Feature Stories

by Mike Garofola

When the product is so rich and talented all across the 14 weight divisions, it doesn’t take long for recognize just how extraordinary it is after the first whistle opens the final session inside State Farm Center in Champaign.

This was the case on Saturday night when a big crowd would be treated to one terrific 3A final after another – keeping the eyes of an appreciative audience glued to the main floor of this host venue.

Montini Catholic, as it would one week later at the dual-team state tournament, would dominate the proceedings as it celebrated (5) of its own claiming the top prize by nights end.

Michigan-bound Dylan Ragusin would earn his second consecutive title at 126, while teammates: Joe Fernau (106), Joe Roberts (152), Trevor Swier (182) and Josh LaBarbera (220) would all grab their first.

Fernau’s rise to glory came at the expense of high profile opponents – as he went past the three best in the state in order to achieve success.

Fernau would defeat-then No. 1 Charlie Farmer (Moline, 45-3) in the quarterfinals, 3-1, then send off No. 1 Will Baysingar (Prospect, 48-1) by decision, 4-3, before edging No. 4 Sammie Hayes (41-2) of Sandburg in the title match.

“I learned a lot last year training in our room around so many great wrestlers, and even though it was a tough freshmen year at (113) – it helped me get over a bit of a rough start this season when I took some bad losses,” said Fernau, after his early third period take-down proved enough to defeat Hayes, 2-1.

Big men would rule in the finals – none perhaps bigger than Yorkville senior, Nick Stemmet, who capped a magnificent four-year career by lifting the championship trophy at 195.

Stemmet, on his way to wrestle next fall at Stanford University, was anointed the top spot in the IWCOA state polls from the very beginning – and the Yorkville star never allowed any of his rivals take it away en route to his title.

“Nick is a brute, he overpowers his opponents, attacks at will, and never stops attacking,” says Yorkville head coach, Jake Oster.

The take-down machine was in fine working condition here in Champaign, opening on Thursday with a major decision victory to advance – then finishing up late Saturday night with a pin at 1:41, smashing the old record set by Dundee-Crown, and Purdue University star, Christian Brunner, who registered a pin at 3:39 in his 195-pound final in 2016.

That Stemmet roared past the competition at state is no surprise to those who watched him during this past season.

During the regular season, Stemmet won four majors (Barrington, Dvorak, Sycamore and Suburban Prairie Conference) – doing so with two major decision victories, six tech-falls, and five pins.

Standing just behind…  

Sandburg Mike Bosco was always looking up at Ryan Boersma (Providence Catholic) and Lloyd Edwards from Edwardsville in the state polls as the season went along – but as the old saying goes: it doesn’t matter where you start – but where you finish.

Despite standing 6-5, the Sandburg senior was an undersized heavyweight, but when it counted, Bosco was bigger than everyone else – witnessed by his a marvelous post-season effort – which ended with earning the 285-pound state title.

“With me being a lighter heavyweight than my opponents, it was all about using my quickness, length, and athleticism to keep the other guy off balance and guessing at what my next move would be” said Bosco following his 3-2 victory over Reynolds to end championship night.

In this, his first ever state tournament appearance, Bosco would help his club win a regional title, then qualify for dual-team state, while claiming regional and sectional titles for himself.

Oak Park-RIver Forest senior, Josh Ogunsanya, who placed fourth overall a year ago, made his last stop here the best of his career when he beat Connor Gaynor of Mt. Carmel, 4-3 to win the 145-pound crown.

Ogunsanya, who came into the tournament behind Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic) and Gaynor in the IWCOA polls – sent Mayora into wrestle-backs in fine fashion with a 5-3 victory in the semifinals to set up a date with Gaynor.

The hard fought win over Mayora would avenge an 8-7 loss to the Montini Catholic star earlier in the season.

Even at 2-2 after two periods, Ogunsanya 42-4) would take the lead for good with a third period take-down en route to well deserved title.

Ogunsanya, who will wrestle next fall at Ivy League Columbia, did not concede one offensive point in his three days in Champaign.

Edwardsville senior Luke Odom has his foot on the gas pedal from the start of the post-season, and right on through and into his 160-pound final in which he won 3-1 over Bradley Gillum of DeKalb.

“It’s all about the coaching staff at Edwardsville, they’ve been there all throughout my career, and especially last year when the state tournament did not go my way,” admitted Odum, who suffered an injury in his opening match – ending any chances of a state title.

“(That) injury was all the motivation I needed for my offseason training – and I’ve come back better than ever to win tonight, which is a dream come true.”

The lone defeat for Odum (50-1) came at the hands of Keegan O’Toole in the final of the Cheesehead Invite in Wisconsin.

Odum will move on to wrestle next season here in Champaign, a place in which he says has been where he’s always wanted to be since his start in the sport.

The dynamic duo of Sergio Lemley (113) and Noah Mis (132) have some time before deciding upon their college address – but in the present time – the Mt. Carmel duo can enjoy their individual state titles they garnered here.

For the second time in a week, the freshmen (Lemley) beat 2019 state champion Diego Sotelo (Marmion Academy) to claim his championship bracket board, while Mis was his title in a very difficult weight class that saw top rated Nico Bolivar (OPRF) lose in the quarters, at the same time Mis (36-4) defeat No. 3 Evan Stiles of Montini Catholic.

“Noah is so long – his length makes him near impossible (when) he’s on top,” began Caravan head coach, Alex Tsirtis.

“You saw how tough he was when he beat (Stiles) in the quarters (technical fall) and how equally nasty he was when he got the lead on (Jack) Milos and never let him get anything going in that third period, and he carried it on through in his final with (Tommy) Curran from DeKalb.”

Mis would defeat No. 4 Milos (47-2) 7-3 in the semifinals, then Curran in his final, 9-2.

There would be no denying Joel Vandervere of his 138-pound championship on Saturday after the Warren Township junior cruised through regionals, then sectionals, and, for that matter, his three days in Champaign to give the program its first title since 1966, when Dennis Murphy did so at 103.

“Ever since losing in my final last year in overtime, one of my goals was to get back into the state final, and win it all – there was no way I was going to have that feeling of finishing second,” admitted Vandervere, one day after beating Fabian Lopez, of DeKalb, 9-0.

“Joel is obsessed with being the best (his) work rate is so ridiculously high, and it matches his desire to be one of the best, if not the best in the nation is what drives him during his time in the room, and outside of the room,” says Warren assistant, Jim Ouimette.

That drive is what will send Vandervere to Northwestern in the fall of 2021.

“There isn’t a better place for me that combined incredible academics with the sport of wrestling, so my decision to go to Northwestern was an easy one in the end,” says Vandervere, who was a Super 32 champion during the offseason.

Belleville West junior Josh Koderhandt (43-0) would share that same empty feeling as Vandervere would have after his state final defeat last season here to Colton Drousias from  Mt. Carmel.

“(That) loss stayed with me all during the summer, and right up until the start of this season,” said Koderhandt after his 6-4 defeat of Vincent Robinson (Marian Catholic) in his 120-pound final, and back in December following his championship won at the Rex Whitlach in Hinsdale.

“If there was anything that I needed to keep me motivated to work and train harder than I’ve ever done was that loss to (Drousias) it was that one,” continued Koderhandt, who gave his program its fifth state title in program history.

Koderhandt credits former Bloomington High School star, and former state champion, Savin Haywood for his success after he began training with the 2018 state champion.

“Having Savion in the room is great for all of us, especially me because he’s a big, strong guy, whose in great shape, and has so many years of experience under his belt, including in college,” says a grateful Koderhandt.

Haywood would compete at Old Dominion University after his graduation from Bloomington, then transfer to SIU where he’s put aside wrestling for academics. 

Academics is where David Ferrante shines – but the Huntley senior would shine brighter than most on Saturday night following his impressive 8-2 victory over Luke Rasmussen of Barrington to win his second state title.

The four-time state qualifier, and three-time state medal winner is regarded as the best ever in porgram history, and would have been regardless of where he would finish at 170 pounds.

State Farm Center has been a tasty second home to Ferrante who won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, in addition to a fourth-place medal his freshmen year (but) the arena also proved to one for heartbreak – something of which the affable Ferrante appreciates more than ever before.

“When you come in here as a freshmen, and leave with a state medal in your first visit, you sometimes take things for granted,” begins Ferrante.

“It was difficult the following year when I came away from here with nothing, when especting something – so there was a lesson to be learned from it all.”

“When that final whistle ended my match with Luke – it was a tremendous relief for me because I know how much I’ve put into my training, and the sacrifice to get to this point, which could have never happened without the support of my family, teammates and coaching staff.”

The constant 24-7 work that Ferrante put into his quest to be the best never took its toll on his academics, something both he and head coach, B.J. Bertelsman are proud of.

