5th: Alyssa Bentley (Warren) won by forfeit over Kaelyn Sproles (Rossview) (FF)
120
1st: Janiya Moore (Metea Valley) over Kaila Stubbs (Glenbard East) (MD 12-3)
3rd: America Camacho (Grant) over Korrie Levandoski (Round Lake) (F 3:24)
5th: Naleah Parham (Palatine) over Monica Garcia (Morton East) (F 1:17)
125
1st: Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook North) over Gianna Arzer (Grayslake Central ) (D 11-7)
3rd: Elizabeth Nelson (Rossview) over Alyssa Gianola (Maine South) (F 2:01)
5th: Karina Lojowski (Stevenson) over Jane Kelly (Warren) (F 3:48)
130
1st: Emily Ortiz (Zion-Benton) over Elise Burkut (Wheeling) (D 10-8)
3rd: Sophie Dolinar (Warren) over Nayeli Longfellow (Rossview) (F 1:24)
5th: Muneeba Butt (Rolling Meadows) over Bree Hirsch (Lake Forest) (F 4:22)
135
1st: Nevada Wildheart (Rossview) over Evelyn Arrola (Palatine) (F 0:25)
3rd: Layah Woods (Wheeling) over Angelica Solis (Riverside-Brookfield) (Inj. 0:00)
5th: Keagan Edwards (Glenbard North) over Elise Kaylor (Lakes) (F 1:35)
140
1st: Maria Green (Glenbard East) over Grace Johnson (Zion-Benton) (F 1:02)
3rd: Alketa Picari (Metea Valley) over Soila Orozco (Maine West) (Inj. 0:00)
5th: Lloyd Kowalczyk (Fremd) over Natalie Corona (McHenry) (F 4:40)
145
1st: Naomi Foote (Zion-Benton) over Christina Hasner (Lakes) (F 1:21)
3rd: Cassidy Graham (Grant) over Saleen Hawwash (Rossview) (F 1:36)
5th: Alyson Alvarenga (Grayslake North) over Hanna Bairstow (Warren) (F 2:03)
155
1st: Lily Avalos (Rossview) over Violet Mayo (Morton East) (Inj. 1:07)
3rd: Krystal Diaz (Wheeling) over over Elyanna De Leon (Vernon Hills) (SV-1 7-4)
5th: Danely Villagomez (Riverside-Brookfield) over Janet Brindis (Rolling Meadows) (MD 8-0)
170
1st: Sabrina Cargill (Palatine) over Lillian Garrett (Maine West) (D 3-2)
3rd: Erin Bush (Warren) over Asia Lacey (Glenbard East) (F 1:45)
5th: Madalynn Sima (McHenry) over Aishah Sanchez (Rolling Meadows) (F 0:34)
190
1st: Josephine Larson (Lakes) over Anjanne Haywood (Guilford) (F 1:46)
3rd: Danai Kostarelou (Maine South) over Nadine Spandiary (Glenbard East) (F 1:25)
5th: Aiva Wikar (Palatine) over Kaylee Sanchez (Stevenson) (F 0:13)
235
1st: Asreilla Wallace (Glenbard North) over Jasmin Ocampo (Fremd) (F 4:13)
3rd: Anali Wilson (Morton East) over Hannah Taylor (Rossview) (F 2:02)
5th: Kylie Eilken (Jefferson) over Allison Poole (Grayslake North) (F 0:25)

Larkin Girls Royal Rumble

Batavia graduated one of Illinois’ best in state champion Sydney Perry but the Bulldogs are aiming to keep the bar set high.
Coach Scott Bayer’s girls took the team title at Saturday’s 16-team Larkin Girls Royal Rumble, posting a 203.5-187 scoring edge over second-place Glenbard West. Host Larkin and Oak Forest tied with 135.5 points, and Joliet Central (132.5) rounded out the top five team finishes.

1st: Batavia (203.5)

The Bulldogs got individual titles from returning state medalist Lily Enos (100), who placed third at 100 in Illinois last season, and Natalie Lenart (125), plus second-place finishes from Yasmin Lopes (130) and Emma Abbate (170). Lizzy Beling (140) placed third, Mackenzie Harried (130) and Jamie Gabriel (190) finished fourth, Batavia got fifths from Norah Stoodley (135), Anabelle Guthke (145), and Caoimhe Mitchell (155), and a sixth from Miracle Jackson (105).

2nd: Glenbard West (187)
The Hilltoppers had a pair of champions in Khloe Perez (115) and Myalinna DeJesus (155), and coach Pat McCluskey got seconds from Karolina Konopka (120) and Val Fantoni (125). Glenbard West also got a third from Nydia Jotzat (135), fourths from Jivona Brown (105) and Gia Cozzani (145), a fifth from Thanh Dinh (235), and a sixth from Daniyah Nixon (190).

3rd: Larkin (135.5)

The host Royals and coach Patrick Hillebrand got individual titles from Zamaya Taylor (170) and Kimberly Reyes (235), and seconds from Susan Cruz (100), Ashley Hammond (105), and Jadelin Caballero (190).
3rd: Oak Forest (135.5)
Isabel Peralta (190) captured Oak Forest’s lone individual title, and the Bengals got seconds from Marjorie Rodriguez (115) and Iyobosa Odiase (145), a third from Jordan Clyne (130), a fourth from Adri Bille (170), and a sixth from Brooklyn Strelow (135).

Other Larkin Royal Rumble individual champions were Dundee-Crown’s Diamond Rodriguez (105), Woodstock’s Eva Hermansson (110), Bartlett’s returning state medalists Emma Engels (120) and Lilly White (130), Conant’s Jasmine Zavaleta (135) and Ewa Krupa (140), and Lake Park’s Joscelin Ritthamel (145).
Glenbard West’s Khloe Perez had the most pins (5) in the least time (7:58) of any wrestler in the tournament, and Perez’s 32 team points scored also topped the field. Bartlett’s Emma Engels had the most tech falls (2) in the least time (5:17) and the fastest tech fall (226). Glenbard West’s Jivona Brown had the fastest pin in 0:08 seconds, Woodstock’s Kiara Manning had the most single match points with 20, Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores scored the most total match points with 43, and largest seed-place difference went to Lake Park’s Elida Garcia Torres, who was seeded 19th and placed third at 120.

Team scores: Batavia 203.5, Glenbard West 187, Larkin 135.5, Oak Forest 135.5, Joliet Central 132.5, Dundee-Crown 132, Woodstock 128.5, West Chicago 101, Lake Park 97, Conant 94, Bolingbrook 88.5, Andrew 87.5, Bartlett 87, Maine East 67, Richwoods 57, Addison Trail 54.
Larkin Girls Royal Rumble individual results:
100
1st: Lily Enos (Batavia) over Susan Cruz (Larkin) (F 1:29)
3rd: Ariadna Arciniega (Joliet C) over Karyme Estrada (Maine E) (F 1:24)
5th: Evelyn Torres (Maine E) over Melina Valdez (Addison Trail) (F 1:50)
105
1st: Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) over Ashley Hammond (Larkin) (F 1:51)
3rd: Eliana Badeen (Maine E) over Jivona Brown (Glenbard W) (F 1:29)
5th: Mikaela Najera (Bolingbrook) over Miracle Jackson (Batavia) (F 3:16)
110
1st: Eva Hermansson (Woodstock) over Alisha Carter (Joliet C) (Dec 6-3)
3rd: Sophia Newell (West Chicago) over Jordan Rodriguez (Bolingbrook) (F 3:36)
5th: Norah Cwik (Bartlett) over Keira Zamudio (Andrew) (F 0:54)
115
1st: Khloe Perez (Glenbard W) over Marjorie Rodriguez (Oak Forest) (F 0:39)
3rd: Alejandra Flores (Bolingbrook) over Iris Torres (Dundee-Crown) (TF-1.5 5:24 (19-3))
5th: Monica Sanchez (West Chicago) over Jamie Varda (Richwoods) (F 0:13)
120
1st: Emma Engels (Bartlett) over Karolina Konopka (Glenbard W) (F 2:42)
3rd: Elida Garcia Torres (Lake Park) over Susana Correa (West Chicago) (F 1:21)
5th: Danica LaTessa (Woodstock) over Keily Centeno (Joliet C) (Dec 15-8)
125
1st: Natalie Lenart (Batavia) over Val Fantoni (Glenbard W) (F 2:41)
3rd: Jaydah Green (Richwoods) over Hannah Olsen (Woodstock) (Dec 6-3)
5th: Drea Lazzara (Addison Trail) over Brynnley Krauchun (Andrew) (F 5:26)
130
1st: Lilly White (Bartlett) over Yasmin Lopes (Batavia) (F 1:27)
3rd: Jordan Clyne (Oak Forest) over Mackenzie Harried (Batavia) (F 5:02)
5th: April Ortiz (Joliet C) over Piper Booe (Andrew) (F 3:46)
135
1st: Jasmine Zavaleta (Conant) over Ruby Gavina (Dundee-Crown) (F 0:59)
3rd: Nydia Jotzat (Glenbard W) over Talah Hamed (Andrew) (F 2:00)
5th: Norah Stoodley (Batavia) over Brooklyn Strelow (Oak Forest) (F 1:51)
140
1st: Ewa Krupa (Conant) over Ava Burns (Lake Park) (F 1:50)
3rd: Lizzy Beling (Batavia) over Nadya McCottrel (Joliet C) (F 4:00)
5th: Lydia Weidner (Woodstock) over Anaya Campbell (Bolingbrook)  (F 0:38)
145 
1st: Joscelin Ritthamel (Lake Park) over Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest) (F 3:57)
3rd: Madeline Beltran (Addison Trail) over Gia Cozzani (Glenbard W) (F 2:44)
5th: Anabelle Guthke (Batavia) over Daniella Ibanez (Dundee-Crown) (F 1:50)
155
1st: Miyalinna DeJesus (Glenbard W) over Mackenzie Lessner (Dundee-Crown) (SV-1 12-9)
3rd: Brianna Crown (Woodstock) over Analiese Aberman (Conant) (Dec 5-2)
5th: Caoimhe Mitchell (Batavia) over Savannah Burns (Bolingbrook) (F 1:25)
170
1st: Zamaya Taylor (Larkin) over Emma Abbate (Batavia) (F 3:43)
3rd: Delaney Hajdich (Lake Park) over Adri Bille (Oak Forest) (Dec 7-2)
5th: Liv Halminiak (West Chicago) over Maddie Murray (Andrew) (F 1:04)
190
1st: Isabell Peralta (Oak Forest) over Jadelin Caballero (Larkin) (F 3:25)
3rd:Evelyne Perez-Bedolla (Joliet C) over Jamie Gabriel (Batavia)  (F 0:37)
5th: Jessica Vega (Andrew) over Daniyah Nixon (Glenbard W) (F 1:39)
235
1st: Kimberley Reyes (Larkin) over Marley Clark (Richwoods) (F 1:25)
3rd: Gladys Reyes (Dundee-Crown) over Ariana Bonilla (West Chicago) (F 3:56)
5th: Thanh Dinh (Glenbard W) over Allison Hill (Woodstock) (F 0:23)
235+
1st: Blessing Ajere Tamatekou (Bolingbrook)
2nd: Hal Grant of Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West)

Eisenhower’s Cardinal Girls Invitational

Joliet West and Marist stared each other down all the way to the final round at Eisenhower’s 25-team Cardinal Girls Invitational on Saturday.

Marist blinked first, as Joliet West won the team title 179-173.5 in Blue Island. Lane Tech (140) was third, Romeoville (131) placed fourth, and Phoenix Military Academy (110) rounded out the top five team finishes.

“We were pleased with how the team bounced back from a tough semi-final round where Marist took a brief lead,” Joliet West coach Erik Murry said. “I believe we had the advantage of having more girls in the consolation and fighting back for third place.”

1st: Joliet West (179)
The Tigers’ lone individual champion on the day was Bianca Campos (170), who posted a pivotal major decision win on the title mat against Marist’s Sarah Parker. Natalie Quiroz (235) finished second for the Tigers, who also got third-place finishes from Briana Klobnak (125), Veronica Klobnak (135), Majh Starks (155), and Trista Pisano (190), fourths from Gabriella Huerta (115) and Vanessa O’Connor (145), and a fifth from Morgan Kelly (105).

“Overall, I am extremely pleased with how the girls are progressing mentally and physically from week to week,” Murry said. “We are seeing great leadership from this young team that has much to look forward to, especially with having only two seniors in the starting line-up.”

2nd: Marist (173.5)

Shae Halleran (105) and Sarah Parker (170) led the way for Marist with a pair of second-place finishes. The Redhawks also got a third from Izzy Locascio (145), fourths from Mariajose Sanchez (100) and Samantha Durbin (135), fifths from Ava Enright (120), Zoe Kamper (125), and Stella Harris (140), and a sixth from Livia Adolfo (110).


3rd: Lane Tech College Prep (140)

Lane got an individual title from Nyah Lovis (130), seconds from Lauren Guerrero (115) and Allison Gutierrez (155), thirds from Sofia Guerrero (110) and Zabby Badru (140), and a sixth from Valeria Hernandez (105).


Other individual champions at Eisenhower were Romeoville’s Daniela Santander (100), Naperville Central’s Annika Hull (105), Tinley Park’s Jayden Melendez (110), Bremen’s De’neasia Hawkins (115), De La Salle’s Iliana Heredia (120), Naperville Central’s Dezi Azar (125), Phoenix Military Academy’s Ariel Foreman (135), Hillcrest’s Christiara Finley (140), Saint Ignatius College Prep’s GG Garduno (145), Reavis’ Lilly Fish (155), Clifton Central’s returning state medalist Payton Temple (190), and Romeoville’s Henessis Villagrana (235).

De La Salle’s Iliana Heredia finished the tournament with the most pins (5) in the least time (4:12), and she scored the most team points of any wrestler with 34. Antioch’s Sasha Johnson had the most tech falls (2) in the least time (7:53), Mother McAuley’s Ella Quigley scored the most single match points with 24, Clifton Central’s Payton Temple had the most total match points with 54, and the largest seed-place difference went to Shepard’s Mila Rousch, was was seeded 21st and placed 6th at 130.
Team scores: Joliet West 179, Marist 173.5, Lane 140, Romeoville 131, Phoenix Military Academy 110, New Trier 104, Naperville Central 97.5, Tinley Park 89, Saint Ignatius 88, De La Salle 87, Bremen 86, Bradley-Bourbonnais 78, Eisenhower 60.5, Reavis 59, Antioch 55, Shepard 50, Clifton Central 46.5, Willowbrook 46.5, Lindblom 46, Evergreen Park 44, Hillcrest 34, Thornton Fractional South 34, Mother McAuley 33.5, Hubbard 19, Peotone 15

Cardinal Girls Invitational individual results:

100
1st: Daniela Santander (Romeoville) over Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier) (F 3:06)
3rd: Anapaula Cerna Rivera (De La Salle) over Mariajose Sanchez (Marist) (F 0:14)
5th: Jitzel Aranda (Phoenix) over Thi Van (Reavis) (F 0:23)
7th: Breana Marshall (Shepard) (Bye)
105
1st: Annika Hull (Naperville C) over Shae Halleran (Marist) (F 0:55)
3rd: Sofia Perez (Shepard) over Delilah Rios (Romeoville) (F 5:17)
5th: Alejandra Perez Delgado (Naperville C) over Valeria Hernandez (Lane) (F 1:01)
7th: Morgan Kelly (Joliet W) 3-4,  over Ella Quigley (Mother McAuley) (F 2:45)
110
1st: Jayden Melendez (Tinley Park) over Lola Bianco (New Trier) (F 2:00)
3rd: Sofia Guerrero (Lane) over Molia O’Neal (Evergreen Park) (Dec 6-2)
5th: Dakodia Kelly (Lansing (Thornton Fractional South) over Livia Adolfo (Marist) (F 0:13)
7th: Riley Osborn (Evergreen Park) over Isabella Castro (New Trier) (F 0:17)
115
1st: De`neasia Hawkins (Bremen) over Lauren Guerrero (Lane) (F 3:46)
3rd: Lina Sniegowski (St. Ignatius) over Gabriella Huerta (Joliet W) (F 5:44)
5th: Ella Graham (Central) over Analiz Torres (Romeoville) (F 3:32)
7th: Tracy Balnis (Marist) over Alyana Cotton (Antioch) (TF-1.5 3:15 (16-1))
120
1st: Iliana Heredia (De La Salle) over Ellen Purl (Naperville C) (F 0:29)
3rd: Diana Lopez-Jimenez (Phoenix) over Gracie Meluch (Naperville C) (F 3:10)
5th: Ava Enright (Marist) over Abitatu Mogaji (TF South) (F 0:32)
7th: Jesslynne Ochoa (Romeoville) over Danita Palmore (Lindblom) (F 1:47)
125
1st: Dezi Azar (Naperville C) over Bianca Arredondo (Naperville C) (F 1:14)
3rd: Briana Klobnak (Joliet W) over Julianna Adamski (Tinley Park) (F 2:32)
7th: Mia Vargas (De La Salle) over Ashley Cusack (Eisenhower) (M. For.)
130
1st: Nyah Lovis (Lane) over Madison Monreal (Tinley Park) (TF-1.5 4:14 (17-2))
3rd: Aubrianna Rapier (B.-Bourbonnais) over Christine Velasco (Eisenhower) (F 1:03)
5th: Abigail Trendle (De La Salle) over Mila Rousch (Shepard) (F 0:17)
7th: Annie Bergeron (Peotone) over Shan`drea Jones (Bremen) (F 1:37)
135
1st: Ariel Foreman (Phoenix) over Amelia Quinlan (Bremen) (F 0:29)
3rd: Veronica Klobnak (Joliet W) over Samantha Durbin (Marist) (F 1:06)
5th: Sommer Boswell (Bradley (B.-Bourbonnais) over Areli Sanchez (Bremen) (Dec 7-1)
7th:
Brianna Garcia (Romeoville) 3-4,  over Linda Rodriguez (Joliet W) 4-5,  (F 0:25)
140
1st: Christiara Finley (Hillcrest) over Jillian Giller (New Trier) (Dec 13-7)
3rd: Zabby Badru (Lane) over Jessica Simmons (Evergreen Park) (F 4:56)
5th: Stella Harris (Marist) over Lilian Longtin (B.-Bourbonnais) (F 3:23)
7th: Sasha Johnson (Antioch) over Ariana Vergara (Romeoville) (TF-1.5 2:24 (16-0)
145
1st: GG Garduno (St. Ignatius) over AJ Grant (Phoenix) (F 2:22)
3rd: Izzy Locascio (Marist) over Vanessa O`Connor (Joliet W) (F 1:21)
5th: Sophia Domont (B.-Bourbonnais) over Arianna Rico (Naperville C) (F 3:14)
7th: Isabella Marcomb (Antioch) over Bridie O`Conner (Mother McAuley) (F 0:42)
155
1st: Lilly Fish (Reavis) over Allison Gutierrez (Lane) (F 0:45)
3rd: MDh Starks (Joliet W) over Julyssa Gonzalez (Reavis) (Inj. 0:38)
5th: Isabela Barajas (Willowbrook) over Marlen Morelos Perez (Eisenhower) (F 3:04)
7th: Catalina Flores (St. Ignatius) over Natalia Cordova (Lane) (F 0:35)
170 
1st: Bianca Campos (Joliet W) over Sarah Parker (Marist) (MD 15-3)
3rd: Jazilah Gatlin (Willowbrook) over Valeria Santiago (St. Ignatius) (For.)
5th: Mariyah Mani (Romeoville) over Jazlynn Bracamontes (Hubbard) (F 0:27)
7th: Yamieth Castillo (Reavis) over Lindy Hamilton (New Trier) (F 1:01)
190
1st: Payton Temple (Central) over Ashyia Scott (Lindblom) (F 1:40)
3rd: Trista Pisano (Joliet W) over Phoebe Heyboer (Eisenhower) (F 0:15)
5th: Lili Meierkort (Evergreen Park) over Josie Blau (Antioch) (F 2:38)
7th: Gabriella Teufackmomo (M McAuley) over Karina Robledo (St. Ignatius) (F 1:41)
235
1st: Henessis Villagrana (Romeoville) over Natalie Quiroz (Joliet W) (Dec 7-6)
3rd: Karrine Jenkins (Shepard) over Kiara Owens (Lindblom) (For.)
5th: Nyla Johnson (Bremen) over () , . (Bye)

By Curt Herron – For the IWCOA

A year ago, Hononegah made a statement when it finished in second place 7.5 points behind host Barrington in its Moore-Prettyman Wrestling Invitational to open its season and the Indians concluded 2023-2024 by qualifying for the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2016, where it lost to St. Charles East 40-29 in the quarterfinals. 

On Saturday, coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians definitely raised the bar on this season’s expectations after placing eight individuals in the top five at their weights with four of those being champions as well as five finalists to help them to easily win the championship of the 32-team competition, which was renamed as the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational prior to the start of the finals. 

Hononegah finished with 283.5 points, which was 47.5 points ahead of runner-up Washington, the defending Class 2A IHSA champions who finished with 236 points. Hersey (211) and Stevenson (180.5) also were honored for top-four finishes while Providence Catholic (178.5) made a huge jump from 17th place to fifth and fell two points shy of fourth place. Grant (170), Barrington (167.5), Crystal Lake Central (154.5), Fremd (154) and Wheaton North (154) rounded out the top 10 teams.

The Indians were missing a returning champion and an IHSA placewinner from a year ago, Bruno Cassioppi, due to an injury, but it’s hoped that he can return by the end of the season, giving the team hope that it can not only pursue its first state trophy since 2014, when DeMoss was a junior and the team finished fourth, but also to finish better than fourth place, which they also did in both 2007 and 2005. 

Champions for Hononegah were Rocco Cassioppi (126), TJ Silva (138), Brody Sendele (165) and Connor Diemel (175) and all of them captured their titles with wins by technical fall. Kurt Smith (190) lost by one point in his finals match while Jackson Olson (120) and Max Haskins (157) took third place and Kristian DeClercq (106) finished fifth.  Sendele was one of the two individuals who also won a title last season while Silva and Diemel were both second in 2023.

“I think we’re pretty confident that we can win state,” DeMoss said. “We’ve got to figure some parts out and we’re not fully healthy yet, we’re short one Cassioppi. We’ll get him back and we’ll get some of the other weights figured out. That’s our goal, to win team state. We have a great mix of upper weights  and lower weights and they’re all pushing each other. These guys have known each other since second grade. They went to middle school together, all the way through, so they’re wrestling for themselves individually but they’re also wrestling for each other as a team.”

Washington, which aims to capture the Class 2A title for the third year in a row for coach Nick Miller, had three champions, four finalists and seven in the top seven at their weights. Title winners for the Panthers were Noah Woods (120), Wyatt Medlin (157) and Josh Hoffer (215) while Sean Thornton (285) placed second, Symon Woods (106) took third, Peyton Cox (144) finished fifth and Cruise Brolley (165) claimed seventh place. Medlin also repeated as a champion in the competition. 

Fremd was the only other team that had multiple champions, Evan Gosz (144) and Owen Jakubczak (285). Gosz received the Outstanding Wrestler Award after winning by technical fall in the finals, scoring the most team points and capturing his third title in the event, with the others coming in 2021 and 2022. Jakubczak, who was seeded eighth at his weight, won the first tournament of his high school career.

Others who placed second last season and won championships on Saturday were Barrington’s Kaleb Pratt (113) and Stevenson’s Shawn Kogan (132). Making the move from sixth-place to title winner was Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks (190).

Two freshmen also demonstrated that they will be factors this season. Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg (150), who won a Minnesota state title as an eighth grader last season, prevented Joliet West’s Carson Weber from repeating as a champion. Loyola Academy’s Niko Odiotti (106) joined his brother Massey, who’s competing at Northwestern University, as a champion in the competition.

Gosz led all competitors with 42 team points while Silva was next with 41.5 and Hoffer ranked third with 41. Diemel, Pratt and Medlin all finished with 40 team points while Cassioppi and Sendele had 39.5 apiece, Jakubczak and Parks collected 39 team points, Kogan had 37.5, Woods finished with 37 and Odiotti wound up with 36.5 points.

Before the start of the finals, there was a special ceremony announcing that the tournament, which is in its 33rd year, would be renamed as the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Wrestling Invitational, to also honor Tim Dunn, who passed away just days after last year’s tournament at age 72. He was a lifelong Barrington resident, local historian and trustee who was the Social Studies Department head and a history and government teacher at the high school as well as being a wrestling and football coach with the Broncos from 1987 until his retirement in 2008. 

106 – Niko Odiotti, Loyola Academy

Niko Odiotti knows all too well how competitive wrestling is in Illinois after seeing his brother Massey make history at Loyola Academy by becoming its first state finalist in 2022 when he took second place in Class 3A at 120 and then its first champion in 2023 when he won 3A at the same weight class before continuing his career at Northwestern University, where he’s a sophomore.

Odiotti hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps and he’s definitely off to a great debut after the freshman beat two individuals who were seeded ahead of him to capture the 106 title at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational. He followed a quick fall and win by technical fall with a 9-3 decision over Washington’s Symon Woods in the semifinals to become the lone finalist and medalist for coach Matt Collum’s Ramblers, where he won a 7-1 decision over Grayslake Central’s Vince DeMarco.

“It felt good,” Odiotti said. “My brother came here a couple of times, so I was able to watch and the environment is pretty cool so I like this tournament a lot. There’s a lot of pressure but I feel like I handled it well. I was really nervous before all of my matches but I was prepared and work as hard as anyone so I think that I’m ready to win. The goal is to be a state champion. (Coach Matt Collum) He shows us a lot and pushes us really hard day in and day out and that helps us and it shows on the mat.”

DeMarco, a sophomore, was the tournament’s top-seed after going 45-9 a year ago and finishing in fourth place at 106 in Class 2A. He became the lone finalist for coach Matthew Joseph’s Rams after he followed a fall with two wins by technical fall, with the latter one in 1:53 over Hononegah’s Kristian DeClercq in the semifinals. Woods, a junior, claimed third place after prevailing 13-10 in sudden victory over Providence Catholic freshman Christian Corcoran. DeClercq, a sophomore who was one of eight individuals who placed fifth or better for the champion Indians, claimed fifth place with a fall in 0:58 over Stevenson freshman Daniel Berdich. Grant junior Carter Hutchinson captured a 7-2 decision over Barrington freshman Matthew Blanke for seventh and in the ninth-place match, Fremd freshman Lucas Crandall won a 16-4 major decision over Wheaton North sophomore Daniel Hyde.

113 – Kaleb Pratt, Barrington

Kaleb Pratt was definitely the highlight for the host Broncos during the 33rd edition of their season-opening tournament, which was renamed as the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational during a pre-finals ceremony. Not long after that, the Broncos sophomore who was top-seeded in the invite, captured the first of two falls during the finals when he pinned Stevenson’s Evan Mishels in 5:51 in the 113 title match.

Pratt, who capped a 36-14 debut season in 2023-2024 with a 36-14 record after finishing sixth at 106 in Class 3A, was the lone champion and finalist for coach Dan Keller’s Broncos. He followed two first-period falls with a 9-0 major decision in the semifinals over Crystal Lake Central sophomore Jackson Marlett. 

“I had a good season last year and I got sixth, but now I want to get first,” Pratt said. “I’ve been in the room and just working hard and doing extra, like staying after practice and eating good and keeping a good diet and pushing myself. It feels good winning the tournament and to go undefeated to start the season.”

Mishels, a junior who went 36-16 a year ago but fell one win shy of advancing from the Barrington Sectional after losing to Pratt, was the second-seed in the competition and was the first of two finalists for coach Shane Cook’s Patriots. After opening with a win by technical fall and an 8-5 decision in the quarterfinals, he earned his spot on the 113 title mat by claiming a 4-1 decision over Providence Catholic freshman Lucas Forsythe in the semifinals. Marlett claimed third place with a 6-3 decision over Forsythe while Joliet West junior Jakob Crandall took fifth with a 15-4 major decision over another Providence Catholic freshman, Nate Ortiz. Hersey sophomore Cole Anselmi won a 9-4 decision over Wauconda junior Nicholas Ruiz for seventh place and Bradley-Bourbonnais sophomore Zach Hoffner won by fall in 2:35 over Washington sophomore Lucas Bach to claim ninth place. Loyola Academy senior Harlee Hiller, a three-time medalist, two-time finalist and 2023 IHSA champion at 105, competed in the tournament but was unable to place as she did one year ago.

120 – Noah Woods, Washington

Noah Woods began a run of championship mat success for defending Class 2A champion Washington as coach Nick Miller’s Panthers got three-straight title wins with senior Woods getting things started at 120 with an 11-6 decision over Glenbard East’s Ismael Chaidez, then junior Wyatt Medlin followed a short time later with a championship at 157 and junior Josh Hoffer added another title at 215 before the team’s fortunes finally changed in their last visir to the title mat as Sean Thornton got pinned by Fremd’s Owen Jakubczak at 285.

Woods, the second-seed at the weight who went 44-16 last season after finishing sixth at 120 in Class 2A, opened with a fall, followed that with a 15-2 major decision in the quarterfinals and assured himself of being the first Panther on the championship mat after he won another major decision, this time by a 16-6 margin over Barrington sophomore Ryan Dorn.

“I think I wrestled pretty good,” Woods said. “Honestly, I think I deserve this because I’ve put in the work for it and I mentally prepared every single match for this. But this isn’t really important to me right now, and what is important to me is the end goal. I want to come here and learn from what I’m doing and get in a routine this year so that I can consistently compete and perform good. That was my goal today, to perform as well as I can. We’re a pretty good family and we support each other. And if there’s something that needs to be fixed, you can rely on your teammates to help you fix it.”

Chaidez, a junior who went 37-7 and fell one win shy of a state trip at the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional a year ago, was the fourth seed but sprung an upset in the semifinals when he won a 12-3 major decision over the top-seed, Wauconda senior Gavin Rockey, who was an IHSA runner-up in Class 2A at 106 in each of the past two years. That victory, which made Chaidez the lone finalist for coach Donald Pool’s Rams, followed another major decision in the quarterfinals and a win by technical fall in his first match. Hononegah junior Jackson Olson captured third place with an 11-6 decision over Dorn. Rockey, who went 44-11 last season and 29-6 in 2022-2023, settled for fifth place after winning an 11-7 decision over Hersey senior Danny Lehman. In the seventh-place match, Joliet West sophomore Joseph Pedrosa claimed an 8-2 decision over Grayslake Central junior Krish Sahu and for ninth place, Jacobs freshman Enrique Garcia won a 25-11 major decision over Wheaton North sophomore Rocco Macellaio.

126 – Rocco Cassioppi, Hononegah

Rocco Cassioppi started off a run of four-straight title wins by technical fall for Hononegah when he won the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn title at 126 with a win over Grant’s Vince Jasinski in 3:14 as the program wrapped up a dominating showing where it used five finalists and eight individuals placing fifth or better to defeat Washington by a 283.5-236 margin for top honors in the 32-team competition. 

