Feature Stories

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

One team was hoping to capture its first IHSA Dual Team championship while the other sought to follow up on its first state title in the sport with another one.

A coaching staff that took over last season looked to show that they were capable of producing a championship team in two years while a veteran staff wanted to add another first-place trophy to its large collection that’s been boosted by seven top-three finishes in the last nine years that tournament has taken place.

And one team wanted to demonstrate that an earlier clash between the two was no fluke while the other side intended to prevail in the showdown that definitely meant the most to both.

That was the story of the Class 1A Dual Team Finals where Marian Central Catholic made its first appearance in an IHSA championship dual meet while defending Class 1A champion Coal City advanced to the first-place dual meet for the fifth time in nine years.

Marian Central Catholic edged Coal City 32-31 on December 30 when the sides met for the title of the 60-team ABE’s Rumble in Springfield. 

That was the only defeat that IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Mark Masters’ Coalers  (38-6) had against a Class 1A opponent during the regular season. Their other four losses before the finals were to Class 2A and 3A teams, all of whom were ranked and three of those teams also were participating in the Dual Team Finals, 2A champion Washington and 2A fourth-place finisher Brother Rice as well as 3A quarterfinalist Joliet Catholic Academy with Downers Grove South, which fell one win shy of a 3A state appearance, its other setback.

The Hurricanes (26-11) entered the finals with a record 11 losses (2019 2A champion Washington had 10 losses), with three to out-of-state teams at The Dan Gable Donnybrook and The Clash. The other eight were against highly-ranked Class 3A and 2A teams, including 2A champion Washington, 3A champion Mount Carmel and 3A third-place finisher St. Charles East. Others were to 3A quarterfinalist Joliet Catholic Academy, Marmion Academy (lost to Mount Carmel in the sectional), Marist (second to Mount Carmel in regional), Lockport Township (second to Joliet Catholic Academy in regional) and IC Catholic Prep (lost to 2A runner-up Montini Catholic in the sectional). Co-coaches Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater hoped that a rugged schedule would pay off for them.

Coal City was extremely young, with just two seniors, co-captain Brant Widlowski as well as Jamie Keigher, and only four juniors, including 165 champion and co-captain Landin Benson. The Coalers had nine sophomores, with 126 runner-up Broady Widlowski being one of them, as well as six freshmen on their roster.

Marian Central Catholic had four seniors, including four-time medalist Anthony Alanis and also Max Astacio, and five juniors, including 120 champion and two-time finalist Brayden Teunissen and two-time runner-up Vance Williams, to go along with six sophomores and four freshmen, with one of those being 157 champion Jimmy Mastny.

While there was plenty of suspense in the ABE’s Rumble dual where both teams won seven matches, the lead changed hands several times and the outcome wasn’t decided until the final match, the state dual meet featured far less drama as Marian Central Catholic won five of the first six matches to grab a 21-3 lead and Coal City got no closer than nine points back until the finale, as the Hurricanes captured a 34-27 victory after winning eight matches.

Blanton, who competed for Richmond-Burton, won Class A titles in 2005 and 2006 and an AA championship in 2008 while suffering his only loss of his career in the AA Finals in 2007 to Montini Catholic’s four-time champ Mike Benefiel. He joins IWCOA Hall of Famer Israel Martinez (West Aurora/Montini Catholic) and Jason Potter (St. Charles/St. Charles East) as two of the individuals who won multiple IHSA titles and coached a team to a Dual Team title. 

Prater, a 2007 AA champion and three-time medalist at Plainfield Central, joins IWCOA Hall of Famers such as Bill Weick (Tilden/Mount Carmel), Marty Williams (Yorkville/Mahomet-Seymour), Peter Alber (Dakota), Bernie Ruettiger (Providence Catholic/Minooka), Eric Siebert (LaSalle-Peru/Carl Sandburg) and Mike Powell (Oak Park and River Forest) as well as Ryan Cumbee (Providence Catholic/Joliet Catholic Academy) as some of the one-time IHSA title winners who later won an IHSA Dual Team title as a coach. Coaches known to have been champions who won a team title in the scored tournament were IWCOA Hall of Famers Jack Marino (Proviso), Chuck Farina (Proviso/East Leyden) and Charles Anderson (Tilden/Savanna).

“I felt like we were the most prepared team in the state championship, in any division,” Blanton said. “This was what it all was for, this was a big moment. I’ve been in big matches and had big moments in my life, so I’m trying to practice what I preach to these guys. Making sure that I’m keeping myself calm because I feel like they’re going to react on my energy, and I felt it. It was tense, it was exciting and it was awesome. 

“I tell our guys all of the time that they’re built for these types of moments. I used to tell myself that as a competitor, that this is why I train and this is why I put myself through such hard things. And this is why we put them through such hard things. Throughout this whole season, one of the themes was that we were built to overcome adversity and we’re built to do hard things. This is a challenging thing but I felt we were prepared, and when the moment was at its biggest, we were at our best. As a competitor, that’s the goal.

“I felt like we had some favorable matchups and we won the toss, which was important at the beginning, and it really went according to plan. I’m not one of those people that really likes to scheme and do all of that stuff, but I know our team and I wanted to be aware of what some of their (Coal City) moves were. We wrestled them at the end of December, but I knew that this was going to be a different dual and I knew that we were going to get some different matchups. But we also wanted to chase a couple of matchups and we were able to do that. So when we started winning those swing matches, it gave us that momentum and we had an opportunity to put the nail in the coffin, and we did it.”

Now that they’ve led the Woodstock school to its first state title in a boys sport since 1989 when the Hurricanes football program completed a run of four Class 2A championships in seven years for coaches Don Penza and Steve Patton, Blanton hopes that other wrestling programs from his home county, McHenry County, beside the only two that have accomplished the feat thus far, Marian Central Catholic and Harvard, can win an IHSA Dual Team championship.

“I’m one of those guys that thinks that winning as a team is actually better than winning as an individual,” Blanton said. “I loved this journey as a competitor, and I loved this individual journey for these guys. I don’t mean to say this like this, but anybody can win individually. It takes leadership, it takes buy-in, it takes culture, all of these other things on this competitive journey. When I moved back home with my wife, and coach Prater’s wife is my wife’s sister, and we started to coach, this was part of the plan. As much as I want Marian Central to do it, I want these other schools in McHenry County to do it, too, because there’s so many coaches who have been putting in work and putting in time and there’s so many tough wrestlers. A rising tide lifts all ships. We played the heel a bit being a Catholic school and doing it as fast as we did. 

“But in my opinion, our coaching staff and our wrestlers are going to outwork everybody. We’re very fortunate to have the experiences that we’ve had, and now we’re passing that down to the next generation and I want everybody to grow from this. So if I have to ruffle a couple feathers and people are going to be a little upset, I’m more than happy to take that because I know that we’re headed in the right direction and this is just the start.”

In the championship dual meet that started at 106, Austin Hagevold won a 7-6 decision over Owen Petersen in a clash of placewinners to put the Hurricanes in front for good. Sophomore Hagevold placed fourth at 106 while freshman Petersen took sixth at 106.

Anthony Alanis, a four-time state placewinner, concluded his successful career with a 10-3 decision over freshman medalist Cooper Morris at 113 to give Marian Central Catholic a 6-0 lead. Alanis took third at 113 in his only year with the Hurricanes after transferring from Grayslake Central, where he won the 2A title at 106 last season, took second at 106 in 2022 and was sixth at 106 in 2A at the IWCOA Finals in 2021. Morris took fifth at 113 this season.

Coal City got its first victory at 120 when junior Culan Lindemuth, who fell one win shy of a medal at 120, won an 8-1 decision over sophomore Josiah Perez to pull his team to within 6-3.

Brayden Teunissen boosted Marian Central Catholic’s lead to 11-3 when he won by technical fall over sophomore Luke Munsterman at 126. Teunissen, a junior, won the state title at 120 after being a Class 3A runner-up at 106 last season while competing for Belvidere co-op. 

Andrew Alvarado, a junior who qualified for state this year at 138 after placing fifth at 113 a year ago, won a key match at 132 when he recorded a fall in 4:38 over sophomore Brody Widlowski, who was the state runner-up to Auburn’s Joey Ruzic at 126 and took fourth at 113 last season, to increase the Hurricanes’ lead to 17-3.

Vance Williams, a junior, who took second place at state at 132 to Rockridge’s Jude Finch and also was the IHSA runner-up at 132 to Dakota’s Phoenix Blakely last season as well as fourth-place finisher at that weight in 2022, increased the Hurricanes’ lead to 21-3 at 138 after winning a 14-6 major decision over sophomore Mason Garner, who fell one win shy of a medal at 138.  

Coal City got a 5-1 decision from sophomore state qualifier Brock Finch over sophomore Josh Gawronski at 144 and Coalers senior Brant Widlowski, who placed fifth at 150 this season and fifth at 120 a year ago, recorded a fall in 2:51 over junior Connor Cassels to pull their team to within 21-12.

After freshman Jimmy Mastny, the 157 state champion, received a forfeit win for the Hurricanes, Coalers junior Landin Benson, the 165 IHSA champion, captured a 3-2 decision over freshman Nic Astacio to make the score 27-15 with four matches remaining.

Senior Max Astacio, who took sixth at 165 this season and fifth at 160 a year ago and also competed for the Hurricanes in their 2A title-winning performance at the IWCOA Finals in 2021, won a 4-0 decision over junior John Keigher at 175 to make it 30-15. Then Coal City sophomore Cade Poyner, who fell one win short of a medal at 190, received a forfeit win.

Sophomore Dan French, who was a state qualifier at 190, wrapped things up for Marian Central Catholic when he won an 11-0 major decision at 215 over junior Alec Waliczek. The Hurricanes forfeited to freshman Emmett Easton at 285 to make the final score 34-27.

“Did I think we’d be back here (in the title dual)?” Masters said. “At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t 100 percent on that. We had some injuries early and guys coming in from football that needed to get in shape. Once we started getting guys back, we started thinking we could win this thing again. 

“We will be good again next year. Landin Benson is only a junior. We have a lot of guys back. Of course, we are going to miss Buddy (Brant Widlowski). He set a school record with 40 or 41 pins this year. You don’t replace that and it’s going to be hard to replace his leadership.

“A lot of the kids that are on this team weren’t on last year’s team, but they have wrestled on a big stage at the IESA tournaments and stuff like that, so even though they are young, they are experienced.”

Roxana (23-7), coached by Rob Milazzo, made its first Dual Team Finals appearance since 2014 and won its third trophy and had its second-best finish in the competition after it defeated Vandalia 44-27 for third place. The only time that the Shells placed better was in 2004, when they won their last trophy, which was for second place in Class A under coach Michael Kurth. 

Vandalia (31-4), which is coached by Jason Clay, made its 23rd appearance in the Dual Team Finals, which ranks second to Montini Catholic, the Class 2A runner-up to Washington, which was at state for the 24th time. The Vandals, who lost in the quarterfinals in their last previous state trip in 2022, captured their tenth trophy, including their fifth under Clay.

In the third-place dual meet, Vandalia got a win by technical fall from freshman Max Philpot, the runner-up to Johnsburg’s Eric Bush at 106, over freshman Savion Hall in the opener at 106 and then got a fall from freshman state qualifier Elijah Mabry over sophomore Ari Walker to grab a quick 11-0 advantage. 

Roxana responded with a fall from junior Lleyton Cobine over freshman Brody Matthews, a 14-12 decision from sophomore state qualifier Logan Riggs over junior Deon Moore and a pin from sophomore Brandon Green, Jr., who took fifth place at 132, over freshman Gabe Weischedel to give it a 15-11 advantage.

The Vandals moved back in front at 21-15 following a 16-5 major decision at 138 from freshman state qualifier Cole Yarbrough over junior Kadin Carlisle and a pin from sophomore Dillon Hinton, who was the 138 runner-up to Benton’s Mason Tieffel, over junior Trevor Gihring at 144.

However, the Shells won the next four matches to move back in front for good as senior Bryan Rodriguez pinned freshman Dade Kleinik at 150 and senior state qualifier Braden Johnson, who fell one win shy of a medal at 150, recorded a fall over junior Artan Mustafa. Sophomore Lyndon Thies, who took fourth place at 157, won by technical fall over freshman Noah Langston at 165 and senior Elias Thies won 9-7 in sudden victory over sophomore Ross Miller to give their team a 35-21 lead with three matches left.

Junior Kaden Tidwell, who took fourth at 190, got a pin over junior Robert Watt to cut the lead to 35-27 but senior Donald Battles won a 13-8 decision over freshman Dominic Swyers to wrap up the victory and senior James Herring, who finished third at 285, concluded the dual meet with a fall over junior Jayden Rosetto to bring the final score to 44-27.

“The kids wrestled very well over the weekend,” Milazzo said. “On Friday night, we beat Unity to secure a trophy and then we went toe-to-toe with state champion Marian Central Catholic before losing in the semifinals. 

“In the third-place match we avenged an earlier loss to Vandalia. On December 7, they beat us 46-31. We flipped the score on them and beat them 44-27. I’m always emphasizing the importance of peaking at the right time, and we did just that. We got a big boost from our seniors in that match. All five of them won in convincing fashion. It’s not often that you get to coach your kids to victory in their final match. It was really special. 

“It was a great ride this year. We got second at Mascoutah, third at ABE’s Rumble, second at Princeton, second at Quincy, first at Litchfield, first at regionals and third at state. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that. It’s been 20 years since we last placed, so we know how special it is. We will take it all in, celebrate at the pep rally and reflect on our accomplishment.”

First place – Marian Central Catholic

This was the first time that the Hurricanes appeared in the Dual Team Finals since 2020, the last season of a three-year run of state trips for coach David Silva, with the highlight being a third-place finish in 2019 when they were edged 30-29 by Coal City in the semifinals before beating Triad 44-18 in the third-place meet. In 2021, Marian Central Catholic was the champion in Class 2A at the IWCOA Finals in Silva’s final season as its head coach when it collected a tournament-high 178 points to finish well ahead of Civic Memorial, who scored 147.5 points.

This is the second year that Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater are co-coaches for the program. Both were standouts for the University of Illinois with Prater also winning an NCAA title at Elmhurst College. Blanton won three titles and took second place once in a 152-1 career at Richmond-Burton while Prater was a three-time medalist, two-time finalist and state champion at Plainfield Central. The two are married to sisters and they have run the Relentless Training Center in Johnsburg. They are assisted by Jim Herff, Mark Holian and Jerry Miceli.

Last year, the Hurricanes got to within one win of advancing to Dual Team Finals from the Oregon Sectional but fell 40-31 to Lena-Winslow/Stockton, which took third place. Seniors Nick Davidson, Charlie Fitzgerald, Kaden Harman and Ethan Struck all had 30 or more wins and Struck took fourth at 152 while Davidson came up one win shy of a medal at 138 while runner-up Williams and fifth-place finishers Max Astacio and Alvarado gave them four medalists.

Marian Central Catholic assured itself of a trophy with a 54-12 win over LeRoy/Tri-Valley in Friday’s quarterfinals and advanced to the championship dual meet for the first time after it won 41-26 over Roxana in Saturday’s semifinals.

Posting 3-0 records for the champion Hurricanes were Alanis (113), Teunissen (126), Williams (132/138), Mastny (157), Max Astacio (165/175) and French (190/215) while Hagevold (106) went 2-0 and Alvarado (132/138) and Nic Astacio (165/175) both went 2-1.

“It feels good, it’s something that we’ve been working on for a long time,” Max Astacio said. “It’s a full-circle moment, because with David Silva, we won the IWCOA (in 2021), but nobody really counts that one. And then we had a couple of tough years and then we built back up and did it. 

“We proved it today, we were the baddest guys in the building. This was the epitome of Marian wrestling. Hard, snub-nosed bad guys, that’s what Marian wrestling is all about, and that’s what we did. I think that this is going to be a dynasty.”

In their semifinal win over Roxana, the Hurricanes received pins from Hagevold, Alanis, Mastny and French while Teunissen was a winner by technical fall. Max and Nic Astacio both won decisions and Williams received a forfeit win to advance the team to the title dual meet. Marian Central Catholic had an 8-5 edge in victories with both teams forfeiting at 215.

“This feels just good as the individual,” Alanis said. “To celebrate with my teammates, my coaches and my parents and all of my friends, it’s something different. (The title win) That was because of all of the hard work that we put in throughout the year. 

“We were always looking to get better, always. Even the community, the school, the teachers, the principals, everyone, it was a group effort and I’m glad that it paid off. I want to wrestle in college but I’m currently undecided and I want to do something in engineering.”

Against LeRoy/Tri-Valley in the quarterfinals, the Hurricanes had an 11-3 advantage in wins. Alvarado, Nic Astacio and French recorded falls, Alanis and Teunissen both recorded wins by technical fall, Williams and Max Astacio won major decisions, junior Kaleb Eckman and Cassels won decisions while senior Chandler Gardner and Mastny received forfeit wins.

Marian Central Catholic had two champions, three finalists and six medals to go along with two other qualifiers. As for its top medalists: Teunissen, who defeated Carlyle’s Tyson Waughtel to win the 120 title, finished 44-5; Mastny, who beat Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Bryson Capansky for the 157 title, went 32-1; Williams, who took second to Rockridge’s Jude Finch at 132, had a 48-9 record; and Alanis, who claimed third place at 113, also finished 44-5. 

“I was very proud, I knew that I was going to win because I prepared perfectly for my match,” Teunissen said of also being an individual state champion. “And this feels really good. Our team knew what we had and it would take to win. In some duals, we had some errors, but in the final match, we just wrestled really good, everyone on our team wrestled well.

“I liked how we all really work hard together in the room. So when everyone is working, it just kind of motivates everyone to just keep working harder.”

Hagevold, who was fourth at 106, went 39-18 and Max Astacio, who placed sixth at 165 finished 43-8. State qualifier Alvarado had a 37-15 record and qualifier French finished 33-24. The other senior on the team was Will Gillaspie.

Second Place – Coal City

Coal City (38-6) placed among the top three teams in Class 1A for the seventh time in the last nine year that the IHSA Dual Team Finals has been held. Coach Mark Masters, who is 472-156 during his 21-year tenure and was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2022, won the program’s first state championship a year ago and also led teams to second place in 2016, 2019 and 2020 and to third-place finishes in 2015 and 2018. Between 1984 and 1999, the Coalers were also runners-up on three occasions and had one fourth-place finish.

This was the ninth-straight season (not including shortened 2020-2021) that Masters’ teams have won 27 or more dual meets and their 38 wins ties the 2019 team for the third-most wins in a season by the Coalers, who won 42 dual  meets last season and 39 duals in 2020. His assistant coaches were Jim Looper, Nick O’Bert, Joe Widlowski and Zach Berman.

Coal City graduated 10 individuals from last season’s historic championship team. Seniors from that team who won 40 or more matches were Mataeo Blessing, Joey Breneman, Drake Dearth and Braiden Young while Derek Carlson, Michael Gonzalez and Jack Poyner won 30 or more matches. All of those individuals also qualified for the IHSA Individual Finals as Breneman took third at 195, Young was fourth at 182, Jake Piatak was sixth at 132, Blessing fell one win shy of a medal at 145 and Carlson came up one win short of a medal at 170.

The Coalers captured a 42-22 victory over Vandalia in the semifinals to advance to the title meet at the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row, something that it had not done before. This was the eighth time overall and the fifth time since 2016 that they competed in the first-place dual meet at the state finals.

After the Vandals got a pin in the opener and a major decision from 106 runner-up Philpot  in the second match to grab an early 10-0 lead, Morris, Lindemuth and Munsterman all won decisions and then the Coalers moved in front for good at 17-10 following major decisions from Brody Widlowski and Garner.

Vandalia closed to with 17-16 when 138 runner-up Hinton got a fall at 144 but Coal City rattled off the next five victories as Finch won a major decision, Brant Widlowski and Benson got pins and senior James Keigher and Poyner won decisions before the Coalers forfeited in the last match to have a 10-4 advantage in matches won.

In their 54-13 victory over Riverdale in the quarterfinals, the Coalers won the first five matches to grab a decisive 24-0 advantage. Easton opened with a fall, sophomore Payton Vigna followed with a decision and then Petersen and Morris got pins before Lindemuth captured a decision. 

After Riverdale got its first victory, a major decision from two-time medalist Dean Wainwright at 126, Coal City won six of the final eight matches to finish with an 11-3 advantage in victories for the dual. Sophomore Noah Houston, Finch, Brant Widlowski and John Keigher also recorded falls while Garner and freshman Brody D’Orazio won decisions to wrap up one of the three dual meets in the quarterfinals which were won by more than 40 points. 

The Coalers received 3-0 performances from Lindemuth (120), Finch (144/150) and Brant Widlowski (150/157) while Benson (165) and Poyner (190) both went 2-0 and Morris (113), Garner (138) and Easton (215/285) all went 2-1.

“I was glad to be back in the state finals,” Brant Widlowski said. “This is a special group of guys and they can move from one weight to another depending on what we need. We try to get the best matchups. I am proud of our guys. We are like family. Sometimes it feels like we spend more time together than with our actual families.

“It’s hard to walk away. I started feeling that at the individual tournament. This was going to be the last time for me to be together with my brother and my dad and my teammates. Dad started the Little Coalers. There’s a little bit of pressure to have the name Widlowski in Coal City wrestling.

“I am proud to be a part of school history like this. First time in back-to-back title matches, Winning a state title. For a while, Wilmington was the standard in our area, but we have gotten past them and it feels great.”

Coal City had one state champion, two finalists, five medalists and 11 state qualifiers. Benson, who won the 165 title over Tremont’s Bowden Delaney, finished with a 30-2 record while Brody Widlowski, who was the runner-up to Auburn’s Joey Ruzic at 126, closed with a 29-5 record. Brant Widlowski, who was fifth at 150, finished 51-5 while Morris, who placed fifth at 113, posted a 45-10 record and Petersen, who took sixth at 106, finished 46-9.

Lindemuth, who fell one win shy of a medal at 120, closed with a 36-16 record, Garner, who was one victory away from a medal at 138, finished 40-7 and Poyner, who was a win away from a medal at 190, went 45-10. The other qualifiers were Jamie Keigher (35-17), Finch (42-14) and Houston (36-12). Team captains were Brant Widlowski and Benson.

“It’s not the way we wanted to end it,” Benson said. “I feel sad for the seniors, but the rest of us have to work hard and try to get back next year. It’s hard to lose Buddy (Brant Widlowski). He is an amazing leader. He leads us in warmups, will get up and give speeches. He’s like another coach.

“I get more motivated for matches in a dual meet than individual. You spend the whole year with the team and you go through a lot with them. It’s huge to win a title with them.”

Note: special thanks to Rob Oesterle of The Herald-News for providing Coal City quotes.

Third Place – Roxana

Roxana coach Rob Milazzo, who’s in his 19th year leading the Shells (23-7), won his first trophy as a result of their third-place finish. This was his second team that he led to the Dual Team Finals, with the other one in 2014, when his team lost in the quarterfinals. He was assisted by Tom Blaha, Tom Hill, Mike Kurth and Mike Garland. This is the program’s second-best finish at the dual team finals, with a second-place showing in 2004 being the standard.

In their 41-26 semifinal loss to Marian Central Catholic, the Shells received falls from Cobine, Green Jr. and Herring, a win by technical fall from Johnson and a decision from Gihring.

And in its 48-30 victory over Unity in the quarterfinals, Roxana lost the opener but then won the next six matches to claim a 36-6 lead and was up 48-12 when it forfeited at the last three weights. Herring, Walker, Cobine, Riggs, Green Jr. and Johnson all recorded falls, Gihring and Lyndon Thies won decisions and Hill received a forfeit win.

“It was really exciting,” Donald Battles said. “This team was our eighth grade season team, and that season got cut short. So having all of the underclassmen back up with us, it just really made a spark for the team and we had a stride that we haven’t had in a few years. So that put us in a really good spot for coming up here.”

Posting 3-0 records for Roxana were Cobine (120), Green Jr. (132/138), Johnson (150/157) and Herring (285) while Riggs (126), Gihring (144) and Lyndon Thies (157/165) went 2-1.

The Shells had five state qualifiers and three medal winners. Herring, who was third at 285, capped his career with a 48-5 record, Lyndon Thies, who took fourth at 157, finished 50-8 and Green, Jr., who placed fifth at 132, closed with a 50-6 record. Johnson, who was one win shy of a medal at 150, went 38-10 and Riggs had a 44-12 record. The team’s captains were Herring and Johnson. Other seniors were Donald Battles, Bryan Rodriguez and Elias Thies.

“It’s really exciting on my part,” Elias Thies said. “Coach Milazzo told me to come out this year, for the first year at the high school level, and I don’t regret it at all. We placed third in the state at 1A and I just had a blast. We’ve all been friends since we were little and we’ve been on the same team and we hang out outside of wrestling. We’re brothers, so we feel confident in each other on and off of the mat.”

Fourth Place – Vandalia

The Vandals were making their first appearance since 2022 for coach Jason Clay, who has led the program for 18 years and he led 14 teams to state dual team finals and this was his fifth team to win a trophy in the competition. He was assisted by Pat Myers.

In their 42-22 semifinal loss to Coal City, the Vandals got a pin from Rosetto and a major decision from Philpot to take an early 10-0 lead. After the Coalers won the next five matches to move ahead at 17-10, Hinton recorded a fall to pull his team to within 17-16 before Coal City responded with another run of five wins and forfeited to Swyers in the final match.

Vandalia recorded 12 falls, won a match by major decision and got a forfeit win in its 82-0 win in the quarterfinals over Rickover Naval Academy, which made its debut at the Dual Team Finals. Getting pins were Rosetto, Philpot, Mabry, Matthews, Moore, junior Parker Ray, Hinton, Kleinik, Mustafa, Miller, sophomore Zander Tate and Tidwell while Yarbrough won a major decision and Swyers received a forfeit win. 

The 82 points scored by the Vandals was an IHSA record for all classes and the 82 total points tied a record for most points by both teams. In addition, it was the first time that a team had ever recorded 12 pins in a state finals dual meet, with nine being the previous high mark.

Vandalia received 3-0 efforts from Philpot (106) and Hinton (144) while Mabry (113), Yarbrough (132/138), Tidwell (190), Swyers (215) and Rosetto (285) all went 2-1.

The Vandals had six state qualifiers, with three of those winning medals and two competing in the finals. Two-time medalist Hinton, who was the runner-up to Benton’s Mason Tieffel at 138, finished 50-4. Philpot, who took second to Johnsburg’s Eric Bush at 106, capped his debut season with a 52-3 mark and Tidwell, who took fourth at 190, had a 40-12 record. 

Their other three state qualifiers were all freshmen, Mabry (39-16 at 113), Matthews (36-18 at 120) and Yarbrough (23-7 at 132). Team captains for the Vandals were Hinton and Tidwell. 

“We have a lot of stuff to learn about situations,” Clay said. “We had two tough matches today. Against Coal City we got out to a fast start and then it kind of got a little tough in the middle and we lost a couple of matches that I thought we could win but we battled. And I thought  Roxana wrestled extremely well. We beat them earlier in the season and I knew that they would come back hard and they won a couple of key matches early to kind of swing the dual, so give them credit.

“We started seven freshmen and this was their first experience, of course, so hopefully it makes them more hungry for next year. And it starts in the offseason with our training to become better. You’re not going to be better just because a year older, it doesn’t work that way. You’ve got to train for it and you have to work to become better. It will be a challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”

Another member of the team, junior Sophie Bowers, didn’t compete in the Dual Team Finals, since she was busy becoming her school’s first champion in the IHSA Girls Individual Finals, which was also taking place in Bloomington. 

Bowers won a 6-0 decision over a two-time runner-up, Canton junior Kinnley Smith, in the 125 title match. Bowers, the Vandals’ lone qualifier, opened with a win by technical fall and then won close decisions over a three-time medalist with one loss, Yorkville’s Yamilet Aguirre, and a two-time medal winner with no losses, Lakes Community’s Ava Babbs. She is the program’s second medalist, with Lauren Dothager placing fourth in both 2022 and 2023.

Quarterfinalists

LeRoy/Tri-Valley

LeRoy/Tri-Valley (22-5) returned to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the second-straight year, something that the Panthers hadn’t done since their great run off success from 2011-2014, where they made four state trips in four years for coach Doug DeWald, taking third in 1A in 2011 and winning the title in 1A in 2012. Two years prior to that stretch, LeRoy took second place in 1A in its first state appearance in 2009, again under DeWald.

Brady Sant Amour’s Panthers went 22-5 to cap a two-year run where they posted a 46-6 record. In 2018, he led El Paso-Gridley to the 1A quarterfinals, making this his third state team in six years. He was assisted by Brian Roberts, Sean Kennedy and Josh Sexton.

In their 54-12 quarterfinals loss to eventual champion Marian Central Catholic, the Panthers got a fall from senior captain Jacob Bischoff in the opening match and a 5-3 decision from EJ Chaon a short time later to trail 14-9 through five weights. But the Hurricanes won eight of the final nine matches with Brock Owens getting a 5-3 decision for LeRoy/Tri-Valley during that run. Tate Sigler lost 3-2 in a tiebreaker and Connor McLaughlin fell 12-9 in another close match. And the other two senior captains, Colton Prosser and Connor Lyons, both suffered losses in their final matches. The Panthers also lost to Marian Central Catholic by a 52-18 score at ABE’s Rumble.

The Panthers, who won one of the toughest regionals in 1A at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in dramatic fashion with a victory in the final match to edge the hosts 193.5-192, had five state qualifiers but were unable to get any state medalists this season. All of the Panthers’ defeats came against ranked teams, including 1A teams Oakwood/Salt Fork, Newman Central Catholic and champion Marian Central Catholic and also one Class 3A team, Normal Community. They earned their trip to state with a 43-22 victory over Canton at their own dual meet sectional.

The five state qualifiers were senior Bischoff (45-4), senior Lyons (42-12), junior Brady Mouser (45-5), junior Bo Zeleznik (30-15) and freshman EJ Chaon (31-14). Panthers team captains were seniors Bischoff, Lyons and Prosser and juniors Ash Osborn, Mouser, Sigler and Zeleznik.

“I’m proud of these kids, we battled all night,” Sant Amour said. “We were out-matched at quite a few weight classes but we battled and we didn’t back down. Our discussions last year was we can’t worry about the draw, we have to compete against everybody. 

“I’m proud of these kids and I’m proud that they got here, they did a heck of a job getting here. Last year we graduated three good seniors and we graduate three good seniors this year and we have a lot of good, young guys who are filling up our lineup.”

Unity

Unity (27-11) made its first trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals since 2022 when it took third place in 1A and this was the third appearance in the state finals for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets since 2020, when they also finished in third place.

Patton completed his seventh season at the school and has a 208-50 record. His teams have won 24 or more dual meets, other than in the shortened 2020-21 season, when they had 19 wins. This was Unity’s fifth state appearance, with the first two in 1989 and 1990 in Class A under coach Bill Billman, with the first team placing second for the team’s best finish at state. Rocket assistant coaches were Josh Inman, Henry Patton, Dakota Patton and Richard Vetter.

Unity had a couple of big holes that it had to fill in its lineup since it graduated Nick Nosler, a two-time finalist and 2023 champion at 195, and fourth-place finisher Kyus Root at 170. After getting off the a 15-10 start with all of their seven losses to Illinois team coming against ranked opponents, the Rockets won their next 12 dual meets, capping things off with a 43-33 victory over Peoria Notre Dame at the LeRoy Sectional to earn their fifth state appearance.

In their 48-30 quarterfinals loss to eventual third-place finisher Roxana, the Rockets got a fall from 190 state champion Hunter Eastin in the opening match at 215. But the Shells followed that with five falls and a forfeit to build a 36-6 advantage. Taylor Finley added another pin for Unity, who won the final three matches on forfeits to Josh Heath, Ryan Rink and Thayden Root. Abram Davidson lost a 9-8 decision in the last contested match.

Unity had six state qualifiers, three medalists, two finalists and a title winner. Junior Hunter Eastin, who beat High School of Saint Thomas More’s Brody Cuppernell to win the 190 title, finished with a 49-6 record while junior Kaden Inman, who lost 8-7 to Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll in the 144 title match, went 45-9 and junior Ryan Rink, who finished fifth at 165, posted a 45-12 record.

Other state qualifiers for the Rockets were senior Thayden Root (175), who went 47-11, sophomore Hunter Shike (126), who posted a 39-8 record and freshman Taylor Finley (132), who finished 41-18. Unity’s team captains were Eastin, Inman, Rink and Shike. Other seniors on the team were Symon Griffin and Kameron Novak.

“Roxana was tough,” Patton said. “Roxana was tough last year at ABE’s when we wrestled them there and they beat us, but it was pretty close. They returned everybody and obviously we didn’t, so we knew what we were getting into. (Hunter) Shike breaking his hip in the quarterfinals at the state tournament, didn’t help anything and my 113-pounder got hurt on Tuesday night, so we had to forfeit at one of those weights. 

“We knew that we needed to start at around 38, we would have felt fine. I kept trying to remind these young dudes that it was a part of the plan. I talk to them about the standard’s, the standard. It doesn’t matter who’s what team we’ve got, this is the standard to try to get down here every year and wrestle on that final day of the season.”

A day after it lost in the quarterfinals, Unity enjoyed a memorable moment as sophomore Phoenix Molina nearly became the second girl from the school to win an IHSA title, a feat that only had been accomplished by Lexi Ritchie in 2022 when she won 10-8 over Richwoods’ Jaida Johnson to win the 155 championship. Ritchie took fourth place at 155 last season.