When asked for information on the work Ferrante puts into the classroom, Bertelsman would respond: “Do you have all day.”

A small sampling of Ferrante’s achievements from Bertelsman included:

No. 1 in his senior class of 756. 

Twice named all-academic at The Clash.

National Honor Society member

Up for numerous academic awards at Huntley

Heading to Northwestern as a pre-med student

“Northwestern would reach out to me following my freshmen year, and I went on to train there during the summer, and later met Andrew Howe (Northwestern assistant) – who I instantly connected with, and have continued training with him since then,” says Ferrante.

The Huntley star considered Cornell of the Ivy League, but the combination of being a part of a program he’s became familiar with, competing in the Big 10, and knowing the academic resources available to him at Northwestern all made for the perfect partnership.

Ferrante would finish 48-2 on the season, which included two victories at dual-team sectionals, and dual-team state, giving him 160 for his career, just behind: Zach Spencer (164) and his brother Sammy who’s atop the leader board with 169.

Ferrante goes out as the program leader in pins with 104.

By Patrick Z. McGavin



Tristan Daugherty never looked to settle. Circumstances somewhat conspired against him during his first three years at the individual state championships.
He was always right there, as good as it gets, but just not quite able to ascend the very top of the medal stand. A year ago, wrestling in Class 2A at 126 pounds, Daugherty finished third.
Context is everything. The two place-winners ahead of him, Joliet Catholic’s DJ Hamiti and Washington’s Brody Norman, had multiple state championships to their credit.
Hamiti and Norman just won Class 2A state titles.
“I have always dreamed of being a state champion,” Daugherty said.
Harvard sophomore Nik Jimenez was like a younger iteration of Daughtgerty—a precocious and striking talent who proved his value against many of the best wrestlers in the state.
Jimenez entered the Class 1A state championship at 126 pounds against Daughterty ready to make a statement. 
Instead he was served a lesson in the art of savvy, experience and a preternaturally gifted wrestler looking to go out on top.
“My success is a function of my work ethic,” Daugherty said. “I’m willing to go into practice every day looking for ways to get better. I just feel as though there are not many people out there who work as hard as I do.”
Jimenez posted a first-period pin and two commanding decisions to reach the title mat. But his run ended there against Daugherty, the senior from Notre Dame (Peoria).
“My shots were there, and I just did what I have been doing all year long and that is being very physical,” Daugherty said. 
Daughterty made state history with his technical fall victory at 5:13 (20-5) Saturday night at State Farm Arena at the University of Illinois. 
He not only captured his first state title. Daugherty also established a record for career victories in the state series with 17.
“It’s crazy,” Daugherty said. “I didn’t even know I was up for that record. Just hearing my name associated with that is fantastic. I got out there and it worked. Everything I ever dreamed of finally came true.”
By its very nature, the Class 1A state finals has always been a rush. Just surviving the gauntlet is a striking achievement by itself. The small-school classification has the greatest concentration of schools. 
That volume means talent flows in all directions, and just surviving the regional and sectional rounds is often a war of attrition. A new ruling in how schools are classified meant several programs—like Daugherty’s Notre Dame—dropped a class.
An already tough, deep and talented field became ever more impossible to negotiate. The Class 1A field featured an astonishing nine returning state champions.
No match illustrated the heightened stakes, drama, intensity of feeling and flat out terrific contrast as the 170-pound final. 
At the top of the bracket was junior Logan Deacetis of Prairie Central, the defending state champion at 160 pounds who entered the match riding an astonishing 110-match winning streak.
Deacetis had decimated his half of the bracket with his strength, power, technique and athleticism. He had two quick pins and a technical fall.
His counterpart, Dakota junior Andrew Wenzel, was the defending state champion at 170 pounds. He was 39-2 entering the final, his only two losses coming against Huntley state champion David Ferrante.
Just to get to the final, Wenzel had to survive previously unbeaten Nate Critchfield of Mount Carmel 4-3 in the semifinal round.
“It’s so important having that experience of being in a state final,” Deacetis said. “It’s such a high pressure event, and some guys really struggle with that.”
Deacetis ran his record to 57-0 with his 3-2 victory over Wenzel..
“He is so good at his takedowns, and I just had to make sure that I was able to follow through on my combinations and get to my takedowns and not let him finish his,” Deacetis said.
The 195-pound title echoed the 170-pound match as Deacetis’s teammate Brandon Hoselton entered the final seeking his third consecutive state championship.
He was also trying to extend his extraordinary winning streak of 115 matches.
Coal City senior Daniel Jezik was a three-time state finalist. He finished second at 160 pounds in Class 1A as a sophomore and captured the Class 2A 182-pound individual title as a junior.
Hoselton administered Jezik his only defeat of the year—3-2 in overtime last December 21.
The power, strength and contrasting styles between the two were enthralling to see. Hoselton flashed quickness while Jezik found ways to keep him off balance. 
Jezik (50-1) pulled out the 3-2 victory.
The field also marked the primacy of youth, especially at the lower weights.
Immaculate Conception freshman Saul Trejo Jr. defeated Althoff’s Matthew Minick 5-0 at 106 pounds. Trejo (28-3) also beat Minick by 5-3 decision earlier in the year. His combination of balance, speed and quickness set him apart. 
The familiarity of going up against Minick proved invaluable.
“I had no mistakes compared to the last time I faced him,” Trejo said. “I just knew what to do. I studied him and I executed everything perfectly.”
He took great significance in what his victory personified.
“This means a lot because it inspires my other teammates to know that you can be (physically) little and yet do something so big. It’s just going to grow our program.”
At 120 pounds, Dakota freshman Phoenix Blakely lived up to his name. He rose against a stacked field that included defending 1A 113-pound champion Levi Neulieb (30-4) of Heyworth and Peotone senior Paul Keane (44-2), an individual runner-up at 120 pounds last season. 
Keane dominated Neulieb in the semifinals with a 17-3 majority decision. Blakely defeated Immaculate Conception sophomore Nick Renteria (37-9), who stunned presumptive favorite and No. 1 ranked Cameron Clark (40-2) of Illini Bluff in the quarterfinals.
Blakely (37-7) adjusted his style tactically on the go and found the means to dispatch Keane 3-1 in the championship. 
“Coming in I never wrestled him before, and I knew it was going to be tough,” Blakely said. “It was going to be hard because he wrestles on his knees. I had to match up with his level.”
Blakely turned the tide with a dramatic late takedown.
“I kept going down to one knee and getting closer to him,” he said. “I knew eventually my arm drag would work. In the last second I got him, and that was amazing. I have been working so hard for this. 
“I never thought I’d get this far.”
Oakwood junior Gage Reed embodied the tenacity and drive of finishing close to the top and after finishing fifth last season at 113 pounds, he made the leap.
Working against an exceptionally deep field, Reed (43-3) broke through and defeated sophomore Tavius Hosley of Unity 3-0 in the 113-pound championship. 
His aggressiveness marked his weekend in Champaign.  “I just stayed with my game plan that I developed with my coaches,” Reed said. “It was just non-stop offense, just shooting and shooting.
“It worked all the way up here. That’ss what I had in mind when I came up here, and that was all I wanted to do from now on.
On a night of remarkable performances, Litchfield junior Will Carlile (41-0) put an exclamation point. A year after finishing fourth at 120 pounds, Carlile defeated two defending champions en route to the compelling 2-0 victory over Ethen Doty of West Carroll in the 132-pound championship.
That was the exclamation point. Carlile’s 12-5 decision over No. 1 ranked Gabe Spencer of Heyworth in the semifinals was equally impressive.
Spencer (39-2) finished second as a freshman at 113 pounds and won the 1A state championship at 120 pounds last season. He defeated Marey Roby of Lena-Winslow 8-2 for third place.
In the championship, Carlile executed a deft reversal in the third period.
“It is something I have always dreamed of, and never imagined it would happen, especially against the kind of wrestlers I was matched up against,” he said.
Small school powerhouse Rockridge dominated consecutive  middle weights by winning titles at 138 pounds and 145 pounds.
Senior Dallas Krueger (47-0) closed out an overpowering season with a pin of the No. 2-ranked Adam Meenen of Rocks Falls at 4:40.
The victory was Krueger’s third of the year against the highly skilled Meenen (45-7). His quickness, power and speed proved an unsurpassable combination.
“I had to prove it three times this year against the No. 2 kid in the state,” Krueger said. “To go out there and pin the last kid, which I had not had the chance to do in any of the previous matches, was really special.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world to have this bracket in my hands and win this championship.”
Krueger had previously finished fifth, fourth and sixth respectively.
A season after finishing runner-up at 145 pounds, Rockridge senior Nolan Throne withstood a brilliant and sustained effort by Althoff senior Anthony Federico for the 3-2 victory.
The third time also proved magnificent for Newman senior Kyle Tunink (45-1). He defeated Alleman junior Jack Patting for the third time.
His 5-1 victory gave him his first state title and second individual trophy. It marked a sweet culmination after he qualified though failed to place last season.
Winnebago’s Bruce Faworski also upended the traditional thinking by blitzing presumed favorite Makail Stanley of Argenta-Oreana with a majority decision 14-4 in the quarterfinal round.
That propelled him to the 160-pound title against Coal City’s David Papach. Faworski’s aggressive and intuitive style proved decisive in the 8-6 victory.
He finished fifth at 145 last season.
“I like to come out very aggressive in the first period and keep pushing through and break down my opponent mentally,” Faworski said. “I just went with my gut. It feels great to see what I’ve done.”
Camaraderie is one of the animating features of the tournament. Althoff junior Joe Braunagel had different motivations shaping his experience at 182 pounds after watching teammates Matthew Minick (106) and Anthony Federico (145) be deprived of state championships.
“I wanted to do it for them,” Braunagel said. “They really wrestled hard, and this made it all the more meaningful for me.”
He already stunned the field by deposing of defending champion Micah Downs with a third period fall in the semifinals.
“I have been in the finals seven times before, and this was the first time I won it,” Braunagel said of his 5-4 victory over Justin Peake of Johnsburg.
The 1A began with a bang and ended with a roar with two epic clashes at 220 and 285 pounds, respectively.
In a rematch of the Oregon sectional championship, Bryan Caves (48-1) edged Peyton Lind of Byron 4-2 with a late takedown. Caves beat Lind (42-3) in overtime a week earlier. 
The last two matches linked the three classes in a way that could not have been foretold. Byron had two state finalists at 220 and 285 in 1A. Lemont had two finalists at 220 and 285 in 2A. Sandburg had two representatives in 220 and 285 in 3A.
Lemont went 2-0, Sandburg 1-1 and Byron 0-2.
Westville junior Hayden Copass completed a perfect run (26-0) with the thrilling 3-1 victory over Tyler Elsbury of Byron. Copass finished state runner-up in 2A last season, while Elsbury was state runner-up in 1A.