Cassioppi, a sophomore who went 43-4 last season and dropped a 6-5 decision to Warren Township’s Caleb Noble in the IHSA Class 3A Finals at 106, was the first of five finalists for coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians. He hopes to become the fourth Cassioppi to capture a state title with Anthony taking firsts in 3A in 2017 and 2018, Rose winning a title in the inaugural IHSA Finals in 2022 and Angelina is one of four individuals who has won titles in each of the first three Finals. The top-seed opened the tournament with two first-minute falls before needing to go the full six in the semifinals, where he won a 13-4 major decision over Hersey senior Riddick Variano.

“I’m very excited,” Cassioppi said. “There’s a lot of teamwork, a lot of hard work in the room, just making each other better. Iron sharpens iron and we all work very hard and push each other. We work all summer long, workouts, wrestling, everything together. It’s a great team and I’m happy to see it’s working out. We’re hoping we can get him (Bruno) back for team state and state. Just recurring issues and he hates being out but he comes and watches every practice and he’s learning mentally. We all want to succeed personally, but we all really hope that we do good as a team. The best that Hononegah has ever done as a team is fourth. Both of my brothers have been on teams that placed at state and I kind of want to step outside of their shadow and do more than just place, but win it. Going into my barn, we have the state brackets hung up. It’s a lot to look up to, but it’s also a lot of pressure, but the pressure helps me and it makes me work harder.”

Jasinski, a junior who went 33-15 last season and qualified for the IHSA Finals, also has a sister who won a state title, Ayane, a three-time medalist who became Grant’s first girls champion in 2023. He secured his spot as the lone finalist in the tournament for coach Mark Jolcover’s Bulldogs by recording falls in his first two matches before advancing from the semifinals with a forfeit win over Providence Catholic sophomore Tommy Banas. Variano captured third place with a fall in 2:46 over Wheaton North junior Caden Cahill. Jacobs junior Ben Arbotante claimed fifth place with a forfeit win over Banas, who took sixth at 126 in last year’s IHSA 2A Finals. In the seventh-place match, Lyons Township senior Roger Martinez won a 22-9 major decision over Crystal Lake Central junior Dylan Ramsey and for ninth place, Barrington junior Saul Ramirez was a winner by technical fall in 5:26 over Sandwich senior Jakob Gruca.

132 – Shawn Kogan, Stevenson

Shawn Kogan qualified for the IHSA 3A Finals last season but was disappointed that he didn’t win a match there and finished with a 24-10 record. The Stevenson junior hopes that he can make his way to the state awards stand this season and kicked things off in good fashion when he won the 132 championship at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational after prevailing with a 15-14 decision over Lyons Township junior Griff Powell in the 132 title match. 

One of two finalists and the lone champion for coach Shane Cook’s Patriots, Kogan won each of his first three matches by technical fall before earning his spot on the title mat with a 12-10 decision over Hersey senior Elijah Garza in the semifinals. Powell, who went 34-6 last season but saw his season end due to injury at the Hinsdale Central Sectional, was the top-seed in the tournament over Kogan. The lone finalist for coach Griff Powell’s Lions, followed two wins by technical fall with a 6-2 decision over Lane Tech senior Alex Valentin in the semifinals.

 “I feel pretty good,” Kogan said. “I feel like there’s great competition here and high-ranked guys. I definitely see a lot of room for improvement so I’ll just keep my mind on February and the state tournament and how I can improve so that I can be at my best there. Being a leader on the team definitely gives me a lot of confidence in  everybody and I’m surrounded by people that work hard. Everybody has kind of become single-minded and just want to improve and to be their best. I’ve definitely put my mind on bigger goals than just qualifying for the state tournament. I’ve just been working hard with my coaches at Relentless Training Center, Ryan Prater and Jordan Blanton, and my Stevenson coaches, Mike Martinez and coach Cook and so many other guys and our alumni that have prepared me for bigger moments like these. That’s definitely had a huge impact on my training and my work ethic, for sure.” 

Garza won by technical fall in 2:45 over Hinsdale Central junior Anthony Maven to capture third place. In a matchup of seniors who are returning state qualifiers, York’s Mondo Martinelli finished fifth after recording a fall in 4:56 over Valentin. In the seventh-place match, Grant senior Sammy Mendez won a 9-3 decision over Downers Grove South sophomore Jadon Dinwiddie and for ninth place, Grayslake Central senior Liam Halloran captured a 13-8 decision over Joliet West senior Marquan Godfrey.

138 – TJ Silva, Hononegah

TJ Silva followed a runner-up finish at 132 in Class 1A in 2022 with a 1A state championship at 126 in 2023 while competing for Dakota. Now the Hononegah senior hopes to get back to an IHSA title match for the fourth year in a row and finish with his second championship after losing by technical fall to a four-time state champion, St. Charles East’s Ben Davino, in last year’s Class 3A Finals at 132 that concluded a quality 28-5 debut season with the Indians. He kicked off this season in impressive fashion by capturing the 138 title with a win by technical fall in 2:15 over Fremd’s Drew Fifield to become the first of four champions and five finalists as Hononegah won the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational with 283.5 points, which was 47.5 ahead of Washington. 

Silva, the top-seed at 138, was joined by Rocco Cassioppi (126), Brody Sendele (165) and Connor Diemel (175) as champions and all of them won their titles with wins by technical fall. Along with runner-up Kurt Smith (190), he was one of five finalists for coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians, who had eight individuals who placed fifth or better. He had falls in his opener and and in the quarterfinals and additional wins by technical fall in his second match and in the semifinals, where he won in 2:38 over Stevenson sophomore Mikey Polyakov. He finished with 41.5 team points, which was one-half point behind the leader in that category, Fremd’s Evan Gosz.

“I’m really excited just because I see all of the hard work that we put in the practice room, so I’m just so confident in my team that we’re going to do really well, ” Silva said. “And we have great coaches around us. It’s a great accomplishment. Coming to this tournament, last year we lost so this year we wanted to make a statement that our team is the best. We’re really good at whenever someone makes a mistake that we pick each other up. (Winning another title) That’s the goal. I’m just going to keep focusing on how hard I work and my technique and I feel that’s going to get me to the top of the podium.”

Fifield, a junior who went 20-12 last season and qualified for the IHSA Finals at 126, was the third-seed at 138. He opened this competition with two wins by technical fall before claiming an 11-8 decision in the quarterfinals and then won a 13-5 major decision over the second-seed, Grant junior Erik Rodriguez, in the semifinals to become one of three finalists for coach Jeff Keske’s Vikings. Rodriguez, who was an IHSA qualifier last season, claimed third place with a 14-5 major decision over Polyakov. Joliet West senior Adrian Hernandez took fifth place after winning a 16-4 major decision over Wheaton North junior Andrew Langas. In the seventh-place match, Barrington junior Brennan O’Donnell won by fall in 5:30 over Fenwick senior Max Kenny. And for ninth place, Hersey sophomore Nolan Variano claimed an 8-3 decision over Lyons Township senior Claudio Rodriguez.

144 – Evan Gosz, Fremd

Evan Gosz may have had one of the toughest brackets at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational considering that the three-time Class 3A state medalist and 2024 runner-up had two others to contend with who also had won two or more medals, Washington’s Peyton Cox, a three-time Class 2A runner-up, and Hersey’s Maksim Mukhamedaliyev, a two-time 3A medal winner. Sandwich’s Cooper Corder also was a Class 1A medalist a year ago. But Gosz, a senior who was the top-seed, emerged as champion, winning his third title in the event, adding to firsts he captured in 2021 and 2022. After winning by technical fall in 3:55 over Mukhamedaliyev in the 144 title match, he was presented with the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Gosz suffered his only loss in 38 matches last season by a 14-5 score to St. Charles East’s Jayden Colon in the IHSA Class 3A Finals at 144. He also finished in third place at 126 in 2023 and third at 113 in 2022. He opened his OWA tournament run with three-straight falls before claiming a win by technical fall over York’s Frank Nitti in 4:15 to become one of three finalists, and eventually, two champs for coach Jeff Keske’s Vikings. He led all competitors for the most team points with 42, which was one-half point more than Hononegah’s TJ Silva had.

“I was really excited for the year at the beginning since I thought we had a lot of talent,” Gosz said. “Just seeing it translate to having three finalists and a guy wrestling for third place is awesome. I think we’re young and we have a lot of potential. We have a lot of athleticism and if we can translate that into learning good technique, it will be really great. I think we all have the athleticism, so if we can hone in on the technique and keep pushing in the wrestling room with the conditioning, I don’t know many teams that are going to be able to compete with us. Over the years I’ve kind of realized that my offense has been lacking and last year I kind of tried to showcase it a little bit, but this year, I’m really trying to hone in and solidify that. That’s kind of what I’ve been working on all offseason and it was really exciting to see it translating, and honestly, it was awesome.”

Mukhamedaliyev, the third-seed who went 36-4 last season and took third place in Class 3A at 132 after finishing sixth at 126 in 2023, opened with two first-period falls before winning by technical fall in the quarterfinals. He captured a 7-2 decision over senior Cox in the semifinals to become the lone finalist for coach Joseph Rupslauk’s Huskies, who finished in third place in the competition with 211 points. Nitti, who won 43 matches and fell one win shy of a Class 3A medal at 138 last season, claimed third place after winning 8-5 by sudden victory over Corder, a sophomore who won 35 matches and finished fourth at 138 in 1A in 2024. Cox, who won 28 matches last season and fell 9-7 to St. Rita’s Sean Larkin in the IHSA Class 2A 144 title match after taking second at 132 in 2023 and second at 120 in 2022, took fifth place after winning a 12-3 major decision over Wauconda sophomore Brian Hart. Lyons Township senior Jack Kutchek won an 11-3 major decision over Lane Tech senior Vermaat VanderBrug for seventh and Plainfield Central senior Jack Bowen claimed a 9-3 decision over Providence Catholic freshman Andrew Pellicci for ninth place.

150 – Justus Heeg, Providence Catholic

Justus Heeg is understandably excited about beginning his freshman season, but the dramatic 2-1 victory that the Providence Catholic athlete captured in an ultimate tiebreaker over Joliet West’s Carson Weber in the 150 championship match at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational was certainly not his first title that he had won in a high school competition. As an eighth grader, he went 44-9 and won the 2024 Minnesota State High School League individual championship in Class AA at 133 representing Simley, who also captured its sixth-straight dual team title. 

He was one of nine freshmen that competed for the Celtics, who are coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Donald Reynolds. Five of those placed sixth or better with Heeg being the lone finalist for PC, which finished in fifth place in the competition with 178.5 points, just two points behind the final team that got a trophy for fourth place, Stevenson. Last year, the Celtics finished in 17th place in the event with 72 points. His other three victories were wins by technical fall and he needed just one period to claim his first two victories and 3:09 to defeat Barrington’s Daniel Blanke in the semifinals. Then in the  championship match, Heeg got an escape early in the ultimate tiebreaker and held off Weber, who was a returning champion.

“A lot of that stuff from last year obviously prepared me for this year since I’ve been used to wrestling the high school guys,” Heeg said. “I’ve already wrestled some high school tournaments so I’m used to wrestling these type of guys. “It’s definitely mindset, If you have the right mindset, you can do anything. The main reason that we wanted to come to Providence was the Reynolds family and the connection that they have with Sean Bormet, and because he went to Providence.”

Weber, a senior who was the top-seed after finishing 42-2 last season and claiming third place in Class 3A at 144 to claim his first state medal, was the lone finalist for coach Awais Arain’s Tigers. He opened the tournament with two victories by technical fall and then received a forfeit win in the semifinals over Hersey’s Rodrigo Arceo. Blanke, a sophomore, captured an 18-5 major decision over York junior Benjamin Gorny to claim third place. Stevenson junior Valentin Vihrov, a state qualifier last season, won fifth place by forfeit over Arceo, who also advanced to state in 2024. In the seventh-place match, Hampshire senior Chris Napiorkowski got a win by technical fall in 4:57 over Grayslake Central senior Quentin Conkle. And Grant senior Nate Flores won a 5-2 decision over Wauconda junior Wyatt Roland for ninth.

157 – Wyatt Medlin, Washington

Wyatt Medlin stood out among the 17 returning state medal winners and eight finalists from last years’ IHSA Class 3A, 2A, 1A and Girls Finals that competed in the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational since the Washington junior was the lone 2024 state champion in the competition. Last season, he defeated Mt. Vernon’s Dillon White 10-3 to win the Class 2A title at 138 to highlight a 49-4 season after finishing in third place at 126 as a freshman. This season he hopes to join a prestigious group of Panthers who are two-time champions and three-time medalists. He kicked off his season in great fashion by winning the 157 title with a 13-3 major decision over Wheaton North senior Thomas Fulton.

Medlin, who was the top-seed, was one of three champions and four finalists for coach Nick Miller’s Panthers, who claimed second place in the 32-team competition. He won his initial three matches with first-period falls, which included one in 1:56 over Prospect junior Bennett Westfallen in the semifinals. Fulton, who was the second-seed in the bracket, went 40-10 last season and advanced to the Class 3A state finals at 157. After opening with a pair of pins, Fulton got a win by technical fall in the quarterfinals and then recorded a fall in 4:48 over Hononegah’s Max Haskins in the semifinals to become the only finalist for coach Tim Walker’s Falcons. 

“This is a good early-season gauge and there’s good competition up here at all weights,” Panthers coach Nick Miller said. “Every one of our kids got pushed somewhere. Some performed really well and all of them are going to go back to the room with something to work on and that’s what we want to get in the early season. It’s a process. In the years when it’s been applicable, I’ve always told the teams that won a state championship, I’m like ‘hey, you’re not the state champions, that was last year’s team and this is a brand new thing.’ So this is the start of that process. We’ve got a schedule that’s built to be really challenging to make sure that by the time that we reach the season’s end that we’re battle-tested. So we’re going to take the same approach and hope to see where the end of the year puts us.”

Haskins, a senior who won 34 matches and also qualified for the IHSA Finals last season, claimed third place with a 23-13 major decision over Providence Catholic freshman Jasper Harper. Hersey junior Frank Tagoe won a 16-12 decision over Westfallen to finish in fifth place. Lane Tech senior Nasser Hammouche won by fall in 4:52 over Barrington senior Silas Oberholtzer to capture seventh and York junior Jackson Hanselman claimed a 13-0 major decision over Grayslake Central junior Warren Nash for ninth place.

165 – Brody Sendele, Hononegah

Brody Sendele made quite a name for himself last season when he capped his freshman year at Hononegah by advancing to the IHSA Class 3A semifinals before capturing third place at 157 to cap a 47-3 season. Now he hopes that he and several of his teammates have what it takes to join an elite group of Indians who have won state championships. Sendele kicked off his sophomore season in style by being one of the four members of his team to win titles at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational by technical fall, with his win coming in 3:14 over Fenwick senior Aiden Burns in the 165 title match to repeat as a  champion in the tournament.

Sendele, the top-seed in the competition, opened with a fall before getting wins by technical fall in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, defeating Fremd junior Lucas Nance in 4:41 to become one of the five finalists for coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians, who took top honors in the 32-team competition with 283.5 points, which was 47.5 points better than runner-up Washington. Burns, who was the sixth-seed in the bracket, opened with a win by technical fall, followed with a major decision in the quarterfinals and then got another win by technical fall in 4:00 over Wheaton North junior Julian Flores to become the lone finalist for coach Seth Gamino’s Friars.  

“I got first last year, too,” Sendele said. “We were missing a guy (Rocco Cassioppi) last year. We got him back, but his brother is hurt, so it feels good to get first this year. I’m excited to see what we’ll have at the end of the year, we just need to keep putting the work in. You have to just keep on working until you get to the top. I love this group of guys, we’re all so close, it’s like a family. We’re all hard-working, always there for each other and have each others’ backs the whole way, it’s really cool.”

Flores claimed third place with a 13-3 major decision over Nance while Hersey junior Grant Moga finished fifth after winning an 11-4 decision over Crystal Lake Central senior Tommy Tomasello. Washington junior Cruise Brolley placed seventh after winning a 15-5 major decision over Grant sophomore Grayson Lennon. And Grayslake Central junior William Lyle won a 7-1 decision over Libertyville’s Ethan Trowbridge to claim ninth place.

175 – Connor Diemel, Hononegah

Connor Diemel made it four-for-four for Hononegah competitors in the final round of the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational, with all of those being victories by technical fall, when he won in 2:06 over Plainfield South senior Colin Bickett in the 175 title match. The Indians, who scored 283.5 points to win the team title by 47.5 points over Washington, finally lost a title match right after Diemel’s triumph, but just barely, as Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks prevailed over Kurt Smith 5-4 in the 190 championship match.

Diemel, a senior who went 45-7 last season and fell a bit short of getting a medal in the IHSA 3A Finals at 165, was the top seed at the weight while Bickett was the second-seed. He opened with a fall, won by technical fall in the quarterfinals and earned his spot as one of the five finalists for coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians when he got a pin in 1:56 over Jacobs senior Owen Piazza in the semifinals. Bickett got a pin in his first match, won by technical fall in the quarterfinals and recorded a fall in 1:10 in the semifinals over Downers Grove South sophomore Noah Greene to become the lone finalist for coach Daniel Saracco’s Cougars.

“It’s awesome,” Diemel said. “It’s kind of fun to turn the corner and start having success, not just individually but also as a team. I want to take another big step this year and I’ve done that pretty much every year of my high school career. When you have one of the toughest matches that you’re going to wrestle all year every day in your wrestling room, it’s pretty hard to lose them on the big stage. I think we’re the closest team in the state. If we want to hang out with anyone, we hang out with each other. And whenever we’re in the wrestling room, we’re always having fun. And it’s a lot easier to get better when it’s not a grind than when it is.”

Hampshire senior Aidan Rowells won a 10-4 decision over Joliet West junior Zachary Cronk to take third place while Greene won by technical fall in 6:00 over Piazza in the fifth-place match. Grant sophomore Aaden Arroyo recorded a fall in 5:07 over Libertyville sophomore James Scanio to place seventh and in the ninth-place match, Bradley-Bourbonnais sophomore Kayden Roach was a winner by fall in 4:25 over Lane Tech senior Eyob Abebe.

190 – Cayden Parks, Crystal Lake Central

Cayden Parks wasn’t thrilled with having to go down to the wire in order to defeat Hononegah senior Kurt Smith by a 5-4 decision in the 190 title match at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational. But considering that his opponent’s school already had four title winners who all prevailed with wins by technical fall to help them easily wrap up the team title, the Crystal Lake Central senior was more than happy to walk away with the well-earned championship against a quality opponent. 

Parks, who lost 9-2 to Rock Island’s Andrew Marquez in the 2024 IHSA Class 2A Finals to complete a 44-8 junior season, hopes to join an elite group of champions that the school has had during Justen Lehr’s tenure as coach. He was the top seed at the weight and was the lone finalist for the Tigers after opening with a fall, following that with two wins by technical fall and then capturing a 19-8 major decision over Wauconda senior Mike Merevick in the semifinals.

“Obviously, it’s great and I’m happy to win at the end,” Parks said. “It’s just the start of the season, the first tournament and obviously we’ve got a lot more to do. We’re going to get a lot better as the season goes on and you don’t want to hit your peak right now. Coach Lehr makes a schedule that he knows is going to be terrible for us throughout the whole year with hard match after hard match. So as soon as February comes, then we’re ready to go and not scared of anything and it always works out in the end. You just want to make sure that you build up the whole season so as soon as regionals come around, you’re at your best and you’re ready to go.”

Smith, who was one of five finalists and eight individuals who placed fifth or better for coach Tyler DeMoss’ team champion Indians, went 40-12 last season and qualified for the IHSA Class 3A Finals at 175. He opened with a fall and followed with two wins by technical fall before pulling out an 8-6 decision in the semifinals over Fenwick senior Jack Paris, who went on to claim third place with a 9-6 decision over Merevick. Grant junior Casey Gipson finished fifth after winning by technical fall in 5:05 over Libertyville junior Jack Treutelaar. In the seventh-place match, Lake Zurich freshman Rocco DiCanio won a 14-7 decision over Plainfield Central junior Ty Sabin and Washington junior Wyatt Leman won by fall in 3:06 over Prospect junior Brock Wrede to claim ninth place.

215 – Josh Hoffer, Washington

Josh Hoffer has already accomplished a lot during his first two seasons at Washington, going 39-12 last season and placing fourth in IHSA Class 2A at 190 after placing sixth at 195 in 2023 in addition to being a member of two Class 2A dual team championships. Beside helping his team to win another team title, the junior would like to do what his brother Justin achieved as a senior in 2023, which was winning an individual state championship. He opened this season in a good fashion by capturing the 215 title at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational with a 9-0 decision over Libertyville senior Caleb Baczek in the finals.

Hoffer, who was the top-seed in his bracket, joined Noah Woods and Wyatt Medlin as champions and was one four finalists for coach Nick Miller’s Panthers, who took second-place in the 32-team competition with 236 points. He opened with a win by technical fall, followed up with two pins and then earned his spot on the title mat with another win by technical fall, this time in 2:34 over Fenwick senior Patrick Gilboy. Baczek went 36-9 last season and fell one win shy of a state trip from the Barrington Sectional but was able to help his team to a fourth-place finish in Class 3A, which equaled Libertyville’s best previous finish at dual team state in 2008. The 2023 state qualifier, who was seeded third, opened with two first-period falls before winning a 2-1 decision in the quarterfinals over Crystal Lake Central senior Tommy McNeil and then captured a 12-1 major decision in the semifinals over Hampshire sophomore Carter Hintz to become the lone finalists for the Wildcats, who are coached by Dale Eggert, a 2015 Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum – Illinois Chapter and a 2000 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee. 

“I thought that I did pretty well,” Hoffer said. “I kind of came out a little slow in the first couple of rounds but in that third match, I wrestled pretty well. Coming in on the second day I thought I wrestled pretty good on my first match of the day and I would have liked to score some more points but I think I also need to work more on finishing. I think we have a lot of hard workers in the room and our coaches do a good job of pushing us to our limits and getting us better. And we also have great competition with a good schedule that prepares us for February when we’re taking on state and team state.”

McNeil won by fall in 1:38 over Hintz to finish third and Gilboy captured a 10-6 decision over Barrington junior Clarence Jackson for fifth. In the seventh-place match, Lyons Township senior Nicholas Arquilla claimed a 7-5 decision over Elk Grove senior Dylan Berkowitz and for ninth, Stevenson senior Everett Ciezak won by technical fall in 2:59 over Grant junior Matthew Longabaugh.

285 – Owen Jakubczak, Fremd

Owen Jakubczak entered the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational with nothing to lose and then the Fremd junior who was the eighth seed at his weight went on to not lose any of his matches as he captured the first tournament title of his high school career, capping his run through the 285 bracket with a fall in 3:33 over Washington junior Sean Thornton, who was the second-seed, for the championship.

Jakubczak, who went 22-16 last season and failed to advance from the Class 3A Barrington Sectional, opened with two falls before winning a 5-0 decision in the quarterfinals over the top-seed, Elk Grove senior Mikey Milovich. He earned his spot in the final championship match of the day when he captured a 4-1 decision over Plainfield Central senior Anthony Minnito in the semifinals to become one of three finalists and then ultimately joined OWA recipient Evan Gosz as one of two champions for coach Jeff Keske’s Vikings. Thornton, who fell one win shy of advancing from the Sycamore Sectional but helped his team to win the Class 2A dual team title to cap a 42-14 season, was one of  four finalists for coach Nick Miller’s runner-up Panthers. After opening with two falls, Thornton claimed a 10-3 decision in the quarterfinals and then won by fall in 2:28 over Waubonsie Valley junior Leonidas Hobson in the semifinals.

“This is my first tournament win actually,” Jakubczak said. “Before this, I got second place in one tournament and that’s the best that I’ve done. I think it was my confidence level going into it. Although I did get better from last year, I was nervous going up against the older guys. The guys in our wrestling room, they work really hard. After practice, all of my friends are in the wrestling room or they’re trying to get me to stay after to do extra conditioning or put some more work in for another hour. I like how close our team is. I think we’re going to be good this year just because we are a good team but we also have good relationships and that makes practices better. It feels really good. I’m really happy I finally won a tournament.”

Minnito won by fall in 3:19 over Milovich to claim third place while Providence Catholic senior Michael Fisk won by fall in 2:47 over Hobson for fifth place. Libertyville junior Erich Walldorf claimed a 4-0 decision over Lyons Township junior Jimmy Hillman to take seventh and Crystal Lake Central junior Logan Gough got a fall in 4:23 over Washington sophomore Marqwuan Young to claim ninth place.

106

1st Place Match

Niko Odiotti (Loyola Academy) 4-0, Fr. over Vince DeMarco (Grayslake Central) 3-1, So. (Dec 7-1)

3rd Place Match

Symon Woods (Washington) 4-1, Jr. over Christian Corcoran (Providence Catholic) 5-2, Fr. (SV-1 13-10)

5th Place Match

Kristian DeClercq (Hononegah) 4-2, So. over Daniel Berdich (Stevenson) 4-3, Fr. (Fall 0:58)

7th Place Match

Carter Hutchinson (Grant) 5-2, Jr. over Matthew Blanke (Barrington) 3-3, Fr. (Dec 7-2)

9th Place Match

Lucas Crandall (Fremd) 5-2, Fr. over Daniel Hyde (Wheaton North) 4-3, So. (MD 16-4)

113

1st Place Match

Kaleb Pratt (Barrington) 4-0, So. over Evan Mishels (Stevenson) 3-1, Jr. (Fall 5:51)

3rd Place Match

Jackson Marlett (Crystal Lake Central) 4-1, So. over Lucas Forsythe (Providence Catholic) 4-2, Fr. (Dec 6-3)

5th Place Match

Jakob Crandall (Joliet West) 6-2, Jr. over Nate Ortiz (Providence Catholic) 5-3, Fr. (MD 15-4)

7th Place Match

Cole Anselmi (Hersey) 4-2, So. over Nicholas Ruiz (Wauconda) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 9-4)

9th Place Match

Zach Hoffner (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 3-2, So. over Lucas Bach (Washington) 3-3, So. (Fall 2:35)

120

1st Place Match

Noah Woods (Washington) 4-0, Sr. over Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard East) 3-1, Jr. (Dec 11-6)

3rd Place Match

Jackson Olson (Hononegah) 6-1, Jr. over Ryan Dorn (Barrington) 3-2, So. (MD 11-2)

5th Place Match

Gavin Rockey (Wauconda) 3-2, Sr. over Danny Lehman (Hersey) 4-3, Sr. (Dec 11-7)

7th Place Match

Joseph Pedrosa (Joliet West) 5-2, So. over Krish Sahu (Grayslake Central) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 8-2)

9th Place Match

Enrique Garcia (Jacobs) 5-2, Fr. over Rocco Macellaio (Wheaton North) 3-3, So. (MD 25-11)

126

1st Place Match

Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) 4-0, So. over Vince Jasinski (Grant) 3-1, Jr. (TF 3:14 (19-2))

3rd Place Match

Riddick Variano (Hersey) 5-1, Sr. over Caden Cahill (Wheaton North) 6-2, Jr. (Fall 2:46)

5th Place Match

Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) 6-2, Jr. over Tommy Banas (Providence Catholic) 2-3, So. (For.)

7th Place Match

Roger Martinez (Lyons Township) 4-2, Sr. over Dylan Ramsey (Crystal Lake Central) 2-3, Jr. (MD 22-9)

9th Place Match

Saul Ramirez (Barrington) 5-2, Jr. over Jakob Gruca (Sandwich) 3-3, Sr. (TF 5:26 (22-6))

132

1st Place Match

Shawn Kogan (Stevenson) 5-0, Jr. over Griff Powell (Lyons Township) 4-1, Jr. (Dec 15-14)

3rd Place Match

Elijah Garza (Hersey) 5-1, Sr. over Anthony Mayen (Hinsdale Central) 6-2, Jr. (TF 2:45 (19-1))

5th Place Match

Mondo Martinelli (York) 5-2, Sr. over Alex Valentin (Lane Tech) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 4:56)

7th Place Match

Sammy Mendez (Grant) 5-2, Sr. over Jadon Dinwiddie (Downers Grove South) 3-3, So. (Dec 9-3)

9th Place Match

Liam Halloran (Grayslake Central) 4-2, Sr. over Marquan Godfrey (Joliet West) 4-3, Sr. (Dec 13-8)

138

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

TJ Silva (Hononegah) 5-0, Sr. over Drew Fifield (Fremd) 4-1, Jr. (TF 2:15 (18-2))

3rd Place Match

Erik Rodriguez (Grant) 5-1, Jr. over Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson) 4-2, So. (MD 14-5)

5th Place Match

Adrian Hernandez (Joliet West) 5-2, Sr. over Andrew Langas (Wheaton North) 5-3, Jr. (MD 16-4)

7th Place Match

Brennan O`Donnell (Barrington) 4-2, Jr. over Max Kenny (Fenwick) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 5:30)

9th Place Match

Nolan Variano (Hersey) 5-2, So. over Claudio Rodriguez (Lyons Township) 3-3, Sr. (Dec 8-3)

144

1st Place Match

Evan Gosz (Fremd) 5-0, Sr. over Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey) 4-1, Sr. (TF 3:55 (18-3))

3rd Place Match

Frank Nitti (York) 5-1, Jr. over Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 5-2, So. (SV-1 8-5)

5th Place Match

Peyton Cox (Washington) 4-2, Sr. over Brian Hart (Wauconda) 4-3, So. (MD 12-3)

7th Place Match

Jack Kutchek (Lyons Township) 4-2, Sr. over Vermaat VanderBrug (Lane Tech) 4-3, Sr. (MD 11-3)

9th Place Match

Jack Bowen (Plainfield Central) 4-2, Sr. over Andrew Pellicci (Providence Catholic) 4-3, Fr. (Dec 9-3)

150

1st Place Match

Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic) 4-0, Fr. over Carson Weber (Joliet West) 3-1, Sr. (TB-1 2-1)

3rd Place Match

Daniel Blanke (Barrington) 4-1, So. over Benjamin Gorny (York) 5-2, Jr. (MD 18-5)

5th Place Match

Valentin Vihrov (Stevenson) 4-2, Jr. over Rodrigo Arceo (Hersey) 2-3, Sr. (For.)