Molina (28-6), lost 2-1 on an ultimate tiebreaker to Prairie Central junior Chloe Hoselton in the 235 title match. All three of her victories were close decisions. She won 2-1 by sudden victory over Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jocelyn Williams in her opener, edged Ottawa Township’s Juliana Thrush 4-2 in the quarterfinals and got past Oak Park and River Forest’s Sarah Epshtein 3-2 in the semifinals to reach the title mat. A year ago, Molina finished 17-5 after losing in the quarterfinals to the runner-up, Curie’s Aaliyah Grandberry. 

Riverdale 

Riverdale (28-7) competed in the Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2007, when Myron Keppy brought his fifth team to state in 12 years. It was the ninth appearance for the Rams, who are coached by Aron Kindelsperger, who placed third at 145 in Class A for the Rams in 2005, and is in his first year of his second stint as head coach after previously leading his school in 2011-12. His assistant coaches were Justin Zigler and Heath Smith.

Returning to state this season is a big deal for Riverdale because they graduated a big part of last year’s team that was highly-ranked all season but lost to eventual runner-up Yorkville Christian in the Oregon Sectional. Among those who graduated, there were two three-time medalists that also won a state championship, Collin Altensey and Brock Smith, as well as two-time medal winner Alex Watson in Keppy’s final season as the Rams coach. 

Riverdale had a 16-6 record after losing three dial meets at ABE’s Rumble but it went on a roll in 2024 and closed with 12-straight wins which was capped with a 38-36 victory over Sandwich in the Newman Central Catholic Dual Team Sectional to earn its trip to state.

In their 54-13 defeat to eventual runner-up Coal City in the quarterfinals, the Rams lost the first five matches to trail 24-0 before Dean Wainwright won a major decision. Blake Smith later recorded a fall and Zachary Bradley won a decision. Jacob Baustian, Tharren Jacobs and Iyezaha Hill all lost decisions,

Wainwright, a sophomore who was state champion at 106 a year ago, placed third at 120 and finished with a 50-2 record. Smith, a junior who took third place at 150, finished with a 49-3 record and Bradley, a senior who qualified for state at 175, capped his career with a 49-5 record. Riverdale had two other state qualifiers who lost in the dual meet, senior Tharren Jacobs (42-5) and junior Kolton Kruse (38-16). The five qualifiers were also team captains. The only other senior on the team was Hill.

“A lot of people brought it up this year about how we were going to be because they doubted us a lot, when you lose those caliber of seniors,” Kindelsperger said. “But our kids came out this year and we showed a lot of people that Riverdale wrestling is just that, we’re always going to compete whether we’ve got two hammers or five hammers or 10 hammers. Our younger guys can compete because we’ve always got good competition in the room.

“We actually lost our first dual of the year to a conference team (Orion), and since that dual, coach (John) Zigler, coach (Heath) Smith and myself just preached that we were working for February and that’s what we’ve done. We’re a very positional team and we throw a lot of positions in the room and we preach to win positions, win periods and win matches, and that’s kind of what got us through into February, and we worked hard. Different guys came through at different times, but that’s what being a team is about.”

Rickover Naval Academy

Rickover Naval Academy (13-11) got off to a 2-6 start but went 10-4 to close out the regular season and then defeated Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville 45-36 in the Coal City Sectional to earn its first appearance in the IHSA Dual Team Finals.

Coach Andrew Holden’s Sea Dragons failed to win a match in their 82-0 quarterfinal loss to Vandalia, which went on to claim fourth place. Holden, who’s in his second year as head coach, was assisted by Christopher Makowski, Guillermo Mejia and Brian Augello.

Rickover Naval Academy was the lone team in the 1A Dual Team Finals that had no state qualifiers. Some of the Sea Dragons’ top performers were seniors Jacob Pizarro (36-6), Breyon Wallace (25-14) and Brandon Valbuena (24-9) and junior Justin Hernandez (23-9). Team captains were Hernandez, Pizarro and Valbuena. Other seniors on the team were Mohammed Al-Tabaqchali, Christopher Chogllo, Evan Grabowski, Juan Vega Hernandez and Johnny Velez.

IHSA Class 1A Championship Dual Meet

Marian Central Catholic 34, Coal City 27

106 – Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) over Owen Petersen (Coal City) Dec 7-6
113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) over Cooper Morris (Coal City) Dec 10-3
120 – Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) over Josiah Perez (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 8-1
126 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) over Luke Munsterman (Coal City) TF 22-7
132 – Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) over Brody Widlowski (Coal City) Fall 4:38
138 – Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) over Mason Garner (Coal City) Maj 14-6
144 – Brock Finch (Coal City) over Joshua Gawronski (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 5-1
150 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) over Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 2:51
157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
165 – Landin Benson (Coal City) over Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 3-2
175 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over John Keigher (Coal City) Dec 4-0
190 – Cade Poyner (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 
215 – Daniel French (Marian Central Catholic) over Alec Waliczek (Coal City) Maj 11-0
285 – Emmett Easton (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

IHSA Class 1A Third Place Dual Meet

Roxana 44, Vandalia 27

106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Savion Hall (Roxana) TF 15-0
113 – Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) over Ari Walker (Roxana) Fall 0:34
120 – Lleyton Cobine (Roxana) over Brody Matthews (Vandalia) Fall 2:48
126 – Logan Riggs (Roxana) over Deon Moore (Vandalia) TB-1 14-12
132 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) over Gabriel Weischedel (Vandalia) Fall 5:52 
138 – Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) over Kaden Carilsle (Roxana) Maj 16-5
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Trevor Gihring (Roxana) Fall 4:37
150 – Bryan Rodriguez (Roxana) over Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) Fall 2:34
157 – Braden Johnson (Roxana) over Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) Fall 0:41
165 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) over Noah Langston (Vandalia) TF 16-1 
175 – Elias Thies (Roxana) over Ross Miller (Vandalia) SV-1 9-7 
190 – Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) over Robert Watt (Roxana) Fall 4:49 
215 – Donald Battles (Roxana) over Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) Dec 13-8 

285 – James Herring (Roxana) over Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) Fall 1:24 

IHSA Class 1A Semifinal Dual Meets

Marian Central Catholic 41, Roxana 26

106 – Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) over Savion Hall (Roxana) Fall 1:22
113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) over Ari Walker (Roxana) Fall 2:51
120 – Lleyton Cobine (Roxana) over Josiah Perez (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 0:36
126 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) over Logan Riggs (Roxana) TF 18-3
132 – Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
138 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) over Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 1:26
144 – Trevor Gihring (Roxana) over Joshua Gawronski (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 10-4
150- Braden Johnson (Roxana) over Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) TF 20-5
157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Bryan Rodriguez (Roxana) Fall 3:00
165 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Lyndon Thies (Roxana) Dec 13-7
175 – Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Elias Thies (Roxana) Dec 5-2
190 – Daniel French (Marian Central Catholic) over Robert Watt (Roxana) Fall 3:08
215 – Double Forfeit
285 – James Herring (Roxana) over Kaleb Eckman (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 0:13

Coal City 42, Vandalia 22 

285 – Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) over Emmett Easton (Coal City) Fall 0:58
106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Owen Petersen (Coal City) Maj 12-4
113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) over Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) Dec 11-5
120 – Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) over Brody Matthews (Vandalia) Dec 5-1
126 – Luke Munsterman (Coal City) over Deon Moore (Vandalia) Dec 8-6
132 – Brody Widlowski (Coal City) over Gabriel Weischedel (Vandalia) Maj 18-6
138 – Mason Garner (Coal City) over Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) Maj 13-2
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Aidan Kenney (Coal City) Fall 2:44
150 – Brock Finch (Coal City) over Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) Maj 12-1
157 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) over Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) Fall 1:44
165 – Landin Benson (Coal City) over Noah Langston (Vandalia) Fall 1:01
175 – James Keigher (Coal City) over Ross Miller (Vandalia) Dec 11-4
190 – Cade Poyner (Coal City) over Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) Fall 2:27
215 – Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

IHSA Class 1A Quarterfinal Dual Meets

Coal City 54, Riverdale 13

215 – Emmett Easton (Coal City) over Jacob Schredeya (Riverdale) Fall 0:40
285 – Payton Vigna (Coal City) over Jacob Baustian (Riverdale) Dec 10-6
106 – Owen Petersen (Coal City) over Benjamin Porter (Riverdale) Fall 0:47
113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) over Triton Pulfrey (Riverdale) Fall 0:36
120 – Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) over Tharren Jacobs (Riverdale) Dec 4-0
126 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) over Roberto Rodriguez (Coal City) Maj 13-5
132 – Noah Houston (Coal City) over Elijah Newton (Riverdale) Fall 1:56
138 – Mason Garner (Coal City) over Kolton Kruse (Riverdale) Dec 5-4
144 – Brock Finch (Coal City) over Brayden Geigle (Riverdale) Fall 0:41
150 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) over Alex Carlson (Coal City) Fall 1:06
157 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) over Brennan Huggins (Riverdale) Fall 0:45
165 – John Keigher (Coal City) over Aaron John Scranton (Riverdale) Fall 0:40
175 – Zachary Bradley (Riverdale) over James Keigher (Coal City) Dec 7-1
190 – Brody D`Orazio (Coal City) over Iyezayha Hill (Riverdale) Dec 9-8

Vandalia 82, Rickover Naval Academy 0

215 – Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 – Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) over Juan Vega Hernandez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:38
106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Justin Chogllo (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:18
113 – Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) over Jonathan Pawlowski (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:32
120 – Brody Matthews (Vandalia) over Breyon Wallace (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:09
126 – Deon Moore (Vandalia) over Chris Uzhca (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 2:42
132 – Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) over Jacob Pizarro (Rickover Naval Academy) Maj 9-0
138 – Parker Ray (Vandalia) over Justin Hernandez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:41
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Jonny Velez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:07
150 – Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) over Brandon Valbuena (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:18
157 – Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) over Mohammed Al-Tabaqchali (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:47
165 – Ross Miller (Vandalia) over Evan Grabowski (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 2:16
175 – Zander Tate (Vandalia) over Naruto Martinez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:55
190 – Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) over Christopher Chogllo (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:33

Roxana 48, Unity 30

215 – Hunter Eastin (Unity) over Donald Battles (Roxana) Fall 3:13
285 – James Herring (Roxana) over Jaden Dene (Unity) Fall 1:38
106 – Savion Hall (Roxana) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
113 – Ari Walker (Roxana) over Andrew Weller (Unity) Fall 0:38
120 – Lleyton Cobine (Roxana) over Bryce Martin (Unity) Fall 0:57
126 – Logan Riggs (Roxana) over Symon Griffin (Unity) Fall 1:48
132 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) over Cohl Boatright (Unity) Fall 1:55
138 – Taylor Finley (Tolono (Unity)) over Kaden Carilsle (Roxana) Fall 3:22
144 – Trevor Gihring (Roxana) over Keegan Germano (Unity) Dec 11-4
150 – Braden Johnson (Roxana) over Kaden Inman (Unity) Fall 2:27
157 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) over Abram Davidson (Unity) Dec 9-8
165 – Josh Heath (Unity) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
175 – Ryan Rink (Unity) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
190 – Thayden Root (Unity) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Marian Central Catholic 54, LeRoy/Tri-Valley 12

215 – Jacob Bischoff (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Owen Neuzil (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 0:37
285 – Kaleb Eckman (Marian Central Catholic) over Tate Sigler (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) TB-1 3-2
106 – Chandler Gardner (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 6.0 0
113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) over Brady Mouser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) TF 18-3
120 – EJ Chaon (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Josiah Perez (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 5-3 
126 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) over Jimmy Chaon (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) TF 25-8 
132 – Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) over Kobe Brent (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Fall 1:04 
138 – Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) over Colton Prosser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Maj 9-1 
144 – Brock Owens (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Joshua Gawronski (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 5-3 
150 – Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) over Connor McLaughlin (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Dec 12-9 
157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 
165 – Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Bo Zeleznik (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Fall 0:44 
175 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Connor Lyons (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Maj 11-2 
190 – Daniel French (Marian Central Catholic) over Gannon Pinkerton (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Fall 3:04 

By Gary Larsen

Evanston Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Sunny Aitzemkour (New Trier) over Aphrodite Gineris (Maine South) (F 1:45)

100 – Lidia Basave (Proviso East) (Bye)

105 – Eliana Badeen (Maine East) (Bye)

110 – Lola Bianco (New Trier) over Victoria Rivera (Rickover Academy) (F 1:12

115 – Regina Jones (Proviso East) over Brianna Carbajal (Morton) (D 8-7)

120 – Giselle Castillo (Fenton) over Monica Garcia (Morton) (Inj. 3:00)

125 – Tierra Hardin (Proviso West) over Brithany Mondragon (Addison Trail) (F 3:48)

130 – Jaqueline Soon-Adan (Proviso West) over Paulette Olson (Rickover Academy) (F 2:23)

135 – Alena Oshana (Maine East) (Bye)

140 – Isabella Miller (Oak Park River Forest) over Olena Ftoma (Maine East) (F 0:17)

145 – Lotus Alhyasat (Maine South) over Madilyn Hunt (Proviso East) (F 2:30)

155 – Caliyah Campbell (Oak Park River Forest)  (Bye)

190 – Julia Augello (Rickover Academy) over Angelica Wszolek (Maine East) (F 1:33)

235 – Ariana Solideo (Fenton) over Lyric Walton (Maine East) (F 1:56)

Third-place match results:

95 – Elizabeth Castrejon (Rickover Academy)  (Bye)

100 – (Bye)

105 – (Bye)

110 – Litzy Estrada (Rickover Academy)  (Bye)

115 – (Bye)

120 – Heba Kiloul (Maine East) over Keren Velasquez (Rickover Academy) (F 1:38

125 – Sofia Petronijevic (Morton)  (Bye)

130 – (Bye)

135 – (Bye)

140 – (Bye)

145 – (Bye)

155 – (Bye)

190 – (Bye)

235 – (Bye)

Granite City Sectional

Championship match results:

100 –  Lilly Davis (Mount Vernon) over Claire Crouch(95) (Triad) (MD 9-1)

105 – Carlly Ho (Rochester) over Madelyn Allen (Edwardsville) (D 5-0)

110 -Gianna Linhorst (Edwardsville) over Zoey Nelson (Mascoutah) (F 2:02

115 -Deziare Jones (Mount Vernon) over Reghan Madura) (F 1:00)

120 – Hailey DeWitt (Jacksonville) over Alauni Muex (Marion) (F 4:50

125 – Reese Blount (Mascoutah) over Hailey Guberman-Bernett (O`Fon) (D 4-1) 

130 – Scarlett Gentille (O’Fon) over Audrey Barnes (Granite City) (F 3:59)

135 – Joelene Nappier-Feth (Marion) over Aubrey Raban (Freeburg) (F 2:12)

145 – Rory Speidel (Jersey) over Brynn Swyers(140) (Vandalia) (D 16-10)

155 – Derika Gradford (Mount Vernon) over Charity Bolinger (Jacksonville) (F 1:34)

190 – Anna Dodson (Salem) over Izabell McBride (Waterloo) (F 2:06)

Third-place match results:

100 – Josselyn Allen (Jersey) (Bye)

105 – Ma`Kayla Bonner (Granite City) over Delaney Measimer (Carbondale) (F 2:27)

110 -Phoenix Criss (Lanphier) over Meredith Gumz (Springfield) (F 3:49)

115 – Kendall Smith (Civic Memorial) over Alexandra Chong (Edwardsville) (F 2:31)

120 – (Bye)

125 – (Bye)

130 – Isabella Resendez (Glenwood) over Nevaeh Gentelin (Waterloo) (F 2:14)

135 – Alexia Glover (PORTA) over Alex Simpson (Edwardsville) (F 1:30)

145 – Adrianna Dodson (Salem) over Elsie Dozier (Glenwood) (F 2:13)

155 – Makayla Padilla (Jacksonville) over Nina Landmann (Highland) (F 2:41)

190 – Sophia Elkins (Highland) (Bye)

Heyworth Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Abella Brown (East Peoria) over LT Diephuis (Canton) (F 2:59)

100 – Aerith Adams (Dunlap) over Shayla Schielein (Canton) (D 10-4)

105 – Isabel Gwaltney (Ottawa) over Naomi DeBord (Deer Creek-Mackinaw)

110 – Payton Henson (Streator) over Madizyn Megrant (Pekin) (F 2:01

115 – Ava Beldo (Centennial) over Manar Salem (Richwoods) (F 2:01)

120 – Hailey Watson (Normal University)

125 – Leonie Dubson (Mattoon) over Randi Campe (Urbana) (F 4:05)

130 – Ava Weatherford (Ottawa) over Claire Zorns (Unity) (F 4:18)

135 – Maddie Wells (St. Joseph Ogden) over Rachel Richey (Robinson) (F 2:56)

140 – Vivian Guither (Normal West) over Alicia Swank (Bloomington) (F 3:54)

145 – Anna Vasey (Unity) over Alicia Navarrete (Rantoul) (F 0:48)

155 – Holly Hixon (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) over Emmie Waller (Canton) (F 4:06)

170 – Sydney Johnson (Richwoods) over Franciana Kalanga (Urbana) (D 3-0)

190 – (Bye)

235 – Khyiema Poole (Robinson) over Leann Johnson (Pontiac) (F 0:55)

Third-place matches:

95 – Haley Richter (Heyworth)

100 – Autumn meeks (Metamora Township)

105 – Janelle Willoughby (Mattoon)

110 – Ariana Humes (Clinton) over Cheyenne Anderson (Normal West) (F 1:46)

115 – Lilyana Malagon (Illinois Valley Central) over Valeria Munoz (Ottawa) (F 2:53)

120 – (Bye)

125 – Hailey Watson (Normal University) over Morgan Krone-Smallhorn (Charleston) (F 1:33)

130 – (Bye)

135 – Alila Beck (Bloomington) over Laila Kuhnke (Normal West) (F 2:49)

140 – Kennedy Smith (Canton)

145 – (Bye)

155 – Macee Hammond (Robinson) over Kaleigh Mehrkens (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) (F 1:41)

170 – Bella Brooks (Deer Creek-Mackinaw)

190 – (Bye)

235 – (Bye)

Lake Zurich Sectional

Championship match results:

100 – Diamond Rodriguez (Dundee-Crown) (Bye)

105 – Lilliana Aly (Wauconda) over Hanna Lee (Vernon Hills) (F 2:45) 

110 – Nastasia Kobets (Stevenson)  (Bye)

115 – Diya Patel (Schaumburg) over Osmairi Medina Alvarado (Lakes) (Maj 14-4)

120 – Isabella Rivas (Schaumburg) over Myla Reyes (Grant) (D 4-1)

125 – Karina Lojowski (Stevenson) over Aaliyah Vazquez (Gurnee) (F 2:09)

130 – Sharon Olorunfemi (Schaumburg) over Ruby Gavina (Dundee Crown) (D 5-2)

135 – Ewa Krupa (Conant) over Christina Marogy (Buffalo Grove) (F 0:54)

140 – Liriana Rakoci (Hoffman Estates) over Karimot Lawal (Palatine) (SV-1 8-6)

145 – Keara Micek (Schaumburg) over Joscelin Ritthamel (Lake Park) (F 1:32)

155 – Nikol Orendarchuk (Wheeling) over Angela Pantoja (Palatine) (D 4-2)

170 – Alya Razzak (Schaumburg) over Sabrina Cargill (Palatine) (F 3:15)

190 – Nadia Razzak (Schaumburg) over Jazz Ocampo (Fremd) (F 1:26)

235 – Monika Irazoque (Palatine) over Ashley Agular (North Chicago) (F 2:59

Third-place match results:

100 – (Bye)

105 – Justice Girod (Schaumburg) over Jaiydyn Hoffman (Grant) (F 1:00)

110 – (Bye)

115 – Emilia Malko (Stevenson) over Giulia Gheciu (Stevenson) (F 0:26)

120 – Lilyan Blasius (Lakes) over Alessa Raucci (Huntley) (F 0:51)

125 – (Bye)

130 – Bree Hirsch (Lake Forest) over Elaina Skradski (Algonquin-Jacobs) (F 1:23)

135 – Grecia Garcia (Huntley)

140 -Liriana Rakoci (Hoffman Estates) over Karimot Lawal (Palatine) (SV-1 8-6)

145 – Nikki Hubbard (Hoffman Estates) over Gianna Maiorino- Scheiblein (Huntley) (F 1:56)

155 – Janet Brindis (Rolling Meadows) over Cassidy Graham (Grant) (D 6-4)

170 – Paige Washburn (Lake Park) over Anaelise Aberman (Conant) (D 6-1)

190 – Leilani Brindis (Rolling Meadows)

235 – (Bye)

Shepard Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Melani Martinez (Curie) over Shae Halleran (Marist) (F 0:36)

100 – Giselle Arambula (Curie) over Sofia Perez (Shepard) (F 0:38)

105 – Kimani Glasper (Westinghouse)

110 – Zoriah Ruiz (Westinghouse)

115 – Allison Nava (Oak Lawn)

125 – Mila Rocush (Shepard) (Bye)

130 – Stacey Massey (Shepard) over Iliana Salenas (Eisenhower) (F 2:58)

135 – Stella Harris (Marist)

145 – Cecilia Colon (Universal) over Ayanna Mathis (Curie) (F 0:31)

155 – Sarah Parker (Marist) over Amelia Estrada (Shepard) (F 2:24)

170 – Carina Cirilo (Curie) (Bye)

235 – Kassandra Lee (Shepard) (Bye)

Third-place match results:

95 –  Danielle Almazan (Shepard) over Breana Marshall (Shepard) (F 0:58)

100 – (Bye)

105 – (Bye)

110 – (Bye)

115 – (Bye)

125 – (Bye)

130 – (Bye)

135 – (Bye)

145 – Lilana Duran (Shepard) over Jocelyn Gabriel-Velazquez (Shepard) (F 1:32)

155 – Victoria Perez (Shepard) (Bye)

170 – (Bye)

235 – (Bye)

Sterling Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Jenavieve Echols (Sterling) over Rylee Backes (Princeton) (D 8-4)

110 – Ruby Vences (Burlington Central) over Lydia King (Geneseo) (F 0:54)

115 – Jamari Simmons (Hampshire) over Emily Newman (Sterling) (F 0:33)

120 – Dyani Torres (Kaneland) over Ryleigh Eriks (Rock Fs) (D 4-1)

125 – Rylie Donahue (Somonauk) over Evie Anderson (Durand) (F 4:18)

130 – Hailey Drach (Woodstock) over Josie Leone (Princeton) (F 2:03)

135 -Brianna Bynum (Sherrard) over SkyeAnn Munz (Sterling) (F 0:50)

140 – Dena Cox 140 (Erie) over Brianna Crown (Woodstock) (D 6-3)

170 – Madelyn Mooney (Geneseo) over Macy Litherland (Geneseo) (F 3:54)

190 – Sadie Kinsella (Kaneland) (Bye)

235 – Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore) over Aislan Leetch (Geneseo) (F 1:28)

Third-place match results:

95 – Leah Lopez (Hampshire) (Bye)

110 – Maddison Wickham (Morrison) over Noelani Ibarra (Sterling) (F 2:10)

115 – (Bye)

120 – Sumr Al-Hamdani (Galena) (Bye)

125 – Danica LaTessa (Woodstock North) over Emma Duncan (Galena) (F 2:20)

130 – Madison Minson (Hampshire) (Bye)

135 – Gia Ritter (Geneseo) over Ashlyn Fargher (Rock Fs) (F 0:39)

140 – (Bye)

170 – (Bye)

190 – (Bye)

235 – Allison Hill (Woodstock) (Bye)

Thornton Sectional

Championship match results:

95 – Daniela Santander (Romeoville) over Monica Alvarez (LW Central) (F 3:53)

100 – Dakodia Kelly (T.F. South) over Ariel Woodfin (Thornton) (F 0:58)

105 – Maggie Gordon (Morris) over Angelina Nettey (Plainfield East) (F 2:53

110 – Courtni Chuway (Seneca) over Judith Gamboa (Reed Custer) (F 4:29)

115 – Taniyah Sherman (Kankakee) over Makensi Martin (Morris) (F 1:34)

120 – Nina Hamm (Homewood-Flossmoor) over Danica Martin (Morris) (F 1:27)

125 – Ava Cupples (Wilmington) over Amara Nwoye (Homewood-Flossmoor) (F 1:14)

130 – Eleanor Giertuga (LW Central) over Aubrianna Rapier (Bradley Bourbonais) (F 2:31

135 – Christiana Finley (Hillcrest) over Tessa Neikirk (Morris) (F 1:26)

140 – Viktoria Rodnikova (Plainfield North) over Bailey Mitchell (LW Central) (F 1:22)

145 – Bella Cyrkiel (Minooka) over Faith Joslin (Kankakee) (F 2:04)

155 – Abbey Boersma (Minooka) over Noelie Perez-Bedolla (Joliet Central) (F 4:55)

170 – Kinnidi Riley (Bloom) over Lucia Terrazas (T. F. South) (F 2:02)

190 – Kyra Wood (Seneca) over Lyric Bryant (Homewood-Flossmoor) (F 3:14)

235 – Sionna Stampley (Thornton) (Bye)

Third-place match results:

95 – Lillian O`brien (Bloom) (Bye)

100 – Emily Peyton (LW Central) (Bye)

105 – Ashley Hobbs (Bolingbrook) (Bye)

110 – Veronica Skibicki (Lockport) over Gymaria Brown (Thornton) (F 2:57)

115 – Taniya Moss (Hillcrest) over Bella Romando (Lockport) (F 2:23)

120 – Vanessa Arellano (Kankakee) (Bye)

125 – Kaitlyn Erdakos (LW Central) (Bye)

130 – Sommer Boswell (Bradley Bourbonaiss) over Isabella Kirkpatrick (Kankakee) (F 3:28)

135 – Alexia Kachiroubas (Plainfield South) over Nicolette Boelman (Morris) (F 2:38)

140 – Brooke Majchrowski (Plainfield East) over Ariana Vergara (Romeoville) (F 4:31)

145 – Mya Coffey (Bloom) (Bye)

155 – Kaitlyn Bucholz (Plainfield East) over Adrianna Vela (Andrew) (F 4:27)

170 – (Bye)

190 – (Bye)

235 – (Bye)

Evanston Sectional

Maine South led all schools with seven state qualifiers in Evanston, led by a trio of sectional champions in Brett Harman (113), Jake Colleran (132), and Caden Ljubenko (138). Evanston’s five state qualifiers were led by sectional champs Rodrigo Salinas (150) and Jeremy Marshall (285), and Glenbrook South’s five qualifiers were led by sectional champion Dominic Marino (157).

Notre Dame also had three sectional champs in Ray Long (101), John Greifelt (120), and Sean Cook (215), and IC Catholic Prep had a pair of sectional champs in Martin Noth (175) and Anthony Sebastian (190).

Other wrestlers winning sectional titles were Proviso West’s Andre Rice (106), Deerfield’s Adrian Cohen (126), York’s Jackson Hanselman (144), and Addison Trail’s Alen Bautista (165).

101 – Ray Long (Notre Dame) over Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) (MD 18-8)

106 – Andre Rice (Proviso West) over Colin Bosak (DePaul Prep) (F 2:36)

113 – Brett Harman (Maine South) over Christopher Tranas (Glenbrook South) (F 0:25)

120 – John Greifelt (Notre Dame) over Noah Palzet (Deerfield) (D 5-1)

126 – Adrian Cohen (Deerfield) over Matthew Miralles (New Trier) (F 4:52)

132 – Jake Colleran (Maine South) over Taylor Francis (OPRF) (F 3:39)

138 – Caden Ljubenko (Maine South) over Benjamin Czarnowski (IC Catholic Prep) (D 10-7)

144 – Jackson Hanselman (York) over Andrew Rieger (St. Patrick) (F 4:21)

150 – Rodrigo Salinas (Evanston) over Omar Diaz (Fenton) (D 3-1)

157 – Dominic Marino (Glenbrook South) over Henry Hafner (Glenbrook North) (D 6-2)

165 – Alen Bautista (Addison Trail) over Marty Greif (Maine South) (D 11-6)

175 – Martin Noth (IC Catholic Prep) over Maddox Bartoli (Lane Tech) (F 2:58)

190 – Anthony Sebastian (IC Catholic Prep) over Gio Sandoval (Morton) (D 5-0

215 – Sean Cook (Notre Dame) over Tommy Leach (Maine South) (F 0:38)

285 – Jeremy Marshall (Evanston) over Ian Sims (Evanston) (D 2-1)

101 – Dominic Pasquale (IC Catholic Prep) over George Georgiev (Maine South) (D 9-8)

106 – Gabriel Hernandez (Fenton) over Gabriel Pearlman (Deerfield) (D 6-0)

113 – Dean Angelo (St. Patrick) over Johnniel Otero (Proviso East) (F 4:25)

120 – Emmett Mazukelli (Maine South) over Alex Cohen (OPRF) (MD 13-3)

126 – Isaiah Gibson (OPRF) over Patrick Hulne (St. Patrick) (D 9-3)

132 – Burke Burns (Fenwick) over Jordan Mokhtarian (Glenbrook North) (F 4:34)

138 – John Palmer (Glenbrook South) over Sebastian Bruno (St. Patrick) (F 1:21)

144 – Cole Calace (Lane Tech) over Louis Avalos (Maine West) (F 2:15)

150 – Yassin Aitzemkour (New Trier) over Zachary Michaud (OPRF) (D 9-4)

157 – Jose Honorato (Fenton) over Aleksander Knapik (Loyola Academy) (TB-1 8-7)

165 – Diego Lopez (Evanston) over Robert Arroyo (Fenwick) (F 4:19)

175 – Andy Ciriaco (Evanston) over Ryan Henrichs (Fenwick) (F 1:43)

190 – Santiago Luis Moya (Morton) over Jacob Shamoon (Glenbrook South) (MD 9-0)

215 – Zikomo Mbewe (Fenwick) over Daniel Derbedyenyev (Highland Park) (F 2:23)

285 – Josh Zuniga (Fenton) over Brendan Gomez (Glenbrook South) (F 0:11)

Granite City Sectional

Edwardsville’s five state qualifiers featured a sectional champion in Brayton Hill-Lomax (215), while Glenwood’s four qualifiers were led by sectional champs Jaxon Ferguson (106) and Julian Rammelkamp (157).

Murphysboro led the field with a pair of sectional champs in Paxton Pyatt (113) and Julien Tanner (285).

Other sectional champions in Granite City were Belleville East’s Jackson Schadegg (101), Waterloo’s Konnor Stephens (120), Vandalia’s Gabriel Weischedel (126), Warrensburg-Latham’s Charles Wittmer (132), Belleville West’s Xander Goodwin (138), Alton’s Brayden Drew (144), East St. Louis’ Pierre Walton (150), Civic Memorial’s Luke McCoy (165), Sacred-Heart Griffin’s Casen Lyons (175), and Southeast’s Christopher Hull (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Jackson Schadegg (Belleville East) over Braxton Tittle (Benton) (F 3:40)

106 – Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood) over Harrison Lott (Riverton) (D 5-1)

113 – Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) over Corbin Zeisset (Belleville East) (D 7-1)

120 – Konnor Stephens (Waterloo) over Colin Waddington (Edwardsville) (D 9-6

126 – Gabriel Weischedel (Vandalia) over Desi Wade (Mascoutah) (D 8-2)

132 – Charles Wittmer (W.-Latham)) over Kj Jamison (Edwardsville) (D 6-2)

138 – Xander Goodwin (Belleville West) over Jordan Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah) (F 1:14)

144 – Brayden Drew (Alton) over Braxton Kieffer (Litchfield) (D 8-3)

150 – Pierre Walton (East St. Louis) won by tech F over Rennie Lilo (Quincy) (TF 19-3)

157 – Julian Rammelkamp (Glenwood) over over Jake Oitker (Pittsfield) (MD 17-5)

165 – Luke McCoy (Civic Memorial) over Corey Robinson (East St. Louis) (F 0:46)

175 – Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin) over Kevahn Flannigan (Civic Memorial) (F 2:09)

190 – Christopher Hull ( (Southeast) over Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) (D 13-10)

215 – Braylon Hill-Lomax (Edwardsville) over Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) (SV-1 3-1)

285 – Julien Tanner (Murphysboro) over Lucas Kunz (Edwardsville) (D 3-0)

Third-place match results:

101 – Nathan Fisher (Cahokia) over Taygan Gossard (W.-Latham) (F 0:37)

106 – Zane Stanley (Benton) over Jkwon Williamson (Marion) (D 13-8)

113 – Steven Easley (Jacksonville) over Hunter Hayes (Jacksonville) (F 4:22)

120 – Glen Henry (Triad) over Drayven Hamm (Auburn) (F 1:22)

126 – Kaden Blades (Benton) over John Vallar (Glenwood) (F 1:56)

132 – Braxton Tolley (Granite City) over Cooper Kamm (Quincy) (F 0:45)

138 – Lonnez Smith (East St. Louis) over Cale Mixer (Quincy) (D 6-5)

144 – Sean Murphy (Mascoutah) over Maddox Medrano (Beardstown) (F 4:50)

150 – Nicholas Hartley (Jersey) over James Escobar (Rochester) (MD 14-6)

157 – Eliot Dahm (Belleville East) t over Jamarion Thomas (PORTA) (Med FFT)

165 – Graham Taylor (Edwardsville) over Alcantar Medrano (Beardstown) (F 2:56)

175 – Johnny Ramaker (Trico) over Shamar Brownlee (Springfield) (D 2-1)

190 – Evan Francis (Marion) over Mason Streb (Glenwood) (D 4-0)

215 – Jack Amann (Freeburg) over Braden Duffy (Waterloo) (D 10-3

285 – Cash Thomas (Auburn) over Lucas Oseland (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (F 0:27)

Heyworth Sectional

Normal’s seven state qualifiers feature three sectional champs in Jackson Soney (101), Ethan Cavallo (120) and Carter Mayes (144). Unity had four qualifiers, led by sectional champ Abram Davidson (165), Washington advanced four to state, and Mahomet-Seymour had a pair of sectional champions in Noah Frank (190) and Noah Daniels (215).