By Curt Herron

This past weekend’s IHSA Class 2A finals featured a lot of very interesting story lines.
There were Thornton Fractional North’s Bailey brothers making history by becoming the first family to win three state titles at one finals. And Lemont with its five finalists and three champions, breaking its school records for both feats. Also, Washington having eight of its nine state qualifiers earning all-state honors with two winning titles and another in the finals.
In addition, five unbeaten champs, two unbeaten juniors winning third titles, two four-time finalists, a head-to-head clash of unbeatens and three freshmen winners and it’s clear why Saturday’s competition at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center was very special.
After all three won titles in the Hinsdale South Sectional the week before, the Bailey brothers made it known that their goal was to make history by becoming the first group of three brothers to each claim a title in the IHSA finals, and they delivered on their promise.
They followed in the footsteps of their grandfather, Walter Futrell, a 1977 champion at Bloom Trail, and their uncle, B.J. Futrell, a champion at Mount Carmel in 2007 and 2008. Senior Bilal repeated as a champion while junior Sincere and freshman Nasir won their initial titles as the Baileys made history for their program, which is coached by Tim Springs, a three-time finalist and state champion at Bremen in 2001.
Nasir Bailey (41-2) got things started for the brothers in the 120-pound finals when he won 4-2 over Marian Central Catholic junior Elon Rodriguez (42-3), a two-time medalist.
“It feels good, but I expected it,” Nasir Bailey said. “What was working was just pushing the pace and trying to wrestle every second of the match.”
In one of the day’s most-anticipated clashes at 145 pounds, Sincere Bailey (37-6) faced Lemont senior Kyle Schickel (38-4) for the fourth time with the junior looking to even the series by following up on a sectional title win. Bailey prevailed 4-3 to capture his first title and third medal while Schickel settled for second-place for a fourth-straight year.
“I had to come into the match with the mindset that I can’t let this one slip,” Sincere Bailey said. “I understand that I have people rooting for me and I’ve worked very hard for this and put in a lot of sacrifices for this. Nasir winning before me gave me a sense of satisfaction. Bilal has been my partner since day one. Making history as a family is very satisfying since we put in a lot of work for this.”
And at 160 pounds, Bilal Bailey (41-2) claimed his second-straight championship in his third title appearance when he won 6-3 over Jersey senior Zeke Waltz (43-1), a two-time medalist and first-time finalist, to complete the title trifecta for his family.
“I would just like to thank God for everything that he gave me today,” Bilal Bailey said. “Allowing me and my brothers to accomplish this is a great thing, and it wouldn’t have happened without Him. And I want to thank both of my parents, especially my mother, since I talk to her about a lot of things outside of wrestling and it allows me to keep going forward. Last year it was just me and I’m a lot happier now than I was last year, it’s not even close.”
Coach John St. Clair’s Lemont team got its first title at 126 pounds from senior Drew Nash (18-0), who capped a brief season that began late due to a football injury. He won his first title and earned his second medal by injury forfeit over Washington junior Joey Cape (17-3) at 3:23 when the returning state champ and three-time finalist was unable to finish the match.
“I don’t like to win like that, since I really like Joey and he’s a good guy,” Nash said. “But winning this is a good feeling and I’m excited, especially since I’ve been working for this moment for my whole life. I think it was a blessing in disguise that I was injured for most of the year because I suffered last year.”
The Indians claimed their second title in the 220-pound match when junior Apollo Gothard (45-0) got a 3-1 sudden victory against Glenwood junior Conner Miller (41-1) in a clash of unbeatens. It was the third medal for Gothard, who took second at the same weight last year, and the second for Miller.
“It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever lived through,” Gothard said. “It’s insane, honestly. I put all my heart into it. I worked all offseason and all in-season. I knew I was going to win this year. I knew it.”
In the final title match, Lemont junior Mo Jarad (43-8) followed up on Gothard’s success by getting a fall in 4:49 over East Peoria senior Caleb Collins (35-6) to win the 285 title as both won medals in their state debuts. The unranked Jarad fell in the sectional quarterfinals but was able to bounce back to qualify for state.
“I really worked hard,” Jarad said. “After my third-place match at sectionals, that’s when it began. The coaches noticed it and I had a really big improvement throughout the state meet. I’m really happy that I pinned this kid. It was a relief, a moment that I’ll probably never feel again until next year, or who knows.”
Washington’s nationally-ranked freshman Kannon Webster (46-0) kicked off the finals by winning 12-2 over Joliet Catholic Academy freshman Gylon Sims (41-7) in the 106-pound finals. His father, Matt, was Washington’s first state champ in 1995 and is an assistant coach.
“It’s awesome,” Webster said. “There’s are a lot of good guys at this weight and it was great that I was able to come here and win. We’re in the training room almost every day just trying to work to get better. Every day I try to do something to get better and it really pays off.”
Washington senior Brody Norman (39-2), a runner-up last year, won 7-2 over Civic Memorial junior Caleb Tyus (42-1), a two-time medalist, in the 132-pound finals. Norman had to compete right after teammate Joey Cape got injured and couldn’t finish his title match.
“This is my whole life and I live for this and I’ve grinded, so this is great,” Norman said. “I was a little distraught but I still had tunnel vision. My coaches just kept saying to focus on your match. I thought, I’m doing this for Joey. It was so sad, I was almost in tears before my match. I love him and did not want to see that.”
Joliet Catholic Academy junior Dean Hamiti Jr. (45-0) won his third-straight state title when he won 3-2 over Lemont senior Grant LaDuke (38-2), a three-time medalist and initial finalist, in the 152-pound finals. Hamiti, who’s nationally-ranked, became his school’s first three-time medal winner and moved one step closer to joining the elite group of 15 individuals who’ve won four IHSA championships.
“I didn’t really like how I won that one, so I’ll just focus on next year and try to win that one by a better point deficit,” Hamiti said. “Still, it means a lot to me to bring this back to my school since everyone is happy about it, so it’s good. I didn’t want to get scored on, but I’m just glad to get the win and keep my undefeated record.”
Marian Central Catholic junior Dylan Connell (44-0) joined Hamiti as a three-time champ who was undefeated. In the 170-pound finals, Connell, who’s nationally-ranked, won 5-0 over Grayslake Central junior Joey Jens (40-7), a two-time medalist who made his finals debut.
Aurora Christian got the first of its two state championships at 113 pounds when freshman Chris Moore (43-8) won 4-3 over Freeport sophomore Markel Baker (33-3) in the title match.
Then at 138 pounds, Aurora Christian senior Noah Villarreal (41-4) captured his third-straight state title and competed in his fourth finals, including his first in Class 2A. He won 10-1 over Bloomington senior Ryan Gardner (52-6), a two-time medalist who made his first finals appearance.
Morris senior Robby Bates (38-1) concluded his career on a high note by winning the 195-pound title 5-2 over Deerfield senior Cody Goodman (53-2). It was the first state finals appearance for both of the two-time medal winners.
“This is a dream,” Bates said. “Since I was five years old and started wrestling, I told myself that I would be a champ some day and today that came true and I’m a state champ. I wrestled a great match against a great opponent. You just have to keep going and you can’t stop. All year I said I’m going to be a state champ and I made that come true tonight.”
And at 182 pounds, Grayslake Central junior Adrien Cramer (39-1), a two-time medalist and first-time finalist, won the title with a fall in 2:32 over Aurora Christian’s Alex Knauf (37-11), who competed in his initial finals and also won his first medal.