7th Place Match

Chris Napiorkowski (Hampshire) 4-2, Sr. over Quentin Conkle (Grayslake Central) 3-3, Sr. (TF 4:57 (18-2))

9th Place Match

Nate Flores (Grant) 5-2, Sr. over Wyatt Roland (Wauconda) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 5-2)

157

1st Place Match

Wyatt Medlin (Washington) 4-0, Jr. over Thomas Fulton (Wheaton North) 4-1, Sr. (MD 13-3)

3rd Place Match

Max Haskins (Hononegah) 5-1, Sr. over Jasper Harper (Providence Catholic) 6-2, Fr. (MD 23-13)

5th Place Match

Frank Tagoe (Hersey) 5-2, Jr. over Bennett Westfallen (Prospect) 3-3, Jr. (Dec 16-12)

7th Place Match

Nasser Hammouche (Lane Tech) 4-2, Sr. over Silas Oberholtzer (Barrington) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 4:52)

9th Place Match

Jackson Hanselman (York) 4-2, Jr. over Warren Nash (Grayslake Central) 4-3, Jr. (MD 13-0)

165

1st Place Match

Brody Sendele (Hononegah) 4-0, So. over Aiden Burns (Fenwick) 4-1, Sr. (TF 3:14 (17-2))

3rd Place Match

Julian Flores (Wheaton North) 4-1, Jr. over Lucas Nance (Fremd) 3-2, Jr. (MD 13-3)

5th Place Match

Grant Moga (Hersey) 5-2, Jr. over Tommy Tomasello (Crystal Lake Central) 4-3, Sr. (Dec 11-4)

7th Place Match

Cruise Brolley (Washington) 3-2, Jr. over Grayson Lennon (Grant) 3-3, So. (MD 15-5)

9th Place Match

William Lyle (Grayslake Central) 5-2, Jr. over Ethan Trowbridge (Libertyville) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 7-1)

175

1st Place Match

Connor Diemel (Hononegah) 4-0, Sr. over Colin Bickett (Plainfield South) 3-1, Sr. (TF 2:06 (19-3))

3rd Place Match

Aidan Rowells (Hampshire) 6-1, Sr. over Zachary Cronk (Joliet West) 5-2, Jr. (Dec 10-4)

5th Place Match

Noah Greene (Downers Grove South) 3-2, So. over Owen Piazza (Jacobs) 3-3, Sr. (TF 6:00 (20-3))

7th Place Match

Aaden Arroyo (Grant) 4-2, So. over James Scanio (Libertyville) 3-3, So. (Fall 5:07)

9th Place Match

Kayden Roach (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 5-2, So. over Eyob Abebe (Lane Tech) 4-3, Sr. (Fall 4:25)

190

1st Place Match

Cayden Parks (Crystal Lake Central) 5-0, Sr. over Kurt Smith (Hononegah) 4-1, Sr. (Dec 5-4)

3rd Place Match

Jack Paris (Fenwick) 5-1, Sr. over Mike Merevick (Wauconda) 4-2, Sr. (Dec 9-6)

5th Place Match

Casey Gipson (Grant) 5-2, Jr. over Jack Treutelaar (Libertyville) 4-3, Jr. (TF 5:05 (17-0))

7th Place Match

Rocco DiCanio (Lake Zurich) 5-2, Fr. over Ty Sabin (Plainfield Central) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 14-7)

9th Place Match

Wyatt Leman (Washington) 4-2, Jr. over Brock Wrede (Prospect) 4-3, Jr. (Fall 3:06)

215

1st Place Match

Josh Hoffer (Washington) 5-0, Jr. over Caleb Baczek (Libertyville) 4-1, Sr. (MD 9-0)

3rd Place Match

Tommy McNeil (Crystal Lake Central) 6-1, Sr. over Carter Hintz (Hampshire) 4-2, So. (Fall 1:38)

5th Place Match

Patrick Gilboy (Fenwick) 4-2, Sr. over Clarence Jackson (Barrington) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 10-6)

7th Place Match

Nicholas Arquilla (Lyons Township) 4-2, Sr. over Dylan Berkowitz (Elk Grove) 3-3, Sr. (Dec 7-5)

9th Place Match

Everett Ciezak (Stevenson) 5-2, Sr. over Matthew Longabaugh (Grant) 4-3, Jr. (TF 2:59 (16-0))

285

1st Place Match

Owen Jakubczak (Fremd) 5-0, Jr. over Sean Thornton (Washington) 4-1, Jr. (Fall 3:33)

3rd Place Match

Anthony Minnito (Plainfield Central) 5-1, Sr. over Mikey Milovich (Elk Grove) 4-2, Sr. (Fall 3:19)

5th Place Match

Michael Sisk (Providence Catholic) 5-2, Sr. over Leonidas Hobson (Waubonsie Valley) 3-3, Jr. (Fall 2:47)

7th Place Match

Erich Walldorf (Libertyville) 4-2, Jr. over Jimmy Hillman (Lyons Township) 3-3, Jr. (Dec 4-0)

9th Place Match

Logan Gough (Crystal Lake Central) 5-2, Jr. over Marqwuan Young (Washington) 4-3, So. (Fall 4:23)

Team standings

1. Hononegah 283.5, 2. Washington 236, 3. Hersey 211, 4. Stevenson 180.5, 5. Providence Catholic 178.5, 6. Grant 170, 7. Barrington 167.5, 8. Crystal Lake Central 154.5, 9. Fremd 154, 9. Wheaton North 154, 11. Joliet West 142.5, 12. Lyons Township 125, 13. Fenwick 123.5, 14. Wauconda 109.5, 15. York 99.5, 16. Libertyville 99, 17. Grayslake Central 96.5, 18. Hampshire 91.5, 19. Glenbard East 71.5, 20. Prospect 66.5, 21. Jacobs 66, 22. Downers Grove South 61.5, 23. Plainfield Central 60, 24. Sandwich 59.5, 25. Elk Grove 58.5, 26. Plainfield South 57, 27. Bradley-Bourbonnais 54.5, 28. Lane Tech 53.5, 29. Loyola Academy 50, 30. Hinsdale Central 36, 31. Lake Zurich 33, 32. Waubonsie Valley 25.5.

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA



Vernon Hills’ Cougar Thanksgiving Invite

Glenbrook South had too much for the 17-team field at Vernon Hills on Saturday as the Titans rode to an impressive victory and lifted the championship trophy at Vernon Hills’ Cougar Thanksgiving Invite.

The Titans would collect 247.0 overall points with Grayslake North finishing second with 159.5.

Johnsburg was third at 142.5, with Bartlett next with 133.5 points, and Glenbrook North fifth with 125.0.

North would earn top honors here a year ago over its crosstown rival Glenbrook South, by a 12.5 point difference.

“Our opening dual meet victories coupled with a strong tournament showing here at Vernon Hills served as a good litmus test for where we are at the start of our season,” opined Titans head coach Pat Castillo.

”Our next dual will be against conference rival Maine South, which is going to be a good challenge that will help us see where we stand in a head-to-head match-up.”

Illinois wrestling fans will remember Castillo when he twice earned state medals while at Lyons Township, before going on to star at Northern Illinois University where he qualified for the NCAA Championships on three occasions.

“Our two individual champs, Urmuun Urtnasan (120) and Henry Downing (165) both are expected to be strong competitors for us, and have been instrumental during the early stages of the season in playing leadership roles for the rest of their teammates,” said Castillo.

Urtnasan won a hard-fought opening contest with Eduardo Vences when he bagged a take-down 30 seconds into overtime to register a 10-7 victory, before back-to-back tech-falls earned him the title at 120.

Downing would bookend an 8-2 decision with a pair of pins to take home his second straight Cougars title.

“Henry continues to be a guy looking to secure a pin, and he seems poised to make the jump to an even higher level,” said Castillo.

Downing was a sectional qualifier with a 34-13 record last year.

Crystal Lake South was eighth overall, but would lead the field with a trio of champions on the day.

Sophomore Christopher Talbert won at 106, Nathan Randle at 138, and teammate Aiden Marrello, another sophomore, grabbed the title at 144.

Randle is a two-time state qualifier, and 2A state runner-up in 2023 when he helped lead Wauconda to a third place finish at the 2A dual-team state tournament.

The sophomore is 75-19 in his first two seasons.

Eight other clubs would take home championship trophies, beginning with Taft junior and 2024 state qualifier Bernardo Roque at 113 pounds.

Roque was 35-7 a year ago, while another junior, Ilia Dvoriannikov (Vernon Hills) smashed the competition at 175 pounds.

“Ilia worked extremely hard during the offseason, and continues to do so at Toss Em Up, where he trains with one of the best in the country, Aaron Stewart from Warren Township,” said Vernon Hills head coach Jesse Wolter.

Dvoriannikov, state runner-up at 2A in the 165-pound weight class to Nick Mueller of Dunlap, opens the season ranked No. 2 in the state behind Geneseo senior Zachary Montez.

“Ilia is stronger and more explosive this season,” Wolter said. “He qualified for Fargo in both Freestyle and Greco, and won Greco state, which was a big accomplishment for him.”

“He’s always the hardest working guy in the room, which is always a good thing to have your best man leading by example, working as hard as he does.”

Wolter would point to solid performances from fifth-placers Charles Dominguez (106), Tony Lopez (113) and sophomore Jacob Becker (165).

Freshman Tanner Hansen of Johnsburg won it all at 126, Austin Lee (Burlington Central), a sectional qualifier last season, claimed the top prize at 132.

Glenbrook North seniors Owen Anderson (25-13 last year) and Ilan Ruderman (27-13) were champions at 150 and, respectively.

James Smrha, part of a strong senior group according to Bartlett head coach John Glorioso, pinned his way to his 215-pound crown.

Evanston senior Jeremy Marshall held off his rivals at 285 pounds to win here following his 9-2 decision over Luis Alba of Bartlett. Marshall, 40-11 a year ago, was a sectional qualifier.

Another sectional qualifier, Adnan Shkeir (Maine East), needed just under five minutes to record a trio of pins to win with ease at 190.

Vernon Hills’ Cougar Thanksgiving Invitational results
106
1st Place Match
Christopher Talbert (Crystal Lake (South)) 4-0, So. over Caleb Son (Northbrook (Glenbrook North)) 3-4, So. (Fall 0:48)
3rd Place Match
Sergio Jaimes (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 4-1, Jr. over Duncan Tenezaca (Park Ridge (Maine East)) 1-2, Fr. (Fall 5:30)
5th Place Match
Charles Dominguez (Vernon Hills) 3-1, Fr. over Kai Surdick (Johnsburg) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 3:38)
7th Place Match
Nicholas Arend (Evanston (Twp.)) 1-2, Fr. over Colin Ludford (Grayslake (North)) 0-3, So. (Fall 0:21
113
1st Place Match
Bernardo Roque (Chicago (Taft)) 6-0, Jr. over Diego Arteaga (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 4-1, Jr. (Fall 0:52)
3rd Place Match
Chase Vogel (Johnsburg) 3-1, Fr. over Elliot Heckard (Arlington Heights (St. Viator)) 3-2, Sr. (TF-1.5 1:20 (18-1))
5th Place Match
Tony Lopez (Vernon Hills) 4-1, Fr. over James Dravenack (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 2-2, Sr. (Inj. 0:20)
7th Place Match
Dominic Cimino (Vernon Hills) 3-2, Fr. over Annalee Aarseth (Crystal Lake (South)) 2-3, So. (Fall 4:00)
120
1st Place Match
Urmuun Urtnasan (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 5-0, Jr. over Anthony Motejzik (Woodstock (North)) 5-1, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:37 (16-1))
3rd Place Match
Ryan Larrivee (Grayslake (North)) 4-1, Jr. over David Ruiz (Chicago (Taft)) 2-4, Sr. (Dec 7-5)
5th Place Match
Chase Davis (Johnsburg) 4-1, Fr. over Eduardo Vences (Burlington (Central)) 5-5, So. (Dec 6-2)
7th Place Match
Jairo Kish (Park Ridge (Maine East)) 3-2, Fr. over Jacob Badal (Skokie (Niles North)) 1-3, Fr. (Fall 3:24)
126
1st Place Match
Tanner Hansen (Johnsburg) 4-0, Fr. over Landon Harper (Grayslake (North)) 3-2, Fr. (Dec 8-3)
3rd Place Match
Michael Uhler (Northbrook (Glenbrook North)) 4-3, Fr. over Jonah Fogel (Skokie (Niles North)) 1-4, So. (Fall 1:15)
5th Place Match
Ammar Khan (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 3-1, Sr. over David Wyruchowski (Burlington (Central)) 3-5, Jr. (Fall 0:32)
7th Place Match
Caleb Larsen (Hoffman Estates (H.S.)) 1-2, So. over Colin McInereney (Arlington Heights (St. Viator)) 1-3, Jr. (For.)
132
1st Place Match
Austin Lee (Burlington (Central)) 8-1, Sr. over Nick Barton (Bartlett) 2-1, Sr. (MD 13-1)
3rd Place Match
Mike Tsendayush (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 4-1, Sr. over Roman Ocampo (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 2-2, Fr. (Dec 13-9)
5th Place Match
Mason Haussmann (Hoffman Estates (H.S.)) 3-1, Jr. over Armani Vargas (Chicago (Taft)) 4-4, Sr. (MD 10-0)
7th Place Match
Jared Lopez (Johnsburg) 3-2, Jr. over Gabriel Quintana (Harvard) 1-3, So. (TF-1.5 2:44 (16-1))
138
1st Place Match
Nathan Randle (Crystal Lake (South)) 3-0, Jr. over Landon Johnson (Johnsburg) 2-1, Jr. (Dec 7-2)
3rd Place Match
Cam Engels (Bartlett) 2-1, So. over Dulguun Nyamdavaa (Park Ridge (Maine East)) 1-2, Sr. (MD 18-5)
5th Place Match
Jack Burton (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 5-2, Jr. over Jordan Mokhtarian (Northbrook (Glenbrook North)) 3-6, Jr. (Fall 0:37)
7th Place Match
Kevin Sanchez (Chicago (Taft)) 3-4, Jr. over Emilio Huerta Rodriguez (Grayslake (North)) 2-4, So. (Dec 19-13)
144
1st Place Match
Aiden Marrello (Crystal Lake (South)) 4-0, So. over Max Mulhearn (Elgin (Harvest Christian)) 3-1, So. (TF-1.5 4:00 (18-1))
3rd Place Match
Kale Schrauth (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 5-1, Jr. over Jack Aguirre (Burlington (Central)) 4-5, Sr. (Inj. 0:00)
5th Place Match
Andrew Diaz (Vernon Hills) 4-1, Sr. over Filip Szeszko (Bartlett) 3-2, Sr. (Fall 4:38)
7th Place Match
Brennan Peters (Harvard) 3-2, So. over Haruya Okada (Hoffman Estates (H.S.)) 2-3, Sr. (Inj. 2:00)
150
1st Place Match
Owen Anderson (Grayslake (North)) 6-0, Sr. over Oliver Quiros (Skokie (Niles North)) 4-2, Sr. (Dec 12-5)
3rd Place Match
Kainoa Ancog (Johnsburg) 3-1, Jr. over John Palmer (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 2-2, Jr. (MD 12-3)
5th Place Match
Aidan Minihane (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 6-1, Jr. over Caden Solorio-Alvarez (Vernon Hills) 3-2, So. (TF-1.5 4:37 (16-1))
7th Place Match
Joey Caputo (Bartlett) 3-2, Jr. over Brock Miller (Crystal Lake (South)) 2-3, Sr. (Inj. 3:57)
157
1st Place Match
Ilan Ruderman (Northbrook (Glenbrook North)) 6-1, Sr. over Jake Ronsman (Grayslake (North)) 4-1, Sr. (Dec 11-9)
3rd Place Match
Dom Marino (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 4-1, Jr. over Lawrence Marcelo (Bartlett) 2-2, Sr. (MD 13-1)
5th Place Match
Jayden Villa (Chicago (Taft)) 5-3, So. over Drew Jesuit (Johnsburg) 2-2, So. (Fall 2:55)
7th Place Match
Evan Lasik (Skokie (Niles North)) 4-3, So. over Ezekiel Carrillo (Bartlett) 1-3, Sr. (Fall 2:53)
165
1st Place Match
Herny Downing (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 5-0, Sr. over Henry Hafner (Northbrook (Glenbrook North)) 5-2, Jr. (Fall 1:54)
3rd Place Match
Jackson Hjorth (Johnsburg) 3-1, Fr. over Connor Riley (Skokie (Niles North)) 2-3, Sr. (Dec 4-1)
5th Place Match
Jacob Becker (Vernon Hills) 3-1, So. over Jayden Valentino (Hoffman Estates (H.S.)) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 3:06)
7th Place Match
Eric Bello (Bartlett) 3-2, Sr. over Caleb Jendras (Arlington Heights (St. Viator)) 3-3, So. (Inj. 0:00)
175
1st Place Match
Ilia Dvoriannikov (Vernon Hills) 3-0, Jr. over Shane Onixt (Northbrook (Glenbrook North)) 5-2, Sr. (Fall 3:15)
3rd Place Match
Jason Yousif (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 5-1, Jr. over Daniel Rosas (Harvard) 1-2, Sr. (Inj. 0:00)
5th Place Match
Holden Wiegel (Burlington (Central)) 8-2, Sr. over Omar Adzhir (Grayslake (North)) 3-2, Jr. (Dec 9-3)
7th Place Match
Gavin Cafferkey (Grayslake (North)) 4-3, Jr. over Musa Amin (Evanston (Twp.)) 4-4, Fr. (Fall 1:48)
190
1st Place Match
Adnan Shkeir (Park Ridge (Maine East)) 3-0, Sr. over Joey Torres (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 4-1, Jr. (Fall 3:12)
3rd Place Match
Michael Junitz (Burlington (Central)) 6-3, Jr. over Josh Taylor (Chicago (Taft)) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 3:19)
5th Place Match
Angel Rosiles (Grayslake (North)) 4-3, So. over Colton Schneider (Arlington Heights (St. Viator)) 4-2, So. (Fall 3:26)
7th Place Match
Shane Blumberg (Vernon Hills) 3-2, Jr. over Kevin Salas (Harvard) 2-3, Sr. (SV-1 4-1)
215
1st Place Match
James Smrha (Bartlett) 3-0, Sr. over David Williams (Grayslake (North)) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 3:51)
3rd Place Match
Shiloh Martinez (Skokie (Niles North)) 3-2, Sr. over Andrew Peterson (Burlington (Central)) 2-6, So. (Fall 3:47)
5th Place Match
Sain Uranbold (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 4-2, Jr. over Louis Luna (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 2-2, So. (Dec 6-3)
7th Place Match
Todial Issac (Park Ridge (Maine East)) 1-2, Sr. over Bo Branum (Harvard) 0-3, Jr. (Fall 2:52)
285
1st Place Match
Jeremy Marshall (Evanston (Twp.)) 5-1, Sr. over Luis Alba (Bartlett) 2-1, Sr. (Dec 9-2)
3rd Place Match
Robbie White (Grayslake (North)) 2-3, Sr. over Eligiah Pagan (Chicago (Taft)) 1-2, So. (Fall 2:26)
5th Place Match
Hunter Johnson (Glenview (Glenbrook South)) 3-3, Jr. over Charles Plunkett (Crystal Lake (South)) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 2:36)
7th Place Match
Rhyllen Gutierrez (Skokie (Niles North)) 1-4, So. over Caiden Koski (Woodstock (North)) 0-3, Jr. (Inj. 5:36)

Team standings for Vernon Hills’ Cougar Thanksgiving Invitational
1. Glenbrook South 247 2, 2. Grayslake North 159.5, 3. Johnsburg 142.5, 4. Bartlett 133.5, 5. Glenbrook North 125, 6. Central 109, 6. Vernon Hills 109, 8. Crystal Lake South 108, 9. Taft 89, 10. Niles North 88, 11. Maine East 68.5, 12. Saint Viator 42, 13. Hoffman Estates 39, 14. Harvard 38, 15. Evanston 33, 16. Woodstock North 27, 17. Harvest Christian 22

Illini Bluffs Wrestling Invitational

Stanford Olympia has been crowned Illini Bluffs Wrestling Invite champion for the second consecutive year after its near 100-point advantage over second-place East Peoria Saturday afternoon in the village of Glasford.

Josh Collins’ club claimed a trio of first place trophies, and another ten top six medals en route to amassing 273.5 overall points to the 179.0 points earned by East Peoria.

Peoria Richwoods was third with 165.5 points, one more than Dunlap. Peoria Notre Dame would round out the top five on the leader-board at 129.5 points in this 20-plus team affair.

The trio of Brandon Gaither (106), Dylan Eimer (113) and Mateo Martinez (126)
got the Spartans off to a flying start en route to their overwhelming victory.

“Brandon (Gaither) is a tough freshman who is looking to make some waves this year, and Dylan Eimer is a senior with some unfinished business,” began Josh Collins.

“He’s a two-time fourth-place medalist looking to get to the top of the podium this year.”

Eimer, 33-5 a year ago, used three consecutive tech-falls to secure his title Gaither used a little bit of everything to reach his final where he would defeat Peoria Richwoods sophomore Wensley Rahn, 10-3.

Mateo Martinez, now twice champion at this invite, cruised to victory with a pair of falls before recording a tech-fall at 3:54 over Remi Joesting of Peoria Notre Dame.

“Mateo is a senior trying to make it onto the podium,” said Collins.

The Spartans depth would be key in their championship run with ten of their men earning top six medals, one of which was a second-place finish by Kelton Graden at 157.

The senior fell to reigning 1A state champion Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs) who was 51-2 a year ago, and enters this season as the No. 1 rated man at 144 pounds.

“We’re looking for Kelton to make some noise of his own this season,” said Collins.

Runner-up East Peoria would dominate at the higher weights with Dalton Oakman (190), Alec Del Toro (215) and his brother Jose Del Toro (285) sweeping aside the competition.

“Jose comes into the season as the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the state, and he is so much stronger this year after a fourth-place finish at state,” began East Peoria head coach Phil Johns.

“Everyone who finished ahead of him at state has graduated, and he has beaten the rest of the state-ranked guys. He’s determined to win state, and with his continued hard work, and a little bit of luck, he will get himself into that final.”

Del Toro was 30-9 last season, while his brother Alec (13-13) placing fourth at regionals last season. Alec has impressed Johns with his offseason regimen.

“Alec is a three-year varsity guy who wrestled smart,” Johns said. “He’s in great condition, and the extra lifting and maturing is helping him grow into his weight class.”

The Del Toro brothers would each need extra time in their respective finals: Jose Del Toro garnering a 2-1 tie-breaker victory over teammate Keegan Barnes, with Alec Del Toro a 4-2 tie-breaker decision over Peoria Notre Dame junior Joe Culp.

Oakman avenged a loss here a year ago to Ethan Dixon (Limestone) to secure his 190-pound crown. following his 15-5 major decision triumph.

“Dalton may eventually drop to 175 along the way, but he is beginning to wrestle so much better already after two years on the varsity,” said Johns.

Around the weight divisions, Illinis Bluffs’ Barrett Speck would give the hometown crowd something to celebrate after his win at 120 pounds in advance of the impressive day from teammate Jackson Carroll, who won the title at 157.

Ian Akers (41-6), state runner-up last season at 113, recorded three pins and a major decision to lift the big trophy at 132. The senior is No. 3 in the most recent state rankings.

Gabe Robb (138), Christopher Harris (150) and Gabe Martinez at 175 gave Peoria Richwoods three individual champs, Harris claiming his title with a fall in just 13 seconds.

Farmington’s 2024 state qualifier Bradlee Ellis (37-13) won his second straight title here after his pin at 3:51 in the 144-pound final.

Dunlap sophomore Jayden Schmick gave his club its lone title on the day at 165 pounds. Schmick, 26-19 last season, pinned his way to his crown.

“We have a real solid team this season that has the goal of bringing back a team state trophy,” said Collins.

The last time the Spartans advanced to dual-team state was 2017 when they finished third overall under head coach Pete Cleary with a 30-4-0 record.

Illini Bluffs Invite

106
1st Place Match
Brandon Gaither (Olympia) 3-0, Fr. over Wensley Rahn (Richwoods) 2-1, So. (Dec 10-3)
3rd Place Match
Kaleb Fuchs (Limestone) 3-1, Jr. over Sage Davis (Washington JV) 2-2, So. (Fall 0:52)
5th Place Match
Conner Knapp (Eureka) 2-2, Fr. over Jayden Schmider (Farmington) 2-3, Fr. (Fall 3:04)
113
1st Place Match
Dylan Eimer (Olympia) 3-0, Sr. over Tucker Garey (Olympia) 2-1, Fr. (TF-1.5 1:52 (19-4))
3rd Place Match
Parker Zerfass (Farmington) 3-1, So. over Jairon Royer (Macomb) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 2:32)
5th Place Match
Benny Marz (Dunlap) 2-2, Jr. over Nicholas Olson (Illinois Valley Central) 3-4, Fr. (For.)
120
1st Place Match
Barret Speck (Illini Bluffs) 6-0, Fr. over Henry Watson (Eureka) 2-1, So. (Fall 0:47)
3rd Place Match
Carter Knobloch (Olympia) 3-1, Jr. over Logan Makiney (Washington JV) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 1:06)
5th Place Match
Nathan Owens (Illini Bluffs) 7-2, Jr. over Josh Stedwill (Peoria Notre Dame) 5-4, So. (Fall 1:40)
126
1st Place Match
Mateo Martinez (Olympia) 3-0, Sr. over Remi Joesting (Peoria Notre Dame) 6-2, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:54 (17-2))
3rd Place Match
Nathan Ortiz (Richwoods) 4-1, Fr. over Ogdan Parker (Illini Bluffs) 5-3, Fr. (Dec 10-3)
5th Place Match
Jordan Jones (Farmington) 4-2, Fr. over Drake Clemons (Prairie Central) 3-3, Sr. (Dec 4-3)
132
1st Place Match
Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) 8-0, Sr. over Cooper Chester (East Peoria) 3-1, So. (Fall 3:19)
3rd Place Match
Colton Boyer (Richwoods) 4-1, Sr. over Kinzer Burell (Olympia) 3-2, Fr. (MD 10-0)
5th Place Match
John Traub (Prairie Central) 5-1, Sr. over Kalan Delbridge (Dunlap) 5-5, Sr. (Fall 1:14)
7th Place Match
Nic Parkins (Macomb) 2-2, Sr. over Alrec Robinson (ROWVA) 3-3, So. (DFF)
138
1st Place Match
Gabe Robb (Richwoods) 4-0, Jr. over Tristan Mosack (Dunlap) 6-2, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:51 (16-1))
3rd Place Match
Finn Hoffman (Eureka) 3-1, Fr. over Chase Frye (Farmington) 2-2, Fr. (Dec 6-5)
5th Place Match
Austin Kisner (Olympia) 4-1, Jr. over Gage Fox (Knoxville) 5-2, Sr. (Fall 4:52)
7th Place Match
Austin Brewer (Farmington) 2-2, So. over Gavyn Stevens (Knoxville) 3-2, Fr. (DFF)
144
1st Place Match
Bradlee Ellis (Farmington) 3-0, Jr. over Rikyis Doss (Richwoods) 3-1, Sr. (Fall 3:51)
3rd Place Match
Cooper Phillips (Olympia) 3-1, Sr. over Remington Vonderheide (Midwest Central) 4-4, Sr. (Fall 1:36)
5th Place Match
Devon Stone (Illinois Valley Central) 5-3, Jr. over Jamarkus Miller (East Peoria) 3-3, So. (Fall 3:43)
150
1st Place Match
Christopher Harris (Richwoods) 4-0, Sr. over Jacob Allen (Dunlap) 6-1, Sr. (Fall 0:13)
3rd Place Match
Trevor Soice (Heyworth) 3-1, Jr. over Cade Strawn (Eureka) 2-2, So. (Fall 2:48)
5th Place Match
Kaden Collins (Olympia) 4-1, Fr. over Jack Cordle (ROWVA) 5-4, Sr. (Fall 0:56)
7th Place Match
Liam Kilgore (East Peoria) 2-2, So. over Krystian Elloye (Dunlap) 3-2, So. (DFF)
157
1st Place Match
Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs) 7-0, Sr. over Kelton Graden (Olympia) 3-1, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:24 (23-8))
3rd Place Match
Cohen Green (Macomb) 3-1, Sr. over Colton Mosack (Dunlap) 2-2, So. (Dec 4-2)
5th Place Match
Sam Hoffman (Eureka) 4-1, Jr. over Antonio Toliver (Illinois Valley Central) 7-3, So. (For.)
7th Place Match
Jayden Hermacinski (Richwoods) 2-2, Fr. over Zach Roth (Washington JV) 2-2, Fr. (DFF)
165
1st Place Match
Jayden Schmick (Dunlap) 7-0, So. over Preston Schroeder (ROWVA) 7-1, Sr. (Fall 3:56)
3rd Place Match
Wyatt Durham (East Peoria) 3-1, Jr. over Kayden Thomas (Olympia) 2-2, So. (Fall 2:43)
5th Place Match
Atsard Aplogan (Macomb) 5-1, Sr. over John Couri (Peoria Notre Dame) 7-3, Sr. (Fall 0:40)
7th Place Match
Isaac Jin (Dunlap) 2-3, Sr. over Maison Toliver (Illinois Valley Central) 3-2, So. (DFF)
175
1st Place Match
Gabe Martinez (Richwoods) 4-0, Sr. over Owen Moser (Illinois Valley Central) 5-2, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:45 (16-1))
3rd Place Match
Braden Brown (Washington JV) 3-1, Jr. over Tristian Stamp (Heyworth) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 5:12)
5th Place Match
Brayden Flinn (East Peoria) 4-1, Jr. over Jeshua McPheeters (Macomb) 4-2, So. (Fall 1:40)
7th Place Match
Brody Simons (Heyworth) 2-2, Fr. over Sie Couri (Peoria Notre Dame) 5-3, Sr. (DFF)
190
1st Place Match
Dalton Oakman (East Peoria) 3-0, Jr. over Ethan Dixon (Limestone) 2-1, Sr. (MD 15-5)
3rd Place Match
Zach Fry (Olympia) 5-1, So. over Jarrod Fulcher (Heyworth) 3-2, So. (Fall 3:34)
5th Place Match
Kyler Cheatham (Macomb) 3-2, Sr. over Matthew Schmitt (Dunlap) 4-3, Sr. (M. For.)
215
1st Place Match
Alec Del Toro (East Peoria) 4-0, Jr. over Joe Culp (Peoria Notre Dame) 7-1, Sr. (TB-1 4-2)
3rd Place Match
Cayden Sanders (ROWVA) 6-1, Sr. over Darien Jones (Peoria Heights) 2-1, Sr. (M. For.)
5th Place Match
Carson Paustian (Dunlap) 6-1, Sr. over Cohen Maness (Olympia) 4-2, Jr. (Fall 1:06)
7th Place Match
Bobby Stickelmaier (Peoria Notre Dame) 2-2, Sr. over Charlie Tiezzi (Dunlap) 3-2, Jr. (DFF)
285
1st Place Match
Jose Del Toro (East Peoria) 4-0, Sr. over Keegan Barnes (East Peoria) 3-1, Jr. (TB-1 2-1)
3rd Place Match
Alex Brown (Macomb) 5-1, Sr. over Darian Holloway (Olympia) 4-2, Jr. (Fall 0:54)
5th Place Match
Brady Mullens (Peoria Notre Dame) 7-2, Jr. over Ayden Sanders (ROWVA) 4-5, Sr. (Fall 1:50)

Team standings at Illini Bluffs
1. Olympia 273.5, 2. East Peoria 179, 3. Richwoods 165.5, 4. Dunlap 164.5, Peoria Notre Dame 129.5, 6. Macomb 114, 7. Eureka 104.5, 8. Farmington 99, 9. Illinois Valley Central 91, 10. ROWVA 87.5, 11. Heyworth 76.5, 12. Illini Bluffs 75, 13. Washington JV 60.5, 14. Limestone 57, 15. Prairie Central 34.5, 16. Midwest Central 31.5, 17. Knoxville 26.5, 18. Monmouth United 17, 18. Peoria Heights 17, 20. Manual 3.

