Feature Stories

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

All rankings courtesy of Rokfin’s Illinois Matmen rankings, as compiled by Rob Sherrill.

2A Brother Rice Team Dual Sectional

Riverside-Brookfield 42, Hinsdale South 33

Riverside-Brookfield (18-6) went 8-6 in matches won against No. 20 Hinsdale South (8-4) to advance downstate for the third time for coach Nick Curby, who also led the Bulldogs downstate in 2020 and 2022. Riverside-Brookfield placed third in 1981 under coach Otto Zeman.

Twelve of the 14 matches were decided with bonus points on Tuesday. Hinsdale South led 22-6 but Brother Rice won seven of the next nine matches to secure the win, ultimately posting six pins and two straight decision wins. Hinsdale South coach Steve Matozzi got bonus points from all six of his winning wrestlers on the day.

Riverside-Brookfield takes on No. 5 Glenwood (23-5) in their state quarterfinal dual, with the winner advancing to a state semifinal against the winner between No. 1 Montini (23-2) and No. 6 Rochelle (23-7).

Riverside-Brookfield (RB) 42, Hinsdale South (HS) 33

165 – Cade Tomkins (RB) over Jonathan Mansker (HS) F 0:39

175 – Jovani Piazza (HS) over Max Strong (RB) MD 10-1

190 – Alec Miller (HS) over Matthew Elzy (RB) F 3:48

215 – Andrew Miller (HS) over Anthony Esposito (RB) F 1:27

285 – Gavin Slaughter (HS) over Avery Siemplinski (RB) F 3:25

106 – Mateo Gonzalez (RB) over Jamarion Moffett (HS) F 5:37

113 – Edgar Mosquera (RB) over Mikey Wallace (Darien (HS) F 5:08

120 – Jayden Tulian (RB) over Alec Schuetz (Darien (HS) F 4:58

126 – Nathan Stanard (RB) over Toqir Mir (HS) D 6-0

132 – Jacob Godoy (RB) over Apollo Cobb (HS) F 3:36

138 – Al Amir Almannai (HS) over Ricky Gutierrez-Blanco (RB) TF 20-5

144 – Josh Gonzalez (RB) over Noah Ririe (HS) F 0:39

150 – Jacob Noe (RB) over Andrew Musil (HS) D 6-2

157 – Ben Miller (HS) over Ethan Rivas (RB) Fall 3:02

Brother Rice 44, Oak Forest 27

No. 7-ranked Brother Rice (15-5) went 8-6 head-to-head against Oak Forest (11-11) and got bonus points in all eight of its wins, including five pins, two tech falls, and one major decision. Coach Jan Murzyn’s Crusaders trailed 21-12 mid-way through the dual before winning the next six matches from 120-150 in dominant fashion. Brother Rice is making its third consecutive team state finals appearance.

The Crusaders take on No. 8 Mahomet-Seymour (17-4) Friday in a state quarterfinal dual, with the winner advancing to a state semifinal against the quarterfinal winner between No. 3 Washington (20-6) and No. 4 Wauconda (9-1).

Brother Rice (BR) 44, Oak Forest (OF) 27

165 – Jackson Castaneda (OF) over C. Goggin (BR) D 3-1

175 – D. Costello (BR) over Blake Bussie (OF) Fall 1:27

190 – J. Crane (BR) over Jason Janke (OF) Fall 1:44

215 – Andrius Vasilevskas (OF) over C Stec (BR) F 4:38

285 – Jose Montesino (OF) over L. Gilbert (BR) F 1:56

106 – Jacob Sebek (OF) over J. Lotito (BR) D 6-0

113 – Hunter Kroll (OF) over D. Tait (BR) D 9-3

120 – L. Conners (BR) over James Mair (OF) F 5:32

126 – J. Harris (BR) over Dylan McBride (OF) TF 18-1

132 – J. Bennett (BR) over Josh Schickel (OF) F 1:17

138 – O. Davis (BR) over Austin Perez (OF) MD 14-6

144 – J. O`Conner (BR) over Ethan Copher (OF) F 0:36

150 – F. Micelli (BR) over Derek Rodriguez (OF) TF 16-1

157 – Hunter Daniel (OF) over P. Gilhooley (BR) F 2:47

2A Rochelle Team Dual Sectional

Rochelle 39, Yorkville Christian 30

No. 6 Rochelle (23-7) topped No. 10 Yorkville Christian (20-10) to send coach Alphonso Vruno’s Hubs to a state quarterfinal Friday against No. 1 Montini (23-2), with the winner advancing to a state semifinal against the quarterfinal winner between Riverside-Brookfield (18-6) and No. 5 Glenwood (23-5).

Rochelle advanced downstate for Vruno for the second time in program history; the Hubs finished fourth in state in 2018 under coach Richard Harvey.

Rochelle posted three pins and a straight decision, and won one match by medical forfeit and two more by straight forfeit against Yorkville Christian. Yorkville Christian won three matches by fall and four by straight decision in the loss.

Rochelle (R) 39, Yorkville Christian (YC) 30

190 – Brock Metzger (R) over Hayden Wheeler (Yorkville (YC) F 4:34

215 – Kaiden Morris (R) over Xander Oliver (Yorkville (YC) F 3:50

285 – Garrett Tunnell (YC) over Frank Decena (R) F 0:33

106 – Freddie Hernandez (R) FF

113 – Colten Manning (R) FF

120 – Eli Foster (YC) over Tony Milburn (R) D 12-6

126 – Xavier Villalobos (R) over Jackson Witt (YC) F 0:51

132 – Ty Edwards (YC) over Frank Nasca (R) F 0:44

138 – Deegan Schabacker (R) over Grason Johnson (YC) Med. fft.

144 – Tiras Lombardo (YC) over Josh Lassiter (R) D 8-3

150 – John `Isaac` Gray (Yorkville (YC) over Brenden Voight (R) D 7-5

157 – Tyler Gleason (YC) over Matt Lynn (R) F 1:41

165 – Robby Nelson (YC) over Grant Gensler (R) SV-1 2-0

175 – Roman Villalobos (R) over Jackson Allen (YC) D 8-6

Washington 45, Geneseo 22

No. 3 Washington (20-6) won 8 of 14 matches against No. 12 Geneseo (12-5), including five pins, to win 45-22 for coach Nick Miller’s defending state champion Panthers.

Washington moves on to a state quarterfinal dual Friday against No. 4 Wauconda (9-1), with the winner advancing to a state semifinal dual against the winner between No. 8 Mahomet-Seymour (17-4) and No. 7 Brother Rice (15-5).

Washington is chasing its eighth dual team state trophy, having won the team state title five times – three times under Miller and twice under former coach Bryan Medlin. Miller and Medlin have also produced one state runner-up team apiece.

Washington (W) 45, Geneseo (G) 22

190 – Zane Hulet (W) over Colten Mooney (G) MD 10-2

215 – Josh Hoffer (W) over Logan Palmer (G) F 5:19

285 – Sean Thornton (W) over Brayden Franzen (G) F 3:00

106 – Zed Hulet (W) over TJ Kennedy (G) F 1:20

113 – Tim Sebastian (G) over Logan Makiney (W) MD 12-1

120 – Noah Woods (W) over Kie Smith (G) TF 16-1

126 – Eli Gonzalez (W) over Devan Hornback (G) D 6-0

132 – Timmy Smith (W) over Grady Hull (G) D 7-2

138 – Wyatt Medlin (W) over Izaac Gaines (G) F 1:35

144 – Malaki Jackson (G) over Jackson Sonderman (W) D 10-2

150 – Josh Hock (G) over Jonathon Rokey (W) F 1:55

157 – Zachary Montez (G) over Tyler Brown (W) TF 23-8

165 – Kye Weinzierl (G) over Cruise Brolley (W) D 9-3 

175 – Cael Miller (W) over Wyatt Neumann (G) F 1:18

2A Taylorville Team Dual Sectional

Glenwood 46, Mt. Vernon 28

No. 5 Glenwood (23-5) is chasing its first state finals trophy after it advanced to the team dual state finals for the fifth time on Tuesday, courtesy of a 46-28 win over Mt. Vernon (8-6) at Taylorville.

The Titans advanced downstate twice under former coach Jeremy Mosier and once under current coach Jerod Bruner.

Bruner’s Titans led 34-10 when the final five matches were forfeited by both teams – two by Mt. Vernon and three by Glenwood. Next up for Glenwood is a state quarterfinal dual against Riverside-Brookfield (18-6), with the winner advancing to a state semifinal against the winner between No. 1 Montini (23-2) and No. 6 Rochelle (23-7).

Glenwood (G) 46, Mt. Vernon (MV) 28

157 – Sean Harrington (MV) over Braxton Warren (G) MD 19-8

165 – Elijah Smith (G) over Kyle Prince (MV) F 4:00

175 – Maddux Randall (MV) over Justin Hay (G) D 6-3

190 – Mason Randall (MV) over Maximus Wiezorek (G) D 6-5

215 – Omar Alkhayyat (Chatham (G) over Jhymear Smith Henson (MV) DQ

285 – Cody Moss (Chatham (G) over Jesse Mills (MV) F 1:37

106 – Kadi Wilbern (G) FFT

113 – Tyler Clarke (G) over Jack Clark (MV) MD 15-2

120 – Owen Ottino (G) over Jason Jackson (MV) F 1:14

126 – Drew Moffit (G) FFT

132 – Drew Davis (G) FFT

138 – Gavin Pedigo (MV) FFT

144 – Gavin Gilliams (MV) FFT

150 – Dillon White (MV) FFT

Mahomet-Seymour 50, Lincoln 18

No. 8 Mahomet-Seymour (17-4) went 10-4 in matches won to advance past Lincoln (18-9) 50-18 for coach Rob Ledin’s Bulldogs. Mahomet-Seymour posted six pins and two major decision wins for bonus points in the victory. Ledin led the program to a third-place state finish in 2022.

Mahomet-Seymour is chasing the 16th team state trophy in its storied history. The Bulldogs won five state titles for coach Marty Williams between 1982-89, plus a second- and a third-place finish; placed third four times for coach Rob Porter between 1990-2001; and placed third in 1980 and ’81 for coach Bob Handlin.

The Bulldogs take on No. 7 Brother Rice (15-5) in a state quarterfinal dual on Friday, with the winner advancing to a state semifinal against the winner between No. 3 Washington (20-6) and No. 4 Wauconda (9-1).

Mahomet-Seymour (MS) 50, Lincoln (L) 18

157 – Gage Decker (MS) over Aiden Frye (L) Fall 3:36

165 – Dawson McConnell (L) over AJ Demos (MS) Fall 1:19

175 – Cale Hillard ((MS) over Soren Aukamp (L) Fall 5:08

190 – Brock VanDeveer (MS) over Paytan Bunner (L) Maj 9-1

215 – Noah Daniels (MS) over Caleb Zirklebach (L) Maj 8-0

285 – Logan Wachendorf (L) over Austin Crull (MS) Fall 3:41

106 – Gideon Hayter (MS) over Zack Eckhardt (L) Fall 4:40

113 – Lukas Altstetter (MS) over Ethan Maynard (L) Fall 4:56

120 – Colton McClure (MS) over Cort Pentecost (L) Fall 3:25

126 – Justus Vrona (MS) over Karter Hild (L) Dec 6-1

132 – Cam Bell (L) over Corey Bell (MS) SV-1 11-9

138 – Talon Decker (MS) over Lakin Adams (L) Dec 5-2

144 – Jacob Lawrence (L) over Kaleb Collins (Mahomet (MS) Dec 4-1

150 – DeAndre Hughey (MS) over Ryne Metelko (L) Fall 3:25

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

3A Taylorville Dual Team Sectional

Yorkville 37, Edwardsville 17

No. 6 Yorkville (18-4) is chasing its 12th team state trophy and its second under coach Jake Oster in his eighth year at the helm. Oster led Yorkville to a fourth-place finish last year.

Yorkville has won three team state titles (1976, ’93, ’94) and been state runner-up five times.

Yorkville takes on No. 15 Naperville Central (20-6) in a state quarterfinal dual on Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s semifinal against the winner between No. 16 Libertyville (12-1) and No. 21 Oak Park and River Forest (15-2).

Oster’s squad won 10 of 14 matches Tuesday in winning 37-17 over No. 23 Edwardsville, (11-5), winning seven matches in straight decisions to go with one win by fall, one by tech fall, and one by major decision. 

Yorkville 37, Edwardsville 17

157 – Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville) over Aiden Stamp (Edwardsville) MD 16-8

165 – Brendan Landau (Edwardsville) over Caleb Viscogliosi (Yorkville) D 3-1

175 – Luke Zook (Yorkville) over Max Miller (Edwardsville) D 11-4

190 – Luke Chrisse (Yorkville) over Simon Schulte (Edwardsville) D 6-0

215 – Roman Janek (Edwardsville) over Ryan Stockl (Yorkville) D 4-0

285 – Ben Alvarez (Yorkville) over Riley Steinkuhler (Edwardsville) F 1:18

106 – Bryson Nuttall (Edwardsville) over Ramsey Barton (Yorkville) TF 24-6

113 – Liam Fenoglio (Yorkville) over Tyler Perry (Edwardsville) D 6-2

120 – Daniel Martino (Yorkville) over Colin Waddington (Edwardsville) D 9-4

126 – Nathan Craft (Yorkville) over Levi Wilkinson (Edwardsville) D 7-4

132 – Dominic Recchia (Yorkville) over Ian Trauernicht (Edwardsville) MD 16-7

138 – Donovan Rosauer (Yorkville) over Logan Hiller (Edwardsville) SV-1 7-5

144 – Blake Mink (Edwardsville) over Owen Middleton (Yorkville) F 3:44

150 – Jack Ferguson (Yorkville) over KJ Jamison (Edwardsville) TF 19-3

3A Hononegah Dual Team Sectional

Libertyville 45, Prospect 19

No. 16 Libertyville (12-1) went 9-5 in matches won against Prospect (12-9), including five pins, to advance to a state quarterfinal dual on Friday against No. 21 Oak Park and River Forest (15-2). Friday’s winner advances to a Saturday semifinal against the quarterfinal winner between No. 15 Naperville Central (20-6) and No. 6 Yorkville (18-4).

Coaching at one of the smallest 3A public schools in Illinois (enrollment 1,784), coach Dale Eggert has carved out a 38-year hall-of-fame career at Libertyville, with a current dual-meet record of 662-173-2. Eggert has taken Libertyville downstate seven times and led the Wildcats to a fourth-place state finish in 2008. 

Libertyville 45, Prospect 19

106 – Jake Shafer (Libertyville) over Thomas Fidler (Prospect) F 3:25

113 – Tyler Wuh (Libertyville) over Evan DeNardis (Prospect) F 3:19

120 – Louis Monroig (Prospect) over Brayden Liu (Libertyville) MD 13-1

126 – Luke Berktold (Libertyville) over Karol Kosciarz (Prospect) F 3:45

132 – Orion Moran (Libertyville) over Ryan Brannigan (Prospect) D 6-2

138 – Anthony Kelly (Libertyville) over Kacper Kosciarz (Prospect) F 2:00

144 – Giorgio DiFalco (Prospect) over Will Carney (Libertyville) D 1-0

150 – Bennett WestFen (Prospect) over Jacob Whisenand (Libertyville) D 7-1

157 – James Scanio (Libertyville) over Joseph Quirk (Prospect) D 7-4

165 – Connor Munn (Prospect) over Charlie Clark (Libertyville) MD 12-3

175 – Matt Kubas (Libertyville) over Michael Matuszak (Prospect) F 2:11

190 – Jaxon Penovich (Prospect) over Erich Walldorf (Libertyville) TF 18-3

215 – Caleb Baczek (Libertyville) over Brock Clay (Prospect) D 11-5

285 – Owen McGrory (Libertyville) over James Brouilette (Prospect) F 1:44

Hononegah 39, Hersey 25

No. 9 Hononegah (11-1) won eight of 14 matches and got bonus points in six of them to win 39-25 over No. 8 Hersey (12-6). 

Coach Tyler DeMoss’ program is seeking its fourth team state trophy, having placed fourth twice for coach Marty Kaiser (2005 and 2007), and also placed fourth in 2014 for coach Jason Glodowski.

Hononegah squares off with No. 1 St. Charles East (19-0) in a state quarterfinal on Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s semi-final round against the quarterfinal winner between No. 2 Joliet Catholic (14-4) and No. 3 Mount Carmel (9-2).

Hononegah 39, Hersey 25

106 – Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) over Cole Anselmi (Hersey) F 0:35

113 – Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah) over Danny Lehman (Hersey) TF 16-1

120 – Anthony Orozco-Diaz (Hersey) over Jackson Olson (Hononegah) F 4:59

126 – Elijah Garza (Hersey) over Evan Musil (Hononegah) MD 12-3

132 – Abdullokh Khakimov (Hersey) over Robert Darling (Hononegah) D 7-4

138 – Thomas Silva (Hononegah) over Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey) D 10-3

144 – Jake Hanson (Hersey) over Max Aranki (Hononegah) D 9-2

150 – Frank Tagoe (Hersey) over Max Haskins (Hononegah) D 5-1

157 – Brody Sendele (Hononegah) over Tim Boldt (Hersey) MD 18-6

165 – Connor Diemel (Hononegah) over Alex Garza (Hersey) F 1:17

175 – Kurt Smith (Hononegah) over Nolan Saccone (Hersey) F 2:46

190 – Greyson Cotone (Hononegah) over Leo Delgado (Hersey) F 1:38

215 – Anthony Cambria (Hersey) over Ethan Ballard (Hononegah) F 1:52

285 – Isaak Smith (Hononegah) over Gus Dammann (Hersey) D 10-5

3A Addison Trail Dual Team Sectional

St. Charles East 49, Maine South 21

St. Charles East (19-0) posted seven pins among its nine wins in ousting Maine South (20-12), 49-21 at Addison Trail. The top-ranked Saints are chasing their second consecutive 3A state title and coach Jason Potter’s boys open Friday’s quarterfinal round against No. 9 Hononegah (11-1), with the winner advancing to a state semifinal Saturday against the quarterfinal winner between No. 2 Joliet Catholic (14-4) and No. 3 Mount Carmel (9-2).

St. Charles East is chasing its third overall team state trophy, having also placed third in 1997 under former head coach, current assistant coach, and IWCOA and Illinois Wrestling hall-of-famer Mick Ruettiger.

St. Charles East 49, Maine South 21

144 – Gavin Hoerr (Maine South) over Logan Tatar (St. Charles E) D 3-0

150 – Jayden Colon (St. Charles E) over Gavin Hoerr (Maine South) F

157 – Gavin Connolly (St. Charles E) over Dlan Ide (Maine South)) F

165 – Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles E) over Aidan Swenson (Maine South) F

175 – Brody Murray (St. Charles E) over Evan Rioch (Maine South) F

190 – Cooper Murray (St. Charles E) over Tommy Behzad (Maine South) F

215 – Brandon Swartz (St. Charles E) over Leo McDonald (Maine South) F

285 – Tyler Fortis (Maine South) over Matt Medina (St. Charles E) D 7-1

106 – Kaden Potter (St. Charles E) over George Georgiev (Maine South) D 7-0

113 – Christos Vaselopulos (Maine South) over Andrew Han (St. Charles E) F 3:46

120 – Brett Harman (Maine South) over Liam Aye (St. Charles E) F 0:31

126 – Gavin Woodmancy (St. Charles E) over Jack Handley (Maine South) MD 11-2

132 – Luke Morrison (Maine South) over Payton Lee (St. Charles E) D 7-5

138 – Ben Davino (St. Charles E) over Jake Colleran (Maine South) F 1:22

Oak Park and River Forest 41, Schaumburg 24

No. 21 OPRF (15-2) won nine of 14 matches for coach Paul Collins in winning 41-24 over Schaumburg (19-7). The Huskies posted three falls and five wins by major decision among its nine victories.

OPRF is seeking a state trophy for the ninth time in program history. The Huskies placed second in state in 1988 under coach Norm Parker, and won two team state titles in 2009 and 2014 under coach Mike Powell. OPRF also finished second in Illinois in 2012 under Powell.

Collins led the Huskies to team state titles in 2015 and 2016, and second-place finishes in 2018 and 2019.

OPRF takes on No. 16 Libertyville (12-1) in a state quarterfinal dual Friday and the winner advances to a Saturday semifinal against the quarterfinal winner between No. 15 Naperville Central (20-6) and No. 6 Yorkville (18-4).

OPRF 41, Schaumburg 24

144 – Jeremiah Hernandez (OPRF) over Rocco Fontela (Schaumburg) D 4-3

150 – David Ogunsanya (OPRF) over Callen Kirchner (Schaumburg) MD 13-5

157 – Gavin Hinkle (Schaumburg) over Isaac Davies (OPRF) F 4:49

165 – Kolin Little (Schaumburg) over Emmett Baker (OPRF) D 1-0

175 – Hugh Vanek (OPRF) over Keegan Creighton (Schaumburg) MD 10-2

190 – Carey Robinson (OPRF) over James Zinchuk (Schaumburg) MD 13-4

215 – Eric Harris (OPRF) over Karl Makinano (Schaumburg) F 5:53

285 – Cesar Alvarez-Cuatepitzi (Schaumburg) over Terrence Garner (OPRF) F 2:59

106 – Michael Rundell (OPRF) over Austin Phelps (Schaumburg) MD 18-5

113 – Gabriel Rojas (OPRF) over Bryan Sanchez (Schaumburg) F 5:34

120 – Brady Phelps (Schaumburg) over Ruben Acevedo (OPRF) F 5:55

126 – Zev Koransky (OPRF) over Adrian Quevedo (Schaumburg) MD 16-6

132 – Aiden Quevedo (Schaumburg) over Aiden Noyes (OPRF) D 3-1

138 – Joseph Knackstedt (OPRF) over Aidan Ploski (Schaumburg) F 2:37

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

It was a state tournament that had a little something for everyone.

On the 3A side, fans were treated to a rarity of sorts when they watched both Ben Davino and Dillan Johnson win for their fourth time each, joining 14 others in the long history of the IHSA boys state tournament to win four individual state titles.

The 87th annual state tournament provided plenty of thrills, spills, and chills for a raucous crowd, which did battle with frigid temperatures in order to quench their thirst for the favorite sport and its outstanding young men.

Watch enough state finals inside State Farm Center and you find it can be a cruel sport, one that will test even the most sturdy of the mentally strong during a rollercoaster ride that — for six wrestlers per weight class — takes them on a long journey to a prized state medal.

Ultimately, the Hinsdale Central sectional produced six state champs, Barrington produced four, followed by Conant (3) and Quincy (1).

Here is a detailed look at each weight class when the final whistle ended things in Champaign:

106- Caleb Noble, Warren

In one of the best divisions in Champaign, dominated by freshmen, it would be a pair of rookie sensations that met in the 106-pound final with Caleb Noble (42-3) from Warren and Rocco Cassioppi (43-4) of Hononegah facing off for the second straight weekend.

The thunderous first period throw, and acrobatic back-flip from Noble after the final whistle easily told the big crowd who was crowned state champion after a thrilling 6-5 decision by Noble.

“The two of us know each other really well,” Noble said. “This was our third time we’ve met this season so we were both really very cautious of the other. Even though we had a plan on how to wrestle Rocco, sometimes those plans get thrown out the window and you just let it fly.” 

Noble beat Cassioppi for a Barrington sectional title one week earlier.

Nobles’ early throw brought the crowd alive. His hopes for victory increased when he built a 4-0 advantage after the first period.

It was 4-1 after two periods before Cassioppi closed to within 4-3, but seconds later Noble responded to make it 6-3.

With 30 seconds from time it became 6-4 on an escape, and a late stalling call on Noble gave the Hononegah faithful some life, but Noble was able to fend off any late attempts from his opponent.

“This is a great way to finish my first year of high school wrestling, and on the same night that Aaron (Stewart) won his first state title also,” said Noble.

Noble, Cassioppi, and third place Rocco Hayes (Sandburg, 49-2) can all be found in the top ten of national polls.

Fourth place went to Proviso West freshmen Jamiel Castleberry (33-3), the 18th medal-winner  in program history, and first since 2013 when Jameer Thurman was third at 195.

Normal Community junior Caden Correll (39-7) was fifth after his defeat of Barrington freshman Kaleb Pratt (36-14), who enjoyed a fantastic season under first year head coach Dan Keller.

Correll is now twice a fifth-place medal winner, giving his program its 13th state medal.

113- Nicholas Garcia, Marmion Academy

The path to an unlikely championship began weeks ago for Marmion’s Nicholas Garcia, after he suffered his second defeat at the hands of No. 1 Dom Munaretto of St. Charles East. Munaretto beat the Marmion Academy star at both the Ironman (3-2) and the Flavin (5-3) just before the new year.

“Nicholas came to me right away after DeKalb and said if he sees Munaretto again, he wants to beat him,” said Cadets head coach Nathan Fitzenreider, who along with Garcia, and his staff began to hatch a plan designed to defeat 2023 state champion Munaretto, the No. 5-ranked high school wrestler in the nation.

“We watched a ton of film, worked on cleaning some things up, and just kind of broke things down for him,” Fitzenreider said. “As we got closer to state, we were confident that if they met again, the result would be different.

“Munaretto is a great wrestler, but Nicholas is a real special young man, so he never lost his focus against any of his opponents during the postseason. He always had a great plan in place.”

Munaretto (47-3) leveled his three opponents to advance into the Grand March, including a dominating performance in his semifinal with No. 4 Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah, 38-5) that ended in a 18-2 tech-fall victory at 5:44.

Garcia would major his first two opponents of the tournament, then recorded a hard fought 3-0 decision against No. 5 Maddox Garbis (Plainfield North, 44-5) yet another superb rival that made up this marvelous 16-man bracket.

It was clear from the start of the 113-pound final that Garcia (45-7) was well-prepared to face Munaretto. Despite Munaretto’s strength, power, and ability to strike at a moment’s notice, Garcia found a way to stymie the Saints super-sophomore.

Garcia would register the second of his two neatly played reversals midway through the second period to double his advantage to 4-2, and that’s the way this pulsating final would end.

Munaretto would start down for the third period, but Garcia rode his rival hard for the next 90 seconds – brushing off a stall warning ten seconds before time – and then triumphantly raised both arms at the final whistle, much to the delight of the Cadets faithful.

“There was some talk about going 120 at some point, I was at 117, but I feel so good in this weight class, and the belief in myself, my teammates, and coaching staff went a long way towards this state title,” said Garcia.

Cassioppi would later go to claim third place over Garbis with a 10-0 major decision victory, while the Joliet Catholic Academy freshman Max Cumbee (33-16) – ranked No. 7 at the start of the weekend – grabbed fifth place after his 6-4 sudden victory over Justin Williamson (32-12) of Mt. Carmel.

120- Teddy Flores, Maine South

1968 was an eventful year in world and national news. Locally, it was also the last time Maine South celebrated an individual state champion, when Tom Neuses won the state crown at 133 pounds.

Jon Halverson came this close in 2019 at 182 pounds, but it would be Teddy Flores who would break the long title drought on Saturday, with his 6-5 victory over Jason Hampton (33-16) from Joliet Catholic Academy.

“This win and state title proves that hard work, dedication, and a total commitment to the sport eventually pays off,” said a proud Flores, who placed fourth in Champaign a year ago.

Flores and the Hawks coaching staff felt better things would soon come his way.

“I think all of us felt that Teddy could have been in the final last year, but I know that finish is what inspired him to achieve his ultimate goal of being a state champion,” Hawks coach Kevin Hansen said. “You can imagine how proud we all are of him right now.”

Flores adjusted after last year’s downstate experience.

“I had to change my ways after last year,” Flores said. “It meant doing all of the right things from training to watching my diet, what type of food I put into my body, lifting, fitness – every little thing that needed to be better if I wanted to be the best this season.”

Flores, who recently committed to the University of Michigan, was cool, calm and composed during his 3-0 quarterfinal win over Cole Gentsch (Normal Community, 42-7). Flores then topped Kalani Khiev (Glenbard North, 37-8), when a second-period escape and a third-period ride gave the Hawks senior a 1-0 decision.

Flores appeared to be in control over Hampton in the finals when he escaped and then recorded a take-down to go up 5-0, before the Hilltoppers sophomore made a valiant run at the eventual champion before falling just short.

“Jordan had a great tournament, and his championship match showed the identity of JCA wrestling. He was never out of the match,” JCA coach Ryan Cumbee said.

“He is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached, and as a sophomore, you’re only beginning to see just how good he can become.”

The superb career of Batavia senior Ino Garcia (28-6) came to an end when the Bulldogs star claimed his third state medal following his 12-6 defeat over Brady Phelps (25-4) in the third place match. Garcia was sixth a year ago, and fourth in 2022.

Brady Phelps, who was No. 2 in the preseason polls behind Flores, is now a three-time state medal winner in a season when the Schaumburg junior battled meningitis which forced him out of action for over a third of his season.

“There was always a chance that I wouldn’t come back this season, or maybe ever, depending on how severe my case was,” Phelps said. “Even though I wasn’t able to reach my goal of being a state champion, there’s plenty to be thankful for.”

Khiev would later defeat Libertyville senior Luke Berktold (36-9) for fifth place.

126- Seth Mendoza, Mt. Carmel

No. 1 Seth Mendoza has no fear of flying. But you can bet his 126-pound opponents fear the-now three-time state champion.

The Mt. Carmel junior produced yet another sparkling three days of work – culminating in a 13-5 decision over No. 2 Michael Esteban (36-8) from Marist to join former Caravan star Sergio Lemley as a three-time champion, while giving his storied program its 47th state champion.