By Patrick Z. McGavin

Few things touch on the consciousness of the athlete like the sense of time slipping away.

Joshua Ogunsanya had the situational awareness to realize the deck was stacked against him. To his credit, panic never set in. It only marked his push to change the outcome before him.

“I just had to remind myself that the match is not over until it is over,” Ogunsanya said. “You can’t emotionally detach yourself or give up on yourself when you are at a point deficit.

“You have to keep pushing.”

In the 145-pound championship of the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional, Ogunsanya confronted one of the state’s top wrestlers, Mount Carmel junior Connor Gaynor.

The clash of styles and temperaments created high drama, with Gaynor establishing the apparent edge with a first period takedown.

The moment offered Ogunsanya his own clarity.

“Personally I felt up until that point I was not on offense enough or nearly as aggressive as I needed to be,” he said. “There was a point deficit, and it was all about attacking and driving.”

Down 5-0 to start the third period, Ogunsanya used a brilliant combination blitz that he turned into a reverse cradle for a stunning fall at 4:42.

One step from the individual state championships at State Farm Arena in Champaign-Urbana, the sectional round is a study of toughness, mental acuity and physical exertion.

Seventeen of the 30 participating programs qualified at least one individual.

Mount Carmel, the No. 2 ranked program in Class 3A dating to the preseason, showed off its depth, talent and versatility with 12 qualifiers.

The Caravan produced seven individual finalists, with four champions, three runner ups, four third-place finishers and one fourth.

Two other top-ranked programs impressed: Oak Park-River Forest had three individual champions and seven qualifiers.

Sandburg had three individual champions and six qualifiers.

Marist had no individual winners but impressed with its depth in qualifying six wrestlers. Marmion and Bolingbrook produced four qualifiers.

Seven schools produced the 14 individual winners, with wrestlers from Marmion (Jacob Tinajero, 138), Waubonsie Valley (Antonio Torres, 170), Lyons (Griffin King, 182) and West Aurora (Dzhabrail Khurshidov, 195) also standing atop their respective podiums.

“On Friday night, I thought we wrestled really flat,” Mount Carmel coach Alex Tsirtsis said. “We had a talk Saturday morning, and I told them they had to be ready to battle and count hard for six minutes or longer, because that’s what their opponents are going to do.”

Sandburg, which will host Oak Park-River Forest in the team dual sectional on February 25, is ranked No. 6. Mount Carmel and Naperville Central is the other dual sectional match at Sandburg.

The Eagles bookended the sectional by winning at the start, with sophomore Sammie Hayes (106 pounds) and senior Mike Bosco (285 pounds).

Sophomore Kevin Zimmer, who tied a school record with his 33rd pin of the season in the quarterfinal round, beat Naperville Central’s Angelo Eklou at 220 pounds.

“I think our kids performed well,” Sandburg coach Clinton Polz said. “I am always left thinking about the ones that could have been, but I am happy for our qualifiers.

“I think our three champions have a shot at being right there with the top guys (at Champaign).”

Hayes, a preternaturally gifted sophomore, set the tone with his brilliant performance. He recorded two pins and dominated Hinsdale Central freshman Cody Tavoso 8-1.

He improved to 38-1.

“My mentality was to have fun, trust my technique and be as quick as possible,” Hayes said. “I think I was aggressive. I think I was definitely having the most fun out of all of my opponents. I was looking to dominate.

“I wanted to be the best kid in the room.”

The sophomore moulds his style after his brother Louie Hayes, a former two-time state finalist and individual state champion who was a four-year starter at Virginia.

“I am really looking forward to wrestling in Champaign,” Sammie Hayes said. “I have always wanted to do what my brother did. He is a great mentor and coach to me, and I just want to be like him. He has paved the way for me.

  “As much as I can follow in his footsteps, the better.”

Explosive and dynamic, Zimmer recorded a first period takedown to gain the early advantage. He used his athleticism and strength to subdue Eklou.

He improved his record to 42-3.

Zimmer is an elite three-sport athlete. He played tight end for the Eagles and then shifted to quarterback for their final five games last fall. He qualified last year at 195 pounds.

Ranked No. 6 in his weight class, Zimmer has put his name atop one of the best programs in the state.

“I am glad I made it down last season and that I can experience that again,” Zimmer said. “I am feeling really accomplished (about tying the school single-season pin record).

“I still need one more to break it, but it is just really cool to be a sophomore and to be almost leading the Sandburg history. I feel honored to be a part of that.”

Like Ogunsanya, third-ranked Bosco dueled a gifted Mount Carmel counterpart in senior Jalen Grant. 

He also found a way to recover from a significant deficit.

Bosco’s 8-5 double-overtime victory put the exclamation on a brilliant day of individual performances and striking individual narratives.

Zimmer’s emergence meant the 213-pound Bosco had to jump up for the 285-pound class. The athletic and explosive senior, also a football standout, has never looked back.

At 6-foot-5, he makes up for his lack of bulk with quickness, length and technical prowess.

Grant showed off his own dazzling combination of power, quickness and strength. With just 10 matches coming into the final, Grant was more of an open book, a considerable unknown.

His only previous loss was against Providence’s Ryan Boersma in the Catholic League conference championship.

In the first and second periods, Bosco had the initial single-leg only for Grant to powerfully repel his hold and snap Bosco from behind for the takedown.

Grant led 5-2 late in the second period when Bosco made his move. With Grant looking to ride him out, Bosco engineered a scissor move and caught Grant on his back. The reversal changed the momentum and pulled Bosco within 5-4 to start the third period.

“I knew time was running out,” Bosco said. “I had a click, and that was probably the least tired I was the entire match. I felt like I had it, and I knew what I needed to do.

“That move decided the whole match.”

Bosco earned the third period escape to tie the match. The first overtime ended scoreless. Grant won the toss and elected to defer. Bosco rode him out in his 30 seconds.

He broke free for his match-winning points. The victory marks his debut appearance at Champaign this week.

“I went there before, but I never wrestled there,” Bosco said. “The word I can use is exciting. This is going to be my first time ever. I am a senior and I am undefeated.”

Bosco improved to 40-0.

Mount Carmel was the story of the day. The Caravan displayed resilience and the ability to perform at the highest level.

The championship of the 113-pound title marked the only No. 1 versus No. 2 battle.

Freshman Sergio Lemley proved precocious and daunting in taking out two-time state finalist Diego Sotelo of Marmion 4-3 in the 113-pound championship.

Lemley reversed a dual loss against Sotelo at the beginning of the season. He scored all of his points, on a takedown and reversal, during the crucial second period.

“I think the first time we wrestled I had to feel him out and figure out his style,” Lemley said. “This match, I knew his game plan and I knew I had to be more aggressive and work on my finishes.”

Lemley capably balanced Sotelo’s speed and quickness with his crafty countermoves and his ability to generate pace and tempo.

“He is looking awesome, and he keeps getting better,” Tsirtsis said. “At this point, it is all we can ask for, and keep the ball rolling for this week.”

The defending state champion at 106 pounds, Sotelo fell to 39-3.

In the 120-pound championship, defending state champion Colton Drousias displayed his own dazzling technique and ability to attack from multiple angles to generate points.

He recorded a majority decision victory of 24-11 of Bolingbrook’s impressive freshman Luis Bazan. Drousias is now 28-4.

Bazan is 38-8.

“Going into this weekend I was basically just trying to fine-tune everything for the state finals and make sure I am feeling good, wrestling well and scoring points,” Drousias said.

Noah Mis (132) and Ashton Breen (160) also captured individual titles for the Caravan. By improving to 31-4, Mis dominated Bolingbrook’s Jack Mc Dermott by technical fall.

Breen recovered from a first period takedown by Downers Grove South’s Robert Major to pull out the 6-2 victory, handling Major (42-2) his first loss by an in-state opponent.

Mount Carmel nearly matched the 14 qualifiers of top-ranked and defending state champion Montini. The Caravan only failed to advance at the 170 and 195 weight classes.

Noel Rosales (106, fourth), Alex Lalezas (126, third), Colby Lopez (138, third), Michael Kelly (152, second) and Nik Mishka (220, third) also qualified.