Other sectional champions at Heyworth were Canton’s Jake Hardesty (106), Morton’s Harrison Dea (113), Shelbyville’s Bodee Fathauer (126), Hoopeston’s Aiden Bell (132), Metamora Township’s Connor Graham (138), Robinson’s Benjamin Mullins (150), Galesburg’s Anthony Makwala (157), Centennial’s Sergio Baity (175), and East Peoria’s Keegan Barnes (285).

Championship match results:

101 – Jackson Soney (Normal) over Briley Carter (Clinton) (F 2:59)

106 – Jake Hardesty (Canton) over Elijah Conda (Normal) (MD 11-0)

113 – Harrison Dea (Morton) over Logan Makiney (Washington) (D 9-2)

120 – Ethan Cavallo (Normal) over Tyler Huchel (Oakwood) (D 7-5)

126 – Bodee Fathauer (Shelbyville) over Beau Thompson (Marquette Academy) (D 6-0)

132 – Aiden Bell (Hoopeston) over Malachi Hutchison (Urbana) (F 4:42)

138 – Connor Graham (Metamora) over Hudson Meek (Lawrenceville) (MD 13-2)

144 – Carter Mayes (Normal) over Justin Droke Jr. (Clinton) (MD 16-6)

150 – Benjamin Mullins (Robinson) over Josiah Williams (Danville) (D 8-4)

157 – Anthony Makwala (Galesburg) over Reily Leifheit (Marquette Academy) (D 12-5)

165 – Abram Davidson (Unity) over Dalton Oakman (East Peoria) (MD 11-3)

175 – Sergio Baity (Centennial) over Jaxon Wright (Gibson City) (F 1:23)

190 – Noah Frank (Mahomet Seymour) over Darian Holloway (Olympia) (D 6-0)

215 – Noah Daniels (Mahomet Seymour) over Philip Daniels (Mahomet Seymour) (F 3:24)

285 – Keegan Barnes (East Peoria) over David Williams (Bloomington) (DQ)

Third-place match results:

101 – Symon Woods (Washington) over Joshua Stedwill (Peoria Notre Dame) (Med FFT)

106 – Johnny Thomas (Normal) over Jacob Payne (Normal West) (MD 11-2)

113 – Charlie Flores (Hoopeston) over Dakoda Hentz (Limestone) (D 4-0

120 – Austin Kisner (Olympia) over Ruben Rivera (University) (D 11-7)

126 – Nolan Lowe (University) over Tristan Porter (Mattoon) (D 5-2

132 – Mason Wood (Normal West) over Cale Seitzinger (Lawrenceville) (D 3-2)

138 – Ethan Lowe (University) over Christopher Rose (Bloomington) (MD 13-3)

144 -Austin Winters (Unity) over Jonah Fonner (Urbana) (F 1:30)

150 – Josh Heath (Unity) over Trevor Soice (Heyworth) (MD 13-0)

157 – Cruise Brolley (Washington) over Russell Stamp (Clinton) (F 0:51)

165 – Colton Mckee (Morton) over Sam Manson (Gibson City) (F 2:48)

175 – Ryker Gemberling (Deer Creek Mackinaw) over Rylyn Owens (Mount Zion) (F 0:28)

190 – Ethan Miller (Westville) over Carson Thornton (Mount Zion) (D 4-0

215 – Alec Deltoro (East Peoria) over Chason Daly (Unity) (F 1:45)

285 – Sean Thornton (Washington) over Hayden Ralph (Richwoods) (F 2:50)

Lake Zurich Sectional

Grant’s eight state qualifiers featured a trio of sectional champions in Carter Hutchinson (101), Grayson Lennon’s (157) and Casey Gipson (190).

Stevenson had a pair of sectional champs in Evan Mishels (106) and Mikey Polyakov (126), as did Barrington in Daniel Blanke (138) and Clarence Jackson (285), and Rolling Meadows with Josh Rappa (165) and John Rappa (175).

Both Libertyville and Grayslake Central had four state qualifiers apiece.

Other sectional champions in Lake Zurich were Fremd’s Trentin Odachowski (113), Jacobs’ Ben Arbotante (120), Schaumburg’s Aiden Quevedo (132), Prospect’s Bennett Westfallen (144), Hersey’s Frank Tagoe (150), and Dundee-Crown’s Teigen Moreno (215).

Championship match results:

101 – Carter Hutchinson (Grant) over Larry Quirk (Grant) (D 3-0)

106 – Evan Mishels (Stevenson) over Austin Phelps (Schaumburg) (MD 11-2)

113 – Trentin Odachowski (Fremd) over Jacob Smith (Antioch) (UTB 0-0)

120 – Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) over Krish Sahu (Grayslake Central) (D 3-0)

126 – Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson) over Brennan O`Donnell (Barrington) (D 10-5)

132 – Aiden Quevedo (Schaumburg) over Cameron Engels (Bartlett) (D 5-1)

138 – Daniel Blanke (Barrington) over Brian Hart Jr. (Wauconda) (F 3:59)

144 – Bennett WestFallen (Prospect) over William Lyle (Grayslake Central) (SV-1 4-2)

150 – Frank Tagoe (Hersey) over Nicholas Hermsen (Warren) (D 7-3)

157 – Grayson Lennon (Grant) over James Scanio (Libertyville) (D 8-2)

165 – Josh Rappa (Rolling Meadows) over Tyler Porter (Crystal Lake Central) (D 10-3)

175 – John Rappa (Rolling Meadows) over Johnny Strauss (Jacobs) (D 9-6)

190 – Casey Gipson (Grant) over Colin Arquilla (Antioch) (F 4:55)

215 – Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown) over Yaree Sandifer (Lake Forest) (F 2:33)

285 – Clarence Jackson (Barrington) over Pablo Morales (Wheeling) (MD 22-11)

Third-place match results:

101 – Jacob Shafer (Libertyville) over Frankie Katz (Wheeling) (MD 15-2)

106 – Kristian Dlercq (Jacobs) over Michael Goolish (Conant) (MD 13-0)

113 – Tyler Wuh (Libertyville) over Dylan Ramsey (Crystal Lake Central) (INJ)

120 – Robert Suvi (Lake Zurich) over Cameron Sweeney (Johnsburg) (F 0:30)

126 – Aiden Marrello (Wauconda) over Brody Hinkle (Schaumburg) (D 2-0)

132 – Gavin Nischke (Huntley) over Trevor Hengl (Grayslake Central) (F 0:50)

138 – Nick Zuehlke (Crystal Lake Central) over Kainoa Ancog (Johnsburg) (F 4:05)

144 – Grant Moga (Hersey) over Ryan Johnston (McHenry) (F 3:33)

150 – Warren Nash III (Grayslake Central) over Marcus Macins (Antioch) (MD 12-2)

157 – Lucas Nance (Fremd) over Waylon Theobald (Huntley) (SV-1 10-6)

165 – Aaden Arroyo (Grant) over Owen Hurd (Huntley) (F 1:33)

175 – Jack Treutelaar (Libertyville) over Michael Cronkrite (Grant) (D 7-3)

190 – Ariel Montes (McHenry) over Anthony Basso (Carry Grove) (F 0:34

215 – Celso cabrera (Mundelein) over Lucas Retzler (Jacobs) (D 3-1)

285 – Ryel Deleon (Grant) over Owen Jakubczak (Fremd) (INJ)

Shepard sectional

Marist’s 16 state qualifiers and seven sectional champions led the field at Shepard, as the RedHawks got individual titles from Dylan Weber (101), Elio Gil (106), Joseph Bronske (120), Ronin Haran (144), Kyle Herzog (175), Tommy O’Brien (215), and Daniel Mahoney (285).

Host Shepard had seven state qualifiers, led by sectional champ Joey Massey (138), and Carl Sandburg advanced six, led by sectional champions Oscar Kalman (113), Ahmad Abu (150) and Adnan Askar (157).

Oak Forest’s four state qualifiers were led by a pair of sectional champs in Jason Janke (165) and Nathan Pinski-Izguerra (190).

Other sectional champions at Shepard were Bremen’s Izaiah Gonzalez (126), and Stagg’s Samer Suleiman (132).

Championship match results:

101 – Dylan Weber (Marist) over Zayne Salah (Sandburg) (MD 11-0)

106 – Elio Gil (Marist) over Elijah Sawyers (Ag Science) (F 4:13)

113 – Oscar Kalman (Sandburg) over Jake Crawford (Marist) (F 3:54)

120 – Joseph Bronske (Marist) over Eddie Astorga Ii (Marist) (D 4-0)

126 – Izaiah Gonzalez (Bremen) over Adrian Cervantes (Evergreen Park) (F 3:49)

132 – Samer Suleiman (Stagg) over Harrison Stroobooscher (Shepard) (F 3:27)

138 – Joey Massey (Shepard) over Jack Lorenz (Marist) (F 1:00)

144 – Ronin Haran (Marist) over Obaida Hasan (Sandburg) (MD 9-0)

150 – Ahmad Abu (Sandburg) over Owen Brady (Evergreen Park) (F 1:30)

157 – Adnan Askar (Sandburg) over Aiden Hill (Shepard) (MD 14-2)

165 – Jason Janke (Oak Forest) over Jacob Flemming (St Rita) (F 3:45)

175 – Kyle Herzog (Marist) over Maciej Zalinski (St Laurence) (F 3:17)

190 – Nathan Pinski-Izguerra (Oak Forest) over Tyran Pritchett (Hope Academy) (D 3-0)

215 – Tommy OBrien (Marist) over Samel Marerro (Horizon Southwest) (D 5-1

285 – Daniel Mahoney (Marist) over Mark Kelleher (St Rita) (TB-1 2-1)

 Third-place match results:

101 – Henry Eckardt (Shepard) over Miles Rutkoski (Stagg) (F 3:44)

106 – Roberto Rangel (Marist) over Javier Corral (Stagg) (D 4-2)

113 – Vincent Arvetis (De La Salle) over Amir Alkilani (Richards) (D 6-0)

120 – Kingston Sawyers (Ag Science) over Jayden Cervantes (Evergreen Park) (MD 15-5)

126 – Sean Loughney (Marist) over Augustas Leskauskas (Richards) (D 7-3)

132 – Henry Beeson (Marist) over Tyrese Howard (Shepard) (F 3:46)

138 – Dylan Galvez (Hope Academy) over Romeo Gonzalez (Oak Lawn) (F 1:57)

144 – Daniel Lynch (Mt Carmel) over Derek Rodríguez (Oak Forest) (F 2:37)

150 – Charlie Shane (Oak Lawn) over Isiah Martinez (Shepard) (F 0:57)

157 – Travis Ellis (Shepard) over Christian Vega (Kennedy) (F 1:35)

165 – Wyatt Hochgraber (Sandburg) over Inake Mata (Horizon Southwest) (F 4:50)

175 – David Wolski (Marist) over Matas Pivoris (De La Salle) (D 4-0)

190 – Juan Zavala (Solorio) over Rayshawn Doles (Eisenhower) (F 1:23)

215 – Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) over Jack Watson (Marist) (F 1:24)

285 – Danzel Newell (Marist) over Justin Powell (Hyde Park) (D 6-4)

Sterling Sectional

Moline led all schools with five state qualifiers, led by sectional champions Dominick Diaz (126), Jaxson Soliz (150) and Jude Ossian (165).

Sycamore had a pair of sectional champs in Michael Olson (113) and Tyler Lockhart (120) and all other schools had one champ apiece.

Also winning sectional titles at Sterling were Hampshire’s Deegan Kirschke (101), Hononegah’s Jackson Olson (106), Guilford’s Ayden Macklin (132), Geneseo’s Grady Hull (138), DeKalb’s Cam Matthews (144), Marian Central’s Nicolas Astacio (157), Marengo’s Frankie Solis (175), Stockton’s Oliver McPeek (190), Harlem’s Chandler Jack (215) and Dakota’s Randy McPeek (285).

Championship match results:

101 – Deegan Kirschke (Hampshire) over Jaden Bradley (DeKalb) (F 2:38)

106 – Jackson Olson (Hononegah) over Jackson Marlett (Burlington Central)

113 – Michael Olson (Sycamore) over Thomas Olson (Freeport) (MD 8-0)

120 – Tyler Lockhart (Sycamore) over Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline) (F 4:36)

126 – Dominick Diaz (Moline) over Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem) (F 0:41)

132 – Ayden Macklin (Guilford) over Emmanuel Arreola (Sterling) (F 1:22)

138 – Grady Hull (Geneseo) over Jack Gruber (Kaneland) (F 2:31)

144 – Cam Matthews (DeKalb) over Hassan Ndiaye (Moline) (D 6-3)

150 – Jaxson Soliz (Moline) over Logan Wisner (Woodstock) (F 0:34)

157 – Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central) over Deanthony Simpson (Moline) (MD 14-4)

165 – Jude Ossian (Moline) over Michael Junitz (Burlington Central) (F 0:30)

175 – Frankie Solis (Marengo) over Duncan Nevel (Lena Winslow) (F 4:58)

190 – Oliver McPeek (Stockton) over Blake Livdahl (Harvard) (D 5-3)

215 – Chandler Jack (Harlem) over Logan Gibson (Burlington Central) (F 0:42)

285 – Randy McPeek (Dakota) over Dylan Bopes (Dixon) (D 4-0)

Third-place match results:

101 – Charlie Olson (Sycamore) over Dominic Angileri (Guilford) (D 11-7)

106 – Riley Paredes (Dixon) over Tyquez Hudson (Rock Island) (D 6-0)

113 – Cael Lyons (Sterling) over Kye Dieterle (Dixon) (F 4:00)

120 – Eduardo Vences (Burlington Central) over Josiah Tarbill (Rock Fs) (D 6-3)

126 – Ayden Shuey (DeKalb) won by medical forfeit over Taqiuldin Baker (Woodstock) (MFF)

132 – Geren Stapleton (Belvidere North) over Lincoln Barnett (Geneseo) (D 15-8)

138 – Mauricio Glass (Stockton) over Clayton Blumenstein (Rockridge) (F 2:26)

144 – xzavier Lindhe (Guilford) over Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley) (F 2:59)

150 – Bucci (Belvidere North) over Jonner Smith (West Carroll) (F 1:37)

157 – Michael Brannigan (Hampshire) over Trail Stonitsch (Rock Fs) (F 3:46)

165 – John Mensendike (Lena Winslow) over Benjamin Geske (Newman Central) (D 6-0)

175 – Dermot Dolan (Durand) over Dameon Poulton (Galena High School) (F 4:18)

190 – Carter Hintz (Hampshire) over David RanDker (Woodstock North) (F 3:44)

215 – Jonathan Weakley (Sherrard) over Mason Fry (Rock Island) (F 1:23)

285 – Emilio Guzman (Rock Island) over Jahkei Jones (Rock Fs) (F 0:40)

Thornton Sectional

Lockport led all teams at Thornton with 10 state qualifiers, led by sectional champions Isaac Zimmerman (126) and Christian Czerwinski (138). Lincoln-Way West was right behind the Porters with eight state qualifiers, led by sectional champion James Talley (190).

Lincoln-Way East had seven state qualifiers, featuring three sectional champions in Declan Dircks (157), Brody Gish (175) and Ryan Stingily (285), while Lincoln-Way Central had six qualifiers and also had a trio of champions in Jalen Byrd (144), Justin Cobbs (165), and Aiden Hennings (215). 

Joliet Catholic Academy had five state qualifiers, led by sectional champion Matthew Laird (106). Plainfield North also advanced five to state, led by champion Aidan DuRell (120).

Other sectional champions at Thornton were Andrew’s Gerald Donnelly (101), Morris’ Brock Claypool (113), Plainfield North’s Aidan DuRell (120), and Joliet West’s Aiden Brown (150).

Championship match results:

101 – Gerald Donnelly (Andrew) over Jonathan Lopez (Lockport) (F 3:33)

106 – Matthew Laird (Joliet Catholic) over Brady Glynn (LW West) (SV-1 4-2)

113 – Brock Claypool (Morris) over Kyrin King (Rich) (TF 15-0)

120 – Aidan DuRell (Plainfield North) over Damin Hudson (Bolingbrook) (D 9-6)

126 – Isaac Zimmerman (Lockport) over Haden Anderson (LW West) (TF 19-4)

132 – Robye Williams (Homewood Flossmoor) over Carter Skoff (Morris) (D 10-4)

138 – Christian Czerwinski (Lockport) over Christian Lany (Plainfield North) (D 8-2)

144 – Jalen Byrd (LW Central) over Naseem Jaber (Lockport) (F 2:41)

150 – Aiden Brown (Joliet West) over Evan Gutierrez (LW West) (F 1:11)

157 – Declan Dircks (LW East) over Kaden Meyer (Minooka) (D 5-1)

165 – Justin Cobbs (LW Central) over Colton Zvonar (LW East) (D 7-5)

175 – Brody Gish (LW East) over Jack Nowicki (Plainfield North) (D 8-3)

190 – James Talley Jr (LW West) over Derrick Pomatto (Joliet Catholic) (D 7-3)

215 – Aiden Hennings (LW Central) over Santino Capodice (Minooka) (F 2:49)

285 – Ryan Stingily (LW East) over Liam Co (Plainfield North) (D 2-1)

Third-place results:

101 – Leyton Bartley (LW West) over Waleed Shaar (Lockport) (D 2-1)

106 – Zachary Hoffner (Bourbonnais) over Jakob Crandall (Joliet West) (F 2:34)

113 – Razi Perez (Bourbonnais) over Max Munn (LW West) (D 3-0)

120 – Carter DiBenedetto (LW West) over Evan Curry (Lockport) (F 0:48)

126 – Aurelio Munoz (Joliet Catholic) over Mark Kozeluh (LW East) (TF 20-5)

132 – Jadon Zimmer (LW Central) over Caiden Selof (LW West) (D 9-4)

138 – Ethan Harvey (LW Central) over Evan Cox (Central (Clifton)) (D 3-2)

144 – Max Mularz (LW East) over Andrew Peterson (Morris) (D 10-6)

150 – Ryne Pearson (LW East) over Anthony Diorio (Lockport) (F 2:04)

157 – Chase Pierceall (Plainfield South) over Justin Langford (LW Central) (D 9-5)

165 – Drew Silzer (Lockport) over Zachary Cronk (Joliet West) (F 4:34)

175 – Kelcey Span (Rich) over Mason Russell (Lockport) (D 7-4)

190 – Reggie Miller (T. F. South) over Nuh Abukhudair (Lockport) (FF)

215 – Aiden Bishop (Joliet Catholic) over Daniel Dalach (Joliet Catholic) (F 1:37)

285 – Taofeeq Amuda (Thornton) over Noah Telitz (Lemont) (F 1:36)

…

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

Since the 2009 season when the IHSA rebranded the dual team state series into a three-class affair, Mount Carmel has advanced four times into the final weekend of the season. The Caravan came home with a pair of state trophies, including a state title in 2022 and a second place finish in 2020 for coach Alex Tsirtsis.

The Caravan lost a thriller a year ago to eventual state champion St. Charles East in its dual team state quarterfinal, but with 11 back from that team the chances to return to Bloomington appeared all but certain should good health follow the club throughout the 2023-24 campaign.

Mount Carmel got it done, in a 59-6 win over Yorkville that gave the program its fifth team state title in program history.

The Caravan got the postseason off to a flying start when it rolled to 110-point victory at the Chicago Catholic League tournament, and followed up with a resounding 62-point victory over state powers Marist and Sandburg to win the Marist regional title.

“(That) weekend when we won the regional at Marist, to me signaled that our team was ready to put forth all of its energy and commitment into the final couple of weeks of the season in order to see us come out here tonight and win the 3A state title,” said Caravan senior, Eddie Enright, who would finish his sensational career at 43-4.

“I knew from the first day we had it in us to get to this dual team final. We have a great coaching staff and terrific room of guys who push each other everyday we go into the room, but we also knew we had to come out and perform when each of us was called upon.”

“We do have a great bunch of guys on this team,” Tsirtsis said. “But it always comes down to leadership, and the seniors we have, have been terrific. So even though I’m so happy right now for the team, and program, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am for the seniors who have truly led the way this season.”

“We had to come out of a regional that was just loaded with talent, with two great teams in Marist and Sandburg, so when we got ourselves out of that regional, I knew we could get ourselves here and then see what happens.”

For Yorkville (22-5-0) and head coach Jake Oster, this year’s finish gave them the third second- place finish in program history, sixth trophy overall, and second straight for Oster who a year ago would guide the Foxes to a fourth-place finish at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

“It’s been a very good year for us,” Oster said. “We won our own regional, sent twelve to sectionals and six to state, and saw some of our guys fill-in along the way to provide the type of depth needed in order to compete, and get ourselves here this weekend.” 

Oster returns all but two from his lineup next year.

This dual-team tournament would be defined by an eight-team bracket that was heavily tilted with the top three-ranked teams in the state all on the top half of the bracket, along with another top-10 team in No. 7 Hononegah (15-4-0).

“When I saw the brackets, I knew it would be a real grind right from the start with us facing Hononegah,” St. Charles East coach Jason Potter said. “And we were without one of our big hammers (Tyler Guerra).”

Guerra was injured at the individual state tournament in Champaign.

2023 team state champion St. Charles East who entered the tournament as the No. 1-ranked team in the state, ahead of No. 2 Joliet Catholic and No. 3 Mount Carmel.

“The way the brackets fell meant that two great teams would be going home empty handed, either us or Hononegah, and Joliet Catholic or Mount Carmel, and with all due respect to the rest of a great field down here, that’s really too bad,” Potter said.

Potters’ men broke open a tight, tense contest with Hononegah when junior Payton Lee registered a pin at 132 to draw the Saints three points closer (18-15) to start a 16-point run fueled by Ben Davino, Jayden Colon and Gavin Connolly to give the reigning state champs a 31-18 advantage.

“I was looking for my pinch head-lock, and when it was there, I finished it off,” said Lee.

Two matches after a major decision victory from Connolly, junior Anthony Gutierrez secured victory with a pin at 165 to make it 37-23 and an eventual 40-29 result.

Hononegah will return all but three starters next year, including the dynamic freshmen trio of Rocco Cassioppi, Bruno Cassioppi, and Brody Sendele, and their combined 134-12 overall records.

“With (Guerra) out it meant we all had to step up and do our job, and get as many bonus points as we could,” Gutierrez said. Gutierrez (42-12) was one of six Saints who medaled at state, which included his fourth-place finish in Champaign at 165 pounds.

On the adjacent mat, the Caravan outlasted Joliet Catholic Academy 33-26 in their quarterfinal to advance.

“There were a lot of great teams in this 3A bracket, and we knew it would be a difficult road when we saw we opened with Mount Carmel,” JCA coach Ryan Cumbee said. “This is a tough sport that challenges you both mentally and physically, especially when you get down here.

“Tonight, Mount Carmel was the better team, one of the best in the country, so congrats to Alex and his young men.

“Despite this loss, we’ve had a tremendous season of growth and success. We’ve set the bar high here at Joliet Catholic, and it will remain that way when we get back at it again next season. We’ll have a terrific core group of guys back.”

The Hilltoppers, of course, must say goodbye to their brilliant heavyweight, Dillan Johnson, a four-time state champion who is on his way to Wisconsin in the fall.

“Dillan set the bar for this team, and I know the guys coming back will take so much from what he brought into the room,” Cumbee said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have him with us these past four seasons.”

The other half of the bracket saw Naperville Central race out to a 23-6 advantage before Yorkville stormed back to claim the next 30 points en route to a 36-20 triumph.

Naperville Central (20-7-0) would enjoy a wonderful season under head coach Noah Fitzenreider, who in his ninth year in charge led his club to a perfect 5-0-0 record to win the DuPage Valley Conference crown, and the East Aurora regional title, where it sent all 14 of its men into the Hinsdale Central sectional.

The Redhawks big men, Nico Besteiro (31-8) and William Erbeck (38-5) would lead the way, with Besteiro bringing home a sixth-place state medal at 215 pounds.

This was the third dual-team state appearance for Central in its history.

When this quarterfinal was being contested, so was the Oak Park and River Forest vs. Libertyville dual, a tightly-played affair that ended in favor of Libertyville when senior Charlie Clark dashed the hopes of the Huskies (14-3-0) who drew close (27-24) after a David Ogunsanya (39-11) major decision victory at 157 pounds.

Clark would be the bridge to pins from Matt Kubas (40-3) and Caleb Baczek (36-9) who would guarantee a second state trophy in the long and highly-successful career of Dale Eggert.

“We knew our draw was more favorable than the other side, but we still had to come in here tonight and be at our best in order to move on, and the guys did just that,” said Eggert, after his club beat the Huskies 45-24.

“The top half of the bracket was really tough, but it didn’t mean we could take OPRF or anyone else lightly,” Libertyville senior Owen McGrory said. “So I thought we wrestled really well to stay in front of them throughout the match and got some big wins from Orion (Moran, 132), Will Carney (144) and Charlie (Clark) at 165 to put us in control.” 

McGrory (45-3) placed fourth a week ago at individual state and was recently named Academic All-State by the IHSA.

Paul Collins’ men from OPRF appear back on the road to success after a couple of down years preceded by a memorable run that saw the Huskies win three consecutive 3A state titles, in addition to a pair of second place trophies in 2018 and 2019.

Collins’ big three of: Zev Koransky (126, 37-8), Joseph Knackstedt (138, 37-10) and the aforementioned Ogunsanya are all back, as are most of the Huskies lineup from their match with Libertyville.

Saturday’s semifinal of Mount Carmel versus St. Charles East was the Saturday morning breakfast special, and it did not disappoint.

The Caravan would strike first with wins at 285 and 106 to open up a 7-0 advantage, but after a forfeit to Dom Munaretto (50-3) to make it 7-6, the Caravan earned the next 13 points with a pin from three-time state champion Seth Mendoza (126, 46-2) sandwiched between victories by Justin Williamson (120) and Damian Recendez (132) to make it a 20-6 lead.

The Saints (21-1-0) would roar back with pins from Ben Davino (54-0) and Jayden Colon (44-5) to bring their club within five at 20-15, but the Caravan had a little too much firepower still available with Eddie Enright, and state champion Colin Kelly (175, 47-1) still in reserve.

Pins from Enright and Kelly increased the Caravan lead to 35-21 before Gutierrez and heavyweight Brandon Swartz finished strong to see the final score at 35-30.

“Two great teams – Alex runs a class program at Mount Carmel – so we knew we had a tough task in front of us, especially without Guerra in our lineup,” Potter said. “We needed to have a couple 

matches go our way, and they didn’t, but congrats to Alex and his guys.”

Yorkville would book its place in the finals after conceding early victories from Libertyville’s Jake Shaffer, Luke Berktold and Orion Moran before Dominic Recchia would start an avalanche of points from the Foxes, who won the next 20 points to make the score 27-16 with three matches remaining.

Matt Kubas registered a major decision victory at 175, but junior Luke Zook would cancel the Kubas win with a hard fought 5-3 decision over Caleb Baczek to keep the Foxes in control at 30-20, and an eventual 30-25 final.

“All of my wrestling life one of my biggest goals was to obviously win a state title, but to also help my team get to dual-team state and to win a state title,” began Zook (51-7), fourth last year in Champaign and fifth a week ago.

“Mount Carmel was a great team, but to go home with second place overall is a great accomplishment for all of us.”

St. Charles East would later defeat Libertyville 37-22 at about the same time the Caravan sent off Yorkville to claim the top prize.

“The group of seniors have, and will continue to have a massive impact on our program here at St. Charles East,” began Jason Potter.

“They have taken a good program, and showed it how to be a great one. They went from talented wrestlers focused on individual careers, to amazing wrestlers who were part of a program. Their impact on our program goes beyond wins and losses,”

The Saints will bid farewell four-time state champion Ben Davino, Tyler Guerra, Jayden Colon, Gavin Connolly, Brody Murray, and Brandon Swartz.

“Being here at St. Charles East has been better than I could have imagined,” Davino said. “The memories I’ll take from here are amazing, and aside from being around a great bunch of teammates who have become part of my family, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have the best head coach there is in coach Potter.”

Davino will wrestle at Ohio State next year.

Eggert will miss a magnificent group of Libertyville seniors as well, with eight headed to graduation this May, beginning with Berktold, Antonio Kelly, Moran, Anthony Kelly, Carney, Clark, and ending with Kubas and McGrory.

“It was a great season for us, the biggest surprise just being how successful we were,” said Eggert, who just finished up his 37th year with a record of 13-3-0.

“We knew we had four returning state qualifiers (Berktold, Kubas, Baczek, McGrory) that would make us respectable, but being so thin in the lower weights did not seem like team championships would be in the cards.”

The Wildcats would defeat league power, and rival Warren by 14 points to win its own regional.

“For me, I fell short of my goal of winning a state title, but for this team, it was just an amazing year, and one that I’ll never forget,” said Kubas, who ended his season on a high note with a 3-2 victory over Brody Murray (St. Charles East) in a rematch of the third-place state contest that Murray won.

Mount Carmel would celebrate 31 victories in Champaign, collect seven state medals, with Mendoza and Colin Kelly leading the way with their state championship wins.

“We ran the gauntlet against some unbelievable opponents to get here, and once again with Joliet Catholic, then Jason Potters’ guys before our final with Yorkville,” began Tsirtsis.

“These guys were ready to go right from the onset of the season, and it was their work ethic, and continued hard work that brought them here, and to put them in position to compete for a state title. As I said before, I cannot be more proud of any of the guys on our roster for what they have been able to achieve.”

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOAThe 2024 IHSA Class 1A Individual State Finals will certainly be one to remember because of the great stories that played out during the three days of intense competition at the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign. 

There were two three-time champions who were four-time medalists in Auburn’s Joey Ruzic and Dakota’s Noah Wenzel and there was a two-time champion, three-time finalist and four-time medal winner in Benton’s Mason Tieffel. They each left a great legacy for their programs that will be the envy of future athletes at those schools for years to come.

Wenzel and Ruzic were three-time IHSA champions, joining St. Charles East’s Ben Davino and Jayden Colon, Joliet Catholic Academy’s Dillan Johnson and Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza in that exclusive club. In addition, Tieffel, Ruzic and Wenzel were three of the 14 individuals who have competed in a title match in each of the last three IHSA Individual Finals in Champaign.

Also, the annual regular feature of the Finals, seniors who put it all together at the right time and close out their high school careers as champions even though they haven’t placed before because they believed that they could be state champions, such as was the case with Olympia’s Bentley Wise and Manteno’s Carter Watkins.

And there is the other great tradition of the juniors that have been accomplishing a lot of good things who put it all together and become state champions, which significantly changes the way that others see them from previously being one of the state’s better individuals to becoming the best in Illinois such as Rockridge’s Jude Finch, Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll, Coal City’s Landin Benson and Unity’s Hunter Eastin.

In addition, there were two juniors who found the right setting with new teammates and coaches that helped move them up on the awards stand to become champions, as was the case for Marian Central Catholic’s Brayden Teunissen and Althoff Catholic’s Jason Dowell.

And in another common theme that occurs each year at the Finals, there were three freshmen who made a great first impression in Champaign by winning titles, Johnsburg’s Eric Bush, Carlyle’s Preston Waughtel and Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny.

Obviously, there’s also the sad stories of accomplished seniors who didn’t make it to the awards stand one last time, and those who fell short for the second time on the championship mat or individuals who entered with outstanding records and then lost as many or even more matches at state than they had suffered up to that point.

With 12 of the championship matches being decisions and nine of those determined by three points or less, there were obviously a lot of tales of woe and reflection on what may have been if only this, that, or the other thing had gone a bit differently.

Carlyle junior Tyson Waughtel lost in sudden victory to fall just short of a third-straight title and an unbeaten season and also missed out on sharing a title win with his brother, Preston, while Herrin senior Blue Bishop and Tremont junior Bowden Delaney suffered two-point defeats on the title mat to finish with the same number of losses in Champaign as they had during the rest of their season.

The High School of Saint Thomas More senior Brody Cuppernell and Marian Central Catholic junior Vance Williams both lost three-point decisions to settle for second-place finishes for the second year in a row.

Unity junior Kaden Inman, St. Francis sophomore Jaylen Torres and Vandalia freshman Max Philpot all were either in the lead or within one point of their opponent in the late going before falling just short on the title mat.

In another disappointing set of circumstances, Oakwood/Salt Fork senior Bryson Capansky not only fell in the championship match but also lost in the dual team sectional as his team just missed out on making a return trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals, where they took fourth place and won their first trophy last season.

Despite their disappointment, the good news for Peoria Notre Dame junior Ian Akers, East Alton-Wood River junior Drake Champlin, Coal City sophomore Brody Widlowski, Vandalia sophomore Dillon Hinton and Lena-Winslow/Stockton sophomore Eli Larson, in addition to those mentioned earlier, is that all of them still have one or two more opportunities to be a state champion. 

But winners and losers in the title matches are not the only stories of the IHSA Individual Finals. Two other champions from a year ago, Marian Central Catholic senior Anthony Alanis and Riverdale sophomore Dean Wainwright, had to settle for third-place finishes.

And there was also the disappointments suffered by two individuals who had placed second in both 2023 and 2022. Illini Bluffs senior Hunter Robbins fell one win shy of a medal and Richmond-Burton junior Emmett Nelson wasn’t feeling well and did his best to take sixth place to claim a third medal.