Antioch’s Ted DeRousse Invitational

It would be a group of granite trio that the rest of the field would find nearly impossible to break open at Antioch’s annual Ted DeRousse Invitational.

IC Catholic Prep, West Aurora and Marmion Academy would gobble up nearly all of the first place trophies to claim an incredible number of points when this long running tournament came to an end.

2A state power IC-Catholic Prep finished on top with an amazing 430.5 overall points. West Aurora would take home second place with its 356.5 points, seven more than Marmion Academy which ended the day with 349.5 points.

Yorkville Christian broke the 300-point barrier with 320.5 to earn a well-deserved fourth place while Deerfield edged St. Patrick to earn fifth place with 287.5 points.

“We were very pleased with our result, but we know we have a lot of work to do if we want to  reach the goals we’ve set at the end of the season,” said IC Prep head coach Danny Alcocer.

”There’s a lot of potential in this young group that we have, so we’re looking for everyone to continue to work hard, and continue to improve throughout the year.”

Alcocer lost five of the ten state qualifiers from a year ago to graduation – over 200 victories combined – all who were state medal winners, including state champions Michael Calcagno (215).

“We graduated five all-state seniors, and will be replacing them with underclassmen, who will be part of the present and future of this team, but we expect great things from them as the season goes on,” Alcocer said.

Returning state champion Deven Casey gave the Knights the first of their four titles when he used a 4-1 decision to defeat Demetrios Carrera of Marmion Academy in their 132-pound final.

Carrera, twice a state qualifier, came over from South Elgin where he won 76 matches in two seasons.

Freshman Aidan Arnett gave the Knights their second title at 144, followed by a third from junior Brody Kelly with a tech-fall at 175.

Kelly was a 2A state runner-up last year in Champaign.

Junior Foley Calcagno, already a two-time state medal winner, brought home the fourth championship for the Knights when he would defeat Teigen Moreno of Dundee-Crown in their 215-pound final.

“Aidan is one of our stud freshman, so it was great to see him step his game up in order to compete at the varsity level, while Brody, who was named (outstanding wrestler) at the upper weights, had such a great tournament,” said Alcocer.

“Foley was just dominant all throughout, so we’re hoping he can keep that same pace and high output throughout the season.”

West Aurora was led by the Serio brothers: Dominic and Dayne, who are both rated the No. 3 men in their respective weight divisions in the first state polls released by Rob Sherrill.

Dominic Serio, who was fourth overall at state last February with a record of 33-4, recorded a tech-fall over Andrew Haritos (Marmion Academy) in the 157-pound final.

Haritos was at Glenbrook South last season.

Dayne Serio (35-7) also a state qualifier, won a hard fought 3-0 contest in overtime over Yorkville Christian senior and state qualifier Robby Nelson (41-7) to win at 165 pounds.

Teammate and sophomore Marcus Quintana gave West Aurora its third champion of the tournament at 150 pounds when he outlasted Quincy senior Eli Roberts via 1-0 decision.

Marmion Academy, still not at full strength, did, however, garner four individual titles beginning at 106 pounds where sophomore Colton Wyller tech-falled Jack Koenig of St. Patrick at 5:51 by the score of 25-9.

Another Cadets sophomore, Logan Conover beat Kannon Judycki (IC Catholic Prep) 4-2 to secure his crown at 120 pounds.

No. 1-rated Zach Stewart, a returning state champion, would easily collect the 138-pound trophy on Saturday, and Marmion senior Mateusz Nycz was victorious at 285-pounds after his 2-0 decision over Mundelein senior Abisai Hernandez.

Hernandez was sixth last season at state to give the Mustangs their first state medal in program history at the heavyweight division.

“Mateusz, Zach and Colton all dominated their competition, both this weekend and last week at our Marmion Cadet Classic on Wednesday,” began Cadets head coach Anthony Cirrincione.

“Colton Wyller was at 95 pounds last year and has moved into his spot at 106 very nicely, and Carrera had a great match against No. 1 Michael Esteban of Marist at our Classic with his 4-0 victory.”

St. Patrick junior Danny Goodwin won at 113 pounds after his 5-3 decision against Normal Community senior Dylan McGrew. Goodwin was sixth at state a year ago with an impressive 40-11 record.

Coji Campbell from St. Joseph Catholic Academy won easily at 126 to jump-start what he hopes is a third consecutive Wisconsin State title later this season.

The junior was 45-0 at 120 pounds last season.

2024 2A state qualifier Mike Taheny (31-6) from Richards won at 190 pounds over Rolling Meadows junior John Rappa with a pin at 3:25.

Antioch’s Ted DeRousse Invitational results

106
1st Place Match
Colton Wyller (Marmion Academy) 5-0, So. over Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) 4-1, So. (TF-1.5 5:51 (25-9))
3rd Place Match
Preston Morrison (Marmion Academy) 4-1, So. over Liam Perkins (Carmel) 3-2, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:46 (18-3))
5th Place Match
Dominic Paqueale (IC Catholic Prep) 4-1, So. over Aiden Ambre (West Aurora) 3-2, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:53 (19-4))
7th Place Match
Christian Saucedo (Mundelein) 4-2, So. over Jorey Becker (Deerfield) 2-3, So. (Dec 4-2)
113
Guaranteed Places
1st Place Match
Danny Goodwin (St. Patrick) 4-0, Jr. over Dylan McGrew (Normal West) 3-1, Sr. (Dec 5-3)
3rd Place Match
Gabriel Richmond (West Aurora) 3-1, Fr. over Mike Bird (IC Catholic Prep) 2-2, Fr. (MD 13-2)
5th Place Match
Gideon Hayter (Mahomet-Seymour) 3-1, So. over Clayton McClelland (Quincy Senior) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 5:36)
7th Place Match
Gabi Pearlman (Deerfield) 2-2, . over Jayden Rudnicki (Lakes) 1-3, So. (TF-1.5 1:59 (17-2))
120
1st Place Match
Logan Conover (Marmion Academy) 5-0, So. over Kannon Judycki (IC Catholic Prep) 4-2, So. (Dec 7-6)
3rd Place Match
Aiden Larsen (Yorkville Christian) 3-1, Sr. over Calvin Stahl (St. Patrick) 3-2, Jr. (Dec 5-0)
5th Place Match
William DuChemin (Wilmot Union, WI) 4-1, So. over Blake Anderson (Peotone) 3-2, So. (Fall 1:58)
7th Place Match
Joseph Huicochea (West Aurora) 2-2, Sr. over Colin Deatherage (Lakes) 2-3, So. (TF-1.5 1:19 (17-2))
126
1st Place Match
Coji Campbell (Ken. St. Joseph Cath., WI) 5-0, Sr. over Adrian Cohen (Deerfield) 4-1, So. (Fall 0:56)
3rd Place Match
Wyatt Boeing (Quincy Senior) 3-1, Jr. over Danny Martinez (Deerfield) 2-2, So. (Fall 5:17)
5th Place Match
Jacob Smith (Antioch) 3-1, So. over Alexander Schuetz (Hinsdale South) 3-2, Jr. (Dec 8-7)
7th Place Match
Griffen McGrew (Normal West) 1-2, So. over Bye
132
1st Place Match
Deven Casey (IC Catholic Prep) 6-0, Sr. over Demetrios Carrera (Marmion Academy) 4-1, Jr. (Dec 5-1)
3rd Place Match
Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) 4-1, Jr. over Alexander Shvartsman (Deerfield) 3-2, So. (MD 14-2)
5th Place Match
Jackson Palzet (Deerfield) 3-1, Sr. over Luis Medina (Zion-Benton) 2-2, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:24 (18-2))
7th Place Match
Colton McClure (Mahomet-Seymour) 2-2, Jr. over Abram Rader (Normal West) 1-3, Sr. (Fall 5:10)
138
1st Place Match
Zach Stewart (Marmion Academy) 5-0, Jr. over Jordan Rasof (Deerfield) 4-1, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:00 (20-5))
3rd Place Match
Matt Lucansky (Carmel) 4-1, Sr. over Chris Gerardo (Dundee-Crown) 4-2, Sr. (Dec 1-0)
5th Place Match
Alvarez Jacob (IC Catholic Prep) 4-1, Fr. over Dylan Solesky (Zion-Benton) 3-2, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:56 (18-1))
7th Place Match
Justus Vrona (Mahomet-Seymour) 3-2, Jr. over Caleb Yancoskie (Dundee-Crown) 2-4, Sr. (Fall 5:43)
144
1st Place Match
Aidan Arnett (IC Catholic Prep) 5-0, Fr. over Chase Nobiling (Antioch) 4-1, Jr. (Dec 11-4)
3rd Place Match
Evan Matkovich (West Aurora) 4-1, Jr. over Al Amir Almannai (Hinsdale South) 3-2, Jr. (MD 16-6)
5th Place Match
Jonathan Kopcio (Marmion Academy) 4-1, So. over Tristin King (Rich Township) 5-2, Jr. (MD 16-7)
7th Place Match
Alex Asllani (Carmel) 3-2, Sr. over Ethan Banda (Mundelein) 3-3, Jr. (For.)
150
1st Place Match
Marcus Quintana (West Aurora) 5-0, So. over Eli Roberts (Quincy Senior) 4-1, Sr. (Dec 1-0)
3rd Place Match
Joey Pontrelli (IC Catholic Prep) 4-2, So. over Jadon Wheatley (Dundee-Crown) 5-2, Jr. (MD 8-0)
5th Place Match
Tiras Lombardo (Yorkville Christian) 4-1, Sr. over Jacob Rasof (Deerfield) 3-2, . (Dec 12-11)
7th Place Matc
Gabriel Sarnella (Woodstock) 3-2, So. over Antonio Hinojosa (Carmel) 2-3, Jr. (Inj. 0:00)
157
1st Place Match
Dominic Serio (West Aurora) 5-0, Sr. over Andrew Haritos (Marmion Academy) 4-1, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:20 (17-2))
3rd Place Match
Kevin Hernandez (Mundelein) 5-1, Sr. over John Gray (Yorkville Christian) 3-2, Sr. (Dec 8-4)
5th Place Match
Chasen Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) 4-1, Sr. over Rennie Lilo (Quincy Senior) 2-2, So. (Dec 7-0)
7th Place Match
Connor Pasch (Peotone) 3-2, Sr. over Charlie Cross (Deerfield) 2-3, Sr. (Dec 7-6)
165
1st Place Match
Dayne Serio (West Aurora) 5-0, Jr. over Robby Nelson (Yorkville Christian) 4-1, Sr. (SV-1 3-0)
3rd Place Match
Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) 4-1, Jr. over AJ Demos (Mahomet-Seymour) 3-2, Sr. (Dec 7-5)
5th Place Match
Gunnar Derhake (Quincy Senior) 3-1, Sr. over Nathan Gorski (Antioch) 2-2, Sr. (Fall 3:18)
7th Place Match
Michael Flatley (Lakes) 2-2, So. over Jadin Billingsley (Rich Township) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 6:25)
175
1st Place Match
Brody Kelly (IC Catholic Prep) 6-0, Jr. over Marco Casillas (Mahomet-Seymour) 4-1, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:04 (19-4))
3rd Place Match
Ben Vazquez (Antioch) 4-1, Sr. over Van Grasser (St. Patrick) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 1:06)
5th Place Match
Josh Rappa (Rolling Meadows) 4-1, Jr. over Benjamin Miller (Hinsdale South) 2-2, So. (MD 20-6)
7th Place Match
Danny Hernandez (Mundelein) 1-2, Jr. over Nick Parker (Rich Township) 2-4, Jr. (Fall 1:51)
190
1st Place Match
Mike Taheny (Richards) 5-0, .over John Rappa (Rolling Meadows) 5-1, Jr. (Fall 3:25)
3rd Place Match
Brock VanDeveer (Mahomet-Seymour) 4-1, Sr. over Zach Anderson (Dundee-Crown) 5-2, Jr. (Fall 2:17)
5th Place Match
Isaac Barrientos (IC Catholic Prep) 4-1, Fr. over Jackson Allen (Yorkville Christian) 3-2, Jr. (MD 11-2)
7th Place Match
Willy Nieves-Pena (Mundelein) 3-2, Sr. over Tim Golden (St. Patrick) 1-3, So. (Fall 0:46)
215
1st Place Match
Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic Prep) 6-0, Jr. over Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown) 4-1, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:52 (22-6))
3rd Place Match
Jeremy Johanik (Wheaton Academy) 4-1, Sr. over Sal Espinoza (St. Patrick) 2-2, Sr. (Fall 0:54)
5th Place Match
Will Pasquire Betanco (Mundelein) 5-1, So. over Phil Daniels (Mahomet-Seymour) 1-2, Jr. (Dec 8-4)
7th Place Match
Xander Oliver (Yorkville Christian) 2-2, Sr. over Azamat Samarov (Deerfield) 1-3, . (Fall 1:12)
285
1st Place Match
Mateusz Nycz (Marmion Academy) 5-0, Sr. over Abisai Hernandez (Mundelein) 5-1, Sr. (Dec 2-0)
3rd Place Match
Garrett Tunnell (Yorkville Christian) 3-1, Sr. over Alfonso Aguilar (West Aurora) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 2:56)
5th Place Match
Anthony Sebastian (IC Catholic Prep) 4-1, So. over Owen Shea (Antioch) 3-2, Jr. (TB-2 3-2)
7th Place Match
Isaiah Tellado (Zion-Benton) 3-2, Sr. over Roy Ramirez (Dundee-Crown) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 2:55)

Team standings for Antioch’s Ted DeRousse Invitational
1. IC Catholic Prep 430.5, 2. West Aurora 356.5, 3, Marmion Academy 349.5, Yorkville Christian 320.5, 5. Deerfield 287.5, 6. St. Patrick 281.0, 7. Quincy Senior 279.5, 8. Mahomet-Seymour 275.5, 9. Mundelein 266.0, 10. Dundee-Crown 207.0, 11. Antioch 200.5, 12. Wheaton Academy 199.0, 13. Hinsdale South 160.0, 14. Normal West 136.0, 15. Zion-Benton 134.0, 16. Lakes 121.0, 17. Carmel 119.5, 18. Woodstock 112.0, 19. Peotone 110.0, 20. Wilmot Union, WI, 107.0, 21. Richards 99.5, 22. Rich Township 95.5, 23. Rolling Meadows 68.5, Ken – St. Joseph Catholic, WI, 56.0.

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

NCHS Wrestling Girls Invitational

Schaumburg hit the ground running this season.
The Saxons were dominant at this year’s 29-team Normal Community Girls Invitational, topping the field by 88.5 team points on Nov. 24. Schaumburg won 227.5-139 over second-place Plainfield South, with Joliet Central (128) taking third, Homewood-Flossmoor (126.5) fourth, and Collnsville (124) rounding out the top five team finishes.
Saxons coach Matt Gruszka was happy with his girls performance in Normal, and he’s optimistic that the meteoric rise of girls wrestling in Illinois will continue.
“I thought the competition was very tough this year and I can see how many of these freshmen around the state will make an impact because of the experience they bring in from wrestling in the IKWF,” Gruszka said. “The IKWF has done an outstanding job promoting and setting up state tournaments for the girls and that translates to success at the next level.”
Schaumburg got team points from 12 wrestlers, including three individual champions in Madyson Meyer (120), Anna Villareal (125), and Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (145), one runner-up, three third-place finishers, and two fifth-place finishers.

“The girls wrestled tough,” Gruszka said. “We have a good mix of old and new talent that we are excited about.
“The three champs had an outstanding day. Madyson Meyer beat a quality opponent in the finals from Homewood-Flossmoor (Nina Hamm). Anna Villarreal really has progressed from last year where she had 36 wins, and Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic has her goals set high this year. Nadia Razzak also took second at 190 and wrestled well but lost to a tough opponent from Plainfield South.”
1st place: Schaumburg (227.5 points)
Individual champs Meyer (120), Villareal (125) and Zerafa-Lazarevic (145) led the charge, and the Saxons also got a second-place finish from Razzak (190) in the win. Placing third for for Schaumburg were Mia Phelps (105), Alina Garcia (140), and Alya Razzak (170). Justice Girod (110) and Sharon Olorunfemi (135) took fifth, and Layla McHenry (170) finished sixth for the Saxons.
2nd place: Plainfield South (139)
Nine girls scored team points for the Cougars, led by individual champions Teagan Aurich (155) and Keira Enright (190), and a runner-up finish from Layla Spann (170). Coach Dan Saracco also got a pair of fourth-place finishes from Amie Fuentes (105) and Lexi Kachiroubas (130), a fifth from Mora Munoz (140), and an eighth from Allison Asante (120). Micayla Cory (145) and Timi Mudasiru (235) also chipped in team points for the Cougars.

3rd place: Joliet Central (128)
A pair of second-place finishes from Ariadna Arciniega (100) and Izabel Barrera (140) paced the Steelwomen’s third-place team finish for coach Marcus McCullum. Central also got a third from Alisha Carter (110), fourths from Shaila Aguirre (115) and Evelyne Perez-Bedolla (190), and a sixth from Melissa Aguirre (125).
Other individual champions in Normal were Gibson City’s Justice Mulligan (100), Lemont’s Ariana Baier (105), Pekin’s Tessa Donaldson (110), Galesburg’s Eliana Juarez (115), Canton’s Kinnley Smith (130), Granite City’s Audrey Barnes (135), Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson (140), Highland’s August Rottman (170), and Ottawa’s Juliana Thrush (235).
Schaumburg’s 31 total pins led all teams in Normal, and Collinsville led all teams in tech falls with four. Joliet Central’s April Ortiz had five pins in 8:59 to lead all individuals, and Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson provided her side’s tournament-leading four tech falls, in 13:33, and Dawson also scored the most match points by any individual present, with 74.
Schaumburg’s Anna Villareal scored the most team points with 34, while Pontiac’s Sophia Mussari and Plainfield South’s Sammie N’Tone tied for the most points in a single match with 23. Collinsville’s Londyn Long provided the largest seed-place difference, as the No. 23 seed finished third at 125.

Team scores: Schaumburg 227.5, Plainfield South 139, Joliet Central 128, Homewood-Flossmoor 126.5, Collinsville 124, Galesburg 100, Pekin 81.5, Erie 77.5, Morris 77.5, Canton 74, Lemont 71, Normal West 62, Ottawa 61, East Peoria 57, Granite City 54, Gibson City 52, Highland 49, Centennial 44, Richwoods 43, Unity 40, Morton 39, Urbana 37, Westville 35.5, Pontiac 32.5, Deer Creek-M. 24, Belleville East 21, Mahomet-Seymour 17, Olympia 16, Bloomington 13, Clinton 13

NCHS Girls Invitational results
100:
Championship: Justice Milligan (Gibson City) 3-0, Sr. over Ariadna Arciniega (Joliet C) 3-1, Jr. (F 3:04)

Third: Mya Down (Stanford (Olympia)) 3-1, Sr. over sandy clark (Clinton) 1-2, Jr. (MD 12-3)

Fifth: Ariel Sipes (Petersburg (PORTA)) 2-1, Fr. over Kinsley Furnald (Galesburg) 2-2, So. (F 3:10)

105:
Championship: Ariana Baier (Lemont) 3-0, Fr. over Ellie Evans (Morris) 2-1, Sr. (Dec 11-4)

Third: Mia Phelps (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 2-1, Fr. over Amie Fuentes (Plainfield S) 1-2, Jr. (F 3:46)
Fifth: Briana Ramirez (Granite City) 2-1, Jr. over Shayla Schielein (Canton) 1-2, So. (Dec 3-2)

110:

Championship: Tessa Donaldson (Pekin) 4-0, Jr. over Kennedy McMenimen (East Peoria) 2-1, Jr. (TF-1.5 6:00 (17-1))

Third: Alisha Carter (Joliet C) 3-1, Jr. over Carlly Ho (Rochester) 2-2, So. (Dec 4-2)

Fifth: Justice Girod (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 4-1, So. over Grace Aeschliman (Metamora) 3-2, Jr. (F 0:45)

115:
Championship: Eliana Juarez (Galesburg) 4-0, Sr. over London Gandy (Homewood-F) 4-1, Jr. (F 2:29)

Third: Madizyn Megrant (Pekin) 3-1, So. over Shaila Aguirre (Joliet C) 2-2, Fr. (F 0:21)

Fifth: Emma Ford (Collinsville) 4-1, Jr. over Maggie Gordon (Morris) 4-2, Sr. (F 1:34)

120:

Championship: Madyson Meyer (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 4-0, Sr. over Nina Hamm (Homewood-F) 3-1, Sr. (F 1:15)

Third: Jocelyn Cobix (Pontiac) 4-1, Fr. over Violet Pennington (Pekin) 3-0, So. (M. For.)

Fifth: Ryleigh Stephens (Erie) 4-1, So. over Chloe Hedges (Canton) 4-2, Fr. (MD 14-1)

125:

Championship: Anna Villarreal (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 5-0, Jr. over Makayla Marr (Homewood-F) 4-1, Jr. (Inj. 3:27)

Third: Londyn Long (Collinsville) 4-1, Fr. over Jaydah Green (Peoria (Richwoods)) 3-2, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

Fifth: Amelia McClure (Normal (Community West)) 4-1, Jr. over Melissa Aguirre (Joliet C) 4-2, Sr. (F 0:33)

130:

Championship: Kinnley Smith (Canton) 4-0, Sr. over Karen Canchola (Morton) 5-1, . (Dec 4-0)

Third: Molly O`Connor (Lemont) 3-1, Jr. over Lexi Kachiroubas (Plainfield S) 2-2, So. (F 1:27)

Fifth: Michelle Naftzger (Erie) 4-1, Jr. over April Ortiz (Joliet C) 5-2, Sr. (MD 12-0)

135:

Championship: Audrey Barnes (Granite City) 4-0, So. over Ava Beldo (Centennial) 4-1, So. (F 5:37)

Third: Addyson Bailey (Collinsville) 4-1, Fr. over Amara Nwyoe (Homewood-F) 2-2, So. (F 2:23)

Fifth: Sharon Olorunfemi (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 5-1, So. over Randi Campe (Urbana) 3-2, Sr. (F 2:35)

140:

Championship: Taylor Dawson (Collinsville) 4-0, Sr. over Izabel Barrera (Joliet C) 3-1, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:40 (18-1))

Third: Alina Garcia (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 3-1, So. over Brionna Latin (Belleville E) 2-2, Sr. (F 2:28)

Fifth: Mora Munoz (Plainfield S) 4-1, So. over Sinceer Edwards (Centennial) 3-2, Jr. (Dec 11-8)

145:

Championship: Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 3-0, Sr. over Avery Schlickman (Gibson City) 3-1, Sr. (F 1:29)

Third: Ava Weatherford (Ottawa (Twp.)) 3-1, Jr. over Dena Cox (Erie) 2-2, Sr. (F 1:36)

Fifth: Vivian Guither (Normal (Community West)) 4-1, Sr. over Kennedy Smith (Canton) 3-2, So. (MD 8-0)

155:

Championship: Teagan Aurich (Plainfield S) 4-0, Sr. over Holly Hixon (Mackinaw (Deer Creek-M.)) 3-1, Sr. (F 1:40)

Third: Tashieya Taylor (Collinsville) 3-1, Sr. over Rachel Nugin (Homewood-F) 2-2, So. (F 0:47)

Fifth: Anna Vasey (Unity) 4-1, Jr. over Annalisa Gibbons (Galesburg) 3-2, Sr. (MD 11-3)

170:

Championship: August Rottmann (Highland) 4-0, Sr. over Layla Spann (Plainfield S) 2-1, Fr. (F 1:08)

Third: Alya Razzak (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 3-1, Sr. over Dezyrae Murray (East Peoria) 2-2, So. (Dec 5-2)

Fifth: Jayda Rosenow (Erie) 4-1, Sr. over Layla McHenry (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 3-2, Fr. (F 1:57)

190:

Championship: Keira Enright (Plainfield S) 5-0, Sr. over Nadia Razzak (Schaumburg (H.S.)) 3-1, Jr. (F 1:11)

Third: Morgan Congo (Morris) 3-1, Sr. over Evelyne Perez-Bedolla (Joliet C) 3-2, So. (F 1:43)

Fifth: Sydney Johnson (Peoria (Richwoods)) 5-1, Jr. over Sophia Elkins (Highland) 5-2, So. (Dec 13-9)

235:

Championship: Juliana Thrush (Ottawa (Twp.)) 4-0, Jr. over Phoenix Molina (Unity) 3-1, Jr. (F 3:28)

Third: Addison Briggs (Westville) 3-1, So. over Rowyn Page (Lemont) 2-2, Sr. (F 1:26)

Fifth: Cadence Duvall (Normal (Community West)) 5-1, Sr. over Isabella Rivera (Galesburg) 3-2, So. (F 1:41)

Fremd Girls Invitational

With three individual champions, three runners-up, and 13 total wrestlers earning team points, Andrew had enough cushion to finish ahead of Joliet West at this year’s 17-team Fremd Girls Invitational.
Coach Liz Short’s Thunderbolts won 221.5-188, followed by Huntley (155), Hampshire (119) and Stevenson (110) to round out the top five team finishes.
Comprised of girls from Andrew, Stagg, and Carl Sandburg, Andrew also won a season-opening 29-team tournament at Minooka.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how the team has performed,” coach Liz Short said. “We have had an amazing start with these first two tournaments. Every match is a learning opportunity, and I know this experience will make us stronger as we continue to build for this upcoming season. 

“This tournament was a great test for us. We faced some tough competition, but I’m proud of the way our athletes represented themselves and the program

Like girls coaches around the state, Short is witnessing a tidal wave in girls’ wrestling in Illinois.

“It’s been incredible to see how the level of competition has grown,” she said. “More and more girls are getting involved, and the quality of the matches is improving every year. And one thing that stands out is the way these athletes support each other. The team culture is something we’ve really worked on, and it’s amazing to see how they motivate one another both in the practice room and in competition.”

1st place: Andrew (221.5)
The Thunderbolts got individual titles from Jade Hardee (105), Alyssa Keane (140), and Emma Akpan (190), and seconds from Brynnley Krauchen (120), Nola Oben (170), and Sophie Reichard (145) as a non-scoring wrestler. In the closest finals match of the day, second-seeded Akpan won a 2-0 decision over fourth-seeded Samantha Diehl of Hampshire.
Short also got thirds from Sophia Figueroa (120) and Saja Bader (125), a fourth from Mackenzie Conroy (130), and fifths from Angelina Marsella (130), Anastasia Dvorak (140), Ahlam Meyhar (145), and Gabriella Vasquez (235). Marsella and Dvorak both  placed as a non-scoring wrestlers.
Other Thunderbolts scoring team points were Iman Ikamawi (100), Tatum De La Vega (110), Alanis Engstrom (115), and Liana Lill (135).
“All three of our champions (Hardee, Keane, and Akpan) were active in the offseason competing this summer for Team Illinois,” Short said. “They’ve come into this season ready to go and have created a positive ripple in the wrestling room. They have come back in shape, with new skill,  and a sense of determination that sets a positive tone for the entire team.

“We’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m excited about the progress we have made. We’re focused on continuing to improve, and we’re ready for the challenges that lie ahead.”

2nd place: Joliet West (188)
Tigers coach Erik Murry got an individual title from Natalie Quiroz (235) and saw five wrestlers win their 3rd:-place matches in Aysia Smith (100), Takyla Johnson (105), Veronica Klobnak (140), Bianca Campos (170), and Trista Pisano (190).
Twelve girls scored team points for Joliet West, including Koral Flamming (115), Willow Perruque (120), Briana Klobnak (125), Addison Berey (130), Vanessa O’Connor (145), and Majh Starks (155).

3rd: place: Huntley (155)
Aubrie Rohrbacher (135) led the charge for Huntley, wining an individual title for the Red Raiders and coach Gannon Kosowski. Nariah Adams (140) earned second-place and Sara Willis (235) placed 3rd:.
Ten Red Raiders earned team points, including Alissa Lessner (115), Aubrey Balovich (120), Julietta Ceballos (125), Parker Chase (130), Lilliana Castanon (145), Gianna Scheiblein (155), and Natalie Aguirre (170).

Other individual champions at Fremd were Elk Grove’s Linna Vo (100), Leyden’s Zoey Dodgers (110), Elk Grove’s Valeria Pesantes (115), Hampshire’s Amelia Nidelea-Polanin (120), Grayslake Central’s Gianna Arzer (125), Stevenson’s Karina Lojowski (130), Huntley’s Aubrie Rohrbacher (135), Hampshire’s Madison Minson (145), South Elgin’s Alison Garbacz (155), and Hampshire’s Annelise Tavira (170).
With four pins in 4:14, Huntley’s Sara Willis (235) had the most pins in the least time of any wrestler present at Fremd. Willis also posted the fastest pin, in 12 seconds. Grayslake Central’s Gianna Arzer (125) had the fastest tech F, in 1:14.
Hampshire’s Madison Minson (145) and Huntley’s Aubrie Rohrbacher (135) tied for the lead for the most team points earned, with 30 apiece. Stevenson’s Olivia Guo (120) scored the most points in a single match with 29, and Hampshire’s Amelia  Nidelea-Polanin (120) produced the most total match points of any wrestler, with 58.
Team scores: Andrew 221.5, Joliet West 188, Huntley 155, Hampshire 119, Stevenson 110, Elk Grove 108, St. Charles East 93, South Elgin 91, Bartlett 77.5, Leyden 58, Proviso East 51.5, Buffalo Grove 48, Grayslake Central 47, Lisle 43.5, Waubonsie Valley 42, Hinsdale Central 34, Fremd 7

Fremd Invitational results:
100

Championship: Linna Vo (Elk Grove) 2-0, So Kahlynn Spurgeon (Bartlett) 2-1, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:14 (17-1)

Third place: Aysia Smith (Joliet W) 3-1, Sr Lidia Basave (Proviso E) 2-2, . (F 0:22)

Fifth place: Kayla Vasquez (Leyden) 1-2, So Iman Ikarmawi (Andrew) 1-3, . (F 3:15

Seventh place: Chloe Lachica (Stevenson) 0-2, Fr () , . (Bye)

105

Championship: Jade Hardee (Andrew) 3-0, Fr ANNI ROMO (S Elgin) 1-1, So. (F 1:14)

Third place: Takyla Johnson (Joliet W) 2-1, Fr Emily Gandar (Leyden) 2-2, Fr. (F 0:38)

Fifth place: Morgan Kelley (Joliet W) 1-2, So Makenna Laarvard (Stevenson) 1-1, Jr. (M. For.)