Oak Park-River Forest senior Joe Chapman had a pin and technical fall in the preliminary matches at 152 pounds.

In the championship match, Chapman took control with a first period takedown he parlayed into the 5-0 victory over Mount Carmel’s Kelly.

Chapman is now 34-6.

The Huskies also qualified Nico Bolivar (132, third), Daemyen Middlebrooks (195, third)

One of the most satisfying stories involved the extraordinary work of Oak Park-River Forest senior Jacob Rundell.

The Purdue recruit won the 106-pound state championship as a sophomore two years ago.

His opportunity to defend his title was interrupted by an illness that caused him to miss the state tournament last season.

The top-ranked wrestler at 126-pounds, Rundell was arguably the most dominant wrestler of the sectional with a pin and two technical falls.

He defeated Wheaton Warrenville South’s Aidan Waszak by technical fall at 2:29 to run his record to 38-1.

“I think today just means I was able to stay the course,” Rundell said. “This year has all been about getting ready for college. That has been my whole focus.”

Rundell’s power, balance, speed and technique makes him virtually impossible to slow down. His footwork and combination attack proved unstoppable.

“I was moving my feel really well today, which is something I was not able to do a whole lot earlier,” Rundell said. “Now my focus is just on the practices we have.

“I am thinking about the long term.”

By Curt Herron

South Suburban Conference programs were definitely the big winners in the Class 2A Hinsdale South Sectional.

The conference was represented by eight schools from Chicago’s south suburbs and although their qualifiers made up just under one-third of the individuals in the sectional, they claimed 57 percent of the qualifiers and had 79 percent of the finalists.

But the most impressive accomplishment was that the SSC finished with 13 champions, with Lemont claiming six, TF North getting five and

Oak Forest having two with De La Salle Institute being the only other school with a first-place finisher.

Lemont led with 10 qualifiers while TF North and Oak Forest each had seven. Brother Rice and St. Laurence had four qualifiers, Comer, Evergreen Park and Fenwick had three qualifiers and Hinsdale South and Tinley Park had two who advanced.

Coach John St. Clair’s Indians, who have been at or near the top of Rob Sherrill’s IWCOA website rankings for Class 2A teams all season, received titles from Drew Nash (126), Ray Hernandez (132), AJ Heeg (138), Grant LaDuke (152), Alex Tagler (170) and Apollo Gothard (220) while Kyle Schickel (145) took second place.

Nash (14-0), a senior who’s a three-time qualifier and a placewinner in 2018, won the 126 title with a fall in 3:38 over Oak Forest sophomore Tyler Evitts (29-17).

“I broke my thumb in the last football game and was out for a while, so it’s good to be back,” Nash said. “I’m ready to go. I took some time off and I’ve been feeling better than ever. The team has something special going this year.”

Hernandez (31-7), a junior who earned his first state trip, pinned Evergreen Park senior Edwin Opoku (22-9) in 3:59 in the 132 finals.

“I’m really excited for the state series since it will be my first time there,” Hernandez said. “My teammates push me every day and Kyle Schickel is a big part of it. We’ve put so much work in and we’re a dedicated team that is ready, both individually and teamwise.”

Heeg (31-6), a freshman, won the title at 138 after being unable to continue after Oak Forest junior Jack Coyle (24-5), a three-time qualifier, was called for a controversial slam.

LaDuke (35-1), a senior who qualified for the fourth time and placed the last two years, scored two points late to win 4-2 in the 152 finals over Richards’ Rocco Palumbo (25-5), a senior who’s a three-time qualifier.

“I’m super excited,” LaDuke said. “I think that our team performed very well today. I’m looking forward to individual state, and then team sectionals and team state are right around the corner. With the bond we’ve created we’re like a big family and everything is rolling.”

Tagler (15-0), a sophomore who makes his first state trip, won the 170 title with a fall in 1:37 against Oak Forest senior Chris Nowicki (28-12), who is a two-time qualifier.

“I was just trying to control the pace of the match and controlling what I was doing, and not what he had to do,” Tagler said. “In the room, I have a lot of partners who push me hard and that’s why I haven’t lost yet.”

And Gothard (41-0), a junior who’s a two-time medalist and runner-up in 2019, recorded a fall in 3:31 over Tinley Park sophomore Leno Campbell (32-7) in the 220 finals.

“This season has been so awesome,” Gothard said. “This year our team has been special and we got 10 qualifiers. It’s been years and years for me of wanting to win everything.”

TF North had a great showing by qualifying seven and winning five titles. Capturing championships for coach Tim Springs’ Meteors were Trevor Reed (106), Nasir Bailey (120), Sincere Bailey (145), Bilal Bailey (160) and Donte Reed (195).

Sophomore Trevor Reed (30-3) pinned Riverside-Brookfield junior Quintin Godlewski (21-9) in 5:37 to win the 106 title while freshman Nasir Bailey (37-2) won 6-1 over Oak Forest senior Anthony Schickel (30-4), a two-time medalist and runner-up in 2019, in the 120 pound finals in a clash of the top-two in the state.

“It feels good, but I want to get the job done next week,” Nasir Bailey said. “This team is like a brotherhood. I have my two brothers on the team and it’s a once-in-a lifetime opportunity.”

Sincere Bailey (33-6), a junior two-time placewinner, avenged losses to Lemont senior Kyle Schickel (35-3), a three-time state runner-up, in the 145 finals in another clash of top-two competitors. Bailey took a 7-2 lead but the gap closed due to stalling penalties but Bailey got the final two points to claim a 9-6 win.

“Winning this doesn’t bring that much satisfaction because I know it’s not over,” Sincere Bailey said. “When I was on the podium, it reminded me of how I was losing so it’s not over until state.”

Bilal Bailey (37-2), a senior two-time finalist and state champ in 2019, won 11-3 win in the 160 finals over Fenwick senior Matt Zuber (17-5), a three-time qualifier. And senior Donte Reed (24-6) got a fall in 1:53 over Comer senior Michael Odulaja (26-8) to win the 195 title.

“I’m real excited and happy for both of my brothers,” Bilal Bailey said. “And especially Sincere since he had a few losses to the same guy and turned it up. This year we won a lot of duals and today we got a lot of people that qualified for state, so it’s very exciting.”

Oak Forest received titles from Caden Muselman (113) and Julian Ramirez (285) while Schickel (120), Evitts (126), Coyle (138) and Nowicki (170) placed second.

Freshman Muselman (38-3) beat Glenbard South senior Hector Andres (18-6) by technical fall in the 113 finals while top-ranked senior Ramirez (39-1), a three-time qualifier who was fourth in 2019, got a fall in 2:14 over Fenwick sophomore Jimmy Liston (20-8) in the 285 finals.

“It feels good winning the sectional since I think I have a really good shot to be at the top of the bracket,” Ramirez said. “I’ve been working on my stamina since I’m smaller than most heavyweights, I really have to use my speed and be able to go all three periods with kids.”

De La Salle senior Mikhel Teverbaugh (27-3), a two-time qualifier, edged Bremen junior Basilio Betancourt (33-4), a three-time qualifier, 6-4 in the 182 finals.

“Winning this sectional title means a lot,” Teverbaugh said. “I went against him on my senior night and ended up losing. I told myself I had to come back even stronger. He beat me bad so I promised everybody that it wouldn’t happen again.”

By Gary Larsen

Not many teams have two unbeaten and top-ranked wrestlers in their practice room, and the room at Rockridge might be the only one in Illinois where two unbeaten No. 1’s are banging heads.

And for the most part, Dallas Krueger and Nolan Throne keep things under control.

“It only happens a couple times a year that it escalates and coaches have to get between us,” Throne said. “But we’re really close. We fish together and hang out a lot outside of wrestling.”

Throne (145) and Krueger (138) both won sectional titles at this year’s 1A Oregon Sectional, and both head to Champaign without a loss and with a No. 1 ranking next to each of their names, per Rob Sherrill’s IWCOA rankings.

The time they’ve spent getting after each other in practice for four years has gone a long way for the two seniors.

“All four years, we’ve always been close in weight, and we’ve been able to have some battles,” Throne said. “It’s always good to have guys go at each other full force like we do. We’ve made each other so much better as wrestlers.”

Krueger (43-0) won an 11-5 decision on the Oregon title mat at 138 against Adam Meenan of Rock Falls, while Throne (46-0) won by fall over Orion’s Allen Catour at 145.

Neither Krueger nor Throne are strangers to the awards stand in Champaign.

Krueger has placed 4th, 5th and 6th in Illinois and Throne has placed 2nd and 3rd in Champaign. The two Rockridge seniors have thus posed for pictures on every step of the podium inside the State Farm Center except one.

And the desire to scale the highest step on that podium has been palpable in the Rockridge practice room.