If Mendoza can repeat next season, he will find himself alongside famed brothers Joe and TJ Williams as four-time state champions.

“It’s always nice to win a state title, it’s obviously one of the goals I’ve set for myself, but it all happens because of my teammates and coaching staff,” Mendoza said. “

Mendoza is proud of his father, Michael Mendoza, a Purple Heart and Navy Cross recipient, which is the second highest award for valor given.

Michael Mendoza was a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant in 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Al Anbar Province when he was involved in a firefight which saw him lead his team and injured commander to safety.

One year later he was injured by flying shrapnel while in Afghanistan.

“My dad has been a great inspiration to me, and together we’ve been making several recruiting trips, which has helped me gather the type of information needed to help me make an important decision,” adds Seth.

Mendoza aspires to be a pilot, and is now able to fly solo in a Cessna 172.

“Since fourth grade I’ve been interested in flying, and my dad encouraged me to do so,” Mendoza said. “It’s cool, and something that I’ve really come to enjoy.”

Abdulloh Khakimov (Hersey, 34-7), Christian Chavez (Glenbard North, 39-6), Grant Madl (Elk Grove, 37-5) and Max Siegel (Andrew, 43-9) are all seniors, and are now all well-deserving first time state medal-winners after their third-to-sixth place finish here on Saturday.

Madl, who earlier in the year became the first Elk Grove program history to win 100 matches, also gave the Grens their first state medal since Jeff Shapiro did so in 1984 with his second-place finish.

132- Ben Davino, St. Charles East

Ben Davino has been the heartbeat of St. Charles East wrestling ever since stepping foot inside the Saints room, and a crucial piece in the machine that Jason Potter and his coaching staff have built.

Davino has been at or near the top of the national polls from the moment he put on the Saints singlet, racking up over 170 career victories against just one loss.

With his scorching pace and dynamic acceleration, lethal finishing ability, and an insatiable taste for winning, Davino (50-0) would claim his fourth state title here in Champaign. He opened the final session with an impressive 20-5 tech-fall victory over a tremendous opponent in TJ Silva (28-5) from Hononegah, himself a returning 1A state champion.

“I’ve had to pinch myself at times because four years, and over 1000 days here at St. Charles East have gone by so much quicker than I’ve wanted them to,” said Davino, who will wrestle next fall at the Ohio State University.

“Being in our room is even better than I ever expected, and to have the coaching staff that we have, and especially coach Potter, they’ve made me a better person and wrestler. I love our room and teammates, which are really my second family, and to be a part of the success this team has had is just amazing.”

Davino tech-falled his way to the 126-pound crown to give him 18 on the season, to go along with (23) pins. Silva, who came over from 1A power Dakota, earned his spot in the final after his tech-fall of Damian Valdez (Addison Trail, 34-13) who lost to Davino in the Conant sectional final.

Hersey junior Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (36-4) was a well-deserving third overall after his major decision (13-4) victory over Mt. Carmel freshman Evan Stanley (37-7).

Zack Parisi (York, 50-5) who will wrestle in the fall at the University of Chicago, grabbed his first state medal after his pin of Valdez gave him fifth-place honors. Parisi gave the Dukes program its 27th state medal, while Valdez’s medal was his program’s 19th, the last coming in 2002.

138- Zach Stewart, Marmion Academy

When St. Charles East’s No. 1 Tyler Guerra went down with an injury just under two minutes into his quarterfinal contest, it opened things up wide to the rest of the 138-pound competition 

Marmion Academy sophomore Zach Stewart – who dealt with his own share of nagging injuries during his rookie season – seized the opportunity with both hands by defeating No. 4 Justin Wardlow of Lockport to claim the state title at 138, and second state title of the day for the Cadets.

“Injuries are a part of the sport,” Stewart said.  “I went through it a year ago so I know. But after cutting a ton of weight last year, I felt really good going at (138) this year and it showed in my results.” 

Stewart won 6-3 over Wardlow (42-7), who was unable to wrestle Massey Odiotti (Loyola Academy) in the 120-pound final last year due to an injury.

The first period resembled more of a chess match with each teasing and testing the other. Stewart knew after two previous wins over Wardlow that he’d have extra motivation to beat him in the final.

“We had two barnburners before (6-5, 6-3) so I wanted to get out to a fast start with the first takedown to help set the tone,” Stewart said. Stewart was ranked third prior to the weekend, just behind No. 2 Donavon Allen (35-7) from Marist.

Allen beat Stewart in a 5-3 sudden victory decision at the Hinsdale Central sectional final.

Off the second period whistle, Stewart executed a wonderful reversal for two against Wardlow, and doubled his advantage to 4-2 with 44 seconds in the period.

Wardlow started down for the third period and quickly made it 4-3 with an escape, but was unable to pry open Stewart down the stretch. Stewart sealed his victory with a take-down just seconds before time.

“I’ve got a great room and some great teammates to go with every day, which has really helped me get this state title,” said Stewart, who fell one win short of earning a state medal at 120 pounds last year.

Allen would go on to claim third place after his overtime (5-4) victory over Ryan Hinger (Sandburg, 44-6) while Lincoln-Way West junior Luke Siwinski went home with fifth place following his pin of Damian Resendez (23-16) from Mt. Carmel.

144- Jayden Colon, St. Charles East

By the time the dust had cleared from the three-round clearance of their opponents, it was abundantly clear that St. Charles East’s Jayden Colon and Fremd’s Evan Gosz both belonged in the 144-pound final.

No. 2 Colon (41-5) would dispatch No. 1 Carson Weber (42-2) to avenge an earlier loss to the Joliet West junior in the Dvorak semifinals, to advance into his third straight championship bout. On the other side of the bracket, Gosz systematically built a big lead to send off No. 5 Aidan Huck (43-7) from Batavia to secure his spot against Colon.

Gosz (37-1), twice a third-place state medal winner, struck first with a first period take-down of the returning state champion. But a strong second period and an even better final period saw Colon record a pair of three-point near falls that led to an impressive 14-5 major decision victory.

“(Colon) is so tough on the mat – it was something that we had hoped to stay away from tonight,” Fremd coach Jeff Keske said. “But Evan had a great season and made some really important strides in his game, so we all know he’ll be back next year with the chance of winning a state title.” 

Colon is grateful for what the Saints’ program has given him.

“I’m very fortunate to be in a great room with some great partners on either side of me to work out with,” Colon said. “To have the chance of winning another state title for our program and coaching staff is something that I’m proud of.”

The Saints star, a key figure in the St. Charles East run last year to its first 3A dual-team state title, won at 145 last year and at  129 the year before when he won at 145 while wrestling at Montini Catholic.

Saturday’s victory gave him four major tournament titles on the season, plus a third-place finish at the Dvorak.

Gosz said after winning his third sectional title he had the better of the downstate draw, with both Colon and Weber on the other side of the bracket. However, he was quick to say he would not take Batavia’s Huck lightly should they meet once again after an earlier match that saw Gosz prevail 5-3. 

Gosz will enter his final season at Fremd with a sparkling 122-8 overall record. 

Huck lost to Weber for third place but broke through for the first time in three tries, leaving Champaign with a state place-medal. Pekin senior RaMez Watson (38-6) earned fifth place honors after his 4-2 victory over Marmion Academy sophomore Ashton Hobson (39-11).

150- Will Denny, Marist

A pin- and tech-fall-happy Will Denny never was given a stern test during this post-season, including his three days of play here in Champaign, where the Marist junior left little doubt as to why he was anointed the No. 1 spot all year long at 150 pounds.

Denny (42-4) pinned his way into the semifinals where he cruised past Gavin Connolly (St. Charles East, 41-11) before doing the same to Barrington senior Rhenzo Augusto (41-6) to claim the first state title of his career, the 12th in program history, and first since 2015 when Marist heavyweight Jake Ford climbed to the top of the podium.

“I wasn’t happy at all with that fourth-place finish here a year ago, so I went back and did a lot of work on my technique, and upped my workout to three times per day, seven days a week in order to go after a state title,” said Denny.

“I’ve really enjoyed being the one guy everyone is chasing this year, and even I know that God has a plan for all of us, so I’ll trust in knowing that, and just continue to work as hard as I can.”

The sudden rise of Augusto, a state qualifier a year ago, comes as no surprise to Barrington coach Dan Keller, who came over to take charge of a young program from Prospect.

“We’re all very proud of Rhenzo,” Keller said. “He’s a ‘yes sir, no sir’ type of person who takes great pride in his training, his teammates, and of just being a part of a team. When you consider how short of a time he’s been serious in this sport after coming over from jiu-jitsu, his success is nothing short of amazing.”

Dominic Serio (West Aurora, 33-4) came all the way back through wrestle-backs to earn a spot against Connolly, who outlasted Serio for third place after his 3-1 decision. Connolly, a state qualifier in 2022, was injured last year but still managed to advance to the sectional blood round and has enjoyed a marvelous final year under coach Jason Potter

Jack Ferguson (Yorkville, 44-12) was fifth, and OPRF sophomore David Ogunsanya (37-11) sixth overall.

157- Aaron Stewart, Warren

If there were any sure things in Champaign this year in 3A, Ben Davino, Seth Mendoza, Dillan Johnson and Aaron Stewart were just that. The quartet was unbeatable, unstoppable, and undeniably the best in their weight class both in Illinois and at the national level.

It would have taken a gargantuan effort to unseat any of these four from their lofty status, but they still had to wrestle in order to claim the top prizes in their respective divisions.

Aaron Stewart (43-2) would kickstart his season with one impressive win after another before overwhelming his competition in the postseason which culminated in three easy victories leading up to his state final match with Edmund Enright (Mt. Carmel) that ended with Stewart claiming his first state crown of his young career.

“Winning here is a goal for all of us, but to be honest, I won at Fargo, and that’s a lot bigger than winning state,” said Stewart, now 43-2 after his 5-2 decision over Enright, whose record moved to 39-4.

Stewart, 12th nationally, took an early lead with a takedown just 30 seconds into this contest, then conceded a pair of escapes to allow Enright, No. 20 in the national polls to get back even with the Warren sophomore.

Stewart would need some quick help from the medical staff when Enright had a firm hold of his left ankle near the edge just after the third period began. After given the all-clear to go, Stewart recorded an escape and would put Enright away for good with one last take-down just six seconds from time.

“I kept my attacks up and always felt in control, even though the (close) score didn’t really reflect how confident I was,” offered Stewart, who was third here a year ago, and was a key figure in the Blue Devils first trip ever to the 3A dual-team state tournament.

Stewart and teammate Caleb Noble would give their program its fifth state championship in history after Russ Schneider (1964) Craig Murphy (1966), and Joel Vandervere (2020) got themselves up on the board in the Warren room.

Hononegah’s terrific freshman Brody Sendele (47-3) who lost to Enright in the semifinals 5-0 finished third overall after his 9-2 victory over Noah Quintana (31-8) from West Aurora.

Luke Hamiti (Joliet Catholic Academy, 35-19), who lost his state opener to Sendele, and again in his wrestle-back semifinal, persevered through a trio of matches on Saturday to eventually earn fifth place after his 8-1 win over Ryder Janeczko (23-12) from Yorkville.

165 – Collin Carrigan, Glenbard West

Many would call this weight class the deepest, thanks in part to No. 1 Owen Uppinghouse (Quincy) and his 50-plus victories, followed closely by Collin Carrigan (Glenbard West) and Gunnar Garelli (Lyons).

Garelli and Carrigan have battled each other all season long, most recently the last two weekends prior to this one.

There was plenty more quality all throughout this 16-man bracket. Garelli sent Uppinghouse (56-1) out of the front draw with a 5-1 quarterfinal victory, and Carrigan mowed down his rivals as it became clear late Friday night that these two long-time friends would meet to decide the title at 165.

“Gunnar and I have been friends since fourth grade when we were in club together, so there was little about each other we didn’t know,” said Carrigan, who during the offseason transferred from Marmion Academy to be back in Glen Ellyn, and within minutes walking distance from his home to Glenbard West.

In setting up the finals drama between the two: Garelli earned a 4-3 victory in the regional championship before the Glenbard West home fans, then it was Carrigan who came back to level things with a 5-3 decision to capture the sectional crown at nearby Hinsdale Central.

“When I looked at the brackets, I knew we could meet one last time, and when Gunnar got that big win over Uppinghouse, then (AJ) Gutierrez (St. Charles East) on the top half of the bracket, it all came together for both of us,” said Carrigan. Both he and Garelli are three-time state qualifiers.

The highly-anticipated final did not disappoint, and after Carrigan grabbed an early lead with a take-down, then doubled his advantage seconds into the second period, it appeared as though the North Carolina-bound Carrigan (45-10) was on his way to an easy victory.

However, Garelli (46-3) did not go away, and a pair of escapes halved the lead of Carrigan to 4-2.

When it became 4-3, Garelli uncorked a well executed take-down near the edge to give him his first lead of the match (5-4) only to see Carrigan (46-1) draw back even with 45 seconds remaining to send this into extra time to decide the eventual champion.

Overtime set up one of the wildest scramble sequences, with both having chances to score, much to the delight of the crowd that was fully invested on their side of the stadium, raising the noise level a decibel or two with each move from these two in their attempt to win before time.

Neither wrestler scored in the first overtime, sending things to an additional extra session. When Carrigan escaped, it was a 6-5 tie-breaker victory that give Glenbard West its first state champion since 1966 when Fred Beilfuss did so.

“I got the start I wanted with that first period take-down, and was able to add more points to make it 4-0,” Carrigan said. “But it was a final between two seniors who wanted to go out on top, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

“My move back closer to home to finish up at Glenbard West has been even better than I expected. Our room is great, and coach (Pat) McCluskey and our staff have made me feel right at home from the very beginning, so I’m thrilled to give something  back to everyone associated with the program.”

Uppinghouse would conclude a remarkable career at Quincy with a second third-place finish after his 45-2 record from a year ago. Gutierrez was fourth overall, DeKalb senior Jacob Luce (44-4) fifth after his 11-2 major decision victory over Max Corral (33-180 the senior from Joliet Catholic.

175- Colin Kelly, Mt. Carmel

Colin Kelly’s sensational postseason effort ended with the Mt. Carmel senior lifting the 175-pound trophy, the second time he’s done so in his career after just missing out last season to-then No. 1 Chris Moore (McHenry) in a tense, hard fought 160-pound final that ended in favor of Moore, 3-2, now a 165-pounder here at Illinois.

“It was a disappointment of sorts losing in my final last year to Chris, but it’s the sport, and life, and you just move on,” said Kelly, whose faith is deep-seeded in the way he lives his life.

“I feel like I am blessed with each and every day from the time that I wake up, to the end of my day,” continued Kelly, who was involved in a car crash earlier in the season, which had a profound effect on the way he lives.

“You kind of have your eyes opened when you have an experience like that so now I don’t let the little things bother me,” Kelly said. “And I’ve done my best to get closer to God to help me with each day.”

On the wrestling mats, few have gotten closer to the Wisconsin-bound Kelly, No. 1 all season long in his high profile weight class, and currently No. 3 in the national polls.

Since regionals, Kelly (42-1) has recorded a pair of majors, three falls, and four tech-falls, including his second of the tournament against Ricky Ericksen (Marist) 31-11) at 2:41 during a 16-1 triumph.

Kelly would defeat No. 3 Brody Murray (St. Charles East, 43-9) in his semifinal, and could likely meet again on Saturday in a 3A dual-team state semifinal should both clubs advance on Friday from their quarterfinal.

Murray would later defeat No. 2 Matt Kubas (Libertyville, 39-5) for third place.

Kubas, with another state medal to add to his resume, is now the first ever in the acclaimed Libertyville program history to be a three-time all-stater.

“This weight class, and 165 had to be two of the toughest of all 3A classes (so) even though the hope was to be wrestling for a state title on Saturday night, I am still proud of what I accomplished down here,” said Kubas, who also broke the record for career pins set by Mark Friend in 2004 (74) who later went on to star at Penn State.

No. 4 Luke Zook (Yorkville, 48-6) was fifth after his 5-4 decision over AJ Mancilla (44-8) from Bradley-Bourbonnais.

190- Jaxon Penovich, Prospect

Jaxon Penovich decided to change his story after his expectations of glory during his rookie season came apart inside the State Farm Center.

The then-freshman would enjoy a magnificent year leading up to the Barrington sectional, where eventual state champion Cole Matulenko (Libertyville) dominated during a 9-3 decision.

Undaunted, and still brimming with confidence, Penovich won his state opener over Matt Janiak (Plainfield South ) with a major decision, before Marist star Pete Marinopoulos won a tight encounter 3-2 to send Penovich into wrestle-backs.

“I really felt last year that I would be in the state final,” admits Penovich, “but this sport really teaches you a lot about the way life can be, and that loss to Thebeau (Dominic, Belleville East) in my wrestle-back semifinal was kind of the wake up call that I needed.”

Penovich would still finish fifth overall — not bad at a big mans’ weight filled with upperclassmen.

The Knights super-soph made more of a commitment to his fitness, diet, and training, which saw him up the ante by spending more time at the Relentless Training Center, where Matty Jens, who won his second 2A state title for head coach Matt Joseph at Grayslake Central gave him this advice.

“Train hard, have more fun, and just open things  up, and let it go when you’re out there competing,” said Penovich, who took the advice, and has found it to be just what the doctor ordered.

Penovich would start fast on Thursday with his 18th tech-fall of the season, and finish strong with a 13-5 major decision victory over Quinn Herbert (Loyola Academy, 32-9) whom he beat in the Barrington sectional final.

Herbert would enjoy an impressive senior year, despite three straight defeats at the hands of Penovich, the other in a regional final at Glenbrook South. 

Penovich surrendered just one take-down on the season to an Illinois opponent, finished with 22 pins, and would tech-fall, or pin all of his Illinois opponents leading up the state tournament.

The Penovich title is just the third in Prospect program history after Matt Wroblewski did so in 2017 before heading here to Illinois after his perfect 35-0 season in 220 pounds.

Wroblewski was preceded by Matt Boggess (2009) whom Penovich works out with on occasion.

Ryan Breen (Mt. Carmel, 31-9) fifth here in 2023, was third overall after his tech-fall victory over Matt Lapacek (Downers Grove South, 29-6).

Yorkville junior Luke Chrisse (36-17) was fifth following his 3-1 triumph against Joliet Catholic Academy junior Nico Ronchetti (34-12) who came in as the No. 2 man at this weight, but was stunned by Herbert in the semifinals, 7-2.

215- Kai Calcutt, Loyola Academy

Kai Calcutt appears to have a flair for the dramatic – much to the agony of the Loyola Academy faithful, and in particular head coach Matt Collum.

The Ramblers sophomore, for the second consecutive year, found himself embroiled in a state championship contest which needed extra time to decide the winner. But unlike a year ago when Calcutt lost an overtime thriller to Ben Alvarez (Yorkville), the No. 1 man in the state needed little time to secure a 3-1 victory over Marmion’s Joseph Favia.

“It certainly was exciting for the fans to watch, but not for me,” admitted Collum, who in 2004 beat Khris Argue (Mt. Carmel) in the 145-pound state final with a 5-2 decision.

Collum, who was also twice a third-place medal winner at Neuqua Valley, finished with a 182-16 overall record.

Since taking over the Ramblers program in 2019, Collum has sent the first six ever atop the podium, including the first ever state champion a year ago with Massey Odiotti, and now Calcutt (31-4), also a star lineman for the 8A undefeated state champion Ramblers football team.

“I wasn’t totally happy with the way I wrestled in that final – Favia is tough, and defensive minded – but I could have been better. I’m still very happy with my victory,” said Calcutt, who did a flip of his own after the final whistle, a la Caleb Noble, but with a few more pounds to elevate into the air than the 106-pound champion.

“We would have liked to see Kai push the pace more, and to open things up, but Favia knew he couldn’t allow him to do that. So his tactical approach was sound, and he did a good job of keeping Kai at bay,” Collum said.

“During the offseason, Kai, who is super athletic, worked on his movement from left-to-right, angles, and just using his speed and footwork to his advantage, and we’ve seen just how far he’s come from last season.”

Alvarez was not able to repeat this season, he did however pick up a third place medal after his 8-4 decision over No. 3 Owen McGrory (Libertyville, 45-5) who lost a 3-2 heart-breaker to Favia in the semifinals.

Cooper Caraway (Normal Community, 46-5) was fifth overall following his 3-1 victory over Naperville Central senior Nicholas Besteiro (29-8) who pushed Favia to the brink during his 3-2 defeat in their semifinal on Friday night.

285- Dillan Johnson, Joliet Catholic Academy

Big men rule and Dillan Johnson proved it to be true, with one last sensational state tournament that saw the Joliet Catholic Academy senior collect his fourth state title on Saturday night when he recorded his fourth pin of the weekend.

“I have not really given much thought about the legacy that I’ll be leaving behind, but I can say all of the hard work, and dedication to excellence is something that I am most proud of,” Johnson said. “And I have been very fortunate to be in a room with such a great staff and teammates during my four years.”

Johnson has a remarkable 143-1 overall record.

“Dillan is a quiet and humble young man, who leads by example, and has the respect of all his teammates,” said head coach, Ryan Cumbee. “Coaching Dillan is a once in a lifetime opportunity. There will never be another like him, and I feel blessed to have been his coach.”

As most know, Johnson had committed to Northwestern until the university sent football coach Pat Fitzgerald on his way last July, forcing Johnson to change his mailing address to the University of Wisconsin, where he will decide if it’s back to the two-sport grind of football and wrestling.

At the start of February, Johnson was No. 1 in the latest national poll, which he further validated with his four-pin effort, all of which took just a tick of 4 1/2 minutes in total.

“I can tell you with confidence (Dillan) has had one of the most dominating careers ever with over ninety percent of his victories coming by pin,” said Cumbee. “Our program will always be remembered as the team that Dillan Johnson wrestled for, and I think that is just awesome.”

Hinsdale Central senior Marko Ivanisevic (41-3) twice a fifth place state medal winner would earn a well deserved second place trophy after going past No. 4 Wyatt Schmitt (Joliet West) then 2023 runner-up Jonathan Rulo (Belleville East) to advance into his final with Johnson.

Ivanisevic joins the Allen brothers (Brian and Jack), Juwann Edmonds, and Cody Tavoso as three-time state medal winners after collecting the 36th state medal in program history.

Tavoso, fourth here a year ago, is now wrestling at Princeton University.

William Cole (Round Lake, 45-3, fourth) earned his first state medal ever, as 

did Tyler Fortis (Maine South, 44-6) who beat Asai Hernandez (40-10) for fifth place. All three will be back next season.

Class 3A Championship matches

3A 106 – Caleb Noble (Warren Township) 42-3, Fr. over Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) 43-4, Fr. (Dec 6-5)

3A 113 – Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy) 45-7, So. over Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) 47-3, So. (Dec 4-2)

3A 120 – Teddy Flores (Maine South) 48-1, Sr. over Jason Hampton (Joliet Catholic Academy) 33-16, So. (Dec 6-5)

3A 126 – Seth Mendoza (Mount Carmel) 42-2, Jr. over Michael Esteban (Marist) 35-9, Jr. (MD 13-5)

3A 132 – Ben Davino (St. Charles East) 50-0, Sr. over Thomas Silva (Hononegah) 28-5, Jr. (TF 3:35 20-5)

3A 138 – Zach Stewart (Marmion Academy) 30-8, So. over Justin Wardlow (Lockport Township) 42-7, So. (Dec 6-3)

3A 144 – Jayden Colon (St. Charles East) 41-5, Sr. over Evan Gosz (Fremd) 37-1, Jr. (MD 14-5)

3A 150 – Will Denny (Marist) 42-4, Jr. over Rhenzo Augusto (Barrington) 41-6, Sr. (MD 15-7)

3A 157 – Aaron Stewart (Warren Township) 43-2, So. over Edmund Enright (Mount Carmel) 39-4, Sr. (Dec 5-2)

3A 165 – Collin Carrigan (Glenbard West) 46-1, Sr. over Gunnar Garelli (Lyons Township) 47-3, Sr. (TB-1 6-5)

3A 175 – Colin Kelly (Mount Carmel) 43-1, Sr. over Ricky Ericksen (Marist) 31-11, Jr. (TF 2:41 16-1)

3A 190 – Jaxon Penovich (Prospect) 46-3, So. over Quinn Herbert (Loyola Academy) 32-9, Sr. (MD 13-5)

3A 215 – Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy) 31-4, So. over Joseph Favia (Marmion Academy) 37-7, So. (SV 3-1)

3A 285 – Dillan Johnson (Joliet Catholic Academy) 39-1, Sr. over Marko Ivanisevic (Hinsdale Central) 40-3, Sr. (Fall 1:58)

Class 3A Third Place matches

3A 106 – Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg) 49-2, Jr. over Jamiel Castleberry (Proviso West) 33-3, Fr. (Dec 3-1)

3A 113 – Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah) 38-5, Fr. over Maddox Garbis (Plainfield North) 44-5, Jr. (MD 10-0)

3A 120 – Ino Garcia (Batavia) 28-6, Sr. over Brady Phelps (Schaumburg) 25-4, Jr. (Dec 12-6)

3A 126 – Abdullokh Khakimov (Hersey) 34-7, Sr. over Christian Chavez (Glenbard North) 39-6, Sr. (Dec 3-2)

3A 132 – Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey) 36-4, Jr. over Evan Stanley (Mount Carmel) 37-7, Fr. (MD 13-4)

3A 138 – Donavon Allen (Marist) 35-7, Jr. over Ryan Hinger (Carl Sandburg) 44-6, Jr. (TB-1 5-4)

3A 144 – Carson Weber (Joliet West) 42-2, Jr. over Aidan Huck (Batavia) 43-7, Sr. (MD 10-2)

3A 150 – Gavin Connolly (St. Charles East) 41-11, Sr. over Dominic Serio (West Aurora) 33-4, Jr. (Dec 3-1)

3A 157 – Brody Sendele (Hononegah) 47-3, Fr. over Noah Quintana (West Aurora) 31-8, Sr. (Dec 9-2)

3A 165 – Owen Uppinghouse (Quincy Senior) 56-1, Sr. over Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles East) 38-12, Jr. (Dec 7-4)

3A 175 – Brody Murray (St. Charles East) 43-9, Sr. over Matt Kubas (Libertyville) 39-5, Sr. (Fall 5:47)

3A 190 – Rylan Breen (Mount Carmel) 31-9, Sr. over Matt Lapacek (Downers Grove South) 29-6, Sr. (TF 6:00 17-1)

3A 215 – Ben Alvarez (Yorkville) 47-6, Sr. over Owen McGrory (Libertyville) 45-5, Sr. (Dec 8-4)

3A 285 – Jonathan Rulo (Belleville East) 36-1, So. over William Cole (Round Lake) 45-3, Jr. (Fall 2:00)

Class 3A Fifth Place matches

3A 106 – Caden Correll (Normal Community) 39-7, Jr. over Kaleb Pratt (Barrington) 36-14, Fr. (MD 21-7)

3A 113 – Max Cumbee (Joliet Catholic Academy) 33-16, Fr. over Justin Williamson (Mount Carmel) 32-12, Fr. (SV-1 6-4)

3A 120 – Kalani Khiev (Glenbard North) 37-8, Jr. over Luke Berktold (Libertyville) 36-9, Sr. (Dec 8-2)

3A 126 – Grant Madl (Elk Grove) 37-5, Sr. over Max Siegel (Andrew) 43-9, Sr. (Dec 4-0)

3A 132 – Zack Parisi (York) 50-5, Sr. over Damian Valdez (Addison Trail) 34-13, Sr. (Fall 3:30)

3A 138 – Luke Siwinski (Lincoln-Way West) 32-15, Jr. over Damian Resendez (Mount Carmel) 23-16, Sr. (Fall 1:25)

3A 144 – RaMez Watson (Pekin) 38-6, Sr. over Ashton Hobson (Marmion Academy) 39-11, So. (Dec 4-2)

3A 150 – Jack Ferguson (Yorkville) 44-12, Jr. over David Ogunsanya (Oak Park and River Forest) 37-11, So. (Dec 3-1)

3A 157 – Luke Hamiti (Joliet Catholic Academy) 35-19, So. over Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville) 23-12, Jr. (Dec 8-1)

3A 165 – Jacob Luce (DeKalb) 44-4, Sr. over Max Corral (Joliet Catholic Academy) 33-18, Sr. (MD 11-2)

3A 175 – Luke Zook (Yorkville) 48-6, Jr. over AJ Mancilla (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 44-8, Sr. (Dec 5-4)

3A 190 – Luke Chrisse (Yorkville) 36-17, Jr. over Nico Ronchetti (Joliet Catholic Academy) 34-12, Jr. (Dec 3-1)

3A 215 – Cooper Caraway (Normal Community) 46-5, Sr. over Nicolas Besteiro (Naperville Central) 29-8, Sr. (Dec 3-1)

3A 285 – Tyler Fortis (Maine South) 44-6, Jr. over Abisai Hernandez (Mundelein) 40-10, Jr. (Dec 10-3)

By Patrick Z. McGavin for the IWCOA

Thirteen was the operative and magic number for the Class 2A Individual State Championships here at State Farm Arena.

Out of the 28 wrestlers who made up the championship bracket, 13 had the fortune of being there at least once previously. That figure was far from unlucky.

Several were making a double encore.

Winning four consecutive state matches requires a bit of everything—skill, luck, timing, opportunity and momentum. The past is never entirely a prelude. Former results provide a context but never a clear window of how events are going to play out.

With Joliet Catholic moving up to Class 3A, that also opened up the field, especially at heavyweight, where three-time defending state champion Dillan Johnson was no longer a wrecking ball.