Two seniors who had won medals for four-straight years, Farmington’s Keygan Jennings and Newman Central Catholic’s Brady Grennan, and two that won state medals the last three years, Harrisburg’s Tony Keene and Newman Central Catholic’s Carter Rude, not only didn’t win titles in their final seasons, they failed to get to the Grand March, though Jennings and Rude did get that opportunity a year ago.

Fortunately, there were a lot more good stories to tell than bad ones. Among those were Unity Christian sophomore brothers Clinton and Garrett VerHeecke both getting medals for the second year in a row. And there was history made by two seniors who were on co-op teams, Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine’s Ian Rosborough and Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Ty Carter, who both became the first medalists for their programs.

Fifty schools had all-state competitors, with the reward being a medal for a top-six finish. Class 1A champion Marian Central Catholic led the way with six and Class 1A runner-up Coal City was next with five. Roxana, which took third place and Vandalia, who took fourth place, both had three medal winners. Others who had three all-staters were De La Salle Institute, Newman Central Catholic, Oakwood/Salt Fork, Olympia, Princeton and Unity. Nine schools had two medalists, Benton, Carlyle, Chicago Hope Academy, Hoopeston Area, Illini Bluffs, Murphysboro, Riverdale, Rockridge and Unity Christian.

Here’s a look at the 2024 IHSA Class 1A Individual Finals, with the weight classes listed in the same order that they were conducted at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

132 – Jude Finch, Rockridge

Even though the 132 weight class featured four individuals who had won multiple state medals and were hoping that their third or fourth state appearances would finally result in a title, a first-time medalist in 2023 who didn’t win a tournament until the final weeks of the regular season emerged as the state champion after beating two of the multiple medal winners late in the season and the other two in Champaign. In the 132 title match, Rockridge junior Jude Finch took a 5-2 lead over Marian Central Catholic junior Vance Williams with a takedown with 1:06 left and went on to claim a 7-4 victory to cap a 43-6 season. Finch, a three-time qualifier who took third place at 126 a year ago, became the eighth individual from Rockridge to win a state title and its first since Dallas Krueger and Nolan Throne were both champions in 2020. After opening with a fall in 1:40 over Clifton Central senior Kayden Cody (25-12), Finch won 9-2 in the quarterfinals over a two-time medalist, St. Joseph-Ogden’s Holden Brazelton, and reached the title mat with a 4-2 victory over Richland County’s Carson Bissey. Late in the season, Finch, one of the two medalists and three qualifiers for coach Lucas Smith’s Rockets, showed that he could win close matches against seniors who were three-time medalists when he won 3-2 over Farmington’s Keygan Jennings for first at Orion’s Bob Mitton Invitational and claimed a 2-1 victory over Newman Central Catholic’s Brady Grennan to win the title of the Fulton Regional.

“I got it done,” Finch said. “I figured it out and I wrestled my butt off and did what I wanted to do the whole year and I accomplished it and I’m proud. I worked my butt off every day at practice, I didn’t take one day off and I was going, going, going, no matter what. I’ve got wonderful coaches, they get done what needs to get done, they’re the best. I took losses, but I bounced back, you’ve got to keep wrestling. I was down, but I kept wrestling all six minutes of the match, 

no matter what. It feels great, you know it.”

Williams (44-9),  who took second at 132 a year ago and fourth at 132 in 2022, followed a fall with a 6-2 decision over Roxana’s Brandon Green Jr. before earning his spot on the title mat with an 8-0 major decision over Jennings. Williams was one of six qualifiers and three finalists for the Hurricanes, who won their first IHSA Dual Team title one week later when they beat defending champion Coal City 34-27 in Bloomington. Grennan (46-5), who took fifth at 126 a year ago and placed third at 120 in 2022 and also was third at 113 in 2021 at the IWCOA Finals, lost to Bissey by a tiebreaker 6-3 in the quarterfinals and had to beat Oakwood/Salt Fork junior Pedro Rangel (45-7), Brazelton and Jennings in the wrestlebacks before winning 5-1 over Bissey to claim third place for the third time. Bissey (48-3) took fourth at 126 in 2022 to become his first school’s first medal winner, but didn’t compete in the 2023 postseason because he failed to make weight in the regional. Roxana sophomore Brandon Green, Jr. (46-6) claimed his first medal and won 7-5 in sudden victory over Jennings in the fifth-place match to become of three medalists for the Shells, who took third at Dual Team state. Jennings (42-7) was second last season at 113 after taking sixth at 113 in 2022 and fifth at 106 in the IWCOA. Brazelton (47-3), a junior who took third at 132 a year ago and sixth at 120 in 2022, had two wins by technical fall but came up one win shy of a third medal. Lena-Winslow/Stockton sophomore Arrison Bauer (41-13) also fell one win short of his first medal.

“I’ve always wanted to wrestle in college and my coaches have told me that I’m good enough, so this is just practice and it can get me to the next level,” Bissey said. “I was fourth in 2022 and last year at regionals, I missed weight by .3 pounds. So I took that personally and I just got better and that’s not happening again. It feels great (to place again) but I can’t let it get to me, I need to get better and I want to come back next year stronger than ever.”

138 – Mason Tieffel, Benton

When future discussions about who some of the most important athletes have been who helped to raise the bar in a significant way for wrestling in southern Illinois, Mason Tieffel certainly needs to be mentioned. The Benton senior capped an impressive career in which he won state titles as a junior and senior after taking second as a sophomore and third at the IWCOA Finals in 2021. Tieffel was one of 14 individuals who competed in championship matches in each of the past three seasons. He capped a dominant unbeaten season with an 18-6 major decision over Vandalia’s Dillon Hinton in the Class 1A 138 title match. He opened with a fall in 3:00 over Riverdale junior Kolton Kruse (38-16), followed that with a pin in 2:17 over Illini Bluffs’ Ian O’Connor in the quarterfinals and got a fall in 2:49 over Sandwich’s Cooper Corder in the semifinals. Tieffel, who finished 56-0 after winning his final match on Tuesday in Benton when his team fell to Vandalia in the dual team sectional, went 52-2 and was also a state champion at 138 a year ago after going 47-5 and taking second place at 126 in 2022 and also went 33-1 to finish third at 120 in 2021, giving him a career record of 188-8. His only losses in state tournament competition were to Dakota’s four-time champion Phoenix Blakely in the title match in 2022 and to Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Garrett Luke in the semifinals in 2021. Tieffel became Benton’s first two-time champion, three-time finalist and four-time medal winner. He won six other tournament titles this season, taking firsts at Civic Memorial’s Bradley, Unity, Carbondale’s Murdale, Goreville/Vienna’s Blackcat Brawl, the Herrin Regional and the Vandalia Sectional, He also beat Hinton in two other title matches by major decision, at Civic Memorial and the sectional.

“It’s been a really fun season,” Tieffel said. “This is what I’ve wanted since I did it last year. I’ve done a really good job this year and I’ve just kept working hard trying to get better and working as hard as I can in every match. And my team has been doing a great job this year and it’s just been really exciting. The target’s on your back, so you just have to keep working harder. I was confident since I put in the work this offseason and this season. The coaches have been great for me and the team has done a really good job this season. It’s been really exciting having a team behind me and they’ve all worked hard this season, so they deserve it, too. Everybody in Benton, the whole town has been really good to me and the coaches have been great and the team is amazing. Every kid on the team works hard in practice and they’ve pushed me and they do whatever I need to do to help me reach my goals, so it was really nice having them all.”

“He’s had a great career and it’s something that he’s worked his whole life for,” Benton coach Aaron Robinson said. “Every good thing that’s happened to him, he’s earned it. We’re moving in the right direction and he’s a big part of that. Having a guy like him in the room kind of ups the game for everyone else. Our kids are homegrown kids, they’re from Benton. We’ve got some kids that are coming through that are going to make some noise in the next few years.”

Hinton (46-4), a sophomore who went 46-7 last year and placed fifth at 132, was hoping that he or freshman teammate Max Philpot at 106 might become the fifth individuals from Vandalia to win a state title and the first since Jarek Wehrle in 2021 at the IWCOA Finals. Although both were thwarted, they were the top finishers for coach Jason Clay’s Vandals, who had three medal winners and one week later finished fourth at the IHSA Dual Team Finals. Hinton opened with a fall in 3:13 over Marian Central Catholic junior Andrew Alvarado (34-14), who placed fifth at 113 in 2023. After edging Mercer County’s Ethan Monson 5-2 in the quarterfinals, Hinton earned his spot on the 138 title mat with an 8-2 decision over Princeton junior Ace Christiansen (39-7), who responded to that setback with two close decisions to take third place. After edging O’Connor 3-1 in sudden victory, Christiansen, one of three medal winners for 2020 IWCOA Hall of Famer coach Steve Amy’s Tigers, beat Corder 5-4 in an ultimate tiebreaker to claim third place. Corder (35-5), a freshman who was the lone medalist for Sandwich, earned his spot in the third-place match after beating Dwight’s Dylan Crouch 7-3 in the semifinal wrestlebacks. Crouch (49-3), a junior, went on to take fifth place with a 5-3 victory over Illini Bluffs senior Ian O’Connor (48-10), who joined his father and coach, Shawn (fourth at 98 in 1987), as medalists for the program at the Glasford school that was started and coached for 35 years by his grandfather Pat O’Connor, a 2009 recipient of the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter. Falling one shy of a medal were Mercer County senior Ethan Monson (46-6), who took fourth at 120 in 2022 fourth at 106 inn the IWCOA in 2021, and Coal City sophomore Mason Garner (37-6).

“I think everybody’s done their best and that’s all that me and coach could ask of them,” Hinton said. “I think it’s really cool for me to be able to do all of this stuff. And there’s always next year. I think that our team is definitely able to do anything that we put our minds to.”

“It’s a big deal because there are bigger schools that bring a lot of guys here and we get three kids in the semis and only brought four,” Christiansen said. “We have awesome coaches and they push us to be our best and I think that helps you out in times like when you’re in double overtime. This feels amazing.”  

144 – Jackson Carroll, Illini Bluffs

After going 47-8 last season but falling one win shy of a medal at 138 to miss out on joining 145 state champion Paul Ishikawa and 106 runner-up Hunter Robbins as medalists for Illini Bluffs, Jackson Carroll was determined that he not only wouldn’t be denied of making it to the awards stand this year, but that he also would follow in two-time champion Ishikawa’s footsteps and win a title. And after capturing close decisions in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the Tigers junior got a late takedown to edge Unity’s Kaden Inman 8-7 in the 144 title match to become the fifth individual from his school to become a state champion. He was one of two medalists for coach Shawn O’Connor’s Tigers, with the coach’s senior son Ian taking sixth at 138. But there was also disappointment for Illini Bluffs as senior Robbins, a two-time finalist, was unable to win a third medal at 113. The state title match was much different than Carroll and Inman’s matchup one week earlier in the Olympia Sectional finals where Carroll captured a 14-5 major decision. Carroll, who finished 51-2, opened with a fall in 1:49 over Frankfort Community freshman Lucas Parker (35-19) and followed that with a 5-2 decision over DeKalb’s Miles Corder. He reached the title mat with a 12-7 decision over Murphysboro’s Bryce Edwards. Carroll won five other tournaments this season, Illinois Bluffs, LeRoy Bowman, Quincy Notre Dame, the Knoxville Regional and the Olympia Sectional. His lone losses were in tournament finals to Newman Central Catholic’s Carter Rude at Erie/Prophetstown and the Lyle King Princeton Invitational.

“I’ve worked for this my entire life,” Carroll said. “I knew it was close, but I actually didn’t know what the score was at the time, I just knew that I needed a takedown. The philosophy is to just score more points than the other guy. My community is absolutely amazing. There were people in the front section and that was our basketball team, and I expect them to win state, too. That’s just how close our community is. Small school, big dream, that’s how everyone in the school is. The kids I work with, I think we have the best practice room in the state.”

Inman (44-8), a junior who was one of two finalists and three medalists for coach Logan Patton’s Unity Rockets. His classmate, Hunter Eastin (47-6), became the Tolono school’s sixth individual to win a state title when he beat the High School of Saint Thomas More’s Brody Cuppernell 5-2 in the 190 finals. Inman won a 14-4 major decision over Cumberland sophomore Owen McGinnis (44-7) in his opener and then captured a 7-1 victory over Richmond-Burton’s Emmett Nelson. Inman earned his spot on the 144 title mat in dramatic fashion as he prevailed 3-2 by ultimate tiebreaker over Rude in the semifinals. Unity’s season lasted another week as it qualified again for the IHSA Dual Team Finals. Chicago Hope Academy senior Santiago Chapparo (50-3) surprised many by placing third with a 7-1 win over Edwards. Chapparo, a native of Columbia who was familiar with freestyle but not folkstyle when he started training at Beat The Streets and then joined coach Dan Willis’ Eagles, was one of his two medalists for his team after falling 3-1 to Nelson in his opener before winning his next five matches, with the first four of those being by two points or less. Edwards (46-9), a junior, was one of two semifinalists and medalists for Murphysboro. Rude (45-3), a senior who took second last year at 138 and placed sixth at 126 in 2022, fell 6-5 by ultimate tiebreaker in the semifinal wrestleback to Chaparro to compete for fifth place, which he won by medical forfeit over Richmond-Burton junior Emmett Nelson (48-3), a runner-up at 126 last year and at 113 in 2022, who was unbeaten heading into the Byron Sectional but was unable to perform in his usual fashion due to an illness. However, he toughed it out to qualify again and also to place for a third time.

“I trusted myself and knew that if I wrestled my hardest, that I could make it, and hopefully get a chance at winning it,” Inman said.” I think I wrestled my best and there was a few seconds on clock when I got scored off of, so I was right there. Thirteen seconds and I would have won, so it was close. (Hunter Eastin taking first) It definitely eases the loss, I’m proud of Hunter, me and him worked very hard. He accomplished his goal and I just fell a little short.  

“After I lost in the first round, I was nervous and confused and I kind of felt down on myself as if I wasn’t good at wrestling,” Chaparro said, through translation by teammate Ismael Montero. “I want to thank coach Willis because told me to stay loose and stay focused because it didn’t matter that I lost as long as I kept pushing to win the next ones. In Columbia, it’s mostly all Freestyle, so coming here I had to learn the new rules. The competition here is really crazy and everyone is so talented.”

150 – Bentley Wise, Olympia

Heading into the postseason, Bentley Wise was enjoying a successful season but with one just tournament title, he was just another good individual who would be trying to get to state for the first time and maybe placing while two-time qualifiers and two-time medal winners looked to be more likely to win the 150 title. But following his championship at one of the state’s toughest regionals, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, the Olympia senior was confident that he was going to finish on a high note at state, even though he had come up one win shy of trips to the state finals in each of the past two seasons. Two weeks later, Wise indeed appears to have been very realistic about his prospects since he not only won the title at his own Olympia Sectional to earn his first trip to the IHSA Finals but he also wound up taking top honors in Champaign. Wise capped a 44-8 season by claiming a 5-3 decision in the 150 championship over Herrin senior Blue Bishop, who was the favorite at the weight and reached the title mat with a 46-1 record. After Bishop took a 3-2 lead with a nearfall, Wise answered with an escape and takedown and then hung on to become the fourth individual from his school to win a state title and the first since 2001, when his coach, Josh Collins, followed a Class A title win at 112 in 2000 with a second championship at 125. Wise, whose other title was at Unity in mid-December, was one of three medal winners for the Spartans, who finished ranked among the state’s top 10 teams. He won by technical fall in 3:51 over Nazareth Academy senior  Andrew Fowler (28-14) in his state debut, followed with a 9-2 decision over Wheaton Academy’s Chasen Kazmierczak and then won a 13-4 major decision over Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Grant Brewer in the semifinals.

“Being here was amazing,”  Wise said. “My goal was to make it to state, everything else was just calm, and it just kept going up and up, I wouldn’t stop. (Coach Josh Collins as the last champion) “It’s awesome, I love it.”

Bishop (46-2), who was hoping to become the first state champion for the Tigers, joins Jake Holliday (2006-2008) as the only three-time medalists for the school. Bishop took fourth place last year at 145 and was sixth at 132 in 2022. He had won all five of his Illinois tournaments, Lawrence County, Cumberland’s Skull and Crossbones, Carbondale’s Murdale, the Herrin Regional and the Vandalia Sectional, and had been unbeaten against Illinois competitors, with his only other loss being by a 4-2 score to Evansville North, IN’s Cale Bonenberger in the finals at the Johnston Invitational in Paducah, Kentucky. Bishop, the,lone qualifier for coach Kelsey Lewis’ Tigers, followed an 8-0 major decision over Byron freshman Brody Stien (33-16) with a 3-1 quarterfinal win over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Carson Maxey before earning his trip to the 150 title mat with a 6-4 decision over Riverdale’s Blake Smith in the semifinals.

“I’m pretty proud of all the things that I’ve accomplished,” Bishop said. “It was frustrating falling short today but at the end of the day, you just have to keep pushing. I want to give a shout out for PSF Wrestling, it’s a great group.”

Smith (50-3), a junior, won his first medal and joined Dean Wainwright (third at 120) as the Rams’ two placewinners. After getting edged by Bishop, Smith defeated Coal City’s Brant Widlowski 8-2 before winning 9-2 over Maxey in the third-place match. Riverdale kept its season going for another week by qualifying for its first trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals since 2007. Maxey (40-10), a senior, was the lone medal winner for the Falcons, who were also one of the state’s top-ranked teams. Widlowski (47-5), a senior who took fifth at 120 in 2022 and sixth at 106 in 2021 at the IWCOA Finals, took fifth place with a fall in 5:37 over Oakwood/Salt Fork senior Grant Brewer (41-6), who also won his first state medal. Widlowski was one of five medalists for the Coalers, who finished second in Class 1A while Brewer was one of three medal winners for the Comets. Falling one victory shy of winning their first state medals were Wheaton Academy junior Chasen Kazmierczak (39-9) and Roxana senior Braden Johnson (35-9).

157 – Jimmy Mastny, Marian Central Catholic

Since there’s no team scoring at the IHSA Finals, determining who had the most team points might usually require some calculation. But there was no need to do that to figure out who was the most dominant Class 1A champion since Jimmy Mastny won all four of his matches by fall while Mason Tieffel won his first three with pins before claiming his second title with a major decision. The Marian Central Catholic freshman joined junior Brayden Teunissen (120) as one of the two champions, three finalists and six medal winners for the Hurricanes, the eventual Class 1A champions, who are coached by Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater. Mastny and Teunissen are the fifth and sixth individuals from the school to win titles with the others Dylan Connell (2018 to 2020 in 2A, 2021 in IWCOA 2A), Elon Rodriguez (2021 in IWCOA 2A), Nik Jimenez (2021 in IWCOA 2A) and Rich Powers (1986 and 1987 in A). Mastny and Connell both won titles as freshmen. On a day where 12 of the title matches were decisions, including nine which were decided by three points or less, Mastny recorded the lone fall while Benton senior Tieffel had the other outcome, a win by major decision. Mastny wrapped up his impressive debut state finals with a 28-1 record and capped things with a fall in 3:23 over Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Bryson Capansky in the 157 title match. After opening with a fall in 1:20 over Shelbyville sophomore Ryne Peavler (40-9), Mastny got a pin in 0:57 over Mercer County sophomore Eli Burns (22-7) and then handed Murphysboro’s Liam Fox his first defeat in 50 matches when he recorded a fall in 5:57 in the semifinals. Mastny, who was top-ranked heading into state, only lost once all season, 3-1 to Mount Carmel’s Edmund Enright (39-4), who lost 5-2 to Warren Township’s Aaron Stewart in the Class 3A 157 championship, which was one of the most-anticipated title matches. The freshman also won titles in his other three tournaments, the Chicagoland Christian Conference, the Johnsburg Regional and the Byron Sectional. 

“Just as soon as the season started, I knew that I could win it,” Mastny said. “Now we’ve got team sectionals and team state.”

Capansky (43-7), a senior and the top finisher and one of three medalists for coach Mike Glosser’s Comets, who’s returned most of the members of last year’s team which made program history by advancing to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time and finishing in fourth place. He assured himself of his first medal after winning a 10-7 decision over Oregon’s Anthony Bauer in his first match and then prevailing 4-3 over LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Connor Lyons in the quarterfinals.Capansky won another close match in the semifinals, a 9-6 decision over Hoopeston Area’s Ayden Larkin, to advance to the 157 title match. Oakwood/Salt Fork lost to Roxana in the sectional and fell short of a second-straight trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals.

“It was pretty enjoyable and a lot of fun,” Capansky said. “I enjoyed my last remaining time with my teammates and I just came out here and had fun. It means the world. I came all this way, I was a three-time state qualifier and this is my first time ever making it this far, so I’m grateful. It’s been really enjoyable and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s two schools, but we’re just one big family. And my teammates came out and proved what they could do, too. I’m very proud of my teammates and what they’ve accomplished this year.”

Fox (51-1), a senior who won his first state medal and was one of two who placed in the top six for coach Shea Baker’s Red Devils, bounced back from his only loss of the season, which was handed to him by Mastny in the semifinals, to take third with a 10-2 decision over Roxana sophomore Lyndon Thies (47-7), who was one of three first-time medalists for coach Rob Milazzo’s Shells, who went on to take third place at the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

 “It feels great,” Fox said. “I put in all of the work in the offseason that led up to this and I wish I could have gone a little further so that I could have been in the finals, but everything happens for a reason. (Success of southern Illinois wrestlers) We all work together in the offseason, which I think plays a big part into. And I think that we can compete with any of the top guys, we’re just as tough. In my sectional bracket, a guy (Bryson Capansky) is in the finals, I took third and (Lyndon) Thies took fourth, so that’s as tough as it gets.”  

In the fifth-place match, Newman Central Catholic junior Daniel Kelly (45-6) captured a 13-7 decision over Hoopeston Area junior Ayden Larkin (42-14), which avenged Larkin’s 8-6 win over Kelly in the quarterfinals. Both of them won their initial state medals with Kelly being one of three top-six finishers out of four qualifiers for coach Brian Bahrs’ Comets while Larkin was one of two medal winners for coach Chris Kelnhofers’s Cornjerkers.Two seniors who had successful season but fell one win short of earning a first state medal were Oregon’s Anthony Bauer (36-8) and LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Connor Lyons (41-11), although the latter’s season didn’t conclude since he and his Panthers teammates competed in the Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row.

“We got four guys down here,” Kelly said. “It just comes down to how we practice and the room that we’re in. We’re all really close and we’ve all wrestled each other since we were like five years old and that brings everyone together. You just have to come back strong and wrestle your match and just go for what you can at that point. it feels great.”  

165 – Landin Benson, Coal City

Throughout most of his athletic career, Landin Benson has considered himself to be a football player first and a wrestler second. But after running over the competition at the IHSA Class 1A Finals to capture top honors at 165 much as he had done in the fall as a running back in football, the Coal City junior who’s an All-Stater in both sports, may be reevaluating which of the two that he is actually better at. Benson opened with two falls and closed with two narrow decisions, getting past Tremont’s Bowden Delaney 3-1 to capture the 165 championship and improved to 26-2 on the season. One of five top-six finishers who earned medals for IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Mark Masters’ Coalers, Benson earned all-state honors for the first time on the mat after pinning Princeton’s Casey Etheridge in 3:49 in his opener, getting a fall in 1:38 over Hillsboro’s Zander Wells in the quarterfinals and then edging edging Marian Central Catholic’s Max Astacio 3-2 in the semifinals to join 126 runner-up Brody Widlowski as two finalists for the Coalers, who lost 34-27 to Marian Central Catholic in IHSA Dual Team Finals to fall short of repeating as 1A champions, He qualified for state for the first time in 2023 but only won one match. Benson won three other tournaments this season, the Illinois Central Eight Conference, the Wilmington Regional and the Chicago Hope Academy Sectional after taking second place at the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament, where he suffered his first loss by a 4-0 score against Delaney, who improved to 25-0 with that title win. In the fall, the football All-Stater ran for 1,444 yards and 26 touchdowns to help lead the Coalers to an 8-3 season.

“Being a state champion has been a goal and I knew that it wasn’t out of reach because I’m going to go up against whoever’s in front of me,” Benson said. “It’s just amazing to win it. We all want to win team state just as much as we all want to win individual state. Team state, we won last year, so winning back-to-back would be amazing. It’s always been football and then wrestling, now I’m All-State in both sports.”

Tremont junior Bowden Delaney (45-2), a three-time qualifier who won 42 matches a year ago and reached the quarterfinals at 126, earned his first state medal but fell just short of becoming the third individual from his school to win a state title and the first to accomplish that since 1985, when Russ Witzig, a 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee who has had a successful coaching career at Triad, took first place at 167 in Class A. Delaney is the fifth Turk to reach the Grand March and the first to get there since 1985 when Eric Burden joined Witzig as a finalist. It’s the third year in a row that the Turks, who are coached by 2006 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee T.J. Williams, have had a state placewinner, which is a first for the school. Delaney won six tournament titles, taking firsts at PORTA, Unity, Lyle King Princeton Invitational, Heart of Illinois Conference, the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Regional and the Olympia Sectional. His only other loss came to Marian Central Catholic’s Max Astacio, who lost 3-2 to Benson in the semifinals.  

“I know that I can wrestle better but I’ll learn and move on from it,” Delaney said. “I really wasn’t wrestling my best and he’s a tough opponent, and that’s when I have to be at my finest, and I just wasn’t tonight. It’s fun to look back on it and see how big the growth was. So I have to learn from this and work hard in the offseason and go get it next year.”

Genoa-Kingston senior Brady Brewick (42-4), who became his school’s second medal winner and first since Clay Chaberski took second at 215 in 1A in 2010, won the third-place match with a 4-1 decision over Rockridge sophomore Ryan Lower (46-5), who joins the 132 champion, junior Jude Finch, as medal winners for coach Lucas Smith’s Rockets. Unity junior Ryan Rink (43-12) took fifth place by medical forfeit when Marian Central Catholic senior Max Astacio (39-8), who took fifth place at 160 last season, was unable to go. Astacio was one of the six medalists for the Hurricanes. Rink, a first-time medal winner, joins 190 champion Hunter Eastin and 144 runner-up Kaden Inman as medal winners for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets. All three also got the opportunity to compete in the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington. Northridge Prep senior Jon Suter (35-5) fell one victory shy of becoming his school’s first medalist and Princeton sophomore Casey Etheridge (32-11) also was one win away from a top-six finish.

175 – Carter Watkins, Manteno

While a lot of the IHSA Class 1A champions have more to accomplish at their schools and others are excited about the success that they will likely have at the collegiate level, Manteno senior Carter Watkins appears to be more inclined to end his career by reaching the prep pinnacle after winning the 175 championship with a 7-2 decision over Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Eli Larson. Watkins (37-2) opened with a fall and then won his next three matches with decisions to not only claim his first medal in the sport but also to become the second individual from his school to win a title, with Ross George being the other in 2007 when he took top honors at 130 in Class A. Watkins is also only the sixth Panther to win a medal at state and the first since Stevie Silva placed at state for the second time in 2018. The lone qualifier for Manteno, which is coached by Ed Spiewak, Watkins won by fall in 4:49 in his opener over another individual with the same last name, Illini West junior Shawn Watkins (35-11) before capturing a 7-2 decision over Riverdale senior Zachary Bradley (48-6) in the quarterfinals. He earned his spot in the finals, something that had only been done two other times at the school by George in 2006 and 2007, with a wild 13-10 decision over Hoopeston Area’s Angel Zamora in the semifinals. A state qualifier for the third time, Watkins went 32-8 a year ago but fell one win shy of a medal at 160 and two years before that when he was a freshman, he competed in the IWCOA Finals. Watkins won four other tournament titles this season,  the Lyle King Princeton Invitational, the Illinois Central Eight Conference, the Wilmington Regional and the Chicago Hope Academy Sectional. 

“My confidence has always been high,” Watkins said. “I knew most of these kids and I knew that I could beat them. I’m going to ONU (Olivet Nazarene University) on a scholarship so the only thing that I’m doing that has to do with wrestling now is going back to the high school next year and helping the little kids. This is like a weight lifted off of my shoulders and it’s something that I’m going to think about for the rest of my life.”

Lena-Winslow/Stockton sophomore Eli Larson (44-6) took a similar path to the 175 finals as did Watkins, winning by fall in his opener before claiming close decisions in his next two matches. Making his first appearance at state, Larson won by fall in 3:52 over Auburn senior Joey Barrow (31-13) in his first match and then captured a 6-3 victory over Unity senior Thayden Root (45-11) in the quarterfinals. Larson earned his spot on the 175 title mat after capturing a 7-5 decision over Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Ty Carter in the semifinals. That win assured that he would win a state medal and he was the only to do that for the PantherHawks, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Milder. De La Salle Institute senior Josue Hernandez (32-7) was one of two third-place finishers and three medalists for coach Jason Davidson’s Meteors, won 4-2 on a tiebreaker over Hoopeston Area/Milford junior Angel Zamora (51-4), one of his team’s two medal winners, with Ayden Larkin, who finished sixth at 157, being the other. The last time that the Cornjerkers had more than one medalist was in 2012. 

“I train hard every day in practice and I do what I have to do and I know that I can compete with anybody,” Hernandez said. “It’s my last year and my last match so I was hoping to leave it all out there, and I wasn’t holding anything back. Our coaches are always pushing us to be our best since they know what we’re capable of and they know what we can do.”  

Saturday was also a big day for Red Bud/Valmeyer senior Ty Carter (47-5), who became the first individual from Red Bud to place at state. He took fifth place after claiming a 4-2 decision over Oakwood/Salt Fork senior Dalton Brown (44-8), who was one of three medalists for the Comets, who lost to Roxana on Tuesday to miss making a second-straight trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals after taking fourth in 2023. Falling one win shy of state medals were Seneca senior Asher Hamby (50-8) and the High School of Saint Thomas More senior August Christhilf (40-7). 

“I could have done better, but it feels good nonetheless,” Carter said. “It’s good to finish it off with a win, I’d rather end up as an odd number than an even number. I was just focused every day in practice and I worked every day. It was the only thing on my mind the last three months. It’s not easier down there, that’s a misconception. We’re smaller and less concentrated but it’s tough throughout the whole state.”

190 – Hunter Eastin, Unity

After Nick Nosler won the 195 championship last year at the IHSA Finals to cap a 52-2 senior season, the hope among those who support coach Logan Patton’s Unity Rockets was that the program might follow up on its first state title since 1991 with another first-place finisher this season. After junior Kaden Inman fell just short of a title at 144 with an 8-7 defeat to Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll, junior Hunter Eastin got his chance to win the 190 title match and made the most of it by capturing a 5-2 decision over The High School of Saint Thomas More senior Brody Cuppernell, who coincidentally was Nosler’s opponent when he won his state title a year ago. So for the first time since 1991, the Rockets have had champions in consecutive seasons, a feat that the program accomplished from 1989 to 1991 when Terry Bagwell (1989), Travis Smith (1990) and Juan Molina (1991) won Class A titles each year. Eastin can now add his name to those four as well as Unity’s first title winner, Bill Brandon (1986), as the only individuals from the Tolono school who have captured state championships. Eastin (47-6), Inman and their teammates also got to compete in the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington. He opened with a fall in 1:22 over Frankfort Community junior Conner Henson (39-12) and followed that with a pin in 5:45 over Lena-Winslow/Stockton sophomore Jeremiah Luke (43-8) in the quarterfinals. He earned his trip to the 195 title mat with an 8-3 decision over Vandalia’s Kaden Tidwell. A year ago, Eastin went 48-7 and fell one win shy of placing at 182, which gave the Rockets two medalists, with Kyus Root the other after taking fourth at 170. Unity exceeded that total by one this year since another junior, Ryan Rink, took fifth at 165. Eastin won three other tournaments this season, with two at his own school, the first in the Unity Invite and the second the Unity Regional and he also took first at the Olympia Sectional. In the regional finals, he captured a 6-2 decision over Cuppernell and in the sectional finals, he won a 7-4 decision over Cuppernell.

“It was tough getting here,” Eastin said. “It feels really good, that’s really the only way that I can describe it right now. We have really big hopes for the team duals. We’ve been trending in the right direction these last couple of weekends.”

The High School of Saint Thomas More senior Brody Cuppernell, who finished with a 35-4 record after his second-straight second-place state finish, became the second two-time placewinner for the Sabers, who are coached by Kurt Sexton, with the other two-time medalist being Nathan Santhanam (2009-2010). Cuppernell, who went 42-6 last season, won his opener by fall in 0:53 over Oakwood/Salt Fork freshman Jamison Chambliss (24-7) before defeating Coal City’s Cade Poyner (42-9) by technical fall in 5:40. He earned his spot in the 195 title match with a 6-1 decision over King College Prep’s Calvin Savage. In the third-place match, Orion junior Maddux Anderson (49-3) won a 7-6 decision over Vandalia junior Kaden Tidwell (37-11) as both individuals became state medalists for the first time and Tidwell got to help his team take fourth place in the Dual Team Finals. And for fifth place, Canton senior Danny Murphy (47-4) won a 3-1 decision over King College Prep senior Calvin Savage (36-6). It was the first state medal for both competitors with Murphy being the Little Giants’ lone medalist and coach Zach Crawford’s program has had an all-stater each year since 2020, which counting the 2021 IWCOA Finals, gives it 11 during that time, which is three more than it had before 2020. Savage became the second individual from his school to earn all-state honors, with the other being Lavontay Cobb, who took fourth place in 2A in 2013. Falling one win shy of state medals were Clifton Central senior Hunter Hull (26-9) and Coal City sophomore Cade Poyner (42-9), who also got to compete in the IHSA Dual Team Finals, where the Coalers claimed second place.