“That hunger is there. It’s their senior year,” Rockridge coach Lucas Smith said. “They’ve both always been driven but this year there’s a higher motor to get where they want to be at the end of the year.”

Krueger set a new career pin record at Rockridge this year, while Throne set a new career mark for tech falls. Both program records were held by former Rockridge great Steve Amy. Throne’s lone remaining goal is to climb to the top step of the podium in Champaign.

“I want it bad,” Throne said. “Just the thrill of getting (to the finals) last year and taking third the year before — I’ve broken records for my school and pretty much done everything I can and this is the last step, the last thing I want. It’s everyone’s dream and it’s been a goal of mine since junior high.”

Like Rockridge, both Dakota and Riverdale are sending multiple Oregon sectional champions to Champaign.

Riverdale’s Colin Altensey (106) and Bryan Caves (220) won sectional crowns, as did Dakota’s Maddux Blakely (113), Phoenix Blakely (120), and Andrew Wenzel (170).

Both Caves and Wenzel are also currently ranked No. 1 in their divisions. Caves was a state runner-up at 195 last year and he’ll be joined by Riverdale state qualifiers Brock Smith (113) and Trystan Altensey (170).

Wenzel is a returning state champion for Dakota. He went into last year’s state finals ranked second before winning it all in his first trip downstate.

“I knew I could probably place and I just went out there to wrestle and have fun,” Wenzel said. “I just kept winning and was able to get to the finals and it was awesome to win it all.”

Wenzel won by fall on the sectional title mat at 170 in Oregon on Saturday against Johnsburg’s Ethan Shedbalkar. He’s looking forward to walking into the rarefied air of the State Farm Center again this year.

“You feel the awe of that arena and I feel like I can take that and use it, and have fun with it,” Wenzel said. “I’ll train, keep my weight in check, and get ready to go down there and have some fun again.”

Sectional runners-up Aidan Nardin (160) and Evan Riggle (182) will join Wenzel and the Blakely brothers downstate for Dakota.

Two additional top-ranked wrestlers won sectional titles in Newman Central Catholic’s Kyle Tunink (152) and West Carroll’s Ethen Doty (132).

Tunink (41-1) won a 5-0 decision over Alleman’s Jack Patting on the title mat, while Doty (37-2) dominated his way to a sectional crown.

Like Wenzel, Doty returns to Champaign as a state champion, having won the 1A title at 126 last year.

West Carroll coach Jeff McIntyre sees the same Doty he saw last year — strong on his feet and a hammer on top — with a few tweaks.

“He’s wrestling well and just goes out and goes about his business,” McIntyre said. “He changed up a little from what he did last year, we’ve tried to encourage him to use other parts of his repertoire and he doesn’t have to win with only a few things, he can win with a lot of things. So he’s been changing up and it’s been working for him.”

Other sectional champions at Oregon included Harvard’s Nik Jimenez (126), Winnebago’s Bryce Faworski (160), Johnsburg’s Justin Peake (182), Dixon’s Sebastian Quintana (195), and Byron’s Tyler Elsbury (285).

Quintana won a bracket at 195 that included four Illinois wrestlers ranked in the top 10 at 195

.

Other state qualifiers from Oregon:

106: Garrett Luke (L.-Winslow); Isaac Bourg, (Yorkville Christian); Ethan Struck (Marengo).

113: Brock Smith (Riverdale); Donovan Crumpacker (Stillman Valley); Dillon Raab (Lena-Winslow).

120: Aiden Livingston (Stillman Valley); Jase Grunder (Erie); Joe Resendez (Marengo).

126: Colton Linke (Morrison); Carlos Sanchez (WInnebago); Jaden Rice (Lena-Winslow).

132: Marey Roby (Lena-Winslow); Billy Taylor (Alleman); Braulio Flores (Sandwich).

138: Adam Meenen (Rock Falls); Winston McPeek (Lena-Winslow); Luke Bennett (Genoa-Kingston).

145: Allen Catour (Orion); Simon Rillie (Lena-Winslow); Connor Brooker (Putnam County).

152: Jack Patting (Alleman); Jason Hermann (Lena-Winslow); Noah Schnerre (Orion).

160: Aidan Nardin (Dakota); Michael D`Orazio (St. Francis); Marcus McKenna (Polo).

170: Ethan Shedbalkar (Johnsburg); Trystan Altensey (Riverdale); Case Harmston (Lena-Winslow).

182: Dalton Wood (Richmond-Burton); Evan Riggle (Dakota);Logan Jennings (Stillman Valley).

195: Brock Wood of Richmond (Richmond-Burton); Nathan Rosas (Harvard); Josh Bynum (Sherrard).

220: Peyton Lind (Byron); Erik Garcia (Genoa-Kingston); Gavin Mason (Seneca).

285: Nate Portz (Fulton); Charlie Jagusah (Alleman); Jose` Garcia (Genoa-Kingston).

By Patrick Z. McGavin

Lincoln-Way East senior Jake LaMonto had the longest weeks of his young life awaiting the opportunity to avenge his loss against Lockport sophomore Andrew Blackburn-Forst.

The stage was set at this year’s Class 3A Lockport Regional, as LaMonto and Blackburn-Forst were the two top seeds of the 195-pound weight class at opposite ends of the bracket. LaMonto, the top-seed, was haunted by his loss in the conference championship.

LaMonto won the first match between the two earlier this year via 8-5 decision. and he jumped out to an apparently commanding lead against Blackburn-Forst on a conference title mat, only to see the dynamic and athletic Blackburn-Forst respond with a stunning pin.

“This whole week, I focused a lot of my game play specifically on him,” LaMonto said. “I thought a lot about keeping my composure. When I got down in the match, I knew that I had to come back.”

Refreshed and jacked up by two quick pins in the preliminary stages, Blackburn-Forst seized the quick advantage with the first takedown just 12 seconds into the match.

He also earned back points and he was leading 6-0 midway through the second period.
Things were not looking up for LaMonto but in a flash, everything changed.

Blackburn-Forst took hold of a single leg but LaMonto broke free and then drove through the Lockport sophomore, stunningly putting him on his back.

Blackburn-Forst fought off his back and escaped the 7-5 lead but the brazen and confident LaMonto locked up the match at 7-7 apiece with another takedown.

Blackburn-Forst took an 8-7 lead with an escape but LaMonto again tied the match with an escape to start the third. The 8-8 tie held until the closing seconds of the match, when LaMonto earned a takedown and back points to win a 12-8 comeback thriller in the best match of the day.

“The last takedown was one of my go-to moves,” he said. “It was a sweep single, and I practiced it the whole year. I knew if I continued to put pressure on him, some of my shots would open.

“I took full advantage of it, and I took him down.”

Ranked No. 10 at 195 in Rob Sherrill’s IWCOA rankings, LaMonto improved his record to 32-5, while No. 9 Blackburn-Forst is now 35-7.

The performance of Bloom senior Jevin Dampier in the back draw at 195 was also significant. Dampier’s win in the third-place match ensured that all nine schools qualified at least one individual for the Class 3A Quincy Sectional on Saturday, February 15.

In the team race, Lockport dominated the lower weights in winning its sixth consecutive regional with 190 points to outdistance Lincoln-Way West (158).

Lincoln-Way East finished third with 124.50 points.

Lockport had the perfect symmetry: three winners, three runner-ups and three third-place finishers. Lincoln-Way West and Andrew matched Lockport with three individual champions, but couldn’t match the Porters’ depth across the board; Lockport is also unbeaten in dual meets this year, with a 19-0 record.

Six of the nine competing schools had an individual champion. Fourth-place Andrew had three first-, two second- and one third-place finisher.

Homewood-Flossmoor and Providence also had five qualifiers.

Marian Catholic had two individual champions in freshman Vincent Robinson (120) and the comeback story of Kendall Norfleet (145).

“You never know what is going to happen,” Lockport coach Josh Oster said. “Competition is competition, and we had some kids who were pretty confident coming into the regionals. Every kid scored points. We had 30 different kids win a dual match this year.”
The regional largely played out to the expected narrative with a couple of stunning examples. Ten of the 14 regional champions were the top-seeded wrestlers in their weight class.

Two second-seeds, a third-seed and a fourth-seed also captured individual championships.

Lockport featured dominant performances by individual champions Kaleb Thompson (113), Mikey Kaminski (126) and Keegan Roberson (132).

Thompson, ranked No. 4, ran his record to 17-1 by recording a pin and two technical falls. Against Lincoln-Way West freshman Tyler Mansker in the championship, Thompson had five takedowns in the first period in running out to a 15-4 lead.

Thompson, Kaminski and Roberson are heirs to Porters’ greats Matt Ramos and Anthony Molton, former lower weight state champions who helped establish the program’s culture and standards of excellence.