In the end, the 14 state championships were divided among 11 schools: Montini and IC Catholic Prep, who will wrestle in the team dual sectional Tuesday, had three finalists and two individual state champions.

Rock Island matched their total with three finalists, and two state champions. Washington, the defending dual state team champions, was the only other program that had multiple finalists with two.

Past success did not always translate. The season is likely to be remembered as the revenge campaign as multiple second-place finishers from a year ago made the leap to the top of the podium.

For a deeper analysis, please read the following.

Here are the Class 2A state champions in the order of the random draw

132 – Ty Edwards, Yorkville Christian

The Mustangs’ senior upended the expected order with a stunning 11-4 decision over previously undefeated and defending state champion Gauge Shipp of Galesburg in the championship match.

He also proved the past is not always an accurate predictor.

In a rematch from the sectional, Edwards knew he could not go down the same path after losing by a 13-4 major decision.

“I never let him come after me, and dictate the pace the way he did last week,” he said.

Edwards (47-3) was a two-time state finalist in Class 1A. Last year he lost a heartbreaking final in sudden victory against Auburn’s three-time state champion Anthony Ruzic in the 120-pound state championship.

From the start Edwards was the quicker, more explosive and dynamic wrestler who posted two first-period takedowns for the crucial 4-1 advantage.

“Getting the first takedown made me realize that I was in a great position, and I just had to keep going and keep pushing it and try to break him,” he said.

Down 7-1 at the start of the third period, Shipp (44-1) made one last gasp with a reversal. It proved short-lived as Edwards quickly countered with his own reversal.

“I didn’t really think about it too much,” Edwards said. “I knew I had to keep wrestling my match no matter what. I couldn’t let anything get to my head. I had to keep pushing.”

After winning at 138 pounds last season, Shipp was overwhelmed, and suffered an apparent lower body injury toward the end.

After posting a technical fall and two major decisions in reaching the final, Shipp met his equal.

“It means a lot,” Edwards said. “You train hard, and it brought me a title, and I’m grateful for that.”

In the third-place match, Montini’s Kameron Luif defeated Rockford East’s Donald Cannon 7-2, and IC Catholic Prep’s Omar Samayoa posted the 10-2 major over Antioch’s Edgar Albino for fifth place.

138 – Wyatt Medlin, Washington

The Panthers’ sophomore emerged as the newest star with his convincing 10-3 decision over Mount Vernon’s Dillon White in the championship match.

Medlin (45-4) had a fantastic state series with victories by technical fall, major decision, and a fall in the semifinal round. He finished third at 126 pounds last season.

Medlin had two first-period takedowns against White for the 4-1 advantage. His reversal at the start of the second period pushed his advantage out to 6-1.

White (40-4) never seriously challenged him.

“I wrestled him earlier in the season, and maybe showcased my skills a little better,” Medlin said. “I was glad I could get the job done.”

His burst combined with his physical and dynamic style proved too difficult and demanding.

“I like to wrestle super aggressive, super high paced,” Medlin said. “I like to call it controlled chaos.”

He creates his own havoc and breakdown. White was the final recipient of that punishing style.

“Everyone can say they can handle pressure until there’s about thousands of people sitting up here,” Medlin said. “Pushing the pace throughout the whole match, it makes your mindset feel super confident.”

For third place, IC Catholic Prep’s Bryson Spaulding posted the 2-0 decision over Glenwood’s John Ben Maduena, and Deerfield’s Jordan Rasof posted the fall over Oak Forest’s Austin Perez on the fifth-place mat.

144 – Sean Larkin, St. Rita

The Mustangs’ Sean Larkin trailed 6-1 after one period but pulled off the improbable comeback, with the 9-7 victory over Washington’s Peyton Cox on a takedown with :24 seconds remaining.

“I dreamed of this every day, and I just wanted it,” Larkin (22-2)  said. “The dedication I’ve been going through, going to double practices every day, and always in the wrestling room.”

Cox (26-2) suffered his second consecutive finals defeat after he finished second at 126 pounds last season.

Cox appeared to be in control early with two takedowns and back points for the 6-1 lead. Everything changed during an incident-packed second period with a Larkin escape, takedown and two-point near fall.

“Last year after losing in the blood round, I talked to my coaches, and I said I’d do whatever it takes to get on the podium,” Larkin said.

Tied at 6-6 heading into the third period, Cox was issued an escape at the start.

Larkin’s pressure finally wore him down. He created the final tie in the closing moments after Cox was given his second caution warning.

His comeback mirrored his entire season.

“In the second match of the season, I sprained my MCL in my left knee,” Larkin said. “I was out until about Christmas, and I came back slowly. I lost two of my matches right away because I didn’t have the gas tank. Now I’m back to normal.”

For third place, IC Catholic Prep’s Patrick Mullen captured the decision over Deerfield’s Mark Martinez, and St. Patrick’s Nikolas Karamaniolas had the sudden victory decision over Mattoon’s Korbin Bateman on the fifth-place mat.

150 – David Mayora, Montini

Broncos senior David Mayora stormed through the lower bracket and prevailed over IC Catholic Prep’s Brody Kelly 3-2 in the championship match.

Mayora (38-1) vanquished the bittersweet moments of his 1-0 loss against Aurora Christian’s Taythan Silva in last year’s 152-pound state championship match.

“It means the world to me, not just winning state, but to be able to do it for my family,” Mayora said. 

Mayora scored the only offensive points with a takedown in the first period.

“I felt like if I pushed the pace, nobody would be able to stop me,” he said. “Being able to go out there, and get that first takedown, I knew that nobody was going to be able to stop me or take the match away.”

A transfer from Marmion, Kelly (33-8) took out top-seeded Zachary Montez of Geneseo in the quarterfinal round.

Kelly trailed 3-1 at the start of the third period, and engineered his own escape with 1:12 remaining.

Mayora kept him off his body and out of vulnerable moments to secure the victory. The two are likely to match up again in the team dual sectional.

Mayora’s only loss this season was against Class 3A state champion Will Denny of Marist.

In the third-place match, Montez registered the decision over Highland’s Ryson Rakers, and Lemont’s Noah O’Connor earned the decision over Wauconda’s Cole Porter on the fifth-place mat. 

157 – Bryce Griffin, Civic Memorial

Eagles senior Bryce Griffin enjoyed his moment with the 5-1 victory over Lake Forest’s Seth Digby in the championship match.

“I felt like I had it from the start,” he said.

Griffin (49-2) finished second at 145 pounds last season. Up 2-0 with his first period takedown, he took control with an escape and another takedown during the pivotal second period.

Griffin put together an imposing tournament run with a fall, 9-2 decision, and a major decision during the semifinal.

Despite the loss, Digby (41-3) was superb with two first period falls and a major decision in reaching his first final.

Montini’s Harrison Konder posted the decision over Normal West’s Evan Willock for third place, and Wauconda’s Nicholas Cheshier earned the manor over St. Patrick’s Van Grasser on the fifth-place mat.

165 – Nick Mueller, Dunlap

Eagles senior Nicke Mueller got defensive for his 2-1 victory over Vernon Hills’ Ilia Dvoriannikov in the championship match.

After finishing second at 160 pounds last season, Mueller (43-3) earned his victory lap. He engineered a reversal with 1:44 remaining in the third period for the difference maker.

Mueller rode out the tenacious and skilled Dvoriannikov (32-7) for his crowning achievement.

His 6-4 decision over IC Catholic Prep’s top-seeded Joe Gliatta in the quarterfinal round paved the way for his victory.

Dvoriannikov also pulled out some surprises, knocking out the higher seeded Maddox Kirts of Bloomington in the semifinal round.

For third place, Gliatta posted the decision over Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell, and Washington’s Cael Miller earned the sudden victory over Kirts on the fifth-place mat.

175 – Matty Jens, Grayslake Central

The Rams’ superstar confirmed his standing as a generational talent with his commanding 16-1 technical fall victory over Rock Island’s Amare Overton in the championship match.

Jens (41-1) had three technical falls and a major decision in smashing the opposition. He was also the only Class 2A defending champion to win consecutive titles.

Jens won the 182-pound state championship last season, and finished state runner-up as a sophomore two years ago.

“It’s awesome,” Jens said. “I love it. The atmosphere is the best ever. I was walking in the room today, the last two years I kept my headphones on, and I made a point of taking them off this year. 

“This really is the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

Up 4-0 to start the second period, Jens utilized a takedown and two separate three-point near falls for the dominating 12-1 lead.

The taller Overton (42-3) had the reach advantage. It hardly mattered.

“I don’t think it was a matter of countering him,” Jens said. “It was more about going out there, and wrestling how I like to wrestle, like pulling and snapping. With that, people can’t really wrestle very long. I wore him out.”

Washington’s Zane Hulet secured the decision over Danville’s Phillip Shaw IV for third place, and Woodstock North’s Kaden Combs had the fall over Brother Rice’s Dan Costello on the fifth-place mat.

190 – Andrew Marquez, Rock Island

Rocks senior Andrew Marquez reached the pinnacle with the 9-2 victory over Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks in the championship match.

Marquez (43-2) finished second at 195 pounds last season.

He took charge with two first period takedowns and expanded his advantage to 7-2 in the second period with a takedown and back points.

“I just knew I had to come at him,” Marquez said. “I knew he was a thrower, and I tried to make sure I kept my elbows in, and stayed attached.”

His training partner, Amare Overton, was the finalist at 175 pounds.

“We train hard every single day, and make sure that we get better. He beats me up some days, and I beat him up some days.”

Parks (41-7) finished fourth at 170 pounds last season.

He defeated the higher-seeded Foley Calcagno of IC Catholic Prep in the quarterfinals.

For third place, Foley Calcagno earned the decision over Washington’s Josh Hoffer, and Glenwood’s Max Wiezorek posted the decision over Notre Dame’s Jim Amatore on the fifth-place mat.

215 – Michael Calcagno, IC Catholic Prep

The Knights’ senior pinned his way to the championship with his dominant victory over Rochelle’s Kaiden Morris in the championship match.

Up 2-0 to start the second period, Calcagno (51-4) reversed Morris and caught him in a cradle for the devastating move at the 2:12 mark.

“I just really like that move,” he said. “I feel like it’s always there. I was looking for it.”

Calcagno was the most dominant wrestler in the class with three first period falls en route to the championship match.

“I don’t know how to describe my style,” he said. “I just think it’s my own style, and I don’t think anybody else does it.”

With two first period falls through the state preliminary rounds, Morris (41-4) was seemingly up the challenge.

But Calcagno was at a different level in earning his second career state championship. He won two years ago before sitting out his entire junior year due to an injury.

“It’s almost as good as the first time,” he said. 

For third place, Jacksonville’s Oliver Cooley had the decision over Prairie Ridge’s John Fallaw, and Sycamore’s Gable Carrick secured the major over Highland’s Ashton Zobrist on the fifth-place mat.

285 – Jack Barnhart, Centennial

Chargers senior Jack Barnhart crowned an undefeated season with the 4-1 victory over previously unbeaten Andy Burburija of Crystal Lake South in the championship match.

After finishing sixth at 220 pounds last year, Barnhart (44-0) secured the victory with a takedown in the closing seconds.

“I try to be more of a mobile heavyweight,” he said. “It was tougher at the beginning because he had some weight on me.

“I knew I had to get him moving, and get him tired. I got a shot on him in the first period, and almost got him.”

An earlier stalling warning swung the tide of the match.

Burburija (35-1) finished fourth at heavyweight last year. He took the second-period 1-0 lead, but late in the period he was issued his second stalling call, tying the match at 1-1.

“I knew he had the earlier stalling, and I just wanted to push the pace,” Barnhart said.

Barnhart took his first lead with his own escape at the 1:52 mark of the third period.

“I knew I could get up from the bottom,” he said. “I didn’t want to waste energy trying to tire him out.”

For third place, Rockford East’s Lee Smith posted the major over East Peoria’s Jose Del Toro, and Lemont’s Alex Pasquale had the fall over Notre Dame’s Scott Cook on the fifth-place mat. 

106 – Allen Woo, Montini

Broncos’ first-year standout Allen Woo took the top honors with his 7-4 decision over Wauconda’s Gavin Rockey in the championship match.

Up 3-1 to start the third period, Woo (21-3) fought off a Rockey reversal with an escape and his second takedown of the match.

“I train working on the single leg everyday, and that’s my go to move,” Woo said. “He was definitely getting tired. I took advantage of that, and I was ready.”

Woo credited his older brother Paul, who wrestles at Ohio University, for his influence.

“He taught me everything,” he said. “He taught me how to wrestle. He got me into the sport.”

Rockey (41-10) suffered his second consecutive state finals lost.

For third place, St. Rita’s Jack Hogan posted the decision over Grayslake Central’s Vince DeMarco, and St. Patrick’s Daniel Goodwin earned the decision over Streator’s Nicholas Pollett on the fifth-place mat.

113 – Truth Vesey, Rock Island

Rock Island senior Truth Vesey earned the Rocks’ second individual state title with the commanding 11-3 major decision over Riverside-Brookfield’s Edgar Mosquera.

After finishing fifth at 113 pounds last year, Vesey went into attack mode with two takedowns and a near fall for the 7-1 first period lead.

“With my style and how I wrestle, I have to give a lot of credit to my coaches,” he said. “This is how we train every single day. The sole formula, this is how we’ve done it. We’ve had past champions do the same thing. I followed that formula.”

Mosquera (41-7) was one of the bright surprises, a relatively unheralded performer who impressed with his ability to stake out tight decisions through the first three rounds.

Vesey finished with a fall, technical fall and a decision en route to the title match. He was also the third of the Rocks’ three state finalists to perform. 

“It’s crazy,” he said. “It just shows that you’re home grown. We all come from the same place, and the same struggles. It just feels awesome.”

Montini’s Mikey Malizzio earned the decision over Notre Dame’s John Sheehy for third place, and Cary-Grove’s Hunter Lenz won by medical forfeit over Yorkville Christian’s Aiden Larsen on the fifth-place mat.

120 – Deven Casey, IC Catholic Prep

Two-time state placer Deven Casey stunned two-time defending state champion Drew Davis of Glenwood 3-0 in the championship match.

A transfer from Aurora Christian who had two third-place state finishes, Casey (34-4) took to heart his previous results against the previously unbeaten Davis (42-1).

“I’ve lost to him three times, so I knew what I was getting myself into,” Casey said. “Those other matches were in the past. I had to go out there, and put everything on the mat.”

After a scoreless opening frame, Casey rode out Davis the entirety of the second period. Casey secured the early third period escape, and closed out the match with a stunning late takedown.

“I train so hard that I know if I’m tired, the other guy I’m going against is even more exhausted,” Casey said. “I had a lot of confidence. I knew I had to keep on pushing.”

Antioch’s Gavin Hanrahan earned the decision over Galesburg’s Rocky Almendarez for third place, and Kaneland’s Kamron Scholl captured the decision over Washignton’s Noah Woods for fifth place.

126 – Colby Crouch, Triad

Three-time finalist Colby Crouch went out in grand style with an exhilarating 5-3 decision over Montini’s Josh Vazquez in the championship.

Crouch (40-1) knew how hard it is to defend a state championship; after winning the 120-pound state championship two years ago, he lost the 126-pound championship last season.

“I’ve been on the other side of the scoreboard coming off an injury and losing in the finals,” he said. “It just put that much more into me to win it this year.”

A transfer from Aurora Christian, Vazquez (42-5) finished second at 120 pounds last year.

The back and forth dance between the two was a thing of beauty. After a scoreless first period, Casey held the 1-0 lead heading into the final frame.

After knotting the score at 1-1, Crouch made his move late in the match with a dazzling four-point takedown and near fall.

“Honestly I was waiting for the clock to go down even further, assuming I was going to take him down, to give him less time,” Crouch said. 

Vazquez pulled off the reversal but ran out of time trying to turn Crouch.

Civic Memorial’s Caleb Scott earned the fall over Rock Island’s Daniel McGhee for third place, and Rochelle’s Xavier Villalobos secured the decision over Providence’s Tommy Banas on the fifth-place mat.

Class 2A Championship matches

2A 106 – Allen Woo (Montini Catholic) 21-3, Fr. over Gavin Rockey (Wauconda) 41-10, Jr. (Dec 7-4)
2A 113 – Truth Vesey (Rock Island) 37-4, Sr. over Edgar Mosquera (Riverside-Brookfield) 41-7, Jr. (MD 11-3)
2A 120 – Deven Casey (IC Catholic Prep) 34-4, Jr. over Drew Davis (Glenwood) 42-1, Sr. (Dec 3-0)
2A 126 – Colby Crouch (Triad) 40-1, Sr. over Josh Vazquez (Montini Catholic) 42-5, Jr. (Dec 5-3)
2A 132  – Ty Edwards (Yorkville Christian) 47-2, Sr. over Gauge Shipp (Galesburg) 44-1, Sr. (Dec 11-4)
2A 138 – Wyatt Medlin (Washington) 45-4, So. over Dillon White (Mt. Vernon) 40-4, Jr. (Dec 10-3)
2A 144 – Sean Larkin (St. Rita) 22-2, Sr. over Peyton Cox (Washington) 26-2, Jr. (Dec 9-7)
2A 150 – David Mayora (Montini Catholic) 38-1, Sr. over Brody Kelly (IC Catholic Prep) 33-8, So. (Dec 3-2)
2A 157 – Bryce Griffin (Civic Memorial) 49-2, Sr. over Seth Digby (Lake Forest) 41-3, Sr. (Dec 5-1)
2A 165 – Nick Mueller (Dunlap) 43-3, Sr. over Ilia Dvoriannikov (Vernon Hills) 32-7, So. (Dec 4-2)
2A 175 – Matty Jens (Grayslake Central) 41-1, Sr. over Amare Overton (Rock Island) 42-3, Sr. (TF 4:17 16-1)
2A 190 – Andrew Marquez (Rock Island) 43-2, Sr. over Cayden Parks (Crystal Lake Central) 41-7, Jr. (Dec 9-2)
2A 215 – Michael Calcagno (IC Catholic Prep) 51-4, Sr. over Kaiden Morris (Rochelle) 41-4, Jr. (Fall 2:12)
2A 285 – Jack Barnhart (Centennial) 44-0, Sr. over Andy Burburija (Crystal Lake South) 35-1, Sr. (Dec 4-1)

Class 2A Third Place matches

2A 106 – Jack Hogan (St. Rita) 38-6, So. over Vince DeMarco (Grayslake Central) 45-9, Fr. (Dec 10-4)
2A 113 – Mikey Malizzio (Montini Catholic) 34-6, Fr. over John Sheehy (Niles Notre Dame) 42-12, Jr. (Dec 4-2)
2A 120 – Gavin Hanrahan (Antioch) 41-8, Jr. over Rocky Almendarez (Galesburg) 42-3, Sr. (Dec 6-2)
2A 126 – Caleb Scott (Civic Memorial) 32-8, Sr. over Daniel McGhee (Rock Island) 43-4, Sr. (Fall 3:33)
2A 132 – Kam Luif (Montini Catholic) 38-8, So. over Donald Cannon (Rockford East) 37-3, Jr. (Dec 7-2)
2A 138 – Bryson Spaulding (IC Catholic Prep) 35-11, Sr. over John Ben Maduena (Glenwood) 34-7, Sr. (Dec 2-0)
2A 144 – Pat Mullen (IC Catholic Prep) 27-9, Sr. over Mark Martinez (Deerfield) 32-5, Sr. (Dec 8-4)
2A 150 – Zachary Montez (Geneseo) 42-3, Jr. over Tyson Rakers (Highland) 44-6, Jr. (Dec 5-3)
2A 157 – Harrison Konder (Montini Catholic) 16-3, Sr. over Evan Willock (Normal West) 39-4, Sr. (Dec 5-0)

2A 165 – Joe Gliatta (IC Catholic Prep) 42-7, Sr. over Dawson McConnell (Lincoln) 44-8, Jr. (Dec 10-3)
2A 175 – Zane Hulet (Washington) 36-8, Sr. over Phillip Shaw IV (Danville) 36-3, Sr. (Dec 12-7)
2A 190 – Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic Prep) 37-7, So. over Josh Hoffer (Washington) 35-12, So. (Dec 3-2)
2A 215 – Oliver Cooley (Jacksonville) 47-5, Sr. over John Fallaw (Prairie Ridge) 31-13, Sr. (Dec 4-1)
2A 285 – Lee Smith (Rockford East) 42-6, Sr. over Jose Del Toro (East Peoria) 30-9, Jr. (MD 11-0)

Class 2A Fifth Place matches

2A 106 – Daniel Goodwin (St. Patrick) 40-11, So. over Nicholas Pollett (Streator Township) 43-7, Sr. (Dec 5-4)
2A 113 – Hunter Lenz (Cary-Grove) 18-6, So. over Aiden Larsen (Yorkville Christian) 38-5, Jr. (M. For.)
2A 120 – Kamron Scholl (Kaneland) 48-3, Sr. over Noah Woods (Washington) 40-16, Jr. (Dec 3-2)
2A 126 – Xavier Villalobos (Rochelle) 43-3, Jr. over Tommy Banas (Providence Catholic) 43-10, Fr. (Dec 6-2)
2A 132 – Omar Samayoa (IC Catholic Prep) 29-17, Sr. over Edgar Albino (Antioch) 40-7, Sr. (MD 10-2)
2A 138 – Jordan Rasof (Deerfield) 40-9, Jr. over Austin Perez (Oak Forest) 41-6, So. (Fall 5:19)
2A 144 – Nikolas Karamaniolas (St. Patrick) 34-7, Sr. over Korbin Bateman (Mattoon) 44-3, Sr. (SV-1 4-2)
2A 150 – Noah O`Connor (Lemont) 44-6, Sr. over Cole Porten (Wauconda) 42-11, Sr. (Dec 4-0)
2A 157 – Nicholas Cheshier (Wauconda) 30-7, Sr. over Van Grasser (St. Patrick) 39-17, So. (MD 11-3)
2A 165 – Cael Miller (Washington) 40-12, Sr. over Maddox Kirts (Bloomington) 38-10, Sr. (SV-1 7-5)
2A 175 – Kaden Combs (Woodstock North) 41-5, Sr. over Dan Costello (Brother Rice) 38-10, Fr. (Fall 3:14)
2A 190 – Max Wiezorek (Glenwood)) 50-6, Jr. over Jim Amatore (Niles Notre Dame) 36-10, Sr. (Dec 9-6)
2A 215 – Gable Carrick (Sycamore) 35-13, Sr. over Ashton Zobrist (Highland) 41-13, Jr. (MD 12-2)
2A 285 – Alex Pasquale (Lemont) 33-5, Sr. over Scott Cook (Niles Notre Dame) 39-11, Jr. (Fall 3:14)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Here’s a look at the story of the Class 1A Byron Sectional. Usually I’d break everything down a bit more, but the weight-by-weight capsules of the tournament does the job well. 

106 – Augustus Swanson, Princeton

Although he’s only been beaten once this season and is top-ranked at 106, Augustus Swanson isn’t taking anything for granted as prepares to compete in this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Individuals Finals in Champaign. The Princeton sophomore improved to 32-1 after prevailing 7-5 over Johnsburg freshman Eric Bush in the 106 title match. Swanson, whose only loss came against LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Brady Mouser, who’s ranked second, in sudden victory in the finals of his own Princeton Invitational Tournament. Swanson, one of four Tigers qualifiers, earned his spot in the finals with a 14-6 major decision over Marian Central Catholic’s Austin Hagevold.

“We have four qualifiers today and I’m going with my practice partners,” Swanson said. “We work really hard in our wrestling room and it prepares us for these finals matches. I did a lot in the offseason and it helps with this and down at state.

Bush (30-4), the lone state qualifier for Johnsburg, advanced to the finals following a 6-0 decision over Aurora Central Catholic’s Vince Hefke. Sophomore Hagevold (34-16) bounced back his semifinal loss to became one of the Hurricanes’ eight state qualifiers and he went on to capture third place by recording a fall in 1:38 over Dakota sophomore Brandon White (37-9).

113 – Anthony Alanis, Marian Central Catholic

Although he’s in a different setting, Anthony Alanis hopes to achieve the same thing that he accomplished last season while at Grayslake Central, which is advancing to the title mat for a third time and winning his second state title. Last year he won the Class 2A title at 106 over Wauconda’s Gavin Rockey, now he hopes to become a Class 1A champion. Alanis, a senior who’s top-ranked his weight, improved to 36-4 after winning a 15-3 major decision over Riverdale’s Tharren Jacobs in the 113 title match. One of five champions and eight qualifiers for Marian Central Catholic, he earned his spot in the finals with his second pin in two matches when he won by fall in 1:39 over Sandwich’s Colten Stone in the semifinals.

“I’m just believing in my coaches and what they’re telling me in the corner and just trusting my work and going out there and putting on a show,” Alanis said. “I just have such good training partners with all of the people that are around me. I like to wrestle with everyone. (His coaches) They’ve been NCAA All-Americans so just to be guided by those type of people who walk me through things in my matches and in practice, so I’m very grateful to have them as my coaches.”

Jacobs (42-2), one of five qualifiers for Riverdale, used two falls to reach the 113 title mat, getting a pin in 5:59 over Oregon freshman Nelson Benesh in the semifinals. Benesh (37-7) assured himself of being one of his team’s three qualifiers when he pinned Kewanee’s Kingston Peterson in the consolation semifinals. Then he closed out his successful tournament run with another fall, this one in 0:46 over freshman Stone (29-17), one of three qualifiers for his team.

120 – Brayden Teunissen, Marian Central Catholic

A year ago, Brayden Teunissen got the opportunity to wrestle on the Class 3A title mat at 106 as a sophomore on the Belvidere co-op team, but his hopes for a title were dashed as St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto won his 50th-straight match with a 19-7 major decision. One year later and competing for Marian Central Catholic, the junior isn’t worried about running into another competitor like he saw last season at state. He stated his case to be one of the favorites at 120 after capturing a 14-4 major decision over Riverdale’s Dean Wainwright, who won the Class 1A  title at 106 last season to cap a 50-1 debut season. One of the five Hurricanes to win a title, he opened with two falls, getting a pin in 5:08 over Byron’s Jackson Norris in the semifinals.

“It’s really good to have coaches like this that know what they know,” Teunissen said. “They help prepare you with all of your technique and mentally. And I have the best partners and we have so many different styles. It’s really good to have all of your teammates go down there and have the same goals and we’ll just have a great time together.”

Wainwright (42-2), a sophomore who had only suffered one loss before his defeat on the sectional title mat, was one of three finalists and five state qualifiers for Riverdale. He opened with a win by technical fall but then had a battle on his hands in the semifinals before prevailing 5-4 over Lisle Senior sophomore Alexander Ferari. In the third-place match, Ferari (30-5) won a close decision, prevailing 3-2 over another sophomore, Landon Blanton, who competes for a co-op that includes athletes from four schools, Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio. Blanton (35-8) lost his opener and then won his next three matches, securing his trip to state with a 5-3 decision over Norris in the consolation semifinals.

126 – Lincoln Hoger, Wheaton Academy

Lincoln Hoger is excited about what’s happening with the quickly improving program that he’s a big part of at Wheaton Academy. The sophomore has already established a high standard for the school in West Chicago that didn’t have the sport all that long ago after he captured the title at 126 in the Byron Sectional with a 7-0 decision over North Boone’s Gavin Ekberg. Hoger, a sophomore who improved to 38-5, is actually going to be joined at state by a teammate, Chasen Kazmierczak, who took third at 150 and the Warriors nearly had a third qualifier but Will Hupke fell a win short at 132. Hoger followed a fall in his opener with a 12-0 win over Rockridge’s Thomas Soward in the semifinals.

“I don’t think we’ve had that many,” Hoger said of possible Wheaton Academy sectional champions. “We’ve really been stepping it up the past few years with a lot of new incoming people, it’s great. Last year, I was in the finals but I came up short, but this year, I pulled through.” 

Ekberg (36-6), a junior who was the lone sectional qualifier for North Boone, won a 15-9 decision in his opener before recording two falls, with the second of those coming in 1:51 in the semifinals over Oregon’s Preston LaBay. Ekberg hopes to place at state, something that’s only been done by three athletes at the school in Poplar Grove, and was last done by Brandon Briggs in 2015 when he capped a career where he was two-time Class 1A champion and four-time finalist. Rockridge freshman Thomas Soward (36-7) bounced back from his semifinal loss to Hoger to become one of his team’s three qualifiers when advanced to the third-place match, where he won a 6-0 decision over Newman Central Catholic sophomore Zhyler Hansen.

132 – Vance Williams, Marian Central Catholic

After moving up from a fourth-place finish to second place a year ago, there’s only one more spot that Vance Williams has in mind, and it’s being at the top of the awards stand at the IHSA Class 1A Finals this weekend in Champaign. The Marian Central Catholic junior ran into Dakota’s Phoenix Blakely in last year’s state finals at 132 but this year he goes into the competition as the favorite and he seems to be performing at his best at the right time based on his 132 sectional title victory in which he dominated against Newman Central Catholic’s Brady Grennan and ultimately wrapped things up with a fall in 5:18. Williams, who improved to 41-8, was one of five champions and eight qualifiers for the Hurricanes. After winning by technical fall in his opener, Williams had a battle on his hands in the semifinals against Rockridge’s Jude Finch, but ended up winning a 4-2 decision.

“With the newer guys that came in this year, it definitely builds off of it,” Williams said. “Just seeing everyone else build off of each other is just so awesome. (The coaches) They have great wrestling minds and great minds outside of wrestling too, so they’re helping me on and off the mat through everything, and that’s awesome.”