215 – Noah Wenzel, Dakota

Although Noah Wenzel might not have been able to reach the rare standard that three others from Dakota have achieved, four-time champions Phoenix Blakely, Josh Alber and Seth Milks, since he took fourth place as the lone freshman medalist at 195 at the 2021 IWCOA Finals, the senior will have to settle to be in the same company along with Jayden Colon, Ben Davino, Dillan Johnson, Seth Mendoza and Joey Ruzic as the only individuals who have won IHSA titles in each of the past three seasons, with Wenzel being one of the five seniors from that group who had no IHSA Tournament to take part in during their freshman seasons. In addition, he’s one of 14 competitors who took part in each of the last three Grand Marches at the IHSA Finals. Wenzel’s also one of six individuals from his school who have won three IHSA championships. Wenzel capped a 36-0 season and finished with a 126-9 career record by capturing the title at 215 with a 7-4 decision over East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin. In 2022, he went 41-4 and won the 195 title over Unity’s Nick Nosler and last season posted a 42-3 record and defeated Nazareth Academy’s Gabe Kaminski to win the 220 championship. In the weight classes that he competed in, there have been very few repeat champions in the state’s smallest division, making his three-peat even that much more impressive. He opened his final tournament run with a fall in 3:38 over Carmi-White County senior Nelson Rider (42-9) and then recorded a pin in 2:26 over Olympia’s Nolen Yeary in the quarterfinals. He earned his third appearance in the Grand March after capturing a 7-2 decision over Johnston City’s Jude Beers in the semifinals. Wenzel was one of three qualifiers and the lone placewinner for coach Matt Jacobs’ Indians. He won five other tournaments, Harlem’s Al Dvorak, Lyle King Princeton Invitational, Oak Park and River Forest, the Stillman Valley Regional and the Byron Sectional.

“I’ve said this before, that has always been so surreal,” Wenzel said. “I used to be sitting right there in the crowd and watching people do this, so it’s so weird being the guy down here now. I’ll remember the people that I’ve met.”

East Alton-Wood River junior Drake Champlin (51-4) became just the fifth individual from his school to reach the title mat and was the first to advance there since 2021 when Jason Shaw took second at 126 in 1A in the IWCOA Finals while Zac Blasioli competed for state titles in both 2016 and 2017 and won a Class 1A title in 2017. Champlin recorded a fall in 5:40 over Lena-Winslow/Stockton senior Michael Haas (34-10) in his opener and then won 3-1 in sudden victory over LeRoy/Tri-Valley senior Jacob Bischoff (43-4) in the quarterfinals. Then he had another tight match in the semifinals, winning 7-5 by sudden victory over Seneca’s Chris Peura. Champlin was the lone state qualifier for coach Tim Donohoo’s Oilers. Johnston City senior Jude Beers (44-3) became just the second medal winner for his program and equalled Jamie Hubbard’s finish from 1998, which was the first time that someone from that school placed. Beers won the third-place match by recording a fall in 1:59 over Seneca senior Chris Peura (47-6), who suffered a tough semifinal loss to Champlin. Peura placed sixth last year at 195, making him one of the four Fighting Irish who have been two-time medalists. In the fifth-place match, Kewanee junior Alejandro Duarte (41-6) won by fall in 3:37 over Olympia senior Nolen Yeary (39-9) with both claiming their first state medals. Falling one victory shy of being a medalist were Orion junior Aiden Fisher (40-13) and Quincy Notre Dame junior Taylin Scott (45-6).

“This is a second-year program and last season we barely even had a season since our football team went to the semis so we started late,” Beers said. “I worked hard in the offseason and my coaches worked with me hard and I have great teammates who’ve worked with me the whole time. There were a lot of big boys here and they’re all good.”  

285 – Jason Dowell, Althoff Catholic

After going 42-10 and falling to the eventual champion, IC Catholic Prep’s Isaiah Gonzalez, in the 285 semifinals at the IHSA Finals before settling for third place last year while competing for Cahokia, Jason Dowell was hopeful that a different setting this season would prevent another close call and instead result in him winning  a state title and that’s just what happened for the junior at Althoff Catholic who capped a 32-2 season by winning the 285 state title thanks to his third-straight 2-1 decision in the finals over St. Francis sophomore Jaylen Torres. As a result, Dowell became the fourth individual to win an IHSA championship at the Belleville school and the first to accomplish that feat since 1997, when Mike Weber claimed first place in Class A at 171. Dowell, who’s also a Division I prospect in football who has numerous scholarship offers from top programs, began his title run with a fall in 5:03 over Byron junior Jared Claunch (29-9) and then won 2-1 over De La Salle Institute’s David McCarthy in the quarterfinals. He edged Princeton’s Cade Odell 2-1 in the semifinals to become the first finalist for the Crusaders since 2005, when Aaron Winning took second place at 130 in Class A. But there was also some  disappointment for coach EJ Brooks’ team as junior Brenden Rayl finished 35-4 but fell one win shy of a medal at 126 to prevent Althoff Catholic from having two medal winners for the first time since Kameron and Michael Harris took third and sixth place, respectively, in 1A in 2012. Dowell won five other tournament titles, with three of those taking place in Missouri. He took firsts at Cumberland’s Skull and Crossbones and the Carlyle Regional in Illinois. He lost in the Vandalia Sectional finals to Roxana’s James Herring 10-9 by ultimate tiebreaker and his other defeat was by 4-0 score in the title match of Carbondale’s Murdale Tournament to Centennial senior Jack Barnhart, who capped a 44-0 season by winning the 2A 285 championship in his hometown.

“He believed in me,” Dowell said of coach EJ Brooks. “Of course God is one, but him being the big brother that he is to me, telling me, ‘no you cannot do that yet, no, you should work on this, you should change up and do this’. With him being right there in the room, pushing me and pushing me. There were many times when I was like ‘why is he so nit picky when it comes to a certain moves that I do. So I tried to model my wrestling like how he wrestled. Working with him 24-7 in that stupid wrestling room, that was a blessing. I can’t thank him enough. I was cocky going to sectionals and a friend of mine named James Herring humbled me, I was thinking that I was more than I was. Sometimes, you need that. To come here with confidence and not cockiness was an absolute blessing and I’m very happy that I’m here. Deny myself every single day, picking up my cross and following God in everything I do, whether it’s the wrestling room or the football field, baseball diamond or my class. And hold up His name as high as I can.”

St. Francis sophomore Jaylen Torres, who went 19-2 after playing football on a 10-3 Spartans team that lost to eventual Class 5A champion Nazareth Academy in the semifinals. He opened his run to the finals with a fall in 3:13 over Lawrenceville/Red Hill junior Dylan Camden (39-14) and then won with a pin in 1:36 over Chicago Hope Academy’s Roy Phelps in the quarterfinals. Torres earned his spot on the 285 title match with a 7-4 decision over Roxana’s James Herring. He is only the fifth individual from his program who has placed at state, and the first since 1984. Only one other Spartan, 1980 Class A heavyweight champion Bob Hudetz, placed higher than him in Champaign. Torres, who’s coached by Eric Kirkman, was the lone state qualifier for the Wheaton school. For third place, Roxana senior James Herring (46-4) edged Princeton junior Cade Odell (32-4) by a 3-2 score as both earned their first state medals. Odell was one of three medalists for coach Steve Amy’s Tigers while Herring was one of the three medal winners for coach Rob Milazzo’s Shells, who claimed third place in the IHSA Dual Team Finals one week later. It was the school’s first state appearance since 2014 and also its second-best finish there, with only a second-place finish in 2004 in Class A being superior to this season’s showing.

“I probably should be in the finals, but stuff happens since it’s the state tournament, nothing’s guaranteed,” Herring said. “Our team has been really good this year and we’re getting ready for the team tourney. We’ve had a heck of a season and it’s been a great senior season for me with my senior brothers.”

In the fifth-place match, two juniors from Chicago schools who won their first state medals met and De La Salle Institute’s David McCarthy (31-7) won by fall in 1:15 over Chicago Hope Academy’s Roy Phelps (46-10). McCarthy’s Meteors had three medalists while the Eagles had two in the top six. Falling one victory shy of medals were Canton sophomore Connor Williams (43-4) and Leo junior Nicholas Armour (35-7).

106 – Eric Bush, Johnsburg

When you’re trying to achieve something special, like becoming the first individual from your school to win a state championship, and you have a large and vocal group of students from your school on hand to support you, it might provide just enough of a boost to help you get the job done. Johnsburg freshman Eric Bush certainly had those extras going for him when he took on another freshman with plenty of motivation behind him, Vandalia’s Max Philpot, in the 106 championship match. He led 2-1 heading into the third period and added one more point and made that stand to capture a 3-1 victory and conclude a 34-4 season. Bush’s ability to win close matches was evidenced by him recording three two-point decisions in his final three matches to become the Skyhawks’ first IHSA champion. Bush ended the quest for an initial champion that dates back 36 years to 1988, when the school’s first two-time medalist, Sean Kegel, was the runner-up at 98 in the Class AA Finals. In 2000, Jerad Karlen took second in AA and in 2020, the Skyhawks’ other two-time medal winner, Justin Peake, settled for second place in 1A. Bush kicked off his debut at the State Finals with a fall in 2:46 over Murphysboro freshman Kanton Richards (33-19) and then got past De La Salle Institute sophomore Jeremiah Lawrence 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Then he recorded his first 3-1 victory when he edged Marian Central Catholic sophomore Austin Hagevold in the semifinals. Bush, the lone qualifier for Johnsburg, which is coached by James Sylvanus, was down on the list of favorites for the 106 championship but the winner of four tournament titles was determined that he could be a state champion in his initial attempt. Bush captured titles in three early competitions, Vernon Hills, Richmond-Burton and Stillman Valley, before starting his postseason run with a title at the Johnsburg Regional. He lost 7-5 in the Byron Sectional title match to Princeton’s Augustus Swanson, who came in as the favorite at 106, but Bush used that loss as motivation and the result was his school’s first title.

“My coach has always told me the exact same thing over and over, that it’s just a match and I believed in that,” Bush said. “I trained every single day and every single night and got it done. It definitely helped that big crowd up there. It’s amazing to be the first state champion at Johnsburg ever. They’ve had second places, but to be the first-ever state champ and the first freshman to win is big, too. After sectionals when I lost that 7-5 match, I just got it in my head that I was going to win state. That day it hurt, but it motivated me even more. Now this motivates me to win next year, that’s for sure.”

Vandalia freshman Max Philpot (48-3), who went past the 50-win mark in his debut season while helping his team take fourth place at the IHSA Dual Team Finals, also had plenty of motivation to reach the top of the awards stand at 106. His program captured its 1000th dual meet win this season and also advanced to the dual team finals for a 23rd time, which ranks second only to Montini Catholic, where it finished fourth. But despite all of that team success, the Vandals have only had four individual champions, with the last of those being Jarek Wehrle, who won 1A at 106 in the 2021 IWCOA Finals while Joe-E Smith was the school’s last IHSA champion in 2007 when he took first at 152 in Class A. Philpot opened with a fall in 1:48 over Dakota sophomore Brandon White (38-11) and then won by technical fall in 2:42 over Seneca freshman Raiden Terry (41-10). One of six qualifiers, three medalists and two finalists for coach Jason Clay’s Vandals, who have been ranked among the state’s best all season, Philpot earned his spot in the 106 finals by claiming a 14-10 decision over Princeton’s Augustus Swanson in the semifinals. De La Salle Institute sophomore Jeremiah Lawrence (27-5). one of three medal winners for the Meteors, took third place with a 12-4 major decision over Marian Central Catholic sophomore Austin Hagevold (37-18), who was of the six medalists for the Hurricanes, who went on to win the Class 1A Dual Team championship. For fifth place, Princeton sophomore Augustus Swanson (35-3), one of three Tigers who won medals, claimed a 6-4 decision over Coal City freshman Owen Petersen (45-7), who was one of five medal winners for coach Mark Masters’ Coalers, who took second place in the Dual Team Finals. Falling one win shy of state medals were LeRoy/Tri-Valley junior Brady Mouser (44-4) and Pontiac senior Aidan Scholwin (31-17).

113 – Preston Waughtel, Carlyle

While Carlyle freshman Preston Waughtel had every reason to be thrilled about capping a 50-0 season by beating a pair of two-time state finalists, including one who was a returning IHSA champion, along the way to winning the title at 113, it’s understandable that he was disappointed seeing his brother Tyson lose 7-5 in sudden victory to Marian Central Catholic’s Brayden Teunissen in the next championship match at 120 to deny the junior of a third-straight title and prevent him from also having a perfect season. Despite that, it was obviously a special weekend for coach Ben Wademan’s Indians, who had two finalists and medalists for the first and the Waughtel brothers won the same number of medals in the Finals as the school had claimed before Tyson started his impressive run of success in 2021-22. Opening with a win by technical fall in 1:33 over Sandwich freshman Colten Stone (30-19), Preston won a 15-2 major decision over Illini Bluffs senior Hunter Robbins (47-4), who placed second at 106 in both 2022 and 2023. He earned his spot in the 113 title match with a 5-2 decision over Marian Central Catholic senior Anthony Alanis, who won the Class 2A 106 title for Grayslake Central a year ago after placing second at 106 in 2022. In the title match, Preston met Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers, who placed fourth at 106 a year ago, and won a 7-0 decision. He joined Benton senior Mason Tieffel (55-0 at 138) and Dakota senior Noah Wenzel (36-0 at 215) as unbeaten champions in Class 1A and also was one of three freshmen title winners in 1A along with Johnburg’s Eric Bush (106) and Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny (157). Preston won six other tournament titles, Civic Memorial’s Bradley, Cumberland’s Skull and Crossbones, Carbondale’s Murdale, Goreville/Vienna’s Blackcat Brawl, the Carlyle Regional and the Vandalia Sectional. 

“I’m very excited about how I performed,” Waughtel said. “It shows that I’ve been working the hardest in my weight class and that I haven’t been taking days off. Four titles is always the goal and then being undefeated is another goal. Anyone can get beaten at any time, so I just have to train harder. With it being his senior year next year, hopefully we can both go undefeated and win another state title.”

Peoria Notre Dame junior Ian Akers (41-6) became just the third individual from his program to compete for a title and the fourth to win two or more state medals. He won by fall in 1:47 over Nazareth Academy sophomore Charlie Dvorak in his first match and then captured an 8-4 decision over Oregon freshman Nelson Benesh (38-9). Akers earned his spot on the 113 title mat by capturing a 7-0 decision over Benton freshman Cohen Sweely (41-10). Akers won five tournament titles, Glenwood’s Cox, Metamora, Prairie Central, Litchfield’s Lovellette and the Knoxville Regional and he also helped coach Danny Burk’s Irish win their first regional title.

“I’m proud of where I’ve gotten to, but obviously, I’d like to be one step above that and the state champ, but I’m right there,” Akers said. “In my freshman year we were really close, but didn’t get it (a regional title), so that was kind of a goal of ours as a team. And it’s nice to be surrounded by guys who want to work hard and want to be good, that’s awesome.”

Marian Central Catholic senior Anthony Alanis (40-5) took third place after winning an 8-0 major decision over Olympia junior Dylan Eimer (33-5). The two also met in the quarterfinals with Alanis, one of six medal winners for the Hurricanes, winning that matchup by an 8-1 score. While competing for Grayslake Central, Alanis won the Class 2A title at 106 last year, took second at that weight in 2022 and finished sixth at 106 in 2021 at the IWCOA Finals. Alanis concluded his season and career on a high note as Marian Central Catholic captured its first IHSA Dual Team title when it defeated defending champion Coal City 34-27 in Bloomington. Eimer, who placed fourth at 106 in 2022, was one of three medalists for coach Josh Collins’ Spartans. In a matchup of freshmen for fifth place, Coal City’s Cooper Morris (42-9) won a 5-2 decision over Benton’s Cohen Sweely (41-10). They also met up in the quarterfinals with Sweely capturing a 7-2 win in that match. Falling one win shy of state medals  were Illini Bluffs senior Hunter Robbins (47-4), who had finished in second place at 106 in both 2023 and 2022. as well as Vandalia freshman Elijah Mabry (36-14), who capped his debut season on a good note when the Vandals finished in fourth place at the IHSA Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

120 – Brayden Teunissen, Marian Central Catholic

After capturing the title at the Byron Sectional, Brayden Teunissen felt that the tough schedule that he faced and having coaches Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater in his corner might be good enough to help him capture the title at 120, and that confidence seemed to be justified after he defeated two unbeaten competitors, including a two-time defending IHSA champion on the title match to achieve his goal. The Marian Central Catholic junior followed two wins by technical fall and a major decision with a 7-5 win by sudden victory over Carlyle’s two-time title winner Tyson Waughtel in the 120 finals. Waughtel led 5-3 in the final period before Teunissen used a late takedown to force overtime and then scored again in sudden victory. Teunissen (40-5), who was one of two champions, three finalists and six medal winners for the Hurricanes, helped his team win the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington for its first title to secure the win. He advanced to the state finals for the second year in a row. Last season, he took second place at 106 in Class 3A to St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto while competing for the Belvidere co-op. Teunissen opened with a win by technical fall in 4:32 over LeRoy/Tri-Valley freshman EJ Chaon (30-13) and then won a 17-7 major decision in the quarterfinals over Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler, who placed third the last two years at state. Teunissen advanced to the 120 title match with another win by technical fall, this time in 4:19 over Unity Christian’s Clinton VerHeecke, who lost for the first time in that match. Teunissen won three other tournament titles this season, the Chicagoland Christian Conference, the Johnsburg Regional and the Byron Sectional.

“I felt really confident,” Teunissen said. “I knew that I was better prepared than him. Our schedule is the toughest competition that you can possibly have and I knew that he hadn’t seen anything like my wrestling style. Our team wrestled amazing.”

Carlyle junior Tyson Waughtel (50-1) was hoping to join six others who have won three-straight IHSA championships but saw those hopes dashed in heartbreaking fashion to Marian Central Catholic junior Brayden Teunissen to suffer his first defeat in 51 matches this season and second loss in 154 matches during his career. He hoped to follow his freshman brother Preston, who capped a perfect 50-0 season with the championship at 113 when he won a 7-0 decision over Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers. A year ago, Tyson beat Farmington’s Keygan Jennings in the 113 title match to complete a 50-1 season and in 2022, he concluded a perfect 50-0 debut season with a victory over Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins in the 106 title match. Tyson opened his quest for a third title with a fall in 1:10 over Bishop McNamara sophomore Blake Arseneau (21-9) and then won by technical fall in 4:25 over Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright in a matchup of defending Class 1A champions. He reached the 120 title match with another win by technical fall, this time in 2:36 over Warrensburg-Latham’s Logan Roberts. Like his brother Preston, he won six other tournament titles, Civic Memorial’s Bradley, Cumberland’s Skull and Crossbones, Cardbondale’s Murdale, Goreville/Vienna’s Blackcat Brawl, the Carlyle Regional and the Vandalia Sectional. In the third-place match, Riverdale sophomore Dean Wainwright (47-3) won by fall in 1:42 over Oblong senior Ian Rosborough (39-7). Wainwright, who fell to Waughtel in the quarterfinals, recorded four falls in the consolation bracket in order to capture third place. A year ago, he finished 50-1 and defeated Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins to win the 106 IHSA championship. He got the opportunity to compete with his team at the IHSA Dual Team Finals, which Riverdale advanced to for the first time since 2007. And Rosborough also made history in his state finals debut by becoming the first individual from Oblong to win a state medal. 

“Yesterday was a tough day,” Wainwright said after he took third. “I took a pretty bad loss to Tyson Waughtel and he’s a pretty good kid, but I absolutely could have wrestled better and I know that in my heart, but things happen and I came back and wrestled for third. I want to thank my coaches and my teammates over at Big Game Wrestling Club and at the school. The season’s not over yet.”    

“It feels pretty good, but I wish that I got third and not fourth, since I put in a lot of work,” Rosborough said. “I’m a senior and I’d never qualified before. It was a lot of pressure at first but I just wrestled like it was a normal tournament and all of the pressure went away and I just wrestled hard and did what I know I can do.”

For fifth place, Unity Christian sophomore Clinton VerHeecke (42-2) won an 11-1 major decision over Warrensburg-Latham junior Logan Roberts (44-7). VerHeecke took third at 113 a year ago representing Lutheran Schools Association – Decatur while Roberts won his first state medal. Falling one win shy of medals were Anna-Jonesboro junior Drew Sadler (49-5), who took third place at 106 in both 2023 and 2022, as well as Coal City junior Culan Lindemuth (33-16).

126 – Joey Ruzic, Auburn

Joey Ruzic put the finishing touches of one of the best careers that any individual from the Springfield area has enjoyed when he captured his third-straight IHSA championship after taking top honors at 126 with a 6-1 decision over Coal City’s Brody Widlowski in the 126 finals to cap a 46-1 season and finish his four-year career with an impressive 158-6 record. The Auburn senior only lost one match this season, to Harrisburg’s Tony Keene in the Vandalia Sectional finals, but he closed things out in impressive fashion by defeating the state’s other three sectional champions, with two of those victories by major decision. Ruzic, who went 32-3 and placed third at the IWCOA Finals in 2021, won his first IHSA title at 113 in 2022 over Richmond-Burton’s Emmitt Nelson to cap a perfect 26-0 season. A year ago, he beat Yorkville Christian’s Ty Edwards for the 120 title to complete a 53-2 campaign. As a result, he joins St. Charles East seniors Ben Davino and Jayden Colon, Joliet Catholic Academy senior Dillan Johnson, Dakota senior Noah Wenzel and Mount Carmel junior Seth Mendoza as the six individuals who have won three-straight IHSA championships, with him and four others not getting the opportunity to compete in an IHSA Finals as freshmen in 2021 due to the pandemic. He was one of the 14 individuals who made three finals appearances in the last three seasons. Ruzic opened with a fall in 0:51 over Walther Christian Academy’s Caleb Peterson and then claimed a 13-5 major decision over Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger. He earned his third appearance in the Grand Match with a 12-1 major decision over Unity Christian’s Garrett VerHeecke and concluded the Class 1A championships by winning his third title on the campus of the University of Illinois, where he will continue his education and as his career competing for coach Mike Poeta’s Fighting Illini. He won six other tournaments, PORTA Avery, Springfield Bee, Lyle King Princeton Invitational, LeRoy Bowman, Litchfield Lovellete and the Auburn Regional in his final home competition. He was one of two qualifiers and the lone medalist for coach Matt Grimm’s Trojans and is the only individual from his school that has won a state title.

“My offseason training definitely helped me and that’s what made the difference,” Ruzic said. “It’s awesome, but I knew that I’d get it done, I knew that it would happen. I worked hard for it, so I knew that it would come. (The sectional loss) I definitely had a chip on my shoulder because of that, but I didn’t let it affect me and I just came out and did what I did, and you see the result. I kind of underestimated my opponent and didn’t give the respect he deserved, and it happens, so I just couldn’t let that affect me. Anything can happen in the state tournament and what happened before does not matter. I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to be in the orange and blue and represent my home state. It feels good to finally get it done. Without my coaches and my teammates, none of this would have been possible, so I’m very thankful for that. Now it’s time for the real fun part.”

“They do not come around too often, and when they do, you have to take advantage and cherish every moment that you have with those kids,” Auburn coach Matt Grimm said. “He’s a very humble kid, a down to earth kid, and he puts the work in and he gets the results because of the work that he put in. It was a bump in the road is what we called it and we hit the restart button on Sunday morning and got back after it. It wasn’t a big deal since we knew we had to put four matches in a row to get a state title, and that’s what we focused on. We try to emulate what he does and the hard work that he puts in and we talk about it in the room all the time. If you want the results, you’ve got to put the work in to get the results, and he’s the epitome of that.”

Coal City sophomore Brody Widlowski (26-4) was one of the two finalists and five medal winners for IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Mark Masters’ Coalers, who reached the IHSA Dual Team Finals title match for the eighth time but were unable to repeat as champions after falling  34-27 to Marian Central Catholic. Widlowski, who went 42-3 last year and placed fourth at 113, pinned Roxana sophomore Logan Riggs (41-11) in 3:40 in his opener and then won a 6-3 decision over Unity sophomore Hunter Shike (39-8) in the quarterfinals. The champion of the Chicago Hope Academy Sectional earned his spot in the Grand March by claiming a 7-3 decision over Keene in the semifinals. Unity Christian sophomore Garrett VerHeecke (44-1), the sectional champion at Olympia, was unbeaten heading to state and lost for the only time to Ruzic in the semifinals and bounced back with two wins to take third with a fall in 1:30 over Harrisburg senior Tony Keene (44-4). VerHeecke placed sixth last year at 120 while Keene, one of two medalists from his school and the only one to win more than one medal, finished in fourth place for the third year in a row. Wheaton Academy sophomore Lincoln Hoger (42-7), the Byron Sectional champion, took fifth place following a 4-0 decision over North Boone junior Gavin Ekberg (39-9). Hoger is the third medal winner and the first since 2019 for Wheaton Academy while Ekberg became the fourth medalist for North Boone and its first since four-time finalist and two-champion Brandon Briggs in 2015. Falling one victory shy of medals were Warrensburg-Latham junior Kaden Roberts (44-10) and Althoff Catholic junior Brenden Rayl (35-4).

Class 1A Championship Matches

1A 106 – Eric Bush (Johnsburg) 34-4, Fr. over Max Philpot (Vandalia) 48-3, Fr. (Dec 3-1)
1A 113 – Preston Waughtel (Carlyle) 50-0, Fr. over Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) 41-6, Jr. (Dec 7-0)
1A 120 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) 40-5, Jr. over Tyson Waughtel (Carlyle) 50-1, Jr. (SV-1 7-5)
1A 126 – Joey Ruzic (Auburn) 46-1, Sr. over Brody Widlowski (Coal City) 26-4, So. (Dec 6-1)
1A 132 – Jude Finch (Rockridge) 43-6, Jr. over Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) 44-9, Jr. (Dec 7-4)
1A 138 – Mason Tieffel (Benton) 55-0, Sr. over Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) 46-4, So. (MD 18-6)
1A 144 – Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs) 51-2, Jr. over Kaden Inman (Unity) 44-8, Jr. (Dec 8-7)
1A 150 – Bentley Wise (Olympia) 44-8, Sr. over Blue Bishop (Herrin) 46-2, Sr. (Dec 5-3)
1A 157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) 28-1, Fr. over Bryson Capansky (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 43-7, Sr. (Fall 3:23)
1A 165 – Landin Benson (Coal City) 26-2, Jr. over Bowden Delaney (Tremont) 45-2, Jr. (Dec 3-1)
1A 175 – Carter Watkins (Manteno) 37-2, Sr. over Eli Larson (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 44-6, So. (Dec 7-2)
1A 190 – Hunter Eastin (Unity) 47-6, Jr. over Brody Cuppernell (The High School of Saint Thomas More) 35-4, Sr. (Dec 5-2)
1A 215 – Noah Wenzel (Dakota) 36-0, Sr. over Drake Champlin (East Alton-Wood River) 51-4, Jr. (Dec 7-4)
1A 285 – Jason Dowell (Althoff Catholic) 32-2, Jr. over Jaylen Torres (St. Francis) 19-2, So. (Dec 2-1)

Class 1A Third Place Matches

1A 106 – Jeremiah Lawrence (De La Salle Institute) 27-5, So. over Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) 37-18, So. (MD 12-4)
1A 113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) 40-5, Sr. over Dylan Eimer (Olympia) 33-5, Jr. (MD 8-0)
1A 120 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) 47-3, So. over Ian Rosborough (Oblong) 39-7, Sr. (Fall 1:42)
1A 126 – Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian) 44-1, So. over Tony Keene (Harrisburg) 44-4, Sr. (Fall 1:30)
1A 132 – Brady Grennan (Newman Central Catholic) 46-5, Sr. over Carson Bissey (Richland County) 48-3, Jr. (Dec 5-1)
1A 138 – Ace Christiansen (Princeton) 39-7, Jr. over Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 35-5, Fr. (UTB 5-4)
1A 144 – Santiago Chaparro (Chicago Hope Academy) 50-3, Sr. over Bryce Edwards (Murphysboro) 46-9, Jr. (Dec 7-1)
1A 150 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) 50-3, Jr. over Carson Maxey (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 40-10, Sr. (Dec 9-2)
1A 157 – Liam Fox (Murphysboro) 51-1, Sr. over Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 47-7, So. (MD 10-2)
1A 165 – Brady Brewick (Genoa-Kingston) 42-4, Sr. over Ryan Lower (Rockridge) 46-5, So. (Dec 4-1)
1A 175 – Josue Hernandez (De La Salle Institute) 32-7, Sr. over Angel Zamora (Hoopeston Area) 51-4, Jr. (TB-1 4-2)
1A 190 – Maddux Anderson (Orion) 49-3, Jr. over Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) 37-11, Jr. (Dec 7-6)
1A 215 – Jude Beers (Johnston City) 44-3, Sr. over Chris Peura (Seneca) 47-6, Sr. (Fall 1:59)
1A 285 – James Herring (Roxana) 46-4, Sr. over Cade Odell (Princeton) 32-4, Jr. (Dec 3-2)

Class 1A Fifth Place Matches

1A 106 – Augustus Swanson (Princeton) 35-3, So. over Owen Petersen (Coal City) 45-7, Fr. (Dec 6-4)
1A 113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) 42-9, Fr. over Cohen Sweely (Benton) 41-10, Fr. (Dec 5-2)
1A 120 – Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian) 42-2, So. over Logan Roberts (Warrensburg-Latham) 44-7, Jr. (MD 11-1)
1A 126 – Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) 42-7, So. over Gavin Ekberg (North Boone) 39-9, Jr. (Dec 4-0)
1A 132 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) 46-6, So. over Keygan Jennings (Farmington) 42-7, Sr. (SV-1 7-5)
1A 138 – Dylan Crouch (Dwight) 49-3, Jr. over Ian O`Connor (Illini Bluffs) 48-10, Sr. (Dec 5-3)
1A 144 – Carter Rude (Newman Central Catholic) 45-3, Sr. over Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 48-3, Jr. (M. For.)
1A 150 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) 47-5, Sr. over Grant Brewer (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 41-6, Sr. (Fall 5:37)
1A 157 – Daniel Kelly (Newman Central Catholic) 45-6, Jr. over Ayden Larkin (Hoopeston Area) 42-14, Jr. (Dec 13-7)
1A 165 – Ryan Rink (Unity) 43-12, Jr. over Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) 39-8, Sr. (M. For.)
1A 175 – Ty Carter (Red Bud) 47-5, Sr. over Dalton Brown (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 44-8, Sr. (Dec 4-2)
1A 190 – Danny Murphy (Canton) 47-4, Sr. over Calvin Savage (King College Prep) 36-6, Sr. (Dec 3-1)
1A 215 – Alejandro Duarte (Kewanee) 41-6, Jr. over Nolen Yeary (Olympia) 39-9, Sr. (Fall 3:37)
1A 285 – David McCarthy (De La Salle Institute) 31-7, Jr. over Roy Phelps (Chicago Hope Academy) 46-10, Jr. (Fall 1:15)

By Patrick Z. McGavin

In a sport shaped by technique, form and style, the heavyweights exist in their own world. The life of the 285-pounder is often defined by math and science.

Force plus mass creates its own internal dynamic.

Washington sophomore Sean Thornton discovered his own rhythm and tempo, with his own peculiar sense of timing and opportunity.

“I knew if I took him the distance, he wasn’t going with me,” Thornton said. “I’m good with my underhooks, and I like being in that position. He happened to go there, and I don’t think he knew I was good there. I was very comfortable.”

His takedown with :38 seconds remaining gave him the 6-4 decision over Montini’s Mick Ranquist in the Panthers’ enthralling 30-28 comeback victory in the Class 2A team dual state championship at Grossinger Motor Arena Saturday night.

“I was just grateful for all of my teammates and coaches who believed in me,” Thornton said.

Thornton (42-15) won all three of his matches in the state finals, including two by fall in the preliminaries. He finished with 30 falls.

The heavyweight match mirrored the larger narrative of the state championship colored by sharp momentum swings and twists that yielded its own sense of great theater and showmanship.

Ranquist registered the first period takedown for the opening advantage. Thornton countered with a reversal.

“I knew that was coming,” Thornton said. “He’d been hitting that all day.”

Ranquist countered with his own reversal for the 4-2 leads. Thornton created the escape to pull within 4-3 at the end of the second period.

The defining action proved to be the second stalling call against Ranquist that forged the 4-4 deadlock. “I was looking for some more stall calls at the end,” Thornton said. “He was running a little bit. I still got it done in the end.”

On the edge of the mat, Ranquist went for the throw, and Thornton was quicker to the body and pulled off the takedown.

Ranquist nearly pulled off the reversal in the closing seconds. Time ran out.

The defending state champions captured four of the final five matches to stun the Broncos, who were seeking their state-record 17th state championship.

In the showdown between the two historically-great programs, they exchanged haymakers. The two teams each won seven matches. In the end, Washington had the slight advantage in bonus points, with its three falls overcoming the one fall and two technical falls of the Broncos.

The Panthers’ dynamic finish nullified the Broncos’ fast start. Montini won six of the first nine matches, and had leads of 15-3 and 25-15.

Washington captured its sixth state dual championship in the last eight years of competition.

The clash with Montini proved the opposite of their victory over favored Joliet Catholic last year as the Panthers built the early lead and then held off a late charge by the Hilltoppers.

“We also did this last year of taking them out to lunch just to get them away from the tournament, and enjoy each other a little bit, get away from wrestling and do the social things together,” Washington coach Nick Miller said.