110

Championship: Zoey Dodgers (Leyden) 5-0, So Cadence DuBois (Lisle) 2-1, So. (F 4:53)
Third place: Sydney Stieb (SC East) 4-1, Fr Regina Jones (Proviso E) 2-2, So. (F 1:33)

Fifth place: Isabla Hernandez (S Elgin) 3-2,  Bella Clayton (Grayslake C) 1-5, Fr. (F 1:20)

Seventh place: Tatum De La Vega (Andrew) 2-1,  MONSE ALVAREZ (S Elgin) 1-2, So. (F 0:18)

115

Championship: Valeria Pesantes (Elk Grove) 4-1, Jr Eliza Diaz (SC East) 3-1, Jr. (F 0:53)

Third place: Azucena Rodriguez (S Elgin) 4-1, Jr Alissa Lessner (Huntley) 3-2, Fr. (F 0:41)

Fifth place: Maddie Powell (Grayslake C) 4-4, So Koral Flamming (Joliet W) 2-3, . (F 1:57)

Seventh place: Giulia Gheciu (Stevenson) 3-1, So Alanis Engstrom (Andrew) 3-2, . (F 0:40)

120

Championship: Amelia Nidelea-Polanin (Hampshire) 4-0, So Brynnley Krauchen (Andrew) 3-1, . (F 0:35)

Third place: Sophia Figueroa (Andrew) 4-1,  Nastasia Kobets (Stevenson) 3-2, So. (Dec 13-8)

Fifth place: Chloe Cortez (Joliet W) 3-2, Jr Olivia Guo (Stevenson) 2-3, So. (Inj. 3:25)

Seventh place: Sabrina Bono (Leyden) 4-1, So Ulyana Krylova (Stevenson) 2-3, Fr. (F 0:22)

125

Championship: Gianna Arzer (Grayslake C) 6-1, Jr Emma Engels (Bartlett) 3-1, Sr. (Dec 4-2)

Third place: Saja Bader (Andrew) 4-1,  Julieta Ceballos (Huntley) 3-2, Jr. (F 1:30)

Fifth place: Alianna Luna (Elk Grove) 4-3,  Nora Guisinger (Andrew) 2-3, . (F 1:33)

Seventh place: Briana Klobnak (Joliet W) 4-1,  Lianny Guzman (Huntley) 2-3, Sr. (F 0:56)

130

Championship: Karina Lojowski (Stevenson) 3-0, Jr Lilly White (Bartlett) 2-1, Jr. (F 4:24)

Third place: Sophie Crescenzo (Lisle) 4-1, Fr Mackenzie Conroy (Andrew) 3-2, . (TF-1.5 4:19 (15-0)

Fifth place: Angelina Marsella (Andrew) 3-2,  Melanie Mundo (Proviso E) 2-3, . (F 3:48)

Seventh place: Addison Berey (Joliet W) 3-2, Fr Parker Chase (Huntley) 2-2, So. (F 1:24)

135

Championship: Aubrie Rohrbacher (Huntley) 4-0, Jr Caroline Marogy (Buffalo Grove) 3-1, . (F 0:19)

Third place: Olivia Pearson (SC East) 4-1, Fr Katya Novitskiy (Stevenson) 3-2, Fr. (F 0:43)

Fifth place: Cordelia Adame (Huntley) 3-2, Fr Liana Lill (Andrew) 2-3, . (F 3:13)

Seventh place: Sophia Contreras (Waubonsie) 4-1, Fr Olivia Smith (Andrew) 2-3, . (F 3:00)

140

Championship: Alyssa Keane (Andrew) 3-0,  Nariah Adams (Huntley) 3-1, Sr. (F 0:37)

Third place: Veronica Klobnak (Joliet W) 4-1, Jr Silvana Gonzalez (Stevenson) 2-2, Jr. (F 0:59)
Fifth place: Anastasia Dvorak (Andrew) 3-2,  Isabel Hilinski (Stevenson) 1-3, Fr. (F 0:46)

Seventh place: Isabella De La Vega (Andrew) 3-1,  Ayati Ojha (Stevenson) 2-2, So. (F 3:34)

145

Championship: Madison Minson (Hampshire) 4-0, So Sophie Reichard (Andrew) 3-1, . (F 1:42)

Third place: Mia Olenek (SC East) 4-1, So Vanessa O`Connor (Joliet W) 2-2, Jr. (F 2:46)

Fifth place: Ahlam Mehyar (Andrew) 2-2,  Jackie Diaz (S Elgin) 1-3, Sr. (F 1:24)

Seventh place: Stephanie Valdez (Elk Grove) 3-3, Sr Lilliana Castanon (Huntley) 1-2, Fr. (F 1:20)

155

Championship: Alison Garbacz (S Elgin) 3-0, Fr Alondra Tejeda (Buffalo Grove) 3-1, Sr. (F 3:03)

Third place: Emely Herrera (Elk Grove) 4-2,  Jessica Ivanyuk (Stevenson) 2-2, Fr. (F 1:39)

Fifth place: Gianna Scheiblein (Huntley) 3-2, Jr Majh Starks (Joliet W) 2-3, Jr. (F 1:11)

Seventh place: Roya Shayestehjah (Huntley) 3-1, So Kimberly Alverez (Joliet W) 2-2, So. (F 0:33)

170

Championship: Anneliese Tavira (Hampshire) 4-0, Sr Nola Oben (Andrew) 2-1, Sr. (MD 16-7)

Third place:

Bianca Campos (Joliet W) 4-1, Jr Nysa Bilal (Waubonsie) 3-2, So. (F 1:34)

Fifth place:

Natalie Aguirre (Huntley) 3-2, Sr Naomi Schaller (Hinsdale C) 1-0, Jr. (M. For.)

Seventh place:

Adriana Vela (Andrew) 3-2,  Brianna Felde (Huntley) 2-2, Jr. (F 0:34)

190

Championship: Emma Akpan (Andrew) 3-0,  Samantha Diehl (Hampshire) 2-1, Fr. (Dec 2-0)

Third place: Trista Pisano (Joliet W) 3-1, Jr Imani McIntosh (Waubonsie) 2-2, Sr. (F 0:29)

Fifth place: Camryn Matheny (Joliet W) 1-2, Jr Ava Buchanan (Elk Grove) 1-4, So. (F 4:33)

Seventh place: Jazmin Guerrero-Alcantar (Bartlett) 0-2, Fr () , . (Bye)

235

Championship: Natalie Quiroz (Joliet W) 3-0, Sr Chloe Black (Hinsdale C) 2-1, Sr. (F 0:57)
Third place: Sara Willis (Huntley) 4-1, Sr Christina Negrych (Elk Grove) 4-2, . (F 0:51)

Fifth place: Gabriella Vasquez (Andrew) 2-2,  Raelynn Smith (S Elgin) 1-3, Jr. (F 5:56)

Seventh place: Kaylee Sanchez (Stevenson) 1-2, So Nancy Herrera (Andrew) 1-2, . (F 0:25)

Rockford East E-Rab Girls Invitational

Warren brought 16 girls to this year’s inaugural E-Rab Girls Invitational and in a 27-team field, the Blue Devils snared the top prize at Rockford East for coach Nick Grujanac. Hononegah entered eight wrestlers and placed second, while Thornton’s seven girls finished 3rd:.
The Blue Devils also led the field in Rockford with 31 pins in 51:54, and in match points with 252.

Warren topped second-pace Hononegah and its 8-girl team 220-125.5, and Thornton placed 3rd: with 105 points.

1st place: Warren (220 points)
The Blue Devils sent 11 wrestlers into place matches. They got individual titles from Aaliyah Vazuez (115) and Jane Kelly (130), second-place finishes from Alyssa Bentley (120) and Hanna Bairstow (145), a 3rd: from Ashley Fugelseth (155), fourths from Natasha Flores (105), Grace Ciszek (140) and Ellery Brown (145), and fifths from Sophie Dolinar (135), Tyanna Jackson (155), and Erin Bush (170).
2nd place: Hononegah (125.5)
The Lady Indians got individual titles from returning state champion Angelina Cassioppi (125) and Bella Castelli (140), a second from Rush Robare (190), a 3rd: from Kiana Saulters (135), and a fourth from Skylar Paul (115).
3rd: place: Thornton (105)
Thornton’s Ariel Woodfin (105) and Jalah Wilson (135) won titles for the Wildcats, who also got a second from Sionna Stampley (235), and a 3rd: from Destiny Bright (125).
Also winning individual titles in Rockford were Sandwich’s Lydia Cartwright (110), Lasalle-Peru’s Kiely Domyancich (120), Sycamore’s Ema Durst (145), Rochelle’s Dempsey Atkinson (155), Hampshire’s Annilease Tavaria (170) and Samantha Diehl (190), and Streamwood’s Jasmine Rene (235).
The largest seed-place difference went to Hampshire individual champion Annilease Tavaria, who was seeded 14th, followed by Harlem’s Izabella Martens (3rd: at 170, seeded 15th) and Hononegah’s Bella Castelli (1st at 140, seeded 11th).
Rochelle’s Dempsey Atkinson (155) scored the most match points with 39, followed by Rockford East champ Saya Hongmoungkhoune (100) with 38 and Hononegah’s Robare Rush (190) with 36. Rush also earned the most points in any single match with 23.
Domyancich (LaSalle-Peru), Castelli (Hononegah), Tavaria (Hampshire) and Kelly (Warren) each scored 30 team points to lead all wrestlers, followed by Durst (Sycamore) with 29.5 and Diehl (Hampshire) with 29. Sterling’s Skyann Munz had to most pins in the least time, with four Fs recorded in 3:27.
Final team scores: Warren 220, Hononegah 125.5, Thornton 105, Lasalle-Peru 104.5, Hampshire 86, Harlem 80, Sandwich 76, Sycamore 75.5, Freeport 74, Sterling 71.5, Antioch 60.5, Richmond-Burton 59, Rochelle 51, Rockford East 46, Streamwood 46, Prairie Ridge 36, Grayslake Central 32, Jefferson 32, St. Viator 28, Belvidere North 28, Johnsburg 25, Cary Grove 24, Guilford 20, Marengo 17, Belvidere 4, Fremd 3, Crystal Lake Central 0.

E-Rab Girls Invitational Championship matches:
100:  Saya Hongmoungkhoune (Rockford East) F 1:55 Aurielle Calmese (Freeport)

105:  Ariel Woodfin (Thornton) F 0:15  Mirreya Irizarry (Rockford East)

110:  Lydia Cartwright (Sandwich) F 4:38 Evalyn Idzik (St. Viator)

115:  Aaliyah Vazquez (Warren) F 3:23 Holly Stengel (Prairie Ridge)

120:  Kiely Domyancich (LaSalle-Peru) F 1:56 Alyssa Bentley (Warren)

125:  Angelina Cassioppi (Hononegah) F 3:29 Gianna Arzer (Grayslake Central)

130:  Jane Kelly (Warren) F 0:28 Gretchen Dunbar (Sycamore)

135:  Jalah Wilson (Thornton) F 0:49 Charlotte Gentry (Richmond-Burton)

140:  Bella Castelli (Hononegah) F 3:29 Cammyla Macias (Rochelle)

145:  Ema Durst (Sycamore) TF 3:44 Hanna Bairstow (Warren)

155:  Dempsey Atkinson (Rochelle) F 0:54 Marisa Eggersdorfer (LaSalle-Peru)

170:  Annilease Tavaria (Hampshire) F 3:13 Denver Gier (Cary Grove)

190:  Samantha Diehl (Hampshire) F 0:31 Rush Robare (Hononegah)
235:  Jasmine Rene (Streamwood) F 0:23 Sionna Stampley (Thornton)

3rd-place matches

100:  Kiani Nevel (Harlem) F 0:31 Kalista Frost (LaSalle-Peru)

105:  Abigail Channell (Sandwich) F 0:58 Natasha Flores (Warren)

110:  Lillian Davis (Belvidere North) F 0:14 Londyn LLoyd (Antioch)

115:  Emily Lowery (LaSalle-Peru) F 2:19 Skylar Paul (Hononegah)

120:  Kaiya Galindo (Freeport) F 4:17 Marijose Avila (Freeport)

125:  Destiny Bright (Thornton) F 0:41 Murial Grothendick (Johnsburg)

130:  Dylylah Patterson (Antioch) F 1:41 Ruby Ferguson (Sandwich)

135:  Kiana Saulters (Hononegah) F 1:42 Luana Mafuiana (Antioch)

140:  Madelyn Peterie (Richmond-Burton) F 1:01 Grace Ciszek (Warren) 

145:  Madison Minson (Hampshire) D 7-1 Ellery Brown (Warren)

155:  Ashley Fugelseth (Warren) F 1:27 Mariah Brady (Harlem)

170:  Izabella Martens (Harlem) F 0:40 Carla Pineda (Harlem)
190:  Lillian Tunk (Sterling) F 0:25 Charlie Bown (Marengo)

235:  Kylie Eilken (Jefferson) F 0:56 Jocelyn Gonzalez (Streamwood)
5th-place matches:
100:  Katherine Garcia (Sterling) F 0:48 Camilia Olvera-Garnica (Thornton)
105:  Monika Jahn (Hononegah) bye

110:  Ariyana Calmese (Freeport) F 2:14 Danika Lamb (Jefferson)

115:  Noelani Ibarra (Sterling) F 2:53 Maddie Powell (Grayslake Central)

120:  Norah Vick (Sandwich) F 1:01 Breanna Warren (Richmond-Burton)

125:  Isabella Nelson (Richmond-Burton) F 0:47 Nevaeh Delgado (Sterling)

130:  Skyann Munz (Sterling) F 0:39 Ja’rya Wilcox (Guilford)

135:  Sophie Dolinar (Warren) F 0:33 Ariana Martinez (Streamwood)

140:  Angela Thrush (Prairie Ridge) F 3:13 Vanessa Penaloza (Freeport)

145: Jazmin Rios (Sandwich) F 2:20 Avalyn Edwall (LaSalle-Peru)

155:  Tyanna Jackson (Warren) F 0:49 Jazmin Novoa (Streamwood)

170:  Erin Bush (Warren) F 0:43 Avelina McMurtry (Sycamore)

190:  Anjanne Haywood (Guilford) F 2:27 Carmen Sierra (Johnsburg)

235:  Savannah Schutt (Harlem) F 0:19 Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore)

Niles West Girls Invite
Warren continued to break fast from the gate Saturday, taking the team title at Niles West’s 29-team tournament, just three days after winning a team title at Rockford East.
Lockport (150) finished second, Kaneland (129) was 3rd:, Wheeling (112) took fourth and Fenton (98) placed fifth to round out the top five team finishes.
1st place: Warren (173 points)
Among scoring wrestlers, Warren got an individual title from Aaliyah Vazquez (115), and coach Nick Grujanac got seconds from Alyssa Bentley (120) and Tyanna Jackson (155), and a 3rd: from Erin Bush (170), and fifths from Sophie Dolinar (135) and Kaylee Farias (235). Ashley Fugelseth (155) and Madison Kozlowski (170) placed fourth at non-scoring wrestlers for Warren, and Ellery Brown (145) finished fifth.
2nd place: Lockport (150)
The Porters got individual titles from Sophie Kelner (190) and Rebekah Ramirez (235) for coach Nate Roth, seconds from Averi Colella (105) and Veronica Skibicki (110), and a fifth from Dakota Obbish (155).
Also scoring team points for Lockport were Bella Romano (115), Natalie Dado (120), Miranda Powley (125), Carly Pradin (130), and Heaven Britton (170).
3rd: place: Kaneland (129)
The Knights had a pair of individual champions in Angelina Gochis (110) and Brooklyn Sheaffer (130), and coach Josh West also got a second from Dyani Torres (145), a 3rd: from Carly Duffing (190), and a fifth from Thalia Patton (115) among scoring wrestlers.
Also earning team points Adeline Coady (120) and Caitlyn Manier (155), while Chloe Cervantes (145) placed sixth among non-scoring wrestlers.

Other girls winning individual championships were Montini’s Katelyn Bell (100), Round Lake’s Riley Kongkaeow (105), Addison Trail’s Brithany Mondragon (120), Glenbrook North’s Ariella Dobin (125), Fenton’s Yannel Perez (135), New Trier’s Jillian Giller (140), Zion-Benton’s Naomi Foote (145), Highland Park’s Dana Holt (155), and Oswego East’s Jessica Stover (170).

Warren posted the most pins in the least time of any team present in Niles with 27 pins in 37:44, and also earned the most match points of any team with 238.
Conant’s Ewa Krupa had five pins in 1:57 as the wrestler with the most pins in the least time, Montini’s Katelyn Bell had two tech Fs in 3:10 for the most tech Fs in the least time, and Addison Trail’s Brithany Mondragon scored the most team points with 33. Three girls tied for the most single-match points with 21 in Metea Valley’s Anusha Nagar, Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis, and Wheeling’s Elise Burkut, and Burkut also led all wrestlers with 59 total match points scored.
The largest seed-place difference of the tournament came courtesy of Oak Park and River Forest’s Pearl Lacey, who placed fourth as the 26th seed at 125 pounds.

Final team scores: Warren 173, Lockport 150, Kaneland 129, Wheeling 112, Fenton 98, Zion Benton 94, Naperville C 92, Round Lake 89, Oswego E 88, Lane Tech 86, Addison Trail 85, Maine E 83, Glenbard N 81, OPRF 81, Highland Park 66, New Trier 64, Conant 63.5, Mundelein 62, Metea Valley 58.5, Maine South 48, Maine West 45, Vernon Hills 40.5, Evanston 34.5, Glenbard South 32, Glenbrook N 32, Niles W 32, Ridgewood 28, Montini 23, Jacobs 19, Lake Forest 19.
Niles West Invitational results:
100:
Round 1
Evelyn Torres (Maine E) 3-1, over Autumn Oregon-Williams (Addison Trail) 1-3,  (Dec 9-6)
Melina Valdez (Addison Trail) 2-2, over Andrea Cruz (Wheeling) 0-6,  (F 0:38)
Round 2
Katelyn Bell (Montini) 29-9, over Andrea Cruz (Wheeling) 0-6,  (F 0:45)

Evelyn Torres (Maine E) 3-1, over Melina Valdez (Addison Trail) 2-2,  (F 2:53)

Round 3

Katelyn Bell (Montini) 29-9, over Melina Valdez (Addison Trail) 2-2,  (TF-1.5 1:36 (19-4)

Autumn Oregon-Williams (Addison Trail) 1-3, over Andrea Cruz (Wheeling) 0-6,  (F 0:16)

Round 4

Katelyn Bell (Montini) 29-9, over Autumn Oregon-Williams (Addison Trail) 1-3,  (F 0:54)

Evelyn Torres (Maine E) 3-1, over Andrea Cruz (Wheeling) 0-6,  (F 0:31)

Round 5

Katelyn Bell (Montini) 29-9, over Evelyn Torres (Maine E) 3-1,  (TF-1.5 1:43 (20-5)

Melina Valdez (Addison Trail) 2-2, over Autumn Oregon-Williams (Addison Trail) 1-3,  (TB-1 3-2)
105:
Championship match: Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake) 36-5, over Averi Colella (Lockport) 46-13,  (NC)

3rd: Eliana Badeen (Maine E) 28-13, over Annika Hull (Naperville C) 3-2,  (F 0:52)

5th: Sofia Guerrero (Lane Tech) 17-17, over Isabella Datil (Addison Trail) 2-3,  (F 1:52)
110:

Championship match: Angelina Gochis (Kaneland) 46-5, over Veronica Skibicki (Lockport) 30-19,  (F 1:43)

3rd: Lola Bianco (New Trier) 5-1, over Anusha Nagar (Metea Valley) 1-2,  (F 1:16)

5th: Cristal Jacinto (Glenbard N) 3-1, over Hanna Lee (Vernon Hills) 17-17,  (F 3:39)
115:

Championship match:

Aaliyah Vazquez (Warren) 7-0, over Ireland McCain (Round Lake) 35-11,  (Dec 11-8)

3rd: Zoe Pomeranets (Niles W ) 25-7, .over Kai Zamora (Fenton) 4-2,  (F 4:15)

5th: Thalia Patton (Kaneland) 4-2, over Italia Cernas (Mundelein) 2-3,  (F 0:58)

Consolation 1st: Bella Romando (Lockport) 12-23, over Joselyn Honorato (Fenton) 16-10,  (F 5:09)
120:

Championship match: Brithany Mondragon (Addison Trail) 5-0, over Alyssa Bentley (Warren) 5-2,  (MD 9-1)

3rd: Janiya Moore (Metea Valley) 21-11, over Gracie Meluch (Naperville C) 4-2,  (Dec 5-2)
5th: Sofia Hinojosa (OPRF) 14-13, over Samantha Gipson (Evanston) 3-3,  (Inj. 2:32)

Consolation 1st: Payton Lustrup (Oswego E) 4-1, over Jada Williams (Lockport) 4-2,  (F 3:15)
125:

Championship match: Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook N) 8-0, over Ellen Purl (Naperville C) 3-1,  (F 1:07)

3rd: Dezi Azar (Naperville C) 5-1, over Pearl Lacey (OPRF) 22-12,  (F 1:36)

5th: Mia Nevarez (Oswego E) 3-2, over Drea Lazzara (Addison Trail) 2-3, . (TF-1.5 4:17 (17-0)

Consolation 1st: Alyssa Gianola (Maine South) 5-1, over Vanessa Osorio (Mundelein) 4-2,  (F 0:52)
130:

Championship match: Brooklyn Sheaffer (Kaneland) 4-0, over Isabella Gomez (Wheeling) 4-1,  (Dec 7-0)

3rd: Nyah Lovis (Lane Tech) 36-7, over Gianna Mezzano (Ridgewood) 6-2,  (F 1:07)

5th: Emily Ortiz (Zion Benton) 4-2, over Nichole Castillo (Glenbard S) 2-3,  (F 1:17)

Consolation 1st: Jane Kelly (Warren) 8-1, over Brianna Perez (Round Lake) 18-22,  (F 1:35)
135:

Championship match: Yannel Perez (Fenton) 34-10, over Keagan Edwards (Glenbard N) 31-10,  (F 1:20)

3rd: Elise Burkut (Wheeling) 6-1, over Bree Hirsch (Lake Forest) 3-2,  (F 1:07)

5th: Sophie Dolinar (Warren) 5-3, over Alena Oshana (Maine E) 26-12,  (For.)

Consolation 1st: Aryna Latushkina (Vernon Hills) 7-24, over Nora Bestor (Conant) 4-2,  (F 2:23)
140:

Championship match: Jillian Giller (New Trier) 6-0, over Jasmine Zavaleta (Conant) 4-1,  (Dec 5-1)

3rd: Grace Johnson (Zion Benton) 35-10, over Zabby Badru (Lane) 20-19,  (F 2:19)

5th: Lucy Rodriguez (Fenton) 4-2, over Layah Woods (Wheeling) 3-3,  (F 1:05)

Consolation 1st: Ewa Krupa (Conant) 6-1, over Grace Ciszek (Warren) 4-4,  (F 0:13)
145:

Championship match: Naomi Foote (Zion Benton) 43-11, over Dyani Torres (Kaneland) 3-1,  (F 3:49)

3rd: Quinn Janssens (Oswego E) 5-1, over Ella Cooper (Oswego E) 4-2,  (F 0:11)

5th: Ellery Brown (Warren) 5-4, over Chloe Cervantes (Kaneland) 3-3,  (F 3:07)

Consolation 1st: Kennedy Murray (Evanston) 5-1, over Suzanne Stalley (Glenbard N) 3-2,  (SV-1 16-13)
155:

Championship match: Dana Holt (Highland Park) 12-6, over Tyanna Jackson (Warren) 4-1, . (F 1:55)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

After having five state qualifiers, three placewinners and two runner-up finishers at the 2023 IHSA Finals, Joliet Township co-op Liz Short was honored by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association as its first Girls Coach of the Year award winner. 

But when others were selected to coach Joliet Central and Joliet West this season, Short had to look for some other position, and thanks to a college association with Andrew boys coach Peter Kowalczuk, she was eventually selected to become the new head coach of the School District 230 co-op girls program for Andrew, Carl Sandburg and Stagg. 

In her first tournament as the co-op’s new head coach, her team turned in an impressive performance as they easily captured championship honors at Wednesday’s 29-team Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown with 156 points, which was 42 points ahead of West Aurora, who was the champion in last year’s debut of the Thanksgiving Throwdown. Geneseo (113.5) fell .5 points behind West Aurora to take third while Minooka (108.5), Lockport Township (104) and Oswego (102.5) rounded out the top six teams in the field.

The co-op, which consists mainly of individuals from two of the schools, Andrew and Carl Sandburg, had three champions, one runner-up and three other top-six finishers. Winning titles were Jade Hardee (100), Alyssa Keane (140) and Nola Oben (170) while Emma Akpan (235) placed second, Sophia Figueroa (120) finished fourth and Tatum De La Vega (110) and Saja Bader (125) claimed sixth-place showings. Ella Olsen (115), Mackenzie Conry (130), Ahlam Mehyar (145) and Avery Santiago (170) also contributed to the scoring.

“I was super excited about this opportunity,” Short said. “The head boys coach, Pete Kowalczuk, also went to Northern Michigan University, where I went, so that’s where we know each other from. He was looking for a girls coach and I thought it was time to give myself a new opportunity and that’s kind of how you grow as a person. It’s kind of sad starting over and leaving but this position has different things to offer and I can help it grow and everyone has been so supportive, so I’m happy.

“This year they actually had to limit entries, which is a good sign since all teams are growing. We’re getting more quality now and seeing some good wrestling. And there are some really tough middle school girls coming up and they’re coming in already seasoned, so it’s exciting.”

Eleven other schools had a title winners with two of those being IHSA champions from 2024, Lockport Township’s Claudia Heeney (135) and Prairie Central’s Chloe Hoselton (235) while a second-place finisher at state a year ago, Canton’s Kinnley Smith (130), also won a title. 

Other state placewinners from 2024 who were title winners were Lincoln-Way co-op’s Zoe Dempsey (110), Clifton Central’s Payton Temple (190) and Pleasant Valley, Iowa’s Abigail Meyrer (120). Also capturing championships and the unique turkey headwear were Romeoville’s Daniela Santander (105), Oak Lawn’s Allison Nava (115), West Aurora’s Aiyanah Sylvester (125), Plainfield North’s Viki Rodnikova (145) and Oswego’s Makayla Hill (155). 

Heeney and Keane were the only repeat champions in the competition while Sylvester improved from second to first place.

Four 2023 title winners failed to repeat. They were Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker (190), a state runner-up last season and IHSA champion in 2023, West Aurora’s Kameyah Young (110), who place second at state in 2024, and Hoffman Estates’ Abigail Ji (140), who all claimed second place finishes and also Geneseo’s Molly Snyder (100), who took third place.

Two others who finished in second place for the second year in a row were Huntley’s Aubrie Rohrbacher (135) and Ottawa Township’s Ava Weatherford (145) with Heeney and Rohrbacher meeting on the title mat for the second year in a row. Another IHSA runner-up from 2024, Hoffman Estates’ Sophia Ball (130), also claimed second place after falling to Smith.

Nava, who trailed Morris’ Makinsi Martin by 14 points in the late going before recording a fall in 5:53 to win the 115 title, led all competitors with 32 team points while Heeney finished with 31 points. Keane, Meyrer, Rodnikova and Sylvester all scored 30 team points, Hill had 29.5, Oben collected 29 points, Dempsey totalled 28 and Temple finished with 27 team points. Hoselton, Martin, Rohrbacher, Santander and Smith all scored 26 team points.

100 – Jade Hardee, Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op

Jade Hardee was a bit nervous as she prepared to compete in the 100 title match at Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown but the freshman on the Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op who had achieved several impressive feats in 2024 didn’t face very much drama as she claimed  a 9-1 major decision over Morris’ Ellie Evans on the title mat to capture her first high school title.

Hardee, who won Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation, Illinois Freestyle and USA Midwest Nationals titles earlier this year, followed a quick fall with a 15-2 major decision over Lincoln-Way co-op’s Emily Peyton in the semifinals before becoming the first of three champions and four finalists for coach Liz Short’s team, who captured top honors in the competition by 42 points.

“I was really nervous but I just kept telling myself that I could do this because I work hard,” Hardee said. “It was definitely nerve-racking since this was my first time and I’m a freshman. It’s just a mental thing. I am a Freestyle state champion and a Folkstyle state champion. This is my fourth year, so it was a lot easier coming in. It’s definitely fun and everyone is really supportive, so if you ever need them, you can just talk to them and they’ve got you.”

Evans, one of two runner-up finishers for coach Lenny Tryner’s Morris team, opened with a pin and then won by fall in 4:40 over Geneseo’s Molly Snyder in the semifinals. Snyder, a champion in the first Throwdown who won 23 matches and was a state qualifier last season for the Maple Leafs, claimed third place with a 15-6 major decision over Peyton. West Aurora’s Melissa Melgar finished fifth with a 10-7 decision over Yorkville’s Analiese Garretson.

105 – Daniela Santander, Romeoville

Daniela Santander admitted that she was hurting a bit as she headed into the final moments of her 105 title match with Lockport Township’s Averi Colella at Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown. But the Romeoville junior toughed it out and was able to capture a 7-6 decision to provide coach John Arlis’ Spartans with a championship in their only title match appearance.

Santander, who won 28 matches last season and fell one win shy of a state appearance at the rugged Schaumburg Sectional, recorded first-period falls in her initial two matches, earning her spot on the title mat with a pin in 0:55 over Minooka’s Marian Nordsell in the semifinals.

“Last year I got third here so to go to first is really amazing,” Santander said. “She’s a state girl so I was nervous going in but my teammates were like, ‘you got it, try your hardest’. She had a half in and it hurt a lot but I couldn’t give up. So even through all of the pain, I sucked it up and I won. Our team grew and I think it doubled. I was surprised when I walked in and saw a bunch of girls, and I was like ‘wow’. I hope to mentor them and help them through. My teammate who graduated last year, Josefina Orozco, was my mentor and she taught me everything. She’s the main reason why I’m so good today, she was an amazing partner.”

Colella, a senior who won 40 matches and qualified for the IHSA Finals last season, became one of two individuals for coach Nathaniel Roth’s Porters who advanced to the title mat, and did so with two falls, with the second of those in 2:00 in the semifinals over Canton’s Shayla Schielein, who went on to claim third place with a fall in 5:02 over Nordsell. For fifth place, Ottawa Township’s Isabel Gwaltney won with a pin in 3:15 over Geneseo’s Addison Hadsall. 