Grennan (41-4), a senior who took third at 120 in 2022 and fifth at 126 a year ago, won a decision and a quick fall before beating Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Arrison Bauer by technical fall in the semifinals. Both individuals who lost in the semifinals met up for third place and Rockridge junior Jude Finch (39-6), who took third at 126 a year ago, won by fall in 3:54 over sophomore Bauer (39-11). He was one of Rockridge’s three qualifiers while Bauer is one of the four qualifiers for Lena-Winslow/Stockton.

138 – Cooper Corder, Sandwich

Even though he entered with the sectional with a 29-3 record, freshman Cooper Corder was probably not expected to be one of the top contenders at 138 at the Byron Sectional but someone forgot to tell that to the Sandwich freshman who improved to 32-3 and gets to join his senior brother Miles as one of the three qualifiers and only finalist for his team after winning a 5-2 decision over Princeton’s Ace Christiansen in the 138 title match. After opening with a fall, Corder won an 11-7 decision in the semifinals over Marian Central Catholic’s Andrew Alvarado, who took fifth place at 113 last season. 

“I’m super excited,” Corder said of his brother also advancing. “He’s encouraged me a lot to work hard and to get through those losses. It’s awesome to wrestle guys at a high level, I love it. I always try to go out and wish for a good match, I don’t want anything to be too easy.”

Christiansen (35-6), a junior, opened with a fall and then won a 13-2 major decision over Newman Central Catholic’s Briar Ivey before earning his spot in the 138 finals with an 8-2 decision over Byron’s Will Julian in the semifinals. Alverado (33-12), a junior, bounced from his semifinal loss to Corder to that he would advance to state and then pulled out a 4-3 victory over Riverdale junior Kolton Kruse (38-14), one of the Rams’ five qualifiers, who lost 10-9 to Alvarado in the quarterfinals and had to win three-straight matches to earn his trip to Champaign.

144 – Carter Rude, Newman Central Catholic

Ever since falling to Benton’s Mason Tieffel 6-2 in last year’s state championship match at 138, Carter Rude has been on a mission to get back to state and close out his career with a state championship. He definitely put on a good demonstration of where’s at now heading into this weekend’s IHSA Finals after he won the title at 144 with a 3-1 decision over Dakota’s Jason Bowers. After getting a fall in his opener, Rude (42-1) handed Richmond-Burton’s Emmett Nelson, a two-time state finalist, his first defeat of the season when he won a 7-1 decision. Rude, who placed sixth at 126 as a sophomore, hopes to join teammate Brady Grennan as three-time IHSA medalists as they close out their careers at Newman Central Catholic, which is advancing four of its five sectional qualifiers to the IHSA Finals.

“There’s so much depth here that it’s crazy,” Rude said. “That’s all that matters, really, is the last tournament, state. After I got second last year, I was devastated. This sport is the one that matters the most to me and I want to do whatever it takes to get to the top,”

Bowers (23-9), one of three state qualifiers and two finalists for Dakota, hopes to improve how he did a year ago at state, when he took sixth at 138. After edging Erie/Prophetstown’s Wyatt Goossens 3-2 in the quarterfinals, Bowers earned his spot on the 144 title mat with a 7-1 win over Sandwich’s Miles Corder in the semifinals. Corder (38-9), a senior, bounced back his semifinal loss to reach the third-place match at 144 and he won a 14-8 decision over Emmett Nelson (45-2), who took second last year at 126 and second at 113 in 2022 and entered the day with a perfect record and was top-ranked at the weight, just ahead of Rude. Corder joins his freshman brother Cooper, who won the title at 138, as one of three Sandwich state qualifiers.

150 – Blake Smith, Riverdale

Blake Smith realizes that he learned a lot of the skills that he has by being around his brother Brock and Collin Altensey, both IHSA champions in 2022, as well as others like Alex Watson who played significant roles in helping to make Riverdale one of the state’s top 1A programs under longtime Rams coach Myron Keppy, who sadly passed away a short time after retiring at the end of last season. Now with Riverdale alumni and former coach Aron Kindelsperger leading the program with a good staff to assist him, the junior hopes that all of those valuable things that he’s picked up through the years pay off. Smith improved to 46-2 after winning the 150 title by capturing an 11-0 major decision over Richmond-Burton’s Brody Rudkin. Smith only had one other match, winning by fall in the quarterfinals before receiving a forfeit win.

“Our coaches are doing a very good job and they’re helping us every day in practice and getting everyone better,” Smith said. “Coach Kindelsperger, my dad, coach Smith, and coach Zeigler, since the start of the year they’ve been preaching since the start of the season that we’re not here to win matches now, we’re here to win matches in February.”

Rudkin (24-4), a senior who was one of three qualifiers and the lone finalist for Richmond-Burton, opened with two falls, including one in 4:40 over Morrison’s Karder White in the semifinals. The third-place match, which was won by Wheaton Academy junior Chasen Kazmierczak (37-7) with a 6-1 decision over Byron freshman Brody Stien (33-14), featured two individuals who had to work their way through the wrestlebacks. Kazmierczak lost to Smith in the quarterfinals, and then won four-straight matches, following two falls with a win by sudden victory over White. Stien, one of two qualifiers for the host school, lost to White in the quarterfinals and then won his next three matches.

57 – Jimmy Mastny, Marian Central Catholic

While there’s a lot of new people in the lineup for Marian Central Catholic this season, some of those are well known from their success in other settings. But the Hurricanes also have two freshmen in their lineup, Jimmy Mastny and Nic Astacio, that are already starting to make an impact for the program that’s coached by Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater. Mastny improved to 24-1 after winning the title at 157 with a fall in 1:44 over Oregon’s Anthony Bauer. Mastny, one of five champions and eight state qualifiers for his team, opened with a pair of falls, including one in 4:59 over Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Jared Dvorak in the semifinals. 

“It’s great, I get to put my hands on them every day and learn how to wrestle,” Mastny said of his coaches. “It’s nice to come together as a team and as individuals and dominate.”

Bauer (34-6), a senior who was one of two finalists and three state qualifiers for Oregon, opened with two falls, including one in 5:57 over Newman Central Catholic’s Daniel Kelly in the quarterfinals before capturing a 4-1 decision over Richmond-Burton’s Isaac Jones. Kelly (41-4), a junior who is one of four state qualifiers for Newman Central Catholic, won his final four matches, with two of those being decisions, including a 5-3 win in the consolation semifinals over Dvorak. In the third-place match, Kelly won a 12-3 major decision over Richmond-Burton senior Isaac Jones (31-18), who edged Sandwich’s Sy Smith 8-7 in the consolation semifinals to earn his trip to state.

165 – Max Astacio, Marian Central Catholic

Max Astacio is happy that he’s been able to attend Marian Central Catholic even though he’s experienced several coaching changes during his time there. But whether it was David Silva, or Fernie Silva or Ryan Prater and Jordan Blanton, he’s benefited from all of those coaches’ efforts as well as his father’s major impact on how good he’s become. The senior who took sixth last year at 160 for his first state medal hopes to add to that this season and that’s a real possibility after he was one of his team’s five champions and eight qualifiers at Byron. He improved to 37-6 after winning 3-1 in sudden victory over Genoa-Kingston’s Brady Brewick in the 165 finals. After getting a pin in his first match, he won a 10-7 decision over Princeton’s Casey Etheridge.

“I’ve had the honor of going under three different coaches at Marian,” Astacio said. “David Silva, his nephew Fernie and then Jordan and Ryan. They’ve all taught me a lot of stuff. But there’s one person that I just can’t thank enough, and is probably one of the coaches as to why I’m here today, and that’s my father, Mario Astacio. He got me in the sport when I was four and no one has taught me more.”

Brewick (38-3), a senior who was Genoa-Kingston’s lone finalist and qualifier. followed a pin with a 6-4 semifinals win over Rockridge’s Ryan Lower.  Only one individual from that school has ever won a medal at Genoa-Kingston, Clay Chaberski took second at 215 in 2010, she he’d like to make some history for his school. Lower (42-3), a sophomore, bounced back from his semifinal loss to take third place after winning a 14-4 major decision over Princeton sophomore Casey Etheridge (30-9).

175 – Eli Larson, Lena-Winslow/Stockton

Although disappointed that Lena-Winslow/Stockton lost its regional at Stillman Valley to Byron by one point, Eli Larson is obviously pleased to be a sectional champion and one of four state qualifiers for the PantherHawks. He improved to 41-5 after winning the 175 title with a fall in 3:18 over Kewanee’s Jamal Lasenby. The sophomore would like to add his name to the long list of Lena-Winslow/Stockton athletes that have won state medals. After opening with a quick fall, he won a 10-6 decision over Riverdale’s Zachary Bradley in the semifinals.

“It’s been a great year so far,” Larson said. “I have just one week left where it all really ends up mattering in the long run. Coach (Kevin) Milder does a great job of getting us ready for these tournaments where it really matters the most.”

Lasenby (18-5), a senior who is relatively new to the sport, joins 215-pounder Alejandro Duarte as state qualifiers for the Boilermakers. Both would like to win a medal in Champaign, a feat that’s only been done by 11 individuals from Kewanee. Lasenby opened with three falls, beating Marian Central Catholic’s Nic Astacio in the quarterfinals and Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio’s Lucas Blanton in 4:40 in the semifinals. For third place, Riverdale senior Zachary Bradley (47-4), one of five state qualifiers for the Rams, won a 4-1 decision over senior Blanton (38-9), whose brother Landon also qualified for state after taking fourth at 120.

190 – Maddux Anderson, Orion

After collecting 44 wins in matches and capturing the 190 title at the Byron Sectional, Maddux Anderson hopes that he can add to his special season by getting a medal in Champaign. The junior won an 8-1 decision over Oregon’s Quentin Berry to win the 190 championship. Anderson joins 215-pounder Aiden Fisher as Orion’s two state qualifiers, opened with a 7-2 decision over Marian Central Catholic’s Dan French and then won by fall in 5:58 over Byron’s Kyle Jones in the semifinals to assure himself a trip to this weekend’s IHSA Finals in Champaign.

“I’m proud this year that I’ve been working a lot harder on staying in good position and working on inside ties and not being in bad positions with other wrestlers,” Anderson said.

Berry (24-9), who joins Nelson Benesh (113) and Anthony Bauer (157) as qualifiers for Oregon, won his first three matches by fall, with the quickest of those pins coming in the semifinals in 2:43 over Richmond-Burton’s Alex Reyna. In the third-place match, Lena-Winslow/Stockton  sophomore Jeremiah Luke won a 10-4 decision over Marinan Central Catholic sophomore Dan French (29-21). Luke nearly didn’t get to the third-place mat. After falling in the quarterfinals to Reyna, who had to win three matches. After getting falls in the first two matches he was trailing Byron’s Kyle Jones (34-6) late in the consolation semifinal but made a last-second move to secure a 4-2 win by ultimate tiebreaker while Jones, who took third at 182 last year, saw his season and high school career end in a heartbreaking fashion in his last match at Byron.

215 – Noah Wenzel, Dakota

Noah Wenzel is a few days away from what he’s been focused on ever since he won his first state title in 2022, and that was to be a three-time IHSA champion. The Dakota senior has definitely put himself in a great position to get the job done this weekend at the IHSA Finals in Champaign after improving to 32-0 by winning with a fall in 3:45 over Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Michael Haas in the 215 championship match at the Byron Sectional. A state champion at 195 in 2022 and at 220 in 2023, he would join an elite group from his school who won three-straight titles during their careers. One of three qualifiers and two finalists for his team, Wenzel recorded two falls before his finals match, with his pin in the semifinals over Johnsburg’s CJ Ameachi coming in 1:40, which was his fastest fall of the tournament.

“I would say that my top game has gotten a lot better,” Wenzel said. “In previous years and even the start of this year, if you were underneath me and got to under your feet a little bit, you basically got a free point. But this year I’ve definitely worked on keeping the guy down.”

Haas (34-8), one of four qualifiers and two finalists for Lena-Winslow/Stockton, hopes to get his first medal in Champaign this weekend. After opening with a fall, the senior followed with two 9-2 decisions, which included a semifinal win over Stillman Valley’s Braxton Jennings. In the third-place match at 215, Kewanee junior Alejandro Duarte (37-4) won by fall in 0:23 over Orion junior Aiden Fisher (38-11). Duarte fell to Haas in the quarterfinals and then proceeded to record four-straight pins with three those coming in the first period to become one of his team’s two qualifiers. Fisher lost to Wenzel in the quarterfinals and also needed three wins to reach the third-place, with him prevailing 5-4 over Jennings in the consolation semifinals. 

285 – Jaylen Torres, St. Francis

This is unusual territory for St. Francis since it has never had a wrestler who won a state medal but based on how well Jaylen Torres has performed throughout the season, he could definitely make history for his school this weekend at the IHSA Finals in Champaign. And winning a sectional title in one of the top sectionals in the state should provide him with plenty of momentum to accomplish something special. In the 285 title match, Princeton’s Cade Odell gave the St. Francis junior all that he could handle before Torres (16-1) captured a 4-3 win by an ultimate tiebreaker. After opening with an 8-1 decision, Torres faced another tough opponent, Byron’s Jared Claunch, and won 3-1 in sudden victory to earn his spot on the title mat.

“It”s a good environment and all of the coaches just me harder to my limits and past my limits,” Torres said. “They just get me better in each practice.”

Odell (29-2), a junior who was one of three finalists and four qualifiers for Princeton, had two tough matches to reach the finals, winning 4-2 in a tiebreaker over Dakota’s Randy McPeek and the 6-5 in another tiebreaker of Galena’s William Anderson in the semifinals. Byron junior Jared Claunch (29-7), one of his team’s two qualifiers, won by fall in 5:35 over Galena junior Anderson (15-6), who was his school’s lone state qualifier and hopes to make history by becoming the first individual from his school to place at state.

Championship matches from the the Class 1A Byron Sectional

106 – Augustus Swanson (Princeton) 32-1, So. over Eric Bush (Johnsburg) 30-4, Fr. (Dec 7-5)
113 – Anthony Alanis (Marian Central Catholic) 36-4, Sr. over Tharren Jacobs (Riverdale) 42-2, Sr. (MD 15-3)
120 – Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) 36-5, Jr. over Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) 42-2, So. (MD 14-4)
126 – Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) 38-5, So. over Gavin Ekberg (North Boone) 36-6, Jr. (Dec 7-0)
132 – Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) 41-8, Jr. over Brady Grennan (Newman Central Catholic) 41-4, Sr. (Fall 5:18)
138 – Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 32-3, Fr. over Ace Christiansen (Princeton) 35-6, Jr. (Dec 5-2)
144 – Carter Rude (Newman Central Catholic) 42-1, Sr. over Jason Bowers (Dakota) 23-9, Sr. (Dec 3-1)
150 – Blake Smith (Riverdale) 46-2, Jr. over Brody Rudkin (Richmond-Burton) 24-4, Sr. (MD 11-0)
157 – Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) 24-1, Fr. over Anthony Bauer (Oregon) 34-6, Sr. (Fall 1:44)
165 – Max Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) 37-6, Sr. over Brady Brewick (Genoa-Kingston) 38-3, Sr. (SV-1 3-1)
175 – Eli Larson (Lena-Winslow) 41-5, So. over Jamal Lasenby (Kewanee) 18-5, Sr. (Fall 3:18)
190 – Maddux Anderson (Orion) 44-2, Jr. over Quentin Berry (Oregon) 24-9, Sr. (Dec 8-1)
215 – Noah Wenzel (Dakota) 32-0, Sr. over Michael Haas (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) 34-8, Sr. (Fall 3:45)
285 – Jaylen Torres (St. Francis) 16-1, So. over Cade Odell (Princeton) 29-2, Jr. (UTB 4-3)

Third place matches for the Class 1A Byron Sectional

106 – Austin Hagevold (Marian Central) 34-16, So. over Brandon White (Dakota) 37-9, So. (Fall 1:38)
113 – Nelson Benesh (Oregon) 37-7, Fr. over Colten Stone (Sandwich) 29-17, Fr. (Fall 0:46)
12 – Alexander Ferari (Lisle Sr.) 30-5, So. over Landon Blanton (Amboy) 35-8, So. (Dec 3-2)

126- Thomas Soward (Rockridge) 36-7, Fr. over Zhyler Hansen (Newman Central Catholic) 36-13, So. (Dec 6-0)
132 – Jude Finch (Rockridge) 39-6, Jr. over Arrison Bauer (Lena-Winslow) 39-11, So. (Fall 3:54)
138 – Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) 33-12, Jr. over Kolton Kruse (Riverdale) 38-14, Jr. (Dec 4-3)

144 – Miles Corder (Sandwich) 38-9, Sr. over Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 45-2, Jr. (Dec 14-8)
150 – Chasen Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) 37-7, Jr. over Brody Stien (Byron) 33-14, Fr. (Dec 6-1)
157 – Daniel Kelly (Sterling (Newman Central Catholic) 41-4, Jr. over Isaac Jones (Richmond-Burton) 31-18, Sr. (MD 12-3)
165 – Ryan Lower (Taylor Ridge (Rockridge) 42-3, So. over Casey Etheridge (Princeton) 30-9, So. (MD 14-4)
175 – Zachary Bradley (Port Byron (Riverdale) 47-4, Sr. over Lucas Blanton (Amboy) 38-9, Sr. (Dec 4-1)
190 – Jeremiah Luke (Lena-Winslow) 42-6, So. over Dan French (Marian) 29-21, So. (Dec 10-4)
215 – Alejandro Duarte (Kewanee) 37-4, Jr. over Aiden Fisher (Orion) 38-11, Jr. (Fall 0:23)
285 – Jared Claunch (Byron) 29-7, Jr. over William Anderson (Galena) 15-6, Jr. (Fall 5:35)

Unity qualifies six, LeRoy/Tri-Valley advances five at Olympia Sectional

While a large number of the teams that took part in the Class 1A Olympia Sectional were happy to advance one or two individuals out of the rugged competition in Stanford, a few were fortunate to qualify significantly more than that, which no doubt gives them a lot more confidence about what their athletes might be able to achieve on the big stage at this weekend’s IHSA Individual Finals in Champaign.

Unity led the field with six state qualifiers, LeRoy/Tri-Valley advanced five and Canton, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher and Olympia all qualified four individuals for state.

Advancing for coach Logan Patton’s Unity Rockets were champion Hunter Eastin (43-6) at 190 and second-place finishers Hunter Shike (38-7) at 126, Kaden Inman (41-7) at 144 and Thayden Root (44-9) at 175. Taking third was Ryan Rink (39-10) at 165 and finishing fourth was Taylor Finley (38-16) at 132. Abram Davidson (39-9) at 157 fell in the semifinals and lost a narrow decision in the consolation semifinals to twice come up one win shy of a state trip.

Qualifying for coach Brady Sant Amour’s LeRoy/Tri-Valley Panthers were title winners Brady Mouser (42-2) at 106, Connor Lyons (39-9) at 157 and Jacob Bischoff (42-2) at 215 while taking fourth place were EJ Chaon (30-11) at 120 and Bo Zeleznik (29-12) at 165. Colton Prosser (32-14) at 138 and Tate Sigler (38-8) at 285 both lost semifinal matches and then fell again in the consolation semifinals to come up one win short of advancement to state.

Coach Zach Crawford’s Canton Little Giants were led by third-place finishers Dyllan Steele (35-6) at 106, Danny Murphy (43-2) at 190 and Connor Williams (41-2) at 285 while Maddux Steele (36-8) at 113 finished in fourth place.

Sectional qualifiers for coach Cody Moody’s Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher Falcons were runners-up Carson Maxey (36-8) at 150 and Cooper Miller (32-11) at 165, third-place finisher Shawn Schlickman (34-11) at 132 and also Aiden Sancken (33-6) at 190, who placed fourth.

Advancing to state for coach Josh Collins’ Olympia Spartans were title winner Bentley Wise (40-8) at 150 and second-place finisher Nolen Yeary (36-6) at 215 as well as Dylan Eimer (29-3) at 113 and Kelton Graden (42-11) at 157, who both took third place. Austin Kisner (36-14) at 120 fell one win shy of a state trip after he lost in the consolation semifinals.

Unity Christian’s VerHeecke brothers, Clinton (39-0) at 120 and Garrett (40-0) at 126, head to state with both having perfect seasons and a combined 79-0 record.

Peoria Notre Dame also had two champions, Ian Akers (38-5) beat Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins (45-2) in a 113 title match for the second time in two weeks and Michael McLaughlin (34-6) at 285 got a quick fall to close out the finals.

Other champions were St. Joseph-Ogden’s Holden Brazelton (45-1) at 132, Mercer County’s Ethan Monson (44-4) at 138, Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll (47-2) at 144, Tremont’s Bowden Delaney (42-1) at 165 and Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Angel Zamora (48-2) at 175.

Also finishing in second place were St. Joseph-Ogden’s Emmitt Holt (37-2) at 106, Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth’s Logan Roberts (42-4) at 120, Farmington/Cuba’s Keygan Jennings (40-4) at 132, Illini Bluffs’ Ian O’Connor (45-7) at 138, Mercer County’s Eli Burns (21-5) at 157, The High School of Saint Thomas More’s Brody Cuppernell (32-3) at 190 and Clinton’s Dawson Thayer (37-10) at 285.

Additional third-place finishers were Quincy Notre Dame’s Bradi Lahr (38-5) at 144 and Taylin Scott (43-4) at 215, PORTA’s Zach Bryant (42-10)  at 120, Ridgeview/Lexington’s Danny Tay (42-5) at 126, Tremont’s Mason Mark (41-8) at 138, Peoria Notre Dame’s Chase Daugherty (36-7) at 150 and The High School of Saint Thomas More’s August Christhilf (38-5) at 175.

Others who took fourth place were Pontiac’s Aidan Scholwin (29-5) at 106, Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth’s Kaden Roberts (42-8) at 126, Farmington’s Bradlee Ellis (37-11) at 138, Mercer County’s Zeke Arnold (25-6) at 144, St. Joseph-Ogden’s Coy Hayes (29-8) at 150, Hoopeston Area/Milford’s Ayden Larkin (40-11) at 157, Illini West’s Shawn Watkins (35-9) at 175, Peoria Heights’ Issac Coleman (30-12) at 215 and Beardstown’s Chunk Dailey (34-14) at 285.

Individuals who were all-staters in 2023 who qualified for state again are Hunter Robbins (second at 106 in 2023, second at 106 in 2022), Keygan Jennings (second at 113 in 2023, sixth at 113 in 2022), Brody Cuppernell (second at 195 in 2023), Holden Brazelton (third at 132 in 2023, sixth at 120 in 2022), Clinton VerHeecke (third at 113 in 2023), Ian Akers (fourth at 106 in 2023), Aiden Sancken (fifth at 195 in 2023), Maddux Steele (fifth at 106 in 2023), Jacob Bischoff (sixth at 220 in 2023) and Garrett VerHeecke (sixth at 120 in 2023).

Taylor Finley had the most total match points with 58 while Ayden Larkin was second with 45 points. Kelton Graden was the lone individual in the sectional who recorded five falls. Unity had the most total match points with 186 while Olympia ranked second with 157 points. And Olympia collected the most falls with 13 while Unity was next-best with 10 pins.

Once the individual competition is complete this weekend with many participants in the Olympia Sectional being at or near the top of the awards stand, the focus will shift to four schools’ dual teams. On Tuesday, LeRoy/Tri-Valley will host a Dual Team Sectional in LeRoy and it will face Canton while Unity meets up with Peoria Notre Dame. The winners of the ttwo duals will advance to next weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals, which take place in Bloomington.

Championship matches for the Class 1A Olympia Sectional Tournament

106 – Brady Mouser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 42-2, Jr. over Emmitt Holt (St. JosephOgden) 37-2, Sr. (Dec 1-0)
113 – Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) 38-5, Jr. over Hunter Robbins (Illini Bluffs) 45-2, Sr. (Dec 4-3)
120 – Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian) 39-0, So. over Logan Roberts (Warrensburg-Latham) 42-4, Jr. (Fall 1:57)
126 – Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian) 40-0, So. over Hunter Shike (Unity) 38-7, So. (Dec 1-0)
132 – Holden Brazelton (St. Joseph-Ogden) 45-1, Jr. over Keygan Jennings (Farmington/Cuba) 40-4, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:43 (15-0))
138 – Ethan Monson (Mercer County) 44-4, Sr. over Ian O’Connor (Illini Bluffs) 45-7, Sr. (SV-1 3-2)
144 – Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs) 47-2, Jr. over Kaden Inman (Unity) 41-7, Jr. (MD 14-5)
150 – Bentley Wise (Olympia) 40-8, Sr. over Carson Maxey (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 36-8, Sr. (TB-1 3-2)
157 – Connor Lyons (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 39-9, Sr. over Eli Burns (Mercer County) 21-5, So. (Dec  11-4)
165 – Bowden Delaney (Tremont) 42-1, Jr. over Cooper Miller (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 32-11, Fr. (Fall 2:28)
175 – Angel Zamora (Hoopeston Area/Milford) 48-2, Jr. over Thayden Root (Unity) 44-9, Sr. (Fall 3:47)
190 – Hunter Eastin (Unity) 43-6, Jr. over Brody Cuppernell (High School of Saint Thomas More) 32-3, Sr. (Dec 7-4)
215 – Jacob Bischoff (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 42-2, Sr. over Nolen Yeary (Olympia) 36-6, Sr. (TB-1 5-4)
285 – Michael McLaughlin (Peoria Notre Dame) 34-6, Sr. over Dawson Thayer (Clinton) 37-10, Jr. (Fall 1:12)

Third Place matches for the Class 1A Olympia Sectional Tournament

106 – Dyllan Steele (Canton) 35-6, So. over Aidan Scholwin (Pontiac) 29-5, Sr. (Dec 10-3)
113 – Dylan Eimer (Olympia/Delavan) 29-3, Jr. over Maddux Steele (Canton) 36-8, So. (Inj.)
120 – Zach Bryant (PORTA) 42-10, So. over EJ Chaon (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 30-11, Fr. (Dec 6-2)
126 – Danny Tay (Ridgeview/Lexington) 42-5, Sr. over Kaden Roberts (Warrensburg-Latham) 42-8, Jr. (Dec 1-0)
132 – Shawn Schlickman (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 34-11, Sr. over Taylor Finley (Unity) 38-16, Fr. (Dec 14-8)
138 – Mason Mark (Tremont) 41-8, Sr. over Bradlee Ellis (Farmington/Cuba) 37-11, So. (Dec 10-4)
144 – Bradi Lahr (Quincy Notre Dame) 38-5, So. over Zeke Arnold (Mercer County) 25-6, Sr. (Dec 3-0)
150 –  Chase Daugherty (Peoria Notre Dame) 36-7, Sr. over Coy Hayes (St. Joseph-Ogden) 29-8, So. (Dec 5-1)
157 – Kelton Graden (Olympia) 42-11, Jr. over Ayden Larkin (Hoopeston Area/Milford) 40-11, Jr. (Fall 1:33)
165 – Ryan Rink (Unity) 39-10, Jr. over Bo Zeleznik (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) 29-12, Jr. (Fall 1:26)
175 – August Christhilf (High School of Saint Thomas More) 38-5, Sr. over Shawn Watkins (Illini West) 35-9, Jr. (MD 9-1)
190 – Danny Murphy (Canton) 43-2, Sr. over Aiden Sancken (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 33-6, Sr. (MD 11-2)
 215 – Taylin Scott (Quincy Notre Dame) 43-4, Jr. over Issac Coleman (Peoria Heights) 30-12, Sr. (Dec 3-2)
285 – Connor Williams (Canton) 41-2, So. over Chunk Dailey (Beardstown) 34-14, Jr. (Fall 4:31)

Oakwood/Salt Fork, Vandalia lead the way at Vandalia Sectional

Oakwood/Salt Fork likely enjoyed one of its most successful sectional performances in the program’s history as it qualified seven individuals from the Class 1A Vandalia Sectional for this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Individual Finals at State Farm Center in Champaign.

Coach Mike Glosser’s Comets, who returned most of his team that went 22-12 last season and beat IC Catholic Prep in the quarterfinals before taking fourth place in the IHSA Dual Team Finals in the first state appearance for the Fithian school that co-ops with Tri-Valley in Downs.  The team’s seven state qualifiers was the third-best for all Class 1A schools, ranking behind only Coal City (10 at Chicago Hope Academy) and Marian Central Catholic (8 at Byron). Oakwood/Salt Fork entered sectional week ranked third in Class 1A by Illinois Matmen, behind only top-ranked Marian Central Catholic and defending Class 1A champions, Coal City.

Oakwood/Salt Fork had no champions and was led by second-place finishers Brayden Edwards (33-13) at 113 and Dalton Brown (41-5) at 175 while Pedro Rangel (44-5) at 132, Grant Brewer (39-3) at 150, Bryson Capansky (40-6) at 157 and Jamison Chambliss (24-5) at 190 took third place and Steven Uden (31-16) at 106 finished fourth. Jack Ajster (37-13) at 138 and Carter Chambliss (33-17) at 144 both lost one-point decisions in the consolation semifinals to fall one win shy of state trips and Carter Chambliss also dropped a two-point decision in the semifinals.

Coach Jason Clay’s host Vandals joined Unity as the Class 1A teams with the fourth-highest total of state qualifiers with six. In a season highlighted by Vandalia winning its 1000th dual meet in program history, the Vandals are ranked fourth in Class 1A and hope to make another visit to Dual Team Finals, something they’ve done 13 times since 2007 under Clay. Vandalia needs to beat the host team at the Benton Dual Team Sectional to get back to state.