“I told them in last year’s dual, we were climbing and got off to a great start, and won some big matches early and they had to weather that. This one is going to be up and down, and you guys have to figure out how to stay even-keeled, be right there at the same level.”

Jaxon Lane defeated Washington’s Wyatt Leman 4-1 at 215 pounds that put the Broncos up 28-27 leading into the heavyweight bout.

After winning eight state championships between 1999 and 2010 at Montini, Mike Bukovsky returned to direct the program. 

“You have to give credit to Washington,” Bukovsky said. “They’re a great program, and they really wrestled hard and very well.

“Our kids really wrestled hard, and they had a great attitude the whole season. There were times tonight where we needed to be more disciplined. Washington was the more disciplined team.”

Montini beat Rochelle 56-22 in the quarterfinal and then beat Glenwood 46-22 in the semifinal round.

The Broncos had 12 individual state qualifiers and two state champions with freshman Allen Woo at 106 pounds and senior David Mayora at 150 pounds.

Montini’s stacked lineup featured six all-state performers with Woo, Mayora, Mikey Malizzio (third at 113 pounds), Josh Vazquez (runner-up 126 pounds), Kameron Luif (third at 132 pounds) and Harrison Konder (third at 157 pounds).

Mayora (42-1) closed out his remarkable career with a technical fall victory over the Panthers’ Tyler Brown.

The individual state champion showed dazzling technique and explosive athleticism, and provided a jolt of high-end leadership, toughness and skill.

“I have nothing else to say except that I’m very proud of this team,” David Mayora said. “It’s a little bittersweet, and I’m tearing up right now because I just wish that I had one more year.

”My little brother Isaac, and the other freshmen, sophomores and juniors are going to be able to hold themselves up. I’ll come back as a spectator, even when I’m in college, no matter, and I want to see each and every one of them get their hands raised.”

The most remarkable story of the Broncos’ path downstate came at the conclusion of their sectional final against IC Catholic Prep.

The match was tied heading into the final bout at 126 pounds.

Josh Vazquez saw a familiar face, his best friend and former high school teammate, the 120-pound state champion Deven Casey. The two wrestled together the previous two seasons at Aurora Christian.

Casey had back-to-back third-place state finishes at Aurora Christian. Vazquez lost the 120-pound state championship match. The top wrestlers at Aurora Christian like Casey followed coach Danny Alcocer after he took over the program at IC Catholic Prep.

Vazquez (48-5) elected to start over at Montini. His older brother, Nain Vazquez, was a former standout for the Broncos.

Casey defeated two-time defending state champion Drew Davis of Glenwood in the 120-pound state championship. 

“I found out at the weigh-in that he was bumping up,” Vazquez said. “That felt very bittersweet and strange to beat my teammate and former coach.”

Vazquez’s 3-2 decision was the difference in the 32-29 Montini dual victory. His 1-0 victory over Drew Davis was a highlight of the Montini semifinal victory.

In the fluid and constantly changing landscape, Montini was a force of nature.

“Whether there’s a better program out there or not, I think we’re one of the best,” Mayora said. “Maybe we lost tonight, but we still have one of the best rooms in Illinois. There’s nothing like it.

“We’re a family, and we love each other, and I don’t think anybody could have come into this room, and not love it.”

The state championship started at the top with the 106 pound match, where Woo (25-3) pushed the Broncos out to the fast start with the 0:54 fall of Zed Hulet.

Malizzio’s 10-3 decision over Logan Makiney provided the 9-0 advantage. 

The most controversial and significant development came at 120 pounds, where Isaac Mayora built the 3-1 advantage late in the second period with a takedown over Noah Woods.

Down 3-2 in the closing moments, Woods staged a furious rally and was able to get tight on Isaac Mayora in the closing seconds. As the time ran out, he caught the younger Mayora.

After conferring with the second official, they ruled in Woods’ favor for the dramatic 4-3 decision. Bukovsky disagreed with the call.

Washington earned a reprieve, and a change in fortunes.

Woods finished the season 44-16. His final win was the most consequential.

“I obviously couldn’t believe that myself,” Woods said. “I just dug deep. I did whatever I could to score there.My mentality going into that match was doing whatever I could to win, and fight for my family.

“We knew we’d find a way to get back in.”

Nick Miller immediately recognized the consequences.

“We snagged a big win late in the match,” he said. “I saw him swing around and catch the ankle, but I don’t know if it was enough. It was a close call that went our way.”

Vazquez’s 3-1 overtime victory over Eli Gonzalez was followed by Luif’s 7-4 decision over Timmy Smith for the 15-3 Montini lead.

Washington knew the heart of its order was waiting on deck. The Panthers featured eight state qualifiers, and six all-state wrestlers, marked at the top by sophomore state champion Wyatt Medlin at 138 pounds, and state runner-up Peyton Cox at 144 pounds.

Medlin (49-4) and Cox (29-2) offset the Broncos’ fast start with back to back falls that knotted the team score at 15-15.

Everything was starting over again.

“Peyton Cox and I played a huge role, but everybody really played a huge role tonight,” Medlin said. “It’s a team tournament. There are not two people on one team who are going to change it, and make a team win.

“Washington, Illinois beat this team. Wyatt Medlin and Peyton Cox did not beat this team. I had a great individual year, but I was our only state champion. It felt great winning an individual title, but seeing all of my brothers not reach their goal was tough and disappointing, so it’s great that we could all win this together and be a team again.”

Cox suffered his third consecutive state championship loss against St. Rita’s Sean Larkin. Just like last season, he got his redemption with a crucial victory that helped sway the team title.

“We trained all season for this moment,” Cox said. “We made our schedule as hard as possible to get ready for this. We’re battle tested.

We compete in some of the hardest tournaments in the country, dual and individual. 

“I had faith in us, and I knew we were ready for it. Losing three times in the state championship is really tough, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’d rather win two team titles than any individual championships.”

David Mayora and Konder (20-3) answered with consecutive technical falls that pushed Montini to its largest lead at 25-15.

The Panthers’ skilled upper weights showcase three elite high-end talents in Cael Miller (fifth at 165 pounds), Zane Hulet (third at 175 pounds), and Josh Hoffer (fourth at 190 pounds).

In one of the best matches, Miller (44-12) secured the 3-1 overtime victory over Santino Tenuta (35-10). Zane Hulet’s second period fall of Alexander Tack and Hoffer’s 7-2 decision over Alex Marre gave the Panthers their first lead at 27-25.

“Our coaches are amazing,” Cox said. “They push us, and they know how to work us. They make us better, and we’re about as tight as a team can get. We have each other’s backs.”

Like Montini, Washington cruised into the championship with one-sided victories over Wauconda and Brother Rice. 

This was a true white-knuckler with an impossible to predict outcome.

With all the other matches having finished, wrestlers from the other classes and teams stood about four abreast in watching the dramatic conclusion.

An instant classic had a tie and three lead changes. 

“You have to think that last year’s experience really helped,” Nick Miller said.

Glenwood (25-6) also earned a historic moment with its first state trophy in program history. 

The Titans lost all three of its previous state appearances in the quarterfinal round, including in consecutive seasons in 2018 and 2019. Glenwood broke through with a dominant 58-12 victory over Riverside-Brookfield in the quarterfinals.

The Titans punctuated their 57-17 third-place dual victory over Brother Rice with five falls.

Glenwood featured eight state qualifiers, and three place winners with Davis, John Ben Maduena (fourth at 138 pounds) and Maximus Wiezorek (fifth at 175 pounds).

John Ben Madeuna won all three of his state matches to finish 41-9. Wiezorek (56-9) pushed up to 190 pounds and posted the third period fall of state qualifier James Crane.

“Our team has had a bunch of really good people come through, and we never had a placement before today,” Madeira said. “It was just a really good thing. We came together as a team, and worked really hard in the room.

“We showed everyone what we were made of. We showed how much work we’ve been doing in the wrestling room.”

Brother Rice (22-7) also made history with its first state trophy. The Crusaders overcame a hard series of injuries, including an ACL knee injury that knocked out defending state champion Bobby Conway.

Falls by Dan Costello and Crane powered a stunning 12-0 final run in the breakthrough 36-27 victory over Mahomet-Seymour in the quarterfinal round.

Despite the horrible luck with injuries, the Crusaders had eight qualifiers, led by the sixth-place finish by Costello (39-9) at 175 pounds.

“This means a lot,” said senior 132-pounder James Bennett. “When I was a sophomore, we lost to Mahomet-Seymour and my older brother was on that team. It was his last match, and we ended it in a rough way. 

“Even with those injuries, this makes it even better. When you get over the hard stuff, that makes it even easier.”

The weight class results of the Class 2A team dual state championship

Washington 30, Montini 28

2A dual team state title match results:

106 – Allen Woo (Montini) F ) 0:54 Zed Hulet (Washington) 

113 – Mikey Malizzio (Montini) D 10-3 Logan Makiney (Washington)

120 – Noah Woods (Washington) D 4-3 Isaac Mayora (Montini)

126 – Josh Vazquez (Montini) SV-1 3-1 Eli Gonzalez (Washington)

132 – Kameron Luif (Montini) D 7-4 Timmy Smith (Washington)

138 – Wyatt Medlin (Washington) F 2:55 David Hernandez (Montini)

144 – Peyton Cox (Washington) F 1:37 Jeremy Huf (Montini)

150 – David Mayora (Montini) TF 26-11 Tyler Brown (Washington)

157 – Harrison Konder (Montini) TF 15-0 Cruise Brolley (Washington)

165 – Cael Miller (Washington) SV-1 3-1 Santino Tenuta (Montini)

175 – Zane Hulet (Washington) F 3:04 Alexander Tack (Montini)

190 – Josh Hoffer (Washington) D 7-2 Alex Marre (Montini)

215 – Jaxon Lane (Montini) D 4-1 Wyatt Leman (Washington)

285 – Sean Thornton (Washington) D 6-4 Michael Ranquist (Montini) 

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

IWCOA regionals at Althoff Catholic and Springfield Southeast, feeding the Granite City Sectional on March 2

Althoff Catholic Regional

Edwardsville led all schools with eight sectional qualifiers, led by regional champions KJ Jamison (132) and Braylon Hill-Lomax (215), while two other schools also had two regional champions apiece, in Belleville East’s Jackson Schadegg (101) and Eliot Dahm (157), and Murphysboro’s Paxton Pyatt (113) and Julien Tanner (285).

Also winning regional titles were Cahokia’s Ja’Marcus Agnew (106), Waterloo’s Konnor Stephens (120), Mascoutah’s Desi Wade (126), Sparta’s Gavin Watson (138), Alton’s Brayden Drew (144), East St. Louis’ Pierre Walton (150), Civic Memorial’s Luke McCoy (165), Trico’s Johnny Ramaker (175), and Freeburg’s Dane Olmstead (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Jackson Schadegg (Belleville East) over Braxton Tittle (Benton) (D 4-2)

106 – Ja`Marcus Agnew (Cahokia) over Zane Stanley (Benton) (MD 14-2)

113 – Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) over Corbin Zeisset (Belleville East) (D 1-0)

120 – Konnor Stephens (Waterloo) over Colin Waddington (Edwardsville) (D 8-4

126 – Desi Wade (Mascoutah) over Ian Trauernicht (Edwardsville) (SV-1 4-2)

132 – KJ Jamison (Edwardsville) over Braxton Tolley (Granite City) (D 5-3)

138 – Gavin Watson (Sparta) over Jordan Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah) (D 4-2)

144 – Brayden Drew (Alton Sr) over Braxton Kieffer (Litchfield) (D 7-1)

150 – Pierre Walton (East St. Louis) over George Ostrom (Edwardsville) (TF 19-4)

157 – Eliot Dahm (Belleville East) over Owen Hicks (Edwardsville) (D 5-0)

165 – Luke Mccoy (Civic Memorial) over Corey Robinson (East St. Louis Sr) (F 2:13)

175 – Johnny Ramaker (Trico) over Tristian Ward (Civic Memorial) (D 6-0)

190 – Dane Olmstead (Freeburg) over Evan Francis (Marion) (F 0:45)

215 -Braylon Hill-Lomax (Edwardsville) over Jack Amann (Freeburg) (F 1:16)

285 – Julien Tanner (Murphysboro) over Lucas Kunz (Edwardsville) (D 10-5)

Third-place match results:

101 – Nathan Fisher (Cahokia) over Juelz Elliott (Marion) (F 2:17)

106 – Jkwon Williamson (Marion) over Carter Marshall (Waterloo) (F 2:21)

113 – Shane Seip (Triad) over Ayden Swan (Carbondale) (D 9-7)

120 – Glen Henry (Triad) over Brock Becker (Freeburg) (F 0:24)

126 – Kaden Blades (Benton) over Macguire Leck (Mascoutah) (FF)

132 – Donovin Moore (Alton Sr) over Joshua Harkey (Civic Memorial) (D 10-3)

138 – Xander Goodwin (Belleville West) over Lonnez Smith (East St. Louis Sr) (FF)

144 – Sean Murphy (Mascoutah) over Trevor Tucker (Jersey) (F 2:29)

150 – Nicholas Hartley (Jersey) over Matt Walsh (Breese Central) (F 3:40)

157 – Carter Jones (Carterville) over Michael Minor (Benton) (TF 16-1

165 – Graham Taylor (Edwardsville) over Charles Jacquez (Trico) (F 1:59

175 – Kevahn Flannigan (Civic Memorial) over Martez Williams (Cahokia) (F 2:13)

190 – Julian Kadel (Freeburg) over Jeremiyah Barkley (East St. Louis Sr) (D 7-0

215 – Alex Bradley (O`Fon) over Josh Roby (Althoff Catholic) (F 1:36)

285 – Drake Spears (Benton) over Kelvin Howard (Cahokia) (F 3:50)

Springfield Southeast Regional

Quincy’s eight sectional qualifiers were led by regional champions Wyatt Boeing (120), Cale Mixer (138), Rennie Lilo (150), and Jayden Wilson (165).

Auburn had seven sectional qualifiers and got regional titles from Randall Hart (215) and Cash Thomas (285), while Warrensburg-Latham’s six qualifiers were led by regional champs Taygan Gossard (101) and Charles Wittmer (132). Sacred Heart-Griffin qualified five wrestlers to the sectional, led by regional champion Casen Lyons (175).

Other regional champions at Springfield Southeast were Riverton’s Harrison Lott (106), Jacksonville’s Hunter Hayes (113), Rochester’s Nicholas Mrozowski (126), Springfield’s Bryce Bryant (144), Pittsfield’s Jake Oitker (157), and Southeast’s Christopher Hull (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Taygan Gossard (Warrensburg-Latham) over George Piazza (Auburn) (F 4:37)

106 – Harrison Lott (Riverton) over Jayce Evans (Jacksonville) (D 10-4)

113 – Hunter Hayes (Jacksonville) over Steven Easley (Jacksonville) (F 1:51)

120 – Wyatt Boeing (Quincy) over Karson Beenenga (Southeast) (D 12-5)

126 – Nicholas Mrozowski (Rochester) over Noah Duncan (Auburn) (D 5-0)

132 – Charles Wittmer (Warrensburg-Latham) over Cale Hilbing (Quincy Notre Dame) (MD 17-3)

138 – Cale Mixer (Quincy) over Matthew Miller (Williamsville) (MD 15-5)

144 – Bryce Bryant (Springfield) over Maddox Medrano (Beardstown) (MD 14-4)

150 – Rennie Lilo (Quincy) over James Escobar (Rochester) (F 2:52)

157 – Jake Oitker (Pittsfield) over Jamarion Thomas (PORTA) (F 4:12)

165 – Jayden Wilson (Quincy) over Alcantar Medrano (Beardstown) (D 5-0)

175 – Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin) over Shamar Brownlee (Springfield) (D 8-6)

190 – Christopher Hull (Southeast) over Brody Dukes (Warrensburg-Latham) (F 1:00)

215 – Randall Hart (Auburn) over Elias Banks (Riverton) (F 2:33)

285 – Cash Thomas (Auburn) over King Johnson (Quincy) (F 1:40)

Third place match results:

101 – Charlie Welch (Camp Point Central) received a bye

106 – Case Hughes (Camp Point Central) over Alejandro Armenta (Beardstown) (F 2:28)

113 – Eli Taylor (Springfield) over Blaise Rogers (Taylorville) (D 11-10)

120 – Drayven Hamm (Auburn) over Joel Noble (Pittsfield) (F 2:03)

126 – Porter Dennis (Sacred Heart-Griffin) over Leandre Huggins (Lanphier) (F 0:55)

132 – Cooper Kamm (Quincy) over Stan Vacek (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (TF 19-4)

138 – John Harper III (Jacksonville) over Cooper Balen (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (F 1:51)

144 – Jayden Brown (Auburn) over Jaedon Rhone (Jacksonville) (F 2:22)

150 – Noah Beckmann (Jacksonville) over Anthony Steskal (Lanphier) (SV-1 14-12)

157 – Owen Evans (Auburn) over Josef Hamell (Taylorville) (F 3:45)

165 – Tez Williams (Springfield) over Kamden Gaither (Warrensburg-Latham) (F 2:02)

175 – Alex Wells (Quincy) over Kavone Brown (Southeast) (SV-1 6-4)

190 – Anthony Beckman (Williamsville) over Robert Meacham (Lanphier) (F 0:46)

215 – Jack Kerley (Warrensburg-Latham) over John Martinez (Jacksonville) (F 2:52)

285 – Brycen Stock (Warrensburg-Latham) over Lucas Oseland (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (F 3:21)

IWCOA regionals at Clinton and Normal, feeding the Heyworth sectional on March 3

Clinton Regional

Five teams in Clinton, Hoopeston Area, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher, Lawrenceville/Red Hill and Mt. Zion each had two champions to lead the way at the IWCOA Clinton Regional. Mt. Zion had the most sectional qualifiers with seven.

Regional champions were Clinton’s Briley Carter (101) and Russell Stamp (157), Lawrenceville/Red Hill’s Drew Seitzinger (106) and Hudson Meek (138), Hoopeston Area’s 

Charlie Flores (113) and Aiden Bell (132), Mt. Zion’s Jackson Heckel (144) and Carson Thornton (190) and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Sam Manson (165) and Jaxon Wright (175). Other title winners were Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Tyler Huchel (120), Shelbyville’s Bodee Fathauer (126), Robinson’s Benjamin Mullins (150), Mattoon’s  Mitchell Clapp (215) and Pontiac’s Hunter McCullough (285).

Championship match results:

101 – Briley Carter (Clinton) over Haley Richter (Heyworth) F 0:55

106 – Drew Seitzinger (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) received a bye

113 – Charlie Flores (Hoopeston Area) over Colin Wells (Shelbyville) TF 15-0

120 – Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) over Kaeden Davis (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) F 1:33

126 – Bodee Fathauer (Shelbyville) over Tristan Porter (Mattoon) F 2:11

132 – Aiden Bell (Hoopeston Area) over Brody Goonan (Mattoon) D 7-2

138 – Hudson Meek (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) over Jonathon Moore (St. Joseph-Ogden) F 4:03

144 – Jackson Heckel (Mt. Zion) over Jonah Fonner (Urbana) D 2-2

150 – Benjamin Mullins (Robinson) over Josiah Williams (Danville) MD 9-0

157 – Russell Stamp (Clinton) over Devan Swisher (St. Joseph-Ogden) MD 13-4

165 – Sam Manson (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) over Kalvin Becker (Mt. Zion) F 3:31

175 – Jaxon Wright (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) over Sergio Baity (Centennial) F 1:37

190 – Carson Thornton (Mt. Zion) over Ethan Miller (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 2:39

215 – Mitchell Clapp (Mattoon) over Landynn Balla (Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/Armstrong) F 4:45

285 – Hunter McCullough (Pontiac) over Evan Ashmore (Mt. Zion) F 3:46

Third Place match results:

113 – Noah Davis (Pontiac) over Matt Hutchinson (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 2:08

120 – Jaxtyn Chansler (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) over Braylon Damery (Mt. Zion) F 3:54

126 – Drayden Ramsey (Pontiac) over Caleb Hamilton (Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin/Armstrong) F 2:37

132 – Malachi Hutchison (Urbana) over Cale Seitzinger (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) MD 15-5

138 – Nathan Daly (St. Joseph-Ogden) over Ty McMasters (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 0:43

144 – Justin Droke Jr. (Clinton) over Caleb Berg (Unity Christian) D 5-0

150 – Trevor Soice (Heyworth) over Colton Shubert (Monticello) F 2:14

157 – William Mullins (Robinson) over Oliver Reed (Clinton) F 1:02

165 – Edwin Villagomez (Urbana) over Earl Kelnhofer (Hoopeston Area) D 11-10

175 – Rylyn Owens (Mt. Zion) over Ethan Evans (Charleston) F 0:19

190 – Jarrod Fulcher (Heyworth) over Zander Schrader (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) F 4:21

215 – Taven Agney (Shelbyville) over Jacob Jones (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) F 0:56

285 – Kendall Newell (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) over Jack Rogers (Mt. Zion) F 0:20

Normal Community Regional

Normal Community led all schools with nine sectional qualifiers, led by regional champions Jackson Soney (101), Ethan Cavallo (120), and Carter Mayes (144).

Morton had a pair of regional champs among its five sectional qualifiers, in Harrison Dea (113) and Benjamin Chaffer (215). Marquette Academy also had a pair of regional champs in Beau Thompson (126) and Reily Leifheit (157), as did Deer Creek-Mackinaw in regional champs Wyatt Otto (165) and Ryker Gemberling (175).

Other regional champions on the day were Canton’s Jake Hardesty (106), Normal West’s Mason Wood (132), Metamora’s Connor Graham (138), Illinois Valley Central’s Antonio Toliver (150), Olympia’s Darian Holloway (190), and Bloomington’s David Williams (285).

Championship matches:

101 – Jackson Soney (Normal Community) over Joshua Stedwill (Peoria Notre Dame) F 0:58

106 – Jake Hardesty (Canton) over Elijah Conda (Normal Community) D 6-4

113 – Harrison Dea (Morton) over Cash Hill (Morton) F 2:02

120 – Ethan Cavallo (Normal Community) over Devon Swope (Dunlap) MD 15-4

126 – Beau Thompson (Marquette Academy) over Nolan Lowe (University High) SV 6-4

132 – Mason Wood (Normal West) over Cameron Bell (Lincoln) MD 21-8

138 – Connor Graham (Metamora) over Ethan Lowe (University High) F 4:51

144 – Carter Mayes (Normal Community) over Jackson Painter (Normal Community) F 0:59

150 – Antonio Toliver (Illinois Valley Central) over Mason Taylor (Galesburg) D 11-5

157 – Reily Leifheit (Marquette Academy) over Jayden Schmick (Dunlap) F 1:43

165 – Wyatt Otto (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) over Colton Mckee (Morton) F 4:56

175 – Ryker Gemberling (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) over Connor Karnes Pekin) F 1:16

190 – Darian Holloway (Olympia) over Miles Chaffer (Morton) F 1:28

215 – Benjamin Chaffer (Morton) over Caleb Zirkelbach (Lincoln) F 2:23

285 – David Williams (Bloomington) over Keegan Barnes (East Peoria) F 1:26

Third Place matches:

101 – Christian Johnson (Limestone) over Donovan Lowery (Normal West) F 4:38

106 – Johnny Thomas (Normal Community) over Jacob Payne (Normal West) F 3:27

113 – Dakoda Hentz (Limestone) over Carter Knobloch (Olympia) F 3:42

120 – Ruben Rivera (University High) over Austin Kisner (Olympia) D 13-9

126 – Hunter Toliver (Illinois Valley Central) over Chad Rickey (ROWVA) D 7-4

132 – Cole Brooks (East Peoria) over Orlando Castellano (Galesburg) MD 10-1

138 – Christopher Rose (Bloomington) over Colton Mosack (Dunlap) D 3-0

144 – Drew Williams (Richwoods) over Quinton Davis (East Peoria) F 1:20

150 – Ryne Metelko (Lincoln) over Braylon Harris (Bloomington) D 11-4

157 – Anthony Makwala (Galesburg) over Victor Reyes (Normal Community) MD 16-5

165 – Dalton Oakman (East Peoria) over Cole Kretsinger (Normal Community) D 12-8

175 – Zacharia Fry (Olympia) over Benjamin Buis (El Paso-Gridley) D 9-7

190 – Austin Webb (Richwoods) over Thomas Baker (Peoria Notre Dame) F 0:36

215 – Alec Deltoro (East Peoria) over Adrian Ramirez (Normal Community) TF 18-3

285 – Hayden Ralph (Richwoods) over Israel Lukoji (Bloomington) F 2:28

IWCOA regionals at DeKalb and Morrison, feeding the Sterling Sectional on March 3

DeKalb Regional

Sycamore had seven sectional qualifiers on the day, led by regional champs Michael Olson (113) and Tyler Lockhart (120), and Hampshire matched it with seven qualifiers of its own plus two champions in Deegan Kirschke (101) and Michael Brannigan (157).

Harlem had six sectional qualifiers, led by a pair of regional champs in Izayah Olejniczak (126) and Chandler Jack (215), and DeKalb also qualified six, led by regional champion Cam Matthews (144).

Burlington Central had a pair of regional champs in Jackson Marlett (106) and Michael Junitz (165), and other wrestlers winning regional titles were Guilford’s Ayden Macklin (132), Oregon’s Jayden Berry (138), Belvidere North’s Andrew Bucci (150), Marengo’s Frankie Solis (175), Harvard’s Blake Livdahl (190), and Dakota’s Randy McPeek (285)

Championship match results:

101 – Deegan Kirschke (Hampshire) over Jaden Bradley (DeKalb) (F 1:39)

106 – Jackson Marlett (Burlington Central) over over Nathan Corder (Harlem) (TF 17-1)

113 – Michael Olson (Sycamore) over Landon Ege (Oregon) (MD 12-1)

120 – Tyler Lockhart (Sycamore) over Andrew Salmieri (Hampshire) (F 3:28)

126 – Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem) over Taqiuldin Baker (Woodstock) (D 3-2)

132 – Ayden Macklin (Guilford) over Cael Ohoro (Byron) (D 6-3)

138 – Jayden Berry (Oregon) over Jack Gruber (Kaneland) (F 2:03)

144 – Cam Matthews (DeKalb) over Xzavier Lindhe (Guilford) (D 5-0)

150 – Andrew Bucci (Belvidere North) over Giovanni Marino (Hampshire) (F 1:23

157 – Michael Brannigan (Hampshire) over Doug Gemberling (Sycamore) (F 1:18)

165 – Michael Junitz (Burlington Central) over Adam Carrick (Sycamore) (D 6-2)

175 – Frankie Solis (Marengo) over Albion Alili (Hampshire) (D 7-3)

190 – Blake Livdahl (Harvard) over over David RanDker (Woodstock North) (TF 18-2

215 – Chandler Jack (Harlem) over Logan Gibson (Burlington Central) (F 4:07)

285 – Randy McPeek (Dakota) received a bye () (Bye)

Third-place match results:

101 – Dominic Angileri (Guilford) over Charlie Olson (Sycamore) (MD 13-2)

106 – Jonathon Sebring (Marengo) over Dominic Osinski (Woodstock) (F 0:54)

113 – Lou Jensen (Hampshire) over Jaydee Doke (Harlem) (D 6-5)

120 – Eduardo Vences (Burlington Central) over over Kennison Sims (DeKalb) (TF 17-1)

126 – Ayden Shuey (DeKalb) over Owen Vail (Harvard) (MD 9-0)

132 – Geren Stapleton (Belvidere North) over Noah Carlson (Sycamore) (F 0:58)

138 – Jordan Reed (Polo) over Owen Hollingsworth (Harlem) (F 4:24)

144 – Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley) over draven zier (Polo) (F 2:31)

150 – Logan Wisner (Woodstock) over kaenyn McCarren (Polo) (F 4:09)

157 – Landon VanAcker (Belvidere North) over Eden Varner (Stillman Valley) (F 0:31)

165 – Gavin Baros (Marengo) over Charlie Faulkner (Harlem) (D 5-3)

175 – Dermot Dolan (Durand) over John Turner (Sycamore) (MD 12-1)

190 – Carter Hintz (Hampshire) over Elvis Mora (DeKalb) (F 1:55)

215 – Terrion Davis (Guilford) over Alex Reubin (DeKalb) (D 16-10)

285 – BYE

Morrison Regional

All six of Moline’s sectional qualifiers were regional champions at Morrison, in Housseyn Ndiaye (120), Dominick Diaz (126), Hassan Ndiaye (144), Jaxson Soliz (150), Deanthony Simpson (157), and Jude Ossian (165).

Rock Island led all schools with 10 sectional qualifiers, led by regional champion Mason Frye (215), and Dixon had a trio of regional champs among its four qualifiers, in Riley Paredes (106), Kye Dieterle (113) and Dylan Bopes (285).

Also winning regional titles were LaSalle-Peru’s Austin Herron (101), Rock Falls’ Adan Oquendo (132), Geneseo’s Grady Hull (138), Lena Winslow’s Duncan Nevel (175), and Stockton’s Oliver McPeek (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Austin Herron (LaSalle Peru) over Tyler Olson (Orion) (F 2:31)

106 – Riley Paredes (Dixon) over Tyquez Hudson (Rock Island) (D 2-1)

113 – Kye Dieterle (Dixon) over Cael Lyons (Sterling) (D 13-8)

120 – Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline) over Josiah Tarbill (Rock Fs) (F 2:10)

126 – Dominick Diaz (Moline) over Xavier Marolf (United) (D 7-0)

132 – Adan Oquendo (Rock Falls) over Lincoln Barnett (Geneseo) (D 8-5)

138 – Grady Hull (Geneseo) over Clayton Blumenstein (Rockridge) (F 2:43)

144 – Hassan Ndiaye (Moline) over Andrew Knox (Sherrard) (MD 10-2)

150 – Jaxson Soliz (Moline) over Neyo Holloway (Dixon) (F 1:56)

157 – Deanthony Simpson (Moline) over Trail Stonitsch (Rock Fs) (F 0:51)

165 – Jude Ossian (Moline) over Benjamin Geske (Newman Central Catholic) (F 1:56)

175 – Duncan Nevel (Lena Winslow) over Dameon Poulton (Galena High School) (D 8-6)

190 – Oliver Mcpeek (Stockton) over Kylan Mitchell (Rock Island) (TF 15-0)

215 – Mason Fry (Rock Island) over Jonathan Weakley (Sherrard) (F 2:18)

285 – Dylan Bopes (Dixon) over Emilio Guzman (Rock Island) (D 3-2)

Third-place match results:

101 – Gideon Richards (Kewanee) over Scottie Hampton Jr (Rock Fs) (D 6-5)

106 – Evan Jones (Sterling) over Mason Teague (Rock Island) (F 0:42)

113 – Thomas Olson (Freeport) over Maricio Parker (Rock Island) (F 0:49)

120 – Ayden Shaw (Sterling) over Kie Smith (Geneseo) (MD 10-2)

126 – Temar Hudson (Rock Island) over Logan Thome (Rock Fs) (Inj. 0:00)

132 – Caiden Heath (Amboy) over Emmanuel Arreola (Sterling) (D 11-4)

138 – Mauricio Glass (Stockton) over George Tate (Rock Island) (F 2:15)

144 – Caleb Plut (LaSalle-Peru) over Ian McGowan (Rock Island) (F 4:33)

150 – Jonner Smith (West Carroll) over Brayden Johnson (Kewanee) (F 2:01)

157 – Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (Freeport) over Preston Brunat (Rockridge) (D 3-2)

165 – John Mensendike (Lena Winslow) over Josias Dokambire (United) (MD 12-0)

175 – Landon Montroy (Monmouth) over Wyatt Neumann (Geneseo) (D 5-4)

190 – Zach Scace (Lena Winslow) over Rowan Stockwell (Rock Island) (F 0:23)

215 -Evan Flanagan (Amboy) over Sailas Cung (Monmouth) (F 2:12)

285 – Jahkei Jones (Rock Fs) over Airies Simmons (Kewanee) (F 2:45)

IWCOA regionals at Lake Zurich and Lakes feeding the Lake Zurich Sectional March 3

Lake Zurich Regional

Barrington had a trio of regional champs among its five sectional qualifiers in Brennan O’Donnell (126), Daniel Blanke (138), and Clarence Jackson (285)

Hersey’s Frank Tagoe (150) was a regional champion leading a pack of six Huskies to the weekend’s sectional at Lake Zurich; Crystal Lake Central’s four qualifiers were led by a pair of regional champs in Dylan Ramsey (113) and Tyler Porter (165); and Dundee-Crown’s three qualifiers featured a pair of regional champs in Aiden Healey (101) and Teigen Moreno (215).

Jacobs advanced five wrestlers to the sectional, led by regional champions Ben Arbotante (120) and Johnny Strauss (175).

Also winning regional titles were Schaumburg’s Austin Phelps (106), Huntley’s Gavin Nischke (132), Prospect’s Bennett Westfallen (144), Fremd’s Lucas Nance (157), and McHenry’s Ariel Montes (190).