110 – Zoe Dempsey, Lincoln-Way co-op

Zoe Dempsey faced Kameyah Young for the 110 championship, which was the first of five title matches at Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown that featured two returning IHSA placewinners. While three of the five went the distance, Lincoln-Way co-op’s Dempsey, who placed fifth at state a year ago at 105, needed just 50 seconds to win by fall in 0:50 over West Aurora’s Young, who was the runnner-up at 100 a year ago at state and finished fourth at the same weight in 2023 while competing for East Aurora.

Dempsey, a junior who won 20 matches last season while competing for Lincoln-Way West, recorded two first-minute falls to reach the title mat, including one in 48 seconds over Bolingbrook’s Alejandra Flores in the semifinals to become the lone finalist for coach Joshua Napier’s co-op team, that includes athletes from Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way West.

“It was great,” Dempsey said. “We go back a bit and we wrestled each other the past year and we go back and forth, so it was pretty good to pull out a win today. This was a really good way to start the season. With the more girls that are coming into it, there is a really good community with girls wrestling. I saw today that there was a lot of camaraderie between me and a bunch of the other wrestlers so it’s nice to see that building. It’s really exciting stuff (at Lincoln-Way), I’ve never seen that many girls involved with 35 and there’s a pretty good mix. It’s really good to see everybody come together since we come from different wrestling programs so it’s nice with everybody’s different style and we’re learning a whole new way to wrestle at Lincoln-Way.”

Young, a senior who was a champion in the first Throwdown, won 32 matches last year and took second at state at 100 to Glenbard West’s Alycia Perez. She became the first of two individuals for coach Charlie Graves’ Blackhawks who reached the title mat after recording two falls, with the last of those in 3:52 over Larkin’s Ashley Hammond. Flores won by fall in 3:02 over Hammond to claim third place while Lockport Township’s Veronica Skibicki recorded a pin in 5:17 over Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op’s Tatum De La Vega to finish fifth.

115 – Allison Nava, Oak Lawn

Allison Nava demonstrated very clearly in the 115 finals at Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown why it’s always wise to continue to battle until the very end of a match. Facing what looked to be an insurmountable 14-point deficit against Morris’ Makinsi Martin in the waning moments, the Oak Lawn junior was able to capture an unlikely championship by recording a fall at 5:53 to give the Spartans their lone title victory while denying Morris of the same.

The dramatic pin was the fourth of the day for Nava, who won 15 matches last season but failed to advance from the Curie Regional. She followed a first-period fall with one in 1:05 in the semifinals over West Aurora’s Diana Llanos to become one of two members of coach Matt Arthur’s Spartans who were able to advance to the title mat. And thanks to her come-from-behind effort to capture the championship, the junior led all competitors with 32 team points.

“There’s always someone stronger than you, but if you can push yourself, then you can do anything,” Nava said. “Last year was my second year wrestling so I’ve really committed myself to putting in the work and I watch videos every day and wrestling is all I can think about. My stepbrother, Giovanni Romero, goes to Argo and is a freshman. I’ve learned a lot from him and his work ethic. He’s my little brother but I still really look up to him. This is our school’s first time ever having a team. Usually I’m very comfortable in small groups, but this is a new thing and it’s something to get used to. I like how hard you have to work for it and the traits that help you grow as a person. I want to become the best version of myself and wrestling has really helped me with that.”

Martin, a senior who won 13 matches last season but was unable to advance from the Minooka Regional, was one of two individuals from coach Lenny Tryner’s Morris team who reached the title mat. She followed three falls with an 8-6 decision over Lincoln-Way co-op’s Aubrey Barnes in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Llanos won with a pin in 3:43 over Barnes. For fifth place, Plainfield Central’s Shania Davison captured a 15-10 decision over Plainfield East’s Angelina Nettey.

120 – Abigail Meyrer, Pleasant Valley, Iowa

Abigail Meyrer made it 4-for-4 in tournament championships for the young season when the junior from Pleasant Valley in Bettendorf, Iowa became a title winner for the only out-of-state squad that participated in the Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown. Meyrer, the lone individual from coach Thomas Isaacson’s Spartans who was able to advance to the title mat, where she recorded a fall in 2:55 over Geneseo’s Lydia King to take top honors again.

Meyrer, who won 47 matches and placed fourth at 120 in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Finals last season after capping a 48-win season with the state championship at the same weight in 2023, recorded first-period falls in her other three matches, needing just 32 seconds to claim a win over Prairie Central’s Yurithdzy Vilchis in the semifinals.

King was the lone finalist for coach Carley Rusk’s Maple Leafs, who fell 0.5 points shy of West Aurora for second place in the 29-team tournament. The sophomore, who won 26 matches a year ago but came up short of advancing from the Geneseo Sectional, followed a decision and a pin with a 9-0 major decision over Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op’s Sophia Figueroa in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Vilchis won by fall in 3:34 over Figueroa, a senior who won 28 matches and qualified for state last season. For fifth place, Minooka’s Holli Coughlen won a 10-7 decision over Canton’s Chloe Hedges.

“Honestly, I feel that our whole team has been doing super good at practices,” King said. “We’ve had so many new girls come in and try out wrestling and a lot of them are really good and a lot of them are starting on varsity. Wrestling has grown so much for girls (at Geneseo) and it’s actually really surprising. There was barely anyone in my eighth grade class wrestling but in my freshman year there were so many girls and then sophomore year, there were even more girls. We’re going to definitely have success this year. I like how we all act as a family and we’re all together. My brother Owen is on the wrestling team and I watched him so many times that I liked the sport, so I decided to try it out. If you work hard, you can definitely get to places that you want to go.”

125 – Aiyanah Sylvester, West Aurora

Aiyanah Sylvester claimed the quickest championship victory in the Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown when she needed just 20 seconds to register a fall over Oswego’s Aaliyah Roldan in the 125 title match. The West Aurora sophomore was one of two finalists for her team, with the other being her cousin, Kameyah Young, who took second at 110. It was the second-straight year that she reached the finals in the tournament and this was her first title.

Sylvester, who won 26 matches last season and qualified for the IHSA Finals, was one of four medalists for coach Charlie Graves’ Blackhawks, the champions at last year’s inaugural Throwdown who edged Geneseo 114-113.5 for second place in the 29-team tournament. She won all of her matches by fall, with her opening match being the longest of the day at 4:15. She earned her spot on the title mat with a pin in 1:11 over Hoffman Estates’ Olivia Pelayo.

“I think West Aurora is going to be the same as last year,” Sylvester said. “We have a lot of new girls and great improvement on the team. Everybody is working hard and we’re all pushing each other, so I feel that our team will be just as far as we did last year. (Brittany Moran) has been wrestling a lot longer than me so I feel like her and my cousin (Kameyah Young) have been showing me all of the moves that I know. I need to train harder and harder every day. I feel like I really need to start pushing myself a little bit more every day just to be where I want to be.”

Roldan, a senior who won 21 matches last season and was one of two finalists for coach Greg Scott’s Panthers in the Throwdown, opened with three falls and advanced to the title mat following a pin in 2:49 over Canton’s Annalee Haschemeyer in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Pelayo recorded a fall in 3:28 over Haschemeyer and for fifth place, Tinley Park’s Juliana Adamski won with a pin in 0:35 over Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op’s Saja Bader. 

130 – Kinnley Smith, Canton

Kinnley Smith and Sophia Ball have met up often throughout the years in big matchups so it came as no real surprise when the pair of two-time state medal winners and 2024 second-place finishers at the IHSA Finals squared off for top honors at 130 in Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown. And the latest meeting certainly didn’t disappoint as the two went back and forth before Canton’s Smith got a late takedown to help her secure an 8-5 decision over Hoffman Estates’ Ball.

Smith, a senior who went 27-4 last season and lost 6-0 to Vandalia’s Sophie Bowers in the IHSA 125 Finals after going 24-5 and placing second at 135 to Boylan Catholic’s Netavia Wickson in the 2023 IHSA Finals, earned her spot as the lone member of coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants to reach the title mat in the competition by recording two falls, with the second of those pins coming in the semifinals in 1:31 over Pleasant Valley, Iowa’s Ruby Stagg.

“I’ve been working a lot over the offseason, so it’s big to come out and put on a show,” Smith said. “Recently, I’ve been watching a lot of high-level athletes and they talk about gratitude in wrestling. And I think a major thing is that when I struggle and have bad practices, I stay grateful during practice and remember that not everybody gets to be in the same position as me. I think it’s important just to wrestle my style and not to let anyone change that. I knew that Sophia is a good competitor so I had to bring my best work. I’ve been doing a lot of scrambling with my coach and trying to work on positions, so just getting to trust my practice and the process is something that is huge to me. The coach I have is amazing. (Zach) Crawford is one of the best coaches out there and he’s always willing to come in for an extra practice.”

Ball, a senior who fell 4-3 to Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi in last year’s 120 IHSA Finals to finish 27-1 after going 42-6 and placing fifth at 120 at state in 2023 and winning 17 matches and falling one win shy of a medal at 115 in the inaugural IHSA Finals in 2022, was one of two finalists in this competition for coach Leo Clark’s Hawks. She won her first three matches by fall, with the third pin in the semifinals coming in 4:35 over Seneca’s Catalina Pacheco,who went on to claim third place with a fall in 1:59 over Stagg. And for fifth place, Geneseo’s Bella Curcuru, who won 18 matches a year ago and qualified for state, recorded a fall in 2:21 over Lincoln-Way co-op’s Dani Schedin. 

135 – Claudia Heeney, Lockport Township

Claudia Heeney heads into the season in pursuit of a second-straight IHSA championship as well as a third appearance on the state title mat. If she can accomplish those two things again, she would join only seven others who have won two state or more state titles and also competed on the championship mat three times. The Lockport Township junior was one of just two repeat title winners in Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown after capturing a 14-2 major decision over Huntley’s Aubrie Rohrbacher in the 135 title match.

Heeney, who capped a 21-1 season with the 2024 IHSA 130 championship after beating Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson 4-2 in the title match and suffered her lone loss in 43 matches as a freshman to Freeport’s Cadence Diduch in the 2023 IHSA Finals at 125, was one of two finalists and the lone champion for coach Nathaniel Roth’s Porters, who took second at state to Lakes Community last season. She won her first three matches by fall, advancing to the title mat with a pin in 1:51 over Glenbard North’s Keagan Edwards in the semifinals.

“We wrestled in this tournament last year in the finals and the sectional finals, we wrestle all of the time and we’re always giving each other a really good match,” Heeney said of her finals opponent. “It’s just fun wrestling her and she’s a good competitor and is really tough. I’m definitely aspiring to go to the (IHSA) Finals this year, but we have a long way to go. As you saw last year, I took some time off in the middle of the season for my thumb, but my thumb is all better now. Hopefully, this year I can wrestle all year long and make it there. The girls team at Lockport, we’re all super close, we have a lot of fun with each other and we hang out outside of the room. I think I’m lucky to be part of a program like this and to have fun with the girls and to grow as a team. It’s super exciting to see the sport grow. When I was a kid, there weren’t that many girls yet, but now we have 34 girls on the team, and that’s a huge number.”

Rohrbacher, a junior who went 45-5 and took third place at 130 last season at the IHSA Finals and won 30 matches and fell one win shy of a state medal at 125 in 2023, was the lone finalist for coach Gannon Kosowski’s Red Raiders. She also recorded three falls to advance to the finals, getting a pin in 5:44 over Seneca’s Sammie Greisen in the semifinals. Greisen, a junior who also placed at 130 in last year’s IHSA Finals, where she took sixth to cap a 31–11 season, claimed third place with a fall in 2:31 over Edwards. There was a double forfeit for fifth, involving Huntley’s Grecia Garcia and Tinley Park’s Madison Monreal.

140 – Alyssa Keane, Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op

Alyssa Keane hopes to bounce back from a frustrating 2023-2024 season where she went 32-4 but was unable to place at 140 at the IHSA Finals by returning to the form that she demonstrated in 2022-2023 when she went 32-5 and finished in third place at 135 at the state finals. The senior from Andrew, who competes for the District 230 co-op team that includes Carl Sandburg and Stagg athletes, was the second of two Throwdown repeat champions after she won by fall in 5:14 over Hoffman Estates’ Abigail Ji in the 140 title match.

Keane was one of three champions and four finalists in the competition for coach Liz Short’s squad, which captured first-place honors in the 29-team competition with 156 points, which was 42 points ahead of second-place West Aurora. She advanced to the title mat as the result of three first-period pins, needing 1:05 in the semifinals to defeat Lincoln-Way co-op’s Ella Giertuga.

“I struggled last year,” Keane said. “I went from third place to kind of just breaking down a little bit but I’ve brought it back up this year and I’m ready to bring my ‘A’ game. (Coach Liz Short) has been a great help and it’s nice to have a new program and new coach because we’ve been switching coaches during the past two years. We’re all strong girls and fast learners, I love the team, we’re a family honestly. We help each other out every single day at practice and show it on the mat in every single tournament that we have. I’m from Andrew and I’d say our team is about 50-50, since we have a lot of girls from Sandburg, as well.”

Ji, a senior who went 34-4 a year ago but failed to place at 125 at the IHSA Finals after falling one win shy of a medal at 130 at state in a 33-win season in 2022-2023, joined Sophia Ball as one of two finalists for coach Leo Clark’s Hawks, who tied for fourth at the 2024 IHSA Finals. After recording falls in her first two matches, Ji earned her spot on the title mat by claiming an 11-5 semifinals decision over Minooka’s Ezra Rodriguez, who went on to edge Giertuga with a 6-5 decision to claim third place. Pleasant Valley, Iowa’s Kyna Moffit recorded a fall in 2:00 over Oswego’s Ameera Murphy for fifth place.

145 – Viki Rodnikova, Plainfield North

Viki Rodnikova enjoyed a successful freshman season at Plainfield North a year ago, going 21-4, but like so many others, she was unable to advance to the IHSA Finals from the tough Schaumburg Sectional. She’s hoping for much bigger and better things this season and is off to a quality start after winning the 145 championship at Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown by getting a fall in 1:54 in the title match over Ottawa Township’s Ava Weatherford.

Rodnikova, the lone varsity entrant and one of just four individuals who competed in the competition for coach Michael Parton’s Tigers, also recorded falls in her other three matches, earning her spot on the championship mat with a pin in 2:28 over Minooka’s Amelia Lemberg in the semifinals.

“It feels great and I’m really happy that I got first place,” Rodnikova said. “My plan is to win the state even though I didn’t even qualify last year, if I keep working hard and going to the gym. This is my fourth year here and I’m from Moscow, Russia. Nothing has really changed, but in Russia it was judo for four years, but then I had a year break and got so much better.”

Weatherford, a junior who went 30-12 a year ago but was unable to advance at 130 from the Geneseo Sectional, was the lone finalist for Peter Marx’s Lady Pirates. After recording a fall in her first match, Weatherford earned her spot in the finals with a 15-0 win by technical fall in the semifinals over Canton’s Kennedy Smith, who bounced back from that setback to record a fall in 3:58 over Lemberg to claim third place. And in the fifth-place match, Geneseo’s Mady Mooney captured a 12-6 decision over Yorkville’s Brooke Coy.

155 – Makayla Hill, Oswego

Makayla Hill had a similar tale to many others last season when she finished her freshman season at Oswego with a 31-8 record but was unable to qualify for the IHSA Finals at 145 from the rugged Schaumburg Sectional. After claiming a championship at Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown with a fall in 4:58 over Plainfield East’s Kaitlyn Bucholz in the 155 title match, she’s excited about what she might be able to accomplish during her second season with the Panthers.

One of two finalists and the lone champion in the competition for coach Greg Scott’s Panthers, she opened the tournament with two pins before capturing a 15-0 win by technical fall over Minooka’s Palmer Calvey in the semifinals.

“We’re doing good,” Hill said of the Panthers. “Some of these girls are first-year wrestling and they’re going out there and doing their best and that’s all that we can ask for. There’s definitely a bunch of great wrestlers out here and a bunch of good teams out here but you can’t let rankings or any of that affect how you wrestle. You just have to go out there, be smart, do what you’re taught and go win matches. Our conference is definitely very competitive and we have a lot of good teams again. My goal is obviously to win state since I will be dropping down to 145 later so that I can have a good run. I came up short last year, but things are very open this year.”

Bucholz, a junior who won 15 matches last season but was unable to advance from the Shepard Regional, was the lone finalist for coach Charles Trabaris’ Bengals. She advanced to the title mat with three falls, including one in 2:27 in the semifinals over Hoffman Estates’ Essenze Reid, who went on to capture third place with a 7-1 decision over Calvey. Geneseo’s Lauren Piquard, who won 26 matches last season and qualified for the IHSA Finals, won the fifth-place match with a fall in 0:44 over Hoffman Estates’ Dayanara Elias-Mena.

170 – Nola Oben, Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op

Nola Oben made it three-for three in title matches of the Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown for the champion Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op when she captured a 15-7 major decision over Oak Lawn’s Charvelle McLain in the 170 finals.

The senior from Carl Sandburg, who was a member of the program as a sophomore but did not compete last season, used three first-period falls, including one in 1:16 in the semifinals over Romeoville’s Mariyah Mani, to become one of the four finalists in the event for coach Liz Short’s champions, who won the team title by 42 points over runner-up West Aurora.

“I didn’t do this last year but I did my sophomore year, so this is my second year,” Oben said. “It’s a really good feeling since we worked hard for this. It’s good seeing our hard work come to fruition. It was hard, especially my last match where I actually lasted the whole three periods. Everyone is very supportive and is happy for other people when they win and even when they lose, they’re there to pick them back up. There’s always someone there for you. I think it’s a good experience to come back and I wouldn’t have been happy if I didn’t do it again.”

McLain, a senior who went 22-5 last season and qualified for the IHSA Finals, joined 115 title winner Allison Nava as one of two Throwdown finalists for coach Matt Arthur’s Spartans after recording a fall in the semifinals in 0:54 over Huntley’s Natalie Aguirre, who went on to claim third place with a pin in 17 seconds over Mani. In the fifth-place match, Oswego’s Kiyah Chavez captured an 18-11 decision over Geneseo’s Sophie Bellagamba.

190 – Payton Temple, Clifton Central

Payton Temple made history for Central of Clifton last season as a freshman when she won her first two matches at the IHSA Finals to reach the semifinals and became one of the first two individuals from her school to win a medal after placing sixth at 155 to cap an 8-7 season while her senior teammate, Karmen Cody, took sixth at 190. Now she wants to accomplish much more and is off to a great start after winning the 190 title at Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown with a fall in 1:51 over Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker, the IHSA champion at 155 in 2023 and an the IHSA runner-up at 170 last season.

The lone competitor in the varsity competition for coach Travis Williams’ Lady Comets, she followed a first-period fall with an 11-1 major decision in the semifinals over Morris’ Morgan Congo, who also was a state qualifier last season, to earn her trip to the finals against the two-time IHSA Finalist.

“It’s great since she’s ranked seventh pound-for-pound, and I’m not ranked yet, and I beat her,” Temple said. “I hope to make it to the (IHSA) Finals this year. I went to a bunch of offseason tournaments and I went to Fargo. I’ve done a lot of work, I just need to get my conditioning up, and if I do, then I can do good things. We just started doing girls last year and there’s only six of us, so we have small practices. But I wrestle with the boys sometimes to get a better workout in. I’ve been lifting over the summer and I feel stronger. So I think that I’m going to do a lot better than last year.”

Tucker, a senior who went 36-2 last season after falling 9-6 in the 170 title match to Peotone’s Kiernan Farmer after becoming the first individual from her program to win a state medal in 2023 when she capped a 34-2 season with a 3-1 decision over Moline’s Maryam Ndiaye in the IHSA 155 title match. The lone finalist for coach Terry Kubski’s Wildcats, she advanced to the title mat with two falls, winning in 3:28 over Lockport Township’s Sophie Kelner in the semifinals. Congo, a senior who won 28 matches last season to qualify for state, took third place with a fall in 2:46 over Kelner. For fifth place, Larkin’s Kimberley Reyes won by fall in 5:04 over Plainfield East’s Jen Serna.

235 – Chloe Hoselton, Prairie Central

Chloe Hoselton added the latest chapter to her family’s impressive legacy at Prairie Central when she won the 2024 IHSA championship at 235 with a 2-1 victory by ultimate tiebreaker over Unity’s Phoenix Molina. Beside becoming the first girl from the Fairbury school to win a state medal, she joined her brothers Brandon (2018 and 2019) and Drew (2018) and her cousin Andy (2011) as the fifth individual from Prairie Central to become an IHSA title winner. The senior would like to join Brandon as a two-time state champ and is off to a great start after winning the 235 title at the Thanksgiving Throwdown with a 5-0 decision over Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op’s Emma Akpan.

The lone finalist and one of two Hawks to compete in the varsity competition, both of who placed in the top three for coach Scott Ziller, she earned her spot on the title mat with a pair of first-period falls, with the second of those pins coming in the semifinals in 1:24 over Romeoville’s Henessis Villagrana.

“I’m very excited to have the season start over again and hopefully repeat as a champ,” Hoselton said. “Last year the Prairie Central program had four girls and this year we have nine. It’s awesome to see this program develop and to have more girls comfortable with the idea of going out and trying something new. And I really like that I can be like a mentor to the five new girls, so it will be kind of cool to be there for them. The growth (of the sport) is really exciting and year after year, the intensity and the drive of every single one of these girls just gets greater. To see more numbers come in and more people really trying to develop and care about it means a lot. One of my friends and fellow teammates, Yuri Vilchis, is just a second-year wrestler and she gave a great fight to every one of these experienced varsity wrestlers. I think she deserves a shout out since she puts in the hard work and goes to two practices almost every single day and she wants it. And I want it for her and for the rest of the team. And if everyone keeps pushing each other during practice, then I think we’ll get it.”

Akpan, a senior who finished 34-8 and took fourth in the IHSA at 190 last season and went 21-8 and placed sixth at state at 235 in 2023, was one of four finalists for coach Liz Short’s championship team, which claimed top honors by a 156-114 margin over West Aurora. She earned her spot in the finals with two falls before advancing after Ottawa Township junior Juliana Thrush, who went 30-6 last season and placed sixth in the IHSA at 235, had to take a medical forfeit. Villagrana, who won 18 matches last season and also qualified for state, took third by injury default over Thrush. And for fifth, Glenbard North’s Asreilla Wallace won by fall in 3:56 over Plainfield Central’s Zyon Jordan.

Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown championship matches

100 – Jade Hardee (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op) won by major decision over Ellie Evans (Morris), 9-1

105 – Daniela Santander (Romeoville) won by decision over Averi Colella (Lockport Township), 7-6

110 – Zoe Dempsey (Lincoln-Way co-op) won by fall over Kameyah Young (West Aurora), 0:50

115 – Allison Nava (Oak Lawn) won by fall over Makinsi Martin (Morris), 5:53

120 – Abigail Meyrer (Pleasant Valley, Iowa) won by fall over Lydia King (Geneseo), 2:55

125 – Aiyanah Sylvester (West Aurora) won by fall over Aaliyah Roldan (Oswego), 0:20

130 – Kinnley Smith (Canton) won by decision over Sophia Ball (Hoffman Estates), 8-5

135 – Claudia Heeney (Lockport Township) won by major decision over Aubrie Rohrbacher (Huntley), 14-2

140 – Alyssa Keane (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op) won by fall over Abigail Ji (Hoffman Estates), 5:14

145 – Viki Rodnikova (Plainfield North) won by fall over Ava Weatherford (Ottawa Township), 1:54

155 – Makayla Hill (Oswego) won by fall over Kaitlyn Bucholz (Plainfield East), 4:58

170 – Nola Oben (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op) won by major decision over Charvelle McLain (Oak Lawn), 15-7

190 – Payton Temple (Clifton Central) won by fall over Alicia Tucker (Plainfield Central),  1:51

235 – Chloe Hoselton (Prairie Central) won by decision over Emma Akpan (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op), 5-0

Third-place matches

100 – Molly Snyder (Geneseo) won by major decision over Emily Peyton (Lincoln-Way co-op), 15-6

105 – Shayla Schielein (Canton) won by fall over Marian Nordsell (Minooka), 5:02

110 – Alejandra Flores (Bolingbrook) won by fall over Ashley Hammond (Larkin), 3:02

115 – Diana Llanos (West Aurora) won by fall over Aubrey Barnes (Lincoln-Way co-op), 3:43

120 – Yurithdzy Vilchis (Prairie Central) won by fall over Sophia Figueroa (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op), 3:34

125 – Olivia Pelayo (Hoffman Estates) won by fall over Annalee Haschemeyer (Canton), 3:28

130 – Catalina Pacheco (Seneca) won by fall over Ruby Stagg (Pleasant Valley, Iowa), 1:59

135 – Sammie Greisen (Seneca) won by fall over Keagan Edwards (Glenbard North), 2:31

140 – Ezra Rodriguez (Minooka) won by decision over Ella Giertuga (Lincoln-Way co-op), 6-5

145 – Kennedy Smith (Canton) won by fall over Amelia Lemberg (Minooka), 3:58

155 – Essenze Reid (Hoffman Estates) won by decision over Palmer Calvey (Minooka), 7-1

170 – Natalie Aguirre (Huntley) won by fall over Mariyah Mani (Romeoville), 0:17

190 – Morgan Congo (Morris) won by fall over Sophie Kelner (Lockport Township), 2:46

235 – Henessis Villagrana (Romeoville) won by injury default over Juliana Thrush (Ottawa Township), 0:00

Fifth-place matches

100 – Melissa Melgar (West Aurora) won by decision over Analiese Garretson (Yorkville), 10-7

105 – Isabel Gwaltney (Ottawa Township) won by fall over Addison Hadsall (Geneseo), 3:15

110 – Veronica Skibicki (Lockport Township) won by fall over Tatum De La Vega (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op), 5:17

115 – Shania Davison (Plainfield Central) won by decision over Angelina Nettey (Plainfield East), 15-10

120 – Holli Coughlen (Minooka) won by decision over Chloe Hedges (Canton), 10-7

125 – Juliana Adamski (Tinley Park) won by fall over Saja Bader (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op), 0:35

130 – Bella Curcuru (Geneseo) won by fall over Dani Schedin (Lincoln-Way co-op), 2:21

135 – Grecia Garcia (Huntley) and Madison Monreal (Tinley Park), double default

140 – Kyna Moffit (Pleasant Valley, Iowa) won by fall over Ameera Murphy (Oswego), 2:00

145 – Mady Mooney (Geneseo) won by decision over Brooke Coy (Yorkville), 12-6

155 – Lauren Piquard (Geneseo) won by fall over Dayanara Elias-Mena (Hoffman Estates), 0:44

170 – Kiyah Chavez (Oswego) won by decision over Sophie Bellagamba (Geneseo), 18-11

190 – Kimberley Reyes (Larkin) won by fall over Jen Serna (Plainfield East), 5:04

235 – Asreilla Wallace (Glenbard North) won by fall over Zyon Jordan (Plainfield Central),  3:56

Minooka Thanksgiving Throwdown team standings

1. Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op 156.0, 2. West Aurora 114.0, 3. Geneseo 113.5, 4. Minooka 108.5, 5. Lockport Township 104.0, 6. Oswego 102.5, 7. Canton 94.5, 8. Lincoln-Way co-op 92.5, 9. Hoffman Estates 90.0, 10. Morris 73.5, 11. Romeoville 68.0, 12. Pleasant Valley, Iowa 66.0, 13. Huntley 58.0, 14. Oak Lawn 54.0, 15. Plainfield Central 54.0, 16. Ottawa Township 50.5, 17. Prairie Central 45.0, 18. Plainfield East 42.5, 19. Seneca 40.0, 20. Tinley Park 37.5, 21. Glenbard North 33.0, 22 Plainfield North 30.0, 23. Clifton Central 27.0, 24. Yorkville 25.0, 25. East Aurora 24.5, 26. Larkin 24.0, 27. Bolingbrook 21.5, 28, Neuqua Valley 10.0, 29. Pontiac 0.0.

Junior-varsity title matches

100 – Joselyn Llanos (East Aurora) won by decision over Ruby Bolanos-Carbajal (West Aurora), 4-3

105 – Mikaela Najera (Bolingbrook) won by decision over Ellie Glassgow (Pleasant Valley, Iowa), 11-9

110 – Kassandra Reyes (East Aurora) won by fall over Alissa Lessner (Huntley), 1:42

115 – Sierra Heatherly (Lincoln-Way co-op) won by decision over Sophia Mussari (Pontiac), 10-4

115A – Presley Menke (Pleasant Valley, Iowa) won by fall over Jazelle Duron (Bolingbrook), 1:16

120 – Maggie Metke (Minooka) won by fall over Jalena Coyomani (East Aurora), 1:58

120A – Olivia Gaudio (Minooka) won by major decision over Makayla Miller (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op), 12-3

125 – Kaliyah Schmaedeke (Morris) won by fall over Abby Lizak (Lincoln-Way co-op), 0:25

125A – Jocelyn Cobix (Pontiac) won by fall over Kaylee Martinez (West Aurora), 2:28

130 – Kyleigh Green (Lockport Township) won by fall over Piper Booe (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op), 1:07

130A – Kinslee Lawrence (Yorkville) won by major decision over Isabella Chavez (Plainfield North), 14-4

135 – Ava Stoneking (Pleasant Valley, Iowa) won by fall over Jaiyden Provance (Ottawa Township), 2:54

135A – Allison Reichard (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op) won by fall over Nehasri Kommuri (Pleasant Valley, Iowa), 2:13

140 – Amanda Lezama (Bolingbrook) won by fall over Jackie Ortega (Pontiac), 0:25

140A – Keighera Fleming (Minooka) won by fall over Nuray Dzheenalieva (Hoffman Estates), 0:36

145 – Suzanne Stalley (Glenbard North) won by fall over Emmy Rol (Oak Lawn), 2:18

145A – Alex Gutierrez (Hoffman Estates) won by major decision over Celia Rodriguez (East Aurora), 11-2

155 – Joslynn Sheets (Oswego) won by fall over Greer McCrimmon (Oswego), 3:26

155A – Amani Williams (East Aurora) won by fall over Roya Shayestehjah (Huntley), 0:48

170 – Adriana Vela (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op) won by fall over Brianna Felde (Huntley), 1:48

170A – Abigail Underhill (Minooka) won by fall over Leilani Torres (Oak Lawn), 1:28

190 – Jadelin Caballero (Larkin) won by fall over Eva Sanchez (Oswego), 0:41

190A – Jennifer Paul (Plainfield East) won by fall over Jessica Vega (Andrew/Carl Sandburg co-op).  1:36)

235 – Lili Ortiz (East Aurora) won by fall over Alison Vargas (West Aurora), 1:33

235+ – Blessing Ajere Tamatekou (Bolingbrook) won by fall over Mercedes Neal (West Aurora), 0:36 – pool

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Mike Gussarson wrestled for Antioch coach Wilbur Borrero a decade ago, finishing fifth in Illinois at 132 in 2013. Gussarson also won an individual tournament title that year, at Antioch’s inaugural Ted DeRousse Invitational.