State qualifiers for Vandalia are sectional champions Max Philpot (45-2) at 106 and Kaden Tidwell (34-9) at 190, runner-up Dillon Hinton (43-3) at 138 and fourth-place finishers Elijah Mabry (34-12) at 113, Brody Matthews (34-14) at 120 and Cole Yarbrough (19-4) at 132. Artan Mustafa (36-16) at 150 and Ross Miller (25-23) at 157 lost in the consolation semifinals to fall one win shy of a state trip.

Another team that is having a memorable season is Roxana, which is ranked fifth and will take on Oakwood/Salt Fork in the Benton Dual Team Sectional to determine which team will earn a trip to Bloomington for the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals. The last time that Roxana took part in that competition was in 2014 when coach Rob Milazzo’s Shells lost in the quarterfinals. 

State qualifiers are champion James Herring (42-3) at 285, runners-up Brandon Green, Jr. (42-4) at 132, Braden Johnson (33-7) at 150 and Lyndon Thies (43-5) at 157 and fourth-place finisher Logan Riggs (40-9) at 126. Elias Thies (30-17) at 175 and Robert Watt (41-8) at 190 both lost in the consolation semifinals and thus fell one win shy of trips to the state finals.

In one of the biggest stories of the sectional, Auburn senior Joey Ruzic (42-1), a two-time defending IHSA champion, suffered his first loss when he was pinned in 0:47 by Harrisburg senior Tony Keene (41-2) in the 126 title match.

Carlyle’s two-time defending state champion, junior Tyson Waughtel, improved to 47-0 after winning the title at 120 and his freshman brother Preston moved to 46-0 after taking first at 113. Benton senior Mason Tieffel, another defending IHSA champion and two-time finalist, improved to 51-0 when he won the title at 138. Also remaining unbeaten was Murphysboro senior Liam Fox (47-0) at 157, who added to a title by teammate Bryce Edwards (43-7), who won at 144.

Individuals who’ve only lost once this season also won two of the championships, Richland County’s Carson Bissey (45-1) at 132 and Herrin’s Blue Bishop (43-1) at 150. Other sectional title winners were Johnston City’s Jude Beers (40-2) at 215, Robinson’s Kahne Hyre (38-3) at 165 and Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Ty Carter (44-3) at 175.

Other second-place finishers were Litchfield/Mt. Olive’s Vincent Moore (33-8) at 106, Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler (47-3) at 120, Fairfield’s Scotty Cuff (29-5) at 144, Paris’ Robert Wells (26-10) at 165, Mt. Zion’s Keller Stocks (42-11) at 190, Frankfort Community’s Brandon Turner (43-7) at 215 and Althoff Catholic’s Jason Dowell (28-2) at 285.

Additional third-place finishers were Murphysboro’s Kanton Richards (33-17) at 106, Benton’s Cohen Sweely (39-7) at 113, Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine’s Ian Rosborough (35-5) at 120, Althoff Catholic’s Brenden Rayl (33-2) at 126, Anna-Jonesboro’s Daniel Dover (33-12) at 138, Cumberland’s Owen McGinnis (44-5) at 144, Hillsboro’s Zander Wells (33-7) at 165, Mt. Zion’s Vincent Fiore (37-4) at 175, East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin (48-3) at 215 and Mt. Zion’s Remington Hiser (43-4) at 285.

Also finishing fourth were Cumberland’s Brayden Olmstead (43-7) at 138, Frankfort Community’s Lucas Parker (35-17) at 144, Shelbyville’s Kaz Fox (36-9) at 150, Shelbyville’s Ryne Peavler (40-7) at 157, Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm’s Gabriel Kiddoo (32-7) at 165, Auburn’s Joey Barrow (31-11) at 175, Frankfort Community’s Conner Henson (38-10) at 190, Carmi-White County’s Nelson Rider (38-5) at 215 and Lawrenceville/Red Hill’s Dylan Camden (39-12) at 285.

Drake Champlin was the lone competitor in the sectional to collect four falls. Oakwood/Salt Fork easily had the most total match points with 196 while Murphysboro was second with 117. And Roxana collected the most falls with 18 while Vandalia was next-best with 12 pins.

Championship matches for the Class 1A Vandalia Sectional

106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) 45-2, Fr. over Vincent Moore (Litchfield/Mt. Olive) 33-8, So. (Dec 8-1)
113 – Preston Waughtel (Carlyle) 46-0, Fr. over Brayden Edwards (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 33-13, Jr. (Fall 2:17)
120 – Tyson Waughtel (Carlyle) 47-0, Jr. over Drew Sadler (Anna-Jonesboro) 47-3, Jr. (Dec 7-3)
126 – Tony Keene (Harrisburg) 41-2, Sr. over Anthony Ruzic (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin) 42-1, Sr. (Fall 0:47)
132 – Carson Bissey (Richland County) 45-1, Jr. over Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) 42-4, So. (Dec 5-3)
138 – Mason Tieffel (Benton/Sesser-Valier) 51-0, Sr. over Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) 43-3, So. (MD 17-4)
144 – Bryce Edwards (Murphysboro) 43-7, Jr. over Scotty Cuff (Fairfield) 29-5, Sr. (Dec 4-3)
150 – Blue Bishop (Herrin) 43-1, Sr. over Braden Johnson (Roxana) 33-7, Sr. (MD 13-4)
157 – Liam Fox (Murphysboro) 47-0, Sr. over Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 43-5, So. (Dec 3-2)
165 – Kahne Hyre (Robinson) 38-3, Jr. over Robert Wells (Paris) 26-10, Sr. (Fall 3:56)
175 – Ty Carter (Red Bud/Valmeyer) 44-3, Sr. over Dalton Brown (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 41-5, Sr. (Dec 4-3)
190 – Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) 34-9, Jr. over Keller Stocks (Mt. Zion) 42-11, So. (Dec 4-2)
3rd Place Match
215 – Jude Beers (Johnston City) 40-2, Sr. over Brandon Turner (Frankfort Community) 43-7, Jr. (Dec 10-8)
285 – James Herring (Roxana) 42-3, Sr. over Jason Dowell (Althoff Catholic) 28-2, Jr. (UTB 10-9)

Third Place matches for the Class 1A Vandalia Sectional

106 – Kanton Richards (Murphysboro) 33-17, Fr. over Steven Uden (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 31-16, Fr. (Dec 5-0)
113 – Cohen Sweely (Benton/Sesser-Valier) 39-7, Fr. over Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) 34-12, Fr. (Fall 3:10)
120 – Ian Rosborough (Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine) 35-5, Sr. over Brody Matthews (Vandalia) 34-14, Fr. (MD 18-7)
126 – Brenden Rayl (Althoff Catholic) 33-2, Jr. over Logan Riggs (Roxana) 40-9, So. (Fall 3:01)
132 – Pedro Rangel (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 44-5, Jr. over Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) 19-4, Fr. (Fall 1:23)
138 – Daniel Dover (Anna-Jonesboro) 33-12, Sr. over Brayden Olmstead (Cumberland) 43-7, Sr. (Dec 4-3)
144 – Owen McGinnis (Cumberland) 44-5, So. over Lucas Parker (Frankfort Community) 35-17, Fr. (Fall 1:11)
150 – Grant Brewer (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 39-3, Sr. over Kaz Fox (Shelbyville) 36-9, Sr. (Fall 5:49)
157 – Bryson Capansky (OakwoodSalt Fork) 40-6, Sr. over Ryne Peavler (Shelbyville) 40-7, So. (Dec 9-8)
165 – Zander Wells (Hillsboro) 33-7, Sr. over Gabriel Kiddoo (Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm) 32-7, Jr. (MD 17-8)
175 – Vincent Fiore (Mt. Zion) 37-4, Sr. over Joey Barrow (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin) 31-11, Sr. (Dec 9-6)
190 – Jamison Chambliss (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 24-5, Fr. over Conner Henson (Frankfort Community) 38-10, Jr. (Fall 3:40)
215 – Drake Champlin (East Alton-Wood River) 48-3, Jr. over Nelson Rider (Carmi-White County) 38-5, Sr. (Fall 1:32)
285 – Remington Hiser (Mt. Zion) 43-4, Sr. over Dylan Camden (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) 39-12, Jr. (Fall 2:28)

Coal City qualifies 10 at Chicago Hope Academy Sectional

Defending Class 1A champion Coal City heads to the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center on a high note after it qualified 10 individuals at the Chicago Hope Sectional for the IHSA Class 1A  Individual State Finals, which get underway on Thursday in Champaign.

That’s the highest total of any school in Class 1A, two more than Marian Central Catholic qualified at Byron and three more than Oakwood/Salt Fork advanced from Vandalia. 

The only schools with more state qualifiers are Mount Carmel (13) and Joliet Catholic Academy (11) in Class 3A as well as Montini Catholic (12) in Class 2A  while IC Catholic Prep (10), also in Class 2A, has an equal number who are advancing.

IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Mark Masters’ Coalers won half of the titles at their sectional while De La Salle Institute and Seneca both had two champions and Chicago Hope Academy, Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington and Manteno each had one first-place finisher.

Winning titles for Coal City were Cooper Morris (38-7) at 113, Culan Lindemuth (31-14) at 120, Brody Widlowski (23-3) at 126, Noah Houston (36-10) at 132, Brant Widlowski (43-3) at 150, Landin Benson (22-2) at 165 and Cade Poyner (40-7) at 190. Taking second place was Owen Petersen (42-4) at 106 and Mason Garner (35-4) at 138 and placing fourth was Brock Finch (37-12) at 144.

De La Salle Institute, which is coached by Jason Davidson, was led by champions Jeremiah Lawrence (22-4) at 106 and David McCarthy (27-5) at 285 and runner-up Josue Hernandez (27-6) at 175. Taking third place were Darrel Oman (17-7) at 113, Mario Perez (23-12) at 132 and Nicholas Arvetis (20-10) at 157 while taking fourth place was Malik Warren (25-9) at 165. The seven state qualifiers have established a new standard for the Meteors’ program.

Seneca’s qualifiers were title winners Gunner Varland (28-13) at 157 and Chris Peura (44-4) at 215, second-place finisher Nate Othon (36-11) at 150 as well as Raiden Terry (42-8) at 106 and Asher Hamby (48-6) at 175, who placed third. The Fighting Irish are coached by Todd Yegge. 

Advancing for for coach Dan Willis’ Chicago Hope Academy Eagles were champion Santiago Chaparro (45-2) at 144, third-place finishers Josiah Wells (35-14) at 120, Arkail Griffin (37-10) at 150 and Roy Phelps (43-7) at 285 and also Tony Jones-Blakely (30-16) at 157, who took fourth.

The other two champions were Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington’s Dylan Crouch (45-1) at 138 and Manteno’s Carter Watkins (33-2) at 175. 

Peotone had three second-place finishers, Blake Anderson (18-11) at 113, Micah Spinazzola (34-11) at 144 and Ian Kreske (33-10) at 165 and Wilmington had three runners-up, Landon Dooley (31-10) at 120, Parker Adams (33-8) at 157 and Logan VanDuyne (31-8) at 190. Others who took second place were Herscher’s Gerrit Osenga (27-7) at 126, Clifton Central’s Kayden Cody (25-10) at 132, Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville’s Sean Brown (23-2) at 215 

and Leo’s Nicholas Armour (33-5) at 285.

Other third-place finishers were Phoenix STEM Military Academy’s Jose Lua (20-3) at 138 and Kaleb Abney (22-6) at 215, Clifton Central’s Gianni Panozzo (44-5) at 144 and Hunter Hull (24-7) at 190, Walther Christian Academy’s Caleb Peterson (31-10) at 126 and Northridge Prep’s Jon Suter (33-3) at 165.

Nazareth Academy had three fourth-place finishers, Aleksander Ramos (24-11) at 106, Charlie Dvorak (21-18) at 113 and Andrew Fowler (28-12) at 150. Others who placed fourth were King College Prep’s Moses Pittman (31-11) at 132 and Calvin Savage (34-3) at 190, Clifton Central’s Giona Panozzo (36-13) at 138 and Noah Gomez (16-5) at 285, Bishop McNamara’s Blake Arseneau (21-7) at 120, Wilmington’s Oakley Rivera (30-16) at 126, Northridge Prep’s Adam Haddad (28-6) at 175 and Reed-Custer’s Dominic Alaimo (30-14) at 215.

Malik Warren edged Ian Kreske 51-50 for the most total match points while Kaleb Abney, Brock Finch, Jon Suter and Raiden Terry all collected four falls. De La Salle Institute had the most total match points with 270 while Chicago Hope Academy and Coal City tied for second with 244 points. The Coalers had a big advantage in pins, getting 26 of them, while Seneca had 16 falls.

Once this week concludes and the athletes from the sectional conclude what have been very successful individual performances, the focus will shift to the Coal City Dual Team Sectional.

Coal City meets De La Salle Institute on Tuesday in one dual meet and Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville faces Rickover Naval Academy in the other to see who advances to the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals, which takes place next weekend in Bloomington.

 Championship matches for the Class 1A Chicago Hope Academy Sectional

106 – Jeremiah Lawrence (De La Salle Institute) 22-4, So. over Owen Petersen (Coal City) 42-4, Fr. (Dec 8-5)

113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) 38-7, Fr. over Blake Anderson (Peotone) 18-11, Fr. (Fall 1:11)
120 – Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) 31-14, Jr. over Landon Dooley (Wilmington) 31-10, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:09 (16-0)

126 – Brody Widlowski (Coal City) 23-3, So. over Gerrit Osenga (Herscher) 27-7, Sr. (Dec 9-2)

132 – Noah Houston (Coal City) 36-10, So. over Kayden Cody (Clifton Central) 25-10, Sr. (Dec 9-4)

138 – Dylan Crouch (Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington) 45-1, Jr. over Mason Garner (Coal City) 35-4, So. (Dec 7-2)

144 – Santiago Chaparro (Chicago Hope Academy) 45-2, Sr. over Micah Spinazzola (Peotone) 34-11, So. (Dec 6-2)

150 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) 43-3, Sr. over Nate Othon (Seneca) 36-11, Sr. (Fall 2:58)

157 – Gunner Varland (Seneca) 28-13, So. over Parker Adams (Wilmington) 33-8, Sr. (Dec 13-6)

165 – Landin Benson (Coal City) 22-2, Jr. over Ian Kreske (Peotone) 33-10, Sr. (MD 24-11)

175 – Carter Watkins (Manteno) 33-2, Sr. over Josue Hernandez (De La Salle Institute) 27-6, Sr. (SV-1 3-1)

190 – Cade Poyner (Coal City) 40-7, So. over Logan VanDuyne (Wilmington) 31-8, So. (Fall 3:28)

215 – Chris Peura (Seneca) 44-4, Sr. over Sean Brown (Chicago (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) 23-2, Sr. (Fall 0:29)

285 – David McCarthy (De La Salle Institute) 27-5, Jr. over Nicholas Armour (Leo) 33-5, Jr. (Dec 8-7)

Third Place matches for the Class 1A Chicago Hope Academy Sectional

106 – Raiden Terry (Seneca) 42-8, Fr. over Aleksander Ramos (Nazareth Academy) 24-11, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:32 (16-1)

113 – Darrel Oman (De La Salle Institute) 17-7, Sr. over Charlie Dvorak (Nazareth Academy) 21-18, So. (Fall 3:16)

120 – Josiah Willis (Chicago Hope Academy) 35-14, Fr. over Blake Arseneau (Bishop McNamara) 21-7, So. (Fall 4:36)

126 = Caleb Peterson (Walther Christian Academy) 31-10, Jr. over Oakley Rivera (Wilmington) 30-16, Fr. (MD 17-3)

132 – Mario Perez (De La Salle Institute) 23-12, Sr. over Moses Pittman (King College Prep) 31-11, Jr. (Fall 1:22)

138 – Jose Lua (Phoenix STEM Military Academy)) 20-3, Sr. over Giona Panozzo (Clifton Central) 36-13, So. (MD 12-2)

144 – Gianni Panozzo (Clifton Central) 44-5, Jr. over Brock Finch (Coal City) 37-12, So. (Dec 6-1)

150 – Arkail Griffin (Chicago Hope Academy) 37-10, Fr. over Andrew Fowler (Nazareth Academy) 28-12, Sr. (Dec 10-4)

157 – Nicholas Arvetis (De La Salle Institute) 20-10, Sr. over Tony Jones-Blakely (Chicago Hope Academy) 30-16, Jr. (Dec 6-4)

165 – Jon Suter (Northridge Prep) 33-3, Sr. over Malik Warren (De La Salle Institute) 25-9, So. (Fall 1:26)

175 – Asher Hamby (Seneca) 48-6, Sr. over Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep) 28-6, Jr. (Fall 1:35)

190 – Hunter Hull (Clifton Central) 24-7, Sr. over Calvin Savage (King College Prep) 34-3, Sr. (Dec 8-2)

215 – Kaleb Abney (Chicago (Phoenix STEM Military Academy)) 22-6, Jr. over Dominic Alaimo (Reed-Custer) 30-14, So. (Fall 1:41)

285 – Roy Phelps (Chicago Hope Academy) 43-7, Jr. over Noah Gomez (Clifton Central) 16-5, Sr. (Dec 2-0)

Phoenix STEM Military Academy qualifies six at the Evanston Township Sectional

Phoenix STEM Military Academy qualified six individuals at the Evanston Township Sectional, which ties it with Edwardsville, making the two schools the state leaders for the most athletes that are advancing to the IHSA Girls Individual Finals in Bloomington on February 23-24.

Lakes Community had five state qualifiers, making it is the only school in the state that was able to achieve that while Zion-Benton advanced four individuals to the IHSA Finals, which made it one of just four programs that were able to accomplish that, with District 230 (Andrew, Carl Sandburg, Stagg), Hoffman Estates and Lockport Township being the others.

Others at the Evanston Township Sectional who had three state qualifiers are Homewood-Flossmoor, J. Sterling Morton, Oak Forest, Round Lake and Thornton Fractional  South. Phoenix STEM Military Academy and Lakes Community both had three champions, which was the most for anyone in the sectional, which featured individuals representing 52 schools.

Leading coach Daniel Curin’s Phoenix STEM Military Academy Firebirds were champions Diana Lopez (21-3) at 110, AJ Grant (25-1) at 145  and America Cabrerra (24-4) at 155 while Ariel Foreman (15-4) at 135 took third place and Mia Thomas (21-9) at 115 and Marisol Castro (21-8) at 120 finished fourth. As for sectional team scores, Phoenix STEM Military finished as the  champions with 144 points, Lake Community (115) was second and Oak Forest (96) took third.

“I keep telling my girls we are the best team nobody has ever heard about,” Curin said. “We knew we had something special and very early on set the goal to be city champions. These girls have far exceeded expectations winning the regional and sectional. It’s been great watching them come together as a team. 

“Last year we had four girls on the team that really set the stage for this year. Three of them went down state as first-year sophomores. That effort last year attracted a bunch of new girls to the team this year and they have worked so hard to prepare and compete. To have six girls qualify is something I still can’t believe.  We are a small school, less than 400 kids, to be competing and winning against these big schools has been amazing to watch.”

Top placewinners for coach Devin Tortorice’s Lakes Community Eagles were first-place finishers Zaryia Mouzon (33-4) at 105, Olivia Heft (30-2) at 120 and Ava Babbs (28-0) at 125 while Josephine Larson (29-7) at 190 took second and Haven Sylves (28-11) at 110 placed fourth.

Individuals who qualified for the IHSA Finals for coach Hal Lunsford’s Zion-Benton Zee-Bees were title winner ILeen Castrjon (21-1) at 190, runner-up Emily Ortiz (33-5) at 130 and third-place finishers Naomi Foote (36-8) at 145 and Grace Johnson (31-7) at 155.

Thornton Township’s co-op of Thornton, Thornridge an Thornwood, had two champions, Jalah Wilson (16-2) at 130 and Keyhanna Phillips (12-0) at 170 while other sectional title winners were Round Lake’s Riley Kongkaeow (32-3) at 100, Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller (21-8) at 115, Thornton Fractional South’s Jermia Moore (24-8) at 135, New Trier’s Jillian Giller (31-4) at 140 and Curie Metropolitan’s Aaliyah Grandberry (20-0) at 235. 

Also finishing in second place were Homewood-Flossmoor’s London Gandy (22-14) at 105 and Jocelyn Williams (18-3) at 235, Round Lake’s Ireland McCain (31-8) at 115 and Raven Burnett (23-9) at 145, Rickover Naval Academy’s Mia Vazquez (31-4) at 100, Warren Township’s Alyssa Bentley (21-9) at 110, Glenbrook North’s Ariella Dobin (29-3) at 120, Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville’s Tyhesia Goss (17-2) at 125, Mother McAuley’s Maggie Zuber (9-2) at 135, Saint Ignatius College Prep’s GG Garduno (23-2) at 140, Oak Lawn’s Charvelle Mclain (21-3) at 155 and Waukegan’s Jennifer Perez (25-4) at 170.

Other third-place finishers at the sectional were Thornton Fractional South’s Quincy Onyiaorah (23-4) at 130 and Akayla Coopwood (14-3) at 140, De La Salle Institute’s Anapaula Cerna (12-2) at 100, J. Sterling Morton’s Hope Donnamario (32-8) at 105, Rich Township’s Courben Session (17-5) at 110, Kelly College Prep’s Jaqueline Dimas (25-4) at 115, Grayslake Central’s Gianna Arzer (35-9) at 120, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Makayla Marr (9-3) at 125, Reavis’ Estrella Ramirez (32-4) at 170, Oak Forest’s Isabel Peralta (38-4) at 190 and Rickover Naval Academy’s Jasmine Mejia (26-2) at 235.

Also taking fourth place were J. Sterling Morton’s Nayeli Rodriguez (28-11) at 125 and Violet Mayo (34-16) at 170, Oak Forest’s Iyobosa Odianse (28-13) at 140 and Jessica Komolafe (30-8) at 235, Curie Metropolitan’s Evelin Martinez (16-6) at 100, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences’ Carmen Jackson (26-4) at 105, Tinley Park’s Simone Standifer (21-2) at 130, Highland Park’s Clara Ugaz (19-5) at 135, Stevenson’s Sajra Sulejmani (9-6) at 145, New Trier’s Nina Aceves (28-8) at 155 and Reavis’ Reyna Padilla (19-6) at 190.

Individuals who are two-time IHSA placewinners that will make a third trip to state are Harlee Hiller (first at 105 in 2023, third at 105 in 2022), Aaliyah Grandberry (second at 235 in 2023 and 2022), ILeen Castrejon (third at 170 in 2023, second at 170 in 2022), Sajra Sulejmani (fourth at 145 in 2023, fifth at 145 in 2022) and Ireland McCain (sixth at 115 in 2023, fifth at 120 in 2022).

Other state medalists who qualified were Olivia Heft (second at 115 in 2022), Ava Babbs (third at 125 in 2023), Olivia Heft (second at 115 in 2022), Jocelyn Williams (fourth at 235 in 2022), Josephine Larson (fifth at 190 in 2023) and Jasmine Mejia (fifth at 235 in 2023).

There was a four-way tie for the most team points with 28 between Aaliyah Grandberry, AJ Grant, Harlee Hiller and Diana Lopez while Keyhanna Phillips had 27.5 points. Ava Babbs and Jillian Giller collected 27 team points and ILeen Castrejon, Olivia Heft, Riley Kongkaeow and Jermia Moore all finished with 26 team points.Carmen Jackson collected the most total match points with 55 while Estrella Ramirez was the lone individual in the sectional to record four falls.

Phoenix STEM Military Academy had the most total match points with 204 points while Oak Forest ranked second with 165. And the same two teams recorded the most falls with the Firebirds again ranking first with an 18-17 advantage in pins over the Bengals.

Championship matches for the Evanston Township Sectional Tournament100 – Riley Kongkaeow (Round Lake) 32-3, So. over Mia Vazquez (Rickover Naval Academy) 31-4, Jr. (Dec 4-2)
105 – Zaryia Mouzon (Lakes Community) 33-4, Sr. over London Gandy (Homewood-Flossmoor) 22-14, So. (Dec 8-3)
110 – Diana Lopez (Phoenix STEM Military Academy) 21-3, Jr. over Alyssa Bentley (Warren Township) 21-9, Jr. (Fall 1:49)
115 – Harlee Hiller (Loyola Academy) 21-8, Jr. over Ireland McCain (Round Lake) 31-8, Jr. (Fall 1:58)
120 – Olivia Heft (Lakes Community) 30-2, Sr. over Ariella Dobin (Glenbrook North) 29-3, Fr. (Dec 9-7)
125 – Ava Babbs (Lakes Community) 28-0, Sr. over Tyhesia Goss (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville) 17-2, So. (Fall 0:44)
130 – Jalah Wilson (Thornton Township) 16-2, Jr. over Emily Ortiz (Zion-Benton) 33-5, So. (Dec 4-2)
135 – Jermia Moore (Thornton Fractional South) 24-8, So. over Maggie Zuber (Mother McAuley) 9-2, Jr. (Fall 0:53)
140 – Jillian Giller (New Trier) 31-4, Jr. over GG Garduno (Saint Ignatius College Prep) 23-2, Fr. (MD 13-5)
145 – AJ Grant (Phoenix STEM Military Academy) 25-1, So. over Raven Burnett (Round Lake) 23-9, Sr. (Fall 2:23)
155 – America Cabrerra (Phoenix STEM Military Academy) 24-4, So. over Charvelle Mclain (Oak Lawn) 21-3, Jr. (Dec 12-7)
170 – Keyhanna Phillips (Thornton Township) 12-0, Sr. over Jennifer Perez (Waukegan) 25-4, Sr. (Fall 2:22)
190 – ILeen Castrejon (Zion-Benton) 21-1, Sr. over Josephine Larson (Lakes Community) 29-7, Jr. (Dec 6-0)
235 – Aaliyah Grandberry (Curie Metropolitan) 20-0, Sr. over Jocelyn Williams (Homewood-Flossmoor) 18-3, Sr. (Fall 1:19)

Third place matches for the Evanston Township Sectional Tournament

100 – Anapaula Cerna (De La Salle Institute) 12-2, So. over Evelin Martinez (Curie Metropolitan) 16-6, Jr. (Fall 3:35)
105 – Hope Donnamario (J Sterling Morton) 32-8, Jr. over Carmen Jackson (Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences) 26-4, So. (Fall 2:58)
110 – Courben Session (Rich Township)) 17-5, Sr. over Haven Sylves (Lakes Community) 28-11, Jr. (Fall 1:19)
115 – Jaqueline Dimas (Kelly College Prep) 25-4, So. over Mia Thomas (Chicago (Phoenix STEM Military Academy) 21-9, Jr. (Fall 2:39)
120 – Gianna Arzer (Grayslake (Central) 35-9, So. over Marisol Castro (Phoenix STEM Military Academy) 21-8, Jr. (TF 4:22 (15-0)
125 – Makayla Marr (Homewood-Flossmoor) 9-3, So. over Nayeli Rodriguez (J Sterling Morton) 28-11, Sr. (TF 4:00 (21-4)
130 – Quincy Onyiaorah (Thornton Fractional South) 23-4, Jr. over Simone Standifer (Tinley Park) 21-2, Jr. (Fall 4:49)
135 – Ariel Foreman (Phoenix STEM Military Academy) 15-4, Jr. over Clara Ugaz (Highland Park) 19-5, Sr. (Fall 5:18)
140 – Akayla Coopwood (Thornton Fractional South) 14-3, So. over Iyobosa Odiase (Oak Forest) 28-13, So. (Fall 3:06)
145 – Naomi Foote (Zion-Benton) 36-8, Jr. over Sajra Sulejmani (Stevenson) 9-6, Sr. (For.)
155 – Grace Johnson (Zion-Benton) 31-7, Jr. over Nina Aceves (New Trier) 28-8, Sr. (Inj. 3:07)
170 – Estrella Ramirez (Reavis) 32-4, Sr. over Violet Mayo (J. Sterling Morton) 34-16, Jr. (Fall 1:46)
190 – Isabel Peralta (Oak Forest) 38-4, Jr. over Reyna Padilla (Reavis) 19-6, So. (Fall 0:44)
235 – Jasmine Mejia (Rickover Naval Academy) 26-2, Jr. over Jessica Komolafe (Oak Forest) 30-8, Sr. (Dec 6-1)  

Team scores for the Evanston Township Sectional Tournament (top 10 finishes)

1. Phoenix STEM Military Academy 144, 2. Lakes Community 115, 3. Oak Forest 96, 4. Zion-Benton 84, 5. Thornton Township 79.5, 6. Round Lake 78, 7. Thornton Fractional South 73, 8. Homewood-Flossmoor 71.5, 9. J. Sterling Morton 59, 10. Curie Metropolitan 51.

Minooka, DeKalb, Geneseo advance three at the Geneseo Sectional

Of all the four girls sectionals, there was only one where no team had more than three state qualifiers and just three teams in the competition, DeKalb, Geneseo and Minooka, were able to  advance three individuals to next weekend’s IHSA Finals in Bloomington.

Advancing to state for coach Paige Schoolman’s Minooka Indians were champion Addison Cailteux (24-4) at 130 and runners-up Eva Beck (26-11) at 135 and Peyton Kueltzo (32-11) at 235. Three other individuals fell one victory shy of advancing to state after losing in the consolation semifinals. They were Brooklyn Doti (25-14) at 110, Bella Cyrkiel (36-6) at 145 and Abbey Boersma (35-13) at 170.  