Kaminski posted back-to-back technical falls in capturing his title at 126 pounds. Ranked No. 3, Kaminski worked at a feverish pace, destabilizing opponents with speed, quickness and superb technique.

He overpowered Lincoln-Way East freshman Ari Zaeske with a second period technical fall (20-5) that held particular significance.

“I’m at thirteen technical falls on the season, and I’m going for the school record, which is 16, by our coach, Josh Oster,” Kaminski said.

“Ramos and Molton are the ones who really inspired me,” Kaminski continued. “The coaches got me into wrestling and taught me all of those things. Having those two great wrestlers from my freshman to junior years, getting their advice and seeing how they wrestled, it was the greatest experience I could ask for.”

Roberson’s title-mat showdown with Andrew senior Kyle Silzer at 132 was another of the day’s marquee events. It marked the fourth time this year the two clashed.

Roberson held a 2-1 advantage in the season series, with each match decided by one point. Roberson won twice in 1-0 matches, while Silzer struck back to win a 4-3 decision.

Roberson knew the situation demanded a different response, and he could not use the past to predict how the match would play out.

“I just (stayed on) offense the whole time,” he said. “All of the other times, I was just defending the whole time. This time, I opened up my offense and I actually shot. In the other three matches, I did not shoot very much. I was tired of the 1-0 matches and I knew I had to start working on it.”

Roberson was aggressive from the start, securing the early advantage with the first period takedown he parlayed into an impressive 9-0 victory.

Roberson (ranked No. 6) is now 29-7 and Silzer (No. 7) is 32-8.

Roberson also talked of the impact of the Porters’ legacy of accomplishment.

“It is really just motivation,” he said of Ramos and Molton, “and seeing guys coming out of Lockport and going to great (colleges). That is just motivation to go out and achieve something.”

The Roberson-Silzer showdown also underscored the deeply personal, family connections that bind so much of the sport.

Silzer’s younger brother, freshman Trevor Silzer, defeated Providence freshman Billy Meiszner, 3-1 in the 106-pound championship.

Trevor Silzer recorded a late first-period single and takedown that was the difference. The two wrestlers traded off escapes for the final margin. Meiszner had several strong chances at his own takedown in the final minute, twice getting in deep against Silzer’s body, but Silzer fought him off.

Lockport sophomore Cody Silzer, a cousin of the brothers from Andrew, also qualified by finishing third at 170 pounds.

A traditional power at Class 2A, Marian Catholic has experienced a problem with numbers in making the leap the higher class size.

The Spartans featured two dynamic and thrilling performers in the precocious Robinson, ranked No. 4 at 120. Up just 5-3 to start the third period, he put on a magnificent closing run in powering past Andrew’s very capable Joey Roti 15-6 in the 120-pound final. The win improved Robinson’s record to 21-2.

“I just like to attack first and get the match going,” he said. “I like to attack and get into my moves. I never want my matches to be close, so I just have to go. My mentality was just to come out here and dominate every match. You can’t hit a moving target.”

Junior Kendall Norfleet also broke the streak of the top-seeded wrestlers who won the first six weight classes.

The third seed at 145 pounds, Norfleet improved his record to 33-6 with a first period pin and a very impressive majority decision over Providence’s highly regarded Kevin Countryman, a top-4 state finisher last year.

Norfleet then beat Lincoln-Way West’s Garrett Geiger 8-5 for his first regional championship.

“I knew him and his brother (Payton Geiger). I knew what he was capable of, and I knew I had to come up with something to win,” Norfleet said.

“I had the advantage, and I know that nobody can really dig out of a hole. If you get yourself down four or five points, it is hard to come back against somebody good.”

Garrett Geiger takes a season record of 35-5 to this year’s sectional meet.

The victory marked something special for Norfleet, whose older brother, Kordell Norfleet, was a two-time state champion who now wrestles at Arizona State University.

“My brother is one of the main influences on my style,” he said. “Now I have a state title to win. I made some dumb mistakes last year. I didn’t make weight.

“My freshman year, I didn’t make it out of the sectionals. Just knowing they expect somebody else to win, it gives you motivation. I have to make a name for myself and prove a lot of people wrong.”

Garrett Geigner’s fraternal twin brother, Payton Geiger, recorded a second period pin against Homewood-Flossmoor junior Stacey Terry to capture the 160-pound title.

Lincoln-Way West’s power is concentrated in the middle weights with its four “horsemen” — the Geigner twins, junior Javen Estrada and Brock Pfeifer.

Ranked No. 5, Estrada continued his season-long impressive performance with a 10-2 majority decision over Lockport junior Nate Ramsey at 138 pounds.

Pfeifer, who’s ranked No. 7, defeated Lockport senior Joe Oster by fall at 3:44 at 152 pounds. Estrada is now 37-1; Pfeifer is 33-5.

“I knew what I had to do right away,” Pfeifer said. “At times, I thought the pace was not quick enough. I wish it were quicker, but I got the job done.

“The next week is going to be a tough one. I have a lot of guys who have similar types of skills as I do, and I have to make sure that I am better than them.”

Every regional has a dark horse, a victor who comes seemingly out of nowhere. On Saturday the honor belonged to Andrew senior Nick Barberi at 170 pounds.

Barberi entered the regional with a 17-20 record. He also came with the sense of a clean slate, the chance to begin anew.

“I wrestled hard and I wrestled aggressive,” Barberi said. “Coming in here, I told myself I just had to be aggressive and I could beat anybody here.”

He stunned top-seeded Ian Swidergal of Lincoln-Way West with a 3-0 decision in the semifinal round. He punctuated his run with the 9-6 title victory over Romeo Williams of Homewood-Flossmoor.

The fourth-seeded Barberi was the lowest-seeded champion.

Homewood-Flossmoor sophomore Haku Watson-Castro ran his record to 26-7 with a 7-1 title-mat decision at 182 over Lincoln-Way West junior Andrew Hesse.

In the title match at 220 pounds, Andrew senior Andrew Salah upended top-seed Justin Thomas of Homewood-Flossmoor by 8-3 decision.

Fittingly, the day that started as a kind of coronation that followed the season-long dominance and depth of Lockport ended with the most shocking upset imaginable.

The 285-pound final was thought to be a fait accompli with the state’s top-ranked wrestler, Providence sophomore Ryan Boersma, overpowering the opposition.

Homewood-Flossmoor junior Brian Smith had other ideas.

Smith (20-9) took Boersma to his back and pinned him, stunning the crowd with the fall just 26 seconds into the match and handing Boersma (37-2) his first loss to an in-state opponent this season.

Smith provided a stunning ending to a fine day of wrestling in Lockport. “I was just trying to work the move, and it was not working so he tried to throw me and I just adjusted from there,” Smith said. “I believe I caught him by surprise.”

Week 11 of the IWCOA State Wrestling Rankings have been released.

Click the buttons below or visit https://iwcoa.net/rankings/

Host Joilet Catholic Academy impresses as runner-up.

by Mike Garofola

Joilet Catholic Academy –


Marian Central Catholic drove over 80 miles to claim its second ESCC championship trophy in program history Friday night at tourney host Joilet Catholic Academy.

The point differential for the Hurricanes was not as dramatic as it was when the No. 1 club in 2A won the Geneva Invite, or, one week later at Batavia – but on this night, it was enough to hold off ever improving Joilet Catholic Academy, which has gone from nothing to something in three short years.

The Hilltoppers won (5) individual titles, one more than MCC, who, with its gift of depth, and brilliance from both Daniel Valeria and Dylan Connell, outscored the home side 176.5 – 159.5.

“The goal is always more than winning the ESCC, especially with the start the postseason about to begin – but we’re still happy to leave with the conference championship (it’s) just that we still have a lot of work ahead of us to get ready for regionals next weekend,” admitted Valeria, now 36-0 after another marvelous performance at 132 to win the second title for his club – ahead of Connell (170) then Nico Lopez at 182.

“It’s all about the team when we go to a tournament,” continued Valeria, who will wrestle next fall at St. Cloud State, and who has set his sites on either education as a guidance counselor, or in the field of physical therapy.
“I love to compete, it’s the ‘work’ I do right now, so I wrestle for the team (first) – then myself, all the time looking to make a big contribution for my team.”



The top rated 170-pounder (Connell) continues to destroy whatever stands in his way – earning high praise from the likes of head coach Augie Genovese (Notre Dame) while watching the performance of the two-time state champ.

“It’s not fair to say, but (Dylan) makes it looks so easy out there – he’s really something else to watch,” said Genovese while watching the MCC junior during his semifinal victory.

“It’s nice to hear those type(s) of comments from others, but I have never enjoyed talking about myself or my individual accomplishments – instead I just let my work out on the mat speak for me,” said a humble Connell, now 35-0.