After girls wrestling became an IHSA sport in 2021, Antioch soon began hosting a girls tournament and two years ago, Borrero gave that tournament a name. The Sandy Gussarson Girls Invitational was thus born, named after Mike’s mother, who passed away in 2021.

“She was just such an avid supporter of wrestling and of our program,” Borrero said.

On Saturday at Lakes, Mike was present to honor his mother, handing out place-medals to girls on the awards stand at what is certainly one of the few wrestling tournaments- if not the only one – named so deservedly in tribute of a wrestling mom.

Mike Gussarson was fairly stunned when Borrero told him that he wanted to name the girls tournament after his mother.

“It definitely brought a tear to your eye, and it felt great,” Gussarson said. “It means she left her mark on the community.

“She was caring, hard-working — she was just a great person. She was always (Borrero’s) right-hand man, always helping out with fundraising and anything she could.”

More than 200 girls from 26 teams competed this year, with 12 wrestling mats set up in Lakes’ spacious fieldhouse.

Six mats were in use for the Gussarson tournament while six were in use for this year’s DeRousse. Combined, more than 500 wrestlers participated from 50 teams.

“Girls wrestling is huge. It’s blown up and it just keeps growing,” Gussarson said. “And these girls are tough.”

When the dust settled on the girls’ side, Lincoln-Way Central stood as this year’s Sandy Gussarson team champion. One year after placing second, the Knights out-pointed Oswego 457-355. Oak Forest finished third with 337 points.

The team from Lincoln-Way Central includes girls from Lincoln-Way East and West, and coach Josh Napier has seen his program follow a growth curve that mirrors the rise of girls high school wrestling in Illinois.

“We grew from three (girls) to eight to fifteen to now thirty-five girls this season,” Napier said. “So the message since June has been that we’re a wrestling program now and we’re taking it serious. We want to gain respect.”

“I felt pretty good about where we were going to be but I had no idea how we’d do here today. I knew we’d field a full lineup this year and we’re young, but we also have some experience – it’s about half and half. They’re hungry, and that’s what’s cool about them.”

Knights senior Monica Alvarez won a Gussarson title at 100 pounds Saturday and she likes the way this season has kicked off for her squad.

“I hoped that we’d have a lot of (wrestlers) and I like that it’s one big family,” Alvarez said. “And like they say ‘iron sharpens iron’, and we’re all beating each other up in practice.”

Also winning titles for Lincoln-Way Central were Zoe Dempsey (110) and Riley DePolo (235). Napier also got seconds from Emily Peyton (105) and Ella Giertuga (145), a third from Aubrey Barnes (120), and fourths from Abby Lizak (125) and Liv Clumpner (140). Lizak also scored the most points in a single match the entire tournament with 26.

Sierra Heatherly (115), Riley Cooney (130), Claire Bray (135), Kate Bohms (155), Jenna Lee (170), and Liana Zimmer (190) all scored team points in the Knights’ victory.

“This was the expectation coming into the tournament, to do this well, but we want a regional championship and a sectional championship, and a state trophy at some point,” Napier said.

Individual champion DePolo is in her first year of wrestling so she wasn’t sure what to expect from her team entering Saturday’s 26-team tournament.

“I was nervous but we all did really good. Everyone was amazing,” DePolo said. “The program is still very new and it’s been so much fun.”

Second-place Oswego sent four runners-up to the awards stand in Harmony Evans (130), Ameera Murphy (140), Kiyah Chavez (155), and Rikka Ludvigson (170) among coach Greg Scott’s 11 girls scoring team points for the Panthers.

Marjorie Rodriguez (115) and Iyobosa Odiase (145) won individual titles for third-place Oak Forest, and Isabel Peralta (190) placed second for the Bengals and coach Jamie Hubbard.

Other individual Gussarson champions were Dundee-Crown’s Diamond Rodriguez (105), Central’s Tori Macias (120) and Soraya Walikonis (135), Woodstock’s Hannah Olsen (125), Shepard’s Mila Rocush (130), Prospect’s Viola Pianetto (140), Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr (155), Palatine’s Sabrina Cargill (170), and Lakes’ Josie Larson (190).

Dundee-Crown’s Rodriguez, Oak Forest’s Odiase, Hinsdale South’s Carr, and Lakes’ Larson all became two-time Gussarson champs Saturday. The tournament’s outstanding wrestler award for the lower weights went to Rodriguez, and the upper-weight outstanding wrestler award went to Carr (155).

Palatine’s Cargill (170) had the most pins (5) in the least time (4:36) of all wrestlers present, while Antioch’s Londyn Lloyd (110) had the most tech fall wins (3) in the least time (13:30). Lloyd’s 63 total match points were also the most scored by any wrestler. Six girls tied for the most team points scored (52) in Macias, Walkinos, Rocush, Cargill, Carr, and Odiase. In placing sixth at 155, 22nd-seeded Brianna Crown of Woodstock provided the largest seed-place difference in the tournament.

Team scoring: 1. Lincoln-Way Central 457 2. Oswego 355 3. Oak Forest 337 4. Marist 306.5 5. Lakes 291 6. Dundee-Crown 213 7. Grant 211 8. Harvard 203 9. Woodstock 193.5 10. Shepard 174.5 11. Central 162 12. Grayslake North 161.5 13. Wilmont-Union WI 139 14. Freeport 133 15. Palatine 124.5 16. Peotone 121 17. Lake Park 114 18. Hinsdale South 94 19. Prospect 93.5 19. Rolling Meadows 93.5 21. Deerfield 93 22. Antioch 87 23. Guilford 79.5 24. Genoa Kingston 37 25. Carmel 8 26. Ken. St. Joseph Cath Ac. WI 0

Individual Sandy Gussarson Girls Invitational champions:

100 – Monica Alvarez, Lincoln-Way Central
The senior Alvarez went into the tournament as the third seed at 100, then went 5-0 including wins over Freeport’s second-seeded Aurielle Calmese (5-2) to capture the crown.
Alvarez (5-2) placed fifth in the tournament at 100 last season and she was on point at this year’s Gussarson.
“I’m really happy with today,” she said. “I teched my first (opponent), pinned my second, and won by points against my third one,” Alvarez said. “I was being aggressive and I know when they get tired — I see that and I know I’m not as tired as they are. I still have to work on my shots but I’m happy.”

Calmese placed second, Oak Forest’s Aliyah Blount was third, Palatine’s Kevelyn Price took fourth, Grayslake North’s Esther Migues-Gayton placed fifth, and Shepard’s Danielle Almaazan finished sixth at 100.

105 – Diamond Rodriguez, Dundee-Crown
Rodriguez was an IWCOA state champion at 100 pounds last season, and she won the last season’s Gussarson title at 100 pounds. The senior was slated to compete Saturday at 100 this year, but she made a tragic error in judgment on Thursday — she went to Texas Roadhouse with her family for Thanksgiving dinner.
“I should have never walked in there,” Rodriguez said. “Just smelling that place made me gain three pounds.”
Despite her best efforts since Thursday, Rodriguez couldn’t make weight to wrestle at 100 on Saturday. So instead, she wrestled up a weight at 105 as the No. 2 seed and won her second Gussarson title, with a tech fall win on the title mat against Lincoln-Way Central’s top-seeded Emily Peyton.
“I wanted the pin but she put up a hell of a fight,” Rodriguez said. “But I needed that workout, to be honest.”
Rodriguez won the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the lower weights Saturday, and she has her eyes squarely set on becoming a state qualifier this season.
“Last year I lost in the blood round at the sectional, then I was third at freestyle state. I love the sport. I started wrestling as a sophomore and I like the way it puts people on their feet, gets them thinking aggressively, thinking fast. And people might think girls are soft but it really brings it out and lets us be tough.”
Shepard’s Sophia Perez placed third, Central’s Allison Leffew was fourth, Marist’s Shae Halloran took fifth, and Central’s Malania Granda finished sixth at 105.

110 – Zoe Dempsey, Lincoln-Way Central
The Knights’ junior is a returning state qualifier and she posted a pair of tech fall wins and then a pin to reach the title match, where she won by fall over Harvard’s Alexa Herrera. Dempsey improved to 7-0 on the season with the win over Herrera (3-1), and she also won her second individual crown of the young season; Dempsey also won an individual title at Minooka’s 29-team tournament on Nov. 27.
Top-seeded Dempsey (7-0) won by first-period fall over third-seeded Herrera (3-1) for the title. Herrera reached the finals by upsetting second-seeded Haven Sylves by second-period fall. Dempsey won by fall in her semifinal against fourth-seeded Eva Hermansson of Woodstock.
Hermansson went on to place third, Sylves was fourth, Wilmont-Union’s Mya Rodriguez took fifth, and Dundee-Crown’s Melany Sanchez finished sixth at 110.

115 – Marjorie Rodriguez, Oak Forest
Bengals’ senior Rodriguez entered as the top seed at 115 pounds and won her first Gussarson title by fall against second-seeded Iris Torres of Dundee-Crown. Rodriguez is bringing a whole new mindset into her final high school season.
“Last year I had really low self-confidence but this year it’s really high. I’m not thinking negatively like last year, where I was always doubting myself. This summer I went to Fargo, which was a lot of fun and a big eye-opener for me, and since this is my last year I want to make it count.
“I was overall really happy with how I did. I fell in control most of the time and I was trying to be a little less aggressive and more smart. We’ve been doing boys practices, which are pretty intense, and that’s really helping all of us.”
There’s also no substitute for good coaching, and Rodriguez is grateful for hers.
“John Sebek has been with me all four years and he’s always pushing us to be the best,” Rodriguez said. “He’s like another father figure. He treats us like we’re his daughters, we’re all really close, and he’s always really honest about what we need to work on.”
Lakes’ Osmairi Medina placed third, Deerfield’s Belinda Esparza was fourth, Grant’s Kayden Manis took fifth, and Grant’s Jaiydyn Hoffman finished sixth at 115 pounds.

120 – Tori Macias, Central
The Rockets’ senior is a rare breed as one of the few three-time state medalists in girls wrestling in Illinois, having placed fourth once and fifth twice at the IHSA state finals.
She wants more and she’s pulling out all stops to get it.
“It’s my last season and I’m just trying to leave it all out there this year,” Macias said. “I’m putting everything on the mat and doing everything I can. I’m also a captain this year so I’m doing whatever I can to get girls to come out for wrestling at our school.
Top-seeded Macias (5-0) pinned her way to the title mat, where she won by fall over Marist’s Ava Enright (3-1).
“I feel stronger this year and as a veteran of the sport, I feel like I have the upper hand against the underclassmen. Today if I felt gassed or getting down, I just reminded myself that I’m a veteran at this and I know what to do.”
Marist’s Ava Enright (3-1) was seeded 11th at 120 but she won by fall against No. 2-seeded Marijose Avila of Freeport and No. 3 Ruby Vences of Central to reach the finals before losing to Macias. Lincoln-Way Central’s Aubrey Barnes placed third, Avila took fourth, Vences was fifth, and Grant’s Evelyn Gonzalez finished sixth at 120.

125 – Hannah Olsen, Woodstock
After placing 10th at 125 at the tournament last year as a sophomore, fifth-seeded Woodstock junior Olsen (4-0) went unbeaten on the day and claimed her first Gussarson title with two falls, one tech fall, and a 9-2 decision win over second-seeded runnerup Myla Reyes (4-1) of Grant.
Lake Park’s Elida Garcia placed third, Lincoln-Way Central’s Abby Lizak took fourth, Oswego’s Aaliyah Roldan was fifth, and Peotone’s Kaylee Boudreau finished sixth at 125.

130 – Mila Rocush, Shepard
One season after a 9th-place Gussarson finish as a freshman, the sophomore Rocush went 5-0 and took this year’s title at 130. Rocush won by fall over Oswego’s Harmony Evans (4-1) in the finals, and all five of Rocush’s wins came by fall. In placing second, 17th-seeded Evans provided the second-largest seed-place difference in the tournament.
Oak Forest’s Jordan Clyne took third, Lake Park’s Anna Guzman was fourth, Oak Forest’s Brooklyn Strelow placed fifth, and Lakes’ Makayla Williams finished sixth at 130 pounds.

135 – Soraya Walikonis, Central
Top-seeded senior Walikonis went 5-0 in pinning her way to the title at 135 for the Rockets, capped by a third-period pin on the title mat against seventh-seeded Morgan Rutherford (3-1) of Wilmont-Union, WI.
Walikonis pinned Lakes’ fourth-seeded Elise Kaylor to reach the title mat, while Rutherford won by fall in her semifinal match against sixth-seeded Annie Bergeron of Peotone.
Bergeron finished third, Kaylor placed fourth, Lincoln-Way Central’s Claire Bray took fifth, and Harvard’s Khloe Vest was sixth at 135 pounds.

140 – Viola Pianetto, Prospect
One year ago, Prospect senior Pianetto stood on a Gussarson title mat across from one of the best high school wrestlers in the country in Freeport’s Cadence Diduch, a multiple-time Illinois state champion now wrestling for the University of Iowa.
She only began wrestling last year, and when Pianetto lost by fall to Diduch it was a pivot point in her wrestling career.
“I didn’t know who she was going into that match and she was one of the best wrestlers I’ll ever see,” Pianetto said. “After that I knew that if I wanted to have a successful career in college, that match showed me that I had to get a lot stronger.”
Pianetto (7-0) has already committed to wrestle for Minot State in North Dakota. On Saturday she won her first Gussarson title as the tournament’s top seed, winning by fall over Oswego’s Ameera Murphy (3-1).
“It started off as a rough day. I was spitting on the bus, trying to make 135,” Pianetto said, “but I was two pounds over by the time we got here. So I just focused on what I can do and I prayed through every single match. I knew that no matter what happened, I just wanted to be proud of myself.”
Grant’s Annabelle Melton finished third at 140, Lincoln-Way Central’s Liv Clumpner was fourth, Marist’s Stella Harris took fifth, and Marley Gonzalez of Wilmont-Union, Wisconsin, finished sixth.


145 – Iyobosa Odiase, Oak Forest
The second of Oak Forest’s two individual champions on the day, returning state qualifier Odiase (5-0) pinned her way to her second Gussarson title at Lakes. The top-seeded junior ended her run with a title-mat pin against Lincoln-Way Central’s third-seeded sophomore Ella Giertuga (6-3), who was coming in off a fourth-place finish at Wednesday’s Minooka tournament.
Lakes’ Christina Hasner placed third at 145, Grayslake North’s Victoria Marquez took fourth, Marist’s Izzy Locascio was fifth, and Oswego’s Angeles Ponce finished sixth.

155 – Callie Carr, Hinsdale South
Top-seeded junior Carr is now a two-time Gussarson champion after winning by fall on the title mat against Oswego’s third-seeded Kiyah Chavez. She won the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the upper weights at Lakes and Carr is also a two-time state qualifier.

She’s itching to get to the state finals again and she wants nothing short of the top spot on the podium.
“That’s all I’m thinking about right now,” Carr said. “I want to be a state champ. I’ve been wrestling since eighth grade and now I feel like I can get through anything. It’s a great sport and mentally it will take a toll on you but like my pop always says it’s all about the six-inch space between your ears.”
Even if she wins a state title, Carr’s biggest contribution at Hinsdale South may have come off the mat.

“I was the only girl wrestling for a while,” Carr said. “I actually went to the (school) board and told them I didn’t have a coach or a team, while every team in our conference had a team and a coach. A lot of girls ended up joining and now there’s eight or nine of us in the program.”
Third-seeded Chavez won by fall in her semifinal match against second-seeded Makayla Hill of Oswego. Hill went on to place third, while 13th-seeded Joslyn Sheets of Oswego placed fourth. Rolling Meadows’ Janet Brindis placed fifth and Woodstock’s Brianna Crown took sixth at 155.

170 – Sabrina Cargill, Palatine
Pirates senior and 2024 IWCOA state champion Cargill (5-0) was seeded 11th but she burned her way through the girls seeded ahead of her with five pins, capped by a fall on the title mat at 170 against Oswego’s eighth-seeded Rikka Ludvigson (4-1). Ludvigson upset top-seeded Riley O’Grady of Grant to reach the title mat.
Marist’s Samantha Fontaine placed third, Palatine’s Angela Escalera was fourth, O’Grady placed fifth, and Rolling Meadows’ Leilani Brindis finished sixth at 170.

190 – Josie Larson, Lakes
Larson placed second in state at 190 last year and in her senior year for the Eagles, she’s bent on scaling to the top of the podium in every tournament she enters this season.
And she feels more ready than ever before to bring home an individual state title to Lakes.
“I’ve improved a lot. I wrestled a lot in the offseason, went to a lot of different tournaments, and that all helped,” Larson said. “I feel like I’ve refined my style. Last year I really only had one good move and this year I have three or four.”
Top-seeded Larson (5-0) became a two-time Gussarson champion with a fall on the title mat against Oak Forest’s second-seeded Isabel Peralta (4-1).
Last year, Larson and Zion-Benton’s Ileen Castrejon squared off six times, with Castrejon winning over Larson on the state title mat by 2-1 decision.
“I benefited from those matches. They were all close and we pushed each other to work harder and get better,” Larson said. “I’m competitive and I want to push myself to do better no matter what.”
Harvard’s Jarithsie Mercado placed third, Guilford’s Anjanne Haywood was fourth, Marist’s Sarah Parker took fifth, and Lincoln-Way Central’s Maryanna Quezada was sixth at 190.

235 – Riley DePolo, Lincoln-Way Central
Third-seeded sophomore DePolo beat top-seeded sophomore Alison Poole of Grayslake North by first-period fall to win her first Gussarson title. Not bad for a kid who wore a different high school uniform at this time last season.
“Riley was a basketball player at this time last year,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Josh Napier said. “We thought this was a better choice and I think today just solidified that for her.”
DePolo topped Dundee-Crown’s second-seeded Caroline Haiges in their semifinal match before winning by fall for the title against Woodstock’s top-seeded Allison Hill.
Beating two higher seeds en route to a tournament championship always makes for a good day.

“I was good on top today and I broke down a lot of people, so that was good,” DePolo said. “But I’ve got to work on bottom, and I want to keep working on breaking people down.”
Haiges went on to place third, Hill was fourth, Shepard’s Karrine Jenkins took fifth, and Oswego’s Helena Torres finished fifth at 235.

2024 Sandy Gussarson Girls Invitational medalists:

100:
Championship Round 1

Aliyah Blount (Oak Forest) 3-2, So. over Kevelyn Price (Palatine ) 2-3, Sr. (Dec 11-4)

Monica Alvarez (LW Central) 5-2, Sr. over Aurielle Calmese (Freeport) 5-2, Sr. (MD 9-0)

Round 2

Monica Alvarez (LW Central) 5-2, Sr. over Kevelyn Price (Palatine ) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 3:15)

Aurielle Calmese (Freeport) 5-2, Sr. over Aliyah Blount (Oak Forest) 3-2, So. (Fall 3:38)

Round 3

Aurielle Calmese (Freeport) 5-2, Sr. over Kevelyn Price (Palatine ) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 3:39)

Monica Alvarez (LW Central) 5-2, Sr. over Aliyah Blount (Oak Forest) 3-2, So. (MD 12-1)

105:

Championship Round 1

Emily Peyton (LW Central) 6-3, Sr. over Allison Leffew (Central) 2-3, So. (Fall 0:55)

Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) 7-0, Sr. over Sophia Perez (Shepard) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 0:51)

Round 2

Emily Peyton (LW Central) 6-3, Sr. over Sophia Perez (Shepard) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 0:44)

Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) 7-0, Sr. over Allison Leffew (Central) 2-3, So. (Fall 0:28)

Round 3

Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) 7-0, Sr. over Emily Peyton (LW Central) 6-3, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:40 (17-2))

Sophia Perez (Shepard) 3-2, Jr. over Allison Leffew (Central) 2-3, So. (Fall 2:22)

110:

1st Place Match

Zoe Dempsey (LW Central) 7-0, Jr. over Alexa Herrera (Harvard) 3-1, Jr. (Fall 1:25)

3rd Place Match

Eva Hermansson (Woodstock) 4-1, Jr. over Haven Sylves(Lakes) 2-2, Sr. (Dec 10-6)

5th Place Match

Mya Rodriguez (Wilmont-Union) 3-1, . over Melany Sanchez (Dundee-Crown) 2-2, Jr. (Fall 1:25)

115:

1st Place Match

Marjorie Rodriguez (Oak Forest) 5-0, Sr. over Iris Torres (Dundee-Crown) 5-2, Sr. (Fall 1:35)

3rd Place Match

Osmairi Medina(Lakes) 4-1, So. over Belinda Esparza (Deerfield) 2-3, Jr. (Dec 10-3)

5th Place Match

Kayden Manis(Grant) 4-1, So. over Jaiydyn Hoffman(Grant) 3-2, So. (Dec 5-0)

120:

1st Place Match

Victoria Macias (Central) 5-0, Sr. over Ava Enright (Marist) 3-1, So. (Fall 1:52)

3rd Place Match

Aubrey Barnes (LW Central) 5-3, Fr. over Marijose Avila (Freeport) 6-4, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:16 (16-0))

5th Place Match

Ruby Vences (Central) 4-1, Sr. over Evelyn Gonzalez(Grant) 2-2, Sr. (Fall 1:46)

125:

Championship Round 1

Hannah Olsen (Woodstock) 4-0, Jr. over Elida Garcia Torres(Lake Park) 3-2, So. (TF-1.5 4:54 (18-0))

Myla Reyes(Grant) 4-1, So. over Abby Lizak (LW Central) 2-3, Fr. (Fall 1:29)

Round 2

Elida Garcia Torres(Lake Park) 3-2, So. over Abby Lizak (LW Central) 2-3, Fr. (Dec 7-3)

Hannah Olsen (Woodstock) 4-0, Jr. over Myla Reyes(Grant) 4-1, So. (Dec 9-2)

Round 3

Myla Reyes(Grant) 4-1, So. over Elida Garcia Torres(Lake Park) 3-2, So. (Fall 5:17)

Hannah Olsen (Woodstock) 4-0, Jr. over Abby Lizak (LW Central) 2-3, Fr. (Fall 1:05)

130:

1st Place Match

Mila Rocush (Shepard) 5-0, So. over Harmony Evans (Oswego) 4-1, Sr. (Fall 5:29)

3rd Place Match

Jordan Clyne (Oak Forest) 3-1, Jr. over Anna Guzman(Lake Park) 2-2, Sr. (Fall 3:17)

5th Place Match

Brooklyn Strelow (Oak Forest) 3-1, Fr. over Makayla Williams(Lakes) 2-2, Jr. (Fall 1:49)

135:

1st Place Match

Soraya Walikonis (Central) 5-0, Sr. over Morgan Rutherford (Wilmont-Union) 3-1, . (Fall 4:27)

3rd Place Match

Annie Bergeron (Peotone) 3-1, . over Elise Kaylor(Lakes) 2-2, So. (Fall 1:26)

5th Place Match

Claire Bray (LW Central) 3-3, So. over Khloe Vest (Harvard) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 1:09)

140:

1st Place Match

Viola Pianetto (Mt. Prospect (Prospect)) 7-0, Sr. over Ameera Murphy (Oswego) 3-1, Sr. (Fall 1:30)

3rd Place Match

Annabelle Melton(Grant) 4-1, Jr. over Liv Clumpner (LW Central) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 2:36)

5th Place Match

Stella Harris (Marist) 3-1, Jr. over Marley Gonzalez (Wilmont-Union) 2-2, . (Fall 0:40)

145:

1st Place Match

Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest) 5-0, Jr. over Ella Giertuga (LW Central) 6-3, So. (Fall 0:44)

3rd Place Match

Christina Hasner(Lakes) 4-1, Jr. over Victoria Marquez (Grayslake North) 5-2, So. (Fall 1:30)

5th Place Match

Izzy Locascio (Marist) 3-1, Jr. over Angeles Ponce (Oswego) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 1:30)

155:

1st Place Match

Callie Carr (Hinsdale S) 5-0, Jr. over Kiyah Chavez (Oswego) 4-1, Sr. (Fall 2:15)

3rd Place Match

Makayla Hill (Oswego) 4-1, So. over Joslyn Sheets (Oswego) 3-2, . (Fall 0:48)

5th Place Match

Janet Brindis (Rolling Meadows) 3-1, Jr. over Brianna Crown (Woodstock) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 4:16)

170:

1st Place Match

Sabrina Cargill (Palatine ) 5-0, Sr. over Rikka Ludvigson (Oswego) 4-1, Sr. (Fall 0:36)

3rd Place Match

Samantha Fontaine (Marist) 4-1, Jr. over Angela Escalera (Palatine ) 3-2, Sr. (MFFL)

5th Place Match

Riley O`Grady(Grant) 4-1, . over Leilani Brindis (Rolling Meadows) 3-2, . (Dec 7-3)

190:

1st Place Match

Josephine Larson(Lakes) 5-0, Sr. over Isabel Peralta (Oak Forest) 4-1, Sr. (Fall 4:29)

3rd Place Match

Jarithsie Mercado (Harvard) 4-1, Jr. over Anjanne Haywood (Guilford)3-2, Jr. (Dec 3-1)

5th Place Match

Sarah Parker (Marist) 4-1, Jr. over Maryanna Quezada (LW Central) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 1:29)

235:

1st Place Match

Riley DePolo (LW Central) 5-2, So. over Alison Poole (Grayslake North) 3-1, So. (Fall 1:47)

3rd Place Match

Caroline Haiges (Dundee-Crown) 4-2, Fr. over Allison Hill (Woodstock) 3-2, So. (Fall 3:03)

5th Place Match

Karrine Jenkins (Shepard) 3-1, So. over Helena Torres (Oswego) 2-2, So. (Fall 0:25)

By Chris Walker For the IWCOA

One of the things that a few of the individual champions shared during Saturday’s 16-team Hruska Classic was that they didn’t become wrestlers until they entered high school.

Elgin senior Fabian Ramirez (175), Leyden junior Erick Worwa (215) and De La Salle Institute senior David McCarthy (285) are each just a few years into the sport, yet they found themselves crowned as champions during their first invite of the season.

Carl Sandburg, which had five champions, won the invite with 299 points, while Glenbard North, which had three champions, took second place with 239.5. Oswego was a distant third at 150.

“I was a fat kid in middle school and I learned that my cousin, before he went into the military, that he wrestled and was a big wrestling fan,” McCarthy said. “My family has always been in martial arts and things like that and used to do karate and a lot of gymnastics stuff, and when I got to high school I played football and they came out and talked to me and said ‘Do you want to wrestle? I was like my whole family wrestled so why not I give it a try? I didn’t make weight freshman year, I was like 315 (pounds), but I made weight sophomore year, went to state and was like, ‘This is it, this is what I want to do.’”

It’s hard to imagine a big kid like McCarthy getting picked on, but he acknowledged that it happened.

“I grew up in a very big, fighting family and I’ve always been the smallest height-wise and weight-wise,” McCarthy said. “I’m always getting picked on by everybody else so I had to learn a way to defend myself and now I’m going head-to-head with 6-5, 300-something pound people and I’m like it’s my defense mechanism.”

McCarthy had some family members hooting and hollering for his efforts after his victory. In a rematch of last year’s title bout, McCarthy won by fall over Round Lake senior William Cole in 1:47. Last year, McCarthy was pinned by Cole in the opening minute. 

“I love my family but they are a little embarrassing,” McCarthy said. “But they come out and support every tournament. Somebody is coming, no matter who it is, somebody is there, two or three people. Somebody is always there to support, it always goes deep with the family.”

Elgin’s Ramirez started wrestling during his freshman year. Now a senior, Ramirez finished in third place at Conant last year. He won the title on Saturday after pinning Oswego East senior Demetrius Walker-Hill in 11 seconds.

“I saw it coming in and he shot, and I was like in awe because I’ve been in this position before,” Ramirez said. “I thought that if this is what he’s going to do then you got to punish that, and then just lifted him over, an 11-second pin. It’s something I can’t even explain. I just don’t think when I wrestle, I just go, I just react.”

Conant is a familiar place for Ramirez. Last year he won the Class 3A Conant sectional at 190 with a 9-5 decision against St. Charles East sophomore Cooper Murray. Two years ago, his sophomore season ended after he got pinned by Glenbard North senior Johnnie Robertson in the quarterfinals at 170 of the Class 3A Conant sectional.

“My brother wrestled so I wanted to do it and did that, and then during my sophomore year I was here at sectionals,” he said, “I lost in the first round and that really broke me. I was very very angry that I had lost that match because, you know, I was inexperienced and I hadn’t even wrestled for this long so it made me want to commit to it. I’ve gone to Gomez Wrestling RTC ever since then and he just made me who I am. It doesn’t matter who is in front of me anymore, it’s just another thing.”

Ramirez just finished up the football season as the Maroons went 3-6.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” Ramirez said, “I’m still in shock because I’m from Elgin so it’s like … an unknown school. (Soccer) is the only thing we got. But I don’t like stereotypes and I try to break them. So I’m going to come out and ranked fourth at 190 I saw that and I don’t know, I’m here to make waves, some changes, to change the system (at Elgin).”

Leyden’s Worwa is another kid who hadn’t wrestled before high school. In fact, Worwa really wasn’t into athletics until he signed up for wrestling just a couple years ago. Now a junior, Worwa is only in his second varsity season, but already has a tournament championship on his resume for the new year. He won it with a 12-9 decision over South Elgin senior Deremit Zamora.

Just like Ramirez, Worwa has to thank an older brother for inspiring him to give wrestling a shot.

“No sports at all before wrestling,” he said. “It was pretty much my brother wrestling. When he was a senior I was a freshman and he told me I should join wrestling so I did. Freshmen year went well. I was all-conference and went to fresh-soph state that year and fell in love with the sport and really enjoyed myself. I figured this is my life now so let’s enjoy it as well as I can.”

At last year’s Chris Hruska Wrestling Classic, Worwa got dropped by Sandburg senior Ahmad Jaffal in his second match of the day.

“Last year I didn’t place at this tournament and this year I got first and am currently undefeated,” Worwa said. “It feels really good. I’ve been practicing and been pushing myself everyday. It just feels good to get started and to get on top. I’m starting to win more and be more confident in myself.”

He outlasted Zamora to earn the 215 title.

“I think the difference was pure determination,” Worwa said, “Me and the other guys, we were really determined. We were pushing each other. We were trying to get it. I was just going for the points, going for the shots, I didn’t want to lose so I was pushing myself. I was just in my mind ‘Don’t lose, push yourself, you’ve been pushing yourself all week hard. You earned it,’ and I just wanted to prove it to myself.”

It didn’t take long for Worwa to fall in love with the sport and the team while also becoming a talented competitor.

“I love the team,” he said. “Spending time with basically guys who have become your brothers over the season feels really good, especially when you push yourself constantly and you’re getting better. It feels amazing. That’s what I like about it. You see yourself improving that’s what I really enjoy about it.”

Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes (120), Madden Parker (138) and Ryan Hinger (150) won for the second straight year at Conant. Hayes was named Most Valuable Wrestler for the second consecutive year.