In tournament scoring, Minooka easily won the title with 105 points while Geneseo took second with 70 points and Kaneland scored 69 points to finish third. Part of the Indians’ success in easily outscoring the other top teams in the sectional was because nine of their 11 competitors captured two or more wins in the two-day tournament the featured athletes from 60 schools.”We are ecstatic for our three state qualifiers,” Schoolman said. “Our whole team wrestled tough all weekend.  We had nine girls win multiple matches with three girls advancing to the championship mat.  Three of our seniors lost in the blood round and that is heartbreaking, but we couldn’t be prouder of what those three have done for this team over the past 2-3 years.” “Addie wrestled solid all weekend, Beating the #5 and #3 ranked wrestlers according to Illinoismatwomen. This has been a long journey for Addie to get back to where we know she can be, one of the best girls in the state. 

Eva wrestled a gritty tournament taking second place. On her way to the finals she beat the third- and fourth-place wrestler in her bracket.  Friday night she had a gutsy OT win versus the girl from Sherrard and Saturday morning wrestled real smart to upend her Joliet opponent. Peyton dominated on Friday night and pulled out a tough 1-0 decision in the semis to punch her ticket to state for the third time in her career.  We are so proud of the work she has put in over the past three years.” 

Coach Carley Rusk’s Geneseo Maple Leafs were led by a third-place finish from Lauren Piquard (26-11) at 140 while Molly Snyder (23-8) at 100 and Bella Curcuru (18-14) at 125 both claimed fourth place. Mady Mooney (17-8) at 155 came up one win short of advancing to state when she lost a close decision in the consolation semifinals.

And coach Conor Infelise’s DeKalb Barbs were led by a second-place finish from Alex Gregorio-Perez (30-6) at 105, a third from Reese Zimmer (32-10) at 115 and a fourth from Aariana Boyd (24-13) at 235.

Two of the sectional champions are also two of the four two-time IHSA champions who will be trying to make more history next weekend by becoming the first three-time state title winners in the sport. They are Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi (13-1) at 120, who took first place at 120 a year and claimed first at 100 in 2022, and Freeport’s Cadence Diduch (25-0) at 135, who finished first at 125 last season and captured first place at 120 in 2022. Boylan Catholic’s 

Netavia Wickson (19-2) at 140 won a state title at 135 last season and claimed second place at the same weight in 2022.

IHSA second-place finishers who won sectional titles included a two-time runner-up, Lincoln-Way Central’s Gracie Guarino (23-0) at 115, who took second place last year at 110 and also finished second at 105 the year before. The other three state runners-up who won sectional titles were Joliet Township’s Eliana Paramo (34-3) at 110, who was second at 115 a year ago and finished fifth at 115 in 2022, Canton’s Kinnley Smith (24-3) at 125, who was a runner-up at 135 in 2023 and Moline’s Maryam Ndiaye (27-0) at 155, who was second at 155 last season. 

A returning state champion, Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker (33-1), who won a championship at 155 in 2023, suffered her first loss of the season to Peotone’s Kiernan Farmer (17-1) in the 170 title match. And another IHSA runner-up from a year ago, Yorkville’s Yamilet Aguirre (24-1), who placed second at 120 last year and took fourth at 115 in 2022, also lost for the first time this season when she fell to Smith in the 125 title match. 

Other first-place finishers were Newman Central Catholic’s Blair Grennan (13-1) at 100, Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis (43-5) at 105, Canton’s Katelyn Marvel (24-4) at 145, Clifton Central’s Karmen Cody (13-2) at 190 and Ottawa Township’s Juliana Thrush (27-3) at 235.

Additional second-place finishers were Galesburg’s Hannah Almendarez (19-3) at 100 and Annalisa Gibbins (19-4) at 140, Sandwich’s Ashlyn Strenz (15-4) at 110, Burlington Central’s Victoria Macias (32-4) at 115, Joliet Catholic Academy’s Grace Laird (20-7) at 120, Camp Point Central’s Amber Louderback (19-9) at 130, Macomb’s Kelly Ladd (25-7) at 145, Plainfield South’s Teagan Aurich (24-5) at 155 and United Township’s Afi Koumasse (9-1) at 190.

Macias placed fifth at 110 a year ago and finished fourth at that same weight class in 2022 while  Louderback took fourth at 125 in 2023 and Strenz claimed fourth at 115 a year ago

Also finishing third were Yorkville’s Danielle Turner (30-11) at 100, Lincoln-Way West’s Zoe Dempsey (16-5) at 105, Morris’ Ella McDonnell (31-3) at 110, Jacksonville’s Alexis Seymour (27-3) at 120, Kaneland’s Brooklyn Sheaffer (14-3) at 125, Seneca’s Sammie Greisen (30-7) at 130, Sherrard’s Nadia Anderson (12-6) at 135, Rock Island’s Sanaa Hampton (11-2) at 145, El Paso-Gridley’s Savannah Hamilton (10-2) at 155, Burlington Central’s Ryann Miller (32-3) at 170, Morris’ Morgan Congo (28-9) at 190 and Prairie Central’s Chloe Hoselton (15-3) at 235.

Hamilton was a state runner-up at 130 last season and also took second place at 140 in 2022.

McDonnell finished fourth at 110 last year and fourth at 105 in 2022, Seymour placed fourth at 120 in 2023 and Sheaffer finished sixth at 120 a year ago. 

Others who placed fourth in the sectional were Erie/Prophetstown’s Ryleigh Stephens (28-7) at 110 and Michelle Naftzger (32-8) at 130, Streator’s Lily Gwaltney (19-7) at 105, University High’s Allison Kroesch (20-11) at 115, El Paso-Gridley’s Kianna Mayne (13-5) at 120, Joliet Township’s Izabel Barrera (24-7) at 135, Princeton’s Isabella Gibson (19-6) at 140, Rochelle’s Dempsey Atkinson (17-5) at 145, Clifton Central’s Payton Temple (6-4) at 155, Joliet Catholic Academy’s Cheya Bishop (22-11) at 170 and Putnam County’s Bailey Herr (15-11) at 190.

There was a five-way tie for the most team points with 28 between Blair Grennan, Gracie Guarino, Katelyn Marvel, Maryam Ndiaye and Netavia Wickson while Cadence Diduch had 27.5 points, Kiernan Farmer and Angelina Gochis each scored 27 points and Karmen Cody, Kinnley Smith and Juliana Thrush finished with 26 team points. Kianna Mayne had the most total match points with 55 while Angelina Gochis ranked second with 45 total match points. Minooka had the most total match points with 120 while Kaneland was second with 92. And Minooka also had the most falls with 16 while Geneseo ranked second with 14 pins.

Championship matches for the Geneseo Sectional Tournament

100 – Blair Grennan (Newman Central Catholic) 13-1, Fr. over Hannah Almendarez (Galesburg) 19-3, Sr. (Fall 1:40)
105 – Angelina Gochis (Kaneland)) 43-5, Fr. over Alex Gregorio-Perez (DeKalb) 30-6, So. (MD 18-6)
110 – Eliana Paramo (Joliet Township) 34-3, Sr. over Ashlyn Strenz (Sandwich) 15-4, Sr. (Dec 2-0)
115 – Gracie Guarino (Lincoln-Way Central) 23-0, Sr. over Victoria Macias (Burlington Central) 32-4, Jr. (Fall  5:13)
120 – Angelina Cassioppi (Hononegah) 13-1, Jr. over Grace Laird (Joliet Catholic Academy) 20-7, Jr. (Fall 1:52)
125 – Kinnley Smith (Canton) 24-3, Jr. over Yamilet Aguirre (Yorkville) 24-1, Sr. (Fall 4:54)
130 – Addison Cailteux (Minooka) 24-4, So. over Amber Louderback (Camp Point Central) 19-9, So. (Dec 4-3)
135 – Cadence Diduch (Freeport) 25-0, Sr. over Eva Beck (Minooka) 26-11, Sr. (Fall 1:31)
140 – Netavia Wickson (Boylan Catholic) 19-2, Sr. over Annalisa Gibbons (Galesburg) 19-4, Jr. (Fall 2:19)
145 – Katelyn Marvel (Canton) 24-4, Jr. over Kelly Ladd (Macomb) 25-7, Jr. (Fall 4:46)
155 – Maryam Ndiaye (Moline) 27-0, Sr. over Teagan Aurich (Plainfield South) 24-5, Jr. (Fall 1:26)
170 – Kiernan Farmer (Peotone) 17-1, Sr. over Alicia Tucker (Plainfield Central) 33-1, Jr. (MD 9-0)
190 – Karmen Cody (Clifton Central) 13-2, Sr. over Afi Koumasse (United Township) 9-1, Sr. (Fall 1:46)
235 – Juliana Thrush (Ottawa Township) 27-3, So. over Peyton Kuetlzo (Minooka) 32-11, Sr. (Fall 1:43)

Third place matches for the Geneseo Sectional Tournament

100 – Danielle Turner (Yorkville) 30-11, So. over Molly Snyder (Geneseo) 23-8, Fr. (Fall 4:00)
105 – Zoe Dempsey (New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West) 16-5, So. over Lily Gwaltney (Streator) 19-7, Fr. (Fall 1:21)
110 – Ella McDonnell (Morris) 31-3, Sr. over Ryleigh Stephens (Erie/Prophetstown) 28-7, Fr. (Fall 1:58)
115 – Reese Zimmer (DeKalb) 32-10, Jr. over Allison Kroesch (University High) 20-11, Sr. (Fall 3:01)
120 – Alexis Seymour (Jacksonville) 27-3, Jr. over Kianna Mayne (El Paso-Gridley) 13-5, Fr. (Dec 15-8)
125 – Brooklyn Sheaffer (Kaneland) 14-3, Jr. over Bella Curcuru (Geneseo) 18-14, Jr. (Fall 3:46)
130 – Sammie Greisen (Seneca) 30-7, So. over Michelle Naftzger (Erie/Prophetstown) 32-8, So. (Fall 5:28)
135 – Nadia Anderson (Sherrard) 12-6, Jr. over Izabel Barrera (Joliet Township) 24-7, So. (Dec 6-0)
140 – Lauren Piquard (Geneseo) 26-11, Fr. over Isabella Gibson (Princeton) 19-6, So. (Fall 5:38)
145 – Sanaa Hampton (Rock Island) 11-2, Sr. over Dempsey Atkinson (Rochelle) 17-5, Jr. (Fall 1:40)
155 – Savannah Hamilton (El Paso-Gridley) 10-2, Jr. over Payton Temple (Clifton Central) 6-4, Fr. (Fall 0:58)
170 – Ryann Miller (Burlington Central) 32-3, Fr. over Cheya Bishop (Joliet Catholic Academy) 22-11, Sr. (Fall 2:55)
190 – Morgan Congo (Morris) 28-9, Jr. over Bailey Herr (Putnam County) 15-11, Jr. (Fall 5:26)
235 – Chloe Hoselton (Prairie Central) 15-3, Jr. over Aariana Bloyd (DeKalb) 24-13, So. (UTB 1-0)

Team scores for the Geneseo Sectional Tournament (top 10 finishes)

1. Minooka 105, 2. Geneseo 70, 3. Kaneland 69, 4. Joliet Township 63, 5. Canton 61, 6. Galesburg 57, 7. DeKalb 56, 8. Macomb 52, 9. Burlington Central 48, 10. Morris 42, 10. Yorkville 42.

Edwardsville has six qualifiers at the Richwoods Sectional

Edwardsville qualified six individuals from the Richwoods Sectional in Peoria for next weekend’s IHSA Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. Only one other team advanced as many individuals to state, Chicago’s Phoenix STEM Military Academy.

Four other teams at the sectional advanced three individuals to state, Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin, East Peoria, Mahomet-Seymour and Richwoods. In the team scoring, Edwardsville finished as the champions with 143 points while Richwoods placed second with 105.5 points and Glenwood took third place with 61 points. Athletes representing 59 schools took part in the sectional tournament.

Leading the way for the Edwardsville Tigers, who are coached by 2019 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Wagner, were champion Norah Swaim (17-1) at 120 and second-place finishers Holly Zugmaier (31-6) at 125 and Tayla Phillips (32-7) at 235 while Genevieve Dykstra (27-8) at 100 and Olive Linhorst (28-1) at 130 took third place and Abbrey DeWerff (26-12) at 155 finished fourth. Olivia Coll (23-13) at 105, who took sixth place at 100 in the inaugural IHSA Finals in 2022, and Gianna Linhorst (26-11) at 110, both fell one win short of qualifying after falling in both the semifinals and the consolation semifinals.

“The girls did an outstanding job competing this weekend in the Peoria Richwoods Sectional,” Wagner said. “Placing six in the top four is a Girls wrestling record for our program. We look forward to the IHSA State tournament and are grateful we get to go back to work.”

Twelve teams had sectional champions with Glenwood and Richwoods each winning two titles. Taking first place for Glenwood were Kadi Wilbern (21-0) at 100 and Jenna Tuxhorn (20-2) at 135) while host Richwoods got first-place finishes from Kaila Williams (23-1) at 140 and Jaida Johnson (22-3) at 155. Johnson is one of the seven champions who won a medal at one or both of the first two IHSA Finals, placing second at 155 in the inaugural tournament in 2022.

Other sectional champions were Anna-Jonesboro’s Zoee Sadler (36-10) at 105, Litchfield/Mt. Olive’s Rilynn Younker (25-9) at 110, Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon (21-3) at 115, Vandalia’s Sophie Bowers (23-7) at 125, Collinsville’s Taylor Dawson (44-0) at 130, Goreville/Vienna’s Alivia Ming (34-0) at 145, Highland’s August Rottmann (26-3) at 170, Urbana’s Jurdan Tyler (23-4) at 190 and Robinson’s Rylee Hammond (13-7) at 235.

August Rottman won the IHSA title at 170 last season after finishing third at that weight class in the inaugural IHSA Finals in 2022. Other sectional champions who were IHSA medalists in either 2023 or 2022 were Zoee Sadler (second at 105 in 2023), Sydney Cannon (third at 110 in 2023), Taylor Dawson (third at 130 in 2023 and second at 125 in 2022), Alivia Ming (second at 140 in 2023 and fourth at 135 in 2022) and Jurdan Tyler (third at 235 in 2023).

Other who placed second were Roxana’s Madelyn Murphy (16-18) at 100, Pekin’s Tessa Donaldson (11-9) at 105, Monticello’s Marrissa Miller (7-3) at 110, Springfield High/Lanphier/Southeast’s Ella Miloncus (19-6) at 115, Mahomet-Seymour’s Isabelle Leyhe (23-3) at 120, Morton’s Karen Canchola (18-1) at 130, Olympia/Delavan’s Jordan Bicknell (12-2) at 135, Oakwood/Salt Fork’s Taylor Owens (4-3) at 140, East Peoria’s Dezyrae Murray (13-8) at 145, Alton’s Elanna Hickman (28-5) at 155, Peoria Notre Dame’s Autumne Williams (19-4) at 170 and Mt. Vernon’s Faith Barret (5-1) at 190. Karen Canchola won an IHSA medal last season, finishing in fifth place at 130.

All three of the state qualifiers for Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin, Jasmine Brown (22-6) at 115, Jadyn Perry (25-5) at 145 and Heaven Workman (14-6) at 170, claimed third place. 

Additional third place finishers were East Peoria’s Bailey Lusch (14-4) at 105 and Kennedy McMenimen (17-3) at 110, Benton/Sesser-Valier’s Mia Balota (27-5) at 120, Red Bud/Valmeyer’s Avery Smith (19-10) at 125, Cumberland’s Natalie Beaumont (16-2) at 135, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Avery Schlickman (13-8) at 140, Belleville East’s Kami Ratcliff (11-3) at 155, Trico/Elverado’s Maddie Ramaker (11-10) at 190 and Unity’s Phoenix Molina (25-5) at 235. 

Bailey Lusch is a two-time IHSA medalist, placing sixth at 105 in 2023 and fifth at 105 in 2022. Avery Smith also won two IHSA medals, taking third at 115 in 2023 and fourth at 120 in 2022.

And other individuals who finished fourth were Mahomet-Seymour’s Kalista Granadino (23-10) at 115 and Jaycee Fancher (20-8) at 125, Charleston’s Mackensie Williams (14-5) at 145 and Alexus Dodge (5-9) at 235, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher’s Justice Milligan (14-10) at 100, Belleville East’s Alexcia Hardin (20-5) at 105, Larenceville/Red Hill’s Delaney Ledbetter (20-17) at 110, Belleville West’s Brooklyn Zeller (12-7) at 120, Richwoods’ Isabella Motteler (19-5) at 130, Collinsville’s Leann Cory (30-9) at 135, Urbana’s Rickasia Ivy (24-11) at 140, Cumberland’s Summer Nichols (8-4) at 170 and Goreville/Vienna’s Krista McBride (23-5) at 190. Isabella Motteler also won an IHSA medal in 2022, placing sixth at 115.

There was a five-way tie for the most team points with 28 between Sydney Cannon, Taylor Dawson, Norah Swaim, Jurdan Tyler and Kadi Wilbern while Zoee Sadler scored 27 team points and Sophie Bowers, Rylee Hammond, Jaida Johnson, Alivia Ming and August Rottmann all collected 26 team points. Olive Linhorst edged Leann Cory for the most total match points by a 35-34 margin while Jasmine Brown and Avery Smith both recorded four falls in the sectional. Richwoods had the most total match points with 101 while Edwardsville was second with 71. And Edwardsville finished with 14 falls while Richwoods collected 12 pins.

Championship matches for the Richwoods Sectional Tournament

100 – Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) 21-0, Fr. over Madelyn Murphy (Roxana) 16-18, Fr. (Fall 1:34)
105 – Zoee Sadler (Anna-Jonesboro) 36-10, Jr. over Tessa Donaldson (Pekin) 11-9, So. (Fall 1:04)
110 – Rilynn Younker (Litchfield/Mt. Olive) 25-9, Fr. over Marrissa Miller (Monticello) 7-3, Sr. (Dec 7-2)
115 – Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion) 21-3, So. over Ella Miloncus (Springfield High/Lanphier/Southeast) 19-6, Jr. (Fall 0:12)
120 – Norah Swaim (Edwardsville) 17-1, Sr. over Isabelle Leyhe (Mahomet-Seymour) 20-3, Sr. (Fall 2:40)
125 – Sophie Bowers (Vandalia) 23-7, Jr. over Holly Zugmaier (Edwardsville) 31-6, Jr. (Dec 2-1)
130 – Taylor Dawson (Collinsville) 44-0, Jr. over Karen Canchola (Morton) 18-1, Jr. (Fall 1:36)
135 – Jenna Tuxhorn (Glenwood) 20-2, So. over Jordan Bicknell (Olympia/Delavan) 12-2, Sr. (Dec 2-1)
140 – Kaila Williams (Richwoods) 23-1, Sr. over Taylor Owens (Oakwood/Salt Fork) 4-3, So. (Dec 10-3)
145 – Alivia Ming (Goreville/Vienna) 34-0, Sr. over Dezyrae Murray (East Peoria) 13-8, Fr. (Fall 0:59)
155 – Jaida Johnson (Richwoods) 22-3, Sr. over Elanna Hickman (Alton) 28-5, Sr. (Fall 4:20)
170 – August Rottmann (Highland) 26-3, Jr. over Autumne Williams (Peoria Notre Dame) 19-4, Jr. (Dec 9-5)
190 – Jurdan Tyler (Urbana) 23-4, Sr. over Faith Barret (Mt. Vernon) 5-1, Sr. (Fall 0:52)
235 – Rylee Hammond (Robinson) 13-7, Jr. over Tayla Phillips (Edwardsville) 32-7, Sr. (Dec 2-1)

Third place matches for the Richwoods Sectional Tournament

100 – Genevieve Dykstra (Edwardsville) 27-8, Fr. over Justice Milligan (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 14-10, Jr. (Dec 10-5)
105 – Bailey Lusch (East Peoria) 14-4, Sr. over Alexcia Hardin (Belleville East) 20-5, Jr. (Fall 3:35)
110 – Kennedy McMenimen (East Peoria) 17-3, So. over Delaney Ledbetter (Lawrenceville/Red Hill) 20-17, Fr. (Dec 4-1)
115 – Jasmine Brown (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin) 22-6, Sr. over Kalista Granadino (Mahomet-Seymour) 23-10, So. (Fall 4:50)
120 – Mia Balota (Benton/Sesser-Valier) 27-5, Sr. over Brooklyn Zeller (Belleville West) 12-7, Jr. (Inj. 3:43)
125 – Avery Smith (Red Bud/Valmeyer) 19-10, Sr. over Jaycee Fancher (Mahomet-Seymour) 20-8, Fr. (Fall 5:04)
130 – Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville) 28-11, Fr. over Isabella Motteler (Richwoods) 19-5, Jr. (Dec 6-0)
135 – Natalie Beaumont (Cumberland) 16-2, So. over Leann Cory (Collinsville) 30-9, Fr. (Dec 6-4)
140 – Avery Schlickman (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher) 13-8, Jr. over Rickasia Ivy (Urbana) 24-11, Fr. (Fall 3:24)
145 – Jadyn Perry (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin) 25-5, Sr. over Mackensie Williams (Charleston) 14-5, Sr. (Dec 3-2)
155 – Kami Ratcliff (Belleville East) 11-3, Sr. over Abbrey DeWerff (Edwardsville) 26-12, So. (Fall 5:09)
170 – Heaven Workman (Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin) 14-6, Sr. over Summer Nichols (Cumberland) 8-4, Fr. (Dec 6-0)
190 – Maddie Ramaker (Trico/Elverado) 11-10, Jr. over Krista McBride (Goreville/Vienna) 23-5, So. (Inj. 0:00)
235 – Phoenix Molina (Unity) 25-5, So. over Alexus Dodge (Charleston) 5-9, So. (Fall 1:34)

Team scores for the Richwoods Sectional Tournament (top 10 finishes)

1. Edwardsville 143, 2. Richwoods 105.5, 3. Glenwood 61, 4. Auburn/Franklin/New Berlin 56, 5. Mahomet-Seymour 55, 6. East Peoria 48, 7. Goreville/Vienna 47, 8. Collinsville 46, 9. Robinson 46, 10. Urbana 44. 

By Chris Walker – for the IWCOA

Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza (126), Evan Stanley (132), Edmund Enright (157) and Colin Kelly (175) followed their regional titles a week ago with sectional titles during Saturday’s Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional.

They punched their ticket to state along with teammates Justin Williamson (113), Jairo Acuna (144), Rylan Breen (190), William Jacobson (215) and Alex Poholik (285) who took second place. Kavel Moore (106) and Liam Kelly (150) finished with victories on the third-place mat while Damian Resendez (138) and Kevin Kalchbrenner (165) fell short in their respective third-place matches, but all of them qualified for coach Alex Tsirtsis’ Caravan, who will send 13 individuals to the IHSA Class 3A Individual Finals at the State Farm Center in Champaign, which runs from Thursday through Saturday. Last year, Mount Carmel had 10 state qualifiers.

Marist advanced eight wrestlers to the state finals behind Donavon Allen (138), Will Denny (150) and Conor Phelan (190), who won titles. Michael Esteban (126) and Ethan Sonne (132) took second, George Marinopoulos (120) and Ricky Ericksen (175) placed third and Tommy Fidler (113) took fourth for coach Brendan Heffernan’s RedHawks.

Marmion Academy’s Nicholas Garcia (113) and Joey Favia (215) led the Cadets with sectional championships. Logan Conover (106) and Zach Stewart (138) finished second while Donny Pigoni (126) and Ashton Hobson (144) won their third-place matches and Mateuz Nycz (285) took fourth place. All told, the Cadets, who are coached by Anthony Cirrincione and Nathan Fitzenreider, will send seven individuals to Champaign.

West Aurora didn’t come away with any sectional titles, but five of its individuals advanced to state. Dominic Serio (150) and Noah Quintana (157) placed second, Dayne Serio (165) was third and Aiden Massaro (120) and Evan Matkovich (126) took fourth.

Carl Sandburg matched the Blackhawks with five state qualifiers, led by champion Rocco Hayes (106). Madden Parker (120) took second, Ryan Hinger (138) was third and Brady Ritter (132) and Zac Ritter (150) were fourth.

Naperville Central, the DuPage Valley Conference champs, didn’t have any sectional champs either, but will send four Redhawks to state. Christopher Bern (157) and William Erbeck (285) won their third place matches while Hagan Taylor (144) and Nicolas Besteiro (215) each took fourth place.

Batavia matched the Redhawks with four state qualifiers as Ino Garcia (120) and Aidan Huck (144) earned championships to lead the way. Asher Sheldon (215) was third and Ben Brown (190) took fourth.

Downers Grove South’s Matt Lapacek (190) took third and RJ Samuels (175) was fourth while Glenbard West’s Collin Carrigan picked up his 42nd victory on the season to earn the title at 165 while his teammate Tony Shadid (157) took fourth.

A handful of teams were fortunate to escape Hinsdale with at least one state qualifier.

Lyons Township’s Gunnar Garelli (165) and Wheaton Warrenville South’s Sedeeq Al Obaidi (175) each took second, Stagg’s Jaime Corral (113) and Naperville North’s Tyler Sternstein both placed third and Glenbard East’s Waleed Binmahfooz (106) finished in fourth.

Argo, Bolingbrook, Curie Metropolitan, Downers Grove North, East Aurora, Hubbard, Kennedy, J. Sterling Morton, Neuqua Valley, Oak Lawn, Reavis, Thornton, Waubonsie Valley and Willowbrook also had wrestlers that competed in the sectional.

Carl Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes (44-1) dominated like few others at Hinsdale Central, pinning all three opponents he faced and each in shorter time than the last, including his win by fall at 0:30 against Marmion Academy freshman Logan Conovoer (29-14) in the 106 title match.

106 – Rocco Hayes, Carl Sandburg

“I’m just happy with all my training that I was able to have,” Hayes said. “I got prepared really well for this but the job is not done. I have more work to do.”

That work is pointing towards a possible state title. Hayes, a junior, took third at 106 last year and has gotten better.

“Getting to my offense is really important and I’m really good at what I do and it really helped me throughout this tournament,” he said. “I’ve become (offense oriented) this year and gotten into more positions where I wasn’t able to (last year) and I’m a lot better now and I have better coaches and partners who push me everyday.”

Mount Carmel junior Kavel Moore (21-11), one of five wrestlers from his team to advance to state by advancing to the third-place mat, finished with an 11-1 major decision victory over Glenbard East senior Waleed Binmahfooz (38-9).

113 – Nicholas Garcia, Marmion Academy

Marmion Academy sophomore Nicholas Garcia (41-7) had a difficult time getting into his offense against Mount Carmel freshman Justin Williamson (29-9) but kept his poise and pulled out a 6-5 decision in the 113 championship match. Last year, Garcia placed fourth at 106 in the IHSA 3A Finals.

“He had a really good game plan going into it, trying to hold on the whole time,” Garcia said. “He had a great ride on top, turned me, it’s exactly what he wanted to do, so I have a lot of respect for that. I knew I had it in me. I just had to go out there and win so the pressure was on.”

Stagg senior Jaime Corral (28-8) won a 7-3 decision over Marist sophomore Tommy Fidler (27-13) to take third place. Corral’s finish was a big for him and his program as he’ll be the only Charger that’s competing at state this weekend.

120 – Ino Garcia, Batavia

Batavia senior Ino Garcia (24-5) earned a 9-1 decision against Carl Sandburg junior Madden Parker (40-6) to win the title at 120. He’ll be making his third state appearance.

“I just had to get on my offense,” Garcia said. “I knew I was good at defense and stuff like that. So if I get on my offense and score early I can usually put away a match like that.”

Garcia, who took sixth in the state last season at 113 in the Class 3A finals, believes he’s an ever better wrestler than he was a year ago.

“I think I’ve grown the most on my feet,” he said. “I like to think I’ve grown in everything, but I’m not sure if that’s 100 percent. Either way I know I’ve gotten better and I put in a lot of time and effort.”

After wins by fall and decision to win the Glenbard West regional, Garcia picked up three victories to win the sectional. Tough battles prior to the postseason helped prepare Garcia for a state run. He placed second in the DuKane Conference, losing to Glenbard North’s Kalani Khiev. He took third in Batavia’s Arlis Invite after dropping a match in the semifinals to Marmion Academy’s Nicholas Garcia, who won the sectional title at 113.

“In those other tournaments and stuff against really tough opponents pushed me to get better,” Garcia said. “It put me in position so I could take first place.”

Marist junior George Marinopoulos (35-7), who fell one win shy of a medal at 106 a year ago at state, scored a 15-1 major decision victory against West Aurora senior Aiden Massaro (32-13) on the third-place mat.

126 – Seth Mendoza, Mount Carmel

Improving to 38-2 on the year, Mount Carmel junior Seth Mendoza is now looking for a third-straight state title after winning by technical fall in 4:24 over Marist junior Michael Esteban in the 126 sectional finals. Mendoza was the IHSA 113 champion last season after taking first place at 106 in 2022. Esteban (32-8) placed sixth at state at 113 in 2022.

Marmion Academy senior Donny Pigoni (30-12), who fell one win shy of state medals in both 2023 

and 2022, pinned West Aurora sophomore Evan Matkovich (34-9) in 1:12 to win third place at 126.

132 – Evan Stanley, Mount Carmel

As much as he loves his two older sisters, Mount Carmel freshman Evan Stanley is equally thankful for the pestering he absorbed growing up around them which helped mold him into the tough, successful wrestler he is today.

Stanley (33-5) defeated another freshman in the 132 finals, earning a 7-2 decision over Marist’s Ethan Sonne (21-15).

“I got into wrestling when I was four years old and I was really hyper and didn’t have any older brothers or cousins who were boys, just had two older sisters (Leia and Haven) who beat up on me a lot,” he said. “And my parents got me into wrestling because I was hyper and it seemed like I would like it.”

He’s remains committed to the sport since he started.

“I’ve never taken a year off,” he said. “Never taken a month off unless for surgery or a broken bone.”