Connell and tournament O.W.  – DJ Hamiti, had a chance to chat in between sessions, and the two stars, with a combined (4) state titles would later show why each are on the road to a third state crown.

“DJ and I have known each other since our IKWF days, and we’ve been able to see each other at Team Illinois events as well – so it’s great to ‘catch-up’ with him, and hopefully in three weeks down in Champaign,” said Connell.
Hamiti, again, was unstoppable at 152, winning his second ESCC title, the first coming two years ago as a freshmen at 106 pounds.

“For me, right now, it’s all about staying healthy, working hard in the room, and with my conditioning – and cleaning up all of the little things in advance of the postseason (where) my goal is not to get scored upon,” said Hamiti.

The genie might be out of the bottle for Hamiti, and his Hilltoppers’ mates – who three years ago at the ESCC tourney finished dead last with a paltry 43 points – before increasing that point total to 103.5 last season and a fifth place finish.

“There wasn’t much here when I came in three years ago,” began Cumbee, who came over from a successful run at Marmion Academy to join the program to work alongside Mac McLaughlin.

“DJ and Jack (Finnegan) were are only two medal winners back then, but we’ve built around those guys, and the work ethic from those (two) along with our three other ESCC champions  has brought our room to another level, and I could not be more proud of this team on this night, and in our gym.”

The junior Finegan (30-12) would avenge a 3-1 loss last week to Bryce Shelton with a hard fought six minute defensive effort to win at 138.
“Bryce is very good, so I knew it would be a dogfight in our final, but that take-down with 13 seconds left in the second period to put me up 2-1 was big, and allowed me to ride out most of the third period to get the win,” said Finegan.

Hilltoppers rookie, Gylon Sims (106, 32-5) would get the home crowd ready for more when he opened the final session with sensational 19-7 major decision victory over Ethan Bednarczyk (20-19) from Marist.

“Being in a room with a two-time state champ like (Hamiti) has made a big influence on me because of the way he trains and works harder each and everyday,” said Sims, currently fifth in the most recent IWCOA poll.

The hits kept coming for the Hilltoppers faithful with sophomore Shay Korhorn following up Sims’ victory with a 3-2 victory over No. 6 Sean Conway (St. Patrick, 27-5) who finished third a year ago in Champaign.
In a edgy six minute affair, Korhorn (33-8) took a 1-0 lead in the second period with an early escape, conceded a third period escape to Conway – then hit the match winner at five minutes, before holding off his opponent for good.

“I was ‘decent’ at the start of the year, but I’ve made steady improvement with each week thanks to the coaches, and my teammates in the room who constantly push us to work and train even harder,” said Korhorn, who was a starer on the JV last season.

MCC senior Elon Rodriguez (34-2) would slow the Hilltoppers’ run with his well-played 5-0 decision over Owen Dunlap (32-8) of Marist in the 120-pound final.

“It’s all about staying mentally strong in order to close out your opponents,” said Rodriguez, who now has four majors to his credit this season.
“It’s nice to win as a team, but after tonight, it’s obvious to me that we have a lot of the little things to clean up before regionals begin next weekend.”
The aforementioned Nico Lopez, who came over from Montini Catholic during the offseason to give the Hurricanes another upper weight weapon, earned the fourth and final individual title for his club with his 7-3 decision over Marist junior, Bobby Gaylord.

“It was disappointing to lose my final at Batavia (Justin Peake, Johnsburg) to a reversal with ten seconds left in the match – so that loss would help (me) keep my focus more clear in this match, and especially in the third period when it really counts,” said Lopez, a state qualifier a year ago with 21 wins at 160 pounds.

Lopez defended a shot from Gaylord with 30 seconds remaining, and turned it around to increase his lead to 7-3 with a take-down at 17 seconds.
Ghee Rachal (220) and Tom Munoz (285) would end the night for Marist on a high note with back-to-back victories for the eventual third place team that scored 151 overall points, far ahead of fourth-place St. Patrick and its 72 points.

Rachal, second here a year ago as a freshmen, could not be touched in his two bouts – winning his first with a pin at 3:35, and the final, in which he needed but 29 seconds to achieve success.

“Coming from a wrestling family like (mine) your going to get a lot of experience, and you better be tough to withstand it all,” said the affable Rachal (34-4) whose twin brothers, Baan and WeWe and Baan, are both redshirt freshmen at Illinois this season.

In the always unpredictable heavyweight division, it was Munoz (21-9) who came out on top when he pinned his way to his first ESCC title of his career.

“Not making it downstate after twice advancing into sectionals was enough motivation for me to work as hard as I could in the offseason,” said Munoz, who will attend Illinois State next fall, where he plans on majoring in Special Education.

Munoz, a defensive lineman on the Marist football team, says the two sports are great for each other, and have helped his advancement in both.

“Wrestling has helped with my toughness, hips, footwork, and conditioning, which is so important when your competing at this weight,” said Munoz.

Last year-here, Louie Stec, himself a star at football at Nazareth Academy, and now playing at the University of Iowa, was crowned heavyweight champ, along with two others for head coach, Denis Laughlin.

On this night, Laughlin would celebrate two individual titles, each the first ever for Alex Carillo and Robert Gurley, both strong candidates to medal in Champaign in class A competition.

Carillo, a three-time state qualifier, turned in a quality six minutes to decison Peter Marinopolous (Marist) in a 145-pound final that ended 9-5.
Marinopolous would defeat No. 2 seed Vincent Swindell (23-11) earlier in the semifinal round – with Swindell suffering an injury that forced the Carmel Catholic senior out of action as a precautionary measure.

This championship night for Carillo (29-4) was highlighted by his program record 118th career victory – breaking the old record set by Pat Vitek, who was fourth overall at state in 2013.

“It’s an awesome feeling knowing I have the most wins in our program, and tonight, hopefully, will be the start of a great run towards a state medal,” said Carillo, who, along with Gurley, were key figures on the 7A state runner-up football team last November.

Carillo, fifth in the IWCOA poll, will continue his football career, likely as a running back, at Valparaiso University in the fall.

His teammate Gurley (30-2) came back twice in his 195-pound final with Lou Gaddy (11-3) to defeat the Marian Central Catholic junior, 7-5
Gaddy took an early lead with a take-down near the edge, then go up 4-2 midway through the second period.

An escape by Gaddy to start the third period leveled things at 5-5, until Gurley prevailed with his match-winning two.

“I was eliminated in the blood round (5-3) last year at sectionals in the final seconds, so you (know) that was all I needed to motivate me during the offseason,” admitted Gurley, who went out at 36-6 overall in 2019.
Gurley, a linebacker, and strong safety last fall, will take his 3.95 GPA (4.00) to Indianapolis University after visits to NIU, SIU and Minnesota, where he will continue to play football, and begin his studies in kinesiology.

I am very fortunate to have young men like Alex and Robert in our program, their work ethic, presence in the room, and terrific personalities make our room a great place to be,” said Laughlin, who added that Gurley will be lead in an upcoming musical at Nazareth following the state tournament.

No. 6 Terrence Stamp added the fifth championship to the Hilltoppers total after his impressive performance at 160 pounds, including his 8-1 decision over No. 8 Kaden Randazzo (33-4) of Marian Central Catholic.

Stamp (30-11) who transferred over from nearby Joilet West, where as a sophomore he advanced into sectionals, says the chance to be in the Hilltoppers program was one to good to pass up.

“Just being in a room with a guy like DJ (Hamiti) makes all of us better, and along with my teammates and coaching staff, coming here is the best thing for me,” said Stamp, who pushed the pace in his final, and was strong on top when asked to ride out his opponent.

It appears that Marian Catholic freshmen, Vincent Robinson is ready to continue the success that his brother Travis Ford-Melton (Purdue) began when he stepped into the Monarchs room.

From the opening moments of his first round match – and right up until the referee signaled his technical fall victory at 126 pounds – Robinson made a strong statement on what to expect in the next three weeks.

“Travis was unbelievably good, but I want to be better than he ever was,” Robinson said boldly as recording a pair of dynamic major decision vicories in his first two bouts – followed with an extraordinary effort in his final that featured power, lightning quick speed, power and the ability to finish a shot at will.

“I like to think that I can be the best, and right now, I feel like I am kind of flying under the radar heading into the postseason, which is a good place to be,” continued Robinson, who came through the Twisters youth program, where he was a IKWF State Champion.

While the teams slowly made their way out into the night – Cumbee had this to say before, he too, left for home.

“I could not be more excited about the way we’re entering the state series, all of my guys are laser focused on their goals to improve in the room, which aligns perfectly with my message that you earn your medal at practice (competition) is where you pick it up.”

“I anticipate this momentum to be contagious, and carry us deep into the posteaason.”

The Hilltoppers move on to compete at the Rich East regional, Marian Central Catholic travels to Woodstock North, while Marist stays close to its campus at Stagg.