“Yeah, so today was a pretty good day overall,” Hayes said. “Getting to my offense has been a big part of my success and just having a great mindset going into matches.”

Hayes is coming off an off-season of hard work, including some at the University of Virginia where he’ll continue next year.

“My off-season was good,” he said. “I trained at Virginia for some time and just made sure I got better and stronger overall. I’m a new me from last year. I’m a totally new person on the mat. I’m coming for a lot this season and I have a great mentality right now. From last year, I have just gotten bigger and stronger and that is what I needed. I became more technical and more offensive.”

He took care of business quickly and efficiently, earning pins at 0:55 in the quarterfinals, 2:29 in the semifinals, and 2:39 in the final. 

Tyson Bruce (132) and Wyatt Hochgraber (165) also won for the Eagles.

Bruce took fifth last year at Conant and did not qualify for state, 

“Since the season ended last year I’ve just been grinding basically all off-season through freestyle and Greco and I was practicing at R13 Wrestling with Carson Beebe and I think he helped me get a lot better,” Bruce said. “I’m way more focused on on my technique and foot work and being real smart on the mat and knowing what to do. I think that really helped with the jump there, and then just being more focused this year than anything.”

Sandburg coach Clinton Polz likes what he’s seeing from Bruce.

“He’s put in a lot of time over the years and it’s really starting to pay off and show on the mat,” Polz said. “So I’m really happy for him. He’s become a leader in our room and in the off-season and in-season.”

Polz said the Eagles were still missing one wrestler but expect to be at full strength soon.

“A lot of our guys aren’t down to their certification weights yet so that’ll happen next week for a lot of them.” Polz said .”So a lot of guys will be sliding down a weight class. I’m pretty happy with what we saw today with most of them up a weight class today.”

Glenbard North freshman Vannak Khiev won in his debut high school tournament. Kalani Khiev (126) and Julian Holland (190) also enjoyed championship days for the Panthers.

Oswego senior Brayden Swanson defeated Sandburg sophomore Brady Ritter, 4-1, to win at 150.

South Elgin’s Nick Dilallo won at 113, beating fellow freshman Kyle Hayes of Sandburg by tech fall. 

New Trier senior Tagg Miller scored a 13-9 decision win at 157 over Oswego senior Ethan Essick.

Sandburg also won the Hruska last year. Runner-up Glenbard North won it in 2022. The Eagles finished third that year.

“I think this team has only one goal in mind and it’s to win a state title this year and compete,” Bruce said. “It’s an uphill battle this year with some of the teams, but we finished pretty strong here today and that’s just great motivator for next week and weeks to come. I just hope we continue to do that.”

Motivating athletes was one of the late Chris Hruska’s many abilities. The former Conant wrestling coach died of cancer in 2011 and the school now hosts the Chris Hruska Wrestling Classic each winter.

Conant Chris Hruska Wrestling Classic championship matches

106 – Vannak Khiev (Glenbard North) 2-0, Fr. over Anthony Hayes (Carl Sandburg) 2-1, Jr. (Fall 1:35)

113 – Nick Dilallo (South Elgin) 6-0, Fr. over Kyle Hayes (Carl Sandburg) 3-1, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:38 (20-2))

120 – Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg) 4-0, Sr. over Sammy Sikorsky (Geneva) 2-1, Sr. (Fall 2:39)

126 – Kalani Khiev (Glenbard North) 3-0, Sr. over John Sheehy (Notre Dame) 2-1, Sr. (Dec 11-6)

132 – Tyson Bruce (Carl Sandburg) 4-0, Sr. over Trey Thompson (Glenbard North) 3-1, Jr. (Dec 4-1)

138 – Madden Parker (Carl Sandburg) 4-0, Sr. over Matt Goolish (Conant) 3-1, Sr. (Fall 1:11)

144 – Brayden Swanson (Oswego) 5-0, Sr. over Brady Ritter (Carl Sandburg) 3-1, So. (Dec 4-1)

150 – Ryan Hinger (Carl Sandburg) 4-0, Sr. over Dillon Griffin (Oswego) 4-1, Jr. (Fall 2:38)

157 – Tagg Miller (New Trier) 3-0, over Ethan Essick (Oswego) 2-1, Sr. (Dec 13-9)

165 – Wyatt Hochgraber (Carl Sandburg) 4-0, Jr. over Adnan Askar (Carl Sandburg) 3-1, (Fall 1:34)

175 – Fabian Ramirez (Elgin) 4-0, Sr. over Demetrius Walker-Hill (Oswego East) 5-1, Sr. (Fall 0:11)

190 – Julian Holland (Glenbard North) 4-0, Sr. over Chris Davis (Carl Sandburg) 3-1, Jr. (Fall 0:26)

215 – Erick Worwa (Leyden) 4-0, Jr. over Deremit Zamora (South Elgin) 6-2, Sr. (Dec 12-9)

285 – David McCarthy (De La Salle) 3-0, Sr. over William Cole (Round Lake) 6-1, Sr. (Fall 1:47)

Third-place matches

106 – Evan Hamilton (South Elgin) 2-4, Jr. over Ryu Yamazaki (Conant) 1-2, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:31 (19-3))

113 – Ray Long (Notre Dame) 2-1, So. over Jaden Quito (Glenbard North) 1-2, So. (MD 18-5)

120 – Alex Rodriguez (Leyden) 2-1, Jr. over Jaylen Sandy (Bloomington) 1-2, So. (Dec 13-6)

126 – Luis Flores (Conant) 3-1, Jr. over Aiden Ortiz (Oswego) 4-2, Jr. (MD 10-2)

132 – Andrew Wendt (Geneva) 2-1, Sr. over Mike Goolish (Conant) 2-3, So. (Fall 1:39)

138 – Braeden Grisham (Oswego East) 6-1, Sr. over Richard Morales (Glenbard North) 1-2, Sr. (Dec 5-3)

144 – John Greifelt (Notre Dame) 2-1, Jr. over Tyler Barlow (Bloomington) 1-2, Jr. (Dec 12-8)

150 – Victor Chevganov (Conant) 3-1, Sr. over Dane Henson (South Elgin) 2-5, Jr. (Fall 3:30)

157 – Nick Nicosia (Carl Sandburg) 4-1, Sr. over Rylan Kradle (Glenbard North) 1-2, Sr. (Dec 5-3)

165 – Erik Esquivel (Glenbard North) 3-1, Jr. over Mylan Williams (Curie) 2-2, Sr. (MD 9-1)

175 – Ahmad Alomari (Carl Sandburg) 4-1, Sr. over Edgar Gomez (Round Lake) 6-2, Sr. (Fall 3:32)

190 – Terrelle Jackson (De La Salle) 3-1, Sr. over Michael Keany (Notre Dame) 2-2, Sr. (Fall 3:13)

215 – Malic Breish (Carl Sandburg) 3-1, Sr. over Kelvin Harris (Bloomington) 2-2, Sr. (Fall 0:47)

285 – Brodie Slou (Oswego) 4-1, Sr. over Joshua Edwards (Oswego East) 4-4, Sr. (Fall 1:32)

Fifth-place matches

113 – Damian Ramos (Conant) 4-1, Fr. over Justin Forbes (De La Salle) 3-2, Fr. (Fall 4:36)

120 – Isaac Velasco (Glenbard North) 2-1, Sr. over Vincent Arvetis (De La Salle) 2-2, So. (Fall 0:50)

126 – Oscar Kalman (Carl Sandburg) 4-1, So. over Jack Schweitzer (Bloomington) 3-2, Fr. (Fall 1:38)

132 – Brady Krueger (Notre Dame) 4-1, Jr. over Ryan Geogoplous (New Trier) 3-2, (Fall 0:56)

138 – Vincent Manfre (Oswego) 5-1, Sr. over Aamir Nieves-Allen (South Elgin) 2-5, Sr. (Fall 5:27)

144 – Angelo Gatses (Glenbard North) 4-1, So. over Sharjeel Saqibuddin (New Trier) 3-2, (Fall 2:43)

150 – Donovan Walsh (Notre Dame) 4-1, Sr. over Emir Mustapayev (Glenbard North) 3-2, Sr. (Fall 1:45)

157 – David Rueth (Geneva) 4-1, Jr. over Deniz Ozturk (Notre Dame) 3-2, Sr. (Fall 1:21)

165 – Marcus Regalado (New Trier) 4-1, over Kevin O`Grady (Oswego) 3-2, Sr. (MD 16-5)

175 – Joey Fitak (Glenbard North) 4-1, So. over Jackson Spizzirri (Conant) 3-3, So. (Dec 12-7)

190 – Karl Pretzer (South Elgin) 4-3, Sr. over Charlie Anderson (Oswego East) 5-2, Jr. (Fall 2:27)

215 – Jovan Cerny (Oswego East) 6-3, Jr. over Tyler Hvorcik (Glenbard North) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 1:03)

285 – Omar Alhmoud (Carl Sandburg) 5-1, Sr. over Jaylen Raab (Bloomington) 3-2, So. (UTB 3-2)

Seventh-place matches

113 – Nolan O´Grady (Oswego) 3-2, So. over Mateo Marin (Round Lake) 3-4, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:15 (16-0))

120 – George Driesbach (Geneva) 2-2, So. over Raval Drew (South Elgin) 0-4, Sr. (Fall 1:09)

126 – Matt Miralles (New Trier) 2-2, over Macarten Parker (Carl Sandburg) 2-3, . (MD 14-4)

132 – Emilio Chavarria (Round Lake) 7-2, Jr. over Jayden Edgar Gray (Elgin) 1-3, So. (Dec 12-8)

138 – Henry Quntar Jr. (Oswego) 2-2, over Melvin Cannon (De La Salle) 0-3, Sr. (Fall 4:55)

144 – Vladimir Castaneda (Conant) 2-2, over Gio Ortiz (Leyden) 1-3, Fr. (Fall 2:51)

150 – Yassin Aitzemkour (New Trier) 3-2, over Yuliel Quinonez (Curie) 1-3, Sr. (Fall 3:14)

157 – Nathan Jung (South Elgin) 3-5, Sr. over Emilio Guzman (Elgin) 1-3, Jr. (For.)

165 – Triston Stinson (Oswego East) 5-3, Jr. over Ian Hernandez (Round Lake) 4-4, Sr. (Dec 8-3)

175 – Daniel Aguas (Bloomington) 3-2, Jr. over Matthew Kessel (Notre Dame) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 2:36)

190 – Cooper Wynn (Oswego) 4-2, Sr. over Jaiden Thorney (Conant) 2-3, So. (Fall 1:53)

215 – Aiden Heiden (Oswego) 3-2, over Alaa Alrabi (Carl Sandburg) 2-3, (Fall 1:06)

285 – Dylan Hendee (Glenbard North) 3-2, Sr. over Victor Juarez (Elgin) 1-3, So. (Dec 4-3)

Team standings

1. Carl Sandburg 299, 2, Glenbard North 239.5, 3. Oswego 150, 4. Notre Dame 124, 5. South Elgin 114.5, 6. Conant 113.5, 7. Oswego East 90, 8. New Trier 86.5, 9. Bloomington 74.5, 10. De La Salle 72.5, 11. Geneva 67, 12. Leyden 61.5, 13. Round Lake 48.5, 14. Elgin 44, 15. Curie 22.

By Chris Walker For the IWCOA

Some wrestlers were able to loosen their belts and truly enjoy Thanksgiving on Thursday, including second helpings and desserts, after opening their 2024-2025 high school season by competing in the inaugural Marmion Cadet Invite on Wednesday in Aurora.

“This is the first year we put this tournament together and I would say every program that is here is either a friend of the staff or friend of the program,” Cadets coach Anthony Cirrincione said. “We just wanted to put together an event where these guys could wrestle before Thanksgiving and give the kids their Thanksgiving day to engage with their families and not worry about making weight on the weekend. There were a lot of good teams here.”

As what’s always expected at the beginning of the season, there’s a great deal of excitement amongst the competition but teams aren’t anywhere close to where they hope to be once the postseason rolls in. That includes the wrestlers themselves,

A couple state champions did not compete. Marmion junior Nicholas Garcia, who won at 113 in 3A last year and was fourth at 106 the year before, wasn’t in action. Marian Central Catholic senior Brayden Teunissen, last year’s state champion at 120 in 1A, also did not compete. Teunissen is shooting for his third state finish after taking second place in 1A at 106 during his sophomore season.

“No Nick (Garcia), no Joe (Favia), no Vinnie (Testa), no Aidan McClure,” Cirrincione said. “When those guys come back we’ll be a different team, believe it or not. That’s a lot of horsepower that’s sitting out right now. But they’ll be back probably within the next two to three weeks and looking to compete right on the other side of Christmas.”

All but Garcia is coming off Marmion’s fall football season. Heavyweight Mateusz Nycz is coming off of football and he scored in a big way, defeating Glenwood Chatham’s Cody Moss by tech fall in the championship bout to give the Cadets five champions on the day.

Marmion needed those champs to win its own invite, fighting its way past runner-up Marist, 211.5 to 206. Lincoln-Way West was third with 172.5 while Lockport had 147 and Glenwood Chatham had 140.5 to round out the top five team finishers.

Colton Wyller (106), Demetrios Carrera (132), Zach Stewart (138) and Ashton Hobson (150) also were crowned champions for the Cadets.

Marian Central Catholic had a pair of champions in Austin Hagevold (113) and Jimmy Mastny (190).

The final seven champions were the lone ones from their school which says a lot about the quality of the competition and its diversity. 

Huntley’s Radic Dvorak (157), Lincoln-Way West’s Nate Elstner (215), Marist’s Will Denny (165), Naperville Central’s Henry Rydwelski (175), Oakwood/Salt Ford’s Mason Swartz (120), St. Patrick’s Patrick Hulne (144) and West Chicago’s Ryan Alvarado (126) will go done in history as the first winners in their weight classic in this new tournament. 

Stewart (138 in 3A), Denny (150 in 3A) and Mastny (157 in 1A) are all returning after winning state titles a season ago. Stewart is the only one of the three wrestling in the same weight class.

“There was great competition today for sure,” Swartz said, after winning the crown at 120. “I didn’t have an easy match all day and every single match I had, I had to work as hard as I could to win. There were no shortcuts today.”

There may have been shorter ways for Swartz to get from Filthian to Aurora, but a flight didn’t seem like an option. Instead, he was up early with his team for the nearly three-hour drive. He also was able to pose for photos afterward on the award stand before the rest of the invite was complete in order to begin the long journey back home.

“It was an early morning, had to get up here super early and get weighed in and then just wrestled the whole day,” Swartz said. “The final match was a challenge. The first match is always hard and getting into it for the second match I felt a lot better, and the third match I felt even better. It feels good to progress throughout the day.”

Swartz, who was making his high school debut, is coming off a soccer season in which he scored 19 goals. He’s obviously a multi-sport athlete who has made a quick leap onto the scene in both sports at the high school level.

“A lot of hard work, early mornings and late nights,” he said. “Grinding. I’m working as hard as I can.”

Unlike Swartz, Rydwelski and Alvarado are both seniors who are coming off disappointing losses during the sectional last year. Both dedicated a great deal of their time in the off-season for their final high school seasons and both have already seen that work pay off immensely as they won titles.

“Last year I got knocked out of sectionals before the blood round which was heartbreaking as a junior,” Rydwelski said. “I wanted to get to state and where I’m at now I’m just proud of the work I put in during the off-season. I went to these tournaments, these high level tournaments and I lost a lot but those, you know, losses build character and I think those losses made me much better as a wrestler than any of the wins that I’ve had. I think that the losses are more important than anything in that losses taught me how to win against those good kids, how to wrestle those good kids in those good matches.”

Such wisdom did not arrive overnight.

“It’s something that has come later for me,” he said. “I just started wrestling freshman year so you know I was just a kid and every loss I would throw my head gear so I’ve learned to take those losses on the chin and really think about what I can do better and I think that’s why I won today.”

At 175, Rydwelski won by fall against Marmion’s Carsten Zink to open up his day before rattling off three wins by decision against Glenwood Chatham’s Eli Smith (4-1), Huntley’s Waylon Theobald (12-8) and Marist’s Kevin Tompkins (5-2).

“I saw people that I’ve never wrestled and I saw schools I’ve never heard of,” he said. “I just approached every match as it’s a new match and was not sure if I was going to win or lose, I just wrestled as hard as I could for six minutes and we’ll see what happens.”

The Redhawks placed eighth overall with 119.5

“We lost a lot of seniors, but we have a lot of good young guys and I’m really proud to be a leader on this team and a captain,” Rydwelski said. “I’m really proud with how my team performed today. We did take a lot of tough losses and heartbreaking defeats but I feel we got much better because we came to this tournament.”

Like Rydwelski, Alvarado saw his junior season end at sectionals last winter.

“I got knocked out in the blood rounds and took a little, small break for a month or two after it and then got right back,” he said. “I was lifting (weights) right after (the season) because I knew strength was a big difference. I got a tattoo and was out for a bit for that to heal, but I’ve wrestled every day of the week or at least three days a week to be where I’m at right now.”

Alvarado pinned Plainfield North’s Aidan Durell to begin his day. Durell would bounce back to take third place at 126.

“I felt nervous at the weigh-in so I wasn’t sure how I was going to do,” Alvarado said. “You could see I was nervous in the first match, my foot work is very stiff. In the finals I felt calm and confident and didn’t feel like I had much to lose. I really felt like I found how to calm myself compared to last year. I feel more mature and confident.”

Alvarado defeated a couple Lockport kids to get to the finals at 126 and pinning Glenwood Chatham’s Tyler Clarke, a state qualifier from a year ago, in 3:07.

“It was really surprising, I mean, I heard it was going to be a tough tournament so I wasn’t expecting to be at the top of the podium,” Alvarado said. Winning four matches in one day to open the season is not easy.

“I was pretty tired, but I knew that if I had given up there would be regret so I had to push through and keep going for what I wanted, Alvarado said. “I had to stay up without falling down. It was a pretty long day but I felt it was all worth it.”

Arguably the most-anticipated bout of the day came at 150, matching Hobson with Lockport junior Justin Wardlow. Last year, Wardlow was the Class 3A runner-up at 138. The year before that he also placed second, going home as runner-up at 120 in Class 2A.

The two had battled during the summer with Hobson sneaking past Wardlow, 1-0. It happened again while Hobson battled a bloody nose that was resilient.

As shouts of “tape his face!,” drifted towards the mats after a second injury delay, Hobson began to wonder if an injury time loss was his destiny. 

“It was definitely frustrating getting a bloody nose and it wouldn’t stop,” he explained. “I thought I was going to lose on injury time to be honest.”

Hobson credited his preparation in giving him just enough to prevail.

“I definitely knew it was going to be a battle,” he said. “I think it comes down to going harder in the room. I didn’t think he’d cut me in the second (period) but I knew I would be able to get out, and in the third I knew I could ride him and I’m really confident in my ability to ride. A pretty gritty match and it came down to me being able to ride him.”

The 106 match between Colton Wyller and Preston Morrison was the lone one to pair athletes from the same school as the Marmion sophomores went head-to-head like they so often do during training.

“We wrestle a lot with each other, doing tournaments together,” Wyller said. “We get a good feel for each other in practice, and in tournaments we just show up and wrestle. It went pretty well for both of us getting to the final.

Wyller prevailed this time, 3-1.

“This tournament was fun,” Morrison said. “It was something new, which is what I like, and I met a lot of new kids.”

Morrison said he was able to muscle up via off-season conditioning and put on some weight.

“I worked out a lot, I wasn’t too big last year,” he said. “I got some muscle on me and got more technique which is pretty good.”

Similarly, Wyller put in a lot of work to be in position to fight for titles.

“Toward the end of last year I got a lot better,” he said. “I worked a lot of one-on-ones with coaches and then in the summer I got a lot better. I got to wrestle at Fargo and got to the blood rounds. I’ve been working really hard, sometimes doing three practices a day.”

Marist may have only had a single champion, but its depth led to it narrowly winning the team title. The RedHawks had 14 placers including four runner-ups as Michael Esteban (132), George Marinopoulos (138), Kevin Tomkins (175) and Ricky Ericksen (190) advanced to championship bouts. They were without Donavon Allen, a senior who took third at 138 in Class 3A last year.

Other placers for the Redhawks included Eddie Astorga (138), Gordo Gil (106), Tommy Fidler and Kyle Herzog (215) who all took fourth place, Tommy O’Brien (215) and Jack Watson (285) who each were fifth and Colin Phelan (113) Joe Bronske (120) and Ethan Sonner (157) who each placed sixth.

Lincoln-Way West had 10 placers in addition to Elstner winning at 215.

Brady Glynn (113) and Haden Anderson (144) were runner-ups, Jakob Siwinski (138) and Brandon Bavirsha (285) took third each,  Shane Stream (126) and Jimmy Talley (190) placed fourth, Max Munn (120) was fifth and Carter Dibenedetto (132), Henry Finley (144) and Cole Yirsa (190) were sixth. The Warriors did not have Luke Siwinski, who took fifth in the state at 138 in Class 3A last season, in their lineup. 

Coming off their Class 1A state title season, Marian Central is talented and experienced again this winter, but was short-handed in the opener.

In addition to not having Teunissen, the Hurricanes were without Vance Williams, a three-time state placer at 132 and state qualifiers, Andrew Alvarado (138) and Dan French (190).

The football season obviously is playing a factor with the start of some wrestlers, particularly with multi-sport athletes who play football like French. Naperville Central’s William Erbeck is another one who isn’t back yet.

Championship matches
106 – Colton Wyller (Marmion Academy) 4-0, So. over Preston Morrison (Marmion Academy) 3-1, So. (Dec 5-1)
113 – Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) 3-0, Jr. over Brady Glynn (Lincoln-Way West) 2-1, So. (TF 2:53 (21-5))
120 – Mason Swartz (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 3-0, over Calvin Stahl (St. Patrick) 2-1, Jr. (Dec 4-2)
126 – Ryan Alvarado (West Chicago) 4-0, Sr. over Tyler Clarke (Glenwood) 3-1, (Fall 3:07)
132 – Demetrios Carrera (Marmion Academy) 4-0, Jr. over Michael Esteban (Marist) 3-1, Sr. (Dec 4-0)
138 – Zach Stewart (Marmion Academy) 4-0, Jr. over George Marinopoulos (Marist) 3-1, Sr. (Fall 3:37)
144 – Patrick Hulne (St. Patrick) 3-0, So. over Haden Anderson (Lincoln-Way West) 3-1, Jr. (Dec 8-6)
150 – Ashton Hobson (Marmion Academy) 4-0, Jr. over Justin Wardlow (Lockport Township) 3-1, Jr. (Dec 1-0)
157 – Radic Dvorak (Huntley) 3-0, So. over Andrew Haritos (Marmion Academy) 3-1, Sr. (Fall 0:58)
165 – Will Denny (Marist) 3-0, Sr. over Van Grasser (St. Patrick) 2-1, Jr. (Fall 3:12)
175 – Henry Rydwelski (Naperville Central) 4-0, Sr. over Kevin Tomkins (Marist) 2-1, Sr. (Dec 5-2)
190 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) 3-0, So. over Ricky Ericksen (Marist) 2-1, Sr. (Dec 9-2)
215 – Nate Elstner (Lincoln-Way West) 3-0, Sr. over Wyatt Theobald (Huntley) 3-1, Sr. (Fall 5:24)
285 – Mateusz Nycz (Marmion Academy) 4-0, Sr. over Cody Moss (Glenwood) 3-1, Jr. (TF 4:52 (29-12))

Third-place matches
106 – Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) 5-1, So. over Gordo Gil (Marist) 4-2, So. (Dec 5-4)
113 – Logan Conover (Marmion Academy) 3-1, So. over Colin Abordo (Huntley) 2-2, Jr. (Fall 3:55)
120 – Cameron Abordo (Huntley) 4-1, Jr. over Austin Aguinaldo (Naperville Central) 2-2, Jr. (Dec 5-4)
126 – Aidan Durell (Plainfield North) 5-1, Jr. over Shane Stream (Lincoln-Way West) 3-2, So. (Dec 13-11)
132 – Liam Zimmerman (Lockport Township) 5-1, Sr. over Jacob Cochran (Naperville Central) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 2:21)
138 – Jakob Siwinski (Lincoln-Way West) 4-1, Jr. over Eddie Astorga (Marist) 4-2, So. (Fall 1:13)
144 – Santino Milazzo (West Chicago) 4-1, Sr. over Anthony Diorio (Lockport Township) 3-3, Jr. (Fall 4:32)
150 – Leo Rosas (West Chicago) 4-1, Jr. over Tommy Fidler (Marist) 3-2, Jr. (Dec 4-3)
157 – Luke Grindstaff (Plainfield North) 4-1, Jr. over Yusuf Sikander (Naperville Central) 4-2, Jr. (MD 15-3)
165 – Nic Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) 4-1, So. over Maizon Milestone (Glenwood) 3-2, Sr. (Fall 3:14)
175 – Eli Smith (Glenwood) 5-1, So. over Christian Czerwinski (Lockport Township) 5-2, So. (Fall 2:31)
190 – Max Wiezorek (Glenwood) 3-1, Sr. over Jimmy Talley (Lincoln-Way West) 3-2, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:34 (17-1))
215 – Drew Silzer (Lockport Township) 5-1, Jr. over Kyle Herzog (Marist) 3-2, Jr. (Fall 1:38)
285 – Brandon Bavirsha (Lincoln-Way West) 5-1, Sr. over Kaleb Eckman (Marian Central Catholic) 4-2, Sr. (Dec 3-2)

Fifth-place matches
106 – Dalton Meluch (Naperville Central) 3-2, Jr. over Ethan Bell (Marmion Academy) 2-3, So. (Fall 0:46)
113 – Danny Goodwin (St. Patrick) 2-2, Jr. over Colin Phelan (Marist) 1-3, So. (Fall 3:56)
120 – Max Munn (Lincoln-Way West) 3-2, Jr. over Joe Bronske (Marist) 1-3, Jr. (Fall 4:21)
126 – Isaac Zimmerman (Lockport Township) 4-3, Jr. over Justin Godina (Lockport Township) 2-3, Jr. (For.)
132 – Grayson Garcia (Marmion Academy) 4-2, So. over Carter Dibenedetto (Lincoln-Way West) 3-3, Jr. (Fall 2:32)
138 – Gavin Nischke (Huntley) 4-2, So. over Evan Curry (Lockport Township) 2-3, So. (For.)
144 – Carter Chambliss (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 2-2, Sr. over Henry Finley (Lincoln-Way West) 2-3, Jr. (Dec 7-2)
150 – Staverous Gerousis (Naperville Central) 4-2, Jr. over Larson Nestar (Glenwood) 3-3, Sr. (Dec 6-4)
157 – Julian Rammelkamp (Glenwood) 4-2, So. over Ethan Sonne (Marist) 2-3, So. (For.)
165 – Chris Miller (Lockport Township) 4-2, Jr. over Anthony Haddad (Marmion Academy) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 1:16)
175 – Waylon Theobald (Huntley) 3-2, So. over Jacob Reece (Plainfield North) 2-3, Jr. (Fall 3:20)
190 – Luke Boersma (Marmion Academy) 4-2, So. over Cole Yirsa (Lincoln-Way West) 2-3, So. (Fall 1:42)
215 – Tommy O`Brien (Marist) 2-2, Jr. over Bryson Melgoza (Lockport Township) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 3:44)
285 – Jack Watson (Marist) 3-2, Jr. over Abe Bonano (St. Patrick) 2-3, (Fall 3:59)

Team scoring

1. Marmion Academy 211.5, 2. Marist 206, 3. Lincoln-Way West 172.5, 4. Lockport Township 147, 5. Glenwood 140.5, 6. St. Patrick 128.5, 7. Huntley 120, 8, Naperville Central 119.5, 9. Marian Central Catholic 98.5, 10. West Chicago 89, 11. Oakwood/Salt Fork 61.5, 12. Plainfield North 55.

For information regarding registration for this event, click HERE.

It is with great pleasure that the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Illinois Chapter announces their 2024 selections for Lifetime Service Awards. This year’s Induction ceremony for the Class of 2024 will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton-Alsip Hotel, 5000 W. 127th St., Alsip, IL on Sunday, October 6, 2024.  A Social begins at 3:00 PM with dinner and the presentation of awards to follow. To register for tickets to the Honors Banquet, simply click on this link: https://il-nwhof.ticketleap.com/2024nwhof-ilbanquettickets/ 

Selected to be recognized as Lifetime Service Award recipients are: 

Pete Alber, Dakota – Pete has a 30 plus career as coach at Dakota High School. During this time his teams won 6 IHSA Dual Team State Titles and 397 dual meets. 

Jim Chaloupka, Berwyn – A 2010 IWCOA Hall of Fame Inductee, Jim officiated and coached for 44 years. He officiated at 9 IHSA State Championships. 

Ed Giese, Westmont – A 2X IHSA State Champion, Ed had a high school career record of 172-5. He was a two time Big Ten Champion for the University of Minnesota, Pan Am Champ and has 37 years of coaching, including head coach at the prestigious Dave Schultz Wrestling Club. 

Mike Matozzi, Oswego – With over 43 years of service to wrestling, Mike was an assistant coach and head coach at Hinsdale South High School in Darien. A long-time Executive Board Member of the IWCOA, he served as President and was IWCOA Man of the Year in 2013. 

John Welter, Ingleside – John has coached for over 53 years at several youth and high school programs across northern Lake County. A 2018 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee, he served as Grand Marshal of the IESA State Tournament in 2009, was inducted into the Grant High School Hall of Fame in 2014, and the College of Lake County Hall of Fame in 1994. 

In addition, the Illinois Chapter will also recognize two individuals to receive the Outstanding American and Medal of Courage Awards along with the Dave Schultz and Tricia Saunders Student Excellence Awards. 

Dru Goodman, Riverwoods will be honored as Outstanding American. He is a highly accomplished Illinois businessman whose success is due in great part to the foundational skills he learned through his involvement with Illinois wrestling as a competitor, coach and official. 

Selected to receive this year’s Medal of Courage Award is Adam Sikes. Adam is a former U.S. Marines – Silver Star Recipient who wrestled for the Lake Zurich Bears while in high school. He is an acclaimed author of espionage thrillers and has been a 20+ year CIA & Hollywood consultant. 

The Illinois Chapter will also honor a male and female to receive the Dave Schultz and Tricia Saunders Award for 2024. To be recognized will be: 

Dillon Johnson, Joliet (Catholic Academy), (University of Wisconsin) – Schultz Award

Cadence Diduch, Freeport H.S., (University of Iowa) – Saunders Award 

The State Chapters Program was established by the Board of Governors of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1993. Its purpose is to pay tribute to those coaches, officials and contributors who represent the best qualities of what the sport of wrestling has to offer and who share those characteristics with young people day in and day out. The Illinois Chapter was formed in 1997. Since this time, 173 men and women of Illinois have been recognized.