He suffered his last broken bone several years ago against St. Charles East’s Ben Davino who is vying to become a four-time state champion.

“Ben Davino broke my collarbone when I was seven or eight years old,” he said.  “It’s been a long time since we wrestled, and me and him have talked (since),” he said. “It’s raised a little bit (the left collarbone), it’s never been the same.”

Despite being a newcomer on a team loaded with talent, Stanley hasn’t just shown he belongs, he knows he deserves this kind of success.

“I haven’t surprised myself, this has been the goal,” he said.”I work for it. I know I do, and whenever I feel like I underperform that’s when I hold my head even if it’s a win. And I was running after (the championship win) trying to do everything I can to be the best version of myself on and off the mat, and that’s pushing myself through everything, but also expecting a lot from myself throughout life and throughout wrestling.”

As an Indiana resident, Stanley hasn’t attended the IHSA state finals before. That’ll change real soon.

“Growing up, it’s been going to Indiana,” he said. “I’m an Indiana kid who ever since middle school factored in going to Mount Carmel. I always paid attention and I have friends who have wrestled at (the IHSA state finals) and I wrestled in the actual arena just for a fun match when I was younger, but going down there and competing is something I’m really looking forward to. I’m going to put in a lot of work this week, I’m getting right back at it at 8 a.m. tomorrow and the grind starts, the state run, the state push, it’s time now.”

Naperville North junior Tyler Sternstein (34-4) upended Carl Sandburg freshman Brady Ritter (31-12) with a 7-5 decision for third place at 132. Sternstein is the Huskies’ lone state qualifier.

138 – Donavon Allen, Marist

Donavon Allen (31-6) doesn’t mince words when he talks about where he hopes to end up at the end of his junior year at Marist.

“The goal for me is being on top of that podium this year,” he said. “I fell short the two previous years so I want to be on the top of that podium. I feel like I definitely got better in my conditioning and my overall work ethic (from last year) so I feel ready to go.”

Last year Allen fell short of winning a sectional title, taking second place after losing by technical fall in the 132 finals.

He stayed focused and persevered to beat Marmion Academy sophomore Zach Stewart (26-8) 5-3 by sudden victory in the 138 title match.

“I really practice on that poise and my coaches help me stay focused during a match,” Allen said. “I try to stay focused through the whole six minutes locked in and battling. I don’t really buy into what’s going on in the match, I just wrestle my match.”

Carl Sandburg junior Ryan Hinger (41-4) earned a 10-1 major decision over Mount Carmel senior Damian Resendez (20-13) to capture third place at 138. A year ago in the IHSA Finals, Hinger fell one win shy of getting a medal at 132. Resendez took fifth at 120 in 2023 and was second at 113 in 2022. 

144 – Aidan Huck, Batavia

It was deja vu for Aidan Huck on Saturday almost a year to the day at the same place, Hinsdale Central.

A year ago, Batavia’s Huck survived Mount Carmel junior Jairo Acuna by sudden victory at 126 in the Hinsdale Central Sectional semifinals before falling in the finals.

On Saturday, Huck (40-5) met Acuna (29-11) in the 144 finals and earned a 5-3 decision to claim a sectional title in his senior season.

“This means a lot,” Huck said. “We came in with a plan and I held him down and got to my attack and ended up on top. That definitely worked for me. We got four guys in, the same as last year going down to state.”

Last year’s narrow win was definitely on Huck’s mind as he fought for a sectional title.

“This kid (Acuna) won against me last year in the semis,” Huck said. “I took him down by a point or two, and you know, he came in with a plan but I slowed him down and got to my attacks and ended up on top.”

Marmion Academy sophomore Ashton Hobson (36-8) won a 20-8 major decision against Naperville Central senior Hagan Taylor (29-9) for third place.

150 – Will Denny, Marist

In a final pairing of two juniors, Marist’s Will Denny (38-4) earned a 15-4 major decision over West Aurora’s Dominic Serio (29-2) in the 150 title match. A year ago, they both advanced to state at 145 and Denny took fourth place while Serio fell one win shy of a medal.

Mount Carmel sophomore Liam Kelly (28-11), who fell one win shy of a medal at 138 last year at state, was able to get past Carl Sandburg senior Zac Ritter (42-11) by a 3-2 decision to win the third-place match at 150.

157 – Edmund Enright, Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel senior Edmund Enright, who finished second to West Chicago’s Nolan Allen in the IHSA Finals at 152 last season, will now try to win a state title at 157. Enright (36-3) won the sectional title at 157 with a 5-0 decision over West Aurora senior Noah Quintana (28-6). 

Naperville Central senior Christopher Bern (29-9) gained some momentum as he heads to state after winning a 5-1 decision over Glenbard West senior Tony Shadid (25-13) in the third-place match at 157.

165 – Collin Carrigan, Glenbard West

It’s hard to imagine Glenbard West’s Collin Carrigan and Lyons Township’s Gunnar Garelli as fourth graders joking around about a future where the two battled for a sectional wrestling title as high school seniors, but that’s exactly where the two met up again on Saturday.

“I transferred to Glenbard West for my senior year so I’ve known (Garelli), we went to the same club since fourth grade so I’ve wrestled this kid forever,” Carrigan said. “It’s funny that senior year worked out like this. I’ve seen him already two times and this was the third time. It’s a cool rivalry.”

Carrigan (42-1) beat Garelli (44-2) by a 5-3 decision in the 165 title match. A year ago at state, Garelli took fourth place at 160 while Carrigan, competing for Marmion Academy, lost in the 152 quarterfinals and failed to win a medal after placing fifth at 152 in 2022.

“Getting that early score was good and helped me win,” Carrigan said. “Being No. 1 or whatever doesn’t mean you can just cruise to a state title. They’re people gunning for you which makes me hungry.”

Rebounding from a loss by fall against Garelli in the semifinals, West Aurora sophomore Dayne Serio (34-5) earned an 8-3 decision over Mount Carmel junior Kevin Kalchbrenner (21-14) to take third place.

175 – Colin Kelly, Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel senior Colin Kelly (39-1) appears to be ready to battle for another state title after earning a 19-7 major decision against Wheaton Warrenville South senior Sedeeq Al Obaidi (37-3) in the 175 championship match. 

Last year, Kelly finished second at state following a 3-2 loss to McHenry’s unbeaten Chris Moore in the 170 finals. In 2022, he won the 160 championship by handing Moore his first loss 3-1 in sudden victory. As a freshman in 2021, he took third at 160 in the IWCOA Finals. Meanwhile, Al Obaidi fell one win shy of a medal at 170 last year at state.

With Downers Grove South senior RJ Samuels (34-8) succumbing to injury at 1:58 in the third place match at 175, Marist junior Ricky Ericksen (28-10) finished his day with a win.

190 – Conor Phelan, Marist

Marist senior Conor Phelan has good reason to be passionate about the sport as he nears the end of his high school career. After taking third place at 182 a year ago to earn his first state medal, he heads into this weekend’s IHSA Finals on a high note after recording a fall in 2:32 in the 190 title match over Mount Carmel senior Rylan Breen, who is a two-time state medalist.

“I knew I was going to have a lot of good matches against really good wrestlers here,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun. Skipping school to go wrestle some studs, that’s fun. I love it, I love it.”

Phelan (36-8) recalled taking a break from the sport while in elementary school, but the itch to return brought him right back. That’s not only been good for him, but for the sport.

“I’ve gone up and down with it (wrestling) throughout the years,” he said. “I quit when I was 10 and forgot about it over the summer and told my dad I need my wrestling shoes and that’s when I started to show some talent in the sport,” he said. “And I think last year at state, again there wasn’t anything left to qualify for anymore, it was just wrestling, and I wanted to just wrestle. And that’s when I started to fall in love with it again because I realized I have nothing to prove to anyone except myself and there’s no reason to do sports if you don’t enjoy it.”

Breen (26-8) took fifth place at state at 182 last season after finishing sixth at that weight in 2022.

“I’ve wrestled him twice before and twice it’s been really dynamic matches,” Phelan said. “He’s always trying to score and that’s a lot more fun to me than people who don’t like to try to win their matches and it’s 2-1, 1-0 matches. I hate that. I just knew it was going to be a fun match going in and I think that let me wrestle better a little bit.”

Winning is fun and Phelan is having a blast winning.

“I got two different people telling me it was a fun match, and honestly that was a better compliment to me than anything you could say,” he said. “I want to be dynamic when I wrestle. I do this sport because I love it and that was part of going into the match. I know it was for seeding points or whatever, but I already was in (for state) and he was already in (for state) so I just wanted to wrestle him again and have fun. My college situation is already figured out. I have nothing to prove to anyone. I’m really just here because I like to wrestle.”

Downers Grove South senior Matt Lapacek (26-4), who fell one win shy of a medal at 182 last year at state, handed Batavia senior Ben Brown (31-2) his second loss of the day, and of the season, with a 5-1 victory for third place at 190.

215 – Joey Favia, Marmion Academy

Marmion Academy’s Joey Favia (34-6) held on to defeat Mount Carmel senior William Jacobson (25-12) by a 3-2 decision for the 215 title. The sophomore has been fantastic all season long for the Cadets and now will try to reign supreme on the state’s biggest stage.

“It feels really good, I’m honored, I feel I took all the right steps to make it to state,” Favia said. “I’ve wrestled that kid before so I knew it was going to be a good match. I just have the best coaches in the corner and just know what I’m going to do so I was pretty confident going in. I mean, obviously, this is a really good sectional, you just got wrestle your match, wrestle like you can wrestle.”

Batavia junior Asher Sheldon (40-9) put his loss to Jacobson in the semifinals behind him and bounced back in a big and quick way with a win by fall in 1:17 over Naperville Central senior Nicolas Besteiro (27-5) to take third place at 215.

285 – Marko Ivanisevic, Hinsdale Central

Hinsdale Central senior Marko Ivanisevic (37-2) defeated Mount Carmel senior Alex Poholik (18-9) 3-0 to wrap up the sectional title at 285. Ivanisevic finished fifth at state at 220 in both 2023 and 2022. If he places again this year, he’ll join Brian Allen, Juwan Edmond, Jack Allen and Cody Tavoso as the only Red Devils who have been all-staters for three or more seasons.

Naperville Central junior William Erbeck (36-3) earned a 7-5 decision to defeat Marmion Academy junior Mateusz Nycz (27-20) to take third place at 285.

Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional Championship matches

106 – Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg) F 0:30 Logan Conover (Marmion Academy)

113 – Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy) D 6-5 Justin Williamson (Mount Carmel)

120 – Ino Garcia (Batavia) MD 9-1 Madden Parker (Carl Sandburg)

126 – Seth Mendoza (Mount Carmel) TF 4:24 Michael Esteban (Marist)

132 – Evan Stanley (Mount Carmel) D 7-2 Ethan Sonne (Marist)

138 – Donavon Allen (Marist) SV 5-3 Zach Stewart (Marmion Academy)

144 – Aidan Huck (Batavia) D 5-3 Jairo Acuna (Mount Carmel)

150 – Will Denny (Marist) MD 15-4 Dominic Serio (West Aurora)

157 – Edmund Enright (Mount Carmel) D 5-0 Noah Quintana (West Aurora)

165 – Collin Carrigan (Glenbard West) D 5-3 Gunnar Garelli (Lyons Township)

175 – Colin Kelly (Mount Carmel) MD 19-7 Sedeeq Al Obaidi (Wheaton Warrenville South) 

190 – Conor Phelan (Marist) F 2:32 Rylan Breen (Mount Carmel)

215 – Joey Favia (Marmion Academy) D 3-2 William Jacobson (Mount Carmel)

285 – Marko Ivanisevic (Hinsdale Central) D 3-0 Alex Poholik (Mount Carmel)

Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional Third Place matches

106 – Kavel Moore (Mount Carmel) MD 11-1 Waleed Binmahfooz (Glenbard East)

113 – Jaime Corral (Stagg) D 7-3 Tommy Fidler (Marist)

120 – George Marinopoulos (Marist) MD 15-1 Aiden Massaro (West Aurora)

126 – Donny Pigoni (Marmion Academy) F 1:12 Evan Matkovich (West Aurora)

132 – Tyler Sternstein (Naperville North) D 7-5 Brady Ritter (Carl Sandburg)

138 – Ryan Hinger (Carl Sandburg) MD 10-1 Damian Resendez (Mount Carmel)

144 – Ashton Hobson (Marmion Academy) MD 20-8 Hagan Taylor (Naperville Central)

150 – Liam Kelly (Mount Carmel) D 3-2 Zac Ritter (Carl Sandburg)

157 – Christopher Bern (Naperville Central) D 5-1 Tony Shadid (Glenbard West)

165 – Dayne Serio (West Aurora) D 8-3 Kevin Kalchbrenner (Mount Carmel)

175 – Ricky Ericksen (Marist) Inj, 1:58 RJ Samuels (Downers Grove South)

190 – Matt Lapacek (Downers Grove South) D 5-1 Ben Brown (Batavia)

215 – Asher Sheldon (Batavia) F 1:17 Nicolas Besteiro (Naperville Central)

285 – William Erbeck (Naperville Central) D 7-5 Mateusz Nycz (Marmion Academy)

By Bobby Narang for the IWCOA

SCHAUMBURG – A year after hosting the first IHSA girls sectional, the 2024 version of the Schaumburg Sectional had a different look.

The sectional was power-packed with talented wrestlers – just like last year – but the tournament wasn’t as hectic or cramped. That’s due to the change in the format this year by the IHSA to include regionals, which led to less congestion, a smoother run sectional and more space for fans, coaches and wrestlers.

The Schaumburg Sectional was the place to be for top-notch wrestling. Schaumburg had the largest turnout of any of the four sectionals: 582 girls compared to 366 for the Evanston Sectional, 335 for the Geneseo Sectional and 235 for the Rich East Sectional.

Just like on the boys’ side, the top four wrestlers from each of the 14 weight classes advanced to the state tournament. But unlike the boys, the girls will not have dual team state tournament.

But they were still wrestling for team pride.

Schaumburg and Lockport tied for first place with 92 points, while Hoffman Estates (91) and Andrew (85) took third and fourth, respectively.

Schaumburg coach Matt Gruszka, hosting the sectionals for the second year in a row, talked about the growth of the sport.

In 2023, Andrew won the Schaumburg Sectional, with the host Saxons taking second and Hoffman Estates earning third place.

“First of all, the level of wrestling has increased so much in the state,” Gruszka said. “This sectional was a grind. We will have state champs and placers all over the place at state from this sectional. It’s just the growth of it. This thing is going to grow, in terms of quality in the next couple of years. 

“This year’s sectional was easier to host because there was only a 12-girl bracket. Last year, we had all these teams in, like 45 teams. This year that was at the regionals. In our sectional, we had a massive amount of talent, and some didn’t make it out of sectionals. Another big thing I see is the level of coaching is raising in girls wrestling. A lot of older coaches are coming down. It’s nice. They have the knowledge. You could see it (today) and how it looked.”

Schaumburg advanced three girls to the state tournament, including two champions in Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (140) and Valeria Rodriguez (155), and fourth-placer Madyson Meyer (125),

“Val and Madeline had really good matches, but there’s still a lot of things to work on for the next two weeks,” Gruszka said. “That’s the one thing I wish they would change. The boys have rhythm with regionals, sectionals and state. We go regionals, then wait two weeks, then sectionals, then wait two weeks for state. It’s a mental grind. Everyone, though, wrestled well.”

Lockport coach Nathaniel Roth echoed Gruszka’s opinion on the sectional, noting he was happy to see his team step up in such a talented sectional.

“As far as sharing the tournament title championship with Schaumburg, we are ecstatic,” Roth said. “They are a phenomenal team and to be right up there with them is an absolute honor. We saw them earlier in the season and they are solid throughout their entire lineup and very well- coached, so us showing up as well as we did on Friday and Saturday and getting as many points as they did was just beyond fantastic for us.”

Roth said girls wrestling is growing at a fast rate. Several coaches at the sectional discussed the big difference in talent and coaching from last season.

“I have seen some major progress in girls wrestling over the last three years,” Roth said. “The first year we had an IHSA state series, to be moderately successful you just had to be athletic, or aggressive, or extra points if you were both. But now it’s very obvious that there is more talent out there which makes it tougher to be successful, but also pushes girls to keep getting better as well. 

“Girls are starting wrestling earlier and earlier and I do not think it will be long until most teams in the state have not only a full lineup, but a JV lineup as well. It’s still kind of tough for those girls that cannot quite break the varsity lineup to get matches just because so few teams have full lineups, much less extras. 

“Luckily, most of the tournaments that run allow extras to enter them, so those JV girls can still get some experience on the mat and get better prepared for seasons to come. It’s really great to see it growing and improving so much though. It is especially fun to see the big-name girls competing so close to home too. I mean Illinois has some of the biggest names in the country competing for us. You have Sydney Perry, Cadence Diduch, Gabby Gomez and Morgan Turner. These are big names that are known at the national and international level, wrestling right here in front of you and that is a really cool experience and very humbling.”

Regarding his team, Roth praised his two sectional champions for stepping up. Morgan Turner captured a title at 110 and Claudia Heeney won her weight class at 130.

“Morgan is a very talented wrestler, as is Claudia,” Roth said. “Claudia has been with us since her freshman year last year and is an amazing asset to the team. She is looked up to by all the other girls and is a great role model. She is an exceptional leader in the practice room and always works hard. She also has knocked it out of the park with her grades. She currently has a 4.0 GPA in school. Having Claudia on the team is great not only because she is obviously a good wrestler, but she makes everyone around her better as well.

“Our other two qualifiers, Rebekah Ramirez and Averi Colella, have similar stories as well. They both work hard and are great students. Having kids that you do not have to worry about any of the other stuff like grades, and behavior is a great feeling because you just know that the other stuff is taken care of already. So as a coach, you do not have to worry about it and can focus on the wrestling. All of our qualifiers are coming back next year as well so that is a great feeling too. I have even more time to keep developing the team and getting even better. Maybe next year we can win the sectional tournament outright.”

Hoffman Estates coach Leo Clark was all smiles following the last match of the day. At 120 pounds, Hoffman Estates’ Sophia Ball capped a dominating weekend by cruising to a sectional championship. At the next weight, teammate Abi Ji finished second at 125 to advance to state. In addition, Emmylina O’Brien took third at 135 and Anjali Gonzalez earned fourth at 235 to round out the Hawks’ state qualifiers.

“Sophia Ball came out and wrestled well in the finals and handled business,” Clark said. “Abi Ji got second and made a couple of mistakes but we will make some adjustments and be ready for state to get her on the podium. Emmylina is another tough wrestler. We’re looking for her to do some damage and have some success. Anjali is dangerous. You don’t want to wrestle her.”

Clark said the Schaumburg Sectional is a good testing ground for his wrestlers.

“We’re going to have a lot of state champions coming out of this sectional,” Clark said. “There was so much talent up and down the board. It was a loaded sectional, which was exciting to see. I expect a lot of placers coming out of state.”

100—Alycia Perry, Glenbard West

Glenbard West senior Alycia Perry did everything right on the mat on Saturday.

She just made one mistake after her 4-2 win over Batavia’s Lily Enos in the 100-pound finals. Perry (31-0) made the mistake of walking over to the wrong coaches following the completion of her stellar championship match win.

“I actually wear glasses, so I’m kind of blind without them,” Perry said, smiling. “Usually, the coaches are on the (other) side, so that’s the side I usually go to. I didn’t realize they were on the other side. This feels really, really good. I worked really, really hard for this.”

A tough-as-nail competitor, Perry (31-0) credited her belief that early in the season that she could win a sectional title.

“I was just focused on my offense, tried to take my shots because that’s how you win,” Perry said. “Last year I didn’t make state, so this is a really big moment for me. I had some really good competition today, so I’m surprised I made it through. I definitely could’ve taken more shots today, and been more offensive.”

Batavia’s Enos (38-10) heads to state, while West Aurora’s Kameyah Young defeated Montini’s Kat Bell in the third-place match with a 12-4 major decision.

105 – Nadia Shymkiv, Glenbard East

Glenbard East sophomore Nadia Shymkiv (18-0) was locked into a tough match in the finals, but she managed to make an incredible turnaround that shocked the crowd. She pinned Huntley’s Janiah Slaughter in the second period to win at 105.

“I was scared when I got put on my back, but I fought hard to get off,” Shymkiv said. “My coaches inspired me because they believed in me. I knew I needed to be aggressive and try to pin her. I was relieved when I heard the referee call the pin.”

Shymkiv said she was happy to repeat as a sectional champion. She captured an 18-4 major decision win over Addison Trail’s Veronica Cosio in the sectional semifinals.

“I was a little nervous, but still confident that I would do well,” Shymkiv said. “I thought I wrestled well, but I think I could do better. I want to work on taking better shots. I won sectionals last year and expected to win it again. I want to win state. I have worked really hard and trained a lot. I’m in great shape and I want it very much.”

Late in the second period, Glenbard East coach Matt Nelson provided Shymkiv a source of motivation by telling him Slaughter was tired.

“She wrestled great and showed it,” Nelson said.

Lockport’s Averi Colella (39-11) won the third-place match, pinning Cosio in the third period.

110 – Morgan Turner, Lockport

As one of the celebrated stars of the sport, Lockport sophomore Morgan Turner handled her business on Saturday afternoon with an efficient yet powerful performance.

Turner (7-0) defeated Bartlett’s Emma Engels (30-13) with a 16-3 major decision in the 110-pound finals.

“I was trying to be slick because (wrestlers) were a lot bigger and I trusted my training,” Turner said. “I worked on everything my coaches taught me.”

Morgan said wrestling is in her blood.

“My brother did it, my mom did it and my uncle did it, so I just started it,” Turner said.

Turner’s late season success is not surprising due to her worldly talents, but she dealt with an assortment of injuries all season that limited her time on the mat.

“I’m just grateful that I was able to come back, and at least finish out on the girls season because they wouldn’t let me finish out on the boys,” Turner said. “I was out six to seven weeks. I got cleared a day before regionals. I feel good now. I stayed solid in my position, kept my head up and listened to my coaches.”

On the other side of the gym, Crystal Lake South Annalee Aarseth notched a 3-1 decision against Grant’s Ayane Jasinski in the third-place match.

115 – Gabby Gomez, Glenbard North

Glenbard North junior Gabby Gomez spent the majority of her finals match showing her dominance. The title match was a good opportunity for Gomez to work on her conditioning, technique and get some additional mat-time against a quality opponent.

Gomez, one of Illinois’ marquee girls’ wrestlers, is among the best in the Midwest. She showed that again in the 115-pound finals, pinning Andrew’s Sophia Figueroa in a powerful showing of her talents to improve to 34-0.

“I knew she was going to be a tough competitor, so I was focused on keeping my composure and trying new things,” Gomez said of her finals match. “Right now, I really want to practice my top (position). My top is getting a lot better. I kept my composure.”

Besides her first-place medal, Gomez walked away from the sectionals with a lasting memory.

“I bit my lip pretty hard today,” Gomez said.

Gomez, a two-time state champion, also commented on the toughness of the sectional.

“It’s a lot more different because there’s a lot more girls in our sectionals,” Gomez said. “I think our sectional is probably one of the toughest ones. The bracket is not easy. So seeing the girls you will see at state is even better. You’d rather have the tough ones now because it really only matters at state. All you have to do is qualify here.”

Glenbard North coach Chris Edwards said Gomez is focused on a three-peat.

“She’s always focused and set goals early in the season and getting the takedown record. She already broke her own record from last year,” Edwards said. “She’s really focused and an energetic wrestler. She’s in better shape than anyone. She’s good at breaking her opponent.”

Wheaton Warrenville South senior Star Duncan pinned Bartlett’s Angie Carpintero in the first period to notch the third-place medal.

120 – Sophia Ball, Hoffman Estates

Sophia Ball had a big group of fans cheering her on in the title match at 120, but one spectator definitely caught her eye in the middle of her match.

After winning the 115-pound title, Glenbard North star Gabby Gomez, a two-time state champion, sat down and watched her friend and summer training partner from just a few feet outside the circle.

Ball did not disappoint her friend.

The junior remained undefeated, just like Gomez, with a first period pin over West Aurora’s Aiyanah Sylvester. Ball (24-0) won all three matches in her bracket via a pin. She placed fifth at state last year at 120. Ball said Gomez helped her up her game this season.

“I feel way better this year,” Ball said. “I was training all summer with Gabby and her dad. I think it helped me a lot on the offensive side. I think it did a lot. Gabby really helped me and showed me technique when I didn’t get it. Warming up with her today was really nice.”

Ball said her main focus in sectionals was setting herself up for a run at the state title.

“I just really wanted to win because I wanted better seeding at state,” Ball said. “I had a good warmup and having good partners and training helped me.”

Ball said she’s excited to be healthy and primed for a state title run after being out with a concussion.

“I had a concussion at the beginning, so I missed half the tournaments and meets we went to,” Ball said. “It was literally on the first day of practice, so it’s been pretty weird. I was really mad and also sad. I just wanted to wrestle. I was out for a month and a half. I just rested and worked out in the gym and started to slowly get back to the mat. I think about five or six matches, I saw my conditioning start going back up and the matches started being the same again.”

Addison Trail’s Nina Matthews pinned Naperville Central’s Ellen Purl in the second period for the third-place medal.

125 – Lilly White, Bartlett

Bartlett coach Matt Pancamo couldn’t stop smiling following White’s title victory, mainly because he has two more full years working with her. Before this season, White had never wrestled but decided to take a stab at the growing sport.

“This is her first year wrestling with us,” Pancamo said. “She was doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She’s been fantastic and puts in extra overtime and helps coach little kids on the weekend or during the week. She’s a great student of the sport. She’s been wanting to learn. I watched her first match at the start of the season beating the boys.”

White (28-3) capped off her stunning run to state by notching a 9-1 major decision over Hoffman Estates’ Abi Ji in the finals at 125 pounds.

“I never thought I could do it, but all my coaches and teammates have been very supportive,” White said. “My coaches have been watching the matches and tried to drill in what I had to work on. I just had to tell myself not to let the past affect me.”

White said her martial arts background helps her on the mat.

“That helps me with takedowns and helped me get a head start,” White said. “The Palatine tournament in late December was my turning point for me to realize I could do it. I love that girls wrestling is becoming so popular. I loved being here and doing it.”

Schaumburg junior Madyson Meyer is headed to state following a first-period pin over Riverside-Brookfield’s Eleanor Aphay in the third-place match.

130 – Claudia Heeney, Lockport

After earning a second-place medal at state at 125 pounds last season, Lockport sophomore Claudia Heeney has her sights focused on the top prize in two weeks.

Heeney broke her thumb during freestyle state, which has affected her development since the summer.

“I think I have a lot less confidence, but I’m getting it back slowly,” Heeney said. “Since my injury, I haven’t been able to gain it all this season. Today was a confidence booster, to come back and win sectionals was a big deal for me. It wasn’t until about mid-November that I realized my thumb wasn’t okay, so I had to take five weeks off. I had a lot less confidence coming back because of that. I’m going into state with a clear mind and going out there and wrestling my match every single time.”

Heeney (17-1) defeated Huntley sophomore Aubrie Rohrbacher (40-4) in a hard-fought 4-0 grind in the 130-pound final.

“I’ve been working on bottom a lot recently and my coach has been getting on me to get out,” Heeney said. “Since I’ve been working on it, it’s been going really well. (Rohrbacher) is a very talented wrestler. I tried to wrestle my match to the best I could, so she wrestled her match. It was definitely a grind.”

Prospect junior Viola Pianetto (22-4) recorded a first-period pin win over Wheeling’s Elise Burkut (29-9) for third place.

135 – Katie Ramirez-Quintero, Bolingbrook

Kate Ramirez-Quintero notched Bolingbrook’s lone sectional title win by fall over Elmwood Park’s Rose Craig in the 135-pound title match.

Ramirez-Quintero (30-3) is headed back to state armed with more experience.

“It’s all about not being afraid of anyone because anyone is beatable,” she said. “Records and rankings don’t matter. I think I got into my head last year, looking at the rankings. I had to get that out of my head. I’m just trying to have fun with wrestling this year. It’s my last year, not to put too much pressure on it.”

Now healthy, Ramirez-Quintero is primed for a big showing at state.

“I feel good,” she said. “I’ve been wrestling since freshman year. It’s always been my best sport. I used to play soccer and flag football. I have to sharpen up what I already know and be good at my staples. Last year was pretty bad with injuries. Thankfully, I haven’t had any injuries this year. I feel like a different person.”

Bolingbrook coach Jordan Hovel said Ramirez-Quintero is wrestling at a very high level.

“She stayed on her attack and we’ve been working a lot on her getting after it and not playing around too much, and that’s what she did today,” Hovel said. “She wrestled (Craig) two weeks ago at regionals, so we knew her well. We just had to play our game. I think we can get to the finals at state.”

Hoffman Estates senior Emmylina O’Brien (21-17) pinned Conant sophomore Jasmine Zavaleta in the third-place bout.

140 – Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic, Schaumburg

Seconds after pinning Andrew’s Alyssa Keane in the second period to win the 140-pound sectional championship, Schaumburg junior Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic (34-2) was mobbed by several teammates and fans.

That’s the positive side of wrestling on your home mat, as she wrestled one of the most-watched finals matches.

“The key was I kind of viewed all of the girls in my bracket and knew they were all really good, but  my coach told me to prepare for six minutes,” Zerafa-Lazarevic said. “He got me mentally and physically ready, but also having this home field advantage and seeing all my girls was so helpful. It was super awesome. I was in a pin position and she was tight and her coaches were in my ear. I was getting in my own head and then I hear my best friend scream and that helped me. I fought through it and had my teammates and coaches and the energy in the room that helped me.”