Championship match results:

101 – Aiden Healey (Dundee-Crown) over Charlie Melo (Conant) (F 0:50)

106 – Austin Phelps (Schaumburg) over Kristian Dlercq (Jacobs) (D 4-3)

113 – Dylan Ramsey (Crystal Lake Central) over Trentin Odachowski (Fremd) (D 11-5)

120 – Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) over Aibar Aitkaliuly (Hersey) (D 7-3)

126 – Brennan O`Donnell (Barrington) over Joseph Caputo (Bartlett) (F 3:51)

132 – Gavin Nischke (Huntley) over Mohammed El-Zein (Palatine) (D 5-0)

138 – Daniel Blanke (Barrington) over Nick Zuehlke (Crystal Lake Central) (MD 10-0)

144 – Bennett WestFen (Prospect) over Ryan Johnston (McHenry) (F 1:28)

150 – Frank Tagoe (Hersey) over Joe Quirk (Prospect) (D 7-0)

157 – Lucas Nance (Fremd) over Waylon Theobald (Huntley) (SV-1 6-4)

165 – Tyler Porter (Crystal Lake Central) over Owen Hurd (Huntley) (F 4:53)

175 – Johnny Strauss (Jacobs) over Caden Schladt (Carry Grove) (Inj. 0:00)

190 – Ariel Montes (McHenry) over Brody Lidbury (McHenry) (F 2:04)

215 – Teigen Moreno (Dundee-Crown) over Diego Arceo (Hersey) (D 6-0)

285 – Clarence Jackson (Barrington) over Bernard Erhabor (Hersey) (F 1:30)

Third-place match results:

101 – Cj Talbert (Crystal Lake South) over Willem Anderson (Barrington) (F 2:18)

106 – Michael Goolish (Conant) over Anthony Martinez (Jacobs) (F 2:05)

113 – Saul Ramirez (Barrington) over Colin Abordo (Huntley) (TF 15-0)

120 – Robert Suvi (Lake Zurich) over Kellen Oxborrow (Lake Zurich) (D 8-3)

126 – Daniel Derevlyak (Palatine) over Brody Hinkle (Schaumburg) (D 6-5)

132 – Aiden Quevedo (Schaumburg) over Cameron Engels (Bartlett) (D 6-5)

138 – Matt Keaty (Huntley) over Michael Marcello (Fremd) (F 2:37)

144 – Grant Moga (Hersey) over Anthony Marcello (Fremd) (F 3:45)

150 – Dmytro Patykovskyi (Hoffman Estates) over Kaden Abrantes (Lake Zurich) (D 12-9)

157 – Gavin Payne (Prospect) over Drew Frank (Hersey) (D 5-2)

165 – Owen Dewey (Prospect) over Joshua Benson (Schaumburg) (F 2:10)

175 – Joseph Reiswig (Palatine) over Antonin Svoboda (Lake Park) (D 5-0)

190 – Zachary Anderson (Dundee-Crown) over Anthony Basso (Carry Grove) (SV-1 7-5)

215 – Lucas Retzler (Jacobs) over James Brouilette (Prospect) (D 5-1)

285 – Owen Jakubczak (Fremd) over Logan Gough (Crystal Lake Central) (D 6-5)

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Sixteen regionals throughout Illinois took place Saturday and Sunday, kicking off this year’s 28th Annual IWCOA Freshman/Sophomore and Girls state championships, which will take place March 9-10 at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield.

Eight girls sectional tournaments will take place March 2-3. 

Here are the weekend’s results from eight boys regionals that feed sectionals to be held March 3 at Evanston, Naperville Central, Thornton, and Shepard.

The top four regional finishers in each weight class advance to sectional competition.

IWCOA regionals at Glenbrook South, Notre Dame feeding the Evanston Sectional

Notre Dame Regional

Host Notre Dame led all schools with 11 wrestlers advancing to Saturday’s Evanston Sectional, led by regional champions John Greifelt (120) and Sean Cook (215). Fenton was next with nine sectional qualifiers, led by regional champs Rene Reyna (126), Omar Diaz (150), and Robert Solideo (285). St. Patrick advanced eight wrestlers, led by regional champion Dean Angelo (113).

IC Catholic Prep led all schools with four regional champions among its five sectional qualifiers, in Dominic Pasquale (101), Benjamin Czarnowski (138), Martin Noth (175), and Anthony Sebastian (190).

Other regional champions at Notre Dame were Proviso West’s Andrew Rice (106), Fenwick’s Burke Burns (132), York’s Jackson Hanselman (144), Intrinsic Charter’s Santori Knight (157), and Addison Trail’s Alen Bautista (165).

Championship match results:

101 – Dominic Pasquale (IC Catholic) over Jack Koenig (St. Patrick) (D 7-1)

106 – Andre Rice (Proviso W) over Gabriel Hernandez (Fenton) (F 2:59)

113 – Dean Angelo (St. Patrick) over Roberto Ortiz (St. Patrick) (D 7-6)

120 – John Greifelt (Notre Dame) over Gio Irizarry (St. Patrick) (F 3:43)

126 – Rene Reyna (Fenton) over Jaden Rodriguez (Morton) (F 1:35)

132 – Burke Burns (Fenwick) over Kelvyn West (Proviso W) (D 6-0)

138 – Benjamin Czarnowski (IC Catholic) over Sebastian Bruno (St. Patrick) (F 1:54)

144 – Jackson Hanselman (York) over Andrew Rieger (St. Patrick) (F 2:43)

150 – Omar Diaz (Fenton) over Jeramy Hamm (Notre Dame) (D 9-4)

157 – Santori Knight (Intrinsic Charter) over Jose Honorato (Fenton) (F 4:51)

165 – Alen Bautista (Addison Trail) over Robert Arroyo (Fenwick) (D 4-3)

175 – Martin Noth (IC Catholic) over Timothy Golden (St. Patrick) (F 0:34)

190 – Anthony Sebastian (IC Catholic) over Gio Sandoval (Morton) (D 2-0)

215 – Sean Cook (Notre Dame) over Zach Jaffray (Leyden) (D 6-1)

285 – Robert Solideo (Fenton) over Josh Zuniga (Fenton) (Inj. 0:00)

Third-place match results:

101 – Ray Long (Notre Dame) won by tech F over Tommy Conners (York) (TF 18-3)

106 – Jabari Taylor (Proviso W) over Shay Boyle (Notre Dame) (D 7-2)

113 – Johnniel Otero (Proviso E) over Isaiah Cordero (Niles W) (D 10-3)

120 – Anthony Brown (Proviso W) over Mohammad Khater (Ridgewood) (MD 9-1)

126 – Patrick Hulne (St. Patrick) over Alex Singto (Notre Dame) (F 2:10)

132 – Joseph Pontrelli (IC Catholic) over Angel De La Cruz (Fenton) (F 3:00)

138 – Carson Colbenson (Notre Dame) over Solanus Daley (Fenwick) (D 6-1)

144 – George McShane (Northridge Prep) over John Carr (Notre Dame) (F 0:53)

150 – Francisco Saez (Morton) over Giovanni Dorado (Fenton) (F 1:19)

157 – Ricardo Garcia-Chavez (Fenwick) over Nikolas Mestousis (Niles W) (F 0:46)

165 – Devin Aviles (Fenton) over Nick Centracchio (Notre Dame) (F 4:23)

175 – Ryan Henrichs (Fenwick) over Dylan Crump (Proviso E) (F 1:46)

190 – Santiago Luis Moya (Morton) over Jonathan Wilson (Intrinsic charter) (F 1:23)

215 – Zikomo Mbewe (Fenwick) over Peter Escamilla (Notre Dame) (F 2:15)

285 – Connor Moynihan (Notre Dame) over Marquis Camacho-Hernandez (Morton) (F 0:32)

Glenbrook South Regional

Maine South led all teams with five regional champions in advancing 12 wrestlers to the Evanston Sectional. Winning regional titles for the Hawks were George Georgiev (101), Brett Harman (113), Jake Colleran (132), Caden Ljubenko (138), and Marty Greif (165).

Host Glenbrook South got individual titles from Ermuun Urtnasan (106), Dominic Marino (157), Jacob Shamoon (190), and Louis Luna (215) among its 11 sectional qualifiers, and Deerfield’s seven qualifiers were led by regional champs Noah Palzet (120) and Adrian Cohen (126).

Also winning regional crowns were Glenbrook North’s Isaac Johnson (144), Evanston’s Rodrigo Salinas (150) and Ian Sims (285), and Lane Tech’s Maddox Bartoli (175).

Championship match results:

101 – George Georgiev (Maine S) over Quentin Williams (Loyola) (D 3-2)

106 – Ermuun Urtnasan (Glenbrook S) over Alex Gudgeon (Highland Pk) (F 3:55)

113 – Brett Harman (Maine S) over Christopher Tranas (Glenbrook S) (F 2:15)

120 – Noah Palzet (Deerfield) over Angel Santana (Lane Tech) (D 6-0)

126 – Adrian Cohen (Deerfield) over Matthew Miralles (New Trier) (F 2:04)

132 – Jake Colleran (Maine S) over Kael Schrauth (Glenbrook S) (F 4:55)

138 – Caden Ljubenko (Maine S) over Jack Burton (Glenbrook S) (F 0:35)

144 – Isaac Johnson (Glenbrook N) over Aidan Minihane (Glenbrook S) (F 0:47)

150 – Rodrigo Salinas (Evanston) over Yassin Aitzemkour (New Trier) (D 6-3)

157 – Dominic Marino (Glenbrook S) over Henry Hafner (Glenbrook N) (D 7-6)

165 – Marty Greif (Maine S) over Amjad Babidi (Maine W) (D 11-4)

175 – Maddox Bartoli (Lane Tech) over Lucas Paich (Glenbrook N) (F 2:16)

190 – Jacob Shamoon (Glenbrook S) over Sainjargal Urabold (Glenbrook S) (D 5-4)

215 – Louis Luna (Glenbrook S) over Daniel Derbedyenyev (Highland Pk) (F 3:35)

285 – Ian Sims (Evanston) over Jeremy Marshall (Evanston) (TB-1 2-1)

Third-place match results

101 – Jorey Becker (Deerfield) over Erle Rosete (Maine S) (MD 8-0)

106 – Colin Bosak (DePaul Prep) over Gabriel Pearlman (Deerfield) (F 1:32)

113 – Connor Maschek (DePaul Prep) over Jackson Hirsch (Glenbrook N) (F 2:45)

120 – Emmett Mazukelli (Maine S) over Sean Gaertner (Maine S) (F 2:59)

126 – Daniel Malan (Loyola) over Michael Crawford (Loyola) (F 1:42)

132 – Jordan Mokhtarian (Glenbrook N) over Jayden Palzet (Deerfield) (F 3:48)

138 – John Palmer (Glenbrook S) over Joe Siprut (Lane Tech) (F 0:56)

144 – Cole Calace (Lane Tech) over Louis Avalos (Maine W) (F 0:23)

150 – Colton Pacholski (Loyola) over Jonathan Weissmueller (Deerfield) (F 2:27)

157 – Aleksander Knapik of (Loyola) over Dan Egan (Maine S) (D 6-4)

165 – Diego Lopez (Evanston) over Stefan Ivosevic (Maine S) (F 4:30)

175 – Zach Willis (Glenbrook N) over Andy Ciriaco (Evanston) (D 5-4)

190 – Josiah Saris (Evanston) over Alex Jacobson (New Trier) (Inj. 0:00)

215 – Tommy Leach (Maine S) over Finn McCann (Highland Pk) (F 1:15)

285 – Alexander Berry (Deerfield) over Brendan Gomez (Glenbrook S) (F 4:00)

IWCOA regionals at Richards, Sarah Goode feeding the Shepard Sectional

Richards Regional

Marist led all teams with 18 sectional qualifiers, led by a stable of seven regional champions in Dylan Weber (101), Elio Gil (106), Joseph Bronske (120), Ronin Haran (144), Kyle Herzog (175), Tommy O’Brien (215) and Daniel Mahoney (285).

Carl Sandburg had three champs in Oscar Kalman (113), Ahmad Abu (150) and Adnan Askar (157) to lead eight sectional qualifiers. Oak Forest advanced five to the sectional, led by regional champs Jason Janke (165) and Nathan Pinski-Izguerra (190).

Others winning regional titles were Bremen’s Izaiah Gonzalez (126), Stagg’s Samer Suleiman (132), and Shepard’s Joey Massey (138).

Championship match results:

101 – Dylan Weber (Marist) over Zayne Salah (Carl Sandburg) (F 3:54)

106 – Elio Gil (Marist) over Roberto Rangel (Marist) (F 0:43)

113 – Oscar Kalman (Carl Sandburg) over Jake Crawford (Marist) (D 4-1)

120 – Joseph Bronske (Marist) over Eddie Astorga Ii (Marist) (D 4-2)

126 – Izaiah Gonzalez (Bremen) over Adrian Cervantes (Evergreen Park) (D 10-6)

132 – Samer Suleiman (Stagg) over Harrison Stroobooscher (Shepard) (TF 16-1)

138 – Joey Massey (Shepard) over Jack Lorenz (Marist) (F 1:51)

144 – Ronin Haran (Marist) over Obaida Hasan (Carl Sandburg) (D 5-2)

150 – Ahmad Abu (Carl Sandburg) over Owen Brady (Evergreen Park) (D 6-5)

157 – Adnan Askar (Carl Sandburg) over Aiden Hill (Shepard) (D 3-2)

165 – Jason Janke (Oak Forest) over Huthaifa Issa (Richards) (F 0:52)

175 – Kyle Herzog (Marist) over Anthony Edelen (Carl Sandburg) (F 0:57)

190 – Nathan Pinski-Izguerra (Oak Forest) over Michael Town (Marist) (F 2:12)

215 – Tommy OBrien (Marist) over Jack Watson (Marist) (F 1:49)

285 – Daniel Mahoney (Marist) over Josh Valenzuela (Richards) (F 4:56)

Third-place match results:

101 – Henry Eckardt (Shepard) over Miles Rutkoski (Stagg) (D 7-4)

106 – Javier Corral (Stagg) over Damian Perez (Evergreen Park) (F 5:00)

113 – Dylan Mcbride (Oak Forest) over Amir Alkilani (Richards) (F 4:00)

120 – Henry Manning (St Laurence) over Jayden Cervantes (Evergreen Park) (D 12-7)

126 – Sean Loughney (Marist) over Augustas Leskauskas (Richards) (D 12-11)

132 – Henry Beeson (Marist) over Tyrese Howard (Shepard) (F 1:00)

138 – Romeo Gonzalez (Oak Lawn) over Alex Accardi (Carl Sandburg) (D 7-3)

144 – Derek Rodríguez (Oak Forest) over Giacomo Lawton (Marist) (F 3:40)

150 – Charlie Shane (Oak Lawn) over Isiah Martinez (Shepard) (SV-1 7-5)

157 – Travis Ellis (Shepard) over Jayden Contreras (Shepard) (D 14-7)

165 – Wyatt Hochgraber (Carl Sandburg) over Jihad Suleiman (Stagg) (F 0:40)

175 – Maciej Zalinski (St Laurence) over David Wolski (Marist) (F 2:36)

190 – Rayshawn Doles (Eisenhower) over Justin Xique (Tinley Park) (MD 12-3)

215 – Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) over Christopher Korduplewski (Tinley Park) (D 5-1)

285 – Danzel Newell (Marist) over Christian Avelar (Argo) (F 2:24)

Sarah Goode Regional

St. Rita qualified eight to the sectional, led by regional champions Luke Pappalas (113), James Bansley (175) and Mark Kelleher (285). Hope Academy also advanced eight wrestlers, led by regional champions Jorge Rios (126) and Tyran Pritchett (190), and Horizon Southwest’s six qualifiers were led by regional champs Felipe Aguilar (150), Inake Mata (165), and Samel Marerro (215).

Chicago School for Agricultural Sciences had three regional champions in Elijah Sawyers (106), Kingston Sawyers (120), and Maurice Bush (138) to lead a pack of six sectional qualifiers at Sarah Goode.

Other regional champions at Sarah Goode were Golder’s Joksan Ramos (101), John Hancock College Prep’s Adrian Rodriguez (132), Morgan Park’s Lloyd Johnson (144), and Kennedy’s Christian Vega (157).

Championship match results:

101 – Joksan Ramos (Golder) over RaSean Fenner (Hope Academy) (F 0:57)

106 – Elijah Sawyers (Ag Science) over Joel Samano (Sarah Goode) (F 2:28)

113 – Luke Pappalas (St Rita) won by Dision over Vincent Arvetis (De La Salle) (D 8-4)

120 – Kingston Sawyers (Ag Science) over Alontae Lorek (Horizon Southwest) (F 0:36)

126 – Jorge Rios (Hope Academy) over Michael Garcia (Hope Academy) (F 1:25)

132 – Adrian Rodriguez (John Hancock) over Trevon Strickland (Westinghouse) (F 3:27)

138 – Maurice Bush (Ag Science) over Dylan Galvez (Hope Academy) (F 1:59)

144 – Lloyd Johnson (Morgan Park) over Ivan Alcantar (Solorio) (F 4:56)

150 – Felipe Aguilar (Horizon Southwest) over Derrick Nash (Corliss) (F 2:03)

157 – Christian Vega (Kennedy) over Marcell Thompson (Hope Academy) (F 3:48)

165 – Inake Mata (Horizon Southwest) won by Dision over Grant Smith (Corliss) (D 13-9)

175 – James Bansley (St Rita) over Matas Pivoris (De La Salle) (F 2:44)

190 – Tyran Pritchett (Hope Academy) over Juan Zavala (Solorio) (F 1:50)

215 – Samel Marerro (Horizon Southwest) over Thomas Davis (Sarah Goode) (F 1:34)

285 – Mark Kelleher (St Rita) over Eli Erkapic (St Rita) (D 5-2)

Third-place match results:

101 – None

106 – Marcos Buitron-Keilman (St Rita) over Nicholas Bubacz (St Rita) (F 0:48)

113 – Amarie Franklin (Hyde Park) won by Dision over Vincent Daniels (Corliss) (D 11-5)

120 – Daniel Garcia (Hubbard) over Angel Ceballos (Solorio) (F 2:28)

126 – Damian Gomez (De La Salle) won by Dision over Isaiah Poole (Sarah Goode) (D 11-4)

132 – Raul Hernandez (Hope Academy) BYE

138 – Joshua Thornton (De La Salle) won by Dision over Deangelo Alvarado (Hubbard) (D 10-7)

144 -Amir Carruthers (Horizon Southwest) over Syzmon Cwiokowski (Hope Academy) (F 1:50)

150 – Jose Barajas (Horizon Southwest) BYE

157 – Christian Cabral (Sarah Goode) over Darius Williams (Golder) (F 0:55)

165 – Jacob Flemming (St Rita) over Daniel Cuevas (Curie) (F 1:23)

175 – Malik Allen (Nobel/UIC) over Joseph J (Morgan Park) (F 1:55)

190 – Michael Mendoza (Ag Science) over Daniel Palomino (De La Salle) (F 0:09)

215 – Mitchell Street (St Rita) over Cody Steele (Bronzeville) (F 2:45)

285 – Justin Powell (Hyde Park) over Armando Martinez (Ag Science) (F 0:23)

IWCOA regionals at Joliet West, Joliet Central Regionals feeding the Thornton Sectional

Joliet Central Regional

Lincoln-Way East advanced 19 wrestlers to next week’s sectional meet, led by six regional champions in Max Mularz (144), Dlan Dircks (157), Colton Zvonar (165), Brody Gish (175), Brenden Rempert (215), and Ryan Stingily (285).

Lincoln-Way West advanced 10 to the sectional, led by regional champs Jack Strezo (120), Haden Anderson (126), and James Talley (190). Andrew had a pair of regional champs in Gerald Donnelly (101) and Nicholas Rociola (138), and other regional champions included Bourbonanais’ Zachary Hoffner (106), Rich Township’s Kyrin King (113), Homewood-Flossmoor’s Robye Williams (132), and Hillcrest’s Trevon Williams (150).

Championship match results:

101 – Gerald Donnelly (Andrew) over Leyton Bartley (LW West) (F 2:21)

106 – Zachary Hoffner (Bourbonnais) over Gabriel Matariyeh (LW East) (F 1:38)

113 – Kyrin King (Rich) over Razi Perez (Bourbonnais) (D 3-2)

120 – Jack Strezo (LW West) over Carter DiBenedetto (LW West) (SV-1 7-5)

126 – Haden Anderson (LW West) over Henry Finley (LW West) (D 4-0)

132 – Robye Williams (Homewood Flossmoor) over Zachary Ankarlo (LW East) (TF 18-3)

138 – Nicholas Rociola (Andrew) over Thomas Esposito (LW East) (MD 9-0)

144 – Max Mularz (LW East) over Carter Hoyt V (Manteno) (TF 16-0)

150 – Trevon Williams (Hillcrest) over Ryne Pearson (LW East) (F 3:00)

157 – Dlan Dircks (LW East) over Charles Hill (Kankakee) (TF 16-1)

165 – Colton Zvonar (LW East) over Thomas Leyden (LW East) (D 9-2)

175 -Brody Gish (LW East) over Kelcey Span (Rich) (MD 9-1)

190 – James Talley Jr (LW West) over Jacob Vinardi (Kankakee) (D 9-2)

215 – Brenden Rempert (LW East) over Sire Bennet (Kankakee) (F 1:00)

285 – Ryan Stingily (LW East) over Paulie Cortez (LW East) (F 3:00)

Third-place match results:

101 – Cullen Parks (Bourbonnais) over Keyshawn Pittman (Rich) (D 6-5)

106 – Brady Glynn (LW West) over Adrian Valadez (Thornton) (FF)

113 – Max Munn (LW West) over Nick Williams (LW East) (D 5-2)

120 – Robert Williams (Homewood Flossmoor) over Enzo Basso (LW East) (MD 9-0)

126 – Mark Kozeluh (LW East) over Jowel Maldonado (Joliet Central) (F 4:09)

132 – Caiden Selof (LW West) over Jayden Cooper (Bourbonnais) (MD 13-0)

138 – James Tverdek (LW East) over Kayden Budimir (Manteno) (F 2:57)

144 – Jaiden Corral (Kankakee) over Omer Farhan (LW East) (F 0:21)

150 – Evan Gutierrez (LW West) over Lonnie McMullen (Rich) (F 2:25)

157 – Logan Yerkey (LW East) over Brandon Dumas (Thornton) (FF)

165 – Titus Woodring (T. F. South) over Quenton Mingo (Thornton) (MD 12-3)

175 – Justin Powers (LW East) over Maxwell Johnson (Joliet Central) (F 1:58)

190 – Reggie Miller (T. F. South) over D`Andre Cotton (Bloom) (F 3:32)

215 – Vincent Marshall (Thornton) over Ahmah Brown (Rich) (D 5-0)

285 – Taofeeq Amuda (Thornton) over Gavin Robles (Bloom) (F 1:44)

Joliet West Regional

Lockport led all schools with 15 wrestlers advancing to the Thornton Sectional, led by five regional champions in Jonathan Lopez (101), Evan Curry (120), Isaac Zimmerman (126), Christian Czerwinski (138), and Nuh Abukhudair (190).

Lincoln-Way Central advanced 11 wrestlers to the sectional, led by regional champs Jalen Byrd (144), Justin Cobbs (165), and Aiden Hennings (215).

Plainfield North had two regional champions among its six sectional qualifiers, in Jack Nowicki (175) and Liam Co (285).

Joliet West had a pair of regional champs among its five sectional qualifiers in Jakob Crandall (106) and Aiden Brown (150), and Morris also had two champs among its five qualifiers in Brock Claypool (113) and Carter Skoff (132).

Kaden Meyer (157) also won a regional title to lead Minooka’s three sectional qualifiers.

Championship match results:

101 – Jonathan Lopez (Lockport) over jay hughes (Morris) (TF 18-1)

106 – Jakob Crandall (Joliet W) over Jacob Santos (Lockport) (F 2:54)

113 – Brock Claypool (Morris) over Tyler Lachenberg (LW Central) (D 4-2)

120 – Evan Curry (Lockport) over Damin Hudson (Bolingbrook) (D 5-2)

126 – Isaac Zimmerman (Lockport) over Brody Rangel (Plainfield C) (F 2:41)

132 – Carter Skoff (Morris) over Adam Jaber (Lockport) (F 4:10)

138 – Christian Czerwinski (Lockport) over Ethan Harvey (LW Central) (D 5-3)

144 – Jalen Byrd (LW Central) over Jaedon Calderon (Lockport) (D 5-2)

150 – Aiden Brown (Joliet W) over Ben Cyrkiel (Minooka) (D 5-1)

157 – Kaden Meyer (Minooka) over Justin Langford (LW Central) (D 9-6)

165 – Justin Cobbs (LW Central) over Zachary Cronk (Joliet W) (F 0:59)

175 – Jack Nowicki (Plainfield N) over Mason Russell (Lockport) (SV-1 2-0)

190 – Nuh Abukhudair (Lockport) over Hector Villagrana (Romeoville) (D 11-10

215 – Aiden Hennings (LW Central) over Santino Capodice (Minooka) (F 3:46)

285 – Liam Co (Plainfield N) over Xavier Casey (Plainfield E) (F 3:24)

Third-place match results:

101 – Waleed Shaar (Lockport) over Casey Koerner (Joliet W) (F 2:03)

106 – Isaiah Wade (Joliet W)

113 – Anthony Sutton (Lockport) over Justin Godina (Lockport) (D 5-1)

120 – Aidan DuRell (Plainfield N) over Eric Hoselton (LW Central) (D 2-1)

126 – Michael Heimberg (LW Central) over Nicholas Polzin (Plainfield E) (D 2-0)

132 – Jadon Zimmer (LW Central) over Camden Mccloskey (Plainfield E) (D 5-1)

138 – Evan Cox (Central (Clifton)) over Christian Lany (Plainfield N) (F 4:01)

144 – Naseem Jaber (Lockport) over Andrew Peterson (Morris) (F 2:36)

150 – Anthony Diorio (Lockport) over Abraham Ruiz (Romeoville) (F 2:50)

157 – Chase Pierceall (Plainfield S) over Raphael Tovar (Plainfield N) (D 5-1)

165 – Drew Silzer (Lockport) over Robert Vogel (Plainfield E) (TF 16-0)

175 – Will Wilson (Wilmington) over Austin Welsh (LW Central) (D 2-1)

190 – Logan Wooten (LW Central) over landon kupiec (Morris) (F 4:18)

215 – Andre De Leon (Joliet W) over Colin Dominiak (Plainfield E) (F 3:00)

285 – Noah Telitz (Lemont) over Vinny Gonzalez (Plainfield N) (F 0:32)

IWCOA regionals at Glenbard South, Oswego East feeding the Naperville C Sectional

Glenbard South Regional

Glenbard West advanced 13 wrestlers to the Naperville C Sectional, led by regional champions in Andres Saucedo (144) and Vince Tortoriello (157).

Batavia, West Aurora, and Marmion also each had two regional champs. Batavia advanced five wrestlers, led by champions Kyle Pasco (120) and Colin Peyton (165); West Aurora advanced four qualifiers were led by regional champs Jermiah Haynes (113) and Jack Platt (132); and Marmion’s four regional qualifiers were led by champions Preston Morrison (101) and Vincenzo Testa (175).

The other regional champions at Glenbard South were St. Charles North’s Dian Sons (106), Glenbard North’s Trey Thompson (126), Sandwich’s Ian Hawkins (136), Geneva’s David Rueth (150), Yorkville Christian’s Hayden Wheeler (190), Wheaton Warrenville South’s Alec Worobec (215), and Waubonsie Valley’s Leonidas Hobson (285).

Championship match results:

101 – Preston Morrison (Marmion) over Colton Wyller (Marmion) (D 3-1)

106 – Dlan Sons (St. Charles North) over George Driesbach (Geneva) (MD 9-0)

113 – Jermiah Haynes (West Aurora) over Brady Podracky (Neuqua Valley) (D 6-5)

120 – Kyle Pasco (Batavia) over S Garcia (Larkin) (TF 24-2)

126 – Trey Thompson (Glenbard North) over Daniel Risa (Glenbard North) (MD 13-5)

132 – Jack Platt (West Aurora) over Max Mulhearn (Harvest Christian Academy) (D 3-0)

138 – Ian Hawkins (Sandwich) over Tallis Taylor (Glenbard West) (D 3-1)

144 – Andres Saucedo (Glenbard West) over Dylan Wells (Batavia) (TB-1 4-2)

150 – David Rueth (Geneva) over Jack Brown (Batavia) (F 1:17)

157 – Vince Tortoriello (Glenbard West) over Xavier Smiley (Glenbard North) (D 7-2)

165 – Colin Peyton (Batavia) over Finn Mulcahy (St. Charles North) (F 2:26)

175 – Vincenzo Testa (Marmion) over Fernando Anaya (West Aurora) (F 2:17)

190 – Hayden Wheeler (Yorkville Christian) over Luke Boermsa (Marmion) (D 2-1)

215 – Alec Worobec (Wheaton Warrenville South) over Alejandro Facio (South Elgin) (D 7-2)

285 – Leonidas Hobson (Waubonsie Valley) over Evan Vliek (Wheaton Warrenville South) (D 5-1)

Third-place match results:

101 – Aidan Ortega (Glenbard West) over Emanuel Rangel (West Chicago) (D 5-4)

106 – Jacob Ross (Sandwich) over Gio Ambris (Glenbard West) (D 6-0)

113 – M Rodriguez (Glenbard West) over Ryan Makhlouf (Glenbard North) (D 7-6)

120 – Julian Guerra (Glenbard North) over Nathan Duffield (Waubonsie Valley) (D 5-2)

126 – Vince Schoettle (Glenbard West) over Nick Tellez (St. Charles North) (F 0:40)

132 – Alejandro Aranda (Glenbard West) over Ben Schoettle (Glenbard West) (F 0:00)

138 – Jin Tai (Glenbard South) over Brennen Myra (Glenbard West) (D 6-2)

144 – Maddox Hale (St Francis Wheaton) over Daniel Dimaria (Glenbard North) (F 2:17)

150 – Jondelle Malunay (Glenbard West) over Chris Salinas (Glenbard North) (F 0:32)

157 – Cesar Muno (West Chicago) over Erick Esquivel (Glenbard North) (F 3:33)

165 – Tyler Gleason (Yorkville Christian) over Adan Osorio (Glenbard West) (D 6-2)

175 – Jackson Allen (Yorkville Christian) over Kaden Clevenger (Sandwich) (F 3:07)

190 – David Weber (West Chicago) over Alexander Lopez (West Aurora) (SV-1 4-2)

215 – Sebatian Mitchell (Batavia) over Ezra Mezidi (Glenbard West) (F 0:56)

285 – Hezekiah Garcia (South Elgin) over Aj Forst (Waubonsie Valley) (F 3:03)

Oswego East Regional

Wheaton North’s 10 sectional qualifiers featured a trio of regional champions in Danny Hyde (101), Jay Doherty (126), and David Hyde (132), and Downers Grove South’s 10 qualifiers featured a pair of champions in Noah Greene (157) and Daniel Mensah (175).

Downers Grove North had three regional champs in Alex Hengels (113), Caden Chiarelli (138), and Justin Davis (215), Naperville North had two champions in Ryan Beedon (106) and Tavfik Ibragimov (190), and other wrestlers winning regional titles were Glenbard East’s Ismael Chaidez (120), Oswego’s Dillon Griffin (144), Wheaton Academy’s Tyler Jones (150), Oswego East’s Garrett Patnoudes (165), and Lyons Township’s James Hillman (285).

Championship match results:

101 – Danny Hyde (Wheaton N) over Buckley Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) (F 3:34

106 – Ryan Beedon (Naperville N) over Igor De Castro (Naperville C) (MD 9-0)

113 – Alex Hengels (DG North) over Daniel Koziol (Lyons) (TF 16-1)

120 – Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard E) over Aiden Ortiz (Oswego) (D 4-0)

126 – Jay Doherty (Wheaton N) over Cole Fitzenreider (Wheaton N) (D 4-2)

132 – David Hyde (Wheaton N) over Zion Young (DG South) (MD 16-7)

138 – Caden Chiarelli (DG North) over Brady Miller (Hinsdale S) (MD 13-1)

144 – Dillon Griffin (Oswego) over Al Amir Almannai (Hinsdale S) (F 0:52)

150 – Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) over Eduardo Sanchez (DG South) (F 2:54)

157 – Noah Greene (DG South) over Andre Auernhamer (DG South) (D 7-4)

165 – Garrett Patnoudes (Oswego E) over Jah Harris (DG South) (MD 11-3)

175 – Daniel Mensah (DG South) over Luke Vasquez (Lyons) (F 1:52)

190 – Tavfik Ibragimov (Naperville N) over Christian Paige (Oswego east) (F 0:44)

215 – Justin Davis (DG North) over Nick Tortoriello (Wheaton N) (TF 16-1)

285 – James Hillmann (Lyons) over Jake Johnson (Naperville N) (F 4:21)

Third-place match results:

101 – Nolan OGrady (Oswego) over Dyln Le (Wheaton N) (D 8-5)

106 – Trevor DiNaso (DG South) over Lorenz Rios (Glenbard East) (MD 8-0)

113 – Adam Beedon (Naperville N) over Joseph Rossie (Lyons) (F 1:59)

120 – Joey Petruczenko (Wheaton N) over Jadon Dinwiddie (DG South) (D 6-3)

126 – Rami Aljubor (Glenbard East) over Jason Jude 3rd (Hinsdale S) (D 11-7)

132 – Andrew Langas (Wheaton N) over Henry Quntar (Oswego) (D 9-6)

138 – Adam Drake (Lisle) over Jacob Veltri (Wheaton N) (D 5-1)

144 – Travis Jones (Willowbrook) over Austin Schiltz (Naperville C) (F 4:29)

150 – Joel Galarza (Glenbard East) over Andrew Segura (Wheaton N) (D 4-0)

157 – Benjamin Miller (Hinsdale S) over Grant Ellison (Naperville N) (F 0:42)

165 – Orlando Hoye (Glenbard East) over Brandon Torres (DG North) (F 1:46)

175 – Vincent Willkommen (Westmont) over Juan De Haro (Glenbard East) (D 3-2)

190 – Ky Lawson (DG South) over Jadon Sander (Lyons) (D 4-2)

215 – Corbin Camp (Hinsdale C) over Gorazd Grozdanoski (Lyons) (UTB 3-2)

285 – Tamer El-Dars (Hinsdale C) over Jose Cruz (DG South) (F 2:57)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Normally when three of the top teams in the state are involved in a competition or six ranked teams are competing against each other, there should be some amount of drama taking place

But there was no late suspense in the Class 3A Downers Grove South Dual Team Sectional where Mount Carmel and Marmion Academy met up in one dual and Naperville Central faced Downers Grove South in the other. And as a bonus, Joliet Catholic Academy and Lincoln-Way East came in from another sectional to compete on a third mat. And all three of the dual meets were already pretty much settled about midway through the competition.