Zerafa-Lazarevic said she was motivated to break new ground after placing second in the past two seasons in her weight class.

“Everyone was saying there was no pressure for me because I was going to state anyways,” she said. “For me, I felt the pressure. The pressure was on because I had to break the curse, especially in the home gym. We love hosting. It was really awesome. Last year I was cutting too much. Being able to not worry about weight and cutting has completely changed the experience for me this year. When I’m not worried about making weight, it makes everything so much easier.”

Richmond-Burton senior Jasmine McCaskel (19-3) earned a first-period pin over McHenry’s Natalie Corona.

 145 – Sydney Perry, Batavia

Coming into the sectional, Batavia senior Sydney Perry (37-0) didn’t lack for name recognition as one of the elite wrestlers in the country.

She added to her growing fame by handing Fenton’s Yamile Penaloza (34-1) her first defeat of the season via first-period pin at 145 pounds.

“I just practiced my shots and learning positions and tried to stay into it,” Perry said. “I have the same mindset as last year, excited to be done with the high school season and get ready for world team trials and all the great national tournaments that are coming up.”

Batavia coach Scott Bayer said Perry is a unique athlete who doesn’t require much of a push by the coaching staff to train.

“She’s been flawless,” Bayer said.  “She’s a once-in-a-career kid to have in your room. The great thing is she grew up in our Batavia wrestling club, a home-grown talent and trained Izzy style and dedicated to her own training all year round but also dedicated to our program, too. She’s basically one of my assistant coaches and a team leader and an absolute gift.”

In the third-place match, Harvard sophomore Ithandehui Rosas (33-9) is headed to the state tournament with momentum after earning a 6-3 win over Downers Grove North’s Natalia Cruz.

155 – Valeria Rodriguez, Schaumburg

Last season, Valeria Rodriguez was a ball of energy and smiles after her showing at sectionals. This season, at regionals and sectionals, Rodriguez remained focused and driven even well-after her victories.

Rodriguez (37-1) remained on track toward a big finish at state by notching a 5-1 decision over Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr in the 155-pound finale. A three-time state qualifier, Rodriguez placed third at state at 140 pounds.

“Balance and movement and patience were key for me today,” Rodriguez said. “This year, as I’ve gotten closer to state, I’ve been more zoned in and more focused on my goal and what I want to do. Last year I moved a lot less, but this year at my bracket, I’m like more of the smaller girls in my bracket. I weighed in at 153 today. If I’m not wrestling or maintaining my weight, I’m naturally at 145.”

Rodriguez, in her fourth year wrestling, said she’s glanced at her possible state opponents, noting she’s aiming for a top-of-the-podium ending to her storied prep career.

“It’s my senior year and I’m giving it everything I have,” she said. “I don’t want to leave Schaumburg High School without winning state. That’s my ultimate goal. I want to leave something behind for my teammates and coaches.”

Fenton’s Sophia Sosa notched a tough 2-1 win over West Aurora’s Ionicca Rivera in the third-place match.

170 – Kayleigh Loo, Downers Grove North

Downers Grove North wrestler Kayleigh Loo was just happy to be on the mat at the Schaumburg Sectional.

Maybe that’s why she couldn’t stop smiling following her amazing performance, which ended with a second-period pin over Maine West’s Lillian Garrett in the 170 final.

Loo said she was happy because she had a different feeling last season at sectionals.

“I tore my ACL, so I wasn’t able to wrestle last year about halfway into the season,” Loo said. “I was here last year. I sat at the top because there’s always a great view. I felt I could’ve taken half of these girls (last year). I was watching what they were doing, and how I could do it better. It was hard watching. I wanted to be out there.”

Loo (21-0) is headed to the state tournament after notching her 20th pin of the season.

“I tried not to go on bottom, and let (Garrett) get on top of me,” Loo said of her strategy in the finals. “I kept my head up and took my shots with my arms in. This feels fantastic, all the hours of physical therapy I put in. I put in hundreds of hours. It was physically hard. It feels great to be back.”

Downers Grove North coach Marcos Rico said Loo is special wrestler and teammate.

“Kayleigh started off the season wrestling varsity boys, so she’s really been putting it together,” Rico said. “This year she’s been healthy. She’s a workaholic and does everything right on the mat and in the classroom. I think she’s only had three matches go outside the first period. She’s been wrestling with confidence and having fun.”

Proviso East’s Haley Arechiga sealed her third-place medal with a third-period pin over Andrew’s Janae Vargas.

190 – Jasmine Rene, Wheeling

Wheeling sophomore Jasmine Rene had plenty of fans at Saturday’s Sectional. Rene, who pinned Oak Park-River Forest’s Trinity White in the third period of a long match in the 190 finals, spent most of the her time before the medals were handed out in the stands talking to congratulators on both sides of the gym.

She earned that respect by improving to 33-1 on the season.

“Today, I just came out and wrestled my bracket. I knew I had a lot of tough girls in my bracket, with three state placers and other state qualifiers, but I had to wrestle like it was just another match for me,” she said.

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Wrestling fans can be sure that the fur will be flying when top-ranked Montini Catholic and No. 2 IC Catholic Prep square off at this year’s 2A Wauconda Dual Team Sectional.

Montini advanced 12 wrestlers to this year’s individual finals in Champaign and IC Prep advanced 10, giving the two programs a combined 22 state qualifiers of the 56 who advanced from this year’s Grayslake Central individual sectional.

It’s a transgression against Illinois high school wrestling that the powers that be scheduled the two top-ranked teams in an elimination dual, ensuring that one of them won’t wrestle in the dual team state finals.

A simple seeding process would likely prevent such an occurrence — as it’s done in every other team sport except football — but that’s a story for another time.

Montini had four individual champions in Grayslake in Allen Woo (106), Mikey Malizzio (113), Josh Vazquez (126), and David Mayora (150), while IC Prep had five champs in Deven Casey (120), Bryson Spaulding (138), Joe Gliatta (165), Foley Calcagno (190), and Michael Calcagno (215).

“This sectional is so tough,” Montini coach Mike Bukovsky said. “There are weight classes where you’re going to get multiple place-winners from this sectional. We knew that going in. We had a rough semifinal where we only won four (out of 10) of those matches. So we challenged ourselves to pick it up and I was really pleased with the way they responded.”

The blood round was where Montini truly shined, going 8-for-8 in wins in the consolation semifinals – that brutal round at every individual sectional which determines who will wrestle downstate, and who goes home.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever done that before,” Bukovsky said of his squad’s 8-for-8 blood round performance. “You look at those blood-round guys. Kam Luif (132) and Jeremy Huf (138) bounced back, and Harrison Konder (157) got caught this morning by a real tough kid from Lake Forest (Seth Digby) and bounced back, and that’s what this sport is about.”

“Santino Tenuta (165) had a bad match last night and came all the way back to take third place in his bracket — it’s guts, toughness, and heart. Then AJ Tack (175) and Santino both bumped up a weight for us when Harrison became eligible late in the year, and they both qualified. They deserve it, they did everything right, and they’re just great kids.”

“Jaxon Lane had the best day of his season today at 190 and really wrestled his butt off to finish fourth. It just goes up and down the lineup.”

Isaac Mayora (120) and Mick Ranquist (285) rounded out Montini’s 12 state qualifiers.

IC Prep coach Danny Alcocer’s boys also won four blood-round matches to earn state qualification, in Kannon Judycki (113), Pat Mullen (144), Brody Kelly (150), and Nate Brown (175) to round out IC’s 10 qualifiers.

“It was a great team effort. You always want to get more guys through and there are always a couple guys you wish could have performed better to get down(state),”Alcocer said. “But overall we did great and the team is coming together at the right time. I can’t wait to see how these guys do next week in Champaign.”

In his first year at the helm, Alcocer has IC poised to make a run at state glory.

“It’s a different vibe this year but I don’t deserve to take all the credit. We have a great coaching staff and what I like to say is ‘it’s we, not me’,” Alcocer said, tipping his hat to assistant coaches Corey Stanley, Randy Spaulding, and Tony Norton for the job they do with the IC program.

Other sectional champions at Grayslake Central were Edgar Albino (132), St. Patrick’s Nikolas Karamaniolas (144), Lake Forest’s Seth Digby (157), Grayslake Central’s Matty Jens (175), and Fenton’s Thomas Klos (285).

Wauconda advanced six wrestlers to Champaign, St. Patrick advanced four, while host Grayslake Central, Deerfield, Fenwick, Notre Dame, and Antioch each advanced three wrestlers downstate.

2A Grayslake Central Individual Sectional championship match results:

106 – Allen Woo, Montini Catholic

The top three ranked wrestlers in Illinois at 106 battled for a sectional title in Grayslake, and No. 3 Allen Woo (17-3) of Montini shined in winning the sectional title.

Woo has the ingredients that could have him en route to winning a state title, as the top-ranked Montini freshman dominated Wauconda’s No. 2 Gavin Rockey in a 9-2 decision in the finals.

“Allen just does everything right,” Montini coach Mike Bukovsky said. “Great kid, hard worker, and just absolutely as robotic and disciplined as they come, in everything he does. He’s a great representation for our program.”

Woo set himself apart from the field with a quarterfinal fall before winning 8-1 over Grayslake Central’s top-ranked Vince DeMarco (39-6). Wood then handled No. 2 Rockey with a pair of first-period takedowns, one in the second, and one more in the third without giving up a single takedown.

Rockey won a 4-3 ultimate tie-break decision in his semifinal match against Antioch’s Jacob Smith (25-8). DeMarco went on to place third by walkover against St. Patrick’s Daniel Goodwin (37-9).

Woo lost part of this season to injury and only recently returned to the fold.

“Regionals was my first tournament back and I feel good,” Woo said. “I just know that nobody trains as hard as me, so I was ready. We’ve got good coaches and we train hard, so we’re all ready for whatever comes our way.”

113 – Mikey Malizzio, Montini Catholic

Along with Woo, Montini’s other highly-touted lower-weight freshman is Mikey Malizzio. Malizzio toughed out a 5-4 semifinal win over Notre Dame’s John Sheehy (39-10), then used a third-period reversal in the finals for a 3-0 win over Cary-Grove’s Hunter Lenz (14-4).

Third-ranked freshman Malizzio improved to 30-5 in winning the first sectional title of his career.

“I love what he’s doing this year,” Montini coach Mike Bukovsky said. “He had a couple growing pains early in the year but he wrestles smart, and he can wrestle in all three phases and I think that’s the secret to him.”

The junior Lenz reached the finals with an 8-1 semifinal decision over IC Prep freshman Kannon Judycki (24-16). Sixth-ranked Sheehy and Judycki bounced back with pins in the blood round, and Sheehy placed third with a fall against Judycki.

120 – Deven Casey, IC Catholic Prep

Two of the state’s best at 120 squared off in the finals at Grayslake Central when IC Prep’s No. 2-ranked Deven Casey and Antioch’s No. 3 Gavin Hanrahan took to the title mat.

Casey (30-4) ultimately prevailed 7-5 over Hanrahan (37-7) to give IC the first of its five individual sectional titles on the day.

“You just can’t say enough about (Casey),” IC coach Danny Alcocer said. “His GPA is above 4.0, he’s a great team leader, and he does all the little things that we ask of him. I can’t wait to see him compete downstate.”

Hanrahan had the first takedown of the match, Casey had the second and led 5-4 after a period. Casey reversed Hanrahan to start the second, Hanrahan escaped, and Casey’s 7-5 lead held up for the rest of the match between the two juniors.

Casey placed third in Illinois at 106 as a freshman and third at 113 last season; Hanrahan was a state qualifier as a freshman and a sophomore.

Casey won by major decision in his semifinal match against Montini freshman Isaac Mayora (29-12), while Hanrahan won by fall in his semifinal against DePaul College Prep’s Johnny Cunningham (32-13). Wauconda’s Lucas Galdine (32-16) took third to advance and Mayora placed fourth in getting to Champaign.

126 – Josh Vazquez, Montini Catholic

Another bracket featuring four top 10-ranked wrestlers saw the day’s tightest finals match play out, when Montini’s top-ranked Josh Vazquez (39-4) took on Deerfield’s No. 4 Luke Reddy (40-3) at 126.

A scoreless first period in the finals gave way to a long second period of riding time for Vazquez, but Reddy escaped with five seconds remaining in the period and led 1-0 heading into the third.

A Vazquez escape to start the third made it 1-1, which held to a first overtime in neutral, which went scoreless. A Reddy escape to start the second OT put him up 2-1 before Vazquez got a reversal to start the third OT and held on for the 3-2 victory.

“I wasn’t wresting as sharp as I wanted to but later in the match I kind of picked it up,” Vazquez said. “My conditioning kind of pulled me through.”

Vazquez placed fourth in Champaign at 132 as a freshman and second at 120 last season. 

“I’ll just get my practices in, probably not too hard but just keeping my body ready for state,” Vazquez said.

132 – Edgar Albino, Antioch

At this stage, Antioch senior Edgar Albino is a wily veteran of the state tournament. He’s a two-time medal winner and three-time IHSA state-qualifier, and a medal-winner his freshman year at the IWCOA state tournament during the COVID year.

Albino finished fourth at 132 in Champaign last year and third at 120 as a sophomore. He’s now a senior with an approach that young wrestlers should heed.

“I’m having fun now. It’s a game; it’s not life or death,” Albino said. “In past years I was too nervous and I wasn’t having fun at all. Now, I’m just letting it fly. It’s just a sport.”

On the mat, Albino is also using his speed, fakes, and snaps to greater effect. The third-ranked senior improved to 38-4 with his 5-2 win in the finals Saturday over IC Prep’s No. 8 Omar Samayoa.

“I wrestled him at a (club) practice and I knew he was defensive,” Albino said. “So I already had a plan in my head — just be patient.”

A scoreless first period gave way to a second-period Albino takedown, and Albino led 3-1 before scoring again off a desperation shot from Samayoa in the waning seconds of the third period.

Samayoa (26-15) reached the finals with a 7-2 semifinal win over St. Patrick’s fifth-ranked Olin Walker (35-5), while Albino gutted out a 3-1 sudden victory decision in his semifinal against Montini’s fourth-ranked Kam Luif (33-7). Walker won by fall over Luif on the third-place mat.

138 – Bryson Spaulding, IC Catholic Prep

If you could bottle and sell senior-year urgency, you’d be a millionaire in no time. But IC Prep senior Bryson Spaulding came by that sense of urgency honestly, after three years of high school wrestling.

“I started feeling it at the very beginning of the season and I’ve worked on all the things I need to clean up, on my endurance — I felt it right away,” Spaulding said. “I feel more prepared, I’ve improved my focus and I’m definitely more driven this year.”

Senior-year drive drove Spaulding (31-10) to a sectional title, one week after winning a regional title. Both times, he faced Deerfield’s Jordan Rasof (36-7) on the title mat.

“I wrestled Rasof in the finals at the regional, so I knew I could beat him,” Spaulding said. “I just had to stay on my technique and stay aggressive. After no scoring in the first period I felt alright because I was staying aggressive and true to my technique.”

A Spaulding takedown in the second period and another in the third sent Spaulding to a 5-1 victory and a third berth in the IHSA state finals. The junior Rasof advanced downstate again after placing sixth at 126 in Champaign last year.

Fourth-ranked Spaulding won by major decision in his semifinal match over Wauconda’s Cooper Daun (36-10), and fifth-ranked Rasof won by 5-3 sudden victory decision over Montini’s Jeremy Huf (13-1). Huf won by major decision over Daun for third place.

144 – Niko Karamaniolas, St. Patrick

Illinois’ third, fifth, seventh, and eighth-ranked wrestlers at 144 dove into Saturday’s sectional pool and when it was over, St. Patrick’s No. 5 Niko Karamaniolas (31-5) was the last man treading water.

Karamaniolas won his first sectional title in a hard-fought 8-6 decision in the finals against Deerfield’s No. 7 Mark Martinez (28-3), who kept coming in the third chasing a 6-2 Karamaniolas advantage in the third period.

It was a hard day’s work for all four of the top 10-ranked 144-pounders.

“I also had (IC Prep’s No. 3) Patrick Mullen in the semi’s so I knew it was a tough draw for me,”  Karamaniolas said, “but I had to just go out and treat it like it was any other match.”

Karamaniolas won a 4-3 decision over Mullen (22-8) to reach the finals, while Martinez won by major decision in his semifinal match against St. Ignatius’ Nate Sanchez (35-8). Mullen went on the place third by major decision over No. 8 Tony Hinojosa (33-10) of Carmel.

“Rankings don’t really mean much right now,” Karamaniolas said. “You just have to go out on the mat and give it all you can. I love the kind of matches I had today. In the third period it’s about who wants it more and I wanted it more in every single match. I’m locked in and have my head in the right place.”

150 – David Mayora, Montini Catholic

As one of eight seniors winning sectional titles in Grayslake, Montini Catholic’s top-ranked David Mayora is pulling out all stops during his final run at winning a state title.

Mayora has placed second and third in Champaign in the last two years but with the curtain closing on his high school wrestling career, he is wrestling with a level of aggressiveness that is off the charts.

“(Aggression) has been prioritized all season but right now I feel like I’m kicking it into overdrive,” Mayora said. “Last year I didn’t have as much confidence as I do now, to want to go out there and just rip people’s heads off. And now it’s showing.”

Mayora (34-1) won by fall for a sectional title against Wauconda’s No. 9-ranked Cole Porten (40-8). Mayora led 6-2 when he took Porten to the mat and won by fall at 3:35.

“I realized how strong he was but I didn’t want to let that affect me,” Mayora said. “I just didn’t want to put myself into any compromising positions and give up any points.”

Mayora opened with a win by fall Friday before he and IC Prep’s No. 3 Brody Kelly (30-7) wrestled to overtime in their semifinal match Saturday. Mayora got the takedown he needed in overtime for the 3-1 decision win.

The Montini senior is locked in as he makes a final run at state finals glory.

“I’ve been improving, figuring out my techniques, my strengths, and figuring out that I’m good at anything I put my mind to,” Mayora said.

Kelly won by fall for third place against Cary-Grove’s Noah Pechotta (36-9).

157 – Seth Digby, Lake Forest

State-ranked No.’s 2, 3, and 4 at joined Saturday’s sectional party at 157, and Lake Forest’s No. 3 Seth Digby was the last one to leave.

Two-time state qualifier Digby (38-2) won a 10-3 decision in the finals over Wauconda’s No. 4 Nicholas Cheshier (27-5). Montini’s No. 2 Harrison Konder (11-2) took third and St. Patrick’s Van Grasser (37-14) finished fourth to advance.

Digby won his first sectional title and heading into Grayslake, he wasn’t too concerned with rankings.

“I was just focused on wrestling whoever was in front of me,” Digby said. “It’s my senior year and I just want to have fun. Rankings can get into your head a little bit so I’ve always tried not to pay too much attention to them.”

Digby was a state qualifier in each of the past two years and this year he wants to end his high school career on a Champaign podium.

“The job’s not finished yet. My sophomore year I was sort of surprised I made it (downstate) and was almost just satisfied with that,” Digby said. “Last year I just didn’t wrestle very well at the state tournament but I think it will be a lot different this year.”

Digby led 5-0 in Saturday’s finals after one period thanks to a cradle and back points, then rode Cheshier out for the whole second period before getting two more takedowns in the third.

“We’ve worked on riding a lot in the past month,” Digby said. “It’s something I’ve struggled with but I feel like I’ve turned a switch a little bit. When you’re wrestling the top kids in the state, it’s a key to being able to win a match.”

Digby won by first-period fall in his semifinal match against Konder, while Cheshier won by 8-3 decision in his semifinal against Grasser.

165 – Joe Gliatta, IC Catholic Prep

Another tough bracket at 165 saw four wrestlers ranked among the top 10 in Illinois get after it in Grayslake.

The highest-ranked among them won the crown, as IC Prep’s No. 2 Joe Gliatta (37-6) became the third of the Knights’ five sectional champions on the day. Gliatta won by fall at 1:33 in the finals against Vernon Hills’ No. 7 Ilia Dvoriannikov (29-6), in a first period that saw no shortage of action.

“He came real hard but I got five points in the (first period),” Gliatta said. “He got a reversal, I got up, then got him to his back. It was a short but a long match.”

Gliatta placed sixth at 145 in Champaign two years ago and was a state qualifier last year as a junior. This year

“In previous years I started calm but I know I have to push the pace now because I don’t think anyone can keep up with me,” Gliotta said. “Every day I run two miles, we do bike sprints, and I’m ready to go. Everyone on (IC Prep) wants the same goal and this team is really good.”

Gliatta won a 4-2 semifinal decision over Antioch’s No. 8 Ben Vazquez (35-12), while Dvoriannikov won an 8-4 decision over Montini’s No. 9 Santino Tenuta (30-7). Tenuta went on to place third and Fenton’s Jovany Zuniga (36-5) was fourth.

Gliatta will spend the week before Champaign shoring up his technique. He wasn’t happy with his 4-2 semifinal decision over Vazquez.

“I feel like I let him come to me instead of doing my own thing,” Gliatta said. “I wasn’t attacking enough.”

175 – Matty Jens, Grayslake Central

Matty Jens’ rampage through Illinois’ 175-pound weight class continued on Saturday.

The top-ranked Grayslake Central senior and last year’s state champion at 182 won his second sectional title and improved to 37-1 with a fall in the finals against Fenwick’s Patrick Gilboy (30-12).

Afterwards, Jens was asked if he’s any different than he was when he won a prestigious Dvorak tournament title back in December.

“If I wrestled Matty Jens from six weeks ago, I’d smash that guy’s face,” Jens said. “I think I’d whip his butt. Because everything you do in this sport can get better, every single day.”

Jens got in some work on his feet at this year’s sectional. He won his quarterfinal match by tech fall and led 16-4 after a period in the finals, before a pin at 2:39 ended his day.

Gilboy won a 3-2 decision in his semifinal match against St. Patrick’s Devin Nichol (36-14). After losing to Jens in his quarterfinal match, Montini’s AJ Tack (34-8) ticked off three wins in the wrestlebacks to take third place, with IC Prep’s Nate Brown (8-12) wrestling back to place fourth.

Jens placed second in state at 182 as a sophomore and placed fifth at 170 in the IWCOA state tournament as a freshman.

“When I was younger I was just having fun, and I got to wrestle, too,” Jens said. “But now I’ve matured mentally and physically, and I want to be the best. And I’ll do everything I can do to get there.

“Losing in the finals my sophomore year was pretty rough. It was an eye-opener. But the year before that, getting my butt whipped every single day was a key to making me better.”

190 – Foley Calcagno, IC Catholic Prep

IC Prep’s third-ranked sophomore Foley Calcagno (32-6) and Notre Dame’s No. 7 senior Jim Amatore (34-7) stood across each other on the title mat at 190, and Calcagno’s 6-5 decision win earned him a sectional crown.

“Foley is one of the football players who has really bought into our new system and the culture change that our staff has brought,” IC Catholic coach Danny Alcocer said. “I’m excited to see what he leaves Champaign with, as well as his development over the next two years.”

Like multiple football players at IC, Calcagno worked out with the wrestling team twice a week during football season to stay sharp.

Calcagno had two first-period takedowns and led 5-2 heading to the third, before Amatore found a takedown with a minute left to make it 6-5. Amatore fought hard for a takedown but Foley held him off for the win.

Calcagno reached the finals with an 8-5 semifinal decision win over Montini’s Jaxon Lane (31-12), and Amatore won his semifinal 2-1 over Antioch’s Colin Arquilla (14-14). Fenwick’s Jack Paris (7-3) wrestled back to place third and Lane took fourth place.

215 – Michael Calcagno, IC Catholic Prep

IC Catholic Prep senior Michael Calcagno was a state champion at 182 his sophomore year before his junior season got derailed.

“I tore my ACL and missed the whole year last year,” Calcagno said. “I made it back for football season this year and went through everything I needed to do to get to wrestle again. I feel hungrier. I lost a year and now I have to go out and make up for it.”

Top-ranked Calcagno is making it count. He improved to 47-4 and won a sectional title with his third pin of the tournament, winning by fall in the finals against Antioch’s Owen Shea (26-13). Calcagno followed his semifinal fall at 0:37 against Notre Dame’s Jack Malenock (32-16) with a fall at 0:36 against Shea.

“I just want to go out there, take care of business, and go,” Calcagno said. “I feel like I had more mat time this year in (pre-season) practice. We got back sooner from football so I had more time on the mat, and we worked hard on conditioning, too.”

Calcagno is aware of the target on his back as the state’s top-ranked 215-pounder but he doesn’t give it a second thought.

“I don’t really care,” Calcagno said. “I don’t like looking at who I have to wrestle, or doing all that digging. I just go out and wrestle. I’ve never really looked at the rankings.”

His advice to young wrestlers who obsess over where they’re ranked is simple.

“Don’t do it,” Calcagno said. “Just wrestle.”

Fenwick’s Luke Dalise (30-16) placed third by decision over fourth-place Hunter Wahtola (29-13) of DePaul College Prep.

285 – Thomas Klos, Fenton

“I wasn’t expecting to be here,” Fenton heavyweight Thomas Klos said. “But here I am.”

‘Here’ for Klos was standing in the gym at Grayslake Central after winning a 2A sectional title, thanks to a fall in the finals against Notre Dame’s Scott Cook.

All unranked Klos had to do was negotiate a sectional heavyweight field that included ninth-ranked Cook, Cary-Grove’s No. 8 Lucas Burton, and Montini’s No. 10 Mick Ranquist. Mission accomplished.

Klos (22-6) won by fall in his semifinal against Ranquist (20-6) before pinning Cook (36-8) for the title. Klos got a headlock and threw Cook to his back before winning by fall at 0:44 in the finals.

“I was just hoping to make it to state. I didn’t think I’d win it all,” Klos said. “But I was able to get to my good stuff.”

“My conditioning is so much better now. I was something like 10-6 in December but I haven’t lost since. I’ve just been winning.”

Klos punched his ticket to Champaign with his semifinal win and stayed aggressive in the final against Cook.

“It was exciting winning my (semifinal) and didn’t really know what to think about the finals but I decided to just go out there and compete,” Klos said. “Now I’ll just heal up my body, go (to Champaign), and try to keep winning.”

Burton (22-7) won by decision for third place and Ranquist (20-6) placed fourth to advance.

2A SECTIONAL QUALIFIERS from Grayslake Central 

Sectional championship match results:

106 – Allen Woo (17-3, Montini) over Gavin Rockey (38-9, Wauconda) D 9-2

113 – Mikey Malizzio (Montini)) 30-5, Fr. over Hunter Lenz (14-4, Cary-Grove) D 3-0

120 – Deven Casey (30-4, IC Catholic) over Gavin Hanrahan (37-7, Antioch) D 7-5

126 – Josh Vazquez (39-4, Montini) over Luke Reddy (40-3, Deerfield) TB-1 3-2

132 – Edgar Albino (38-4, Antioch) over Omar Samayoa (26-15, IC Catholic) D 5-2

138 – Bryson Spaulding (31-10, IC Catholic) over Jordan Rasof (36-7, Deerfield) D 5-1

144 – Nikolas Karamaniolas (31-5, St. Patrick) over Mark Martinez (28-3, Deerfield) D 8-6

150 – David Mayora (34-1, Montini) over Cole Porten (40-8, Wauconda) F 3:35

157 – Seth Digby (38-2, Lake Forest) over Nicholas Cheshier (27-5, Wauconda) D 10-3

165 – Joe Gliatta (37-6, IC Catholic) over Ilia Dvoriannikov (29-6, Vernon Hills) F 1:33

175 – Matty Jens (37-1, Grayslake Central) over Patrick Gilboy (30-12, Fenwick) F 2:39

190 – Foley Calcagno (32-6, IC Catholic) over Jim Amatore (34-7, Notre Dame) D 6-5

215 – Michael Calcagno (47-4 IC Catholic) over Owen Shea (26-13, Antioch) F 0:36

285 – Thomas Klos (22-6, Fenton) over Scott Cook (36-8, Notre Dame) F 0:44

Third-place results:

106 – Vince DeMarco (41-7, Grayslake Central) over Daniel Goodwin (37-9, St. Patrick) (For.)

113 – John Sheehy (39-10 Notre Dame) over Kannon Judycki (24-16, IC Catholic) F 3:04

120 – Lucas Galdine (32-16, Wauconda) over Isaac Mayora (29-12, Montini) fft.

126 – Tyler Weidman (38-4, Grayslake Central) over Nathan Randle (34-8, Wauconda) F 0:29

132 – Olin Walker (35-5 St. Patrick) over Kam Luif (33-7, Montini) F 4:28

138 – Jeremy Huf (13-1, Montini) over Cooper Daun (36-10, Wauconda) MD 13-4

144 – Pat Mullen (22-8, IC Catholic) over Antonio Hinojosa (33-10, Carmel) MD 16-5

150 – Brody Kelly (30-7, IC Catholic) over Noah Pechotta (36-9, Cary-Grove) F 5:35

157 – Harrison Konder (11-2, Montini) over Van Grasser (37-14, St. Patrick) MD 10-1

165 – Santino Tenuta (30-7, Montini) over Jovany Zuniga (36-5, Fenton) F 3:53

175 – AJ Tack (34-8, Montini) over Nate Brown (8-12, IC Catholic) SV-1 9-7

190 – Jack Paris (7-3, Fenwick) over Jaxon Lane (31-12, Montini) D 3-1

215 – Luke Dalise (30-16, Fenwick) over Hunter Wahtola (29-13, DePaul College Prep) D 14-9

285 – Lucas Burton (22-7, Cary-Grove) over Mick Ranquist (20-6, Montini) D 7-2