Third-ranked Mount Carmel only lost one match to fifth-ranked Marmion Academy and led 60-0 with three matches left before capturing a 70-5 victory. Second-ranked Joliet Catholic Academy trailed Lincoln-Way East 9-3 in the early going but then rattled off 30-straight points to claim a 46-18 win and No. 15 Naperville Central built up a 24-6 advantage through the first eight matches over the No. 25 host Mustangs as it secured a 40-21 triumph.

All three winners advance to Friday’s quarterfinals of the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals, which take place at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. 

In an interesting twist, the Caravan and Hilltoppers got an early preview of each other since they were on adjacent mats. The two will meet up at 5 p.m. in one of the quarterfinals while Hononegah and St. Charles East also will be competing at that time.

Naperville Central faces Yorkville in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal meet while Libertyville goes up against Oak Park and River Forest in the other quarterfinals dual meet. Semifinals are Saturday at 9 a.m. for the first quarterfinal winners and at 11 a.m. for the latter quarterfinal winners. The state championship and third-place duals meets are set for 6 p.m.

Naperville Central is back at state for the first time since 2012, when coach Rob Porter’s team lost to Barrington in the quarterfinals. That was the school’s second trip in four years with the program making its first state dual team appearance in 2009. That team was also led by Porter, who was on hand on Tuesday to assist RedHawks coach Noah Fitzenreider, who was a Naperville Central assistant coach on the 2012 state team.

“That was right when I first got to Central,” Fitzenreider said. “Rob was the head coach and that’s when we got a team to state, so it’s nice to be able to do it again, especially with him around here, too. What we talked about this year is the last two times we won, we faced Mount Carmel and we wrestled them as tough as we could. And I said that one day we were going to get another opportunity and it happened quicker than we thought, so I said that we have to take advantage of this one.

“We qualified four but all of the other guys worked really hard last week and they kept working and kept putting a lot of time in. They’ve been focused and dedicated, DG South is a great program so it was nice to be able to come here and compete with them. We have a very close-knit team and these guys are best friends and they stick together. And my coaching staff has been awesome by putting in extra time for those guys. It was a full-program effort. We had kids that aren’t here that still came to practice, so that was nice.” 

On Tuesday, the RedHawks received falls from William Erbeck (285), CJ Bierman (138) and Hagan Taylor (144), a win by technical fall from Ty Martin (120), major decisions from Mitchell Kaszuba (126) and Christopher Bern (157) and narrow decisions from Henry Rydwelski (175), Nicolas Besteiro (215) and Jake Moore (106). Besteiro claimed sixth place at 215 at state to earn all-state honors while Bern, Erbeck and Taylor were other state qualifiers.

“It feels great,” Taylor said. “We worked really hard as a team just to get here. Throughout the years I’ve seen our team grow and it’s all paying off now. It’s always tough for us, but if you get a good team and get people together and if they all work hard, then we could make it. After our first dual, I saw how hard everyone was working and how much effort and passion was in everybody, so that’s how I could tell that everyone was going to do great this year. We had a great state-qualifying team this year.”

“We’re really improving every single year and it’s been just a straight line forward ever since I was a freshman,” Kaszuba said. “I’m really proud of how much our team has grown this year. We have really good chemistry with our coaches. Coach Porter has seen us grow all these years and Fitz has built us up the entire time. We were shooting for state and that has been our main goal and Fitz has been great at keeping us on that path, no matter what happened during the individual state series. We have a really well-rounded team and are pretty good at every weight class. We have a good lineup all across the board and I think that’s what helped us to get downstate.”

Coach Sean Lovelace’s Downers Grove South Mustangs, who won their third-straight regional title this season, were seeking their first trip to dual team state. The Mustangs got falls from TJ Johnson (150) and Connor Kelly (165) and decisions from Matt Lapacek (190), Miguel Castaneda (113) and Drew Woolsey (132). Lapacek earned all-state honors this year by placing fourth at 190 and RJ Samuels also was a state qualifier.

Mount Carmel is making its fourth-straight state appearance and its 15th trip to state overall. Coach Alex Tsirtsis’ Caravan beat DeKalb to take first place in 2022 after placing second to Montini Catholic in 2020. They lost 32-30 to St. Charles East a year ago in the quarterfinals.

The program hopes to win a trophy for the tenth time and also capture its fifth championship, with the other three titles won under Hall of Fame coach Bill Weick from 1992-1994.

“It’s a quick turnaround from the individual tournament so we want to make sure that everyones’ weight is under control and make sure they’re healthy and the kids did a pretty good job of doing that,” Tsirtsis said. “It kept our team together down in Champaign and their conditioning and weight under control so they’d be dialed in for this week.”

Collecting falls for the Caravan were Colin Kelly (175), Rylan Breen (190), Alex Poholik (285), Justin Williamson (113), Jaxon Jorgensen (120), Seth Mendoza (126) and Edmund Enright (157) while Jairo Acuna (144) got a win by technical fall.

“It feels awesome and it’s important to enjoy this victory but also it’s important for us to get back to work because the job is not finished,” Colin Kelly said. “The hard work has been put in so now it’s time to lock in and finish off the season strong. I like the coaches, good teammates and the school. And everybody’s energy toward the sport.”

Kavel Moore (106) and Kevin Kalchbrenner (165) captured major decisions, Damian Resendez (138) won a decision and William Jacobson (215) and Evan Stanley (132) got wins by forfeit. 

Mendoza captured his third IHSA championship, Kelly won his second IHSA title and is a three-time finalist, Enright claimed second place at state for the second time, three-time placewinner Breen took third, Stanley finished fourth and three-time medalist Resendez took sixth, as did Willamson. Other Caravan state qualifiers were Acuna, Jacobson, Kalchbrenner, Liam Kelly, Moore and Poholik.

“It’s pretty good to have everyone on my team compete at a high level,” Williamson said. “I took sixth at state and there are just so many better kids that are out there.”

The lone victor for the Cadets was Ashton Hobson (150), who placed sixth at state at 144 and got a win by technical fall in the dual. State qualifiers who suffered losses were Logan Conover (106), Donny Pigoni (126) and Mateusz Nycz (285). IHSA champions Nicholas Garcia (113) and Zach Stewart (138) and state runner-up Joseph Favia (215) did not compete in the dual meet.

In many of the other sectionals in the state, the Cadets, who finished second to St. Charles East in Class 3A last season and are coached by Nathan Fitzenreider and Anthony Cirrincione, would have likely qualified again for the state finals, but the same could be said about some of the other quality teams that didn’t win regional titles who also competed in this tough sectional.

Joliet Catholic Academy is back at the state finals for the third year in a row. Coach Ryan Cumbee’s Hilltoppers beat Deerfield to win the Class 2A title in 2022 and took second place in Class 2A to Washington a year ago. Before Cumbee arrived in 2020, the program hadn’t even won a regional championship.

“We needed to perform well in order to get the job done and I felt like we did that,” Cumbee said. “But it’s going to take a little more on Friday against Mount Carmel, though. So tonight, we’re going to go home and turn the page to Mount Carmel.”

The Hilltoppers received falls from Nico Ronchetti (190), Dillan Johnson (285), Lukas Foster (106), Max Cumbee (113) and Jason Hampton (120), a major decision from Max Corral (165) and decisions from Adante Washington (126), Damien Flores (132), Connor Cumbee (150) and Luke Hamiti (157). 

“It’s been a lot of fun, especially with the new transfers,” Ronchetti said. “We’re a family. We all love each other, even the guys that came in. And that’s mainly due to the coaches.”

Johnson is a four-time state champion, two-time medalist Hampton took second at state, Max Cumbee and Luke Hamiti placed fifth and Corral and two-time medalist Ronchetti finished sixth. Other JCA state qualifiers were 2023 medalist Connor Cumbee, Flores, Foster, Elias Gonzalez and Washington.

“Usually I was done after last weekend, but this is a great opportunity to have another weekend to wrestle, especially with this being my senior year,” Corral said. “It’s nice to have good drill partners, too, helping you out every day.”

Lincoln-Way East, who’s coached by Kevin Rockett, got pins from Caden O`Rourke (215) and Kevin Byrne (144) and decisions from Jackson Zaeske (175) and Brayden Mortell (138).  State qualifiers for the Griffins were Domanic Abeja, Rory Moran, Kaidge Richardson and Tyson Zvonar.

Class 3A Downers Grove South Dual Team Sectional matches

Naperville Central 40, Downers Grove South 21

175 – Henry Rydwelski (Naperville Central) over RJ Samuels (Downers Grove South) Dec 3-2
190 – Matt Lapacek (Downers Grove South) over Jacob Smetters (Naperville Central) Dec 8-4
215 – Nicolas Besteiro (Naperville Central) over Mack Piehl (Downers Grove South) Dec 7-5
285 – William Erbeck (Naperville Central) over Jacobi Spraggins (Downers Grove South) Fall 2:57
106 – Jake Moore (Naperville Central) over Trevor Dinaso (Downers Grove South) Dec 2-0
113 – Miguel Castaneda (Downers Grove South) over Jacob Cochran (Naperville Central) Dec 10-6
120 – Ty Martin (Naperville Central) over Harris Kelliher (Downers Grove South) TF 19-3
126 – Mitchell Kaszuba (Naperville Central) over Jadon Dinwiddie (Downers Grove South) Maj 9-0
132 – Drew Woolsey (Downers Grove South) over Vince Bern (Naperville Central) Dec 11-4
138 – CJ Bierman (Naperville Central) over Jordan Christin-Holley (Downers Grove South) Fall 3:12
144 – Hagan Taylor (Naperville Central) over Nick Spirek (Downers Grove South) Fall 1:45
150 – TJ Johnson (Downers Grove South) over Yusuf Sikander (Naperville Central) Fall 1:13
157 – Christopher Bern (Naperville Central) over Hugo Contreras-Lozano (Downers Grove (South) Maj 15-6
165 – Connor Kelly (Downers Grove South) over Nicolas Olvera (Naperville Central) Fall 1:08

Mount Carmel 70, Marmion Academy 5

175 – Colin Kelly (Mount Carmel) over Vincenzo Testa (Marmion Academy) Fall 3:42
190 – Rylan Breen (Mount Carmel) over Luke Boersma (Marmion Academy) Fall 4:32
215 – William Jacobson (Mount Carmel) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
285 – Alex Poholik (Mount Carmel) over Mateusz Nycz (Marmion Academy) Fall 5:17
106 – Kavel Moore (Mount Carmel) over Colton Wyller (Marmion Academy) Maj 11-3
113 – Justin Williamson (Mount Carmel) over Preston Morrison (Marmion Academy) Fall 3:56
120 – Jaxon Jorgensen (Mount Carmel) over Logan Conover (Marmion Academy) Fall 1:24
126 – Seth Mendoza (Mount Carmel) over Adam Kopcio (Marmion Academy) Fall 1:56
132 – Evan Stanley (Mount Carmel) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
138 – Damian Resendez (Mount Carmel) over Donny Pigoni (Marmion Academy) Dec 6-2
144 – Jairo Acuna (Mount Carmel) over Grayson Garcia (Marmion Academy) TF 20-5
150 – Ashton Hobson (Marmion Academy) over Daniel Lynch (Mount Carmel) TF 17-1
157 – Edmund Enright (Mount Carmel) over Christian Favia (Marmion Academy) Fall 0:51
165 – Kevin Kalchbrenner (Mount Carmel) over Anthony Haddad (Marmion Academy) Maj 12-2

Class 3A TBA Dual Team Sectional matches held at Downers Grove South

Joliet Catholic Academy 46, Lincoln-Way East 18

175 – Jackson Zaeske (Lincoln-Way East) over Issac Clauson (Joliet Catholic Academy) Dec 5-2
190 – Nico Ronchetti (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Isaiah Williams (Lincoln-Way East) Fall 3:10
215 – Caden O`Rourke (Lincoln-Way East) over Max Hrvatin (Joliet Catholic Academy) Fall 2:00
285 – Dillan Johnson (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Gage LaDere (Lincoln-Way East) Fall 1:44
106 – Lukas Foster (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Gabe Matariyeh (Lincoln-Way East) Fall 1:33
113 – Max Cumbee (Joliet Catholic Academy) over JT Theis (Lincoln-Way East) Fall 3:41
120 – Jason Hampton (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Zach Miller (Lincoln-Way East) Fall 4:48
126 – Adante Washington (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Kaidge Richardson (Lincoln-Way East) Dec 6-4
132 – Damien Flores (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Tyson Zvonar (Lincoln-Way East) Dec 6-3
138 – Brayden Mortell (Lincoln-Way East) over Elias Gonzalez (Joliet Catholic Academy) Dec 7-3
144 – Kevin Byrne (Lincoln-Way East) over Aurelio Munoz (Joliet Catholic Academy) Fall 1:24
150 – Connor Cumbee (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Domanic Abeja (Lincoln-Way East) Dec 3-2
157 – Luke Hamiti (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Alexander Lizak (Lincoln-Way East) Dec 12-8
165 – Max Corral (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Rory Moran (Lincoln-Way East) Maj 17-7

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Class 1A LeRoy Dual Team Sectional

LeRoy/Tri-Valley 43, Canton 22

For the first time since it made a four-run of appearances at the IHSA Dual Team Finals from 2011-2014, LeRoy/Tri-Valley will make consecutive visits to state with the hopes of placing for the first time since 2012, when Doug DeWald led the Panthers to the Class 1A championship after beating Canton 43-22 at its own dual meet sectional in LeRoy.

Coach Brady Sant Amour’s Panthers won nine of the 14 matches to deny coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants of making their second-straight trip to the dual team finals. LeRoy/Tri-Valley faces top-ranked Marian Central Catholic on Friday in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal dual meet at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

LeRoy/Tri-Valley, which is making its seventh appearance in the IHSA Dual Team Finals and also took second in 2009 and third in 2011, has been boosted by the return of Kobe Brent and Jimmy Chaon, who have both missed out on the individual series due to injuries. 

They each recorded pins, as did Brock Owens and Bo Zeleznik, while Connor McLaughlin got a win by technical fall, Colton Prosser and Connor Lyons both won major decisions and Brady Mouser and Jacob Bischoff captured one-point decisions.

“This group has stayed together and battled all year,” Sant Amour said. “The team received a big lift from Kobe Brent, who fractured his clavicle and has been out since December, Freshman Jimmy Chaon missed the last month of the season with a shoulder injury. From start to finish we wrestled tough, only giving up one fall in the dual.”

Canton, which made its dual team state debut a year ago, received a pin from Danny Murphy, a major decision from Gus Lidwell and decisions from Connor Williams and Maddux Steele while Jacob Hardesty got a forfeit win.

LeRoy/Tri-Valley 43, Canton 22

285 – Connor Williams (Canton) over Tate Sigler (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) UTB 3-2
106 – Jacob Hardesty (Canton) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
113 – Brady Mouser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Dyllan Steele (Canton) Dec 2-1
120 – Maddux Steele (Canton) over EJ Chaon (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Dec 6-0
126 – Jimmy Chaon (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Austin Brewer (Canton) Fall 0:00
132 – Kobe Brent (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Jireh Hedges (Canton) Fall 3:20
138 – Colton Prosser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Alex Carrier (Canton) Maj 10-0
144 – Connor McLaughlin (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Grady Smith (Canton) TF 15-0
150 – Brock Owens (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Daniel Kees (Canton) Fall 1:17
157 – Connor Lyons (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Aden Greene (Canton) Maj 17-3
165 – Bo Zeleznik (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Jacob Latimer (Canton) Fall 0:44
175 – Gus Lidwell (Canton) over Gannon Pinkerton (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Maj 12-4
190 – Danny Murphy (Canton) over Adam Moore (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) Fall 0:17 
215 – Jacob Bischoff (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) over Grant Kessler (Canton) Dec 1-0

Unity 43, Peoria Notre Dame 33

Unity closed strong to gain an 8-6 advantage in matches won and recorded six falls to help it claim a 43-33 victory over Peoria Notre Dame in the LeRoy Dual Team Sectional. 

As a result, coach Logan Patton’s Rockets will be making their third state appearance since 2020, when they finished third, and two years ago they again took third place. This will be the program’s fifth state appearance and their best finish was in their first visit to state in 1989 when they lost to Mahomet-Seymour in the finals to take second place for coach Bill Billman.

Unity meets up with Roxana on Friday at 7 p.m. in a quarterfinal dual at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington with the winner advancing to an 11 a.m. semifinal on Saturday.

Recording falls for the Rockets were Taylor Finley, Keegan Germano, 144 state runner-up Kaden Inman, Ryan Rink, Thayden Root and 190 state champion Hunter Eastin while Josh Heath won a major decision and Travis McCarter added a decision.

Coach Danny Burk’s Irish, who won their first regional championship this season, received falls from Michael McLaughlin, Josh Stedwill, Remi Joesting and 113 state runner-up Ian Akers while Chase Daugherty won a decision and Ben Mullens got a forfeit win.

Unity 43, Peoria Notre Dame 33

285 – Michael McLaughlin (Peoria Notre Dame) over Jaden Dene (Unity) Fall 0:23
106 – Josh Stedwill (Peoria Notre Dame) over Andrew Weller (Unity) Fall 3:30
113 – Travis McCarter (Unity) over Freddie Couri (Peoria (Notre Dame) Dec 9-5
120 – Remi Joesting (Peoria Notre Dame) over Bryce Martin (Unity) Fall 0:47
126 – Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) over Symon Griffin (Unity) Fall 0:47
132 – Taylor Finley (Unity) over Noah Corrales (Peoria Notre Dame) Fall 2:36
138 – Keegan Germano (Unity) over Andrew Elward (Peoria Notre Dame) Fall 3:33
144 – Kaden Inman (Unity) over Jack Bartaletta (Peoria Notre Dame) Fall 1:34
150 – Josh Heath (Unity) over John Couri (Peoria (Notre Dame) Maj 12-2
157 – Chase Daugherty (Peoria Notre Dame) over Abram Davidson (Unity) Dec 8-4
165 – Ryan Rink (Unity) over Michael Kimbrough (Peoria (Notre Dame) Fall 1:24
175 – Thayden Root (Unity) over Sie Couri (Peoria Notre Dame) Fall 0:22
190 – Hunter Eastin (Unity) over Joe Culp (Peoria Notre Dame) Fall 0:32
215 – Ben Mullens (Peoria (Notre Dame) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT

Class 1A Benton Dual Team Sectional

Roxana 33, Oakwood/Salt Fork 30

Roxana earned a spot in the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2014 when it captured a 33-30 victory over Oakwood/Salt Fork at the Class 1A Benton Dual Team Sectional.

Coach Rob Milazzo’s Shells meet Unity in the Class 1A quarterfinals on Friday at 7 p.m. at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Both teams split the 14 matches but Roxana recorded four falls and got a major decision to help it get past coach Mike Glosser’s Comets, who were trying to make a return trip to the dual team finals in Bloomington after taking fourth place there a year ago in their state debut.

Recording falls for the Shells were Lyndon Thies, Zebediah Katzmarek, Donald Battles and James Herring while Brandon Green Jr. won a major decision and Logan Riggs and Robert Watt captured decisions. They were deducted one team point to give them a three-point edge.

Oakwood/Salt Fork got pins from Brayden Edwards and Grant Brewer, a win by technical fall from Dalton Brown, a major decision from Steven Uden and decisions from Tyler Huchel, Jack Ajster and Carter Chambliss. Bryson Capansky, the 157 state runner-up, got pinned by Thies.

Milazzo was also coach of the Shells when they last went to state 10 years ago but they lost to Plano in the quarterfinals. Roxana, which is making its sixth appearance at state, placed twice within a three-year span when Michael Kurth was the coach and he led the program to a fourth-place finish in 2002 and to the title meet in 2004, where it fell to Montini Catholic.

Roxana 33, Oakwood/Salt Fork 30

106 – Steven Uden (Oakwood/Salt Fork) over Savion Hall (Roxana) Maj 12-1
113 – Brayden Edwards (Oakwood/Salt Fork) over Ari Walker (Roxana) Fall 2:56
120 – Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) over Lleyton Cobine (Roxana) Dec 4-0
126 – Logan Riggs (Roxana) over Thomas Wells (Oakwood/Salt Fork) Dec 6-4
132 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) over Pedro Rangel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) Maj 12-4
138 – Jack Ajster (Oakwood/Salt Fork) over Kaden Carilsle (Roxana) Dec 6-0
144 – Carter Chambliss (Oakwood/Salt Fork) over Trevor Gihring (Roxana) Dec 6-2
150 – Grant Brewer (Oakwood/Salt Fork) over Braden Johnson (Roxana) Fall 2:36
157 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) over Bryson Capansky (Oakwood/Salt Fork) Fall 3:33
165 – Zebediah Katzmarek (Roxana) over Kyler Johnson (Oakwood/Salt Fork) Fall 2:38
175 – Dalton Brown (Fithian (Oakwood/Salt Fork) over Elias Thies (Roxana) TF 16-1
190 – Robert Watt (Roxana) over Jamison Chambliss (Oakwood/Salt Fork) Dec 0-0
215 – Donald Battles (Roxana) over Ezekiel Smith (Oakwood/Salt Fork) Fall 1:55
285 – James Herring (Roxana) over Kade Fleming (Oakwood/Salt Fork) Fall 1:13

Vandalia 49, Benton 24

Vandalia returns to the Dual Team Finals for the 23rd time and seeks its tenth trophy after capturing a 49-24 victory over Benton in the Class 1A Benton Dual Team Sectional. The Vandals’ 23 state appearances is one behind Montini Catholic, which got past IC Catholic Prep to advance in Class 2A.

The Vandals (30-2) meet Rickover Naval Academy in Friday’s 5:00 p.m. quarterfinals at the IHSA  Class 1A Dual Team Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Coach Jason Clay’s Vandals won nine of the 14 matches against the host Rangers, recording falls in seven of those victories. Getting pins for Vandalia were 106 state runner-up Max Philpot, Elijah Mabry, Deon Moore, 138 state runner-up Dillon Hinton, Kaden Tidwell, Dominic Swyers and Jayden Rosetto. Ross Miller won a major decision and Cole Yarbrough added a decision.

Coach Aaron Robinson’s Rangers were led by two-time 138 state champion, three-time finalist and four-time medalist Mason Tieffel, who recorded a fall in his final match to finish a perfect 56-0 season and a 188-8 record. Derek Wilkey and Anthony Hernandez added falls while Cohen Sweely and Tiffin Kouzoukas won decisions for Benton.

Vandalia won its lone title in 1996 and has two seconds, two thirds and four fourths since it made its first state appearance in 1995 under coach Glenn Exton. 

Clay, who is 462-106 in 18 seasons leading the program which won its 1,000th dual meet earlier this season, is bringing his 13th team to the state finals. His first state team in 2007 lost the Class A title to Wilmington 30-29. The Vandals have also won trophies in three of their last four appearances, taking second to Aurora Christian in 2018, placing fourth in 2016 and taking third in the last trip to state, in 2019. 

“We are excited to be back at Dual Team state for the 23rd time,” Clay said. “The dual team tournament paired with the girls state tournament was truly a great idea that has created a fun weekend of wrestling.”

Vandalia 49, Benton 24

106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Braxton Tittle (Benton) Fall
113 – Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) over Zane Stanley (Benton) Fall
120 – Cohen Sweely (Benton) over Brody Matthews (Vandalia) Dec
126 – Deon Moore (Vandalia) over Kingston Palmer (Benton) Fall
132 – Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) over Kaden Blades (Benton) Dec
138 – Derek Wilkey (Benton) over Nic Jackson (Vandalia) Fall
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Aaden Webb (Benton) Fall
150 – Anthony Hernandez (Benton) over Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) Fall
157 – Mason Tieffel (Benton) over Corbin Meyers (Vandalia) Fall
165 – Ross Miller (Vandalia) over Connor Dean (Benton) Maj Dec
175 – Tiffin Kouzoukas (Benton) over Noah Langston (Vandalia) Dec
190 – Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) over Peyton Robinson (Benton) Fall
215 – Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) over Izaiah Dalton (Benton) Fall
285 – Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) over Drake Spears (Benton) Fall

Class 1A Newman Central Catholic Dual Team Sectional

Riverdale 38, Sandwich 36

Riverdale assured itself of its first appearance in the IHSA Dual Team Finals since 2007 when it edged Sandwich 38-36 in the Class 1A Newman Central Catholic Dual Team Sectional.

Both teams won seven matches. The Rams had five pins, a win by technical fall and a decision while the Indians recorded four falls, received a forfeit win and had two decisions.

Coach Aron Kindelsperger’s Rams received falls from Iyezayha Hill, Jacob Schredeya, Jacob Baustian, Dean Wainwright and Blake Smith while Tharren Jacobs got a win by technical fall and Zachary Bradley added a decision.

Coach Derek Jones’ Indians got pins from Ian Hawkins, Sy Smith, Jacob Ross and Jakob Gruca while Colten Stone and Miles Corder both captured decisions and Cooper Corder received a win by forfeit.

Myron Keppy led Riverdale to five state appearances from 1996 to 2007 but the last time the Rams got a win at state was in 1993 when James Boyd led the program to its second-straight third-place finish. This is the Rams’ ninth state appearance and they’ve won two trophies.

Riverdale meets the defending Class 1A champions, Coal City, in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Riverdale 38, Sandwich 36

157 – Ian Hawkins (Sandwich) over Brennan Huggins (Riverdale) Fall 0:26
165 – Sy Smith (Sandwich) over Aaron John Scranton (Riverdale) Fall 1:12
175 – Zachary Bradley (Riverdale) over Kai Kern (Sandwich) Dec 16-9
190 – Iyezayha Hill (Riverdale) over Tristen King (Sandwich) Fall 5:56
215 – Jacob Schredeya (Riverdale) over Brandon Moore (Sandwich) Fall 1:07
285 – Jacob Baustian (Riverdale) over Eddie Hernandez (Sandwich) Fall 2:48
106 – Jacob Ross (Sandwich) over Ben Porter (Riverdale) Fall 1:59
113 – Colten Stone (Sandwich) over Triton Pulfrey (Riverdale) Dec 6-2
120 – Tharren Jacobs (Riverdale) over Ashlyn Strenz (Sandwich) TF 22-7
126 – Jakob Gruca (Sandwich) over Elijah Newton (Riverdale) Fall 6:00
132 – Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) over Jack Forth (Sandwich) Fall 3:34
138 – Cooper Corder (Sandwich) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
144 – Miles Corder (Sandwich) over Kolton Kruse (Riverdale) Dec 9-7
150 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) over Alton Spears (Sandwich) Fall 0:56

Marian Central Catholic 48, Byron 28

Top-ranked Marian Central Catholic had an 8-6 edge in wins over Byron but recorded four falls and received four forfeit wins to help it capture a 48-28 victory at the Class 1A Newman Central Catholic Sectional that advances it to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2020.

Co-coaches Jordan Blandon and Ryan Prater received falls from 157 state champion Jimmy Mastny, Nicolas Astacio, Anthony Alanis and Andrew Alvarado to go along with their forfeit wins, with one of those going to 120 state champion Brayden Teunissen and another to 132 state runner-up Vance Williams and the other two to Max Astacio and Chandler Gardner.

Recording pins for coach Mike Elbury’s Tigers were Jarett Ross, Jared Claunch and Will Julian while Brody Stien added a major decision and Kyle Jones and Jackson Norris won decisions. 

This will be the Hurricanes’ fourth state appearance with the other three from 2018-2020 under coach David Silva with the highlight being a third-place finish in 2019.

Marian Central Catholic faces LeRoy/Tri-Valley in the quarterfinals on Friday at 7 p.m. at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. The winner of that dual advances to Saturday’s 11 a.m. semifinal against Roxana or Triad with the first- and third-place dual meets set for 6.p.m. 

Marian Central Catholic 48, Byron 28

157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Jacob Ross (Byron) Fall 1:30
165 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
175 – Nicolas Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Carsen Behn (Byron) Fall 1:54
190 – Kyle Jones (Byron) over Dan French (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 10-5
215 – Jarett Ross (Byron) over Owen Neuzil (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 1:02
285 – Jared Claunch (Byron) over Kaleb Eckman (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 1:32
106 – Chandler Gardner (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) over Damien Palacios (Byron) Fall 5:20
120 – Jackson Norris (Byron) over Josiah Perez (Marian Central Catholic) Dec 9-4
126 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
132 – Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) over Hunter King (Byron) Fall 0:52
138 – Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
144 – Will Julian (Byron) over Josh Gawronski (Marian Central Catholic) Fall 5:11
150 – Brody Stien (Byron) over Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) Maj 19-5

Class 1A Coal City Dual Team Sectional

Coal City 60, De La Salle Institute 15

Coach Mark Masters’ defending Class 1A Coal City Coalers won all but three matches to capture a 60-15 victory over De La Salle Institute in its own dual team sectional.

Coal City will be making its 13th state appearance and going after its 11th trophy for top-four finishes. The Coalers won their first state championship last season, have finished second six times and have two third-place finishes and one fourth-place showing.

Masters, a 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee who is 470-155 in 21 seasons, is taking his seventh team to state since 2015. They won a state title last year, placed second in 2016, 2019 and 2020 and took third place in 2015 and 2018,

Collecting falls for the Coalers (36-5) were Brant Widlowski, Cade Poyner, Cooper Morris, Luke Munsterman, 126 state runner-up Brody Widlowski, Aidan Kenney, Mason Garner and Brock Finch while 165 state champion Landin Benson and Alec Waliczek both won decisions and Landon Bomba won by forfeit. 

The Meteors got a pin from David McCarthy, a decision from Malik Warren and Anthony Trendle won by injury default.

Coal City meets Riverdale in the quarterfinals of the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals on Friday at 5 p.m. at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington with the winner advancing to Saturday’s 9 a.m. semifinals. The championship and third-place dual meets will be at 6 p.m.

Coal City 60, De La Salle Institute 15

157 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) over Nicholas Arvetis (De La Salle) Fall 2:45
165 – Malik Warren (De La Salle) over John Keigher (Coal City) Dec 3-2
175 – Landin Benson (Coal City) over Josue Hernandez (De La Salle) Dec 9-4
190 – Cade Poyner (Coal City) over Terrelle Jackson (De La Salle) Fall 5:31
215 – Alec Waliczek (Coal City) over Marquis Mays (De La Salle) Dec 4-3
285 – David McCarthy (Chicago (De La Salle) over Payton Vigna (Coal City) Fall 3:42
106 – Landon Bomba (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) over Darrel Oman (De La Salle) Fall 1:44
120 – Anthony Trendle (De La Salle) over Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) Inj 0:43
126 – Luke Munsterman (Coal City) over Damian Gomez (De La Salle) Fall 3:49
132 – Brody Widlowski (Coal City) over Mario Perez (De La Salle) Fall 0:46
138 – Aidan Kenney (Coal City) over Connor Parker (De La Salle) Fall 1:05
144 – Mason Garner (Coal City) over Melvin Cannon (De La Salle) Fall 2:48
150 – Brock Finch (Coal City) over Patrick Young (De La Salle) Fall 2:37

Rickover Naval Academy 45, Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville 36

Rickover Naval Academy defeated Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville 45-36 in the Coal City Dual Team Sectional to earn its first appearance in the IHSA Dual Team Finals.

The victorious Sea Dragons, who are coached by Andrew Holden, got a pin from Chris Uzhca and a decision from Justin Hernandez while Mohammed Al-Tabaqchali, Christopher Chogllo, Justin Chogllo, Jonathan Pawlowski, Breyon Wallace and Jonny Velez got forfeit wins. 

Coach Francisco Reyes’ Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville Eagles received falls from Caleb Gordon, Denzel Adjei, DaLauren Edwards, Justin Soria and Jemel Obrien.

Rickover Naval Academy meets Vandalia (30-2) on Friday at 5 p.m. in the quarterfinals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington

Rickover Naval Academy 45, Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville 36

157 – Mohammed Al-Tabaqchali (Rickover Naval Academy) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
165 – Caleb Gordon (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) over Evan Grabowski (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:51
175 – Denzel Adjei (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) over Naruto Martinez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 4:44
190 – Christopher Chogllo (Rickover Naval Academy) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
215 – Sean Brown (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
285 – DaLauren Edwards (Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville) over Juan Vega Hernandez (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 4:38
106 – Justin Chogllo (Rickover Naval Academy) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
113 – Jonathan Pawlowski (Rickover Naval Academy) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
120 – Breyon Wallace (Rickover Naval Academy) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
126 – Chris Uzhca (Rickover Naval Academy) over Gustavo Benitez-Mendez (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) Fall 3:23
132 – Justin Soria (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) over Jacob Pizarro (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:41
138 – Jonny Velez (Rickover Naval Academy) over Unknown (Unattached) FFT
144 – Justin Hernandez (Rickover Naval Academy) over Ryan Singleton (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) Dec 7-1
150 – Jemel Obrien (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) over Brandon Valbuena (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:50